Of Hearth and Home

Chapter Six: Bad Moon Rising

The short school week that led up to Christmas Vacation was always a lazy one at Bayville High. Teachers knew better than to expect any stellar performances and more than one class dissolved in to study halls, free periods or general discussions about the season.

"Hey Kitty!" Lance slipped in to the desk behind hers and leaned forward. "How long you in town for during the break?"

"Like, almost not at all." She cast a glance over her shoulder. Lance looked like he'd been working out lately. "Buuuuuuut … I am coming back two days before school starts." She smiled sweetly as she turned to face him.

"Well keep the first one open." He smiled. "We can go skating when you get back."

"That would, like, totally rule!" She gushed just a bit.

"Yeah." Todd announced, bounding over to slip up behind Lance. "If Mystique decides to let us off restriction by then."

"Hey," Lance told him. "I'll go if I want to. I saw that dude she was freaking-out over. And he didn't look like any kind of trouble I've ever seen. And we haven't seen him since. I think she's paranoid."

"Who are you two talking about?" Rogue asked, looking up from her book.

Lance shook his head. "Some new mutant that's in town. Mystique says she knows him but we're all supposed to steer clear. She's nuts. She thinks she sees him once a day – like he's making appearances just to let her know he's still around. Personally, I think it's some kind of holiday guilt and she just wants all of us at home. Take it from me, once the holiday is over, she'll be fine and this dude will have disappeared."

"That's too weird." Kitty said.

"Yeah." Rogue spit the word "And if she's showing signs of guilt then hell's frozen over."

Kitty considered for a moment. "She's right Lance, if Mystique says to stay away from him, I would."

"So we'll avoid him together." Lance leaned in close and smiled slyly.

Kitty melted under his attention and blushed.

"If just one of you says the word 'mistletoe' I am leaving." Rogue grumbled and looked back to her book.

"Tell me about it Sweet-Stuff." Todd said to Rogue. "You should have heard him practicing his this skating speech all morning."

"Why you ..." Lance took a half-hearted swing at Todd while he eyed the instructor who eyed him warily and warningly back.

"I wont forget that." He told Todd.

"Wish I could." Todd said back before dropping his voice to a low baritone. "Hi there Kitty, I've been falling on my butt all week, learning to skate and I thought …"

Lance growled and light dust began to drift down off the ceiling tiles while the room began to vibrate under his rage.

Until Kitty laid her hand on Lance's and squeezed. "I'd love to go." She told him. "And I think it's sweet." She smiled as the room settled again. "All of it."

Lance blushed lightly along his cheekbones.

"And you." She turned on Todd. "Are not invited."

"Oh, that's it, break my heart." Todd replied sarcastically. "I was even gonna bring the mistletoe."

Rogue turned and cut him a nasty glare.

"Right." Todd told her. "Forgot bout the mistletoe. Sorry." He smiled quickly and shrugged.

"Oh, she gets an apology?" Lance eyed Todd who had slipped out of arms reach.

"Sure." He said. "Ticking her off was accidental." And then he hopped back to his seat.

Rogue returned to her book and lowered her head before she smiled.

"So Mystique has been keeping The Brotherhood at home, hunh?" Kitty prodded.

"Yeah." Lance flexed his arms. "I've been working out."

Rogue rolled her eyes and tried to focus on the narrative in front of her.

"I could take that Pyro-lookin' punk if he did show up." Lance boasted.

Rogue sat up strait and looked at Kitty.

"What?" Kitty asked.

"Pyro-lookin'?" Rogue asked "Like as in his hair?"

"Yeah." Lance sat back and eyed her. "Why?"

"Maybe six foot or six-two?" Rogue ventured. "Dark hair and a beard? Kinda thin for his size?"

"Yeah, that could be him." Lance nodded. "You seen him or something? He's supposed to be dangerous. Mystique called him 'deadly'."

Rogue's eyes opened wide and she looked at Kitty- only to find Kitty mirroring her expression.

"Don't tell me." Lance guessed. "He's some new recruit of Xavier's, right?"

"No." Kitty breathed in a soft panic. "But he is at the mansion."

"He just wandered up one day and ended up staying." Rogue volunteered, not aware of the full story.

"Well, Mystique uses words real well." Lance told them. "And if she says deadly, she means it." He turned to Kitty and took her hands in his. "Promise me you'll be careful?" He asked.

Rogue shook her head and caught the instructor's eye. "May ah be excused? I just realized ah NEED to call home, right away."

The instructor considered for a moment. "Sure." He said at last. "Just hurry up. No more than fifteen minutes, all right?"

"Sure." She forced a smile. "That's plenty."

"Write out a pass." He told her.

A moment later Rogue was down the hall, fishing for change in her small backpack. "Wanda." She interrupted Wanda's phone call. "Ah'm sorry, but ah really need to call home. It's an emergency."

Wanda considered for a second. Once she was too wild and angry to ever approach for a favor but now, while she still copped some attitude, turned in to the phone and said "I'll have to call you back. Some x-dweeb is throwing a fit over the phone."

The deep rumbling voice replied something softly and she smiled. "Okay. I'll see you then." She smiled. "I love you."

And after another brief rumble, she hung up the phone.

"All yours." She sneered at Rogue slightly, just for fun.

"Thanks. Ah won't mention it." Rogue stepped past her and took the phone off the cradle.

It rang and rang again. She had lost count of how many times. "Please, please pick up!" She whispered softly.

Click!

"Hello." Wolverine grumbled "Xavier institute."

"Logan!" Rogue breathed heavily. "Ah just found out that Mystique knows who our mysterious stranger is – but – she's afraid of him. She told The Brotherhood to stay away from him. She's even been keeping them at home because she knows he's in town. She said he's dangerous Logan, she called him 'deadly'. "

She paused for what seemed like a long moment.

"Okay." He said through clenched teeth. "Don't worry. I'm on it."

And the phone in her hand went dead.

Rogue hung up the phone and turned around to find Wanda standing right behind her.

"Rogue, listen …" She paused. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have given you such a hard time if I had known it was really important."

"That's what 'emergency' means." Rogue told her, her own teeth clenched more than normal.

Wanda shrugged. "At my place the word gets thrown around a lot. Like I said, I'm sorry, okay?"

Rogue made herself soften just a bit. "Yeah. Me too. I was just wound up."

Wanda smiled. "It's cool. I get it. That's your family up there – and the rules are different when it comes to family."

"Well, … Yeah." Rogue was surprised to hear Wanda say such a thing. "And thanks for the phone."

"Good luck." Wanda looked sympathetic. "And I hope you don't need it."

Rogue was about to walk away but stopped short. "Thanks." She said softly. "Me too."

But back at the mansion, luck was in short supply.

Wolverine smelled the blood and his hair bristled and stood up all over his body. He turned and focused on the hallway noises just two rooms away and he began to move quickly through the mansion.

The smell of Xavier's blood was maddening. Logan's worst fear was that some charity case the Professor opened his doors to wouldn't be the kind of guy you'd want around. Xavier was soft like that. Toad, Lance, and now this last guy …

He pushed open the doors and felt his blood run cold.

Xavier lay limp and covered in blood. Derek's arms were wrapped under Xavier's as though he was trying to pull him through the mansion. Xavier was still and lifeless, his eyes open and vacant.

For the space of one heartbeat, Logan and Derek's eyes met.

Logan looked wild and vengeful.

Derek looked like he understood completely.

Wolverine heard himself roar out vocally above the rush of blood that filled his ears. He seemed only to lean forward and his claws flew out as he effortlessly closed the distance between them.

The door to Logan's left seemed to be opening in slow motion and Derek was retreating, letting the body slide to the floor between them.

"Dear lord … no!" Beast exclaimed through the now open door upon seeing the scene. And the 'no' echoed horribly through his mind refusing to mean anything but 'yes'.