Disclaimer: No one in Generation X belongs to me, they're Marvel's thing. Glenn and Dawn are mine, as is this story. I'm not getting paid for it, so please don't sue me.

Author's Note: Well, here's chapter six. It's now about two o'clock and my parents and siblings are out of the house. Right now I'm watching the Generation X movie (did they butcher the characters or what?) 'cause there's nothing else on and wondering why Scott Lobdell let them get away with it. For those of you who're wondering if I have any life outside of school and comics, well, I don't.

When I got back inside Sean met me in the hallway. My hair (not to mention my clothes) was still soaking with rain and plastered to me; I must have looked a lot like a drowned rat. I didn't really care, though, because after what Will had shown me I could have cared less if a truck had run over me. I had a big goofy smile on my face, which Sean must have noticed because he said, "Is it just a coincidence that there happens t' be a rainbow over the school when the rest o' the state is more or less underwater?"

"Just doing what comes naturally, Mr. Cassidy," I told him with a smile. I flounced out of the room and to the girls' showers to get cleaned up. At the moment I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. My parents had decided to give mutants a chance, I could see my cousin whenever I needed to, and I'd met people who were more my kind then anyone else I'd ever met, even if they hadn't been mutants. I entered the showers to discover Jubilee finishing hers up.

"What'd ya do, fall in the lake?" she asked as she dried her hair.

"Nah, I was just... out. In the rain, that is."

"Speakin' of which, has it stopped yet?" she asked.

I grinned as I removed my shoes. "Yep. There's a pretty nice rainbow out, too." I should know, I'd made it.

"Really? Reminds me of the old days when I was with the X-Men and Storm would--"

Oh no! I'd been warned about this kind of thing from the others. Jubilee seemed to have some sort of obsession about telling everyone everything that had ever happened to her and her old team. EVERYTHING. Maybe she just liked to hear herself talk. Still, I decided I had to stop her before she became unstoppable.

"And then on Scott and Jean's wedding day she... she..." Jubilee trailed off and gazed blankly ahead of her. Of course, the only reason I had been able to stop her was because I'd given her a telepathic suggestion. It was something along the lines of, :You have already told me this story. You are done with your shower, so you will go to your room and do whatever you usually do in your free time. You will remember none of this afterwards.:

Yeah, it was cliche, but it worked. Her eyes glazed over and she stumbled out of the room. I was about to turn on the water when I heard a crash from the hallway. I ran out to discover she had tripped over a table and her bathrobe was tangled in a chair. Okay, so it wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had, so sue me! Besides, I'm not (well, I wasn't then) the world's greatest hypnotist, I was allowed to make a few mistakes once and a while.

:Oh, just forget it,: I sent in disgust, rolling my eyes heavenward. The last I saw of her she was rubbing her head and staring at the table like it had come from another planet. I quickly turned on the shower to make it appear like I had been in it for a while so (hopefully) she would leave me alone. It worked (thank God) and I was free. Not that Jubilee wasn't good company, in fact, she might have been the closest friend I had during my stay there, but sometimes she could really get on your nerves.

I washed my hair slowly, trying to figure out why it had turned blue in the first place. Of course, the streak made me look like just another rebellious teenager, but it bothered me all the same. I was beginning to feel like my life was God's idea of a sit-com. You know, a bunch of teenagers just hanging around together with all these adventures, rivalries, ect. I felt like I was trapped in a mutated version of Friends; all that was missing was a monkey.

:Why Dawn, if I didn't know better I'd say you were feeling sorry for yourself,: Will's voice chimed in my mind.

"Oh, shut up, 'Cousin Willy,'" I retorted. "And if you're looking through my eyes right now you'd better cut it out or I'm gonna do something that'll hurt you a heck of a lot more then it will me."

:Ha! I got news for ya, kiddo, ya ain't got nothing I haven't seen before. And by the way, Willy' isn't an option. It's either Will or William, Squirt, take your pick."

I finished my shower and put a robe on, drying my hair with a spare towel. "You're a real pig, you know that?" I scowled, ignoring the deep shade of red I was turning. "Besides, you were Willy until you turned eighteen, and old habits die hard, so--"

"Um, Dawn?" came a voice. I spun around to discover Paige standing in the doorway, a bottle of shampoo in her hands. "Who're you talking to?"

I turned an additional eight shades of red. How many people talk to their cousins in the shower? For that matter, how many people talk to their DEAD cousins in the shower? I'd been talking aloud out of habit, and since Will was in my mind it must have sounded like I was talking to myself.

"Uh, hi Paige," I said. "I was just, um... talking to my cousin."

Paige favored me with a look that screamed, Dear Lord, she hear's VOICES? Maybe inviting her to stay wasn't such a good idea; a schizophrenic mutant is the last thing we need...'

:Oh for God's sake, just LOOK what YOU got me into!: I cursed at him silently.

:Hey, you were the one talking aloud, remember?:

:Arrrrrgghhh! I HATE it when you're this way! Look, you little jerk, just get your butt out of my mind and show Paige I'm not crazy!:

:Such language. I AM older then you are, remember?:

:Get. Out. Of. My. Mind. NOW.:

He sighed mentally and blinked out of my mind and into the real world, much to Paige's astonishment. You know, now that I think if it, Will's a pretty cute guy. Straight, dark hair, fathomless brown eyes, clear features, and about 6'1 with a body to die for. I wasn't surprised when Paige gaped.

"Hello, Paige," he said, extending his hand. "I'm Will Brown, Dawn's cousin."

"Pleased ta meet ya," Paige replied, slipping into a southern accent. She held out her hand, which he shook politely. He then favored her with a smile that could have melted a glacier. Paige loved Jonothon unconditionally, but it was apparent she often wondered what he would look like if he was... well, all in one piece. I had to set Will straight before he pulled his little 'Pleased to meet you, miss, would you like to elope?' act. He WAS a horrible flirt, though I think it was instinctive on his part.

:Four words, Will,: I sent fiercely. :You're dead, she's taken.:

:Oh. Right. I forgot.:

Suuuuuure he had. I rolled my eyes and he smiled again. "Well, I guess I'd better go now," he said (and not without some regret, I might add) to Paige. "I only stopped by to confirm my cousin's sanity, you know." Then, in a whisper, "Of course, the jury's really still out on THAT particular case, but..."

"AHEM. I'm a telepath, remember?"

Will looked chagrinned. "Oops," he murmured. "Time to go." He blinked out. I rolled my eyes in disgust and walked towards the door. Paige shook herself out of her stupor and said, "Oh, Mr. Cassidy told me to tell you that your parents are coming over in three days." She grinned a little bit. "Tomorrow we--the other girls and I, that is--get to take you shopping. Oh, and Ms. Frost is arriving tomorrow, too." She made a face. "You have to meet her to really.. Well, you'll see."

I had heard a little about Emma Frost, the White Queen of the Hellfire club. She was, well, from what I'd heard she dressed like a Victoria's Secret model and wouldn't hesitate to fry an enemy's brain when necessary.

"Um, thanks Paige," I said. "I think." I strode out of the room, wondering how bad it would be.

I had to ask.

The next morning I met Emma and realized that the rumors didn't do her any amount of justice. She was still in formal wear, having just returned from a board meeting with her company, and was wearing a long, sleeveless, pure white turtle neck gown that complemented her blond hair. It looked mild enough until she took a step forward that revealed it was slit up to... you don't want to know. Trust me. It also had a low, low back (though how a turtle neck dress could NOT have a back I have no idea) and she wore high heels that made my feet ache just looking at them. There was a low whistle in the back of my mind. :Will, cut it out you little pervert,: I sent. :She's a headmistress, NOT a hooker.:

:THAT'S debatable,: my cousin thought.

Before I could come up with a snappy rebuke I saw Emma frown and felt a faint touch on my mind. I quickly reinforced my mental shields, but it wasn't enough. She pushed harder and I got more frantic.

:Will, help me!: I cried. :She's... hurting me!:

She really was, too. It seems she wasn't used to people resisting her, and while she wasn't TRYING to hurt me she was doing it all the same.

:I know!: he called over the chaos. :I can feel it too! Hang in there, kiddo! I'll help you!:

With his help I renewed my fight and managed to make her sweat a little -- but only a little. I could hear Sean cry out in concern as I was hammered to the floor by the sheer amount of psionic energy bombarding me, but I refused to give up. This woman wanted in to my mind for some reason, and I'd be damned if I let her in without a fight. Still, even using my powers I was losing, and badly at that. I was starting to pass out, and Will was really getting worried. Not for himself, of course, since he was already dead, but for me. Finally, as I was blacking out, he exploded, both figuratively and literally. He leapt out of my mind and into the real world. I could see what was going on despite the fact that my eyes were closed because of my mind link with Will. Thus I could 'see' him slap Emma in the face, knocking her off balance and into a bookshelf.

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK HER?!?!?!?!" Will demanded as he glared at her. "She's done NOTHING to you!"

Emma spoke up for the first time. "Who are..?" she asked. Through the window I could see the sky darken, reflecting Will's mood. An angry elemental is NOT someone to be trifled with. "What does it matter to YOU, psi-witch?!" he raged. "What were you trying to DO, KILL her?! You were ripping her mind apart!"

At that point I was alert enough to speak for myself. "Will... stop it," I murmured. "PLEASE."

He looked over at me, startled, and then ran to my side. "Dawn, are you all right?" he asked me. I seemed to be hearing that line a lot lately. "Yeah, I'm fine," I muttered as he helped me to my feet. "But you shouldn't've done that... she's a teacher here." It took a lot of effort to stay impartial after what she'd just done, but she's had her reasons. I hoped.

"Emma, what could have possessed ye, woman?!" Sean demanded as he ran to my side, offering me a shoulder to lean on. "Why did ye attack her like that?! Ye could have caused serious damage!"

"I felt a foreign presence in her mind," Emma explained as she picked herself off the floor. "I thought it might be dangerous, so I investigated." She frowned at Will as he and Sean helped steady me, having placed one arm over each of their shoulders. "Now that I'VE explained myself, I would like to know exactly who YOU are."

Will narrowed his eyes. "That still gave you no right to rip into her mind like that," he said accusingly.

"If I'd TOLD her about it and there HAD been a hostile presence in there it would have had time to act," Emma said, her tone soft and dangerous. "Again, WHO ARE YOU?"

"My name in William Brown," he told her coldly.

"He's my cousin," I elaborated, trying to disguise the wavering in my voice. "He's a little... over protective, if you know what I mean."

"And how did her get here?" Emma inquired. I didn't appreciate her tone of voice, and her manner was cold and frosty, exactly as her name implied.

"He's dead. I'm a medium. I was lonely, so he came. You attacked me, so he tried to help." I spoke haltingly, as if speaking to a child. The way she looked at me informed me that she didn't appreciate MY tone either.

"Do you have a PROBLEM with that?" Will asked, crossing his arms in front of him, his mood and voice implying that if she didn't want another slap in the face she wouldn't have a problem with it.

"I think--" Emma started, a dangerous gleam in her eye.

"--that there is nae problem wi' ye talkin' t' yuir relatives," Sean finished for her. Emma shot him a look that would have frozen Godzilla in it's tracks, but somehow it didn't faze Sean in the slightest, who was apparently used to it. He looked at Emma steadily and continued. "Emma, she dosena have anyone t' talk to aside from Glenn, so I think talkin' t' her own cousin is acceptable." Emma glared at him but didn't object.

"Now, back t' business," Sean said. He turned to me and gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sure MS. FROST is sorry fer that little incident, as am I. If ye'd rather lay down fer a bit an' recover I'll understand."

"No, it's all right," I assured him as I removed my arm from his shoulder. "I'm fine aside from a little headache." Actually it was more then a LITTLE headache, but I didn't want anymore trouble. Sean smiled at me warmly. It was strange to see how different these two were, and I was sure I'd have an interesting stay.

"Well, as I was sayin' lass," he said, "yuir parents will be visitin' in a day or so, so ye'd best be prepared. I understand yuir father doesna like mutants very much?" I nodded hesitantly. "Then he shall have quite the experience here then," Sean continued with just the slightest hint of ammusment. "But we'll be sure his stay here is enjoyable, aye Emma?" Emma visably surpressed a sneer of distaste and nodded. "Very well, then. That twas all I had t' say t' ye fer the moment. Ye're dismissed." As I turned to leave he spoke again. "Oh, I almost forgot. Ms. Frost'll be drivin' ye t' Boston in a wee bit. T' get clothing as I understand it."

"That you sir," I said. "I need more clothes anyway." Although truth be told, the idea of being in the same car as the White Queen and Miss Perfect at the same time didn't exactly appeal, but I did need more clothes, and I DID want to relax. And after all, what better way to relax then shopping?

I gathered up my cousin and we left the room together. I could tell Will was still in a foul mood when we left, because it had started to rain. Hard.

"Oh for God's sake, Will, lighten up," I scolded him gently. "After all, it wasn't YOU who Ms. Frost blasted, why're you in such a bad mood?"

"That woman's no good, Dawn," he told me. Like I didn't know that already! "I can see it in her eyes... she can't wait to start exploiting you."

"Mr. Cassidy would never let her do it," I told him. "Besides, I'm a big girl now, I can take care of myself."

Will snorted. Then something Sean had said to him clicked. "Glenn's here too?" he asked.

"It took you that long for it to register? Yeah, he's here. He's a mutant too."

"Hmm. Small world, ain't it, kiddo?"

"Put a sock in it, Willie."

"Don't you ever call me that!"

"Sure thing, Willie."

My teasing eventually lightened his mood and the sky cleared slowly. I just hoped he wouldn't get into anymore trouble while I was here. If there's anything more dangerous then an over protective cousin in a snit, it's an over protective cousin who also happens to be a powerful mutant.

TEASER: The women of Gen X go shopping in Boston! Nuff said!