I finally got this chapter up! I sorta broke my keyboard while I was cleaning it. I took off the spacebar but then couldn't get it back on... but it's better now!
Thank you for reading and a special thanks to my reviewers Acedia RG, Hellfirefanatic and Ondjage
The Professor sighed as he maneuvered his chair out of cerebro. There was no sign of Animusereptur anywhere on the globe, but he knew he was close by.
"Chuck," Logan sighed as he and Hank greeted Xavier in the hall, the three of them making their way to Xavier's office. "I can't smell him anywhere, and I've been all over a 25 mile radius of here. I know he's nearby though. He's got to be planning something."
"I have that feeling also and cerebro was unable to locate him."
Hank sighed as he flipped through the thick manilla folder he held in his hands. "I feared as such. It seems that after Animusereptur steals a girls soul and mutation, then the mutation continues to grow and evolve. And Yumi Kawasaki," he paused as he held up a picture of an Asian girl, one that made Logan shudder as he subconsciously related the black hair, high cheekbones and almond eyes to their own Asian Jubilee.
Hank put the picture away and continued with a heavy tone. "Yumi had the potential to become a telepath. I believe that's why Cerebro is having difficulty locating him and I also believe that he has been manipulating your senses Logan. This man, I believe that he likes the hunt, the game of the chase."
Logan growled as he pulled out his cigar and headed out to the balcony.
"I was thinking the same thing. He likes toying with us, he likes a challenge. And he knows we're going to give him one."
The professor and Hank remained in the doorway of the balcony's french double doors, grim and dissolved in their own thoughts as an unexpected gust of wind swayed the tree tops and brought Ororo onto the balcony.
She scoffed at Logan's lit cigar. "I wished you'd put that thing out, you're polluting the fresh air."
Logan shot her a glare as he blew a heart shaped smoke ring her way.
"Charming, I can see why the women are all over you," she said dryly as she waved her hand in front of her face.
"Good evening Ororo," the Professor greeted. "And how are the Morlocks?"
She sighed and leaned against the rail, the wind picking up considerably.
"They are as safe as they can be, though they still refuse any help." It was obvious of who she was thinking about as she closed her eyes and shook her head gently.
"I wouldn't worry about Evan, he feels he has a place there," the Professor said softly.
"He had a place here also," Ororo reminded him sadly.
"He's giving help and getting help that we couldn't give him," Hank added.
Ororo flinched and swallowed hard. "You mean help I couldn't give him."
Logan snorted when he heard that. Leave it to a women to twist your words.
Ororo arched a white eyebrow and fixed him with a hard glare.
He offered her an innocent, or as innocent as Logan could manage, shrug. "Your perfume made me sneeze."
The Professor had a hint of a smile as he addressed Ororo once more.
"I wish you would take someone with you when you leave the grounds, you're still just as much at risk as the girls are."
Ororo looked both insulted and touched as she shook her head. "I do not need protection, I believe I can handle myself."
Hank laughed deep in his chest. "Now you sound like the girls when they talk to the boys."
"Speaking of that, Chuck, we're going to have do some repairs on the football field...and keep the Danger room locked at all times," Logan said as flicked his cigar ashes off on the railing. He brought the cigar back to his mouth, mumbling about psycho rapists, crazy ass kids and stubborn weather goddess.
A bolt of lightening came down, striking his cigar from his mouth. It fell to the stone floor of the balcony, smoking and smoldering.
Slowly, Logan turned to face Ororo as she stepped forward and placed a high heeled boat onto the cigar with a small and punctuated step. She turned to Logan and offered him an innocent shrug.
"Your cigar made me sneeze."
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Ray fumbled in his pocket for his lighter, mumbling from behind the cigarette he held in between his teeth. He found the orange Zippo and smirked slightly. This lighter had been with him through everything and he hadn't been able to get rid of it when he came to the mansion and he had quit smoking. He wasn't disappointed with himself that he started smoking again, on the contrary, he was happy he had started again. Yea, it wasn't healthy, but it did help him relax and wind down.
Remy, who stood beside him, seemed to feel the same way. He placed his silver cigarette case back in his trench coat pocket and heaved a satisfied sigh.
"Mon Dieu, how I needed this," Remy said with a rush of breath that emptied his lungs of smoke. The May heat wave had finally broken and the air was slightly crisper as day slowly began melting into the next with the approach of midnight. Only Kurt, Remy and Ray were still awake. They had just come back to the mansion after a quick scouting run through Bayville.
"Why do you two insist on smoking on my balcony?" Kurt asked as he joined them, hands in his jean pockets and hair rumpled.
"Would you like to join us?" Ray asked leisurely, pulling out his pack.
Kurt looked tempted for a moment but shook his head. "Nein, I already have enough to confess to Father Montgomery in confessional because of the drinking, I shouldn't add smoking on top of it. Besides, I've tried smoking while I was in the circus, not for me."
"Mon ami, that's because those were German cigarettes you smoked. Now the German's, they know beer. But the French, they know cigarettes," Remy insisted with a smirk.
Kurt nodded absently, his ears perked up and his bright gold eyes narrowed. He stiffened as he focused his senses, trying to confirm what he had just heard. The guys beside him noticed and shared a meaningful glance.
"Kurt?" Ray demanded in a low whisper, keeping his eyes trained on Kurt.
Kurt brought a finger to his lips and made a motion for them to stay quite.
A crash sounded from faraway and the guys squinted in the dark.
"Shit, the Brotherhood house," Remy said as he pressed a few buttons on his communicator watch and brought it up to his mouth. "What de hell is going on over there, did one of you piss Wanda off or something.... come on you little fucks, tell us you're okay..."
"Damn it," Remy swore after a few moments. "No one's answering there...and I feel like fucking James Bond with this damn watch."
"Alright. Ray, go wake all the guys. Remy, you and I are going to get the girls and get them into the danger room, try not to wake them or they'll fight us and try and get away. Come on, we're getting Kitty and Rouge first," Kurt grabbed Remy's arm as Ray began speaking urgently into his watch.
Remy felt the pull of teleportation and found himself in Kitty and Rouge's dark bedroom. He stumbled for a moment and nearly ran into Rouge's acoustic guitar.
"You could have left your cigarette," Kurt said as he went to Kitty's bed and began folding back the thin sheet that Kitty had draped across herself.
Remy ditched the still smoking cigarette out the window and turned to Rouge and saw her twisted in her own sheets. Even in her sleep she insisted on covering herself, her long sleeve pajama top attested to that.
Kurt walked passed him hastily and to Kitty's armoire. He pulled her silky white robe from it and shaking his head, he replaced it again.
"What in de hell are you doing?" Remy asked him in a forced whisper as he pulled at Rouge's sheet and received a sharp kick in the process. "I swear this women hates me even when she's sleeping," Remy mumbled, rubbing his sore knee.
"It's cold in the danger room," Kurt said simply as he gathered Kitty's furry pink robe in his arms. He paused for a moment and grabbed her blue slippers also.
Remy sighed and pulled off his trench coat, draping it across Rouge before he lifted her from the bed. He liked the sight of Rouge wrapped up in his jacket, she looked right in it.
"Remy," Rouge mumbled sleepily. "Are we going to New Orleans again?"
"Non Chere, next time I'm taking you somewhere where we won't be hunted. Maybe Barcelona or Bordeaux, you'd like that non?" Remy said as he headed for the door, Kurt behind him with Kitty cradled in his arms.
"Why don't you just port?" Remy asked him as Kurt's tail twisted the door knob.
"Porting will wake her up," He answered as he stepped out to the hallway.
"I am awake," Kitty sighed groggily as she smiled slightly. She took a deep breath and then frowned. "Fuzzy, you don't smell right."
Kurt and Remy nodded to Hank as he exited Jubilee and Rhane's room, both girls nestled in his arms.
"How do I smell Liebes?" Kurt asked absently as he motioned to Remy, who was less familiar with the layout of the mansion, to take a sharp right.
"Like smoke," Kitty answered in a sleepily accusing manner. "Kurt Wagner, is Remy being a bad influence on you?"
"Hey now," Remy said as the three quickened their pace.
"Nein Katzchen, Remy's not a bad influence on me," Kurt laughed gently.
"Are you sure? Next you'll be eating that God awful cajun food," Kitty shuddered.
"What be dis? Kick the Cajun?" Remy grumbled.
"Count me in, I rock at this game," Rouge mumbled, pulling Remy's trench coat tighter around her.
"Mr. McCoy, how are we going to keep the girls in the danger room?" Kurt asked as they all sandwiched into the elevator.
"I'll put it on emergency lockdown mode, hopefully that'll keep them safe until this is over," Hank replied, shifting Rhane and Jubilee as the girls began to stir.
"And how do we keep Chaton from phasing them all out?" Remy asked.
Hank sighed. "I hate to do this, but I'll have to put a debilitation collar on her." Hank nodded when he saw Kurt's pained look. "I know, but it really is the lesser of two evils."
The three of them stepped out of the elevator .
"Remy?" Rouge demanded loudly, coming out of her sleep as Remy jostled her slightly.
"Chere, no time to explain," Remy said.
Scott came into their view, Jean held in his arms as he stood in front of the danger room doors.
"We sent a recon team down to the Brotherhood," He said as he shifted Jean in his arms so he could reach the door panel. The thick metal doors granted their entrance and the men set about depositing the girls there, who were quickly awakening and confused by their surroundings.
Hank pulled the debilitation collar from his pocket and approached Kitty.
Kurt shuddered slightly. He hated the idea of repressing her powers, but it was the idea of having to use a collar that really got him. It was as though she were an animal and needed containing. "I'll go get Amara." And with a bamf, Kurt was gone.
"Mr. McCoy?" Kitty asked as she felt a snug hold on her neck. She gasped out a breath and her hands flew to her throat. She looked up at Hank with furious and betrayed eyes.
"I"m sorry Kitty," Hank said softly. He looked at the other girls, who were now sitting up, confusion slipping into frantic acknowledgment.
"Scott, you can't keep us pinned up in here! Let us help you!" Jean yelled as she jumped to her feet.
"Jean no. You have to stay safe, and we have to protect you. I don't care if I'm being chauvinistic or whatever, but you're not leaving this room," Scott said firmly.
Hank made for the door. "I'm going up to the console and setting the room in Code Red 14, I trust that Kurt will port you two out. And Kitty," Hank said to the girl who was kneeling next to Jubilee, whispering to her. "I wouldn't try and have anyone break, shock, melt, or telekinetically remove that collar. It's wired with enough volts to send you into a seizure and fry your brain."
Kitty jumped to her feet. "What?!"
"Trust me, I do this only because I love you girls," Hank said sadly as the doors slid shut, leaving the girls alone with Scott and Remy.
"Remy, what do you think you're doing?" Rouge demanded with a shove to Remy's chest.
"Trying to keep you safe!" He retorted.
"And what about yourselves? If this thing, whatever it is, is so dangerous, then why aren't you staying in here with us?" Jubilee asked pleadingly.
"There's no use talking about this now, at the moment we're all stuck in here. Damn it, where's Kurt?" Scott hissed as he glanced at his watch. "We need to know how Ray, Sam and Storm are doing at the Brotherhood."
Kurt ported in a moment later, holding at arms length a flaming Amara. "Sorry, I had to find oven mitts so I could grab her and port."
"Damn it Kurt! You're taking me with you!" Kitty yelled, throwing herself into Kurt's arms, clutching at him franticly.
"Nein, you're staying here," Kurt replied firmly, holding her to him for a second. He stepped away from her, gathering her hands in his and kissing them gently as he squeezed them as though she would slip away from him. "Kitty, I promise you everything will be fine."
"We're doing this to protect you," Scott said grabbing Jean by the upper arms and kissing her quickly, but passionately as he tried to convey how unbelievably grateful he was to have the opportunity to cherish and protect her. "I love you."
"And who's going to protect you?" Rouge asked in a choked whisper.
"We'll leave that one up to fate. Take care of that jacket Rouge, Je vous prise seulement au-dessus de lui (1)," Remy said and the three guys dissappeared.
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"Damn it Chuck, what is taking Sam, Ray and Ororo so long?" Wolverine growled as he paced. The remaining men were all assembled, all in uniform and all ready to fight.
Kurt was crouching on a low tree branch, tense and ready to port to the Brotherhood house. His tail was swaying in Remy's face, who kept having to bat it out of his way.
Xavier's eyes were closed and his fingers to his temples. "I'm afraid that our boys, like the Brotherhood, are incapacitated."
"Incapacitated? He's on his way then. Kurt, port and scout," Scott said.
With a nod and a bamf, Kurt was gone. And back a moment later, careening through the air and into the stone wall of the mansion, his body limp as he fell toward the earth.
"Ugh, he's at the gate and letting himself in. And he brought a friend," Kurt moaned as Bobby and Roberto helped him up.
"Professor, I only have enough radiation reserve for a twenty minute fight," Roberto shook his head, avoiding powering up until necessary. Sunspot was stronger then anyone else when he was feeding off the sun's radiation, but his greatest asset was also his greatest weakness. He needed the sun to be powerful.
"Then we'll make this quick," Wolverine snarled, he claws coming out with snikt.
"Logan, I fear that his friend is one of immense power," Xavier warned.
"Yea, I smell Bruce. Damn it, this guy is tricky," Wolverine fell into a crouch.
"Bruce? As in Batman?" Jamie asked as his clones began making clones themselves, purposefully running into trees and tripping each other. Jamie had yet to be able to clone himself on command, but usually a stumble or fall would allow him to make copies of himself.
"Nah, we could take that cape wearing flying rodent. I think Logan means the Hulk," Bobby grimaced as the ground shook slightly, confirmation of who their guest was.
"Oh, so the green giant and you are friends?" Remy asked Wolverine, charging his cards. "I'd love to see a bar fight between you two."
"Stick around, you're about to see a lot more."
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Scott had dreaded this day since he had found out about what was hunting their girls, bound and determined to corrupt them, and leave them to a fate worse then death. And now, as Scott took a hit from Jason Murr, a pale and ordinary man, with a calm and cruel demeanor, he realized that they, the X-Men, were doing the one thing that they couldn't afford to do. They were losing.
Animusereptur had taken possession of not only the Hulk, but of Wanda and Storm too. Wanda had bound the powers of Remy and he was sporadically kinetically charging things, handicapping his teammates. Bobby had been scratched by Animusereptur, who had the powers of the Jackal in his possession, and was struggling to simply stand and had to bite back screams of pain. Kurt was porting, trying to get close enough to land a hit on Animusereptur, and only succeeded once, and had been given the same treatment as Bobby. The wind was blowing fiercely, and everyone struggled to stay on their feet and squint through the thick and heavy rain.
Roberto had used the last of his power to take on the Hulk after Wolverine's leg had cracked and he needed to heal. Roberto had fought as well as he could, but his power failed him and he had been tossed around like a rag doll, caught before he crashed through a window by Beast, who set him down and took over the fight with the Hulk. One of Jamie's clones had been possessed and turned against him and everybody was hesitant to help for fear of hurting the real Jamie, which ever one that was. Scott joined the fight with the Hulk and sent an optic blast to the giant green man's back and received a blow to the chest for his efforts.
"You think that you can protect them?" Animusereptur laughed as he swiped at Kurt once more. Bobby staggered to Kurt's aid, encasing the man in ice for a moment.
Kurt struggled to his feet and launched himself at the Hulk, porting them both far into the sky and letting them drop. The Hulk crashed into the fountain, finally out. Kurt himself had lost consciousness from the strain of teleporting with his injuries and Bobby iced a path up and caught Kurt's arm, hauling him up as the two made it back to the ground. Bobby staggered and coughed up blood, his body on fire from the pain his scratched radiated. He sunk to his knees, and looked up in time to see Animusereptur break through the ice. Bobby lost all sane and coherent thought as he felt his skin tear open once more, white searing pain choked him as his blood dripped from his open wounds, threatening but never promising death.
Remy charged a whole deck and sent them at Wanda, who was able to neutralize half of them, but was blown backwards. Wolverine was snarling and tackled Animusereptur, tired and exhausted, but furious and determined. He could stand the pain that had claimed both Kurt and Bobby, and he was ready to make this pale pipsqueak of a man regret the day he was born.
Scott turned to make sure the Professor was still alright, and found him in a telepathic struggle, fighting for control of Animusereptur and the release of his physiological prisoners. Silver and wispy figures of Xavier and Animusereptur were high off the ground, telepathic swords drawn, fighting to break down each others mental barriers as their physical bodies remained on the ground.
Storm was torn between the two sides, coming back to herself occasionally before being swept back into possession, sending lightning and gale force winds down on everyone. The Professor looked defeated for a moment and Beast let out a roar as he was struck by lightning, crumbling to his knees. Scott swore and sent an optic beam at his teacher and mentor. It hit Storm square in the chest and she fell through the air before catching herself and sent a whirl of wind at Scott, slamming him into a tree.
"Chuck," Wolverine snapped as a bolt of lightening passed through him, his metal skeleton taking the brute of the shock. "We're losing this."
"I know, we are," Xavier shook his head, letting go off all attempts to bring Storm and Wanda back to them.
"The girls, no we can't lose!" Scott shouted as a thick fog engulfed them. All battles have risks, but this battle weighed heavy on Scott, disorienting him and making him panicky with desperation and the knowledge that they were losing. All his leader skills slipped away from him and stripped him down to his core. Scott was sure that in this moment of frantic need, that'd he would do anything to stop this man. But there was nothing more that they could do and that knowledge drove Scott to a frenzied panic that was a far cry from his normal collected and calm demeanor.
"Scott, the girls are ready to fight. I'm sending them a telepathic message, detailing what exactly we are facing. To prepare them for what is to come. All we can do now, is have faith, and believe that the girls won't let this be their end." Scott heard Xavier's voice and everything was a red fog around him, the air pressure dropping. He felt his lungs strain, and his heart break as he thought of Jean and the torment that lay ahead of her. He felt her then, aware of her within in his mind. Scott tried to grasp at the feeling as he feel into an unconscious state.
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"I can't believe they just left us in here!" Amara yelled as she tried melting the walls of the danger room.
"Jean, how's the fight?" Jubilee asked the girl whose eyes were closed and her face set in determination. She let out a cry and flew backwards with an unseen force, crumbling as she hit the wall.
"Jean!" Jubilee and Rhane helped her up. Kitty came to her side, her hands searching for any damage.
"Who got hit Jean?" Kitty asked when she was satisfied that it was a psychic hit.
"Not Kurt," Jean flinched, reluctant to tell Kitty that Kurt was out of the fight and in a lot pain. She had been watching the fight through Scott's eyes, since he and she had the strongest psychic connection and saw her friends falling, fighting the Hulk, a pale and cold looking man, and for some reason, it seemed as though Wanda and Storm were against them also.
It was all so bizarre and much more sinister then she had thought. She had figured that the guys had gotten carried away with themselves when this new enemy appeared and they had overreacted and gone all watch dog on the girls. Jean was beginning to sense that there was much more to this all then she had originally assumed and she feared for her friends lives.
"Kurt's unconscious, isn't he?" Kitty asked as she closed her eyes.
"Yea, he is," Jean mumbled as Kitty flinched and nodded grimly.
"They're losing," Rouge sighed and dug into Remy's pockets, finding his silver cigarette case. The French words Le Diable Blanc (2) were engraved on the surface. Rouge smiled bitterly and ran her fingers over the smooth surface, wondering how the Cajun was doing. She felt silly to worry over him, he wasn't exactly a shrinking violet who needed to be taken care of, but she felt compelled to concern herself with his welfare and fret slightly.
The girls felt the Professor's mental fingers reaching out to them and they quickly accepted him into the privacy of their minds. The Professor gave them the information that they had been begging the guys for for the past week, trying to sound calm and comforting. Jean felt her heart sink and her stomach sicken as she swallowed the knowledge of what the guys had been trying to protect them from. Jean heard a choked sob and saw Rhane wiping her eyes. The other girls faces were blank and determined the Professor took his leave from their minds, wishing them luck.
"Oh god," Jubilee shuddered.
"I'm not mad at them for stalking us now," Amara swallowed hard.
"What are we going to do?" Rouge placed an arm around Rhane, who was the youngest and the most innocent of them. Never should Rhane, a pure 14 year old girl, have to face all this.
"The guy's are losing, and I don't think this Animusereptur would be against killing them to get to us. Once he kills them, he'll go through Hank's or Storm's mind for the code to get in here," Jean choked out as her breath shortened, her body deeply connected to Scott's. They didn't have to much time until Animusereptur forced Storm to suffocate them all.
"Then, let's give him what he wants," Kitty sighed, closing her eyes to stem the tears that threatened to spill.
Rouge nodded glumly, realizing the fate that the girls were going to hand themselves over to. "We can't save ourselves and the guy's can't save us either. But we can at least save them." Rhane collected herself and nodded, preparing herself for the sacrifice that would mean her friends lives and the end of hers.
"And how are we going to get out of here?"Amara grumbled, referring to the problem the girls had been trying to solve since they got locked up.
"We get this off," Kitty pulled at the collar again.
"Kitty, we're not going to fry your brain! It won't do us any good!" Jubilee cried out in pent up frustration.
"Then we'll just phase it off," Kitty explained.
"Did you already fry your brain? You can't phase," Jean rubbed her forehead, her head spinning with the lack of oxygen she was getting. She knew that she should cut off her mental connection with Scott, but she needed to stay with him through this.
"This thing suppresses my powers, not Rouge's," Kitty said as she stuck her pointer finger out. Rouge smirked and nodded. The girls brought their fingers together and flash of light passed through them both. Kitty barely felt the pull of Rouge's powers and felt only slightly drained, as though she had just done a three mile run with Logan telling her to pick up the pace.
"Alright, Rouge. Get this off of me," Kitty gestured to her collar.
Jean shook her head. "Kitty, are you positive it won't shock you?"
"We have to take this risk, go ahead Rouge, just phase it right off," Kitty said firmly. Rouge hesitated and all the girls held their breath as Rouge grabbed for the collar and tugged.
It feel to the floor with a clang and all the girls heaved out a sigh.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Rhane said, grabbing on to Rouge. Rouge reached over and grabbed Jubilee and the three ran through the door, followed by Jean, Kitty and Amara.
Jean felt unfamiliar and cold mental fingers searching her and she threw up her mental shields on reflex. 'God damn it,' Jean swore as she tried to push the intruder further out. She knew immediately that it was Animusereptur.
He was skilled at telepathy, not so much as the Professor was, but enough to make him a very big threat. Jean exerted her telepathic strength and briefly breached into his sick and twisted mind, nearly vomiting as she saw all the sinister acts he had committed. There were other people in his mind, in pain and bitter. The presences in his mind weren't his friends, but they were too weak to be his enemies either. Jean remembered a part of the Professor's message, about how he stole people's souls and she tried to coax one of the beaten and trapped souls to talk to her, to fight against the man's mind from within.
His mind suddenly became flamed with anger, mental fire scorching at Jean's searching mind as she severed links with him, pulling herself back into the confines of her own body. She was aware that while she herself could handle a telepathic fight and beating, any damage she suffered mentally would affect Scott also, as she was unable to disconnect her physic link to him. She was dimly aware that Scott didn't want her to leave him, that in his unconscious and suffocating state, he needed reassurance that Jean was still safe.
"Girls, he's a telepath," she groaned as they ran through the halls.
"Ugh, could this get any worse?" Jubilee shook her head.
"We need to hurry," Rhane said, morphing into her wolf form.
The girls nodded and picked up their pace, trying to give themselves to this madman before he could take pleasure in watching their friends slowly smother to death.
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Amara's breath, which was exhausted and short already from her desperate sprint out of the danger room, was completely stolen from her when she raced out the door that Jean had just mentally thrown open. It was wet outside, and foggy beyond belief. The air was thin and Amara clutched onto Jubilee to keep from falling to her knees as she gasped, her lungs trying to draw oxygen in. The night was dark through the fog, the only light came from the alcove's that flanked the front door.
"Stop! Please stop!" Jean yelled from somewhere in front of Amara. All around her was white and she felt a mild pang of fear for the unknown. Amara reacted to this by feeling the earth under her feet, felt the magma that flowed several miles below her, churning and beckoning to her with a reassurance that she was not helpless, even though she felt Wanda binding her powers within her.
"Oh," A man's smug voice drawled from somewhere in the fog. It sounded disturbingly close, as though he was around her, above her and in her all at once. Amara remembered Jean's warning of this man's telepathy and furtively tried to put up her shields, but found that she couldn't remember any of her training with the Professor or Jean. "So you've finally come out of hiding."
"We'll go with you," Rouge shouted. Her voice was frantic and imploring, a far cry from her usual coolly collected demeanor.
"And why would I let them live?" It wasn't a threat, more of a tease that made Amara's blood boil. She didn't like being toyed with. With her it was either be straightforward or get out of her way. She couldn't take subtle games like Jean, Jubilee or Kitty, who were able to discern what exactly a person means through double entendres, various word play and body language. She bit back a snarl as she resigned herself to be this man's play thing, both mentally and physically.
She heard shuffling and then a wolves small whine.
"Rhane!" Jubilee yelped, letting go of Amara as her arms swung out, trying to find Rhane but only succeeding in whacking Amara a few times. She grabbed Jubilee's arms and rub them in a calming manner as her right foot began blindly prodding the ground, hoping to connect with Rhane or one of the other girls.
"She's just passed out from the lack of oxygen," Kitty's voice tried to soothe from Amara's left side, though her concern was practically a tangible entity around them.
Amara felt desperate and very vulnerable. The fog seemed to be dissipating though, thinning as the girls began feeling numb as they gasped fir breath. She felt another presence in her mind that began pushing out Animusereptur and Amara was flooded with temporarily relief as the pressure subsided.
'Jean?' Amara called mentally as Jubilee clutched her hand, confirming that she wasn't the only one playing host to another persons mind.
'I don't have quite as much hair as our Jean,' the Professor's voice, or rather thoughts, sounded in a calming, yet strained, tone. 'Relax Amara, I will not allow this man to make Storm a murderer. But, I'm afraid that that is all I can manage right now.' Amara nodded mentally, conveying her understanding at the Professor's currently weak state. At least the guys would live.
"Please, just leave them alone!" Kitty called, sounding less desperate and more demanding. Amara spotted her silhouette through the fog, kneeling next to Rhane as she smoothed the girls hair.
"Your friends aren't dead yet, getting there, but not yet," Animusereptur called out.
"And you," Jean suddenly snarled, sounding much more confident. "Are losing hold on Storm, aren't you?"
A bitter laugh sounded as the air began turning back to normal, making the girls feel as though they were descending down the side of a mountain.
"The Goddess is hard to control with your Xavier assisting her. Besides, I have my hands full with keeping the witch at bay." Wanda must have sent forth another surge of her power and the girls drew back for a moment, feeling constricted and smothered. "So breathe easy little Cherubs, your friends will live," he said with a sickeningly cheerful ambience.
The fog was now drifting slowly away and the girls were torn between huddling towards one another or fanning out and searching for the guys. Kitty made the decision for all of them when she spotted her elf curled on the ground.
"Fuzzy!" she sobbed as she rushed forward, leaving Rhane in Rouge's care. Amara followed her, bringing Jubilee along, who swore at the sight of Bobby's bloody body. They dropped to their knees and carefully positioned the guys in what they hoped was a more comfortable position.
Kitty was stroking the fur of Kurt's face, murmuring quite endearments in German that she had picked up from being around Kurt so much. Her hands became bloodied as she skimmed his cuts.
Amara looked wildly around at her surroundings. The fountain was destroyed, a very ordinary looking man who she didn't recognize in the middle of the mess. Beast was lying in a heap, his fur singed. The Professor had fallen from his chair, Logan on his right side and Scott on his left. Remy was at Wanda's feet, her hands glowing in a grey and blue energy that kept the girls so tightly bonded and Storm was hovering above them all, enveloped in a sort of trance. Young Jamie was a bloody mess, though his bruises and cuts were different from Bobby's and Kurt's. He looked as though he had been in a bar room fight where no one was declared the winner.
"They will heal," Animusereptur sighed exasperatedly, as though annoyed at their concern for their friends. Storm let out a choked sob as her body suddenly dropped, plummeting to the grass. Jean and Rouge reacted the quickest, dashing forward so that they could at least break Storm's fall. The weather goddess came down on them with a hard thud and the girls groaned at the impact that left them sprawled on the ground.
A man stepped forward from behind a tree, a lazy and self satisfied smirk on his pale face as he strolled up to them. He offered Jean and Rouge a hand up.
The girls growled as they ignored his hand and pulled themselves onto their feet and stepped away from him, moving into defensive positions.
His smirk widened. "My, my... do I put you on edge?" His grey eyes looked amused, condescending and also appraising as he slowly took in each of the girls.
"I certainly have a selection here," He said. "I will enjoy myself." He let his eyes linger on the girls as a sneer came across his face.
Amara practically felt Kitty snap beside her. The short and petite girl stood angrily and grabbed her blue slipper and hurled it at the man. It hit his chest harmlessly and feel to the ground.
"Fuck you!" Kitty roared like a lion as she ran her hands through her hair, fisting the messy curls in rage as her eyes widened. "You're sick!"
"Well you're a spirited one," Animusereptur chuckled as Rhane began to stir and Jubilee rushed to her side, helping her on to her feet while whispering comforting words to her.
"Now, Wanda, be a dear and fetch the other girl." Wanda nodded and walked off to a patch of trees, emerging a moment later with Tabitha hoisted over her shoulder.
Animusereptur was kneeling down next to Logan, digging in his pockets.
"Here it is," he said, pulling out a ring of keys. He turned back to the girls and jingled them.
"Tell me, do anyone of you know how to fly?"
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Scott was torn between waking up and letting himself lie on the ground. It wasn't that his body hurt, which it did, that beckoned him to stay in his unmoving state. He knew what had happened, and wanted to immediately jump to his feet to try and solve the problem. But this wasn't just Juggernaut escaping or one of Magneto's twisted plans of homo superior and what not. This was the girls. And they were gone. To be able to logically think of a plan of action like a leader should, then Scott would have to acknowledge what had happened. He didn't want to do that.
His internal battle of whether or not to get up came to a halt as he felt someone's strong hand come down on the collar of his shirt and heave him to his feet.
"Get up kid," Logan half snarled. Scott opened his eyes reluctantly and was surprised at what he saw. Logan looked like an old man, lines of worry and a deep troubled look in his eyes, but beneath that, he looked like a child who had gotten lost in the grocery store, scared and alone. Storm was lying in his arms, whimpering softly in her native tongue.
"Logan," Scott began but choked on his words.
"Kid, go help the others. All we can do right now," Logan sighed as he stepped past Scott.
Scott spotted a man he didn't recognize apologizing profusely to the Professor, who was nodding and reassuring the man. Scott figured that the man was Bruce, aka the Incredible Hulk who was notoriously unstable and constantly fighting the beast within. It was easy to see why this man was so easily put under by Animusereptur's possession.
Scott's mind focused more as he slowly stumbled forward. Roberto was helping Jamie to his feet and Sam and Ray were stumbling towards the mansion, sporting their own evidence of their fight at the Brotherhood House, Todd slung over Ray's shoulders.
The gut clenching reality hit him and Scott fought the urge to vomit. They were gone. The girls that he loved like sisters and the girl who was his soulmate were gone. In the hands of a man who would rape them, torture them, kill their bodies and steal their souls. Scott lost the battle with his body and doubled over, gagging and hiccoughing. The contents of his stomach joined the blood on the grass and Scott wondered whose it was. Was it one of the guys from the fight, or had Animusereptur already started on the girls? Maybe they were already dead.
This thought made Scott's heart jump painfully to his throat and as he heaved again, he wondered if it was possible to throw up your heart.
The night was turning into dawn and the sun was peaking through the horizon. Scott pondered dimly why the sun was still shining when chaos was all around. He stepped onto the driveway and turned his back to the sun. He walked on slightly more steady feet down the driveway, unsure of where he intended to go. His feet came down on something soft and he stopped.
Scott picked a small blue fuzzy slipper from the driveway, wondering which of the girls it had belonged to. His body ached as he longed to see them again, to see them safe and whole, to see Jean's smile once more. He heard the sounds of the other guys around him, all quiet and broken and faraway. He glanced at them and knew they felt the same way he did. This smothering chaos was enveloping them, seeping into them.
"We failed," Scott looked up to see Kurt crouching on a tree branch above him, staring at the slipper in Scott's hand. Kurt looked like hell, blood matted on his fur and a painful grimace on his face. His voice was hollow and almost serene, the calm before the storm.
"They trusted us, and we let them down," Bobby flinched as he came to stand next to Scott. They were all bruised and battered, but nothing could compare to the hurt they felt inside, the gaping hole that was spreading through their chest.
Scott felt he should say something to them, anything that would ease their suffering but found that he could not. He was their leader, but right now all he was capable of being was a man who just lost the love of his life. So instead, he echoed Kurt's earlier words and spoke the truth.
"We failed."
And there's chapter 12! Review if you like, cause I know I love it when I get reviews, it really does give me motivation. And here are the translations.
1. I treasure only you above it
2. The White Devil. If you're a Remy fan then I'm sure you already knew that
Thank you for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it!