As Kurt Wagner faces the Stepford Cuckoos and the telepathically controlled members of Studio X and Studio Wyngarde, he realizes he had it all and now he has lost it.
He looks at the little girl, Tenia Jean, grabs her and tells Celeste she has nothing to do with this. He teleports the child to the roof and tells her to stay there. Then he ‘ports back, announces they must talk, grabs Celeste and also teleports her to the roof.
Tenia is happy to see her. Celeste warns him her sisters will follow. Kurt pointedly reminds her that he gave them a home when no one else did, he argued for them to stay together. A strange way to say ‘thank you.’
Celeste rejoins that he argued for two of them. He was just as willing to compromise as everyone else. He let them take Phoebe away!
Kurt points out that she had Apate. Apate isn’t family! comes the reply. He helped them when it was convenient, but he never fought for them! He apologizes, but it isn’t too late. Celeste replies, it was too late when he started dreaming about Meggan. She touches his forehead to show him.
She shows him memories he never recalled before. Of him and Meggan together. Sometimes even with Tenia. They’ve been here before over and over again, Celeste explains. They change his mind but they don’t change who he is.
Kurt breaks contact. Don’t or can’t? he asks. Don’t, Celeste stresses. Does he think they don’t know this is wrong? Does he think they don’t care? They care more than he does! He’s happy telling people who to be, how to think. He thinks this is paradise. They know it’s a prison. She loves her sisters. He loves Meggan and now Tenia. How is that wrong?
Meggan! Kurt recalls. He hands Tenia to Celeste and warns her not let the child come to any harm, then teleports downstairs where the other Cuckoos and their prisoners are circling Meggan, still in her Mystique shape.
Nightcrawler kicks her attackers away, apologizes to Meggan and teleports away with her… to the top of the warehouse. She always reminds him that she can fly… so fly. He lets her go. She screams then turns back into her normal shape and recalls who she is.
She flattens two foes then turns to Kurt, clearly pissed. He tells her they have bigger problems right now. She looks down and agrees. She asks where Tenia is. With Celeste, he tells her. Is she on their side? Meggan asks. No. Is anyone on their side? They decide to run.
He teleports them back to the roof. Where can they go? Meggan asks as Tenia happily greets her. Nowhere, Celeste replies. Meggan angrily berates her. Celeste tells her all they had to do was control themselves. It should have been easy. They made sure they go everything they ever wanted. All they had to do was follow the rules. The “rules” were never an option for Celeste and her sisters. Their very mutation made them illegal. Over and over the Cuckoos fixed their mistakes, they spared them. Department X has never come to the studio. They kept their family safe.
Meggan states she thought they were friends. They are, Celeste replies. They owe them. Maybe love is wrong, if that is what love does. Celeste replies that Meggan muses that their love kept them safe. They gave them so many second chances. And every time they went and fell in love again, or someone else did. It’s like a disease with them.
Kurt interjects that it’s a natural part of the mutant condition. How could they keep finding each other, even after being told it was wrong?
Celeste reveals that the Cuckoos weren’t the only ones in his head. She doesn’t think he has violated the guiding principles with anyone but Meggan, but he’s been around people who have. This was always going to fall apart. Eventually, one of the telepaths is going to look in there and see the Cuckoos’ patch job.
The members of Studio Wyngarde make their way to the roof. Phoebe warns them to leave her sister alone. Celeste asks them not to hurt Tenia. Phoebe states, Apate knows. They have to erase everything again.
Surge attacks Meggan. Kurt teleports them up into the air, where Meggan keeps them afloat. But they know they can’t stay there. They share a kiss and Kurt asks her to take them down. Meggan refuses. He tells her he still believes in the world they built despite its flaws. He will fight for it. He loves her but Department X would follow him forever.
She takes them down. She takes Tenia up in her arms and flies away with her.
Kurt turns to Phoebe and asks her to inform Irma what they are going to do. Phoebe replies there is no ‘we’ here. Kurt insists Meggan and Tenia are going to get away. He won’t resist the Cuckoos. He wants to be perfect. Let him be perfect. He won’t fight them this time. Let him be worthy of Hope’s sacrifice. He wants to be the X-Man he thought he was. So take it all away… just let them go.
Let who go? the Cuckoos ask. Meggan and Tenia… his family, he replies. Let who go? they repeat and he begins to forget. No one, he says finally. Attachments are forbidden.
Later, Kurt gives as press interview, introducing Surge as his new acting partner on the Mission Mutation series. He is asked about Meggan. He replies the chemistry wasn’t there.
Meggan is hiding out at a motel with the sleeping child. She wonders whose she is and decides she is hers, and apparently always was.
Kurt continues that Meggan is pursuing other projects. He is looking for someone new to work with, to build a strong screen relationship with. Wherever Meggan is, he hopes she is happy. Happiness and peace for everyone are the most important things of all.
