It's a bit on the short side, but aren't you glad to see me back?

* * * * * *

They were leaving. Six months, almost to the day after the destruction of the mansion, it had been completely rebuilt and most of the students had already left the cabin. Reagan couldn't help but feel a little sad at leaving it again. It had been fun sharing one of her favorite places with the group of people she was starting to think of as her family.

Finally it was the last day. Reagan, Logan and Eileen were the last people to go having been assigned the task of locking up. And Logan had been acting weird lately. At least to Regan's point of view. He was prowling around a lot, popping out at her from behind doors and out of closets, and trailing her around the cabin and it's grounds. Actually, he was starting to creep her out.

She was making one last run through the cabin, picking up last minute items left by everyone else when she heard a noise behind her.

"Go away Logan. I'm almost done. I'll be out soon and then we can leave. You know," She continued, "your sneaking skills are getting a little rusty. I could hear you coming a mile away." She picked up a lost CD and two gum wrappers out from under the couch and placed them in a cardboard box. She heard the footsteps coming closer. Reagan was just about to turn around and give Logan a piece of her mind when something slammed her in the small of the back and she collapsed.

"What the hey is going on!" Reagan rolled over to see Logan standing over her, smirking. And then before her eyes his form slid and shrunk, and his skin turned blue. And it wasn't Logan standing before her any more. It was Mistique.

Reagan jumped up into a fighting stance, hands in front of her, and began to get angry. The electricity flowed into her, hidden just under her skin and bided its time. The minute Mistique touched her, she would be in for quite a jolt.

"Foolish girl. To think you could out fight me. Or even hold me off." Said Mistique. "I know all about your ability to manipulate electricity." She started circling Reagan. "All I had to do is dress accordingly." She pointed to her black body suit. "This has been engineered with fighting you in mind. As long as I wear it you can't touch me."

She lunged, but Reagan was ready for her. She threw a ball of angry purple energy at Mistique, hitting her in the shoulder. Mistique landed on the ground with a thump.

"Several hours a week in the Danger Room prepares you for a lot Mistique," Reagan grinned at her. "Oh. Did my electricity get past your suit's defenses?" She asked innocently.

Mistique got slowly to her feet. "Not hardly girl." She jumped and did a nifty Kung Fu trick, managing to hit Reagan in the chest with her feet, knocking the wind out of her. The electricity crackled around them and just before Reagan hit her head on the fireplace, she thought, rather distantly, that she had to get Logan to teach her how to do nifty things like that. Then darkness over took her.

Mistique landed gracefully, several feet away, having used the momentum from the kick to carry her a good several feet out of the way should Reagan not have been unconscious. Hearing Eileen's voice calling to Reagan, she stepped near the doorway and waited for her prey to come to her. Eileen stuck her head into the room, gasped at the sight of Reagan's unconscious form, and fell, when Mistique clubbed her on the back of the head with her fist.

Quickly grabbing her unconscious charge and slinging her over one shoulder, Mistique made for the back door. Reagan was already starting to groan in the family room, when she stepped outside.

* * * * * *

The whole time this was going on, Logan was waiting in the van. They had already warned the kids that if they left anything behind, it was going to be lost for good, 'cause he sure in Heck wasn't going to find it and bring it back to them. But Reagan insisted on checking the house one last time, and she was taking her sweet time about it. If Eileen hadn't stayed to help too Logan would have left Reagan there long ago and been half way to back to New York by now. But he was stuck there. In the van.

It wasn't until he heard the back door slam shut that it occurred to him that Reagan might be taking so long for a reason other than to annoy the heck out if him. So, grumbling, he got out of the van and stomped into the cabin. The sight of Reagan groaning on the floor by the fireplace stopped him dead in his tracks. Nostrils flaring, he sniffed the air. Mistique had been there. And she had hurt Reagan. He rushed over to her side and lifted her up.

"Ow. Jeez Logan, take it easy. My head's killing me."

"Are you ok?" He asked, concern in his voice.

"Yeah. What did she want?"

"Who, Mistique?"

Reagan made a face, "No, the tooth fairy. Of course Mistique. She didn't just come her to play with me. Where'd she go anyway?"

"Who cares?" Logan was still leaning over hear, eyes focused, rather disconcertingly, on Reagan's eyes the entire time. She had the oddest feeling he was going to kiss her. That was enough to stir her into action. Kissing Logan would be far too dangerous.

"Where's Eileen?"

That got his attention, as she knew it would.

"What do you mean 'Where's Eileen?'" He asked.

Reagan sat up and winced as she rubbed the back of her head. She was already starting a killer headache. "I thought you were watching her." She said.

"She said she was going to come help you." Was his answer.

"Well she isn't in here." Thank goodness. Part of the reason Reagan had come to check things in the house one last time was to get away from Eileen for a little while, before she had to spend a whole three days in the van with her endless, mindless chatter.

"Then where is she?"

There was a muffled groan outside and a thump.

Logan pulled Reagan to her feet and dragged her to the door. He flung it open. Mistique was leaning over an unconscious Eileen. Glaring at them she morphed into a griffin, clutched the unconscious girl in her talons and took to the sky, all before Logan was even over the threshold. He ran after her, as though that'll help, Reagan thought sourly. I wonder . . .

"Hey Logan! She's still low enough that I can throw the energy ball at her! She'll drop Eileen and it'll be over." And maybe Mistique will drop her on her head and knock some sense into her.

"No way. If you miss it'll kill her. We'll do it the old fashioned way. Mistique's going to be shish-ka-bob if she hurts Eileen."

You mean the superhero way. Big lummox. He just wants to show off in front of someone. Some things never change.

Reagan sighed, watching the odd form flap off into the distance. As much as she wouldn't miss Eileen, she knew they wouldn't just leave her in Mistique's hands. One thing plagued her though. What on Earth would Mistique want with Eileen? Was there something about her even the professor had missed?

* * * * * *

More soon. I hope. Review, review, review.

Please.