A/N

A new story, back in the first AU verse I created. I figured I was having trouble with the new, so continuing with the old may be the remedy I need. Set six months from the last of the series, Morphos Effect, and starting out a little slow as I get back into the correct mindset, so please forgive the writing of the first chapter. That being said, please enjoy.

The pigeon blinked back at me as I pulled another cheetoh out.

It was of the speckled black variety, with the unique blank look of pigeons everywhere. It had one purpose on its mind- to, hopefully, make the cheetoh I was holding its own.

I handed over the cheetoh with no comment, and the pigeon quickly started pecking at it.

I sighed and put my head down on the windowsill. The wind was blowing softly, and everything was perfect. The perfect spring day.

I was so damn restless.

Julian was getting big. He was taller than I was now, which never ceased to prey on my mind. He was going to be full grown, and he would live his life apart from me. It had only taken a short year for it to happen. He was perfectly happy, and totally understood his situation. He still told me how much he loved his mother every day. Jaime and he were still great friends. Everyone was happy and getting on with their lives. Six months after getting back from the other world, and everything was back to normal.

I was the only one feeling like I was stagnating.

A few weeks ago I asked Dr. McCoy if he knew the reason I was feeling so restless. He said it might have something to do with migration patterns. All the birds were flying back to the climates they left with the onset of winter, and I might be feeling their urge to move. Maybe.

I patted the head of the pigeon with one finger and got up. It would be lunch soon, and people seem to get worried if I miss meals. They come looking for me, maybe a bit more tentatively than anyone else.

I suppose I deserve it. I do have the habit of wandering off.

Walking down the steps, I saw Scott and Jean discussing lesson plans-they had graduated early, and left Bayville high before the year was over. Professor Xavier decided it was a good time to give them a job teaching the younger students, even if they didn't have a degree. Some of the teachers at Bayville had refused to even teach mutants, and the large gaps in education had to be remedied somehow.

When they saw me, Jean waved and Scott nodded. A smiled at them and kept walking till I got into the kitchen. Lunch was sandwiches. Kurt and Bobby were trying to make super sandwiches, while Amara and Kitty looked on, laughing. I watched them all for a few minutes, then made myself a sandwich with mayonnaise and ham and forced myself to eat it while I watched Kurt try to down a quindecker sandwich before Bobby downed his own.

"You guys are going to get, like, sick!"

"I bet they don't finish them."

"Sho shay ywhos!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Kurt! Like, eww!"

I laughed. Kitty looked surprised for a moment, then laughed too.

A few minutes later, Mr. Logan chased us all out so he could make his own lunch, provided 'two idiots haven't used all the bread' or something to that effect. He was growling at the time.

I wandered outside and sat down by the pool. The pigeon that had been sitting on my windowsill flapped down to see if I had anymore cheetohs.

"I don't have any. I'm sorry."

No?

"No."

It hopskipped up to me and jumped on my knee. It began to preen.

Want cheetoh. No cheetoh, I groom.

"Sure."

It kept grooming.

"Mind if I talk to you for awhile?"

No.

"So," I mentally checked for people. Rahne and Sam were on the other side of the house, but they were too far away to hear, and everyone else was inside, "I've been feeling kind of restless lately, and I can't figure out why. I keep feeling like nothing I'm doing is good for me. I mean, I'm learning school stuff, and I'm about a year behind now, because of all the time I've gone missing and all, and I know I should learn these things, but I just can't bring myself to do it. What do you think?"

The pigeon looked up at me blankly.

Don't understand.

"Sorry. I'm just having a problem figuring out what I should do now. I mean, my future isn't all that great-I'm not athletic. I can't wrangle animals. Well, I could, but I'd never feel comfortable with it. I can't be an animal doctor like my nickname, because I don't think they'll let mutants into veterinary school. And I'd be too involved, anyway. So, I can't figure out what I should do. I can't bring myself to learn my schoolwork, can't figure out what I want to do with my life. I'm stagnating. Sometimes the only thing I think I get up for is to make sure the others don't worry."

Danny depressed?

"A little."

What make happy?

"I have no clue." I smiled down at the bird. "But thanks for the support. I'll get you some cheetohs later."

Maybe move?

"Eh?"

Move away. Chick grown, already left nest. You move now, too?

"I don't know. Interesting thought, but where would I go?"

Where wings go!

"I don't know. Humans and mutants can't just up and leave, you know. We get worried if one of our colony leaves."

The pigeon did a sort of mental shrug, and went back to grooming.

I sighed and looked up at the sky. It was slightly cloudy, with just a hint of dark undertone. Ms. Monroe must be annoyed by something.

I couldn't deny it, the thought of spreading my wings and leaving was alluring. It left me with a feeling of longing. To wander, to see new things, maybe even discover a path that led me to the old friends of another world…the possibilities were endless. But like I said to the bird, leaving wasn't at all easy. My parents would worry. Professor Xavier and the others would want to know where I was going. Julian would want to come, probably.

The pigeon flew off after a few minutes, bored and slightly hungry.

I got up and paced around the pool's edge. I caught myself glancing at the woods nostalgically a few times, and mentally kicked myself.

I really wish the pigeon and I hadn't had that talk, now.

I tossed under the covers and Doggy whined. He looked at me curiously, head over my shoulder.

"I can't sleep."

He whined again.

I struggled to get comfortable and go to sleep again. Five minutes later, I blearily glanced at a clock on the wall.

Eleven forty-two PM.

Damn pigeon and its advice. I never had this much trouble sleeping before.

After four more minutes I savagely kicked off my blankets and rolled onto the floor. It was still slightly cold, so my usual sleeping attire of shorts and a t-shirt was replaced with pajama pants and a long sleeve.

"Let's go for a walk."

Doggy hopped down from his side of the bed and padded out the door with me. I grabbed a jacket on the way out in case it was overly cold.

I put on the jacket and zipped it up by the time we reached the first floor, and held the door open for Doggy to get out. He padded out stealthily while I quietly shut the door behind us.

The grass was slightly wet as my feet pressed down. It felt good, wandering around in the cool night air. The bats were away, having migrated to a warmer temperature, Herman with them. They'd be back any day. The creatures of the woods were gorging themselves, trying to get back the fat they had lost over hibernation.

Everybody had something to do.

I frowned at the thought and its unspoken ending: except me.

Before I realized what was happening, I had begun to argue with myself.

"Are you going to feel sorry for yourself or are you going to do something about your situation?.. What can I do? It's not as if I can leave everything and go off on a jaunt across the US… OH, like that stopped you before. I can name at least four times that happened… That was different, it wasn't in my control… Well, that's not right either, because I agreed I would take more control of my life."

"Doolittle, if you keep that up you'll be eating off a plastic tray for the rest of your life."

Drat. Was so busy arguing with myself I forgot about Mr. Logan.

I turned to face him. "I'm sorry, sir."

"For what?"

I looked up at him with puzzlement. "Aren't you going to yell at me for being out of bed in the middle of the night?"

"Isn't like it hasn't happened before. If I thought it would help, you would have stopped a long time ago. Now what's the problem, Doolittle?"

"Just having a bit of soul searching, sir."

"There aren't two of them, are there?"

"No sir, just one."

We were silent for a moment. Then I asked him, "Why are you up?"

"Night rounds. Can't be too careful."

"I see." I nodded.

"You never answered my question."

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out to clear my head. Hey, Mr. Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever just get the urge to drop everything and wander off?"

He snorted with laughter. "You ain't got a clue, kid." He stopped then. "Why? You do?"

"Yeah. I just can't seem to focus, you know? Feels like everything is moving without me. I'm beginning to turn into melancholy furniture."

"Melancholy…furniture?" He rose an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah," There was no stopping it now. The confession was running wild. "I was talking to a pigeon this afternoon, and it said some really intelligent things, and it's been bothering me all night."

"A pigeon said something intelligent to you…"

"And I can't help but that I should take its advice because that's what I really want to do, but I can't just leave everything, because if I do everyone will worry, and I still worry about Julian even though he'll be full grown in another six months and off to do his own thing…"

"You're taking advice from a bird."

"But if I don't leave, I'm afraid I will just be unbearable and I won't be able to stay here if I wanted to, even if I tried my hardest, and-"

"Alright, ALRIGHT! Cripes, this is the longest you've ever spoken to me, Doolittle."

"Sorry."

"First off, yeah, I get the urge to wander. And if there's people that get left behind, then I know I got somebody to come back to. Second, you ain't furniture. Third, I could care less who you get advice from, but personally, pigeons ain't even on my list, okay?"

"Yes sir."

"You talked to the Professor about this?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm afraid he'll order me to stay. And then I'll have to go against his orders and I may not be welcome here anymore."

"It ain't gonna go that far." He said, rolling his eyes. "You're overreactin'. Look, just go talk to Chuck. In the meantime, get your rear end back inside and go to sleep before I assign you extra practices so you do sleep at night. Okay?"

"Yes sir." I sighed and turned to go. I really wasn't all that convinced, but I really didn't want to do practices either.

I just hope that a talk with Professor Xavier is all I really need.

Please leave reviews on the way out, as always, and constructive criticisms are freely embraced.