"Hello family!" Scott greeted as he entered from the orchid portal. He was in an uncharacteristically good mood and quite frankly, it was terrifying. If one knows Scott Summers, he hardly ever smiles, unless he's around his wife but this is different. It was almost ghoulish.

He held a potted plant behind him and awaited his reply.

In response to his greeting his two children groaned from where they sat. Nathan seemed to be polishing his new sword and Rachel sat there because… because.

This caused Scott's garish smile to falter as he addressed the unenthusiasm. "Wow," he says. "It really is true, everyone in this house lives to spite me."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Dad if you were excited about something it's not worth us getting excited about it too."

Scott knit his brows together as he tried to decipher his son's sentences. "Wha— what's that's supposed to mean?"

"In other words dad," said Rachel. "You're boring."

"What?"

"But we still love you anyway." Rachel quickly supplied.

Scott's jaw fell agape. "But don't you want to know what I have?" he asked, somewhat taken aback.

Scott's wife who happened to pop into the room happily gives her answer. "I do dear."

In order to humour him, his kids played along while feigning interest.

"Gee dad, I wonder what you got there." said Rachel sarcastically. "The anticipation is really eating me.

Given the okay, Scott proudly presents his plant.

"It's a cactus."

Scott smiled. "I know Nathan."

"Great, I'm bored again, Rach' what's on TV?" Nathan asked as he physically deflated.

Jean had a different reaction.

She walked over and took the potted cactus with a wide grin on her face. "It's like the one you've given me on Valentine's Day all those years ago." she said.

Scott nods enthusiastically. "Yeah! I'm surprised your memory doesn't suit you better Nathan, don't you know the significance of the cactus?"

Nathan turned back to look at his father with a deadpan expression. "Must represent your personality." he snarks.

His father simply ignored the statement and explained.

"Don't you remember when your mother and I time traveled to raise you as Slym and Redd? One time we were trekking through the desert, practically on our last limbs… I carried you on my back and weak, your mother also leaned on me. Not to mention that my leg was injured from a previous battle, so I walked with a limp the entire time."

"We were so tired that we had almost given up, but we had to keep going. Just a few more steps I kept saying, but we went on for miles. Once we had sat down to rest, weary and dying of thirst, you had woken up. You were practically terrified. I told you that if a cactus could survive out there in the desert, so could we."

Nathan blinked as his foggy memory cleared up. Sure he was asleep for most of that ordeal, but now he remembers the quote about the cactus. Then he must've fell right back to sleep after that because his memory ends there.

"Oh," Nathan uttered. "Yeah I can see how that's important now."

The boy shrank into himself sheepishly.

The story fortified how strong their family bond was, and if anything, it proves that Scott was the very rock. Bringing a cactus into their new home was very appropriate.

The earlier chastising of their father felt very uncouth now. Even Rachel fell silent and she wasn't even there for that.

"Well I think it's lovely Scott." Jean supplied to fill in the silence. "Rachel why don't you help me pick a spot for it?"

Following her mother, the two redheads leave father and son alone.

"You know, back then you really looked up to me." Scott said softly.

Nathan's mouth felt dry. "I still do," he assured. "No amount of teasing would change that."

Scott smiled genuinely. "I know. Sometimes it just feels like you don't. You or Rachel. But I know you don't mean to."

His father held out an arm for an embrace and Nathan felt compelled to partake in it.

He hated saying it, but he had to.

"I love you dad."

This was true.

"I love you too son."

This was also true.

"Just one more thing."

Nathan raised his head enough so that he could look at Scott. "Yeah?"

"Am I really that boring?"

Now that was up to discussion.