My Love Tells Me So

What if I told you it was all meant to be?

Would you believe me?

Would you agree?

It's almost that feeling, we've met before.

So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy

When I tell you love has come here and now.

=

A moment like this

Some people wait a lifetime

For a moment like this

Some people search forever

For that one special kiss

Oh, I can't believe its happening to me

Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this

=

Everything changes but beauty remains

Something so tender I can't explain

Well I may be dreaming, but till I awake

Can't we make this dream last forever

And I'll cherish all the love we share

Feeling

Cassandra milled around for a bit, poking around some of the more interesting exhibits. She was only wasting time until they left. She loved going to museums but for some reason today was different. She felt distracted, disoriented somehow. Her mind felt fuzzy, like it did when she had not had enough sleep, but she had went to bed very early the night before and had slept through so it could not be that. She hoped it didn't have anything to do with her power, it always got her into trouble.

"Cassandra?" She turned to see Professor Xavier close by. He was regarding her with something like worry.

"I am fine, Professor." The seventeen year old said, brushing back errant strands of raven hair. "Just a little dizzy."

"Perhaps you should sit down." He suggested. She shook her head. "Are you sure?" A nod. "Very well then. Be careful." The girl smiled. Professor Xavier was always so concerned about the students at the school. Everything he had done for them should be appreciated. Especially the things he had done for her. She had been a street kid running from her rich aristocrat parents, sick of the world and everything it had to offer. Until Xavier that is. She had a place again. She belonged.

She turned and nearly ran into Jubilee. "Oh, hey." The two of them were so different and it always surprised Cassandra how they had become such good friends. Jubilee acted like an airhead sometimes, but underneath all the dense façade she was a very smart, tough girl.

"Hey, Zane." Jubilee said, "so, how are you liken' the trip so far? It's kinda interesting."

Zane grinned. "Yeah. It is. I can't help but feel a little vulnerable though, being out here." She looked around, and Jubilee agreed with a nod.

"Are you doin' okay? You look a little pale."

Zane looked back, "huh? I do? Well, I do feel a little off. Maybe it's because I skipped breakfast this morning. I didn't want to fight the boys for the cereal. You might lose an arm in there." She cracked a smile and Jubilee laughed. The funny part was it might be true. St. John and Bobby could be quite violent when it came to getting between them and food.

Suddenly Zane felt a pull, then a shock in her brain. Her powers! Brutal images shimmered before her and she was afraid. She'd never seen images before, nor felt anything from her episodes. She felt fear, but not her own. It was a different kind of fear. She felt other things. Caught unspoken impressions. An out of control situation. Shame. Pain. Abruptly she felt a connection, a connection to a person. She heard them scream, their voice heavily accented, male. Help me! She jerked. Jubilee had touched her arm.

"God, Zane, you okay? I'll go get the Professor if you want. You scared me. You looked like you were seeing a murder or something." Zane shook herself, trying to relieve some of the fuzziness that was building back up. Everything had been so clear while those things were running through her head, and once again she felt that fog drop over her.

"Jubes, I don't feel so well."

=====

Not long after Cassandra had her incident Xavier decided to take all the students back to the school. Something serious had happened. Only a few of the kids knew exactly what was going on, but by the time they arrived back everyone knew. Worry and dread lit Cassandra's face and as soon as she was in the door she ran into the living room. Her fingers closed around the remote and she switched the TV on.

CNN was running a breaking story. The anchorwoman was saying something about an attack on the President. Someone managed to get into the white house and then even further, to the oval office. With a sharp intake of breath the dark eyed girl said, "almost a murder, Jubilee." She turned to where the Asian girl was standing in the doorway with a few other students.

Seeing what her friend was implying Jubilee cried, "you saw that? You saw the President almost get killed!?"

"No, I felt it. I felt these feelings, these emotions." Cassandra was still trying to get that voice out of her head, that tragic voice screaming for help. "Fear, helplessness."

"Do you think you could have been feeling what he was feeling? Being attacked and all that." Another student, Yolanda something, asked.

"No… not the President." Cassandra looked back at the TV again. "The other one."

Eyes widened, whispers were exchanged. Finally Jubilee spoke again, "you mean the assassin?"

"Would-be assassin." Zane corrected, "and yes."

=====

Zane didn't tell the Professor about it. Not yet anyway. She wanted to make sure of what she was feeling. She had been pretty sure of what she had experienced, but what if she was wrong? She leaned back against her headboard, a pillow clutched in her arms. "Piotr, I don't know what's happening to me." She sighed. "I've never felt things like that before. It's usually just a feeling you know, a pull. A hint of somewhere I'm supposed to be, or a person I'm supposed to find. Never have I felt emotions, heard thoughts."

Piotr Rasputin gazed at his friend worriedly. "I'm sure it is nothing to worry about, Cassie." He said. "Maybe your powers are just taking a new step up."

"Well, I wish they hadn't. Not for that." She dropped her head and looked at the comforter. After a few minutes she said, "he cried out for help, Piotr. Would a killer do that?"

His blue eyes came up to meet hers solemnly. "Maybe there's more to this than people think. You should go tell the Professor."

"I know, but what if I'm wrong."

"I believe in you, Cassie. And so does Xavier. Go explain it to him."

=====

"We'll do everything to find him, Cassandra. I promise." Xavier reassured the upset girl sitting before him. "I'll send someone to search for him as soon as I have an idea of his whereabouts."

"I have to go." Cassandra said suddenly.

"I can't let you do that, you know that." He answered.

"You have to let me go." She insisted, rising from her seat. "Sir, I can find him, you know I can. And plus whenever I feel something like this I have to be there, I should be part of it."

"It will be too dangerous. Perhaps you have already played your part in informing us. Please, Cassandra, don't go out and get yourself hurt. This is a very volatile situation. If it were to turn fatal I would not want to have put you in the middle of that. Tell me you won't go looking for him."

"I won't go looking for him." She said with a sigh.

=====

She hadn't told him, but places kept popping into her head, yanking her brain every once in a while. They were the places where her mystery guy was, at least temporarily. He was heading North. If she headed South then the feelings would grow stronger and she would be able to track him easily, pinpoint where he stopped. It was worth a try.

She hated to lie to Professor Xavier, but after five years of living with her powers she knew what they asked of her. When she received impressions she had to follow them. She was the only one who could understand them, the only one to sense their shift. She had to be there, she had to find him first, before some frightened human posse out looking for a trophy did.

She opened the drawer to her nightstand and took out a box. When she lifted the lid she revealed a stack of money. Three hundred and fifty six dollars all together. She had been saving for a while, saving for what she didn't know. One day she just got the feeling she should just start saving up. Now she knew why.

She then pulled out a pad of paper and began to write a short note, hoping whoever found it wouldn't be too angry with her. She prayed this wasn't pushing the School's trust too much. Maybe when she returned they would understand. When she had a mission she had to see it through, not rely on others to get it done properly.

As she finished the short letter she felt another pull. He was still moving North. Good. With a deep sigh folded the letter. She wrote To Whom It May Concern, From Zane on the front. Placing it on her desk she turned and went to the door. With one last glance back at her empty room she was gone.

=====

Piotr hurried back up to Cassie's room. Ms. Munroe had told him she had left Xavier's office an hour before. She hadn't been happy. Apparently they wouldn't let her go with them to find the almost assassin. Piotr agreed with it, but if he knew Zane just right she would be fuming. He might as well go calm her down before she decided to do anything rash.

He knocked before entering Cassandra and Jubilee's room. Jubilee was sitting on the edge of Cassie's bed, a piece of paper in hand. Piotr got the horrible feeling he was too late. "What is it, Jubilee?" The girl handed him the paper wordlessly.

Dear anyone,

I am so, so sorry to do this an worry everyone, but you must understand I have to do this. Do not be angry with me. I know I may be acting foolish, but one with my gift must be foolish and reckless to make sure her gift is properly carried out. If I am successful then I will return soon, and hopefully with a friend. If I don't return you know I have failed and have run into some trouble. I love you all. Especially you, Jubilee, Piotr, and Kitty. You've been wonderful friends. Thank you Professor Xavier, and all the others. Mr. Summers, Ms. Grey, Ms. Munroe.

Yours, Cassandra.

"Damn it." Piotr cursed. "Why do you always have to do this, Cassie."

=====

Piotr immediately took the letter down to Xavier. The Professor shook his head. "I should have known. Her promise to stay back didn't sound too heart felt, but I let it go."

"Will she be okay?" Piotr asked in concern.

"I was about to go search for that man, but I guess I'll have two people to find now." Xavier replied. "I'm sure she will be fine. She's a strong individual, and she just may find him before we do. She's in fate's hands now…"

So, whatcha think? Leave reviews. Toodles. Apocalyptic Muse.

P.S. I don't own the X-Men (damn!) or "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson.