A/N: No I do not promote guns to children!!! Guns are bad! But anyway, another long chapter. Enjoy, and review please.
Flaer
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It was good to be home again. Xavier looked fondly at his school that was just coming into view. His trip to Muir Island had been a good one. The facilities were amazing, and it disappointed him that it was so far away. It would have been nice to see his students graduate into the Muir Institute to continue their education, and still be involved directly within the mutant community.
"This is only what the world sees Duncan. The rest of the school is three times larger than what is on the surface." Xavier turned to look into the back seat. Dr. Duncan Adler, the new head of the research at Muir Island, straightened out his glasses and tried to imagine what the actual size of the school was. He was an older man in his early fifties. His silver hair and neatly cropped beard framed his face and made him resemble Einstein. He had never meant to fly back to North America so soon this year after his conference in Vancouver, but when he found out that Charles Xavier was on Muir Island, the research scientist arranged to meet. He knew much about Xavier and the school through Jean, and was planning to visit some time in the next year, but hearing about the school through Xavier made Duncan visit sooner.
"And you Mr. Summers? What do you teach?" Duncan asked of Scott, who served as driver for Xavier's car.
"Auto mechanics, math and physics." Scott responded as he pulled into the driveway of the Mansion. "You'll find all of our instructors serve many functions. Jean as doctor and spokesperson, Moira is a doctor also, and a certified post secondary instructor. Forge is the computer science-technology teacher as well as administrator for the computer systems that run the school." Scott continued saying.
"Jean taught biology didn't she?"
Xavier nodded and answered.
"Yes, but this semester she hasn't been teaching. Instead, she's been traveling to conferences to give the mutants a voice in the higher levels of government. I'll be resuming that role soon enough, but I thought I would give Jean a try at public relations. She's done a fine job, so I might reconsider taking it on again."
After the car had parked, Scott helped Xavier out and began unloading the luggage. The door from the house to the garage opened and Jean came through.
"Good to have you home Professor. Did you have a good trip?" Jean asked.
"Yes. And I've brought a guest who will be staying with us for a while. Dr. Duncan Adler. I believe you two have met." Xavier watched as Jean stepped forward and shook the other man's hand. That second, Emma stepped through and Xavier knew immediately something was horribly wrong. Xavier slightly frowned. He never made it a habit of delving into other minds, but he had watched Jean grow up and knew the woman's body language even if she tried her best to hide it. Xavier shifted his gaze to Emma. The tall, blond, blue-eyed telepath met his gaze and almost seemed to dare him to go into her mind. Xavier tapped his fingers on the mechanical remote control of his wheelchair. She was the newest of his teachers, and also one that troubled him the most. Yes, her students excelled in their mutant abilities, but Xavier felt there was something a little harsh about this woman. Storm came in and with just one look at the group of mutants before him, Xavier knew the root of the problem. His eyes met with Ororo, and she understood what Xavier needed.
"Hello. My name is Ororo." She extended her hand out to Duncan, who shook it.
"Nice to meet you." Duncan, oblivious to the tension that coursed through the air, turned to Jean. "So this is the school you told me about. I'm already impressed, and I've just seen your garage."
Jean smiled.
"We'll give you the full tour soon enough, and you can see everything for yourself."
"Well, Duncan's had quite a long flight. Ororo, could you show him to one of the rooms?" Xavier said, as Duncan picked up his luggage and prepared to follow.
"Of course, Professor. Dr. Adler, if you'll follow me?" Storm said.
Duncan nodded and politely excused himself.
"I'm sorry for the rushed introductions, but it was very nice to meet you all." He gave a quick smile and nod at Emma's direction before following Storm.
"Welcome home Professor. We've missed you." Jean said.
"Yes, well, it feels as if I should have come sooner." He said with a tinge of wonder in his tone. Xavier's expression turned serious. "Is there something we need to discuss?"
"Yes, but after you've settled in." Emma said immediately. She wasn't going to hide behind Scott. She may have done it with Jean, but she would not do it with Xavier. Emma needed to prove to Xavier that she meant no harm and that her methods of mutant training were safe.
Xavier looked between each three of the adults in front of him. Jean, though usually calm and collected, seemed to simmer with pent up emotions. Furthermore, Jean and Scott were obviously on dangerous terms.
"Very well. Tomorrow morning, my office. All of you." Xavier left the garage and headed to his room. Scott, with his bags, followed, but Jean and Emma slipped away.
That evening before dinner, Jean gave Duncan the tour and ended in the lab. Rogue was there surfing the net.
"Hank, Moira and I share this lab. Since both of them teach, they have their own offices on the main house floor, so the lab is primarily for my use." Jean finished explaining the lab, and turned to look over at Marie. "This is Marie. She's more or less graduated mainstream school, but she's here to continue the development of her mutant powers."
Marie stood and shook Duncan's hand.
"Hi. Nice to meet you. Jean told me about your research project you were starting up."
Duncan grinned.
"I'll be starting pretty soon actually. It will be interesting, although the thought of teaching young mutants to develop their powers sounds like a much more rewarding endeavor."
Jean smiled.
"It is rewarding. It's a special moment when we realize that we have control of our lives."
Marie nodded in agreement.
"Jean was the one who helped me."
Marie and Duncan continued their pleasant small talk as they began walking up to the dining room. Duncan asked about her powers, and how she learned to control them. He asked about her studies, and her future.
"I'm accepted into some of the local universities, but I think I need to spend a semester working. Schooling is rather expensive, and since I've more or less been disowned by my family, I'll have to find my own way."
As they rounded the corner Duncan stopped.
"Why not study at the Muir Institute? It's a University Collage as well, so not really a university, but we'd have some of your courses and you can always take a class by correspondence from the University of Glasgow. I don't know the complete enrollment or class information, but fees are paid through a time system where your work for the Institute goes to pay for your education."
Marie raised an eyebrow in interest. The offer was farfetched, but it was still nice to know something like this existed.
"Interesting, but Muir Island is rather far away, and I've already been accepted to schools here." Marie said.
Duncan nodded and continued moving to the dining room.
"I think applications are due by December if you decide to change your mind."
The morning came quickly. Xavier sat at his window staring out into the slightly darkened sky. He wished he had not set a meeting for the morning, but it was too late to change things now. Emma was the first to enter and like always, she wore white. Scott came in shortly, followed by Jean and Rogue.
"Good morning, Rogue." Xavier said. He had not asked for her to be here, and looked at Jean expectantly.
"It concerns her." Jean replied.
Xavier nodded.
"Well, does anyone want to begin by explaining the more than obvious breach in group dynamics?"
Emma spoke first, again. She needed to show herself separate from Scott and Jean's feud, and the detail in which she explained her role shocked the other women in the room. No doubt, they expected Emma to lie and hide her actions, but Emma believed, and forever would, that her actions were for the betterment for Rogue's future.
Xavier listened in stunned silence at Emma's details. She had done everything that was wrong for a telepath. He knew a skilled telepath could manipulate, disrupt or destroy brainwaves, but never had he known that telepaths could force a mutant into developing his or her skills. That was dangerous gamble with minds as it forced a development in which the physical body may not have been ready for.
Emma's voice hardened. She knew what Xavier thought.
"Rogue, and the rest of the students are not as frail as you imagine. If only you would push them more they would truly become masters of their powers."
"Going into a person's mind and playing with brain waves is not considered a push." Jean said coldly. "We have no idea if you caused some hidden, long term damage in Marie. You just don't give human growth hormones to a child to speed up a process that should come naturally."
"They will adapt. You'll do more damage if you keep on babying your students! How can they survive in a world that will be dangerous for them if all they know how to do is hide?" Emma finally raised her voice in frustration. She couldn't believe this. Couldn't they see? Couldn't they see that what she did for Rogue, and the rest of the students she taught were good for them?
Xavier's head tilted as he scanned Emma's mind. Yes, he despised doing it without the consent of the other person, but this was too large.
"How many other of my students did you do this to?" Xavier asked in growing fear.
Emma suddenly felt very vulnerable beneath the gaze of this mighty telepath. She should have guarded her thoughts closer, but it was too late now. She could feel Xavier in her mind, looming over her and bearing down on the truth.
"All of the ones I taught. Each one has hit their potential, and will know how to use their full powers by the end of the year. I didn't push them like Rogue though. I took my time with them." She said proudly.
Xavier exhaled sharply. Emma taught more than two-dozen of the students in the school.
"What have you done?" He asked in strained dismay. "Are you so blind to think that we only teach them how to hide their powers?" Xavier moved closer to Emma. "Once, an old friend of mine called mutants gods amongst insects because of our powers. In all reality, we are. We do not teach them their powers quickly because the feelings of superiority override those of responsibility. You think I teach them only how to hide their powers so they can protect themselves from humans, but in reality I am protecting the humans from the mutants."
Scott and Jean looked at each other. Never had either of them seen their mentor like so.
Xavier continued on.
"If a child finds a gun without knowing what it is they have found, then that child may toy with the weapon without knowing how to properly use it. They will not know the consequences of pulling the trigger. Teach a child slowly what a gun is, and the consequences of using one and you instill a sense of responsibility within them. Every one of my students more or less has loaded guns build within themselves. They need to learn, slowly, the consequences of using their powers, especially against normal human beings."
There was silence in the room for a good thirty seconds as Xavier's words sank in. Xavier shook his head. He should have questioned Emma more before inviting her to teach at his school, but it was too late for that. He looked back at Emma.
"I want a list of all your students and their progress reports on my desk within the hour."
Emma did not move. Xavier was an idealist to think that humans were some kind of endangered species that needed protecting. Emma had taught her fair share of students before Xavier hired her, and none of them went on to be some sort of mutant mastermind. She had given back to them a confidence that the world had robbed them of through years of ridicule and fear. She taught them that their difference was a source of strength and not shame.
"Just because I don't take years to bring my students to their full potential doesn't mean I don't teach them responsibility. How can you teach them to be responsible when they haven't even fully developed? What happens if some of your students are caught off guard and their abilities flare up and out of control? They won't know how to handle that."
"That is why the school is a safe environment. They don't have to fear for something unexpected." Jean interrupted.
"You can't protect them every second of the day, Jean." Emma shot back. "If you could, I would have never been able to go into Marie's mind."
"We wouldn't have to if mutants like you had a sense of responsibility." Jean crossed her arms. "You talk about teaching your students responsibility. What sort of example were you setting by tearing through Marie's mind like that?" Jean's voice rose with ever word.
"I did not hurt her." Emma said through gritted teeth.
Jean swore, suddenly and forcefully. The room shook with a small telekinetic tremor.
"You just proved my point. How can you be responsible for your powers if your TK reacts to anger?" Emma said smugly after she steadied herself.
Jean flinched, and said nothing more. She glared coldly at the other telepath, but was only infuriated more when Emma met her stare unflinchingly.
Emma smirked and narrowed her eyes. Xavier saw Emma's body language relax a little, and knew what this rogue telepath was doing.
"Emma!" He shouted, but it was too late. Jean brought one hand to her temple, and her eyes widened.
"Get out!" The doctor gasped and bent slightly over. Marie went to grab Jean by the waist to hold Jean up.
"My God, the potential you have." Emma said to herself in a soft bewildered voice before she spoke again to the others. "Use your telepathy! Push me out. I'm barely using any effort to go in your mind, you should be better than this Jean."
Scott reacted at that point. He grabbed Emma's arm.
"Emma, stop it!" Scott said, but it did little to break Emma's mental invasion.
"You should be so much stronger Jean! You were Xavier's first student, shouldn't that mean you have the best control over your powers? But how can you if you're too afraid to even tap into them? You're twenty-eight Jean, and you don't even have a fraction of our powers developed to their full potential! Xavier has you 'trained' too well!"
Jean's other hand went to the other temple and she stood hunched over with her eyes tightly shut. Her legs started to buckle, and Marie was supporting more of her weight. Scott continued to try to stop Emma, but the blond telepath continued to bait and goad Jean to use her abilities to push Emma out.
"Stop it!" Marie finally screamed, and then everything happened at once.
Marie's jaw clenched together, and the mental doors that she had set up blew open. It was the telepathic bolt that Marie unintentionally sent crashing into Emma's mind that broke Emma's hold on Jean. The blond telepath's head snapped back and she crumpled to the floor. Marie dropped Jean just as bone claws burst from her hands. Blood flowed freely from her hands as it flowed from Emma's nose.
"Again, my point proven. Such sordid control on your powers." Emma said in disgust as she stood back up, wiping the blood away with her sleeve. The red seemed to glow on her pale skin and white sweater. "Look Jean. Look at how powerful your telepathy actually is."
Jean wasn't listening to her. From a sitting position, she took hold of Marie's shaking hands to inspect the wounds, but Marie already had it under control. With a mental effort that showed visibly on her face in the form of a gasping grimace, the claws retracted and the claw openings healed closed.
"And thanks to me, you're able to do that." Emma said smugly. Scott moved to see if she was all right, but she pushed his hand aside.
Jean stood up and released Marie's hands. Her eyes burned with fury as she crossed the space between her and Emma in three long strides. Without so much as blinking, Jean pulled back her right fist and punched Emma square in the jaw, sending Emma reeling backwards and into Scott's outstretched arms. Jean stepped forward and grabbed Emma by the front of her sweater, hauling her back up to Jean.
"Enough!" Xavier finally shouted.
Jean abruptly let go of Emma's sweater and backed off. She had never seen Xavier raise his voice so.
Xavier breathed in deeply, calming his nerves.
"Effective immediately, you are forbidden to teach the students. I will tolerate your presence in the Mansion should you choose to stay simply because your sudden departure would cause the student body to question the stability of the faculty. Make no mistake, you are not to interact with students at all, and by the start of next semester you will have over stayed your welcome."
Emma rubbed her jaw and wiped away the blood that had started to flow from the cut on her lip. With a snort of revulsion, she adjusted her bloodied sweater and stormed out of the office. She would be gone from the Mansion by the end of the day.
Xavier looked up at Scott. Emotions were still running high, but Xavier needed to deal with this now.
"Jean, Marie? Go get cleaned up."
The two women took their cue to leave.
"Explain yourself Scott." Xavier said.
Scott looked down and away from Xavier's gaze.
"I'm sorry Professor. I was run by my own motives and I tried to hide them under school policy." Scott said truthfully.
"Scott, I did not expect this of you." Xavier said sadly. "You know protocol better than any other teacher here."
Scott looked up, and Xavier could see the hurt behind his ruby glasses.
"Why didn't you stop it? You must have known about them."
Xavier sighed, and nodded. He explained to Scott then the difficulties for a telepath to attain satisfying relationships. He explained the problems that would have occurred in Scott and Jean's relationship had it continued. And he explained his part in encouraging Jean and Rogue's relationship.
Scott hung his head as he digested all that he heard.
"I can't accept that. This has to be a phase." Scott finally said, albeit half-heartedly. Xavier sighed. He couldn't say more to convince Scott. Scott would eventually learn to accept it himself. Xavier didn't object when Scott left his office. He sat there for the rest of the morning to watch the younger students play in the cold October air. The part of him that cherished his school above all else felt these recent events had usurped the serenity of his school. That part of him wondered when and if the school would return to normal. That part of him was angry that his teachers, his former students, were not able to manage things in a better way. But more importantly, a deeper part looked at Jean with sad envy, as she was able to find a relationship that he never could.