Rise or Fall

by Heiress Mellie

First Class: Charles and Erik have accepted their roles as guardians and headmasters over the young mutants but there is still work to be done for the greater than typical family. This is a familial and discipline, including spanking, centered fiction.

324. Chapter 324 Bump in the Night

Rise or Fall

Chapter 324

Note: Hey, Fam, this chapter overlaps slightly with the last one. I also notice a lot of you trying to remember who Lyall is. Rest your brains, dear fam. He wasn't mentioned until 322, so no one missed anything there. Please enjoy and review!

By the might and majesty of what they insisted on referring to as the Independence Day Miracle, Samantha, Nate, and Frank's curfew extension received approval from the Council of X-Elders. On a less surprising note, Alana had also spoken in their favor. Frank's lack of Monday classes due to respecting the students' observance of the 4th with family helped as well. Besides the obvious standards of saying no to illegal substances and general stupidity, they had to go as a group, telephone on arrival, telephone if they went to any other location within Mt. Kisco town limits, and return to North Salem as a group. In addition, only Collin or Brenda could drive. Outside of being the only license carriers among them, the Acolytes did not dare let anyone operate the sacred loaner, Fabian's Ferrari.

So satisfied to be driving out together without adult scrutiny, Collin and Samantha had no complaints when their group activities began with attending Jessie's July 4th church event. In fact, they wound up enjoying the abundance of barbeque and games. At the basketball free-throw challenge, Frank and Collin won candy bags for all the girls. Samantha earned Collin a travel board game set when she marveled many in archery. Jessie participating in a jump rope tournament got Frank a thick pack of baseball cards. After coming in second in the potato sack race, Brenda and Nate became preoccupied at the crafts table. They covertly designed and swapped friendship bracelets. Nate used beads of purple and black ones shaped like cat heads for Brenda's. With the holiday, their national flags, and Harvard/Oxford in mind, Brenda made his bracelet out of red, white, and blue buttons.

When the festivities ended a little after seven, they along with Jessie's sisters and brother-in-law stopped by the Jarvis house. Due to their perspiration glows, Jessie and the well-prepared Samantha and Brenda changed out of jeans and tees to shorts and nicer, more vibrant tops. The boys chalked Samantha's fashion readiness up to being Adrienne Frost's daughter. That did little to squash their sudden sweaty sheepishness. Mason came to their rescue by offering them fresh t-shirts. When the articles turned out to be Yankees merchandise, Frank and Collin went from grateful to praise singing. Nate appreciated the irony of donning anything declaring him a "yank". Mason reacted with good humor to the junior fans. Afterward, he, Ashley, and Zoey headed off to aide Nick at a massive party hosted at their largest restaurant. Jessie suspected Zoey partially went along to have any excuse for a later bedtime.

Frank used the phone in Jessie's wide-open room to update the mansion. After he finished sharing a few details with a rather interested Charles, he attempted to relax in the feminine space. Seated on the side of the bed, Frank's gaze eventually landed on the framed photograph mounted high on one wall. It depicted the four well-dressed but completely bald women.

When Jessie came in from acquiring promise-to-return-later earrings from Ashley's collection, Frank commented, "Okay, you seriously owe it to the women of the world to explain this knack you have for looking totally fine at all times."

Following his train of sight, Jessie exhaled airily. "Yeah, not exactly Mom's reaction to our little unity effort. When our hair grew out in time for Ash's wedding, she made us swear to never defile another strand again."

A thought hit Frank, followed by a streak of guilt when he had never considered such an act during Linny's mortifying treatments.

Noticing his facial shift, Jessie immediately inquired in concern, "Hey," she got in close to cup both sides of his face, "you okay?"

Frank gave off a slow shake of the head and as soon as she inched in closer, he captured her lips. "Kay, all better."

Attempting to mask her satisfaction, Jessie accused, "Faker Benjamin Tolbert," before evening the score.

"I think they're up here, Mason!"

The pair in question divided lips so briskly Frank rolled back and off the bed while Jessie tumbled onto her rug.

From the doorway, Collin and Samantha laughed unashamedly.

With a mild scowl, Jessie reacted, "You guys know there's a difference between funny and heart attack fuel, right?"

"Hey, that's what you get for defying the rules," Collin chided lightheartedly, aiming two fingers at them. "And just after Sunday service, too. What would Jesus say?"

"I'm thinking," with a leap, Brenda clamped onto his back and messed his hair, "let he who is without PDA cast the first stone."

"Clock him one, Bren," Frank only half-joked.

Peering in with a glint in his gaze, Nate informed, "Mason did leave us something else quite sporting." He tugged on the handle, showing the red wagon loaded with tame explosives.

"Oh yeah!" Frank jumped to his feet with glee. "Ten Christmases in one."

"Then we better light it up," asserted Jessie furtively.

The six-person assembly headed downstairs and straight through the front door. They let the Ferrari remain in the Jarvis' multi-garage and opted to follow the procession of other youths. Eventually, they made it to a spacious park, where the boys wasted no time positioning and setting off the arsenal. Besides teenagers and other youngsters, several adults took part in setting the sky ablaze with beauty. Frank, Brenda, and Collin- the New York natives- doubted if the police force could spare the manpower necessary to confirm all participants as eighteen or above. That included the endless amount of legal-age drunks alone.

Once they ran out of bottle rockets, spinners, and even sparklers, they relaxed to watch the ongoing fireworks display provided by the town. When an ice cream cart rolled by, the boys hurriedly acquired sweets-on-sticks for all. Nate and Brenda polished off their bomb pops quickly and raced over to share an open seesaw.

"You're beyond high as a kite," Brenda proclaimed. "You have your own solar system or something."

Nate noted in turn, "Expert diagnosis from she who soars across the sun."

"No, really," the older teen said warmly. "It's nice seeing you let loose; be a little out there."

"Because I'm finally out here!" Legs tightening around his end of the seesaw, Nate threw both arms into the air exultantly. "No chauffeur, no dutifully marked path, no staff to report my every twitch."

Using her hands to imitate a megaphone, Brenda shouted, "Happy Independence Day, mate!"

When they all got into close proximity to each other again, they sat in a circle in the grass. Frank kept an arm around Jessie, Samantha reclined against Collin's front, and Nate and Brenda attempted to catch rather evasive crickets between their hands.

Somehow sensing something, Jessie faced Frank to ask, "What are you thinking about?"

Frank considered how to phrase it. "About how amazing tonight is, which keeps reminding me how much tomorrow won't be. Part of the reason I got to come out is that I promised to use my spare time to seriously study."

"Geez, I thought summer school was supposed to be torment for us slow kids," remarked Collin.

"I keep trying to remind myself that this program means less time wasted in classrooms in the long run." Frank let off a sigh. "It's just so killer demanding."

"Information overload," Collin knew.

"I know what you guys mean," Jessie sympathized. "My school has all these specific standards, too."

"What is your school like, anyway?" Brenda asked curiously. "Is it just a bunch of silver-spoon CEO babies whining over having to- dear God- inherit the family business someday?"

"Bren, that's not fair. Think about all their missed opportunities," Frank reasoned with an urchin air about him. "Collecting used bottles and cans inside shopping carts, sleeping under the Brooklyn bridge, freezing on a Park Avenue bench- that sorta thing."

After her laughter slowed, Jessie responded to Brenda with, "We have a few of those along with a handful of up and coming gold-diggers. But most kids are there are serious about getting into a top business university or taking the plunge into entrepreneurship right after senior year. Ashley married young like our parents and she's way more knowledgeable about running the restaurants. But when we moved here, our dad wanted Zoey and me to have business skills so we never have to be dependent on guys."

"God bless it, your dad is cool," declared Brenda.

"Thanks." Jessie then pointed out, "But hey, yours is, too."
Brenda tilted her head. "Uh, you know something I don't?"
As though it should have been obvious, Jessie reminded, "He's letting you live away from home just to study…" She grew bewildered as she could not further recall. "What're Melissa and her boss training you in?"

Before Brenda could begin to stammer, Collin fielded that one with, "Politics and Government."

"Okay, I swear I don't mean anything here, but you guys don't scream Windbags of Tomorrow," Jessie replied incredulously.

"We're counting on them to think so, too," said Collin matter-of-factly. "Then, they'll be the ones screaming."

At the ginger's all too eerie manner of speaking, Frank shot him a sneer while Jessie responded, "Beats my sales pitch skits and stock market quizzes by a landslide."

Companionable silence soon trickled through the adolescent hexad. With Brenda sprawled in the wagon, Nate carted her about. Lying flat with Jessie, Frank pointed out different star formations as they came into view overhead. Across from them, Samantha and Collin basked amongst the fauna and building summer breeze.

Though her purrs left him practically hypnotized, Collin eventually but grudgingly brought up, "We should really be getting…"

Eyes shut, Samantha clung tighter to his t-shirt. "Hmmm?"

"Need to pack it in, babe." At her put upon sleep noises, Collin emitted something between a scoff and a snort. "Really, that's your hustle?" He then sent into her ear, "You hear a thousand times better than I do."

Samantha lifted her head with sulk in place. "Do we really have to?"

"No… Yes." He sat up, keeping one hand at the small of her back. "This is the best 4th of July of all-time, but it went by way too quick. I just don't want you guys reamed out over curfew and I don't want to get choked out by your X-Dudes."

"Or by Fabian," she added meaningfully.

"Over his precious ride… and maybe staying out too late."

"That's what I thought." A quite pleased Samantha kissed his lips.

"Yo, Bren," Collin called, rising with his girlfriend, "butt up!"

"Yo, Coll!" the Lebanese girl hollered back. "Shut up!"

Taking Samantha's hand, Collin shrugged. "Go ahead and stay stranded out here. As soon as Fab starts snapping on you, I'm laughing."

"Please," Brenda automatically dismissed. "You guys are the deadweight. I can beat all of you home by—" She rapidly remembered Jessie's presence. "… hitchhiking."
"Er, yeah," the Grecian girl peered over, "no."

"That's right," supported Frank, sending his arm around her shoulders. "We lose a group member and we'll all catch it."

"Don't get mushy on me, Queens," Brenda waved off.

When the humor infused troop made their return to the Jarvis property, Jessie retrieved everyone's, now sweat free, clothes from her dryer. The boys changed straightaway and Jessie promised to secure Mason's Yankees articles. After she and Frank managed to bid farewell, Brenda insisted on driving. She and Nate got the front to themselves away from blonde/ginger cuddling and Frank's Grecian withdrawal pangs. They also determined music selection, but landing on the Rolling Stones pleased all.

IIIIIII

Due to Lauren's utterly flabbergasted state and only Edna capable of quieting Doreen without throttling her, Liam drove Lauren's car out of the pier's lot. A pact of total silence developed between the four. They remained lost to their individual ponderous states until Lauren unlocked her front door. Upon entry, waves of light and sound bombarded them.

But I'm happy on the shelf
Ain't misbehavin'
I'm savin' my love for you

I know for certain
The one I love
I'm through with flirtin'
It's just you I'm thinkin' of
Ain't misbehavin'

Adorned in silk his-and-hers burgundy sleepwear, the senior dance partners performed an improvised tango. They ceased their hand-clutching twirl when they noticed their gawking audience.

"Goodness gracious." Lydia switched off the stereo. "What are you lot doing creeping in at this hour?"
Right palm on her forehead, Doreen reasoned, "It's hardly a quarter to midnight, Mother."
"Exactly," asserted Flynn. "You lightweights."

Staring upward in annoyed dismay for a moment, Lauren roughly deposited her keys onto their regular end table. When all of them made a path towards the stairs, the Walshs came to stand at the base of the steps.

Before Flynn could part lips again, Liam grunted, "Not now, you decrepit dinosaur," ascending not far behind a wordless Lauren.

After him, Doreen woefully sighed, "Daddy, please…"
Last in the lineup, Edna offered a small smile. "Lydia, do you have a spare housecoat I could borrow for the night?"
Still puzzled, Lydia granted, "Of course, dear," and headed up with her.

Edna next requested, "Flynn, do you mind phoning my kids to let them know I'll be staying over?"

Flynn nodded and returned to the living room to use the extension.

IIIIIII

After they dropped off the mansion dwellers, Collin took over the passenger seat as Brenda headed for Acolyte Manor.

On their way in, Samantha stilled a moment. Casting her gaze upward, she briefly locked brown eyes with the figure perched well above their heads.

Frank ceased talking with Nate to glance back curiously. "Sammie?"

At the petition, the girl continued walking between them.

Inside, Alana spotted them first and happily praised them for coming home with ten minutes to spare. Her son and Nate readily accepted her offer for stashed chocolate donuts in the kitchen. Samantha politely declined and continued to the second level. Rounding the correct corridor, she honed in on the lab.

II

While looking in on Kiki, Trav, and Raven, Scott reacted quickly to the abrupt mew he heard. Bringing a finger to his lips, he softly shushed Grace and ran fingers through her fur to prevent waking the slumbering McCoys. Also responded to the faint murmur from his new charge, Midnight walked over from the water bowl. He climbed into the oval shaped animal bed and laid down behind Grace. The kitten quietly calmed as she began suckling on the adult's upper body.

When Scott next went straight to the master bedroom, he discovered his hunch correct. Fast asleep, Joey clutched Brian and Bounty in the middle of the massive bed. Coming in fully, Scott delicately ruffled the yellow hairs on both their heads. He also playfully tapped Bounty's wet twitching nose. Preoccupied, he did not realize the elder's presence behind him until the familiar arms enveloped him.

And to think, I was on my way to see about you. Clearly, my tuck-in technique has room for improvement.

Scott peered up into the genial face of the Professor. Sorry, I was okay until… just weird I was over here following Grandpa Flynn's every word at the same time the little kids were dealing with that heavy stuff.

Yes, I know precisely what you mean. Charles took the young teen by the hand to steer him around to his side of the bed. I often say that a quiet night can be the loudest setting there is. He pulled back the thin covers. Up, up. Emma will be along in just a minute.

A compliant Scott settled in beside the other boys and attached himself to Charles when the man joined them. Maintaining an unrelenting arm around the slim child, the telepath fished around his nightstand by the dim light of the lamp.

Would this be of interest to you? Charles showed him the Batman issue. You left it in here a few nights ago. Might be just the gallant force we need to ward off those unpleasant thoughts.

Definitely, Scott instantly agreed.

Charles opened the comic and frowned a couple of pages in. Does this confounded clown ever learn or has he really been driven to madness by his own incompetence?

Scott laughed inwardly. I have to admit, I kinda see why Trav just wanted to kill him off.

II

Calm evening air animating his hair like a flapping golden cape, the pensive elder spoke while keeping his gaze forward. "If you two were any lousier at maskin' your scents, you'd be your own Lysol fragrances."

As if summoned by royal mandate, the pair in question landed in the tree directly behind him.

"To be fair, we weren't in a predatory position," reasoned Hank. "We were merely admiring you from a respectful distance."

"We're in New York," Victor reminded glibly. "You want to admire somethin', take the kid to a museum."

Samantha surmised knowingly, "You're headed on a hunt. I heard what happened with Cody and the others."

"Yep," Victor confirmed the first part as he peered back. "And you're headin' to bed."

"Only if that's where you're off to," said Hank matter-of-factly. "And since we both know that's anything but the case, you need the backup."

Samantha quickly added, "Mama's upstate, Uncle Wolves has Eye Spy, and you know Uncle Erik's not leaving Tommy tonight."

"And you know you ain't leavin' this house tonight," Victor refuted.

"She's perfectly competent and you know it," Hank asserted. "Whatever's going on, this is not the time for one of your solo jaunts. All of the kids have been affected by this, but it's all we can do to get Trav through a nap since the cats. Now, this thing with the Dukes' dog- so, do we look into this as a unit or do you want to waste valuable time trying to sell us on this insipid lone warrior routine?"

Victor turned to approach and fully face the younger male. "You want to talk insipid? What do you call draggin' a kitten into God-only-knows?"

Samantha parted her lips to protest, but Hank countered first with, "This kitten has kept it together under the most strenuous of circumstances. You have greater cause to doubt me in that regard."

Almost flinching at how taken aback the scientist's statement left her, Samantha could only stare at him.

Victor looked between them until he settled his gaze on the Ivy Leaguer again. "Fifteen minutes to gear up." He glanced at the girl next. "And don't spend the first fourteen pilin' on face paint."

With a cheeky expression Samantha leaped with Hank to re-enter the house through the lab's open window.

IIIIIII

Regardless of the exhausted anguish shared between them all, their mental states did not allow for slumber. Lydia brewed black tea from the leftovers of the breakfast variety set she brought over for Maya. Unsure if the Patterson household even owned a tea service, she did manage to locate a red plastic tray. She carried it out into the living room, where Flynn sat near Lauren. While her husband made a valiant effort at intelligent conversation, Lauren appeared more checked out from time and space than even her usual.

When Edna came down next, Lydia found her pale pink dressing gown quite fetching on the younger woman. It did not take long for the other married couple to appear. Liam absently guided his wife to the recliner, where he perched on the arm.

"Here we go, pet." Lydia finished preparing a mug with lemon and a dollop of honey. "This will either cure what ails you or at least make the recovery worthwhile."

"You're a godsend, Mom." Doreen accepted and inhaled the warm brew longingly.

A pacing Edna wanted to know, "Doreen, what got into you earlier?"

"If I'm remembering correctly," the redhead replied glibly, "three glasses of cabernet."

"Please." Edna's high-pitched scoff caught the attention of all. "My Henry's worked with CIA operatives, who have remained mute through days on end of torture and starvation. If only our enemies knew they need only attend happy hour with you to gain federal intel."

"You're blowing this completely out of proportion," Doreen insisted. "I doubt highly if my nonsensical babbling stole the show from Perry Como."

"Perry Como could be in allegiance with mutant detainment officials," Edna retorted. "If not him, then one of his countless fanatics. A waiter, the bust boys, any one of those women crowding the ladies room."

Doreen claimed, "Now, you're a conspiracy theorist."

"And you're an absolute ignoramus," Lydia interjected to her daughter's indignation. "Sean was taken from us in the middle of the night and by whom? A janitor of all things. How can you not understand the damage you nearly caused tonight?"

Looking to her husband, Doreen demanded, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"I think you've done enough talking for both of us." Liam shifted his glance to face her. "It's bad enough you basically gave a copy of our son's autobiography to the paper."

"Don't you dare start on that with me," Doreen shot down. "Sean is easily the most accomplished of the kids coming out of Hampton. You of all people should be pleased to have your relatives read about what a nice, normal track he is on."

Edna spoke again with, "And how quickly would he have fallen off track if tonight escalated? We were on a boat, Doreen. If the wrong person had overheard you, it would have been all too easy to make glorified POWs out of us."

"That's the best case scenario," Flynn piped up. "It was equally easy to make you MIA."

"What the hell is this?" The eruption from Lauren placed every pair of eyes on her. Fingers in her hair, she frantically tugged the strands in between clutching her scalp. "What fever dream am I trapped in? Mutation, power transference… I'm still absorbing watching my daughter walk down the aisle and now, you're telling me she's part of some sort of perverted science experiments."

"Well, look who's awake," remarked Liam. "Nice of you to join us here on Planet Reality, Lauren. Tell me," he got to his feet nonchalantly, "are you completely dense or just that self-absorbed?"

Rising next, Lauren promptly came back with, "Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he countered. "While I'll admit this town is roughly five times the size of Hampton, have you honestly never been able to piece together what's been going on in your only child's life?"

Doreen commented, "Letting her daughter go off to live with her steady under the supervision of adults she knows not from Adam should answer that."

"That steady has a name," Lauren reminded sharply. "You should know since you gave it to him. I constantly had to pick up shifts and Maya practically lived out of that mansion. It was nice knowing she wouldn't spend nights alone anymore. Not that I expect you to understand the first thing about that, Dor. See, I've never once had the luxury of cooling pies on the windowsill while surviving on one income. And Maya's only a twenty minute drive away. The way I understand it, you two never set foot in this town before this year."

Liam snapped in turn, "We were trying to get our son some help. That's the only reason we let him come here. We've always known what was wrong with you. Maya has been right under your nose and you don't know her at all."

To that, Flynn interjected, "But you wrote the book on Sean, hm?"

Liam fumed in his direction. "Flynn, I swear to God…"

"You never tried to help Sean," the older man only went on. "You sent him off like a leper going into quarantine. Reducing him to a disease in need of curing."

"Mutation has been nothing but a disease," Liam shouted, his limbs shaking and his features heating. "It's been a plague to the whole family. It's enough that it infected his childhood, but then he was nearly taken from us entirely. You already know the hell he would have gone through if he'd been sterilized."

"Thank God he was spared," Flynn's eyes narrowed, "no thanks to you."

"Liam," Edna intervened, getting in front of him. "We've all been through so much with this, but our children are not contaminants needing to be cured. They're unique; so special. They need our love and support. We can't give into bigoted mindsets."

Liam regarded her crossly. "We're the bigots? Is that what you tell yourself every time you're reminded that it was these nuclear techs like your husband that polluted so many of these kids?"

"Is that true?" Lauren wanted to know.

Edna turned to her. "It's true that Hank's mutation did come from Norton's work. But he and the plant's other new hires had no way of knowing their future children would be affected. We did want Hank to find a cure, but not simply so Norton could advance his way up. The country was still dealing with the war and rationing. If scandal had closed the plant back then, practically the entire town would have been financially crippled."

"Misunderstood martyrs," stated Liam curtly.

Edna looked at him with unmistakable ire. "What do you know of martyrdom? Either of you?" She peered between him and Doreen. "Whatever mistakes he made- that we made, my husband was killed before our kids' eyes for trying to free the plant's imprisoned children. Even as he laid bleeding to death, he wasn't concerned for himself. You two don't carry your crosses. You cower behind them."

The deafening silence that resulted only became broken by Lauren's flabbergasted utterances. "I- I can't—thanks." She took the mug Lydia handed her. "I can't begin to make sense out of any of this."

"Take a number, woman." Liam stirred sugar into his offered mug. "As if I wanted to conclude the evening warring with the United Kingdom as opposed to, hmm, shaking the sheets with my wife."

Head in his hands, Flynn commiserated, "Tell me about it, laddie."

Any dismayed expressions from Liam's bluntness morphed into total revulsion.

"Okay, as upside down as the entire world is," said Lauren, trying to get a grip, "you two better not entertain any ideas about doing the senior citizen salsa surrounded by my daughter's Dr. Seuss posters."

"Of course not," Flynn reassured, taking a cup of his wife's brew for himself. "We just planned on borrowing the basement again."

Doreen pounded on her chest as her tea went down the wrong pipe.

Liam gripped a nearby vase. "If anyone of you truly loves me, you'll bludgeon my skull in until I stop twitching."

IIIIIII

Even with the serenity of the summer atmosphere, an odd nippiness seemed to linger in the air the closer they neared their destination. The brawny males maneuvered through the branches in a pair. They wore similar full body ventilated stealth suits in black. Tangerine accented Sabretooth's and indigo lined Beast's, whose outfit lacked shoes so he could make substantial use of his enormous feet. Behind them, Calico had on the sleeveless suit made of durable but lighter material to keep from weighing down her feminine physique. Hers came in black with embellishments in fuchsia.

When they found themselves above the formation of trees, Beast exchanged his glasses for shades.

Sabretooth raised a questioning eyebrow while Calico remarked, "Cool," of the blue frames.

"Thanks, though they're just a prototype." The scientist further explained, "They offer me a small taste of Frank's night vision. But I have to be mindful of extended wear, lest they do my retinas more harm than good."

Sabretooth bobbed his head. "Lead the charge, bright eyes."

Masking his pleasure, Beast directed, "Cal, stay camouflaged against the tops of the trees. Get us on comm-link at any sign of foul play."

With a dutiful nod, the girl replied, "Be careful."

"Huh," said Sabretooth wistfully, "your ma only ever says move it or lose it." He then flipped and let himself drop.

Beast plummeted as well, but snagged a low tree limb with his toes. Through his new lenses, he easily honed in on the red splatters below.

"Anything?" he prompted, dangling a few inches above the ground.

Sabretooth crouched to sniff and see. "The vet was right about the human part. Blood's not more than half a day old and it's marginal, but I've got a whiff of Scout in here." The X-Kids frequently came home from the Dukes' smelling as if they just finished swimming in the dog's fur.

"There's not a drop spilled on the way in," Beast noted. "Dr. Sullivan's theories are looking even more spot-on. He believes Scout was lured from the yard. With an abundance of available barbeque, that isn't difficult to fathom. Then, once in here, whoever took him turned on him."

Sabretooth's lips quirked. "And almost became the pup's dessert." Growing more somber, he asserted, "No domestic dog turns on a human, especially one givin' out free meals, without a hell of a reason."

Beast closed his eyes a moment. "These woods are…"

"Warped," Sabretooth knew.

Using the button made onto his shoulder blade's X-patch, Beast inquired, "Callie, how are you feeling up there? Anything off?"

"Not so far," Calico responded. "I think the air is fresher up here. Are you okay?"

"Yes, it's all just a bit of a haze," Beast counter-reported, looking at the elder X-Man. "The town council needs to do something about the desecration in these woods. For a moment earlier, I worried a contaminant had gotten to Tommy. Still trying to figure out how Cody and the others were unaffected."

"The Mite had his focus on Scout," Sabretooth explained. "We're only noticin' it because we're out searchin' for somethin' we don't even know what. Tom's even smaller than Cody, so the heat got to him quickest. He might have that out-of-towner syndrome goin', too. Little man wasn't braced for all this desecration."

Beast appeared ponderous. "That does shed some light on how he perked up to such a degree at home. Being back among your brother's greenery is true sanctuary next to this morose pit."

Sabretooth's faint but pointed growl sent the younger animalistic mutant into still state of hush. Beast's ears soon picked up on the distant footsteps and intakes of air.

"Straight ahead," Calico's voice informed over their devices. "Approximately twelve yards; two pairs of feet."

With a brief visual exchange, the males prepared to encroach.

Donned in head to toe raven articles, the figures would have been chameleons amidst the night to ordinary eyes. In the center of the open field they caressed the smooth soil beguilingly. From their shrouded position, abhorrence reflected on Sabretooth's feature at the provocative excitement radiating off them. One quick look at Beast's face, even with shades in place, indicated he sensed it as well. Both only hoped it did not emit all the way up to Calico.

"Little late for a treasure hunt." Scrambling to their feet, the covered pair spun in place to locate the voice. Its source revealed when Beast somersaulted over their heads and landed, facing them. "Or is this a very elaborate form of night terrors."

The taller figure impudently vowed, "You will know terror this night. You trespass on sacred grounds."

"Sacred grounds, eh?" They veered, discovering the Sabretooth they never heard inching up behind them. "Guess that explains that snazzy getup. Good call on black, by the way. If I thought you were KKK, we'd be usin' your intestines for double-dutch right about now."

"For now," picked up a jovial Beast, "we just wish to ask you a few questions. Starting with, you wouldn't happen to know anything about a recent string of animal abductions and deaths, would you?"
After staring down the large men, the taller masked form broke off into a sprint. Beast hesitated not in giving chase.

Sabretooth seized and pinned down the other one. "Yeah, real loyal buddy you have there. Four-H Club, I'm guessin'?"

A rare sight advantage over an opponent took place for Beast when who he sought misstepped into loose soil. Before the cloaked body completely toppled, the agile scientist tackled and trapped the buffoonish legs. He started to order the oaf to cease struggling until the disguised mouth unleashed the strangest chirping whistle. It proved more irritating than anything, leaving the animalistic mutants' ears perturbed but not in agony.

"Hey, shut your…" Sabretooth moved to stand with his catch picked up on the galloping shadow coming at them through the trees. "Beast!"

When he caught sight of the massive quadruped, the petitioned X-Man narrowly had time to fling the slim, dark figure out of harm's way. Beast himself rolled in the opposite direction. The hound targeted him with the fastidiousness of a heat-seeking missile. Releasing a snarl of his own, Beast rushed at him and they collided hard. Sabretooth snapped at his provoker to get away. Both figures sped off into the southern gape between the trees and disappeared into the blackness.

The raging pair of warm-blooded bodies grappled savagely. Only the knowledge that he currently battled an animal kept Beast from giving in to the urge to snap its neck and rip the head off from the spine. He mainly avoided the snapping teeth by mere centimeters by leaning as far back as he could while keeping its limbs divided. One profoundly solid jerk from the dog caused Beast to jolt his own head too roughly. Losing his shades caused a second's distraction and the hound took prompt advantage of the fleeting opportunity. Beast's piercing outcry at the fangs penetrating his flesh launched evening fowls into flight.

Insides churning at the vile sound, Sabretooth intervened as soon as the moment presented itself. Dashing on all-fours, he attacked the malicious creature with both fists. Though he succeeded in getting it off his teammate, the leonine mutant experienced whole new fury at what took place next. Despite slamming into a tree, the dog returned to his feet swiftly. He then revealed the hefty clump of fair-skinned tissue and blood in his mouth before vindictively devouring it. Shielding Beast, Sabretooth roared momentously. The dog froze in fear, but continued barking combatively.

Descending from the far right, the other feline mutant swung out to deliver a double kick to the dog's side. It, again, shook off the collision right away and now, set its sights on the female. Sabretooth went to lunge until he witnessed the youth. Calico retracted her grappling rope with one hand while releasing a clear liquid with the other. The instant the substance got inside his mouth, nostrils, and eyes, the creature howled in pain.

Sabretooth rapidly moved to pluck her up and the smell hit him. "Bleach?" At her expression locked in stun, he swayed her slightly. "Cal."

She blinked several times, showing him the bottle. "I… it was in a neighbor's yard…" Her attention floated over to the other male. "Beast!"

Rushing to the wounded one's position, Sabretooth lowered Calico for them to crouch on either side of him. Before he fully knelt, Sabretooth completely shredded the upper torso of his uniform. Remaining in only his pants and gloves, he wadded up the torn fabric to help Beast apply additional pressure to his gushing injury.

Calico winced and discomfort toyed with her stomach at how deep the penetration went close to his shoulder. Her own hands gloved as well, she added to the pressure as firmly as she could.

Eyes closed and breathing aggrieved, Beast tilted his head in the girl's direction. "Are y- did it get you?"
"No," Calico assured quickly. "He never touched me."

Sabretooth let off a corrective growl at the younger man's attempt to rise. "You better not so much as bat a lash."
Not missing the whimpering, Calico glanced towards the hound, now staggering in a bewildered circle. "What about him?"

"Don't worry about it," dismissed Sabretooth. "Go contact the others. Tell them to grab a med-kit out of the lab and put the seats down in the van. Make sure the kit's loaded with morphine." When her stare lingered on the dog, Sabretooth growled and startled her. "Now, Samantha! Before we have the fuzz on our tails."

As if attempting to flee the ever-enlarging weight in her chest, Calico got to her feet speedily. She raised and shot her grappling to reach the highest branch faster.

"Thanks," Beast said softly when Sabretooth returned his fallen frames to his face. "But it'll heal… don't need morphine."

"That's enough chitchat out of you, big guy. Besides," Sabretooth kept up the heavy pressure with one hand while sending gentle fingers through his dark, sweaty hair, "it ain't just for you." He eyed the no longer barbarous mongrel until exhaustion forced his collapse.

IIIIIII

Only taking time to retrieve her robe, the shape-shifter managed to leave their wing without waking her children. At the base of the steps that led down to the lab, Raven refrained from uttering anything louder than a sharp gasp when Midnight rushed ahead of her. So recently removed from slumber, it felt too daunting to make sense of the cat's sporadic teleportation capabilities.

In the infirmary, Samantha immediately slid off the foot of the bed to sweep up her concerned companion. Charles and Alana sat on either side of a rather brusque Hank. Erik stood near Alana as she focused on the wound with proficient attentiveness. Having gone with Logan and Erik as the medical aid, she had already gotten the bleeding during the drive home. Eyes locked on the reclining one, Victor stationed himself by the Professor.

When Raven made a beeline for her husband, Alana automatically opened up room for her. "What happened?" Her brother's mental summonses had been minimally informative. The blue woman crawled along the mattress to touch Hank and see the damage for herself. "Did they have a gun?"
At the dark recollection that filled her yellow eyes at the notion, Hank promptly replied, "No, love, nothing nearly as harrowing." He clasped hands with her. "We cornered a couple of low-level punks- in the woods where the kids found Scout- but they blindsided us with their attack dog. Can you believe it?" His features showed traces of humor. "Gunshots, abductions, plane attacks, home invasions of cataclysmic proportions, and a little nip from the anti-Lassie has us calling in reinforcements."

Victor resisted a refute and spoke into Charles' mind. The telepath glanced across to Erik, who looked at Alana.

Raven unknowingly shared their skepticism as her face allowed for no jest. "Let me see it."
When Alana reached out, Hank deflected her hand, "Ra—"

"Let her do it or I will," Raven ordered hardheartedly. "And I have yet to sign on for a bedside manner course."

Hank sighed, but allowed Alana to carefully pry apart his bandages.

Inching in closer, Raven grimaced and inhaled through her nostrils. In full view of the mutilation inflicted on her husband's right pectoral, she kept her obvious disgust from showing. Even cleaned and sanitized, the grotesque tennis ball sized gash nearly reached his shoulder. She could only imagine, though she desired not to, what it looked like when first battered and bloody.

"… Nip?" Raven reacted venomously. "You're seriously treating this like you nicked yourself shaving or something?"
Keeping his tone at ease through her building fretfulness, Hank stated, "That's exactly what it is for mutants like us." He used his head to indicate Victor and Samantha. "Are you forgetting how we acquired our daughter? I was shot, healed, and back in the fight within hours."

"Different situation," Victor finally chimed in, getting the McCoys' eyes up. "You didn't have an exit wound because that bullet stopped just short of your heart. Your body was able to eject it and stitch you up quick. Demon dog's next love bite would've ripped your arm off like a drumstick. And you saw it as clear I did- that dog ain't clean and it got real cozy with your bloodstream."
An unmoved Hank stared at him facetiously. "Honestly, Vic? Are you having a senior moment? How did we cross paths in the first place? An entire pack of rabid dogs came at me and Becca. They clawed your leg and you couldn't brush it off fast enough."
Victor swiftly came back with, "That scrape ain't dig deep enough to get to me. Believe me, I've faced off against a whole lot bigger and badder."

"So have I," Hank countered curtly. "And to paraphrase the grand alpha himself, we heal real fast."

"No," Erik spoke now, "the Howlett-Creeds do. You, however, are still coming into your powers, your healing factor not excluded."

Hank whipped his head to his left to glare at him. "This from the man who received the epiphany to fly only after his little nephew reached the same conclusion?"

"Henry," spoke Charles pointedly, "while you're diagnosing amnesia in all of us, let me remind you that Erik spent a considerable amount of his magnetism in order to power the van and reach you sooner. You've no need to be so antagonistic."

Though Hank did not directly respond, Samantha heard his faint mutter of, "Just as you've no "need" to call me Henry." Aware that Victor likely picked up on it as well, she refused to show what marginal humor she felt.

"Everyone." Making a referee of herself, Alana lifted her arms horizontally, seemingly trying to keep space between the testosterone producers. "It's late and this past weekend has already worn most of us completely out. In-fighting will get us nowhere good." She looked at Hank directly. "I'm afraid there's more than rabies to consider here. You were attacked by a feral likely contaminated with God-only-knows what else. We need to run bloodwork on you. I know you're the doctor here, but do it for the headache relief of nurses and us lowbrows not well-versed in mutation everywhere."

Hank thought then determined, "In the late morning. My body will be better fasted by then and if there is more to this, a short quarantine period is necessary."

"Agreed," concurred Alana, "and thank you."

At a door opening, they all looked over to see Logan emerge from the attached examination/preservation chamber.

An anxious Samantha started for him. "Uncle Wolves—"

"Eh, eh, back it up, baby blondie." Logan stretched his palm as a stop gesture. "Can't be too careful." Completely covered in long-sleeved blue scrubs, shoe booties, breathing mask, hat, and sterilized gloves, he removed everything. After sealing it all in a hazards bag, he closed off the steel door with both locks in place. He then approached to address the rest of the room. "There's no doubt about Rover in there."

Samantha walked in step with him. "Will he be okay?"

Turning to her, Logan sighed forlornly. "Baby girl," he rubbed Midnight's head, "this ain't man's best friend we're dealin' with here. You know that."
"But it wasn't his fault," the girl insisted remorsefully. "It's just like you said- wh-what you and Sabretooth always say. There's no dog alive that tries to hurt humans unless humans hurt him first. Those guys made him do it."
Logan calmly cupped her face between his hands and peered genuine blue eyes into her dismayed brown. "I know, Sammie. We all know that. What happened to him was sick; effed up. But no trip to Doc Sullivan's office could've saved him, even before tonight. Once rabies gets in an animal, there's no cure, no treatment. All they have in store is violent aggression they can't control before a long painful death. But we managed to get this dog pumped full of morphine. He just went to sleep. No more pain, not ever again."

With a slow nod, Samantha tried to steady her breathing. She held a purring Midnight closer.

Alana closed her eyes sullenly and Hank clenched a fist. Head low, Charles experienced a rare loss for words.

"Gorge." Raven made a hurried path for the teenager.

Samantha leaned on her as the original X-Woman enclosed her and Midnight in her arms.

Coming up behind the shapeshifter, Victor directed tenderly, "Go get a cool bath in and try to get some sleep. I'll be up to say goodnight once we're done here."

Raven added, "Comm-link me when you get out of the tub. I'll bring some milk for you and the mystic ninja here." She gently squeezed one of Midnight's paws.

"'Kay," Samantha replied to them both.

"You look after our girl, Black Boss," Logan instructed the cat. He became more serious as he told Samantha, "Don't fill the younger kids in on any specifics about the dog. It's a waste of time hidin' what it did to Hank, but let them think you got away from it before backup showed. And for the love of God, don't let 'em know we brought what's left of it back here for tests. I'd sooner sign on with Uncle Sam again than see Joey and Trav in that scenario."

"I believe that's unanimous, mate," came from Charles.

Samantha assured the elders, "Don't worry. I promise."

As Raven guided her towards the doorway, Hank said earnestly, "Thank you for your swift-thinking tonight, Sam. Not that it was any surprise."
Going to his bedside, Samantha bent to purr and nuzzle heads with him.

Erik touched her upper back. "We will find who did this, little belle. Then, Lord have mercy because ours will be in short supply."

Forming a sincere, albeit small, smile Samantha eyed him in reverence before departing.

"Raven," Hank addressed his wife once surrounded solely by adults, "my healing factor will remedy me, but there's no guarantee I won't still be a carrier. Rabies transference between humans is rare, but still very possible. With the X gene on top of that, it's any man's guess. Until we have more answers, I'm going to sleep down here so I don't risk mixing saliva with you and the children."

Raven nodded her agreement. "I'll tell the kids you're not feeling well and to keep their distance. We shouldn't share food or bathrooms, either. What do you want me to say to Mom?"
"The same thing you tell the kids," Hank answered straightaway. "She got to enjoy a real night out and I don't want to spoil what's left of her visit. I'm hoping she can distract Kiki and Trav enough not to miss me."

"Wouldn't doubt it," Raven said, using what remained of her humor.

Hank considered something else. "As an added precaution, I need to sign off for someone to pick up an order of the rabies vaccine. We should keep additional morphine on hand as well."

"Don't concern yourself with that," Charles said coolly. "They'll be paid, but I will see to it that we aren't questioned."

Alana put forth, "I'll go with you to one of the larger suppliers in Queens. Even fewer eyebrows raised around there."

"Capital thinking, my lady," the Professor commended. "And we'll need to make haste so I can conduct more tests on the dog. As of right now, we only know he's one of our own." At their expectant faces, he clarified, "A mutant."

With a shake of his head, Erik remarked, "Insult to injury."

"My deepest apologies for the actions of my sub-species," Alana quipped, satisfied when the metal wielder's lips quirked gaily.

"I'm headin' out again before day's light," Victor informed the room. "Those two mooks buried somethin' out there and we need to know what."
"We'll go out together. After we have a conversation with our impetuous brood." At the look from the older mutant, an inexorable Erik merely mentioned, "Do you honestly believe the Hound of the Baskervilles sat idly by until its dear master beckoned? This is no two-man operation and after tonight's little surprise, we have to proceed with greater caution. And yes," he spoke dryly, "I'm aware of the irony of hearing that from me."
Charles and Raven shifted their eyes with mutual feigned guiltlessness.

Logan's attention went to his own brother. "Unless you're lookin' to be laid up in here next to Beast Brain."

Victor narrowed his eyes at him. "Picture painted, Runt."

"Good," Logan came back with, "Geezer."

As the infirmary cleared out, Raven lingered by her husband. "The kids are still asleep. I can stay a while."

Hank gave off a firm headshake. "No, you should go back up."
Raven's expression went from doting to agitated. "Do not start with me, Macho McCoy. You're not the only one who vowed 'in sickness and health'. You're not weak. Never to me."

"Actually, I am," Hank contradicted, surprising her. "Every second you remain in here, the risk of mixing fluids skyrockets. Exponentially."

"… Thirsty." Rising, she backed away from the bed and threw out, "I love you," only at the doorway.

Hank smirked despite himself.

II

Logan waited until the others left their sights before detouring with Victor into the gun range. The blonde regarded him with the countenance of a prompting schoolmaster.

"I know your head's planted smackdab in mutant mission mode," Logan began, "but that ain't where you're needed right now. We're all pissed about Hank, but he wasn't the only kid out there with you tonight."
Initially prepared with a capital of potential retorts, Victor instead stood in wordless contemplation.

II

Far too alert to put head to pillow, Charles only returned to his suite to check on Emma and the boys. With all of them, including Bounty, still comfortably laid out, he made his way downstairs. He entered the kitchen to discover his sister chugging a tall glass of milk.

When he felt no residual heat from the oven, the telepath questioned, "Is your head so gobsmacked, Baby Blue?" With a bit of a startle, she faced him and he could not bite back the smile at her creamy white mustache. "You'll never get back to sleep if you don't warm it first."

Raven blinked like a deer in the headlights. "… I knew that."
Erik found them next and with the milk out, he surmised, "We're of like minds, siblings."

"Yeah, sure," responded Raven vaguely.

At her slight jitteriness, Charles and Erik looked to each other with a unison shrug. With Raven pouring additional milk into a pot, Erik took a seat beside Charles at the island.

"How's Tommy?" the knowing Professor inquired.

"Thankfully, unstirred," the metal wielder reported. "His dream state can get a little fussy when I leave the room. I must admit," fondness pooled in Erik's voice. "I've missed him these last few nights. Still, I know he and Sean needed each other close to the wedding. So many emotions with their parents in town."

"Yes, I know what you mean." Gladness went through Charles when Erik did not react to the younger Headmaster's lulling hand on his back with any opposed movements.

"On that sweet note," Raven placed their individual "PrinciPAL" mugs in front of them, "I know I was distracted by the Travvy Pooh, but I want to talk about the rest of the kids. Specifically," she flicked off the stove burner, "how we're going to handle them."

"The floor is yours, Big Girl," said Erik cordially.

"Thanks much." Raven firstly distributed their milk from the pot. After supplying tablespoon portions of cocoa powder, she sat across from them with her own cup. "Alright, so I know they rushed in headfirst instead of listening to the Dukes and I am not okay with that. However, we can't overlook the circumstances involved here. They didn't just go off on a random romp. Scout vanished into thin air. It's a little much to expect rational thought from any small child in that situation."

Erik came back with, "Which is why I can't personally fault them for leaving the yard. Their failure to retreat and find an adult on sight of blood, in unknown territory at that, is what I can't excuse."
"He's right, Raven," Charles had to agree. "I understand their mental states completely, but our children have been trained to act much better in these types of situations. Cody was aware of these things before he even came here. They had no idea what they were walking into and tonight showed us that far worse could have befallen them."

"We cannot hold this dog attack over them," Raven disputed. "Not without making Hank and the others accountable as well. The kids didn't go off cruising for trouble. All they wanted to do was enjoy the 4th with their friends. They didn't ask for this. It is not their fault that some outsider SOB squad came along and decided it a good day to screw with people for minding their own business."
Face softening, Charles reached across the table. "Love, I know how badly this hits home for you. We—"

Raven evaded his touch and returned to her feet heatedly. "No, no, no, don't you dare, Charles." She glared in Erik's direction as well. "Don't either one of you sit there playing big-man-with-the-plan, trying to placate the hysterical little girl. I am not in the kid-sis-chair anymore and I will not be talked down to."

Charles sighed remorsefully. "I'm sorry, Raven. I didn't mean to sound condescending, honestly."

"What you're saying is true," asserted Erik, focused on the topic at hand. "The need to protect each other- our children- from external forces is what brought us together three years ago. Joey and Cody especially know better and have the added awareness of containment threat. We cannot let this go without consequences."

"And we won't." Raven calmly retook her seat. "If I'm being honest, I'm thinking more about Laci. They may know our secrets, but we can't hold her and Tommy up to X-Men training and accountability. It isn't fair."

Erik inquired, "What more about Laci?"

Raven absently fingered the handle on her mug. "She's spent every moment of her life being handled like a glass doll transported in a clear case. She can look out at the world around her, but is never allowed to take part in it. Then again, the kids at her old school made her feel that way before she even went into the hospital. Despite all of that, she handled herself in those woods. She took care of Tommy. No panicking, no palpitations. That is a huge deal, guys."

"Yes, I believe we're all proud of her for that," Charles confessed. "Tommy falling ill so suddenly had to be frightening for them."
Erik looked at him as he brought up, "Isn't this contrary to what you reminded me of recently? You told me that if Tommy is to feel like a real member of this family, I had to punish him the same as I would one of our own. And it isn't as if Laci hasn't been disciplined by us for involvement in their hijinks."

Charles nodded admittedly. "We can't exactly pin medals on them while sending Joey and Cody to the gallows."

"I don't want them let off the hook completely," Raven reiterated. "I just think we should take spankings off the table for Tommy and Laci, but give the four of them some kind of shared punishment. And a big fat warning that this is a leniency one-shot."

Minds made unanimous by that proposal, the sibling trio slipped into their own thoughts as they finished their drinks.

IIIIIII

The echoing strained grunts caused the female New York native to hasten her pace. Reaching the infirmary, she stilled with surprise, but not of the alarming variety. Across the way, a shirtless Hank performed one-armed pushups on the unafflicted half of his body. He kept his other arm folded behind his back.

Picking up the scent and sound, he raised his head with an amicable expression. "Alana." He noticed her already dressed for the day in a smart mahogany pants suit and a maroon blouse. "Why are you up at the crack of ungodly?"
"Oh, please, you should've seen me on-call during the war. Though, that was a cakewalk next to bringing up restless newborns. Now, I'm wondering," from the nearby cabinet, she started getting into gloves and other sterile accessories, "why are you engaging in strenuous activity that would result in you bawling out any other ailing member of this household?"

"Because as you and I both know, there's no greater amount of hypocrisy than in the field of medicine." With an adorable smile, he sprang to his feet. "I couldn't keep my eyes closed with all this excess stamina." He flexed his arms, though he had to be cautious with the right one. "My serotonin levels are off the charts. Must be something of a consolation prize from my healing factor."
"Your own inner lollipop," Alana translated, striding towards him.

"Ooh, hey, check this out." The woman gaped wide-eyed as the young man flipped several feet over her head. Hank landed eight yards over and picked up the clipboard from his bed. "Last night's poorly executed reconnaissance has had my inner wheels turning non-stop." Alana reproached to review the detailed pages with him. "Our uniforms are a vast improvement on my original blue and yellow standard. They're able to accommodate body temperatures in relation to atmospheric conditions, but the overall durability is still problematic. As much as I would love to don us all in metallic armor, we're not all gifted with a certain Headmaster's magnetism. Too much bulk would only impede those of us reliant on physical prowess. The feline based mutants have their recoiling roar, but that's still not sufficient firepower next to the likes of plasma energy and electricity. But what I'm thinking—"

"Hank," Alana gently gripped his arm, "honey, let's back it down a little. I'm thrilled you're using your idle hands wisely, but could you please stick to crosswords and solitaire for the next few hours? You have to fast for your bloodwork later and you are spending calories you really can't afford."

The blue-eyed scientist released a good-natured laugh. "Do you know how many college games I had under my belt at Frank's age? I'm not going to wither away in hardly half a day's time."
Alana looked back at him unflappably. "Doesn't that physical prowess of yours require vast amounts of nutrition? I imagine especially so with your healing factor clocking overtime currently."
Hank's face dissolved into contrition. "You moms and your selective intel." He also grumbled, "Incapable of naming one player on the NFL…"

"Greg Larson, Don Chandler, Jimmy Patton- need I go on?"

Getting on his mattress, Hank claimed, "Giants don't count."

"That's cold, baby." Alana watched him grab his pen and zeroed in on the slow but distinguishable vibrating in his right forearm. "Hank, keep still a minute." He faced her curiously as she came to scrutinize the limb. "You're trembling." She touched his forehead and even through the gloves she detected the coolness. "How can you be clammy post-pushups?"

"The AC is a little zealous in here." Hank reached for the towel at the edge of his bed and ran it along his perspiring brow and neck.

"I'll turn it down," Alana volunteered. "I'm going to make sure bottled water is in stock down here then I'd also like to draw a sample of your blood right now. We can compare it to the other one later. Just please, please promise me no more exertion."

Hank placated her with, "Ma'am, yes ma'am."

Accepting that as the best compliance she would get out of the sprightly physician, Alana left him to his brainstorming for now.

IIIIIII

With a moan on his lips as his eyelids divided, the short child felt a surge of confused panic on discovering a deserted bed.

"Mum, Daddy?"
"Hey, hey." Sitting up beside him, Scott blindly slipped a reassuring arm around the younger boy. "It's okay, you're okay. They went to feed the baby and Bounty." He felt for his shades on Charles' night table and put them on. "They said for you, Cody, Laci, and Tommy to eat something and wait in the parlor."

"For what?" When Scott only stared back at him humorlessly, Joey sighed. "Even I knew that was a dumb question. Are they mad… like really mad?"

"I was only awake for a sec, but that's not the vibe I got," Scott replied honestly. "Pretty sure they're just, you know…"

"Disappointed?" Joey supplied dejectedly.

"Worried," Scott corrected. "Look, Joey, I've been in your place before. Heck, if I were there yesterday, I probably would've blasted first and asked questions later. So, yeah," he coursed fingers through the already unruly blonde bedhead, "I getcha. And don't go beating yourself up."

A smile stretched across the younger boy's face. "Thanks, Scott."

The teen tacked on, "But rush in without my lead again and I'll beat you up."

Joey theatrically sunk into the pillows. "Knew you were gonna go all Summers on me."

IIIIIII

Once he got an inkling that his comrades might be awake also, Cody comm-linked to Joey, who sought out Laci and Tommy. All four still wore their pajamas. In Tommy's case, Erik had ordered him back to sleep after the man's preparation for a morning jog had jarred him. Joey noticed Laci's hair brushed into neat pigtails and the aroma of mint that emitted with her every exhale. It reminded him of Becky on Saturday mornings. All of their appetites proved so minimal, they only opted for pieces of fruit with juice. With her medication in mind, Laci managed to also eat two pieces of toast. In the parlor, their short, slim bodies shared a loveseat in a lineup of Joey, Laci, Tommy, and Cody.

Catching up with the adult procession, Emma informed, "Julie called me before I could her. She thinks it's best if Laci stays an additional night. Something at the company event yesterday didn't quite agree with her and Clint's stomachs."

Charles nonchalantly deduced, "Pissed beyond capacity?"
"Hangovers from hell," his wife confirmed.

Light amusement passed through the others.

Naturally, as the first to detect the footsteps, Cody's head shot up. Joey, Laci, and Tommy promptly followed his cue. They all felt some alleviation when Emma and Raven walked in first. Joey tried not to be too obvious in studying his father's mannerisms for anger levels. He saw nothing obvious, but knew well the elder Xavier's mastery over calm while dispensing chastisement. As often the case, Erik appeared unreadable beyond the blue eyes so often sharper than his blade collection. With Logan sporting his black camouflage t-shirt, he had no sleeves rolled up, an indication of taking someone to task soon. Cody could not decide if he preferred the ambiguity or not. He slightly longed for the presence of his mother or uncle, though aware they had to be busy with the twins and security.

Raven sent the uneasy bunch a smile while Emma asked benignly, "Have you all eaten? Laci?"

"Yes, ma'am," the girl nodded.

"Yes, ma'am," the boys echoed her with Joey adding, "A little, Mum."

Emma and Raven took the opposite facing loveseat, Logan and Charles leaned on the edge of the arms, and Erik stayed standing behind it.

"Listen, you guys," Raven addressed the youngsters, "I want you to know that Uncle Hank and I appreciate you looking out for Trav and the smaller kids yesterday. It was a bad situation that shouldn't have happened, but you still did your best to look after each other and we're proud of that."

Some tension left their shoulders and Laci sucked in an ecstatic breath as her face brightened.

"That being the case," Charles picked up emphatically, "we cannot excuse your reckless actions, starting with you completely defying Fred's father."

Erik wanted to know, "What are the rules we have in place whenever we allow you to visit your friends in town?" He glanced to the right. "Charles?"

Voice hardly distinguishable, Joey outlined the pattern on his pajama bottoms. "Go straight there—"

Charles gestured with his hand to silence him for a moment. "Did the cats steal your tongue, son?" Not waiting on a response to the rhetorical question, he commanded, "Stop that slouching, look up, and answer your uncle properly."

Straightening his posture and eye level immediately, Joey increased his volume. "Go straight there and straight home again."
Erik paused him before he could go on and faced the left now. "Codicat?"

Trying not to openly cringe at his first name, Cody maintained eye contact and cleared his throat. "And listen to what our friends' parents tell us to do."
"Listen," Erik identified the keyword. "And that's exactly what you didn't do yesterday at the Dukes, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir, but that was on me," Cody insisted, "not them."

"You mean you were the ring leader," Logan finally spoke. "You jumped in headfirst, thinkin' you knew better than the grown folk. Instead of usin' your trainin', you got cocky with it. Even if you think you're Superboy, guess what," he pointed out the other three, "they're not. You ain't know what was wrong with Tommy yesterday. You should've been out of there the same second you spotted fresh blood, let alone when your friend went down."

"That was my fault," Joey asserted.

"Would you pipe down?" Cody hissed at him.

"No," Joey shot back before turning to the elders again. "Fred and Cody were going to turn back, but I told them to go get Scout."

"We did," Laci corrected.

"No, I did," Joey argued. "You were the one taking care of Tommy. You didn't even say anything."

"For Pete's sake," Tommy rolled his eyes in annoyance, "I got dizzy for a split second, big whoop. They couldn't make me do anything. I wasn't going anywhere without Scout."

"Children," the Professor's severe petition quieted all four, "that will be quite enough. Now, Laci, your mother is fine with you spending tonight here." He looked between her and Tommy. "We aren't informing either of your parents because we are handling this matter. Starting with, you're all to spend most of the day writing four-page essays on how you should have acted yesterday and how much you understand how disastrous things could have turned out for you. That as well as two hundred lines reading "I will remember the rules for my safety and make better choices in the future". All of it is to be done by dinner with correct spelling, punctuation, and penmanship. If you make a real effort, you'll be allowed to play until bedtime. If not, you'll use that time for re-writing. If I see nothing but illegible laziness, you'll be re-writing in my office on warm bums. Is that quite clear, little ones?"

"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, Professor."

"Yes, sir, absolutely."

"Loud and clear, sir."

"Codicat, Charles," the Englishman addressed, "you're to report to my study once we're finished here."

"And as soon as he's done with you," Logan eyed his son, "I want you to meet me down in the range. Pronto."

It took a massive inhale to keep Cody from whimpering.

"Trick is going to pick up your bicycles from the Dukes' house later today," Emma told them. "However, you won't be permitted to ride them for the rest of the week. Depending on your behavior, you may get them back on Friday or Saturday."

"What?" erupted from Tommy. "That's not fair! I just got my Stingray."

"Another outburst like that, Tom Cassidy," Erik set him with an unyielding look, "and you'll know a real sting."
The youngest child mirrored the man's glower and crossed his arms impertinently.

"Tommy," said Joey through clenched teeth while Laci shook her head in brisk disapproval.

Cody placed none-too-gentle pressure on his shoulder. "Is your brain still roasted from yesterday? Shut your trap."

"Better listen to your pals, bub," Logan advised. "You've had a whippin' overdue since that fire."

"No!" Tommy batted away their touches. "Some fucker tried to kill our friend's dog and we're the bad ones? How 'bout you track him down and make him write "I will not be a shit-face asshole son-of-"

Laci used both hands to clamp his mouth shut.

Not speaking until he came around the loveseat in front of Emma and Raven, Erik crooked a finger. "Thomas, come here, now."

Cody, Joey, and Laci watched with dropped jaws as the summoned one got up only to dash behind their sofa.

Erik tried to maintain a vice grip on his last fragment of patience. "You've already earned yourself a sound spanking and a mouthful of vinegar. If I have to come for you, you're getting an additional spanking right here."

When Emma saw and sensed Laci's steadily rising distress, she petitioned, Raven.

"We're done here, Gorge." The shapeshifter stood, taking the little girl's hand. "Come on. You're writing up in my place."

Laci hastily heeded and retreated with the blue woman.

Charles sent Emma an understanding look as she left with them.

Joey sat utterly dumbfounded and Cody tried in vain to coax Tommy back into the realm of sanity.

Debating whether or not to lend a hand in corralling the wayward youth, Logan noted how Erik moved like a man-minus-mutation. Despite a number of metals in the room he could easily make into a blockade, the Poland native seemed solely fueled by his own paternity.

At the rear of the other sofa now, Erik approached purposefully. "Thomas…"

The lad in question only backed away multiple inches before stilling. He drew his knees in towards his chest and regarded the tall man with weighty eyes. Lowering, Erik calmly reeled him in by his arms. The boy's minor squirming came to a stop with a solid swat to the seat of his thin pajama pants. Tommy seemed to depart an entranced state as he found himself over Erik's one upraised knee. By two hefty swats, heated moisture rolled from his eyes.

"Daaaaddy!..."

Mostly blocked from full view by the loveseat, Erik administered ten strikes in total, resulting in a tearful mess of a tyke. Bringing him upright, the metal wielder looked into Tommy's regretful, scrunched up face.

"Are you going to mind Daddy now?" he asked him ardently.

Tommy nodded shakily. "Uh huh, sorry…"

Erik bobbed his head and picked him up into a hug.

Before they departed for the Mag Cave, Erik carried him over to a beckoning Charles. Well aware such a stream of tears did not come from his brother's fearsome hand alone, the telepath gave a light kiss to the top of Tommy's head. Charles could not keep from smiling at the whispered apology and nodded kindly. Readjusting him in his arms, Erik continued out with the disheartened lad.

Logan stayed silent until his gaze landed on his own son again. "I'll see you downstairs. Don't make me come lookin' for you."

Cody groaned after his exiting dad. For the briefest moment, he envied who Tommy received as a disciplinarian.

"Come along, lads," ushered Charles.

Realization of who he had to face correction from first hitting him hard, Cody nearly broke into pre-mature tears himself.

Once in his closed study, the Professor instructed, "Cody, go to the corner until I call for you, please. Keep your hands at your sides."

"Yes, sir." The aforementioned boy made tracks towards the one with the least amount of art and interesting décor.

Taking the executive chair behind his desk, Charles latched onto Joey's hand before his son could go sit or stand before the wide wood. "Now, my Charles, do you understand exactly why Daddy's going to spank you?" The man fought a smile at how, even in the face of reprimand, a fragment of light still flashed in his child's eyes over his first name.

"We disobeyed the rules and were really reckless."
"Yes, but that isn't quite it." Before he could leave the boy bewildered, Charles explained, "I'm not punishing you for being naughty. I'm disciplining you for not adhering to your training. I won't deny how proud I am that you displayed excellent control over your power surges. However, because none of you took the time to think properly, you risked your safety going after a dangerous stranger. Had you needed to defend yourself and the wrong people saw your gift, you and Cody could have been taken from us into containment. The Dukes would have absolutely no way of knowing or informing us."

Everything dawning on him, Joey replied imploringly, "I'm so sorry, Daddy. I swear- I didn't think… I really didn't."

"I understand and wish you didn't have to be so much more aware of bad elements than other children do, this is simply the life we lead." With that, Charles picked up his yardstick from where it propped beside his desk. "Let's go." He brought Joey over to the sofa and sat in the middle of it.

Joey laid himself across the elder Xavier's lap without prompting. He kept as still as he could as Charles pulled down his pants and underwear. Squeezing his eyes shut, Joey hissed at the first whack from the stick. Unbeknownst to him, Cody flinched with every strike. By the sixth, Joey's senses could only distinguish his own extensive crying.

Charles redressed and quickly gathered his boy into a strong hug. I love you, baby. I cannot lose you, not ever. Before Joey could flood him with sorrowful apologies, Charles inwardly hushed him as he rubbed his back. He spent a few minutes only rocking and humming into his ear.

"Get some water and go on to Alex's office. Your brother wants you to do your writing in there."

Unable to decide if that should worry him or not, Joey nodded and got up to comply.

"Cody," the Headmaster summoned next. As the brown-eyed youth neared him, Charles experienced a ping at the already so sorrowful irises. He took him by both his small hands as he spoke to him. "I need you to listen to me very carefully, my boy."
"Mmhmm," he murmured.

"I love you," Charles stated with fervent iron in his every word. "I love you so much. I am not doing this because I believe you've been a wretched whelp. Your parents, Erik and I, the other instructors all know how capable you are, especially your leadership abilities. None of us want to lose you over a single moment where you forgot our teachings nor do we want you burdened with the consequences of harm befalling those looking to you." Charles reached up to absorb a few stray tears with his fingers. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Y—" Cody adjusted his voice as best he could. "Yes, sir. 'Cept that part about me bein' capable."
"Excuse me," Charles pulled on his wrists with faux firmness, "since when do I need assistance to scold you?"
"You hardly ever scold me."
"Rather effective, aren't I?" Turning somber, Charles patted his lap.

When Cody stretched himself across, he still somewhat had to adjust to the Professor's discipline procedure. He hardly had time to register having his bottom clothing brought down for him before the crack of the yardstick made him howl. Clearly caught off-guard by his own musings, Cody tried to calm his reactions. Naturally, his efforts proved futile while facing the telepath's correction and ready tears formed tracks down his cheeks.

At an even six, Charles let the yardstick plummet as his concern went straight to his weeping charge. After he got his clothes back into place, he lifted Cody to cradle. Aware of what awaited him next, he held him slightly longer than he had Joey.

Eventually, Charles sent to him, go to the kitchen for some water before you see your daddy. I won't have my Little Kitten dried out into a prune.

Cody snickered faintly. Kay. I love you, Charles and I promise to do better next time.

I believe you'll do your best. Charles let him up as he reiterated, I love you.

Cody left him with a small watery smile.

II

Not having experienced a sit-down time-out since nursery school, Tommy found he could not get through his current one with sulking posture and a peevish visage. He did appear quite sour or, at least, felt that way, due to the sizable portion of vinegar presently bathing his tongue. That unfavorable sensation held nothing next to being on the Mag Cave couch with his bottom still smarting. He remembered passing tales from Alex and Frank about enduring such 'torture' when their mouths wrote checks their backsides could not cash. He inwardly wished he had remembered the older boychicks' stories back in the parlor.

Erik only made him sit that way for two minutes, but from the contrition written all over him, he knew it seemed like an eternity to the boy. He picked up the plastic cup from his desk and presented it to the sullen lips.

Tommy gladly spewed the clear liquid. "Ugh!"

"Indeed," concurred Erik glibly. "I've warned you time and again about that language, but that miserable display was no slip of the lips." Squatting, Erik squared blue eyes with him. "Don't you ever, ever use such words or snap that way, especially in the presence of the ladies of this house. If you take leave of your senses like that again, I will spank your bare bottom on the spot. Do you understand me, young man?"

Pupils glossed over for reasons unrelated to his bottom, Tommy nodded a little shakily. "Yes, sir, Daddy."

Though satisfied at the earnest response, Erik added, "To ensure you do, for the rest of the day, no dessert or sneak-treats of any sort. Perhaps you'll learn to control what comes out of your mouth if I control what goes into it."

Another nod. "I'm really sorry."

After returning the cup to his desk, Erik allowed him to stand while he himself sat on the sofa. "Now," the man's stern countenance lightened, "why did you throw that tantrum? Were you that upset over losing a toy for a few days?"
"Yeah, sorta," Tommy tried to answer honestly. "The other guys told me how wild Frank was about the Stingray when you got it for him. I thought he was yanking my chain when he gave it to me out of nowhere. And I'm not gonna get to ride it much soon 'cause… 'cause I want to keep it here. When I have to go back. Like my toys in the rec room."

Erik studied him wordlessly for a moment. "I see." He forced back his own rising emotions to stay on the unfortunate task before them. "And do you really believe we're unfair to punish you over yesterday?"

Tommy considered the question and determined, "No, not really. I just got mad that we were in so much trouble when that guy who grabbed Scout is still out there. I hope Scout made him bleed to death. My mom'd be so mad if she heard me say that, but it's true."

"Your mother only doesn't want you weighed down with such vile feelings. As with whatever you pray for, I have no condemnation for you, Tommy. In fact, I'm pleased you're comfortable enough to confide these things to me. You also mustn't worry. We will find whoever is behind this."

Tommy smiled slightly. "I don't doubt it."

"Now," Erik pressed on grimly, "originally, you and Laci weren't going to be spanked at all because you haven't been engrossed and trained within the X-Men nearly to the extent of Joey and Cody. Unfortunately, because you were defiant with Daddy, I had to spank you. Now, I have to do it again for that wretched outburst that started all of this."

With difficulty, Tommy did not turn away from the man's displeased gaze. "Yeah, I royally stepped in it. I'm really sorry, Daddy."

"As am I, little boychick. Let's not draw this out any longer." Erik sat up straighter to better open his lap space.

Pout in place, Tommy none-the-less situated himself stomach-down.

A gentle hand going to the boy's back, Erik used his other to rain swats without delay. It did not surprise him how quickly Tommy dissolved into crying again. He had swiped at a few tears during his vinegar treatment. He felt Tommy try to contain his desire to fuss and fidget by giving into wails. Hating the sound, Erik had to admire Sean, whose mutation prevented him from such audible reactions in the same painful position.

Erik stopped at twelve smacks ran his palm along his heaving back. "Are we ready to behave now or do we need a little more time over Daddy's knee?"
"Nooooo!" came the hastened response. "No, Daddy!"
Glad he could not see his facial reaction to such toddler-esque urgency, Erik lifted and stood straight up with him. Tommy wound tight arms and legs around him and Erik held him in his own tender steel lock.

"Tom," he sent into his ear, "Daddy will stay with you for a bit, but then I'm going to be very busy and, likely, out of the house. Are you going to be a good little boychick for me? Stay in here to get your work done on time?"
"Uh huh," Tommy sniffed. "Promise. And no sweets."

"Very good," Erik praised delightedly. "Do you want me to read you something?"
"… Will you tell me something?" Tommy shyly requested. "Another one of your stories?"

For whatever reason, one came to Erik's mind quickly. "Did I ever tell you how practicing my powers very nearly washed Poland off the map?"
"What?" Tommy snickered already. "What'd you do, try to build an ark outta toothpicks?"
With an urchin air about him, Erik laid on the couch with him. He got Tommy comfortably adjusted on top of him before nostalgically diving far back into his aquatic escapade.

When he heard and saw the tiny cough, Erik knew the lad's sobs to be the dastardly culprits and paused the story. "You stay put here, little boychick. I'm going to see if there's a batch of Logan's tea in the kitchen. Lay right here. We don't need anymore dehydration spells."

None-too-happily, Tommy detached from the elder so he could rise. He nestled into the warm spot left by the man while he waited.

II

Though not the adorable vessel he anticipated, the young instructor gladly welcomed the stunning one into his lap.

"You geared to go?" Alex inquired, working his arm around her waist.

"By the dawn's early flight," Holly confirmed, stroking his cheek. "As stoked as I am that my niece finally has a break, I can't shake feeling like I'm jumping ship during your dark hour." She spoke unusually forlornly next. "An unfortunate specialty of mine."

"Hey," Alex promptly reacted, "Zip those unfairly hot lips, toots. Having you here this weekend's blown the top off my head. Granted, swimming in Wolverine's fertilizer would be a blast with you involved."

"Very elaborate kink, stud," she noted.

"Point is," he jostled her a little, smiling at the feminine chirp he sought from her, "go, Irish up, give Jazz our love, and make sure to call me during the morning."
Holly reminded him, "Morning over there is the middle of the night here."

"And just before I go to bed…"

She formed a tantalizing expression that matched his. "Will you zip me up?"
"A fortunate specialty of mine." Alex's fingers went into her hair as she leaned in to close off the space between their faces.

One brief marginal opening of his right eyelid made Alex abruptly end their lip-lock. Holly eyed him in puzzlement before following his line of sight. The pajama-clad youth half-peeked in from outside the doorway, bashful amusement on his face.

"Baby Stud," acknowledged Holly. "How are you, angel?"

Joey replied endearingly, "My dad spanked me, but I'm okay, Holly."

Frowning with instant sympathy, the ginger cooed, "Ohh, you poor sweet thing, sorry to hear that."
With a grand roll of his eyes, Alex cleared his throat and added an authoritative base to his tone. "Miss Hughes, would you please excuse us? I need to have a word with my little brother. I don't want us disturbed."

Holly hopped up dutifully. "Yes, of course, Mr. Summers." On her way out, she could not resist tickling Joey's cheek. She closed the door as soon as the child stepped into the office.

Joey swayed a bit on his toes. "… Hi, big brother. Daddy said you want me to write in here. Guess I'm just lucky he didn't send me to Sean's room." His jest deflated at the impatient look he received.
"First thing's first." Alex gestured for him to approach. He resisted rolling his eyes again when Joey came to stand between the two chairs in front of the desk. "Do I look like a headmaster to you? Over here." He snapped his fingers, indicating the area behind his desk. "
On motivated footsteps, Joey went to stand next to his brother's chair. "You mad… disappointed?"

"No, but I almost wish I was. Disappointment and being ticked are a little easier. At least then, I know you've been acting up and have your licks coming." Not that he favored that scenario much more. "After I found out what happened with you guys after I got in last night, I was definitely ticked, but not at you shrimptoids. I was so ready to hunt down the s- sissies who put their hands on the mutt in the first place. In fact, from what I heard, you were more in control than what I was feeling."

"I didn't want to fight anybody, Al," Joey insisted. "I just wanted Scout and to get everybody home."

"Kid," Alex sighed good-naturedly, "you're far ahead of me in some ways. I can't remember if I told you about this one time when I was so focused on annihilating anything that came at me and Lee, I didn't notice backup coming down. I blasted Wolverine and could've hit Charles."

Joey nodded his understanding. "I remember," though he wished otherwise, "That wasn't your fault, Al. Cody said Wolves has been madder over a flat tire."

"I know that's true, but facts don't always help the guilt, buddy," Alex said frankly. "That's why I'm glad you can hold your head together in and out of session. Lee and I mean it when we say we get there are times you need to go against orders. I'm living proof that you know when that need arrives." Joey smiled softly. "But going in like you did yesterday, I can't count off how many ways things could've gone from bad to lethal."

"I know," the smaller blonde said despondently.

"Yeah, you do know." The peak in firmness in Alex's tone sent a slight shudder through Joey's shoulders. "That's what got you spanked. You know better than the other kids, especially Cody's thick head. There's a lot you could've done yesterday that would have been better and safer. And now, you're going to sit right here," Alex pointed out the left side of his desk, where Joey finally noticed the chair and school supplies already set up, "and write all about it. I better not catch you doodling or daydreaming unless you want your hands to wind up even sorer."

"No, Al. I won't slack off," Joey vowed straightaway, "promise."

Alex concluded the commands with, "If you get done early, we'll go over a few things in the gym. Now, get to it."

Moving as quickly as he could towards the chair, Joey could not help greatly appreciating the fluffy cushion already placed in the seat.

II

Logan busied himself in the range with light cleaning, mainly wiping down the table and cleaning up chunks from obliterated mannequins. He threw out old posters- outlining the parts of the human upper body and what gunfire would damage/instantly kill- to replace with new ones. The Veteran fully took in the space, unable to completely ignore the poignant noiselessness that filled it. He saw the skittish but diligent X-Girl flinching with every trigger squeeze, keeping at it until she knew every component from bullet to barrel.

Even with what he knew would soon come, he experienced inward lightness at his every sense announcing his son. He veered around to watch him make his way inside. Even without their inborn metaphysical beacon, the overwhelming stench of salty water hit Logan's nose with brute force. Despite his attempt at wiping his face, the hot pinkness overtaking the white in Cody's pupils gave him away. The mansion's lower level could get extremely heated, but shivers coursed throughout his posture. The pre-teen's overall appearance subtracted at least six years from him with the pitiful aurora surrounding him.

"Your prof-uncle-assigned saint turn you over?" Logan spoke first, though he knew already. "Or just rake you over?"
"Turn. Six-of-the-worst," Cody answered, voice incredibly feeble. "Pretty sure he left most of the rakin' for you, you bein' pals and all."

"Chuck is the generous type." Logan tilted his head in the direction of the table. "Curb it a sec, Cat." Going over to the designated spot, Cody climbed on the table and sat on his knees. Logan pressed his palms against the wood on either side of his son and established their eye contact. "If I wanted to rake you across the coals, you'd have gone to bed with the scorch marks last night. You know that."

"Yeah, I know." Cody then wondered, "Why didn't you, anyway? Especially after you heard Fred's dad about ready to hang me."
"I also heard you about ready to hang yourself last night," Logan reminded him. "You stepped up of your own accord. You just did it again with your pals in the parlor, trying to stack all the blame on your shoulders. I don't need to chew you out, Cat."
Cody looked into his face closer. "But you and Charles said I was reckless. All those bad moves I made…"
"Oh, all you kids, your heads detoured through Dumbville to get to Retardation Nation," Logan reaffirmed, "but you already acknowledged that much."

The ten-year-old echoed sardonically, "Retardation Nation?"
"Don't point out my stupidity when I'm pointin' out your stupidity." Logan bopped him on his growing mane then went on with, "It's like I told you last night. When these alpha instincts give us the magic tingle, it's easy to lose sight of everything else. Heavy fact is, we ain't allowed to do that. Way before all this containment BS, we had to be careful. It takes little to make folks suspicious, nosy, and paranoid. Can't even listen to the mornin' radio without tunin' into some jive conspiracy theory. You know how your Uncle Vic gets antsy about your fur?"

"Yeah?"
"It's not because he's ashamed," Logan stated. "Definitely not because he's out to bust your chops. No matter how much we've gotten accomplished with our powers, your uncle can't shake the fear of lookin' in the mirror and seein' somethin' less than human. If that went through his head, you can imagine how worse outsiders would react. We feel safe with these 'invisible' mutations of ours. Enough to sucker ourselves into complacency if we let it. Showin' off to your friends on the jungle gym is one thing. Playin' Tarzan-meets-King-Kong in front of them is another. Rick Dukes saw you take that leap and sounded like he was startin' to lay out the puzzle pieces. Imagine if you caught the eye of an adult who didn't give two craps about you."

"… Yeah," Cody sighed. "I can get all kinds of dumb when I want to. No wonder Scott wanted to throttle me for goofin' around at school. Dad," he tried to keep focus, "I'm really sorry and I wish I'd done it differently, but I can't regret gettin' Scout back. I'm with Tommy about that creep."

"You and me both." Logan looked him over briefly. "Gut down, butt out."

Groaning internally, Cody lowered his bottom clothing to his knees and draped himself over the smooth table on his stomach. At what he heard next, he glanced to his left and felt as if every strand of his abundant hair stood tensely. He watched the leather accessory slither through his father's pants loops.

Logan caught his gaze. "You see somethin' interestin'?"

Cody took the clear cue to face forward again. He eyeballed the target poster on the wall, as if he could transfer his upcoming anguish onto it.

Before anything, Logan studied his son's backside. He observed the fading pinkness. Since the boy had shown no desire to fully sit, the man concluded that he retained a minimal sting. Like himself in that instance, he knew Charles aimed for more of an interior impact than an external one. Logan could only wonder what enchantment the Professor wielded to have such a positively profound effect on his often impish kitten with far less force.

Wanting the paternal task done, Logan folded his belt and delivered the first crack. It, along with his boy's yelp, echoed in the training space. Any attempt at bravado on Cody's part burst like a dam as he moaned and teared up, but did his best to be still. Even more so, he had to resist the roar practically burning in his throat. Rolling off the table and attempting to hide would garner more leniency from the alpha than that maneuver. Logan administered six strikes then tossed his belt into a chair to exercise his open palm.

With two smacks, the Veteran ended the chastisement. Even with his hand touching his back soothingly, Cody did not realize it over until he felt his pants and briefs in place again. His sobbing stopped, though sniffling and tear production continued.

"Go see your ma so she can wash some of that ugly off your face." Logan stood him on the floor and flicked at his long hair. "You're lookin' too much like me."

Letting off a feeble nod, Cody managed to quip, "If I break every mirror in the house on the way," he wiped at his eyes, "I'm tellin' Charles it's your fault."
"Go ahead and tell him," Logan challenged pseudo-tauntingly. "Have him give me a year's detention. I'd appreciate the time off. Just don't make too much noise. Hope and Faithie are still snoozin'."

Cody saluted to the affirmative and when he moved his hand again, Logan presented his fist for them to bump. As soon as his son turned his back, the canine mutant allowed himself a visage of total adoration.

Throughout the lower level halls, Cody massaged his behind fervently. He ceased doing so on the main level and did not resume until he rounded the corridor on his floor.

New tears fell and he gave into whimpering with a hushed but no less imploring, "Mama…"