Chapter Six

Charles, Hank, and I waited for Moira and David to arrive. Erik and Kurt played nearby, and Logan watched everything with a sharp eye. I didn't know how he was handling everything so calmly, since I could hardly wrap my mind around everything and he was the one who'd done the time-travelling. But, before I could think too much on it, Charles suddenly lifted his head, beaming. "They're here."

And, of course, two minutes later, Moira's car could be seen pulling onto the driveway. Charles practically vibrated with excitement and anxious anticipation. "You'd think it's been ages since he saw them last," I stage-whispered to Hank, "instead of just two weeks."

Charles playfully glared at me. "Says the woman who nearly tackled Hank last night."

I grinned, and Hank laughed. It was a much-needed moment of normality, coating each of us in a protective layer of friendship.

Moira parked the car, and Charles was at her door before she'd even turned it off. Hank and I weren't terribly far behind, though, prepared for the tiny missile that launched himself into my arms the moment Hank opened the back door. A happy, warm feeling overcame me; David's happiness at seeing me again radiated from his mind.

"I missed you, Davide," I muttered against his hair.

A rapid rush of emotions flowed over me, sadness, excitement, contentment, happiness, worry. The blur of memories that came with made sense: saying goodbye to Charles and me, his mother's infectious excitement to see her family, snuggling with his grandfather in a rocking chair, getting to ride a horse (a pony, really) for the first time, the telephone call Moira had received.

"You've had quite the busy two weeks," I told him with a smile. "But I suppose I should share you. Would you like to go see Hank now?"

David's answer was to simply stretch his arms to Hank, who gladly took the boy and gave him a snuggle.

A tiny poof! was the only warning I got before my arms were once more filled with Kurt. "Hello, piccolo," I grinned down at him, but the smile faded when I saw the pout on his face. "What is it, amore? What's wrong?"

He didn't answer, simply buried his tiny face in my neck once more.

I had no idea what could possibly be wrong. I smoothed his hair down and kissed his head, bouncing a bit as I tried to figure out what to do.

"I'm afraid David and Kurt are both feeling a bit jealous of each other," Charles informed me. He and Moira joined us, and David made a leap for his father before turning to glare at the boy in my arms. After settling his son into his arms and pressing a loud, smacking kiss that earned him a giggle from the boy, Charles continued. "Both of them are incredibly fond of you, and neither are terribly keen on sharing with the other."

"Oh, my boys," I laughed. "You'll just have to learn to share me, just like your uncles did." A pang in my heart nearly brought tears to my eyes at the thought of their uncles, but I pushed it aside to focus on what was in front of me. A few steps brought me next to Charles, and subsequently, David. "Kurt, this is David. I'm his Zia. David, this is Kurt. I'm his… Ama. Now, can you two play nicely with each other? Kurt's not taking me from you, David, and David won't steal me from you, Kurt. I love you both. And that's not going to change."

I couldn't have missed Moira's sharp glance at my words, but it really wasn't the time to explain everything. Plus, I knew Charles's mental filling-in would be far faster than anything I could tell her. So, I focused on the boys, who were focused on each other. After a long, tense moment, Kurt smiled. "Da!"

And wonder of wonders, David smiled back. He rarely took to new people quickly. In fact, several students who'd been at the school for months still got avoided. But a grin, an actual smile for Kurt was very nearly a miracle. "Why don't you boys go play on the grass, hm?" Charles said, bending slightly to let David slide down his body to the ground.

"Go on, Kurt, you'll have fun," I told the little boy in my arms. "David knows all the good things in the yard." I set him down, and the two toddled off.

Heat at my back announced Erik's arrival, as well as the instant glower on Moira's face. "Why doesn't your son speak?" he asked. "From his size, I'd guess he was at least a year older than Kurt, so why doesn't he speak?"

"David does speak, but only when he chooses to," Moira defended, her hackles clearly raised.

"He's an even stronger telepath than I am," Charles continued, wrapping an arm around his wife in what seemed to be an unconscious move. They simply gravitated toward one another. "I could speak to him even in the womb, and he could communicate with all of us, as well. And when he chooses to speak, he's got quite the vocabulary for a three-year-old. But, since he is three, it's easier for him to simply share what he's thinking or feeling telepathically than try to explain what he wants for you to know."

"Are we ready to leave?" Moira asked Charles. Her tension, to say nothing of her abruptness, displayed her anxiety discussing her son around Erik. I couldn't say that I blamed her.

"Petra had to run into town for a few supplies, but she'll be back shortly," he soothed.

"I'll be with the boys until then," she said, turning to join her son and his newly-found cousin.

I also joined them, not wanting to be around Erik any more than I had to be. I still had no idea how I felt about him, or rather I had far too many feelings about him. And I most certainly didn't want to examine any of them.

Moira and I watched the boys as they chased each other, squealing and laughing with the happiness that children seem to radiate. "How was your trip?" I asked her, wanting to focus on, well, just about anything other than Erik.

She smiled briefly. "It was good. My parents adore David, and he got to play with his cousins, ride a horse."

"He showed me that," I laughed. "He was very pleased with himself."

"Oh, he was," she chuckled at the memory. But then she sighed. "How are you doing, with the news?"

So, there may have been a few topics I would rather not think about. I sighed, closing my eyes against the pain in my heart. "I'll manage," I told her finally. "We'll get Alex back, and then I'll deal with… the rest."

"Or, in other words, you'll bury it so far down, you don't have to think about it," Moira corrected me knowingly.

"You're not the one who can read minds, so stop acting like it," I joked.

"I just know you well," she grinned.

We watched as the boys played some game that only they understood. But eventually, the moment had to end. "Petra's on her way back, so we need to get ready to leave," Charles said as he came to join us.

"And I should probably say goodbye to Lotta," I groaned. I climbed to my feet and dusted myself off.

"Yes, she's not terribly fond of goodbyes that don't actually happen," he grinned at me.

"And she won't let me forget it," I muttered, heading back to the house.

Lotta's bedroom door was closed, not that I was surprised, and locked. I knocked, but didn't get a response. Also, not a surprise. "Lotta, I'm leaving now," I said, loudly enough that she could hear in her room. "I didn't want to leave without talking to you first. And I know you're upset with me, but I wanted to say goodbye."

Still nothing from inside. Guilt mingled with anger, hurt, and a tinge of fear. "Lotta, I love you. We'll talk when I get back." With a sigh, I turned around and went back outside.

Charles and Erik were explaining to the boys that they would have to stay at the school while we went away, but that we would come back to them. "We've got to go get Uncle Alex," Charles told David, "so you need to stay here with Petra and Suzanne, alright? You'll be good for them, yes?"

Erik's words were in German, a language I had tried to forget. "Sei ein guter Junge. Wir müssen Mamas Bruder bekommen. Wir werden zurückkommen. Ich liebe dich."

Moira also took a turn to assure her son, but I didn't have a chance to hear it, since Kurt teleported himself into my arms. "Ti amo, piccolo mio. Torneremo, lo prometto."

There were quite a lot of tears as we said goodbye, and only most came from the boys. Suzanne and Petra gently peeled the boys off us, then helped them wave to us as we climbed into the car. "You know, Charles," Hank said conversationally, "it would be so much easier if you would just let me build a hangar on the property." He pulled down the driveway and out the gate.

"You should build it under the basketball court, like I suggested," I added, putting as much space as possible between me and Erik on my right.

Logan laughed from my left. "So that was your idea. I never knew."

"If I couldn't read your mind, I would think you're simply putting me on," Charles replied, sarcasm coating his words. "But if you think your future knowledge will sway me, you're vastly mistaken. We run a school, not a military base."

AN: Ugh, it's been forever, I know, and I'm sorry. Life has been a bit crazy, and my muse has kinda been abandoning me. But I won't abandon this story, I promise! I kinda committed myself when I posted Siren, so I'm in this for the long haul. This one is probably going to be longer than Siren, so that might be a really long haul, but I will finish it! Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to brigid1318 and ZabuzasGirl for your reviews!

P.S. I can't believe I forgot the translations! Sorry! Erik says, "Be a good boy. We have to get Mama's brother. We'll be back. I love you." And Bianca says, "I love you, my little one. We'll be back, I promise." Sorry I forgot earlier!