Cecily waited outside the simulation room, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She could have joined the session, but she chose not to—her heart just wasn't in it today. The moments dragged on, but finally, the doors slid open, and she heard Storm's voice, sharp and questioning. "What the hell was that?"

Cecily stifled a giggle, knowing Logan was about to get an earful.

"Danger room session," Logan responded nonchalantly.

"You know what I mean," Storm shot back.

"Oh, lighten up, Storm," Logan said with a smirk.

"Look, you can't just change the rules whenever you feel like it," she reprimanded him.

"I'm tryin' to teach them something," Logan defended.

"It was a defensive exercise," Storm pointed out.

"Yeah, and the best defense is a good offense," Logan countered.

Cecily knew they'd be bickering for a while, so she took the opportunity to hang back and chat with the students. "So, how was the exercise?" she asked, ignoring the argument unfolding in front of them.

The kids looked up at her, some still catching their breath, and started to share their thoughts, grateful for the distraction.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

"Hey, Scott, they were looking for you downstairs. You didn't show," Logan said, his tone casual, but with a hint of concern. Cecily glanced at Scott, noticing he seemed even more distant than usual.

"What do you care?" Scott replied, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"For starters, I had to cover your ass," Logan shot back.

"I didn't ask you to," Scott retorted.

"No, you didn't. The Professor did. I was just passing through," Logan said, trying to keep his cool.

"So pass through, Logan," Scott said dismissively, turning to walk away.

"Hey, look," Logan said, grabbing Scott's arm to stop him. "I know how you feel."

"Don't," Scott warned, his voice tight with emotion.

"When Jean died—" Logan began, but Scott cut him off.

"I said don't," Scott repeated.

"Maybe it's time for us to move on," Logan suggested, his voice softer now. Cecily felt a pang of disbelief at Logan's words. She and Scott had known Jean the longest—how were they supposed to just move on?

Scott pulled his arm away, his eyes flashing with anger. "Not everybody heals as fast as you, Logan," he said before turning and walking away, leaving Logan and Cecily standing there, the weight of his words hanging heavily in the air.

Cecily hurried after Scott, grabbing his arm gently to stop him once again. "Scott," she said softly, her voice trembling. He turned to face her, his expression hard but his eyes full of pain.

"You will be dead if you do this," she whispered, her words carrying an eerie finality. His gaze flickered with confusion and disbelief.

"I saw it," Cecily added, her voice barely audible. The weight of her words hung heavy between them, and for a moment, Scott just stared at her, his defenses faltering.

"You don't know that," Scott finally replied, his voice breaking, though doubt flickered in his eyes. Cecily held his gaze, her sorrow reflected in the silence between them.

"I do," she whispered, her voice heavy with grief. "I couldn't save him, or her, but I can try and save you. Please," her grip on his arm tightened, desperation leaking into every word. "I can't lose you too."

Scott looked at her, torn, his defenses cracking under the weight of her plea. But instead of answering, he simply looked away, the silence between them deeper than any words. For a moment, Cecily thought she'd reached him. But then, just as quickly, the wall went back up, and Scott pulled free, walking away without a word.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

That night, Cecily sat at her vanity, brushing her blonde hair and braiding it before bed. Her mind was elsewhere, tangled in worry. "I'm just so worried about Scott," she began, her voice soft. "He took Jean's death so hard. I mean, we all did, but he took it the worst." She paused, her hands stilling in her hair. "I just... I worry he'll never be the same again."

Turning back, she glanced at Logan, who was propped up against the headboard, his gaze fixed on her.

"You're not even listening," she said with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Of course I am," he replied, though the tilt of her head suggested she wasn't entirely convinced.

Cecily walked over to the bed, straddling him, hovering just above. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, his tone gentle.

Cecily hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Have you ever thought about leaving?" Her voice was soft but carried a weight that caught Logan's attention. He looked at her, his brow furrowed slightly in confusion.

"I want to leave," she continued, her words coming out slowly as if she'd been holding them in for too long. "Not forever, but for a while. I've spent so many years in this house, always fighting, always saving someone. I want to see places I've never been. I want to go somewhere where the world doesn't need saving."

Logan's expression softened. "Sounds like quite the dream," he said, his voice warm, though a trace of longing flickered in his eyes.

"Well," she added, her voice quieter now as she leaned in closer, brushing her lips lightly against his neck, "I was hoping you'd come with me." She nipped at his skin playfully, making him smirk as he pulled her closer.

"Obviously, I'd go with you," he murmured, the sound of her laughter against his neck making his smile widen. He tilted his head to look at her. "How about this? We do one more mission for the old man, and then we can go wherever you want."

Cecily's face lit up, her heart swelling at his words. "You mean it?" she asked, her voice full of hope, her fingers brushing through his hair.

He nodded, and her smile was the brightest he'd seen in a long time. "Thank you. Thank you!" she exclaimed, excitement bubbling up inside her as she pressed a quick kiss to his lips. She slid off him and lay down beside him.

"So," he asked, turning his head to face her, "where do you want to go first?"

She paused, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. "I want to see my mother," she admitted, her voice suddenly quieter, more vulnerable. "It's been so long... I can barely remember the last time I saw her."

Logan's gaze softened. "Okay," he said, his voice steady and full of promise. "We can do that."

Cecily leaned against him, her heart full, for the first time in ages feeling a sense of happiness and hope. She closed her eyes, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "Thank you," she whispered, finally allowing herself to imagine a future outside the constant chaos.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

In the middle of the night, Cecily stirred from her sleep, a strange unease pulling her from her slumber. She glanced over at Logan, who was sound asleep beside her, his steady breathing offering a momentary comfort. But it wasn't enough to shake the unsettling feeling gnawing at her. Quietly, she slipped out of bed, intent on getting a glass of water to clear her mind.

As soon as she stepped into the hallway, the familiar surroundings vanished. The world around her was consumed by a pitch-black void, an oppressive darkness that swallowed everything. No sound, no light—just an endless silence. Cecily's heart raced as she tentatively took a few steps forward, her eyes straining to pierce the impenetrable gloom.

In the distance, she spotted something. A figure. It was Scott, lying motionless on the ground, his body still, his face unnervingly pale. A jolt of terror shot through her, but something felt wrong, unreal. His features were blurred, distorted, as if she was seeing him through frosted glass, making him almost unrecognizable.

A voice suddenly cut through the silence—a woman's voice, calm yet chilling. "You tried to save him. But you can't save what was never yours to keep. You were always a shadow in his light, a reflection of what you could never be. The end is not the end, but a beginning you cannot see."

Cecily's breath quickened as she tried to move closer to Scott, desperate to understand, to reach him. But before she could, the voice echoed again, now from behind her. She spun around and found herself face to face with... herself. An eerie reflection with dark, unreadable eyes stared back at her.

"You know what's coming," the doppelgänger whispered, her voice dripping with unsettling certainty. "And you can't stop it."

A sudden barrage of images flashed through Cecily's mind—disjointed fragments she couldn't quite grasp, too fast and chaotic to make sense of. Panic surged through her, and she jolted awake, gasping for breath.

Disoriented, she found herself back in her room. Logan was still beside her, his sleep undisturbed. Trembling, Cecily threw off the covers and walked to the window, needing the cool night air to calm her racing heart.

Cecily stared out the window, the darkness outside reflecting the unsettling images that still clung to her thoughts. Her mind was lost in the remnants of the dream, her heart heavy with a lingering sense of unease. She barely noticed when a warm hand gently rested on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered, her voice carrying the tension that hadn't yet left her.

"It's okay," Logan murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head, her voice barely above a whisper. She tried to dismiss the dread curling in her chest, but the weight of it was hard to ignore.

Logan studied her closely, his gaze unwavering. He knew her too well to be fooled by her quiet deflection. "You sure?" he asked gently, his hand moving from her shoulder to her back, offering comfort but without pressing too hard.

For a moment, Cecily hesitated. Then, with a sigh, she leaned into his touch, craving a distraction from the turmoil. She turned to face him, pressing her lips against his, her hands sliding over his chest in a bid to escape the dark thoughts swirling inside her. Logan responded at first, tempted to give in to the comfort she sought, but something felt off. There was an urgency in her that didn't sit right with him.

"Cecily," he murmured, pulling back gently. She moved to close the distance again, but he caught her hands, holding them firmly in his.

"What's wrong?" he asked, searching her eyes. She couldn't hide the flicker of hurt that crossed her face, the rejection she wasn't expecting, but it was more than that. Beneath the surface, there was something deeper, something she wasn't ready to share.

"I'm going back to sleep," she said quietly, her voice distant. She turned away from him and headed back to the bed, her steps slow and heavy.

Logan watched her retreat, frustration and concern tightening in his chest. "Stubborn girl," he muttered under his breath, knowing there was more to her unease than she let on. But tonight, he wasn't going to push.