Penny didn't move for a moment. "Excuse me?"

"I'm blind," the boy repeated; fear beginning to creep into his voice, "I can't see anything."

She rushed over to him, stumbling over the bed to look at him. He looked the same, with his black eyes and pale features…

"What do you mean you can't see anything?" Hearing her panic, he began to hyperventilate. "No, no- baby, don't do that okay? Stay calm!"

His black eyes widened and he began to scream. A high pitch sound shattered the windows and before she could stop herself she began to seize. Collapsing on top of him, Penny fainted as his world came crashing back to him in stark, x-ray vision. And the screaming stopped. Then the images disappeared just as quickly as they had come. He pushed the woman off him, clamoring into the corner as he heard something jump through the window. Instinctively, a loud chirp escaped his throat and he saw the thin white outline of a man against the darkness.

"Wo't the hell was that?"

"Toad?" he muttered, seeing the man's eccentric features clearer as he spoke.

"Yea', now wo't-" The man faltered, tilting his head as he noticed the boy's empty gaze, "Wo't's wrong?"

Tony whimpered as Penny woke. She shifted into a sitting position as she blinked hazily. Her hands fell on his shoulders as she shook her head. "Tone? What was that?"

"I saw it- the noise- it helps me see."

Still a little dazed, she nodded. "Okay. Make the noise. Just don't screech like that again, okay, baby?"

He nodded. "Okay."

"Come on," She snatched a sweater off the floor, and pushed it over his head. "We gotta get you to the Professor."

"Wo't?" Toad repeated, not comprehending what was happening, "Wo't the bloody hell was that?"

"Tony's a mutant now."

His black eyes glinted gold as he looked at the boy. "Is that r'ight?"

"Yeah." The kid whispered, hearing the shower turn off and the bathroom door open. He looked toward the sound, noting the little flickers in his vision as the sound of heavy foot steps echoed off the wall, lighting the room up. He could see Penny's concern, and without second thought he slipped his hand over hers, holding it tightly. "Don't leave."

"One second," She promised, kissing his forehead with an absentminded roughness. "I'll be back in one second. Toad, watch him for me, 'kay?"

"What the fuck was all that noise?" Jamie asked, stepping out of the way as Penny darted out of the apartment. He looked over at Tony, who was sitting completely still, a scared expression haunting his young features. "Oh god, kid, are you okay?"

His eyes shot over to him, locking on his face. He blinked a moment before nodding. "I…I think so. It doesn't hurt."

Toad grinned at him, "Welcome ta the world of freaks, boy." His hand clapped his shoulder roughly, "Ya ain't gotta take nah one's shit nah more."

The boy didn't say anything, listening to Penny as she and Manny spoke down the hall.

"I need your keys," She demanded, pushing past him.

He blinked at her, "What? I told you the Tank-"

"I'll take the shitty loaner car, Man, I need a car. Any car." Penny told him, continuing to panic as she rooted through his drawer. "I gotta take Tony to the Professor."

"Come on, Pen it's one more-"

"Manny." She said, looking at him in a manner so raw it caught him off guard for a moment. "I need to get him to Xavier."

"What happened?"

"It's kicked in."

"Already?" Manny asked, seeming impressed, "The kid's only ten."

"Ten and a half," she corrected off handedly. The boy down the hall smiled. "I just want to make sure he's all right. They have doctors there, good ones, they'll know if he's alright, if he'll get it back."

Manny lifted a brow, "get what back?"

She didn't say anything, just snatched the keys out of the drawer as she found them. "Don't worry about it."

"How can I not-"

"Manny." She said sternly. "I'll be back in a few hours. Keep an eye on the boys for me, kay?"

He nodded, "okay, Pen." Stopping her, he pulled her into a hug. "Everything'll be fine. It's natural for him."

Wiping a few tears away she sighed, "I know."

"Good. Now. Onward to Xavier's with you." He winked at her, "I won't tell Jen about you makin' a pass at me." He winced when she socked him in the stomach.

"Now is not the time for jokes! My baby is growing up too damn fast!"

He smirked at her through the pain, and she slammed the door in his face. "Bitch." Penny snapped through the door.

"So, what, you just woke up and couldn't see?" Jamie asked, rubbing the kid's head as he looked toward the door.

"Yeah."

"Huh."

The boy shrugged, "It's not so bad anymore."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I can kind of see the sounds and stuff. It's like before, but instead of trails I see bursts and lines and stuff."

Jamie and Mort shared a look of confusion. "How long have you been seeing like that?"

"Since I got out."

Toad nodded, "so 'bout a year then?"

Tony blinked, "she's back."

The green man opened his mouth to speak when Penny entered. He quirked a brow at her, eying her dark green hair with a smirk. "Wo't'd ya do ta ya hair?"

"Changed it." She said bluntly, grabbing Tony's bag from the closet, along with his jacket and shoes. Crossing over to the bed, she ignored the men as she slipped the kid's shoes on hastily and dropped the jacket over his shoulders. "Put that on for me, kay baby?"

He did as he was told without complaint. He did give her a slight glare when she pulled him to his feet though.

"Where ya goin'?"

"Xavier's."

"I'm coming with you." Jamie said, "Let me get my shoes."

"Well, if you're not in the shit box by the time we get down there, we're leaving with out you." She told him, heading for the door with her hand tight around the boy's wrist.

"Pen."

The woman paused to look over at Toad. His expression was blank, but he seemed genuine when he told her, "take care'a ya boy."

With only a nod, they left the apartment, Jamie making it just in time. He slipped into the backseat just as she was about to pull away from the curb.

He kicked her seat, "Thanks for waiting!"

"Hey, I told ya if ya didn't hurry up I'd leave you there!"

"Well- I thought you were kidding." He said calmly, looking over at Tony who was blinking and making little clicking noises, "got a lock on it yet?"

"Lock on it?" Penny repeated, "What's he mean?"

"Kid can see outlines and stuff when he makes that noise."

Her brown eyes slipped over to him, and she ran a gloved hand through his hair, "what, like echolocation?"

"Yeah, I guess," The boy shrugged, slightly annoyed by this new term, "but don't call it that."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not a freaking bat."

"Tony!" She gave him a light slap upside the head, "what did I say about swearing!"

"That was hardly even a swear!"

"Did you just hit the blind kid?" Jamie asked, astonished. "That's terrible parenting!"

"I am not his mother!"

"Then why did you call me your baby?"

She looked away from the road to stare at him with a blush. "You heard that?"

Tony nodded.

"Well, fuck-" She gave him a whap on the chest, "don't eavesdrop! It's rude!"

"Stop hittin' the blind kid!"

"Jamie! Shut the fuck up!" Penny snapped, "Or I'll call Magneto and tell him you were being a prissy little son of a bitch!"

Not saying anything, Multiple Man shot her a dirty look and stuck his tongue out at her in the rearview mirror.

"Son of a bitch, Jamie." She muttered, shaking her head at him. With an unsteady hand, she reached into her jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Can I have one?"

"No."

"Why not?" Tony asked.

"Because you're ten. No smoking 'til you're thirteen. It's the law."

He smirked but said nothing as she pressed in the car's lighter. The cigarette hung from her lips as she waited to hear the click. When it did, Tony saw a flash of light that lit up the whole car for him. Every fine detail was there until she pushed it back in, and the world returned to its darkened state, only brightening when another car past.

She rubbed her temple with her thumb, holding the cigarette between taut fingers. Worry was clear on her face, but she remained silent as she took a drag of it.

"So…you spent the night on the balcony, huh?" Jamie asked, smirking at her blush, "You tell Toad about Markus?"

"Some."

"Oh? How'd he take it?"

She smiled slightly, "very well."

He chuckled. "I don't know how you put up with him."

"He gets it."

"Gets what?"

The woman said nothing, just inhaled another lungful of smoke as she turned on to the highway. Leaving her cigarette between her lips, she grasped the wheel tightly. Tony looked over at her, hearting the way her heart fluttered at the thought of him. Then, he heard a new sound a very, very faint beep. Just after he heard it, Penny grimaced.

"Hm."

She looked over at him curiously, "what?"

"Nothing." The boy said, shaking his head. He couldn't even be sure he had heard it. "Will I have to stay at Xavier's from now on?"

"You were going back tomorrow anyways."

"I know, but I thought maybe-"

She took his hand, weaving their fingers together. "You can't stay with me, Tone."

Tony sighed, so quiet they almost didn't hear it. "I know something's wrong." Stiffening, the human said nothing as he went on, "You think I don't know what that watch is for?" His voice caught slightly, "I'm not stupid, Jo."

Jamie watched her jaw clench. "Kid." He said quietly, "Don't, okay?"

"Why? Maybe- maybe I could help. I mean, I can't do stuff like you or John yet but I could be around and help her with stuff. Like, like…" The boy stumbled, shaking his head, "I don't know. Anything. I could help with anything."

"Anthony." She squeezed his hand. "Let's just worry about you for now, okay baby?"

He sighed, "But I'm okay."

"I know. But right now, you can help by not doing this to me, okay?" Penny's voice caught in her throat, and a few tears slipped from her eyes as she focused intensely on the road. "That's how you can help me, okay?"

"Okay." He nodded.

Jamie looked away from them, unsettled and saddened by the pair. There was a beat of silence, and it seemed to go on forever. But that didn't sit well with the man in the back, and he cleared his throat, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's play License Plate Bingo."

"How the fuck we gonna play License Plate Bingo with a blind kid, retard?"

"Hey! At least I'm tryin' here!"

"Shut the fuck up Jamie!" The woman shrieked, earning a spurt of laughter from the boy next to her. "Sons of bitches, the both of you."

-Meanwhile With John-

He blinked at the phone as he held it to his ear. "Still? How hard can it be to find one technopath?"

"Well, we almost had one down in San Francisco, but he wasn't strong enough to disable the chip." Mystique told him, "Callisto's still looking. These things take time."

"It's been two weeks," He sighed, leaning against the phone booth as he watched passerby's come and go. "Just how long'd you expect this chick to last?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Mystique?"

"Something happened, didn't it, Pyro?"

"Let's just say this girl's got closer ties with the F.o.H than we thought."

"Her husband stopped by?"

John's eyes widened and he turned his back on the public, "you knew! And you didn't give us any warning?"

"It didn't seem important at the time. What'd he want?" She asked, the picture of calm collectiveness.

"He dropped off a chip." He told her, "She seemed just as surprised as us though."

"Probably wasn't expecting him. Was it Alex or James?"

John's lips tightened into a frown, "as in the Markus'?"

"That would be the ones."

"She's married to Alex Markus?" The young man's jaw clenched. "And you didn't mention this because…?"

"She was rather insistent on them never being legally married. Besides," He heard the pitter patter of typing keys over the phone, "according to F.o.H reports, Alex Markus has been AWOL for about ten years."

"Oh?"

"Mhm. Just disappeared one night from the base. He left her a microchip you said?"

John nodded, "that's right."

Mystique let out a hum. "Well. We'll have to get our hands on it. How's the mission going?"

"Fine. Jamie's being his perverted self and Toad and Penny keep making goo-goo eyes at each other."

"Don't be jealous, John."

The young man flushed at his real name, "don't call me that."

"Keep in touch." She ordered, and he heard the distinct click of the end of the conversation before the dial tone mocked him.

Slamming the phone back on the receiver, Pyro left, heading back to the apartment.

A/n: Still no beta reader. sigh. But the John stories are coming along well, and so is the Colossus one. The MM one is giving me writers block.