"Do you think this new mutant will join us?"

Xavier turned his head to look at his friend Ororo. The woman had appeared out of the hallway, looking slightly worried. The professor smiled to himself; she always was like this whenever the idea of a new mutant joining them came into play. Not because she did not like the idea, but because she always worried over the others and how they would react. She certainly was good at looking after her own. He turned his chair around to face her, his expression calm as ever.

"We can never be certain," he replied carefully, "but we have good reason to try, and you know that, Storm."

She smiled a little and came over to him. "I know that, Professor. And you probably know that it is just my worries over the children getting to me. Especially Evan." She hugged her arms slightly, glancing away as she thought about her nephew.

"I do," he said a bit more cheerfully, "and I understand that recent.. skirmishes with other mutants have everyone slightly anxious. Mystique and her new 'recruits' are cause for concern. There is no telling if she got to this mutant first." He began to move forward, gesturing for her to walk with him.

"That is another thing that worries me," the woman replied, walking beside him. "Mystique has been growing bolder as of late."

"That stunt she pulled with Rogue was indeed a bit alarming," Xavier said with a nod.

Ororo also nodded. "And the students have not exactly been reacting well to the idea that other mutants are fighting them."

"They are teenagers," the man chuckled lightheartedly. "Having rivalries is no surprise, and as long as they do not take it too far, we needn't stress over it too much. They could all learn something from it." He paused, reaching up and placing his hand on Ororo's arm for comfort. "I understand that you are worried, Storm, but we cannot let that worry cloud or thinking, or our judgement. Whether it be worries over Mystique or the students. All we can do for now is wait, and hope that our efforts are being put to good use." He smiled at her calmly.

The woman looked down at him softly, returning the smile gently and nodding her head with a small sigh. "You are right, Professor," she said softly.

Xavier opened his mouth to reply, but he paused when he heard the familiar sound of the BlackBird's engine in the distance. Both of them turned their heads in the direction of the noise, curiously staring off in the distance as if they were watching it arrive. The professor smiled softly and turned back to Ororo with a gentle satisfaction in his eyes.

"It would seem they have arrived," he told her. He turned his chair around and began heading to the lounge room. In his mind, he searched for Jean, slinking away from her thoughts as he relayed his own message to her.

Meet me in the lounge room.

~

It was nearly ten minutes later when the trio arrived, with their guest in tow. Xavier had begun to get worried about them, relieved to see that none of them were harmed, and that the mutant was with them. He smiled at his students and old friend before turning his gaze to the young woman. She was trailing behind Logan, holding his arm as she did her best to hide behind him. She looked incredibly nervous, and before the professor could block her off, he saw fearful images and thoughts in her mind.

"I'm glad to see that you've returned," he said to his friends.

The three of them nodded, while the woman gazed at him, her strange colored as gazing at him, almost into him. He suddenly felt slightly uncomfortable and cleared his throat, giving her a smile while leaning forward slightly.

"And I'm also very glad to see that you came with them," he told her welcomingly. "What is your name?"

She continued to stare at him, her eyes glazing over for a moment. Her shoulders seemed to relax for a moment before she jumped, scooting farther behind Logan. A little confused, Xavier raised an eyebrow at the shorter man, who rolled his eyes slightly behind his mask.

"Not sure what you're going to get out of her, Chuck. She didn't answer any of our questions," he said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Behind him, the woman visibly flinched, glancing down at her bare feet and biting her lip.

Xavier nodded, his expression soft as he moved his chair forward a little bit. "There is no need to be nervous. You are safe, welcome, here. We want to help you."

The mutant turned her gaze back to him, her eyes fearful. Her whole body looked tense, like prey ready to flee at a moment's notice. He wondered what had happened to this young woman. Deciding not to make her more uncomfortable, he turned his attention back to his students.

"Where did you find her?" he asked them.

Scott raised his head. "In an old warehouse. It looked like it used to be a lab."

"It looked like the building was beginning to collapse," Jean added, stepping forward.

"The scent was still strong, though," Logan said, a darker tone in his voice. "There had to have been activity there in the last week."

"You didn't say anything about that," Jean said, looking at him with a hint of worry in her eyes.

The man scoffed. "Well, I'm saying it now. Whatever was going on over there wasn't pretty."

"Hm," Xavier murmured quietly, thinking these things over. "But you said that the warehouse was on the verge of collapsing?" He frowned a little as they nodded their heads before once again turning his attention to their new mutant guest. "Would you like to tell us what happened?"

The woman's eyes widened and she gasped slightly when he spoke to her. For a moment, he thought he had startled her, but then she swallowed anxiously and vigorously shook her head. He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, studying her further. He would not read her mind, not without asking or necessity, but he did want to know what had occurred there.

"Listen, snowflake, you're gonna hafta answer the Prof's questions sooner or later," Logan said, stepping to the side to let her out in the open a bit more. "Might as well make it now."

"I don't think she wishes to speak of it, Logan," Xavier said gently. "But there is an alternative way. Would it be alright if I searched through your memories?"

Both the girl and Jean jumped. Jean looked doubtful while the other looked startled, maybe even terrified. "Again, no one here is forcing you to do anything. It is just a suggestion."

At this point, she had backed away from Logan a few steps, looking ready to bolt out the door. She was shaking and rubbing her arms, her eyes darting back and forth between each person. Sweat had begun to form on her brow and her breathing grew uneasy and quick.

"Hey," Logan called, his voice a little less gruff than before. "Look, like I said, we're not gonna hurt ya. We're just doin our best to help ya, and figure things out." He turned and walked towards her, holding out his hands.

"He is correct. And if you would not like to answer our questions now, that is perfectly alright," the professor said. "We can wait until you are ready." He smiled at her in what he hoped was a comforting manner, placing his hands on his lap.

She took another step back, watching them. Her face was a mixture of so many emotions, it was difficult to tell what she was really feeling. Her eyes locked onto Xavier for a few moments, and once again he felt that strange, uncomfortable feeling, like she was searching him. Her gaze then turned to Logan once more, her face shifting again, but still unreadable. The only thing Xavier could make out was fear, but that slowly seemed to melt away as she relaxed. Nodding, she closed her eyes and tried to even her breathing. Logan walked over to her slowly, cautiously taking her shoulders again and leading her back to the others. She rubbed her hands together as she stopped in front of the professor, nodding her head once at him, but still not uttering a word.

"I'm glad you understand," he told her warmly, "and I hope you will grow to become more comfortable with us. We are your friends."

She only nodded again, her eyes finally flickering back up to him for a brief moment. For that split second, he saw a distant sparkle of hope in those eyes, before she glanced away again and it was gone. He felt his heart relax a little, understanding that she was slowly coming around. 

"Is it too much to ask what your.. you know, mutant gift is?" Scott asked after a few moments of awkward silence, looking over to the shorter woman. 

She glanced up at him, her face unsure and, once again, fearful. She backed up against Logan and turned her attention back to the floor. The four of them exchanged glances, Wolverine shaking his head. "Maybe we should just go with the prof's machine," he said with a sigh. 

Xavier nodded his head, turning his chair around. "Follow me," he told the others gently. They did so without any words, the new mutant still at Logan's side, her eyes darting this way and that. The five of them walked through the hall, reaching the secret corridor where Cerebro was kept. The professor tapped a button on his wheelchair and the wall seemed to fold over itself. It opened to reveal a room stuffed with machinery, the famous Cerebro in the center. All of them entered, still silent, and Xavier gently took the helmet and placed it on his head.

He turned to the new mutant with a smile on his face. "Now don't be alarmed. This machine will-"

Xavier stopped short when he heard sudden and irregular breathing. His eyes widened when he saw the woman, her entire expression altered into horror. Her breath now came in panicked gasps and sweat formed along her brow and neck. Her eyes stared straight ahead, the pupils dilated in fear. Her entire body was shaking and her knees suddenly buckled. Logan let out a little cry of surprise as she began to fall forward, his grip on her slipping as she dropped to her knees. He crouched over her, looking ready to pick her back up, but froze suddenly. The professor was about to ask what was wrong when she suddenly screamed. 

And then reality turned into a nightmare. 

Xavier gasped as the room around them suddenly turned red, like it was on fire with blood. Involuntary panic swept over him, and evidently over the others, too. Jean screamed as a large, dark shadow, taking the form of a monstrous creature, slithered over the room, holding something like a needle in its clawed hand. More and more of them appeared, and the image became more disordered and strange. The figures each held a syringe or a bottle or some other medical or scientific equipment. The room went from red, to a flash of dark grey and bright lights, then back to red. The shadows flickered from monstrous to human as the flew all over the room. They would heavily approach them, like a pouncing predator, and then, screeching horribly, shrink back. Jean and Scott were panicking, Logan was frozen, and the professor was terribly frightened himself. 

He suddenly remembered that the mutant girl was curled up on the floor, having forgotten all about her in the sudden change of events. She was covering her head and shaking horribly, sobbing horribly and occasionally letting out a terrified cry. Though he was still frightened, he calmed down a little, realizing that this event was most likely because of her. He moved his wheelchair forward quickly, stopping just in front of her and bending over her to the best of his ability, despite the fact that the terrifying shadows roared at him. He grabbed her left hand with his own, in an attempt to comfort her. However, she jumped up, startled, and screamed again, stumbling back and bumping into Logan. The X-Man snapped out of his trance when she tumbled into him, instinctively wrapping his arms around her and holding her still, his eyes a little wider in shock. 

"Alright, I have no idea what's going on, but you need to calm down!" he said loudly over the strange noises all around them. His grip on her loosened a little bit, but he kept a firm hold on her, even as she tried to slide away. "Ya hear me? Calm down! Whatever this is, it isn't real!"

Xavier gasped suddenly, feeling something grab his arm. He looked up, eyes widening in fright, when he saw that one of the shadow monsters had snatched him, growling at him fiercely. It's gaping mouth opened, and slowly, words formed out of them. "Do.. not.. TOUCH THE MUTANT!"

The others screamed as the same thing began to happen to them, the monsters growling the same message to them. Logan snarled as one snatched his arm as well and tried to pull him away from her, turning his head to glare at it, teeth bared. He roared back at it, letting one arm loose and raising his fist. The familiar sound of his metal claws being released stung the air and he slashed at his attacker, growling loudly. The claws, however, never met the creature. It only passed through the shadow, making the giant thing flicker in and out of whatever existence they were now inside. 

"Listen!" he shouted again, turning back to the woman. "None of this is real! No one is here to hurt ya! You have to trust me!"

The girl finally opened her eyes, the strange color of them now heavily accented, almost glowing. She stared at him with horror in her face, then glancing around in the room. She gasped, as if surprised at where she was. Tears suddenly fell from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks, and she hastily reached up and grabbed his arm. She whimpered as she squeezed her eyes closed again, her eyelashes now soaked with her tears. The scene around them suddenly looked like it was washed away with water, the red disappearing to reveal the normal room. The shadows faded away, their cries slowly disappearing. The girl opened her eyes again a moment later, looking relieved as her shoulders relaxed and her breathing returned to normal. For a few moments, everyone remained still, taking everything in. 

Scott let out a shaky sigh as he helped Jean stand up from off the floor. "Okay, what in the world was that?!" he asked, his voice slightly panicked.

Xavier sat back up straight in his chair, heaving a sigh of relief, glad that it was over. He turned his gaze to the woman who now sat up against Logan, who was on his knees with his arm still around her. The Wolverine sighed a little, looking at the professor and back to the her. She sighed heavily as the professor stared at her, her eyes still pooling with tears as she glanced down. Then, barely above a mutter, a gentle, tiny voice fluttered from her mouth. 

"I'm sorry..."

The professor's eyes softened and he shook his head gently. "It is quite alright. I understand that you are upset. Was there something that.. triggered it?" he asked her softly. 

She swallowed and slowly nodded her head, pointing up. He followed her finger, but it was just absentmindedly pointing up. He pondered over what she meant for a moment, but then her hand moved towards the giant machine of his in the center of his room. Something clicked in his head as he realized that it was the room that scared her; perhaps something that reminded her of her past, whatever it was. 

"I apologize. I did not realize that Cerebro would upset you," he said, his voice gentle. "We do not have to continue, if you do not wish to. We do not want to make you feel uncomfortable."

For a moment, she was silent, her gaze still to the floor. Her hands, still holding Logan's arm, twitched a little as her grip tightened. She sniffed slightly, one hand reaching up and wiping her eyes before she finally looked back up at Xavier. She shook her head and relaxed, taking a few deep breaths, leaning her head back on Logan's chest. 

"No. Keep going."

~

SORRY NOT SORRY I LOVE DAD LOGAN TOO MUCH-

Though I am sorry if this chapter seems kinda out of place. I dunno, to me it seemed to random, like it all happened so fast..

Man I lose confidence in myself quick.

I hope you guys still liked this chapter, despite its... flaws.