FYI:

~Personal Thoughts~

ESP

%The Written Word%

[Flashback]

"Normal Conversation (Duh)"

* Com Link or Telephone *

*Sound Effects (usually just Kurt's bamfing)

{Background noise--music, crowds, etc.}

HYDRA

I stood on the sidelines of the football field scowling as I watched the fifty some guys run plays and basically try and kick each other's ass. The coach didn't seem any where near anxious to see if this girl stood a chance against his guys. Of course he was having the returning lettermen beat up on the juniors like Sam who were now trying out. Surprisingly, Sam was fast and was dodging just about every attempt by someone to tackle him. ~The coach is going to need a seriously good reason to keep him back on JV. He's got a spot. Now, if I could only get a chance to strut my stuff.~

"You girl, what were you trying out for again?" I pretended to ignore him waiting for him to talk to me half-decently. "I'm talking to you Williams."

"Oh, li'l ol' me?" He frowned at my attitude but I'd already had it up to here and back with him ignoring me for the past hour and a half. I walked up to him and put on my most gruff attitude. "Kicker, sir."

"Played before?" He looked at me questioningly and I restrained myself from rolling my eyes.

"Yes, sir. Played for Central High in Pennsylvania State playoff game." I had a hard time not laughing at my own military tone.

"So you're that Williams." I smirked slightly. "Well, let's see if you're as good as I've heard." He turned away from me to the other players on the field. "Get ready for a field goal on the forty yard line." I gulped. ~Forty! I haven't even had a chance to warm up even a li'l!~ "Something wrong, Williams?"

"No, sir." I jogged out onto the field and prepared for the play. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the coach whisper something into the ear of another senior player. I gritted my teeth in seething anger.

I became immersed into the action as I watched the ball flicked back and another player set it up for me to kick. I ran forward and sent the ball flying more than the forty necessary yards and between the two poles with a smile. Next thing I knew I was eating dirt with some guy who weighed nearly three hundred pounds on top of me.

The weight lifted off of me and I heard some snickers. I groaned under my breath as I pushed myself back up. There were a few astonished gasps at the fact that I was still moving and the fact that I'd just kicked the football into the scoreboard. ~Phew, I was afraid that was going to hook on me.~ I grimaced slightly at the pain in my back but made sure not to make to big of a deal out of it.

"That was amazing, Al." I looked at Sam as I pulled the helmet off and slapped the side of it to knock the dirt outta it.

"Lucky."

"Whatever, you could have kicked a sixty yard field goal if he'd asked you." I glared at the linebacker who had tackled me who was getting ribbed by a few other players for not being able to decommission a girl.

"You've been doing pretty hot…I mean good, too." He shrugged noncommittally. "Besides, sixty yards is pretty extreme."

"I'll have the spots posted next week next to the gym. Now get outta here." I yanked off the jersey they'd given us to wear in the tryouts and shook my hair free from the scrunchi it'd been in.

"Well, that could have been worse." I stood next to the bleachers and set to work unlacing the shoulder pads. A couple of guys were staring as I worked it loose and removed it to reveal the wife beater I'd been wearing underneath. Sam was standing next to me pacing impatiently as I shot the peekers a death glare. They started whispering as I growled and started back to my truck.

CANNONBALL

I tossed my gear into the bed of her truck while she dropped the back gate down. She jumped up onto it and sat there taking off her cleats. I jumped up next to her and did the same. "Think we stand a shot."

"Sure, just as good as any of those other guys." She frowned as some of 'those other guys' entered the parking lot and stared at her. "Freaks, you'd think they'd have something better to do then stare at a girl in a wife beater."

I smiled as she chucked the cleats into her bag and got back down. She got into the front and started pumping some music through her cd player. "Still haven't fixed the radio?"

{And I'd give up forever to touch you, 'Cause I know that you feel me somehow, You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be, And I don't want to go home right now}

"No, haven't had time to really mess with all that wiring yet. I'm afraid once I start, that it'll turn into a bigger job then I want right now."

{And all I can taste is this moment, And all I can breathe is your life, 'Cause sooner or later it's over, I just don't want to miss you tonight, And I don't want the world to see me, 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand}

"You could always get Logan to do it, or even Scott." I hopped down and slammed the gate shut and moved towards the front as well.

{When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am, And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming, Or the moment of truth in your lies}

"How hard did you get hit in there?"

"Not that hard. Why?" She started the engine up and pulled outta the parking lot but not after scaring a couple guys into diving to the side first. I heard a few comments about 'women drivers' as we passed.

{When everything feels like the movies, And you bleed just to know you're alive, And I don't want the world to see me, 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand}

"Well, for some reason you're thinking I'd ask someone for help when I'm capable of doing something myself."

"Stupid me." I sighed as I leaned back in the seat and waited to get back to the institute.

{When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am, And I don't want the world to see me, 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand, When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am}

"You mentioned going to the beach this weekend. That still happening? 'Cause nobody tells me anything."

{And I don't want the world to see me, 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand, When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am}

"Sure, I guess so. Don't worry, nobody tells me much either. Besides, at the institute, everything just kinda happens and you have to just go with the flow."

{I just want you to know who I am, I just want you to know who I am, I just want you to know who I am}

"Sounds like my way of being."

SHADOWCAT

"They're like totally cute together." I was talking to Betsy at the counter in the kitchen while watching Allison and Sam outta the corner of my eye. They were sitting over a sports magazine talking and looked absolutely adorable.

"Right…"

"Come on you're like her room mate. You can't tell me that she hasn't like mentioned him or something." I nudged her in the ribs hoping for some sign of a relationship.

"Other than saying she was giving him a ride to and from tryouts yesterday, nope, nada, nothing."

"Ugh, she's like the most confident girl I've ever met, and she like has no clue when a guy is digging her. I don't even think she knows how to flirt. We're like totally going to have to work on her."

"Can't you just let someone be?"

"Like no way. Hooking people up is like way more fun than watching them avoid the topic." She groaned as she sat down across from them. I frowned then decided now was as good as time as ever to start the 'hooking up'.

I sat down with them and smiled but neither of them looked up from the magazine. "So like what are you reading?"

"Sports Illustrated." They both answered at one time and Allison laughed.

"Jinx!" Sam grumbled something and flipped the page. "You owe me a soda, now."

"Right, fine, whatever."

"That is like totally cute how you two answered at the same time." They both tore their attention off the magazine to glare at me. "What, can I help it that you two make such a cute couple?" Allison hastily stood up and moved to the counter for a glass of water.

"Betsy, how much sugar has she had today?"

"Quite a bit, luv."

"That's like not true. I only had a glass of that tea in there." Sam and her exchanged looks and both of them laughed.

"Kitty, that's sweet tea. Al's been keeping a pitcher of it handy constant for a few days now." My mouth formed a little 'o' in surprise.

"Like it was a little too sweet for my taste."

"You just don't know what the good stuff is." Allison sat back down at the table but was now a good distance away from Sam although she still sat in the same chair. ~Darn, that's not supposed to happen.~

*Bamf! "Are ja guys going to ze beach or vhat?"

I looked up at Kurt in shock as he stood in the middle of the kitchen in board shorts and a t-shirt. "Oh my gosh, I like totally forgot." I jumped up knocking over my chair and ran upstairs to change quickly.

PSYLOCKE

"Come on, we better change as well, luv. They're not a patient group." Kurt rolled his eyes and bamfed back out leaving behind his sulfur fumes.

Allison pinched the bridge of her nose and nodded. "Gladly."

We were on our way up the stairs before she spoke again without sounding nasally. "Why is Kitty so insistent about me and Sam? I hardly know him."

"That's just Kitty. She like to play matchmaker so watch out."

"Thanks for the warning."

I dug in my dresser and found my favorite purple bikini and cover up and went into our small bathroom to change. When I came back out, Allison already had on an electric blue tankini top with black stripes running up the sides and a pair of matching boy cut shorts. She was digging through her dresser and pulled on a pair of denim shorts and a baggy tee as a cover up. I sighed realizing she just wasn't into the fashion end of the beach, let alone the tanning part. We both grabbed our towels and headed down to the garage to meet the others.

Kurt had a boogie board in hand and was probably the most anxious to leave. Scott was frowning at the equation before him. His car plus the Hummer equaled room for ten. There were seventeen of us however which posed a slight problem transportation wise.

"Great, now how do ve all go?"

"I could take my truck."

"It's only got room for two though." Everyone frowned at Scott's stupidity. Everyone knows you can cram a dozen people into the bed of one if you wanted to.

"People could ride in the back of it."

"That's not safe, Allison." She glared at him for using her real name.

"Look, how far is it? I mean, what could happen?"

"She'z right, it'z only a few milez." Scott continued to frown as he turned it over in his head.

"Alright, but I don't like it. So if something happens…" Nobody heard the rest of what he had to say since everyone was now arguing over who got to ride in the truck.

"I claimed it first!"

"No way, you ride with Scott and Jeannie."

"Ugh, not me." Allison simply got into her truck and waited until no one else was left standing in the garage before moving her truck out.

ICEMAN

"This is the life." I straddled my surfboard and waited for the next decent wave. Sam and Ray were out there with me as I looked back at the girls sunning on the beach. Of course there was one girl who wasn't and was paddling out on a surfboard to join us. "Ugh, what does she want?"

Sam shrugged. "I'm guessing she wants to surf, same as us."

"Well, I didn't invite her."

"Chill out Icepick, she's allowed to surf if she wants to."

"Hey guys." She was sitting on her board looking smug with herself as she floated nearby.

"Hey yourself." I steadied myself and rode the next wave in. ~Stupid girl, always trying to hang out with us.~

She came in on the next wave and looked slightly abashed. "Hey, if you've got a problem with me, just come out and say so instead of acting like some macho meat head."

"I've got a problem with girls who think they're more than they really are."

"So you've got a problem with the fact that I can play ball, and surf and do other things rather than lay around and tan." She pointed to the rest of the girls who as if on cue turned over to bake their backs. I chose not to answer as I paddled back out. "Hey, I was talking to you!"

"Can't you take a hint?" She glared at me as she pulled her board up along side mine. "I don't like you. Maybe you've got problems dealing with the fact that someone doesn't like you."

"Hey it's cool that you might not like me, but I think that's because you think I don't like you. It's not that I don't like you. I've just got to be careful so I don't end up as a stiff or something." She frowned as if she wasn't expecting me to say that.

"Hasn't a thing to do with that."

"Ray's sitting this wave out." Sam came up as well and sat there looking puzzled at the tension between Allison and me. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Nope, not a thing." I shot her a glare and waited in silence. Allison just shrugged as the next wave and we all prepared to ride it. The wave was rather large considering and we got pulled into a cove a bit off from the others.

I picked up my board and started the walk back towards the stretch of beach we'd started from and kept a few paces ahead of Sam and Allison.

CANNONBALL

"What's his deal?" I quickly picked up my board and started to follow Bobby out of the cove we'd wound up in.

"He thinks I hate him or something."

"Do you?"

"No…it's just hard to get real friendly with someone who can freeze you in a heartbeat." She sighed as she ran her hand through her bangs nervously. "I don't think it's getting through to him though."

"Bobby can be kinda thick. Sometimes you just have to wait for him to figure things out in his own time."

"You know I can hear every word that the two of you are saying?" I sighed. ~Bobby can be extremely thick.~

"Er…guys, is it me? Or is tide coming in?" I looked in the same direction as Al to see that she was right, the tide was coming in and fast. Already our exit outta the cove was blocked. "Now what?"

"There's a cave up the side of that cliff a little ways. We can reach it." Bobby dropped his board and started running towards the cliff face. I shrugged and followed suit doing my best to scale the sheer rock.

Bobby got inside the cave first and watched Al and I progress up as well. He helped me in then turned away to watch the rising water as Allison reached the edge. I pulled her in as well and we watched the waters keep coming. "Shouldn't the water be stopping by now?"

I looked back into the inky blackness of the cave and frowned. "Hopefully there's another way outta here." I looked to Bobby but he just shrugged.

"Hey, I only saw it man, doesn't mean I know how to get out of it." Allison was still peering out the mouth of the cave at the water and jumped back as it reached the opening and began to come in.

"Not good." As the water continued to come in she pulled her hands back in fists and pushed them forward opening them as if she was pushing against something. The water formed a wave going back outta the cave and she held it back but sweat was beginning to bead on her forehead. "A li'l help here would be good."

I shot Bobby a glance and he shrugged. "What?!?!"

"ICE MAN!"

"Oh, right." He held his hands out and formed a wall of ice over the mouth of the cave. Allison's hands dropped to her sides and she wavered on her feet then collapsed. "Great, now we have a conked out girl and we're trapped."

"Shut up man and help me."

"Help you do what? Make her worse then she already is. I can't touch her." I propped her head up in my lap and prayed that she'd wake up and soon. The ice over Bobby's makeshift doorway continued to darken as the water rose up and over it.

"I think we're slightly trapped unless we can find another way outta here." Bobby took the hint and searched the back of the cave for another exit or something. I gently patted the side of Allison's face hoping to snap her out of her faint. After a few minutes her eyes fluttered open and she rolled over onto her side.

"God, what happened?"

"I think holding back the ocean, was a bit much for you."

"That's a no brainer. So now what?" She was looking at the darkened ice wall as she sat up on her own.

"Bobby's checking around. I'll be right back." I got up and looked in the back of the cave and found Bobby feeling the back walls. "Anything?"

"Nope. I think we might have to wait this one out or hope the others come looking."

"That could be an hour or more. I don't think there's enough air to wait out that long." He frowned and looked at the ceiling.

"I'm guessing we're only a few feet below the surface, we might be able to break out." We walked back towards the front where Allison still sat nursing her head.

"I can try, no guarantees though."

"Try what?"

"Breaking us out." I shot at the ceiling and fell back down with a splitting headache. I rubbed my temple as I stared at the ceiling of the cave. "Only a few feet he says."

"Well, it's a start. You made a crack."

I was about to try again when Allison grabbed my arm and stopped me. "Wait a crack's good enough."

"Yeah, and the sky's pink. How are we supposed to get out if it's only a crack."

"Simple science, Bobby. What does water do when it freezes?"

"Turn into ice, duh."

"That and it expands." She looked back up at the crack as if calculating something. "If I go into my water form and enter that crack, then you can freeze me. That should cause the rocks to break apart and fall. Be a lot easier then breaking Sam's skull."

I let what she said sink in then shook my head. "No way, you'd be stuck frozen and might get hurt when the rocks fall."

"I'll take that chance. If it gets two of you out then that's good enough for me. No point in all of us suffocating." She wasn't taking no for an answer and carefully climbed the wall of the cave. She reached out precariously and placed her hand on the crack and melted into it.

"You can't do it, Bobby."

"I have to."

"I'll try again. If she's frozen then she could get seriously hurt."

"Look, that's her decision." Before I could stop him either he began freezing the crack. As I watched, it expanded and the rock began to crumble away. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the cave away from the falling rocks.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The song is Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. He he on the cliffhanger.