Bold and Italics Past

Italics Thoughts

"What on earth were you thinking!" screamed Storm as she locked her door, "Do you realise how dangerous that was… for both of you?"

"Well I didn't expect her to be like…," Logan started but couldn't finish. "She just annoys me sometimes, that's all."

"Sorry Logan but 'that's all' won't cut it this time. If she hadn't stopped herself you both might have died…. I understand that you miss Jean, I do to but that doesn't mean you can go around attacking people," replied with a little more sympathy in her voice.

"There is no way you miss Jean more than I do!" he yelled. He knew he was out of order but he missed her so much. "Anyway it's not like anything happened to Alex, she'll bounce right back."

"I miss Jean more you will ever know. She was my best friend for over fifteen years. I think you should go for a walk…. away from the school, to clear your head," Storm stated more than asked. She was getting very angry very fast. "And I don't mean drinking," she shouted after him as he walked out the door.

She sat down at her desk and pulled out her address book from one of the drawers. Once she found the number she was looking for she picked up the phone and slowly dialled the number. " Hello Hank it's Storm. She's here and I think it's time we get started on the training before it's too late. Do you think you could come down for tomorrow?"

"Yes of course, that's doesn't seem like a problem. Is she still ok, I mean still in control?" he asked sounding slightly worried.

"She's fine for now but Logan lost it and tried to attack her, don't worry she stopped herself from fighting back. She isn't the person she was Hank, she's all grown up and Xavier would be proud of her."

"Well then I'd better come down and see my god-daughter then. Storm I have to go to a meeting now but I'll be there tomorrow. Bye," Hank finished in a rush before hanging up.

Alex ran through the corridors with tears pouring down her face. Her vision was cloudy with tears and her head was spinning with all the people calling her name. She could still see their faces, smell their blood and sense their fear. This was what visited her in her nightmares the students, her friends that she killed.

It was a bright sunny day and a group of friends were sitting at a picnic bench at the side of the school. It was early on a Wednesday morning and they were talking about a school trip.

"I think we should go. It will be a good way for us to learn about their culture," stated a seventeen-year-old brunette. "Yeh, and it just happens to be the most romantic city in the world. And you wanting to go has nothing to do with the young men who will fall helplessly in love with you while your there?" Alex teased in a sarcastic voice. "Excuse me Alex she doesn't need to fall in love, she's got me," cried a guy mock serious, and with that he swung his arm around her and pretended to kiss her before she pulled back and slapped him playfully on the cheek. "I don't think so Mark."

"Ok then with that decided," laughed another guy while rolling his eyes," the next topic is what subject we have now."

"I think it's special training with Xavier. He said we'd be out in the field today or something like that," asked the girl sitting across from Alex.

"Lets get a move on then, or we'll be late," and everyone stood up, grabbed their bags and started walking inside.

"All of you are late, where were you," asked Xavier as they walked in the door at the back of the room.

"Sorry Professor we were…well…," stuttered Alex along with the rest of the group.

"Never mind, we have work to do. Everyone we have a very special task today, every pupil here will be one of the first to try out the new training system. Now everyone go and change into your suits and I'll meet you back here in ten minutes," Xavier said as he moved to the door to talk to Scott.

"This should be fun, lets get this party started!"

Alex couldn't run any more; her legs just seemed to collapse as soon as she was through the door of her room. She fell to the floor and ignoring the pain, reached up and locked the door. She continued to sit there even after the tears died away. She was angry and upset, not at Logan but herself. She let people get the better of her and she hated people seeing her cry, all those apart for Warren.

'I am trying so hard to move on and continue with my life. It's not like I'm trying to erase or excuse what I did, just simply trying to live with it. Was I such a terrible person that I'm not able to move on and be even the least bit happy?'

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the school bell and was reminded she had her first class in half an hour. It was her chance to prove herself to Storm and the pupils, there was no way she was going to miss it. With that decided she pulled herself up onto her still shaky legs on walk to the bathroom to wash.

Warren walked through the corridors in the direction he thought Alex ran. He had been searching for her for about twenty minutes but had no luck in finding her. Everyone he had asked about her whereabouts kept sending him in circles; apparently everybody lost sight of her once she entered the main corridor.

'Oh God where is she. I hope she hasn't done something stupid…. What's the matter with me, I can't even seem to think straight. I just hope she knows I'm here if she needs to talk.'

He decided he would go and find Storm to see if she knew anything about what had just happened. As he turned the corner he came face to face with the one person he really didn't want to see at that moment, Logan. He stopped in his tracks, but regained control after Logan looked up. "What is your problem?" Warren yelled, " Have you any idea what you've done to her?"

"Do you?" Logan asked lazily. Once the works were out of his mouth Warren punched him square in the mouth. "Stay away from her!" Warren yelled as he walked away.

"Really got you under her thumb hasn't she," Logan whispered as he wiped the blood of his lip.

By the time the next bell went Alex was ready for her class. She had gotten down ten minutes before to set up; she placed a sketchbook in front of every chair and waited for the students to arrive.

Rogue and Kitty were the first to arrive and took a seat at the front of the room. They looked at each other when they saw Alex sitting on her desk. Alex simply sat at there with a raised eyebrow daring them to say something. She didn't want people to walk on eggshells around her. Rogue was the first to speak, "A… are you … ok?" she asked in a slightly worried voice.

"Yes… thank you," she replied giving them a reassuring smile, " So are you sure you can handle having me as a teacher," she inquired in a mock serious tone. After that the awkwardness was lifted and all three fell into easy conversion. Within five minutes all the students had arrived and were seated. A few were whispering and pointing but Alex ignored them and began her lesson.

When Warren reached Storm's office he found her in her chair behind her desk. She welcomed Warren and talked to him for a few minutes, explaining that Alex may need a little space and that he shouldn't be offended if she did. Once the bell went she jumped up and began running around grapping papers and groaning to herself. When she was finally ready she turned to find Warren still sitting there.

"Do you have a period now?" she asked when she was about three feet from the door.

"Yes, a few double, why," he asked as he moved off the chair, "Do you need me to do something?"

"Could you cover Alex's class, I don't think she would have turned up and I don't want the students to be standing out the halls," she stated with a pleading look in her eye.

"Of course I can, what class is it?"

"It's art with some of the older students. Thank you so much, I wouldn't have asked but I haven't had time to find a replacement."

"No problem, happy to help," he called as he jogged out the door. He had to move fast if he wanted to get there before the first class was over because the art rooms were on the other side of the school.

He reached the classroom about three minutes later but was a little confused to find all the students gone. He stopped to catch his breath when he heard a female voice come from inside in the room. He moved over to the door and slowly pushed it open.

He saw a woman with her back to the door. She was talking to one of the pupils about their work. It was only when he heard another pupil call her by her first name, that he was shocked, it was Alex. He decided to stay just to help out if anything got out of control, but he wasn't needed.

He sat at the back of the class for the entire double period and wasn't needed once. She was the perfect teacher, she made all the students laugh and still managed to stay in control. She went around each student individually also to see if they needed help, Warren never saw any teacher take extra time to talk to each pupil the way she did.

When she had walked around every pupil to the right of the room she came across a smaller boy on the left. She was confused at why he was sitting by himself and why he was in her class, he was too young. Shaking the thoughts off she went over and sat down beside him.

"What are you drawing?" she asked in a cheery voice.

"You're the new woman that got into a fight with Logan today right," he stated as if he hadn't heard the question.

"Yes…. Why are you sitting by yourself?"

"They don't like me sitting beside them because I take away their powers and they feel if they do stay with me for too long their powers will disappear. Don't worry I don't mind if you don't want to spend time with now, " he said the last sentence with a tiny bit of bitterness present in his voice.

"Of course I'm still going to spend time with you," she said still smiling and causing him to laugh as well, "Now let me see what your drawing…, sorry what's your name."

"It's Jimmy," and he handed her his sketchpad. They sat and discussed his drawing for the rest of the lesson. When the bell when she stood up and told everyone to leave their sketchpads on the desks. As the pupils left and Jimmy shouted his thanks from the door she started to collect the equipment.

"You can come out now,"

"How did you now I was here?" Warren asked nervously as he crept from his hiding place.

"Psychic, remember. Don't worry I only noticed in the last five minutes of the class," she told him laughing slightly as she continued cleaning up. Both of them cleared up in comfortable silence for the next few minutes before Alex seated herself on top of one of the tables.

"Are you ok?" warren asked almost abruptly, "Sorry that didn't come out- "

"It's fine, as am I." Warren suddenly stopped and walked back to Alex. He stopped in front of her and placed his hand on the left side of her face and began to stroke it gently. "You sure?" he asked again.

"Yes," she smiled back and leant into his warm hand. They stared at each other for a minute before Warren spoke, " You're an amazing teacher." She shoved him playfully before he pulled her into a hug, "I'm serious." She pulled back so she could see his face, but his arms were still rapped protectively around her. She raised a sceptical eyebrow and continued to stare at him. "I am," he laughed before planting a kiss on her nose, at this she started to laugh too.

"Come on, I don't know about you but I'm starving," he said as he took her hand. Once she was of the desk she stopped, " Aren't you going to ask me about what happened early? What happened to me, to make me act the way I did?" she asked in a worried and nervous voice.

"No,... I mean I was but I just thought you would tell me when your ready to. I'm not going to push you for answers, after all it's your life and your secrets to tell," he stated simply.

Alex stood there in shock, anyone else would have pushed her but not him, "Thank you," she whispered.

"There's no need to say 'thank you'. Now come on," and he held out his hand for her to take. She walked up and grabbed his hand, before pulling him in for a quick kiss.