Chapter 22 - Flights

Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.

The Blackbird had been flying over the Atlantic in stealth mode for about an hour. Nightcrawler and Rogue were sharing the pilotage as Forge tended to Storm's injuries and Gambit tried to soothe a freaked out Jubilee.

"Easy, petit. We're safe now. No one's gonna hurt you," Remy whispered in the teenager's ear while she cried on his shoulder.

"I can't believe they attacked our home," she sobbed, "on Christmas Eve."

Xavier watched his pupils with worry. The X-Men had just become homeless, their headquarters revealed to their enemies and therefore, forever lost to them. Ororo had been physically hurt, while Jubilation's wounds had a deeper, psychological basis. Given enough time though, both would probably recover finely. It was the wellbeing of his other students that concerned the professor right now.

They had waited in the jet for their friends as long as they could. But once the hangar started shaking and became filled with smoke, Professor X gave the order for them to departure - probably the hardest decision he'd made in his life.

Once the jet had moved away from the mansion, Xavier's telepathic powers had returned fully. He could sense six minds around him, all thinking about their missing teammates; Storm, in special, was silently weeping in fear for her best friend and godchild.

The professor wondered if the babies were all right. Nate and Rach were so young, so innocent… They shouldn't have been dragged into a war they knew nothing about. They had powerful parents, of course, but neither Scott, much less Jean were experienced combatants. Charles hoped they had been able to protect the children and couldn't help but ask himself if things would have been different had Wolverine been around. His trail of thoughts was interrupted by Nightcrawler's voice.

"Professor, we've tried to reach zhe others through zhe communicators again. Still no response. Perhaps your skills would be more useful?"

"It's worth the shot," Xavier replied. "I'll try to telepathically contact them and inform that we're heading to Muir Island." Forge, Gambit and Jubilee approached the professor's seat as he closed his eyes and concentrated. He tried to get in touch with Beast first; then Havok, Polaris, Iceman and Cyclops. Finally, he attempted to find Jean's mind. "I can't reach any of them," he lamented, his voice defeated.

"B-But… that doesn't mean they're gone… right?" Storm questioned, her sight blurred with tears.

"I couldn't tell, child," Charles admitted, and Ororo lowered her head. But then Xavier's eyes suddenly widened. "Kurt, see if you can get in touch with Angel through his cell phone. Perhaps he can help us locate…"

Before Xavier could finish the sentence, the Blackbird trembled and came to a halt in the sky.

"What the hell?" Rogue exclaimed, her heart kicking into high gear.

"Look," Nightcrawler pointed at the grey-haired man hovering in front of the jet. He was wearing a purple cape and held a metal helmet under his left arm. All the X-Men turned their heads in his direction.

"Erik," Professor X muttered, adding telepathically, 'what do you want here?'

'Oh Charles. This is not the proper way to greet an old friend,' his opposite sent into his head.

'I apologize if my manners don't suit your current mood. Me and my students have been through enough for one night. We don't need another confrontation,' Xavier responded sternly.

Magneto didn't miss the threat in his opposite's words. 'I know. I'm truly sorry for what happened to your home. Believe it or not, I come in peace,' he stated, holding up his right hand in a placating way. 'Won't you invite me aboard?'

The bald man narrowed his eyes. 'Why should I?'

'I mean you and your X-Men no harm, Charles. Look inside my mind if you like,' Xavier heard Magnus' voice in his head and did a quick telepathic scan of his former friend's mind. He nodded once. "Kurt, please open the hatch."

Nightcrawler did as he was told, and soon Magneto entered the Blackbird. "Fancy aircraft," the Master of Magnetism said, his lips curving into a smile. "The perfect combination of steel and plastic."

Gambit was about to pull two cards out of his trench coat pocket when Xavier intervened by shaking his head. "What are you doing here, Erik?"

"Well, isn't it obvious, dear friend? I'm rescuing you," he replied, walking to the tail of the plane where the conduit was placed.

"Ya' oughtta have a lotta nerve to say that t'our faces," Rogue spoke angrily and gave two steps forward.

Magneto's right eyebrow raised. "After so many years of knowing each other, I thought you'd take me more seriously, Anna," he said as his fingers touched the conduit's surface. "If I hadn't stopped your aircraft, you and your friends would be dead by now."

"Is dis some kind of joke?" Remy inquired, positioning himself between Lehnsherr and Rogue. "Since when you've become an ally?"

Magneto didn't respond. Instead, he covered his head with his helmet and looked up for about five seconds. Soon, two U.S. Airforce fighters appeared on each side of the Blackbird. "The X-Men are not the only team relying on stealth mode jets," he explained as he used his magnetic powers to crush the four smaller planes midair. "No need to thank me," he added as the wrecked aircrafts dropped into the Atlantic.

Kurt mumbled a prayer while Gambit scoffed; Jubilee and Ororo only looked down.

"Very well, Erik. You have saved us. Now tell us what you want," Xavier demanded.

"The same as you. Respect. Peace. A world where mutants can live without fear," he explained, and the Blackbird started moving upwards.

"What are you doing, Magneto?" Nightcrawler asked from the cockpit.

"Bringing you to safety," the Master of Magnetism replied. "I'm taking you home."

Somewhere in the U.S. Airspace.

"Hey, honey."

"Warren? Where are you? It's past eleven already. Everybody's asking for you," Candy Southern's voice sounded annoyed on the end of the line.

"I'm sorry, babe, it's just that… something serious came up. I won't be able to make it to the party."

"What?" Angel flinched at his girlfriend's indignant yell. "Why the hell not? What in God's name could be more important than spending Christmas Eve with the love of your life in your own damn Christmas party?"

Warren sighed. If only Candy knew… "Listen, sweetheart… You know about that other business I got in New York, right? Well, we're kind of in the middle of a crises."

"You mean, the X-Men? Are you with them?" She whispered into the receiver, glancing sideways to make sure no one was listening.

"Yes."

Her voice grew urgent as she realized the severity of the situation. "Oh God. Warren, honey, are you hurt?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Someone else's hurt though, and we need to get her to safety a.s.a.p.."

"Her? Who's her, Warr? Someone I might know?" She asked with suspicion.

"Hmm, yeah… It's Jean," he admitted against his better judgement.

"Humph. I can't believe you're missing the party because you felt the need to go help your ex," Candy didn't even try to conceal her jealousy.

"Among other five people, my godchild included," Angel explained himself. "Look, some crazy bastards attacked the X-Men's headquarters this evening. They wrecked the whole place."

"Oh my God! I had no idea, hon. I'm so sorry to hear it," Candy seemed more understanding now. "Is Jean badly hurt? Is anyone else injured?"

"Jean's barely conscious, but she's stable now. I don't know about the rest, though… I was able to rescue some of the guys and the babies, but we haven't heard from the others so far. We're in the helicopter heading to the skiing cabin. We're spending the night there."

Candy sighed. "Oh, all right, Warren. You go and take care of your friends. I guess you can make it up to me on New Year's Eve," her tone was resigned.

Angel's lips curved up in a smile. "I tell you what, babe… Why don't you meet me at the cabin tomorrow? I have your Christmas gift here with me."

"Really?" She asked, and Warren could almost see her blue eyes sparkling with joy. "Well, I suppose I could ask Paolo to fly me to Colorado tomorrow morning. But not too early, you know I need my beauty sleep."

"All right, babe. I'm looking forward to seeing you," the man told her truthfully. "By the way, Candy… We'll probably need some supplies for the next days. Clothes, food and diapers."

"Just text me whatever you need, Warr. I'll bring it to you."

"Okay. Thanks, honey. I gotta go now. Love you."

"I love you," she replied. "And Warren, please take care, all right?"

"I will." He turned off the phone, receiving a smirk from Scott. "What?"

"Nothing," his teammate dismissed it and stared forward at the night sky again. He kept grinning though, as the winged mutant noticed.

"Oh, fuck you!" Angel exclaimed, but let out a short laugh. "Women! What would we do without them, right?"

"I know what you mean," Cyclops nodded. He glanced over his shoulder at the helicopter's rear cabin. They had been flying for almost four hours, having landed in Bloomington, Illinois, to refuel and acquire some baby stuff. The two babies had been fed, changed into warmer clothes and were currently sleeping in Beast's cozy arms. Hank's head was laying against the headrest, a faint snore leaving his nostrils. Iceman was sitting Indian style on the floor just behind the co-pilot's seat. Jean's head was resting on his lap, her body laying across the cabin's floor. After McCoy had stitched her thigh and dressed her scalp wound, Bobby had covered her legs with a thick blanket. Every now and then, her eyelids fluttered open and she let out a moan, rapidly going back into oblivion. Scott hated to admit it, but he feared for her life.

"How did you know the mansion was under attack?" He asked Angel to occupy his thoughts.

"I didn't know for sure. I tried to call the professor to see if everything was okay but he didn't answer me. Then I tried Jean's phone and she also didn't pick it up. I got worried and decided to check on the team personally," he explained.

"In a combat chopper?" Cyclops brows went up.

"It was my chance to test this beauty," Warren replied, bending forward to pat the helicopter's control board.

"Hmm," Scott became silent for a moment. "You killed a lot of men with that machine gun of yours. Doesn't it bother you?"

Worthington lent back against the backrest and took a deep breath. "No. It was either you or them. I chose you," he declared, looking down at his feet. "Besides, it was not the first time I had to kill someone."

"It wasn't?" Scott inquired, surprised.

"No. But it was also for defensive purposes, so… It's not as if I am a psycho or anything."

Another two hours passed until Warren finally spotted his winter refugee. "There it is," he pointed to a snow-covered wooden cabin. Scott looked down and found a clearing just behind the house.

"Wake up, guys. We're about to land," he informed his other two teammates. Beast secured himself onto the helicopter's grid with his feet while firmly holding the two babies in his arms; Iceman used one hand to grip the door holder and the other to restrain Jean's body.

As soon as the aircraft touched the ground, Angel's second cell phone started ringing. "Fuck," the blonde said, taking it out of his pocket to turn it off. Without even realizing it, Scott glanced at the screen and noticed that the number was registered under the name 'asshole'. He quickly looked ahead again and switched off the helicopter's engine. "Come on. Let's head inside," he heard Warren saying.

The night was chilly and, apart from Bobby, they were all shivering in cold. Warren was the first to enter the cabin, followed by Bobby with Rachel and Scott with Nate. Beast was right behind them, carrying Jean. The blonde beckoned him to lay the redhead down on the king-size bed in the main room. After doing that, McCoy checked her vital signs again. "Her heart rate and blood pressure are stable. Still, Jean needs a lot of rest. Let's just hope that whatever that witch's done to her doesn't leave any long-term consequences."

"What about Rachel? I don't think there are any cribs in this place," Angel said. "Should we put her on the bed beside Jean?"

"No," Scott spoke from the doorway. "You've heard Hank. Jean needs to rest, and Rachel will eventually wake up hungry during the night. I have experience with babies. She should stay with me for the night."

"That makes sense. All right, I'll stay with Jean then," Warren declared. "There are two other suites down the hall, fresh towels inside the bathrooms and some frozen pizza in the freezer. Make yourselves at home," he told his guests.

"Thanks," Cyclops said. "Let's all get some rest. Tomorrow we'll figure a way out of this mess."

xxxxx

Jean's eyelids opened and she shot up in bed, gasping for air. 'It's just a nightmare,' she realized, inhaling deeply to calm her racing heart. She glanced sideways but couldn't see a thing - the room she was in was pitch black. Her head throbbed and her telepathy was weak, but she could sense her baby sleeping safely somewhere nearby. The redhead had no idea how long she'd been out, but she figured it was past time Rachel was fed. As she threw the comforter away and moved to get up, a sharp sting erupted in her left thigh, making her yelp in pain.

"Mmm… I wouldn't try to stand up if I were you," she heard a drowsy, male voice coming from the left side of the bed.

She reached out with her hand and touched a smooth, feathered surface. "Warren?"

"Yeah," he moved his head to the opposite side. "It's too early, Jeannie. Go back t'sleep."

"What-What happened? Where's Rachel?"

"Next room… with Scott…," he murmured.

"Scott?" The man's name sounded funny in her mouth, and she realized how thirsty she was. Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark and she finally recognized her surroundings. "Is this... your winter cabin?"

"Yeah… shush now…," Angel pleaded, covering his ears with a pillow.

"Sorry," the woman apologized quietly, a faint smile forming on her lips. Warren had hundreds of qualities, but being a morning person wasn't one of them. If she wanted answers to their current situation, she would need to wait for dawn or ask someone else. She stood up slowly, putting most of her weight on her right leg and using a little telekinesis prevent her left leg from touching the floor. She noticed a large dressing on the lateral aspect of her thigh and a smaller patch covering a bump on her right temple, just under her hair. Dressed only in her light blue underwear and a white shirt, she half walked/half floated towards the closet to borrow one of Warren's winter robes.

Having being in that house a handful of times, Jean knew her way around it. She made a left after exiting the bedroom and limped across the hallway to arrive at the living room/kitchen. It made sense - Angel's wings craved for wide, open-concept rooms. Plus, it was super trendy, just like its owner.

"Hey, you shouldn't be up so soon," she turned her head sideways and saw Cyclops peeking at her from behind the refrigerator's door.

"I'm thirsty," she justified, slowly moving towards the man in the dim room, "and confused. How did we end up here?"

Scott poured her a glass of water and walked the distance between them. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Thanks," Jean said, swallowing the cool liquid in a few seconds and resting the glass on the kitchen island. Scott filled it with more water. "I was in the lab with Hank and… I sensed that something was… odd," she frowned as she recalled last evening's events. "I felt hostile minds… dozens of them… getting closer," a shiver ran down her spine and she glanced up at Scott's face. "I wanted to run to the babies, but there wasn't enough time…" She explained, her voice almost cracking with emotion.

"No, there wasn't. But you still managed to protect them with your powers," Cyclops told her, touching the redhead's forearm with his right hand.

"I-I did?" She asked in surprise. "H-How?"

"I don't know. When Iceman and I arrived in the lab, there was some kind of telekinetic force field protecting Beast and the children," he let her know, purposely not mentioning how she'd almost been murdered by the Black Queen.

"Why can't I remember doing it?" She mumbled to herself, and asked. "Are they all right? Hank and the babies?"

"Yes, thanks to you. Not even a scratch," the man smiled, retrieving his hand from her arm. "You, on the other hand, had it pretty badly, Ms. Grey. McCoy had to suture your leg in the helicopter to stop the bleeding - he counted twelve stitches. He also thinks you've suffered a head concussion, so you better take it easy in the next days."

"It was just a bump, my head's fine," Jean replied nonchalantly, removing the bandage from her scalp and pulling some hair off in the way. There were more pressing matters to attend than a simple head lump. "Scott, who were those people? How did we end up in Colorado, with Warren? And what about Ororo and the others - what happened to them?"

"Jean, please. You should take it easy," he repeated. "It's obviously not just a bump. Just a bump wouldn't have left you unconscious for ten hours."

"See? Something big's happened, knocked me out for hours, and I don't even know what it is. I hope I didn't just miss Santa," she attempted a joke.

"Not funny, Jean. Anyway, I'm sure Hank will explain everything to you later," Scott said and pointed to the hallway. "You should go back to bed now, before the doc wakes up and starts yelling at us."

"Oh c'mon, Scott, please. I'm worried. Just tell me what you know, or show me in your head, so I can stop bothering you at once."

"You're not bothering me," Cyclops told her, running a hand through his hair. The truth was, he was worried about the telepath and didn't want to overwhelm her with the horrors of last night. At least not now. "It's not even six a.m., Jean. You should be sleeping. I'll let you dig out the answers from my mind later, okay?"

"I'm feeling better now, I swear," she alleged. Her lips curved into an irresistible pout as she gazed into his eyes. "Please, Scott. I need to know what happened… I want to see who's threatening our children."

Cyclops sighed. "Fine. Be my guest," he motioned to his head. Jean regarded him with a smile and placed her hands on both his temples. Then she closed her eyes and carefully entered his mind. Through his eyes, she witnessed everything that had taken place in the X-Men's home the night before. She experienced the adrenaline in his veins speeding his reflexes up as the mansion quaked; she sensed the fear invading his heart as he ran to the lab to rescue his son; she felt the ache in his soul as the Black Queen drew out her energy; she savored the return of hope as Angel's machine gun shot the enemies dead. It was too much for the telepath at once, and Jean had to break the mind-link.

"Oh God," she exclaimed, feeling suddenly dizzy. Her hands let go of his head to grip the counter top; her head started throbbing again, and she felt nauseous and weak.

Strong arms scooped her up, minding the wound on her thigh, and laid her on the couch. "Damnit. I shouldn't have let you do this, Jean," Scott scolded himself as he sat beside her. He was feeling guilty and silly for being so easily convinced to do something he didn't think was a good idea.

"Ughh," the sickness hit her stomach again, and the redhead had to close her eyes and take a deep breath. She didn't want Scott to see her puking.

"I'll see if Hank's awake and ask him to give you something for the nausea and pain," he was about to stand up when Jean grabbed his hand. He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her.

"Thank you… Scott," she said with her eyes closed. "And thanks… for taking care of Rachel… I just need… a few more minutes… and I'll be as good as new to fee-"

"No! You're not going to nurse her in your condition," Cyclops' voice sounded harsher than he had intended, and Jean's eyes darted open, startled. He let out a deep breath. "Look, I've been feeding her with newborn formula during the night. I'll feed her again in one hour. In the meantime, you're going to stay in this couch and rest, okay?" He added in a calmer tone.

"'Kay…," she replied in resignation.

Silence filled the room. The sun was just starting to peek from behind the snowy mountains, its bright rays threatening to disturb the dusky exchange between the two friends. Jean struggled to keep her eyelids open. She wanted to look at the kind, virtuous man in front of her for one more second. Just one.

"You're hungry?" He asked, his voice suave again.

"No…," she mumbled, surrendering to tiredness.

"Okay," Scott replied quietly. He needed to get up… make breakfast… check on the two babies… see how his teammates were doing… think of a strategy to regroup with the rest of the X-Men. Yet, all he could do right now was stare at his fingers, intertwined as they were with the redhead's, and think what if…