[Ember Charon]

The stillness of the afternoon was disturbed by the consistent humming of a vehicle. A few minutes later, a pale green car had pulled into a parking spot right by the X-Mansion. As soon as the engine was cut off, the quietness resumed. Inside the car, Ember looked up at the mansion with forlorn eyes, framed by sunglasses. Her expression was unfathomable yet her mind was overwhelmed with nostalgia. She had spent her whole adolescent life here, and after 6 years of absense, all her memories and questions had come rushing back at her like a tidal wave over a house. Who was there now? Would her friends have come back, or had they stayed there all along? Or maybe they all left and there wasn't a familiar face there.

Taking a deep breath, Ember stepped out of her car and made her way to the front of the house with a slow pace. But finally, she reached the stairs that led to the door of the mansion. She froze on the first step, however, and rethought her entrance. She definitely didn't want attention to her arrival. So she changed her course, stepped back, and directed her route to the side of the mansion instead. Standing in front of the sidedoor, her mind whirled. Was her room still empty? Or was someone living in there now? Not that it mattered, Ember already rented a place in the city. She had thought it out and came to the conclusion that there were already so many students to accomodate, she would only be a bother.

Inhaling another deep breath, Ember raised her fist and knocked on the door three times. When no one answered, or maybe she was just too impatient, she jostled the knob and to her surprise, the door swung open. Stepping inside as quietly as she could, Ember recognized the hallway right away. Her room was only a floor up. She proceeded to walk down the hallway but rounding around a corner, she bumped into someone. Not being the graceful person that she was, Ember ended up falling on the floor. "Smooth Ember..." She thought to herself bitterly and looked up at the person she ran head on to.

[Aaron Durden]

Aaron had taken the day to get his notes and everything ready for the next day of school. As he sat on the floor of his room with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in hand, he went over his students papers on the person they felt made the most impact on the Physics world. He made sure his students knew this wasn't a graded assignment, and knowing that, only a few of his students turned in something. Aaron skimmed through a majority of them before deciding to grab a glass of milk from the kitchen downstairs.

As Aaron came down the stairs, he heard a car turn off outside the front door. Armed with a peanut butter and jelly in hand, the door swung open, Aaron took a peek and saw it was Ember, and he darted back up the hall before she noticed him. He turned the corner and tried to gain his breath back and get feeling back in his body before he wanted to face her again.

Aaron tried to recap what had happened between the two of them. They were hot and heavy for the first few months and he gave her his heart, but it didn't work out for some odd reason. It was like they just fell apart more than anything. There was a reason that they were brought to this place at the same time and Aaron decided it was time to turn to her and face what had happened.

And the moment Aaron decided it was time, he turned from the corner to start back up the hall and walked right into Ember, causing her to fall to the side. Aaron acted on impulse and looked at her through his reading glasses and asked in his sweetest, and sympathetic of voices, "I'm sorry. Are you alright?" before placing his hand around hers to pull her back up.

[Ember Charon]

Once recognizing the other as Aaron, Ember felt herself become flustered and embarrassed at the situation she got herself into. Falling on her ass. Sighing heavily, she took his hand to hoist herself back up. But at his touch, a dozen memories instantly plagued her mind, some more distinct than others and she was thankful her sunglasses were still on and Aaron wasn't a telepath. Hell forbid, she didn't want him to read the thoughts running in her mind right now. The not-so-nice ones anyway.

"I'm fine...it was my fault anyway for being such a klutz. So I really should be the one apologizing." She responded hastily once she was on her feet again and yanked her hand away from his immediately. Taking care to look away from him, she asked in a polite voice, "So how long have you been here? I didn't know you were still in Bayville." Even as she talked, Ember felt her heart thud a little painfully but her face gave nothing away.

[Aaron Durden]

"Don't apologize, it was my fault. End of story...I'm sorry." Aaron blushed slightly and turned away for a second, he didn't want Ember to think he was still waiting...still in love. She probably moved on, shes probably living with her boyfriend right now, probably about to get engaged...she was too beautiful and too smart to not let herself fall in love again. Aaron had an on and off relationship throughout those 6 years and he knew Ember probably did too. He shook his head slightly as he finished the rest of his sandwich.

"Me? I moved back in last week, I lived in the city and I went back to school and stuff and now I'm teaching Physics at Bayville High right now, actually." Aaron let out with a small smile, trying to get the thoughts of repairing their realationship out of his mind. "How about you? What are you up to over here? Moving back in?" he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful, though he really wished and hoped whe would say yes.

[Ember Charon]

His smile even made Ember's heart skip a few beats and she had to count in her head to calm down. She shouldn't even hope and she wouldn't. A gorgeous guy like Aaron would already have another person in his life. That definitely wouldn't have been hard for him to forget about her and move on. He fell away from her first, she should be angry at him. "Oh wow, Bayville High? What're the kids like there?" She remembered all the trouble their grade ever caused to their teachers. "Must be hell." She commented, smiling slightly.

"How about you? What are you up to over here? Moving back in?"

Ember shook her head, her smile turning regretful then bitter. "I thought it was high time I came back to see everyone. I've actually been in Europe for school for the past 5 years, studying hard." She didn't have to mention how her social life hadn't gotten that much better once she moved. Apparently mutants were even worse of a subject there. "So yeah, came back and rented my own place in the city. I'm just visiting the mansion and seeing the old faces. There's so many kids here now, I don't want to crowd them by moving in." She paused and looked at him through her sunglasses, though behind them held a set of observant eyes. "Is anyone else here from the old crowd then?" She asked him curiously.

[Aaron Durden]

Aaron nodded slightly, "Yeah, I now you guys always caused trouble, but this time its a little different. Its a lot more strict, so, I can control the kids pretty well. I think my kids really like me, I mean, they try their hardest, and that’s what makes my job fun. I've always liked helping the X-Kids with whatever, now I got a few classes of my own and I like it. But enough about me..." He said in a coy little voice. He too was feeling the tension building slightly.

"Europe? Wow...I went there a few summers ago, I liked it, if I had known you were there, we could have done lunch. But good for you, sounds like you are moving on and moving up in your life, I am very happy for you..." Aaron let out as he brought his hands to the sides of her sunglasses, pulling them off ever so slightly, "I need to look in your eyes one more time..."

"I'm sorry...but...I've missed you." After looking into her eyes, he saw something, and every ounce of his body told him, go for it. And he did, He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her up a few inches and kissed her with everything he had in him. The 6 years seemed to get thrown out the window the minute he planted his lips on hers, and he waited and hoped for her to reciprocate.

[Ember Charon]

"That's good to know." Ember commented, feeling relieved he didn't need to go through so much trouble to look after the high school students. It seemed like much has changed since her time there. "Maybe I'll visit sometime." She smiled again as she listened to him talk. What came next was unexpected for her but enjoyable all the same. As his hands came to take off her sunglasses, they brushed against the side of her face and she exhaled a soft sigh and closed her eyes at the feeling. Giving in just like that to something as trivial as a touch. But then his next words just made her eyes open wide. He missed her? Really? Actually? And then Ember felt the signs of hope inflating her insides like a balloon. But immediately, the pessimist in her made obvious sense of the words and the hope popped into oblivion. They were friends, of course they missed each other., like how she missed Devan and Lilly and Kitty...and everyone else. It obviously meant nothing.

But as she looked into his eyes, she started to doubt her own thoughts. If he did miss her only as a friend, then what was that emotion in his eyes, the look on his face. Could there really be more behind his words? And before she knew it, his lips were pressed onto hers and she just felt like every pain leave her body as he hugged her closer. Ember's eyes closed as she savoured it and they kissed for a long while. It might've been hours, days, months, years but it was never long enough for her. But all the while, something nagged at her mind. It was like an annoying buzzing bee that played with her conscience and finally it clicked. Sadly.

Ember turned her head sideways and regretfully pulled herself away from Aaron. "I'm sorry...I can't." She murmured, apology in her eyes and deep regret as she took a few steps back. One side of her mind just wanted to continue to kiss him, to recover those 6 years of lonliness she had been forced to endure. But he had hurt her, and badly. He could do it again. She didn't want that to happen again. "I'm sorry Aaron...but for now, we should act civally. It's for the best...for both of us at least. I'm sure you understand." And a hollow smile crept on her face as she started to walk down the hallway towards the staircase and living room. "So where are the others anyways? I'd rather like a bigger welcome home greeting, if that's not too selfish to ask and all."