First chapter = disclaimers

A/N I do apologize for the shortness of  this and the preceding chapter, hopefully, things will move more quickly once I get the basic plot set up. Hopefully….

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Alec shivered as he watched the small needle be pulled out of his arm. The doctor was friendly enough, but the fact that the blood he was drawing was going to be used for experiments was not a comforting thought. Even if the tests were for his own good, Alec could not bring himself to think kindly about them. He had always detested being odd. He had always striven to be good without touching his mutant capabilities, and now here he was: needing to be tested because something was wrong with them.

"You may go now. I'll call the professor when I have some results," the gentle voiced doctor said.

Alec did not need to be told twice. With quick movements, he dressed and made his way out of the infirmary. Charles was waiting outside.

"Making sure I don't leave?" Alec quipped as he shortened his stride to match Xavier's wheelchair.

"Where would you go, Alec?" Charles asked redundantly.

"I suppose you have a point. I pretty much destroyed the only other place in this world I ever belonged."

"You didn't destroy it," Charles corrected him.

"In a way I did. If I had been more alert, if I had kept up with my studies and discipline, I would never have been brainwashed. But that isn't the point, now is it? I can't very well go back in time and change it."

"Actually, I know a mutant that can go back in time," Charles said with a slight quirk on his lips.

"Do you now? Pity that I'm too thick headed to listen to even myself."

"A common malady among humans and mutants alike, I assure you."

Alec chuckled slightly. "True enough. I don't suppose that you have anything good in your kitchen?"

Charles ignored the abrupt change of topic and responded easily, "I have many different teenagers living under my roof, while they may deplete the stock in the kitchen rapidly, I am certain you could find something to your liking."

"You know I could have shot you ten times in the time it took you to say that sentence."

"That is why you are who you are," Charles said cryptically.

Alec merely sighed in response and walked off towards the kitchen.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

When he arrived in the kitchen, they found it already occupied by Scott and Logan.

Scott had apparently been having a tense moment with the other man and quickly turned his attention to the new comers.

"I'm glad that you are feeling better," he offered towards Alec.

"Yes, thank you," Alec nodded politely.

An awkward silence descended. It was punctuated only by the sound of Logan sipping his beer and Scott munching on whatever health food snack he had found.

"I don't suppose that there is anything good to eat?" Alec surprised himself by trying to make conversation.

Scott wordlessly offered his soy chips. Off of Alec's look, Logan grunted in amusement and opened a cupboard to reveal a plethora of high calorie snack foods.

"One eye doesn't seem to understand the benefits of having our fancy mutant metabolisms," he explained.

"Just because you can burn off the calories doesn't mean that the other ingredients can't be harmful," the offended party rebutted.

Logan rolled his eyes and grabbed a bag of potato chips to go with his beer.

"I take it you two aren't friends then?" Alec said with a slightly amused voice.

"You a telepath or somethin'?" Logan said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Actually, no. I just have the observational skills of a blind man who is half deaf."

Scott smiled slightly at the remark. "Jean always spoke highly of your skills."

Alec's smile faded. "I'm sorry to hear of her death."

"She would have been pleased to see you," Scott answered without really saying anything.

Alec nibbled quietly on his snack.

Logan grinned. "You're a spook."

"What?"

"You're all quiet and stealthy. Only people I know like that are spooks. Cyke over there couldn't walk down a carpeted hall without making a racket. You're trying to eat pretzels without making noise."

"Logan, leave him alone," Scott reprimanded.

Alec sighed in irritation. As much as he wanted to be left alone at the moment, he did not need to be defended either.

"Just tryin' to make nice with the new kid, don't get yer grundies in a bundle," Logan shot back.

"I was a spy. I'm not really much of anything anymore."

"Ah, don't let it get you down, Bub. Me? I ain't got nowhere to call home, but these nice people let me stay here. They aren't half bad once you get used to Summers over there."

"I'll try to remember that," Alec replied.

"Alec," Charles' voice interrupted them.

"Yes?" he responded.

"I have some of your test results back," Charles spoke from the entry way to the kitchen.

Alec moved towards Charles grateful that the Professor had not used his telepathy to call him. He was not sure if he was ready to have another person in so close of contact with his mind.