Chapter 12: The ring and the birth of a new friendship

(by Kriszty)

Another two days went by since the X-men's departure to the Brotherhood. The youngsters were coming home from school when Xavier got a call. The pushed a button on Cerebro and started talking in the microphone.

"Hello, Mystique. I was expecting to hear from you, but to tell the truth I was expecting earlier."

"Listen, Xavier. I've sent you some coordinates in e-mail, where you can find him. Fly there immediately or he'll be dead, and..." but the line cut off.

Xavier sat there shocked for a couple of seconds. He was expecting something like that, but he never thought of anything so serious. "Oh my, Eric, why do you keep torturing him? What have you done again?"

He immediately contacted Logan and told him to prepare the jet for a rescue. He as well read the mail and told the coordinates to him. Than he contacted Scott and told him to bring everyone home in 5 minutes, they were going on a rescue mission. In the end he turned around and wheeled out of the room.

§ § § § §

They were already in the air and all of them knew they were going for Kurt. They sat in total silence, thinking.

Rogue couldn't stop her nightmare flashing down and down again in her head. She closed her eyes and tried to think of Kurt... That they would find him, safe and alive... But then she saw him lying on the desk, with wires in his body... Mystique picking him up, shouting... Running away from wolves... A pair of tears came out of her eyes. "He's all right" she tried convincing herself, but then saw the worse... Kurt falling down in the river...

"NO, STOP IT!" She screamed, and another pair of tears appeared in her eyes. She knew everyone was staring at her, but she just kept her eyes closed and sobbed without saying anything.

After a second she felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw Jean's face. It was full of understanding.

"I can't take it any more!" Rogue said and started crying in the other girl's shoulder.

"There, there... Let's go find a more quiet place..." Jean said and led Rogue out to the toilet.

"My nightmare... again and again..." Rogue sobbed, but Jean put her finger on Rogue's blue lips.

"I know, honey, I know... Every time you have it, I have it as well. It's a so strong emotion that I can't get it out of my mind, either. I know what you're going through"

Rogue looked at her, and wiped out the tears from her eyes, just when a pair of them appeared in Jean's eyes as well.

"X-men, get ready. We'll arrive in 5 minutes."

"Ok, honey, let's calm down now and go back to the others" Rogue said. She wiped out the tears from Jean's eyes as well, they looked at each other, smiled, and went out of there hand in hand.