Thank You's etc:
Carla-p, great to see you reading this story! *gives two cookies and milk for spotting the movie moment* This chapter will contain an adaptation of another X1 moment. Let's see if you spot it. ;-)
Roguechere, lol and I'm glad the mention of death wasn't glaringly obvious. I wanted to make sure readers knew it was there, but not focus on it. :-) Glad you like the series! Also, I totally didn't realize the double use of Lance and I've fixed it and uploaded this corrected version. Thank you VERY much for pointing that out for me. :-D
Winter Fire, thank you as always for the supportive remarks. :-) I just couldn't write the team not winning. The comics were just too weird during the Age of Apoc so I couldn't allow him to remain unleashed in my Evo mind.
Glaivester, LOL.
Jo, thank you very much for the standing O. :-D
Leigh, Caliente, Pocketprnces, FaDiNgSiLvErStAr, Thanks very much for the reviews and though they're being slow in getting written this and the next chapter will draw the series to a close. :-) Hopefully the conclusion will be uploaded tomorrow (Tues 10/7) or the day after at the latest.
Special thanks to Elizabeth Braddock-Grey for once again helping me through writer's block to get some writing done! *lollies galore for you* You know the ones. ;-)
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Tired
Exhaustion.
Everyone was feeling it as the Blackbird and Velocity landed safely back at the institute.
Their mission had been a success, but no one who stumbled from the crowded crafts was in a mood to celebrate.
That could very well have been because of the somber task they had to perform of moving unconscious teammates from the X-Jet to the infirmary.
Tiredly the older members of this unlikely army trudged through the mansion's lower levels to get stretchers to carry the injured into the infirmary.
Charles was showing signs of recovery after Healer's work on him, but like the other three the Professor's mind was exhausted and needed more rest yet. Hank and Ororo maneuvered their mentor onto the first stretcher and carried him to a private room to monitor his progress.
Scott gently moved Jean's stabilized body onto the next litter, and with Ray's help, moved his girlfriend into the room next to where the Professor would be staying until he awoke.
Kurt, who had passed out and remained unconscious from over exerting himself getting everyone out of the rubble, was taken to the infirmary by Remy and Sam.
Lance and a rather worried looking Mystique transported Rogue to the largest room in the school's medical center where she and Logan would be watched closely by Healer. Brian and Piotr carried the stretcher weighed down with the Wolverine's limp adamantuim filled body.
The others all followed them toward the infirmary, making it all seem like some kind of funeral procession.
Once the unconscious members were settled on to their beds, Healer turned his attention to the walking wounded who had yet to be treated after escaping the pyramid.
Caliban, Cybelle, and Kitty required only a moments touch to start their body on quickly healing the bleeding cuts and scrapes they had gotten from falling stones.
Betsy required a bit more concentration from the Morlock for the wrist she hadn't even felt to be broken and the deep gashes she had on her face and shoulder.
Most everyone was in awe of Nate who had made no mention or complaint about the ribs he had had cracked or the large lump on the back of his head from slamming into the stone floor they had landed on when the main chamber fell in. The young man refused the offer of a bed in the infirmary and swore Healer's touch already had him well on the way to recovery.
Assured repeatedly that their teammates would be ok, the new recruits reluctantly left the crowd to stumble tiredly toward their bedrooms above. The Morlocks, with the exception of Healer, Remy and Warren followed the youngsters to get some much needed sleep in the rooms they'd been given at the mansion.
Fred, John, Lance, Pietro and Todd were all eager to return to the boarding house, but Wanda refused to leave.
Pietro's arguments to get his twin to return with him and the others were overruled by Betsy's offer to share her room at the institute with her new friend the Scarlet Witch.
Once her sibling was gone, though, Wanda thanked Betsy for her thoughtfulness then moved quietly into Kurt's room in the infirmary and prepared to spend the night there in one of the nicely padded armchairs against the wall there.
Amanda quietly observed those actions with sad brown eyes before giving her ex-boyfriend one last concerned glance then urging her mother to return them both to their own home.
In Jean's room Scott was preparing to begin his bedside vigil, while Ororo settled in with the Professor and Mystique remained watchful and alert near Rogue's bed.
Hank and Healer moved with quiet confidence around all the patients, giving the remaining observers faith that all would be ok for the night.
With tired sighs, Betsy, Brian, Evan, Kitty, Nate, and Piotr all climbed into the elevator and rode in the silent lift to the floors their rooms were located on then slowly made their way to bed.
~*~*~
Determined to discover what was making that incessant beeping noise Charles turned his head to the side and opened his dark eyes slowly to focus on the heart monitor beside him.
Frowning as he realized he was in the infirmary, he turned his head to see Ororo asleep in a chair next to the bed he laid upon.
As if sensing his return to consciousness, the weather Goddess jerked awake and jumped to her feet to stand over him.
"Welcome back," she said with a gentle smile as she took his hand in her own.
"How long was I out?"
She consulted the elegant gold watch on her wrist and replied, "Six hours now."
With a blink of surprise, he maneuvered the bed he laid upon up until he was sitting upright then asked the question now niggling at the back of his mind.
"How did we do?"
"Apocalypse is gone and Rogue is back here with us," Storm replied rather evasively.
He gave her a stern look as he sensed there was something she wasn't wanting to tell him and with a sigh the weather Goddess moved from his line of sight so that his dark eyes could see through the clear wall that made up the entrance to the room.
There was no verbal reaction from him when he saw into the room across the hall where Scott had fallen asleep with his head on a pale and unconscious Jean's hip as she laid on a bed similar to the one Charles was on.
"Who else?" he demanded wearily after a moment.
~*~*~
Groaning slightly, Wanda came to the conclusion that Kurt snored louder than Fred – who often disturbed the whole boarding house with his wheezing at night – and that she was not going to get any sleep in this room.
"How is he," Mystique suddenly asked from the doorway as Wanda again shifted to try and get comfortable.
Startled by the genuine concern in the question, it took a moment for her to form an answer.
"He's good," she smiled gently in Kurt's direction. "As you can tell by the snores, he's sleeping now so I'd say there's no damage done. I'd be willing to bet that he'll be up demanding breakfast in a few hours."
"You genuinely care for him?" asked his absentee mother upon seeing the fondness on the girl's face.
"It's hard not to once you get to know him at all," the girl replied before rising to face the shapeshifter rather challengingly. "Do you?"
"You're not one I'm very willing to discuss that with considering the role your father played in my current situation with my son," Mystique said coldly.
Remembering what Kurt had confided in her about the memories Rogue had absorbed from this woman, Wanda dropped her gaze to the floor and wrapped her arms around her waist.
They were both quiet for an awkward moment that was broken by a yawn escaping the girl's red lips.
"Go up to bed, I'll watch him now," Mystique said quietly at the sign of tiredness.
"I thought you were staying with Rogue?"
"She won't be waking up anytime soon and I can't stand watching them work on her," the woman waved a blue hand toward Hank and Healer who were walking past the door of Kurt's room discussing something that appeared to be serious.
"They are going to be ok, though, aren't they?" the Scarlet Witch asked with a frown at the woman's tone.
~*~*~
"I have done all I can for their bodies," Healer said with a resigned and tired sigh as he removed his hands from Logan's arm and stepped away from his patient toward Hank.
With a grave nod at the Morlock's statement, Beast moved to adjust Rogue's saline drip while making not of her pulse and blood pressure before turning to do the same with Logan.
Acknowledging that there was no more he could do either, Hank moved away from his friends and teammates to stand next to Healer.
"You might as well get some sleep," he said to the visibly exhausted Morlock.
Too tired to argue, Healer left the room with a slight rustle of his blue cloak.
Left alone in the room with his unconscious, but stable, patients Hank removed his black rimmed glasses and rubbed the grit from his eyes before leaving the room to visit with Charles.
Slightly impatient at not getting a meeting with the institute's unofficial doctor the second her awoke the Professor demanded an update on everyone the second the big blue man entered his room.
Lowering his large frame into the chair Ororo had been dozing in at one time, the man again removed his glasses and rubbed at his tired eyes.
"Jean and Kurt are showing signs of returning to consciousness, they're simply still in need of a bit more rest. Healer and I have no reason to believe that they will not awaken fully restored by morning, though, Jean will have quite the headache for a day or so," he sighed wearily and slid his glasses back on. "Logan's regenerative abilities combined with the boost Healer gave his mutation have made great progress in healing the internal injuries he received from Rogue's body impacting with his and then the fall through the floor. Even with his powers I wouldn't be surprised if it takes him a day or two to awaken. Rogue's physical condition was surprisingly good from the remnants of Apocalypse's invulnerability and the protective shield's Betsy and Nate used on her. It's her mental condition that worries me. After all she went through with Sabah Nuhr, she's showing definite signs of slipping into a coma."
"I need to see her," Charles made to move from the bed even though his spare wheelchair had not been brought down to the infirmary.
"Charles, you're in no condition to help her right now," Ororo gently urged him to lay back down.
"Absolutely not," Hank rose to add his restraint to the older man. "Your reserves have been depleted by tonight's fight. You need much more rest before I can even consider allowing you to probe Rogue's mind."
"The longer she goes without some connection to reality the harder it will be to get her back, Hank," the Professor argued while ignoring the tiredness he felt that validated their arguments.
"Tomorrow will be soon enough," Beast and Storm both assured him firmly.
As he reluctantly settled back and gave in once more to the exhaustion wearing him down, the pair observing him exchanged worried looks and hoped that they were right in their statement.
~*~*~
In Jean's room across the hall a sleeping Scott failed to notice the movement of the hand he held as her eyelids fluttered open then tiredly drifted shut again.
A very watchful Mystique took Kurt's sudden mumbling in about a dream he appeared to be having as a good thing.
The machines attached to Logan and Rogue in their room beeped steadily and continued to monitor the lack of any change in their status.