AUTHORS NOTE: This chapter of Summer Home is brought to you by… Monshroud! They asked me to interpret a what if scenario of Professor X's family all living together and I shall deliver.
Since this has not been done in DoX yet, I have a little more freedom here so bear with me. This isn't really connected to the Summer Home characters, so it's a bit of a spin-off (unless y'all want it to be connected, while I can stray further from the source material, I will.) So, without further ado, I present H̶o̶u̶s̶e̶ o̶f̶ H̶e̶l̶l̶, I mean- Xavier Home!
Professor Charles Xavier waits on the sandy shores of Krakoa with his fingertips pressed together with slight agitation. He was alone today without his good friend Erik by his side. As Moira instructed him to do, he needed to do this alone. She told him that they needed his son, Legion, for the wellbeing of Krakoa just as they needed her son, Proteus (both of whom share reality warping powers.)
Legion, or David, had a track record of villainy or a simple bad rap for not being able to control his tremendous ability. As Charles had said before, David had a godlike ability with child-like control and who could blame him? The lad was born with mental illness inherited from his mother, leading him to develop multiple personalities.
Speaking of the devil, here he was now.
Charles had to reach out with this newest adaptation of Cerebro to find him and requested that they met on this secluded area of the island. When he had found him, David was floating around in space, enjoying the peace that came with isolation. Now here he was, descending from the sky at an ample pace.
David was relishing in the fact that Charles had needed him- that anyone had needed him, and he was going to milk out every second of it. Of course, on the inside he was terrified. Terrified that'd he mess up like he always would and accidentally create another altered timeline or kill everyone on the island. Charles had promised he'd help him (like he had done and the past, which didn't end up too well), and this time he was certain he could.
Once David had let his bare feet touch the soft sand that is Krakoa, he gave his father a sidelong long, trying to read his expressionless face. The new Cerebro concealed the majority of Charles' face and gave him a dubious look.
"Och," David comments, breaking the silence, "what's all this then?" He spoke like a true Scot, matching his accent to be that of Moira's, having been on Muir Island for an extended period of his life.
"It's nice to see you too David." Charles replies, disregarding David's question.
David cocks his head to the side and raises an angular brow. "Well with this getup it's hard ta believe you can see anythin' at all!"
Charles allowed himself a chuckle at that remark. He opens his arms to embrace his boy and David happily accepts. It was a long time since the two had seen each other and a catch up was long overdue. "Come," Charles says, gesturing towards the stretch of the beach, "walk with me son."
The once Professor explains the gist of Krakoa and the type of government they have. He explained the Council and The Five while David listened intently. It rubbed him as strange that his father had taken a different path towards the security of mutant kind. A dream that David himself tried fighting for… which backfired because he tried to kill Magneto (in turn killing Charles once… oops) and another occasion in which he had to erase himself from the timeline. His obvious appearance now shows how well that went.
But if this is what Charles wanted now, who was David to argue? David was a good for nothing mutant who can't even help himself sometimes. On the outside, Krakoa sounded like a great idea. If it ended up working, David didn't want to be the one who messed it up for everyone. Not again.
"And where do I fit in?" David asks, fixing his blue eyes one blue glass. If he could dig in his brain and find some bugger with x-ray vision, he could see exactly what Charles was doing underneath that ridiculous headdress.
Without needing to read his mind, Charles does the favor to take off Cerebro and train his eyes onto David's. Blue on blue, burning with intellectual intensity.
"We need you David." Charles replies with sincerity.
"We?" David inquires, "Who's we?"
"Krakoa." Charles clarifies.
David narrowed his eyes to accusing slits and wags an equally accusing finger. "Nah, that's bullshit. I bet half of these people don't know I still exist, and for those who do… do ya really think they'd want me here?"
Charles stays silent for a moment. In actuality, it was Moira who requested for David. If she didn't ask, he would have let David be without a second thought. But how was he supposed to explain Moira? No one but he and Erik knew she was still alive and as far as David was concerned, she had been long dead. Not even Moira's own children knew she was alive.
No. Until any of them were ready, Moira was to stay a secret. Instead, Charles offers an alternative reason to bolster David's self esteem.
"Your family, David. We need you." Charles says.
David gives a puzzled expression. "Family? Ma's dead… what family?"
Before Charles could answer that, Davis just cuts him off, jumping the gun. "Oh I hope ya don't mean that Summers, that square has a stick up his a-"
"David." Charles states. "That kind of attitude was unprecedented. And no," he softly shakes his head, "I was referring to our blood. I have already spoken to your sibling and decided an arrangement that'll suit us all."
At that moment David's jaw dropped. With his mouth agape, he stumbles a bit backward. "S-siblings?"
Charles nods in confirmation. "Indeed, not to mention that your uncle will also be staying with us."
Now that sounded more familiar to David. "Uncle… uncle…" David rubbed his temples to jog his memory. "Oh! The Juggernaut! Why is that nut stayin' with us? Isn't one enough?" he asks, referring to himself.
"Everyone has been forgiven of their crimes and have been given a second chance on Krakoa." Charles informs. "That includes you David."
David searches Charles' expression for confirmation that he won't be abandoned… again. For God knows how many times it has been. He also feels that there's something else Charles is keeping from him, but he doesn't inquire about it.
"What if… what if I just hurt everyone again?" David admits in anguish. He folds his arms over his bare chest and lets his gaze fall towards the ground. "All I ever do is disappoint you anyway."
Charles sighed. He felt for his boy and truly believed he could help him this time. "No, you won't disappoint me David. You can't."
David lifted his eyes slightly. "Oh yeah? And what makes you so sure?"
"Our work with Proteus may surprise you." Charles replies blankly.
There he goes again with that plural possessive pronoun. David thinks. What exactly is he trying to get at? Of course, he guards his thoughts to himself, on the passing chance that Charles may be listening in on them. Instead he just looks at Charles with hopeful eyes. "Well alright then, I'll entertain this for a bit. Where's this poor family who has me for a brother?"
With a smile, Charles places Cerebro back onto his head and leads his son toward the inhabited area of Krakoa where the Xaviers (and one Marko) awaited them.
At this point the sun was setting behind the trees and casted long shadows over everyone's heads. It was an ominous setting for a family reunion but with these folk, they hardly minded.
"Took ya long enough Charlie. I thought you were gonna bail." Cain, the Juggernaut states indignantly. Easily he stood out against the smaller frames of Charles' other children Charles II and Xandra. Unlike the rest of them, he wasn't a mutant, but just like how Corsair would stay with the Summers every now and then, Charles had intended for Cain to do the same. Human or not, they were family. And while Charles wasn't familiar with Charles II or Xandra's as he is with Cain or even David, he intended for them to get along.
"Apologies Cain." Charles says, presenting David forward. "I'd like you to meet my other son, David Haller. Better known as Legion."
The other three train their eyes on David with a mixed air of emotion. Cain for one has at least heard of Legion (being an omega level threat, it's impossible not to make a name for oneself), but he had no idea of his relation to Charlie. Charles II who came from an alternate future, had a similar limited knowledge of David as well. Lastly, little Xandra, Empress of the Shi'ar Empire hasn't the slightest clue who that was or who anyone besides Charles was for that matter.
In turn, David didn't recognize Charles II or Xandra but the resemblance to their father was uncanny. Hell, Charles II was a literal carbon copy! Alas, the boy was wheelchair bound (thanks to the Colossus of his time) and couldn't share the same luxury of being to walk his father now had.
Ensuing the awkward silence, Charles continued the introductions. "David, you must recognize Cain. These two here Charles Xavier II and Xandra Neramani."
David studies them for a moment and regards them with an air of confusion. "You know… you'd think I would've been able ta meet these two before… before I tried to erase myself from the timeline." he says. They looked a little too old to be born from a time between David meeting his father for the first time to now.
"It's… complicated to say the least." Charles motions toward the middle child. "Charles II here comes from a possible future, in which Mystique is his mother." He then turns toward the youngest. "Xandra on the other hand is a genetic offspring created from Empress Lilandra and myself DNA. She now rules the Shi'ar Empire."
With that explanation, David lowers himself to Xandra's height. "Aw you? But you're nothin' but a wee lass, much less a ruler of a space fairin' empire!" he teases, which earns himself a death glare from the girl. Almost immediately, the tall haired mutant knocks it off and backs away. He offers a half-hearted laugh. "Huh… well whaddya know, we each have three different Ma's. Isn't that funny?"
At David's comment, they all turn to look at Charles to put him on the spot. Whether or not the births of Charles II and Xandra were in his control, he was still the easiest to blame.
Charles inwardly sighs at his son's inability to keep his mouth shut and carries on as normal. "I hope all of you will get along." he says. "Different mothers or not, I'd like for you to treat each other respectfully as if you were fully blood related." With that, Charles directed the last statement towards his own step-brother Cain. He placed at the Juggernaut from behind Cerebro, briefly reliving his troubled childhood. He and Cain never got along in the past, and it took a lot of effort to even bring him here. He didn't want his children to end up like them. So, he wanted to set an example.
"Father, will you show us to our home now?" Xandra asks, speaking up. "I must return to Aunt Cal'syee and resume Empress duties." Unlike the others, the young royal wasn't going to stay on Krakoa permanently but she was allowed to visit whenever she wanted. Thanks to the New Mutants, Charles was aware of her presence and would like to get to know her better. Thus, having her here now.
"Yes daughter," said Charles, taking the lead. "Let me show you to the House of X."