Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2006 12:42:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Mark <rahvin747@yahoo.com>
Subject: Fire and Ice - chapter 6

Disclaimer : The X-men are property of Marvel and this is a work of
fiction.

*********************************************************************

Pyro walked lazily down the long passages of Magneto's lair, utterly bored
and frustrated. This place was a network of underground caves, and very
little else. He'd learned to navigate this maze of silvery-metallic walls,
and find the rooms he needed, but he longed to sit under a tree on a
summer's day, or breathe fresh, unfiltered air for once. Apparently hiding
underground was a matter of necessity and Magneto wasn't flexible on the
subject despite his aggressive protests. He'd managed to find a tennis
ball, but how the thing had managed to infiltrate Magneto's lair was
anyone's guess.  He walked along the long passages throwing the ball up and
down, bouncing it off walls and the floor, and generally trying to
introduce some sort of fun into his life.

He'd been doing this for over two hours, and considering the novelty of a
tennis ball had worn off, he was on his way back to his room to lie on his
bed and think. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. As he entered his
room, he threw the ball into the corner and shut the door. His room was his
only refuge, away from the controlling irritant that was Magneto. He took
off his shoes and shirt, and collapsed onto his bed.  He felt uncomfortable
lying down wearing jeans - they were rough and chafed, but he was too lazy
to get up again and take them off or change his pants. Lying on his back
with his left hand behind his head, he summoned a small flame from his
right hand and stared into it. Sometimes he thought that his mutant-wrought
fire was the only source of warmth in his life, and he would often stare
into a flame for long periods of time, and feel the warmth of the flame on
his face. With a sigh he let the flame vanish and stared at the roof. The
exciting silvery-metallic roof. Well, beggars couldn't be choosers, and he
needed to reflect.

All his life he'd felt alone. When he was twelve he'd casually walked past
a candle in church and it had climbed into an inferno. He remembered his
confusion as he wondered what had cause the flame to rise like that. Yet
above all he remembered the priest denouncing him as possessed, and the
look on his parents' face as they weighed and judged him in that short
moment. They sent him away to his abusive aunt, where he ran away and
eventually found Xavier's school. True, he had burnt his aunt's house down,
but she'd been verbally abusing him for over two years and he'd finally
lost it. At Xavier's school he couldn't relate to the way in which people
embraced humans and their total hatred for his kind. He'd tried and tried,
but every time he thought he'd found a compromise, he would think back on
his parents, or some bastard human would come up with something like a
'cure'. Now he was stuck with a bunch of murderous low-lives who were
consumed with revenge and hatred. He'd been like that once, but when Bobby
had spared his life he'd realised what he'd become. The fact that he'd once
tried to kill his former friend made him sick to his stomach, and he was
filled with regret. Naturally he had no one to talk to - Magneto was
Magneto, Mystique was a close-mouthed bitch, and Callisto was a woman who
could do very little without being aggressive.

He'd looked forward to a new mutant joining them - even the variety would
be a welcome reprieve. He'd expected another Jean Grey, a psycho who didn't
say much.  What he hadn't expected was a walking hurricane entering his
life. Kevin. He could barely think the name without sighing. It had been
over a week since they'd rescued him from Xavier's clutches. He'd had to
hide his awe on the chopper, and it hadn't been easy. Kevin was an
extremely powerful mutant, but he was so much more. He had a warm and
humble personality, and he rarely said anything malignant about anything or
anyone, and of course he was HOT! Sure, he'd always known that guys were
more suited to his appetites, and he'd bedded several women just to get
off, but with very little true pleasure involved. The best looking guy he'd
known at school had been Bobby, and he made a point of distancing himself
and seeming aloof and arrogant around him. He didn't trust himself around
such a good-looking guy, and it was better to be his enemy than his
friend. At least then he wouldn't be tempted by proximity, and Bobby would
stay away from him. His heart had sunk when he saw how his behaviour had
hurt Bobby's feelings, but self-preservation was second nature to him.

Magneto had told him to seduce the new mutant because he already knew that
the new guy was gay. He'd tried to get out of it, because he needed to bury
those feelings of his, not play around with them. Magneto was a persistent
asshole though, and he'd forced his hand. Imagine his shock when the new
mutant was the hottest mutant he'd ever known. The scenario was repeating
its self, but it was far worse than ever. Unlike Bobby who he could, and
wanted to resist, he didn't even want to try with Kevin.  Kevin was so
magnetic it was overwhelming. Magneto had forced Kevin to sleep in his
room, despite the fact that there were about a thousand empty rooms in this
fucking cave. It was apparently more likely that something would happen
between 'you two' if you shared a room. Damn right! He hated Magneto for
this torture.

He wanted to shout out at how frustrating it was. Every day Kevin had to
attend training with Magneto and Callisto for at least four hours. He spent
all day speaking to Kevin, and enjoyed every moment of it, but those four
hours which barged into every day were terrible for him. He couldn't wait
for Kevin to return, to be in the same room with him, but at the same time
he dreaded it for he became irrational and unstable around the guy.

"This is fucked up," he said angrily to the roof. It didn't respond.

At that moment, the door started to open and his heart starting beating
rapidly as it raged against his chest. The air in his lungs burned. What
the hell was wrong with him? Kevin stepped into the room, and closed the
door. He saw John and smiled at him.

"Hey John," he said.

"Hey Kevin," he said with a serious face. He didn't want to seem
enthusiastic, even though his insides were bursting. He felt like tackling
him, slamming him against the wall and kissing him roughly. It wasn't fair.

Kevin walked to his bed on the opposite side of the room, and took off his
own shoes.  His hand was still bandaged and he fumbled while trying to
untie his shoe laces on his sneakers. He took off his shirt, and he
struggled even more as his fingers got tied up in his shirt and trapped him
for a few moments. A few blessed moments where he could examine that
awesome body again. He wanted to put his face against Kevin's abs and bite
at his treasure trail. He felt his pants twitch involuntarily, and he
quickly looked at the roof and cleared his mind. He heard Kevin cursing and
he started to chuckle as the guy struggled to pull his shirt over his
head. Eventually he freed himself, and he looked at the shirt which he
banished across the room angrily.

"Don't laugh dumbass," he said, and threw himself onto his bed.

"Why? It's funny," he replied. Kevin shook his head and settled himself
onto his bed, causing him to exhale at the suggestive posture.

"Why are you sweating? It's not that hot in here," Kevin asked. He seemed
no more than curious. He didn't think that Kevin ever looked at his
body. He saw him as a brother, not a potential lover. That was the ultimate
punishment, in his opinion. The friend who has to stand by and watch his
lusty interest make out with other guys, all the while constantly wishing
he could be in that position. Gah!

"Uh... I generate a lot of internal heat. It's difficult to control this
fire thing," he replied. It wasn't a bad reply, and he'd finally found a
good use for his powers. He quickly rubbed away the bead of sweat rolling
down his sideburn and jaw, and felt even more humiliated when he felt sweat
running down his chest between his pecs.  This was like a damn fever, and
Kevin was the virus.

"That's hot," Kevin said, and laughed. He laughed at his weak joke, but
Pyro wished he'd meant it in another way. He chuckled too, though. He would
do close to anything to see a smile form on that awesome face.

"How's your hand?" he asked, and deftly shifted the topic away from
himself.

"Perforated," Kevin said wryly. "Nah, it's getting better thanks John. It
stopped hurting two days ago, and it will be right in a few weeks I
think. I know I could heal it with my powers, but sometimes I destroy
things when I intend to alter them, and I'd rather not disintegrate my
hand."

"Yeah, I'll not have all my bandaging skills go to waste just because you
can't hold yourself together." Putting new dressings on Kevin's hand each
night was an intense experience for him. He could find a valid excuse to
touch his hand, and could experience that electricity which arced over when
he made contact. He knew exactly how Kevin's hand looked, but he felt like
a better man when he cared for Kevin, and he wanted to care for him
badly. Of course, it made him useless for hours afterwards, and he would
stare at Kevin's sleeping form for hours later at night, and then jerk off
to him. Normally he could push himself to shoot twice, but with Kevin
around it was like lightning was racing through him. He felt like a
teenager when he thought of Kevin. Even after jerking off to him for the
second time he would feel unsettled and so lustful he thought he would
die. So he'd carry on and jerk off a third, fourth and even a fifth time,
each time shooting further and further at the thought and sight of the guy
lying across from him. The orgasms were so intense they were almost
painful, and he had to bury his face in his pillow while he came. Even
after his fifth shot, he still felt horny and wanted to jump Kevin, but his
dick became sensitive and his pelvis told him it had had enough - so he had
to give it a rest until morning, when he indulged himself with the same
thought in the shower while he heard shirtless Kevin singing whilst shaving
a few feet away.

Kevin merely laughed at his retort, and looked at the roof while lying on
his bed. His body was toned and flawless, but was covered with large
bruises and some abrasions - evidence of his encounter with the X-men. The
scars were kind of sexy, and made him look like some sort of warrior. "How
was training?" he asked Kevin.

Kevin sighed. "Magneto's hard on me. Half the time he throws me around the
room with some sort of metallic object, or he gets Callisto to beat me up
until I manage to catch her. I guess I shouldn't be such a wuss. He's
really helped me with my powers, and yesterday I passed the point where I
was twice as strong as when I arrived. He says I can become stronger, but I
don't know if I want to be."

"Oh? Why is that?" he asked.

"I don't need so much power. What must I do with it? If can get by with my
daily life then I'll be happy. I'm really not a big proponent for lifting
whole continents, even if I eventually will be able to do it. I'd rather
just conjure up an icecream."

John laughed loudly. The guy was just too cute. Icecream? He was genuinely
humble and had very little savage ambition. He was very unlike Magneto, or
Xavier. He didn't want to be in the forefront - he just wanted to be happy
and safe. It was a huge turn on to see a guy with so much potential wield
it in a gentle way. He was a giant who could squash humanity as if they
were ants, but he was much happier to sit with the ants and play with
them. It was all very amusing, and admirable.

"You think that's funny, mister?" Kevin asked with a mischievous face. He
was about to reply when he saw ice start to swirl above Kevin's fingers,
and suddenly he felt wary. He had never seen Kevin use his powers and
didn't know what to expect. He wouldn't hurt him, would he? The ice stirred
and brightened to a white light until the whole room glowed. He closed his
eyes and the light faded after a few moments. He slowly opened them again,
and was afraid of what he would find. Instead he saw Kevin lying in the
same position on the bed with two vanilla soft serve cones in his
hands. That was it... he was officially in love.

"A huge display, for something to eat," Kevin said sarcastically. One of
the ice creams started to float across the room and he grabbed it out of
mid-air and started to eat it.

"Dude, you made an ice cream out of nothing. That was fucking amazing!" It
really was. He started to eat it, and it tasted pretty real, though he
didn't know what he expected to taste. In a few seconds the ice cream
started to melt and run down his hands. This was an old problem.

Kevin smiled. "Heh... Mr Fire can't keep his icecream together," he said
with a cheeky grin. "You see, Bobby wouldn't have this problem. Though he
can't enjoy a hot cup of coffee so I guess it balances out."

His face became stone at the mention of Bobby. It was an unwelcome
intrusion. He was sick of hearing about Bobby this, Bobby that. The problem
was that he was so sick of it that Kevin had finally noticed. He looked at
the bed, and Pyro could see him preparing to deliver some sort of prepared
speech.

"John, I know you hate Bobby..." he started.

"I don't hate him, Kevin," he said heatedly, though Kevin carried on as if
he'd said nothing.

"... but you have to realise that I love him. A lot. You're my friend and I
care for you a lot, but I don't want you to put me in the position where I
must choose between the two of you. I need Bobby in my life - he's my
soulmate, but I need a special friend like you too. Okay?"

He'd been tempted to lash out angrily about Bobby, but the speech was
sincere and it made him feel warm inside - a little. At least he knew he
meant something to Kevin, and that he wasn't a temporary fill-in until he
could be reunited with his lover boy back at the X-mansion. "Sure
Kevin. I'll support you and I'll be good to Bobby too, if it comes to it."
He felt like crying, and looked at the roof and blinked away the tears.  He
actually wanted to eliminate his competition, but at the same time he
wanted to make Kevin happy, and he'd made it clear what would do that.

"Thanks buddy," he said warmly. "Now, it's been a week and I need to rescue
him from that damned school. I just hope he hasn't forgotten me."

"He hasn't, trust me," he replied before he could stop himself. He blushed,
but he thought the guy was insane to think someone could forget him. He was
unique and once you got to know him, he was like a drug.

"Will you help me rescue him?" Kevin asked, and suddenly it seemed like he
was asking too much of him. Being civil to Bobby wasn't going to be easy,
but actively helping him would be really tough. "Please..." Kevin added
when he didn't reply.

"Sure man," he said with a smile. What was he thinking? He'd attached to
himself to Kevin without even knowing it, and he was a total prick if he
didn't show loyalty when he needed help. He decided to never again
hesitate, and always choose Kevin over the Brotherhood. It would end badly
for him, but he loved Kevin as a brother and more, and that meant he was
willing to die for that ideal.

"Let's go," Kevin said.

"Now?" he asked, surprised by the abruptness.

"Yeah, no reason to wait. Trust me, I've been thinking this plan through in
detail ever since I arrived here." Figures.

"What should I bring?" he asked.

"Something to make fire, and a shirt. On second thought, leave the
shirt. You can streak across the grounds and distract everyone with your
hot body while I rescue Bobby," he said with a sly smile, but he felt his
ego surge. He had noticed. No... it was an innocent comment, but still.

"In that case, you should do that while I rescue Bobby. Your body is far
more qualified for distraction than mine," he said. Okay, now that line
sprang from his mouth before he could stop it. Hopefully he hadn't said too
much... and if he had, tough shit - he was beyond caring.

Kevin blushed and looked at his feet while putting his shoes back on. He
was so bashful it was frightening, and he found himself biting his lower
lip with lust. When they were ready, Kevin explained what he wanted him to
do. It would be difficult, but he thought he could manage it. For Kevin, he
would push himself. As they left the room, Kevin started walking down the
passages with an unusual sense of direction.  He wondered exactly what his
powers were and what they encompassed. He was worried about walking into
Magneto, and the thought suddenly became flesh as they stumbled upon him as
they turned the next corner.

"And where are you two going?" he said to them.

"I'm going to rescue Iceman from the mansion. I've waited long enough,"
Kevin said confidently, and his eyes dared Magneto to challenge
him. Unfortunately Magneto was not a man to be intimidated and it appeared
he didn't notice.

"Kronos, by now the Professor is using Cerebro to track you and rescue
you. It would be unsafe of you to reveal yourself. If you..."

"The Professor started searching for me the moment we left the grounds. I
disguised myself from his powers, and he'll never be able to locate me, no
matter how hard he tries. Now, I cannot stay here for much longer without
Bobby. I need him in my life, and I've sensed that he feels anguish and
pain."

"You cannot go," Magneto said suddenly, and Pyro suddenly felt
nervous. He'd remained silent during this conversation because he knew it
would come to this. "I'll take you back to your rooms if I must," he said
dangerously. Sheets of metal which coated the walls peeled off their
surfaces and pointed to him and Kevin threateningly.  He wasn't joking. He
would bundle him up with that metal like a pork roast and take him back to
his rooms, and he wouldn't be gentle either. Kevin didn't seem phased at
all.

Suddenly the metal fell to the ground and Magneto gasped, and looked at his
hands - his eyes as wide as they could be, with open shock painted on his
almost hysterical face. "Impossible...," he said.

"I'm sorry Magneto, I don't want to hurt you but I must leave for a few
hours. I am very appreciative that you helped me, and I won't forget it,
but there are larger issues in my life. I'll let the effect dissipate as
soon as we are safely outside. Don't try to follow us - I can sense any
mutant in a ten mile radius - and I'll be less subtle and maybe more
permanent next time I cut off your powers."

Holy shit! That really was impossible! No wonder Magneto nearly fainted. He
was tempted to see if he could still make a flame, but his insecurity would
be obvious and would shout distrust to Kevin. They walked past the
powerless Magneto, his mouth still gaping with shock, and towards the main
entrance which he knew Magneto wouldn't open for them. Kevin obviously felt
the same because as they approached the doors exploded outwards with an
incredible force, the immensely thick steel barrier tossed up like straw.

Kevin walked up to John and stood behind him and hugged him tightly. Leave
the transport to me, he'd told John earlier - so he had. He didn't really
know why he was being hugged but he liked it a lot, and was on the verge of
leaning back into the embrace when the world turned red and he felt as if
he'd been hit by a wall of water, his face contorting as the immensity of
... whatever it was... hit his face. It lasted only a moment or two but it
felt like he'd been sandblasted. He fell to his knees and coughed
roughly. He was actually fine. He saw Kevin walk ahead of him and scan the
area. Looking up he gasped - they were in the forest of Xavier's
grounds. He'd somehow leaped several hundred miles in an instant.

"Sorry John, that must have felt uncomfortable for you," he said.

"It wasn't bad," he lied, whatever the fuck IT was!

John stepped up beside Kevin and he took an involuntary step back. His eyes
had become dark pools, and deep furrows had formed in his face. He was a
terrible sight to behold - a total transformation. "And now," Kevin or
rather Kronos said, "I will free Iceman. I am stronger than that whole
school combined, and if they try to keep me from him... I will break them."
John wanted to piss in his pants at hearing those words. They were like
iron, so unlike the Kevin he knew. He suddenly respected Xavier a little
more for actually daring to fight this guy. They started to walk towards
the mansion. It looked silent, but both of them knew better. He suddenly
thought that he would possibly die here, and swallowed hard. He hoped not,
but at least he could die near to Kevin, and not be alone for once.

*********************************************************************

Bobby lay on his bed on the lower levels of the X-mansion. He'd been
brought to these lower levels at some stage and imprisoned in a large room
with a bed, TV and bathroom. He heard Storm whisper to Wolverine that they
were worried Kevin would come for him, and that he would be safer
underground. Safer? He didn't need protection from Kevin! He had screamed,
screamed so loud his voice had broken as he bashed at the doors, but they
didn't release him. He'd tried freezing things, tried anything to get out,
but what good was ice against metal?

Kitty used to deliver his meals. He assumed it was Kitty, because a plate
of food would appear to float from under the ground and settle on the
floor. "Cowards!" he would shout. He was in such a rage.. he had anger to
burn the world. Twice a day Wolverine would enter the room and try to talk
to him, and be his friend. He'd immediately rush for the door, but
Wolverine caught him as if he was newborn rabbit, and with the same
ease. He was no match for Wolverine, and he wasn't so far gone that he
would freeze Wolverine to escape. He was many things, but not a murderer.
He still hated him for what he'd done to Kevin's hand, even though he
denied it. He couldn't believe he denied it! Wolverine caught him every
time, and he had tried at least twenty times. Once, he had come within ten
feet of the door, but usually he was immediately caught and gently thrown
across the floor with Wolverine shaking his head wryly. He wanted to talk
but Bobby would remain utterly still until he left. He felt bad that he was
spitting in the face of a true friend, but there were too many issues, and
Wolverine was an X-man and he saw all X-men as a unit, as an enemy to be
faced. There was Kevin or the X-men - no in between. It had been a week
since Kevin had nearly been killed by Xavier and his thugs, but he knew he
would return for him. He had a small voice in the back of his head which
spoke of him leaving him forever, but he thought snidely that it was Xavier
implanting thoughts into his head.  He wouldn't put it past the man. No. He
knew in his soul that Kevin wouldn't betray him, and would come back for
him. He'd seen the look in his eyes when he'd cried for his help. Those
beautiful green eyes of his, full of ferocity and rage became desperate and
anguished in an instant, and he knew then that he was more important to
Kevin than anything else in the world.

He heard shuffling behind him, and saw his lunch rising through the
floor. "You fucking cowards! Let me out of here! You're holding me
hostage!" He might as well seem as angry as ever. They would enjoy it too
much if he fell silent and submitted to their terror tactics. He heard a
rumble, and for a moment he thought that Xavier had finally cracked and
sent Colossus to beat him up. The rumbling was getting closer, and he
started to genuinely worry about what was going on. After taking a step
back from the door, he decided he wasn't being cautious enough and ran to
the medical table to hide behind it.

"Shit," he said, his eyes peaking above the side of the table, and the only
part of him visible to an attacker.

The rumble approached with an insane speed. The door started shaking and
clattering despite its size. A small piece of the door split off, no larger
than a coin, but suddenly it appeared to melt from the inside and part as
if a giant hot poker had been stuffed into its buttery core. He closed his
eyes for a moment, and when he opened them he saw Kevin standing there in
the hole that was once the door. His face was altered by his powers again,
and Bobby felt fear despite the elation of seeing the guy he loved.  Kevin
was scanning the room looking for him, and a frown appeared on his face. It
was despair, but one couldn't truly say that with his face in its twisted
form. Bobby slowly stood up from behind the bed causing Kevin to lock onto
him with furious eyes, and for a moment Bobby was on the point of
death. Those dark eyes softened, but Kevin held onto his powers and ran
towards him. Kevin grabbed him and hugged him tightly until his ribs
started to pain. For a long time Kevin rested his face in angle of Bobby's
neck, all the while breathing heavily with relief.

"I've missed you," Kevin said in a muffled tone, and when he raised his
head, his face was normal. He looked like he'd been in pain, but the relief
on his face seemed so strong it was breathtaking. His eyes scanned Bobby's
face as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I've missed you too," he replied. It was so great to see his face, to be
so close to his smile and to feel his heart beating in his chest. He leaned
his head forward and rested it on Kevin's chest, and felt Kevin reflexively
put his hand on the back of his head and stroke it. If Xavier burst in now,
at least he would have had his brief reunion with the love of his life,
though only a madman would want to fight Kronos.

"I don't like what my powers do to my face," Kevin said suddenly. So, he
was aware.  He hoped he'd come to the conclusion by himself, and not by
some revelation on his own face. He didn't look fearful or revolted, did
he? Did he?

"I love you like you are," he said, proudly managing not to lie and divert
the subject.  The ground shook lightly, and he wondered what Kevin had been
doing upstairs. He wanted to escape, but he hoped dearly that he wouldn't
go up there and find dozens of dead mutants or a ruined mansion. He looked
into Kevin's eyes and his heart surged.  It dawned upon him that they were
standing around in the middle of a potential war zone, and all the X-men
knew that this would be Kevin's destination. He leaned forward and kissed
Kevin, his soft lips touching Kevin's gently and later roughly. He slipped
his tongue into Kevin's mouth, and heard him groan. It was difficult not to
smile. The ground started shaking roughly, and he heard his plate of food
bouncing across the floor. The walls groaned as the tremors irritated their
foundations. Pulling back, he saw that Kevin's eyes were closed and his
breathing heavy and laboured.  The furrows on his face had returned, deeper
than ever and when he opened his eyes, they were as dark as midnight and as
cold as death. The lines on his face grew in size until they curled around
his lean jaw line.

"Thanks," Kevin said softly. "You made me remember something."

"What?" he replied.

"If you stand beside me, no one can stand against me," he said. Perhaps it
was the simplicity of the statement, but Bobby knew it was true. There was
something about their relationship which was unusual, something which made
them both greater than their individual selves. "Stand still," he told
Bobby suddenly and placed his hands on his head. After a moment he removed
his hands, but Bobby didn't feel any different.

"Let's see Xavier get past that," Kevin said with a challenging
smile. "Listen to everything I say, lover boy. I'll make it worth your
while. Let's go," he said, and winked at Bobby. And with that, he turned on
his heel and ran out the door. He rushed to keep up with Kevin as they ran
through the underground passages. As they passed a door, Kevin stopped on
the spot, causing Bobby to run into him and both of them to stumble. Kevin
darted inside quickly.

He followed Kevin inside slowly. He knew what room this was, though he had
never been here. The heart rate monitor bleeped slowly, and was the only
sound to cover the deathly silence of this dark room. Marie lay on a
medical bed in the centre of the room, old and frail. She was dying, he'd
heard Wolverine mutter as much. Kevin stood next to her, his face
unreadable in its dark form, but his hand stroked her wrist.

"Kevin, you don't need to do this to yourself," he said to him, and placed
his hand on his shoulder. Nothing good could come of it, and time was short
besides.

"She tried to kill me, but the fact that I did the same makes me as bad as
her," he said.  "She wasn't her normal self. I can only imagine what I'd do
to someone who tried to harm you or take you from me." Kevin clinched his
fist and bared his teeth, and for a short moment the tremors under the
ground amplified.

"Kev..." he started, but he didn't give him the chance to go on. Kevin
reached forward quickly and put his hands on her head and closed his
eyes. The room started to brighten, and he could see that Marie's body had
started to glow. It brightened and brightened until Bobby had to close his
eyes. It was as if the sun was sharing the room with them, yet the light
was pure and hot. He took a step back and fell to one knee. As quickly as
it had begun it was over, and he opened his eyes. The room was dark again
and he needed a moment to adapt to the light. Kevin was in the same place,
and seemed unperturbed. He gasped when he saw Marie, her face young and
beautiful and revitalized. Her breathing was calm and a small smile graced
her lips. He put his arms around Kevin's chest and rested his chin on his
shoulder.

"I love you," he said to Kevin.

"I know," he replied simply, but he could sense Kevin smile. He turned
around and a small ember appeared in mid air which flew to the opposite
wall and started to burn words into the metal. I'm sorry Marie, love Kevin.

The ember disappeared and without a word, Kevin grabbed his hand rushed
with him out of the room. Back in the passage they ran as fast as they
could. As they reached the elevator, Bobby thought it would be shitty to
get caught in a deactivated elevator system. Kevin didn't even press the
button. He stopped short of the elevator system and looked upwards. A large
piece of the roof disintegrated in a circular shape.

"Hold me tight," Kevin said while facing him. He didn't need to ask him
twice. He put his arms around Kevin's waist and clung to him. The floor
rose in a pillar and they rose up through the hole in the roof, and
continued rising. As they reached the next level the same hole formed as
Kevin stared blankly at it, and continued to do so for the next five levels
until they rose to the ground level. The rocky pillar which had brought
them here started to sink slowly and the floor repaired its self leaving no
evidence of damage.

"This is a hospitable rescue," Kevin told him, and Bobby couldn't help but
laugh despite the risky situation. They started running again. Bobby tried
to look through the windows, but the sky looked reddish and they were
running at top speed, and he couldn't see anything.

Kevin ran without hesitation, and Bobby sometimes saw sparks or waves in
the air as if Kevin was triggering and squashing invisible traps which had
been set for them.  Still they ran, with Kevin looking so determined and
focussed that he didn't for one instant think they wouldn't succeed. He ran
past the opening to a large hall and stopped after he heard an enormous
crash inside. He gasped at the scene.

A serpent a hundred feet long was coiling around the large square banquet
hall hissing angrily at its attacker. Wolverine was growling wildly and
attacking the cobra rabidly, his claws spinning so quickly they
blurred. The cobra was furious and it tried to bite him, crush him under
its weight. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and followed it to see Kevin
standing there with a weak smirk on his face.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt him. It's an illusion, though he doesn't know
it. It might knock him down a little, but nothing serious.  I have similar
distractions occupying the others. Xavier's was particularly cruel, but
even his won't hurt him. We should go Bobby."

They ran again, and he could see the door in sight.

"This way," Kevin said. "Only an idiot would go through the front door."

He blushed at the comment but luckily Kevin had taken his arm again and
pulled him down the main passage to the left. They kept on running when
suddenly Colossus jumped right through the side wall in the distant
passage.

"Impressive," Kevin said coolly.

Colossus walked towards them, his metallic form was huge and
formidable. The ground was still shaking from Kevin's powers, but they made
Colossus sound like a giant filled with wrath. Kevin ran as quickly as
ever, as if Colossus didn't exist. As they neared him Kevin flicked his
wrist and Colossus was catapulted through the same wall which he'd
arrived. It was if a giant hammer had hit him from the side.  Bobby's eyes
widened with shock, but Kevin didn't react at all. They approached the
large side window and Bobby felt nervous that Kevin wasn't slowing
down. They were almost upon the window when Bobby opened his mouth to
nervously ask something, when it felt as if an invisible hand had grabbed
him around the waist and pulled him towards Kevin. He cried out in that
moment, and Kevin spun around towards him, with sharp and confident
eyes. He collided with Kevin and his arms wrapped around him, and at that
moment the window exploded as they fell through, and right through an
enormous wall of fire which didn't seem to burn them. He cried out in
terror as he felt them fall, and felt them hit soft barriers which he
couldn't identify. He couldn't bear to open his eyes, and when he felt
Kevin separate from him, he really did scream in fear. He felt himself
falling wildly through the air, and suddenly he stopped softly. He opened
his one eye slowly, and then the other and stared in shock at the mansion
in the near distance. Looking around, he saw Kevin smiling at him, and
looked down to see that Kevin had caught him in his arms. Kevin gave him a
quick peck on the cheek and put him down. The entire mansion was covered on
all four sides with huge walls of fire, and he couldn't even begin to
imagine how quick Kevin's reflexes had been, or how great his powers were
to allow just that last feat, never mind the entire rescue.

"Damn you're amazing," he said while watching the mansion, and Kevin
blushed.

"Flatter him later, if you don't mind, Bobby," he heard some guy mention
roughly on the other side of Kevin. He jerked around and saw John standing
there staring at the mansion, sweat running down his face which was white
with exertion. He had to blink in surprise because he couldn't believe that
John would aid anybody! It must be for revenge against Xavier - yes, that
was it. Kevin suddenly became aware of John and ran over to him.

"It's okay, John... it's okay, man. Let go of it," he said to John while
putting his arm around him. Bobby's fist clenched, but he couldn't help
it. The fires around the mansion disappeared immediately, but the building
seemed unscathed. Bobby quickly looked back to Kevin and saw him supporting
Pyro, who had his arm around Kevin and seemed to be faltering. He was
exhausted, but Bobby was tempted to let him fall to the ground and crawl
after them.

"We're not all as gifted as you," Pyro said to Kevin with a smile, and
Bobby growled in this throat. Kevin smiled back at him. He wasn't
jealous. He wasn't!

"You coming, love of my life?" Kevin said while turning around. He could
see Pyro looking at him with an unreadable look, and he returned a flat
stare which Pyro smirked at. Bobby quickly looked at Kevin who still had a
questioning smile on his lips, and he winked at him and followed.

They walked for a short distance until the mansion was out of sight. Kevin
stopped.

"You okay to stand?" he asked John, who nodded warmly. He stood but seemed
to sway on his feet. He suddenly felt bad about being so cold to John, who
had after all gone out of his way to rescue him, but with John everything
had an ulterior motive and he had to be wary.

Kevin walked behind him and hugged him, and he leaned back into his
embrace. It had felt like so long since he'd been wrapped in those
arms. "Bobby, take John's hand." Bobby frowned, but gripped John's forearm
uneasily. "Now hold on," Kevin said sexily into his neck. "This apparently
feels uncomfortable."

"Oh fuck!" John said suddenly.

He turned to look at John but suddenly it felt as if an enormous wind had
hit him the face. Straining to look into the wind, the world went red and
he felt himself accelerate. He would have cried out, but he felt Kevin's
arms around him and knew better, and he gripped John's arm so tightly he
was sure he was hurting him. The red colour faded and he fell to his knees,
and heard John fall next to him. He looked up and smiled. This was going to
be great.

*********************************************************************

End of chapter 6

Thanks for all the comments I receive. I appreciate anyone who takes time
to email me. I'll get my act together and post every Sunday as I usually
promise to do.  rahvin7@yahoo.com