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So Shin had caught Kealey when she fell? That fit perfectly with how Luke remember the young man and he just had to smile at the idea. He could picture Shin standing there in a hero's outfit with a full flowing cape, catching the damsel in distress as she fell out of the sky. Shin had always enjoyed the hero thing even more than Sam did and so it fit.

"The best relationships are built on action, adventure, and drama." Luke commented with a straight face. He didn't want to make fun of them but it was hard to keep from chuckling at least a little bit when one thought kept jumping into his mind as he watched them... cute.

Ah, but it was best to focus on the real question at hand. How did he know this young woman? "A year ago... I was taking full control of the family business and publicly announcing that I was a mutant." Luke mused as he tried to think back. Those had been the most significant things going on his life... had there been anything else?

""You haven't had any out-of-body experiences, have you? Because a while back, before the new year, I was Abyss."

For a moment Luke froze as his memory raced back to that fateful morning when he had awoken in another person's body. To be able to see through real eyes had been completely disorienting as he stumbled around, trying to find someone that could help him. But at the same time he had been getting to see through another persons eyes, he was also hearing through a different set of ears. That auditory distortion would have been in place when he went to the aquarium and met...

"Kealey!" Luke suddenly said triumphantly as everyone clicked into place. "Cute blond, beautiful blue eyes, and an accent you could never forget!"

Ok... so maybe he shouldn't have commented on those particular features in front of both Kealey and her boyfriend Shin, but they could excuse him becuase of the excitement... couldn't they?

"I had switched bodies with a boy named Juka and you saw me at the aquarium and knew something was wrong. That's what has been distoring my memory of your voice! I was hearing through another person's ears instead of my own!"

Thoughts of trying to identify this mysterious woman had been momentarily replaced by concern for Shin's well being but as it become obvious that the young man was OK, the thoughts were swiftly returning. Especially considering how concerned she appeared to be about Shin's condition. Was she always this caring or was Shin something special to her? Curiosity was threatening to get the best of him but this wasn't exactly the right time to be asking Shin if he was dating anyone.

Shin's confusion was obvious as he tried to regain his mental faculties but it was also slightly amusing now that Luke knew he wasn't hurt. He asked questions, stood up, and then fell into the young lady's arms.

"Nice catch." Luke commented with a half smile as he leaned up against an undamaged part of the hallway wall, "And it's good to see you too Shin. I've been doing well enough thanks, though being gone for almost a year was far to long."

It had been a long time since Luke had last seen Shin and from the way he stood... or half stood, and spoke it seemed like he had grown up some more since Luke had been away. Thankfully there were plenty of mentors for the young man to look up to, especially Sam who Luke remember had taken the young man under his wing. In almost a years time so much could have happened. Had Shin become a full blown member of the X-Men yet? Had he been forced to stare death in the face? Had he experienced love and loss? So many questions but Luke knew that most of them really weren't any of his business.

"Your friend and I were actually just trying to place if we've ever met before. Her voice is very familiar and she seems to slightly remember my name but we're not making the full connection yet." The comment was easy and friendly and made for the perfect opportunity to continue with one of the questions Luke was very curious about, "So, how do you two know each other?"

Luke frowned every so slightly in concentration as he tried to place where he had met this young woman before. It was extremely annoying for someone who had trained himself to recognize people by their voices. Why wasn't he making the connection? Something about the tonal quality just wasn't adding up.

"Have you ever sung in public or anything like that?" Luke asked curiously, not knowing that he was extremely off base. At the moment, the only connection he could come up with was that her voice had been distorted over some sort of speaker system. But then again, speaker system distortion had never messed up his memory this badly before. What else could it be?

Suddenly there was a loud thud from out in the hallway followed by more thumps, bumps, and tearing sounds that eventually ended followed just moments later by a familiar voice.

"Uh... help?"

"Shin?" Luke asked in surprise as he stood up from the couch, part of his mind happily noting that his voice recognition wasn't completely out of whack. Walking quickly, Luke moved into the hallway while extending his sonar out to see what had happened.

The damage wasn't pretty... cracked and dented drywall showed where Shin's body had apparently been thrown and on the other side a thin gouge of some sort ran for several feet. "What in the world... are you OK?"

Sam was an extremely hard man to track down but Luke had finally settled on a plan that he knew would work while also giving them both something to laugh about down the road. A mysterious envelope had been left in Sam's room near the time when many mansion residents had told Luke that he often came home from his patrols with the NYPD. The note was cryptic but friendly enough that it wouldn't make Sam think he was going to be attacked or anything.

~~It's been a long time Sam. We've been through a lot both together and separately but I think that it's time for a meeting. The DR is up and running with one of our favorite programs and I look forward to seeing you there.

Signed,

An Old Friend~~

*********************************************

"I'll have to ask him how things are going with the NYPD." Luke muttered to himself as he finished entering the information into the Danger Room computer, "I have been gone way to long."

With the final push of just a few more keys the once empty room changed into a huge New York city scape. It was obviously night time as the sky was dark and the building were all brightly lit. In the distance the skyline was getting darker as clouds approached filled with rain and lightning. The very air was filled with tension and strangely enough the very city was silent. As though ever person in the world was holding their breath and waiting for what was about to happen.

Walking out of the control room, Luke reached back and pulled up his hood with visor. Though he was in the costume of Wraith he still felt like himself. If his time away in Europe had done anything, it had helped him to truly mesh himself. No longer did he feel like a man that had to live with two different identities. Instead he was just a man that could choose how he wanted teh world to see him. He controlled the power of perception and that was what mattered.

Springing off the stairs that led up to the control room he landed lightly on a roof top and went to stand in the shadows as he waited for his guest to arrive. At the very least it would be good to fight side by side with Sam once again.

"It's been far to long."

Thus far Luke's return to the mansion had been relatively quiet. Sure, coming back had given him that wonderful homey feeling he'd missed for so long and getting to see Sara had been great but he was missing out on seeing a lot of his other friends. There were plenty of new faces around the mansion but for the most part Luke hadn't had the opportunity to introduce himself to anyone. Besides, other than his old friends, who was going to care that he was a former regular of the mansion that had only just returned after quite some time away. And then of course there was that whole nagging question about the X-Men... was he still a member after so long gone? Were they even still intact?

For the time being, Luke did his best to ignore the questions that continued to try and nag at the back of his mind. Instead he focused on the positives. He was HOME!

***

Since he had gotten rid of his apartment in the city when he moved away for such a long time, Luke had instead returned to the bedroom here at the mansion that had been his so long ago. After making sure he was fully settled in, Luke had headed down to the living area to just relax and see what happened. After all, people were always passing through the Living Room on their way here or there.

After parking a large bowl of chips on the coffee table alongside a large glass of ice cold sweet tea, Luke relaxed back in the couch and opened up one of the Brail books he had stowed in his luggage before returning. "Might as well catch up on some reading for the moment... now where was I?"

The familiar sounds of children playing outside filled the air and helped to remind everyone around that summer vacation was well underway. Everything about the mansion just magnified the fact that this was a place of happiness and sanctuary. It was almost enough to make Luke forget about the battles that had been fought on this ground... almost.

Just as his foot touched the first of the mansion steps the front door swung open and a very familiar figure stepped outside. Even for a blind man like Luke there was no mistaking the felined that had become one of his closest friends and companions before he had been forced to travel on his extended absence.

"Luke? Where the hell have you been?"

The voice as enough to split his face wide with a smile as he suddenly incrased his speed, bounding up the stairs to join his friend on the porch. "Sara!" He said with a welcoming laugh in his voice as he moved forward to give the feline a quick hug, "I've missed that toothy grin of yours!"

There would be plenty of time for a full recount of where he had been, why he had gone, and what he had done but for the moment Luke was quite happy to just be around trusted friends. THIS was what was important and what really mattered.

"What are you doing at the mansion today? Visiting Sam or one of the others?"

(OOC: Musical link for the following post www.youtube.com/watch?v=abzbVFuxigg)

IC:
The windows were down on the navy blue Dodge Charger as it cruised down the road following a path that was all to familiar for the driver but one that he hadn't taken in quite a while. Flipping on the radio a ghost of a smile crossed over the man's face as a well known chorus began to blare through the speakers.

Who says you can't go home
Theres only one place they call you one of their own
Just a hometown boy born a rolling stone
Who says you can't go home?

Who says you can't go back
Been all around the world and as a matter of fact
Theres only one place left I wanna go
Who says you cant go home?
Its alright, its alright, its alright, its alright, its alright.

Being gone for almost a year couldn't change the fact that this was the place he most considered home. Sure he had an international business and even had an uncle that worked in his New York offices but when it really came down to it, his family was right here at Xavier mansion. It had been far to long since he'd been in contact with anyone back home and so he'd chosen to keep his arrival a secret. He wasn't looking for any sort of party or major welcoming committee, just a few smiling faces would be more than enough.

Went as far as I could tryin' to find a new face
There isn't one of these lines that I would erase
I left a million miles of memories on that road
Every step I take I know that I'm not alone
You can take the home from the boy but not the boy from his home
These are my streets the only life I've ever known
Who says you can't go home?

Pulling up to the gates he leaned out the car window and pushed the button that would let whoever was up in the security office know that a vehicle was waiting. In just a matter of moments an all to familiar voice came over the loudspeaker and he quickly turned down the music so that it wouldn't drown out either voice.

"Can I help you?"

"Johnny! It's good to hear your voice. It's Luke Jacobs. Mind letting me in?"

"Luke?! When did you get back in town? I'll have to let everyone know!"

"Calm down Johnny." Luke said with a laugh, "Open the gate first and do the notifying later."

"Yes sir!"

There was a slight click from the lock and then the well oiled gates swung open silently. Leaning back in the driver seat, Luke gently pressed the accelerator to start rolling into the place he had come to think of as home.

***

In a matter of moments the vehicle was parked in a designated space and Luke stepped out. Black cowboy boots peeked out from beneath designer jeans while his shirt was untucked with the top two buttons undone to reveal the white t-shirt he wore underneath. His brown hair was cut short and neat while his eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses. Of course anyone that knew him would know his eyes were cloudy looking and blind beneath those sunglasses but his mutation more than made up for the physical blindness that had come along with it.

"Home sweet home." Luke said with a smile as he moved away from the car and started walking toward the steps that would take him to the front door, "I wonder who's around."