JYNX: interesting is good - at least it's something lol. I'm starting to get a little worried - specially as the later chapters come out. Not quite sure if the story line is okay - if it's too rushed - stupid things like that so hopefully things stay interesting enough for you hang on till the end heh.
Lilly: I couldn't believe that you called this riveting! I think that one word is probably the best one to use when complimenting a body of work, be it writing, art, film. Thank you so much for that - it means a lot. Course the many, many, many 'So's' don't hurt. Again Thank You.
Angel LeeAnn: Two reviews in one day - you have got to love that. I really wish I was comfortable with writing sex scenes. Don't get me wrong - I love reading them heh I am a teen with out a boyfriend - vicarious is the only kind of action I get. But I just can't seem to do it. Then again I haven't really tried. Sadly my first attempt will not be in this fic, sexual tension aside, sorry. I'm a master a hanging people off cliffs - if you thought this was good wait till later, you'll hate me deeply, very, very deeply.
This part here was hard to write - I've been over it and changed it around as many times humanly possible before you just start seeing double. It's longer then the last and hopefully okay. Enjoy,
~Gimpy~
****
The hesitant form of a tall ever-brooding man stood before the door that lead to the one man who could ease him. Tracing the door's surface with his eyes, he pondered the questions floating in his head. He wanted nothing more than to burst through the appendage that separated the two men; desired with every thread of his being to march inside and scold the older man for having allowed Marie to fall too silently into the hole he'd started for her. He craved to ask this man for help, help in finding himself and her. His needs were met when Xavier's gentle voice whispered in his mind to enter.
The hesitation vanished and he did as he was asked - uncaring that this man had invaded his mind. Closing the door behind him, he stared at the aged man perched behind the desk and wondered if he'd have to speak or if the man already knew.
"Have a seat." Xavier motioned to one of the many chairs, offering them to Logan.
"I'd rather stand, thanks," Logan replied, slightly distracted.
With wisdom born of his many years, the professor placated Logan with a gentle, warm and understanding smile. "What is it you wish to discuss?"
Subconsciously, Logan shook his head. Both men knew why he was here and words had never before been necessary with the Professor. Realizing now that he did want Logan's words, the standing man breathed deeply before forcing them out. "I need you to read my mind again."
A sigh escaped the older man's lips, he'd hoped Logan would broach the subject of Rogue but he could settle for this. Wheeling himself out from behind his desk, the man veered in on the looming figure. "Sit, please." He motioned again to the chair beside him.
To both men's surprise, Logan took the offered seat, folding his hands in his lap. "I need to know."
"Logan," the professor sighed again. "The mind is not something that can simply be wheedled, it can't be manipulated all that easily, it is a complicated maze of-"
"Don't give me that, I'm not in the mood for speeches. Can you do it or not?" In all honesty Logan didn't care about the answer, his past had become something untouchable, much like his future was now. It had eluded him for so long he wasn't really sure he wanted to know anymore, wasn't sure it wanted him to.
"I'm afraid the outcome would be the same as before. Sometimes the mind just needs to remember on its own." Charles felt the emotions rolling off Logan and though he hated having to bear such news, he felt comfort in knowing it wasn't something truly important to the man anymore. This troubled soul had drastically changed his priorities over the last two and a half years.
Logan simply nodded in understanding before moving to stand.
"I'm sorry I can't help - I can offer you other methods such as meditation or other forms of relax…" His sentence swiftly died on his tongue, the ideas spreading forth almost completely absurd.
With a bitter chuckle, Logan waved the man off. "Don't worry about it, if it's meant to be it'll happen," the double meaning behind those words didn't go unnoticed to either of them.
"She'll come around."
Logan knew he should have been somewhat shocked by the professor's words. How could he though when this man was a telepath, a very powerful one? There are just some things you can't keep from him. That thought angered Logan a little - if he knew this, how could he not have noticed Marie's descent? He was about to question him on it when he noticed a change in the man before him.
"What?" Logan asked with slight concern, the hairs on his limbs coming to a point. Concern washed over Logan when grayed brows furrowed and the Professor made a beeline for the door. The world outside the small room felt nothing of the foreshadowing doom that was weighing on the two men. Logan followed the path the Professor made towards the elevator; mutely asking again what was wrong.
The wheels of his chair came to a halt as the elevator doors opened revealing an equally disturbed Jean, effectively preventing any explanation.
"I can't feel them…" she whispered the words like a curse.
Lost, Logan was forced to watch as a silent conversation traversed between the two telepaths. Growing impatient by the second as the feelings within him grew, he snapped at the two viciously, "I know something is wrong here, let me in the damned loop!"
Jean's darkening eyes bore into Logan for the slightest second, malice and malcontent baring into him. Ignoring his presence, she turned to allow the Professor to pass. Taken aback by the fiery red heads quick dismissal of him, Logan faltered before entering the elevator. As a group, the three descended into the lower levels of the mansion, the world around them quickly changing from regal yet warm to sterile and cold. The doors slid open and for a moment the blue metallic walls blinded Logan. This place hadn't known his presence for so long he'd almost forgotten it.
Exasperated beyond measure, a voracious growl emanated from the back of his throat. Ignoring the new settings, he turned to the secretive two, demanding once more to be let in. Deep in the back of his mind he felt something tug at his resolve. Something had transpired, something that hit home with him, something he had yet been privileged to.
Logan's demanding persistent form went unnoticed to the two telepaths. The professor took the lead, moving to the end of the cool hall and pausing at the crossroads. Turning to Jean, Logan was helplessly lost as they once again carried on a silent but obviously vital conversation.
"Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on!" he snapped when Xavier wheeled away from him and Jean.
The older man said nothing, merely vanishing down the hall. Watching so intently, Logan never caught Jean head in the opposite direction until she called back to him. There was an odd tint to her voice that spoke of fear, anger and a humbling regret. The reasons behind the emotions she conveyed with the simple pronunciation of his name were lost on him.
He followed her, his mind reeling, struggling desperately for some conclusion, some semblance of understanding. Everything was happening so fast, leaving him in the proverbial dust to mingle with his own uncertainties - he didn't like it one bit. Catching up to her, he once again demanded to know - gripping her arm with unheeded force in his own attempt at getting what he wanted.
Glancing at the hand on her arm then into the eyes of this man, she carried a blank look. Even through the stare he could see the regret of what she was about to concede to him. "A small group of graduate students left this afternoon to drive to the lake an hour or so up the road. They simply wanted to relax, study and be kids for a while. Less then five minutes ago I received a mental distress call from one of them and now…" She bowed her head, shaking her way out of his grasp. Moving towards the hanger that held the Blackbird she called over her shoulder, not bothering to make sure Logan was following. "Now I can't reach any of them, telepathically or otherwise."
Her rushed words caused ripples of tempered fear deep within him. Grabbing her arm he forced her to stare him in the eyes. "Which students?" The words forced their way past the knots already forming in his stomach. He knew, how else could he have felt it, but he couldn't accept it. The knots grew when the truth formed in her eyes.
Bowing away from him she mumbled, "Bobby, John, Kitty, Jubilee and… and… Rogue."
All sensation stopped, his heart halting mid-beat, his breath freezing mid gasp. His entire form froze, the dread from before overthrowing his ability to see reason instead of the red forming before his eyes. "What does it mean when you can't feel them?"
Tearing herself away from his gaze and his hold, she stared towards the jet once more, not before sadly murmuring, "They're either unconscious… or… they're dead."
Dead. Logan's mind reeled, a smothering mass of questions without any answers. The lump in his throat gripped at him tightly, squeezing the life from his eyes. He couldn't let himself think about it but his mind fluttered to the image of Marie's battered body, lifelessly dangling in his arms. Quivering in disgust at his demented mind he tried to push past it. In the 18 or so years he'd been conscious he'd seen lady death and her immeasurable grasp, pulling at souls deserving and some less. The young entity who'd stolen his every fiber and claimed it as her own didn't deserve death - she deserved to be revered for the goddess she was.
Almost choking on the fear that clamped down on his heart, he forced his immobile legs to follow the retreating form of Jean. He grew blind to everything but the image of Marie's contorted face, her agile features reeling in pain inflicted by a faceless assailant. He never noticing Scott or Ororo as they fell in step. Barely acknowledging the Blackbird or the unsteady take off, staring blankly at nothing. Unnerved by the way he'd reverted into himself, Ororo cursed the life they were forced to lead, the dangers that surrounded them preventing them from leading normal lives. Viewing first hand the destruction overwhelming the strongest man she'd ever known, she grew thankful for never having experienced that kind of love. The kind that made your heart a ticking time bomb.
Shooting a glare at Scott, she softly demanded he go faster. Just as frightened as the others, he did as he was asked, breaking sound barriers as he went. The 40 seconds it took to get there was a thousand lifetimes to all occupants in the jet. Before the contraption landed, Logan was up and out of his seat, pacing the opening at the back. No one dared go near him, the venomous growls spitting forth from his stalking form more then enough warning.
Scott imitated Logan, shooting out of the jet the moment the steps opened. He watched with slight trepidation as Logan reverted to a primal place he hid deep within him. Sharp inhales of breath sounded in the silent field as the man sniffed his way around.
Doing a take of the scene, Scott cursed under his breath and moved to the closest body. The prone figures of four teens littered the small field before the lake. The pristine water glistened, unaware or uncaring of the turmoil that lay at its feet. Leaning over John's stoic form he reached for a pulse, Jean and Ororo doing the same to Kitty and Jubilee. Each let out a breath of relief.
"They're breathing - we have to get them back to the mansion!" Scott slipped into Leader mode quickly. Locking his gaze on Logan, the three of them watched him stalk towards the mangled body of Bobby. The look on his face gave away nothing but desperate need. It was then that each of them realized the person he was looking for was nowhere in site.
Suddenly Logan dropped to his knees, two feet before the fallen boy. A hesitant hand slipped into the folds of tall grass, reaching for some invisible mark. What appeared on his fingers when he pulled back forced a whimper from Jean's pursed lips. The scent of her blood filled his nostrils and he forced down the urge to heave. Distraught by the discovery, Logan's head snapped up and his wild eyes scanned the horizon. Picking up her scent he bypassed the punk curled up on the blood encrusted ground.
Jean watched with fascination - not a sound could be heard save for the heaving breaths launching from Logan's chest. Startling her, he took off at a run towards a looming tree at the apex of the lake. Never taking her eyes off his form as it crouched again in the grass, she flinched when his back stiffened and arched backwards. The sound that fell from his parted lips sent chills down her spine.
Logan howled, tearing every inch of emotion from his form with that one action, pouring it forth, allowing the world to consume it so he didn't have to. The booming sound withered into that of a wounded animal caught in a trap. Logan was very much caught, staring down at Marie's delicate gloves lying in the imprisoning grass. His hands shook violently as he took hold of them. She took them off… pried them from her skin, skin she feared more then anything else in the world. He couldn't help the possible reasons why she would risk such a thing, each vision worse off then the last.
The skin covering his claws stung with the need to slash the bastards who'd hurt his Marie. Her blood was on his hands and he desperately wanted to replace it with theirs. Standing on shaky legs, his muscles threatened to turn to jelly under the weight of the implications. She's gone… really gone. And he never got to say the things he wanted, never got the chance to show her how much he loved her.
Faintly he caught the sound of the tiny prick, Bobby, waking up. Swiveling around, he advanced on his form, shoving Jean away from him.
Bobby's eyes fluttered and his chest heaved and before he could regain his bearings, he felt the fabric of his shirt lift and tighten around his neck. Coughing and sputtering, he felt his body effortlessly lift off the ground. Snapping his eyes open, he was greeted with Logan's wild and crazed gaze staring back.
Barely able to control his breathing, he spat at the kid. "Where is she?"
Bobby watched the man's teeth clench and he tried to formulate the question in his fuzzy mind. Nothing made sense, least of all the animal threatening his very being. Then it hit him, the events slamming into him with such force he let out a childish whimper, her name falling from his lips pathetically.
"That's it, where the hell is she?" Logan pressed him, pulling him further off the ground.
Jean, having fallen back, just sat there and watched with an uneasy dread filling her. She called to Logan softly but he didn't let himself hear her voice of reason. Before she could try again, Bobby's timid voice broke out.
"She's gone… She's gone," he whimpered, tears sliding down his bruised cheeks. "They-they took her… they took her." The simple act of speech drained Bobby and he slumped even further in Logan's hold. The taller man let him slip to the ground unmercifully.
"Who?" Logan snarled at Bobby's quivering form, nudging him none too politely in the side.
Shaking his head forcefully, he muttered, "I-I don't know. I don't… don't know…" With that admission the boy collapsed even further into himself, slipping into the darkness, hiding from the reality of the real world.
For a moment Logan felt pity, which turned to envy to be in that state and then swiftly became utter horror. Someone had descended on a bunch of teens, attacking and wreaking havoc simply to capture his Marie. Whatever the reason, he knew the outcome could mean her death and he cursed himself for not being here to protect her. He should never have let her go, should have tied her to her bed and made her stay with him, understand him. Now that chance was gone. She was gone.
Ignoring the others and the unconscious forms of the teens, Logan returned to the jet. With or without help he was going to get her back. The mere thought of living a life without her… He convulsed at the idea and proceeded to shut out the rest of the world and the others. He had to find her. Just had to.
****
The trip back passed swiftly, the arrival unable to tear Logan's mind away from the deprecating thoughts roaming freely through his mind. It was devastatingly obvious how destroyed he was. The woman they all knew he loved was missing, kidnapped, and there were no clues. The teens who had the misfortune of witnessing it were all unconscious, lying prone in the med labs buried beneath the school's massive structure.
The senior staff, along with Logan, remained outside the lab, peering through the glass separation every few moments for some sign of life. Jean busied herself, hovering over each one equally before moving on to the next. She never stopped, knowing that if she did she'd be hit with the reality that the girl she considered her younger sister, hell her daughter even, was missing and in the hands of god only knows. Staring down at Bobby's contorted face, she cursed the men who caused it.
Logan's dull eyes blankly glared at the boy who'd claimed to be the better man. A better man would have protected her with his life. A better man never would have let them take her. A better man never would have let her go. Neither of them was the better man, both having let her down. Storm's dejected voice shattered Logan's ignorant bliss.
"Who could have done this?" she breathed the words, unshed tears lacing every vowel.
Stiffening, Logan turned his glare to Scott and snarled, "I can think of someone."
Scott matched his intensity, wrapping his mind around his comment. Shaking his head, he physically rejected Logan's idea.
Scoffing hotly, Logan rebutted, "He's done it before, what's to stop him from doing it again?"
"Aside from the fact that he's in prison?" Scott snapped back, Logan's attitude, though valid, was really starting to piss him off.
Oblivious and massively confused, Storm silently listened to the bordering conversation, praying it wouldn't turn violent. In his state, Logan was more than unstable…
Shaking his head, Logan gave Scott the cold shoulder, causing the other man to breathe a sigh of frustration. "Even if he could somehow manage to orchestrate this from his plastic bubble, this doesn't seem like something he'd do."
"And you would know that how?"
"Cause when Magneto does something, he likes you to know it was him. He is an egotistical bastard after all."
A groan from inside the lab interrupted Logan from snapping at Scott. Bobby was slowly coming too, Jean aiding him into a sitting position. Logan burst through the door before anyone could stop him.
"Logan no," Jean warned fruitlessly when she caught sight of him advancing on her patient.
Ignoring her and the others watching through the glass partition Logan reached for the boy with a steady ease. Bobby jerked in his hold but didn't fight it. Silent tears threatened whatever was left of his pride, his soft sobs vibrating into Logan like vicious waves. Logan's own eyes filled slowly but he squeezed them shut before they had a chance to fall.
"Come on kid calm down, it's okay, it's okay…"
Contorting his face into screwed up denial, he viciously shook his head. "No… no. I could have… I should have… god she… oh god."
"You're damn right you should have," Logan snapped, still holding on tightly to the quivering mass. "But it was out of your hands, out of your league. You did all you could."
Bobby drank in the truth of Logan's words, thriving off the guilt it gave him. "You could have… you could have saved her." Bobby breathed in a shuddering gasp followed by a bitter laugh. "No wonder she chose you. Least you can protect her."
A kaleidoscope of emotions rushed through Logan at the boy's words. She'd made a choice and now neither of them could act on it.
"What can I do? I couldn't even control my mutation." Self-hatred laced his words, his chin falling hard onto his chest. "I couldn't even help. Useless. Fucking useless."
White knuckled hands gripped Bobby's shoulders and a brash force jerked his head up. Logan found himself relating to the boy that had at one point been his adversary. They were in the same boat now, traveling down the same stream towards the same waterfall. Both didn't think they were enough for one woman but both strived to be what she needed. Respect for the feelings this boy felt for his girl budded within Logan's heart. "You can help save her now."
With unabashed confusion, Bobby peered at Logan through flooded eyes. "How… I… anything, I'll… I'll do anything."
The transition from one emotional high to another did nothing but confuse the already uncertain doctor. When Logan had first walked in, she'd believed without a doubt that he was going to interrogate the boy, break him even further. She couldn't process what was transpiring before her, couldn't understand the growing respect that seemed to now be held for the rivaling men.
"Tell me everything, down to the smallest little detail." It was a humble request instead of a demand, deeply rooted in the knowledge that reiterating the details could destroy the fragile mind of this boy.
Swallowing soundly, Bobby tried to bring saliva back to his parched lips. Nodding despondently, he proceeded to tell Logan everything. He skimmed over the conversation he and Rogue had under the tree. Told how Kitty and the others went down before he could do anything. He tried to explain what had happened to himself but the memories were foggy at best. Wet welts of tears resurfaced, slicking his cheeks with salty reverence.
Struggling to retain a single crumb of humility, Bobby pulled his arms around his chest and held onto himself. "I hit the ground, hard. Next thing I knew Rogue… She was right there, by my side and all I could do was whisper her name. She was so scared, the look on her face. God I'll never forget that look as long as I live.
"I, uh, can't explain what happened next but something in her snapped… She snapped and something took over. It was almost as if the eyes that were looking down at me weren't hers anymore. She took off after the guy who'd taken me down… You should have seen her," he peered at Logan, a tint of pride shining in his eyes. "She speared the guy, taking him down in one move, she took just enough energy from him to render him unconscious."
As the story progressed, Logan's own pride feathered out and he realized why he'd found her gloves beneath that tree. Waves of relief seeped into him.
"She stalked the next guy. He tried to hit her but… she was so fast, so agile she slipped through his grasp finally landing a hard blow to his chin. He went down hard and fast… I could barely believe what my eyes were showing me. And then the last guy pulled… pulled out a gun." The pride and strength in his retelling vanished, his eyes no longer lit with unyielding pride. "He aimed it at her. He held a fucking gun pointed at her head …but she didn't flinch. It was like she knew, just knew he wouldn't shoot her. I don't know how she did but she was right - a guy stepped out from the back of one of the SUV's and told him to put it down. I couldn't move, could barely breath but I tried so damned hard when I saw one of the men move up behind her."
Bobby grew silent, reverting into himself as he tried once more to speak—to do as Logan had asked of him. His voice, fleeting at best, found strength in the knowledge that what he had to say had the potential to do what he couldn't on that field.
Bracing himself heavily on the table underneath him, he stared helplessly down at his feet. "She… she never had time to act, he hit her hard, ramming the… prod into her back. When she didn't go down right away the other guy came at her with his… she didn't scream… not once… just went down. They… god, they didn't stop… I screamed her name and they wouldn't stop…" Bobby's eyes fell closed against the images of Rogue's unconscious form withering on the tainted grass. Before his eyes he saw it all again, a tiny motion picture playing out like a nightmare. Her lithe form seizing under a torrent of electrical charges.
Unable to hold back any longer, Jean broke out of the spell that entrapped her and reached for the young man, pulling his trembling form to hers. She offered him comfort gently, glaring at Logan for having added to the pain the boy had endured. Logan ignored her angered glare and simply digested the boy's words, rolling them through his mind trying to discover some hidden piece of a puzzle that he couldn't quite grasp.
"The guy that came from the back of one of the cars…" Logan started with a suddenness that sparked a yelp from Bobby.
Peeling himself out of Jean's arms, he turned to Logan. "What… what about him?"
Sighing, Logan shrugged. "Who was it?" It was an observation that Logan didn't believe went anywhere but he quickly shifted gears when a light clicked on in Bobby's eyes.
"I… I think I recognized him… I don't…" Pausing, he sifted through his memories searching for the clue that would shed light on why. Shaking his head, he stared at Logan, demanding he believe him. "I don't know but I think I've seen him before."
Shocked into a dull uncertainty, Jean stared at Logan for a moment—portraying her disbelief that his tactics had actually spurred forth a minute piece of information. Turning to Bobby still wrapped up in her arms, she asked the question lingering on Logan's own tongue.
"Think Bobby. Where did you see him?"
The young man tried desperately to forge the memory that went with the feelings he knew without a doubt were real. He replayed the man exiting from the back of the car over in his mind, staring blatantly at the man's face. Tightly pressing his eyes shut, he cursed himself and mumbled, "I can't, I'm sorry." Lifting his head he connected gazes with Logan and apologized again.
In contrast to the image he wore like a silk shirt, Logan shrugged the apology off and said with no uncertain terms that Bobby had tried his hardest and that was all any of them could ask for.
It wasn't enough for Bobby, he knew the information was there just waiting to be tapped. More than that he needed to be the one to give them this lead, it was his last chance at redemption. The members of the silent room all resigned themselves to not knowing, a heavy cloud cascading around each of them.
Running a heavily burdened hand through his hair, Logan asked the one question lingering on his mind. "Could it have been Magneto?"
Having entered the room not too long ago, Scott scoffed under his breath. "I told you it couldn't have been him."
Swiveling on his feet, Logan peered down at the shorter man, mal intent swirling in his darkened pools. "I didn't ask you Scooter, I asked the kid."
"Mr. Summers is right… I don't see how it could have been, the men… they weren't mutants, if anything they looked government."
The world crumbled even more under the younger mans words. The Government? Fucking Christ! Logan mentally cursed never having thought of it. White knuckled fists clenched and unclenched as Logan's fears grew. Viewing the destruction his words had on Logan, Bobby quickly tried to save face.
"They only looked it, they could have been anyone." Lame as it was, Logan relaxed a little, stepping away from the boy's bed and folding his arms defensively over his chest. Bobby continued, his energy obviously draining. "I know I've seen that guy before… I just can't…"
Running a motherly hand across Bobby's shoulders, Jean hesitated before asking, "Would it help if I took a look myself?"
Defeated in more ways than one, Bobby slumped like jelly into her hands and relented. "Maybe."
"If it makes you uncomfortable, me seeing your memories, I don't have to."
With a despondent shrug, Bobby simply turned towards her, the gesture affirmation for her to connect with him. A warm smile spread across her face, the edges barely reaching her eyes. Lifting quivering hands to the sides of his head, Jean whispered for him to relax. Logan couldn't watch as Jean's eyes closed, her face crumpling into a visible grimace. Whatever it was she was being witness to, he didn't want to know. Verbal details were more than enough for him.
No one in the room envied either Jean or Bobby, both being forced to watch the gore of that afternoon's events unfold once more. When Jean finally released the boy from her grasp, she stumbled slightly back, peering at Logan out of the corner of her eye. Rogue's tainted words filled her mind. Did she honestly believe love didn't matter? That revelation stung Jean deeply. Pushing the words from her mind, she focused on the last sequence of events Bobby could remember.
Scott's demanding subconscious voice reverberated in her mind, asking if she'd found anything. The connection that had forged between the two lovers had become at times a nuisance. Mentally she scolded Scott, telling him to be patient. He apologized and allowed her to sift through the images in her head. The foggy edges around each image forced her to concentrate so hard she could feel a headache coming on. Reaching the point at which the gun was pointed at Rogue's head, she slowed the images, a non-corporeal version of herself appearing beside the unwavering girl.
Drinking in the sight of Rogue's hunched shoulders and wild hair, she was the picture of predator become prey. The sight bewildered Jean. The question of how a girl so slight could appear so strong, so in control when the tides had obviously been turned. Shifting her gaze, she caught site of Bobby's mangled body, one bloodied hand outstretched towards Rogue. Squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to erase the sight from her mind, she turned her gaze past Rogue, past the gunman, landing on the man from the car. Slowly and efficiently the man rose from the back of the car, an air of dominance following his movements. He towered over the vehicle, just his presence demanding respect and fear. Pausing the conjured world based in Bobby's memories, Jean moved towards the man, feeling Bobby's recognition wash over her.
She tried to grab hold of that recognition and unravel its origins, uncover its meaning but fell short. Bobby's own memories failed him as well as her. Changing tactics, she stared into the man's features, a desperation to recognize him herself taking over. She purged her inner thoughts, sifting deeply into the recesses of her own mind. His pale, sickly blue eyes bore into her, causing a shiver of disgust and something close to fear. Shaking her head, effectively shattering the mental landscape, she opened her eyes to the real world.
Bobby's hopeful gaze probed hers and she frowned, wishing she didn't have to shatter that hope but knowing she had to. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
"Fuck," Logan cursed under his breath, a heavy hand colliding with a tray near by. The utensils scattered across the linoleum floor crashing soundly along with his own hopes. Storm as well as Jean jumped at the sound, a muted cry floating out of Storms parted lips. A bystander in what was transpiring, she was the first to notice that they had a guest.
"Jubilee?" Storm stepped towards the swaying girl leaning heavily on the doorframe that led to the other room of the lab. "What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting."
"Right, cause it's easy to sleep when you have people bitching and moaning in the next room," she muttered, self-conscious of the several pairs of eyes now on her. Bracing herself even more on the frame, she turned to Bobby. The look they exchanged was one of understanding and comfort. A small smile graced the girl's features before it fell into the oblivion of her frown. Struggling a little, she caught the impatient and angry look that flashed across Logan's features. With an audible gulp, she spoke softly but with conviction. "I'm not gonna pretend I like Rogue even in the slightest. As far as I'm concerned she's caused more trouble in this place than she's worth." Wrenching her gaze away from Bobby's, she glared at Logan. "You're no better yourself and you're most definitely the cause of it all…"
Logan's patience dwindled quickly and he snapped, "Is there a point to this? Or are you just bitching for the hell of it?"
"Look asswipe, I'm trying to help here, you wanna find her, shut that ape-ish mouth of yours and listen up cause I am not going to repeat this more than once," Jubilee ground out, unaffected by Logan's attempts at domineering her. Pleased that he was now silent, she turned to stare back at Bobby. "The girl may be a bitch most of the time but the way you put it she risked her ass for us today and the least I can do is try and help." Pausing, making sure she had everyone's attention she continued. "I saw the guy in the back of the SUV too, before I passed out I saw him sitting in the back with a smug ass look on his fucking face."
"Would you get to it already?" Logan snapped.
"If you'd stop interrupting me you big overgrown moose I might get to it!"
Logan advanced one single step towards her, his own frustrations molding into anger. Jean stepped in, her eyes flaring up at him. "Back off and let her finish before I kick you out of my lab."
The tense muscles in Logan's neck bulged, threatening to burst much like his unstable resolve. Jubilee shot him a smug indignant smirk.
"I've seen him before, on TV, in front of the White House. He has an anti-mutant group that had caused a riot. His name's Mark, Mark Williams." Each word that fell from her lips was drenched in sarcasm, directed at Logan's defensive features.
"Thank you…" Bobby's demure voice slipped into the thick animosity crackling between Jubilee and Logan.
The hotheaded girl's features softened at the boy's words and she turned to him. Smiling gently, she tried to push off the wall and move toward him. Practically falling, Storm helped her over with ease. Bobby pulled her into his arms and held on tightly. Jubilee didn't hesitate returning the hold, smiling when Bobby once again whispered his thanks.
Ignoring the display, Logan voiced the only thing on his mind. "Who the hell is Mark Williams and what the hell would he want with my… with Marie?"
"He's the head of an anti-mutant group called the Purists. A normally non -violent sect. It would appear they've given up being pacifists." The calm fatherly voice of Xavier filtered across the room as he silently wheeled into the room.
"Professor. Any luck?" Jean's voice faltered slightly.
"Luck?" Feeling out of the loop again, Logan couldn't help falling out of his stupor to ask the question.
"Cerebro," the Professor explained then shook his head. "And no, it would seem the once passive Mr. Williams has managed to deflect my attempts at finding Ms. Rogue."
"That can't be good," Scott mumbled.
"You think?" Logan snapped. "Where the hell would a human get hold of that kind of technology?"
"If you say Magneto had something to do with this I'll kick you clear across this room!" Scott's rage towards Logan festered and boiled to the top, exploding in a more than stable threat.
"You wanna try it?" Never one to back down, especially when it concerned Scott, Logan advanced on him.
"My god! Listen to you two! You sound like two-year-olds fighting over who gets the last Popsicle! Knock it off before I make the two of you think you really are two year olds! Get over yourselves! Rogue is missing and your petty little rivalry is not helping," Jean screamed, her shrill voice slamming the both of them back into their places.
Jubilee's giggle was the only thing to be heard in the small room. "Go boss lady, making with the whipping."
"Jubilee I suggest you shut up too, I am not in the mood for jokes, or childish fights. We have to grow up here people, Rogue's life is on the line. We know who has her, what now? Hmm?"
Shell-shocked, Scott and Logan remained silent. Hiding his pride under a layer of seriousness, The Professor moved further into the room, taking control of the situation. "Bobby, Jubilee, go into the back room and get some rest, now." He added the now at the look of protest on their faces. They did as he asked, aiding each other into the other room. Waiting for them to leave, he turned to Storm. "Cerebro's obviously useless right now so go to the library and use the computers to try and find anything you can on this anti-mutant group and their leader." Storm nodded and left the room, heading for the elevators. "Jean I want you to keep an eye on the kids, Scott you come with me. I have a few contacts I can call and if that doesn't pan out we'll have to go visit an old friend. This Mr. Williams has the technology to bypass Cerebro somehow and I'm fairly certain Eric might have some ideas." Turning to Logan, he spoke softly but strongly. "You need to relax Logan before your temper gets a hold of you anymore then it already has."
Indignant, Logan glared at the older man. "That's it? You want me to just sit around and try to relax while Marie is out there dying for all we know? How the hell is that going to help?"
"Logan, your attitude and your demeanor has not been helping and unless you have computer skills of some kind, the only thing you can do right now is try not to kill one of us because you're angry." Xavier's level toned voice grated at Logan's nerves but he relented enough to acknowledge the reason in the older man's words.
Breathing heavily, he cursed under his breath and ground out a tempered, "Fine. But you find anything I wanna be the first to know, got that?"
"You have my word." With that the Professor gracefully left the room, a holier-than-thou looking Scott on his heels.
Forgetting that Jean was still in the room, Logan allowed his shoulders to slump, a heavy breath slipping from his chest. Running his hand once more through his hair, Logan tried to gain control of the unraveling sanity that was trying to take hold of him. He barely registered the warm hand on his shoulder or the pressure behind it.
"She'll be okay Logan," Jean cooed gently.
Closing his eyes tightly, he returned the tone. "How can you be so sure when I can't even be?" He didn't let her respond, simply walked off, her delicate hand slipping from his shoulder.