This takes over right where last chapter ended and I know it's been a while, so you might want to check it out again.
John leads Clarice back to the main corridor and into another, narrower one. The room he opens in front of her, letting her in first despite how awkward it is with his chair, is to scale with the mansion−that is, huge. It's more of a suite than just a room, with a wide-screen TV in front of a couch in a corner and a desk on the other side. The furniture is more modern than what Clarice has seen of the house so far, and she immediately likes it.
"Nice, isn't it?" John says.
Clarice smiles, sitting down on the king-sized bed. "So that's where you went to school, uh?"
"Well, to be fair, the student rooms are not as luxurious. We'll find time for a tour tomorrow."
John puts their bags down on the low table by the couch and joins her on the bed. They both kick off their shoes and lie down, sighing in relief.
"I haven't used my chair so much in a while," John says, looking at his hands.
Clarice grabs one of his hands, looking for red marks or irritation. "I don't see anything. You can actually feel it?" she asks.
"Mostly in the muscles," John says. "Wheeling around isn't as easy as it looks."
Clarice bites her lip. "The Professor...I didn't know. It took me by surprise."
"Maybe I should have warned you," John sighs, turning to look at her.
"I didn't mean that," Clarice says. "Disability isn't something one should be warned about. Like...like I wouldn't like it if you warned people about my looks beforehand. It's just that I didn't realize you had that in common."
"He's been paraplegic since long before I met him. He was a lot of help to me at first. Knowing him...well, it made it a little easier to accept that my life wasn't over just because I couldn't walk.
"He seems worried for you."
"I've only been here once since I got back from Afghanistan, and it was at the very beginning," John explains. "When I got out of the hospital, Marcos and Lorna's apartment wasn't properly fitted yet, so it was easier to come here."
"How long did you stay?"
"Just a couple of weeks until I could fly out, but...how to say this...I wasn't in a very good place. So I know the Professor's been worrying. It's also why I wanted to come, so he can see for himself that I'm doing better."
"That's why he asked if you could walk."
John nods. "In a way, I think it was harder for him than for any of my friends, because he really knew what was in store for me. Marcos and Lorna, even me, we learned things as they came, but he already knew."
"I didn't think of it that way," Clarice says.
"I'm the first to say that being disabled is not a bad thing, but I still wouldn't wish it on anyone, and especially the early parts. So I understand his worry. I was also grieving quite...brutally back then, and at the worst of the PTSD symptoms, so I probably projected self-destructive thoughts all over the place."
"Projected?"
John makes a motion toward his head. "Telepathically. I was too upset to realize that he was sensing all of it."
"He's a telepath?" Clarice asks, surprised.
"A very powerful one," John answers. "I've told you about this before. He helped me get my mutation under control."
"Right. I just...I didn't make the connection."
"Don't worry, he's got a pretty strict moral code, he doesn't make it into a habit to go snoop into people's minds. In a place full of teenagers, believe me, it's for the best."
"I'm not worried," Clarice says. She is, a little bit, but she knows it's more of a prejudice than a legitimate fear. She has never really met a psionic before, and powerful psionics are usually held as dangerous by the public opinion, but she of all people should know that the public opinion on mutants cannot be trusted.
"He's one of the most respectful people I know. And hopeful, though he must have seen all the worst of humanity."
"You really love him," Clarice states.
John nods. "He saved my life and my mind twice, when I was at my worst. And he never stops caring, for each of the children who come through here."
"He sounds like a good man."
"He really is," John says. He looks at his watch. "It's almost seven. We should get ready."
"Yes," Clarice pushes herself off the bed, suddenly nervous again. "Should I change clothes? I don't know what to wear."
"Hey, don't worry," John smiles, sitting up. "What you're wearing now is just fine. It's going to be casual, anyway. Just a normal night for everyone here."
"I don't want to make you look bad."
John actually laughs. "Clarice, not only you are your own person, there's nothing you can do that would make me look bad. You're beautiful as you are."
"You remember what happened the last time you tried to introduce me to your friends?"
John frowns for a second. "The party at the center? It wasn't that bad."
"I felt awful," Clarice says.
"I'm sorry I spurred this on you when you weren't ready. But you'll be fine tonight. Don't worry about making me look anything, just be yourself. And even if it happens again, it will be okay. They're not here to judge you. This is one of the least judgmental places I know."
Clarice takes a few deep breaths. "Okay. But still, I want things to go smoothly."
"It's going to be fine, you'll see," John says.
Clarice nods. "Sure." She's not completely convinced, but John doesn't need to know that.
"Can you give me my bag?" John asks her as she plops down on the couch. She picks it up and throws it to him. "Thanks."
John rummages through his bag and takes out his leg braces, then hesitates.
"What is it?" Clarice asks him.
"Trying to decide if I can make it through dinner without the chair."
"How much walking is involved? If you're hesitating−"
"Not a lot, but−"
"But you want to show the Professor that you can walk," Clarice states. "I get it, but I'm sure he could wait until morning. It's not worth you being in pain."
"No, I can do it. We'll just sit all evening, most likely," John decides, putting on the braces.
They both turn at a knock on the door.
"Hey, you've got a larger room than we do!" Lorna exclaims, slamming the door open but stopping with her powers it just before it bangs on the wall.
"There are some perks to being the Professor's favorite," John quips.
"Everyone knows the Professor's favorite is Scott!"
"Yes, but Scott is not a guest here. Now out of you and me, I'm not the one who almost blew up the whole house on a regular basis."
"You almost blew up the house?" Clarice asks Lorna, while lacing her shoes back on.
"I was a bit...wild," Lorna says. "And I had some raucous friends."
"So, where are you guys sleeping?"
"Upstairs in the guest wing," Marcos answers.
"Then why are we here?" Clarice frowns.
"All the rooms don't have a fully accessible en-suite bathroom," John says, sounding a little embarrassed.
"Oh," Clarice says. "Well, as you said, we might as well take advantage of it."
Out of curiosity, and because she wants to check her makeup, she walks into the bathroom while John continues to banter with Lorna. It's even larger than she expected, and clearly built to be accessible, rather than modified like at Marcos and Lorna's apartment. There's a huge tub with a bath seat and a smaller shower, and one wall is taken almost entirely by a full length mirror.
Clarice is starting to really like this place.
"Let's go, then," John says when she comes out, unhooking his cane from the back of his chair.
The four of them head out to the elevator at the end of the corridor.
"The staff room is on the second floor," Lorna explains. "Beside the Professor's office. We'll show you the rest of the house tomorrow."
"How many teachers are there?" Clarice asks, wanting to get at least an idea of how many people she's going to meet.
"I've never counted, but not many," John answers. "The staff has changed a bit since we were students, but there was rarely more than a dozen adults around, including the housekeepers and the cook."
"They're all mutants?"
"All the teachers are," Lorna says. "And the students, of course. The cook is human, but her son was a mutant."
Clarice steels herself as the elevator door opens, and they walk out.
"You're gonna be okay?" John asks her quietly, letting Lorna take the lead.
"I hope so," Clarice says.
"They're all really good people."
"I know, you've told me that. But−"
"It doesn't change anything?" John guesses. "I get it. I just don't know how to make it easier for you."
"You don't need to," Clarice sighs. "I'm an adult, I can take care of myself. I shouldn't be this anxious about meeting people."
John takes her hand in his, and his contact helps somehow. Clarice latches onto it. They walk down the corridor hand in hand, to the staff room two doors down.
The room is loud, Lorna and Marcos already inside and greeting everyone. Clarice can feel John's involuntary movement of recoil at the noise, and it doesn't help her fears, but she squeezes his hand and walks in.
She notices the Professor first, sitting at the closest end of the table, looking toward them. He smiles briefly at Clarice, but when his eyes settle on John, standing and walking despite leaning heavily on his cane, she can see the strong emotion that overtakes him. She eyes John to check that he's seen the same, and finds him beaming at the Professor.
They don't have time for more unspoken communication before all eyes turn to them. Clarice freezes briefly under the attention, but she forces herself to take a breath and stand up straight.
"John Proudstar!" a woman exclaims, walking up to them. "It's been a while." Her hair is a brilliant white, strikingly contrasting with her dark skin. She gives John with a large smile and he hugs her with his free arm.
"Storm," he says. "I'm glad to see you."
"So am I," Storm answers warmly. "And especially...you know," she adds, nodding to his legs.
John just nods. "Storm, this is my girlfriend Clarice," he turns to slip his arm around Clarice's back. She leans into his touch and tries to draw comfort from it. "Storm was another one of our teachers."
"Hi," Clarice says nervously.
"Welcome here," Storm says. "It's nice to meet you."
Clarice doesn't have time to answer further before Lorna slips to her side and pulls her by the arm.
"Come on, you need to meet everyone," she says, excited.
Clarice lets herself be swept up, but not before John pulls Lorna briefly apart. "Go easy on her, okay?" she hears him say.
She wonders if she should feel annoyed, but she's just relieved to know John is attuned to her state of anxiety. And she immediately feels guilty for making him worry when he has a lot to deal with too.
Lorna introduces her to four more people. Three of them are apparently fairly recent additions to the staff, who didn't teach yet when John and Lorna studied here but were already part of the X-Men team, Kitty, Rogue and Bobby. Clarice barely registers their names, but she shakes their hands and manages not to embarrass herself completely. Even here, she feels self-conscious of her appearance, as no one else has a visible mutation beyond unusual hair colors.
The fourth person turns out to be Scott's wife, Jean. She strikes Clarice as distant and a little cold, but Lorna appears to look up to her.
"She was who I wanted to be when I grew up, for a long time," Lorna explains discreetly. "She's an amazing doctor, making genetic discoveries all the time. She and Hank−maybe you'll meet him too−they're the reason I started to study engineering."
Clarice remembers the story, of how Lorna go arrested at a protest and was kicked out of college. She gives her a smile of compassion.
"I love where I am now," Lorna says. "There are a few more teachers, but no one is here every night."
"Thank you," Clarice says. "I think I'll get back to John."
"You okay?"
"I'm fine. Just a lot of new people."
"I get it," Lorna says. "For us it's like coming home, but Marcos was a bit lost the first time too."
Hearing that is weirdly reassuring. Clarice eyes Marcos, engaged in conversation with Storm, and she notices for the first time the slight tension in his posture, like he's not completely comfortable either.
"It's like...meeting John's family," she says.
"It's probably the only family of his you'll meet, so yes, that's pretty much what it is. Come on, John's been staring at your back for at least five minutes."
Clarice walks back to the end of the table, when John has sat down beside the Professor. They eyes meet long enough to reassure each other that they're doing alright. It's still strange and incredible to Clarice, to have someone in her life who cares this much about her well-being.
She sits down beside John at his cue, and Lorna takes the seat beside her, effectively acting as a buffer from the rest of the room. Storm and Scott take the spots across from them.
They start digging into the food as soon as everyone is sitting down. There is no alcohol, which Clarice supposes makes sense in a school, but might also be in deference to Lorna. She's radiant as soon as it come to talking about her pregnancy, truly happy to announce it to everyone. The Professor, Jean and Scott don't look surprised, but it appears to be news to the others, and Storm congratulates her warmly.
"So, Clarice, what do you think of what you've seen so far?" The Professor asks Clarice out of the blue, once the conversation about Lorna's pregnancy has died down. Clarice doesn't know if he intended it that way, but the whole room quietens down to hear her answer.
She blushes, suddenly wishing she could hide under the table. John shifts at here side, taking her hand under the table.
"We've only been here for a couple of hours," he says, saving her from the embarrassment of stuttering in front of everyone.
"Of course," the Professor nods.
"You and Marcos are the only ones in this room who haven't spent your teenage years here," Scott says. "We're just curious what it looks like from the outside."
Clarice takes a breath, trying to ignore the stares. "Ask me again tomorrow," she says. "I really haven't seen anything yet."
"Very well," the Professor says. "I do hope you will feel at home here."
"We'll make sure of that," Lorna smirks. "She's getting the grand tour."
I'm sorry it's been such a long time, and I have very little to show for it. The next chapter is about half-written, but before I keep going, I need to take a hard look at where I want to end this story and how. I've been writing with no end in mind so far, but now that the fandom has all but moved on and so have I, I'd like to bring it to a good conclusion, rather than end up abandoning it.
There will be, at the very least, a few more chapters before we get there, don't worry.
I hope you enjoyed it!