EPILOGUE

Winter was here. Ororo could feel it in her bones. The trees were almost shivering as their leaves were shed, like stick figures standing naked, fingers interlaced but totally separate from one another. Work on the mansion was still ongoing, but after a month, it was beginning to feel like home again. Ororo knew it would never feel the same. The corridors would always hold the ghosts of that horrible day for her, and she knew it was the same for the others as well.

Security had been upgraded in all parts of the mansion, and Cerebro was undergoing drastic modifications while Hank was back. The danger room was still out of commission, and it looked like it would be a few months yet before it was structurally sound enough to contain the student's training sessions.

An investigation by the FBI into The Friends of Humanity had uncovered a dogmatic organization that brainwashed its members and armed itself to the teeth, not unlike a terrorist group. The FBI did not go so far as to call the Friends of Humanity any such thing, but the implication was clear: any remaining cells of loyalists to Graydon Creed would be exposed and shut down. They would not allow something like this to happen again. Newspaper reports had likened it to the Waco disaster, which Hank McCoy had argued against in a column he penned for The New York Post:

What happened at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters had no resemblance to the tragic events at Waco. A dangerous fringe group and not any federal body persecuted Xavier's school, although the series of committees that seemed to spring up in the days before the attack dripped with the same tar that stuck to the Waco investigators. In the end, Creed was a victim of his own self righteous crusade…..

The school resumed the semester after a brief hiatus. Most of the students, however, would require ongoing counseling and support after their ordeal. Hank promised Ororo that he would stay, at least until the renovations were complete. He would not commit himself to become part of the team, at least, not yet. Ororo knew that Hank needed the school as much as it needed him, and his indecisiveness was borne out of some internal struggle. He was in love with the idea of being a crusader within the human world, and Ororo feared it would eventually come crashing down on him.

Ororo was outside, watching the frozen surface of the pond in a mesmerized state. She wore a long cape with grey fur edges which had a hood that Ororo wore over her head. It had been a gift from Logan, its origins unknown to her. She suspected the fur trimmings were in fact from a wolf, but she couldn't be sure. She sighed and a plume of mist rose from her mouth and nostrils.

The sound of heavy boots trudging through snow behind her heralded Scott's arrival. "The professor asked if you're coming in," he asked.

She turned slightly and smiled. "Yes. I was just thinking. I must've got carried away."

Cyclops offered his arm and she linked hers with it. They began trudging back to the mansion slowly. "I know you hate goodbyes." He said carefully, almost as if he wasn't sure he wanted to say the words.

She nodded. "Depends on how permanent they are. I knew, for instance, that when Hank said goodbye he was going to return. I dislike the goodbyes where you know you won't see the person for a very long time."

"Is that how you feel now?"

She nodded. "I feel that we've failed them, Scott."

Scott inclined his head towards her. "I think we helped them as much as we could."

Ororo raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing to disprove him. They walked in silence for a few seconds before Ororo spoke again. They were about to enter the main entrance to the refurbished school. The polished mahogany door was carved with the word Omnia Mutantur. Translated from the Latin, it means "Everything Changes". She sighed and hesitated outside the doors. "I don't think we can change the world," she said with a faraway look in her eyes. "Perhaps I'm being cynical. When Charles enlisted me all those years ago, I called him foolish for having such lofty dreams."

Scott wasn't surprised that Ororo was in a mood like this. She was more inclined to be introspective and tended to fall into deep thought, sometimes to the point where she over thought things to an exaggerated degree. It was because of this that most of the students thought of Ororo as aloof or cold. She had a way of making it seem as though her thoughts were the only company she needed. Whenever they came out of a battle like this one, she tended to go to ground for a while afterwards. Xavier trained them all, and offered counseling after a grueling or emotionally draining mission. Ororo had always declined that help. "You were young. We all were, when we first came here. You came to believe in the professor, and his school." He said.

Ororo looked up at Scott and he could see real pain in her eyes. "Scott, I think I don't have that much faith in the professor now. What he did…Everything that has happened in the last few months…It had corroded my blind faith in him. I know we've all spoken about it, and I know what your view point is, and I respect that. I just don't know if I should be here anymore."

Scott was silent for what seemed an eternity. She couldn't tell what he was feeling because his visor covered his eyes. His mouth was set into a hard line and his hand still rested on the door. "Ororo, I wish I knew what to say."

"Your faith in him is unshakeable, Scott. Of course you can't understand it."

Scott touched her arm softly and then pulled her into a hug. She did not resist, and to her surprise, tears began to form a film over her eyes. She pushed her face into his shoulder and took a shuddering breath. "I can understand what it is like," He said softly into her hair. "I've recently had my faith in another person shaken. Everything that you held dear about that person is put under the microscope and you begin to wonder if you ever really knew this person to begin with."

Ororo knew that he was talking about Jean. After the dust settled, Jean moved out of their shared room and into an empty room on the second floor. It seemed as though Scott and Jean were avoiding the need to speak to each other, and the general feeling amongst everyone at the mansion was that the engagement was off. Ororo knew that Jean would eventually tell her what is going on, but for the moment Ororo was willing to let this one play out. After the conflict of the last few months, she did not want to partake in another war. "I haven't told anyone about this, Scott. Do you think I should tell Charles?"

Scott let a brief pause hang between them. He lowered his head. "Do you still want to be part of the team, part of this school?"

She nodded without hesitation. There had been moments where she'd doubted the sanity of her decision to join the team, but there was never a moment when she wanted to turn her back on them. Her faith in Xavier was shaken, and she didn't know if she could place a huge amount of trust in him again. But her belief that the X-men were needed, and that their causes are right and just, was never in question.

"Then perhaps," Scott said, breath streaming from his mouth in a gust. "You need to work through whatever issues you have with him, because it's impossible to hide a secret in this place. Be honest. Let him know. You'll be surprised how understanding he'll be."

Ororo nodded and withdrew from Scott, wrapping her arms around her waist. "I suppose we should get this over with." He opened the door and they stepped inside. Immediately the warm air flooded over her face. She allowed Scott to help her out of her cape and they walked into the common room.

Xavier looked up and smiled at them. He was in the centre of the room, with Logan and Jean behind him. Cyclops felt a stab of jealousy at the sight of Logan and Jean together. There was a handful of students lounging around them. Sebastien and Chamber sat on the large couch together, and Ororo noted that they were holding hands.

"I really wish you could stay, both of you," Xavier said. "There is still so much we do not know about your powers, Sebastien. In all my years of research into the development of mutant abilities, I have never seen a case where a mutant could simply switch their power on or off as they so desired. It really is remarkable."

Ororo and Scott joined the rest of the team behind Xavier.

"I'm really sorry. You've been great to me, all of you, but I think I need this right now." Sebastien squeezed Chamber's hand. Chamber looked at him and Xavier could feel real happiness well inside both young men. The desire to be with each other seemed to great a thing and they had both yielded to it.

"Very well. You know that there is always a safe place for you here?"

Chamber nodded. "Yes, and I thank you for it."

Sebastien stood up and walked over to Jean. He smiled at her and she smiled back. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. Like everything else she did in life, Ororo thought, Jean even cried with dignity. She never made a spectacle of herself. Jean pulled Sebastien into a hug, and held him at arms length. "Take good care of him, Chamber," She said quietly. "We didn't bring him this far to have him come back to us all broken."

Chamber nodded. Logan stepped in between Jean and Sebastien. His big hand was touching Jean's ever so lightly, and Sebastien could see Jean was almost imperceptibly leaning against him. Logan pulled Sebastien into a rough hug. Sebastien looked at this man who saved him, who took him here, and blinking away tears, he said. "You'll never know how much I thank you."

Logan nodded and touched his shoulders. "Don't mention it," He said gruffly. It was clear he was trying to keep the same detached mask he used all the time, but Sebastien could see the film of tears in Logan's eyes, almost as imperceptible as Jean leaning against him. But it was there, and Sebastien was thankful for it. "So, London. It's a big move. Are you ready for it?"

Sebastien looked back at Chamber. For the first time in his life he was sure about something. "I'm going to be fine. I have Jonathan to look after me."

Ororo was next. She tried to find the right words. Sebastien stood in front of her and smiled, hands in pockets. This boy had changed their whole world, for better of worse. He had pushed them all to their emotional limits without ever noticing that he was doing it. He also managed to find the courage to accept what he was, and use that newfound self awareness to defeat an enemy. He had almost died, twice, and Ororo was glad that he was still standing in front of her. She hadn't had that much contact with Sebastien since his arrival but she felt close to him. She took his hand in hers and sighed. "Chamber, come over here." She said. Chamber did as he was told and she took his hand in hers as well. "You two have found something that is wonderful. Someone who understands you completely and someone whom you can trust without having to think about it." She glanced up at Scott, who looked away quickly. "Be true to each other. Hold on to your love because it will open your mind to wonders. I wish you both every success and I sincerely hope that one day, your shared path will lead back to us."

Silence enveloped the room. Storm had said what everyone had been trying to articulate. She felt Scott squeeze her shoulder before Sebastien leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Our thoughts will be with you," Chamber said to Ororo. His eyes met hers and she felt his sincerity.

Xavier wheeled over and smiled up at the two young men. "The car is waiting," he said quietly. "Time to go."

Sebastien nodded and took hold of Chamber's hand. He looked back at the people that had filled his life for the last few days, these extraordinary human beings who helped him when they didn't really have to. Logan could have let him die in the streets, but he came across those boys attacking him, and he stopped them. He picked Sebastien up and took him to Xavier's because that's what heroes do.

Sebastien stopped, broke away from his contact with Chamber's hand, and looked at Logan. "You never asked," He said. "And I was afraid to tell you. But those boys were going to kill me not because I am a mutant. They could never have known that. But the one of the boys, Jeremiah, he and I used to be together….you know…."

Logan nodded. "You don't need to tell me this."

"But I do. Please, just so there are no secrets. Jeremiah could never accept himself for what he was, and he was always looking for something to blame for his own shortcomings. The Friends of Humanity picked up on his insecurities, and the next thing I knew, he was at a training camp. I didn't see him again for four months. When he returned, he was not Jeremiah anymore. I barely recognized him." Sebastien took a shuddering breath. "He wanted to erase the memory of me from his mind, and the only way to do that was to kill me. So he and his buddies from the Friends of Humanity were waiting outside my apartment building, and they chased me. Jeremiah looked like some kind of ghoul, with his head shaved and his eyes all hollow. Any part of him that was human was erased. If you hadn't have come along, they would have killed me."

"And if your mutant power had not surfaced at that moment," Jean said, as if the solution had hit her like a slap in the face. "They would have killed you, because Logan came in late to the situation. Detective Morgan would have been investigating a very different crime."

Sebastien nodded. "Now you know."

Chamber grabbed Sebastien's hand again and they headed towards the huge doors that led out of the mansion. "Come on, boyo," Chamber said. "Let's go and catch a plane."

The huge doors swung back into place with a heavy thud which echoed throughout the hallways of Xavier's school for gifted youngsters.

Charles Xavier looked up at his X-men, and he could see each one was lost in their thoughts. Ororo had something to tell him, but he was not going to pry it out of her. Scott and Jean were experiencing tension in their relationship for the first time since they had gotten together, and Xavier could not help to assume that the air between jean and Logan had become more charged, heightened by a mere touch, or a look. He didn't need to be psychic to work out what had happened, and he was grateful that his powers were muted after the trial.

Hank was beside Xavier and laid a hand on Xavier's shoulder. "They'll be back," he said, still watching the huge doors, as if hoping his words would be true. "I know from experience. You can't turn your back on this place."

Xavier smiled for the first time in what seemed like decades. He offered a silent prayer that Hank would agree to stay with them for longer, so that his X-men would once again be together as a whole team. He also knew there were some unresolved issues with Ororo, but all of that could wait. Jean came over and touched his shoulder lightly. Her eyes were full of love, admiration and apprehension all at once. Ororo wasn't the only one whose faith in him had been shaken, but with Jean, he knew he would always have support no matter what the circumstance.

There were darker thoughts clouding Xavier's mind, reaching out like dark claws at the periphery of his optimism. Magneto was loose again, and he was responsible for that. He had neglected the growing animosity between Scott and Logan to the point where they very nearly killed each other. He had allowed his school to be attacked, his students assaulted, and the mansion almost destroyed. And while he could still smell the new coats of paint and polish, testament to the school's resurrection, he couldn't help but wonder when the next time would be. The school may burn, be taken hostage or completely destroyed, but Xavier held out hope that even if he sent these fine mutants into a final battle, when none of them were left standing, that somewhere, someone would take up their cause and fight again. Dreams could not be broken.

"I can't promise that we will win, my X-men." He said softly as they approached his office. "I don't know if that's possible in this lifetime. Take heart in the little victories; find hope in what we achieve and not what we lose. There will always be people who will oppose us, some of them with violence. We all have to be prepared for that, because those who oppose us believe in their cause as much as we do ours. Creed almost managed to destroy us, because he believed what he was doing was right."

He stopped speaking then, and looked up, his eyes roaming over each mutant in turn. "We are homo superior. We are mutants, but we are also human. Walk the line with care, X-men."

Jean knelt beside him and took hold of his hand. He looked into her eyes and felt tears rising. "Walk the line with care."

There was nowhere to go but up. He knew that now. There was no place on earth that he could hide from the humans. He valued his freedom too much to make mistakes.

He had risen above the clouds, feeling the cool air on his skin, feeling the wind ripple through his hair, and yet still he rose, until the sky turned dangerously purple and the air grew thinner. The protective pulse of energy around him guaranteed his air would not run out. At least not right away. As he rose further, and the air grew still, and the wind stopped, he felt a coldness unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

As a child, he had reached for the sky with pink, stubby fingers and exclaimed at how pretty the stars were. He would tell his mama he was going to live in the stars one day, like some faraway god living in a paradise of velvet darkness. It was one of the only things that kept him sane when the Germans came and took them away. He held on to those memories, some of which he kept locked away in a secret place, because he knew he needed to hold onto those memories. He needed them to survive now. He needed them to remind him why he chose the path he now walked. He needed them to give him justice.

He allowed himself to drift against the velvet blackness, his long coat moving only when his body did. It would have been nice to die out here, he thought. It would have been nice to give up and stop the fighting. He knew that Charles would say there was always hope, and sometimes he fancied he believed in his old friend's utopian vision of the future. But to be realistic, one must realize that no utopian society can flourish until the undesirable elements are eradicated. That is where Xavier and his paths divide. That is the fork that spears through their shared vision. And ultimately that is what makes Xavier weak; he did not have the stomach to do what was necessary.

In the distance, he noticed a huge object spinning slowly through the blackness. In the soundless environment, he could hear the creaks of the metal as if he had his ear pressed against it. He used his power to inspect the thing closer. It was a huge metal cylinder about the size of a warehouse or a large building. It consisted of two interlocking chambers and there were support beams jutting from all sides, evidence that the structure had been undergoing upgrades. But it was alone now, abandoned and drifting through space. It was the abandoned American/Chinese space station "Earth Station" which was given up after many problems between the nations about the direction and scope of the project.

Magneto smiled as he pulled the structure closer. It was in perfect condition, of course, and it had a constant nuclear energy source.

"Oh, this will do nicely," He said as he floated towards the nearest entry hatch.

He had found his new home.

THE END