Brief Description:
Nurse Annie and her son arrive at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, where they are welcomes by Paige. Annie doesn’t like mutants and is concerned for her son’s safety. Right then the X-Men return from their mission and Xavier telepathically contacts Husk to meet them in the infirmary as they have wounded aboard. While Xavier tends to Iceman‘s injuries, Annie tries to deal with Warren‘s broken limbs, though suddenly Stacy becomes angry. She reveals that she is able to “see“ others’ pheromones and obviously Husk has a crush on Warren. After being humiliated in front of everyone present, Paige starts to cry and leaves the room. However when Warren accuses Stacy of jealousy, she too is shocked and leaves. Outside on the school grounds, Wolverine tells the Juggernaut that if he dares to attack his friends in their home, he will show no mercy at all. Wolverine walks away, but Sammy and Carter stay behind, gazing up at the Juggernaut in awe, they think he is cool. Xavier enters the astral plane to pull back the mind of the comatose Havok, but he finds himself almost pulled into Alex's pain and loneliness and has to turn back. Yet he promises to Annie that he will keep trying. Charles offers Annie a position at the Institute, assuring her that the fact that she is not a mutant fits with his personal philosophy of cooperation between the races. She hesitantly accepts. Later Annie walks to Husk’s room to ask if she is okay. Paige is angry: she tells Annie that it is obvious that she doesn't care about mutants, and questions why she decided to try to comfort her in the first place. Annie admits that she doesn't generally like mutants, but insists that she doesn't like to see anyone, human or mutant, in emotional pain. Paige thanks her but prefers to be left alone. Annie walks back to her room. As she enters, she thinks to herself that she must eventually get over her mutant prejudice for "obvious reasons." Annie sits down on the bed and watches as Carter telekinetically lifts his toys into the air.
Full Synopsis:
Annie and her son Carter walk through the gates of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Carter is amazed by the many mutants running around, though his mother tells him not to stare. Annie is uncomfortable: she "has her reasons" for disliking mutants. Paige meets Annie at the school's entrance and greets her. She introduces herself and explains that Scott was called away and couldn’t welcome her. As Paige tends to Carter, Annie asks Paige what her mutant power is and if it is potentially harmful to the boy. Husk assures her that her son is in no danger, just as the Blackbird roars over the school grounds. Carter and Annie are stunned, but Paige tells them that the Shi'ar warship that hovered above the school a few weeks ago was even more exciting. Husk suddenly touches her forehead as if she has a headache, and Annie asks if she is alright. However she is just receiving a telepathic message from Xavier, who tells her to ask Annie to use her nursing skills in attending to the wounded X-Men aboard the craft. Annie agrees, but refuses to let Xavier telepathically tell her the details of their injuries.
Paige, Annie and Carter enter the recovery room where Iceman and Archangel are lying on hospital beds. Wolverine, Stacy X, Nightcrawler, Juggernaut, and Sammy are also in the room. Xavier introduces himself and thanks Annie for helping. She mentions that she used to work in an emergency room and immediately inspects Bobby's chest wound, which, to her surprise, is filled with ice. Bobby explains that it is his mutant power and Annie tells him that his ice is likely the only thing keeping the wound from killing him. She offers to stitch the wound for him, but Iceman wants the professor to do it. Annie once more repeats her offer, telling that she is fully qualified for such a task but he insists that Xavier does it.
Stacy calls Annie over to take a look at Warren's broken arm and leg. The nurse inspects him and thinks that he must be in great pain, though Warren claims he is fine. Stacy however tells the truth, he is just playing the tough guy, while during the flight he nearly fainted. Also standing at his bedside, Husk notices aloud that Warren's skin has regained its natural color, though in his current condition Warren does not care that much about it. Annie asks for Stacy to get out of the way, though suddenly the young mutant becomes angry, accusing Husk of never having "heard of a bra." Paige looking rather puzzled, asks if she was talking to her. Juggernaut, Wolverine, and Sammy look on with amusement. Stacy explodes at Husk, and a vicious verbal brawl ensues. Paige claims that she is simply concerned for her friend Warren, but Stacy disagrees: she can see pheromones, and Husk's pheromones show an obvious attraction to Archangel. Paige is speechless, and runs out of the room in tears. Stacy begins to gloat, but Warren gives her a harsh admonishment for her cruelty and accuses her of being jealous. She leaves in a rage, claiming that she will go watch porn in her room.
Annie comments on her being an interesting woman, and Nightcrawler agrees that she makes his head hurt. Xavier compliments Annie on her calmness through the chaos of the situation. He suddenly remembers the recent events involving Alex being brought to the Institute. At the mention of their former teammate, the X-Men in the room react with joy and disbelief. Annie explains Alex's time in the convalescent home while Xavier finishes stitching Bobby's wound. Havok, or actually his catatonic body, is in an adjacent room, and Xavier prepares to telepathically free Alex from his comatose state. The team debates whether or not they should contact Lorna Dane to tell her that Alex has been found. Warren thinks that this should be Cyclops‘ decision, as shortly before Alex “died“, he and Lorna had broke up. Annie is amazed by what Xavier is trying to do. She asks the X-Men if Xavier can really restore Alex and Kurt comments that he hopes so.
On the school grounds, Wolverine approaches Juggernaut with Sammy and Carter at his side. He asks Cain where he thinks he is going, and the Juggernaut replies that he is an invited guest here. Logan however points out that he is against Cain being there and should he dare to attack him and his friends in their home, he will show no mercy at all. Logan reminds Juggernaut that he defeated Magneto, who was many times stronger than Cain. Wolverine walks away, and Juggernaut starts to cure at him, until he gets away of the two youngsters still gazing up at him in wonder. Cain tells them to get lost, and proceeds to steal a kid's basketball and slam dunk it. Sammy and Carter watch in awe, remarking that Juggernaut is "so cool."
On the Astral Plane, Xavier attempts to reach Alex's mind and follows a red line through a black void of nothing. At a certain point the surroundings change and the black environment seems to be torn apart, revealing a bright light. The red line enters that area, though it becomes erratic. Xavier hears screams from the area of light and yells out to Alex that he can feels his pain. He finds that Alex's pain and loneliness are so strong that he cannot come closer or he will be sucked into Alex's anguish. Xavier urges his student to reach out to him. In the physical world, a tear wells up in the Professor's eye. After three hours, he finally leaves the Astral Plane, finding that only Annie is still in the room watching him. He tells her that despite his best efforts, he cannot reach Alex, but swears to keep trying after a short rest.
The nurse asks the professor is he is alright, but he is not. He admits that it is hard for him to find himself unable to help one of his students. Surely she as a mother can relate. Charles offers Annie a position at the Institute, assuring her that the fact that she is not a mutant fits with his personal philosophy of cooperation between the races. Xavier notices that her last name, "Ghazikhanian" is Armenian, and asks her if her parents ever spoke of the Turkish massacres of the Armenians at the turn of the twentieth century. Annie replies that they did, and Xavier tells her that she, like everyone, has some experience with racial and cultural oppression, whether it be as oppressor or oppressed. He further explains that he does not believe that mankind was placed on the earth to wipe each other out, and tells her that the races of the world must learn to live together, not apart. Xavier offers his hand to her, asking her to work with him. She hesitantly shakes it.
Somewhat later, Annie is walking around the mansion, still thinking about her dislike of mutants. Yet she is also feeling guilty and ashamed about it. A wise woman once told her that “feelings are“, meaning that they have meaning and importance and to deny them or lying about them, would only mean to never understand them. Annie knocks at Husk's room and asks if she is okay. Paige is angry: she tells Annie that it is obvious that she doesn't care about mutants, and questions why she decided to try to comfort her in the first place. Annie admits that she doesn't generally like mutants, but insists that she doesn't like to see anyone, human or mutant, in emotional pain, especially such pain that Paige is going through right now. Paige thanks her, but prefers to be left alone and closes the door.
Annie walks back to her room. As she enters, she thinks to herself that she must eventually get over her mutant prejudice for "obvious reasons." Annie sits down on the bed and watches as Carter telekinetically lifts his toys into the air.
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