A/N: Wow, no reviews? The last chapter wasn't great by any means but I didn't think it was that bad. Oh well. I'll give everyone the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn't know there was a new chapter. Anyway, I am back and I do still crave reviews so send 'em in!

-----------------------

They say jail isn't really that bad. They say that it's a solid roof over your head and 3 decent meals a day. And if you were homeless or just completely poor, maybe jail wouldn't be that bad to you. But for Scott, who had lived in the Xavier Institute for 2 years now, jail was the worst place he'd ever been. For people like Scott, jail could be a life changing experience. It could change your entire personality if you let it. Scott had been in the Blackwall Detention Center for 9 days now. The bullying from the other inmates was constant. They especially liked to yell at Scott for his glasses, which had been secured to his head so he couldn't take them off and blast through a wall. Scott had his own cell to himself, which he was thankful for. The other inmates were ruthless. They knew he was a mutant and that didn't help matters. He endured persecution like he had never imagined. He had been called names that he had never heard of before. Twice, one large inmate named Ridge had tried to pick a fight with him at lunch. Ridge was the biggest guy in Blackwall and was therefore the leader of the inmates. Scott refused to fight him both times and the guards had broken things up when Ridge got ugly, but Scott knew that eventually he would have to fight to protect his own life, which he didn't mind really. He had trained enough with the X-Men that he was confident he could handle anybody in Blackwall, including Ridge. He knew he couldn't count on the guards to pull Ridge away from him forever and so he had begun watching the large inmate's movements, sizing up exactly how the fight would happen and what the best way to take the man down was. He knew that eventually Ridge would buy off a guard to get a good crack at Scott. Frankly, the guards were easy to bribe and couldn't be expected to keep order. Besides, most of the guards were more scared of Ridge than any of the inmates!

Scott was sitting in his dark cell when one of the guards, a man named Wallace who Scott knew was the dirtiest guard in the facility and probably the one Ridge would buy off, came to his door.

"Get up, Summers. You got a visitor."

Scott looked up at the man's face. Wallace looked like he belonged on the other side of the bars with his rough face, mangled by one too many bar fights. Scott stood up as Wallace unlocked the cell.

"Who is it?"

"Don't know. Don't care. Just follow me."

Scott allowed Wallace to put a pair of handcuffs on his wrists and then the two left the cell behind with Scott in the lead. Scott walked slowly. Time spent out of his cell was precious and he wasn't going to waste one second. He wasn't claustrophobic, but his 6x6 foot cell was a little cramped for him. He had thought several times that Storm could never make it in here.

They passed Ridge's cell, where Scott was met with calls of "mutant scum" and "yer time's comin'." He'd heard it before and brushed the comments off without acknowledging Ridge, which he knew would infuriate him.

Finally, they reached a metal door on the bottom level of the jail and Wallace opened it to let Scott through. He stepped out of the dim jailhouse and found himself in a much brighter room with a small table and a chair beside it. Professor Xavier was already sitting at the table in his wheelchair.

"Professor!" cried Scott in surprise when he saw his mentor waiting on him.

"Good afternoon, Scott. How are you doing?"

Wallace led him to the chair and turned to leave the room.

"Fifteen minutes," he said gruffly.

Scott nodded at Wallace and turned to face the Professor as the guard closed the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, much more subdued now.

"I wanted to check on you. I hadn't seen you since the arraignment a week ago."

"You were there? I didn't see you," said Scott, slightly surprised. The arraignment had gone badly. Xavier had hired an excellent lawyer, but it didn't matter. The judge had ruled that he would remain in Blackwall until the trial and that he would not be released on bail. The trial date still hadn't been set.

"Yes, I was there," said the Professor. "I tried to get to talk to you, but the media prevented me."

Just days after the murder, the Bayville police had announced that Scott was a mutant, officially breaking the secret of mutantkind and exposing them to the world. Immediately, scientists began showing up on TV to debate the scientific consequences of mutants' existence. The news crews had been having a field day and had covered Scott's arraignment with incredible excitement at the proposition of having a new "trial of the century" on their hands. Cameras had been banned from the courtroom and the judge had instilled a strict gag order after the hysteria following the announcement that Scott was a mutant. But inside the courtroom everyone could still here the bustle of anxious reporters waiting just outside the doors for the ruling. By now, everyone in the world knew what mutants were and that Scott Summers was one. There was a lot of fear from people, but so far nothing had really happened due to it. Mutants weren't being hunted, at least not yet, and though the news stations talked about mutants and how dangerous they might be constantly, there was no panic gripping the nation. However, the fact that a young mutant was going on trial for murdering a young human spoke volumes to many people. They saw Scott's case as proof of the dangers posed to humans by mutants.

"How are things back home?" asked Scott.

"Complicated. We're all worried about you, Scott."

"Don't be. I'm fine. How's Jean doing?"

The Professor hesitated for a moment, which told Scott what he'd feared.

"She's as good as can be expected. She seems depressed sometimes, but that's completely understandable."

"Yeah," said Scott thoughtfully. His speech was slow, as if he had nowhere to go, which in fact he didn't. "So how about everyone else?"

"Some are doing better than others," replied the Professor. "We'll be all right though." Xavier didn't want to tell Scott about the fight between Kurt and Evan. That would require telling him what their disagreement was about and he just couldn't tell Scott about that without making him worry and blame himself for things that were out of his control. "Scott, we need to talk."

Scott leaned forward a little, placing his chained wrists on the table. "Sure. What is it?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me exactly what happened the night of the murder."

The two fell into a short silence as they looked at each other sitting across the table. Scott seemed content to just sit quietly. His face didn't reveal anything to Xavier. It was like his face had frozen permanently into a tight frown.

"Everything changed the night of the murder," said Scott after a while. "Mutants were revealed to the world and we presented ourselves as a dangerous group. Plus the X-Men's secret may have been revealed. They don't know yet, but they will if they snoop around long enough. The whole world changed that night."

Xavier was surprised by the answer. Everything Scott had said was true, but it wasn't really what he was asking.

"Yes, Scott. But I meant what did you do that night. Where did you go? How did you end up alone with Duncan at the mansion?"

Scott's face twisted into an angry frown. "You think I'm guilty?"

"No," said the Professor quickly. "I'm just trying to find out what really happened."

"And right now you're trying to rule me off the suspect list," said Scott as he leaned back and crossed his arms tightly.

The Professor sighed. "Yes, I guess that is what I'm doing. I'm sorry Scott but I have to ask the question."

Scott didn't respond. He just sat perfectly still in his chair and looked off to the corner of the room. The Professor watched him, hoping he would eventually answer. It was soon clear that Scott wasn't going to say anything more. Xavier hadn't wanted to do this, but he had no choice anymore. The guard would be coming to get Scott soon. He focused on Scott's mind and began sifting through his memories to see if Scott was guilty or not. He had to know! He hadn't been looking for long before Scott's thoughts rang out to him loudly, effectively preventing him from probing further.

"I need you to do something for me," said Scott telepathically.

The Professor looked at his young student carefully. What could he need that he couldn't say out loud? He replied back telepathically to him. "What is it, Scott?"

"This is important, but please don't ask me why. I won't tell you," said Scott.

"I'll do whatever you need."

Wallace barged through the door just then and walked towards Scott, his keys jingling at his side.

"C'mon, Summers. Visiting time is over."

Scott stood up, his face still turned to the Professor. As Wallace led him out of the room, Scott made his request to the Professor silently. He watched Xavier's face look back at him quizzically. He clearly didn't understand why Scott wanted this, but he quickly replied that he would do it. The two nodded to each other and then the Professor was left alone in the room. He turned his wheelchair around, rolled it out the other door, and was led back to the lobby where Ororo was waiting on him.

"How's Scott?" she asked when Xavier returned.

"I can't tell," said the Professor. "He's…different. It just didn't seem like him."

When they got to the car, away from the intruding ears of prison guards, Ororo pressed for more details.

"So what do you mean he's different?"

"He's changed. Whatever happened that night, it has changed his personality entirely. He acted more like Logan than himself!"

"Like Logan? That's impossible. Scott's such a kind, sweet kid."

"Yes, but he's a kind and sweet kid that has been accused of murder and put in prison. And believe me, from what I saw that place can change you forever."

"So was it prison or the murder that changed him?" asked Ororo as she started the car and drove off.

Xavier pondered the question for a moment. "I'm not sure."