*sigh* no reviews? Where did my lovely reviewers go? Come back soon guys! I've typed out about two or so more chapters after this one, I'll update maybe Wednesday. R&R, please...
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"Luna! Time to get up!" Payton's annoying and cheerful voice sounded right beside my ear. I screamed and fell out of the bed. Then I commenced to viciously attacking Payton with my pillow until he, laughing his head off, retreated out the door. I growled silently under my breath as I got dressed and dragged my feet to the kitchen. I wasn't even hungry, Payton had scared... I mean surprised it right out of me. He couldn't scare me...
"Well, I'm off." I said to no one in particular, taking off before they could answer. I decide that spending a few hours in the forest couldn't hurt, so I headed off into the trees.
And ran smack dab into Sam's unconscious, mangled body.
I screamed loudly for Hank, then bit my lip, wondering what I should do. Heal Sam... Or get Hank?
I opted for healing at least the major wounds, although his whole body was torn up. He was bleeding badly, and I fought down the stuff threatening to come up from my stomach. I shakily pulled off my gloves, hollering at the top of my lungs for Hank to get his furry blue butt into the forest now. Sam's entire body had gashes in it, from claws. But the weird thing was, they didn't look like the claws Sabretooth would leave. They were too... neat? Straight, perfect lines around his entire body, starting from his scalp all the way down to his feet. Just one straight line... well, technically three lines, circling around his body like a giant corkscrew or something.
Three....
No... He wouldn't do that... He was gone, remember? I was fighting hysteria at this point. Sam was bleeding everywhere...
I fought against the urge to bolt. I couldn't smell anything but blood... Warm, sweet blood...
Easy prey...
I felt the change quickly start to overtake me, but I fought to stay in control. No no no! Stay in control, Sam needs you! He'll die if you don't fight this! Snap out of it girl! I turned tail and ran, scratching trees along the way so I could find my way back. I couldn't heal Sam, but Hank could.
"HANK!" I screamed as soon as I burst into the mansion. "HANK, I NEED YOU NOW!"
A very bewildered Dr. Hank came from the kitchen. "What is the matter, Luna?" he asked, but without a word I yanked him by the arm into the forest. My gloves lay where I had dropped them and I picked them up, but didn't put them on. Hank wasted no time after seeing Sam. I took a very quick peek and saw that it was even worse than I had first thought. Sam's insides were showing. Intestines, muscles, some bones... I paled behind my fur and threw up further into the forest. Hank didn't seem to know that I had left, he was too busy issuing commands to various X-Men that had mysteriously appeared. I huddled against a tree, angry with my weakness, my inability to help. But the sight of all that blood... I would just end up hurting Sam more.
I watched as the X-Men carefully carried Sam into the mansion, then stood up. I had been completely forgotten, so I was alone in the woods. What did this? I wondered, looking towards the crimson blood stains on the ground. What monster tore Sam up this bad? I could smell that Sam had been there for maybe half an hour, if that long. It was lucky that I had drifted this way...
I stumbled into the MedLab, steeling myself and intent on helping my friend. I tucked my gloves into my pocket. "What can I do to help?" I asked.
"Nothing." Hank said. I thought I detected a note of frost to his vote. Chill, coldness.
"What? Why?"
"I think you've done enough, Luna." Bobby said (ha ha) coldly.
"What's that supposed ta mean?" I hissed.
"Look at him, Luna! You obviously lost it and attacked him!"
I froze, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Then I got mad. "How dare you." I said, fighting for control on my anger. It didn't come easily. "How dare you think I did this to Sam!"
Bobby was obviously looking for a fight. Why? Search me.
Rogue put a hand on his shoulder, calming him down slightly. "I'm sorry." he said. "I know you wouldn't attack Sam."
I nodded. I was hurt, but I pushed it aside. I bit my lip worriedly and ran my fingers through the fur at the top of my head. I swung my head to face Hank. "You think I attacked him too." I said. It wasn't a question, not at all.
He didn't answer, simply nodded to Sam, who was almost wrapped up. I nodded and bit my lip again, fighting tears and bloodlust. Don't think about it. Don't think about it...
I put my hands along Sam's bare chest and shivered as the sparks danced onto his torso. I felt the draining effects, but pushed the sparks along, willing them to help Sam.
"Luna, I think you should stop now." Hank said gently.
I shook my head viciously. "No. If Sam dies, I... I'll have nothing to live for..." I said.
"What about Logan?" Hank asked mildly.
"Wolvie ain't here is he?" I shot back, concentrating even harder on healing Sam. I started to feel dizzy. The edges of my vision darkened. I swayed slightly, but fought to heal Sam.
Hands gently but firmly pulled me away from Sam. I howled and struggled to get back to Sam. "Let go! He'll die!" I stopped fighting, angry tears snaking down my cheeks. I glared up at Scott.
"Luna, you are pushing yourself too hard. Sam wouldn't want you to injure yourself on his behalf, would he?" Scott's tone was somewhat mild.
I sat down once he'd released me and put my hands in my face. "What have I done?" I whispered.
"What do you mean?" Bobby asked. He sat down next to me.
"If I hadn't lost it that last time, I could have gone with Sam. I could have helped him, protected him. He wouldn't be..." I stopped and just gestured over to Sam's unconscious body. "It's all my fault..."
"It's not your fault." Bobby tried to comfort me, but I would have none of it.
"I should have controlled it. I shouldn't have lost it..." I said. "I should've stopped him..."
Bobby just shook his head. I got up and climbed onto the bed beside Sam, laying down next to him. I curled into a small baby blue tiger cub, nose to his cheek. "Just get better, Sam." I whispered. "Please..." And with that, I let sleep take over, regardless of the fact that it was only noon or so.
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I woke up sometime around nine the next morning, I was that tired. I quietly hopped down from the table, landing on my feet, still a cub. I padded into the kitchen, not bothering to turn human. I was an animal, might as well look the part.
I got looks, but that's about all. I merely looked at the food, shook my head, and sadly padded back to the MedLab. I lay down by Sam's side once more. I pushed my head underneath his hand. Wake up Sam... Wake up... I felt a few tears slide down my cheeks, my fur quickly soaking them up. I closed my eyes and concentrated on sending my healing power to Sam's body through the end of my nose. It didn't work. I had to be human.
I changed to Luna, then placed my hands on his chest again. The sparks traveled down and I pushed them to the most damaged parts of his body, restoring his internal health and sealing his stomach so his guts wouldn't fall out or something. I concentrated mainly on his stomach and chest areas, since they held the major organs. I managed to heal up the worst of the cuts, but then I blacked out, the floor rushing dangerously fast to meet my head.
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I came to only to meet some very angry X-Men. There wasn't a single smiling face. "Luna, what were you thinking! You weren't thinking, that's what you were thinking! You could have been seriously injured!" Sco- Cyclops was yelling in my face. I didn't like it, but I kept my temper.
"I was helping Sam." I said, voice deadly quiet.
"At what cost? Your life? Your health?" Cyclops was really on a roll. "You could have been seriously, critically, injured! You almost pushed yourself too far this time! Hank said that anymore could have put you in a coma! Or worse! You think your healing factor can save you from your brain shutting down? Do you want to take that risk?"
I gritted my teeth. "Get out of my face." I said. I stood up, furious, but in control. "Don't," I admonished. "try to tell me that what I did was foolish or stupid. You would have done the same for Jean and you know it!" My voice echoed through the room. "You would do anything in your power to save her, no matter how stupid. You would fight the hounds of hell themselves to secure her safety. Don't tell me not to do the same for Sam. I have nothing else to live for if he dies. And don't start that crap about living for the X-Men because they don't need me. You don't need me, and obviously Wolvie doesn't need me either, else he wouldn't have left! This whole stupid world is out to get me and the one man who can hep me control my feral nature is gone and the boy who helps calm me is lying on the bed in a coma, on the edge of death! Don't tell me not to give it my all to heal him!" I balled my hands into fists, staring Cyclops dead in the face. I was breathing hard. I abruptly turned away and knelt down by Sam's bed. "Golden? Golden, answer me!" I pleaded with him. My only answer was the beep beep beep of the heart monitor. "Sam, please... Wake up..." I whispered.
Nothing. He was still, but breathing. I couldn't wake him up...
I laid my head down by his hand, ready to heal him even farther in a few hours. I didn't care about my own safety, I just wanted Sam alive. If he didn't like it, too bad.
Payton sat down on the other side of the bed. He didn't say anything, just looked calmly at Sam. I glared briefly at him, expecting mischief, but he just sat there. I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead into Sam's hand. "Just get better Gold." I whispered.
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I healed Sam three times that day, speeding along his recovery. Each time I pushed myself, but not too far. Not enough to black out again. There was always at least one X-Man guarding me to make sure I didn't try to push myself too far, but they didn't have to worry.
I never left Sam's side, not for an instant. I lied, I had to shower sometime, didn't I? But then I was right back by Sam. He stayed comatose for more than a month, regardless of how often I managed to heal him. I was by his side every day... for about a week. Then certain X-Men told me to go to my bed and they would tell me if anything developed. I hate waiting...
So I waited... and waited... and waited... Finally, about two months went by since I found Sam. I was going stir-crazy in the house. I needed some air, so I took off for downtown, strapping on my image inducer-thingy. I walked solemnly down the street, not really going anywhere, just walking. I ended up walking in a complete circle and before long I was back at the stupid mansion again. I didn't want to be back yet! But, I didn't really believe too much in coincidences, so I was back for a reason...
Sam.
I turned off my watch, ran to my room, threw it on the charger, the lit out for the MedLab.
No one was there, but the heart thing monitoring Sam was steadily going beep beep beep. I couldn't see anything wrong, so I absently healed him, even though there wasn't really much to heal. He would have slight scars on his stomach, but they would fade in maybe a month or so. I was puzzled as to why I was even here.
And then Sam stirred. Slightly, but it was enough. His finger twitched slightly, then his lips moved. He didn't say anything, just moved his lips. He fell unconscious again, but he had MOVED! That meant he was ALIVE and WELL!
I excitedly grabbed his hand, forgetting that my gloves were off. Which resulted in me blacking out from unintentionally healing him.
Again.
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I woke up two days later. Again, X-Men staring, but they weren't angry. They were... afraid?
I sat up, rubbing my head. "Sam, he moved!" I said excitedly
"Yes, we know. He woke up a few hours for about two minutes." Hank said.
"What?!" I said. I felt guilty. I wasn't awake...
"Don't feel guilty, Luna." Kitty said.
I just closed my eyes against the suddenly blinding light. I fell asleep again.
