The X Mansion

Storm smiled at her. “This happens alot more than you think so there is no need to apologize. Charles had worked very hard to make this place known to all mutants who feel as you do,” She said as they stepped inside. Inside it looked old, as if everything was vintage or had been transported into another time long ago. It smelled like dust and varnish like she expected it would.

“Timmy, that’s mine!” A boy said as he chased another past them. “Markus...do we run inside?” Storm snapped. The boy stopped then turned to face her. “No, sorry Storm,” he said looking down at the floor. “Alright then, don’t you have a history class?” She asked and the boy’s eyes grew large and he darted off. “We are a school first, a place where children and adults as well can come to learn without fear,” She said as they walked. “How is Logan doing? It's been a very long time since I’ve seen him. I miss him alot,” she said.

Serena had never actually been inside the mansion before, though she had known for a long time of its existence. Her parents had brought Charles Xavier out to the Tower when they found out about her abilities. Apparently, there had been some debate about whether or not they should send her here, but she had not found out about that until fairly recently. She looked around as she followed Storm. However, when she mentioned Logan she looked back at her.

"Logan is actually doing very well. He and Natalya Sokolova, aka The Black Widow, are getting married, if you can believe that. They're rather perfect for each other in my opinion."

Storm stopped dead and her mouth gaped for a moment. She smiled and shook her head. “Logan...getting married? Now that is something I would never have expected in a million years,” She said as they continued down the hall. “Logan married, well good for him,” she said happily. They passed a class where Beast taught. The door was open and he was instructing the students from the board. They were passed by several older students who held books or had backpacks. As the deluge of students ended Xavier rolled out into the hall in his mechanized wheelchair. He looked up at her and smiled.

“Serena Stark is it good to see you again,” he said. “That’ll be all Storm, thank you,” He said and she nodded, smiled once more at Serena and departed down the hall. “Walk with me,” Charles said as he turned his wheelchair. “As you can see we have a school here. A place where mutants regardless of age or race or religion can come to learn in safety,” he said as they made it to his office. He went in first and when she came in he rolled behind his desk and hit a button. The doors closed.

“Take a seat if you wish,” he said with a gesture. “If you are here I will conclude that either you’ve had a falling out with your parents or, judging by your injuries, you no longer feel safe there,” he said gently.

Serena continued to follow Storm. “I don’t think Logan expected it either to be honest but he seems very happy with her.”

As they walked she looked around some more and even glanced in to some of the classrooms. The entire place had a warm, inviting feeling to it. A moment later Professor Xavier came out of a room and wheeled towards her. She hadn’t seen him in two years since he had come to see William. She was rather embarrassed by how she looked but Charles still smiled at her. She followed him into his office and she took a seat. She looked down and tried to fight the tears that came to her eyes as she thought about everything that had happened. She took a breath and began to tell him everything.

“...Then Peter hit me and began to choke me and I fled. No one believes me about the suit but I know that is what’s affecting him. It moved in my hands. I felt it.”

Charles frowned in thought as Serena told her tale. Obviously alot was happening and he worried for Peter Parkers life. “Do you know where Peter is now?” He asked. When she shook her head he nodded. “May I read your thoughts Serena? Sometimes I can glean more from an event if I can...if you would permit me?” he asked. When she nodded he began to read her thoughts.

He looked for that event with the suit. He stood there watching her as she held the suit and saw it shift in her hands. He looked at the dark lines under Peter’s eyes and what she thought about the changes in him. Then he saw the fight and what Peter had done.

“So then you realize that something is changing Peter Parker. In a sense it was not him that hurt you. I fear that this suit might be something not of this world. A parasite or some other organism that is slowly creating a symbiotic relationship with him. If you care for Peter at all we need to find him quickly and separate him from this entity or I fear he may never recover from this,” he said.

“There is another matter, one that must be handled delicately.” he said as he came around his desk and looked at her. “Gambit must not know where those injuries come from. I fear if he finds out the true origin of them he might do something quite rash and I think we both want to avoid that. He is also with Rogue now. I know you two were...quite close for a while so I felt it necessary to tell you this now instead of you finding out about it later,” he said.

Serena didn't know if she liked the idea of lying to Gambit. Though they were no longer together she still loved him and had a feeling he was going to be able to see through any lie she told him. However, she would give it her best shot. She didn't know how to respond to what Professor Xavier said about Gambit's relationship with Rogue. She had been hoping that she could still rely on him as a friend, but she didn't want to cause any tension between Gambit and Rogue. She only nodded a little and didn't say anything more about it.

"I don't know how to help Peter at this point. I was trying when no one else was. I tried everything I could think of. You saw what happened when I tried to take the suit from him. I need help and I know I'm not going to get it from the Avenger's team."

“Well, I’m not certain I agree what your assessment. Especially if they saw those wounds. I think you might have jumped the gun on turning your back on handling this internally amongst the avengers. But you are here now and we do not turn mutants away,” he said as he moved back around to behind his desk.

“While your here though...you have a Science degree from MIT, do you not? We could use a science teacher. If you are willing to give it a go I will inform Storm and she was help you get what you need.” he said. “I will also send Scott Summers to you as well to get you training with the team,” He said. “You are safe here Serena. I can promise you that,” Xavier said just as there was a knock on the door. “Come,” He said and Storm reappeared.

“Storm, please find Miss Stark a room and she will be taking over for Mr. Wendell and teaching his science class...if she wishes it ofcourse,” he said. “Please give her the tour and ensure she has everything she needs,” he said.

Serena understood what Professor Xavier was saying, but he couldn't fully understand what she had been dealing with the past few weeks. Perhaps she had left prematurely, but she hadn't felt safe around Peter at that moment and she needed to just leave. She was rather surprised when Professor X actually offered her a teaching job at the school and a place to stay. She greatly appreciated it and she accepted his offer. She knew this wasn't a permanent solution, but at least it was a temporary one and she felt safe here.

She followed Storm to what would be her room and as they walked she informed Storm that she had nothing with her. Storm reassured her that what she needed would be sent for. She hoped she wouldn't have to be there for that. For the moment she wanted to avoid interactions with her parents, though she figured that once they realized where she was that they would be contacting Charles.

The room was a nice size and had a Queen sized bed and a view out to the gardens. She walked into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face and then stood there and got a better look at her black eye and the bruises around her neck. This all still just felt like a nightmare. She wanted Peter to be alright more than anything in this world, but she wasn't sure she would be able to be around him for a while. The entire event had been extremely traumatic and she would need time to heal from that.

As she looked in the mirror a familiar voice spoke to her from the door to her new room. “Word has it that we’re taking on yet another misfit mutant,” Gambit said in his thick, creole accent. When she moved so that she could see him he took a step inside her room and his face was all smiles. “There you are Cherie,” He began and then he saw her black eye and bruises on her neck.

Before she had even taken another step he was holding her. His gentle touch slid errant strands of hair from her face and he looked down at her concernedly. “Oh Serena, what happened?” He asked but then just held her to him. He not only felt the same he even smelled the same. A spicy mix of sweet and musk just like she remembered. He kissed her forehead as he felt her begin to tremble. “Oh Cherie, you are safe here no? Nothing more will happen to you,” He murmured as he held her close.

As she looked up, Serena spotted Gambit standing in her doorway looking at her. In this time of uncertainty he was someone she knew and trusted. She felt tears come back to her eyes as his arms slipped around her and held her. She closed her eyes and breathed in his familiar scent.

A short time later she was sitting with him on her bed and she explained to him what was going on, although she omitted the part about Peter being the one who hurt her.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I guess I will be staying here for now.”

“Well, we must help Peter in any case or this...thing will consume the part that is him I think,” he said and frowned when he heard that she was going to be staying for a while.

“I...I need to tell you something...Rogue and I...We’re...together Cherie,” he said as he reached up and wiped a few tears away off her cheek with his thumb. “But...seeing you again...I know my feelings for you haven't changed,” he said but then quickly realised what he just said.

“Well, lets not worry about that now Serena. You get settled in and we can talk later if you like?” he asked just as Storm returned. She saw them like that on her bed and her eyebrows rose up in surprise.

“I have your microchip made, I can take you on the tour now...but, I can come back later?” She said as she flashed a look at Gambit. A disapproving one.

Serena found herself looking into Gambit's eyes. His touch was comforting, but she knew that he was with Rogue and that she was upset and confused. She didn't want to do anything that would risk his relationship. At the same time though his presence and touch were comforting. Hearing what he said though about seeing her again caused inappropriate feelings to rush through her. However, before anything could potentially happen Storm was there in the doorway. She saw the disapproving look Storm gave Gambit and she felt her cheeks burn slightly. She was in a very vulnerable state right now and she didn't want to do anything she might later regret. Gambit would know from her eyes though that her feelings for him were still there...and would always be there.

She stood up and looked at Storm. "Yes, I'm ready for the tour."

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Meanwhile, through looking at the security cameras Isabella and Tony were able to see Serena getting into the Range Rover alone and leaving. They could not see her black eye or the bruises on her neck however. Isabella tried calling both Serena and Peter multiple times, but to no avail. Finally, in desperation she looked at Tony.

"We can call Charles Xavier. He can locate her."

“Why would she leave like this knowing there is a price on her head? And where the hell did Peter go?” He asked as he watched the tape over and over. He turned to Isabella at her suggestion and thought about it a moment. “If we do that she may not thank us for it later. She’s not a little girl anymore Isabella. She was angry though earlier. She asked me to give Peter’s suit back. I said no and she practically blew up. I don’t have the,” he began and then Steve, who was just outside the door spoke.

“I...might know what this is about,” He said and they both looked back at him. Steve went through the whole deal. And felt partly responsible for not helping her do what she felt was right. He forgot sometimes that people usually do know the difference from right and wrong but sometimes do to extenuating circumstances, they do something wrong with good intentions and are willing to pay the price for their decisions. He had failed with Serena in that and now she was gone.

“It's not your fault Steve...I could have listened to her as well. She could be anywhere but we do have the locator chip in the rover. I’m just not certain going after her so soon is not going to exacerbate things. But...she is in danger and people around her could be as well.

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The main levels were very much like an old, victorian mansion. Endless rooms and bathrooms with a massive dining room. Ballroom, offices, studies, lounges though many of the rooms had been converted into classrooms. It was amazing how many kids they had there. Some were orphans who had escaped a very bad situation. Others were kids who had loving parents who wanted what was best for their mutant children.

The grounds were massive as well. A full tennis court, a pool, saunas and huge greens for the kids to play. Every plant and tree was trimmed to perfection and there was a large, metal door surrounded by concrete and a fence where the X-Men blackbird came out of.

Below ground was a completely different story. It was ultra modern with metal composite walls, ceiling and floors. Each door opened because of the chip that was injected subdermal tissue on her forearm. They had labs, weapons and equipment rooms, mutant testing rooms and what Storm called a danger room where the computer and machines could create enemies for them to fight based on specific scenarios. As they moved back into the hall a man with brown hair and an odd ocular attachment to his face was standing there.

“So this is our new recruit?” the man asked and Storm stepped up. “Scott this is Serena Stark, Serena, Scott Summers. He will take a look at your abilities to see if he can use you in the team,” She said. “If you need more time to adjust we can do this later?” Scott said as he looked at her wounds. “I know you just arrived,” He said.

Isabella sighed and looked at Tony and Steve. "I have a strong suspicion that something happened between Peter and herself. Placing blame right now isn't going to help. I think right now what we need to do is at least figure out where Serena is. I want to at least know that she is safe. If the tracker shows her to be in a safe location then we leave her be for now. However, we do need to find Peter. If Serena is right and it is the suit that is affecting him then we need to get to him before it's too late."

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Serena was very impressed by the mansion and the grounds. Living in the city had its perks, but she loved seeing all the greenery and not hearing the noise of the city. It was...peaceful here and she appreciated that. That being said, she was also impressed by what they had downstairs. Their labs were state of the art and she loved the idea of the Danger Room. She really wanted to do some exploring, but she knew that there were things that she needed to do. At that moment a man she didn't recognize stepped out of a room and came towards them. She was intrigued by the device across his eyes, but she didn't ask him about it. She nodded as they were introduced by Storm and blushed a little as she had nearly forgotten about her black eye and the bruises on her neck until he suggested doing the test at another time.

"No, I can do it now."

She had been given one of their training suits just like the one Scott wore. It was yellow and black with a small X high up on the left shoulder. The room was the testing room that she had seen before and there were all kinds of scorch marks all over the ceiling, walls and floor. Scott put her through a rigorous test where he wanted to see her mutations and her fighting abilities. Her new bracelets allowed her to use her powers to much greater effect than before and soon she had done her own damage to the walls.

She found that her fighting abilities were fairly good. Natalya’s teachings had afforded her the kind of one on one training that few could ever have anywhere. She still got her ass kicked though by Scott. He was using a form of martial arts she had never seen before and he switched it all up and mixed the techniques in such a way that it confused her. She did give him a few good hits though which he looked surprised to receive.

Back into her regular clothes Scott took her up to the cafeteria. There was a more formal dining room as well but the cafeteria was huge and kids and adults of all ages ate there on a daily basis. At one of the tables, Gambit, Storm, a very large man and another woman she didn’t know were eating at a table. “So you know Gambit, from where?” Scott asked intuitively. When she looked at him he smiled. “Word gets around fast here Serena,” he said.

Serena had pretty good control of her powers but the test Scott ran her through was difficult. She was secretly glad for the training she had received from Natalya, although she still couldn’t get the upper hand with Scott. He still seemed fairly impressed. Being in school had meant that she hadn’t been able to train as much as she had wanted but she had the talent and potential.

After she got changed they headed down to the cafeteria. She saw Gambit sitting at a table with Storm and a man and a woman she didn’t know, although she guessed that the woman was Rogue. She glanced at Scott when he directly asked her about Gambit.

“He and I were together for about 8 months two years ago.”

Scott nodded as if it was all making sense now. “Well, how bout I introduce you?” he said and accompanied her to the others. “Serena, this is Colossus and Rogue. You already know Storm and Gambit. Storm if you could show her how the cafeteria works, I have a report to make,” he said. “Glad to have you with us Serena,” Scott said warmly then stepped away.

Storm got up immediately though Gambit had turned as if he was going to get up. Rogue looked at her with an unreadable expression for a moment then a smile appeared. “Glad ta have ya with us sugah,” she said in a very southern drawl. “So, you are Serena Stark, from the Avengers. I’ve always wanted to meet this Tony Stark. Perhaps, now that you are here you can put in a good word for me. They did not let me into the Stark Tower last time I was there,” he said in a very russian accent.

Serena got up and walked with Scott over to the table. She felt all their eyes shift towards her and she could see Rogue eyeing her a little after she was introduced. Undoubtably Gambit had told Rogue about their relationship. Serena politely nodded to Colossus and Rogue and took note of Colusses’ accent. “I should introduce you to Natalya Skolova. She’s Russian too and I think she likes being able to converse in Russian.”

Colossus smiled at that and nodded. “I would like that Serena Stark,” he said. Gambit was decidedly silent right then. “So, if you follow me. You first get a tray…” Storm began and then showed her how the cafeteria worked. It was open 4 times a day and people with specific dietary needs were given everything they needed. Once she got what she wanted Storm brought her back to the table but the others were gone. Storm had a class to teach so Serena was left alone to eat.

That night was the first night in a long time that she had slept alone and she was also in a strange place to boot. Nightmares of Peter becoming some dark beast and attacking her plagued her dreams so she found that she could not sleep.

The next day she was at breakfast and Rogue, with her tray in hand come to sit across from her. She had long, thick reddish hair with a streak of gray and white across the front. She was in a black form-fitting outfit save for her green and brown jacket that looked as if it had seen better days. She had baby blue eyes and was quite a beauty with only a little bit of makeup that accented her eyes.

“So, you’re the woman I must share Gambits love with yes?”She asked as she looked Serena over. “I’ll tell ya straight Serena, I’m not certain I like havin ta share him. But who knows what a man’s heart is capable of. It’s not sumpthin that I can jus snap my finger and wish away so I will ask ya sugah, how do you feel about him?” she asked and saw immediately how uncomfortable Serena was. “Please be honest hun, It’ll jus make things easier if your honest,” She said.

When Serena went back to her room that night she found that there were clean pajamas and some other clothes for her to wear the next day. In addition, there was a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a cleanser for her face. She appreciated it because she hadn't brought anything with her. However, before she had gone to bed she had overheard Professor Xavier talking to Scott about arranging to go and retrieve some of her belongings from the Tower. Charles planned to go with Storm and himself in order to hopefully diffuse a tense situation.

Despite being exhausted, Serena found she could not sleep. She was used to having Peter's arms around her and breathing in his familiar and comforting scent. When she finally did sleep she was haunted by nightmares and she woke up in a cold sweat. She was up earlier than everyone else and she showered and dressed before going down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. She selected a yogurt parfait and some fruit and orange juice. She was sitting alone until she looked up and saw Rogue just before she sat down across from her. Serena was already having a rather terrible couple of days and really didn't want to have the conversation that she knew was coming, but she remained silent and listened to her. When Rogue asked her straight out how she felt about him Serena was quiet for a while before finally answering her honestly.

"To be perfectly honest I do still have feelings for him...and I think I always will. I do love him, but there is something else I love even more...but he...he isn't in his right mind right now. Gambit is someone familiar and comforting for me and that's what I need right now. I'm not going after him."

Rogue looked like she was struggling with what Serena said. Obviously she was a reasonable woman. She hadn’t outright attacked Serena or anything. “Gambit and I are cut from the same cloth of ya know what I mean. At some point...at the end If if all I know we’ll be together. Just like you and your...Peter yeah?” She said. “But that time is not now and if we ain’t kissing we sure are fightin,” she said. But Whatever is between you two, it ain’t gonna go away until it does sugah,” Rogue said.

“I ain’t the jealous type,” she began than amended that statement. “Ok, maybe I am, a little but you need him and I think he needs that right now, not me so much,” she said honestly but clearly that wasn’t something she found easy to say. “So, I jus came to make peace with it Serena. And we’ll find your Peter for you,” she said.

Serena looked like she was struggling emotionally right now and she looked away from Rogue for a moment. She wasn't entirely sure she believed that Rogue was 'making peace with her' but she was going to keep her mouth shut about that. She hadn't come here to find Gambit. To be honest, she hadn't even expected him to be there.

She had lost her appetite and she got up and disposed of her tray before going outside. She found a nice spot under a tree and she sat down with her back up against the trunk and just closed her eyes for a few minutes.

“How could somezine so beautiful be so sad?” She heard from up above her. A man. Well he resembled and sounded like a man but he had odd skin and hung upside down from his tail from a branch above her.

“Oh, I am so lax with my manners. I am Kurt Wagner though I am also called Nightcrawler,” he said. He was in an X-Men uniform and before she could say anything he disappeared with an audible *banf* and appeared cross legged on the grass before her.

Serena's eyes opened at the sound of a male voice and she quickly realized the voice was coming from above her. She looked up and was shocked to see a man with blue skin and a tail looking down at her. His accent sounded German and before she could respond he suddenly disappeared with a audible sound and then reappeared in front of her. Her mind quickly tried to process everything she had just seen but she didn't want to appear rude so she quickly introduced herself.

"Hello Kurt. I'm Serena Stark. Did you just teleport?"

Kurt smiled but she saw he had claws on long hands “Yes, that is my mutation...beyond what you see. I only need to see where I need to go and I can teleport there,” he said. “It is very good to meet you Serena Stark. Are you any relation to Isabella Stark?” He asked. “She helped me years ago and I never had a chance to thank her for that,” he said trying not to expose his teeth again as he smiled. He tended to look down a lot to as if he wasn’t certain of how he looked offended her.