Eleven

Victor almost made it out the door to freedom before being stopped again. The key word being almost.

"He's in here!"

He heard the team out in the hall, and he swung the door open just as Blue's hand was poised to knock... or bust the door down.

Whichever it was, a moment of guarded measure passed between them before Victor stepped back to allow Xavier's team to enter.

Beast, Rogue, and Cyclops filed in, followed by an Asian girl dressed head to toe in bright yellow, while Victor held the door open like a bell hop.

Once they were out of his way, he walked out without ceremony, not deigning to further acknowledge anyone.

Just out the door, Victor stopped short.

The hallway was wrong. The place was completely spotless, as if the encounter had never occurred - at least that's how it appeared to the eye. His nose could still detect the faint traces of blood from both the teleporter and James.

Whoever had been chasing the girl had cleaned up after themselves before the police could get involved. And come to think of it, no one had even come knocking about a disturbance. So their guy had to have been waiting in the wings.

It irked him that anyone could get the drop on him, but it wasn't like this was his problem to begin with, and the immediate threat had passed.

Regardless, Victor slouched against the wall next to the door, waiting. Better to get one last thing over with, now.

As if on cue, the kid ran out after him. She skidded to a halt once she realized he hadn't gone any further and turned to face him.

"I finished watching him. Let's go." She demanded.

"You're going with them."

The girl frowned, brows furrowed.

"You aren't going with them," Laura pointed out.

"No, I'm not," Victor agreed. "I said I'd get you somewhere safe. " He nodded back toward the team. "They're safe. Now, go back in there and make nice."

She grimaced.

"They're loud."

She wasn't wrong; he could hear both Big Blue and Summers scolding his brother for some offense from here.

"You'll get used to it."

"Don't know them." The girl grumbled.

"Three days ago, you didn't know me. And three days from now, you'll forget all about me and be damned happy you did."

Laura stamped her foot in a fit of pique.

"I want to go with you!"

"Why?" Victor asked, genuinely confused, but he didn't give the kid a chance to answer before continuing. "You'll be around other brats your age and figure out how to be a kid."

He felt a new presence in the doorway, but he didn't stop his remonstrance. "They'll feed you, and clothe you, and give you a damned education. They'll take care of you. I can't do any of that shit."

The girl growled, the claws in her tiny hands slipping free.

Victor heard a small 'oh' from the doorway. Glancing up, he found the Rogue to be their eavesdropper, but she was just there to collect the girl.

"Put those the fuck up and behave yourself. The lady wants to talk to you."

The woman eyed him warily, but she must have found some steel in her spine because she dismissed him just as quickly, turning to address the kid.

"Hey there, sugar, I'm Rogue. What's your name?"

The brat glared at woman.

"It's Laura." Victor supplied.

The girl shot an appalled glare his way.

Victor stared back, unmoved.

"Laura, we're gonna take you back with us to the school, but Logan's in a bad way, and we're gonna have to leave in a hurry. You ever been in an airplane before?"

The girl shook her head in the negative.

"Well, this will be an adventure for all of us. My friend Ororo is waiting for us right out that window."

"The window doesn't open."

The woman winked.

"I got a trick for that. You wanna come with me, sugar?"

The girl glanced his way, and Victor nodded once.

"Claws up and go with her."

The tiny claws snickted away, and the kid offered him a parting snarl.

Laura took Rogue's offered hand and walked with her back to the others, glaring over her shoulder at him all the while.

It was for the best. He knew it.

That didn't mean he had to like it.

Regardless, he'd delivered the girl to the X-Men as promised, and it was definitely the last he'd see of the kid and Jimmy.

A/N: This marks the end of the initial arc, but this isn't The End in capital letters. From here on, the chapters may become less linear (if so, I will likely organize them later), but I have several plot points I'd like to resolve, and a few slice-of-life shorts and mini arcs planned before this is finished.