Saying "I'm Sorry"/Learning To Fly

Sanctuary, the next morning:

Having not been able to sleep Donna had sneaked into Blair's room and curled under the covers with him and finally was able to sleep after hearing Blair's voice say, "I was hoping that you would come in here sooner or later." She couldn't help smile. Even after remembering what she had said to Cat that night. It made her feel like a heel for what she had said but she knew she had to do it. She also knew that she had to find Cat as soon as she had put herself together to tell her that she was sorry for being so harsh.

She got up and dressed and then put her face on and her hair in a ponytail and then walked into the common room were she found Adam, Brennan, Shalimar, Emma, and Angela talking. The others must have still been asleep, after all it was only seven and they had all had a late night. Donna always lost sleep when she was stressed.

She walked over to were Cat was sitting next to Brennan and said with a sad voice looking down at her feet, "I'm so sorry Cat, I feel bad about what I said last night. I didn't mean what I said, I hope you know that." She then looked up at her friend and was grateful for the smile that she got from Cat.

"You don't need to apologize," Cat laughed then, "I know you were just play acting. Did a fine job too. If I had an Oscar I would give it to you."

"Nice work too, GryphonLady," That was Adam. He preferred to use the nick from the net most of the time

"Did it work?" Donna asked her new leader.

"Like a charm. They contacted The Cat almost immediately after she left the club." Adam answered.

"Adam thought that there might be a telempath in their ranks so it is good that you acted the way that you did to make it more believable." Brennan said to the multi-psionic.

"Great, first Alex Tremayne, then Windbagman, now you think that they have a telempath. It was bad enough knowing that a telecyber is working with them. I think I'm getting sick now." Donna leaned against the wall near Adam. She looked up at Adam and said, "Well until the New Chaos as you call them is thoroughly taken care of you can consider me a full time Mutant X member." the GryphonLady lifted her silver banded finger, " I want them gone."

"I hope that means that you are up to anything that I throw at you to do." Adam said with a huge grin on his face.

"Tell me to jump and I will ask you how high."

"And I will teach her how to fly." Revolution said looking from Adam to Donna.

"Are you kidding? Fly like you do, and Angela too?" Donna looked at the powerful telekinetic.

"Sure, you are just as powerful as I am, I don't see why you couldn't fly like me. We can start as soon as you are ready." Rev said as she stopped beside her fellow psionic.

"Well I have levitated a few inches off the ground a couple of times and sometimes I would wake up floating above my bed. But I never thought about trying to fly. Just never occurred to me to try." Donna was thrilled at the idea of being able to take off like Revolution and her sister hawk. She really loved those few times that Angela had taken her for a flight. Her spirits lifted to the sky.

Adam said as he got up from were he was sitting, "Well that gives the three of you," and he points a finger at Angela, "something to do this morning while we wait for Ntobo to contact Cat."

Angela said finally, "Well, let's go get something to eat so we won't be flying on an empty stomach." She had a doctors tone to her voice. They all did what the good doctor said. Blair had woke up and joined them.

After finding out what they were going to do he said to Donna, "Just never take me on a flight."

Laughing Donna said, "I'm gonna get that fear of heights out of you honey."

"Oh, no you don't. I like being on the ground too much."

"Give it a rest Gryph'," Angela said, "Some people weren't meant for the sky."

After the breakfast Revolution thought that it would be best if they started inside Sanctuary with some small exercises in levitation and Donna picked up pretty good. She looked down at Angela from her vantage point halfway between the floor and the ceiling, "Hey Angela! You never told me how freeing this can be. I love it.'

Revolution said to her new student, "Just you wait until you are flying in the mile high club!"

Jax and Lux walked into the room just as Donna was doing a flying leap from the floor to the second landing totally bypassing the stairs. "Mainframe, I didn't know that you were a feral too!"

Looking down at the two Ring members she said, "I'm not, Rev here is teaching me how to do what she does. Though I think that it will be a long time before I can join the Mile High Club that her and Angela belong to. Can't wait though."

"Patience, Donna San." Revolution said.

"Allright Miyagi San. I will remember to wax on and wax off in the meantime." Donna replied. Revolution rolled her eyes.

Say Uncle

"Revolution!" whispered Jesse as he walked into her dark room "You still asleep?"

That's weird, he thought as he closed the door.

"That's it Donna!" yelled Revolution as she floated around the top of sanctuary.

The older woman closed her eyes and floated a bit higher.

"Good!" yelled Angela from her perch.

"In no time, you'll be...." said Revolution as a sharp pain rippled down her side.

Angela looked over and saw the younger woman's grimace.

"You okay?" asked Angela "I told you that you should be resting."

"I'll rest when I'm dead," said Revolution through gritted teeth.

The falcon shook her head.

"When are you going to realize that your not indestructible?" she asked.

Revolution rolled her eyes.

"I've been through enough, I think I am plenty capable of knowing my limits." She whispered.

"There is a difference between knowing your limits and putting unesscary stress on yourself

"You know what? You don't know me." said Revolution

"I know what you're going through," whispered Angela.

"Uh...No ya don't.You think you're so wise and all knowing just because you've had a rough life. well, so have the rest of us." hissed Revolution.

"Now Riley, that's not fair," said Donna.

"Why not? Why isn't it fair?" Revolution asked as her altitude lowered with her waning strength.

"Because she's...."

"Only trying to help?" exclaimed Revolution rolling her eyes "Look save it! I don't need coddling...Not from Angela...not From you. NOT FROM ANYONE!."

Revolution landed softly on her feet and ran from the room. In her haste to exit the room, she knocked an oncoming Jesse over. She lifted herself off of him and slumped back against the wall.

"Riley? Sweetheart?" whispered Jesse as he tucked her hair behind her ears "Are you all right?"

She looked up at him, her bright eyes shining with fiercely held back tears.

"Yes...No," she whispered as the flood of tears poured down her cheeks "I'm tired, I'm scared and My side hurts like a bitch."

Jesse leaned over and kissed the trail of tears that had made their way down her cheek. The molecular stood up and lifted his girlfriend into his arms. She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes slightly.

"Here, lay down," said Jesse as he set her on his bed.

"Jess?"

"Yes?"

"Would you stay with me?" asked Revolution.

"Of course" whispered Jesse settling down next to her on the bed.

He laid down facing her. A sheepish grin settling over his boyish face.

"What's so Funny?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied.

"Liar," she said grinning "Even though I'm injured, I'll still get it out of you."

"Oh Really?" asked Jesse.

She leaned over like she was about to tickle him and he seized that moment to kiss her softly.

"Cheater," she whispered and kissed him passionately.

He placed his hands on her shoulder and pushed her away.

"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered.

She grinned impishly and kissed him again.

"I'll say uncle," she whispered in his ear as the door to his room slid shut.

Freedom!

Shaking her head, Angela Fontenelle, falcon half-breed and very frustrated mutant doctor watched as her best friend and sister in fire, a very excited Donna Gryphon, alighted from her first flight attempt. "Quite a temper, huh?" Donna pointed to the door, where Rev had just left.

"Yes, but she's still very young," the falcon answered. "She tries to hide her frailty with a lot of... what do you call it? Atittude. In order to survive, she had to steel herself against a lot of suffering. I think she ended up believing she's really made of steel."

"Give her time," Donna retorted, "she'll know better."

"If she doesn't die in the process," mused Angela. And she turned to her friend. "Remember our flight back here after the Foundation incident?"

Donna drapped an arm aroung her friend's shoulders, just above the wings. "How could I ever forget! It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life."

"Look up," pointed the Avian, "see the skylight up there? I want to try something." Opening the glass bands of the skylight, Angela took off and perched on the edge. "Come, float up here."

Donna Gryphon looked up, and up, and up... the skylight was very high up on the dome ceilinged room. The bird hybrid looked down, teasing her to push her body all the way up
until she could perch by her side on the edge of the skylight. She watched as the bird woman cocked a long and large-knuckled finger calling her up. Drawing a deep breath, Donna mustered all her concentration and wished her body to leave the ground and float up, defying the laws of gravity, pushing up until she was at a level with Angela.

"A little more," instructed the feral. And Donna, sweat running down her back, pushed harder until her feet touched the edge of the skylight. "Now," instructed Angela, "float a
little ahead so your feet can clear the room and you're just outside." Bending her upper body just a little, Donna pushed forward and stood floating just on the moutain side, nothing below her, nothing above her, behind her only the open skylight, in front of her only the amazing wavy landscape surrounding Stormking. The feral's voice was soft and reassuring, "Let go just a bit, enough so you can sit at the edge, here where I'm perching. That's it... That's it... Now, sit."

The morning sun was in full blaze and the hills rolled under the mountain top. The training room was high up and they could see for miles on end. The falcon woman drew a very deep
breath and laughed loud. Donna looked at her, panting, exahusted from the effort of extreme concentration, and she noticed her friend's eyes were glowing amber feral. She saw Angela stretch on her perch and simply dive in the air, unfurling her wings and gliding up as she caught a hot air column, soaring above the highest peak. The falcon flew around the hills in a graceful aereal ballet, like a child playing in a pool, only there was no water, but the open skies around her. That moment, Donna Gryphon realized her falcon friend needed the space and the blue skies to live, her power as a telempath making her drunk on the pure joy only flight could bring, on the overflowing beauty only eyes capable os seeing the curve of the earth could experience. Take everything and anything away from that bird, even her first true love. If she had the space, the skies and her flight, she would survive.

The falcon woman returned to her perch and looked at her friend, cocking her head. A smile lit up her face as she took Donna by the hand and helped her land back in the training room. She knew her psionic friend would one day know the joys of absolute freedom, it was only a matter of time and practice. "We'd better get ready to go to the clinic," she said.

As they were heading for the door, hand in hand, a cloud covered the sun and, suddenly, the room was in darkness. Donna Gryphon looked at her dear sister in fire and shuddered,
feeling her hands grow cold. Angela turned and saw Donna's face turn white, her lips drained of all color. She made a move to support her if she fainted, but Donna only looked
at her, sweat now icy cold trickling down her back and between her breasts.

Donna shook her head to clear it, wiped her drenched face and breathed deep, struggling to go back to normal. Little by little her racing heart calmed down and blood returned to her cheeks. "I'm fine, just my blood pressure plunged," she reassured the concerned doctor. It was only, she thought, a little... precog.