Late in a rainy afternoon, two weeks later, Ariel thought back on 'movie night' with a resigned sigh. Logan had managed to avoid her for a day or two, and was off on assignment with most of the team for five more. By the time he got back, his walls had built up nicely, and he was able to cancel appointments to her face. They managed to have two sessions in that week, but they were pretty useless, she had to admit. He was doing what he had to do, she supposed. It had to be better than what she had to do right now.

A soft knock on the door was an unrequired politeness. Her mind knew who was there. "Come in." The door opened slowly, and Professor Charles Xavier rolled in, managing to make a simple wheelchair look like a throne. "Thank you for coming by so quickly."

He smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "Anytime. Your message sounded important, Ariel. What did you need to see me about?" He moved closer to her desk and looked attentively at her. She didn't worry about things casually, and anything social they could have dealt with from a distance.

She sat back down at her desk and sighed. "I'm concerned about Duncan."

The Professor nodded. "Ah, our young metamorph. He's been distant in class lately. Distracted."

She nodded and opened a file on her desk. "He's really depressed. Age fifteen isn't easy for anyone, but with his background..." Ariel sighed as she turned a page, looking down her notes. "You know about his parents."

"That they thought they could cure him by being strict?" The Professor's blue eyes shone like ice. "Of course, having his power manifest at such a young age is unique in itself. He was six, wasn't he?"

"Yes." She continued paging through. "Here it is. We were talking just an hour ago, and he brought up, again, how he thinks it would be easier to be dead. He mentioned a few ways he wouldn't mind dying." Their eyes met for a long moment.

"Do you think he's a real danger to himself? Or any of the other students?"

"Well, he's never been outwardly focused. I believe he won't try to hurt anyone else. But Charles…" she took off her reading glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I am sincerely concerned about his wellbeing. I think he's considering giving up before he ever has a chance to fully become what he will be." Taking a deep breath, she put the glasses back on and looked at the notes again. "I called you in because I don't know how you deal with this kind of situation here. Do you have a protocol?"

It was Professor Xavier's turn to sigh. "We have had depressed students in the past, rarely suicidal, although I suppose we've simply been fortunate in that regard. Ariel, I'll take my cue from you, here. What do you recommend?"

She sat back in her chair and tossed the pen she was holding onto her desk. "Meds are tricky, they never react quite the same way with the mutant physiology…but I've had success with a couple. We'll let the other teachers know, and I'll tell Duncan that we're very concerned about his peace of mind. We don't leave him alone." She absently picked up a barrette and pulled back her hair. "If we can get him through a couple days, it's possible that he'll lose some of this downward momentum." Taking the pen again, she began jotting notes. "I'll talk to him now, and if you could inform the teachers?"

"Of course."

"And I'll get him on antidepressants right away." Ariel shook her head and sighed. "I wish there was something concrete I could do. This feels so shaky."

"If you and I specifically 'keep an eye' on him –" The Professor suddenly frowned. "Ariel. Is he supposed to be in the school now?" She looked at him, mirrored his frown, and jumped up from her desk.

"Damn."

The adult team came running into the garage at the Professor's telepathic call. Scott was there first, followed by Logan and Storm. Ariel met them at the door. "It's Duncan. We think he may be in trouble."

"If someone's after him, they'll have a hard time getting past us." Logan growled quietly.

"No, it's not that. I'm afraid he may try to hurt himself."

Scott shook his head slowly. "Duncan? Oh, no…" Abruptly his voice became businesslike. "Ariel, Logan, we'll start on the grounds. Storm, take the Prof out in a car, see if he can find him. The fields by the stream are pretty open, let's start there and fan out into the woods. When's the last time anyone saw him?"

"Rogue said he wasn't in class yesterday because he wasn't feeling well and was going to bed." Storm slapped her palm against the car in front of her. "I should have checked."

"No, he was at my session today, not two hours ago. You didn't know, Storm. Let's just get looking."

Twenty minutes later it was Ariel that found him, lying on his back near the water, a few pills still clutched in his hand. Storm drove up next, the Professor having heard her call of distress, and found her sitting near him, stroking his hair as tears ran silently down her cheeks.

Ariel. You couldn't have stopped him. You know better than I do, if someone is determined -

But I should have been able to at least give him hope. Her eyes, darker than usual, looked over at the Professor coldly.

Logan and Scott ran up and took in the scene. Logan turned, hit a tree violently, and remained there, his back to them. Scott stopped dead, bowed his head for a moment.

I don't seem to be able to do much good at all right now. Not where it really matters.

Ariel - it was as if a door slammed.

With a last stroke across the boy's hair, she stood up and wiped her hands across her face. "Goodbye, Duncan. I hope you've found the peace you were searching for." She inhaled a shaky breath. "And I'm sorry I couldn't help you find it here."

Scott moved forward and lifted the boy carefully as Ariel walked deliberately toward the woods. Logan looked in her direction, and heard a calm voice in his head. Let her go, Logan. She needs time. He hesitated, looked over at the Professor for a moment, and moved to help Scott.