Ten
The next few weeks flew by in a dizzying whirl. Adele couldn't quite remember all that had occurred however she was sure that it had involved woodwork, plastering and painting jobs that would leave her wishing she'd never agreed to this school. Cerebro was done. Hank had completed her on schedule and after moving the delicate machine underground for protection they'd had an extra pair of hands helping them moving the hard labour along. Under Charles criticizing eyes the four other mutants had been pushed to their limits; knocking down walls, reshaping whole sections of the ancient house and having to rebuild them in just under a month. Charles had been adamant about the dead line and Adele could understand his frustration. Until they could actually begin to locate the students Charles would be living in a state of immovable depression. Feeling next to useless he had resigned himself to a slave driver and a whole other personality had evolved. The other's pretended not to see it but Adele didn't have the luxury. He was still affectionate to her, still held her hand, kissed her as much as possible and their 'conversations' were long, thought provoking and reminisce of past times. However she felt as though her oldest friend had pulled into himself, was working on a sort of autopilot that she remembered herself being on not too long ago. He was in for it when he got back, she decided. Her entire body ached with the strain of the work. The first week she'd used her telekinesis to help and the work had be relatively easy but the strain had begun to show in the second week and Charles had told her to lay off the power drain. She had argued with him then, the whole house had heard that particular one, but in the end she had agreed. With only a few paint jobs, refurbishment and a legal document declaring the house an official private education facility left to obtain and complete, Adele was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. With each completion of a room, Charles began to return and that was a blessing in itself. It was the final week of renovation and Adele found herself up a ladder in one of the last dormitory rooms, hanging precariously over to reach a far corner of the wall with her paint brush, when Charles and Sean walked into the room. Seeing the rather dangerous situation Sean had called out to her and turning on the rickety old thing, she had lost her balance and fallen from the wooden structure. Remembering the last time she'd been in the situation she used her power to 'push' herself away from the floor, imagining herself as another object she lifted when she usually used her mutation. The fall stopped suddenly and she was suspended, parallel to the floor, about two or so metres above it. She looked up to see Sean and Charles both staring in shock.
"Yes, this recently developed." She said by way of an explanation.
"Simple physics, right? If I can lift a car, another person or anything larger than that… shouldn't I be able to lift myself?" She asked as the silence continued. Slowly, frowning in concentration she lowered herself to the ground, bringing her legs to rest before her torso. She stumbled a bit but didn't fall over.
"That would explain how you survived falling out of the plane." Charles said quietly and she smiled and nodded. He grinned and clapped is hands.
"Marvelous, simply marvelous." He said and she blushed a little. Looking around the room she smiled.
"That's it." She said and the two men looked at her. She gestured to the completed rooms.
"We've done all the hard stuff, now we just need that furniture." She said and Charles' smile grew wider, if that were even possible. The next day truck came by, dropping off beds, more living furniture and recreational pieces such as pool tables, televisions and other things. Being the most sensible looking Adele and Charles went out to check everything was there. The men nodded at Charles but when they saw Adele their eyes flew wide. Self consciously she began fiddling with pieces of her hair until Charles' hand came up and tugged at her own. He leaned up and kissed her sweetly.
"There now, what's all this worrying for?" He teased and she sighed. They watched as all the new furniture was unpacked and after paying turned around and entered the house once more.
"It's like Christmas." Charles said as they gazed at all the wrapped objects.
"Yes, I suppose that's exactly what Christmas' look like." She said and Charles flinched.
"Oh Elle, I didn't…" He began but she turned with a smile.
"None of that, remember how I used to sneak over here and spent Christmas Day with you and Rae?" She asked and he nodded. Alex and Sean entered the room.
"Yes!" Sean yelled sarcastically.
"Presents!" Alex called out.
"Now kids, I want these all unpacked and beginning moved into rooms pronto." Adele shouted as Hank walked in.
"Yes, Mum." Alex called out and she shook a finger at him mockingly.
"Don't talk back to me young man or I swear I'll box your ears." She said seriously as they all laughed. Sean, Alex and Hank began to shift all the furniture to the new elevators. Yes, over the last month the four of them, with Hank's exceptional engineering skills, had designed five elevators in the Xavier mansion; two in the entrance hall, one in the East wing and one the West wing. The fifth one went down into the basement level and was hidden from view where students couldn't 'accidentally' discover it. The things were a blessing, in little to no time all the furniture had been moved to the dormitories and recreation rooms. Interior design was left at anyone's discretion.
It was midnight by the time all of them headed to bed. Adele and Chares moved to their room and once inside Adele flung herself onto the bed with a dramatic sigh. A chuckle from the door caused her to lift her head wearily and mutter some rather unladylike phrases in that general direction.
"I am so bloody tired, you have no idea." She said as Charles hoisted himself next to her. The two of them stared at each other for a long moment.
"It's Christmas in a few weeks." Adele said with a small smile.
"My first Christmas at home in nearly five years." She pondered and he shook his head exasperatedly. He was still extremely interested in where she had been for the last four years but knew she'd tell him in her own time.
"You know what I used to love the most about Christmas?" Charles said softly and she frowned. He reached forward and played with the tendrils of dark hair spread over the covers. He loved her hair, but it was her eyes that enchanted him more. Right now the violet orbs were clouded with memories best left alone.
"No. Enlighten me." She said and he grinned.
"It was the one time of the year I could guarantee you would be here, with me." He said and brought the tips of her fingers to his lips. She sighed softly and crawled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his chest and entangling her legs in his. His head rested on top of hers and they lay like that for a while. She felt so soft and fragile, yet he knew from the unconscious hardness that left her while she was sleeping, that she was one of the strongest people he would ever meet. Her voice came out as barely a whisper.
"I needed to be here, I know my mother needed me more but I couldn't stay in that house." She said softly and he nodded.
"It's alright. You never had to tell me why… I was just glad you always came." He said and she sighed. Silence reined for a few moments. He could feel the inner debate but decided to give her privacy.
"My mother received the notice of my Papa's death on Christmas morning, I was 6 years old. All I knew was that Daddy wasn't coming home for Christmas when he promised he would. After that Christmas simply became a reminder of everything she had lost. She knew then she'd never have that little boy she always wanted." Adele murmured softly. Looking up at him she grimaced.
"She adored you Charles, you were all she ever talked about. She saw you as her son and I was simply a way for her to live in that fantasy." She said and the tears fell finally. He pressed a kiss to her black hair and felt her tremble. She smelled of paint and sunshine, the smell intoxicated him.
"Papa, he was the reason we breathed. Mother loved him with all she had and he always treated me like I was special and reminded me every day that he loved me." She said and smiled.
"He saw Rae once, as she really is, and do you know what he said?" She asked and her hand squeezed his fiercely. She must have felt Charles tense.
"He told me to take care of her always, that she would need it. That was when I knew he was a mutant too." She said and Charles' eyes flew wide. He had met General McAlister once and had found him a great man. Being very young at the time he couldn't remember his face very well but he remembered the uniform and the gentle laugh.
"He could see things. He pretended to have migraines but the things he saw he couldn't explain to others until they actually happened. He used it to protect himself and his men from attacks during the Boer war; he was about 15 at the time." She said and Charles grinned. It explained her own telekinesis more than she realised.
"In the first world war, things changed. It wasn't just bullets that were flying everywhere. There were gases, mortars and a whole new host of weaponry my Father actually couldn't defend himself from." She said and he gripped her tightly.
"I found out years ago, an old military friend in a French Brigade told me. He was there the day he died." She said softly and Charles debated inwardly.
"You don't need to go through this Elle." He said and she sighed.
"I have so many secrets Charles, many of which I should have known years ago…" She said and readjusted her shoulders.
"Their group was divided; he had a choice… save the men who were guarding a group of children by sacrificing his own battalion as canon fodder or… run like buggery till they reached the trenches. He chose the right one, he died a hero and because of it I never got to see him again." She said and Charles' heart broke within him. He held her to him as gently as he could and pressed another kiss to her hair.
"I met a woman, while I was traveling in Europe. Her name was Hanna and she had been one of the children my father saved that day… I had held so much bitterness for that day but when I met her all of it simply melted away. She said she wanted to thank me and my family for everything, she had a little boy with her… do you know what she called him? Robert, after my Papa." She said and Charles smiled.
"That's enough talking Elle, tomorrow we search for young, impressionable mutants and I'll need you in best form for that." Charles said and Adele nodded sleepily. Charles felt her entire body relax against him. She was still dressed in the old pair of overalls, paint splattered and torn from her weeks of labour. None the less she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He closed his eyes and was soon asleep.
The next day…
"Hank, are you sure this thing works properly?" Adele asked and winced slightly at the glare the young professor sent her way.
"Yes." He sad curtly and she lifted her hands in surrender.
"I'm just making sure this machine works. If it hurts him I swear to all that's holy you will die a most horrible death, be revived and live the rest of your miserable life paying penance to the queen of all bitches a.k.a Moi. Do you understand?" She asked and he nodded, looking a little pale. She smiled at Charles who was seated beneath Cerebro's helmet and he shook his head.
"Don't give me that look or I'll shave your hair off while you sleep." She said and he actually looked slightly terrified. She waited as Hank slowly flicked the switches and watched as the needle began to writhe on the paper. The co-ordinates began to appear and she scanned the paper. Three or four different sets had appeared and by the looks of the paper they had no intention of stopping. She watched in amazement as set after set of numbers appeared on the paper.
"Hank what have you done?" She asked in wonder and the blue mutant smiled.
"I improved on the original design, also as it turns out Westchester lies at the perfect spot to amplify the brain waves so really we're getting optimum results at an even greater speed than when we were at the CIA." He said and she grinned. Slowly the needle began to loss speed and finally it stopped. Charles face relaxed slightly and he removed the helmet. Wheeling towards them he looked truly happy for the first time in weeks and as she showed him the paper the smile grew wider.
"Hank, tell me you have a way." He asked and Hank smiled.
"As long as there is a will, Charles." Hank murmured and the trio left the basement and entered the lift. She pressed the down button and the doors opened to reveal the reconstructed aircraft from the CIA. Adele eyed it in distaste but followed her boys up the gangway and into the belly of the ship. A moment later Sean and Alex appeared.
"What's going on?" Alex asked as they sat down and buckled themselves in.
"Wheel up boys, we've got scouting business." Adele announced and the boys grinned.
"Finally." Sean cried and Adele smiled. She was seated next to Hank in the front and a pair of ear phones were placed over her ears. She and Hank shared identical grins. The sky appeared over them and the aircraft rose swiftly into the air.
"Charles, where are we going?" She yelled over her shoulder.
"West." He yelled and the plane turned and shot off towards the setting sun.
The girl was sitting outside, on a deck chair on the front veranda, reading a book. She looked about 14 or 15 years old and was dressed head to toe in black, only her face was visible and was shielded by a thick mane of light brown hair. Slowly Adele approached the house, a quiet suburbian dwelling with neat lawns and nosy neighbours.
"Michelle Dawson?" She called out and the girl looked up, clearly startled. Through a part in her hair a pair of unusual fluorescent green eyes were visible with iris' that were elliptical rather than their usual round. She stood and moved towards the door with astonishing, cat-like agility.
"No wait please, Michelle are you parents home?" She asked and the girl nodded slowly. Smiling Adele moved forwards, hand extended.
"My name in Adele McAllister and I am a teacher at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. We'd love to accept you into our institute, you have capabilities our school finds highly useful and would very much love to see extended." She said and the girl stopped. She gazed down at Adele warily.
"What are you?" She asked and Adele was interested to hear her voice. Soft and velvet, almost a purr.
"Right now I'm a teacher." Adele said and pointed to a flowerpot resting on the railing. Michelle's eyes widened as the pot lifted into the air, danced around as though suspended on strings before returning to its original position. Her mouth was open as Adele stepped forward, hand still extended. She took it tremulously.
"My parents are inside, please come in." She said and Adele smiled as she was lead inside.
Alex dodged the dumpster being thrown directly at his head.
"Shit!" He said and restarted the chase. The boy ahead of him kept pounding the pavement, not even stopping to see if his two ton projectile had hit its intended target. Alex worked his energy and sent another tiny bolt into the wall (mimicking a bullet) to the boy's right forcing him left into a side alley and towards his awaiting friends.
"This had better work or I am going to kick some major ass when I get home." He muttered and sprinted after the kid. 100 metres down a shout of alarm could be heard as the boy ran into Hank. Trapped the boy faced his two pursuers, terror like nothing Alex had ever seen before written across his face.
"I'm warning you, stay away or I will kill you." He announced and reached out to lift a heavy looking bar, a stainless-steel construction bar, from the floor. Twirling it as easily as a blade of grass the blonde haired boy was literally shaking with suppressed fright. Alex felt bad for the guy, who looked no older than himself.
"William, please put it down. We only want to talk to you." Alex called out and the boy laughed.
"Yeah, then drag me to prison." He said but Hank's appearance was obviously confusing him. Alex laughed.
"Yeah right, and have you simply pry the bars apart and waste government funds? I don't think so." Alex said and stepped forwards, the bar sang as it whipped through the air.
"All I'm offering is a clean bed, food and a safe place where you don't have to hide who you are." Alex said and the kid stared him up and down.
"What's the catch?" He demanded and Alex was glad to hear Charles' voice as he finally caught up to them.
"There's no catch William… we just want to help." He said quietly and the boy suddenly stiffened.
"Who did that?" He demanded and Charles smiled.
"As I said William, we are here to help you… my name is Charles Xavier, will you come with us?" He asked and the boy paused for the longest time. The bar lowered.
"You guys said food right?" He asked and Alex grinned.
"All you can at." He announced and the boy ginned.
Hank was slightly nervous as he approached the two Asian children sitting on the steps of their house. Twins, he presumed. Both looked around 12 and had the same black hair and gentle features. They were playing a game of chess, but what surprised him was the lack of actual moves on the game set. The little girl had her eyes closed and the little boy was staring unblinkingly at the games set before him but neither made a move apart from sighs of disappointment or smiles of triumph. Never looking around they spoke in unison.
"Hello Hank McCoy." They chirped at him as he approached. He froze.
"Hello. It would seem you already know my name… do you know why I'm here?" He asked ad the two paused in the mental game and turned to look, the boy flicking his king down in disgust.
"Of course, you have a proposition for us Dr. McCoy." The young girl, Anna, said to him and smiled up into his blue face. Both stood and faced him.
"We have both decided to agree to you idea, we have discussed this with our parents and they have yet to discover an argument that will deter us." The boy called Ben stated. Hank smiled and waited as the two grabbed their bags and headed to towards him. They followed him up the gang way and Hank saw Adele watching the two quite closely. Anna looked over at her and quirked a slim brow.
"Miss Adele, your questions can be answered soon, but I suggest we hurry to our next port of call… it seems the poor thing is in a spot of trouble." She said calmly and rather than jumping at the young things rather unusual prophecy the telekinetic simply nodded and returned to her seat.
The next stop was actually a police station. Adele and Charles decided to tackle this one together. Pushing Charles along Adele smiled at the progress they had made today. With this girl they would have five students and she couldn't wait to take them home.
"We did it Charles." She whispered and he sighed.
"What's wrong?" She demanded and he shook his head. He stared out into the deserted parking lot, searching for something… or someone. Immediately Adele whirled around. She stretched out her psychic feelers and immediately found a mutant nearby using her powers, but not the one inside the police station.
"Charles leave her be… she doesn't want to talk to us." Adele whispered and her voice cracked.
"She's my sister Elle, I have to try." He murmured. Adele placed a hand on his shoulder and waited. Rae's energy aura was fading, she was moving away.
"Let her go Charles, when she'd ready she'll come." She said and he nodded. Pressing a kiss to his forehead she resumed there entrance into the station. The guard on desk duty frowned at them when they asked for the gir
"You don't look like her parents." He said doubtfully.
"We're not, but we are legal guardians of the state and Phoebe needs to come back." Charles said and the man shook his head.
"Good luck, the girl's a menace." He said bitterly and Adele frowned.
"No she is not, she is misunderstood and scared now will you let us through or do I need to speak to your superior?" She demanded and the man's frown deepened.
"This way." He muttered and led them to the cells.
"You have fifteen minutes to convince her." The guard said and left. The red haired girl inside looked up at them dully.
"I do want your money, your charity or any preaching if that's what you're here for." He said and her voice rumbled like an open fire. Charles pressed a finger to his temple and the girl jumped. Looking at the appraisingly she watched them warily. Adele leaned down and looked through the bars.
"Why are you here Phoebe?" She asked and Phoebe looked scared.
"I hurt people, whenever I get scared or angry, I hurt people. It's better to stay away than do… that." She said but Adele smiled comfortingly through the bars.
"Your gift doesn't have to hurt people Phoebe, you can use it to help people… come with us and we'll show you how." Adele whispered and the girl's eyes peered at her hopefully.
"What's your name?" She asked and Adele faltered. Why hadn't she said so in the first place, inwardly hitting herself she smiled at Phoebe.
"Adele McAllister and this is Charles Xavier. We run a school for mutants." She said and the girl looked puzzled.
"Mutants?" She asked and Charles stepped I.
"Yes, you are a mutant… a homo sapien with increased biological function due to genetic mutation. Just like us you have a gift, right now you are scared to use it but trust us when we say that we can help you. We want to help you Phoebe… it doesn't have to be like the orphanage I promise." He said and the jumped.
"How did you know about that?" She demanded angrily and Adele reached out.
"Please Phoebe, we're like you. Charles is what we call a telepath… a very powerful one. Right now you are sending him enough mental information that even I can pick some of it up. We never had to research the accident you gave us al the information we needed." She said and the girl looked terrified.
"What are you?' She demanded and Adele sighed.
"I'm a teacher; I have an English Literature Degree from Cambridge University… I want you understand I only want to help you." She said and Phoebe sat down.
"Can you help me?" She asked and Adele paused.
"That's up to you, we can give you the tools but it's up to you to actually use them." Se said and Phoebe nodded.
"Alright, you've convinced me but I just ant to know one thing…" She said and Adele paused as she opened the cell door, without a key. Phoebe's eyes widened. A finger to her lips Adele beckoned for her to come.
"Never mind." The small red head said and the three of them carefully left the building, unnoticed.
It was around one in the morning by the time Adele and Charles got to bed. They had managed to persuade 11 young mutants to come with them. There were still countless others but right now 11 would be enough to run the experiment. Tomorrow was a the 20th of December and Charles had announced that the school year wouldn't start until after Christmas, this had been met with delighted cheers. Adele slowly changed out of her official looking outfit of grey pencil shirt, cotton blouse and sensible black heels and into her ancient pajamas.
"Seriously?" Charles called from the bed and she whirled around to glare at him.
"What?" She demanded and he chuckled. Pointing at the outfit she wore he chuckled slightly.
"You still have it." He mused and she flushed. Looking down at the old shirt she smiled as the distant memory returned.
"It was my first date… even if it was with the boy next door and his sister." She said and moved to slide into bed. She switched off the light and snuggled into Charles side.
"Didn't I win that?" He asked and she smiled.
"Yes, you predicted fifteen rounds of reading a fortunetellers mind… they had to give you something to stop you from ruining their business." She said and he laughed.
"Oh yes, now I remember… the circus when we were 15." He said and she smiled and nodded.
"I was so excited, even though we were friends I still counted it as my first official date." She said and blushed.
"I'm glad, I wouldn't have wanted to come second in that department… I get rather possessive of my things." He growled and she giggled. His hand crept to her waist ad she shivered as his fingers traced nonsensical patterns on her skin.
"Charles… there are people around now." She said and felt him grin.
"Good, they should now what's mine by now." He said and she gasped as his lips attacked the weak spot at the junction of her neck and shoulder. He nipped it and she moaned, her hips rising off the bed as waves of pleasure rolled through.
"You asked for it." She said harshly and ripped his shirt off in her hurry to ease the slow, building ache at her core.
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