I do not own the X-Men franchise.

Where I'm Meant To Be

It was amazing, really, how quickly things could change. In a short time span, Jamie went from living it up in a mansion, to hiding out in the sewers to living in an underground bunker until the mansion was being rebuilt. The twelve-year-old could barely recall most of the past few days, as everything seemed to happen in a blur.

What stood out in his mind was being hustled out of the mansion by Bobby and the others and being forced to watch in horror as their home exploded in a fiery blaze. Then after Mystique's deception was revealed, the arrival of the cops forced everyone to scatter. Hence the hiding out in the sewers until Professor X-the real Professor X-came to collect them.

And now they were here, all eighteen of them crowded in a small space, bumping elbows and waiting impatiently for the institute to be rebuilt.

No, not eighteen. Seventeen. Rahne left yesterday.

Sitting in his quarters, Jamie laid on his cot and stared at the ceiling with a glum expression. The redhead had been pulled out by her worried parents, neither of him hearing Rahne's desperate pleas to allow her to stay. After a round of tearful hugs, the Scottish girl left, promising to be back one day.

He missed her. He missed her a lot. She was the one who often helped him with his homework, the one the most willing to hang out with him with little pestering. She had squeezed him tightly in farewell, and it took everything he had to let go and let her leave, though tears streamed down his face as he did so.

I want everything to go back to what it was before, he thought, rolling over and staring at the wall. Most of them spent time in their temporary rooms these days. There was nothing to do, and Charles had told them training would be postponed. The last thing they needed was more exposure of their powers. I want Rahne back, I want my stuff back, and I want the mansion back.

But no amount of hard wishing would make these things happen. Even he, the optimist and ever-hopeful, knew that.

"Hey, bud?"

Jamie sat up and looked towards his open doorway. Ray leaned against the doorjamb, a concerned expression on his face. "You okay?" he asked.

"I guess so," he replied. "I miss Rahne."

"We all do. But you heard her. She said she'd be back one day." Ray smiled. "She always keeps her promises."

Jamie gave a small smile. "Yeah, she does."

But the smile didn't quite reach his blue eyes, and Ray noticed. "Hey, we're gonna be okay," he said, voice confident. "Professor and the others will make sure of it. Okay?"

"Okay," Jamie echoed, wishing he was as confident as his friend. "If you say so."

"I do say so. So you better listen."

Jamie could not help but laugh. "Yeah, yeah. I got it."

Ray winked and left. Jamie flopped back over and buried his head into his pillow. Before he could get too comfortable, a familiar mental voice echoed throughout his mind.

'Jamie?'

'Yes, Professor?'

'Your parents are here. Please come up right away.'

Jamie's heart froze in his chest. Eyes growing wide, he could only lay still for a minute, fear coursing through his veins. Any other time, he would be excited to see his parents. But this time, he knew exactly why they were here.

And he didn't know if he'd be able to stop them.

Taking a shuddering breath, he slowly climbed from his bed and out into the metal corridor. He felt numb as he made his way to the surface, and he could feel sweat on the back of his neck. When he got aside, he had to squint against the sunlight before his eyesight adjusted. When it did, he found his parents speaking with Charles and Logan, and no one looked happy.

It was his mother who noticed him first. "Jamie!" she cried, rushing over and hugging him tightly. "Oh, thank heavens! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" he said quickly. "Really."

Joan released her son and stepped back, brow furrowed with worry. "We saw the news. All anyone can talk about is how this institution is a haven for mutants."

"Oh. Um-"

"It's not safe for you anymore," said Daniel, turning sharply to face him. "We're leaving."

Jamie felt sick to his stomach. "But-"

"I honestly don't know what I was thinking, agreeing to send you here," continued Daniel, casting a glare at Charles, who wore an unreadable expression. "I saw those kids-they were fighting that robot thing."

"But I don't do that!" said James quickly, desperate to change his mind. "I just train-"

"Train to fight,' cut in Daniel. "I won't have it. I should have looked into this place before sending you here. I heard about what happened to the institute. What kind of school has a self-destruct system installed?"

"It's for the safety of the students," said Charles briskly. "It was a horrible accident that it activated without an adult present to prevent the destruction."

"An accident that could have cost my son his life," hissed Daniel.

"Come on, sweetie," said Joan, reaching for her son.

Utter terror gripped the boy. He was going to be forced to leave, forced to leave his friends, the people who understood him for who he was and knew how to handle his copies. He was going to leave the place he loved most, possibly forever.

"Noooooooo!"

Joan stumbled back as her son cried out, utter devastation on his face. Two dozen copies immediately sprang from his form, scattering around him. Gaping, Joan took instinctive steps back, staring at the copies warily.

Logan moved quickly to Jamie's side. He set a hand on the original's shoulder and said in a soft voice, "Calm down, runt. We don't need another army of squirts marching around. Breathe."

Taking a few gulping breaths, Jamie managed to calm down. He scrubbed the tears from his face and focussed on breathing evenly. Charles nodded in approval. "Very good, Jamie. Now, concentrate on fading your copies out."

Nodding, Jamie closed his eyes. After a minute, the two dozen copies faded away in one sweep. Daniel narrowed his eyes. "He wasn't able to do that when he first discovered his powers. He could only do one."

"Yes, but after several training sessions and practice he can now create multiple copies at once," Charles answered evenly. "But twenty-four is a number he still has yet to reach consciously."

"What do you mean?" Daniel demanded. "He just did it!"

"Not intentionally. You see, Jamie is our youngest resident for the fact that most people do not have an active X-gene until they reach the stage of puberty. In Jamie's case, it activated early, and he sometimes struggles to retain control."

"What does that mean?" Joan asked.

"Jamie's copies are sentient. Without meaning to, they can occasionally take control of Jamie's body, sending him into an unconscious state while they roam. He is the radio tower, so to speak, of all the copies."

Joan's eyes widened in horror. "They can do that?"

Charles nodded. "It has only happened once so far, and normally there are signs to indicate if Jamie is in trouble. But sometimes severe emotional distress can send the X-gene into overdrive, depending on the case."

Biting on her bottom lip, Joan studied her son before looking over at her husband. "Daniel…maybe we-"

"No," he said sharply. "Not a chance, Joan. Our son will not stay in this deathtrap."

"I'm gettin' sick of your insults, bub," Logan growled.

"Dad, please," begged Jamie. "I need to stay here!"

"Absolutely not!"

"But Professor is right! I don't have good control over my powers. And if you take me back to New Mexico and something happens, you won't know what to do," he said, hoping his father would see reason.

"That won't be a problem," dismissed Daniel. "You won't be using your powers anymore."

A loud ringing sounded in Jamie's ears. He didn't hear Logan's angry shout, or Charles' attempt to calm the situation. All he could hear, ringing through his mind, was his father's declaration.

No more powers. No more Multiple.

And then he knew, he knew that he could not just allow his parents to take him away. Things were different now, and his parents were not the only people he relied on anymore. In fact, he hadn't needed to rely on them since coming to the institute.

Rahne had fought with everything she had. But in the end, she had to surrender. Her father had apparently made a threat that was great enough to frighten her into submission. A threat not against her, but against Professor X, the one they all respected and loved.

But she had fought. And he was going to fight too.

Forming his hands into fists, Jamie took a shaky breath and said in as strong a voice as he could muster, "I'm not going anywhere."

Daniel immediately stopped his fierce argument with Logan, turning stunned eyes to his son. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not going anywhere," he repeated. "Dad, I'm a mutant. I can make copies of myself. That's not going to go away. And now that we're exposed, I don't have to hide it anymore. And you can't make me hide who I am."

Joan stared at her twelve-year-old child in awe. "Jamie…"

Daniel frowned. "You do not have a choice in this matter, James. We're your parents."

"Well, they're my family too," insisted Jamie. "They understand me. They understand what it means to be a mutant. It's something you won't ever understand, and that's okay. But I need them. I can't leave now." He struggled to think of the proper words to describe what he wanted to say, and suddenly remembered something Charles had told them all. "Together, mutants stand strong. Divided, we accomplish nothing. In order to show the world who we truly are, and make them see that not all of us are threats, we have to stand together."

Daniel clenched his jaw. "You're only a child, Jamie. You don't understand the hatred that's out there. You need to lie low and be normal."

The words were like a punch to the gut. Joan looked at her husband in reproach, and Jamie managed to keep the tears at bay. Taking a quick breath, he concentrated and made twelve copies appear. Daniel immediately stared at them with narrowed eyes.

"Sorry, Dad, but I'm not normal. I'm Multiple! I'm a mutant and proud of it. I don't really understand why people hate us so much, but I'm not gonna run. I'm gonna do what the professor says and stand with them." Jamie looked at his father pleadingly. "Please, let me stay."

"Let us stay! Let us stay! Let us stay!" chanted the copies.

Daniel whirled on Charles, eyes flashing. "What have you done to my son?"

Charles stared back, unflinching. "I've taught him. And he's learned very well. I'm very proud of him."

"This is ridiculous! I'm taking my son with me!" Daniel strode for the boy, but the copies immediately formed a protective barrier around the original. Jamie crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "I'm not going," he said stubbornly. "And if you make me go, I may not ever forgive you."

Joan set a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Let's go."

Daniel stared. "What? Joan, we can't let this man influence our son like this!"

"I think it's too late for that," she replied tiredly. "It's obvious Jamie feels very strongly about staying here. And the professor is right. We don't have a single clue about how his mutation works. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to help him. Let's just…let's just leave."

Jamie beamed, relief bubbling up in his chest. "Thanks, Mom."

"Fine," Daniel said softly. "I suppose your mother is right. You've made it clear that you're choosing them over your own parents."

Jamie's eyes widened. "Dad-"

"Daniel," hissed Joan, appalled.

"He made his choice, Joan," said Daniel shortly. "Let's get out of here." He turned his back to the group and added, "Jamie, until you realize where your loyalties should lie and give us an apology, you can stay here for the holidays for the foreseeable future."

Jamie's eyes filled with tears as his father strode off. Logan was outraged. "Hey, it's not the kid ya should be mad at!"

"Jamie, go with them," urged Charles. Though it pained him to lose another student, he did not want the young boy to be estranged from his parents over a ridiculous disagreement.

"No," he said with sob, watching as his father left without another word or backwards glance. "I wanna stay here!"

Heart breaking, Joan rushed forwards and embraced her son. "He didn't mean it," she said thickly. "He's just worried and upset, you know how he gets. I'll talk to him, and we'll work things out."

"Joan!"

"I love you."

"I love you too," Jamie said with a hiccup.

Joan reluctantly let go of her son and turned to Charles. "Please, keep him safe."

"I will," he assured strongly. "We all will."

With one last look at her son, Joan hurried after her husband. Shoulders slumping, Jamie faded his copies out and rubbed the tears from his face. Logan took him by the shoulders and knelt to his level. "Runt, are you sure about this?"

"Yes," he answered, trying to sound sure of himself. "I am."

"Alright." Logan cast one more dark glare after the departing pair before straightening. "I'm starved. Let's get some grub."

"'kay."

"Jamie," Charles spoke, and the boy turned to look at him. "Thank you."

Jamie blinked. He wasn't sure what he was being thanked for, but he still said, "You're welcome." After he pause he added, "And thank you."

As he followed Logan back down to the bunker, there was a dull throb of pain in his chest. It hurt deeply that his father did not understand why he needed to stay with his friends. It hurt that he was no longer allowed back to New Mexico until he gave the apology his father wanted to hear.

He wasn't sure if he would be able to do that, but maybe he would have to try. But right now, there were more important things to worry about.

There was one thing he was certain of, however.

He was exactly where he was meant to be.