The fact that there were sirens getting closer by the second didn’t escape Sara’s attention either. She had two plans to follow right now. Plan A was getting the little shape shifter to come willingly with herself and Clayton. Plan B? Throw the table over her shoulder and run without explaining to the cops why it would look like she was stealing a table from a quiet café. Plan A was much more appealing to Sara.

Sara’s head tilted when her companion fished an ice cube out of her tea, and placed it on the would be table. The corner of her mouth twitching into a smirk. The table shivered and she silently wondered if the young mutant would be able to hold her form if Sara had dumped the entire glass of ice cold tea over the table’s surface. “The way that I see it, you have two options. You can cooperate with us, or you can be questioned by the police because with how much you’re trembling, I double you can hold your form as a table long enough to fool them while they investigate the café. And if they want so little as a statement from you, You know that Mr. Montero won’t take a chance and leave you around.” Come on Kid. Be reasonable. Sara thought silently to herself.

The waitress had disappeared into the back room. She reappeared with a towel that was big enough to be a bath towel. Apparently still not all there yet, and she didn’t seem to care. Just numb when she handed Sara the cloth. When Sara turned back around, the table was no longer at her hip, but instead the young shape shifter was huddled next to her knee. Tears streaming down her face. “I just wanted to go home.” The girl sobbed and the sound of her wavering voice hit Sara hard.

The Were knelt next to her. Pulling the large towel around her shoulders and using the corner to clean her dirty face. “Hey, Look at me.” To a human, that might not have been a good choice of words. Looking a predatory cat in the eye when you were seated this close to them, but to a mutant it was a little different and the girl did as she was told. “You are half way there, but there are other girls that want to go home too. Help us, and I can make sure that it happens and that Mr. Montero doesn’t come back.” Because if the law didn’t take care of him, then Sara would.

The girl sucked in her breath. “I’ll do it.” All in all, Sara didn’t have to work that hard to convince the girl and she wondered what nightmares she’d already gone through.

Sara rose, reaching a hand out to help the girl up as well. “Then come on.”

Clay stood and turned his chair around to face the table. He crossed his boney legs and started to casually inspect his jacket cuffs and gloves. The skeleton would let Sara calm the young girl down. Once he might have been able to do it but time change and so do people. Clay knew skulls and bones were not the nicest things in the world to look at. Even if they were covered by an ego and sharp suits. So he fussed at his outfit, pretending not to listen and keeping out of the way.

He did however keep an eye out the broken window and on the girl. So he managed to catch the moment when the table shivered and collapsed into the familiar black haired girl in her slightly ragged clothes. She gave Clay one look, eyes wide before turning to Sara and bursting into tears. The dead man knew it wasn't just him but he couldn't help being a little hurt all the same. He stood and let Sara calm her down and clean her face with a towel.

The skeleton stepped over to the door pulling his white scarf from a pocket and winding it around his lower face. Once covered he tipped his hat forward, hiding the skull with shadow. One noneexistent ear kept track of the the two girls and the other judged the time they had for the sirens to reach them. He stuck his head out the door and looked both ways up the street. A few pedestrians had returned in the short time they had been inside the cafe. A few were looking at the smashed window and pointing.

He turned looking at them both. "It seems we have more than simply one little girl to save. Excellent, the day was proving to be boring, this should make it much more interesting." He turned to Sara. "I took the tube here. Do you have transportation or are we adding car theft to our list of crimes tonight?"

He turned to the girl who shrank away from him a little. "Whats your name lass? My name is Clayton Stark, the skeleton detective. I may look scary as all hell but I'm actually quite a nice bloke. In fact when i was alive I was exceptionally good looking. I mean look at these cheek bones! Whats not to like?" He cocked his head and his jovial manner slipped a little. "We need to know exactly where Montero is keeping the rest of girls and anything else you can tell us. After that I promise we'll find out where you came from and send you home to your parents."

He slapped his hands together, making a dry clacking sound instead of a clap. "Right then Ladies. Let us away. And cheer up everyone," he said, a new brightness to his voice as he turned to leave. "Since we’re all probably going to die horribly anyway, what’s there to be worried about?”

The girl was breaking down, and Sara couldn’t say that she blamed her at all. The final straw that seemed to bring down the camel’s back, so to speak was just looking at Clayton. Out came the water works, and Sara knelt next to her, letting the girl burry her face in the towel and Sara’s shoulder of her coat. The sirens were nearly with them and Sara knew that they had to keep moving, or they might be boxed in and being that she was soon to become a member of the x-men, she had no desire to do any explaining to the police. With one arm, she picked the girl up. The girl pulling her hands close around Sara’s shoulders and holding on. Sara’s free hand dug through her pocket for her cash. Leaving a couple of twenty dollar bills on the table where herself, and Clayton had been seated in order to pay for her drink, and the towel. The werecat then moved to join Clayton.

“As fun as stealing a car sounds, it’s slower and unnecessary.” Sara pointed down the road where she’d left her white cargo van parked. “However if we don’t get moving fast enough now, We’re going to stick out like a sore thumb as we drive away. That beast handles like a stage coach, but it runs.”

Sara stepped around Clayton. Stepping carefully, and skillfully around broken glass with her bare feline feet. There was a great deal of grace in Sara’s movement, and at the same time, a great deal of speed. The girl lifted her head away from Sara’s shoulder. Tears having made smudgy streaks across her face with the dust that had been kicked up in the air when the thug’s eye beams ripped through the café. “Natalie. My name is Natalie.” She said between shuttering breaths.

“Natalie.” Sara repeated. She was already half way down the sidewalk and with her free hand, she was digging through her pocket for her keys. Momentarily forgetting that she’d left them in the ignition. “Natalie, We’re going to get in the van, and start driving away. I need you to help us. I’ll make sure that we wont be dealing with the cops, but in return, you’ll have to give us good directions.”

Natalie looked at Clayton from over Sara’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I was helping them.” Meanwhile, Sara had made it to her car. Yanking the door open with one hand and setting Natalie in the passenger seat. Seconds later, and the three of them were on the road. Turning the corner as the lights from the police cruisers entered the same street.