Story Summary: John and Kaylee see what the world really thinks of Mutants. And it ain't pretty. Another from the Flaming Expresso Storyline!

Disclaimer: I don't own X Men evolution, and I ain't makin money from it.

Title: Flaming Emotions

St. John Allerdyce could argue that he was the luckiest guy on the panet. He looked over at his girlfriend, who was taking her day off from work to walk with him through the park. It was Saturday, the sun was out, the park was clean and warm with the summer sun. Kaylee glanced at him and smiled adjusting her glasses on her face. Her brown eyes looked at him and her brown curls were blowing around the wind. John dropped his gaze lower to look at the ruby pheonix pendant he had given her for Valentine's Day. It went well with her white blouse and red capri pants. Around her waist was a red sash and she wore tan rope sandals because the weather was so nice. He himself had a pair of denim shorts, a red flame shirt, and his bright yellow sun glasses, which made his bright blue eyes seem green. Kaylee laughed to herself and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked, enjoying the time, and John moved an arm around her shoulders as he kept on the safe paths.

"This is nice John. Relaxing day, just the two of us. No missions for you, no work for me." John nodded and gently pulled her towards a tree as they both sat down. "I wrote somethin for ya sheila. Little token of my love if you will." She grinned and leaned back letting him pull the piece of paper from his pocket. "John Allerdyce, you wrote me a poem?" He grinned and began reciting:

"Brandish you, my hearts delight

I yield to you every night

And in the time I've spent alone

My love for you I've always known

Passion burns in lovers eyes

One look from you, my spirits rise

This flame inside, still burns bright

And from my soul, this light takes flight

Lately this rain seems less dreary

Because of this, my hearts less weary

And if in fact we're meant to be

The sky will clear so I may see

A future bright and filled with love

Sends cleansing rain from above

To wash away the painful tears

And release my heart of once felt fears

Each time I look at you my dear

There seems nothing I should fear

Once locked up dreams come undone

A new life for me has begun

My life spins in tune with yours

Twirling and dancing through open doors

A cycle with a touch of fate

Our worlds entwined, creating hate

Through our bond, we rose to fight

A love this strong can break the night

Through this fight, we mean no pain

Happiness is all we wish to gain."

As he spoke, Kaylee closed her eyes and smiled listening to the sweet tone of his voice. She always knew he was a good writer, and she'd read a few of his poems and musings. But she'd never heard him actually read one. When he stopped she opened her eyes and looked at him smiling brightly. "I loved it. Thank you." John wrapped his arms around her and glanced up at the sky through the tree branches. "You have no idea how happy you make me sheila. I can't express it in just words." Kaylee smiled and looked up as well. "Feelings mutual. Believe me." They looked at each other and John pulled her closer for a kiss, which she returned with passion. As they kissed they both heard a faint noise like a crowd and pulled away from each other. Kaylee sat up and looked around holding John's hand as they both saw the crowd coming up over a hill. They had signs and fake bodies tied to poles. Every image of the angry mob that people fear. John saw one sign and was on his feet pulling her up. 'Go Away Mutants!' "We have to go, now! Back to the institute." Kaylee stood holding his hand. "John what is it? What are they protesting?" John pulled her gently as he hurried down the path towards the parking lot. "They're anti mutant demonstrators, which measn this place ain't gonna be the safest place fer mutants, or their lovers in a bit." He looked at her and paused noting the fear on her face stroking her cheek. "We'll be fine, let's just get to the car ok?" She nodded glancing back. "Ok." As they headed to the car, Kaylee noted more people in the parking lot putting signs together. She tried not to blanche as John tightened his grip on her hand and went straight for the car. Sadly they never made it.

Professor X was in the lab with Hank working on some adjustments for the Danger Room. Most of the students were gone for the day, all of them out and about at different places. He knew Rogue and Remy were upstairs, Logan and some of the younger students had gone for a walk. Kitty was at The Brotherhood house. (This made him sigh) John was out with Kaylee, Kurt was at the mall with Roberto and Amara and Storm was visiting Spike. Everyone was in a save spot until he heard a beeping from a communicator. Hank heard it as well because he looked at the Professor before picking up the recieving end. "Come in, this is base." "............God! Pl...se.......... the park........... him!" Hank tried to clear up the signal as Professor X went to the controls. "Which communicator is that coming from?" McCoy focused the signal and glanced at the Professor. "It's coming from Pyro's" The Professor sent an alert to Scott, Jean and Kurt since they were the closest to get to the park, Pyro might be in trouble. McCoy turned on the news and stared at the mass demonstration being held at the park as the Professor sent another message to Rogue and Remy to get down there in case they braught back any injured. "News officials are reporting live on the scene of the Anti Mutant Demonstration, where the crowd here seems pumped and ready to give it's message. Already over 300 people have joined the protest, claiming they will not leave until their message is heard. Sire, what do you have to say about this demonstration? Won't this scare people away from normal activities?' 'Heck no lady, it actually raises awareness for the community. We even found a couple mutants in the park, but we got them good. Chased them out and they knew who was boss. One even attacked us with fire, but we fixed him' 'Thank you, well it seems this demonstration could turn violant. Will the police show up? It's unknown."

Professor X was already in with Cerebro trying to locate John when Remy and Rogue ran into the room. "I found him, he's outside of the park, less then a quarter mile away, but his signal is very weak, which means he may be injured." Rogue looked at the screen and then up at the news broadcast. "He was out with Kaylee, you can't find her too can ya?" Professor X shook his head. "Unfortunately, Cerebro only works on Mutants. We'll have to wait for them to be recovered by Cyclops and the team.

Kaylee walked with John towards the car when two men stopped them both. "Hey, don't I know you boy?" John looked up at him and put on a cheeky grin. "Nah mate, I'm just out walkin with my sheila. Don't think I've ever met ya before." The man seemed unconvinced and suddenly grabbed his shirt. "I know you! You're one of those damn mutants from tv last year!" Kaylee lunged forward trying to pry his hand off John's shirt as John pulled his lighter out. "Leave him alone! That's my boyfriend and I'd know if he was a mutant or not!" The man back handed Kaylee. "You could be one too bitch!" That was all John needed to start a fireball in his hands and create a small twister of fire between himself and the man. "Don't hit her again! It's rude and unbecoming of a gentleman" John quickly helped Kaylee up and the two ran as John left the small twister to give them some time. They ran further into the park, but saw more demonstrators now coming their way and they looked mad. John tore off his communicator and handed it to Kaylee. "Run! Run until you find a place to hide and then use that to contact the Professor." "I'm not leaving you here John they'll kill you!" "Kaylee go! Now!" John gave her a slight shove and turned to three men that were coming at him. "I don't want to hurt ya mates, just lemme leave we'll all be savy, alright?" A rock was thrown at him and John had to create a small wall of fire to keep them from moving in. He glanced back seeng Kaylee run and she glanced back to look at him as she saw them bring in a fire extinguisher to put the fire out as she ran talking into the device. "Hello? Hello!? Please dear God! Please someone come in! At the park, hurry they're going to kill him!" She kept running and tripped on a piece of stone from the walkways and slid part way down the hill before everything went black.

Scott, Jean and Kurt arrived at the park in their street cloths and Jean began looking around. "I sense John, but he's outside the park. He's this way!" Scott nodded and looked to Kurt. "Try to find Kaylee, we'll get pyro and meet you back here in 10." Kurt gave hima salute and Bampfed quickly away. Jean ran from the park down an alley near a side street. "Hurry Scott!" She called as she crouched down next to a dumpster. "Oh my god, look what they did!" Scott stopped and saw their friend beaten to unconciousness. His face was a bloody mess and his side was already bruising. The demonstration obviously wasn't meant to kill him, but they deffinately wanted him to remember what had happened. "Stay here, I'll be back with my car." Scott took off out of the alley as he got a communication from Nightcrawler. "I founds her. She is out like a light. I'll take her back to the mansion." "Roger, we got Pyro, we'll see you there." Nightcrawler nodded and carefully lifted her up in his arms and Bampfed away heading for the mansion. Meanwhile Jean was trying to sooth what bruises she could as Pyro was coming around. "Kaylee?" Jean glanced towards the entrance to the alley and lifted him telepathically towards Scott's car. "Easy Pyro, I'm sure she's safe." Scott held the door for her as they loaded him in and drove off quickly for the mansion.

Kaylee heard the faint beeping and heard what sounded like a pump. She forced her eyes open and saw everything was a blur, and then blue as someone leaned over her putting a light in her eyes, the voice muffled. "Kaylee? Can you hear me?" She tried to nod and gave up on that idea, trying instead to speak. "John?" Her vision began to clear and she saw a hairy/furry man in front of her wearing a doctor's coat. Next to him was Rogue, and behind them, she saw John on a medical table, various wires and hoses hooked up to him, Remy and a bald man in a wheel chair, she remembered he was Professor Charles Xavier, also sitting next to him. "Oh my God! John!" She tried to sit up and felt a wave of nausea hit her making her groan. "What did they do to him?" "Relax dear lady, he will be fine as will you. I'm Dr. Hank McCoy, you're lucky to just have a knock on the head." She shook her head and tried to get up again. "Please let me over there." Hank moved to stop her and the Proffesor held up his hand. "It's alright Hank, let her come over." Rogue helped Kaylee from the table and over to Pyro, where she quickly sat next to him grabbing one of his hands. "What did they do to him?" She repeated her question looking from Remy to Rogue to the Professor, hr own face pale and full of fear. "I'm afraid John was beaten pretty badly, from what I can tell, he led them away from you so you could make the communication to us. Otherwise we wouldn't have found either of you." She gently lifted his hand kissing it and noted for the first time since they were dating that it was cold. "Will he make it?" Hank walked over to them and nodded, he wasn't use to someone so willing to accept his mutation, however he had known that Pyro was dating a normal girl who knew about mutants. "He will be fine with lots of rest and recovery. It could take days though." "I've already called Bayville High about his car accident. Kaylee, I know you're worried, but you should go home after this incident, let your mother know you're alright. We'll be here when John wakes up." Rogue nodded and gently put an arm around her shoulder. "You can come bah any time sugah. We'll let you see him, but yer mama must be worried."

Kaylee nodded keeping her eyes on John and kissed his hand again. "I'll be back in the morning John. I promise." She thought she felt him tighten his grip ever so slightly, but Rogue had taken her shoulders and was leading her away from the med bay. Professor Xavier watched her go, noting that she kept looking back until she was out of sight and then noted Remy getting up. "Gambit, where are you going?" Remy looked at him putting his gloves on. "Jonny's femme been seen by them. They gonna think she was either a mutant, or know she been seein one. Remy gonna be makin sure no one botherin her until Johnny wakes up. I'll be back professor." He tucked a card into John's hand and headed out after Kaylee.

The next three days continued like a fog for Kaylee. She explained to her mother what happened. That John was beaten in a rally against mutants at the park. She was over at the mansion every day from 8am until 2pm, when she would head to The Bean Café to work. She didn't want anyone there to know about John and the other students from Xavier's School. She had to keep up appearances, but it was hard. She would work and then stop by to see John until around 1am before heading home. The life and fire she seemed to have faded quickly, leaving her recluse and shy like she was when they were first dating. Remy watched the transformation with pain in his own eyes noting the sadness coming from her with his empathy abilities. It hurt him to see a good friend in pain, but he knew until John woke up, it wasn't going to get better. He would watch her until she went to sleep and then head back to the mansion. Getting 4 hours of sleep and then back up again. He watched everything she did, everywhere she went and everyone she talked to. People seemed to be leaving her alone, she was unremarkable enough that no one remembered her from the rally. Maybe John had done a good enough job distracting everyone's attention from her. Her boss Gregory, after the third day, gave her the rest of the week off to visit him in "the hospital" as she was telling people.

Remy waited outside of The Bean for her in his car as she hugged Greg and stepped out of the shop. She climbed into the passenger side and hugged her messenger bag glancing over. "Any change?" Remy shook his head no and started driving, he glanced at her and noted she was a little more pale, and had circles under her eyes. "Girl you need to get some rest. Johnny gonna want to see his femme all belle when he wakes up." She smiled slightly and looked out the window. "If I haven't agreed to the walk, this wouldn't have happened. We could have done something else." Remy slammed his brakes and turned to look at her. "Dis why you makin yourself sick? Because you tinkin Johnny would be fine if you two didn't go on that walk? Femme he was planning that walk for days. He woulda made you go one way or the other. Nothin you say gonna change dat fact. He loves you Kaylee. More then I ever seen him love somebody. Don't ruin that with all yer guilt and emotions. Be there and love him back." Kaylee looked at him and he felt the crashing overwhelming sadness come down as she began to cry. "I'm trying Remy. I really am, but I'm not use to this hero stuff like you all are. I'm not made of strong stuff. I can't fight bad guys and defend the human race. I am human. It hurts me just as much as I know it hurts you seeing him on that table day after day and not knowing when if ever he'll wake up!" She climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut before Remy could grab her making him curse as he climbed out of the car after her. "Kaylee come back! Remy needs to get you safely to the mansion!" She turned on him and shook her head. "I don't always need protecting Remy LeBeau! I can get there myself!" She kept walking and Remy sighed killing the headlights on the car and following her, keeping back enough so she wouldn't know he was there. "Got yourself a strong firey one Johnny. I give you dat."

Kaylee sat down next to John's bed and smiled at the flowers and cards from the other kids at Xavier's. She moved her own fire lilies aside to make room for some things and resumed holding his hand. "Hey John." She smiled slightly hoping he could hear her. His hand was still cold, and he was still unmoved from the last time she saw him. "Greg gave me some time off, to spend with you, he hopes you feel better soon. And Mom says she wishes you get better too." She squeezed his hand and rested her forehead on it. "You're so cold. I miss the warmth in your skin, and eyes. I miss you." "I miss you too Sheila." She looked up quickly to see John's blue eyes smiling at her and a smirk around the breathing tubes. "John! Doctor McCoy! He's awake!" She jumped up still holding his hand and felt the heat immediately flood back to his skin as McCoy walked over chcking his vitals. He removed the tubes and made sure he could breath on his own. "You are a lucky boy John, they could have killed you." John grinned a cheeky grin and tightened his grip on Kaylee's hand. "Nah, then I wouldn't of been able ta see this pretty Sheila's face again." She smiled and gently put a kiss to his cheek as McCoy adjusted some of the machines and removed some of the no un neccassary ones and left the two of them alone. "I'm sorry I didn't stay to help you John. I should have done something." John put a finger to her lips to silence her. "If you hadn't run with my communicator, we would both probably have been killed." She nodded and gently climbed into his bed when he patted the mattress. "Humans can be so cruel. Just because something is different, they feel the need to destroy it." John remained silent holding her hand, but he did bring it to his lips to kiss it. "We'll be the acception, roight love?" She nodded smiling and cuddled next to him. "I don't care if you grow long green ears and become as hairy as Doctor McCoy. I'll still love you." John chuckled and winced slightly holding his side. "It's not going to get any easier, Kaylee. People will always hate us. I have to help defend other mutants, and help them see reason." She nodded and smiled closing her eyes, feeling confidant enough to sleep now. "I'll be right there with you. I'm not giving up." John smiled and glanced towards the doorway where Remy and the Professor were smiling watching the two. 'I believe they are the key to helping humans co-exist with mutants. We just have to hope no one destroys that.' Remy nodded listening to the Professor telepathically. 'Heavin help dem if they do. Remy won't.'