Also, I've taken to naming the chapters after instrumentals that I like to listen to while I write. This chapter is named after "Prelude of Dreams" by Audiomachine. If you'd like to listen to the songs, I can put links to them on YouTube on my profile.

"Prologue: Prelude of Dreams"

All was quiet as Professor Xavier and Logan walked through the hallway of the mansion, heading for Cerebro. The silence was almost eerie. There was no more screaming or laughter echoing throughout the halls, no more random fireballs or energy blasts wreaking havoc. While they were thankful for it, the quietness would take some time to get used to again. "How many do we have left now, Chuck?" Logan said in an almost sad voice.

"Just the ones that go to Bayville University: Scott, Jean, Rogue, Kitty, Kurt, and Bobby," the Professor replied, "As you know, the rest have gone home or are going to an out of state college."

It was the evening after Bayville High's graduation ceremony, and so many of their former students had been seniors, though now they were considered college freshmen. Kitty, Bobby, Sam, Ray, Roberto, Tabitha, Amara, they weren't the troublesome students they used to be. Besides, the first two were the only ones staying; Kitty wanted to major in computer science and Bobby in accounting at Bayville University. Now there were no more students, and there were now only six former students. At least they all chose to live off-campus so they could stay and help them with the X-Men. But who was there to help now? Everyone had graduated and Jubilee, Rahne, and Jamie had all left before being able to finish school.

"You know, I'm going to miss those training sessions. Now I'll have to practice with 'em instead of telling them what to do," Logan said.

"That's precisely why we're going to Cerebro, and the rest of the team is waiting for us," Xavier replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You see those rooms?" He pointed down a hallway with two doors on each side and a window at the end of the passage.

"Yeah, what about them? You had us all cleaning and organizing them yesterday. You didn't find new recruits, did you?"

"I did. But I wanted to wait to enroll more students after we had more room in the institute; we were full before the graduation."

They continued walking through the corridors of the mansion as the professor began explaining who the new students would be and when he found out about them. All eight had been found using Cerebro, and were scheduled to arrive at the Institute a week before Bayville High started again for the next school year. "I hope that we'll be able to manage them, with Scott, Jean, Kurt, Rogue, Bobby, and Kitty gone during the day at college," Professor Xavier said, "I know you and Ororo had difficulty managing just six of them the first year."

"We were able to tame the 'New Mutants,' or whatever the called themselves, I'm sure eight new ones won't be a problem," his friend reassured him.

But he knew that there were new challenges now that the former students didn't have to face in the beginning. They weren't hated or afraid, they were able to be normal and have fun before the mansion was destroyed and rebuilt. Logan hadn't been to school for countless years, but he knew that it would be especially hard nowadays. Not to mention the growing threat of the government's contempt towards mutant. He had heard talks of some type of Mutant Registration Act. It was only a rumor, but Bolivar Trask, who had been let out of prison, seemed to have a major say in it, as well as Governor Kelly. Considering what he had heard, the government would know everything about them; and that didn't sit well.

Once they reached Cerebro, they saw the other X-Men waiting for them. Most had figured out that they were planning to take in some new students. "Congratulation again, Kitty and Bobby," Professor X smiled at his former pupils as he wheeled past them.

The two graduates smiled back and thanked him as they followed the professor into Cerebro. The computer quickly lit up and hummed with life as the professor put the helmet on. The X-Men crowded behind him to get a good look at the screen as eight pictures popped up. There were four girls and four boys. "These are our incoming students, I feel that it's fair to tell you about them before they come," the professor said, pressing a few buttons to show the profile of the first upcoming student.

.~.~.~.

Mystique sat in the living room of her home, working out a plan in her head. The Brotherhood Boarding House was finally empty. The moment after the graduation ceremony, where the older four had gone to support Todd, the five had come to the house, packed their belongings, and left. And to make matters worse, it looked like that former Acolyte, Pyro, had been driving the car that they took. She still didn't know why they had decided to return to school, but Mystique had learned that the less she knew about their personal lives, the better.

However, what really astounded the blue-skinned mutant was the fact that her Brotherhood, the one that she had worked so hard to build and train, had left to join S.H.I.E.L.D! Lance said it was something called "Freedom Force" that would promote mutants. They didn't want to be "bad guys" anymore, or at least that's what Avalanche claimed. She always questioned her decision of putting him on her team after he temporarily joined the X-Men.

The anti-mutant feelings had surged in humans after the Apocalypse incident. Mystique wanted to show them all that they shouldn't hate mutants, they should fear them. And she had tried just that. But what had her protégés turned into? Superheroes, that's what they fancied themselves as now. Even Wanda didn't want anything to do with her, though that hardly came as a surprise as her mind was wiped my Mastermind.

She knew the solution, though, the perfect way to get back in good standing with Magneto. His plan was perfect, and if she wanted to be part of it, she would need a new Brotherhood. They would show the world that mutants needed to be feared and she would be helping Magneto. Besides, once they were finished on the mainland, they would be able to live in a sanctuary for only mutants. Mystique was satisfied with her plan: she would rebuild the Brotherhood.

As I mentioned in the summary, this story will be bridging the gap between X-Men: Evolution and Wolverine and the X-Men. I'll be covering issues brought up in the flashes of the future that Professor X saw and some topics in Wolverine and the X-Men. There might be a few differences, but I'm going to try to make everything nice and smooth.

I have an actual plot planned for this story, so it isn't going to be spontaneous. Since it bridges the gap, we'll be dealing with the Mutant Registration Act, Genosha, the MRD (Mutant Response Division), etc. That also means the Phoenix Force, Wolverine temporarily leaving, and other factors seen at the end of Season 4 will be brought up.