Lyrissa's Sparkles

It was night before the X-Men got to the fence and met up with Magneto and Juggernaut. “What’re you doin’ here?” Wolverine asked harshly. “The same as you I’m guessing. Two members of my Brotherhood are being held in there, we are here to get them out.” Magneto answered. “We should work with them.” Kiera whispered to Cyclops. “Why?” he asked quietly. “Because, Magneto can help get us in and past cameras, and through doors, and Juggernaut can really make a mess with you guys.” She answered.
“I can hear what you’re saying my dear.” Magneto smiled to Kiera, making her shy away behind Cyclops. “Then what do you say?” he asked, trying not to smile from how Kiera went from suggesting plans and thinking like an adult, to hiding behind him like Allie. “I will help you rescue your team member, if you will help rescue ours.” He answered. Wolverine sighed, knowing that they needed their help, which meant he had to help rescue Sabertooth. “Deal.” Andrew nodded after a moment’s discussion among the X-Men.

~

“Don’t hold back!” someone yelled at Lyrissa as she and Sabertooth were forced to fight each other. “I’m… not!” she growled, dodging one of his blows, and kicking him in the side. “Use your powers!” someone else ordered, waving a taser at her. “FINE!” she screamed, temporarily losing control of her abilities, and pinning everyone in the room to the walls with her wisps. She let go when she was tased by three people at once. She hit the ground screaming and convulsing until it stopped. “Don’t, ever, try something like that again!” the leader of the combat experiment spat, adjusting his clothes and standing back up after she dropped him five feet. “I’m sorry! I still haven’t l-learned, to control my mu-mutation all the way!” She stuttered, lying painfully on the floor.

“Get up, and start again.” Someone demanded, pushing her with the back of his riffle. She tried to, but she could hardly stand. The entire day had been nothing but beatings, tasings, and torture for her, and her body wasn’t able to stand much more. “I said, get up, and start again!” he yelled, hitting her in the back, and knocking her down. “I’m trying!” she shouted, tears were streaming down her face, and all she wanted was to go home, or die. Either way she would be out of there.

Sabertooth pulled away from the guards who were holding him back, and helped her up. She couldn’t figure out why, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. Once she was standing, he gave her an apologetic look, and waited for them to give the order to fight again.

~

“Okay, Juggernaut, our plan is to destroy everything, and try not to kill anyone. Got it?” Cyclops asked, as they got ready to go in. Juggernaut looked at Magneto, who nodded his agreement. “Got it.” He nodded. “Okay, group one, let’s go.” Cyclops announced, and led the attack. As soon as he got the signal, Box started screaming and yelling, and throwing everything in his sight. Andrew telekinetically threw a truck into a tank, and Max used his powers, which were the same as his sisters, and blew them both up when he saw that the people in them had gotten safely away. Juggernaut went to town, and took down their entire garage. Storm sent fog to cover everything once they had the full attention of the lab workers, and securities, signaling for group two to make their move.

“That’s it, let’s go. Lead the way kid.” Wolverine nodded to Jazz, who gulped nervously and started for the labs. “Camera.” Kiera whispered, making everyone stop so she could blow it up. “Good eye.” Beast smiled. “Thanks, let’s hurry up.” She grinned, and walked next to Jazz. “Camera.” Jazz gasped, creating a shield and crushing it quickly before it could pan and see them. “Nice one.” Kiera sighed, letting out the breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

“That’s the door… the one guarded by the tank, and the six guys with guns.” Jazz sighed as the door came into view. “Cyclops, hit the side door, we gotta tank in our way.” Wolverine said over his communicator. “Cyke’s busy!” Andrew yelled over his, they heard, and saw a huge explosion right after.

“I think I can block their fire… but I don’t know. I’ve never blocked a tank and guns before.” Jazz suggested. “Too dangerous, we’ll find another way in. “I could get rid of the tank, and the guns.” Magneto piped in. “You do that, and we can get in without a problem. Jazz’s shields are sound proof, so if she traps them, they can’t yell.” Kiera agreed. “Radios.” Jazz sighed. “Oh yeah.” Kiera muttered.

“Hey, you said side door right?” Max asked over their communicators. “Yeah, why?” Wolverine answered. “Because we’re on our way there right now. We ran outta stuff to break.” he explained. “Gambit! Watch my six!” Box’s voice yelled in the background before he let off the button. Beast was just about to ask a question when one of the guards’ guns flew up and hit him in the face. “HEY! I freaking dare you to shoot at me! Come on bring it! WUSSES!” Andrew taunted not far from their hiding place. “Oh god Andrew.” Kiera sighed quietly. The tank turned to face its barrel at him, and the guards aimed to fire. “Oh… you took the dare.” He sighed, faking his fear, and doing a strange gesture with his hands. Suddenly Cyclops fired at the base of the tank, Storm sent a thick fog and lightning bolts all around the place, Gambit started throwing cards, and Max blew up anything that wouldn’t kill. Jean and Andrew used their powers to keep things from hitting the workers and X-Men, and Rogue picked up two guys, and flew them to the roof. “Andrew’s plans rock, don’t they? He used that same thing in Capture the Flag before.” Jazz smiled affectionately. “Door’s open! Move your butts.” Box sang over their communicators, and they went in.

~

Lyrissa had just been dragged to her cell and thrown in, because she couldn’t walk anymore. “You look like hell.” She smiled to Mystique, who was just as beat up as she was, and lying on her stomach across both of their mats. “I look better than you do.” She scoffed, her voice muffled by the floor. “Because your blue skin hides some of your bruises.” Lyrissa sighed, grunting painfully as she tried to move.

“SCREW YOU! I HOPE YOU ALL DIE!” Jack screamed from down the hall, followed by the sounds of his punishment. “He still hasn’t learned to keep his mouth shut.” Mystique sighed. “Jack never will. It’s who he is. He owned the underground racing circuit; he worked gangs out of their money, and talked his way out of arrests. He can’t go twenty minutes without making a joke, or smart aleck comment. His mouth is pretty much his signature.”
Lyrissa huffed. She was trying to laugh, but it hurt too badly.

Suddenly the alarms went off, and guards ran past their cell. Two stopped, standing on either side of their door with their guns ready to fire. Lyrissa’s hair started to sparkle when she heard Magneto’s voice booming from down the hall, followed by a purple flash. “I already told you, I am not taking you with me if I escape. You will have to find your own way out.” Mystique said coldly. “I’m not sparkling over Magneto. That purple flash wasn’t him, its Jazz.” She smiled. Moments later the guards started firing, and a few moments after that, Kiera, Jazz, and Magneto working together destroyed their guns.

“SPARKLES! Oh my god!” Kiera gasped when they got to their cell. “Hi.” She smiled weakly. Magneto took the door down, and grabbed Mystique. Sabertooth was carrying Jack, who looked worse than both her and Lyrissa since he couldn’t hold his tongue. Wolverine ran in as soon as Magneto was out of his way, and carefully picked Lyrissa up. “You okay?” he asked, quickly looking over her for any sign of serious injury, and noticing she was still only wearing Mystique’s over shirt, and her own underwear. “I’ll be fine. Trust me, I feel a lot better now.” She smiled, her hair had started sparkling from the time he touched her.

“Oh dude, LET’S GO!” Jazz almost screamed as a group of soldiers came running at them. “Where are you guys, they just called in back up, and we gotta get out like, now!” Box yelled into his communicator. “On our way.” Beast answered. “Kiera, can you blow up that wall?” Lyrissa asked hoarsely as Wolverine carried her bridal behind her. “Yeah, why?” she answered. “Leads into a tunnel, which goes under the kitchen, and into my dad’s room. From there we can get into my room, and out the emergency exit.” She explained. “Your dad built emergency exits in your house?” Wolverine asked. “Yeah, he did.” Lyrissa answered as Kiera blew up the wall. Sure enough, they were in a tunnel. “Keep going, it’s the first door on the ceiling.” She said, and leaned her head onto Wolverine’s shoulder, hugging him tightly.
Ten minutes of running later, they got to the door, and pulled down the ladder to climb up. Beast went up before Lyrissa and Wolverine, who passed her up so he could climb up the ladder without falling before taking her back. “Okay down the hall, up the stairs on the left, third door on the right.” She directed, and they were off again, keeping an ear out for any potential fights. Her house was almost exactly how it had been before she moved in with the X-Men. “Behind the desk, there’s a lose panel, it opens into another short tunnel. That goes to my room.” She explained, and Beast and Jazz moved the desk and opened the secret door.

“FIND THEM!” someone ordered from outside Lyrissa’s old room just as they all got in. “Where are you guys? You said you were on your way; we’re in the jet waiting. What happened, is everything okay?” Cyclops asked. The communicators were filled with static, which made him harder to understand. “We’re in Sparkles’ old room. We can’t get out yet, we’re waiting for an opening.” Kiera explained.

While they went over the situation and made a plan to get out of the house, Wolverine laid Lyrissa down on her old bed, and knelt down by the side. “Did you kill anyone?” she asked with a weak smile. “Almost, he said some things that got under my skin. Jazz put him in a box and threw him through a wall before I could get to him.” He smirked. “What’d he say?” she asked curiously. “Just some things about you, that I hope ain’t true.” He answered, glancing down at her bare legs from lack of pants. “Big guy, red hair, tattoos on his neck and wrist, and bad teeth?” she asked, describing the guard who refused to stop making explicit comments to and about her. “That’s the guy.” He answered. “Yeah, he didn’t do anything. He said he would, and he wasn’t exactly pleasant when he was putting the straps on, but he didn’t do anything. Jazz should’ve let you kill him though.” She smiled, leaning her head closer to his.

“Guys, not here okay?” Jazz snapped, she had been pacing the room stressing, while Beast had the communicator trying to work out a plan. Sabertooth, Magneto and Mystique were getting impatient, and Jack was still out. “Fine.” Lyrissa sighed, closing her eyes. “Can you do me a favor?” she asked Wolverine.

“Hm?”

“In my closet, all the way by the wall in the back, should be a chest. It’s kind of big, but I really want to take it with us if it’s still there.”

“Alright, we’ll get it.”

“Can you check and see if it’s still there?”

“Yeah. Hang on.”

He got up, and went into her walk in closet, and went to the back to find a large, old, luggage chest, which was right where she said it’d be. He picked it up and brought it out and put it next to the bed. “Dad left the key to Uncle Charlie, to give me when I was older. But we didn’t have the chest.” She explained, rubbing her hand over the top. “What’s in it?” he asked. “Stuff my mom wanted me to have, some stuff from their wedding, some of my old baby toys and things from when I was really little, pictures, and some videos I think. I don’t know, because I was never allowed to open it.” She smiled.

“They’re bringing the jet to the window.” Kiera announced happily. “Great.” Lyrissa sighed, she was so happy to be getting out of there. “How are they getting out though?” Jazz asked. “Not our problem.” Wolverine answered. “They’re coming with us, we can drop them off when we get far enough away from here.” Lyrissa stated firmly. “She tried to kill you!” Jazz hissed, not wanting to give away their hiding place, since they surprisingly hadn’t found them yet. “Look, when I was in that cell she helped me a lot. And I told her that if you came and got me, I’d take her with and get her out too. They’re coming with us.” She replied, there was no changing her mind, and everyone knew it.

Suddenly there was heavy fire outside the window, as the jet pulled up. “Time to go!” Jazz grinned as Magneto opened the window, which was big enough for everyone to get through. “We can’t get to the jet from here.” Lyrissa grunted as Wolverine picked her up, and caused quite a bit of pain in doing so. “Sure we can.” Jazz smiled, and made a path leading right to the door. “Everyone go! I gotta be last. Make it quick because I don’t know how long I can hold it!” She shouted. Kiera and Beast ran out, followed by Sabertooth and Jack, then Wolverine and Lyrissa, Magneto and Mystique, and finally Jazz went. Magneto used his powers to bring the chest into the jet for Lyrissa before they took off.

“Sparkles, you look… is, is she… Wolverine?” Box asked nervously. “No she’s not dead, she’s just very weak, and very tired right now. She’s actually awake, her eyes are just closed.” Jean smiled. “Oh.” He muttered blushing slightly at thinking Lyrissa was dead.
“And why are they here?” Max demanded, gesturing to the members of the Brotherhood that were on board. “She told Mystique she’d make sure she got out if we rescued her. We did, and so did she. We’re dropping them off as soon as we get away from this place.” Jazz explained. The jet was an awkward silence after that until Max caught Sparkles and Wolverine kissing in the back of the jet.

“Pay up Gambit! I told you they wouldn’t wait until they got home.” He smiled triumphantly. Magneto seemed shocked that they were together, and Mystique was too tired to pay it much mind. “I pay you when we get back, eh?” Gambit smiled. “As soon as we get back.” Max grinned. Most of the passengers didn’t care about Lyrissa and Logan’s kissing, but the few that did kept their eyes glued to them until the separated.

“Thank you so much for coming for me.” Lyrissa whispered tearfully as she clung to him still. “I wouldn’t leave ya in a place like that.” He smiled, rubbing her arm as he held her.

“Okay guys, we’re landing.” Cyclops announced from the front as they brought the jet down. “Thank you for your help. I doubt we would have made a clean escape without you.” Magneto nodded as they left the jet. “And thanks for yours, I would’ve been shot in the head twice if you didn’t catch the bullet both times.” Kiera smiled as the door closed, and everyone moved to their proper seats. Although, the jet was still a little overcrowded.
“Uhm, I didn’t wanna give you this while Sabertooth and everyone was watching, but here. Allie said we should bring them to make you feel better.” Andrew said as he handed Lyrissa her stuffed bear Beastie, and her pink blanket. “Thanks.” She smiled gratefully, and tried to cover up with the blanket, but couldn’t move enough without causing herself great pain. “Here, lemme get that fer ya.” Logan sighed, and covered her legs for her. “Thanks.” She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder and falling asleep.

She woke up half an hour later, gasping and looking around her quickly before grabbing Logan and sighing in relief. “What is it?” Storm asked. “I, I thought it was a dream, and I was still in the cell.” She breathed, trying to calm herself down. “You mean you dreamed and thought you just woke up?” Box asked. She nodded. “Harsh.” He and Jazz said together. “Well, it wasn’t a dream, and we’re almost home, so you’ll have a bed to sleep in, instead of that mat.” Kiera smiled. “Oh beds… I love beds.” Lyrissa sang sleepily. “Get some rest, we’ll wake ya up when we get back.” Rogue ordered happily, and Lyrissa listened without giving it a second thought. She was extremely tired.

“Lyrissa, wake up. C’mon we’re here.” Logan whispered, gently trying to shake her awake without hurting her. “I got it.” Andrew smiled, kneeling down in front of her, and putting his hands on either shoulder. “Sparkles… open your eyes or we’ll sing.” He smiled; she stirred, but stayed asleep. “I’m out.” Jazz announced and bolted from the jet. “I think I’ll go for a walk outside now, the summer sun’s callin’ my name!” he sang enthusiastically. “I hear ya now. I just can’t stay inside all day, gotta get out, get me some of those raaaayyyssss!” Box and Max joined in. “Stop.” She groaned. “Everybody’s smiling.” He whispered.

“Shut up.”

“Sunshine day!” the boys shouted.

“Everybody’s laughin’.” He smiled.

“Please stop.” She whined.

“Sunshine day!” “

Everybody seems to be happy today.”

“Logan make him quit.” She pleaded.

“It’s a sunshine day.” Andrew, Box, Max and Kiera sang together. “I ain’t gonna make him quit if it wakes ya up. We’re here.” Logan smirked. She whined and forced herself to stand up, but she was still weak and fell right back down. Logan and Andrew both caught her. “Well… she’s awake. I did my part.” Andrew smiled to Logan, who wasn’t amused, and was focusing more on Lyrissa. “Come on, we should go. Like she really wants to be seen pantsless anyway.” Box suggested, pulling Andrew along. He was mostly trying to keep Andrew from making a joke that got him hit by Wolverine. “I hate that song.” She muttered, sending Andrew a very angry scowl.

“I’m gonna carry ya to the infirmary, okay?” Logan chuckled quietly; her response to the singing was something he found pretty amusing. She nodded and let him pick her up after wrapping her blanket around her hips to try and cover the bright orange underwear that was showing. “Will you stay with me tonight?” she asked as they made their way to the infirmary. “Of course.” He smiled. “Please don’t leave me, okay?” she begged. “I won’t. I promise I ain’t goin nowhere.” He assured. She smiled and closed her eyes, welcoming the safe feeling she got with him; it had only been around a day and a half since she was captured, but it felt like an eternity to her and she needed him after all that.

Beast already had the infirmary set up for Lyrissa when they finally got there, including a bowl of warm water, and a soft rag, the same kind that would be used to bathe an infant, to clean the cuts and get some of the dirt off her skin. “I’ll let you handle getting her cleaned up, I think it would be more comfortable for her that way.” He smiled to Logan as he laid her down in the bed. She gave a small smile of thanks as he left the room.

Logan carefully, and hesitantly, undid the Velcro on the over shirt she was wearing, and helped her sit up so he could take it all the way off and put it on the table behind him. He could feel the hate he had for the men who took her grow when he saw the bruises and marks that almost covered her entire body from the experiments. He knew it was bad after seeing her legs, but her stomach, chest, and arms were worse. There were even a few bruises that resembled handprints around her upper arm, wrists, and one around the lower part of her neck. If she weren’t so tired at the time, she would’ve felt incredibly insecure with the way he was looking over her entire body, while she lay there in her underwear feeling highly vulnerable; but she was exhausted, and caring about it would take too much energy from her.

As he looked her over, he noted a few scratches and marks that he wanted to make sure got cleaned, and maybe have Hank bandage or something to keep them from getting infected. Two across her cheek, that looked like she had been scratched by something, or someone, one across her hip where she had hit the metal doorframe while being thrown back into her cell –though he didn’t know how she got it- and one around each wrist and ankle, that looked like it came from fighting against some restraints. He slowly took the rag out of the water, rang it out, and gently put it against the ones on her face.

She winced and gasped at the sudden pain, but relaxed slightly as she got used to the hot rag. He worked his way down her neck, to her shoulders, then down her arm and to the marks around her wrist. “It’s from when they were doing the shock treatments.” She explained quietly after seeing the way he was looking at it. He brought his eyes up to meet hers and raised his brow. “It started with me fighting to get lose, but eventually I was just flinching and tossing from being electrocuted. It’s probably gonna scar.” She sighed, closing her eyes as a few tears ran down her face. “Don’t cry, it’ll be okay. We’re gonna get ya all fixed up, and you’ll be fine.” He assured, and went back to washing her up.

He saved the cut across her hip last, because he would have to move her underwear down to clean it properly and he knew it would make her uncomfortable. He gently pulled the top of her boy shorts down her hip on that side only, and just far enough that the cut was uncovered after explaining to her what he had to do, and getting her permission. She held her breath unintentionally until he had finished and put a blanket over her to cover her up. “I’m gonna get Hank, and I’ll be right back.” He told her, carefully rubbing her shoulder. “Okay.” She whispered. With that he turned around and left the room.

Less than a minute later he came back with Hank following close behind. “According to Logan, you don’t have any life threatening injuries. That’s good.” He smiled, attempting to cheer her up. She grunted in response, and didn’t react at all when Logan sat down and took her hand as he started to check vitals and go about the routine medical examination.
“So she’s okay? I mean, I kind of saw what she looked like when Wolverine passed us on his way to the infirmary, but other than that, she’s okay?” Jubilee asked Gambit as they walked down the hall together. “Yeah, Beast think she gonna be fine Petit.” He smiled.

“We were all really worried about her. I’m so glad you could get her out of there.”

“Gambit glad too. Dat ain’t a good place to be.”

“I know. Max, Kiera, Jazz, and Box told me some things about it.”

“Well, maybe de Professor gonna get dem shut down. He been workin’ on it since de first time we go there. Now maybe dey listen to him. De sooner de better, no?”

“Yeah.”

“Gambie!” Allie shrieked, running down the hall at full speed, and heading right for him. “Allie!” he shouted back enthusiastically, dropping to his knee with his arms out to catch her. “How you doin’?” he asked as he stood up and kept walking with Jubilee. “Good! Spawkles is back because you saved her!” she beamed, hugging him tightly. “Just doin’ de job.” He smiled.

“So what you been doin’ all Halloween night?” he asked, seeing that she wasn’t in costume. “Playing hide and seek with Jubie, and Dante, and Jamie!” she smiled, looking lovingly at Jubilee. The way she was acting, it was almost impossible to tell her mother had disowned her to her face. “An’ who won?” he asked. “Uncle Chawie.” She giggled, snuggling into his chest and sighing happily. Gambit was one of her favorite people in the mansion, next to Lyrissa, Xavier, and Logan, in that order.

Suddenly Kiera screamed at the top of her lungs, and the sound of breaking glass could be heard from her bedroom. From where they stood, they could see Jazz run from Max’s room across the hall, and into hers, and then her scream was heard, even louder. “Better check dis out.” Gambit muttered to himself, handing Allie to Jubilee and running into Kiera’s room.
When he got to the open door, he saw Kiera standing on her desk, on her toes, and Jazz with one foot on her dresser, and the other on the vanity, her eyes wide and fixed on the bed. “GAMBIT!” Kiera exclaimed happily as soon as she saw him. “What happened?” he demanded, drawing his staff and expecting a fight. “It’s under the be-AHHHH!” Jazz screeched, leaping from her place, to the other side of the bed and standing on Kiera’s pillows. Gambit looked to where Kiera was staring in terror, and saw a big black spider crawling to the dresser. “Dis is what you be screamin’ over?” he asked in amusement. “Yes!” the girls shouted. “It just a little spider. Gambit get rid of him, an’ you be fine.” He smiled. “Don’t kill it!” Kiera shouted before he could squish it. “Den what you want me to do with it, Petit?” he asked in confusion. “I don’t know, trap it and let it go outside or something. It doesn’t deserve to die.” She answered awkwardly.

“What’s with all the screaming?” Jean asked as she joined Jubilee by the door. “There’s a spider in Kiera’s room, and she and Jazz are stuck on the furniture, and she won’t let Gambit squish it.” She answered. Jean sighed and telekinetically picked up the spider. “Move.” She smiled to Jubilee, who was holding Allie’s hand. Gambit stepped out of the way, and Kiera joined Jazz on the bed. Once the coast was clear, Jean took the spider downstairs, and out the front door. “There, all gone.” She called up the stairs and continued her way to the kitchen. “Thanks!” the girls shouted down the hall after her.

“What is all gone?” Storm asked as Jean joined her and Scott at the table, accepting the cup of coffee that was pushed her way. “The spider that was in Kiera’s room.” She smiled. “So that’s what the screaming was about.” Scott mused. “Uh-huh. And poor Gambit wasn’t allowed to just squish it, because Kiera wouldn’t let him.” She giggled. “That does sound like her.” Storm smiled.

“So, have you found out how Lyrissa’s doing? She looked pretty bad when they got to the jet.” Scott asked. “The Professor said she’s going to be fine.” Jean sighed. “Jean, ‘going to be’? How is she now?” he pushed. Jean sighed and looked into her coffee. “She’s going to be fine. Her thoughts are all over the place, she’s terrified to fall asleep now, because she could wake up and this all would be a dream. She looks like a bus has hit her, when I went to visit her for a little while; she was just staring blankly at the ceiling, trying not to cry. She’s exhausted Scott, but she won’t rest, and Logan was saying something to Hank about the things they said about her, and to her, to make her feel even worse. On top of beating her nearly to death, they had to verbally abuse her too.” She was speaking through gritted teeth by the end of her explanation. “But she will recover?” Storm asked worriedly. “According to the Professor she will.” She sighed, dismissing her anger at the people who were cruel enough to put anyone through the hell that Lyrissa had been through.

“She will be just fine. The Professor has already helped her in dismissing the fears that she will wake up in the cell with Mystique. Apparently, she had had dreams before where we came and rescued her, and she was living back here in the mansion, and been awakened by a guard for another experiment.” Beast sighed as he too joined their little gathering. “Did he say what else must be done to help her?” Storm asked. “Convincing her that she is safe here, and that they won’t come and take her back; but he has decided that that will come in time as she heals.” He answered.

“It’s not right, how could they do that to her? To anyone, but especially her! She’s not even twenty years old! Not to mention, all she does is care, and love, and sparkle while doing it! I mean, how could they even begin to think that she deserved that?” Scott snapped, banging his fist on the table. “I don’t know Scott, I didn’t take the time to read their minds. I was too busy keeping them alive, something I’m now wondering if it was the right thing to do.” Jean muttered the last part to herself, but it was still heard. “It was the right thing to do, because we would be no better than they are if we hadn’t spared them.” Storm replied sternly. “I know, I just wonder how many others they have there, that we left behind. How many others will they kidnap and throw into those cells?” she asked. “There were no others there at the time. Jack, Sabertooth, Mystique, and Lyrissa were their only test subjects at the time Jean; we left no one behind. Second, the Professor has already contacted the people needed to close them down for good.” Beast smiled comfortingly. She nodded, thankful that they hadn’t left anyone, and sipped her coffee.

Back in the infirmary, Lyrissa had finally given in and fallen asleep. Xavier was on one side, gently stroking the hairline on her forehead, while Logan was on the other, holding her hand and playing with her hair. She had begged them both not to leave her, and not to let them get her until she finally fell under sleep’s spell.

As he looked at her, he couldn’t see the nineteen-year-old young woman who was in front of him. All Xavier could see, was the little girl he had adopted as his niece. The seven-year-old who would beg him to watch her tricks on the playground, the same little girl who would ask for rides with him in his chair like it was the best carnival ride money could buy. He could remember perfectly the way she would sit with stars in her eyes, as he would read her books, or tell stories. It pained him deeply to see that little girl lying in the infirmary bed, black and blue, and afraid to sleep. He knew that she would recover sometime, and regain her sparkle, but at the time, he knew that when she woke up, it would be a while before she got there.