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.

A/N: Agh, writer's block sucks. Everytime I type these chapters out, I'm never totally satisfied with them. Ugh, anyways. Pyro, and Gambit, and Mystique, oh my. Please review when you're done reading, but no flaming please. As I always say, I will not pay any attention to your bitch-fest, so no point wasting your time. Thanks so much to those who have reviewed (you know who you are!) and enjoy!

"Hey. . .hey! Wake up, Princess!"

A bright flash of light.

Ava stirred from her deep slumber, and upon recognizing the voice that woke her up, groaned loudly and buried her face in her pillow.

She heard Pyro chuckle.

Click. Snap. Click. Snap.

She turned her head, letting one sleepy brown eye glare at the other mutant. "You just love annoying me, don't you?" she mumbled.

Pyro continued flicking his lighter, all while smirking and letting his hazel eyes sparkle. "Eh, it's entertaining," he answered, shrugging.

Ava pushed herself up off the cot, sitting back on her knees and rubbing her eyes. "Okay, so you busted into my room, woke me up, and to top it all off, you're playing with that stupid lighter." She yawned and scowled. "I hope there's a reason for all this."

He leaned against the wall, hand still absentmindedly playing with the Zippo. "It's 9:45. You have training with Mystique at ten. And wear these," he rattled off in a bored tone. He threw a ball of black at her cot, landing in her lap.

Ava picked through the pile. It was a pair of loose fitting black pants and a revealing black shirt.

Click. Snap. Click. Snap. Click. Snap.

"Shut up," she spat icily.

Pyro raised an eyebrow. "Now that's not very nice-"

Ava shot him a death glare. "Get. Out. Now."

He raised his hands apologetically, still smirking. "As you wish, Princess," he said mockingly.

"It's Ava!"

He stepped through the door. "Of course it is," he called over his shoulder, before slamming the door shut behind him.

Ava sat for a minute, staring at the door. She rubbed her temples, hearing the constant clicks and snaps of the Zippo in her head.

"Infuriating cad."

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Ava sprinted into the Lair, ignoring the fact that cold air numbed her bare stomach and arms. She was most worried about how Mystique was going to react to her being late.

Gives her more of a reason to kill me.

As if on cue, she saw the blue-skinned mutant in question standing impatiently in the middle of the room. Her amber eyes locked on the Southerner.

Ava skidded to a halt in front of her. She took a second to catch her breath, and opened her mouth to apologize-

"You're late."

Ava looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry. It won't happe-"

She never finished her sentence, as Mystique's blue fist connected with her jaw.

Ava stumbled back at the force of the hit. Her eyes watered, and she could already taste metallic blood in her mouth. Her eyes were wide in a mixture of shock and pain.

Finally she found her voice. "What-?"

Mystique flashed her a bright white smile, laced with malice. "Rule number one: always be ready." With that, the assassin side swiped Ava's leg.

Before she even knew what had happened, Ava cried out as she fell flat on her back, her head violently hitting the concrete ground. A searing hot pain filled her brain, and full tears fell down her face.

Ava felt something scaly snake around her neck, tightly squeezing her wind-pipe shut. She desperately gasped for air, and looked up to see Mystique. Her feet were placed expertly on her neck.

The shapeshifter scoffed. "You know that with one quick snap, I could break your neck and instantly kill you."

Ava's heart stopped. The look in Mystique's eyes was cold and for a split second, she really thought that Mystique was going to kill her.

To Ava's relief, she stepped off of her throat. The blue woman crossed her arms, staring at her with no emotion present in her yellow eyes. Ava could see the cold-blooded killer in her.

"We're going to do this again. I expect you to actually dodge a blow this time around."

Ava struggled to get up, only resulting in an intense throbbing through her head. Her jaw stung, and she attempted to catch her breath.

This is going to be the hour from hell.

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Gambit knocked on the door.

"Cherie?" He hadn't seen Ava all day, not even at the end of her training session. She had disappeared and nobody had heard from her or seen her.

He knocked again. "Miss Ava, y'in dere?"

No answer.

The Cajun timidly cracked open the door, peering inside Ava's room.

He didn't see her. It wasn't until he noticed the giant lump on her cot that he realized it was Ava herself.

He pushed the door open a little farther. "Ava? Y'alive?"

She mumbled something. She was lying down, facing the wall, curled in a fetal position.

Gambit approached her cot and knelt down beside it. He softly touched her shoulder. " 'Ey, say somethin'. Lemme know y'alive," he joked.

She shifted on her cot, giving him a view of her face.

His jaw dropped in horror at the sight. "Mon dieu."

Ava's jaw was purple and swollen, her cheeks puffy. One eye was black and blue, and there were several small bruises around her face. A split lip completed her horrific transformation. Her bright brown eyes were brimmed with tears.

Gambit's hand tenderly traced her swollen jawline. "Mon ami, what happened?" he asked, his throat dry.

She choked out one word, before whimpering in pain.

"Mystique."

Gambit gave a low whistle. He rubbed her back, trying to make her feel better. "Y'wan' meh ta getcha anythin'?"

"T-Tylenol," she whispered softly. Her eyes were shut, trying to sleep the pain away. Her body was completely aching, and she could feel the blood spilling beneath her skin, making new bruises appear on her fair body.

He let a small smile play on his lips. "Sure, cherie. Y'wan' meh ta stay wit' ya?"

She only nodded, dazed from the pain.

He stood up and brushed off the knees of his pants. "Ah'll be quick, Ah promise," he told her reassuringly. He began making his way over to the door and was just about to start his route to the kitchen-

"Gambit?" It was the first clear word Ava got out.

He looked back at her, his blacked-out, ruby red eyes filled with concern. "Oui, mon ami?"

Her back was still towards him, but he distinctly heard her say one word that made him really smile.

"Thanks."

Gambit chuckled.

"Anytime, cherie. Anytime."

A/N: Aw. Ok, so a little bit of Ava/Gambit fluff. Sorry for all you Pyro lovers out there, but there was a little Pyro/Ava bit! Anyways, please review, as it helps me with writing. Again, sorry about the delay. Thanks so much for reading!