Mac woke up to the bright morning sunshine the next day, feeling as wonderful as ever. She had gone back to sleep the night before without any more dreams or nightmares or horrible memories. Today she felt beyond exuberant! She was finally going home. With that thought in mind, she hopped out of bed and went to go get in the shower. Within the next 20 minutes, she had showered, got dressed, fixed her hair up in a French twist and was out the door on her way to the bus stop. 'Next stop, home,' she thought, smiling as she headed down the street.
As he got ready that morning for school, Scott noticed something different; the professor wasn't in his office like he usually was, he was sitting at the kitchen table. Every now and then Scott glanced up and caught a smile creeping across his mentor's serene face. 'Humph. I wonder what could be making the professor so happy this morning,' he thought. 'He's never with us at breakfast. Something must be up.'
As if Xavier was reading his mind, he suddenly cleared his throat to grab the attention of all his students. "I would like all of you to come directly home after school today. No extracurricular activities; I have already called the school and any coaches. You are all excused from practices and whatnot this afternoon."
"But why professor?" Jean questioned, obviously startled at their teacher's cryptic words. "Is there something wrong? Should we be worried?"
Charles chuckled, something he rarely ever did. "No, of course not. I want you all to be here because I have a feeling that we are going to have a visitor today, but I do not know when they will be arriving."
Kitty looked mystified and confused. "Well, is it someone we should be looking out for? I don't understand."
Xavier looked at all his students and noticed they all shared the same concerned, confused look. "No, this person means us no harm, I can assure you all. They are an old friend to some of us. They are a mutant of course, but a very special mutant. I think it would do you all good to be here to meet them. I also have a feeling that they will probably be staying with us for quite some time, maybe even permanently, if I have any say in it." With that, he wheeled around and left to finish up some odds and ends, leaving the bewildered students behind to get ready for school.
"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Kurt questioned as soon as he was out of earshot. "Do you think we should be worried?"
Scott, who had sort of zoned out during the professor's speech, suddenly snapped back to attention. "No... No I don't think so, Kurt. I get the feeling that he was telling the truth. I know it was a little puzzling, but I think that we really don't have anything to fear from this visitor. Probably just someone who's going to show us something about mutants; maybe a new power none of us have ever encountered before. Uh, excuse me, but I got to get to school early today, I got to study or something..." Scott suddenly lowered his head and went to his room to get his books so he could leave for school, not saying anything or even looking at the other kids.
"Boy what's up with him?" Evan questioned, following the retreating friend with a curious glance. "Did someone step on his toes or what?"
They all looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Finally, the silence was broken when Kurt teleported over to Kitty and stole the last eggo waffle from the toaster in front of her. "Kurt!" She yelled as she ghosted through the table to try and get her breakfast back from him. "Let go of my eggo!" After that, the usual breakfast noise was in full-effect and it seemed like any other normal day.
As he sat in his car in the school parking lot, Scott began to think about the professor's words. School didn't even start for another 45 minutes, so he had a lot of time to ponder. 'It couldn't be,' he began thinking. 'It just couldn't be. He said she was never coming back, that she might even be dead. But I hope she's not; she can't be! If it is her, then I don't know what. Gosh, it would be great to see her again. It would be like having at least part of my family here. Maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up, it probably isn't even her.'
Scott reclined his chair a bit and found himself thinking about his childhood friend whom he had spent almost every waking moment with before they were split up. As Scott drifted off into his memories, the time began to fly by. Next thing he knew, the bell was ringing and students were beginning to pull in next to him and file into the school. Reluctantly, he got out of his car and, not waiting for Jean, he headed off to his first class.
Mac looked out just as the bus she was on passed by Bayville High. 'Just a few more minutes,' she thought. She could see the students flooding into the tiny doorway that hadn't changed since she was a student there. As she was looking at the kids, she was startled and looked more closely out the window. 'No it couldn't be!' she thought. 'He couldn't still be here, not after all these years, I'm sure its not him.' Mac turned away from the window and sat back down. 'I mean why would he be wearing those red sunglasses, he wouldn't wear something as silly as that. And besides, he wasn't wearing them when I left. It was someone else, I'm positive.'
She looked back out the window and could see the institute looming over the horizon. She gathered up her bags and whatnot and stood up, ready to depart this bus for good. As it stopped, she went and paid the driver and carefully walked down the steps, not wanting to trip or anything. She walked up to the gates, set her bags down and pressed her thumb to the fingerpad just outside the entrance gate.
"Welcome home Ms. Cunningham," the speaker said as the gates began to open.
"Thank you, it's great to be home," Mac smiled as she went through the gates and walked the long path to her home. As she neared the steps, she stopped and beamed a smile bright enough to replace the sun.
Charles Xavier was waiting on the front steps with Ororo, the Beast and Logan all behind him. "Welcome home, my child. It's good to see your smiling face again!"
Mac dropped her bags on the path and ran all the way up the stairs to give him a long hug. With tears streaming down her face and being pushed down the sides of her cheeks by her smiling lips she managed to speak, "Thank you. It's wonderful to be home again. And it's even more wonderful to see you, Grandfather!"
Xavier was delighted to have his only grandchild back home and was even more delighted that she wanted to be back. He let her go so she could go and hug Ororo, whom had been at the institute before Mac had left. Mac said Hello to both Beast and Logan, whom she remembered, but could tell he obviously didn't remember her (and she really didn't expect him to, it was a long time ago).
Xavier turned around to face his family, a smile permanently etched into his face. "You look stunning, my dear," he said as she turned back to him. "You have grown up to be quite the beautiful young lady. If I hadn't have recognized your eyes, I probably wouldn't have known it was you!"
Mac chuckled and blushed a little and went to go and pick up her bags, but the Beast and Logan had already picked them up and were ready to go and put them in her room. "Thank you," she said. "I was just going to get them."
"Don't worry about it kid," Logan said. "It's our pleasure. Charles' only granddaughter warrants some nice manners from us. Although, being part of his gene pool, I have a feeling you would have done just fine, wouldn't you, Sprite?"
Mel just laughed. "I believe so, Mr. Logan. Is that the best nickname you could come up for me? Sprite?"
Logan smiled, something he never did. "Hey, what can I say? After Charles told us about what you are, it was the only thing that came to mind. Someone like you surely has to be quite 'magical'. And it's not Mr. Logan kid; it's just Logan. Got it Sprite?"
She flashed him a 100-watt smile. "Got it. Logan"