Ldypebsaby: August is an OC created by R-Man that's the daughter of Selene, so be sure to check out his work with her to know more about her.

Ruby631: Glad to see you're back. I figured that hurricane was the reason you weren't around lately, glad you're back and I hope that was the LAST one too.

Red Witch: Actually I'll be lucky to make it to 50 chapters, I am trying to make Spider-X, The New Teacher and hopefully Justice League: The Spider and with R-Man's help, Exiles 100 chapters.

Aaron: I'm trying to figure out a way to bring in Dan, but if Johnny is Ghost Rider then I have no idea what he would be in the story.

Celtcath74: I was thinking of forming the Secret Defenders with those people with Strange, and I am trying to come up with a way to bring in Steve Rodgers again.

TheLegendaryManHimself: I keep a list of all the main characters and others of those that make a 'guest' appearance, plus a few things I keep in my memory.

Xmenfan: Nice story ideas but I got something other planned, as for age difference. Piotr is 19 and Kitty is nearly 18 so it's not that big a difference, besides Lance was older then her too. And it's AGU (Agent-G Universe) not ASG (whatever that was supposed to stand for) please drop the evolving thing now, I want to lead up to it, but Vince is powerful enough and Jean will one day be the phoenix so she won't evolve either. The uniforms won't be made until MUCH later on.

Sparky Genocide: oh yeah he'll want an explanation all right, as for her dating Ghost Rider I wanted something no one saw coming.

The Uncanny R-Man: Yeah I wanted to real surprise out of this chapter, and if you think Selene is pissed off before she won't like this defeat either.

slickboy444: Well I'm trying to make it seem that Evolution is more a part of the Marvel universe and that has magic in it. Glad you liked the Kitty/Piotr moments, as for that...maybe one day, just hope Logan doesn't catch them doing that though, lol.

Winblades: What can I say? I like to surprise people, I mean why do what everyone else does instead of trying to be a little original that, and I try not to be predictable.

Thanks to: X00001, LadyDeathStrike1, DemonRogue13, Ranndie Mazda

ADJUSTMENTS

CHAPTER 25: PAINFUL MEMORIES

After everyone was alright Dr. Strange went to prepare a barrier spell for the Institute so Selene wouldn't be back anytime soon. Everyone was jammed into the large living room, Dr. Strange's guest had seats, as did Illyana, John, Kitty and Piotr. There were a few others sitting but everyone else had to either stand or sit on the floor.

The two new girls had explained while everyone was getting comfortable that Jennifer had sensed something wrong and had gotten August and together they used a teleportation spell to get there just in time.

"So I guess we should explain ourselves a bit?" John said looking to the others. He took a deep sigh. "Alright I guess I'll start off. It all started several years ago when a stunt driver who rode motorcycles took me in. His name was Crash Simpson, for years I worked with him as he taught me everything he knew, and...I got close to his daughter Roxanne. Then not too long ago we found out Crash had terminal cancer."

John laughed a little. "But you know what? He didn't let that stop him he kept on going. But I didn't want to let him die, so I turned to the occult. I tried to find some kind of magic but I didn't have the gift of magic to use them or nothing worked. So I turned to the dark arts and in my desperation I called on Mephisto."

"Who?" Bobby asked.

"The Devil." Illyana explained.

John nodded solemnly. "Yeah...I made a deal that if he didn't die from the cancer I would give up my soul." Everyone was shocked to hear that he was willing to go so far to safe him. Then Johnny's face darkened. "But I was cheated. Sure the cancer was miraculously gone but on the next stunt...he died. He crashed his bike into some cars he was trying to jump over...then later that night Mephisto came back and demanded payment, and I told him no."

"Well he tried to take my soul anyway but Roxanne had seen the books that I was reading and figured out what I was up too. At the last moment she came in and saved me with some kind of enchantment or something. My soul was safe but boy was he pissed. He cursed me you see. He bonded me with the Ghost Rider for the rest of my life. Roxanne tried to find a way to free me of the curse but...she couldn't."

"Then she dumped him." Illyana said angrily.

"Yeah...well anyway I've been struggling with Ghost Rider for over a year now trying to gain some control. I mean when I chance I black out and sometimes they last for hours or even weeks. Dr. Strange found me and has been helping me control this, so that I can at least live with it."

"So Dr. Strange can't like just un-curse you?" Kitty asked him.

Johnny shook his head. "Not without killing me or something even worse." Then he turned to his head to the other two girls. "So whose next?"

"I'll go." Jen said. "Well my name is Jennifer Kale and as it turns out john and I are distant cousins. We only found that out not long ago. I got this mystic ability of a medium but when Dr. Strange approached me he told me I had a lot of potential. So now I'm studying the Wiccan arts. Also we got another cousin out there named Dan Ketch but we're still looking for him."

August was the last one as she was sitting with her arms folded and had her legs crossed. "Well as you heard my mother is you can call her that, is Selene but it's not exactly something I'm proud of."

"Hey join tha club." Rogue said. "Ya ain't the only one with a psycho for a mother."

"No offence Rogue, but from what Illyana told me my mother makes yours seem perfect."

"Ah find that hard ta believe." Rogue scoffed.

"Oh yeah?" August said unfolding her arms and leaning forward. "Let me tell you about my mother, she's a power hungry woman that will do anything and I do mean anything to get what she wants and she doesn't care about anything else. She's gone through the ages killing, torturing and doing gods knows what."

"She doesn't give a damn about anyone...not even me. You see she's part mutant but also part sorceress and I know what you're thinking yes I'm a mutant too; those fireballs were part of my powers. But she also trained me in the black arts. But when I was sixteen I refused go through with this ceremony that required me to sacrifice this poor guy to some demon or something."

She leaned back into her chair. "Well she was disappointed in me and decided that if I couldn't follow in her footsteps then I had to be punished. So she sent me to Limbo under guard of these demons that she had some pull with."

"Demons?" Kurt said astonished. "You mean actually demons?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah, and from what Illyana told me about you cutie you shouldn't worry about looking like one of them, trust me your much better looking then they are." She said giving him a small wink, which made Amanda a little uncomfortable, August saw this and smiled at her. "Don't worry I won't pull a 'Jillian' on him, and count yourself lucky too."

"Believe me I do." Amanda said back to her with a smile.

"So what was Limbo like?" Jamie asked.

August was a little uncomfortable with that. "It...wasn't pleasant. I mean I was in a cell for I don't know now long since there were no windows but then again there's no sky and time doesn't work the same there. Plus I was afraid of what the guards might try to do."

"Like what?" Rahne asked.

"You don't want to know." August said sorrowfully.

"It can't be that bad could it?" Jubilee said to her next.

August sighed. "Fine but I warned you. Let me paint a picture for you, sixteen-year-old virgin girl surrounded by demons. I was just lucky that the demons my mom picked out where the ones that thought humans were disgusting, but then again she most likely planned that too."

"I mean there are three things demons like to do with virgins. One is screw them, so I was afraid that one of them was going to rape me, which is mostly fatal by the way to have sex with most kinds of demons. Two is if I survived the previous one, I would get pregnant and that too is mostly fatal."

"Do we really want to know?" Tabitha asked like the others not liking where this was going.

"You ever see Alien?" August asked her and she saw a few faces get slightly pale. "Yeah kind of like that. But then I would be lucky if it was just one of those two, number three is worse of all"

"What could be worse then that?" Logan nearly shouted, he had seen and heard of some sick things but this was getting a little too much.

"Sacrifice." She nearly whispered. "I mean they vary but I really remember the horrible ones, which were running through my mind the entire time I was there. I mean there are some that rip your soul out and it's devoured by a demon, or there's a few where they magically keep you alive and conscious as they slowly kill you a certain way, like cutting off all your skin and then they start with the flesh underneath and keep going until your just a skeleton."

"Good God." Ororo whispered under her breath. "You mean any one of those could have happened to you?"

"Yeah." August replied. "Or all three if I was really unlucky, that and I wouldn't put it past Selene if she was holding me until I either changed my mind or until she sacrificed me herself for more power. I'm just lucky that Dr. Strange found me and busted me out of there before any of that happed. I had nightmares for months after it though. But for nearly two years now I've lived with him and he's helped me a lot, not only with helping me get over that nightmare but also he's been teaching me magic too and this time it's the good kind of magic."

"Okay ah admit...you're mom is more of a psycho then mine." Rogue said to her.

"Told ya." Then August looked to Amara. "You're the princess of Nova Roma right?" Amara nodded being a little nervous around her. "Your parents kicked my super bitch of a mother out of your country right?" Again Amara nodded. Then August smiled and gave her a thumbs up sign. "Good one!" Amara was a little bewildered by that. "Hey anything that pisses her off is good news to me." August explained.

The students then started to ask them questions about what it was like at Dr. Strange's and someone asked if it was anything like Harry Potter but the four of them quickly told them it was nothing like that and it was a lot of hard work and studying. After a little time everyone was splitting up and going back to what they were going to do.

Amara and August were actually starting to get along since they both had a strong dislike for Selene and both had firepowers. They were comparing note on how much trouble and fun having that kind of a power could be. Jen was talking with Blink and Dani. While Piotr, Kitty, Illyana and Johnny went off for a more personal talk.

Tabitha saw Sam and she got a grin as she walked up to him. "Hey Sam did Amara ever get to give you that message?"

"Ah don't think so, ah was out back with the others when she showed up so no."

"Well I wanted your opinion on something could you come up to my room in ten minutes?" She asked him.

"Uh...sure Tabby." Sam replied. He wasn't sure what she had planned but with her he couldn't even guess, it was one of the things he liked about her, no matter what she always surprised him.

Sarah however has thinking over what she had heard. She never hear of demons, Limbo, or any of this other stuff and was wondering to look it up like how they had showed her how to do that with the internet on the computers not long ago, or just ask someone. She was also thinking about August and her relationship with her mother Selene and it made her think of Dr. Risman. Sure she had been in charge of the experiments done on her, but after thinking on it a lot she realized that Risman had always seemed to lessen the 'tests' done on her then the others and always gave her more breaks and other things that the other scientists didn't do. Looking back on it, it seemed that Risman had gone out of her way to try and make sure she got the best treatment she could get in her position without Hydra catching on.

She was wondering if that was true or just coincidence. "Some thing on your mind?" She turned to see Logan standing close to her.

She shrugged. "Just thinking on a few things, like having to look up some of the things that they talked about."

"Like what?" Logan asked curious, he knew she has lived a 'sheltered' life and was still learning the outside world.

She thought about one of the things she heard about. "What's sex?"

Logan's jaw dropped and then he just groaned. "Anything but that...please."

"What's wrong?" Ororo asked. She had seen the stricken look on Logan's face and was wondering if anything was wrong.

"I asked him what sex was?" Sarah said simply. Ororo smirked as she saw Logan actually wince when she said that and knew right away how uncomfortable it was for him.

"Tell you what, how about I fill you in on that, since I think you need a woman's view on it and I doubt Logan could tell you since it obviously makes him uncomfortable." Ororo said to her.

"Please." Logan said to Strom. "I'll do anything for ya if ya do, I'm not cut out for 'the talk', and you know it." Ororo smiled and nodded, there were a few things Logan couldn't do and talking to a teenage girl about sex was not one of them.

Piotr and the others were in the Kitchen and he had to ask Illyana a few things but he didn't want to the others to know so while Kitty was questioning John he decided to ask Illyana in Russian. "Do you really like him?"

"Yes, he's very good and kind to me brother." She told him honestly. "Plus it hasn't been easy for him this last year, I know the whole changing into a spirit of vengeance thing is...different. But then so are our lives I mean Kitty has an actual dragon. That reminds me."

Illyana turned to Kitty. "Hey Kitty, I looked through a book of dragons and I found out that Lockheed is a dwarf dragon, I can make a copy of what it said and send it to you."

"Really?" Kitty said excitedly. "That's great, now if you excuse me Bobby owes me twenty bucks. He bet me Lockheed was a genetically engineered lizard or something." She told them as she stood up and left the room. "Hey Bobby you like owe me twenty bucks!" They heard her shout out.

Piotr looked at John and then to Illyana. "You're sure about him?" He asked her once again in Russian.

"Yes I am." She replied in their native tongue.

Piotr sighed. "Well you're a big girl now...but if he hurts you, you know I have to hunt him down." She laughed and leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"I take it he approves?" Johnny asked seeing that since he didn't understand a word that they had said. 'Mental note, learn Russian.' He thought to himself.

Upstairs Sam was on his way to Tabitha and Amara's room. He knocked and heard Tabitha said to come in. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on but then again why spoil the surprise. When he got in there was no one there. "Tabby?" He asked.

"Just a minute." She said from the bathroom. Then she came out and Sam's jaw dropped. Tabitha was wearing the schoolgirl uniform that she borrowed from Jean and she was wearing white stocking and had her hair in two pigtails and had a lollypop too. She twirled around to give him an eye full. "So...what do you think?"

Sam tried to say something, anything but his brain had shut down at the visual overload. All he could do was make random sounds.

"Oh really?" She teased him. "Well I guess it is a bit much thanks for your opinion." The next thing Sam knew he was outside her door in the hall, he just stood there blinking a few times before he walked off in a daze. Roberto and Alex.

They both noticed his strange walking and the stare he had going. "Yo man you alright?" Roberto asked him the next thing they knew Sam fell to the ground. Both ran over to pick him up and they saw a grin on his face.

"What happened?" Alex asked Roberto.

"If I had to guess?" Roberto said as he helped him carry Sam. "Tabitha. Help me get him to his room."

After Dr. Strange had finished with the spell it was time for everyone to leave. Illyana hugged her brother goodbye and Johnny and him shook hands.

August and Amara said their goodbyes too and they actually promised to stay in contact. "Well this has been an interesting visit." Dr. Strange told Xavier. "But I have to get back."

Xavier nodded. "I understand and thanks for that barrier, you're sure Selene won't get through it?"

Dr. Strange nodded. "I'm sure of it you won't have any problems with her dropping in anymore."

Xavier smiled. "Well that is good news." Everyone said their final goodbyes and Dr. Strange teleported them all away.

Kitty saw the look on Piotr's face and could tell he hated to say goodbye to his little sister. He walked off with a glum look on his face and Kitty decided she would give him some time to himself he looked like he needed it.

While everyone got back to what they were doing Xavier realized there was something he nearly forgotten to do today. Today was supposed to be one of the sessions with Wanda. Even though it was evidently clear that she didn't like it, Xavier knew that keeping her feelings bottled up like they were wasn't healthy for her. He scanned the mansion for her and sent a telepathic message to meet him. He had to admit there were days when having telepathy was handy to have. It did save a lot of time looking through the entire mansion for someone.

He went to his study and waited. It was one of the few quiet places in the mansion so it offered max privacy, which is what sessions like these demanded. It wasn't long until Wanda walked in. She took her usual seat and he rolled right across from her.

Seeing how she was sitting he knew she didn't like this, but it was necessary. "Wanda I know you don't like to talk about this but you need to in order to heal."

"I think I can heal just fine if I can hurt Magneto." She said coldly.

Xavier sighed. "Wanda I know some of what you're going through.'

She snorted at that. "Please! Were you ever locked up for years? Were you always afraid? Did you miss out on life? I had a father who didn't give a damn about me! He just threw me away, I bet your father was perfect compared to mine!"

"I wouldn't know." Charles said evenly. "My biological father died when I was young, but then my mother remarried."

"So what?" Wanda said to him harshly. She didn't like any of this, talking about her past only upset her.

"Because he wasn't the most caring man." He said and his face took on a slightly darker almost haunted look that Wanda was surprised to see. "You see your father did lock you away, when I was younger I most likely would have preferred that...you see he used to...to beat me."

Wanda was shocked by this revelation; she figured that Xavier had a normal childhood even privileged, but not something like this. She looked at him now and especially his legs. "Did...did he do that?" She motioned to his legs.

"No...that was something else." Xavier said softly. "But I think he came close to it a few times."

"W-why didn't your mother ever stop it?" Wanda asked him.

"She didn't know...you see she was...very sick Wanda. And I didn't want to upset her or it might have made her worse, plus my stepfather was careful...he made sure none of the bruises were on my face and I covered them well enough so no one knew. I too was afraid you see. I was afraid that every time that man was close I was going to get hurt."

"I hated him." Wanda was shocked to hear him say something like that. Wanda thought he wasn't capable of hating anyone but he just nodded. "Yes Wanda...even I can hate someone. I had to watch my mother waste away and had to endure countless beatings. He always acted like I was the best thing that happened to him around other people, but in truth...he didn't care about me, or my mother. He just married her to get to her money."

Wanda was quiet a moment, she looked down at her feet to avoid his eyes. "Why can't fathers love their children?" She asked under her breath.

"What was that Wanda?" Xavier asked as he leaned forward slightly. Her fists tighten in her lap but she didn't respond. "Wanda...are you angry for your father for putting in that place...or was there another reason, something you haven't told me...or maybe told yourself?"

Xavier could see a few tears falling now and he gently whipped them away from her cheeks and rose her head up to meet his eyes. He could not see any anger just pain in her eyes and he guessed this is what was behind all her anger. "Wanda...tell me." He gently urged her.

"Why...why didn't he love me?" She asked him her voice cracking from the emotions. "I-I though he loved me then...then..." She broke off as the true reason for her pain surfaced. Yes she was angry with what was done to her, but the pain behind her anger was that of a child wanting the love of their parent but never getting it. Xavier reached over and tried to bring her closer to embrace her and she easily leaned forward hugging him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I-I...I..." She tried to talk but she couldn't. This was a pain that she had tried her best to ignore, to bury, to deny. But it had always been inside of her. All she ever wanted from her father was his love. Xavier stroked the back of her head and said words to try and comfort her.

She couldn't remember the last time anyone tried to do that for her and then she couldn't hold off anymore. Years of repressed pain came flooding in and she openly cried on his shoulder. She sobbed on his as he held her and he tried his best to sooth her pain. He could feel her pain and it broke his heart.

'How could you leave a child Eric, especially one of your own like that?' He silently asked as he held the young woman baring the pain that was hidden deep in her soul.

OUTSIDE

Kitty later found Piotr looking into the distance seemingly lost in thought. "Hey, how are you doing?" She asked softly.

He looked at her and shrugged. "It is not easy for me to say goodbye to her. I was supposed to look out for her...but I failed that."

Kitty looked a little confused. "What do you mean by that?" He was quiet and she was wondering what he was keeping from her. "Hey I'm like your girlfriend if you can't tell me then who can you tell?" She softly asked him putting a hand on his arm.

His head lowered a bit. "Remember how I said our parents had died?" Kitty nodded. "Well I was working in the field and I don't know how it started but I saw smoke from the house. I ran back and saw the flames and heard my family inside. I turned into my metal form since I don't need to breath and for the protection."

"I crashed through the front door and I saw my parents trapped behind the flames I was going to get to them but then I heard Illyana cry out. Both my parents told he to get her out first, so I did. I found her trapped in her room the door blocked by fire. I smashed through the door and then I made a hole in the wall of her room to the outside."

"I carried her, since she was coughing from the smoke and was weak from it too. I ran as fast as I could to get her clear then I went back inside. I threw the support beam asides that was blocking them but then I saw them...there was another large piece of wood on them, it looked like my father had thrown himself on my mother to protect her." Piotr stopped slightly as the tears started to fall from his eyes at the memory and Kitty took his hand and squeezed gently.

"I...I took the large piece of wood aside and...and when I turned my father over his eyes...his eyes were open but there was nothing there, they just stared out blankly...I knew he was dead. Then...Then I heard my mother moan and I took her in my arms and carried her out. I placed her down next to Illyana but when I looked she was badly burned."

"She...she looked up to me and actually smiled. She told me how proud she and my father were of us and that they loved us...then she made me promise to look out for Illyana...she...she died in my arms not long after that. Not long after...after that ...Illyana was gone, I had fail my mother and I broke the promise." Kitty was now also in tears from hearing the story and hugged him close to her and she felt his tears fall on the side of her face.

She tried to think of something, anything to say. "You did your best you couldn't have known that Magneto would have taken her, and you did find her again and she's safe now, you kept the promise." She told him gently as she held him as he poured the pain he had kept inside ever since that dark day.

NEXT UP CHAPTER 26: WANDA'S FIRST DATE

Yep, Simon comes to visit and takes Wanda out on the town.