Pardon Me

Chapter Five: Xavier's School Sleeps

It was two in the morning. It was the first night that Audrey would sleep in her cage.

She looked so completely comfortable laying out on her little green cot that John had to question her sanity.

"So what about your parents?" He asked, and handed her a coke. He had left, gone to the kitchen, and come back with drinks later that night.

"My mom died when I was about three. So me and my sister lived with our dad." She said it so easily while opening her coke. "When my sister left for college she made sure I would board at School so I wouldn't have to stay with him."

John nodded, taking a drink. "Him, your dad?"

"Yea, he's a jack ass."

"You don't like your dad." He stated seriously.

"Not really no." She said, smirking and took a drink.

"Why?" He asked.

"Lots of reasons." She chirped "But mostly because he's just a jack ass."

"That's a good reason." He told her, his voice quite genuine.

She chuckled. "So, how bout' your family?" She asked, setting her can of pop on the floor and leaning against the bars of her cage.

John's expression darkened. "I don't have a family."

"Oh, so you grew up--"

"In a home, yea." He said impatiently. Obviously this was a touchy subject for him.

"Well---" She started, but he interrupted her again.

"Don't." He told her, fiddling with his lighter again.

"Don't what?" She asked, wrinkling her eyebrows

"Don't say you're sorry." John told her sharply..

"I wasn't going to." She told him, seriously.

"Good." He stated.

"What I was going to say was--" She got cut off again.

"Don't go on about how families aren't that great either." He said.

Audrey groaned. "I wasn't going to.."

John's eyebrows furrowed. "So what were you going to say?"

"I was going to say, before you so rudely interrupted me, twice, was that it's really cold in here and I want a blanket."

"Are you making demands?" He scoffed.

"No." She whined. "I'm begging."

He looked less than impressed.

"Please! Please! Come on… John?"

"What?"

"Please."

"You're not going to stop, are you?" He asked.

"Nope." She replied, smiling. "Please??"

"Yea, alright." He grumbled, standing up. "I'll see what I can do."

"I want one with Winnie the Pooh on it!" She called sleepily as he left the room.

Everything was painfully still. The entire school was silent, the calm quiet anyone would expect. The comfortable silence everyone sleeps in.

Everyone but her.

Amelia stared at the container of mint chocolate chip ice cream in front of her and pulled out a large spoonful, shoving it into her mouth. Not knowing if her sister was okay was driving her mad. Audrey could need her right now, Amelia put another large spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, chewing and swallowing it quickly. Audrey could be hurt…

Amelia did the only thing she could do at two in the morning when her little sister had been kidnapped and could be in danger; she ate half a gallon of ice cream.

Not that binge eating was going to help, she knew it. It didn't even make her feel better. It was pointless, but it passed the time.

Passing the time wasn't good enough, that's all she'd been doing all day.

. He hands began to tremble and in her frustration Amelia dropped the spoon into the container. She buried her hands in her dark hair. It was too much for her to handle. The worry she felt for Audrey, the fear she felt for everyone around her.

How long could it be before she snapped again and just unleashed her powers without meaning too? How long would it be before she'd turn everything to ashes again?

If this stress kept up, not very long.

Her thoughts drifted back to Audrey. God knows what they've been doing to her little sister.

If anyone hurt her, Amelia was going to kill them.

Her hand reached into the ice cream container for the spoon. Fighting for calm. Amelia began on the rest of the gallon. When a voice interrupted her.

"Grim?" Logan asked, she didn't have to turn around to know his arms were crossed and his eyebrows were furrowed.

She responded without turning around, eating some more ice cream she spoke with her mouth full. "'ea 'ogan?"

"What're you doin'?" He sat down in the chair next to hers.

She swallowed. "Nothing."

He nodded, his eyebrows furrowing once again. "Don't you sleep?"

"On nights I'm not worried about my sister being killed, sure." She told him.

Logan shrugged and walked to the fridge, pulling out a coke.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"Not really." She replied and he shrugged a second time.

Amelia set her spoon on the table and stared at Logan.

He stared back.

"Thank you for earlier." That was the best she could do. That was her best apology.

"You go through those tennis balls pretty fast. I figured you needed more." He took another drink. "Chuck keeps a bunch of em in the back of the gym if you want any more."

She looked at the ice cream container darkly, nodding. "Oh god." She covered her mouth feeling a sudden harsh wave of nausea.

"Grim?" Logan asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"I'm going to be sick." With that she got up and ran out of the kitchen. Greatly regretting the large quantity of ice cream she'd eaten.

John had a blanket, his blanket, the blanket that had been on his bed. Now he was carrying it in his arms, preparing to hand it over to a very odd prisoner he was growing increasingly fond of.

Why did he like her? Why was he going out of his way to be nice to her? Why was he so damn frustrated suddenly?

He could only blame all of his problems the part of his anatomy which made him male.

No, he could blame her too. He could, but he wouldn't.

It wasn't her fault he sister was this powerful mutant. It wasn't her fault she got kidnapped. It wasn't even her fault that he found himself liking her so much.

John halted that line of thought right there. He one, wasn't going to get all torn up about not making out with some kidnapped girl. He wasn't even going to like her. He didn't like her… she was annoying.

He pushed the door open and saw Audrey there asleep. Her shoulder length copper hair spilled over the side of the green cot.

A long sigh escaped him, he reached into his pocket and fished out the keys to the cage door. It was only a minute or so before he had it unlocked and open.

Audrey was perfectly still, her eyes were closed. She was almost asleep.

He draped his comforter over her.

"Winnie the pooh." Audrey said, smiling up at him and snuggling into the blanket.

John sighed, his blanket was not Winnie The Pooh.

"Go back to sleep." Was his simple order, walking out of the cage and shutting the door.

Audrey closed her eyes again, and winced at the sound of the cage locking.

"Can you stay in here with me tonight?" Her voice was soft, pleading.

John felt his chest swell. He wanted to say yes.

"No." He said, snapping off the fluorescent light overhead and leaving the room.

Audrey shivered and curled up into blanket he'd left with her. Why did the room seem that much more cold when he wasn't in it?

Where was Amelia, what was she doing right now?

Amelia ripped off a fresh piece of toilet paper and wiped her mouth.

The porcelain god was unmerciful, she sacrificed the piece of paper to it and flushed.

Her head ached and her skin was cold. She could do nothing but lay back on the tile floor and stare at the bright fluorescent light above her. The only thing she could think of was her little sister. Worries flooded her mind, she could feel herself drowning in them.