I don't own X-men, but regardless the original characters that I'll be using in here do belong to me.

So, I start my final year of college next week. (woot!) I don't know how often the updates will come, especially since I'm an English major and will likely be barraged with many papers, just remember, I'm always thinking on this one... and the other fic that's sort of on hiatus until my Spirited Away muse returns from its odd vacation... don't ask why I said it could have paid vacation. Anywhoo, the main writing muse I have is working on this fic mostly as well as other original works I've been writing.

So again, I love my readers, and my reviewer. If I don't update I'm working on papers, or my dream-to-be-novel or reading all the books for my lit class.

Chapter 38

"No!" Naomi repeated for the seventh time since entering the room where Beast and Storm sat discussing her future at, or not at the school. "I'm not going back with him, I'd go join the Shadow Brotherhood first."

"He's threatening to take legal actions against the school, and against your uncle." Storm tried to explain, "He'll put a lot of pressure on your uncle's political position, if he's charged with your kidnapping,"

"He didn't kidnap me I ran away." Naomi stated her voice elevated. "If I go back to that house they'll move and I'll never be free again."

Rune paused outside the door hearing bits of the conversation, he frowned and leaned on the wall just to the side of the door and continued to listen.

"Naomi, it would only be until we get a hearing." Hank said, "I've already been working with a lawyer to try and gain custody of you."

"Did you not hear me, dad probably has already bought tickets to some far away place and started moving the stuff in the house," Naomi replied, "Even if you get that stuff to go through I'd already have vanished off the face of the planet!"

Beast stood and put his hands on her shoulders, "I don't think there's another way Naomi, if we cooperate with Brett then it should go more in our favor in the custody hearing."

Shadows wrapped around his wrists and pushed his hands off her shoulders, "It won't do me any good if I'm dead..." she muttered then spun and ran out of the room. She ran past Rune without looking at him and up to her room, Rune followed.

Naomi slammed her door shut and began throwing her things into a backpack she'd bought a few months ago. The monitor on her clicked again, annoyed at it she pulled up her shirt and began to pull off wires and undid the clasp around her stomach.

Rune opened the door, "Woah," he immediately turned his back on her, "Didn't think you'd be stripping in here."

"Then knock." She said sharply. She threw the device against the wall breaking it into many small pieces. "I'm leaving, just thought you should know."

"I heard."

"No." She spun on him, her eyes darker, her shadow vibrating around her, "I am not leaving with my father. No one wants me here anymore so I'm going to go where no one will ever find me."

He grabbed her arm as she turned to return to stuffing her bag, "Cathrine wants you here." She looked away, "Hey," he raised his voice, she looked back, "I want you here." He finished softly. "So do a lot of the others, don't lie to yourself."

Naomi pulled her arm away from him while tears started to blur her vision, "I'm sorry, but I can't, I won't go back to that house." She zipped the bag closed.

"What Beast said sounds like a good plan," he wrapped his arms around her shoulders that shook slightly with suppressed cries. "We won't let you just disappear you know that right? We have lots of ways of keeping track of you."

"Rune... I don't want to end up like Emily." She whispered. Naomi slipped out of his arms, her shadow pulled up against the wall, she went through it. Rune grabbed her arm again and vanished.

His eyes opened on a gray sky, he was on his back. The ground was rough and uncomfortable. What concerned him most was he couldn't see Naomi. Immediately Rune sat up and searched his surroundings. It wasn't hard to find her. She was sitting maybe five feet from him. Her knees pulled up to her chest and chin on her knees, her hair striking white against her black skin in this gray world. He got up slowly and walked over to her. "You okay."

She looked up at him, after a moment relief filled her face. She got to her feet and threw her arms around his neck. "I didn't know you'd follow me, and I didn't know what happened when we came through, you just passed out... I thought..." she started to stumble over the words.

He sighed and returned the hug, "I'm fine. This is a weird place." He looked at the completely flat horizon. "So, we're between the shadows?"

Naomi let him go, "Something like that."

"Its really empty. Is there anything at all here?" He asked looking around.

She shrugged, "I've never gone very far. The shadows are here," she motioned to the black bulbous shapes moving slowly across the ground. "I wouldn't touch them if I were you, they're very... sticky." Rune raised an eyebrow. "Don't ask."

Rune shrugged, "So, this is where you're going to hide? Nothing to eat, nothing to do... seems really stupid to me."

Naomi rolled her eyes and sat back down on the ground, "Its better than that house..." she looked up at him, "He took a cheese grader to my arm once, I think he was convinced that the black skin was only a few layers deep and he could get it all off then I'd be normal."

Rune sat next to her, he ran a hand down her arm and turned her hand over, the other was still in the brace, "I think either way, your beautiful."

Her face glimmered brightly and she pulled her hand away from him, "Cut it out."

"What," he said with a grin, "I'm not allowed to flirt with you now?"

"You're just doing it to make me blush..." she murmured then turned away and closed her eyes.

"No, I'm just telling the truth." Rune laid back on the ground with his hands behind his head, "This place could at least do with some grass..."

The breeze gently blew across them, in her mind Naomi agreed. Something tickled at Naomi's ankles, she opened her eyes, the gravel ground had turned into gray grass. She looked around in surprise. Rune sat up and looked around as well, "Well... at least its very... accommodating." He looked at Naomi, "We have to go back, you can't hide forever."

She frowned, "Of course I can." Rune gave her a skeptical look, she sighed and laid back on the gray grass, "I don't want to think about that right now... distract me."

Rune slid over next to her, "There are many ways a guy can distract a girl." Naomi sat straight up and looked at him incredulously. "But I'm not that kind of guy, against the popular belief of the school I never slept with Recharge. I may of been high on the girl, but I wasn't stupid." He closed his eyes for a moment, "Do you think what you desire is what changes this place, like if I wanted to have a beach and the ocean over in that direction," he waved a hand. "It would appear?"

Naomi scoffed, "I think it's my desires, its my world after all. I would never have an ocean here. I can't swim."

Rune looked up at her and smiled, "That will go on the list then."

"List? What list?"

To Kali3110: Even weak humans have something that good mutants have to bow to.. the legal system... dang him. More to come as always. Thanks for always reviewing!

Rune is oh so good at distracting, don't you agree? Lol, more of the two of them in between in the next chapter. Then they come out, and other stuff will take place... Don't want to ruin it all now do I?