ViciousAssassin: Emma's pregnancy will be explained and no it's not from Sinister he didn't have the time to do anything. The demon lied. That's what it does. I can't believe you would believe that about Jean of all people.

Kaliann: Thanks I did some research on exorcisms and I did watch that famous movie about it too. August is okay, but Slayer…Well, he's another story.

Mark C: You'll see what the other X-Men think soon as well as herself. Slayer may get over it, but he won't move on not from what happened, that you'll see soon. As for Scott popping the question, just keep an eye out. You have no idea how much things will change with Emma lol.

Doza: Yep you knew although not exactly a 'miracle' it will be explained. Layla will be explained later, but don't worry she's a major factor when it comes to Slayer. I can understand if you were busy no harm done. Yep you'll see a bit more of Slayer's past in this chapter I think.

Winblades: I may talk to Slickboy about that. He writes the Jott scenes like that, but I'm glad that's the only thing bugging you about it.

Craaaaazy: I write this with my friend Slickboy444 and we each write half the chapter that's how.

Jenskott: Yeah I'm not much of a horror fan myself but it's a good thing I saw that movie at least, it helped to write this part. Got a LOT of characters lol, but we try to keep a balance. You'll see August's thoughts in here.

band20: You were right about what you read earlier all will be explained.

The Uncanny R-Man: Yeah, that's why I had Kurt there kind of a nod to that part of his life in the comics. Jean didn't remember anything to her it was pretty much a blank. Yeah, I know you told me so lol. I just wanted to try and make it a surprise.

GothikStrawberry: You'll see who Layla is soon and what happened to her, but it isn't pretty. Yeah, I know evil us but you got to admit it was worth it all wasn't it? And yeah you got it, that's how she can have kids.

BlazeStryker: No crossovers. This isn't a crossover fic, so no Constantine. We're keeping this strictly Marvel and we're not bringing any other character in since we've got enough as it is and it's hard to juggle them all.

Sparky Genocide: Yeah, I know I just wanted to keep people guessing. You're right about how Vince handles it and don't you mean August stopped Slayer from making a mistake?

Thanks to: X00001, Quillian, Wen1, Simba317

AN: For all of you asking Emma's pregnancy will be explained. I wanted to keep you all guessing about this and to keep it as a surprise.

Hellfire and Brimstone

CHAPTER 66: BREAKING THE NEWS

Emma just sat there, her face unreadable. On the inside she was in complete and utter shock at those words. She was thinking that she had heard wrong. She couldn't be pregnant…She knew she couldn't be. This all had to be some sick joke, there was no way!

"Emma? Emma, are you okay?" Beast asked her, for she had been silent for too long a time.

"It's not possible…" Emma finally responded in a neutral tone, but he thought it wavered a little. Hank nodded his head, sometime after Sinister, she told Hank about her condition and even gave him a copy of her medical files. He was sorry to hear about her inability to have children and the results he had to agree with said she could never bare them, for her body just couldn't take it.

"I ran the teats three times Emma. I don't know how it's possible and I'll need to find a way to further examine you…But somehow you are carrying a child within you," Hank told her gently.

"I…I have to go," Emma said hurriedly and quickly got off the bed and out the doors before either of them could stop her.

Sage sighed. She may not be Emma's friend, but it had to be hard to take. She knew that she couldn't have kids like Henry did. She had been there when Emma gave Henry the new updated medical file, but to know you can't have kids and then all of a sudden find yourself pregnant at such a young age…She really hoped Emma could deal with this. She saw Hank sigh and placed her hand in his, "I think she'll need time to take this in."

Meanwhile, Emma felt like the world was spinning out of control. She made it to the elevator and frantically pressed the button. She rested her head on the door feeling a storm of emotions in her. She didn't know what she felt…She was numb all inside and yet her head was swimming with thoughts.

"Oh God…Oh God…Oh God…" she whispered to herself as the door finally opened. She quickly pressed the button for the top floor and leaned back against the wall. She slid down to the floor, holding her knees to her chest. She just couldn't believe this…She just couldn't. She never expected to have a family of her own…Never. But here she was, knocked up and freaking out. Well damn it, she deserved to freak out a bit, for her whole world was just turned upside down.

She was trying to calm herself, thinking this through. Of course now a few things were adding up…The extra tiredness, why she was thinking of odd combinations of food now and then, and why she started to throw up in the mornings. For the first time in her life, she had no idea what to do. She was completely and utterly lost. She didn't even notice when the elevator stopped or when the doors opened. She just sat there, feeling so lost and alone.

"Emma?" came a voice that started to break her out of her state or mind.

Vince walked into the elevator. He had been in bed waiting for her when through their bond he suddenly felt something very wrong with Emma. He went to the elevator to go to the infirmary to find her, but found her in the elevator instead huddled up on the ground.

He quickly went to her and knelt down, "Emma what's wrong?"

"Vincent…Please…Take me to our room please…" she said weakly.

He was really worried about her at this point. She never sounded so weak and scared to him since he had known her. Vince gently picked her up in his arms and walked out with her. Everyone else seemed to be turning in for the night so no one saw them. Emma wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his shoulder. If he didn't know any better, he swore she might be close to crying.

He laid her on the bed as he quickly shut the door and laid down next to her. She immediately hugged him close and buried her face in his chest. He stroked her hair trying to calm her down, although by now he was worried sick about what was going on.

"Emma talk to me…What's going on? Come on baby you've never been like this before please…Tell me what's wrong," he asked in a soothing tone.

Emma didn't know where to begin…She honestly didn't. She just wanted his strong arms to never let go of her. She wanted to wrap herself up in his love she felt like a blanket. It was all so surreal to her. It just didn't seem real yet, but she knew it was. Deep down she knew. Hank wasn't the type to make that kind of mistake. Vince kept on asking her what was wrong, and after about five minutes…She finally found her voice.

"Vincent…I'm…I'm pregnant."

Vince's eyes just widened with that. He wasn't sure he had heard her right. He blinked a few times, struggling to understand those words. Normally they were just simple, but now he was trying to wrap his head around it. He was completely blown away by this.

"Emma…Did you just say…"

"Yes," she answered, not waiting for him to finish

"…Oh…" was the only thing he could think of, quickly berating himself mentally for saying that. 'Oh? That's the best thing you can say?' he thought angrily to himself. "Emma…How? I mean you said you couldn't…"

"I can't…At least, that's what I was told…I shouldn't be able to have children, but…Oh God, I don't know what's going on. I mean, it's NOT possible!" Her hands balled up into fists in his shirt as she tried to make sense of it all. "I mean it's just not possible. I saw the reports…I went to the doctors…Things like this don't just happen! I mean, all of a sudden I can have kids like it's…" She trailed off as a thought hit her. She never thought of the side effects that it could have had she just assumed when it had happened it only fixed what was wrong not everything, "Magic…" she said in a flat tone.

Vince thought back to when she was close to dying and how Slayer had used that potion to heal her. "Damn…I guess that potion he gave you to save your life…"

She nodded her head feeling a little angry now. Why the hell didn't he tell them about this? 'Stupid fucking Eye of his is useless! This is all his fault!' she thought to herself. Sure she was glad to be able to have children again, but they hadn't planned to start NOW!

Vincent was deep in thought holding the woman he loved. He had always wanted to be in a family or start one of his own. Now it looked like he was going to get his wish, but there were thoughts in his head…Doubts mainly. Were either of them ready for this? Could they take care of a baby? Sure, with Emma's wealth there wasn't an issue with money, but besides that. He still couldn't believe it…He was going to be a father, but then he thought what if Emma wasn't ready for this?

"Emma…What do you want to do? I'll support you no matter what, but I need to know what you want."

She sighed, thinking about this. She wasn't sure she could get an abortion, but what if this was her only chance to have a baby? Also, she knew Vince might hate her for it and deep down, she couldn't go through with that. To kill her unborn baby before it had a chance to see the world? That would make her worse then her own mother. Could they give it up for adoption? No, she couldn't do that either…This was their child and nobody else's.

She reached down with on hand to her stomach and closed her eyes. There was a life growing inside of her now, part her and part of the man she loved. She was going to be a mother and to be honest with herself, she had doubts about her abilities. She never grew up with a decent family, so how could she know if she wouldn't screw up royally like her own family?

"Vincent…Do you think we can do this?"

He rested his cheek on her head, "Alone…No, I don't think so, but together I think we can. Emma, just know that I will never leave you alone during this…I will be there for you and this baby."

She gave a small smiled. She felt a bit better hearing that because there was no way she could do this alone, "You better darling…After all, this is partially your fault," she said playfully and she hard him give a small laugh.

They stay like that in silence, just holding each other close and trying to come to terms with this. It was Emma that finally broke the silence, "We're going to need a nursery."

Vince smiled widely, "So we're keeping it?"

She smiled back, "Of course, oh lord there is so much to plan for…"

Vince sighed it just hit him of all the things they'll need, "Thank God…We got nine months to plan for this." He then heard Emma groan and looked down to her, "What?"

"I'm going to get fat," she said in a disappointed voice. She just knew it, she was going to get fat and her perfect stomach will get all stretched out. It will take forever to get her body back to the way it was after all of this.

Vince chuckled and kissed her forehead, "You won't get fat…Just pregnant. And you'll still look beautiful to me."

"Flatterer…" she said in response, but she did feel better about this all, at least a little bit. One thing was sure, she didn't want her family to know about this. There was no way any child of hers would be poisoned by them…She would see to it personally. As far as their baby was going, to know Vincent and her were the only family they had together. She smiled a little at the image of them holding a little baby together and she felt a few tears in her eyes.

This was their chance…Their second chance for the both of them to be part of a real family that they would make for themselves. She wouldn't make the same mistakes as her parents. She would do what Vincent had taught her to do. To show her emotions and her love, she wouldn't hide it from their baby…She would embrace it and care for it openly.

"Well we should get ready for bed. I feel more comfortable without wearing my day clothing," Vince said.

"I think us without clothing is what got us into this," she joked and he kissed her head, for it was good that her mood was changing. The two of them just stripped down to their underwear and moved under the covers. Emma on her side with Vince behind her he breathed in the sent of her hair as he placed an arm around her waist and laid a hand on her stomach.

He still couldn't believe it…She was going to have his child. It was kind of scary and yet exhilarating at the same time. He would make sure nothing happened to either of them, whatever they were going to face, he would make sure that nothing touched his family.

Emma sighed feeling better with him holding her. She too felt the same mixed emotions. She placed a hand over his,thinking of having a few words with Slayer at some time for not warning her about this.

"Emma?" she heard him speak, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure darling…What is it?"

"If…If I asked you to marry me…Would you?"

She nearly gasped at that and felt her heart in her throat. "Are…Are you proposing? Because if this is about me being pregnant and your personal code of honor and ethics…"

"No…Well…Not entirely," he admitted, "It's just that…I've thought about my life without you and I'm pretty much certain that I can't be without you…This is just stepping up the timetable because there is no way I want a child out of wedlock."

She had to smirk and shake her head. He was so old fashioned sometimes, but it was one of the things she loved about him, "If you asked then I would have to say yes…Well? Aren't you going to ask?"

"Later…When the time is right."

She laughed silently to herself and slapped his hand playfully on her stomach, "Don't go getting a girl's hopes up…But do me a favour."

"Yes?"

"If you do ask me, make sure it's before I blow up like a balloon. There is no way I am having my wedding pictures with me looking eight months pregnant," she told him.

He laughed and kissed her bare shoulder, "I promise."

Rogue's room – Rogue & Mystique

As things began to finally settle throughout the mansion with Jean's exorcism a success and no serious injuries to worry about, much of the X-men were left to get what rest they could. Few were still awake at this point with the exception of Emma, Vincent, Sage, and Hank for some reason…But many were just too tired to consider such things. It had been a hard fight that they had failed at…And right now, the only thing that was on the minds of students and elders alike was sleep.

For Rogue, she was among the last to turn in, finding herself in need of a quick shower after the fight. It was still very much a surreal feeling, having fought against real actual demons. Hell, one of her friends was actually possessed by one. Growing up, she never thought too much about things like heaven and hell, but here they all were stuck in a battle between the two. In some ways, it wasn't surprising to her that Selene, a woman Rogue despised with every fibber of her being, was associated with the minions of hell. It just gave her all the more reason to rip her head off when she saw her again.

Once she had finished her shower, she returned to her room where she threw her uniform into the hamper so it could be washed the next day and put on some assorted sleeping clothes. She was tired, no doubt about it…But as with every other night since the Hellfire incident, she was hesitant to go to sleep. After that dream she had last night, she was beginning to wonder if maybe she should try to sleep beside Remy again. Being by him helped keep those nightmares at bay…And of course, there was just something very warm and comforting about sleeping beside someone she loved so much. It actually brought a smile to her face when she thought about it.

But the chances were Remy was already fast asleep and she really didn't want to wake him at this point. Maybe if she couldn't get any rest on her own, she would try it, but for now, she just wanted to sleep some of the fight off. However, just as she was setting aside her things, there was a knock at her opened door.

"Rogue? Oh good, you're still up," said Mystique, her adopted mother, as she stepped into her room.

"What is it mama?" she asked as she stretched her tired limbs.

"Nothing, it's just, I heard about the mission from some of the others and I was checking on you and Kurt. Is everything okay?"

"Well…Ah can't say it was a success," muttered Rogue, "Whatever those demons wanted, they got."

"They succeeded? What the hell were they after?"

"Can't say Ah know for sure. But according to Jack, it was really important."

"Important huh?" said the shape shifter, growing a bit intrigued by this since she knew from experience that big things could come in small packages, "You think we should be worried?"

"Well it involves that bitch, Selene…So Ah can safely say yeah…We should be worried," said Rogue bitterly, her tone brimming with hatred at she said that name.

Mystique cast her daughter a sympathetic gaze, knowing all too well what the kind of memories that name evoked. She, herself, couldn't honestly say she would do the same thing if she saw this woman. After what she did to her daughter and her son, she would have gladly done anything to make her pay. And hopefully, they would both get their chance.

"We'll make her pay…I'm sure of it, Rogue," she told her with confidence in her tone, "I swear, if I ever meet this bitch face to face, I'm going to make sure she suffers for what she did to you and Kurt. You have my word…"

"Well for once…Ah can safely say this is someone who deserves it," said Rogue, finding Mystique's maternal concern strange, yet comforting in many ways.

"And she'll get what she deserves…You can count on it. I just wanted to come and see if you and Kurt were okay. After hearing about Jean being possessed and all, I got a little worried."

"Well aside from that, everything's alright…For now Ah guess."

"Good…Then I think it would be best if you try and get some rest," said Mystique, placing her hands upon her daughter's shoulder, showing that despite the lingering complications between them, she was still very much concerned for her well being.

"Yeah…Ah'll try," she told her, not making any promises after that dream she had.

"Well if you need anything, I'm going to be up and about for a little while longer," she told her as she turned to make her leave, "Just let me know if there's anything else you need."

Then, just as she was about to step out…Something came to Rogue's mind that she had been meaning to talk to her about…Something she didn't get a chance to do earlier because of the mission. And since it was still fresh, she wanted to get it out of the way.

"Actually…There is one more thing, mama…"

"What is it?" she asked, stopping about midway.

"By any chance…Ya didn't happen to tell Scott that Ah used to have a crush on him, did ya?"

Immediately, the shape shifter felt a slight sense of dread upon hearing that, and found herself blushing a bit as she rubbed the back of her neck. She had heard earlier from Kurt that she had been a bit upset about that to say the least and she had hoped that she had forgotten about it because of the mission. But unfortunately, one of the many qualities about Rogue that she had come to understand over the years was that she seldom every forgot the mistakes and deeds of others.

"Oh...Yeah, about that…"

"So ya did, didn't ya?" she said, her mood growing a bit more annoyed, "Ya told Scott Summers that Ah used to have a crush on him."

"Hey! I thought he knew!" she said, scrambling to defend herself, not wanting her daughter to get all militant on her again, "I just…It slipped!"

"Yeah, Ah'm sure it did…" said Rogue skeptically, "Of all the things that could have slipped, did ya have to tell him about THAT! And worse, he brought it up in front of everybody! Do you have any idea how embarrassin' that was!"

"Look, I'm sorry. But I honestly thought he knew! How was I supposed to know that he was going to bring it up in front of everybody?"

"Well ya could have started by NOT telling him!"

Rogue let out a frustrated sigh, not knowing how she was going to face Scott again. And given that everybody knew, chances were Remy would bother her about this as well, not to mention plenty of the others. That was frustrating in and of itself, but knowing that her mother had been the one to blurt it out…Well, that was just something else altogether.

"Look…I'm sorry, Rogue. Really…I thought…"

"Ah know…Ah know," she muttered, rubbing the temples on her head, knowing this was going to cause one hell of a migraine, "Just…Can ya watch what ya say from now on? Especially if it's embarrassing? Like if there happens to be any stories about me as a little girl that ya find funny, please do meh a favor and keep it to yourself!"

"I promise, I will. I swear, it just slipped…"

"Yeah, yeah…It's just somethin' Ah'll have to manage now," Rogue said, letting out a frustrated grunt, "Just…Watch what ya say from now on. Really, it just makes things a hell of a lot harder than they already are."

"I understand…" said the shape shifter, feeling as though she would never live this down, "Just…Try to get some sleep for now. Hopefully it won't be on everybody's mind in the morning."

"Honestly mama…" she said with a sigh as she collapsed on her bed, "Ya really have no idea how things work around here."

Feeling as though she had just about had enough awkwardness for one night, Mystique closed the door to her daughter's room and let her rest. And upon finding herself alone in the darkened hallway after having had such an uncomfortable moment, she let out a deep sigh.

"Me and my big mouth," she groaned as she made her way down the hall back towards the main stairwell, "I embarrassed my own daughter. God, I know she'll never let me live this one down. But…At least that means I can truly call myself a mother now."

-August-

It was morning and August stretched out in her new room. It was a hell of a nice room, better then all the motels and stuff. After that little exorcism, she took her stuff form her bike that was in that big huge hanger of theirs and put them in her room. She placed her laptop and her Bag of Tricks as she liked to call it, which just mainly had a lot of useful items in it, in her room under her bed. She also had a crystal ball she uses sometimes and an Amulet of Aggamotto given to her by Dr. Strange once that helped to shield her presence mostly. Although given this is Selene, it only took her time to bypass the cloaking spell, but it only lasted in sporadic bursts…Hence why she wasn't constantly attacked by demons and only now and then.

She took a shower and dressed in plain black sweatpants and a wife-beater shirt. She looked at the clock and realized that she over slept. It was past nine in the morning, but the extra rest did do her some good. She rolled her shoulders and did a few stretches that she liked to do in the morning. It helped to loosen her up some. She walked out into the mansion trying to find a kitchen. But the trouble was, she didn't know where it was. Hell, it took her five minutes just to fine the stairs to the first floor.

While there she heard some voice and found herself fin a den with several teenagers in there. "Hey can anyone show me to the kitchen?"

All heads turned towards her, "Hey you're that new chick they found. April or something wasn't it?" Tabitha asked who was snuggled up next to her boyfriend.

"August," she said dryly.

"Well, I got it close. I knew it was a month of the year," Tabby shrugged and snuggled back to Sam who had an arm around her. She had to admit that since she and Sam had started dating, her life had felt a bit better. He was just so kind and caring to her, she never had a boy treat her like this or with respect. In fact, she really did care for him deeply that it kind of scared her. Tabitha knew that Sam adored her and would do anything for her and that too scared her, she never have anyone like this in her life.

Sometimes she felt that Sam was too good for her and that he deserved someone better then her, but he seemed to see something in her that she never saw. Well whatever it was, Tabitha had been thinking lately of how to really appreciate Sam. She had a few ideas and she had bought this nice red dress that she was going to wear for a special occasion thanks to Emma. She grinned to herself as she got an idea on how to give Sam something that would mean a lot to both of them.

Amara looked at the young woman who seemed about her height and was either her age or a year older. She had to admit that August was a very exotic looking woman with her graceful features, long black hair, and ice-blue eyes. She had heard a few stories about her, mainly that she was hunting Selene for some reason and that was a bit of interests to her. So she stood up, "I can take you if you want."

August looked at the young woman, she had very long brown silky hair, light brown eyes, tanned skin. She had this exotic island girl thing going for her and she guessed that she was from somewhere near the equator. "Sure, unless there's a map of this place I could have?"

Amara smiled. It was always tough for the new people to find their way around. She led August to the kitchen and the dark hair girl was starving by the time they got there. She immediately went to the fridge to see what they had. After fixing herself up a nice breakfast she sat down with Amara. Amara wanted to know a bit more about August she also couldn't help but notice a nasty looking scar on one of the girl's shoulders, but didn't comment on it at the moment.

"So where are you from?" Amara asked her as she was eating she figured that was a safe opening question.

August just shrugged as she swallowed, "Don't know for sure. I kind of moved around a lot growing up. What about you?" August asked before taking a drink of milk.

Now Amara just shrugged, "I doubt you would have heard of it, but I'm from this tiny little nation called Nova Roma." At that name August choked on her drink and Amara quickly went to her and patted her back, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry you just…Caught me off guard there…"

"So you know my country?"

"Well…Yeah, let's just say that I know a lot about Selene's past and well…Nova Roma was a big chapter of her life," August said wiping her mouth. "Sorry about all the stuff she pulled there…"

Amara smiled, "It was a long time ago and it's not like you had anything to do with it."

"True, although that sick bitch has done a lot in her lifetime," August sighed remembering a few of the things she knew about alone made her a bit sick, she pushed it all away so her meal wasn't ruined. Amara nodded her head from the stories of her homeland and the things she personally now knew there was just no telling where her evil began or where it would end.

"Anyways, so this is the mutant school so what's your deal? You know power wise?" August asked her.

Amara grinned, "I can make fire, plus I can become this fire like form."

August was interested in this, "Can I see?"

She didn't see anything wrong she got up and made sure there was nothing flammable around her and then her body turned into its organ and black fire form that gave her the codename Magma. August looked at her as if in a little entranced by the sight. She reached out to touch her but Magma took a step back quickly and turned her powers off, "What are you nuts? I can be as hot a lava in that form!"

"Hey don't worry, I'm fire proof," Amara blinked a few times so August explained, "See, I can make fire too…Well fireballs mainly, but I also can't be hurt by any type of fire."

"Oh, sorry I didn't know," the Nova Roma girl blushed a bit sitting down again.

"It's okay. I also got super strength, but not the invulnerability, which by the way kind of sucks. I mean, sure, I can take damage better then a normal person, but things like knives and bullets don't bounce harmlessly off my skin," she continued to eat a bit.

"Oh so that's why you got that…Uh…Scar?" She pointed at the ugly mark.

August just shrugged it off, "Yeah kind of, got it from this demon Selene sent after me a couple years back, nasty thing too. I was lucky it didn't take my arm off."

"Sounds like you live a dangerous life."

August smiled at that it was that, but it was also lonely in fact this was the most she talked to someone in some time. She forgot how good it was just to sit down and just talk. That and the girl was kind of nice to talk too as well and fairly easy going.

"Let's just say I've been around," she said cryptically.

Amara gave a small smile, "Really? Got any interesting stories?"

"A few…You want to hear them?"

Magma nodded her head and got a bit more comfortable next to her as she propped her head on one of her arms looking at the dark haired woman.

"I'm all ears," August smiled as she started a few of her more interesting stories and for a moment she forgot her dark life and her mission as she, for the first time in a long time, simply enjoyed another person's company.

Gazebo – Jack/Scott/Jean

While the rest of the institute tried to get what rest they could after the ill fated mission, Slayer didn't sleep one wink. For the rest of the night, he remained wide awake, lost in his own world of pain and sorrow. He lost track of all time, not knowing just how long he spent tearing the junkyard apart. The dark, devastating memories of that one event…That one moment where sorrow knew no bounds kept running through his already fragile mind. It hurt so badly…It was just so painful that he couldn't even begin to bear it.

Eventually, he had pretty much turned the junkyard into a smoking crater with his rage. Eventually he just broke down…Unable to take it anymore. He practically went hoarse screaming into the night, damning whatever force he could for all his sorrows. But no matter how much it hurt, there was no undoing his sorrow. It was just too painful.

As the sun began to rise over the horizon, Jack returned to the mansion through his usual puff purple haze. He didn't even try to go inside, for he just couldn't face anybody after what had just happened. He didn't even know if he could face them again anytime soon with all this pain in his mind. He just wanted to be numb…He didn't want to feel this anymore. But nothing…Whether it be good, evil, or completely neutral…Could ever erase this pain…Not now, not ever.

Yet despite his tortured state of mind, the mutant warrior attempted to find what solstice he could in the warm glow of the morning sun as it rose over the lake in the distance. He had always managed to find a great deal of comfort through simple things in nature and he needed that now more than ever. This was something he had been trying for years to push aside, but even without the knowledge of the all seeing eye, he was well aware of the fact that he had failed miserably at that time and time again.

This was just something he couldn't fight. No matter how skilled or powerful he was, there was just no fighting something like this. He could succeed in fighting the greatest evils in all the universe…Yet not one of them would ever erase his greatest failure. It was a burden he was forever cursed to live. It was a pain that would never go away. He had endured plenty of hardships in his life, but as bad as each one of them was…There would still always be that one event that towered over them all.

'Why?' he thought to himself as he stood in a tired, distraught gaze, watching the beautiful rays of the sun reflect off of the vast body of water, 'Why me? Why must I live with this? Why? I can't take it anymore…It hurts so much. Why? Why…'

Jack Robinson was as in such a strong daze that he didn't even see a couple of figures approaching him with his all seeing eye. Hell, it could have been Selene herself and he wouldn't have noticed. But thankfully, it wasn't her or any sort of dark entity. Instead, the two figures were a couple of souls that owed a lot to this man…More than he would ever know. Scott Summers and Jean Grey had gone head to head with a demon and won…But it was because of Jack along with the help of August that they owed their lives to. They had spent the night together, making love and celebrating their survival through this most difficult of triumphs…Looking forward to what the future had in store for them.

But first, they wanted to thank the man they owed so much to…Only from the looks of it, he hardly seemed to be in the mood.

"Jack?" said Scott as he and Jean approached the dazed mutant warrior, "Jack, are you okay?"

Slayer didn't respond in the slightest, although he did know of their presence. He merely kept his gaze out towards the lake, not moving a muscles as he remained so lost in his own world of sorrow. And while Jean couldn't sense anything from him, she didn't need any telepathy of any kind to see that something was definitely bothering him.

"Jack…" said Jean as she motioned to put a hand on the young warrior's shoulder.

"What is it?" he suddenly said in a deep, monotone voice, causing Jean to stop halfway through her gesture.

His tone came as a bit of a shock to the young couple, who had simply come to have a few words with the man they owed so much to. But he didn't seem like he was in the mood for any kind of conversation. They both knew that look very well to some extent…That look of sorrow, loss, and anguish. But never had they seen it so intense on any one person. Yet still…They wanted to make their peace with this man…Even if it meant nothing to him at this point.

"I, uh…" stammered Jean, "Scott and I just wanted to thank you…You know, for everything you did to save me."

"It was nothing…" he responded mechanically as he so often did to words of gratitude, no matter who it was from.

"No, it was really something, Jack…" said Scott, unable to express just how grateful he was to this man for having helped save the woman he loved, "That demon…It was so evil. It was going to consume Jean and me for that matter. You helped us fight it…You helped us pull through. And really man…I can't tell you how much that means to me."

From that, Jack managed to turn his gaze away from the lake and towards the young couple before him. But as soon as he did, he wished he hadn't. They were standing so close together, bound by this powerful love that literally tore the mutant warrior up inside to see. Through his all seeing eye, he could clearly make out what had happened between them last night…It was as clear as night and day. And furthermore…He could see that it was already leading to something else as well, but that's not something he concerned himself with.

He should have been happy for them…He knew he should have. But instead, he felt like shit. They were his friends and he had saved them…So why in the hell wasn't he happy?

"I didn't do shit…" he told them, the tone in his voice not changing, "You beat that demon…Not me. August got it out of you. Kurt said those prayers. I just fucked it up."

"No you didn't, Jack!" exclaimed Jean, not knowing why he was acting like this, "We've already talked to August and she told us that if you hadn't done what you did early on, there was no way we could have succeeded! How can you say that you didn't help us?"

"Because…It's the truth."

Jack then tore his gaze away from the young couple, not wanting to look at them anymore. He returned his gaze back towards the lake, once again falling into a strange trance-like state. To Scott and Jean, it only worried them more because they had come out to express their gratitude to this man, yet here he was pretty much shutting them out…Not even wanting to look them in the eye. Jack had always been a riddle wrapped within an enigma, but this…This was something new altogether.

"Jack…Come on man, seriously. Is something wrong?" asked Scott, taking a step closer as he tried to decipher the meaning behind this mysterious young man's actions, "Did something happen during the exorcism?

The mutant warrior didn't respond. It looked as though he hadn't even heard the question. The look on his face remained very conflicted and dark. For Scott and Jean, they were no stranger to this expression. Scott had experienced it the day he lost his family in that plane crash and Jean knew it all too well the day her best friend Annie died in her arms. And without a doubt, it had been bad…But judging from how the mutant warrior was now, it seemed like something truly horrible.

"Jack…" began Scott, trying to break him out of his state.

"Nothing happened…" he suddenly said, his words barely audible.

"I don't believe that…Not for a second," said Scott, shaking his head, "Come on man, I know that look. Both of us know it. Something happened…Something really bad. And now it's eating you up inside. I think you've made that abundantly clear."

"Then why do you keep asking me!" he spat in response, suddenly turning his gaze back towards them.

"Because, Jack…We're worried about you. We're your friends," said Jean, not daunted even by an outburst from this man, who had gone head to head with Selene.

Jack forced himself to take a few deep breaths. As a warrior, he was supposed to be wise, calm, and compassionate to no end. Such tenets are what helped drive him to become the man he was today. Time and time again, it had helped him overcome insurmountable odds against the forces of darkness, but no matter how much he believed in these principles…No matter how much strong he grew through the years of toil…Nothing could ever separate him from his greatest pain. Nothing could ever ease the burden on his tormented soul…Not with this.

"Look, I know you have this thing about keeping to yourself and all…But if something is really bothering you, just know that we're here," said Jean, showing what compassion she could as she looked back into the pained eyes of the mutant warrior.

"Yeah, you don't have to face hard times on your own anymore," added Scott, "That's what we're here for…That's what friends do for one another."

Slayer felt like kicking himself for being like this, but he had never really had friends before…Not in a very long time at least. Getting close to people never brought him anything except heartache, so he really didn't know how to go about being a friend. But like it or not, these people cared about him…It hurt them to see him suffer. It made him feel guilty in many ways, bringing other people into his world when he never wanted anybody to experience his pain. But in remembering those fateful moments that stuck out so clearly in his mind…He knew this was how it had to be.

As a warrior, it was his job to ensure that the innocent didn't suffer. And if that meant shutting people out…Then so be it.

"Jack…If there's something you want to talk about or something you want us to do, just tell us," said Jean in a sincere tone, "Please…What can we do to help you?"

The mutant warrior was silent for a moment as he looked back at the young couple he had helped save. He could see through his all seeing eye that they really were concerned for him. Part of him wanted to let them know…To spill his guts and get this horrible burden off of his chest. But after so many years of having it eat away at his soul, he just couldn't bring himself to do so.

"Just…Leave," he said to them, turning back towards the lake.

"But…" began Scott, however, Jack didn't let him finish.

"Please…Leave. I just need to be alone for now."

Scott and Jean exchanged a worried glance, but as they looked back at the mutant warrior, the expression on his face left no room for argument. Whatever it was that was torturing him, it was not something he wanted to talk about at the moment. He was in pain…That much was clear. And it hurt to know that there was nothing they could do. But from their experience, they knew all too well that when somebody needed solstice…And when somebody just needed space.

"Okay Jack…We'll leave," said Jean as she took Scott's hand and turned back towards the mansion, "But just so you know…We really are thankful for everything you've done. We really owe you a lot. And if there's anything…And I mean anything at all we can do for you…Just let us know. Because like it or not, you have friends now…And you don't have to suffer alone."

Scott and Jean made their way back towards the mansion hand in hand, leaving the young mutant warrior to ponder their words. The cold look of conflict gave way to one of deep sorrow as Jean's words played over in his head. And in the light of the morning sun, his world once again succumbed to the depths of his greatest loss.

'Layla…Please…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…'

NEXT UP CHAPTER 67: BURDENS UNLOADED