A/N: Okay, now I know I put this in the movie section and I know that Remy wasn't in the movie, so technically I guess you could say that I screwed up. But here's my reasoning... 1) It's a few years after the movie, who says Remy hasn't shown up by then and 2) When I describe the characters I describe as I saw in the movie as I really don't watch the cartoon that often. So do me a favor, and just go with the flow on this one! Thanks so much!! Enjoy and as always... 'a writer lives for feedback!!!'
Chapter Two - Welcome
Charles Xavier was sitting behind his desk grading the papers of his physics class when he started at the sudden onslaught of shock from Jean.
~ Jean? What's wrong? ~
~ Sorry Professor, I didn't mean to disturb you. She's awake again and this time I don't think she'll take no for an answer. ~
~ Why don't you bring her to my office, perhaps we can now find out who she is and what happened. ~
Finishing the pile of papers before him he called for Scott and Ororo to join them in his office. The summoned duo arrived and were waiting for almost an hour before the two women arrived.
"I was beginning to wonder..."
"Sorry, Professor. She wanted to get cleaned up some before she left the Med Lab."
"Of course, I'm sorry, I should have offered that before. Please, have a seat." Motioning to the woman to sit in a chair to his left he watched as she scanned the room with her eyes before sitting down hesitantly. "My name is Charles Xavier you're at a private school in Westchester New York. What is your name?"
The woman shook her head and would not speak. Her eyes roamed over the room, taking in the massive collection of books, each one making her fingers itch.
"Would you like to read them?" Charles asked. Nodding her head she brought her attention back to him, a small smile of anticipation curling her lips slightly. "You may if you wish but please, what is your name? I am Charles, you have already met Jean, the man next to her is her husband Scott, and the woman across from you is Ororo. We only want to find out how you came to be with us, we mean you no harm."
Her smile slipping from her face the woman looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. As she stared at them a voice spoke within her head.
~ Can you speak? ~
Jumping at the sudden appearance of what seemed to be another person she looked wildly around the room to try and find where they were hiding.
~ Do not be afraid. I am a telepath. ~ Looking back at the professor she saw him nod as he repeated his original question. ~ Can you speak? ~
She stared at him for a moment before she nodded her head.
~ Will you speak to me? ~
This time she shook her head, dropping her eyes, sure that she would be made to leave. What she was told next surprised her.
"Very well. Perhaps when you are ready you shall tell us who you are. Ororo will show you where you can sleep and if you'd like we can give you a tour of the building and the grounds." The woman nodded and as she stood her eyes fell once more on the rows of books. "If you'd like you may take a book to read," he added with a kind smile.
Though her face betrayed nothing her eyes poured over the titles and authors. Shakespeare, Bronte, Austin, Williams, Whitman, Aristotle; when her eyes fell upon one Xavier could feel her delight echoing in his mind. He watched as she pulled 'Jane Eyre' from the shelf and tucked it lovingly into her arms before following Storm from the office.
"What do you think?" Jean asked.
The Professor sighed. "I don't know. She can speak but she will not. It's as though she is afraid to use her voice before people that she does not trust. Keep an eye on her, try to encourage her to talk but do not force her. Hopefully she will learn to trust us before too much time passes."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She stared out the window of her quiet little room, watching the children play on the ground three stories below her. Their laughter was almost lost to her but she could see their smiling faces and felt the joy that was overflowing from them. But somewhere there was one person, a little boy who was sad. Closing her eyes she focused on finding him, the sad little child whose face was streaked with tears. Finding the boy she opened her eyes and looked out among the children to see him, sitting alone under a tree, his back to the rest of his classmates.
Turning from the window she opened her door and silently descended the stairs to the first floor. Making her way out to the play yard she unknowingly passed by Xavier's office. Feeling her pass by the Professor abandoned his work to focus on what she was doing. Moving his chair to the large window in the main hallway he watched as she slipped around the edge of the crowd to a small thicket of trees. She knelt and Charles could just see a small child that was seated before her. The young boy, Richard, was new to the school and the Professor knew he was homesick for his family. Even know he could feel Richards pain as he wished with all his might he could go home.
She looked into the young boys eyes with her own ones, now completely blue in color, and reached out a hand for him to take. Tentatively Richard took her hand in his own little grubby one and gazed up at the strange woman through tear filled eyes. Wiping away his tears with her free hand she caressed away his worry and his sadness leaving a feeling of peace in his heart and a smile on his face. Smiling at him the woman released his hands to let him alone. Before she could move away Richard sprung up and wrapped his little five-year-old arms around her, hugging her with all his might, before leaving to rejoin his new friends.
Xavier could sense her surprise at Richards embrace and, though she was stiff at first, the woman soon melted into the hug, a feeling of wistfulness spreading over her heart. She moved back around the edge of the crowd and into the mansion. Seeing him sitting in the hallway, directly in her path, the woman stopped short and he could see her eyes change color, going from blue to white right before his eyes. Staring at him for a moment she moved silently past him and made her way back up the stairs. Xavier could feel the battle warring in her, whether to trust them or not, and let her go, hoping to win her over in time.
She ran back up to her room and shut the door tightly. That had been a close call, too close. She couldn't run the risk of making a bad decision in who she trusted, not after the last time.
It had been easy to find herself caught up in the emotions of the world around her; the people who passed her by were as easy to read as the pages in a book. One man in particular had caught her attention. His despair and grief were almost overwhelming as he sat there in his room, never setting foot outside during the day and rarely ever at night. It hurt to be near him as she could feel his pain as through it were his own. One night she happened upon him as she wandered the main road, he had emerged to restock his supplies needed to stay alive. Taking his hand in her own she gave him the one thing he needed to rid himself of his sorrow.
In that one moment her life had forever changed. No longer burdened by his sorrow the man began to rejoin the society of the small village, much to the horror of those around him. Children hid behind their mothers and women held their hands to their mouths in horror and anger as he walked the streets in the middle of town. It wasn't long until he was being hunted once more, tracked like an animal and forced to flee to the only person he could turn to for safety. She had taken him in and hidden him from the men of their small village in the middle of nowhere.
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Before long he began to wish his freedom and once more risked going out in the open. Seen by a child on his way home from school the hunt began anew. He had returned to her, in fear of his life; killed, a bullet through the chest, in front of her small house. Seeing her new friend lying, dead, in the ground she mourned his death, her eyes changing to black and she knelt by his side. Seeing her eyes change color the men that had hunted her friend turned on her. Trying to calm them with her voice she succeeded for a short time until someone new, a man she had thought to be her friend, joined the crowd, riling them up into a frenzy. They had chased her into the woods and down to the river where she had jumped in to save her life.
The men of the place she had called home had turned on her as they had turned on her friend; their only reason was a mutated gene. She had almost lost her life because she had trusted a man who had turned his back on her the moment her mutation was revealed. Human or Mutant... trust from her would be a hard thing to earn.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The residents of the mansion were getting ready to sit down for dinner when he was informed that the woman had yet to emerge from her room.
"Should I go get her?" Ororo asked.
"No," Xavier decided. "Send young Richard up to get her."
"Richard?"
"Yes the little boy sitting at the end of the table. Send him to ask her to join us."
Though confused she followed his directions and spoke with the little boy. Telling him where she was and what to do the child jumped from his chair excited that the Professor had chosen him to do this task, and ran off for the stairwell. Running through the halls he eventually came to a door at the end of the hallway. As his little hand knocked softly he waited for the door to open. A small crack appeared and he could see an eye appear, staring back out at him.
"Pr'f'ssor wants you to come eat now."
The door opened a little further and he saw the woman shake her head no.
"P'ease! You can sit wif' me and I can tell you all about my mommy," he pleaded with her.
Hesitating, she paused and bit her bottom lip.
"Come on! You don't hafta be scared. I was at first but all the people here are really nice, sp'cially the Pr'f'ssor."
Finding herself unable to tell him no she opened the door and held her hand out to Richard. Swinging her hand in his he led her down to the dining room. She paused in the doorway but he pulled on her hand and she followed him into the noisy room filled with students and teachers alike. As they were seated at the end of the table Charles couldn't help but smile at young Richards success. Though she still wore a reserved expression the fact that she was out in the open was a very good sign.
Dinner commenced and Richard chatted away to her about his mother and how he came to be at the school. When his mother discovered his gift she had been afraid of her own fathers reaction to it and had sent the boy to live here, where she knew he would be safe. In the month he had been at the school she had come to see once but her job didn't let her get away very much. She was supposed to have come today but Richard had gotten a telegram from her saying she couldn't make it, that she was sorry and would try to come as soon as she could. The little boy had burst into tears and that was when she had been able to feel his sadness.
By the time dinner was over she knew all about young Richard Campbell, his gift of controlling water, as well as every dislike and like he could remember. As the children were scattered for some playtime before bed she found herself once more face to face with the adults of the facility. Taking in the faces she already knew she listened as the ones she didn't know were introduced. Wolverine, Rogue, Remy, and Jubilee were introduced and she made note of the emotions each one displayed. Wolverine was filled with anger so as to hide his deep pain but she could sense that he loved the young woman who was seated beside him, her entire body covered except for her face. From her she could sense the love that Wolverine showed, but she also sensed some fear, an underlying current that never left her. What the reason was she didn't know but it was always present in everything Rogue did.
Remy was filled with confidence but he had a passion for his work here at the school. He felt fulfilled by the work the Professor had challenged him with. Beside him sat a young woman, her wild black hair matching the wild spirit of her heart. She emanated with joy, so much so that it almost overshadowed her doubt's, her sorrow. But the woman knew that Jubilee still felt them, her joy was vast but there were still moments when she doubted and even feared herself and her powers.
"X-Men I'd like you to meet... I'm sorry what was your name?" he asked, hoping to trick her into speaking.
Looking at him she shook her head, a smile curling her lips as her eyes changed to a yellow hue. Xavier knew he had made her smile, another small step toward gaining her trust, and smiled back.
"This is a new friend. She'll be staying with us as long as she pleases. I've put her in the teacher's wing, next to you Jubilee. Try and keep the music a little lower until she's able to tell you herself to keep it down," he teased.
The small crowd laughed and what little tension had lingered flew out the window.
"Very funny Prof!" she grinned back. "Don't worry, I won't bother you."
The woman nodded her head and her smile stayed in place, the easy bantering of the friendly group easing her own emotions. With the joy that hung in the air she found it impossible not to smile. The group moved out to the patio to enjoy the warm night, surprisingly warm considering it was spring, and as the stars shone overhead the woman felt herself beginning to relax for the first time in a long while. Her eyes changed once more to the pale white Jean had originally seen and as she sat there, listening to the friendly banter she was unaware that her music had begun.
The soft, relaxing, melody drifted out across the patio seeping into the night's air as easily as if it was always there. Xavier listened to it, at first thinking there was a radio on somewhere nearby but soon coming to the knowledge that the music was coming from her. She seemed oblivious to it, as though she herself didn't hear it, but when the group stopped talking to listen she realized what had happened and the music stopped.
"That was beautiful," Ororo told her kindly.
Shifting uncomfortable in her seat she fought the urge to run for the safety of her room and stayed seated.
"We didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, but it was such a beautiful tune that we had to stop and listen. Would you play some more?" Ororo continued.
Seeing the encouraging glances from all around she allowed her heart to sing once more, filling the air with its song until Richard interrupted them.
"I know its time for bed, Mr. Sommers but can I say good night to her?"
Scott nodded his head and the child rushed over to his new friend. Climbing up into her lap he hugged her and planted a small kiss on her cheek.
"Goodnight," he whispered to her.
Smiling back at her young friend she watched him say goodnight to everyone else before scurrying off to his room. The professor could tell that she had wanted to say something to the boy but she kept her mouth shut.
~ She's making good progress. ~ Jean thought.
~ Yes. Hopefully she will speak soon. I'm interested to know just what happened to make her stay as silent as she has. ~
The woman rose from her seat and waved a small goodnight before retiring to her room. Not long after she had left them the group split ways as well. Closing up his office Charles noticed one of his books was missing from the shelves. Remembering that she had taken one with her he was interested to note that she had chosen 'Jane Eyre' and couldn't help but wonder why that particular book had struck her fancy as it had. Pushing it aside he shut the door and rolled over to the elevator and rode it up to his room on the third floor. As he always did Xavier rolled silently down the hallway, listening to his 'children' as they prepared for bed. He could hear Scott and Jean tossing around under their blankets to find a comfortable position while Jubilee danced to her music, presumably with her headphones as he could just barely make out the music from her room. Logan was growling in his sleep as always while Rogue's soft snores rose from her room across the hall from his. Remy and Ororo were already asleep; no doubt spooned together, though from what source he had heard that little tidbit the Professor would never say.
Stopping outside her door Charles waited silently for some sound of what was going on in her room. He heard the unmistakable sound of a page being turned and knew she was reading but it was the tears that held his interest. Why was she crying? What made her so sad? The mystery that surrounded her was as thick as an early morning London fog, but he knew he would work through it somehow. It was just a matter of time.
As he rolled away, down the hall toward his own room, a new voice rang out in his head.
~ Goodnight Charles. ~
~ Goodnight. ~ he replied to her, smiling as he crossed the threshold into his own room.
The End
Okay... that's it for Chapter 2.
Chapter 3 should be uploaded soon.
:O)
Chapter Two - Welcome
Charles Xavier was sitting behind his desk grading the papers of his physics class when he started at the sudden onslaught of shock from Jean.
~ Jean? What's wrong? ~
~ Sorry Professor, I didn't mean to disturb you. She's awake again and this time I don't think she'll take no for an answer. ~
~ Why don't you bring her to my office, perhaps we can now find out who she is and what happened. ~
Finishing the pile of papers before him he called for Scott and Ororo to join them in his office. The summoned duo arrived and were waiting for almost an hour before the two women arrived.
"I was beginning to wonder..."
"Sorry, Professor. She wanted to get cleaned up some before she left the Med Lab."
"Of course, I'm sorry, I should have offered that before. Please, have a seat." Motioning to the woman to sit in a chair to his left he watched as she scanned the room with her eyes before sitting down hesitantly. "My name is Charles Xavier you're at a private school in Westchester New York. What is your name?"
The woman shook her head and would not speak. Her eyes roamed over the room, taking in the massive collection of books, each one making her fingers itch.
"Would you like to read them?" Charles asked. Nodding her head she brought her attention back to him, a small smile of anticipation curling her lips slightly. "You may if you wish but please, what is your name? I am Charles, you have already met Jean, the man next to her is her husband Scott, and the woman across from you is Ororo. We only want to find out how you came to be with us, we mean you no harm."
Her smile slipping from her face the woman looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. As she stared at them a voice spoke within her head.
~ Can you speak? ~
Jumping at the sudden appearance of what seemed to be another person she looked wildly around the room to try and find where they were hiding.
~ Do not be afraid. I am a telepath. ~ Looking back at the professor she saw him nod as he repeated his original question. ~ Can you speak? ~
She stared at him for a moment before she nodded her head.
~ Will you speak to me? ~
This time she shook her head, dropping her eyes, sure that she would be made to leave. What she was told next surprised her.
"Very well. Perhaps when you are ready you shall tell us who you are. Ororo will show you where you can sleep and if you'd like we can give you a tour of the building and the grounds." The woman nodded and as she stood her eyes fell once more on the rows of books. "If you'd like you may take a book to read," he added with a kind smile.
Though her face betrayed nothing her eyes poured over the titles and authors. Shakespeare, Bronte, Austin, Williams, Whitman, Aristotle; when her eyes fell upon one Xavier could feel her delight echoing in his mind. He watched as she pulled 'Jane Eyre' from the shelf and tucked it lovingly into her arms before following Storm from the office.
"What do you think?" Jean asked.
The Professor sighed. "I don't know. She can speak but she will not. It's as though she is afraid to use her voice before people that she does not trust. Keep an eye on her, try to encourage her to talk but do not force her. Hopefully she will learn to trust us before too much time passes."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She stared out the window of her quiet little room, watching the children play on the ground three stories below her. Their laughter was almost lost to her but she could see their smiling faces and felt the joy that was overflowing from them. But somewhere there was one person, a little boy who was sad. Closing her eyes she focused on finding him, the sad little child whose face was streaked with tears. Finding the boy she opened her eyes and looked out among the children to see him, sitting alone under a tree, his back to the rest of his classmates.
Turning from the window she opened her door and silently descended the stairs to the first floor. Making her way out to the play yard she unknowingly passed by Xavier's office. Feeling her pass by the Professor abandoned his work to focus on what she was doing. Moving his chair to the large window in the main hallway he watched as she slipped around the edge of the crowd to a small thicket of trees. She knelt and Charles could just see a small child that was seated before her. The young boy, Richard, was new to the school and the Professor knew he was homesick for his family. Even know he could feel Richards pain as he wished with all his might he could go home.
She looked into the young boys eyes with her own ones, now completely blue in color, and reached out a hand for him to take. Tentatively Richard took her hand in his own little grubby one and gazed up at the strange woman through tear filled eyes. Wiping away his tears with her free hand she caressed away his worry and his sadness leaving a feeling of peace in his heart and a smile on his face. Smiling at him the woman released his hands to let him alone. Before she could move away Richard sprung up and wrapped his little five-year-old arms around her, hugging her with all his might, before leaving to rejoin his new friends.
Xavier could sense her surprise at Richards embrace and, though she was stiff at first, the woman soon melted into the hug, a feeling of wistfulness spreading over her heart. She moved back around the edge of the crowd and into the mansion. Seeing him sitting in the hallway, directly in her path, the woman stopped short and he could see her eyes change color, going from blue to white right before his eyes. Staring at him for a moment she moved silently past him and made her way back up the stairs. Xavier could feel the battle warring in her, whether to trust them or not, and let her go, hoping to win her over in time.
She ran back up to her room and shut the door tightly. That had been a close call, too close. She couldn't run the risk of making a bad decision in who she trusted, not after the last time.
It had been easy to find herself caught up in the emotions of the world around her; the people who passed her by were as easy to read as the pages in a book. One man in particular had caught her attention. His despair and grief were almost overwhelming as he sat there in his room, never setting foot outside during the day and rarely ever at night. It hurt to be near him as she could feel his pain as through it were his own. One night she happened upon him as she wandered the main road, he had emerged to restock his supplies needed to stay alive. Taking his hand in her own she gave him the one thing he needed to rid himself of his sorrow.
In that one moment her life had forever changed. No longer burdened by his sorrow the man began to rejoin the society of the small village, much to the horror of those around him. Children hid behind their mothers and women held their hands to their mouths in horror and anger as he walked the streets in the middle of town. It wasn't long until he was being hunted once more, tracked like an animal and forced to flee to the only person he could turn to for safety. She had taken him in and hidden him from the men of their small village in the middle of nowhere.
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Before long he began to wish his freedom and once more risked going out in the open. Seen by a child on his way home from school the hunt began anew. He had returned to her, in fear of his life; killed, a bullet through the chest, in front of her small house. Seeing her new friend lying, dead, in the ground she mourned his death, her eyes changing to black and she knelt by his side. Seeing her eyes change color the men that had hunted her friend turned on her. Trying to calm them with her voice she succeeded for a short time until someone new, a man she had thought to be her friend, joined the crowd, riling them up into a frenzy. They had chased her into the woods and down to the river where she had jumped in to save her life.
The men of the place she had called home had turned on her as they had turned on her friend; their only reason was a mutated gene. She had almost lost her life because she had trusted a man who had turned his back on her the moment her mutation was revealed. Human or Mutant... trust from her would be a hard thing to earn.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The residents of the mansion were getting ready to sit down for dinner when he was informed that the woman had yet to emerge from her room.
"Should I go get her?" Ororo asked.
"No," Xavier decided. "Send young Richard up to get her."
"Richard?"
"Yes the little boy sitting at the end of the table. Send him to ask her to join us."
Though confused she followed his directions and spoke with the little boy. Telling him where she was and what to do the child jumped from his chair excited that the Professor had chosen him to do this task, and ran off for the stairwell. Running through the halls he eventually came to a door at the end of the hallway. As his little hand knocked softly he waited for the door to open. A small crack appeared and he could see an eye appear, staring back out at him.
"Pr'f'ssor wants you to come eat now."
The door opened a little further and he saw the woman shake her head no.
"P'ease! You can sit wif' me and I can tell you all about my mommy," he pleaded with her.
Hesitating, she paused and bit her bottom lip.
"Come on! You don't hafta be scared. I was at first but all the people here are really nice, sp'cially the Pr'f'ssor."
Finding herself unable to tell him no she opened the door and held her hand out to Richard. Swinging her hand in his he led her down to the dining room. She paused in the doorway but he pulled on her hand and she followed him into the noisy room filled with students and teachers alike. As they were seated at the end of the table Charles couldn't help but smile at young Richards success. Though she still wore a reserved expression the fact that she was out in the open was a very good sign.
Dinner commenced and Richard chatted away to her about his mother and how he came to be at the school. When his mother discovered his gift she had been afraid of her own fathers reaction to it and had sent the boy to live here, where she knew he would be safe. In the month he had been at the school she had come to see once but her job didn't let her get away very much. She was supposed to have come today but Richard had gotten a telegram from her saying she couldn't make it, that she was sorry and would try to come as soon as she could. The little boy had burst into tears and that was when she had been able to feel his sadness.
By the time dinner was over she knew all about young Richard Campbell, his gift of controlling water, as well as every dislike and like he could remember. As the children were scattered for some playtime before bed she found herself once more face to face with the adults of the facility. Taking in the faces she already knew she listened as the ones she didn't know were introduced. Wolverine, Rogue, Remy, and Jubilee were introduced and she made note of the emotions each one displayed. Wolverine was filled with anger so as to hide his deep pain but she could sense that he loved the young woman who was seated beside him, her entire body covered except for her face. From her she could sense the love that Wolverine showed, but she also sensed some fear, an underlying current that never left her. What the reason was she didn't know but it was always present in everything Rogue did.
Remy was filled with confidence but he had a passion for his work here at the school. He felt fulfilled by the work the Professor had challenged him with. Beside him sat a young woman, her wild black hair matching the wild spirit of her heart. She emanated with joy, so much so that it almost overshadowed her doubt's, her sorrow. But the woman knew that Jubilee still felt them, her joy was vast but there were still moments when she doubted and even feared herself and her powers.
"X-Men I'd like you to meet... I'm sorry what was your name?" he asked, hoping to trick her into speaking.
Looking at him she shook her head, a smile curling her lips as her eyes changed to a yellow hue. Xavier knew he had made her smile, another small step toward gaining her trust, and smiled back.
"This is a new friend. She'll be staying with us as long as she pleases. I've put her in the teacher's wing, next to you Jubilee. Try and keep the music a little lower until she's able to tell you herself to keep it down," he teased.
The small crowd laughed and what little tension had lingered flew out the window.
"Very funny Prof!" she grinned back. "Don't worry, I won't bother you."
The woman nodded her head and her smile stayed in place, the easy bantering of the friendly group easing her own emotions. With the joy that hung in the air she found it impossible not to smile. The group moved out to the patio to enjoy the warm night, surprisingly warm considering it was spring, and as the stars shone overhead the woman felt herself beginning to relax for the first time in a long while. Her eyes changed once more to the pale white Jean had originally seen and as she sat there, listening to the friendly banter she was unaware that her music had begun.
The soft, relaxing, melody drifted out across the patio seeping into the night's air as easily as if it was always there. Xavier listened to it, at first thinking there was a radio on somewhere nearby but soon coming to the knowledge that the music was coming from her. She seemed oblivious to it, as though she herself didn't hear it, but when the group stopped talking to listen she realized what had happened and the music stopped.
"That was beautiful," Ororo told her kindly.
Shifting uncomfortable in her seat she fought the urge to run for the safety of her room and stayed seated.
"We didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, but it was such a beautiful tune that we had to stop and listen. Would you play some more?" Ororo continued.
Seeing the encouraging glances from all around she allowed her heart to sing once more, filling the air with its song until Richard interrupted them.
"I know its time for bed, Mr. Sommers but can I say good night to her?"
Scott nodded his head and the child rushed over to his new friend. Climbing up into her lap he hugged her and planted a small kiss on her cheek.
"Goodnight," he whispered to her.
Smiling back at her young friend she watched him say goodnight to everyone else before scurrying off to his room. The professor could tell that she had wanted to say something to the boy but she kept her mouth shut.
~ She's making good progress. ~ Jean thought.
~ Yes. Hopefully she will speak soon. I'm interested to know just what happened to make her stay as silent as she has. ~
The woman rose from her seat and waved a small goodnight before retiring to her room. Not long after she had left them the group split ways as well. Closing up his office Charles noticed one of his books was missing from the shelves. Remembering that she had taken one with her he was interested to note that she had chosen 'Jane Eyre' and couldn't help but wonder why that particular book had struck her fancy as it had. Pushing it aside he shut the door and rolled over to the elevator and rode it up to his room on the third floor. As he always did Xavier rolled silently down the hallway, listening to his 'children' as they prepared for bed. He could hear Scott and Jean tossing around under their blankets to find a comfortable position while Jubilee danced to her music, presumably with her headphones as he could just barely make out the music from her room. Logan was growling in his sleep as always while Rogue's soft snores rose from her room across the hall from his. Remy and Ororo were already asleep; no doubt spooned together, though from what source he had heard that little tidbit the Professor would never say.
Stopping outside her door Charles waited silently for some sound of what was going on in her room. He heard the unmistakable sound of a page being turned and knew she was reading but it was the tears that held his interest. Why was she crying? What made her so sad? The mystery that surrounded her was as thick as an early morning London fog, but he knew he would work through it somehow. It was just a matter of time.
As he rolled away, down the hall toward his own room, a new voice rang out in his head.
~ Goodnight Charles. ~
~ Goodnight. ~ he replied to her, smiling as he crossed the threshold into his own room.
The End
Okay... that's it for Chapter 2.
Chapter 3 should be uploaded soon.
:O)