Title: Chances

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue!! (Except for Dreamseeker and Chasm)

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence and adult situations

Feedback: Please!! Good, Bad or even Ugly!! Thank you for your continued support! :0)

The X-team quietly filed through the forest, Jean Grey at the lead. She automatically knew where to go, as if a map had been imprinted in her mind. Every little landmark; a strangely gnarled tree, a clearing out of no where, an oddly placed rock, were marked as clearly in her head as if she was looking at a drawing in her hand. It was just as Dreamseeker had said. It was odd, there were no creatures in this forest, and there wasn't anyone or anything here. But she could feel one presence drawing nearer as they walked. She assumed it was Dreamseeker. They were all on edge; like they were waiting for something to happen, something to go wrong. It wasn't that strange, considering how badly the last mission went. And they were still all going in to the unknown; with unknown players in this game. As much as she wanted to trust and believe in Dreamseeker, there was still always that fear and suspicion.

Jean closed her eyes and pictured in her mind where they needed to be. They walked on for ten minutes and came to the clearing. All of a sudden the presence that had filled her mind came clear. Wolverine stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

"Logan!" She said in surprise. This wasn't the person she thought she had felt. "Where did you, why have you…?" She couldn't even finish her sentence she was so surprised.

Logan just looked at her knowingly with dark eyes. "If you guys are my only chance at getting Marie back, then I'm willing to take that chance. Even if it is a long shot."

Scott stepped forward frowning at the comment, but made no remark. Xavier hovered his wheelchair over to the clearing. Since his actual wheelchair wouldn't have sufficed for this terrain, he used the hovering one he had created for these instances.

"Logan," the professor started "I am overjoyed to find you here. It will be nice to have you back with our team. We missed you." With a slight smile, Xavier raised his hand slightly to Bobby and beckoned him. Bobby came over with his pack in hand. He pulled out a black suit, much like the one he first wore when he met them all.

Logan looked at the suit, then at Xavier, then at the suit again. He grabbed the suit out of Bobby's hands. "This doesn't mean I'm back to stay." Xavier just smiled complacently. As Logan dressed, the team looked around, trying to see as far as they could. Even though they were thought to be the most fearsome team of all the mutants, (excluding Magneto's crew) they were still spooked. As with everyone, they feared the unknown. Not only humans had that weakness. The unknown, along with a dark forest and a clandestine meeting; not only were the newest members of the team apprehensive, but even the seasoned crew was a bit worried. "Like a long dark alley in the middle of a long winters night". Thought Logan. He had finished dressing, while the rest of them had surveyed the night.

No sound seemed to penetrate the darkness. It was almost as if the black of the night held sound back. Jean started fiddling with the silver ring again. Without thinking, she started whispering Dreamseeker's name. With no warning, the entire area they were in lit up a brilliant blue. Like a crystal flame, burning and writhing, but with no heat. Rather, it was cold. The icy chill from the flame permeated the tiny clearing. The light from the flame was so bright, it almost hurt to look at it; but even a light as bright as the moon on a clear night, seemed to get swallowed by the darkness. "As black as a sinners heart." Thought Professor Xavier, the only one not in fighting stance. The light shimmered and retracted into the form of Dreamseeker. As he walked towards them, the blue light flickered to outline his body. Only Jean and Cyclops relaxed their guard when they saw where the source of the light was coming from. Cyclops kept his hand on his visor just to be safe though. Logan leaned insolently against the nearest tree, waiting for the show to begin.

"Professor Xavier, it is a pleasure to meet you at long last. I wish it could have been under better circumstances." Dreamseeker stated with quiet dignity.

The Professor inclined his head. "I'm just as glad to meet you, I have heard many things about you." Dreamseeker laughed cynically, startling everyone with it's bitter sound. "Not many good, I'd assume."

"Not so. You are here?" Xavier made it a question. A small smile played at the corners of Dreamseeker's mouth. He dipped his head down in acquiescence.

"Okay, not that I'm against formalities, but can we get down to business here? My friend is in some black hole, somewhere in time, somewhere with magnet boy and we're here exchanging pleasantries. So, I apologize if I'm a little hyped-up right now, but I want to go get her out of there!" Jubilee had the good grace to look a little abashed that she just screamed at her leader. Xavier just smiled at her. He knew how she felt. There was no need to lecture her when it was a matter of life and death. Status did not matter at that point.

"I agree with the half pint." Logan pushed himself off of the tree to stand in front of the tall Indian, ignoring Jubilee's muffled shriek at being called a half pint. "Not that I really trust you, but I don't have much of a choice at this point. Let's get this freak show on the road." Dreamseeker looked half-amused, half sympathetically at Wolverine. In the flash of an eye, Wolverine unsheathed his claws and pointed them at the dream keeper's neck.

"You won't be able to give anyone nightmares after I shove these in your heart." Wolverine said with a dangerously soft quality to his voice. Jubilee, Shadowcat, Iceman & Gambit all started forward to intervene, but Xavier held his arm out to stay them. This had to happen.

Dreamseeker looked at Logan with his strange eyes, measuring the man in front of him. After what felt like an eternity, the dream keeper nodded and lowered his eyes for a second. "You are correct, my friend. With adamantium decorating your heart, you do not scare anyone except by sight." Logan looked at him speculatively then dropped his claws. He nodded, all male and arrogant.

"Alright, how do we get Marie back then?" Logan asked immediately. Dreamseeker looked at the X-team, one by one. His eyes coming to a rest on Xavier. Xavier looked at him and merely nodded. With Xavier's approval, Dreamseeker raised his voice so all could hear. "Jean, Professor Xavier, I will need your help. With your psychic abilities, I need you to picture Rogue in your mind and try to find her. Will all of us to be near her. We don't want to find ourselves with her in the void. We only want to be near her. Everyone else gather round, and stay in a circle. You will all need to gather your will to help."

"What do you mean, gather our will?" Iceman asked derisively.

"All your anger, pain, hopes, happiness, all your emotions; gather them to you, gather your morals, ideals, everything you feel. Then when you feel the circle climaxing let them go, let everything into the circle. Jean Grey, Professor Xavier and myself will take care of the rest."

"Is there anything I can do?" Storm asked quietly.

"Yes, weather goddess, as a matter of fact you can. I need a storm. I need the weather's fury." Dreamseeker looked at her with a slight smile. Storm smiled back at him and nodded. "Say the word."

Everyone gathered to form a circle. Jean, Xavier and Dreamseeker at the center with their backs towards one another, so they were facing everyone else. Dreamseeker raised his arms up towards the sky to start, when Gambit spoke. He had been looking around pensively since they had arrived.

"How is it dat a dreamer, one who follows sleep, can save ma cherie? How can you get us dere if you are only a dream keeper?"

Dreamseeker smiled his haunted smile and spoke quietly. "Because dreams are all that she has left." Gambit opened his mouth, then abruptly shut it and shook his head. "Storm." Dreamseeker said aloud. She looked over at him, eyes questioning. "Word." She smiled and nodded. Raising her arms into the night sky, her eyes turned white as a perfect cloud. The wind flew through the trees, tearing into the leaves, thunder shook the ground, and lightning soared through the sky lighting up the darkness. Then the rain came. Strangely no one in the circle felt the rain, it was as if there were a protective bubble covering them.

As the tall Indian chanted at the center of the circle, Xavier and Jean concentrated on finding Rogue with their minds. Everyone else, at the outer circle began channeling their emotions, their separate powers into the circle. As the power built, the storm grew. The winds furious path ripped leaves off of the silent trees, while the rain beat a rhythmic pattern on them. The thunder rumbled in time with Dreamseeker's chanting, never missing a beat. Lightning struck the ground around the circle over and over. Never touching the circle or the people within. Within the ring Xavier could feel his children's power. Logan's rage, Gambit's kinetic power, Storm's control over the sky, Kitty's sorrow, Bobby's icy touch, Jubilee's fireworks... everyone of them were as powerful as the other, just in so many different ways. Xavier used that power along with Dreamseeker's, to find Rogue. The power built and built, it was almost palpable now. Screams filled the air as some felt it ripping through them, like some invisible beast. Dreamseeker chanted, and as he chanted the blue nimbus that had surrounded him before grew. It filled the circle until nothing was visible except that cerulean light. Then there was nothing.

* * *

"Where are we?" came the quiet whisper from Jubilee. She couldn't see anything, she almost felt as if she were floating in mid-air. She couldn't feel anything underneath her. When no one answered her, she thought something had gone wrong, terribly wrong. Finally, a response came.

"In a dream." Came Dreamseeker's calm voice. "The only way to find Rogue is here. In the dream world."

"Why can't I see anything?"

"Because you are not a seeker, your power does not lie in dreams. I have to search for her and find specifically her dream before you will see. We don't want to be sucked into her dream and find ourselves in the void with her. That would not help any of us or her."

Jubilee tried to steady her breathing. She did not like closed in spaces, and this damn well classified. She stretched her arm out and came in contact with cold flesh. She almost screamed but she didn't have enough breath left. Suddenly the coldness grabbed her, yanking on her arm. She did scream then. "Jubes!!! It's me, it's Bobby." As she calmed down, she grabbed his hand on one of her own and with the other hand she hit him. "You bastard!!! You scared me!" He just laughed softly, but he didn't remove his hand from hers. Nor she his.

Within that darkness, they heard a scream. A vaguely southern scream, hoarse as if from too much use. "Help me!! Help! Please someone, help me!" In the dark, the anguish went through everyone. A chill ran down everyone's spine as the anguish was echoed; for in the dark, the wolverine howled. "Marie!" The anguish in his voice matched the woman's so very far away.

TO BE CONTINUED...