Disclaimer: X-Men: Evolution doesn't belong to me; I'm just playing with them.

Chapter Thirteen – Mended Team; Broken Heart

September 1996

As the Velocity came to rest atop one of the rocky hills either side of the Bayville dam, the damage was clearly visible; right at the top, a large hole had been left, water gushing through it.

On the other side, the X-Men could hear the frantic screams and cries of residents trying desperately to escape the coming wave of terror.

As they watched, a military helicopter came hurtling over the top of the dam and Kurt moved instinctively, teleporting straight into the other cockpit. A split-second later, he reappeared next to the TV cameras down by the shore of the reservoir with the frightened pilots, as the chopper crashed into the side of the dam, thankfully not causing anymore damage. He spared a quick grin to the startled reporters and teleported back to where his fellows had emerged from the helijet.

Their appearance caught the Juggernaut's attention and he leapt onto the top of a huge generator.

"Spyke!" Scott called.

"Got it." Evan shot a couple of spikes at the generator, which buckled, causing Juggernaut to fall; following on, Bobby sent some ice down, sending Juggernaut sliding over the edge. Kitty didn't need prompting and dived after him, phasing him into the dam and trapping him. Kurt teleported down after her and began undoing his helmet.

Jean didn't wait to see how successful they were. "Iceman, I'll need your help!" She jumped from the top of the dam, provoking gasps and screams from the people who had gathered below, but stopped in midair. Concentrating hard, she caught the wave telekinetically, stopping it just before it could reach the first set of houses, and forced it back up and over, creating a bubble that blocked the hole.

Bobby sprinted over and aimed at the water, but hesitated. "Er…Jean, this'll melt eventually!"

"I've got an idea!" Amara called, joining him. "Jean, push the water back further!"

As Jean did just that, Amara fired into the hole, filling it with molten lava. Catching on, Bobby toned down his own beam to just cold air, helping it to harden faster.

A loud crash alerted them and Bobby spun around. "He's out!"

Kurt suddenly flew over the top of the dam and Jean caught him with her mind. Bobby ran back to join Rogue and Evan, but all three were knocked to the ground, when Juggernaut landed next to them.

"What are you trying to do; embarrass me to death?" He roared, as they scattered. "Come on; give me your best shot!"

As his team-mates backed away, Scott strode forwards. "You know, that's just what I had in mind." He shot a beam at their enemy, knocking his helmet into the reservoir below.

He may as well have used a fly-swatter. "You think that fancy visor is going to stop me?" Juggernaut demanded. "Nothing stops me! I'm raw power!"

"You want it raw, tough guy?" Scott asked, reaching for his visor; Jean, anticipating his movements, pulled the others back and nodded for Kitty and Rogue to be ready. "Then take it raw!" He pulled his visor off and hit Juggernaut with the full force of his optic beams, knocking him off his feet.

For a second, it seemed to have worked, but the Juggernaut got up and fought through the beam, reaching out a hand and grabbing Scott's head, blocking the beam. As he drew his other hand back to smash Scott's head, Amara created a ball of flame and tossed it over his head.

"What the hell?!" Bobby demanded. "What's that going to do?"

"Watch." Amara told him simply.

John caught the fire and made it grow into some sort of pterodactyl, which swooped down on Juggernaut just enough to put him off, but not so much that he ducked, which could potentially break Scott's neck. Remy charged a couple of cards and aimed them at the air around the two, so they provided a constant distraction.

Juggernaut's shock didn't last long. "You can't stop the unstoppable!"

At that moment, Kitty phased Rogue out of the dam and boosted her up, so Rogue could hoist herself onto Juggernaut's shoulders and grasp his bare face. "Party's over!" Finally she drained him enough that he let go of Scott; Kurt teleported him to safety and both Rogue and the Juggernaut collapsed.

The X-Men held their breath, waiting, but Juggernaut rose first, heading straight for Rogue. As her team-mates moved forwards, his fist swung down, only to be stopped half-way.

His invulnerability flowing through her, Rogue used his fist to pull herself to her feet, batting it away as easily as a fly.

The two fought, head-to-head, each equal to the other. A few more of Remy's explosions gave Rogue the advantage she needed and she threw him from the dam; Bobby encased him in ice and he fell down, down, down into the reservoir below.

"Thank God." Jean whispered, helping Scott to his feet as he came to. She handed him his visor and made sure it was firmly in place, before running an eye over the rest of her team for any injuries. "Everyone okay?"

There were various murmurs of ascent; only Rogue was quiet, but Jean knew from experience that she was sorting through the thoughts and memories she'd just absorbed.

Satisfied, Jean levitated them all down to the base of the dam, where the crowd had gathered to watch the fight in stunned silence. "Is anyone hurt down here?"

There was a short silence, then a curt voice replied in the negative.

Jean sighed. It looked like public opinion hadn't changed. "X-Men, back the Velocity please. Quickly."

"Wait!" A voice cried.

There was a slight scuffle and a small girl emerged from the crowd. A woman appeared after her, grasping her hand. "Eleanor, no!"

"But Mummy!" 'Eleanor' pulled her hand free and trotted up to Jean.

Despite the woman's obvious worry for her daughter, she didn't move closer and watched, frozen on the brink of the no-man's land between the two groups.

"How come you can fly?" Eleanor asked curiously.

Jean glanced at the others for help. When none came, she crouched to the little girl's level, trying to figure out how to word it. "Well, I'm what they call 'mutant' and have telekinesis, which means I can use my mind to move things."

Eleanor looked over her shoulder at the crowd of people. "Why is everyone scared of you?"

"Because most people can't move things with their mind." Jean answered. "They can't understand why I can do things like that; it's not … it's not normal and they think I must be a bad person because of that."

Eleanor frowned as though trying to work something out. "But Mummy said that the other man was going to destroy our home and make us move. And that's bad. But you stopped him, so you can't be bad."

"Well, I don't think I'm bad." Jean told her. "I'm just sixteen. I just want to fit in."

"We all do." Kitty added, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. "And we all did, until people realised what we could do. And everyone we thought were our friends turned against us." She seemed to have said the last part to herself.

Eleanor seemed to consider this for a few minutes, before hugging Kitty around the waist. "I'll be your friend if you want."

Kitty started, then smiled and patted the girl's head. "Thank you, sweetie, but I think your mommy's worried."

Eleanor released her and walked sedately back to her mother, who scooped her into her arms, murmuring to her.

Jean straightened up and watched the scene sadly. Had it really reached the point where mothers were reluctant to let their children even talk to them?

"Why can you do things like that?" Another female voice asked.

Jean turned to see the reporter Kurt had left the pilots with; she was standing in front of a camera-man with a microphone held out, clearly waiting for an answer. "Well, we're still not entirely sure; I'm not a biochemist." She took a few minutes to organise her thoughts. "As far as we're aware, most babies are formed with 46 chromosomes, 22 pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes. However, sometimes, there is a spare mutant gene, which usually leads to things like autism. In some people, it can lead to extra limbs. In us, it led to these mutant powers. We think about 90% of the world's population is born with this X-gene, but only actually activates in a small percentage."

"You said earlier that you 'don't think' you're bad people." She pressed. "What would you say to people who say that you must be because you have these powers?"

Jean hesitated. "I…I've never been in that situation."

"I'd ask them how they'd react if they were given a gun." Kitty answered.

The woman frowned. "I don't follow."

Kitty smiled at her. "Well, if someone gave you a gun right now, would you turn around and begin a murder spree?"

"Of course not!" She responded immediately.

"Why not?" Kitty asked calmly. "You could if you wanted to."

"That doesn't mean anything." She argued. "Opportunity is only a small percentage of what creates a criminal; it's all psychological."

"And why are we being persecuted again?" Kitty asked innocently. "Those Sentinels? Does anyone here actually think we'd be stupid enough to create a giant robot that was programmed to attack our own DNA?"

No one responded.

"No." Kitty answered her own question. "We're not being persecuted because we have done anything; we're being persecuted because we could have if we wanted to. And I'm sorry if I sound a little emotional, but I am fifteen-years-old; four days ago, gigantic robots tried to kill me, my home was blown up and I had an army of police officers aiming loaded guns at me head. Today, we haven't eaten for several days; I'm hungry and I'm tired and I can't run anymore."

Jean wrapped her arms around the younger girl, feeling her dissolve into tears, choking back her own sobs. "It's alright, honey."

Before anyone else could comment, the reporter put a hand to her earpiece. "Hang on. I've just received an update. Apparently, a Mr. Trask has been arrested for the creation of those robots…the search is being called off as we speak…all captured mutants will be re-examined and then released…and the President is due to make an announcement this evening."

Again, there was a moment's silence, then the crowd dispersed amid muttering and the occasional outraged outburst.

"This has been Samantha Forest reporting live from the Bayville dam." She wrapped up her report and made sure the camera was off. "Well, I for one am glad it's all over and done with. We'd best be off, Paul; come on."

"Thank you, Miss Forest." Amara called after her.

She turned again. "Whatever for?"

"Letting us have our say." Amara responded with a smile. "You're the first person who's done that all week."

"Well, that went well." Bobby commented as the Velocity took off.

"Better than I thought it would." Scott agreed.

As if by unspoken agreement, the two had settled in the pilots' seats, taking control of the navigation. Jean, the usual co-pilot, was sat with Kitty and Rogue, who was still a little dazed. Remy was sat on her other side, looking concerned.

Kurt and Evan, more relaxed than they had been in several days, had found a pack of cards and were sat at the back of the jet playing a game.

"How are you feeling, Rogue?" Amara asked quietly, not moving her head from John's shoulder.

"I've got a splitting headache." Rogue told her after a few minutes, rubbing her temple. "But I…I know where the Professor is!"

"Where?" Several voices demanded.

"Where Juggernaut should be." Rogue answered.

"Of course!" Jean groaned, slumping back in her seat. "It's so obvious!"

"Iceman, there's information on the holding facility in that compartment." Scott told him. "Find the coordinates and input them to the computer."

"Yes sir."

"And what's that noise?" Scott asked, changing direction.

"My cell-phone." Jean answered, pulling it out and glancing at the screen. "I don't recognise the number; must be one of the parents. Hello? Oh, hello, Mrs. Sinclair."

At this, Bobby twisted round to listen, temporarily distracted; everyone knew that Rahne had had very little contact with her parents since she moved to America.

"As far as I know, Rahne's fine…"

"Iceman." Scott prompted quietly.

"Well, no, I haven't…it's a matter of distance, ma'am…"

Bobby found the information he wanted and typed it in.

"Well, I can try again now, if you…Very well…" Jean got up and joined the boys up front, handing her phone to Bobby. "Talk to her."

Bobby nodded. "Hello, ma'am; this is Bobby Drake, I'm the…" He hesitated.

"Leader of the New Mutants." Scott filled in, saying it aloud for the first time. "New name."

Before their eyes, Bobby's demeanour seemed to change and become more confident. "I'm the leader of the New Mutants. Yes, ma'am, that's right. Got them out of there myself. You're welcome."

"Got them." Jean announced.

"Oh, here's Jean back." Bobby handed her the phone.

"I've found them." Jean told her. "They're on their way back to the Institute, everyone's fine and we'll meet them there as soon as…Pardon? Oh." Her face fell. "Yes, ma'am, I understand…No, Professor Xavier's not available at the moment. I can get him to give you a call once…Of course…Okay, ma'am…Yes, I'll tell her…Goodbye." She hung up and slipped her phone away with a sigh. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised."

"What happened?" Kitty asked, feeling her stomach drop.

Jean rejoined the brunt of the team and sat down. "That was Rahne's mother." She told them unnecessarily. "She's pulling her home."

Amara started from her dozy state. "What?"

"What?" Bobby repeated, standing up. "But…but she can't!"

"Unfortunately, she can." Jean sighed. "She's underage and I can see their point; we promised to keep you all safe from the prejudice you could be faced with and we failed."

"But it's not the Institute's fault!" Bobby protested, coming back to join them. "It's Magneto's fault, if it's anyone's!"

"That doesn't matter. I just hope that none of the other parents think like that." Jean commented grimly.

"Mine won't." Kurt told her.

"Mine either." Evan added.

"Don't have any." Rogue put in.

All eyes turned expectantly to Kitty.

She bit her lip. "I doubt it. They've been making noises since December; if they haven't yet, they're not going to."

"Mine don't even know I'm at a mutant school." Bobby admitted. "As far as they know, I'm at a prep school."

Evan snorted. "They actually believe that?"

Kitty scowled at him. "Well, I suppose a lot of school have their own campuses… dorms… kitchens…"

"Jets?" Evan cut her off. (1)

"It's not you lot I'm worried about." Jean sighed. "It's the others."

"But they can't!" Bobby protested again.

"They can." Scott corrected darkly.

Bobby frowned at him. "It's alright for you; when all's said and done, you'll still have your team."

"I'm not going anywhere." Amara told him softly.

"Yeah, but what if the other parents all think like that?" Bobby asked her. "What if they all go? What if Jubes leaves?" His face turned as white as paper as the thought sunk in and he sunk into a seat next to Kitty. "Oh, God, what if she goes?!"

Without glancing back, Scott reached into the same compartment and pulled out a paper bag, handing it back to Jean, who passed it to Kitty.

"Here, breathe into this." Kitty told Bobby, pressing it into his hands. "Deep, calming breaths; it'll be alright."

Slowly, Bobby's breathing evened out and he lowered the bag, leaning into Kitty's side as he did so. "I don't think I can do this without her, Kitty. She's my soul-mate; I'm sure of it."

Jean's phone rang again, cutting through the dismal atmosphere in the jet, but this time no one paid any attention when she answered it.

Kitty's own phone rang seconds later and she answered it automatically, her arm still wrapped tightly around Bobby's shoulders. "Talk to me."

"Katherine, what's going on?!"

Kitty winced. "Mom, everything's fine…"

"I've just seen you on TV…"

"Yes, Mom, I know." Kitty sighed. "Okay, really, I'm fine; it's just been a long four days."

"Couldn't you have done something with your hair, dear? I think most of America saw that broadcast."

Kitty gaped at the phone in her hand for a few seconds. "Sorry, Mom; I wasn't thinking. Are you…?"

"I thought you said Lance was in Bayville; why wasn't he with the X-Men?"

"He's not in the X-Men, Mom; he's in the Brotherhood." Kitty answered hesitantly. "It's a long story; I'll tell you at Thanksgiving…"

"Ah, that's the other thing, dear." Her mother hesitated. "We're a little worried about our safety if you come back; would you mind terribly if you stayed there over Thanksgiving?"

"Of course not, Mom." Kitty told her quietly, feeling a little hurt. Worried about their safety. Not mine. "I'll talk to you later then. I love you."

"You too, dear." A dialling tone signalled that her mother had hung up.

"Well, I'm not getting pulled home." Kitty announced, turning her phone off. "On the downside, I think my parents are about ready to disown me because everyone knows I'm mutant."

"I'm sorry, sugar." Rogue smiled sympathetically at her.

Jean cleared her throat as she hung up again. "Guys, that was Jubilee's father…"

"Oh no!" Bobby groaned.

Kitty's arm tightened around him again. "Are they…?"

Jean nodded with another sigh. "Yes, she's leaving."

Feeling Bobby move to bury his face in her shoulder, Kitty twisted to hug him properly, rubbing his back comfortingly. "It's alright, Bobby; it'll be alright."

"No, it won't." He murmured into her uniform. "I love her, Kitty."

AN: (1) Okay, ripped straight from X2, but I couldn't resist it.

As for Jean's explanation, from what I remember of my GCSE Biology lessons, the extra gene causing autism is true; if it's not, please tell me and I'll correct it. Again, I'm getting loads of hits and hardly any reviews; it'll take two seconds of your time; that's all!