Minutes Earlier

Scott climbed the stairs to the second floor, where the headmaster's quarters were.

"Oh man, you've really fixed this place up," he said as he entered Kitty's room. "Xavier had good taste for most things, but his furniture was very old."

"Yeah, it didn't feel right to keep some of the stuff after he was gone," Kitty held her arm. She had at last mustered the courage to invite the veteran X-Men to this meeting, and now they were talking furniture.

"I actually need to talk to you about something, Scott."

"Um, sure. Is it about the team?" Scott struggled to imagine what else they could discuss together.

"Yes, actually."

Kitty gulped. Rachel looked from her father to her instructor. She had rarely ever been so tempted to read what was going on in their minds.

"Okay, look. You probably don't need me to tell you that you're very good at this whole 'leadership' thing."

"Heh. Thank you. But I'm not out to prove anything."

"Well that's just it, actually," Kitty started to say.

But then they all heard Nightcrawler down in the foyer, shouting.

"Mein Gott, everyone!"

"Everyone get down here!"

Standing in the foyer of the Xavier Mansion was Ororo Munroe, the African mutant and founding member of the school known to her allies as Storm. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips in an amused look.

"The others will be so excited! We thought you were gone for good!"

"Haven't I proved that I'm a difficult one to get rid of?" Storm crossed her arms. "Though in this case it was certainly close."

"But how? And where are the others?"

"In good time, Nightcrawler."

Illyana creeped into the house, Sam and Bobby following with confused looks.

"I don't get it, Illyana. What's got you so spooked?"

"When I came here, Bobby, I wasn't strictly allowed to do so. One could say I was… expressly forbidden from doing so."

"I knew there was a reason we liked you," Sam said.

"If… they've come to collect me, I'm in trouble."

"Then why are we getting closer?"

"...I don't know."

Scott and Kitty came down the stairs now, with Rachel lagging behind.

"What the Hell?" Scott's eyes went wide as saucers beneath his red glasses. "Ororo?"

"Hello, Cyclops."

"But that's…" his words trailed off. "How are you here?"

"I know my appearance must come as a shock to you all," the white-haired woman admitted. "I wish we would have reunited under other circumstances."

She caught site of Illyana peering at her from the other side of a doorframe.

"Illyana!" Ororo called after her authoritatively.

Kitty's blood froze at the familiarity of her tone.

"Child, you should not have come here."

Illyana became surprisingly sullen.

"I'm sorry Ororo," Illyana sniffed. "I just thought-"

"It is you, after all!" Kurt cut her short. "How in all the worlds did you return?"

"This can't be possible," Scott muttered, finally finding the word he sought before. "I should have known if anyone could survive that it was you, 'Ro."

"How do you all know each other?"

The gathered mutants turned to Kitty. The headmistress's face was pale.

"Katzchen," Kurt started.

"Not right now, Kurt. I need to know. I've had this feeling, that something wasn't right. There's something you aren't telling me."

Illyana looked back and forth between Kitty and Storm.

"Yana," Kitty approached the blonde girl.

"Miss Pryde, wait."

This time it was Rachel who stopped Kitty.

"Rachel?"

The young redhead's eyes burned.

"I don't like this. Ever since she arrived Illyana has been a dark spot in my psychic vision. I can't see her energy. And she's the same way," she pointed at Storm.

"She has the same invisible aura as Illyana."

Illyana pleaded with Kitty, shaking.

"Kitty, I'm so sorry. It wasn't supposed to go this way."

"Are you even real?" Kitty's voice caught in her throat. "Is this some sort of hallucination?"

"I think I owe everyone an explanation," Ororo said, her voice audible above the growing chaos. "We just need to calm down."

"Someone needs to start explaining something," Kitty no longer kept herself from shouting. She turned to her friend - or who she thought was her friend.

"Who even are you?"

Illyana was unable to look Kitty in the eyes at first. She turned to Ororo, who nodded for her to continue.

"I attended school with the last name Raspopova. My real name is Illyana Rasputin. Since you were familiar with the X-Men, you would know my brother Piotr Nikoleyavich, Colossus.'

"You… and Peter…" Kitty was rapidly losing her cool.

"She's one of us, Katherine," Ororo walked between the two women. "In fact, she's the key to everything."