Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men; I do own all OCs especially Samantha and Blaze. Ilehana Xavier belongs exclusively to Corrinth and is used with permission.

A/N: Enjoy.

Scene 03

"What do you mean, you still can't find her?" Senator Hawley screamed down the phone in his office. He'd been at home for as long as he could bare, but everywhere he went just reminded him of how he'd failed his daughter. Oh, they'd had their disagreements, but she'd really never run away before. And certainly not been gone for over a week without getting in touch. "I though you were the police! It's your damn job, so go do it!" He slammed the phone down hard, not caring that he might have broken it.

"Bad time?" A familiar foe spoke from the office doorway, the traitor Kelly come to spout some more mutant loving babble no doubt.

"Always when you're concerned, Kelly." Hawley answered gruffly, being a gruff man generally. Kelly nodded, smiled, and came in to the room anyway. He sat down opposite Hawley's desk and pulled a heavy black briefcase onto his lap.

"Oh, I think you'll make time for this." Kelly oozed. "You see; I have information here about your daughter."

Mystique's statement had the desired effect. Hawley gaped like a fish, mouthing random questions without making a sound, before finally shutting his cavernous maw and indicating that Kelly continue. The briefcase latches clicked open under Mystique's fingers, security photographs falling into her hands to be spread on the desk.

"I think you will find here what the police have so far missed since Sammy's disappearance. A security camera in the train station nearest your home took these on the night Samantha ran away. You'll note she's not alone, but neither is she under duress."

Hawley took the black and white photographs in trembling fingers, so relieved to have at least this small glimpse of his daughter safe and well. Was she even smiling slightly? He didn't recognise the lad, but he could easily be Sammy's newest boyfriend, seeing how much older than her he was. Hawley forced himself to smile, she was okay, and nothing fazed his Samantha.

"I don't know how you got hold of these, Kelly, but," Hawley paused for a moment, not quite sure of himself around these unfamiliar words. "Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to alert the police."

"Oh I don't think that's such a good idea." Kelly replied, beaming his irritating smile as he pulled one particular photograph out of the briefcase. Hawley sat to attention, scowling now as he realised something was gravely amiss. Kelly handed him the photograph with a flourish as Hawley dropped the rest on the tabletop. In this photograph, Samantha was laughing as Pyro exploited his powers, melting a waste bin as they waited on the platform for the train. "How long has your daughter been associating with mutants?"

Hawley gulped. He wiped the sweat away from his forehead with the back of his hand. Then he met Kelly's eyes and asked the only question he could think of.

"How much do you know?"

"More than you could ever dream of." Kelly replied mystically.

"You'll expose my child as a mutant, as being friends with their kind? To what end? To discredit me with my supporters and force the end of my career?"

"Why, so that your supporters can produce a clone of you to further encourage the passing of this ridiculous mutant registration act, an act that would now affect your very own daughter?" Kelly/Mystique phrased the words carefully. Blackmail was such a delicate business. "I think not. However, I'm sure we can come to some agreement over certain aspects of your newest mutant registration bill? In return for your daughter's continued safety and anonymity."

Hawley knew then he had no choice. He'd do exactly as Kelly said; because there was no other way he might get his daughter back. Unless...

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"Where are we Pyro?" Sam asked, shivering with cold, tired and grumpy and bored. They'd just got off a bus, the last bus, he'd promised her. But now they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, miles from civilisation and as far as Sam knew, completely lost. A week, and they'd travelled more than she'd ever done on public transport in her life. It had not been a pleasant experience. And John was irritating the hell out of her.

"At the pick up point." Pyro replied grouchily. This kid was a nightmare, so full of herself. And did she have to spend so much time preening? She'd have no hair left by the time she was twenty he was sure. Mostly because he would have scorched it off long before then if she didn't learn to keep her whining mouth shut. He hoped that Mystique had no intention of keeping the girl past her use as a hostage, or he might just have to find a new career.

"Pick up by who? More mutants?" Sam replied, stoically folding her arms and refusing to follow him down the empty road. Then, as he refused to answer or come back for her, she trotted on after him with her arms still folded. "Pyro, answer me." She grabbed his shoulder, intending to make him spin and face her for once. Her fingers made contact with him treacherously, instantly beginning to vibrate hard as she brushed the edge of his collar. He screamed and fell to his knees. "Pyro!" Sam yelled, pulling evil hands away and refusing to acknowledge the thought that she might have killed him. "Pyro, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to it just..."

He wasn't listening, trying too hard to breath, to not yell out again as he put his fingers to the bruises rapidly appearing on his neck. He couldn't move the arm on that side, everything hurt; she'd fractured his collarbone with a touch? Swallowing bile he tried to see if Sam was still there. He needed medical attention, needed help... He didn't have to try and turn his head, he could hear her footsteps pounding the road behind him as she ran away too ashamed of what she had done. Great, he'd lost the girl, and now Mystique was probably going to kill him...

Sam ran. She didn't have a choice; she knew Pyro had powerful mutant allies and that turning your powers on another mutant was deemed the highest act of treason amongst them. She was a good listener and she'd had a good few days to take note of Pyro's stories about the brotherhood of mutants. She'd even thought there might be a place for her as part of it, but now she'd gone and hurt her only ticket in. She could only hope that his friends wouldn't be too long in arriving to pick him up.

She ran until she was too tired to run anymore and then she walked. At each road junction she took the better-used highway. Lets face it; she just wasn't a country girl. And when the neon lights of a bar sign lit up the night ahead of her, she knew she'd found her way home...