That night went much smother than the one before. Having another person to watch the kids helped a lot. Pietro was surprisingly good with the kids. Her older brother enthralled Wanda, and so Rogue often followed. Remy tried multiple times to sneak up on Rogue again, but Jean had her eye on the boy most of the time. Every once in a while though a stray card would slip by her and hit Rogue on the head.

Kitty threw a fit about taking a bath before bed, and Ororo cried when Jean made her go to bed. Other than that, the kids went to sleep quickly and Scott and Jean weren't far behind. Pietro tossed and turned for a while before dozing off into a shallow sleep, uncomfortable with the new environment still.

The next day came with too much vigor.

"JEAN! WAKE UP!"

"Mr. Troll? I'm hungry."

"Kurt! Get down from there!"

"Kitty, stop yelling, I'm awake!"

"Ororo, please don't call me that! My name is Pietro!"

"Why is Piotr sleeping?"

"Jean, pick me up!"

Scott, Jean, and Pietro were woken up to complete madness. Even the roadrunner wasn't fast enough to keep up with all 8 kids.

After an hour of wrestling with the kids to get them ready, Jean realized just how much she wanted some help right now. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of options for the time being.

Breakfast was a mess. Kurt and Remy started a food fight, and even though Jean managed to stop most of the projectiles, a few slipped through her defenses.

"Alright. The next person who throws ANYTHING will be nailed to a wall and kept there for the rest of the day. Remy, if you cause anymore problems I will make you believe you are a little girl for the rest of your life. Kurt, the same goes for you. Don't think I won't do it. I will." The room was silent. Jean's face was almost as red as her hair, and despite how funny it was, no one was going to put her threats to the test.

"Good morning everyone!" The Professor entered the room, smiling. "How is breakfast going?" A quick glance around the room told him that there had been a bit of difficulty. "Ah, I see. Well let's eat our breakfast in peace for now. Scott, I would appreciate it if you and Piotr could join me after breakfast; there is something I must discuss with you both. Jean and Pietro can handle the kids for that time."

Pietro and Jean stared at each other, both slightly scared. Jean knew they could handle it, but it was a matter of how many casualties there would be if it came to a showdown.

At the moment all the kids had seemed to settle down. Jean had no doubt that it was partly due to the Professor's influence as well as his 'influence.' Even Remy had limited himself to shooting just looks at Rogue.

It was funny to see them. Those two had so many problems, mainly being Rogue's power, but also her unwillingness to be with him. It was funny how as kids there were the same reservations. On Remy's end, he was still sorely bent on getting to the girl.

After breakfast, the Professor, Scott, and Piotr left. Scott had been carrying the boy because, once again, he was asleep. As soon as they left, though, the energy in the room spiked.

For lack of better ideas, Jean and Pietro took the kids outside. The Professor had put up what he considered a 'small' swing set, but in actuality was large enough to be it's own park. There were multiple slides on the part–metal, part-wood structure as well as a small rock wall, monkey bars, rope ladders, play houses, and swings.

Kitty immediately claimed one of the houses, while Rogue ran to the swings. Remy joined her, trying to talk to her while she ignored him. Ororo, Logan, Kurt, and Wanda took turns on the monkey bars.

Jean and Pietro were happy to just sit on the benches by the playground and watch. Every once in a while Pietro would run around and push Rogue and Remy on the swings, help one of the kids across the monkey bars, though between Ororo and Kurt no one was in any real danger; and drinking some tea with Kitty. Jean played with them from afar with her telepathy, but most of the time the two young adults talked about the kids. Pietro wanted to know all he could about Wanda as well as who her friends were and what she was like when she was older. Jean was willing to tell him everything he needed to know, and the two laughed and joked about the hilarity of Kurt and Wanda's relationship when they were normal.

It was an odd occurrence, but no one was really arguing. Jean couldn't help but secretly hope that moments like this would last forever. Everyone, even the ones who had hurt the others, felt the weight of innocence.

"Troll, will you play hot lava monster with us? We need a monster!" Wanda grinned like the Cheshire cat. Everyone surrounded the boy, and he finally gave in, receiving quite a beating from the other players who had no reserves about using powers.

XxXxX

Piotr slept while Scott and the Professor talked. After explaining the theory and exploring the truths behind it, Scott moved to the side of the room, watching as the older man placed his hands on either side of the younger's head. After a long time of concentration, 2 hours by Scott's calculations, the two on the sofa opened their eyes. One spoke of exhaustion and the other of a sudden excitement. It was not the same excitement that also spoke of mischief, but of childish desire to explore life.

"Scott, it seems as if we have just saved a friend. Why don't you take him outside to play with the others? I must record my findings with Beast. Tonight I will ask that you, Jean, and Pietro join Hank and I in the library after the children go to sleep."