Sorry this took so long to update, I've been unbelievingly busy. Thanks for all the great reviews last chapter, and please enjoy!

The door to the room hissed open, and Remy pushed Chris Vasquez through it. Storm had the gun up and leveled at the two before Remy could even shout a warning. Luckily, she saw who it was before she fired.

"Jesus, Stormy, you 'bout gave me a heart attack!" He said, checking all around to make sure no one was waiting in the shadows, trying to set a trap. Everything looked exactly the same, though. Albers and Fox were both still cuffed to the table, unconscious, and Ororo nervously lowered the gun.

"I'm sorry, but I am just a little bit on edge. I've been worried sick." She threw her arms around him as if she they had been separated for a lot longer than a few hours. "Who is this?" She asked, looking at Vasquez.

Remy dug the key out of his pocket and helped her out of the collar. "This is Chris Vasquez. He's gonna help us get outta here. Chris, this is Ororo."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Vasquez." Storm said, with her eyebrows raised.

"Screw you both. I'm not helping you go anywhere."

Remy yanked on his cuffs again, jostling him backward. 'Watch your mouth, boy. And yes, you are gonna help us get outta here, or you're gonna end up with a crater in the back of your head. Get me?"

Chris reluctantly nodded, although Remy wasn't the least bit sure whether he believed him or not. After all, he had spared Creed's life, so why should the boy think that he would kill him? It was a chance he just had to take. "Come on," he said, motioning to the door. "We best get outta here 'fore anyone notices that we're gone."

The corridor outside was still empty, as Remy was almost sure it would be, due to the fact that most of the troops were gone to that Albany thing. He still wasn't taking chances, however. "Alright, Vasquez. Move it toward the nearest exit. And make it look good and natural."

He and Storm followed closely behind the boy, close enough so that Remy could grab him if he tried anything. He wasn't very surprised that he didn't, as a highly powerful plasma gun can be very convincing, and soon all three were safely outside. Safety, though, was still miles off, and neither had the faintest idea what to do now that they had escaped the compound. Safety didn't exist out here. That was home, back on Greymalkin Drive. And still another task lay before them. Getting off the grounds unseen.

The first thing Remy noticed when they left the compound was that it was freezing outside. An icy gust of March wind blasted them the second they stepped outside, stinging their eyes and lungs. Damn, but it's cold here, and he didn't even have any idea where 'here' was. There were some clues, though. Always aware of his environment, he noticed that the F.O.H had built their headquarters right in the middle of a thick forest, probably to shield it from the outside world. They were literally surrounded by huge evergreen trees that stretched as far as he could see, and rose high into the overcast gray sky. They were probably not in New York anymore. Maybe northeast.

The second thing he noticed were the two guards, armed with high powered rifles talking next to what he figured was the front of this huge, but well hidden place. How where they going to get past them unnoticed? He glanced at Storm, a questioning look in his eyes. She knew immediately what he was thinking.

"There has to be another way," she whispered.

"Yeah, what?"

"There is no need for further violence, my friend. I will handle the guards. You and young Mr. Vasquez go around to the back and make sure we cannot be spotted when we head into the woods."

Remy nodded, and motioned Chris toward the other side of the building with his gun. "What's she gonna do?" He asked.

Remy couldn't help but smile. "You'll see."

He stealthily made his way through the thick underbrush of pine, gun cocked, prepared to use it if he had to. He wished he had his overcoat because he hated being without his playing cards, his favorite weapon. Of course, there were plenty of rocks, sticks and other things to charge that would work just as well, but he had gotten used to the easy, lightweight cards.

The other side of the complex was full of people, all wearing the now familiar F.O.H. uniform. It seemed as if they were gathered there for something, but Remy didn't have time to wonder why. He couldn't possibly take out all of these guys, so it was better to remain hidden. They would just have to be extra careful to not be seen as they left the grounds. "Don't even think 'bout yellin', homme," he whispered to Vasquez. "I guarantee you'll regret it if you do."

Chris glared at him, his dark brown eyes full of contempt. He bit his lip, considering whether he should or not. "Why shouldn't I? I mean, if you're gonna kill me anyway, why shouldn't I at least try to escape?'

"Who said I was gonna kill you?"

Chris shrugged, and squirmed as the handcuffs dug into his wrists. "C'mon you're a mutant. You're all bloodthirsty murderers."

Remy cocked an eyebrow. He could say something about the fact that he had been the one that had been kidnapped, tortured, starved, and probably would have been killed, not to mention that they would have done the same to a pregnant woman and a baby, simply because they were mutants, and this kid had the nerve to say that mutants were bloodthirsty? But what was the point in trying to explain it to this messed-up boy? "Yeah, whatever you say, kid."

As they headed back to the other side of the compound, Remy glanced up at the sky, and saw that it was becoming a curious shade of dark gray. The winds began to pick up even more, and soon huge snowflakes began to fall. Interestingly enough, as the snow increased, it was centered directly over the building and the guards.

"Arctic blizzard, I summon you to blind our enemies so that we may escape from this prison!" The snow and winds heeded Ororo's commands and as Remy and Chris made it back to her, the F.O.H. headquarters was already in the mist of being covered by several feet of snow and ice. Remy kept one hand on Vasquez' arm so that he couldn't run off, but stared into the immense frozen wasteland that his best friend had created. He could no longer see the guards, or much of anything for that matter. Chris gawked at the massive snowfall in awe, wondering how it was possible that there could be a raging storm mere feet away, but not touch them.

"There's a whole shitload of guards 'round back, Ro. We best be headin' south through the woods. Don't think we can be seen thanks to the change in weather."

The three of them headed that way, through the dense thicket of pine, the blizzard behind them gradually lessoning as they went. Chris kept glancing at Ororo, and Remy briefly wondered if it was because he was amazed by what she did, or afraid. It seemed funny that someone could be afraid of Storm, although he could understand why. Maybe it was just that he had known her so long that he knew she would never hurt anyone unless she had no other choice. "How did you do that?" Chris finally asked her.

"She's a weather witch," Remy spoke up before she could answer. He grinned at her.

"A what?"

"I have the mutant ability to control and manipulate the weather," Storm explained. "Although he is right, I have been known as a weather witch."

"That was probably the freakiest thing I've ever seen. No wonder Mr. Creed kidnapped you." He turned to Remy with a sneer on his face. "So what are you? A fire goblin?"

Ororo tried to stifle a laugh, but it came out anyway. Remy narrowed his eyes, not finding it particularly funny. He pulled off his sunglasses, and glared at the boy. Chris took one look at his black and red eyes, and gasped. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

"I'm Satan."

Storm hit him on the shoulder. "Don't listen to him. His eyes are merely a genetic defect caused by his mutancy."

Chris frowned, and pulled hard away from Remy. If he hadn't been paying attention, he probably would have broken free. "Genetic defect my ass, man. You look like some sort of devil or demon."

Demon. That word brought back plenty of memories for him. Remy remembered all the times he had been called 'demon boy' or had been teased and beat up because he had 'demon eyes.' In the largely Catholic New Orleans that he had grown up in, having black and red eyes didn't mean that you were just born with a genetic defect that caused you to be a mutant, it meant that you were unholy, spawn of the Devil or something like that. He could still remember how much it hurt. He eventually learned how to defend himself and fight back the ones that wanted to beat him, but it was the ones that taunted him that really bothered him. He started to believe that maybe he really was unholy. Maybe he really was the spawn of Satan.

Storm took his free hand and squeezed it understandingly. "Appearances can be deceiving, Mr. Vasquez. Just because some mutants may look different, does not mean that we should be feared or hated."

Vasquez snorted, and kicked at the ground. "Yeah, sure, lady. Tell that to..." He stopped and drifted off. "Never mind."

Remy and Ororo glanced at each other curiously, wondering what he meant to say. He shrugged, and glanced behind them to make sure they weren't being followed. They were now out of sight of the F.O.H complex, but Remy knew it was only a matter of time before someone noticed they were gone, and went after them. "Alright," he said. "I think we safe for the time being." Just up ahead, he noticed a small stream set apart from the trees. He pointed his gun in that direction. "Let's go up there and rest for a minute. We gotta decide what we gonna do."

When they reached it, Storm immediately sat down on a large flat rock. Closing her eyes, she grasped her stomach and grimaced. Remy directed Chris to sit on the ground. "Don't you even think 'bout movin'," he ordered, sitting down next to her. "You okay, chere?"

Ororo nodded slowly. "I will be alright. It's just the stress I've been put under. We have more important things to worry about, such as how do we get home?"

Remy shook his head. "I dunno. The com link in my watch's been fried by all those 'sessions' with Creed. There's no way to get in contact with the team."

"Perhaps now that we are free of the compound, the Professor can find us on Cerebro."

"Maybe..." Remy replied, but he sure felt that it was a huge maybe. "But it's been 2 and a half days since we were kidnapped. You'd think if they were gonna find us, they woulda done it by now." He had the distinct feeling that something...or someone had been shielding them from even Xavier's powerful mind. It was a feeling that he hadn't felt in years...not since he was back in New Orleans...back with... "Well, I sure hope that the others are still looking for us. But I'm not about to just sit around and wait to get picked up. By either side. I think the best thing is to keep moving." He stood up and looked all around, in a 360 degree circle. All he could see were trees and more trees. Somewhere, way off in the distance, he saw what looked like rocky cliffs or crags, but that was it. "Could be miles to the nearest town, though." Turning to Vasquez, he asked, "I need to know where we are, and where the nearest town is."

"Disneyworld," Chris said. "And this is the happy forest. Tomorrow land is just up ahead."

Remy sighed. Damn, but he was tired of all the bullshit. He was tired of the goddamn Friends of Humanity, and he was especially tired of this mouthy little bastard. He grabbed the boy by his jacket and slammed him against the nearest tree. "You know what, homme?" He growled. "I'm getting real sick of all this. I'm getting sick of you." He bent down and picked up a large rock which immediately began to glow with kinetic energy. Vasquez looked at it and his eyes went wide, but Remy wasn't through. "In the last nearly three days, I been kidnapped, tortured, starved, and almost killed God only knows how many times. Now, you see this rock?" Chris swallowed and nodded nervously. "If I let go of it, it's gonna 'splode, and you ain't gonna like that. So I suggest you tell me what I wanna hear, n'est pas?"

"Remy," Ororo said, making her way over to him. "He is just a boy. You needn't scare him anymore than he already is."

"Don't gimme that, Ro. He old 'nough to wear that uniform, he old 'nough to be treated like a man." Turning back to Vasquez, he pushed him harder against the tree. He could almost smell the fear on him, but he didn't care. "What's it gonna be, kid?"

"Maine," he finally gasped. "We're in Maine, okay?"

Remy let go, and he fell to the ground with a thud. Cringing, he grabbed at his neck, and gave Remy a look that clearly said he wouldn't mind seeing him torn to little pieces. "What part of Maine?" Remy asked, ignoring the look.

Chris shrugged. "I dunno."

"Whatdya mean you don't know? You begging for it, boy, you know that?"

"I really don't know!" Chris protested. "When we're taken on by the F.O.H. as new recruits, they fly us in blindfolded in the dead of night, and we're not allowed to leave the grounds of the compound for an entire year!"

Ororo frowned. "Why would they do that?"

"Because we have to prove our loyalty to Creed and the organization. If we let just anyone join, we could get spies or mutie lovers that wanna sabotage us. But not many people are willing to give up a year of their lives to join us unless they're dedicated to the cause. The only thing they would tell us was that we were in the northeast. Someone leaked to me that we where in Maine. But that's all I know, I swear!"

Remy snorted and threw the rock he still held in his hand as far as he could, in the direction of the water, where it exploded upon hitting it. "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. You believe that Stormy?"

"I would certainly not put it past the F.O.H to use such measures with their own members. Yes, I think he is telling the truth."

Although he wasn't sure, he gave the kid the benefit of the doubt. Actually, he gave Storm the benefit of the doubt. He trusted her judgment. Glancing at the sky, Remy noticed that it was turning pinkish purple. The sun was setting. They had maybe an hour of daylight left, and the last thing he wanted was to be surprised by an entire troop of F.O.H soldiers. They had to make some miles before dark. After explaining the situation to Ororo, he asked, "You gonna be alright to keep going? You don't look that great."

"Thank you, my friend. That is exactly what I wanted to hear."

"That ain't what I meant."

Storm smiled. "I will be fine. But what about you? You do not look particularly great yourself."

Remy shrugged. "I'll be okay. Although I feel a lot better when we're safe at home, and I stuffing myself wit' some of Jean's cooking."

As the sky grew darker, Remy and Ororo grew increasingly worried. They hadn't come across anywhere that would be safe to stay for the night, nor had they seen signs of a town, a house, a road, or even a sign. The temperature had dropped even more, and although he wouldn't admit it, Remy was freezing. He knew Storm must be, too, because both of them were from hot places and weren't particularly fond of the cold. Vasquez didn't complain about being cold or tired, but he had developed an annoying habit of dragging behind. Remy had to prod him along with the butt of his gun more than once, and he was getting fed up.

"Damnit, boy, you don't start movin' your ass, I'm gonna knock you out and carry you. And trust me, that won't be a pleasant experience."

"I am moving," he protested. "You're going too fast."

"Quit whinin' and start walkin'."

Just up ahead, Ororo had sat down to rest for a second. She was having terrible stomach cramps, but she didn't want to give her friend anything else to worry about, so she didn't tell him. She was hungry, thirsty, cold, and especially tired, but at least they were safe. She tried to take comfort it that, but it was hard. Why did this have to happen? It was the same question she had wondered repeatedly seven months ago, when she had first learned that she was pregnant. Right now, though, she was far more afraid than she had been then. She was more afraid now then she had been in a long, long time. She wanted to cry, but feared she didn't have the strength. A hand rested on her shoulder, causing her to look up.

"What's wrong, chere?" Remy asked, sitting down next to her.

She shook her head. How could she possibly explain? "I'm so scared, Remy. We're lost out here in the middle of nowhere, no one knows where we are, and we have no way of getting home. Not to mention any minute we could be overtaken by the F.O.H., who want to sell my baby to a madman, and kill the both of us. That's what's wrong."

"Hey," Remy said gently. "It's gonna be alright. You can't give up now. I know you're scared. I am too. But you and me been through all kinds of things together, and we're still here. We gonna make it, Stormy. I promise. Okay?"

She looked into his eyes in the growing dark. They glowed red, like two ruby beacons in the night. He looked so innocent right then. Not a usual look. Cocky...playful...occasionally immature...those were all common, but not innocence. The one thing that she would always have in common with Remy was their lost innocence. Stolen at such young ages as they both grew up on the streets. Sometimes it was hard for Ororo to remember that they were both still so young. They had their entire lives ahead of them. That was the only thing that kept her sane and willing to keep going right then. That and the wholly innocent, strong hand of the man she cared for more than any other. "Okay," she whispered. "I believe in you. Or us, rather."

Remy kissed her cheek with a wide grin before pushing Chris forward slightly. "Come on, let's go."

"I have to go to the bathroom." He said.

Remy rolled his eyes. That was the oldest trick in the book. "Hold it."

"I can't. Come on, man. I really do have to go."

Remy was about to tell him that he didn't give a shit, and that he could piss his pants for all he cared, but Ro gave him a sympathetic look. "Remy, don't be cruel. We can spare a few seconds."

"Alright, alright," he grumbled, unlocking the boy's handcuffs. "But I hope you ain't shy, 'cause I'm standin' right next to you to make sure you don't try anything."

Chris let him lead him over to a bush. "You worry too much man."

"Yeah, whatever, just hurry it up, huh?"

Instead, Chris, paused, and stared at him. "C'mon, I can't go if you're staring at me. Can't you at least turn around?'

Remy sighed deeply, trying to hold on to any remaining patience that he may have. But he complied, and turned around. "Make it fast."

"I will, jeez."

Somewhere off in the distance, while he waited, Remy thought he heard a noise. It sounded like a branch braking. Shaking his head, he figured it was his imagination. But then he heard it again. Snap, crunch. He held his breath, and started to reach for his gun. No use taking chances. But before he could, he saw what had caused it. A squirrel came racing down from a tree, and took off into the darkness. Smiling, he breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to turn around and ask Vasquez if he were done yet, he felt a sharp pain in his knee. Yelling, he dropped forward, but turned just in time to see Chris swipe the gun from his holster. The kid had kicked him one good, and Remy knew that he deserved the throbbing pain. He should have never fallen for such an obvious trick.

"Get up," the kid ordered, pointing the gun at Remy's head. "Now, real slow."

He complied, slowly making his way to his feet, despite the pain in his leg. He directed him back over to Storm, who gasped when she realized what had happened. "Please, Chris," she said. "You don't want to kill us. It would be advisable for you to put down the weapon."

"Screw you, lady," he said, cocking it. "I put up with him telling me what to do all day. You kidnapped me and held me hostage, not to mention you hurt a lot of my friends. I will kill you if I have to."

Remy and Ororo exchanged glances. They knew each other well enough that they didn't need words to communicate. Remy kept his hands up, but stepped forward. He knew this could end to his advantage. This kid didn't want to shoot them anymore then he wanted to keep him here held hostage. "You right, homme," he told the terrified soldier. "You right 'bout everything. I deserve to be shot after what I did."

Chris lowered the gun slightly. "What?" He asked, confused.

Remy stepped closer. "I did kidnap you, and beat the shit outta a whole bunch of your friends back there. Hell, I didn't want to. Maybe I shoulda just trusted that Creed woulda let me and Ro go. Maybe I shoulda just accepted the fact that I'm a mutant, and that I deserved to be tortured."

"Shut up!" Chris ordered. "I'm not an idiot, alright? Just stay there and shut up!"

Remy stopped, but wasn't about to shut up. "No, homme, I'm serious. Creed didn't get to kill me back there, but you can. He thinks me and Ro are nothin' but freaks of nature, abominations. He think it okay to torture people, kidnap pregnant women, and sell innocent babies to doctors to experiment on. Now, that ain't what I believe. Stormy and I, 'specially me, ain't perfect, but if you believe we deserve to die, then pull that trigger."

Chris' hand shook slightly. He looked from him to Storm and back again. "If I don't kill you, you'll be just like all the other mutants. You'll kill more innocent people."

Storm stepped forward next to Remy. Her voice was calm despite the situation. "Mr. Vasquez, I understand that you fear us. It is hard not to be at least a little afraid of a man who can make things explode, and a woman who can control the weather. But you are mistaken. The vast majority of mutants simply want to live their lives in peace. We don't want to control you, or kill you, we want to live in peace with you."

Chris snorted. "Yeah, sure, lady. I do watch the news, you know."

"It is not fair to judge a people by what a few extremists may have done. I can assure you that all I want is to do is raise my baby, and live my life surrounded by my friends. Remy and I simply want to live without having to worry about being mistreated simply because we are different. Wouldn't you, child?"

For several seconds, Chris didn't respond. He seemed to be thinking heavily about it, but wasn't sure what to do. Slowly, he lowered the gun, and dropped his head. Remy quickly snatched it from him, but Chris didn't even try to stop him. Suddenly, voices could be heard nearby. Branches snapped, and flashlights shone against the dark of the trees. It was the F.O.H. and they weren't even trying to disguise the fact that they were coming.

Remy grabbed Ororo by the arm. "We gotta get out of here, quick!"

"But to where? There's no where to go!"

Chris suddenly seemed to come out of his trance. "I know where we can go. Come on."

Remy grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in mid-stride. "Whoa, hold up! You think I'm gonna let you lead us right until the middle of that damn army?"

Chris shook his head. "I'm not gonna do that, and you don't have much of a choice but to believe me. You either trust me, or you're gonna get caught."

"Why you so bound and determined to help us all of a sudden?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I shouldn't. But I'm offering it none the less. Now, what's it gonna be?"

The voices grew closer. "Hey, is that someone up there?" Someone said. "I don't know," came the reply. "You wanna check it out?"

"I do not think we have a choice, my friend," Storm said. "We must leave right now."

Remy nodded, "Okay, kid. You win. Lead on."

"This way," Vasquez said. "Hurry. I don't think it's too far from here." He took off in the opposite direction with Remy and Ororo close behind so they wouldn't lose him in the dark. Remy kept glancing over his shoulder, but gradually the voices grew more distant. The three ran for a distance, and soon he realized that Chris was headed in the direction of those cliffs he had noticed earlier. He hadn't even realized that they were so near. He hoped he wasn't making another mistake trusting this kid.

Okay, that was pretty long, hope that makes up for not updating...