Author's Note: I have put up this chapter to appease what fans I have (and those I have are RABID I say! RABID!). The book mentioned herewith is Wicked, by some person who I forgot it was by…must look that up later…it's about the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. Y'know. The one with the monkeys.

AAAANYWAY- I felt the need to include said book in this chapter. It's spooky how much Mort and Elphaba are alike… beyond their appearances, of course-

If you're a Toad fan, you'll like the book. SO READ IT!!! NOW!!

Chapter Seventeen- A Wicked Intercession

Mortimer slammed the door behind him loudly, causing several children to peak out of their doors. Once they saw which sleek oak entrance-way rested oddly on its hinges, however, they all shrugged and retreated back to their dorms.

That Marie was just like the rest of the X-Freaks, trying to nudge him in to their 'righteous' group, by guilt. He needed to take a walk. Yes, a walk was what he needed, just a quick trudge through the snow.

He looked through the stolen backpack for an energy-bar, and his fingertips brushed the slick surface of wrapping paper.

He plucked the object out- it was the package from that Katana girl. She shrugged, and ripped it open, a book falling in to his lap.

The image of a green woman smiled back at him, a black, wide brimmed hat on her head, her ebony hair swirling around her like a wreath. A pale haired girl seemed to be whispering in to her ear.

'Wicked' was the title. 'The life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West'.

The villain's side of the story? Too good to be true. He put the book back inside his pack, frowning as he chewed his snack. That book looked, and felt, long- and now he knew he would have to read it. He sighed smiling. That's what he got for opening a gift.

He slung his pack over his shoulder and continued his sally outward, suddenly halted by Beast, his nose buried in a book of his own.

"Planning a vacation?"

"Yeah, I really have to work on my tan." he said, examining his hand jokingly. Beast was the only member of the X-Men that didn't get under his skin- he seemed impartial to the fact that he was the infamous Toad of the Brotherhood- and treated him as a friend and companion.

"Where to, my friend? I hear Tampa is wonderful this time of year."

"Just takin' a walk." he said, smiling. He looked down to his left hand to see 'Wicked' planted there. He did a double take- sure that he had put it in his pack.

"What are you reading?" asked Beast, now curious. Toad didn't seem the bookish sort. Mort showed him the cover. "Interesting. I have yet to see the play- it has gotten wonderful reviews. I have also neglected to read the book. Perhaps after you are finished I could borrow it...?"

Mortimer nodded, slightly taken aback. "Sure." His mood was lifted for the most part, but he still wanted his walk. Just so he could exercise his body- and his trust.

He had always felt jealous towards Logan- he was always able to come and go as he pleased. And he was locked here.

Mort saw Marie taking a group of children for a hike in the woods. He detected her gaze, but he ignored it, along with the sadness he could feel from across the field.

He cleared away the snow from under a tree, laid out a blanket, and began to read, immersed in the life of this otherwise charming, deformed outcast. The irony was not lost on him, but he could hardly describe himself as charming or intelligent as the character Gregory McGuire described. He found himself laughing out loud at a certain quote.

"Don't mind Galinda, Boq, she may be pretty, but you and I both know she is an utterly brainless dolt. Anyway, I'd give a lot to achieve 'fun to look at'. The best I usually hope for is 'stirring'. And when people say that they're usually referring to digestion." He barely noticed when his amphibian body began to shut down with the cold.

Freddy Dukes looked down at his partner, and she stared back, her eyes silver and empty. "Strike quickly." she said, her headset giving forth a grand illusion, distorting the situation in front of her, as of her partner.

Freddy set upon Mortimer, scooping him up as if he were a new-born babe. "Careful." the female advised, slender claws springing forth from her nail bed. "And hurry, we haven't much time." Freddy nodded, and they proceeded through the forest, the slender female leading, Mortimer's pack slung over her left shoulder.

Xavier felt a tingling at the back of his mind- the perimeter had been broken. He searched the emanations of those on campus. There were two intruders, accompanied by a (seemingly incapacitated) Mortimer. He daren't scan the man's mind for fear of those impenetrable walls.

One of the foreigners he had never read before. The other, he recognized as...

Yuriko Oyama.

Lady Deathstrike.