August 19, 1992

Remy groaned. It felt like someone had run him down with a semi and then backed up and run him over again. His head in particular hurt. It was like someone had taken a piece out of it.

He reached up and felt a bandage across his forehead. Remy opened his eyes and saw Logan staring at him, his expression less than pleased.

"They had ta carve that dumb thing outta your forehead," Logan said.

"Was it done by a licensed physician?" Remy asked.

"Jean did it," Logan said.

"Den Remy be fine," Remy said.

He winced as a few memories came back.

"Sorry 'bout tryin ta blow ya up," Remy said.

"Ya didn't have much choice in the matter kid," Logan said, "Just how much do ya remember?"

"Not dat much," Remy said, "Kinda blurry, but..."

He grinned.

"Did Rogue kiss me?" he asked.

"Yeah, and nearly killed ya," Logan said.

Remy just smiled and settled back onto his bed.

"She wants ta see ya, for some reason or another," Logan said, "She's on her way down."

"Dis day just keeps getting better an better," Remy said.

Logan gave him a long look, and it wasn't particularly friendly. Remy suddenly remembered that he was talking to Rogue's father-figure. He managed a sheepish expression before Logan began talking again.

"Just know somethin," Logan said, "If ya hurt her, I'll carve your damn heart out and leave it in the woods for the wolves ta eat."

Remy stared at him as Rogue came in. She smiled and Logan gave her a one-armed hug.

"Get some rest kid," he said.

He gave Remy a warning glare before he left the room.

"Dat one messed-up guy," Remy said.

"He's not tha bad," Rogue said.

She sat next to him, biting her lip. Remy pushed himself up further, ignoring the pain in his arms.

"What wrong chere?" he said.

"I almost killed you," Rogue said, "Whatever my reasons, that's not something that I'm ever going to be comfortable with."

Remy laughed. He reached out and twisted some of her hair around his hand. Her eyes slid up to his warily, perhaps afraid that he'd touch her face.

"Remy's careful," he said.

He continued to twist her hair around his fingers.

"Chere, Remy's glad ya didn't kill him," Remy said, "but if ya had, Remy woulda been grateful too."

Rogue stared at him. He just laughed again.

"It's not funny," Rogue muttered.

"Rogue, I woulda killed ya when I was like dat," Remy said, "Remy wouldn't a...Remy don't know how ya recover from sometin like dat. Warren got a long road ahead o him if I remember dat right."

He let go of her hair.

"Ya saved me from dat," he said, "And Remy be grateful. But if ya'd had ta do it another way, well, dat woulda been fine too."

He gave her a lopsided grin.

"And Remy got a kiss outta it," he said, "Dat not bad."

Rogue smiled, but she still looked nervous.

"If we...Remy, kisses ain't gonna figure much in our future, if we got one," Rogue said.

Remy shrugged.

"One ain't bad," he said, "Which brings Remy to da next point o order."

Rogue looked confused and Remy pushed himself up even further.

"Wanna go out ta dinner sometime chere?" he asked.

Rogue smiled.

"Sure thing shugah," she said.


Lorna tucked Luna into bed. Her daughter was a bit old to be tucked in, but after the events of the night she figured it was only right. Luna snuggled into her bed and pulled the covers over her head.

Turning off the lights Lorna went out into the hall. She closed the door and rested her head against it. Lorna thought of going to her room, falling asleep next to her husband and staying that way for a long time.

However, she saw her father leaving the study. Gathering up her courage Lorna spoke up.

"You're going to leave soon, aren't you?"

Her father stiffened before he turned to her. She stood in the hallway, feeling strangely vulnerable. It had once been the easiest thing in the world to talk to her father. Now every word was tentative.

"I certainly can't stay here," he said.

"You could though," Lorna said.

Her father raised his eyebrows.

"Why would I want to do that?" he asked.

She hesitated before continuing on.

"Angel stayed," she said.

The pain in her voice was raw, and perhaps a note of reproach. Alex had told her a few hours ago what had happened to her oldest friend. Her body was still at the camp. When morning really came, she hoped that she would be able to start making funeral arrangements.

Angel deserved that. She had given up everything to live a life free from terror, taken a great risk so she could have a happy family. She'd done it all because she'd thought that, just maybe, Lorna's choice had been the right one.

"I'm rather different than Angel," he said, "I doubt that I would be welcome by most."

He straightened his sleeves.

"Besides," he said, "there's still a war to fight you know."

"I know," Lorna said, "And, if anything, tonight's taught me that we need to fight it together."

Her father's eyebrows raised even higher.

"Think about it," Lorna said, "By ourselves, neither team could have beaten Apocalypse. But...together, we all managed to take him down. If we weren't working together, then I don't think it could've been possible."

Her father shook his head.

"You have a great deal of faith Lorna," he said, "Too much. Too much faith, too much optimism, and you still don't understand."

"I understand," she said, "I've always understood. I just don't agree."

She bowed her head.

"But you saved my children tonight," she said, "And you tried to save me and then...what you said, out on the lawn...I just want to thank you for all of that."

Lorna hazarded a glance upwards. Her father was looking at her with something that seemed like longing.

"Lorna...once upon a time Angel said something to me," he said, "She told me that, no matter what, I was still your father."

She met his eyes, scared of what he would say next.

"And she's right," he said, "I am your father, and nothing you do or say is going to change that. That makes those children my grandchildren, and unfortunately it makes Alex my son-in-law. If for nothing else, then for you, I will try to prevent anything from happening to them."

Tears welled up in Lorna's eyes. She took a step forwards and hugged her father. He stiffened again, but she didn't let that deter her.

"I wish you'd understand," she said.

"No...I do," her father sighed, "I just don't agree."

Lorna let go. Her father smiled and touched her on her shoulder.

"I'll be gone tomorrow morning," he said, "I can't dwell here too long. Do you understand that?"

She swallowed. For some reason she felt as though she was in her twenties again, a woman who wanted her father to understand her choices. Now, after all of the years that had passed, he finally did.

Lorna just regretted that he didn't agree.

"Yes," she said.

Her father smiled.

"You have amazing children Lorna," he said, "Take care of them, and be patient. Children tend to go their own way."

Lorna smiled back, feeling tears blur her vision. Her father stepped away. Lorna watched him go. When he rounded the corner she bowed her head.

"He'll come back."

Lorna jumped as her daughter walked into the hall. She forced away her tears and looped her hand in Lorna's.

"What do you mean?" Lorna asked.

"I mean he'll come back," Luna said, "He loves you mom. He cares. He's just sad."

"How do you know that?" Lorna asked.

Luna looked up at her mother, her eyes wide.

"The colors," she said, "They're not as sad as they were before. His and the blue lady's."

Lorna turned her attention back to where her father had been, feeling thoughtful. After a moment Lorna squeezed Luna's hand. There were footsteps and Alex came around the corner. He looked exhausted, and he shook his head when he saw the two of them.

"You're spoiling her, letting her stay up this late," Alex said.

"As if you haven't," Lorna said.

She kissed Luna's forehead.

"But it is time to go to bed," Lorna said.

Luna nodded and hurried into her room. Alex walked up behind Lorna and wrapped his arms around her.

"I talked to Max," Alex said, "I think that we're going to have to move down here soon."

"So he wants to be an X-man?" Lorna said.

"He's not sure, but he's leaning towards yes," Alex said, "He doesn't want to rush into anything."

"I'm glad," Lorna said.

Alex held her tighter.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She laughed.

"You're the one who got stabbed," she said.

"No, I mean, with everything that happened," Alex said, "And your father and...things."

Lorna closed her eyes, remembering what her father had said to her, what Luna had told her. She smiled.

"I'm fine," she said.


"The first floor is almost unlivable," Charles said, "I think that we may need to reconsider postponing the beginning of the semester."

"Only by a week or so," Moira said, "We know a lot of people who can fix that rather easily."

"Not that easily," Charles said, "There was, last I checked, extensive damage to the kitchens. We'd have to cart food in somehow."

"Right, right," Moira said, pinching her nose.

Charles rubbed his temples. He saw his two sons on the other side of the room, talking in low voices. Charles knew that he could ask them what they were talking about, but he felt it better not to. Ever since Kurt had teleported in with Moira he'd been a little quiet and withdrawn. Moira had shaken her head, and it was the only confirmation that Charles needed to know it was best not to ask about it.

He saw David turn Kurt's hand over to where a scar showed on his palm. Kurt did the same with David's hand and managed a weak grin.

I wonder if we're ever going to find out just what that means, Charles thought.

It's between brothers.

Perhaps, Charles thought.

He put his head in his hands.

Charles, we don't have to fix this all tonight, Moira thought, It can wait until morning.

It is morning.

I mean when it's light outside, Moira thought.

He laughed and reached for her hand. Charles rubbed circles over the back of her hand.

It helps me take my mind off things, he thought.

Such as? Moira asked.

Charles sighed, wishing that he could just let things go. It wasn't in his nature though, he dwelt on things.

I nearly lost you again.

Moira leaned her head onto his shoulder.

I'm never going to leave you Charles, she thought, It's about time you get that into your head.

No, not like that, he thought.

I know, Moira thought, I know.

She sighed.

We nearly lost more than each other this time, she thought, We almost lost them.

She nodded towards their sons. He clenched her hand tighter.

I can't let that happen, he thought.

And you didn't, Moira thought.

David and Kurt hugged. Kurt pulled away and David patted him on the shoulder.

Charles, look at them, she thought, They're so strong, stronger than I know I was at that age. They were the ones who saved us this time around. We didn't save each other. They were the ones who fought through it all to come to us.

We raised them to never give up, Charles thought.

We did, Moira thought, And that's why, after this, I don't think that I'm going to worry about them so much. Any of them. Terry, Max, Sharon, even Luna. We've given them something to fight for: we've given them a dream, a-

A legacy? Charles thought.

Something like that, Moira thought.

She got up.

This can wait until it's light out, she said, Let's just rest for tonight.

Charles smiled at his wife.

"You always did know best," he said.


A/N:What a ride everyone! These past few fics have been some of my most exhausting pieces of work, and yet the most rewarding. It was great to be able to show the evolution of the characters and their world over such a long period of time. I can scarcely believe it's over.

I figured out pretty quick that I wanted Apocalypse to be the "finale" of the series. However, I also figured out that Apocalypse's storyline required several characters, including Sinister's establishment as a villain, as well as a gradual build-up. It was one of the things that inspired me to write a much longer series since there were more characters to introduce and flesh out.

Luna's comments and hints at a possible peaceful future at the end pay homage to what Magneto is in the current X-men comics last I checked: an anti-hero with a surprisingly good relationship with Lorna. What a complex guy.

In this fic, as opposed to others I've written, Mystique was in a rather different position when Kurt arrived onto the scene. Having a child made her realize just how unsuitable her life was for being a mother, leading to her decision to give him to the only person she knew with a stable home life. While her decision might not have been the best one, I certainly wanted to take a closer look at why she'd done it.

Now, for the couples. Hank/Carly will always be a favorite for me, and I was glad to finally be able to give them their own story, as well as their own child. Alex/Lorna quickly became a favorite among my readers since the moment I wrote about them in "Sins of the Father." Examining her relationship with Alex, especially given her background as a member of the Brotherhood, was challenging but fun.

Charles/Moira is my classic pairing, the rock on which the X-men dynasty is based on in many of my stories. It was great to be able to look at their marriage in a different light, especially in terms of their children.

Which brings me to the "next generation" as Princess-Amon-Rae called it. David, Kurt, Max, Luna, Terry, and Sharon. What fun! For all of their complexities and intersecting relationships they seemed to bring everything into perspective. Their relationships with their parents, each other, and their significant others might have been my favorite part of this fic.

I'm going to be taking around a two month break now, life's getting crazy. However, I would like to thank all of my readers and reviewers. There are a few in particular I'd like to thank. So now it's that time again, shoutouts! A special thanks to Princess-Amon-Rae, Whylime, Fanatic4Fiction, Orihimie-San, and Chocolate and Caramel! Thanks everyone!