A/N - 

Hey everyone! Hope everyone is safe and well :)

I have some amazing news - I managed to get my storage back!!! It took a lot of fiddling around with my old laptop, think I might be a pro computer technician now ;)

Anyway, here is my first new update for you! I hope you enjoy :) This part of the story is set ten years after the previous part.

Stay safe :)

"Do any of you know who the first mutant was?"

Iris leant against the desk at the front of the room, looking out at a selection of blank faces. She laughed.

"I don't know if anyone does- not truly. Our species started showing signs of mutations much more frequently in this century than any other, although it is entirely possible that there were others prior to this."

"Miss?" A voice came from the back of the classroom, and Iris straightened up to see who it was.

"Yes, Anna?"

The young light-haired girl sat up, "How could these mutations have formed in earlier centuries when in some textbooks we're described as 'children of the atom'? Nuclear power didn't exist in previous centuries."

Iris nodded, "You are right, Anna. However, it's possible that there were other causes of mutations. In order to understand that, we'd have to meet the first mutant to ever exist. And I doubt that's likely." The class laughed quietly. She glanced down at her watch, "I'll let you all leave five minutes early. Don't tell the Professor."

"Like he would care," Jubilee muttered with a smile, and Iris rolled her eyes.

"We can always tighten up the rules if you want us to, Jubilee. You'll all be the ones complaining. Anyway, class dismissed."

The students were out of the room quickly, and Iris waited for a couple of minutes before leaving the classroom and closing the door behind her. She quickly descended the stairs and made her way down the brightly lit corridor towards Hank's lab.

"Hank?" She called out, "Are you in there?"

There was the sound of a bang followed by a groan, and Iris laughed, taking that as a yes as she walked in.

Hank looked up, rubbing the back of his head as he did so.

"Did you finish up class early?" He asked, putting the blowtorch in his hands down.

She nodded, walking towards the warplane that Hank had been lying underneath. It was quite an astonishing thing, and somehow gave the impression that their school was a cover-up for something else entirely. Which it wasn't. Charles, Iris, and Hank had re-opened the school together following the event ten years before with Erik and the sentinels. Mutants had become even more feared than before, and the three of them had decided the time was right to reopen their gates and allow mutant children to feel more comfortable in their own skin again.

"Does Charles know about this?" She asked hesitantly, gesturing to the warplane.

"I've never directly mentioned it," Hank muttered, avoiding her gaze, "But he can read minds. I've been building it for years. And it's huge, he can't really miss it. He knows."

"There's nothing wrong with it," Iris told him honestly, "We should be prepared in case something is to happen."

He nodded in agreement, "I wouldn't say we're anywhere near peace just yet, would you?"

Iris kept her mouth shut, unsure of what the right answer to that question was.

*

Iris stood at the edge of the basketball courts, her eyes skimming over the grounds. The school appeared to be a paradise on a day like this, where the sun streamed down and lit up not only the plants and trees but the faces of the students that went there.

"That's not fair!" Iris heard some laughter behind her and she spun around quickly.

"What's not fair, Danny?" She asked lightly. Danny- a young boy with the ability to stretch his arms and legs unnaturally far- pouted.

"Jubilee says that you're going on her team. It's not fair to have an adult on their team."

Iris laughed, picking up the basketball, "I'm young, Danny. Not old at all. Besides, if you can drop the ball in the hoop from across the court just by stretching your arm, I'd say your team has an advantage."

Danny groaned and stepped back, calling his team together. Jubilee cheered and gestured for Iris to join the rest of them.

"Why am I on this team again?" Iris asked, and Anna laughed.

"Have you not seen yourself run before? You're fast. Plus you're taller than the rest of us."

Iris frowned, "When have you ever seen me go running, Anna?"

The young girl tapped her nose with a wink, causing Iris to laugh again. Anna's ability was extremely enhanced sight- she could see objects a mile off.

"Are you ready yet?" Danny asked from the other side of the court, and the students around Iris nodded.

One of the younger students, Johnny, walked into the middle of the court, "Team captains! Come forwards. I'm going to throw the ball up."

Jubilee and Danny both walked towards the middle, eyeing each other cautiously. Iris was finding it difficult not to laugh- the students always took their competitive sports so seriously. She didn't know why she'd allowed herself to get dragged into the game anyway.

Johnny opened his mouth and a high-pitched whistle sounded. He threw the ball up, and Danny's arms were quick to reach up and snatch the ball.

The students didn't seem to be laughing anymore as they all ran across the court, finding the best place to pass the ball to each other. Iris watched in amusement as Danny tried to pass the ball to one of his team-mates and Jubilee snatched it from the air gracefully. However, Iris' amusement stopped very abruptly as Jubilee threw the ball towards her.

With a leap into the air, Iris managed to catch the ball. There were shouts from the other team, but she ignored them as she bounced the ball along the floor, passing it to Anna, who caught it from where she stood and threw it towards the hoop. It landed in, and she cheered loudly.

Soon enough, both teams had an equal score of 4 goals each. Danny's extended arms and Anna's ability to see further than the rest of them helped both teams almost equally. Iris had to admit to herself that she was having fun, and the others on her team seemed to love her being there.

"Miss. Miracle!" A young boy called Jamie shouted as he threw the ball towards her. She caught it quickly and began to run across the court. She could feel Danny's presence behind her, and she picked up the pace quickly.

"You won't catch me!" She laughed, throwing the ball towards the hoop. It landed in, and she raised her arms in the air in excitement.

"Yes!" Jubilee shouted from the other end of the court.

"Hey, Johnny!" Danny shouted, "How much time do we have left?"

Johnny started to speak – and then there was a scream.

Iris spun around, her heart racing. A young girl with long red hair was crouched on the floor with her head in her hands, and beside her was Charles. The two of them had just emerged from a taxi which had already driven away.

Iris caught Charles' eye and dropped the ball that she had just picked up.

"You guys carry on," She called out quickly as she sprinted towards the young girl.

All of the students appeared to have gone silent, staring at the new girl with interest.

Charles appeared to be trying to soothe the new student, but she was shaking her head violently.

"Hey," Iris dropped to her knees, "I know you're scared. I've been there before. So has the Professor. We can help you."

There was no reply, so Iris continued, "What's your name?"

The girl gulped, trying to control her breathing, "Jean. Jean Grey."

"Well, Jean," Iris whispered, "Shall we get you inside? Away from everyone else?"

There was a pause. Jean had her eyes screwed shut, but she slowly opened them and looked at Iris' face with watery eyes. After a moment, she nodded.

Iris reached out and helped Jean pull herself up, and the two began to walk towards the school with Charles just behind them.

The moment they were inside, Iris took Jean to Charles' study before rushing down to get her a glass of water.

The moment she was back, she sat down on the edge of the desk next to where Charles was. Discreetly, she reached out and squeezed his hand.

"Jean here has telepathic and telekinetic abilities." Charles told her, "They only surfaced a couple of years ago, but she's been finding it harder and harder to control them recently."

Jean raised her head and picked up the glass of water, "I thought... I thought I was going crazy at first. I knew mutants existed since the incident outside the White House, but when it happened to me I- I couldn't quite believe it. I knew that I wasn't alone in the world, but none of my friends or family had showed any type of ability like this."

She hesitated for a moment, "I can... All I can feel is other people's thoughts in my head. I want them out. I don't want to know people's secrets or fantasies. It's too much to deal with."

Charles leant forwards, "Jean... I understand exactly how you feel. When I first started to feel people's voices in my head... I was terrified. But now I've been able to control it. Once you learn control, you don't have to live with as many voices."

Jean's expression appeared to be hopeful, and Iris offered her a smile, "Both the Professor and I can help you. You can stay at this school for as long as you want. You have nothing to fear here. We all have abilities."

"What's yours?" Jean asked inquisitively, and Iris laughed, surprised by the young girls' forwardness.

"I can show people their best and worst memories," She smiled, "It doesn't sound like it would be difficult, but it's taken me a long time to control my power as well."

Jean studied her with a questioning glance, but Iris didn't go into her struggles of control. Instead, she stood up and smiled, "Should I show you to your room?"

The young girl picked up her rucksack and followed Iris out of the room, thanking Charles quickly as she left. She was silent all the way down the corridor, and Iris worried to herself about leaving the young girl alone when she seemed so fragile.

"I'll be okay," Jean muttered quietly when they reached the door.

"If you're sure..." Iris smiled, "You can come and find me or the Professor if there's anything you'll need. I can come and talk to you this evening about lessons and private sessions with the Professor and I. Is that alright?"

"Thank you," Jean opened the door and walked in slowly. Iris stepped away, deciding that it would be best to give the young girl some space.

When she returned to Charles' study, he was sitting by the window and watching the students play basketball.

"You seemed like you were enjoying yourself playing basketball with the students," Charles grinned playfully, and Iris rolled her eyes.

"Jubilee and Anna asked me to play with them. It was fun. I didn't realise how competitive they all were, especially Danny."

Charles chuckled lightly, "I wouldn't expect anything less from him. Was Jean alright?"

His eyes had darkened- something that worried Iris. When he normally went out to retrieve students, he was confident that they could be helped. Now, he didn't look so sure.

"I didn't ask. I was... I was worrying about her and of course she can read my mind, so she just told me she'll be fine. I decided to give her some alone time. I can imagine she's had enough of other people's voices in her head."

"Do you think we'll be able to help her?" Charles genuinely seemed to be questioning his own ability, something that caused Iris' expression to soften. She sat down on the edge of the desk next to him and reached out to touch his cheek gently, "Charles. We have been able to help everyone so far. You have. You've done an absolutely amazing job in helping everyone - including me - control their powers. You'll be able to help Jean. I believe in you. And I can help you, along with Hank."

Charles reached up and held onto her wrist, smiling softly, "Thank you."

Their gazes both turned to the students playing basketball, and Iris felt a swell of pride for what they'd managed to create – a safe haven for mutants, and a place where they could all be happy.

Every day she hoped that nothing would come to destroy it.