----------- Chapter 19 ----------- Raine leaned her head back against the seat of a couch.She felt sick as a dog.She was sitting on a nice couch in the large living room in the mansion.Rogue and Jubilee sat next to her. "Are you okay?"Rogue asked,looking over. "Hell no.I feel like I fell into a blender."Raine replied.She smiled lightly,to reassure Rogue. Rogue smiled."That looked kinda fun." Raine couldn't help but laugh.Rogue and Jubilee also laughed,remembering how funny Raine looked up in the air. "I'm glad you're okay."Jubilee said."We're friends,right?" Raine looked over.She smiled.She held out her hand,in a fist.Rogue held up a gloved hand and put her fist to Raine's.Jubilee mimicked them,so all their knuckles touched. "Friends."They all echoed. "I'm going to go get icecream...you two want to come?"Jubilee asked,getting up and heading for the kitchen. Raine groaned and layed on her side."No thanks." Rogue laughed lightly,as she followed Jubilee."You should just lay there for awhile,until you feel better." Raine didn't disagree.She layed there silently,and slowly drifted to sleep. -------- Raine awoke with a start,and sat up.She was still in the living room.It was a bit darker,but not much.Raine spotted Logan,sitting a few feet from her on a chair.He was smoking a cigar,and looking at her."Rise and shine.." Raine smiled,but it quickly faded.He didn't remember."You don't remember me.." "Should I know you?"He asked. Raine nodded."I was only six when we first met.You helped me escape with you from that awful military base..." Flashes of jumbled images crossed Wolverine's mind.The same ones he saw in his nightmares."What do you know about that place?" Raine shrugged."Nothing.Just memories.And you." "I don't see why you remember me so well."He replied,looking away. "You were a like a brother to me.You would come see me,and make life there less scary.Then one day,you escaped with me,and showed me how to be free.We went everywhere...until.."Raine trailed off. Logan looked at her,questioningly. "When I was seven...you had some kind of seizure,and kept raving about a headache when you came to....I fell asleep that night,and awoke to find you gone.I never saw you again,until recently."Raine replied. "Why didn't you say anything when I met you in the lab?"Logan asked. "I didn't remember you...I had forgotten alot of things before I was adopted.."Raine replied. "Have you noticed?"Logan asked. Raine frowned."What?" Logan leaned forward."Jean came by earlier,and showed your back to Xavier...while you were alseep.You should go look in the mirror." Raine got up,and curiously walked to the nearest bathroom.She lifted her shirt up and turned around.She frowned,and her jaw dropped.On both her shoulder blades were those slits that Jean had pointed out before,but around them and down her back ran a splotchy pattern of iridescent spots,that shined like silver,and reflected colors like a rainbow. "They're on your shoulders,and the back of your neck too."Logan pointed out. He was right.Raine saw the few,splattered over the back of her neck,and on her shoulders."Oh...god,this is sooo weird..." Logan smiled."Well,I guess that's mutation for you." ------ Chapter 20 ------ Raine crossed her arms angrily.She was seriously annoyed.Rogue,Jubilee,Bobby,Skye,and Nicky all wanted to go out to town,but Xavier wouldn't let her go. "I can take care of myself,Xavier."Raine said,annoyed he wouldn't let her go. "I'm sorry,but it is in your best intention.This is the perfect chance for Magneto to recapture you."Xavier replied,trying to reason with her annoyance. Raine glared lightly.He was right,and it annoyed the hell out of her.She was grateful he was helping her and all...but did she really have to be on a leash,so to speak? Ororo spoke up."I shall attend with them,and watch over them."She said,to Xavier."I can keep an eye on her,and the others." Xavier was still uneasy about letting her go,even though he had no authority over the girl.Xavier slowly nodded.He had a feeling...he shouldn't let her go. Raine smiled,mentally cheering.She had been cooped up for a week in the mansion and she was starting to go nuts. Ororo smiled,and waved for Raine to follow her out the office. "She shouldn't go."Jean said,after Raine and Ororo exited.She had kept quiet through the discussion until now. "I know."Xavier said,softly. "Why didn't you stop her?"Jean asked,slightly confused. "Because...I'm not her father.She despises her own...and if I try to take authority over her,she'll just assume I'm trying to be her father.She very confused right now."Xavier said,turning to Jean."She doesn't show it,but she's waging mental war against herself." "What do you mean?Is it Magneto?"Jean asked. "Not just him.Dozens of reasons...I unconsciously picked them up from her."Xavier replied.He looked down,and sighed."She fears Magneto,like she fears her father.She's devastated about the memories of her birth mother,but she wonders if she betrayed her birth mother by loving her adopted mother.She's upset about the memories of her past...and somehow she's block them off,not just to me,but to herself aswell.There's something hiding in her..." Jean felt confused,and she felt sorry for Raine."Is there anything we can do at this moment that could help her?" Xavier nodded."We have to be there for her.It's vital...She can't win a war standing alone.We have to be there to catch her when she falls." Jean nodded."You're right." Xavier sighed."I just hope whatever is hiding in her isn't something sinister.That may be the reason why Magneto wants her." Jean was quiet.Why would Magneto want Raine so badly?He didn't seem to want her family wise,at least not completely.He wouldn't have taken her by force if he just wanted to be her grandfather. Jean leaned against the wall,brainstorming events that evolved around Raine.Her powers.How she brought Toad back to life.Her attitude,her past that they knew of.Jean frowned."Xavier,about that night we found her." Xavier looked up at Jean."Yes?" "She had absorbed the energy around her to help his injuries...a great deal of it..you could feel a difference in the atmosphere"Jean said.She didn't know what her point was,but somehow,everything seemed related."And while she was using the gym that day,she was moving without any effort,and again I could feel a difference in the atmosphere..." "She uses ion energy when she uses her powers and in combat..."Xavier trailed off,thinking. Jean was quiet."Magneto could only use so much energy on that machine he had Rogue power without killing himself..."Jean wondered why she brought that up.Was it relevant? Xavier looked ahead,aghast. "What?"Jean asked. "He could use Raine to power that machine...Her capabilities of holding ionic energy is unlimited to a point,but it's much higher than Magneto's..."Xavier replied. "Yeah,but Wolverine destroyed the machine..."Jean said. "That won't stop Magneto from building another one..He wants Raine to power it,that's why he wants her."Xavier replied. Jean's mouth hung open with surprise."We have to go get Raine!" "They probably are already halfway to town...take Scott with you.Bring her back as quickly as possible."Xavier said.His heart was pounding in his ears.Magneto would be ruthless when it came to getting Raine.He knew it.Magneto was deathly protective and possessive of his wife and daughter...no doubt he'd kill anyone who stood in the way of his granddaughter,his only family left. ------