MSV:Invasion Chapter 9

[dazzledfirestar.livejournal.com]

Damn, this one kind of went in 18 different directions... not sure if any of it works at all. If it doesn't, well... think of it as a transition chapter and enjoy the smut. lol If it does... WOOT! LOL I do seem to recall mentioning I had someone in mind for this particular Marvel Man... I hope she doesn't mind taking one for the team. ;)  And I've got a new Haley icon... specifically for Invasion. Being that she's a few years older and... okay I was just bored and I wanted to play with the dollmaker again. :P Anyway, I'll stop babbling and let you get to the chapter. lol

Title: Invasion:MSV
Fandom: Marvel Universe
Rating: 18+
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable  characters here. They and the world this is set in are the property of Marvel Entertainment. The Purple Team is the property of ginevrasm (Morgan/Faye), ladydeathfaerie (Dare), sessys_fangirl (Jehnna), nanaeanaven (Roxxy) and dazzledfirestar (Haley). They are not to be used without permission. I make no money from this, and it is simply a form of entertainment. 
Warnings: graphic M/F sex, language, and as always... ANGST 

Hank took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes wearily. He’d managed to get a full night sleep for the first time in… well he wasn’t entirely sure. He glanced at the calendar on his desk. Two months? He shook his head. Had it really been that long? He rubbed his eyes again, trying to focus back into his conversation with Nightcrawler.

 

“I think it might do her some good, mein freund. Not to sit here for hours on end, but a short visit.” Kurt frowned. They’d had this conversation several times in the last few weeks, but he was certain he could wear Hank down.

 

“You were not here, my friend, when Miss Stone had her episode. I do not wish that on anyone, and I will not openly invite it.” Hank put his glasses back on and started sifting through charts again, as if there was nothing else to say. Apparently, he was wrong.

 

“I spoke with the Professor about this. He thinks that in Jehnna’s case if he or Jean came down with her and bolstered her defenses she would most likely not have such a violet reaction.” Kurt sighed. “I understand your trepidation, Henry, but I think a quick visit will do the girl good. And who knows, perhaps it will do Warren some good as well.” The furry blue doctor made a small, non committal noise in his throat. “Can I take that as an agreement?”

 

“Fine.” Kurt raised an eyebrow. It was not like Henry to answer with a single word, even when such an answer would do. “But it will be a short visit.” Henry shook his finger at the other blue mutant and Kurt nodded. He refrained from smiling until he had left the confines of Henry’s office.

 

“Shall I tell Jehnna?” Kurt peaked back into the office and got a grunt and a wave as an answer. He decided to take it in the affirmative.

 

She sat in her room, or the room she was sharing with Storm anyway with a book open before her, her head feeling heavy. She needed to sleep, and was well beyond caring about the nightmares. She couldn’t function anymore of the hour or two she was getting a night. She hadn’t gotten much more than that since… she tried to tally up the days, no weeks, now. She glanced back at the calendar that hung on the wall. Two months? God, how had that happened?

 

She marveled for a moment at the ability of people to learn to deal with anything. Of course, not everyone had a healthy way of dealing with the new way of thing, or not so new, she supposed. Roxxy had finally given in and taken a day to herself at Beast’s insistence, but she’d spent most of it in the library researching natural psychic resistances. Morgan and Dare were both working themselves ragged between helping out around the mansion, and keeping an eye on Haley. Jehnna frowned. Poor Haley. While Jehnna’s nightmares hadn’t gotten any worse, what little defense Haley had seemed to be crumbling and her flashes and nightmares were steadily getting worse. She rarely left her room anymore, though she did manage to make it to the occasional meal. And Jehnna herself found that her old refuge of books and reading was still open to her, thankfully. She spent most of her sleepless nights nose deep in old favorites. But no amount of reading was going to get her the rest her body was desperately telling her she needed to get. Her eyes finally started to close, and she barely noticed.

 

A sharp knock on the door woke her before a nightmare could truly take hold. “Jehnna? Are you in there?”

 

She looked at the door, confused for a moment. “Mr.… Kurt?” She remembered his insistence that she stop calling him Mr. Wagner. She opened the door slowly. “What can I do for you?”

 

“I am sorry. I woke you, didn’t I?”

 

“It’s alright.” She smiled.

 

“I have news.” He smiled back. “Hank has kindly agreed to let you visit Warren, at least under the watchful eyes of either the Professor or Jean.”

 

Her eyes grew wide. “Really?”

 

“Yes, really.” Kurt saw a glimpse of the young girl he’d known in that smile. “Whenever you wish to go, let the Professor know.”

 

“But I thought… I mean, how did…”

 

“I spoke with Henry on your behalf. I hope that is alright.”

 

Her jaw dropped. “You…” She couldn’t find the words. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Thank you.”

 

“You are more than welcome, Jehnna.” Kurt smiled and hugged her back. “But I think it would be best if you got some rest before you went down. I am sure that Henry would want your defenses at their best.”

 

Jehnna nodded as she pulled back from the hug, a yawn showing her agreement. “That would make sense. I wouldn’t want…” she stop speaking, but he knew what she was thinking. She didn’t want to have to endure the kinds of things her friend was. And really, no one would blame her for that. “Well, I think our team has enough to deal with as it is.” He nodded. She had a gift for understating the obvious as far as he was concerned. “Thank you.”

 

“You are welcome.” He patted her shoulder. “Get some rest.” She nodded again as she closed the door. She barely made it to her bed before sleep took her over. Nightmares be damned. She’d see Warren, her Warren soon enough.

 

 

Roxxy leaned against the closed door and sighed. She was spending too much time in the med lab. That much was becoming obvious, even to her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a chance to shift and go outside. Hell, she could barely remember the last time she’d seen sunlight. No… she thought again, no, she’d made it upstairs before the sun had actually set completely last night. She nearly laughed at herself. As if making it upstairs before sunset made everything alright.

 

“Go upstairs, Rosemary.” The deep baritone of Henry’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “Doctor’s orders.”

 

“I’m fine. I don’t need…”

 

“No, you need some rest, and some fresh air might do you a world of good as well.” He took his glasses off, and lowered himself down to sit next to her. “I should have sent you away sooner.”

 

“You need help.”

 

“Perhaps, but I can manage for one evening without you.” She blushed at the double meaning behind his words. That was something else she hadn’t done in far too long. “At the very least, go get some rest.” He reached into the pocket on his lab coat and handed her a small key. “Use my room, my dear. I think you will find it easier to get the proper rest without worrying about Haley for a night.”

 

She shook her head a little. “I…”

 

He held up his hand. “No arguments. Go. Now.” He pressed his lips against her cheek. “Before I change my mind.” One strong arm slipped around her waist and lifted her to her feet as he stood. She started toward the door, and only stopped once to turn around and make absolutely sure she should really leave. “Go.” She sighed and made her way out. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was time to stop and take care of herself for a moment. Part of her hoped that Henry would see the wisdom in that for himself and join her upstairs eventually.

 

 

“She said she just knew you were scanning her?” the Professor scowled. That was unexpected, to say the least.

 

Remy nodded. “She don’ wanna talk to you ‘bout it. T’ink she scared dat you jus’ tell ‘er she gone over de edge.” He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in the arm chair, staring at the older man. He couldn’t entirely blame Haley for not wanted to tell anyone that she was getting worse… most of the people in the mansion already thought her completely nuts. No wonder the girl wasn’t leaving her room unless she had to.

 

“If it were nearly anyone else going through all this, I’d say that might just be the case. Did she say anything else? Anything about picking up some kind of psychic energy?”

 

“Non.” Remy shook his head. “Not sure she know if she was, wit’ everyt’ing goin’ on. Not a lot of space left in her head to pick up anyt’ing.” He sighed heavily. He’d given her weeks to come to the Professor herself, and she hadn’t, even as it became obvious that things were steadily falling apart. Morgan had told him almost nightly about how bad it all was. “Never felt de kind a fear dat’s coming from her now, Professor.”

 

“Haley’s a fighter.” The professor almost shrugged. “And there’s nothing here she can fight. And…” He adjusted the piles of research on his desk. “I’ve always done my best to stay out of the personal affairs of my X-Men.” Remy nodded. He’d appreciated that particular policy over the years. “But she’s facing a few things I don’t think she ever intended to face. That, compounded with our inability to help her… well, I’m sure the best of us would be terrified.”

 

“You gonna have to talk to her ‘bout dat.” He stood, moving toward the door. “I told you all I know ‘bout it.” The professor nodded and thanked him. He moved into the hall, a hand grabbing his sleeve before he got too far from the door.

 

“How’d it go?” Morgan looked up at him, hope for her friend in her eyes.

 

“Don’ t’ink dey got any answers for her, chere.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they moved away from the office. There was something about what the Professor had said about Haley facing something she hadn’t really wanted to that had struck a cord with him. He knew what it was like to regret something so much that burying it seemed like the only answer. He looked down at the woman beside him for a moment before speaking. “Ya got anyt’ing in your past dat haunt you, chere?”

 

She looked confused for a moment. “No, not really… at least, nothing you don’t already know about.” He smiled and nodded. “Why?”

 

“T’ink Haley would have said de same before all dis?”

 

She frowned and thought about it. “She might have said no, but I don’t think she’d really believe it, consciously or not.” Her frown didn’t go away as they moved toward their room. “I think I’m going go out and get some fresh air. It’s been a long day.” He nodded to her and kissed her softly before she turned toward the stairs.

 

She let her mind wander over her past as she left the mansion. There were enough things in there that some people would regret, that was for sure, but she didn’t feel that any of them were that bad. As she walked, she started tallying her conquests, smiling to herself. She hadn’t thought about most of her exploits in quite some time, and part of her was enjoying it.

 

She found herself near the old gazebo on the grounds, and sat down, looking out as the sun set. It reminded her of something she hadn’t thought of in years.

 

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

 

“Morgan, just get in the damn car.” Haley was rolling her eyes already and they hadn’t even left the X-Mansion’s garage yet.

 

“Well, aren’t we snippy today?” Morgan stopped fiddling with her skirt and slid into the passenger seat.

 

“Yeah, I am. And if you make me late, I’ll be pissed.” The tall redhead put the key in the ignition and they headed off into the city.

 

“You’d think getting laid on a weekly basis would make you happier.” This earned Faye a dirty look from Haley, and she quickly disappeared from the back seat.

 

“Look, I’m fine with driving in on my own. I just thought you’d want some shoe shopping time.” Haley shrugged, stopping at the gates of the mansion.

 

“And don’t think I’m not grateful. But I’m starting to get the feeling that you just take me with you so that someone can drive your car back home while you’re making time with fly boy.” Morgan grinned at the blush that crossed her friend’s cheeks.

 

“I’m sorry. I’ll come home with you tonight, okay?”

 

“It’s fine, Haley!” Morgan laughed. “I’m just teasing.”

 

They reached the city a little quicker than usual. Haley seemed to want to make up the time it’d taken Morgan to get her skirt to sit right. Once they reached the city, they went their separate ways, but Haley turned back for the customary check in. “You know the number right if something happens?”

 

“Yes, mom.” Morgan rolled her eyes. “It’s been three months, Haley. If I don’t know the number by now, I’m hopeless. Go, have fun!” Morgan shook her head again as she walked off. She looked back once, to see her friend happily wrapped in Johnny Storm’s arms. She smiled. She would never be caught dead in a relationship, but for a serial monogamist like Haley, she was fairly sure that was heaven. That and the Torch was smoking hot… she laughed quietly at her unintentional pun as she pushed open the door to the first shop on her agenda.

 

It was the first of many, and by the time she’d tired herself out, it was starting to get dark. She clutched her bags a little tighter as she made her way toward the car. Something was making her nervous, and she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. She looked over her shoulder and saw nothing but the bustle of the city streets at first. Before she had truly registered any real danger, a blast of… something sent her flying into the dark of the nearby alley. She landed hard, her head hitting the brick wall. A laugh brought her attention to the man now standing over her.

 

“You’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you?”

 

She looked him over, trying not to look nearly as frightened as she was. If it wasn’t for the obvious peril she was in, she’d have laughed at him. The yellow and red of his ‘suit’ alone were worth a giggle. “Yeah, I am.” She glared up at him, trying to distract him from Faye as she moved in behind him with a garbage can lid in hand. The distraction didn’t work and a wave of the same something sent Faye flying too. She vanished a moment before she would have hit the nearby wall.

 

“A smart ass too? It’s my lucky day.” He grabbed the front of Morgan’s blouse and pulled her to her feet. She vanished and reformed just behind him. But he was quick, and he didn’t seem in the mood to play cat and mouse.

 

“Jeeze, Shocker. You could just put a personal add out if you need a little company.” Morgan looked up to catch a glimpse of a blue and red blur. A moment later, her attacker was smashing into the same wall she’d hit and the figure of Spider-Man was standing between him and her. “You okay?” He turned back to her. All she could do was nod. The fight was over quickly, and Spidey it seemed was much more concerned with her wellbeing than making sure that Shocker ended up in police custody.

 

Morgan still seemed in shock, so to speak. She just stared at the superhero before her for a few minutes. Though she’d never admit it to anyone else, she was a little star struck. “Thank you.”

 

“Hey, if everyone I got to rescue was as pretty as you, this job would be a lot easier.”

 

Before she could answer, he was up the wall and gone. A smile crept over her face. “Hmm…” She had the sudden urge to show the web slinger just how grateful she was. This was going to be a challenge.

 

She made her way to the nearest pay phone and dialed the number Haley had made her memorize. When the line was picked up there were a few curses from two different voices and something that vaguely like splashing water. Johnny sounded very annoyed and more than a little out of breath. “Yeah?”

 

“Sorry to interrupt but I need to talk to Haley.”

 

There was more splashing and a giggle. Haley had that same out of breath sound in her voice. “Morgan? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I um… I had a bit of a run in with some supervillian type of guy…”

 

“What?” Morgan listened to the short version being relayed to Johnny.

 

“Don’t worry. Spider-Man saved me.” It sounded so cheesy when she said it out loud. She was sure she was blushing now. She’d never actually been rescued before.

 

“So what’s with the phone call? Johnny, stop it!” She heard Haley giggle again, and could only guess that making this call quick would be best for all involved.

 

“How tight is the New York superhero community?”

 

“Ummm… I don’t know.”

 

“I want to thank him… in person.” Morgan waited for a moment. She couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end.

 

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.” Haley sighed. “It won’t be tonight though.”

 

“Oh, I figured as much.” Morgan laughed. “I’ll let you get back to… whatever it was you were doing.” Before Haley could come back with a smart ass comment, Morgan hung up.

 

She was waiting in Haley and Roxxy’s room when Haley came home Sunday night. “Well?”

 

The redhead sighed. “Can’t I sit down for a minute before we play twenty questions?” Morgan crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side. “Fine.” She pulled a small piece of paper from her back pocket. “There, have fun.”

 

“He’s got cards?” She looked down at the note. All that was on it was an address and a time. “You’re going into town on Friday right?”

 

“Yes, I’ll drop you off.” Haley chuckled lightly. “He must have made quite the impression.”

 

So the next weekend, Morgan found herself waiting on a rooftop watching the sun set over the city. The tiny black dress she’d chosen flipped dangerously up in a breeze. She was trying to smooth it out when a voice came from behind her. “Wow.”

 

She turned and smiled. “I’ll take that as a good sign.” She took a few steps toward him. “You didn’t give me a chance to thank you properly the other day.”

 

He shrugged, but she could tell that he was nervous. It was cute, actually. “It was a busy night. Supervillians to foil, damsels in distress, old ladies to help across streets.” She let out a small laugh and took another step closer. “I…” she bit her lip a little. “How… what kind of thank you did you have in mind?”

 

She wondered vaguely how much he was blushing behind that mask. “Well, isn’t it customary for the damsel to give her rescuer a kiss?”

 

She was almost sure that his jaw had dropped. “Uh… okay.” She closed the last of the distance between them; pressing her hands to his chest before letting them slide up and grip the bottom of the mask. Instinct took over, and he took her wrists.

 

“I won’t peak. I promise.” He stared at her for a moment, obviously trying to decide if she was serious. He let go of her wrists, resting his hands on her hips as she moved the mask over his lips. She couldn’t help but smile as she leaned in. Slowly she brushed her lips against his, running her hands along his back and patiently deepening the kiss. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip, begging entrance and getting it. He moaned quietly as she molded her body to his.

 

He pulled back slowly, trying to catch his breath. “Wow.”

 

“Yeah.” She grinned up at him. “Spandex doesn’t hide much, does it?” She bit her lip again as she looked up at him through her eyelashes, before pressing her lips to his again.

 

He froze when Faye’s hands started to travel over his back. “Whoa…”

 

“Sorry.” She wasn’t, of course. Most of the time, an appearance from Faye helped her cause. This time, she wasn’t so sure.

 

“It’s okay.” It didn’t sound entirely okay. “I knew… I mean, Johnny said you were a mutant, I just didn’t know…”

 

“She won’t stick around long enough to be in the way.” Morgan smiled before biting her lip.

 

She saw his swallow hard. “And how long do you think I’ll be sticking around?”

 

“I was hoping…” She looked down at her feet. She was hoping she wouldn’t have to play coy with him, but it seemed like the best plan of attack. “I’m sorry. You’ve probably got girls throwing themselves at you all the time…”

 

“Not as much as you think.” He laughed softly. It was a nice laugh and Morgan smiled. He pulled her back against him. “And most of the ones that do don’t kiss the way you do.” He pressed his lips to hers again, deepening the kiss quickly, his hands moving steadily down her back. She moaned quietly into the kiss and felt the last of his resistances melt away. Bingo. She would have smiled to herself if she could have. He pulled back, breathless again. “Come on.”

 

“Where are we going?” She wrapped herself tightly against him as he made his way toward the ledge the signaled the drop to the street below.

 

“Oh, come on. Let me be a little mysterious.” He pulled the mask down again, just letting a glimpse of his smile get out before his face was covered again. He let his thumb run over her bottom lip before letting out a small chuckle. “Hang on tight.” She let out a squeak as he jumped from the roof, and spent most of the trip with her face tucked safely against his shoulder, and her eyes shut tight. She finally dared to open her eyes when she felt him set her down on something springy. She opened one eye at a time, finding herself held safely on an oversized spider web amongst the trees of Central Park. “I wouldn’t let you fall.” The light was dim, barely there in fact. It was so dark that she barely noticed that he’d taken the mask off. Not that it mattered. Even as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she couldn’t make out his face. She figured he’d had enough practice playing with shadows to make sure she didn’t see anything he didn’t want her to. The gloves had come off too, she noticed as his hands moved over her arms. “You really want to do this?” He sounded uncertain again.

 

“Yes.” She smiled, wondering how much he could see in the dim light. “But if you don’t, you can just drop me off by the Baxter Building. That’s where I’m parked.” He answered her with a nearly bruising kiss. She gasped, surprised by the show of aggression after he’d been so timid. She let her hands travel through his hair and down over his shoulders. As her hands ventured lower, she suppressed a giggle. “Please tell me this isn’t a onesy.”

 

He chuckled lightly. “Is the deal off if it is?” She raised an eyebrow at him as her fingers searched for the hem of the top half. “No, it’s a two piece.” He sat back, the web bouncing a little at the shift in weight, and pulled the top over his head. The deep shadows did nothing to hide the lean muscles that had been hiding under that costume. Morgan ran her hands over them appreciatively. He claimed her lips again as his hands moved to her back, nimbly unzipping her dress.

 

A cool night breeze floated over her exposed skin and caused her to shiver. She couldn’t help herself. She looked down. “We’re kind of high up, aren’t we?”

 

He chuckled softly. “Feeling a little nervous?” He ran his fingers through her hair. “I could just tie you to the web.” He was only half kidding. Even in the dark, she could tell that much. Her cheeks flushed at the idea, but she nodded.

 

“Well, safety first and all that.” She smiled innocently before biting her lip a little. His hands moved up along her arms, stretching them out, and slowly, threads of silk wrapped around her wrists as he kissed her. She pulled at the threads, testing their strength and realized she wasn’t going anywhere until he said so. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She had an exit strategy. If worse came to worse, she’d call Faye and snap them together again safely on the ground. And then she’d run like hell.

 

All plans and fears melted away as his hands slid reverently down her arms and along her sides. “Too tight?” She shook her head and he smiled. Even in the dark, it was a captivating smile. “Good. I don’t usually… I mean, tying girls up in Central Park kind of sounds like something the bad guys would do…” Was he loosing his nerve?

 

“Kiss me… please.” Her voice came out breathy. Her body was responding to the situation, to the way he’d been touching her. Her patience was starting to run out. “The only thing about this that would make you one of the bad guys is if you got me all hot and bothered and didn’t bother to finish me off.” Her eyes were hooded and she was flushed.

 

He chuckled again before lowering his lips to hers again. She cried out as his fingers dipped between her legs. She was so keyed up that it wasn’t going to take much. He made a small satisfied sounding noise next to her ear before letting his lips wander lower, slipping over her collarbone before claiming one of her nipples. She arched off the web and cried out as his fingers delved between her folds. She wanted to touch him, but the threads of silk held her firm. “Please…” before she could really finish, he’d worked his way out of the rest of his costume, and he was hovering over her. She lifted her head and claimed his lips as he settled between her thighs. She lifted her hips, begging him silently to take her.

 

He looked down at her, the look on his face suddenly very earnest. He had hazel eyes, she managed to notice either because he was so close, or her night vision was better than she thought. Either way, he had beautiful eyes. “You’re sure?” She nodded and moaned a little as the head of his cock pressed against her entrance. He couldn’t keep back the chuckle that bubbled up through his throat. “Good, because I don’t want to stop.”

 

“Then don’t.” She kissed him, her tongue licking softly along his bottom lip. She gained entrance just as he pushed into her. He groaned quietly as he buried himself in her. Morgan’s head fell back as he started to move. “Oh god…” She wrapped her legs around him, pressing her heel into the small of his back, forcing him a little deeper. He tensed for a moment as two more hands stroked down his back. Faye only stayed for a moment, smiling down at them before going back to wherever she went when she wasn’t flesh. Another bit of pressure from Morgan’s heel pushed the sight of her twin out of him mind.

 

He gained speed quickly, as she cried out again, tightening beneath him. She had the distinct feeling of floating over her body, but it only lasted a moment before another orgasm brought her back. He pressed his lips to hers again as he swelled inside her. “Oh… god…” She arched into him, pleasure crashing over both of them.

 

She didn’t notice at first when he untied her hands. She rubbed her wrists softly. “You’re sure they weren’t too tight?” He looked worried as he started to put his costume back on.

 

“No, in fact,” She smiled, “I’m amazed how soft that webbing is.” She leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “Thank you.” She slipped the dress over her head again, and motioned for some help zipping it back up.

 

“I think you’ve thanked me enough.” He smiled before pulling the mask back over his face.

 

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

 

When they’d brought in the alien’s victims, she’d felt a flutter of fear. Something akin to finding out that someone you knew long ago was sick. A pang of sympathy, more than anything else. Then curiosity sunk in.

 

She watched as the last rays of the sun disappeared. She stood, moving slowly back toward the mansion. She had things she needed to do before she went to bed, and she didn’t have time to sit around and reminisce anymore.

 

She wondered how much longer she’d be able to hold out. She had, so far resisted the urge to go to the back of the med lab and sneak into the broom closet that currently held a name plate that read ‘Spider-Man’. She’d even managed to talk Faye out of taking a look. She didn’t want to find out who he was during all this. Not really. Besides, it had been so long ago, and there was that redhead that was hanging around the mansion now… Mary Jane something… Morgan was fairly sure she wouldn’t want to let that one know what had happened between her precious hero and one of the mutants.

 

She smiled a little as she pushed the main doors open. The old her would have enjoyed the shock she could have caused this other woman. But she couldn’t stop herself for wondering from time to time. Who had he been? Who was that guy with the beautiful hazel eyes?

 

She made her way up the stairs. Dare probably wanted a break from keeping an eye on Haley. At least, she’d assumed that was what Dare was doing. A quick peak through their link proved her wrong. Had Morgan just looked up, she would have seen her friend coming toward her. “Hey, who’s with Haley?”

 

“She’s asleep.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes really. I don’t think anyone can stay awake forever, Morgan. Even her.” Dare rolled her eyes. “I was going to peek in on her before I went to bed myself.” The shorter girl nodded and they made their way toward their team leader’s room. Light was spilling out into the darkening hallway from under the door.

 

“Guess she wasn’t as tired as you thought.” Morgan pushed on the door and it opened. “Haley? You okay, hun?”

 

The redhead didn’t turn, but that was normal. She was curled up, staring out the window. Something seemed wrong though. Her expression was pained, frightened… or more so than it was normally. “Haley?” Dare stepped forward, and knelt down next to the overstuffed chair. “Haley? Can you hear me?”

 

“What is it, Dare?” Morgan could feel something coming off their friend, but she couldn’t pin it down.

 

“I don’t know.” Obviously Dare felt it too. “Haley!” Dare grabbed the taller girls wrist. The jolt seemed to catch her attention. She turned her gaze on her friends, and it nearly made Morgan back out of the room.

 

 

The room was a jumble of noise, and it had been since she’d woken up. She shook her head, tried to clear it. Dare was saying something… she tried to focus but…

 

Haley, don’t go…

 

Vsyo boodet harasho

 

I can’t do this.

 

We need you.

 

She shook her head again and vaguely noticed that someone was touching her arm. “Haley!”

 

She looked up at her friends, silently begging them to do something… anything. Praying that they could stop the voices in her head. “God… Dare, I can hear them!”