Chapter 9 - Acceptances

- One week later

Anchorage, Alaska.

"Are you sure I can't help you with anything, bro?" Alex Summers asked with concern as Scott folded the last piece of his dead wife's clothing and put it carefully inside a donation box.

"Thanks, Alex, I'm done here."

"Man… You don't need to keep the pretenses up with me, Scott. I know you're grieving. You know you can talk to me, right? I'm here to help."

The older brother sighed. "I know, Alex, and I appreciate you being here. It's just… I don't know how to feel, I… I-I'm supposed to be miserable and mourn for Maddie, but I'm so… angry at her… that it makes me wanna scream. I wish she was here so I could tell her in the face how selfish she is… or was," Scott tried to explain, frustrated. He'd also tried to cry for a few times in the past week but couldn't gather enough tears. "We'd been fighting so much lately and… now I'm left alone… to take care of our baby. Because she didn't listen to me."

Alex attempted to support his brother. "You're a great father, Scott. You're more than capable of raising Nate by yourself."

"But I shouldn't have to raise him alone, Alex. I asked Madelyne to stay home with Nathan for a few more months… I wanted her to be near our son, to be there for him when he needed his mom. He's only five months old, for Christ's sake! And already an orphan," Scott lamented. "You know… that night, he started crying at the exact same time that the crash happened."

The blond mutant furrowed his brows. "What are you implying?"

"I… I think Nathan may be a mutant. I think he felt his mother's death."

"That's crazy, Scott. He's only a baby. Babies don't manifest mutant powers."

"Don't they? I'm not so sure… I'm not so sure about anything anymore," his words trailed off, and the younger Summers realized just how lost his brother actually was.

"Scottie, let me help you get through this phase. My offer still stands… Come to New York with me, we can share an apartment and I can help you look after my nephew. Plus, you wouldn't have to put up with this water contamination thing."

"I don't know, Alex. You have your life there, with Lorna. I don't want to become a burden to you," he paused for a moment. "Besides, what makes you think the government will spare the rest of the country from the 'cure'?"

"Actually, I don't. Do you remember Professor White, my Geology teacher?"

Scott nodded. "What about him?"

"I shouldn't be telling this to anyone, but… to hell with it, you're my brother. The thing is, Scott, Professor White was the first person to discover that the 'cure' was being thrown into the water basins. He was about to spill the beans to the press when he started receiving anonymous threats - death threats. One day someone invaded his lab and shot him; he only survived because the X-Men were also there and saved his life."

"Really? The mutant renegades?"

"Yeah. Now he's hidden somewhere under their protection. But we've been keeping in touch, and he told me that one of the X-Men -a guy named Beast- has created an antidote to fight the 'cure'. He promised to get me and Lorna some samples."

"Wait, Alex. Are you saying that the X-Men have found a way to maintain their powers, even if they drink the adulterated water or are given the vaccine?"

"Well, yeah. At least that's what Professor White's told me," Alex confirmed. "That's great news, right? I mean, aren't you afraid to lose your powers permanently?"

"Of course, I am. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I can finally control my optic beams, but what the government's doing -arbitrarily poisoning the water- that's unacceptable. I'm glad to know that the X-Men are fighting it."

"Me too. So, come to New York with me, Scott. I'm sure I can get you a sample."

The brow-haired mutant sighed. "I'll think about it. And Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Bronx, New York.

It was past nine a.m. when Jean arrived home from the children's hospital. She found her apartment door ajar and decided to carefully peek inside before stepping in, only to realize that her living room had turned into a mess; the tv screen was broken, the patterned armchair was laying upside down near the window, and there were thick pieces of wood where the coffee table used to be in the center of the room. On top of that, two strong men were laying on the living room floor, apparently unconscious, their faces covered in bruises and blood. The telepath was about to mind-scan the place when she heard a familiar gruff voice coming from the kitchen.

"Hey Red," Logan greeted with a nonchalant smile while pouring himself some orange juice. "Ya thirsty?"

Jean gazed around, mouth agape; then she stared at her ex-lover's face, who seemed undisturbed by the obvious recent fight. After a few seconds, she was able to speak again. "What the hell happened here?"

Logan took a big gulp from his glass and cleaned his lips with the back of his hand. "F.O.H.," he motioned to the two bodies and growled. "Those fuckers were expecting ya."

"What?" The redhead's eyes widened as she glanced at the men on the floor again, and then looked back at Logan. "What have you done to… You know what, I don't care. They probably deserved it," she muttered, then asked. "How did you know they'd be here?"

"That's what I do, darlin'," he grinned.

"Fine. Don't tell me," she replied in annoyance and stepped over the two figures to get to her bedroom. Once inside, Jean stripped off her working clothes and headed to the adjoining bathroom. She needed a shower.

Logan started following her but she shut the bathroom door on his face telekinetically. "Darlin'… how we're gonna talk if ya don't let me in?" He shouted through the wooden door.

'Just think loud,' she sent into his head while the water poured down her body. 'I'm too tired to chat.'

'Yeah… 'bout that… Don't ya think workin' the night shift could be bad for the baby?'

Jean felt her temper rising. 'Are you a doctor now?'

'Jeannie… I don't wanna fight, darlin'. I'm just worried 'bout ya and the kid, that's all.'

'I have bills to pay, Logan. There's a baby coming, and I need to earn enough money to provide for her. I won't be able to work for many more months, so I have to compensate now,' she reasoned.

'I told ya I can help, Jean. Ya don't need to overwork yourself, I've got cash,' he told her, trying to stay calm. He heard how she turned off the water and decided to sit back on her bed.

'You've helped enough.'

Soon the door went open and the redhead stepped into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her hair and another covering her body. Logan inhaled her scent - it was getting definitely sweetener. "Ya smell nice, Jean."

She changed into a light nightgown, ignoring Logan's comment and gazes. "How do you intend to take those men out of my home?"

"I gotta a plan and a teleporter friend on the way. Don't ya worry your pretty face about it."

"What if they wake up?" She sat on the bed, putting a safe distance between them, and started toweling her hair.

"Those assholes are out cold for at least a couple of hours," he told her, and added. "I'd feel better if ya moved in with me."

Jean scoffed. "Forget it. I'm not moving to the X-Men's mansion. I'm a doctor, not a superhero."

"Ain't talkin' about Chuck's school, Red. I've got a small flat in Salem Center I almost never use… It's safe, only a few people know about it. Besides, it's closer to your work and mine, and ya'd save money from the rent."

Jean sighed. "Logan, I'm not ready to get back together with you."

"And ain't askin' ya to, darlin'… I told ya, I'm gonna be whatever ya need me to be… I'll wait for ya," he told her, looking straight into her eyes. "But ya're clearly not safe here, especially since Storm's moved to the mansion and ya're here all by yourself."

"Who sent them?"

"The government. They know where ya live, and they know ya refused to take the vaccine."

"Oh," the telepath paused for a moment. "W-What do you think they'd do to me?" She asked in fear, her right hand automatically holding her abdomen.

"Probably try to inject ya with the 'cure'. Those fuckers had a sample of the vaccine with them," Wolverine growled, and Jean felt the sudden urge to cry. "The X-Men have been followin' the government's actions for a while… Last week they started goin' after mutants who didn't take the vaccine."

"Oh my God, Logan. How can they do that?"

"Don't know, darlin', but that's why we gotta keep fightin' those assholes back."

Suddenly, the redhead remembered something. "Listen… Back in college, I met another mutant. I think he might also have refused the vaccine. Do you think the X-Men can track him?"

"Sure, Red. What's his name?"

"Robert Drake. He's about 20 or 21 and was majoring in Accounting."

"What are his powers?"

"Water manipulation, I guess. I only saw him creating a couple of ice cubes."

"Ice cubes, huh? Alright, darlin', the X-Men will check on him," he promised her, and his voice became even more serious. "What about ya? Will ya take my offer?"

Jean looked down at her belly, and then at his preoccupied face. "Yes, Logan. We will."

Long Island, New York.

The wall clock was pointing to six when Robert Drake returned home.

"Hey, mom," he greeted Madeline Drake with a peck on the cheek as he stepped into the kitchen and placed his suitcase on a chair.

"How did it go, sweetie?"

"Same old story, mom… The accounting offices are looking for someone with experience, or at least who's currently enrolled in college.

"Humph," he heard his father scoffing from his seat at the kitchen table.

"What is it, dad? Let me guess. You're gonna tell me how I should've taken the 'cure' instead of dropping out of school. Am I right?"

"What do you think? Does it look like you've made the right decision?"

"I am what I am, father. Whether you like it or not, I was born a mutant, and no vaccine should ever change that."

"Stop being so proud, Robert. You'd still have a career if you'd just agreed to take a goddam shot!"

"William, Bobby, will you stop this already? It's been more than two weeks! I can't stand this bickering between the two of you anymore. What's done, is done," Mrs. Drake told them sternly. "Now I'm going to serve dinner, and I'd appreciate if we could have one frigging meal without disturban-"

Madeline suddenly fell to the floor, hit on the neck by a small dart.

"Mom!"

"Madeline!"

Both father and son ran to the woman, but soon another dart hit William Drake on the neck, and he too dropped to the kitchen floor. Bobby looked from one side to the other, then out through the open window that faced the backyard, searching for the attackers. "Show yourselves, cowards!" He screamed to no one in particular and immediately froze himself up, transforming all the molecules in his body in ice.

Abruptly, the backdoor went open and a sleeping gas bomb was thrown inside the house. Bobby tried to flee to the living room but was intercepted by six heavily armed men, all displaying the F.O.H. logo on their combat suits. "Surrender, mutant, and we won't harm your human parents," one of them commanded.

"Zhat's not the proper way to treat your host in his own house, mein freund," Bobby heard a thick German accent and in the blink of an eye was no longer among the invaders - he suddenly popped up in the garage. "H-How?" He asked the blue devil with yellow eyes beside him.

"Teleporter. Stay here, herr Drake, I'll be right back with your parents," Nightcrawler told him and bamfed away.

Inside the house, Gambit had just stricken two men in the face with his staff, while Rogue gripped two others by the collar and flew outside; she went up high in the sky and let them fall to the backyard ground, both hitting their heads against the floor and becoming unconscious; Beast used his massive weight and acrobatics to jump on two mercenaries, who landed flat out cold on the kitchen floor; Logan was busy in the living room, using his claws to cut through firearms and his fists to punch the remaining four men unconscious. Jubilee, Storm and Xavier had stayed behind in the car.

"Ten heavily gunned mercenaries against a single young man. It seems the government isn't sparing resources to terminate our kind, my friends," Dr. Hank McCoy declared, checking the hitmen vitals. 'No permanent damage to these ignorant zealots, Charles. I'm going to examine the Drakes,' he communicated with his mentor telepathically.

'Thank you, Hank. I suppose it's my turn now,' Professor Xavier replied, closing his eyes. He used his telepathy to enter the minds of each one of the invaders and change their memories. "When they wake up, they'll believe they have accomplished their mission and that Robert Drake was injected with the 'cure'," he explained, opening his eyes. "Now, would you mind dragging these pitiful creatures outside? I don't think Mr. and Mrs. Drake would be happy to have this kind of guests inside their home," Charles told Gambit, Rogue, Storm and Jubilee.

In the meantime, Beast and Wolverine had reached the garage. True to his word, Nightcrawler had teleported Bobby's parents to safety - they were lying on the floor, still knocked out due to the tranquilizer darts.

"Are they going to be okay?" The young man asked Hank, who was kneeling on the garage tiles to better examine the couple.

"I believe so, Mr. Drake. They're just deeply asleep," Dr. McCoy elucidated and stood up.

Robert let out a deep breath. "Thank God! And thank you guys! I can't believe the X-Men are actually in my house!" He said excitedly, offering his right hand to them. "I'm Bobby. Bobby Drake."

Hank, Kurt and Logan took turns shaking his hand. "We know who ya are, popsicle. We've been watchin' ya for the last 30 hours," Wolverine told him.

"What? Really? How did you know about me?"

Logan chuckled. "Let's say ya've got a red-haired guardian angel, kid," the feral said, and Bobby raised a brow. "So, I hear ya're lookin' for a job. Ever thought 'bout workin' as an X-Man?"