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/rpg-bf whom no longer speaks to me, Jonny LeBeau belongs to an ex-online/rpg-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. Tha mi diulich means I'm sorry. Maidin mhaith means good morning. That phrase I was talking about in the last chapter I've decided not to use for this story, and you'll just have to wait for the next one to find out what it is and what it means.

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 tomorrow I'll be going back to school and I'm going to need some motivation to start posting the sequel, "Ice Within the Fire"

CHAPTER 14

Sensherak jerked awake at the sound of his door slamming shut. His hand went reflexively to the knife he kept under his pillow. Looking around, he saw no one in the room but himself. He frowned. Had it been his imagination?

No, he thought grimly. Someone had left a present on his bedside table. A small pot containing a Venus Fly Trap, his favorite plant. He frowned and sighed heavily as he got out of bed. He dressed with the usual slowness, then picked up the plant and headed downstairs.

Stepping into the kitchen where the X-Men team always met for breakfast, he dropped the pot onto the table, not having noticed the unusual silence as he came in. He ran his fingers through his hair, staring at the plant.

"Listen," he said hoarsely as if he hadn't used his voice in a while. He cleared his throat and started again. "I thank you all for trying to cheer me up and all, but it was unnecessary. I would appreciate it if you would all stay out of my room from now on."

Vixen, with a twinkle in her eyes but the rest of her face passive, said, "We didn't leave the plant in yer room, kid."

He frowned as he looked at her. She was leaning against Wolverine who had his arms wrapped around her protruding belly. She was no six months pregnant, and today was the best mood he had seen her in since the stage of morning sickness. Had she finally got over the stage of mourning as well? His frown grew until he was almost scowling. Well that was fine and dandy for her. But he wasn't ready. "Then who did?" he snapped. "One of the students?"

Vixen shrugged, unperturbed by his anger. "Ya could say that."

Wolverine nodded his head to gesture behind Sensherak. "I think she might know the answer."

Sighing with frustration, Sensherak turned. His stomach dropped, his mouth along with it and his eyes flew wide.

There in the doorway stood Kelpie, still dressed in her Lady's Maid dress. Ra was sitting contentedly on her shoulder. It was stained with her blood and full of wrinkles. Other than a few dirt smudges, however she looked perfect unharmed.

She smiled somewhat shyly. "Um…I thought ye liked the Fly Trap," she said, glancing at the plant on the table.

Sensherak was unable to speak. He swallowed loudly and closed his mouth, then opened it again, but still nothing came forth. Was this some kind of illusion? He knew Xavier had the technology, they wouldn't be able to generate such life-like situations in the danger room had they not, but this was beyond absurd. To make an illusion of a dead comrade? It was revolting! His face must have showed his disgust along with his disbelief, because the illusion looked down at her clasped hands in front of her and bit her lip. It actually looked as if he had hurt its feelings. He turned on the Xavier. "This isn't funny," he growled. "Whatever joke this is, I ask that you stop it right now."

Xavier smiled pityingly. "This is no joke, Alan. I would never be so cruel. Kelpie is real. Apparently the vines did revive her. She's as real as you and me."

Sensherak turned back to the illusion. It had to be an illusion. Kelpie was dead. "But Hank's machines…" he said weakly. The illusion was crying now. Silently, tears were rolling down its cheeks.

"They were wrong," said Xavier. "I've sent word to Hank and he's on his way back."

"But…" Sensherak swallowed, still staring at the illusion. "Kelpie died. I know she did. I watched her." He nearly choked on those last words.

The illusion stepped forward, a sob on it's lips, but when Sensherak stepped back, it hesitated, more tears flowing down its cheeks to drip off its chin. "Alan…" it pleaded. It nearly tore him in half, that plea.

The illusion must have seen the emotion in his eyes because it stepped forward again. This time he didn't move, waiting to see what it would do. It took another step. And another. Until it was an arm's length away. "Alan," it whispered, holding out a hand. "I'm 'ere. Tha mi diulich, I'm sorry. I dinna want tae go. But I'm 'ere now," it's voice broke on a sob. "I'm 'ome."

Sensherak stared at its hand, still held out to him, palm up, pleading with him to accept. Slowly, as if afraid of finding the truth, he raised his hand, then hesitated as he looked up into its face. Her face. It was still crying. Its eyes changed different shades of blue, but the overall effect was there. It was sad, but hopeful. And pleading with him.

Looking at its hand again, he reached out. Brushed a finger against hers. And encountered flesh. Real solid flesh. She was real.

"Oh, god!" he cried, grabbing her hand and pulling her to him. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight, letting her sobs out as he tried to control his own tears, but failed as they slid down his cheeks. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent mixed with that of earth. It made him hold her tighter. "Kelpie," he breathed.

"Shh," she whispered against his neck, giving him a fierce hug. "I'm 'ere. Everythin's gonna be alright."

Xavier cleared his throat and motioned for the rest of the X-Men to join him in leaving the two alone. One by one they quietly walked past, not wanting to bother the two who seemed fused together from shoulder to hip.

There was utter silence in the kitchen after they left, except from a sniff from Kelpie. Pulling back slowly, he cupped her face in his hands and gazed into her eyes. He still could barely believe it. She was alive!

She shook her head slightly. "I thought ye liked the Fly Trap," she whispered.

For a moment he was confused, then realized she was still talking about that damn plant. She continued, "I thought ye said 'twas yer favorite."

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. "It is."

She seemed to want to sigh with relief. "Phew. For a moment there I thought ye 'ad changed yer mind while I wa--"

Without warning, his mouth covered hers, stealing her breath with a kiss so fierce so felt her head literally spin. When they pulled away, her eyes were wide. "Now that's what I call a welcome back," she breathed.

He laughed and picked her up, twirling her around in a circle. She shrieked with joy, her skirts flying around her. Setting her back down, he hugged her close and kissed her again, this time more gently, brushing his lips over hers as if just savoring the feel of them.

Her heart soared as tears of joy tickled the corners of her eyes.

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Spring finally came, bringing good spirits with it. Humming softly, Kelpie walked into the kitchen on a Saturday morning, smiling as she went over to stand beside Alan. He was leaning forward against the counter, reading the paper while eating.

"Maidin mhaith," she said cheerfully.

"Good morning," he said smiling as he clasped her hand. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

She kissed him back, ignoring Vixen's snort of disapproval. She was sitting at the table, her stomach pushing up against her shirt. She was nine months pregnant now and was due to pop any day.

As Wolverine walked past, placing his and his wife's dishes in the sink, he said, "Come on, kids. Not while others are eatin'."

Smiling, Kelpie pulled away and poured herself a bowl of cereal. Sensherak went back to his paper. As he took a drink of his orange juice, he slid the paper over to her. "Have you read this?" he asked seriously.

She shook her head as she closed her mouth over a spoonful of cereal. A she chewed, she pulled the newspaper closer as Sensherak spoke. "It's disgusting how some people are these days. Poor kid, he was only sixteen."

She read the first paragraph and her eyes widened as the name on the second line stared back at her accusingly. She coughed, choking on her cereal and it took several pats on the back from Alan before she could breathe properly again.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded, her face still red from coughing. "Yeah," she choked out, not taking her eyes from the paper. Then she looked up at him. "Will ye excuse me? I forgot somethin' in my room."

Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed the paper and hurried from the room, leaving behind her breakfast.

"What was that all about?" Wolverine asked.

Sensherak frowned. "I'm not sure." He walked from the room, following Kelpie's route.

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Kelpie paced her bedroom in the barn, running her hands through her hair. Mionnaich what am I gonna do? she asked herself. She plopped down on the bed, bending over and resting her head in her hands. This was not good! Groaning, she sat up and looked down at the paper lying on the bed.

On the front page was a color picture of bones still connected to form a hand. They were white but covered with dirt. Beneath the picture was an article behind the dirt-covered hand and the rest of the body found with it.

This morning in Boston, New York, a family started out their day peacefully as the parents readied their children for school. Unnoticed, the Nicholason family dog, a golden retriever named Mutt, carried in a bone dug up from the back yard.

As young Lee Ann Nicholason, only ten, hooked the dog leash for the morning walk, she pulled the bone out of his mouth. Never having seen it before, she took it to her adoptive mother, Kirstin.

Confused, she showed it to her husband, Matthew. Being a doctor, he immediately realized that the bone was not a chew toy, but the femur of a human. The authorities were alerted and the search began.

The Boston police dug up a boy's body from the Nicholason's backyard. Later, the body was identified as Kirstin and Matthew's oldest and only biological son, Kyle, who had disappeared almost six years ago along with their nine-year-old foster daughter, named Aisilí.

"All these years," said a crying Kirstin, "We looked everywhere for them and here they were right under our noses."

Although the body of the girl has yet to be found, police are doubtful that they will find her with her brother. "Very rarely," said the Police Chief, John Henderson, "Are two bodies buried together, even under the strangest of circumstances." And this case is indeed, strange. The boy's skull was cracked and caved in and he had marks on other bones suggesting he was attacked and killed by a wild animal. "According to autopsy," the Police Chief commented, "The Kyle Nicholason was attacked by a large cat. Marks left on the skeleton indicate a Bengal Tiger." The Boston Police are investigating and questioning all zoos in New York and her surrounding states to find if anyone was missing a tiger during the months that Kyle was killed.

After a debating, the Nicholason family agreed to let authorities search the yard for their daughter. They are to stay with a family member until the body is found or until the authorities give up the search.

Kelpie jumped at the sound of a knock on her door.

"Kelpie?" asked Sensherak from the other side.

"Yes?" she croaked. Clearing her throat, she repeated it louder.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I…I'm just not feelin' good. 'Tis a girl thing," she lied, "Go on tae class without me. I think I'm gonna stay 'ere and sleep it off."

He hesitated as if sensing the lie behind her voice, but then said, "Alright. I hope you feel better."

She sighed with relief as she heard him leave.

Looking down at the newspaper, she knew she had to leave before she endangered those in the school.

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That afternoon, Sensherak knocked on Kelpie's door.

He heard her swear in Gaelic and then some shuffling around before the door opened a crack. She peered out at him.

He smiled. "How are you feeling?"

She looked away. "Not verra well," she said.

He frowned. "Anything I can help with?"

She smiled half-heartedly. "Not unless ye can go back in time and change the past." He cocked an eyebrow and she shook her head. "Neva mind."

"Well, maybe these will help," he said smiling once again as he pulled his hand out from behind his back and held out the bouquet of roses.

She smiled sadly. "They're beautiful," she said as she opened the door wider to grasp the flowers.

He frowned as he caught a glimpse of her room. "Kelpie? Where's your garden?"

Her shoulders slumped and she threw the door open wider. "Ye might as well come in," she said as she stepped away from the door. She went to the bed, and sat on it, still clasping the roses in her hands. She didn't look up at him as he stepped inside the strangely bereft room.

All trace of her plants were gone, right down to the vines that had decorated her bed. He went to her and knelt before her, covering her hands around the roses with his own. "Kelpie, what's wrong?"

She turned her face away so she wouldn't have to look at the concern in his eyes. Her cheeks were wet as she choked out, "I'm goin' on vacation."

He frowned. He hadn't heard of this. "To where? When?"

"I'm goin' tae Boston in a few minutes."

"When will you be back?"

She shrugged, still not looking at him. "I dunno."

He stiffened at her words. "What do you mean you don't know?" When she didn't answer, he felt a panic grip him. "Does Xavier know about this?"

"Nae," she whispered. "Yer the only one."

He was silent for a moment, studying her profile. "So you're just going to leave," he said harshly. "Without an explanation or a date as to when you'll return?"

She glanced down at her clasped hands. "Tis complicated, Alan. All I can tell ye is that I 'ave tae leave or everyone 'ere will be in danger."

He gripped her hands tighter. "Kelpie," he said softly. "We have a right to know why you're leaving us." His voice nearly cracked when he added, "Why you're leaving me."

She didn't answer as a tear traced her already wet cheeks.

"Kelpie, please. Tell me what's going on."

She didn't raise her head but jerked it toward the newspaper sitting on her bed. "Tis there," she said.

He reached over with one hand and picked up the paper, his eyes skimming over it. He looked up at her, confused. "This is the article I showed you at breakfast."

She nodded.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

She sniffed and wiped away her tears as she sat the flowers on the bed. She looked at him, but not into his eyes, rather at his cheek. "It 'as tae do with everythin'." She took a deep breath then glanced at his eyes, then looked down at her hands. "I…Kyle Nicholason…'e was my foster brother. I'm Aisilí MacGealach."

His still registered confusion. "Everyone is in danger because your foster brother is dead?"

She shook her head, then said, "Well, yes, kinda…" She gave a sigh of frustration. "E was murdered, Alan."

"I came to that assumption since he couldn't very well bury himself."

"Ye dunna understand. I ken who killed 'im."

His frown deepened and he rose to sit next to her on the bed, not letting go of her hands. "Who?" She hesitated and he repeated, "Who, Kelpie?"

She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears as they met his. Her voice was so soft he almost didn't hear her when she said, "I did."

His face turned passive, hiding his shock behind a mask as he studied her a moment. Then, slowly, "What happened?"

More tears fell and she hastily tried to wipe them away with one hand, the other still clasping his. "Twas an accident. I didna mean tae kill 'im. Twas in self-defense."

He grasped her hands in his, suddenly filled with dread. "What happened?"

She was breathing heavily now, trying to keep the tears back as the memory flooded over her. "E…'e 'it me…a lot. 'E…beat me 'til I could barely stand." Tears were flowing down her cheeks now and she couldn't stop them any more than she could the memory. "Then one night 'is friends came over. They 'ad been drinkin'…and 'e…'e ordered me tae do things…for them…" her voice caught on a sob. "I kenned they were wrong, disgusting, so I refused. And 'e beat me. First in front o' 'is friends and then later that night. I was ten-years-old and so scared. I didna ken what tae do. Tigre appeared then and when Kyle tried tae…" she swallowed but couldn't force to words past her lips. "Tigre…'e killed 'im. Afterwards, I buried 'im and ran away." She grasped his hands, suddenly desperate, "Ye must understand, 'twas in self-defense and--"

"Shh," he whispered, gathering her to him and hugging her close. "I understand," he said as he stroked her hair. "It's okay."

She shook her head and forced herself to pull back from his embrace. "I 'ave tae go. When they dunna find my body, they're gonna continue tae search. They'll figure out sooner or later that Aisilí MacGealach isna dead and that I 'ad somethin' tae do with Kyle's death."

"You don't know that for sure."

"Someone's gonna connect 'is murder with what I did under Erika's control. I used tigers more often than others."

"That's a one in one hundred chance--"

"That's just it, Alan," she said with tears in her eyes as she rose to her feet. She grabbed a bag full of money and clothes that sat next to the bed. "I canna take that chance. Ye mean too much tae me."

He stood with her, grabbing her arm gently. "You can't just leave like this, Kelpie."

"I'm sorry, Alan," she said soflty. "I canna risk 'avin this school revealed tae the human public. Tha mi diulich, but I canna risk 'avin' ye all killed cuz of me."

He pulled her hard against him, kissing her deeply. Breaking it off as quickly as it began, he locked eyes with her, whispering, "Don't leave me, Kelpie. I lost you twice, I don't think I can live with it a third time. Please."

"I'm sorry," she sobbed and kissed him one last time before wriggling free and hurrying from the barn as it began to rain.

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Three days later, a dark figure stole into the Nicholason's yard. The yard was in disarray, not even closely resembling an urban backyard. The grass was completely gone, and the ground was churned with fresh mounds of dirt lining the outside of holes twice as deep as a man was tall. Trailers and vans were lined up around the block; temporary homes for the diggers and investigators.

The black figure knelt by one of the many holes and pulled a small cylinder from its pocket. The cylinder contained a coarse, ground white powder. Removing the stopper, she scattered it's contents into the hole. Replacing the cylinder, the black figure stole back out of the yard and disappeared into the night.

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Sensherak stepped into the main room where he knew Vixen was waiting and shook out his umbrella. It hadn't stopped raining since Kelpie had left five days ago. Storm had tried to push the clouds away, but they always seemed to come back as soon as the sky cleared. Finally, she got tired of trying and just let it rain. Placing the umbrella in the rack next to the doorway, the pit-pattering of the rain stopped and he glanced out a window. Oh, now it decided to stop raining. The wet grounds lit up under the bright sun, shining as if Sensherak hadn't just been walking through a torrential downpour.

Growling, he shook out his hair, saying, "I couldn't find her. Nobody at any of the train stations ever saw a girl that matches Kelpie's description."

A familiar giggled sounded from behind him. "Maybe that's because I took the bus."

Sensherak whirled to find himself face to face with Kelpie, soaked to the bone. Her smile faded somewhat from her face and she looked down at her feet. "I came back. I couldna bare tae stay away any longer."

His face was serious, hiding the fact that his heart was pounding. "And what about the school's safety?"

Vixen smirked, waddling by him as she threw him the remote. "Turn on the news, kid."

He did as told. There was a reporter standing beneath an umbrella. She must not have noticed that it was no longer raining. "…where Detective Gustin Michaels has discovered bone fragments matching Aisilí Nicholason's DNA."

Kelpie frowned. She had never been adopted into that family, as much as Kirstin and Matthew had wanted to, she had never officially been adopted. Her last name was still MacGealach.

She glanced at Sensherak to see him staring at her. "How?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Twasn't easy, I'll tell ye that." She held up her hand to show a red index finger. "I 'ad tae take the bone out and ground it up in a meat grinder then dumped it in the Nicholason's backyard. The vines produced a new bone, but I'm nae sure if I'll be able to use it again. Only time will tell, I s'pose."

When he didn't say anything, she looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry, Alan, for leaving. Ye must understand, I thought it best for the rest of you."

He cupped her chin and forced her head up so he could look her in the eyes. "I can't forgive you," he said.

Tears filled her eyes and she tried to pull away, but he held her chin in a tight grip. "Kelpie, look at me," he ordered. When she finally did, he cupped her face in both hands and continued, "I can't forgive you because I never blamed you." He smiled at the confusion and hope that mingled in her misty eyes. "I appreciate that you left, actually. Not only did I realize that you did it to save the rest of us from harm, but it made me realize just how much I love you."

"Oh, Alan, I love ye, too!" she cried and he crushed her to him, kissing her soundly.

Vixen grabbed each of their shoulders and pulled them apart. "Alright, alright, we get it!" She fixed Kelpie with a glare. "No more kissing until you graduate."

Kelpie smirked and said jokingly, "At the rate I'm goin' now, I dunna think I'll ever graduate."

Vixen smiled broadly. "Exactly. Then you'll have no chance in endin' up like I did."

Suddenly she grabbed her stomach, her smile fading and her eyes widening. Kelpie frowned, reaching out to her. "Vixen? What's wrong?"

A wetness bloomed across the front of her pants and down her legs. "My water just broke!"

To Be Continued…

AN: I hope you all enjoyed my story, please review and tell me what you think. If I get a couple of good responses, I'll start posting the sequel which is actually a little bit more centered on Kelpie's long-lost sister, Aithne. So if you wanna know whatever happened to Kelpie's sister the night of the fire and why Kelpie hates her older sister so much, please review and let me know!