Soooo I'm leaving town again on Thursday. I'll be getting my cowboy on at a family friend's ranch. Pray that I don't get bitten by a rattlesnake or trampled by a herd of goats (they don't raise cows, oddly enough).
Anyways, this was a really nice chapter to write. It's the longest one yet! Enjoy!
Lee and Charles left Providence soon after their talk with Robin. She promised to keep in touch with them, and they made plans to escort her to the mansion once her summer classes were over. Lee was excited to have another woman around the house, even if she was so quiet. She was too old to fit in with Alex and Sean, sometimes even Hank. It was hard to remember he was still so young, based off of how mature he acted. Lee secretly hoped that they would be able to find more adult mutants. At the rate they were going, Lee and Charles would be over-run by teenagers.
Lee briefly entertained the idea of children of her own. She had never really wanted any, she wasn't the mothering type. She never had any experience with small children, and felt uncomfortable around them. She liked to think that if it was the right time, or if she found the right person, she would consider having children of her own. However, the idea felt foreign to her. She just couldn't picture herself holding a squirming baby or pushing a toddler on a swing set in a picturesque park somewhere. For an even more brief moment, Lee wondered what Charles would be like as a father. But Lee pushed that thought away. It was far too soon in their relationship to even think about anything like that. It was absurd.
Lee was sitting at her desk by the window, a book open in front of her, though she was too intent looking out the window to pay the book any mind. Charles was out on the lawn with Sean and Alex. They were all wearing matching grey sweat suits. Lee had her own suit, though she hardly liked to wear it. The boys had been running all over the grounds of the mansion.
Sean always complained about the running to Lee, as if she could do anything to help him. He seemed to think that since she was romantically involved with the person making him do the running, that she had some sort of control. Lee knew Sean was more than capable of keeping up, he was just lazy. And she knew that whatever Charles had him doing, it was for his own good. She knew that Charles wasn't the type to make someone do something for no reason, whether the reason were clear or not. He was also the type to perform the task right alongside the students, which was something Lee admired.
When Lee had grown tired of watching the three working out on the grounds, she closed her book and stood from the desk. She pulled the curtains closed and exited the room, heading towards Hank's lab. She enjoyed spending time down there. She wasn't any use to Hank, and he wasn't very talkative, but she liked to think that she kept him company, kept him from feeling lonely. He was naturally a reserved person, and Lee noticed he lacked people skills. She hoped her presence made him feel more comfortable around others. He always put up a bit of a fight every time she entered his lab, but he always gave in and let her stay.
Lee walked into the lab to see Hank bent over a table, furiously writing on a giant sheet of paper at a drafting table. Lee peered over his shoulder to see what looked like some sort of blueprint or plan.
"New project?" she asked, breaking the silence. It took Hank several moments to break his concentration and reply.
"Yeah, I'm working on a new version of Cerebro," he answered with a nod, straightening out his shoulders and stretching a bit.
"What? And get rid of the giant golf ball?" Lee joked, still looking at the plans, trying to make sense of it.
"It's inefficient, and totally conspicuous. I was thinking about building it down in the basement. It would be out of the way," said Hank. Lee nodded in understanding.
"I wish I could help you. You do so much around here. Charles, too. I feel like I don't do enough to help out," she said with a sigh. The most Lee could do to help Hank was sharpen his pencils, which he usually made her do in the hallway, as the noise both distracted and bothered him. Lee was no good at helping train the others, as she was not very athletic, nor did she understand genetic mutations the way Charles did.
"Actually, this is going to take a lot of heavy lifting," said Hank, getting back to work.
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I come down here and sit at a stool all day instead of being outside, running around and lifting things with the others. I'd ask Alex or Andy if I were you. They're sporty," Lee laughed.
"There's no way they'd be able to pick up the materials. I was talking about using your mutation," Hank corrected her. Lee was about to question him further, but realized he had gone back to his plans and wasn't paying any more attention to her. Lee sighed, looking around the room for something to do. She picked up the waste basket and cleared all of the tables of discarded candy wrappers. As brilliant as he was, Hank wasn't very neat or organized. He hated it when she tried to organize his things, but let her clean up his messes.
Lee turned her gaze towards the door as she heard feet pounding down the hallway outside of the lab. Even through the thick wooden door, she could hear Sean and Andy talking loudly. The door opened and Charles walked into the lab. Alex, Sean, and Andy were standing behind him in the doorway, gazing around the lab curiously. They were all drenched in sweat, and Lee could practically smell them across the lab.
"There you are!" said Charles happily, striding across the room to Lee. He was smiling broadly and clapped a hand on Lee's shoulder, startling her. He was in a good mood, and Lee couldn't help but smile.
"What's going on?" Lee asked, looking from Charles to the three expectant looking boys in the doorway.
"You still have those sweats I gave you, yeah? We'd like you to join us outside," he said, his smile never leaving, even though Lee's face fell. Sean laughed loudly at her expression, and Hank let out an amused snort, having abandoned his work to watch.
"Why?" was all Lee could think to ask. She hated the mischievous twinkle in Charles' eyes. He was plotting something.
"You'll see. Run upstairs and change, and meet us out front when you're ready," he said, planting a quick kiss on her forehead and turning to leave. Sean and Andy made obnoxious kissing noises, but quieted themselves after receiving a warning look from Charles. Hank chuckled and went back to his work. Lee swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, and left the lab to change into the grey sweats she never thought she would have to wear. She reluctantly left her room to meet the boys on the lawn. She opened the front door to see the group waiting around. Sean was sitting on the ground, pulling out clumps of grass with his fists. Andy was sitting next to him, though he was being less destructive. Alex was arguing with Charles, who was standing next to a large box.
"You're not going to make me run, are you?" said Lee, getting everyone's attention. Charles turned around to face her and grinned.
"If we're running again, I'm leaving," Sean groaned. Charles ignored him.
"No, you're safe this time. It would seem that we require your abilities," said Charles, that same twinkle and grin still present. Lee eyed him and the box warily, but followed the group past the wooden fence and into the large, open field. Charles dropped the box, causing the contents to emit a loud, metallic clatter. Lee looked from the box to Charles, and back again.
"I still think this is a bad idea. I'll probably kill her," grumbled Alex, alarming Lee.
"What exactly are we doing?" she asked worriedly.
"Target practice," he answered simply. He grabbed Lee's shoulders and directed her to stand next to the box. He then directed Alex to go stand in a spot many yards away. As Alex was walking, Charles explained his plan to Lee. He knelt down to open the box to reveal all sorts of metal objects- silverware, bits of scrap metal left over from Hanks projects, old pots and pans. "You're going to propel these into the air, and Alex is going to hit them. Simple enough, don't you think?" he looked up at Lee, smirking. She shrugged.
"Couldn't Andy do this? Do I really have to be here?" Lee asked, still eyeing the box hesitantly.
"He could, yes. However, I will be working with him on something else."
"Wait, you're leaving us?" she cried. She wasn't sure she was qualified to be responsible for training the younger mutant.
"You'll do wonderfully. Just propel the objects away from yourself and the house, so we don't accidentally destroy anything. Don't want any accidents," he said with a wink.
"What about Sean?" Lee asked, noticing how entertained he was by the situation. He shot a playful glare her way at her attempt to get him involved.
"He's free to go," Charles answered, turning to the boy with a smile. Sean pumped his fist in the air.
"Yes! Thank god," Sean cried, fleeing the scene before someone could change their mind.
"Well, let's get to work! Andy, come with me," Charles clapped his hands together excitedly. "Alex! Don't destroy anything! And don't kill Lee!" he shouted to Alex, adding "I'm quite fond of her." Lee blushed a bit as he gave her a quick peck on the lips before walking away with Andy in tow.
Lee sighed again, looking down warily at the box. She kicked it over, causing the contents to spill out on the grass. A shiny, crumpled sheet of metal floated into the air, hovering in front of Lee as she waited for Alex to ready himself. At his mark, the scrap metal shot up into the air, and a red beam of energy blasted it out of the sky. Lee gave Alex a few minutes to recover before an old, crusty sauce pan shot into the air, meeting the same fate as the scrap. Alex only missed a few of his targets, and by the end of it, he was lying spread-eagle in the grass, gasping for breath, with Lee sitting cross-legged next to him.
"You did great," she complimented, a bit out of breath herself. She wasn't used to exerting her power so much, and had actually broken a significant sweat. It seemed as though Charles had an ulterior motive in getting her involved.
"Thanks," he gasped, an arm over his eyes, blocking out the summer sun. Lee looked out over the field, spotting bits of smoldering metal and singed grass. Luckily, nothing apart from the targets and a few patches of grass had been damaged.
Lee gave Alex a few moments to rest before collecting the empty box and heading inside for a cold Coke. They found Sean eating at the table. Lee wondered how they managed to keep food in the house, with three teenage boys and Hank's monstrous appetite.
"You're both in one piece!" he hollered through a mouth full of chips. He swallowed and flashed a toothy grin at the pair. Alex shot him a withering glare and turned to the refrigerator. Lee was already standing in front of it, soaking in the cool air. She passed him a bottle, popping the cap off for him. They joined Sean at the table, Lee grabbing a handful of his chips.
They sat in silence, eating and drinking, until Andy dragged himself into the room and fell into the empty chair next to Sean, dropping his head to the table's surface.
"That guy is a slave driver," moaned Andy without lifting his head. Sean and Alex nodded their heads in solemn agreement, too exhausted to verbally respond. Lee rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway.
By the way, thanks so much to everyone who reviews! You guys are awesome and you make me want to write! It's like a nice little kick in the pants to do something productive every time someone leaves a review.
P.S. I'm still taking suggestions and ideas for vignette oneshots based off of this story! If there's any scene (within reason) with Charles, Lee, or the rest of the gang that you're dying to read about, let me know!