Disclaimer: see ch 1

SPOILERS FOR CABLE #11

If it's in bold, it's not mine (other than the title).

Chapter 2: Toeing the Line

"You said to ask you and bring you in, so I'm bringing you in, Dad. There are still five babies missing, and Stryfe is gonna do some weird shit to them. The only way to save them is the-"

"Don't say the Old Man!" Scott said exasperatedly. "There has to be another way!"

"Maybe there is- but those babies are going to be my age before we find them."

"Scott… I've been listening to this argument for over an hour, and I agree with Nathan," Jean said, obviously over the verbal fighting.

"You do?" Nate and Scott said at the same time. Scott looked at Nate and frowned.

"Yes. I've alerted Charles that we may need some emergency time at Arbor Magna. Scott, Nathan's made a very astute observation about Apocalypse and this family. I think it may be a forever war-"

"Exactly, which is why it needs to end," Scott told his wife. "Jean, I told him no to the Old Man. He's had-"

"His time. Yeah, yeah," Cable said, waving away Scott's concerns. "But when he's the only one who can stop Stryfe-"

"Why would you think that? What is it about me that says I can't stop him?"

"The fact that he's your son's clone? That he has your son's face? Do any of those reasons ring a bell?" Scott frowned at his son and opened his mouth to retort when their door burst open.

"Scott. Jean. Nathan," Sophie greeted as she walked in. "Sorry to barge in-"

"Hi Sophie. Sorry, now's not a great time to hang out," Nathan told her, wanting to hurry the Cuckoo clone out.

"This will only take a moment. We wanted you to know that we're breaking up with you."

"Oh."

"Bye," Sophie said, leaving.

"Today can't get any worse," Nathan lamented, much to the amusement of his father.

"I think it can," Scott told him. "I'm sure you recall my promise of what'll happen if you bring back the Old Man." Nathan rubbed his temples.

"Dad. I have gone over this like, eight thousand different times in my head. He is the only way we can save those kids. Kids who were just like me- stolen from their time. Would you really do to their parents what Mother Askani did to me? Except- I'm here now. If Stryfe has his way, those babies are gone. Forever." Scott looked away and shook his head.

"I can't lose you. Not again."

"I-"

*Summers habitat security override by unknown subject* came the announcement over their intercom system. Scott, Jean, and Nate turned and saw a wounded space robot walking in.

"Excuse me, friends. I am the last Knight of Galador, and I come in peace."

*Jean? Is he telling the truth?*

*Yes, Scott. I don't sense any deception coming from him.*

*This is great and all,* Nate interrupted, *but they're minutes away from resurrecting me. Him. So… We need to go.* Scott turned to glare at his son.

"You went behind my back?"

"That's not fair. You were starting to come around!"

"But you just assumed it'd be fine, that I'd say yes, so you just… did it?!"

"Hope said it was-! Aw crap."

"Excuse us," Scott said to Jean and the Knight through gritted teeth. He grabbed Nate's arm and dragged him into a separate room.

*Jean? Are you coming?*

*In a moment, Hope. Scott is… speaking with Nathan.*

"If it's all the same to you, I truly do need to complete my final task. I require the use of the sword-" the Knight tried to explain.

"-will not happen again!"

"It won't!" Nate tearfully promised Scott as he was forced back into the room with Jean. Jean frowned at Scott and then moved to Nate.

"Are you alright?"

"'M fine," he sniffed. "Can we please go?" Jean turned to the Knight.

"We will be back to aid in your request momentarily. We were on our way to something before you came in."

"I apologize. If I could just use the sword-?"

"I'll get it to you in a few minutes," Nate told him, trying to subtly wipe his eyes. "Are we ready?" Scott pushed Nate ahead of him by the scruff of his neck and they stepped through to Krakoa.

A team of mutants, including Hope Summers, were already circled around one of the resurrection pods.

"I can't believe you did this," Scott whispered harshly to his son.

"It had to be done. And you can't… do that to me again. Not for the same thing." Scott frowned and briefly looked at him.

"If you hadn't gone behind my back, I wouldn't have. I want to be able to trust you, Nathan. I can't do that if-"

"You didn't remove the virus, right?" Scott took a deep breath at the sight of his son as an adult- a man older than him. "And you," the Old Man said, looking at Nate. "You should've known."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it… now. You got a lead on him or not?"

"Nate," Jean chided.

"What? I'm just talking to myself!" he protested, turning from the mushy scene of his older self hugging his daughter, who was also older than his younger self. He put a hand to his head, not wanting to think about the ball of time.

"Of course I got a lead on him."

"Ok, well, out with it, or you're gonna need a new egg."

"Bodyslide!"

"Hey! Don't make me hunt you down again!" Nate saw the beam surrounding him. "That's right!" He quickly turned to look at his parents. "Don't wait up!"

"I'm going to kill him," Scott said, exasperated once again.

Nate landed in a metal room and saw his older self speaking to Belle, the computer in his metal arm.

"Where are we? Another safe house?" he asked as he sat in the worn recliner, hoping his slight wince went unnoticed.

"First: That's my captain's chair. You'll earn it in a few more decades."

"It's very comfy," Nate commented, glad it wasn't too hard on his still throbbing behind.

"Welcome to the Graymalkin II. A salvage job from late in the next century. We're cloaked above Earth. Now get out of my chair- unless you want me telling Scott how you and Esme-"

"Alright!" Nate exclaimed, jumping up. "I'm out of the chair. Scott doesn't need to know any of that, ok? Not like it matters. They broke up with me. Is it weird to say they broke up with us? It's weird, isn't it?"

"Extremely. Now shut up." Nate looked out the window and down at Earth and swallowed.

"I'm not gonna apologize for what I did."

"I don't care who you fuck, kid-"

"No. I mean… About you."

"I don't care," Nathan repeated. "You did what you thought you had to do. I only give a damn that you grew up a bit. The idea that you thought you'd grow up to be the 'protector of the timeline' or something? I never met a timeline I didn't fuck up for my benefit," he said as he strapped the missing pieces of his uniform to his body. "I'm gonna borrow this." Nathan took the Light of Galador from Nate and strapped it to his back.

"So… where is he?" Nathan explained where he'd tracked Stryfe to and laid out his plan.

"You better bring everyone," Nathan suggested when asked about the team Nate should form.

"Even… Scott and Jean?"

"That's everyone, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but… Scott wasn't exactly thrilled I'd…" Nathan rolled his eyes.

"That's because he's a dad- your dad. He's gonna worry, especially when Stryfe is added to the mix. I worry about Hope, even though I'm sure she could kick my ass if needed."

"Yeah, it's the ass kicking I'm worried about. He's turned into this…"

"Parent?" Nathan asked with a raised eye.

"Exactly. And I definitely don't actually need one of those. Not now, anyways." Nathan sighed as he strapped a gun into his holster.

"Take it from me, kid. You might not need a parent, but it sure beats wondering why you weren't good enough for your parents to keep you. I'd take a red ass from a dad who cared over being alone any day. Now is this heart to heart done? I've got shit to do." Nate looked around and saw a vehicle hidden under a tarp.

"I'm gonna borrow this."

"The second gear is sticky. Belle, locate Magik and bodyslide by one." Nate watched as Nathan disappeared before hopping into the flying machine-gun car and sliding away as well. He stopped to get Domino, who jumped in with barely a word. They took off down the streets of New York City, searching for the next member of their group.

"He's up there," Domino said, pointing. Nate nodded, also seeing the man in the red suit. He sped to him and braked to a hard stop.

"Get in," Nate demanded.

"We're gonna go kill Stryfe," Domino elaborated.

"You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say those words. You guys are crazy not to add me to X-Force. I'm avail! I don't even have any guest-starring roles. Please… I'm so cold." Nate and Domino just gave Deadpool a look and then took off to Krakoa.

"Who else?" Domino asked.

"I gotta get my parents. Just… You guys wait here." Nate stopped the War Wagon and jumped out, going through the portal into his home. "Dad, Mom, got time for a quick mission?"

"Are you sure you want us, or are you going to go behind my back again?" Cyclops asked, scowling. Nate scowled back.

"I said I was sorry, Dad. And… I'm trying to fix it by including you. Please."

"Scott," Jean urged.

"Then we're in," Scott confirmed. They walked through the portal, Scott barely hearing Nate tell the Knight that Nathan had the Light of Galador, and climbed into the War Wagon, sitting across from Deadpool.

"How come nobody's talking?" Deadpool asked after a while. "Oh, wait. Are you guys just carrying on telepathically? You know, just so you know: a lot of people like to talk to me."

"Gotta make one more quick stop," Nathan informed the group. He pulled up to the crystal like home, mentally calling for Esme.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here," Esma spat after opening the door.

"This is not going to go well," Jean murmured to Scott. Esme raised her hand and struck it across Nate's face.

"Ouch," Scott hissed. "That probably hurt him worse than what I did." They watched as Nate seemed to convince Esme to join them, ending his plea with a kiss.

"Oh. My mask is so dusty," Deadpool sniffed. "He's growing up before our very eyes." Scott rolled his eyes. Esme climbed into the front between Nate and Domino and Jean smirked.

"That has to be awkward. Current and future-"

"Jean, if you say the word I think you're about to say, I'm going to be ill. I don't want to think of my son and his… companions." The War Wagon came to a stop in a secluded area and Nate and Esme hopped out. Moments later, Hope and Rachel walked up to the group.

"Got your message," Hope said.

"We didn't miss any of the fun, I trust?" Rachel asked.

"Actually-" Deadpool started to say.

"Sleep."

"Jean, I'm immune to… to your…" Deadpool fell over and said nothing.

"I used my TK to cut off the flow of blood to his brain. I'm not proud of it," Jean admitted. Scott put his arm around her shoulders.

"You know what's about to happen, right?"

"Yeah. Every kid grows up too fast… especially mutant kids in this family."

"I just wanted the chance to be his father, Jean. Not- not Slym Dayspring to Nathan Dayspring, but Scott to Nate. It seems like everything is against me- like the Universe is just dead set against me raising my own children. I mean- look at them." Jean glanced towards Rachel and Nate, who were around the small fire Nate had built.

"I see our children- powerful in their own right and strengthened by the love of their parents. Parents who were, and still are, willing to put their own happiness aside to do what's right for them." Scott shook his head.

"We sacrificed them. And for what? Had I never sent Nate into the future in the first place, Stryfe might not have been created. This is my-"

"We can play the blame game if you'd like, or you can look at your granddaughter- a young woman who would not be alive had it not been for Nathan being sent to the future. She saved the mutant population, Scott. We would have all been wiped out had you not sent him with Mother Askani."

"She… I don't regret Nathan being there for Hope- and not because of what she did for us. But Jean, when is it my turn?"

"Your turn? For what?"

"To be happy with my family? Alex is forced to work with Sinister and the Hellions. Vulcan is traveling around space with Corsair. My children aren't children who need me. Us. After all of my sacrifices- our sacrifices- when does it become enough?"

"I don't know, Scott," Jean answered truthfully. "I don't know."

"Dad!" Scott leaned forward.

"I'm here, Cable."

"I have a soft plan that I want your opinion on. Can you come here before he slides us?" Scott nodded and made his way to Nate.

"How can I help?" Nate explained his plan and Scott nodded.

"What do you think?"

"It's solid," Cyclops told him. "But why do you want me with the babies? Wouldn't I be better off helping-?"

"Because," Cable interrupted. "I need to know they're safe. And I trust everyone who's going with us, Dad- I trust them with my life- lives. But you're who I trust the most, and I… I need you." Scott swallowed.

"I've got it, son. I'll do what I can to keep them safe. You have my word."

"Yeah. That's all I need. I know you won't go back on that," Nate smirked.

"Not a chance," Scott smiled back.

"What'd I miss?" Deadpool asked, popping up.