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A/N Hello!
Charles stares out the window as they drive along the seemingly never ending road. Hank is driving, and Aiysha called shotgun, so he's stuck in the back of the tiny car with Logan. He glares at nothing in particular, and shifts grumpily in his seat.
It is pretty much silent in the car, apart from Aiysha giving Hank directions every now and then. This is their third day of driving, and they ran out of things to say halfway through day one.
The elephant in the room, or rather, in he car, is something that's no one has mentioned, even though Charles knows they're all aware of it, even Logan.
If she was still alive, why did she leave?
It mostly angers Charles, more than anything else. He feels betrayed by her. She left him when he needed her the most.
They're almost there now, and Charles still hasn't worked out what he is going to say. But he does need to work it out pretty quickly. He's worked out a lot of things he could say, it's just deciding on which ones and in what order. After all, he can't factor in what she'll say, or how that will make him feel. If he's honest, he has no idea what he'll feel when, if, faced with her.
Will he be angry? Let down? Or will he feel how he used to feel, overwhelmed with love and hope?
He doesn't know which feeling he'd prefer.
"Turn left." Aiysha tells Hank, and the car swerves round a corner, pulling into a street lined with houses. Hank parks, and then lets out a deep breath.
"Here we go." He says, and then gets out of the car.
Aiysha stays in her seat.
"I'm staying here." She says. Hank looks at her. "I don't want to get my hopes up." She explains, folding her arms.
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Clint and Gaia are sitting in the living room at the back of the house when the doorbell rings. Clint blinks in surprise. He isn't expecting Lena back for another half and hour or so, and anyway, she has her own keys.
"Da, shall I get it?" Gaia asks, looking up from her workbook.
"No, don't worry." Clint tells her, standing up. "Stay there." She gives him a curious look, but then continues sketching the diagram.
Clint walks slowly through the hall, spy instinct kicking in, shutting the door to the lounge where Gaia sits. The doorbell rings again, and Clint hears muttered voices outside. He opens a drawer in the dresser, pulls out a gun, and slides it into the holster at his waist.
He pulls open the door, and three men look at him in surprise.
The scruffy one steps forward.
"I'm Charles Xavier." He says. "We're looking for-"
Clint cuts him off.
"You're Charles Xavier?" He asks, flexing the fingers of his left fist.
"Yes." The man replies, an irritated hint creeping into his voice. "As I was saying-"
Clint punches him.
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Hank and Logan jump back in surprise when the man punches Charles. Charles falls backwards, and Hank catches him, then looks up at the man, who looks only slightly apologetic at his loss of control.
"Sorry." He says. "Come in." He steps aside, and allows Hank, Logan, and Charles, who is nursing his cheek, through into the hallway.
Clint hopes Lena gets delayed, and that Gaia doesn't need any help with her chemistry homework.
He points to the kitchen table, and they all sit down, and Clint sits opposite them.
He pulls the gun out of its holster, and points it at Charles' head.
"What the fu-" Charles protests, but Clint gives him a look.
"I want you to prove you are Charles Xavier."
"I didn't bring my passport."
"No, not like that. That can be faked. Tell me something about Eleanor Richards, as I assume that's who you are looking for, that only she could tell you."
Charles searches his mind.
"I gave her a locket. It has lilies engraved on it. It is silver, in the shape of a heart, and there is a picture of her and myself inside."
Clint smiles sadly, and then puts the gun down on the table.
"She still wears it, you know." He tells Charles. Charles stares at the man, and doesn't know whether to be relieved or confused.
"So she's still alive, then?" He asks Clint.
"Took you long enough to notice." Clint says, standing up and pacing slightly. "Why have you suddenly come looking for her?"
"That's none of your business." Charles says pompously, but Clint slams both palms on the table in front of Charles.
"I've looked after her since you cast her out, Xavier. I have every right to know what you want with her."
Charles doesn't break his gaze.
"I want answers." Charles snaps. "As to why she left me."
Clint laughs.
"You'd better not phrase it like that. She'll get really mad."
At that moment, the front door opens, and Charles hears a voice he'd thought he'd never hear again. Oh god. He isn't ready for this. He should have had a drink. He's not ready for this!
"Clint? They ran out of red peppers so I had to get yellow instead." The voice gets louder, and Charles hears footsteps coming down the hall. He begins to panic.
"That's fine." Clint calls back, and then the door opens to the kitchen.
"Charles?" The person in the doorway says.
"Oh my god." Charles whispers, and stands up. "Lena..." He shouldn't have worried about being angry. He never stopped loving her, not for a single second. "Why is your hair blonde?"
Lena laughs, and pulls off the wig. She doesn't feel any anger at seeing Charles, just a sense of relief. She's doesn't want to know how he found her, just knows he's here and that all that matters. He needs a haircut though...
"Sorry. I have to wear it in public, being dead and all."
Being dead.
Charles stops suddenly, and feels the anger flowing back. He tries to stop it, but it engulfs him like a wave. Words fly out his mouth, words he wishes he could take back as soon as he says them.
"You were dead. You were dead. You left me. You lied to me."
Charles sees the hurt pooling in Lena's eyes, and she steps backwards. He hears Hank's voice telling him to stop, and he tries to, but eight years worth of misery is too strong.
"Charles, I-" no, actually she's not pleased to see him.
"Shut up." Charles snaps. "You left me alone, for eight years. Why? Why did you do that?"
Lena glares at him, and goes over the cupboard and starts unpacking the shopping. Even if she wants to throw the shopping at his head.
"Maybe I had my reasons." She says, turning her back on him and putting a packet of rice on the shelves.
"Reasons? Reasons more important than what we had? I loved you Lena, and you made me think you felt the same."
"I did!" Lena yells, spinning round. "I-" she stops yelling when she sees the little girl in the doorway.
"Mummy," the girl says, "can you help me with my homework?"
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All the occupants of the room go silent and stare at Gaia, who freezes in shock at the amount of people. Hank cleans his glasses, just to see if they're deceiving him, and then puts them back on again, frowning when there is no change in what he sees.
"Oh my god." Hank mutters.
"Hank." Lena says, and he looks up at her. "Gaia's stuck on her chemistry. Could you help her?"
Hank senses it's not really a question, and he smiles slightly at her. She smiles grimly back.
"Come on, Logan." He says, and both men get up. Clint picks up the girl, and walks down the corridor, and Logan and Hank follow him. Hank shuts the door. He doesn't want the girl to hear her parents arguing.
The girl looks nervously at him, so he smiles at her.
"I'm Hank." He says, sitting down on the floor beside her and offering out his hand. She takes it, smiling.
"Gaiathryn. But you can call me Gaia."
"So what are you stuck on?" Hank asks, and Gaia pulls a book and pencil towards her. She shows him a diagram, and Hank's eyes widen.
"Gaia, how old are you?" Hank asks.
"Eight." Gaia says proudly.
"But this is high school level chemistry."
"Uncle Bruce said I was good enough to take it early. I don't go to school."
Uncle Bruce? Hank looks at Clint. Clint Barton. Bruce Banner?
"That's right." Gaia says, smiling at him. He blinks in surprise, and her face turns to shock. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forget people aren't used to it." She blushes.
Hank smiles at her, and shakes his head.
"No, don't worry. I was used to it at one point."
Gaia frowns.
"Did you know Mummy?"
"Yes, I did."
"Sorry, but are you a mutant?" Gaia asks curiously.
"Yes. I turn blue and furry."
Gaia's eyes light up in delight.
"Awesome!" She exclaims.
"I'm glad you think so."
"How could I not?" Gaia asks, giving him a puzzled look.
Hank decides to change the subject.
"Is your only mutation that you are a telepath?"
Gaia shakes her head.
"The flowers and plants talk to me. I can control them."
She points out to the garden, and Hank laughs. The garden is a wonderful array of plants, twisted into strange and wacky shapes.
"That's awesome."
"Thanks." Gaia says, then they both jump at the sound of something smashing. Clint jumps up, and Gaia looks at him, her blue eyes wide.
Clint walks out the door, and Gaia turns her gaze to Hank, who flinches slightly. The resemblance to one of his oldest friends scares him.
"Why are Mummy and Mr Xavier fighting?" She asks innocently. Hank makes a mental note to never underestimate the ability children have to sense what is going on. Also, Hank assumes Gaia's telepathic abilities help as well.
He sighs.
"Just a simple misunderstanding."
Gaia frowns. Then shrugs.
"I still don't get this diagram."
A/N thanks for reading and please review :-)