Author Notes: Thank you for the lovely feedback, it really keeps me writing!

Chapter 4

Odd, how situations change. Nine months ago, he had been waking up in a white infirmary, with that red headed bitch standing over him administering drugs. He still had no idea why they had bothered – he would have left them for dead if it had been him finding one of them half drowned and burnt. Now, however, he was quite happy to stay where he was. No one went near him except Imogen; not to have a proper conversation anyway. The Professor had tried, but was giving up as all Toad would do was stare at him each session. The other X-geeks, like one-eye, would just bark orders at him. Toad wasn't bothered – it had been like that his whole life – but now there was Imy too. He hadn't told her, but he had disabled his control bracelet a few weeks ago, and he hadn't wanted to leave. Every time he considered the possibility, he would always think of what might happen if Xavier found out about her power, and he couldn't do that to her.

Toad frowned, looking up at the moon. She should have been here ages ago. As soon as he thought this, light spilled out, and he saw her shadowy form walk swiftly towards their tree. He jumped down to meet her, "Hey. You okay?" She didn't answer. Her expression was as dark as her power, and Toad only just side-stepped in time for her to punch a tree. "Jesus!" He grabbed her arm as she pulled it back again before she could break any bones in her hand.

"Get off!"

"Hey! Imy, calm down!" He had never seen her properly annoyed, let alone mad.

She stopped struggling, a dry sob catching in her throat, "Those bastards…"

Toad's now familiar protective instinct reared, "What? What they'd do?"

"They're so stupid! Why can't they see what's right in front of their faces?"

"Chaos, I can't help you if you don't explain."

"It's a cycle, humans, good mutants, bad mutants, all fighting each other. There's no point to it. Why can't everyone just leave each other alone?"

As she continued her rant, Toad began to grasp that it must have been a more global occurrence rather than anything particular to the Mansion. "Chaos, what-"

Imy suddenly stopped her rant and froze, her eyes wide, "Someone's walking through the night in the wrong way. They touch the night wrong." Her whole being darkened, as she wrenched out of Toad's grasp and ducked behind a tree. She was so dark that even Toad could barely pick her out.

"Okay." Toad muttered, "Now this is getting weird."

A mewing from behind him almost made him jump up into the tree. He turned to see a cat prowling towards him, its golden-yellow eyes regarding him sharply. He frowned, and then yelped in surprise as the cat suddenly morphed into a blue woman, barely visible. "Hello Mortimer. It is good to see you living."

Toad gaped, "Holy shit."

The woman smiled warmly, "It took me a very long time to find out where you were hiding. I couldn't come and get you, not with the X-Men watching your every move."

"Wot's changed?" Toad finally found his voice.

"Magneto is free."

Imy's reaction suddenly made perfect sense. There must have been some sort of fight. She had told him a while ago that she didn't believe in the idea of a mutant-human war, and he hadn't argued, despite his beliefs. All it had meant to him at the time was that she cared more for him than Xavier. He never wanted the day to come when he would have to choose between the Brotherhood and Chaos. He swallowed, "So?"

"So?" Mystique mocked, "We are rebuilding, Mortimer, finding new mutants for our cause. The humans will regret their prejudice."

"I can't help you, Raven, sorry. I mean, I would, but Wheels up there has made sure I ain't going anywhere fast." He waved his strapped wrist; the shapeshifter wasn't to know he had deactivated it. He wouldn't bring Imy into any war, not without her permission.

Mystique nodded, "I will inform Magneto. I wasn't sent to get you anyway. Your job is to scout for potential new recruits." She smiled, "I am glad you are alive, Mort. I have to go, I can't risk being found."

He nodded, "I'll do wot you want."

Mystique slipped away into the night, changing form. It took a while for Imy to emerge, her face like thunder, "You can't. I won't."

Toad felt sick that she would even think he would, "I'd never hand you in to Mags. If you want to help, you can, but I won't force you and-" He swallowed, not sure if he could go through with this; the Brotherhood were the only others to ever have cared about him. But if he reasoned with it all, had they cared for any more than what his power could bring them? Imy just wanted a friendship. He sighed, "And I won't go back to them if you don't."

Imy's face spilt into a grin, and she threw her arms around Toad's neck. Although they had become close, the only bodily contact he had ever received from Chaos previously had been punches, and so Mort found himself freezing in her embrace, before gratefully returning the gesture, glad of his decision.

It had been a week since Imy's outburst, and Mystique's sudden yet short appearance. As with every night, Chaos and Toad were out by their favourite tree, but unlike the early fighting days of their friendship, they merely sat watching the moon reflect in the lake. They had not spoken in sometime, until Imy asked, "How old are you, Mort?"

Toad started, the question taking him by surprise, "Why?"

"Just wondered."

He shrugged, "Twenty two, I think, more or less. I grew up in an orphanage, so was never given the exact specifics of my age."

He was glad when Imy didn't respond with the usual 'I'm sorry' crap that most people would come out with in that situation. Instead, she replied, "I turned nineteen yesterday. It got me thinking how long you'd been a mutant for, and whether it ever gets any easier."

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I just can't imagine living the rest of my life up at the Mansion. I mean, it's great and all." She hit him when Toad snorted at that comment, "But sooner or later they're gonna ask me to contribute and, well, I don't want to. Not in the way they'll expect. I can't fight for them."

Mort let her lean her head against his shoulder as he replied, "If they really are as good as you say, they won't make you do anything."

Imy smiled, "Thanks. I should get going; dawn's coming."

They both stood, and Toad turned to walk over to the door where he usually met Wolverine at half six. Imy made to follow him, shaking her head to switch powers. Nothing happened – her hair remained black. "Shit." A sick feeling of dread uncoiled in her stomach, "Mort, I think I have a slight problem."

Toad frowned, turning, "Wot?"

"I can't change. I can't access my telekinesis."

Toad stared worriedly, "You ill or summit?"

Shaking her head, "No, I mean, I don't think so. I dunno, maybe my power's recharging or something. It happened once before when I was younger. It's not that what's worrying me."

"Then wot?"

"We've got training today. Y'know, with our gifts. And they'll expect me to be able to make things float."

"Ah."

To Be Continued…

Author Notes: What do you think?