(A/N: Well guys, here's the fourteenth chapter. Hard to believe, but there's only six more chapters to go. Well, here's the next one, and I'm sorry for the wait!!)

Laura looked at the ceiling of the garage. Kitty was packing her overnight bags, and Beast was prepping the car for a cross-country tour. They were taking the X-Van.

Logan popped out from behind the van. "Don't worry, squirt, we're not gonna be gone long. Just enough to show shades the error of his ways."

Laura closed her eyes and tilted her head down. "That's not what I'm concerned about." She murmured.

Logan checked his watch. "We leave in five. Laur, you ready?"

She nodded, not wanting to open her eyes. Suddenly, someone's hand slipped into hers. She looked up into John's face. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Hey." He said, slinging a duffel bag off his shoulder.

She blinked, surprised. "John?"

He chuckled a bit. "Yup. I go where you go, Laur." He said, kissing her gently.

She kissed him back, then hugged him tightly. "Thank you." She got into the van. John slid in next to her, and Kitty on her other side.

Logan sat up front. "Well guys, let's get this show on the road. We'll be back soon. I promise."

Kurt looked out the window and sighed again. Three days they had been gone. Scott was feeling quite awful. He should. He drove my katzchen away from me. Kurt sighed heartbrokenly. His tail hung limp around his feet, twitching a bit every once in a while. Jean had stopped talking to Scott, and Rogue had disappeared into her room for two days. Only Beast, Storm, and the Professor seemed unaffected.

The Professor had called Angel to the institute to help fill the gap left by the three teammates leaving. Kurt put his head in his hands, wishing Kitty were there.

Rogue walked in and sat next to him. "Hey Kurt, what's wrong?" She asked, crossing her arms and legs.

"Keety left vizh Logan." Rogue sighed a bit. She was angry that Logan had left with John and Kitty too. She'd looked up to Logan like a father, and to top it all off Kitty, who was like a sister to her, had up and left. Her anger and irritation suddenly flared, and she decided to take it out on Kurt.

This wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Kurt always listened, was never hurt if she accidentally took it out on him. So, she didn't think anything of doing it now.

"Oh, suck it up, Kurt." Rogue growled. "Ya know they're comin' back so stop sulkin' like this, ya silly elf."

Kurt's response was so unexpected that she was shocked. His tail lashed angrily about behind him, and he… ignored her. Kurt never ignored people. It made her more angry. "I'm talkin' ta you, 'Crawler, you damn well bettah answer yer sis when-"

He cut her off, whipping around with an angry snarl. "Oh, so NOW you choose to acknowledge zhe fact zhat I am your brozzer. Vhen you are trying to unload your emotions on me. Let me ask you, Rogue, is zat fair? At ALL?" He snarled.

"I'm hurting, more zan usual, and eet's qvite obvious. So tell me, sis," He spat the word out in such a way that made her flinch. "Vhat. Do. You. VANT!?" He yelled, tears nearly breaking through his tightly shut eyes. Shock, hurt, and regret coursed through her, holding her in place. Rare tears welled up in her eyes, and she put her hands over her mouth and ran to her room.

Kitty looked out the window of the hotel they were staying at in lou of traveling to San Francisco. She sighed, missing Kurt. At least John had come with Laura, they didn't have to be separated. She grumbled a bit, laying back on her bed and looking at the ceiling.

She wondered if Kurt missed her as much as she missed him. Probably. She hated to remember his face as she left, the look of anguish just wouldn't leave her head. Eventually, she sighed, and went downstairs to the lobby to find Logan.

"Like, when are we going back, anyways?" Kitty moaned, plopping down in the chair next to him.

John sighed exasperatedly from across the table. "My 'Magic Eight Ball' senses keep coming up 'No time soon' and yet you keep seeing 'ask again later'."

Laura giggled a bit. Kitty rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Ha ha, yes very funny. Now SERIOUSLY. When are we going back?"

Logan didn't even look up from his paper. "Every time you ask, kid, I tack on another hour."

Kitty sighed defeatedly. "If only they'd let me retake my driving test…"

A collective shudder ran through the other three.

"Yeeeah… I'm not sure they had enough Navy SEALS to deal with THAT kind of mission." Laura grumbled.

John looked up from his breakfast with a half shocked, half amused look on his face. "Did you just make a joke?"

"Yeah, so?"

John burst out into hysterics, rocking backwards in his chair. Laura smirked a bit, but then whacked him in the face with a rolled-up newspaper. "Oh, quiet down, you're making a scene."

He blinked a bit, and Kitty giggled. "Like, it's like hitting a dog on the nose with yesterday's news! How cute!"

Laura and Kitty giggled, and now it was John's turn to grimace and cross his arms, simmering quietly.

One thing was for sure, it was going to be a long day.

Donald slammed the door to his cabin and grabbed his head, groaning slightly. "M-my head!" He shrieked, falling against the bedframe. The door hissed open and Shaw's shadowy figure came into view.

"Donald, Donald, Donald. You've been a very naughty boy, haven't you? Trying to break free of our control. Shame on you. Pathetic cyborg."

Donald shuddered, shivered, and shrieked in pain again as Shaw jammed his finger mercilessly down on the button, sending another arc of electricity into his body.

"We invented this for use on mutants, but it would seem it works just as good on cyborgs." Shaw laughed coldly. Donald felt his robotic brain being wiped… his thoughts, his feelings, everything that made him Donald, wiped.

"N-no…" He snarled, reactionary circuits kicking in. "You won't turn me into one of those things!" He slowly struggled to his feet, and Shaw jammed on the button repeatedly.

"This just in, Shaw. You can't control me anymore." He swiped the tazer out of his hands. Shaw started to back away. "Now, Donald…"

"Too late, Shaw." He hissed. Something in his mind had been re-connected. He felt smarter, more focused. And REALLY pissed. "I would kill you here, but I think I'll let the X-Men do that." He smirked.

Shaw narrowed his eyes. "And how do you suppose you'll get a hold of them?"

Donald grinned widely. But not the silly, insane grin of the old Donald. It was the harsh, malicious grin one would expect from someone exceptionally more sinister.

"By ripping this place in half and sending them a smoke signal they'll never forget."

(A/N: Sorry for the wait on this one guys. But at long last, chapter 14 is up, if a bit short. For those of you who are curious, Shaw's shock treatment re-activated the 'logic' centre of Donald's brain, which Shaw had turned off to keep Donald complacent. Well, I'll see you in the next chapter! Outta the friggin fryin' pan…)