Toad wrapped the fluffy, clean-smelling blanket around himself and wedged his back into the corner where the bed met the wall. For a few minutes he was certain that he'd be unable to sleep while locked in a cell in the Xavier mansion, but the room was warming up and soon his head fell too his folded knees.
About seven hours later Nightcrawler rode the elevator down to the basement levels. Jubilee had suggested the quarantine rooms when he had asked her if she had seen Toad. Apparently they were the most secure place to put a mutant who shouldn't be wandering around.
"Since, you know," she informed him, "he's a bad guy."
In fact, Nightcrawler had not known, and he wondered if he shouldn't be going down here. He had no one to ask. Professor Xavier, Jean, and Scott seemed to be still asleep and Storm and Wolverine had gone to retrieve the students who had fled the mansion, leaving him to oversee Bobby, Rogue, Jubilee and the other children rescued from Alkali Lake.
Down in the sub-basement hallway the blinking gadgetry left little doubt about which quarantine room was in use. He pressed a button marked "intercom" and spoke at the panel.
"Toad?"
There was a long pause and then the window curtain by the door was jerked aside. Toad stared blankly out the window with a tense frown on his face. "Damn cop mirror," was barely transmitted over the intercom.
The curtain was replaced and "Who is it?" came through clearly.
"It is Kurt!"
"Nightcrawler? Are you going to let me out of here?"
"Yes. Step back from the door." Kurt didn't know what Toad had done to be labeled a "Bad Guy", but he had seen him jump into a freezing, turbulent lake to save Dr. Grey. How could Cyclops object to him having a little breakfast? After all, a grim and sleep-deprived part of Kurt's brain reasoned, Bobby and Rogue had worked hard to scrub up the blood-stains that Stryker's people had left behind in the kitchen. As many people should admire their efforts as possible.
The small window was sufficient to give Kurt a line of sight for his teleportation, so it felt nothing like that heart-stopping leap of faith that he'd taken to rescue Professor Xavier under Alkali Lake. Still, Kurt hoped that underground breakouts wouldn't become some sort of theme in his life.
Author's Note: Thank you everyone who's read and especially everyone who's left reviews. Hopefully my next update won't be so long in coming.