So I was given another prompt that was "Spencer Summers and secrets" and I was going to write out a drabble for it, but then I was thinking about this old, unfinished story I have and I thought it fit, so you're getting this instead. Though, I think you may kill me, as there's no more to the story. I never finished it and there really wasn't whole lot of chapters left. But, anyways, here's the story, and in here Spencer is a Summers brother, and it was going to be a potential sequel to MTT, but I changed my mind on it I think. Enjoy! Maybe one day I'll finish this up. Also, I haven't had anyone beta this, so all mistakes are my own - well, the me of the past, back when I wrote this.

When he came into the office on Monday morning, Aaron started his day the same as he did any other day. He ran through his usual routine, checking his email, his inbox, and phone messages. He'd just finished that and was moving to the stack of potential cases on his desk when something interrupted his usually silent routine. A knock came on his door. When he lifted his head and called out "Come in!" he was surprised to see SSA Dr. Spencer Reid come walking in. Though Spencer was always early, he was never this early. Instincts humming, Aaron folded his hands on his desk and looked at his subordinate. "Good morning, Reid. What can I do for you?"

Spencer seemed to take a second to gather himself. Then he was giving Aaron a steady look, no emotion leaking through as he said "I need some time off. And…I'm not sure how long I'm going to need, Sir. I have a, a family emergency. I don't know how long it will take to, to handle it."

That had Aaron surprised, though he worked not to show it. The way Spencer was locked down, very obviously hiding something, made Aaron wonder. The first thought he had was that something had happened with Spencer's brothers. He shoved that thought back quickly enough. Everyone who knew Spencer knew that five years ago, just a month after the team had met the Summers brothers, Spencer and his brothers had gotten into a fight that Spencer wouldn't speak of, not even with Derek. All he would say on the matter was that he had no family anymore but for Diana. Beyond that, he was close-lipped about it all. He never mentioned either brother ever again. To have him requesting time off for a family problem now meant that it could only be one person, the only person he considered family—Diana Reid. And if he was requesting indefinite time off, it had to be serious. Aaron felt a stab of sympathy. "Of course, Reid. I'll process it through effective immediately."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Is there anything we can do for you? Anything that any of us might be able to do?"

For just a moment Spencer hesitated. Then his hand tightened on the strap of his bag and he shook his head. "Actually, Sir, there is one thing. Would you mind taking care of telling the team? I need to leave immediately. I was hoping maybe you could let everyone know I'll be in contact as soon as I possibly can."

Once he'd assured the young agent that he would take care of it and had offered his assistance once more, Aaron sat back and watched as Spencer left the office. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered what exactly was going on and why he had this sour feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Six hours later, Spencer Reid let out a soft sigh as he climbed out of the backseat of a cab. Bag slung over his shoulder, he paid the driver before turning to look at the house in front of him just the same as he did every time he came here. It was a cozy looking house, even from the outside. The yard was well maintained with a beautiful garden that edged the porch, broken only by the brick walkway and the stairs up onto the porch. The house was a single story, two bedroom bungalow, painted a cheerful light blue. Garden boxes sat on the front windows and hung off the porch railings and wind chimes decorated the front, filling the air with their tinkling sound and painting the ground in color as the sun caught them.

A flutter at one of the windows caught his eye. His smile started even before the door opened. But when it did, his small smile bloomed fully. How could he do anything but smile at the little girl that stood there, dressed up in a pretty blue sundress, her smile just as wide and bright as his, and her beautiful purple, blue and pink sparked eyes lit with joy. "Daddy!" Her squeal echoed through the air as she launched herself out the door and raced down the walk toward him. Spencer didn't hesitate to drop to one knee, ignoring the grind in his bad knee, and open his arms wide. The little girl hit him at a dead run, almost knocking the two of them over. Little arms flung around his neck and he was being squeezed tightly in a hug that brought tears pricking at his eyes. "There's my little Sunshine." He murmured against her hair. "Hey, sweetheart. I missed you."

"I missed you too!" She pulled her head back as he rose, keeping her in his arms as he did. She just adjusted her legs on either side of him and settled easily on his hip in a move she was well used to. "Mama told me you was coming and I made you a picture! Do you wanna see it?"

Automatically he corrected her grammar. "You were coming, not was. And of course I want to see it." Even as he spoke he started to make his way toward the house. A pretty, petite woman stepped up to the front door. Though she smiled, he could read the tension at the edges of it and he could easily see that it didn't reach her pretty blue eyes. It was the same tension that he was feeling. That he'd been feeling since he'd gotten her call at four am this morning begging him to come out here. Still, for the sake of the child in his arms, Spencer kept his worries to himself for the moment. Instead, he gave the woman a smile while he walked up the porch stairs. "You look as beautiful as ever, Ali." It was the truth, too. Dressed in a sundress to match Lily's and with her dark brown hair cut short and hanging in wisps around her face, she really was beautiful.

"Flatterer." She teased him. When he got close, she stretched up to press a kiss to his cheek. He had to bend just a little for her; the top of her head just barely reached his chin. She shut the door behind them as they all stepped inside. Spencer bent and set Lily down on the ground, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as he did. The five year old little girl beamed up at him.

Ali brushed a hand over Lily's hair as she passed her. "Why don't you go get your picture and the other things that you wanted to show Daddy while he and I go get some coffee in the kitchen, okay, pumpkin?"

"Okay!" Excited, Lily took off down the hall toward her room.

Spencer wasted no time in following Ali into the kitchen. There was already a pot of coffee on and two cups waiting by the pot. He watched as she walked over and reached a hand out to try to pick the pot up and pour. The way her hand shook had him quickly moving forward, reaching out to steady her. Carefully he helped her slip the pot back into the machine. Then he took both her hands in his and turned her so that she was looking at him. "Talk to me, Ali. Tell me what's going on."

Wide eyes lifted to him and she said the one thing he'd known was coming. He'd known ever since he'd gotten her terrified, pleading phone call. "I think Trent found us." She whispered them as if afraid of even saying his name out loud. "There have been two cars following us for almost a week now. I wasn't sure at first, but now I am. And I knew I had to call you. I'm so sorry to take you away from work…"

"No, no. Hush." Without hesitation he pulled her in close, folding his arms over her. "Hush. You did the right thing in calling me. I told my boss I was taking time off indefinitely. For now I have three months; after that, we'll reevaluate my needs. I'm staying here until this is taken care of."

He felt her words against his chest; felt the tremor that ran through her. "I can't do this again. I thought the Colonel was still keeping us safe. Did he change his mind? Has something happened I don't know about?"

He shook his head and bent down a little, resting his nose on her hair. "Not that I know of. Let's not jump ahead of ourselves, though. Let me spend some time here with you two, look around a little and see what I can see. If he's here, we'll discuss our options. I'll call the Colonel and have him set up some extra protection here, too. That's part of our deal." And one hell of a deal it was, too. But no price was too high to keep these two safe. None. "He's not in office tonight, but I'll call first thing in the morning. For now, just relax a little and let's enjoy some time together, okay? I'm here and I'll do everything I can to keep you two safe."

He felt it as she sighed against him. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you, Spencer. I love you."

"I love you too."

Those words had become so easy between them over the years. They were true. He and Ali did love one another; just, not in the way others might have thought. He loved this woman like a little sister and she loved him like a brother. That was all the love that was between them. It was purely platonic, despite the child they shared. A child that had been created from a night where two people had been alone, heartbroken and—as clichéd as Spencer knew it sounded—drunk. He'd been alone and aching and confused about so many different things. She'd been fresh off a relationship that had left her hurting inside. Together, the two friends had gone out drinking. Neither one had strong recollections of the night, but they knew enough to know what they had done. Even if they didn't, the little girl currently gathering things in her room was proof enough. There was no denying her parentage, either. Ali often joked that it looked like she had nothing to do with Lily's conception. She was a miniature version of her father. The only things that Ali could claim were the slightly dainty bone structure Lily had inherited and the birthmark that matched hers on the back of Lily's left thigh. Otherwise, Lily looked like a Summers, through and through. She'd even gained Spencer's intelligence, as they'd already obviously noticed. The girl was brighter than the average five year old, by quite a bit.

For a moment longer, the two stood together, giving and drawing strength. Then the sound of footsteps warned them of their daughter's coming. They broke apart right as Lily raced into the room at top speed, goodies in her arms. Spencer pushed back his worries for a moment and allowed himself to simply enjoy the time with a daughter he rarely ever got to see. As he sat at the table with her and looked at her wonderfully done paintings, two thoughts floated through his mind. One was that he definitely needed to get her into an art program; her talent was amazing. The other was that he would do anything possible to make sure this angel was safe. No matter what it took.

There was no little girl anywhere in the world that was happier than Lily was. Not only was her Daddy here, but he was going to stay for a while this time! That was enough to have her wanting to dance around the house. Then, then, Mama told her that they were going to have Ms. Jilly over for dinner tonight, the pretty lady that worked at the shelter downtown that Mama and Lily went to sometimes to help out. She was a sweet lady and she was lots of fun. She could do something that Daddy said was 'teleporting'. She could hold you real tight and there was a bright light and then you'd be somewhere else! It was so much fun!

Her coming for dinner was always a blast. Plus, Mama said she could dress up for dinner tonight because it was a special occasion. Daddy was home and Ms. Jilly was coming and that meant that she got to put on her party dress. She couldn't wait for Daddy to see her new party dress. When Mama finally told her she could get ready, she felt like she was going to explode with excitement.

The dress was so pretty and so soft. Satin, Mama said. It was purple too—Daddy's favorite color. Lily's favorite color too because if Daddy liked it than it had to be great. Plus, it matched their eyes! It was sleeveless and long and a pretty purple. Mama tied the sash around her waist and that had a big pretty purple flower on it. "Would you like me to do your hair too?" Mama offered.

Lily's eyes went wide. "Please!" Then she'd look pretty just like Mama did.

So Mama brushed her hair until it curled around her head and then she put in a dark purple headband to hold it back. When she was done, she kissed Lily's forehead and told her "There, pumpkin. You look beautiful."

Lily practically bounced on her way out of her room. She couldn't wait for Daddy to see her! She found him in the living room, talking quietly with Ms. Jilly. It must've been about grown-up things because they stopped talking when she came in and Lily knew that Daddy and Mama did that when they were talking about things they didn't think she should know. Daddy turned to look at her and he smiled so big and bright. "Well would you look at this, Jilly. My little Lily bug is looking more like a jewel than a bug tonight."

Joy filled Lily. There was no one in her life she loved more than she loved her Daddy. Mama was a close second but still, Daddy was at the top. He was her favorite person in the whole world and her absolute hero. She gave a little twirl and her heart leapt as he and Jilly clapped for her. When she stopped, he came over and went down on one knee so he was right in front of her. Then he pulled something out of his pocket. "You know, you look so beautiful tonight, but I think your outfit is missing just one little thing." Then he lifted his hands and he was putting something around her neck. When he was done, Lily looked down and saw a little silver cross with blue stones in it. Her mouth popped open in a little O of surprise. "It's so pretty!"

"That was given to me by someone very, very special. I thought you might like to wear it tonight. Keep it safe, bug." Daddy said, lifting a finger to tap it over her nose. With a smile, he straightened back up and held a hand out to her. "Can I escort you to the table, pretty lady?"

Lily took his hand and let him lead her in. She was in absolute heaven. Dinner was Daddy's favorite—stuffed chicken bundles and green rice. Lily loved it, too. She even ate the whole meal without spilling a single bit of it! The dessert came out and Lily's night got even better when Daddy lifted her right up into his lap and shared his big bowl of ice cream with her while he, Mama and Ms. Jilly talked. Everything was perfect.

Because she was sitting on him, Lily felt when her Daddy's whole body tensed up. He'd taught her the meaning of the word tense last time they'd talked on the phone after she'd heard an adult use it. It meant for his body to go tight and stiff. Then suddenly Daddy's arms went tight around her and he was diving for the floor, shouting out "Down!" and the air seemed to explode around them. Lily screamed as Daddy lay on top of her on the ground. What was going on? What was happening? There were loud booms and crashes and then Daddy's arms were tight on her again and they were moving. Where, she couldn't see. Her face was buried against his shirt. But he was carrying her and she heard more crashes and then a door slammed shut.

"It's him. Oh, God, it's him." Mama was saying and she sounded scared, like Lily did sometimes after a nightmare.

Daddy's arms tightened around Lily. "They moved in fast. The place is surrounded. There's no normal way out of here, not without too much collateral damage. Jilly, you know what we need you to do."

"Please. We need you to take her, now. You get her out of here and keep her safe. If they see us, they'll focus on us." Mama said. "You know you can't take all of us at once. Take her. Please. Nothing is more important than keeping her safe."

"Ali, Spencer…" Ms. Jilly sounded sad and scared too.

"No." Daddy cut in. He was using that voice he used with Lily when she was doing something wrong and arguing with him. It meant that he was done arguing and it was time to stop, now, before she got into serious trouble. "There's no time to argue, Jilly. We've planned for this. Ali and I can hold them off and you can get her out of here. You know what to do and where to take her. Take her, go grab the letter, and go. They're getting closer. There's no time!"

Lily found herself pulled up and Daddy was hugging her tightly and so was Mama. Both of them were hugging her tight and kissing her face. When they pulled back, Daddy looked so sad that Lily wanted to hug him again. What was happening? What was going on? "Bug, I need you to be really, really brave for me, okay?" Daddy told her. "Ms. Jilly is going to take you on a trip. You're going to Uncle Scotty, honey. He'll help you. You trust your Uncle. Remember everything I told you about him? He'll take care of you. Him, and Uncle Logan, and Uncle Alex will come too."

Still scared, she couldn't help but be just a little excited. "And Remy? Can I meet Remy?"

Daddy smiled and kissed her. "And Remy."

"But why can't you and Mama come? I want you to come with me!" She didn't want to go without them. She wanted them to be there too!

Mama brushed back her hair and kissed her cheek. "You be our brave girl, now, pumpkin. We'll come see you as soon as we can."

Then Daddy was moving and Lily found herself in Ms. Jilly's arms and she didn't want to be here. She wanted to be with her Daddy. Mama and Daddy were looking at her and they looked so sad and Mama was crying. Lily felt her own tears. "Mama. Daddy."

"We love you, pumpkin." Mama whispered. Daddy licked his lips and looked right at her. "I love you, bug. You be a good girl for your Uncles, now. We'll see you as soon as we can." His eyes moved to Ms. Jilly just as there was another crash. "Go. Go now."

Ms. Jilly's arms tightened around Lily and the little girl started to cry right before there was a bright light and suddenly, they were gone.

PART TWO

Jilly St. Cloud had never hated the idea of doing something more than she did as she stood at the front doors of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and tried to build up the courage to knock on the door. The little girl in her arms was still crying and shaking, though they'd been traveling for almost an hour now. The teleportation only got them so far. She could only teleport to places that she'd been to before. Places that she'd seen and mentally memorized. The longer the distance, the harder it was for her to do and the more energy it took. Bringing someone with her made it take twice as much energy, more so the bigger they were. After she'd teleported to the office to grab the letter, she'd decided to teleport shorter distances, spacing it out to lessen the energy it took before she finally ended up in a condo Spencer had once taken her to in New York. It was their designated 'emergency place' for her to teleport to. From there, she'd grabbed the keys kept there and loaded her and a sobbing Lily into the car parked downstairs—also Spencer's—and then the two had driven to this school.

Now they were here and Jilly was having a hard time bringing herself to knock on the door .The only thing that finally gave her the courage was the knowledge that the people, the friends, that she'd left behind needed help. They told her when they'd planned for this that she wasn't to come back for them and she was to prevent anyone from coming there. Still, she ached to go help them. She ached to do something that would erase the guilt she felt at leaving them there to potentially be slaughtered. Clinging to that, she lifted her hand and knocked on the door.

It didn't take long for someone to answer the door. A polite looking blond haired man answered with a smile. "Hello there. How can I help you?"

"I need to see Scott Summers." Jilly said quickly. She remembered exactly what she was supposed to do and she wasn't going to fail Spencer or Ali in this. "Right now. This is an emergency."

Something in her words must've gotten through to the young man. His eyebrows went up and his smile wiped away. He stepped back and gestured inside. "Right this way. I'll take you down to him."

Lily's arms were tight around Jilly's neck and her tears were still falling, though they were quieter. Jilly rubbed a hand over her back in what she hoped was a soothing way while the blond haired man led them further into this beautiful house, down a long hallway and then up to a door that he stopped and knocked on. A male voice called out to them and the guy stuck his head in the door. "Scott? There's a woman here to see you. She says that it's an emergency."

"Let her in, Bobby. Thank you." Someone answered. A second later, the guy—Bobby—was gesturing her into the room. Jilly walked right in, her eyes instantly scanning the people. Spencer had given her enough descriptions that she recognized most of the people in here. The muscular guy with the crazy brown hair had to be Logan. The woman with the red hair, that had to be Jean. The woman with the white hair would be Ororo. The one in the trench coat with the sunglasses would be Remy, then. That left the last one, the most important one. The guy standing up from a chair, tinted sunglasses on his face. Scott Summers. "Hello there. I'm Scott Summers. What can I do for you?"

Well, it was now or never. Spencer had warned her that this was going to be the hardest part and that it was best to be right up front with it. "My name is Jilly St. Cloud and I'm a friend of your brother, Spencer." She saw the way the whole room suddenly seemed to be on alert, all their eyes turning to her. She kept her gaze on Scott, noting the sudden tension in him. But she wasn't done. Hurry up and get it all out. "He sent me here because he's in trouble. I was told that, in an emergency situation, I was to come to you and bring you a letter that would explain what's going on."

"Spencer sent you?" Scott breathed the words out. Then he seemed to draw himself up, his spine snapping taunt. "Where is this letter?"

With one hand, Jilly held out the letter, her other hand still holding Lily close. She watched as Scott took the envelope and opened it, pulling out the sheets of paper inside and immediately starting to read.

Dear Scott

I know that the last person you expected to hear from was me. I made damn sure that there was nothing but anger between us anymore the last time we saw one another. But I beg you, please, read this. It will make so many things clear. And if there was ever a time I needed you, now is it. Even as I'm writing this letter, I pray to whatever watches over us that all of you never have to see this. If you are reading this, then it means I've failed. I know that you are beyond confused right now and I understand. Please, read my explanation before you judge my actions. Trust me, you will have justifiable reasons to condemn me when this letter is through.

I have been a fool. For someone who is supposed to be so smart, I've made so many stupid mistakes. I have done so much wrong and my little Bug has been made to pay the price. For that, I have earned anything that I am given as well as any anger you bear toward me. I know you are angry. You will be even more so in a moment. The woman here with you is Jilly, as she's probably already introduced. But if she hasn't told you who the little girl is with her, let me make the introductions. Her name is Lily Michelle Summers and she is my daughter.

I know this is a shock. To discover I have a daughter that I've never told you about, a secret so strongly kept from you, is a betrayal. I accept your anger. And I know that I have no right to ask any favors of you. Yet, there is no one I trust more to ask this of. No matter your anger toward me, no matter how much I've wronged you, I beg of you to protect the single most important thing to me. My daughter. I'm trusting her to your care. There is no one I'd trust more than my brothers.

The fight we had and everything since then has been done with one goal in mind – to keep Lily and her mother safe. For you to understand what is going on, I need you to understand what happened between Ali and I. Ali is a friend, a very good friend that I knew at the shelter in DC. She and I talked often when I would go help out there and occasionally we went out for drinks, as friends. One night I was aching and depressed, she was alone and fresh from a break up with a jerk, and we drank too much. Sleeping together was clichéd, yes. We barely even remember it. And after that, she disappeared on me. I didn't see her for almost two years. Not until she showed up one day on my doorstep with that little angel and told me that I was a father. I'm omitting details because right now, they aren't important. Let me boil this down to bare facts to save time. Because time is of the essence.

Ali's brother was furious that she had a child. He hates her so much because he knows that, even as a woman, she carries power in the family. She's first in line to inherit their family business—a hotel chain. Controlling that also means controlling the money. He hated that she was older and that it would all be hers when their parents pass. Having Lily put another person in the running ahead of him. There is nothing Trent wants more than money. He wants to use the money to gain power. The night she ran, Trent killed their parents and tried to take out her and Lily. She ran to the only place she said she felt would keep her safe. To me. She warned me he would never stop hunting her or Lily, no matter how long it took, because even if she were gone, Lily still stood to inherit everything. And now they were witnesses to murder. After explaining why she'd never told me about Lily, she told me what was going on and of course I had to help her. Our plan was to go to New York and talk to you for help. That was the plan. Plans were changed by the Colonel. I have no time for that story. Ask him what happened. What you need to know now is that he set up protection on them for me.

If you're reading this, then it means that Lily is with you and Trent has found us. And if he has found us, the life of my daughter is now in your hands. He will not stop until he finds her. Men like him are talented at questioning a person and, while I pray I won't break underneath it, I cannot guarantee I won't. But I vow to do everything I can to keep them from finding out where she is. I know that telling you not to find me would be pointless; you will look, no matter what I say on the matter. I simply ask that you do not get so focused on finding a brother that your niece is at risk. I am not saying you would ever do anything to intentionally cause her harm. I just want you all to realize that, to me, her safety is more important than my own life. Please, keep my sweet little Lily Bug safe.

She's five years old and she is as smart at that age as I was. Unlike me, she has no problems with touching people and she has yet to meet a stranger in her life. She loves to paint. It calms her. Also, she's allergic to amoxicillin and asparagus, but nothing else.

I'm going to cut myself off now before I turn this into an essay. I don't know what else to say. All I can think of is this. I'm sorry, Scotty. And tell Alex too, please. Tell everyone. Alex, Logan, Remy, Jean, Ororo—all the people I loved and all the people I was forced to give up to keep my Bug safe. It was worth it, any pain is worth keeping her safe, but not a day has gone by that I haven't ached at the loss of you all in my life. I hope one day I can make it up to you. And, will you do me one last favor? Just in case I don't ever get the chance. Tell Remy that I never stopped thinking of him and what might've been every day of my life. Tell him that I'm sorry I cut him out, but I couldn't have him discovering the truth. Tell him – I love him. I always have and I always will.

I love you,

Spencer

It took reading it twice before Scott could begin to process it. When he finished it the second time, he let his hand drop down, holding the letter out toward Logan. He paid no attention as the man took it from him. His full attention was on the child in this Jilly woman's arms. Lily. Spencer's daughter. His niece. Information whirled around Scott's brain, bouncing off the inside of his skull. His eyes traveled over her, drinking her in. This little girl was his niece? He looked at the honeyed brown hair that was curling down to her shoulder blades and the pretty purple dress she wore. The rest of her was hard to see as she was plastered to this Jilly woman, who had turned her head to whisper in Lily's ear.

Suddenly the little girl's head jerked back and whipped around and Scott's breath caught in his throat. Those eyes. Spencer's eyes. How many times had he seen Spencer's eyes staring at him, just as wide and just as afraid, those sparks dulled down like this? Her eyes were exactly the same. The same colors, same sparks. Same wide, terrified look that reached down inside Scott's chest and wrapped around his heart. He didn't think as he started to move toward her. When her arms turned and reached for him, it felt natural to take her from Jilly's arms and bring her against him. She came to him so trustingly, arms and legs wrapping tight, her face going to hide right against his neck. He felt as her tears fell against his neck and he rubbed a hand over her back soothingly. "Shh, honey. Shh."

"She's had a rough night." Jilly said softly. Now that her arms were free, she'd wrapped them around her waist.

Scott looked up at her. "Tell me what happened."

"Spencer called and asked me over to have dinner with them tonight." Jilly began carefully. She chose her words with care, trying to refrain from terrifying the child in Scott's arms any further. "When I got there, he told me that Ali had called him to come out because she was sure she'd been followed this past week. She was scared Trent had found them. I'm one of the few that knows the whole story because I'm part of their safety plan. We were discussing what we should do and calling in the Colonel to get some extra security, but then dinner started and we tabled the discussion until afterwards. We were eating dessert when…when Spencer suddenly shouted down and there were gunshots." She gave a soft shudder and fought back the sick feeling that still hadn't gone away. The whole room was focused on her and her story, silently waiting for what came next, almost afraid to hear it. "Spencer sent a blast as cover fire and we ran back to the bedroom. They reminded me of their promise to keep Lily safe, no matter what. They promised to keep them occupied long enough for us to get away. I can teleport, but only to places I've been to before and memorized, and I can only take one extra person with me. Even then, it's exhausting. I couldn't take all of them. So I took Lily like they asked and I brought her here. Spencer always said there was no one he trusted more in a crisis than you people. And he said he's told Lily all about you guys, so she should know you well enough to feel somewhat safe here. Just, please…they're my friends. They asked me not to go back, but I have to. I have to go try to see if I can help."

Logan pushed himself up off the couch. "Can you take one of us with you?"

Though it went against everything Spencer had told her, Jilly bit her lip and thought about it. "Maybe." She finally said. Spencer had almost demanded that they not try to come back in a situation like this, but she couldn't just abandon them. Not if there was a chance they were still there and might be helped. "But not you. I don't have enough energy for that."

"How about me?" Jean's voice was firm with resolve.

Jilly nodded at her. "You, I can take."

Turning, Jean looked to Scott, who gave a nod. As much as he hated not being the one to go, he trusted Jean to. "Do not engage unless absolutely necessary. Run recon and report back. We'll have a team at the ready for you if need be."

"Of course." Without wasting any more time, Jean walked up to Jilly and stopped in front of her. Jilly took a deep breath and reached out, taking Jean's hands. "Step close and hold on. It gets a bit bright for a second." With that warning, Jilly closed her eyes and, in a flash of light, the two of them were gone.

For a moment Scott could only stand there and stare. This was so much to take in! Fuck. But then the girl he was holding gave a quiver and he yanked his attention toward her, his voice going to a soothing murmur once more. Logan's hand settled on his shoulder, steering him toward the couch, and Scott found himself shifting Lily so that he could sit down with her cradled in his lap. She curled right against his chest, knees drawing up. Someone squatted down in front of them and Scott saw Remy there, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket. He lifted it up toward Lily's face, dabbing lightly at her cheeks. "Dere now, petit. A pretty face like y'rs shouldn't be crying."

Lily sniffled and lifted her chin a little, locking those familiar eyes on Remy's face. She gave another sniffle before saying "You're Remy."

The Cajun gave her a gentle smile, wiping away more of the moisture on her cheeks. "Oui, Cher. Dat I am. Remy LeBeau, at y'r service."

"I saw your picture. Daddy keeps it in his wallet." She gave another sniffle and her lower lip trembled on the word Daddy before she firmed it back up. "Daddy says he keeps you there cause you're special, just like me. Are you gonna help him and Mama?"

"We'll do everything we can, petit."

She gave him a firm nod. "Good. Can you go steal them from the bad men? I heard Daddy tell Mama once that you're the best thief in the whole wide world. I looked up thief and it says it means to steal things. Daddy says stealing is bad, but I don't think it'd be bad if you stole him and Mama. Can you steal them and bring them home for me? I promise I won't tell!"

The little speech had the occupants of the room smiling. Remy reached up and brushed his knuckles over her cheek, unable to look away from her. She looked so much like Spencer it was both wonderful and heartbreaking. "I'll see what I can do, petit."

Her lips curved in that patented Summers half-grin. "Daddy showed me pictures of all of you. He told me one time that you guys didn't know who I am so that I could be safe. But he said that you guys were all my family and you'd love me just like he did." Her smile grew just a little bit. "He said Uncle Scotty would help me be a smart girl and that Uncle Logan would help me be tough and that you would teach me how to be strong and safe and how to have fun and you'd never ever let the bullies pick on me or pull my hair again."

Chuckles echoed around them. Remy smiled at the little ramble that was so reminiscent of her Daddy. "I can most definitely do dat, sweetheart. I try to teach y'r Daddy how to have fun, but he's a lil stubborn about it."

"Daddy and I have lots of fun when he comes to see me." Lily said faithfully. "Even though he doesn't like them, he still plays Barbie with me. But he says that Barbie gives women an unrealistic standard of what pretty is. Mama heard him say that and she told him he was a nitwit."

A startled laugh burst from Scott. That was such a Spencer-thing to say. Only he would teach a young girl that Barbie gives unrealistic standards of pretty.

Lily wasn't done yet. Apparently she'd decided to open right on up to them, safe and secure in Scott's lap. This whole time she hadn't moved away from him, only snuggled in more. But her face was turned to look around the room. "Daddy says being pretty is inside, not outside. He says I could have a giant wart on my nose and I'd still be the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world."

"He's right." Scott told her softly. He lifted one hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're a very beautiful little girl."

With pure feminine glee, Lily lifted her chin a little and preened under the compliment. Then Remy plucked a flower from the pot on the table and he tucked it behind her ear with a flourish, smiling broadly. "Y'r Daddy and Scotty are right, mon chou. Y'r une belle petit fille. A beautiful little girl."

With all the ardor of her five year old heart, Lily fell just a little bit in love with Remy in that moment. He was the first man aside from her Daddy to ever give her a flower. Her eyes went bright and warm and she thought to herself that he was just as nice as her Daddy had always said he was.

Ororo broke the silence in the room by moving forward and coming to crouch down beside Remy. "Why don't I take our little guest and find a nice warm bed to tuck into?" She suggested in her warm voice. "It is late and little girls should be in bed right now." And she wanted to get her out of the way before Jean called and everything started to happen. This wasn't something that Lily needed to be in the middle of; it was obvious the little girl had already seen too much. Lifting her eyes, Ororo looked at Scott's face. "I will take her to my loft and she can lie down with me for a while."

Scott nodded at her. Then he turned his head to look down at Lily, his heart stuttering again as he looked at her. "Lily, would you like to go with Miss Ororo for a little while?"

"Are you going to try to find my Mama and Daddy?"

"We are."

"Okay." That seemed to be enough for her. The little girl charmed Scott completely when she stretched up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Goodnight, Uncle Scotty." She slipped out of his lap and stopped by Remy before darting in and kissing his cheek too. "Goodnight, Remy!" He swept her up into a hug that made her giggle. "Bonne nuit, petit."

When Lily took Ororo's hand, she started chatting almost instantly, her happy little voice echoing around them as the two left the room. "Daddy told me your name is Ororo and you're like my Aunty. But sometimes Daddy called you Ro. Can I call you Aunty Ro? That sounds really pretty…"

Silence descended on the room after the two had left and the door was shut. Scott could only sit there on the couch, staring at the closed door. This was so much to take in. Too much. How was he supposed to process all of this? By now, the letter had made its way through everyone in the room. All of them knew what was going on. The whole story just seemed unbelievable. How could he not have known about this? How could Spencer have kept this secret for so long? There was no doubt in Scott's mind that the little girl was Spencer's. Hell, all a person had to do was look at her. The Summers genes were stamped plainly on her face. He couldn't believe it. His baby brother with a baby girl.

The sound of his cell phone ringing broke into the room's silence. Scott moved quickly, yanking his phone out and pressing the speakerphone button, praying it was Jean with news. "Summers."

"Scott…" Jean's voice echoed loudly from the speaker and even through the phone they could hear the ache in it. Everything inside of Scott clenched tight with fear. No. Please, no. Please let him be okay. Please, please, let him be okay. He held his breath without even realizing it as he waited for Jean to finish. She paused only for a beat before continuing on. "Cops are here right now. I couldn't go in, but I listened in a bit. There's no sign of Spencer anywhere. One woman who lives across the street was giving the cops a report when I arrived, saying she saw a group of men carrying a male out and tossing him into the back of the van. Based on her description, it fits Spencer." Again she paused, but this time when she spoke, the ache was stronger. "The cops found the body of a young woman in there. They've identified her as Ali Lynn Waters, Lily's mother."

Curses came from Logan and Remy bowed his head, a low prayer slipping past his lips. Bobby, who had stayed in the room after escorting Jilly in, said an uncharacteristic curse. Scott was simply frozen. He knew he should feel something about this Ali woman—a part of him did ache over it and over the pain he knew it would cause for Lily and Spencer both—but the biggest part of him was focused on the news about Spencer. If they'd carried him to a van and threw him in, leaving behind Ali, that had to mean that he was alive, right? Please, he has to be alive. Please.

"Scott?"

The sound of his name snapped Scott out of his thoughts. He looked down at the phone. For a second he paused, forcing himself to take a deep breath. With a skill born of practice, he took all of his emotions and shoved them down as far as he possibly could. Right now being emotional would do nothing for him. He needed to be calm and practical to figure out a way to solve this. He needed to be a leader right now, not an older brother. "We can't afford to get in the way of an investigation. We've got enough general information to get by with. I want you back here as soon as you possibly can be. We'll start things on our end and try to build a working plan."

Once that was taken care of and his phone was in his pocket again, Scott rose from the couch. "Remy, I want everything you can find on Trent Waters. Everything. If there's any contacts you might have that might be able to get us anything, I want you contacting them. Logan, you feel up to making a trip?"

"Just tell me where." Logan growled out.

"I want you to take someone with you and go to DC. Go raid Spencer's place, see what you can find there. Maybe there's something that he has, some information he gathered, that might help us out. If I know him, he'll have been working to find Trent all this time. If you pull out the bookcases in his living room, one of them has a panel on the bottom back. The password is Kathleen. In there, he'll probably have something hidden." The expression on Scott's face tightened. "I'm going to speak with the Professor and then I'm going to contact Alex and my father. I want everyone to meet back here come morning to report what we've found. Let's move, everyone."