THE BRUNETTE USHERED all the students to go back inside their rooms just as she tried to handle Jean's nightmare. Never had she felt like it before, the eternal burning. It was like she was set ablaze from the inside out. She could feel the anguish in her bones. She had seen Jean's dreams before, but it never went like this.

"Back to bed, please, my darling." the woman helped one of her students get inside. "Back to bed, please, everyone." She clapped her hands to get the others' attention.

"She's doing it again."

"Spitspot, back to bed now. Carrie Anne, come on, now. Back to bed." Charles urged the other students who peeked outside of their rooms, their curiosity piqued.

He nodded his head to Hank and he opened the wooden door, showing them a glimpse of what was happening inside. Jean was in bed, tossing her head back and forth as her breathing grew erratic. "I've never seen her like this."

"Well, I do. Eleanor and I do." Hank remarked. "We've seen her multiple times like this, only El can stop it."

Eleanor shut her eyes, feeling a strong headache from Jean's resistance. "But, I can't right now." She rubbed her temples. "Her mind's too strong to restrain."

"Don't let any of the children come this way." Charles instructed. He and Eleanor then approached her slowly, taking note of how the objects in her room trembled. It was as if she could melt her whole room instantly if it came to it. Eleanor winced at the images that flashed before her eyes. Screaming, death, just fire burning everywhere, turning every building and person into ashes --

"Jean."

Eleanor was overwhelmed with Jean's dreams, her hand reaching for the headboard to hold on. She was trying to reach the girl and pull her out. She was met with Jean's strong telepathic barrier that was resisting her. Glimpses of a world crumbling and being reborn met her vision, it was consuming her too.

"Jean!"

Still nothing.

"Jean!"

At that point, Eleanor placed her hand on Jean's cheek, her eyes emitting a bright red light as she finally reached the corner of her powerful mind. "I command you to wake up!" She ordered, her voice resonating across the room.

Jean gasped, startled and Eleanor collapsed on the side of the bed, catching her breath. She grasped the redhead's hand tight, running her thumb over her knuckles. "What happened, dear?"

"I saw the end of the world." Jean breathed, desperately. "I could feel all this death."

Charles reached over to Eleanor, taking her other hand while he tried to catch his breath as well. "No. It was just a dream."

"But, it felt real."

"I know," Charles said. "Your mind is the most powerful I've ever seen. It can convince itself -- "

"No, it's not just a mind reading or a telekinesis, it's something else." Jean glanced at Eleanor, fear evident in her eyes. "Some... dark power inside and it's growing, like-like a fire." She exhaled, her eyes now glassy. "I thought I was getting better."

Eleanor placed her hands on Jean's face. "You are. You will." She reassured. "You just have to be patient. It takes time."

"No, no." She persisted. "You don't know what it's like to be afraid to shut your eyes." Jean swallowed, looking down before turning to Charles. "To be trapped inside your own head."

The professor almost laughed, but instead gave a half-hearted smile. "Oh, but I think I do. It wasn't so long ago, that I was plagued by voices of myself. All their suffering. All their pain. Their secrets."

The redhead continued to maintain her breathing. Eleanor brushed the girl's hair back like a concerned mother would do to console her child. "I'm afraid one day I am going to hurt someone." admitted Jean, her lips trembling.

Eleanor released a soft sigh. "You aren't because you're not like that. I've seen your mind and your heart, my dear, and they only possess the purest intentions. I know it."

At this, Charles shifted in his chair, moving himself to sit by Jean's side. "Lie back." He said, gently. Jean looked at the both of them, her breathing now turning relaxed "Everyone fears that which they do not understand." as Charles reached out and stroked his thumb over her forehead. "You will learn to control your powers. And when you do, you'll have nothing to fear."

Eleanor then twirled her fingers, releasing a psionic energy to soothe the girl's nerves and soon she fell asleep, her mind now calm and secure. She pressed her fingers to her temples, rubbing them in circles.

"Are you alright, Ellie?" Charles asked as soon as they left her room.

"No," she confessed. "I'm not. While you may be right that her mind could convince itself, there was something different in her dream this time, Charles. It was almost like a vision of the future, it felt prophetic."

This then moved Hank to speak up about what he had found earlier. "In that case, I have something to show you both. Follow me."

The couple did as he told and went down to the sub-basement as they continued to talk about what Jean saw. "Her nightmares were different this time." Charles remarked, driving his wheelchair backwards.

"Well, it could have count for something I saw while I was in my lab earlier." expounded Hank even further. "There was some kind of tremor. Like an energy surge. I picked it up on one of my meters."

"You're saying that Jean created it."

"No, I'm saying something else did. Maybe she was reacting to it, I don't know." The scientist shrugged. "But, the epicenter was halfway around the world."

"Halfway around the world?" reconfirmed Charles, finally turning his wheelchair forward. Eleanor raised her eyebrow at this as she stared at her fiancé. What kind of epicenter would be halfway around the world? Her heart picked up speed as she realized something might be going on.

"Yeah. That's why I was hoping you could take a look."

Charles nodded, now facing the entrance of Cerebro. Eleanor would still find herself fascinated with the machine that amplified Charles' telepathic brain waves. She had already tried it thrice when they tried to find Erik before and it was a very responsive machine. It would sense whenever the telepath was inexperienced or afraid and it would react immediately. "Let's see what we can find."

"Welcome, Professor."

"The source came from Cairo." Hank said, settling himself in the control panel of Cerebro just as Eleanor handed Charles the silver helmet, watching it light up as soon as it was placed in his head. "I'll put in the coordinates."

The dome was soon filled with a blue light around them, hundreds of white figures coming into view as Charles' mind tried to find anything that would explain the tremor. The brunette crossed her arms in anticipation, waiting for a report from her fiancé. "Well, anything?" She asked.

His mind then zoomed in one person, the figure illuminating a blue light. A human. She raised her eyebrow, her curiosity piqued as to whoever it was since Charles had a small smile on his lips as if he recognized the person.

"What? What is it?" Hank questioned, crossing his arms.

Charles shook his head, still smiling. "It's her."

"Who?"

"Moira."

Eleanor furrowed her eyebrows, racking her brain to remember where she heard that name.

"What? Moira MacTaggert?"

Her fiancé hummed, confirming. The brunette stared at the ground, blinking. Her lips formed into an 'o' as she finally got a hold of who that was. Oh, she was that Moira MacTaggert.

"And give me the details?"

"Well, she looks amazing." Charles began describing, entranced. Hank glanced at Eleanor, observing her response. She displayed no emotion however much to his relief and concern. The brunette only narrowed her eyes at her fingernails as Charles continued. "She's barely aged a day and she's -- "

"Charles, I think Hank meant that differently, right?" finally interjected Eleanor, giving her friend a hard look. He nodded and began to ask. "Yeah. I mean, what is she doing there, Charles? What's the CIA doing with this?"

The professor blinked twice and shook his head as if he finally woke up from his trance. He swallowed, looking once at Eleanor who still had her eyebrow raised. "She's going back to Langley to deliver a report." He said before coming up to a next decision. "I'm going to go there, see if she knows something about the tremor."

Hank once again turned to Eleanor and she frowned at him. She didn't like the thoughts she was hearing right now. She wasn't jealous of whoever this Moira MacTaggert was, so why was Hank worried? She watched the godfather of her twins lower his tone down to a whisper. "You'll wind up seeing Moira."

Charles nodded. "I want to go check her out, check out... the situation." He looked up and his eyes widened as he did a double take on Eleanor like he suddenly remembered he had a fiancée who was standing beside him. He frantically shot his hand out to her waist and she almost snorted at the way he was acting. "I am so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I, uh, I may have displayed some," He sighed, finally removing the helmet from his head. "improper behavior."

The woman hummed. "So, Moira MacTaggert." She mused.

"It's like a ghost from the past." Charles then let out a loud breath and turned away, wheeling himself out of the dome. Hank followed them closely before excusing himself to proceed to the laboratory.

"Look, I'm sorry. Moira was a part of my past and I... I was just... surprised to see her again. I hope you do not think of me differently, love."

"Charles, I think you're forgetting that you're talking to a telepath like you." Eleanor deadpanned. "You don't have to explain anything further. So, you had some sort of history with her and Valerie? So, what then?" She put her hands in her hips.

"If... If you want, I can have Alex come with me so you'll feel assured -- "

Eleanor bursted into laughter.

"I couldn't care less about how many women you were with before me." The brunette rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Like I told you before, being faithful is a choice. It doesn't need to be imposed or even be reminded."

"I just don't want this to cause a rift -- "

"Why would I get jealous when I'm the one who's wearing the ring?" She raised her left hand, pointing to her ring finger. "So, it's okay, alright? I trust you."

"Thank you, love."

She did really trust him. Charles had proven himself that he could be. Yes, of course, he had flaws too as he was just a human being himself, but Eleanor understood and accepted that wholly.

Moreover, she just wasn't a jealous person because she knew it often led to fights and misunderstandings. It will only lead her to doubt the person she loves and damage the trust and respect between them. To be quite honest, there were a lot of women in Charles' life Eleanor could be jealous of. Valerie, Moira, the several women he spent the nights with during his university days. There were a lot, but because she trusted him, she didn't care about them.

And in all their time together, he hadn't given her a reason to be.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

They both winced when they heard screams inside their heads, eyes widening when they realized it came from the twins. They went upstairs immediately with Eleanor blasting the door to their children's room without any hesitation.

"I'm sorry, dad! I... I... couldn't stop it!"

Nathaniel immediately apologized as soon as they took in the destroyed bedroom. Everything had exploded into bits and pieces, leaving nothing. The couple shared a look before they looked around once again. It was the third time that it happened. Their children must've activated their destructive energy once again, but what was its catalyst this time?

Anastasia ran first to Charles, her eyes puffy and red from all her crying. "Daddy! I can't fix it! I can't fix it!" sobbed the little girl, shaking her head frantically. Her blue eyes were wild as she hugged him tight. She was utterly afraid like she had seen something terrifying.

Eleanor knelt down beside her daughter who was latched onto Charles, refusing to break away from him. Her fiancé rubbed Anastasia's back, hoping to soothe her. "What happened, my dear? What can't you fix?" The woman asked, brushing her daughter's hair back.

"The world."

"What?"

"We... we saw something." confessed Nathaniel, swallowing. He went over to Charles, desperate to explain. "Dad, it was horrible. The whole world was decimated and we... we were part of it."

Eleanor instantly noticed that their first go-to parent when they both had a problem was Charles, but she ignored that for now. She had to listen to what they were explaining. "What are you saying, Nathan?"

"I mean, we were part of its cause, mom. I saw Jean! She was there along with another person who I don't know. There was just too much death and destruction around."

"And I can't fix it! I tried, dad! But I can't!" cried Anastasia as she stared at Charles, her eyes brimming again with tears. "I don't like it! I don't like things that I can't repair!" She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She was glistening with sweat and she looked broken herself.

Anastasia was more connected to her emotions than Nathaniel since her powers came from her heart that always wanted to help heal or repair. Seeing her daughter in despair broke Eleanor's heart. "Ana," Charles soothed. "There are just some things you can't put back together, but it doesn't mean they're worthless."

"Well, can you use a broken plate again?" argued the young girl. "No right? You can't unbreak it, dad. So what do you do with it? You toss it in the trash bin."

"But, it can be turned into art." tried Eleanor. "Remember the art museum I brought you and your brother in a week ago? Didn't the artist use shattered plates and bowls to create his masterpieces?"

Anastasia looked down, considering what she said. "You see?" Eleanor tilted her head. "There's beauty in brokenness. There's strength in being broken." She smiled, calming the girl.

"But, mom, can I just insert this?" Nathan interjected, suddenly. "I might sound too forward in this, but the world is definitely ending. Ana and I saw it and it triggered the energy inside of us. Something -- no, someone is coming. I think it's best if we prepare ourselves for it."

Eleanor swallowed. There were only a few times her son would speak with such certainty and this was one of them. She wrung her hands together, trepidation rising up in her chest.

"What you saw right now," Charles started, reaching out to Nathan. "might just be your reactions to Jean's nightmare earlier. A late one, if I may add."

Nathan pursed his lips together, shaking his head. "Let's do hope so, dad. Because if it's true, I fear nothing will be left for us all. There will be no more earth for us to live in when it's finished."

━━━━━━━━

A LONG TENDRIL of red psionic energy swirled around the new student, guiding him to focus. Eleanor had been training Scott for the past hour since he got his new glasses from Hank. He was a bit frustrated with it since he couldn't manage his control. Charles had now gone to the CIA headquarters with Alex, hoping to intercept Moira before she reports her discoveries to Langley.

"This is hopeless. I'm never going to learn to control it." exasperated Scott, brushing his brown hair back.

"It's not hopeless," Eleanor closed her palm and retracted back all her energy waves. "You just don't believe in yourself. Do you believe in the saying what you feel, you attract?"

The boy nodded.

"Good. So, start believing in yourself. This is not hopeless, you are not hopeless, okay?" The fair woman then manipulated an apple and settled it on the top of her head. "Alright, Scotty, I want you to hit this apple."

"Do you have a death wish, professor? It's above your head."

"You can do it. I believe in you. Trust me, you won't hurt me."

Scott still hesitated.

"I can deflect it if you wish to be assured."

Eleanor watched Scott remove his glasses, apprehensively and with a soft breath, he opened his eyes, blasting the apple placed atop her head. Yet, due to the strong and unsteady force of his optic blast, his energy was almost her straight in the chest. Reflexively, Eleanor swiped her hand to the right and directed his blast away from her. She smiled in delight as she realized she was able to deflect it easily, but then a concrete falls beside them.

Eleanor's eyes widened as she realized they had hit a part of the mansion. "Wha-what happened?" Scott asked, shocked. "Did we just -- "

"Nothing!" shouted Eleanor, running to him to divert his attention. She laughed in an attempt to distract him. "You know, maybe we need a wider practice area." She shrugged and then pointed to the open space in the middle of the forest near the mansion. "Ooh, why don't we go over there?"

She would have to explain later to Charles why one of the statues lost a head. She hoped her kisses would be enough to ease his frustration.

A few minutes later, she and Scott decided to take a break to let him rest and because he wanted to talk to Jean. She smirked to herself. Teenagers.

Once inside, her eyes immediately landed on a blue-skinned mutant with a tail behind him. Eleanor then tilted her head to the side as she noticed a very familiar blonde talking to Hank. Her jaw dropped a little when the woman was revealed to be Raven.

She looked entirely the same Raven she last saw in 1973. Nothing had changed. "Raven, hi! My god, what are you doing here?"

Raven spun around, her eyes glinting with recognition. "Eleanor! Wow, you look... amazing." She said. "I was right when I thought I'd see you here. Where's Charles? Is he here?"

"He went somewhere."

"I see. Well, this is Crawler." She then introduced her companion, patting his shoulder.

"It is actually Nightcrawler, but my real name is Kurt Wagner." The other mutant bowed his head a little, extending his hand for a shake. "It is nice meeting you, ma'am. I am excited to learn all about your culture here."

"Why hello, Kurt!" beamed Eleanor, shaking his hand. "Welcome to our school and wow, sure, I can help you with that. I know a couple of students here who will be more than happy to show you around."

"Mom! Mom!"

Eleanor perked up at the faint voices of her children, coming in. The twins hugged her, turning to see who the new people were. Anastasia tilted her head, squinting her eyes. "She looks familiar." She remarked. "And you look cool." And then commented to Kurt, smiling sheepishly.

The brunette chuckled. "Nate, Ana, this is your aunt Raven and that is Kurt."

Raven blinked before realizing who the two were. "Wow." She chortled, shaking her head. "Never thought Charles would have children. Let alone twins."

Eleanor was about to answer back when two knocks at the door interrupted them. With much enthusiasm, she opened it, ready to greet whoever was behind it. But, then her eyes settled on a very familiar brunette with fair skin and hazel eyes.

"Valerie? My goodness, what are you doing here -- oh..."

Her eyes caught sight of a young boy who looked to be on the same age of her children with brown hair and bright blue eyes -- eyes that instantly remembered her of Charles. The child in front of her was almost like a carbon copy of him save for a few facial features that certainly came from Valerie.

Eleanor returned her gaze to Valerie who looked desperate. With lips trembling and eyes pleading so much, she uttered, "I need your help."

The brunette swallowed at that. Why did she feel that things would start to get more complicated after this?