Prue L. Lawrence—1/9/2015

**Disc

Elsa kept her eyes shut, squeezing them together so tightly it hurt. She felt Bobby put his other arm around her protectively, as the loud sound from the outside reverberated painfully in her eardrums. She wanted it to stop, please make it stop. Ice started to spread from her fingers across the floor. It wouldn't stop, either, and soon the room around them was encased in ice, almost as though it were a protective shield. Slowly, the sound around them eased as the frozen walls around them grew thicker into an icy fortress.

Bobby slowly let go of her, looking into her face. He had a distinctive mint smell about himself, and the same smell breathed on her now, looking concerned. "What did you do?" Bobby asked softly.

Elsa clasped her arms firmly around his neck, her chin resting on his shoulder. She would not let go. His firm body and warmth was the only thing keeping her from falling, her legs were shaking so badly. Her heart was still beating fast. "I-I don't know. I was scared."

"I can't hear anything from the outside," Bobby said, looking around. He did not pull her arms away from him, and for that, she was grateful. In fact, he pulled her toward him as well, and they slowly stood together. "That's not possible, is it?"

Elsa shook her head. "Not unless it was compacted tightly enough." She suddenly felt color rush into her cheeks. She was holding on to him still, but he barely seemed to be paying attention to this.

His breath came in faint wisps; his eyes never stopped tracing the room. Elsa's ice had stopped, but everything was encased in ice: the refrigerator, the cupboards. The tile floor was just another layer beneath.

"Are you cold?" Elsa asked Bobby. The cold barely affected her, but she wasn't sure about him. Bobby shook his head.

"Can you melt a hole into the wall?" he asked, looking at her meaningfully.

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. "We can't go back out there." Her voice was pleading.

"You-you've never fought another mutant, have you?" Bobby asked, his voice slow, but hard. Elsa wanted to cringe at this sudden change of tone. "Rogue is out there, Elsa."

Not unless I've frozen the rest of the school, she thought. His latter statement stung, as though he had slapped her.

"I'm sorry," she said, finally letting go of Bobby. Her legs were shaking harder than they had before. She almost stumbled to the walls of the ice fortress and pressed her hand against it. She could barely see the door beyond that exited the kitchen that had closed behind her when she walked in.

Warmth surged into her chest as she again thought of Anna, the only person that she had ever loved since their parents' deaths. Water trickled over her fingers; cold, but melting steadily.

A slow ring emanated from her hand as she concentrated on freeing the door only. She could feel Bobby behind her, watching her movements raptly.

"Whatever happens, stay behind me," Bobby said, as the ice's ring had extended to the length and width of the door. Fear coursed its way through Elsa's veins. It stopped as soon as Bobby's fingers curled around her shoulder firmly.

"Trust me. Xavier will know what to do."

Before Elsa could say that Bobby should not have put so much trust in a man with a wheelchair, Bobby had pushed his way past her and out of the door.

It was true: the rest of the school was caged in the confines of Elsa's ice. The halls were eerily silent, and Elsa could see her breath misting in front of her and Bobby. His face was expressionless as he glanced around rapidly.

"What is it?" Elsa's voice rang through the halls ethereally.

"Shh."

Elsa waited, terse. Her ears heard nothing. More than anything that scared her.

"Come on." Bobby walked on ahead of her, looking into the hallways. Several of the classrooms were frozen over, and if they tried the doors, even with only a sheen of ice over them, they would not open.

"Let's check the dormitories," Bobby said. "They could be trapped in there."

"Wait," Elsa said, catching his hand as he tried to move away. He looked at her, to their hands linked, and back up at her. She quickly dropped his fingers from hers, feeling color rush to her cheeks.

"I can stop it from here," she said.

"You can?"

"I can try."

Elsa closed her eyes, outstretching her fingers in a fan. She let out a deep breath and thought of Anna again, this time concentrating harder. The games they played as children. Olaf. Her fear for her only sister when she had struck her head with ice. Anna outside her door asking if Elsa wanted to build a snowman. The pain she felt, knowing she would never be able to play for her sister again until near adulthood. Standing beside her at Elsa's coronation, proud of her sister for shining radiantly. Elsa's heart felt warm, seeing Anna's freckled face smiling at nothing, but everything. Her heart prickling, knowing that Anna was the only family member Elsa had left…

"Elsa!" Bobby's voice rang through her thoughts. Her eyes snapped open to see the ice directly in front of her crack in a colossal scar. Bobby wrapped his arms around her midriff in time to pull her out of the way as a huge chunk of ice fell from the ceiling. Bobby's back hit the floor, absorbing the force of contact. His eyes fluttered, then closed.

Elsa did not see this, but as she twisted around, still in his arms, Bobby was unconscious.

"Bobby?" Elsa broke his fingers apart from her stomach, which were alarmingly limp. "Bobby?" She knelt beside him, shaking him. "Bobby? Bobby?" The shaking became more urgent. "Bobby!"

I did this. Shaking. A lake slowly overcame the tile. Elsa slowly turned his face up to avoid drowning. It was barely two inches deep.

"What happened?" Splashing. Someone kneeling. Knee-length boots… A woman by the shapeliness of the hips, small feet. Elsa could barely take her eyes off of Bobby's still eyes that were so radiant before, but were literally closed off to her.

Slowly, Elsa turned her face up to whoever was there.

Jean.

"I'm sorry," Elsa said so silently, she wondered if Jean could hear her.

"It's not your fault, sweetie." Jean placed her hand on Bobby's head and closing her eyes, muttered. "He's alive."

"How are you sure?"

"His mind is still alive."

Elsa felt she could not speak for a full minute. Finally, "What was that noise? It sounded like… well, I don't know what it sounded like."

"Gunfire?" Jean nodded, a disgusted look on her face. "Yes."

"Gunfire?" Elsa asked, confused.

"It's a weapon. This isn't the first time the school's been attacked."

"By who?"

Jean shook her head. "I shouldn't have told you even that. Listen, go back to your dorms, Xavier and the other teachers can take care of it from here."

Elsa shook her head vigorously. She held onto Bobby's shoulders like a vice. "No. I can't leave him here."

"Take him with you, then. Whatever you need to do."

"But-"

"He'll wake, Elsa. Now go!" Jean made a shooing motion with her fingers. "He's waking already. Help him up."

Elsa placed her arm under Bobby's, and felt another arm envelop hers as Bobby mumbled quietly. "Elsa…" His knees were quaking, but his feet eventually planted onto the ground.

Elsa looked over, wide eyed at Rogue, who was at her other side. She hadn't even seen the other girl coming.

"Rogue, you as well." Jean nodded briskly to her, her red hair swaying about her angular cheekbones.

"My room is closer," Rogue said. "Come on."

The girls helped Bobby to Rogue's quarters which was strewn with clothes. Rogue swept off shirts on the bed and sat Bobby down on it. She put her arm around him, already gloved so her arm wouldn't touch him. It was long and reached three-quarters up her arm. Elsa never really thought about it, but it must have been difficult for Bobby and Rogue to be together if they could barely kiss or hug without feeling that draining power she felt when Rogue touched her hand all those weeks ago.

It must be painful, she thought. But a glowing feeling came through her when she realized that despite these barriers, Bobby still loved and cared for Rogue. His vehement determination to find her proved that.

Bobby mumbled. "R...Rogue?"

"Here," she said, shaking him gently. "You okay?"

Elsa sat down on his other side. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault."

Rogue shot her a look. "What is your fault? What happened?"

Elsa quickly explained how she attempted to melt the ice, but the ice nearly fell on top of her, and how Bobby had saved her.

Rogue listened silently, her face placid and impossible to determine.

"'S alright, Elsa," Bobby mumbled, his voice weak but definitely stronger than before.

"You wouldn't have done it if you knew it would hurt him," Rogue said. Elsa smiled gratefully.

"Wonder what's going on," Rogue continued. "It's weird. What happened before the.. ice?"

Elsa explained that she and Bobby were speaking alone in the kitchens when it happened. Rogue's face darkened at first, but looked legitimately surprised at the gunshot at the window.

"Who would point a gun at two teenagers, though? I mean, it's not like you two were a threat to anyone."

"I don't think that's the problem," Bobby said, looking at her.

"I wish we could hear what was going on…" Elsa said. She then craned her ears. Footsteps past the door woke her to her senses on the outside.

"I don't think we're the only ones wondering," Bobby replied. He started to get up from the bed. "Are you coming?"

Elsa was startled. "I don't know. Jean-"

"Is of no concern at the moment," a voice said at the door. Elsa's head snapped up to see Blake leaning on the doorframe casually. Elsa had barely seen him for days.

"Blake, what are you-"

"Are you coming?" Blake scowled.