Interlude #7: Of Ridiculous Articles of Clothing
This came from the ridiculousness of the outfit that Magneto wears. I mean, seriously, a cape? Oh, well. I am no super-villain. What do I know of instilling fear into the hearts of millions?
I own nothing.
Years later, many, many years later, Hannah finds the photo album while looking for a book in the vast library of the school. Her father is fast asleep on the couch with a certain telepath draped across his chest. She looks down on the sleeping men and smiles softly, being careful not to make too much noise on the second floor of the library. Hannah had not meant to walk in on their nap but she was going a little stir crazy down in the basement waiting for her experiment to finish. Barring anything, unforeseen she had come upstairs to occupy herself in levels of the mansion to wait out the experiment.
She passed Scott teaching algebra, who gave her a friendly nod as she passed by; Ororo who was gardening and humming to herself outside; Logan, the *ahem* art professor, who was actually discussing art with several of the older students; Kurt who was busy playing hide and seek with the younger students and Kitty who extracted a promise from the woman to help her with her homework later.
"Kitty, really, you are more than capable of doing this homework without me!" Hannah cried when Kitty cornered her.
"Oh, but please! No one is willing to check it for me when I get done!" Kitty looked at her with those big brown eyes of her's.
Hannah merely rolled her eyes and agreed. "It's only because you don't make any mistakes, Pryde," she said biting the grin that almost found its way to her face.
"That's because you find all my mistakes!"
"Fine, fine. After dinner, okay?" Kitty nodded and ran off, presumably to double (most likely triple) check her homework. Hannah shook her head fondly at the younger girl. She's already brilliant.
And really that's how she found herself on the second floor of the library. She had been searching for her favorite book from childhood, The Phantom Tollbooth, when the photo album practically assaulted her from the shelf above her head.
"Ow," she said softly and turned swiftly around to make sure her father and the Professor remained asleep. Assuring herself that all was well, she opened the leather album and suppressed her giggles. Inside were pictures of her father, the Professor, Sean, Alex, Hank and two unknown women - most likely the Professor's sister and Moira MacTaggert. Oh, this is too good to be true. She found her favorite alcove and sat down crossing her legs with the album on her lap.
The first picture she came across was a picture of the Professor and his sister both very young - perhaps in their mid to late teens. They were laughing their heads off and Raven had a smearing of ice cream on her nose, mouth and chin while Charles was wiping his eyes. The picture made her grin madly. She could almost hear the laughter coming through the picture.
In the second picture was a lone picture of the Professor, looking very serious. He was wearing his graduate robes and holding a diploma. Hannah looked closer at Charles' face and finally saw the hint of mischief in his startling blue eyes. She could swear she could hear the unspoken dare in his eyes. Hannah had heard rumours from someone about the Professor's wilder graduate days. She did not believe them, but now...now she was beginning to have her doubts.
The third picture made Hannah laugh out loud. She gasped and clasped her hand over mouth and looked over the railing at the two on the couch. She could see the Professor twitch ever so slightly in his sleep. Stay asleep, Professor! Hannah thought loudly. This photo album was too good to slip through her fingers. She quickly made a decision and directed a particularly loud thought to the Professor's son, Brian.
"What's up?" Brian asked when he came strolling into the upper floor of the library later. Brian was the spitting image of his father complete with startling blue eyes and cocky grin. "You're getting better at projecting to me. I was taking a nap out at the dock when I heard your thoughts."
"Like father, like son," Hannah smirked and pointed out their fathers laying on the sofa on the first floor. Her father had an arm wrapped around the Professor protectively. The other arm hung loosely over the side of the couch, fingers touching the ground.
Brian quirked an eyebrow and shrugged. "I never said otherwise," he said grinning. Hannah looked up at him and for a split second couldn't tear her eyes away from his. Damn, blue eyes, damn smile she thought. Brian looked at her grinning, clearly catching her thought. Hannah blushed beet red and shoved him out of her mind. He sighed a little sadly and sat down beside her in the alcove. "What that?" He said pointing to the picture album.
"What I wanted to show you," Hannah said gleefully and showed him the pictures. Brian started laughing hysterically.
"Oh, my god! What is your father wearing?" He couldn't help exclaiming. In the picture that Hannah had showed him, stood Erik Lehnsherr, all six foot of him head to toe in what could only be described as a hideous outfit - purple and red, with a ridiculous looking helmet and a cape. A cape! Hannah and Brian started laughing hysterically forgetting about the sleeping headmasters on the first floor of the library. The expression on his face could only be described as menacing - the look that most students within the school were very familiar with.
"It's a crime against fashion!" Hannah said in another fit of giggling. Her sides were beginning to hurt her. "I cannot believe your father let my father out of the mansion wearing that outfit!"
They turned the page, hands touching. They were leaning towards each other, their heads almost touching. The next page contained a picture that made them howl out loud. They were shushing each other loudly trying to contain their giggles. Oh, my god. Yellow and black? What were they thinking?
Charles heard their giggling and caught the thoughts they shared between them. He smiled and lifted his head from Erik's chest and quirked an eyebrow at their children. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you made her find that photo album on purpose," he said fondly, eyes crinkling in happiness.
Erik only grunted and smiled back at Charles. "I'm perfectly innocent," he muttered, giving Charles a quick peck on the mouth.
"Yes, perfectly innocent. Much like that monstrosity you used to wear. A cape indeed," Charles said grinning. He glanced over when he heard the laughter abruptly ceased. Brian and Hannah were finally kissing, photograph album laying lopsided and discarded at Hannah's feet. "It's about time," he murmured.
"Hmmm?" Erik asked and then followed Charles eyes to the young couple. He sighed a little ruefully.
"What? Don't you approve?" Charles was incredulous. Both he and Erik had secretly hoped that Hannah and Brian would finally stop this silly dance they were doing around each other.
"Oh, no, it's not that...it's just that they grow up so...fast," he said wistfully. Charles smiled.
"Yes, yes they do, don't they?"
-end-
Taken from a little bit here, a little bit there. Points to those who knew that Brian was Charles' father's name and extra special points to those who sussed out that Hannah was a variant of Anna which came from...wait for it...Anya, Erik's first daughter killed in a fire.
Reviews are golden. Gentle criticisms are Adamantim.