A/N - Practically An Avenger, please don't ever change. I can't read that section now without thinking of your commentary. Thank you for that. Omg.

Chapter 44: Two Princes

While Billy was out cavorting in the waves, Tommy was soaking up the hundreds of questions from Wanda and Vision on how things were really going in Westchester. It's not that his parents hadn't been in touch - they had been. It was more that they wanted to hear how he was handling things on his own when they knew that he was pushing someone else's rules.

And maybe, they were a little curious on how he'd gotten into the younger Avenger's roster so quickly. They were pleased, of course, but … how the twins were presenting themselves meant a lot to both Wanda and Vision. They knew that Billy had been in close contact with Erik, right up until a few weeks before Spring Break, when he suddenly seemed too busy to answer Erik's calls. And that hadn't gone over too well with the old man, even if Wanda was secretly relieved.

She couldn't help but run her hand over Tommy's hair as he answered his father's questions and told them all about how things were going … not so much about his studies, but slowly, and mostly unintentionally letting them know that he … really was jealous that he couldn't find a way to get Mia to come with, too. Not as a 'Billy's boyfriend is here too' kind of thing, but because without being as overt about things as Billy was, Tommy was falling hard for the charming little Elf that lived in Westchester.

So it was good that Vision had more questions than Wanda - if for no other reason than she was stunned at how clearly smitten Tommy was - and how strikingly like Pietro he could be. Particularly when it involved matters of the heart. He kept his hand close, but it was so obvious to her that he was just as deeply head over heels as Billy was. It made her miss her twin in a way that made her chest ache, though that could also be from how bittersweet it was to see both of her boys growing up so quickly.

When Wanda seemed to lose her voice entirely, and the questions dried up from Vision, Tommy realized how much he'd actually said, which stopped him entirely. "So. I ah … I think I need a little fresh air," Tommy decided, nodding to himself as he stepped back from his parents.

"Do you think you can tell your brother that we'll be gathering up for dinner at seven?" Wanda said, even as Tommy was jogging backwards away from them.

Tommy held up his phone and waggled it. "Just text him, I don't want to walk in on anything." He grinned at his mother, who was already shaking her head an instant before Tommy was off like a shot. He ran to the northernmost point of Genosha before he glanced up at the guard on duty, winked theatrically with a two fingered salute and then took off at top speed due west.

It was stupid, he was sure, to even attempt the trans-Atlantic run without checking a few things first, but honestly … if he had to sit there for much longer talking and not doing, he was going to lose his mind anyhow. Why not challenge himself with rough seas if that was the case? The little stretch of Indian Ocean would be a fair warmup.

As luck would have it, it was pretty smooth for him, though. The big, rolling swells mid-sea were enough to get Tommy just a bit seasick, but at the speed he was travelling, getting soaked was a bigger concern as he could almost skip the tops of the waves more often than not. He realized just about the time that he saw land again that it might not have been the best idea to run across the Atlantic. Especially since he wasn't nearly as fast swimming as he was running.

I'm going to make sure I pick up a ziplock when I get to Westchester, Tommy thought to himself, then winced as he made landfall from the difference in impact. But now that he was on more predictable turf … he could really let loose. And hope that Billy has his cell phone on if I go in the water.

Mia, meanwhile had been trying to get into the spirit of Spring Break like her family usually did. She'd spent all day in the greenhouses with her mother as they tended to tender newly sprouted life for the massive garden they had planned out. Every year, the vegetable patch seemed to get larger and larger - well beyond what was required for the populace of the school. Especially when So many teenagers refused to eat their vegetables.

Not that it slowed Ororo down one bit. She loved a challenge, and she loved adding new varieties to try and soothe those from far-different cultures. Which was how Mia found herself talking to a patch of shiso. It was a particularly pretty strain of Japanese lettuce - or close to lettuce as far as Mia could tell. Already the leaves were a brilliant almost neon green that looked far more cheerful than most of the spindly seedlings around the greenhouse. She picked the biggest leaves off to carry inside.

Betsy was having an emotional sort of day and had insisted on the chef preparing a full Japanese meal for the following day, which, as she'd been told by an almost teary-eyed Betsy, required fresh shiso.

Mia just knew there was a story behind her tears, but now was not the time to ask. She didn't want to get emotionally invested in something that she couldn't relate to. Not when she just wanted to drop onto her bed and sulk. It was late, after all. And she'd been talking to sprouts all. Morning. long. But when she got up to her room - with streaks of dirt smudged across her jeans, she positively squeaked when she saw that her room wasn't empty.

"Hey. You think this will keep the water out if I fall in on the way home?" Tommy asked, holding up a freezer bag. He was wind-whipped, as usual, grinning crookedly, and reclined on her bed.

"Oh my God, you're insane," Mia giggled, then teleported over to steal a kiss. "Why do you need it to be waterproof?"

"I think there might be a storm on the way back. Waves were kinda big in the middle. I had to slow down so I didn't run through them."

"You're a maniac," Mia said as she curled up next to him, perfectly happy to steal whatever time she could for a few moments. "How long are you here?"

Tommy picked up his head to look at the clock. "Um … I've got a little time. I have to be back in time for dinner."

Mia looked out of her window.. "You're not really going to run in the dark are you?"

"It's … not that long of a run," Tommy defended. "So … not really, no. Genosha's only eight hours ahead. I just wanted to keep my track record up and give you a kiss goodnight before it did get too dark out to avoid hitting container ships"

Mia grinned wider. "How long did it take you to run here?"

Timmy shrugged, doing his best to look nonchalant in his answer. "Well … I couldn't go top speed over the oceans … and there was a whole area through Africa that really needs to be taken slow."

"To keep from falling off some tall, beautiful cliff?"

"Well … that and to keep from running face first into an Elephant."

Mia laughed delightedly then clapped her hand over her mouth, though Tommy was smiling wider at her as she tried to keep her amusement to a reasonable decibel level. Especially since it was her bed time. "Tell me that happened."

Tommy grinned wider and pulled her closer to steal another long kiss - and then tell her exactly how his first trip had gone. "I promise I'll time myself when I go back."

"Just don't fall in the ocean," Mia said. The two of them got comfortable again, perfectly content to steal away in Mia's room for a while.

"You can't stay at the tower," Warren said to Nate, then sighed heavily. It was a nice change of pace to step out of Westchester for a little while, but he somehow wasn't expecting his old friend's son to be quite so very little like what he remembered Scott to be as a teenager.

"But … it's more secure there, isn't it?" Nate asked with a crooked smile that was 100% Scott - but for entirely different reasons than Warren had ever seen Scott smiling like that. Or maybe not.

"I told you, if there's a mission the Avengers need you for, they'll come looking. I promised your dad that I'd stick to his list of rules since you got yourself grounded."

"Listen, Warren," Nate said as he dropped into the chair across from him. "You have to understand. I'm not failing because I'm bad at history."

"No, you're failing because you're trying to get your dad laid."

Nate's eyes widened - and Warren had to keep from laughing outright because that … that was most definitely a face he'd gotten Scott to make in his youth more times than he could count. And it was hilarious every single time. "That is not what I was - I mean. It was. But not like - It wasn't … it's not like that! Miss Hale isn't … she's not that kind of - why are you like this?"

Warren didn't miss a beat as he picked up his glass of water. "I'm a shut in, Nate. There's only so much I can occupy my time with." He paused and smiled crookedly to himself. "And I suppose that's part of why Scott asked me to look out for you." He leaned toward Nate and lowered his voice. "Betsy, your mother, and the professor all built up my psychic defenses. You're not going to pull one over on me just to get some alone time with your girlfriend."

Nate stared at him for a moment, and took a different route than what he would normally take with one of his father's oldest friends. "Is … that a challenge?"

"If it was a challenge, I'd notify her mother where your mind is at," Warren said with a grin.

Nate held up both hands. "Got it. Message received. I won't push. I was joking anyhow."

"No you weren't."

"No, I wasn't," Nate admitted with a sheepish grin and one hand at the back of his neck. "Are you going to nuke me if she comes over?"

"Nope," Warren said, shaking his head lightly. "Just stay in the living room and no overnights."

Nate sighed, but reached out to Kate to let her know what the deal was - and what Warren liked on his pizza. It looks like we're stuck with a chaperone, he projected to her. No to the tower. No to backing off on the angelic supervision. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was enjoying torturing me.

Are you sure he's not?

He's just happy for a change of scenery, Nate replied. And a chance to relive his glory days of harassing my Dad. Must be the face.

It is a good face, Kate replied. That requires more kissing.

Please hurry. If we play our cards right, we might be able to get gelato after. Who knows. With a little luck, maybe we won't be stuck playing Scrabble with Angel.

I'll make sure Mom knows to call us if there's any trouble.

Mia and Tommy were very cozy - until Tommy got a text from his brother asking if he was in trouble.

Not yet, Tommy texted back as Mia giggled with her hand over her mouth and her tail swaying behind her - exactly like a cat that was ready to pounce.

Do you need me to wish you here? Billy asked. Since I know you're not home.

That's where you're wrong, Tommy replied. And I kinda wanted to time myself.

Mia had read every word, and though she'd fallen silent in her giggles, her smile had only grown on seeing what Tommy had written. She couldn't help herself from falling harder for him when he was being so sweet. Even if he didn't realize how sweet he was.

I'll give you ten minutes before I wish you here, Billy sent - his decision in place.

"That gives me five anyhow," Tommy said, grinning before he pointedly put the phone into the freezer bag then turned to Mia for one last makeout session before he had to go.

But finally, Tommy knew he had to get going - or risk owing his twin for pulling him away from Westchester when he should have been in Genosha. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I wasn't expecting this as it was," Mia said, then kissed the very tip of his nose. "Text me when you get there."

Tommy grinned and then slipped out of her window. She rushed to the open window to watch him climb down, then shook her head as he took off - with leaves and grass belatedly waving in the direction he'd run.

Dinner with the extended family and Magneto on the first night in Genosha was a little awkward. Tommy had come in almost late, which had his parents frowning at him, though the way he'd zipped in and dropped into his chair ready to devour anything he got his hands on was kind of a dead giveaway that he had been up to something. The windswept hair and devil-may-care grin was almost as good as a signed confession to attest that he hadn't been on Genosha nearly as long as anyone else that day.

The formal dinner ahead of them promised to be a long, drawn out affair that they all had gone into with their own coping mechanisms in place. James and Billy had obviously decided they would actively ignore whatever looks Magneto shot their way, but Rachel could telepathically hear Wanda getting frustrated with her father while she went out of her way to make sure James knew they wanted him there. The way that Magneto was acting had Rachel seething. James hadn't done anything to earn how Erik was treating him, and the fact that James had been going out of his way not to stir up trouble had her honestly concerned for her brother. Which meant Rachel wasn't very talkative, even belatedly answering questions when one was directed at her.

Vision rounded out the effort toward normalcy by trying to engage in a little small talk with Scott about the kids and their lives. It made for an interesting study in human psychology when the android was the one who kept things from being a total disaster, since Scott was more than happy to brag about James' degrees or Rachel's handle on her powers or Nate's grades and sports…

...though that fell a bit to the wayside when the news covered the X-Men again. Erik constantly had one screen or another going to keep him abreast of any developing situations. Apparently, Nate, Kate, and Mia were rescuing civilians from a protest rally that had turned violent.

The reporters on the scene had managed to convince the three of them to talk, and for the most part, it seemed like the kids were handling the attention well enough. Nate had taken a page out of his dad's book and was talking about the dream of the X-Men, but it was when a reporter asked Kate a question that things got interesting.

"So what's your story, anyway?"

Kate laughed and held up her hands. "Come on, guys. We wear masks for a reason. Secret identities are a thing."

"Right, but you're not a mutant, are you?"

Nate had unconsciously stepped in front of Kate. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well," the reporter said, "the X-Men are supposed to be a team of mutants, right?"

Nate looked like he was going to give the reporter a piece of his mind, but Kate put her hand on his arm. "I got this," she said softly his way, then turned to the reporter. "You're only listening to half of what we're saying. You're so caught up in the part where the X-Men want to show the world that mutants aren't scary that you're forgetting 'peaceful coexistence' too."

"No, I'm just pointing out that the X-Men have always-"

"Look," Kate said, cutting across him. "Catch up, would you? Do I have to spell it out? You don't have to be a mutant to stand up for mutants."

It was such a good quote that the reporter ran with it, already spinning it as the three X-Men teleported away to do a little post-mission celebrating, with the headline reading "Peaceful Coexistence?" and the pundits on the other side were already debating how safe it was for a human to be on a team with such dangerous teammates.

There was silence at the dinner table for a long time as the newscast continued.

"That's it," James said, breaking the weighty silence. "I'm sending her flowers."

Rachel snorted. "Wrong sibling," she said. "You know Nate's making out with her right now."

"No, no, it's 'congratulations on shutting down the reporter,' not 'hey baby, what's your sign,'" James said dryly.

Rachel burst out laughing at that. "Billy, please tell me that's how you two hooked up!"

"Oh yeah," Billy said without missing a beat. "Who can resist flowers and astrology?"

"She handled those questions quite well," Vision said, his head tipped to the side as he watched the broadcast.

"Yeah," James agreed. "And a lot of that sounds like Hawkeye the first."

"Like father like daughter," Rachel said, grinning brilliantly at Scott, who wasn't hiding his smirk well.

"Now if only the reporters could catch up," Scott said. "They just need to read anything the professor wrote to see where the team is coming from."

"I'll bet someone could have Stark's company slip that into somewhere easy to reach," Billy said with a smirk. "During an Avenger's statement."

"Or someone with reality altering powers could just poof them there…" Rachel teased.

"I didn't say who," Billy pointed out. "Or how."

Rachel smirked into her drink. "Sure didn't."

"What do you think the Old Gray Hawk is doing for her tonight?" James asked Rachel, glad to have something to talk about for the moment that wasn't their father bragging about them. He didn't think that giving Kate well deserved praise would be problematic.

"Throwing a party," Rachel said without missing a beat.

"That's taking it a step beyond the basics of Xavier's papers," James said quieter - his focus on Rachel as he said so.

"It's just the logical conclusion of the dream," Rachel said with a shrug.

"It's the most intelligent conclusion anyhow," James agreed.

"Preposterous," Erik said in a low, throaty tone, killing the jovial mood with one word. "I know you children mean well, but you don't know the first thing about it. What you learned was filtered through retelling, that isn't anywhere near what Charles wanted."

"Actually," Rachel said, "Dad kept a copy of the professor's works. There's a few at the school too."

"And I got a copy when I graduated the first time," James said, backing Rachel up. "Pretty sure Storm will let you read it. Again." He smirked at Billy for an instant. "Or, I'd be happy to get you a copy of your own."

"I don't need to read it when I was side by side with Charles when he wrote it," Erik said, his eyes flashing already. "This place, this was his dream - mutants out in the open, not cowering and hiding!"

"Grandfather, this isn't peaceful coexistence," Billy pointed out, which had Wanda raising an eyebrow at how he was standing up to Erik. "Not by any definition I've seen. That would mean humans and mutants were living in the same place at the same time. That's all. It's really not asking for much."

"This is a highly polished, segregated island," Tommy said carefully, perfectly annunciating each word as he ran one hand through his hair and gestured broadly with the other.

Billy nodded, pointing at his brother as both of Scott's kids smirked at the two of them. It was obvious that neither James nor Rachel had expected the twins to take that stance with their grandfather, and their relief on hearing it was easy to see. "Right," Billy said. "Separate but not equal."

When Erik got to his feet and looked like he was about to tear into the kids, Scott got to his feet as well. "If you yell at my kids for telling the truth, I will personally make sure you never speak again."

All of the kids' smiles dropped as they turned to watch the show, looking between the two men as Rachel and James were positively tensed and ready to spring, already telepathically reinforcing their plans on how to deal with an attack from Erik, should it come to that. Rachel was right on the brink with fire dancing at the center of her pupils and James was turned, waiting for her cue to neutralize Erik.

"You can disagree," Scott said evenly but without dropping his gaze from Erik. "But do not yell. At my kids."

"I've welcomed you into my home, and this is how you repay me?" Erik shot back.

"I didn't know your home came with a requirement for them not to think for themselves."

"Gag order's on the front door," Tommy called out, but that was one step over the line for Erik.

"Get out," Erik said. "All of you. Get out of my sight."

James was absolutely set to stay and back Scott up - at least until Billy pulled at his arm to get him moving. He didn't want to leave Scott alone with Erik, but he wasn't really thrilled with getting Billy in trouble either. When Rachel projected to him that their dad wanted them to clear out so he could talk to Erik without the element of Erik's family drama, James let out a sigh and got to his feet. When he passed Scott by, James was sure to squeeze Scott's shoulder - and dropped one of the new non-metallic bugs they'd brought with.

Scott waited until the kids were gone and the tall, heavy doors clanged shut before he let out a breath. "They're kids, Erik. They're young. I told you that."

"They're only repeating the propaganda they've been told," Erik said.

"I taught them about peaceful coexistence. That was the dream," Scott said evenly. "That was why we had the school in Westchester instead of hidden away. That was why the professor spoke out publicly. I'm not going to try and rewrite history just because the X-Men died with Charles Xavier."

"And I'm not going to forget what was done to Charles - to his team - or to my son," Erik said, sounding angrier with each word.

"You think I've forgotten?" Scott shot back, matching his tone with his own anger. "You think I can look in the mirror without thinking about it?"

"You still think that you can be peaceful with those that would have you dead and buried and celebrating it! Look at where that dream got you, Scott. You're a mutant in name only and you bear the scars of what exactly it is the humans would use us for if given even half a chance."

"I know!" Scott shot back.

"Then how can you stand by and allow this to continue? How can you let your own children believe that humans can be anything but cruel and opportunistic?"

"What do you expect me to do?" Scott said.

"Tell them the truth," Erik said. "All of it. Tell that girl why her mother held it back for so long when she could have so easily gotten all of you out without letting Charles die for nothing."

"Don't talk to me about what happened to him," Scott said angrily. "I was there when he died. It was one of the last things I ever saw with my own eyes."

"What was the final straw, Scott? What was it that finally tipped her over the edge?"

"We were all in shock," Scott said. "She was a ticking time bomb trying to hold it back so she could take care of me. As soon as we lost Logan and K, that was the last straw. You know it. You saw them when you got there. You know how recent it was. And even then, she tried to hold back because we didn't know where the kids were. She didn't lose it completely until Kurt got her out of the compound so the kids weren't at risk!"

"Jean Grey did more to save mutants in one night than your whole team could manage in years."

"The price was too high," Scott said. "She could have destroyed the world if Kurt hadn't stopped her. I won't ask my kids to cross those lines."

"Then you are condemning them to the same half-life that you had at your height."

"We were happy, Erik," Scott said. "Don't you get that? We had family. We had each other. And we were making a difference!"

"And because you refused to act against the men who wanted to use you to hurt more of your own kind, you brought that fate down on yourself."

"I won't let my kids become killers, Erik," Scott said.

"If you want them to survive, you will."

Scott shook his head. "No. I'd cross that line myself before I let them lose themselves."

"Careful, Scott. You're starting to sound like Wolverine, and you know how well that turned out."

Scott narrowed his eyes, leaning on the table with his hands flat. "Logan didn't die for his philosophy, Erik."

"No," Erik said with a sneer. "He didn't die for anything, did he?"

Scott narrowed his eyes for an instant as he tried to keep his temper, reminding himself that a fight wasn't really what he came for today. "I'm trying to keep them safe. Not turn them into weapons."

"And I'm trying to give them freedom."

"Then give it to them," Scott said. "But don't turn them into your pawns to do it."

"Until the humans are dealt with, Scott, then all of them are pawns."

"What are you planning to do?" Scott asked, his eyes narrowed to slits.

Erik smirked. "Set it right."

"You're going to get my kids killed for the crime of having human friends," Scott said.

"Not them, no."

Scott scowled for a long time. The truth of the matter was that if he'd had a weapon, he would have acted right then with a threat like that hanging in the air. But he didn't have anything that wasn't metallic, not in Magneto's home, so he had to play his cards carefully. "If you do this," he said slowly, softly, "you can't go after people like the kids that are trying to stand up with mine. There are worse people out there, ones that have actually hurt people."

"Agreed," Erik said. "Finally."

Scott held his gaze. "Alright," he said at last. "I can't stop you." He took a deep breath. "I still don't want my kids involved. But I can't stop you."

"I won't say that I'll avoid trying to get them to see sense," Erik said. "And no. You can't stop me, Scott. You never could."

"That's overstating things," Scott said. "When I had my powers…"

"You don't have your powers."

"No, but I still have some power or you wouldn't argue with me," Scott said with a quiet smirk.

"Not the kind you're aware of, perhaps," Erik admitted. "And I do have a special sort of pity for Charles' first student."

"I've never asked for pity," Scott said, his eyes narrowed.

"Yet you have it."

"I don't want it," Scott said. "I've seen three kids - three high-value target kids - to young adulthood with no powers of my own while government agencies were looking for them-"

"How can you admit that to me and still argue against their futures?"

"Because I want their futures to be better than the never-ending fight for survival we had," Scott said.

"Hiding like this, Scott," Erik said, letting his tone soften finally. "It will only end in misery."

Scott held Erik's gaze for a moment longer before he let out a breath and dropped it. "There's no sense in arguing with you on this," he said.

"Sooner or later, you'll either see things my way, or you'll meet the same end as your X-Men," Erik said as he turned to leave Scott standing there.

"That's where you're wrong," Scott said dully. "No one wants to kill me anymore."

"Is that why you're not using your name, Mr. Summers?" Erik called back. "Because you're so safe?"

Scott didn't say anything, though he did make sure that he timed it so that when Erik looked over his shoulder, Scott was seated again, this time with his head in both hands.