Charles Xavier stepped from his car, smiling into the pale autumn sunlight. His teenage companion exited from the passenger side, a curious smile adorning her pretty features.
"This is it?" She asked, casting an appraising glance across the huge building that they had finally arrived at.
"This is it." Jean felt the corners of her mouth reluctantly lifting as she took in her friend's goofy grin.
"It's alright for some," she replied, "all my Mum left me in her will was a whole heap of debt!" Neither of the pair mentioned the fact that it had been Charles who'd paid off the large sum, but Jean felt a blush creeping up her face all the same.
"So what are we doing here, anyway?" She asked, bluntly. Charles turned to her, a curious expression in his eyes. He began to stroll up the driveway towards the mansion, indicating for her to follow him.
"Jean, you know we both share the hope that humankind will eventually see past our...little gifts," he began, cryptically, "but getting used to living alongside us is going to take some time." Jean sighed.
"Is there a point to this lecture?" She asked, her adolescent attitude making itself known. The young Professor laughed.
"There are others out there like us, Jean!" He said, his eyes burning with enthusiasm, "Others with these special gifts, and no way of understanding just how to control them. They need guidance! They need... educating."
His teenage friend snorted, inelegantly.
"And, what? We're going to open a mutant school?" There was a heavy pause during which Jean noticed a slight flush rise to her friend's cheeks. "You can't be serious!"
"Why not?" He exclaimed, finally stopping in his tracks, "Some of these people are just children, Jean! We could create a safe haven for them- a place where nobody has to worry about being different; a place where nobody is afraid!" Now he had hit a nerve, and he knew it. Jean had spent most of her young life being afraid of her own ability, living on the streets after her parents had finally kicked her out. If Charles hadn't taken her under his wing... Jean shuddered to think where she'd be right now.
"This is going to need proper planning, you know," She told him, gazing over the building and its grounds with fresh eyes, "We'll need to anticipate the sort of... talents we're talking about here. Some of these people may be dangerous! We could design different rooms to cope with different abilities, and...what?" She demanded, noticed her friend grinning at her.
"You see it, too!" He said, his eyes shining.
"See what?" She frowned. He put an arm around her and gazed around at his future.
"My dream."