Hey! I'm back! Just a quick update in passing, I've been so busy! For those who read my other story, hopefully I'll update soon. But, anyway, thank you for all the reviews on this story, as well as anyone who has fav'ed or follow'ed. It's good to know people are enjoying it!

Before you read the chapter though, I would like to ask if anyone has spotted the little X-men nods? There's a few, and there'll be another in this chapter (as well as a mention of a certain X-men). Also, I would like to ask for help on writing chapters, and the ideas behind them.

I know what I want to do for Days of Future past (if I get that far), but in the mean time, I would love if people told me what they want to see out of this story. Either write it in the reviews, or PM me! Thanks! Please read, enjoy and review!

I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We've got some straightenin' out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry

- Big Girls Don't Cry, Fergie, The Dutchess

Chapter 6

"I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with….D," Sean said, grinning at the others.

The other mutants sighed, bored of the game. They had been in the back of the army van for hours, all night and well into the next day. Charles, Erik and Moria sat in the front, so were free from Sean's game caused by boredom. Hank was absorbed in a book, unaware to the world around him. That left Lyndsey, Alex and Raven to endure the torturous game that was 'I Spy'.

"Is it….Door?" Raven said in a bored tone, head resting on her hand. Alex rolled his eyes and laid back in his seat, arms folded across his body. Lyndsey just sighed and shook her head, equally as bored as the others.

"Nope," Sean replied. "Any other guesses?"

"Doofus?" Alex offered, smirking slightly. Lyndsey managed a small smile while Raven giggled.

"No," Sean said. "Do you give up?"

"Yes, Sean, we give up," Raven sighed, glad that it was over.

"Dog tags," Sean said simply.

"Dog tags?" Raven said incredulously.

"Dog tags," Sean repeated, nodding his head. "She's wearing them."

He pointed to Lyndsey who had shut her eyes.

"Why are you wearing dog tags?" Alex asked, causing Lyndsey to open her eyes. "You can't have been in the army."

"No, but I know someone who was," Lyndsey replied, not looking at him.

"Who?" Alex pushed. "Who do you know who was in the army?"

"Why do you want to know?" Lyndsey asked coolly. Alex simply shrugged.

"Just trying to make conversation," He replied. Lyndsey rolled her eyes and shut them again, in the attempt to block him out. This, however, did not stop Alex. He stood up, walked over to where Lyndsey was, and snatched the tags from her grip. Lyndsey's eyes snapped open and she shot up. Her head barely reached his shoulder but she stood tall, unintimidated by his height.

"Give them back!" She said dangerously. Alex just smirked and looked at the tag.

"'Jack Pryde'? Who's that? Your boyfriend?" Alex taunted.

"Alex…" Raven said, sensing Lyndsey's building anger.

"Give. Them. Back," She said dangerously, her eyes darkening.

"Or what?" Alex scoffed. He held them high over his head. "Go on then, try and get them."

Lyndsey's fists balled, and just as she was about to punch Alex in the gut, the van lurched to a stop. Both Lyndsey and Alex were unprepared of the change in velocity so lurched forwards, Lyndsey landing on top of Alex. They both groaned. Footsteps echoed outside of the van and the door swung open to reveal Charles and Erik.

"Pit stop," Charles said brightly. "Go get yourselves something to eat. We're not stopping long."

Lyndsey snatched the tags off of Alex, and stormed out of the van, but not before glowering at him. Raven smirked, as did Sean.

"For future references," Raven said, standing up. "I wouldn't piss Lyndsey off. She may be small, but she can be scary."

Lyndsey made a beeline for the toilets, ignoring anyone she passed and the vague shouts of Raven. She was furious right now and needed to be alone. The restrooms were empty, so Lyndsey stalked over to the sink, resting her hands on the basin's sides. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes but she would not let them. She was strong. She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down.

Stupid Alex, she thought. I wish I could punch him right in his stupid face, the…stupid pants! Okay, not the best insult you've came up with, Lyndsey. Her hands gripped the basin tighter and she realise the dog tags were still in her hand. Holding them up, she looked at the engravings. Jack A. Pryde. 1ST Air Force. Salem, Mass. What would her father think of her now? Was she doing the right thing, protecting people who could possibly harm other mutants and herself?

In her thoughts, Lyndsey did not hear the restroom door open and Raven walk in, her heeled boots clicking against the floor.

"Everything alright?" Raven asked, startling Lyndsey who jumped up in shock. She turned to face the blonde hair girl, tucking the tags into her pocket.

"Just Alex being a prick, that's all," She said bitterly. Raven smiled sympathically. She put an arm over Lyndsey's shoulder, squeezing her reassuringly.

"Alex is just a dickhead," Raven agreed. "Just ignore him."

"He doesn't know anything about me…" Lyndsey mumbled, eyes trained to the floor.

"You don't know anything about him, either," Raven pointed out. "I think, it's that were all just curious about you. You don't talk about yourself much."

"It's better that way," Lyndsey sighed. "Because, trust me, you wouldn't like what you hear."

It was Raven's turn to sigh. She took Lyndsey's hands and looked her in the eye.

"Listen," She said softly. "I know you've only know me for a few days, but we're friends. You can talk to me about anything, tell me anything. And I promise you, I will not judge you, or think of you any differently. You don't need to tell me straight away, but know that's I'm always here for you," Raven said. A few stray tears fell down Lyndsey's face and Raven brushed them away.

"Come here," Raven said, extending her arms. "Let's hug this out."

The two girls hugged, Raven rubbing Lyndsey's back reassuringly. After a minute they parted and smiled widely.

"Okay then, now that that's sorted, Charles told me to tell you that he's looking for you."

"Why is he looking for me?" Lyndsey asked curiously. Raven shrugged.

"Don't ask me, I'm just the messenger. Come on, I want to get some ice cream."

The two girls exited the restroom and went into the little shop next to the petrol station. Moria was outside, filling the van up with gas. She waved at the girls as they went inside. The door dinged as they stepped into the small shop. Erik was stood by the magazine rack, flicking through the day's newspaper. Sean, Hank and Alex milled over by the sweet stand, looking at the sweets on sale. When Lyndsey walked in, Alex looked over to her, but he quickly avoided eye contact with her after she glared at him. Raven went over to join them, while Lyndsey stood by the door unsurely.

"Lyndsey?" Charles' voice echoed from behind her. Lyndsey turned and smiled up at Charles as he stood before her.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" She asked politely.

"Yes, yes I do," He said, looking over his shoulder at the others, who were looking over at the two. "Let's discuss this outside."

He led her out of the door and round to the side of the building, where the pay phones were. The main road was next to them, the noise from passing cars meant that they would not be over heard.

"So, what is it?" Lyndsey smiled.

"Your brother, Aiden. How old is he?" Charles asked curiously.

"Aiden? He's fourteen," Lyndsey said unsurely. "Why?"

"You say he has trouble controlling his powers?"

"Yes…"

"I was thinking, if you want him to, he can come with us. I'm going to try and teach you all how to use your mutations, both safely and effectively. If you brother has trouble controlling his mutation, I can help him."

"I don't what him involved in anything dangerous…."

Charles held up his hand, stopping Lyndsey.

"I promise you, although he would be training with you and the other mutants, he would not be put in any situation where he would be in danger."

Lyndsey was silent for a moment, contemplating what to do.

"You…swear he wouldn't be in any kind of danger?"

"I swear," Charles replied.

"Then okay. Aiden can come train with us," Lyndsey said. Charles smiled.

"Excellent. Where about did you say he is?" Charles asked.

"Washington," Lyndsey replied.

"We can stop by and pick him up-" Charles began but Lyndsey cut him off.

"I get him by myself," She insisted. Charles raised an eyebrow in question. "He…doesn't take to big groups. He'll feel more reassured by me just going myself."

Charles nodded, a bit confused and unsurely.

"Okay then, we can stop at Washington on our way to our destination. Come on now, we don't want to leave the others waiting."

…..

Lyndsey smiled as looked at the cream bungalow with a slanted slate roof. The stone pathway twisted from the sidewalk up to the front door, through the green front garden. Lyndsey had made Charles and the others drop her off a few blocks back, refusing to let anyone come with her. She had heard Alex mutter some snide remark about 'her boyfriend' but had ignored him. She was the bigger person. However, it didn't stop her from aiming a big kick at his shin on her exit from the van.

Lyndsey walked up the path to the front door and rang the bell. She fiddled with her sleeves, slightly nervous. The door opened, revealing a blonde haired woman in her mid-twenties.

"Lyndsey!" She cried. "It's so good to see you!" The woman pulled Lyndsey into a hug, which Lyndsey quickly accepted.

"It's good to see you too, Ms Maximoff," Lyndsey smiled.

"How many times, Lyndsey?" The woman said, pulling out of the hug. "It's Magda."

"Sorry," Lyndsey said. "How's little Peter?"

"Growing, and quickly at that. I swear, he's grown a good couple of inches since your last visit. And he's such a fast runner now, beat all the other children in sports day…"

Lyndsey laughed and Magda beckoned her into the house.

"How's that little brother of mine?" Lyndsey asked. "He has been good, hasn't he?"

"Good as gold," Magda replied. "Peter absolutely adores him, especially since Aiden taught him how to swim. Come! Come, sit down."

They moved into the living room where a silver haired five year old was playing with a train set. When he saw Lyndsey, his eyes brightened and he ran over.

"Lyndsey!" He exclaimed. "You came to play!"

"Sorry kiddo, I can't stay and play," Lyndsey smiled sadly. "How about, you go and find Aiden? I need to talk to him and because you're a big boy, I trust you to go find him."

Peter nodded furiously, rushing out of the room, leaving a flutter of pages in his wake.

"What am I going to do with him?" Magda smiled, shaking her head. Lyndsey's attention was drawn to the TV, which was giving and update on the missile crisis. "Lyndsey? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine. Listen, I know it's sudden, but I'm going somewhere, and Aiden needs to come with me."

Magda looked from Lyndsey to the TV, which was blaring away.

"This is something to do with your powers, isn't it?" She asked quietly. Lyndsey sighed.

"Yes. Look, I can't say much, but please, you have to trust me."

"Will the two of you be safe?"

Lyndsey paused for a minute.

"Aiden will be, for definite."

"But what about you?" Magda asked. When Lyndsey did not reply, Magda sighed. "Lyndsey, I know you. You'd do anything for anyone and not stop for a second to think about yourself. Please, promise be you'll be careful. I can't imagine what Aiden would do if anything happened to you."

Lyndsey turned to face Magda.

"I can't promise I'll survive, but I promise I will try my hardest to. But you have to promise me something. If anything does happen to me, you'll take care of Aiden."

Magda smiled solemnly.

"I don't need to promise that, I'd do it anyway. The two of you are special, I'd do anything for you both."

Lyndsey smiled and just as she was about to reply, the sound of footsteps could be heard and Peter appeared on Lyndsey's lap.

"I beat you, Aiden!" He shouted. Just then, a tall fourteen year old with brown hair came running through the door.

"Okay, Peter, you beat me," He said, panting, his hand resting on his knees as he caught his breath. He looked up and his face lit up. "Lyndsey!"

Aiden ran over and through his arms around his older, but smaller, sister.

"Aiden!" Lyndsey cried, throwing her free arm around Aiden's shoulders. "Oh, I missed you!"

Magda looked over at the sibling's embracing and decided they needed some privacy. Against his protests, she picked up Peter and left the siblings to talk.

"What brings you here?" Aiden asked. "Did you find them?"

"Yes, I found them. That's why I'm here," Lyndsey explained. "He can help us. He, all of them, have powers like us! He says he can help us use and control them. Isn't that great?"

Aiden looked a bit wary.

"Are you sure? That's what-"

"I'm positive," Lyndsey interrupted. "Trust me, Aiden, he can help."

"Is he outside?" Aiden asked, looking out of the window.

"No, I didn't want them here. I knew how you would react…."

Aiden sighed.

"You know why I do though. To keep us safe."

Lyndsey nodded.

"Since when did you get so smart?" She joked, causing Aiden to playfully push her.

"Come on, you've got to help me pack!"

…..

Alex was in a bad mood. Not only had everyone seemed to turn against him, he now had a big blue bruise on his shin. Who knew someone that little could kick as hard as that? Now, he had an aching shin and everyone was ignoring him. But it wasn't just his fault! Everyone had wanted to know more about this mysterious Lyndsey, he was just the first one to act.

Lyndsey. Where should he start? No one knew anything about her. Not even her last name. All they knew about her was her power, her age, and that she had a younger brother. Hank did say that she had said she was from Salem but even that seemed like a lie, especially since Charles and Erik found her in Michigan and they were now in Washington, looking for Lyndsey's brother.

Alex hadn't meant for the thing to go as far as it had. He thought Lyndsey would see it as a joke and laugh about it, not fly into a rage and storm off. Although, even Sean agreed that she had over reacted. It wasn't that they weren't friends with Lyndsey, it was just that she seemed a bit…weird. Well, weird was the wrong word to use since most humans saw mutants as weird.

Lyndsey was just…different. Her story didn't add up. She acted differently to the others. She was that bad at pinball. No seventeen year old was that bad at pinball! It was also her reaction to the other night. While Raven and Angel had been fully crying, Lyndsey seemed mostly unaffected by the numerous deaths and dead bodies that surrounded her. And that backpack. What was so special about the backpack?

Deep in thoughts, Alex did not see Lyndsey walk up to the truck, accompanied by a tall, dark haired boy. Charles was chatting away to him about mutations so he was clearly a mutant. Lyndsey looked happier than Alex had ever seen her, smiling widely with her arm slung over the boy's shoulder. Noticing this, Alex decided to mess with Lyndsey, in payback for his shin injury.

"Who's that? Your boyfriend?" Alex teased, causing Lyndsey to glare at him and the boy to frown. Everyone else fell into a silence, their gaze going from Lyndsey and the boy to Alex.

"No," Lyndsey shot back, the anger evident in her eyes.

"I'm her brother," The boy said, matter of factly. "I'm Aiden Pryde."

Alex felt the colour drain from his face, as did some of the other mutants faces.

"What did you say your last name was?" Alex asked, eyes widening.

"Pryde. I'm Aiden and she's Lyndsey Pryde. What's it to you?"

Alex looked from the boy to Lyndsey, who stood there with a defensive look on her face.

"But you- You! You never said what your last name was!" Alex muttered. Lyndsey shrugged.

"You never asked," She said. "Summers, met my brother."

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