Sorry it's been so long, chaps. I'd had no idea where to go with this, until just a few days ago. But I hope it was worth the wait, and I promise the next chapter won't take so long to come--

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Toad was tossed through the air to crash in the brush, ribs aching and the breath knocked out of him, but relatively unharmed. He was up and bouncing again as the laser sliced through where he'd tumbled seconds before.

They'd been ambushed leaving the safety of the forest and now they were fighting to stay alive as four Sentinels surrounded and attempted to separate and capture or destroy them.

The Cajun had proven to be an asset as card flew from his outstretched hands to explode over the mammoth machine. The Asian woman, Betsy, fought with a ferocity only matched by the berserker Wolverine, but hers was skilled and controlled as she leapt out of reach and attacked with psychic knives. Tabitha was slower than the others and obviously not as practiced, but her fervor was unparalleled. She screamed as she threw ball after of exploding energy. Storm was amass of power. She levitated just above the robots and called upon the forces of nature to aid her task. The young man from Kentucky, who called himself Cannonball was on the ground, looking dazed after shooting himself up and straight through the center of one of the Sentinels, igniting his legs like a firecracker.

Toad fought with anger no one but he would ever understand. He fought back the oppression, the manipulation and torture that would come at the hands of the robot's makers. He knew, because he'd lived with it all his life. So, bleeding from a good cut on his arm and nursing several badly bruised ribs he jumped again to land on one of the massive shoulders and throw everything he had into destroying it.

He was a man possessed, not fighting to live, but fighting to die. He saw Tabitha knocked to the side with a half scream that wrenched at his heart when it stopped. He looked up, almost blinded by the light of the crackling lightning that thudded into the machine beside the one he worked on. He saw nothing and no one and rent his body attacking something twelve times his size.

He didn't stop kicking and beating at it with all his strength until a hand grabbed his shoulder, wrenching him back to the reality that they Sentinels all laid destroyed and the fight was over.

He looked up, breathing heavily, unable to see through the blood that poured over his right eye. He didn't even remember sustaining the injury. It was Storm whose hand was on his shoulder, anchoring him back to reality and leading him off the battleground under the trees.

She led him toward a pile of rocks, sitting him down to crouch and dab at the blood covering his face. He didn't say a word, still lost in the battle, staring into space and swallowing reflexively every so often.

"Where you trying to kill yourself?" Storm asked, as she taped up the cut over his brow, and moved to examine his arms.

"Wot?" Toad blinked, looking at her with some confusion.

"I have never seen a man fight like that before. You held back nothing to survive with."

He didn't answer at first, not sure how to respond; somewhat confused that Storm would notice or care.

"If they take me, I'd rather be dead," He finally answered honestly.

It was Storm's turn to be silent as she wrapped up his arm, another injury he'd missed and sat back to look at him with a scrutiny that made him blush in spite of the fact he was a noted terrorist and assassin.

"We are counting on you, do not get yourself killed…I do not think Magneto would deal as kindly without your presence."

Toad cocked his head in thought, and leaned forward to take pressure off his ribs.

"Don' worry about me, peaches," The words were snide, but his tone betrayed him, "Magneto'll want a piece of the action, doesn' matter 'o delivers it to 'im."

She shook her head at him, as though in pity. He hated pity, and wanted it least of all from her, but he said nothing. Uncharacteristically silent. Maybe she'd heard it in his tone. He didn't want to see Magneto again. He did this for the children.

Tabitha groaned and rubbed at her head beside him, a large bruise staining her otherwise perfect complexion. She sat up, shirt badly torn, scratches already covered with bandages, though they were stained with blood. Toad turned away from her, he was no leader, didn't know how he thought he could have been.

Storm could take care of it. She was obviously accustomed to giving orders and having them followed. Toad was just used to looking out for himself. He'd see Magneto tomorrow. He didn't think he was ready to handle it. But this wasn't about comfort, this was a War.

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Tabitha was more her bright and chipper self as they started out again. Hurriedly, not knowing what radio message the mechanical monsters could have sent out before being destroyed. There was no time to waste.

She stayed near Toad, sensing perhaps his growing unease, or maybe just realizing he was more badly injured than the rest of them. But then, he'd taken out two of the Sentinels by himself. Tabitha had never seen anything like it.

He didn't even argue when she took his arm, more heavily muscled than she'd realized. He just kept his eyes straightforward, and she'd seen a muscle in his jaw clench. Something was troubling him, she was certain. She was used to his constant brooding and bad humor by now, but it seemed the closer they got to Magneto the more drawn and distant his one time cohort became.

She wondered why they had gone their separate ways to begin with, and assumed it must have something to do with her new friends worsening mood. Even Storm wasn't giving him as much of a hard time since the fight with the Sentinels, which Tabby almost took as a bad sign.

When they approached the city, it was evening, the sun just disappearing behind the skyline. It would have been beautiful had their purpose not been so dark. Had she not been so frightened.

Where would they look? She eyed Toad, who was searching the sky for something she didn't see. His head was cocked thoughtfully; he seemed to be waiting for…there was a slight tremor to the ground. Storm looking up concernedly.

"More Sentinels?" She asked, her stance already becoming defensive.

But Toad was smiling, a dark sardonic smile, and shook his head.

"Oh no luv, that's not Sentinels."

And he left Tabitha's side, running along the dark streets toward something no one else could sense. But Toad knew what he was doing. Tabitha was sure of it, so she darted after him, the others following suit.

The streetlights came on as they passed, either by chance or because someone was aware of their movement, Tabitha didn't know, but she forced herself to run faster, lest Toad outrun them all. The streets were deserted, a feeling of anxiety and foreboding heavy in the air. And still Toad ran.

Her lungs felt about to burst, a stitch in her side stabbing painfully with every pump of her legs, and Toad stopped before her at the mouth of an alleyway. Standing in shadow, the street illuminated before him, torn up and gouged with the rivets of an earthquake.

'Ello, Erik," His soft voice cut through the still night, and carried easily over the street and all it's carnage, "It's been a long time."