IT WAS NORMAL for a parent to worry about their child's safety.

And right now, Eleanor couldn't stay put.

She paced back and forth in their living room, twisting her hands together. She felt absolutely perturbed with the whole mission. She couldn't set aside the dread she was feeling no matter how hard she tried. Her eyes fluttered over to Erik who was sat on the couch, silent as he drank his tea.

"Eleanor, sit down. You've been roaming around for ten minutes now." reprimanded Erik.

"I have a bad feeling about all this." She threw her hands up. "Aren't you even worried for Ana, Erik?"

"No."

"Liar."

"I am many things, but liar is not one of them." Eleanor rolled her eyes. Erik was trying his best not to show he was anxious, but of course, she knew him better.

She loudly huffed, scratching her scalp in utter vex. Why did Charles order the team to do this kind of operation?

What were mutants now? An emergency response team to threats? Why? Because they were expendable and their lives didn't matter? Why couldn't the humans just send another human team to deal with their own problem? Why should it be them?

The woman sighed. No, she wasn't pissed off because her daughter was part of the rescue attempt. She was angry because she couldn't understand anymore what mutants really are in the society.

Eleanor's thoughts returned to her daughter and she couldn't anymore stand the knots twisting in her stomach like crazy and so, she did what she thought she could do to ease her from her worry.

The woman sat down on the dining chair, closing her eyes. She let her mind navigate towards Anastasia, telepathically asking her for permission to enter her mind. Once permitted to do so, Eleanor surveyed the whole situation through her daughter's senses.

She watched as the basketball court of the Xavier Mansion open and soon, the X-Jet launched into the celestial space. As Eleanor steadily maintained her mental link with Anastasia, she then notified Charles of her presence in his mind. It was almost effortless how she was able to get inside their heads at the same time.

"I honestly don't understand what you are trying to prove with this, Charles." remarked the brunette. "You're fully aware this is a risky mission, and yet you still sent them all there... including your wife and son. For what exactly?"

"You know why."

Eleanor snorted. "Ah, yes. To maintain the peace and not be persecuted. So, we're now sacrificing our people to maintain this illusion you call peace?"

"You're starting to sound like Erik."

"Well, what did you expect? I married him. Of course, he's going to rub off on me."

"You weren't like this before."

"And you weren't like this before either." retorted Eleanor. "I'm disappointed with you as of this moment, Charles. I really am. Valerie has been telling me a lot of things she noticed lately." Before he could respond to her statement, she cut him off. "Let's not further talk about me. Let's talk about what you are doing with the team. You keep on sending them in this dangerous missions lately. Hostage crisis, border disputes, village wars... why are we the ones being sent?"

"Eleanor, we have no time for this. Let's focus first on getting those astronauts home and we can discuss this later." Charles asserted, his tone firm and serious.

"Oh, we all better discuss it, Charles. Erik and I will visit the mansion tomorrow in the morning. Let's all talk about this."

And with that, Eleanor severed her connection with Charles and centered her attention to Anastasia. She used Anastasia's sense of hearing to listen about the situation of the space shuttle.

"That's a solar flare?" Eleanor then heard Raven voice out.

"I've never seen a reading like this."

"I'm definitely sure that's not a solar flare." declared Valerie, maneuvering their jet near the spacecraft. "It looks like some kind of energy cloud."

"Tell them I don't think it is too." Eleanor instructed her daughter.

"Mom thinks it isn't a solar flare too."

Valerie's head perked up, slightly smiling. "Nice to have you here with us, Eleanor." She acknowledged. "And yes, it really isn't because these readings are off the charts."

"Well, we have no time to figure out whatever the hell that is. Our priority is getting those men out of that shuttle and returning to Earth." Raven stated.

"The orientation thruster's misfiring. That cabin won't hold for long."

"Kurt, can you get in there?"

"It's spinning too fast. I can't see inside the window."

"Scott, we need you to blast that thruster, slow down the spin. Can you do that?"

"On it." Anastasia and Eleanor then watched Scott slide down the hatch. Using the cannon of the jet, he fired at the thrusters, slowing down its rotation. The mother felt her daughter's anxiety with the whole rescue mission even though she was silent.

"It'll be alright, Ana. I'm here with you." Eleanor assured her, hoping to calm her down. She then felt Erik's presence near her and opened her eyes momentarily, saying nothing. He only tilted his head and she nodded, implying that everything was still alright.

"Kurt, take Peter. Go!"

It was then Valerie's turn to order them around. "Storm, Ana, kindly seal those cracks."

Anastasia focused all her attention on the shuttle, raising her hand. Slowly, she closed all the gaps and holes around just as Storm froze them to keep them intact. Ten seconds later, Kurt and Peter returned with the astronauts, safe and unharmed.

"Strap in, everyone, we're heading home." Valerie pushed a couple of buttons up on the ceiling and was about to turn the jet around when one of the space explorers spoke up.

"Wait." said the woman. "Our commander, he's not here. He was in the airlock working on the thruster."

Raven shifted her gaze to Hank. The scientist held a grim look on his face. "The heat signature's rising fast."

"I can't hold it any longer!"

"We gotta get out of here." No one moved. "Valerie said, strap in."

"No, Raven, no. We're not leaving anyone behind."

"Charles," Valerie started, firmly. It was evident she was not going to back down. "I'm not allowing it. That energy cloud's too close now to the space shuttle. It's a risk I'm not willing to take. Hank and I are turning the jet around right now."

"Valerie -- "

"I'm the leader of this team and what I'm doing is for the best. We can't save everyone, Charles... no matter how much we want to."

"Your wife's right." concurred Raven. "We are not putting this team in any more danger."

"What about their team? Jean and Ana can hold that shuttle together. Can't you?" Charles then lowered his tone as if to encourage them. "You both know you can do anything you set your minds to."

Eleanor could feel Anastasia's dilemma all the way from where she was. Her daughter wanted to try save the commander, but also thought about preserving her safety. The young girl wrung her hands together, waiting for something. A boost.

"Can you do it, Ana?" the mother asked inside her head, her voice soothing.

Anastasia stared at the shuttle and with a resolute nod, she replied, "Yes, I... I think I can."

"You think or you know?"

"I know."

"Then, go. Just... be careful."

Back in the living room, Eleanor reached out to Erik, grabbing his hand. They shared a silent look and he squeezed her hand, reassuring her that everything will be fine. The mother pursed her lips and proceeded to continue listening.

The young female turned to Jean, nodding. The redhead swiftly picked this up as her confirmation with the plan. "Ana and I can definitely hold the ship together, but not from here. We need to get inside." supplied Jean, leaning forward.

"The heat's spiking. We've got less than a minute 'til those flares hit." advised Hank, hoping to change their minds.

"Are you sure you three will be able to handle it?" asked Jacob who had now resurfaced from the hatch.

"She said they can do it, Jacob."

"Thirty seconds. Count it down. Go."

Peter swiftly strapped a helmet to Kurt's head and placed his hands on Jean and Anastasia's shoulders, teleporting them inside of the space shuttle. They then worked together to stabilize the slowly detoriating cabin. Anastasia closed all the cracks just as Jean reattached the torn cockpit to the ship. Eleanor counted down the seconds they should be back on the jet, her foot tapping the floor.

She then caught sight of the solar flare just meters now away from them and she felt her heart ram wildly against her chest. "You both get out of there now, Ana!" she informed, suddenly standing up from her chair.

"Yes..."

But, it was too late.

Kurt failed to reach them on time and he was blasted away just as he returned to the cabin. Eleanor watched in horror as he teleported back in the jet, leaving her daughter and Jean to take the full force of the flare. She felt Anastasia choke, feeling her body heat up from the energy burning her.

"Ana," the woman's lips quivered and her breath hitched in her throat. "You can still -- "

"Jean! It's... coming for them! Divert it to us!"

Eleanor felt her heart shatter at the realization that Anastasia and Jean were going to sacrifice their lives by directing the solar flare to themselves. Her heart raced and her mind went blank. Her mouth hung open and she wanted to scream, but she couldn't. "No, no, no." She mumbled, tears forming in her eyes. "No, not my Anastasia. No!"

At this, Erik gripped her shoulders and spun her to face him. "What's going on, Eleanor? What happened with Ana? Talk to me."

The mother could only stare at her husband with fear and sorrow in her emerald eyes. With a pained voice, she replied, "They're going to die."

She then heard Anastasia and Jean scream as they were struck with the solar flare. Eleanor felt the burning feeling spread all over her body, seeping through her flesh and bones. Her knees hit the floor and Erik bent down to catch her by her arms.

"Eleanor!"

Pain engulfed her whole body and she felt the fire melt everything inside of her. Eleanor held her head as Anastasia and Jean continued to scream and then they stopped.

Anastasia's heart ceased beating and Eleanor's mental connection with her ended.

Her daughter was dead.

With wide eyes, Eleanor transferred herself to Jacob's mind, immediately feeling his dread and shock towards the scene before him. Outside of the jet, they saw that the spacecraft was completely obliterated and two bodies floated several meters away from each other in space. Anastasia and Jean weren't reduced into ashes and it seemed like they were still alive.

"Eleanor, tell me what is going on. How is Ana?" Erik asked, his face resolute.

"I... I don't know. I can't -- "

"What do you mean you don't know? You can see her yourself."

"I don't know. I... don't know!" shouted Eleanor, her eyes flashing a bright red light. Erik backed away a little, but still kept holding her arms. She then shut her eyes again, calming herself. "I can't feel our daughter, Erik."

"Check on her again."

She did what he told her and continued looking through Jacob's perspective. Valerie abruptly stood up from the pilot's chair, ordering Peter to quickly attach a helmet to her head. "Kurt, teleport me over to Anastasia. You take Jean and then come back for me, got it?"

Hand clutching her chest, Eleanor attempted once again to breach Anastasia's mind to no avail. It was like she was being blocked away. There was a protective barrier that shielded her mind.

Come on, Ana. Come back to us.

She watched through Jacob how Valerie seized Anastasia's drifting body, bringing her close to her.

Suddenly, an eerie green glow appeared before her daughter and Valerie. They all carefully observed as it penetrate the leader's body, emitting a bright viridian light that vanished instantly. Nothing happened after.

"What was that? What went inside mom?" demanded Valerie's son, pushing himself forward towards the cockpit. Eleanor tilted her head, remembering how the green light resembled the one appearing in her dreams. She shook her head and focused once again on Anastasia.

Soon, Kurt brought everyone back inside the jet and Jacob and Scott approached them. "Mom, are you okay? We saw that light enter you. Are you -- are you alright?" queried Jacob, checking his mother all over.

Valerie nodded. "Yeah... yeah." She blinked twice. "I'm -- I'm fine. I have no idea what that was, but uh, I feel fine." Her eyes then darted towards Anastasia as she shook her awake. "Ana? Ana? Can you hear me?"

Three seconds later, Eleanor felt Anastasia's heart beat again and her eyes fluttered open. "Hey, auntie Val..." she croaked. "I'm not dead yet?"

Valerie smiled. "No, you aren't, sweetie. You're very much alive." She brushed Anastasia's hair back. "You lived up to your name. You came back to life."

"Is every... Is everybody okay?" This time, it was Jean who questioned, breathing slowly.

"Yeah, we're okay."

"So, let's go home."

At that, Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief, feeling her heart beating normally again. Her hand flew over to her mouth as she sobbed quietly. She thanked the heavens for bringing her daughter back to life. "They're alive, Erik!" cried the mother as she wrapped her arms around her husband, relieved. "Ana survived! She's okay! She's fine! Our daughter's okay!"

Erik rubbed her back and she heard him release a breath as well. "Good, good."

"God, I don't know what I'll do if anything happened to her."

"Me too..." Her husband placed his hands on the sides of her face, his thumb brushing the apples of her cheeks. "We'll visit her tomorrow immediately, El. We'll check on her."

They then both heard a door open and Alexander came out of his room. "Mom, dad, is everything okay? I heard shouting."

Eleanor swallowed. "Yes! Everything's fine, honey. Come here." She beckoned for him to come closer. Her youngest child walked over to them, eyes flashing with concern. "I will not let anything happen to all of you." she muttered quietly as she embraced her son and husband tightly, placing a kiss on their foreheads. "Anything."

No harm shall come to her family. She'd die first before that happens.

Little did she know, things would soon descend into chaos and everything she held dear might be taken away from her.