Home.

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters stood in front of me, tall and bold like I remembered it to be. The tan castle-like building was big enough to keep a fully functional school and boarding for students, almost like a safe house from the outside world. Not a lot of humans were fond of mutants. The giant windows reflected the sun's rays at certain angles as we walked closer to the large front door. The grass surrounding the place was dead and currently being buried under the fresh snowfall. A cold wind swept through the air, causing the leaves on the ground to blow in the same direction.

I pulled my jacket in tighter and trudged on. All of my wounds had healed from the battle, but I was physically drained. My powers took up a lot of energy, and in addition, having to retreat from the fight weighed me down. I hated that we had to do that. The whole world probably saw us run away for the second time...we let them down, but we will come back and fight. That's all we could do.

Peter walked beside me, his eyes wandering all over the place. He kept himself occupied by focusing everywhere but his left arm, which had been torn off in battle. We had to wait until he was out of shock in order to leave for the school. Peter would never forgive me if I went there without him. His lips widened into a grin and he sighed in amazement. "I can't believe I'm actually here!"

Bruce and Steve watched Peter geek out over the school. They walked behind us slowly, still tired from battle. Bruce wrapped up in a blanket, covering his loose shirt and semi-ripped pants. Steve winced in pain erupting from his left shoulder. He cradled both pieces of his red, white, and blue shield in his hands. He huffed sadly at the sight of it. Steve never thought his shield could break. All of us were smeared in dirt and blood, but didn't have enough time to clean up.

This situation was much worse than I thought. It made getting hunted down by the government look like a tiny incident, and I thought that was harsh enough. The only bright side was Peter's identity hadn't been released to the general public. Only ours were because we're idiots and display our faces and identities out in the open. Now, Loki reigned terror upon the eastern seaboard and we're gathering up reinforcements. Injuries, pain, suffering, nothing good would be in the outcome of this battle.

"Just be nice, alright? Please?" I asked tiredly as we stood in front of the door. I knocked on it a few times, the hard wood hurting my knuckles. The front door was always locked and I didn't remember where they hid the spare key. Peter put his hand on my arm and squeezed, showing his excitement.

Steve raised an eyebrow and questioned softly, "When aren't we nice?" I rolled my eyes and chose to ignore his comment. He knew they weren't always nice. The first few times we talked when we met proved that.

Scott Summers opened the door and instantly smiled. His red tinted sunglasses covered his brown eyes completely. He moved his brown hair to the side to get the few loose strands out of his line of sight. "Lil? Finally come for a visit?" His grin faltered and his light tone dropped a bit when he saw the others behind me, "And you brought guests."

I pushed passed him and headed towards the Professor's office on the right. "We need help. This is urgent."

Scott closed the door behind us and rushed to catch up to me. "No hello?" He saw the determination in my expression and he frowned. "This is about the battle you guys fought, isn't it?"

I nodded and stepped into the open office. My boots clinked against the wooden flooring and slightly echoed through the big room. A book case on the wall full of books, a chess table in the corner with one chair, a big window accompanied by plants on each side, beautifully carved wooden walls, the dark oak desk in the middle of the room, everything still looked the same. "Professor?" I called out, trying to get his attention.

Professor Charles Xavier raised his head, his blue eyes flickering up from his paper to me. His eyebrow twitched in response and creases formed on his forehead. The crevices in his gray suit flattened out when he sat up straight. His lips formed a tight line and he heavily sighed. "I feared this would happen."

My brow furrowed as I contemplated what he said. "I'm really sorry, Professor, but we need help."

"What do you mean? Did you know you we were going to visit?" Steve questioned curiously. He ignored the pain in his shoulder and leaned against a chair in front of the desk.

Xavier examined the group, taking in all of the blood, wounds, and bruising. He stayed behind his desk and resisted the urge to go to Peter after seeing his arm was missing. The Professor didn't want to bring attention to it, so he responded to Steve's question, "I watched Lilly as she fought. I felt she was in distress and had to make sure she was okay."

My hazel eyes met his as a wave of shock surged through me. "You...you watched me through Cerebro?" I paused and watched him nod slowly. He only used Cerebro when he couldn't focus on one person in particular from far away or when something important came up. Guess I made the important list. I just hope it didn't hurt him in any way. "I thought you hated using that machine."

"I do," he clarified and set his pen down. He clasped his hands together on his desk. "I don't particularly like it, but this battle put you under so much stress that I had to. I wanted to make sure you would be okay. This was a difficult task for all of you."

"You can see and feel what other people are feeling? This day just keeps getting better and better!" Peter exclaimed excitedly. I turned around to shoot him a look, but he just smiled back. The poor guy was so ecstatic about being here, and it did keep his attention off of his arm.

"I can connect on an emotional level with mutants. Telepathy is an important part of my life. I am able to do wonderful things with it, but...it also comes with a price." He moved out from behind the desk, revealing his wheelchair. Sleek black cushions lined the chair and the wheels had a giant X in the middle. "I am still limited by this..."

Frowns settled on everyone's faces and silence took over. Xavier's eyes glanced at the door as two people rushed in. One of them hugged me tightly. "I was so worried about you!" Storm exclaimed in her quiet Kenyan accent, and pulled me closer to her. Her short white hair brushed against my face and I nuzzled my head against her shoulder. Her dark skin glistened in the light and added a partial glow to the brightness of her hair. "What in the world were you thinking? Going to a battle unprepared like that?"

"We didn't know! We thought it was just Loki and Ira..." My face contorted in slight guilt. If I knew we were outnumbered, our actions would have been more planned out. I backed away and avoided her blue-eyed gaze.

"I think they handled the situation well," Logan admitted from the side. Storm shot him a short glare before moving to the side of the desk to get a better view of us. "Good to see ya alive, kid," Logan hugged me closely before backing away. His hair still spiked up at both sides and his bright eyes looked at me. He still wore button up shirts unbuttoned at the top underneath his leather jacket, blue jeans, and boots. He appeared well like he was getting enough sleep and not staying up a lot getting drunk. I'd call that an improvement.

I stood up straighter and fixed my ponytail. My nerves stood on end and made me jittery. This problem needed to be solved. I returned to the main topic of why we were here, "Loki took down our government and surprised us with extra forces on his side. We need reinforcements in order to beat him. Please...we can't do this alone. We almost died out there."

"We've seen the broadcasts...this whole situation is terrible..." Storm trailed off and exhaled. She put her hands on her hips and closed her eyes for a second. Just imagining the whole scenario drove chills down her spine.

Xavier's expression change from emotionless to stern. A frown settled on his lips and his laugh lines emphasized it more. He tapped his finger on the arm of his chair in thought and immediately shook his head. "That's risking the lives of dozens of children."

"I don't want them to fight. There are more than just students on campus. We'll take any volunteers." A look of desperation settled on my face, causing my eyebrows to lift and scrunch together. "You guys are the X-Men. These children look up to you. If you let us do this alone, we'll all die. Then what? Then you'll be forced to step up to protect what is left. Either way, your team will be fighting. I'd prefer it if we fought together."

"She's right. We're fucked either way." Logan grit his teeth together and balled his fists up when he thought about it. Villains always ruin everything. He looked at me and stepped forward, "I'll be the first to volunteer."

"Even if this does happen, how do you know you'll win?" Storm asked. Her eyes locked onto Logan and she raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Failure was not an option. Not to Storm. It never was.

"Anything is better than what we have now," Steve stated. He flinched from the pain and looked over at Peter and Bruce tiredly. His team wouldn't last another round alone. They weren't strong enough. "We were sadly outnumbered and outmatched."

I crossed my arms and nodded in agreement, "We might want to go out in a blaze of glory, but we don't want to lose the war."

Xavier stayed silent for the most part. His mind rambled on and on about the possibilities and outcomes, most of which were terrible. His lips formed a tight line and he strolled back behind his desk. "I'll think about it," Xavier declared, returning back to his paperwork.

I shook my head in dismay. This couldn't be happening. The extra numbers were the only hope we had to increase our survival. Without them, it's over. It's all over. "Professor, plea-"

Professior Xavier cut me off, "This is a big decision, Ms. Parker. I need to think this over. I'm not just signing over the X-Men to aid you. I'm signing over the teachers and staff of this facility. These children look up to them, yes, but that doesn't mean I can't think about this first. They are worth more to me alive than dead." He picked up his pen and wrote something down on the paper on top of the pile. When he didn't look up, I turned away and led the group out of the office.

"So what are we going to do now?" Bruce questioned quietly. He wrapped the blanket tighter around himself and blew the few strands of curly hair out of his pale, scruffy face. His brown eyes glanced around at all of us, shaking from the slight cold shiver that suddenly came over him.

Storm moved around us and motioned us down towards the other wing of the school. "The nurse's office is that way. You guys need to be checked on." She checked the time on her watch and exclaimed before rushing down the hall, "I have to go back to my class! Scott is the one who told me you were here and now I need to continue teaching. We will catch up later, Lilly!"

"Yeah, you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later. I..." Bruce paused for a second and yawned, "I think I need to sleep." His eyes drooped and he had to force himself to stay awake. The Hulk took a lot out of him during the battle. I wasn't surprised that he needed to sleep. Bruce would probably sleep for a whole day, if not two.

Logan nodded towards me, "I'll take him to an open room. Make sure they get patched up. Jean should be in there." Logan patted my back, and sent me a reassuring look before taking Bruce up the grand staircase towards the vacant rooms.

Everything seemed so stressful and overwhelming. I wanted the Professor's answer now, but instead I have to wait for it. It would take days to prep everyone for the fight. This had to happen now. I walked Steve and Peter to the infirmary, encountering some old friends along the way.

"Lilly!" Katherine Pryde screamed and ran into my arms. She hugged me tightly and pressed her head against my shoulder like I was her lifeline. "I've missed you! You said you would come visit, but it's been years!"

I grinned and leaned my head against hers. "I haven't been gone that long, Kitty...but I have been busy."

She pulled away, allowing me to take in her features. Kitty hadn't changed much since last I had seen her. Still beautiful, radiant, and young. Hazel eyes, dark brown hair, short, skinny, all just like the day I left to work for Hydra. A smile spread over her face and she brushed some of the dirt off of my face. She glanced between me and the two boys. "You guys are really brave for everything you have done. This must be really...exhausting."

"Thank you, ma'am. We will do anything for this country and the world. It's our job," Steve answered with a curt nod. He stood up straighter in the presence of new people, almost like he wanted to create a good first impression. That, or he was so used to it from when he was in the army. He probably did that every time Peggy stepped into the room.

"No way! You're Captain America and Spider-Man!" Bobby Drake called from behind Kit. He certainly grew up from our last encounter. Nice, brushed brown hair, short beard, taller, more muscular, and his brown eyes reflected a gleam of happiness. His relationship with Kitty must be going really well. He looked great. Bobby stepped towards the two heroes, giddy with joy. "You two are awesome!"

Too long. As much as I loved seeing my family again, there were other things that needed to be tended to first. The boys had to be checked out to make sure nothing was permanently damaged...well, other than the loss of Peter's arm. I cut in before the excitement got to Bobby a little too much, "Bobby, can we do this later? We just got here and they're wounded. We need to see Jean."

Bobby cleared his throat and straightened himself out. He made his voice go a bit deeper and shyly looked towards Kitty. "Yes, of course. We will...uh...catch up with you before dinner!" He grabbed Kit's hand and rushed off before he could embarrass himself.

"Your family is very..." Peter trailed off to search for the right word, "relatable." He followed me to the infirmary and continued, "I would do the exact same thing if I saw a hero I liked. Of course, I'd probably trip over my own words and everything, but at least I know that I am not alone!"

I laughed and agreed with him. Peter getting along with my family was what I wanted, but that would have to wait. More important matters were to be attended to. I opened the door and stepped into the brightly lit cream colored room. Infirmary beds lined each side, tools, drugs, and other necessities filled the cabinets on the opposite wall next to a couch and table.

Jean sat at the computer desk typing away, not a care in the world. Her long red hair was done up into a ponytail, and her green eyes were fixated on the computer screen. The white lab coat she had on over her blue shirt and jeans was a pristine white, hardly a speck of dirt on it. She looked up and immediately grimaced at Steve and Peter's appearances. "Oh my god..." She got the medkit out of one of the cabinets using her telepathic powers and glanced me over for any wounds. "We've been waiting for a visit, Lilly, but I didn't think it'd be like this."

"I'm going to be hearing this a lot today, aren't I?" I sighed and watched as she tended to Peter and his major arm wound. Jean cringed when she took the bandages off of his cauterized wound and grabbed a bottle of alcohol and antibotics. Peter seemed to daze out and not pay attention to anything in particular. Maybe he was going into shock again. I couldn't tell, but it worried me. "I'll make it up to you guys later. I promise. Just for now, please help them. They need it."

I turned to the man sitting in the corner, sleeping. Surprise washed over me when I realized Peter hadn't noticed him yet. The red and black skin tight suit, white slits for eyes, and underneath all that, the lovable mercenary with the mouth we all hated to love and loved to hate. Wade Wilson, otherwise known as Deadpool. I poked his forehead until he woke up, and he immediately slapped my hand. "What are you doing here, Wade?"

"I was checking out the new hot nurse that was here, but she left a while ago. Can't charm someone who plays for the other team. So, I'm stuck waiting for Colossus," Wade answered with a yawn. He put his feet on the table and scowled when Jean threw his feet off using her powers. "Metal head wanted to talk about some bullshit new mission that he has for me. I'd be working for Cable if he DIDN'T DISAPPEAR ON ME! AGAIN!" He groaned and threw his head back for dramatic effect, but quickly picked it back up and he looked at me. I could see his lips curling up underneath his mask. "So, sweet cheeks, what's up with you?"

I rolled my eyes and took in the moment of peace before my cousin noticed Wade. Peter would never let me talk to Wade, and I also didn't want Jean to hear what I had to say. If I could recruit him, it would make my life twice as easier. Deadpool didn't work for Xavier, so getting him to say yes should be easy. All I would have to do was buy him food. Or...maybe bringing Peter along would really benefit us after all. "We have to talk later. It's important."

Wade wriggled his eyebrows and set his head on his hand as he leaned back into the couch. "Ooooo, sounds like someone wants to have fun tonight. What's the occasion? What made you change your mind from last time?"

I shook my head. That couldn't happen. Wade Wilson and I? A couple? A one night stand? Either way, I couldn't stand the thought of it. I hit his arm and whispered, "We don't talk about last time in public. Remember? Plus, I'm with someone."

Wade looked behind me and gestured towards one of the boys. Jean blocked his view of Spider-Man, so he wasn't able to go into huge fan mode. "Captain America? I don't blame you. Every one loves him, even me, and I'm Canadian. I'll talk to him later and tell him embarrassing stories about you, Lillycakes."

"Your nicknames get worse every time, Wade. Should I be surprised?" I scoffed.

"No, they get better every time. Your taste in nicknames just gets worse. Look, I-" Deadpool stopped immediately when Jean moved and revealed Spider-Man. His jaw dropped and he almost let out an unmanly squeal. He hit my leg repeatedly out of sheer excitement before getting up and standing in front of Peter.

Peter's eyes lit up in an instance and shook him out of his mental breakdown. Both of them called out simultaneously, "Oh. My. God! I have pajama pants with your face on it!"

Both backed away a bit and cleared their throats, shyly looking away in embarrassment. Did they really just admit that? The first thing they say to each other is that they own pajama merchandise with their faces on it? It was an interesting encounter, nonetheless. They went into random conversations about how they admire some event the other did or about their morals. As contradicting as some of their morals were, they still didn't think lowly of each other. People aren't marked by their past experiences, but more like the choices they make to impact those events.

I looked at Steve and he smiled at their encounter, enjoying the scene. Peter would talk about this day for years. We would never hear the end of it. I was just glad he wasn't depressed yet about his arm, but that would start soon enough once the excitement dies down.