They say that reality is no match for one's own imagination, Paige mused. But they were wrong. Some images are so horrid, so vile, they can never be crafted from imagination alone. The shell that was Jonothon Starsmore was one such image.

Paige could barely stand when she saw the horror of Jono's mutilated body. M seemed more stable, but her expression betrayed her true emotions. They both knew the story: Jono's power had triggered explosively when it first manifested, leaving him with no chest or lower jaw. Somehow, neither of the two had really thought much about theinternal damage this had inflicted. There were no organs, no ribs, no anything. His whole abdomen was empty like a hollowed out fruit. In fact, if they looked closely enough, they could see his spine.

M guided Paige to a chair beside the bed, which she collapsed into suddenly. Paige had already been feeling horrible for leaving things with Jono on such a sour note before his mission to infiltrate Weapon Plus all those months ago. But now? Now, Paige felt partly responsible; it had been her sudden fling with Warren that had led to Jono leaving the school for his mission in the first place, after all. Her stomach was in knots She felt like she was going to throw up, moreso from the guilt than the sight of the decimated husk that Jono had become.

She placed her head in her hands and rocked back and forth, hoping to brush off this wretched, sickly feeling brewing within her. M placed a hand on Paige's shoulder to comfort and steady her, but she could tell that M was shaking from the shock of the sight as well.

Paige wished the others were here. Emma could probably calm her with her powers, or Jubilee or Angelo could try to lighten the mood with a joke about Paige's power being 'more gross', or Sean or Ev would have some words of encouragement for her. But much like the mutant population, not many of the team were left now, even those that had survived with their powers intact. Jono, the last remaining male team member, was incredibly lucky to be alive, and just barely at that. Paige could only shudder to think what kind of agony Jono must have been in.

M crouched down in front of Paige and took one of her hands in hers with her other hand remaining firmly on Paige's shoulder. The two stayed like this for... God only knew how long... as Paige slowly built up the courage to properly face what remained of Jono. She couldn't run away from this forever. He was alive. Against all odds, he was alive and, more than anything else in the world, that was proof that miracles could happen.

Jono was a fighter, always had been. There were so many times that Jono had triumphed against foes that the others had simply been no match for: Omega Red, D'Spayre, even Dracula himself... She recalled something Jono had said upon first meeting the team: "Nothing is impossible. I'm speaking from experience. If I can learn to adjust to this... all things are possible."

Paige closed her eyes and took a deep breath. M seemed to understand as she released Paige's hand and stepped back. After exhaling, Paige shakily stood up on her own two feet and turned to stare directly at Jono. She took it in. All of it. Everything that remained and everything that didn't. But it wasn't easy. Even if she had moved on, a part of her still loved Jono and always would.

She slowly returned to her seat, the image of Jono's body burned into her mind, and tightly gripped his hand with both of hers. Only now, as she held his hand in hers, did she realised that warm tears were streaming down her cheeks. She had done an admirable job of holding it all in so far, but as she felt his deathly cold skin against hers, her defences broke down completely. She was about to wipe away the tears when a cold finger reached out and did it for her, causing a sudden gasp to escape her lips.

She looked up and there, for the first time, Jono's eyes were open and he was staring right at her. She became paralysed by his gaze. So many conflicting thoughts raced through her mind that she thought her brain would shut down from it all - shock, elation, worry, joy, fear, love, disgust, guilt.

But what did it matter how she felt? Jono's expression was impossible to read. Granted, he always was, but as he was now, he looked so... helpless and feeble. Paige had to avert her eyes, though precisely which emotion was bringing about this response from her, she truly couldn't say.

She forced herself to look back and once she re-established contact with Jono's brown eyes, it suddenly became the easiest thing in the world. She held his hand against her cheek and managed a smile.


"I'm sorry, Paige, but I need you here," Emma said apologetically. At the very least, she seemed somewhat remorseful for the situation.

Paige paid Jono visits when she could, though the presence of the so-called "198" - mutant refugees forced to live on the mansion grounds - kept her much busier than she would have liked. Among the first wave of refugees were morlock friend of Generation X, Leech, and former Brotherhood member, Toad. Paige enjoyed seeing Leech again, but she didn't like the way Toad kept staring at her whenever she saw him.

"But, Emma-" Paige protested.

Emma held up a hand to silence her former student. "I understand how you feel, Paige, and I truly appreciate everything you've done of Jonothon since, but I need people I can trust on-hand in these dark times."

"I appreciate your faith in me, but-"

"I want you to help watch over the students, Paige," Emma interrupted irritably. "I thought you'd want to be with your brother."

That was low of Emma. Using Paige's younger brother, Joshua - or 'Jay' - to force her to acquiesce. At least she wasn't using her psychic powers to make her stop... or was she?

"What's going to happen to the other students?" Paige asked.

"Those who've lost their powers? I'm discussing that with the rest of the faculty. I'm lobbying to have them sent home for their own safety and to make the task of protecting our own easier."

"'Our own', Emma?" Paige repeated, disappointed in her former mentor's choice of words.

"Yes, 'our own', Paige," Emma replied irritably, more than a hint of venom in her words, as if she was disappointed in Paige. "Three-hundred was enough when some of them could defend themselves and we had a full staff on-hand. Now, we have a few hundred refugees, coupled with more than half the combined staff and student body incapable of fighting back in case of danger. So, yes, Paige, I'm pragmatically dividing our residents to prioritise the remaining mutants so was can protect them from opportunistic bigots seeking to take advantage of the present situation."

Paige had nothing she could say in response. She disagreed with the sentiment, but she couldn't deny that Emma's train of logic made sense. She wondered if this was how dictatorships started.

"Now, if that's everything, Paige, I have a lot of work to do," Emma said, almost dismissively. Sure, Emma had never been the friendliest person around, but Paige hadn't seen her like this since the Massachusetts school was on its last legs - cold, guarded, letting her emotions get the better of her. Defeated, Paige turned and left.


Paige stopped by her brother's room straight away. His roommate was away, giving the two some convenient privacy. Paige knocked on Jay's open door as she looked inside. He was brooding over a photo of Julia Cabot, a human girl who had been very much the Juliet to his Romeo... if Romeo had revived after Juliet's suicide due to a mutant healing factor, that is. Her death had hurt him more than the near-fatal wound that had prompted her suicide and Paige doubted he would ever truly get over her. It was likely not far off how Paige had felt upon first seeing Jono in the hospital.

Jay looked up, a hint of joy at seeing his sister in his eyes, yet not enough to contort his face out of its sullen expression. He said nothing but Paige took that as a sign that he was available, whether he wanted her company or not.

"Hi, Josh," she said as she sat on the edge of his bed and placed a hand on his.

"Hey, Paige," he mumbled. Paige couldn't tell if his emotional state had been brought about by memories of Julia or the current state of mutantkind or from some of his friends and teammates leaving due to losing their powers.

"How are ya?"

Jay shrugged.

"Losin' friends is never easy, huh? Back when Ah was with Generation X, we had a few friends come and go. And then Ev..." She winced at the memory of Everett's lifeless body being held by M in the rubble of the Massachusetts school.

"That was the end for your team." Jay's response was precise and accurate.

Paige chose her words carefully. "Yeah, but we'd learned all Emma 'n' Sean had ta teach us. You still have plenty ta learn here. And I'll be here ta help you through it, lil' bro."

"What's going to happen to the other students?" Jay asked, his spirits barely uplifted.

"Emma... Ms. Frost... is trying to get them sent home," Paige explained. "Some a' th'other staff're resistant to the idea, though."

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"What do you think they should do?"

"I..." If she was totally honest, Paige wasn't sure what she'd do, were the choice hers to make. While she disagreed with her mindset, Paige couldn't deny that Emma had a point about manageable numbers, but sending the students away would only make it harder to protect them from anti-mutant hate mobs. She doubted many of them would care that the students weren't mutants anymore. In fact, they would see them as targets for setting an example. That Emma would so callously cast them aside for having lost their powers... Paige didn't think even Magneto would go that far.

"Ah don't know, Jay," Paige replied finally. "I can see both sides, but... There's just no easy answer."

Jay's expression seemed to suggest a level of disappointment. Paige was the second eldest of the Guthrie siblings and a member of the Xavier Institute faculty - she was supposed to be there to guide and comfort Jay, Melody, Jeb and all the rest, but she had yet to manage that. It always seemed so easy for Sam when Paige was Jay's age. But Jay, the student body, all of mutantkind needed Paige to step up and do her part, no matter how small it may seem.

She pulled Jay in for a hug. He didn't resist as she did so, opening up for the first time since she'd arrived. She kissed him on the forehead and told him it would be okay. Jay hugged his sister tighter as warm tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Ah'll keep ya safe, Jay. Ah promise."


"WHERE IS HE!?" Paige screamed as she barged into the medical room beneath the mansion. Emma had telepathically asked her to come there urgently and once she knew what for, Paige had full-on sprinted downstairs. Emma was there with Beast and Cyclops. In the middle of the group, bed-ridden and covered in bandages, lay Jay. His wings were gone, but not from M-Day, meaning it could have only been from an act of intense violence. Emma seemed about to move to comfort Paige as she stared on in horror, before thinking better of it and keeping her distance.

"He's asleep," Beast assured her. "We're going to do everything we can for him, Paige. I promise."

He didn't say Jay was going to be fine. Hank was as straightforward and honest as they came. If he wasn't confidently proclaiming Jay's high chances of survival, it meant he was trying to not patronise her with lies, even if he couldn't bring himself to say it outright. Jay still had his healing factor post-M-Day, but for Hank to not even bring it up suggested that it had weakened or was simply too weak to be of much help.

Paige slowly, almost robotically, staggered forward, absolutely sure that, if she gave her legs any leeway, they would collapse under the weight on her heart. Hank pulled up a chair for Paige to sit in at her brother's side. Paige collapsed into it before slowly and shakily taking her brother's hand.

Jay's hand was cold. His wings were gone. He was covered in bandages. He was unconscious. If he wasn't in shock from having his wings cut - or, God forbid, torn - off, he had obviously been sedated. Paige felt a strange sensation of déjà vu.

She tried to ask what had happened to Jay, but she knew that if she opened her mouth, she would only produce sobs or vomit.

Picking up on this, Emma placed a hand on Paige's shoulder from behind and entered her mind to explain. Emma's answer was totally honest, which Paige appreciated, even if the images her mind conjured from Emma's description would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

Emma had been trying to get answers from the hysterical Jay, but it was simply impossible with his mind racing with so many frantic thoughts that Emma couldn't get a grasp on. It was easier now that he was unconscious, but the sedative and Jay's dwindling life still made it difficult for Emma to sift through his thoughts. He had been trying to warn them about something in spite of his critical wounds, though Emma didn't indicate whether or not she knew what it was.

Jay's condition was critical. Hank clearly had little hope he'd survive the night, if his constant averting his eyes to observe the medical equipment was anything to go by. Paige had never truly considered that, one day, she would have to face the reality of one of her numerous siblings dying. Perhaps it was because she was the second eldest and had always subconsciously assumed she would be one of the first to go. Yes, she had experienced the loss of close friends with Ev, Angelo and Sean amongst others - even her father when she was young - but this was her baby brother, for God's sake!

"Where's Sam?" she asked telepathically, absolutely sure she didn't want to open her mouth.

"He's away on a mission with Kurt and Bishop," Emma replied, though whether telepathically or verbally, Paige's mind was too numb to be able to tell. "I'm afraid I don't think he'll make it back in time."

Jay's heart rate was weakening by the second. It was clear to all present that Jay would not die surrounded by his family as he deserved to, but instead, with only his one sister, who had promised and failed to protect him. Paige felt totally inadequate and powerless in the face of this revelation. Yes, she'd had other tasks to carry out and Jay had been careful to avoid anyone knowing he had been sneaking out after curfew, but it was her duty as Jay's big sister to be there for him.

She had failed him on the highest level possible. What would their parents say? How would she even begin to explain this to their younger siblings?

"p...paige...?"

Jay's weak croak awoke Paige from her stupor. Her wide eyes made contact with his for only a moment before he convulsed in agony and... was that fear in his eyes? Was he scared to see her? Hank and Scott leapt in to calm him down. Emma released Paige to push her way through and attempt to calm Jay with her powers.

Scott tried to move Paige back, but she resisted fervently. There was no way she could just leave her brother in agony like this. Even if she couldn't help him medically, surely she could be a calming presence or just be there as additional manpower or-

Paige turned on her heel and marched robotically out of the room as Emma's telepathic command took hold over her mind. There was nothing Paige could do and Emma suspected it was Paige's very presence that had triggered these convulsions. Even if Paige would hate her for it, Emma had to get her out of there before she could focus on calming Jay down. She would thank her for it later once Jay had recovered.

Or so she thought...


Paige sat on her bed back on the Guthrie farm in a depressed stupor. She had only left the room for food and hadn't even changed her clothes. Every now and then, she would shed her skin in lieu of taking a shower or bath; it was just as effective anyway, so why bother with the extra effort? Besides, it was about the only thing her power was good for...

Between Jay's assault and now, the truth surrounding the event had come to light. He had been attempting to negotiate with Reverend William Stryker of the anti-mutant Purifiers. Stryker had used Jay as a spy to acquire information on the goings on at the mansion. At the same time, Emma had successfully convinced the rest of the faculty to send the depowered students home, only for Stryker's forces to blow up the three buses, killing everyone aboard.

After that, Stryker shot Jay dead.

He had then led his forces in a direct attack on the institute that had claimed the lives of at least two other students. The rampage had finally been stopped when one of the students, Elixir, used his power to create a tumour inside Stryker's braining, killing him much quicker than the bastard deserved. That was the silver lining in all of this - that the number of students murdered in cold blood during the attack may not have been more than two. What kind of a world would allow that to be the positive in a situation?

Paige had managed to mostly hold it together until after the funeral. It wasn't until then that it truly did feel like Jay was gone from her life forever. Her mother had urged her to return home for a while and Paige had... accepted didn't seem the right word - more like... she had just gone with the flow. She was barely holding on at this point, seeing how her brother had died within a week of her promising to his face that she would protect him.

No one blamed her for any of it, of course, and she knew that there was nothing she could reasonably have done to prevent this tragedy, but a small part of her still felt like she could have. Emma had offered to arrange some counselling, but Paige had turned her down before her departure. At least her ability to leave indicated she wasn't Emma's thrall anymore.

She wanted to be alone more than anything, but she would probably go back eventually. She had lost her father when she was younger and, as an X-Man, she was hardly unfamiliar with the loss of friends, but it still hurt every time it happened. The only thing that kept her going was the hope that Jay could some day be resurrected; there were more X-Men that had died and come back than that hadn't, after all. Even Sam had apparently died and been revived shortly thereafter at some point. It was a small hope, but she clung desperately to it to keep herself going.

There was a knock at the window. As Paige expected, it was Monet. M had been visiting Paige every now and then since the funeral to check up on her. Paige hated making her friend worry, but she was at a serious low point here. Of course, she kept all of this to herself so as not to burden anyone else with her problems.

She opened the window for M, who hugged her and gave her some words of condolence and encouragement, as per usual, which Paige was truly grateful for.

Unbeknownst to Paige, however, Monet was keeping something from her too. She desperately wanted to tell her, but knew better than to do so. She felt a bad about it, sure, but given Paige's current emotional and mental turmoil, she was more concerned with convincing her friend to undergo therapy than telling her that Jono had disappeared from his hospital room...