Toad waited outside while the Professor was on the phone with the Dovoraks. Spencer's parents.

The mutant smiled slightly as he remembered meeting them. They smiled and welcomed him into their home. The lady was especially nice, offering him drinks and food, telling him that he looked as if he need to eat more. The Father talked to him as a friend, trying to get to know him. In it all, Toad found himself uncomfortable with the warmth and care that the adults showed.

He had felt welcomed as he was. Yes, Jessica insisted that he get a shower and a new change of clothes. But it was a warm feeling, that the Dvoraks left him feeling, and he wished that he had a family like that.

He saw that woman again, the one that he remembered shooting his slime at. She walked up to him and smiled. Toad remembered the name from the time he had heard her fellow X-Man call her. Jean.

"Well," Jean said. "The Dvoraks have agreed to allow Spencer to stay here. But he refuses to stay, unless you do."

The man stared at the woman, noticing her boyfriend walking up from behind her, as it sunk into his mind.

"Damn it!" Toad exclaimed in irritation. He didn't want to stay here, with the very people he lothed. The X-Men were all for the unification of Humans and Mutants, yet hid like cowards. He had long decided that he wasn't going to have any long term association with them. And now here he was, being given an option, or lack of one, to stay here or continue wandering- this time with his brother. "Bloody Hell!"

He suddenly became silent, as he narrowed his eyes and looked at the two suspiciously. It crossed his mind that they could be lying, but he as quickly dismissed that idea. What do they gain, by lying to him, he thought.

Toad ran his fingers through his hair and sighed in a huff, "Let me talk to Ghost."

About an hour later, Toad was helping Ghost move out of his apartment and into a dorm room. Toad had asked Ghost if what he was told was true, and the boy confirmed the truth of it. So against his better judgement, Toad reluctantly agreed to stay, but had let them know that he was only there for his brother.

And now he was finding out, as he was helping in packing and unpacking, that appearances were all to deceiving. For someone who appeared to have a little bit of stuff in the apartment, Ghost had a lot of things in his bedroom and on top of that, the little bugger had a certain way that he wanted each thing to be in the apartment. And during the entire time, Ghost purposely made it very clear that he wasn't happy.

Finally, after more than a few hours, everything was finished and Ghost fully moved into the dorm room. Just in time for dinner.

"Let's go," Toad said, more than ready for the food.

"I'm not eating the food here," Ghost told him.

Toad looked at his brother from the door and saw the boy sitting at his desk and holding his head in his hands.

"Where do you plan on eating then?" Toad asked, trying to stay patient.

"Not here," Ghost said simply.

Toad named off a few fast food restaurants, each of which Ghost shot down, until Toad finally lost his temper.

"Look," Toad said calmly, yet with a furious tilt to his voice. He grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt and started dragging the stubborn Mutant towards the cafeteria. "Put a sock in it, you twit. We're eating at this school."

"Hell no!" Ghost said, trying to struggle and get out of the grasp of his brother. Toad artfully dodged a kick and grinned. After they got downstairs Toad realized that Ghost seemed to be more compliant and was now following him.

The older Mutant looked back to his brother and saw uneasiness in the boy's motions and a slight hint of vulnerability in his eyes. It caused Toad to pause as he remembered his younger years, so long ago. He knew what Spencer was going through, which was why he refused to let his brother the medicine. Toad had once thought that he needed the medicine that the Humans gave him, but after he discovered that they were only holding him back, the Mutant stopped taking them.

And, like before, the Humans only kept Spencer down out of fear.

"Ghost," Toad said, his anger replaced with concern. "You okay?"

"No," Toad heard the reply.

"What's wrong?"

"I feel funny," Ghost said, leaning against a wall.

...and a cliffhanger.

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