A/N - thanks as usual to Practically An Avenger and X-MenOverAvengers for the thoughtful reviews! I'm trying to be perky but I ain't feelin' it, so instead ... have a chapter.

Chapter 108- Rolling Out The Red Carpet

It had taken Emma Frost precious little time to figure out who she'd been up against - especially after watching a few news reports on this new group of X-Men … paying a little better attention to who was capable of what had her rolling her eyes at the use of magic.

But she also knew that it couldn't possibly be magic in play when it came to blocking her telepathic abilities. That first incident with the doctor had been evidence enough. The Scarlet Witch and her son had been nowhere near her when she'd arranged for Craig Hale to be dealt with. And going to skim through Annie's mind at the school had been exactly the same kind of irritation. So it had to be something tech related dreamed up by Stark's little brat in training.

But that meant it wasn't impossible to undo.

Tech could be so fiddly with the right tools - and not knowing enough about that particular device left her with very few options, but a well placed EMP should certainly do the trick on just about any device that was easily carried.

So that was exactly how Emma prepared for her next attempt to deal with the Hale woman. By setting off an EMP close to her home when she was there, alone. The sudden pop of several electrical transformers on telephone poles nearby told her the device had worked … and the radius that it effected. Which left Miss Hale perfectly susceptible to psychic suggestion.

Annie wasn't aware anything was wrong when she woke up the next morning and headed over to Scott's house for their now-established Saturday morning breakfast. As far as she knew, she had just finished grading the last final the night before and had gotten some well-deserved rest. And now, she wanted to spend time with Scott - and maybe, now that her head was on straight after finals, she'd talk to him about plans going forward.

She let herself into the house and wasn't surprised to find that Scott was the only one awake. Nate wasn't even home; he and Kate were looking at a few colleges while he tried to decide if he wanted to get a degree or not. Rachel was likely crashed at America's, and James was probably asleep still - maybe with his prince charming now that he'd managed to get his third masters and Billy had graduated.

Scott looked up when she came in, smiled, and waved her over, already getting out the sweet tea. "Glad to be done with finals?" he asked.

"Very," she said as she gratefully took the glass of sweet tea. "I've got one of those headaches - you know, the ones from staring at papers for too long?"

Scott winced his sympathy and kissed her forehead. "Well, welcome to summer break, anyway."

"To you too," Annie said, then paused. "You don't really get one with the team, though, do you?" she asked.

"No, but we do get a break at the school itself," Scott said with an easy shrug.

"Just wondering if we'll get to see much of each other," Annie said, leaning against him. "I know how important the team is to you, but it does seem like you're always on-call."

Scott frowned. Annie had been one of the loudest voices telling him how much happier he seemed now that he was back on the team, even if he hadn't yet gone out in the field. "Annie," he started to say, but she shook her head quickly, her eyes wide.

"Don't get me wrong," she said. "You were born to do this. It's obvious. It's just hard to fit into your world when…" She gestured at herself.

Scott let out a breath and leaned forward to steal a kiss. "You act like Ororo isn't dying to have you over all the time," he said.

"It's a little different though, isn't it?" Annie said, looking down at her sweet tea and wondering why she was saying all this. She was thrilled to hear that Ororo wanted her there, and she wanted to apply for a teaching job there - but that wasn't what she was saying, and she didn't know why.

"Annie," Scott said, gently taking her hand, "no one there thinks any less of you because you're not on a team. And they certainly don't think any less of you for being human."

"I know," Annie said without looking up at him.

Scott held his breath as he watched her for a long, awkward moment. "This isn't about the school or the team, is it?" he asked, almost steeling himself. Annie could see him doing it, too, and she wanted to tell him that, no, she wanted to stay with him.

Instead, what she said was: "It's not." And then, after a beat, she added, "I just… I don't know what to do with a life where I'm carrying a panic button and being wished out of danger just for going to church on Sunday."

Scott's mouth was dry as he nodded softly. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"So am I," Annie said, horrified with herself as she got to her feet. She'd started to cry - and that was actually genuine. She didn't know what was happening, and she couldn't stop it, and it had her in tears as she felt herself heading for the door, as she watched Scott sitting there stiffly - not even fighting her on it, as if he'd expected it.

And of course he'd expected it. She knew for a fact that he was scared of losing the people he loved, and she knew he'd once done everything in his power to avoid the hero life because of exactly this kind of complication. Somehow, she had managed to hand-deliver his worst fear in their relationship (aside from actually getting hurt or dying, obviously) and she didn't know why she was doing it or why she couldn't stop.

As Annie got in her car, she didn't know what was happening, and she couldn't force herself to go back.

As for Scott, he was simply sitting in his kitchen in shock, letting the coffee go cold. He wasn't sure what he had expected, really. Annie had always been so supportive of him, but she'd never been kidnapped before. And that was such a stark display of the dangers of staying in his life… he didn't blame her one bit. He'd even done the same thing to Jan; he had no leg to stand on.

He should have seen it coming; he really should have.

"Coffee's cold," James said as he stepped into the kitchen, though Scott didn't know how long he'd been sitting there before then. "Want me to top you off?"

Scott looked up, gave James a tight smile, and shook his head. "No thanks," he said softly.

James came to a stop, watching him and frowning at the conflicting scents in the air. "What happened? Where's Annie?"

"Oh, just…" Scott gestured vaguely and cleared his throat. "I won't - well."

"Dad."

Scott let out a long sigh. "It's fine," he said and got to his feet. "It's just part of running the team."

"What are you talking about?" James asked with his nose scrunched up. "What did I miss?"

"James, it's…" Scott ran a hand down his face. "It's fine."

"What exactly is fine, Dad?"

"I, ah, well, Annie won't be over anymore," Scott said. He had turned himself toward the stairs, meaning to get up to his room before he lost his grip on his emotions, but James wasn't letting him get away that easily.

James simply stared at him, at a loss for words for longer than he'd like, and because of that, Scott almost made it to the stairs before he spoke up. "Why? That doesn't make any sense."

"James, it's fine. I made the same call with Jan, remember?" Scott said. "It's - I don't blame her after what happened with the Hellfire Club…"

"It's a bad call." James crossed his arms. "It was a bad call when you made it, too."

"That's not fair," Scott said.

"Since when does fairness figure in with the truth?"

"Since you started comparing me making a bad call with Annie - who never was part of this life before she met us."

"Yeah, but -" James tried to reorganize his thoughts to line up with his gut feeling. "Okay. I get that. But she loves watching you be … you. All of it."

"That's not the same as living in the life, and we both know it," Scott pointed out. "And I'm not having this debate with you, James. It's her choice to make." He turned to leave again. "And I don't blame her."

James let his shoulders drop, knowing there was no way he was going to get through to him, so instead, he closed his eyes and reached out to fill in Rachel. Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. You have some baby sitting to do.

Shouldn't you and Billy get married before you adopt kids? Rachel asked, her mental tone sleepy even if she had managed a good joke first thing.

We decided to practice with you and America. Dad and Annie broke up.

What.

Yeah, that's what I said. He's probably mad at me for asking too many questions, so you're on Dad watch.

Has he lost his mind? Why would he break up with-

She broke up with him.

What.

I know. Listen. I'm gonna go for a drive. Nowhere in particular. Just … keep an eye on him, please. He was pure shock when I found him staring at a stone cold coffee.

Oh man. Rachel was already getting out of bed. That's bad. I'll make sure he remembers to eat, I promise.

Thanks. I'm going to leave a credit card on the table for you in case you decides he needs anything. I'll keep my mind open if you need anything, okay?

Got it. I'll be there as soon as I can.

James rushed up the stairs as quietly as he could to get dressed for the day, glancing toward his door every time he picked up or put something down, listening for Scott and trying to keep track of what he was doing as much as he could. He couldn't hear everything, but what he could hear lined up with being miserable and melting into himself. So at the very least, he knew that when he got to Annie's house, he could say with absolute certainty that his Dad was both heartbroken and not in the right headspace to attempt it himself. And, he decided, if she was overly aggressive about things, he'd back off. For now. But he couldn't get past the idea of them breaking up out of the blue like that. Especially when things were lightening up, schedule wise for them.

Still, he took a longer route than he normally would have - to make sure Annie had time to get home. Then, he sat in his car for a few minutes trying to figure out what to even say. But nothing was coming to him, so he just … decided to see if she'd tell him what happened and take it from there.

James held his breath as he crossed the street, went up the walk to her apartment building, and then pressed the buzzer for her door. He was surprised, then, when instead of screening the buzzer, she simply unlocked the door so he could come up to her apartment door. He frowned, but took off at a brisk pace to knock at her door.

When Annie answered, she looked disheveled, obviously having been crying and wiping at her eyes to try to stop. And she looked downright surprised to see James. "Oh, I wasn't expec- sorry, I'm not really…" She wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I thought you were my sister."

"What can I do to help?" James asked.

She shook her head as she wiped her eyes again. "That's really sweet. Really. But I don't…" She took a deep breath. "I'm okay, really. My sister's on her way with some junk food."

He raised one eyebrow. "Whatever he did wrong, I feel like someone has to make up for it."

"Oh, sweetie, no," Annie said quickly. "No. First of all, you don't ever have to carry your father's burdens, and if he had done something, it isn't your fault or your job to fix it-"

"You've met me. I do."

She shook her head. "No, it's - it's me. I can't…"

"I don't believe that," James said softly. "And I don't think you do, either."

Her lip started to tremble as she shook her head, but her expression didn't line up with her words. "I can't - I'm not built for it," she said softly. "And I can't hold him back, either. He needs to be with the X-Men. You know he's so much better when he's got that uniform."

"He's better with you, Annie," James said. "But if you don't want him…" Something was wrong, he just couldn't figure out what it was.

"You're sweet," Annie said softly, though her eyes were wide. "But really, I'll be okay. You didn't have to come all this way." As she spoke, she was starting to step back from the door.

"If you need anything, call me. Please. I don't care how small it is."

"Thanks," Annie said, then closed the door - though he could hear her almost immediately start to cry again once it was closed.

James had his hands on his hips as he listened, frustrated that nothing about the scents involved were lining up. But instead of just leaving, he decided to make a phone call on his way to the car, not even bothering to get in the car before he hit send. "Hey doc, you got a minute?" he said as he closed the door behind himself, then paused because it had been a long time since he'd done this at all. "Ah … it's James. Howlett, by the way. Hi."

"I haven't lost your number - glad you haven't lost mine," Craig said dryly.

"Yeah, I know, worst patient ever," James agreed. "I'm sorry about that, too."

"Something must really be bothering you."

"I know the chances of you not knowing what's going on with your sister is slim to none. I know there are a lot of things that aren't ideal, and it probably sounds stupid coming from me since I don't know her very well and I've been trying to keep out of their way, but … something is off with all this, I know it - I can feel it in the pit of my stomach, but I can't … I can't explain it clearly."

Craig was quiet for a long time before he responded. "To be honest, I'm surprised too. I know she was shaken up, but to hear her tell it, she had the shortest kidnapping in history. I didn't think she was thinking about leaving."

"Just so we're clear, I'm not even trying to advocate for my dad, doc. If she really is done, that sucks, but we'll drag him through it. I'm worried about her. This doesn't make sense - not just from what they've been leaning toward, either. Nothing matches. Her reactions aren't …. They don't line up with what I can sense."

Craig was quiet again, then said, "She told me that she was going to ask him how they could arrange things so she could be at least near the school if not in it on a permanent basis. This is not what she planned to do, as of yesterday."

"She doesn't seem like the kind to give up that easy, either," James said. "I just don't know her well enough to be able to pinpoint it."

"Evie's going to try an talk her down tonight."

"Annie said she was on her way over," James said.

"You are concerned. She'd be thrilled to hear you use her first name."

"Ha. Not so much. I already did, when I came to talk to her," James admitted. "I haven't even driven away yet."

"And she didn't fall over herself with excitement?"

"Not even close. More like pushed me out."

Craig was quiet, though James could hear him tapping a pen. "She keeps that telepathic thing of yours with her all the time since Emma Frost showed up. I can't think what else could be going on unless it's coercion."

"I don't know. I've got Rachel sticking to Dad, so if you have an idea I can run down, I'm all ears."

"I'm just as much at a loss as you are," Craig admitted. "Stay in touch. Please."

"Yeah, call me if you come up with something and I'll do the same. I'll keep my phone on." James frowned to himself as he hung up, then looked toward Annie's house one more time, tapping his phone against his palm before he checked the time and sent Billy a quick text asking him to reach out when he had some time. As much as he wanted to take Billy up on the offer to spend some time in Genosha, he couldn't leave his Dad like this.

Unlike when Scott and Jan had broken up, Scott didn't have the constancy of needing to get the kids to school, and he was technically on summer break from teaching as well. He'd sent Ororo a text saying he needed some time off, but that only meant that he had literally nothing to do and no reason to get going.

For the first day or so, he'd tried to just disappear into his room and try to get his feet underneath him. He hadn't seen the breakup coming, but he wasn't surprised by it either, considering everything that had happened lately. Annie had come into his life exactly at the wrong time, when he was getting back into the job he'd avoided for well over a decade. He had spent years trying not to get caught up in the high risk of a hero's life, and she was well within her rights to do the same.

Especially because she had everything going for her. She had a job she loved, a family that loved her and that were close enough for her to spend time with them. She obviously wanted to settle down with someone, and she deserved to settle down, not to try to squeeze a family life into the stolen moments between missions, like Scott and Jean had done.

She'd seen Kate, Billy, and James get back from Viper's lair; she'd seen the shape they were in. And she and her brother were now targets of supervillains themselves. She didn't need this.

At least, that was what he kept reminding himself. He just… he hadn't seen this coming, and he'd honestly been wanting to talk to her about what to do in the fall. He'd seen her piles of schoolwork in her car and knew she'd been running ragged, and it might have been favoritism, but he'd talked to Ororo, seeing as the school took in so many young mutants that they'd added a wing specifically for the kids who got caught by the scanners at school or who were physically mutated and never got the chance to hide. Annie would be perfect for general education, for history, for whatever she wanted to teach.

That was where his head had been, not… this.

But he didn't want to go to Westchester, because, God help him, he didn't want to resent the team. If he went back now, if he looked around and saw all that he was helping to build after he'd gone so long living a normal life, he knew he might walk out again, and what kind of message would that send his kids?

So, he stayed inside, feeling like the rug had been yanked out from under him, trying to convince himself he was alright and that this was for the best - until the light changed and he realized it was night and he'd spent the day doing absolutely nothing.

He knew Rachel had brushed his mind a few times, and she wasn't even trying to hide it. He knew the kids were concerned. And when, the next morning, Toby showed up for coffee with such an obvious look of concern, he knew he was dragging the kids into his heartbreak. And that was unacceptable.

So, the morning after that - it felt like the day previous had faded into a blur - he told Rachel on his way out the door that he was going on a walk to get breakfast locally. She seemed relieved that he was getting out of the house - and she didn't follow him, either. So that was encouraging. If he could just get himself moving, the kids could focus on their lives, and he wouldn't weigh them down.

He kept his gaze on his feet as he walked to the cafe, half afraid he'd see someone he knew and have to gracefully duck out of conversation somehow, and once he got his coffee, he sat down in the far corner.

"Oh, good. You saved my table," Toby said as he invited himself to sit down with a newspaper and a cup of coffee.

Scott shook his head at that but didn't object. "You don't have to pretend you're not checking on me."

"Who's pretending?" Toby asked. "I'm just not announcing it, and judging by the newly sprouting beard, I thought it best to just be here."

Scott gave him a dry look for that. "I'll be fine, Toby."

"Yes, and you'll be fine with company, too."

Scott let out a breath but didn't have the energy to argue. Instead, he simply kept his gaze on his coffee. He knew Toby had better things he could have been doing.

For a long while, Toby didn't say a word, or push for anything. Then, when it was clear he couldn't remain quiet forever, he cleared his throat. "So … maybe we can go have a chat somewhere more private. I have a few things I could use some help with."

"Sure," Scott said and got to his feet. "I'll follow you."

"Well, it's the kind of thing we should probably do at your house. You want a bagel, or some soup?"

"I'm fine, Toby. Not really hungry."

"Sure, sure. What about your boy? I know he's around because I saw him running yesterday." Toby tipped his head. "He didn't have time to talk."

"Yeah, he and Rachel have been home the past few days. He's been getting a few things done while Billy's with his family." He gave Toby a significant look. "And you know how Billy's family has more complicated problems than normal."

"I was going to ask him about it, but he actually ran away." He chuckled to himself. "First time for everything."

Scott smirked at that. "Don't take it personally. He's eighteen."

"Sure. Then what's his excuse for the past few years?" Toby laughed.

"Same one - teenager," Scott said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," Toby said, waving him off, "and his school, work, sweetie … it's all very busy for that kid. Not that the others are slouching. Is Nate still looking at schools with his girl?"

"Yeah, he had a few football scholarship offers that he's trying to decide if he'll follow through on," Scott said. "He just isn't sure what he'd study - and you know Kate's going into both teams full-time now that she's done with school, so the draw to follow her is pretty strong."

"I'm sure it is. Those two are inseparable."

"You should hear the betting pool up at the institute now that they've both tested out of school and are legally adults…" Scott smiled lightly. "I know for a fact that he has enough saved up for a ring; I just don't know if they're ready. They were before everything that happened a few months back, but… I think he's watching her and waiting to make sure she's okay before they move forward."

"He's a lot like his father, that one." Toby was smiling as they headed toward the Summers' house. "What about the others? I know James has a more complicated everything. What about Rachel though?"

"I think if they decide to get married, it'll be a spur of the moment thing. Neither of them have really shown any interest in being anything more than what they are."

"I think that description fits all three of your kids," Toby said.

"Nah, Nate will make plans," Scott said.

"Fair, fair," Toby said, though he kept his thoughts to himself as they headed into the house. No one was home, yet, but there was a growing stack of mail on the kitchen table that hadn't been touched in some time. So, Toby directed them toward the kitchen, knowing that Scott would either busy himself to cover or just drop into a chair until he got uncomfortable with Toby busying himself.

"I haven't made coffee yet this morning," Scott said as he took a seat.

"I can make it if you like," Toby offered with a smile.

"I don't want you to put yourself out."

"Oh, please," Toby said low. "It'll give me something to do with my hands while I ask you awkward questions."

Scott gestured broadly. "Alright. Must be important."

"Of course it is," Toby agreed. "I could use some direction. All these kids …"

"Ah." Scott understood immediately.

"The families don't want to send them away."

"But they don't know how to face the rest of it," Scott said.

"Exactly." Toby took a few minutes to get the coffee going, then pulled out the chair opposite Scott. "I don't even know where to start. A lot of the schools here - you know what they're doing. So the upset here is what to do with the kids. Most of those kids want to go to big colleges when they're old enough. Hard to get in with an impressive application if they're working from home because of that. Not to mention, it's not very clear which colleges would be safe. I figured you'd beaten that dead horse a few times now."

"Actually, let me give you Warren's number," Scott said. "His foundation provides scholarships to mutant kids, and he's done a lot of digging. He knows which schools are safe and he knows which foundations will give those kids scholarships beyond his."

"That would be helpful, as long as he doesn't mind a thousand questions from well meaning, worried parents."

"He likes to feel needed," Scott said, smirking, as he rooted through some of the mail to grab a junk envelope to write down Warren's number.

"Don't we all," Toby said quietly.

"Here," Scott said, handing him the envelope, though he did a double-take when he saw another near at hand envelope.

"I appreciate the help," Toby said, watching Scott closer. "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to hang around a little bit and catch one of the kids to see if they'd come down and talk to the youth group - maybe back me up that they don't need to completely hide what they are."

"Rachel is really good at that," Scott said, though he was half distracted as he realized that a letter next to the junk mail was from Harvard. Curiosity got the better of him and he went ahead and opened it. He quickly read through it and stared for a long moment. It was an invitation to enroll - for James's PhD.

"You alright, Scott?" Toby asked after a long moment.

"Yeah, I just… James got an acceptance letter to Harvard. I knew he was talking about applying…"

"That's wonderful," Toby said with a smile that almost immediately slipped. "Unless he changed his mind about it."

"No, he and Billy were discussing it - they wanted to get a place together while James got his schooling wrapped up."

"How's that going, then?"

"They were waiting to get the official acceptance…" Scott let out a breath. "I'll make sure they go house shopping when Billy gets back. He doesn't need to hang around here for me."

"Looking for more alone time, or …"

"Just don't want to hold them back," Scott said.

"Didn't think you were capable, even when you did want to," Toby said.

Scott gave him a dry look for that one. "Anyway," he said pointedly. "I'll be okay."

"I never said you wouldn't," Toby pointed out.

"I know." Scott let out a breath. "So, I'll send Rachel to talk to the kids, you've got Warren's phone number… if it's alright with you, I'm going to grab a shower…"

"Sure, sure," Toby said, nodding his head. "Tell the kids I said hello. See you soon." He got to his feet and refilled his to-go cup, then headed out with a wave, wondering which one was going to make it home first, or if Scott was just shoving him out the door.

When James got done with his run, he came in, headed up to shower, and made a point to listen for any trouble - even if he looked like he was listening to music with his headphones. There was nothing on them - and it was just another way to push an interaction. But … so far his wait and see method had been flat. That offer letter from Harvard had come in the day after Annie and Scott parted ways, and he wasn't below taking it to Annie either, if this kept up. Just because she'd want to do … something.

But so far … no dice. Not until he was done getting cleaned up and came downstairs to grab a bite.

"So, are you and Billy going to go look at houses today?" Scott asked from the living room.

"Trying to get rid of me on week one? Nice," James called back, still rifling through the kitchen. "Can't look for a place until I know where I'll be."

"You've had a letter from Harvard sitting here for a couple days," Scott said. "Don't tell me you didn't know."

"Yeah, well, they're not the only one offering," James admitted, both trying to play it down, and redirect his father. "Franklin leaked that I was open to other options, so … I've got a few places trying to catch my attention."

"That doesn't surprise me," Scott said with a soft smile. "Finally catching up to what I've always known about how amazing you are."

James let out a breath of a laugh. "Okay, okay, if you say so. Has nothing to do with all the press, right?"

"No, I'm right about this."

"Sure, Dad," James said, then let out a breath. "Anyhow. Can't really shop for a place to live yet. Might not need to."

Scott raised an eyebrow at that. "Where are you looking?"

"Well, I'm not. I'm just trying to pick a program," James said. "Then I'll take it from there. But, so far, you know about the two in Boston - yes, MIT is trying to retain. Then there's Columbia and Princeton that are both throwing their hat in, too. Better than half of the Ivy League, really. A few bigger Universities... Not too interested in anything in California, to be honest." He shrugged. "There are a couple others, but I don't think they're viable."

"Those are good options, though," Scott said, starting to smile again. "And I'm sure Billy's ready to get back to having your own place. He's been dropping hints."

"Yeah, well … we'll see."

"You're welcome to use the apartment if you want," Scott pointed out.

"I'm not interested in staying that close to Natasha," James admitted.

"Fair." Scott let out a breath. "James, I wish you'd told me about Harvard."

"You've got more important things on your mind."

"Nothing more important in my life than my kids right now; you know that."

"I don't want to say anything until Nate knows what he wants to do."

"James, you're allowed to celebrate your accomplishments," Scott pointed out. "Nate's an adult. He'll figure out what he wants to do."

"Maybe I don't want to celebrate until I've done something noteworthy."

"We still haven't even gotten to celebrate the end of the debacle with MIT - and that was hard-earned," Scott pointed out.

"Not much in the mood," James said easily, then offered Scott half his sandwich.

Scott took the half-sandwich. "Still, we should do something."

"Dad, it's fine. Everyone's been busy. It was forever ago. Leave it be."

"It wasn't that long ago, and Lord knows we could use a celebration of something good," Scott said, though he lost his smile as he realized he was already thinking of how much Annie would jump at the opportunity for a celebration.

"Yeah, see, I'm not really up to celebrating," James said.

"Me neither. Right now, anyway."

"Thought so," James said. "These things only happen alongside something bad, anyhow."

Scott let out a sigh and got to his feet to pull James over in a hug. "Proud of you. Just so you know."

"Love you too," James replied.

The first thing that James saw the morning after his tour of Princeton with his dad was a text from Nate, who was absolutely prepared to give him a hard time.

Have you seen the news yet?

James opened one eye as he looked at his phone then let out a huff as he shifted to his side to reply with a simple 'no' then waited for Nate to get back to him. He was pretty sure that between Nate and Kate there would be some ammunition for teasing if that's what he opened with. And he wasn't disappointed.

The next thing that he knew, Nate was sending links. So, so many links.

Red Carpet Welcome for Tony Stark's Secret Weapon

What We Know About Stark's Successor And What We Don't

Why Are America's Best Universities Trying To Catch A Wolverine

MIT's Loss Could Be A Big Win For Their Hungriest Competition

And about half a dozen more with similar threads that James rolled his eyes over, but one caught his attention. Breaking News: MIT: Anti-Mutant, Anti-X-Men, or Taking a Stand Against Tony Stark?

James frowned and clicked the link, not at all surprised to see that J. Jonah Jameson's face was the first thing to pop up with that kind of headline. Generally speaking, that type of hook ended with Jameson pushing for the least appetizing of the options listed. And he needed to know how bad it was.

To start, the video was like any other … Jameson's news desk was in silhouette until the music ended, but when the lights came on, Jameson was uncharacteristically calm.

"We've all seen the paparazzo and even so-called real press reporting on Tony Stark's replacement for Stark Industries as the only son of Wolverine has been taking up college tours over the past few weeks. As you likely know already, James Howlett has managed to secure three separate Master's degrees from MIT - all before the tender age of nineteen - outstripping his predecessor for speed."

Jameson took a breath and smirked, leaving James holding his breath and wondering where, exactly he was going.

"What we haven't known, until now, is why Howlett has decided to pursue what we can only assume can be a doctorate, at a university other than the one he's already graduated from multiple times now. Why bother looking elsewhere when Stark's old alma mater has been so accommodating?" Jameson's tone was getting harsher incrementally. "Why rock the well-donated to boat unless there was something going on?"

"Oh, shit," James muttered as he sat up and hunched halfway over his phone to continue watching.

"This reporter has spent weeks trying to figure out exactly what Howlett's been hiding behind that highly-marketable image of saving kids from burning buildings and a family legacy that made home-sewn yellow and black striped teddybears commonplace across the country even amid the height of anti-mutant rhetoric that exposed his parent's pasts for the living weapons they were." Jameson paused and leaned toward the camera as it zoomed in slowly. "And have I got a story for you. It has everything - high-powered stakes, massive corruption, Hydra and SHIELD. Not to mention accusations of academic integrity issues and no less than three rejected papers that my sources tell me were never even reviewed."

James' eyebrows shot up … that was news to him. He wasn't surprised at hearing it, but he was surprised that JJ was making it known publicly. He also wasn't expecting it when Jameson went on to outline what he knew … and it was things that James himself had found out only after extreme digging on Scott and Natasha's part, so he was a little confused as to how Jameson had found out.

"Sure, lots of less capable reporters have stuck to the easy stories around this kid," Jameson said. "It's temping when the subject in question seems to be just another pretty face to follow Tony Stark's tabloid legacy from spottings and flings with various young women - and men - all the way up to the questionable affair with Genosha's crown prince. An affair that apparently started just before the downfall of the war-mongering mutant ruler best known as Magneto, whose death is still 'under investigation' according to Genoshan authorities and SHIELD. The fact that young Mr. Howlett seems to be living up to his parents' heroic legacy as well has been one of the more inspiring stories from the past few years to watch fall into place. Howlett certainly doesn't leave a person in my business with nothing to report on, either. But all that is side story compared to the details behind what I like to call MIT's predatory mutant scandal."

James was ready to start cursing when the box next to JJ's head lit up with a silhouette.

"Sources have stepped forward who wanted their story known, though they chose to remain anonymous in an effort to protect their families from the inevitable backlash that could follow spilling secrets about the high-powered games going on at MIT, Stark Industries, SHIELD, and even our government. Games that have toyed with many genius students - both human and mutant. The layers to this story are truly intriguing, ladies and gentlemen, and you don't want to miss a moment of it. Stay tuned as we dedicate our show over the next few weeks to exposing the many facets of the corruption in America's highest rated institutions, the curious bias of Stark Industries, unaccounted for loose ends surrounding Magneto's murder, and how so much of it ties back not only to the son of two mutant weapons, but also to whoever and whatever has been involved in all the years between the fall of the original X-Men and where we find all the involved parties today. We'll return after these message-"

James closed out the window on his phone and threw back the sheet he was sleeping in. "I can't do this without coffee," he mumbled to himself before he set the phone aside and started getting dressed. He also made a point to put in his headphones as soon as his hoodie had been pulled down so he could listen to it without disturbing Scott - provided that Scott hadn't found out about it already. And he was so good at finding out about things like this without prompting.

James texted his brother on the way downstairs, too. I've got it handled. Carry on with kissing your Hawkeye.

If you think we're not watching it, you're out of your big, fat, genius mind, Nate wrote back. But we'll let you or Natasha tell Dad.

So giving. Thank you. Truly.

James was the first one downstairs, so he quietly went about making a pot of coffee - and had the newscast playing over his headphones so he could listen to what Jameson had dug up - and how he was spinning it. He knew Tony would watch the whole thing before he told James about it - that had been the norm for most news stories … the people he considered as parents or close enough to it were absolutely filtering everything for him.

He was cracking a couple of eggs to scramble when Jameson's broadcast started up again, diving right into what James had hoped he'd leave be.

"... the dismissed case of academic integrity alone is suspicious when paired with all the generous donations Tony Stark has given the school over the years, but how it was an open case to begin with is even more questionable when my sources state that the papers in question were ordered not to be reviewed with not one iota of evidence that Howlett hadn't done the work on them. In fact, the sources that read two of the three papers submitted almost a year ago are of the opinion that Mr. Howlett could easily attain the kinds of invitations he's getting now to pursue graduate degrees at any of the schools that he is, in fact, considering after MIT's backstabbing." The camera panned out as Jameson tapped a stack of papers in front of him. "I'll be honest, this stuff is hard to follow, but the experts that have read it have assured me that some of the concepts here could take Stark's weapons company in an entirely different direction. This kid is not anything close to a copy of Tony Stark. Even from what I could get out of this stuff, the kid is on a different level of innovation that could benefit much more than the military-industrial complex."

As Jameson continued, James tried to make his breakfast quietly, careful not to burn anything even with how distracted he was. But the next talking point, while great for television was enough to make James pause as he poured his coffee.

"And that might be why Hydra and SHIELD tried to take him out," Jameson said with a gleam in his eyes.

"Smells good," Scott said, half startling James, who pulled out a headphone and turned his way guiltily as he lowered the volume with his free hand.

"Ah, thanks. Plenty to share, if you're hungry," James said, though he was sure Scott was going to pick up on his shiftiness sooner than later.

"Just coffee to start, thanks," Scott said.

James stepped out of the way as Scott reached for a cup, then he grabbed his plate and his mug and sat down with one earphone in and the other shoved down the front of his hoodie. He didn't realize how distracted he was as he listened to Jameson and played with his food. Not until Scott pointed it out.

"You okay?" Scott asked. He was still lost in thought himself, but even at that, halfway into his first cup of coffee, he realized James hadn't done more than play with his food.

"Fine." James looked up with an open, innocent expression in place. "Yeah, I'm just …"

"What are you listening to?"

"What?"

"What's on the earphones?" Scott asked, gesturing toward James with his mug. "Pretty easy to see you're distracted."

"Just a link that Nate sent me," James said, which was, in fact, the truth.

"And that's distracting why?" Scott said, gesturing for James to let him see.

James hesitated, but when Scott raised an eyebrow his way, he knew he was busted. James let out a sigh and pulled the headphones out of the jack and started to turn up the volume for Scott, who took the phone to watch.

"... MIT is being silent and refuses to answer questions to defend their phony accusations. They refuse to admit their involvement - or the involvement of their staff in the abduction of James Howlett on Hydra's behalf even if some of their braver professors have taken a stand to get the truth out and wish Howlett well on his pursuit of yet another high-level degree in a subject that I'm very sure will be controversial to the status quo."

He continued his rant toward the positive for long enough that both James and Scott were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"What no one, including the Avengers, SHIELD, Stark, or even Howlett himself have bothered to do is to show the public that time spent in Hydra's clutches hasn't done anything to shift the boy's alliances to anti-American views. Sure, Viper's dead, but what's that saying of theirs? Cut off one head and two more will take its place? Representatives from Stark won't comment on anything surrounding his kid's mental status - which we've come to expect. Genosha refuses to do anything but confirm that tabloid photos of Stark's protege and the mutant crown prince frolicking beachside are genuine, and we can save our breath asking their representatives anything about the mental well being of anyone too close to mutant royalty. They won't talk. I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect, at some point, to be questioning how much about this kid is genuine and how much is carefully manufactured for his image. If we consider who's likely been coaching him in etiquette with the press, we'll probably never get direct answers on any of it, unless one of his companions missteps, that is. For now, the best we can do is to trust the billionaire playboy profiting from both the military and the publicity of his mutant golden ticket when he says the kid's alright."

Scott was quiet when the spot ended, but went right to Jameson's website to see what he had posted so far. And he stayed like that, scrolling and reading for a long moment. "What all did he say?"

"A lot. But …it's not all bad," James defended, one hand up toward Scott. "You missed … well, literally all the stuff leading up to this was almost defensive of me? Sorta. No, maybe just accusatory toward MIT. It's …" he sighed to himself, then dropped any attempt at defense. "I'm sure a transcript will be available."

"Yeah, it will," Scott said and James pulled his half-cold coffee a little closer to lean over it. "He probably won't be done after just one spot."

"No," James agreed. "He said it was going to be an ongoing series. So that's … horrible."

Scott was quiet for a moment longer as he weighed it out - and noted that Jameson's website was still littered with anti-Spider-Man rhetoric. "You know, he's been pretty supportive of the team since you guys started it up again. He's not looking at you like he looks at Spider-Man."

"Well, Spidey's got a special place of distrust for him," James said. "Menace that he is."

Scott nodded, though he didn't do more than that as he read through what the website already had, narrowing his eyes in a few places. "The thing with Magneto is going to be tricky. I wonder what he's got there," he said, half to himself.

"Not like I can run from it anyhow," James said, still halfheartedly playing with his food from time to time.

"Last I heard from Alex, that investigation's nearly wrapped up anyway," Scott said. "You'll be fine on Genosha; it's just the press that's going to be an issue." He tapped his chin. "And this stuff about Hydra… that should go away over time just from seeing you being your own person."

"You know, I was purposely not trying to bring this mess to your attention," James pointed out.

"Uh-huh." Scott kept reading, nodding to himself. "This is actually better than it could be, though. The only parts where he's on the attack are where he doesn't have answers - and that's just a tactic to get the answers, really."

"Right, well, the stuff he doesn't have answers for are the things I can't talk about with him anyhow - and neither can anyone else because that's all wrapped up with SHIELD crap, right?"

"Most of it," Scott agreed, finally leaning back. "We'll need to keep an eye on this," he said at last. "It's not… as bad as it could be, admittedly." He glanced back at James. "Honestly, it's a testament to how well you're doing that you've got him halfway in your corner."

"I wouldn't take it that far," James argued.

"I said 'halfway'," Scott said. He let out a long sigh. "Could be worse. You could be a menace. Or a terrorist."

"I mean … early days. Depending on what the people investigating in Genosha say, that could go either way. Even if I'm clear."

"I think the evidence there is in your favor," Scott said. "I know you're not following it, but some of the proceedings are public record. By all accounts, you'll be cleared easily."

"We'll see," James said.

"I think having the crown prince's sworn statement is going to be more than enough-"

"Again, that doesn't bring into account all the accusations of treachery?" James said. "Or the very deep bias, or the fact that the rule set was probably very different when it came to who it was. So, we'll see."

"God forbid anyone accuse me of blind optimism, but I think you're underestimating how much Genoshans adore their crown prince," Scott said.

"Probably," James said thickly.

Scott let out his breath and leaned further back in his seat, gesturing to the website. "I know you and Stark have a lot of the public image worked out between you, but if something comes up, let me know, please."

"You mean besides th colleges asking to set up tours? You want the press, too?"

Scott tipped his head. "I know you can handle it by yourself; I'm not - I just like to know-"

"I feel better when you do know," James said. "And honestly, if I leave it to Tony's people, things will get cross-scheduled against whatever you have figured out anyhow. If you don't mind…" James slid his phone back toward Scott. "You can have it. I don't want to talk to anyone."

Scott shook his head. "I'm no good for conversation right now either, in case you haven't noticed."

"Then lets go fishing. Forget the college crap. Forget whatever JJ has brewing. I'm okay. And if Billy wants to talk to me, he'll just zap himself wherever."

Scott smiled lightly. "Alright," he said. "And then we'll start looking at colleges."

"I honestly didn't think you'd go for that, but … great."