Despite the cold hard lump that had formed at the pit of Phoenix's taut stomach and the feeling of depression that was growing and sinking every time she looked over at Storm the red head could not help feeling pretty well impressed when she first laid her sharp green eyes on the mansion that loomed overhead. A low long whistle escaped her lips making the other two jump at the sudden noise.
"You do yourself well here. What is that a castle you built yourself? How many bathrooms you got?"
The southern girl smiled, walking over to a brick post built at one side of a high spiked gate and spoke into an intercom.
"Logan, you about? Let us in."
There was a moment of silence then a teasing voice responded back to her.
"Back so soon Rogue? You guys finally as bored as me hunting' those two bitches?"
Phoenix crossed her arms and raised one slim red eyebrow. The southern girl shot back into the intercom.
You wont be laughing when you see who our guests are! Let us in, now!"
There was a second of silence before the man holding Storm leant forward over his partner's shoulder to speak his piece.
"Any time now homme, we got a bad situation on our hands."
Finally after another long pause the high spiked gates at the foot of the mansion drive swung open slowly and the three continued walking, a small trail of blood marking out their walked path.
Two huge oak doors that made for the front entrance to the vast house were opened even before they reached the porch and a short young looking man, no older than about twenty something, stood in the doorway to greet them. He pointed at Storm.
"So when you mean situation…"
"Yeah, go get Hank."
Obediently the man whose voice Phoenix recognised from the alleyway and intercom left up a flight of stairs calling on the one known as Hank.
With a short nod to his female partner the other man left with Storm to disappear in a maze of corridors.
Phoenix's face grew pained as the female turned to confront her.
"It's alright suga', he wont hurt her. Name's Rogue by the way."
"Phoenix."
Rogue looked upon Phoenix with hidden pity. "So what happened to her?"
Phoenix shrugged. "Shot I suppose, or stabbed maybe. Either way it was that guy Ransom, the one you kicked in the street, that got her. Bastard. I told her not to bother with him anymore but she has a tendency not to listen, ever. Must have been paying a lot to get her to work. You sure she'll be alright?"
Rogue smiled slightly, nodding just as the short man returned from up the stairs with another colleague at his side. This one, Hank Phoenix guessed, was considerably taller than any of them, a lot more hansom too than the short guy. He stood at six foot four at the very least with a gentle face and a shock of electric blue hair atop his head that was spiked with a mass of gel. He was quite young looking too but not as young as the short guy, about late twenties maybe.
He nodded politely to Phoenix then turned to Rogue.
"Remy's with your patient in the med lab. She's either been shot or stabbed across the stomach, we're not sure. It's pretty bad looking though."
With another nod he left.
Rogue turned back to see the short man eyeing up the red head, grinning when he reached her chest.
"Wanna behave yourself Logan? Sorry 'bout him, just ignore him."
Phoenix smiled darkly. "Oh it's okay, I don't go for a relationship with a dick attached to the end, that's just part of my job."
He stopped smiling.
Rogue laughed. "Shut you up. Here I'll take you to a room. Oh and in answer to your bathroom question, we got seventeen. Fifteen en suites and two main bathrooms. Come on, up the stairs."
Reluctantly Phoenix followed the southern girl up the large flight of stairs and then off to the right at the landing.
Rogue stopped in front of one of a long line of doors along the corridor.
"This should be comfortable enough."
She opened the door to reveal a massive luxury en suite bedroom, fitted with rich oak furniture and a plush king sized bed dressed with a fine canopy and feather stuffed sheets. A set of French patio windows opened up to a wide-open spaced balcony with a clear view of the long stretching mansion grounds. Moonlight rushed the room, highlighting all of this to Phoenix's astounded eyes. She could say nothing. This place was bigger that her and Storm's flat, it was bigger than any bedroom she had ever dreamt of, let alone seen.
Rogue noted the silence nervously.
"If you don't like it ah could show you another room. We got plenty more."
Phoenix finally made a noise, a kind of chocked laugh.
"No, no this is fine. Actually it's more than that, it's amazing! I can't believe this place, it's huge!"
Rogue shrugged and smiled. "Well it's home, that's all I can say. Breakfast's any time you want and I'll see what I can do about letting you in to see your friend. Hank can be pretty fussy about visitors though. Have a good night, ah'll leave you in peace now."
She nodded polity then left shutting the door behind her.
Phoenix began to walk around the room her skinny heals clicking across the highly polished wooden floor as she went. She first took a look in the walk in wardrobe and drawers; all had clothes packed with black sweaters and sweat pants marked with gold 'X's. She took one sweatshirt and threw it on over her skimpy lime green boob tube, suddenly cold.
Then walking along the strip of moonlight that poured down the middle of the room she opened the French patio doors and stepped out onto the balcony.
The view was magnificent, breathtaking really. Acres upon acres of lawn and trees stretched out before her. Fountains, sleeping in the night, tall and nobles with angels and mystical beasts lay dotted around the land. A vast swimming pool glittered off to the left of the mansion lined with marble and fine silver steps and diving boards.
It was too much for her to take in all at once. Things had been so horribly rushed over the past few hours and Phoenix's mind was still catching up reluctantly. Pain ripped through her conscience as she thought of Storm and the mess she had landed herself in.
She shook her head muttering to herself. "Out of the fire into the frying pan I think, or something like that. Oh Storm, we really did it this time. Caught by the Patrol and all. Just hope they're as trusting as their smiles."
She managed one weak sad smile for herself before she bowed her head in self-defeat. In the moonlight a single tear fell down the face of a once proud but now broken woman.
"How is she?"
Rogue stood cross-armed waiting for her report. Seeing as Henry would not let her into the medical rooms to see Storm she had to make do with a report.
The tall hansom man sighed, cleaning his blood stained hands on a strip of cloth.
"Well I can tell you it's two deep stab wounds across the abdomen that she's suffering from. Far too deep. I want to know why she's not dead yet 'cause she should be."
Rogue shrugged. "Would you rather she was?"
"Look Rogue, there's two ways this can go in the next twenty four hours. Either she dies from the blood loss or she dies form the damage done to the organs. I'm not holding out much hope for the third option.
"Which is?" Rogue was growing nervous.
"A miracle."
She swore. "Okay Hank, don't let her die. Just do what you can please, she has to live or we loose them both. Got that?"
"Yes boss. But one thing, don't get her friend's hopes up, okay?"
Her shoulders dropped as he retreated back into the medical room.
It was just then that she heard the front door swing open and shut. She turned on her heels to go see who it was, her tired face breaking into a relived smile when she reached the main hall.
"Charles! Gawd I thought you were never coming back from Scotland."
She threw her arms around the elder man's neck hugging him tight.
"Ah Rogue, miss me?"
She stepped back from the embrace, smiling sadly. She was met by a pair of intelligent old blue eyes set into a kind gentle face of a balding man no taller than around five and a half feet, about the same height as Rogue herself.
He walked with a limp and a stick full of teeth marks due to the great beast of a dog he insisted in taking everywhere with him.
Rogue bent down to clap the black retriever when it came bounding in after Charles but he ran right past her and she let him go.
"We've got guests."
Charles raised one grey eyebrow. "Oh really? Who?"
"Storm and Phoenix."
He laughed unsurely. "You are kidding right?"
She shook her head. "No. Come on I'll explain en route to the medical rooms. Maybe Hank'll let you in, 'cause ah sure as hell aint letting' anywhere near this patient."
She had decided that if anyone knocked then she was sleep. But dogs don't knock.
The slightly ajar dark oak door to her new bedroom swung open slamming against the wall and causing Phoenix to jump clean off the bed.
She collected herself trying to hide the pure annoyance etched across her face seeing as this was not her territory to be getting mad on.
When she saw it was a dog though she eased and couldn't help but smile.
"Aw don't tell me these guys have their own private Lassie too."
But the dog was too dumb to be Lassie as it leapt onto her bed and knocked her onto her back, clambering all over her skinny stomach with heavy great black paws.
"Get off you beast. No, don't you dare, fuck! Put that tongue away!"
A sharp whistle cracked the air and an amused toned voice followed.
"Mac you daft mutt, get over here."
It was the one Rogue kept shouting at, Logan. On his call the dog fell off the bed and sat at the young man's side, tail whacking him on the side of his ankle.
"Stupid dog. Should'a let him have you though, I don't appreciate being called a dick."
Phoenix wiped her face off with the bed sheets.
"Who called you a dick, the dog?"
"Funny."
"What?" She frowned irritably but kept her temper. "Me? When'd I call you a dick?"
Logan rolled his eyes. "At the stairs, 'don't do relationships with dicks', all that crap."
Phoenix snorted, quickly holding back a laugh.
"What?"
"I think you got the wrong end of the stick there."
It was Logan's turn to frown in frustration. "I didn't think that comment could go two ways."
Phoenix sighed. "Men."
"What the hell you on about?"
"Rouge's a woman, she might have caught on by now, ask her."
Logan left, giving up on the temperamental red head, and it wasn't until he was at the bottom of the stairs that he finally caught on.
He grinned widely, laughing. "A lesbian prostitute, what next eh Mac?"
Morning rolled around, sickeningly bright and sunny, beams striking across Phoenix's still form.
She had neither the want nor the energy to get up so instead she stayed rolled up tightly in her plush feather stuffed bed sheets, hidden from the rest of the world. She wanted to scan for Storm but was too afraid to see how she was. She thought of breakfast but her stomach lurched so she passed on that idea. She thought of just simply getting up but that proposal passed too.
It took her a few minutes for her to realise that she was depressed. It was horrible.
So she probably really would kill herself if Storm died…
There was a soft knock on the bedroom door and sighing she sat up, reluctantly calling for the person to come in.
It was Rogue. At least Rogue she liked.
"Sorry if ah woke you. Thought ah'd lend you these."
She was handed a pile of green and black clothes, the first set of clothes she had seen here without the gold X's marked all over them.
"Eh, thanks. You like your green don't you?"
Rogue nodded. "Anything that matches ma eyes, thought maybe it work with you too."
Phoenix managed a small halfhearted smile.
"Yeah…"
"Well I'll leave you be then—"
"How's Storm?"
Rogue lowered her eyes. "Aw, ah don't know. You best askin' Hank that one."
She went to leave but Phoenix stopped her again.
"Wait, please."
Rogue turned on hearing the desperation in the young woman's voice.
"Yeah?"
Phoenix lowered her eyes, shrugging.
"I don't…I don't want to be alone I guess."
Rogue smiled a bittersweet smile, sitting down on the bed beside Phoenix.
"Ah know how you feel hon'. Without Remy, ah'd never have made it to where ah am now."
"Who's Remy?"
"Oh, the guy you met that night when we found you and Storm. We grew up together, like brother and sister, in New Orleans, out in our own in the streets. Most fun ah ever had in ma life. More'n a couple of times ah thought ah'd lost him, but we pulled through in end. Guess that's why ah got strong hopes for Storm. So should you."
Phoenix's hands moved over to the pile of clothes, picking them up absent-mindedly. She smiled as a thought reoccurred to her.
"Don't suppose Logan sussed out something about me yet has he?"
Rogue smiled. She had known all along.
"Don't know, haven't spoken to him since last night. Are you and Storm, together?"
Phoenix nodded, trying to hold back the tears but failing. She threw herself into the pillows, suddenly unable to look at Rogue.
The pity in Rogue's eyes grew painfully evident as she watched the unbearably skinny and starved wrecked young woman who should have had her whole life in front of her but had nothing instead, cry herself into a further set depression.
She gave her one reassuring stroke across her back then got up, leaving with nothing else to offer the woman in comfort.
Phoenix cried herself back to sleep and it wasn't until around mid afternoon when next she woke, her eyes crusted over and her pillow damp. The clothes still sat at her side and after ten minutes sitting staring at them blankly she came to her senses and put some of them on.
She ended up donning a jade green polo neck and black jeans, a dramatic change from her low cut halter necks and frayed denim hot pants.
They did fit strangely well though.
After tiding herself up to some presentable extent Phoenix made her way cautiously out of the massive bedroom and into the elongated hallway where she walked until she found the stairs she had climbed the other night.
No one else seemed to be around and as soon as she made it to the base of the stairs she realised that she didn't have a clue as to where to go.
It was a voice inside her open mind that told her.
~Phoenix, if you turn left at the main entrance then follow the corridor through you'll be at the medical rooms. ~
She jumped as the voice spoke to her, not use to using her telepathic powers for communicating to anyone except Storm. She also didn't like using her power much either.
Looking around she still saw no life so hesitantly moved to follow the directions issued to her by the faceless voice.
Her long striding footsteps echoed clear, bright lights blaring down in the eerily quiet hallways of the behemoth mansion.
Just as Phoenix felt the pathways could go on forever she banked a corner and found Rogue, her male companion from the other night and another man, older, about early fifties all standing in waiting outside a steel door. The older man stepped forward, a warm smile playing across his kindly face.
"Ah the infamous Phoenix, so we finally get to meet you. I'm Charles Xavier, owner of this mansion and founder of the X-Men."
He extended a hand to her but she just stared at it. His hand fell back to his side.
"The X-men?"
One looked as confused as the other when she asked.
"Yes the people who brought you here, they are the X-Men."
Phoenix's mouth opened then shut, opened again and then shut in defeat.
The other man stood forwards.
"She called us de Patrol 'afore. 'Member Rogue?"
She nodded slowly. "Oh yeah. Hon' we aint the Patrol, trust me."
"Then who—"
The hansom blue haired young man Phoenix had seen earlier and recognised as Hank stepped out from behind the steel door and nodded to the small crowd.
The older man, Charles, urged Phoenix forward and Hank allowed her and only her back into the medical room with him. They disappeared as the door shut behind them.
Charles nodded. "Makes sense now why they kept running from us."
Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Well would you of all people Rogue want the Patrol trailing after you?"
After all this time that Phoenix had known how badly Storm was hurt she still she hadn't prepared herself for the worst.
The sight that greeted her in the medical room was highly distressing on her taut mind and instantly brought swells of tears to her sharp green eyes, a hard lump forming in her throat.
Storm was barley recognisable under the mass of wires and tubes all trying to keep her alive. Her face was dramatically paled and her lips and fingertips blue. There was no sign of her putting up a fight; she just lay there, willing her short life away.
A gentle hand pushed onto Phoenix's back and Hank led her over to the bedside standing beside her as he reported.
"Her wounds are severe, the object that stabbed her scraped across her lungs and abdomen, filling them with blood. Her body isn't circulating the blood as it should be, that's why she's so pale and slightly blue. She can't breath on her own and without the machines she would be dead. Her system is shutting itself down and her chances of pulling through are incredibly slim. You have to understand she might not make it."
The words hit her so hard she almost collapsed but for Storm's sake didn't. She turned to Hank, barley able to speak through her agony.
"But you'll keep trying right? You wont give up on her…right?"
Hank's face creased with sadness, looking down at her with great swelling pity.
"I know how much she must mean to you and yes I will try everything in my power and knowledge to save her but even so her chances aren't great."
She was finding it to hard to breath, to stand, to take in the news that was destroying her life there and then.
Suddenly she fell into Hank's arms, racked with tears as he stroked down her back offering the little comfort he could.
Neither said anything and Phoenix never moved for the rest of the day, her eyes never ceasing their tears as she wept over the failing body of Storm her only friend and love.
((Chapter Three up when I can make it.))