Eight
Fred was wandering the halls aimlessly when the X-men returned, he heard the jet first and then ran to the window just in time to see it sink below ground level.
Trying to decide whether he wanted to hit or hug everyone inside he ran for the elevator. Relief welling in his chest, while at the same time anger and frustration, he had quite a few things he'd like to say to Logan.
Stepping into the hanger to greet the X-men he whimped out and at the last minute decided simply to say, "Am I glad to see you!" He still wanted to yell at Logan and give Xavier a hug.
Fred was about to explain what had transpired in the past few days when Xavier smiled. "I suppose we have you to thank for the children's well being?"
"Well, some of them." Fred ran his eyes over the group thoroughly and noticed two things, Ms. Grey wasn't there and a new mutant was, he was blue . . . and had a tail.
"Where's Ms. Grey?" and "Who's this?" struggled to leave his mouth at the same time, coming out rather in a garbled mess.
Xavier, of course, knew exactly whe he was saying anyway. "This is Kurt Wagner--"
"But in the Munich Circus I was known as the Amazing Nightcra . . . " he trailed off at a glare from Logan, there was a lot more behind that glare than Fred expected, more anger and sadness and . . . a million other things he wouldn't have atributed to Logan.
Xavier's mouth twitched ever so slightly upwards to a smile and then quickly fell back to a frown. "Jean is . . . gone."
"What do you mean?" Fred demanded although he didn't need an answer.
Silence fell, Fred's horror and sadness reminding ever one else once again of their lost comrade. Finally Fred spoke, "Well . . . you must all be exhausted." Without another word he lead the way back to the elevator.
Reaching group level the group slowly disapated and Fred stood in the middle of a hallway staring.
Jean Grey was gone. The X-men had come back from so many scrapes intact he'd just assumed tthey'd do the same this time. He continued to stare at the wall blankly. Jean Grey was gone and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it, nothing he COULD'VE done about it.
He once again felt helpless, simply a pawn being tugged this way and that until he was captured and no longer mattered.
Despair was on the verge of taking over when he discovered a knot of hardened resolve in the pit of his stomach, as he focused on it, it grew and began to filter through the rest of him. Even if he was a pawn it would do little good to give up. He might still make a difference.
Fred smiled for what felt like the first time in foreveer and set off down the hallway, ignoring the tears leaking out the corners of his eyes and focusing on the hope that was blossoming in his heart.
Fred was wandering the halls aimlessly when the X-men returned, he heard the jet first and then ran to the window just in time to see it sink below ground level.
Trying to decide whether he wanted to hit or hug everyone inside he ran for the elevator. Relief welling in his chest, while at the same time anger and frustration, he had quite a few things he'd like to say to Logan.
Stepping into the hanger to greet the X-men he whimped out and at the last minute decided simply to say, "Am I glad to see you!" He still wanted to yell at Logan and give Xavier a hug.
Fred was about to explain what had transpired in the past few days when Xavier smiled. "I suppose we have you to thank for the children's well being?"
"Well, some of them." Fred ran his eyes over the group thoroughly and noticed two things, Ms. Grey wasn't there and a new mutant was, he was blue . . . and had a tail.
"Where's Ms. Grey?" and "Who's this?" struggled to leave his mouth at the same time, coming out rather in a garbled mess.
Xavier, of course, knew exactly whe he was saying anyway. "This is Kurt Wagner--"
"But in the Munich Circus I was known as the Amazing Nightcra . . . " he trailed off at a glare from Logan, there was a lot more behind that glare than Fred expected, more anger and sadness and . . . a million other things he wouldn't have atributed to Logan.
Xavier's mouth twitched ever so slightly upwards to a smile and then quickly fell back to a frown. "Jean is . . . gone."
"What do you mean?" Fred demanded although he didn't need an answer.
Silence fell, Fred's horror and sadness reminding ever one else once again of their lost comrade. Finally Fred spoke, "Well . . . you must all be exhausted." Without another word he lead the way back to the elevator.
Reaching group level the group slowly disapated and Fred stood in the middle of a hallway staring.
Jean Grey was gone. The X-men had come back from so many scrapes intact he'd just assumed tthey'd do the same this time. He continued to stare at the wall blankly. Jean Grey was gone and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it, nothing he COULD'VE done about it.
He once again felt helpless, simply a pawn being tugged this way and that until he was captured and no longer mattered.
Despair was on the verge of taking over when he discovered a knot of hardened resolve in the pit of his stomach, as he focused on it, it grew and began to filter through the rest of him. Even if he was a pawn it would do little good to give up. He might still make a difference.
Fred smiled for what felt like the first time in foreveer and set off down the hallway, ignoring the tears leaking out the corners of his eyes and focusing on the hope that was blossoming in his heart.