Chapter Six
Wolverine's anger was at its peak, his claws a silver blur as he swiped at Sabertooth, ignoring the wounds inflicted upon him.
Intense hatred boiled in him, a fire of endless loathing and rage in his chest.
His muscles ached from the constant battling, but he ignored any sign of pain as he ducked and leapt at his long-time enemy, inflicting more agony than he received.
He kicked Sabertooth to the floor in minutes, moving in for the kill, grinning menacingly.
Sabertooth looked up at him as he moved forward, and gave him a final sneer as Wolverine lunged, sinking his claws deeply into the man-cat's heart.
Wolverine shut his eyes, relishing the feel of his enemy's death, smiling to himself.
When he opened his eyes nothing was there.
He straightened quickly from his knees, looking around, confused.
The window was perfectly intact, the office no longer the ramshackle jumble he and Sabertooth had made of it, the night the normal serene of any summer evening.
Wolverine looked over at Twilight's bed; she wasn't there.
Then his keen sense of smell kicked in, and he growled angrily; Twilight was right: someone WAS here.
Ororo Monroe was very easily awoken.
Especially when she was worried about someone.
So when Logan gently shook her shoulder and whispered her name, her eyes opened immediately and she looked at him, only the slightest bit sleepy.
"Where's Twilight?" Logan asked, trying to conceal the fear in his voice.
Storm sat up, "I thought you were watching her!"
"I was!" Logan replied, glancing around the room, "Then...something happened. I...I had this weird...dream or something."
"You fell asleep?!?"
Ororo instantly stood, starting towards the hallway.
Logan grabbed her arm, "She's not down there. And no, I didn't fall asleep. I was awake. I...I coulda sworn I was fightin' Sabertooth. Then he was gone and...so was Twilight."
"Sabertooth?"
His words were obviously causing more harm then good.
"Look, it wasn't real. It was...like a vision. It was...like a waking dream."
Storm's eyes clouded over, her fear evident on her pretty features, "A waking dream?"
"Yea..."
Then it dawned on him as well.
"Reagan," he growled, jerking around just as the light, feminine smell of perfume wafted over to him.
Reagan Wyndegarde gave him an ironic smile, "Hiya, Hottie."
Twilight stood at her side, struggling vainly against the arms wrapped around her waist, "Storm...help...!"
"Let her go," Ororo said dangerously, and her voice held the kind of rage and warning that only a mother could have.
Reagan looked at her, grin widening, "Oh, hi. I suppose you want your kid back, right?"
"Congrats. You win. Now giver her back," Wolverine snarled.
Reagan cocked her head to the side, looking hurt, "But I want her. She's just so sweet and fun to have around. Don't you think?"
She stooped down slightly, turning Twilight's face towards her, "I just like her so much I think I'll take her home with me."
She gave Twilight a sarcastic sneer as she stroked her cheek, "And I'll feed her and water her and give her baths and make her a bed and take her for walks and we'll be best friends forever."
"You're sick," Logan stated, teeth clenched.
Reagan straightened, fluttering her eyelashes at him, "Flattery will get you nowhere, Honey."
Meanwhile, Storm's eyes had started to shift from their normal, blue to the hurricane gray that warned of impending anger. She was staring at the ceiling, feeling in her soul the clouds twisting and writhing.
Logan noticed this and continued speaking to Reagan, feigning calm as he tried to keep her eyes on him, "Just what do you want with a kid, anyway?"
"It's not me," Reagan responded, carelessly straightening Twilight's hair, "It's my employers. They hired me. I get the kid, and receive an all- expenses paid trip to a beautiful island getaway."
"Your employers? Magneto and Mystique, right?"
Reagan's eyes flashed, "Ooh, he's cute AND clever."
No one noticed the swirling mass of clouds surrounding the school, or the lightning that flashed dangerously close by.
"What if we just let you stay here?" Logan asked, and he was stunned at his calmness, "We'll give you an all-expenses paid trip to some island AND you won't be doing somethin' illegal."
Reagan considered this, pretending to actually care, "Hmm...no."
Thunder roared like some furiously snarling monster, making Twilight jump in Reagan's arms. She glanced out the window, and then at Storm, eyes widening with hope.
"What've they offered that we can't give a hundredfold?" Wolverine demanded angrily, fists clenched as he struggled to keep his claws from springing out.
"Nothing," Reagan honestly stated, "I just don't like you guys." She tilted her head again, giving Logan a sad smile, "No offense, Baby. It just wouldn't work out between us." Finally, she glanced at Storm, "Sweetheart, I know what you're doing, and I'd suggest you stop before you get me ANGRY."
Surprisingly, Storm listened.
Twilight gazed at her in shock, and then understanding dawned on her as horror began to melt across her face.
Ororo's eyes were wide with terror, her breath coming fast and sharp, her head turning and looking at the walls which were, in her mind, closing in.
Logan looked at her and swore, grabbing her and shaking her, "'Ro, it ain't real. C'mon!"
Storm began gasping for breath, turning around desperately, pressing her hands against the walls only she could see.
Wolverine cursed her long-time claustrophobia.
"Ro! C'mon, it's just a mind game! It ain't real!"
"What's goin' on down there?" Rogue's voice sounded from the staircase.
Reagan glanced up the stairs lazily, "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got an appointment."
Logan immediately leapt at her, claws finally again exploding forth, his teeth bared in a animalistic snarl.
With a careless wave of Reagan's hand, a wall suddenly burst up from the floor, blocking Logan from Twilight.
Of course, due to Reagan's 'sense of humor', it was a glass wall, one that Logan could see through; he could do nothing but watch as Regan shoved Twilight to the floor, reaching down to her waist and drawing forth a vial and a cloth.
Twilight was backing away from her desperately, screaming for help and struggling to get to her feet as Rogue rushed down the stairs, eyes widening as the scene played out before her.
Reagan slid the lid from the bottle and dumped most of its contents into the rag before she stooped gracefully down and jerked Twilight forward, pressing the cloth against her nose and mouth, quietly ordering, "Breathe."
Twilight obviously fought for as long as she could, twisting around helplessly, feeling dizzy from lack of breath, eyes turning to stare directly into Logan's.
Logan watched her for as long as he could, hacking at the wall with his claws, shouting profanity at Reagan, hardly noticing when Rogue joined his side and starting pounding on the wall as well.
Eventually, though, Twilight had to inhale, and as she did so, the drenched cloth's contents rushed into her mouth, fogging her senses and instantly causing fatigue.
Twilight pushed away from Reagan, struggling to her feet and dizzily stumbling backwards; she swayed for a moment, trying desperately to look for an escape, her mind a buzz of panic and confusion, and then she collapsed.
Reagan caught her easily, cradling her in her arms as she turned and smirked at Logan, "I'll take good care of her, Baby."
He watched with burning rage as Reagan dragged Twilight off, the child's body limp and lifeless.
The walls in Ororo's mind disappeared then and she, too, raced forward, banging on the glass desperately as Reagan slipped out the door, Twilight's helpless form in the monster's arms.
Reagan was not a necessarily bad person.
She didn't consider herself to be conniving or wicked.
No, better words to describe her were heartless and selfish.
She had a reason for her cruelty, unlike many insanity-driven mutants, and her reason was herself.
She had to do whatever was necessary to keep herself alive and well, even if that including murder and kidnapping.
However, she was still human, and she felt just the slightest twinge of guilt as she lay Twilight down on the car seat next to hers, pausing to look at her.
Twilight was a lot smaller than she'd anticipated—certainly amazingly small for a near-sixteen year-old—and she weighed so much less than she'd expected.
In fact, as she slept on, completely unaware of her surroundings, she almost appeared as young as twelve.
For some reason, that made Reagan feel almost sad.
However, she shook the feeling off, smiling confidently as she closed the door after Twilight and slid into the driver's seat, "'Island Getaway', here I come..."
The entire mansion was in complete chaos.
All of the students had been awoken from the noise downstairs, and all of them were now gathered in the living room, watching the professor speak to Storm and Logan.
The rest of the X-Men were wide awake, standing grimly by the Professor, listening to Logan speak.
"She's gone, Charlie," Logan growled, eyes flashing angrily, "Why are you takin your time here? We need to get outta here and find her."
"Logan, I understand your concern, and believe me when I say all of us share your feelings. However, I must know every detail before I can form a plan of attack."
Ororo was standing in Kurt's arms, sobbing uncontrollably as Rogue and Kitty tried to comfort her.
No one had seen Ororo quite so devastated, nor had anyone heard her cry so hard.
It was unnerving to see cool, collected Storm—controller of the weather and always able to hold in emotion—actually wailing.
Kurt stroked her hair, whispering softly, "Do not worry, Ororo. We will get her back. I am certain that Our Father will care for her until we reach her."
"Kurt, you didn't see her face! She was so scared! She was begging me—ME—for help, and I blew it! I can't believe this!"
Rogue placed a comforting hand on Storm's shoulder, fighting back her own tears, "Kurt's right, Storm," she whispered softly, "We'll get her back. You saved me. How hard can this be?"
"Yea, Miss Monroe," Kitty chimed in, "You've never failed before. This'll be a cinch! You've always been able to save whoever's gotten taken. We'll get Amme back."
Ororo, however, took no consolation in their words, taking all of the blame for Twilight's kidnapping; if only she'd fought longer, if only she'd ignored the fake walls, if only...
The night air was crisp and cold, filled with clear skies and a light breeze. It was the kind of night where all you would need was a jacket, one where it wasn't too cold, but still cold enough to refresh your mind.
All around the sky, rings of smoke curled and danced, glinting different colors in the moonlight: blue, gray, even light yellow.
Remy LeBeau leaned against the wall he stood by, watching as couples sat together on benches smoking, talking, and other things Remy would have preferred to not remember.
He was a tall man, lean and strong, appearing thinner than he really was because of the baggy, floor-length brown trench-coat he wore.
He wasn't necessarily what most would call handsome, but there was something enchanting about him, something of his rebel personality and polite mannerisms that swept most women off of their feet.
His face was chiseled and tan, hidden beneath a disheveled pile of brown hair, intriguing red eyes glinting lightly from beneath his unkempt mane.
He was simply standing, minding his own business, shuffling a deck of cards between his gloves hands as he watched people come and go; he enjoyed people-watching.
It was entertaining to see the different types.
Already he'd been in the cold night for over an hour, just staying in the shadows, watching the show. He's seen dozens of couples, a few teenage boys, and even an old man walking a yapping puppy; these things were regulars in the matinee 'movie' Remy so much enjoyed.
The most intriguing part came only a few minutes before he normally went home.
A silver car pulled up in the parking lot, nicer than most of the other vehicles he saw, and a stunning blonde woman got regally out, went over to the passenger side door, and jerked it open.
Faintly, he could hear her talking to someone (probably the passenger) and then she reached in and grabbed the wrist of a teenage girl, pulling her out and slamming the door shut.
From his vantage point, he watched as the woman took the girl's hand and pulled her along to a nearby payphone, pressing her against a wall and ordering her to stay put while she made a call.
It was the wall Remy was leaning against.
The girl was crying softly, tears streaming silently down her cheeks as she stayed against the wall, making no effort to hide her tears.
She had seen Remy, of course, but didn't exactly notice him; she was slightly busy with her own problems.
Remy stepped forward slightly, a little concerned, "Hey now, Cherie, what's da matter? Why you cryin?"
The child looked up at him in surprise, wiping her tears away quickly, "N- nothing. I...I just...my mom...she...I..."
Remy smiled at her and reached into his pocket, drawing out a handkerchief, "Dere, Gambit make it all better for you."
He gently wiped away her tears with the cloth and gave it to her, stooping slightly to see her face.
"Thank you," the girl whispered, eyes downcast.
"You're welcome. Now tell me, why you cry?"
"I...I'm just scared," she whimpered softly, her eyes flicking to the woman at the payphone.
"Scared o' what?"
"I...I can't tell you," the child said, new tears spilling over, "She'll...she told me not to."
"Ah, I see. She yo' mama?"
The girl shook her head, "No. I...my mother is...she's back at the school."
Gambit frowned slightly, puzzled, "What school?"
"Xavier's School. It's...it's where I live."
The woman was watching them carefully.
The child glanced at her, and then whispered, "It's where my family is."
"Den...who she? She yo' friend?"
"No. She's...she's not my friend."
Gambit knew she was keeping something from him, and he looked at the woman before muttering, "You even know her?"
"Just a second, Raven. Come here, Sweetness. You know better than to talk to strangers."
The girl's eyes seemed to flush with stark terror and she turned form Gambit, shaking her head, "I...I wasn't talking to him..."
"Come here."
Slowly, the child moved forward, stopping at the payphone and sending Gambit a desperate glance.
Gambit straightened, fingering the cards in his hands carefully; he seriously considered throwing one.
Now, to most people, that wouldn't make much of a difference; a playing card could cause little if no harm to anyone.
However, most people weren't Remy LeBeau, who had the mutant ability to charge anything he held with kinetic energy.
If he was to throw a charged card at anything, it would detonate with enough of an explosion to blast away walls.
Still, Gambit knew how stupid that would be; he'd probably wind up hurting the girl and drawing unwanted attention to himself.
Instead, all he did was give the girl a reassuring smile, wink at her, and turn, disappearing into the shadows.
He watched from a distance as the woman hung up the phone and grabbed the child's arm, taking her to the car and saying, "If you told that strange man anything, I will personally break every one of your fingers one by one."
"I didn't! He just asked me why I was crying and gave me a handkerchief and- -"
"--Sweetness, you talked to him far longer than was needed. Don't think that you'll be allowed to act this way at Provane; Mystique has much less patience with children then I do."
Gambit scowled as the woman threw the girl into the car, sliding in next to her and revving the auto up before screeching away.
As he watched the car disappear, he knew that he needed to help that little girl.
Just the way she'd looked at him and just the terror in her voice had told him that.
Besides, there was something about her that seemed special, some aura of importance that surrounded her entire being; it looked like Gambit was going to need to find this 'Xavier's School'.
Rogue had never had a sibling before.
She had always been an only child, and even after she came to the mansion, she made very good friends, but never considered any of them siblings.
Except for Twilight.
From the instant they met, Rogue treated her as a little sister.
Always, she would watch over her and play with her, teaching her to skate when she was little and helping with her homework as she grew.
For the past decade, she'd kept an eye on her and played with her, and her affection and over-protective attitude only strengthened.
Now, with Twilight in the hands of the Brotherhood and with everyone in a frenzy, Rogue couldn't help but to feel guilty.
Of course she'd offered to stay with Twilight in the hospital, but Logan had told her to get some sleep and that he would do it.
She felt somehow responsible for Twilight's kidnapping, just like every other X-Man in the room.
Even Charles sounded burdened as he spoke to them, holding Ororo's hand tightly while Logan kept a comforting arm around her shoulders, his eyes glossed over with pain.
Rogue glanced up from her hands, wiping away the tears that had gathered in her eyes as Xavier spoke.
"Logan tells me that there was no one here but Reagan, and that she used her powers to trick him into believing there were more people here. As far as we know, she hasn't hurt Twilight at all, has only used a sedative on her and is taking her to the Brotherhood. I do not know how long we have until...until Magneto attempts to kill her, but I do know that we must act as soon as possible if we wish to be of the most help."
"We don't even know where she is," Nightcrawler said, sounding defeated, "She could be anywhere by now. It's been almost two hours."
Xavier looked at him sadly and sighed, "It's true that we don't know where she is...but we do have the X-jet and our teamwork, and together, I know we will find her."
Bobby shook his head, still doubtful, "Professor, this is different then any other time we've gone on a rescue mission. We've always known the whereabouts of the people and where the Brotherhood was. We haven't seen or heard from them in years, and Nightcrawler's right: they could be anywhere."
Then Storm spoke for the first time in hours, her voice quiet and tearful, "The Professor knows what he's talking about. We have to try our hardest to find Twilight. This isn't the first time the odds have been against us. We have more than most people seem to realize. We have each other, we have our powers, and we have our tenacity." Gradually, she looked up, tears rolling down her cheeks, "We can't give up."
Silence followed her words, everyone staring at the ground thoughtfully, trying hard to muster up courage and hope.
It was then that there was an urgent knocking at the door.
No one felt like getting up to get it, but eventually Scott realized that no one would be at the door in the dead of night unless it was important, and he hurried over to the entryway, jerking the door open.
Everyone looked up, listening intently as he said, "Who are YOU?"
"I am Remy LeBeau, and I have something to tell Professor Xavier."
Wolverine's anger was at its peak, his claws a silver blur as he swiped at Sabertooth, ignoring the wounds inflicted upon him.
Intense hatred boiled in him, a fire of endless loathing and rage in his chest.
His muscles ached from the constant battling, but he ignored any sign of pain as he ducked and leapt at his long-time enemy, inflicting more agony than he received.
He kicked Sabertooth to the floor in minutes, moving in for the kill, grinning menacingly.
Sabertooth looked up at him as he moved forward, and gave him a final sneer as Wolverine lunged, sinking his claws deeply into the man-cat's heart.
Wolverine shut his eyes, relishing the feel of his enemy's death, smiling to himself.
When he opened his eyes nothing was there.
He straightened quickly from his knees, looking around, confused.
The window was perfectly intact, the office no longer the ramshackle jumble he and Sabertooth had made of it, the night the normal serene of any summer evening.
Wolverine looked over at Twilight's bed; she wasn't there.
Then his keen sense of smell kicked in, and he growled angrily; Twilight was right: someone WAS here.
Ororo Monroe was very easily awoken.
Especially when she was worried about someone.
So when Logan gently shook her shoulder and whispered her name, her eyes opened immediately and she looked at him, only the slightest bit sleepy.
"Where's Twilight?" Logan asked, trying to conceal the fear in his voice.
Storm sat up, "I thought you were watching her!"
"I was!" Logan replied, glancing around the room, "Then...something happened. I...I had this weird...dream or something."
"You fell asleep?!?"
Ororo instantly stood, starting towards the hallway.
Logan grabbed her arm, "She's not down there. And no, I didn't fall asleep. I was awake. I...I coulda sworn I was fightin' Sabertooth. Then he was gone and...so was Twilight."
"Sabertooth?"
His words were obviously causing more harm then good.
"Look, it wasn't real. It was...like a vision. It was...like a waking dream."
Storm's eyes clouded over, her fear evident on her pretty features, "A waking dream?"
"Yea..."
Then it dawned on him as well.
"Reagan," he growled, jerking around just as the light, feminine smell of perfume wafted over to him.
Reagan Wyndegarde gave him an ironic smile, "Hiya, Hottie."
Twilight stood at her side, struggling vainly against the arms wrapped around her waist, "Storm...help...!"
"Let her go," Ororo said dangerously, and her voice held the kind of rage and warning that only a mother could have.
Reagan looked at her, grin widening, "Oh, hi. I suppose you want your kid back, right?"
"Congrats. You win. Now giver her back," Wolverine snarled.
Reagan cocked her head to the side, looking hurt, "But I want her. She's just so sweet and fun to have around. Don't you think?"
She stooped down slightly, turning Twilight's face towards her, "I just like her so much I think I'll take her home with me."
She gave Twilight a sarcastic sneer as she stroked her cheek, "And I'll feed her and water her and give her baths and make her a bed and take her for walks and we'll be best friends forever."
"You're sick," Logan stated, teeth clenched.
Reagan straightened, fluttering her eyelashes at him, "Flattery will get you nowhere, Honey."
Meanwhile, Storm's eyes had started to shift from their normal, blue to the hurricane gray that warned of impending anger. She was staring at the ceiling, feeling in her soul the clouds twisting and writhing.
Logan noticed this and continued speaking to Reagan, feigning calm as he tried to keep her eyes on him, "Just what do you want with a kid, anyway?"
"It's not me," Reagan responded, carelessly straightening Twilight's hair, "It's my employers. They hired me. I get the kid, and receive an all- expenses paid trip to a beautiful island getaway."
"Your employers? Magneto and Mystique, right?"
Reagan's eyes flashed, "Ooh, he's cute AND clever."
No one noticed the swirling mass of clouds surrounding the school, or the lightning that flashed dangerously close by.
"What if we just let you stay here?" Logan asked, and he was stunned at his calmness, "We'll give you an all-expenses paid trip to some island AND you won't be doing somethin' illegal."
Reagan considered this, pretending to actually care, "Hmm...no."
Thunder roared like some furiously snarling monster, making Twilight jump in Reagan's arms. She glanced out the window, and then at Storm, eyes widening with hope.
"What've they offered that we can't give a hundredfold?" Wolverine demanded angrily, fists clenched as he struggled to keep his claws from springing out.
"Nothing," Reagan honestly stated, "I just don't like you guys." She tilted her head again, giving Logan a sad smile, "No offense, Baby. It just wouldn't work out between us." Finally, she glanced at Storm, "Sweetheart, I know what you're doing, and I'd suggest you stop before you get me ANGRY."
Surprisingly, Storm listened.
Twilight gazed at her in shock, and then understanding dawned on her as horror began to melt across her face.
Ororo's eyes were wide with terror, her breath coming fast and sharp, her head turning and looking at the walls which were, in her mind, closing in.
Logan looked at her and swore, grabbing her and shaking her, "'Ro, it ain't real. C'mon!"
Storm began gasping for breath, turning around desperately, pressing her hands against the walls only she could see.
Wolverine cursed her long-time claustrophobia.
"Ro! C'mon, it's just a mind game! It ain't real!"
"What's goin' on down there?" Rogue's voice sounded from the staircase.
Reagan glanced up the stairs lazily, "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got an appointment."
Logan immediately leapt at her, claws finally again exploding forth, his teeth bared in a animalistic snarl.
With a careless wave of Reagan's hand, a wall suddenly burst up from the floor, blocking Logan from Twilight.
Of course, due to Reagan's 'sense of humor', it was a glass wall, one that Logan could see through; he could do nothing but watch as Regan shoved Twilight to the floor, reaching down to her waist and drawing forth a vial and a cloth.
Twilight was backing away from her desperately, screaming for help and struggling to get to her feet as Rogue rushed down the stairs, eyes widening as the scene played out before her.
Reagan slid the lid from the bottle and dumped most of its contents into the rag before she stooped gracefully down and jerked Twilight forward, pressing the cloth against her nose and mouth, quietly ordering, "Breathe."
Twilight obviously fought for as long as she could, twisting around helplessly, feeling dizzy from lack of breath, eyes turning to stare directly into Logan's.
Logan watched her for as long as he could, hacking at the wall with his claws, shouting profanity at Reagan, hardly noticing when Rogue joined his side and starting pounding on the wall as well.
Eventually, though, Twilight had to inhale, and as she did so, the drenched cloth's contents rushed into her mouth, fogging her senses and instantly causing fatigue.
Twilight pushed away from Reagan, struggling to her feet and dizzily stumbling backwards; she swayed for a moment, trying desperately to look for an escape, her mind a buzz of panic and confusion, and then she collapsed.
Reagan caught her easily, cradling her in her arms as she turned and smirked at Logan, "I'll take good care of her, Baby."
He watched with burning rage as Reagan dragged Twilight off, the child's body limp and lifeless.
The walls in Ororo's mind disappeared then and she, too, raced forward, banging on the glass desperately as Reagan slipped out the door, Twilight's helpless form in the monster's arms.
Reagan was not a necessarily bad person.
She didn't consider herself to be conniving or wicked.
No, better words to describe her were heartless and selfish.
She had a reason for her cruelty, unlike many insanity-driven mutants, and her reason was herself.
She had to do whatever was necessary to keep herself alive and well, even if that including murder and kidnapping.
However, she was still human, and she felt just the slightest twinge of guilt as she lay Twilight down on the car seat next to hers, pausing to look at her.
Twilight was a lot smaller than she'd anticipated—certainly amazingly small for a near-sixteen year-old—and she weighed so much less than she'd expected.
In fact, as she slept on, completely unaware of her surroundings, she almost appeared as young as twelve.
For some reason, that made Reagan feel almost sad.
However, she shook the feeling off, smiling confidently as she closed the door after Twilight and slid into the driver's seat, "'Island Getaway', here I come..."
The entire mansion was in complete chaos.
All of the students had been awoken from the noise downstairs, and all of them were now gathered in the living room, watching the professor speak to Storm and Logan.
The rest of the X-Men were wide awake, standing grimly by the Professor, listening to Logan speak.
"She's gone, Charlie," Logan growled, eyes flashing angrily, "Why are you takin your time here? We need to get outta here and find her."
"Logan, I understand your concern, and believe me when I say all of us share your feelings. However, I must know every detail before I can form a plan of attack."
Ororo was standing in Kurt's arms, sobbing uncontrollably as Rogue and Kitty tried to comfort her.
No one had seen Ororo quite so devastated, nor had anyone heard her cry so hard.
It was unnerving to see cool, collected Storm—controller of the weather and always able to hold in emotion—actually wailing.
Kurt stroked her hair, whispering softly, "Do not worry, Ororo. We will get her back. I am certain that Our Father will care for her until we reach her."
"Kurt, you didn't see her face! She was so scared! She was begging me—ME—for help, and I blew it! I can't believe this!"
Rogue placed a comforting hand on Storm's shoulder, fighting back her own tears, "Kurt's right, Storm," she whispered softly, "We'll get her back. You saved me. How hard can this be?"
"Yea, Miss Monroe," Kitty chimed in, "You've never failed before. This'll be a cinch! You've always been able to save whoever's gotten taken. We'll get Amme back."
Ororo, however, took no consolation in their words, taking all of the blame for Twilight's kidnapping; if only she'd fought longer, if only she'd ignored the fake walls, if only...
The night air was crisp and cold, filled with clear skies and a light breeze. It was the kind of night where all you would need was a jacket, one where it wasn't too cold, but still cold enough to refresh your mind.
All around the sky, rings of smoke curled and danced, glinting different colors in the moonlight: blue, gray, even light yellow.
Remy LeBeau leaned against the wall he stood by, watching as couples sat together on benches smoking, talking, and other things Remy would have preferred to not remember.
He was a tall man, lean and strong, appearing thinner than he really was because of the baggy, floor-length brown trench-coat he wore.
He wasn't necessarily what most would call handsome, but there was something enchanting about him, something of his rebel personality and polite mannerisms that swept most women off of their feet.
His face was chiseled and tan, hidden beneath a disheveled pile of brown hair, intriguing red eyes glinting lightly from beneath his unkempt mane.
He was simply standing, minding his own business, shuffling a deck of cards between his gloves hands as he watched people come and go; he enjoyed people-watching.
It was entertaining to see the different types.
Already he'd been in the cold night for over an hour, just staying in the shadows, watching the show. He's seen dozens of couples, a few teenage boys, and even an old man walking a yapping puppy; these things were regulars in the matinee 'movie' Remy so much enjoyed.
The most intriguing part came only a few minutes before he normally went home.
A silver car pulled up in the parking lot, nicer than most of the other vehicles he saw, and a stunning blonde woman got regally out, went over to the passenger side door, and jerked it open.
Faintly, he could hear her talking to someone (probably the passenger) and then she reached in and grabbed the wrist of a teenage girl, pulling her out and slamming the door shut.
From his vantage point, he watched as the woman took the girl's hand and pulled her along to a nearby payphone, pressing her against a wall and ordering her to stay put while she made a call.
It was the wall Remy was leaning against.
The girl was crying softly, tears streaming silently down her cheeks as she stayed against the wall, making no effort to hide her tears.
She had seen Remy, of course, but didn't exactly notice him; she was slightly busy with her own problems.
Remy stepped forward slightly, a little concerned, "Hey now, Cherie, what's da matter? Why you cryin?"
The child looked up at him in surprise, wiping her tears away quickly, "N- nothing. I...I just...my mom...she...I..."
Remy smiled at her and reached into his pocket, drawing out a handkerchief, "Dere, Gambit make it all better for you."
He gently wiped away her tears with the cloth and gave it to her, stooping slightly to see her face.
"Thank you," the girl whispered, eyes downcast.
"You're welcome. Now tell me, why you cry?"
"I...I'm just scared," she whimpered softly, her eyes flicking to the woman at the payphone.
"Scared o' what?"
"I...I can't tell you," the child said, new tears spilling over, "She'll...she told me not to."
"Ah, I see. She yo' mama?"
The girl shook her head, "No. I...my mother is...she's back at the school."
Gambit frowned slightly, puzzled, "What school?"
"Xavier's School. It's...it's where I live."
The woman was watching them carefully.
The child glanced at her, and then whispered, "It's where my family is."
"Den...who she? She yo' friend?"
"No. She's...she's not my friend."
Gambit knew she was keeping something from him, and he looked at the woman before muttering, "You even know her?"
"Just a second, Raven. Come here, Sweetness. You know better than to talk to strangers."
The girl's eyes seemed to flush with stark terror and she turned form Gambit, shaking her head, "I...I wasn't talking to him..."
"Come here."
Slowly, the child moved forward, stopping at the payphone and sending Gambit a desperate glance.
Gambit straightened, fingering the cards in his hands carefully; he seriously considered throwing one.
Now, to most people, that wouldn't make much of a difference; a playing card could cause little if no harm to anyone.
However, most people weren't Remy LeBeau, who had the mutant ability to charge anything he held with kinetic energy.
If he was to throw a charged card at anything, it would detonate with enough of an explosion to blast away walls.
Still, Gambit knew how stupid that would be; he'd probably wind up hurting the girl and drawing unwanted attention to himself.
Instead, all he did was give the girl a reassuring smile, wink at her, and turn, disappearing into the shadows.
He watched from a distance as the woman hung up the phone and grabbed the child's arm, taking her to the car and saying, "If you told that strange man anything, I will personally break every one of your fingers one by one."
"I didn't! He just asked me why I was crying and gave me a handkerchief and- -"
"--Sweetness, you talked to him far longer than was needed. Don't think that you'll be allowed to act this way at Provane; Mystique has much less patience with children then I do."
Gambit scowled as the woman threw the girl into the car, sliding in next to her and revving the auto up before screeching away.
As he watched the car disappear, he knew that he needed to help that little girl.
Just the way she'd looked at him and just the terror in her voice had told him that.
Besides, there was something about her that seemed special, some aura of importance that surrounded her entire being; it looked like Gambit was going to need to find this 'Xavier's School'.
Rogue had never had a sibling before.
She had always been an only child, and even after she came to the mansion, she made very good friends, but never considered any of them siblings.
Except for Twilight.
From the instant they met, Rogue treated her as a little sister.
Always, she would watch over her and play with her, teaching her to skate when she was little and helping with her homework as she grew.
For the past decade, she'd kept an eye on her and played with her, and her affection and over-protective attitude only strengthened.
Now, with Twilight in the hands of the Brotherhood and with everyone in a frenzy, Rogue couldn't help but to feel guilty.
Of course she'd offered to stay with Twilight in the hospital, but Logan had told her to get some sleep and that he would do it.
She felt somehow responsible for Twilight's kidnapping, just like every other X-Man in the room.
Even Charles sounded burdened as he spoke to them, holding Ororo's hand tightly while Logan kept a comforting arm around her shoulders, his eyes glossed over with pain.
Rogue glanced up from her hands, wiping away the tears that had gathered in her eyes as Xavier spoke.
"Logan tells me that there was no one here but Reagan, and that she used her powers to trick him into believing there were more people here. As far as we know, she hasn't hurt Twilight at all, has only used a sedative on her and is taking her to the Brotherhood. I do not know how long we have until...until Magneto attempts to kill her, but I do know that we must act as soon as possible if we wish to be of the most help."
"We don't even know where she is," Nightcrawler said, sounding defeated, "She could be anywhere by now. It's been almost two hours."
Xavier looked at him sadly and sighed, "It's true that we don't know where she is...but we do have the X-jet and our teamwork, and together, I know we will find her."
Bobby shook his head, still doubtful, "Professor, this is different then any other time we've gone on a rescue mission. We've always known the whereabouts of the people and where the Brotherhood was. We haven't seen or heard from them in years, and Nightcrawler's right: they could be anywhere."
Then Storm spoke for the first time in hours, her voice quiet and tearful, "The Professor knows what he's talking about. We have to try our hardest to find Twilight. This isn't the first time the odds have been against us. We have more than most people seem to realize. We have each other, we have our powers, and we have our tenacity." Gradually, she looked up, tears rolling down her cheeks, "We can't give up."
Silence followed her words, everyone staring at the ground thoughtfully, trying hard to muster up courage and hope.
It was then that there was an urgent knocking at the door.
No one felt like getting up to get it, but eventually Scott realized that no one would be at the door in the dead of night unless it was important, and he hurried over to the entryway, jerking the door open.
Everyone looked up, listening intently as he said, "Who are YOU?"
"I am Remy LeBeau, and I have something to tell Professor Xavier."