Blueshift

Blueshift Chapter Fifteen (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… wheee, two chapter day… InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena are loverly and wondermous for archiving/hosting. :) ProPhile: Tonight. Morgan: *glomp * Readers/Reviewers: Smut soon. Loooooooooots of smut soon…


Emma laid out full length on the couch, her feet propped on the arm of it. She stared at the toes of her stiletto heels and the thought crossed her mind that they were ridiculous. _Who are you trying to impress? They’re not comfortable. They weren’t comfortable even when you were sixteen… _ She blinked slowly and turned her head to face Charles. He was speaking to her and she was not listening. Her head felt full, sloshing almost, as if everything in her skull had become gelatinous and hot. The voices had stopped but the feelings had not. No, not stopped, she corrected herself. They were still there but it had become something more of a jumble and buzz as opposed to individual voices. She could no longer make out what each one was saying but it hurt, it made her bones ache and her skin crawl with pain. “What?” she managed, barely a whisper. It took too much effort to speak. Her body was becoming subservient to her mind. She wondered if she was dying and found that, contrary to what people always told her, she did not regret anything.
“Emma, look at me,” Professor Xavier said softly. He did not dare try to use telepathy now. He could feel the mess in her mind and the radiating pain and fear and that scared him more than anything he could remember. For Emma Frost to feel such fear, something dire must be wrong, something beyond his ability to help. She turned pale eyes towards him and he winced inwardly. “Nystagmus1,” he murmured to Beast. He could feel the dull ache that had been with him since he had awakened spreading through his skull and he knew it would not be long before he had to remove himself from company. “I can’t sort her out from what is going on in her mind. Henry, I think she is best served in the medical bay. I’m not sure what is going on and until we’re certain she is not going to harm herself or others, I would be more comfortable with her under observation.”
Beast nodded. “Jean is in there already. Her headaches grew too great,” he picked up Emma as if she were a baby and the woman did not even seem to notice. “I gave her some migraine medication and a mild sedative but, Charles, I think you should call Scott. She’s asking for him.”
Professor Xavier nodded and sighed, the door swinging open before Beast and shutting after him. The ache was persistent, gnawing at his thoughts, distracting him. He moved to his desk, striving to block out the voices and feelings, putting up his strongest shields. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, pushing the breath out forcefully, visualizing the confusing being pulled from him on the waft of air. He paused, waiting. Jamie’s knock on the door caught him surprisingly off guard. “Yes?”
“Professor Xavier,” the young man said hesitantly, peeking around the edge of the door. “Doctor Jacobs is here from the observatory…”
“Come in,” Professor Xavier smiled, though the expression did not extend past his lips. “So nice to meet you.” The pain in his neck shot through him then, lancing his eyes with blinding light. He inhaled sharply, a wave of nausea overtaking him. One word formed in his mind, one feeling and a need beyond all others. _*HELP*_

Logan cracked his neck and sat heavily in the thick snow. Sabretooth lay bleeding several yards away. Most of the bar patrons had scattered in the first few minutes of their fight. The rest left as soon as Logan had thrown Sabretooth into the bar, ripping down the chicken wire that had been the barrier in their cage, the large man becoming tangled in it as he tried to struggle to his feet after decimating the bar itself. Now, hours later, they were alone. Mostly. Logan could hear some people in the distance, coming closer. They smelled like alcohol, barely noticeable on the cold air but still present. Sabretooth was panting, heaving himself to his feet now and coming towards him with slow, almost erratic steps, weaving from side to side. Logan had lost track of time. He hurt. His body was slow to heal, or at least slow for him. A cut on his arm was just starting to close and his joints ached. He pushed himself to his feet as Sabretooth stopped mere feet from him. “Still thinking you’re gonna take me back?” he snapped.
“Yeah,” Sabretooth rumbled. “Later.”
Logan stared, honestly shocked. The other man turned his back and lumbered into the trees, trailing blood from his leg and ribs, breathing raggedly. “Hey!” Don’t walk away from me!”
“Logan?”
He stopped then shook his head as if to clear it. “Hey! Get back here!” he shouted, now jogging towards the trees where Sabretooth had just disappeared.
“Logan!”
He strong wind blew up from no where, blinding him with snow. He gasped, the cold biting his skin, and threw his arms up to cover his face. Bending against the wind, he turned to the source of the voice. “Ororo?” he choked in the cold air. Storm was above him, her hands extended, the snow and wind seeming to radiate from him. As he tried to catch his breath, she came to rest on the ground and lowered her hands, the wind dying and snow settling in it’s wake. “Storm?” he chanced, taking half a step towards her.
The white cleared from her eyes and she stared. “Is it you,” she murmured, “really and truly?”
He nodded and took another step, then another, then a final one, stopping before her. “How did you find me?” he asked, reaching for her but not touching her. “I’ve been lost…”
She knew he did not mean physically. “You’re hard to hide,” she replied. She wanted to kiss him and hold him, to put her fingers to the marks on his skin and torn clothing, but instead she stepped back, aware they were being watched. “We don’t have much time, Logan. Can you run?” He nodded, staring at her hungrily. “We can talk in the Blackbird. Follow me.” She took to the air again, staying within view, moving north.
Logan groaned under his breath and started to run after her, aware of the eyes on him as he followed. It was all too odd, Sabretooth abandoning the fight just because of Storm, but he was not going to question it yet. _I’ll beat it out of him back in Bayville… _
1 http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=nystagmus