A/N: Thank you Xerios, Xiowolfe, and Wolvies gal 1 for your reviews! Thank you Sebastian 1 for your review and lyric suggestions! ^______^

~*~

"I've been trying to figure out what he intends to do. It's almost impossible. I don't know him Alfred. All these years and I don't know who he is anymore than he knows who I am."

-Batman: The Killing Joke

~*~

As I took him in my arms he screamed, "I'm not insane! I'm just looking for someone to understand my pain…"

 -The Devil in The Wishing Well, Five For Fighting.

~*~*~

He laid Tim back down on the cold cement floor, back in the puddle of his own blood, he didn't want too but he knew he had too. He wanted to go after Joker right then and there, tear open his throat with his own fingernails, but he knew he couldn't. Virginia was leaning heavily against him now, weak from fever and infection, she was slipping back into unconsciousness. Quickly he pulled off his blood soaked gloves and tossed them onto the ground before turning to Virginia and gently lifting her into his arms. Jean turned away sighing inwardly as Bruce walked up to her, she misses Scott like no other right now. Her hand absentmindedly tugs at the collar clasped around her neck.

 "Here." Bruce grunted pulling out a skeleton key from one of the pouches in his belt.

Jean hesitantly took the key and unlocked her collar, a sigh of relief rushed from her lips as she turned back to Bruce.

~*~

 'This time no one's left behind,' Logan repeats to himself over and over again in his mind as he raced down the hallways, 'No one…'

He was by himself now; Rogue and Jack had split off down another hallway sometime ago.

  "Come on Nikki." A voice said softly almost sounding panicky.

Logan slowed to a walk and ducked into a room finding Luke kneeling next to a trembling sobbing Nikki, on the other side of the room Jamie sat with his knees drawn up to his chest.

 "Come on, we're gettin' outta here!" Logan barked startling everyone in the room.

Nikki started screaming and Luke glared at him angrily, Jamie however, was on his feet and at Logan's side in seconds.

 "We're free?" He asked meekly, eyeing Nikki and Luke warily.

~*~

Rogue found Bobby wandering around the hallways aimlessly; he was missing his shirt and had several large gashes across his chest, dried blood caked his torso and hands.

 "My God," Rogue muttered in her thick southern accent as she approached him, "Bobby? Are you all right?"

Bobby paused in front of her; his eyes were glassy and seemed to look right through her.

 "My skin," He muttered blinking his eyes, "Oh God it burns, Rogue!" He said beginning to sob, "It hurts so bad, what happened to me?"

Rogue carefully took Bobby by the arm, "Is there anyone else down that hallway, Bobby?" She asked softly glancing over his shoulder as she led him away.

 He shook his head vigorously, "Only me." He choked back a sob as he clutched at his wounds, "Only me."

~*~

 "Is everyone here?" Logan grunted, approaching the small group that had formed by the exit of the building.

Bruce shook his head, "No, we're still waiting for Rogue."

 "She found Bobby, he's in pretty bad shape." Jean said softly, he eyes shut as she communicated to Rogue telepathically.

Receiving a particularly nasty thought Jean cut the connection with a sigh, "How are you doing Hank?" She asked the blue mutant leaning heavily against the wall.

 "I'll be alright once I get some sleep." Hank replied groggily, patches of his fur were missing either from testing or stress Jean couldn't tell.

 "Some one help me! I think he's gonna pass out!" Rogue shouted as she came around the corner with Bobby hanging on her with one arm, his head hung limply and his steps were becoming more and more dragged.

Logan quickly walked over and scooped up the boy into his arms, "That everyone?" He turned looking around at everyone, "There's a safe house just a few miles from here, we should be safe there fer a while."

 As the group walked out to the awaiting van Logan had hotwired earlier, Bruce couldn't help wonder where all the security had been. He hand Virginia to Logan then glanced over his shoulder one last time before climbing into the van, something was terribly amiss with this whole thing.

~*~*~

The life you knew before is gone.
There is no compromising.
The life you save will be your own.

-Beginning of The End, Spineshark
To find your inner senses.

~*~*~

A/N: Please Review!!