Disclaimer: Don't own X-Men...don't own the song. *sniffle*

Authors Note: Song is "Who's Got My Back" by Creed. Written out of boredom. It isn't a typical songfic, because due to the situation...singing would be like a death sentence. Instead, it is more like hearing a ghost talking. Er, that was a confusing way of putting it, but its better than it sounds. Enjoy! Please R/R!

Summary: Do I have to have one? *grumbles* ok, the Brotherhood has just been chased by the Mutant Control Officers but they ditch Toad to save their own skins. Now Toad is wounded and seeking refuge in an abandonded building. But what will he find? A new friend? Or a savior?

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Sounds of gun shots rang through the empty alleys, angered shouts from mutant haters were the only thing louder. Pietro had no trouble escaping them, darting at full speed instantly out of sight with only a thin trail of stirred up dust to mark where he had disappeared. Lance, Fred, and Todd were still fighting to escape from the bullets. The officers had given up on tranquilizers when Lance had rose the road up and made it roll like a carpet towards the police cars. They now considered the group a danger that must be eliminated. They came to a dead end, and both looked at Toad.

"Hop us up there!"

Lance commanded, hitting Toad in the back of the head when he hesitated. He had to transport Fred first, and that took nearly all of his energy. He hopped back down, stumbling a little, then hopped Lance back up. Lance smirked at him, seeing the officers closing in and pointing their guns upward.

"Can't leave 'em empty handed...thats Toad..."

The sarcasm with which he thanked Todd was eerie, and didn't feel right. Too late did Todd react as Lance shoved him off the building, he just barely managed to land on his feet without breaking or fracturing anything. His yellow-green eyes flickered up in time to see two officers pull the triggers of their guns. He jumped, missing one bullet by a mere inch, but the other struck his left shoulder. No sign of anyone to help him. He leapt over the officers, going as fast as he could while babying his injured shoulder. As he made a break for it, he caught another bullet on his right shoulder blade, making him yelp out in pain. The officers were less diligent in following close behind now, the blood trail he was leaving was good enough.

~*~ A few minutes later ~*~

Todd had finally figured out their plan, and began zig zagging in his jumps, even though it took much more energy than he would like to admit. An old building was his only hope. He hopped up into the highest broken window he could reach, using his shirt to quickly mop up the blood on the window sill before it dripped down to the street below. He slumped down into a quivering heap just inside the window now that he felt the full sting of the bullets still embedded inside his shoulders. The darkness was deep in here, like the depths of the ocean it was almost crushingly dark. Dust floated in the only ray of light that shone inside. The dust just hung there, suspended by some force of anti-gravity. Todd cringed...thats exactly what the officers would like to do to him, watch him hang and choke and slowly die. Nervous tears flowed down his face. God...oh God, what if they found him here? What if they surrounded the building? He suddenly felt like he was sitting in his own tomb. His dull eyes shifted back to the dust as it moved. Strange, there had been no breeze, no movement at all. It began to dance and form a pattern, the pattern of a young girl. Todd blinked, rubbing his eyes. When he looked again, the girl was still there, but her form wasn't solid, it was dust and mist, a ghostly combination. He wanted to shriek, but couldn't find his voice. The girls hollow eyes reguarded him sadly, and she reached out her hand.

"Run...hide."

Todd looked around, sitting up a little more. Had she...no, she couldn't have just said that...it had been in his head, not regular vocally spoken words. Like she had once been a telepath or something. Her hand was still outstretched, her blank eyes stared at him...so full of sorrow and sympathy.

"All that was sacred to us

sacred to us."

Her voice was echoing in his mind at some points. He gulped, pushing himself closer to the wall. What was going on? Was she a dead mutant or something? Someone who had died in this building. God no...please don't be a ghost. He thought. Be my imagination, be an angel, be anything but a ghost. I'm haunted enough already.

"See the signs?

The covenant has been broken...

...by mankind."

Todd shook his head again. She was a ghost, she had to be. She sunk down to her knees, sitting on her heels. Her hand fell down to her side.

"Leaving us with no shoulder

with no shoulder

to rest our head on."

The last sentence repeated itself two more times, echoing forever in his blurred mind. Outside he heard the sirens approaching. He tried to get up, but he was too captivated and fearful of the ghost that sat a few feet in front of him to move. Her stare held him where he was.

"Who's got my back now?

When all we have left is deceptive.

So disconnected.

So what is the truth now?"

Todd nearly choked on his own breathe. What had she just said? No, this was too strange...that's what he had just been thinking. She couldn't have...could she?

"There's still time.

All that has been devastated

can be recreated.

Realize,

we pick up the broken pieces...

...of our lives.

Giving ourselves to eachother.

Ourselves to eachother.

To rest our head on."

Again the last sentence repeated. Todd had found himself lost in his own thought to notice anything, and he jumped when he saw the girl was sitting beside him, her hands places over the bullet wounds. The blood stayed on the dust and mist that made up her hands, making her look as if she was bleeding too. He slowly realized the sirens...right outside...and now the footsteps rushing up the steps and the sounds of magazines being loaded into guns. God no...they had found him. He still couldn't move, the girl had layed her head down on his shoulder, her long ghostly hair draped over him like a veil. The officers burst through the door...Todd closed his eyes. This was it, he was as good as dead. The girl still sang in his mind, by now she had become a background noise, yet he heard every word she said.

"Who's got my back now?

When all we have left is deceptive.

So disconnected.

So what is the truth now?

Tell me the truth now....tell us the truth now..."

The truth? That's what she wanted? The truth, he thought, is that your creepin' me out and I'm gonna die and I'm damn scared ok? He was waiting to hear the sounds of the bullets that would finish him. Nothing. Silence. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the officers. They were looking around with confused features lining their faces. Even when they looked straight at him, they didn't see him. He looked over at the ghost girl, she was smiling and watching the officers. Todd looked straight ahead again, finding himself focusing more on the veil of ghostly hair than the officers. He blinked again, his eyes widening...she was shielding him...making him invisible to them. He slowly let a smile creep onto his own face as the officers shook their head, walking back downstairs.

"Who's got my back now?

When all we have left is deceptive.

So disconnected.

So what is the truth now?"

The sirens left, and everything was silent. Toad could have jumped for joy, but remembered his arms. He looked at the wounds, but they were no longer there.

"The truth is..."

He looked to where she had been. Gone. No dust, no mist, no girl that had saved his life. He glanced around, a stance that looked ready to attack was held until he let out a sigh and stood regular again.

"...that you were really a ghost. Yo...thanks though. For a dead girl, you're not so bad."

He climbed up on the window sill, looking to find no cop cars in sight. Another whisper from the girl echoed inside his head.

"Don't forget about me..."

Todd looked back into the empty darkness and smiled.

"Don't worry, yo. I'll come back and visit ya sometime."

"I'll be here..."

The voice whispered back before Toad hopped to the building roof and started back home.

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Authors Closing Note: That was sappy and sad. *sniffle* I made myself cry because the only girl who loves Toad is a ghost. *sigh* oh well. I hope you liked it. Sorry if I confused you, but I am very good at doing that. .O