AN: Thank you everyone for your reviews! ^_____^
~*~
Batman: "Odd. It would seem I'm still breathing."
"JLA Seven Caskets"
~*~*~
The brown trench coat billowed out in the wind behind the tall scrawny man with a hideous withering brown face. The others save for Kitty and Logan, jolted out of their sleep and looked around frantically.
"What's going on!?" Bobby cried out holding his bandaged abdomen in pain.
Rob quickly pressed himself to the window he was seated next to; a grinning pale face suddenly appeared before him startling him away from the window screaming.
"Hello their kiddo!" The Joker laughed tapping his long pale fingers on the glass.
Virginia turned to Bruce, her eyes wide in fear, "Bruce! Do something!" She screamed over the cries and shouts of the others.
The Joker was now trying to pry open the van's sliding door when Bruce slammed his foot down on the gas and sped around the Scarecrow. The van suddenly grew quiet from the shock of the situation. Rob breaking into tears suddenly shattered the silence.
"I'm scared!" Rob wailed rubbing his eyes with his hands, Rahne pulled him to her side and he turned and began crying into her shoulder.
Virginia's eyes flickered over to Bruce, she could see even in the dim light that he was gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white. Staring at him a little longer she turned her eyes back to the road in front of them and just listened to the shuddering intake of breaths from behind her.
~*~*~
Chatter could be heard in the next room when Virginia woke up the following morning, or afternoon, finding herself in a hotel room. Bobby stirred in the bed next to hers but didn't wake up. Nikki and Luke slept soundly in the bed next to his curled up in each other's arms. It was no big secret that the two were together, but it still gave Virginia an odd feeling seeing them together. She shrugged it off and climbed off her own bed smiling slightly when she found Rob sleeping on the couch near her bed, slowly she tiptoed over the sleeping forms of Jack and Hayley to the door conjoining the two hotel rooms and pushed it open.
Bruce was standing at the window peering out at the streets below, Logan was standing at the opposite end of the room rubbing the back of his neck in what appeared to be pain, Rogue stood next to him and Kitty sat at the small table between them all with Jean. Rahne walked out of the bathroom with a glass of water and handed it to Logan who greedily drained the glass in seconds.
"So, who would it be?" Jean asked tapping her fingers on the table.
Bruce turned around glanced at Virginia then looked at Jean, "Bobby most likely, either that or it's in someone's clothes." He voice was deep like that of the Batman's, Virginia smiled wryly as she stepped into the room and closed the door silently behind her.
"Why Bobby?" Kitty asked eyeing Jean's tapping fingers until she stopped.
Logan handed the glass back to Rahne who glared at him and sat it down on the table, "'Cause he's the only one who was experimented on." He answered ignoring Rahne's look.
The room was silent for a moment then was broken by Virginia clearing her throat, "What's going on?" She asked looking around the room.
"We think that one of us has a tracker on our clothes, or that Bobby has one implanted in him somewhere." Rahne spoke up finally after no one would.
Virginia looked to Bruce, "The Joker?" She questioned remembering the long pale fingers tapping against the window the night before; she shuddered involuntarily and wrapped her arms around herself.
Bruce nodded turning back to the window; once again the room was silent as everyone fell into deep thought. In a few minutes, Virginia hoped, everyone would be up and awake fighting over who would take a shower first.
No such luck.
~*~
Still at the hotel, (a rather large Holiday inn Virginia later noticed) some of the students went down to the pool to get their minds off what was going on. Bobby stayed in the other bedroom with Rahne as they played card games and talked about what ever came to their minds. Logan went out in search of any kind of alcoholic beverage leaving only Virginia and Bruce in the other conjoining room.
"You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?" Virginia frowned sitting down next to Bruce on the edge of the bed.
He looked at her with a wary smirk and shook his head, "I'll be fine." The smirk vanished completely as the scowl returned.
"How many days has it been now?" She could tell by the tired look in his eyes that it had been awhile since he had had a decent nights sleep.
"Four days." He grunted rubbing a gloved hand over his tired eyes.
Virginia's eyes grew wide in surprise, "Bruce! Now I know you've been without sleep before, for days at a time, but this time it's different. You need to get some sleep!" Suddenly feeling like a preaching mother, Virginia blushed and looked away from Bruce's amused grin, "Don't be a jerk." Virginia hissed narrowing her eyes at him, after a moment a smile broke out onto her face and she couldn't help but laugh.
"What's so funny?" Bruce asked furrowing his eyebrows in amused confusion.
Virginia leaned forward kissing Bruce full on the lips.
~*~*~
All the world loves things of beauty and intrigue
These 2 things I've never had one
Born in this old skin. I'm too sick I can't win
I've lived with this damage 2 long
My eyes can't behold it I cannot control
This, this feeling that's left in my heart
I've never done no wrong. I don't deserve these bones
Please burn up this sin when I'm gone
And I said that this is ugly to me
The world is ugly to me
You are ugly to me
And I am ugly to me
-Ugly by Cold
~*~*~
A/N: Please Review!!