NOTE:~ means telepathic communication. * means personal thought. [ ] means cyberpathy or computer-generated speech.

Mass. Acad. Biosphere, 10:30:00 hrs EDT:

"'Alas, poor Creed, Frank deboned him well ...'"

Nate Summers held the adamantium mold of Victor Creed's skull aloft and bowed. "Thank you, good citizens - Nate Hamlet hath left the building," he smiled.

Emma winced at Nate's savaging of Shakespeare, and sighed. "All right, tell me what happened," she asked Rachel. The girl kept her arms about Frank, who had at least stopped shivering from what he had done to Creed. He cringed as Rachel tepe-repeated the New Mutants' inaugural fight against the Marauders to Emma and Sean, as well as the Mutants themselves.

Sean's eyes widened, while Emma inhaled sharply. "I'll go pack - I deserve whatever you do to me. I put the team in danger and lost control of my powers," Frank began. He stood and brushed off Rachel's attempt at comfort, but Sean stopped the boy with a hand upon his shoulder.

"Are ye daft, lad!?" Sean grinned. "Good Lord, ye probably saved those people's lives. An' th' Baileys're nae injured. If anything, Moira thinks they may well've achieved Alpha-class status in all o'their powers. Y'r' a natural leader, Franklin, an' ye did th' right thing back there. B'sides, ye kept control 'nough o' y'r powers t' only strike down Creed."

"But I didn't mean to rip out his adamantium!" Frank cried.

Rachel hugged him and sent, ~Scrap, c'mon. You're gonna have accidents. But Sean's right - it coulda been a lot worse.~

He slowly relaxed, and said, "I guess you're right, Ray. But I hafta go work on my powers. Now."

"So? Doesn't mean you have to do it alone," Ray smiled. "C'mon- I know this clearing on the north side ..."

Frank finally smiled and followed Rachel as she led him by the hand.

~Ahem...~ Emma sent. ~I trust you will STUDY, Rachel, Franklin?~

Frank blushed and Ray rolled her eyes as she replied, "Like Boy Scout here'll do anything. Relax, Miss Frost."

The teens left, as the others began to disperse. Nate and Gareth began a game of tag. "'Yana! Mall time, please?" Luna asked the elder girl.

"Hold onto your hats, true believers - we're gone!" Illyana grinned. She teleported Luna, Soraya, Cathy and herself to Limbo, while Moira cornered Joe, Gailyn and Lucas.

"Get int' your trainin' uniforms an' over t' the medlab. I want full bioscans - no arguments! Ye twins' new powers need t' be assessed, an' Lucas requires a biogenetic assessment e'en with his medical records from home," Moira ordered. The teens sighed, but went to get changed. Moira called, "10 minutes! IU need t' meet w' Mr. Cassidy an' Miss Frost over this adamantium b'fore we get t' work!"

The headmasters and Moira gathered in the conference room, and let Charles sit in on the meeting when he evidenced interest in the metal. "I should stay up to date on metals, considering my power," he explained. "And... well, after what my dad did ..."

He sighed, but did not flinch as Emma nodded. "You're certainly not to blame for Wolverine's current condition, Charles," she said, calling up a medfile and crossreferencing it against the Department H database and Moira's data inputs from a handheld scanner she ran over Creed's adamantium. The computer produced three holograms, one of which flexed and morphed every so often.

The first was of Wolverine in his blue and yellow costume, as he had been before the removal of his adamantium. The second, the morphing hologram, was a schematic of Moira's data on Creed's skeleton, representing the theoretical reshaping of the adamantium to match Logan's requirements. The third ... the third made even Emma flinch as Moira began to speak.

"This t'is the last holoimage we have of Logan, taken 24 hours after the defeat of the Shadow King in June 1998," Moira sighed. The adults sat while Charles looked on in discomfort. The figure was as tall as Wolverine, but was dressed in shredded rags. It was furred, and had a muzzle where Wolverine's face had been. Black-on-black eyes topped a snarl, and the hands had impossibly savage claws.

"Near as we can tell, Farouk's mental tamperin' caused Logan t' totally lose control o' himself. W'out the adamantium to prevent the mutation from progressing as it would have naturally, Logan became a 'man-wolverine,' f'r lack o' a better term," Moira said. "Assumin' we could find him, melt th' adamantium, and get it int' him, he should return t' his formerly humanoid self. But Alpha Flight's an' the X-Men's attempts t' track him after he escaped th' plane transportin' him t' the Langowksi Institute in July 1998 have failed. At least he didnae kill anyone - indeed, he took steps t' avoid it. Which gives us some hope he's nae totally feral mentally."

*Happy, Chuck?* Charles rebuked himself, as the adults rose to leave. *Did you really want to face another chunk of Dad's past? One of the worst parts?* He held Creed's "skull" in his hands, but finally left to go play "Mutant Defender" with the Shades as Gareth ran to his mother. None of the mutants or Moira noticed a breach in the biosphere's ceiling. Nor the dark figure dropping into the chamber...

Illyana had wisely chosen a back alley behind the Snow Valley Strip Mall's clothing wholesale store to teleport the girls into. "Amazing... sometimes I wonder why I'm at the Academy," she smirked.

The others led the way into the mall, while Luna rolled her eyes. "To learn humility?" she smiled.

"Har de har har," Illyana replied. She headed for the leather goods department, while Cathy and Soraya examined the dresses and jeans.

"BTW, thanks for helping me with those genefreaks in Ohio," Soraya said. "That green-haired ... coweater ... messed with my head. If it hadn't been for you, she might've gotten me."

Cathy smiled and said, "Sure. Teamwork's a big thing with the X-teams. Dani told me she might not be here if X-Force hadn't saved her from Reignfire years ago. But what's your beef with eating beef ... OH, no ..."

Soraya nearly lost it at Cathy's unintentional pun. "I'm sorry," Cathy shrugged.

"Oh, I LIKED it though!" Soraya laughed. She let loose with a giggle which turned several heads, but composed herself and threw an arm around Cathy's shoulders. "You got me to laugh after I thought I'd been laughed out. A year on the streets of Bombay'll tear it outta you. Thanks, Cath. And don't worry about the Hindu thing - I'm sort of lapsed. I won't eat a burger, but I'll toss a Hindu god's name into a curse," Soraya smiled.

The girls continued to trade stories, while Luna smiled from where she looked at blouses. *We're coming together so quickly! This is great,* she thought. *Now, if Illyana'd be more of a team player. And I wonder how Lucas'll fit in...*

Lucas had had his own expectations of how he'd have to fit in. But he had been pleasantly surprised at the welcome he'd received. Gareth had taken to him quickly, and Lucas' familiarity with big families and large animals had won him Lockjaw's approval. The big dog had latched onto Gareth after meeting the boy when the New Mutants had returned from Ohio, and Gareth enjoyed the canine's attention and semi-intelligent reactions.

Moira finished bioscanning Lucas and said, "Ye c'n go, lad. I'll finish yuir dossier, an' ye c'n get back t' whatever ye were doin' with th'Baileys, Gary an' yon Hound o' The Baskervilles." Moira had had a horrible mental image of a Stephen King novel flash before her earlier when Gareth had petted Lockjaw, but the great beast was gentle with the boy. *An' Luna promised his physiology prevents him from gettin' rabies - thanks be t' th' Lord,* she thought with an internal grin.

"Thanks, ma'am," Lucas smiled. He adjusted his yellow and black training uniform and returned to the waiting room as Moira typed:

*Och, they'll be good f'r the team,* Moira smiled. She walked to the waiting room door and peeked out - to see a sight which was unusual even for an X-team.

The Baileys, Lucas, and Gareth were sitting around a table, each with five cards and a pile of chips. Gareth had a dealer's visor on, and Lockjaw sat beside him with a hand of cards in his mouth. Gareth squeaked, "Five-card stud, joker's wild. You in?"

"Wurfh," Lockjaw mumbled as Gareth gave him a card. The dog dropped his drool-covered hand onto the table, panting in victory.

"Aw man! A full house!?" Joe yelled. The teens groaned as Lockjaw put a paw on the table and began pulling chips toward himself.

Moira raised an eyebrow and said to the teens, "I dinnae know whether t' be angry f'r Gareth gamblin' or t' commend Lockjaw f'r winnin'. T'is like that velvet paintin' I made Sean throw out durin' our movin' sale."

Gary just smiled and said, "Pizza's on Lockjaw, Mama?" The dog whined and coughed up an ace...

Frank smiled as he returned to his body from watching the poker game. "Never play cards with an intelligent dog," he said to Rachel. The couple had spent the past few minutes levitating and honing their telekinetic skills, since Frank's control was the worst in that regard.

Ray giggled as Frank 'pathed her the details. "Maybe you should try and predict what Lockjaw'll do in a seven-card-draw," Ray grinned.

Frank nodded and replied, "My precog needs work."

He removed his shoes and socks, assuming a cross-legged position and closing his eyes. ~Mrs. Worthington taught me this yoga position to help 'align my chakras.' It actually works,~ Frank 'pathed Rachel. He rerouted his psi through the "third eye" chakra and let himself drift into the timestream ...

...where Charles stood on a snowscape, facing a towering figure... a red-haired girl, younger than any New Mutant, proved her right to stand among them... Luna crying as she picked up a bloodied crown... a band of purple-garbed youths beating a green-haired fop... and where a tombstone was beaten by rain, surrounded by mourners after a horrible accident at the biosphere...

Frank gasped as he returned to the here and now. ~Ray!?~ he mindcried, landing from his inadvertent levitation. Rachel hugged him as he stammered, "I-I saw so much ...! And there's danger - at the control center, now!"

She paled as Frank memory-dumped the images to her. ~C'mon,~ she sent in fear. Frank grabbed his footwear and let Rachel lift them both, flying to the Cerebro chamber.

Charles had felt an oddly compelling need to examine the adamantium left over from the Marauder battle. He focused intently upon a femur, smiling slightly as it bent beneath his magnetic power. *This is nuts! I had a helluva time tossing junk onto Arclight - why'm I having such an easy time with the hardest metal ever created?!* he thought. *Probably because I don't have to worry about an attack.*

He set the femur back on the pile and stretched. *I should go get lunch-* "Huh!?" he muttered. His telepathy had sensed ... something ... in the fringes of the biosphere's forested section. ~Ray? Frank?~ he 'pathed. ~Nate, if you're screwin' around again...~

Charles entered the main biosphere area, failing to detect any thoughts beyond the background noise of small rodents and birds Emma had planted in it to maintain the ecology. *Now I kinda know how Cathy does it,* he thought.

He scanned again and "heard," ~Chuck!? Get outta here, pal! I just had a precog flash - something's wrong!!~ Frank yelled.

~Frank!? Where-~ Charles began to send. His thoughtcast was interrupted as a low growl came from behind him. A dark, jagged mental signature overwhelmed his scans, and Charles turned about very slowly. His eyes widened as he recognized the bear-like beast before him. "Oh ... my ... God ...," he breathed.

Logan had returned to the X-teams. The once-Wolverine opened his maw and roared, swiping at Charles. The boy ran, faster and further than he had ever dared, to the Cerebro chamber. ~HAAAAALP!?!~ he mindshouted, diving into the room and locking the door. It began to buckle under repeated blows. Charles backed away from it, as Logan tore the door off its' hinges and charged.

Charles let panic guide his next action - Moira would later note, "What he did had't'be instinct or a miracle." He grabbed the adamantium and threw it at Logan, his power flowing uncontrolled into it and tearing the alloy's solid state down into a liquid form. The splash of metal struck the slavering mutant in the mouth and washed down his gullet, almost all of it descending into his body. Logan clawed at his face in agony, but only coated his claws with the metal as he continued on his trajectory towards the unshielded Charles. The boy tried to redirect his magnetic energies, but too little time remained.

"Oh SHI-OOF," Charles bellowed as Logan's bulk struck him dead on. They flew into the wall, nothing stopping their impact and slide to the floor. Charles hung onto consciousness as blood blurred his vision. He had to give up, hearing Rachel's scream as he surrendered to sleep ...

Charles was 4 again, in October 1998. He had had a hard time sleeping since Joseph had left with Sabra to hunt down the "other Magneto." His parents had tried to keep Charles from hearing their arguments over the search. But he kept hoping his Mama and Papa would marry. Even if Onc' Remy (Gambit's title for himself when around the 'X-Babies') was a nice guy, he wasn't Charles' Papa.

The window to Charles' room swung open from the outside to admit a blue-glowing figure. The boy sat up and gasped to see his father as he'd remembered him: majestic in his purple and red armor, with Charles' mother flying in behind him. But Rogue was not in a happy mood.

"Y' MERGED with th' Onslaught leftovers!? An' now y' come here, wakin' Charlie up-!" Rogue yelled. "Look ... Erik, as y'insist on callin' y'rself now, ah won't keep ya from Charlie. But ah gotta know what y' intend t' do about th' Acolytes, an' us."

Magnus removed his helmet to reveal short white hair. He knelt to catch Charles, lifting his son into the air with a sad smile. "I'd like for you two to come away with me to the Antarctic base... but I won't force you, Adelaida," he said. Charles snuggled into his father's arm and looked into Erik's eyes intently. Magnus returned the look, feeling Charles' trust and love bridge the gap between what had defined Magneto and what Erik Magnus Lehnsherr sought now.

"The Acolytes are too dangerous to leave ungoverned," Magnus contined. "Even with Cortez'... disposal during the battle which brought my two halves back together, Exodus and the more radical Acolytes are a time bomb. I have to ensure they do not start another genetic war, Rogue. And that means, as Samuel might say, 'riding herd' upon them. I promised the United Nations representatives in Genosha something tonight: the era of Magneto the terrorist is over. Now, the era of Magneto, leader of mutantkind begins. I do not wish to live among humans, but the lessons I learned as Joseph point out that living over them is no solution either."

Rogue turned from Erik and wrapped her arms about herself. "So that's it then? Y're gonna set an example f'r all the other mutants by livin' away from th' people who need t' see you livin' among them - humans!?" she said through clenched teeth.

Magnus sighed and set Charles in his bed gently. "Better I guard those who would wreak havoc than bend to the whims of humans, Rogue!" he said. "And... I have an example to set to our son. I don't want him to live my life. If I can prevent human-mutant conflict by ensuring mutants' safety outside of human society -"

"Then any sacrifice f'r the cause," Rogue snapped. She relaxed a little and looked into Erik's eyes, pleadingly. "Ah'm sorry ... ah want t' b'lieve y'll let Charlie an' me stay here. Ah do, Erik. But can't y' stay here!? Try t'get th' Acolytes t' live among humans?" she asked.

Magnus shook his head and said, "No more than I would accept living among them, Rogue. You're trying Xavier's dream with a partner who still has nightmares. In the long run, it will not work - my coexistence with humans or any life we might share together. You've moved on... and although I have chosen peace over blood, I cannot. May we, at least, have our different views peacefully? For Charles' sake?"

Rogue bowed her head and sat beside a wide-eyed Charles. "Mama? Papa, 'r'n't ya gonna stay, p'ease?" he asked, tears trickling down his face.

Erik knelt before Charles and wiped his cheek. "Sometimes, little one... children are better off when parents separate," Magnus sighed. "But I will always love you and your mother. Never forget that." He stood and caressed Rogue's cheek with his gauntlet-clad hand.

"Ah guess we c'n disagree peaceably," she sighed.

"Thank you, Adelaida O'Malley," Erik smiled tightly. "We'll work out visitations and the rest as we go along. But I promise you - I will not take him from you. Nor will any of of my would-be followers..."

He levitated then, and left the mansion, trying to keep from turning back at Charles' cry of "Papa!"...

"Daaaaad..." Charles moaned.

"Get th' anesthetic goin'!" Moira snapped. Her patient was delirious from the concussion he had received slamming into the wall, and his punctured lung and shattered spleen had set off serious internal bleeding. Emma jumped to assist, while two ashen-faced men watched from above the modified medical training center.

"I ... Christ, Sean, I didn't mean t' run him over," a blanket-clad Logan whispered.

"Ye weren't in control o'yuir faculties, Logan," Sean said.

"That's what makes it worse - th' kid flamin' brings me back t' bein' human, does me th' biggest favor of my life and I probably kill him," the Canadian shuddered. "An' Magnus'll think I did it on purpose, on account of how I ended up nuts in th' first place..." He extended and sheathed his claws, and turned to go even paler as two others approached.

"We got here soon as we could," Rogue said. She had her arms about herself, and allowed the taller figure to put an arm about her shoulders. Logan's nose twitched involuntarily in surprise - he hadn't expected him here.

Red on black eyes locked with Wolverine's, while a moue of anger twisted Cajun lips. "Why you so s'prised, mon vieux PAL?" Remy LeBeau snarled. "Charlie be like a son t'me, 'specially since you know Addie an' I can' be too close." He released Rogue and looked down into the operating theater, calling, "Live, mon ami. Y'got t'." Charles seemed to hear Gambit's low cry ...

He was 9, clad in the Acolyte skinsuit he'd grudgingly accepted as his garb while in Haven ("Just to placate Exodus, son, please?" Magnus had asked), and waiting for his father to pick him up for summer vacation. "Stupid Acolytes ... well, just Ex'dus," Charles muttered. He magnetically lifted his suitcase and headed for the hangar.

Rogue was away with Cyclops' modified Blue Team (Scott, Beast, Shadowave -as Betsy Worthington had renamed herself following her telepathic loss in '98- Rogue, and Maggott) looking for Wolverine. *An' Ray an' Nate 're watchin' Frank's swim meet, an' 'Yana's off with Aunt 'Manda learning magic in Limbo,* Charles thought angrily. *Everybody's havin' fun or somethin' but me...* The elevator opened to a surprising sight.

Charles' father was there, talking - talking! - with Remy. The boy hid behind a Blackbird landing strut and listened. "...And how are his mathematics progressing?" Magnus asked.

"He be a reg'lar Einstein - but den, c'nsider de genepool, oui?" Remy grinned.

Magnus merely nodded and breathed deeply. "LeBeau ... I will not pretend I like the way you live your life," he began. "You are an opportunistic thief, a wild partier and a reckless member of the X-Men. But you make Rogue happy, and you honestly care about Charles... and you can be there for him when I cannot. Despite your role in the Massacre, you have never given me reason to doubt your compassion for a child you are not even blood-related to. I judged you too harshly during that 'trial'."

"I take dat as a comp'l'ment," the Cajun smirked. Charles was amazed - every time before, his dad had growled at Remy!

He stepped forward and coughed, as he called, "Ready, Dad?" Magnus "stretched" (he would never admit to jumping in surprise), and hugged the boy as Charles ran to him.

"Ready, son," he smiled.

"Bye, Remy!" Charles waved. The Cajun waved and smiled as father and son lifted off in a magnetic force sphere.

"So, how long've you two gotten along?" Charles asked innocently. The look on his father's face made him chuckle, and after a moment a snort of laughter escaped the man so many associated with anything but humor ...

Charles' chest rose and fell on its' own, much to the adults' relief. "Th' surgery went well 'nough, e'en if he'll nae be able t' play football 'til we go back in - how th' CAT scan missed that damn renal damage on th' left side, I'll never ken," Moira huffed in exhaustion. "His other kidney'll take up th' slack, an' th' Sh'iar organ regenerator'll clone him another soon 'nough. Th' spleen I'll nae bother with - t'is just a risk waitin' t' happen."

Rogue hugged the Scots doctor. "Thank y' both," she moaned. "Ah'm not gonna take him home - he was lookin' forward t' the Academy so much. An' he'll heal just as well there as he would here. 'Though ah can't figure out where Erik is - huh?"

A low sob escaped the shadows surronding the operating theater's gallery, followed by a crying girl with dark skin in a New Mutants uniform materializing before the women. "I... I finished my first power lesson, and I got the hang of dark-porting," she smiled weakly. "I'm so sorry, Miss Rogue - I'm Soraya. Chuck helped me get used to the school when I arrived, and now ... he just looks so alone, lying there. He was my first friend when I got here, and I wanted to see if he's OK ..."

Rogue carefully took Soraya's gloved hands in her own. "If y' put on a mask an' gown, ah'm sure y'can see him," she smiled.

"Aye - take those from th' sterilizer, lass," Moira assured Kali. Soraya teleported again and donned the protective garments, standing by Charles' bedside. His bandaged chest was bare, while his lower half was covered by a blanket until Moira could transplant the cloned kidney the Sh'iar regenerator was growing.

"Oh, Chuck ...," she sobbed. "This is so DUMB!? You're the nicest guy I've met so far, and I was afraid of you just 'cause your dad's Magneto..." She carefully held his hand and cried, as an alpha-spike passed over the EEG ...

Charles finished showering and put on his skinsuit before he ran his fingers through his hair. "White roots!? Man ... some guys just get hair in weird places with puberty, I get a permanent dye job," he smirked. "And then Dad wants to have 'the talk.' Like Salem Center Middle School's phys ed course didn't cover it ... some 11th birthday."

He headed to the rest of the residential wing of Haven's central tower, ignoring the Acolytes' grumbles of "that accursed mutant-hating nation's Independence Day." *I always thought it was kinda cool how my birthday fell on July 4 - even if most of the X-teams are out on rescues or stuff,* Charles thought. He accepted a plate of breakfast from the cook (a former mutate who could transmute anything into an edible facsimile of most breakfast dishes) and sat beside his father at the mess hall's bay window. The Antarctic night stretched as far as they could see.

Finally, Magnus coughed beneath his helmet. Charles had never seen the logic behind his father's posturing around the Acolytes - he was such a plain person most of the time, but he still clung to the Magneto trappings when among the "flock." The Acolytes, however, enjoyed Charles' own down-to-earth personality and insistence that they treat him as "one of the guys." So few children were in Haven that Charles had found he'd needed to befriend the adults just to keep from getting bored with the Acolytes' babies or burned out on Exodus' "sermons."

"I assume you realize the biology behind reproduction, so I will not go over that - unless you have any questions," Erik rumbled.

Charles swore he could see his father blush beneath the helmet, and whispered, "Dad, it's OK, really! You don't hafta be embarassed ..."

"It is traditional for fathers to have a difficult time with this subject - I believe it has to do with denial of one's aging, even when confronted with growing children," Magnus deadpanned. "And that is unsettling for me - remember, I've been deaged and reaged twice each now."

Charles snickered, but calmed down and said, "I do have one question. How do y'know when you meet... her? The one you want to, well..."

"You're talking to someone who fell in love under stress," Magnus sighed. "Magda and I shared a common bond - we were Holocaust survivors, and sought solace in each other's arms. Anya, and the twins, although I did not realize their existence when Magda fled me, were born from love - and, I hope, you were as well on your birthworld. Love is both grown and instantaneous, son - that's part of the mystery of it. I can share all my experiences about it, but in the end, any form of love between adults is a personal experience."

Charles nodded and sent, ~I kinda understand - huh!?~ Father and son jumped, then slowly smiled. "I guess I know what my other power is ...," Charles laughed.

"Welcome to the rest of your life, son," Erik said ...

" ... He's comin' around!" Charles raised an eyebrow before he opened his eyes - a Southern male accent was the last thing he'd expected to hear when the anesthesia wore off. He looked to see Lucas, Soraya, Rogue, Remy and the Shades sitting around his bed, while Luna gasped in joy from over Bill's shoulder. Cathy waved from behind Tom's chair, and the Baileys, Summers and Frank were ringing the foot of the bed.

"Chuck!" Soraya whooped. She hugged him as he smiled and sat up in his hospital gown.

"You were there when I was between operations," Charles smiled. "And Mom-!"

"Good t'see ya, sugah," Adelaida smiled. "Welcome back, mon ami," Gambit nodded. Charles looked about and asked, "Logan -!"

"Owes ya an apology, Chuck," a growly voice replied from behind Frank. The New Mutants parted to admit Logan, in a leather jacket and jeans, to Charles' side. "Ya saved me from myself, kid, an' I put ya in here. I'm sorry."

"Not a problem, Mr. Logan," Charles smiled. "I'm just glad I didn't kill you with that crazy stunt. Everything back where it belongs?"

Logan chuckled and popped his claws, sheathing them with a smile. "Ya did a better job'n those Weapon X hacks did the first time - pumped it into me an' my healin' factor did th' rest. Take care, pal. Me, I got 8 years o' lost memories an' time to make up f'r."

He shook Charles' hand, accepted a hug from Rachel, and put a hand on Frank's shoulder. "Remember what Sean told ya, Scrap," the Canadian said. "You did good back at that mall, even if you don't think so. An b'sides, this stuff's better off 'n me anyway." Frank smiled wryly as Rachel put her head on his shoulder, and they waved to Logan as he left, Rogue and Remy following after they told Charles farewell.

"So how long was I out?" Charles asked.

"Just in time to partay, cutie!" Illyana grinned as she appeared in a stepping disc. "It's 8 a.m. Labor Day! Get outta that bed, toss on a swimsuit and let's hit the Carribean!" Her own nonexistant thong made most of the boys' jaws drop (except for Lucas and Frank, who blushed fiercely, much to Rachel's satisfaction), and the girls cringe.

"All right, ye sawed-off sexfiends, OUT!" Moira roared in mock rage. "Charles'll be along soon enough." She shooed the teens out and helped Charles out of bed. "At least th' dermal regenerator worked," she nodded, examining him and permitting him to don the swimtrunks Rogue had left for him the night before. "Just dinnae push y'rself, an' ye'll be fine."

Charles raced after the others, noticing a package on a bench in the waiting room addressed to him. He unwrapped it and slowly laughed. "'Get Well Soon,'" he read, smiling at the miniature model of Haven someone had left him. *Thanks, Dad,* he thought. "Hey, guys - wait up!"

NEXT: A day off in Tokyo? With the BIGGEST guest!