Fallen Angels

V1, Issue 5

"Iceman, No More" Part 2 of 2

By Beaubier and Sue Penkivech

"It's definitely one of those days," Paige thought to herself, scanning the area for any other Weapon X threats.  She'd seen JP take out Sauron as he swooped in, seen Jono and Kurt occupied with Wild Child, "Is there anyone else.." "Hey!" she exclaimed aloud as strong arms lifted her off the ground, which was soon nothing more than a blur beneath her.  "What the hell?" she asked as she began ripping off the skin on her arms, preparing to change into a simple but strong metallic form. 

"Please, don't do that where I can see you," she heard, and turned her head to see that it was Jean-Paul who'd picked her up.  And who was looking at her with distaste.

"Why…I mean, what'd you do that for?" she asked, relaxing, then throwing her arms around his neck as she realized just how fast they were moving.  And just how high up.  She'd need to finish morphing, and soon, but she could hold off until they were on solid ground again.  In the meantime, she concentrated on clinging to Jean-Paul and not looking down.  She flattened her hands on his back, felt the hard line of his shoulderblades under his costume. He was a lot more muscular than she'd realized, she reflected.  She dismissed the thoughts that immediately popped into her head – she was not interested in Jean-Paul.  Not at all.  Not the least bit interested in a teammate who would never, could never return the affection. 

It was awfully…comfortable…here in his arms, watching the landscape disappear beneath them. Strangely warm, despite the speed at which they were moving, and his arms were so tight around her waist...

But that didn't mean she was interested.  Not at all.  Just observant. 

"I presumed that you didn't wish to be attacked by Wild Child while your attention was focused elsewhere," Jean-Paul observed sarcastically.  "If I was mistaken, and it was actually some strategy on your part, I apologize for having misinterpreted."

"Oh, no, I ummm," she stammered.  "Thank you," she finally choked out, gracelessly.

"Perhaps we should return now, though?" he said, and she clung even tighter as they turned abruptly and headed back to the fight.  "I'm sure your boyfriend could use our help."

"Jono's not my boyfriend," she protested weakly.

"Non?  Well, I suppose you would know," he replied as he set her down on the ground.  She clung to him a moment longer, until she was sure her legs would stay steady under her, then let go.  Turning her back so Jean-Paul wouldn't have reason to protest, she finished shedding her skin, exchanging flesh for steel, and surveyed the scene.

Wild Child was down, she saw; apparently Kurt had taken him out while they'd been airborne.  Sauron still unconscious – and another man on the ground, backing away from Jono, whose chest was radiating bionuclear energy. And his eyes were radiating something even scarier. Looked just as dangerous as the fluctuating heat at his chest, in fact.

Shit.  This was not good.

She ran toward them, coming up behind the man who was on the ground, frantically trying to scramble his way backwards. 

"You chose to do it," the man, who on closer examination she recognized as Jackson, was saying.  "I didn't force you, it was your choice – and we did restore your face, just as we promised, didn't we?"

Jono's chest flared brighter, and Paige held her breath, not willing to even concede the possibility that Jono would kill the man.  

"I should do it," she heard Jono say.  "Yer know I should.  Take the easy way out.  But I do owe yer a bit for the face," he added as the light emanating from his chest dimmed, causing Paige to let out the air "So get outta here.  And don't come back.  Don't bother  with the X-Men, or the Fallen Angels, or Aurora.  They're warned, now, and I'm gonna be watchin' yer. 

Paige couldn't hear what the Jackson replied, but saw him get to his feet and continue backing away from Jono, as if afraid he would change his mind.  And wondered what, exactly, Jono had been through to make him even consider killing the man.  The Jono she had known would never even consider such a tactic...

But then, this was clearly not the Jono she had known. And the hate still flashing in his eyes, as he watched Jackson haul his pterodactyl comrade off the ground laboriously, wasn't even the most obvious sign.

"We're just letting them go?" Jean-Paul suddenly shouted, obviously at Kurt.

"Chamber...?" Kurt walked, slowly, carefully, to the younger man's side, laid a tentative hand on his shoudler. "Should we stop them?"

"Yes!" Northstar flashed to his side. "They did this to my sister!"

"Na, mate. Let it go. They won't be back." Jono's voice was flat, cold suddenly. Nothing like it had been only moments ago, as he'd threatened another man's life. "They're useless. I know everything. Weapon X is done for. They'll be the ones on the run soon."

Kurt nodded, solemnly, "We don't have the facilities to hold them anyhow. Jonothan... are you alright, mein freund?"

Paige watched as her ex-boyfriend turned his head only slightly, to look her in the eye.

So handsome, that face. Full, pouty lips, and a perfect chin, pale cheeks and strong jaw. But she didn't recognize any of it, as he stared at her, for just a moment. Even the eyes, still burning like hot coals with the aftermath of his flash of hatred. Even those didn't look the same.  Not like that.

Paige was familiar with the feeling of turning to stone. But she'd never noticed that her heart could do it, as well as her skin, before that moment. But it suddenly seemed to slow down, and grow very heavy inside her chest, as she watched him watching her.

"Awright, Kurt," he finally muttered, after a long silence that no one seemed willing to interrupt, even the impatient Jean-Paul, tapping his foot at Jono's side. "Just... need to sleep for a week or two, an' I'll be fit to scrap again."

Jono blinked, slowly. And suddenly started to collapse. Paige took a step forward, gasping, reaching out for him. But a suprisingly unstartled Jean-Paul had already caught him, and was holding him under the arms, propping him against his chest. "I suppose that means he doesn't want to talk about it," The Canadian mutant intoned, dryly, as Jono's head lolled to one side, and eventually settled on his shoulder.

"I'll take him inside," Kurt held out his arms, and Jean-Paul deposited the unconscious Jono in them unceremoniously. "You two search, make sure Weapon X is gone. Jean-Paul, please inform Paige of Bobby's condition. And Paige, call Jubilee, tell her to come home and take a nap, or she'll end up like Jono."

Jean-Paul nodded at him, mutely, wearing his best "I'm not listening, can we go now?" expression, and Paige said, "Of course," just as Kurt disappeared in a puff of smoke and brimstone.

A million different emotions pulled at Paige, in the split second after they disappeared, while she was looking at Jean-Paul. Guilt, pleasure, fear, confusion, and that strange sinking sensation inside of her that she couldn't quite place, were all at the top of the list.

Jean-Paul, however, seemed unaffected by nearly everything. "Now that's done, I'll check the grounds quickly. You call Jubilee."

"Can I come with you?" She blurted out, quickly.

Jean-Paul raised an eyebrow at her.

"To the hospital, I mean... if Jubilee is coming home, she can stay with Jono..."

"I'm sure," his expression suddenly softened, and he looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back up and catching her eyes again. "We should get back to Bobby as soon as possible."

She didn't have time to ask what that was supposed to mean, because he suddenly blurred and disappeared in a flash. But she took it to mean that Bobby was not in good shape.

And felt her heart sink just a little further.

_____________________________________________

"It's getting colder in here," Jubilee complained to Kitty, blowing on her hands.  "Yo, earth to Kitty," she added when the other girl didn't answer.

"Huh?" Kitty asked, looking up at her from her post next to Bobby's bed.  She'd been sitting there since Jubilee got back, her face pale, her red-rimmed eyes just staring at Bobby, but Jubilee suspected she wasn't really seeing him.  She hadn't even drunk her expresso, and, damn it, it was really getting cold in here.  If she hadn't known the coffee was cold by now, she'd have drunk it herself, just to warm up.

"I said it's getting really cold," she repeated, wondering just what was going on.  She hadn't seen Kitty look like this since…

Since Illyana had died.  Damn.

"What aren't you telling me?" she demanded, suddenly.  "Did that doctor tell you something while I was gone?  He's dying, isn't he?"

"No," Kitty replied, shaking her head as she turned her focus back to the frozen figure on the bed.  "He can't.  He promised.  You hear that, Bobby Drake?  You promised."

Jubilee stared at Kitty, convinced, finally, that her older teammate had lost her mind.  Just then there was a knock at the door, followed immediately by a large, blue, furry figure entering, Dr. Rai trailing behind in his wake.

"Hank, you came!" she exclaimed, running over and hugging him, suddenly filled with confidence that everything would be ok.  Cuz there was no way that Hank was going to let Bobby die.  No way at all.  "I knew you would!"

"Well, Jubilation, as I most clearly stated that I would be here as rapidly as possible, taking into account the maximum velocity of Shi'ar enhanced aircraft and weather conditions, it would be a reasonable conclusion," he replied, grinning as he ruffled her hair.  She shook her head and pulled back.

"Knock that off," she protested.  Damn, wouldn't these people ever admit she had grown up?  All the reasons that she had left the mansion popped back into her head, abruptly.  "I'm not five, you know.  Besides, I'd think you'd have something a bit more important on your mind than messing with me, huh?"

"You are correct, Jubilation, and I apologize," Hank answered, a guilty look on his face as he moved toward where Bobby lay on the hospital bed.  "Good afternoon, Katherine," he said, nodding at Kitty. 

"Hey Hank," she said without looking up, and Jubilee saw his eyes soften as he looked at her.  Damn, apparently even the furball knew what was going on between Kat and the Icicle.  This was getting really, really irritating.  "I didn't know Jubilee had called you.  Any clue what's going on?"

"Actually, yes, I have a fairly good hypothesis, as I attempted to relate to Bobby over the phone.  For the last several days, I might add.  I feared that something of this sort might occur, but I had no idea that things had escalated so quickly.  Of course, had Bobby confided in me from the onset, I might have had a better concept as to how rapidly the condition was progressing, and been better able to form predictions," he added, mock-glaring at Bobby before turning back to Dr. Rai.  "However, in discussing our frozen friend's situation with this most excellent and talented doctor, I was able to confirm my theory.  Bobby is not undergoing a secondary mutation.  In fact, we may have to reconsider the concept with regards to Warren, as well."

Jubilee stared at him.  "What d'ya mean, Hank?" she asked finally.  "I know Dr. Rai said he saw some kind of nannites in Bobby – are they making him freeze up?"

"Only indirectly," Hank replied, shaking his head.  "Bobby's own physiology is causing his condition, in reaction to its invasion by what it considers, quite rightly, to be a direct threat."

"Any idea where the nannites came from?" Kitty asked, looking confused.  "Dr. Rai said that Bobby's problems started after his fight with Black Tom, but that's doesn't synch with his usual method of operating…"

"So your friend Kurt led me to believe," Dr. Rai answered before Hank could say anything.  "But Dr. McCoy –"

"Hank."

"Hank believes that Black Tom was merely the catalyst, activating the little machines that had lain dormant."

"What're you talking about?" Jubilee asked, shivering.  Damn, but it was getting cold in here.  She glanced over at Bobby, but nothing had changed, except that she could definitely tell that the cold was emanating from him.  Which of course, it had been all along, but not this intensely.  "Where'd they come from, then?  Have you been playing evil scientist in the lab?"

Hank glared at her over the tops of his glasses, which struck her as funny, exhausted as she was, and she laughed despite herself.  "I am not, and have never been, an evil scientist," he corrected.  "And the little machines that Dr. Rai refers to aren't, strictly speaking, nannites, though it was," he said, nodding at Dr. Rai, "a reasonable assumption.  They're microsentinels."

Jubilee saw Kitty stare at Hank, puzzled, and knew she bore an identical look on her own face.  "What are microsentinels?" Kitty asked, even as she grabbed her jacket off the chair and put it on, then wrapped her arms around herself.  "Damn, how many different kinds of sentinels are there, anyway?"

"In response to your latter question, all I can say is far too many for my taste.  With regards to the former, though, microsentinels were unleashed in the mansion when Cassandra Nova attempted, nearly successfully, I might add, to impersonate the Professor some time ago.  The staff who were present were all infected, and only the intercession of Magneto, who at the time we believed to be a healer named Xorn, saved us from most unpleasant deaths."

"At the time, the 'away team', so to speak, appeared unaffected, and I concede I did not pursue the matter further, being rather preoccupied with other matters.  I assumed, incorrectly, that they had been away from the mansion when the rest of us were exposed, and had not contracted the infection.  But, having analyzed Bobby's blood samples a few days ago, I believe that I was in error.  Bobby, and most likely Warren and the others, were exposed; I can only hypothesize that they were away when Cassandra 'activated' the devices."

"So the battle with Black Tom…" Kitty began, and Jubilee could hear the wheels turning in her head as the data came together.  Damn, she wished she could do that.  She was following the conversation, but Kat had a knack for putting two and two together, and not only getting four but adding onto the equation.  Which, she knew, bugged the hell out of Paige, who did much the same thing, but slower.  As for her; well, she didn't resent it, it just impressed the hell out of her.  "Why wasn't Warren affected?"

"I can only surmise that Black Tom's attack, and the subsequent activation of the sentinels, catalyzed a previously dormant healing factor within Warren.  That would also account for the unexplained change in his skin pigmentation; his body essentially 'undid' the remainder of the damage that Apocalypse had inflicted years ago."

"It's getting awfully cold in here," Dr. Rai said, looking over at Bobby nervously.  "Is that supposed to be happening?"

Jubilee looked over at Hank questioningly, hoping that he would answer that yes, it was a very good sign, but her heart sunk as he shrugged instead and looked concerned.

"It's difficult to say, at this point.  Up until now, I believe that Bobby has been resisting his body's reaction to the sentinels; while his immune system was attempting to freeze out the invaders, he was trying to keep himself as human as possible, believing that he was undergoing a secondary mutation and, quite understandably, attempting to keep it from progressing.  It was, apparently, something of a draw; he was able to keep his body from freezing further, but was unable to unfreeze the areas that had already changed to ice.  His recent misadventure may have actually helped; having lost many of the sentinels with his body, he was able to gain some ground against them.  But they multiply, apparently rapidly."

"The balance, apparently, tipped this morning, when Bobby, for whatever reason, was no longer able to maintain it.  The question now is, is Bobby consciously dropping his body temperature?  If yes, it is a very good sign that he is actively attempting to fight the infection.  If no, there are two possibilities.  First, his body may be working on its own, attempting to stop the threat.  This may or may not work to his benefit, at this stage; it's unclear as to just how much cold his body can safely channel, unconsciously.  Or second," he began, and paused, but Kitty finished for him.

"The sentinels may be killing him," she said, almost imperceptibly.  Jubilee went over to her and put her arm around the older girl's shoulders.  While she might not understand exactly what the relationship between Kat and Bobby was, she could see that Kitty was just as upset about his condition as she was.  Kitty gave her a tired, forced smile in return, and Jubilee blinked heavily, trying to return the gesture, but unable to. Just... so... tired.

Suddenly, Kitty's big brown eyes lit up, and she stood, throwing off Jubilee's arm. "What if I phased through him?"

Jubilee's heart leapt when she heard that, and she very nearly smiled...

But her heart sunk when she saw the looks exchanged by the two doctors-- a strange pair if she'd ever seen one. One big and blue and fuzzy, the other trim and golden brown and wearing gap khakhis. She would've laughed at the image of the two men scratching their heads in identical gestures of confusion... if not for the warning in both of their eyes.

"Um, not that I know what these microsentinels are about, but... with his body in this kind of shape... the smallest imbalance, if he really is fighting this off..."

"I do not think it would be wise, Kitty," Hank finally intoned, low and sympathetic. "Not for Robert, and possibly not for you. While it's difficult for me to accept as well, this might be something he has to do on his own."

Jubilee shivered, partially at his words, partially at the way the temperature was still steadily dropping. "What if it's not his body fighting it, Hank?"

Dr. McCoy had no answers for her, for once. He simply shook his head and said, "We have to trust him," And then focused his attention back on the frozen body on the bed. He seemed to be saying something else, something for no one but Bobby.

Jubilee felt tears jumping to her eyes. Goddammit, Popsicle, you'd better be fighting your ass off. I can't take it if you leave me too... oh god Bobbby, please don't leave us.

"This cold is becoming extreme," Dr. Rai's voice was almost reverent, really. "And it's only getting worse. I don't think the insulation can contain it anymore..."

Hank looked up at him, and cocked one caterpillar-like eyebrow. "A wise observation, my friend. If your insulation is not going to be sufficient to this cause-- and I don't believe there is insulation that could be, considering Bobby's capabilities... I suggest you evacuate this wing of the hospital immediately."

Dr. Rai suddenly stood straighter, and looked about five years older. It was obvious, even through the tears in Jubilee's eyes. He nodded, "Of course. Moving him at this point would be dangerous, when we don't know what his body is doing. Stay as long as you can, of course, I have some... things to arrange."

And he was gone. Just like that.

Jubilee felt like someone was sitting on her chest. And she could hardly keep her eyes open.

And the phone rang.

She didn't have the energy to be clever, not now. "Jean-Paul's phone," she answered.

"Hey, Jubes, it's Paige. We've got Jono over here, he's ok, but exhausted. We just dealt with Weapon X. Kurt thought maybe you'd want to come home and stay with him awhile, get some rest, watch over him. We don't want to leave him alone."

It took a moment to process the information. Jono. Alright. Weapon X dealt with. Jono. Rest. Alone.

She let her eyes flick up to Bobby, and shivered one more time. "Ok. I'll come home," she agreed, slowly. Jono on the run from Weapon X.  Yeah. She'd better go home. She'd just…have to trust Bobby to take care of this. And if he didn't they'd have a talk, in the afterlife. "But you guys better get here fast. Because it's getting really damn cold in this hospital."

__________________________________________

Jean-Paul was pacing.

Paige and Kurt had taken the Land Rover, in an effort to get back to the hospital. Since he had the most obvious form of transportation available to him, he'd been elected to stay with Starsmore until Jubilee could arrive.

It was all he could do not to fly himself over there and drag the girl back here himself. It would certainly be faster. And it had been all he could do when Kurt had informed him of the plan not to take him by the throat and choke him. 

But he was keyed up. Kurt knew it, and he knew it. And Bobby was freezing the entire fucking hospital. And he was stuck here with Starsmore, their failed spy-- scratch that, the X-men's failed spy, who was now landed in his bed, because it was the best one in the house. And he'd just had the sheets washed yesterday.

He tried not to think about the fact that it was the first time in... far too many months that there had been a man in his bed, other than himself. Granted, Jono was a good looking guy. In fact, he always had been. While the lack of a mouth would have put a damper on certain activities, there were ways around it. In fact, finding them could make for some interesting games. A few years ago, he would have found that dark, mysterious thing would've been quite sexy.

It was odd to see him with a face, of course. Not a bad thing, though. Weapon X had given him quite a nice one, really. Jean-Paul wasn't certain if it made for more sex appeal, having that lovely mouth, or if it was still the same, and had always just been the pissed off bad boy thing. One or the other. Not usually his type, of course, but--

The younger man's clear, brown eyes snapped open suddenly, and he sucked in a ragged breath, sat up in bed. The sheets dropped off of him, slid down into his lap, exposing his bare chest and showing the control device he now had built in to him.  Smooth black alloy against pale skin, hard lines of muscle. Somehow out of place, yet... not. Made Jean-Paul's chest ache, itch a little, as he looked at it.

He tried not to stare, as he realized what he'd just been thinking about. Here the boy was, wrecked, after trying to infiltrate the very organization that had stolen his sister (the organization Wagner had just let walk away... he gritted his teeth hard at the thought), and he was thinking about having him in his bed. And shame on him-- the boy couldn't be 22...

Chrisse, I need to get laid. Long showers simply can't stack up to the damage done by watching Drake for months...

"What is it?" He finally asked, arms crossed over his chest.

Jono's frenzied eyes locked onto him, and flashed orange, quickly. Dangerously. But he took a long, hard breath, and swallowed once. Opened his mouth and worked it for a minute.

Jean-Paul made himself watch. Pretending not to be just a little fascinated.

Jesus, Bobby was in the hospital, freezing the place out. How could he even think about such a thing at a time like this, when Drake's life was on the line...

"Nothin'," Jono replied, finally. "Weren't... nothin'. What're you doin' here?"

Jean-Paul arched an eyebrow, and leaned against the wall. "This is my room."

Jono looked around, still breathing a little heavily. "Oh. Roight. Sorry."

"Don't be. Go back to sleep. Jubilee will be here any moment."

"You're the babysitter, are yer?"

Jean-Paul nodded, mute.

Jono smiled, but it was bitter. Just the corners of his mouth turning up. It never reached his eyes. And fell backwards, onto Jean-Paul's pillow. Closed his eyes.

His breathing became even again, as Jean-Paul watched, mind beginning to feel a bit numb. And he started pacing again. Back and forth. And what the hell was happening to Bobby? And why the fuck couldn't Jubilee drive a little faster?!

The door slammed, tired footsteps, boot falls. Jubilee came through the door, looked at Jono in the bed, then up at him.

She looked 30, possibly 40. Much older than she was. Tired eyes, red-rimmed.

"Get some sleep," He said, quietly, suddenly not in the mood to bitch. "I have to go."

She nodded, and walked to the bedside. Stared at Jono for a moment, considering him. "He looks damn good."

Jean-Paul didn't answer, only nodded. Watching her, carefully. Come on, get in bed, time to go. His body was speeding up involuntarily again. It knew where his mind, where his heart needed to be, somehow.

She kicked her boots off, and slid into his bed, next to the sleeping man there. Took his hand in hers, curled small fingers around his longer ones. And closed her eyes.

And Jean-Paul took off instantly, heart in his throat, blood pounding, mind totally focused on what the hell could be happening at the CIMR.

________________________________________________

It was worse than he'd thought.

He wondered if it would've been better if he hadn't closed his eyes, instinctively, when he'd collapsed.  If being able to see the people around him, rather than just hear them, would have made it feel more real, somehow.  

He couldn't open them.

He'd tried, when he woke up.  Tried to open his eyes, tried to sit up, tried to move his hand, just enough to get someone's attention, let them know he was awake.  Nothing had happened.

And somehow, despite all the joking he'd done about becoming an ice sculpture, he hadn't really believed it would come to…this.

He wasn't even sure where he was, not really.  He heard Kurt mention a hospital, so he assumed he was at the one they'd left Jeanne-Marie at, but he might just as easily be in the MedLab back at the mansion.  He hoped not.  He'd left there, and really didn't want to go back.  Not even now.  No one there had cared, anyway.

He wasn't sure why that was important to him, just now.  Honestly, what difference did it make?  But he knew he didn't want to be back at the mansion, with Alex mocking him, and the Professor being patronizing, and…

He heard Kurt and J-P's voices talking, worried.  J-P's was fading in and out, as if he were pacing around the room, and Bobby wondered if something had happened to Aurora.  Jean-Paul never showed any serious emotion about anything else, after all, although he'd been fairly decent about letting Bobby vent the day before.  At least until he'd decided that the perfect remedy for depression was cooking.  He tuned out what J-P was saying; it was really irritating to catch bits and pieces.  He wished someone would talk to him, even if he couldn't answer.  And wondered, suddenly, how long he was going to live like this.  Alone.  Even with others there, he was so alone…

Another voice, one he didn't recognize, talking about nannites.  Jubilee's, asking questions.  He wished he could tell her that no, it didn't hurt.  Maybe it would make her feel better at least.  He could tell by her voice that she was near him, and wished she'd take his hand, or something, just so he could feel…

He realized she might very well be holding it.  How would he know, really?  Maybe he just couldn't feel that, either.

A phone was ringing.  Jubilee answered it, and he heard some sort of argument over her having J-P's cell phone.  He wanted to laugh, the guy sounded so indignant about it.  I mean, it was a damn cell phone, who cared?  J-P needed to reset his priorities. 

Kurt and J-P were arguing again.  He had an overwhelming desire to tell them all to get the hell out, to just leave him alone.  He didn't feel like listening to them argue.  There had been enough arguing, enough to last the rest of his life, especially if he had to spend it like this.  And it wasn't like he could get up and leave. Why couldn't they all get out and just leave him alone?

"Just shut the fuck up!" he yelled inside his own head, wishing that one of the Fallen Angels were a telepath, or that Carter was here, or something.  The kid would've been happy to relay anything he was thinking, so long as it got him in trouble.  He'd proved that already the last time Bobby couldn't communicate.

Maybe Jean would come visit, sometime?  He could at least give her some messages to pass on…

He heard another voice, one he hadn't expected, and started paying attention again.  Heard Jubilee crying, telling her what had happened.  Shit, why did she have to be the one to find him?  The kid had more than enough problems of her own.  Of course, they all did, but why Jubilee?

He realized what condition she'd found him in, and if he could have, he would have blushed.  Why did it have to be Jubilee?

And why was Kitty here, anyway?

Kurt's voice, telling him to be well.  Too depressing to even think about.  Jubilee's, saying something about coffee.  He wished she'd bring him some, it sounded awfully good…

Finally, he was alone.

""Damn it, Bobby, this can't be happening."

Fuck.  He wasn't.  But…Kitty was talking to him.  A few minutes ago, that was all he was asking for, someone to talk to him, to make him feel less alone.  But now…he wished more than anything that he could answer, could apologize for whatever it was he'd done that'd made her leave.  That he could just fucking open his eyes and see her one more time. 

He could picture her face.  Not as he'd seen it the last few days, drawn and sad, but as he'd known her only a couple of years before.  How her head tipped, just…so, when she was listening to someone talk.  How her eyes lit up when she laughed, and she'd laughed so often, so easily then. 

She wasn't laughing now, though.  He, the joker, couldn't say anything that would make her laugh.  And that…hurt. 

He wanted to reach out to her, take her in his arms and tell her that, whatever it was, it was going to be ok.  To brush his fingers through her hair, and feel it slide between his fingers.  To wipe the tears from her face, and feel the warmth of her skin…

She was…crying?  He'd been so lost in his own memories that he'd lost track of what she was saying.  Apparently, even frozen, he still had a lousy attention span.  No wonder no one had been talking to him.  It wasn't because they didn't think he could hear them; it was because he wasn't worth the effort.  He focused on what she was saying, not just on the sound of her voice, and couldn't believe what he heard.

"You can't do this, not now.  I don't care if it's a secondary mutation, or nannites, or whatever – you can't die, Bobby.  Too many people need you.  I need you.  I thought you were dead, once, and it nearly killed me then.  It killed a lot of other people, then," she added in a whisper.  "And we couldn't put them back together.  We couldn't even put us back together again.  And that was my fault, too."

Wow.

Just, wow. 

She still cared about him?  Hell of a time to let him know, he thought irritably.  Now that he couldn't do a damn thing about it.  Why not yesterday, or the day before, or a year and a half ago when he'd left the X-Men because he couldn't stand her indifference any longer, couldn't stand how she'd cut him off, and chopped her hair, and…her fault?

Shit, Genosha wasn't her fault.  It wasn't anybody's fault, not really.  There'd been nothing she could have done, there just wasn't time…  He tried to open his mouth, to protest, but like the rest of his mutinous body, it wouldn't cooperate.  That was why she'd left him?  They could have talked about that.  They could have, then.

"You can't joke your way through this, Bobby.  It's too much.  But you're going to have to do something about it.  You promised, remember?  Nothing can take out the Iceman.  Can't you do something about this?"

He…remembered.  He'd said that to her, even as he'd pulled moisture out of the air to put himself back together after the ceiling had caved in on him.  Nothing can take out the Iceman.  But he hadn't really meant it.  It was just a line, just an attempt to get her to smile again. 

But this, this was different.  What the hell could he do about it?  He couldn't just pull stray water molecules out of the air and freeze them, make everything better.

Or could he?

Nannites.  They'd all been rambling about nannites in his body, he realized, putting the shreds of conversation he'd overheard together.  It wasn't a secondary mutation, it was a bunch of little machines, running around inside him and causing havoc.  And, generally speaking, machinery hated intense cold.

And then he felt it.  Kitty's hand in his own.  It was warm, and small, and he wanted more than anything to be able to close his own fingers around hers.

Damned if he wasn't going to be able to do that again.  Kitty was right.  He couldn't just lie back and take this without a fight.  He couldn't do that – not to her, now that he knew she still cared.  Not to Jubilee, still reeling from Angelo's death and her own.  And not to himself.  For once, Bobby Drake was going to do something right.

He'd promised, after all.

And so, concentrating with everything that was in him, he tapped into the abilities he rarely used to their fullest extent.  Not because he couldn't, but because they scared him shitless.  He hadn't wanted to be a force of nature, or an omega level mutant, or whatever they were calling it these days.  He wanted to be Bobby Drake.

More than anything.

That was what was at stake now.  Damned if he wasn't going to fight for it, just as hard as he'd fought against his mutation all these years. 

Kitty's voice, the awareness of her hand holding his own - so hard to let go of, that, even for what he hoped would be just a little while - faded out as he focused.  And began to get really, really cold…

__________________________________________________

Kurt was having a hard time believing how utterly stupid he'd been this morning. Or yesterday morning-- it was well past midnight when he finally arrived back at the hospital with Paige. Wishing for something that would take his mind of his own troubles... he should've known better. God had a funny way of granting wishes so that he wanted to take them back. And Bobby being in this condition, Jono being outed as a spy, and the security of their new stronghold being threatened, were really not the things he'd had in mind.

God. Or the universe. Or whatever it was that ran things with such a sick sense of humor.

The hospital was in state of complete pandemonium. The wing was being evacuated. Crowds of people, coming out in streams, those who could. Inside, once they made their way past the security crew with a few well-placed 'ports, the halls were full of patients and doctors moving to another part of the hospital.

And damn if it wasn't cold as hell in there.

Not that hell was terribly cold. In fact, it was rather hot, and dry. And this place was more cold and wet. He could feel frost starting to form on his fur, as they made their way down the hall to Bobby's room, a tense silence between them. And he fought a cold chill as they came up on the door, and he opened it for Paige.

"Holy Gawd," Paige stopped in the doorway, hugging herself tight, eyes wide at the sight of Bobby Drake freezing the hell out of an entire hospital wing. "Ah... ah didn't know it was so bad..."

"Paige, how lovely to see you again," Hank reached out for her hand and pulled her into the room, her movements jerky and mechanical.

Kurt followed her in, and looked around the room in awe. He remembered, not so long ago, coming into a room that Bobby had frozen almost entirely on the inside-- he'd been animating small ice sculptures by unfreezing and re-freezing the molecules in an iridescent winter wonderland. It had been beautiful... and this was beautiful as well, honestly. The thin film of frost that clung to the now delicate looking curtains, the sheen of ice on the floor somehow reflecting the harsh hospital light so that it almost seemed tolerable. Of course, back then Bobby had ruined the moment by informing him that he, Kurt, was not a "real" X-Man, due to his status outside of the original five...

And was it any damn wonder he'd been in such a mood that day? Look at where it had brought him, all his troubles, all his worries. If only he'd said something, could they have helped him? Could he honestly blame Bobby Drake for wanting to keep it quiet? How scared he must have been, how alone...

Yes. Kurt Wagner could empathize. In fact, he could sympathize with that situation so well that he felt his stomach congealing inside of him. And not just because it was about to freeze.

He noticed, when he finally pulled his eyes away from Bobby, that the conversation in the room had been carrying on without him, as Paige discussed the issues at hand with Hank, Kitty standing in a far corner, cradling a long-frozen cup of coffee, if he had to guess from the unmoving outline of the liquid in her styrofoam container, breathing in puffs of steam. Brown eyes huge and very, very far away. He moved to go to her, suddenly having the urge to simply touch someone, just out of pure friendship and affection, and thinking that she looked like she could use a hug as well. But the conversation came to a stop as a strangely rumpled looking Jean-Paul suddenly flashed past him, and appeared at Bobby's bedside.

Which, at least, meant that Jubilee had made it home in Kit's car safely, and Jono was sleeping soundly. Something to be glad about. Little things... so important, these days, really.

"Marde, it's fucking freezing in here," he was muttering, dragging hands through his hair absentmindedly, as if he'd been there all along and was just tidying up.

"Of course it is," Kitty's head suddenly snapped up. "And that means Bobby is in control. He's the Iceman, damnit."

Jean-Paul just looked at her for a moment, and Kurt suddenly grew very concerned. The look in his eyes was far colder than the waves of ice coming off their incapacitated team member at the moment. So much so, that he was surprised Kitty hadn't turned to ice herself under that glare.

Kurt knew that Kitty hadn't meant to sound challenging, like she thought Jean-Paul was an idiot and wouldn't think of that. She was more trying to reassure herself, those around her, with the statement-- there was nothing sarcastic about it.

Jean-Paul, on the other hand, never took anything the "nice" way. "What do you know about him, girl?" The Canadian hissed, through an accent suddenly thickened by stress and anger. "All you've done since you've gotten here is make things harder on him. Perhaps if you hadn't shown up in the first place, he wouldn't be in this--"

But Kitty wasn't about to take it, and Kurt watched, silent, tangled up in a mix of horror at what was happening, what had been waiting to happen for days now, and awe at seeing two such... strong personalities butting heads. He thought about jumping in right there, in fact, silencing them both.

But he wasn't fast enough, because Kitty was already moving forward, to the other side of Bobby's bed, eyes flashing from her state of pure pissed-off Kitty-ness. "Stop right there you snotty French bastard," She made a dismissive gesture with her hand, casual enough to belie the pure anger in her eyes. "Don't you dare blame me for what is happening here. You have no idea what we've been through, and you have no idea what he's capable of--"

"Au contraire, Kitty," Jean-Paul growled, low in his throat, making her name sound like an insult, somehow, "I have been the one to watch and listen to him pine for you since he saw you, and I wouldn't be surprised if you were directly responsible for this escalation in his condition. Chrisse, if you left right now, he'd probably unfreeze and--"

"Don't you dare talk to me like this!" Kitty was shaking now, and not with cold. Kurt could see her cheeks flushing a deeper pink, knew he needed to stop this, right there and then.

"Don't tell me you're going to cry like a little girl, now. Maybe you ought to just leave." Jean-Paul's hands were curled up into fists, and he obviously wanted to hurt something.

And from the look on Kitty's face, he wasn't doing a bad job... but she still wasn't backing down. "Fuck you, Northstar."

"Fuck off."

"That's--," Kurt finally managed to get a word in edgewise, taking a step toward Kitty.

But Paige had already made her way to Jean-Paul, and, much to everyone's surprise, took his wrist in her hand.

In utter shock, JP looked to her. But he shut up, his mouth closing with an audible snap.

"We have to go," Paige said quietly. "It's getting far too cold in here."

And with that, she shot a defiant look at Kitty, and turned to walk away. Hand clamped around Jean-Paul's wrist, as if expecting him to follow.

He didn't for a moment, he just kept staring at Kitty as if he would freeze her. Or light her on fire. Either way.

"She's right. File out, Angels. We can make small talk later," Kurt finally forced out, after he was done being shocked at the positively screwed dynamics in the room around him. Kitty and Jean-Paul screaming at each other over Bobby's bed, Paige trying to calm Jean-Paul down, and Hank staring at Bobby like he thought the end of the world was coming and was just too depressed to say what it was he wanted to say.

But finally, Jean-Paul gave in, and followed, muttering insensibly in French under his breath. Kurt went to Kitty and steered her out, noticing the way she stayed stiff-backed and straight until he put one arm around her, and then how she melted into him. So tired. So much she'd already lost. So little she could afford to lose.

"If I phased, I could stay," she said hopefully, looking up at Kurt, her eyes pleading.  "The cold wouldn't affect me…"

Kurt shook his head.  The only way to defuse the situation before it got even worse was for them all to leave the room, at least for a time.  If she stayed, Jean-Paul would insist upon staying as well.  "Come outside for a while, liebling, get some air.  It'll help clear your mind." 

She nodded, reluctantly, and allowed Kurt to lead her out into the hall, where he saw Jean-Paul cast her a black look even as he argued with Paige.

He couldn't blame either of them, in his heart. He only hoped that Bobby couldn't hear them. Or, if he could, that it would only give him even more reason to freeze out the verdammt microsentinels, and come back to them.

The Angels left Hank to say whatever it was he needed to say to his friend. And filed out of the hospital, to wait.

_________________________________________________________

Kitty sat next to Kurt on a bench in front of the Hospital, at 2AM, sipping a mocha and leaning heavily on her fuzzy friend's arm. The night wasn't particularly cold, for the windy city. In fact, it was decently warm.

But she felt cold, inside. In her bones. And hot, in her head.

Because she wanted nothing more than to beat the living shit out of that arrogant, sarcastic, narcissistic son of a bitch Jean-Paul Beaubier.

How dare he? How dare he treat her like some stupid, spoiled brat, who just came in and treated Bobby like shit. How dare he imply that his condition had anything to do with her and their past!

Oh god... but what if it did? "Kurt...," she tried to swallow the lump in her throat before she spoke, but it wasn't going anywhere. "What Jean-Paul said... was Bobby really that... upset to see me?"

Kurt squeezed her shoulders, warm and reassuring next to her, as ever. "Nein, Katzchen. He was... surprised. Happy, maybe even, somewhere inside. Upset that you hadn't spoken, but it would've happened eventually. Jean-Paul is just... very angry. And scared... like the rest of us."

Ah, good old Kurt. She knew that things hadn't been easy for him lately. Not that they'd spoken at length about the discovery of his father, of his true origins, but she knew that between that and his crisis with the CoH, he couldn't be doing so well himself... but he was still Kurt. Strong, steady, the best friend she could've wanted. And he knew just what to say. "Well he doesn't have to be a bitch about it."

"It's his way," he sighed now, with definite resignation. "He seems cold, but we're all learning that when he loves someone, he is their most passionate defender. I mean... his... sister, Aurora..."

But Kitty had caught it. Something he shouldn't have said. She looked over into the glowing yellow eyes that were refusing to meet hers for just a moment, listened to his explanation trail off. "Aurora... or Bobby?"

Kurt looked at her now, finally. And looked very, very sad.

Kitty's stomach dropped, "Oh shit, Kurt. Oh shit, you're kidding me?" Of course! Jean-Paul had hated her from day one, and what reason did he have? None! Or, at least, that was what she'd thought. But it all made sense now. The accusations, the horrible looks, the smart mouth... "He's in love with Bobby."

As she said it, she knew it was true.

And Kurt didn't answer, necessarily. He just kept looking sad, and squeezed her shoulders again.

"Is, is it mutual?" she asked, hesitantly.  She realized, suddenly, that she couldn't expect that Bobby's life had stalled for the last couple of years since she'd last seen him.  But, she couldn't quite picture him with an asshole like Jean-Paul, either…

Kurt nearly choked on the coffee he'd just sipped.  "Nein, not to my knowledge.  I don't believe Bobby even knows."

"What a mess...," she whispered, looking up to the fifth floor window-- the window she knew Bobby was in. The icicles were growing to massive proportions, clinging to his windowsill and the windows of the rooms within ten doors up, down, and across from his. And it made her eyes burn, to look at it. But she wasn't going to cry. Not here. Not where that bastard Jean-Paul could see her, sitting on the next bench down, with that stuck up Paige Guthrie...

"I don't suppose Paige is in love with Bobby too?"

Kurt actually laughed at that. "No... not to my knowledge."

"Then what's her problem?"

"Can we talk about this later, Kitty? I'm a little..."

She looked back to him, and suddenly, he wasn't smiling and laughing. He was staring at the window, just as she had been. And his eyes suddenly looked sunken and hollow.

"I'm sorry, Kurt."

"Don't be sorry," he forced a smile, "None of this is your fault. A lot of it is mine. I didn't plan to put you into a situation with Northstar-- I didn't realize..."

"I know. He'll get over it."

"He will."

Kitty sighed, and turned to look back at the hospital, once it became clear that Kurt had nothing else to say on the subject. Desperately wishing for something to happen. For Bobby to wake up and come running at her with that goofy look on his face and that hair flying every which way and that smile... Oh god, that smile of his. When Bobby smiled, everyone else in the room smiled.

Just as her vision was beginning to blur, she saw Dr. Rai coming toward them, practically jogging from the other side of the building with arms full of blankets. He came straight to Kurt, which drew Jean-Paul, Paige, and the strangely quiet Hank to their bench instantly, and started passing out the warm hospital-issue blankets. "The temperature in the hospital is starting to level out," he reported, out of breath and flushed with his exertions. Pink cheeked, he continued, "Which probably means... that things are ok. Am I right, Hank?"

"That... does seem to be a valid assumption, yes," Hank replied guardedly.

"You can go inside now, just stay warm. If the temperature starts rising, it could go fast, and we might have some flooding on a few floors. But... but he might just be fine now, if Hank's theory was correct."

The doctor's glowing, earnest face somehow shored her up, inside. She looked over to Kurt, who was smiling. "He freezes the place out, then floods it. I suppose that little talk I had with the mayor this week is probably not going to do us any good, after word of this gets out."

Zach smiled back at him, "I'll put in a good word. My father is friends with him."

"Let's go," Jean-Paul suddenly started off, and was halfway to the door before the rest of them got to their feet and moving properly.

Kitty watched his retreating figure, straight-backed, confident, gorgeous. The cockiest bastard she'd ever met in her life.

But he cared about Bobby. So he couldn't be all bad. But if he ever, ever talked to her like that again... they would go round and round, no question. And next time, she wouldn't be so nice.

But now, he was right. It was time to go see Bobby. She gripped her blanket and her coffee, and followed Kurt inside.

_____________________________________________

As they trooped back into the hospital, Jean-Paul drew the blanket around him more tightly.  Certainly, his natural durability gave him great protection from cold but... dieu, it was freezing.  He'd noticed, before – but he was still warm from his flight, then.  He'd certainly flown fast enough, wanting to get here, needing to see how Bobby was…

Only to find that skank with him.  Still hovering around, as if she had a right, after everything she'd put him through.

It was unbearable.  He'd wanted to shake her, to forcibly evict her from the room – and who knew, he might have done it had it not been for Paige's intervention.

They'd had words about that, outside.  And, had it not been that the fire inside her so reminded him of Jeanne-Marie, they would have had far more.  She'd quit speaking, finally, when she realized he'd completely tuned her out.  And they'd sat there, in silence, as he looked up at the fifth floor window, willing Bobby to be alright.

He'd glanced over, once, at the adjacent bench where Kitty and Kurt were seated, saw them talking intensely, but made no effort to listen in on their conversation.  He cared even less about what she had to say than he did Paige.  Paige, at least he felt respect for, and a brotherly protectiveness.  Kitty…

He shook his head as he opened the door to Bobby's room and entered, the others straggling in behind, and moved to the side of Bobby's bed.  There seemed to be no change in him; still unmoving, still frozen.  Hank came over to examine him more closely, and gestured to Dr. Rai, who was hanging back in the doorway, to join him.

Once again he watched, fascinated despite himself, as the doctor's eyes changed, the irises becoming golden, the pupils shrinking in upon themselves.  "I'm not sure," Dr. Rai began carefully.  "It looks as if – yes, the machines have definitely stopped moving.  I would hazard a guess that that is a good sign."

"I would certainly think so," Hank replied, looking relieved.  "Do you detect any motion at all?"

He watched as Dr. Rai peered closer, his pupils nearly nonexistent now.  "No, none."

And just then, Bobby convulsed. 

Jean-Paul felt his chest grow tight, and was about to open his mouth to demand an explanation when Hank gestured for Kitty to take his place next to the bed, while he himself moved back towards the wall.  Behind him, he heard Paige ask Kurt something that began with "Why…" but Kurt hushed her even as Kitty took Bobby's hand in her own.  And he watched, the band around his chest growing tighter and tighter until he felt as if it would explode, as the frozen hand began to move, ever so slowly, to clasp hers.

Mon Dieu, but it hurt to see that.

Gradually, color began to return to his frozen frame, beginning with the hand now curled around Kitty's and working its way up his arm to his chest, his face.  His eyes opened, then, and blinked repeatedly, whether because of the brightness of the lights in the room or to rid them of any residual ice, he didn't know, but he saw them flick from side to side, searching.  He was surprised to see that they were brown; somehow, he'd always assumed that there were blue eyes hidden behind those ridiculous sunglasses the other man wore so persistently.  "Bobby?" he said tentatively, but in the meantime, the eyes had settled upon those of the girl on the opposite side of the bed.  And he saw the corners of Bobby's mouth turn upward, ever so slightly.

"Did it," he said, and Jean-Paul could hear the exhaustion in his voice, even as he watched Bobby's hand move, stiffly, to touch the girl's face, wipe the tears from her eyes even as she tipped her head into his palm.  Watched his eyes close again with fatigue, but his smile grow larger, as his fingers touched her hair. 

"I knew you would," she replied hoarsely as Bobby's hand dropped back down to the bed, his energy depleted.  He ached to reach out to him, but he knew, deep down, that it would be of no use.  Damn him for falling for someone so obviously heterosexual, anyway.  He'd known it from the beginning, but…his eyes met Kurt's across the room, saw the compassion there, and dropped.  He didn't want Kurt's sympathy.  He wanted…right now, he wanted more than anything to be anywhere but here.

"Liar," Bobby said, a hint of a grin forming on his face as he struggled to sit up.  Jean-Paul leaned in quickly to put his hand behind his back and help him, and felt the bands in his chest loosen, just a bit, as Bobby smiled at him. "Hey, J-P, you're here?"

"Certainement," he heard himself choke out as Bobby's hand gripped his for a moment.  Cold, but alive.  He fought not to squeeze that hand, as it slipped out of his after a moment, fingertips trailing over his as Drake, exhausted, let his hand fall back to the bed.  Jean-Paul's eyes met Kitty's as she sat down next to Bobby on the bed, her arm supporting his shoulders, and he was surprised to find compassion there as well, mingled, admittedly, with residual irritation.  Damn Kurt.  Why the hell had he had to tell her, of all people?  And he must have, it was the only thing that would explain her attitude.  He resolved to have a word with their team leader later, on the nature of confidences.  But…later.  "You've had us all worried, mon ami."

"Yeah well, had me worried to," he replied weakly.  "Kurt, Paige…you're all here?" he asked, and Jean-Paul could hear the incredulity in his voice, even as drained as it was.  "Where's Jubes?"

"We sent the exhausted and emotionally drained Jubilee home to get some much-deserved slumber.  I assure you, however, that she went reluctantly, and only after I assured her that I would call her if you regained consciousness, without regard to the hour," Hank answered, and Bobby's eyes widened.

"Hank?  What're you doing here?" 

Hank chuckled.  "Nothing, my friend, except lending moral support, as it turned out.  You did it all on your own."

"Or nearly," Paige observed, smiling uncomfortably, as she looked at the patch of ice remaining on Bobby's chest that had been bared when he sat up.

"Gonna finish the job?" Kitty asked softly, and Bobby closed his eyes.  Jean-Paul could see the effort it was taking, and wanted to rebuke her, remind her that the other man had just been through a terrible ordeal, and could certainly wait to finish the process until he had rested.  But he bit his tongue as slowly, so slowly, the ice shrank, to be replaced by pale flesh, until finally no ice remained, and Bobby sank back into Kitty's arms, gasping for breath.

And turned his head, as he saw her bend down to kiss him. 

A moment later, Kurt cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him.  "Bobby, congratulations are in order.  Apparently, you've taken out a whole fleet of sentinels on your own," he chuckled, relief evident in his golden eyes, "even if they were microscopic ones.  Of course, you've also taken out an entire wing of CIMR at the same time, but Zach has assured me that the hospital is prepared to forgive you."

"We anticipate these things, after all," Dr. Rai said self-consciously as everyone laughed.  "Well, not this precisely," he added, gesturing at the ice that was gradually melting around the room, "but circumstances such as this, certainly." 

"I'd be interested in hearing about the type of research you do here, sometime," Paige said, then yawned broadly. 

"I'd welcome an opportunity to discuss our work with you," he replied, walking with her to the far end of the room.  And yawned, as well.  "Sometime when we're both awake, however," he clarified, and Jean-Paul saw him grin at her.

"A good idea," Kurt replied as he, too, yawned.  "Hank, I assume there are tests you will wish to do, but you're more than welcome to share what little space we have…"

"A few tests now, yes, but the remainder will wait until the morrow.  And thank you, I accept your hospitality," Hank replied, and Jean-Paul groaned silently.  Where exactly did Kurt expect to house yet another person, even temporarily?  He suddenly remembered that even his own bed was currently in use by not one, but two former X-Men, and shuddered.  The only consolation he had was that both of them were too exhausted to be doing anything other than sleeping in it.

"You guys can use my apartment," Kitty offered, shrugging the shoulder that did not have a sleeping Bobby Drake leaning against it.  "I think I'm kind of stuck for a while."

"A generous offer, and I accept on the condition that, once we've removed Bobby from on top of you and perform a routine examination, you escort me to it and get some rest yourself," Hank replied.

"Well then, I think we'd best be going for now," Kurt said, gesturing for Paige to join him.  Are you coming, Jean-Paul?"

Jean-Paul cast one last look back at Bobby, who'd awoken slightly when Kitty had spoken.  Saw him, once again, reach up drowsily to finger her hair, and heard her whisper something that made him smile.  And, resolutely, turned his back and joined Kurt and Paige at the door.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Letters Page!

Thanks everyone for the great feedback on Part 1 of this arc. Hope you enjoyed the conclusion-- if you did half as much as we enjoyed writing it, then we're satisfied. 

That said, now to address the "issues!"

Didi and Wishful Thinking2: Indeed, everything we've said about Jono's past with Weapon X is based on the last WX storyline to hit the shelves, Defection, where he was used as a mole by the X-Men and successfully infiltrated the WX program. And yeah, they gave him a face. His being caught as a spy, however, was purely our invention. We were dying to get to him though (ok, Beaubier was dying, let's be honest,) and it's good to have the team complete, finally!

Caliente: When we started coming up with the idea for FA, we knew we had room for one more. Beaubier had the WX arc, with, as you said, the perfect excuses for Jono to join up. Sue suggested that we do it, and our team was solidified. Perfect reasoning, right there, if we may quote you-- "1) his past with Paige, 2) his present with Weapon X, and 3) his anger at Wolvie for having to kill." Spot on!

amura: Dr. Zach Rai is, indeed, an OC. Definitely expect more of him in coming issues, because we like him too! Glad to hear that someone feels the same.

Erin-Starlight and Didi: Agreed, Jubilee, when used properly, has great potential, and we're happy that you're happy with our use of her! Expect more, in the next issue, most definitely.

Joey1: Brilliant, another Weapon X reader! Thanks for the approval on the Jackson characterization-- my but he's a bastard!

In conclusion, we have got to acknowledge NagaX, Alex, Didi, Koryne, Red Witch, Blue Squeak, amura, Joey1, Caliente, Harry2, Erin-Starlight, rebecca, KnowInsight, kakegoddes, Wishful Thinking2, somekindafreaky, AlexL, and Polka Dot for your fantastic feedback. Your words are priceless. Thanks a million!

Next Issue: When Kurt finally runs out of paperwork, how will be possibly keep from pondering the demons he's been so busy running from? And what about Jubilee's demons? Can these two disillusioned souls somehow find solace and comfort in their new city, in their new team? Or is it all just a pipe dream for these two Fallen Angels?