Disclaimer: all characters belonging to Sky High and Xmen are not mine. I am only borrowing them.

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Chapter 13

As soon as Warren closed the door, his body felt like lead and he collapsed on the bed.

He felt sorry that he had left his mother. But he needed to be alone to untangle the web of thoughts and emotions that threatened to choke him.

So this is how it is going to end for his father. A slow debilitating disease that will remove all his movement.

A bitter spiteful laugh came out of his mouth. Maybe this was his father's punishment, Warren thought. Maybe it is justice. For all the evil he had done. Then he laughed at himself for thinking that.

No, what justice is there? What about his mother? How come she had to put up with it too?

He shook his head. It didn't seem fair.

Suddenly, a soft thudding could be heard. And it was getting louder.

His mother was coming.

Not wanting to face her he threw the covers over himself and curled up slightly on the bed, trying to breathe evenly and pretending to be sleep .

There was a soft knocking. Then the door creaked open. He felt his mother's arm on his shoulder. Then soft thudding again as she left.

When Warren was sure she was gone, he opened his eyes.

On his bedside drawer was a letter.

In a fury he snatched it up. His hands shook when he realized it was a letter from his father.

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Alone, in his room with a bedside light on, Warren quickly ripped open the white envelop.

What would his father say to him? He wondered.

Or as he corrected himself, what kind of rubbish would his father say?

Heart-pounding, his eyes scanned the page and read the rather messy script.

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Dear Warren,

Hello. How is my son? I have so much to write that I don't know where to begin.

By the time you have read this, you probably already know I have motor neurone disease.

I do not know how long I have to live. But don't worry – it is not yet very advanced. so I might still have time… and in a way, it is a blessing. It is what allowed me to be returned to you…

I want to let you know that I am writing for one reason only – to apologise for not being there for you.

I know you might be angry with me Warren. I haven't seen you in such a long time... I wonder what you look like. I wish I could be there when you took your first steps and spoke your first words. I wished I could see the look of surprise and amazement on your face when you first got your powers.

But I won't have that now. Time that I have lost will never come back to me.

I know that we have not been in touch for a very long time. Too long. There is a reason for it. Let me explain.

Being in jail, for life, I did not have any hope of reaching out to you. I wasn't able to see the point of contacting you. I just believed it would make me miss you and furthermore, your mother had protected me from you. She didn't want me to influence you. But she still saw the best in me, a convicted criminal.

Lily is such a great woman – a lawyer by day and hero by night. It was she who worked so I can be released – The authorities finally allowed it – I am coming home on Friday, which I hear from Lily is the day of your Homecoming.

Oh! I wish I had more time... even if it is just to wish you a good time for these things

On a different note, I am always praying that you don't fall into the same traps as me.

Your mother protected you by changing your surname to Peace, so that you will not be as easily identified with me, but it doesn't matter. You are still my son and I know it. I have decided to be the best father I can be. Please accept my apology but if you don't, at least take this advice - Protect your mother Warren. She is getting older now. And there is someone I know, whose name is Magneto, who could possibly harm her. For she had prevented him from succeeding in his outrageous missions in the past. And he is… a vengeful man. One day, he will probably make me pay too.

However, regardless of whether you choose to forgive me, you must take care of yourself.

I hope to see you soon.

With love,

Your father Baron Battle

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Warren clutched at the letter, too surprised for words. He looked at it closely, inspecting to see if it was real handwriting.

And it was.

Even the signature. He looked twice because he could not believe his eyes. It was his father. His own biological father!

His heart was pounding in his ears.

His father was coming back… Yet Warren was shaking in anger - he wanted to hit him, burn him, anything but see him after all these years with him being silent.

Finally, he sighed. A small tendril of longing to reconcile with his father was there, despite him wanting to ignore it, .

An opportunity existed to see him on Friday. If anything he would do it for his mother. Maybe he could see his dad after the Homecoming Dance?

If so, it won't be long now.

---

Meanwhile, Pyro reflected, lying on his bed in his room in Magneto's lair.

He wasn't always a very introspective guy. But he found himself doing some soul-searching tonight.

After Magneto had showed him Royal Pain's gift, he had interrogated him about students in Sky High by name. He was especially interested in Warren and his friends whom he saw in the television program two nights ago.

Pyro had told Magneto everything he found out that day, especially the organization of Homecoming which Magneto was interested about.

All except his conversation with Warren.

He was ashamed he had let his emotions getting better of himself. He hadn't meant to be so… angry. He was supposed to be tough and unshakable.

Emotions! Pyro believed they were not useful. It made people sensitive, vulnerable and unable to fight back. From experience, being sensitive only made the pain worse when he lived with his abusive and dysfunctional family...

No. No. He had no choice. He had to be tough, emotionless, stay strong, survive.

But what he didn't realize until now was humans could never be without emotion. In the effort to stay emotionless, he had only replaced sadness and pain with anger and bitterness.

And he had let them control him – without him even realizing it.

To top it off, there were these voices calling from an abyss - voices that had been silent for a long time but were now loud - which failed to die at his command and exposed the ugly stains on his conscience. It drove him crazy.

"Oh shut up!" he bolted up shouting, unable to stop himself. He didn't want to hear it, his hand was in his hands, trying to block out the noise. He hated how he was more vulnerable now than ever. The feeling that he needed someone just wouldn't quit.

"What is going on?" Magneto said suddenly.

"Oh nothing," Pyro responded. A little too quickly. His voice less certain than he wanted it to be.

Magneto stared at him as though he didn't believe him.

Pyro looked away quickly and sighed. He still hoped his emotions would disappear soon. If they don't, he could be in big trouble.

---

Meanwhile, that night, alone in her own apartment and in bed, Jubilee was reflective.

She was thinking of her confusing encounter with Warren after work. She could not help but allow his question to fill her mind.

"What are you afraid of? Rejection?" his voice replayed itself again and again.

What was she afraid of?

But another question seemed even more pressing.

Why would he care about me? She shook her head. Somehow she could feel tears starting to burn behind her closed eyes.

Then suddenly, they oozed out onto her pillow. She shook her head in dismay.

Why am I crying?

Suddenly, she clutched her shoulder and felt herself breathing in short gasps.bIn her mind, she heard the voices of her friend May screaming at her again, as real as yesterday.

"You're a freak! Get away from me!"

She didn't realise it then – but those words stung. Now the hurt was digging inside her… crying for release.

But her parents reactions cut her most.

Her mother clutching her chest at the onset of a sudden heart attack... Her father's accusing voice screaming at her, "Look what you've done!"

As though it was she who caused it all.

Yes, she thought with sudden realization. Like you said. I am… afraid.

The hot tears began to stream down her face.

She was finally allowing herself to feel the pain she never allowed herself to feel, only to distance herself from.

Strangely, she wished that someone could just come and hold her. Telling her she wasn't alone.

Even Warren.

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Meanwhile, Royal Pain was not yet asleep even though the lights of the neutralization room were dimmed and Stitches was snoring softly beside her.

She had been thinking about different ways of modifying the antigravity device. This time, irreversibly, for her evil ends...So that her plan cannot fail.

Now that Magneto has given her a way of escape, she would be able to bring it to reality. She could feel success hiding around the corner.

Then end of Sky High is in my sights! she thought then smiled. Soon I will be out of here.