This is a really long chapter!! Just so you know, I really suck at writing fight scenes... just stick with me, that story is about to get good. I promise.

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            Betsy sat on a bench in the small courtyard. She was cold outside in her skimpy uniform; the north western air was always cold with a possibility of rain. Despite this, she couldn't bear to go inside and hear the screams of the specimens in the cages that lined the walls of the laboratory. She thought of her times there when she was one of the animals. She often shivered as a result of shock from the pain of her surgeries. Sinister never used anesthetic, only the paralyzing drug. He was, after all, the embodiment of all things evil and oppressive. But one of the Nasty Boys helped her… well, he wasn't a Nasty Boy, but he was favored as one all the same, and he looked after her when she needed it most. When he left, she knew it was just his way out. She knew he couldn't happy where he was. The more Betsy thought of him, the more she knew she had to return his favor. She would get out, she'd get him out, and they'd be X-Men. She knew it was where they both belonged.

            Just then, a sudden gust of wind blew, forcing Betsy to grab hold of her knees for warmth. She heard a low rumbling and feared it was oncoming thunder. If it rained, she would be forced to go back inside. But the as the sound remained at a steady tempo, growing louder, she knew it wasn't thunder, but a plane. As the thought struck her, she looked up, but because of the height of the wall, she could hear the plane long before she would ever see it. The nose of the plane began to come into view. She breathed in the air and began to smile as she looked upon her key to freedom. She couldn't believe it was finally happening. She had been planning this moment since she first got here over three years ago, just after her powers manifested before her 14th birthday. Her paralyzing excitement was interrupted by another man with bright pink hair and a purple trench coat. Instinctively she quit smiling and snapped around.

            "Ruckus!" She identified the man.

            "Psylocke, the X-Men." the man replied.

            "How did they find us?" She shouted at him angrily, trying to keep her cover. He merely shrugged his shoulders and ran back inside. Betsy began to follow him, but she turned back to take one last glance at her captivity, and then dashed inside after Ruckus. She quickly caught up with him and followed him back into the exam room where she'd left Scott, Jean, and Sinister.

            "Dr. Essex," Ruckus shouted at Sinister, "the X-Men have arrived." Sinister quickly, but carefully, pulled a hypodermic needle out of Scott's arm, the barrel filled with Scott's blood. There was only one on the table, Betsy noticed, he hadn't had time to draw Jean's blood. Once the vial was placed safely on the tray table, Sinister ripped off his gloves and jumped to his feet.

            "How did they find us?" Sinister directed his cold question at Betsy.

            "It wasn't me, if that's what you mean." She shouted at him defensively.

            "Then how did they find us?" Sinister's red eyes moved closer to her own. She leaned back as he invaded her personal space.

            "Fine, read my mind if you don't trust me." They each spat their English accents at each other in a duel until Sinister caved.

            "I don't have time for this." He yelled as he took off his white lab coat and put on a longer, darker coat, with stiff strips of material that acted as soft spikes. It was more for affect than anything, and it served its purpose. He began to storm out of the room. "Psylocke, clean this up, and keep an eye on them. Ruckus, come with me, those bloody fools don't know what they're doing." Ruckus followed Sinister of the room and slammed the door behind him.

            As soon as the two had left, Betsy jumped into action. First, she raced to where she had left her robe from the night before, and pulled Scott's rose quartz sun glasses out, then over to a drawer in the counter under the sink and pulled out a remote control. Scott and Jean could only follow her with their eyes. They were both stunned at her robotic actions.

            "How long have you been planning this?" Scott said as Betsy preformed each task meticulously. She paused and looked at him.

            "Since the moment I got here." She said with a stone cold voice. Then she slowly walked over to Scott and began to put his glasses on him.

            "Wait!" Jean shouted.

            "What?" Betsy yelled back, anxiously frustrated.

            "Can I tell him something first, before you release our powers?"

            "But--" Betsy cut herself off when she looked at Scott. He gave her puppy dog eyes and she relented. "Oh, alright." She turned around, put her hands on her curvy hips and tapped her foot showing her impatience.

            "Scott, I just wanted you to know…" Jean started, "you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen." Scott flashed Jean a loving gaze, which was quickly broken as Betsy mock vomiting noises became audible. Feeling their eyes on her, Betsy stopped and turned around.

            "Sorry… but can we hurry this up?" The two said nothing, but Jean stuck her tongue out at Betsy, who did the same. Scott waited for Jean to put her tongue back in her mouth, and they resumed their romantic stare.

            "You too." He said to Jean. Betsy rolled her eyes, and put Scott's glasses on hid face.

            "Ready?" Betsy asked. Scott and Jean nodded their heads and Betsy pressed a button the remote control. The heavy collars around their necks fell to the floor with a clang, as Betsy lifted the tables into an upright position. She unfastened the buckles around Scott's wrists, and he was able to use his eye beams on the buckles around his ankles. By the time he had finished, Jean and Betsy had Jean's buckles undone. Scott and Jean hugged as they stood up, the first chance they were free.

            "Thanks, Betsy." Scott said as Betsy laid down the table Jean had just occupied and got on top of it.

            "Don't thank me yet, Cyclops, we're not done." Betsy splayed her arms and ankles to the corners of the table. "Hook me in, make them think you over powered me. They won't have time to think of how." Scott and Jean went to work, buckling Betsy down. "Leave one of my arms loose so I can slip my hand out. I'll be able to knock off an extra Nasty Boy before they catch one." Scott smiled at Betsy in admiration. She would be a good leader with X-Men, he thought. She had thought of everything. He felt as though they were kindred spirits. Not like him and Jean of course, but he respected Betsy, and hoped one day to be as quick witted as she already was. "Now go kick some Nasty ass." Jean and Scott smiled at her and ran out the door.

*          *          *  

            As the X-Men stepped off the black bird, they were met by the Nasty Boys, Sinister himself, hidden in the shadows of the high wall built around the fortress, standing just outside of the door. Although they weren't sure who was who, they had all been briefed about everyone's powers, thank to the information Betsy had given the professor.

            "What do you want them for, Sinister?" The professor asked across the small strip of space between the two teams, both poised in attack stance. Sinister merely smirked as his glowing eyes flashed, rather than responding. "Where are they?" Xavier shouted again.

            "You have no idea what you're doing." Sinister sneered in his evil echoing voice, dripping with disdain.

            "Essex, I will ask you only one more time… where are my X-Men and what do you want them for?" The professor was growing more and more infuriated with Sinister.

            "Ruckus… perhaps you can provide the X-Men with the answers they seek." Ruckus stepped in front of Vertigo, George, and Slab.

            "Sure, boss." Ruckus said drawing a cocky smile across his face. As he began to open his moth, the professor remembered Ruckus' power, and tried to alert his team.

            "Cover your ears!" The warning came too late. All the sounds that were going on, that most people were so accustomed to the faint sounds of, leaves rustling in the slight breeze, birds flapping their wings, the sound of air circulating… it was all echoed 1000 fold the second Ruckus opened his mouth. The resonation forced the X-Men to the ground, grasping fiercely at their ears, their ears drums about to burst under the pressure. The Nasty Boys were unaffected by Ruckus' mutated voice box, as they stood behind him, out of his range. The mind bending noise was finally interrupted as Ruckus was blasted with a red optic blast. As the X-Men recovered, Logan perhaps affected most thanks to his super hearing, their heads still rang. The Nasty Boys all looked back to see what had happened. Scott and Jean appeared in the doorway. Sinister quickly blasted Scott with a beam of his own, shooting from his hand. Scott was knocked unconscious.

            "Where is Psylocke?" Sinister shouted at Jean. She knelt down to tend to Scott. Jean narrowed her eyes and spoke slowly as she raised her and at Sinister.

            "We tied her up!" Jean shouted as she flung Sinister through the air with her telekinesis. George gently reached his hand high into the air and flattened out his arm to make a net that caught Sinister. George placed him on the ground.

            "Ruckus, go get Psylocke!" Sinister growled.

            "But boss--" Ruckus protested, itching to fight the X-Men.

            "Go!" Sinister yelled back. Ruckus sauntered back inside like a puppy that had just been caught peeing on the carpet. He stepped over Scott, much to Jean's dismay at his lack of compassion for her beloved. "Slab, you take care of the happy couple." Slab shrugged his shoulders and made his way toward the two. Behind him, Nightcrawler made his way over to the Beast and they made silent plan. Kurt put his hand in Hank's/

*BAMF!*

*BAMF!*

            Slab was suddenly impeded by big, blue, fuzzy mass. "Move, please." Slab said dumbly. Nightcrawler and Beast looked at each other, confused at their enemy's manners. Both teams watched what would happen next. Slab looked back at Sinister who merely nodded at him. Neither Beast nor Nightcrawler moved. "Okay." Slab said to himself. He took one of Kurt's hands and one of Beast's. With a simple heaving of his arms, he threw the two blue boys across the battlefield. As the two hit and skidded across the ground far away, the X-Men were all unable to act. Slab's strength was greater than they thought. Kurt and Hank were both unconscious. Storm took personal offense and finally decided to act. Her irises and pupils disappeared as her eyeballs began to glow white. She leapt into the air, catching herself with a slight gust of wind. She called upon a dark thunder cloud in the early, early, dawn sky. She hurled lightening bolt after lightening bolt at Slab, who remained rather unaffected and he continued toward Scott and Jean. His massive size protected him well.

            "Shadowcat!" Storm directed Kitty. Shadowcat ran to jump on Slab, grabbing him around the neck. She wasn't able to do much, as Slab began to furiously shake off the petite girl. "Hold on tight." Storm warned her. The weather witch conjured the winds again to form a twister. She directed it to consume both Slab and Shadowcat and she motioned the tornado into the thick wall. Kitty disappeared into the wall while Slab remained visible from the tips of shoulders up. Kitty then flew out of the wall. The Nasty Boys watched the fight as though it were entertainment. The X-Men waited so as not to make the first move against anyone else.

*          *          *

            Betsy grew more and more nervous as she waited for someone to come "rescue" her. Her position on the exam table drew up old memories of her surgeries. She began to have panic attacks as her heart beat louder and louder in her chest. She decided to think about what was taking so long outside. She grew anxious once again. She feared her plans were all falling apart. She had hoped for this opportunity so long, and she had gone so far. If the plan failed she was surely dead. Betsy decided to focus on her breathing, closing her eyes to picture the peaceful home she saw in Jean's mind. Just then Ruckus burst through the door. "Oh thank God." she sighed.

            "How did they get you?" he asked as he walked across the room.

            "It's a long story; just get me out of here!" She yelled at him, "struggling" in her cuffs.

            "You know, I could do just about anything I want to, you bein' pinned down in that skimpy little thing…" She began to rattle more on the table, livid.

            "Get me out of here you imbecile!!"

            "Alright, alright, keep your panties on…" He bent down to unbuckle her arm, "or not." He looked at her and smiled wickedly. Hatred flared in Betsy's eyes. He went back to messing with the buckle, and Betsy let her other hand glow purple. She quickly slipped it out and stabbed Ruckus in the back of the head with it. He instantly fell limp, banging his chin on the table as he dropped to the floor. She scoffed at him as she freed her hand and ankles. She started her way out of the room, slipping on her robe. She opened the door but then caught herself. She looked back as she was struck with an idea.

*          *          *

            Wolverine stood in attack position as George approached. Logan was looking at a real, live Gumby. He unsheathed his claws with a SNIKT. He growled at the man. "You must be George." tumbled out of Wolverine's mouth along with the animal noises.

            "That's Gorgeous George." He replied as he wrapped his arms around Wolverine. Logan began slashing his claws at George in defense. His thrashing did nothing as if her were clawing at corn syrup. George simply snickered at Wolverine's surprised look as he began constricting him in his arms like a snake.

            Vertigo decided to get in on the action as she had a deep, deep passion for fighting. She sauntered to the waking Beat and Nightcrawler, with a cocky smile on her face. She bent down in front of Kurt. "How are you feeling, Nightcrawler?" Her voice was calm and monotonous, but Kurt felt sick as his stomach began churning his latest round of gut bombs. "And the Beast… how are you?" She addressed the bigger blue fuzz man. His vision began to spin. Had he not just recovered from being unconscious, he could have used his acrobatic skills to ignore his dizziness, but now he was unable to focus. Suddenly Vertigo stopped. She fell on the ground revealing Betsy, now standing over Vertigo, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

            "Bloody fool." She said smiling at Vertigo's lifeless body. "I've wanted to do that for a long time now." She said extending a hand to each Hank and Kurt, helping them to their feet.

            George was now holding Wolverine high in the air, his arms stretching to cocoon him. Logan thrashed to no avail as he began to down in George's liquidy form. Out of self preservation, Logan began to lose control over his animal instincts. His X-Manly thoughts of preserving life began to slip away as he fought the urge to breath in George's Jell-O body. Logan finally plunged his claws into George until his hand pierced all the way through his body. He sliced George from groin to ear, managing to slip out the gaping hole. He fell to the ground. Jean took over throwing George far away into a creek, still aiding Scott who had not recovered. Strom flew to where Jean had thrown him, through woods. She caused a rain storm to flood the creek and directed the wind to blow him far away down stream.

            Sinister was distracted as he observed Betsy's betrayal. Rogue saw this as her opportunity. She ran to grab Kitty's hand who pulled her underground. They reappeared, emerging out of the top of the think brick wall behind Sinister. Rogue crouched to jump.

            "Now, Rogue. Go!" Kitty shouted at her. "You have to do it now!" Rogue hesitated.

            "Ah dunno if Ah want him inside mah head." She mumbled. Betsy could hear Rogue in her head. She snapped around anticipating what was coming. Just as Rogue mustered the strength to jump, Betsy screamed to her.

            "No, Rogue, Stop!" It was too late. Rogue had jumped from the wall onto Sinister. She sat on his shoulders, and hesitated once more to put her bare hands on his face. She persisted with her responsibilities to the team and tried to execute her power. Betsy was still watching the scene play out. She was unable to stop it.  Rogue was stunned when no transfer occurred. Nothing happened. She pressed her hands once again on the man's white translucent skin. The results this time were no different. Everyone watched in shock, always having believed Rogue would never be able to touch someone, yet here, she was. Sinister turned to see Rogue out of the corner of his red eye, and he smirked at her.

            "Surprise." He said. His voice oozed with malice. He slid his hand under her knee and flung her backward. It wouldn't have taken long for her to hit the wall she had jumped from, but instead she flew right through it, as Kitty crouched on top, focusing hard. Kitty quickly jumped down the other side to run to Rogue's aid. Sinister looked at Betsy. "Traitor." He whispered.

            In retaliation Betsy mouthed the words "Mad man."

*          *          *

            On the other side of the wall, Kitty ran to her friend. "Whoa, Rogue. What happened?" Kitty bent down to help her stand up.

            "Ah… Ah dunno… it jus' didn' work." She said as she managed to stagger to her feet.

            "Wow," Kitty said, "It's never not worked.

            "Ah know." Rogue replied, relieved. Kitty helped her friend walk back to the battle field.

*          *          *

            Wolverine attempted to sneak up on the only remaining opponent. He was personally offended by the attack on Rogue. Logan had gotten close enough to slash at Sinister, ripping three parallel gashes on the man's shoulder blade. He turned around to Wolverine, unphased. He smiled as he glanced back down at his shoulder. Everyone watched in amazement as they sealed themselves right back up. Scott had now regained his consciousness and he removed his glasses to blast at Sinister. Scott managed to catch him off guard as he wowed the audience with his mock healing factor. He returned Scott's blast with his own, but Jean managed to protect them both with a telekinetic shield.

            "Stop it, you fools!" Betsy shrieked.

            "Wise words, Miss Braddock." Sinister responded. Rogue and Kitty then phased back through the wall. Sinister turned around. "Ah, Rogue…" he said. She just looked up at him and threw him one of her patented evil glares. With Sinister's back turned, Betsy removed her idea from where it had been, tucked inside the sash tied around her waist under her robe. She held the power negation collar just behind her back to conceal it, but keep it readily available. She walked slowly toward Sinister so as not to alert his attention. "Rogue, is that anyway to say 'thank you' for answering your prayers?" He continued, still distracted by her.

            "Answerin' mah prayers?" Rogue questioned.

            "When was the last time you touched someone without sucking the life out of them?" he paused, "I have found a solution, Rogue… I can give it to you… for a price." As Rogue looked over the villain's face, she noticed his burning red eyes. Then she thought of the other red eyes in her head. Then, the gift of touch. Her shocking consideration was interrupted as Betsy pounced on Sinister. Using her samurai skills, she leapt high into the air, and landed on Sinister's shoulders as Rogue had before. She snapped the collar around his neck. Due to her small size, Sinister shook her off with a great deal of ease. She was able to take the fall gracefully, and wasn't affected as she hit the ground. Scott uncased his glasses and blasted Sinister once again, this time on his feet. Sinister was finally knocked out.

            Betsy stood over her oppressor as he lay limp on the ground. She grew more and more furious at him, but was unable to look away. She wanted to kill him and she fought hard to resist the urge. All of her memories of pain and torture flowed to the surface of her mind. Her hands began to glow out of control. But as she had nowhere to extinguish them, she spat at the lifeless man on the ground.

            "Betsy," The professor chided her as if she were already one of his students.

            "When he wakes up he's gonna be mad…" Slab said. Everyone forgot he was there since he had remained silent once Kitty and Storm entombed him. Betsy looked at him with pity and allowed her hand to glow once again. She stood in front of him.

            "You're going to take a nap now, Slab." She said to him calmly. He only nodded pitifully. She raised her purple fist and pushed into the back of his neck. His head instantly went limp. She turned around, tired. Betsy was worn out for fighting for over three years. She looked at the X-Men who all looked at her. Tears began to well up behind her eyes. She was free and she was exhausted.

*          *          *

            Betsy had fallen to her knees, and held her head in her hands. The professor had wheeled himself in front of her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay now, Betsy… it's over. We're going to take you home."

            She looked up at him with puffy eyes. "No, I can't." she whispered.

            "It's alright now, he's gone. If you come back with us, he can't ever get you again." He pleaded.

            "Please, I've shown you, you can't protect them from everything. But you just don't understand." She repeated.

            "We'll discuss it when we get back to the mansion, Betsy, just some with us."

            "No… no… I have to go." She stood up and addressed all of the X-Men. "I thank you… I do.  For everything. For my freedom. But I have t- … I have to go." She started to run towards the woods.

            "Betsy--" Scott tried to stop her as she ran past him.

            "Let her go, Scott… she's not ready." The professor directed.

             Ororo and Hank had begun to prepare the jet. Jean and Scott were first on board, walking solemnly. Kurt then ported himself and Logan on the plane. Kitty took one more look in Betsy's direction, but she couldn't see her anymore. Kitty sighed and stepped on the plane. None of them said a thing. Rogue looked at the ground as if she felt guilty. The professor looked at her, and she felt his glare. "I want to see you in my study when we return to the mansion." He said to her sternly. She sighed and sheepishly nodded her head. When the two were safely on the plane, the stair case retracted and the X-Men were gone.

*          *          *

            Betsy stopped running as she saw the jet fly over head. It was morning now and sun beat down oh her tear streaked face. She watched her saviors fly away as quickly as they had arrived. She started sobbing again, regretting her decision to stay behind. She feared she may never get the chance to go back. She wished they had pushed her harder. If they had asked one more time she would have relented. She would have agreed to go, she wanted to so badly. But her will took over and now it was too late to change her plans. Her crying mixed with her panting from running, as well as the overwhelming feelings all compounded and she began to hyperventilate. She focused hard to apply her will to her breathing. The pace of her breath began to slow and her tears began to dry up as she focused on the task still ahead of her. As she regained her sanity, she could see a shadow cover; she knew instantly who it was, and once again she grew cold in her heart to play to her audience.

            "I've been awaiting your arrival." She said with a stiff voice to the figure hovering over her.

            "Then you've reconsidered my offer?" the old metallic voice rang with the same evil behind it as Sinister's.

            "I have." She said as she turned around. The man was still shrouded in shadows, as the early morning sun was at his back. He hovered a few feet above the ground as he gestured toward a sphere he drew closer to her. She studied his every move. The sphere opened as the man focus pointedly at it. Betsy calmly stepped in and crouched down. The sphere closed on her and took her away.