Sorry this has taken so long. School started, and combine that with leaving all the notes for this story AND my computer at home, well, you get a long wait. But here it is, what you've all been waiting for. . . the long awaited CHAPTER NINE! YAY! And thank you to those who found and commented even though my story was, as Equus put it ON THE SECOND PAGE. Thanks so much.
* * * * * *
After having spent the night on the grounds of the Institute, the X-Men and the students were not feeling so hot. Stiffness, coldness and the smell of smoke did not help the situation any. Nor did the lack of coffee. Jean started moving around some of the bigger pieces of debris and the others sifted through it in hopes of finding something salvageable.
It was Scott who discovered that the basement levels containing the vehicles, the X-Jet and Cerebero were unharmed by the collapse of the rest of the building. This was good, because now they could all go somewhere, and Jean provided the place for them.
"Professor, I was thinking."
"Yes Jean?"
"Well, we need a place to stay, preferably somewhere that all of us can fit. And we take up quite a bit of room. I was going to suggest the cabin that my family and Reagan's family shares in the Rockies. It's pretty secluded and rather large. We might be a bit cramped, but we'll all be able to stay together. Some of us would need to go now though to get it ready for us. Reagan told me that none of the family has been there in the last few years, so it might need a little work done on it."
The Professor thought about it for a while. "Yes," he said, "I think it might work. I need you to stay here with me for a few days. Scott and Ororo can split up the children between them and go away for a while until the cabin is ready. That way whoever caused this," he gestured to the ruins of the mansion, " won't be able to wipe out everyone all at once. They were foiled this time, but we may not be so lucky another time. I'll send Reagan to the cabin, since she is familiar with it, and Logan will go to."
Jean smiled. "Should any work need to be done it'll go faster with two people. Even if those two people are Reagan and Logan."
"Yes, that's right. So it will go ever faster with three people. Eileen will go with them too. That way she won't be lost in the crowd again."
* * * * * *
Reagan was not happy with the news. Oh, she thought using her family's cabin was a great idea, and didn't mind going to take care of the details at all. No, she was upset about Eileen. Lately Reagan and Logan had been getting along pretty well, but throw Eileen into the mix and anything might happen. Like another explosion. This one caused by herself. Especially since Logan looked mighty pleased with the arrangements.
He claimed it was because he would finally be getting away from the smoke, which was playing havoc with his nose, and that he would have some time to teach Eileen martial arts. She wanted to learn everything he could teacher, so she claimed. Reagan just bet she did.
It did help when Logan appeared at her window with something in his hand though.
"Here." He said, holding it up to her.
It was Bear. A little more worn and singed than the last time she had seen him, but it was Bear all the same.
"It was Bear you were looking for?" She asked. Logan had been shifting through the debris along with everyone else, but he was one of the few who had looked like he had a purpose to his digging.
He just nodded and got in the van. Eileen had to ruin the moment by mentioning that Reagan was surely old enough not to need her Teddy Bear with her all the time. And couldn't she leave it here? It was stinking up the van.
Luckily it didn't take near as long to get to Colorado as it had the first time. And Eileen slept most of the way, which was a big help to Reagan's nerves. Just being around the girl made her jittery. This mostly had to do with the extreme look of innocence, that was perpetually on Eileen's face and the brainless questions she always asked. At lest she didn't talk in her sleep.
They arrived in Colorado Springs late the next night and stayed at Reagan's mother's house. She was, of course, absolutely thrilled to see Logan again. She kept giving him conspiratorial winks over the kitchen table. He tried to ignore her. Reagan kept her face to her plate so she didn't have to watch the whole humiliating business. Eileen just looked wide-eyed around the table, trying to figure out what she was missing.
* * * * * *
In the morning Mrs. Grey proclaimed that she needed Eileen to help her with some shopping and sent Reagan and Logan on alone to the cabin, so they could better decided what needed to be done to it, if anything. Reagan whole-heartedly approved to the arrangement, though not or the same reason as her mother. Once the van was packed full of food and tools, the two headed off into the mountains, Reagan driving.
When they finally reached the cabin Reagan jumped out of the van, breathed deeply of the pine scented air, and headed inside to see what needed to be done. She was halfway up the stairs before she realized that Logan wasn't behind her. Peeking out the window she could see him still outside staring up at the cabin. She went back outside and dragged him in.
"Hey!" He said. "You didn't tell me it was a castle. You said it was a cabin."
"It is a cabin. It's made out of logs isn't it?" Reagan had been coming to visit the cabin every summer and Christmas since before she could walk, and by now was quite used to it. She forgot how it took people aback who had never seen it before. And it was no wonder. Logan was almost correct in describing it as a castle. Oh a small castle, but a castle all the same.
Her great grandparents had built it at the turn of the century. Her grandmother missed the castles of her homeland, so her husband had built her one. The "cabin" was four stories high and even sported twin turrets on the front. Most of it had been fashioned out of wood, but the area around the basement and halfway up the first floor was all made from native rock. Inside there was a huge sweeping stairway leading up to the second floor that dominated the entryway. It was decorated with rustic furniture. Logan gaped. Reagan kindly closed his mouth for him.
She gave him a tour of the rooms and showed him the special one nearly in the attic.
"This room belonged to Jean and I. We wanted it to be pink. We were four." She said apologetically. "The main reason we wanted it though, was because of the view," she pointed out the window to the mountains, "and because we could get on the roof from here." She smiled. We nearly broke out necks the first time, but we never told anyone about it. It was our secret hideaway. From the roof we pried open the door to the attic and spent hours playing dress up in some of great grandmother's cast offs. The whole family used to spend Christmas here too. You think it's spectacular now, wait till you see it decorated for Christmas."
* * * * * *
Later that day Mrs. Grey and Eileen joined them in their cleaning efforts and over the next week students arrived in small groups to fill the cabin. Professor Xavier commuted back and forth in the X-Jet so he could oversee the rebuilding of his mansion. They still weren't sure who had caused the explosion. They had ruled out Eileen as an actual suspect, though it seemed she had unwittingly planted the bomb. Most guessed it was Magneto, but was still safely stowed in his plastic prison.
The Professor didn't seem too distraught over the whole ordeal. He tended to brush it off by saying that he had been wanting to add some things to the mansion for a while but hadn't had the time or the room. Now he could rebuild the entire place just the way he wanted it. It seemed he always had the funds needed for this sort of thing so money was no problem.
The others thought this sounded a little odd, but went along with it anyway. They all knew that the professor was independently wealthy; they just didn't realize that he was occasionally approached by small countries asking for loans.
* * * * * *
Ok. I'm not too proud of this one, but it's sort of a necessary evil if we want to continue. Like Episode I in Star Wars. It'll get better next time. I promise.
* * * * * *
After having spent the night on the grounds of the Institute, the X-Men and the students were not feeling so hot. Stiffness, coldness and the smell of smoke did not help the situation any. Nor did the lack of coffee. Jean started moving around some of the bigger pieces of debris and the others sifted through it in hopes of finding something salvageable.
It was Scott who discovered that the basement levels containing the vehicles, the X-Jet and Cerebero were unharmed by the collapse of the rest of the building. This was good, because now they could all go somewhere, and Jean provided the place for them.
"Professor, I was thinking."
"Yes Jean?"
"Well, we need a place to stay, preferably somewhere that all of us can fit. And we take up quite a bit of room. I was going to suggest the cabin that my family and Reagan's family shares in the Rockies. It's pretty secluded and rather large. We might be a bit cramped, but we'll all be able to stay together. Some of us would need to go now though to get it ready for us. Reagan told me that none of the family has been there in the last few years, so it might need a little work done on it."
The Professor thought about it for a while. "Yes," he said, "I think it might work. I need you to stay here with me for a few days. Scott and Ororo can split up the children between them and go away for a while until the cabin is ready. That way whoever caused this," he gestured to the ruins of the mansion, " won't be able to wipe out everyone all at once. They were foiled this time, but we may not be so lucky another time. I'll send Reagan to the cabin, since she is familiar with it, and Logan will go to."
Jean smiled. "Should any work need to be done it'll go faster with two people. Even if those two people are Reagan and Logan."
"Yes, that's right. So it will go ever faster with three people. Eileen will go with them too. That way she won't be lost in the crowd again."
* * * * * *
Reagan was not happy with the news. Oh, she thought using her family's cabin was a great idea, and didn't mind going to take care of the details at all. No, she was upset about Eileen. Lately Reagan and Logan had been getting along pretty well, but throw Eileen into the mix and anything might happen. Like another explosion. This one caused by herself. Especially since Logan looked mighty pleased with the arrangements.
He claimed it was because he would finally be getting away from the smoke, which was playing havoc with his nose, and that he would have some time to teach Eileen martial arts. She wanted to learn everything he could teacher, so she claimed. Reagan just bet she did.
It did help when Logan appeared at her window with something in his hand though.
"Here." He said, holding it up to her.
It was Bear. A little more worn and singed than the last time she had seen him, but it was Bear all the same.
"It was Bear you were looking for?" She asked. Logan had been shifting through the debris along with everyone else, but he was one of the few who had looked like he had a purpose to his digging.
He just nodded and got in the van. Eileen had to ruin the moment by mentioning that Reagan was surely old enough not to need her Teddy Bear with her all the time. And couldn't she leave it here? It was stinking up the van.
Luckily it didn't take near as long to get to Colorado as it had the first time. And Eileen slept most of the way, which was a big help to Reagan's nerves. Just being around the girl made her jittery. This mostly had to do with the extreme look of innocence, that was perpetually on Eileen's face and the brainless questions she always asked. At lest she didn't talk in her sleep.
They arrived in Colorado Springs late the next night and stayed at Reagan's mother's house. She was, of course, absolutely thrilled to see Logan again. She kept giving him conspiratorial winks over the kitchen table. He tried to ignore her. Reagan kept her face to her plate so she didn't have to watch the whole humiliating business. Eileen just looked wide-eyed around the table, trying to figure out what she was missing.
* * * * * *
In the morning Mrs. Grey proclaimed that she needed Eileen to help her with some shopping and sent Reagan and Logan on alone to the cabin, so they could better decided what needed to be done to it, if anything. Reagan whole-heartedly approved to the arrangement, though not or the same reason as her mother. Once the van was packed full of food and tools, the two headed off into the mountains, Reagan driving.
When they finally reached the cabin Reagan jumped out of the van, breathed deeply of the pine scented air, and headed inside to see what needed to be done. She was halfway up the stairs before she realized that Logan wasn't behind her. Peeking out the window she could see him still outside staring up at the cabin. She went back outside and dragged him in.
"Hey!" He said. "You didn't tell me it was a castle. You said it was a cabin."
"It is a cabin. It's made out of logs isn't it?" Reagan had been coming to visit the cabin every summer and Christmas since before she could walk, and by now was quite used to it. She forgot how it took people aback who had never seen it before. And it was no wonder. Logan was almost correct in describing it as a castle. Oh a small castle, but a castle all the same.
Her great grandparents had built it at the turn of the century. Her grandmother missed the castles of her homeland, so her husband had built her one. The "cabin" was four stories high and even sported twin turrets on the front. Most of it had been fashioned out of wood, but the area around the basement and halfway up the first floor was all made from native rock. Inside there was a huge sweeping stairway leading up to the second floor that dominated the entryway. It was decorated with rustic furniture. Logan gaped. Reagan kindly closed his mouth for him.
She gave him a tour of the rooms and showed him the special one nearly in the attic.
"This room belonged to Jean and I. We wanted it to be pink. We were four." She said apologetically. "The main reason we wanted it though, was because of the view," she pointed out the window to the mountains, "and because we could get on the roof from here." She smiled. We nearly broke out necks the first time, but we never told anyone about it. It was our secret hideaway. From the roof we pried open the door to the attic and spent hours playing dress up in some of great grandmother's cast offs. The whole family used to spend Christmas here too. You think it's spectacular now, wait till you see it decorated for Christmas."
* * * * * *
Later that day Mrs. Grey and Eileen joined them in their cleaning efforts and over the next week students arrived in small groups to fill the cabin. Professor Xavier commuted back and forth in the X-Jet so he could oversee the rebuilding of his mansion. They still weren't sure who had caused the explosion. They had ruled out Eileen as an actual suspect, though it seemed she had unwittingly planted the bomb. Most guessed it was Magneto, but was still safely stowed in his plastic prison.
The Professor didn't seem too distraught over the whole ordeal. He tended to brush it off by saying that he had been wanting to add some things to the mansion for a while but hadn't had the time or the room. Now he could rebuild the entire place just the way he wanted it. It seemed he always had the funds needed for this sort of thing so money was no problem.
The others thought this sounded a little odd, but went along with it anyway. They all knew that the professor was independently wealthy; they just didn't realize that he was occasionally approached by small countries asking for loans.
* * * * * *
Ok. I'm not too proud of this one, but it's sort of a necessary evil if we want to continue. Like Episode I in Star Wars. It'll get better next time. I promise.