A/N: So certain...people make appearances and are name dropped in this, but feel free to imagine whoever you'd like as these characters as you're reading.

Warnings: None.

...

2005

Otto's back was killing him. The conveyance the government had built to house and control the actuators weighed heavily on his back. The inability to move his human limbs more than a few inches due to the shackles on him didn't help, either.

He settled with a thud into the metal chair across from his new attorney.

"It's okay, you can uncuff him."

"Lady, I got rules, and the rules say-"

"Just uncuff him please. He's clearly uncomfortable."

The guard continued to stand by, smirking in disbelief.

"I'm here to help the man, I trust given the current circumstances that he's not gonna bitch slap me or anything."

"Alright, alright, don't say I didn't warn ya." The guard begrudgingly started to unlock the shackles, but they stayed roughly around Otto's ankles and wrists. "This is also staying off my report."

"What else is new," the lawyer quipped, as she started retrieving paperwork from her soft leather briefcase.

There was a bit more incoherent grumbling before the guard finally left them to talk alone.

"Thank you," Otto sighed. "You must be Ms. Walters."

She smiled. "Yes, but feel free to call me Jennifer."

Otto started rubbing his wrists where the cuffs had been. "I still don't understand why you've agreed to work pro bono for me."

Jennifer interlaced her fingers and as she rested her hands on the table before them. "Let's just say I have a special interest in cases like yours."

"Hopeless causes?" Otto scoffed.

Jennifer laughed. "Funny, you sound like a friend of mine. And no, I actually don't see your cause as hopeless. As discussed in our correspondence, I think you have a very strong defense, seeing as how you weren't acting under your own cognizance at the time of your offenses."

At Otto's incredulous look, Jennifer continued. "There have been many defendants that avoided jail time or worse because a court found that they weren't truly acting under their own volition. People who committed crimes while they were...sleepwalking, or involuntarily intoxicated-"

"With all due respect, I wasn't sleeping or drunk, counselor.

"You were not acting under your own volition, however."

Otto shook his head. "I don't..."

"I think we can argue successfully that your inhibitor chip malfunctioned due to an accident, which caused your AI programming to take over, which then prevented you from choosing between right from wrong."

"Well, it-"

"You've stated before you don't have much memory of what happened when the AI was in the driver seat, right? Before you ah, reportedly found a means of fixing the chip?"

That was true, but Otto didn't really attribute that to the AI. Since he'd gotten back from that parallel universe with another Parker and a still-alive Norman and others he didn't recognize, his memory was starting to become fuzzy or confused about many things. Sometimes he would remember things and events two different ways. It sometimes gave him a headache.

But it honestly felt like it wasn't this way, before the jump to another universe.

"I don't recall much before then, no."

Jennifer nodded. She looked through her file on Octavius and plucked out two papers in particular. "Even if that argument fails, there is another possibility."

"What is that?"

Jennifer took a breath. "The federal government has offered to commute your sentence significantly if you agree to work with them on developing renewal energy technology and...weapons, for use in national defense."

Otto balked. "No way is that happening. I developed my research in part so we wouldn't have to go to war needlessly for finite energy sources-"

Jennifer raised her hands, palms down but fingers somewhat turned up. Otto hadn't realized he'd raised his voice.

He settled back in his seat and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Just...something to consider. I'm confident we have a strong defense, but taking this offer can have you out and back living your life...as much as possible...as it was before. Back to the people you love..."

Otto's eyes darted up to his attorney, then back down. Jennifer silently took note.

"As it is, if we just try to go this the traditional way and the government fully prosecutes your case, it can take years, decades... I'll fight for you, but it will be a tough, long battle, Dr. Octavius."

Otto weighed his options. "I don't know much about you, counselor, but supposedly, according to these guards, you're a, pardon the language, 'tough bitch.' I assume I can trust you with my life."

Jennifer leaned forward. "Absolutely," she affirmed. "I have a talented PI by the name of Jessica Jones, who's already gathering evidence for me, and an expert witness we can use by the name of Moira McTaggart. She...normally works with people born with special abilities, but I've also reviewed your case with her, and she's confident she could help you and offer her professional insight."

"But if I...take this deal the feds are offering, exactly how quickly would I be out?"

Jennifer motioned with one hand toward the door of the room. "With time served, you could be out in six months."

She could see the gears turning in her client's head. "Let me think on it."

Jennifer nodded. She slipped out a legal pad and jotted the current date down. "Now let's go over the finer details of what happened..."

They talked for about an hour, about the technology he'd developed, about all the planning, about what led up to the accident and the accident itself. Otto had to be careful, as he navigated the details around his taking a casual jaunt to another timeline, but he more or less managed it.

"That should be fine for now." Jennifer sat back. She paused, before taking the papers with the government offer and handing them to Otto. "I know it wouldn't be the ideal situation, but think of it this way. You'd have your freedom, and you'd have a chance to maybe change things for the better from the inside out."

"So?"

"So, I'd recommend taking the offer." Jennifer's chair scraped as she moved back and stood up. She started collecting the rest of her papers. "Think it over, and let me know."

Just as she was about to leave, Jennifer said, "By the way, I'm interviewing your former assistant this afternoon."

Otto's head shot up. "Sam?"

"Samantha Brooks, yes. Anything in particular I should bring up with her that might help your case?"

"Ye-yes. You can." Otto's voice dropped to a whisper. "I trusted her with something, something very special. Ask her about it, when you're with her."

Jennifer nodded once. "I will."

...

Sam enjoyed people watching. As much as she enjoyed watching autumn in all its beauty in the small, in the upstate college town she had settled in. It wouldn't be so nice come winter, when freezing pipes and a finicky heater would make life fairly miserable at her small rented apartment near her new employer, but she was generally happy to be settled into her new life.

Granted, it would have been nice to have an office of her own. New adjunct professors like her didn't, thus necessitating a growing love of people watching and turning leaves.

Sam was presently at her found "office"-a little table and couple of chairs aside a coffee cart outside the Science and Mathematics Building-grading the latest batch of quizzes from the mostly bored undergrads who were forced to take her class as a requisite to graduation.

She had her multi-colored ink pen purchased just for for this purpose in hand, swiftly moving through the answers when she heard. "Ms. Brooks?"

"Yes?" she answered tiredly as she looked up, expecting to see a tentative or maybe eager young face looking down at her. Instead it was a woman closer to own age in a suit.

The woman held out her hand. "Jennifer Walters. I'm Dr. Otto Octavius' attorney, here for our interview?"

Sam shook her hand. "I was going to say, you don't look like a student." Maybe Sam was settling a little too well into her current role, becoming the stereotypical absent-minded professor, as she had forgotten she had this talk with Otto's lawyer scheduled for today. Then again, maybe it more accurate to say that she'd more blocked it out, as the thought of having to discuss her former life had been weighing heavily in her mind for days since she'd gotten the call from Walters.

No one in this small college town knew who she was. Not that she was discussed much in the papers or on TV when everything happened well more than a year ago, but shortly before she left the city, the people who did know who she had worked for had started avoiding her, more and more. Looking at her strangely. Neighbors, baristas, even random people on the street.

Here, few really paid that sort of thing much mind. The long-time locals paid little attention to what was going on outside their local community, and the local and non-local college students were just trying to get good enough grades to transfer out or just get out, period. It was nice to have the anonymity.

That anonymity felt somewhat threatened now, by the professional-looking woman sitting across from her.

Jennifer spied the cup just to the left of Sam's papers. "Can I buy you a fresh cup?"

"I'm fine." Subconsciously, Sam sat back in her seat and folded her arms. "What do you want to know?"

"You were Dr. Octavius' assistant for several years. You knew the man well. Were doubtless very familiar with everything that happened leading up to...the incidents, more than a year ago. I figured you were probably the best source outside of the man himself to get a clear picture of what all happened," Jennifer explained, as she retrieved a legal pad and pen.

"What about talking to the man himself? He is still alive, you know."

"That I can confirm. I spoke to him this morning."

Sam's demeanor changed, as she perked up, her stance becoming more open. "You did?" Jennifer noted that as well.

"I did. And we did go over a lot of what happened, to the extent we could. Can I ask you, have you found him very discerning in the past?"

Sam huffed a laugh. "Let's just say I had to go through four interviews before he hired me."

"Gotchya. What about his memory?"

Sam paused, which Jennifer noted. "I'm not sure."

"What makes you say that?"

Sam looked aside, at passing backpacked students and briefcase-carrying professors walking by. "Uh, I donno. We have talked a few times, but he...seems to not remember a lot, like he's unsure." Another pause, as Sam eyed the cold mostly-milk coffee sitting besides her stack of quizzes. "Even small things."

"And he didn't have memory issues before, right?"

Sam straightened up. "Never." She added, "I mean, he'd occasionally forget to pay the power bill or couldn't find his keys, like anyone else, especially someone who was so preoccupied with his work like he was, but nothing like now."

"Was that something either of you or your team predicted for when you were setting up his actuators or the AI programming that controls them?

Sam shook her head. "No, not at all."

Jennifer quickly dotted down some notes. They went into the more minute details of the arms and their programming. Sam admitted to feeling serious reservations over their design and how invasive they were, but she couldn't really give a specific reason.

They discussed the accident, and what specifically Sam witnessed-which wasn't much after being struck by a piece of metal siding-mercifully, the flat surface of it, and not an edge. It was at that point that she really mulled over the possibility that she could have died that day. It had floated somewhere at the periphery of her thoughts before, but it was a full blown realization now.

Jennifer held out a tissue.

"What?"

"It's okay."

Sam touched her cheek, both cheeks, then rubbed her eyes. She hadn't realized she'd been crying.

"Sorry," was all she could think to say, as she took the proffered Kleenex.

"Don't be. I hate to be the one to dredge all this up, but it helps his case to fully know what happened."

Sam nodded. "I get it...I just..." She blew out a breath. "I've tried not to dwell on it too much, ya know? I never really saw any point. Can't change what happened."

"No, we can't. But we can try to do what we what we can in the present, for the future." Jennifer tapped her pen on her legal pad a few times, the gears turning in her head. "Oh, that reminds me. When I saw your old boss today, he said he trusted you with something, shortly before turning himself. He asked me to ask you about it, that it might help his case."

"He...he did?"

"Yes. I assume it must be important for him to bring it up just as I was leaving. Do you know what he was referring to?"

Sam hesitated. She knew what Otto's lawyer just said was on point-and she knew exactly what he would be referring to. She was also certain that if Otto was wary of this woman at all, he would have found some way to warn her. Sam's instincts were also telling her it would be okay.

Without saying anything, Sam reached down into the satchel bag sitting beside her on the ground, and pulled out the arc reactor, setting it tentatively onto the table between them.

Jennifer immediately looked interested. "What...is that?"

"I'm not sure, really, but Otto gave this to me before he turned himself in. He didn't really explain where he got it, just said it was from a friend."

"...okay?"

"Trust me. I've run tests on it, to the extent I've been able to, without a lab. As far as I can tell it's some sort of energy reactor. Possibly far surpasses the one we were working on in some ways. But without more resources, I can't really know for sure."

"It's definitely something special, I can tell." At Sam's questioning look, doubtless at what a lawyer would know or understand about the technology, Jennifer explained: "My cousin is Dr. Bruce Banner. I'm not a total stranger to the world of science. It's part of why I agreed to take on Dr. Octavius' case."

Sam's eyes grew a little wide at the name drop. "I-I know who your cousin is. We've actually met and worked with him briefly before."

Jennifer nodded. As she continued to hold the arc reactor, she continued: "You know the government's made Otto an offer-a greatly commuted sentence, if he's willing to work with them on developing energy and weaponry technology."

Sam made a face. "I...don't know that he'd be willing to take such an offer."

"He's seriously considering it. Especially when I brought up the fact that he would be free in about six months. Free, and back with those he loves."

Sam looked away involuntarily. She didn't want Otto to give up on his values and principals, in a sense, just for her, but she also knew his health-mental and physical-was deteriorating the longer he was locked up on the Raft.

Jennifer held up the arc reactor. "And I think we might just have the bargaining chip we need to strengthen his position."

...

Maximum Security Docking Facility, New Jersey

It was a dreary, cold day, but that hadn't phased Sam, as she waited the with others for Otto's official release back into society. A few military people stood around in full tactical gear, in the concrete and bullet-proof glass covered bridge of sorts they were waiting in. Even with everything she had witnessed, it was hard to see Otto as such a threat, especially with his inhibitor chip working. But, she did her best to wait patiently and not give any one a cross look or say anything out of turn.

She just wanted Otto back.

Sam looked up when she heard a loud, mechanical churning sound, or three, and finally the reinforced door before them opened. Otto, still in his shackles, was ushered forward by even more military. Otto waited patiently as his guards unlocked and removed all his restraints.

Even when he was fully free, he hesitated a moment.

Sam took a step forward, and then another, before she took finally threw caution to the wind and rushed into (all of) Otto's waiting arms.

Somehow the hug felt even tighter than the one he gave before he left to turn himself in, but Sam had no complaints.

At some point, Otto pulled back. The look on his face was one of pure relief, appreciation, love. He caressed her cheek. "It's so good to see the sunshine again."

After a moment, Sam muttered "Oh what the hell," under her breath, before reaching up to crash her lips onto his. This time, there was no hesitation or reservation on Otto's part. The few, slight snickers and disbelieving laughs around them were ignored.

Each stopped to catch their breath. Sam nuzzled up against his wall of a chest to hear his heart, to verify he was real, that this was real, as Otto settled his lips against her soft, fragrant hair.

"Dr. Octavius?"

Otto looked up and Sam looked behind her to a man approaching them in a wheelchair.

"My name is Charles Xavier. Your counselor here, Ms. Waters-" he motioned to Jennifer beside him-"has been in contact with me, along with your parole officer. I'd like to make you an offer in relation to your release."

"Which is what?" For the first time, Sam was cognizant of the actuators, at they pointed at this new man questioningly.

The guards around them held their guns a little higher.

Charles held up his hand. He continued to hold a friendly smile. "I would be right to assume you have no current living situation to return to, correct?"

Otto sighed. "You would be right."

"I run a school in Salem Center, New York, for children born with special abilities-"

It was dawning on Otto: "I think I know what you're talking about, and who you are, Professor."

Charles nodded. "I have spoken with the government, and I would like to offer you a teaching position at my school, as well as the laboratory facilities you can use toward your research for the government."

Otto couldn't believe it. "I..." He had to think, calculate, quickly. It was honestly a good deal. Except for one thing.

"I will take it, as long as I can bring Sam with me." Sam looked up at him quickly.

"Of course. I figured you would like to have Ms. Brooks with you. Given her experience and training, I have offered her a teaching position with my school as well."

Sam looked up at Otto expectantly.

"Then I think I will take your offer professor. I don't know that I entirely deserve it, but..."

Charles smiled wider. "Well, I, for one, believe in second chances, and in hope."

A/N 2: There will be a Part 4/Epilogue, so stay tuned...