Thank you to Jubes and SxHxC and DarkAngel and everyone else who gave me the wonderful reviews... only two chapters to go! Hope you enjoy!
Miko
Chapter 19 Reunion
The butterflies in her stomach still rumbled around of her as she followed her host through the polished halls of an old enchanting building.
He had called it a school, but despite her unease, it felt more like a home.
Lived in.
As if confirming her accusations, a small circular crack in the marble floor rippled out from its center. It seemed familiar.
As the headmaster rolled ahead to talk with her husband, Mrs. Montique stopped to examine the cracks closer.
"Mrs. Montique? Laura? I've been informed that your daughter is just ahead in the dorm area."
"Informed?" She breathed, stepping closer to Professor Xavier, her high heels clacking on the marble floor and reverberating throughout an otherwise silent hallway. "Through telepathy?" She asked him.
He smiled broadly at her. "No, I'm afraid, it's just through our intercom system."
He beckoned them forward, and Mrs. Montique laughed despite herself.
As they continued down the hallway, the lovely ethereal atmosphere of the house evaporated leaving behind flickering lights and part of the floor caving into the level below. It looked like they had a very expansive basement. Like it was a whole other floor...
"Are you redecorating?" She asked, latching onto her husband's arm.
"We are now..." She could have sworn she'd heard him say, but he smiled again, and only nodded.
A few seconds later she heard some familiar footfalls.
Leila Montique came running, a huge smile plastered on her face. It was something Laura had never thought she'd see again.
"Oh my baby!" She gasped as tears escaped her eyes. "My beautiful girl." She smiled, all worries forgotten, down on both knees, her arms wrapped soundly around her precious angel.
"Mommy!" Leila exclaimed as her mother scooped her up and held tight. "You wouldn't believe the time I've had. This morning when I woke up Jean did my hair and Bobby made me waffles, but he burned them so Kurt had to do it over again and then Logan played the crossword puzzle from the newspaper with me because I told him that me and Daddy did that and OH! My ears have moggrifiers or something now and I'm better with hearing things and smarter too about using my powers and the floor below us was—"
"Whoa Lei, slow down!" her father laughed, as her mother released her grip to let him have her. Leila now sat on his left shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck, as her mother rested her head on his right shoulder and closed her eyes.
"Sorry Daddy." Leila breathed. "I missed you."
"I missed you too baby girl." Vargas Montique smiled. Then to the Professor he added. "How can I ever thank you?"
Xavier only shook his head. "It's what we do."
Mr. Montique extended his hand and shook the Professor's. "Do you think..." Montique continued. "That Leila could enroll here?"
"Of course." The Professor agreed.
Leila squealed with glee.
"Oh Daddy, that's wonderful, there are so many nice people here... oh! And people who are learning to be nice."
Vargas did a double take. "What does that mean honey?"
"Well..." Leila started, her parents both staring at her. "You know how when you have a really bad dream and it seems so real you think it is, but then suddenly something finally wakes you up and you realize what you were doing in the dream was bad and so you stop and try not to do it again and be better?"
Vargas blinked, processing that.
"You had a bad dream last night?"
Leila laughed... then she thought about it... "Oh well yes I did... but that's not what I'm talking about."
"Well then... who woke up?"
"Oh, her name is... Bobby!" Leila squealed, having spotted him.
Her father blinked again and let his daughter down so she could introduce Iceman.
Professor Xavier sighted Jean behind Bobby and went to join her. Away from the Montique's they talked.
"You had a busy night I take it?"
Jean smiled in the way that only Jean could. "It was eventful." She admitted.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes actually. I'll be just fine. But..." she continued. "That is the LAST time we let Bobby Drake explain to a seven year old girl the psychological breakthrough of an emotionally despondent mutant."
"Is that what happened? I was wondering what the dream metaphor was all about."
Jean smiled again. "Well... at least Leila understood it." Xavier nodded.
"Callie is it?" he asked of her. Jean nodded. "Where is she now?" Xavier added.
"On the other side of the school, trying to sort things out, repair a great deal of damage, go through a lot of emotions... all her own."
Xavier nodded at the meaning behind those words. "We have a lot to talk about. Then I think I should see her."
"Of course Professor." Jean agreed, moving past him to introduce herself to Leila's parents, and heard the backend of their conversation with Bobby.
"Yeah, a lot of mutants don't have any distinguishing features, like myself and your daughter." Bobby was saying.
"And then there are a lot of others like... Mr. Wagner?" Leila's mother asked.
"Right." Bobby conceded.
"We should apologize again for the way we acted before in front of Mr. Wagner." Mr. Montique went to pick his daughter up again. "He has shown us nothing but respect and understanding and compassion, and nothing short of heroism concerning our daughter from what we've been told." Leila smiled at what her Daddy said, and so did everyone else.
"Yes and EVERYONE's so nice here Daddy, Jean and Bobby and Scott... well Scott... but umm OH you should meet Dr. Hank!" Leila squeaked.
"Dr. Hank?" her mother asked her.
"Heh, hey, does he have any distinguishing features?" Mr. Montique asked as a joke.
Jean looked at the Professor, and only Bobby laughed.
"Hey Elf, your ears burnin'?" Logan asked from his seat next to Kurt in the kitchen. "Why? Is someone talking about me?" Kurt asked back, from his perched position, next to Logan's laid back one.
Logan grinned, obviously being able to hear something that Nightcrawler could not.
"All good things I hope." Kurt said taking a sip of coffee.
"Well, they're true anyway." Logan admitted.
Kurt rolled his eyes and put down his cup.
"I don't know why I'm drinking this, I'm just gonna go and take a nap. Hmm..." he thought. "That is a good idea." He pushed the coffee away and rose.
"See you later?" He asked Logan.
"I'll be here." Logan answered back.
Kurt nodded and turned to leave the room... but then stopped.
"I meant everything I said, you know that right? Nothing's changed." Kurt faced his friend. "Everything you once were has allowed for everything you will be. You had to get through all of the trials you have faced to be the man that you are now. The man who is the best he is at what he does." Kurt paused to choose his words. "Do you know what it is you do Logan?"
Logan looked up.
"You give people hope."
...
"Thank you Kurt."
"You're Welcome mein freund."
Kurt continued his way out the door and left Logan to think.
After a while, Logan paused to stand up, and, quickly deciding, left the room as well to follow a, by now, familiar scent.