XXXXXXXXX

Pitor and Jubilee were sitting next to each other in front of the Danger Room controls. Pitor went over each level, the task of each session, the length, and just how difficult it was. So far, they had reached level eight with nine and ten still waiting to be discovered.

"So, what was level eight?" Jubilee asked.

"We had to fight a bunch of bad CGI-looking aliens," Pitor answered. "They were called 'The Brood' if I remember correctly."

"You're kidding me? Did it simulate a space station or something?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Jubilee's face beamed brightly.

"That sounds awesome."

"It was stupid. Since when are we going to be doing any missions in outer space?"

Pitor then rubbed his head as Jubilee stared at him strangely.

"Are you okay? All day you've seemed kind of…sad."

"It's nothing," Pitor then took a deep breath, "It's just…today would have been my parents twenty-fifth wedding anniversary."

"Oh."

Jubilee knew that most of the kids at the school had some sort of difficult family situations due to being a mutant. Either that or their parents didn't even know. Jubilee felt horrible for them, especially since her parents had treated her the same as before they found out she was a mutant.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She then asked.

Pitor laughed weakly.

"I have an older brother who is also a mutant...Mikhail is his name. He killed our parents. And for no reason, other than the fact that they were human."

"What happened to your brother?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen him since that day. For his sake, he better hope I never see him again."

Jubilee rested against him.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It doesn't always hurt." Pitor looked at her as Jubilee gazed back at him with her bright eyes. "Eventually, you know that they're in a better place."

Then, slowly, awkwardly…they kissed. After a few seconds Jubilee pulled away and Pitor looked worried, believing he just did the wrong thing.

"Okay…I wasn't expecting that…"

She considered saying more, but quickly decided against it and just kiss the large Russian teenager again, more deeply this time.

"Hey guys."

Pitor and Jubilee jumped apart and looked to the doorway in aggravation as Warren stood there with a big grin on his face.

"Guess who's here."

"You have such great timing," Jubilee snapped.

"Turn about is fair play," Warren smirked, remembering earlier in the day when Jubilee had interrupted him and Kitty. The two then got up and followed Warren back into the main part of the mansion. He led them to the study where Hank McCoy was sitting and talking with Kitty just as all three of them walked in.

"Dr. McCoy!" Jubilee shouted.

Hank laughed.

"Pitor, Jubilee. How have you been?"

"Just fine," Pitor answered.

They took a seat on the couch across from their old teacher.

"Good. So, where is the Professor?"

"Couldn't tell you," Warren shrugged. "He left, with Logan and Ororo this morning. They've been gone all day."

"They haven't attempted to contact you?"

"Nope."

"Hmm," Hank thought out loud. "I wonder what could have been so important. Nothing major has occurred that I'm aware of."

"So why did you decide to drop in?" Kitty asked.

"Well, I've been given an assignment from the president. I was hoping for their help."

"Help with what?"

"I'm going to go speak with a group of mutants we've just recently found out about who are currently living underground in tunnels. I need a little back up, just in case they become hostile."

"Warren and I will help you," Kitty assured him. "And Pitor, Bobby, and Rogue will go too."

Jubilee narrowed her eyes at the other girl.

"What about me?"

"You're not a part of the team yet."

"I've gotta start somewhere. Just how bad can this be?" Jubilee then looked at Hank and pleaded. "Please Dr. McCoy? I did my first session in the Danger Room today."

"The beginner's session," Warren remarked.

"Shut it!"

She went to flick his ear again but Warren dodged that move. Hank sighed.

"Play nice, children."

They all looked to him, looking a little offended by his choice of words.

"Well, I guess it's alright," Hank shrugged. "But when we get down there, stay in back of us. Don't do a thing until I tell you to."

Jubilee nodded.

"I promise."

As they continued to talk, inside of Bobby's bedroom, Rogue was sitting with her boyfriend on his bed. Bobby sat against the wall while Rogue was resting against his chest. They were watching a play list of funny videos on a laptop. But after a few videos went by Bobby stopped laughing along with her and his attention seemed somewhere else. Rogue moved her head to look back at her boyfriend and saw that he was staring at the shark zippo lighter on the nightstand. It was still there, not moved an inch since the night Rogue gave it to him. She then paused the video.

"Bobby, what's been going on with you?"

That seemed to snap Bobby out of his thoughts as Rogue got up and shifted her position so that she was now facing him.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"Come on. You've been acting weird ever since I gave you that lighter."

Bobby moved his head away as he could no longer meet her stare but Rogue reached out and gently placed a gloved hand on Bobby's cheek, holding him in place.

"This is kinda how you were after we got back from Alkali Lake, after what went on with your family. But only…worse this time. Something is going on with you, why won't you tell me?"

Bobby now looked uncomfortable, like he wanted to be anyplace but here at that moment.

"Rogue…I…I'm…" he began, but couldn't get out what he wanted to tell her.

Rogue's mind immediately went to the worst.

"What? You want to break up with me?"

"No, it's not that."

"Then what?"

Bobby took a deep breath before getting up. Rogue watched him as he then took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"It's John," he finally admitted. "I should have said something. Maybe if he knew that someone cared, he wouldn't have left. If I had just been honest."

"Sometimes that isn't enough. Sometimes people leave, despite how much we care for them," Rogue said. She got up and sat next to him, placing a hand on his arm, trying to comfort him. "You can't blame yourself for John going with Magneto. It was his choice."

Bobby laughed, high and tight.

"That's not what I meant."

"What do you mean?" Rogue asked, now starting to get frustrated. Why wouldn't he just tell her what the problem was?

Leaning forward, Bobby rested his forehead against his hand before taking another deep breath.

"I don't know how to say it."

For a long moment, Rogue had no idea what he was talking about...but then she understood. She had after all, absorbed him and John both. Rogue had never dug much into their memories but the Bobby in her head now gave her the answer the real Bobby couldn't vocalize.

"You loved him."

Upon saying that, Bobby then suddenly launched his hands forward and two small balls of ice went straight across the room, shattering once they hit the opposite wall, causing Rogue to jump at the sudden movement. Bobby was now looking down at his hands in shock.

Flesh had been replaced by living ice.

"I think I need a doctor," he gasped as he got to his feet.

Rogue then quickly got up and went to his side, eyes gapping as she looked down at his hands.

"Oh my god! Bobby!"

"I'm going to go stick my hands in the freezer."

Bobby quickly hurried out of the room with Rogue trailing right after him.

XXXXXXXX

After Gambit brought Pyro inside and properly introduced them, Sinister led Pyro into the practice room and closed the doors behind them so they could talk in private. Pyro couldn't help it, but he couldn't get himself to look at the other mutant as he had been so taken aback by his appearance. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"So, Gambit told me that you can make mutants stronger."

"Did he now?" Sinister smirked.

"How do you do it?"

"I can genetically alter your mutant gene in order to amplify your powers. But the cost is high."

"How much?"

"I'm not talking about money."

"Then what?"

"Your DNA. And a small favor you will owe me."

"Okay. So, you can help me?" Pyro asked.

"That depends," Sinister replied.

"On what?"

"On how desperate you are."

"I'm not desperate."

Sinister laughed.

"I see it in your eyes. You are reckless, amoral, dangerous. You've gone from place to place, group to group."

"You reading my mind?" Pyro then asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't have to."

"It's my business."

"Arguably, yes. But it does make me wonder what it is that you are looking for. Or perhaps, what it is you're running away from."

"I'm not doing either," Pyro snapped. "If I'm not getting what I need from a place I'm at, I don't cry about it. I just move on and look for it somewhere else. I've got no use for sentiment."

Sinister then looked over at him.

"Show me."

The younger mutants brows furrowed.

"What?"

"Your power. Show me."

Pyro flicked open his lighter and formed a fireball in his hand. Sinister however didn't look impressed.

"That's it?"

"What?" Pyro asked. That had been enough for Magneto, what did this guy expect from him?

"You can manipulate fire. You can make it do anything you want, anything you can think of. Surely you can do better than just a fireball."

Thinking for a moment, Pyro then shot a stream of flame into the air, than concentrated. It was rare that he had the chance to truly show-off. Carefully, the flame grew and spread out, taking the form of a fire-serpent. The training room was lit up in orange and yellow as Sinister looked up at the creature of flame and a grin slowly came to his face. The serpent began flying around the room while Sinister continued to watch, a little mesmerized until Pyro started to become worn out.

It took a lot of concentration and energy to make a solid creature of fire and it took a lot out of him. Pyro kept the creature going for as long as he could before the flames dissipated.

"You don't know your own strength, Pyro," Sinister said as he looked over at the young mutant who was taking deep breaths. "But I do."

Sinister had Pyro come with him to the laboratory and to take his shirt off. Pyro layed down on a table as Sinister prepared his machine. He watched him with weary eyes, then asked;

"Are you going to give me anesthesia?"

"It has its uses, but no. You need to be awake as your body goes through the process."

Pyro swallowed nervously.

"I'll...I'll still be me when this is over right? There will be no damage?"

"Of course not. I'll need you just the way you are, Pyro. So that you can keep your side of the bargain."

Suddenly, two metal tentacles unfurled and came up on either side of him. They attached themselves to the sides of Pyro's neck through two tiny needles. He gasped a little from the pain. An odd tingling sensation then shot through Pyro's body as he arched his back up. His body then relaxed itself before his hands began to tremble uncontrollably then his legs followed. He began breathing heavily as his body continued to spasm.

Pyro's fingertips then began to glow red. As did his chest, then it traveled up his neck. A bright orange-yellow flame then bursted from the palms of both hands. The new power flowed through his entire body.

He could now create fire.

XXXXXXXXX

Hank was getting ready to turn in for the night. He had told the 'X-Kids' to get some rest and that they would take up their task sometime tomorrow. But just as he was about to close the door Rogue came running down the hall and came to a screetching halt in front of him.

"Dr. McCoy, thank god you're here!"

"Rogue." He then looked at her gloved hands. "So I take it you haven't…"

Rogue shook her head as she looked at her hands. She rememberd Dr. McCoy giving her the last sample of the mutant cure.

"Oh, no. I still have it, but…" she trailed off before remembering the reason she came to him in the first place. "Something happened to Bobby."

"What is it?" Hank asked as he walked out of his room and began following the teenage girl.

"His hands, his fingers. They're ice. Completely ice, he has no flesh at all on his hands."

"Where is he?"

"He's down in the walk in freezer and he refuses to come out."

Rogue's eyes then lowered to the floor as she couldn't help but laugh a little at the double meaning of her words.

They kept going until they reached the kitchen. Hank walked over to the door of the walk in freezer and knocked on it lightly.

"Bobby? It's Dr. McCoy. Are you okay?"

He didn't get a response which caused him to frown.

I'm going to come in, okay?"

Hank opened the door then closed in behind him He was surrounded by a bunch of frozen food and drinks when he looked to the end of the freezer. His eyes widened. Bobby stood, living ice covering his entire body from head to toe. Hank looked over his appearance, shocked. He truly was an Iceman.

Bobby looked over his own apperance.

"Dr. McCoy," he began.

"Oh my stars and garters…" Hank muttered.