The More Things Change
Author: RoguesKnight
Chapter six: Worlds Collide
Disclaimer: The characters contained within this story are not my property. Ok, Rivers is, but I really wish he wasn't. The non-original characters are the property of Marvel, 20th Century Fox, Mutant Enemy, and Joss Whedon respectively. Just borrowing them for a bit, though if Marvel is willing to part with Rogue, I'm willing to make an offer....how's a soul sound? Let me know guys, it's not that used yet.
Dedication: To my lovely fiancée I love you with all my heart. To my reviewers...I'm trying guys really. However, working two jobs and being a full time student takes up a good chunk of my time. Please be patient, and I'll make every effort to update as often as possible until this is finished...I want to find out how it ends just as much as you do. Thank you for all your kind words and support
* ************************************************************************** **
As the Blackbird lifted off into the midday sky a bush on a nearby hill rustled, and slowly unfolded into a single figure in desert camouflage, a carefully concealed camera with a long telephoto lens attached. * Promotion here I come * Sarah Jameson thought, her cool grey eyes tracking the quickly fading form of the black jet. She quickly shed the dried branches that had provided her cover and headed back down the hill. It hadn't been easy to keep track of Harris and the two women who'd accompanied him to his little rendezvous. The dark haired driver had to be one of the most paranoid people she had ever seen, driving around downtown L.A. for a solid hour and a half and making five pointless pit stops at convenience stores before putting the peddle to the metal and flying out to the meeting location at break neck speeds. How they'd managed to avoid a ticket was beyond her. * I guess Rivers was right. Harris knows something. I've never seen anything like that jet, but there's bound to be someone who has and is willing to talk about it for the right price * she mused, slinging her camera's strap over her neck and walking towards her carefully concealed motorcycle. * As for Harris himself* Sarah thought, uncovering the sleek black machine and hopping on, gunning the engines, * It's time to see what I can find out about him. If he knows someone with a jet like that, he's bound to have a past himself. * She raised the kickstand into place and flew off back towards the road and L.A.
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Xander leaned back against his seat in a state of shock, a feeling he hadn't known for years. * Guess I just got a little too used to the beasties of the hellmouth. I didn't even think that the world outside of Sunnydale could be just as odd * He became acutely aware of Rogue's increasingly concerned gaze from the seat next to him and offered up a weak smile, "I'm alright Marie, really. It's just a lot to take in all at once" He gestured expansively to the interior of the jet and its unusual occupants, "Even for someone like me." Rogue smiled, her face softening a bit as she nodded her understanding. Xander stole a glance at the men in the pilot and co-pilot's seats before leaning close to Rogue and whispering, "So, you're like a superhero, huh? Please tell me that this includes wearing skin tight costumes and not much else."
Before she could respond the sharp metallic sound of Logan's claws being unsheathed drew Xander's attention back to the co-pilot's seat. " Sorry to destroy your fantasy, bub.", the older man said gruffly, "Marie here doesn't have a costume yet, skin tight or otherwise." His dark eyes hardened as the hint of a growl entered his voice, making Xander squirm uncomfortably in his seat, "And before you even think about coming on to her any more, especially with cornball lines about superheroes, the lady has a boyfriend." With one more hard look at Xander, he re-sheathed his claws and turned his attention to the window. * Great * he thought * Just what we need, another bundle of hormones running around the institute. I sure as hell hope Chuck knows what he's doing, bringing this kid in.* Though he wouldn't admit it Logan had become attached to the young mutants that lived in the mansion. * If this human, Marie's friend or not, causes any sort of trouble he'll get a much closer look at my claws than he'd like. * Logan groused silently.
"Don't worry about him," Rogue said softly, reaching over to place a gloved hand comfortingly on Xander's arm. "He's really a big softie when you get to know him." This earned a growl from the seat directly in front of her, and surprisingly a chuckle from Cyclops who had otherwise been silent during the flight. Rogue smiled, feeling a bit of tension drain from her body. It'd been too long since she'd seen any signs that Scott was beginning to recover from Jean's sacrifice, maybe the chuckle was a sign that he was ready to start getting on with his life. "Unfortunately," She continued with a pointed glare at the occupants of the two front seats, " He's also right. Ah, don't have a uniform yet. Some people think Ah'm too young to handle myself in a fight. Never mind the fact that these two wouldn't be here today if Ah hadn't saved their lives a while back." If her hint about her combat readiness had any effect on the men in front of her they weren't letting it show.
Xander wisely decided to drop the issue about uniforms, "So, you have a boyfriend now? And yet I notice you still wear gloves. If you don't mind me asking, is this a fashion choice or have you...." He trailed off, glancing in Rogue's direction and noticing her downcast expression quickly added, "I mean either way I say keep them. Not everyone can pull off the whole long elegant, gloves look, but you definitely have the arms to do it. Very slender and feminine, which is not to say that I think of you as weak or anything. And I'm babbling, I'm just going to shut up now."
Rogue managed a small smile. Even though Xander had obviously had a lifetime's worth of rough experiences since the last time she'd seen him, he still reminded her of the slightly insecure youth she'd first met. " No," she said softly, reaching over and taking his hand in one of her gloved ones, "It's ok. Really, Ah've gotten over the whole being a mutant thing, mostly. It's one of the great parts about living at the Institute, with others like me. Ah don't feel so much like a freak anymore. But to answer your question, no it's not a fashion choice. Ah'm not as terrified about touching anyone as Ah used to be, but Ah still can't control it." She lowered her voice to almost a whisper and Xander barely caught her next words, "Which is one of the problems Bobby and Ah have been having recently. It's not that Ah don't want to get close to him, it's just that Ah don't want to hurt him either. You know what Ah mean?"
Xander squeezed her hand gently and nodded, "All too well." He replied, his own voice taking on a saddened tone, "A little over a year ago I was engaged. Believe it or not, someone actually wanted to marry me." He gave a soft, humorless laugh, "Her name was Anya. She was, despite being a former vengeance demon, a lot more than I ever deserved. I mean beautiful, sharp as a whip, if a little too literal at times, funny in her own way...a great lover..." he colored deeply and hurried on, "Anyway, to make a long story short, I broke her heart by leaving her at the altar. A demon claiming to be me from the future showed me what our marriage would be like and believe me when I say what I saw was a living hell." He took a deep breathe and continued "Ok, you have to swear not to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. I didn't even tell my closest friends about this part." Rogue nodded her understanding and it was good enough for him. Somehow he had the feeling Cyclops and Logan weren't exactly the gossiping types. " Well, what the demon showed me was a horrible marriage, we were constantly sniping at each other, our kids hated and resented us, and in the end I ended up hitting her with a frying pan. That's where the vision ended. Granted, it was an illusion designed to break up our relationship. But it worked, I saw the thing I feared the most. I wasn't going to turn out any differently than my old man and it terrified me. I had to walk away to keep her safe."
Rogue's grip on his hand tightened slightly, "Ah'm sorry Xander. Ah can't imagine what it must be like to get that close to someone and have to walk away. Ah mean, even Bobby and Ah aren't that close and given the way things have been going with him lately, even if Ah could touch Ah'm not sure Ah'd picture myself with him long term anymore. If you don't mind me asking, what ever happened to this Anya? Did you manage to stay friends or did she leave town or what?"
Xander smiled sadly, "It probably would have been better if she had left town after that. But that'd have just been too easy for my Anya. Always had to do things the hard way. It took a little while...and her going from being a former vengeance demon to current vengeance demon and back again, but we eventually worked out our issues. We were even heading back towards relationship land, well I was hoping so anyway, when the Apocalypse struck....again. This time not all of us got to walk away from it. From what I heard, she went down fighting." He smiled, "Not that I was really that surprised. If there was one thing my Anya could do well it was fight. Usually with me, but every now and then we could channel that energy into a more appropriate form." From the co-pilot's seat came a low growl and Xander quickly clarified his statement, "Into fighting evil of course, which is the best way to channel any excess energy."
Rogue grinned openly and flashed him a quick wink, "Ah'm sure." She said teasingly, "Cause unless you have a healing factor like someone in this jet," she nodded towards the chair Logan occupied, "Healing takes a good bit of energy."
Xander shot her a mock glare, "Are you saying that I can't take care of myself? I'll have you know that even with my lessened depth perception I'm in as good fighting shape as I ever was." Rogue's grin widened and she placed a slender, gloved finger against the side of her head knowingly. " Not one word, smartass." Xander said with a slight smile, "I'm not the kid I was when I met you." Unconsciously his free hand began to rise towards the patch covering his empty eye socket and he forced it back down.
Rogue nodded in understanding, absently wrapping a few strands of white hair around her index finger, "Ah kinda know what you mean," she said with a wry smile.
Before Xander could ask what she meant by that their attention was pulled to the front of the jet. "We're here," Cyclops said simply, his voice devoid of emotion. Through the front windows Xander could see what appeared to be an old mansion or boarding house, surrounded by forest, with a lone winding road leading to and from the building. * Well, it's isolated enough to be able to hide this thing, provided there's a runway around here for an actual landing * he thought. Much to his surprise, the jet simply hovered for a moment before descending towards a basketball court.
"Not that I'm one to talk," he whispered to Rogue, "but isn't the basketball court kind of exposed for a parking....." he trailed off as the court began to retract below them and the jet sank below ground. Rogue grinned, she'd had about the same reaction the first time she'd seen the Blackbird land, even though she'd been concerned with a comatose Wolverine at the time, there were some things she just couldn't ignore. Finally the jet set down and the occupants unbuckled, readying to disembark. Much to Xander's surprise, Logan was at the ramp almost immediately, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for it to lower enough for him to get out. Xander shot Rogue a curious glance as the walked past the older man to gather Xander's luggage. "Let me guess,"he whispered conspiratorially, " Mr. Macho over there is afraid of flying." The growl that came from the ramp area was more than enough of a response, causing Rogue to giggle quietly.
"Ah should warn ya," she said. "Wolverine's got great hearing. Ah wouldn't make too many remarks like that around him. He might be a big ole' softie around the students, but he doesn't warm to strangers too quickly." Something in Xander's expression must have worried her a bit as she slung an arm around his waist and gave him a quick hug, "Listen Xander, Ah'm not gonna lie to you, after what's happened recently some of the other kids are going to be a little wary of a normal human coming in here, even if you're my friend. But Ah swear, you really don't have anything to worry about as long as you're the same sweet guy who saved my life when we met. We're not your enemies, you just have to show that not all humans are ours. Ah'm sure that you won't have any problems." Her pep talk seemed to work as Xander straightened a bit and hefted his bag more confidently. Together, they descended the ramp of the blackbird.
Xander had seen some pretty amazing things in his time on the Hellmouth, but the subterranean hanger he now stood in definitely made his top ten list. The walls and ceiling were a cool cobalt blue, and there were odd X shapes on every door attached to the hangar. The only thing keeping Xander from following his desire to explore every inch of the hangar was the soft, constant pressure of Rogue's hand in his. * Very nice * Xander thought admiringly * Can't complain about the décor. No sir, if the guy who runs this place is so fond of X's, then the ole X-Man's going to fit in just fine. *
* Glad to know it meets your high standards, Mr. Harris * a slightly accented, cultured voice responded in Xander's mind, making him jump, his eyes scanning the room for any possible source. The finally settled on a distinguished older man wearing a rich blue suit and a somewhat amused smile, the kind Giles often wore whenever he did or said anything shocked or disturbed any of the Scooby gang. Two things immediately stood out about the man, one he was completely bald, the second was that he was in a wheelchair. Xander shook his head slightly, wondering what he'd gotten himself into as Rogue lead him towards the far door by which the individual sat, following Cyclops and Wolverine who showed no signs that this was in any way out of the ordinary. As they approached the gentleman, another observation slowly dawned on Xander and he fought to hide a grin. * I wouldn't even think about making any Star Trek, references Mr. Harris * the voice came again, confirming Xander's suspicion that the man before him was indeed it's source, * I would hate for any of the students here to learn what your middle name is * the voice concluded teasingly. Xander made an immediate mental note not to say or do anything that would let that secret out of the bag.
"It's good to have you home Rogue," the bald man said, as she leaned down to give him a warm hug, "Bobby's been..." he paused, searching for the right words, "a royal pain in the ass without you here." Xander hid another grin at Rogue's shocked expression. "I'm Professor Charles Xavier," the gentleman said, "Welcome to my school Mr. Harris. I hope that you'll enjoy your time with us. The students certainly could use some exposure to decent humans these days, and from what I learned of you from Rogue, I couldn't think of a better person to help them readjust to normal humans" he finished, shaking the younger man's hand.
Xander smiled, flashing a quick wink at Rogue and noting a slight frown crossing her delicate face * I'll have to try to talk to her later, find out what's worrying her * he thought , "It's a pleasure to be here Professor. Though the number of people who would agree with you on my normalcy is incredibly small." This earned him a smile "Kidding aside though, I owe you. You can't possibly imagine what it's like to sit on your ass all day answering phones." Xander's eyes widened and his free hand flew to his mouth as what he just said registered in his brain. He felt Rogue tense next to him, and despite not being able to see the other two men in the room he had the distinct impression that they two were watching the Professor for an idea of how to react.
Xavier laughed, a deep, belly laugh and his amusement was evident in his sharp blue eyes, "You'd be surprised Mr. Harris, just how long a teleconference with a student's parents can last. Especially when you have to explain to them that their child blew a hole in one of the institute's walls and that they should be proud of that fact." The tension in the room dissipated almost as quickly as it arose and Professor Xavier turned his chair towards the door, which opened silently on its tracks. "I know you're probably anxious to meet some of the other students, Mr. Harris," he said, "but if you wouldn't mind sitting for a bit longer, I would love to talk to you about a matter I learned of from Rogue. Apparently the vampires and other monsters I loved to read about as a child aren't as imaginary as I thought they were. What can you tell me about this... hellmouth, is it?" Xander strolled casually alongside the Professor's chair as the group headed out of the hanger and down the long corridor towards the elevator to the upper levels of the mansion.
"I hope you've got time Professor," Xander said, "This is going to be one long story. Might as well start at the beginning. You see, in every generation there is...or I should say was, a Chosen One...recently things have gotten a lot more interesting...but I'm getting ahead of myself."
Author: RoguesKnight
Chapter six: Worlds Collide
Disclaimer: The characters contained within this story are not my property. Ok, Rivers is, but I really wish he wasn't. The non-original characters are the property of Marvel, 20th Century Fox, Mutant Enemy, and Joss Whedon respectively. Just borrowing them for a bit, though if Marvel is willing to part with Rogue, I'm willing to make an offer....how's a soul sound? Let me know guys, it's not that used yet.
Dedication: To my lovely fiancée I love you with all my heart. To my reviewers...I'm trying guys really. However, working two jobs and being a full time student takes up a good chunk of my time. Please be patient, and I'll make every effort to update as often as possible until this is finished...I want to find out how it ends just as much as you do. Thank you for all your kind words and support
* ************************************************************************** **
As the Blackbird lifted off into the midday sky a bush on a nearby hill rustled, and slowly unfolded into a single figure in desert camouflage, a carefully concealed camera with a long telephoto lens attached. * Promotion here I come * Sarah Jameson thought, her cool grey eyes tracking the quickly fading form of the black jet. She quickly shed the dried branches that had provided her cover and headed back down the hill. It hadn't been easy to keep track of Harris and the two women who'd accompanied him to his little rendezvous. The dark haired driver had to be one of the most paranoid people she had ever seen, driving around downtown L.A. for a solid hour and a half and making five pointless pit stops at convenience stores before putting the peddle to the metal and flying out to the meeting location at break neck speeds. How they'd managed to avoid a ticket was beyond her. * I guess Rivers was right. Harris knows something. I've never seen anything like that jet, but there's bound to be someone who has and is willing to talk about it for the right price * she mused, slinging her camera's strap over her neck and walking towards her carefully concealed motorcycle. * As for Harris himself* Sarah thought, uncovering the sleek black machine and hopping on, gunning the engines, * It's time to see what I can find out about him. If he knows someone with a jet like that, he's bound to have a past himself. * She raised the kickstand into place and flew off back towards the road and L.A.
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Xander leaned back against his seat in a state of shock, a feeling he hadn't known for years. * Guess I just got a little too used to the beasties of the hellmouth. I didn't even think that the world outside of Sunnydale could be just as odd * He became acutely aware of Rogue's increasingly concerned gaze from the seat next to him and offered up a weak smile, "I'm alright Marie, really. It's just a lot to take in all at once" He gestured expansively to the interior of the jet and its unusual occupants, "Even for someone like me." Rogue smiled, her face softening a bit as she nodded her understanding. Xander stole a glance at the men in the pilot and co-pilot's seats before leaning close to Rogue and whispering, "So, you're like a superhero, huh? Please tell me that this includes wearing skin tight costumes and not much else."
Before she could respond the sharp metallic sound of Logan's claws being unsheathed drew Xander's attention back to the co-pilot's seat. " Sorry to destroy your fantasy, bub.", the older man said gruffly, "Marie here doesn't have a costume yet, skin tight or otherwise." His dark eyes hardened as the hint of a growl entered his voice, making Xander squirm uncomfortably in his seat, "And before you even think about coming on to her any more, especially with cornball lines about superheroes, the lady has a boyfriend." With one more hard look at Xander, he re-sheathed his claws and turned his attention to the window. * Great * he thought * Just what we need, another bundle of hormones running around the institute. I sure as hell hope Chuck knows what he's doing, bringing this kid in.* Though he wouldn't admit it Logan had become attached to the young mutants that lived in the mansion. * If this human, Marie's friend or not, causes any sort of trouble he'll get a much closer look at my claws than he'd like. * Logan groused silently.
"Don't worry about him," Rogue said softly, reaching over to place a gloved hand comfortingly on Xander's arm. "He's really a big softie when you get to know him." This earned a growl from the seat directly in front of her, and surprisingly a chuckle from Cyclops who had otherwise been silent during the flight. Rogue smiled, feeling a bit of tension drain from her body. It'd been too long since she'd seen any signs that Scott was beginning to recover from Jean's sacrifice, maybe the chuckle was a sign that he was ready to start getting on with his life. "Unfortunately," She continued with a pointed glare at the occupants of the two front seats, " He's also right. Ah, don't have a uniform yet. Some people think Ah'm too young to handle myself in a fight. Never mind the fact that these two wouldn't be here today if Ah hadn't saved their lives a while back." If her hint about her combat readiness had any effect on the men in front of her they weren't letting it show.
Xander wisely decided to drop the issue about uniforms, "So, you have a boyfriend now? And yet I notice you still wear gloves. If you don't mind me asking, is this a fashion choice or have you...." He trailed off, glancing in Rogue's direction and noticing her downcast expression quickly added, "I mean either way I say keep them. Not everyone can pull off the whole long elegant, gloves look, but you definitely have the arms to do it. Very slender and feminine, which is not to say that I think of you as weak or anything. And I'm babbling, I'm just going to shut up now."
Rogue managed a small smile. Even though Xander had obviously had a lifetime's worth of rough experiences since the last time she'd seen him, he still reminded her of the slightly insecure youth she'd first met. " No," she said softly, reaching over and taking his hand in one of her gloved ones, "It's ok. Really, Ah've gotten over the whole being a mutant thing, mostly. It's one of the great parts about living at the Institute, with others like me. Ah don't feel so much like a freak anymore. But to answer your question, no it's not a fashion choice. Ah'm not as terrified about touching anyone as Ah used to be, but Ah still can't control it." She lowered her voice to almost a whisper and Xander barely caught her next words, "Which is one of the problems Bobby and Ah have been having recently. It's not that Ah don't want to get close to him, it's just that Ah don't want to hurt him either. You know what Ah mean?"
Xander squeezed her hand gently and nodded, "All too well." He replied, his own voice taking on a saddened tone, "A little over a year ago I was engaged. Believe it or not, someone actually wanted to marry me." He gave a soft, humorless laugh, "Her name was Anya. She was, despite being a former vengeance demon, a lot more than I ever deserved. I mean beautiful, sharp as a whip, if a little too literal at times, funny in her own way...a great lover..." he colored deeply and hurried on, "Anyway, to make a long story short, I broke her heart by leaving her at the altar. A demon claiming to be me from the future showed me what our marriage would be like and believe me when I say what I saw was a living hell." He took a deep breathe and continued "Ok, you have to swear not to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. I didn't even tell my closest friends about this part." Rogue nodded her understanding and it was good enough for him. Somehow he had the feeling Cyclops and Logan weren't exactly the gossiping types. " Well, what the demon showed me was a horrible marriage, we were constantly sniping at each other, our kids hated and resented us, and in the end I ended up hitting her with a frying pan. That's where the vision ended. Granted, it was an illusion designed to break up our relationship. But it worked, I saw the thing I feared the most. I wasn't going to turn out any differently than my old man and it terrified me. I had to walk away to keep her safe."
Rogue's grip on his hand tightened slightly, "Ah'm sorry Xander. Ah can't imagine what it must be like to get that close to someone and have to walk away. Ah mean, even Bobby and Ah aren't that close and given the way things have been going with him lately, even if Ah could touch Ah'm not sure Ah'd picture myself with him long term anymore. If you don't mind me asking, what ever happened to this Anya? Did you manage to stay friends or did she leave town or what?"
Xander smiled sadly, "It probably would have been better if she had left town after that. But that'd have just been too easy for my Anya. Always had to do things the hard way. It took a little while...and her going from being a former vengeance demon to current vengeance demon and back again, but we eventually worked out our issues. We were even heading back towards relationship land, well I was hoping so anyway, when the Apocalypse struck....again. This time not all of us got to walk away from it. From what I heard, she went down fighting." He smiled, "Not that I was really that surprised. If there was one thing my Anya could do well it was fight. Usually with me, but every now and then we could channel that energy into a more appropriate form." From the co-pilot's seat came a low growl and Xander quickly clarified his statement, "Into fighting evil of course, which is the best way to channel any excess energy."
Rogue grinned openly and flashed him a quick wink, "Ah'm sure." She said teasingly, "Cause unless you have a healing factor like someone in this jet," she nodded towards the chair Logan occupied, "Healing takes a good bit of energy."
Xander shot her a mock glare, "Are you saying that I can't take care of myself? I'll have you know that even with my lessened depth perception I'm in as good fighting shape as I ever was." Rogue's grin widened and she placed a slender, gloved finger against the side of her head knowingly. " Not one word, smartass." Xander said with a slight smile, "I'm not the kid I was when I met you." Unconsciously his free hand began to rise towards the patch covering his empty eye socket and he forced it back down.
Rogue nodded in understanding, absently wrapping a few strands of white hair around her index finger, "Ah kinda know what you mean," she said with a wry smile.
Before Xander could ask what she meant by that their attention was pulled to the front of the jet. "We're here," Cyclops said simply, his voice devoid of emotion. Through the front windows Xander could see what appeared to be an old mansion or boarding house, surrounded by forest, with a lone winding road leading to and from the building. * Well, it's isolated enough to be able to hide this thing, provided there's a runway around here for an actual landing * he thought. Much to his surprise, the jet simply hovered for a moment before descending towards a basketball court.
"Not that I'm one to talk," he whispered to Rogue, "but isn't the basketball court kind of exposed for a parking....." he trailed off as the court began to retract below them and the jet sank below ground. Rogue grinned, she'd had about the same reaction the first time she'd seen the Blackbird land, even though she'd been concerned with a comatose Wolverine at the time, there were some things she just couldn't ignore. Finally the jet set down and the occupants unbuckled, readying to disembark. Much to Xander's surprise, Logan was at the ramp almost immediately, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for it to lower enough for him to get out. Xander shot Rogue a curious glance as the walked past the older man to gather Xander's luggage. "Let me guess,"he whispered conspiratorially, " Mr. Macho over there is afraid of flying." The growl that came from the ramp area was more than enough of a response, causing Rogue to giggle quietly.
"Ah should warn ya," she said. "Wolverine's got great hearing. Ah wouldn't make too many remarks like that around him. He might be a big ole' softie around the students, but he doesn't warm to strangers too quickly." Something in Xander's expression must have worried her a bit as she slung an arm around his waist and gave him a quick hug, "Listen Xander, Ah'm not gonna lie to you, after what's happened recently some of the other kids are going to be a little wary of a normal human coming in here, even if you're my friend. But Ah swear, you really don't have anything to worry about as long as you're the same sweet guy who saved my life when we met. We're not your enemies, you just have to show that not all humans are ours. Ah'm sure that you won't have any problems." Her pep talk seemed to work as Xander straightened a bit and hefted his bag more confidently. Together, they descended the ramp of the blackbird.
Xander had seen some pretty amazing things in his time on the Hellmouth, but the subterranean hanger he now stood in definitely made his top ten list. The walls and ceiling were a cool cobalt blue, and there were odd X shapes on every door attached to the hangar. The only thing keeping Xander from following his desire to explore every inch of the hangar was the soft, constant pressure of Rogue's hand in his. * Very nice * Xander thought admiringly * Can't complain about the décor. No sir, if the guy who runs this place is so fond of X's, then the ole X-Man's going to fit in just fine. *
* Glad to know it meets your high standards, Mr. Harris * a slightly accented, cultured voice responded in Xander's mind, making him jump, his eyes scanning the room for any possible source. The finally settled on a distinguished older man wearing a rich blue suit and a somewhat amused smile, the kind Giles often wore whenever he did or said anything shocked or disturbed any of the Scooby gang. Two things immediately stood out about the man, one he was completely bald, the second was that he was in a wheelchair. Xander shook his head slightly, wondering what he'd gotten himself into as Rogue lead him towards the far door by which the individual sat, following Cyclops and Wolverine who showed no signs that this was in any way out of the ordinary. As they approached the gentleman, another observation slowly dawned on Xander and he fought to hide a grin. * I wouldn't even think about making any Star Trek, references Mr. Harris * the voice came again, confirming Xander's suspicion that the man before him was indeed it's source, * I would hate for any of the students here to learn what your middle name is * the voice concluded teasingly. Xander made an immediate mental note not to say or do anything that would let that secret out of the bag.
"It's good to have you home Rogue," the bald man said, as she leaned down to give him a warm hug, "Bobby's been..." he paused, searching for the right words, "a royal pain in the ass without you here." Xander hid another grin at Rogue's shocked expression. "I'm Professor Charles Xavier," the gentleman said, "Welcome to my school Mr. Harris. I hope that you'll enjoy your time with us. The students certainly could use some exposure to decent humans these days, and from what I learned of you from Rogue, I couldn't think of a better person to help them readjust to normal humans" he finished, shaking the younger man's hand.
Xander smiled, flashing a quick wink at Rogue and noting a slight frown crossing her delicate face * I'll have to try to talk to her later, find out what's worrying her * he thought , "It's a pleasure to be here Professor. Though the number of people who would agree with you on my normalcy is incredibly small." This earned him a smile "Kidding aside though, I owe you. You can't possibly imagine what it's like to sit on your ass all day answering phones." Xander's eyes widened and his free hand flew to his mouth as what he just said registered in his brain. He felt Rogue tense next to him, and despite not being able to see the other two men in the room he had the distinct impression that they two were watching the Professor for an idea of how to react.
Xavier laughed, a deep, belly laugh and his amusement was evident in his sharp blue eyes, "You'd be surprised Mr. Harris, just how long a teleconference with a student's parents can last. Especially when you have to explain to them that their child blew a hole in one of the institute's walls and that they should be proud of that fact." The tension in the room dissipated almost as quickly as it arose and Professor Xavier turned his chair towards the door, which opened silently on its tracks. "I know you're probably anxious to meet some of the other students, Mr. Harris," he said, "but if you wouldn't mind sitting for a bit longer, I would love to talk to you about a matter I learned of from Rogue. Apparently the vampires and other monsters I loved to read about as a child aren't as imaginary as I thought they were. What can you tell me about this... hellmouth, is it?" Xander strolled casually alongside the Professor's chair as the group headed out of the hanger and down the long corridor towards the elevator to the upper levels of the mansion.
"I hope you've got time Professor," Xander said, "This is going to be one long story. Might as well start at the beginning. You see, in every generation there is...or I should say was, a Chosen One...recently things have gotten a lot more interesting...but I'm getting ahead of myself."