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  TO SAY CHARLES WAS angry was an understatement — he was livid. The team all stood around in his office as the man wheeled around in a panic. Olivia sat with her head down, her knee bouncing nervously. Peter stood next to her, a hand placed on her shoulder. "I take back what I said," He mumbled to her as the Professor groaned.

"Charles," Hank spoke up. "What are we gonna do?" His voice shook slightly and the pit in Olivia's stomach grew. "None of us are safe here with that task force. If we have to shut down the school again-"

"We won't," Charles interjected sternly. He let out a shaky sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. This is all my fault, Olivia thought bitterly. Charles's head snapped up towards her. "None of this is your fault, Olivia," He told her seriously. "Your father is simply doing this for money and publicity, nothing else."

As much as it stung, she knew it was true. It was all about the money, not his daughter. "I know. But, he's still my father. What if I just go and talk to him?"

"No!" Hank and Charles shouted at the same time.

Charles cleared his throat as his face turned red. "That's far too dangerous. I've already put you in one life-threatening situation, I will not put you into a second," He groaned, slamming a hand down on his desk. Olivia jumped. "I need to think. Hank, Raven, stay here. The rest of you out...please," His voice cracked softly.

Standing shakily, Olivia watched Charles with a frown. With his hand still on her shoulder, Peter led her out of the room along with the younger members of the X-Men. Once the door shut, Olivia let out a loud groan. "This is such bullshit!" She stomped her foot, ripping her shoulder away from Peter as she paced. "This is my dad, I should fix it."

"You heard what The Professor said," Jean said sadly. "We don't know what he would do to you if we sent you to him. Didn't you say that that Remy guy gave you that?" She pointed to Olivia's bandaged neck.

She huffed. "He caught me off guard. Next time, I'd be ready," From beside her, Peter laughed with a scoff. Olivia turned sharply to him. "What? Think I can't handle myself?" Her fingers sparked with golden energy.

"Believe me, I know you can," Peter defended, eyeing her hands cautiously. "But I know you, Olivia. As soon as you see your father you'll freeze up. That's when they get the jump on you."

Olivia's heart dropped. He was right and it pissed her off. Huffing, she crossed her arms. "So what? At least you all will be safe. He's only doing this to get to me and Charles. We leave, you won't get hurt."

Scott scoffed. "Olivia, I'm sorry but that is some bullshit," He pointed out. "Whether or not you or The Professor are here won't make a difference. Do you think they'll believe a bunch of mutants? They'll think we're hiding you and tear this place apart."

"Scott!" Jean scolded.

"No. He's right," Olivia sighed. She looked around at her concerned friends, the pit in her stomach growing larger. "I-" She choked. "I...I just need some time alone." She didn't wait for an answer. She ignored the worried stares of Jean and Peter, jogging off to her music room as quickly as she could and shutting the door behind her. Sighing, she slid down the door, wrapping her arms around her legs and placing her head in her knees. Why, after her life had gotten so good, did something have to happen to shatter it?

Angry and silent tears flowed down her cheeks as she shook with fury. She was in pain, the thought of having to save the students she loved so much from the authoritarian government despised them so just because her father couldn't live with the guilt of abandoning her was infuriating. Letting out a shaky sigh, Olivia moved to wipe her tears as she slowly stood up. She swallowed the lump in her throat and moved to her desk, where her guitar sat tucked behind. She knew it would be the only thing that could clear her mind and bring her comfort.

Sliding the case out, she knelt down and flicked up the clips, opening the case to reveal the yellow guitar inside. She could see her reflection in his shined body, she could see how dishevelled she looked, how much of a mess she was. Huffing, she looped her fingers around the neck and lifted it out of its case. Grabbing a cable, she headed to the back of the class, where her largest amp sat. Turning it on, she plugged in her guitar, listening to the hum of the speaker. She didn't turn the volume too high, she at least wanted to hear herself think.

Sitting ruffly on the top of a desk, Olivia propped the instrument on her knee and let her fingers play. She didn't notice until a few chords in that she was playing the song she had learned for her parents on her eleventh birthday — Here Comes the Sun, by the Beatles. She struggled to continue strumming as the tears returned, this time in full force. Her lip quivered as she tried to keep them at bay. A sob escaped her body as she continued to play, her fingers shaking with every note.

It wasn't until another sob racked her body that she couldn't play anymore. She pulled the plug from her guitar and quickly wrapped her arms around it. There was nothing else to hug, so she squeezed it tight, tears flowing freely down her now red cheeks. She didn't hear the door open but she could feel her guitar slide out from her arms and be replaced by a solid body. "Shh, shh. I'm here," Peter soothed her quietly. Olivia cried harder, squeezing his torso like her life depended on it. Peter stood there, rubbing her back and running his fingers through her hair, trying his best to ease her pain.

After a few minutes, there was a knock at the door. "Olivia, I- oh! I'm so sorry!" Olivia pulled away from Peter at the sound of Jubilee's voice.

Quickly wiping her tears, she looked over at the young girl who stood sheepishly in the doorway. "It's okay, Jubilee," Olivia nodded. "What is it?"

Jubilee smiled sadly. "The Professor wants to see you,"

Olivia dropped her head and slowly nodded. "I'll be right there," She could hear Jubilee's soft footsteps as she walked away. She searched the ground for her guitar, finding it neatly placed behind Peter's feet. She ignored his stare as she moved to grab it, walking it back over to the case and sliding back behind her desk. She paused at it, finding herself unable to move. A soft breeze indicated that Peter was next to her. "Peter..." She sighed, turning to him with red puffy eyes.

"Olivia, don't," He placed his hand up. "I know what you're going to say."

"No you don't!" She suddenly became defensive.

Peter chuckled softly with a shake of his head, a few pieces of his silver hair falling out of place. Olivia had an urge to move them back. He reached over and took one of her hands, clasping it between his. "You're going to apologize for something that isn't your fault," Olivia opened her mouth to respond but he quickly shut her up. "Nope! Don't even say it, young lady," He squeezed her hands lightly and let go, bouncing on his feet. "Come on. The Professor is waiting." He held his hand out of her to take and when she did so, his other hand quickly grasped the back of her neck and he sped off.

They were back in the office in a split second. As Peter let her go, she smacked his chest. "Peter!" She scolded. She didn't mind the running but without warning, it could be a little disarming. A small cough caught her attention. She snapped her head towards the sound, where Charles sat at his desk, Raven and Hank standing next to him. "Charles..." She breathed. He smiled sadly, opening his arms for a hug. She rushed to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders as the tears started once again. "I'm so sorry!" She cried. "This is all my fault!" She could hear Peter sigh from behind.

"It's okay, my dear," Charles soothed, rubbing circles on her back. "None of this was your doing,"

"Yeah, kiddo," Hank piped up. "You did nothing wrong."

Sniffling, Olivia pulled away from Charles and stood shakily. She wiped the fresh tears away ruffly, angrily. "How can you say that? How can any of you say that?!" She looked around at Peter, Hank, and Charles. "This is my father who's doing this so tell me why it isn't my fault!"

"Olivia," Raven stepped forward. "Listen. We're your family, not him. He abandoned you, he is not your dad," She made her way across the room and took Olivia's hands, holding them sternly, like a mother. "We are going to figure this out, we always do."

"That's right," Charles appeared at her side. "Always."

Olivia stared past Raven, breathing heavily. She nodded slowly. "Always..."

"That's right," Charles breathed with a smile. "Ever since you were abandoned here, I have never considered you just a student," Olivia knitted her eyebrows and looked at him — there were tears in Charles's eyes. Raven slowly let Olivia's hands drop as she stepped back.

"Then...what am I to you?" She asked nervously.

Charles then took her hands, holding them tightly. She could feel him shaking. "My daughter. You are my daughter."

Olivia dropped to her knees. It was all so much. The tears returned as she hugged Charles's legs and he placed a hand on his head as his tears fell. The room was silent, other than their sniffles. Hank had come over, placing a hand on Olivia's shoulder, causing her to look at him, eyes red and puffy. Hank's eyes were red as well, tears flowing down his cheeks. "Me too, kiddo. Me too."

AUTHORS NOTE
wow. what a place to end it, huh? I'm actually pretty happy with how this one turned out. Poor Liv is so emotional, the entire team is honestly. But yeah, I've always seen Hank and Charles as her adoptive dads in some way, so I thought I'd solidify it in words. Hope you enjoyed it!