*Last time Rachel was at the mansion, things were different.*

*Her mother was here, Nathan was here (although he came and went as usual), even Maddy and Alex were around. It felt nice to be with her family after they got pulled apart time and again. Even if things were more chaotic, it still felt like home. Now though? Now, things were neater, more orderly, lines in the sand had been drawn. People had their own cliques, and she was left out of it. The mansion had moved on without her. Not a single rescue attempt was launched, nobody spoke of her.*

*She wandered the grounds with a stray warwolf puppy she had taken in on her journey, looking for anything that reminded her of home. Betsy was here, but she was recovering from her own imprisonment. Kitty was around of course, although her and Illyana had found comfort with each other. There was no sign of Nathan, and people seemed to be more interested in information about him than they were in her return. Kurt had been in and out a few times, and right now seemed to be an out.*

*Luckily though, her dad stopped by, and she got to feel almost like a regular kid, like a daughter returning from college and seeing her parents again. Some things would change with the seasons, but Scott never would. The Scott she saw in front of her and made plans to get lunch with was the same Scott who she knew before Stryfe kidnapped her and the same Scott who she knew throughout time and timelines, and all of them, deep down, had the same father’s love.*

*The mansion may have changed, the world may have changed, and life may have changed, but the Summers family never did. They kept on moving because that’s what they had to do. Perhaps then, it was time for a Phoenix to rise from the ashes.*

Boulevard Of Broken Dreams