Disclaimer: I own nothing, nada, zip. Blaze owns me

Scene 04

To make it easier for the winged mutant to tell his story, Xavier used his telepathy to help. He reached after the thread of the tale in Warren's mind and drew it out like a long silver strand of spider's web, glistening with beads of dew. Manipulating the thread, Xavier included each member of his team in the connection, so that as Angel spoke they could see events happening in their mind's eye.

"It was late when I went to bed," Angel said. Sure enough bright moonlight from a full moon seared through the glass of Warren's bedroom window. In the images a shirtless Angel yawned, stretching his wings lethargically. He went to the window and closed the floor-to-ceiling drapes. Darkness descended, but Angel could find his way to his bed blindfolded. Three strides barefoot across a thick rug and he was by the edge of the voluptuous mattress. He peeled back the satiny covers and slipped between the sheets.

"I was tired, I fell asleep straight away as soon as my head hit the pillow," Warren hesitated, before forcing himself to continue. "I don't know how much time passed before…"

"Before what Angel?" Storm asked when Warren was not forthcoming.

"A light woke me up, a bright light," Warren blurted out with a shudder.

"That's called mornin' Bub," Logan pointed out pedantically. Gambit sniggered, taking a pack of cards from his pocket and shuffling them distractingly. Warren glanced at them both before continuing.

"No, it wasn't dawn. Besides the curtains were shut. The light that woke me was in the room. It was greenish, swirling and nauseating," said Angel. The Professor implanted the image from Warren's mind in the minds of the others. The light was opalescent and emerald, with no obvious direction of origin. It diffused through Warren's bedroom like a bad smell.

"As I came round, I realised there was someone standing over me. There were two of them, I don't know what they were doing." In the mental projection two shadowy figures emerged. The green light was behind them so they appeared as silhouettes. They leaned menacingly over Angel as he lay in bed. "I was paralysed," Angel continued, "I couldn't move or cry out. I felt them prod and poke me, and I couldn't do anything about it. Then, after a while, they went away again. The light died and I knew I was on my own. Slowly the paralysis wore off, but I didn't sleep for the rest of the night. This morning there are no signs of someone breaking in, but I know it was real. I want to know what they were doing to me, and if they will come back…"

#What do you think?# Xavier asked telepathically of his X-Men, so they could comment honestly without Warren taking offence.

#If wing-boy starts blaming little green men,# Logan growled, #I'm outta here.#

#Mon Ami is seriously losin' it, n'est-ce pas ?# laughed Gambit, barely able to keep a straight face.

#You're both horrid,# Blaze chastised them. #He's terrified, and I don't think you'd be much better if it happened to you.#

#It could be a case of sleep paralysis,# Beast conjectured. #It is a psychological state blamed for common night time hallucinations including visits by the so-called 'Night Hag', or indeed alien abductions.#

#I agree with Blaze,# Storm chipped in. #It doesn't matter what actually happened. We should do what we can to make him unafraid.#

#Very well,# agreed Xavier. "Don't concern yourself, Warren," he continued aloud. "We will look into this for you. I will go to Cerebro and see if I can detect any residual traces of malicious thought at your home. If you would allow it, I would also like Blaze to take a professional look at your security systems."

The redhead looked a little shocked as Angel agreed to Xavier's suggestion. Blaze's relationship with the Professor had been strained since the untimely disappearance and presumed death of Xavier's grown-up daughter Ilehana. It was the telepathic animorph Vixen who had recruited Blaze for the X-Men. Secretly Blaze suspected that the Professor even blamed her a little for Ilehana's demise. Even more secretly, Blaze knew that Ilehana was actually alive and well, living as one of a wolf pack. On this she was sworn to silence by her old friend, and could not tell a soul.

The meeting was adjourned, and Xavier departed to Cerebro as promised. He did not expect to find anything, but if it would put Warren's mind at rest he would look. Blaze happily left the mansion at Warren's side, climbing into the passenger seat of his black hardtop sports car in front of the mansion. Gambit followed at a discreet distance, trying to look nonchalant and not jealous as he reached the front door just as Angel's flash car pulled away. At the same time, the kids arrived home from school. They pushed past Gambit in a race to be the first to the refrigerator.

"Hey Gambit," Kitty teased. "You wanna be careful, if the wind changes your face will totally stick like that."

"T'anks for the advice Shadowcat," Gambit scowled harder, folding his arms. Kitty shrugged and flounced off inside.

"Penny for 'em?" Rogue asked as she brought up the rear of the herd. "Your thoughts Ah mean." For a second Gambit just blinked at her. Then he smiled and dropped his hands to his sides.

"Ain't been a t'ought in this skull for years, Cherie," Gambit dodged the bullet. He turned to escort the Southern belle back into the mansion, asking, "So how was school?"

"Oh you know," Rogue shrugged apathetically. "They kept tryin' to make us think."