A/N: Sorry this is so ridiculously late. I have no good excuses; all I have is a new chapter. Hopefully my semi-dedicated fans and those who aren't so mad at me will read it and enjoy…

"Welcome back to the world of the living." A cold voice droned. "I trust you slept well."

Anne's eyes fluttered open and she suddenly realised she was cold. A shiver ran down her spine and goose bumps spread through her limps like a snowdrift. She curled up into a ball, pulling her knees tightly into her chest. That's when she realised she was in bed. The cool of the sheets froze her anew as she moved and she could hear the hospital-clean linens crinkle as she moved about in them. She was somewhere else, somewhere other than her room- no, not her room she sharply reminded herself. Her room was in the mansion right next to Kitty and Rogue's, this wasn't her home. But this wasn't her room either. The walls were impeccably white, so much so that it almost hurt her eyes. And right in front of her, sitting in a cold, white chair, was Erik.

There was a rustle and Anne felt a heavy warmth spreading up from her toes. She looked back and saw Mortimer pulling a blanket up over her, dropping it at her shoulders and making sure the edges were tucked about her snugly; he never looked at her.

"What happened?" She said, her voice sounding heavy and fogging, as though she were talking through a dream.

"You had a little bit of an accident. Nothing unexpected, but definitely ahead of schedule. How's your head?"

She groaned in response and fell back on the pillow, laying her wrist across her forehead. "It feels like a circus."

"It'll pass in time. This was the first time anything like this has happened, am I correct?"

She nodded and looked over at Mortimer from behind her wrist. He was watching Erik with a stoic look on his face. A soldier waiting to take orders, she thought. Suddenly he looked down at her, and she froze, her breath catching in her throat. His expression didn't change, but he gave her a small wink and then looked back to Erik.

"Anne, we need to have a little chat about… your situation. Do you think you'll be able to focus, or shall I send Toad out?"

Anne swallowed, suddenly feeling like she was back in school, caught passing notes. She pulled herself up on her elbows and leaned against the pillow, nodding sheepishly and looking squarely at Erik, making sure her eyes didn't even flicker towards Mortimer.

"Anne," He began slowly, though there was a glimmer of something like excitement in his greying eyes that unnerved her. " Do you know what came before science? Religion. Each is way to explain what is around us, why the rain falls, why the wind blows. Science knows that the plants grow because of a complicated process, photosynthesis and the like. Religion told us it was because god willed it so. Then how were we to interpret God?"

"Priests." She said before she even thought that perhaps this was a rant he'd prefer to make by himself. But to her surprise he smiled warmly at her and continued. "Yes. Priests are the scientists of old. Religion came, it didn't answer the questions to everyone's satisfaction, and then came science. And now, come us." He said, motioning towards Mortimer. Anne dared a look over at him now, but he was looking away, his fingers absently pulling at a piece of fuzz on the blanket. His cheeks were paler than usual, and she could tell he was upset.

"However, every cycle repeats itself. And for some reason, it has chosen to start again just now. With you."

"With me? What are you talking about?"

"You're the next link." He said smiling.

Anne laughed. She couldn't help it. This was ridiculous. All of a sudden she was sure this was all some sort of a joke her Uncle was playing on her- her uncle. The thought sent a jab of pain through her chest. She missed him, missed all of them. Why would he send her away and do this to her? No, this wasn't of her uncle's making, perhaps one of the students. Her chest tightened again as she remembered that none of the students cared about her enough to want to hurt her like this. No, this must be real- but was it true?

"I'm the next link to what?"

"Evolution."

"This is retarded."

"What did you see last night?"

She paused. "How do you know about that?"

He smiled. "We are the outcasts of science. You are the outcast of religion. We are the closest thing to science in action that mankind has seen in eons. You are the gods working their will."

"This is stupid. There's no such thing as god."

"There was no such thing as an atom a thousand years ago. Who are we to argue what is and what isn't. The truth is, we all have gifts. You have the sight that none of us have, my young friend. That is what you saw, wasn't it?" She was silent. Erik's smile widened and she stood, smoothing the front of his black slacks with smooth, elegant hands. I think I'll just let you rest then. I'm sure this is a lot to have to take in on one day. Toad," He shot the pale man to her side a look, and he sat up immediately directing his attention to the greying, older gentleman across the bed from him. "Keep an eye on her. Let me know if anything happens." Toad nodded and Erik, giving her a final look, swept out of the lab, the doors softly clicking close behind him.

Anne collapsed onto the pillow, staring at the ceiling wide-eyed. "This isn't real." She breathed quietly, her lips barely moving. Mortimer smoothed the blankets about her. Anne slid her hand out from under the covers and placed it over Mortimer's, stopping his motions. He was shocked for a moment, then wrapped his fingers around hers, giving her hand a small squeeze.

"It's not true. I'm not different." She said, her voice quiet and choking on an unexpected sob. Her throat was tight and suddenly she was sucking down breaths. "I'm not different," She repeated, "I've never been. The only thing special about me is that I'm not the special one. Uncle Charles knew that. He did. It was only pity that made him bring me in. He's not even my real Uncle, you know. He just loved my parents so much. That's the only reason anyone puts up with me, because my parents were so amazing. I'm nothing."

It finally came out. She pulled her hand from Mortimer's to cover her loudly sobbing face. She hadn't cried in a long time and never like this. Immediately all the muscles in her face hurt and her temples were throbbing so hard she thought they might explode, but she couldn't stop. She was tired; she tried to convince herself, that's all this was. But she knew better. This had been waiting, lying dormant for years while she pattered about the mansion with the other kids and the teachers and Uncle Charles trying to fit in, trying to scrape by at least while she was barely a bleep on their radar screens. A freak among freaks, and how desperately she wanted to change. She'd prayed, wished, hoped since she was a little girl that she'd turn out like her parents or like the people that had surrounded her since birth. If only what Erik said was true.

"Demons'll charm you with a smile for a while, but in time," She barely noticed it at first, him singing. But she noticed his voice before she noticed that he had gotten into bed next to her and was cradling her only his chest while he sang- he was singing to her. "Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around."

"You're voice it sounds…" She managed quietly, her lips gummy from all the build up sob-spit.

"Like a toad?" He offered. There was a small pause and then the two of them started shaking with laughter. She could feel his rumbling in his chest like a drum and it sent shivers through her, making her trill, nervous laugh die down into a post-cry headache.

"Ow…"

"Look, lie down, get some rest, yea?" He said, easing her off of his arm and back onto the pillow.

"Would you stay until I fall asleep?" She had no idea why she said that. It flew out and she was utterly shocked she'd let it, let alone thought it. No one ever watched her sleep. It was an asinine, childish idea. But when he said, "Yes." She smiled and finally relaxed, her head dropping onto the pillow… or was it his arm?