A/N: This is the last chapter. Thank you everyone for your reviews!!! Look for our next story out soon!! ^____^
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All these tears that I've cried
You must be tired of taking care of me but
Its what you do best and
I'm a liar cause really its what I need
-Smile Empty Soul, Finding Myself
~*~
Nikki gaped. "Luke?" He called, unwilling to see what was in front of him, worried that it would disappear again. The energy thing shrank back from Luke for a second, still influenced to some degree by Nikki, but then relaxed, laughing. "So the dead puppy wants to play? GO ahead."
"You can't kill what's already dead." The wolf growled and barked several times.
Logan climbed to his feet and backed off a bit, "Chuck," He said glancing over his shoulder, "Is that who I think it is?"
Xavier nodded slowly, "Yes Logan, it appears to be Luke..."
"Yea, well you can't kill what isn't alive." It hissed, then turned to Xavier. "Old man, thanks for puling me outta that junk heap of a head, but really... you gotta go. "It flung a tendril of power out, slamming into Xavier's chair and sending it out the door.
Luke lunged himself at the figure managing to get a grip on it's neck, "I won't let you hurt anyone here!" He growled throwing the thing to the floor.
The thing fell but rolled back up, narrowing it's eyes. "Okay, so you can touch me. But I can't get hurt, and obviously I can touch you too..." It sent a ball of energy at Luke.
Luke stood his ground allowing the energy ball to go through him, Logan's eyes widened as he leapt out of the way, "Hey!" He shouted glaring at the two.
Luke ignored him, keeping his eyes focused on the thing in front of him, "Like I said, you can't kill what's already dead."
The thing frowned, then shrugged. "Meh." It said, moving up and over the ceiling until it crouched near Nikki, who tried to move away but was caught by the ankle. The skin there began to blister, and Nikki wriggled and kicked, trying to get free. The energy thing laughed. "If you don't back off doggy, I'm gonna boil your little fuck buddy in his own skin."
Luke growled dangerously, "Let him go..." He bared his teeth crouching low to the ground, "If you don't so God help me..."
"God help you what?" It laughed. "You touch me, I'm gonna land on him, he's gonna burn like a twig." Nikki was screaming by now, kicking desperately with no luck. The thing wavered slightly all of a sudden, looking confused, but rallied again, hoping the falter had gone unnoticed.
Luke took the moment of confusion and attacked the thing knocking it off of Nikki, "Bastard! Don't you touch him!!" He screamed sinking his teeth into the thing.
The thing flickered like a broken fluorescent light and took a swipe at Luke. Nikki yelled 'no' and the thing shuddered, turning transparent. Nikki turned and wriggled and the thing let him go, unable to hold him anymore. Nikki scrabbled back a bit, out from under the things feet, and screamed again. "Luke!" He wailed, a blast of energy ruffling his hair and hitting the thing and Luke together. It flickered again and snarled, throwing Luke off it and diving again for Nikki, who scuttled out of the way and under the coffee table.
Luke was back on his feet and attacking the thing again before it could get to Nikki.
"Logan!" He shouted wrestling with the energy form, "Get... Get Nikki outta... outta here!!"
Logan raced to the coffee table and fell to his knees, "Come on Nikki!" He called out sticking his hand out to the boy.
Nikki shook his head, eyeing his power as it flailed about, throwing Luke into the wall. He growled, ran and leapt, landing on the things head and sinking his teeth into it. it seemed that Nikki could touch it as it came from him. The thing screamed and Nikki wailed through a mouthful of energy as it burned his mouth and hands where he touched it. It flickered even more, losing its grip on Luke and staggering, trying to knock Nikki off.
Luke climbed to his feet watching with wide eyes as Nikki attacked the energy thing, "Nikki!" He barked racing towards the two.
Logan climbed to his feet watching in amazement at the fight before him.
Steam rose from the thing when it touched anything, a wall or the floor. Nikki stayed on it, digging his thumbs into its eye sockets and they both screamed. The thing had begun shrinking down, even as Nikki started kicking and fighting harder.
Luke took a step backwards, "Let him go!" He barked, saliva dripping from his canines.
"Holy sh-..." Logan muttered making his way to the door Xavier had been thrown out to make sure the old man was okay.
Nikki used his elbow to smash the things face in. It grabbed him by the back of the neck and swung him violently into a wall. Two things happened then. Nikki's mind snapped back to the past and he thought that his mother was once again thrashing him, He screamed in fear and a noiselessness explosion burst from him, silencing everything. As this happened the power thing shrank, spinning and imploding until it exploded in a shower of petal-like sparks. The thing had gone. Nikki laid breathing shallowly on the floor, thick blood running from his mouth, his hands burnt badly.
"Nikki!!!!" Luke cried out rushing to the boy's side, "Nikki, you okay?" He asked licking the boy's cheek, the tang of blood exploding in his mouth.
Xavier waved Logan away as he helped the man back into his wheel chair, "Go see if he's okay." Xavier gestured towards Nikki and Luke.
Logan nodded and approached the two.
"I'm sorry Nikki," Luke whispered beginning to fade, "I can't stay here any longer..."
Nikki sniffed and cried silently, looking distraught, reaching a hand out to try and hold onto Luke with no success.
Luke reached out a human hand; having transformed back into his regular self, "Hang in their, Nikki." He said his voice growing distant.
Nikki lowered his hand and sobbed brokenly into his arm, blood still leaking from his mouth, the sobs occasionally mutated to choking coughs, then back again, blood spattering the floor in front of him when he did.
Logan knelt down in the spot Luke had currently been, and carefully wiped Nikki's bangs from his face.
"Hey Squirrel, hang on fer a minute and I'll get ch'ya down to the infirmary."
Xavier frowned turning away from the scene and to the faces of the others standing around watching.
"What happened?" Kitty whispered, her eyes wide with panic and even a little bit of fear.
Lance and Scott stood behind the girl, Todd behind them. They'd been unable to open the door to the room while the fight had been going on, the sheer energy in the place having held the door shut, but now they looked round the place in horrified amazement. Nikki hiccupped a sob and tried to push himself up. It seemed that one arm was broken and he had to manage with one. He whimpered when he was halfway up and hugged his ribs with his uninjured arm, moaning in pain. More blood spilt from his mouth and ran from his nose as well as the side of his head where he'd hit the wall.
Logan tried to stop the boy from sitting up, "Nikki lay back down. Yer gonna make yerself worse." He warned him.
Kitty took in a shuddering breath and turned her eyes to Xavier, "Professor, what happened?" She asked in a soft voice.
Nikki felt something cold seeping inside him, and was finding it harder to breathe. He was bleeding internally and slowly drowning in his own blood. His body started to go into shock from the burns and the bleeding, and his face got pale as his eyes got starry. He gasped, trying to breathe, but found that he couldn't get a decent lungful.
"Nikki's power got out of control," Xavier tried to explain but found that he couldn't, "He's dying..." He said at last shaking his head sadly.
Kitty gasped covering her face with her hands.
Logan helped Nikki lay back down on the blood soaked ground, "Take slow breaths," He said softly, "Just take in slow breaths." He new the kid wasn't going to make it and all that he could do now was try and comfort him.
"Calm down and take slow breaths, ya got it Squirrel?" He frowned slightly pushing Nikki's bangs out of his face once again.
Nikki whimpered, trying to breathe as it got more difficult and he started turning blue. One burnt hand grabbed Logan's arm and he looked up in panic, asking silently for help that no one could give.
Todd stood in the doorway, watching emotionlessly as Lance Held Scott's hand, turning slightly, not wanting to look. Scott put an arm round Kitty's shoulders and watched as Nikki died in front of him, another mutant kid that he wouldn't be able to save.
Logan brushed a hand over Nikki's eyes, closing them. He could almost swear that he heard Luke's voice greet Nikki as he let out his last breath. Slowly he looked over his shoulder at the others and bowed his head.
~*~
Luke, fifteen just the other day, marveled at the beautiful spring day as he sat on the concrete steps of the mansion simply watching the sky. Light footfalls approached him and he looked up at the boy now standing before him.
Dove gray eyes stared back at him through a mess of black shaggy hair. Luke grinned climbing to his feet.
"You must be Dominik, welcome to Xavier's School for the Gifted. I'm Luke." He held out his hand for the boy to shake.
Dominick smiled, his expression clear and untroubled and totally sane. "Hi Luke." He took Luke's hand in his own and gently shook it.
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The End
