Erik sat at his chess table in the hospital park again. He had been labeled as 'no threat' in his file. Smart idea that was. He flicked his fingers, waiting for a touch of movement from the metal chess pieces. Ever since that shot, he was told his powers were totally gone, but what he discovered was that they weren't. They were just hidden and masked.

Every so often, a chess piece would move just a touch, but it was enough to know that it wasn't the wind or the table leg rocking. It was his powers working again. So, he spent the chess hour every day flicking his fingers at the small, shiny pieces in hopes that one day he would be able to lift one off the board and send it flying into his annoying human nurse's head.

It irked him to no end that he had humans taking care of him. But what could he do? One of these days he would bust out of there, and the human staff of the hospital would pay for his humiliation. He ground his teeth as he continued to flick his fingers in vain at the chess board. His strange movement caused one of the humans watching over the chess players to walk over to him.

"They're gone, buddy. Your powers are gone. Good riddance, too. You can stop trying now," the pitiful human said.

"You'll be the first to go when I get out of this place," Erik said matter-of-factly.

"Uh-huh," the attendant replied sarcastically before returning to his post.

"Uh huh is right," Erik muttered to himself as he gave a final flick of his fingers. His queen slid over to face the other king. He smiled in triumph.

"Checkmate."

- - - - - - - - -

Logan was sitting in his room, feeling miserable about life, as usual. But now it wasn't about Jean or Scott or Xavier. Now it was about the people in life that still mattered to him. He wasn't going to be all gung ho right away, that would take a while, but he would at least let them know he still cared, and would do everything in his power to protect them. The guilt still gnawed at the back of his brain, though. He needed a drink. He hoped against hope that there was something, anything, alcoholic in the school, so he slowly crept out of his room towards the kitchen, which he expected to be empty.

He stepped in, shirt off, and took in what was going on. Angel was holding hands with a girl he'd never seen before. They were both smiling. And Storm was off in a corner, looking down at her feet with a small smile on her face. But, in a millisecond, all three of them sensed his presence. The two let go of each other's hands, and Storm's face drained of color. He chuckled and stepped towards the refrigerator.

"Don't all look so happy to see me," he said sarcastically, searching for alcohol but finally settling for soda. He twisted off the cap and took a gulp before closing the fridge and turning around. "Hello," he said slowly to the girl. "I'm Logan. AKA Wolverine." He extended a hand, and she took it with an awkward smile. He shook it before pulling back and extending his claws. She gasped, but he retracted them quickly and rubbed his raw knuckles. "I heal fast."

"I..." she stuttered, "I'm Leah. I don't have another name." She looked at Storm, almost pleading for help in her look. "I'm a hydrokinetic."

"Hmm," he grunted, eyeing the wet splashes on the floor.

"Oh my!" she gasped, and the water all flew into the air and down the drain in a moment. Logan raised his eyebrows.

"Pretty impressive." He nodded at Angel, who returned it with a smile. Logan glanced at Storm who was taking a lot of time staring at her fingernails. So, with a quick salute to Leah, he disappeared through the kitchen door.

"I better go after him," Storm said with a sigh. She smiled happily at the two of them and ran out after Logan.

"He sure seems... charming," she said after a moment. Angel chuckled.

"You should have seen him last year. He was so much more... himself then."

"What happened to change him?" Leah inquired.

"That, Leah, is a story for another time." He smiled at her, and she shrugged. "We should get to bed soon." She smiled, and for the first time the weariness of the day crept into her consciousness.

"You're right. Sleep well, Angel."

"You too."