Lyrissa's Sparkles

“One more rule Sparkles.” Cyclops announced as they got off the jet. “What?” she snapped, he had been going over plans and rules the entire trip. “If you and Jack get into a fight, I want you to fight him. I mean it; if he hits you even once, knock his teeth out. Got it?” he answered. The force behind his order shocked her; she wouldn’t have expected him to want her to hurt Jack. “No problem man, I was gonna do that anyway.” She grinned, tightening her hair and following the others into the fight.

As soon as they got to the LAPD station, they realized the hell that had been let loose. Cops were hiding, fighting, shooting and yelling, while Jack, Sabertooth, and Mystique used their powers to taunt and torment them. The station itself was a wreck, with desks overturned, and holes through the walls, walls that were demolished to a pile of rubble and rock, and a few bodies here and there.

“Oh, hey Jen. How’s it goin’? Those bruises healed up pretty good.” Jack commented confidently, standing next to Sabertooth who was just waiting to charge Wolverine. “Shut up Jack.” She growled, letting her wisps fly about freely, and darkening the room slightly. She had gotten a lot better at controlling her powers, but still had a high risk of losing it. “You ready for another beating? Can’t take the life that saved yours ya know.” He spat. Wolverine went to charge him for threatening her like that, but was stopped by Sabertooth and soon engaged in a full-blown battle.

Jack went at Lyrissa, who whipped him three times with her wisps before he could even reach her, trapped him in a shadow, and roundhouse kicked him in the jaw before he could speak. “Jack, you don’t know the rules. I only stand down once, you let me live, so now you’re fair game.” She smirked before dealing another blow. She could’ve killed him then and there, but something told her it was beyond wrong, so she let him go and decided to fight fair… as fair as two street racing, underground bar fighting, rivals could at least.

He charged and missed, since he was blind with rage. She kicked him while he was down, and punched as soon as he stood up. He got her a few times before she took him down and started using her powers to keep him there.

“Where’s Mystique?” Beast asked suddenly. Everyone looked around her before Jean gasped and started yelling at the cops to evacuate the area. “What the hell Jean, what are we missing?” Lyrissa demanded. “They have a bomb planted, we have to move!” she shouted, helping the more seriously injured police officers out of the building. “Bomb? You didn’t say anything about a damn bomb! What the hey Sabertooth?” Jack spat from inside Lyrissa’s shadow box. “Wasn’t important.” He smirked as he fought Wolverine. “And what happens when we get blown up?” he demanded. “I walk out of here. Healing factor, remember?” he answered. “WE’RE ON THE SAME TEAM!” Jack howled in fury.

“Jen, let me out, help me man! I don’t wanna die!” he begged. The X-Men who weren’t helping cops out of the building were shouting at her and Logan to get out of there, the cops were shouting something but she couldn’t understand it, Sabertooth was doing everything in his power to keep them in the building, and Jack was bawling as he begged for his life. More than half of her wanted to make sure he died, but she knew she wouldn’t do that.

Before she could finish her thought she saw Mystique shoot out a door and down the street, shifting into a cop so she could escape. “Get outta here Sparkles!” Wolverine ordered, he could hear the timer counting down, and knew they were running out of time. “No.” she answered simply. Healing factor or not, he was family and she would never leave family. Jack, maybe. Logan, no chance in hell.

Sabertooth realized their relationship, and switched targets, pinning her to the ground by her stomach and throat. Wolverine did everything he could to get him away from her, but he couldn’t since she had dropped the shadows around Jack, who was now attacking him.

Suddenly there was a loud bang and the building shook violently. It scared Lyrissa enough for her to teleport next to Logan. Jack took off and was almost to the door when the second bomb went off, blowing the entire building to nothingness.

Jean had to forcibly hold Cyclops back when Lyrissa and Logan didn’t come out of the building. It took her and Rogue both to keep him back when the building blew up. Fire and debris were everywhere, but there was no sign of either of them. Sabertooth was beat up pretty bad, but he limped off scene before the paramedics and fire department showed up. Gambit was leaning his entire bodyweight on his staff, fighting back his own tears. He lost the battle when Jean announced she couldn’t pick up a trace of Lyrissa or Logan. Even Storm, who had full control of her powers, had accidentally made it start to rain as she silently cried for them.

“But he has a healing factor, Wolverine should be fine… why isn’t he getting’ up?” Rogue asked softly, keeping her eyes glued to the scene. “I don’t know.” Beast answered, wanting desperately to help search for survivors, to search for them. They knew they couldn’t without being arrested, since the police all thought that they had something to do with the bombing. They were mutants; of course they had something to do with it. Eventually, after an hour of watching and still finding no signs of them, the X-Men went home. No one knew how they would break the news to the kids and Andrew. Allie would be more than devastated, Andrew wouldn’t be much better, Jazz would be heartbroken, and the others would be just as hurt by it. Lyrissa was their leader, family member, and very close friend. Not a single X-Man wanted the job of breaking the news.

They agreed to all tell them together, hoping it would be easier, but when they got to the mansion, and had everyone sat down in the front room they realized it wouldn’t make a difference. “What’s going on? I wanna know where Logan and Sparkles are right now. I don’t care if they’re screwing in the jet right now, I wanna know!” Box demanded. “There was a bomb plan… planted in the police station.” Scott managed to get out, but that was as far as he could go without losing his composure. “Logan and Lyrissa didn’t make it out.” Beast finished sorrowfully.

Andrew, who was leaning on the side of the couch went white and passed out. Jazz started shaking and was unable to breathe, Box started yelling and blaming every one of them for letting her die, Allie practically melted in Xavier’s arms, crying harder than she had ever cried before… the entire group lost it at once. Except for Jamie.

“Did you see their bodies?” he yelled over the group. “No sugar, we didn’t.” Rogue sighed, she had openly cried the entire way home, and her voice was very raspy because of it. “Then they aren’t dead. No one is dead until you have a body to show for it!” He yelled firmly. “I couldn’t get a trace of either of them Jamie… I-I’m sorry.” Jean cried, letting Scott embrace her as tightly as he could. Jamie wouldn’t take any more of it, and left the room in an orange blur. The only way they knew where he was, was when they heard a bedroom door slam with every bit of force he could create.

The next day was hell for everyone. The once excited-for-Halloween horde of kids that ruled the mansion were now mostly dressed in all black, and not a single one of them went to bed without crying themselves to sleep. Lyrissa and Logan’s rooms were left open, and several kids had left flowers and other memorial type things on the beds. Logan’s weights were draped with a garland of black roses that Kiera had found, and his bed was covered in things the kids would have given him as gifts if he were alive.

Lyrissa’s room was even more decorated, although both had been nearly turned into shrines, hers was more. Things that would have been insulting to most were placed honorably around her belongings. Trash bags, broken bottles filled with sand, and other things they had made when Dee died were placed on her dresser, drawings and fresh flowers were all over her bed and floor, stuffed animals, CDs, books, and other things were everywhere as well. The only thing in her room not covered in mourning gifts, was the little spot on her bed where Allie had adopted as hers. And she spent every spare moment there, holding Allie’s pillow and ‘Wogan’ tightly as she could, talking to Lyrissa and Logan and telling them everything she never got to say.

Breakfast was served, but hardly eaten. It was the same story with lunch and dinner. Danger Room sessions were mostly canceled, except for the few who took their pain out on simulations. Xavier had stayed in Cerebro searching for any traces of Logan or Lyrissa the entire day. Very little had been seen of him after getting the news that his adopted niece had been pronounced dead. If anyone thought life was dull when Lyrissa had lost her sparkle after the labs, they were painfully mistaken.

Jamie refused to believe that they were dead. Lyrissa made a promise to him when Dee died, that she would never leave him. He was terrified when anyone would leave their hideout, because he thought they would die too. She promised him she wouldn’t let herself be killed, and she never broke a promise. When Xavier started making funeral preparations, he locked himself in his room, and locked Logan and Lyrissa’s rooms so no one would be able to get in and change anything. To him, they were coming back. It was heartbreaking for everyone around him who knew they weren’t.