Jean turned around and before she could do anything, a shaggy brown-haired head lunged itself at an unsuspecting Rogue. The whole room froze. All the kids watched in slow motion as Remy, the expert thief and mutant, landed, straddling Rogue. The girl was scared and had little time to react. A full-blown smile graced the face of the energetic (pun intended) mutant. No one said a word at first, too shocked at the audacity. Although they all should have seen it coming, they had some how hoped that a younger Remy would still be somewhat less… eccentric in his pursuits.

"Remy!" Jean yelled, but it was too late. The boy leaned down quickly, not stopping when he heard the gasps or saw the shock in the face of the girl beneath him. Remy leaned down and kissed the shocked girl beneath him straight on the lips. He stayed there for a moment not moving before Jean levitated him straight up into the air as Scott ran to Rogue, trying to conceal his own laughter at the crazy situation.

"Rogue, are you… umm… okay?" He asked. Suddenly, the girl's eyes got impossibly wider. She rolled over and pushed herself onto her hands and knees, spitting at the ground.

"Ewww, eww, eww, icky icky, gross, germs, cooties, ewwwwwwwwwww!" Even Jean had to smile. Some things, no matter what age, would never change.

Remy, who was still hanging upside down in the air, was wearing a smug grin. "That was TOTALLY worth it."

Jean moved him to the corner, keeping him steadily upside down. Pietro and the Professor had left already, going to take care of things. Hank had disappeared into the basement, which once again left Scott and Jean to babysit.

Rogue was still trying to get the stench au Gambit out of her mouth with Wanda patting her back. While distracted, Kitty had found Kurt and was playing with the kitchen set, making Kurt each whatever she cooked. Ororo was playing with small clouds she made, hiding slightly behind a couch, with Logan watching from a distance.

"Do you want to play with me?" The young African asked her audience. Logan slowly stood up from the crouch he was in and moved to sit by her, soon starting to laugh and try to catch the clouds, which Ororo expertly maneuvered to avoid his hands. The two were getting along great.

Piotr was once again curled up in a ball, fully armored. Scott couldn't help but wonder WHY he slept so much.

"Scott, I think we should start cleaning up Magneto's mess."

"You're probably right, but part of me knows he wasn't kidding when he said he'd come back. Can't we just wait until then? We're just going to have to clean up again. He'll probably make an even bigger mess."

Jean sighed. She knew he was right. This peaceful moment would only last a little while longer. Once Remy was out of his time-out, trouble was sure to follow. Not to mention that the now impending fear of Magneto was sure to be a very real mess. Either way, she knew that this day could only go on.

"Lets get cleaning anyway. Besides, we'll have to start dinner soon anyway." Jean moved to stand by Scott. Her words hung in the air. They were so normal. It didn't seem to fit at all. Scott and Jean had been abnormal all their lives, and yet here they were, standing in a living room, gazing out at a bunch of kids that they had unwittingly taken charge of. All of them had started acting kind of like a family.

Jean would never admit it out loud, but she really wanted a family. She wanted that white house with a picket fence and 2.5 kids and a dog and a cat. Even if it was only a naïve fantasy, it didn't change the fact that she wanted it. She wanted to be happy and simple. Normal was out of the question, but simple. Was that really too much to ask?

Scott was thinking about just how much had changed. Just yesterday had the big and strong Piotr come to him because of a nightmare, Scott would have said too bad, sucks for you. But staring at the children before him, he could hardly believe just how different some were compared to their counterparts. Logan was so shy and awkward. Rogue was, well, NOT normal Rogue. Even the Scarlet Witch herself managed to pull off innocent. It was almost enough to make Scott believe in actual magic. Or a god. It was insane. Yet at the same time there were those who were almost exact replicas of their older selves. Remy, Ororo, and Kurt for example. Given that Kurt was SLIGHTLY more mature in his older years, but the troublemaking never stops. Kitty and Piotr were… different. Kitty was louder, more in need of attention, but still herself. And all Piotr could do was sleep.

Sighing, Scott began to start picking up what was left of the front door, still wonder what could possibly happen next.

XxXxX

Thro Professor stared at his hands that were perched on his desk. Despite what everyone thought, even Professor X sometimes got things wrong. Erik and Charles had been friends, and one of the things they had in common despite obvious differences, was the desire to find a better life. Charles had hoped that by bringing Erik to see the kids, he would see that there was more to life AND to this fight.

Unfortunately, Charles was wrong. He understood that he could not help all the mutants in the world. He also understood that Xavier's Institute for the Gifted Youngsters was not the best environment for learning and growing for certain mutants. Although he tried, there would never be universal unity. Even staring at the youth in front of him, Charles knew he wouldn't stay for long after the threat of Magneto was gone.

"Listen, Professor X or whatever, I don't really… belong here. Wanda came because she had friends and despite what you may think, she likes being social. But me? I don't know, I just feel like I need more action. I need to have something to do. It comes with the speed."

"I understand," Charles sighed. "The least we can do though is give you a place to stay and come back to. I actually have a friend who may be in need of your services. As much as I disapprove of some of his methods, I do believe you will get along splendidly with him."

"Umm, thanks."

"Now, lets get you settled in. I have a room ready for you next to Scott's. You will be right across the hall from your sister."

"Thanks."

At this, the two rolled out, talking about what necessities he would need for the time being. After setting him up in his room, Charles began to roll to Hank's lab, while Pietro made his way back to the living room to assist in the childcare.

XxXxX

Alrighty! There was some ROMY for you, as well as Pietro beginning his journey at the mansion! It's going to be a bumpy ride, but also a lot of fun! I'm excited for the next couple chapters!

Also, while the review count is still a pretty low ration of reviews per chapter (around 2:1) I do appreciate the REALLY important numbers; how many people have subscribed to my story. I wanted to thank you all! If you have any ideas or something you would like to see more of, let me know!