Notes: The first scene may be a bit too graphic for some.  Sorry.

For anyone who wondered about where the egg-being came from, pay close attention.

Piotr's traveling pals will be named, at last.

Also, a hint as to why Cerebro can't find Wanda.

Chapter 7: About A Girl

Jimmy Rigone was not a nice person.  He had a habit of getting drunk and beating his children.  One could argue that he beat them because of the drinking, or that he only beat them when he was drunk.  One could not, however, argue that the children deserved such treatment.  None of them were his by birth, and none had asked to be placed in his so-called care.  Perhaps their mother could be blamed for that, had she lived.

Unfortunately, nature generally only provides children with so many ways to defend themselves (none of which could hold off a man of Jimmy's stature for very long).  The two girls awoke on the youngest one's fifth birthday to find their older brother's broken body at the bottom of a staircase.  Ten minutes later, they were running for their lives, but to no avail.  Jimmy caught them fairly easily, and had his hand raised to strike the little one when he got the shock of his life.

Instead of the sting of flesh on flesh, he felt a sharp, shooting pain originate from his palm and spread throughout his arm.  By the time he could collect his thoughts, Jimmy would find himself in an emergency room with a huge bone spear buried in his hand.

Police never found the youngest girl, though the other was found not too far from the house.  By the time they found her, however, she had bled to death from the numerous cuts covering her body.  Matching bone fragments were found embedded in her, and the police had little choice but to arrest Jimmy for the murder of all three children.

Such a crime was taken lightly by no one, and Jimmy was meant to die in prison.  He did.  But it was not an inmate or suicidal urge that took his life.

According to the coroner's report, he starved himself to death.  But anyone who had seen Jimmy hours before knew that to be a lie.  He had always been a big man, and no manner of fasting would kill him in a single night.  However, there was simply no other explanation for Jimmy's emaciated condition when he was found dead in his cell.

None that average humans would be familiar with, anyway.

* * * * *

Nate rolled his eyes.  "I told you Cerebro wouldn't help you find her," he said.

"Yes, you did," Xavier agreed with a slight frown.  "But I fail to see how you could locate Wanda without the use of Cerebro, Nate."

"No, you don't get it.  YOU can't find her using Cerebro, but I can."

"…I have already shared with you my feelings on that matter."

Nate shook his head.  "Okay.  Between the two of us, who would you say is stronger telepathically?"

Xavier raised an eyebrow.  "I think we both know the answer to that."

"Yeah, but I'm trying to make a point.  I'm trying to work with you, but you're not helping me out.  Now, we both know that if I really felt I needed to, I could walk right over you."

Xavier could not help but feel a bit unsteady as Nate narrowed his eyes.  "That would do more harm than good in the end.  I think you would find my students can be very difficult if provoked in such a manner."

"Very few people can prove difficult when their minds are shut down," Nate replied smoothly.  "As far as I'm concerned, you're keeping me from a cure and a good friend.  You're a roadblock, Professor.  I can be a good driver and detour for now, but stay in my way and I'm trading the family car in for a steamroller."

"I wish you would give this more thought, Nate," Xavier said as the young man stood to leave.  "There are better ways to reach your goals than by force."

"Sorry, Professor.  But in the short time I've lived, I've always found that when I use force, I only lose if someone stronger is around and willing to fight.  That's not the case here."

"Violence is not the answer," Xavier insisted.

Nate sighed heavily.  "I don't like being the bad guy.  But I'd rather be bad for a few minutes occasionally than be dead forever."  He slowly opened the door to the study.  "I don't get why you won't let me use Cerebro.  Can't you see that if I don't, you'll all die the moment I do?  Everyone and everything you care about will be gone.  Doesn't that mean anything to you?  Shouldn't that loss outweigh any possible consequences my using Cerebro might have?  And another thing.  Just because I'm strong doesn't mean I go charging around like a bull all the time.  If you just gave me a chance, you might find out I know more about my powers than you think."

* * * * *

Carol Danvers had always loved children.

She'd known from the time she was five that she wanted to spend her life in service to them.  So it was no surprise that she eventually built her own adoption agency.

There were some initial problems, though.

For one thing, Carol had a very big heart, and often went out of her way to bring in children that no one else wanted.  Many time, they were deformed, or just "haunted" by a string of unexplainable events that resulted in them being unwanted.

Such was the case of a girl that Carol had called Annie.  It wasn't her real name, but it was as good as any other, and she'd never offered a word of protest…or a word at all, for that matter.

Annie had merely shown up on Carol's doorstep one day, carrying a filthy teddy bear and a lot of bruises.  She never revealed how she got either, or where she came from.  It didn't matter to Carol, so long as the child was safe with her.

But safety was not something that stayed with Annie for long.  She would always turn up with fresh bruises, especially on her face.  But she never cried or complained.  In fact, it was almost as if she were totally unaware of her wounds…until the day Carol caught the girl slicing up her arm with a butcher knife.

Against her better judgment, she'd spanked Annie for the first and last time.

The living room never really recovered, and Carol lost the use of one eye for good.  She was spared the agonizing decision of whether to keep Annie or not: the girl vanished before Carol got out of the hospital.

All Carol ever found was a hastily written apology and a trail of blood spatters that led into a sewer.

* * * * *

"It's not fair!"

Piotr looked up from his textbook at once.  Anyone else might not have, since most children said something along those lines nearly every week.  But Illyana was not like most children, in that she rarely complained unless she was really, truly upset. 

"There's no one here my age," Illyana said, pouting for good measure.

This was, of course, not quite what Piotr was expecting.  "Why should you need a friend your own age, snowflake?  You have Jubilee, Nate, Kitty, and-"

"And none of them are my age!" Illyana interrupted.  "It's not the same, Piotr.  I want a friend my age.  Someone who won't get tired of games I like to play and go off to do Grown Up stuff."

Piotr could not deny the reasoning behind that.  "It is not entirely our fault, snowflake.  There is often less time to play as one grows older."

Illyana frowned.  "But Nate's older and he plays more than kids younger than him."

"I am discovering that Nate does not represent average people, Illyana.  He is an exception to many rules.  And I still fail to see why he no longer pleases you."

"It's not that!" Illyana said quickly, perhaps fearing someone might tell Nate or try to take him away.  "It's just…he's bigger than me.  And he's a guy.  He won't understand me when I get older.  Neither will you, Piotr.  That's the way it works.  I need a girl my age to hang out with."

Piotr sighed.  "I understand your concern.  But friends do not just fall out of trees…OR crash through windows," he added, noticing the look on her face.  "Most of them do not, that is.  Sometimes they can be rather hard to find."

"Then…I just have to wait?" Illyana asked sadly.

"I am afraid so, snowflake," Piotr confirmed, patting her head.  "You must realize, this is a school for mutants.  Most do not learn they have powers until they are past your age.  It may be a long time before another child comes here."

"Well…couldn't we ask Professor X to find one?  There's got to be some kid with powers out there!"

"But if they came here, then YOU would want powers," Piotr reasoned.  "That is not mine to give, Illyana…nor is a friend your age."

"Can't you ask him to, anyway?" Illyana asked hopefully, tugging on her brother's arm.  "Pleeease?"

"I will mention it," Piotr promised.  "But I do not think the Professor will alter his searching very much on the basis that you want another playmate, snowflake…"

* * * * *

Carol didn't get many visitors, so when she heard the doorbell she was stunned.  Fortunately, her visitors were very insistent on speaking with her, so they didn't leave, even though it took her some time to reach the door.

Peering through the peephole revealed two huge men in long overcoats and a younger man wearing white.

"Ms. Danvers?" the younger man asked, staring back at her.  "We only ask for a few minutes of your time."

"In regard to what, exactly?" Carol asked warily.  She'd seen far too many movies about this kind of setup.

"We're searching for a…relative, you might say.  We have reason to believe she passed through here about a year ago."

"Could you be more specific?"

"A young girl, by the name of Sarah.  She has short red hair, is very quiet, and-"

The door opened. 

"…I called her Annie," Carol whispered hoarsely, tears in her eyes.  "She never said a word…"

The young man nodded.  "She has an awful habit of running when she's afraid or uncomfortable."

"She…ran away a while ago.  No one's been able to find her.  But it was my fault…I shouldn't have spanked her…but I had to do SOMETHING, she was hurting herself…"

"How so?" he asked, looking very concerned.

"She was…cutting up her arm with a…a HUGE knife…I just had to make her understand that she could have killed herself, and to never do it again."  Carol shuddered and hid her face in her hands, clearly reliving the memory in her mind.

The young man patted her shoulders gently.  "Has she contacted you since she left?"

"No….not one word.  Please…you have to find her…she doesn't know when she's hurting herself!"

"We'll do our best, Ms. Danvers," he assured her.  "Thank you so much for your time."  With that, he stepped quickly of the porch, followed closely by the two men. 

"Well?" growled one of them.  "Was it the right child?"

"No doubt about it," Pietro confirmed.  "Right, Cal?"

"Caliban could still sense her, Brother-Pietro," said the other.  "Child-Sarah has been here before."

"You should've let me drain the woman," muttered the first.

Pietro smirked.  "Nonsense, comrade.  You've 'eaten' quite enough today.  Killing her would not suit our purposes.  Sarah might still return one day.  We can't risk her not being here if that happens."   

"Then where do we go now, Maximoff?"

"Wherever Cal's nose takes us.  We'll find the girl, Arkady.  Once we do, everything else falls into place."

* * * * *

Remy woke up with a dull throbbing sensation on his arm.  At first, he had no idea what it was.  Then he suddenly remembered what day it was.

It had become a tradition.  Every two or three months, Wanda would track down a tattoo parlor that didn't mind exceptionally young/brave kids with fistfuls of money. 

Remy loved the idea, had started out with a King of Hearts on his arm, and was planning to eventually get every single card of hearts on his arms and again on his back (when it grew enough, anyway).  This time, he'd gone with a queen on his left arm. 

They'd only coaxed Musty into doing it on Halloween, despite the fact that Wanda's power made the tattoos painless (initially, anyway, but if there was no pain, the body wouldn't know to heal, or so Wanda said).

Their egg-friend had a tiny butterfly on her left shoulder (she hadn't been encased at the time), but that was a while ago, and Wanda was hoping she'd emerge soon so they could get her another one…maybe a daisy or a bunny.

Remy had forgotten why the tattoos were so vital, so he shook Wanda awake and asked her again.

Looking more than a bit disheveled and grumpy, Wanda said, "Well, you remember the Big Jerk?"

"Ah.  You mean Magneto?"

"Yeah.  Anyway, we don't want him to find us.  That's what the tattoos are for."

"How dey work again, chere?"

"They don't, by themselves.  But, with a little touch," she said, twiddling her fingers, "we've got instant psi-jammers.  That means nobody with a big head or evil intentions spots us."

"But Magneto not a telepath."

"He could GET one.  I know him, Remy.  You wouldn't want to meet him, and I plan to keep it that way."

"But…dat mean yo' boyfriend can't find us, don' it, chere?"

Wanda shrugged, smiling and purposely not correcting Remy's mistake.  "Nate could find me if he really had to.  He knows how.  We think alike, so to speak."  She glanced back at the egg, half hidden by Musty's massive body.  "Unfortunately, unlike the tattoos, the jammers aren't permanent.  Our little munchkin's must be a couple of months old by now.  I was hoping she'd come out sooner, but we can't rush her."

"We jus' have to watch out for her like we always do.  No biggie."

Wanda shook her head.  "You don't know Magneto, Remy.  He could take me even in a fair fight.  He's got more experience with his powers.  I don't know that any one mutant could take him down."

"You worry too much, chere.  Nobody mess wit da Crimson Tide."

"You have GOT to think up a better team name, Remy…"

* * * * *

Storm had almost finished her patrol shift for the night when she sensed a disturbance in the air currents.

She checked her watch, realizing that if she were not in the gardens in two minutes, Logan would come looking for her, wondering why she hadn't traded shifts with him.  Hopefully, though, it was just one of the students out of bed too late and nothing more.

Just then, there was a bright flash of light from the roof of the school, and Storm quickly flew up, wondering if she should've called for assistance.

However, all she found on the roof was Nate…at least, she thought it was Nate.

For one thing, whenever Nate used his powers, there was never a visible energy trail.  For another, the way the person was glowing like a living lighthouse, it was hard to recognize a face.  But Storm did recognize the clothes as the same ones Nate had been wearing earlier, so there was little doubt in her mind.

~"Sorry, Storm,"~ he apologized suddenly, the glow fading away abruptly.  Nate opened his eyes and turned to look at her.  "Did I wake you?"

"No…no, Nate.  I was on patrol and…noticed you."

"Guess you're wondering why I'm up here right now, huh?"

"Among other things, yes.  Most students would receive some kind of reprimand for being out this late." 

 Nate shrugged.  "I didn't mean to break any rules.  It's just…the Professor won't let me use Cerebro, so I've been trying to find Wanda on my own."

"No luck?" Storm asked, coming to stand beside him. 

"I'm thinking I'd have better luck finding a needle in a haystack."  Nate sighed heavily.  "Wanda's always been good at hiding.  The thing is, she hides REALLY well when she wants to."

"You have no way to find her at all, other than Cerebro?"

"Well, I HAD a way.  We both just figured I'd be powerful enough to slip past her hiding spots.  But I've only realized recently that I was that powerful for a reason.  Whether she knew it or not, Wanda was boosting my powers.  Without her I'm psi-blind.  But I guess if I was with her, I wouldn't need to find her."

"Then what will you do now?" Storm asked.

"Keep looking, I guess.  Maybe she'll actually contact me.  I can't give up.  There's too many people I care about here to just lose hope."

"I agree," Storm said, placing a hand on his shoulder.  "But do you really think threatening the Professor is wise?"

Nate smiled darkly.  "Heard about that, I see."

"Oh, yes.  You made quite an impression on him."

"I just don't understand him.  He devotes all his energy to a dream of humans and mutants living in peace.  If he was a living time bomb, would he just sit there and let his dream die with him, not to mention most of the planet?" 

"I cannot say, Nate.  Personally, I would also be seeking a cure, if not to end my own pain, then to at least keep others from suffering."

"You know, you'd make a great goddess," Nate commented with a smile.  "Assuming I don't blow up, I'll build you a little shrine in the gardens."

Storm laughed.  "That is not necessary, Nate.  But I appreciate the thought.  Now, please give some thought to sleeping inside.  The next person who finds you up here might not be as forgiving as I am."

"If you mean Logan, I think I'll just go in with you," Nate replied.  "For my own protection, of course."

"Of course," Storm agreed, slipping her arm through his.

"Hey, um…is there a rule against students dating teachers?"

Storm shot him a warning look.  "I am certain I could find one."

"Well…is there one against teachers dating students?  I could say you dragged me out here to have your way with me."

"And who would believe such a ridiculous story?"

"We could use something else.  Let's just get our stories straight before Logan assaults me.  I was doing a nature project, and you were…um…supervising."

"At midnight," Storm said, giving him a look of disbelief.

"…okay, it's an astronomy project."

"Logan can practically smell liars, Nate."

"…you could've just told me that."

"I believe I did.  Why not just tell him the truth when he finds us?"

"Are you nuts?  That's no fun at all…"