July 6, 1973
"Beautiful."
Carly smiled and swished the long white skirt around once. She looked in the mirror and clasped her hands together. The sleeves went down to her wrists with a lace over-sleeve that stopped midway her elbows. The gown was square-necked, but lace filled in the space between the neckline and the cloth choker at her neck.
She looked back at Moira, who was still nodding in approval. David was fast asleep by her, his thumb in his mouth. There hadn't been anyone to leave him with at the Institute. Alex was still running simulations and Charles had another class. Hank was busy getting the last minute plans ready for the ceremony in a few days.
Carly was happy enough that Moira had decided to go wedding dress shopping with her. The trip had been a few hours out, since the town surrounding the Institute didn't go in big for bridal boutique. She'd seen the picture of Moira's wedding, an old black and white one that Hank had in his photo album. Carly couldn't believe that the fashions in wedding dresses had changed so much since then.
However, her current wedding dress just seemed to fit what she and Hank had so much better. It made her look as though she were a heroine from a period novel, perhaps something written by the Bronte sisters, one who got a happy ending. The styles of the decade tended that way. It was all too perfect.
The sales attendant looked pleased as she stepped forward.
"Do you want to see how it looks with a veil?" she asked.
"Yes please," Carly said.
The sales attendant nodded and walked away. Carly smoothed the skirt and turned fully to face Moira.
"I can't believe this is happening," she said.
"I know," Moira said, "It's a bit like a dream, isn't it?"
Carly nodded.
"I just, it's really sinking in now," Carly said, "I'm getting married in five days. I'm…"
She put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes for a minute. She felt a hand on her shoulder and, surprised, she looked up to see Moira in front of her.
"I know," Moira repeated.
Moira cocked her head.
"Just wait until Hank sees you in this," she said.
Carly smiled and wiped away her tears.
"I'm looking forward to it," she said, "Feel a little silly for crying though…"
"Hey, hey," Moira said, wagging her finger, "Every bride gets to cry a little. As long as it's happy tears, then it's okay."
She took her hand off of Carly's shoulder. Carly bit her lip once and looked at her reflection again.
"It just…it seems like so much sometimes," she said.
"Oh?" asked Moira.
"Well…just everything," Carly said, "Just…I was a secretary a few years ago."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Moira said.
"No, there isn't," Carly said, "It's just…I never really looked beyond my horizons. Then I met Hank and…"
She gestured around her.
"All of this happened," she said.
Moira nodded, her expression thoughtful.
"I know that, all of this," Moira said, waving her hand in an imitation of Carly's gesture, "wasn't exactly what you expected out of life."
Carly nodded.
"And, as one woman who's married a man with big ideas to another who's about to," Moira said, "I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that the road gets tough sometimes, that sometimes a part of you does want to quit."
Carly blinked as Moira talked. Hank had told her that she'd been married to Charles for ten years. They'd had trouble conceiving; the likelihood of Moira ever being able to bear his child had been slim at best. David had been a miracle for the two of them, but likely he was the only one that they would ever get.
"But here's a little secret that I'm going to let you in on," Moira said.
She leaned forward and took Carly by both of her shoulders.
"It's worth it," she said.
Carly nodded, more tears gathering in her eyes.
"I know," she said.
"Good," Moira said, smiling, "Good."
She withdrew her hands.
"Come on now," she said, "Let's be more positive."
Carly laughed.
"Decided what flowers you want?" Moira asked.
Carly closed her eyes for a moment, trying to collect herself. It wasn't difficult. Moira had a way of putting people at ease, probably a result of working so long with people who needed to be put at ease. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes, trying to pretend as though she hadn't been in tears a few minutes earlier.
"Roses," Carly said.
She looked down at her engagement ring.
"Definitely roses," she said.
"Going for the traditional route?" Moira asked.
"Not really," Carly said, "I'm not picky about the color. Roses have always been a favorite of mine, that's all."
She looked at her hands, trying to visualize a bouquet.
"I thought maybe pink, yellow, and orange for the bouquet," she said, "You know, summer colors."
"Well, it is summer," Moira said.
"And then I was thinking pink ones for a headband instead of a tiara or more lace," Carly said, "There is such a thing as too much lace."
Moira smiled just as the sales attendant returned, carrying a lace veil.
"I thought this would look perfect with the dress," she said.
She draped it over Carly's head. Carly could feel the veil hit the small of her back and continue for a little longer. She looked at herself in the mirror, every inch the bride.
"How do you like it?" the sales attendant asked.
Carly smiled.
"Perfect," she said, "Just perfect."
"Move it or lose it!" Alex shouted.
Hank watched as the students below him scrambled to comply. He was pleased to see that Scott wasn't among them. In the old days they'd had to fight to keep Alex down while his injuries healed, and he knew that Scott wasn't any different. However, with Alex being Scott's brother, he knew that he'd taken extra precaution.
"Obstacles are coming online!" Alex said, "Hop to it, all of you!"
Next to him Sean shook his head. Sean had arrived only a few hours previous, looking exhausted and older than his twenty-four years. He'd congratulated Hank, but it was hard to see that so much of his former cheer was gone, probably never to return. The goofy, carefree grin had long since faded from his friend, but a ghost of it appeared on his face as he looked over at Alex.
"You've got a shout that most drill sergeants would die for," Sean said.
Alex rolled his eyes and folded his arms. Below them the expanded Danger Room opened up into a serious of traps. Hank had been particularly proud about that.
"They're going to face a lot worse than me in the coming years," Alex said, his voice grim, "If they can learn to think and act when I'm shouting at them, horrified that I'm going to make them run laps or something, then they can think when the Brotherhood are trying to kill them."
His expression softened for a moment.
"I don't mind playing bad cop if it saves their lives," he said.
His expression switched back to amusement, mixed with just a touch of sadism.
"But that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy earning their hate," he said.
Hank watched as he flipped a switch next to the main control panel. The floor began to sink down, the individual blocks moving in their own orbit. The teens scrambled for purchase on the walls while Warren took to the air. He grabbed Jean, who was struggling, while Clarice teleported herself and Ororo to a better vantage point.
"Nice teamwork," Sean said.
"They know they get deducted if they leave behind members," Alex said, "After a certain point it becomes instinctive."
He turned his back on the Danger Room below them, casually pressing a few buttons that sent the room shifting and turning. Hank could hear the frustrated shouts.
"So, how's Interpol?" he asked.
"Not bad," Sean said, "You know how it is."
Alex nodded, knowing that Sean wasn't allowed to talk too much about the nature of his work. Alex freely shared X-men developments with them, but only because they were still, in a way, part of the X-men.
"You?" Alex said, turning to Hank.
"We're about ready to go public with the surgery," Hank said, "Paul's filling out the final forms for it right now."
"And you're getting married," Alex said.
Hank rolled his eyes.
"Yes, I had quite forgotten," Hank said.
Sean grinned at him.
"Never thought I'd see the day," he said, "You were even worse than I was around girls."
Hank smiled, glad that there was nothing sad in his friend's voice.
"Carly's no ordinary girl," Hank said.
"I got that at the clinic," Alex said, turning to Sean, "Did we tell you about that?"
"You did," Sean said, "Twice."
"Alright then," Alex said.
He flipped another two switches. Turrets appeared at the top of the danger room, shooting red paint balls down on the students. Alex chuckled to himself.
"Have you ever thought of getting a hobby?" Sean asked.
"I've got my motorcycles," Alex said, his voice indignant.
"Mmhm," Sean said.
He leaned against a wall.
"Did you ever consider leaving the Institute?" he asked.
Alex frowned.
"I mean, you have that degree in geology and all," Sean said, "I was just wondering if you wanted to be an X-men coach until the end of time."
Alex's frown disappeared and he shrugged.
"I guess," he said.
His voice was uncertain. Hank looked over at Sean, who seemed almost contemplative. He wondered what he was thinking. They had all moved out of Westchester, all of them except Alex. Then again Sean had practically run from Westchester, but he had left the school where he'd graduated. Alex hadn't.
At the same time Hank wasn't sure if there was anything wrong with what Alex was doing. Hank couldn't help but feel that he should still be involved more in the life that he had once known, doing something to advance their cause. He had created a good surgery that would contribute to the medical world, but he knew that it would only really contribute to their cause in a secondary sense.
Sean was fighting at Interpol, but he knew that Sean was largely keeping quiet about his mutation so as not to cause trouble. The higher-ups knew that one of their highest performing agents was a mutant, of course they did, but Sean wasn't contributing to the cause. Not like he used to.
Alex, while he was still fighting a war that he was unlikely to win, was at least still doing something. He was the only one who was still firmly rooted in the ideals of their youth. Alex might pretend to be the most cynical of them all, but Hank knew that Charles's dream had sparked something deep inside him.
He doubted anything would do the same again.
"Hard to give up this sort of life," Alex said, "And besides, they need me here. At least until one of these morons shapes up."
He looked down at the Danger Room where the teens were high-fiving each other. The turrets were smoking ruins, and not a member of the team had any paint on them.
"They're not that bad," he said fondly.
Alex pressed another button. The wind picked up, sending Jean and Clarice sailing into the walls. Hail began to rain down from the ceiling. Ororo pushed out at it, but the wind increased and Warren got caught at it. Alex flipped another switch and the room began shifting again. He chuckled again.
"But they could be better," he said.
Sean shook his head.
"You seriously need some help."