Hiya, been a while. I'd apologize for the long wait, but that doesn't excuse me for prolonging the update. Truth be told, I had a bit of a writers block with IRL getting in the way, but have regained my flow as of late and trying to write more every day for a while now, in the hopes of fixing my rather flimsy schedule (its actually working btw) so it doesn't take this long.

Anywho, enjoy da ting

(Edit - Some of you pointed out a few unfinished sentences I forgot to double check before I posted, think it should be cleared up by now)

"Well, that was quite an interesting development." The Ancient One remarked gleefully as we entered my quarters.

"I'm glad you got a kick out of it, Master," I said sarcastically, closing the door with a wave of my hand. "I, on the other hand, can't say I enjoyed it, and am glad this day can end on a high note rather than a disaster."

"Speaking of which, are you positive you don't want me to heal your arm?" The Ancient One inquired. "It wouldn't take longer than two seconds if that's what you're worried about."

"No need, Master, I'm fine now," I replied with reassurance, taking a moment to check the holographic display of Earth on my desk if anything happened while we were away. "Jean helped me patch it up the second we got here, or should I say, didn't give me much of a choice in the first place. If I refused, I doubt I would've been able to convince her to get some rest without being filled with guilt after what happened. I'm the last thing she should be concerning herself over."

"Ah… I see," the Sorcerer Supreme nodded. "If you say so."

Right off the bat, I could tell something was off with the way she said that. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it definitely didn't sound like the Ancient One I knew, but decided to not think too much into it.

"Anyway, speaking of Jean," I subtly shifted the topic. "What do you suggest would be the best course of action for her?"

"Let's see," The Ancient One rubbed her chin, gracefully pacing back and forth with a thoughtful expression. "It will be a tedious and fairly long process, but establishing a connection with the Phoenix will be pivotal, and a stable one at that. At the moment, we have no idea about it's intentions, if it has any. The Phoenix Force is an immortal, indestructible, and mutable manifestation of the prime universal force of life, not to mention one of the most feared creatures in all of the cosmos. Removing it from her is out of the question as there is a chance it might kill her, not like having it roam around space would be any better."

"Furthermore, I can sense the Phoenix Force's energy radiating from her, I'm sure you've noticed that as well?" The Ancient One asked, giving her a nod in response. "There's no doubt it will only get stronger over time now that her body has been exposed to the entity's power, as well as amplify her current abilities."

"Yeah, I thought that as well," I agreed with her assumption. "Even though she was in that state for a few minutes, the energy it gave off was nothing like I've felt before. Honestly, we're so lucky it lasted as long as it did, there's no doubt it would eventually break out of the Mirror Dimension if Jean didn't try to suppress its influence."

"Worry not, I intend on informing her of our plan before I leave. Just so she can have an idea of what to expect," The Ancient One said reassuringly. "Learning to control and harness this newfound power is essential, but also quite challenging. With an entity of this caliber, we have to manage our expectations and not get ahead of ourselves, but given the fact that Jean is determined to start as soon as possible, it's already a step in the right direction"

"That's good," I said with a huff, leaning onto my desk for support. "Knowing her, she'll be in front of my door bright and early tomorrow ready as ever."

Silence filled the room as the topic of the Phoenix was properly addressed, and a plan was in the works, yet, I wasn't able to just let it end there.

"Sooo…"

"Hmm?" The Ancient One raised an eyebrow. "Anything on your mind, Ethan?"

"Where have you been, Master?" I asked softly, finally able to talk to her after all this time. "I know you had your reasons to close off Kamar-Taj the last time we saw each other, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried after being left in the dark these past few weeks."

The Ancient One looked at me with her usual neutral and composed demeanor, before releasing a sigh.

"Truth be told, after Kaecilius, and seeing what he would become, I needed some time to collect my thoughts," The Sorcerer Supreme spoke calmly, stepping closer to the holographic display of Earth at the near end of my desk. "Not only that, I had to make sure the other Temples weren't experiencing turmoil of their own."

"There are other places besides Kamar-Taj that teach magic?" I asked with curiosity. It might have seemed redundant to ask such a question, but given the fact I didn't ask about that topic before or didn't try to look for them myself, you can never be too sure what to expect from Marvel.

"Quite a few, actually," the Sorcerer Supreme replied. "Keep in mind, Kamar-Taj is simply the most widely known and respected one from the bunch, on top of keeping stability and order due to the Three Sanctums. Over the years, all sorts of knowledge and skills accumulated made their way to the Temple, gradually expanding our understanding of magic and everything in between. If it weren't for them, Kamar-Taj wouldn't be what it is today."

"Hmm, good to know. I'll have to check them out for myself," I rubbed my chin with the newfound information. "Besides that, were there any hiccups during your visits?"

"Sort of," The Ancient One responded with some reluctance, which made me pay extra. "Something related to a Witch we encountered a few years back. One of the items she had in her possession began releasing strange energy while it was locked away in storage. Turns out, it had a part of her soul buried deep within it, trying to lure in whatever helpless victim would be tempted by its power."

"That… sounds like it could be concerning…"

"It's already taken care of," the Sorcerer Supreme said reassuringly. "Drained all of the energy it had, reinforced with a stronger seal, and locked away in New York Sanctum's vault for extra measure. Over-reliance on an artifact that grants you immense power can be your undoing, or in this case, your greatest weakness. Without it, the woman is nothing more than a common housefly if she tries to do anything else in the future."

"I guess I'll take your word on that. Anyway, mind showing me what you had in store for Jean in further detail?" I asked optimistically. "I kinda promised her I would teach her about Magic as well, but I'm more concerned about the specifics on what we'll be tackling first… because… you know."

"Of course!" the Ancient One exclaimed with a wide smile. "Glad to see you share the same enthusiasm as your friend, but I must say, you managed to surprise me yet again."

"In what way?" I asked in confusion.

Releasing a chuckle, the Ancient One replied. "For starters, any novice Sorcerer that would encounter a mere fraction of what the Phoenix Force is would be petrified, let alone willingly agree to be in close proximity to it, and with barely any concern for themselves to boot. Not even when you first started learning magic were you this excited, now why is that?"

"Y-You know the reason for that," I stuttered at the sudden question. "Cosmic Entity or not, there's no way I'm letting her be controlled by it or anything else ever again. If it was up to her, she'd get rid of the Phoenix in a heartbeat, so to make the transition smooth as possible for her, I'll have to be two steps ahead in everything we do. More importantly, I'm not just gonna sit around and have my friend deal with that thing all on her own, it's as simple as that.

"I was thinking more along the lines that you took your role and duty as Sorcerer of the Mystic Arts more seriously since we last saw each other," the Ancient One said in a neutral tone, slowly forming a small grin. "Regardless, I'm sure Jean will be thankful in knowing that she has your support in all of this. That, I'm sure of."

My mouth wanted me to continue, but my mind ultimately decided to stop while I was ahead.

"Oh yeah… there's that cheeky attitude I almost started to miss seeing on a daily occurrence."

"Alright, Jean, ready for another round?" I asked the redhead with an amused tone, my fingers glowing with a faint green color.

Jean in question, was in the center of my Training Room, specifically customized to fit the Phoenix host's ideal needs. We just finished up an exercise of reflecting, absorbing, and redirecting projectiles that would be bombarded from every possible direction.

The Training Room had all manner of tools and methods we fully utilized, such as numerous square rocks that would surround Jean, an exercise designed to test her TK limitations. Especially since their weight and mass can easily be altered.

After the battle with the U-Men, The Ancient One did a thorough scan of Jean in search of the Phoenix, in case we should be worried about it taking over her body again. After being suppressed for so long, it had plenty of reasons to be aggressive nature. Turns out, it seemed to have gone back to sleep for the time being and didn't show any signs of hostility, which was a blessing to hear.

The Ancient One was present during the first few sessions, helping her manage the leaking energy caused by the Phoenix, which didn't take her long to balance out after getting some proper guidance. Due to having other responsibilities as the Sorcerer Supreme, she couldn't spend every moment tending to our little problem but seeing things were progressing rather smoothly, it was safe to carry on with just us two, as long as we made sure to not go crazy.

So far, we're only two weeks into Jean's training, but I'd be lying if I didn't say we encountered significant changes in that time span. First of all, it would seem that Jean received a considerable passive boost to her existing abilities and senses. On top of that, unlocked the ability to use Psionic Energy sooner than I thought, with more to come down the line.

Such a change was something I expected, even though she and the Phoenix haven't interacted yet. Another change I noted was her physical capabilities getting a boost as well but was still far from reaching her full potential in that regard. With how I customized the room itself within my Pocket Dimension, time moves faster while inside compared to the outside world. It was roughly three times faster to put into perspective, so we got three days' worth of training compared to one.

With a final pant, Jean straightened herself whilst flipping her hair back. "Yeah, whenever you're ready. Just give me a sec."

Snapping my fingers, the previously ruined and messy environment returned to how it was before as if time went backwards

Now, what should I throw at her next?

"Just breathe… keep everything else in check." Jean thought while taking in as much air her lungs could hold while repeating the thought, a sort of mantra she would use to keep her senses at bay.

It wasn't a pleasant experience, to say the least. The changes that her mind and body experienced after the Phoenix incident threw off her sense of control, and because it affected her powers as well, she needed a new method to balance it all.

Which was easier said than done at first. It was horrible, not only would she hear almost everyone's thoughts, but their scent and whatever faint sound she could pick up while cooped up in the X-Mansion.

Jean was thankful her friends understood her little "issues" and helped her significantly by reducing contact before she had it under control. Albeit the Professor and Scott weren't so understanding. While she understood their concerns, and on any other occasion she would gladly allow them to help, this time was different.

For some reason, the Professor seemed a bit… "off" to say the least. She couldn't put her finger on it, but some of his speech patterns and jumpy body language made her a bit more concerned about his well-being instead of the other way around. Of course, it was merited, and she understood her mentor's sudden shift in behavior, but it still left her uneasy. Scott, on the other hand, only felt like adding more pressure to the whole thing.

Being bombarded with constant questions only suffocated her, close to the literal definition of the word until she got her powers under control. She would tell everyone at the end of the day about her progress in great detail, not that she would mind, of course, but some were less optimistic than others.

Getting used to her new training regime was tough, but the whole thing felt so much easier with Ethan. However, during their sessions, she embarrassed herself more times than she would like to admit.

Her empathy and new/enhanced powers lead her to some awkward scenarios since they started. Like during one of his explanations, she would simultaneously read his thoughts, which were about a hundred in a single second, as well as be infatuated with the shampoo he used which was difficult to not inhale how intoxicating it was.

From a not-creepy distance, that is.

Thankfully, he didn't mind any of it, in whatever playful jab he could dismiss that didn't give her any leverage on defending herself. Knowing his sincerity and genuine behavior via her empathy made it more reassuring to openly express herself, whether it be with success or failure, she was grateful for every minute of it.

"I'll warn you, I'll get more creative with this one," Ethan taunted gleefully, levitating cross-legged a few meters away from her. "You sure you don't wanna take that break now?"

"I'm still standing, aren't I?" Jean replied with her own grin, entering a stance with her powers kicking in. "If anything, I'm just getting warmed up!"

"Can't argue with that," the boy said with a cheeky smile. "You're gonna love the next one.

"Bring it!" Jean said excitedly. "I didn't waste my time training in the Danger Zone for nothing, you know?"

Clasping his hands while bending down slightly, Ethan jumped into the air and instantly vanished out of sight, leaving nothing but a spreading gust of smoke in his place.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

Out of the shadows, a massive, silver-colored stone giant with two sets of arms came into view intimidatingly, with the upper row having two thick broadswords, releasing a low growl as its eyes flashed a red glow. Several lines of various markings lit up across its body and entered a battle stance.

With a slight delay, the creature charged at Jean, the upper set of arms doing a full rotation before swinging its left blade in an arc. Dodging it, the creature disappeared back into the shadows, waiting several seconds before reappearing from a different angle.

This went on three more times before the fourth attack took longer before it lunged forward, at a faster speed than the previous attempts.

"He's creative, I'll give him that," Jean thought as she stood up, raising her hands in a defensive manner once more. "However, that won't be enough to put me down!"

Allowing the creature to do the same move once more, she slammed her hands down to forcefully clear the mist, spotting her target in the corner of her eye. Telepathically lifting it by its right arm, Jean maintained her concentration from letting it escape, while also splitting her efforts into crushing its appendage.

Rotating its lower set, the smaller arm stuck the limb that held it up in the air, dropping to the ground before instantly moving its left arm back. Slowly leaning forward, it stopped abruptly for a mere second before launching its second sword towards Jean.

Regardless of the stone weapon coming straight towards her at high speed, Jean stood her ground with her hands raised. A few meters before it would hit her, the projectile's trajectory was tilted to land a few inches to the left, causing a small shockwave upon impact.

"Hmm, that's odd," Jean thought curiously as she managed to take a moment to rest.

With its undamaged arm, the creature slammed its fist onto the ground twice in a row, causing miniature shockwaves that further damaged the terrain. The core in its chest released more energy that attracted all the rumble that was close by, repairing its missing arm while also gaining a bulkier form in the process.

"Seems like he won't let me use my telekinesis to tear it apart," Jean thought calmly. "Even if I did, it would just rebuild itself with so much material lying around. That sphere in its chest…

During her training to harness and control the Phoenix Force's energy, which included plenty of trial and error just to get familiar with it, Jean was able to learn a new method of summoning its power.

Spreading her arms off to the side, the palms of her hands ignited into a ball of Psionic Energy, radiating a light pink color that she molded into two lengthy swords. As exhilarating as it was to use a new form of power, Jean had to remain focused in order to maintain its effectiveness.

Raising its arm into the air with several markings starting to light up, it began collecting the leftover debris for a few seconds before sending all of them in her direction. The redhead used her telekinesis to raise the stone beneath her as a shield, then engulfed it in Psionic flames before sending it out in the form of multiple projectiles.

Breaking through it with no effort at all, her opponent zig-zagged across the field to disorient her, but Jean followed its every move, waiting for the right moment before taking action. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, she would slash away with her blades before backing off.

After exchanging a few blows, its speed gradually increased, making it harder for her to keep at her current pace. The damage she was able to dish out meant nothing as long as the core in its chest is active, which was repairing its body the longer the exchange lasted.

On its next attack, instead of dodging, Jean raised her hands to stop the sword in place, the sheer force making the ground beneath her crack. Releasing a grunt, she put in extra power needed to push the creature back, only for its arms to rotate and get hit from the side, sending her stumbling backwards.

With a huff, Jean lifted herself up to flex her arm, hearing a soft crack upon doing so.

"That was a close one," Jean commented with slight annoyance, glad she was able to make a force field in time to absorb the hit.

Its speed, strength, and agility undoubtedly have increased, Jean could deduce that much. If she doesn't end this soon, it might change again and get even stronger.

Definitely an ideal opponent to push her to the limit.

Re-igniting her Psionic Blades, Jean took the offensive route this time around with a plan in mind. Dragging its blade on the ground before swinging it in an arc, Jean ducked in at the last second, throwing her beams at its chest and large arm. Raising her hand, she jumped slightly while using her telekinesis to push herself to a safer distance, making another three sets of Psionic Blades, four of them hovering above her shoulders.

Time for a different approach.

The other constructs acted as support in the form of a shield to block an incoming attack or pierce through its armor to destroy its core, which wasn't as easy as she thought. Although, now with her blades, she might have a solution on how to destroy it for good.

Knowing its movements, Jean used her previous strategy much more effectively, and after getting a decent amount of hits in, numerous slash marks made of psionic energy were left imprinted on her target. Accomplishing that, Jean moved back a few meters before sending a telepathic signal, the marks on her target glowing briefly before releasing several miniature explosions across its body.

While the damage wasn't anything to gloat about, as they didn't have enough time or energy to cause a bigger explosion, it did break the outer layer of its armor quite a bit. Most importantly, judging from the flickering energy core in its chest, the answer was right in front of her.

"Found it." with a grin, Jean created more constructs before going for another attempt.

The second time was a lot more successful. Just a few additional marks were enough to chip away more of its armor than she expected, but the creature was ready for a counterattack of its own.

Lighting up its weapon with energy and then slamming the ground, causing more cracks to form as rocks of varying sizes popped up moments later. Realizing it was about to bulk up a second time, she had no intention of letting that happen. Clasping her hands together, Jean took a brief second to focus on her surroundings while creating a Force Field around her, before expanding it with a massive burst of energy.

Almost all the pieces of debris it tried to collect were now scattered to the far corners of the Training Room, only managing to attach a small amount, yet looked only slightly different compared at the start of their match from all the damage it received.

Now, to finish it once and for all.

While sprinting towards her target, Jean threw a quickly formed blade in its direction, then created another Psionic Beam in her other hand with greater intensity than before, developing a red-colored outline as her weapon grew in size.

In retaliation, the stone creature roared using its undamaged arm coated with energy to swat Jean away.

When the moment was right, Jean mentally sent out a signal to the Psionic Beam embedded in its right armpit, instantly detonating it. Giving it enough time to build up energy seemed to have paid off, as it not only disrupted its attack but left a decently sized crack on the left side of its chest, losing the abnormally large arm in the process.

Giving her the perfect opening to close the fight with one last strike.

Doing a single spin while still in the air, Jean slashed away at its remaining appendage with the stream of energy extending from her blade, now having no other means to defend itself from her final attack.

"Aaagghhh!" Jean released a war cry as her blade came down on the giant golem, slashing through its body like it was a hot knife cutting through butter.

The halves slowly drifted apart with an intense sizzling sound, igniting in a blaze of fire before exploding in a surge of Psionic Energy.

"Phew," Jean expressed tiredly, clutching her knees to maintain her balance. Being pushed to the limit once more, it took a few seconds for her muscles and mind to fully heal. "Okay… now I feel like shit."

As the training session came to an end, the remains of the golem dispersed into gold sparks, with the area slowly repairing itself for the next round.

"Good work!" I congratulated the worn-out redhead by tossing a water bottle in her direction and catching it with her TK. "Although, I think standing is now becoming a little difficult, isn't it?"

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Jean asked sarcastically, gulping down the last drop of water before tossing the bottle away.

"Me? Nooo," I trailed off with a grin slowly forming on my lips. "Whatever would make you say that?"

Jean stiffed a laugh at my comment. "Oh yeah, with that tone, you're definitely pushing your luck, pal."

"Still, I'm impressed how much you've improved in such a short amount of time. If anything, I'm a bit jealous," I complimented her, feeling like it was necessary after all my teasing. "With time, not only will you grasp what the Phoenix Force has to offer but magic as well."

"So what's next on the list?" Jean asked, now able to stand straight with no issue. "I know we still have plenty of this planned, as well as channeling energy and all that. You mentioned something about a "Mental Fortress" and going into my mindscape. I made mental barriers before on my own, but after reading some of your books, I can tell it needs a lot of improvement."

"About that…" I began slowly. "We won't be training for the next few days."

That sure caught Jean off guard, her eyes reaching the size of dinner plates. "What?! Why?"

I held up my hands defensively before I started. "Look, I already know what you're going to say, let me stop you right there. If you recall, time flows differently here, twice as slower than on the outside, that's why it probably feels like we haven't trained all that much. Secondly, you're pushing yourself way too much ever since we started. I'm glad you fixed your mentality and are willing to give it your all, it's also important we manage our expectations. Considering we received nothing but positive results and no sign of the Phoenix acting up, we might have our work cut out for us."

"I know, I know, it's just…" Jean began, appearing as if she wanted to argue back but released a tired sigh while folding her arms. "I don't want to waste any time, not until I'm sure it won't happen again. Having a few headaches and muscle strains is a small price to pay."

I stayed silent for a moment before replying. "Remember when I passed out after fighting Magneto? You told me to not push myself beyond my limit, or at least know how to regulate it. Trust me, clearing your head every once in a while does wonders."

"Yeah… but it can't be helped. There's always something happening around the mansion, so I have little breathing room for literally anything else." Jean pouted. "Sure, going outside the property is always a breath of fresh air, it just isn't the same, y'know?"

With it being Friday, my mind was going over ideas for how to spend the weekend, something everyone could enjoy. Considering I've been working around the clock for months, I can see the benefits of simply taking it easy for a change myself.

Speaking of which, when did I last take some time off to relax?

Hold on… I have a perfect idea!

"Well, you're in luck, I happen to have the solution for that," That seemed to catch her interest, an eyebrow raised with her head tilted. "Have any plans this weekend?"

"Unless a Mutant revolution breaks out tomorrow, probably using my powers for cleaning to pass the time… and try to remain sane," Jean expressed jokingly. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Vacation," I answered cheerfully. "Just during the weekend. I've been training and studying magic nonstop for several months now, in fact, I can't remember the last time I had a "normal" day. Seeing as you too could use some time off, why don't you ask some of the other X-Men if they wanna join, I'm sure the Professor won't see the harm in that."

Rubbing her chin, Jean pondered the thought intently. "That does sound nice. Now that you mention it, aside from going to the city we rarely take any time off to go anywhere. Maybe stick around somewhere if we're going with the Blackbird for a short while but that's about it."

"Excellent!" I clasped my hands joyfully. "Then there's no better time to kick back and relax. I'm sure the other X-Men would be up for it."

"What about Peter and Bucky?" Jean pondered. "You think they'll be up for it?"

"Don't worry about them," I waved it off. "I don't think it will take much to convince them. God knows they need it as much as I do."

Making my way through my base, I arrived at the lengthy table with Peter focusing on one of his new inventions, while Bucky sat on the opposite end with multiple screens around him that hovered in place as he did his work.

"Hey," Bucky greeted me upon looking away from the many screens, Peter perking up to give a quick wave before going back to his delicate piece of machinery. "How is Jean's training coming along?"

"Smoothly, I'd say," I replied, leaning down to sit on the edge of the table. "We haven't made any gigantic leaps yet, but that is to be expected. It won't be too long before we move on to more complex stuff, but we can't get too ahead of ourselves. If all goes well, we'll have our work cut out for us. What about you? Any luck in the search?" I asked the war veteran.

"Somewhat, it's going slow but we're making progress," Bucky stated while turning the monitor around to show me. "From memory, I was able to locate a hefty amount of Hydra operatives from around the globe and any bases I was kept in over the years. It's not much, considering it's just a facade to cover up their real plan, but connecting the dots will bring us one step closer to bringing them down. There are lotta names, faces, and places to check out, however, it's manageable. I'd say we wait a bit more until we move to the next stage, unless something big happens before then."

"That's great!" I clasped my hands joyfully. "That means you two are free to join me at an isolated island for some R and R."

The sudden proclamation surprised the two, definitely not expecting such news. It was Bucky who asked for more info. "Like… right now?"

"Yeah, like right now, the commodity of having a gateway to the other side of the planet has its perks," I said with a mere smile. "I already have the whole thing in mind. An island, nice, secluded, and a boatload of wards to keep us protected."

"Emm…" Bucky shifted in his seat. "You sure that's fine? What if something pops up while we're away?"

"I got that covered," I reassured him with a wave of my hand. "Why do you think we have these sensors working twenty-four-seven non-stop?"

"But still," Peter chimed in from across the table. "Won't that set us back?"

"You two are kidding me, right?" I asked in bewilderment. "You're okay risking your lives every day without taking a break? We've been working around the clock non-stop and suffice to say, our timetable is far better than I initially expected. Trust me, a day or two of doing nothing is just what we need, otherwise, we'll go insane cooped in here."

Before Peter could object, I beat him to it. "For the May situation, easily faking a school trip for the weekend is child's play, I'll throw in the form and everything. As for the stuff we're working on, I'll make sure production continues and the Hydra issue will be monitored, as well as for anything in-between."

Without having any other issues, Peter's lips perked while pondering the idea. "Going to a private island sounds nice. Never been on vacation, much less to a tropical island."

"A magical one, at that," pointing my hand toward him, I smiled. Turning towards the other fellow in the need of convincing. "Buck?"

Not uttering a single word, our staring contest resulted in a stalemate. Releasing a sigh, Bucky gave up. "I feel like if I refuse, you'll keep bugging me from working in peace, so I don't have much of an option."

"Glad you understand!" I replied happily, Bucky rolling his eyes at that.

"You ask anyone else to tag along?" Bucky asked curiously as he got up from his seat.

"Jean, and a few of the X-Men, probably" I answered. "If I'm being frank, I'm doing this mostly for her, since if anyone deserves some time to breathe, it's her."

"Oh," Peter perked up at the mention of the other X-Men. "Did… did she, by any chance, say if Kitty will be joining us, possibly…?"

My eyebrow raised with a cheeky grin upon hearing that. "Does that sweeten the deal?"

Peter immediately pulled his hands up to defend himself. "N-No, it's not that! It's just-"

I merely laughed at his very apparent crush on the girl that he tried hiding. "Don't worry, I think she'll be the first to immediately say yes to a free vacation."

"Aight, I'll just do one more check on the new data I found, then I'm good to go." Bucky stood up from his seat, stopping in his tracks as his head turned to me. "Oh, speaking of which, about that thing, I asked you-"

"Red square box with the leather straps, I think I put it down in the library from the East Side," I immediately reassured him regarding the small favor he asked me a few days ago. "I think you'll be happy with the ones I picked out."

Giving me a thumbs up, Bucky made his way towards the East Side of the library with an eager expression that quickly went out of sight.

"Well, then I better go whip up that fake form while I'm at it," I said to Peter while doing a quick gesture, a line of fire moving upwards to create a blank sheet of paper. "Let's see…oh yeah, what's the name of your principal?"

Now that I've got Bucky and Peter on board, I took the next fifteen to twenty minutes locating the island where we would be staying, doing multiple background checks in case it was monitored or any activity, and doing some of my own prep to make sure we would be safe.

After finishing that, I made a quick portal to Jean's room, where she was in the middle of packing her things while an over-enthusiastic Kitty was running her mouth a mile a minute, coming to an abrupt stop as they saw me appear.

Before I could be dumped with a dozen or so questions by the brown-haired girl, Jean informed her that they'd yet to ask their other teammates to tag along. Being left by my lonesome once more, I decided to see if I could see any familiar faces on my own by mindlessly walking about. My little trip ended when I stumbled upon Laura and Kitty's room, with only the former inside that just about finished packing.

The perfect time for me to bother her a little.

Right off the bat, I noticed she acted a bit… different from what I've come to expect from Laura. Sure, she was closed off and relatively silent, but I could tell something was on her mind.

There was little chance I could leave her alone without at least getting a clue of what might be going on inside her head, but those attempts were quickly shot down. She was calm and straightforward with her replies, so asking additional questions became meaningless.

However, even though I could see on her expression that something was troubling her, she didn't appear irritated or give off any sign of being pestered when being questioned, simply playing it cool until I gave up. Furthermore, the way she talked was what threw me off the most.

Definitely something to look into a bit later.

Putting that off to the side, for now, I went back down to wait in the large living room that had several younger students scattered off to the side, patiently waiting for Jean to return. Now, all that was left is to give a little gift to a certain someone to enjoy the trip.

"Rogue! Just the person I was looking for!" I greeted the goth girl when she entered the room alongside Jean, getting ready to spring my little surprise. "Listen, I may have something, but it comes with good and bad news. Which do you want first?"

Rogue sighed, not wanting to beat around the bush. "It's okay, sugah, ah can take it, hit meh with the bad news."

"Hmm, I might have worded that incorrectly, it's not so much as bad news, now that I think about it," I corrected myself while rubbing my neck. "Essentially, this isn't a concrete solution, nor is it a permanent one, because the nature of your powers is more layered than I expected. That, and it would feel like crutches you're forced to use when you don't need them."

I finished the first part, prompting Rogue to raise an eyebrow at the silence. "That's it…? For the "bad" news, ah mean?"

"Of course. Now, for the good news…" I tapped my left palm a few times for a dark green Rune symbol to appear motioning to extend her hand, which she did skeptically. "Release…"

Diverging into three separate green-colored streams, it latched onto Rogue's left palm, ignoring the leathered glove she wore, entering her skin in its entirety in four or so seconds.

Rogue observed her hand with an intense glare, expecting such a reaction as the procedure felt like nothing happened on her part. "So… what now?"

"Now…" I slipped off my own glove leisurely, a small smile forming on my face when I extended my hand. "You shake my hand."

That, in turn, caused immediate panic for Rogue. "W-What? B-But, ah didn't feel anythin' when you did that… thing. Are you sure it worked?"

I didn't hesitate to ease her worries. "Rogue, you might think I take unnecessary risks, but trust me, I am absolutely sure about this one. I took my time working out all the kinks. Just think of it as an instinct when you're about to cross a street and see a red light, or when you take a step you have to move your opposite leg. If you do not intend to absorb whatever you touch, then you won't. You don't have to be scared, nothing will happen to me."

Reluctantly, Rogue slowly moved her hand towards mine, fingers slightly twitching of how unsure she was of herself. Eventually, my hand met Rogue's soft and warm skin while slightly increasing my grip, making sure to fully showcase to her that it was safe. A second later, Rogue's eyes widened, touching and feeling different sections of my hand in rapid succession, hastily removing her other glove only to meet the same result.

"N-" Rogue fumbled over her words, gently stroking my palm. "Nothin's happening…"

"Told you it would work," I said with a wide smile. "It's more connected to your sense of will rather than through a simple mental command, as it would make the best of both worlds. There's no limit on it, nor a possibility of it failing to fulfill its task unless someone has the patience and understanding of advanced magic to go back and derail my entire formula, something I doubt is likely to happen. Since we're going on a vacation, thought this would be the perfect time to-"

Before I got the chance to finish, Rogue leaped forward to embrace me in a tight bear hug, her face buried into my chest, managing to lift me up a few centimeters whilst expressing muffled screams of gratitude. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You don't know how much this means to me! What can ah ever do to repay you?!"

"L-Letting me breathe is a good start," I said with a heartfelt laugh at her demeanor, causing the goth girl to lower me back down before fully letting me go, a faint blush on her face when she took a few steps back.

"S-Sorry, ah just got a little excited." Rogue rubbed her neck embarrassingly, staring at the ground to avoid eye contact.

"A little?" Jean teased, causing another massive blush to appear on Rogue's face while glaring at Jean.

"Nah, it's alright," I waved my hand playfully, not wanting to embarrass her further. "Like I was saying, I see this as a temporary solution for the time being. You see, controlling and mastering absorption powers is difficult, but not impossible. The body acts as a vessel for it, think of it like a sponge, it can store water but after a certain point, it reaches its limit and is unable to keep it inside. Most of the time, it stems down to an improper training regimen that doesn't suit that person. Thankfully, your case wasn't that difficult either way."

"Ya' sure?" Rogue asked somewhat skeptically. "Ah' told you we've been struggling to figure out how to control my powers for a while now. But seeing as you've been able to come up with this in such a small amount of time, I'll take ya'h word for it."

"Not to worry, we'll go over that another time, sounds good? Because right now, vacation awaits."

When I turned around, I could pick up faint squealing coming from Rogue, no doubt conversing with Jean telepathically. I couldn't help but form a smile, glad I was able to help out with a temporary solution.

Seriously, imagine being forced to keep every section of your skin covered to prevent sending someone into a coma. They did manage to fix her issue in the comics, but that was only because she was with Magneto in that continuity. It's honestly shocking how many problems can be resolved with some magic, but the satisfaction of helping those people is well worth it.

Now, who else will be joining us?

"Can't," Scott replied stoically, not looking up from the tablet that occupied his attention. "The Danger Room requires several upgrades. As well as tryouts for a second-generation X-Men lineup. I feel now is the right time to test their skills."

"Seriously? Can it wait?" Kitty asked in bewilderment. "The last time we went on vacation, we spent more time working than actually taking a break for once. Come on, Scott. This trip is exactly what we need."

"What we need to do is train harder, and bring the new students up to speed, anything else is just a waste of time," Scott declared in a bored tone, just now averting his gaze from his tablet. "It's our job, not goofing around."

"I fail to see why taking a few days off is a bad thing," Kurt pointed out. "In the worst-case scenario, we can show up back at the mansion with Ethan's portals at a moment's notice."

"Yeah, bro," Alex chimed in after Kurt finished. "One weekend won't cost you too much, would it?"

"You're all still on this?" Lorna arrived from around the corner with a bored expression, arms crossed while leaning onto the wall. She was wearing a white see-through sundress and underneath it a dark-green swimsuit that matched her hair, a simple black purse over her shoulder. "We already got permission from the Professor, if he doesn't want to go, he doesn't want to go. His funeral, really. I don't know what kind of idiot you have to be to turn down a well-deserved vacation."

In response, Scott merely sighed exhausted while shaking his head. "Whatever, this discussion is pointless. As much as I would like to make up for lost time, Alex, I can't just drop my responsibilities for two whole days and leave the Professor to worry about the students on his own. Look, I promise I'll make time for us when things around here settle down, but right now, my hands are tied."

"I… understand," Alex uttered with a sigh, forcing a smile while patting his brother's shoulder. "Just don't overwork yourself, okay bro?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Scott replied in an easy tone, returning the gesture. "After what you've been through, you need this time to relax more than me."

Having said that, he stayed silent before telling us the Professor requested his assistance via telepathy, making his leave with one last goodbye. As we watched him slowly disappear into the crowd of students that were walking about, Alex's forced smile faded as well, obviously disappointed that he couldn't convince Scott in the end.

"Don't take it personally, Alex," Jean comforted him. "He takes his responsibility as the leader of the X-Men seriously, and with so many new Mutants joined in the last few weeks, he's got a lot on his plate."

"I know… it's just…" Alex uttered in disappointment, releasing a sigh. "I hoped we'd get some time to ourselves to goof around a little bit… like we used to when we were kids. Thought today we might get a chance to do just that…"

"Don't worry, once we get back, I'll pick up the slack so Scott can take it easy for a change and not be stressed out all the time." Jean said reassuringly.

Alex responded by giving her a warm smile. "Thank you, Jean. It means a lot."

"Say, I haven't seen Hank since I got here," I asked the redhead as we made our way to the entrance. "Busy teaching, I'm guessing?"

Jean nodded. "Yeah, same for Ororo. They needed to alter their schedules to accommodate the sudden growth in students joining the school, so saying this last month wasn't hectic for them would be an understatement. If anything, they are covering for us so the rest of us can have the weekend off."

"Makes sense," I replied with a sigh. "Just hope they catch a break soon. Sucks they can't tag along."

"Considering we're a bit understaffed, I'm amazed they've gone this far without going insane." Kitty commented lightheartedly.

Walking towards the Mansion's front entrance, we met up with the rest of the gang that just finished packing.

"Yo, Piotr!" I greeted the Russian giant as he walked down the stairs alongside Laura, Rogue, and Logan. "And here I thought we would be leaving without you."

"Of course not, my friend," Piotr said with a smile. "I was just about to continue training before Kitty came through the wall and told me you were planning a trip. Speaking of which, where exactly are we going?"

"That would ruin the surprise," I said with a smile. "It's best to wait until we get there, trust me."

"Is that everyone?" Jean looked over our little group to double-check. "Yup, we're all set for take off."

"And…"

Slowly lifting my hand into the air as golden sparks emitted from the tip of my finger, I played around for a bit before abruptly moving it back, forming a small portal that quickly expanded in size while moving towards us.

"Here we are!" I announced loudly as we arrived at our destination, being greeted with a jaw-droppingly beautiful beach with a broad view of the clear water that had miniature islands scattered along the shore, the same reason I picked this particular spot. "Hope you all like it!'

I teleported us to one of the many uninhabited islands in the Pacific Ocean, not that far from Thailand. While on its own it was quite impressive, I couldn't help myself not to go a few levels higher for an even better experience. It was quite easy adding additional decorations to it all, such as making the palm trees considerably bigger overall, altering the sea levels by a small degree, and building a makeshift cabin that was both open and spacious.

Since I was already going at it, I couldn't resist going overboard to truly make it a fantastical paradise.

Peter was making minor changes to "fix" the place up, while Bucky was preparing a drink in the fairly long bar. When we got there, it was Peter who welcomed us.

"Hey, guys! Glad you could make it!"

"Aloha…!" Bucky followed up in a relaxed manner.

Kitty was quick to greet him back, running up a little too close to Peter before coming to a stop, to which I doubt he minded. "

"Y-Yeah…!" Peter stuttered. "We convinced my Aunt that I was going on a school trip out of town as an excuse, way easier than disappearing for two days and trying to talk my way out of it, heh."

"Sweet!" Kitty gushed. "This is going to be the best weekend ever!"

"You can say that again," I commented as the rest of us walked up to the shack. "I got a lotta stuff planned to keep us busy for the next two days. We might not get another vacation for a while, so better make the most of it…!"

"Yeah… I'm not doin' any of that." Logan simply declined.

"What? You're gonna use the "old man" excuse to do nothing?" I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Already using it." Was his reply as he took a seat at the bar.

"Don't worry, I brought a few training dummies to kick around later after we grill some steaks," Bucky said as he leaned onto the bar stool.

"Now we're talking," Logan grinned, before leaning forward to whisper something. "Say...ugh, did you bring that thing from last time?"

With a grin of his own, Bucky hoisted up a square box filled with all kinds of small bottles with different colored liquids inside. "Even better, I brought plenty more for us to try out."

As if it were Christmas day, Logan's lips formed a wide smile upon getting the ideal gift, already going to work by inspecting each bottle at his disposal.

"Best to let them do their own thing," Jean said with a wide grin. "Think there's no point in trying to convince them otherwise."

"Eh, it was worth a shot," I said with a shrug. "Just expected them to join in for a little bit before they went "old man" mode."

"Anyway, the girls and I are going to get changed," Jean chirped as Rogue grabbed her arm, pulling her off to the side. "We'll be back in a minute, don't go into the water without us!"

In the meantime, Alex whistled as he looked around the rather wide wall of bottles. "Wow, you really went all out. I'm impressed."

"Of course, it helps sell the theme I was going for," I joked. "I take it you worked at a cafe or something?

"Beach bar, actually," Alex expressed sheepishly. "Started off by only cleaning the place and counting inventory, then got a promotion when one of the guys working the bar quit. If it wasn't for the good money I got with the promotion… or the lack of jobs to choose from, I would have been out of there after the first week."

"It couldn't have been that bad, could it?" Peter asked.

Alex merely scoffed. "Please, my boss practically demanded an "innovation" while only giving me the bare minimum of ingredients. It was only when word got out and more people started showing up that I was able to convince him to let me make a list of my own. Oh, and don't get me started when things get busy during the afternoon shits, complete and utter chaos I tell you. Safe to say, that bar wouldn't have blown up if it wasn't for me."

"Well then…" I trailed off while my hand did several gestures, making a section of the wide shelf of drinks float towards us, alongside a small table of various ingredients he might need. "Surprise me. My favorites Whiskey, by the way. What about you, Pete?"

"Ughh... the same as you?" Peter replied.

"Coming right up!" Alex said with an eager smile, immediately going to work after cracking his knuckles.

Peter and I watched as Alex whipped up both our drinks in less than a minute respectively, continuing the small talk about random topics to pass the time. When we got our drinks, I decided to add several drops of that drinking enhancer since our alcohol tolerance was higher than normal to even it out.

Both of us had a sour expression at the initial taste test but quickly went for a second round which was much more enjoyable.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Alex's hand went for the bottle to add some for himself, but only one drop so as to not go overboard. Upon taking a small sip, it immediately sent him into a coughing fit, making me chuckle in the process.

"J-J-Jesus…!" Alex coughed out as Peter gave him a few pats on the back. "You can f-forget asking me to play any kind of drinking game w-with you guys…"

"Huh, probably should have expected that," I said grinning, handing him some water. "I'd advise adding in different flavors, not enhancers."

"I'll keep that in mind." Alex said after finishing his water, lazily giving me a thumbs up.

While I made sure we were problem-free for the next two days, I indirectly managed to create one for myself.

That being the sight of the female X-Men members in their bikinis re-entering the room.

Now, it may be due to the fact that my mind was working overtime on making sure I survive in this universe, I rarely took a step back to simply enjoy life or anything that was considered "normal".

This, however, was a totally different scenario.

Jean, Laura, Rogue, Lorna, and Kitty were all gorgeous in their own regard. All of them had an athletic build, aside from Lorna for the most part, thanks to months or years of excessive training in the Danger Room alongside how many missions they experienced.

Once I saw them, my mind kept telling me not to look away, like that was even possible.

"Okay… on second thought, this is probably the best idea I ever had."

Snapping out of my little daydream, I turned to Peter only to see his jaw hanging as his eyes were glued in a single direction. Looking back and forth to see who caught his interest, the way his head was centered to focus on a certain someone made it all the more obvious.

I couldn't help but chuckle while giving him a slight nudge to snap him out of it. "What? Lemme guess, all those crushes on the Midtown cheerleading squad suddenly disappeared, huh?"

"Dude! The only time I get to talk with any girls is when they want me to help out with homework or on a test… not this…!" Peter panicked, trying to not be too jittery with evident difficulty.

"Exactly, it's way better," I exclaimed with a smile. "It's with people who are just like us, where we don't have to hide who we are and what we do for a living."

"I don't know if I should be more worried because of that fact." Peter said anxiously.

"Don't think…" I told him the key step, only to receive a blank stare. "Too much, don't think too much. I know you'll think either way, so just tone it down a little."

"Ooof, if only it were that easy." Peter responded with a defeated sigh.

"Trust me," I leaned slightly before moving back to make it seem like we were talking about something else as the girls got closer to us. "Don't think, be in the moment, and just try to match her flow. Everything else will come naturally, you'll see."

To that, Peter took a long sip of his drink with a gulp. "I hope so."

Releasing a laugh, all I could do was give Peter a few pats on the back for extra reassurance.

It was a nice change of pace to see the people I met in my new life be able to relax and have a break from the day-to-day struggles of this kind of lifestyle. Logically, we were going to use these two days to the absolute fullest.

"Okay, can we try it my way this time?" Kurt asked as we walked out of the water to the shore.

"Is your way flooding the entire island?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow. "Cause I'm pretty sure you that's what you were insinuating back there."

"Y'know, that actually is a good point," I agreed with Alex, albeit as a joke.

"Boo, you two are no fun," Kurt pouted. "Besides, it's not like you can't just repair if anything gets damaged, and I'm not that crazy, thank you very much."

"Since you put it that way…." I took a moment to cast a force field-like spell around the wide area we used to surf, then made a square out of orange energy, adding a few more "buttons" that would let them control the water on their own. "Knock yourself out. There are a few options to play around with, so try not to go too crazy with it."

"You're already done?" Alex asked tilting his head, where Kurt took the opportunity to take the controls for himself.

"Actually, I was gonna get something to drink and check on the others. Need anything while I'm at it."

"Nah, I'm good," Alex declined my offer.

"Same here…" Kurt said with contained excitement. "Come on, dude! I wanna try this thing for myself!"

As the blue-furred Mutant ran back into the water, Alex gave me a slightly concerned look before breaking into a smile, entering a light jog to catch up to him.

Opening a quick portal to the shack, I grabbed one of the many fruit drinks and took it down in one go. After getting the taste of salt water out of my mouth, I looked around to see what everyone else was up to at the moment.

Jean and Piotr were playing ping pong against Peter and Kitty, with the latter team being successful at snatching a point, now evening out the score. I was going to chat with them for a little bit, but they wasted no time in starting the next round.

On the other hand, Lorna was in control of the music department, toying around with one of our devices that acted as a mixing console with any additional tool at her disposal. She's been going at it for a few hours now and showed no desire of stopping anytime soon. In the far corner, Laura was minding her own business while reading something on her tablet, seemingly deep in thought as well.

I contemplated whether to approach her or not, ultimately choosing against it as I exited the shack. "I'll try later. With that look, I know I'll get nowhere and only annoy her in the process."

While my initial sights were set on Kurt and Alex, my eyes trailed off to Rogue, who was a few meters away bathing in the sun with her sunglasses on. Turning her head in my direction, the Southern girl gave me a welcoming smile while curling her index finger repeatedly, gesturing to come closer.

"Mind doing me'h a favor, sugah?" Rogue asked pleadingly.

I'd be lying if I didn't say she didn't look stunning, and coupled with that expression on her face, my heart almost skipped a beat.

"I don't know, depends on what it is," I responded with a smile. "Whaddya need?"

"Since all the girls are doin their own thing, ah need some help puttin' sunscreen on ma'h back," Rogue asked while turning to lie on her chest, giving me a side glance with a small but ever-so-present grin. "If it ain't too much to ask."

While my eyes solely focused on Rogue's face, I tried my absolute best to not look down to admire her backside. We were positioned just so that a few centimeters to the left would allow me to get an ideal view, her leg playfully going up and down in anticipation of my answer.

I knew what she was doing, the look in her eyes told me what her goal was. Who would've guessed she would be this cheeky? Well, two can play at this game.

"Of course," I replied with a smile while picking up the small bottle from the table. "I don't mind."

Undoing the back part of her bra, Rogue fully laid on her chest, giving me a playful gesture with her head. "Don't worry, ah' don't bite."

Now standing over her, the urge to look became beyond difficult. Since her head was turned, I was able to take a few sneak peeks that were too hard to ignore. Yet, a part of me kept saying she wouldn't mind it though, Rogue was well aware of what she was doing.

She had a nice bubble butt with just enough meat that even at the slightest movement on her lower half caused it to jiggle.

I made sure to go slow, going over every part of her back with tender care and adding a slight massage in the process. Rogue didn't object one bit, definitely enjoying the sensation of being touched after so long. Going down to the lower side of her back, I decreased my speed a bit more before going back up, moving down to cover an inch of her curvy sides.

"All done!" I exclaimed cheerfully while coming to an abrupt stop.

Rogue's head immediately shot up at the sudden change. "O-Oh, already."

"Yup," I walked over to the front so she could properly see me. "If you need anything else, just give me a holler, okay?"

Giving me an awkward smile, alongside a shade of pink across her face. "Thanks, sugah…"

Oh, yeah, she definitely didn't expect it to be over so soon. Giving a playful wave, I made my way to join everyone in the water, enjoying my little victory every step of the way.

"Yo! Ethan!" Alex yelled out, frantically waving his arm with Kurt beside him. "We're waiting over here, that's the hold-up!"

"Alright, alright, hold your horses!"

"Umm…" Peter hummed out loud, eyes going back and forth to Ethan and Jean's side of the volleyball field. "Should we let them know they are the only ones playing?"

For the past five minutes or so, Ethan and Jean were having the most intense match of volleyball in history, neither one letting the other have room to breathe while the ball traveled.

Kurt and Alex went to do something else, seeing as they were sure the two completely forgot about everyone else's existence as the match got more heated. Peter and Kitty were the only ones to stick around, as what was once a team-based game quickly became a one-on-one battle. The two asked Peter if he would want to join them for some water surfing, which he declined to stay with Kitty, on the off chance they might need a fourth player once they finish their match.

Although, that may have been just an excuse to keep her company.

"I think we should let them be," Kitty replied while observing the duo. "I really don't wanna get a super-sonic beach ball to the face."

"Yeah… same here," Peter replied, somewhat thankful his initial response regarding her powers didn't come out first.

"I should have told Kurt to refill my drink before they left," Kitty commented as she took a quick glance at the others. "Don't think these two will be done any time soon."

Just as the brown-haired girl turned back around, she was surprised to find Peter holding

"I got it wrong, didn't I?" Peter asked after a moment of silence, looking down and doing his best to keep a straight face. "Wait, I'll get it right in just a-"

"Actually, you guessed right," Kitty couldn't help but let out a giggle at the gesture, taking the cup as her hand gently brushed up against his for a brief moment. "Just caught me by surprise, that's all. Thanks, Peter, I owe you one."

"Heh… no problem…" Peter

He'll need to thank Ethan late for giving him a few Runes to do such tricks and learn more about how magic works once they get back to base. Truly a lifesaver.

To say Peter wasn't excited and nervous about their little vacation plan would be an understatement. The last thing close to a vacation was a weekend in New Jersey with Aunt May but even that was stretching it.

In order to keep his second life a total secret, something that became significantly easier with Ethan's help, Peter had to act like a completely different person when in school. It didn't help that his already low ranking on the social ladder made it difficult to befriend others. Trying to socialize with normal people his age was simply impossible. Well, not necessarily impossible, but saying it was difficult was putting it lightly.

Regardless, the time he spends with Ethan and Bucky easily makes up for that, especially where it is in a place where he feels welcomed. On that note, Peter wasn't sure what to expect prior to meeting the X-Men, but he did want to keep an open mind since being a superpowered individual himself, everyone has a background in this sort of profession. Yet, regardless of how they may look appearance-wise, they were perfectly normal.

Depends on what one might consider normal, but that's a topic for another day.

The barrier that prevented him from getting along with people his age didn't exist here, but that presented another issue, for him of his own creation.

Going back to the brown-haired girl next to him, Peter could see in the corner of his eye that Kitty was still paying close attention to the "volleyball" match between their two friends. Each time he would do so, Peter would have a difficult time focusing on anything else.

"So…" Peter trailed off while acting like he was still paying attention to the match. "How long have you been with the X-Men?"

"Oh, about two years or so. My X-Gene activated in the middle of the night when I was sleeping, I think I had a nightmare or something. Next thing I know I'm falling through my bed screaming and landing in the living room where my parents were watching a movie," Kitty began explaining, turning to look at Peter before continuing. "To say they were freaked out would be an understatement."

"Ooof, I can imagine," Peter remarked sympathetically, recalling the day his powers manifested and changed his life forever. "

"Yeah, took a while to adjust to everything, but it wasn't all that bad," Kitty thought back when she first arrived at the Mansion, an instant smile forming at the many memories she made since then. "I was lucky to meet so many people that were just like me and helped me learn how to control my powers. Not only that but to use them for good as well.

Hearing that, Peter couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad everything worked out in the end, as well as finding a place where you belong."

"Thanks, but what about you? What got you into the hero business?" Kitty asked with a curious look.

"I…" Peter contemplated whether or not to answer that question or sprinkle in a lie. Yet, the longer he observed Kitty's face, most notably her hazel-colored eyes at such a close distance, his entire being was torn on what to say. Ultimately, he chose the truth. "I… lost someone close to me, my uncle… and it was kind of my fault.

Kitty's entire mood shifted in an instant, mentally slapping herself for single-handedly killing the mood. " I'm… I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"Nah, don't worry about it…!" Peter waved it off with a smile, seemingly a genuine one at that. "It happened a while ago, so I had plenty of time to think. Ever since then, I decided to use my gift to help as many people as I can, and no matter how tough it got, I would always think back to what he said to me whenever I was in a pinch. Just wish… I had one final chance to talk to him, and ask him if I made the right choice."

"I'm sure he would be proud," Kitty blurted out, not the reply she intended but still meant it. "I… can't say that I know how that must feel like… losing someone close to you. Everyone loses a person they care about eventually, which is a cruel part of life, unfortunately. Yet, we all try to continue on with our lives, hoping that the pain lessens with time. You, in particular, did more than that. You used something so tragic and turned it into motivation to do something beautiful. Honestly, I'm a little envious of you. If it weren't for the X-Men, I'd get myself killed right on the first day, or learn how to control my powers, so don't sell yourself short, Peter."

"Thanks… Kitty, it means a lot," Peter expressed softly, feeling less anxious than at the start of the conversation. "But yeah, what happened happened and I tried not wallowing in what could have been, wouldn't be much good when fighting bad guys at night. Not like I had anyone to talk to besides my Aunt, even that wasn't much of an option without lying. Thankfully, I managed to find Ethan and Bucky, and my crazy life got a lot more manageable because of that."

"About that, how did you two meet each other?" Kitty asked.

"He helped me out against a bad guy with electrical powers a while ago," Peter began retelling the first time he encountered Ethan. "You should have seen what we did to the poor guy. Ethan made a giant spider illusion and trapped him in a corner, even letting me play with it for a little bit before we let the police handle the rest. Thought that would be it, but then we had lunch and casually asked me if I wanted to team up, which caught me off guard, to say the least."

Kitty released a brief laugh at his story. "Yeah, that does sound like something he would do. I still remember the heart attack he gave us when he played dead to trick a bunch of Mutants that attacked the Mansion. He's an oddball, that's for sure."

"It was definitely different than what I initially expected, to be honest," Peter admitted, forming a smile as his mind went back to the day he met Ethan and Bucky. "Unlike anywhere else, I was actually allowed to be… free, in a way. I got to work on my experiments with less scrutiny and be a part of something that will help the world. Being part of a team is way better than going out on your own every day, I'll tell you that much."

"Still, I gotta hand it to you, doing it solo even for a little while is impressive," Kitty complimented him. "If it wasn't for the X-Men, I never would have figured out what to do with my powers, let alone go fight bad guys on my own without backup. I remember the first time we went out on a mission, and getting cold feet the moment we stepped off the plane."

"Well, everyone starts out differently, I suppose," Peter replied lightheartedly. "You should have seen my first outfit, a pair of red and blue pajamas with a pair of goggles. Didn't help much against bullets or sharp objects, but hey, worked well enough to keep my identity a secret from the NEWS outlets at least."

"Oh, really now?" Kitty asked intrigued, raising an eyebrow. "Heh, wish I could've seen what that looked like."

"You could probably find a picture online," Peter babbled, causing the brown-haired girl to do a double-take. "But good luck finding that! The images are probably low quality, so you won't be sure if it's me or not…"

"I'll keep that in mind." Kitty replied with a grin.

The two allowed silence to fill the air in order to take a few moments to let their talk sink in, as well as to check in on the rather brutal match that still showed no sign of slowing down. Feeling bad for ruining the momentum, Kitty thought really hard about how to rekindle the conversation with a new topic, which only became more difficult each second that passed.

"Say, speaking of which, I forgot to ask" Kitty turned to him, finally finding a decent question to break the silence. "What was it like when your mutation first kicked in?"

"Oh… no, I'm not a Mutant," Peter waved his hands hastily. "My X-Gene never activated, if that's what you're wondering."

"Huh, I really thought you were one," Kitty said before quickly following up. "But if you aren't a Mutant, how did you get your powers?"

Opening his mouth to respond, Peter realized how weird and unorthodox his answer would be, quickly trying to come up with something else. Sadly, upon doing so, he also remembered there was no other way to simplify the story. "I… got bit… by a spider."

Regardless of how the answer sounded out loud, Kitty wasn't one to judge as for a while now, the definition of "weird" lost its meaning during her time with the X-Men. Feeling like she didn't get the full story, Kitty tilted her head before asking. "Like… a Mutant spider or something?"

"Uh, radioactive, actually," Peter corrected her, then realized his initial answer still wasn't enough. "We went on a field trip to one of the Oscorp labs, during which, a spider they were testing on landed on my arm and bit me. A pretty underwhelming story, I know."

"Huh, ya know, for a second there I was expecting a crazy experiment gone wrong, and boom that's it," Kitty said as she finished her drink, then grabbed Peter's wrist while pointing at the bar. "Come on…! I bet you got a lot of crime-fighting stories, and since those two won't be done anytime soon, I'm sure you don't mind telling some of them while we wait, right?"

Before Peter could mutter a response, the brown-haired girl yanked him away with little effort. While his insides were sent into full-on panic mode, Peter took one last glance over his shoulder toward Ethan as there seemed to be no way out of this situation,

Just as he made eye contact with Ethan, he couldn't miss the cheeky smile with a thumbs up. However, by letting his guard down, the ball collided with his right cheek, which resulted in him finally losing the match.

The sudden turn of events made Peter forget his current predicament to burst out laughing for a brief moment, then quickly being pulled back to reality, his mind working overtime to compose himself before they could reach the shack.

Sadly, by the halfway point, Peter simply gave up. He was unaware of how he ended up in this development in the first place, but at the same time, had no objection to the brown-haired girl's wishes, despite his face burning up like it was set ablaze.

The fact he got to this point while being totally clueless was not giving any confidence either.

"Oh, yeah… I definitely should have practiced this more in my head…"

The first day of our vacation was, in my opinion, a massive success.

For some odd reason, even though the others didn't have high expectations or demands, I wanted to go the extra mile to accomplish my little goal.

Speaking of the redhead, she was lively as ever. The contrast now compared to these last few weeks of training, combined with her responsibilities to the X-Men was more than enough to show me how much she needed this. Make no mistake, Jean was not fragile or a stranger to stressful situations, but at the end of the day, she was still human.

During our sessions, I noticed a few times when she would try not to show any weakness and push through if things got difficult, a habit I promptly eliminated before it became a regular occurrence.

To be honest, she wasn't at fault for acting that way, even though she was aware I would catch on sooner or later. Ever since we started meeting regularly, I got to learn about Jean on a more personal level and talked about many things outside of training when we had some spare time. Which was truly a highlight in my book.

Jean was a selfless person, always ready to help others before tending to her own needs. After many, many missions with the X-Men, and being an essential member of the team that had other responsibilities around the Mansion, it was finally taking a toll on her.

Sadly, she wasn't the only one.

Rogue was another example that was in dire need of a break, which makes be overjoyed seeing her have the time of her life with her friends. I'm so glad I didn't ignore this issue for a later time, the look of pure disbelief turned to genuine happiness almost made me choke on my own breath.

Literally.

I'm not entirely sure what the process looked like during her time with the X-Men, but witnessing her reaction up close spoke more than words ever could. Years of suffering with zero hope of ever finding a solution for her predicament, changed in an instant, thanks to me.

If anything, it only reminded me how similar the two girls actually were, given their circumstances.

One has the ability to kill a person with a mere, prolonged touch, while the other is the host to the most powerful deity in all of Marvel. I couldn't begin to imagine the pressure they must go through on a daily basis, that one careless mistake or losing control could have devastating consequences.

It's one of the many issues I have with Charles Xavier as a whole. For Jean, he didn't have second thoughts about locking the Phoenix away deep in her mind, but what about Rogue? The level of technology and his immense wealth at his disposal, yet he was unable to figure out a method to control her powers? I find that ludicrous to believe, yet that was reality, a sad one in that.

Whatever the case may be, it was a step in the right direction. Despite being Omega-Level powerhouses with exceptional potential, at the end of the day, they were still human. Making small steps might be considered slow, but I still saw it as a massive win, especially when one considers their mental well-being.

I'll have to make a mental note to eventually go over the other members of the X-Men to make sure Xavier didn't do anything shady, as well as the rest of the Mutants in the Mansion but that's for another time.

For now, the sight of the X-Men having the time of their lives was all that mattered, all of them deserved this. While on the topic of my friends' well-being, despite the lively and carefree atmosphere, there was still one person who wasn't able to relax, Laura.

Initially, I assumed she wouldn't be the type of person to easily let her guard down or have similar interests to the other X-Men, but I quickly learned that wasn't the case. Something was definitely troubling her, it was extremely hard to not notice.

Well, for me, that is.

She wasn't obvious about it, as most of her teammates couldn't really tell the difference compared to her usual stoic and closed-off nature. It was all in the details, and I could spot them a mile away, magic or not.

Given my previous attempts, I knew right off the bat I wouldn't make much progress by getting her to talk, so instead, I had to try a slightly different method to lift her mood.

So far, aside from breakfast, there wasn't much activity going on as everyone was still in the relaxing phase, with the only exceptions being Bucky and Logan, who had their own method of enjoying themselves. I wasn't sure if giving them drink enhancers was the right call, but seeing the two goof around and have the time of their lives put my mind at ease. If anything, I was sure they would be the ones going out of control, not us.

"So? What's on our "to do" list for today?" Alex asked eagerly with enthusiasm as the rest of us hung around at the entrance of the shack.

"Well…" I trailed off in a somewhat excited manner. "Since we're on a private island all to ourselves, there was one idea I had in mind that I hoped we could try."

"Really? What's that?" Kurt asked with a spark of excitement.

I opened my mouth to respond until I realized what I was about to say. "I don't really have a name for it, I was going to call it "paintball with magic", but that sounds ridiculous out loud, so I'll just show you…"

Clasping my hands together before moving them apart for a single page to manifest, tapping it so the markings on it began to leak out in the form of white energy. Within seconds, a wide rectangle formed that contained various kinds of weapons that were transparent and had a different color to their design.

"Also, so you don't die too quickly," I formed an energy rune to further elaborate, a simple pulsating green color. "During the round, there will be one of these scattered around the area to regenerate your Health Points. It's a one-time use, so keep that in mind. To activate it, you need to stand still on top of it for just a second and not leave the circle until you fully heal up, unless you're getting shot in the process."

"That's not fair…!" Kitty pouted. "You made out the map layouts so you know where they pop up!'

"That's true… until .." with a snap of my fingers, I sent out a small white transparent ring that quickly expanded in a single ripple effect over the entire area. "I do that. I'm not that thoughtless, you know. To not make it too easy, whenever a round ends this simple spell relocates the healing spots to somewhere else. It's randomized to spawn anywhere, to make it fair. No need to thank me."

"Okay… never mind then. Please continue." Kitty remarked politely.

"Anywho, each weapon has its own unique ability that can be used at any time, before going on a cooldown for a short duration. There are plenty of options to choose from, so take your pick."

"Seems like it's the gals versus the guys," Jean said while looking around. "There are just enough of us for two teams of five. That's alright with you all?"

"Fine with me!" Alex proclaimed excitedly, quickly stepping towards the wide wall of weapons with the others joining along.

"Do I really have to be a part of this…?" Laura spoke in a dull tone. "Can't I just sit this one out?"

Just as Jean was about to try and make her reconsider, I beat her to it. "Depends, do you want me to pester you to no end instead? And don't think threatening me with your claws will work, I'm willing to risk it."

Laura merely inhaled calmly, turning to look at me with an annoyed expression. "If it wasn't apparent already, I'm not in the mood for whatever… this is supposed to be."

"What? You got something better to do?"

"No, I don't," Laura answered unenthusiastically. "I'm highly trained and experienced in a variety of weapons, using them for child's play is… meaningless."

"Think of it this way, the more I annoy you, the feeling of beating me at my own game will make up for it," I countered while forming a smile.

In response, all I got was a low growl in annoyance. Honestly, it was more adorable than anything.

"C'mon, I came up with this so everyone can join in, even you. Okay… how's about this; one match, if you eliminate me, I'll leave you alone for the rest of the trip. Seeing as you're so confident in your skill, proving me wrong wouldn't take too much effort, now would it?"

Looking off to the side, Laura pondered the thought for a few seconds before responding. "Very well, I accept. Where are the snipers?"

"Seems like I won't be having it easy, me and my big mouth…" I merely laughed at that. "Down-left corner, I think you'll like what I did with them."

With a nod, Laura made her way towards the others to choose her equipment, nothing but determination radiating from her.

Accomplishing my goal, I gave Jean a thumbs up, receiving a smile from the redhead for managing to convince her. Once everyone selected their loadout, we were ready to start, opening two separate portals for each team.

Stepping through our own portal, we relocated to the opposite end of the map, taking several seconds before officially starting the match.

"So, what's the plan?" Kurt asked while flexing his red-colored grenade launcher. "We spread out but stay close by?"

"Actually, I was thinking of doing the opposite," I suggested with a grin. "Rushing in seems like a better idea."

"I'm afraid to ask, but why is that?" Piotr asked grimly.

"Eh, don't feel like playing it safe. Besides," I gestured to my Assault Rifle. "We each have an ability on our guns, rather go wild and unpredictable than take it slow."

"Sounds good to me!" Kurt said in excitement.

Peter and Alex looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders as if they were on board with the plan.

The jungle-themed battleground definitely helped with the immersion, with most of the thick and lengthy trees altered into a slightly tilted position to provide more cover. Instead of using the whole island as the battleground, it was a dome-like arena with transparent walls that would only disappear when the match finishes.

In the far center, there was a massive tree formed out of multiple smaller ones, having a few inner pathways as some of them were hollow.

While using our powers was forbidden to keep things balanced, some of us had enhanced senses and agility, so I definitely planned to use that to my advantage. Elegantly moving through the trees to not give away my position, I made sure to stay within my team's reach while scanning the area.

Where I found my first prey.

"Somebody's rather cocky, I see," I muttered gleefully when I spotted Kitty carefully moving through the bushes, before kneeling down to take my aim at the careless girl.

Just as I was about to pull the trigger, my ears picked up a faint sound that quickly became louder a mere split second after, forcing me to call off my attempt.

Throwing myself to the right, the projectile missed my head but chipped my shoulder since I didn't have enough time to fully avoid it from this position, my hand grabbing the edge of the branch so I wouldn't plummet down to the ground. The small box up on the left side of my vision notified me in the general direction it was fired, as well as taking only twenty-one points of damage out of a hundred.

Oh yeah, Laura wasn't kidding when she said wasn't messing around.

Before she could have the opportunity to snipe me again, I swayed to the side before letting go, landing on a thick branch and continuing to make my way down without much difficulty.

"Oh, clever." I thought as I spotted Rogue and Jean coming out of hiding for an ambush, ready to take me out.

If only it were that simple.

Using my gun's ability, I dashed several meters to the right, repositioning myself to the ground in a blink of an eye. Having a total of three charges, I used the other two to teleport in a zig-zag motion several meters behind Rogue, managing to chip away thirty-six points of damage before needing to jump off the edge to avoid getting double-teamed by the two.

"You gotta have to be quicker than that, Rogue! Woo-hoo!" Kurt yelled while using his agility to jump around where I was a moment ago, bombarding the ground with numerous explosives until he was out of ammo, giving me the opportunity to regroup with the others.

What he didn't expect was a bullet to the chest from Laura when he fired his next shot, landing on a nearby wooden platform. Seeing he took a little over half of his health worth of damage, I set my sights in the direction where Laura was hiding, unloading my entire clip before she could retaliate, as well as forcing her to move from her position. I only got two indicators of my projectiles hitting their mark, but they weren't too loud so at best I took a few points off her.

Guess I'm stuck making sure she doesn't headshot the whole team.

"Alex, gimmie some cover!" Peter yelled out to the blonde as ran up a tree trunk toward the blue-furred teleporter, with Alex following up by shooting a smoke charge in their area. Before the others caught on, Peter already got to him and dragged his body off the platform to safety, with the rest of us coming in for support.

The next twenty seconds were spent exchanging several shots from both teams, gradually moving to the center where the giant-tree was located, an open space on the ground level with numerous tree trunks leading upwards for all sorts of routes and cover points.

The girls got to it sooner than we did, and quickly took advantage of the layout to find their own individual spots so they wouldn't be huddled up together while also having the high ground, locking us into a stand-still for the time being.

With us being on the ground, running back out in the open wasn't exactly a preferable option even if we used our abilities, the risk was too high.

"One of those Shrine things is on the top!" Alex called out once he spotted its location. "We can't let them get to it!"

Sadly, given the position we were in, we couldn't really stop them so we had to back off. Just as we were about to retreat, a massive wall made from the earth's soil stopped us in our tracks, forcing us to stand our ground.

"Come, stand behind me!" Piotr shouted as took the front, raising his forearm to generate a blue, transparent shield to soak up the projectiles.

"This thing will last a while until it dissolves unless we deal damage to it," I informed the others. "Just make sure the shield doesn't break until then…!"

While the others were keeping us busy, Rogue and Kitty had an ideal opening to close the distance to the Healing Shrine, making a run for it when they were just only a few meters away.

"Not on my watch…!"

Instead of staying behind the shield, Kurt sprinted off to the side to get a better angle, shooting multiple rounds of his rocket launcher in their direction. Luckily, it was enough to cause some damage while forcing them to take cover, with the Shrine wearing off before they could heal again. However, because of that risky move, Kurt received a bullet to the head courtesy of Laura.

"We're running out of time!" Piotr warned us as more cracks formed on the see-through shield.

"Crap, we can't move anywhere like this…" I commented lowly, turning to Alex. "Quick! Use all your charges to give us cover, otherwise, we're toast!"

"On it." without missing a beat, Alex did as he was told, launching his smoke grenades where we would make our escape via the tunnel.

Just as I turned my head around, I spotted Jean using her own ability to shoot out two medium-sized, silver-colored spheres with red outlines that floated in the air.

"Oh, dear god…" I grimaced as a third sphere came moments later. "Not that…. Quick! Take cover!"

While the rest of us moved back, Piotr stayed behind to buy as much time as possible, only for his shield to break as the three spheres exploded at such a close distance.

Losing another teammate isn't ideal, we'll have to plan out our next move carefully if we want to have a chance at evening out the numbers.

Upon exiting the tunnel, each of us bolted in different directions while the smoke was active before making our next move, so they couldn't find us sitting in one spot.

As I started running some scenarios in my head, I saw that Alex had taken the initiative to split off from me and Peter to ahead and set up an ambush. Realizing what he was up to, I motioned Peter to follow my lead.

Rotating to the backside of the tilted tree, our enhanced agility allowed us to navigate through the smoke much easier, firing multiple shots as a distraction before we found cover behind a rock, with Alex's Smokescreen slowly starting to clear up.

To our luck, Lorna was unaware of the trap she was walking into as she split off from her group. Giving the signal with my hand, both Peter and I fired numerous shots at the green-haired girl, instantly taking her out and before to a

Thanks to our discretion, Alex had an opportunity to turn even out the numbers. Taking a peak over the edge, I spotted the blonde unloading his clip at Jean and Kitty, most notably the former. Unfortunately, just as he shot his last bullet, he received a single hit straight to the head that promptly eliminated him before he could even attempt to reload.

"Seems like it's just us two." Peter informed me, taking another peek and quickly backing down.

"At least Alex got some decent damage in, if we play this smart, we just might pull this off." I said hopefully.

"Woah!" Peter yelped as the ground beneath him spurred upwards, right next to Jean's bomb that detonated at point-blank range. All I could see is his HP drastically go down before I took a few points of damage myself, using a Quick Step charge to relocate to a better position.

I knew beforehand that Jean's HP was on the lower side, instantly gunning her down when I saw her separated from her team. Accomplishing that, I used my remaining charges to hide behind another rock, saving me from the gunfire that followed my trail.

"Well, this didn't turn out how I expected it to…"

Having very few options to work with, I had to think fast.

First I raised my arm into the air, purposefully exposing it for a few seconds until the inevitable bullet ripped through the limb. Now that I had an idea of where Laura was waiting for me, I had to make my next movements count. I know once she uses her hook there's an eight-second window before she could use it again,

Inhale.

Exhale.

Bolting off to the side, I sent several shots in Laura's direction hoping that they'd make her keep her head down while I crossed the clearing. Blinking the last few meters into the woodline to make sure that I didn't get sniped, I made sure to make every movement count.

"C'mon… take the bait…" moving back even further, I fired several shots to lure them out, preying for my little gamble to work. To my delight, both of them began moving away from their current position when I peaked over the edge, with Laura sprinting towards me with no hesitation.

"C'mon… do it…"

The moment I heard the sound of her grappling hook, I jumped out of my cover spot and bolted towards Kitty's direction at full speed with all three of my dashes, before Laura's cooldown would refresh and catch up to me.

Unlike her teammate, Kitty was stunned by my sudden action, as panic took over and caused her to flee into the closest tunnel, but I was right on her tail.

She was almost at the top by the time I entered, even so, that didn't stop me from firing everything I had in her direction.

I did manage to land a few shots on Kitty but didn't have enough to deal the finishing blow before she warped the terrain to shield her. Having missed my window of opportunity, I was forced to continue my assault, otherwise, defeat was all but guaranteed. Running up towards the warped wall, I blasted a hole in the side of the hollow tree, jumping out and using my last charge to reappear at the top.

The brown-haired girl yelped when she saw me, having no time to properly aim as I fired away at the last of her Heath Points.

Jumping off the pathway, I hugged the wall behind me while trying to find Laura, as I knew she was close.

"Now, just gotta-"

My senses made my head snap upwards, just in time to spot Laura swinging fast towards me, passing through a decently sized hole caused by an earlier explosion, with no intention of stopping. Having used all my Quick-Step charges, and being stunned by the sudden action, I could do nothing but take a kick to the chest, landing on the ground with a thud.

"Your strategy couldn't be any more predictable." Laura said with a hint of disappointment.

"Aww, c-come on…" I coughed out as I crawled to my side. "We never agreed that something like this is allowed…"

"Funny," Laura said with a straight face, aiming her gun at me. "Should've been more specific when explaining the rules, then."

Just as she was about to pull the trigger, Laura's eyes went wide before her head snapped to the right, her body moving an inch before getting shot numerous times, the last of her health points dropping to zero.

Straightening myself into a sitting position, my eyes spotted Peter scurrying across the cloudy battlefield, a look of utter surprise on the spider-themed genius' face.

"You dirty bastard…!" standing up, I praised Peter with a wide smile while dusting myself off. "Had to wait until I was on the ground before rescuing me, huh?"

"Actually, I wanted to help sooner, but didn't want to make a move before I got an accurate shot," Peter said while rubbing his neck. "The Invisibility cloak on my gun only works if I stand still or don't take any damage to not be revealed for a few seconds, so I had to make it count."

With the match concluded, a white wave of energy engulfed the map to repair the damage caused by the two teams. When that took effect, all the spectators reappeared around us, a white light manifesting

"Awww, man! So close!" Kitty puffed her cheeks, crossing her arms. "I was certain I had you there!"

"Well done, dude!" Kurt grabbed him by the shoulders, rocking him back and forth in pure excitement,

With everyone giving their round of praise to Peter, who could only rub the back of his neck at all of the sudden attention, I took my attention to go and congratulate the runner-up.

"Now that was an unexpected twist," I said in an ever-so-slightly cheerful tone as I walked towards her, extending my hand to help her up, which she reluctantly accepted. "So close, yet so far."

Laura was left dumbfounded, looking towards Peter who was getting bombarded with praise from Kitty before turning to me. "I had you at gunpoint."

"If you want to be specific, you chipped me down to just seven Health Points," I told her with a cheeky smile. "That, and just by eliminating me you would have won our little bet, despite losing the match."

Just like before, I received a low growl from her, which I could only find to be more adorable than threatening.

"Alright, I had my fun, I won't push my chances at living any further," I raised my hands up in a defeated manner. "Besides, I think that-"

"Again."

My head snapped back in her direction, double-checking if I heard correctly. "You wanna go again?"

Giving me a simple nod to my question, I couldn't help but make an infectious smile.

"Really now?" I said teasingly. "I think it's pretty obvious who the true victor was, and I thought you said this was a "waste of time", hmm?"

Laura, however, was quick to return back to her usual demeanor. "Don't push your luck. Our score is now… uneven. It would be beneath me to leave it like this, especially after how lucky you got at the end."

"If you say so. Cause even if you win, the score will be one-to-one, meaning I got you for at least a few more rounds If I don't blow it."

Rolling her eyes, all the black-haired girl could do is shake her head in defeat, realizing it was futile to explain herself any further. It might have not looked like much on the surface, but I knew deep down she experienced some enjoyment out of this, cause if she didn't, she would have already left.

Releasing a genuine laugh, I put my arm around her shoulder, not wanting to push my luck any further. "Yo, we're ready to go again, anyone want to switch their weapons or what?"

"Phew, now this is how you plan a vacation, at a moment's notice, and have everything be perfect. Took me only a couple of months to find a reason for it in the first place."

I thought while looking over the beach from on top of a small cliff, needing a moment to myself after such a wild day. I found it difficult to look at anything else aside from the beach hut where everyone was located,

For the first time in two days, Bucky and Logan weren't battling who could win the drinking game, as both of them were currently passed out in the sand. Kurt couldn't contain himself to

Setting my sights on Peter, who seemed to have his hands full chatting away with Kitty, was undoubtedly having the time of his life.

When she turned away for a few seconds, Peter looked around for a bit to get some breathing room and found me waving at him frantically to get his attention. Upon doing so, I couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, golden sparks flickering for a brief moment to display the sign much more clearly.

Flustered, all he could do was wave back awkwardly before Kitty pulled him back into what seemed to be a one-sided discussion, which he didn't mind one bit. Releasing another chuckle, I simply allowed him to have his fun since I'll ask him to tell me everything when this is over.

My thoughts were broken when my wristband released several beeps, checking it only to find a message from Susan.

"Hmmm, what is this?" I hummed as my eyes read the title, a simple 'X-Gene Research' on the top.

A few weeks passed since the U-Men raid and we were able to dig up interesting information regarding X-Genes, as well as how to implement them into another living human or creature. Logically, since all of that was unfamiliar territory for us, I called up Sue given her expertise in genetics to take a look at it.

Initially, I wanted someone who could decipher that info, but then I started thinking about what to do with it. The most logical answer would be to inject myself with an X-Gene, or several in fact.

They provide numerous benefits depending on how powerful the X-Gene is, and if it's the right combination to mix together to enhance their capabilities further. Although I may have a few ideal samples for that little project, solely to maximize my potential with them and be versatile.

Guess I have a new project to work on when I get back to base.

"She works fast…" I uttered slowly as I kept reading through the lengthy email, taking note of an apology on her behalf for not going over it in its entirety due to being busy and promising to do a follow-up. "If she can do all this in her spare time, I could only imagine all her own theories she'd come up with if I gave her the data any sooner…"

"Always finding time to work on something, even on a vacation of all places."

Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned my head to see Jean in a green-colored sundress with two ceramic cups floating above her opened hand.

"This just came in. A friend from the Baxter Foundation did me a solid and went through the data we collected from the U-Men," I explained to her as she sat down next to me, taking the cup that levitated in the air. "

"Anything we should be worried about?" Jean asked cautiously.

"Nah, just general info regarding the method they used to inject multiple X-Genes into their bodies," I explained upon showing her the holographic display. "Pretty interesting stuff, if Genetic Research is your type of thing. I'm still trying to make sense of it myself, Biology was interesting but never my strong suit."

"Hmm, seems like she knows her stuff," Jean commented while taking a sip of her drink, gently pulling my arm to get a better view of the screen. "

"I'll send you a copy when we get back, pretty sure Hank will get a kick out of it as well," I said, turning off the hologram with a wave of my hand. "How's everyone down there doing?"

"Don't know if you saw, but Kurt tried pranking Logan while he was passed out. You should have seen the look on his face when Logan woke up just before he was about to do it. All he said was "just try it" as it was about to kill a man, before passing out. Safe to say, Kurt will be too scared to ever think about pranking him again."

"Damn, even on vacation he has to make his life more difficult," I said laughing. "I do not want to be in his shoes when they get back to the Mansion."

"You don't even know the half of it," Jean added. "One time, he made him clean the entire Blackbird on his own, just because he pulled several pranks on the team during training. The worst part, he was this close to fully cleaning the ship before we got sent out on another mission, then had to do it all over again when we got back. Just to serve as a reminder to not pull pranks during training."

"Oooof," I shook my head upon hearing that. "Yup, I think his fate is sealed."

Several seconds passed in complete silence between us, only the sound of the others down below with music in the background.

"Hey…" Jean spoke up, barely audible but impossible to not hear with my enhanced hearing.

"Hmm?" I hummed with a raised eyebrow when I turned to look at her, my head slightly tilted.

The redhead's mouth opened to continue but remained frozen in place for a few seconds. Shaking her head slightly while releasing a sigh, Jean formed a soft smile. "Thank you… I know I probably said that a lot these last few weeks, but there's nothing really else to say. Not just this… but the whole thing regarding the Phoenix as well. It… really means a lot."

"Aww, come on," I waved it off. "It's the least I could do. As a sorcerer with a lot of free time, using magic like this for a change definitely has its perks."

"Still, just know I'm forever grateful for that," Jean said with a smile. "I'll be sure to return the favor one day."

"Heh, good luck with that," I uttered with a quick laugh before taking a sip of my drink. "At the end of the day, I got what I wanted from this whole thing, so I can't complain."

"Oh?" Jean raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. "And what might that be?"

I opened my mouth to respond but was unable to say anything the more thoroughly I thought about my answer. My cheeks heated up slightly when I got near the end of it. "For starters… aside from not doing the same, dull routine for a change, having a bunch of people around to relax with doesn't come up too often. I kind of… wanted to change that."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jean said leaning back to the stone wall. "I can't remember the last time we had a chance to just sit back and do nothing. Still, I'm glad almost everyone got to tag along, they really needed this. There's only so much chaos going around the Mansion that you barely get any time to yourself, you know?"

"I do, but actually…" I trailed off, causing her to look at me with a confused expression. "I planned this whole thing a minute after we finished training, for you. Think of it as a sort of reward for going up and beyond during our training, as it will only get harder the more we learn what the Phoenix is capable of. Also… you seem a lot more relaxed now after getting some breathing room with everything that happened since we met, so I'm happy you were able to enjoy yourself, even for a little bit. "

To that, Jean was left speechless, only able to give a simple response while leaning forward. "Oh…"

The staring session lasted a few more seconds in complete silence, only able to notice the light shade of red spreading across Jean's face. While doing so, it was impossible to not stray away to admire her other features, especially up close.

Thu-tump… thu-tump…

There it was again… the sound of her heartbeat, but why did it feel louder than last time?

When my mind did register the sound, I could feel my own cheeks start heating up, with both of us turning away while sharing an awkward laugh after staying silent for so long.

"Ah… sorry for making it weird." I expressed with another awkward chuckle.

"No, no… totally my fault," Jean uttered in a similar manner, rubbing the back of her neck. "I didn't mean to stay silent like that. I was just… surprised, that's all. Now I feel bad for having you do so much for me, even though you said a dozen times that it's no big deal."

"Hmm, how about this," I began while forming a small grin. "On our next outing, you can plan what we do when we get some free time. I'll be looking forward to seeing what you come up with."

"Deal." Jean replied with a similar grin.

"Think we should go down and join the others?" I asked the redhead as we both threw a glance at our little hut.

"I think we can stay up here a little longer," Jean said while leaning back. "All of them seem busy doing their own thing, so a few more minutes won't hurt. Besides, the view up here is simply breathtaking, we might as well enjoy it while it lasts, right?"

Lifting her cup and moving it in my direction, Jean shook it briefly with a raised eyebrow.

Releasing a soft chuckle, I already knew what that meant. Trailing my finger above it, the liquid from before filled the cup to the brim,

"I might have to start charging you whenever you need favors like that," I joked. "I didn't become a sorcerer to be a free drink dispenser, you know."

"What?" Jean played along, in an offended and pleading tone. "You wouldn't even make an exception? For little, old me?"

Reestablishing eye contact once more, seeing that smile of hers made those feelings from a few minutes ago resurface.

"Well… when you put it like that…" I wiggled my head to act like I was thinking it over. "I'll put it as a maybe. I still have to think about it."

And that's Chapter 13.

I got a lot of feedback saying there's too much action/plot progression that there wasn't any breathing room for the characters to relax and not have to fight every Chapter, so this was a much-needed inclusion for the story.

I myself realized the importance of it while I was writing it, as it's a nice shift of pace compared to everything that happened up until now. Future Chapters will only get more intense (not just for the fights), and character progression, but will double-down here and there and give breathing room when the story needs it.

Also, Peter gets a big W in this Chapter. I'm unsure how many of you are following the Spider-Man comics, but what they are doing to him is criminal, to say the least. That trend should burn in a pit of fire and be forgotten about, never thought another OMD situation would happen but here we are. Rant over, Peter will go up and beyond a little later on, as well as explore his potential to the fullest. That's a promise.

On another note, more Ethan and Jean moments. They were the most fun (and challenging) to write while making sure the flow wasn't rushed. The Phoenix is a very tricky and complicated (as well as delicate) subject within Marvel given its status, so Jean is taking baby steps to gradually figure it out and master it. I have no intention of nerfing the Phoenix, but it will take some time until our redhead can draw more power from it.

Next Chapter picks up on the action and more character development for a certain someone who was moody this Chapter. Hint hint, it's Laura. I won't give away the details as there's a lot to unpack but expect a pretty big Chapter. I have 14k written for it, and since I have a track record of delaying updates, I'll just say it will come sooner than expected. If there are any errors or such, I'll fix it if I spot any.

Das all I got, leave a review (thoughts/criticism mean a ton) so I can improve my writing as a whole, till next time

The link for Discord is " www - discord gg - bTyYgzEm7r" (Removes the - for the internet links)

Cya.