A/N: This is the last chapter of my first story! I will probably edit it a little bit for grammar and spelling, but for all intents and purposes, it is now complete. And yes, the person I introduce in this chapter will be a pain in the ass for the heroes later on, and no, I won't be revealing his identity anytime soon, though you are more than welcome to guess, and if someone gets it right, I may acknowledge it.

Disclaimer: I still don't own X-Men.

Chapter 9 – Home

The rhythmic beeping of a monitor greeted John as he woke up. As the fog of unconsciousness slowly left him, he became aware of a sharp pain in his gut. It was then that the events that had transpired came back to him fully. He leaned up and moved to pull the IV out of his right hand, when a voice stopped him. "You shouldn't move too much in your condition."

John stopped his movements, and laid back down, turning his head to the left and spotting Professor Xavier. "I should be going."

"Dr. McCoy said the only reason you're even alive now is your genetics. The knife..."

"Punctured my intestine, I know." John closed his eyes for a second before asking. "How's Kurt?"

"He's sore, but he'll be fine. He spent the night in his room last night, and he was down here about an hour ago to check on you." This information made John look at Charles again, which prompted him to continue. "It's just after noon on Tuesday. You've been out for a little over 16 hours."

"Oh." John closed his eyes again. He wasn't going to admit it, but he wasn't in any condition to try to leave right now.

"Why do you want to leave, John?"

"My presence here has caused nothing but trouble. If I stay, the Organization's eyes will eventually fall upon your institute. Half of the people here have been harmed by my presence. It would be better for everyone involved if I wasn't around."

Charles chuckled softly at John's explanation. "You're lying to yourself, you know. Kitty is upset, yes, but she'll get over it if you get to know her. Logan's angry, but not at you. Kurt holds no animosity toward you." He paused for a second before continuing. "Besides, your presence here is by far more of a help to us than a hindrance. The Organization would have eventually turned its eyes to us anyway, and if you stick around, we will be better prepared when they do come."

John scoffed at Charles' offer. "You know that what you saw earlier today is just a sample of what I've been through, what I've done, right?" Charles simply nodded his confirmation at this. "And yet you still want me to stay with you? Why? I would have thought that you couldn't wait to be rid of me!"

"I know that you have done things that I don't agree with, things that I find appalling. However, you have also shown remorse for those actions, and you are kind and honorable at heart." Charles paused for a second and closed his eyes, before continuing. "This institute serves many purposes. Among them is an opportunity for mutants to get a second chance."

"A second chance, huh? You think I'm worthy of one?"

"I wouldn't have allowed you to stay if I didn't."

John closed his eyes and thought about the Professor's words for a minute. "It has been a long time since I've had a place I could call home." He opened them and looked at Charles. "I suppose maybe this would be as good a place as any."

"I'm glad to hear that. One condition though."

"What is it?"

"I do not approve of killing, and it would be highly preferred if you would refrain from doing so."

John smirked at the Professor's request. "It's hard to provide a message of tolerance when one of your employees is a killer. Don't worry, I have too much blood on my hands already, I don't need any more if I can help it." Charles smiled and nodded, then turned to leave, but John stopped him. "Hey, Professor?"

"Yes, John?"

"Can you get Hank down here? I would REALLY like to get these damn monitors and IV's out of me!" Charles couldn't help but chuckle at John's comments as he turned and wheeled himself out of the room.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Mystique was waking up as well. The first thing she noticed was that the entire top half of her head was covered in bandages. The second thing she noticed was that her hands and feet were bound to whatever she was laying on. The third thing she noticed was that when she tried to shape shift into another person in order to get free, something strapped to her neck shocked her, causing her to fail in her attempt.

"I'm afraid that for now you're stuck there, Miss Darkholm." The man speaking had a very low, gravelly voice, which seemed to come from everywhere at once. Mystique tried to glance around, but with the bandages, she was completely blind.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Who am I?" The voice laughed evilly at this question. "I am the one who helped John Kerogi become what he is today. I am the one who had plans for him. I am the one who cannot afford to have some half-wit trying to ruin my plans by trying to kill him!" Mystique cringed at the man's voice as it raised as he spoke. She found herself unable to reply, fully aware that at this moment her life was in his hands.

The man sighed before he spoke again. "However, your insistence on aggravating him may end up working to my advantage. He is not quite ready for what I have planned, and you may be able to help get him ready."

Mystique realized quickly that she was being given a way out and she quickly jumped on it. "What do you want me to do?"

"Whatever you wish. You wounded John, yes, but you will have to do much more than that to kill him. It occurs to me that your efforts will go a long way in testing him." The man laughed again as the collar around Mystique's neck shocked her again, this time, causing her to fade back into darkness.

A/N: Well, that's it for Arrival. I'm going to take a little bit of time off and work on my Final Fantasy XIII story for a bit, but I'll return to the X-Men universe soon with my second story: Brotherhood.

As always, please review and comment!