Chapter 1: Go to a Shrink, Get a Friend

Slade sighed as he walked down the street to Dr. Philips office. Dr. Philips was an old friend of his father and he had sent Slade to go pick up something for him. It was just an amulet that Dr. Philips had said had been in the family for a while and wanted Dr. Strange to look over to see if it had any mystical properties since everyone who had ever worn it had died soon after. It was a reasonable assumption and Slade didn't fault him for his fear.

The last two years with his new adoptive father had been the greatest he'd ever known. His father treated him like a young adult rather than a child and never did something regarding him without his permission. He had legally adopted him a few months after he'd found Slade and now he was legally as well as magically Slade Strange. He'd done it after Slade allowed him to look through his mind to see his past and Dr. Strange had said it would be better so his past acquaintances wouldn't discover him before he was ready. There weren't a lot of changes physically since Strange also had black hair. The only noticeable difference was that Slade had grown a little bit taller and his hair was now easier to brush. It still stuck up but he could now style it so it didn't look like he just got out of bed. His eyes hadn't changed at all and his father guessed it was such a part of him that magic left as is.

His adoptive father also made it very clear that someday he would have to return to the Void. According to him, he had found out that the entity Ragnarok had not crossed over that night over millennia ago. That meant he was probably still alive somewhere in the Void and he would no doubt the revenge on those who defeated him. Luckily, he was trapped in the deepest part of the Void and it would take him decades, if not centuries to claw his way out. This allowed Slade the breathing room to study under his adoptive father in relative peace until he was ready.

For now, his father didn't think he was ready to learn most of the magic he knew so they filled his days with magical theory as well as knowledge that most middle school kids knew in the 8th grade. Slade was quite smart on his own and his eidetic memory only helped in that regard. Wong also started teaching him basic self-defense so that he could fight without magic if needed. The only magic he was being taught was telepathy.

This was done for several reasons. One was so that he could learn to defend his mind from unwanted intrusions. Someone might use telepathy against him and he wanted to be ready to defend himself from mental attack. Another reason was so that Slade could use telepathy to avoid fights when he went outside.

They had quickly discovered that Slade had the uncanny habit of finding himself in the worst situations through no fault of his own. To avoid that, they taught him how to use magical telepathy to make someone forget his presence for a few seconds while he escaped the situation. This had helped Slade avoid muggers and people who kidnapped children whenever he walked through the streets. He was just lucky that Dr. Strange had found him before any of those people had when the Void abandoned him.

Slade sighed as he rang the doorbell to Dr. Philips office. Dr. Philips lived in a normal two story building that had his office/therapy room and patient reception room in the first floor while his personal lodgings was in the second. He wasn't one of the most sought after psychiatrists but he was highly respected for his various theories on the human mind. During his father's time as a neurosurgeon they had exchanged ideas on the biological and emotional aspects of the brain. Despite his father having been retired for almost a decade they still kept in contact.

The speaker turned on and Dr. Philips voice came through.

"Who is it?"

Slade smiled at the familiar brusque tone. "It's Slade, Dr. Philips. Dad sent me to pick up that amulet you asked him to study."

Dr. Philips voice came through, this time in a sheepish tone. "That was today? Dear me, I'm getting old if I forget stuff like that. Well, come in and I'll see you in a minute. I'm with a quite perplexing patient right now."

Slade cocked an eyebrow at that. Perplexing for someone like Dr. Philips is the same as saying 'I have no idea what's wrong with her and I'm getting frustrated'. Slade just hoped he would figure it out soon. Adults tend to get cranky when they didn't understand something.

Slade walked in once the buzzer sounded, signaling the door was unlocked. Slade stepped into the air-conditioned building and walked into the patient reception room. It was empty of anyone at the moment so Slade sat in a comfortable chair that had both the exit and the door leading to the office/therapy room in his sights. It was something Wong had taught him to do every time he entered a room in case of traps.

The room was a natural cream color with a desk next to the door leading to the therapy room and a couple of chairs and a sofa arranged in a semi-circle in front of the desk. It gave off a peaceful aura that relaxed people and Slade had to admit it was well done.

Slade was waiting for about a minute when he felt a sort of pressure on his mind shields. Slade was instantly on his feet and looking around as he tried to locate the source. His shields were holding up quite well despite the power Slade could sense from the source. It was almost as if the source was doing it completely unconsciously and had no control over it.

The door leading to the therapy room opened and out walked out a girl. She had long red hair and green eyes that looked maybe the same year as him. For second Slade unconsciously superimposed the image of his mother over the girl due to their similarities. However, unlike his mother this girl's eyes seemed dull and tired, like she hadn't gotten much sleep lately. Despite being only 10, Slade also had to admit that this girl was much pretty and would only continue as she got older.

Another thing that differentiated them was that this girl was the source of the mental attack on Slade's mind. Not a light attack (which his father described as feeling like someone was trying to burrow into your mind like worm) but a true telepath attack like his father. Slade was so shocked that his shields almost fell but he regained himself quickly. The girl was looking at him in shock and a little bit of hope. She gulped and spoke in a quiet tone.

"I-I... I couldn't sense you. Usually I can sense everyone when they're close but... I can't read you."

Slade cocked an eyebrow at that. It seemed as if this girl had no idea what she was doing. It wasn't completely unheard of. Some especially strong magicals had an inclination to one aspect of magic more than others. If they were powerful enough, they would manifest it even when they were young in an unconscious way. Slade due to his Void Walker was inclined toward multiple aspects of the mystical arts. His father was inclined to the ritual and banishment aspects and it seemed this girl was inclined for the more mental aspects.

She needed to meet his father. Slade could only imagine the pain she was going through being forced to read everyone's mind without the ability to stop it. Despite having just met her, Slade felt inclined to help her.

Suddenly, Dr. Philips exited behind the red-haired girl, breaking the spell between them.

"Hello, Slade. I see you've met my newest patient, Jean Grey. She's quite an enigma. Why, at times I swore she was reading my mind!" Dr. Philips chuckled at his own joke.

He didn't notice that the two children didn't laugh and that Slade was giving Jean a knowing look. He turned to Dr. Philips with a plan in place. "Actually, we've met before. I've seen her around her and we're good friends already, right Jean?" He gave her a meaningful look that he hoped she understood. Luckily, it seemed as if she did because she nodded her head as well.

"Yes, Slade and I have met around here before. We've played in the park a few times as well."

Slade almost rolled his eyes at her attempts at subterfuge. It was obvious she had never lied to someone before because the first thing you do is never give someone any leads to check up on. If he bothered to check he would quickly find out that Slade never left his father's house except to conduct errands.

Fortunately, Jean had been unconsciously leaking a hypnotic suggestion into her words that caused Dr. Philips to believe it without question. Dr. Philips smiled indulgently.

"That's wonderful! Perhaps you can tell me about it in our next session."

He then turned to Slade.

"Now wait here you two. I'm going up to the second floor to get that amulet for your father, Slade. I'll be right back."

After Dr. Philips left, Slade turned back to Jean only to find her a few feet in front of him and staring at him intensely. Jean's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Why can't I read you? That's never happened to me before. My parents think it's just trauma from when my friend died but I know better."

Slade cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Maybe you can tell me how it first happened and I'll tell you why you can't read me."

Jean frowned at what he said and Slade felt the pressure on his shield increased for a moment before it subsided when Jean sighed.

"Well, it was about a year ago. I was playing with my friend Anne when the ball we were playing with flew into the street by mistake. She ran to get it but forgot to look both ways and was hit by a car."

Here, Jean's voice started to break and Slade could sense her pain through his own telepathy.

"I-I went to her and as she was dying I was suddenly in Anne's head. I felt as she died and since then I could hear everyone's thoughts."

Slade frowned but recognized the reason why and sighed.

"It's similar to me then."

At Jean's questioning look, he continued.

"My original guardian was a less than kind teacher and during one of its sessions I unlocked my magical ability as well."

Jean looked dubious.

"But... magic isn't real... right?"

Slade smirked before checking to see if Dr. Philips was close using his telepathy. Once sure that the coast was clear, Slade winked at Jean before grabbing a pencil on the desk nearby.

"Now, watch closely Jean because this is kind of hard for me since I'm still learning."

Jean leaned in as Slade placed the pencil in one hand while he put the other hovering over it. Slade concentrated on the newest spell he had read about before he slowly let his magic loose. Jean's hair stood on end as she felt it and her mouth dropped as she saw the pencil slowly change into a hairpin.

Slade started breathing heavily once he was done and smiled proudly at the speechless Jean. It didn't take much power but it took a lot of concentration not to blow it up instead of simply changing it. Jean quickly regained her voice though and looked at him with astonished eyes. "That was incredible! I mean, magic DOES exist! Can you teach me? Can you help me control my mind reading?"

Slade raised his hands, one still holding the hairpin.

"Whoa. Slow down and breathe, Jean. And yes, I'll be able to teach you this and how to control your telepathy. That's what it's called. However, you'll have to ask your parents first but I already have an idea about that."

Jean looked perplexed and the pressure on Slade's shield rose for a second before they subsided. It seemed as if she unconsciously increased the pressure whenever she was curious about something.

"What's the idea?"

However, Slade heard steps coming down the stairs and knew Dr. Philips was on his way.

"Just follow my lead when your parents arrive."

Dr. Philips entered the room and smiled when he saw that Slade and Jean were getting along.

"Sorry it took so long but I couldn't seem to find it. Here it is though."

Dr. Philips presented Slade with an amulet that looked simple enough. It had a red gem-like center in the center of a coat of arms which Slade guessed was Dr. Philips's family coat of arms on a gold chain. Slade stretched out his still weak magical senses and sure enough, sensed a little bit of magic in the amulet. Slade smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Dr. Philips. I'll bring this to my dad and he'll bring it back as soon as he's checked it over. I'd like to stay and talk to Jean until her parents get here though. I want to ask them if they'd let her come over to my house today."

Dr. Philips had a teasing grin on his face.

"Already bringing girls home, Slade? You're starting much younger than most but I guess Jean here is kind of pretty."

Slade and Jean blushed at the insinuation and refused to look at each other. Slade stammered a denial. "I-It's not that! I-I mean, she is pretty but she's just my friend!" Beside him, Jean nodded her agreement though her blush deepened when Slade said she was pretty.

Dr. Philips chuckled. "I'm just joking, Slade. I'm glad you two are friends and you're welcome to wait for Jean's parents. I called them and they'll be here soon to pick her up."

Dr. Philips left them alone and entered his office, leaving the two children alone and still blushing at his comment. They eventually pushed back their blushes and started talking about normal things while they waited for Jean's parents. They found they had a lot in common since both were quite smart and loved to read. They were just arguing which book were better The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Jean) or Lord of the Rings (Slade) when Jean's parents arrived through the door.

Mr. Grey had black hair with streaks of gray much like Slade's own father and had kind green eyes. Mrs. Grey was blonde with blue eyes and had a soft smile on her face at seeing the two of them talking like normal children. Mr. Grey looked surprised at Slade's presence but smiled when he saw Jean acting like normal.

"Well, who's your friend Jean?"

Jean smiled happily at her parents, masking the pain hearing their thoughts brought her.

"This is my friend, Slade. Slade, this is my mom and dad."

Slade stepped forward and shook both their hands as his father had taught him.

"It's pleasure to meet you. I'm Slade Strange."

Mr. Grey's eyebrows rose at the surname.

"Strange? You mean as in Dr. Stephen Strange?"

Slade smiled proudly.

"He's my dad actually."

Mr. Grey's eyebrows rose.

"Really? I didn't know he had a son but then again he hasn't been in the medical world in a few years so it is possible. Why are you here?"

Slade smiled at the direct question.

"Well, I was just picking up something from Dr. Philips for my dad and ran into Jean here. I heard what her problem is and I think my dad might be able to help."

Both elder Greys looked at Slade intently at that.

"Are you sure?" asked Mrs. Grey.

"I mean, we've been to a few psychologists in the past year and none have been able to help. Could Dr. Strange help?"

Slade nodded in reassurance.

"Sure. See, I have an eidetic memory so I tend to study ahead a lot. I remember my dad some cases he'd been in while he was a neurosurgeon and he explained a case a lot like this. When someone watches someone they care for die tragically, the mind wants to connect to that person in any way possible. Jean here probably wanted to hear her friends' thoughts and so her mind made her believe she could them right before she died. However, because she's young and couldn't understand that her friend was gone it never turned 'off' so to speak. So her mind still thinks she can read minds and is forcing her to imagine people's thoughts. There are many documented cases of similar instances when someone watches a loved one die in their arms but most are adults. Adult minds are more experienced so can deny such urges. My dad had a case of a man that had a similar problem as Jean when he was young but never got any treatment for it and by the time my dad got to him they had to operate to help him. Luckily, Jean is still young and it shouldn't be necessary but my dad does need to see her for the next few years to treat her and make sure there isn't a regression."

Jean was open mouthed at his explanation and if she hadn't seen him change the pencil to a hairpin before she would have believed his explanation. He sounded so smart and Jean could sense that her parents believed it completely. Jean internally cheered at finally meeting someone who could help her so she could finally sleep in peace. She hadn't been able to sleep well ever since the accident due to the many minds crowding into her thoughts. The elder Greys smiled happily and the mother nodded tearfully.

"Please, we'll pay anything. We just want our daughter to be better."

Slade smiled softly though a part of him questioned if his own original parents would be as worried if he had the same problem before shaking it off.

"No payment necessary, but please I know my dad and he will be happy to help."

Slade turned to Jean and smiled genuinely.

"So, ready to face the future?"

Jean smiled and nodded.

A/N: And cut. There first chapter done and dusted. Please review or favorite or else I WILL SEND YOU TO THE VOID MAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (Whack) ahh PAIN! Anyway here is the list of possible additions to Slade's harem. In no particular order:

Neena Thurman/Domino

Anna Marie/Rogue

Brunnhilde/Valkyrie

Illyana Rasputin/Magik

Eva Bell/Tempus

Rita Wayword/Spiral

Raven Darkholme/Mystique

Nico Minoru

Ava Ayala/White Tiger

If you have any problems or suggestions, please don't hesitate to let me know. This is Death Legion signing off.