The X-Project

Late at night in the rec room.



The rec room was usually the late night haunt of the insomniac, the emotionally unsettled or for those whose powers interfered with their sleep cycle. Lately, however, it was largely deserted, even the most jaded of residents avoiding the silent, statue-like comany of the man seated on the couch. The unstoppable Juggernaut, stopped.

A lamp burned from one of the end tables, throwing a warm glow over the scene. Someone, Laurie probably, had draped a blanket over Cain, edges tucked carefully around him. There were duckies and bunnies on it. Yvette smiled a little as she saw it.

The remote was on the coffee table. Long fingers closed over it, the gloved tip of one delicately pressing the buttons. The widescreen TV flickered into life, volume shockingly loud in the quiet room. Yvette started, then jabbed the 'mute' button before paging through the channels until she found the one she wanted. Images flickered on the screen, cowboys and Indians, and she turned the sound back on, quietly. Turning the sound back on, she curled onto the couch beside Cain, laying her own blanket of self-repairing cloth over the fuzzy blankie already there.

Rio Bravo continued to play, as Yvette lay her head on Cain's invulnerable leg and closed her eyes.