AN: I don't own any of the X-Men Characters. I do own Kelpie, however, Gerri, Aunt Erika, Kelpie's foster family, the story-line, and all animal characters she converses with, including the gang members :P. Vixen belongs to one Melody S. (an ex-friend of mine), Aquifer belongs to Rob G. (soon-to-be famous fantasy writer!), Sensherak (aka Alan) belongs to an ex-online-bf whom no longer speaks to me, Jonny LeBeau belongs to an ex-online-acquaintance. Phew! If I've missed anyone, let me know :P

If any of you have read my bio, you'll know that I'm not fluent at Gaelic at all, I only know a few words and phrases. If any of you happen to know Gaelic, and I make a mistake, please, let me know, it's the only way I'm gonna learn! There are some Gaelic words in here that I've acquired through reading and such. Diolain means bastard; Mionnaich is just a curse word, with no real specific meaning. Galla means bitch; and a bhidse means sod it, which is basically our equivalent of damnit. Tha mi duilich means I'm sorry. Tapadh leibh means thank you; and 'S e do bheatha means you're welcome. A chara means my friend; Gu dè means what as in what did you say? And Is misa a means my name is. In this chapter, there's a few long sentences that Hank says to Kelpie: Air do shocair, a chara which means take it easy, my friend; and Tha, ach chan eil Gàidhlig mhath agam idir, chan eil fhathast! which means, Yes, but my Gaelic is not very good, not yet! Oh, and it's not Gaelic, actually it's Latin, but falco peregrinis is the scientific name of the peregrine falcon.

Please review, guys, as it keeps me in good spirits and in the writing mood. At the moment, I'm merely doing this as a pastime because I'm bored outta my mind, but next week I'll be going back to school and I'm going to need some motivation to keep posting :P

CHAPTER 6

3 WEEKS LATER…

Hank was alerted to the stirring of leaves. He turned his swivel chair away from his computer to gaze at Kelpie a few feet away. He'd gotten back from his convention two weeks ago, hoping the girl had revived on her own, only to find her in worse straights than when he had left. He was eagerly awaiting her to wake so he could question her about these healing vines of hers.

Said vines were moving. They writhed and slowly began to unwrap themselves from Kelpie's body.

He surged to his feet and hurried over to the table to check her vitals. Her vitals were stable and best of all, her heart beat was strong. As he watched, her chest heaved upwards as she took her first breath in two weeks. Relief flooded him. Although she hadn't opened her eyes as yet, it looked like she was going to pull through.

Hurrying over to the wall, he pressed the intercom for Xavier's office and alerted him that there was a change. By the time he got back to her side, the only vine left was the one protruding from her wrist and wrapped around and up to her elbow. He examined the area, marveling that the vine actually seemed to be coming straight out of the radial artery. There was no space between the skin and the vine from which any blood could seep through, so he wasn't afraid of her bleeding to death as long as the vine stayed in place and nobody tried to remove it.

It was then that the infirmary door opened and Xavier entered, Ra swooping in behind him. Wolverine and Vixen followed. At the sight of Kelpie's uncovered body, Vixen ran to the prone figure and looked her over. "Will she be alright?" she asked Hank earnestly.

"From what I can tell, she's recovering, but how well is only a guess. It's up to her whether she'll pull out."

"How long before she wakes?" Professor Xavier asked.

"Again," said Hank. "It's all up to her."

Wolverine broke in. "Chicken here says she'll wake within two or three days. She says the kid's in a state between a coma and sleeping, but not quite in both."

Hank nodded. "I have showings of some brain activity, mostly what would occur during REM sleep. Can Ra tell us about this vine? I'm intrigued by it's purpose and how exactly it exists within the radial artery."

Wolverine shook his head. "She doesn't know."

"Dr. McCoy," said Xavier. "Do you think it would hurt if I took a look into her memories?"

Hank shrugged. "I don't see why it should. If she truly is in REM state, it would be the best time to proceed, I would think."

Xavier nodded and maneuvered his chair so he sat facing the top of Kelpie's head. He placed his hands on either side of her face, palms covering her temples. Closing his eyes, he slipped inside and began to search. He winced inwardly as he relived the murder of Kelpie's parents and again when he witnessed her first night in her new foster home. He relived her whole life within seconds, but he didn't find what he was looking for. He did find something interesting, however.

The others watched as he frowned and let go of her head.

"What's wrong?" Vixen asked.

Xavier glanced at her and then back down at Kelpie, brows still furrowed. "She has something locked behind a wall in her mind. It's much like what I used on Jean to keep her powers under control. In this instance, however, there's a memory behind it. I can tell that much. But I can't open it, not until she's awake at least. Whatever it is, it must have been a very traumatic experience. That wall is like cement."

"Is it wise to move it then?" asked Hank.

"Normally, I would say no, but this could be the answer to who's been giving her the chemicals to turn her into a humanoid."

"I thought you said it was Metal-Head," said Wolverine.

"I said it could be. But I never saw one member of the Brotherhood in her past. It's a cause for concern and makes me doubt whether they had anything to do with it."

"Then who could it be?" Vixen asked.

Xavier looked at Kelpie, troubled. "I don't know."

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Kelpie woke to fingers touching her arm and whispering voices.

"Look at this!" cried a male voice. She wasn't sure who and that alarmed her. Where was she? What had happened? "The vine, it's become…"

"Like a tattoo," said a female voice. Kelpie relaxed. Vixen. She must still be at the school. Her eyes flickered open but she shut them and groaned as a sharp pain shot through her head after the light pierced her eyes.

"She's awake," said Vixen.

"Indeed, go get Xavier." Kelpie heard Vixen leave and tried once more to open her eyes. This time it was to see a furry blue monster standing over her. She blinked once…twice, and he still didn't disappear.

"I'm dreamin'," she said slowly.

"I'm afraid not. You're awake after a long sleep."

"But…but ye're…blue."

"Ah, yes, I can see why that can give you hesitation. However, I'm very much real." He held out his hand to her. "Go on and see for yourself."

Kelpie reached out slowly to touch his hand. His fur was soft as that of a kitten's, though the muscle underneath was hard and his nails long as claws.

He smiled kindly. "You see? And no harm done. How are you feeling?"

She put a palm to her forehead. "Like I was hi' by a truck. Wha' 'appened?"

"It would seem that you have mutated back to your original state."

Kelpie's eyes widened as she gazed her hands in wonder. Was the rest of her back to normal as well? She shot up into a sitting position and immediately regretted it as she swayed.

"Air do shocair, a chara," the man said as he grasped her arms and steadied her.

She gazed at him in wonder. "Ye speak Gaelic," she whispered.

He flashed her another smile. "Tha, ach chan eil Gàidhlig mhath agam idir, chan eil fhathast!"

Kelpie beamed. "Nae, yer Gaelic is verra good! Ach! Ye've nae idea 'ow good i' feels tae speak the language after all these years!"

The man smiled back. "I've only just begun to teach myself. I find it a very interesting language. Quite hard to read, however."

Kelpie laughed for the first time in what seemed like forever. "Aye, tha' i' is. Wha' made ye decide tae learn i'?"

He shrugged. "Here at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, we try to make our students as comfortable as possible, make things feel more like home. Xavier mentioned that you speak Gaelic and since I'm so good with languages, I appointed myself to the task."

She frowned. "Ye learned ano'her language jus' because o' me?"

"That and it was a challenge." He winked. "It's very hard to find something that challenges my intellectual genius these days."

Kelpie laughed. "Aye, ain't ye full o' it."

He smiled broadly. "Not at all." He backed up and held out his hands. "Do you feel up to standing yet, or would you like to lie back down?"

Kelpie made to take his hands but the cot seemed to tilt on her and he caught her from falling. "Laying back down it is," he said jovially and helped her lay back once again.

"Tapadh leibh."

"S e do bheatha. We'll let you rest for a little while and then we'll move you to a more comfortable bed."

Kelpie nodded, then frowned. "Wha's yer name?"

"Is misa a Dr. Hank McCoy. You can call me Hank."

Kelpie held out her hand. "Is misa a Kelpie."

The door to the infirmary opened then and a blur of feathers dove through the door, screeching hysterically. Ra landed on the table next to Kelpie and looked her over, tilting her head, as if trying to assure herself that her friend was really ok.

Reaching over, Kelpie stroked the feathers on Ra's chest. I's ok, Ra. I'm fine.

The falcon purred almost like a kitten and took Kelpie's finger in her beak, nibbling on it affectionately.

Kelpie smiled. I missed ye too.

"She's a beautiful specimen of falco peregrinis," said Hank. "She must be magnificent in flight."

Ra fluffed herself up proudly and gazed at the blue man then tilted her head to eye Kelpie. I like him.

Kelpie chuckled.

"It's good to see that you're feeling well," came Xavier's voice behind her. She turned her head to see him enter along with Wolverine and Vixen.

"Tapadh leibh, Professor. How long was I out?"

"Well on a month," said Hank. "You gave us quite a scare with that vine trick of yours."

Kelpie frowned. "Vine trick?"

"Yes," said Xavier. "You are aware that the vines that come from your body have healing powers?"

Kelpie nodded. "Aye, bu' wha' does tha' 'ave tae do wi' me passin' ou'?"

Xavier and Hank exchanged glances. "You were unaware of everything that happened?" asked Xavier.

Kelpie frowned again. "All I remember is fallin' asleep after regrowin' me gar'en. After tha', 'tis all a blank."

"Interesting," said Hank. "Did you use your powers at all before that?"

"Aye, when I packed up me gar'en tae come 'ere."

"Hmm. It seems that you went through something similar to a system overload. Too much power was passing through your body at once and it shut down. The stress of it all must have triggered the mutation as well."

"Wha' ye mean 'shu' down'? An' why did I sleep fo' a month?"

"Ya weren't sleepin, kid," said Vixen. "Ye went into a coma and almost died."

Kelpie's eyes widened. "Gu dè?"

"It's true, I'm afraid," said Hank. "While I wasn't here at the time, your heart apparently stopped. It seems that when you are grievously injured, or in this case near death, these healing vines of yours completely cover and take over your body in order to keep you alive. One of the vines went into your heart and by all scientific explanations, you should have died, but those vines somehow kept you alive."

"From what the chicken told me," said Wolverine, "It's happened to ya before."

"Aye, well, I've used the vines tae 'eal me before, bu' neva tae tha' exten'."

That you know of, said Ra.

Kelpie looked at the falcon. Wha' d'ye mean?

Ra had the decency to look abashed. When you were little, it was just a few years after you ran away, you almost froze to death during the winter. If it weren't for those vines, you would have died.

I dunna remember--

It happened, said Ra forcefully. I felt the chill in my own bones as you lay there in the snow. There was nothing I could do. I begged you to summon Tigre to keep you warm, but you fell asleep before I could get it across to you that you needed his body warmth. And the next I knew, you were covered in vines and I wasn't as cold as I was before.

"It's true," said Xavier, hearing Ra's words through Kelpie's own thoughts. "I took the liberty of reading your mind before the vines took over and I witnessed it myself."

Kelpie shot into a sitting position, shaking off Hank's hands as he reached to steady her when she swayed. "Ye did wha'!?! Mionnaich! 'Ow dare ye! I dinna give ye permission tae go siftin' through me brain like a--"

"Careful what ya say, kid," said Wolverine.

Xavier held up a hand. "It's alright, Logan. She has every right to be upset. I owe you an apology, Kelpie. You're right, I didn't ask your permission and for that I now ask your forgiveness. However, it wasn't to pry into your personal memories, you must realize. I did it solely to find if you had any memory of who slipped you the mutative drug."

Kelpie winced. "Did ye?"

"No. I did, however, find a wall within your mind."

"A wall?"

"Yes. It's sort of like a concrete wall that has locked away a memory."

Kelpie looked taken aback. "Why would I lock up a memory?"

"Usually, it happens when people experience something traumatic and terrifying. Their subconscious takes over, realizes that they will not be able to cope, and the memory is locked away, thus causing them to forget the experience. Sometimes the brain does this surreptitiously and the person doesn't realize it's even happened, as in your case. Other time, it's just a memory that is accidentally locked away and the person forgets it, much like they would a new acquaintance's name."

"Ye mean tae tell me tha' me brain knows stuff I canna remember?"

"You can say that, yes."

Kelpie's eyebrows rose in disbelief.

Xavier smiled. "Indeed. At any rate, this memory you have trapped away could be the answer we're looking for. With your permission, I'd like to go in and release it."

Kelpie considered a moment, looking from Ra to Xavier. "Will i' 'urt?"

"It depends. Sometimes the brain is so advanced--"

"Which, ya don't have to worry about in this case," interrupted Wolverine.

Vixen nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, smirking. "That was supposed to be my line," she said when Wolverine protested the elbow.

Xavier continued, ignoring them, "As I was saying. Sometimes the brain is so advanced, that the body may feel cold, heat, pain, and the like in dreams. That's what this memory will seem like if or when I remove the wall. You'll go through it as if it were a dream. So if you were hurt in the past, and your brain is as advanced as I think it is," he stole a purposeful glance at Vixen and Wolverine. Both snorted in mock laughter, but their facial expressions didn't change. "Then, yes. It's very possible you will feel pain."

Kelpie looked to Ra. "Well, canna she tell ye wha' i' is? I mean, she's been wit' me sine I was fine--"

"Amazing she put up with you that long," interrupted Vixen.

"Amazing you put up with the bird that long," added Wolverine.

Ignoring them, Ra said, I share you mind and thoughts, yes, but what your brain has blocked from your memory, so it has blocked from mine.

Kelpie sighed and looked at Xavier. "Wha' ye see will 'elp others from sharin' me fate?"

Xavier nodded.

She took a deep breath. "A'ight. When do we start?"

"As soon as you're ready."

Kelpie smiled half-heartedly. "Tha mi duilich, bu' I dunna think I'll e'er be ready. Canna we jus' do i' now an' ge' i' o'er wi'?"

"If that's what you want. Would you mind if the others witness it as well? They can help keep an eye out for anyone familiar."

Kelpie hesitated, then shrugged. "I s'pose."

"Go ahead and lay back down on the table."

Kelpie did as told and clenched her hands into fists and tried to slow her suddenly erratic breathing. For some reason she felt she should be afraid of what was about to happen.

A warm hand on hers jerked her gaze to her right where Hank stood, smiling gently down at her. "There's nothing to worry about, a chara. Try to remember that all this has happened already."

Kelpie nodded and turned her hand to clasp Hank's hand in hers. He hesitated in shock at first, but then smiled again and squeezed reassuringly as Xavier laid his hands on either side of Kelpie's head.

Palms on her temples once more, Xavier reached into Kelpie's mind and searched for the wall he had found earlier. As soon as he located it, he grabbed a hold of everyone's minds and knocked the wall down…