Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the X-men franchise, just a big fan :)

Prologue

It had been almost a year since that incident on the beach in Cuba, and finally Charles felt that all – or at least most – of the bad feelings between everyone was behind them. Erik had not left them, he had not left his best friend. Yes, they still argued about their own views on how exactly they were to achieve the peace between humans and mutants both wanted. Charles still believed a diplomatic approach was the way, while Erik was more inclined towards the faster and more forceful approach. He still believed that the humans would act violently, viciously and ruthlessly to the mutants, as they always had.

But everyone was still working together for now.

Charles didn't know if it was guilt that kept Erik with him, his guilt over Charles's paraplegia from the accident on the beach. Nonetheless, Erik was still with him, and compromises between their opposing points of view were leading Charles to believe that Erik was slowly being pulled towards a more peaceful approach to human-mutant relations.

Not least because of the growing success of the school.

Xavier's Institute for Gifted Children had a small student population, but a dedicated and hard-working – as well as downright overprotective at times – staff, who taught the children of all ages 'normal' school lessons, as well as additional lessons in their individual mutations, and physical training. Erik called it 'preparation to give back what's given'. Charles preferred thinking of it as self-defence. Whatever it was called, it was one of their compromises in the running of the school.

They were still recruiting students, offering a safe haven for all at the school, although now the pair rarely personally recruited each student. Instead many letters were sent out to addresses of mutants that Charles located in Hank's rebuilt and improved Cerebro. Many letters were rejected or went unanswered, but it was those few that responded positively that made it all worthwhile.

But it was only this morning that Charles picked up someone strange and powerful on Cerebro, who had then blocked him out somehow. He'd told Erik of his find, and the other had proceeded to call an impromptu trip for the affectionately named 'X-men' to find this mutant. Erik was acting in a purely defensive way in his own opinion. It wouldn't have been the first time someone had posed a threat against the X-men, mutant or otherwise, since their exposure from the Cuban missile crisis. From his experience, it was better preparing for the worst every time.

For a moment at the jet, as he was being helped into his seat by Alex and Raven despite his reluctance, Charles wished that Azazel was with them. It would have given him an easier and slightly more dignified way mode of transportation. At least Azazel was keeping out of too much trouble, the only blip being when he had helped Emma Frost escape the CIA. For now, the former Hellfire club members, without their powerful leader, seemed a little lost and more apathetic towards building a bridge between humans and mutants. Charles was now accepting to his current state – what else could he do? – but there were times when it was difficult. When he was at last strapped in and everyone was set, Hank set in the co-ordinates and set off towards this mysterious, powerful mutant.

None of them expected what they found.

Chapter 1

My eyes were firmly fixed on the figure crossing the airstrip, dressed up to the nines in a black pinstripe suit and grey scarf to protect him from the chill of the evening air. The slight breeze was only gently ruffling his otherwise immaculately slicked back light brown hair, but that was the only thing about him that wasn't perfectly placed. I would get him though, even if I had to plough through that crowd of guards surrounding him single-handedly. Pawns, really. They meant little to him. The only one that meant anything to him in that crowd was right beside him and almost as dangerous as him, but I could take her. I had to.

Another plane, of a design I'd never seen before, arrived on the airstrip, catching the attention of the others. This was the perfect distraction. This was the moment.

Sprinting out of the bushes, the nearest two guards didn't even notice me before I'd knocked them out with their own guns, a quick and efficient knock to their heads. The next few guards had noticed my arrival, but were no harder to deal with from some simple punches and kicks as I didn't stop running. This had halved the number of guards to fight already, not bad, but was losing him. He was boarding the plane with his right hand woman, leaving the remaining guards to stop me. He even sent a condescending salute to me just as the door to the plane closed.

Bastard!

Throwing out my hands, I knocked back the nearest guards surrounding me, before something caught my eye. That could work. With a quick flick of my wrist, the chicken wire fence on the edges of the airstrip came hurtling across the concrete, wrapping around the guards and binding them tight. They were left struggling on the ground as I sprinted after the small private plane, already beginning to take-off. Damnit, it's too far. I'll never catch it.

I skidded to a stop, reaching out with every ounce of strength I had to stop that plane. I screamed at the strain, but gritted my teeth and held tight. But the stronger force of the plane was dragging me forward, my heels digging into the concrete ground but helping none.

"Let go!" I heard someone call out.

Ignoring them, I turned one of my hands away from the plane towards the ground behind me and pulled in that direction too. Anchoring myself to the ground, I started to try and pull the plane towards me, ignoring the heat of the engines and the agony in every fibre of my body from the strain. I had to bring down this plane, I had to!

"Let it go, Rosa," that voice called out again, closer now. "You'll kill yourself."

Arms wrapped around my torso, trying to pull me back, but I shrugged them off, focusing on bringing that damn plane down.

But the arms once again wrapped around me, and I was concentrating too hard on the plane to even try to shrug them off me a second time. "Let it go, Rosa. I know you need to do this, but you will kill yourself this way. Please, let go."

"No!" I growled at the woman holding me. "No, I won't!"

'Let go, Rosa. Just let go,' resonated that same voice, but from inside my head. 'Trust me.'

Rapidly becoming exhausted, I released the plane with another scream, the force knocking me over, along with whoever was holding me. My chest heaved for breath, the strain before having made breathing difficult, and I pushed the arms off of me as I sat up. My eyes lingered on the disappearing plane, carrying him away, and the heavy and bitter feeling of disappointment echoed through me. So close... I turned to look at the woman who had stopped me before. She was around my age, with blonde hair that fell in curls around her face, and big brown eyes that felt like they were staring straight through me. "Who the- Who the hell are you?" I cried, standing up again. "I was- I- do you know what you just did? Who that was? You were- you were in my head! How did you do that?"

The woman pushed herself to her feet and stuck her hand out to me. "Emily Brooke, lovely to meet you. And it was one of my mutations that allowed me to communicate with you telepathically."

I ignored her hand, I didn't trust this Emily, no matter how harmless she seemed. "Mutation?"

"Yes, like yours, but different."

"Telepathy, so you can read minds. Are you reading mine right now?"

"Oh no, I did before, but I had to. I had to stop you before you hurt yourself. But not now. Actually, I'm shielding it. There's another telepath making his way here now with his friends- don't worry!" Emily said, noticing my suddenly tense posture. "He's a perfectly alright person, a good man from what I gleaned off his mind, and a powerful mind-reader, but nothing I can't handle. Your mind is still protected, but I don't believe he or his friends have any bad intentions. Although I didn't look long. I always feel so nosy poking about in other people's minds like that."

Emily talked a lot I noticed very quickly, and she didn't seem to notice it. Looking behind her, I saw that there was indeed a group of people making their way to us. But it didn't matter who or what they were, I had business to handle. I turned to the nearest conscious guard, ready to interrogate him, when I was stopped by a hand on my arm. It was Emily. I didn't have to look up to know it was her.

"Don't."

I ripped my arm from her grasp easily. "Don't touch me. I don't even know you. Or them, whoever they are."

"Right, of course," Emily said, before running towards the group and pushing them all closer. "These are Sean, Alex, Raven, Hank, Erik and Charles. Now you know us. Happy?" I couldn't help rolling my eyes at her, this woman seemed too optimistic for her own good. "What's the matter now? Charles was just about to ask us about our mutations, since he can't read our minds right now."

"I thought you said you felt nosy reading other people's minds," I couldn't help but quip.

"But his mind is so fascinating," Emily whined.

"So you're a telepath too," the man called Charles said, eyes looking up at Emily from his lowered height being apparently wheelchair bound. "Are you the one who is blocking both your minds from me?"

Emily nodded her head, a proud smile on her face making her look much younger. "Rosa's not very trusting of people, so I thought it only fair. I've even blocked her mind from me."

"Don't act like you know me," I snapped, frowning at her. "What do you know about me?"

A suddenly serious expression crossed Emily's face as she answered. "Everything."

That wasn't the answer I was expecting.

Emily held her hand out to me, a smile having returned to her face. "Come on Rosa, quit being so difficult. I know you hate it."

"Hate what? That thing, that monster that you just let escape on that plane?"

"Loneliness." I was again surprised by her response. "Come on, you don't have to be alone any longer. You're with friends now. I don't have to read your mind to know you could use some." For the life of me I would never understand what compelled me to believe her, this stranger who apparently knew everything about me and was still offering friendship. Whatever it was, fate, instinct, exhaustion or pure curiosity, I eventually nodded and let Emily take my hand and proceed to drag me across the airstrip to the plane. "You won't regret this Rosa! Charles' home is amazing, and we're just in time for a new school year, and they're in need of an English and Biology teacher. Don't worry, we'll collect our things later."

Things were suddenly moving very fast. When did I get volunteered to teach? While I was thinking all these things, I had robotically strapped myself into one of the seats inside the small plane – Emily sitting across from me, to better talk at me in my opinion – when I noticed there seemed to be a hold-up of people getting into the plane. Leaning forward to better look at what was happening, I saw that it was manoeuvring Charles out of his wheelchair that was causing the delay to wherever we were going. Again, why was I trusting Emily? Nonetheless, I didn't have to be a mind-reader to read the slight embarrassment on Charles's face, even though no one else seemed to mind the trouble, and decided to help out.

With a small flick of my hand, I had lifted the wheelchair with Charles still in it, and set it down beside Emily. The shocked looks on everyone's faces made a smirk pull at my face. "How did you do that?" the boy Emily had said was named Sean asked. "Hank made sure that thing wasn't made of a bit of metal."

"I don't need metal to move objects."

"Your mutation isn't restricted to metal?" Charles asked, glancing slightly at Erik as he sat beside me. "What is your mutation exactly? Wait, never mind. We can discuss this better at home. Am I to trust that I'm secure simply in my wheelchair, Rosa?"

"The plane could flip over and you'd be the only one firmly in place."

"But I'm not strapped into my wheelchair."

"No, but you're wearing clothes strong enough for me to hold you I place," I slumped back in the chair and let my head drop back. Nothing to do but wait now, I thought to myself, all the while wondering what this place I was being taken to looked like. If it was a school, I assumed it wouldn't be too small, but that was all I could think of. Whatever it looked like, I kept myself alert and ready for anything, as always, acutely aware of the many sets of eyes I could feel on me during the flight. I ignored them, letting the chatter between Charles and Emily across from me send me off into a slight doze, as I stopped ignoring how tired my body felt.

Perhaps trying to bring down a plane wasn't the smartest idea I'd ever had.