Disclaimer: Should I really keep putting this up, I mean come on, I don't own them. Unfortunately they belong to someone else. Yadda, yadda, yadda, yadda…..eh, you get the point.

Author's Note: Hey all. Well, I hope you all liked last chapter, because things are gonna finally start moving along. It gets better, I promise, and the torture will begin. Not much to say except that school has definitely been keeping me busy and I haven't had much time to myself, but I know I'll be able to get this done. No worries, I never leave a story unfinished no matter how long it takes me. Well, also, to this story, I have posted a new one up in the movie section -- something inspired me last night and I had to write it. Don't worry, it's a one-shot, so Sacrifice is my first priority again! If you're interested though, it's called "Facing the Truth"…and it has a bit of Jott in it. Also, those Jott fans who aren't reading "Timeless" by sweet-destiny3 are definitely missing out on a lot of romance, so head on over… the story's great!! Well, that's all for now…don't forget to review and ENJOY!

Slickboy444: Hey. Well, once again you reviewed. You don't know how much I appreciate reading them, they're like my air of freedom. Sometimes, I think that you're the only reason that I continue writing this. Yup, things are definitely getting strange though and you'll see what I do to Scott and Evan in this chapter. More nightmares to come in the following chapters, this one is more of an encounter with two people… you'll see. Well, thanks for always reviewing, and hope you like this chapter. Enjoy.

Mark C: Welcome. Well, I'm glad you're also reading my story. It's great to have one more shipper. I'm glad that you like it so far. Hope to hear more from you and what you think… hope you like this chapter.

Sweet-destiny3: Your stories are what inspire me to write more. Your funny yet powerful elements of drama help me… and if you write one more sad story, I'll kill you! J/K! Anyways, thanks for being so patient with me as I finally find my muse. Thank you for your wonderful reviews, they really make my day so much more than it is!

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Sacrifice

By: pinkchick

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Chapter 5

Mr. Gehenna drove down the long block, trying to remember if he had the address correct. He had only been to Mr. Flemmings' house once in his life and that had been for a teacher's meeting he had planned for back to school. He was pretty sure he was heading down the right street. Finally he found his way to the house, checking the address to make sure he was right. Yep, it was. There it was: 666 Blaze St. Mr. Gehenna parked his car in the driveway and cut off the ignition. Slowly exiting the vehicle, Mr. Gehenna grabbed the large envelope next to him and headed for the door. Not exactly watching where he was going, Mr. Gehenna tripped over a rock on the pathway and almost fell, but he caught himself before he did. The envelope, on the other hand, wasn't as fortunate.

The large envelope slipped out of Mr. Gehenna's hands and landed on the pavement, almost all of it's contents spilling out. Curiosity getting the best of him, he bent over and picked up the contents of the envelope. As he read over the sheets his eyes widened and practically bulged out of his head. This couldn't be happening. Not his own colleague. He read over the papers again. It seemed to be a proposal of some kind. A proposal to the school board about banning mutants from the school. Mr. Gehenna pondered this thought and wondered what the school board would really say about this. They had agreed to let mutants back into the school as long as they never used their powers. Mr. Gehenna shook his head at the recent discoveries that he had just found. He took a deep breath, put the papers back into their envelope - ashamed of snooping - and headed to his colleague's door. Mr. Gehenna reached the door and heard a clatter come from inside. Before he rang the doorbell, he heard the other half of the conversation that Mr. Flemmings was having from inside.

"No, I don't think you are listening to what I'm saying, sir," Mr. Gehenna heard Mr. Flemmings say from inside. "These mutants are dangerous…. No, sir, I have not encountered any such behavior, but I know…… No, sir, they should not have the right to learn in a public school…… Of course, sir… Yes, I'm sorry, sir. Thank you for your time. Good bye." Mr. Gehenna heard his colleague hang up the phone. "Bastard," Mr. Flemmings muttered under his breath. "I'll show you one day." Mr. Gehenna flinched at that and couldn't bear to listen any longer and rung the doorbell.

A couple of moments later the door swung open and a very angry man looked out. "Yeah, what the hell do ya want?" he barked. That tone certainly took Mr. Gehenna by surprise and he slightly jumped back. Mr. Flemmings was also surprised to see him. He ran a shaky hand through his hair and the anger on his face disappeared. "Oh, uh, Dev. I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you."

"Having a bad day, Dan?" Mr. Gehenna asked, although he had heard pretty much half of the conversation while he was standing there.

Mr. Flemmings laughed and ran his hand over his chin. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, you could say that." Mr. Gehenna just mustered a smile. "Please come in, Dev."

"Uh, no thanks, I won't be here for long," Mr. Gehenna declined the offer, but he just could bring himself to say anything after what he had just heard.

"So, what brings ya to my part of the neighborhood?" Mr. Flemmings asked.

"Yeah, about that," Mr. Gehenna started. "Well, you were walking to your class and you seemed to have dropped this envelope on your way there. I just came by to drop it off for you."

Mr. Flemmings looked nervous once those words leaked out of his colleague's mouth. Mr. Gehenna just smiled and held out the envelope for him to take. Mr. Flemmings smiled back nervously, but still took the envelope his friend was handing to him. "Uh, thanks, I'm, uh, glad you found it for me. Thanks a lot, Dev."

"It was nothing, really," Mr. Gehenna replied. They just stood there for a moment, a thick and awkward silence hanging in the air.

After about a minute, Mr. Gehenna smiled nicely and started to back away from his colleague. "Well, Dan, I should really get going now. You know I have a lot of papers to grade and all."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Mr. Flemmings replied and waved, the envelope still being held tightly in his other hand as he watched Mr. Gehenna get into his car. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Yeah, later!" Mr. Gehenna called back. Mr. Flemmings looked down at the envelope in his hand and then a question came to his mind. He had been meaning to ask his friend this question when he had told him that he thought that mutants were just like humans. "Why do you defend them, Dev?"

Mr. Gehenna was caught off guard by that question and all he could do in return was stare and blink until the question registered. He blinked back again, trying very hard to try and figure out what he would say to answer that question. "I don't defend them, Dan. Why would you think something like that?"

"I'm not thinking it, I know it," Mr. Flemmings stated. "You teach them, you talk to them, and you defend them. Why?" It was generally a simple question, but for Mr. Gehenna, it was the hardest thing that he had to answer. For a moment, all he could do was ponder the thought before he looked at Mr. Flemmings at the door to his car and swallowed.

"Dan, it's not that I defend them," Mr. Gehenna started and looked at his colleague's dead in the eyes. "I just think that they deserve to be treated like the rest of us."

"Why is that? They're dangerous. They do nothing but hurt people, Dev," Mr. Flemmings argued. "They can't be trusted and they're just trying to use us so they can eventually get us out of the way."

"Dan, they're just kids," Mr. Gehenna fired back. This guy was really getting on his nerves.

"Yeah. Kids with lots of power," Mr. Flemmings added harshly. "Can't you see? Can't you see what they're trying to do? They're trying to manipulate us!"

"What gives you pure evidence of that, Dan?" Mr. Gehenna asked, agitated at this man's approach to mutants and what he really thought of them.

"Oh, don't worry about that. The evidence is there, alright!" Mr. Flemmings stated bitterly. "You saw what they did on the street during that attack."

"I can't listen to this anymore," Mr. Gehenna muttered under his breath and sighed. "Look, Dan, I really have to get going."

"Wait-- why don't we join forces, you and I? Whaddaya say?" Mr. Flemmings held up the envelope in his hand so that it would be in Mr. Gehenna's range of sight. "You know what this is, Dev?"

Mr. Gehenna stopped midway into his car and looked up at his colleague in suspicion and curiosity. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Mr. Flemmings, undaunting, waiting for him to continue. He was now all ears. Mr. Gehenna knew that what he was about to hear wasn't anywhere near any good intentions, but since curiosity killed the cat; he decided that listening to him wouldn't be such a bad thing.

"It's a letter to the school board and why mutants don't belong in school," Mr. Flemmings answered the rhetorical question that he had posed to his friend a moment ago. "We could join together, see to it that the normal students get what they deserve. Come on, whaddaya say, huh?"

Mr. Gehenna flinched at that for he knew what had been in the envelope all along, and suddenly he felt really bad. But, that still didn't excuse his colleague from saying what he said and writing that letter to begin with. Mr. Gehenna got into the car angrily and opened his window, looking outside to glare at his colleague. "I say no, Dan. And until you can get your head straight about this entire situation, then I'm afraid I can't speak with you either. Good bye, Dan."

Mr. Flemmings' smile quickly faded away at Mr. Gehenna's final statement. He watched the car drive away with an angry face. After all these years of teaching, he thought that he had found a friend in Mr. Gehenna, but oh, was he wrong. As Mr. Gehenna's car sped off, Mr. Flemmings gaze shifted into that of an evil monster's. No one. No one was going to walk all over him. He would get what he wanted in the end. Mr. Flemmings was sure about that. He smirked evilly as he turned back to his doorway clutching the envelope tighter in his hand. The day would come soon, and Mr. Gehenna would pay for ever doubting and betraying him. He would see.

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"Check his vital stats, now!" Hank McCoy seemed to bark at Ororo as he watched Evan's vital signs spring back to life a moment later. Ororo did as she was told, but it seemed to be all a blur to her. Everything seemed to be going by in slow motion. Only a second ago, the worst fear in her life had come true, and Evan had been dying. When she had heard the heart monitors flat line she had immediately run back to the infirmary at a fast pace to see what was going on. There, Hank had been scurrying around the room trying to save both Scott and Evan's lives at the same time. It seemed impossible. He had quickly put her in charge of her nephew as he worked on Scott. Ororo didn't think that she could've been very strong to handle such a situation, but she had to be strong, if only for Evan and Scott. Miraculously, Ororo relieved a sigh; Evan's heart had started beating once again by itself. Now, as Ororo made herself over to his bedside to check up on him, she still hadn't forgotten the sound of another machine pumping in her ears.

Ororo obviously didn't know how it had happened, but it had, and Evan's blood pressure was rising again. Ororo watched the machine and with every new heartbeat, Ororo felt a great part of her pain wash away from her. She gently stroked Evan's forehead, trying to ignore the sound of another machine in her ears. Ororo didn't know if she should be happy or sad. Everything seemed to be happening so fast that all the images of the past few minutes were clouded in a ball of confusion in her mind. The students would be arriving at home soon, and she didn't want to know what was going on. She wanted to protect them from everything so they'd never have to see and feel anything like she'd witnessed. It was overly exhausting, but she had to hand in there. Ororo looked over Evan one last time to make sure that he was ok. Everything seemed to be alright, except for the dark red marks making their way onto Evan's skin like second nature. Ororo furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and stared at them. They looked like they were some kinds of deep bite marks to her. She didn't know what to make of it and she got worried. Unfortunately, Scott's heart machine seemed to get louder in her ear and she couldn't ignore it. She would have to see to Evan later, hoping that nothing would happen to him while she wasn't looking.

Ororo's heart leapt into her throat when she looked over at Scott who lay motionless on the bed as Hank scurried over to him quickly and set the EKG machine next to him. Ororo placed a quick glance over at Evan to make sure that everything was ok and then made it back over to Scott's bedside. She prayed deep down that Evan would remain ok and that Scott would come back to them. Hank was assembling the machine as the sounds felt like they were getting louder and louder. Ororo closed her eyes for one second only to open her eyes as a shiver ran up and down her spine. She tried to imagine that this wasn't happening as Hank shot angry words at the machine for not working the way he wanted it to. Ororo would've looked on in shock at the man that usually never lost his temper. She couldn't blame him though. When you had one of your student's life in your hands, she would have gotten frustrated also. Everything seemed to become a big blur as she tried to process everything that was going on around her, but calming herself just didn't seem to work as she looked down at Scott's motionless body.

Hank was desperately attempting to get the machine working, but nothing was happening. The heart monitor stung his every nerve the longer he tried to get it working. He groaned angrily. This was not the time for the machine to stop working on him. Not now. Not when someone very dear to him was at stake. Hank, in one last angry attempt, banged on one of the buttons and it suddenly sprang to life. Hank thanked God and pulled out the paddles. He made his way towards Scott's upper body and hit a button to a certain range. Once he had gotten it to the jolts that he needed, he placed the paddles on Scott's chest and pressed down on them, sending the first wave of electrical shock through his body. Scott's body jolted but nothing happened. The heart monitor still echoed in his ears as it produced the same never ending sound of loss.

As he kept trying and trying without receiving any results, he hadn't realized that Logan was standing at the doorway, standing in what the man thought was shock. He quickly strode over to where Ororo, Hank, and now the professor were standing. All Hank could hear was quiet muttering as the sounds of the machine created an annoying buzz in his ear. Professor Xavier was behind him, his voice in his mind, trying to calm his nerves about the situation. Hank wasn't fooled though. He could hear the professor's tired voice and his fear as he bent over near Scott's head. Scott, he sent. Scott, please come back to us. No response. Professor Xavier thought that it was strange. It felt like Scott wasn't responding but also like something was pushing him out. Hank breathed hard and pressed the paddles of the machine and sent another shock through Scott's body. "C'mon, Scott! Don't die on us!"

All of a sudden, the room grew very quiet. The machine that had been flat lining only moments ago had somehow shut off. A cold wind flooded the room and everyone shivered. Everything seemed to be frozen in place as the four adults just sat and watched the machine and Scott intently, silently waiting for something to happen. Hank seemed baffled. The machine wasn't supposed to shut off, but somehow he had a gut feeling that something was seriously wrong with what had just happened. A few moments passed and the hope was slowly dying in the room. Hank sighed in defeat. He had tried the best that he could, but it just hadn't been enough. He walked over to the machine to see what had happened. It was odd, the machine was still turned on, but nothing was happening.

Hank shook his head. Lack of sleep must be doing something to his mind. Now he could swear that he was hallucinating. He turned to give all of his friends a look that said 'I'm sorry.' There was dead silence in the room. They all had their heads bowed down in sadness and remorse. Logan looked ashamed that he couldn't have done anything as he held Ororo who had let the silent tears fall from her eyes. Professor Xavier sat next to the bed of his surrogate son and showed no sign of emotion except for the hurt look in his eyes. His expression was grave and he took a deep sigh to try to clear things in his mind. He tried to reach out to him, but there was nothing. Nothing he could do. He had been powerless, and the young man that he had thought of as a son had lost his life because of it. He wanted to be in denial. He wanted to tell himself that this was a bad dream. The deathful silence in the room didn't help matters at all. This couldn't really be happening, but it was true… they had just lost the leader of the X-men, and someone so much more to them. A student and a son.

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Mr. Flemmings dialed the number that he had memorized long ago on the dial pad of the phone. It had been a long day and Mr. Gehenna, a man whom he had called a friend, had betrayed him and sided with the enemy. To Mr. Flemmings, that kind of behavior was definitely unacceptable. It was not going to tolerate something like that. Not on his turf. He would show that mutie lover that no one crosses him, especially with a situation such as this one. He narrowed his beady eyes and waited for someone to pick up the phone. "C'mon, you pieces of scum," he muttered into the phone until someone finally picked up. "Uh, yes, hello," Mr. Flemmings greeted through the phone.

Mr. Flemmings spoke into the phone and told the secretary whom he wanted to speak to. She immediately got the superintendent of the schools on the phone. Mr. Flemmings would also show him if he tried to turn him down once again. He wasn't going to let himself slip off the hook that quickly. This time he was going to persuade the superintendent that he was worth listening to no matter what the consequences. Finally the superintendent of the schools came onto the phone sounding very unpleased with who was on the opposite end of the phone. Mr. Wilkins rubbed his temples and cleared his throat. This man was not going to stop calling him until he obviously got his point across. He sighed and realized that sometimes people had too much drive to get to where they want to be. He smiled as if Mr. Flemmings was in the room with him and said in the most 'I'm trying not to get annoyed of this conversation' tone, "Hello, Mr. Flemmings," Mr. Wilkins greeted. "What can I do for you now?"

"Hello, Mr. Wilkins, sir," Mr. Flemmings greeted, trying to ignore the tone in his voice. "I just wanted to once again discuss with you the--"

Mr. Wilkins annoyingly cut him off. "Mr. Flemmings, is this about the mutant case again?" He didn't mean to sound rude, but the man was starting to get on his last nerve. Some people just couldn't take no for an answer.

"Why, yes sir, it is," Mr. Flemmings replied. "You see, I've come to a conc--"

"Look, Mr. Flemmings," Mr. Wilkins started very sternly. "With all due respect, but you've already come to me with the same proposal three times already. The answer is still no. Unless, of course, I can help you with something else."

"Uh, no, sir," Mr. Flemmings stated.

"Then I'm afraid that I cannot help you. I'm sorry," Mr. Wilkins apologized, having had it up to his head with this same proposal about taking mutants out of the school system. He didn't want people to misunderstand him. He didn't exactly approve completely of the mutant population going to the local public schools, but what exactly was he supposed to do about it? Mr. Wilkins had discussed his concern of endangering the 'normal' students with Professor Xavier. The good professor had disagreed with him completely.

"My students are certainly well trained to control their powers, no matter what the situation," Professor Xavier had told him. Mr. Wilkins had believed him because he knew the professor was an honest man. He didn't exactly know how he knew, but he just did. Mr. Wilkins rubbed his temples again. He didn't know if he was doing the right thing, but he hoped he was. He wasn't usually the type of person to degrade anybody; he believed in giving people a fair chance. Maybe mutants deserved that much too.

"Please, sir, just give me a chance to explain," Mr. Flemmings pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Flemmings," Mr. Wilkins said gravely into the phone. "But, this conversation is over. Good bye."

Mr. Flemmings narrowed his dark, beady eyes and shot a look that could kill at the phone when the line went dead and there was a distinct buzzing noise in his ear. He pounded his fist against the table in frustration and anger. How could a man he was supposed to respect just hang up on him without even hearing what he had to say? Of course, there was the part where Mr. Wilkins was just plain annoyed of his actions of calling him every few hours. Maybe the man had better things to do, but Mr. Flemmings believed that there was nothing as important as what he had to say about the mutant problem. It needed to be eliminated. And quickly. There had to be a way he could make him see that he was right.

"Those morons will see," Mr. Flemmings muttered angrily under his breath. "They'll see and I'll be the one to show them. They'll regret the day that they turned their backs on Dan Flemmings."

Mr. Flemmings believed that mutants didn't even have the right to breathe the same air as the normal human beings; much less go to the same school and get the same education. What was wrong with these people? Couldn't they see it the way he did? Mutants were a plague upon this earth and they didn't deserve anything good. They were stealing from the students who did deserve a good future. Mr. Flemmings dumped the phone onto the couch and paced his living room. He was trying to think of the best way to make this situation work. He picked up an old newspaper that was lying around on his couch. It was about a month old. The picture was of the mutants supposedly 'defending' themselves in the streets of Bayville. He glared at the picture and then spit on it, throwing it to the floor. Mutants were planning to take over and he knew it. Mr. Flemmings was going to stop it, whether he lost his teaching license or not. He wanted to make the true students safe.

Anybody who was going to go against him would see that he didn't need them. He was fine on his own. The mutant scum would be eliminated, even if he had to do it himself. There was no way he was letting anyone walk all over him and take away what the true beings of the earth have succeeded in doing. Making the world a better place. And Mr. Flemmings only believed that the wonderful world that they lived in was going to be destroyed by mutants. To protect the people, he needed to start with the local public schools and wipe out the existence of mutants there first. He finally came up with an idea that was brilliant. He stopped pacing around the living room and planned to do something constructive with his plan. Surprisingly, he was still clutching the large envelope in his hands. He pulled out the contents of the envelope and scanned over them quickly. He smiled a crooked smile that would've scared little children on Halloween.

Mr. Flemmings threw the envelope on the floor and tightened his grip on the sheets of papers in his hand. He walked over to the couch and kept the sardonic smile on his face the entire time. Picking up the phone, he started unconsciously dialing a number he came to memorize by heart. His eyes never left the papers as the person he was calling finally picked up on the other end of the line. Mr. Wilkins could rot for all he cared, he was taking matters into his own hands now and no one was going to stop him. He heard a familiar voice on the other end and his smile widened.

"Principal Kelly, how are you?" Mr. Flemmings greeted cheerily. If anyone would understand where he was coming from, it would be the school's principal. "Listen, I was wondering……"

Mr. Flemmings continued his conversation as if the world now brought on something of a challenge. A dark shadow loomed over his features as the conversation got to be very interesting. He walked around his living room as the sun continued shining outside. The trees swayed back and forth as if they were afraid of something that the human eye could not detect. A dark cloud seemed to cover up the sun and completely oblivious to anyone around, evil eyes watched as everything was finally starting to go as planned. It would all end soon. Very soon.

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