Major hugs and kudos to my reviewers!

Ace: Hey, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the smile and the 100/100.

Paprika90: Ah, life. It just gets more hectic all the time. Here's an update for you.

KaliAnn: O'Toole's thefts will be explained. Kurt talks in German because he's from Germany—he wasn't quite awake when he woke up, so he reverted back to his first language. Glad you're waiting. You're about to get your reward.

Chapter 10

Pandemonium was reigning in the lower levels of O'Toole's school. It didn't help that a fuzzy blue kid with a tail was running around, either. O'Toole's students didn't know what to do or where to run: No matter where they looked, there were monsters coming to eat them! How such things had gotten into the school was beyond them, but all they wanted to do was get out of that place as soon as possible. Giant hairy things with clubs, fanged beasts with drool running from their lips, and giant insects were some of the horrors that the students were glimpsing, and they were frightened past all irrational thought.

"How are you doing, Elizabeth?" Scott asked as he, Elizabeth, and the rest of Xavier's students progressed past O'Toole's screaming students.

"I'm fine," she said. "Don't talk to me, though, I'm concentrating."

Kurt stopped running around and rejoined the rest of the group. "I found them," he said to Scott. "They're in the next hallway."

Scott led the group around the corner, and more than one member covered his or her ears.

"Do they have to scream like that?" Rogue asked, wincing.

"They're seeing horrible things," Jean said reasonably. "What else can they do?"

"Yeah," Kitty said, grinning. "They look ridiculous, screaming about things that aren't there."

"They only believe they're seeing them," Elizabeth pointed out. "I've used the monsters to herd all of O'Toole's students outside, and they've locked the door behind them and they're trying to hold it closed to keep the monsters from breaking it down. They'll be busy for a while."

"That is too awesome," Scott said, looking around the hallway. "Where are they, Kurt?"

"Through those doors," Kurt said, pointing to some doors on the right. "There are three rooms there, and that's where they are."

"All right," Scott said, still leading the way. "Let's go."

They found their teachers on the other side, each one in a room of his or her own. The doors to the rooms had little windows, and the students could look inside and see what was happening.

Storm had a miniature storm going on inside her room, trying to break the door with lightning. Beast was pounding away at the door, trying to cave it in, and Logan was using his claws.

"Those doors look like adamantium," Scott said, looking worried. "How are we going to get them out?"

BAMF.

Elizabeth had teleported right into Beast's cell, and a moment later, they teleported out together.

"Well, that's useful," Rogue said, giving Elizabeth a smile. "I forgot you could do that."

Elizabeth returned the smile. "I'll get the others."

Two bamfs later and the Xavier students were reunited with all of their teachers save one.

"Thanks," Logan said, extending his claws. "What do you kids say to a little O'Toole shish kebab?"

"Easy, Logan," Storm said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "O'Toole has the Professor, remember? If we go in there ready to slice and dice, he might try to hurt him."

"Don't forget fricassee," Logan growled.

"I concur with Storm," Beast said. "We must be cautious."

"I have an idea," Elizabeth said, almost too softly for anyone to hear. "But it's going to be tricky."

"How so?" Storm asked, intrigued.

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "O'Toole's left the Professor alone while he goes to find out what caused the explosion and why his students are all terrified. We have to keep him away from the Professor long enough in order for us to have enough time in which to rescue him. I could distract him while you guys go and get him."

"Absolutely not, quarter pint," Logan said, scowling. "You're not about to put yourself in danger."

"Do you have a better plan?" Elizabeth demanded, suddenly looking angry. "He could be hurting the Professor right now! We have to tackle O'Toole using his own rules! That's the one thing he won't expect us to do!"

Logan wasn't the only one surprised by the girl's vehemence.

"All right, Elizabeth," Beast said, laying a hand on her shoulder to calm her. "What is your plan?"

Space

O'Toole located his hysterical students outside the school, holding a door shut with all their might. It was the work of a few moments to show them that there was nothing behind it and that they weren't on the verge of being eaten. He herded them back inside, checked on Magneto and his group, and then felt his heart lurch when he saw that the wall had been blown apart on another room and that all of the Xavier students were missing.

"Hey!"

O'Toole looked down the hall, surprised by the shout. It was the blonde-haired girl, Elizabeth. O'Toole had to look twice at her: an aura of power surrounded her, crackling and pulsing at an incredible rate.

"If you want to tangle with someone, you tangle with me!" she shouted, stalking towards O'Toole. "How dare you imprison us!"

O'Toole smirked. She was no challenge. After all, he'd managed to send her into unconsciousness with little trouble before. Confidently, he said, "Little girl, you have no idea what sort of power you are pitting yourself against. I suggest you give up now."

Elizabeth glared at him. "Power? You call stealing from someone power? I call it cowardice! Coward! Hypocrite!"

O'Toole was getting tired of the name-calling, but a part of him lauded her for her temerity. "I haven't the time for this. Why don't you save me a little trouble and tell me where your friends are?"

Elizabeth sent a burst of power flying at his head. "Like I'd tell you!" she screamed. "I hate you! Only a tyrant would do something like this!"

O'Toole felt a little twinge of worry at the manic glint in Elizabeth's eyes. Apparently, the child was disturbed.

"Lock us up, will you?" she demanded, still advancing on him. "Take our powers, will you? Separate us from our teacher, huh?" More bolts of power flew at O'Toole.

O'Toole was tired of dodging. Almost lazily, he made the entire floor shake, hoping to knock her and her bravado down.

The floor stilled.

Disconcerted, O'Toole dislodged some pipes using Magneto's power and sent them to wrap themselves around the girl. With hardly a blink, Elizabeth sent them flying back towards O'Toole, and it was only his quick reflexes that saved him from being clotheslined.

"How are you doing that?" O'Toole demanded. Apparently, this girl wasn't what she seemed to be.

"Sorry," she said, grinning a little. "A magician never reveals her secrets."

O'Toole's anger snapped. It was enough that this…this child was interfering, but now she was toying with him! O'Toole took out a small dart, and it ignited in his hand. With one fluid motion he sent it flying towards Elizabeth.

He was almost too fast for her, but with a flick of the hand, it teleported out to explode somewhere else in the house. He heard something shatter.

"That had better not have been the computer!" O'Toole growled at her.

Elizabeth smiled. "That big thing in your lab?" she asked.

O'Toole stared at her. How could she know what was there? As far as he knew, she'd never been there.

"Don't worry," she said, still smiling. "It was."

O'Toole picked up a section of wall and threw it at her, and it flattened her a moment later. Satisfied, he went over and lifted it up, ready to gloat.

There was no one there.

BAMF.

"Behind you, Sherlock," he heard. Wheeling around, he saw Elizabeth a moment before he was knocked unconscious by a fist that had suddenly become as hard as rock.