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Jean answered the door. She stopped cold and stared. The woman was dressed like a beggar and she had blue skin. That was enough to make even a mutant wonder…

"I'm here to see the Professor."

"Do you mind if I ask who you are?"

"Yes, but ask anyway."

Jean blew upwards into her face. "Who are you."

"Raven. My first name is enough for Charles."

No one was EVER on a first-name basis with the Professor except Ororo and Logan. "Wait here." Jean went off to the library.

"I'm telling you, you can NOT close this place down!" Professor Xavier was shouting at a well-dressed man. Jean stopped, and against her better judgment, leaned against the half-opened door and eavesdropped.

"The bills have been paid, haven't they?" Ororo asked.

"Yes," said someone who could only be the new man. "But the government is…concerned with the staff. They want to…"

"What? Pack them off to another government cell?" Ororo interrupted. "These are CHILDREN, Mr. Kelly, not federal prisoners. They are in desperate need of some acceptance. And you will NOT take them from here to some penitentiary in DC!"

"They are considered a national threat…"

"Why?" Logan spoke up. "Because some bum calling himself Magneto killed a few people? I can name more than a few of you so-called 'normal humans' who've killed people. Maybe YOU'D like to put your people into cages."

"Listen, if I were the President, I would personally exterminate you freaks from the face of the Earth!" Mr. Kelly shouted.

"And if I were President," Logan growled back, "I would personally rip you prejudiced people into shreds!"

"Watch your mouth! I can have you arrested for that."

"Listen, you are NEVER going to shut this place down!" Professor Xavier shouted.

"They want to take you away again," Raven said from behind Jean. "They think you'll get ideas like 'equality' and 'freedom' if this place is run by mutants."

"No…" Jean was visibly trembling. She dug her nails into her scalp and pulled down, creating rivets in her hair. "They won't do that to me again…"

"They will if they can," Raven said. "That's why I'm taking Kurt and Marie out of here before it's too late."

"Kurt and…Rogue?" Jean whispered. "What do you have to do with them? Are you…are you their…?"

"It's none of your business what my relationship is with Kurt and Marie," Raven snapped. "It is mine and the Professor's. Now, kindly step aside so I can have a word with said professor."

And with that, Raven pushed past Jean and slammed the door open.

Jean wandered away. She felt cold. Truly, really cold.

She would never go back...she would not wait to die in another stinking Hell. She would not stand by and allow them to hurt her again.

Slowly, she traced her fingers around the scar on her left palm. Glass was not a pleasant thing, especially when someone deliberately cut you with it, just to make you suffer. And to do it so often that you wished they'd continue enough to kill you just so you wouldn't have to suffer anymore…Jean shuddered.

"Jean?" Scott was standing in font of her. "Are you OK?"

She hadn't even realized she'd been crying.

"I won't go back," she whispered. "I won't go back," she said, a little louder. "I WON'T GO BACK!" she finally shrieked.

"Hey, hey!" Scott yelped, catching Jean in his arms before she could run away. "What's wrong? Where are you not going?"

"They want to take us back to that Hell…they want to hurt us again."

Scott swore under his breath. No way was he going to go back…or let anyway take his friends back, either.

OOH, aren't you just DYING to know what Raven and Charles are gonna say to each other? And yes, Mr. Kelly is their principal in the show, but here, he's a government official.

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