I've gotten over my funk, it would seem. Next chapter's already under way.
I just watched the "Vulnerability" episode of the Glee Project and have been listening to "Your Song" by Elton John on repeat, so sorry if this is full of angst.
Hank was, in essence, perplexed by Lee. She was ordinary enough, as far as mutants could be. And yet, she had Charles all in a twist. It was like her arrival in the mansion had flipped some sort of switch inside Charles. Day by day, Charles slowly returned to his old self. He was participating more and more in the training of Alex and Sean. The boys weren't as astute as Hank, but they knew something had Charles in a better mood, and that something's name was Lee.
Yet, despite his added attention to the boys, he used Cerebro less and less. His vision of welcoming more mutants into the mansion had fallen to the way-side.
Lee had finally called her parents. She told them she had gotten a work visa, and was living with friends. She told them she was working in a school. She avoided any details, not that they asked very many questions. They were just happy that Lee seemed happy, and that she was working. They had been angry with her for leaving home, for leaving the fiancé. They adored him, and had no greater hope than for Lee to marry well, have loads of children, and live down the street so that they could be close to their only child and grandchildren. Lee hated that dream. However, it seemed as though her parents were slowly getting over the broken engagement. Lee assumed that it was because they were hoping for her to find some rich American to settle down with. A foreign husband was better than no husband.
The phone call home bothered Lee for days. Not because of her mother's blatant disapproval of the very idea of her daughter being single, but because of her almost lie. She said she was working in a school. She hadn't done anything work related, other than helping cook a few meals and supervise a few training sessions. And there were only two children. Sean was sixteen, and Alex was eighteen. The two boys would be adults soon. For all the talk Charles had been feeding her for the weeks she had been living the mansion, Lee was seeing very little action.
Charles always talked about how he was going to turn the mansion into a boarding school for mutant children, or something along those lines. Lee had heard of the machine Hank built that helped amplify Charles' power, which he used to find mutants. She heard the story of how Charles had used that very machine to find her. So why wasn't he using it to find more mutants?
Lee didn't know it, but Hank shared this frustration. He wanted to help Charles with this noble goal, but Charles had to be the spear head. And he was, essentially, failing. Hank was sick of seeing Charles mope about the house, talking but never acting.
"Hey, Hank," Lee poked her head into the lab after a quiet knock. It was late in the evening, well after dinner. Hank was messing with a microscope, trying to replace the lens. He looked up to see Lee, and gestured for her to enter. She assumed her usual position, perching on a stool near Hank's work station. She spent a lot of time in the lab. Science was something that interested her, though she hardly had any aptitude for it.
"What's up?" he asked, returning his gaze to the broken microscope.
"I was wondering about Charles," she began. Hank looked up, quirking an eyebrow. He hoped she wasn't asking for dating advice, but waited for her to go on, wondering where she was going with the conversation.
"Is he the sort of guy that's all talk?" she asked, having Hank wonder what sort of things Charles had been telling Lee.
"What do you mean?" He had to clarify before he could give her a satisfying answer.
"He talks about turning this place into a home for mutants. You lot have been here for six months and it's still just the four of you. Plus me, but I don't count." Hank sighed, trying to fine the right words. He agreed with Lee, but he wasn't sure she understood Charles very well, or what he was going through.
"You're right, but a lot happened to him. He's regrouping, getting himself together," Hanks started.
"It's not like they died. Erik and Raven left because they were angry with the world. Charles should be out trying to keep more mutants from feeling that way. He failed with those two, which I understand has got him pretty down, but if I were him, I'd be out there trying to prove those stupid idiots wrong. I'd be recruiting with a vengeance." Lee's words amused Hank. She was showing a real passion, a hopeful faith in Charles' dream. Hank decided that he liked Lee, and that she was the kick in the rear that Charles needed to get his plan into motion.
"What?" she demanded, noticing the broad smile on Hank's face. He pushed away the broken microscope and turned fully to Lee, giving her his complete attention.
"So what are we going to do?"
Lee and Hank spoke for nearly an hour on the subject, but failed to come up with any concrete plans. Though, they did agree that they would attempt to talk to Charles about it separately, to try and give him a little motivation. Hank had a feeling that Lee would be better at that. He was reminded of how Charles nearly threw his back out to assist Lee in moving furniture around in her room a few days earlier. Charles went out of his way to please Lee, and Hank planned on using that to his advantage. Which, really, would ultimately help Charles.
It was during one of their ritual glasses of wine in his study that Lee struck. She was glad that Charles had promised to not read her thoughts without permission, giving her chance to plot.
"So, how's the search coming?" she asked, peering over the rim of her glass at Charles.
"The search for what?" he asked, completely lost.
"For new students. It's not much of a school with only two kids," she elaborated, looking at him expectantly.
"No, I know, but I'm not exactly equipped to turn this place into a school," he countered. He was making up excuses.
"So get equipped," she challenged. She looked him strait in the eye, daring him to come up with an excuse. Charles wondered what had gotten into her and resisted the temptation to delve into her thoughts to find an answer.
"It's not that easy," he started.
"Neither was university, or flying transatlantic for my first flight ever, or leaving my family to move to a country where I knew no one, and then moving again across an entire ocean. But hey, I'm not dead, all of my limbs are intact, and I'd say my mental state is fairly healthy. No harm done. In fact, I think I've come out better for it all." Charles opened his mouth for some sort of half hearted rebuttal, but shut it, knowing that she was right. He frowned, not knowing how to argue with her.
Though, Charles knew he shouldn't argue. Lee was right. He was just being lazy, letting his fears get the best of him.
"So what's keeping you, professor? You're smart, young, rich, handsome, powerful. You've got everything going for you." Lee hoped a bit of an ego boost would help. Charles needed to rebuild his confidence if he was ever going to get anything done.
"You think I'm handsome?" He smirked.
"Not the point. And yes. But don't change the subject," Lee scolded, but the smirk didn't leave Charles' face.
"I'm sorry, but it's not very often a beautiful woman takes such an interest in me and my goals," he said, smirk still present.
"Flattery will not get you very far. It'll get you a little, as I'm only human, but not all the way," said Lee. Charles was flirting with her. She didn't mind it, in fact, she enjoyed it. But she was on a mission.
"I would need staff- teachers, people who were good with children, some sort of crew. I can't cook for and clean up after a bunch of children. And of course they would have to be mutants, or really tolerant humans. There are a lot of responsibilities. I would need funding, insurance. If anyone ever wants to graduate, I would need accreditation. There are a lot of factors," he explained, getting a little over whelmed just listening to himself list everything.
"Then let's get started. I've got a degree in literature, I can teach about that. Though, I have absolutely no experience with children or education. Just about as much experience as you have with starting a school, I reckon. Got to start somewhere, yeah?"
Charles wasn't exactly sure what had gotten into Lee, but he was inexplicably thrilled. She was pushing him to his goal. She was getting behind his idea. She supported him. It was comforting. And so very little things made Charles feel comforted or supported in life After Cuba.
Charles went to bed that night thinking of Lee, and how she somehow managed to get him motivated. He vowed to himself that he would start looking for mutants with Cerebro the next day. First older ones, mutants like Sean and Alex. It would be easier to start off there.
Charles lay awake for hours, planning. But the more he thought about the future, the more he was haunted by the past. He couldn't stop dark thoughts from entering his mind. What if he failed the students like he failed Raven? What if he couldn't help them, like how he couldn't help Erik? Charles slept poorly that night, haunted by his failure as a brother and friend. Sure, he was a professor, but he wasn't equipped to lead young people, not after his recent resounding failure.
Lee had given Charles a bit of hope, but it seemed that getting over Erik and Raven would be more difficult than a few reassurances and some mild flirting. Lee would have to try harder.
So, Charles needed a good kick in the pants to get his shit together.