"Holy crap! A'Cadia lives here?" Mellissa called out from the backseat as they pulled up in front of the huge mansion.

"You are lucky Storm took her car, Mellissa, or she'd be telling you to fork over a dollar," Ziva told her from the front seat as she stared at the house that rivaled the size of Xavier's school. She'd already known from Stevie's little investigation into A'Cadia when she'd come to the school that the other girl had a major amount of cash, but this was a shocker. The house was a friggin' castle. Next time she'd ask Booger Boy for a little more information. She parked in the circular drive behind A'Cadia's little Spyder, and they piled out of the car.

Angela was staring opened mouthed up at the mansion. "I could probably dance down the hallways without hittin' a wall!" she said in awe.

"Come on everyone, let's get inside, and get settled in," A'Cadia called out.

Logan scowled at her. "Why'd you bring us here?"

She sighed. "She's on a girlie trip with her friends, Logan, she isn't here." That seemed to cheer him; he gave a curt nod and shouldered his bag, heading for the steps up to the front door.

It took a bit to get everyone settled. They all seemed good with the rooms she'd assigned them, except Storm who didn't seem comfortable no matter where she was. She'd been feeling somewhat under the weather all morning. As the morning passed she seemed to feel worse and by the time she unpacked, she was miserable. Her nose was stuffed and she was coughing. Every time she sneezed lighting flared around the room. Ziva was the only one who could safely enter the room without getting fried.

Ziva kicked the door shut behind her and moved to where Storm lay in the bed, a box of kleenex clutched to her chest. "Logan wants to know if you think this has anything to do with something called Legacy."

Storm groaned, sniffled, and jammed a piece of kleenex against her dripping nose. "Lord I hope not. I'm praying it's just some sort of flu virus that mutants are susceptible to."

"I'll let him know." She set a box of crackers and a glass of orange juice on the nightstand. "In case you want a little something. Mellissa wanted me to bring you whip cream but I talked her out of it."

"Thanks, Ziva." She sneezed and lighting zinged around the room, charring the wallpaper.

"I'll let you rest." She turned and left the room.

A'Cadia had just settled herself on the sofa in one of the many rooms downstairs with a magazine when she heard the distinct click of heels on the highly polished marble of the foyer. She froze mid-page-flip and set her magazine down, stood and crossed the room to the door, leaned out, and stared down the hall toward the front door with a frown.

She watched her mother as she clicked her way down the hallway toward her. "Damn."

Stone looked up at her from where he lay on one of the couches watching TV. "What's wrong?"

She looked over her shoulder at him. "My mom's home. She wasn't supposed to be here."

"Pru, dear what are you doing home? Aren't you supposed to be at that school?"

Her mother didn't simply say school, no because it was a school meant for mutants it was that school. It had been stupid to inform her mother she was going back to school. Like a fool, she'd believed her mother would be happy she'd stopped wandering and was beginning to take things seriously. Instead, she sneered and made nasty little comments. She turned back to face her mother, the last person in the world she wanted to see right now.

"How many times have I told you not to call me Pru? My name is A'Cadia now."

"Sweetie, it's the name I gave you and I will continue to call you by it."

Instead of responding to her mother's comment, she moved on. "Yes, Mom, I am supposed to be there but there were a couple of problems and we couldn't stay at the school. I thought you were at some sort of spa weekend?"

Her mother waved a hand around in the air. "Bunny had a bad reaction to one of the treatments, her face swelled up horribly. We had to end the trip early, you know, so she could go to the doctor. Should have seen it, she looked like a giant marshmallow. Poor thing I bet she's going to have to have her plastic surgery done all over again. Such a shame."

A'Cadia doubted her mother thought it was a shame, by the tone of her voice it sounded as if her mother delighted in the fact that her 'friend' was going to have to pay to have the surgery again. She saw the exact moment her mother's eye lit upon Stone where he lay watching TV.

"And who exactly is this young man?"

Stone stood and walked over to her, smiling. "Stone Covington, ma'am, I go to school with A'Cadia.

Her mother's pinched; sour look was exactly the look A'Cadia expected from the woman. Her eyes shifted from Stone to A'Cadia. "He goes to your school?"

She gave a tired sigh. "Yes, Mother, he goes to school with me."

"That means he's like you? He's one of you?"

"Yes, he's a mutant." She was getting a little tired of her mother refusing to acknowledge the fact that she was a mutant. From the second her mother had found out what she was, the woman bemoaned the fact that she'd given birth to a mutant and she despised Logan for not telling her what he was. Not that A'Cadia had known it was Logan she despised since her mother never mentioned her father by name.

Her mother's eyes went back to Stone with a frown. "Covington ... is that like ..."

Stone heaved out a sigh. "Yes, ma'am, my father is Senator Covington."

A'Cadia sighed. "So, there's something I need to tell you ..."

Her mother rolled her eyes and waved a hand at her. A second passed before her nose wrinkled up as she eyed Stone before turning back to A'Cadia. "Would you like to tell me exactly how many of your fellow students are here?"

A'Cadia hesitated a moment before answering, "A few."

"How many is a few?" her mother asked stiffly.

"A'Cadia there's no beer. Doesn't your mother drink beer? Honestly, would it kill the woman to put beer in her snobby fridge?" Logan froze when he saw the object of his tirade standing in the room. He cursed quietly. "Hello, Claudia."

A'Cadia watched warily as her parents stared at one another. Her mother folded her arms over her silk-clad chest and tapped a Jimmy Choo covered toe. "Hello there, Logan. What are you doing in my house?"

It was probably in her best interest not to point out to her mother that technically it was her home, after all, her grandfather had left everything to her in his will. Grandpa William had been extremely disappointed in his daughter. He'd believed A'Cadia was special and doted on her. When he passed away she was devastated and stunned when he left her his entire fortune and left her mother a tiny monthly allowance. An allowance that A'Cadia was in charge of dolling out each month. It went without saying that her mother wasn't pleased with the arrangement.

"I'm waiting for an answer, Logan." Claudia was still tapping her foot.

Her father shot her a look and she shrugged. With a deep sigh, he looked back at her mother. "We didn't have a choice, believe me, Claudia, I wouldn't be here otherwise. The school is off-limits to us right now. Don't you watch the news?"

"I try to avoid the news, it's usually depressing, and depressing things give me wrinkles."

And God forbid her mother might end up with a wrinkle, A'Cadia thought with an eye roll. "Look, Mom, we need to stay here for a little while, you'll have to live with it. All right? It isn't like you have a choice, you can't toss them out." It was a small subtle reminder to her mother who owned the house.

Claudia opened her mouth to snap a retort, but A'Cadia shot her a meaningful look. Her mouth snapped shut and after a moment she nodded. "Fine, they can stay," she replied before she turned and stomped away, heels clicking quickly over the tile.

"Well that went well," Logan grumbled.

"Your mom's a gem, sweetie, glad I met her," Stone said sunnily as he headed back over to the TV.

A'Cadia shrugged. "She won't throw us out. Trust me, she can't. The house is technically mine. Grandpa William left everything to me. It's in trust until I turn twenty-one, but it's still mine."

Logan grinned at her, turned and sauntered toward the front door. "I knew I liked that old guy for a reason. I'm going out for some beer."

She smiled at his back as she shook her head. "Yeah, Grandpa always liked you too," she shouted.

Stone smiled as A'Cadia sat down and picked up her magazine. "Your grandpa liked Logan?"

She nodded. "Yeah, though he never told my mom that. I think he would have rather she married Logan than the stuffed shirt she ended up with, but he never said it out loud. He told me once that my mom was more fun when my dad was around. He said that she laughed more and she didn't act like such a snob. It was probably nicer to have her around when she wasn't like she is now."

Stone caught the wistful tone of her voice. She could use a little acceptance from her mom. At least her grandfather had accepted her. He pushed aside thoughts of A'Cadia and her mother for the moment.

"We need to figure out how to get to Lenny and stop him."

She looked at him. "Yeah, we do."

***

Lenny patted at the desk. Much nicer than the one at the office building. Older. More prestigious. He lifted his head and looked around the oval office. He was important now. Much more important than Craig De Leroy could ever be.

"Lenny?"

"Not now, Brittney, I'm busy."

She stared at him. "Having an affair with the desk?"

"Not funny. It's an important desk. Filled with history. You wouldn't understand!" he snapped.

She rolled her eyes. "It's a desk!" She poked at it. "A hunk of wood, what's so important about it?"

He patted it again. "Do you know how many presidents have sat in this office? How many important decisions have been made here? This is history, you fool! And now, I'm making history. Right here. A mutant president. I will be part of history." He smoothed his hand across the desk with a sunny smile.

"Oh, fine whatever you say, Lenny. If you think it's important. I'd rather have a new pair of sparkly shoes or a dress. But if you want this moldy old desk, whatever flips your pancake."

"It's not moldy! Get out of my office!"

Brittney stuck her tongue out at him, turned around, and left the office while Lenny pulled out a bottle of high-end furniture polish and began polishing the desk. No Pledge for this desk.

The two-way radio on the corner of his desk crackled and he listened as the voice of one of his mutants spoke. "Lenny, sir?"

He picked up the radio. "Yes, what is it?"

"The man from the catering company is here for his meeting with you."

"Oh, good let him in!" Lenny was giddy about the upcoming party he was planning for his little inauguration ball. It was going to be the party of the century. When he took his throne, it was going to be with style. He rubbed his hands together and put away the furniture polish in preparation to meet with the caterer.

Another crackle from the radio had him sighing. "Yes, what is it?"

"Nixon is loose again, sir."

He cursed. That damn dog was going to kill someone one day. Of all the guard dogs, that one was the most dangerous. The thing was out of control, totally insane. He was certain the damn thing needed medication, like Prozac or something. Why the Secret Service kept him around was anyone's guess.

"Well, catch the damn thing before it goes off-grid and kills someone! Do I have to tell you people how to do everything?"

"We'll find him, sir!"

Lenny hoped they found the insane canine. He didn't want that damn dog eating one of his mutants. He couldn't afford to lose anyone. Well, if he lost one of the Secret Service men, so be it. They only followed him out of fear anyway. He grinned as one of his men led the smiling caterer in the room.

"Ahh good to see you again! Let's get started, shall we?" He gestured to a seat before his desk.

The man took a seat, opened a case, and began pulling out brochures with pictures of food on them. Lenny grinned and rubbed his hands together.

***

Angela stared up at the lady sitting at the table in the kitchen. "You're old, do you know that?"

"And you are rude. Who are you?" Claudia stared down at the little girl in the bright pink tutu.

"I'm Angela. Who are you?"

"I live here, this is my home. My daughter and I live here, not you people."

"Ooooh, you don't look like her at all. She's prettier. You're old and wrinkly like Yoda! How did you get all wrinkly?"Anglea poked at her arm.

"I don't have wrinkles! And who is Yoda, does he teach at your school?" Claudia asked in confusion.

Angela gasped in a loud and dramatic fashion. "How can you not know who Yoda is?"

Claudia scowled at her, realized it might give her a wrinkle, and stopped immediately. "Because I do not like to associate with you people."

Angela giggled. "He's not a mutant, silly! He's a movie character!"

"I do not watch movies, either. Now go away and leave me alone." Claudia turned away from her and tried to concentrate on her coffee and tabloid. Angela danced around to stand in front of her, smiling brightly.

"Whatcha doing?"

Claudia glared at her. "Trying to enjoy my coffee in peace."

"Oh. Can I have some?"

"No, you cannot. You are a child. Don't you have something else to do?"

Angela shook her head and climbed up onto a chair at the table as Craig walked into the room. She immediately refocused her attention on him. "Craig, I'm hungry."

"Morning, Angela. I'll make you something to eat. Good morning, Mrs.
Klaue."

Claudia stiffened. "Do not ever call me that again, young man. My name is Mrs. Wellington. Why my daughter chooses to call herself by that odious name I will never know, but it is not my name!" She rose and stalked from the room taking her coffee mug and paper with her.

Craig looked aghast. "I didn't know! How was I supposed to know?"

Angela shrugged. "I don't know I'm six. Can I have breakfast now?"

He nodded and began making breakfast as the others started wandering into the room. Craig was still moving around the kitchen cooking when A'Cadia wandered in. Craig turned on her, frowning. "It might have been nice to know that your last name is different than your mother's, thanks for that."

A'Cadia blinked at him and then frowned back. "I didn't think it was important. Sorry."

"Yeah, well, she was a little angry when I referred to her as Mrs. Klaue when I greeted her."

She laughed. "Oh, now I would have paid to see that!"

"It wasn't funny, A'Cadia! She was upset!"

"Sorry, we don't get along. She doesn't exactly like mutants, so I stopped using the Wellington last name a long time ago. I began using Klaue because it means claw in German. I just thought it was cool."

Logan grinned and gave her a small slap on the back. "I like it, maybe I should change my name, be Logan Klaue."

She giggled. "I don't think so, Wolverine suits you much better."

He shrugged. "It's still an idea." He filled a mug with coffee and took a seat at the table."You better not be making happy cakes, kid."

"Bacon and eggs," Craig told him.

Before long, Craig had food on the table and everyone was eating while they talked strategy. They discussed things they might need to go after Lenny. Stevie was tapping away at his iPad, smiling like the tiny loon he was. It was obvious he was up to something and he was working on a plan. No one wanted to ask him what he was up to, not now, they'd wait until he was ready to reveal his plan on his own.

They were in the middle of discussing strategy when Booger Boy finally looked up with a wide grin. "Vincenzo says Lenny is planning a huge ball for his inauguration, he knows the guy who runs the catering company Lenny is using. He can get us a van and paint it to look exactly like the ones the catering company uses. He also knows what their uniforms look like, but he isn't sure how he can get uniforms, the guy he uses is ... otherwise employed by the state at the moment."

Ziva's brows rose. "Meaning, what exactly?"

Stevie pushed out a heavy sigh. "He's incarcerated, all right, it was a bum rap. Vincenzo's lawyers are fighting it. Look, we need uniforms or this plan won't work."

Angela bounced in her seat and flung a hand in the air. "My tutu lady Laura can do the uniforms! Tell him to email me a picture and I'll have her on it ASAP!"

With a grin, he tapped at his iPad, after a moment he looked up at her. "Got it, should be in your inbox!"

Angela scrambled out of her chair and dashed out of the kitchen. "I'm on it!"

Ziva sighed. "Great, now we have underworld connections on our side. I feel epic important."

"Don't call Vincenzo that!" Stevie said with a scowl. "Okay, ignoring Ziva's ignorant comment and moving on ... he and the guys will be here tomorrow afternoon with the van. Hopefully, Angela will get the uniforms quickly. After that, we head to Washington and go after Lenny at the White House."

"Sounds like a plan," Logan told them as he sat back in his chair.

"It isn't going to be easy, Lenny is going to have his mutants around him and probably the Secret Service as well," Stone told them.

"We didn't think it was going to be easy, but we're going to do it anyway because it's the right thing to do," Ziva told him quietly. "We need to stop him."

There were nods all around.