A/N - Hello, hello and happy Saturday! Have an early Mother's day present. Thank you particularly to PracticallyAnAvenger - you rock, my dear. We love reading your reviews, and I promise ... I can't tell you much, but things are happening. KISSES!

Chapter 112 - The Dust Settles

It took a while for Tyler to get through everyone who had been hurt in the attack on the Massachusetts Academy, and he had to take several breaks just to get through the worst of them. He wasn't healing everything, just the big things like internal injuries, broken bones, concussions - that kind of thing. He had fixed Emma's ankle and was about to leave it at that… then paused, narrowed his eyes, and took her hand again. "That was some concussion," he said, screaming internally. He'd dealt with telepaths making him heal people or making him say horrific things to terrorize the people he was sent after. He knew what it felt like, he knew what was going on, but he couldn't stop it and he hated every second of it.

He would have told Hank, too, but he couldn't get the words in his mouth, so what happened instead was that he let out a low, rippling growl that caught Hank's attention.

"Tyler?" Hank said, turning his way and wearing a quizzical expression.

"Sorry," he said. "I guess I didn't realize I was running on empty until I hit a wall."

"Take a break," Hank advised. "I'm sure Miss Frost is well enough that simple modern medicine will suffice for now." He looked at Emma over the top of his glasses, challenging her to argue it.

"I'll survive," Emma promised, smiling at Hank. "Your young protege is quite the miracle worker."

"Yeah, I keep telling him he'd be great on our team," Scott said as he came into the lab to check on the survivors. "How is everyone, Hank?"

"Mending," Hank answered. "Tyler has handled the worst of it, but that still leaves quite the assortment of contusions and bruises. Internal injuries and most of the broken bones have seemed to be resolved already." He smiled toward Tyler and put a hand on his shoulder. "He was just about to take a break, refuel, and nap."

Tyler's smile was slightly more pointed than usual. "Yeah, just… keep an eye on the concussion cases," he said.

"Oh, Emma, did we get a scan before Tyler worked on you?" Hank asked, just then realizing that he didn't have it in his file.

"I don't believe so, but I feel much more clear headed now," Emma said, wide-eyed.

"I just got off the phone with a few parents. I'm going to take some of the kids home if they're okay to travel," Scott said, thumbing over his shoulder.

"Of course," Hank said. "I'll get you the list of who's cleared."

"Thanks," Scott said, holding the door open for Tyler on the way out.

Soon enough, a handful of students were heading out with Scott - along with Emma, since the parents knew her and not Scott. Scott didn't have a good argument for that; he knew he would have had a hard time dealing with a stranger after his kids had been attacked and he knew he'd have questions that demanded answers from someone responsible.

"Are we doing this without our new X-Men friends?" Emma's favorite student asked, grinning as she helped Emma balance - still shaky on her freshly healed ankle.

"Yeah, James is occupied. Sorry about your luck," Scott said with a self-deprecating smile. "It's just me today."

"Oh, darn. Maybe next time," she said.

Scott shook his head and tried to temper his smirk. He knew the girl had an obvious crush on James, and as long as she kept her hands to herself, he was kind of entertained by how much James didn't realize how popular he was. And for the most part, he had to laugh when, for most of the trip, the kids were all talking about the X-Men and how cool they were and who they'd met. Ororo was already in the process of on-boarding any students who were too young to be heading off to college, too, so they were excited to be going to the original mutant school.

It was almost like being a teenager again, listening to everyone talking about the future and trading plans and crushes - while carrying an X-badge.

Emma's favorite student was the last to be dropped off because she lived the furthest away, but once she had thanked them both for keeping her safe and her parents had chatted with Emma for a while, Scott was ready to be home again. He was handling everything in fits and spurts like that: find something to do, then hang on tight until he found another thing to do.

"It never really changes, does it?" Emma said as she sat down again. "The blatant hero worship."

"I was just thinking it was a familiar feeling," Scott agreed.

"That girl…" Emma pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's as if she hasn't been religiously studying the tabloids for months."

"It's just a crush," Scott said. "It won't get her anywhere. Billy and James are pretty serious."

"Oh, obviously," Emma said. "They can't be in the same city block and not have an article written." She was laughing at the whole concept. "And positive press. Over mutants. Celebrity status on a mutant while not calling them a terrorist. Amazingly novel. I've rather enjoyed it, to be honest."

"I hate admitting it, but Stark ran that play. He pushed to put James in the public eye."

"That first press conference was a genius move. Did Stark know that your boy's mother had inhabited his soul before the conference?" Emma had to tease.

Scott laughed outright. "It happened in a split second. I swear James caught himself by surprise."

"He is quick."

"Brilliant," Scott agreed. "And Billy's been trained since he was little with how to deal with public scrutiny, so the two of them together? I'm not worried."

"No, it's a formidable pairing for the press," Emma agreed, sounding almost impressed. Almost.

"And you've seen Nate's girlfriend. She's been pushing hard to force the press to acknowledge peaceful coexistence is possible," Scott said, obviously proud. "My kids… I wish I could take credit for their good taste, but they're just…"

"You come out in them all," Emma said. "Don't sell yourself short."

"Thanks," Scott said with a soft smile as they got to a stoplight. "Now that the kids aren't here… I wanted to ask how you're doing," he said slowly. "I know this won't be easy."

"I … honestly don't know what to do with myself," she said slowly.

"Yeah." Scott took a deep breath and let it out. "I wish I could give you the right words or the right choices."

"You've already been wonderful, Scott. You always are. It's a bit sickening if I'm being honest. I don't know how you do it."

"If I'm honest? I've been trying to help my kids and the rest of my family because that's the only thing I know I can do," Scott said. "Everything else? Well."

Emma nodded once, then took a moment to rearrange herself. "Where exactly are we going?" she asked after a long moment. "Maybe a bite to eat somewhere civilized would be a good way to plot out the next steps."

"I was going to ask if you had a place to stay," Scott admitted.

"I don't," Emma replied.

"That's surprising."

"Oh? Why is that?" Emma asked. "I was living at the school, you know. Sold the apartment in the city ages ago."

"I just remember you having a few places we used to sneak off to," Scott said, keeping his gaze on the road.

"I need to stay close for my students," Emma said. "And I'm surprised you remember any of those spots."

Scott rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, I do."

She smiled his way for a fraction of a second before looking away. "Well. Any in particular come to mind?"

"If you kept the one close to the lake, that would be ideal to keep you out of the public eye for a while if this was targeted," Scott said. "But if you've gotten rid of that… I can find someplace else."

"Could you?"

"Emma, believe me when I tell you I know how to keep a low profile," Scott said dryly.

"I don't believe I've seen this side of you, that's all."

Scott frowned lightly. "I haven't changed, Emma. I'm just trying to help. Like always."

"I know. It's the tactical sneaking that seems new to me. I'm sure you've perfected it, but that's not what I remember of you. Show me how it's done."

Scott tipped his head. "If you're not opposed, I know a couple places that have already been security vetted. They're fallback places to the one I have right now."

"What's wrong with the one you have right now?"

"Nothing. This one's for you, not me."

"I thought you might keep me company for a few moments while I got my bearings again."

"And I'm more than happy to help you manage your concussion recovery in a new place; I already said I'd help," Scott said.

"Well I trust your judgment," Emma decided. "It's in your hands."

Scott nodded, going over a few options in his head before he settled on one that Stark had set up instead of Natasha. "We usually stay in small houses or quiet neighborhoods, but I think I know a place - on the coast. It's a private beach house; no one will bother you there."

"Sounds secure," she said, then let her voice drop lower. "And lonely."

"I didn't figure you'd be interested in the ones in suburbia," Scott said with a crooked smirk.

"Scott, darling, you know I don't handle small children well. The teenagers, I can work with though." She scoffed. "Suburbia."

"Beach house it is," Scott said dryly. "What do you know; it's like I know you well."

"That you do," she agreed, smiling to herself, and resolutely refusing to look his way - even if she was hoping he did. The whole dance was incredibly intricate when he was being so protective of his space … and she honestly hated it. But with a little luck … and some privacy off the road, maybe that could be reversed.

He gave her a quick tour, and checked the place over as soon as they got there, and Emma listened patiently all the way up until it looked like he was going to simply … go. "You're not leaving me alone, are you?"

"I was planning to help with the others," he said. "I'll check in…"

"Scott, you're the only one there that I don't have to use small words on," Emma said, smiling crookedly.

"I think you're forgetting Hank," Scott said, leaning on the door frame.

"Hank doesn't know me well enough to anticipate - and when he gets something halfway right, he wants to ask me a dozen questions as to why." She reached for his arm. "Please. At least have dinner with me before you go."

Scott paused. "Emma-"

"I don't want to be alone."

He let his shoulders drop. "Alright," he said. "Just… let me text Mia. She's coordinating things with Ororo and the team's been keeping a close eye on both Ororo and myself. All things considered."

"How different was it today from when it happened in Westchester?"

Scott froze, his mouth tightening. "That's… why I'm here, honestly," he admitted. "It's too close to what happened, and I know what it's like, and I don't want anyone going through it without support."

"I was in Jubilation's wing when it happened," she said. "That's where my office was."

Scott swallowed, his mouth dry as he came to sit down on the couch beside her. "Oh," was all he could manage to say, because everything else in his head was just rubble and the charge in the air. And an icy breeze that he honestly didn't notice floating underneath everything else.

She absently reached over to cover his hand with hers. "I don't think I can keep … I can't go back."

Scott could feel his stomach drop, because that was an all-too-familiar feeling for him. But it was worse, really, because he'd at least had his kids to hang onto. He shifted the way he was sitting so he could see her more clearly, and when he saw the look on her face and the fact that she looked genuinely lost, he leaned forward and stole a long, gentle kiss. "I know," he said.

Emma looked up to meet his gaze, smiled, and then kissed him back, harder, knowing full well that since she'd slipped into his thoughts and made him think he'd started it all, he wasn't about to stop. He wouldn't want her thinking he'd led her on, after all.

Mia had never had such a long flight in her life. It wasn't that she hadn't done it before - she had. A few times, in fact. It wasn't even that she was used to nearly instant travel when Tommy would spoil her with a quick trip here or there. It was that she so rarely managed to surprise Tommy like this. And the only one that had any idea that she and James were flying in was Wanda, who had promised to keep it to herself.

Their flight had been good, too … it wasn't often that James flew them anywhere - mostly because Nate loved to pilot so much. But it was fun to find out an hour into the flight that he hadn't exactly waited for Natasha to clear them before they left. And it was fun to listen to Tony laugh himself silly at James for finding a way to blindside Natasha out of the blue like that. Obviously, the Black Widow had been getting a free pass for too long. And they were on an official mission. Well … partially. Bringing a few of Emma's surviving and scared students to Genosha as they'd requested was the only way James could get his hands on one of the blackbirds. And he'd gotten away with not bringing another team member by insisting Mia needed flight time too.

It was one of those things that he liked to do without consulting anyone. And Mia loved that she and James still had this little connection in common. The twins were amazing, so the fact that one of her best friends and big brothers was right there backing her up and totally smitten with her guy's twin? It really was so much fun.

Her mom had been quick to say yes to the trip - quicker than Mia thought she'd be. At least until she was leaving and saw how her mother was fretting over the newest refugees at Xavier's. She wasn't going to give herself a moment of peace until all of those people were safe and knew they were backed up, and Mia was a little sick of this new wave of prejudice.

But she was surprised that James was willing to go. He'd had plenty of chances to just stay in Genosha for as long as he liked, and she knew he wasn't really going to enroll at the University of Michigan like he was teasing her about. She knew he'd all but decided on Harvard and that the college shuffle was just a way to keep Scott busy and test how far he could push to show MIT how badly they'd screwed up. Or that's what she'd thought. He was being overly tight-lipped about his actual decisions regarding long term anything.

Of course, even at that, the shuffle would likely only get more intense now that the adults were re-traumatized from watching Emma Frost's school go down.

But that was something to deal with later. Especially because now, they could see the island nation of Genosha just starting to lighten up in the darkness as dawn threatened the horizon line. She and James shared a look as they came in for a landing - their clearances already verified once they'd come back down to a reasonable altitude.

Vision met them on the tarmac, smiling and pleased to see both of them as Alex caught up to lead the refugees off to get settled. "The twins have no idea," Vision told Mia and James, who shared a look and broke into twin smiles.

Mia was bouncing. "What's the best way to surprise them?" she asked. "I have like … a dozen ideas, but I don't know which one to run with."

"The one you're thinking of right now," James said. "That's the one."

She laughed, then covered her mouth to stifle the laugh. "Okay. Okay. Got it." She teleported away leaving James with Vision - though that was always a good thing to do anyhow. She wasn't worried about those two … not when she could be sweet and scare the life half out of her guy.

She was quick to gather up his favorite things for breakfast, coffee and juice for both of them, and then carefully made it down to his room to find him face down, half snoring, and drooling into his pillow. She bit her lip and grinned as she almost silently made her way over to set the tray down.

He looked so peaceful with his hair sticking up in every direction - blissfully unaware that she was about to let a little of the demon out. But first … she snapped a picture of him sleeping, slipped her shoes off, and straightened up her hair. The approach … had to be perfect. If he woke up too soon, he'd probably zip out of her reach. Or fall off the bed, which would be equally as funny.

She crouched down next to him and started to carefully brush the hair out of his eyes, though he only stopped snoring and snuggled in a little better. So she decided to try another approach. That was obviously too gentle. "Tommy," she said quietly, one hand on his shoulder. "I hope you're wearing something under that sheet."

He smiled in his sleep and she leaned forward to simply steal a kiss, though when he leaned into it, she had the worst time not breaking up laughing. It wasn't until he reached for her and felt her fur that he realized … she was actually there. His eyes popped open and he startled back, just so he could focus on her before he broke into a laugh and pulled her into bed with him, peppering her with kisses.

"When did you get here?" Tommy asked. "And did you teleport?"

Mia snuggled in, positively enjoying the snuggles and kisses. "About ten minutes ago, and no. we flew." She gestured vaguely to the tray nearby. "Brought you breakfast."

"I'd rather keep doing this." He accented his statement with another kiss that she melted into.

He could get the recap later. This was overdue.

A few doors down, and a little after James had caught up with Vision for a quick recap of the colleges he'd toured and the programs they offered, Billy was about to get a similar wake up call - only James was ready to curl up and sleep if he could. He knew Billy was going to be busy - Wanda had made sure he knew that, and James had no issue with keeping out of the way. This trip wasn't about monopolizing Billy's time. It was about making the effort to be there in the down time. Billy had done it plenty for him, after all. And Wanda was perfectly tickled to see it.

But he also was well aware that his sweetheart liked to sleep in as much as he did, and he slept pretty soundly, so knowing that Billy had a long day of official business ahead of him, James didn't want to disrupt the flow of rest. He just … wanted to wrap around him for a little while. It was such a simple thing - something that they'd both gotten used to before Viper showed up to screw up things in Cambridge. And James was ready to start looking for a new place for the two of them.

James was silent when he got to Billy's room, and he didn't think twice about slipping off his shoes and stripping down to an appropriate level to sleep before he carefully climbed into bed and scooted his way closer to wrap Billy up from behind. He managed to really snuggle in - one arm over Billy's waist, curved around him entirely. It looked like a good morning to sleep in a little. All the way up until James tightened his arm to pull him that much closer, nuzzling into the back of Billys' hair.

That was exactly when Billy realized he wasn't dreaming, and that there actually was someone in bed with him. He startled with a 'gah!' as he launched himself out of bed - only to hit the floor half upside down and scramble backward, staring at his bed with wide eyes… until James picked his head up with a tired smile.

"Okay… I just got halfway comfortable but … get up if you need to," James said, smirking to himself as he rearranged how he was curled up and nuzzled in. "This is what I get for trying to surprise you."

"You scared me out of my skin," Billy said with a laugh before he got up and back into bed, cuddling in with a pleased and surprised smile. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to come over, I could have just wished you here-"

"Well, then it wouldn't have been a surprise," James reasoned. "And Mia and I brought a whole jet full of kids that wanted to get away from the kind of people that blew up their school."

Billy sat up stiffly. "Xaviers?"

"No, the Massachusetts Academy," James said, then opened his eyes to watch his reactions. "Really. The other mutant school got bombed."

Billy frowned, and when he opened his mouth to ask what happened, James pulled him over to kick off a very involved and not too polite kiss that was much more forward faster than Billy had seen from him since before Viper.

"Not now," James said when the kiss had ended.

"Okay," Billy said as he started to smile slowly and settle in. "But now I don't want to get out of bed. Especially if you're feeling snuggly."

"If it's going to get you in trouble, then I guess I can promise not to be in bed all day."

"That might help," Billy admitted. "If I wanted to move now."

"I thought we were babysitting your dad," Kate said, frowning as she let herself into the Summerses' house with the spare key Nate had given her ages ago.

"We were," Nate said, though he was sitting at the kitchen table staring at his coffee as if he could will it into giving him answers.

Kate perched on the counter close by him and gestured with one hand. "I don't see your dad."

"He's not home yet," Nate said.

Kate pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, hopping back down immediately and pulling Nate to his feet so she could look up at him and meet his gaze. "Okay, you're talking in monosyllables. Fill me in."

She caught him smirking at the very corner of his mouth as he shook his head. "It's just… he was supposed to drop off the Academy kids, and he hasn't come back yet. When I called at the Tower, Tyler told me he was making sure Emma got somewhere safe after her bad concussion."

"So he's with Emma? That's not great. Especially considering everything Jimmy's reported on," Kate said with her arms crossed.

"Yeah, and I feel like I'm going crazy, because James isn't worried about it."

"James?"

"Right?" Nate pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tyler said he healed her but that she would probably be dizzy for a while, and it's hard to justify getting mad at him when she's not allowed to drive herself anywhere, you know?"

"Okay, so I'll get mad for you," Kate said, reaching for his phone. "Gimmie."

"Kate…" Nate sighed but didn't try that hard to stop her.

Kate let out a triumphant "ha!" and started up a text to Scott. Hey, it's Kate. Nate and I are taking full advantage of the run of the house, and you're spending time with your predatory ex. Be jealous. PS Make good decisions. She's not even close to being in your league and we have STANDARDS in the X-Men, good sir.

She grinned and tossed the phone back to Nate, who floated it onto the counter, shaking his head at her. "Right, now he's definitely gonna want to come home."

"Hey, if no one tells him she's not worth his time-"

"That's what I'm worried about," Nate said. "He and Rachel both were projecting the whole time we were there. Rachel was having flashbacks to when Jubilee died to protect us. I've never even heard her talk about that before. It was bad."

Kate frowned and reached for his hand. "That can't be fun to have blasted in your head."

"I'm more worried about them," Nate said.

"Yeah, but still-" The phone buzzed, and Kate grinned and snatched it up to read the message:

I should tell you the same thing: make good decisions. I'm looking into more intel about the explosion. Don't use me not being home for a while as an excuse.

"Your dad is hilarious, and I have half a mind to tell him we're going to elope if he stays stuck in his head for too long," Kate said dryly as she composed her response: It's totally an excuse. We're young. We're gonna make all the bad decisions. Good luck in your detective work. Try not to think too hard about the state of your house.

Nate laughed in pure disbelief. "You're trying to get us in trouble."

"I'm trying to make him worry about something other than the thing causing PTSD flashbacks and the woman who uses therapy for sexual abuse?" Kate pointed out. "The man needs a mission, so I get why he's diving into an investigation. Mom does the same thing when she's upset: she goes digging until she can find someone to punish. Righteous retribution or whatever." She waved one hand as she used the other to set the phone down again. "I know how to handle Summerses."

Nate shoved her back a step telekinetically. "Oh, you're handling us?" he teased when she laughed.

"Um, yes, pay attention," she said, nodding seriously. "You, my gorgeous Cable, are besotted with me. It's okay. You can admit it."

"Starting to wonder if you haven't been pulling some kind of long spy game," he teased.

"Yes, absolutely," she agreed without hesitation. "I'm after your rock collection."

"I knew it."

Kate grinned and pulled him into a kiss. "Okay, so, we should make sure I'm not lying to your dad about the bad decisions."

"Right," he said seriously as he kissed her back. "Wouldn't want to make a liar out of you."

"Exactly my thought."

Meanwhile, on Genosha, the twins had finally gotten into their day, shadowing their mother and Lorna, learning the ropes and watching carefully on how best to deal with those that were showing an interest in opening up trade with Genosha. There was a whole lot of very boring political dealings to be had, and a whole lot more of learning to control their outward reactions when they knew more than what the person in front of them was presenting.

Luckily, Erik had done a lot of the groundwork with Billy, and his resemblance to his grandfather was helping to keep those meeting with the royal family on their toes. Especially since Tommy looked even more like Erik with his white hair and the two of them seemed to always be side by side.

The gravity of this particular meeting was incredibly lopsided, with the representative from Burundi attempting to recruit Genosha as an ally, though that never had a chance to happen when the country was notoriously vague in their standing with mutants.

There was no chance they'd go forward with an alliance, that was clear from the start, but Wanda wanted to at least make sure those she refused understood exactly why she was saying no - so it was necessary for them to talk, and for the boys to listen.

But that was also about when both twins checked their cell phones. They were both on silent, but it was their little cue to each other and their mother that the allotted time for this particular meeting was past. Except … neither of them was expecting to see a few messages waiting for them.

Not really messages, though. More like a string of photos from down the beach at the spot all the royals exclusively used for swimming and sunbathing. Mia and James had taken it upon themselves to send the twins a series of pictures … artfully shot for each other. James had taken Mia's pictures - as evidenced by the impossible angles while she posed in her bikini, and vice versa. A regular selfie would have been plenty to catch their attention, but no. These two had decided to get creative while using pin ups and models for inspiration.

What's worse, the princes could only manage to peek at a couple pictures at a time before they had to pay attention. But that was pretty well shot as soon as they'd seen there were pictures like that. Both of them looked like the pictures could have come from a professional photoshoot. Which was incredibly distracting with how little they both were wearing. .

It was no surprise to Billy, when the moment the meeting was over, Tommy zipped out. And Wanda didn't seem to think too much of it. Yet.

"We have two more meetings to deal with," Wanda told Billy as he stole another look at the slowly growing stash of pictures. When he didn't respond quickly enough, Wanda stopped, turned his way and raised one eyebrow expectantly.

"Yeah, I know. We're in the home stretch," Billy said, once again stashing his phone to his mother's muted approval.

"Where is Tommy?"

"I'm not sure," Billy said - only because he didn't want to bust his brother out. And Billy was still distracted.

Wanda hummed, but the two of them settled in for the next set of talks. The meeting hadn't yet started when Billy's phone went off - with a photo that James and Mia had taken together … that Tommy had photobombed. Wanda took a quick peek over Billy's shoulder to see what was going on - and knowing he'd been busted, Billy tipped the phone so she could see it.

With a sound from the back of her throat, Wanda waved a hand and Tommy appeared on her opposite side. "You cannot skip out on this," she warned, eyes glowing to emphasize her point, and though Billy wanted to laugh, he knew better than to stir things up.

But the pictures didn't stop.

They did, however start to come less frequently - and with a lot more action shots involved. Which had to mean that Alex was helping. Ten minutes before the last picture was sent, that was proven to be the case when a picture came to both boys - Tommy's was of Mia surfing alongside Alex, and Billy's was clearly taken by Alex when James managed to get in the curl of a good wave.

And that, more than anything else, had Billy turning his phone off temporarily so he could keep from getting in trouble like Tommy was … as Tommy made soft sounds of protest. But the moment that he knew for sure they were done for the day, Billy wished himself out of there even faster than Tommy could break away to run.

"What has gotten into you?" Billy asked with a grin as he wished himself into his own beachwear and dropped down to kiss James the rest of the way into the sand.

"Just … trying to make the most of the sun," James replied, smiling back at him.

"I'm not complaining," Billy promised, laughing to himself when it wasn't until just then that Tommy came zipping by and kicked up a rooster tail of sand next to Mia that sprayed Alex down. "But … I don't think I've ever seen you lean into it like this."

James frowned and turned his way, shifting to his side with his head propped up with one arm as he reached for him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Billy said, choosing his words carefully since James had been so tense about his looks for so long. He shifted to put his back to the ocean so it was clear he was only looking at James. "The view is amazing."

To his delight, James simply grinned. "So … how long do you need on the beach before we find something else to do?"

"I … grew up here. I know what the beach has to offer. If you're set, I'm set."

"Then we're all set, huh?"

"Mmhmm." Billy was grinning as he kicked off a long and involved kiss, caught up enough that he didn't hear the clicking of shutters from cameras just on the other side of the fence that kept the royals' beach private.

"Hey - how come we haven't done anything together?" Mia asked, giggling as she and Tommy interrupted the makeout on the beach. She was trying to be discreet, especially since she wasn't expecting James and Billy to get so … caught up that openly.

"Like what?" Billy asked. "I'm pretty sure you don't want to be too near us in a few minutes and we don't want to be too near you once you get going either …"

"Well," Tommy said, cutting in because he knew Mia wouldn't have said anything unless she was concerned about them. "I can think of something… just … we'll have to do something inside … away from the cameras."

That at least had Billy turning toward the small but growing group of photographers. "Okay that's a fair thought," he agreed. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking … that it would be fun to have a little wine," Mia said, grinning mischievously. "We had the best time last time I was here with a little wine."

"Miss Mia," James said with a laugh. "What fun would that be?"

"Um … I like the buzzy, bubbly-ness," Mia said with a wider, more troublemaking smile.

"Okay, but … you're the only one to benefit since I don't like to drink and those two can't get drunk," Billy said, shaking his head at her.

"But is she really the only one to benefit?" Tommy asked with one eyebrow raised. "This might actually be the first time I could have a contender in a drinking contest."

"What are you talking about?" James asked, half smiling.

"I mean my metabolism won't let me get drunk. At least, I've never gotten it done before…"

"You weren't trying hard enough, then," James said thickly.

"Um, what?" Mia asked, laughing delightedly as she turned toward James with a grin and her tail swaying behind her. "You? You've been drinking, you little rule breaker! Have you been drunk?"

"Drunk? No," James said, shaking his head. "But with a lot of work, sometimes I can get a little buzz."

The twins shared a look and as Billy asked "What?" Tommy asked "How much work?"

"Wine and beer won't really do it," James said, then gave Billy a kiss at his jawline. "Not for me, anyhow. Not unless it's a barrel."

"We're doing this thing," Tommy decided.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Billy asked James softly.

"What's the worst that can happen?" James asked with a look of pure trouble. "You get me tipsy and take advantage? I give you full permission ahead of time."

"That's not exactly how it works," Billy said, half frowning.

"It's fine," James promised before he leaned in for a more involved kiss. "And besides - Mia actually did want to do something with all of us. It's on the checklist for home under 'proof that we didn't just spend every spare second having sex in hidden Genosha hot spots'. It's a real concern, honestly."

"Yes," Tommy said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Movie room. Meet you there!" He disappeared in a blink, and Mia looked delighted at this turn of events.

"I'll pick the movie," Mia said, grinning wider, somehow. "I love it here." With a muted bamf, Mia disappeared leaving James and Billy to make their way on their own.

"So … is this mostly for Mia, then?" Billy asked.

""That and it's something we haven't done before," James said. "Might be fun. And I'm pretty sure your brother will lose this one."

"I'm not sure… that might not be the case."

"We'll just have to see," James replied as he took Billy's hand.

"Let me just … get us both changed-"

"Whatever you want," James said, looking more like trouble than before. It was enough to screw with Billy's focus so that he had to make the wish twice to get James into normal street clothes, but even at that, his grin was still just … playful.

When they got to the movie room, Mia was kneeling on the couch trying to get everything just so while Tommy found the alcohol for their little contest. The boys were barely in the room before Tommy zipped over to hand James a bottle of something that Billy thought smelled like turpentine. So it was that much more confusing when James simply tipped it back without a second thought.

Tommy swore, then followed suit, grinning all the while as the two of them sat down to simply start pounding back one drink after another. The two of them were going at a fast clip … racing to see who could actually get a buzz even before the opening credits were done rolling.

They were playing it up for their sweethearts, too - and Mia was wildly entertained as she sat back with Billy to watch. She had a glass of wine in her hand, but she wasn't even attempting to do more than sip at her glass.

"I think James needed to blow off some steam just as badly as I did," she admitted to Billy in a whisper as they watched Tommy and James get into it. "Things are heavy back home, and it's just… it's nice to have an escape like this."

But Billy only frowned at that, because it wasn't at all like James to try to escape if everyone back home was having a hard time. Quite the opposite, in fact; he never put himself first. "Yeah," he said vaguely, not entirely convinced Mia had it right.

After that, Billy tried very hard not to be concerned when it looked like his brother and his sweetheart were getting along so well and having fun one upping each other in sheer volume of alcohol consumed. That … well that was so rare in Billy's experience, he didn't want to interrupt more than to laugh with them.

Until the two of them had burned through the whole case of rum that Tommy had brought out.

"I'll just go grab more," Tommy offered, and to Billy and Mia's relief, James took a solid hold of his shoulder.

"No way. You'll go zipping away just to burn it off. Forget it. If we can't get more than tipsy on this stuff, we just can't do it," James said.

"Oh," Tommy said, smiling more crookedly than was natural. "I am not giving up until you're drunk."

"Too," James added. "You're already there."

"That's it," Tommy said, pointing one finger at James a little too long as he took out his phone and sent a text. He didn't say what he was doing - and there was still just a little bit in the bottom of both of their bottles before someone on the staff showed up with a fresh case … and James didn't even go through his usual little routine to check it before he cracked open a bottle that the staff member handed to him and threw it back, leaving Tommy scrambling to catch up.

While Mia was enjoying the show, Billy was realizing that something was off. And not just the alcohol in play. Yes, Tommy was beyond buzzed - and was more funny when he lost some of his coordination, but James was pretty … loose, too. Super relaxed and clearly amused with Tommy's hilarious commentary if the crooked smile and laid back stance were anything to go by.

Which was right about when Billy realized the two of them were ready to break into yet another bottle. This was getting out of hand quickly, and he had to wonder if someone had meddled with the bottles they were drinking.

"What has gotten into you?" Billy asked as he took the bottle from James only to get caught up in a stolen kiss before James would answer him.

"Rum," James said with a growing, ever-more-crooked grin.

"That's not…" Billy shook his head, exasperated because it was so hard to stay on task when James was being that physically affectionate. "Are you sure you're… okay?"

"Absolutely. Are you?"

"Well, yeah," Billy said. "I just - it's just - you…" He trailed off, not sure how to word his question. "You seem weirdly happy" just didn't feel appropriate, somehow. So he went with: "Mia said things back home were pretty heavy, is all."

James sighed at that. "I gave you the basics. It's … mostly awful." The smile started to creep back, ever so slightly. "And I totally trashed that new uniform. I'm out until Jan can catch up. Oops. Might as well practice being a beach bunny…or cabana boy or whatever," he shook the bottle in his hand that he'd managed to slip away from Billy again. "Or a pirate. One of those. All maybe."

Billy shook his head in disbelief, though he was smiling in spite of himself. "Seriously, this is a wildly fun look on you. What brought it on so I can do it again?"

"Mia said so. And my lips and teeth are numb, so … that'll take some work to keep going."

"And he's behind!" Tommy called out, clearly drunk by that point, though he was now draped over Mia and stealing kisses behind her ear.

"Not really," James called back. "But you're doing pretty good for someone so much shorter and just … scrawnier."

"Not everyone comes from a family of giants," Tommy shot back.

"Reality check," James laughed. "My biological parents were tiny. What are you talking about?" He toward Billy seriously. "I'm a freak."

"I know; that's what makes it more ridiculous," Tommy insisted. "You managed to inherit the Summers height by osmosis," he said dramatically. "I don't know how, but it happened!"

"Don't be jealous," James laughed.

"Of your osmosis powers? I'm okay," Tommy giggled.

"Yeah. That."

Mia laughed out loud and snuggled into Tommy. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to go snuggle mine in privacy," she said. "He's hilarious and I don't know how long this will last, and I'm going to record a video of these ridiculous ramblings."

"If you teleport him, it'll last a little longer," James suggested. "Pin him down. Don't let him move."

"Done," she said, grinning - and they disappeared a second later.

James pulled on Billy to get him close enough to steal a quick kiss then bury his nose at the side of Billy's neck as he kept him close. "Hi."

Billy laughed. "Hi yourself," he said and went ahead and stole a long kiss that went on longer than he'd expected. He still had a nagging feeling that James had left out some crucial details that would explain why he was suddenly so okay with… all of this… but he'd wanted exactly this kind of response for so long… he'd just … get to the bottom of it later.

Scott was still at the house with Emma, which was not at all what he'd planned to do, if he was honest. It felt like falling back into bad habits, just letting things happen despite the niggling voice in the back of his head questioning it all. But he'd always had a hard time when Emma was hurt. He had cared about her, and he couldn't turn that off.

But staying with her? That… that wasn't what he'd wanted.

He scrubbed a hand down his face and glanced over at Emma, who was asleep. One of these days, I'm going to figure out how to say no to her, he thought, trying not to wake her as he got up for the day.

The worst part - the absolute worst part - of all this was that he felt more like himself than he had in a long time. He didn't feel like he was dragging himself through his days anymore. And hiding away… he hadn't thought about all he'd lost this whole time. And that was nice. Freeing.

His phone started to buzz, and he sighed, snatching it up and slipping out of the room. He was sure it was Kate. Again. He knew why the kids were worried. He was worried, too. Historically, letting himself fall into his worst instincts always came back to bite him. Always. But he couldn't bring himself to go home yet, even though he wanted to.

He knew that was wrong, too. He knew he wasn't the one stopping himself from going home. He knew Emma was in his head, but he just… he was too tired and too hurt to care. No one was getting hurt but him.

But, to Scott's surprise, it was Alex - and he picked up fast. "Hey, you okay?" he asked.

"Just checking in, really," Alex said, though his tone wasn't quite as casual as he was trying to sound. "Ah … I don't even know how to explain it, so …. Pictures headed your way. Worth a thousand words, right?"

Scott frowned, but before he could do anything, he got an influx of pictures of James - who was on the beach at Genosha. That wasn't too upsetting, but there was something about it… the way James was holding himself, blatantly showing off his body in a few of the pictures…

"What's wrong with this?" Alex said quietly, though Scott could hear the sounds of the ocean in the background.

"What… is he doing?" Scott asked. James wasn't one to flaunt his body, even for a joke - that was more Nate's style. And after Hydra and how guarded James had been since then about anyone even looking for too long, this felt… deeply, horribly wrong.

"Honestly? Nothing unusual for most people," Alex said. "But the way he's doing it has me a little off, you know?"

"Yeah, you've checked that he's not a Skrull, right?"

"That's very funny," Alex deadpanned.

"I'm half serious. James doesn't show off like that. Not since Viper, anyhow."

"It's him," Alex said. "And that's not the end of it, either. He's relaxed."

Scott narrowed his eyes, drumming his fingers against the side of his leg. "I wonder," he said slowly, "if he lost more than he thought when the building came down. Tyler said he didn't remember how he got out of the wreckage…"

"If that's the case, it's going to really be awful when it comes back," Alex said ."I don't know what to do with that, Scott. Even before Viper, he never did anything like this. Not that I saw."

"Yeah, I was just thinking out loud. Not sure that's what's happening, but…"

"So … what's the play?"

"Keep an eye on him," Scott said. "Don't let him make any big decisions. And… talk to Wanda. She's protective of him too."

"Alright. I know he spent some time with Vision when he first showed up, but maybe … what constitutes 'big' in this discussion?"

"Anything that has long-term consequences for his relationships, place of living, or career."

"Had to ask," Alex said. "If anything else happens, I'll let you know."

"Thanks. If this keeps up, I may go to Genosha myself," Scott said.

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it does, the way he's going. I don't have the pictures on my phone, but … he and Mia … well. They were getting creative earlier. Mia was very proud of her photography skills."

"Ah." Scott almost smirked. "That might be part of it. He and Mia can't stop encouraging each other once they get going. It's almost like watching their fathers."

"Yeah, but … he continued when she wasn't around."

"Okay, that's different." Scott sighed. "Was hoping that was all it was, to be honest."

"If it was just that, I wouldn't have bothered you with it."

"Hey, you're allowed to be an overprotective uncle every once in a while," Scott teased.

"I try not to be that guy too much," Alex laughed.

"Yeah, that's my job, right?" Scott leaned against the wall. "Seriously, thanks for giving me a heads up. We'll pull in more help if we need it."

"Any time," Alex said, then paused. "Before you go - how are you holding up? I heard the rundown when the kids came in."

"I'm-" Scott glanced back at the room he'd just left. "-dealing with it."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about," Alex said dryly.

"Thought I wasn't allowed to 'wallow and mope' as Kitty put it," Scott said just as dryly.

"Well, you're not," Alex agreed. "You used up all those punches on your card already? So … sorry 'bout that."

"It's fine," Scott said. "I'm fine. Really."

"Of course it is. It'll put hair on your chest, too."

"Sure." Scott thought about telling Alex the truth, because, really, he wasn't sure what he was doing there or why he'd just let Emma in. "Anyway," he said instead, "tell Chris and Susie hi for me, huh?"

"Yeah, Okay. Um … try to get some sleep, huh?"

"I'm fine, Alex, really. Save your worrying for the kids."

"I know. I know. But you know … genetics."

"Yeah, I know. See you soon, okay?" Scott said, then hung up and leaned against the wall, suddenly tired. There was a part of him that knew he was fighting too hard just to get his mind on his son and on anything that would take him back home. But almost as soon as Alex had suggested he get some sleep, both Alex and Emma had agreed with that assessment.

And he really didn't feel like arguing.