Massive editing underway. I moved across the globe, lost the 4th chapter, left this for a year, and now Abbs of the Faeries is kicking my butt into a higher gear than usual. Some of this is written by her too because of my tendency to get massive writers block in the middle of a scene. Enjoy!

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Professor Xavier was following his usual daily routine (Wake up, teach a class or two, monitor the teachers, and use Cerebro to check on the whole world) when he spotted a problem in the Rocky Mountains of Montana.

A gathering. No, a riot, on the edge of town. Chasing a mutant.

There was clear danger in the fact that the mob, a posse really, was screaming and bearing weapons, chasing the unfortunate mutant with gusto. He sensed extremely few mutants living in the community itself, more were in the mountains surrounding the town. They probably wouldn't help for the fact that they would be treated the same. Ostracized, tortured, and killed.

He needed to send a team immediately or the mutant wouldn't survive.

Two minutes later, Kurt, Logan, and Bobby Drake were gathered in Professor Xavier's office and being filled in on the situation.

"The townspeople are exceedingly prejudiced, so you must keep your cover and give the impression of being human. That goes double for you, Kurt. If you find any other mutants in a similar situation, don't hesitate to help them. The coordinates have already been mapped in the Blackbird, so you may leave as soon as possible."

"Just one question," said Logan. "Where exactly was this guy headed on his way out of town?"

"West, I believe. There is a mountain right outside the town limits. They are now hiding, possibly hurt. That is all."

Hours earlier, Jenson, Montana

A young woman sneaked out of a small, wooden house in the middle of the night, carrying a few large bundles wrapped in old blankets under her arms. Quickly and silently, she made her way up a forgotten game trail out of the small community to the side of the large mountain that overshadowed the town.

It was winter and bitterly cold. The wind howled, bringing animal calls down with it. She quickened her pace. She needed to make other rounds tonight before dawn began to lighten the sky, or she stood the chance of being found out. This would not only put her life in danger, but others, for sympathizing with "abominations". 'Why can't they just accept us? Don't realize that mutants aren't a mistake? 'she thought as she approached the bottom edge of an overhanging cliff, where an outcropping of boulders sat, among which was a shivering figure, distorted by the darkness.

The figure started, surprised by her arrival, but quickly calmed as it saw who she was. Even in the shadow of the rock, the person had the muscled look of a male. However, when he walked out into the half-light of the moon, you could see that he didn't look quite human. For one thing, his hair was a silver-gray color that did not match his age, which, from appearance seemed to be around 17. Also, his eyes were a mix of yellow and green, with pupils that were more slit-like than a normal human's, more likely to be seen in an animal.

"Hey, Ria. You really shouldn't have come. They'll find out that you've been helping me, and they'll hunt you down. I can smell the fear, the suspicions, even from this far away. It's been getting stronger and stronger, and pretty soon they'll need a way to release it. It's too dangerous, and I don't want you getting hurt."

His voice was low, and slightly rough, but gentle. It was clear that he cared for the girl.

"Zev, you're my cousin. I don't abandon my family. Your mom and dad probably know what I'm doing, but they don't stop me. They know that it's my choice to do this, and they care about you too. Besides," she said with a mischievous grin, "You couldn't stop me if you wanted to."

With that, the boy launched at her, and they tumbled in the snow for a few minutes, laughing, before Zev finally pinned down her down, tickling her mercilessly until she gasped "Uncle!" This was one of the few moments where the both of them could relax completely while surrounded by a town of very anti-mutant citizens.

"Zevi," she said, still laughing slightly, "I have to go. There are others waiting for me. You're right. It's been getting more and more dangerous in town. Just last week they were going to hang Emery in the square, and they almost killed poor Elana for trying to stand up for him. They thought she had let him escape." She slapped a hand over his mouth as he opened it, about to say something. "No, I'm still going. It may be dangerous, but I'm the only one who knows where all of the others are. Even my second-in-command doesn't know everything. I've told her that if something happens to me, she has to just come to your cave and find the notebook. It's the only way to keep them safe."

"And what if you aren't safe?" Zevi asked quietly, putting his hand under Ria's chin and forcing her to look into his eyes. There was concern there, a quiet caring that made him want to be next to her always, to keep her from getting hurt in any way. She had already endured enough pain. "You're like a sister to me, Ria. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Zevi, it's a risk I have to take. 'The good of many before the good of one.' It's a sacrifice I'm glad to make, so that no one gets hurt. If something happens to me, then I will go being content that I helped as much as I could." Her eyes were serious now, something that rarely happened. "I'll be careful, Zev. I'm a big girl." She handed him a few of her bundles and left, heading further up the mountain.

As he watched her go, he muttered, "I know that, but the bigger the girl, the bigger the trouble tends to be. There's a storm coming, and I'm not sure if we'll be able to weather it this time."

Dun Dun DUN!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I enjoyed helping out with this. Basically, I know what my friend's ideas are, and I turn them into literary works of art. Not to mention I'm modest, too. See you next time, and I'm trying to work on my next fanfiction chapter!! --Abbs

Modest? Yeah right. Slight revisions…like spelling and grammar…I can't believe she didn't catch that , but this is two years old (about).