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

Mass. Acad. Main Office: 09/03/2006: 09:15 hrs EDT:

Emma moaned mentally as Nikolai Rasputin jumped in terror. "M' sorry, Miss Frost," the six-year-old whimpered, turning from the Monet he had accidentally transmuted to organic steel.

*Katherine's getting revenge upon me by turning her son loose!* Emma thought.

She paled to see Rebecca Richter shift to wolf-cub form and pounce upon the giggling Gareth as they sat on Emma's antique loveseat. "All right, all right, off of there!" Everett ordered.

Becky shifted back to her 5-year-old human form and looked repentant. *As if!* Emma scowled inwardly. *She's as wild as Rahne could have been. And Wolfsbane would marry Rictor...*

A loud BAMPH and a yell of "Gimme that!!" made Jubilee cover Meggan Worthington's eyes.

"Jub'ee? Why's 'Lexy runnin' 'way with Bill's towel?" the 4-year-old telepathic daughter of Warren and Betsy asked innocently.

"Because she's a little snot who teleports into the boys' shower, that's why!" the blushing Bill yelled, hiding himself behind a fern.

The 6-year-old Alexa giggled evilly from atop Emma's chandelier (one of the few eccentricities from Emma's baroque decorating style during her time as White Queen) and yelled, "You're a wuss, Billy boy! There's no shame in bein' au naturel!"

"Maybe if you're a naturist, runt," Illyana grinned from a stepping disc. She grabbed Alexa by the scruff of the neck and 'ported her to Jubilee, while she tossed Bill his towel. "Gym class?" she asked innocently.

"At least Gailyn isn't here..." Bill blushed again, wrapping the towel about his waist. He left in a huff, while the back wall of Emma's office began to smolder.

Zach Guthrie gasped and deactivated his blast field, his 7-year-old face aghast at what he had done. "Ah'll work it off, Miss Frost, ah swear," Firewall moaned.

"It's all right, Zachary," Emma lied. *Samuel and Tabitha can pay for it, * she told herself.

"Goof! You guys're gonna be in SO much trouble," Phil Summers II said from within a magnetic force field. The green haired 6-year-old son of Havok and Polaris was levitated within his force sphere by a whirlwind generated by his best friend, 6-year-old N'dare Munroe.

"We're behaving," the white-haired elementalist smiled. "Too bad I don' have my daddy's techno-'ventin' power. Maybe I c'ld figure out a way t' make dopes stop bein' dopey."

"I'm just havin' fun," Alexa whimpered.

"ATT-EN-HUTT!" Jubilee roared. The X-Babies formed a line, while Jubilation smiled internally. *Good to see y'r lessons in military tactics took, Frosty,* she thought. *Now, if these runts'd remain half as disciplined as Paige's squad...*

~The X-Men Black are a bit rough for a comparison between themselves and these children,~ Emma responded. ~They are just little ones - I can be forgiving of a few hijinks.~

"Now that we've seen the school, you guys got any questions for Miss Frost?" Jubilee said.

"Erm... how old ya gotta be t' join?" Zach asked .

"At least 11," Emma said *Thank God for Xavier's insistence on THAT point.*

Zach's face fell, while Alexa whispered to Illyana, "She's just 'fraid we'd blow the place up, that's all."

Emma looked horrified at the possibility of such an event. Jubilee rolled her eyes and growled, "That's ENOUGH, Alexa. You've been very naughty, you know."

Alexa smirked and quipped, "I learned from the best, Miss Firecracker - no prankster on Earth is better n' Gramma Raven."

"I still don't know why her folks even let Mystique near her," Everett whispered to Emma.

~Kurt has a big heart,~ Emma sent. ~As do you and Jubilation. You gave up a chance at being with the X-Men Black to become elementary school teachers. Few people would have the patience.~

~Someone has to do it,~ Everett replied. ~And our experimental program for human-mutant kid coeducation is working pretty well.~ Since the Legacy Virus cure of '98, human-mutant relations had thawed nationwide. While the X-teams weren't exactly welcome dinner guests among Washington high society, Calfornia Senator DaCosta's surprising campaign win in '02 had certainly blown apart the public opinion efforts of the FOH and Humanity's Last Stand. His continued efforts for a civil rights law for all enhanced power beings were slowly gathering steam in the Democratic party, and even some elements of the Republican left, including Senator Kelly. Behind the scenes, President Danielson had quietly issued a presidential pardon to the X-teams in '99, citing their efforts in stopping the Legacy Virus.

*What would Charles think of the progress we've made?* Emma thought as Illyana teleported the Thomases and all the X-Babies except Gareth back to Westchester. *More importantly, where did he get to after the X-Men and Kelly freed him from the Vault in December '98?* She sighed, but allowed the stress to ebb from her as her Monet reverted to its' normal form from Metalix's transmutation accident.

"Aun' Emma?" Gareth asked. "Why's th' room smell funny?"

Emma sniffed and moaned, reaching for the fire extinguisher. "Zachary's blast field ignited more than the wall," she said, turning the device on her scorched bullwhip collection...

The world turned (fractionally), classes let out, and Luna and Lucas met at the oak tree on the quad about 4 p.m. "So... Simon Williams in 'Space Savages from Planet K'ree,' or 'The Devil Dinosaur Whisperer,' starring Moon Boy?" Luna asked. She whistled for Strongjaw, who teleported the teens to the Snow Valley Cineplex's alley. He yipped, teleporting back to the Academy.

"Ah'd kinda like t' see 'Dierough 7,'" Luke asked. "Hercules's doin' his own stunts 'gain."

Luna laughed derisively and said, "Oh please! Uncle Herc could have a BUILDING drop on him and he'd call it a take! The guy's a Greek god. Ok, how about we compromise - '39 Avengers,' starring Herc and Uncle Si?"

"Cool," Luke agreed. "It's kinda weird how so many superheroes've gone onta th' movies, huh?" Luna paid for their tickets while Lucas bought the popcorn and sodas.

"Not really - when you've got a bunch of middle-aged enhanced power beings who can provide their own special effects, and the New Warriors've become the latest Avengers, it makes it a snap for Hollywood to cast these flicks," Luna pointed out. "Most of the Avengers've gone onto other jobs since Captain America disappeared in 2000. Photon's got a job oil-drilling in the Gulf; Herc, Uncle Si, Dr. Foster and Rage've become high-profile movie stars; Aunt Jen's on the Supreme Court; Uncle Dane's got his job as an archaeologist and fencing teacher at ESU; and of course, Aunt Jan and Uncle Hank's restaurant chain is all the rage. Then, Uncle Tony's always got a business venture. Out of all the Avengers who went public with their ID's, he was the most successful. But Stark Solutions'll never go anywhere, with or without Iron Man."

They sat in the middle section of the theatre, while the opening credits flowed by. "Thanks again for coming with me, Luke," Luna smiled in the dark. She put her hand on his and whispered, "Mom thinks you're cute. She's gonna have to realize her age sometime. I don't think of her as a tramp, but there are some Inhumans who point out her wild past: Uncle Johnny, Dad, Uncle Art, Uncle Dane..."

Luke only heard half of Luna's words. *She's holdin' mah hand!?* he thought, blissed out and blushing. Luna realized Luke's state, and snuggled up to him as the opening sequence of the Avengers' and Fantastic Four's return began...

Rachel had been hurt deeper by Nate's words than she'd let on. She had found herself in the deep woods of the biosphere, fuming at her own lack of skill in shielding her innermost desires from her brother.

*Little perv... like he can't respect others' privacy!?* She sat under a tree and drew her legs under her chin. *Oh... that's not what's really bugging you, girl. It's the whole 'do I love Frank because we grew up together or because part of you is from the old Rachel Summers' thing...*

Ray had never questioned her lack of early-life memories; she'd assumed the inability to remember anything of her life before age 5 as trauma caused by being force-grown by Sinister. But to her anger, she had learned the truth of her existence from her parents earlier in 2006: she was a clone. *A freak clone, no less - one with a soul from a dead time-traveler who disappeared from the astral plane when Dayspring croaked in Akkaba,* Rachel remembered bitterly.

Ever since that long-ago April in 1998, Ray had been attracted to Frank, first as a friend and, most recently, as a girlfriend. *But where do I end and the Rachel-Phoenix begins!?* she mourned. ~DAMMIT, I AM A REAL LIVE GIRL!!!~ she mindshrieked, sobbing. ~Fine, you winged pain in the ass, get down here and claim me! You want a host, c'mon! I am fire, and life incarnate! Now and forever, I - am - ~

But nothing happened.

Ray's eyes bulged as she psi-probed herself deeply. She would have recognized the mental signature of the Phoenix, she was sure of it. But it simply was not present. She slowly realized the truth, hitting her knees in utter exhaustion and despair.

~I'm a clone... I have the power, but not the capacity,~ she sent mournfully. ~You wanted to be free of the Phoenix, Red. But is it worth it?~

She fell unconscious then, barely registering Frank's panicked mindcry at the edge of her thoughts.

Ray stirred, gently drawn back to the shores of wakefulness by a ferryman's lantern amidst the darkness of her "good night" of dream. ~Red! Please, come back!~ Frank sent, crying. Ray opened her eyes to see a tearful Franklin cradling her. He smiled weakly and breathed, "Thank God! You sounded really, REALLY sad - like you were going to suicide! I saw it once in Kitty Rasputin's mind in Latveria! Ray, please, talk to me - is it something I've done!? Don't leave me!"

Ray sat up and hugged him. "No! No, it's not you- never you!" she reassured, forcing a smile. "Scrap... I can't channel the Phoenix," she added. They looked in each others' eyes as Rachel continued to speak.

"I thought... I wasn't sure if I loved you for you or because of the old Rachel's memories," she said, crying tears she thought had been cried out. "But I'm not her... I'm just a stupid clone..."

Frank held her head to his chest, crying himself at her agony. "Red, I love you for you! And you ARE you - Rachel Summers, of THIS world, not some leather-fetished goddess wannabe!" he said. Their eyes met again, while Frank plunged forward, heedless of his earlier fear of opening to her.

"You and I grew up together - you encouraged me to keep swimming, I helped you with your volunteer work," he smiled. "We're friends, we've seen each other at our best and worst - we are ourselves, Red! That older Frank is dead, and the Rachel who fought alongside Excalibur is gone. We can't let might-have-beens - Psi-Lord, Phoenix, Ahab, Hyperstorm - haunt us. I've finally figured it out, and I'm not afraid of the truth."

Frank took a deep breath and said, "I love you, Rachel Summers. YOU and you alone."

Ray gasped in joy, her psi-shields collapsing as she whispered, "I love you too...!" They kissed, and mutually opened their minds to each other, forming a psionic rapport. ~Oh, WOW,~ Ray smiled mentally. ~I guess this makes it official... ~

~I guess it does,~ Frank replied, grinning. They wiped each others' eyes and headed, hand in hand, towards the biosphere's entrance. ~Wherever we end up, from this time on, it's together. I swear it,~ Frank sent.

~You got that right,~ Ray sent. They kissed again, and began to head for the cafeteria for dinner.

NEXT: While Charles was Sleeping... Or, Bill and Gailyn's Excellent Adventure!!

P.S.: I'm interested in people's opinions! Please e-mail me.