~*~
Nikki whimpered, not wanting to touch Luke in case he made things worse. "What's happening to him?" He turned to the older boys. "Can you help him? Make him stop, please."
Lance looked shocked. "Todd, go get Logan." Todd ran out the doorway, calling for Wolverine.
"Xavier's on his way," Scott told Lance, "He'll be here soon."
Luke sank down to his knees looking child-like and extremely fragile.
"It was an accident..." He sobbed balling his fists, "I didn't mean to hurt anybody. Why do you have to send me away? I'll be good!!!"
"Luke..." Nikki, distressed by seeing Luke like this was almost crying himself. He walked gingerly over to him, knelt down beside him and reached out to hold him. "It'll be okay Luke, it'll be okay.." He said helplessly.
Lance ran a hand through his hair. "Shit, where IS he?" he said, not sure if he meant Logan or Xavier. "It's alright Luke." He said to the sobbing boy. "You're safe, it's okay."
Logan suddenly burst into the room, Xavier not far behind him.
"What the Hell's going on?" He barked not meaning to sound as worried as he did. His eyes immediately fell onto the trembling form of Luke, "He's not..."
"No Logan, he's not transforming again," Xavier cut him off holding his hands of to his temples, "He's having a mental breakdown."
Logan looked between Luke and Xavier, "Luke?" He asked incredibly.
Nikki ran a hand down Luke's back soothingly, hiccupping sobs from time to time. "Help him.." he looked over at Xavier.
Xavier nodded, "I'll try." He closed his eyes entering into Luke's mind finding an young Luke just standing in the center of a black void.
"Luke?" Xavier called out softly approaching the child form of Luke.
"You can't save him... you can't save any of us," Luke hissed, fresh tears ran down his cheeks, "You can try, you can try as hard as you want, until your fingers are bleeding and worn to the bone. But you won't be able to save me..." Slowly he turned and disappeared into the void.
Xavier opened his mouth to shout for him to come back but was assaulted with an onslaught of memories. Ones so emotional he couldn't stop the tears from running down his face.
Controlling his own emotions, Xavier focused on one of the memories running passed him.
Luke, about 15 years of age, stood glaring up at a large beefy man wearing the nametag 'Alex', "Bastard." Luke whispered narrowing his eyes, "BASTARD!!!!!!"
The memory slipped out of Xavier's control forcing him into a new one. This one was of Nikki lying broken on the cold cement floor. Luke was kneeling by his side trying to comfort him.
"Dominik," He whispered softly touching Nikki's shoulder, "Oh God..."
Xavier frowned taking a step closer to the two as Luke's voice quickly lowered into inaudible mumbling.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Luke mumbled pulling Nikki's limp form to him.
Xavier pulled himself from this memory and backed into another, one taking place several years before the last memory.
"FREAK!!" A woman shouted shoving Luke out the door.
Luke stumbled and fell to the ground, "Mom!" He quickly climbed back to his feet, "I'm sorry! I-I'm sorry! Please don't send me away!!" A large man dressed in white grabbed Luke's arm and pulled him away from the house, "MOM!!" Luke screamed as the door slammed shut and he was forced into the back of a white van.
Xavier was suddenly pulled from the memory, "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Luke screamed at him shoving Xavier to the ground and out of his mind.
Xavier's eyes snapped open and he leaned back in his chair taking in a deep gasping breath.
"Chuck?" Logan grunted, taking his eyes off the screaming Luke to Xavier.
"I'm fine Logan." Xavier nodded.
Nikki hugged Luke firmly from behind, dodging his flailing limbs and whispering softly, calming things into his ear.
Lance held Scott's hand, worried for Luke. "What happened?" He asked Xavier. "Can you stop him?"
"His memories are hitting him full force," Xavier frowned glancing at Logan who was once again staring at Luke, "He's reliving them..."
Logan snorted pulling himself from his own thoughts, "If he doesn't snap out of it soon he's gonna really go crazy."
Lance glared at Logan as Nikki cringed when he heard this, but pretended not too, still talking to Luke in fast whispers.
"Logan... come on..." Lance said. "Xavier, what can we do? There has to be something...."
"I'm afraid there is nothing I can do at the moment, Lance. He has to come out of it himself."
Logan glared at Lance, "The best thing we can do is ta let 'im know were here fer 'im."
"How did you do it, Logan?" Scott spoke up remembering the first time he met Logan.
"Had ta force myself ta wake up, it wasn't easy." Logan grunted.
Luke's eyes suddenly snapped open, "They... they left me." He swallowed thickly, fresh tears running down his cheeks, "Why'd they leave me?" His voice cracked in anguish.
"Who left you?" Nikki asked, wiping the tears away with the palm of his hands.
Luke, still in the recesses of his mind, choked back a sob, "My family... I'm crazy and a mutant. Nobody wants me."
"I want you Luke." Nikki offered. "It's okay, you don't need those fucks, you've got me." He said, now petting Luke's hair.
He pulled Luke's head down to rest on his shoulder so that he could hold him better.
Lance squirmed, not liking the fact that they had to leave Luke like this.
Luke sniffed closing his eyes, "I don't want to be left alone..." He whimpered.
Scott leaned his head against Lance's shoulder as he watched.
"I won't leave you Luke." Nikki said firmly.
~*~
