A/N

I'm finally back! I'm really sorry, First the thing that's been taking up a lot of my time just got over with, and you have no idea how glad I am. Second, I managed to get sick again (I get sick a lot this time of year) and thirdly, this weekend I had several Band and Thespian things I had to deal with. And I tried to get this up yesterday, but I wsn't finished. In any case, updates should be more frequent (hopefully) now that I'm out of the woods on my schoolwork, and an almost clean plate for everything else. Again, sorry about the delays, I'll try to do better!


"Tower of thorns. Giant black tower with no doors and one window. Wow, does that scream 'Stay Out' or what?" Kitty asked with a giggle. "I wonder how that big guy got across?"

"Probably stepped over. There goes Jean." Rahne watched her go up. Jean flew over the ten foot wall of thorns and flew straight up the tower.

"How long you think she's going to stay up there before she calls us up to help?" Jubilee asked.

"Ah don't think we should speculate." Sam said with a light blush.

"There goes Ms. Monroe. Probably making sure that nothing happens." Kitty said suggestively. She and Jubilee dissolved into heaps of laughter. Mr. McCoy had to break them up.

"Now, now, don't make fun. Keep an eye out. We don't know what's in this area of the woods."

"What woods?"

"It was a figure of speech, Ray. Danny, would you please poke around to find out if there's anything we should be wary of."

"Alright." I stopped staring at the rows of thorns and began to stretch my mind out a little. The large black tower was made out of strange black stone, a little strange to the touch, as some bugs confided to me as I passed through. No, they hadn't seen anything threatening. Not on this side. But the bird hanging out next to the window where Scott and Jean were being reunited(I skimmed over that as soon as I made certain it was Scott—no need to stay any longer than needed) commented about something on the far side of the thorns that I might want to check.

Mr. McCoy was trying to keep the jokes down to a minimum, so I slipped away going alongside the thorn wall. It was circular around the tower, and the thorns sprouting from it were several inches long. They had red tips. I bent in to get a better look at them.

"Vicious looking, aren't they?" A familiar voice asked from above.

I jerked upright to see Dex standing on the thorn wall, looking down at me.

"But basically harmless. The red tips were painted on, I think. Now, if they had green tips I'd have to whisk you way from here for your own protection." He said with a big grin.

"Don't bet on it." I started walking off.

"Wait!"

"What?" I snapped.

"I'm stuck!"

"Excuse me?" I asked in disbelief as I turned around.

He grinned down at me and held out his hands endearingly. "Help me down?"

I stared at him for a minute, then I shook my finger at him. "I know what you're planning. You're a dirty man."

"Me?!" He asked incredulously. "How could you say that?"

"I know you would." I said, turning to walk away.

"Do what?" He asked me. I ignored him and kept going. He kept calling after me, but soon stopped.

"Finally. I hate that guy." I breathed in relief. I was nearing the far side of the circle of thorns, looking for whatever it was the bird said I should look at.

This side of the thorns had a rather odd dimple in it. As I looked closer, I realized it was some sort of burrow. A large sort of burrow. At least as tall as I was and maybe half again as wide. It went straight into the thorns and judging by the shadows and the bent look of the twigs, it was split into little passageways about two feet across.

"Weird." I reached in and plucked out one of the thorns. There was fur stuck on it, banded like a bumblebee, only grey and green.

Is it a hive? Now that I feel around with my mind a little more specifically, there are little things scurrying around in the thorn wall, but they seem rather sluggish.

"You are so mean." A voice breathed close to my ear. "I had to climb down all by myself. What did I do to deserve that kind of treatment, hmm?"

"Yikes!" I jumped forward, forgetting I was standing right next to a gigantic thorn bush.

"OWW! You JERK!" I struggled to get out of the thorns, wanting to yell as they bit into my palms and legs. Two arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me up and out of the thorns.

"Now, now. One turn, good or bad, deserves another, no? If you had just helped me down of the thorns, your karma wouldn't have bitten you in the ass." Dex grinned as I managed to get my footing back.

I shoved him away and squatted down, using my teeth to pluck out the thorns. My cheeks were burning. "Jerk."

He grinned down at me. "You're just bitter."

"You're damn right I'm bitter! What is your problem!? Do you have anything better to do then follow me and stand next to me when I'm sleeping and put rings on my fingers? Don't try to deny it-you're the only one who could have pulled it off. And now you come behind me and scare me, and I have thorns in my hands!"

"I think you're just saying that because you're at unease with yourself. Care to talk about it?"

"No!"

"I think you may be having some stress in your life. Hazard to guess what causes it?"

I stopped with a thorn sticking out of my mouth like a toothpick and stared at him. "What do you think?!"

"Honestly? I think you're upset that you can't tell when I'm coming. It must be very annoying, especially for someone who's only real defense is knowing."

"Yeah, well, knowing is half the battle." I snapped. I went back to chewing thorns out of my palm.

"You know, I could help you with those thorns…"

"Touch me and die."

"You know, I heard back on your world they have classes for your kind of situation."

"I don't need Anger-management!"

"Funny how that was the first thing to leap out of your mouth."

"Shut-up! You are so…so…"

"Funny? Charming? Fatally Beautiful? Is there anything I've missed?"

"Egotistical, Jerk, Idiot, Annoying Pain!"

"…I am not an idiot. That was very hurtful. I don't see where this hostility is coming from."

I got up stiffly and marched off, fully intent on getting back to the rest of the group.

"You still have thorns in your legs." He called after me.

I refused to answer him. He made me jump into thorns. And he was right about the thing about not knowing he was coming. But I was not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

He was suddenly right in front of me, hands clasped in front of him. "Don't you love me anymore?"

I stumbled to a halt. I glared at him, speechless.

"What? Is there something in my teeth?"

"You are a psycho." I said decisively. "Send a message to your boss that he should lock you up."

"But I want to stay with you!"

"Why?" I said with a sigh of exasperation. "Why?"

"You're pretty. I like pretty girls."

"The other girls in my group are pretty. There are thousands of prettier girls! Millions!"

"But none quite like you." He said leaning in.

I felt my face go on fire and I stumbled back. "Stop that!"

He pouted. "So beautiful, yet so very cruel. My heart shall be naught but little pieces of jagged love."

"I said stop it!"

"Very well. I shall leave then, but only because you asked. I'll go, though my heart shatters. But never fear, my beautiful young mutant, I'll be back."

"Wait a minute, how did you—" He was gone before I could get out my question. One second there, the other gone. With not even a particle of kicked up dust. He made Pietro and Kurt look like amateurs. But unlike Kurt, I was almost certain he didn't teleport. And I bet he couldn't go as far as Pietro. If I could just figure out how to track him, I'd be able to catch him at his own game.

I spent a few minutes yanking thorns out of my legs, pricking my fingers a few times in the process. A few more thorns out of my hands, and I was ready to rock.

I started walking again, but after I got about twenty feet I felt the little beasts in the thorns get annoyed. Then they started moving back towards the burrow. I turned around and watched as small, foot long centipede-like creatures with grey and green striped fur poured out of the general direction of the burrow. None of them seemed all that interested in me.

I walked back slowly, careful not to startle them. Lots of creatures like that could have the same effect as the dog monkeys- vicious in large groups.

Why were they moving so fast now, when just a few minutes ago, they were acting so sluggish?

I reached my hand out to pick one of the slower ones up, but it hissed and arced it's lower half like a scorpion. I jerked my hand away and watched it scuttle away.

"Okay…" That was a little mean.

"Danny!"

I looked up to see Jean hovering in the air.

"What's taking you so long? We have to go, some more of those iron soldiers are coming this way!"

"Great." I glanced down at the bugs again, but they were still ignoring me. "Coming!"

"Take my hand." Jean floated a couple of feet above my head. "The others already started running."

"Just a second. Which way are the soldiers going? Straight as the crow flies?"

"The same way all of these things are going. That's weird. Why are they all going the same way? Have you asked?"

"No. I don't think they're in the mood to talk." I scratched my neck. "We'd better go. I can feel the annoyance already."

"What?"

"The animals are getting annoyed. The soldiers aren't natural. We have to go, they'll be here really soon." I grabbed her outstretched hand.

"We'll figure this out when we're safe. Hold on tight."

A moment later I was airborne, flying over the thorn wall, rounding the tower, and flying off towards the hurriedly moving group of mutants with someone with a bandage over their eyes. It had to be Scott.

"There!" Jean pointed to where the annoyed voices had begun to get louder. I looked over and saw almost twenty armored creatures marching, clubs out. It looked like they'd go straight through the wall of thorns to join the running bugs on the other side. I wondered why I hadn't heard them before. Dex must have distracted me.

"What's going on?" I wondered.

"We'll regroup with the others and follow them!" Jean yelled over the clanking. "We have to check on Scott first! We have to be careful, he lost his glasses!"

"Great." I said as we gained on the fleeing mutants.


PrincessofWildfire:Heh, glad you like it. And I hope this satisfies your need to see Dex again. Glad you like the bird, and I hope you liked the chapter!

Raliena: Glad you thought it was good, I hope you have the same reaction for this chapter!

Anongirl88: No leprechauns yet, I don't know if there will be any at all, Sorry Mr. L! Glad you liked the last chapter, hope you and Mr. L like this one too!

Herman apologizes with me about the wait, and shall take your reviews!