~Fix You~
Pots and pans could be heard throughout the entire east wing of the mansion early Thursday morning. Classes were already being held in session, and Ororo knew that no student would chance skipping classes, especially with Logan as the part time dean. Shuddering at the thought, the clanging had stopped momentarily, but grew in volume after a few tense moments, alerting Ororo that something was wrong. Holding her breath and embracing herself to what she might see, Ororo stepped into the kitchen and momentarily thought that she entered a war zone. Flour seemed to cover the entire kitchen from ceiling to the floor, and Ororo could also see handprints all over the counters and cupboards. The sink seemed to be filled to the brink with used utensils, plates, cups, and baking pans, both from this morning's breakfast and from whatever was happening at the moment. And from what Ororo could see, a round dish was dangerously swaying side to side, threatening to collapse the entire mountain of dirty dishes if not taken care of immediately.
Seeing a flash of brown and blue, Ororo turned towards the oven to see Alex wearing her blue apron covered in flour, and noticed all the cakes, cookies, and pies that covered the counters and tables in abundance. Raising her eyebrows in surprise and alarm, knowing that Alex only baked when under extreme stress, walked towards the young mutant.
"Um, Alex?" Not expecting anyone else to enter the kitchen until at least lunchtime, Alex banged her head in the oven in surprise when she was checking on the new batch of oatmeal cookies she decided to try. Hissing in pain from both the heat and bruise that she knew was on her head, Alex rubbed her new injury and turned around to see the white haired headmistress standing behind her. Alex scowled seeing the knowing look on the older woman's face but didn't say anything, until she saw her hand going for a cookie.
"Oreo! You're supposed to wait until they're cooled off before eating them!" Trying to snatch the cookie back, Ororo moved away from the flustered mutant. Now standing on the other side of the island, away from the glaring telepath, Ororo contemplated the scene before her. From what she could remember, Alex hardly baked...ever. There were only two instances that she could recall that made Alex bury her self under literally dozens of pastries, but not to this extreme. This was serious, and whatever it was, Ororo was going to find out what was wrong with her little sister.
"Why are you baking Alex?" Alex blinked slowly at the question, not missing the deep meaning behind the weather controlling mutant's words.
"What do you mean? I like to bake." The confusion on Alex's face didn't steer Ororo from the issue at hand. Either Alex was acting clueless, or not acknowledging the problem at hand. Something that Alex was prone to do on occasion when it came to her personal life. She was able to help people with their own problems, but God forbid that Alex admitted her own tribulations.
"You only bake when something is really bothering you Alex. What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong Ororo. I just had a sweet tooth craving, that's all. But then I had an epiphany after the first batch. What if the students wanted some? Or the team? So I started making more. But then I thought, what if they wanted something other than cookies? So I started making pies and cakes. But what about the student's with allergies? Gluten problems? So, I made pastries for them too. And then all of a sudden, I wanted to make stuff I haven't done before. So, I went looking online for recipes. And I found so many! So you gotta understand Ro, I couldn't resist making those too. And well…I kind of went over board all night." Walking nervously around the kitchen, Alex hoped that her reasoning was solid to fool the older woman. But she knew that no matter what she said, Ororo wouldn't be convinced that easily.
"All night? What do you mean all night?" Busted. Somehow, Alex knew that she wouldn't have been able to sway the older woman. And why the hell did she have to open her big mouth anyway? Concern seemed to be a permanent emotion on Ororo's face nowadays, and the guilt that ate away on Alex's conscious knew that it was because of her.
"Did I say all night? I meant the last few hours."
"Alex, you couldn't have baked all these desserts in just a few hours." Seriously? Alex felt like smacking herself. I should be happy that I'm not a good liar, but right now I really need to be.
"Okay. So I was awake all night. No big deal. I have all-nighters all the time." Wincing, Alex really did hit her self after that comment came out of her mouth.
"What?"
"I meant…what I wanted to say was…Forget I said anything." Alex turned around to check on her oatmeal cookies, inhaling the wonderful scent. How long was she able to stall anyway? I really wish I gained the ability to stop time.
"Alex," Ororo said exasperated, "you didn't have to bake gluten free pastries. No one in the mansion—"
"You don't know that though! What if we missed something in someone's medical file?" Which is impossible because I spent nights on those files. I wouldn't miss something like that.
"Then Hank would have notified me, and by extension, you as well."
"But—"
"Alex, what's wrong?" Alex knew that her charade was over. She couldn't keep speaking in circles with Ororo giving her the 'Mom Glare of Doom.' Which, Alex realized, was used so often in her childhood, that it even received a name. Sighing, Alex decided to let out everything.
"It's just…I realized after Fury and the Captain left yesterday what I agreed to. I'm going to be tutoring Captain America! And not only that, but I spazzed! In front of him, in front of both of them! How the hell is that professional? I can't do that in front of important people! At all! I have to maintain a good leadership persona and oh my God! What if I mess up? What if the Captain thinks I'm boring? Or, or, or, or, I say something offensive? What if he hates mutants? Its not like they were well known or liked in the 40s. Hell, we're not well liked now. I can't do this. I'll call Fury, and call the whole thing off! But I already agreed, and I can't do that to the Captain! What will he think? What if—" Ororo slapped her hand over Alex's mouth, effectively cutting off whatever the young woman was going to say. Ororo noticed Alex's eyes were wide with fear and uncertainty, and the brewing storm of her thoughts reflected through her grey orbs.
"Alex, breathe. Calm down." Ripping off Ororo's hand from her mouth, Alex took a few steps back, almost hyperventilating.
"I can't! I don't know what I'm doing! And I'm freaking out because he'll be here any minute!"
"Breath Alex. Let's think about this logically one step at a time. Okay? Make a plan; you're good at those. What is your usual history plan for your history lessons?" Ororo knew that being logical when Alex was like this was the only way to calm her nerves. Being rational was something that Alex was good at in times of stress, one of the main reasons for the young mutant becoming the leader of a team of mutants so young. Even though Scott was only a few years older when he led the team.
"Well, I just usually go in increments of ten years. And since Rogers disappeared in 1945, I wanted to start after that. So logically, history would be the main topic. Of course I'll add how music changed over time, as well as the development of art and cuisine. Inflation is a big topic that we'll definitely go over. We might not go into details about all the wars that have happened, but since he's a military man, he might want to. Not to mention— "
"See, Alex, you know exactly what to do. Just think of Mr. Rogers as another student. Everything is going to be fine. Now, it's almost ten o'clock and you still need to clean up. Not to mention that the kitchen is atrocious." Both women let out a chuckle as they looked around the horribly disastrous kitchen.
"I guess I did kind of go overboard huh?" At Ororo's nod, Alex let out a sigh and laughed at her self for acting silly. Oreo's right. He's just another student. No more, no less. "Oreo. Thank you." They both smiled gently at each other. Noticing a blue blob in her peripheral vision, Alex turned her head to see Hank's surprised expression.
"It's, uh, not what it looks like?" Running her hand through her hair, Alex winced at the knots and felt icky from whatever was in her hair. Smiling sheepishly at Hank, she tried to appear as if she didn't do anything wrong. Although, the kitchen kind of spoke for itself.
"Nothing's wrong Hank. Was there something you were going to say?" Was there a reason for Hank being there?
"Alex, the Captain has just arrived and is waiting in the foyer." Alex squeaked. All the rational thinking that Alex did about her course material suddenly flew out the window. It was as if the whole night of baking suddenly didn't happen, and she could literally feel her hands shaking to start baking again. Noticing that Alex's hands reaching for the flour, Ororo clamped her hand firmly on Alex's shoulder and began leading her out of the kitchen.
"Hank, would you tell Mr. Rogers to wait in my office while Alex gets cleaned up? We shouldn't be too long. Oh! And get Frank to clean the kitchen please? Time him if you have to, Lord knows that boy needs to be challenged every once in a while for his quick feet."
"Certainly Ororo. My, are you all right Alex? You're as pale as a ghost." Numbly nodding, Alex began to walk towards her room, mentally freaking out about what to wear.
"She's fine Hank. Just a little nervous. Nothing to be worried about."
Walking towards Ororo's office felt like a death march. Although, Alex really wouldn't know what a death march actually felt like, so throwing that analogy out the window. Stumbling quite a lot down the hallway, Alex mentally cursed Ororo for making her wear red heels in a black pencil skirt and a black peplum blouse that made her feel as if this was a job interview. Or a freaking teacher at a normal university. Blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face, Alex mentally prepared her self to not act like she normally would with her students. Clumsy, sarcastic, stubborn, and awkward were only a few words that raced through her mind, and she winced. Man, I am so not girly material. After an almost face plant near the office's door, for that would have been very embarrassing if she had tripped into the room, Alex took one last breath before opening the door.
Stopping in her track's completely, Alex froze. The Captain America was looking out at the school's grounds through the window near the desk. His back was facing her, and by the way he was standing, he probably didn't hear her when she entered the room. Taking this moment to study him more, Alex noticed his shoulders were slumped forward somewhat, almost as if he had a figurative weight on his shoulders. Probably does, poor guy. Shaking her head slightly, Alex took one last breath.
"Good afternoon Captain." Whirling around as if an enemy was near by, Alex made sure to be extremely still and not to make any sudden movements. She kept her face as innocent as possible, and aimed a friendly smile his way. The distant look in his eyes made her aware that he was lost in his thoughts, and she knew that he was lost in a memory that was obviously very painful. Probably PTSD? I should look into that, there might be a possibility that he doesn't know he has it. Shaking his head as if mentally coming back from wherever he was, Alex began to walk slowly towards him.
"Afternoon Ma'am. I'm sorry, for… whatever that was." Smiling gently, Alex directed him to the visitor's chair and laid her hand gently on his shoulder after he took his seat.
"Please don't feel as if you have to apologize for your actions Captain. I know that going through traumatic events leaves a horrible imprint on the mind. It takes a while for it to go away, and sometimes it just stays there like a stain, reminding you of a time that you'd rather just forget." This time, it was her that was lost in thought. Blinking rapidly, she saw that he was looking at her with a new light in his eyes, and she turned away from him. Sitting in Ororo's seat, she turned towards him with a smile. I seem to be smiling a lot lately.
"So, let's get the awkward first meeting out of the way, shall we?" Steve nodded his head in consent. "Well then, just to reiterate, my name is Alexandria Xavier. However, no one calls me by my full name these days. You have the options of calling me Alex or Professor, whichever you prefer. But please don't call me Ma'am, Miss Xavier, or Fearless, no matter what the other students might say. Although I'll be extremely happy if you just called me Alex." Seeing the corners of his mouth tick upwards, Alex felt a sort of achievement for almost making him smile.
"Of course…Alex. My name is Steve Rogers." The conclusion that Steve came to about his second female teacher was that it was a far more pleasant experience than what he feared. He honestly believed that this time around, things would go far more smoothly. Steve remembered the conversation he had with Agent Coulson when he was about to leave his apartment that morning, about coming with him to sit in on his lesson. Just in case something were to happen that would cause him to be either uncomfortable or frustrated. Although Steve would have been more comfortable with the agent present, he knew that Miss. Xavier –Alex— was genuinely interested in helping him. He could tell by her eyes.
"Now Cap—"
"I think it's only fair, Alex, that if I'm allowed to call you by your first name; then you can call me just Steve."
"Well, then Just Steve," Alex noticed that Steve actually smiled at her wit, "seeing how its half past ten, and it's still not lunch time yet, would you like some brunch? Unless you already ate?" Cursing herself, Alex knew that she should've have remembered her wittiness when she thought of herself as sarcastic, but somehow forgot about that portion of her personality. Luckily for her, it seemed that Steve had a witty side too. Something that she was honestly glad about; if they were going to spend a copious amount of time together, he needed to keep up with her humor.
"No Ma'am, I haven't. Although, I can honestly say I've never really had brunch before. I'm a big believer on breakfast and lunch as two separate times of the day." Throwing her head back in laughter, Alex knew that they would get along just fine.
"Well then, shall we move to the kitchen for a light snack before lunch then?" Smiling at her, Steve felt a slight weight lift from his chest. For the first time in a long time, Steve felt like he could breathe just a tad bit easier. And he just knew, that if he spent more time bantering with the smiling dame in front of him, that he would breath easier every time.
Getting up from their respective seats, Alex led the way to the door, but was slightly surprised when Steve was there first with the door already open. Being the gentleman that he was, Steve gave the general motion of 'after you' for her to go first. She smiled in thanks and began the trek to the kitchen. However, she had completely forgotten about the upturned part of the carpet in the hallway, and her heel just happened to snag it. Feeling her equilibrium get thrown off, Alex expected to hit the floor but she never felt the contact. Instead, she felt a warm and sturdy arm wrap around her waist and was pulled in the opposite direction of the floor, and into a very muscled chest. Looking up, she saw Steve with a worried look on his face and instantly blushed in embarrassment. Didn't I tell myself not to be clumsy?! Jumping away slightly, Alex snagged her foot yet again on the upturned part of the rug, and slightly slammed into the opposite wall of the door away from Steve. Waving away his hand, Alex just laughed as she got her bearings.
"Are you all right?" He was concerned. Steve literally just saw Alex trip twice on the same part of the rug, and aren't women usually comfortable walking in heels? The women in his time hardly stumbled, let alone them tripping, as far as he could tell.
"Word to the wise, I will trip on air. Don't be surprised that I'm suddenly on the floor or something when you're not looking." Maybe it was just her nature to be clumsy? Somehow, that thought calmed Steve more than anything, knowing that she wasn't trying to be anything else, anybody else, made him smile. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Steve saw Alex reaching for her heels and was a bit confused as to why she was taking them off. Noticing that she was a couple inches shorter made him realize that her head reached a bit past his shoulders. "Much better. Now I'll have less chances of being tripped by invisible obstacles." Raising his brow in amusement, he just had to comment.
"I've had a few share of those. Usually, they were bombs in the ground trying to blow me up." Allowing a smile to cross his face, he made sure to let her know that he was joking, or attempting to joke, and relaxed when she smiled in delight.
"Little buggers. I'd be screwed." He couldn't help it, Steve laughed.
Arriving at the kitchen, Alex placed her heels by the door; just so no one would accidentally trip over them in case anyone was to walk in. Walking barefoot to the fridge, Alex noticed the kitchen was practically spotless, and all her baked goods were neatly stacked on the counters and tables. Noticing a huge chunk was already missing, Alex knew that some students came in and decided to help themselves. After all, whatever's in the kitchen is fair game. Looking back towards Steve, she noticed that he was just looking at the pastries, and felt undeniably shy all of a sudden.
"Oh don't mind those. I don't usually bake, but when I do, I tend to go a little overboard." Twirling the annoying piece of hair that just won't stay in place, she looked away from Steve and started taking out a variety of fruits to cut up into a salad.
"I was just wondering why there were so many cookies…and pies."
"Well, considering how many kids attend the school, a good portion of them teenagers; and then also counting the staff, you kind of have to cook in abundance. Especially desserts. Those go out really fast." As Alex was cutting the apples into slices, a young boy no older than eight walked into the kitchen. Steve noticed that Alex didn't make any attempt to greet the young boy, nor gave any indication that she knew he was there. Staring into his eyes, Steve noticed that the boy's eyes had a hint of yellow to them and that he blinked weirdly. Almost like a…snake. Steve's eyes widened in surprise when the boy's skin started to turn a rough light green texture as his body elongated and stretched. Steve was gob smacked to see the young boy change into a very large coiled snake on the floor, slightly hissing at him. The snake slithered towards Alex and began to wrap itself around her legs, slowly slithering up, and the entire time, she never reacted. The snake was over her shoulder and opened its mouth wide, ready to strike, and Steve never felt more nervous in his life. He was about to jump up from his place at the counter, when Alex started rubbing the snake somewhere where the nose should be.
"Luke! How are you today? I see you chose an anaconda for today." If Steve thought that a boy changing into a snake was a sight, then the reverse was equally unsettling. Hearing the bones shift and move made Steve uncomfortable, but seeing as Alex didn't bat an eye, he just looked on in fascination. As the boy, Luke, changed back, he stared at the cut apples with a longing in his eyes. Seeing this, Steve got up and grabbed the already cut apples and handed them to Luke. Without so much as a thank you, Luke grabbed the plate from Steve's hands and just stared. He nodded once and dashed out the kitchen.
"You would think kids his age would like cookies, but no. He likes fruits as a snack and as a dessert. If you had waited, I would've have given him watermelon too." Feeling sheepish, Steve noticed that Alex was giving him a mischievous smile and felt his face burn in embarrassment.
"I didn't know if you noticed him. It kind of seemed that you were ignoring him." Heaving a big sigh, Alex grabbed the plate of diced apples and peeled oranges and made her way to the seat next to Steve's. Waiting for him to retake his place, Alex looked at him with a serious face.
"There's one thing you have to understand Steve. Everyone you meet here will have a different story. Many have bad backgrounds; others had average childhoods, and only a few can say that they had good homes. And Luke… he was abandoned in a box for days in the pouring rain. No one knows where he came from or who his parents are, and lived very poorly for the first few years of his life. It was just luck that the local orphanage found him, or he would have died of malnourishment. My father brought him here about two years ago and he doesn't like to speak, but I know he has intellectual conversations about science and whatnot with Hank, the doctor in the mansion who helped his health get better. He hates any type of attention unless he insinuates contact first. Because of that, he feels more comfortable whens he's an animal and uses a different animal for different people. For some reason, he likes to great me with a different kind of snake everyday. Yesterday was a boa constrictor. " Alex shrugged her shoulders thoughtfully. Was there a reason why Luke liked to use snakes for her? Probably. I should look into it. Or ask Hank.
"I see. This is just so overwhelming. I was prepared to do something in case he attacked, in case he hurt you. I still don't know what mutants are, and I see you and I can't think about anything else but tell myself that you're human and normal. I'm about to flip my wig (1) with all this technology mumbo jumbo, but it's frustrating because I understand it. No matter how much I don't want to dang nabbit! (2) The people have just changed so much in such little time even though I should understand that it was seventy years ago. But I can't get my head around it, because it was only four months ago for me. And I can't help but feel that I'm going to belly up. (3)"
Alex couldn't help but stare at the man sitting next to her, with his head in his hands. Seeing his shoulders shake with his heavy breathing, she felt small again. Here was -is - this great man that she's heard so many stories about, read about in history books, learned about through word of mouth; a war hero in everyone's eyes. And here he was, sitting in her kitchen with a plate of cut up fruit in front of him, and he was about to crack under the extreme pressure that he was under. How was she supposed to help him? What great words of wisdom was she supposed to spew out of her mouth to make him feel better? And as if a damn had been flooded into her brain, Alex suddenly remembered a conversation she had with her father many years ago, when she first joined the team of X-Men in her adolescence.
'There is something we have that humans have in abundance. And that is hope, my dear. The reason we have our powers is due to the fact that we have the strength to protect that hope, to carry the burdens of the human race, because we have the strength to do so. That we fight for them, even when they do not understand. Even when they fight against us. Because even if someone stumbles and loses their way, doesn't mean they can't be saved."
"Culture shock." Looking at him with her cool grey eyes that stormed with her emotions, she saw Steve tense and jump in his seat, almost forgetting where he was. He looked at her with such a broken expression; his baby blue eyes that matched the sky so perfectly were lost. An expression, that Alex realized, she hated seeing on anyone, least of all Captain America.
"Wh-wh-what?" Alex only stared at him coolly. Reaching out to grab his trembling hand in hers, she gave it a gentle squeeze. Exuding gentle and calm emotions, Alex didn't dare to tear her eyes away from Steve's. They still seemed so lost, but were somehow glowing with life once more.
"You're experiencing culture shock Steve." Her voice was low and soothing, something Steve appreciated as he stared at her eyes; unconsciously knowing that she was doing something again to make him feel better. "Considering the fact that you've had incompetent teachers till now, I'm not all that surprised that you feel the way you do. You're disorientated because the 21st century is a radically new social and cultural environment for you. No one has taken the time to help explain all of this to you. And you're confused, probably scared, and definitely lost. But I want you to know, Steve, that I will be here for you. As a teacher or as a friend. Do you understand?"
"Yes Ma'am." Quirking at the automatic response from the soldier, she pushed the bowl of fruit in front of him and told him to eat. He obliged, and Alex contemplated what to do from there. Hearing Steve's outburst solidified her resolve to help him in anyway she could. Remembering that Steve said he actually understood technology was going to help him ease his way into the 21st century with less difficulty, Alex was sure. He's smart. Understanding technology in four months is amazing for someone from the forties, especially without the proper help. So going slow probably won't be an ideal teaching method. Judging by the way his mind is whizzing right now is a clear indicator that he thinks fast, quick on his feet. A true soldier. Level headed, at least for the most part. So what are my options? Forties, old fashioned. Books definitely. Minimal screen use, but should still learn how to use a computer. Ear buds would probably hurt his ears, so introducing headphones first. iPod optional. Record players and vinyls mandatory. Stick to food he knows. Inflation, grocery prices. Should I take him shopping? Again, he's old fashioned. Probably won't like to change his clothes. Keep it simple. What else? Wait. Didn't he say something about not knowing about mutants? Ok. That should be first then.
"So Steve, not only consider this your first lesson, but also think of this as a bit of my back story. I am not only a part of but also lead a mutant team called the X-Men. We use our… special abilities… to help protect the people of the world from harm and to stand in the way of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and other times people who threaten us or the safety of the world. My father opened this school to teach mutants to harness, perform, and utilize their abilities. The 'X' in X-Men refers to the X-gene that normal humans lack and which give each mutant their different powers. It was also a thought that our mutation came from a result of radiation exposure, however, I'm not exactly sure about that one. It's just ironic that my last name starts with the letter 'X,' however there's a story that goes with the name, but that's for a later time. So that's the surface of mutation and as we go on with your rehabilitation, we'll go more in depth about it. So what about you? How did Steve Rogers become Captain America?" Putting air quotes around his hero name caused Steve's lips to quirk up again. How was it that he felt tormented and overwhelmed, but still find it in him to smile. You didn't technically smile Rogers. Breath, you don't want to mess this up. What would Bucky say? What are you doing talking to yourself for? Say something to the beautiful dame, would ya! Coming back to the present, Steve noticed that Alex was waiting for him to say something. Taking a deep breath, he hoped he wouldn't make a big fat head (4) out of himself.
"Well, I'm just a kid from Brooklyn. Wanted to do what was right, and at the time, that was to fight in the war. Now? I'm not so sure anymore." Steve looked down to his empty plate, his emotions running deeper with every word he said, and heaved a big sigh. Feeling his hand being squeezed, he saw a scarred petite hand in his and kept talking. "It took me five tries until Dr. Erskine gave me a chance at Project Rebirth."
"What a second." Surprised, Steve looked up into Alex's eyes and noticed her bewilderment. "You tried five times to sign up for the army? Sorry if I'm wrong, but weren't you only supposed to sign up once?"
"No you're right. I sort of, falsified a few things to get multiple chances." Steve noticed her bewildered expression changed to one of surprised shock. Her mouth opened as if she was going to say something, and then closed, only for the process to happen again. Steve couldn't help but think that her expression was somewhat funny. "What's eating you?" (5)
"I just can't believe that Captain America is a little rebel in disguise! Are you serious?!" Steve chuckled at that.
"Well, in my defense, I wasn't exactly Captain America at the time." Chuckling, Steve watched in amusement as Alex waved her hands in disbelief. Finally, she took up her fork and somewhat stabbed her apple slice and he laughed when she kept missing. Putting up his hands in surrender when she mock glared at him, he decided to keep going with his story. "After I became," waving his hands in a circular motion to indicate to himself, "this, a HYRDA agent that somehow sneaked onto the property activated an explosion. Killed Erskine, then ran off with the only vile of the serum left. I managed to run after him and actually caught him, but he killed himself before I could get any answers."
"Cyanide poisoning I'm guessing?" Steve nodded at Alex's guess.
"After that, Phillips, the Colonel in charge of Project Rebirth, said that the entire thing was disappointing. He wanted an army, but he only got me. I was stationed to go to Alamogordo for further testing. Senator Brandt, at the time, had other ideas." Steve felt his face burn with embarrassment, but noticed how Alex nodded in confirmation.
"The war bond sales. Every school in America uses you as an example of propaganda during WWII, and how much of an influence you were. My thesis paper was about you actually. The effects of Captain America before, during, and after the war and how did his –your— presence ensure us victory. Gotta say, thank you for the A."
"You're welcome?" Alex chuckled at Steve's confused face, but didn't go any deeper into her thesis. Instead she motioned him to continue his story. "Well after the first few shows, I was approached by Colonel Applegate and Fairbairn who made me a proposition that I really couldn't refuse. They were to train me, only if I were to reapply for the army and actually do what I was suppose to do after Project Rebirth. I agreed wholeheartedly."
"So these two army guys trained you in secret?"
"In-between shows for six months. I got a chance to go over seas for the war bonds and from there…"
"You managed to save over 300 soldiers from HYDRA's grasp and officially became Captain America. Golly (6) Steve, you became such a hotshot. (7)" Leaning back in her seat, Alex sent a cocky smirk in Steve's direction. Internally laughing as his face turned red from what she figured was either embarrassment or shyness. It's going to be so much fun teasing him. Shaking her head in fondness, Alex got up from her seat to grab a drink from the refrigerator and turned her head lightly towards Steve. "Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea?"
"Juice if you have any." Alex heard him clear his throat as she poured him some OJ and put the kettle on the stove for some tea. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex saw Logan walk into the kitchen, and completely bypassed Steve as if he wasn't there. Heaving a big sigh, Alex dropped her shoulders as she felt Logan's large hand fall on her head. Not reacting to him whatsoever, she heard the refrigerator door open as she took Steve's glass to him.
"Hey kid, where's the beer?" Sighing in exasperation, she turned to Logan with her hands firmly on her hips.
"Logan, you know the rules. No beer whatsoever in the mansion, under any circumstances. Besides, it's too early to start drinking. Have some pop or something." Alex walked towards the top cupboard next to the oven and reached in to retrieve a coke from behind a fake shelf she popped off. Both men raised their eyebrows at the secret compartment when Alex turned around to hand Logan the pop. "What? Ever had children wired up on pop? Believe me, it's not fun when they're on a sugar rush. Extra precautions must be made."
"Hey, it's warm Kid." Rolling her eyes, she turned her attention to the now whistling kettle.
"Then either get a cup with ice or go ask Bobby for help. I'm not your personal maid." Alex grabbed the sugar before sitting down next to Steve and started preparing her tea the way she liked it. In a huff, Logan growled as he walked out of the kitchen. Rolling her eyes one more time, she turned to Steve to ask him a question, but stopped short when she saw the pensive look on his face. "Steve?"
"I've seen him before. I wasn't sure yesterday when I saw him, but I know for a fact that I have." Alex watched as Steve's eyebrows furrowed considerably as he fought to remember something. She knew that with a single thought, she could help him reach the memory that seemed to keep slipping from his grasp, but decided not to.
"What makes you think you know Logan?"
"I'm not sure. There was this man who saved my life back during the war. A paratrooper named James Howlett. Do you think there's any relation?"
"I doubt it. As far as I know, Logan doesn't have any family. I wouldn't ask him about it either, he's a little touchy with his past." Before Steve could question her about it, he noticed Alex turn her head slightly towards the door as a young man with blonde hair entered the kitchen.
"Bobby, Logan is looking for you." Alex knew without turning around that the ice-wielding mutant walked into the kitchen. She could tell by the unnoticeable chill in the air that somehow slithered its way into the back of her mind. It felt like the beginning stages of a brain freeze, but without any of the painful stabbings.
"Yeah. I saw him on the way here." Bobby reached across the table and grabbed an apple slice from her plate, and pushed it towards him with a fond smile. He sat down across from Steve, and Alex watched as recognition danced across his murky blue eyes. Eyes that weren't as bright or clear as Steve's. 'Don't say anything Bobby. No one knows he's here.' With a little twitch to his nose, Alex knew he got the message.
"Hey man, how's it going?" With surprise, Steve looked up from his lap to give the younger man a wide-eyed look. Steve felt his face burn again as soft chuckling could be heard from the dark haired woman beside him. Stop blushing ya knucklehead! Oddly, that thought strangely sounded like Bucky.
"Well. Thank you." Deciding to save Steve from embarrassment, and to answer a few of Bobby's more inquisitive questions running through his mind, she spoke in a commanding voice.
"Steve is my new student Bobby. You'll be seeing him a lot around the school for the next few months." Figuring that that was all he was going to get for the moment, Bobby decided to continue to act oblivious to the man's identity. Even though he wanted to smile like a loon.
"Cool. So what can you do?" Steve panicked. For the first time in what he felt like forever, Steve well and truly panicked. What was he supposed to say? Did the other students know he was attending their school? Did Fury give Alex permission to even tell the school? What about the World Council he heard about yesterday? Did they want him attending this school designed for mutant children? But Fury had said that they didn't know he was even here, whoever they were. So what was he suppose to say? Needless to say, he was glad that Alex spoke first.
"He has super strength that he can't control, and he doesn't like to talk about it. So if you don't mind spreading that the new guy is shy, that would be great." Raising her eyebrow, Alex pushed the code into Bobby's thoughts. The unofficial code that every student in the school knew. The unofficial code that allowed Steve to keep his identity a secret for a while longer, even though she knew that the older students would know who he was just by her history class.
"Sure, no prob." Bobby grabbed one more apple slice before exiting the kitchen. Watching him with his eyes, Steve turned back to ask Alex a question when she spoke first.
"Being shy is an unwritten and unspoken code for anyone to know that you don't like to talk about anything you don't want to. It tells the other students to back off about any personal questions that they might want to ask. So don't be obliged to tell them anything you don't want to, or anything you can't talk about."
"Thank you." Relieved, Steve released the breath that he didn't know he was unintentionally holding.
"It's not a problem Steve." Alex smiled at him, and Steve never felt so at home before. "So, let's get started with your schedule ya?"
"When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you" -Fix You by Coldplay
This is by far one of the longest chapters I've ever written. There was just so much I wanted to put into this one chapter, not to mention the fact that I rewrote the beginning so many times, that I just said to hell with it. Anyway, as I promised, the next chapter is the beginning of the Avengers Arc, finally am I right? I kind of figured out how I'm going to add the Days Of Future Past Arc, but I need to get through the Winter Soldier Arc first. That in and of itself well take a while. But whateffs.
I tried my best to have Steve talk like he was from the forties, but I really don't think I did such a good job on that. Anyone can call me out on it, I won't mind. Any suggestions will be helpful too. Any words or phrases that anyone wants Steve to say, just drop a review and I'll do my best to add it as part of his dialogue.
But anyway, what are you're guys thoughts on female Thor and Sam as Captain America? I personally don't have a problem with. But as a writer, I'm going to find some way to play with that in my story. LOL Maybe not to those extremes where Sam will actually put on Steve's costume or anything like that, but we'll see. Anyone out there personally angry, or irritated about what Marvel is doing? I'm curious, send you're thoughts as a review and we'll have a discussion. Will probably motivate me to write faster just so I can talk to you guys faster and not months at a time.
Speaking of, anyone proud of me that this is my second chapter in the past two months that I've posted? Whoo! Don't get used to it really I'm afraid. A new quarter has started for me, so writing as always is going to be limited. Hopefully, since I have a Creative Writing class this quarter, I can multitask with this story and my homework for that class.
Special thanks to Jo, RougeReaper, nikkali44, and a reviewer who signed in as Guest. You guys rock. And I totally agree with Jo, Steve is divine! Don't worry nikkali44, you'll see where this story is going soon enough! I just hope I can exceed your expectations!
Thanks also to 3broomstix, Kia11855, Yuki Uzumaki Uchiha Namikaze, Wmmachibi, DanielleBurkex3, Edward Cullen's Girl, RAD092515, G-Tri, LightExplosion, alexchan14, SoraLover987142, sarahbear01001, and insomniatic-artist3 for the follows!
Definitions:
(1) Flip my wig- To lose control over yourself
(2) Dang nabbit- Expression of frustration
(3) Belly up- Fail. Full saying is 'Go belly up.'
(4) Fat head- Numbskull
(5) What's eating you?- Query for what's the matter?
(6) Golly- Used to express surprise or delight
(7) Hotshot- Head man/leader/knowledgeable
