Dahlia fidgeted with the edge of her shirt as they walked down the street. She looked up, focused on the ominous sound of the street lamps buzzing as they awakened and bathed them in dim light. From ahead, Mortimer grasped her wrist and quickly pulled her forward with a roughness that caused a woman sitting outside her door to usher her children inside.

"C'mon, stay by me," he commanded.

Dahlia stumbled a bit and hurried after him as they entered the corner store. Flinching at the bell as they walked in, Dahlia locked eyes with the boy at the register for a moment too long. She jerked her head away and ducked into an aisle, not allowing herself time to see his eyes slide down her figure. She felt the low ache in her eyes as her pupils tried to narrow. The chips along the isle caused Dahlia to turn her head away in nausea. Nothing without protein even seemed remotely desirable these days.

Her fingers wrapped tightly around her forearm as she browsed, the tips of her claws burrowing into her skin nervously. She rounded the corner, stopping just to see Mortimer and relaxed a bit, as if seeing him were enough to ease her anxiety. Hushed laughter sounded from the register causing Dahlia to look up. The boy was joined by his friend, who nodded towards Mortimer standing in front of the condoms.

"Who's he kidding?" One whispered to the other. They laughed. Her eyebrows furrowed in anger.

Mortimer's fist was clutched so tightly his greenish skin began to turn a hue of white and she felt a rush of guilt. He was only buying condoms because she had asked, several times, but he was doing it now. Embarrassment stained her cheeks but she walked up to Toad boldly regardless. It wasn't that she was embarrassed of him as much as she was embarrassed of having sex at all.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head to the side to see around his arm as she slipped her fingers into the rim of his pants, pleased to hear silence from the counter. From under her skirt the tip of her tail flicked playfully as she caught sight of the smug look Mortimer cast to the cashiers.

"The ultra-thin, let's get those."

Rain thrashed against the window of professor's office as he sat observing the weather. Elbow propped up on his armrest; he pinched the spot between his eyes recalling the previous conversation he'd had with Wolverine weeks ago now. Scott stood near the door, arms folded behind his back, waiting solemnly for his response. A little over a month and a half ago he received a text from Dahlia thanking him for his generosity but that she would no longer be going into work.

"It's not like Dahlia to vanish like that, I don't like it. We need to find her." Scott said, breaking the silence when Professor didn't respond.

"I'm not sure that will be the best approach to Dahlia, Scott." Professor turned his chair to face him. "I fear that will drive Dahlia farther away than she already is. I've already had this discussion with Logan."

"Yes, but that's Logan. I won't have the same effect on her that he will. She's never taken to Logan very well and I'm the one who brought her here, I could bring her back. At least let me try to contact her; you left her phone service on for a reason, didn't you?"

Professor sighed quietly, running out of options. Was he wrong to let her stay with Mortimer? Perhaps this is their chance to pull her from a bad situation. He feared, though, that she may have already gotten herself in too deep.

Mortimer sat in the swivel chair with his hands behind his head, turning slowly one way then the other. James went through the list of mutant currently aiding them in their antics, attempting to find a rat for their latest project. Jinx sat behind James, laid back on the bed with a magazine in her lap.

"The real problem here is that whoever retrieves those files will most likely die or be taken into custody; it has to be someone that isn't valuable to the cause." James said, marking off yet another name on their already short list. He walked to the fridge to pull out a bottle of Mike's Hard lemonade and tossed one to Toad before bringing one to Jinx.

"Ye, but to retrieve those files means buildin' our army. What's one lost life for the cause? We don't 'ave Magneto's charisma to our benefit. Not every bloke on that list is special."

"If they aren't special it's because they just suck for the job."

"Blob?" Mortimer's lips turned up humorously and James looked at him in exasperation.

"Yeah, cause I'm real sure nobody will spot a five foot, ten inch, five hundred and ten pound man trying to squeeze through the damn halls."

Mortimer chuckled, taking a sip before checking his watch. He needed to go home soon, they weren't getting anywhere.

"How about you?" James nudged Jinx who frowned at being disturbed from her reading. "Morlock's?"

"Callisto is building her own army. She isn't interested in anything other than surviving."

"Then go out there and use your charm. That's a thing, right?" James threw an arm across her shoulders. "Seduce someone fit for the job and bring him back, you got that."

Jinx shrugged his arm off with a heavy sigh and made her way into the other room leaving James to brush it off.

"Women, I'll never understand them."

Two months felt like eternity after you kill a man but being with Mortimer eased something inside her. He was her drug and any time spent away from him felt like agony. He went to work often these days, always insisting it was good she spent some time on her own but it never felt like good. When he left he locked the door behind him, like an unspoken rule not to leave the house. He was be gone till the early hours of the morning some days, leaving her to fight her mind alone.

Outside the April rain poured so heavily on the complex and pounded so harshly against the window she was almost worried it would break in and take her. Sitting curled up in the corner of the sofa she looked back to check that the locks on the door were all in place and she stroked her feline friend's fur in hopes to have some relief.

She spent most her time in front of the TV that she didn't really watch, too afraid to lose herself in nightmares, too afraid to lose herself outside. Who else might she hurt? Who else might hurt her? Restlessness and tiredness surged through her at the same time, sparking anger that he had left her alone at all. She shook her head to clear her racing thoughts, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't think like that, he worked hard to support her now that she didn't have anything to bring to the table.

She both appreciated and despised the control he had obtained over her in the last few months. She wanted to run. But he kept her here. But she wanted to stay. But these walls closed in on her. He protected her.

Lightning flashed and she pushed herself off the sofa so quickly her tail knocked over a cup on the end table. Footsteps so light they didn't make a sound she closed herself into the backroom and locked the door, taking in her appearance in the mirror.

Her face had gained back some of the weight she'd unexplainably lost; it wasn't any wonder, Mortimer always shoved food at her rather she wanted it or not. She touched her cheek with clawed fingers and studied her narrowed pupils. Her hair fell just below her shoulders now in a damp mess. He didn't want her to cut it, despite her protests; he liked long hair.

Ba-Ding. A Text.

Her arm twitched and she looked at the cell phone lying on the bathroom floor from almost three days ago. She was surprised the professor hadn't canceled her service yet. Maybe it was just his way of continuing to be kind to her. Scott's name appeared on the screen and she cautiously opened his message. She never thought she would hear from him again, as if these walls were all the world had left to offer her.

Hey Dahlia,

Would you like to eat with me and Jean at the New Bridge restaurant tomorrow night? My treat, just wanted to talk. Would love to hear from you again.

Scott