Emma stood outside of the sickbay, watching Celeste sleep. Part of her mind was busy composing the report she would hand to Scott in the morning, the other part was worrying that her students weren't as prepared as she would have liked. Two days ago, if Celeste and Ariel hadn't fought to buy time for their rescue, they wouldn't have been rescued. Yet, how was Generation-X supposed to react when anything they did would have not only endangered their lives, or the sisters' lives, but every one in that building? The whole incident served to show how undertrained her students were.

Not that Emma would have really given any other X-team a better chance at rescuing the girls in a similar situation. The sisters were bait in an elaborately laid out trap. Without their mutant powers, it would have been hard to clear the building, get in and get the girls out without casualties. At least her team's plan allowed them to clear the building, gave them a reason to get in, and means to throw the Network off guard. M's gas leak had been well thought out, the smell was stronger than the actual risk but, with her telepathic nudging, she managed to clear three whole blocks.

Angelo had promised that he hadn't set the van on fire and a telepathic exam proved him right. Tony, in an effort to hide his failure, had done the act. Angelo, however, agreed with the action. It would stop the Network from coming back after the sisters because they believed they were dead. Nothing the team could have done would have. Only wimps and chickens didn't finish a fight, Angelo felt. Emma agreed, and that was where the division between her and Xavier started.

It continued down many paths. Emma knew that mutants and humans could live in peace, but only if they both stopped believing in prejudices. And more importantly, she felt that neither Xavier or Scott Summers were the right people to lead the way towards peace. Quietly, she had begun to copy Xavier's layout, plans, and ideas. She had her own version of underground information, contacts, and names of mutants. One day, there would be a showdown, and the outcome would be no less than the fate of her students, and might be as great as who would be credited for mutant-human peace. Emma relished the idea.

Now, she needed to have a long talk with Celeste. It was hard to figure out what to say to the girl. Understanding Celeste's motives were one thing, understanding Celeste was another.

For a moment, Emma considered what she would say to this girl that wouldn't boomerang back to her. Celeste had had her illusion of control taken from her and she had reacted in a manner that would allow her to regain some small measure of self-determination. Emma would never had allowed that control to slip out of her fingers; she would have fought to her last breath. Emma would have died before losing control, Celeste almost did because she did.

Emma had long locked herself behind her cold ice-princess persona and didn't allow even her deepest feelings to show, and a part of Celeste was like that too. Celeste was more like Emma, in that she was strong, controlling, and protective, but part of Emma wanted to be like Celeste, warm, caring, and at peace. The hardest thing to believe was the same thing had happen to both women-- they both lost control of their bodies and had been violated. Months later, they both had had a child as a result.

There were weeks that Emma didn't think about what had happened at the Clinic, and days that was all she could think about. She thought she had dealt with it, but she wasn't sure. From what Emma gathered from Celeste, it was the same for help, until she sought help. But unlike Celeste, she couldn't bring herself to get help. Emma had long ago lost her trust in mind doctors.

Emma felt that although she had never allowed herself to have a female friend, in Celeste she had found someone who understood her, even if she couldn't return the favor. But here, Emma knew what to tell her.

*I know you're not sleeping,* Emma started as she reached out telepathically.

*No, just groggy. Ariel? Matt?* Celeste's throat was raw from where the doctor had pumped her stomach, and she was grateful for the chance to communicate without words. She felt largely out of it, and didn't want to talk much.

*Both are fine. The doctor that helped you helped your sister.* Ariel was sleeping off the effects of Moira's treatment.

Celeste looked relieved, *Great! Matt, he didn't take things so well did he?* Matt, much to Celeste's disappointment, a typical thinker when it came to mutants. He didn't know the truth from the rhetoric.

*I think he was shocked to find out that Paige and Ev were mutants. It just might change his mind, or if you want...* Emma gave her a knowing glance.

*I want him to change his mind because of the truth.*

*You and Ariel, why did you allow yourself to become friends of mutants?* In the beginning, Emma had been suspicious about the sisters' motives, but their motives were as wholesome as they were.

*Juli-Jubilee and Ariel are friends, I wouldn't change that. Why do we accept y'all?* Celeste smiled. *If you really need a reason, my big sister, Stella was born with a rare birth defect and nothing we could do could change it. If we couldn't control what happened to her, why should we expect to control mutations?*

Emma thought about that as Celeste continued, *You mutants live an isolated life, fighting for the dream that a few live. You have to know that there is a reason to believe in the good of humanity. Some of your students- M, Jono, and Ange- have never seen a human be kind for kindness' sake. So Ariel and I decided to show you that. No strings attached kindness.*

*So you won't take our money for anything that doesn't concern the students?*

*We stand on our two feet- I'm prideful that way. * Celeste frowned, then she asked Emma, *What am I to tell them- I tried to kill myself because I-*

*M covered for you, said that you must have been given something. She went back and cleaned up the mess and replaced the pills.* It was a rare act of loyalty from Monet.

*I hate lying, but...*

*To say anything else would get too close to the truth. Skin knew what went on in that compound and knew you wouldn't emotionally survive it. It took you so long to get past the rape.* Tactfully, Emma left out the fact that Skin would have blown up the van Celeste would have been in.

*If I could tell Ariel what happened to me without telling her about-* Celeste's face clouded over *I've always regretted selling my daughter, and Ariel couldn't understand that. As for therapy, I'm the guardian of a headstrong teenager, lost my parents, gave up my baby, and was raped. Getting my head together is a sign of strength not weakness. You should try it.* Celeste looked shocked that she thought that thought around Emma. *Sorry! I didn't know that thought would be heard.* It was hard to explain how she knew that Emma had been raped, it was kind of a survivor's instinct that let her guess correctly.

*What happened at the Clinic is in the past.* Just as was her guilt at what happened to the other patients that couldn't be reached. Emma never felt any pity towards the guards, but she felt sorry for the other teenagers that died. *Interesting how my sister is seventeen years younger than me, isn't it?*

*True.* Celeste felt relieved that Emma didn't hate her for thinking that she needed help. *Sometimes, what one calls survival is another's living.* After a moment, she added, *You did well by your daughter.*

*Same for you. I've dealt with the past.* Emma stood up and started to leave. *Oh, you may find this interesting.*

Emma handed her a newspaper article from that day's Dallas paper. It was about the gruesome murder of a porno director, one who sold illegal rape movies. He was found tied up with a master copy of one of his films. *Did you do this?*

*That would mean that I cared about what happened to you.* Celeste thought about that statement. Sure, she did take care of the kids, helped out where she could, but she knew that Emma would never let anybody get close to her. And more than that, why would Emma do something like this for her? What did she want in return?

*Read on.* Police believed this murder was linked to a recent drug dealer's death, who had been his supplier. *Why go after the buyer when you can go after the supplier?* That was more Emma's style, going after the most important person, Celeste decided.

Celeste felt a shiver go down her spine. *I never asked for this kind of justice.* A kind of justice that ended a life that had ruined other lives. The supplier had had a history of providing chemicals to medical clinics and private parties, making a lot of money off other people's suffering. Jail wasn't justice, stopping those that promised to hurt others was.

*But you don't mind it, do you?*

*No.* With that remark, Emma walked out the room.

Celeste was still mulling over her talk with Emma when she saw Sam standing at the door. They had talked a few times, mostly setting up schedules and arranging the menu. He wasn't a friend of hers, yet she welcomed the chance to get to know him. She motioned for him to come in, which he did.

"So, how are ya feeling?" He asked politely.

"Like I'm walking underwater most of the time. A little muddled and confused. Mostly tired." Celeste kept a hard pace, working three jobs, about sixty hours a week and night school on top of that. Tired she could deal with, but not this bone chilling exhaustion. Too much had gone on to get over it all at once.

"You should be. Nearly dying takes a lot out of ya." Sam smiled at her, trying to reassure her that she could take as long as she needed to recover. He needed some down time after the close call they had had.

Celeste shook her head. It really didn't matter to Xavier's students that she had to get back to work. She would most likely lose her job because she was sick. "So..." she started, trying to break the silence. "What did Cyclops say?"

Sam grimaced at her question. "That Ah should have done more, better, faster. Ah should have gone it alone, and not risked the kids." Sam paused. "Ah worry about ' em, my class was a lot better trained by this time. But Ah really don't give a horse's hinney about what Cyclops said, Ah know what Ah did was right and that Cyke is so anal that the sofa comes attached to his butt."

Sam was actually furious. If he had been with X-Force, his leadership in that situation wouldn't have been challenged, and he wouldn't have to constantly downplay his leadership experience. Moreover, he was angry at Emma and Sean who allowed their students to be so undertrained.

Celeste looked at Sam, noting his clinched jaw and tone of voice, and decided to help him out of his bad mood. One of her coping methods to deal with her learning disability was a natural understanding of how to read and use people. "I've met Cyclops. Gosh, I wanted to kind of tap him on the shoulder and let him know laxatives are now sold over the counter." Emma had hosted a tea when several of the X-men had stopped by a couple of weeks ago and Celeste had done the catering. Never had Celeste been so tempted to serve massive amounts of coffee and chocolates to a man. Cyclops was fussy, demanding, and somewhat rude to her.

Sam had a sudden image of pouring Pepto-Bismal in Scott's coffee. It was too good not to laugh. "Ah know whatcha mean."

"So, are you worried about Paige?" Celeste had wanted to have a big sibling to big sibling talk to him about her before all this happened. Paige was hyper-competitive, too eager to grow up, and had a hard time committing to a serious relationship. But after what Tony had told her, all that took a back seat to the upcoming trouble.

"She's not as safe here as Ah'd like," Sam admitted. Sean and Emma had decided to lock down the campus until they could find out what Operation Zero: Tolerance was about. Sam had his fears, based mostly on what his classmates had told him about his 'older' and 'grayer' future self.

"You okay?" Celeste saw a guarded look go over his face.

"No," he answered. "It's too weird to explain."

Celeste smiled at that remark. She had heard stories of Emma exchanging bodies with Jean Grey, Storm, Ice Man, and being dead. The student body had been kidnaped by aliens, and there was a talking duck in the biosphere. "Try me."

"Maybe later," Sam knew he had to change from one grim subject to another. "Ah've always had a soft spot for a woman that has my momma's touch in the kitchen."

Celeste's mind flashed back to the fight, as he continued, "Ah was the only one listening after the fight, when ya and Tony talked."

"Then you know?" She instinctively trusted Sam, he was a southern gentleman.

"Ah know that ya have quite a touch with the skillet," he told her. "After that, it was too personal for me to remember." Celeste smiled at the unspoken promise.

"Thanks," she whispered. Sam smiled at her. "For saving my life, for all that. I feel kind of stupid. If I had trust in you all, then I wouldn't have had to do something that would have place me here."

Sam disagreed. "After Tony found you, he called off the guards. That let us slip in unnoticed. You were willing to die for Jubilee?"

Celeste smiled, bitterly. "I would have died for a friend, I have no reason to fear death. I believe in Christ, I just don't believe some Christians." She had seen enough in her short life time to know that some Christians didn't act on what they believed.

That was a sentiment that Sam could agree with. "We never found Tony, by the way."

"The government will try again," Celeste warned him. Part of her was glad Tony had disappeared. Maybe he'd be able to start a new life. Although she wasn't one for romance novels, she couldn't help hoping that they could meet again, this time on equal footing. He intrigued her, and she liked intriguing people.

"And by March, the kids will be ready." Even if Sam had to call in every one of the few markers he had, his sister would be ready to defend herself. "And thank you," Sam repeated what he had gathered about the government's goals.

"And all we did was do what we knew to be right," Celeste sat up and smiled. "Didn't know that it was so important at the time."

Sam got comfortable in his chair and then asked her, "What do you think about Paige? Ah'm a little worried about her and Jono."

Celeste had her worries about that situation also. "She needs a father. Paige doesn't relate to people as much as she competes with them. Jono is a substitute for a real boyfriend- she can talk to him, but can't touch him. You need to learn to walk a tightrope between being her brother and her father."

"How did ya learn to do that with your sis?" He was used to being a fill-in father figure for his family.

"Honestly, I haven't figured that one out with Ariel. Matt helps with the fathering, and my church's men's group plays a big part also. I even call on the women's group to help mother her." They talked for about an hour, until Moira chased Sam away. He left, feeling more confident about his sister staying with Generation-X with such a compassionate friend down the road.

"So, how's the patient?" Moira asked as she took Celeste's vitals. Celeste looked better today.

"Stir crazy. Can't I have a book or something?" Celeste wasn't one to take sitting still well. Moira handed her a mystery novel.

"Yesterday, I decided we would have a long chat," Moira sat in the chair that Sam had just got out of. "My life and your life. Men, mutants and the such."

Celeste looked at her caustically. What would a Noble winning scientist know about her life? Moira continued. "We have a lot in common. Let me tell you about my Kevin." Moira coughed as she started.

Sam left the sick bay, looking around the grounds. It was a pleasant place to learn how to use mutant powers. Emma had learned from her mistakes, and took more time to train these students. His class had to know from day one how to use their mutant powers. Everything had been so hard for him. In a way, he was happy that this class didn't have to grow up as fast.

Paige watched her big brother walk around. Could he ever know how much she loved him? How much she wanted to be like him? As a little girl, she tried to be just like him, wear the same clothes, stay up as late as him. And he always saw it as competing with him.

Her mind raced back to a time that she had spied on him before. It was a day after their father died, and his best friend Li'l Bit had stopped by to drop off a casserole. "Ah'm agonna drop out and work in the mines," Sam had said. Before his father had died, all he wanted to do was go to college and make something of himself. Li'l Bit tried to change his mind, reminding him of the dangers. He wouldn't be swayed. "My family is too important," he told her. "Paige can go in my place."

At that moment, she had gotten an inkling of her brother's unspoken love for her. And yesterday, when Celeste had managed to get her sister released, she understood more fully how deep sibling love was. She and Sam could never be friends, not like traditional friends. They loved each other in a way friends could only rarely love each other. They would always be brother and sister.

"Sam?" she said. He turned and saw her. "Ah- Ah just wanta let ya know, Ah love ya."

In the giant bear hug, Paige could hear Sam whisper, "Ah love ya too."