Epilogue:

"If you don't hurry, we’re going to be stuck in traffic, Ekka," Lucas called at the bottom of the steps.

"I'm coming!" Ekka replied, pushing her suitcase down for the final time, zipping it up successfully. She grabbed it by the handle and raced down the steps, her long, box-braids twisting behind her.

Lucas leaned against the wall and smirked as she stepped down. "Look at you! My little baby's all grown up!" Ekka laughed ran up to Lucas, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was nearly as tall as him now --- she certainly inherited Mandla's height.

"Is that the last thing?" Adrian called from the front hallway. Ekka peaked around the corner and grinned at him.

"Yep! That's the last of it!" Adrian smiled and walked over. His hair had transitioned from a jet black to a more salt-and-pepper over the years. He claimed that it was because of all the stress she caused him.

Lucas, however, hadn't lost his blonde locks, although now it was cut short and he had a few bald spots --- but he always denied, and called it 'spots of potential sunshine'.

"Where's Cocoa?" Ekka asked, looking around. Cocoa was Brownie and Blanca’s baby they had a few years ago. It was a hard ordeal, a lot went into making sure the baby was stabilized, but in the end they had Cocoa, the new addition to their family. Brownie and Blanca had passed away a few years after that, so now it was just Cocoa and Ekka.

“I’ll be right back!” Lucas said, “Don’t go anywhere!” Then, he ran up the steps, taking them two at a time. For an old man, he didn't seem to lose his nimbleness.

“Cocoa’s in the backyard," Adrian said. "He tried to eat the table leg.” Ekka scoffed, shaking her head.

“I told him to stop doing that,” She said, and grabbed her suitcase to drag to the front. “He likes the taste of mahagony.”

“He has really expensive tastes then,” Adrian muttered and Ekka laughed. “Are you sure you have everything?”

“My room is completely cleaned out,” She promised. “You can check, if you want.”

“I trust you,” Adrian said as Ekka set her stuff beside everything else at the door. The several boxes labeled various things almost made her sad. Soon, they would either be put into storage or hung somewhere else, far from the home she had known for the past nine years.

“Okay!” Ekka turned and Lucas was speeding down the steps, a home-camera ready in his hand. It was bulky and a bit too comical, but Ekka didn’t really mind. He fiddled with it for a few minutes, before pointing it towards Ekka. “Now go!”

“And do what?” Ekka laughed, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at Lucas. “This isn’t a movie scene. I can’t just start acting on the spot.”

“No,” Lucas agreed, “But, this is college. You only get one college move day.”

Ekka shook her head, but smiled nevertheless. She made a grand motion to all of the boxes and suitcases. “Well, here. This is me, moving my junk from one room to another room. If you so desire to help me, then be my guest.” With that, Ekka turned and began to pick up boxes.

“This almost feels like a cheap way for you to get out of having to move stuff, Luc,” Adrian stated, crossing his arms. Ekka had the first box in her arms and awkwardly opened the door. Adrian was kind enough to have the car moved closer to the house, via the front yard, so that it would be quicker to move the boxes. Ekka left the door open, the late summer breeze felt good on her dark skin, and the occasional bird whistling made her smile.

“I am not!” Lucas argued innocently. “I just want to document this momentous occasion. Our daughter is leaving the house. I want to be able to look back on this later and smile.”

“Yah-huh?” Adrian said, unamused.

“Can you both stop arguing and help, please!?” Ekka snapped from the car. She made her way back to the house and picked up the next box.

“Yeah, Adrian,” Lucas scoffed, setting the camera down to help Ekka. “Stop taking home videos and help.”

“Shut up,” Adrian rolled his eyes, lightly shoving him, and Lucas burst out laughing.

~.•*•.~

It took a good hour in the sun, but they managed to get the car fully loaded. Ekka was rubbing Cocoa’s belly on the back porch as Lucas and Adrian prepared homemade snacks to take.

It would be a long drive to Howard University ― the only historically-black college to openly accept mutants and provide grants for those who applied and have proof that she was a mutant, which she did.

It was scary at first, she usually kept her mutation low and unseen by anyone else. Now here she was, able to do what used to be unimaginable. Ekka never thought she’d live to see eighteen, much less have a future where something like college was even an option.

Cocoa brought the ball back to Ekka and she rubbed with her remaining thumb, middle finger, and forefinger on her left hand, thinking deeply.

Where would she be if she was still in that cell, or in the circus? What would her life be like? Would she even be alive? Cocoa moaned, and pushed his head into Ekka’s legs. He always did this when he was impatient --- he was so spoilt.

Ekka smiled and threw the ball, Cocoa immediately running after it. Ekka didn’t expect it to stop in mid-air, along with Cocoa, mid-bound. Ekka looked around, confused. She had only seen this once before, when she was young.

Then, she saw Xavier moving along the paved side of the backyard and into her view. Ekka watched him, her eyes wide.

The near decade hadn’t treated him kindly. He was old ― as Ekka would expeect, and head properly shiny, free of any thought of hair. He still looked healthy, no sign of greying skin or dark bags under the eyes. He did, however, have a few wrinkles around his eyes, on his forehead, and around his face.

“Xavier,” Ekka said, surprised to see him here. She hadn’t heard much from the school since Blanca’s pregnancy, where she went there to seek Hank McCoy for a bit of advice. Even doing that was hard, but Hank helped in every way he could.

“You’ve grown very well,” He said, and Ekka bit her lip, not quite knowing what to say. For years, she resented this man, but now that he was before her, she wasn’t sure what to do. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks. . .” Ekka rubbed the back of her head, glancing at Cocoa, who was still frozen in time.

“Before you go off, I wanted to apologize.” Ekka rose an eyebrow, and he continued. “I. . . I wanted to help you, that was my main goal, and in doing so, I only hurt you. I’m sorry for all the grief and stress I might have caused you. I know this isn’t enough to redeem me of what I did to you, but I. . . I hope that you can find it in you somewhere to―”

“I forgive you,” Ekka said, looking away from him and at the blue sky above her. Even the clouds were halted in their places, as if waiting for her to finish all she had to say. “I resented you for a long time. You made me scared of myself, or at least, you enforced the fear of my mutation ― my own person ― into me. It. . . has garnered a lot of my actions, my mistakes in the past. But, I got over myself ― I got over you. I was a pain to deal with, I'm sure. You were trying to help, and I wasn't exactly giving you many options. I forced your hand. So, don’t apologize to me, Professor.”

Xavier and Ekka were quiet for a long time, neither really knowing what to say to the other. Xavier finally rolled over beside Ekka and looked up at the frozen clouds. “What are you going to study?”

“African diaspora and urban studies and affairs," Ekka said immediately. She had repeated it so many times in the past few years that it was almost habit.

Xavier nodded, clearly impressed. "You've grown so well," he said simply. "It was a mistake to keep you in that cell --- I can clearly see that. The world needs a mind like yours Ekka."

"I can thank you for it," Ekka said. "All that time I hated you --- I wanted to be better than you. So, I studied hard and worked for hours on end."

"I don't think it's appropriate to say 'you're welcome' for what I did," Xavier replied honestly and Ekka smiled. "I can't hold this up long, I have to go." Ekka nodded and Xavier rolled away, stopping just short of the door.

"Oh, and one last thing." Charles said and looked back at Ekka. "Hank says thank you for living happily. He is very proud of you." Ekka looked at him, confused for a minute, but then smiled softly, remembering her promise to the man.

Xavier left and time resumed itself. Cocoa jumped, catching the ball in mid air, and ran back to Ekka. Ekka took the ball and set it down, leaning over to shower Cocoa with rubs and kisses. She was going to miss this wacky bear-dog.

"Ekka! We're ready!" Lucas said from the door and she stood, throwing the ball one last time before turning to go to the door.

~.•*•.~

The car was packed, the snacks were ready, and it was time for Ekka to leave. Lucas wanted to drive, he did much better in city traffic than Adrian and Ekka.

Ekka slid into the backseat and put her seatbelt on. Nostalgia creeped into her, and she suddenly felt like a nine-year-old again, running from Xavier, her Father, or the school. Ekka remembered those days in the cell, the long seconds of just wasting away.

Ekka smiled. Look at her now! College-bound and ready to take on the world! She was going to make the world a better place for people like her!

Ekka was going to live happily, just like she promised Hank and Logan. She would make the most out of what she was given, and be grateful for it.

Lucas started the car, and they were off, heading towards D.C. where Ekka would begin a new chapter in her life.

And, Ekka was absolutely positive that this one was going to be brilliant.

~.•*•.~.•*•.~.•*•.~.•*•.~.•*•.~.•*•.~.•*•.~.•*•.~

My baby is done! Oh, man, it's been so long!! I can't believe it!

I want to write a few 'alternative ending' chapters, but I'll probably post them in my One Shots book, not here. (By the way, go check that book out and suggest things you would want me to write please, thank you!)

I don't want to say too much, I still have the acknowledgements to write, so I'll see y'all next time!

Don't melt~!
- Happyritas <OOO