Garrett stood in his room at the Mansion, taking in its sparse populace of clothes and a few books. It was as if between his apartment at the Clinic and this room that there was a third complete room somewhere in the time stream. Living across the globe in a world of mutant cohabitation and then waking up and it not existing left a longing in his soul and a dream of rebuilding the future. Now was the time to make all things possible. Standing in this room and accepting the beginning of his journey was the first of a thousand steps.

Closing the door behind him, Garrett reflexively dug in his pocket for the key. It took a moment of self-realization to release the key and leave the door unlocked. The beginning of a story is the one that has the collection of obstacles the hero must overcome. Trust was an issue that he had to approach straight away, with no seat belts. He made his way through the halls he had wandered in the past, on his way to see Sam in his office.

The guy had been through alot and he had grown as a leader. Garrett was pleased that Sam and Streak had stepped up to lead in the absence of lovely Neena. Not that he would ever say these things to Sam, but he was prepared to accept whichever answer he received to his queries. Garrett could see the logic in any trust issues. It was the elephant in the room since he had chosen to leave the Mansion and join the Order. Had it not been for the taking of life, he might still be there, being hopelessly cruel.

As the fateful door approached, Garrett caught sight of himself in one of the hall mirrors. He gazed into it, turning slightly to check himself out. He'd lost his definition. He remembered starting to develop muscles he didn't recognize when he lived here prior. he would work the Danger Room and run through the halls. No doubt CS would take care of that,provided he let Garrett back on.

Approaching the door, he slowed to a stop. Breathing lightly and deeply through his nose, he relaxed his mind, preparing himself for the first of many steps. Closing his eyes, he let himself go blind temporarily, listening to the sound of his breathing get louder and louder, as the neural input of his eyes diverted to his hearing. Sounds of paper shuffling, maybe the drum of anxious fingers? No phone calls, though. Garrett gradually let his vision return, so as not to shock his system. In lieu of knocking, he opened the door." Hello Sam."

Leaning back in his chair Sam looked over to the bookcase and debated cutting work short for the day. It was odd ever since he got back from Romania it was one trip after a mission, after ride along, after class, after paperwork. He needed a break and the lack of Cammie and Bruno in the room was more motivation to be distracted with something else. Reading over some more paperwork for the joint Police/X-Men training sessions Sam yawned and started to play with his pen twirling it on his fingers then letting it drop onto the desk. After about the third time he heard a knock on his door.

Dropping his pen and leaning forward and taking his feet off his desk he looked to the door to see a face he hadn’t seen in far too long. ”Well!” Sam said his jaw dropping a substantial amount due to shear surprise. ”Long time no see…” he pointed towards the chair across from him, ”Have a seat, think the last time I have seen you was when you tried to start something with Pluto.” Sam grinned slightly at the sight of the red giant being called out by Garrett who was close to two feet shorter than him.

”What do I owe the pleasure?” Sam asked hoping that Garrett would take him up on his offer of resuming his activities back in the mansion. Then again it had been a while since he had seen the neural manipulator so he wasn’t sure if his former team mate remembered the offer.

Long time, no see indeed. Even stranger was the new adornment that Sam was wearing on his eye, or apparent lack thereof. Ever the optimist, even with an obvious eye injury, here he was acting as if Garrett had only been gone a few days. He hoped that this hospitality lingered as the conversation continued. Returning the given warmth and greetings, Garrett pulled a chair from the desk as he closed the door behind him. " You are always the gentleman, Sam. It's good to see you again." He took his seat and made himself comfortable, resting his hands in his lap, folded.

”Have a seat, think the last time I have seen you was when you tried to start something with Pluto." Garrett soon carried the same smirk as his friend across the desk. He remembered giving the poor guy a swift kick, still carrying the rage over clones. He was so blind then and that wasn't so terribly long ago. " Not one of my greatest tactical maneuvers, but hey, anger can always get the best of us. Fortunately it worked out as he did in fact move in at the Clinic, along with Kealey Quinn. Not sure if you know her."

Then the magic question. " Well, I have had plenty of time to absorb the events that have taken place lately. I'm not sure if you are aware of everything, so I'll try to paraphrase. First of all, I am no longer a member of the Order, nor have I been since I shot Syn and disposed of the Haywire virus. My misguided retaliation versus Pluto was thanks to the three state wide beating I took from Syn's big brothers. But I survived. I have been studying at NYU, I earned my EMT certificate. I have another year and a half before I become a paramedic, but I hope to study with DocProf. " He closed his eyes a moment and breathed. While they were closed, he smiled and said, " Of course, that isn't the reason. The reason is that I want to study here as well as the Clinic. I also want to resume my X-training. I know I have alot of bridges to rebuild, but I am prepared to succeed."

His eyes opened once more." What happened to your eye?"

Keeping his lone eye on Garrett, Sam watched the no longer hairless man walk to a chair and make himself comfortable. There was a certain feeling of unease that came over Sam now that he was in such a close distance but Sam didn’t show it. It was to be expected after all Garrett once left the X-Men and betrayed them went against everything they stood for to join the Order, the polar opposite of Sam and his team mates, but people make mistakes even colossal ones which was why the smile on Sam’s face had cease to leave his face.

”Kealey Quinn?” Sam laughed slightly and then nodded his head, ”Yeah she is actually designing our new suits, the old ones are a little outdated and don’t really protect us much anymore, plus the chaffing…” Sam deadpanned for a second then ran his fingers through his hair, his attention was back on Garrett who was continuing the conversation and explaining the reason he was here.

He wanted to study with DocProf someone he personally respected more than others. He was a master at his trade after all even if it wasn’t possible for Doc to fix his eye. Sam’s stomach knotted for a moment when he thought of Doc and all he was associated with. His first thoughts was on his assistant Alex… his stomach knotted more when he thought of his ex-girlfriend a person he wanted to forget about until he was over the abrupt and random break up. His heartbeat started to quicken and anger started to boil onto his expression and his hand instinctively went up to his eye. The reason she had left him.

Exhaling and inhaling Sam placed a hand over his right eye to make sure he played off a sudden headache like it was nothing. It was funny how often he masked a headache with heartache. ”You want back on the team?” Sam asked curiously his tone turning from cold and frustrated to a more calm one, ”Working for Doc is one thing but your really going to have your work cut out for you.”

Raising a hand a smile back on his face Sam quickly added, ”Impossible however it is not, I already asked you once to come back and you clearly weren’t ready now however…” Sam shrugged, ”It seems like your ready…” nodding his head Sam continued, ”I have questions for you, and advice enough of both so I hope you weren’t planning on this being a short meeting…”

”Guess your entitled to your questions as well…” Sam said with a shrug not really feeling the need to hide this from Garrett. Most of the members of the mansion even the team would only see the top of the scar however Garrett was a different case. Sam wanted to gauge how serious his former teammate was about rejoining the team. Raising his left hand and lifting the patch up Sam exposed his left eye.

”I hope your serious about this Garrett….” he paused and his right eye stared at the face of the man sitting across from him. ”I lost this when we went to Romania to try and put an end to the camps that were set up there. I lost this because…” he paused he wanted to say because he tried to protect Alex but his words wouldn’t form. ”I lost this because I tried to protect a teammate a teammate who needed me to be there and I was, I didn’t walk out on her…” placing the eye patch back on his face over his scared over eye Sam cleared his throat, ”Trust, that is my first piece of advice to you, when you left you destroyed most of the trust you had with our teammates, and I don’t see them bending over backwards for you anytime soon.”

Garrett listened intently, wearing a face of determined consideration. He certainly hadn't expected the enthusiasm he received from Sam, though Sam's personality was always one of bright optimism. Just the guy to be at the head of the team. Kealey was doing the new suits. She must have been excelling at her studies at fashion school. It just pointed out sorely that Garrett had been too focused on himself, barely noticing what the people around him were doing. Had he even seen Kealey since he gave her a key? Of course not.

A definite change of demeanor passed over Sam's features as the DocProf was mentioned. No doubt something had occurred in the Infirmary that brought back painful memories. Rather than make things worse, Garrett let the feigned headache pass, keeping quiet as he listened to the man. As a statement of determination and loyalty, the patch was lifted. Garrett's eyebrow raised slightly as he looked at the scar tissue. He waited to hear what Sam wanted to tell him before saying anything."Trust, that is my first piece of advice to you, when you left you destroyed most of the trust you had with our teammates, and I don’t see them bending over backward for you anytime soon.”

Garrett nodded solemnly and let his mind quiet before speaking. " I wish I had gone to Romania now, rather than stay and watch over the Clinic. Maybe I could have done something. I wouldn't give up hope though. Perhaps you can come by the Clinic and Sebastian and I can look at it. I'm sure if we came up with a healthy replacement he could heal it in and I could make sure it worked. Just something to think about. " He pulled his chair closer, rising slightly as the legs scooted over the floor.

" I am fully prepared to succeed here, Sam. I can only imagine what people think of me after I left. That is something I'll just have to work through. What happened to me is that I killed someone recently and it had been a long long time since I had done so. The only other people I killed were helping me destroy the Haywire virus. Truth is, they were King Pharmaceuticals goons and when they found out the virus was being destroyed, they resisted." Mostly true. I realize now that I could have merely incapacitated them, but after shooting Syn, I knew I didn't have much time to get things done. I wish I could show you my leg, but Sebastian healed it. Abyss pulverized it after dragging me across a few states in retaliation. So, I can understand loss. Basically, you can put any obstacle or limit on me. I will do anything you ask to return to the Mansion and the X-Men. Try me."

”Time wishing is time wasted…” said Sam as he continued to watch Garrett, ”The fact of the matter is you weren’t there and no one blames you for it, in fact I had a few members of the team stay here to make sure everything at home was alright, despite their protests.” a wide smile returned to his face as he nodded his head, ”Maybe one day, even if this eye could be replaced I don’t want to do anything major just yet, it seems my mutation is making an attempt to compensate for my lack of vision and I don’t really want to hinder the growth of my gift.“ it was something he had thought about for a while, he could have had Sebastian or Slate look at his eye then but he decided against it, there were others he would have had fixed before him and when it was his turn he decided that it was worth going through the difficulties only to come out stronger in the end.

Smirking as Garrett continued he raised his hands in surrender, ”I get it your serious, and if you stay true to your words here I look forward to the day you rejoined the ranks of X-Man…” changing his hands from surrender to a pause Sam continued, ”But…” yes there was a but and a big one Sam was willing to let him back on the team, however like a few members of the team he would have to start over from scratch which meant the training exercises he personally thought was tedious having done them so many times but for Garrett however, they would be key to getting him to the level Sam believed he should be at.

”I need you to start over here, on the team at least, you’d be considered a rookie again, a newbie if you will, which means all the training exercise you already completed and passed will have to be repeated, considering you left us this is the best I can offer, if you truly want the trust of every man and woman on the team.” there would be some more than others that would be hard to convince but with Garrett trying his hardest and Sam’s faith in his former comrade there was little to nothing they could say to change his mind.

Reviewing everything in his head again Sam sighed, Garrett had killed again, what’s more he killed before. To kill was to deny someone’s right to life something that he no longer himself was fond of. Ghost put the fear of killing back into him something he was grateful for and sometimes irritated with. ”Taking one’s life is something I am familiar with the fact that you seem upset about the act in the first place means your on the right path…” Sam paused then continued, ”Don’t disappoint me Garrett!”

Sam had a feeling he had a lot of complaints coming his way but that was the price to pay when stepping up and taking charge while the boss was busy and away.

Okay, so it seemed that he and Sam were on the same page as far as leaving the past in the past. A step forward, indeed. Also interesting was the idea that he wanted allow his mutation to fill in for the lack of sight in his eye. Who could imagine the intracacies of cold and what that means? That guy sitting over there. He also seemed overly sure that Garrett was solid. That was a nice feeling, but it seemed very strange to him. Most people didn't trip over themselves to make him welcome. He could count them on one hand. Sam was the thumb.

The X-Man began explaining to Garrett that he had to start at the bottom and work very hard to gain the respect of others. Well, duh. He was happy that no one had punched him on sight or anything. He suspected the welcome would be a bit more gloomy at the Sanctuary. Or friendly until the golden doors closed. That was more their style. Not as if he would everm ention these things, but it struck Garrett most odd that Sam was neither interested in what Garrett had told the Order about the Mansion or vice versa. Well, if he wasn't interested, then all was well. Being a snitch wasn't way up on his laundry list anyway. Garrett just kept looking at Sam, trying to stifle a growing chuckle, which at last bubbled to the surface.

" I do wonder where your boundless optimism comes from. Perhaps you were born that way, a noble hero of the ages. Either way, I am glad that you have enough confidence in me to trust that I will do well. I don't even have to be in the trainee program until you talk with whoever the other seniors are now. I would be grateful to know if I need a new code or anything to use the Danger Room, though. I do wish to get back into some serious physical training and would like to get on that sooner than later. Can I tailor and save a program on there? Or is that something I need to wait on for authorization?"

Sam’s smile faded as Garrett started to make comments about how optimistic he was and how he was born. He shrugged, ”I wasn’t born like this, no one is I was molded into one by a series of unfortunate and in my dark hours a select few reached out to help me into the light.” he was serious about this statement, ”Not to long ago I was knocking on the order’s door looking for a place to stay, luckily Neena got to me and gave me a purpose before they did.”

”Every one needs a second chance Garrett I just hope you don’t go down the same path this time around, and as far as you having a spot reserved on the team there as still the other team leaders that you need to prove your self too before you become an official member.” he shrugged again, ”I wasn’t the only one that took it hard when you left, Streak in particular seemed to take it personal.”

Continuing on Sam took a breath and spoke, ”Remember that we are a team, and as such I want all the members to feel a sense of security when we are out on the field, and if you can’t manage to sway everyone you’ll be spending some time on the bench, waiting till myself or whoever feels comfortable taking you out goes out on the field.” Sam’s voice was a little stern hear but it was only to emphasize how important the team dynamics were.

”As far a s the Danger Room situation is I’ll send someone down to help you get back in the swing of things, and you’ll be able to access it then and save your own programs, Sound fair?” he smirked and continued in a sarcastic teasing tone, ”Or if you’d like I can always be a little more pessimistic?”

Not too long ago I was knocking on the Order’s door looking for a place to stay, luckily Neena got to me and gave me a purpose before they did.” Garrett smiled and his eyes closed briefly in remembrance of the past. " It was Raina for me. She gave me her food and a ride up here. That was a pivotal change for me and I will always appreciate it." He listened on about how things would be, with time on 'the bench' instead of being up front with the heroes. That was fine. Garrett was simply happy for the opportunity to be among them. If they never wanted him to do anything, that was alright too.

" I have no idea why Streak took it so hard. I can't recall ever doing much of anything at all with him, much less hurting him. Of course, I remember seeing him in the dream, but I saw so many people then. Becoming an official member is the goal, but I understand I'll be on double secret probation til then. That's fine. I appreciate the opportunity. " He really did. Whatever inner turmoil he had initially felt as he arrived had slowly melted away with Sam's kind words. He felt relaxed and...at home. A strange feeling considering his lack of a permanent residence, but if anywhere should be called home, it had to be the Mansion.

The nature of his ability, or rather his recent applications of it, made him just masochistic enough to find out what pessimistic Sam would say. He avoided it though. He was trying to put forth a positive attitude this time, one that would hopefully lead to personal success. The Danger Room being open to him made him most happy. " Everything sounds more than fair, Sam. I appreciate the treatment I'm getting. It's much more than I had expected. I believe Maya can help me with the Danger Room, considering she and Sebastian live next door to me at the Clinic." He stood, signaling that repetition of obvious things was no longer necessary. His hand was outstretched to his old friend. " If there's nothing else, I'll head back home to get ready for a long day tomorrow."

A warm smile washed over his expression as he nodded his head, ”I like Raina, she is one of the kindest people I ever had the pleasure of meeting.” maybe Raina would be a good team leader for Garrett if she was the one that turned his life around, maybe she could be the one to convince Streak that letting Garrett back on the team was a good idea. Then again this was all speculation he hadn’t really seen Raina in a while so he wasn’t exactly sure how she would react to the news of Garrett wanting back on the team.

”Streak is an interesting guy one of the most loyal people I have ever met in my life, his loyalties are to the team and when you left he probably took it the wrong way, you went straight to the Order, which is the polar opposite of what we stand for, even if I don’t exactly agree with him, I understand where he is coming from, just give it some time…. All you can really do.” Sam said shrugging his shoulders.

Standing up when Garrett was standing Sam nodded his head and then reached out and shook Garrett’s hand, ”Thank Maya, I had been spending way too much time with her, her good nature rubbed off on me.” smiling Sam added, ”Let me know if you need anything else, my door is always open, and Welcome Back!”