Authoress's notes: not so sure about this chapter. It was supposed to include a bit more, but I don't want it to be too long, so you'll just have to wait for me to write the next chapter. I will, I promise! I've already got it started! -goes to work on that-

Reviewers' Response:

HazelSilver – oh, pyromaniac! Well, I'm waiting for May 3rd 2006!

chelseypudge – hehe, love triangles, love triangles!

the littlest weasley – hmm. Rogue... lemme check on her.

live2luv – hmm, you've been going through my stories, haven't you :) It's lovely to have a new reviewer – and I'm glad you're enjoying my works. More is coming!

xImmortalx – jeez, I hope I don't kill ya until the story is over. Then you can die. But please don't XD

Pyro Lady – yeah... lucky... -sigh-

Rogue200315 – hehe, problems are fun!

Chapter 19: Sparks and Premonitions.

Scott pulled out his cell-phone and speed-dialed one of his numbers. After a few rings, a young male voice answered, "Hello?"

"Spike."

"Scott...?"

"Spike, how are you?"

"I'm ... fine."

"Spike, I want you to come here with me."

"What? Why?"

"Spike, it's not safe for you to –"

"Scott, I've told you, I'm fine!"

"No you're not." Scott stood up and paced the room. "Spike, ever since Mom and Dad died you've holed yourself in that dingy little flat without a dollar on your ass. I want you here with me."

"Scott, we've been through this already..."

"Yes, and I won't give in this time. I'm coming to get you this afternoon. Pack whatever you need and be ready."

"Scott, no."

"Spike, you can't keep living like this. You need a decent place to live, and you need food to survive, you know. You can't keep working at that place –"

"Scott, that place is the only job I can find! It's the only thing I can do and I'm good at it!"

"If that's the only thing you're good at, that's not a good thing. You need to go back to school. I won't turn a blind eye anymore. My little brother is not going to stay a dropout working for street gangs. Be ready this afternoon, Spike."

"Scott, no –"

"Spike!" Scott's voice was harsh. A hurt silence followed it.

"Why can't you come here and be here for me, then?"

Scott sighed. "You know I can't do that, Spike." He sat down in a couch and ran a hand through his hair. "I have a job, I have work to do. I can't run out like you did. People need me here."

"But I need you here, too!"

"Then you'll have to put some effort and get your ass packed fast enough so I can come pick you up and you can be here with me."

"But I don't want to go to that place again..."

"Spike, things have changed since you've been here. It's a better place. There are a lot of kids that would give all they had to be here. You have that choice, for free. You know Professor Xavier. He'll let you stay here, as long as you keep your end of the bargain: do your chores, work hard at your studies, and learn to control your powers. Don't you want to expand your powers?"

"Well, yeah, but not in a boarding school!"

"Spike, it's nothing like a boarding school here. It's a family, a home where you can be accepted."

"I'm accepted with the boys here, too!"

"Maybe so, but I won't accept you running around the streets in the middle of the night with gangs using your powers to break into places and steal things. I won't have you thrown in jail!"

Spike sighed; a rush of static in Scott's ears. He pulled out his last, ridiculous card. "How's your girlfriend, Spike?"

Spike snorted. "She left me ages, ago, you idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot, you little asshole." Scott grinned. "There are a few cute girls here, you know... plenty your age... and there isn't one kid here with your kind of powers. I'm sure they'll all love you at first sight..."

Spike actually laughed at that. "Oh god, I can't believe you're trying to bribe me with girls! My older brother, Scott-goodie-two-shoes-Summers, using low tricks to get me into that school..."

"Did it work?" Scott asked hopefully.

"No. But I have missed you a bit..."

"Ah, I see. Well, if you've missed me that much, I suppose there's not much I can do but go get you..."

"Five o'clock. Honk when you're here."

"Be ready." Scott hung up smiling. Then his smile turned to a frown as he thought about the other person he had vowed to bring back home to him.

-X-

"Mel. Mel, wake up."

"Mmmngph..."

"No, Mel, I'm afraid I can't understand you when your head's inside your pillow. Now wake up, I've got some good gossip for you."

"Ngh."

"Melavina Coulter, you will pull your head out of that pillow this instant or I will be forced to sit on it."

That got her out of bed. "Aaah, no! What's this gossip about?"

Kitty smirked. "Scott."

"What!" Mel shrieked, practically livid. "Why didn't you tell me!"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Because you refused to wake up, you idiot."

"Yeah, well, if you'd have told me..." sulked Mel. "So, what about my Scottie?"

"Your Scottie? Never mind. Rumor has it ... he's bringing his brother to the Institute." Kitty laughed at the look on Mel's face. "Oh, if only I had a camera!"

"He's what! He has a brother?"

"Apparently." Kitty nodded. "And -- he's younger than him."

"Ohmygod, ohmygod – how much younger?"

"Well," Kitty leaned forward conspiratorially, "according to the rumors... he's seventeen."

"Oh. My. GOD!" Mel fell back into her bed, eyes glazing over. "I cannot believe it. Scott has a younger brother, who is only a year older than me. Scott's brother. And he's coming here. And he's my age. And he's Scott's brother. Scott's bro–"

Mel's fangirl-esque stream of babble was ended promptly when a pillow landed on her head, quickly followed by Kitty herself.

-X-

"Here we are," said Scott as he pulled into the driveway. In the passenger side sat his younger brother Spike, jaws agape. "So, does it look like you remembered it?"

"Um." Spike snapped his mouth shut. "No, not really."

"Ah." Scott gave his brother a grin. "Don't worry. You're going to like it here. If there's anything you need, remember I'm probably just a yell away. But don't expect any favoritism just because you're my brother."

Spike snorted. "Yeah, right. Like that'll ever happen. If anything, you'll be harder on me."

"True." Scott parked the car in his spot in the garage and stepped out. Taking his brother's bag from the backseat, he beckoned him into the Institute. "Well, come on. Everybody's probably in the cafeteria; it's just lunchtime. Perfect time to introduce the new student."

Spike groaned. "Can I pretend not to be your brother?"

"Now, Spike, you know that won't work. You two could nearly pass for twins."

The two Summers spun around to face Professor Xavier, who sat smiling at them. He spread his arms in a welcome to Spike.

"I'm glad you've decided to come after all."

"Wasn't really my choice," muttered Spike, "he practically dragged me here."

"Spike!"

"Oh, shut it, Scott. I'm here, aren't I? Hi, Professor X. Yeah, I've decided to get back to school, so why not here with all the other freaks?"

"We are not freaks, Spike," said Xavier sternly. "Mutants, if you wish, but none of us are freaks. We are all human beings, only with extraordinary abilities and gifts."

"Speaking of 'gifts', Scott said you could help me work on mine."

"Ah yes, your electricity. I'll be happy to see what I can do. In the meantime, won't you join the rest of the children for lunch?"

-X-

"Students, staff, I wish to introduce a new student."

The entire cafeteria turned to look at Spike, who shifted uncomfortably. "Hi," he muttered. "'M Spike Summers."

"Hey, you're Scott's brother, aren't you?" said a girl at one of the tables. The girl next to her, with long – Spike blinked; was her hair turquoise? – elbowed her in the ribs, wearing a glare that Spike thought could rival his brother's. If looks could kill, that girl would have been quite dead. Twelve feet under.

"Um. Yeah, I am."

"Come sit with us," the girl waved him over, ignoring her friend's jabs and hisses. He shrugged and walked over to her table, where the other kids made room for him to sit just across from her.

"Hi," he smiled nervously.

"Hi, I'm Kitty Pryde."

"Spike Summers..."

"What's your powers?"

In answer, Spike raised one hand and let loose a shower of electric sparks, focusing them until he had a pure ball of the element in his hands. He directed the bolt upwards, where it hit the ceiling, and a lamp that had previously not been working popped back into life. Kitty grinned at him, nodding.

"Useful. Anyway, let's introduce everyone." She pointed at her turquoise-haired friend next to her, saying, "This is Melavina Coulter; we usually call her Mela, or just plain Mel. She can make people forget things."

Kitty looked at Mel, who was nearly drooling and not saying a word, her violet eyes glazed over. "Uhh, it seems that she's made herself forget a few things as well. Such as acting like a human being," she hissed in her ear. "Ugh, never mind. Her codename's Amnesia. This," she pointed at the next girl along the bench, "is Terry McMar. She's got elemental powers, you know, water, fire, earth, air... so we call her Gaia."

"Hi," said Terry, smiling. "Don't mind Mel, she gets like this sometimes." A glance at Kitty added, Anytime Scott's around.

"That over there's Theresa Rourke," Kitty moved on to the red-haired girl sitting next to Terry. "She's got the most amazing vocal cords in the whole world, I swear. We call her Siryn, naturally."

Theresa shook her head in mock sadness. "I manipulate voice waves... It's enough to break windows when I try hard enough. And, I can fly." She grinned at the look on Spike's face.

"Over there is Jubilee," continued Kitty, motioning at the Chinese-American girl sitting across from Terry. "She can make fireworks, basically. It's really cool. Oh, and you'll never see her without that yellow raincoat, so you'd better get used to the colour."

"Hey," said Jubilee, grinning. "We should practice together sometime. With my fireworks and your sparks, I think we could put on quite a show."

"Oh, there you go!" said Kitty, grinning triumphantly.

"There you go, what?"

"Everyone gets a codename," explained Kitty. "Sparks should be yours."

"What?" Spike wrinkled his nose. "It sounds like a dog's name!"

"Well, it's either that or Pikachu."

"Pika- what?"

"You know, that electric rodent from Pokèmon?"

"I think I'll stick to Spark..."

"Okay, great." Kitty brightened up instantly. "Over there next to you is Piotr Rasputin. He's the artist among us," she winked at the tall, muscled boy. "Loves to draw, you'll never see him without his pad. We call him Colossus. Show him why, Piotr."

The Russian boy held out a hand and morphed into his metallic form. "Whoa... cool," said Spike, grinning.

"So, welcome to the fold," said Kitty, "the food's over that way."

"I – I'll show him!" Mel jumped up and cleared her tray, holding a hand out for Spike. He took it uncertainly and allowed himself to be dragged to the buffet-like tables.

Over at one of the staff tables, Scott dropped his fork and groaned, holding his head in his hands. "Oh, no..."

"What is it, Scott?" said Storm.

"I can't believe I let that happen..."

"Let what happen?" said Storm. "Scott, you're worrying me."

"I left Spike... with Melavina."

"Ohhh," said the whole table. Amanda grinned.

-X-

"Scott?"

Scott turned around to find Amanda walking up to him. "Yes?"

"I never knew you had a younger brother," she grinned.

"Not many people do," he said, smiling in return. "He's had a tough few years, since our parents died. Dropped out of school, started working for street gangs..."

"Oh... that's horrible."

"I've tried taking care of him however I can, but he's never let me near. I wonder what made him trust me this time."

"He's scared," Amanda answered promptly.

"What? How would you know?"

"I, um. Well, I had a poke at his head. I'm sorry, I know! But it was just so loud... I picked up on it as soon as I set my mind loose."

"Picked up on what?"

"His fear. He's confused, scared. I think his powers may have evolved a bit sometime ago, and he's not sure what to do with himself."

"Well, then it's a good thing I brought him here. Professor Xavier can help him get around his powers, and he can go back to school like a normal kid now."

"How old is he?"

"He's seventeen... I suggest he starts at eleventh-grade level. He only got through to the start of tenth grade, but I'm sure he'll catch up. He's a smart kid, when he dedicates himself to something."

"That's good," said Amanda, somewhat distractedly. Scott noticed she was chewing her lip, fiddling with her hair.

"What's bothering you, Manda?"

"Hmm? Oh, I – I'm okay, I was just thinking about something... I'm in a bit of a mess."

"What mess? Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. But thanks for offering. It's just that –"

"Are you Scott?"

Scott and Amanda turned to see Slayer walk through the door of the common room. "Who are you?" said Scott.

"His name's Slayer," said Amanda, eyes narrowed in dislike.

"Jake Slayer," said Slayer, completely ignoring Amanda. "I've been looking all over for you; Xavier wants to see you in his office." He finally acknowledged Amanda with a glance. "Now."

"What about?"

As Slayer came closer to whisper something in Scott's ear, he trod on Amanda's foot. "Ouch!" she cried, jumping back. "Watch it!" she slapped his arm, indignant.

Slayer's hand came up to grasp hers before it made contact with his shoulder, and a sudden tingle ran up Amanda's arms at his touch. Slayer gasped, and seemed to seize up. Amanda gasped as she caught sight of his eyes, which had turned crimson.

"Slayer?" she said, not daring to touch him lest she provoke another spell. "Slayer, are you okay?"

"– wait," he croaked, bending over, clutching his abdomen. Amanda exchanged a nervous glance with Scott, and the pair of them waited anxiously for a minuet before Slayer relaxed, beginning to collapse to the floor. Scott caught him and heaved him over to a sofa, where he gulped down labored breaths until he could speak again.

"You," he pointed at Amanda, whose eyes widened. "You, I saw you –"

"You saw me what?"

"And her..." he looked at Scott. "Jean. I saw them both. She'll bring your Jean back...

"Jean?" Amanda's voice was thoughtful. "I thought you said she called herself Phoenix now?" she asked Scott.

"No," said Slayer, shaking his head, still staring intently at Scott. "Not Phoenix. She'll have your Jean back." With that, he fell unconscious.

"What does that mean?" said Amanda. "How could I bring Jean back?"

Scott's answer was to run out of the room. Frowning at his retreating form, she sighed. "And what am I supposed to do with him?" she indignantly asked the empty room, gesturing at Slayer. Needless to say, she received no answer.

Authoress's note: I know Scott had a younger brother in the comics (don't quite remember his name just now; will check into it later) but I'm basing this more on the movies, so. Creative license and all that. Heh. Do forgive me, any fanatics.