A/N: I know, I know, I suck. BUT I already said I'm not gonna abandon ship - fic?. I'm still attached and have not only a few more chapters planned for this story, but also a few connected one-shots (as some of you know, because I've already published two). Also I'm still reping for Raleigh Ritchie (aka Jacob Anderson aka Grey Worm), this time with The Greatest.

Chapter 11: And I'm Seeing Four Of Us, But We Came In With Five

"Jean?"
She blinked a couple of times, her vision clouded as if she's just gotten out of a dark room and into sunlight. Her ears popped and she could suddenly hear the blaring alarms, see her teammates rushing around.
"Jean, are you alright?" Scott brushed her cheek with his hand and she caught it, leaving a small kiss on his palm.
"Yeah, I'm okay" She stood up, almost immediately stumbling.
"You don't seem okay" Scott caught her around the middle, supporting her weight. "Maybe you should sit this one out?"
"Nonsense" Jean pushed his hand away, following Rogue out of the room. "Don't worry about me, Scott. It's nothing."

The New Mutants were rushing to the lower levels to safely wait for the situation to escalate. For now only the original team were readying for battle, as X-Force were taking advantage of the weekend on an out of state training session with Logan. Mr. McCoy briefed them on the incident, a group of unknown mutants involved in an art gallery heist. All of them connected to an individual known as Emma Frost. The Professor sat next to him, intensely looking at the table in front of him before raising his hand.

"Emma Frost is part of an organization known as the Hellfire Club" He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "If anything happens, we don't want the New Mutants to get involved. They have an immediate connection to the group."

"We have a mole?" Everyone turned to Kitty, who just shrugged. "What, it sounds cool."

"We doubt any of them really work for the Hellfire Club" The Beast looked at the Professor, who just nodded. "It's a familial connection. We think they're an unwilling informant."

The news seemed to dampen the X-Men's enthusiasm. They went over their battle plan with Storm and went on their way. Nobody said a word as they sat in the Blackbird, all of them lost in their own thoughts.

Violette sighed, crawling out of the tent she shared with Laura.

"Was the horn really necessary?" St. John stuck his head out of his and Remy's tent.

"Get out of the tent, candlewick" Logan stood in the middle of the meadow they were camping on. Unsurprisingly, Laura stood right next to him. "And take card-boy with you."

"Funny" Remy yelled from the tent as Violette made her way to Logan. "Let Remy put on his boxers before he laughs, though."

Alex stumbled out of his tent and stood next to her, Piotr right behind him. St. John yawned and stretched out before joining them, scratching his chin.

Remy finally joined them, clad only in boxers and socks.

"Okay, X-Force" At least they weren't "the Other Team" anymore. "Twenty push ups, right away."

They all – except for Laura and Piotr of course – groaned, slowly getting on the ground. Violette finished last, cursing her P.E. teachers for never expecting girls to actually do any excersizes.

"Put on your shoes, we're going on a run."

"What?" Alex turned onto his back. "I hate this trip already."

After putting on their shoes they obediently ran after Logan, cursing under their breaths.

"Do you think we're gonna get any free time at all?" She leaned back towards Piotr, who was closing their column.

"Maybe after lunch" He shrugged but didn't seem confident at all.

The second they stepped through the door of the gallery they were surrounded. Scott was prepared for that, fighting off goons in plain masks. The blonde woman they identified as Emma Frost was stood at the top of the steps leading to upper levels, her demeanor matching her last name perfectly. He could see Nightcrawler porting around, helping other X-Men with Shadowcat hot on his heels, using her powers to throw the goons off. Rogue was mostly using her hand-to-hand combat skills, using their surroundings to her advantage, climbing onto platforms used to display installations to gain leverage against their attackers.

He lost Jean.

As soon as he realized that she wasn't there with them, all of his senses shut down. He was surrounded by darkness, his ears ringing. He could swear he was standing on the floor just seconds ago, but now he was floating in the darkness. He had no idea how long it lasted, but it felt like hours and seconds at the same time.

The moment his sight came back he sat up, glad to feel the floor beneath him. The rest of the team seemed to be in the same state of shock as Scott, all of them visibly shaken up.

"Where's Jean?" Kitty turned to him, because he was the leader, he should have this under wraps.

He should know that.

They did get half an hour of free time after lunch that Violette spent napping with St. John and Alex. She dreamed about a romantic camping trip with Kurt. Things were getting heated in their tent, until sharp claws ripped through the sides and Logan shoved his air horn in between them. She was woken up by Piotr delicately shaking her arm.

"Trouble back home" He explained, helping her get off the sleeping mat she put on the grass.

"Something happened to the mansion?" She was awake within seconds, flashes of the ruin she thought Jamie was buried under already making her panic.

"No, the X-Men need help with their mission" Logan picked up his tent and just threw it into Velocity. "Red was captured by a hostile pro-mutant group, they need back-up. Just throw your things in and sort through them on the way back."

Violette nodded, taking her mat and getting on board as Laura picked up their tent. She crawled inside when Laura sat it down and took out her sleeping bag, rolling it up. Logan already turned on the engines before John got onboard, pulling his shoe on.

"At least this hell is over."

"For now" Logan threw behind his shoulder, taking off.

When they finally touched down back in Bayville there was no time to unpack, so they just threw their things into the hallway, already suited up. John left his tanks outside of the planning room under Logan's death glare.

"'S not like you give us printed out scripts of the missions, mate" He shrugged and stepped behind Laura, leaning towards the girl. "Your da's a mongrel."

"Sure" Laura rolled her eyes, but kept her military style stance. Violette chuckled, patting him on the back.

"Not the right person to bother during briefings, mate."

"Yeah, sheila's a stick in the mud" He sighed, leaning against Piotr. "Thank God I've got you lot."

Remy and Alex chuckled as the X-Men – sans Jean – walked into the room.

It was a pretty standard rescue mission – get in, get out, come back with one more than you left with. What wasn't expected were two things. The source of their knowledge of the enemy base, and Violette's role in it.

The base layout they had was a gift from S.H.I.E.L.D., a map made by the one and only Quicksilver. She shuddered at the thought of Pietro not coming back to his daughter, something that was still an option as long as he worked for the government.

They had to take both the Blackbird and Velocity. Problem was, Velocity didn't have the same camouflage mechanisms that Blackbird had. Mainly, the cloaking technology.

Because of that, Spectre was to stay on board during the whole mission to preserve energy.

Cause she had to fly them in. Invisible.

Violette thought it was crazy. Kurt thought it was crazy. Hell, Pyro thought it was crazy, and the guy was insane. But Logan still insisted, and that's how Violette found herself standing in the middle of the Velocity, shaking out her wrists and trying to calm down.

"We're approaching enemy territory" She heard Scott's voice over the com and took a deep breath. She knealed down, bracing her hands against the floor of the jet. "Spectre, wait for my mark."

She channeled all of her focus into the tips of her fingers, ready to encapsulate the jet and everyone around her in her powers. She hoped she could keep it up long enough.

"Now!"

The second she did it she felt faint, but pushed through the strain. It didn't seem like anything happened, until the interior of the jet started to fade away along with her teammates.

"Velocity, you're gone."

Steering them was the only person they trusted with remembering the exact layout of the controls, Laura. Violette didn't even feel a tremor of uncertainty as they followed the coordinates given to them by Scott. Her whole arms were starting to tremble.

"Hate to be that guy, but are we there yet?" She heard Alex to her right, felt his presence through her powers. He was a good leader, probably worried about her spreading herself too thin.

"Just a few hundred miles left" Laura's voice came from what she knew was the front. She could feel her hand movements. It was fascinating.

"Hang on, Violette" Piotr's deep voice acted like a blanket, draping her in comfort. She bit her lower lip, steadying her form.

They were all paired up. All of them except for Rogue.

She was used to that, she told herself as she slipped through the corridors, looking for any sign of Jean. Nothing new, as she took a sharp left turn and examined a small control room.
She heard approaching steps and moved to stand next to the door-frame. She slowly took off her glove, pale finger after pale finger exposed to the air. She closed and opened her fist a few times, seeing the shadow of the person on the floor. As soon as she saw the tip of a combat boot she turned to the enemy, her hand inches away from an exposed neck covered in stubble.

"Cherie."

She gasped, her eyes meeting Remy's. His mouth was twisted in his usual smirk, despite his throat being still inches away from the tips of her exposed fingers.

"Jesus" Rogue moved her hand away, putting her glove back on. "X-Force's supposed to be in the west wing of the building."

"X's got it covered" His brows furrowed. "You shouldn't be the only one without a partner, Rogue."

Well my powers kinda do that to people.

"If anyone asks, it wasn't mah idea" She knew fighting with him would be pointless. If he wanted to tag along, he would no matter what she thought about it. "Come on."

With every step she took she felt more and more lost, while the steel walls around her resembled floral wallpapers.

"Anna?"

She turned around, the bustle of her dress weighing her down and back. She fidgeted with her gloves as she looked at Remy, finding his skewed ascot tie somewhat charming. She knew her father didn't think much of her match, but he could give her the kind of future she wanted. He took off his top hat, gripping it tightly in his hands.

They had a lovely morning stroll through the park. She was still getting used to the bustle of New York, so much different to her quiet life at the plantation. He was also getting used to the north, only recently having moved with the new branch of his father's business.

"It may be a bit foolish of me" He took a tentative step towards her as she pulled of her gloves, putting them down on the hall table. She invited him for tea, a pretty forward gesture, but she didn't seem to care about propriety around him. "But I've been thinking about making our relationship legitimate."

"Oh" Anna looked deep into his warm, brown eyes and tried hard to contain her excitement. She felt her cheeks turning warmer. "I don't think it's foolish of you, Remy."

"I'll ask your father's permission, of course" He cleared his throat and put his hat down next to her gloves. It made such a domestic sight. Anna's heart beat faster as the man approached her slowly. "But I wanted to know about your feelings beforehand."

She couldn't seem to pry her eyes off the accessories as his body heat entered her space. His hand – calloused fingers, a testament to his upbringing as a field hand – slowly grabbed her chin and turned her head, letting him catch her gaze.

Remy's eyes seemed to be searching for approval, which they apparently found as his lips moved towards hers.

Rogue's eyes snapped wide open, her vision tinted a slight red. She pushed Gambit away, his body going limp as soon his thankfully gloved hand left her chin.

There was too much energy in her hands, it was building up and she had no idea what to do with it, so she grabbed the first loose thing she could find and charged it, before throwing it in front of her. She grabbed Gambit's coat and started to drag him behind a doorway but it was too late. The pack of cigarettes that must have slipped from his pocket blew up, the energy throwing Rogue against the wall. Her head collided with the metal and she groaned, her head spinning. She started to reach for her gloves and collapsed next to Remy, her fingers brushing against the leather.

Laura's back fit snugly against the hall wall as she held her breath, watching the masked goons run by. When the methodical thumps of their steps quieted down, she turned the corner.

He found her.

"Daaad!" She groaned as he grabbed her into a tight hug, laughing. She couldn't believe she lost again.

"Told you I was a hide and seek champion" He put her down and kneeled to face her. His black hair stuck out in different directions, so different from its usually sculpted look. She couldn't wait to grow as tall as him, but she was still only eight. She had long ways to go. "I think it's time for you to go to bed, Princess."

She yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily, letting her dad pick her up and carry her to her room.

"Will you leave the light on?" She snuggled into his chest, breathing in the scent of his cologne. It was comforting, to be surrounded by the scent of family.

"Of course" He laid her down and covered her with a blanket, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I love you, Laura."

She sighed, smiling widely into her pillow, murmuring into it as she drifted off.

"Love you too, dad."

"Why did they bench us?"

Roberto kicked at the wall of the panic room, groaning as he hit his toe a bit too hard. Bobby was slowly going crazy, circling around the room. Jamie was laying upside down on the couch, reading one of the comics Sam took with him. Ray was studying for finals, groaning every now and again. Jubilee, Rahne, Sam and Tabitha were playing cards in the corner, Sam sighing every now and again as he lost to the girls. Amara and Lorna were sitting off to the side, braiding each other's hair.

"Most importantly, why did they lock us away?" Bobby flicked an icicle at the door, the ice melting before it hit the handle. "The fuck? They've never done that before."

"Maybe the finally realized just how annoying we all are" Jubilee showed her royal flush and chuckled at Tabby's shocked face. "Gotcha."

"I seriously thought you were just bluffing" Rahne shook her head, throwing her two of a kind at Sam. "They don't lock us up for the weekends though."

"Is that legal?" Amara wondered aloud, brushing out Lorna's green locks. "I mean, not like I'm gonna sue them or anything."

"I doubt it" Jamie chimed in, putting the comic book in his lap. "Maybe they think the mansion's gonna blow up again?"

"And that's why they put us in a metal box right below it?" Ray looked up from his books, scoffing.

"Hey, I was just guessing" Jamie rolled his eyes and went back to his comic. "Kill joy."

"I don't think imagining the mansion blowing up should bring you joy" Sam collected the scattered cards and gave them to Tabitha.

"It does to me on some level" The blonde started to shuffle the deck. "Lorna, Mara, you joining us?"

"I think it's just your love of destruction" Lorna shook her head before taking a deep breath. "Maybe it involves Magneto."

They all fell silent, not really sure how to react.

"You think he'd come for you?" Ray asked before wincing. "Not that you're not worth… Oh, you know what I mean."

"Maybe they think I'd want to join him" Lorna looked down at her fingers and the staples in Sam's comic books started to vibrate.

"First of all, we all trust you" Bobby crouched next to the newest addition to their team and put his hand on her shoulder. "That involves the staff. I mean, Storm adores you, for one. Second of all, they put as in a metal room" He pointed to the doors that also started to delicately vibrate. "So that rules out Magneto."

Lorna blushed as if she completely forgot that her father's powers worked the same way hers did.

"Okay, so that's one villain ruled out" Sam stretched his arms out. "Anyone else have any suggestions?"

Kurt quietly crawled around the ceiling, hanging onto exposed pipes and beams. Alex walked a few feet behind him, waiting for 'go ahead's at every turn.

Kurt heard steps coming from his right and motioned for Alex to hide. He tightened his grip on the beam before swinging to his right and landing on the lone goon, porting him to the ground and covering his mouth.

Or, as it turned out, putting down Colossus.

"Scheisse, sorry Piotr" He rubbed the back of his head. Alex ran over and chuckled at the sight.
"Damn it, Kurt" Kitty rolled her eyes as she emerged from one of the walls. "Like, seriously what if there was another bad guy like six feet behind the one you planned on attacking?"

"And that's why I'm nominating Kitty for field leader if Scott ever retires" Alex offered his hand to Piotr who took it only for posterity as he stood up.

"You think Prof's gonna ask the leaders of different teams instead of the team in question?" Kitty fully stepped onto the dock, dusting off her trousers.

"Touche."

Captain Blue Tail looked at the two soldiers in front of him, his hand aching to reach for his sable.

"Miss Pryde" His eyes locked with those of his first mate, her brown orbs lighting up with mirth. "What a lovely surprise meeting these gentlemen on dry soil, don't you think?"

They seemed to be at a disadvantage, their ship and crew waiting for them at the dock.

"Terrific" She agreed with him, her hand reaching for his waist in a mock embrace. He did the same to her, his fingers brushing against her pistol. "How is your leg, commander Summers?"

The blond man reached for his sable and let the tip of its blade rest under Miss Pryde's chin. Blue Tail grabbed her pistol as lieutenant Rasputin did the same to him.

"In the name of the crown, you are under arrest" Summers spat towards them, leaning in a bit. "And it healed perfectly, Pryde."

Blue Tail grabbed the pistol as Pryde unsheathed his sable. He shot at the commander's leg and ducked, Pryde slicing the lieutenant's hand open. Rasputin yelled and dropped his weapon and he caught it with his tail, Pryde vaulting over the fallen soldier and raising her sable to Summers' neck. Blue Tail does the same, cocking the pistol and putting it against Rasputin's head.

Summers growled, still clutching his sable with one hand, the other putting pressure on his wounded thigh.

"You have a choice, Summers" Miss Pryde leaned in towards his ear, chuckling. "You can either die here with Rasputin, or let us go and find yourself a medic."

"If I am to die today, I'll die fighting for the crown" The commander lunged at Blue Tail, his blade sinking into the captain's gut. The shock made Blue Tail miss his shot, the bullet embedding into Rasputin's shoulder. Miss Pryde's quick hand sliced Summers' throat before Rasputin's working left fist connected with her thigh. She fell into the ocean, disappearing in the murky waters. Blue Tail tried to catch her, but the slightest movement seems impossible with the blade stuck inside him.

"Kitty!" Kurt's right hand grabbed at the floor, as his left one held onto the burn on his stomach. The pain from his torn leg muscles made Alex's screams drown out Kurt's pleading, as Piotr struggled against the steel wall, his arm phased into its structure. "Kitty!"

Pyro walked closely behind Cyclops, trying to even out his breath. The gas tanks on his back weighed him down after the exhausting day he had. Wolverine's work outs took a lot out of him since St. John's powers let his fights play out over a long distance. He was twenty now and there was never gonna be a better time for him to train his ass to become a fucking ninja. He was getting old.

Amara wasn't.

It made him feel dirty at times, being that close to a sixteen year old. They were only friends – just friends – but he would be kidding himself if he denied that she wanted more.

He did want more at one point. Before he knew how old she was.

He was a grown man, an ex-felon, a nobody. And she didn't see that, because she was just a kid.

His eyes glazed over as he fell deeper and deeper into self wallowing. He could no longer see the corridor or even Scott, just the images his mind conjured up as he thought about his relationship with Amara.

Soon enough, his mind wandered to his still unpolished first draft, the deadlines and pressure making his heart beat harder and harder. Soon, the familiar, controlled chaos of flames inside his mind pushed to the forefront, burning through his mind-

Something zapped the inside of his ear.

Jin shook his head, focusing on the straight lines of Scott's back.

"Summers" He choked out, his legs dragging behind him. "There's something fishy going on here, mate."

Cyclops turned around and swung at him, his fist barely missing Jin's cheek.

"Fuck" Pyro dropped to the ground and turned on his flame thrower, circling himself with fire. "Okay, okay, don't panic Jin."

Cyclops threw himself into the fire and Pyro called it back, not wanting to hurt him. Scott reached for his visor but Pyro sent a small flame to lick at his fingers. The other mutant groaned, shaking his gloved hand.

"Okay, time to figure something out" Pyro said to himself, kicking off and running back to where he knew they came across a vent. He let a wall of fire separate him from the X-Men's leader, sensing the placement of his blasts from the places they pierced it. He picked up speed and scaled the corridor walls, letting himself hang onto the vent.

"How did that fuckin' frenchie do it?" He tried to recall one of their training sessions as Violette smoothly broke into the simulated ventilation system. The blasts from Cyclops were getting more frequent and just barely missed the aussie's feet. Pyro thought about just melting the crate off, but that would leave him exposed.

He finally loosened it enough with his weight to just rip it off. He fell to the floor, breaking it with a roll to not make as much sound. He took a running start and jumped, hanging onto the edge of the vent, while conjuring a pack of fiery wolves in front of the flaming wall. He pulled himself in and covered the opening up with that same crate, melting its edges and crawling backwards. As soon s he completely lost sight of the fire it disappeared and he could hear Scott's steps echo in the empty corridor.

Cyclops went by his hiding place not even looking back, apparently convinced Pyro took off.

'Sucker.'

He lets out a sigh, resting his forehead on the back of his hand.

'Now what?'

"Cyclops, Pyro, do you copy?" Violette groaned, hitting her head on the controls. "Gambit, X? Rogue? Shadowcat and Colossus?" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Havok and Nightcrawler, do you copy?"

After a minute of radio silence she changed the communicator's channel.

"They're not answering" She tried to keep her voice from wavering. "Not even a crack. Nothing."

"Their comms must have gotten interfered with" Wolverine's voice cracked over the radio. "Stay in your position, Spectre."

"I can't just sit here as they get killed!" She knew she shouldn't yell but she couldn't seem to stop.

"They'll need you once they get out of there" Wolvie's voice was surprisingly soft. "Trust me, there's nothing you can do tat will make this situation better right now."

She switched back before kicking the seat next to her, screaming.

"Okay, so basically we've run out of villains" Ray blew air at the orange strand of hair that got into his eyes. He looked up from his spot, still laying on the couch with just his head raised to face his friends. "Maybe it's someone new?"

"It's been a while since Apocalypse" Sam stretched as he got up from the floor to walk to the crate of water bottles. "About time someone else showed up."

Scott blinked a couple of times, suddenly back in his own clothes. He touched the top of his head and let out a sigh as he can't find the weird pirate hat he was wearing just a second ago.

He looked at Pyro in front of him, holding one of his tanks tightly in his hands.

"W-what?" He groaned out, rubbing his suddenly aching head.

"Had to whack ye well, Cyke" The man offered him a hand and pulled him up. "It must be the telepath."

"How did you get out of it?" He vaguely remembers running after St. John, who set his house on fire. He could still hear his wife's – Jean's, they were actually Jean's - screams, as she burned alive.

Pyro just knocked on his head a couple of times.

"Maybe it won't touch crazy" He shrugged, placing his tank back on his back. "Also, I have a metal plate in my head. Maybe that kinda fucks with it" He pulled out a fried remnant of his comm. "Would certainly explain why this zapped me in the ear."

"You have a metal plate inside your head?" Scott coughs a bit, despite knowing he was no longer surrounded by smoke.

"Now that's a story for another time."

"Doesn't it heat up when you-"

"I said, another time!" Pyro rolled his eyes, but still continued. "Mags had access to some very fancy metal from Africa. I kinda fucked up my life in Australia. Dude saved my life, so I worked for him."

Scott followed St. John with a new found understanding.

"Back to the mission" Jin stopped and motioned for Scott to rest against the wall. "I think we're nearing the big bad. Mostly because it has gotten dead quiet and we've already been here for like an hour."

Scott nodded, trying out his comm.

"Thank God!" He hears Violette's sigh. "Cyclops, what's your status?"

"We're fine, Pyro's sure he's located Jean."

"Well, half-sure" St. John wiggled his and around, chuckling.

"Half-sure" He repeated to the comm, rubbing his face.

"Do you need backup?"

Scott and St. John looked at each other in silent agreement.

"Something fishy is going on here" Scott licked his lips and closed his eyes. "We're pretty sure the rest is incapacitated. We need someone out there if we stop responding."

He was answered with a deafening silence, followed by repeated thumps.

"You want me to sit here while you all die?"

Cyclops opened his eyes, straightening his back.

"Spectre, stay in the jet. That's an order. Over and out."

"She's gonna hate us all" Pyro's shoulders slumped as he ran his gloved hand through his hair.

"She knew what the mission was, and what her role in it is" Cyclops pushed off the wall and started to take lead. "Pyro, get ready."

Cyclops turned the last corner before facing huge metal doors. He touched the side of his visor, ready to blast-

He was held prisoner, being lead to Lady Frost. The guard behind him pushed him forward and against the wall.

'Scott.'

He saw the tapestry melt with a ruby-tinted control pad. He knew he was blasting something and could feel that his visor was gone, but also was so sure of it just being a pot of flowers he's smashed while trashing against the guard. Someone put his visor back on. The guard spit in his face. He could see Jean strapped to a vertical table next to Emma Frost. Lady Frost and Lady Grey stood up, abandoning their afternoon tea. The rest of X-Men and X-Force were propped against the walls, clearly unconscious. His crewmates thrashed around in their shackles, beaten but not letting themselves be defeated.

"I'm so done with you fucks."

Lady Grey stayed silent as the world around them started to burn. Frost's skin turned into diamond.

Scott gasped for air, his ears ringing. St. John was shooting flames straight at the woman, while she took slow steps towards him, shielding her face. He shot at her from the side, pushing her to the side.

"Try waking the others!" He yelled to Pyro, adjusting his visor to the highest setting before blasting her with a continuous stream of energy.

"No matter what you do now, Scott" Frost groaned under the strain of staying upright. "I've already released her."

He could hear her goons rush into the room before backing out as the temperature around them rose unbearably high. Scott didn't stop, not until she collapsed and her skin turned back into a regular shade. He quickly crouched down and cuffed her as his breathing got faster and louder.

He nearly had a heart attack when Kurt appeared next to him, handing him the helmet Mr. McCoy fashioned after Magneto's.

"Everyone alright?" He asked, trying to calm his racing heart.

'Was I really about to…? About to k-'

"Alex's leg is messed up" Kurt put a hand on his shoulder, before offering him a hand. He held onto the offered three blue digits as if his life depended on it. Kurt pulled him up. "Gambit's got a headache. That's about it."

Scott looked around the – still surrounded by fire – room and finally saw her. His heart momentarily stopped as Piotr helped her get off the table and back on the ground.

"Jean."

It was like breathing again after drowning. He was so scared they would never see each other again, that she, that she…

'Scott.'

He ran over, taking her into is arms and holding on.

"Jean" His voice cracked as he hugged her closer to him, her arms clinging to the back of his suit.

"I'm sorry y'all, but we've gotta go" Rogue helped Kitty up before nodding to the still open doors. They could clearly hear the troops running towards them.

"Okay, I'll take Alex straight to the Velocity" Kurt replaced Pyro at Alex's side. Scott felt a pang of guilt that he focused solely on Jean when he knew that his brother got hurt. "Should I come back for anyone?"

"No" Scott adjusted his visor settings before nodding to Kitty and Piotr. "We'll find our way out."

Shadowcat walked over to the wall opposite to the door, the slowly dimming ring of fire opening for her to pass through. She stuck her head through before giving them the okay sing and disappearing behind it.

Colossus backed away before running at the wall full force, leaving a human shaped hole in his wake.

When they finally got through the base and back on their respective jets, Scott and Jean rushed to the pilot seats. As they got ready for take off, their radar started to beep.

"Is that-?"

"Missiles" Jean took off without closing the hatch, Scott rushing through their last preparations.

"Velocity, scatter" He said through the radio, enabling the cloaking mechanism. Only, they weren't disappearing. "Shit. We've got missiles on our tail and the cloaking doesn't work."

"Don't worry, they're going after heat signatures" X-23's voice came through, clearly irritated. "Cause we can't seem to lose the-"

Static. They were too far away for the jet to jet radio.

Scott switched with Jean, taking over the flying. He started to pivot, one of the missiles hitting the tree line. As soon as they got off the island and over water he flew higher before going back down almost vertically, pulling up sharply. Another missile sunk into the ocean.

"How many?" He focused on the air before them, thinking of new ways to throw them off.

"Five" Jean put her hand on his forearm, squeezing.

"I think we've lost them" Scott breathed a sigh of relief as the last of the missiles sunk into the ocean.
Kurt couldn't wait to come back home and wrap his arms around Violette, to know that they also came out unscathed. Coming face to face with a deadly threat seemed to be a theme repeated every few months in his life and if there was one person who he needed to hold to remind himself that he was still alive, it was his girlfriend.
And then they were hit.

Kurt looked to his left and saw the wing smoking before falling off, sending them spiraling down into the ocean.