Hey wow! I have a new groupie! Welcome to the fold preciousbabyblue... and yes poor Piper -but dont fret. Here's the next chappie

Oh god, I sound like a children's TV presenter! EEK!!!

Again, muchos gracias amigo's ... LadyWolfBane, and Transcendental. MWAH! - thats like my trade mark now, dont you think?

X - Angel

Chapter 17

Logan awoke in to the familiar surroundings, and the smell of the medical bay in the institute. He was alone, and he grumbly sat up, and rubbed his forehead from where he had hit the stone. He felt the pounding within his skull, which soon subsided, as his healing factor quickened. There was a clean shirt on the bench beside him, and after changing he made his way up to Xavier's office.

"Logan...? Hey, Merry Christmas." Rogue called out to him. She handed out a present, it was a little box, wrapped in stripey blue wrapping paper.

"Erm, ... maybe later, that okay?" He asked.

"Sure." Rogue nodded, a little disheartened. Logan guessed some of the student's didnt know what had happened.

"Logan?" Scott called. He was standing outside Charles' office, waiting for him.

"How do you feel Logan?" Xavier asked as the door closed.

He shrugged in return, rubbing the back of his neck. "What happened?"

"It turns out, Mystique adopted orphan's -mutant children to be exact." Xavier started. "Piper was once part of her household... along with her brother."

"Right... and they've just decided to take her back?" Logan asked.

"Yes, for one reason or another... Piper told me a few day's ago that they used to make the orphan children commit crimes, and vandalism... and on one of these exploit's her Brother was killed." Xavier paused.

"That was when she ran away." Jean added. "She's Psychic... she get's premonition's.... She saw him die."

"Poor kid." Logan sympathised.

"But that's not all..." Scott said, introducing himself to the conversation. "Warren's missing."

"I think Mystique has done something with him... she was in his form, when they took Piper." Logan added. "Do you think they've taken him aswell?" He asked.

"We're not sure." Xavier said, rejoining the conversation. "None of the student's know of what has happened. The last person to have seen Warren, was Camelia, who was with Piper this morning." He explained. "If that even was Warren."

"So, he's not on school grounds?" Logan asked. He recieved shaken heads from the faculty. "Have you tried Cerebro?"

"We were going to wait untill you woke up, but it was strange... I couldnt find anything." Xavier said, depressivly.

Meanwhile, elsewhere - Piper awoke, fealling softness underneath her weight, and a warm covering, over her torso. She moaned, as her head throbbed, and she pulled her head over her shoulder, as she felt a prescence neer her. She opened her eyes, to have them sting at the light, but she could see a figure sitting beside her, on the bed. They were stroking their finger's through her hair, and saying something to her, but she was still suffering the effect's of the injection, and it took her a few minutes, to realise who it was.

"... your awake." Came a soothing voice.

She slowly pulled herself, to lie on her back, and she lifted her heavy eyelid's, and focused on the figure before her. "Warren...? Is that you?" She mumbled., her voice was course, and her throat was dry.

"Here.. drink some water." He instructed. "It help's..." He shyly smiled passing a tin cup to her lip's, as she took a few sip's from it.

"What day is it?" She asked, her voice, more or less returning to normal.

Warren looked sad. "Christmas day." He gave a light smile, but it soon faded away.

"I'm sorry..." Piper apologised, putting the cup down on the floor. "This is all my fault..." She rested her head in her hands, and the throbbing subsided a little.

She looked up, and noticed her surrounding's. It was a dug out stone cell, with two large circular shaped, metal grid's. One was a door, the other a window. All that the room contained was one bed, and two bucket's. A blanket lay sprawled across the floor, on the other side of the room.

"Did you sleep there?" She asked, looking up at him.

"I had to, they put you in the bed, and I woke up on the floor." He explained. He then noticed the way Piper was staring at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked confused.

"It is really you.. isnt it?" She asked, uncertainty shaking in her voice.

"What do you mean? Ofcourse it's me..." He gently protested.

"He's telling the truth..." Came another voice from just outside of the Doorway.

There stood a young boy, no older than themselves. Flicking a lighter in his hand.

"John? What are you doing here?" Warren gasped.

"He's with us now." Came Lance, from behind him.

"So Magneto's behind all this..." Warren sussed.

"Bingo. He's quick 'aint he Piper?" Lance asked.

Piper shot him a disgusted look. "An improvement to you anyday." She shot back.

John could be heard laughing, as Lance, gritted his teeth, and the ground started to grumble just a bit. "Calm down Lance... she's not worth it." John commented, looking over at Piper.

At this, Warren stood protectively at the door, as if guarding Piper from them. John looked at him, and cowered a little, easily breaking eye contact, as he shuffled his feet. "Come on Lance... leave it." With that he pulled at Lance's arm, and walked off.

"Are you okay?" Warren asked, walking back to Piper.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I've taken worse." She smiled, and lent up against the wall, and patted the space beside her. Waren sat down next to her, as she rested her head against his shoulder. "What do you think will happen now?" She asked, holding his hand.

"I was going to ask you the same thing..." He replied. Warren then found himself looking at the bar's on the suggested doorway. "Is there anyway, you could bend those?" He asked after a brief moment of silence.

"I dont know... I'm too tired right now." She whispered dozily. "I think I'm going to take a sleep." She added, pulling the cover's up, as she layed down, and left some room for Warren to lay beside her.

"Your shivering..." Warren commented as he settled himself next to her.

"It's cold... can't you feel the breeze?" She said through chattering teeth.

Warren stood up retrieving the extra blanket from the floor, and tucking it around her body. From his Mutation, he could withstand the temperature, but he lay there, watching Piper, as she slowly drifted off to sleep, as he spread one of his wing's out over her, to provide some extra warmth.