Well i'm back.. hope i haven't kept you guys waiting too long. A jar of Nutella fueled this chapter and let me tell you i think that's why it's so god damn long. longest chapter yet.

happy reading, amigos.

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Nothing.

Nothing could have prepared Elsa for the crazed trip back home. Nothing could have warned her for how it would feel: exhilarating, breathtaking, mind numbing, nausea inducing and oh so very dangerous. Nothing could've prepared her for that. Nothing was to be done as the sleigh sped precariously through the air at breakneck speeds. She could only cling to Megan in hopes that the pixie could save her in the event of a crash. Nothing else could be done. Neither was there anything to say. The g-force slammed them all back in their seats and sent all hopes of speaking out the window- or in this case out the sleigh and into the bright sunny sky. It was broad daylight where they were flying, yet it didn't seem to be a problem having the reindeers charge on in the sky in plain sight. Elsa couldn't bear to look over the edge and see if they were passing over civilization or not. If they were, and if someone down there were to gaze up at the bright blue sky by any chance, they'd be rewarded with the sight of a rickety wooden contraption being hauled across the atmosphere by a horde of fat furry reindeer. If that wasn't heart attack inducing, Elsa didn't know what was.

Bunnymund sat quivering in his corner, head leaning against the wooden side paneling in hope of stilling the disturbances in his head. The hare clearly didn't like being airborne. Elsa was beginning to realize why. Land creatures, she surmised as her stomach flipped nauseatingly, were never meant to fly.
Megan was as still as a statue, seated in the same place she had always been in, with Match cheering and whooping silently beside her. The boy was thrilled out of his mind, throwing his arms into the air, letting the sun reflect off his tanned arms and surround him in a coppery glow. Elsa could tell what he was thinking. He probably wished he had hair so that the wind could do wonders with it. As much as it hurt when her hair caused whiplash, Elsa loved the feeling of the wind through her locks. It loosened her braid and sent smooth ripples against her scalp. God knows she needed a head massage.
Trance was seated before Elsa, in the same row as Megan and Match, but the petite girl didn't seem much concerned with the sleigh. She glanced down at her fingers, bored, as the sleigh sped onwards, the wind tossing her hazel hair around her face. Toothiana was in the front, apparently unmoved by the g-force as she babbled constantly about how lovely her palace looked after it's reconstruction and how much work it had been reassembling the teeth and their memories. No one had a clue of what she was talking about, at least Elsa didn't, but they all had the right mind not to interrupt. Not that they could- Tooth seemed to be the only one capable of formulating sentences at this point. Even North was silent as he steered the reindeers and struggled to keep the sleigh from tipping over.

Elsa allowed her gaze to settle on the boy beside her. He had his eyes shut (pity, for as irksome as his face was, Elsa was really fond of how chocolate brown his irises were) and was reclining gracefully against his seat. His lean body angled off the wooden seat and his long legs were propped upon the backrest of the row Megan and the others were seated on. His arms were behind his neck, cushioning his head, and his raven black hair fluttered around his bruised and battered face. He looked almost as if he were asleep.
Of all the places to fall asleep he chose the death-trap sleigh ridden by overweight creatures that flew hundreds of feet above sea level.

He never failed to surprise her.

Elsa squirmed in her place, trying her best to resist temptation and peer over the edge. How far high up were they? Were there people down below? Were they as tiny as specks? Or was it just endless fields? Or sand dunes? Or snowscapes? What part of the world were they in?
Unfortunately fate had decided that her questions would not be answered- not today, not ever. For at the very moment that Elsa decided that she would look over the sleigh and observe the passing ground way below her, North announced a change of plans.

'Alrighty,' he called from the front of the sleigh. 'Buckle up, fellows. This is gonna get bumpy!'

The mutants stared back at him in confusion.

'Well, where're the seatbelts?!' Match cried, hurriedly searching the sleigh for a safety harness.

'Ha! That was just an expression!' North laughed, producing a glass globe from the depths of his red winter coat.

The mutants stared back at him for a few seconds and broke into a panic.

Elsa felt a vague sense of déjà vu tug at her stomach as she eyed the snow globe like device in the burly man's hands.

North shook it violently all of a sudden and finally realized when she'd last seen that happen.

'Portal!' she screeched as North tossed the globe into the air in front of the sleigh.

The glass globe exploded, releasing compressed magic in the forms of green and pink and blue swirls of color that much resembled the aurora borealis- the northern lights. The sleigh charged towards the portal- its passengers screaming and clawing their way to the back while its driver laughed maniacally to himself.

The reindeer disappeared into the magic black hole and soon everything darkened and spun out of control.

'Never again, North!' Bunnymund wailed, toppling out of the sleigh- or rather, what remained of it- falling face first onto the gravelly drive.

The sleigh had landed on the driveway leading into the school- rather haphazardly though, for as soon as it landed, North's most precious mode of transport fell apart. The reindeer launched themselves back into the sky the moment the sleigh dismantled itself, racing into the horizon and disappearing from sight. North cursed loudly, tears leaking out of his eyes as he ran his palms across the now broken panels of wood that had once made up his favorite sleigh. He mumbled incoherently to himself, clutching a single splinter to his heart, while Bunnymund dragged himself from the wreckage and positioned his limp body beside the stairs leading into the X mansion.

Toothiana followed closely, wings drooping as they carried her over to where the hare lay. She stopped beside him and placed a wary hand on his forehead.

'You'll be alright in a while, Aster,' she smiled. 'Let me have a look at your teeth.'

The mutants tumbled out of the remnants of the sleigh, Match and Hellion cursing colorfully while the girls merely dusted themselves off. Much to everyone's surprise none of the passengers had been injured badly- except for North, his heart seemed to have shattered along with the sleigh. Elsa felt as if there may have been a deep connection between the big burly man and his wooden contraption and decided to leave him alone for a while. She dragged her weary self towards the stairs and collapsed beside Bunnymund. Megan and Trance followed suit.

Hellion's face had gone red with anger as he spouted profanities faster than the sleigh had ever traveled. Match was crouching on the floor beside him, retching in a way that signaled he had lost all excitement he had harbored towards the contraption.

'I feel like crap,' he wailed, hands cradling his bald head.

Hellion swore again, twirling on his heels as he shook his hands towards the sky.

'Stupid, f******, piece of wooden crap!' he was shouting. 'Can't believe I even let myself get into that thing! Goddamn f****** piece of shit!'

'Hellion,' Elsa warned. 'Shut it.'

'You try nearly being killed by some flying, useless death-trap,' he snapped back, running his hands roughly through his dark locks, untangling the knots the wind had made.

Elsa shot him a look that she hoped conveyed the fact that she had been in the stupid sled with him. She caught North's distressed expression and felt her heart go out to the old man. That sled might have meant something to him and here Hellion was, bad-mouthing the very thing he had just lost. She marched over to the dark haired boy, ready to slap him full in the face for being so insensitive when she noticed something that made her pause.

'Your arm,' she muttered, averting her eyes.

Hellion halted midway through his rant and twisted his neck around to peer at the back of his shoulder. The sight there elicited a sharp gasp from his lips. A splinter the size of his palm was embedded just below his right shoulder blade, buried deep into the muscle. Redness had seeped into his shirt; staining the cloth with a rose like pattern, unfolding further as the movement of his neck forced more blood out the wound. He barely winced as he took in the sight, letting a small scowl take over his mouth.

'Great' he muttered, turning back around to face the sleigh wreckage. 'Just great.'

'Want me to help you with that?' Elsa offered quietly, sensing the irritation rolling off his body in forceful waves.

She could taste his arrogance in the air.

'No I'm fine,' he muttered, waving her away dismissively. 'Doesn't hurt.'

'Don't be stupid,' Elsa countered. 'It'll get infected.'

Hellion shot her a look. 'What do you care, Blondie?'

'Just let me help you,' she said through gritted teeth. God this boy was infuriating.

'I don't want your help,' he replied, curling his fingers into a fist.

He stalked off towards the stairs, grumbling under his breath, giving Elsa a full view of his wounded shoulder.

It looked like crap. Nothing else.

Elsa jolted forward involuntarily, to knock some sense into him and get him to allow her to fix him up, and called out his name- just as someone else did.

Hellion froze upon the stairs, his entire being turning to a statue, his muscles contracting visibly beneath his clothes, forcing more blood out of the puncture in his shoulder. Not a moment later he was knocked off the step he was standing on, tumbling to the one behind him as some force crashed into him, arms thrown around his neck.

A long slender body was draped across Hellion's own; arms around his neck and legs wrapped around his torso. The girl was pretty- no; she was beautiful- with raven hair tumbling from her head to her waist, bringing out the darkness in her eyes that were lined carefully with kohl. She was wearing a two piece costume, which basically included a sports bra style leather top that stopped just below her breasts, leaving her midriff bare to the world. Lucky for her, her body was taut with muscles, making her look dangerous as well as downright attractive. Leather pants were slung low on her hips, held in place by a strange gold belt, melding close to her toned thighs and calves before disappearing into her knee high boots. She would've looked pseudo-Goth if it weren't for the bright sparkling in her eyes. She swung her body sideways while clinging onto Hellion, so that the two spun crazily until he regained his footing.

And then she kissed him.

Full. On. The. Mouth.

Megan had a cardiac arrest- that Elsa was sure of. Match had his mouth dangling so wide open he could've caught a swarm of flies in it.

Hellion staggered under the weight of the girl who was ravishing his face, his hand flying across her body as he struggled to- rip her off? He was tugging her away from his face and the whole situation was just so comical Elsa couldn't hold back the laugh that trickled from her lips. The sound of her chortles filled the air- the same tinkling sound- and her actions proved to be Hellion's savior.

The girl snapped her head away from Hellion's, looking up to glare daggers at the blond. If looks could kill, Elsa would have died twenty times over in that very instant.

'Who's that?' the girl seethed, pushing her dark hair out of her eyes.

Hellion took the opportunity and let go of the girl, allowing her to tumble to the floor. She caught herself in time and landed on the balls of her feet, crouching like a cat.

Damn, she had good reflexes.

She stalked towards Elsa with murder in her eyes. He gait was confident, almost predatory, as she made her way towards her prey, hips swaying as she moved. Elsa eyed her warily, allowing her lips to twist with distaste.

The girl stopped a few inches before her and peered down into her blue eyes.

'Where'd the kid come from?' she asked, directing her question to Hellion even though her eyes never left Elsa's.

The blond huffed and flicked platinum strands out of her eyes.

'That's classified,' she answered scornfully, knowing that it would tick her off.

And it did.

The girl before her looked pained at this new information- like as if she hated being out of the loop. She scowled, the action tainting her otherwise perfect features.

She stepped back and clenched her fists in front of Elsa's face so that the other could watch the metal blades rise out of her knuckles.

Elsa gulped, great, another Wolverine. If she was as thick-headed as the original was, then they'd have a problem on their hands.

'See these?' she asked, flicking her wrists so that the light caught the metal and reflected off it. 'They can slice right through your skull- and don't think I'll hesitate to do just…that.'

Elsa smirked, something she rarely ever did, and before she even realized it, the female wolverine's claws had frozen over.

'Any colder and they'll shatter,' Elsa said matter-of-factly. 'Let's not go there, shall we?'

The pseudo-Goth girl stuttered incomprehensibly as she struggled to sheath her claws. The ice prevented her blades from retreating- leaving her standing there gawping like a fish out of water. Elsa's smirk grew as she flipped her windblown hair over her shoulder and strutted towards the stairs leading into the mansion. On her way up the stairs she looked over at Hellion and quirked an eyebrow in his direction. The boy blushed furiously, averting his gaze from her's and focusing intently on his shoes. Elsa chuckled to herself once more and swept away into the mansion to get herself cleaned up.

The damages the school had suffered not a day earlier had already been patched up. The main building was still missing chunks of its roofing and a few pillars looked on the verge of collapse- but the impending damage had been cleared up. All credit to Hank, Elsa supposed. She trailed beside Megan and the rest of the Guardians- sans Jack who had decided to take his own mode of transport- as they made their way to the Professor's office. The school was eerily silent; much unlike it was on its better days. The acrid smell of the smoke bombs still lingered in the air- or that could've just been her imagination, Elsa realized. She could still hear the shouts and screams that had been elicited when the attack first began.

Shaking her mind clear of the disturbing thoughts, Elsa took the time to map out everything that was going on at the moment, in her head. Magneto was now supposedly posing a threat to the Guardians- which meant that the mutants and the magical beings now shared a common enemy. Were they on the same side then? Were they going to fight alongside each other? Would X even accept the Guardians? Or did he already know of their coming?

He wasn't psychic, was he?

Elsa sighed. Then there was Jack. He was a paradox of the worst kind. One moment he was jovial and friendly- even civil- and the next he was seething with fury and jealousy. He confused Elsa to the extent that she didn't even know what to do around him. She just kept her face still, devoid of any emotion. Neither smiling, nor frowning. That seemed an adequate reaction to his antics. But what was to be made of his interactions with Hellion? The two never got along. Was it because they shared similar sized egos? Or was it something else? Match had a big enough ego and he and Hellion managed to get along fine without maiming each other every passing second. And then there was the strange girl. She and Hellion seemed to have a history- and quite an interesting one at that. Elsa couldn't help laughing as she replayed the incident in her mind's eye. Hellion had not seen that one coming. She just hoped she wouldn't cross paths with the girl again- she didn't mind whatever relationship the girl had with Hellion, as long as she didn't get involved in it.

The girl didn't seem eager to see her. Elsa wondered what it was that she had done to be on the receiving end of the wolverine girl's wrath. Was she jealous? Had she thought that something had been going on between Hellion and her? Elsa balked at the thought. Hellion couldn't stand her and she couldn't stand him. They were polar opposites, right? She was level- headed and calm and collected and clever and quick witted- and he was an ass.

But he had told her his real name, and that had been something intimate for him. Why would he have done that if he despised her?

Elsa groaned inwardly, distilling all thoughts in her head. It was giving her a migraine- and besides, they'd already reached the office.

Toothiana flew gracefully into the room, pausing to take it in.

'It's cozy,' she surmised, pursing her lips.

Her eyes narrowed at the laptops upon the oak table and the giant touch screen monitor that had been suspended from one of the walls. Sandy floated in behind her and settled into an armchair beside the window. His childish features softened and in a few seconds he had fallen fast asleep. His gentle snoring soon filled the room; the air released from his nose causing the lock of golden hair across his temple to flutter gently.

Bunnymund wasted no time in limping towards the crackling fireplace and curling into a ball beside it. He kept his palms outstretched towards the hearth and cuddled around himself with his long ears wrapped around his head. Toothiana opted to inspect the technological devices in the room, starting from the laptops. She hovered beside one, tapping a key hesitantly. Instantly, the screen flickered to life, showing a diagram of some sort of energy field. The fairy jumped back in a fright, crashing into the bookshelf behind the desk and causing a few massive volumes to tumble onto the carpeted floor.

Elsa winced from the doorway and wondered vaguely where North was. A voice interrupted her thoughts- and it was an unpleasant one at that.

'What on earth is going on in here?!' Wolverine cried, brushing past Elsa and staring at the Guardians scattered around X's office.

'Hi,' Tooth called, flying over towards him. 'I'm Toothiana, but you can call me Tooth. Who are you? It's a bit warm in here, isn't it? Sorry about those books- I don't usually make a mess of things. My, your hair is most amusing- may I see your teeth?'

Wolverine made a face at her that probably insinuated that he thought she was bat shit crazy, before slowly backing away.

'Listen lady,' he began, palms held up in surrender.

'They're with us, Wolverine,' Elsa interrupted, stepping forward.

The Headmaster paused, letting his eyes roam across the blonde's features warily.

'Elsa?' he ventured. 'Kid is that you?'

The blond regarded him with a flat stare. 'Who else could it be? Have you forgotten me already? I've been gone only a day!'

Wolverine's eyes bugged out of their sockets and the vein his neck throbbed angrily as he tried to contain his shock.

'A day?' he cried, ignoring the Guardians. 'A day? You've been gone for over a week! Mind telling us where you went?'

Elsa gasped, taking a step back. 'A… a week?' she stuttered.

'I better get Kitty and X down here,' Wolverine mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

'Now your hair looks crazy,' Tooth noted solemnly.

Wolverine shot her an unamused glare and then headed out of the room, nearly crashing into someone else on his way out.

'Watch it, mister,' Hellion groaned as he sauntered in, rubbing his arm warily.

'Elsa,' he cried when he saw her. 'I've been looking for you.'

'I brought them to see X,' the blond murmured, still lost in deep thought over Wolverine's words.

'Listen,' Hellion began, taking a breath and eyeing the Guardians carefully.

Sandy remained fast asleep and Bunnymund seemed on the verge of doing so himself. Toothiana was grinning at him scarily, but he chose to ignore her and ploughed on.

'About what… err, happened earlier- I'm sorry you had to see that. I- uh, I didn't see that coming. I mean, if I had known she was here,' the boy stammered, feeling out of his depth as for once, the mighty Hellion, was at a loss for words. 'That was uncalled for- she shouldn't have... I mean there's nothing even going on. She just- she left. I thought she left… didn't know she was here... damn I'm sorry-'

'Hellion,' Elsa interrupted, clearly not having heard a word of what he had struggled to say.

'What?' he sighed, a crestfallen look passing across his features.

His apology would have to wait. What he was even apologizing for, he didn't know. He just felt the need to. The urgent need to.

'We've been gone for a week.'

'What?' he sputtered in genuine shock.

'I said, we've been gone-,'

'Yes I heard you… but how?'

'I dunno… I honestly don't know.'

'Time may run differently here,' Tooth interjected.

The two mutants turned to face her.

'Explain,' Hellion commanded, crossing his arms over his chest- the movement causing his wound to bleed more.

'I told you to get that fixed,' Elsa sighed, eyeing the splinter embedded in his shoulder.

'Time is the most flexible thing in the world, and it flows differently in our realm,' the fairy explained. 'In the North Pole, it's always winter… just as it is always spring in Bunnymund's Warren. So I suppose time passes slower in our world, whereas in yours…is it safe to say it passes normally?'

'I suppose so,' Hellion grumbled.

'We need to get you to a medic,' Elsa stated, grabbing the boy by his forearm carefully and dragging him to the door.

Wolverine burst into the room, before she could exit, with the Headmistress and the Professor in tow.

'Here they are!' he exclaimed when he caught sight of the two young mutants.

'Elsa! Julian!' Kitty cried, running towards them with outstretched arms.

'Where are the others?' X asked, peering at the blond with a questioning glare.

'Outside,' she stammered in response.

'What ever happened?' Kitty questioned, drawing back to examine their faces.

'Jul- Hellion is hurt,' Elsa began, only to be interrupted by the boy himself.

'We jumped through a portal. That boy- um, Jack? - yeah he tried to kidnap Blondie, here-,'

'He tried to save me!' Elsa intervened.

'… And we followed to make sure she was safe and to bring her back-,'

'I really didn't need their help.'

'… Then these guys who claimed to be guardians of some sort, captured all of us-,'

'That was a mistake.'

'… And locked us up in cages. But we broke free and tried to escape, but they bargained with us saying they needed Elsa to attack some 'threat' of theirs. We didn't take the deal, obviously-,'

'They weren't that hostile, honestly.'

'But then we realized that they were being hunted by Magneto- or so they say-,'

'It's probably true!'

'It isn't. But supposing it is true-,'

'Which it IS.'

'Which it isn't! They could be lying… but either way we decided to help them and they brought us here in a piece of crap, wooden death-trap that nearly killed us all-,'

'He's exaggerating.'

'It nearly did! Look at my arm!'

'I've been trying to get him to a medic!'

'Doesn't matter- I don't need one.'

'Don't be ridiculous, Hellion!' Elsa cried, throwing her arms in the air.

'Quit being such a nag, Blondie!' the boy retorted, oblivious to the complete silence that had befallen the room during their exchange.

The professor, Kitty, Wolverine and Tooth were watching them warily like as if they were from an interesting television show that might also spontaneously combust before them.

'Aren't they absolutely adorable,' Trance cooed from the doorway, turning all the attention in the room to her.

Megan blushed furiously beside her friend, immediately apologizing for entering without permission and for her friend's crude remarks.

'So you all made it back?' Wolverine asked grumpily, shoving another cigar between his lips.

'That can't be good for your teeth!' Tooth exclaimed, reaching forward and yanking the cigar back.

'Who on earth are you?' Kitty exclaimed, glaring up at the feathered fairy.

'I am Toothiana,' the fairy answered, pulling herself upright. 'Queen of the Tooth fairies and the Guardian of Memories. Pleased to meet you too.'

X was the first to recover from her introduction, and he rolled his wheelchair forward, extending a hand to be shaken.

'I'm Professor Xavier, founder of this school for mutants. You stole one of my students,' he said, in a way of greeting.

Tooth blushed. 'Well, Jack did that- technically.'

'Stop blaming it on the kid,' Bunnymund called groggily, from where he was curled beside the fireplace.

X raised a brow at his furry form.

'Who's the kangaroo?' Wolverine asked, snatching his cigar back from the fairy.

The hare straightened immediately, drawing himself to his full six and a half foot height, so everyone could see him in all his glory and make out the flower-like detailing imprinted into his silver grey fur. The leather wrappings around his wrist and ankles made him look more like a warrior and added to the effect brought out by the boomerangs strapped onto his back. The bronze bracers on his forearms caught the firelight and reflected it merrily around the room.

'That's E. Aster Bunnymund to you,' he growled, green eyes glinting fiercely, his Australian accent more pronounced. 'The last surviving Pooka warrior and the Guardian of Hope. And I'm a bunny.'

Wolverine choked on his cigar and Kitty Pryde struggled to hold back her disbelief.

'You can see us, right?' Tooth ventured, taking their silence for the fact that they didn't believe and hence couldn't see the Guardians.

'Erm, what sort of question is that?' Trance asked form the doorway.

'Only children who believe can see us,' Bunnymund stated matter-of-factly, crossing his furry arms across his chest.

'Well we can all see you,' Kitty said slowly.

'Care to explain that, Easter kangaroo?' Wolverine asked, earning a slap on the arm from Pryde.

Bunnymund bristled and stayed silent.

'It's your distorted genes,' Tooth explained solemnly.

'Excuse me,' Wolverine exclaimed, surging forward angrily. 'My jeans are fine! I washed them yesterday!'

'Oh lord,' Kitty mumbled, slapping a palm across her forehead.

'This is an interesting turn of events,' X observed, ignoring Wolverine's outburst. 'Glad to see you all are alright then. We had a search party organized. Logan had to find ex X-men to come and help. And a few new ones are here too.'

'Is Bobby here?' Megan cried, jumping forward towards the professor.

'No, I'm afraid he isn't any longer. He and Gambit had a 'falling out' of sorts,' X replied, crossing his hands in his lap. 'Shall we convene a meeting with these Guardians then? Oh, who's this in my chair?'

'That's His Nocturnal Magnificence, Sanderson Mansnoozie, Sandman the First, Lord High Protector of Sleep and Dreams,' Tooth said smilingly. 'We call him Sandy.'

'Well that's a mouthful,' Wolverine said, flatly. 'What was his mother thinking?'

Tooth frowned. 'The Man in the Moon gave him that title. He was the first Guardian!'

Wolverine balked. 'Of course. The Man in the Moon!'

'Hey watch it, wise guy,' Bunnymund snapped.

X sighed wearily, holding his head in his hands.

'Quiet, Logan,' Kitty interrupted. 'Shall we take this meeting to my office? Children you all may return to your rooms, I'm glad you are all okay. Hellion, please get that looked at before it gets infected.'

'I told you so,' Elsa mouthed with a scowl.

She swept out of the room with Trance and Megan and Match following her. They strolled towards the dormitories, stopping only once to force Hellion in the direction of the sick bay.

'Well, what's with X-23?' Trance asked cheerily, watching in glee as Megan's face fell.

'Who's that?' Elsa asked, eyeing Megan's crestfallen expression.

'Only the girl who loves Hellion with all her soul,' Trance grinned evilly. 'Whom he once liked back.'

'Oh be quiet, it's not like I expected him to like me anyway,' Megan sighed sadly. 'I always knew they had a thing.'

'You like him?!' Match exclaimed, eyes bulging out of his head. 'Why him? He's so stupid! Why not-,'

'Why not who?' Trance pressed.

Match's passionate expression closed off immediately and he pulled back from the conversation.

'Never mind,' he mumbled quietly, before turning on his heel and heading off towards his dorm room.

'What's with him?' Megan mused.

Elsa rolled her eyes. If only the pixie knew. Gosh, she could be so naïve sometimes.

'Is X-23 the girl we met outside?' she asked Trance, whose eyes glimmered in excitement.

The girl had always had a sweet tooth for gossip.

'Yes!' she crowed. 'And she's absolutely jealous of you! Did you see how he dropped her after the kiss? Epic! And she got so worried about you being there!'

'What?! Why?' Elsa groaned, shielding her face from view using her palms.

'Oh come on! One, you're drop dead gorgeous, two, have you seen your hair? So exotic. Three, you two just went through extensively traumatic experiences together- something X-23 hasn't done in a while. Four, you guys crash landed together in a magic sleigh and FIVE, you crash landed after he went looking for you to save you. Is that not reason enough?'

'We were there too,' Megan muttered. 'In the goddamn sleigh.'

'Everyone knows you and Match are a thing, Megs,' Trance snorted. 'She's not that stupid.'

'You were there,' Elsa reasoned, pointing at Trance.

'Me?' the brunette snorted again. 'He wouldn't touch me with a sixty foot pole.'

'Great,' the blond sighed in defeat.

'How are you not jumping for joy?' Megan cried, unhappily. 'X-23 is jealous of you and Hellion went out of his way to save you! I'd be over the moon!'

'But I don't want their attention!' Elsa moaned, running a palm across her face.

She stalked towards the door leading to their dorm, only to be shoved out of the way by something that came barreling through their door.

Arms twined around her neck and something blue filled her vision. It took Elsa several seconds of breathlessness to realize she was being hugged to death.

'Surge,' she whined. 'Let go.'

'Don't ever, ever leave me!' the mutant cried, eyes brimming with unshed tears. 'I thought I had lost you all!'

'Relax it was only a day,' Trance muttered, slipping past them and into the room.

'A day?!' Surge shrieked, electricity dancing across her fingertips. 'You disappeared for over a week!'

'What?!" Megan froze in the doorway, turning wildly to face the blue haired mutant. 'How much of homework have I missed?'

'Oh, tons,' Surge replied, sourly.

'How'd we miss a week?' Trance wondered aloud, and Elsa slowly explained to her what Tooth had said about time running differently from realm to realm.

'You jumped through a portal?' Surge whistled in wonder. 'Damn son.'

'It made me queasy,' Megan sighed, flopping on her bed.

The four made friendly conversation for the next two hours, discussing about their adventures in the magical realm and Surge's efforts to rebuild the school. It had taken all of Hank's precious technology to fix up the gaping holes Magneto had left behind. They had suffered no fatalities thankfully, but several were left terribly wounded. The sick bay was overflowing with constant visitors to get their daily checkups on broken bones and sprained muscles and nasty gashes. Apparently Armor had broken three ribs and snapped her weak femur- the one Surge had broken earlier during their fight in school.

Surge felt no remorse. In fact she laughed as she related the story, earning her a slap from Megan and a cheer from Trance. Elsa was too tired to pay attention to their banter.

She lay in bed struggling to organize her thoughts, when the door flew open to reveal a disheveled and fuming X-23. The girl stalked forward angrily, steam nearly rising from her ears. She had her claws out, literally, the blades extended from her clenched fists. Her hair flew around her face as she leaped onto the bed without paying any attention to the other three mutants and held her claws at Elsa's throat.

'Listen bitch, I don't know what you've done but Hellion won't so much as look at me anymore and it's all your f****** fault, you little whore. If I see you near him ever again,' the mutant was screeching but before she could even complete her threat, a strong gust of icy cold wind knocked her off Elsa's small frame and sent her crashing into the door opposite the bed. She staggered to her feet but froze just as she did so, ice coating her legs and bare midriff, near freezing her to the brink of hypothermia.

Elsa whipped her head around to the window that was now open; wind howling through and causing the curtains to flutter wildly.

A figure stood beside the sill, crouching in the open window, hood drawn over his head and a long stick clenched firmly in his right hand. He hopped nimbly into the room, tossing the hood from his head as he did so. The light caught his white hair and made it glow brightly, much resembling the sparkle in his eyes.

'Ladies,' Jack smiled, nodding at the mutants who stared back at him silently. 'I have arrived.'

a/n: damn son, this was 14 pages long on MS Word... eeeks i'm excited to see what you guys have to say about all this. so I've taken in some of your suggestions. X-23's appearance is a brilliant idea! just like the Bobby/Iceman idea. you guys are epic- let me tell you that. i love you guys to bits. please review and fave and follow... more chapters coming up.

you guys... X-23 is so cool.. i'm not sure how long ship Helsa will sail.. :/ do you want it sailing? i feel like it might do a Titanic and just.. sink.

so Surge is back.. yey.. and how was the scene where the mutants met the Guardians.. Kitty and Wolverine were so shocked- lol. that was the best scene for me cause there are two Hugh Jackman's in one tiny room- he acted for Logan/Wolverine and voiced Bunnymund :P i was soo excited.. Jackman is the best. Wolverine is supposed to be a short canadian and they got him- a six foot hunk from Aussie- to play the part. gawsh hez amazayn.

okay fangirling aside; attack that review button and send me your praise, your ideas, your fangirling, your criticism, you hate- i dont care! i could use anything you send me. constructive criticism is the best!

i hope you guys have as much fun reading this as i did writing it. it was the most fun chapter so far- for me at least. tell me what you fave chapter so far was? revieeeew

i love you guys to bits.. shall we get the reviews to 50? ;) pleaaase? it would make my year :) get us to 50 reviews and i might consider a Hellion's POV as a bonus chapter :P

ha... i'm baiting you.

feel baited.

and review..

adios.