ISSUE # 44

After saying goodbye to Rahne once again, Ian made his way to the back courtyard to relax for the day, since he didn't have any classes on the weekends or any danger room sessions planned, he figured it would be good to just sit outside and relax.

" Ahhh, a beautiful sunny day like this is hard to come by. The wind is blowing a gentle breeze, the sun is shining bright, and the sky is bluer than ever. Can this day get any better?" Ian asked himself.

" Hey, Ian!" Ian looked over to his side at the voice calling him and smiled.

" Megan! Hey girl! What can I do for ye?" Ian asked.

" I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to walk with into town. Ya know, just for a drink or something. Like at the grindstone. I know a lot of people like that place." Megan was rambling nervously, but Ian couldn't figure out why. They had spoken to each other many times before and she never acted so fidgety before.

" Sure, that sounds like a fun idea. Let's go." Ian spoke. He hoped to his feet and brushed himself off.

Megan squealed and her wings started fluttering fast.

" Come on, let's go!" Megan exclaimed. She grabbed Ian by the hand and started dragging him towards the school's front gates.

" Okay, okay. Megan, ye don' have tae pull me along. I'm coming." Ian laughed.

" Right, sorry." Megan replied.

" Yeah..." Ian spoke. " So, Megan how are ye doing today? I heard about what happened in the danger room."

" Oh, yeah. It was too bad, but hey! We did manage to beat the Hulk and that was so cool!" Megan exclaimed.

" Yeah! That is pretty cool. You guys did good. I'm sorry I couldn't watch; I was busy having a meeting with Mr. Summers." Ian told the girl.

" It's fine. I'm kinda glad you didn't show up, I didn't really do much but distract him." Megan replied. Her wings fluttered slightly, and Ian took this as a sign that despite having such a good attitude about it, that Megan was really upset about losing.

Ian placed his hand on the girl's small shoulder and smiled.

" Hey, now. Ye did your best. But you can't win them all. The fact that you helped out even a little bit makes you a real hero, Megan. Just remember never give up without doing anything, no matter how small it might seem. Even a single grain of rice can sway a mound." Ian told the girl.

Megan smiled and laughed.

" Thank you, Ian. But what was that rice metaphor about?" Megan asked as she laughed at the man.

" Well, I don't know exactly. Just some mumbo jumbo Logan used tae tell me whenever I thought about giving up. What? Ye don' like it?" Ian asked the girl.

" No! No! I like it. I just wasn't expecting it." Megan replied. " But thank you, Ian." Megan spoke once again.

" Of course, Megan. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. You can do it, Megan. I know you can. Ye just gotta try to keep pushing yourself. I know you'll make an amazing X-man someday." Ian told the girl

" Thank you." Megan replied.

The rest of the walk into town was pleasantly nice, Salem center wasn't too far from the school, so students walking to the small town wasn't uncommon. It just took a little longer.

" Wow! I haven't been to Salem center in so long. This place feels so different." Ian stated.

" Yeah, there's a bunch of new stores they opened up, while you were away. There's even a new arcade place just near the grindstone now. Wanna go?" Megan asked.

" YES PLEASE!" Ian exclaimed. His eyes lit up like stars when Megan said there was a new arcade. " I love games, but I've never been to an arcade! Can we go?!" Ian asked.

" Sure, let's go." Megan replied.

Megan led Ian to the new arcade in Salem and the two entered.

" Whoa! This place is awesome!" Ian exclaimed.

" I'm glad you like it. I've never really been a game kind of person, but I think they're at least fun to play sometimes." Megan stated. " So, what do you want to play first?" She asked.

" I don't even know." Ian replied. He was so mesmerized by the different number of games the place had that he didn't even know where to start. " How about something a little classic... THE CLAW!"

" What? All the games here and the first one you want to play is a claw machine?" Megan asked.

" Well, yeah! I mean it's the classic rage machine. And besides, I want to see if I can actually win something." Ian told the girl

Ian walked up to the machine and pulled a quarter out of his pocket and placed it in the machine.

" Alright, let's do this." Ian stated. He slowly moved the claw machine up and over the pile of stuffed toys, placing it right over a stuffed bear. It wasn't for him. He didn't like toys. But he did want to get something for Megan to help cheer her up. He pressed the button and the claw lowered down over the bear and grabbed its ear.

Megan and Ian both watched closely as the creature was picked up by the claw and slowly moved back only to fall just short of the drop box.

" Agh!" They both groaned,

" Damnit, so close." Ian whined.

" That was so, close Ian." Megan told the man.

" Don't worry, I got this." Ian stated. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another quarter and tried again. And again. And again. And again.

" Gah! Why can't I get this?" Ian asked himself.

" It's okay, Ian. Sometimes you just got to know when to walk away. There's always next time." Megan told the boy. She placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him over his recurring losses.

" I know, but I want to try just one more time." Ian told the girl. " But first, i need to use the rest room. Can you hold my place here?" Ian asked.

" Sure." Megan replied.

" Thank you!" Ian exclaimed he went running towards the bathroom.

" Man, this place is pretty big. I gotta come back here sometimes, I want to play everything here at least once." Ian mumbled to himself as he relieved himself. " Ahhhhhhh!" Ian gasped.

While Ian was busy relieving himself in the latrines, Megan found herself the object of a group of anti-mutant bigots.

" Hey! You there! What do you think you're doing?!" A big man dressed in baggy clothing asked as he grabbed Megan's arm.

" Uhm, I'm just waiting for my friend. Can you let me go please?" Megan asked.

" Nah, I know what you are. You're a mutant. What does a mutant like you think you're doing by hanging out with a normal guy? You're probably using some kind of illusion to trick him into thinking your normal too, when you're really just a monster." The big guy exclaimed. His attitude was nasty, just as nasty as his breath.

Megan tried to get free from his grip but couldn't do to without hurting the big man. And with his friends all hanging around, she wasn't sure she would be alright even if she did.

" I didn't do anything like that. I swear. I'm just here to have fun. So can you please let me go?" Megan asked. She was beginning to feel scared, her wings started beating rapidly in response to her own fear rising.

" Yeah, right! I'll teach you what happens when you mess with humans, you mutant bitch! GAAAAH!" The big man raised his fist to punch Megan in the face while his friends all cheered for him.

Megan raised her hand to block her face from the man's coming fist, but the blow never landed.

" What's the matter with you, people? Picking on a girl, simply because she looks different. You like pushing around people smaller than you big guy? Well, I'm smaller try pushing me." Ian told the man.

Ian had come back from the restroom, to see a gang of grown men picking on Megan. The moment the man tried to punch the girl; Ian caught his fist with his hand. He began to squeeze the man's hand and the man screamed in pain.

" Gaaah! My hand!" The big guy screamed. " Get him!" He shouted to his friends.

The three men with the big guy rushed Ian together.

" S'cuse me for a moment, Megan. I need to clean up the trash." Ian told the girl.

Ian caught the first man's arm and slammed his back into the machine beside them. The next guy tried to tackle Ian only for his body to stop like he ran into a wall.

The last guy pulled a knife out of his hoodie and stabbed at Ian, but Ian spun around on his heel and kicked him in his face with heel of his black air forces. The man dropped to the ground unconscious and the big guy who started all this just looked at Ian in shock.

" You... You're one of them. A freak!" The man exclaimed.

" Yeah. I am. And you would dare try and hurt this freaks friend? You must be crazy. That or you got a death wish." Ian said to the man. " Leave, and never come here again. If you do and you try to hurt even one of my friends, I'm coming, and I'll tear the flesh off your body and make you eat it yourself. got that? Got that little piggy?" Ian asked the man.

" Yes sir!" The man replied.

" Good, piggy! Now, get out." Ian told the man.

The big guy got to his feet and quickly ran away, leaving his two friends behind.

" Are you alright, Megan?" Ian asked the girl.

Megan looked up at Ian with small tears in her eyes and nodded.

" I'm sorry about that guy. He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. You're not a freak. You're beautiful Megan. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise." Ian told the girl.

" Thank you."

" Hey, come on now. Don't cry." Ian told the girl. He placed his hand on her face and wiped the tears from both of her eyes. " Look, let's go get that drink now, I think I've had enough drama for one day." Ian grabbed Megan's hand and led her out of the arcade, ignoring the staring eyes of the people who had been watching the altercation.

Ian walked with Megan all the way to the grindstone without speaking another word, he knew that she needed time to calm herself down, he kept quiet but held her hand all the way there, just to let her know that she was going to be okay.

Once they were outside the grindstone, Ian finally stopped and looked at Megan again.

" Are you okay, Megan? We can go back to the institute if you want." Ian told the girl.

" No, I'm fine. I just... I needed time to calm down. I was so scared. I didn't do anything wrong and those men, they were really going to hurt me." Megan exclaimed.

" They would try. But I promise, I wouldn't have let anything happen to you, Megan. I promise you that. Whenever we're together I'll protect you. And if you ever feel uncomfortable with something I or anyone else does then let me know and we'll stop right then and there." Ian told the girl.

Megan wiped her eyes and nodded her head.

" Okay." She spoke.

" Now, are you ready?" Ian asked.

" Yeah. Come on. Let's go." Megan replied she seemed to have brightened up significantly which is exactly what Ian wanted to see. Her smiling and having a good time.

Ian nodded and opened the door to the grindstone, and immediately he noticed that Rahne, Dani, and David were all there as well.

" Rahne, David, Dani! What's up?" Ian asked. He felt no need to be rude.

" Not much we were just getting ready to leave." Dani told the man. " What about you guys?" Dani asked with a grin on her face.

Rahne stepped forward and looked at Ian as well, but Ian didn't notice it.

" Oh, we were just out. Megan said she wanted to get a drink together, and I figured why not. I've always wanted to try this place and just never had the chance." Ian replied.

Rahne seemed to lighten up a bit upon hearing that they were just out for fun, but a part of her grew a little jealous when she saw how close the two seemed. Since she couldn't be that way with Ian around anyone that knew them.

" Well, you guys have fun then. Rahne and I are heading back to the institute. Remember to be back before curfew and make sure to stay together just in case." Dani told the two.

" Yes, Miss Moonstar." Megan replied.

Dani and Rahne both left the Grindstone, leaving David, Ian, and Megan behind to enjoy themselves while they made their way back to the institute.

On the way, back Rahne began thinking about all the tragedies she'd faced since she left the institute and now that she was back, things seemed to finally be back on the right track for her happiness.

" You know, Dani, even when I'd watch you with the kids, I never understood how a warrior like you would choose a life as a teacher." Rahne told the woman. " But now... With the Paragons... I get it."

" You're good with them, Rahne. It's great to finally see you happy." Dani told the woman. She was glad Rahne could finally find some happiness after so much pain.

" Trust me, it's great to finally be happy." Rahne replied.

The two women were just about to walk into the institute when they were met at the front door, by Scott and Emma. Both, who looked extremely displeased.

" Rahne, you're back." Emma stated.

" Scott, Emma... What's up?" Rahne asked.

" We need to talk." Scott told the woman.

" Is something wrong, Cyclops?" Rahne asked. Now a little concerned about what was happening.

" In my office. Now!" Scott demanded.

" You may want to come as well, Danielle. This does concern one of your students." Emma told the woman.

Scott and Emma both led Rahne and Danielle up the stairs to his office, without speaking another word to either of them.

The moment, they arrived in Scott's office, Emma exploded in Rahne's face.

" How could you?! It is absolutely inappropriate for a teacher to become romantically involved with a student." Emma told the woman.

The moment the words left Her mouth, Rahne knew exactly what she was talking about and knew that everything she had built over the past few months was all just destroyed.

" It's unethical. It abuses the relationship of trust and authority that we have with these children. It-" Emma was speaking.

" Emma, how dare you accuse Rahne of something like that?" Dani interrupted the woman to try and defend her friend.

" I'm not the one you should be angry with, Danielle. The student she was involved with was Ian Sinclair. That boy is damaged enough as it is. Something like this is completely irresponsible." Emma exclaimed.

" Is that what this about? Rahne and Ian are just close because she stuck by his side through his imprisonment and all. But to accuse her... And worse, to convince Scott." Dani ranted

" We never meant for this to happen." Rahne spoke up.

" Wha? You mean?" Dani started to ask, but she just couldn't find the words.

" Back when I first moved to the city, I was lost. I had just lost my mother, my powers. And then I met Ian and things just seemed to be going good for me again, I didn't know he was only seventeen at the time, or that he went to the school. I didn't know who I was anymore, and when I finally got the wolf back it only got worse." Rahne told the woman.

" Oh my god, I can't believe you... I don't know who you are anymore." Dani exclaimed. " I can't deal with you right now." Dani told the woman.

Rahne looked down at herself in shame as Dani slammed the door behind her.

" I'm sorry Scott. I never wanted to let you or the school down. I guess this means I'm fired?" Rahne asked.

" I don't know what we're going to do." Scott told the woman.

" But we have to consider that option." Emma spoke up.

" Rahne, I know how rough things have been since your mother died. I know you were confused. And that means it was our mistake for putting oyu with students at the time. We're going to have to think about what comes next." Scott told the woman. " Until then you're suspended from all teaching-duties." Scott told the woman.

Rahne began to tear up as scott spoke with her. but she didn't try to fight it. She simply nodded her head and left the room behind.

As Ian and Megan walked back to the institute, Ian could feel that something was wrong with Rahne, even as she tried to hide it from him, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He walked all the way without knowing a single thing. Without knowing his life was about to take another dive for the worst.