A/N: Thanks to everybody who left a review! This chapter is for you, guys. I'm sorry it's a bit longer, but there's a lot going on in this story right now.

Also, I had to make a little tribute to some people who have made my life happier. 'Nough said, have fun.

Chapter 23 - Plans

Asteroid M, Somewhere in the Earth's orbit.

The Blackbird ascended, and ascended, and ascended. It took the X-Men almost eight hours and thirty five thousand kilometers to arrive at Magneto's sanctuary in the Earth's orbit. Forge grasped Storm's hand as her stomach did a double twist for the tenth time since their journey towards the stars had begun.

Professor X's eyes moved from the silent couple to study the faces of his other students. Nightcrawler was mesmerized by the infinite beauty of the dark sky, gazing outside the window and every now and then exclaiming mein gott! or unglaublich! At first, Gambit and Jubilee had also been excited with the outer space experience; however, after so many hours confined in the plane staring at hundreds of stars that looked the same, they ended up falling asleep. Rogue, on the other hand, was as vivid as ever, obviously having doubts about Magneto's true intentions. She hadn't dared leaving Xavier's side during the whole flight.

When they finally arrived at 'bucket head's big rock', as Jubilee had named the asteroid, Lehnsherr magnetically landed the jet in front of the main building. The whole team sighed in relief, except for Charles, who was more worried with his former friend's health - Magneto was sweating profusely, looking pale and barely able to stand on his feet.

"Easy, sugah," Rogue said, putting behind all the animosity she had towards the enemy to help him out of the Blackbird.

"Take me… to Cortez," the silver-haired man uttered, and before the X-Man could respond, said acolyte came out of the building to assist his master.

"Magneto, let us help you to your rooms," Cortez said, beckoning the Kleinstock brothers to carry their leader inside. After that, he turned to address Erik's new guests. "X-Men, according to our Lord Magneto's desires, you are welcome to stay in our mutant haven for as long as you need, or wish. Bear in mind, though, that hostilities towards fellow mutants are not tolerated in our home," he looked pointedly at Gambit, who responded with a scornful grin. "If you would excuse me now, our lord requires my services. Ms. Voght will show you to your accommodations."

At the mention of the woman's name, Xavier glanced around, eagerly searching for yet another figure from his past. When he spotted the redhead walking towards him, his eyes widened.

"Amelia!"

"Hello, Charles," she replied, approaching the group of X-Men.

The telepath swallowed. "I-I had no idea you were living with Magneto."

Her face was hard. "Why the surprise? There aren't so many safe places for a mutant to live in nowadays."

Xavier seemed dumbstruck by the woman's presence. "I understand. It's just that… when I founded the school and asked you to become headmistress, you turned my offer down. You told me that a school made exclusively for mutants would segregate us from the Homo sapiens, instead of uniting. You said you wanted to mingle with them…"

"And I was right… about the segregating part. Look at what humankind has done to our country. Look at what they did to your precious school, Charles," the acolyte said.

"Mutants attacked my school, Amelia," he reasoned.

"With the help of humans. If you want to defend the Homo sapiens, Charles, you've come to the wrong place. Most of Asteroid M's inhabitants are mutant fugitives persecuted by human authorities. The majority would be dead if it weren't for Magnus' help, you and your children included," she pointed out.

"And we are very thankful for that, Amelia. We're not here to fight, that I can assure you," the professor stated.

"Good," she nodded, 'one less thing to worry about around here,' the woman considered, and Xavier couldn't help but listen to those stray thoughts. It appeared that things weren't so happy and colorful in the mutant paradise, as the acolytes always made the X-Men believe. "Breakfast is at 6 a.m. Every person is expected to help with a few day-to-day chores. I'm sure someone will let you know yours by tomorrow," Voght explained. "I'll have a doctor check on your injuries," she told Storm.

"Thank you," Ororo replied, leaning on Forge.

"No problem. You must be tired, X-Men. Follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."

The Rocky Mountains, Colorado.

The sun was already high above the mountains when Warren opened his eyes. He noticed that Jean hadn't returned to bed and figured she must have recovered well from her head injury, thank God for that. He rolled in bed and sat, letting out a loud yawn before getting up. He decided to take a quick shower before breakfast and then sit with the guys to determine their next steps. Sticking around the cabin for too long was probably a bad idea.

But first, he wanted to check on Candy, see if she'd texted him what time she was supposed to arrive. He searched for his smart phone on the nightstand, suddenly noticing that his other cell phone had been turned off since last night. "Shit."

He quickly turned it on and pressed the redial button. The phone rang only once.

"I told ya a million times to keep the damn phone on! Where the fuck are ya?" He heard the man's angry snarl on the other side of the line.

"I had a busy night, Logan," Angel replied, "there was no time to chat."

"Ya better be with Jeannie and Rach, flyboy, or I'm gonna track ya down and skin ya alive," Wolverine threatened.

"Yeah, yeah… I've heard that before. And yes, Jean and Rachel are with me, along with Bobby, Hank and Scott. I don't know if you've heard, but the X-Men were attacked."

"I know. That's all the tv's broadcastin' since last night," Logan said. "Any news 'bout the others?"

"No. We saw the Blackbird taking off from the hangar but we don't know who was on board," Warren's tone was solemn.

"Shit," Logan cursed. "Are the girls hurt? I smelled Jeannie's blood on Chuck's yard."

"What? You went back to the mansion? Are you fucking insane?" The winged mutant asked in disbelief. "You're being hunted like an animal throughout the country. Do you want to get arrested again, or do you just have a death wish?"

"Look, the tv showed what those fuckers did to the place. I had to see if anyone needed help."

"Did you… did you find anything else?" Angel questioned, not sure if he wanted an answer. "Any more blood?"

"No," Wolverine told him, "but I couldn't get too close. The place's surrounded by cops and F.O.H. creeps. The media's sayin' the school was attacked by mutant terrorists."

"Well, that isn't completely fake news. We were attacked by mutants and human mercenaries alike. Hank and Scott said they are Hellfire Club's people."

"Shaw…," the feral man voiced with distaste. "Xavier's lawn was reeking of him. I think I smelled Havok and Polaris too…"

"You're sure? We didn't see them," the blonde said. "Do you think they're alive?"

"I dunno, flyboy. But I'll try to find out," Logan replied. "Ya still haven't told me if my kid's hurt."

"Rachel's fine."

"What 'bout Red?"

Warren hesitated. "She's fine too."

"Ya're lyin', Worthington. Tell me what happened," Wolverine had to suppress a growl.

"I'm not sure, Logan, I wasn't there when the lab exploded. McCoy was, though. He said Jean was hit in the head by some debris," Angel told him. "Then some crazy Hellfire mutant bitch tried to suck the life out of her… Left her unconscious for hours."

"Fuck!" The feral growled, and Warren startled when he heard a familiar 'snikt' on the other end of the line.

"It was a real close call, Logan. Thank God Cyclops arrived in time to save her."

"Who the fuck's Cyclops?"

"Scott Summers. He's Alex's brother," Angel explained. "Anyway, I brought the five of us and the children to my cabin in Colorado, and Jeannie woke up a few hours ago. I guess that means she's better."

"I hope so," Wolverine said, but suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't she use her powers to protect herself?"

"Apparently, because she chose to protect Beast and the babies instead," the blonde told him.

"That sounds like somethin' she'd do. Damnit!"

Warren sensed the concern in the other man's voice. Despite his dislike for Wolverine, Angel knew the feral harbored true feelings for the redhead. "Logan, wouldn't it be healthier if you just talked to Jean? I could take the phone to her right now. Or even better, you could come here and see her today… and your daughter. It's Christmas, after all."

"No," Wolverine said decisively, "it's too risky."

"We're in the middle of nowhere, I assure you that it isn't. Yesterday was risky. And maybe, just maybe, it would have been less risky if you had stuck around the mansion."

"Shut up."

"No, I won't shut up. You could've protected them, Wolverine. But instead, you chose to go play hero elsewhere."

"I'm doin' this for them, goddamnit!" Logan yelled, and then his voice cracked. "Ya ain't got the slightest idea, Worthington… how much I miss them. I've lived long enough, and I've lost everyone I've ever cared… slaughtered by my enemies. I can't risk losin' them… not Jean, not my kid."

Warren was quiet for a moment, letting the information sink in. He decided that dealing with an angry Wolverine was less scary than dealing with this broken-hearted version of him.

The feral went on. "I shouldn't have allowed them to stay in the mansion…"

"What happened wasn't your fault, Logan. I'm the one who took Jean to the X-Men, and if I hadn't, she and Rachel would have died. It's no one's fault," Warren tried to alleviate the other man's guilty. "Look, I'll text you our current address. I don't know how long we'll be here, but feel free to come by. I think Jean would be glad to see you."

"And I think ya're drunk," Wolverine scoffed. "She hates my guts."

"No, she doesn't. She's hurt. She thinks you abandoned her and your daughter. But she still cares for you. For all that's worth, you're still her baby's father," Angel said. "But she won't wait for you forever," he added.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Jean peeked inside the room. Logan's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, hey Warr. I thought I heard you talking on the phone. Can I come in? I could really use a bath to get rid of this dry blood in my hair."

"Sure, go ahead," Warren told her, and after she'd entered the bathroom and closed the door, he spoke on the receiver again. "Last chance, man."

"I'll pass… Keep me updated, Worthington. I'll get in touch if I hear 'bout the others."

"Bye, Logan."

xxxxx

Jean still felt tired and weak, but the long bubble bath was surely helping. McCoy had given her some painkillers and advised her not to take the bandage out of her leg for the next 24h. She was betting the wound would leave an ugly scar on her thigh, but that was something she could live with.

The redhead sighed, thanking the higher being she believed in that Rachel and Nathan had left the battle scene unharmed, and so had her four companions. Her mind drifted to the other X-Men… Ororo, Forge, Anna, Kurt… Charles… She wondered if they had escaped.

She was almost dozing in the bathtub when two knocks on the door startled her.

"Hello Jean. Merry Christmas!" Candy greeted her with a wide grin, rapidly gaining access to the bathroom.

"Oh, hey Candy. Merry Christmas to you too," she replied with a weak smile.

The brunette had a pile of clean clothes in her hands. "I brought you these. We're about the same size, so I guess they'll fit nicely."

"That's very sweet of you, thanks," the redhead said, pulling the lid out of the tub's drain and beginning to stand up.

"Oh, I've just met your baby daughter… she's adorable! She looked so cozy in her daddy's arms!"

Jean halted. "W-Whose?"

"The tall guy, Scott. Isn't he…?" Candy noticed the momentary hurt on her opposite's features and her cheeks became red. "Oh… Oh God, I'm so sorry, I-I thought that he…" She was at loss of words and decided to look at anywhere but Jean's face. "Here, let me help you," she handed a towel to the redhead and helped her out of the tub.

"Thanks."

"I-I'm going to see if Warren needs me in the kitchen," Candy pointed to the door, "or do you need help getting dressed? I can stay if you like…"

"No, it's okay, Candy. I can dress up in my own. You should help Warren before he sets the place on fire with his cooking abilities."

The brunette forced a giggle at Jean's remark. "Right. Okay, so… just yell if you need me."

"I will. Thanks again for the clothes."

xxxxx

After a nearly burned lunch, the four men sat around the dinner table to discuss how they'd find the rest of their teammates. Jean was on the couch beside them, nursing Rachel and watching Nate play on the floor with the new set of building blocks Candy had given him. As for the brunette, she was attentively shopping online for more clothes and supplies.

"We can't return to the school," Angel pondered. "The place's surrounded by cops and God only knows who else," he pointed at the news on his laptop's screen.

"It's a true shame, my friends. The mansion would be the best location for us to begin investigating our companions' latest whereabouts," Beast said, sliding his glasses up his nose.

"And the most dangerous," Cyclops argued. "Warren's right, we've barely escaped the first time. We can't risk going back there. Bobby, any luck contacting the professor?"

"No. Not the professor, nor anyone of our friends. I've tried all the cell phones and the Blackbird's communicators - they're all down."

"Damnit!" Scott exclaimed. "Why hasn't Xavier tried to contact us telepathically?"

Hank scratched his cheek before responding. "Perhaps our teammates' current location is exceedingly distant from ours… Another hypothesis would be that Charles has been injured during the attack and can't establish contact."

"Well, I love having you guys in my cabin, but we can't know for sure how safe this place is. We could've been followed here. I think we should start thinking of hiding somewhere else until we hear from the rest of the team," Angel proposed.

"And maybe we'll be followed again. We can't just move from one place to another every two days or so, not with two babies," Cyclops reasoned. "We need to determine once and for all where the X-Men have gone to, and if they are in need of help."

Iceman suddenly had an insight. "Guys, what if Jean used her powers to find them?"

"Hmm… That could actually be a good idea, my icy friend. Ms. Grey's telepathy has improved remarkably in the past month with our beloved professor's guidance," Beast agreed.

"No, that's out of question, Hank. You said she needs to rest," Scott quickly intervened.

Jean's head darted their way, and Warren let out a short laugh. "Hey, I'm right here."

"We see you, Jean. But you're not an X-Man, and a certain doctor suggested not twelve hours ago that you shouldn't exert yourself," Cyclops hissed, narrowing his eyes in McCoy's direction.

Beast raised his arms in a placating way. "I'm just endorsing Iceman's idea that Jean's telepathy represents our best chance to locate our friends. Regarding she's feeling up to the task, of course."

"It couldn't hurt to try, right?" Bobby shrugged.

"Guys…" Angel tried to interfere.

Scott shook his head vehemently. "Are you insane? She just had a concussion. It could hurt a lot!"

While the other three discussed among them, Warren noticed the fury in the redhead's eyes. 'Oh boy.'

"Hey!" Jean yelled, and the room went quiet. "Don't I have a saying in this?" The four men looked at each other's face, no one daring to respond. The telepath sighed. "I wanna try it, goddamnit," she said, lifting Rachel in her arms and telekinetically buttoning up her shirt. "Give me a hand, Warr."

Angel stood to hold his godchild. He stared at Rachel's rosy cheeks nervously. "What am I supposed to do?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Just rock her back and forth until she burps. Slowly, for Christ's sake, or she'll puke all over your shirt."

"Wait, you want to look for them now? Jean, you should at least wa-"

Before Scott could finish his sentence, the telepath put her hands on her temples and shut her eyes. She closed her mind to every noise and distraction around her and focused on one specific psychic pattern she'd grown used to - Xavier's.

Jean started by scanning the surrounding neighborhood, then widening her telepathic net to englobe state after state until she'd searched the whole country. It took her almost an hour.

"Ugh," she uttered, opening her eyelids again. Five pairs of eyes were staring back at her, Nathan's included. Rachel was sleeping on Warren's lap, and Candy had just gotten too bored and decided to go skiing. "I couldn't find them. I'm sorry," Jean told them, watching how their hopeful faces became depressed. "I did find a psychic imprint of the professor's mind in mine, though…"

"What the heck is a psychic imprint?" Bobby asked.

"It's like leaving a message on an answering machine, but telepathically. Charles has probably tried to contact us yesterday, but something came in the way," the telepath explained.

Cyclops cut to the chase. "What does this imprint say?"

"Go to Muir Island," she answered, and frowned. "I've never heard of such an island. Does it even make sense?"

"Yes, it does!" Beast's face lightened up and he jumped out of the couch. "It's in Scotland, where Dr. McTaggert lives. She's a renewed geneticist, and a good friend of Charles. It makes perfect sense!"

Angel typed 'Muir Island' on his laptop and read the information. "The place doesn't have an airport. We would need to fly to Edinburgh and get a boat from there," he told them, continuing his Google search. "Oh shit. There's been a huge blizzard in the city. The airport's closed."

"We should go through London, then. Bigger city, less civilians paying attention to a bunch of mutants," Cyclops considered.

"Can't we just use one of Worthington's private jets and land on the lady's front yard?"

"That's not how overseas air traveling works, Bobby," the redhead said. "Besides, Warren's a public figure. We can't afford to have him exposed as a mutant, much less as an X-Man."

"Jean's right. We shouldn't rely on anything that could link Warren to mutant activities. That means no company's jet and no personal credit cards," the team leader observed.

Iceman sighed in defeat. "I guess we'll be pushing ourselves into some crowded, dull commercial flight."

"Which brings us to the next but not less important topic, my friends… passports. Or the absolute lack of them. How do you suppose a group of mutant fugitives like ourselves would breach through customs' control? Especially someone with the likes of me," Beast pointed his two fingers at his face for emphasis.

"I know someone who can arrange fake passports," Warren told them.

"Good. Now, how much would that cost? And more important, how reliable is this contact of yours?" Scott asked.

"Don't worry, I've got cash," the blonde replied, "and my guy's a hundred percent reliable. He owes me a favor."

"Of course he does," Jean mumbled.

"Gentlemen -and lady-, you're missing the point here. I don't look human," McCoy stated. "A phony identity wouldn't change that."

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd tell you that you're wrong, Hank," Bobby said, retrieving a small device from his pocket. "I got this before we fled the lab. Now you can choose whatever ugly face you want to use, furball."

"My image inducer! Robert Drake, you are a thoughtful genius!" Beast took the device from his friend's hand and hugged him firmly.

"Hey, easy on the ribs, big guy!"

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when Bobby would be called a genius," Warren teased.

"All right, X-Men. Enough messing around. Angel, call your guy. See if he can arrange the passports today. Iceman, look for plane tickets online. Remember, no credit cards, and try to spend as little money as possible, we need to save it for the trip. Beast, call Dr. McTaggert and see if the other X-Men have made it there; either way, tell her we're on our way. And try to figure how we can take the samples aboard with us. Jean, make a list of everything we need for the trip, especially the kids. See if Candy can help you with last minute shopping. I'm going outside to check the perimeter and make sure it's safe to spend the night here. I want us to depart tomorrow," Cyclops told them.

After everyone had left to do their assignments, the redhead approached Scott. "So, I'm part of the team now?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

The man smiled. "After the mind trick you just pulled off, I wouldn't dream of leaving you out of it."

xxxxx

Six hours later, the five mutants gathered again in the living room to receive their new identities and passports.

Angel began. "Listen guys, it's important that we look like five American tourists-"

"Seven," Jean interrupted, receiving a glare from the blonde.

"As I was saying, we'll have to look like seven American tourists idly spending the holidays in the U.K.."

"Easy peasy," Iceman said, throwing a snowball up and catching it with his palm on the way down. "I can easily switch to vacation mode."

"I'm sure you can, Bobby. But I'm concerned about our fearless leader here," Warren motioned his head to Cyclops.

"What? Me? Why?" Scott asked with a surprised look that turned into an indignant scowl as he noticed the other four laughing at his expanses.

"My dear Cyclops, you must admit that you rarely let loose," Beast pointed out.

"That's not true!"

"It is," the redhead nodded. "Maybe this forced vacation will end up helping your ease some tension, Scott."

The man narrowed his eyes at her. "Thanks a lot."

"It better help, otherwise you'll be stuck with a fake grumpy husband, Jeannie bean," Angel said, grinning from ear to ear.

"What?" Scott and Jean asked in synchrony.

Warren handed the pair four passports. "You are now Mr. and Mrs. Kirby, the happily married parents of Nathan and Rachel Kirby. I don't expect public displays of passion -not that I'm against it, though- but I do hope you do a good job pretending to be a couple."

"But… why?" The woman asked, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"A couple with two kids touristing around Europe draws less attention than two single friends with one kid each," Warren explained.

"It does," Scott was forced to agree. He turned back to Angel, avoiding Jean's eyes. "If we're the Kirbys, who are you?"

"Oh, I'm family too," he said, showing his passport around. "I'm Warren Lee, Jean's big brother. This means you better behave around me, Mr. Kirby," the blonde laughed. It was Scott's turn to blush; Jean just slouched deeper into the sofa.

"What about me and Hank?" Bobby inquired, grabbing his passport midair as Warren threw it at him. "Robert Byrne. Cool!"

"And from now on, I am Henry Simonson Byrne, Robert's older cousin," Beast read the document.

"Perfect, right? Our seats are already booked, babies' necessities included. The plane departs from Denver International Airport to London Heathrow tomorrow at 20:05 p.m. I suggest we leave the cabin right after lunch."

"Agreed. All right, folks, it's late. We should go to bed and prepare for a long flight. Pack lightly, but make sure you take everything you need," Cyclops ordered, and the five X-Men retreated for the night.

The Hellfire Club, New York.

"Aaarghhhh!"

For the fourth time in less than one hour, Polaris' screams echoed through the basement. Alex gripped the cell bars and pleaded to the woman standing in front of him once again.

"Please, have mercy! She doesn't know where the rest of the team is," he said, resting his forehead against the bars. "I swear, she doesn't know… Please… Stop it… Take me instead," he begged, not caring about the tears falling freely from his eyes.

"Oh darling… Can't you see that, by beating your sweetheart, we're torturing both of you?" The White Queen gave him a smile. She perched on the edge of an old metal desk outside the cell and stared at the man with her best poker face.

"This is fucking sick! We haven't done anything to you! Why can't you just leave us alone?" Havok yelled in desperation, flinching as another cry reverberated in the room.

"Now that is not true, is it, Mr. Summers?" The Black King asked, making a show of cleaning his bloodied hands as he walked towards Havok's cell. Alex looked down, dreading to think that the blood came from his girlfriend. "The X-Men have been ruining our plans for too long. If it weren't for that old cripple and his crew of misfits, the 'cure' would already have been spread to the whole country."

"But why would you do that? The Inner Circle is clearly formed by mutants. Why would you want to suppress the x-gene?" The X-Man questioned, more out of necessity than out of curiosity. Alex needed to gain time and keep Shaw away from Lorna. The Black Queen had drained most of his and Polaris' powers, but if they managed to hold on for a few more hours, their mutant abilities would eventually return.

"Men do things with two purposes only - money and power. Being the only mutants on the planet will grant us with both," the Black King clarified. "Now, I want answers, Mr. Summers. Where is Wolverine and the rest of the X-Men? I don't think that pretty little girlfriend of yours will be able to keep her teeth inside her mouth once I return to her cell… Or maybe I should let Pierce have a little fun with her…"

Havok narrowed his eyes. "Keep your hands away from Lorna, you animal!" He demanded in fury. "I swear I'm gonna kill you when I get out if here."

"If you get out of here, I'd love to see you trying."

"Gentlemen, please. It's Christmas. There's no need for any more deaths," Emma mocked, standing up from the table and striding to the cell. "Alex, dear… I'm feeling so… touched by the Christmas spirit… that I'm willing to make a deal with you."

"Hah. You mean you're touched by the devil, you witch," he spat.

"Potato, potato," she replied, putting her right arm inside the cell so that she could hold Havok's chin between her thumb and index finger. "I'm willing to let you and your girlfriend go… No hard feelings. You only have to tell me where your brother and his brat are hiding."

He slapped her manicured hand away. "No way! Even if I knew where they were, I'd never snitch Scott out."

"Who said you have a choice?" Frost asked. She opened the cell door and invaded his space and mind, carelessly searching for answers. Alex screamed in agony as his memories were ripped apart. He clutched his head, falling to the cemented floor.

When Havok came to his senses again, he couldn't tell how long the telepath had been in his mind. All he knew was that he was totally helpless in her hands. After the White Queen was done, she crouched beside him and whispered in his ear. "No one makes a fool out of Emma Frost, darling. I'm coming for you brother, and you are going to help me."