Chapter 15 - Departures

Asteroid M, Somewhere in the Earth's Orbit.

'Peter Rasputin has a kind soul,' Amelia Voght concluded as she listened to said man's deep voice from behind the metal door. The female acolyte couldn't understand a word in Russian, but she was sure the big guy was currently reading a bedtime story to his little sister. After almost four months living together, she was familiar with the Rasputins' routine and knew that, every night, Piotr put Illyana to bed. After about five minutes, the room became silent and the door went open.

"Comrade Voght? What are you doing alone in the hallway?" The young man asked, closing the door behind him as to not disturb his sleeping sister.

Amelia quickly glanced sideways and said. "Colossus, I'd like to discuss something with you… something private. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course," he answered politely, figuring that whatever she wanted to discuss should be serious for her to have used his acolyte codename instead of his birth name. He followed her to her chambers.

Once inside, Piotr took his time to gaze around. The room was wide but scarcely furbished, not one hint of decoration to let on what kind of person Amelia Voght was.

"Please have a seat." The young man made himself comfortable in a simple chair and she sat across from him. "I've noticed that you do not always agree with certain… methods… that Magneto usually employs. Specially when homo sapiens are concerned."

"I don't like violence, Ms. Voght. Of any kind. I haven't exactly made that a secret," Piotr argued.

"So I've heard," the woman said. "Nonetheless, I'd love to hear your opinion on the Leningrad incident."

"It was not an incident. It was a men's slaughtering," Colossus replied.

"And still you've agreed to live under the slaughter's protection."

Peter didn't feel the least uncomfortable by Amelia's question; instead, he answered looking straight into her eyes. "Magneto saved my family, and for that I will be eternally grateful. He invited me and my sister to live safely among fellow mutants, a proposition that I could never have refused. However, I am not blind to the atrocities he has committed, even if his intentions were to protect mutantkind."

"What about the atrocities caused by humans? Weren't they the ones who persecuted your family?" Amelia provoked.

"Two wrongs do not make one right, Ms. Vought," the young mutant responded. "Sadly, my country is ruled by prejudiced and corrupted men, just like most countries around the world are. No one should have to tolerate humiliations and aggressions for being different. However, violence does not accomplish anything except more violence."

'A kind and honest soul,' Voght concluded, becoming silent for a moment. Finally, she spoke again. "You remind me of someone… Someone I knew a long time ago."

Colossus gave her a shy smile. "So I've heard."

Amelia lifted an eyebrow in confusion but soon dismissed his comment. "Anyway, I don't entirely disagree with you, Piotr. Magneto has, in more than one occasion, used his abilities in ways that don't sit well with most mutants. And Fabian Cortez, for that matter, isn't helping at all." She noticed her opposite's grimace as the name of the chief of acolytes was mentioned. "I assume you concur with me."

"You assume right, Ms. Voght. I consider Cortez a bad influence on Magneto."

The woman nodded in agreement. "Me too, and I worry for Erik's and for mutantkind's future. That's why I want to make a deal with you, Rasputin. You'll help me keep a close eye on the two of them, and I'll help you keep Illyana safe."

A wrinkle appeared on Colossus's forehead. "But Comrade Voght, my sister is safe."

"Not if Magneto and Cortez keep provoking the United Nations. Every time they attack the homo sapiens, the higher are the chances that governments around the world find us and strike back. They're not idiots. Eventually, they will discover our location," the woman explained. "I'm the only person who can teleport your sister away from this rock and into safety without Magnus' help."

Piotr considered the woman's offer. He knew her mutant powers, and also the powers of every other acolyte in Asteroid M. She was saying the truth.

He offered her his hand. "You have a deal, Ms. Voght."

Manhattan, New York.

Scott Summers strapped his son to the baby car seat of the rental vehicle and proceeded to take the groceries out of the cart and place them into the trunk. They had been living among the X-Men for the last two days since his brother had stormed into the apartment and convinced him that he and Nathan would be safer if they moved into the X-mansion. At that time, they hadn't had the chance to grab everything they needed, and God only knew how many different things a toddler needed. Thus, Scott decided it would be wise to do some shopping while Alex and Lorna picked the rest of their stuff from the currently unoccupied flat.

The supermarket's parking lot was almost empty, allowing the man to hear a female's voice cursing somewhere around him. Scott looked sideways and saw an attractive blond woman bending over the flat tire of a SLS AMG Mercedes-Benz just a few meters away from him. His mouth went agape, partially due to the astounding sports car, partially due to its sexy owner. She was wearing a see-through white blouse with tight white pants and high heels, the chill air of November making her tremble slightly. Scott peeked inside his car and noticed that Nate was sleeping peacefully.

He slowly approached her. "Can I help you, mam?"

She turned around and took her time to scan him from head to toe. "Oh, yes! Thank God for the nice young gentlemen still living among us," she complimented and smiled, her perfect white teeth in contrast with the vivid red lipstick. "I would very much appreciate your help, mister…"

"Summers, Scott Summers," he offered his hand to her, and she took it willingly.

"Wow. You have quite a handshake, Mr. Summers. I'm Karen Wilson, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said seductively.

Scott was trying hard to keep his eyes from her voluptuous cleavage. "Okay then, Ms. Wilson… Let me take a look at this," he crouched in front of the tire. "There's a considerable cut in the sidewall. Do you happen to have a spare tire?"

"Oh, darling, I honestly don't have a clue," she grinned again, folding her arms below her breasts.

The man stood up and glanced around the fancy car. "I'll check under the trunk."

"Be my guest," the woman said, handing him the car keys. While Summers was concentrating on changing tires, Karen Wilson, also known as Emma Frost, probed his mind for any information regarding the X-Men's location. But Scott was so focused on the task ahead of him that she wasn't able to discover the address without letting him know that she was peeking inside his mind. However, she did find out he had recently become a widow. 'This is going to be much more pleasurable than I first thought,' she contemplated.

After no more than five minutes, the tire had been properly replaced.

"Oh my, aren't you a dear?" Emma said, offering him a white tissue.

He cleaned his greased hand in it. "Thanks."

"So, Mr. Summers… How can I compensate you for your trouble? Perhaps over a nice dinner?" She offered, licking her lips seductively.

'Man, this woman is a flirt,' Scott thought, scratching the back of his neck. "You don't have to do anything, Ms. Wilson. It was my pleasure."

"Oh, I insist, darling," the woman ran her manicured hand over his biceps.

Scott couldn't help but react to her touch. Lord knows he was trying to be a gentleman, but the truth was he hadn't been with a woman for a while. "Some other time, maybe? My son's sleeping in the car, I should take him home now."

Frost peeked at the baby through the vehicle's side window. "Aww. Isn't he adorable?" She told him, quickly looking back to the man's face. "Tomorrow night, then? I can pick you up at your home, and you could use the opportunity to drive my car and test the remaining tires."

At this moment, Nathan opened his eyes and stared at the woman talking to his daddy. Immediately, he started crying. His father glanced at him and sighed heavily. He knew by now what this kind of crying meant, and it wasn't even six p.m., for God's sake.

Scott briefly considered the woman's proposal and responded. "Tomorrow's fine. Let me give you my number," he replied, and she typed his cell phone number on her smart phone.

"Thank you, Scott, darling," Emma said and entered her car, hastily speeding away. His phone buzzed once, a message appearing on the screen just under her name. "Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. K.W."

Weren't Scott so concerned about his weeping baby, he would have smiled at the woman's texting. Instead, he sat on the driver's seat and turned around to address his son. "Come on, Nate… Let's get your uncle and aunt and go home, okay?"

Xavier's School for the Gifted Youngsters, Salem Center, New York.

After about an hour, Scott, Nathan, Alex and Lorna returned to the mansion. They found most of the team gathered in the kitchen for dinner, except for Xavier and Beast. Summers changed and fed his son, yet the toddler didn't stop crying.

"Scott, you should let Dr. McCoy take a look at him," Ororo advised. "Perhaps Nathan's in some kind of pain?"

"Good idea, sugah. If anyone can help the little guy, it's Beast. He's probably in the medical bay checking on his new patients. It's down the stairs to the left," Anna Marie instructed.

The man raised a brow. "New patients?"

"Just take Nathan to McCoy already, bro. I love my nephew, but all this crying is giving me a headache."

"Sorry, Alex," Scott apologized and headed downstairs with Nate in his arms.

He entered the big infirmary and glanced left, not seeing the furry doctor. Then he looked to the right side and saw a female figure standing beside what looked like an ICU baby bed. "Hello? Is Dr. McCoy around?" The man asked quietly, still trying to soothe his sobbing son.

When the woman turned around, he recognized her as the young doctor he'd met in the children's hospital only four nights ago - a face like that was hard to forget. "Dr. Grey? Is that you?"

"Oh. Hi," Jean replied, surprised to see father and son in the X-Men's headquarters.

The feeling seemed to be mutual, and Scott asked. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Her face suddenly became sad, and she turned around to gaze back at the incubator. "Surviving."

The tall man approached her and saw the premature newborn sleeping inside the plastic cover. He glanced at her frame and noticed her flatter abdomen.

"Oh… Is that… is that your baby?"

She nodded miserably. "Yes. My daughter."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know you'd be here. I was looking for Dr. McCoy, I should leave before Nathan's bawling wakes her…"

"Don't worry, she's under sedation. She can't hear him," Jean explained, turning to look at the weeping toddler with sympathy. "I assume my mind trick didn't last long."

Scott raised one eyebrow. "I was right, then. You are a mutant… a telepath, I presume."

"I am. I'm sorry I lied to you, Mr. Summers," she looked down. "I shouldn't have used my abilities on your son, especially since it obviously didn't help," the redhead ran a hand through the boy's soft hair, making him lift his head from his father's shoulder to peep in her direction.

"Actually, it did help. He didn't cry for the last three days," Scott informed her, and noticed that his son was raising his arms towards the woman. "Nate definitely likes you," he chuckled.

Jean couldn't resist. She picked up the sobbing boy, who immediately threw his small hands around the redhead's neck. She let out a sigh, and Scott noticed that tears had gathered in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Dr. Grey. Soon enough you'll be holding your own baby in your arms," Scott tried to comfort her.

"I hope you're right, Mr. Summers," she replied quietly while gently patting Nathan's back.

"It's Scott," he corrected her, and added, "since we're all living under the same roof."

The woman gave him a small smile. "Right. Call me Jean, then."

"Okay," he agreed. "So uh, Jean… I should go and try to find McCoy."

The telepath hesitated for a moment, but in the end decided to tell him what she knew. "Scott, uh… I don't think Dr. McCoy will be able to help," she said, then elaborated. "You were right the other night. Your son is a mutant," she explained, and immediately heard the man's thoughts inside her mind.

'Shit! How can a nine-month-old already manifest mutant powers?' He broadcasted loudly. Jean took a moment to raise her mental blocks and continued.

"I think… I think Nathan has telepathic abilities," she explained in a calm tone. "I felt his mind trying to reach for someone else's at the hospital. That's how I knew he was crying in the waiting room."

"And also that something bad had happened to my family," Summers completed, and she nodded. "That surely explains a lot. What did you do to him then?"

Jean kept caressing the crying boy's back, searching for the right words. "Well, I… I didn't do much, really. I realized he was… grieving," she avoided Scott's eyes, "and I sent some soothing thoughts into his mind."

The man pondered over her words for a while. "So, Nate was looking for Maddie… his mom," the man concluded. "Can you do it again?"

Jean was taken aback by his question. "Scott, I-I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not very skilled with my telepathy, usually I just use it to talk to people. I'm afraid I might hurt Nathan and-"

"I sincerely doubt it. You didn't hurt him at the hospital, and whatever you did, it was… it was very effective. At least until this afternoon," he told her. "Plus, beside me, you're the only other person he willingly goes to since… since Madelyne died."

The boy was still clinging to the redhead's neck as if he wanted to prove his father right. Jean looked down at him, then at Summers' face again. "You're really sure about this, aren't you?"

Scott motioned to the toddler in her arms and smiled. "Absolutely."

"All right, then," Jean said and closed her eyes. She carefully entered Nathan's mind and was suddenly drawn towards an imprint of distrust and discomfort. The telepath sensed that the boy didn't miss his mommy so much anymore, at least not like he had missed her a few days ago; this time, what was upsetting him was a feeling of fear that had stuck to him after some other person -a woman- had approached his daddy. Once more, the young doctor sent feelings of affection into the boy's mind, soothing him immediately. When she reopened her eyes, the baby was calmly playing with her hair.

"You did it!" Scott said with enthusiasm, taking Nate from her arms. "What happened?"

"I think he was… afraid of someone. Someone you've met today. He started crying to protect his daddy," Jean stated, making the man furrow.

"Protect me? Really?"

"Definitely," the woman nodded. "You should probably talk to Professor Xavier. He's way more qualified than me to help you find more about Nathan's skills."

"Okay, I'll look for him in the morning," Scott told her, and smiled. "Thank you again. I'm sorry for having scared you that night at the hospital, asking if you were a mutant. It wasn't my intention."

"It's alright," she said, her attention back to her own baby now. "I guess there's no need to keep the pretenses up around this place."

"I guess not. As I've told you, I'm also a mutant. I shoot laser beams from my eyes."

"Wow. I never would've guessed."

"Yeah, well… It's not as exciting as it sounds. Hey, hum… Do you need anything? Food? Water? I can get some for you in a minute."

"I'm good, thanks. I need to feed my baby now," Jean started moving towards a small table beside the incubator, where the breast pump was laying.

"Right. Okay. So… good night, Jean. And thank you," he said again, and finally left the infirmary.

"Night." She sat on the bed and started opening the buttons on her shirt. Suddenly, an annoyed voice echoed in the med bay.

"Who's the clown with the brat?"

"W-What?" Jean let out a shrill and jumped from the bed, clutching at her shirt. Wolverine was leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed, looking as dangerous as ever in his uniform. He had a duffle bag thrown over his shoulder.

"Logan! Oh my God!" The redhead was too shocked to move. "H-How?"

"Hey darlin'," the feral said in a much gentler tone and started approaching her. "Ya okay?"

"I should be the one asking you that, Logan! I saw you on the tv, only two days ago. You looked dead!"

"I got better," he replied and stopped to stand in front of the isolette, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of his premature baby girl connected to a bunch of tubes. "How's our little troublemaker?"

"As good as she can. Her lungs are weak, and she can't breathe without the respirator. But so far, she's stable," Jean stopped beside him. "How did you know we were here?"

Wolverine couldn't take his eyes away from his daughter. "I stole a bike in Chicago and rode around the city for a while, lookin' for ya. Then I realized ya'd never left New York, so I rode back to Salem Center and sneaked into the flat," he closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the next scene with dread. "I saw the blood," he finally turned his head sideways to stare at her face, "and I smelled Angel's scent; figured he would've brought ya here."

"I don't remember any of it… only you, on the tv, apparently dead," the redhead shuddered, suddenly remembering to button up her shirt. "Why did you think I was in Chicago?"

"'Cause I heard ya screamin' inside of my head before I passed out."

"That's… that's impossible, Logan. I was in New York during your mission."

The man shook his head. "I don't think it is, Red. I know how ya feel in my head. I think ya saw me on tv, thought I'd died, and your mind reacted by reachin' out to mine," he turned his whole body to face her and continued. "Sometimes, despair can make we do strange things."

"No. I could never have reached your mind from so afar, Logan, especially not without consciously trying. You know I'm nowhere near that powerful."

"Ya're wrong. Ya're much more powerful than ya think, Jeannie. And I ain't just talkin' about telepathy here. Ya're the strongest person I know, darlin'," he looked back at the baby inside the incubator. "The kid's gonna be in good hands."

Green eyes widened. "What? What do you mean?"

Wolverine sighed - the hard part was about to come. "I gotta go, Jean. This time, for good."

"No." The woman's heart started hammering inside her ribcage. "W-Why? You told me this place was safe, Logan. You insisted I came hide in here. Why the hell can your daughter and I stay with the X-Men but you can't?"

"'Cause I'm wanted by the government, by the Hellfire Club, and by the F.O.H.. I killed a bunch of those assholes, Red, and they know my name and face now. It's a matter of time before they track me down."

"But you said they didn't know where the X-Men's headquarters were."

"And they don't. But I can't stay hidden inside forever, and eventually they'll end up findin' me. If I stay, I'll be endangerin' everyone around. I can't do this to ya, or to her," Logan motioned to the incubator with his head.

Jean's mood turned from hopeful to angry. "So, instead of fighting, you're leaving? Now that your baby needs you more than ever," she scoffed, and added. "What a fucking great superhero you are, Wolverine!"

"Jean, I ain't got a choice…"

"There's always a choice, Logan! You can choose to be a goddam father and stay; or you can choose to run away and leave everything that matters behind, including your team, your friends, your daughter…" The redhead wanted to add 'me', but her hurt pride didn't allow her to.

"It's too fuckin' dangerous," the man hissed between his teeth, running a hand through his thick hair. After seeing his newborn baby, his mind was torn between doing what he wanted to and doing what he needed to. But in the end, he knew which decision was the right one. "My mind's made off. There's no point in arguin'," Wolverine told the woman without further hesitancy and without glancing at her face.

"Does Xavier know?"

"Yeah. I talked to him before comin' down here, it's all settled. The X-Men will take care of ya."

"You've gone to him before coming down to meet your daughter?"

"Beast told me ya were okay. Plus, I needed a shower."

Jean nodded, clearly disappointed. "So, you've just come here to say goodbye."

"Yeah."

"You didn't have to bother. Goodbye, Logan," she said and turned away, heading to the infirmary's door. Wolverine didn't need to look at her face to see that she was crying. "By the way, your daughter's name is Rachel," Jean informed him before exiting the room.

Logan inhaled the air deeply, impregnating the baby's scent forever in his memory. "Be a good girl, Rach. Daddy loves ya."