They were nearly home, Peter was restless, sat in the back of the car, much to the amusement of Hank. The prick. Crystal had not slept well the night before, today's long journey didn't help either. Eventually, she had fallen asleep on the back seat of the vehicle. Her head was in his lap, her legs curled up on the rest of the seating, her hand was resting on the top of his thigh. Every now and again it moved as she shifted in her sleep. The movement was unique in the fact that it filled Peter with equal amounts of arousal and discomfort at the same time. She looked divine in her high-waisted jeans and white vest top, and he knew he wanted her. Did she know how she made him feel? Two weeks ago at Christmas, he thought they were on the same page, but now he felt he was going to explode just from the tension she was causing him. He had to compose himself. He took a couple of deep breaths and reminded himself that he didn't want to rush her. It was her pace, and he wasn't going to force her hand like he did at Christmas. It didn't help that everyone was slow compared to him. He felt like he'd known Crystal half his life, not just eight short months.

'Hank, I think it's best we just park at the front. I can sense a commotion within the mansion.' The professor sounded apprehensive but not overly worried.

Peter assumed that he woke Crystal up; she bolted upright as they drove up the drive. 'Everything ok dad?'

'I believe things are about to get messy. Prepare yourselves for the worse.'

They got to the front of the house and exited the car swiftly. Peter could hear shouting from inside, it sounded like Raven and Erik. Then the main doors flew open. There stood Erik, flannel shirt, jeans and his helmet. Oh shit!

'There he is. Old friend.' The bitterness in his voice was immense. 'You lied to me!' The car was thrown across the grounds. 'You know how important family is to me and you've been hiding my son this whole time.' A metal bar flew from inside the house towards them. Hank, now entirely blue, grabbed the car to use as a shield. On instinct, Peter grabbed Crystal and moved her out of the firing line. He then edged the bar so it would miss the professor, Hank and their make do shield. He stood next to Crystal in case they needed to make a quick exit.

'Erik, you need to calm down. I did not hide Peter from you. In fact, I have encouraged him to tell you numerous times. It just wasn't my secret to tell. It wouldn't be ethical.'

'You and your ethics. I'm your friend. You should have told me.' This time the iron railings headed towards to professor. Peter didn't need to intervene, Crystal had already formed a solid wall of air as a barrier between their two fathers. 'Oh, yes. I almost forgot about you. The piece de resistance. You got your daughter to get her hooks deep into him, didn't you.'

'Erik that's enough. Yes, you're angry but that relationship formed on its own and at the beginning was against my wishes.' Charles didn't seem to appreciate Erik taking cheap shots at his daughter.

'After everything we've been through. You always thought I'd stolen Raven from you. Is this your retribution? You steal my son?' Erik spoke with pure rage. The verbal tennis match between the two was uncomfortable to watch. Peter knew he needed to step in.

'Hey. Nobody stole me, I'm here by choice. I was going to tell you, but every time we're together, it's some sort of crisis. I wanted it to be at the right time.' He could see Erik starting to calm, and he used the opportunity to grab Crystal's hand. 'Chrissy and I are a package deal. If you can't accept that, you should leave. We all know you two don't like each other. But that's all tough shit because I love her.'

The effect those words had would have been comical in any other context. Hank dropped the car from his grasp, the railings dropped to the floor, clattering at the professor's feet, and Crystal dropped her wall with so much force, she'd damaged the ground around them.

'Peter, you've never said that before.' Crystal stood in awe. She seemed to be in complete shock.

'It's not how I was planning on telling you. My mouth ran away with me.'

'Perhaps you two should go somewhere private to talk. Erik, how about we have a drink. There's brandy hidden in my office.' The professor headed towards the steps; before Crystal had the chance to help, Erik had levitated the chair, and the professor was in the main hall. He seemed relieved by Erik's act of kindness, so the rest of them began to relax too. Hank turned the car back onto its wheels and followed them into the mansion, smiling with amusement.

'So.' It was Crystal's turn to speak. The sunlight was shining behind her as it set. The light caught her blonde hair, giving it a golden glow. Her blue eyes seemed to be piercing into Peter's soul. 'You love me?'

His mouth was dry. He felt hot and sticky. As Crystal watched him, he knew he was jittering. He just stared into her eyes, hoping she'd sense everything he wanted to say to her, but he knew that wasn't one of her many talents.

'Peter.' She stepped up to him now. She smoothed his hair, which had been disarrayed from moments ago. After she did this, she ran her hands down her arms, down to his hands and interlocked their fingers. It must have been mere seconds to her, but it felt like hours to him. 'I love you too.'

Relief hit him like an ice-cold shower. Every muscle in his body relaxed, and he grabbed the gorgeous beauty stood in front of him, lifting her off the ground as he spun her, pulling her towards him.

They walked inside the mansion still holding hands, deciding it would be best to go check their fathers hadn't killed each other, but Crystal was pulled away by Jean almost immediately, so the task of mediator was left to Peter. As he approached the door, he heard their fathers' conversations.

'It's an interesting development, I assure you it happened naturally. You witnessed it yourself.' Peter assumed the professor must have moved onto telling Erik about the trip.

'Are you sure it's not her mutation controlling him? You said she could impact emotions.'

'Not for a substantial amount of time. Plus, it's almost impossible to get inside Peter's head. He thinks too quickly and too erratically. I, myself, can only reach him when he is focused on a single thought and not for very long. Crystal would never be able to hold him for longer than a few seconds, if at all.'

Peter rolled his eyes. Why was this so hard for Erik to comprehend?

'Then, I shall have to accept it. Though the thought of possibly one day sharing a grandchild with you is concerning. It would make for some awkward holidays.'

'I don't believe that's something we have to worry about yet. Crystal is very naive to the world, and believe it or not Peter has managed to slow down'.

Great. Peter loved that he had been able to listen to their two fathers talking about the most intimate part of his relationship. Though he was thankful that Crystal wasn't with him.

The professor called from inside the room, 'come in Peter.'

'Where is she?' Erik still clearly didn't like Crystal. Hopefully, the professor wasn't going to let him train her now. Peter must have not been able to hide his distaste as Erik's next remark was, 'there's no need to look at me like that.'

'Sorry, daddy dearest.' It wasn't his best reply. Still, here he was, a man closer to 30 than 20 having two men discussing his relationship over a glass of brandy. Of course, he was going to be ticked off.

'Yes. How is your mother? I never understood why she ran out on me. Why did she choose to raise a child alone?' He seemed cynical in his remarks.

'Seriously? Do you not remember the killing spree you went on during your anniversary? She does, vividly.' Peter had been told this story a few times since he'd learned the truth about his father. His mother had been filled with terror, just retelling the story.

'I'd hardly call it a spree.'

'Erik, I don't think that was the point. Honestly, how you think you can hold meaningful relationships between murders is beyond me.' The professor wheeled himself behind his desk. Seconds later, the full team walked in. Peter's daddy issues would have to wait, a debriefing was about to start.

Crystal sat on the edge of her father's desk. Jean, Scott and Ororo took the sofa. Erik remained in one armchair, Kurt took the other. Hank and Raven huddled at the back, leaning against the door. That left Peter perching on the windowsill.

'Well,' The professor spoke quietly, clearly not wanting the younger mutants outside to hear. Peter shut the window that was just behind him. 'We learnt a great deal. We have an understanding of how they will vote for the Registration Act. I believe we will be safe. As for our friend, Colonel Stryker, Peter and Crystal managed to pique his interest, and he will be coming here once his lab is repaired.

'I do not like the idea of you using my son as bait.' interpreted Erik.

'You didn't mind when it was Charles' daughter and, how did you put it? 'That one who buzzes around her.' Chimed in Raven.

'We can't change plans now.' Crystal spoke with the same authority as her father. 'Stryker is coming for us. Jean, Ororo and Scott when he gets here, you need to take the students through the tunnels and out the school.

'Exactly.' The professor took back control of the room. 'Hank, Raven and Kurt, you'll lead the rescue. Kurt, follow the plane and Hank and Raven will follow you in the jet. There is, however, one small change to the plan. Erik and I will stand ground with you.' He looked at Peter, then to Crystal.

'Dad, that's ridiculous. You'd be safer in Cerebro and monitoring from there. You're the only one who can keep us all connected.' Crystal was clearly distraught by the new plan, but Erik looked thrilled. The smirk on his face made that apparent.

The professor chose to brush over Crystal's comment. 'I have one more piece of information to share. It took a lot to get Stryker to think about it at all, but the small piece of information I have seems useful. The source of the Inhumans' power is, ironically, a crystal. It creates some type of mist which is inhaled. Mentally, Stryker referred to it as the Terrigen Crystal.'

Crystal dropped to the ground instantly. Peter managed to grab her head before it smacked the side of the desk. She screamed in pain.

'Professor, what's happening?' There was a flurry of activity around Peter, but he could only focus on Crystal. 'Chrissy, Chrissy look at me. What's wrong?'

Still writhing in pain. Crystal cried out that she was burning. Peter felt her cold skin and began to panic. As she writhed, she'd lost control of her powers and air became stifling, it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.

'Jean, lift Crystal onto the sofa please.' The professor had somehow maintained a level of calm amongst the panic. He placed his hands either side of Crystal's head, and she became still. 'There we are. A hidden memory focusing itself forward.'

'What's the memory, Charles? It must be painful to cause such a reaction.' Even Erik was concerned. He moved over to Peter and placed his hand under Peter's elbow to pull him up. As much as Peter didn't want a dad, he did feel he'd need support standing if Chrissy didn't wake up soon.

'It's from when she was a baby. That's why it's so painful. It was so long ago. It seems to have been implanted by her mother. She must have been a powerful psychic in her own right. It's a message she's left for me. The phrase Terrigen Crystal must have triggered it.'

'What's the message, Charles?' Raven was all business now, which angered Peter slightly. Why wasn't she more upset. Chrissy might be still, but she was clearly in pain.

The professor let go of his hold on Crystal, allowing Peter to support her as she slowly came round. 'Just background information on the Inhumans. Nothing of value. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to talk to my daughter alone.'

'I'm not leaving her.' Peter was defiant, as everyone else swiftly left the room. No one was going to peel him away from her at this moment in time.

He saw the professor and Erik exchange looks. It was Erik that spoke to him, 'come on, I'll get you a drink.'

'You've been my dad for all of five minutes. Don't try and bond with me when the woman I love is in pain.'

'Right now, she needs her father. Which means you'll have to make do with me for five minutes.' Erik managed to coerce him out of the room and shut the door behind them. He took Peter to the kitchen. After two minutes of awkward silence between them, Peter finally voiced the questions he'd been pondering since they left.

'Do you think she's ok? What did the professor really see? Do you think Chrissy saw it too? Is she less safe than what she was before?'

'Slow down. You lost me on all of that. You do speak incredibly fast.' Erik was impressed, but Peter didn't care.

'Sorry, I'm normally better at controlling that part. I'm just anxious.'

'I can see you care deeply for her.'

'Yeah. Crystal is the best part of me. I'm gonna marry her one day, I just know it.' Peter registered the shock on Erik's face. He wasn't sure why he'd told him that. He'd pictured it a bunch of times, but he'd never verbalised it before.

They sat there for another minute until (finally) Erik received a message from the professor saying he and Crystal had finished their conversation. Peter was by Crystal's side before Erik had said the second syllable of 'Professor'.

'Everything ok Chrissy?'

She didn't make eye contact with him. She looked at her hands, sheepishly. 'Peter, I don't want to stay at the mansion tonight. Could you take us somewhere quiet where we could talk?'

The confusion that ran through his mind was overwhelming. The confusion quickly turned to panic. But within all that was an idea of the perfect place to take her.