A/N: I'd love to post this chapter with a weight lifted off of my shoulders. But I have several pet peeves; my number one being the misuse of big words to make your sentences sound better.

Pandering:

1 the act or crime of recruiting prostitutes or of arranging a situation for another to practice prostitution —compare PIMP
2 the act or crime of selling or distributing visual or print media (as magazines) designed to appeal to the recipient's sexual interest

That's all.

I wish I could tell you that everything went back to the way it was after she left. That Papa and I became inseparable again and nothing broke us apart ever again. That everyone had apologized for being stupidheadjerkmeanies and I lived happily ever after. You have no idea how much I wish that were true.

After she left Papa and I tried to patch things up. But things were never the same. We still laughed and joked and played poker like no ones business. But he stayed guarded, never letting anyone into his heart as he had before. As much as everyone tried to get through to him, his smile stopped reaching his eyes. He kept to himself more than he ever had before. Hank said it was a defense mechanism, one he hopes I never have to acquire.

I stayed in the dorms that year with Sean. My team turned into an extension of my family. Sean especially. He even started calling Papa 'Dad'. He decided to stay through the summers with me, which was greatly appreciated. Because nothing went back to the way I thought it should be. No one apologized to me, in fact it turns out that I did all of the apologizing, and I did a lot of it. I thanked them too, I thanked Logan for being there when I needed someone and for not putting up with my bullshit. Turns out he's not so scary after all.

While the mansion has always been my home, it's been different since that year. Despite my previous efforts to turn back time, there are scars from that which will never go away. Scott will never trust me fully ever again. Jean doesn't talk as much as we used to. Hank stopped being an uncle and started becoming a professor. Bishop stopped being overprotective and as much as I used to hate it, I miss it more than I can say. Though Ororo forgave me a long time ago, I'm still re-earning her trust and respect, it seems to be a lifetime goal. Bobby doesn't hang around as much as we used to. Moulin Rouge Nights turned into a once a month affair. The only people that haven't changed the way they've acted around me are Jubes and the Professor. Maybe that's because Jubes left for college, and the Professor has never made me feel guilty for anything in my entire life. My relationship with Logan has grown and changed, as much as I always wanted to think of Papa as my mentor, it seems he'll only ever be my Papa. Logan has taken the role of mentor and he's helped me come to terms with what I did that summer. Looking back on that year I would've done so much differently, but everything is easy in hindsight.

We never saw Marie again. And that's okay with me.