A/N: Hope you guys are enjoying this. Thanks to all of my reviewers. I love you guys. Please continue to tell me what you think!
"Kitty!" Bobby called, desperation dripping from her name.
"Mmm?" Kitty rolled over from her stomach to her side. She looked so peaceful, Bobby felt guilty for waking her from her slumber.
"Kitty!" Bobby called again, this time giving her petite frame a little nudge.
"What?" Her eyes flew open and she sat upright. The sound of his voice startled her. She looked into his blue eyes and saw fear which shook her core. "What happened?"
"I don't have time to tell you. We've got to go. Now!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her from her bed. He looked around the room to see if their conversation had roused anyone dorming with her. The coast was clear. Bobby guided her towards the door.
"Bobby, stop." She tried to stop his movements. He would not halt. "Bobby!" He stopped and turned to look at her. "Can you at least let me get dressed?"
Bobby looked her over and sighed. She was clad in her undergarments. She would freeze and definitely catch eyes with her attire. "Hurry." He dropped her hand.
Kitty walked over to her dresser and began looking through her clothes. Bobby sighed loudly on purpose. She did not get the clue. "Kitty, hurry up."
"Well, where are we going? I don't want to look like a pauper." She could not believe his ignorance to her troubles.
"Kitty, this is not the time to be you, hurry the fuck up." He ran his hand through his hair. His stomach was in a very large knot.
Kitty threw on sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Bobby shook his head. "Women." He whispered. 'All of the time she wasted on deciding what to wear and she put on a sweatsuit,' he thought.
He really did not want to tell her what he knew she needed, but he had to. "Grab some extra clothes."
"What? Come on, Bobby. Where the hell are we going in the middle of the night where I need to pack?" Leaving on a whim for a night was one thing, but leaving on a whim for who knows how long was another.
"I already told you. Later. Just pack some god-damned clothes." Bobby went in her closet, grabbed a bag, and started shoving clothes from her dresser into it.
"Bobby!" She grabbed the bag from him and started picking through what he was carelessly throwing in it. "These are very expensive, Gucci pants; you do not just throw them, unfolded into a duffle bag." She sighed as she took them out and neatly placed them back into her dresser. "I am not bringing $500 pants with me on some wild-goose chase."
"Kitty! I do not have time for this shit! Pack some fucking clothes, and let's go!" Bobby yelled. He regretted it as soon as he let the words out of his mouth. Never mind waking everyone up in the room, he probably just woke everyone up on the floor. It was a damn good thing Marie's room was a floor up.
"Calm down, already." She threw some more socks and underwear in her bag and they were out the door before she could even get the word 'ready' out of her mouth.
X
Logan cocked an eyebrow as Marie quickly stood up from his lap and practically ran into her room. "Marie, don't you think you should calm down and wait a bit before deciding to murder someone?" Logan was being reasonable about this whole thing, and he was extremely taken aback by it. He was never reasonable, especially in a predicament like this one.
She turned around and her eyes were on fire. "He tried to kill me, Logan! Do not tell me to calm down. And since when are you rational?" She shook her head and started to strip from her wet clothes. Logan averted his gaze towards the very interesting stuffed dog on her bed.
"Erm.. Marie. I-uh-" Logan could not gather his thoughts. Only Marie could turn his brain to butter. Logan sighed and met her gaze. He fought his feral instincts not to drop his gaze down to her chest that was wrapped in black lace. "I'm not trying to be rational, Marie, I'm trying to protect you from getting hurt again."
"And standing around and letting him get away with this is keeping me safe? Logan, if I don't do something about this, he will try to kill me again. I am not one of those women who let men beat them up again and again." Marie threw a t-shirt on and some sweatpants and ran a brush threw her hair. She was freezing but, no matter how many layers of clothing she put on, nothing could take the chill from her bones.
"I'm not telling you to do nothing, I'm telling you to bide your time." Logan was relieved that she finally put some clothes on because he was going insane.
"He is probably half-way to Canada by now, Logan. He knows that you know. He is not retarded." Marie stopped brushing her hair and stared at Logan. She didn't know if he realized that Bobby suspected Logan of knowing his actions.
It never dawned on Logan that Bobby assumed Logan knew. Logan felt a fire erupt in him. Bobby was probably fleeing the mansion right now and there was no way in hell that Logan was going to let him get away. "Let's go."
Marie internally smiled as she recognized Logan's tone of voice. It was tainted with Wolverine and that sent more adrenaline scorching through her body. She would get her revenge with more wrath than she had planned for.
X
Charles Xavier woke with a start. He was sweating profusely. He looked down at his hands. They were milk-white. He yanked the covers off of him. His body was on fire. It was another cursed hot flash. He had been having them ever since his return. He spoke with Scott about it (him having experienced the same phenomenon) and he confessed that he too was suffering from hot flashes. They were also suffering from a recurring nightmare. Every night their slumber was tainted with thoughts of Phoenix returning and their bodies once more shattering like glass. It was a bone-chilling thought.
Xavier was in desperate need of some water. His hot flash had drained his body of any fluids he had left. He knew that it would be extremely difficult to get out of bed himself (his wheelchair being across the room), so he tried to probe Storm's mind.
He softly called her name inside of her head. But, it was to no avail. She was one of the heaviest sleepers he had ever met.
His mouth as dry as cotton, he could not give up. If he could not rouse Storm, he would try Scott. How much he hated being dependent upon his friends and colleagues, but, he had no choice. He would not last the night without water, he would surely dehydrate. So, he called Scott's name inside his head.
Scott? He kept his voice slightly above a whisper; he did not want to startle him too much.
It took a moment, but sure enough, Yes, Professor? Even in his mind, Scott sounded groggy. He was definitely in a deep, dreamless sleep. He felt horrible because he knew of the trouble that Scott went through to achieve that.
Never mind. Go back to sleep. Charles hoped that he would not become concerned or curious, but his wishes were granted. He was apparently too tired to care.
Charles thoroughly debated whether or not to crawl out of his bed. It was just too risky. He did not want to damage the only working limbs he possessed. So, he thought of who else he could try and wake. He sat there and went over the pros and cons of rousing Logan. He figured that it was more dangerous to wake Logan than to get the water himself. He thought back to the day that Marie had tried to wake Logan. He shuddered. He was not the type that you awaken.
And then it hit him. Marie. She was like a daughter to him; it was a wonder why he hadn't considered her in the first place.
Marie?
While he waited for her reply, he thought again at how disgusted he was with himself. The next time Scott helped him into bed, he would have to tell him to leave his wheelchair by his bedside.
A soft voice broke his thoughts.Charles?
It was Marie.
X
Marie tried desperately not to think of what had just happened. Charles was in her mind and she did not want him to know.
Logan gave her and inquisitive look when she stopped in the middle of the hallway. She tapped her temple. "Charles." She mouthed. His eyes widened with worry.
What's the matter, Professor? Marie was worried. It was very seldom that he probed her mind, never mind this late at night.
Marie, I'm sorry to wake you, but I am in a predicament.
What is it? Marie asked. Charles was very respectable and she relaxed a little. He would not sort threw her thoughts. She hoped, anyway.
Well, you see, I was feeling weak after dinner, so Scott opted to assist me to my room, but he left my means of transportation across the room. I am in dire need of water. It would be very much appreciated if you could fetch me a glass in the kitchen. I am sorry to ask, but I feel that I will shrivel up like a prune.
Marie could hear the humor in his voice. It was no doubt that he found the situation devastating, but he also found it humorous. Marie smiled and felt her stomach release all the tension it had been holding. "He wants water." She whispered to Logan. He nodded and sighed.
Marie jumped as she heard his voice in her head again; it was something she could never get used to. Marie? You weren't sleeping were you?
Marie did not answer.
Something has happened. Where are you and Logan rushing off to?
Marie's jaw dropped. He never ceased to amaze her. Logan became worried again. "What did he say?"
We were just going to watch TV. We couldn't sleep. Marie lied. "What happened?" Logan asked again. Marie gestured for him to wait one moment.
No, you were going to leave the mansion. And your mind is unusually heavy with resentment and I feel chilled just invading it.
What do you mean, you feel chilled? Marie ignored his statement of them leaving the mansion.
I feel as though someone has dropped an ice cube down my nightshirt. That has never happened when I use my telepathy on you, only Bobby Drake.
Marie felt her stomach lurch. It was only a matter of time before he would invade her deeper and seek the answers to his questions. He could sense a problem. But, the fact that he felt the cold from her body, that Bobby's hands had caused, did nothing to ease her frazzled mind. Bobby had sent ice right to her core and it did not seem as though it would be melting anytime soon. At least not until he was dead.
"He suspects something. Should I tell him?" Marie whispered to a very antsy Logan.
"No! It's not a matter of him knowing what happened, it's a matter of him knowing what we are going to do about it." Logan clenched his fists. He wanted to hit something, badly. He punched the wall and envisioned Bobby's face. Marie sent him a look to kill.
"You are going to wake up everyone in this building!" Her voice was a hoarse whisper.
Marie, what is going on?
Marie jumped again. Professor, I-
Before she could finish, he interrupted. Why don't you tell me everything over a nice, cold glass of water? I'm beginning to think what is sitting on your mind has led to your late night rendezvous and Bobby and Kitty's hastened departure from the mansion.
Marie ran a hand through her damp hair. It was going to be a long and very unpleasant night.