Chapter 11: Return for Now

It had been two days and Ethan had at least reach his father's institute. He didn't saw anyone here and he had not the power to feel others like him, so he did what he did beast. He sneaked in and try to avoid people. Outside was no problem. It was like six in the morning and they would either be in sleep or eat breakfast. As he enters the house he was careful to not smash the door. He could hear the others in the and run to the stairs and up. As he reaches the top, Jean and Kitty came walking. He hid behind the wall and press himself against it as much he could and he saw the girls walk past him. He breath out and was on his way to keep go, but Rogue came like a shot and he was lucky he hadn't move as she run past him.

"Ethan, I know you are here." is father's voice echoed in his head. "They are all in the dinner room, come and see me in my office are your kind." Ethan took a deep breath before going to his father's office. He entered and saw his dad sitting behind his desk. "You look well." his father said as he walks in and sat down in the chair opposite to his father.

"The doors are destroyed, dad." he told him. "But that's not why I'm here." Charles look at him. "Mom came and visit me, she found me."

"So, she knew where you were? She told me she didn't know."

"That's not the point, dad. The point is that you apparently told her and if I know you right it was to ask if she knew where I was. With other words, you wanted to find me even if I ask you not to. I said I was going to come back, and here I am."

"I'm sorry, Ethan. But I was only worried about you. It's after all my job, as your father."

"Well, I didn't come back to complain about this." Ethan said. "I think mom gave me a warning. To come home before anything happened."

"Did she tell you what?"

"If she did, do you think I would sit in this chair right now?" Ethan asked, not being very serious.

"Hm, if we don't know what it is, we will have to wait until we do." Charles drove around the table to lay a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "For now, I want to know more about you. How are you and what does this means for you now? With the doors gone? How did your friend help you?"

"Yeah," Ethan said unsure what to answer. "She had that kind of power to take us into my mind like Jean does, the only difference is that she was strong enough to destroy them, I promise not to tell anyone more. However, with the doors gone I am stuck on page one with my powers. Other than that, I'm fine. Jean won't need to kiss me every second." he joked but his father didn't laugh, he had a smile however.

"Good to know, but what do you mean with page one?"

"My powers were bond to the doors. With the doors gone I will have to let my powers develop on its own. Meaning I'm like the others. Let my powers evolve. I do seem to have control over my illusion, but I haven't try the other things as I was in a hurry home. The locate other mutants are gone and I think my bond with Jean is gone to, I can't feel her like I did before."

"It doesn't sound bad, we will only have to take it easy and train. I'm not done with the questions if you think that. But I trust you and won't ask, okay?"

"Thanks, dad."

"Professor?" the door opened and Jean enter the room. She stops as she saw Ethan. "I was just going to tell you we leave for school." she said quick and close the door again. Ethan look at his father who nodded him to leave. He was whispered some thanks and run after Jean.

"Jean!" Ethan call and catch her in the hall stairs.

"Leave me alone, Ethan!"

"Jean, I'm sorry I just left. I should have told you."

"Damn right you should have." she said and stop to turn around and face him. "Do you know how worried I have been? I try to call but your phone was of reach and when you had call your dad, Ororo and Scott just said hi from you. No explanation to where you went or why."

"Jean, listen to me. I'm sorry, but I had to." Ethan said. "I had to do something with the doors, it made me crazy."

"Well, congrats, you destroyed them and the bond we have. I can feel it fade." she starts to walk again but Ethan run after and took her by her wrist.

"Why are you so angry then? I won't be in desperate need of you and you won't have to worry about me every second now."

"Sometimes you really are an idiot, Ethan. I'm happy the doors are destroyed. What I don't like is that you disappeared without a word, to your friend and come home first now like nothing." Ethan was silent. He didn't know what to say. Sorry wouldn't cover this, but what else could he said. He didn't have to worry about it anyway as Jean get off his grip and walk to the door. "I have school, see you later." she said and close the door behind her. Ethan could see Scott thought the doors, waiting for Jean.

Ethan was confused. He didn't understand anything. Why was Jean angry at him? Sure, he had left without telling her, but it had been for both. He had stop himself for perhaps an early death, which she didn't knew about he thought. But she knew they wouldn't be able to do that they did forever. Kissing while she had Duncan… why did she even did that without problem? Shouldn't she have been more… hesitating. Or maybe it was just in his head and Jean didn't see it to be cheating. After all, technology, Jean and Duncan isn't official a couple, just on their way, or closer or…

Ethan shook his head as he didn't feel to think much more about it. He instead tries to focus on the target in front of him. He focusses on his right hand and on fire. The warmth and feeling to let his hand become covered in flam. It was a relief. It was to let all anger, all confused, feelings from his chest and to his hand. To energy and fire. When he felt it in his hand he throws, like a baseball, the fireball that had appeared in his hand. Although, when he saw it, it was very small and it hit the target, but instead of burning it down like usually it just jumped back down to the ground there it died.

"That looked week."

"What do you want, Logan?" Ethan ask as he notice him walk over.

"I just came back from a little trip," he answered and look at the unscratched target, "when did you come back and what happened with your so powerful fire?" Ethan snorted but grinded after. He focusses on Logan and let him see the room start to burn and let him smell ash, feel the warmth, the air get harder to breath. When suddenly the room was all drain in water and he was swimming for his life until he came down on his knees. Then Ethan let the illusion disappeared.

"Don't make me angry Logan, I can still make you feel like you are dying repeatedly." Ethan warned him.

"You don't say." Logan muttered, making Ethan's grin get bigger. He stood up. "Decided which side you are on too while you were gone?" Ethan didn't answer, but his grin disappeared, making Logan understand he hadn't. Or he just hadn't thought about it at all. "You should at least talk to elf. I think you two have something in comment."

"What do you mean with that, Logan?"

"Your father didn't tell you? While you were gone, Rogue got flashbacks of Mystique's past. Turn out she is Kurt's mother. Meaning-"

"I know what that means, thank you!" Ethan yelled. "Does anyone know my relationship with her?"

"No, Chuck wanted to wait until you were back."

"Don't tell anyone, or I will see if I actually can kill you with tricking your mind." Ethan threatened and left the danger room. He walks to his father's office for the second time this day, but this time he wasn't there. He was in the dinner room with Ororo and a lot of paper. Letters and photographs.

"Ethan, something wrong?" Charles ask as Ethan came over.

"Are you planning to tell me that Kurt is my half-brother?"

"Ororo, could you please?" Charles ask her. She nodded. She knew about Mystique, but Charles thought it was best to talk to Ethan alone about this. "Did Logan told you?" he asks when Ororo had left the room. Ethan cross his arms over his chest.

"He might have mention it after I try my illusion powers on him. Turns out they seem more… stronger."

"I plan on telling you, but not today. You have just come back and all."

"I don't care, just don't tell anyone about my relationship with her." Ethan demanded.

"You are keeping a big secret, Ethan. They won't be able to trust you if you keep secrets." Ethan laugh cold and emotionless.

"You really accusing me from keeping secrets? You were the one not telling them about the principal being Mystique. I bet you haven't told them about Erik, or should I call him Magneto?" Ethan stated. "I might keep one secret about my mother, but that doesn't change anything."

"Doesn't it?" Charles ask. "I think it does."

"Yeah, it only makes them stop trusting me like Logan."

"Logan doesn't trust you because he knows you haven't pick to become an X-Men and he is afraid that you will turn to Ravens side. Another secret Ethan, they don't know you still not in the team. You and Jean might have had a close relationship, but how much does she really knows about you?"

"She knows enough." Ethan answer and let his hands fall to his side as he starts to leave.

"Does she?" Charles stop him. "You should tell her everything. Your feelings."

"What are you talking about?" Ethan ask him.

"Don't you think I know you like her? More than a friend. You won't just accept the fact that she means more than me or your mother. I can feel something happened to you that change you when you were gone. But you haven't change with Jean, you love her."

"I don't, we are friends."

"How long will you try to pretend that?" Charles ask him. "I have seen you two together, I have seen you grow up with her." Still you knew nothing about Emma, Ethan thought. "How long will you pretend? Until you make it the truth?"

"You have no idea what you are talking about!"

"I do, Ethan. Trust me, I do." Ethan tense but didn't do anything. He just left his father there and walk out to the kitchen. Ororo was there, looking at him, follow him with her eyes. Ethan wanted to yell and ask what she was staring at, but he knew better and he got the sight of a picture on the kitchen table.

"Who is Alex Masters?" Ethan read on the paper.

"Charles found him in Hawaii, a mutant. We think he is Scott's brother."

"Alex Summers?" Ethan ask. "Didn't he die in the crash?"

"I and your father has been working with it a bit, turn out he was adopted because they didn't thought Scott would make it." Ethan only nodded to show he got the information. "Everything with you and your father?"

"As good as it can be." Ethan answer and left. He didn't feel to talk with anyone and decided to take a swim to be ready and try talk to Jean when she came home. He had at least try to talk her of her anger.