"You storm out of my office, leave school grounds without the proper authorization, instigate a confrontation at a bar, and get you and your friend hurt, and you dare come in here and demand that iI/i apologize?"

Professor Xavier's normally calm demeanor was in serious question at this exact moment. Ziska and A.J. had finally returned from their rebellious ride around Westchester, New York. Ziska assumed that there would be repercussions from her little stunt, and in a twisted way, that's what she wanted. At the very least, she was getting attention from her father.

At this moment, her father was furious. He fumed behind his desk, but he did not face the women. He instead gazed out the enormous arched windows of his elaborately decorated office. Ziska remained standing and glared at the back of Xavier's head. A.J. once again sat, and quietly nursed her bruised arm. A.J. glanced up at Ziska, but her friend did not return the look. Finally, in frustration, A.J. slammed her fist on the desk so hard that it broke both father and daughter out of their transfixed state, and their attention was turned to her.

"Look, if it's such a big deal." A.J. closed her eyes as her body shrank and reformed into the shape of a cat, and then reformed again to her natural state in a matter of seconds. Her wounds were nearly healed, although she wore an expression of pain on her face. "There! I'm all better, no harm done."

"Your injuries only scratch the surface at the amount of irresponsibility you two have shown," Xavier finally wheeled around to look at them.

"Look, Xavier," Ziska began.

Xavier's eyes narrowed. "You will address me as professor."

The iciness with which he spoke those words caught everyone off-guard. Ziska quickly shrugged it off.

"IProfessor/I, I still don't see what you've done to improve the status of the team. As far as I can tell, they're just as rebellious as we apparently are." Ziska placed her hands on her hips and stared at her father smugly.

"Seriously professor," A.J. continued. "Those kids need us more than we need them. They've really got to learn some appreciation."

The Professor just looked back at the young women. The only way they could tell he was angry was by the rate that his face was flushing with fury. No one spoke for several minutes, and the tension continued to grow. Xavier finally looked away, and again, gazed out the window.

There was a large garden filled with flowers just coming into full bloom with the season. The delicious fragrance wafted into the office on a gentle breeze. Xavier slowly took in a breath and sighed. He watched as two figures emerged from the porch. Liz slowly walked down the brick pathway, holding Darius's hand. They continued down the path to the tall, wooded arbor near the garden's end. They sat on the grass, and Darius gently ran his hands over the petals of a rose.

Xavier once again began to speak, but did not turn away from the window.

"Those Ikids/I went on a mission today. Those Ikids/I saved an eight-year old child from harming the people around him, and from being harmed himself. Those Ikids/I brought him back here where he received medical attention and a place to live," Xavier finally turned around to face Ziska and A.J. "Those kids were led by Dinah and Liz who stepped up, formulated a plan, and executed it as a team."

Ziska and A.J. had nothing to say. Neither one had bothered to bring along their communicators. The fact that the team had gone out was completely unknown to them. Ziska finally let her gaze shift to the arbor outside. She was certain that Liz was staring back, mocking her. Her attention snapped back to Xavier.

"I assure you Franziska, she is not mocking you. Now, I want to both of you to leave this office. You are confined to your rooms until further notice. You will serve detention, and double Danger Room sessions."

Again, Ziska felt her anger rise. "You are treating us like children!"

"Because you are acting as children!" Xavier let his voice rise. "Leave this office now!"

Both women stormed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~*************~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are these flowers everywhere?" Darius gently stroked the yellow rose in his hand. The petals were soft and felt smooth against his skin.

Liz smiled at the boy. "One of the teachers here, Ororo Munroe has roses everywhere in this garden. There are lots of other flowers out here too. It's very beautiful."

Darius tilted his head, and then scrunched up his nose. "Too many smells."

"I know what you mean," Liz laughed. "It's almost too much for me. No one else minds the smell as much though."

"Why not?" Darius sounded confused.

"Well," Liz thought how to best answer his question. "Not everyone here smells as well as we do. We've got much better noses."

Darius nodded his head. An angry noise immediately caught their attention. Liz turned her head and looked towards the arched windows of Xavier's office. "Humph," she grunted.

"What's wrong?" Darius tilted his head towards Liz.

"Don't worry about it. I think the Professor is just angry with his daughter. Her and her friend were supposed to help us rescue you but they ran away."

"That's bad."

"Yeah. It is." Liz smiled at shook her head. Darius' logic was so simplistic and innocent. She found it to be very refreshing from the chaos of her world. They were quiet for a moment longer, just listening and taking in all the sounds and smells around them. Darius lifted his head towards the sun and smiled as the warmth filled his entire body. Liz laughed at his carefree grin, then stopped and turned her head slightly. A familiar scent was carried on the breeze, and Liz growled. Darius tilted his head towards her, and squeezed her hand harder.

Scott Summers casually walked up behind Liz and Darius. He stood there for a few moments, waiting for a reaction from Liz. When he finally accepted the fact that he would get none, he spoke.

"Look, Liz.I want to apologize for what I did. You and Logan were right and even though I was trying to help you, I didn't go about it the right way." He waited a few more moments. Liz stared off into the distance, letting his apology sink in. A cold drop of water running down her arm immediately snapped her back to reality. She looked up at Scott with an expressionless face. Scott could feel her green, lizard-like eyes pierce into him. Being the fearless leader that he was, he raised an eyebrow, and held up the yellow cup in his hand.

Liz couldn't help but smile. "You brought me a frosty?"

Scott looked at the ground and smiled. "Yeah, I know, not your ordinary sign of an apology."

"It's great, Scott. Thanks."

"Your welcome."

Scott could still some tension, but was confident that a lot of it had been lifted. He smiled, nodded, and walked away. Liz turned back towards Darius.

"Hey Liz?"

"Yeah?"

"What's a frosty?"

Liz laughed. "The best stuff in the world."

Darius once again looked confused, until he tasted the chocolate concoction. Liz could not help but laugh once again at the pleased smile on Darius' face. They shared the frosty, and enjoyed the peace of the garden.