Temper in Red *Editing*

Epilogue

A/N: Man, James Marsden is smoking!

Epilogue

"Here we are Miss." The sound of my cabdriver's voice made my head snap up from where I'd been staring down at my lap for the entire ride. Rather than flying myself back to the school from the Avenger's base I had opted for a cab ride, wanting the extra time to think. For the entire ride though my mind had been spinning, my eyes constantly locked on the ring on my left ring finger.

I knew that Steve was right about what he had said to me before I left. There was no question that I still loved Scott, but the last time we'd seen each other he had told me he was done waiting for me. He was done coming in second to my friends, to SHIELD. I wanted nothing more than to believe that Steve was right, that Scott would still be waiting for me but I knew just how much of a long shot that was. It had been more than a year since we parted ways, since I had all but told Scott that SHIELD was more important to me than he was.

"Thanks." I handed the cabdriver enough money to cover the ride before a grabbed my small duffle bag and climbed out of the cab. He didn't waste a second before he pulled away from the school's gated drive. I stayed there though, as though I were frozen in place. My stomach seemed to consist of knots as I stared at the closed gates before me, my eyes trailing to the old plaque the resided on the ivy covered bricks. Every fiber of my being was yelling at me to turn around, to run back to the Avenger's base to rejoin the others. To turn and never come back here.

"Don't be a baby." I muttered to myself as I focused on the air around me and pushed myself upwards, over the locked gate. Once I was standing on the other side of the gate I adjusted the bag on my shoulder and took a deep breath before walking forwards, towards the school. With every step I took I wanted to run in the opposite direction, but I refused to let myself do that.

It took nearly ten minutes of walking before I found myself climbing the front steps. Before I could so much as raise my hand to knock though the door opened, revealing a familiar white head of hair. At the sight of the familiar face I froze in place, only allowing myself to relax when I saw the gentle smile filling her own features.

"Charles said that he heard someone coming." She said. Just the smooth and gentle tone of her voice seemed to wrap me in a blanket of familiarity, a small sense of comfort amongst all of the chaos that my life had constantly consisted of over the past couple years, ever since I had first walked away from the school.

"I should have known." I gave a weak laugh. She only nodded in response as she stepped back, opening the door more widely to allow me to step inside. I gripped the strap of my bag tightly as I stepped inside, glancing around at the familiar surroundings, little had changed since I had left, not that I had expected it to. "Where is everyone?"

"The children are out, the Professor had some of us take them to the museum for a field trip." She informed me. "I believe that he thought you'd like to have peace for your return."

"Is anyone else still here?" I asked.

"The Professor, Rogue, Bobby, Logan, and myself." She listed off the few people that were still here. 

"Where are they?" I glanced up the stairs, as though I expected all of them to appear out of nowhere.

"They're in the-" She began, but was cut off my a new voice.

"Hey, who was at the door?" Bobby asked as he came down the hallway, from the direction of the kitchen. When he spotted Storm and I standing before him though he froze, his eyes widening at the sight of me standing there before him. I couldn't blame him for his shock, no one here likely ever expected me to return here, especially after what had happened the last time we were all together, when I had chosen Coulson's team over them, over the people who had taken me in like family. "Veronica?"