A/N: I have been working hard editing the previous chapters and will be be updating them, all at once, very soon. There will also be an additional chapter, between current chapter's 18 and 19, that I want to add. We are close to the end of this story! I'm so excited.

Disclaimer: I don't own X-men: Evolution.

21.

Kurt was the first to speak. "What are you doing here?"

Mystique's gaze shifted from Kurt's unblinking, gold eyes to Rogue, who did not raise her head to make eye contact, to Lily's.

"I came to speak to the assassin."

Charles Xavier rolled his wheelchair protectively between the two women. "What you say can be said in front of all of us."

Mystique's face fell into a grotesque frown. "I'm sure you watched the news." The foyer room was silent and she continued. "I have informants within the assassin network. This attack was a warning. There are very powerful and rich people who want us gone, and they will pay very well to make sure we are all dead or worse. I have spoken to Erik, and our best chance is to unite together. Like it or not, we are all we have."

"What do you need me for?" Lily's face was stoic; unreadable.

Mystique addressed her answer to Charles Xavier. "She worked with their network for years. We have to fight back against them. Is it not enough that the army is up in arms against us? All we need is a name, a location."

"Ask your informants. Isn't that why you have them? Why do you need me?" Her entire body was stiff and her eyes were fixed on the blue mutant.

"I can't get anything out of them about that. Their loyalties still lie with them, but you? You are a mutant. You are on our side."

"What do you get out of this?" Logan's claws came out.

"A united army of mutants that would protect each other. We don't have the money, or resources that these people do. Soon they would be able to identify mutants, and once they do, there would be no stopping them. Charles, imagine them hunting down your students. Going into their homes and killing them in front of their family-"

"Enough," Logan said.

Mystique sighed and smirked at the room of x-men. "Perhaps you all think you're safe here, behind these walls. Just know this. There have been people roaming these halls for weeks that you didn't know about." Lily's stomach dropped suddenly as Mystique turned directly to her.

"That's a lie," Kitty spoke up, stepping forward, "The professor would have sensed it."

"Oh really? I'm not too sure, the professor is getting old. I thought the assassin told you all this already? I mean, she figured it out."

Every set of eyes turned to Lily.

"Tell them, Elle," Mystique taunted. Lily's eyes widened with realization. Connor and Mystique, working together?

"Yeah," Lily began walking forward towards Mystique. Adrenaline pumped through every vein in her system. "Fuck you."

It didn't register that she kicked her boyfriend's mother out the door until Mystique was already rolling down the flight of stairs. The X men sprang into action but suddenly were stopped, seemingly by some unknown force. There, by the front door of the Xavier institute, was a small boy.

"Jimmy?" Lily asked, relief at seeing her little friend still alive.

The expression on his face was the opposite of hers: sadness and anger. Behind her, the x-men struggled against their invisible restraints as Jimmy held them away. Mystique calmly picked herself up and walked towards Lily.

"Jimmy? Let Elle go."

"Elle can move now" The tiny voice was strained, but clear as it was in the underground lab.

Lily ran towards Mystique, hands balled into fists, but stopped in her tracks when she saw what was in her hand.

The professor was amazed by the sheer strength of Jimmy. He had not been able to feel his presence at the institute, and, when he tried to enter his mind, was easily pushed out. He, singlehandedly was keeping nine well-trained mutants at bay.

Professor, I think I'm getting to him! Jean's voice rang out. Her fingers were on her temples, her entire body tense. The professor looked around at all the x-men, struggling against their restraints, and then looked over to the front door of the mansion, where Mystique and Lily had disappeared.

It wasn't long before both of them came back, Lily following Mystique, defeated. She looked as if she were in total shock and emotionlessly took her spot in front of mystique, facing her, just as she did no more than a minute before.

He faintly heard a small voice state "the mutants I am holding will forget-". The professor closed his eyes, and tried to fight against the mental attack against his subconscious. How could a little boy be so powerful? He had to remember everything that had happened. When he opened his eyes, however, he saw Mystique and Lily facing each other, hatred apparent on their face. He felt like there was something missing from the scene, something he had to remember, but couldn't recall what it was.

"Mystique," Logan said, threateningly, his claws coming out in one quick movement.

"I have come to offer a truce between the Brotherhood and the X-men," Mystique stated. "What happened on TV cannot be allowed to repeat itself in Bayville."

Mystique continued to talk, directing her speech to Logan and the professor, but Lily couldn't hear it. Her mind was racing, trying to find a way out of the trap she was in. Her breathes grew quick and shallow.

"Lily?" Kurt's voice brought her back to reality. He had walked towards her without her noticing.

"I can't breathe." Lily leaned on him slightly, gasping for breath. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes, which she fought to keep in.

Mystique, the Professor, and Logan entered into the study room. Rogue and Scott followed in as well. Kurt looked from the study to Lily, battling in his mind where he needed to be.

"Kurt, go. I'll take her to her room." Evan said, stepping towards them. Kurt nodded and disappeared in a flash. Lily coughed from the sulfur.

"Let's go," Evan said putting his across her back and helping her up the stairs to her room. Once reaching her door, he stopped and looked at her expectantly.

"What's going on with you?" he asked, a serious tone infected his voice.

Lily's face was pale and displayed a stunned expression. Panic was apparent in Lily's eyes and she frantically looked around the hall. "Evan… I don't want to talk about it."

"Is this about Kurt?"

Lily's lower lip quivered as she forced out the lie. "Yes."

"Did he hurt you?" Evan shook her slightly. He had never seen her so uncharacteristically terrified.

"I… don't know."

"Ravyn…"

"Evan!" Lily shouted, her voice echoing down the hall. She spoke again in a softer tone. "I want to be left alone for a bit. I will be fine."

"You sure?" Evan's grip on her shoulders didn't loosen.

Lily nodded, and entered her room, locking the door behind her.

As soon as the door was locked, Lily ran to her bed. She sat unceremoniously in an Indian position, not caring about the dress she was wearing as she reached into the chest of the dress and pulled out a short stack of pictures. As soon as her eyes fell on the first picture, tears came running down her cheeks. With every new picture she flipped over, the amount of tears rolling down her face seemed to double. She put her clenched fist against her mouth to stifle the sobs which wracked her entire body.

"You're a fucking idiot!" Lily cried out between muffled sobs. Whether she was addressing that to herself or to someone else, she didn't know.

One of the pictures depicted a little girl, barely passed her toddler years, happily running through a yard. She was in mid stride, making it look as if she were flying. She was dressed in a pretty princess dress, completed by a crooked plastic tiara in her hand and a plastic flower wand in her hand. She had messy blond hair, coming out of the braid someone had painfully done up for her. Her mouth was wide open in an ecstatic grin, causing her chubby cheeks to puff out, and her light brown eyes sparkled mid-run.

She was running towards another small child, a boy, who was riding his bike down the driveway. Like the girl, he was barefoot, his toes curling around the pedal. He was a full head taller than the girl but just as thin as she was. They shared the same color of hair, but unlike her, his hair was curly, puffing out into an unkempt mess of an afro. His hazel eyes were filled with mischief and he was caught in mid shout.

Behind them was an old-fashioned, white-washed house. Every window had flowers outside the window pane, and on the door was a flower wreath. The driveway was not made of concrete, but of little stones and dirt, impressions of car tracks apparent on the ground. Immediately in front of the house was a porch, with a couple of deck chairs and a table. Finally, there were stairs from the porch to the ground.

That was the house she grew up with. And those were her siblings.

Mystique had given to them, mere minutes before in the courtyard in front of the Xavier institute. "Conner sends his regards." She smirked as she handed the package of pictures to her. Lily just stared at them, and Mystique in shock, her hands falling limply to her sides. "And just know," Mystique continued, that we have this place rigged and watched so if you go to any of the x-men for help, he will kill them."

Every picture she scanned seemed to violate her in the deepest sense. She knew what Connor could do if he wanted to, and his compassion never seemed to extend to children. Tears stained her face, her comforter, and the pictures as she looked at each one.

Conner won. He found the people she would do anything for. She was now his slave forever, all to keep her family safe.

Something suddenly snapped inside of Lily, and all was calm. She picked herself up from the bed and walked calmly to the telephone in her room, dialing the familiar number.

"Hey Elle."

The phone felt sticky on her tear-stained face. She heaved a sigh of defeat before speaking. "What do you want me to do?