Lucky Me

Chapter 058


I never knew fear until the moment I heard his voice calling to us from down the hall. Then there was the scraping of long, sharp claws being dragged on the metal of the hallway's wall. It rang so loudly in my ears that it felt as if he was running his claws down my spine.

"Oh man," Adam prayed, quickly jumping to his feet. The backup generators flickered to life, but instead of the normal lights, there was a dull red color filling the room. "Kerry, what do we do?" He asked, as I felt my lunch in my throat.

Every other time, we had been under the safety of the Danger Room, or had had help from those that could do something. Now? Now there was just me, Adam, and—"Chris. Daisy." I muttered.

"Huh?" Adam was practically on top of me, "What about them?"

I shushed him and told him to whisper.

"We need to get to them. Change into your lizard form and we need to get them out of here. They're both on the top floor."

He nodded and began got morph from a normal looking guy to a bulky lizard man. He silently crept to the door.

"What about you?"

I sighed and still gripping my frying pan, and felt my 'natural' skin melt away from me. I heard the flesh hit the floor like paper sliding across the tiles. My wings twittered with nervousness.

"Ready?" I questioned, fear deep in my voice. There was no telling where Sabretooth was by now. There was no more noise coming from the basement area. We silently made our way out of the kitchen, careful that the swinging door didn't make any creaks as it opened and shut. Of course the pounding in my ears would give us away without any problem.

It took all I had not too wet myself. I mean, it would be a little obvious if he had a trail to follow.

"Wait."

I really didn't want to. I just wanted to grab my team and haul feathers. "What?"

"That girl." Oh crap, "She's still down-"

"I'll send her family a nice flower arrangement with my sincerest apologies!" I hissed/whined.

"Containment unit Alpha has been breached. Starting automatic perimeter lock-down."

Cere-bellium? Oh heck, what was their fancy computer's name? I didn't have time to think it out as I felt my heart sink impossibly low (like men in China were poking it with a stick asking where it came from). The slamming of thick metal on the window sills, doors and every other possible entrance (meaning exit) broke my heart and sent tears into my eyes. I gripped my frying pan harder.

"Oh, man." Adam grabbed my hand and hauled me half way up the stairs to the first landing. "I can't believe this." He was scared, too; it was almost as if we were absorbing each other's emotions.

"I-I-t-t" I stuttered out, I was not going to cry! I was not!

Then I heard a bone chilling chuckle from the emergency staircase door (at least that's where I guessed it came from). I felt something akin to a sob want to break free from my throat.

When people say fear was like having ice and lead shoot through your blood, they hadn't felt fear. I felt as a heavy as Mr. Logan's bones when I heard claws scrape against the walls again.

I focused on nothing but the scrapping sound, and the almost glowing golden eyes which slowly came into view. My breath, I couldn't believe I was still breathing. I heard every step he took; Adam was shaking like there was an earth quake underneath his feet instead of wood and carpet.

Then he came into view. Claws twisting, feet dragging, smile with full set of fangs leering and his eyes were set solidly on his victims.

"What'sa matter, birdy? Ain't never seen a real man before?" He snickered at his own sick joke, "And you lizard boy, guess I'm goin' to have a new pair of boots."

I-I-I(my thoughts were stuttering) my breath hitched in my throat and I just knew I was going to hyperventilate. Better than breathing through my neck, but then again my head and neck might by 'separating' soon!

He took one step up, his grin growing. I could only focus on his claws as they flexed and relaxed in a very notwelcoming way.

"You smell so good covered in fear," he purred, I never thought for a moment that I would live to see the next moment.

Then I screamed.

He lunged at us!

In a breath I stumbled backwards and fell down like a rock on the landing.

Then my life flashed before my eyes...but somewhere in the white light I heard a howl of pain. And-it didn't come from me.

"Come on you idiot!" What was Chris doing in my death tunnel of light? "He won't be knocked out for long!" I blinked (I could still blink!) And then looked up at Chris who (besides having white and purple spots all over him from my screwed up vision) looked down at me in perfect health.

I wasn't dead?

"Kerry! Come on, get up!" I heard a groan (my own) then I heard another one from somewhere past me. Being dragged to my feet I saw a slightly sizzled Sabretooth against the front door (which was now covered by a metal sheet thanks to the 'lock down') which stood a good twenty or more feet away from the bottom of the stair case.

"W-what happened?" I croaked out, frying pan still secure in my hand.

"Forget about what happened and worry about what's going to happen," Chris grouchily advised; I shook my head trying to think. Even if I wasn't leader, the first thing was still first. Roll Call. "Where's D-M?"

"Here," I heard her croak, "Why is he out?"

"I decided to take him for a walk while Adam changed his litter box." I shot (as said before, defense mechanism. It was either being highly sarcastic, or denying everything. Somehow I think no matter how hard I tried to deny the cat was out I was going to end up dead).

"What do we do?" Adam's voice was shaky like the rest of ours, and for a moment I was going to give the obvious choice of 'getting out' but then something struck me. We couldn't get out without letting that thing out as well.

"Go downstairs." I commanded (sounded more like a plea to me). "Get to the containment units."

"What?" Chris, apparently, found his voice and with the shout the killer twitched with life. Oh crap, we didn't have but maybe a minute more.

"Just. Do. It." I sounded like a Nike commercial.

We got to the bottom of the steps before we heard a highly angry growl/howl being let lose upstairs. Adam automatically slammed and barred the emergency staircase. I knew at least one person wasn't going to like what I had to say next, but it had to be done.

"Adam, there's no other way down here, right?"

He swallowed audibly. "Not that I can think of."

"Good, then you and Kia get to any working containment unit." They went to protest I almost growled at them (as if I wasn't hearing enough of that from the thudding person coming down the steps). When the other two finally left, I looked over at Chris. "You guard the door."

"Okay, I knowwe've had our disagreements in the past but do you really-"

"Save it" I ordered, "If you want to use that tongue of yours in the future, then I suggest that you do as I say. Now."

"O-okay."

"Use your electricity to make sure that if he touches that door, he'll be fried again. Everyone else has close contact powers." Chris paled, but nodded his head.

Why the heck was I doing this really, really dumb stuff?

Because there was a mutant floating around here (not technically 'floating') that I had to find to make sure she didn't get blood on the floor. I remembered when Husk nearly passed out when she saw her brother (Sam) with a busted lip dripping on the ground. She was more worried about the blood then about the cut, weird huh?

"Just-hurry," Chris shouted at me as I took off down the way to the other containment units. The 'big bad' cells, and the 'not so bad, but we still don't trust you' cells were in different parts of the subbasement. I sent my team to the 'big bad' cells since they were thicker and better equipped. I could hear the crackling of Chris' powers behind me, mingled with an angry howl. I had to find that mutant girl before Sparks ran out of juice.

"Hello!" I screamed, running toward where I saw her last, but no dice. She was gone. "Oh peachy, just what I need a psy—fire!"

Bright yellow flames from nowhere seemed to be all around me!

Great, as if the night was complicated enough, let's make the would-be victims roast as well!

Suddenly I was blinded by pure fear. Like reality had grown to the size of a seven foot cat man and bit me in the behind. Dropping to my knees, I started to hyperventilate. My heart dropped, the tears came and all I could see through me scared confusion was- dark yellow flames?

I was on fire?

"Sorry." My heart started to ping-pong between my ears, and fear suddenly seemed to fly away. "Though' you were one of those stuck up gits."

Slowly climbing to my feet, she looked at me funny.

"You did that?"

"Yeah, I'm wot they sired an 'empath'." She shrugged. "I just went on your strongest emotion."

I sighed.

"Come on," (I figured ramming my knuckles down her throat right now would constitute as a 'bad idea' because it meant I would have had to drag her behind to the 'safe' place).

"Why?" Julie sounded suspicious.

"Because if I'm rescuing you, you have to move. If you stay here, you get to know what shish-ka-bob feels like." I muttered, rubbing my knees.

"Y-you're rescuing me?"

"It's kind of my job. If you die, I get the ax." I shrugged. I wasn't that calm, I was actually feeling like I was sinking into the pit of the earth and being burned alive.

"The sentiment's touching..."

"Anytime now!" Chris screamed, I grabbed her gloved hand and started to book it to the other containment units.

"Wot's going on?"

"Talk later, run now," I clarified (hey, Scott might have the whole 'explain the situation in ten seconds or less using two hundred words' but this girl was in training, meaning it took a lot of hand gestures and a lot of teen slang to clarify). Half way back to Chris I noticed something.

It was deathly quiet. Not a crackle or a curse coming from where I left him.

My throat stuck together and I felt Julie start to whimper as I tightened my grasp on her wrist. If he was joking, I was going to enjoy killing him.

"Something's wrong," I muttered, "He's being too quiet."

"The dead have a tendency to be way." I wanted to scream but instead I was only capable of twisting my head around in every direction trying to find where the purring voice was coming from. "Clever trick, girlie, but you forgot the elevator shaft."

"Chris!" Why do people scream other people's names after the fact? Like he was even going to answer. My feet found themselves capable of movement and they moved toward where Chris was supposed to be.

I could only hear the predator laughing somewhere behind us, in the dark. He was playing with us, hunting us, a regular and lethal game of cat and mouse. Julie didn't protest or pull back as I yanked her all around the under belly of the mansion.

"Oh my-"

There was blood and complete silence. No more laughing.

My eyes watered, and my head became foggy.

"C-Chris?" He wasn't moving, wasn't being his annoying little firecracker self. He was barely breathing. B-but he was breathing! I ran and dropped to my knees with no consideration to pain as I slammed down on to them. "Chris!" I shook him and felt what little stomach I had left lurch and twist. Seconds were ticking by and the British girl pointed out that if I wanted to meet him in the afterlife to continue to dirty myself with his blood, if not, hide.

My strength did not fail me as I turned Chris over, and I felt myself grow faint. Three gashes across his chest and abdomen greeted me—I could see muscle-oh gaw. There was very little thought in my head and lunch in my stomach. There was, however, plenty of shaking and weak knees. But despite his appearance and the fear, I was able to lift him up and began the stumbling journey to where the others were.

Wherever Sabretooth was, I was thinking he was enjoying the show. Probably going to make us think we were safe until the last instant-then strike like a tiger in the night.

"Y-you."

"Wot?" Julie asked, her face was even paler than usual.

"Is there any way for you to tell where the other guy is by his emotions?" I had to think, a leader worries, cries, and wets herself after they'd survived. The rest of the team could freak out and lose their mind; it was up to the leader, me, to get the others through.

"You don't wan' to know where he is," she whispered back.

"Adam, open the door! Chris is hurt!" I knew it was the Beta cell, we basically had to hurdle over the door our hunter had knocked off its hinges (the Alpha cell). But it wasn't Adam who pulled the door open, Daisy poked her head in and Julie didn't ask any questions as she ran in the room.

"D-did he do that?" D-M quivered as she shut the door again with a sound clunk.

I put Chris down as soft as I could, and I was never so happy to hear him groan and try to gurgle out something.

"Don't say anything, Sparks, I don't want blood on my shirt." Which was way too late because it was already covered in it. Did I have my frying pan? Oh you bet. I wasn't going to let that thing go!

"Where's Adam?"

Daisy started to fidget; she did that when she didn't want to answer something, when she knew I didn't want to hear the answer.

"H-He went to the communication room to try and contact the others." Her voice was low. My temper went flying high. I felt my mutant adapting power work overtime; my wings even were tightening with the need to 'fight' instead of 'flight'.

"Daisy, heal Chris." She hesitated. I couldn't have her second guessing me, not now, not with Chris' life on the line or ours for a larger matter! If one of us didn't pull through, then I failed again. We had to get Adam, but I wasn't going to leave three sheep for the slaughter to try and save someone who might have already met his doom.

Couldn't think like that!

Had to think happy thoughts-later.

"But he's bleeding..."

I gritted my teeth together, "That's why you have to heal him!"

"But the Legacy Virus..."

"Do. It. Or Sabretooth won't have time to kill you." Threatening was much more a Wolverine tactic then a Cyclops-but too bad! I heard a growling chuckle somewhere down the hall. She started to put her hands on him. What had Adam been thinking I didn't know. I couldn't believe he'd be as stupid as to try for the X-Men when they were all clear across the country or somewhere without radios.

"Can't we just give him some cat nip?" Daisy whispered through her tears.

"Is she serious?" Julie looked at me with an unbelievable glance.

"Is he ready?" I completely evaded the question Julie asked for a great reason, the truth might have made her doubt all of us instead of just the group air head.

"A-Almost, this isn't as simple as it looks, he got him through the skin, and I can't make him make blood." She was sweating, and I was wondering. Why the heck didn't that man make his move on us yet? I mean, I wasn't complaining, it just seemed very weird for a serial killer to take his own good time doing whatever it was he was planning to do.

We were in the meat locker ready to be fried for crying out loud!

Maybe he went after Adam-no, no! Not Adam, there was only one way to the control room and it was down this hallway. He wouldn't fly by us and give us a way out just to get to the other boy (unless he had sexist issues about killing females or something).

"We have to move, if you're done or not," so much for 'master plans' and stuff. Because of Adam's need to be heroic we were now forced to take shelter in-oh duh!

I felt completely stupid (even more so than when talking to Dr. Hank) all the extra juice automatically went to the Command center (War Room) to protect the content on the computers! I had forgotten (this must have been why Scott pressed for me to take notes) and here I thought that one of the containment units would offer more protection! How do I remember to breathe at night? (Yes, I was avoiding reality at all costs, but wouldn't you act the same under the circumstances? Good. I thought so.)

"We can't wait anymore. Is he moveable?" Daisy nodded, oh great, now she was pale. I was always on the receiving end of her hands, I didn't see the aftermath, but I remember after I was shot that she was put in the med. wing as well. Guess it really wiped her out to use her powers in such a way. I poked my head out the door, and just like before, nothing was greeting me.

No laughing, no taunting, nothing. I allowed myself a small measure of hope. Maybe the big-kitty went bye-bye and left the little 'pre-trainee-wannabe-X-Men' alone for the night, at least until his real playmates got back.

"Julie, help Daisy. Go out the door and walk to the right."

"Oh to hell with that!" She raised her voice as I once again bent down to take a knocked out Chris in my arms. "I'm not goin' out there first! I'm not that bloody daft. You go and die first."

Oh, she was going to be another joy to work with in the future. If I let her havea future.

"I'd do what I say before the only way you get to go to college is as a cadaver."

She went to challenge me—and instead of opening her mouth, she grabbed Daisy and hauled her out the open door. Just because she was doing what I said didn't mean she didn't grumble all the way down the hall.

"K-kerrr" Chris was trying to talk again, idiot.

"Shut-up, I'm out of Advil," I whispered back and then raised my voice slightly to tell Julie where the room was. He went to say something again when-

Wham!

"Julie! Run!" I managed to scream before Chris dropped to the floor, there was a clawed hand around my throat and my back was slammed at a rapidly bruising rate into the wall.

He had been waiting for us!

How I maintained bladder control at this point I didn't know. Like a snake, every breath I took, his hand tightened around my throat.

"I know you're probably thinkin', 'why me'?" I made a gurgling noise in the back of my throat; please, I thought, don't let it be blood. "It's nothin' personal; you're just a parting thought to those that think they're better than me." He came closer. He had fangs, very sharp looking fangs. "Nothin' they taught you seems to matter any-"

Then he was gone. Well, actually he was hit very roughly from the side and it took me a few seconds to catch my breath to remember a clang sound and my hand raising.

He turned to me and growled murder.

Then clang.

I was shaking so hard that I didn't even realize I was the one who was hitting him-with a frying pan (cast iron frying pan I found out later).

When he reached out and tried to claw me open like he had done Chris, his claws scrapped against the bottom of my pan. "Cute, kid, real cute."

Chris wasn't awake to 'zap' him this time when the mad man launched toward me.

Just my frying pan and me to rely on.

Somehow, in the two seconds I had to think, the odds did not seem to be in my favor.

Then the clang echoed as I closed my eyes (dumb, but this was me).

I was dead; I just knew I was dead.

But it wasn't me groaning. When I cracked my eye open, I noticed I must have moved because I was half bent to the side with two-handed death grip on the frying pan and a big cat at my feet. Shaking, I brought my pan to my face to inspect it, and then I checked out the wall. Both had heavy dents. I didn't question my sudden luck as I grabbed Chris and (fighting back the tears) made my way to the control room.

Once the door slammed shut, Chris was sitting down in one of the bolted down swivel chairs, and my shaking was somewhat subsiding-I felt the irresistible need to burst out into a chorus of 'Whose Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?' This was after the doors were secured, D-M bear hugged both me and the injured party, I glared at Adam (yelling was forgotten because I was afraid I would sound like Minnie Mouse on helium).

A few more minutes ticked by and once I was sure my voice wasn't going to make dog ears hurt, "Did you get into contact with them?"

Adam looked at me funny. "I can't figure out how to use this thing."

I survived all this, became a lethal Kookie armed with a kitchen utensil to bite it because Adam had a stupid streak in him after all? No. Way.

"Move, I can do it."

"Where is he?" D-M asked, attached to Julie who was trying to pry the country girl off her arm.

Leaders cried later. Leaders were human later. Leaders never showed weakness. Leaders never should install false hopes.

"Out there somewhere." I checked the clock before sitting down in front of the communicator. It had been barely half an hour. About three hours since Adrian, our fearless and missing leader, left. I just hoped the jerk didn't come home any time soon. I would despise for him to be a martyr. They'd probably blame me and erect a statue in his honor.

I typed in the code keys that contacted the Blackbird (they didn't make anything easy around here) and before long Gambit's face appeared on the television screen in front of us (okay, so it was a monitor).

"What's wrong? De lot of you look worse for wear." He was trying to be funny, nobody was laughing.

"Sabretooth is loose." His eyes got huge, and his mouth went slack. "We're alone." Cyclops was called for and I felt my resolve on not crying slowly fading when my 'father figure' appeared on screen (practically knocking Gambit out of the way). "Do the words 'help us' come to mind?" Bad time for humor, bad, bad time!

"Blyt, where is everyone? Are they all accounted for? Where are you located now?"

Well dug. It's not like I had a communication bay in my room!

"They're all here and accounted for. We're in the War Room." When he asked where the escaped convict was, my first answer that came to mind, went out of my mouth, "Not in the War room."

"We're on our way."


Sabretooth never made another try for us. I knew he had woken up not too much later after I knocked him out. Julie said she couldn't 'feel' him anywhere and that next time to tell her what's going on before she learned that some people weren't worth saving. That started a huge fight between D-M and Julie. Adam was stalk still in the corner of the room.

I was tending to Chris. D-M had patched him up until there was nothing but pink, angry scars, but he was still so pale. The blood loss was great, I knew, and after about another half an hour he started muttering 'crazy talk' to me.

He could barely talk above a whisper, so I knew no one else could hear him (unless the Julie chick had hyper-sensitive hearing she neglected to mention), "Y-you know why I—say all those things—about you, K-k-k..."

"Because you have to be mean and hateful to someone and you pulled my name out of a hat?" I gave a pathetic attempt at a smile, which he tried to return.

"No, it's b-because I l-like you," Huh? "And I did-n't want to-and I di'n't wan' him to-either."

"You really have lost a lot of blood," I laughed at him and he passed out again. For some reason I felt slightly uneasy to be alone with this boy any longer.


When, about forty nine minutes following the call to the Blackbird, the actual spandex wearing X-men showed up, I had never been so happy in my life. Julie ground out that she was not going back into the containment units because there was nothing wrong with her. D-M quickly disagreed and the fight started and was shut off in a matter of minutes.

I was thinking it had something to do with a threat of blowing someone up, but I couldn't be sure.

Dr. Hank took one look at Bradley and told me to bring him to be fixed up in good old med. wing.

By this time Chris was a bit more lucid, but not much. I helped him up, even though my arms were aching. I figured it was nothing to having your chest ripped in three or four places by massive claws. He grunted as he slowly went from sitting to standing; let me tell you, super strength came in handy.

"Are you okay?"

He shot me a look that made my I.Q. slump.

"Yeah," he coughed. "W-What's some slashes across the c-chest?"

I gave a tired smile, "At least you have character now with your 'battle scars'."

Chris rolled his eyes as he swayed on his feet for a moment; I put my arm around his waist told him not to get any ideas as I helped him to the med. wing. Half way there, he gave me a hard as nails glare and tone of voice (two for one sale?), "This better get a 'yes' out of you for prom."


I couldn't sleep!

Gee, I wondered why?

Every time I closed my eyes I was transported back into the dark, red colored halls with a cat hunting me. I was scared! After the adrenaline wore off, the others were back in their rooms and Chris was hooked up to blood, I went to bed.

And I couldn't turn off the light! I was afraid that the murderer was lingering around in the corners waiting for me to go to sleep to follow through with his promises. Wolverine and Bishop hunted and then checked everywhere but didn't find the man; they said he was long gone.

I didn't believe them.

So, in order to prevent myself from going nuts, I decided to go and hunt someone who every other time when I felt lousy, scared, or on the brink of pulling off all my feathers and ramming them in certain people's behinds and ears was comforting.

Yup, I went to him.

With the tiredness and reality of what really did happen and could have happen sinking in quickly, I felt incredibly nervous. I knew, despite what ever happened between us, he and I were friends. And friends were supposed to rub out the emotional kinks for each other, right? With a deep breath, I held up my hand and felt my nerves chase away. Dang it!

I lowered my arm and sighed, I had to leave. I turned around-

"Hey." And there hewas, with a glass in hand, his hair tasseled, and a small smile on his lips.

He looked so tempting to me at this point. No fronts, just him being him.

In the middle of the night...okay, so I should really get back to the action instead of the drooling (old habits die hard, huh?).

"H-hi"

He raised an eyebrow which added to the slightly confused expression on his face. I guess he wasn't expecting me to greet him? What was I rude or something? Was I avoiding thinking or talking to him? Heck yay!

"What's wrong?" he glanced up and down the hall, "Before you answer, maybe we should go inside. Both of you." He remarked toward Stitch and myself. I was thinking of having my fuzzy blue alien plush surgically attached to my chest. It would lead to having a very strange coffin whenever I was buried, not that the wings wouldn't make it strange enough.

Once the door was shut and locked, I felt the nervousness start to come its own life force in me. I wondered briefly if Julie had anything to do with this. He flicked on his light, placed the glass on his nightstand, and plopped down on his bed. Then he just stared at me.

As if not being embarrassed and anxious wasn't punishment already! Now I was getting self-conscious! "Uh, W-what are you doing up so late?"

He shrugged.

"Getting a drink. What were you doing outside my bedroom door?"

"Admiring the woodwork?" I smiled impishly. He gave me a 'yeah, right' face and waited for me to explain. I felt all the night's emotions come slamming into me like an eighteen-wheeler. Tears started to prick in my eyes, I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing left it, before I could stop myself I was already southward bound. I didn't care if I hit my knees, though I never did, he was there preventing me from it by collecting me in a warm, safe embrace.

I had come so close to dying! To being ripped to shreds! Chris almost died! Would have died! We could have all died! Oh my-I couldn't even think of anything else! Dead! D-E-A-D! I was sobbing and like every other time that mattered, he was there for me.

Who knows how long I was a muttering, crying mess of an emotional wreck. He never let me go, holding me tightly and the strength in his arms and the soothing words he murmured made me feel protected and deeply cared for.

I didn't even realize he had somehow gotten me over to his bed until I stopped crying long enough to look up from his shoulder where I had my buried my face in the curve of his neck. Of course, the first thing I noticed was that somewhere between slumping to the ground and grabbing his shirt I had dropped Stitch.

"S-stitch," I reached out toward my fuzzy blue buddy (I wondered if Dr. Hank would be amused by my 'buddy').

He laughed and got up to fetch Stitch, but when he came back to the bed he didn't sit beside me. He knelt in front of me, and then, just like he was single and I was the one he was after, he put his hand over mine. Making eye contact (I was sure I looked just so appealing with red puffy eyes and a blotchy face, I'd seen my face after I'd cried-I look like an angry Pillsbury Dough-girl) with his.

I wondered why we fought but, I— he had a potential girlfriend. I couldn't get over the fact.

"I should leave."

His eyebrows came together then he rolled his eyes, "Oh sure, use me as a human Kleenex and then run back to your room." He wasn't upset (completely). Just going out on a limb and trying to get me from the dark thoughts of how close I came to playing chess with the Grim Reaper.

I didn't even know how to play chess.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you..." I came to a screeching halt in my thoughts of board games and the skeleton playmates.

"You couldn't have known," I replied, my voice giving away that I was exhausted. "I just never had been through anything like that. All the danger room exercises-we all knew we'd be safe. We'd all walk away, maybe a few more scratches, but aliveand whole." I shuttered, "But this was-this was-"

"Life or death," He replied, flat and cold. "I know."

I got up to leave, but before I could make it to my feet, he was on his and pushing me back on his bed (not like that!).

"I don't think so. You're just going to sit up all night blowing your nose on this guy," he said dropping Stitch in my lap, "Until he's green. And that's just disgusting." He gave me one of the old smiles that I loved.

I laughed nervously (the only thing I didn't cry out) and gave him a weak smile, "Fine."

After instructions to get under the covers and get comfortable I shrugged and did as he said. Jean was going to kill me or him, perhaps both. But, right now? Screw her. She was used to this, I wasn't. She had Da-Scott (I really had to stop that) to run to, I had Stitch and him. He was comforting; Stitch was—comfortable (when used as a pillow)?

The lights went out and I went stiff.

This was how the Sabretooth episode started. Oh man, was he still here? Waiting for us? My body was tensed ready to run or fight, I wasn't sure. I turned to face the window, and like earlier that night I bumped into him. When did he get into the bed?

"I'm not going to try anything, Miss Suspicious." He promised..? "Just go to sleep, I won't let anything happen." Then (as if my tight as a coil body wasn't tense enough) I felt his hand skim across my waist from one side to the other, and once it got to the other side, he pulled me close to his body. I wanted to cry. He wasn't free, so why was he torturing me like this?

I was facing him, and so close that I could tell that he had been using Crest toothpaste (No, I didn't make a habit of smelling toothpastes, I just happened to know it cause, well, I'd kissed him before-why was I explaining this?).

"W-what about the others?" I asked in a whisper.

"Forget them." Whoa.

I picked me head up for a moment, trying to look him in the eye (have you ever had to do that when it was pitch black? It's next to impossible), but instead he put his arm where my head was and gave me that as a pillow. Who knew muscles could be soft?

"What about-you know her."

When he didn't answer for a few seconds I felt like I was going to have to suffocate him with Stitch. I felt his lips press gingerly to my forehead before he buried his nose into my hair.

"I'll explain that later, just—don't worry about her."

Uh-huh, easy for him to say.