A/N: Sorry this again took years. Life has not been kind to this fic, or the X-Men franchise at times. I have gone over this work, and despite the level of cringe my old writing was, I still feel the need to finish this fic one way or another. I know I have missed a few scenes but this chapter turned into a bit of a monster so please forgive me. Hopefully, you all still enjoy it.

Chapter 14: Training and Tricks

The next few days were quieter, but only somewhat. The team trained as a group while working one on one with Charles and Hank. Sometimes testing new gear, much to the delight of others, but the full weight of what exactly they were training for never left their minds.

Alex managed to set the walls of the bunker on fire but not destroy everything.

"How'd it go?" Ellie asked as Charles and Alex came up from the bunker.

"Brilliantly," Charles said with a smile.

"I set everything but what I was supposed to on fire," Alex said, staring in shock at Charles, "how is that brilliant?"

Ellie laughed. "Because that's kind of what you were supposed to do, Alex. It's training." He looked at Ellie, surprised at how jovial she seemed about his destructive powers. She took both his hands in hers. "You are supposed to be learning how to blow things up. Just like Sean is supposed to shatter windows and knock things around. Just like Erik is supposed to move and smash things. Just like how Raven and I are just supposed to create absolute chaos." Ellie's mischievous nature sparked in her eyes. "You are Havok for a reason, just like I'm a trickster for one. This is our nature." Ellie smiled, swinging their joined hands.

"Ellie, I'm not sure that's…" Charles started to say that what she had said was not exactly accurate but paused when he realized that Alex's anxious energy that he always seemed to have when the topic of using his powers came up seemed to ease. Alex even laughed when Ellie tugged his hands and started to lead him down the hall.

"Oh, it is, Charles," Ellie winked at them, earning a true laugh. "Destruction and Chaos everywhere!"

Charles quietly laughed and shook his head as the two went off to presumably find the other.

…

Sean sat on the windowsill with Charles and Hank at his side. He was clearly nervous.

"There are literal ducklings that jump farther than this to the ground," Ellie smirked from where she sat on the edge of the roof above them, feet swinging. "Don't be a baby," she said as she stood up, shifted the straps of her dress off her shoulders as she moved back. She made sure she had full range in her arms and wouldn't have to worry about getting stuck and sprinted back towards the edge. "It is so much fun!" She shouted before shifting and pushing off the roof full force, stretching her falcon wings.

"Show off!" Sean shouted as she dove past them. He looked back at Charles.

"Now remember," Charles told Sean, "scream as hard as you can."

"You need the sound waves to be supersonic," Hank added, "catch them at the right angle, and they should carry you."

"They should carry me," Sean chuckled, "that's reassuring."

"Good luck," Charles says as he and Hank duck back inside.

Ellie flies back up to the roof to watch.

Sean stretches his arms out, takes a breath, and leaves the ledge. A startled shout leaves him, but nothing near enough to trigger his powers. Ellie listened as the others chuckled. She would have thought it funny too if she hadn't have been in the same place years ago. She quickly shifted, got dressed, and, harnessing some of her gifts, jumped down to land beside Sean.

"You'll get it eventually," Ellie said as she held out a hand to help him up. He eyed her hand suspiciously. Ellie rolled her eyes. "I won't bite this time, I swear." He let her help him to his feet. "Besides, your pride has taken enough of a hit already." She brushed a few leaves off his shoulders. "But seriously," she said, ignoring the way he tensed. "First time I tried to fly, I ended up stuck as a hawk for weeks. My family had to tell people I was visiting relatives out of state while my fracture healed. At least you get to stay you," she gave him a pat on the shoulder and walked away as Hank and Charles approached. Sean stared at her. It was probably the nicest thing he had ever heard her say.

"What?" Charles looked between Sean and Ellie's retreating form.

"She...was being nice," Sean admitted.

Charles smiled, "Really? That's great."

"What'd she say," Hank asked.

"That I'll get it eventually."

"See? Even she knows you can do it," Charles said.

…

"So I'm getting a suit?" Ellie asked as she leaned against the desk in Hank's lab. He'd been working with the others on how best to create a protective suit that aided their abilities.

"Everyone needs one," Hank said as he glanced over at her.

"But you aren't sure how to go about it, are you?" She asked.

"Unfortunately," Hank admitted.

"I figured." She shrugged. "I'm not sure how much help I will be in that. I've never found anything that really worked. I'm either running into chaos with absolutely no protection or so bundled I can't shift."

"That is the problem we've run into," Hank said with a nod. "And I'm sure Erik wouldn't be too keen on sending you in half-naked." Ellie laughed when a blush crept across Hank's features when he realized what he had said.

"It's fine, Hank," Ellie clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm sure you and Charles will come up with something. If not, I'll aim for something with protective scales in the battlefield or something insanely fast."

"Probably best you do that anyway," Hank told her.

"Probably."

...

As the four of them climbed the radar dish, Charles began to question his own logic. Not about whether or not it would work, but who he had brought with him. Hank was an obvious choice. But he couldn't have missed the anxious thoughts that were practically screaming through Sean's mind, especially with Erik and Ellie there. They made Sean uneasy, which was understandable after the darts incident. But Charles focused on the climb. He'd deal with Sean's nerves at the top.

Ellie had taken a shortcut and flown up in the form of a giant eagle. There wasn't an animal large enough or a bird strong enough to save Sean if this failed. But Ellie, despite how much she loves to mess with Sean, wasn't going to send him off a ledge on his own. She perched on the railing, her talons clicking against the metal as she waited for them. Ellie knew that saving Sean wasn't her job. It was more aerial moral support. Erik was there to keep Sean from hitting the ground, hopefully.

"It's easy for you. You actually have wings," Sean grumbled as the group reached the top of the platform. "And skills," Erik chuckled as he went over to stand beside Ellie's bird form. She nipped at his shoulder. He raised a brow at her.

"She says behave," Charles said, trying to hide his smirk.

"Let's just get this over with," Erik said, reaching over to ruffle a few of Ellie's feathers for nipping at him.

"And you truly believe I'll fly this time?" Sean asked Charles.

"Unreservedly," Charles assured him.

"I trust you," Sean looked at Charles.

"I'm touched," Charles replied.

"I don't trust him," Sean said, gesturing to Hank, then Erik. "Or him."

"Say nothing," Charles told them.

"I'm going to die!" Sean shouted. Ellie would have rolled her eyes if she could.

"Alright, look, we're not going to make you do anything you don't want to-" Charles is cut off by Erik.

"Here, let me help," Erik says as he shoved Sean off the radar dish. Ellie smacked the metal bender with her wing as she takes off.

"ERIK!" Charles shouted as they all rushed to the edge to see what Sean does.

They all looked over the edge to see Sean falling, Ellie not far behind him. They cheered when Sean managed to use his power and catch himself. Ellie was making sure to stay out of his way. The last thing she needed was to get knocked out of the sky.

"What? I know you were thinking the same thing," Erik grinned at Charles.

"That was awesome!" Sean said when he finally had his feet on the ground.

"I told you it was worth it," Ellie said as she straitened her dress and walked out of the tree line. "It is such of an adrenaline rush."

"It was," Sean said with a nod.

"At least you get to do with clothes on," Ellie grinned. Charles just shook his head. Ellie nudged Sean's arm. "Nicely done, Banshee. You didn't kill either of us." Sean nodded and grinned before turning his attention to Charles and Hank and the many questions they had for him. Ellie began the walk back to the mansion to check in with the others. Erik looked over at Charles, who nodded at him.

"That was risky," Erik said as he caught up to Ellie.

"And shoving him off without warning wasn't?" Ellie barely spared him a glance.

"The longer he hesitated, the more he-" Erik started to argue.

"You enjoyed it," Ellie glared at him. "We both know it."

"Someone had to do it," Erik told her.

"And you wanted to be the one to do it," Ellie stated.

"That's not fair. He'd have never done it on his own."

"Charles and I both have powers that literally can get people to things," Ellie sighed.

"You would prefer manipulating him?"

"To having the guy he already thinks is going to murder him in his sleep throw him off the dish," she leveled him with a glare. "Which do you think he'd prefer?"

"Are you really mad about this?" Erik asked.

Ellie groaned. "You don't see a pattern do you?"

"What?"

"Fine, here's what I see, either you don't trust us to get things done, or rather you don't trust me to actually be able to handle what I know I can. Or you just don't care what we can do, and would rather do it yourself."

It was Erik's turn to glare. "That isn't fair."

"Then what is it?"

"First off, you're injured," Erik started. Ellie scoffed, but he continued, "Second, I know you know your powers. That is very clear. You almost don't even need to be here."

"I heal faster when I shift. I already told you that."

Erik threw his hands up in frustration. "I compliment your control, and you still get mad."

Ellie stopped and turned to really look at him. "Because you don't get it, you still pulled that shit with Ruby and now shoving Sean off the dish."

"I needed-" Erik started.

"I need you to trust me, trust them," Ellie said, gesturing to Charles, Hank, and Sean as they neared them. "But more importantly, they have to trust you. And I know that's rich coming from me because I've drawn more blood in this group." She turned to Sean. "Despite the darts thing, do you trust me?"

"I mean…" Sean hesitated.

"Ellie," Charles cautioned.

"Right, okay. Forget I asked." Ellie pinched the bridge of her nose as she turned and headed the rest of the way to the mansion.

"Ellie!" Erik and Charles called after her, but she just kept going.

"Hey, wait," Sean hurried after her. "I didn't say no!"

"You also didn't say yes!" Ellie shouted back.

"What happened?" Hank asked Erik.

"Apparently, she didn't think I handled things properly on the radar dish," Erik informed them.

"It could have been handled more gently," Charles said.

Sean caught up with the shapeshifter as she made her way into the mansion. "You didn't let me finish," Sean said, "I was going to ask if you trusted me."

"What? Of course," Ellie gaped at him. "I mean, sure, you cheat at darts and cards and probably pool, but I don't think poor sportsmanship and being overly competitive equates to being a shitty teammate in battle. Darts and cards are just games. As annoying as you might have been while playing darts, I also know you were there when soldiers and agents started dropping from the sky. I know you and the others wouldn't have let Shaw actually kill me without a fight the other night. And you're here now. Sean, I know that I have a temper and have given you a hard time, but if you think for half a minute I'd have let you go out on that edge and made you jump alone, then well, I guess you really don't know me, and I don't know how to make any of this work." Sean stared at her, unsure what to say. His lack of replay was enough for Ellie. She headed off to her room, not even bothering to acknowledge Moira or Alex as she passed them. They both exchanged a look, then looked at a clearly stunned Sean. Moira sighed and went over to Sean.

"Hey, Ellie," Alex said, catching up with the shapeshifter. "You okay?"

She chewed on the inside of her cheek in thought before meeting his eyes. "Do you trust me?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I? I mean, you almost died trying to fight off Shaw's goons," Alex stated, looking at her in confusion. "Who doesn't trust you?"

Ellie glanced back the way she came. "Take your pick," she sighed before finally disappearing into her room. Alex still wasn't sure what was going on, but one thing he did know is he probably was in no way the appropriate person to handle it.

"I've got it," Raven said as she passed Alex. Raven knocked on Ellie's door. "Ellie, can I come in?"

"It's open," Ellie called from inside. Raven let herself into the room. "Charles asked you to check on me?" Ellie asked as she stared out the window.

"He wanted to make sure you were okay," Raven admitted as she moved to stand beside her at the window.

"I'm fine," Ellie let out a sad laugh. "I mean, I guess I understand." She went over to sit on the edge of her bed. "I know I have a temper. I know I can be hard to deal with. I mean, I have spent a year hardly sleeping and moving town to town to look after Ruby. Don't get me wrong, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. But dealing with people has never been my strong suit. That's Ruby's thing. That's…I'm tired, sore, and on edge. I mean, you know what we're up against. You were there. You…I'm trying. I am. I get it. I have never been great at getting along with people outside my family, outside my tribe. But the weird thing is, I do trust you guys. Because when that gust hit me and I hit that jukebox, I wasn't sure I would be getting back up initially. I damn near blacked out, but I could get back up when I had to because you guys made sure I could."

"We wouldn't have let them hurt you again," Raven stated. "We'd have done something."

"I know," Ellie smiled. "I know I didn't make it easy on you guys. I'm stubborn. And I won't lie, I have gone over and over it in my mind, trying to figure out what I could have done differently."

"Ellie," Raven sat down next to her. "None of us really knew how to handle it."

"But I chose wrong," Ellie said.

"I'm not sure any animal you could have picked could have withstood that hit," Raven assured her.

"But that's just it," Ellie shook her head. "I could have done something."

"I don't think-" Raven started, but Ellie stopped her.

"All I had to do was change the scene."

"What?" Raven looked at her in confusion.

"Even I get focused on the shifting side of my powers," Ellie said sadly. "I'm so used to relying on them. I'm so used to defaulting to that. But if I had taken that moment to make them see what I wanted them to, probably not as well as a telepath, but it might have been different. I could have made them see an empty room, or hell, made them believe we were already dead. Darwin and Angel might still be here." Ellie's voice waived as she spoke.

"No, Ellie," Raven hugged her. "Even if that might have worked on Shaw's henchmen, if your powers rely on anything like Charles' telepathy, then it wouldn't have made a difference when Shaw came in. The illusion would have been broken because of that stupid helmet."

"But it would have bought you guys enough time to get out," Ellie said. "The teleporter wouldn't have known where to even start looking."

"And what about you? Where would that have left you?" Raven asked as she pulled back but kept a hand on Ellie's arm. Ellie shrugged. Raven scoffed. "No way, you think we would have left you behind? Left you to face someone who even Erik considers the biggest threat to the literal world? NO, N. O. Absolutely not. Ruby would have refused, and honestly, so would the rest of us. You said you trusted us."

"I do," Ellie stated. "I trust you guys to make the smartest call. I trust you to see that the smartest thing to do is live to fight another day."

"And you'd be either dead or bait." Raven stared at her.

"Darwin would be alive, and Angel wouldn't have left."

"And Ruby would be an absolute disaster, and Erik would be insufferable." Raven pointed out.

Ellie shook her head. "You guys would have made sure Ruby got through it, and Erik wouldn't have cared at that point."

"You can't possibly believe that?" Both Raven and Ellie looked up to see Erik in the doorway, most of the team behind him. Ellie groaned and flopped back onto her bed, pressing the palms of her hands into her eyes to try and stem the headache this was all becoming. Charles made quick work of dismissing most of the group. Hank ushered Sean and Alex to the lab to discuss possible alterations to both their suits. Moira, with the added help of Raven and Charles, managed to convince Ruby to help make some lunch for the team. Raven went along to make sure it worked.

"How much of that did you guys hear?" Ellie asked, not even bothering to sit up.

"Enough, I'm afraid," Charles admitted. Ellie groaned again, grabbing a pillow and covering her face.

"You didn't answer my question," Erik stated as he pulled the pillow away, tossed it aside, and leaned against the end of the bed.

"I said what I said," Ellie told them as she stared at the ceiling.

Charles looked over at Erik and could practically see the frustration gathering.

"Ellie," Charles started. "What happened at the facility was unfortunate. None of us were prepared to for it." Ellie said nothing.

"You should be glad that anyone made it out of there after defying Shaw," Erik stated.

"Not helping." Charles glared at Erik. "Ellie, I know none of this is easy."

"But I'm not wrong," Ellie said, wincing as she sat up. Erik moved to help her, but she swatted him away. "I did the dumbest thing I could have possibly done. And the others paid the price. If I had taken two seconds to think about it, I could have-"

"You'd be dead," Erik stated. "And he'd have gone after the group, and it all would have played out the same."

"You don't know that," Ellie said.

"And neither do you," Charles added. "As much faith as I have in your abilities, both Riptide and Azazel have spent a great deal of time with a powerful telepath. And if they had expected us to be there, then they would have been prepared for any number of mind tricks."

"Is that really what this is about?" Erik asked.

"Darwin is dead, and I could have done something!" Ellie shouted. "And Angel still left! He killed Darwin, and she still went with them." She stood up, pulled open a drawer, and pulled out Angel's jacket. A few tears fell as she did. "I thought she was my friend." She ran her fingers over the seam. "She watched them toss me aside like a stuffed toy, and she joined them. They tried to kill me, they killed Darwin, and she joined them. And she wanted me to go with her." Ellie's grip tightened as she spoke, her fingers shifting slightly as they dug into the fabric. "I'd rather they have killed me than join them." She ripped the jacket to pieces. "She knows we plan to try and stop him. She knows." She stared down at the torn garment. "And we'll have to stop them, fight them, even her."

"We just need to stop Shaw," Charles said.

"By any means necessary," Erik amended.

"Erik," Charles began to caution him.

"I need practice," Ellie stated. The abrupt change in topic surprised both Erik and Charles. "If you think they'd have seen through my tricks, then I need you to help me make them stronger."

"We can do that," Charles agreed.

"Good, because I won't make the same mistake twice," Ellie stated, staring at the fabric at her feet.

"I'll go talk to Hank and see what we can come up with," Charles said as he left.

Ellie grabbed a piece of the jacket. "I'll make her pay for what she did," she said as she looked up at Erik as he moved to stand before her. "And I'll kill her if I have to." The determination and anger in her eyes left little doubt. It was a look Erik was sure he'd worn himself a number of times.

"I don't doubt that," Erik said with a nod. He used his powers to bring a metal wastebasket beside them. He took the fabric from her hands and dropped it into the basket. "We'll do it together."

...

Ellie stood inside the bunker with Alex, Charles and Hank. She was almost giddy. She knew they had been working on honing in Alex's powers. Ellie had eagerly volunteered to help with the next step. Charles had agreed, despite very loud objections from Erik. Charles figured that her presence might actually help. He had seen how despite how apprehensive Alex was at times to use his powers, Ellie had always figured out how to bring the best out of Alex. Even when Charles seemed to struggle at times to do so, Ellie seemed to know how. He had noticed how much she was willing to assist with not only Alex but Sean as well. Charles had asked her about it one day.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Charles, but you're too used to succeeding. You're used to helping people. You helped Raven, now Sean and Erik. And for the most part, they've made it easy. Erik already knows most of what he can do. Sean trusts you and the trust you have in him. But, Alex isn't as easy." Charles gave her a questioning look. "You know they say animals can smell fear, right? I have spent years dealing with Ruby being absolutely terrified of her own powers," Ellie admitted. "I spent years surrounded by the fears of not only Ruby but everyone around us. They were afraid of her. I tried to help her. I spent years trying to get her to try, and you saw how well that worked. I couldn't help her." She gave him a moment to let that sink in before she continued. "He was locked up for who he is and what he can do. Is it so terrible that I'm enjoying helping him?"

"No, of course not," Charles squeezed her shoulder in comfort. "And you have helped Ruby. Just having you there is important to her."

"I know, but that can only help so much, and you know it," Ellie had stated.

"You have to be joking," Alex said, drawing Charles' attention back to the task at hand.

"Oh, come on, Alex," Ellie grinned, an arm around the hesitant man's shoulders. They watched as Hank set up the mannequin in the middle, an X on its plastic torso. "This will be fun."

"Fun?" Alex looked at her. "How is this fun?"

"Because I'm here," Ellie grinned. "And I trust you," she added before looking up at Charles.

"Alright, Alex, I want you to hit the X," Charles told him. "And try not to hit me. There's a good chap."

Ellie rolled her eyes at how uneasy Hank looked. She gave Alex's shoulder one last squeeze before going and shooing Hank away. Alex didn't need the living embodiment of doubt that was Hank standing there.

"You're serious?" Alex looked at them.

"Very serious," Charles told the younger man. "I have complete and utter faith in you." Ellie smiled and nodded when his gaze moved to her.

Ellie jumped and put her arm up to shield her face when Alex successfully hit the mannequin in the middle. A brief panic hit her when she felt the gust from the blast. It momentarily took the breath from her lungs, and she had to remind herself there was no jukebox, Riptide wasn't there, and she was there to help Alex. She schooled her features as quick as she could, ignoring her heart pounding in her chest, Her hands had shifted into claws. Here attention is drawn back to the present when she hears the others speak.

"Am I still a bozo?" Hank asked Alex.

"Yes, Hank," Alex told him, "you're still a bozo. But nice job."

Ellie shook her head and smiled. "Do I have to remind you to be nice, as well," Ellie said. She took a second to focus on reigning in her powers, shaking her hands to return them to normal before hugging Alex. The four headed back inside.

Alex caught Ellie's arm on the stairs up to the area their rooms were. She raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"Well, there is a guy grabbing my arm and looking at me funny, so I'm a little weirded out," Ellie said.

Alex rolled his eyes and dropped his hand. "I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but-"

"I'm fine, Alex," Ellie forced a smile and told him. "

"You have animalistic reflexes, and your eyes got all, glossy, and your fingers-" Alex was cut off when Ellie grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him the rest of the way to her room. Kicking the door shut behind her once they were in. Neither of them had noticed Erik watching the whole scene play out.

"You cannot tell anyone," Ellie told Alex.

"Can't tell anyone what?" Alex asked. "El, what's going on?"

"It's proving to be a lot harder to get past what happened at the facility than I hoped it would be," Ellie admitted. They were both silent as Alex seemed to process what she was saying. It was like whiplash going from celebrating the successful test, to talking about the night they both screwed up and their friend died.

Alex blanched. "Wait are you…you're not afraid of me, are you?"

"What? No, god, Alex. No." Ellie put a hand on his arm. "Do you think I'd have volunteered for that if I was?"

"Well, you reacted like-" He was cut off again when she squeezed his arm.

"It was the force from the blast, Alex," she said. "It felt a bit too much like that windbag's hit, and it took me a second to remember where I was. When I ducked out of the way I stretched the muscles in my side a bit too much. It was a feeling thing. Not a you thing."

"But it was-"

"It isn't you, Alex," Ellie said as she hugged him. "It wouldn't have mattered if it was you, Sean, or even Hank, the muscle ache and the force from anything would have done it. If I wasn't sure that Sean wasn't dying when Erik shoved him off the dish then I'm sure I would have felt the same then. I felt safe down there with you guys, that's the only reason I think it happened."

"So you aren't afraid of me?" Alex asked.

"No," Ellie said with a smile. "I'm proud of you."

"Now, let's go bug Sean," Ellie said, leading him out of her room.

...

"What's wrong, Erik?" Charles asked as the two of them played a game of chess.

"Nothing," Erik said as he advanced one of his pawns.

"You're distracted," Charles stated. When Erik didn't answer, Charles decided to guess. "Ellie?"

Erik sighed. "One minute, we're fine. The next she hates me."

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you," Charles assured him.

"She's always picking a fight with me. She's acting like she now has to protect the others from me."

"Well, you did push Sean off the dish," Charles pointed out.

Erik groaned. "Not this again."

Charles held his hand up in defense. "And I'm sure her time with Alex isn't helping." Erik glared at him. Charles took a moment to move his bishop on the board. "I actually asked her about that."

"And?" Erik prompted his friend to continue.

"She said she wanted to help him, because unlike you or Sean, Alex genuinely is uneasy using his powers. I was confused at first, but she pointed out that her powers let her sense their fear almost as well as I can," Charles admitted. "Probably why she got so upset at you 'helping' Sean. She could tell he was absolutely terrified. Sean trusts himself but focused his fears on the suit and, well, you. But with Alex, she can tell he is afraid of himself, his power, and she tries to help him. She mentioned that the fact he was locked up, he has more doubt and fear than the others. She thinks he might need more support than the others. And although she didn't mention it, I'm sure the fact they both feel responsible for Darwin's death is a factor."

"Shaw is the one that killed him, not them."

"I know that, and on some level, I know they do as well, but you heard what she said. She feels like she didn't do enough. And as sad as it is, they have a level of loss that bonds them to each other more than it does to the others. Yes, they were all there, but the active choices that both she and Alex made contributed to the situation. It seems that most of Ellie's anger and fear she has focused on to Angel, which is something we may have to work on. But she also wants to work on illusions." Charles grinned. "I actually had an idea about that."

"Really?"

"Yes, it took some thought, but from what I know, her illusions are like projections. One of the best ways to practice that is to be given something to project. She loves reading. Why not combine them?"

"She probably won't hate that," Erik said.

"One can only hope," Charles agreed. "And it will hopefully give her something to focus on that does stress her healing body any more than it already had."

"That is a bonus, I guess," Erik relaxed slightly. "She has been pushing herself and taking risks."

"Haven't we all," Charles said with a nod.

"So that's it?" Ellie asked as she looked at the book sitting on the table in front of her, a collection of Aesop's Fables, and then up at Charles, Hank, and Erik. They sat at a rectangular table in Hank's lab. Ellie on one side, Erik and Charles across from her. Hank was moving around. "Just show you pictures?" She held still as Hank placed the sensors on her forehead and temples.

"If that is what you want," Charles nodded. She looked at Erik.

"And make you believe it?" She asked. "Like make you think the characters are here?" Erik nodded.

"Have you done anything like this before?" Hank asked.

"Just my family, and usually just Ruby. I...when she'd get nightmares when we were younger. I would distract her with stories."

"Try that then," Erik stated.

"You can do it," Charles grinned. "We know you can."

"Ready when you are," Hank told them.

"Just try," Charles gave her a reassuring smile.

"We're right here with you," Erik added, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go.

"Let's start here," Charles said as he opened the book to one of the shorter fables he remembered, The Dog and the Bone.

"Right," Ellie took a calming breath and pulled the book towards her. "Here we go." She read the short fable to herself before raising her hand just above the tabletop water appeared to flow across the center of the table, creating an image of a river that stretched just shy of the table edge, with a bridge crossing the waters near the table center. She tried to ignore Hank's movement as he reached down to touch the rather realistic water. A dog with a bone in its mouth appeared on the bridge. She began to recite the narrative as the projection mirrored her words. "A dog carrying a bone looked over the edge of the bridge and saw his own reflection in the water. 'Look at that dog,' he thought. 'Why, the bone he's carrying looks much bigger than mine. Juicer, too, and full of meat. If only I could have that bone as well! If I bark as loud as I can, maybe that will scare him into dropping his bone and running away.' But as he opened his mouth to bark, his own bone fell with a splash into the river, leaving the foolish dog with nothing at all. Don't give up what's real for what isn't." With the recitation of the moral, the projection of the dog and river vanished. Ellie looked up at the others at the table.

"Absolutely brilliant," Charles told her.

"Well done," Erik praised.

"Let's try another," Charles took the book and flipped the page to another story, The Gnat and the Bull.

She took a minute to read through and study the single illustration that accompanied the story to get an idea of the scene. She nodded to herself before raising her hand again. A bull's image in a field appeared on the table. A gnat, a bit oversized as shown in the illustration, buzzed through colorful flowers. She read the narration, "A gnat flew busily through a meadow full of wildflowers. Halfway across, he saw a great bull peacefully grazing. "I'll just take a moment's rest on one of his horns," the gnat thought, and settled down for a few minutes."

The gnat lands on the bull's horn on the table.

"Then, buzzing anxiously in the bull's ear, the gnat said," the gnat moves in the projection, "'Pardon me, sir. I'll be leaving now, for I've many important things to see to. But I hope my weight has not inconvenienced you terribly'." The bull's head in the projection shifts slightly. "'Why, not at all,' replied the bull calmly. 'I never even knew you were there.'" The gnat flew off in the projection. "We are rarely as important as we think we are," the scene before them vanished as she recited the moral.

"Another?" Charles asked.

"Sure," Ellie nodded.

The next hour was spent that way. Ellie was creating more elaborate scenes as the stories grew longer and including human forms.

"That was fantastic," Charles said as he closed the book. "You create such beautiful imagery."

"Thanks, but these are just stories for children," Ellie said. "They even have pictures."

"But you gave it movement," Erik stated.

*Realistic movement," Hank added.

"Well, having seen and even been some of the animals helps," she admitted.

"How do you feel?" Hank asked.

"A bit of a headache, but fine," She assured them. "Less exhausting than shifting and flying for an hour. Not nearly as straining on the muscles."

"And it is something you could easily practice with the others during downtime. I'm sure the others would love to see it." Charles smiled. "Like tv with more color."

"And fewer commercials," Hank added, earning a laugh from Ellie.

Later that day she caught Alex by the wrist and half dragged him to the rec room. "Help me with something."

"Uhh, sure?" Alex said looking around nervously. He followed her to the pool table as she pulled a few of the balls out and set them on the table. "What are we doing?"

"Close your eyes," Ellie told him.

"Ellie, I'm not sure-" Alex started.

"Please?" Ellie asked as she pressed a pool cue into his hands. "I need someone that isn't going to judge me if this fails."

"Yeah, okay," Alex said with a nod. He closed his eyes. He heard her moving things around.

"Okay open 'em," she told him. He looked over to see her hands held up over the pool table. "Try and sink a shot."

"Okay," he lined up a shot and was surprised when the cue ball rolled right through where he thought the green striped 14 ball was. Ellie laughed. Alex went to pick up the 8 ball and he ended up holding up the solid yellow 1. "What?" He asked, staring at the table. Ellie laughed and dropped her hands to reveal most of the balls were nowhere near where he thought they were. Some weren't even on the table. "That was you?" Alex asked. Ellie nodded. "Wow, that's awesome."

"What's awesome?" Raven asked as she and the others entered the room.

"Trickster here just took the pool shark game to a new level," Alex laughed. "Again?" He asked Ellie. She nodded.

"Okay, guys close your eyes," Ellie grinned. The pair waited until everyone's eyes were closed. Alex rearranged the table for her. He watched as Ellie held up her hands and everything instantly shifted. She nodded at him.

"You can open them," Alex said as he pressed the pool cue into Raven's hand. "Take a shot." He took a step back. Raven lined up a shot meant to knock the orange 5 ball into the pocket, but it turned out she'd hit the blue striped 10 ball instead of the cue ball and it rolled into the pocket without so much as hitting anything. "See, awesome," Alex stated. He went over and high-fived Ellie.

"I see you've moved beyond storytime," Charles grinned.

"Well, you did tell me to practice with the others," Ellie stated.

"With, not on," Erik told her. Ellie looked at him confused.

"Erik," Charles started.

"You say that like I care," Alex said. "She helped me out, so I returned the favor."

"Favors now, is that what you two are always up to, exchanging favors?" Erik looked between the two of them. Ellie scoffed when she realized what he was implying and stormed out of the room, followed by Ruby.

"You're a jackass," Alex said, glaring at Erik. "She wanted to try out her powers on someone who didn't know what she could do. She needed help, and that's what friends do, they help." Alex left the room after that.

"Was that really necessary?" Charles asked Erik.

"What just happened?" Sean asked.

"Just ignore him," Alex said when he found Ruby hugging her sister in the kitchen.

"They told me to practice, and if I want my tricks to work I can't just animate stories," Ellie said.

"Alex is right. Erik is just being mean," Ruby said. "What you did was amazing. Don't let anyone take that away from you."

"Thanks, guys." Ellie smiled.

"What is his problem?" Ruby said as she walked into Charles' study. Thankfully he was alone.

"I assume you mean Erik," Charles sighed.

"Ellie's trying so hard, she's never done much with her tricks before, and that pool trick was unlike anything I've ever seen her do."

"I know, and she's getting better," Charles admitted.

"Is he mad she's getting better without him?" Ruby asked.

Charles weighed his options. "In a way, yes."

"In a way?" Ruby asked. Charles sighed again and moved to close the door.

"He can't be protective if he isn't there," Charles informed her.

"So she's just supposed to do nothing while he's busy? That doesn't seem like a practical battle plan." Ruby huffed.

"You are not wrong," Charles said.

"And he thinks Alex is going to hurt her? That's…" Ruby stopped mid sentence. "No…"

"Ruby," Charles looked at her confused.

"He's jealous of Alex," Ruby laughed.

"I didn't say that," Charles stated.

"But I'm right, aren't I?" Ruby asked. Charles said nothing. "That jerk! She has a supportive friend that isn't you, or me, or him, and he hates it."

"Ruby," Charles started. "This stays in this room, okay?"

"Fine, but you need to tell him to knock it off. Alex had like zero friends before this, and Erik picking fights with everyone only going to push everyone away, especially Ellie."

"I know," Charles nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

…

Ellie leaned against the wall as she watched Charles and Erik. The telepath had asked her to be there for support.

She could see that Erik was beginning to get frustrated as he failed to move the radar dish. She was about to try and offer a word of encouragement but thought better of it when Charles hadn't missed a beat advising him. The smile and triumph on Erik's face were beautiful when he managed to move the gargantuan metal structure. The pair laughed and celebrated. Ellie slipped out of sight as they did. She'd let them have their victory. Once inside she wrote a note about grabbing a bite and heading out to the woods to work on her own training. She'd be back for lights out.

Moira leaned out the window and tell Charles and Erik the President was about to make his address. Erik looked around and was confused. Ellie was nowhere in sight.

"Are you coming?" Charles called back to him.

"Yeah," Erik looked around one last time before following Charles inside. They met the group, or rather most of it, gathered around the TV. Erik still didn't see Ellie. He turned his focus to the figure on the television as the president discussed the blockade and crisis around Cuba.

"That's where we're gonna find Shaw," Erik told them all.

"How do you know?" Alex asked.

"Two super powers facing off," Charles answered for him, "and he wants to start world war three. He won't leave anything to chance."

"So much for diplomacy," Erik stated, turning to the younger mutants, "I suggest you all get a good night's sleep."

"Has anyone seen, Ellie?" Ruby asked.

"Found this in the kitchen," Raven said, handing Ruby the note Ellie had left. Ruby read it and handed it to Charles.

"She went off on her own?" Moira asked.

"Appears that way," Charles said.

"She does that sometimes," Ruby said with a shrug.

"Get her back here now," Erik told them before leaving the room. Ruby flinched at his harsh tone.

"I'll let her know that things have changed," Charles said as he lifted his hand to his temple. "Hopefully she hasn't gone too far."

"Wasn't she out with you guys," Alex asked, looking at Charles.

"She left at some point," Charles stated as he continued to mentally search the grounds.

"And you didn't notice?" Raven asked, shocked that her telepath brother didn't realize it. Charles shrugged.

"Bit busy here," Charles told them.

"Guys!" Ruby waited until they had all looked at her. "She is a big girl, not to mention one that can also see in the dark if she wants to. She said she'll be back by lights out. She'll be back by lights out. If she isn't back by morning, then you can worry." With that, Ruby left. Everyone was a bit surprised by the usually somewhat timid woman.

…

Ellie heard voices as she approached Erik's room. If what Charles had told her was true, she wanted to talk to him before everything went down. She stopped just outside the door.

"The nice kind?" she heard Raven say.

"Get out, Raven." Erik told her, "I want to go to bed. Maybe in a few years." Ellie winced.

"How about now?" Ellie heard Raven's voice change. To Ellie, it almost sounded like her own voice. She bit her lip and kept listening.

"I prefer the real Raven," Erik stated. Ellie put her hand against the wall to brace herself. She couldn't believe what she was hearing as she heard Raven shift again. She thought they were friends. "I said the real Raven," Erik repeated. Ellie heard Raven shift again. "Perfection," Erik told her. Ellie's nails dug into the wall. She felt like she was going to throw up. She hadn't noticed how her nails had turned into talons and dug deep into the wall. A cracking sound had her pulling her hand back and she took off at top speed down the hall.

"Ellie?" Alex asked as she rushed past him and Sean in the hall. He looked up to see a naked Raven in her natural form leaving Erik's room.

"Classy," Alex said, "real classy."

"What?" Erik stepped out into the hall having heard voices, as Raven hurried off. He noticed the torn and broken wall.

"Fuck you, that's what," Alex glared. "You got nerve man."

"It's not what it looks like," Erik practically growled. His patience with the younger blonde mutant was drawing real thin.

Alex ignored him and turned to Sean. "We have to find El."

"Man, if you didn't like Ellie anymore, you could have just told her," Sean said before following Alex down the hall. Erik went to follow him but was met with a slap in the face.

"Consider yourself lucky that the world might genuinely devolve into World War III tomorrow," Ruby glared at him. "Or I'd tear your world apart in both this world and the dream one."

"Ruby this isn't what it looks like," Erik tried to explain.

"So I didn't just see my sister go running off crying, while Raven walked naked to the kitchen. Or did I not hear Sean and Alex right?"

"Just let me explain," Erik said. Ruby shook her head. "You have issues, Erik. You really do." Ruby turned to head out to help find her sister.

"Easy," Charles said as he caught Erik about to join the others. "Let them handle it."

"You don't understand, it isn't like what they think," Erik was really starting to lose his patience.

"I know," Charles told him. "And I know this is more Raven's doing, but unfortunately, we don't have time for this. I will handle it and we can all deal with this after everything calms down. Priorities Erik."

...

"Hey," Sean said. "Everyones looking for you." He sat on the edge of the railing next to Ellie.

"I feel like an idiot," Ellie told him.

"He's the idiot," Sean said, nudging her shoulder. "I mean, you're probably like an animal in bed."

"Eww, Sean, don't be gross," Ellie griped.

"You didn't say no." Sean grinned, the call back to their previous discussion earning a laugh from the shapeshifter. "Besides," Sean added, "he's old enough to be your dad." She glared at him and shook her head. "Hey, I'm not judging," Sean said with a smirk. "I'm just saying, you could probably do better."

"Thanks, Sean." Ellie nudged his shoulder as she wiped the last few tears from her eyes.

"Anyway, Charles and Moira want everyone in for lights out now, big day tomorrow."

"Yeah," Ellie nodded. "Let's go."

"I mean, you can stay in my bed if you want," Sean stated as they both stood up.

Ellie snorted a laugh and linked her arm with his. "Not in a million years, Banshee, but thank you."

"Hey, doors open," He added.

"I'm sure it is." She said as they headed off to find the others. She was just about to get into bed when there was a knock at her door. She was relieved when she opened it up to see it was only Charles. She opened the door to let him in.

"Let me start by saying," Charles began to say, "I'm glad you're back safe."

"Glad to know someone is," Ellie snarked.

"Ellie, this really is just a misunderstanding."

"Is it Charles?" Ellie looked at him. "I know what I heard."

"Yes, but you didn't hear the whole thing," Charles told her.

"Doesn't change the fact he'd have considered possibly sleeping with your sister in a few years, as if we were nothing."

"Okay, I will admit that does not sound great."

"Or the way he called her perfection," Ellie said before taking a calming breath. "It's fine, Charles. Really, I should have known better. But maybe Sean's right, and I'm not the idiot here. Because we may all die tomorrow. Better to die with fewer regrets, right?"

"No one is going to die tomorrow, everything will-" Charles was cut off by Ellie's laugh.

"Your optimism is something special," Ellie stated. "But don't worry, I'll go out there like a good little teammate, and I'm going to take that winged backstabber down. One way or another."

"Ellie," Charles sighed. "I know you want vengeance for what happened to Darwin, but-"

"No buts," Ellie stopped him. "I don't care if the whole team likes me or not, I don't, but I'm going to fight until my dying breath if I have to."

"I know," Charles said.

"I'm fine, Charles. I cried a bit, but I'm fine. I am ready for tomorrow. I just need sleep."

"Right, goodnight then."

"Goodnight Charles."

A/N: I used the version of Aesop's Fables by Jerry Pinkney, published by Chronicle Books, 2000.