Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men, or Marvel, but if anyone wants to sell me some stock, I'll pay you in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. All you can eat, what a steal!!

V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V

Etienne felt the body in his arms wrack with sobs. "Y' among friends now." He gently smoothed the hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. He knew he should be worried, but the fact that his shields were fully up and he could still feel her emotions didn't really scare him.

"It was awful. I couldn't get away. I fought, but it didn't do anything. They just laughed and told me to keep it up." She gripped him harder, burying her face in his shirt. "Finally they got tired of it, and one of them punched me and I fell. And then..." At this point, she started crying harder if that was possible.

He smoothed her hair again, feeling helpless in the waves of pain and anguish that she was giving off and fighting to maintain his own demeanor. "Non, y' not ta blame chere. It ain't y' fault." He could feel his anger building at the men who would attack any woman the way she had been. Of course, they had paid for it with their lives, but if he could bring them back if only to beat them into a senseless pulp at that moment, he would have.

"I shouldn't have walked out alone. I should have waited for my friends. I could have asked one of the bouncers to walk me to my car." Whatever she was mumbling became a little incoherent at that point and all he could really hear was her crying.

He felt helpless and said the only thing he could. "If y' hadn't, y' wouldn't be here now. Dose men would jus ha' found anot'er girl an she might o' not made it alive like y' did."

Minutes later, Etienne felt her sobs slow to soft hiccups as he slowly stroked his fingers through her hair. Using his empathy to project calm and caring, he slowly pulled her head up so he could look her in the face. "Y' safe now chere. Those men can't hurt y' no mo'." She just tightened her arms around his waist in answer.

V.V.V.V.V.V

"I'm sorry about your shirt." She rubbed the last tears out of her eyes and wiped them on the remains of her sweat pants.

He looked down only now noticing that his shirt was soaked through and there were goosebumps on his arms. "It ain't matter none. How y' feeling?"

"I'm cold." She smiled shyly at him; grateful that he had stayed when most men would have left her to cry on the first woman they could talk into staying.

"Well, I'm not surprised seeing the mess y' made of y' clothes. Maybe next time y' decide t' get angry y' might get undressed first." He took off his jacket and handed it to her.

She stared at him in shock before looking down at herself. "Oh god! I'm practically naked. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, y' were pretty busy up until a few minutes ago, no?" He took the opportunity to smirk at her, glad she was slowly cheering up.

"How am I going to get back to my room like this? Everyone is going to see me." She felt fear welling up again when he grabbed her arm and started pulling her towards the boys locker room. "What are you doing?"

"I have a clean towel in my locker down here. Y' can use it t' wrap y'self up in while y' get to y' room t' change." He stopped and turned to look at her. "Less y' want t' go naked?"

She stared at him, her mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out.

"Y' know y' look like a fish when y' do dat." He grinned again and continued his way to his locker.

Luckily they ended up at her room without meeting a single soul. She put her hand on the knob and then paused, looking back at him.

He nodded understanding what she wanted to say. "When y' feel able, de Professor want t' see y' in his study."

"Okay." She turned away and slipped through the door, closing it quietly behind her.

He trudged back down the hallway, thinking to himself that if anyone had ever needed a drink, he needed one right then.

V.V.V.V.V.V

Brooke knocked on the door to the Professor's office. She had already found Logan and apologized, but he had laughed it off and said it was nothing since he was already healed.

::Come in Brooke.::

She pushed the door open and sat in front of the Professor.

"How are you feeling?"

"I have a slight headache but Dr. McCoy already gave me something for it."

The Professor nodded. "It's probably from using your mutant ability."

"Yeah, that's what I figured too."

"Would you mind talking to me about what happened?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't mind, but it's pretty fuzzy after the point where Logan grabbed me." She cocked her head and looked at him. "I remember being scared and then furiously angry. Then I got a feeling like I was burning up from the inside out." She shivered. "I could feel my bones melting." She looked away. "Everything gets really sketchy after that, more like impressions that actually memories."

The Professor appeared to be deep in thought. "The heat and melting sensation must have been when you shape-shifted into your dragon form. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

She wondered if she should tell him about the link she shared with Etienne, but decided against it. It wasn't really any of his business, especially since it wasn't hurting either of them. "No, not really." She looked down at her hands clenched in her lap. "I remembered what happened during my assault, and it was like I was reliving it again but everything was fast-forward. I think at that point Etienne grabbed me because it was like someone throwing cold water on me, I suddenly realized those events had already taken place and were over."

"Do you remember turning back?"

She shook her head. "No, it's all mixed up together by the end."

"How do you feel about what you remember about the assault?"

She looked up. "I feel guilty about killing those guys, and I know it was me now for sure, but at the same time, they asked for it. Like a friend told me, if it hadn't been me they grabbed, they might have grabbed someone else who wouldn't have been able to fight back."

He nodded. "Since it's dinner time I think that's enough for now. Tomorrow I would like to try and see if we can recreate the point where you morphed without having Logan grab you." He smiled at her. "We need to make sure you can consciously control your abilities so that every time you get frightened or angry you don't suddenly try to start throwing people around."

She grinned at him. "I understand."