Chapter 10

To Join Or Not To Join?

At the institute

Today was a rather slow day. It was Saturday so after their daily Danger Room session the X-men decided to just stay in.

Charles and Logan were getting ready for their little trip to Brooklyn.

Originally the plan was that only Charles and Logan would go but the telepath was having second thoughts.

He thought that it would be more appropriate if he brought at least one student, but whom? 'I'll ask Logan' Charles thought as he approached Logan's room.

He rolled up to the door and knocked.

"Yeah, come in" Charles heard. He opened the door and saw that Logan was ready to leave.

"Ah, Logan. I see you're ready to depart" Charles said.

"Yeah, let's get a move on" He walked towards the door.

"I've been thinking" Charles said.

Logan looked at him "What is it?"

"I've decided to bring along a student with us" Charles replied.

"Who?" Logan asked.

"Well I was hoping you could help me with that. The problem is I'm not sure who would be most appropriate" Charles said.

Logan took a second to think about that, who? Definitely not one of the younger twerps because they talk too much. Rogue on the other hand doesn't talk enough. Scott was ok but he was busy today. And that just leaves Jean. The pretty redhead was always a safe choice.

"I say Jean" Logan said.

"Excellent, I will inform her" Charles rolled away towards Jean's room.

'You'd think the telepath would know better' Logan thought.

'You'd think you would wait till I leave to start thinking so loudly' Charles spoke telepathically.

Logan growled, "Telepaths" he said with distaste, "I'll just be waiting by the X-van"

Charles came by Jeans room, her door was open. He spotted her standing up brushing her hair and at the same time she is levitating her hand held mirror with her telekinesis to view the hard angles.

Charles smiled, he liked to see his students making good use of their powers, "Jean may I have a word with you?"

Jean looked over to him, "Yeah, sure Professor" she continued to brush her long red hair.

"I would like for you to accompany me and Logan to recruit someone" Charles said happily hoping she agreed.

"Sure, I would be glad to come along" Jean said with a smile.

Charles smiled at her response, "Good, see you by the X-van in five minutes" he rolled away.

Jean put her hairbrush and hand held mirror on her desk.

'Now then, what should I wear?' she thought, 'Should I wear something casual or something nice? I'm not really trying to impress, I'm gonna go with casual' her usual pink top with beige pants will do. Basically what she was wearing.

She made her way towards the garage where the Professor and Logan were probably waiting for her.

New York

Dean as usual woke up before the sunrise. Old habits die hard.

And speaking of old habits he did his best to stay active while he was home, regardless of what happened he still wanted to improve himself. But now that he was much stronger and faster nothing he had in his home really gave him a challenge.

After Dean finished his workout, or rather warm up, he checked his phone to see what time it was, 1:30, 'I've got enough time to shower'

He went downstairs to check up on his parents, staying out of his mother's way of course because once she is in her "cleaning mode" you don't want to bother her.

His father was sitting on the couch reading his newspaper while watching ESPN for the latest news in sports, as usual.

Besides that nothing else was going on. The house had gotten quite empty over the years.

When Dean was younger the house used to be full of commotion, lots of attendants, servants, and various wealthy people visited his family. Now it was quiet, a little too quiet for his taste. Maybe it's for the best to go with the X-men. Mom and Dad have wanted to go on a vacation for years and this would give them the perfect opportunity.

"Are we there yet?" Jean asked impatiently. They had been driving for a while.

Logan sitting in the driver seat nodded, "Yeah it's just around the corner"

"Good, now remember Jean, be on your best behavior" Charles said.

"Yes Professor" Jean said, 'As if I didn't know already' she thought.

'I'm just making sure' Charles telepathically spoke to her.

The van stopped in front of Dean's house.

"Were here" Logan said as he came out of the door.

Jean stepped out of the van and took a good look at the area, 'This place is nice'

Jean was a bit of a spoiled child. She was used to living in good neighborhoods with luxurious houses made to house upper middle class families. But these people were obviously wealthy. Their house was almost as big as the Institute.

Logan helped Charles out of the van and they all come to a stop by the door.

"Jean would you please" Charles said meaning ring the doorbell.

Jean walked up the couple of steps in front of the door and rang the doorbell.

They heard the doorbell inside the house.

Agalia stiffened up, "Oh no I haven't even done all the laundry yet" she panicked.

"Mom I don't think they're gonna inspect our laundry and judge us on that" Dean said sarcastically.

Agalia looked at him sternly, "How do you know that?"

Dean just looked at her with a blank expression, like really?

His mother sighed and then embraced him in a hug, "I'm just worried"

Dean rubbed her back to comfort her, "Yeah I know, now go sit with Dad. I'll go get the door" He let go of her and went to let them in.

He opened the door and saw Logan, a pretty red head, and a bald guy in a wheelchair.

Jean waited after she rang the doorbell.

Then the door opened revealing Dean dressed in black sweatpants and a white tank top.

"Welcome to the hood, hope you haven't been mugged yet" Dean said sarcastically. He looked at Logan and nodded, "Logan"

Logan nodded back.

Jean looked at Dean. He was about 6 feet tall and built like a linebacker. He wasn't shaped like an ordinary teenager, and he didn't have the acne either.

"Hi, I'm Jean" she said with a smile.

Dean looked at her. Jean was tall and fit, and even though she wore relatively baggy clothing he could see her curvy figure.

"Nice to meet you. Call me Dean" he said returning the smile.

Dean then offered his hand to Charles, "You I don't quite know yet"

"My name is Charles Xavier", he shook the...boy's hand although boy is stretching the definition. Charles was not a huge man and this boy towered over him.

"Cool. Now um, just letting you know, we don't have a ramp" Dean said with a little embarrassment.

Charles laughed lightly, "That's alright, I have my ways of getting through such obstacles as stairs"

Dean shrugged, "Ok" he let Charles pass.

Charles willed his wheelchair to levitate up and then forward up the stairs. He had some minor telekinetic abilities, just enough to get him around.

"That's cool" Dean said enthusiastically.

They all entered and Dean's parents were waiting.

Eli slowly walked forward with his cane and stopped in front of Charles.

Charles gave him his hand, "Mr. Nobili, I'm Charles Xavier it's a pleasure to meet you"

Eli eyed Charles carefully, he looked him in the eyes as if he was reading his soul. He shook Charles's hand, "The pleasure is mine" he said with a smile.

Something his Eli could do, judge a person just by looking in their eyes.

Eli then looked at Logan and paused, "You look familiar"

Logan thought that was weird, "I don't recall meeting you, or ever seeing you in my life"

Eli father looked skeptical, "I never forget a face, I've seen you before, I'll remember it eventually" he still shook his hand.

"I'm Logan" he said.

'Name doesn't ring a bell. He looks more like a James' Eli thought.

Agalia greeted them as well, "Welcome to our home!" she said with a smile. She spotted Jean behind Charles and Logan, "And who's this beauty that you're hiding?"

Jean blushed in embarrassment, "I'm Jean"

She pushed Dean forward, "Have you met my son?" she said excitingly.

Dean looked back at his mother in embarrassment, "Mom cut it out"

Jean giggled lightly.

Eli motioned for the living room, "Please, come sit"

They all took a seat on the couches.

Charles started things off, "Alright then, let me simply start with what I'm here for. I have a proposition for your son"

"And what might that be?" Eli asked.

"I wish for Dean to attend my institute for the same reasons all my other students attend. My school is a place where they can accept their gifts, learn to control them and use them responsibly without fear of judgment. They are, as I believe your son is, a mutant" Charles said.

"What exactly is a mutant?" Agalia asked.

"Mutants are humans that are born a little differently than the majority of humanity. They are born with what we label the x-gene. It is the key to the evolutionary process that is currently taking place amongst the human race. It tends to become activated during periods of stress, most commonly puberty. Once active the gene precipitates the sudden development of what can be varying abilities" Charles said.

"Are you a mutant Mr. Xavier?" Dean asked.

"Yes, all three of us are" Charles said.

"And what can you do?" Eli asked.

"I have the ability to read people's minds, to see their thoughts or look through their memories. But I never use it unless I have the person's permission, that is an invasion of privacy that I'd rather not do" Charles said.

Eli nodded.

The idea of someone in his head is not fun, Dean would rather not have anyone go through his memories.

"And you think our son is a mutant?" Agalia asked.

"Well he does seem to have supernatural abilities from what I've seen and heard" Charles added.

"Will he be able to visit home once in a while?" Agalia asked.

"Yes of course, he can leave for a visit whenever he chooses to" Charles replied.

"What about his studies?" Agalia asked.

"He will be enrolled in school nearby my Institute so he can continue his studies" Charles replied.

Dean's parents felt a relief.

"Charles" Eli said, "You seem like a good man. One that I could trust my boy with" he looked at Dean, "The choice is yours"

Dean sat there thinking. He heard the adult's point of view, but not the teenager point of view. He could just ask Jean right here and now…no, not here. He would rather get her away from the adult pressure and get the real answer out of her.

"I'm not sure yet, I'd like to talk to Jean one on one if that's ok. Get the teenager perspective so to speak" Dean said.

"Sure" Jean said getting up.

The two teens left the adults.

"So?" Jean asked as she followed him upstairs.

"Well, let's start with what you can do" Dean said.

"I can move things with my mind" Jean said.

"That sounds, interesting. Show me" Dean said.

Jean focused with her mind and lifted Dean off the ground.

"Whoa, this feels weird" Dean said.

Jean put him down, "I can also read minds like the Professor"

Dean immediately felt uncomfortable.

Jean sensed it, "But I'm not as developed as him, I'm better with my telekinesis. Unless you're thinking really hard I can't hear you"

That was a relief, "You must be special since you have two powers" Dean assumed.

"It's rare but it happens sometimes" Jean said.

They entered his room.

"I'm guessing this is your room" Jean said.

"Yeah" Dean sat on his bed, "You can sit if you want"

Jean sat next to him, "What about you, what can you do?"

"I um—"Dean didn't know how to explain, "I can do a bunch of things, so I don't really know what to call it"

"Give me an example" Jean said.

Dean thought of a way he could. He got off the bed and lifted it up while she was on it.

"So you're strong" Jean said sounding impressed.

"Just a little" Dean put it down, "So what's it like at the Institute?"

"It's interesting. We live our normal lives but at the same time we practice with our powers and train together" Jean said.

That was exactly what Dean wanted to hear, "Sounds fun"

Jean could argue that Logan's training sessions are anything but fun but she didn't want to scare him, "You can say that"

Dean nodded, "Let me ask you something, if you can read minds then do you feel weird knowing what every guy is thinking about you?"

He hit the bullseye of her problems, "It's something I've learned to deal with but it's still gross" Jean admitted.

"And I'm guessing you saw what I was thinking" Dean said.

Jean shook her head, "No actually. That's strange, I usually pick up a lot of loud thoughts from people but yours is silent"

"What do you mean silent?" Dean asked.

Jean focused on reading his mind but couldn't hear anything, "It's like I can't get through, that's weird" now her curiosity was boiling, "What were you thinking?"

Dean smirked, "Wouldn't you like to know"

Jean smiled, this was a rare occurrence. Someone she couldn't read like a book.

"Hey I have this nice spot on the roof I like to go to, wanna see?" Dean asked.

"Sure" Jean said.

Dean climbed out the window and went on the roof, "Do you need help?"

Jean floated out of the window and landed on the roof.

"You can fly too?" Dean asked.

"No, I use my telekinesis to move me" Jean said.

"That's a smart way to use your power" Dean sat down at the edge of the roof and Jean sat next to him.

"Wow it's beautiful up here, and I can even see the buildings in Manhattan" Jean said.

Dean looked in the same direction, "Yeah it's pretty nice"

"So you hang out up here often?" Jean asked.

"Well I usually come up here when I just need my silence, you know? Just enjoy the quiet" Dean replied.

"I can relate to that" Jean agreed, "So am I the first girl you've brought up here?" She asked with a smile.

"Sadly no, somebody beat you to it" Dean said sarcastically.

Jean banged her hand at the edge of the roof "Darn" she replied with her own sarcasm.

They shared a laugh.

Once they stopped laughing Dean spotted Jean rubbing her stomach, "Are you hungry?"

"You have no idea, I haven't eaten since breakfast. And that was around ten o'clock" Jean said.

Dean smiled, "I guess we can go and eat. Is there something specific you want?"

"Well this is your neighborhood, take me to a nice spot" Jean said.

Dean thought for a second, "I know the perfect place. Let's go"

"Wait, hold on. Shouldn't we tell the Professor?" Jean asked.

"Nah, he's probably too busy talking. So let's go" Dean motioned to go climb back in but then stopped, "Actually I know a quicker way down" he picked up Jean bridal style and before she could say anything he jumped off the roof.

"Oh my god!" Jean said midair. She wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes and clutched him tightly.

Dean bent his knees as he landed for a softer landing. Even after they landed Jean was still holding him from the surprise of the jump.

"Um, you can let go of me now Jean" Dean said sheepishly.

Jean opened her eyes and realized they were safely on the ground, she blushed, "Oh yeah, um sorry" she said as Dean set her down, "Next time you do that though, give me a warning"

"Sure, I wouldn't want you to get scared again" Dean teased her.

"I wasn't scared!" Jean protested.

"Are you kidding? Oh Dean no hold me" Dean pretended to be her.

"Shut up" Jean said rolling her eyes.

Dean couldn't help but laugh.

Dean had taken Jean to eat some traditional New York style pizza. Jean was impressed, it was probably the best she ever had.

When they returned they prepared to leave and were now outside saying their goodbyes.

"Well Charles, it was nice meeting you. You too Logan" Eli shook both of their hands.

"Likewise" Charles said.

Charles rolled up to Dean, "Have you decided?"

"Yeah. I'll give it a try" Dean said.

Charles seemed pleased, "Excellent, when do you wish to arrive?"

Dean thought about it for a second, "Next week should be fine"

"As you wish. I will enroll you in school as soon as possible" Charles said.

"Good, I'll see you then" Dean said.

Jean came up to Dean, "I guess I made a good impression then"

"You did ok, and me laughing at your expense all day had nothing to do with it" Dean said grinning.

"Very funny, I'll see you next week" Jean said.

Author's Note: A short chapter for the filler. We got to see what Dean is like in a more normal atmosphere, next week we'll see how he fits into the world of mutants