The corridor was packed with students as they made their way to their next classes. Hank had got the hang of the new teaching timetable now – it had only taken him a few months, but he had stopped teaching completely the wrong lesson to the wrong students, or turning up at a lesson that Charles was teaching, so that was an improvement. He wondered how Iris had managed to stay so relaxed while teaching lessons, while he felt like he was constantly about to mess something up.

He heard a commotion near the stairs, and glanced up. He saw Jean snapping at a young boy with dark hair, wearing bandages over his eyes, and he was standing with...

"Alex Summers?" Hank called out, walking towards them with a grin.

Alex's face broke out into a smile when he saw him, "Hank McCoy! Whoa – what happened to the big blue furry you?"

Hank huffed out a laugh. It really had been a long time since they'd seen Alex.

"I keep it under control now."

Alex turned to gesture to who he was with, "This is my brother, Scott."

Hank raised an eyebrow, suddenly understanding why Alex was here, "Hey, Scott. I'm Hank McCoy. I'm one of the teachers here."

Scott nodded slightly, clearly quite disorientated with the bandages over his eyes. Alex rolled his eyes and turned to Hank, "Where's the Professor?"

"I'll take you to him," Hank smiled, leading Alex through the corridors.

"How's things been at the school, then?" Alex asked, "I'd thought Iris was helping you guys out, but I've seen she's been writing a lot of articles for the papers recently on mutants. I guess she's moved on from here?"

Hank nodded sadly, "She left a few months back. Don't... talk about it in front of Charles though. It's a touchy subject."

"Gotcha," Alex winked as they walked into a classroom, where Charles was sitting in the middle of a circle of students, reading an extract from a book.

"Now, what do you think the author meant when he wrote all that?" Charles asked as the students, closing the book slowly. Jubilee raised her hand excitedly, but when Charles spotted Hank, Alex and Scott he clapped his hands.

"That will be your assignment for tomorrow. Top marks everybody, class dismissed."

The students all started to filter out, and Charles exclaimed, "Alex! It's good to see you! It's been a while- you look well."

Alex grinned and leant down to pat Charles on the back, "You're not too bad yourself."

Charles thanked him, and Alex cleared his throat, "This is my brother, Scott."

"Hello, Scott," Charles' eyes twinkled, as they always did when a new student arrived at the school, "Welcome to the school for the gifted."

Scott muttered, "Yeah, it doesn't exactly feel like a gift."

Charles glanced away wistfully, "It never does at first."

Hank cleared his throat, "Shall we go outside and see what we're dealing with, then?"

The five of them trooped outside by the lake where there weren't as many students, apart from Jean who was practising archery nearby. Hank observed that her eye was on Scott.

"The first step in understanding one's power is learning the extent of it," Charles told Scott as they stopped next to the water, "Only then, can we begin the process of teaching you how to control it. If you do decide to stay, I can promise you that by the time you are done here you'll be able to go back into the world and live a stable life. Why don't you take your bandages off and we can have a look at what we're dealing with here?"

Scott reached for his bandages unsurely, and Hank reached out to line him up so that he was facing a tree.

"There's a target just across the water," Charles told Scott, "When you open your eyes, try and hit that."

After a pause, he spoke more softly, "You can open your eyes, Scott. There's nothing to be afraid of-"

Suddenly a bright red light emerged from Scott's eyes, causing everyone around him to duck away in surprise. Hank could hear the noise of the lasers hitting the target opposite, and then suddenly the light was gone.

He straightened up, removing his arm from across her eyes to inspect the damage. Scott hadn't just aimed for the target, but the whole tree as well. There was a smoking line running down the middle of it, and Hank could hear the noise of creaking wood.

"My grandfather planted that tree when he was five years old," Charles murmured, "I used to swing from the branches myself."

The creaking noise increased in amplitude and they all watched in shock as the tree split in half entirely and landed to the floor with a crash.

"I think that was my favourite tree."

Hank began to laugh in surprise as Scott muttered, "Does this mean I'm expelled?"

"On the contrary," Charles turned to face him, "You're enrolled."

*

The house shook.

Charles was out of his study the moment he felt it, moving down the corridor towards the source of the noise. He could see the students congregating in the corridor, and he only had to see their whispering and whimpers to understand that Jean was dreaming again.

"Back to bed, please," He told them quickly as he approached Jean's door.

Hank was standing by the doorframe, and he glanced up at Charles.

"She's doing it again."

Charles paused for a moment, glancing up at the bubbling wallpaper above the bed. Jean was tossing and turning, breathing as if she was trapped somewhere that she couldn't get away from.

"Don't let any of the children come this way," Charles told Hank quickly, and he made his way over to Jean quickly.

"Jean-" Charles began to say gently, before he was cut off by a cry of pain. Whatever Jean's nightmare was, he could feel it inside his own head. It was agony.

Fire. Flames. Destruction- all of it tainted red. He saw the glimpse of an unfamiliar face for only a moment before he saw bridges falling, buildings collapsing-

"Jean!" Charles' voice cut through it all, and as quickly as Jean awoke, the images faded away. He caught his breath, and Jean sat up, her eyes wide with fear.

"I saw the end of the world. I could feel all this death."

"Jean," Charles gulped, "It was just a dream."

"It felt real," Jean whispered.

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

"No." Jean cut him off in frustration, "It's not just the mind reading or the telekinesis. It's something else. Some... dark power inside, and it's growing, like a fire. I thought I was getting better."

"You are- you will," Charles whispered, "You just have to be patient."

"No, no. You don't know how it feels to be afraid to shut your eyes, to be trapped inside your own head." Jean's breath was shaky.

"Oh, but I think I do," Charles smiled sadly, "It wasn't so long ago that I was plagued by voices myself. All their suffering, all their pain. Their secrets."

"I'm afraid one day I'm going to hurt someone," Jean murmured.

Her words remind Charles of Iris, but he tried not to think of her. Instead, he told her to lie back.

"Everyone fears that which they do not understand. You will learn to control your powers. And when you do, you'll have nothing to fear." He told her gently, holding his hand to her head to help her fall back to sleep. Hopefully, she'd be out until the morning. He watched her to ensure she was alright for a few minutes before leaving her room and closing the door gently behind him.

Despite his calming words to Jean, something didn't sit right with Charles as he made his way downstairs. If he was honest with himself, he was worried about Jean's abilities. He sensed that something was coming, although he wasn't sure what. He just wanted her to be safe.

*

The streets were dark as Iris walked back to the hotel room she'd booked for the night, and she couldn't help but feel slightly on edge as she rounded the corner onto the next block. A small knife appeared in her hand, and she clutched it tightly, just in case.

She didn't often stay at the same hotel for very long. Her journalism had kept her travelling a fair amount across states to interview mutants and write positive stories from their perspective, or stories about the oppression they'd faced from others. It was exhausting, always travelling, but she didn't mind. She was doing the right thing by writing these articles. Steven had told her to keep them coming, so she had.

She stayed at a variety of hotels across the country, always leaving an array of objects left behind in the room from her practising using her abilities.

She'd grown better at controlling her ability, although some days were better than others. If her emotions were running high, she felt as though she was on the edge of bursting into flames. In general, though, she felt like she'd really gained control of her powers over the last few months. She didn't feel as afraid of herself as she had before. The distraction of the journalism had certainly helped that, but she had to admit that she was happy. She hadn't been sure to start with if she'd made the right decision leaving Charles and the school, but as time had passed she knew she felt better for it.

Iris slipped the knife into her pocket as she entered the hotel lobby. She was staying in a small hotel in the north of the city, and it was nice to be back there after travelling around so much over the last few months.

She let herself into her room and threw her bag down onto the bed, emptying the contents. She flicked through her notebook at the notes she'd made on the mutant she'd been looking into that evening. They were enough for the article that Steven wanted her to have for him by the end of the next day. She glanced at the clock. It was late, she ought to get some sleep so she'd be fresh to write the next day –

Her phone rang.

She frowned – who would be ringing her at this hour? She hesitated before answering it, but decided to pick it up.

"Hello?"

There was a pause, "Hey, Iris, I hope I didn't wake you."

Hank. She sat bolt upright.

"No, I was awake anyway. Is everything okay?"

Hank cleared his throat, "It's, well... I picked up something strange earlier. A tremor, caused by an energy surge. It was in Cairo. But, when it happened, Jean seemed to react to it. She had a really vivid nightmare and woke the rest of the kids up. Charles is with her now. I just... I have a feeling something's coming. And you told me to ring you, if something happened."

Iris nodded, "I did tell you that. Do you want me to come to the mansion?"

"You don't have to," He murmured, "But we're worried about Jean. And if something's going to happen..." He trailed off.

"I'll come tonight," Iris whispered, "I can help Jean."

"Are you sure?" Hank asked nervously.

Iris replied breezily, "Yes, I'm sure. I'll see you soon."

She hung up and hurriedly started to pack her things. She was worried about Jean – she knew how upset Jean got when she felt like she was losing control. She wanted to be there for her.

She wondered what Hank could mean when he said he felt like something was coming...

She didn't pause long enough to think about it for too long, and carried on throwing her things into a bag. She didn't want to think – not right now. There were too many complicated thoughts to consider – she just needed to go. She was doing this for Jean. She was helping out Hank. They were the only reasons she was going back. She wasn't going to stick around, she told herself.

She really wasn't.

*

When Iris' cab pulled up outside the school, a strange feeling passed through her. She wasn't sure what it was. She didn't know how she felt about being back here. It was strange.

She'd been able to make it to the school in good time, considering how late and last minute Hank's call had been. She'd been lucky to find a cab in the street who'd been able to take her there. She paid him extra as she got out of the cab, feeling guilty about how late it was, and how far out of the city she'd taken him.

As she walked up the driveway and pushed open the door to the school, she felt uneasy. This place had been her home for ten years, and yet... she felt like she was intruding, somehow. She wondered if Hank had told Charles that he'd called her.

When she stepped inside, it was dark and completely silent. At least the children were asleep, so they wouldn't bombard her with questions right now. She dropped her bag by the front door and made her way downstairs – she assumed Hank would be downstairs, as he always was.

When she emerged from the lift, she could hear Hank's voice. He was muttering quietly about something, but she couldn't catch quite what it was. She approached the lab door hesitantly, and knocked it gently before stepping in.

Hank was sitting at his desk as he spoke, but he stood up when he saw Iris, his previous sentence seemingly forgotten. He glanced at Iris, and then his gaze fell somewhere else.

Charles.

He was gazing up at Iris in surprise, his blue eyes wide. His mouth was moving, but no words were coming out.

No, she thought to herself, Hank did not tell Charles I was coming.

"Iris –," Charles finally managed to say, and hearing his voice say her name undid something inside her slightly. She felt her eyes sting as they locked with his.

"Hey," She managed to say at last, her voice quiet, "Hank rang me. He said that Jean was having a nightmare, and that something else had happened too..."

"Yes," Hank spoke up, keen to have something to say - although for a few seconds, his voice wasn't enough to stop the eye contact between Iris and Charles.

Finally, she looked away.

"What happened, then?" She asked Hank.

"We detected a disturbance in Cairo. Charles used Cerebro to see what was going on, and we saw Moira there – Moira MacTaggert."

Iris' eyes widened, "Moira? What was she doing there? What does it have to do with her?"

Hank shook his head, "We... we don't know. Charles is going to go to Langley, to see if she knows what caused the tremor."

"How are you going to speak to her? She doesn't even remember you," She looked at Charles, who's eyes had been on Iris while she wasn't looking. He dropped his gaze sharply.

"I'll find a way. I'll go in the morning, I'm going to ask Alex to come with me."

Iris frowned, "Alex? Do you mean Alex Summers? How much have I missed?"

Hank's mouth quirked up at the corner, "Really not that much, until the last week or so. Alex's brother, Scott, is here with us at the moment."

Iris felt herself smile, and she wondered if Scott's personality was one to match Alex's. If so, they were in for a treat.

"I'm going to go and get some sleep," Hank cleared his throat suddenly, "I'll see you in the morning."

Before Iris or Charles could even open their mouths to object at him leaving them alone in a room together, he was gone. There was a moment of silence.

Iris broke it first.

"Is Jean alright?"

Charles shook his head, "I don't know. This nightmare was like nothing I've ever seen before. She was so terrified. I tried to tell her it'd be alright, but I don't know how much she believed me, considering I was struggling to believe it myself. Something felt so wrong. She's going to be glad to see you, though. She... missed you."

Iris dropped her gaze, not wanting Charles to see the tears in her eyes.

"How have you been?" He asked quietly, "I've seen your articles. They're great."

She shrugged her shoulders, "Thank you. I'm okay. I've enjoyed writing. How's the school been?"

"As crazy as ever. But we've managed."

"Jessica?"

Charles nodded, "She's doing great, actually. Her coming here was the best thing that could have happened to her."

"I'm glad." Iris' voice was so quiet, she was surprised Charles could hear her. She looked up at him again, and the sight of his face - right there in front of her - made her want to cry. She hadn't thought she'd missed him, not after all this time. She'd been lying to herself. She'd missed him so much, it felt like a hole had been ripped out of her chest.

She couldn't tell him that, though. She'd hurt him, by leaving. She'd made the right decision for herself, and for his protection – but it had still hurt him. She felt torn in two. She didn't know how to be around him anymore.

She'd messed everything up.

"You should get to sleep," was all Iris could bring herself to say to him, "I'll help Hank look after the school while you're away. If you don't mind."

"I'd appreciate that," Charles' voice was gentle, "You should get some sleep too, Iris."

The sound of her name on his lips was too much. She was falling to pieces, bit by bit.

She couldn't even comprehend the thought of going to sleep now. What was the expectation now? For her to return to Charles' room as though nothing had ever happened? She didn't think she could do it. She felt too confused.

"I've got an article due tomorrow afternoon," She shook her head, "I've not started writing it yet. I'll make a start now."

She made a move to sit down at the computer in the lab, and Charles understood. He began to make a move towards the door, and as he did his hand involuntarily almost brushed hers. She felt the electricity jump between their skin.

"Iris," Charles whispered, his gaze intense. He looked like he wanted to say something important, but all he said was, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Charles."