Welcome Back

Posted on Sun Dec 7th, 2025 @ 5:03pm by Jean Grey-Summers & Kennedy Kelly & Rahne Sinclair & Hayden Davis & Maeve MacKenna & Jennifer Bryant & Desmond Greene & Sarah Mitchell & Alaric Thane & Josiah Martin

4,254 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Episode 7: Pathogens and Contagions
Location: X-Mansion
Timeline: March 5, 1992 - Evening

With Jean having to drive to and from JFK to pick up Sarah it left all of the responsibility for getting the ‘Welcome Back’ pizza party set up with the Alternate Class. With a checklist and an envelope of cash provided to them, everyone had selected an item on the list to perform in order to ensure Sarah was welcomed by dinner festivities when she finally arrived at Xavier’s.

“I think my sign is finally straight.” Kennedy said as she hopped off the ladder and took a few paces back in order to better view the balloons and decorations she had been hanging up. The last thing she had to hang was the large glittery ‘Welcome Back’ sign. “Well shoot.” Kennedy grumbled as the sign was obviously crooked. Climbing back up onto the ladder she tried once more to hang the sign correctly.

Maeve came in from the hall, arms full of a paper bag that smelled faintly of cinnamon and spice. She set it down on the table with a flourish before looking up at Kennedy wobbling on the ladder.

“Straight as a dog’s back leg,” she called, lips twitching. “But it’s glittery, so no one’ll notice if it’s crooked. Sarah’ll be too dazzled.”

She tugged the bag open and pulled out a neatly wrapped bundle. “Picked this up in town—journal with one of those fancy lock clasps and a fountain pen. Figured she might want a place to spill her head without any of us eejits peeking.” Maeve grinned, pushing a curl behind her ear. “Matches her style, aye? Little bit thoughtful, little bit posh.”

Then, with mock-seriousness: “Now don’t break your neck over that sign. We’ll have to tell her the party’s for your funeral instead.”

“If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s falling down and getting back up again.” Kennedy said with a sardonic chuckle before she jumped from the ladder with a touch of acrobatic flourish. She wasn’t as good as she had been when she was training with Kurt regularly but she had retained enough of the skills to keep her nimble. Kennedy looked over at the gift Maeve had purchased for Sarah. “I think she'll like that.”

Kennedy looked towards the hallway with a touch of concern. "You would think the pizza would be here by now. Do you remember who was in charge of ordering it?"

Hayden immediately volunteered for dessert the second she saw it on Jean’s list. To her, nothing said 'welcome back' like something sweet that feels personal. So instead of just grabbing a sheet cake from the grocery store, she hunted down a small local bakery in Salem Center. She had asked them to decorate it with blue and silver swirls, colors she thought felt bright and celebratory. And had "Welcome Home, Sarah!" piped across the top.

She was unboxing it at the end of the food table when she heard Kennedy's question. "I think it was..."

But before she could finish her sentence, the crackle of a corrupted teleportation portal sizzled the air. Alaric stepped through with six large pizzas stacked in his hands. "I swear," he said with a wink and a smirk, "someone could've warned me about picking up from Ray's Pizza in the City. Famous Ray's, Original Ray's, and World Famous Original Ray's...the level of confusion."

He set the boxes down on the table with a dramatic flourish. "On the bright side, we have pizza."

Maeve laughed, the sound bright as she folded her arms and shook her head.

“Look at you, makin’ an entrance like bloody Liberace with his candelabra,” she teased, eyeing the pizzas with mock suspicion. “As long as none of them are pineapple, you’ll live to tell the tale.”

She peeked at the cake Hayden was unveiling, nose twitching at the sweet. “That’s gorgeous, Hay. Sarah’s face’ll light up when she sees it.”

Then, softer, with a grin she couldn’t quite hold back, Maeve nodded at the spread—balloons, glittery sign, cake, pizza. “Not bad for a bunch of us left to our own devices. Think she’ll feel it—the welcome home.”

"I hope so," Jennifer said, happening to come in from the kitchen, just as Maeve spoke. She was carrying a large punch bowl full of, appropriately, punch, complete with a big dipper. She found a place for it and then went back into the kitchen to get the cups to set up beside it. This had been her item on the list. "There's also soda and stuff," she added, "but this is festive."

"Got the soda." Desmond announced as he followed Jennifer back into the room. His arms were filled with a dozen wholesale-size bottles of drinks. Dr. Pepper, RC Cola, four different flavors of Fanta, Sprite, and three flavors of Mountain Dew. "I'm pretty sure this is like half of the bottles we have laying around. But I also saw some beer stashed away. Do you think Miss Summers would object to us having a beer?"

Stepping in through the doors, Sarah stopped to watch the commotion of everyone setting up a party. She’d just returned from a 3 week trip home to visit her family and now had returned to her home away from home to continue her studies, both in academia and in Mutant affairs. Brushing a stray hair behind her ear, Sarah smiled, “ahh, there’s no place like home” she said before heading towards the lift, trying to remain unnoticed for the moment.

Jean furrowed her brow a little at Sarah’s attempt to hide and go unnoticed rather than walking into the room. While some shyness was expected and tolerated, the redhead’s psychology background couldn’t help but mutter phrases about ‘fostering self-confidence and social skills while creating a more inclusive, supportive environment’ in the back of her head as she watched for a moment.

“Come and say hello,” Jean placed a hand on Sarah’s shoulder before she started walking towards the crowd. “I promise they’re happy to see you.”

Leading by example, Jean entered the room with a brilliant smile on her face and a melodic tone to her voice as she surveyed the room and everything they had done. “You guys did a great job!” She noticed the pizzas on the table and her face lit up even more, “And you managed to get the best pizza in Brooklyn.”

Jean noticed that a few members were missing, including the newest student. "Where's Joey? I wanted to make sure that I introduced him to Sarah."

Leaving her suitcase outside the room, Sarah followed Jean in with a smile. While she’s grown more comfortable around others as she learned to control her powers, she still found social gatherings a little draining. But, if Jean felt she should socialize, who was she to argue with the person she saw as a big sister.

Slightly late, Joey popped up from the kitchen. "I'm here, Mrs. Summers," he said as he balanced a platter of a few different fresh made dips, a bowl of chips, and a stack of disposable plates and napkins in his hands. He'd added the chips and dip to the list. He didn't know Sarah previously, so his item from the checklist had been picking up the slack on chores and general work of winding down the mansion at the end of a school day. He set everything down before he went over to Sarah. "I'm assumin' you must be Sarah. Josiah Martin, but for the love of all things holy or unholy, as the case may be around here, call me Joey."

Sarah gave him a smile. She liked how up front he was with her, “Joey it is then. And yeah I’m Sarah, it’s good to meet you” she said, extending her hand for him to shake.

The boy took the proffered hand. "Pleasure to meet you. Please don't be alarmed if you see any rats running around performing tricks or a rat-man chasing a werewolf."

“You better not!” Kennedy hollered from her position on the other side of the room. The very thought of rats running through the beautiful, pristine mansion made her skin crawl. “So help me Joey, if I see or find any trace of a rat in my room or any other place around here, I will freak out and you’ll be so sorry.” It was mostly an empty threat but a threat none the less.

Rahne chuckled from her position next to the pizzas on the table. Not bothering to wait for an invitation to eat or even to be included in this party, she held a slice of pizza in each hand and was alternating bites between the two. “Mmff tayst lyke greezhy chuggin." She mumbled through her mouthful of food and her Scottish brogue.

Sarah gave a small laugh then turned back to Joey, “I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe keep the larger ones away from everyone. Though I wouldn’t mind meeting a few of your friends” she said, assuming he had some connection to rats, perhaps it was his gift. “Well, we better get in there before the food disappears, I hope there’s a meat lovers there somewhere”

"I'm sure they'll have fun with our discarded pizza boxes," Jennifer said to Joey.

Maeve brushed her hands on her jeans as she stepped forward, catching Sarah’s eye through the cheerful chaos. “You made it just in time, love — another five minutes and Rahne’d have eaten your share.” Her grin was quick and bright as she reached for the paper bag she’d set on the table earlier.

“Here—before the glitter gives you a seizure or Kennedy climbs another ladder, I’ve got something for you.” She pulled out the small wrapped bundle and offered it to Sarah with both hands, the brown paper tied neatly with a bit of blue ribbon. “Picked it up in town. Thought you might want somewhere to spill your thoughts, y’know? Private, away from all our carry-on. It’s got one of those wee locks on it too, so even if someone’s nosey—” she flicked a mock glare toward Joey and Kennedy “—they’ll have to work for it.”

Her tone softened as Sarah took it. “Figured you might need something that’s just yours. Welcome home.”

Taking the present, Sarah gave Maeve a smile, "thanks, that's.....that's really thoughtful. And all I managed to bring back is a bunch of touristy stuff"

Joey chuckled lightly. "They actually avoid the house pretty strongly. But I'll make sure to invite Kennedy to the front row of my rat circus when I set it up. And I saw that look. I have enough sisters to know better than riskin' my sanity readin' a girl's thoughts."

“Oh please, like I don’t have enough of my own problems,” Kennedy said with a wave of her hand at Maeve’s comment that she would snoop. “The day I return to the girl’s dormitory and start looking for other people’s problems is the day you can wrap me in a straight jacket and actually send me to the nut house.” It was a self-deprecating joke on her part, the story her family had openly presented to the public when she vanished thanks to her mutation was that Kennedy had suffered a mental breakdown and was committed. “If anything you should watch out for Maeve, she’s the one who thinks secrets need to be locked up around here, like we all don't hear about it through the grapevine anyways.”

Desmond had found a beer in the kitchen. He had heard nobody object when he suggested it. And it was a party. The can looked ridiculously small in his large hands, and he was careful not to crush it. As he entered the room again, he noticed Rahne scarfing any pizza within sight. He gave her a stern look, "You better leave at least two slices for each one here. Or I swear I'll have Al teleport you straight into a cold bath, again."

“Desmond Greene!” Jean’s voice was both stern and surprised as she finally noticed the giant teenager walking into the room holding a beer in his hand. “What on earth do you think you are doing? You have to be twenty-one to drink.” Jean verbally clarified the legal drinking age for all the non-Americans in the room. With a telekinetic tug, he felt the beer being taken away from his grasp and departing into the kitchen to be disposed of. “Your privileges for going to Salem Center are revoked for this weekend and I expect five hundred words on setting a better example for others on my desk on Monday.”

Rahne couldn’t help but giggle through her mouthful of food as Desmond got in trouble. Her tiny face looking up at him was maybe a better reminder of why he should follow the rules and set a good example over anything Jean would make him do. “Can ah hae yer dessert since yer gettin’ a skelpin?"

Maeve clapped a hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking as she tried — and failed — to stifle her laugh. “Ah, Jaysus, Des,” she managed between snorts, eyes dancing with mischief. “Didn’t even make it five minutes before gettin’ grounded by the headmistress herself. That’s gotta be a new record.”

She leaned toward him, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper just loud enough for the others nearby to hear. “You could’ve at least hidden it in a soda can, rookie mistake. Not that I've done that...”

Her grin softened when she saw the beer floating away under Jean’s telekinesis. “Still, y’know,” she added, tone turning mock-solemn, “I’ll light a candle for your lost weekend privileges. Gone too soon.”

Then, with a playful tilt of her head, “Guess that means I’ll have to eat your share of the cake, yeah? Don’t worry, I’ll tell it you said goodbye.”

Desmond wanted to argue with the headmistress, but he knew better. She was an unmovable object in these matters, and he did not feel like being an unstoppable one. He knew he pushed the limits with his beer, but he figured that being an adult should come with at least one drink at a party. In the end he sighed, "Yes ma'am."

He turned around, and placed his hands on top of both short red headed girls. He leaned forward between them and shifted his gaze to from one to the other. "Neither of you little scroungers is getting my cake or dessert. I gotta write an essay, I'm not being kicked out. Got that?"

Maeve tilted her head back to look up at him, lips twitching even as she tried to keep a straight face. “Aye, aye, captain,” she said, mock-serious. “Loud and clear. No cake theft.”

Then she smirked, eyes glinting with impish delight. “Though fair play to you, givin’ a proper ‘yes ma’am’ before threatenin’ two wee redheads. You’re learnin’ diplomacy at last.”

She nudged his arm with her elbow, voice dropping into a teasing lilt. “Still think it’s tragic though—big strong lad like you, felled by one can of beer and a telepathic glare. We’ll be singin’ ballads about it by morning.”

Rahne scowled and glowered at Desmond when he denied her his dessert and he could almost see the folded back ears and sneering muzzle her wolf form would have created. Taking two more slices of pizza by hand and ignoring the plates and napkins entirely, she marched off with them and continued her two-fisted eating while her pout continued.

Kennedy looked around the room and noticed that the rest of the party attendees were all just standing there, watching the series of events in silence and with a few slacked jaws. “So… umm… how was Australia?” The socialite training took over and she attempted to turn the conversation and the mood into something a bit more…pleasant. “Did you see any kangaroos?”

Hayden had grabbed a plate and a couple slices of supreme pizza. She caught the tail-end of the conversation. "Or koala bears? I've read that those things don't sound anything like you would imagine."

Joey snickered at the less-than-subtle subject change as he layered a few slices of the meat lover's pizza onto a plate and doused them with Frank's Red Hot. He shot a look at Kennedy, already plotting ways of subtly and 'innocently' assailing her apparent disdain for his rodent cohorts. Time enough for that later, though, as he privately felt bad for Desmond, but also knew better than to try anything that brazen. Plausible deniability and all. Speaking of which, he grabbed several napkins and shoved them at Rahne with a pointed look that clearly said, "Having an animal form is no excuse for behaving like one."

With a look of irritation on her face Rahne contemplated what Joey was offering her. She yanked the napkins from his hand and ran them across her dirty face once before she overtly shoved the wrinkled, greasy papers into her pocket.

"I picked exactly the wrong age to stop visiting home," Jennifer said, originally intending it as a joke, but it didn't come out like she wanted. "Actually, nevermind," she followed up. "This is home."

“Australia was good. It was nice to visit home again. No, I didn’t see any Kangaroos or Koalas, I live in the city not the bush. And yes Hayden, you’re right, Koalas make very different noises compared to what they look like. It’s very……deep, guttural. It’s almost like a prolonged growl I guess. Though their fur is nice to touch if you ever get the chance. And Kangaroo is absolutely delicious”

Desmond noticed Rahne's hands were rapidly emptying of pizza slices. So with no beer left for him to fill his hands, he grabbed the big box still full. He stepped up to the three women discussing. He opened the box with a flourish, presenting a variety of New York style slices. "So do they have pizza in Australia? And if so, could I get Koala on that?"

"Aren't they endangered?" Jennifer asked as she took a slice of mushroom pizza. She really had no idea.

Sarah turned to Desmond with a look of mixed confusion, shock and the sheer pain of her hurt national pride, “No.” She said, her tone one of disbelief, “You cannot eat Koala’s. That’s like……I don’t even know a decent American comparison. Not only are they national treasures, but Jennifer’s right, they’re an endangered species. And of course we have pizza in Australia, we’re not some backwards people. We’re as civilized as you are”

Joey snickered. "Depending on where you are and who you ask, that is a low bar miss," he deadpanned. "Only thing I know about Australia is your wildlife and weather is at least as harsh as mine, and arguably more prone to causing death, dismemberment, and pain," he added.

“Spiders the size of dinner plates.” Kennedy shivered as she said the words and couldn’t imagine anything more horrible to discover in your bathroom. “You should have brought Alaric with you to squish them…” She glanced over at the demon slayer who was happily eating pizza.

Alaric was halfway through his third slice of this delicious food he'd come to enjoy when he heard his name. He held up the half eaten slice with a dramatic flair. "Indeed! I have vanquished many evils in my life. A dinner plate sized spider would fall at the hand of the mighty Alaricus Tantus!" He smirked and winked and went back to his pizza.

However, in his dramatic presentation, the toppings had slid off. "Oops," he said as he grabbed a napkin to clean his mess off the floor. "Perhaps a bit too much flair," he said, standing and putting the napkin in a trashcan. "Nah, I think not." This was a happy occasion after all.

Sarah gave a happy chuckle at Alaric’s antics, “actually, we don’t squish the big ones. They keep the small ones in control. Some people have even taken to naming their big spiders.” She said, playing into the stereotype a little. “It’s the ones you don’t see that you need to worry about. Trap door spiders, bird spiders, Sydney Funnel Webs. Oooooh”

Joey gave a side eye towards Kennedy as Sarah spoke. He laughed. "Careful now, you might give people nightmares," he said. "If I recall, some of the big ones can even eat birds and rats. Whadd'ya think, Kennedy, want a dinner plate spider to guard against the rats?"

"Some people have pet spiders here," Jennifer noted. "And rats."

“Eww, no…” Kennedy wrinkled her nose up like a rabbit at Joey and Jennifer’s comments about spiders and rats as pets. “I’ll stick to cats and maybe a dog, both of which can keep pests away while still being cuddly.”

Hayden shivered. “Yeah, let’s keep the spiders and rats far away from here.” She took another bite of what would be her last slice of pizza for the night. There was already an extra loop planned for her morning run, no need to add another.

"People can have different pets," Jennifer said defensively. "As long as they love them."

“People can do whatever they want but if I find a rat or a giant spider I will scream.” Kennedy replied while finishing the last of her Diet Coke. “And I might throw a charged shoe at either one of them.”

Rahne giggled as a wicked idea came into her mind. “Th’ froags urr wakin’ up in th’ lake. Ah could catch wan?” She suggested to Joey before shoving the last bit of her pizza crust into her mouth.

"Don't bring it in here," Jennifer pleaded soft-heartedly. "It would get scared if there was a bunch of chaos."

Rahne made a noise that could best be described as a Scottish sound of disapproval as she glanced over at Jennifer. “Dry as a burnt bannock” she grumbled before wandering off for double portions of dessert.

Jean had been rather quiet during their conversation, allowing the team to become reacquainted with one another in a casual manner rather than through the rigors of training or in the tedium of school work. She wanted them to be friends just like the First Class had been. But the talk of surprise rats and frogs was enough to pull her back into the conversation.

“I’m sure you’ll have some reading and school work to catch up on now that you’re back.” Jean commented during a lull, “But if you need help I’m sure someone will help you, that is if anyone here feels comfortable with Algebra or the American Revolution?” She proposed to the group as they all suddenly became very interested in their pizza.

"I probably learned the American Revolution differently," Jennifer said casually, "but I know algebra okay."

Hayden shook her head to both of those. "Definitely not a math girl. History is okay, I guess. I'm better with ancient histories and mythologies," she said before taking a large bite of the crust from her last slice. She poured some more soda in her glass to wash down the crust.

“Maths and History? Now you’re talking my specialties” Sarah commented with a smile, “though I’m more European history rather then American, you ungrateful colonialist”

"History is messy," Jennifer said with a shrug.

“But that’s what makes it so much fun. The result of one battle could end an empire centuries down the track. It’s like a butterfly effect” Sarah said, her smile only growing.

"Does the butterfly effect really work like in the stories?" Jennifer asked Jean, as if she assumed the other woman had a lot of knowledge about time travel.

“Chaos theory is a legitimate form of mathematics and physics, which is the idea that the Butterfly Effect is rooted in.” Jean said with a slight shrug, they didn’t often see the scholarly side of her. But based on how much time she had previously spent with the Professor and how many lectures and fundraisers she attended as the current face of X-Corp it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that Jean was dynamic enough to hold her own in those circles.

“But from a metaphorical sense, it’s a way of recognizing how small, seemingly insignificant moments can shape the direction of your life in big ways over time. I like to think that small actions matter. Even the smallest kindness, word, or decision can have unexpected power. And that we can’t predict everything, life unfolds through an intricate web of causes and coincidences that we only understand when looking back.” Jean glanced down at her feet, towards the stasis chambers in the sub-basement and everyone in the room knew what she was thinking about.

Jennifer looked down as well. Her mood changed with Jean's. Whatever she had been about to say about the butterfly effect, she out that aside for later. "We're all in this together," she said. "That's why it's so good to welcome someone home."

RSS Feed