Title: Savin' Me

Author: UnderThePaleMoonlight

Summary: A girl runs away from her old life once she discovers she's a mutant. She meets an extraordinary gentleman, joins him, and meets an even more extraordinary boy. She wants to help him, but maybe he isn't the only one who needs saving. . .

Setting: Post X2 through post X3.

Pairings: Pyro/OC, slight Magneto/Mystique, slight Gambit/OC.

Rated for: Language and mature content in future chapters.

A/N: I'm sooo incredibly sorry for the delay on this chapter! I had a mini-case of writer's block, and every time I typed this out, I didn't like it. This was the best draft. Anyways, this is total Ava/Pyro interaction, and a bit of a fun chapter. A little short, but I like it. Please review when you're finished reading, but no flaming please. Again I say, I will not read your bitch-fest. Thanks for being patient and enjoy!

It was well past midnight, but Ava couldn't sleep.

'Welcome to the Brotherhood.'

The words kept ringing in her head. She sighed loudly, rubbing her temples. She had agreed to risk her life for a cause that she didn't even know of. Sure, it had to do with mutant rights, but. . .

What have I gotten myself into?

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Blindly through her dark room, she stumbled into the deserted hallway.

Ava finally found where she was going; the kitchen. She looked inside. It was empty.

Good.

She walked in, heading straight for the fridge. More than anything, she needed water and some real food. She pulled the fridge door open, revealing cold water bottles sitting on the top shelf.

Thank God.

She grabbed one, breaking the seal and taking a long swig. The iciness of the water burned her throat, but she welcomed the feeling.

Now for some food.

Ava eyed an assortment of fruits in a bottom drawer. Her stomach growled. She knelt down, rocking forward on her knees while digging through, deciding on what sounded good.

Apple. . .bananas. . .orange. . .kiwi. . .peach-

"You know, Princess, the view's pretty nice from up here."

Ava jumped up in fright, accidentally hitting her head on the top of the fridge. She yelped in pain. Gingerly holding the top of her head, she turned around to see who exactly made that comment.

Pyro stood in the doorway, arms crossed and leaning against the frame. He had changed from the thick clothes that he wore earlier that day to boxers and a grey shirt.

Ava averted her eyes from the boy in boxers before her, slightly embarrassed. She scowled and rubbed the top of her head. "Excuse me?"

He chuckled, swaggering over to her with a smirk. "I didn't stutter."

She replayed what he said in her mind. It hit her like a ton of bricks.

She glared at the hazel-eyed boy. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't just stare at my butt like I'm a piece of meat," she snapped, her Southern accent sharp.

Pyro edged past her, looking in the fridge. "You know, I would." He threw back a spiteful glance at her. "But where's the fun in that?" he asked sarcastically while opening another soda. He walked around Ava, falling back into a chair and putting his feet up on the table. He smirked before taking a swig of the caffeinated drink.

Ava shot him a disapproving look. "You know that stuff's going to rot your teeth if you keep drinking it, right?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. So?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but she shut it and rolled her eyes.

No point wasting my time.

Ava sat in the seat across from Pyro, similar to earlier that day. She made a mental note to hike her feet up on the chair, in case of unexpected insects. She sipped her water before asking, "So why are you up this late?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

"I asked you first," she retorted with.

He rolled his eyes, with that smirk still on his face. "Fine. I couldn't sleep. Happy, Princess?"

She growled. "I have a name, you know!" she spat icily. Whatever shred of pity she had for him because of the morning's events was quickly diminishing.

Pyro took a gulp of his soda, then loudly placed it on the table. "Okay then, Ava." He drawled out her name, a hint of disdain present.

Both mutants sat in silence the next few minutes, glaring at one another. Ava scowled, Pyro smirked.

Click. Snap. Click. Snap.

Ava recognized the strange noise from the morning. Her chestnut eyes fell on a lighter in Pyro's hand. It was a Zippo; she could tell because most of the boys who smoked back in Richmond had one. The small, metal lighter in his hand was decorated with a cartoon-ish shark design, so when he flicked it open, the shark's mouth opened wide. As he clicked it and snapped it, the shark seemed to mock her.

Click.

It was laughing at her.

Snap.

Smirking, just like Pyro was.

Click. Snap. Click. Snap. Click-

"Will you cut it out!" she barked in agitation.

The hazel-eyed boy shot her an amused look, his eyes glittering mischievously. "I'm sorry, Princess. Is this bugging you?" he inquired, voice full of sarcasm as he shut the lighter.

Snap.

He continued. "What if-"

Click.

"-I didn't feel like 'cutting it out?'"

Snap.

"Because I just so happen-"

Click.

"-To enjoy messing with my lighter."

Snap.

Click.

Snap.

Click-

Ava violently pushed her chair away from the table, her brown eyes livid. Snatching her water bottle off the table, she turned to Pyro. "That's it! I'm going to bed. Good. Night," she hissed, then stormed out of the kitchen fuming.

All she could hear in her brain was a rhythmic clicking and snapping that made her run back to her room, bury her face in her pillow and blanket, and scream loudly out of insanity.

0000000000000000000000

Pyro stared at the doorway that Ava had just stomped through, hearing her muttering words like "annoying" and "infuriating."

He laughed quietly. He had the kitchen to himself.

"Works everytime."

Snap.

A/N: And scene! Sorry again for the delay on this chapter! Please review, as it encourages me to write more knowing that people are actually reading this. No flaming, etc, etc. Thanks so much for reading!