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Shattered Like Glass: Scene 12It was a while later when Professor Xavier finally reconvened the team in the war room. Every X-Man was present, even Ilehana now that Sam and Matthew had been given clean bills of health. There was a sombre, tense mood hovering over all the team like a spiteful shadow. All the team had already changed into their uniforms, ready to depart to rescue Gambit at a second's notice. But it was Blaze with whom the wait was telling the most dramatically. Blaze sat cross-legged in her seat, tapping the floor impatiently with her foot. Her face was taunt and pale, her arms folded tightly over her belly as she ignored all attempts to make conversation with her or even check that she was holding up okay.
"I fear we have a problem that can not easily be solved." Xavier addressed his team sombrely, including them all in a worried glance he took about him. "I'm afraid…" His words hung in the air for a moment as his eyes came to rest on Blaze and the empty chair next to her. "That Gambit has betrayed us. To save his life, he has agreed to provide the military with information on the X-Men and the school."
Absolute silence greeted Xavier's words. Disappointment shone in the eyes of more than one X-Man, along with fear and even acceptance. Scott felt a little justified, he'd never liked the fact that they were offering a home to an increasing number of wanted criminals. Especially criminals with no particular wish to be reformed. Naming no names, which was obviously something the man in question was incapable of doing.
"But," Jubilee was Gambit's defender, eyes wide in disbelief. "But Gambit wouldn't do that. He's not a traitor, he can't be…"
"Accept it Jubilee." Scott counselled sagely. "A leopard can't change its spots. Put Gambit in a tight spot and he'd sell his own soul. Even Blaze isn't denying its possible."
All eyes fell on a pale-looking Blaze sat pouting and staring at the tabletop. Her hands gripped the edge of her seat so tightly it was beginning to melt round the edges. When she met Scott's eyes, he had to take a breath at the solemn enmity he found there.
"What?" Blaze began sensibly enough. "And call the Professor a liar to his face?" With that she stood, pushing back her chair. It scraped over the hard tiled floor, screeching to cover the awkward silence that consumed the X-Men. Without looking back, Blaze left the room.
"Couldn't you do anything?" Bobby asked the Professor urgently, but he only shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.
"Blaze will do what she thinks is right, even if her sense of that is less black and white than the rest of us…" Charles sighed wearily. He was genuinely sorry to be losing two of his precious children. "I had the choice with Gambit. I could have erased from his mind all traces of the X-Men to protect us. But in doing so I would be signing his death warrant, as his captors would most certainly have no further use for him. I'm sorry, my X-Men, there is nothing I can do."
"I can't believe Gambit would do this!" Jubilee wailed, "He can't be a traitor, he can't be!"
"No more than Blaze is hotwiring Scott's bike." Ilehana reported stoically, having just pulled away from touching Blaze's thoughts. The quantity of bad language the redhead had been thinking was enough to make even a wolf blush. Problem was, Vixen didn't know if the abuse was aimed at the X-Men, at Gambit or at herself. Come to think of it, Vixen doubted if Blaze knew whom she was most angry at.
"Damn it." Scott cursed a lot less effectively that the fire elemental, yet still as vile as his language ever got. "Doesn't she know where the keys are yet?"
"Oh she knows." The Professor confirmed. "I think she's just making a point."
"That 'once a thief, always a thief' waffle again?" Logan questioned, joining Scott, Ilehana, Storm and the Professor in heading upstairs. "Says a lot for the reformation principles of the justice system don't you think?"
"Quite." Xavier senior responded. "Though you seem to be neglecting the fact that as far as she lets on, Blaze has never been arrested."
"Bet she's no stranger to handcuffs though…" Was Wolverine's opinion. The five teachers blinked as they passed through the front doors of the mansion. At that very moment, the redheaded English girl blasted around the corner of the building on Scott's motorbike. Helmet-less, she half-stood, half-leaned forwards towards the handlebars. Gravel sprayed up behind her to chip windows on the mansion's ground floor, even as Charles gently and telepathically enquired #Where are you going? #
Blaze didn't respond, mostly because at that precise moment a yellow taxicab pulled up at the bottom of the driveway. Blaze didn't pull up either, driving the hyper-powered machine straight at the figure that climbed out. At the last second she possibly could, she put the bike into a sideways slide, engine idling. Scott winced as the bike's paintwork was grated like cheese on the gravel. Adeptly Blaze jumped over the fallen machine.
Fist clenched she went to punch Gambit's light's out. He caught her small fist in his larger palm in a lightning fast reaction. Gripping her hand tightly, he made something in her shoulder audibly crack. Logan winced as his heightened hearing made the noise go right through him. Blaze merely broke eye contact with her friend and slumped forwards into his arms. She buried her head in his hug and let her arms fall limply to either side. Anxious as the showdown was, Vixen couldn't help but part with a small smile as she spotted Blaze thwack Gambit soundly in the right shin for not letting her punch him.