Woo! New chapter! 51, can you believe it? Dayum.

Before we start, I'd like to thank Mrs Sorbo, MrsMcCoy(guest), and Grey Streaked Fur for reviewing! :D Thanks, guys! I'm glad people are still enjoying my story. :)

I appreciate everybody who has stuck with me this far! Thanks so much!

Now..

~Here's Chapter 51!~

(I still can't get over the fact that it's chapter 51. My Lord. Seems like yesterday I was writing the first chapter. :*) Time goes by so fast!)


Chapter 51: I'm Sorry

Ororo felt her heart leap in her chest upon seeing Kurt standing in the dim, barren hallway. On their way to rendezvous with him, she and Bobby had run into a few guards. They'd gotten away, knocking the guards out and stowing them away in a nearby supply closet, but she'd gotten nicked in the process. A long, straight gash now ran from the right side of her lip to the middle of her cheek.

"Kurt." She greeted, smiling warmly. His blue hand immediately went to her face.

"Vat happened?" He asked, golden-yellow eyes narrowing as his large thumb trailed beneath the wound.

"Ran into some guards. I'm fine, Bobby's fine."

"Right as rain." Bobby murmured. "C'mon, we better get going."

Kurt kept his hand on her face for a moment longer, before nodding.

"Zis way. Follow me."

Hands clasped tightly, Kurt lead Ororo down an adjacent hallway. They were trailed closely by Bobby, who was poised and alert, ready for any coming guards.

"Did you guys have any troubles getting into the security room?" She asked quietly.

"Yes. Ve ran into some guards.. John got hit pretty hard, but is othervise fine. Everybody else is good." He informed her, opening a door that led into a dark room. "Stay close, the generators do not reach zis area."

Ororo pressed herself close to his form, leaning her head forward.

"Kurt, where-?"

"-Shh.. Zere could be other guards here."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. Kurt never interrupted others, let alone her. After thinking about it for a moment more, she shook it off as nerves. He was terrified, and she knew he acted strangely when he was frightened.

".. I'm glad you're all right.."

He squeezed her hand.

"I'm glad zat you are all right as vell. I vas vorried somezing had happened to you."

They continued walking in silence. Three minutes later, Kurt halted.

"Hold on, let me zink for a moment.."

"Here, I have my map." Ororo lifted her wrist, pressing the button. The darkness was then illuminated by the orange hologram of the building. She scanned it, seeing two dots, one green, one white, in a narrow passage leading to a large room.

Her eyes went wide. Two dots. One being her. The other being green, and behind her.

When she looked up, Kurt had turned to face her, but it was no longer Kurt. Instead, a blue face that was most definitely feminine stared back at her. She went to move backwards, but Mystique grabbed her arm.

"Sorry, I can't let you do that."

The lights turned on, and the two found themselves confronted by eight guards, guns drawn. Bobby turned to ice, stepping towards Ororo as he readied himself to fight. Her dark brown eyes were lit with fire as she attempted to wretch her arm away.

"What the hell did you do to him?!"

"I assure you, Mr. Wagner is safe.. For now." Her eyes displayed a hint of regret, her voice hollow and empty. "You, on the other hand.."

Ororo's eyes turned a milky white, and the room dropped ten degrees, then twenty. One of the guards aimed.

"Cut it out, lady!" He barked.

"Ice-man, run!" Ororo commanded. He whipped around.

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Yes, you are! I'll be fine - GO!"

"Don't move, kid! We'll blow yer brains out!" The same solider warned. Bobby, looking torn, began to move towards Ororo. She kicked her leg out, almost hitting him in the thigh.

"RUN, Bobby!"

Bobby gave his former teacher one pain-filled gaze, before turning and making a mad-dash for the end of the hallway.

"Henry, White, Rodriguez, go after him! Fire at will!"

Three of the soldiers took off after him, shooting as they went. The bullets bounced off his frozen body, sending ice-chips flying.

Mystique grabbed Ororo by the neck.

"You will tell your allies that this is a battle already lost. We know where they are. You will tell them that if they go willingly, they won't be killed."

Ororo stared at the other mutant, eyes wide with confusion.

"How could you do this?" She managed to gasp out. Mystique moved her head to the side, displaying a small black box on the base of her skull. Ororo stopped struggling, a sympathetic expression entering her eyes.

"I don't have a choice." With that, she slammed her head into the wall, rendering Storm unconscious, before allowing the guards to take the new hostage to the holding cells.


"Interesting specimen.. Blue skin, fangs, even pointed ears!" The scientist squealed, looking like a kid at Christmastime. "What do you think these weird symbols stand for, Thomas?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. What is it with you and freaks, Hartman?"

The older man peered up from the unconscious body on the table, frowning at his colleague.

"You don't find their different appearances fascinating?"

"It's disgusting, Alfred." He spat, cleaning off a scalpel. "At least the first one looked human. This one is.." He shuddered in the middle of his sentence. "Ethan's damn lucky he pays so well, otherwise I'd be gone, and he'd be out an autopsy technician."

The white-haired man shook his head.

"You're just saying that, I bet you really do find them interesting."

"Not in the slightest. Now.." He loomed over the mutant's bare body, lowering the scalpel to the naked skin of his abdomen. "Let's get this over with.."

A sob of terror caught the two men's attention, so they turned, eyes landing on the pale female strapped to the bed next to them. I.V's carrying new forms of vaccines and random chemicals were embedded in her hands, arms, and neck. Her chocolate-brown hair was ratty and disheveled, her agony-filled eyes wide as she watched them exchange knowing glances, bare breasts rising and falling dramatically with every breath.

"Just wait, little missy.." Thomas sneered, placing the scalpel on the blue man's abdomen again. "You're next." He pushed down.


I shot out of bed, screaming at the top of my lungs right before the scalpel pierced Kurt's stomach. With a loud, ragged whimper, I stepped forward in the darkness, seeking light. I turned my lamp on, chest heaving as my eyes rapidly scanned the room. No metal tables, not old medical equipment, just a bedroom. Empty, other than the messy bed and furniture.

My back hit the wall hard, and I slid down it, hands coming to roughly wipe at my eyes.

"O-oh, G-god.." I felt my stomach churn uneasily, a sob escaping my lips. My body trembled, still in 'fight or flight' mode as I breathed deeply.

"A dream, it was a dream.. A dream.. Not real, a dream.."

An image of Kurt flayed open on the cold metal table caused another wave of nausea to wash over me, and I found myself rushing into the bathroom. I barely had enough time to lift the toilet seat before I was retching, the contents of my stomach spilling into the porcelain bowl.

Large, cool hands swept my hair away from my face, sending another bolt of panic through me. I jerked away, whirling around to find Henry kneeling beside the toilet, a shocked look on his face.

"Hey, hey, calm down.. It's me. I'm sorry, I thought you had heard me."

"H-hank.." I rasped, panting while my back fell against the side of the tub. I felt drool dribble down my chin, before my stomach lurched again. "Damn it!" I gripped the toilet seat again while Henry's brushed away my hair for a second time. I felt tears stream down my face as I started to stop, my hand searching for the knob to flush.

"Do you need any water?"

I shook my head, sucking in air greedily as I rose on shaky limbs.

"You need to sit down, Jillian, you're trembling like a leaf in autumn winds." He guided me over to the edge of the bathtub, where I sat and wrapped my arms around myself. Henry grabbed a towel, wetting the end, before running it over my brow. ".. You're sweating, too.."

"I probably have puke on my face." I winced. "Gross, gnarly. I need to brush my teeth."

"Don't get up, I'll grab it for you, just tell me where it is."

I wiped my mouth with the towel.

"2nd drawer on the right. Toothpaste should be there, too. There's a cup in the medicine cabinet."

He nodded and rose, moving over to the bathroom counter to get what he needed.

"I want you to drink a cup of water before you brush your teeth."

"God no, I don't want to throw up again." I shuddered, rubbing my bare legs, before tilting my head as a thought appeared in it. "Henry.. How did you get in?"

A guilty look crept onto his features as he turned my way, toothbrush in hand.

"I, uh.. Heard you scream and ran over.."

I raised an eyebrow, taking the brush and cup of water from him and muttering a thanks while I waited for the rest of his explanation. He knelt in front of me, rubbing the back of his neck.

".. I may or may not have broken down your door.."

I choked on my water, eyes going wide.

"What?" The words were garbled, but he heard them.

"..I broke your door.. I'm sorry, Jillian, but I thought something was happening. You sounded as though someone was murdering you."

I winced, rubbing my stomach as it began churning again. Henry was up in a flash.

"Are you going to vomit again?"

"No." I told him, gargling the water and spitting it out in the tub. "Fuck that, vomiting is disgusting." I ran my hand through my hair, pausing when I hit a wet chunk. "Oh, seriously? God damn it!" I felt my cheeks heat. "Henry, I'm so sorry.."

"For what? You're sick, Jillian, it's fine."

"No, it's not." I was fighting tears now. I had vomited in front of Henry. Not only that, I was a mess, with little chunks of the putrid stuff in my hair and.. On my shirt. Gross. "It's disgusting."

"Everybody gets sick from time to time. Hey, no tears.." He cupped my cheek, frowning. "Jillian, I swear to you, it is fine."

I sniffed, avoiding his eyes. I heard him sigh, and he rose. A second later, he was pushing back my hair and pressing his lips to my forehead.

".. You have a fever. Take a tepid shower, get cleaned up.. I'll wait outside your room until you finish, just in case anything happens."

"You can wait in my room, Henry, I know you won't peek." I stood, taking his hand when he offered it. He seemed wary.

"If you're sure you're okay with it."

"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't." I walked out into my room, opening the small closet to grab a towel, then a change of clothes. When I glanced to my right, I gasped.

"Holy shit, you weren't kidding."

He made an uneasy sound.

".. Like I said, I was kind of panicking."

I felt my cheeks warm again. That was almost... Sweet..

".. Thanks for rushing to my rescue." I grinned. "I feel.. Safer.. Knowing that you're looking out for me.."

He smirked a little, before looking at the door again.

"I promise I'll fix it."

"Don't worry about it, I'll just sleep in a spare room, for now."

"You could sleep with me."

I paused in my step, turning to face him again. He seemed absolutely appalled by what he had said (I was guessing he hadn't intended to say that out loud) so he tried to back-track.

"I-I mean, considering there aren't really any spare rooms besides the one in the lab, and that bed is uncomfortable.. Plus, it's really far away, so if something were to happen, you'd.. Gah, I mean, I'd feel more comfortable if you were to sleep with me. Sleep! Nothing more! Un..unless.. No, just sleep!" His face was a dark purple by the time he finished. He palmed his face. "God damn it, McCoy.."

I never thought I'd see the day when 'Mr. Smooth' Henry McCoy actually tripped over his words while talking to a woman. I glanced outside. No, there were no flying pigs, and I'm assuming hell was the same temperature, considering the world hadn't suddenly frozen. Henry shuffled his feet.

"Forget I asked.."

"Actually, I was just about to accept." I admitted, biting my lower lip. ".. I honestly can't think of any place to sleep that would be safer."

He perked up, grinning a bit.

".. So.. Yes?"

"Sure, as long as I won't be a bother."

"You could never be a bother." He said firmly. "I'll go run and make sure I have a couple more pillows. Do you promise not to pass out?"

I raised my right hand, holding out my pinkie.

"Pinkie-swear."

"Good. Go shower, I'll be back in a jiffy."

He ran out a moment later. I stood there for a moment, a stupid smile plastered on my face, before I shivered.

"Okay, shower time now."


Twenty minutes later, I emerged from my bathroom, my hair up in a towel, clad in a pair of sweats and a tank-top. Usually I slept in underwear and a tank-top, but I decided that sweats would be a good option. I wasn't going to be sleeping in my bed, after all.

Henry, sprawled across the window seat, glanced up from the book he was reading.

"Feeling any better?" He inquired. I nodded, smirking a bit. That window seat was a tad bit too small for him. He took up the entire thing and then some.

"Much better now, thank you.." I grabbed a small bag and put my hairbrush, toothbrush, and toothpaste in it. When I looked up, he was watching me with a curious expression on his face. It wasn't weird or confused, just.. Odd. Predatory, almost.

"For the morning." I held up the bag shyly. "I've got horrendous morning breath, I'm warning you now."

Henry paused, examining me with a neutral expression, before he tilted his head back and laughed. I couldn't keep a little smirk from appearing on my lips.

"Don't worry about it, Jillian. Everybody does. Now.." He got up, coming towards me. "Shall we?"

"We shall." I stopped. "Wait!" I ran back to my bed, grabbing the purple and blue quilt Mama had made me for my 18th birthday. It had seen better days, but it was still warm, and in great condition. And.. I couldn't sleep without it. Henry smiled a soft, understanding smile while holding out his arm. I took it, returning the expression, and followed him out the door.

I could feel his nervous excitement as he lead me down the stairs, turning onto the level just below and to the opposite side of mine. We walked down the hallway until the end, where he stopped.

"This is my room.. It's a bit bigger than yours, but the layout is basically the same." He explained while pushing the key into the lock. One twist later, he pushed it open, holding it as he waited for me to enter.

I took a little breath and crossed through the doorway.

His room was indeed bigger than mine (which was understandable considering he was a large man) and had a white, gray, and red/purple color scheme. The wall opposite the door was painted a deep burgundy, the two walls adjacent to it a light gray. The one the door rested on was painted an off-white. There was a large desk made of mahogany in the left corner, by the large window. On it sat a computer and a fish-tank, where, inside, swam two black fish. There was a waist-high bookshelf beneath the window that stretched almost across the entire length of the wall, filled to the brim with a wide arrange of novels.

The bed sat on the wall to my right. It was king-sized, and covered in a luxurious looking black comforter. A delicate white flower stretched across the fabric. White, black, and red pillows were piled up by the headboards. The bathroom door was on the same wall, about four feet from the window.

I treaded lightly, running my hand over the desk delicately as I turned to face him.

"It's beautiful."

I could've sworn I saw a huge wave of relief wash over him. He sighed contently.

"I like to think so." His eyes darted around. "Oh! Bathroom is there." He pointed to the door that sat about eight feet away from the right side of the bed. "You're welcome to use it any time, of course.. You can put your toiletries bag in there, if you want, or I can."

"No, I need an excuse to go check out your bathroom." I smirked, lightly hopping over to the door and flicking on the switch. A gasp escaped my lips.

He had a water-fall shower. A freaking stone-tiled waterfall shower! The doors were glass, stretching from the floor to about a foot from the ceiling. The walls in here were medium gray and a light sandy brown, matching the stonework in his shower.

"I, uh, paid for that to be put in.. The original shower was about a foot and a half too short." He said from behind me. I touched the counter-top (also stone tiles) and gingerly set my bag down on it.

"This bathroom is fancier than my entire room."

Henry chuckled softly.

"I was a bit surprised at how much stone tiling they put in, though you won't catch me complaining.."

"If you did, I'd have to hit you."

"I wouldn't blame you." He moved out of the bathroom. "Which side of the bed do you normally sleep on?"

I turned off the lights, closing the door behind me as I shuffled back into the room.

"Um.. About that.. Ahaha.." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I usually sprawl out diagonally.. This may be a bit of a challenge for you."

"You'll have to fight me for space, then, because I do the same." He quipped, chortling. "This is going to be interesting."

"Yes, yes it is.." I gently laid my quilt out over the bedspread. "Take whatever side you want, I'll fill in wherever you don't."

"I guess you're sleeping on the floor, then." He said as he flopped down onto it, taking up as much room as possible. I gawked, before smacking his thigh.

"You ass-hat! Move!"

His laughter again filled the room, a rich, velvety sound that made my heart pick up speed. He sat up and scooted over to the left side, closest to the bedroom door.

"In case you need to run to the bathroom again."

"I won't need to, that has passed, thank God."

"Good.. I don't recall anything being spoiled at lunch or dinner.. Did you eat anything before you went to bed?"

I shook my head, eyeing the bed nervously.

"It was in reaction to a dream I had.. That's also why I screamed.." I wrapped my arms around my torso. Henry frowned slightly.

".. Must have been a pretty horrific dream.. Would you like to talk about it?"

"No, thank you. I appreciate the offer, though."

We were silent for a few moments before he said:

"Jillian.. Are you going to get in bed?"

"Eventually."

He made to get out.

"I can sleep on the floor if-"

"-No!" I pushed him back, crawling in. "No! Sorry, I'm just awkward." I covered my face. "Sorry."

"I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?" He questioned, genuinely concerned.

"God, no! Like I said, I'm just awkward." I squirmed a little. "I haven't slept in a bed with another person, let alone a man, for, like.. 3 years.."

"Seriously?" He sounded shocked. I nodded, flushing a bit. Henry eyed me for a moment, before he laid down next to me, making sure to leave about a foot between us.

We laid in silence for a good minute or two. An awkward, tense silence. I thought back to our first date, when I'd fallen asleep on him and then cuddled up to him after he'd carried me up to my room.

Then, of course, my brain had to think about the hallway, five hours prior.

I shifted again, biting down hard on my lower lip as I blushed. Jesus, Jillian, could you be any more awkward?! I fought the urge to groan.

Next to me, Henry moved, turning to his side, away from me as he cleared his throat.

Silence.

..And more silence..

... And more silence.

I was a cuddle-hound by nature. If anyone, family or otherwise, male or female, slept in the same bed as me, they would be cuddled. I knew that the instant I fell asleep, I would glob onto him, and I probably wouldn't let him go.

I turned my head slowly, studying his form. He was tense, obviously just as uncomfortable as I was. Guilt gripped my gut. Here I was, in his bed, and I was making him uneasy! We'd cuddled once and it had been okay, granted I hadn't really given him a choice. Would he be okay with it now? What if he said no and things got even more awkward, if that was even possible?

I thought about it for a little bit longer, and decided that it wouldn't hurt to at least ask.

"Um.. Henry..?"

"Yes?"

"Would you, uh, mind, if.."

He rolled over, looking at me after I trailed off.

".. What is it?"

"I like to cuddle." I blushed. "I'm a cuddler. I'm sorry, I just don't want to grab you and make you feel uncomfortable, so I thought I'd ask first.."

I felt shock that wasn't my own course through my body as he stared at me, eyes widening slightly.

".. You're asking to cuddle with me?"

I bit my lip again, nodding, and peered up at the ceiling.

"I mean, if you don't want to, that's 100% okay, I know some people aren't touchy, but I am. Like I said, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, considering this is your bed and stuff.. I just-"

"- Jillian, stop rambling and come here."

I stopped, watching his face carefully.

"..Really?"

"Really." He made a 'come here' motion with his arms and smiled invitingly. I felt my heart take off again at the expression. I wiggled over to him, coming to rest against his chest. He set his head against mine, kissing the top of it, and draped one arm over my side. A moment later, he shifted again.

"Here, lift your head up."

I did as he asked, and he slipped his arm beneath it.

"Is that okay?"

I lowered my head again, testing out his arm as a pillow, then nodded.

"Mmhm. Is this okay?"

"It's more than okay." He murmured, kissing my forehead. I found myself grinning like an idiot at the gesture.

Finally, sleep started creeping its way into my senses. As my eyelids drooped, I found myself moving closer to him. I lifted my head, craning my neck to look at him.

"..Thanks for breaking down my door to check on me and then holding up my hair as I puked."

I felt and heard his chuckles. He opened his eyes, his hand coming to brush away a stray piece of wet hair from my face.

"You're welcome. I'm glad I got there in time.. Well, almost in time, your hair did end up catching some of it."

I nudged him gently, smirking.

"Butthead."

He laughed quietly, pressing a gentle kiss against my nose.

"Go to sleep, Jillian.. I'll be here when you wake up this time."

"You better be.." I murmured right as I drifted off.


Logan paced, clenching his fists as he glared at the door.

"They should have been back by now!"

"Maybe they ran into some trouble." Pyro said, looking anxious. "Should we go look for them?"

Logan looked at Kitty.

"Is it clear?"

Kitty checked the cameras.

"Yes, I'll open the doors for.." She stopped, leaning in. "Wait! There's Bobby! Shit, where is Kurt and Ororo?" She pressed some buttons, and the door slid open. Bobby sprinted through.

"Close it!" He panted, his skin going back to normal. Logan strode towards him.

"What the hell happened?!"

"Mystique!" He gasped, still out of breath. "She lead me and Ororo to some dark hallway, turned out to be an ambush. She was disguised as Kurt. I didn't see him on my way back." He knelt over, hands on his knees. Pyro tilted his head.

"Mystique helped them?"

"There was some kind of a-" He sucked in air again. "-transmitter thing on the back of her head. I think they're controlling her."

"Did ya find out who?" Logan questioned, a hand on his shoulder.

"No." Suddenly, Bobby rose, shoving a syringe into his neck and pushing the contents in. "But you're about to."

Pyro shouted at Kitty to run as he charged him. Logan roared, throwing him against the wall as he changed again. Pale skin grew blue and spikey, before shifting into the sleek, patterned skin of the one and only Mystique. Logan charged her again, only to falter and fall half-way there.

She made a go at Kitty, only to be stopped by Pyro hurtling a ball of fire at her.

"Run, Kitty! Go get the professor!"

"You little runt!" Mystique hissed, shoving her forearm against his windpipe, forcing him against the wall. Kitty made an attempt to wake up Logan, only to be screamed at by John again.

"You're our only chance! Get the professor! Go, Kit-!" He screamed in pain mid-sentence when Mystique slammed her forehead against the bridge of his nose. A sickening crunch, the sound bone makes when it breaks, was heard.

"I'm sorry, John!" Kitty shouted, running through the wall. John smirked as blood pouring down his face.

"You stupid bitch." He spat. Mystique pulled out another syringe, filled with a different colored liquid.

"I'm sorry, John." She shoved it into his neck and let him fall.


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