Since Charles and Erik weren't getting along, Hank opted to sit up front in between the scorned professor and Logan. Which left Allie crammed like a sardine in the backseat with Peter and the infamous President slayer. To say the least, it was the most unnerving car ride the girl had ever endured. Every time they went over a rough spot in the road and they bumped into each other, she feared he'd use the seatbelt to choke her out. She did her best to remain docile and quiet with the hopes that she didn't meet her demise at the hands of Erik. He was undoubtedly a loose cannon and she wasn't taking her chances.

Her paranoia became so bad that she desperately leaned on Peter in order to keep the distance, which of course probably only served as a nice ego stroke for him, but she didn't care. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears from the sheer stress of being beside Erik.

"So what's the plan?" Allie asked after a while, having spent a whole ten minutes gathering the courage to speak. They weren't making their way back to the neighborhoods so they must've been heading somewhere else. She could feel that the men were all on edge, leaving her worried as to what the next step was.

"Nothing that you have to worry about, kid," Logan told her in a drained tone. "We have other shit to do. You and Peter can go home once we leave."

Well then, she supposed her time with the ragtag team was coming to its conclusion. A small sliver of her had hoped she would get whisked off to accomplish more impossible feats. But she guessed it was worth sulking back to mundane reality. The pressures of that day were beginning to weigh on her, especially now that the euphoria of victory had washed away, leaving behind a trench of anxiety. She was desperately trying to claw her way out, yet all she could dwell on was if someone would recognize her a week from then. What if the Pentagon tracked her down? What if they sent people to her house and made her pay for what she had done?

A million What if?'s clogged her brain. It came to the point where she needed to push the dreadful thoughts away, otherwise she might have a panic attack right there in the middle of the car full of men who probably wouldn't know how to handle a teenage girl's breakdown.

Around the time she finally got a grip on herself, the rental car was pulling into a private airport, stopping just before the security gate.

"Let me talk to them," Hank said as he shimmied his way out of the rental before heading off toward the security booth nearby. Logan threw them in park and sat staring at the yellow bar ahead of them, blocking their entrance into the airport.

"What are you scared of?"

Allie sighed as she heard Peter's introduction to what would probably be a full fledged interview about her life. She stiffened slightly, not exactly in the mood to talk about something vulnerable like that while sitting beside Erik, since he was probably the thing she feared most in that moment.

"I don't know. What's yours?" She deflected. Peter thought about it.

"Believe it or not, I almost had a heart attack earlier with the whole Pong thing," He confessed in a pained voice, which had Allie chuckling warily. She could feel Erik look over at them both with his intense gaze, furthering her fright.

Then he spoke in that intimidatingly smooth voice. "What is it that you do?"

Had this been a cartoon, Allie would've had beads of sweat relentlessly rolling down her face as she turned to address the man. She really wished that she wasn't so rattled by him, especially since it seemed like he was helping the other men. But the girl couldn't shake that cautious feeling. He killed Kennedy. How could she just gloss over that like everyone else seemed to have?

"I uhm-" She stuttered as they locked eyes, "I can make people hallucinate their fears."

It felt like he was staring into her soul. Every word she spoke was met with a calculating glance and flick of his brown eyes, each twitch branding her with insecurity. She felt trapped by him, and he knew it.

"Our kind never ceases to amaze me," He told her quietly. Upon recognizing the anxiety wracking through her, Erik's face softened the tiniest amount. "Don't be scared. We are on the same team."

Logan scoffed in the front seat. "That's the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard."

Erik spared him a peeved glare before returning his focus back to Allie.

"We have a common enemy-"

Charles seemed to have had enough of his backseat chatter. "Erik, stop trying to indoctrinate her. You've not been out of prison for an hour and you're already revolutionizing everything in sight."

The car was swept into silence. It was abundantly clear that Charles and Erik went way back. Allie could only sit silently and imagine what had happened between the two of them.

The front door beside Charles swung open. Hank scooted into his seat and flopped his hands onto his thighs.

"How'd you manage that?" Logan asked as the yellow bar moved up, allowing them entrance into the airport.

"Being ex-CIA has its perks every now and then," Hank quipped, adjusting his glasses while they drifted through the empty runway. "Go to the end. That's where we are."

CIA? Allie looked over to Peter at Hank's mentioning of the government organization, at which point the two teenagers shared a shocked expression. Who the hell were these people?

They continued down the runway until pulling up next to a private jet. Logan braked hard and parked, signaling that they'd alas reached their final destination. Everyone flooded out of the rental, stretching their legs as they walked over to the staircase leading up to the plane.

Allie and Peter stood together closely, clinging to one another since they were in the same boat of being random teenagers amongst ex-CIA members and a President assassinator. Now that their temporary mutant pact had finally come to a close, both teens awkwardly slouched in silence as they awaited someone to initiate the farewells, since it was clear they'd be boarding the jet in no time, thus leaving Allie and Peter behind.

The sun was dipping low now, settling them in an amber light that reminded her of the Buggie sitting in the driveway at home. Something about the warmth had her feeling tingly inside. This was a surreal experience. She just broke into the Pentagon, was shot at by a dozen men and now stood in front of a jet that was about to whisk away the men she felt a strange connection to. They were mutants, like her and Peter, and that almost meant so much more than a genuine friendship. It had been like wandering an endless desert before they invaded her doorstep, miraculously showing Allie that she actually was traversing an oasis. It was simply the brittle mirage of a desolation that had been veiling the truth: There were more mutants than she could ever know.

It had her smiling comfortably at them. Logan was the first to see it, and so he came over and pressed a hand to her shoulder in a fatherly way.

"You're a smart cookie in my future. Promise me you'll stay in school and not let this whole Pentagon thing make you wanna break into more places." The breeze had his hair flurrying around as he spoke his gruff but inspiring sentiments. Allie nodded. His hand fell back to his side.

"I promise. I was scared shitless today. But I did my best to help…" She told him humorously, along with an underlying sincerity. "I hope it all works out."

"Yeah, let's hope this jackass behind me doesn't fuck it all up," Logan said bluntly, tossing a thumb over his shoulder in Erik's direction. The man's eye twitched at being the center of his joke, making Allie want to squirm. How the hell were they so confident in making fun of him?

"Speaking of," Hank muttered, heading to the back of the rental where he brandished a backpack from the trunk. He then tossed it to Erik, who caught it confusedly.

"So you don't look like Hannibal Lecter in the middle of Paris," Logan grumbled. No one really knew what the reference meant but Erik got the gist as he fumbled with the zipper before pulling a pair of trousers to the opening. He was about to head into the jet to change out of his prison uniform when Peter called out to him.

"I call dibs on that when you're done."

Everyone looked to Peter, including Erik from the middle of the boarding steps.

"What?" The boy waved his arms out. "It's a first edition Pentagon prisoner uniform- which I also worked hard for!"

Logan shrugged. Fair enough. Everyone must've thought so too, the rickety sounds of Erik climbing up into the jet being the only thing solidifying Peter's stake on the garb.

Hank was the first one to formally bid the teens farewell. He came up to Allie and extended his hand to her, which she graciously took, squinting through the sunset up at him. He was pretty tall now that he was right in front of her. His bucket hat seemed a mile in the orangey skies, gentle smile right beneath it.

"It was nice meeting you, Allie. Do take care of yourself," He said kindly, shaking their hands a few times before letting go.

"You too, Hank." Allie would miss his puppy dog personality that starkly contrasted his apparent CIA involvement. Such an enigma, he was. Then he moved over to Peter, mimicking the same handshake with him.

"If you're ever in Westchester, I'd love to run some tests on you," Hank grinned, knowing his words would most likely be misinterpreted as being creepy. But Peter was a good sport, who was deranged and witty.

"Sounds kinky." They both shared a laugh at the teenager's response, then Hank parted from the group and bounded into the jet, one final wave swishing through the warm air. As soon as the Beast was gone, Erik reemerged with the bag in his hands. He took a step out and gave a 'heads up' nod to Peter. The boy put his hands up and awaited the bag, which was thrown by Erik in the next second.

"Thank you!" Peter hollered as he excitedly slung the bag over his shoulder. That jumpsuit was his biggest score ever.

With Hank and Erik having exited the farewell party, it left only Charles to formally bid goodbye to the teenagers. Logan stood back and watched like a proud father.

"Peter, Allie, thank you very, very much. You both take care now," Charles thanked the two teenagers for their generosity. Despite the disgruntled way he'd carried himself the whole time, he seemed to have a major mood shift once he addressed them. The kindness in his eyes really showed through, lending Allie a deep feeling of comfort. Charles, if anything, seemed like a conflicted man who truly was gracious at his core. She liked that she could see that side of him in small instances throughout their time spent together.

"You too," She responded with great elation. After the exchange, he backed away and joined Logan. They started for the jet stairway.

"Hey, I saw your flight plan in the cockpit. Why are you going to Paris?" Peter asked the men quickly before they could evade the final acts of the boy's incessant nature. Charles paused alongside Logan. The annoyance flashing across his face was clear as day, however it seemed the professor was choosing the path of non-confrontation. He clicked his tongue and tossed Peter the keys to the rental.

"Oh and Peter, take it slow," Charles added quickly, then shot a desperate look in Allie's direction, "Make sure of that, will you?"

The blonde chuckled and gave him an assured nod, waving thereafter. The boy beside her mimicked the gesture until Logan and Charles were out of sight, all the men crammed into the damned jet. Allie could all but smell an argument brewing on the aircraft, given so much angst between Erik and Charles. Thankfully, she wouldn't be there to witness it. The heightened tensions would be headed across the pond soon enough, a problem for the French to deal with, apparently.

Once the jet door was fastened shut, Allie and Peter turned to face each other, neither really knowing how to proceed. It almost had felt like that weird and impossible day was never going to end, yet now that they had made it through that wild chapter, the teens weren't sure what to do next. Going home like it was a normal weekend night just didn't feel right. How could they go on through life acting as if they hadn't just taken part in a crazy heist?

"So," Allie mumbled, waiting to see what his thought was.

Peter cocked his head, "So…?"

"Well… What now?"

"Go back to our lives and wait until we see our faces plastered all over the news," He said, entirely serious, making her succumb to an immense frown.

"Not funny, Peter," She grumbled. His features loosened into a smile.

"Don't sweat it, we'll be fine. C'mon, get in."

Before she could even take a step, Peter sped around the side of the car and opened the door for her, where he stood impatiently. Allie skipped over to him as quickly as she could, however she still couldn't escape his sarcasm.

"I don't have all day," He joked, earning him a sassy eye roll. He slammed the door shut as soon as she was in and zipped right into the driver's seat, his dark eyes doing a scan of the interior, looking suspiciously unfamiliar of the wheel and everything surrounding it.

Allie's eyes narrowed, "You do know how to drive, right?"

"Where do I put the key?" He said under his breath, searching the dashboard for a clue.

The girl's jaw fell slack, "Seriously?"

"No," He laughed, shedding the facade of cluelessness, sticking the key into the ignition with ease.

"You're such a liar."

The car rumbled to life, which prompted him to say, "I actually don't know how to drive."

"I'm not falling for that one."

He turned to look at her, grinning devilishly. "I mean really, why would a guy like me need a car?"

The comment made her insides shrivel up as she watched him face forward, his eager hands gripping the steering wheel with that horrid teenaged boy excitement. It was like they were hardwired to be daredevils, and it only got worse if a female was present.

"Peter, I don't want to die to your God awful driving after managing to survive everything else today. Can I please dri-" Her words were launched right back into her throat as he throttled the gas pedal, sending them flying down the runway. They tore along the pavement like a bat out of hell, milking the pitiful rental of all that it was worth. What could have been a majestic climatic scene in a film, given the golden horizon offering a most gorgeous backdrop for the roaring car, felt more like Allie's final moments on earth. She clamored and fought to remain in place, desperately yanking the seatbelt around her hips. In the midst of the battle to keep her soul in her body, Allie realized the car was slowing to a reasonable speed, leaving her frozen in a chaotic pose. She slowly turned her head, making eye contact with a smug Peter.

"Now that's what I like to call boring. I can't believe people pay to watch that and a bunch of endless left turns," He casually quipped, side eyeing her expectantly.

She wasn't having it. "You have got to be the biggest fucking idiot I've ever met."

"I don't think so," He calmly retorted, "Look I'm already getting the hang of it."

They maneuvered up to the exit lane and miraculously slid between the narrow curbs with no problems. Had it not been for the life flashing before her eyes a moment earlier, Allie would've offered him praise. But now she was shell shocked in the passenger seat, staring out the window with contempt for the boy beside her.

A car honking yanked her from the boiling thoughts. She watched as Peter pulled right out in front of someone, entering them onto the road where now other people had to suffer his lack of driving skills. It was all fun and games on a giant, empty runway, but now he genuinely was a risk to others.

"Peter, please take this seriously, or pull over so that I can take us home," She said in a level voice, which was thankfully met with his sincere glance.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna be stupid," He consoled her worries, before continuing on to say, "The truth is, I developed the speed before I needed to drive, so I never had official driving instructions. But my grandfather used to let me take his coupe for spins every now and then when I was a kid. So I know enough… I'm just out of practice."

"Lord," She scoffed humorously, "Did your grandpa have a death wish?"

He cast her an offended look, saying, "For a twelve year old, I wasn't too bad."

"My mom didn't let me in the front seat until I was thirteen, let alone behind the wheel."

"Your mom isn't cool, I guess," Though he quickly followed that comment up with, "Just kidding."

Allie chuckled at his backtracking. They lapsed into silence for a while, each content with the radio playing and the last glimmers of sunset dancing across the windshield. To top off the tranquility of the moment, his driving had certainly buffed out, lending some credence to him having previous experience. He must've just been rusty.

"So… Do we gotta take this thing back to the rental company?" Peter asked later on, though it sounded like he definitely knew the answer, but was more so hinting at there being a possibility that they wouldn't get in trouble if they didn't. Even with committing a historical crime, Allie still found it within herself to have a goody-two-shoes attitude.

"Well yeah, we probably should," She answered. He emitted a sigh before fondling the key ring, finding a little piece of rubber attached to it which read: Tafton Auto Rentals.

"Do you know where Tafton Auto Rentals is?" His question was met with a hopeless head shake from Allie. Peter tapped his fingers over the steering wheel thoughtfully.

Following this, Allie felt a rapid gust of air whoosh by her, the only evidence that he had moved at all being the fact that the glove box was open and he now had a few rental documents held in his one hand. Before his eyes could be perceived to have skimmed their contents, he was repeating the address out loud to himself in order to remember it. Then, as if nothing had been touched in the first place, Allie felt another jolt of air and found that after a single blink, the glove box was back in order and he was humming along with Elton John nonchalantly.

The girl blinked a few more times, trying to wrap her head around just how fast he was.

The thoughts sparked some curiosity within her, making her end up asking him, "When did you first realize you were super fast?"

He seemed happy to share the memory with her. "Believe it or not, it was ping pong. I had that table in the basement for the longest time. My mom's friend gave it to us. My sister's weren't into playing with me so it was basically useless playing by myself, I'd just smack the ball into the wall like an idiot for a couple minutes 'till giving up. But then one day I had this itch. I was bored and I was staring at the ping pong table and all of a sudden I had the urge to try and play it by myself…"

He paused to focus on a street sign up ahead, which he made a left turn at.

"... I got up and stood at the table, picked up the paddle and ball, and I just went to town. It was like I had been building up this crazy energy for a few months, hell, maybe years, and it was just fighting to come out. But, uh, yeah, that's the not so epic tale."

She smiled at the images her mind conjured to bring his words to life, imagining a young Peter discovering all that he was capable of. There was an irony to be found in the fact that the universe decided to give a reckless and mischievous person the impossible power of super speed. Perfect for him, unlucky for everyone else.

"At least you were alone when you discovered yours. It happened to me when I was in the middle of class. It was presentation day. All of a sudden I started feeling all of these kids' desperate thoughts and it sent me into a full blown panic attack. Everyone just figured I had bad nerves too. Ended up breathing into a paper bag in the nurse's office for half an hour. From there on out I had to really learn how to keep myself disconnected from everyone else's head, otherwise I would see shit I didn't want to."

"What kind of stuff?" He asked. Allie sighed solemnly.

"I remember this one time in school, we were about to be dismissed for the day and I was getting really strong waves from a kid that I had never talked to. He kept to himself, kinda stank too, not to be mean, but it was a deterrent. Nobody wanted to be near him. Anyway, I let the thoughts come through and all I saw was his fear over going home to his parents-" She physically winced at remembering the details of the memory "- They weren't good to him. They did some really horrible things and I was getting glimpses of it. That day forward I decided I needed to keep myself safe from other people's trauma. Took time but I can control it pretty well now."

Just when she finished the grim story, Allie noticed the big Tafton Auto Rentals sign coming into view.

"That sounds depressing," He mumbled, seeming to be mulling over her words while pulling into the parking lot.

"Yeah, you're telling me," She said. Once they were parked, Peter kicked the door open.

"I'll be right back," He told her, disappearing in a flash. Allie wasn't even fazed by that point. She took the moment of isolation to lean back against the headrest and close her eyes, sinking into the seat. Just as she felt a peak in her relaxation, Allie's car door flew open. Startled, she jumped and looked to find Peter standing there, giving her room to get out.

"I didn't realize you meant you'll be done in three seconds," She cried, "Did you even talk to anyone?"

He shook his head, "Nope. I waited and waited and waited but no one was at the counter so I just left the keys there."

"You do realize that the average person doesn't get around as fast as you? Whoever was in there probably only took a single breath by the time you were in and out. We don't even know if the car is fully paid for!"

Peter grinned. "Not my problem. Where's your house at?"

She would've put up more of a fight if not for the rather exhausting day, so Allie rolled her eyes and told him her address, to which he smiled even brighter.

"You aren't too far from me," He claimed.

"Yeah, twenty minute drive," Allie confirmed, then cocked her head, "One second jog for you, I guess."

"Mhm," He hummed before gesturing for her to exit the car. "You've got two choices in getting home. The fun way or the boring, long, terrible, awful and loser way."

As she stepped out into the cooling air, Allie peered up at him with a contemplative pout. "The so-called 'fun way' will probably result in me hurling up my guts by the end of it."

He shrugged like it wasn't that big of a deal, following up with, "Your other option is to enjoy a forty-five minute walk home with me."

"Yikes," She said with a cringe, "You make a good argument."

"You really know how to butter a guy up," He told her with a frown. She couldn't help but to giggle at him as she leaned against the car, watching him push the passenger door shut.

"There's a third option you're purposefully leaving out," She claimed with a pointed gaze that pinned him on the spot. Peter's dark eyes darted around in anticipation as she gave a few silent beats for the statement to air out, until finally, "We could get a cab."

"Screw that!" Peter whined immediately, "Those guys are total scammers. They'll make a ten minute drive take forever just to squeeze some more pennies out of you." With his rant concluded, he continued, "I think you and I both want option A, but you're just trying to bust my balls."

"Alright, fine. You've won. I'm tired, I'm ready to be home, so let's just get it over with. If I'm sick, you're gonna be the one to hold my hair back for me," She informed him with a jabbing finger, one that sealed his fate should she end up ill from the trip. He put his arms up, surrendering himself to the task at hand.

"So be it, I'm not scared of a few chunks."

Her face twisted in disgust, "Ew, c'mon."

Ignoring her, he put his arms out expectantly. "Well, you hopping on?"

She crossed her arms. "Just pick me up, I'm not trying to climb all over you. And make this qui-"

As if they had never been standing in the parking lot, Allie and Peter were gone, a lone cloud of dust being left in their wake.

Just as it had before, the world around her was indiscernible. Just a blur of streaking colors and lights, which only lasted a matter of seconds until all was returned to normal. The first thing her dizzied eyes landed on was the lit up windows of the front of her house, the familiar image serving as a shot of comfort after the intensities of the day.

"Nice car," Came another tally to Peter's endless observations. Allie warily looked over to see him standing beside her, admiring the Volkswagen sitting in the driveway. She watched his eyes glance over the rest of the home, undoubtedly taking it's ungroomed nature, though he neglected to make a sarcastic comment regarding it.

The truth behind the messy yard and overall grime amassed about their home was purely a result of both mother and daughter being left alone, as Allie's father was off in the war. They'd both grown forlorn to some extent. Certainly anxious, too. She supposed the overarching term to cover all those feelings was depressed. They missed him and regularly worried over his safety, thus the two hadn't done well in keeping up with the home. With money having become tight, they couldn't afford to pay for the trash service, which was the beginning of the spiral. Once the garbage got too overbearing, Allie would make runs and drop the bags off at random dumpsters around town, relieving them for short periods.

It was something that had become a norm for her, however in that moment she found herself coloring in embarrassment since Peter was there to witness the neglect in full force. In order to tear his eyes away from the sad looking house, she turned to face him.

"Thank you," She said gratefully, "Not just for the run home. For everything."

He faced her, wearing his typical grin. "No problem."

"Can we maybe skip the awkward goodbye?" She asked with a breathy laugh.

"I think you just kinda made it awkward," He confessed. Allie threw her hands up in defeat.

"Alright," She sighed, "I'm gonna go in and take a nap. It was nice meeting you, Peter." After her attempt at securing a farewell, Allie noticed his eyes shift, signaling to her that he wasn't exactly satisfied, but his words contrasted the body language.

"Sleep tight, and you too," He said with a bleak enthusiasm, watching her walk away. Before she could make it to the door, he quickly called to her, "Maybe we could, y'know, hang out?"

Secretly, Allie had been hoping he'd say that. But she was in favor of starving him of any more ego strokes, so she wasn't going to be the one to take the first step. Thankfully she didn't have to.

She twisted on her heel, offering him a bright smile. "Yeah, sure. I'll see you around."

Allie watched as his face lifted. It seemed like they'd found their positive note to end on for that day, which held the promise of a budding friendship for the two young mutants. The girl gave him a final wave, only to disappear behind her front door a second later. She huffed in disbelief at seeing the inside of her living room, having the urge to pinch herself and ensure that it all hadn't been one insane dream.

"Allie."

The girl's heart sank at hearing her mother's voice echo from their dining room, the sound of her name being riddled with sniffs and wateriness, indicating that her mother was crying. Allie hurried through the archway and into the room, spotting the woman hunched over at the table, holding a crumpled letter in her hand, a tissue in the other.

"What's wrong?" Allie asked frantically. Her mother quivered, weakly peering up at her daughter with red, puffy eyes.

She slid the letter across the table, where the wrinkled parchment landed just beyond the girl.

"It's your father…" Her mother admitted through a pained sob. Allie's eyes dropped to the letter.

Her world plunged into darkness.