Not
Myself
By Princess
Alexandria
Princess_alex24@hotmail.com
Logan leaned against a tree and watched Christy and her students. Logan was situated to be able to watch them without being seen. Scooter's plan to keep that woman under surveillance made sense. It also was pretty interesting. They were making the most of the warmest spring day yet.
~So what are they up to~ Jeannie's mental voice came to him and Logan smirked.
~She's a natural teacher~ Logan replied and ignored the feel of Jean picking out of his mind what made him say that, while continuing to watch the impromptu practice session that had developed with those five.
A nervous looking Jessi stood on the water, balancing very carefully on her forcefield balls, using them to stay afloat. It had taken the students by surprise when Christy said she wanted to see if Jessi could do it. So Jessi was pushed out onto the water, with Jon ready to swim out to her if she fell in.
Jean's presence stayed with him as he watched the girl doing her best to balance on the water. And Logan smirked when he noticed Christy's eyes fall on Erik, and the evil smirk she gave him.
"Your turn." Christy told the boy and Erik took a step back.
"What?"
Christy walked over to the water and pulled an old board from the dock that hadn't been repaired yet out of the water. "I'm sure you can keep this on the top of the water. You just need to stand on it."
"Okay, this isn't fair."
"The whole idea of fighting isn't fair. The Danger room tomorrow won't be fair." Christy smirked at him. "Jean can fly, are you saying you can't even float?"
"Jean can fly?" Logan watched as she was able to manipulate the boy into doing what she said.
********
Annie watched as Jessi and Erik floated on water and felt the envy that she often tried to repress. Christy looked proud of them. When Christy glanced over at her she made sure that her expression didn't show her jealousy.
"You know what's next right?" Christy whispered to just her, obviously making sure the others didn't hear her. Annie glanced at her and saw Christy glance down at a small pile of rocks and bits of bark she'd never noticed Christy assembling. Christy's coat pocket was full.
"Oh no…" Annie chuckled. "You wouldn't."
"Jon, you might want to take your coat off." Christy spoke loud enough for them all to hear. "One of these fine contestants is getting a bath."
Both Erik and Jessi's heads whipped around to look at them and Annie laughed as they both had to struggle to keep afloat when they did that.
********
"You can't do this!" Erik called out loudly as he looked around and noticed he wasn't close enough to the shore.
"If you say it isn't fair, I'll nail you twice." Christy was smiling like an evil mastermind. "You need to stay floating and protect yourselves." Erik watched as Christy handed Annie a few rocks.
"Oh shit." Jessi whispered, but he was close enough to her to hear it. "I am so gonna get her when we are out of here."
"I'll help you. Both of them are going down."
********
Logan smiled as Christy and Annie alternated in tossing things at the two unlucky students. He noticed they never aimed near the head, and they did give Erik and Jessi enough time between shots to prepare, but both kids were working hard, very hard, to keep it up. It wasn't like they could have done it if Christy really wanted to knock them down, the woman was going slowly and still it looked too hard for them at times.
~Interesting way to motivate them~ Jean commented as the kids really did look like they were trying their best.
~Looks like the boy is gonna take a dive first.~
~My money's on Jessi getting that bath.~
~How much money?~
~Twenty?~
~Your on Red.~
********
Jean smiled at some students as she walked past them. Christy sure had an interesting way of doing things, but she probably didn't realize that three of her students were plotting against her at this moment.
She was at the front door before anyone spotted her but Rogue was on her way in "There's something going on at the pond I just have to see." She could see she had Rogue's attention as the southerner started to walk with her back out.
********
"Come on… stop it!" Erik yelled out. "The waters cold." Logan chuckled, no longer worried that anyone would hear him. The soft sound of branches rustlings drew his attention behind him to see Jeannie, and Rogue holding Jeannie. They flew in for the entertainment.
"They're still both floating." He gave the unnecessary progress report as the two women moved to be able to watch. After a moment Rogue chuckled when she realized what was happening. "I still say the boy will go down first, but I'm thinking now, she won't be happy until both kids are drenched."
********
Christy was pleased that both kids had lasted this long, but she decided that she needed to try a little harder to knock them down. See how good they were. "Let's finish them off." She told Annie and could see the girl enjoyed the new game. Annie's smile was almost as wicked as her own.
********
"Oh." Jean grumbled good naturedly as she watched Erik hit the water first. "I just lost twenty bucks." She explained when Rogue gave her a questioning look.
"Tough luck Red." Logan smirked at her and they could hear another splash. Jessi was down as well.
********
Emma was carrying her shopping bags heading for her rooms when she saw them walking across the lawn. Her eyes widened as she took in the five dripping wet and cold looking people.
"That wasn't fair. She told me to do that." Annie's voice carried easily, and the girl was finally not wearing her image inducer.
"We gave you enough warning to protect your inducer, you can't complain." Jessi didn't sound at all remorseful. Emma slipped into her mind to find out what they'd been doing and a smile came to her lips.
"I can't believe it took all of us to catch Christy." Erik glanced over at the woman, wet, cold and still walking with dignity.
"You guys are slow." Christy noticed her and smiled. Emma just nodded and continued on her way to put her new clothes away. She got to the building first and when she got inside she noticed an amused looking Jean standing by the door with towels in her hands.
"They're right behind me." Emma just shook her head and went upstairs. Christy had managed to dodge even Jon for a while, which had impressed her students, but she did lose. The kids had dunked her twice.
********
"The teachers want me to eat with them." Christy was telling Annie this, but Annie didn't like hearing it. "Besides, if I'm with you guys all the time… it might just ruin your reputation."
"Not really." Annie noticed a few students she hadn't met yet glancing at them as they talked in the hallway. "Myeisha and her friends think your cool."
Christy just sighed at that. Obviously she wasn't going to be able to change Christy's mind. "Annie, I promise all of us will spend all Monday together. I'll get the tickets, and we can walk around Manhattan, but I do need to spend time with the Professor and the others. I have things I have to do while I'm here. This isn't just a vacation for me."
Annie nodded. She understood, but it was hard to not have Christy around as much. Well, she'd have to get used to it. When Christy pulled her into a hug it helped her feel a bit better about it.
"You don't have the tickets yet?" She was sure Christy said she already got them.
"No." Christy's closeness was very distracting and Annie had to fight the impulse to lean into her.
"What?" Annie pulled back and grinned at Christy, a little surprised at the teasing grin she got in return.
"I decided last minute to do that, but if they thought I already spent the money I figured there'd be less argument." Christy glanced around for a second. "Although I wouldn't suggest you ever try lying to them. Telepaths catch stuff like that, just not with me."
"Well, I should get going." Christy took a step back and Annie felt her arm move to grab Christy first, before realizing she intended to do that.
When Christy glanced at her trapped arm Annie let go and fought her blush. "Um, I was hoping that tomorrow, when I have my meeting with Dr. McCoy… would you come with me?"
"Sure." Christy smiled at her gently. "I'll back you up."
"If you want I could go with you to yours." Annie offered and could immediately see she'd pushed too hard. Christy seemed to close up a bit. "Only if you want." She backtracked.
"Thanks for the offer, but I think I need to do that alone."
********
Christy hoped she was going the right way to the faculty dining room. Annie meant well, but Christy really didn't want witnesses to her own meeting with the doctor. She had the feeling that something was wrong. When they'd talked about their exams, no one else spent so much time in that machine.
"Christy, over here." Bobby's over enthusiastic voice made her cringe, but she hid that and turned around. "It's down this hall, we can go together."
Christy wandered into the same dining room she'd been in the night before and found the same people there. All of the same people, except Jean and Hank. "I'm glad Bobby was able to find you." The Professor smiled at her. "I would have contacted you if I could have. I must say it is something for me to get used to."
Christy didn't know how to respond to that so she decided to glance over it. "In my defense I almost made it myself."
"I know, it can bit a bit much finding your way around here in the beginning." Warren smiled at her. It may actually be the first words he'd aimed her way.
"The place is bigger than it used to be isn't it?" Christy decided polite conversation was a good idea. "I thought I remembered it being one mansion, not a complex."
"When I decided to turn it into a larger school I had the mansion removed and put in the new buildings." The Professor started and Christy couldn't help the grin that started.
"So… you paid someone to knock it down?" When it looked like that was true, from his expression she started to chuckle. "You actually paid for it… after all those times it was done for free."
"I know." Bobby grinned at her.
"I'm sorry." She apologized, even though it didn't look like the Professor was insulted and even Scott had a hint of a grin.
"It's quite alright. I can see the irony." The Professor smiled at her.
"Ya know sugar, it's kinda strange having you know stuff we didn't tell ya." Rogue smiled, but Christy could see she was a bit tense.
"Believe me, it's strange from my side too." Christy didn't bother elaborating.
"So did you like your swim?" Logan smirked at her.
"Yeah, whats up with that?" Christy stared at him with just a hint of a smile. "I thought you were a hero or something. I didn't see any brave rescues. You were too busy laughing."
"You deserved it."
"Hey, I'm the teacher. It's my job to humiliate them… they should understand that." Christy could see a few other smirks from some of the other teachers at the table.
"We'll manage to beat that into their heads." Christy could tell a few people seemed surprised at how much Logan was talking. It was more than Christy had ever heard from him. "But seriously, it was a good idea you had."
"What did she do?" Bobby asked.
"She was teaching Erik and Jessi to walk on water."
"So are we teaching future saints? Is that why they need to walk on water?" Emma's cool voice entered the conversation, but it didn't sound like an insult. It almost sounded like teasing, but it was hard to tell with Emma.
"I just figured when they fell they wouldn't get hurt, and they'd really not want to fall." Christy smiled at the blonde woman sitting across from her. "That water was cold."
Dinner was delivered, putting a halt on that conversation.
********
Scott had talked with Jean after the last dinner and agreed that he should keep his opinions on Christy's past to himself or the woman might never talk to them. It didn't mean that he wouldn't call her on it in the future. It was hard to believe the ease with which she talked about killing.
"I'm taking the kids to Manhattan on Monday." Christy started talking to Emma, but he listened in. Christy often acted like it was Emma that was in charge, and he had to admit that irritated him a bit. "How should we get there?"
Bobby interrupted and Scott could see Christy wasn't happy with that. "I could drive you guys and show you all the sights."
"Thanks, but this is supposed to be time for just us." Christy sounded like she wasn't going to last with the polite refusals much longer and Scott started to feel like they should have mentioned Christy was gay so that Bobby wouldn't bother her.
"And you are teaching a class on Mondays Robert." Emma reminded Bobby, before turning to Christy. "We could lend you a vehicle."
"I could drop you off in the city." Scott offered. He needed to regain a bit of her trust, Jean told him that. "I have some errands to run. Then you shouldn't have trouble getting back. You can take a train to the local stop, I'll give you directions. From there you can call someone to pick you up."
Christy looked surprised. "Thank you." Good. The woman had to realize he'd saved her from Bobby making that same offer.
********
After dinner was over Bobby followed Christy out the door and started to walk with her wherever she was going. Probably to her room. "Christy, I was wondering if you wanted to get out of the mansion tonight. We could go out, get a drink." He felt a little nervous finally asking, and that increased when he noticed her less than comfortable stance when she stopped walking.
"Bobby." Christy looked apologetic. This was where he got let down easy if he was lucky. "I'm gay." He just stared, sure that he'd heard that wrong. After another moment he realized that he hadn't.
"Gay?"
"Yeah." He could see she was nervous now and he forced his shoulders to relax.
"Well, cool." He smiled and tried to hide his disappointment. "Well, then I definitely don't want to go out drinking with you. You'd pick up more women's phone numbers and I'd feel inferior." She smiled at that and it felt like another kick to the gut. She was pretty when she smiled.
"I doubt I'd do that much better than you Bobby." She spoke gently as she continued walking and he fell in step beside her. "I've never been that great with the ladies."
"Well, why?" Bobby couldn't imagine Christy having trouble finding people interested in her. Hell, he was still interested, but he knew a losing battle when he saw one.
"I don't know…" Christy spoke quietly, "So the Danger room tomorrow. How sore do you think we'll all be afterwards? Will walking in Manhattan be too hard on Monday?"
She wanted to change the subject. He could do that. "Well, moving around might help you all recover, but you'll definitely be feeling it."
"Can you really turn to ice?" Bobby smiled at that. She did sound a little impressed.
"Yeah, maybe I'll show you if you do alright in your Danger room session."
********
Emma wandered into the kitchen before getting ready for bed, not that she'd be going to sleep until she'd mapped out more of Christy's shield, but she'd get ready. She noticed Robert sitting at a counter drinking. He looked a bit too thoughtful.
"Sometimes the reason you don't get the girl really has nothing to do with you." She spoke quietly as she grabbed a snack. He always blamed himself for all failed relationships, even the last one he had, and that woman had been no loss when they split up.
"She's gay."
"And if she had a fear of commitment, a prejudice against mutants, or a list of lovers a mile long… it would still have nothing to do with you." She turned and looked at him. "Robert, that last girlfriend of yours was all wrong for you. It isn't that you can't hold onto a woman, its that you are picking the wrong kind of women to try and hold onto."
"Thanks Emma." Robert sighed, but then his childish grin started again. "So are you offering?"
"Be serious." She smirked at him.
"Just checking."
She was almost to the door when he spoke again, "Emma?" She stopped walking. "Did you know she was gay?"
"Yes, I did."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Then we wouldn't have been able to have this conversation, and someone needed to have it with you." She continued walking. She knew he'd hit on Christy once she got to the mansion, and this was a nice safe example she could use that wouldn't hurt him too much. It didn't really matter that the others thought she was playing a cruel joke, or that Scott had told her to end it.
********
Jessi rolled over in bed and stared through the darkness to her room mate. Annie was still tossing and turning, and it had been a while. "What is it?" Jessi tried to not let her irritation into her voice, but sharing a room was a big adjustment.
"Nothing." Annie sighed and Jessi just rolled her eyes and sat up. This wasn't nothing. She reached out and turned on the small lamp by the bed.
"No, really." Jessi watched Annie's eyes trying to adjust to the light. "Is this because of your meeting with Hank?" Her voice was softer then. When her powers manifested Jessi was able to know what they were rather quickly and luckily was able to hide it before her father got home. She just got grounded for a few broken things in her room, but he didn't suspect anything. She couldn't imagine having her mutant status announced by the color of her skin like Annie, it would be hard.
"Some." Annie finally sat up. She was hugging her pillow to her chest. "What if I have a lousy power? What if I don't even have one?"
Jessi just stared at the pillow in Annie's green hands for a moment. "You'd still be part of the team. You've always been. We need you." She looked up to see the insecurity that was so often in Annie's eyes when they talked about powers. "But maybe you have a really cool power. One way better than mine." She watched a small bit of hope grow in Annie's eyes. Hopefully she was right, or they'd have a pretty depressed Annie to deal with for a while. "Get some sleep. We have to do that Danger room thing tomorrow and Christy said it was gonna be hard." She turned off the light when it looked like Annie was going to try sleeping again.
********
Erik sighed heavily and rolled onto his back. The anxiety was rolling off of Jon in huge waves and Erik couldn't sleep through it. Finally, when it didn't die down he had to say something. "Man, what's eating you? I need sleep and you're projecting all over the place."
"None of your business." Jon sounded a bit angry about being called on it, but really if he was going to feel so loudly Erik should be able to complain. How was he supposed to sleep?
After another wasted ten minutes Erik growled. "Go talk to Christy, Go screw your girlfriend, just get out." He needed sleep or he'd not do too well tomorrow and he didn't want to be an embarrassment. He wanted to show he could hold his own.
"Fuck you." Jon sounded shocked he said that, and uttered a rare cuss for him.
Erik smirked in the darkness, "Sorry, you aren't my type. You should go see Jessi about that problem."
********
Christy set the latest book down on her nightstand when she heard the quiet knocking, almost like whoever it was didn't want her to notice it. She was a little surprised to see it was Jon.
"Can I come in?" He stood there, in his shorts and t-shirt, with a robe Christy didn't even know he owned wrapped around him.
"Sure." She opened the door wider for him, wondering what was so important he came here. The boys dorm wasn't even in the same building as her room. When he blushed when looking at her she moved to grab some shorts to wear as well as her t-shirt. The gentleman Jon was, he turned until she was more dressed. "So what's up."
"Erik tossed me out. Said I was feeling too loud." Jon sat down on a chair in the corner of the room, so Christy sat on her bed to face him.
"Something wrong?" Christy waited while Jon sat quietly. She wasn't going to order Erik to let Jon in the room, that wouldn't solve what the real problem was, and that wasn't how she did things. Her kids knew that.
"Jessi told me she requested birth control pills when she saw the doctor." He spoke softly and couldn't seem to look at Christy. Well, Christy studied the embarrassed boy, she had said if he needed to talk he could come to her.
"How do you feel about that?" Christy almost rolled her eyes at the lame psychologist line, but spoke softly and waited.
"She wants to have sex." He was blushing. "I'm… I've never…"
"Jon." Christy moved a bit closer to his, leaning forward. "Did she say she wants sex now? Or is she just getting the pills so that when she wants it, when you both want it, you'll be ready?" When he still didn't speak Christy realized she'd need to say more. "Those pills aren't miracle pills. You don't just pop one right before sex, you need to be taking them a while before they work."
Jon gave her a weak smile. "How do you know so much about birth control?"
"In school they force us to learn all about disgusting straight sex." She gave him a teasing smile. "I'm scarred for life from the talk about birth control alone." After he seemed to relax a little she added. "No one talks about what two women do together in high school. I walked into my first time with next to no idea what I was doing, but I survived. You will too."
"What if I…" Jon ran his hand through his hair nervously. "I can't believe I'm talking to you about this."
Christy just smiled gently. "Every straight man should have a lesbian to ask these questions. It would make the straight girls happier…" The smile slipped as she pretended to look thoughtful, "No, wait a minute. We want the straight women to hate sleeping with men so they try women. I'm a traitor to my own kind. You can never tell anyone or the lesbian police may hunt me down and make me cut my hair and buy a motorcycle." That had him laughing, and he leaned forward in his chair to talk.
"I want to be a good…" His skin was flush with his embarrassment.
Christy sighed, and realized that he wanted more detailed information. "Well, did you want… advice?" He was slow to nod and Christy just gave him a small smile. "Okay then. Sex 101 class is in session. If you think of questions, just ask… anything you want. I'll never tell."
********
"Professor, one of the new students, Jon left his dorm and went to Christy's." Bishop's voice came over the phone by his office. He had been finishing up some paperwork before going to bed.
"Thank you Bishop, I'll look into it." He shifted his thoughts to try and locate Jon and while he didn't think they were doing anything suspicious, if someone didn't double check Bishop would be hard to deal with. He took his responsibilities seriously, too seriously at times. It was a bit of a shock to see the conversation being had, and to see a young man trusting an adult, a woman even, enough to have that talk. "Everything is fine, Bishop." He remembered to report through the phone, but he was trying to remember if any of his students had ever sought him out to talk about such things, and realized they never had.
********
"I'm gonna be here all week." Christy smiled at Jon as she walked him to the door. "And you can always call or email, but we need at least a few hours sleep before we get our asses kicked." She moved a little closer to him. "Are you gonna be able to sleep now?"
"Yeah. Thanks." He slipped out the door and started down the hall. Christy just shut the door behind him and rested against it for a moment. She was really going to miss being there for the kids. Hopefully one of the adults around here would take them in. They needed someone they trusted to talk to. She took her own advice and slipped into bed. She'd at least talked the X-men into testing her separately, so that the kids didn't see her do something that a school teacher shouldn't know how to do. It would be hard to explain. Still, if the X-men, or Scott most likely, thought to put her in a straight fighting sort of thing she'd embarrass herself. She'd have to remind them that she wasn't that type of fighter if she wanted them to see what she did know. Did she want them to see what she did know? Christy tossed to her other side and turned the light off. She wasn't sure she knew the answer to that question.