coup fatal: Thanks. So do I. They don't make 'em that good anywhere BUT in Texas. Can ya guess where I'm from? -grins-

Black Rose TD: I think my favorite part of your review was the "Oh squee!" part; I laughed hard at that. Go ahead and send me your hate mail! I love a good challenge. And if someone will take the time to send you flames, it means that your story is good enough that they are willing to take time out of their schedule to send it to you! abril4: I hope you like it. -grins- He wakes up in the next chapter. I'm still trying to work out some of his background, but I think I have the main bit down. :)

PREDATOR: It's about time you showed up little bro!! I was wondering if you'd EVER review any of my stories! Yeah, the one you read was pretty short. You think it's like Mutation? Oh well, I guess I'll take that as a good thing. :)

Questions without Answers

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Rogue found herself thinking that they were all lucky Scott was such a good driver. At the speed they were going, especially around tight turns and bumps in the dark, anyone else might have crashed long ago. A distant part of Rogue's mind was amazed that they didn't get pulled over by the police.

She had noticed that Scott had tried to contact the mansion several times. Each one only resulted in a flow of static. This could only mean someone was blocking their signal. Rogue could tell that Scott was worried about another attack.

They made the normally twenty minute drive from Bayville in less than ten. Scott didn't even stop to open the gate, he had Kitty -phase- them right through. Coming up the long driveway was the first time he slowed down since they started moving.

They flung the doors to the van open and began piling out. Rogue didn't want to leave Thom's side, but she knew she had to get out so they could easily remove the stretcher.

"Ah'll stay close, Ah promise. Just hang in there. We made it, and you're going to be just fine now." She bent and whispered softly in his ear, then hopped out of the van.

Beast was just coming out of the door, a gentle smile on his big blue face.

"Hello young X-Men! I trust you all had an enjoyable night? You are right on time for….." He stopped mid sentence when he caught sight of Rogue's beat-up body climbing painfully out of the van.

"By my stars and garters! Rogue are you alright?" He moved immediately toward her, reaching out to steady her as she swayed on her feet.

"Ah'm fine." Rogue said, her voice still sounding like a coffee grinder. "But we need ya help Doc. Thom's in real bad shape, and you've gotta help him!" She grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him into the van.

"Thom? Who my dear is…." Again he was stopped mid sentence by the sight of the bloodily patched up young man lying on the stretcher.

After that Hank didn't ask questions; that could wait. It was more than obvious that this young man could not.

Hank issued orders with calm assurance guiding the stretcher, with Scott's help, into the mansion and down to the medical bay. After moving him as gently as possible onto one of beds, he began to look him over. Rogue never left his side as he scanned, tested, and went over the now drugged and passed out body of her would-be boyfriend. The pain in her chest was bad, but she didn't want to take any of Hank's time or skills away from Thom.

After a few minutes, Hank looked up to where Rogue was standing. In the kindest voice he could manage, he said,

"Rogue, scans show an excessive amount of internal bleeding. From his breathing, I would guess that one of his lungs might have been punctured in whatever has transpired. I have to operate immediately."

The little color still left in Rogue's face drained away, but she managed a nod. She felt Kurt come up behind her and gently take her shoulders, pulling her away. She wanted to fight it, to stay, but she knew they wouldn't let her while Hank was operating. So with one last gentle brush with her fingers on his cheek, she let Kurt pull her out into the hallway.

Jean had summoned the Professor, and the others had told him what little they had seen or participated in. Rogue knew that she had to talk to him now, but she really didn't want to.

His eyes were very worried as he took in her bruised and cut-up appearance.

"Rogue, it seems you where at the forefront of this attack." His deep voice reverberated softly in the underground metal hallways. "Would you please shed some light on this… situation?"

With a sigh she nodded and took a seat in one of the chairs outside the medical bay doors.

"Ah don't understand it Professor. Thom and Ah had just gotten out of tha concert and we were just standing in the parking lot. Ah was waiting for some of the girls to meet me out there so Ah could drive them home." She paused for a moment, thinking back and trying to remember every detail.

"We were just talkin, and then what Ah think must have been a big rock came out of nowhere and slammed Thom back into a tree. Then Sabertooth jumped out and attacked me."

She told Xavier about what had happened. How she'd been about to be carried off, and how Thom had started beating the crap out of Sabertooth to save her. And how the others had shown up to save them both.

"Ah don't know what he was talkin about, but Sabertooth said something about a ghost wanting me. Ah couldn't understand what he meant."

The Professor had remained silent through this account, but his eyes became increasingly worried. The same questions of why were running through his mind. None of what his students where telling him made even the smallest amount of sense.

Before he could say anything, a furious growl erupted from the direction of the elevators. All the present X-men turned just in time to see a wild-eyed Wolverine come barreling around the corner toward them. He had gone out to get a drink earlier that night and had returned too late to witness the arrival of the younger set.

"Charles, what the heck is going on here? One of the vans is outside the front door and there's blood all in it. What happened?" He stopped as his eyes came to rest on Rogue and the state she was in. He began walking toward her, his face holding a worried look, when he took a sniff and froze.

"Sabertooth." was the only word that came out of his mouth. Rage filled his eyes and another growl came from deep in his throat. "Somebody better start talking right now!"

Luckily for Rogue, she didn't have to go over it again. The Professor filled Logan in about the happenings at the concert, and though he was far beyond furious, Logan agreed that it didn't sound like Sabertooth's beat. Logan would have gone right then and there to track down his old nemesis and rip his heart out, but Ororo stopped him by saying,

"I understand your need to find the answers Logan. But what if this happens again? Creed was obviously ready to go to great lengths to capture Rogue. Might it not be better to wait in case of a further attack?" Her voice, calm and reassuring, spoke the truth. And as much as they could tell he hated the idea, he agreed that it was probably better. Though he grumbled quite a bit under his breath.

The Professor turned back to Rogue to ask her something, but found that she had drifted to sleep, sitting up in her chair. He smiled sadly at her, worried about what damage, both physical and mental, that this might have caused her. Though it didn't show in his face, the Professor was himself beyond angry. It took all his will power and strength not to reach out with his thoughts, find Sabertooth and smite him wherever he stood.

But now was not the time for smiting, they needed answers first. Sabertooth might not have been the only one behind this. After he knew for certain, things might change. Then might be the time for more, permanent, actions.

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The thin man stood with his back to Creed facing out a window that overlooked the city of New York. He wasn't gazing at anything really; his emotions were boiling around behind his pale, dead looking eyes. Rage at the incompetence of the help he had hired being the most prominent. He had been set to begin tonight as soon as the one he wanted was drawn in. He had been ready for what had been about to transpire.

What should have been a simple mission, the large brute had turned into a complete failure.

"All I asked of you Victor," the name was spit out like a bad piece of food, "was that you grab the girl. Was that so very much to ask? I even gave you a suit to protect you from any attack she might be able to put up, including giving you the added strength you would need to fight her. And I blocked all possible communications to or from her friends."

He took in a deep, hissing breath.

"But instead of quickly snatching up our little snippet of bait, you had to not only lose her, but alert the entire body of freaks to the fact that you are trying to get her!" His words had risen in pitch and volume until he was screaming at the other.

Victor dropped to his knees, hands over his ears at the high pitch sounds. Blood began to seep through his fingers as his eardrums exploded, healed, and then exploded again. He felt as if his brain and skull were about to shatter from the pressure that just kept building in them.

When the man had finally finished his ranting, Creed was able to breathe and take his hands away. If it weren't for the power this creature wielded, he would have killed him the second he spoke out like that. But, though it was beyond hard to believe, he was afraid of this thing. He had carried a certain amount of fear of Magneto. That was why he'd followed him. But not like this, he'd never even considered bowing to the ol' bucket head. Now he was trapped in a partnership that he had no escape from. Trapped like the slave he'd told himself he'd never become again. And every part of his being screamed in agony over it.

"I tried to get to her before any of the others did. But she was with someone. I thought I'd taken him out, but he must have been less injured then I'd thought. He hit me in the back of the head with a streetlamp. And I had to drop the girl to defend myself." He hated making excuses. He would have just preferred to go out again and get the little witch.

"He must've been a mutant, because no human could hit that hard. And he had these glowing…." The pale man held up his hand, and Victor shut up, not wanting to have his brain shattered again.

"Spare me your excuses. The point is that you've failed me. I should kill you for this, but at the moment you are still useful."

Ghost let out a deeply frustrated sigh. He would enjoy killing the healing mutant when he no longer needed him. But for now, as he'd said, Creed was still useful.

"We will have to wait… again." He snarled softly, more to himself then the kneeling mutant. "You stay away for a few weeks, so that their guard will lower. Then, when I command it, you will begin following the girl. Wait until she is this time. You may leave now"

Victor nodded not wanting to draw attention to himself. Slowly and silently, he stood. Turning his back on the pale man was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, so afraid was he that he was about to be attacked.

He had made it to the door when the other's voice stopped him.

"Oh, and Victor? If this time you fail me. I will make you pay in ways that even cannot imagine." His voice was a mere whisper, but it carried to every corner of the room. With a final nod and an inward shudder, Creed left the penthouse and got as far away as possible.

The man remained by the window for the rest of the night, he required no sleep, and time had no meaning for him. He reflected on the words of the cat-mutant, forcing back his seething anger at yet another delay.

"Oh well," his voice hissed out again, this time with grim humor. "I've waited 200 years. What's another few months?"

Unknown to him though, was that he had made a vital mistake in not letting his henchman finish describing the girl's defender. For the last few words that would have come from Victor's mouth, "eyes with vertical silver pupils" would have made a huge difference in his plans. And Victor might have taken heart if he had seen the terror that would have washed over the Ghost's pale face at the mention of such eyes.

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Umm… Creepy right? I'd hoped so. -laughs crazily- Just wait until you read what comes later!

Please R&R! I really want your opinions girls and boys. I need feedback! And I won't post the next chapter without it:) -laughs evilly-

Oh! And for all my wondrous reviewers out there! I wanted to tell y'all that I'm moving this story to the category X-Men Evolution. I don't know why, but the inspiration to do so came to me and I've learned to follow such thoughts. :) I hope you will all still review for me. -whimpers- I can't bear the thought of writing without you!!