They were taking longer than Jean would have liked. She busied herself with running diagnostics on the plane's communications devices. When they had left Cassandra in the care of the Wanger man she had been less then pleased. The damnable girl had overstepped her bounds multiple times and then had the foolish sense to run amuck with her powers. She never knew when to stop! Jean was even more agitated that Ororo had told her to back off the girl, that she was only gaining some confidence. More like she was trying to take over the bloody team. Am I the second in command of the team or not? she thought in agitation

"Ororo, will you try her again?" Jean took her seat next to the woman. Storm's eyes were milky pale, they had moved the plane to a rendezvous point and she was giving them a foggy cover. Storm placed a finger on her earpiece and pressed down on it.

"Storm to Cassandra, Cassie are you out there?" she was met with a moment of static then Cassie's out of breath voice came in loud and clear.

Nightcrawler was running behind Cassie, who was faster than her frame belied. She was a curvy woman, which was usually coupled with an unathletic nature . But this girl could run, he ended up on all fours at times to keep up. Suddenly she stopped, her hand on the piece of electronics in her ear.

"Cassie here," She paused. Kurt couldn't help but notice her chest as it rose and fell heavily. He quickly looked away, cursing himself for his lack of control. He perked his pointed ears, trying to hear the quiet sounds of her communication device.

"Cass, where are you?" Storm sounded worried.

"About two blocks from the designated meeting site," they had discussed a point of meeting if they had gotten separated. "can you have the hatch open for us, I want to get the hell out of here," their way thus far had been met with stray dogs and another gang of men, these ones being too drunk to notice a pair of young people running through the back streets of Boston.

"Right, I'll have the engines running, Storm out," Cassie took off running again, without barely a glance at Kurt. She heard him drop back down on all fours and take off after her. He seemed just a comfortable on all fours and standing straight, and his posture not damaged but his crouching.

Kurt stopped short of the wall of fog. He had never seen anything like it and wasn't about to go walking right into it. Suddenly Cassandra reappeared and grabbed the strap on his duffel bag and with a strength he wouldn't have thought she possessed pulled him up into the plane.

"Take you seats kids, we're in for a bumpy ride," Storm called back as the loading hatch closed behind Kurt. Cassandra pointed to a cargo net for him to toss his bag into and took a seat behind Storm. He followed in suit and sat behind Dr. Grey.

"Seat belt, Kurt," Cassandra said over the noise of the engines. He looked at her and copied the way that she had buckled herself in.

Jean was starting to get frantic and even Kurt could tell. She had tried every number she knew and switched from the radio to the cellular phones and still no luck. She threw down her head set and uncharacteristically swore.

"Fuck this," Cassie jumped in her seat, Kurt sunk into his own chair and Storm placed a hand on her friends arm.

"Jean, are you sure you're trying all the lines? What about the car phones?" Cassie suggested tentatively, thinking only to help. Jean looked back at the girl, fire in her eyes.

"Cassandra, why don't you try to keep your thoughts to yourself, so I can think?" Jean shouted, the flames around her irises flickering.

"Okay, sorry for trying to help," Cassie threw off her seat belt with the flair of a tantrum and stomped back to the rations for a bottle of water. She grabbed two, tossed one to Kurt, who had gotten it into his head that moving away from the angry telepath was a good plan.

"Is she always this.....short with people?" Nightcrawler asked in a low whisper as she past his hiding place. She had seemed nice enough at the church. Cassandra shook her head and took a seat next to him. She curled up in the lotus position and gulped down the cool water.

"Na, she just needs some time to calm down. She doesn't like being out of control. Makes her feel venerable, like she isn't the bloody queen of the world," she capped her bottle, grabbing her braid, twisting the ends around her fingers. Her accented seemed oddly double by her anger and Kurt wonder what part of Ireland she was from, as her voice had taken on a distinct barogue.

"I see," he looked up at the older women. Storm, the dark skinned woman with the striking white hair was kneeling next to Dr. Grey and talking in a low tones.

"Kurt?" her voice was quiet. Kurt ducked his head around towards her and cocked his face in acknowledgment.

"Ya?"

"May I ask you about...about your scars?" her face was tense, she was afraid of hurting him as before. She was relieved when he smiled and nodded

"They are an angelic alphabet," she met his yellow eyes with her thunder gray ones, "passed on to mankind by the Archangel Gabriel," he stopped, waiting for her next question.

"How many so you have?" she seemed almost eager now, leaning in closer to him.

"One for every sin. So-" he paused to smile and chuckle softly, "quite a few."

"I hardly think that could be true," which she did, he seemed so full of the faith that she had lost.

He turned his face from her. She could see his face grow a deeper indigo, a blush, only because of the eyesight her cat-like slits afforded.

She had offered him so many kind words thus far that these should not have affected him so. That she thought him so devoid of sin, it sent a wave of heat throughout his body. He thought to change the subject away from himself. From sheer observation he had gathered that the Institute was some kind of school and these women were teachers or students of the Professor they spoke of. "So you all are teachers?" He addressed Cassie without looking directly at her.

"In a sense, Jean and Ororo teach. I was a student," she paused thinking how much she should tell him and continued, "I am working on becoming a full time teacher, all I do now is teach small things,"

"Like what?" he actually appeared interested, so she continued.

"I teach art, music and...well....horse back riding," her face turned red as she stumbled over the last, as though she were embarrassed by this.

"Not such small things, I would say that you are already a teacher, taking on so much," he smiled at her. She sat up straighter, he did have a point. She only thought that the children didn't give her the same amount of respect that they gave to the other teachers. It most likely stemmed from her having been one of them only months ago, before her graduation. "What is the school for?"

"It's for those like us, where we can keep each other safe," she stated, turning her body to face him.

"Safe from what?" he seemed thoroughly confused by the thought.

"From.... the normal people. Those who hate us," she nearly spat, her face showing the rage she felt towards non-mutant community. He looked at her with concern echoing in his eyes.

"You know, outside of the circus, people were afraid of me. But I never hated them. I actually felt sorry for them, do you know why?"

Cassie shook her head. "Because most people will never know anything than what they see with their own two eyes,"

"I can't afford time for pity," she crossed her arms around her stomach, curling slightly inwards.

"I am sorry to hear that," he reached up without a thought, cupping her face with his hand, his thumb moved slightly in a gentle caress. Is he flirting with me? she wondered and quickly dismissed it as nonsense. She wondered how someone who looked even less human than herself could possible have lived a better life among the non-mutants.

"Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't be so.....angry or, ugh. I don't not know the word in English, but, Kummer?," he stated, more as an article of faith than anything else, he had sensed her heartache, her kummer. Her face turned as bright as the red in her hair and she turned with her eyes downcast, his hand sliding softly away.

"Anger has given me the strength to go on with my life," she said to the ground.

"Ah, but can faith not do the same?" His voice half filled with desperation, veiled with a thin line of hope.

"So, what did you do in the circus," changing the topic was first on her mind.

"I was known as," he began, and then they both reacted to a shout from up front.

"We've made contact with Logan," Storm called, "He has some of the kids in Boston,"