Scott stood next to the sobbing new recruit in sympathy outside the hospital ward, only hearing bits and pieces of what the boy was saying. He was talking to the Professor, who, despite his calm face, was concerned.

"I'm so s-sorry...d-didn't know the basketball hoop w-was m-m-metal...Jamie never told me...thought it was something else...at home..."

The Professor laid a hand on Tyler's shaking shoulder gently.

"It is alright, Tyler, it was a simple mistake."

Tyler shrugged Professor Xavier's shoulder away and turned torwards the door.

"Well..." He inquired, sniffing. "I geuss I better start packing my stuff up again..."

"Hey!" Scott pulled him back. "Look, we all make mistakes. I didn't even know the basketball hoop was metal. Having a power like that can't be easy, and you couldn't help it."

Tyler's eyes lit up, and Scott had a sudden flashback of three Jamies that morning.

"You mean I'm STAYIN?!"

Scott nodded.

"Sharing a room with Roberto."

The smiling boy pumped his fist into the air and jumped up.

"Yes!" He yelled, before running out to his new room.

Logan stepped out of the Hospital ward the moment Tyler left.

"How is he doing, Logan?" Professor Xavier asked. Logan shook his head and looked down at the floor.

"I ain't no doctor..."

His sentence was left unfinished as he sauntered away from the hospital ward, Scott following in his suit.

"That was um...a pretty nice thing you did, you know, helping Ororo out. Why'd you do it?"

Logan turned his head away from Scott for a moment, then turned and looked strait ahead where he was walking.

"I dont have pity on the weak who can be strong, but don't." He shot a glance at Evan's bedroom door as they passed it. "But what I do have pity for is the weak who can't do nothing about it."

Scott's mind bounced the words around for a moment, than chose to question them.

"What?"

He could hear Logan let out a gruff sort of groan mixed with a sigh as he put his hand on his forhead.

"Ugh...take it this way, bub. Basically, that kid's got powers we don't wanna mess with, cause we're not sure what'll happen. He got his powers at a young age. We're not even sure how he figured out he had em."

Scott listened curiously.

"What do you mean?"

The sigh groan once again, and he hand on the forhead.

"All I can say, is when we got to the place he was stayin, kid was scared outta his wits of something already, and we didn't make it any better. The only thing that made him come was when we told him he'd be staying somewhere else."

Brushing his hand against his hair, the taller, yet younger boy looked upon Logan with an interested aire.

"What happened when you got there?"

Logan made a noise deep in his throat to show he was thinking, than started.

"It went like this..."

flashback

It was cold, very cold, even for a snowy day in Febuary. Usually Providence, Rhode Island never got this cold. Even the inside of a house with no heat felt colder than the outside, it was so cold. It never got this cold. Usually.

But usually you wern't hiding in your living room from 6 human beings who had the same facial expressions, same eyes, hair, clothes, same everything as you.

It was obvious his father hadn't MEANT for it to happen, but somehow, it did. With one hard blow to the eye, there, he looked over to see six more of...HIM!

His father had pointed an accusing finger at him, and it shook with emotion, although which was sure a mystery.

"You're...you're a..." And he swept off and out the door of their small, three room, one story house.

Jamie just stopped to stare at the strange clones of himself, the pain in his left eye throbbing his vision of both.

"Ahhhhh!" Jamie quickly darted into his room, which was not too far away.

But they followed him.

"Ahhh!" He screamed again, and ran out into the living room/kitchen/dining room. And to make matters worst, there was someone knocking at his door.

He peeked out the large, picture window through the curtain at the people awaiting to be let into his house. There was a large, muscley man, in an orange suit with strange ears, and a girl, rather pretty, with shiney red hair, a headband, and a sleek black suit that looked like as if it fit like a glove.

"G-go away..." He called, backing into the kitchen/dining room table. "L-leave me alone..."

There was a sound, like metal hitting metal, and Jamie wondered what was going on outside his door. Were they sharpening knives to kill him?

Then, the sound of wood being broken. Metal claws were breaking down the door!

"Ahhh!" Jamie cried, and ran into his room and slammed the door. Tears ran down his face as he threw himself into a corner and shielded himself with his arms. If they wanted him, they'd have to get through his shield first...

Jean Grey and Logan quickly ran into the house after the small boy. He had been screaming...but nothing seemed to be wrong in the house.

Jean turned the doorknob to the boy, Jamie's, room and opened the door cautiously. The sight she saw made her eyes widen, and made Logan stop behind her in the doorway with a "woa..."

There was seven of Jamie Madrox spread out across the almost empty bedroom, six of them talking and laughing as though Jean and Logan had always been in that room, that they were old friends. It was obvious to see who the real Jamie was, though, the only one NOT talking and laughing. The frightened, crying boy in the corner was obviously the real Jamie.

"Why are you crying?" Jean asked softly, taking a step closer to the small boy. He said nothing, but continued crying into his arms.

"Jamie."

This got a response. The boy stopped crying and looked up at her, and Jean noticed a black eye amist his tear stained face, but he seemed not to notice it, so neither did she.

"How do you know my name?"

Jean attempted a smile to cheer the boy up, but he did not smile back.

"I know your name because you have a gift."

Jamie stared at her for a moment, and then turned his head away.

"No I don't. No...I don't."

Jean sighed and made eye contact with the boy.

"That's what I thought when I first got my powers."

Jamie's yes opened wide.

"YOU have powers?!"

She nodded and smiled.

"Yes." Jean lifted her hands up and focused on a baseball hat that was lying on the desk near the window. The baseball hat hovered in thin air, and did a few spirals on Jean's command.

"Ahhh!" Jamie yelled, and ran torwards his door to escape. But alas, Wolverine blocked his way and sent him crashing, hard, to the ground. Around him, three multiples appeared.

"So that's how it works..." He heard the large, costumed man mumble. Jamie quickly jumped up and covered his eyes with his hands and let out a small noise like a whimper.

He was trapped.

"Wha...what do you want? Why are you here?"

Jean stepped torward him softly, and crouched down to look him in the face. Seeing his frightened eyes, she had the sudden urge to engulf him in a warm, friendly hug, but she restrained herself, and settled with putting one hand on each arm, as if to hold him in place.

"I want to tell you about a place...a place about new beginnings, a place for people like you and me."

Jamie gave her a look of disbelief.

"New beginnings?"

"New beginnings."

"Away from all of this?" The boy lifted his hands up to signal his room.

The response he got was a nod and a smile. Calmly, almost cautiously, Jamie walked over to a small door to the side of his room. Opening it, he pulled out a small orange duffle bag, worn and old from obvious overusage. Without a word he walked back over to his bed, and expectedly searched through its abyss, finally turning up with a small, soft, brown teddy bear. With a small smile he held it up, admireing the patched fabric and missing eye, before placeing it carefully into the bag. He turned to look at Jean, happy impatience written all over his beaming, boyish features.

" Well?" He said slowly, holding out the duffle bag, " Aren't you gonna help me pack?"

end flashback

"Mysterious...you never even met his dad?" Scott asked, rubbing his chin.

Logan shook his head.

"Seems somethin' was wrong, that made him wanna get away from there as soon as possible. And I've been watchin' him...doesn't seem to click with the other students much."

Scott nodded, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Maybe I should be a little nicer to him from now on."

"...still unconsience."

That voice...where was it coming from?

"...blood loss and...sleep...understand...goodbye."

Hello? Can you hear me?

Hello?

Jamie tried to unstick his tounge from the top of his mouth.

"Ugh..." He managed out, and tried to unglue his eyes apart from the strong hold they had on each other.

He could hear a commotion rustling around him.

"Jamie? Are you awake?"

Jamie finally unstuck his eyes.

"Mom? What are you doing here? I thought you were in the Bahamas...with Aunt Becky..."

His vision blurred into a mixture of colors, seemingly coming together to look like...his mother?

"Mom, my arm hurts, and my head feels funny..."

"Jamie? Come to it Jamie..."

"Mommy, why are you here? You don't have time, after you get back from the Bahamas you have to go to Africa..."

"Africa?" The voice was slow, as though it was a tape in slow motion.

"Yea...to meet your tribe...they miss you...I miss you..."

Blinking, the blurry image cleared, leaving a clear view of a white haired, dark skinned, concern faced woman bending down upon him.

"Wait...You're not my mom..."

Storm's eyebrows mushed together in worry.

"Jamie, you were ha...lu...ci...na...ting..." Her mouth formed the word slow in Jamie's mind, but fast in Storm's.

Hallucinating? What's that mean?

"Ha...lu...ci...na...ting?"

Ororo nodded.

"Yes." And then turned away. "Are you hungry?"

Jamie shook his head, not caring that the older woman's back was facing him. When she turned around, she had a tray with a bowl of soup, bread, and a glass filled to the brim with what LOOKED like cherry coolaid.

"You had better eat. You need strength."

The boy looked down at the soup with a sigh, and looked back up at Ororo with a frightened look.

"Um...if you don't mind...is it okay if I, um, don't eat?" He cringed, waiting for her answer.

What he got was a smile and a nod.

"Well, alright, if you wish, but you have to drink the juice.It will help you sleep."

Ororo picked up the tray put down only moments before and handed the glass to him.

"It's cherry."

Jamie gave a small smile to Storm and took the glass thankfully.

"Mmm...Cherry!" He held the glass(which was rather large) with two hands, and took a large sip, emptying more than half of the glass.

"Now, you must drink that ENTIRE glass. Understand?"

Jamie nodded.

"I'll be back in a little while. Remember, the entire glass!" And with that statement, Ororo exited the hospital ward.

"Ugh...I just remembered I hate cherry..." Jamie attempted to take another sip, but it wouldn't go down.

"I have an idea!"

He clapped his hands together firmly, and a multiple appeared on each side of him.

Standing up, Jamie helf the drink out.

"One of you want this?"

The two multiples cast dark looks at the other.

"I'll have it." One stated loudly, and grapped the cup.

The other multiple did not take this well.

"No, I'LL have it!" And he grabbed the cup also.

"HEY, stop!" Jamie called, grabbing the cup away from both of them. "You each can have HALF!"

The multiples sheepishly nodded, while Jamie looked around for another cup. He didn't find one.

"Well, I geuss," He gave the cup to one of the multiples. "You drink half, and then give the rest to him."

"Fair!" The multiples agreed, nodding their heads. The first multiple downed the contents of the cup until there was a little more than an inch left, then handed it to the other.

"Here you go!" He said, grinning evilly and turning to the real Jamie.

"Got any more of that stuff?" Jamie shook his head and put his hands up in defeat.

Both the multiples, even the one who had, just a moment before, been hopping around, trying to get juice out of the cup, hung their heads in dissapointment.

"None?"

Jamie shook his head, and looked around.

"Maybe we could find some. I mean, everyone has cherry coolaid..."

The multiples both nodded and eached jumped up onto a counter, looking into every cabinet they could reach. Jamie, on the other hand, searched the closet.

They returned moments later.

"Find anything?" Asked one of the multiples. Jamie and the other multiple shook their heads.

Jamie yawned.

"Well, I'm getting tired."

The two multiples stared at him.

"Can't we go to YOUR room to sleep, Jamie?"

Jamie, who was feeling a little sleepy, nodded.

"I didn't want to sleep on that uncomfortable bed anyway."

Together, the three walked out of the hospital ward, sure to move their steps lightly, as to not wake up the whole mansion with their noise.

"You're going too fast!"

"No YOU'RE going too slow!"

"Jamie, tell him he's going too fast!"

"Jamie, you're going too fast."

"Jamie, you're supposed to be on my side! Am not!"

"Shhh! We'll wake EVERYONE up!"

Immediately, the two multiples silenced.

"Now, where's my room again?"

They walked down another flight of stairs.

"I don't remember having to go down so many stairs to get to my room..."

"Yah, me neither."

"Ditto!"

"Shhhh!"

A sound echoed through the hallway. A door creaking.

"Oh no, we're gunna get CAUGHT!"

"Ruuuuuuunnn!"

The whispering of his multiples was not reassuring as they scampered off in a differant direction than the light pouring from an open door.

"Uh...um..." Jamie pondered, before calling, "Hey, wait up!" and running after his multiples.

He found them standing grogilly outside a large door. The sleeping concoction had gotten the better of them, too.

"Is THIS your room?" One asked.

Jamie nodded.

"I think so."

They shrugged and walked inside the large room. The shiny, reflective walls glinted with mystery, and the identical floors glinted with a sort of awaiting danger to become.

"Wow...this is the COOLEST room! Woo hoo!"

The Jamie that had exclaimed that jumped up with his fist in the air.

"Hey guys, " He turned to the other multiple and the original Jamie with an evil glint in his eye. "Wanna play TAG?"

The other two grinned and nodded, clapping their hands together(Jamie with a tad bit of difficulty, because of his cast) to make more players. Great games always have more players!

"Not it!"

"Not it!"

"Not it!"

The chorus of 'not its' echoed through the danger room until only one clueless Jamie was left to be it.

"No fair!" He called, but no one but himself was listening, so he just smiled and ran after the first multiple he saw.

"Ha ha ha TAG!"

The tagged multiple gave the other an icy glar, but then smiled and quickly targetted another one of the multiples.

"YES! GOTCHA!"

The laughing echoed through the danger room, but was interrupted by a strong, mechanical voice.

"Activating Gotcha 1."

"Huh?" A unision of voices agreed.

Zing! A lazer whipped past one of the multiples heads.

"Ahhh!" He screamed, and was followed by others as they ran to dodge the lazers.

"What the...?" Jamie asked as a large, spiralling weapon of knives headed strait torwards him. "Ahhh!"

"Jamie!" A multiple called, pushing him out of the way and quickly obsorbing into him.

Maybe these multiples are good for something after all. Jamie thought as he got up, his arm throbbing. Wait...the Professor, he was one of those people...those people who could read minds...but how did he reach him?

Professor? Jamie thought hard, trying to contact the Professor Xavier. Professor?

Professor Xavier was jerked out of his sleep by a voice. Someone was calling him...in his head...at what hour of the night.

One A.M. Alright, morning.

Professor? The voice echoed.Professor?!

Yes? Charles said in his head, not comprehending who he was talking to.

Ahhhh! Where did THAT come from? My arm!

A click of panic arose in Professor Xavier's head. Jamie?

He got no answer. Ororo. Charles sent out a brain wave in the direction of the weather witch's room. Yes Charles? A fuzzy brain wave of Ororo's asked. Ororo, I would like you to go and check on the Infirmary, if you don't mind. I have reason to beleive that Multiple is having some distress.

There was no answer in his mind, but he knew Ororo was doing what he had asked.

"Professor!" Kitty's form appeared through the wall. "Professor, there's someone in the danger room!"

Professor Xavier gasped as Scott bustled in through the door, followed by Logan.

"Professor, theres..." He started, than saw Kitty, her watch blinking. "Oh..."

"Wonderful you noticed, Scott, but I have already been informed. Please get suited up and ready, and I'll inform the others."

X-Men, assemble in the basement. As you can see, someone has trespassed into the danger room.

Now in his wheelchair, Professor Xavier wheeled himself to the danger room, immediately joined by Scott, who held a record for somehow suiting up and being ready in an amazing 30 seconds.

"Who could it be, Professor?"

Professor Xavier bent his head in thought.

"I'm not sure."

"Jamie?" Ororo called, walking into the dark Infirmary."Jamie?"

She tried flicking on the lights. Nothing happened.

"Jamie? Are you playing hide and seek on Ororo?" She sighed but smiled at the childish game that popped images into her head of her and her sister, playing hide and seek, but of course, they would always find each other.

With a sigh, Storm lifted a finger an jolted the fuse with a lightning bolt, flickering the lights on. What she saw made her wish they were still off.

Jamie's hospital bed was empty, but it was obvious he had been there. The white blanket was frumples, and a little stained with the red juice Ororo had given him. The cup it was been in was upside down on the counter, and underneath it all was open cabinets and doors, the contents spilled, and only one thing opened.

The sleeping powder.

She had put it into the juice, and stirred it in, but there had been much more...and now it was everywhere...

Did he consume it?! Ororo thought to herself in panic. Kids and sugar...I knew I should have put it in a higher place...

Charles! Jamie is not in the Hospital Ward. Ororo thought freely, hoping Xavier heard.

He did.

Yes Ororo...we found him.