"The toad beneath the harrow knows,
exactly where each tooth-point goes;
The butterfly upon the road,
preaches contentment to that toad."
    - Rudyard Kipling; Pagett M.P.

Thanks to Jedimom for the title and the quote for this series. If you choose to read these stories, you should read them in order.

Sparring Lessons - NC-17 (13 KB)

Mystique gives Toad his daily sparring lesson, and morphs into Darth Maul. (7/00)

Afterthought, by Jedimom - R (3 KB)

Mystique muses on the events of the previous story. (8/00)

Recovery Period - PG-13 (39 KB)

Follow-up to previous two stories. Toad and Mystique recover from the events of the film. (8/00)

Halloween - NC-17 (30 KB)

Follow-up to previous three stories. Toad and Mystique go out on the one holiday where Toad doesn't need to worry about what he looks like. (8/00)

Shifting Alliances, by Jedimom - PG-13 (30 KB)

There's an assassination attempt on "Senator Kelly" and Mystique and Toad are forced to accept help from unlikely allies. (8/00)

Home - PG-13 (42 KB)

Toad goes back to York, where he grew up. (8/00)

Fourteen Months - PG (29 KB)

Fourteen months after the events of "Home," Toad has a good day. (8/00)

Equal and Opposite Reaction - PG-13 (19 KB/3 KB/7 KB)

The mutant anti-discrimination law gets repealed, Magneto steps up his campaign, and Toad pays the price. You get to choose between two endings for this story, and one comes with a follow-up story by Jedimom (6 KB). (8/00)

The Return, by Jedimom - PG-13 (6 KB)

Above-mentioned follow-up to the realistic ending to "Equal and Opposite Reaction," told from Margaret's point of view. (8/00)

House Arrest - PG (11 KB)

Follow-up to the "happy" ending to "Equal and Opposite Reaction," told from Agnes's point of view. (8/00)

The Wish - PG (33 KB)

A little utterance from Hannah shakes up the household. (9/00)

Impasse - PG-13 (26 KB)

Mortimer deals with therapy, prepares for the new children, and has a philosophical argument with Professor Xavier. (9/00)

Touching Light - PG-13 (56 KB)

The first children start arriving, as well as an adult woman as visibly mutated as Mortimer. (10/00)

Repayment - PG-13 (22 KB)

Things are going well for Mortimer, and then he receives some bad news. (10/00)

Dear Mom and Dad - PG (5 KB)

Shariya writes home. (10/00)

Hearing Violins - NC-17 (35 KB)

Mortimer's career as a mole is in full swing, and Agnes stays home for a change, giving Mortimer a night off. (10/00)

The Needs of the One - R (38 KB)

Magneto and Sabretooth break out of jail, leading Mortimer to one inevitable conclusion. (10/00)

Private Journal Entry - PG-13 (8 KB)

An entry from Doctor Ann Shapiro's journal. (10/00)

Dear Crazy Mary - PG-13 (6 KB)

Shariya writes to a friend. (10/00)

Brazil vs. Argentina - PG-13 (10 KB)

Logan spends an afternoon watching soccer with Mortimer. (10/00)

Renewal - PG-13 (45 KB)

As Mortimer recovers, life throws him some curveballs. (11/00)

Bait - PG-13 (45 KB)

Shariya's vanished, and Mortimer is summoned to the professor to try and find out why. (12/00)

The Walk - PG-13 (32 KB)

Parole day. (1/01)