Chapter 1: Step 1: Plan
Emily
laid her daughter down for a nap then picked the days mail up from
the table where she had continued to pile it as it came in that day.
With the thought she'd clean out her car she shuffled through her
letters as she tucked a garbage bag under her arm.
"Bill,
bill, Zander, junk, Uncle Charlie, Oh God!" halfway to the car
still on the paved strip she collapsed.
Since he'd left she'd
always feared this. Granted it was a fear she refused to acknowledge
it was there. Quickly, she scrambled to her feet grabbing the letter
she half walked half crawled to her car climbed in the front seat and
cranked up the radio to a deafening volume and sobbed. As her
parents, siblings, friends, and even Logan himself had told her he'd
broken her heart. It wasn't fair. They had a daughter, four years of
marriage, and a life how could he walk out on that? How could he walk
out on little Ann Marie?
Emily
sat up straight as a board. Her dream wasn't as much a figment of
imagination as it was the most painful moment of her life relived.
More than once a week it returned to haunt her. A long 16 years had
passed since her letter had been returned un-opened. More of her
money than she really had to spend had gone to searching for her
husband. Her baby had grown up now. She was a young woman of 16. Her
father had gone missing only a few months before her first birthday.
In the spans between then and now their daughter had learned to
speak, walk, and ride a bike and a broom. She was now in her final
year at Hogwarts. Like her mother she was a witch, so much mutant
blood, so little mutant product.
"Hey Mum!" Ann Marie
called up the steps.
"Yea?"
"You want your
pan cakes plain?"
"Yes, please. I'll be right down."
Emily climbed out of bed and into the warm early summer air. She
threw open her window and went to dress. Nearly, fifteen minutes
later she was dressed and ready for the day. In the kitchen she found
Ann Marie, her daughter, and the neighbor's boy, Joshua.
"Oh
Come on AM, they'd get a kick out of it." he grinned. Popping a
blue berry in her mouth Ann Marie giggled.
"Oh I don't
know. Joshy, Hannah already thinks we've... Mum!" she
gasp.
"Mum?" Josh asked not seeing her.
"Hannah's
wrong though isn't she?" Emily asked coming up behind her
daughter to give her a kiss. "Morning Joshua."
"Yes,
of course she is. Han always jumps to conclusions. I mean we aren't
even dating Mum." Emily smiled.
"We leave for school
Monday Emily Elizabeth, what do you have planned for this year?"
Joshua asked. Emily shrugged.
"If Charlie doesn't write me
back by then I'm not sure."
"What is it you plan to do
there? From what you've said they are just mutants." her
daughter asked.
"NO! They are much more than that. They are
our family. Your father, grandparents, aunt and uncle, even several
of your cousins are mutants. Mutants are our family. As for my plans,
I want to teach at Charlie's school."
"And search for
Da. You really should give it up Mum. The man doesn't care for us. He
walked out a long time ago."
"Not now, dear." she
warned. Ann Marie shut up and turned to look at Joshua who shrugged
then nodded.
"We want to go down to the pond today. Can
we?"
"What did Annie say?" Emily asked the
boy.
"Mum, said it was fine as long as we ask you first."
"Fine then."
Professor
Charles Xavier wheeled himself around to his desk as Scott dropped
the mail on his desk. All the mail gets sorted down and handed out
daily to the students and staff. He got to piles one was personal
which he intended to first the other had to do with the school mostly
bills. He looked through his stack of personal letters two old
students 'keeping in touch', several parents writing with concerns
about their children, then the last one made him smile.
"Do
you know what this is Scott?" he asked. Scott shook his head.
"Our old friend has finally dropped us a line."
"Who?"
"Emily
Elizabeth Rees. You remember the sweet little one who was gifted in
so many areas she was proclaimed witch?" Scott grinned.
"Yes,
but I thought she was a Baskins."
"She was. She
married." he opened her letter and began to read aloud. "Dear
Uncle Charlie, and if I know you half as well as I'd like to think
Scottie. I have so much to tell you. As you know I'm coming up on my
20th year of marriage and the 17th with out him around. It's
difficult to explain all that has been done to find him but I'm tired
of working through dimwitted PI's. If you would provide me with a
place to stay I'd like to further the search on my own. I know he's
in the states or at least on the same continent. This is my final
year that Ann Marie will be in school.
" She's grown so
much. Enclosed are pictures of her and her best friend, whom with any
luck will one day be my son-in-law. In only two short weeks she'll be
a legal witch. Scott, do you remember when I first turned legal? I'm
sure you do. At least parts of it I don't think Uncle Charlie, Mom,
and Dad were ever so mad at us. I'd bet my last Knut that even Uncle
Erik would have been angry with our behavior. Well this letter is to
Uncle Charlie so with him I leave this question: Would you allow me
to stay with you? I promise to work for my keep. We both know a being
is only as good as its word so I'm obliviously not lying to you. All
my love, best of wishes Double E."
"Well she's not
changed at all has she?" Scott asked.
"That is what
she'd like us to think. In truth, she's changed far more than any one
ever should have to."
"Are you going to allow her to
stay here?"
"Yes, she hasn't said all that needs said.
I think we'll be needing her soon."
Scott nodded and left to
have a room set up for Emily. While Charles set to writing a letter.
Dear
Emily Elizabeth,
You are always welcome in my home. Just as your
parents before you were. Though here too things have changed. I
remind you not to push any subjects that the staff or students seem
reluctant to speak about. If you so choose your daughter are allowed
to come also, though I'm confident you will both find this only
necessary during her holiday breaks. Come when ever you wish Scott
has already begun preparations for you.
Forever and again,
Uncle
Charlie
