Now that's what I call firepower (Wren)

Angel had got up today and wondered what to do. After all, it was summer now, so school was out. Deciding not to plan the day out, Angel had gotten ready, havign a shower and going to the dining hall to get some breakfast. One of the things he loved about here was that he could eat regularly. It was a lot different on the streets, where you could go a few days without food. Angel wasn't going to do like a seagull and fly down to snatch the food out of people's hands. That was just impolite and nasty. Stealing wasn't much better, but at least someone hadn't already paid for the food or taken a bite out of it.

As the day went along, Angel had decided to take a fly over the premises of the mansion, and see how large the grounds were. Needless to say, it was a good flight - the grounds were massive! That was definitely something he was glad of, because it meant he didn't have to keep within a small area to fly, something that would be a pain in the butt. After the flight, he'd landed and got some lunch, and wondered what to do with the rest of his day. He couldn't really be bothered going to the library to read, and the gym wasn't somewhere he fancied going just yet. Swimming sounded like a nice idea, but if there were people there, Angel wouldn't do it. And of course, with Angel's luck been Angel's luck, there were people there. So he'd decided he might as well spend the day practising with his abilities.

He'd been told about the bunker that was used for the abilities which were a bit more... destructive. And at times, unstable. Angel decided that was definitely the best place to train, instead of on the field. For one thing, if he wasn't very happy with himself and got angry, he could burst into flames and he'd rather not have peopel see that happen. As it was, he'd managed to stay calm.

There was a line of dummies in the bunker, and Angel was playing with his elemental powers, trying to get a feel for them all. So far, hos favourite was fire, and it looked like it was going to stay that way. He'd blown a dummy away using hisair ability, soaked one with the water one, and another had blown up after he shot a bolt of electricity at it. Using the water one had made Angel think that it was probably best to make a group of people back off, but unless he wanted to drown someone or knock them over, water wouldn't be of much use. Electricity had been quite amusing, but it had left him feeling staticy That wasn't too much of a problem though, because it had worn off. Air... well, Angel, been a lad, was still a bit of a kid on the inside, so using air to blast things away made him feel like a Jedi. He'd not used earth because he wasn't too sure on whether or not it would bring the place down on top of him. That was something to practise out in the open air. And now, it was time for Angel to play with his favourtie element - fire.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Angel let it build up in him, feeling the tingling on his hands and up his arms as the flames grew. Opening his eyes, he pushed the flames down his arms and into his palms and shot a blast from each of his palms at a different dummy. One totally missed and went flying over the dummy's head, and the other got the dummy straight in the chest, leaving it to burn. Luckily, these things were fireproof, so the fire went out after a moment, though the dummy was left smoking.

Wren sat on her bed, reading and glancing out her window occaisionally. It was such a beautiful day outside and here she was reading a book. Not that she didn’t love to read, it was by far one of Wren’s favorite things to do. “But this is pathetic…” she muttered to herself, slamming her book shut. She wasn’t going to waste this day inside though. Now the next step would be deciding what to do. Wren being Wren, it couldn’t be some simple leisure activity…she liked to be productive as much as possible. That, and the fact that she still didn’t know many people beyond face and name crossed of anything inherently social.

Then it hit her. She could take this time to practice her powers. She had yet to gain real control of her powers, she’d gotten better, but there was always room for improvement as far as she was concerned. And with that, she’d made her decision. Unfolding her legs from under her, Wren climbed off her bed and began getting dressed the practice, donning her training gear. Once she was dressed, she made her way out to the grounds, trying to figure out where the best place to practice would be. She’d been told of a few places when she’d arrived but she couldn’t decide which one would work as she began walking around. But then she recalled the Bunker and knew that would be the perfect place.

Wren didn’t want to have to worry about practicing in the open, afraid that her lack of practice would show to those who had much more control of their powers here, and the last thing she wanted was to come off as weak. The Bunker might just serve as the perfect place to practice in peace and privacy. As soon as she thought of it, the decision was made and her steps turned in that direction, carrying her to the Bunker.

It didn’t take long to get there, and Wren could feel the anticipation of practice tingling in her skin. She was excited to finally get to see what she could really do. She grinned to herself as she reached out to open the door and let herself in. As the door cracked open, she was met with a wave of heat and the loud sound of flying flames. She shrank back slightly and then looked around to see what had happened. It only took a second to see where the flames had come from. There was someone in here. She recognized him as the angelic looking boy from the capture the flag game. She was pretty sure she’d heard his name was actually Angel, actually it was…she remembered because she thought it was particularly fitting.

“Oh my goodness! I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was in here…” she stammered, trying to force her embarrassed blush to disappear. Leave it to her to barge in on someone else’s practice and make herself look like an idiot. “I—I’ll just go…I’m so sorry…” she said again, fumbling for the door and trying to back out clumsily.

Angel turned around aas the door opened to see who was coming in. He saw a girl, who he remembered seeing from the capture the flag game. He hadn't caught her name though, or if he had, he had forgotten it.... And as Angel's memory wasn't that bad, he guessed that he hadn't caught it. He felt his face go warm as a bit of a blush built up. Angel was... well, he was no good around girls. At all. He got all shy and awkward, especially with the pretty ones. And this girl was really pretty. She had blonde hair that framed her face and made her green eyes stand out, and she was a couple of inches shorter than Angel. Then again, Angel was a bit tall, standing at 5'10.

"No, wait!" Angel blurted out as the girl went to the door to leave. He didn't know why he'd said it, the words had just forced themselves out of his mind. Feeling a bit akward now, and definitely feeling shy, he did his best to not look down at the floor and look at the girl instead. "You can practice if you want. I was just finishing."

Angel looked back over at the dummies. One was missing, leaving an obvious gap in the line. Another was also missing, with pieces of it splattered across the bunker. One was still dripping, and another smoking. The place was a bit of a mess... but Angel was going to clean it up. Well, he would have when he'd been fully done. He was just wanting to work on his aim a bit, but he could put that off for later. It wouldn't be nice to keep the bunker for himself for the day.

The silence that followed felt quite awkward to Angel, and he had to say something to attempt to get rid of the awkwardness, though it probably wouldn't work very well.

"My name's Angel. Angel Smith." He said, offering his hand to the girl. His English accent was quite clear, seeing as he'd only been here a couple of days. As months passed, then maybe it would start to even out a bit, and start to sound American. But Angel hoped not - his accent now was really the only thing to connect him to his home country. "Pleasure to meet you, miss."

Oh god... I hope I'm not making too much of a fool of myself. Angel thought. Manners were always nice, though - been polite was a good thing, and Angel was if he talked to someone, though the oppurtunity didn't come very often. But the chances were that it would now he was at the school. Angel was going to have to get used to people and start coming out of his shell a bit.

Wren stopped as he spoke, turning back toward him. She hadn’t expected him to have a British accent, which thinking on it seemed very narrow minded of her. Of course this place would be home to people around the world. Nevertheless, the melodic lilt to it caught her of guard and she couldn’t help but smile slightly. As he offered to let her practice she lifted her hands, ready to decline the offer. She had no right to cut his practice time short after all. “I don’t want to impose…you were here first, you can stay…” she murmured, smiling politely at him.

She stood there for a moment, watching him scan the room and feeling the silence in the room growing in awkwardness. After a moment he turned back in her direction and spoke again. She’d been right in remembering his name as Angel. And of course his English accent could only make her smile warm. She had never believed that girls could be charmed by nothing more than an accent, but she was learning first had that it was possible. She reached out slowly, offering her hand to him as well. “Hi. I’m Wren, Wren McKenna…” she said softly. “It’s nice to meet you as well…”

She was sure he probably thought she was some imbecile who barged into random buildings when she didn’t know anyone at all. But she supposed you couldn’t meet people if you didn’t at least try and be friendly. She looked around the room, thinking about the fact that both of them wanted to practice and the fact that both of them apparently had fairly destructive powers, therefore they both needed this particular space. Her lips pursed in thought and then it hit her. “So…I may have an idea…we both need to practice. We’re both here…why not practice together. I mean I’m assuming you can only get so good against practice dummies. And besides you seem to have a better grasp of your abilities than I do…maybe you can help me…” she suggested, hoping she wasn’t just coming off as dumb.

"Oh, it's no problem. As I said, I was just about done anyways. I'll just clean up after meself, and the place is all yours." Angel said as the girl said that she didn't want to impose. He couldn't help but notice that her smile seemed to light up her eyes. And a very pretty smile it was, too. Angel pushed this thought out of his head. He might be a teenager with all the hormones of one, but he was nowhere near a regular teenager. And he had to control his powers before he got close to anyone... if he hurt anyone he cared about because he lost control, he didn't think he'd ever be able to forgive himself.

The girl introduced herself as Wren McKenna, and shook Angel's hand warmly. Thanks to his control over the element of fire, Angel's body temperature was a bit higher than the normal one, so he tended to feel a bit warm to the touch, and gave out heat like a radiator. Which would be good in winter, though he didn't know if it was as cold over here in the winter as it was in England. Sleeping on the streets when everywhere was frosting over was not the most pleasnat experience, but Angel had still been warm. If it hadn't been for his abilities, he'd have frozen to death.

He listened to Wren's offer, and had to admit that he agreed with it. It would be nice to have someone to practice with, that was for sure. He just needed to get a bit of a better handle on his abilities, or at least the aiming. But hey... if Wren was here, then obvfiously her abilities were on the more destructive side as well, so they could blast dummies together. That sounded like it would be a laugh.

"I like that idea. Definitely." Angel said, nodding. "But I hope you mean we start working on the dummies first - I need to get a bit better with my aim. But sure, I'll help you, if I can. If you don't mind me asking... what abilities do you have? I mean, obviously, I can fly. But I can also control the elements as well."

Just to show this, Angel held out the palm of his hand and a small flame grew in it, dancing as it gave off heat and light. While he could control all the elements, fire had been the easiest one for him, and was his favourite to use. It was the one he used the most and the one he'd been using the longest. The only thing he loved more than playing with his fire ability when he was bored was flying. Flying was his favourite thing in the whole world - just the freedom it gave, the way he could go nearly anywhere he wanted... words couldn't describe it.

Wren grinned as Angel agreed to practice with her. She had to laugh slightly when he mentioned that he hoped they were still using the dummies. “Oh definitely, we’ll use the dummies…I’m already afraid I’m going to hurt you with my lack of experience…”she chuckled. She watched him as he mentioned that he obviously could fly. She would hope so, she had to admit to herself that the wings that he had were impressive. He then mentioned he could control the elements, which was a skill she couldn’t even imagine. The fact that he had control of air, water, electricity, and fire, all of which were evidenced by the various states of the dummies in the room. But she could only smile as he created flames in his hand. She looked up, giving him a toothy grin.

“Well my powers…lets see, how can I explain. Have you ever heard of a phoenix? Yes, well that’s me…or at least that’s the best way I can describe the things I can do.” To emphasize her point, she lifted her hand, and snapped her fingers, producing sparks that grew into a flame in her hand. She smirked up at him. “The fire is one of the things I can do. Other than that, I’m pretty sure I can fly…or will be able to eventually, right now it’s more floating. If my hunch is right about the whole phoenix thing, I can probably regenerate from ashes, but I’d rather not test that yet…” she said with a laugh. “Oh! And the one I guess I have the most practice with is the healing…”

When she finished speaking, Wren turned to blow the flame in her hand out, fluttering her fingers once it disappeared. Most of what she’d told him was hunches, things she believed to be true, but had yet to really prove these theories. It was all inference and research at this point. “I guess it worked out well that we both have fire on our side…helps with the practice I’m sure.” She grinned. “What should we do first?” she asked, anxious to get started. Maybe she’d get a good friend out of this day.

"If you do, don't blame yourself. Things like that are bound to happen when you're learning to use your abilities. As for me, I'll just stick with the fire. It's the one I have the best control over." Angel said. He nodded as Wren asked him if he'd heard of phoenixes before. Of course he had - back when he was at the orphanages, books had been his escape. Those and comics. His childhood in the orphanages had been nowhere near a happy time for Angel. He'd been mercilessly bullied for been different. Unlike with the mutants he'd met so far, one of his mutations was physical. He'd been called a freak many times for having wings, and the children had pulled on them among other things. Angel usually ended up running off to his room to escape from everyone and just sat in the corner with a good book. Among them were phoenixes, and so Angel understood what Wren was on about. He was surprised to hear that it was the healing that she'd had the most practice with. "Wait... if I remember rightly, isn't it tears that heal you? That'd mean someone made you cry..."

Angel trailed off, an angry look on his face. His body heated up a little, and there was a crackle as electric ran over his body, which was soon replaced by a glow that showed that fire would soon be pouring out. Angel shut his eyes and took a deep breath, getting a hold of his anger and calming down. The glow died down and Angel let himself relax. That was one of the downsides to his abilities - his emotions had as much control of them as he did, and if he lost control of his emotions, he lost control of his abilties. And that was a dangerous thing, especially with the powers he had.

"Sorry... just the thought of someone hurting anybody and making them cry gets me angry. I can't stand bullies or people that hurt others. I know what it's like... but then again, I bet a lot of other mutants do as well." He said. Pushing the thoughts of bullies away, Angel let a small smile onto his face. "As for the flying... when you learn how to fly properly, you'll love it. You'll never want to touch the ground again. The feeling of freedom it gives you.... Well, it's hard to describe."

He watched as Wren snapped her fingers, making a spark which grew into a flame. That was how he'd started off, too.. sparks which grew bigger. As Angel had used it more, he'd ended up been able to make a flame straight off. But... Wren's abilities were different to his. Maybe the fire thing would work a different way to his. Only time would tell.

The grin on Wren's face was infectious as she said about them both been able to work with fire helping with practise. Angel couldn't help but grin back.

"Aye, I think it's a good thing too. That way, if you lose control of it... I might not get burnt. I'm pretty sure I'm fireproof, but I've yet to see if that's only against my own fire. If I'm not... well, I'll live." Looking at the dummies, Angel mused over where to start. His eyes fell on the wet one from when he'd used his water abilities. A smile crossed his face again as he thought of what to do. "Hmm... see that wet dummy there? Why don't we dry it off? You can have the first shot, of course. Ladies first, you know."

Wren was surprised when Angel’s demeanor changed so suddenly. She hadn’t meant to say anthing that would trigger an emotional response. Nevertheless, she had to step back slightly as she watched his body first course with electricity and then with heat. She raised her hands palms out to calm him. She watched him carefully, hoping he wasn’t going to hurt himself with an emotional outburst, she’d done that a couple times, it wasn’t fun. She reached out to gently place a hand on his arm, noticing that he was gaining control of himself again. Then as he spoke she could only smile warmly at him. She’d never had someone get so defensive of her, especially after just meeting.

“Hey…its alright. I’m a girl, we cry.” She said at first, trying to help him calm down. But looking at him now, she could see his reaction ran deeper than being protective. The light-hearted smile fell into a sincere expression. “Ok, yeah, my life hasn’t been the easiest…but I’m ok now. And you are too…” she made sure to make eye contact. “I’m guessing you’ve not had the best experience with people…I can sympathize. People can be cruel and heartless…but you have a friend now…” she said, grinning at him, rubbing his upper arm comfortingly. It was easy to forget that people had had as hard a time at life as she had.

She stayed there, her eyes locked on him until she watched a smile cross his face once again. When he smiled, he looked more angelic than ever. He spoke again and she nodded. “Well if you’re not fireproof, we both know I can fix any injuries that might occur…” He glanced back at the dummies, focusing on the one that was still dripping from the practice he’d been doing before her arrival. She nodded in assent and turned toward the dummies. “Sounds good…lets see if I can even do that much…” she smirked.

Wren snapped her fingers once again, creating the same small flame in the palm of her hand. Ok, more than likely the key is concentration…concentrate… she thought. Her eyes slid closed and her mind went to the flam she could feel in her hand. She knew drying the dummy wasn’t going to happen by just shooting fire at it. She’d have to find a way to get the heat around the dummy without actually burning anything. So it has to be a stream of fire…something controllable and movable… In her mind she envisioned exactly what she wanted. Slowly her eyes opened and she looked at the flame she already had. Moving her other hand toward the flame she watched it catch the top of the flame and begin to stretch the fire like a rope between her hands.

She could only grin like a crazy person. “I’m—I’m doing it!” she called out, turning to Angel excitedly. She stretched the fire rope between her hands for a moment. “Now….lets see if I can send it down there…” she murmured, returning to a state of concentration. She let out a deep slow breath and moved her hands, pushing at the fire with her mind, trying to force it to stretch toward the dummies. Slowly it began to wind to the other end of the room and as it got closer, she focused on aiming it at the soaking dummy, wanting to manipulate the flames around the dummy so that it was surrounded by hot air, but not actually aflame. The fire rope reached the dummy finally, and Wren began trying to stretch it around the dummy when it suddenly apparently became too much. She let out a soft cry as the flames exploded back towards her, her arms flying up to cover her face, feeling the heat biting at her skin, stinging as it licked at her. As the heat dissipated, she let out a whimper blinking and turning to examine her arms, turning red with minor burns from the hot air. “That went well…” she muttered under her breath, glad that pain made her cry, cause she’d need the tears.

"You might cry... but you shouldn't have to. The people like that.. they're worthless. Scumbags. I've never been able to understand what someone gets out of putting another person down and making them cry." Angel said. He'd long ago learnt that tears got him nowhere, but he understood that in some cases with Wren, it could help. Still, it wasn't nice that it happened, not nice at all.

He pulled a face when Wren said about how people could be cruel and heartless. That was an understatement... they saw him as some type of monster, though if they looked in the mirror, they'd see that they could be worse. However, the look was replaced by a smile as Wren said he had a friend now, her hand on his arm in a comforting way.

"Yeah, people can be. It's bad enough when it's another kid or some random stranger... but when it's your own family... "Angel shook his head, putting the thought of his father out of his head. He wasn't worth the thought. Angel's dad was dead to him from the day he gave Angel up - which was basically the day he was born. The smile came back on his face though. "You know... this sounds so corny , but it's true... I've never had a friend before. Ever."

He watched as Wren focused on the dummy, creating a flame then closing her eyes. He watched the flame grow, and his eyes widened as he saw her mould and shape the fire into a rope. Bloody hell, she was talented! Angel hadn't tried moulding fire yet, but he knew it would take a lot of concentration and effort. He kept quiet, to let her concentrate so she didn't lose the shape, watching the rope form.

He smiled back at her as she called out she was doing it. "Yes, yes you are. But keep concentrating. Don't let the shape go." He heard Wren mutter about getting it down to the dummy and watched as she sent the flame down to the dummy. The rope formed around it, but all of a sudden, the flame exploded, and Angel felt the heat blast past him. He might not be able to feel temperature much, but he could tell that the air was hot. He blinked a couple of times to wet his eyeballs again, as the heat had dried them, and turned to Wren. He'd heard her cry out as the wave of hot air hit them, and heard the whimper.

"Oh my god! Are you alright?" Angel asked, voice full of concern. As he looked at the red on Wren's arms, he felt stupid. Of course she wasn't alright! She'd been burnt by the hot air! He heard her mutter about how it went well, no doubt meaning to be sarcastic. "Wren, that was absolutely brilliant for a first time. I've never managed to be able to mould fire like that. You're really talented!"

Looking down at her arms again, he couldn't help but wince at the redness. That was definitely going to be sore. Wren looked like she was going to cry, which tore at Angel - he hated seeing people cry. But he also knew that if Wren cried, she could heal her arms. He'd just have to keep a hold of himself and not let the tears get to him too much.

"Maybe we should try something a little easier next time... I think we pushed you too far there."

Wren looked up at Angel as he came to check that she was alright. “Yeah, I’m fine…” she rasped, flinching as she turned her arms. “Its just a little burn…nothing I can’t fix…” She took inventory of just how much of a burn she had, so she could decide how much healing really needed to be done. She let out a breath, allowing herself to cry. She moved to let her tears fall on her arms, feeling the cool tears running over her scorched skin. She could feel her arms returning to normal and she smiled slightly. “There we go…” she said, once she’d finished letting her tears fall. She ran her hands over her forearms just to make sure, and nodded when she knew that the burns were gone.

She looked up at him, seeing the pained look he had, and she could only assume it was because he’d seen her crying. “Hey, I’m alright…” she said with a smile showing him her arms. They were back to their normal tone. “Benefits of healing tears. I get to cry like a baby for the littlest things and have the perfect excuse…” she chuckled.

She glanced back at him. “And yea…when its family its so much worse…” she said softly. Her mind flooded with images of her dad. The years of horrible things she went through before she had the courage to walk away. It took a moment to come back to reality. When she had, Wren glanced at Angel. Maybe she’d get a really close friend out of this. They seemed to have a lot in common already. “You’re kinda the first person I’ve met that I can actually talk about family to…since I’m guessing yours wasn’t much better than mine…” she confessed, nudging him playfully, trying to get the mood lighter.

“Anyways. You’re probably right. I mean I’ve done a few things, but I’ve never had that much control over my fire like that. It wasn’t too bad, I didn’t even know it was going to break like that until it did. But its nice to see exactly what my power can do…”she told him, hoping the change of subject wasn’t too insensitive.

Angel had to stop himself stepping forwards and brushing the tears off of Wren's face. He'd never been able to handle seeing people upset or in pain very well. He'd always been able to understand where they came from. There was bullying, there was resentment and anger, there was the hurt inflicted by other's words and actions... there was so, so much in the world that hurt. With Angel... it was anger and resentment towards his father. And the pain that can only come from never having had a family, or a friend. The pain of been alone. But here he was now, at the Xavier Institute. These people would become his family, his friends. And that was all he needed.

"Wow... that's amazing!" He exclaimed when Wren showed him her arms, fully healed, without even leaving a scar. "It's just a shame you have to cry to heal, really..."

He felt his heart go out to Wren as he heard her words that she muttered softly. Maybe there was someone else who understood, in a way. He wondered what had happened to her. Had she been abandoned? Mistreated? Had she been cast out of the care of everyone she ever met because she was different? The only way to find out was to ask, but Angel would save that until later, until he knew Wren better. He didn't want to pry too much, not when it seemed he was actually getting somewhere with making a friend. He nudged her back playfully as she nudged him, a small smile on his face, though it had a hint of bitterness in it as he thought of his father.

"To be honest, I wouldn't know. I never knew my family - my mum died not long after giving birth to me. She managed to hold on long enough to name me... my father, on the other hand..." Angel trailed off, wondering if he should say. Well, he'd already started on the topic, so he might as well finish what he was saying, right? "He gave me up to an orphanage straight away. He didn't want a 'freak' for a son. Since then, I was passed around from orphanage to orphanage, always bullied and never been able to fit in, all because I had wings. I'm glad my elemental abilities didn't kick in til a few months ago, when I was living on the streets, otherwise people could have gotten hurt. I'll never forgive my father for throwing me away like that, just because I was different.. I... I... I hate him!"

And that was it. After sixteen years of keeping his mouth shut, he'd finally managed to say what he felt. Finally managed to admit the hate he felt for his father, the man who was supposed to have cared about him after his mother died. But no, his father had been like everyone else he'd met in his life, not wanting anything to do with him. He'd thought it would always be like that, that he'd always been alone. Until he'd met Charlie, who'd told him about the school, where he'd meet others like himself. Somewhere he'd finally belong, and make something of himself.

He shook the thoughts out of his head, not wanting to think of those times of his childhood. That was a past he never wanted to relive or remember. It might have made him who he was today, but what was he? He was a loner, someone who'd never had a friend. He was a shadow of the person he could have been if his life had been different from that first day, if his father had kept him. But it seemed like that wasn't something that was meant to be. His life was looking up now, though, seeing as he was here at last. He only wished he'd found this place years ago.

"Sorry..." Angel said, a small apologetic smile on his face. "I've been needing to say that for sixteen years... it feels good to finally get it out.... But as you said, it's nice to see what your power can do." He nodded, swiftly switching the subject. He didn't want to brood on those thoughts until he had some time alone, later tonight. "It's good to push yourself every now and then, I guess. But maybe not so much, next time. Just try getting used to what you have at the moment. I'm sure as you get used to it and your power gets stronger, you'll be able to do that. I mean, if you still want to be practise buddies, we've got ages to get you to that stage."

He gave a smile, hoping that his outburst hadn't freaked Wren out. Angel already knew he wasn't the best with people, but he tried.

Wren laughed slightly at his excitement at her healing. She supposed to someone who hadn’t seen it before it had to be pretty amazing. She supposed she was only used to it because she’d used it so much. She smiled up at him as he mentioned how it was unfortunate that the healing needed tears. “I’ve gotten really good at just making myself cry…just enough to produce tears, not really cry.” She explained, bringing her arms back to her sides.

She watched him as he spoke, knowing exactly where the pain in his voice was coming from. There was no pain like that inflicted by family. Listening to his story, Wren couldn’t help but recognize the similarities to her own story. His mother was gone, his father was a dirtbag, and his life had been anything but fair. As he went on, explaining the injustices that had been done against him Wren was surprised that she was feeling just as protective of him as he had of her earlier. Standing there beside him, Wren’s fingers flicked, creating sparks, a habit she’d developed to release stress so that she didn’t blow up…literally.

Wren flinched slightly as he shouted his hatred for his father. For a moment all she could do was stand there, watching him with compassionate eyes. She hadn’t expected him to share so much, and she knew it couldn’t have been easy for him. She rarely if ever talked about her life before New York. But at this moment, something in her knew that of anyone, Angel would be the one she could probably tell about her life.

After a moment’s pause, Wren turned her eyes down toward the floor. “I’m so sorry for what happened to you. Its never a good feeling to know even your own father doesn’t accept you,” she murmured. Wren looked up at him, with a slight smile. “But you did have your mother’s love, though she was gone you always knew she loved you…why else would she have named you Angel? I didn’t have that. I had the unfortunate circumstance of having both parents not care.” She turned to look down at the floor again, letting out a breath to steady her nerves. She knew she’d be doing something she hadn’t done in a long time. Revisiting her past.

It took her a moment to start again, but she knew if she didn’t keep going now, she’d never be able to tell him. “My mom bailed when I was ten…about a week before Christmas actually. I didn’t really understand why, but I figured it out pretty quick. My dad used to get really mad…and I didn’t know it when she was around, but he took it out on my mom a lot. Well when she left, I was the only one around for him to release stress…” Wren made sure to stop, most of the time she couldn’t even remind herself of all the things she’d been through. So instead she skipped over that part, maybe another day…if they proved to be as close friends as she thought they could be. “Yeah, so I put up with it for six years…and one night he just made me so angry!”

Her mind flashed with images of the night she ran away, making her angry, the emotions of that night flooding her system. In a flash, without even really thinking, Wren’s hand flew up toward the dummies, sending a shockwave of fire down to the other end of the room, just like that night, but much more powerful for the fact that she’d gained strength in her abilities since then. She flinched at the loud noise that resulted and looked up wide-eyed at the flash burn on the back wall. She wasn’t sure what to say after that, she was sure it was fairly self explanatory. She glanced at Angel to make sure he was alright. She looked at him apologetically, worried that he’d think badly of her. “Well, basically that happened…and I got out finally…” she mumbled, hoping that finishing the story might alleviate some of her tension.

Angel smiled at Wren's laugh. It had been the first time he'd ever seen someone heal, and it was a sight that was enough to take someone's breath away. If he'd had healing powers like that... it would have been cool, but then again, it'd have given people more reason to try and hurt him, seeing as it would have never left a mark. So, in a way, it was a bit of a double edged sword.... He nodded when Wren told him that she didn't need to cry properly, just produce the tears to heal herself. But the way she said it madeit sound to Angel like she'd gotten so used to crying that she could do it a whim, something that upset him slightly. He'd always been one to believe that you should never hurt a girl, either with physical, emotional or verbal abuse. Physical wounds might heal, but emotional abuse left scars that would never go.

"May I?" Angel asked, gesturing to Wren's armss. He lifted one up, looking at it. There was no hint of redness left at all, the burns totally disappeared, not even leaving a scar. It was as if nothing had ever happened to her. Angel couldn't help but notice how soft and smooth her skin was, like silk.... Shaking the thought out of his head again, he let go of Wren's arm, still amazed by the effectiveness of her healing.

"I might have known my mum loved me... but I've never known what it feels like. And when you're a little kid... Imagine what it's like in an orphange, seeing kids be adopted and happily going to families who keep their distance from you just because you're different. Every kid's dream in there is to find a family, but I learnt to give up on that dream and not get my hopes up, because I knew it would never happen..." Angel said, remembering the times that the adults came in to see the children in the orphanages he'd been in. They'd took one look at him with his wings and kept as far away from him as they could, looking fearfully at him. His wings had been a curse wehen he'd been younger, but they'd become a blessing the day that he'd learnt to fly and escaped from there, to live his own life.

As he listened to Wren's story, he felt his heart sink... he guessed maybe it was better to have never known what it was like to have a family than to have had one and lost it. He felt a bit embarrassed about the way he'd blown up, but at least he'd managed to keep control of his abiltities that time. Not that it had been easy. He felt a quick flare of anger go through him as he understood what Wren was saying about her father... how dare he lay hands on her like that!

The next thing he knew, Wren was blowing up, and Angel instinctively wrapped his wings around himself to protect from anything that could hurt him. He felt the heat blast them, and as he pulled his wings back, he flapped them a couple of time to dissipate the heat, before tucking his wings back in. He understood Wren's anger and couldn't blame her for it.

"At least you got out, though. And that's what counts. Where did you go after that? I mean... running away from home, you must have found somewhere else to go, right? I know I lived on the streets for those three years before I was found and brought here... But you don't seem like you lived on the streets. Or if you did, it wasn't for long." Angel said. He looked down the bunker at the dummies and saw that the one that had been soaking was now steaming, and looked like it was dry, or almost fully dried off. Angel couldn't help himself... he laughed. It was amazing how something so small could relieve the tension he'd felt building up, but he found it comical. "Well... at least you managed to dry the dummy off. Remind me to never make you angry. And... I'm honoured that you confided this in me. I promise, I won't tell anyone. It'ssomething I'll take to the grave with me."

When Angel asked to examine her newly healed arm, she obliged, grinning to herself. It wasn’t often that she impressed people. And what was more, she managed to do so with an ability that in outside company, would have been considered completely freakish. She extended her arm out to him, watching as he moved to look it over it carefully. Wren was surprised at how gentle his touch was. It was hard to even tell he was holding her arm at all. She watched his fingers closely, examining how they brushed over her skin. She moved to look up at him once again, noticing that after a moment he shook his head slightly, as if clearing his mind of something, and then he gently let go of her arm. It took her a moment to recover her warm smile, her mind was a bit foggy at this point.

His words came softly, knocking her out of her trance-like feeling. She could only watch him closely as he spoke, her heart splintering at the images his story produced. She could understand people being thrown off by the fact that the young boy they saw had wings, but just from the few moments she’d been talking to him, she couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting Angel. He seemed so kind and gentle. She suppose that had added fuel to her loss of control, the anger at how callous people could be to others.

The cool air from the movement of Angel’s wings helped to dissipate some of the burning anger that was remaining after her blow up and her attempt at lightening the mood. She flashed him an embarrassed look and shrugged. He offered her an easy transition with his questions and she leaped at it. “Well, when I left I headed to New York, I guessed my father, if he wanted to make the effort, wouldn’t be able to find me there. I also figured I could find a fairly cheap apartment and a job that didn’t require a high school education. I found both, and they were by no means glamorous.” She smirked to herself. However, she was curious at his comment about living on the streets, and it didn’t take long for her to realize that that is what Angel had done. Her heart splintered a bit more and she wanted nothing more than to find a way to erase the past he’d had to suffer through.

She was watching him with compassionate eyes when he began to laugh. The sound was infectious and she couldn’t help but laugh along with him when he explained what was so funny. Their laughter slowly faded, leaving smiles in their wake. Angel promised her secret past was safe with him and she knew that was true. “Thank you…I’m glad to have someone to actually tell, it helped…but you’re right, I don’t think I want to be telling everyone just yet.” She murmured. “Well what should we do now?” she asked looking back toward the dummies then at Angel again.

At Wren's embarrassed look, Angel let out a small chuckle. There wasn't really much reason to be embarrassed, at least he didn't think so, though he knew he'd have acted embarrassed if he'd done the same. That was one of the things about his abilities... his emotions tended to just find a way to let his abilities out. And if Angel got angry, then it could b dangerous to be near him. Because when he was angry, his abilities were almost totally out of his control. Not a good thing at all, and definitely not safe.

"Well, it's great you managed to find somewhere. Even if it wasn't the best of places, it was yours. I'd have got a job if I could... but I don't think anyone would want to employ anyone with wings. Well... maybe the Church, but I'm not exactly a Church goer. And I wouldn't want to con anyone into believing, you know?" Angel said. He knew that he'd been lucky no one had got their hands on him, exploited his mutation, He'd have been a gold mine for anyone who got their hands on him. All mutants haad that risk hanging over their heads, but not every mutant had a physical mutation that stuck out like a sore thumb. "What did you work as? Wait, lemme guess... no education, job needed, most likely paid at the minimum wage, worst hours... I'm gonna guess you were a waitress? Well, if I'd ever come the restaurant that you worked at and saw you, I think I'd have become a regular there."

Wren's laugh seemed to be just like the rest of her... beautiful and gentle. One of the nicest things Angel had ever heard. As the yfinished laughing, smiles were left on both their faces.Angel had to admit, it felt good to laugh or smile. He'd not had much reason in hs life to do so, but things were definitely looking up for him now at the Institute. He had a home, an education, food, clothes, a bed to sleep in and even better than all of those... friends. Something he'd never had before in his life.

"Yeah... it felt good to finally have someone totalk to about what's happened with me... like a weight was just lifted off of my shoulders. And I know this might sound silly, seeing as we've really only just kinda met, but... If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be there for you." Angel knew he might be kind of pushing it there, but Wren had confided something in him that she didn't want to tell anyone else. And he'd keep his mouth shut, just like he promised. He could get his wings clipped and he still wouldn't say anything. "Hmm.. as for what to do...." Angel bit his lip, a small flame growing in his hand as he was lost in thought. What to do, what to do, what to do? Angel came back down to earth as a thought entered his head, the flame in his hand going out. "Well... I think that might be enough practise for now. And you've pushed yourself today, so I think you could do with a little bit of relaxing. Now, I don't know how you usually relax, but I like to have a fly around. If you want, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to hold onto you and have a fly round. Get you used to the feeling of flying for when you get there yourself."

Wren smirked as Angel managed to guess exactly what she’d had to settle for doing after her escape from home. She supposed it wasn’t exactly difficult to draw the correct conclusion, but she was impressed nonetheless. And she could only blush at his compliment, ducking her head to try and hide the tell-tale redness in her cheeks. “I would have made sure you got treated especially well if you were a regular…” she mumbled with a warm smile. His reference to his lack of options due to his physical trait made perfect sense to her. But something in her flinched slightly at his mention of the church.

Wren had by no means been a faithful church goer herself, and she had her moments of conflict over what she believed, but somehow in her life she’d never stopped asking for help from something, anything even if she couldn’t see it. If nothing else, it helped her to think that maybe those people who seemed so focused on their beliefs may actually know of someone or something that still loved her somewhere. It was a comforting feeling even if she wasn’t sure anyone was really watching.

As Angel spoke again, Wren nodded. She had never expected to find a confidant so easily, and so quickly. Besides that, she was glad that she could provide Angel with a friend. From his story, she could tell she had a lot of time to make up for the way he’d been treated before, and in that moment, she vowed to herself, and to Angel that she’d make sure he didn’t have to feel unwanted anymore, if she could help it. His words almost brought tears to her eyes, real tears, not simply those brought on by necessity. “Thank you Angel…” she said softly. “I’m always here if you want to talk too…what else are friend’s for?”

They stood in silence for a moment as Angel contemplated their next move. Wren somehow found the silences they had enjoyable. They weren’t awkward, even after only speaking for such a short time. She was completely comfortable with Angel, and that was a feeling she had been sure she’d never have around anyone, particularly any men. It was a refreshing surprise. She watched a flame materialize in his hand again and she studied it carefully, noting the similarities and differences between her own fire producing ability. After a moment, the flame extinguished with the faintest sound of a hiss and her eyes turned back to his face and she smiled.

She could only nod in agreement as he explained that they’d probably practiced enough for the day. She did feel kind of bad that she’d been the reason that he’d had to stop his own practice, but he seemed okay enough with the decision. Besides, a bit of relaxation sounded good after the strain she’d put on herself. And then as he continued, her stomach filled with a fluttering feeling. She’d love a chance to fly. She was sure she’d know how to eventually, but for the time being it seemed like more of a pipe dream. So the fact that Angel was offering her a chance was extremely exciting. Before he could even finish asking, she was replying. “Oh I’d love to see you fly! That sounds like fun…” she exclaimed, laughing at herself and her excitement. She hoped the sudden increase at the fluttering in her stomach didn’t show as he mentioned holding onto her for the flight. “It—It would be great practice after all…” she added, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she suddenly felt, a feeling she couldn’t think of an explanation for.

Angel saw the blush on Wren's face, even as she ducked her head. He guessed what he said could have done that... looking back on it, he realise something he hadn't before. Was he... flirting? No, he couldn't have been! Angel didn't know how to flirt... he had no experience with girls what so ever. No, he was just been nice. And there was a difference between flirting and been nice, right? He felt his face go warm and knew a small blush was forming on his face as Wren said that if he'd been a regular, she'd have made sure he got treated especially well.

"I hope that means it would have you been serving me." Angel said, a cheeky grin on his face. He saw the look that flitted across Wren's face as he mentioned the church. Whoops... maybe he'd said the wrong thing there. "What I meant is that I wouldn't want to be used to make people believe in angels and use that to believe in something that might not have before... If people want to believe, they can. It doesn't bother me at all. There could be a God, but there might not be... I don't know. All I do know is that we're on our own. We're the only ones who can sort out our problems. But it's nice to have something to believe in, something to give you hope. Like I said though... I got to a point where I lost mine. And then all of a sudden, this happens, and I'm here. I have a bed, I have clothes, food, an education... I have you. I never thought I'd be so lucky, and I'm taking this chance I've been offered and I'm going to work hard to earn it."

He smiled softly at Wren as he saw the look on her face when he told her he'd be there for her. It was weird... One minute, she was just a random girl that had stumbled on him practice, the next he felt as if something had clicked. Angel didn't believe in fate... heck, there wasn't really anything he believed in other than himself, because he was the only person he could believe in to help himself. It wasn't a self centred, egotistical 'oh look at me, I have major confidence and am awesome' belief in himself. Just that he'd learnt to believe in others was to be hurt when they disappointed him, let him down... left him. That's how his life had been. Everyone had left him, even if that had only been his mother and father. In the end, it was Angel who had left everyone else. They had meant nothing to him, as he had meant nothing to them. They had probably been happy to see him gone anyways.

"Thank you..." Angel said, as Wren said he could always talk to her too. "Friend...." He mulled the word over, let the feeling of the word linger in his mouth. A word he'd never thought he'd use to describe anyone he knew or who knew him. It was just a word to some people, but to Angel friend also meant hope. Someone who he could spend time with, someone he could trust... and that was a big thing for Angel. If someone broke his trust, he had no doubt it would break him as well. He didn't like to admit it or even think it, but he was emotionally fragile. But wouldn't anyone be, if they'd endured what he had? There were other people out there the same... maybe different things had happened, but they were the same. He could name one off the top of his head straight away - Lex. Only, Lex dealt with it by not trusting anyone, cutting himself off as much as he could. But Angel couldn't do that. "You know... You're the first friend I've had... well, that's a lass, anyways. I guess I could call Lex a friend, too. If you remember capture the flag, he was the pale one in all black with black hair. The one who seemed broody." Well, that was the easiest way to describe Lex. And the most honest, too.

Once again, a smile graced Angel's face as he saw the excitement of Wren's when he offered to fly with her. He almost laughed at the excitement, but he could understand it. He let out a little laugh, not been able to help himself. Today really was turning out to be a surprise... Angel had managed to talk to a girl, make a good friend, and was smiling and laughing, all in the time of one conversation. It was bloody brilliant, to be honest.

"Aye, it would be." He said, as Wren said it would be good practice. "So you get used to the feeling... but you'll probably be nervous on your first time flying. It's a nerve wracking thing the first time..." Angel remembered the first time he'd actually managed to fly - not just get off the ground and flap his wings, but actually fly. He'd been thrilled, but scared at the same time. But practise after practise had made it second nature now, and it was something he loved. He noticed the nerves in Wren's voice, and it was understandable. "Don't worry, I won't drop you. And you tell me if we're high enough for you. I don't want to go too high and scare you."

Walking to the door of the bunker, Angel held it open, ready for Wren to go through.

"Ladies first." He said. He knew that because he'd be holding someone, he'd probably need a bit more space to take off. Angel was looking forwards to it as well. It would be the first time he'd taken someone on a pleasure flight with him, the first time he'd shared the experience of what it was like to be so free with someone.

If it was possible, Angel managed to look even more angelic when he blushed. Wren thought that maybe the blush had been in reaction to her, and then he responded to her statement about him being a purveyor of the diner she’d worked in, she knew he was blushing because of her. He shot her a cheeky smile and it was clear, he was being playful with her, and she knew then that they’d reached a point of truly being comfortable together. “I’d definitely have been serving you…some of the girls I worked with can’t be beat off of a handsome guy with a baseball bat, wings or no wings. You’d need someone to protect you…” she teased, leaning against him and shoving him playfully.

Wren smiled to herself when he tried to backtrack his statement about church before. He must have seen some form of reaction in her, which she hadn’t meant for him to see, but now he was trying so hard to make sure she hadn’t been offended. He was rather adorable when he was trying to erase something he’d said simply to make sure she was alright. Watching him try and explain, Wren could only watch his face, particularly his eyes. They were extremely expressive, and they gave away how worried he was that she’d be angry with what he’d said. She only broke from her reverie a few moments after he’d finished speaking.

“Oh! I understand that…” she nodded. “I pretty much feel the same way. Though I have to admit there were some nights it was kind of nice thinking that there might be someone listening. But in the back of my mind, I kind of wondered if it was just a story…something to help little kids sleep at night without bad dreams…” Wren really just liked the opportunity to talk to empty air about what she was going through, her beliefs were limited to that alone, since things didn’t stop until she made them. Angel’s point about people being on their own made sense to her.

Wren had never really put much value in having relationships with other people. The people she was supposed to trust only hurt her, and everyone else didn’t trust anyone either, or at least that’s the impression she got. But kismet must have been in overdrive when she’d just stumbled into Angel’s training. After sixteen years with her father and the first two nights working at the diner, Wren figured out that men couldn’t be trusted. Angel was changing that…or at least showing her that she could trust him if no one else. Hearing him mumbled the word friend sent a warm feeling through her. It sounded particularly nice to hear that word from him. And as he confessed that she was the first friend he’d had, she had to smile.

He went on to mention someone named Lex, and as he described him, Wren recalled who he was referring to. She’d seen him at the capture the flag game. She was surprised at just how happy she was to hear that Angel may have had another friend. If anyone deserved real companionship, it was Angel. She could only imagine the differences between the Angel she was getting to know and the Angel that had existed before the Xavier Institute became a part of his life. And as he laughed at her excitement, it only proved to enforce the differences she could only guess at. She wondered how long it had been since he’d laughed or smiled this much, and what was more, she hoped she could make it more the norm for Angel to smile.

As he described flying, Wren realized how much she’d been wanting to try it. She hadn’t really considered it all that important, she supposed now that it was simply that she didn’t know what she’d been missing. She only caught the end of his reassurances, and nodded, wondering just what her limits could be as far as flying went, since this would be a first time for her. Her eyes followed him as he moved to the door of the bunker and she winced and blinked when the sunlight flooded in from outside. It took a moment for her eyes to readjust to the change in the light but once they had she turned to Angel, grinning at his chivalrous gesture. She took a few steps outside and turned to face him as he followed her out. She stood there, biting on her bottom lip, watching him closely.

She wasn’t sure exactly what to do as far as holding on for this flight. She could feel more butterflies in her stomach as she took a step toward Angel, waiting for instruction and exactly what to do, her eyes at level with the area where his heart was. She chalked it up to nerves about her first time flying. But if she was being honest with herself, she’d have noticed that the butterflies had been there since he’d examined her arm, getting stronger with each passing moment.

And what was more, if she had been willing to examine it further, Wren would have probably been questioning why of all the people at the capture the flag game had she remembered Angel’s name? Or why was so so protective so quickly? Why was she so drawn to the joyful spark in his eyes? Why was she looking forward to this flight simply because Angel was going to be the one taking her and making sure she was safe? If she had been willing to think about it anymore, she’d have wondered and begun making conclusions that would have probably been correct. But as to be expected, Wren’s musings were completely shallow, whether out of fear of ignorance there was no way of being sure. But Wren wasn’t going to figure out the truth right now…right now she was going flying.

Angel couldn't help but blush even more at Wren's comment. Handsome, him? Nah... He knew she was teasing, but that didn't make the blush come on any less. "Handsome, me? Nah... I think you're talking about someone else there, Wren." He said, shoving her back gently and playfully. "If anything, it'd be you that needs protecting. Some guys out there wouldn't leav you alone, I bet. If anyone tried to hurt you... they'd have a vengeful Angel after them."

He listened as Wren said about it been nice to think that maybe there was someone listening. Angel totally understood that... There'd been times when he was younger that he'd wished there had been someone for him to talk to, to tell him everything was going to be ok. Soon enough, he'd learnt that it wasn't going to happen to him, or if it was, it wouldn't be any time soon. Of course, the fact that there was an invisible person in the sky that controlled his life had made him slightly cynical, mainly because of the fact he didn't want anyone to control his life. And if this person had existed, it'd made his life hell. But maybe it had been really bad before, because it was going to be really good now. Looking at Wren again, he thought that was something that was likely to happen.

"Maybe so... but just been able to talk about your fears, and to be able to ask for help, even if it is only to yourself or the air... It can help people. And that's why I understand if people are religious - it helps them with things. And the community of the church could help each other. Like a family, I guess. But while it might be the faith that brings them all together, it's themselves that help each other, not something that may or may not exist. Faith shouldn't be a reason to help others, though... it should be done anyway."

As Wren stepped outside, Angel followed her, shutting the door behind himself and blinking a bit as his eyes adjusted to the brighter light outside. Luckily, the weather was starting to be nice. You could tell it was almost summer. As he looked over at Wren, he'd notced that she had taken a step closer to him, and a look of nervousness was on her face. And Angel guessed she was probably wondering how they'd get in the air.

"Hmmm..." Angel said as he thought how he'd do this. Then he had an idea, which he hoped Wren was with. "Ok... um... so, for the flight, getting up in the air is probably going to be the hard part. I'm sure I've got it figured out though... So, you stand on my feet, I'll hold onto you around your stomach and then use my air ability to lift us up a few feet into the air. After that, I'll tilt forwards so that I can flap and get us higher. And then, we're flying. That sound ok? I'll go up slowly for you."

Angel had to admit, he was looking forwards to the flight, but he was also a bit nervous. This was going to be fun, but he wondered how Wren would react to it when they landed. Would she be scared and nevr want to di it again? Would be love it and want to be up there all the time, like Angel? Or would she be unsure about it? He guessed the only way to find out was to do it.

Wren watched Angel as his face lit up with an idea. He proposed his idea and Wren could only nod. Inside, her mind was racing, a monotone buzzing sound that she managed to tune out for the time being. “That sounds fine…” she replied with a smile. She hesitated for just a moment before stepping forward. Her eyes ran over him, trying to assess the best place for her to establish her grip. That last thing she wanted was to fall. Her hands reached out a couple times moving toward different places the retreating slightly each time before she decided it would probably be best to hold him around his middle like he would her.

Wren took a deep breath and reached forward, wrapping her arms around his midsection, linking her hands in back. Once her arms were securely in place, Wren carefully stepped up to place her feet on his. She was sure she’d be crushing his toes and her worry was most likely on her face. “Sorry…I’m probably way too heavy to be standing on your feet…” she mumbled, looking up at him with a shy smile.

She wasn’t complete sure of how comfortable Angel was with such close contact, so Wren made sure to keep a little distance between them so as not to make him unnecessarily uncomfortable. However that plan didn’t last long once she felt him start to lift off the ground. As soon as she was sure there was no solid ground beneath them, Wrens grip around Angel tightened, closing the small gap between them. Her cheek pressed into his chest, and her eyes wide, watching their ascent. After a moment above the ground, Wren slowly started acclimating. Eventually, she let out a soft “Wow…” and her smile grew. Her grip was still tight around Angel, her face still pressed against him as she turned her face up to smile

Angel saw the smile on Wren's face when she agreed to his idea, though he could almost feel the nerves coming off of her. Angel couldn't blame her, though. Flying without been in a plane or helicopter, and only having someone you've just met to hold onto... It would be a scary thing. Angel felt Wren's arms wrap around him, and then the pressure on his feet as she stepped up onto them. Looking up at him with a bit of a sheepish smile, she apologised for been too heavy.

"Don't be silly, Wren. You're perfectly fine." Angel replied, wrapping his own arms around Wren's waist. Angel closed his eyes and took a breath, focusing on the air. When he felt his grip on the element, he made it move around them and under their feet, and they started to lift off of the ground. They rose and rose until Angel leaned forwards, spreading his wings out and started flapping them to get somem ore height and be ready to fly. He felt like an aeroplane for a second, which was a silly thought. Aeroplanes didn't take off vertically, then tilt forward to be flat so they could fly.

Soon enough, they were higher than the school, and Angel let himself start going forwards, flapping his wings every now and then to keep the height. Wren's arms had been tighter around him once they left the ground, and she was pressed close against Angel. It wasn't uncomfortable, though Angel had felt a little awkward. This was the closest he'd ever really been to another person before. Wrn's body and his seemed to fit together quite nicely, and she had her head against his chest. He hoped she didn't hear his heart beating, because it was going a mile a minute at the moment, not from the effort, because there wasn't really one, but from the feeling of Wren in his arms. He looked at her as she said wow, looking abck up at him, and gave her a prope smile, his eyes lighting up.

"Look down, Wren. You can see everyhing from up here. He said, as he looked out over the school, and grounds. He saw the lake and the wood, the raining bunker below them, and people down below looking so small. "If men were meant to fly, God would have given them wings..." He muttered under his breath, another smile popping up onto his face as the quote left his mouth. Well then, it seemed like he had beenb meant to fly. And fly Angel had done, upand down England, before he'd been found and brought here. The sky belonged to him and the birds, and the occasional plane. It was where he felt most at peace, up among the clouds, far away from the troubles of everyone else.

Wren kept her eyes upward on Angel’s face. She was sure they were completely soaring now. They were almost completely horizontal and his wings were moving through the air, beating every now and then to add a bit more height. Each time his wings moved, it sent a gust of air over her and she smiled, giving his middle a gentle squeeze. Now her grip was looser, secure enough to keep her with him, but his arms were also securely around her so she could relax slightly. Now their proximity remained close simply for the comfort being in Angel’s presence offered. There was an almost magical silence as they flew for a few moments. His grip around her was strong and gentle at the same time and Wren knew she’d never grow tired of embraces with Angel. She felt safe here.

His voice rumbled through his chest and into her ear, telling her to look around. Her gaze moved from his face to scan the grounds beneath them. Everything looked so distant, almost miniature. She could see the mansion looking more like a palace from up here than ever before. The brilliant green lawns, she specks that she knew were others wandering the grounds, the bright glittering of the pool and the lake. “Its beautiful…” she whispered breathlessly. After a moment, her head tilted back to level, her eyes closed as she just enjoyed this feeling of freedom and weightlessness. His voice rumbled once again in his chest , making a statement about if men were meant to fly they’d have been given wings, and she grinned.

The wind blew gently against her face, most of the more violent streams of air blocked by Angel around her. Then over the whoosh of wind Wren heard a different sound. A rapid drumming noise, coming from just under her ear, from within Angel’s chest. The sound made her smile and she listened more closely. His heart was racing, and she couldn’t guess why, but either way the rhythm was comforting. Her ear pressed gently into his chest, straining to make the steady rhythm louder. “Thank you for bringing me up here Angel…” she said softly, a warm smile clear in her voice.

"Yeah... it is." Angel said back when Wren whispered about it been beautiful after looking down. It was a beauty Angel was glad to share with Wren, though he thought her beauty outclassed the beauty of the place tenfold. Not that he'd say it, though... Angel knew he'd be too shy to do so. He was comfortable with Wren, but he didn't think he'd really ever be comfortable enough to admit it. He felt her squeeze his middle gently, and gave hers a squeeze back. This was an embrace he could definitely get used to. It just felt... right. "Just think, Wren... when you're finally able to fly, the sky will be yours. Nothing to get in the way, no traffic. Just you and the birds. And maybe me, if I'm out too. Nothing can hurt you up here, it's peaceful. A place far away from the troubles of the rest of the world."

Angel felt the wind gently pass him, felt the air as it went between each feather in his wings, keeping them cool and relaxing him. There was nothin in the world quite like flying. Ever since he'd been thirteen, the sky had ben his escape, the only place he'd been able to feel safe, the only place he'd ever felt that he belonged, and where he could think. Looking down at Wren, he found he didn't mind having to share the sky at some point. There would be no one he'd rather fly with. He knew Charlie could fly, but not like this, not as high, nor as far. She'd never feel what it was like to pass through a cloud as you rose above it, flying above the whiteness. The only downside about flying through a cloud was that you got soaked, but Angel could dry himself off now with his fire ability.

He felt Wren press her head against his chest, listening to his heart. HHe smiled at that, wondering if she'd ever guess that the reason it waslike that was because of her. A few hours ago, Angel wouldn't have thought that possible. He'd never let the thought of ending up with someone enter his head, but it was there, slowly creeping in, ready to pounce. But it wasn't his mind it would pounce on - it would be his heart.

Angel... why do you bother thinking like this? He thought to himself. You don't have a chance with her. Give up before you hurt yourself.

But Angel shook the thought out of his head. He found that he didn't want to give up. He'd had enough of running away from what scared him. He was staying here at the school, getting an education. He'd just have to learn to deal with his feelings. That was one of the reasons he was here, anyways, to learn to control his emotions.

"There's no need to thank me, Wren." He replied as she thanked him. "Anytime you want to go on a flight, all you need to do is ask. Oh... um... are you warm enough there?"

Angel knew his body gave out heat, and he was a very warm person, like a radiator. That was mainly thanks to him been able to control fire, but it was also a part of him been able to fly, to make sure he didn't freeze. If Wren was cold, all she needed to do was say, and he'd warm his body up to warm her up.

Angel’s arms tightened around her, responding to when hers did the same to him. He spoke, talking about the freedom and escape that flying offered and it sent a thrill through her. Wren was constantly searching for escape from her memories, from her life. What he was saying was exactly what she’d been desperately searching for in her books, her music, her running, her powers, her education…everything that she did that defied what was expected of the abused teenage runaway.

Up here in the air, with the sound of the wind and Angel’s heartbeat the only things she could hear, it was easy for Wren to forget the things that waited on the ground. It was easy to forget all the promises Wren had made to herself, all the times she’d convinced herself people couldn’t be trusted, especially men. It was easy to forget that Wren wasn’t sure what love really meant. In the few minutes she’d known Angel, the recesses of her mind were already deciphering what her relationship could mean, what it could become. Up here with him, she began to realize that that was happening. She could hear her heart racing with his and her delayed realization arrived.

No Wren…you may be able to trust him, but he deserves a true friend. If you try any more than that you’ll just hurt him like everyone else in his life has. You get scared too easily, who’s to say you won’t run and break his already mending heart…No. Just no… she thought, swallowing against a lump in her throat.

Pushing away any feelings that might have been growing, Wren simply tightened her embrace around Angel. She knew she’d never tell him any of what she was thinking, no matter what may happen. He deserved a true and loyal friend, and she would be that and only that to him. She’d protect him, care for him, even love him…but she would never fall in love with him, she couldn’t….and even if she did, she’d take that to the grave with her, in a manner of speaking since there would be no grave for Wren.

His words brought her back to reality. “Hmmm? Oh! No I’m fine…” she murmured. She couldn’t feel cold when she was being held by him, and she realized that couldn’t be the best sign in regard to what she had just decided. Is it so bad to maybe love him one day? Even if its kept to myself, at least I get to feel a love for someone as wonderful as him…I could suffer that for this… she concluded. She wasn’t sure where this day would lead, if feelings would come, grow, and stay, or if it was simply the joy of a new friend, but she’d take what she got if it meant being close with Angel.

As Wren tightened her embrace on Angel, he did the same. He was here in his favourite place in the world with who was quickly becoming the favourite person in it. This day was perfect, or so he felt. He hoped they would be like this a lot more often. He hoped the summer took forever to go by,because it would mean he got to spend more time with Wren.. and he was nervous about starting lessons again. He'd not been in an education for three years, and although he'd got far when he was younger in it, been quite smart, he was scared that he'd be behind with things. He had never been to a school before ,as the workers at the orphanages had always hired him a tutor, so he could at least escape bullying at school, and he'd got along very quickly. There was no one to distract him, so by the time he was thirteen, he was doing lessons for fifteen and sixteen year olds. The chances were though, that most of that had gone out of his head, beause he'd never needed those skills to survive on the streets.

Which was a shame, he thought' He'd quite enjoyed learning, and music had been one of his favourite lessons. He seemed to have had a natural talent for the piano, and he hoped they had one here. He'd also been complemented on his voice, been told that he had the voice of an angel, which had made him chuckle. He found it ironic, in a way. Well, he'd find out if they had a piano here or not later on. Right now, it was just Wren and himself, up here in the sky, enjoying themselves and relaxing.

He smiled when she said she was fine. She'd seemed like she had been in a world of her own, something Angel understood. He usually was in his own too when he was up here. It was as good a meditation as any, and it helped him get his flying skills better. If he ever felt stressed or angry or upset, he'd fly. It was the one sure thing that had relaxed him.

As his thoughts wondered, he thought back to when Wren had healed herself. He wondered what that meant for her.. would she be immortal? Looking down at her again, he felt a bit of his heart break at the thought. Immortality sounded lonely. Everyone she knew would grow old and die, all her friends and family. Any lover she might have would eventually pass on, and she'd be left to mourn... it was a sobering thought. Angel vowed to himself right then that as long as he lived, he'd be there for Wren to make sure she was safe and happy for as long as he could.

He dipped his wing in and turned around, flying back to the bunker. They'd made a circuit of the school and it's land, passing above the lake, flying a little over the woods and the memorial left for Jean Grey, Scott Summers and Professor Xavier. He'd seen the pool as well, and the ants that were the people. Flying and looking down on people from above didn't make Angel feel like a god or anything. He looked down on no one, apart from those scumbags that enjoyed causing the suffering of others.

"Hey, Wren..." Angel said, trying to get her attention if she was lost in thought again. "I'm taking us back to the bunker, and I'm going to land. That alright with you? I just don't want to be up here too long and for you to get cold."