"Oh, dear, but you've just arrived here!" Teri hugged her daughter. They were at the airport and it was busting with crowds of people.

"Mom, we've been here for almost a week! I bet everybody's already at the institute. I've yet to snowball fight Kurt for destroying my room and Bobby too, for listening in on my phone calls." Kitty laughed.

"Yes, I think it's all for the best, honey." Teri looked at her husband. He seemed strangely quiet. After all, a lot had happened, ever since Lance and Kitty got here in Deerfield. Lance had…well, you know the whole thing…

Carmen said rather quietly, "I…" He had his eyes on Lance. "I need to talk to you, Alvers." He then walked away, his hands deep in his pockets.

"Um…"Lance looked queasily at Kitty for help.

Kitty pushed him forward, "Daddy just hates to be kept waiting, Lance. Go on. I doubt he wants your life. But if he asks anything you don't feel like answering, then don't, Ok?"

"Uh, well, yeah…"Lance walked after Carmen, tugging at the edge of his collar.

They walked to the end of the airport, the most "quietest" area of the huge airport.

"Lance, isn't it? I…I want to…to thank you." Carmen said.

Lance looked kind of stunned. Kitty's father, saying, "thank you" to him? Was he dreaming or something?

"I had to apologize to you. I know my own hasty attitude and I know my own temper. I just had to…had to, because you saved my daughter. You protected her. You just…just saved my only daughter and for that, I want to thank you." Carmen Pryde said.

He had his back towards Lance and he didn't say anything else, other than what he just did.

"I…I don't know what to say." Lance answered.

"You don't have to. I'm telling you, that still don't mean I'll let kitty get too close with you. After all-"

"I know. Once, I almost took your family away from you. I know myself too. But I still won't give Kitty up. And that's because I have feelings for her. I like her."

Lance made his move and disappeared back to where Kitty and Mrs. Pryde was standing, leaving only Carmen to stare after him.

"Did he ask you anything much?" Kitty asked.

"Nah. Just…you know, stuff." Lance said, picking up his duffel bag.

"What? Tell me."

Lance noticed Theresa Pryde was looking at them. "Maybe on the plane."

Then he remembered. His stupid, sucking airplane sickness thing.

"Man, I forgot to get pills for air motion sickness. Now, I'll have to puke in the plane again!" Lance said with a sigh.

Kitty smiled and from her back pocket, Kitty pulled a bottle of tablets out. "See what I got for you? I rummaged half the house for it. I left home way too long to remember where all the things are kept."

Lance took the bottle from Kitty, "Thanks, Kitty. You know me best." Lance grabbed two tablets out and swallowed them.

"You know what?" He said, "I think I'm feeling better already."

Kitty raised an eyebrow at him, "Lance, we haven't even boarded the plane yet."

Lance shifted from foot to foot, "Oh, uh, you're right…silly me, huh?"

Kitty looked back at her mom, and then her dad, which was still at the other side of the airport and looked just like a dot. "Mom, we have to go now."

"I understand. I'll tell your dad you'll miss him." Teri said, just as if she could read Kitty's mind.

"Yeah. I'll miss you too, mom. Really."

Then, grabbing Lance by the arm, she disappeared to the departure hall. She was going back to Bayville.

The plane was halfway through the air. The tablets that were given to Lance were working and he wasn't feeling so lousy, unlike the last time.

Kitty sighed as she looked at Lance, "back to Bayville. Time flies so fast. Now, another new school year is starting and I'm gonna be another year older. And I'm, like, not looking forward to Logan sessions."

"Yup. You're right. Another year again. At least you're better off. You don't have to live at Moron Manor. Toad stinks like crazy, Blob farts and Pietro…I don't really like him and Boom-boom blasts every two things she sees in front of her. It's gonna be like living in hell!" lance commented.

"Tell me about it."

"Hey, it's not so bad. At least, I think we'll still have Chemistry together."

"Oh, Chemistry huh? I'm not really that happy with that subject, lance. To tell you the truth, I'd very much prefer Social Studies and putting up with Evan and Kurt."

"Man! You ace Chem every time, Kitty! What's not to like? If I had results like you, I'd hit the roof."

"I still prefer language studies. You know, girls are better at that."

"I still can't find something I'm good at. Scolding perhaps."

Kitty grinned, "Everyone's great at a thing or two, lance. Even You! You just…haven't known it yet, that's all. Wait till you know where your talents really lie, you'll ace like a champ!"

"I'll be waiting."

Like I have any potential or talents at all!

Kitty switched the subject. "So, what did daddy say to you?"

"Just…he wanted to thank me for saving you. If you were alone, you'd probably be in a mess."

"Not true, Lance! But…it's not really like daddy to…you know, thank people."

"He told me he still wouldn't let me go closer to you though. But I said…"

"Said what?'

"I said I wouldn't…give you up. Cos'…I…I like you." Lance blushed a little for the first time in his life. He couldn't even believe what he just said. Was it for real? Was he nuts?

"Lance…"

"You don't have to say a thing, Kitty. I know when I'm a huge ass."

"No! It's not that! It's just that nobody's ever said a thing like that to me. I…I'm just a little…shocked, that's all!"

Silence hung in the air, until kitty broke it again.

"Lance, you once said we're a couple. I don't find a thing wrong with that. I'd like us to be a couple. I want to give us both a chance. I love us!"

Lance smiled at Kitty. He couldn't find anyone better than her.

"Yeah, kitty. I wouldn't let your dad bring me down. I'll do better than what he wants…a lot better…"

"Hehe…wait till Lance gets a load of this!" tabitha chuckled. Toad hopped up and down (like he always did.) "The oldest trick of all. Instead of the falling bucket of water on the door, it'd be falling bucket of cold snow…ha!"

"Lame." Said pietro, zipping past the room.

"Well, speedy, I don't think you can come up with anything better, can you?"

"Just wait till Lance kicks your butt with rocks."

Blob said, "So you are scared of him?"

The group laughed and pointed fingers at Pietro.

Clutching her sides, Tabby said, "Oh, so someone here is a Lance follower. How lame can that get?"

More laughs. "No way!" Pietro defended himself. "Just that I know Lance longer, and I know his temper better too. Take it or leave it, he's going to kick all you 3 asses. And if you guys wanna find me, I'll be in my room, hiding first before Lance cracks the floor."

Pietro zipped up the floor just as a knock came on the door.

"Is that Lance?" Fred wanted to make sure it was.

Toad smirked, "I'm 100 sure. Brown hair, Black shirt, duffel bag, Jeans with holes…who else could it be?"

"Alright, let er rip." Tabitha said, taking a step back.

"Strange." Lance thought, reaching for the doorknob. "Why's the house so quiet? Training to be monks and nuns? It must be something."

"Here it is! It's comin already!" Toad said.

"Shhhh….why can't you zip your mouth?"

"Talk about yourself, Blob!"

"Shut up!" Tabitha hissed.

The doorknob stopped turning. It was only silence and more silence.

"What's with the hold-up?" Toad jumped up from his hiding place behind the sofa.

"Are you trying to do, get buried?" Even Tabby knew when her limits are up.

"Hey, the trap's still there, guys! Where's the rock-head?"

He poked the bucket with his tongue. Freezing cold still. But what's with the Lance-not-coming-in scene?

"Uh, Toady?" Tabby said, with her hands on her hips, "I think…you better not stay too near the door."

"Girls. Them are all chickens." Toad looked up at the bucket of cold stuff. He was really near the door. Almost too near.

The ground started to shake. "I just knew it, knew it, KNEW it!" Tabitha said, gripping at Fred to stay her ground.

"Ahhhh….!" Toad screamed as the bucket and the door came collapsing on the door.

Lance stepped out as the air cleared. "Rock-head? I've only been gone for less than a week and this house is…what? It looks worse than the Bayville dump!"

"Hey, nobody put you in charge!" Tabitha said.

"Yeah! We ain't gonna do no nuthin'!" Fred said, waving Lance off with a hand.

"Oh, fine!" Lance yelled. He pulled the door off Toad with a pissed look. Toad was slammed good. He looked pretty much like a pancake from Mcdonalds, except he was…green. Toad spat the snow out of his mouth and wiped it. He noticed lance was looking at him…verdict mad. Very, very mad.

"Uh…hi?" Toad said.

Lance threw the door onto him again. "Seems to me, this Christmas is…" He came face to face with the "living" room. It was a mess gone right. "Am I dreming or is this real? There's not even a clean place to put one finger!" He shouted.

Before he left, the place was a mess, but not that horrible. At least the wall was better looking and the pictures were to be seen.

"Aw, forget it, guys…"

"Look, we were thinking bout cleanin up?" Blob said as he grabbed toad from under the door out.

"Save it. I got something back…uh, where Pietro?"

"Hidin'…"Tabby shrugged, "ooh…what did you bring for me? I hope it's a new dress or that perfume I've seen on TV recently. Oh, the name's Clueless love…think you got it?"

"That what I am. Clueless about your perfume and it's something for us all…to eat."

"Eat? I'm in!" Pietro said. Everyone crowded round Lance. He did have a big package with him when he came back. Suppose he stole money from the local bank? Fred laughed at his own, stupid joke.

"Here…it…is!" Lance untied the tight knot from his package.

The hot, roast turkey made them all smiles. I want one…hey, save the wing for me…Toad, wait your turn!

"Uh…this ain't thanksgiving…"Toad said, between mouthfuls.

"So if you don't want it…"

"SHUT UP, TOAD!" Everyone else half-laughed and half-screamed.

The house, very much the mess of the year, even had something good. Lance thought he'd take the last of his money to celebrate Christmas with his one and only bunch of friends. They were lousy losers, even him, but they had to celebrate Christmas. It only came once a whole damn year. To be beaten always by the X-men was painful. They were all tired of losing.

Here's the extra bit of energy to keep them going and to gain his "supiority" back. He's still waiting to get back at Toad. What did he call him…rock-head? He is SO getting it from him…just wait…

"Kitty! Hey, guys, look who's back home?" Jubilee yelled.

It was so beautifully decorated, the institute. It was so jolly looking, everything was.

"Oh, K-girl! Man, you were the last of us all." Evan skated by, only to be stopped by…gulp…Logan AKA Wolverine.

"That's it, Porcupine!" Logan said. "One more time in the halls and you'll be joining me with the car-washing everyday exercise! You got it lucky it's still the Christmas month."

"Where's my comforter?"

"Man, Jubes! You still on the comforter thing?"

"Cool it, Iceman!"

"Kids these days are too lucky." Beast said, while passing by.

"OK, OK!" Kitty laughed. It felt really good to be back!

In Kitty and Rogue's shared room…

"Whew! I'm bushed!" Kitty threw herself on her pink and white bed.

"Ah can't believe it. You only unpacked for 10 minutes and you're tired already?"

"Hey, you didn't leave the institute. I did, Ok?"

"Well, who cares anyway?"

"I do. Here, I got you some gloves from Illinois. Believe me, they're really good."

Rogue took the gloves and for the first time, she smiled. "Thanks. I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything."

"How da' holiday with Lance. I used to think he's pretty bad but now, he's getting better."

Kitty smiled secretly to herself, "The holiday was…good. And in truth, he's a lot worse. But I knda liked it."

"Ah think there's something more to that."

"Nah, it's just your imagination. Uh, call me when dinner's ready, OK?" Kitty threw her head on her pink pillow and hugged her stuff dragon, Lockheed.

Lance getting hurt for her. Lance…he was all that was on her mind right now. His wonderful smile, his gift to her…wait! Kitty touched the Star of David necklace on her neck and then, she drifted of to sleep, smiling…

"What have you seen, professor?" Storm asked. She, Beast and wolverine were in Cerebro. The room which finds mutants and communicates with them.

"I found another mutant…" Professor Xavier said, reopening his eyes.

"Who are we talking about, Chuck?" Wolverine said nastily. Clearly, he has been pissed of by one of the students again.

Cerebro had a picture of a young girl, with blonde colored hair, a smile, earrings even bigger then jubilee's and very simple clothing to match her pierce stomach.

"What's her name, professor?" Beast asked.

Cerebro answered his question. "Esther Alson, aged 16, residence: United States, Alabama."

"Storm, suit up. Beast, I'll need you stay here with Logan to take care of the others. Oh, Logan, would you please find Ray Crisp and ask him to come with us to the mission? I'd like him to pair up with Storm."

Logan raised an eyebrow, "why aren't you bringin the more experienced ones? Like Scott…or Jean?"

"They've been trained enough. Among all 16 years old new mutants, I think he's the one with least experience. I'd like him to come because I want to train him. I realized he has potential, but he doesn't know it yet. I want him to learnt, to have this opportunity."

Logan marched off, "Whatever you say. However, if you know this mutant, I think Magneto wouldn't be very far behind you."

"Are we ready?"

Magneto closed his eyes and reopened them.

Then, he walked over to his team members. "Gambit. Come with me."

"Understood, Magneto."

Gambit jumped into the metal-made orb as magneto closed it with his powers.

"This time…I'd be one step ahead of Xavier. Nothing would stop me. Nothing!"

The orphanage of Alabama, 6:30pm.

"It's got nothing to do with me! I swear!" Esther backed off from the two, frightening boys in front of her.

"Like, we'd believe you! You made that car fly off the ground! And you were the only one in the yard then!"

"Yeah, don't tell us it toppled of the ground when there wasn't any wind and nobody else there."

Flashback…

Esther strained to carry the heavy groceries. She walked 3km there and back, just to get supplies for the orphanage. She always seemed to be on the black book in Mrs, Cook, the caretaker. It sucks. There wasn't a soul she could call a friend in this stupid place.

She's always been there since her parents died in a car crash when she was eight. She was the only survivor of the frightening crash. And Eight years later, here she was.

This wasn't her life! She didn't deserve anything like this. She's always done well in school. She's always the most under-rated one in the Orphanage too.

And there it happened…she was really tired. There she was, less than two metres from the orphanage…she turned around…her hands moved…and wham! The car simply crashed, leaving her sppechless…too speechless.

However, strange things have been going on recently. It was crazy…it sounded crazy too! How could things lift themselves up, just because…just because it came from a wave of her hand? It was pure madness, which she couldn't explain.

Back to reality…

"Please! I've got nothing to do with this, really!"

"We don't care!" one of the boys pulled open the broomsticks cupboard and the other pushed Esther in, and bolted the door.

"Haha…let's see who's gonna come rescue her." The other guy said to his friend as they dashed off.

"Let me out! Someone! Please!" Esther banged her fists on the wood.

No use…

She squatted down on the ground; the sick smell of brooms and dust chocked her. It made her feel sick.

Suddenly the metal knob seemed to shake. Huh? What the hell is happening?

Esther stood up. The ceiling touched her head and made her feel like Alice in Wonderland, very much trapped in being too huge for all the things.

The bolts and all started to fly out and the door collapsed in front of her, leaving her speechless. What was this?

She stepped out of the room. No way. There wasn't anybody down the whole, bloody hall. Who did this? Who made this happen?

Esther, still half-shaking and half-frightened. She slowly made her way to her room, still shocked. She reached for her room and just as pushed the door open, she took a step back.

"Who are you?" She shouted.

Gambit was sitting on the bed she always laid on, slept on and knew herself on. "You've got a tiny room." Gambit commented, playing with the stack of cards on his hand.

"Get out, now! I don't know who you are but…but I want you out! Now!" Esther picked up a baseball bat lying at the side.

"My, my. Aren't you a tough one."

"Leave, please. I've got enough on my head to worry about and I don't need you…you…"

"The name's Gambit, shelly." Gambit's piercing red eyes looked straight at her.

"What do you want?"

"Just something to help get you out of this…dump. Join us."

"Who on Earth are you?"

"Mutants."

This shocked her. "Get out! I'm not a "mutant". I'm…"

"But you are…" the windows flew open and the wind trashed in. Esther shrieked as a mutant appeared in front of her. This mutant had a cape; his "Armour" was purple and dark red. He was certainly not the friendliest face on Earth.

"Wha…"

"Hello, Esther. I'm Magneto, and I'm here to give you comfort. I'm going to teach you how to control those powers of yours and I'm going to tell you what you can do with them."

"How did you know my name?"

"let's just say I have my own resources, Esther. After all, I am the greatest controller of Metal."

"Tell me I'm not a "mutant". I'm just…just."

"Face it, Esther. I control Metal; you can lift things of the ground simply by waving your hand and controlling it. You can do a lot!"

"But…"

"You know it, don't you? Today at 5pm, you made that car fly of the ground. Before that was…you know it, Esther. You have the potential. And I'm here to train you, to let you have a chance, to get you away from this place. Forever."

"I don't know…"

"Give us all a chance, Esther. Believe me, you'll be happy with me. I'll train you, to show you the path, and all your enemies…"

"What?"

"You don't think we are the only mutants here, do you? At Charles Xavier's institute, a mutant school…they train mutants to kill, to attack. Just because their appearances look good, that doesn't mean they are the good people. Only us, Acolytes, are the good ones, even though our appearances don't look the kindest of all, but we are!"

Esther looked very much convinced. She was tired…really tired already. She believed she was a mutant. She believed she could make the world a better place.

I'll come with you…

The biggest mistake…was then made…

"Excuse me, but I need to see Esther Alson please." Professor Xavier said.

"What are you here for?" Mrs. Cook asked.

"We need to see her…" Professor Xavier's mind was at work.

The lady straightened, "ye…yes…3rd floor, last room to the right." She placed the spare key on the counter, looking possessed.

"Go, Storm, Bezerker." He passed the key to Storm and awaited.

Less than five minutes, Storm and Bezerker rushed down. "No sign of the girl or any of her belongings, Charles."

"Yeah," Ray stated, "seems like she's just…gone with someone?"

The professor closed his eyes, "Magneto…no…"

She's with Magneto.

Too late Charles, I have the girl. And I'm not losing her to you!