Chapter 11- Daytrippin’

Ororo saw Scott and Rahne off after Amanda, just as she had seen Kurt off earlier. Then she retreated to her attic. Calming the storm gathering over her plants, the weather-witch moved toward her window. She didn’’t like –

““Worried?””

-- What she didn’’t like was Logan randomly popping through her doorway, no matter how long she’’d known him.

““Charles is correct. You enjoy walking in on private conversations and introspections.””

Logan only grinned. ““Am I right?””

““You know you are,”” she replied, still not turning from the window that neatly framed Scott’’s car as it sped after the bus holding the Friends of Humanity. ““I’’ve never been able to keep anything from you. Hardly anyone can, considering your sense of smell.””

““Yeah, well, Ro, you’’ve returned the favor more than once,”” he told her, walking over to stand next to her. ““You go all regal, and get this look in your eyes. Nothing sentient would think of lying to you then, goddess.””

Ororo finally turned towards Logan, white hair held back by a simple colored band before cascading down her shoulders. ““Not even you, who has known me longer than I sometimes care to remember?””

““Chuck couldn’’t lie to you when you turn goddess, Ro. And look who’’s talking -- that’’s a two-edged blade,”” he pointed out. ““You’’ve known me just as long. And we’’re both more worried about those kids than we’’d like to admit.””

She sighed, and leaned against the edge of the window. ““Yes. Scott in many ways reminds me of you when we were younger -- you’’re both the jumpy leader-type. Although he’’s far more uptight than you ever were,”” she teased, smiling. Then she turned serious again. ““Do you ever wonder whether or not we’’re doing the right thing? Whether we made the right choice in staying and teaching the next generation, the way Charles taught us?””

Logan just gave her a look. ““Yeah. Every time I leave and go ‘‘globetrotting’’, as the elf puts it. Or gallivanting around Canada, as you’’re more likely to say.””

““But you always come back.””

““I always come back. Maybe after so long it’’s just habit, and there are days when I believe that. Usually, though, even when Bobby decides to dye someone elses hair a new color, or the elf is shedding again, or Jean having temper tantrums and there are never less than three Jamies, I’’d rather be here.””

Ororo smiled. ““Slugging through regardless.””

There was an ear-piercing scream from somewhere downstairs. Both flinched.

““I suppose we should make sure the Institute is still here when they come home.””

““Why else would we be here?”” Logan threw up his hands and followed Ororo out.

*


Amanda smiled slightly as she sat staring out the bus window. She knew Kurt was out there, watching over her as if he really was a knight in shining armor. Scott and Rahne were tailing the bus into downtown Bayville, while Kurt teleported in ahead of them. It took him three jumps, as his current maximum range was about two miles.

Her smile broadened when she got off the bus and caught a pair of glowing eyes staring at her.


*


Sitting in a car waiting to go tracking is not the best way to spend a morning, Rahne decided as she stretched. The wolf was eager to go, to explore this new place with new smells and hundreds of new things . . . And, of course, to stalk elf’’s mate. Rahne growled at the wolf, who shrugged. Wolves mated once and for life. This business of going through many suitable males had only confused her. And no matter how many times Rahne tried to convince the wolf, she was stubborn. Mates, she insisted.

Rahne gave up.

““What . . ?””

““Arguing,”” Rahne answered curtly, and before she realized that would prompt more questions. She answered them before Scott asked. ““The wolf part of me insisted on classifying Amanda as ‘‘elf’’s mate’’.””

““‘‘Elf’’s mate’’?”” Scott repeated.

““Kurt is elf to the wolf because no human has fur, but giving him another classification solves that nicely. You, by the way, are also classified in a similar manner.””

““Oh?”” Scott raised his eyebrows. He’’d had no idea that Rahne had any real wolf in her; he’’d just thought she could shape-change. ““And . . ?””

Rahne sighed. ““Red’’s mate fire-eyes.””

““Let me guess. I would be fire-eyes, and Jean is red. I’’m still her ‘‘mate’’, even though we’’ve been arguing?””

The Scottish girl shrugged. ““I suppose. Although your argument hasn’’t changed your scent, and you might be stuck this way. She’’s rather single-minded about some things,”” Rahne noted absently.

Scott just shook his head. Jean hadn’’t even acknowledged his existence this morning. At least he let her know he still knew she existed -- but was still furious with her. He hoped this mission would be the last straw. ““Ready to go?””

Rahne walked calmly onto an empty side street and shape-changed. When she trotted back out, Scott almost missed her. Then she had to run to get her radio herself, because Scott forgot it in his car. Fire-eyes preoccupied was the wolfs assessment. Much as Rahne looked for something else, she agreed. Very preoccupied.


*


Someone else who was excessively preoccupied was perched on the side of a building, watching FOH unload the bus. Amanda chatted with Graydon and Duncan, who’’d flanked her and didn’’t look like they’’d be letting her alone. A preppy girl with a jock on her arm dragged him after them, and Kurt couldn’’t help but chuckle silently. The cheerleader looked as if she would rather be almost anywhere else, and although there were a few sincere kids getting off the bus, even the teacher looked bored. The building looked like any other building in the city, with nothing to distinguish it from the other areas.

Fidgeting, Kurt watched Scott (walking next to Rahne) enter the building, while Rahne waited outside. After about ten seconds she began exploring the area around the building, her nose twitching for all it was worth. Kurt waited for news from Scott.

Krresht! as if on cue, the radio clipped haphazardly on his uniform crackled and came to life. ““Nightcrawler, Wolfsbane -- this place doesn’’t have anything. Nothing that might indicate that it’’s anything that it isn’’t supposed to be. Unless it’’s hidden better than the mansions lower levels, the building in and of itself is a dead end.””

““Got it, Cyclops. Keep up with them -- we don’’t want to loose Daytripper,”” the Professor, Logan, Ororo and Beast had agreed that they didn’’t want to put Amanda in any more danger by using her real name while on the radio, in case someone overheard them or caught them. How she pulled something like Daytripper out of a hat, Kurt had no idea.

““Right, Nightcrawler. It looks as if they’’re preparing to leave, so keep an eye out. Wolfsbane, meet me at the front door.””

Nightcrawler heard an affirmative growl, mostly masked by the static but definitely there. Still perched on the side of the next-door building, just as bland as it’’s neighbor, Kurt had an excellent view of the front door. As promised, Scott walked out and started away from the building. Wolfsbane, after a reminder from a nervous Kurt, leaped after him. ““You’’re more lucky than you deserve to be brown, you know,”” he informed her through the radio. ““If you were anything else, a dozen stupid city people would be running from the wolf by now. A brown wolf just isn’’t as frightening as a black or gray wolf.””

He heard Rahne growl at him and grinned.

““Hey Nightcrawler, would you stop provoking the wolf? You’’re not the one standing next to her, and I can tell you, a brown wolf is scary enough, thank you!””

““What, Cyclops, is --”” Kurt’’s retort was cut off as FOH members began to leave the nondescript building. As Amanda left with Graydon close behind her, Kurt realized that it was going to be practically impossible to get Amanda easily out of there without becoming the X-Men. He was sticking to her like a bug to a windshield at 65 mph.

““Cyke, something just occurred to me. Are you sending the info back to the mansion so they know where we are and can send backup?””

Kurt heard a startled sound from the radio, and frantic dialing as Scott transferred everything to the Institute, from the address to where he left his car. Rahne growled at him, and raced ahead towards the groups. Then Kurt lost sight of them as he climbed up and over the top of a building, hoping for a better vantage point when they crossed the street. He spotted Wolfsbane first.

““Wolfsbane, where --””

““Don’’t worry, Kurt, she’’s just skipped a bit ahead of them for now. If she can keep this up, they might not notice her at all,”” Scott reassured him. Kurt refused to be comforted until he saw FOH round the next corner. Amanda was playing her part to a ‘‘T’’, and Kurt kept having to remind himself that Graydon was not competition. At least, not for Amanda. Maybe for the right to live, but not for Amanda.


 *


The city had more smells than she had ever dreamed! A utopia, a carnival of smells in every form! She couldn’’t seem to sniff fast enough. The reason why she was in the city seemed to elude her the more she smelled. Without the wolf holding onto Amanda’’s scent as the ‘‘prey’’, she would have lost her in an instant. As it was, Rahne was paying just enough attention to the scent so she knew where they were.

““Wolfsbane, where --””

““Don’’t worry, Kurt, she’’s just skipped a bit ahead of them for now. If she can keep this up, they might not notice her at all,”” Kurt’’s voice over the radio in her collar brought Rahne out of her heaven of scents. If the wolf could have spoken to her, she would have delivered a blistering lecture while on the run. NEVER turn away from the prey, pup!she snarled. Never.

All right, all right! Rahne placated the wolf before darting into a nearby alleyway.

““You okay? You’’re moving like you’’re having a conversation with someone no one else can see,”” Kurt whispered. He was hanging in the shadow behind her, his tail wrapped around a fire escape staircase. Rahne looked up at him and winked, nodding that she was fine. ““Good. You’’d better catch up with them, then,”” Kurt gestured to the entrance of the alley, where the last straggler of the FOH group was passing. She yipped in surprise and ran after them, putting her nose to Amanda’’s scent.


*



Night was falling, and FOH looked to be stopping and turning back towards the original nondescript building. It seemed to Kurt, though, that they had spent more of the day sightseeing than helping the needy. After all, you never know when one of the needy may be a mutant. Amanda was jumping more often, and looked more nervous around Graydon and Duncan than she had at the beginning of the evening.

““Cyclops, are you close enough to hear what Graydon and Duncan are saying to her? Daytripper looks spooked,”” Kurt asked quietly through the radio.

““I can’’t hear them. Wolfsbane probably can, but she can’’t tell us at the moment.””

““Actually, I can,”” came a hoarse voice. ““I’’m just below Nightcrawler, half and half. I’’m not very good at just transforming my voice box yet, but this will do if ’’Crawler keeps a lookout for me.””

““Got it. What’’re they saying?””

Wolfsbane’’s voice hardly sounded like her at all. ““They’’re ‘‘inviting’’ her to a meeting of upper-class Friends of Humanity members. It’’s tonight, but they haven’’t said where.””

““Why did you say inviting like that?””

““Because I don’’t think they’’re going to give her much of a choice.””

““--! Of course! Cyke, get as close as you can, I know you’’ve been hanging back! Wolfsbane, change, and get closer! They’’re going to force her with them, and we have got to keep on their tail or we’’ll likely never see her again!””

““Nightcrawler, you’’re panicking. I’’m going to find my car so I can follow them on the road; you two keep as close as possible.””

““Cyclops!”” Nightcrawler protested, but Scott was already making his way back towards his car. ““Wolfsbane, am I being paranoid?””

Wofsbane had just trotted out from between the alley walls, and was surveying the coming group. Seeing Graydon and Duncan, each with one arm hooked firmly in Amanda’’s, going the other way, she looked up and shook her head. Kurt crawled out to the edge of the wall, saw what she saw, and leaped after her.

Graydon and Duncan had just managed to get Amanda into the front seat when Kurt slithered under to the car. He had only as long as it took Duncan to walk around to the other side and get in before he became the worlds first blue road kill.

““Cyke! Blast the lock on the truck!””

Finally seeing that he probably wasn’’t going to catch up with them, Scott aimed a concentrated, thin beam of force at the lock on the trunk of Graydon’’s car. Kurt scrambled in just as the car started. As the car an over it’’s first bump, Kurt barely kept the trunk open. ““Ow!”” he muttered as something whacked him in the side.

Why does a senior in high school carry golf clubs in his trunk?

Kurt stuffed one of the clubs between the lid and the car, keeping it open, and bungied it closed so no one behind them would know they had a stowaway in their trunk.

““Cyclops, are you following them?”” shrillckt!! ““Cyclops?”” buuzzzshrilckt! ““Cyke!””

He had passed out of radio range.