(9) Dixion was immediately taken into re-hab and was watched closely. The members of the teen X-men and the Brotherhood were examined by Ororo (Ms. Munroe) and patched up. All stood around, waiting outside the re-hab room Dixion had been taken to, all looking anxious. Their fears weren't diminished any when Xavier came out with Ororo and Logan, both with worried looks on their faces.

"Nothing seems to be seriously wrong with Dixion. No broken bones or cuts. She's just having trouble breathing from some unknown cause." Ororo spoke quietly.

Xavier looked over the group. "Pietro, Todd, Lance and Freddy, I would like you four to stay until this problem is solved but you may leave if you wish."

All others looked at them expectantly. "We'll stay." Pietro finally answered quietly.

Xavier nodded gravely. "Alright. Kurt, would you help us take Dixion up to her room? And Ororo, would you show our new guests to where they will be staying?"

Kurt and Logan followed Xavier back to the re-hab room, Ororo started off, Brotherhood in tow. That left the rest to stand and look at one another.

"I really don't trust those guys." Evan growled, sneering at the retreating backs of the Brotherhood. Scott nodded in agreement.

"Iah can't believe all of ya! Iah used to be one of 'em and ya didn't see anythang wrong with me did ya?" Rogue snapped, eyes flashing. "They ain't that bad, and Iah don't think they did anythang to Dixion." She stormed away down the hall, heading for her room.

Kitty picked up were Rogue had left off. "Yeah. Rogue is right. Like, just because they're with Mystique doesn't mean their bad. Isn't Professor Xavier always telling us their no different then us."

"You like 'em so much, why don't you go join them!" Evan yelled, storming away too. He was going to keep a close eye on the Brotherhood.

Kitty wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue at him. "What to do think Jean?" Kitty asked the newly quiet redhead.

"I really don't know Kitty. But all we can do is make sure no fights break out here now that we're all under the same roof." ************************************************************************ Evan sat outside under one of the many tree on the mansion's extensive property. He has intentionally picked a tree as far from the mansion as he could. He was still pissed about the fight he had with Kitty and about half- witted Pietro and his goons living with them.

He had been tempted a few times to spike a few squirrels, pretending it was Pietro, but they had passed. He didn't want to take it out on defenseless squirrels when they hadn't done anything wrong.

'Stupid Pietro and his stupid Brotherhood' he seethed, settling down against his tree.

It was all their fault Dixion was hurt. If they hadn't kidnapped her, and then come to the mansion to fight, it never would have happened. However, he was glad Pietro had come. It gave him a perfect excuse to kick the crap out of him. But he never did get a chance.

Something weird had happened to Dixion and he had been forced to team up with Pietro and the rest to fight her. He still didn't feel right about that and he promised himself he would talk to her about it the first chance he got. There was something he wanted to tell her. He really liked Dixion but he wasn't sure she felt the same way. She had never shown any attraction to him so he wasn't really sure. But he'd find out soon enough.

Evan stood up, stretching out the kinks in his back. He looked around, and could just make out the destruction in the front yard. Man it was bad.

'Oh well, he thought moving towards the mansion, not my problem right now' *********************************************************************** Rogue slammed her door shut, momentarily forgetting Dixion was in the next room, sleeping. She curled up on her bed, pulled on her headphones as a second thought to not disturb Dixion, and cranked her Nine Inch Nails CD. Sighing gratefully, she leaned back into her pillows.

She laid there, her music calming her down when she began to think about the changes to life around the mansion. Pietro and Lance were sharing a room across the hall, Todd and Freddy down the hall. Rogue groaned inwardly, thinking about the trouble they would have now with the bathroom in the mornings.

She really didn't think there was anything vitally wrong with the Brotherhood. Hey, she was part of it at one time and the guys hadn't been that bad. Yeah they had been pains in the ass at times, but so was Evan. And that was all the time with him.

Her thoughts quickly shifted to Dixion. Rogue believed that along with everyone else who had seen Dixion that afternoon, there was no idea what was up with her. She had looked rundown when Rogue had seen her. Really pale.

"Maybe Iah should go see her." Rogue thought aloud, taking off her headphones. She got up and crept over to Dixion's room.

Her room was dark, the heavy curtains closed. A slight wheezing was coming from Dixion's bed, where she laid sleeping.

Rogue felt Dixion had to be her only real close friend at the mansion. They had become instant friends, straying from the others. The liked most of the same music and foods. Another thing the agreed on was how creepy Logan was. She smiled at the memory. Rogue quietly closed the door and moved back to her room. And she was overwhelmed to find herself crying. ************************************************************************ Kitty sat on the couch in the front living room, looking out at the garden that was once very beautiful. Ms. Munroe had been out once or twice to look at damage, but hadn't done anything.

Kitty pulled her knees up under her and sighed. Life had certainly changed. Just then, Lance came in rather awkwardly and sat in a chair across from Kitty.

"Uh, hey Kitty."

"Hey Lance. Like what do you want?"

"Nothing. I just feel kinda weird being here and don't really know what to do." Lance looked around helplessly at the room then his gaze came back to Kitty. "Hey I'm sorry about what happened before. We didn't mean for it to happen."

Kitty caught on to what he was talking about. "Well you shouldn't have like attacked then." she snapped, utterly cold.

"What were supposed to do? Stand there and lets you guys kick our asses. I don't think so." Lance turned to look out at the garden, then muttered, "We told Dixion this was a bad idea."

But of course, Kitty heard. "What was that?"

"I said 'We told Dixion this was a bad idea.' It was her idea that we come here. She invited us to dinner or something. Said we were her friends."

Kitty was thoroughly startled. "You're joking? You guys her friends?"

Lance gave a confused look. "You ask her about it. I don't understand it. Whatever it is, it's really eating at Pietro."

"Why would Pietro care?"

"Beats me. I think he feels responsible for it. Him and Dixion got held after school for detention, and he brought Dixion to our place cause it was raining. So I think he's got it in his head that if he hadn't done that, this wouldn't have happened."

"Geez, now I feel like really bad for him. Well at least some people in his house don't hate you guys."

"And who's that?"

"Well Dixion, of course. Then there's Rogue and I. Ms. Munroe is cool and doesn't seem to have a problem with you guys. But I don't know about the rest. Just gonna have to like wait and see."

Lance sighed and gazed back out the window. "Yeah. Wait and see." ************************************************************************ Most of the teens left in the mansion had locked themselves up in their rooms, thinking deeply about how to adapt to the change in their lives.

Dixion slept on, unaware of the problems in the house, only of her inner anguish.

Pietro in particular had gone into a depression that no amount of prodding could be moved.

Freddy surprisingly never once complained about being hungry but stayed in his room.

Evan after coming in and apologizing to Kitty, and glaring at Lance had gone to his room. Both Kitty and Lance had stayed where they were and talked.

Rogue had finally gotten control of herself and stopped crying, and went back to listening to her CD.

Jean being the academic glory freak she is, sat doing her homework, of all things.

Scott had been out working on his car, but had giving up, being creeped out by the silence.

Kurt and Todd had sat together in the kitchen, glaring at one another and arguing until they had found something both liked. Surprisingly it was poker. (A/N: sorry I couldn't think of anything they could agree on)

The mansion was eerily quiet and still, considering teens lived there. And that's how it stayed the whole afternoon. ************************************************************************ Same as before.