Stumbling Along the Path

"Does it ever wake you in the middle of the night?" Erik asked, "The feeling that one day, they'll come for you? And your children?"

Xavier wheeled around, "I feel a great swell of pity for the poor soul who comes to my school looking for trouble."

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or universe. They belong to Marvel and FOX Studio.

Jean tossed and turned all night murmuring to herself. Scott laid in bed his hands folded over his head, his eyes wide open beneath the ruby red of his visors. His mind paced back and forth as he thought about the danger room sessions. He knew they were only simulations, but this time it was real. And it had not gone over well the last time they had practiced. Somehow he was supposed to lead this team, but he could barely take care of himself. He wasn't able to save Alex, the only reason they had managed to beat Apocalypse and escape Egypt with the professor was because Jean had gone rogue.

Scott heard Jean make out some words, "Not his real name…".

Jean sat up, but then laid back down. Scott contemplated waking her but despite her talking and moving about in her sleep, it still seemed like the best night of sleep she had gotten in a while.

Scott decided to get up, he couldn't sit still any longer. He assumed that by two in the morning everyone else would be asleep too, but he was wrong. Both Ororo and the girl who introduced her as Rogue were sitting in the hallway, playing cards. They seemed to placing bets, but Scott didn't know what they were even playing.

"Hello Scott!" Ororo said, placing down her hand and grabbing the change that was in the pot.

"Oh hey, Ororo. You guys can't sleep?" He asked going over and sitting down with them.

"Ain't never been on a boat before, sea sickness, ya know?" Rogue said, shuffling up cards.

"I understand." Scott said, chewing on his bottom lip anxiously.

Ororo widened her eyes and motioned to Scott to see if he wanted to join their game. Scott nodded still unsure of what they were even playing.

"It's Texas Hold 'Em, darlin'." Rogue said, dealing out the cards.

They sat and played for quite a while before Scott realized that he was really no good at cards and decided he should probably stop before Rogue took all his money. It ended up working out fine because as Scott got up to leave, the other man came over to show the girls a card trick.

Scott was impressed with his trick but not with the fact he was trying to flirt with the girls despite neither of them seeming interested. Luckily, it seemed as if Rogue could handle herself because as he went to wrap his arm around her and try to make a move, he watched as she gracefully removed a glove off her hand and as she laid it on him, which must have caused him some pain or something because he gasped and fell back.

Scott let a bit of a chuckle out as he continued off onto the upper dock of the boat. It was pitch black outside, red as far as he could tell. He hadn't see the night sky in forever, he imagined it was gorgeous out here, miles away from city lights to dull the star's natural glow, or the radiance of the moon.

It was moments like this when he really missed being ordinary. He sat down, the wind up on the dock reminded him that even though it didn't feel like they were moving fast, they were.

He sat up there until morning, just laying up looking at the sky, trying to picture it without the red glare. Sometimes he found his hands wandering up to glasses, tempting himself to take them off and just open his eyes. He knew nobody was around to get hurt, but he was so afraid to let go. He thought back to the Professor telling Jean to let go, and remembered just how that had gone.

The only reason he knew the sun was starting to rise was because of the glare on his lenses. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose a bit. It was going on eight in the morning, and though Scott had finally wore himself out thinking and pacing to the point where he could have slept if he really tried, at that point he figured there was no reason to bother. Everyone else would be up soon, and he felt he should be up as well.

He tried to find the energy to stand up and move, but he just sat there feeling numb and empty as the stress and lack of sleep overwhelmed him. He finally managed to get up on his feet as Kurt appeared in a cloud of smoke in behind him, scaring him back onto the ground.

"Oh, hello Scott! I did not mean to startle you!" Kurt said anxiously kneaded the back of his neck.

"It's okay, Kurt. I just am exhausted." Scott winced and rubbed his back as he stood back up.

"I think that is everyone. I saw everyone up and down, moving around. I saw Storm playing cards with the other girl! She is very good at cards." Kurt said, perching on rails of the boat.

"Careful, Kurt. I know you did some acrobatics, but that's a long fall into cold water. And we really can't afford to lose more people. We're gonna have our hands full as it is getting Jubilee back." Scott said, as he began to head back down.

"Do not worry, Cyke. We will get her back." Kurt smiled and waved.

Scott was just about to get Jean for breakfast when he noticed she was sound asleep, he couldn't help but to stare for a few minutes, worried that this was just a calm before the storm sort of deal, but she was deep in her sleep and peacefully. He wondered what Jean dreamt about when it wasn't nightmares.

He quietly slipped into the bathroom with his khaki jeans and a blue button up shirt. He, as silently as he could, changed into his clothes before sneaking back out into the hallway for their final meeting with Magneto before they would arrive back at New York.

He couldn't help but yawn, almost bumping into Ororo as he did.

"Wish the vacation could have lasted a bit longer." Ororo said, forcing back a yawn.

"Yeah maybe next time we can just go to like a local beach or just rent a hotel and just sleep for 48 hours." Scott said, yawning again.

"You sound like you could use the 48 hours of sleep." Ororo said, as they made their way back into the dining area where Magneto was waiting with only Kurt at the table.

Scott wondered where Peter had gone off to, he couldn't help but notice he had been absent from the group more so over the short mission. And he assumed Wanda was staying with Magneto, since she had been sitting next to him and Lorna the other day.

"This will be the last time we see each other for quite some time, Storm, Nightcrawler, Cyclops." He nodded to all of them.

"But you will always have a place at my table in Genosha. I know you believe that peace is obtainable, I wish I could feel the same. I wish you and Charles the best of luck, but should it not work out the way you hope, as I imagine it will, you know where you can find me.

The boat will be docking in a few hours, once there you can take mutants you found at Genosha and help them find their home if they wish to go. I will send a boat every four weeks for those who wish to come to Genosha, so you will know when I will return."

Scott and Ororo exchanged looks.

'Thank you, we will keep that in mind and let the Professor know." Scott said, trying to muster up as much confidence as he could in his words.

"We are missing a few people aren't we? My son, Pietro? And Jean? Where are they?" Magneto asked, eyebrows raised and looking around the room.

"Jean was asleep, like peacefully asleep, so it just felt rude to disturb her. She doesn't sleep much." Scott admitted, losing the confident tone he had been faking just seconds ago.

"Ah yes, Charles did warn me about her before we left on this mission. And for Pietro? Has anyone seen him since last night?"

Kurt raised a hand, "He was in my room until very late but I fell asleep and when I woke up he was gone."

Magneto bit the inside of his cheek and rubbed his forehead, "Well it's not like he could run off the boat…" He hoped.

But miles away Peter was running like a basilisk on water. He hadn't known what to say to his father and wanted to avoid the awkward farewell. Not to mention, he found it easier to think running out on the open water. He felt incredibly powerful like nothing could stop him.

Once his feet touched land he stopped. Nobody was around, the beach was eerily empty. Of course he had never really gone to the beach, he just always assumed it was filled with people having a good time, playing volley ball or other beach games. He stretched and cracked some joints before walking across the beach and soon back into town. His idea of a walk was the average sprinters speed, but he found it a bit relaxing to just take it slow for a while.

He wondered whether he should go to his mom's or Xavier's first. He stood at crossroads, thinking about Wanda, his family, and the family Xavier had hoped he would feel welcome in. It hit him that he didn't feel like he belonged anywhere.

He was just about to take off when he felt something hit him in the back that stung like a hundred bees. He turned around, feeling off balance and sick, his vision unforced.

He saw a group of armed men talking into what looked like walkie-talkies.

"Mutant target captured. Returning to headquarters soon." A gruff voice spoke as Peter's vision began to go dark.