"Do you think that you shall enter the Garden of Bliss without such trials as came to those who passed before you?" - Scott Reed

The old car chugged and coughed the last few inches up the hill before giving a sound that seemed like a dying breath and falling silent. The woman in the driver's seat threw it into park before it could decide to go anywhere of its own volition and pressed her forehead to the steering wheel. If this wasn't just her luck. She sat in the ancient, brown Volvo for several long moments, repeating a mental mantra - I will not swear, I will not swear, I will not swear - as she tried to get a reign on her frustration.

She banged her fists against the steering wheel and looked up just in time to see smoke or steam starting to leak out from under the hood. "Great. Just lovely." She hoped it was steam and not smoke. Smoke likely meant fire under the hood and they were more than fucked. And unfortunately, she didn't know enough about cars to judge one way or the other without getting out to look, especially in the dark. The woman unfastened her seat belt, reached underneath her seat for the flashlight, and spared a glance at the sleeping puppy sprawled across the length of the back seat before kicking her door open and wandering around to pop the hood. She jumped back with a startled shout as steam exploded from underneath it. Sweet Jesus, that had been close. And she was an idiot. Nice to have some things about herself confirmed.

The young woman took a few seconds while the air around the hood cleared to take a quick mental stock of the situation. It was dark, not good, but she'd managed to pull up under a street light, good. A glance at her watch told her it was after 10 and she was so far out of town she could barely hear the sounds of the city nearby; double not good. She reached into her pocket for her mobile only to find that it had died. That wasn't just 'not good'. That was downright shitty luck. She reached up to run her hand through her thick brown hair. Could things get worse? Stupid question, Millie. That's just asking for trouble and you've already got that in spades. Millie sighed and closed her eyes trying to regain what little control stress had left her. Seconds later, as though fate were answering her unvoiced question, she heard thunder rumble in the distance and looked up to see the clouds gathering across the moon.

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck fuck fuck! Thanks for nothing!" she shouted at the open air, kicking the tire as hard as she could. So much for not swearing. She slammed the hood with more force than she probably should have and the entire car shuddered, and swallowed back the frustrated tears that were threatening as she stalked back around to the driver's side of the car. Once back inside, she closed the door and flipped on the hazard lights before closing her eyes and leaning her head against the back of her seat. The young woman took several slow, deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She had to stay calm, but dammit! They were so close! Within miles of their goal and the car just had to break down.

It took a few moments, but soon there was a faint, wet 'thunk' of water on glass that slowly gained momentum until it was falling steadily. Millie sighed and looked around the car, intent on focusing on anything but the current situation. If she didn't, she was sure she'd lose it and break down into frustrated, angry sobs and that release was a luxury she couldn't afford.

The car was old enough that the fact it had run at all was nothing short of a small miracle. She never had gotten the chance to figure out what year it was, but the angular build of it, the rust, and the dark brown color told the story of a vehicle that might date back to the 70s and was ragged with it. It certainly ate gas badly enough to be from that less fuel efficient era. The upholstery on the seats was worn and fraying, and the dash was peeling and cracked. The radio was so old that it had dials instead of a digital tuner; it was impossible to tell if the dash readouts were ever telling the truth. But, it had run and gotten them halfway across the country until that moment. Maybe it would start again if she just gave it time to cool off. She could only hope and her hopes were fraying as thin as the woven fabric of the seats.

"Millie?"

Millie turned to see a young boy, no more than 11, leaning between the seats, his longish brown hair flopping into his eyes. She shifted in her seat and saw that he was still naked from when he shifted back from the puppy form he'd been sleeping in and held back another sigh. Shape-shifters and casual nudity seemed to go hand in hand.

"Yeah, Jame?"

"What happened?" he asked sleepily, rubbing his hands over his face.

"The car broke down and my phone is dead." She didn't have a car charger. The trip was so haphazard and stressful that it hadn't dawned on her that it might be useful to have. God, this had to be a nightmare. "Get dressed, would you? It's raining and I don't want you to catch cold."

The boy nodded and leaned back to the backseat of the car. Soon the vehicle was moving and rocking with the motions of a child trying to get dressed in the dark. Millie reached down into her purse and pulled out the address and map her father had left in the safe deposit box for her. A push of a button turned on the dome light so she could see. She wasn't great at reading maps, but they'd hit Purdys about twenty minutes ago. That meant that they should only be about ten minutes from their destination. She looked up to peer through the rain soaked windshield thinking that it was ten minutes too far.

Jamie climbed over the seat, now fully dressed in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, and settled on the passenger side. "So, what're we going to do?" he asked after a few seconds, sniffing a little before leaning down to pull his sneakers back on his feet. Millie had learned to ignore the sniffing a long time ago. They weren't indications that Jamie was sick at all. When she'd asked him about it one time, he said it was because it made sense to get scents from things and that it helped him know what was going on around him. Millie guessed it was just part of his shifting abilities that carried over from his animal forms.

"I don't know yet. I'm sort of hoping that the car was just overheated and if we give it a little bit it'll cool off and start again." She was fairly convinced that wasn't the case, but a girl could hope.

"How far are we from the school?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Millie admitted and set the map between them. She pointed to a dot on the map, barely visible in the dim, orange glow of the dome light. "See, that's where it's at and back here is the town we just passed through when we got off the interstate, Purdys."

Jamie peered at the map. "It doesn't look that far on the map." The rain started to fall harder. The boy hesitated for a second before asking another question. "So, we're waiting for the car to cool off?"

"Or the rain to stop, yeah."

"Will you read to me while we're waiting?"

That got a small chuckle out of Millie. Leave it to her little brother to make the best of anything. She wished she could be more like him in that aspect. Then again, maybe it was just the innocence of childhood that she had long outgrown. "Okay." He leaned over the back of the seat and pulled out the book they'd been reading, "Peter Pan and the Starcatchers." Millie continued the chapter she'd started last night, and when that was finished, she handed the book to Jamie so he could take over and read to her. While he read, she found her mind wandering rather than focusing on the words of the book.

Millie stared through her reflection in the dark window, her blue eyes looking at nothing. In the course of a month her life had gone from moderately boring to painfully upside down. It still seemed very surreal at times and she was always convinced, somewhere in her mind, that she would wake up at any moment. But the reality was that she knew everything had happened, and despite it all she had to keep going. Jamie needed her to be the strong one and the one who knew what she was doing. They were the only constant in each others lives anymore and that kind of pressure didn't leave any room for momentary weaknesses or emotional breakdowns. She felt like she had changed so much in the few weeks since the attack, had gotten colder and more distant from everything except her brother. She'd grown more suspicious and distrusting than she'd ever been in her life. Even small acts of kindness, like the waiter at the diner that morning who had mistaken Jamie for her son and discounted their meals for no other reason than to be helpful, were scrutinized from every possible angle for ulterior motives.

Millie was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the SUV that had pulled behind them until someone came over to her window and knocked. She started with a surprised noise and looked over at the woman through the window. She rolled down her window a bit, noticing that the rain had slacked off enough that the dark skinned woman didn't really have to worry about getting to wet.

The stranger smiled in greeting and leaned down a little to look inside, the interior car lights reflecting dimly off of her white hair and blue eyes. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice thick with some kind of accent Millie couldn't decipher.

Millie looked at the woman suspiciously for a second. "Yeah. The car stalled out and we're just waiting for it to cool before trying to start up again."

The woman nodded. "You do not have a phone?"

"It's dead."

"Would you like to try it again and if it does not start up we can call a tow on my phone and you two can wait in my car, if you like." The woman smiled. She seemed genuine enough and she slid her hand through the open window. "I am Ororo Munroe, by the way."

Millie looked at the woman for a moment, her new suspicions surging forward as she mentally ran through possible other reasons for the woman's offer. They were numerous, but Millie also realized that if they didn't get help they'd likely be sitting in the dark and rain all night and that was even more dangerous than the possibility of aid from a total stranger. And the woman had offered rather than insisting, which were points in the stranger's favor, unless she was particularly clever.

Finally, she took Ororo's hand gingerly. "I'm Millie and this is Jamie. Just, give me a sec." She reached around to the ignition and turned the key. It clicked once, and the lights flickered, but otherwise did nothing. She grumbled and tried again with the same results. Finally, she sighed. "Thanks, I really appreciate what you're doing for us." She grabbed the keys and got out of the car. Jamie climbed out after her before she shut the door.

"It is not a problem." Ororo lead them over to her SUV and reached in for her phone. She double checked to see that it was on and had power before handing it to Millie. Millie thanked her again and reached into her back pocket for her roadside card. As she talked with the operator, she wandered back towards her car to get the mileage information and things from it, turning back to look at her brother and the woman often to make sure Jamie was alright.

Ororo brushed a bit of water off the door of her SUV and leaned against it.

Jamie looked up at her curiously and sniffed quietly as he studied her. "Are you a mutant?" he finally asked.

Ororo looked down at him, one pale eyebrow raised in surprise. "What makes you think that?"

Jamie shrugged. "I've never seen anyone with hair like yours that wasn't my grandma," his tone indicating that wasn't the reason at all.

"Ah. Well, I am, but I think that from now on you'd better remember that's not a polite or safe thing to ask outright, alright?" Ororo smiled a little and ruffled his hair. "Not all mutants are good, just as not all people are good."

Jamie reached up to smooth his hair back down, understanding in his young eyes as he looked back towards his sister. "Oh. Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it." He looked up at Ororo. "We are, too. Mutants, I mean."

"Really? Where were you headed?" the woman asked, glancing over at the young woman who appeared to be getting rather frustrated on the phone.

"The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning." Jamie leaned back against the car and tucked his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "We got this envelope from Dad in Chicago and it had some money and the maps and stuff in it to show us how to get there."

Millie came over at that moment and handed Ororo her phone. "Thanks, Ms. Munroe. It's going to be like an hour til they can get here, and I hate to hold you up. Jamie and I can just wait in our car for the tow truck. Thanks again for your help." She held out her hand for Jamie. "C'mon Jamie."

Jamie took it and started to walk with Millie but they were stopped by Ororo. "Millie, wait." The young woman stopped and turned as Ororo walked towards them. "Jamie told me you are going to the Xavier Institute, right?"

Millie nodded slowly. "Yeah..."

"I am a teacher at the Institute. You can have your car towed there and I can drive you the rest of the way. It is only a few miles down the road. You had almost made it," Ororo offered.

Millie hesitated, biting her lower lip uncertainly. "I don't..."

Go with her, Amelia. You and James will be safe. A voice said at the back of her head. It wasn't her own voice, she never called herself Amelia, but it was somehow familiar.

Millie hesitated again and Jamie tugged her sleeve. "It's alright, Mil." He told her. "Ms. Munroe's a Mutant, too."

She looked down at Jamie and took a deep breath, praying she wasn't doing the wrong thing. "Alright. If you're sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all. Do you want to go ahead and load up your things?" When Millie nodded, the woman reached into her pocket and pressed a button on the key ring that sprung the lock on the hatch at the back of her vehicle. "Come on. I think the rain might be starting again soon." Jamie grabbed the keys from Millie's hand and ran over to the their car to pop the trunk. Millie followed, still uncertain. She helped Jamie get his suitcase from the car and while he was running around to get his bag and her purse from the front she pulled out her suitcase and laptop bag.

Ororo picked up Jamie's bag just as Millie was reaching for it. "Let me. You two certainly travel light for a cross country trip," she commented as she carried the bag to her car.

"How did-?"

"License plates." Ororo set the bag on the floor of the SUV next to another suitcase.

"Oh, right. I suppose I'm being too suspicious." Millie set her bag in next to Jamie's. Jamie came running around the car with the last of their things.

"Not at all. I would be, too, honestly. We do not live in a safe world, Millie. A little suspicion is good. Just do not allow it to stop you from letting people help you or keep you from helping people." Ororo closed the trunk and started walking around to the front of the car.

Millie watched the woman until she was out of sigh and then leveled a look at Jamie. "You. Are far too trusting."

"And you're too suspicious. She's nice, Millie. She smells right." He took her hand and led her to the passenger side of the car. The rain started to drizzle down again.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what it says. Good people smell right. Bad people smell wrong. That's why I never stuck around when you had Keith over to watch movies." Jamie smiled. "It makes sense, trust me."

Millie shook her head, not understanding it a bit. "If you say so." She opened the car door and got in as Jamie climbed into the back seat. The rain started again in earnest as she closed the door.

"Excellent timing," Ororo commented as she started the car. She offered Millie the phone. "Do you wish to cancel your tow, or at least tell them where to take it? There is a man at the institute that can pick it up and work on it if you want."

Millie took the phone. The problem with that scenario was that either way she ended up trusting complete strangers. Still, her father had sent her to these people. She even thought she remembered him mentioning an Ororo Munroe at one point, but maybe that was wishful thinking. Then again, Jamie had said she was all right, and since he spent at least half him time in animal form, it made sense. Animal senses were keener than human, so maybe some of that crossed over to when he was shaped like a human. At least, that was the only explanation she could come up with that made even a little bit of sense. She'd never pretended to have any kind of a grip on understanding the x-gene any further than that it made her and her brother different and people often thought different was bad.

"Thanks," she replied as she took the phone again. Millie started dialing the roadside number again to cancel as Ororo pulled out onto the road.

They weren't on the road very long before Ororo pulled into a driveway. She entered a code into the keypad by the gated entrance and it swung open slowly. The woman drove the SUV up the drive, past a long multi-car garage, and up to a circle drive in front of an enormous mansion.

"Here we are." Ororo put the car into park and turned it off. With a thought she contrived a break in the rain - she did not want the children to get soaked, though she didn't normally mess with the weather much unless she had to - and opened her door. "Let us get inside before it starts again." She opened the trunk once again and pulled out the suitcases. The little boy was first back to get his and then ran up the stairs. He was too young, Ororo supposed, to have his sister's reservations. She closed the trunk and handed Millie her bag. "It is not as scary as it looks," she promised.

"I don't suppose it could be," Millie muttered, staring at the enormous, brick affair that stood before her. It would have been difficult to see much of it if it weren't for the lights illuminating the driveway and the double doors at the top of a cement staircase. As it was, even with those lights, Millie could make out just enough of the frame to realize that it wasn't a house; it was an estate or a castle or something similarly huge.

Millie followed the other woman up the stairs to the front door where Jamie was already waiting impatiently. Just as they stepped under the awning the rain started again. The trio went inside and Millie stopped short as she got her first look at the entryway. By itself it would have held the small house she'd lived in before moving back in with her father and Jamie a few years ago, and a good portion of the yard the one bedroom house had sat on. The hard wood floors were overlaid with deep red area rugs and the high domed ceiling had a gold and crystal chandelier hanging from the center. Directly in front of her was a wide, wooden staircase, lined in the middle with the same red carpet and lead to a hallway in front of it and two secondary staircases on the sides at the top. Where all that lead was anyone's guess. There were two halls leading deeper into the mansion on the main level behind the stairs and another pair of doorways to the side walls that presumably lead to yet more wings of the house.

Millie was nothing short of awed. She'd never been in a place so massive or fancy that wasn't a museum. By the expression on his face, Jamie was either just as impressed or wondering how much trouble he'd get into if he tried to fly his remote controlled helicopter in the entry way. Possibly both.

Before Millie could voice her amazement, a short, stocky man with brown hair that stuck up at strange, pointed angles and what must have been a perpetual snarl on his face stalked into the room. Millie nearly swallowed her tongue at the sight of him. This was a man she would not want to meet in a dark alley. Or even in the middle of a crowded square in broad daylight. Just the way he carried himself and what had to be his natural, fall back expression was enough to make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Every instinct inside her begged her to not draw this man's attention, even though she was very sure that he was aware of everything and everyone in the room before he'd even come into it.

"Pickin' up strays, 'Ro?" he asked, his voice low and gravelly.

"Hardly. That would mean I have begun to pick up your bad habits," Ororo retorted. "They broke down a few miles down the road." The woman hung her jacket on a coat rack just to the left of the door. "Would you mind finding Bobby and Kurt and going to pick it up?"

"In this rain?" The man shot her a look, then shrugged. "Eh, sure. But only 'cause it's you, 'Ro."

Ororo rolled her eyes. "You are a gem, Logan." Her tone was sarcastic and it was fairly obvious the two ribbed each other like this regularly.

"Yeah. Regular prince charming, that's me." He looked at Millie and Jamie, sniffing suspiciously. Jamie sniffed back, much to the man's surprise. The two eyed each other for a moment, the same way two animals would study each other when deciding how to react to one another, before Logan grunted and turned his attention to Millie. "Ya got keys?" he asked.

Millie swallowed and quickly turned her attention to her purse so she could find them. Her fingers didn't seem to want to work and it took longer than she liked for her to pull out her key chain and hand them to him.

"Thanks," he grunted before heading towards one of the halls behind the staircase and disappearing into the shadows.

Ororo shook her head a little as they watched him go. She turned to her guests and had just opened her mouth to speak, possibly to offer some kind of reassurance given how pale Millie was sure she looked, when another voice spoke from behind her.

"Welcome home, Ororo. I trust your visit was enjoyable." The voice was a warm tenor, intelligent and somehow amused. Millie looked over Ororo's shoulder to see a bald man in an electric wheelchair moving towards them. She couldn't have said what it was, but there was something about this man that made just as much of an impression as Logan had but in an entirely different way. He wasn't imposing by any stretch of the imagination, not physically at least, but his being was powerful in a different way than that Logan person's had been. And in some ways more intense.

Ororo smiled warmly at the man. "Most enjoyable. It is hard to believe how much Mjnari has grown. He has already moved from his mother's tent to the young men's tent."

"Wonderful. I'm glad to hear he is doing well." The man stopped his chair a few feet away from them and folded his hands in his lap over the quilt he had covering his legs, presumably to ward off the chill of the rain. "You've brought guests."

"Yes, Professor. This is Millie and Jamie. Their car broke down a few miles down the road," Ororo replied. "Once I learned they were coming here, I offered them a ride."

The man smiled and nodded. He leaned forward and extended his hand to Millie. "It's nice to meet you, Amelia."

Millie hesitated before taking his hand. He gripped her hand warmly for a second before releasing it. "Thank you, sir. Are you Professor Charles Xavier?" she asked, remembering the name from the documents her father had left her.

"I am," he answered before turning his attention to Jamie. "It's nice to meet you, as well, James." The boy shook his hand, sniffing again, more softly this time. "Your father spoke fondly of both of you."

"You knew our dad?" Jamie asked curiously.

The Professor nodded. "I did. I'll tell you more about it later. Ororo, would you please help our new friends settle into a pair of rooms. I believe Amelia will enjoy the eastern corner bedroom, and James can have the one across the hall from it for now."

"Of course, professor." Ororo reached for Jamie's bag.

The Professor turned his attention back to Millie. "Once you've gotten dried off and settled, Amelia, I'd like you to come to my office. I believe you have something for me."

Millie swallowed and nodded. "Yes, sir." How had he known who they were just based on their first names?

"Very good. I will see you shortly." Professor Xavier smiled at both them them, a welcoming and almost charming expression, and then turned his chair to go deeper into the house.

Millie watched him go, feeling drained from the encounter on top of the rest of the day. "He's uncanny," she murmured after a long moment.

"He can be," Ororo chuckled. "Come. I am sure you are eager to get settled." She led the two up the broad stairs in the entryway. Jamie ran after her, but Millie followed a little more slowly, wondering what she'd gotten them into.