Ariel slipped the last towel in the box and carefully taped it, then placed it with the boxes to go into storage. It wasn't fair, not at all, that they had to leave this apartment that had become home to her. It wasn't right that Celeste had nearly died to save so many people.

Three weeks ago, maybe, she would have accepted the suggestion that Celeste had been made to take those pills. But that was before she saw how strong, how protective her sister was. Maybe she had never known her sister until the day she nearly died. The qualities that Ariel hated about her sister before- her persistence, her will power, her ability to control people- were the ones that saved their lives. Ariel was proud to find them in herself.

The true victory was that she no longer saw her sister as an over-protective freak. Her sister had lived though more than a lot of people, and like her friend in Generation-X, she responded by holding those nearest to her heart a little closer.

But reflecting on that wouldn't get these boxes packed. Ariel had managed to make short work of everything boxable in the living room. Turning her attention to the pantry, she set aside anything that would be helpful for the coming weeks and packed most of the food. There was nearly nothing left in the fridge.

Celeste had lost her job when she was out sick, and they had been living paycheck to paycheck with no savings. The stress and strain of this time had caused Celeste to catch pneumonia and she could no longer be the building super. That meant they had to be out by Friday.

A knock at the door told her that Jubilee had arrived to help pack. Smiling, Ariel hugged her best friend. "Almost done?" Jubilee asked.

"Just the stuff in the bedroom and I didn't want to wake Cel up."

"So where are you going to live?" Jubilee was under the impression that Scott Summers was going to take care of the sister's expenses while Celeste recovered.

"Matt offered us his studio, but Celeste didn't want to run him out. The preacher had a spare bedroom for a few weeks and after that, there's a homeless shelter that's. . . decent. Hopefully, Moira can help Celeste like she helped me, but its gonna be a while before Moira is well enough to do it." It wasn't the most pleasant idea, but Celeste insisted she survived worse when she first came to Boston.

Jubilee's jaw dropped. Surely, there had been a mistake! This happened because someone threatened her life. The least Scott could have done was spring for a hotel room. Quickly, she started to look around for a phone. Logan would help them, Jubilee knew it.

Ariel continued, "Ms. Frost offered to let me come life with you, but I can't leave Celeste."

"That's it! I'm calling a friend of mine, one who can heal Celeste with a touch. She's a mutant." Jubilee started to look around for a telephone. Gambit's ward, and her friend, Marie, was in the area, attending a conference and would gladly stop by.

Ariel said sadly, "Most of your friends are."

"Huh? Of course they are, where do you think I live? How else are we going to make Xavier's dream come true?" Then it dawned on her. "Except when it doesn't like now. You lived the dream and you are punished for it."

Celeste was up, getting a glass of water when she heard that remark. "That's what happens when a dream isn't understood."

Angelo had walked in on that remark. He sat down the cardboard boxes he was carrying and nodded. "Martin Luther King's dream was better." It was an old discussion between him and Celeste.

Ariel nodded, as Celeste explained for Jubilee. "King's dream was rooted in pure, humble, love. He saw himself as equal to others, and answerable to God. Xavier doesn't see that. From what you've told me, he sees humans as people that need protection and mutants the ones that will protect them."

Jubilee thought about it. "Xavier, see, he was raised to see humans as weak- his stepfather beat his mother, and he would try to comfort her and protect her. But that doesn't explain why Scott wouldn't help you."

Angelo watched Celeste pull herself together. They had talked for hours about what to do next. What would have been easiest for most people was unthinkable for her. "Scott did offer to help me— provided I join the mutant underground."

"So why didn't you?" Jubilee asked. It would have been a perfect job for Celeste.

"Because I would have to leave you all and live under Scott's control. I decide where I go." And he's a jerk, she thought.

Ariel voiced her opinion. "It's like Scott's afraid of us having too much to do with you, so he'd pay Celeste and me to leave you alone. Sam said Xavier did it to the humans that helped the last class." Jubilee nodded at that, not very many "normal" humans associated with the X-men, and those that did weren't exactly encouraged to stick around. These two were different. "Not us."

Angelo smiled at Ariel. She was someone very special, and was growing stronger every day. Out loud he asked, "What will you do?" Ariel looked at Celeste for that answer.

Celeste shrugged. "I'll get a job, get back on my feet." She had done worse.

Emma had slipped in during the conversation. "I can help, you know," she said. She had plans for Celeste. Big, important ones that Celeste had to be dedicated to.

Celeste hadn't noticed Emma in the room and was a little shocked to find her there. Personally, she had come to the conclusion that Emma wanted to be friends, and friends they could be, but she wouldn't put up outright manipulation. "How?" she ventured.

Emma motioned for Celeste to follow her into the bedroom. Celeste asked the teenagers to excuse her, and then she followed. "What do you want me to do, Emma?"

"I have a job, a special job to fit your expertise." Celeste nodded, waiting for the catch. "It's been open for a long time, and I think you are the right person for it."

"Go on." It didn't hurt Celeste's ego to be complimented.

"I need someone strong, willful, and capable of doing anything to win in this spot. Your handling of being kidnaped showed me you are the right person for the job." Emma nodded, this girl was perfect for the opening.

"How?" Celeste was curious. In her opinion, she had done little more than make a bad situation worse.

"You used everything you had to win." Emma had read Celeste's mind to get the full story.

"I didn't--" Celeste wasn't proud of the way she had handled Tony.

"You did everything right, and luckily for you, he didn't take advantage of you." Emma had been surprised to find out that Celeste had only copied what, in her mind, Emma would have done. It was funny to think that she had mentored the girl in survival negotiations.

"I know, but then..." Celeste stopped. Was it her imagination, or did Emma have a protective look when she was looking at her? True, she did admire the way Emma ran a business as a woman, but Emma mentoring her? That was a strange thought.

Emma decided to cut to the chase. "I want you to come on board at Frost Enterprises, as my assistant. I'll teach you everything I can about running my company and, in return, when the time comes, you'll lead my underground." It was a win-win situation. She'd get a fighter in her corner, Celeste would learn the business world and help do what her conscience told her was right.

Celeste had some doubts. She didn't agree with Emma's personal life, it seemed to her that Emma was still punishing herself for what had happened years ago. It was a big commitment to agree to run a mutant underground, but her granny had taught her well. Ariel, how would she be taken care of?

It would be hard, starting over again. She was sick, her sister needed a steady environment. Also, she had gone as far as she could towards getting her accounting degree, her dyslexia was making her make mistakes. If she hadn't learned a long time ago that the only person she could depend on was herself, she would have jumped aboard.

Celeste thought about all that, then it occurred to her: if she didn't agree to run the mutant underground, who would? Would they be as trained? It was up to her to do it right.

"Okay." She offered her hand to Emma. As Emma shook it, Celeste knew she was starting a new chapter in her life, and in Ariel's. It felt like when she opened a new book and looked forward to all the action, heartbreak, and happiness it would bring. She was ready to start chapter one.

It wasn't obsessive, Tony told himself. It wasn't obsessive to drive past Celeste's apartment every time he was close to Snow Valley. To stop and stare at her bedroom window, that couldn't be obsessive. He had promised that no one would hurt her, and he had to make sure she was safe.

He lit a cigarette and tossed down the match, watching her and Emma talk. It wasn't love either. He met a rare, strong, brave woman and wanted to protect her as much as possible. People couldn't fall in love with in a few hours of meeting. Not under the circumstances they had met under.

He traded everything he knew about 'Operation: Zero Tolerance' in exchange for a second chance to work with Emma, just to have an excuse to come to Snow Valley. He cut his profit margin by seventy-five percent for gun running when Emma told him that she was going to recruit Celeste to lead the mutant underground, just to give Celeste a chance to shine. But it wasn't obsession, or love, or weakness, that caused him to do that.

For the first time, in Celeste, he had found an equal. She could play his game and win. It was respect that made him watch out for her. And he would watch out for her as best as he could for as long as he could. That had been his promise to Emma, and it was his promise to Celeste.