Author's Note: This chapter has been revised so that the story goes into a different direction! Please reread before continuing new chapters.

"Damn it, Scott!" Professor slapped a coffee mug off the kitchen counter. It shattered against the large, stainless steel fridge violently. "I told you to let it be! Do you know what sort of position you've put me in?!"

"Dahlia is missing for almost two months and you're doing nothing, professor! This isn't like you or her and you're hiding something from us and I'm not okay with it." Scott threw his arms out at his sides, almost hitting Kitty in the face as she poked her head in through the kitchen entrance to see what the disturbance was.

"You're incredibly mistaken, Scott. Dahlia resigned on her own accord, she is not missing and I insisted that you leave these things up to me and the professors."

"Bullshit! Dahlia doesn't just quit with nothing, no explanation. If there's anything Dahlia's known from its her over-explanation of things and you know it!" Scott took a step closer to Xavier, who narrowed his eyes at the threatening approach to his personal space.

Scott had long waited till after professor had gone to bed before he sent the text reaching out to Dahlia, but…you don't get away with much with a mind reader in the house, I suppose.

Professor's unusually furious tone had brought the attention of many of the students to the halls just out of the kitchen, all eager to catch a sliver of gossip on the fight. Storm and Jean were just directing the students to a safer distance as I'm sure we're all aware of how fights in the mansion have previously turned out. The pair quickened their pace as Logan's menacing figured stalked into the kitchen.

Scott barely had time to flinch as Logan's hand flew out and shoved into Scott's chest, pushing him back into the wall behind him. His head hit the wall with a thud and Logan's face was inches from his.

"Cool it." The command solid, threatening, icy.

Scott's mouth twitched with aggression as he held back. Logan and Xavier fixed their gaze on him steadily and after a moment of silence passed, he knew he was out numbered. He slapped Logan's hand off his chest and shoved past him out the kitchen. Furious that not even Jean had sided with him on this.

Professor pinched the spot between his eyes and took a moment to regain himself. Logan crossed his arms and leaned back against the same wall he'd just shoved Scott into. Xavier looked at Logan's cocked eyebrow and flat expression with exasperation as if to say 'I told you so'.

"Follow him tonight, I fear for the turn out of this event. I fear we'll no longer have control over this issue by time the night is over, Logan."

"And Dahlia?" Logan asked, eyebrow still cocked.

"She shouldn't lose control…not unless directly threatened."

"Yeah well, let's hope it doesn't come to that, bub. That restaurants packed every day of the week."

"Please Logan, I don't need a reminder."

"That ol' lizard was wrong, we should have taken Dahlia back off the bat. Now look at the situation we're in. If Dahlia's mutation is as much a problem to the old bag as she says it is then we should have done somethin' sooner."

"Betsy was right, Logan. Dahlia's mutation is growing instable enough without the added stress of an unstable psyche. The goal was for Dahlia to have time to process what's happen to her before reaching out to her, something that could potentially trigger another break out if handled incorrectly. She's too attached to Mortimer to have that security ripped from her, to do that would end in us becoming the enemy, and that's not our intention."

Logan snorted, not convinced. He remembered the night Betsy had shown up asking for the "leader of the x-men". She stood in front of the large iron gates of the school at the voice box, staring up at the security camera with tattered and soaked clothing from the rain overhead.

She rung the bell twice and before anyone picked up in the dead of night and cleared her throat, licking her lips with the forked tongue of a snake.

"I have a request to speak to the leader of the X-men in regards to Dahlia."

She had been all profession and technical terms as she sat in the professor's office wrapped in an oversized beach towel. Logan observed her scaled hand that held a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea, skin peeled back from her arms and fingers as if fixing to shed her skin. Even among a household of freaks Logan couldn't help feeling uncomfortable in her presence.

The professor took to her quickly though, even offering her a place of safety upon finding out of the Morlock's intention to kill Dahlia should she ever be found. Betsy had refused however, saying her place was with the people of the Morlock's and she would never forgive herself if she abandoned the children forced to live there.

Betsy had come instead, to insure Dahlia's safety was with the X-men and that they would keep a watchful eye on her, informing them of the downward incline of Dahlia's progressively unstable mutation.

Her mouth set into a hard line, the corners threatening to turn down as Professor told her of Dahlia's recent events.

"It's out of my hands now… Xavier…if I may, I beg you to keep a watchful eye on Dahlia. I've taken care of her as long as I can but the tunnels are becoming too small for her…All children must leave home at some point but this isn't how I imagined it for her."

It was the Professor's promise that they would bring Dahlia back safely and he hoped that's what they would do.

"Can't you just stay home tonight?" Dahlia cringed inwardly at the desperation in her voice, unable to catch the question before it left her mouth. She regretted it immediately.

"No." Mortimer's tone was flat as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, shutting the door harder than he needed to before slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "We've already had this conversation." He cursed under his breath when he turned and his backpack knocked over a glass of coke that had been sitting out for the majority of the day. He knew he was the last person who should be complaining about cleanliness but he felt irritated that she hadn't cleaned up any of their dishes yet.

Sadness gripped at Dahlia's throat though, causing her to swallow hard and her tail to fall limply behind her. He'd gotten so much more comfortable in his anger towards her lately and she couldn't help but feel like a burden. Home constantly, no work to be done, no places to be. It both hurt and made her angry at the same time. She craved her independence back but at the same time was terrified of it, not trusting herself to take care of herself. It was part of the reason she had agreed to Scott and Jean's invitation tonight.

Mortimer tossed a couple paper towels over the spilled mess quickly but didn't bother wiping it up.

"You've been working so much lately…" Her voice fell quiet, soft; as if more to herself than him.

He paused to take in her deflated expression, one ear slightly tilted down and back. The hurt on her face made his stomach sink, as if he'd just scolded a puppy. But he just cupped his hands around her face and kissed her on the cheek softly.

"I'll be home in the mornin' love, al'right?" He waited for her to response. She didn't say anything, the corner of her mouth pulled back slightly. "Love?"

"…You'll be back in the morning." She said, smiling weekly, hands folded dejectedly in her lap. She didn't reach out in response to his touch as she would have usually done. He didn't seem to notice.

He smiled at her then and turned to leave. Dahlia's ears fell back in displeasure at the familiar lock of the door and her pupil's narrowed into slits at the spark of resentment she felt from the perceived abandonment. She pushed it down, he worked hard for them, she couldn't be like that.

Feeling abandoned and lonely she walked to the backroom, heart racing at the realization she would really have to go through with the walk by herself to the restaurant, her first time out alone in weeks. She stood on the tips of her toes, reaching into the top shelf of the closet to pull her maxi skirt and head wrap down. She had to do this for herself. For Them.

Less than a block from work, Mortimer's thoughts started to churn uneasily, his stomach sinking with the image of Dahlia's defeated expression stained into his mind. A slight panic slipped into his stomach at the thought of her abandonment. What if this caused her to leave? His heartrate spiked and he stopped walking for a moment. He shook his head. Nonsense, not in her condition.

Truthfully he knew he shouldn't take so much pleasure in her fear but it eased his mind to know how tethered her fear kept her to him.

He kept walking, trying to focus his mind on the deep blue of the dark sky, never completely black in the city. His thoughts were sinking though.

You're god awful, you know that? Filthy monster. It's any wonder she stays with you. She's going to leave you just like your parents.

"No." The word came out of his mouth involuntarily. Loud and steady enough that it startled a man passing him by.

Mortimer ducked his head further down and pulled his jacket up to hide his face more.

You're wrong. Dahlia loves me. That's why she stays.

Is that what you tell yourself? You've got her wrapped around your precious little finger. It won't be long before she finds out. You're a fraud. You don't care about her.

You're wrong. I do. You're wrong. He pressed his hands to the side of his head now, walking faster. He had to be to work tonight. Tonight was important. They were going to cover the full plan tonight.

You left her so sad. She hates you.

"Stop!" He stopped walking, turning on his heel to walk the other way, snatching a bouquet of flowers from a store display.

Scott pulled his lips pulled back into a smile as Dahlia approached him outside the restaurant. Immediately he knew something was wrong. She glanced nervously around in a way that was fearful, clutching her bag so tightly if her claws had come out they would pierce the leather.

"Hey Dahlia, how are you doing?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and she snapped her head back to him with wide eyes. She gaped at him with embarrassment and struggled to find the words to reply.

"I'm doing okay, I just haven't been out in a while. I'm sorry. How are you?"

"No, its fine, I understand. It gets dangerous out here sometimes."

She laughed quietly, if only he knew.

"I'm doing okay. It's good to see you." He said, stuffing his hands into his pockets as they headed towards the door.

"Jean couldn't make it tonight?" Dahlia glanced around him in search for Jean.

"Oh uhm, no, she couldn't make it. A few of the students are in the infirmary with the flu." He grimaced at the lie as it left his mouth but really the last thing he wanted her to know was he wasn't supposed to be here, that the X-men forbid him from seeing her. If that didn't sound horrible, he didn't know what did.

The restaurant was bustling with energy and chatter as they took their seats. He had thankfully made a reservation for that night. They always seemed to be any day of the week. They sat in awkward silence in the middle of the restaurant though, surrounded by busy waiters and waitresses bustling around. Scott's suspicions that the professor was hiding something from him grew even more as Dahlia's wide eyes once again scanned her surroundings. She flinched at a waiter as he passed too closely.

Toad searched for his keys in his pocket clumsily, hands weak with anxiety and gripping his flowers too tightly.

"Love, I'm home." He called out into the apartment. Silence aside from the low murmur of the tellie greeted him. On the counter still laid the wet paper towels and empty bottle of beer. "I just thought, you were right, love."

His pulse quickened when silence answered him. His bag slipped from his hand and slumped to the floor along with the yellow daisies. "Dahlia?"

Rushing to the back he hoped that maybe she had gone to sleep but logically he knew that she would have heard his keys in the door, it would have woken her. It always did. Especially since that night she never really slept if he weren't there.

"Love?" His voice taut with anxiety. They found her. They found her and it was all his fault. He should never have left her! Or she left him and it was all his fault because he didn't pay enough attention. She was so sad. It was all his fault.

His pulse quickened as he threw the bathroom door open. Black eyes scanned the scene in front of him in confusion. A towel on the floor, steam on the window, a pallet of eye shadow sitting on the sink. His pace slowed and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Eyeshadow? Bloody hell fuckin' eyeshadow?

He turned and walked back out into the living room and scanned the room with blood rushing in his ears. The wet paper towels, the overflowing trash and dirty dishes, the scattered newspaper on the coffee table, the usual station on the TV. His heart sunk, the window open just a crack, almost unnoticeable. The window screeched its protest as he slid it open. The warm air of spring caressed his face as he looked down. Hands shaking, he reached down to pick up the pink cellphone that lay helplessly on the small balcony.

To Scott Summers: See you in a few!

His foot crushed her cell effortlessly. Slamming the window up violently, the window frame to cracked around it. He jumped, leaving the curtains to blow back into the empty apartment with the night's breeze.

Xavier's limo rolled up slowly and came to a stop across the street. Logan squinted, searching for Dahlia and Scott in the busy restaurant. He snorted, frustrated by the constant body of people passing by the window.

"It's busy as hell in there," Logan said just as his eyes landed on Dahlia and Scott in the middle of the busy restaurant. "A lot of innocent lives in there…Shame if something'd happen to 'em."

Professor's mouth set in a displeased line at what Logan was suggesting. "There is a chance Mortimer may not even be aware of this encounter, Logan. We're only here for caution."

Logan reached into his pocket, pulling out a half smoked cigar and his lighter. Smoke escaped from his nose as he exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the scene in front of him. He looked back at Xavier, feeling the heat of his stare on his neck. He took the cigar from his mouth.

"Don't think braidin' hair'll be a whole lotta help tonight, bub." He cocked an eyebrow though rolled the window down and exhaled out the window this time. Movement caught the corner of his eye as he turned his face away from the window. His eyes snapped back, body rigid as he sniffed the air. "We've got trouble."

The glass front of the restaurant shattered as Toad jumped through the window. In an instant bodies were up and running, people screaming at the hideous green mutant in front of them. His black eyes furrowed with hatred as he scanned the crowd. A brave security guard, barely above drinking age stood shaking from behind him.

"F-FREEZE MUTANT! I'LL SHOOT."

Toad's head snapped towards the guard and within an instant his tongue wrapped around the man's hands so tightly his fingers curled out and he dropped the gun, then was flung across the restaurant. His body landed on a table with the sickly crack of wood breaking.

The force of Cyclops's attack shot Toad backwards out into the streets where he landed at Wolverine's feet. Logan flicked the end of his cigar onto his face, then unsheathed his claws and dove down for Mortimer. Mortimer rolled away almost an instant too late, kicking Logan backwards into the window of the building across from them.

Back on his feet Toad jumped at Cyclops as he stepped out the shattered window and knocked him back into the restaurant, grabbing his sunglasses in the process and snapped them in half, spitting slim at him in the process. He threw his fist into Scott's face, every ounce of hatred he'd ever held onto put into every blow. This man….His hated enemy. His Dahlia. His hands wrapped around the already suffocating Scott's neck, eager to see the life drain from his face. Control. Please, some kind of control.

"Stop!" Dahlia cried from by their table, watching the scene in front of her with horror. "What are you doing?!"

Toad's eyes snapped towards her and horror melted into terror by the look of hatred in his eyes. He stood up slowly and began his slow walk towards her, head lowered and mouth parted slightly, not unlike a predator ready to kill.

A gasp escaped Dahlia's mouth as she stepped back, a shiver running through her body making her weak to her knees.

"Mortimer?" She asked quietly.

Logan tackled Mortimer to the floor in that instant, knocking him to the floor. A scream escaped Dahlia's mouth as Logan drove his claws back towards Mortimer, narrowly missing his face. Blood oozed from a thin cut in his cheek.

The scent hit Dahlia's nose sharply, causing her eyes to water and pupils to narrow into slits as she stumbled backwards, foot catch on her skirt causing her to fall.

"Scott's suffocating, Logan!" Dahlia cried, feeling the tips of claws pierce her skin as her panic rose.

"RUN." Logan commanded her and she stumbled to her feet at the command and burst through the back doors of the kitchen. She didn't look back to see what the shattering sound behind her was.

As Logan was hit into the back wall he looked towards Scott laying eerily still, in the moment he took to run to Scott and cut the slime from his face, Toad had already followed Dahlia out the back.

Logan's mouth met Scott's as he forced the air back into his lungs. He raised his watch to his face and pressed a button to speak.

"We need back up, NOW. He's gone after her."

"I've already contacted the rest of the team." Professor confirmed.

"Call the paramedics, Scotts down."

Toad burst out into the back alley and his eyes scanned through the darkness. At the base of the dumpster lay her skirt and shoes and in a leap he clung to the wall and started his decent up. In the distance he saw Dahlia's figure crouch then jump from the edge of a building. With arms reached out hands caught the edge of the other building and she hauled herself over.

He leaped, starting his pursuit.

Dahlia's breath came out in short puffs as she leaped further and further away, the headband hiding her ears long gone in the journey to the streets over. The moon cast a low glow over the city like a blanket making her anxious she would be better seen. Dropping down into a tight alley way she pressed her back against the brick of the building behind her, heart pounding in her ears. Had she lost him?

She re-angled her ears, trying to hear over the commotion of New York's Pride Parade's after party on the street over. Her lips quivered, her senses overwhelmed. Flashes of color from left over costumes just outside the alley distracted her constantly. Her ears began to ring. Every sense heightened to an extreme.

A flash of movement her caught her eye and she screamed as Toad's menacing figure landed beside her and swung. She ducked swiftly in reflex and dropped to all fours. Pieces of brick clattered to the ground and the pipe in his hand bent with the impact. Stumbling to her feet she ran into the crowd vainly. Toad landed behind her and putting a foot to her back and kicked her into the middle of the street. The crowd ran every which way, terrified at the outbreak of yet another mutant rampage.

Dahlia rolled onto her back, a clawed hand held up by her scraped face when he landed over her. The skin on her forearm bled from bits of broken bottle she had landed in and bits of hair fell in a mess over her scraped, sweaty face. He pulled back the pipe, ready to end it here and now…but hesitated.

Her eyebrows turned up slightly. A long, thin cut across her cheek dripped blood down her chin. Wide, innocent-looking eyes stared up at him helplessly as she gasped for the air that'd been knocked from her. A shiver shook her body violently and she took a shuddering breath as tears filled her eyes.

"What…What did I do?"

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. One after the other rolled down, dripping off her chin. The anger on his face melted away slightly, the sting of tears welling up in his eyes. His pipe clattered to the ground beside him and rolled away. His world caving in around him with the realization that not even hate was his friend here.

Crouching down slowly, he reached towards her face. She flinched away from him. Her pupil's so wide and her heart pounding quickly, like a rabbit caught under its predator's grip. He waited slightly before he reached forward again, brushing the tears from under her eye. He parted his lips but nothing came out, his eyes fixed intently on the girl in front of him.

He placed his hands on the sides of his head, glancing away, his mouth opening again to speak. Dahlia's ears pricked in anticipation, her eyes widening.

But before he could get a word out, a large blue streak knocked Toad away from her and the overwhelming scent of sulfur from behind filled her nose. Kurt wrapped his arms around her quickly.

"No!" She threw her hand out towards Mortimer, unable to get another word out before reappearing just outside Storm's car. Jean jumped from the vehicle and fell to Dahlia's side right away as she slumped to her knees.

"Dahlia! You're okay now. You're with us, okay?" The redhead placed her hands on both of her shoulders. Kurt brushed her hair back from her face gently, his blue finger traced the cut across her face. The scene around Dahlia seemed frozen, ringing engulfing her perception of sound. She could see Jean's mouth moving, but if she were actually speaking she wasn't sure.

"Dahlia? Dahlia? Can you hear me?" Jean looked on at Dahlia with concern, and for a moment, recognition flickered across her face. The air thick with tension and the sound of panting breath. "Dahlia?"

Jean watched Dahlia's wide eyes lift slowly to meet hers and for a moment, recognition flickered across her features. The wailing sound of police cars filling her ears just a few streets over.

Dahlia's body wavered slightly and her expression blank. She tried to stand, but Jean's well-meaning hands pushed her down, her butt hitting the cement. Something cracked, rage flaring inside her.

Jean only had time to register the narrowing of pupils into dangerous slits before Dahlia threw her back, her head smacking against cement and she laid unconscious with Dahlia on top of her. She let out a furious scream and thrashed against Kurt as he locked under her armpits, dragging her away from her prey. But Dahlia's head flew back, nailing Kurt in the face where he fell back momentarily blinded and Dahlia made for her escape towards the sound of sirens.