(A/N – I've skewed the timeline a bit, so that they're at the Institute for a few days after Warren's arrival before rushing off to Alcatraz.)


The next couple of days at the Institute were hectic, full of ins and outs beyond anyone's control. Taryn now stayed by herself in her room – Rogue had suddenly decided to leave. Taryn had tried her hardest to convince Marie to stay, but her mind was set. Bobby had taken it hard – he didn't know if he ought to have gone after her. Things between them had been wavering as of late, and he thought that chasing her would risk driving her further away.

"Bobby," Taryn said carefully. She wasn't quite sure how to speak to him. They had never been close friends, and the last thing she wanted was to sound like his rival preaching to him. "What do you think you're doing, just letting her leave? You can do something."

Bobby looked up. He had been sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. "Yeah." He said, nodding rather sullenly. "I need to find her." He got up, snatched his jacket off of the other end of his bed, and began leaving.

Taryn had a slight, satisfied smile on her face. She was about to walk out herself when he turned around and looked at her. "And Taryn?" he said.

"Hm?" she replied.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Golden Boy." She sighed, laughing a bit in spite of herself. "Go get your girl." Bobby smiled back, nodded, and hurried off down the hall.

As soon as Taryn stepped out of the room, however, Storm was standing by, waiting for her.

"Taryn," she said, "I noticed how close you've gotten to Angel, and I just needed to know –"

"I like the guy. As a friend," she answered, eyes averted and cheeks slightly flushed. "That's all. I can't let it go anywhere else at a time like this."

Storm shook her head and looked meaningfully at Taryn. "If there's one thing I learned, it's that you should do whatever makes you happy, whenever you can. Life's too short." Taryn sighed deeply and stared out the window. "He could be good for you," Storm added.

"Better than John?" Taryn said with a melancholy smirk, knowing very well that Storm didn't particularly care for him.

"I think you know my answer to that one," she replied. She forced her smile on more and walked away.

Storm had been awfully quiet today. Logan had also mysteriously gone off after a slight tiff with her about his reasons for leaving. It seemed that the school was falling apart from the outside in, and there was nothing that could be done.

Taryn, however, had in fact taken to enjoying Warren's company. He didn't talk much to anyone at the school, but Taryn would drop by his quarters throughout the day to make sure he was doing all right.

This day in particular, the day after she had convinced Bobby to leave for San Francisco, she was sitting at the foot of his bed as he stood by the window – he seemed to like being out near the balcony. Their conversation was a rather somber one.

"Your powers," Warren asked. "Did you ever not want them?"

Taryn glanced at him, puzzled. "My powers manifested when I was two," she said matter-of-factly. "I've never thought about what life would be like without them."

"I almost did it," Warren said, sounding ashamed.

"Huh?"

"I almost got rid of my powers, my wings—"

"But…why?" Taryn asked, dumbfounded. He simply shrugged.

"I couldn't take the antidote," Warren said. "I couldn't believe it, either. All I ever wanted was to be normal." He turned around and looked at Taryn, who seemed completely focused now on what he had to say. "I felt like I was letting my father down by being how I was –"

"By being amazing—"

"You're the only person who's ever said I was amazing." He said, sitting down next to her.

"Maybe to your face," she said with a slight smile. She glanced away quickly, then back at, only to find that now it was him staring her.

"Would it be incredibly forward if I…" He trailed of, and Taryn squinted slightly.

"If you…?" she said. He looked at her, and instead of answering her question, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. He lingered for a minute, then leaned backward.

"…kissed you?"

Taryn blushed brightly and looked at the wall on the opposite side of the room. She hadn't the slightest idea what was going on. There was John. And then there was Warren. Taryn knew quite well that anything she had with John belonged in the past, but couldn't force herself to put it there. Warren reached out for her hand, which jolted her back to reality, and he stared at her beseechingly, as if he were asking what – or who – was holding her back.

"He used to stay here," Taryn said simply. Warren knew well enough that she was talking about someone else she had feelings for, someone who stood in his way. "He left."

"He left you?" Warren asked, genuinely surprised. He somehow felt that Taryn was the most extraordinary person he had ever known. And the first person he had ever spoken to openly. "But you're…amazing."

"That's my line," she laughed slightly. She smiled and looked into his eyes. He was about to lean in for a second kiss when someone ran into the doorway.

"Taryn, come on." Bobby said stoically, wearing his black X-Uniform. "We need to suit up." Taryn stared at him, eyebrows furrowed. She knew that the only reason they'd be leaving was that Magneto had decided to—

"Suit up?" she repeated. "Me?"

Bobby smiled in spite of himself. "I think you deserve it by now." Taryn smiled slightly as well, but looked away unsurely. "We need you." He said sullenly. "Just hurry up and make up your mind." And with that, he ran off.

Taryn sat for a minute, and Warren stared at her in concern. She glanced at him again. "Warren, be safe, okay?" she said quietly. She stood up and took his hand. "And if I don't come back, just remember, you're amazing." She leaned over and kissed him quickly, then ran off in the same direction as Bobby, running downstairs. She found a uniform in a case and snatched it off of the display, finding that it fit her perfectly. She hurried to the entrance to the Danger Room just in time to hear Bobby said, "There are only six of us –"

"Seven," she panted, running into their midst.

"Taryn?" Storm asked, making it obvious that he had expected her not to come.

"I'm with you." Taryn replied with a slight grin. "You need someone to hold down the fort – literally." She thought back to the day at the Grey household.

She glanced at each of the people around her. Colossus, Kitty, Ice Man, Storm, Beast, Wolverine – and now, Juno. This was who they were now, and this was what they had to do. They walked out to the hangar and got onto the Blackbird.

"You know, John really is one of them," Bobby said carefully as he took the seat between her and Kitty. "He blew the roof off of the labs just earlier. If you have to fight him—"

"John doesn't exist anymore." Taryn said, closing her eyes as the plane took off. Bobby glanced forward by chance and saw this same torn, conflicted expression on Logan's face. The engines roared, and they flew towards what could well be their final fight.

Meanwhile, Warren watched as they left. He ran back to his quarters, out to his balcony, spread his wings, and fought the war with himself whether or not to return to the place where, at least for him, all of this had started.