Chapter Six - Complicated

Jessie barely slept that night. Every time she felt herself almost dozing off the image of a tiny baby in Mr. LeBeau's arms would flash before her eyes and she would be wide awake again, thinking of how tragic it had been for one so small to die. A hard rain was pelting at the high window on the wall just above her toybox, and outside a fierce wind rattled.

The snow will be all melted away tomorrow, thought Jessie dully as she sat up in bed and reached over to turn her light on. She got up and walked across the floor, shivering in the slight cold that had penetrated the tiny bedroom.

The toybox was cold beneath her bare feet as she climbed up to stand on her tiptoes and gaze out of the window; her bedroom overlooked the front of the mansion, the drive, and the gates. She wished desperately that she would see Mr. LeBeau walking up the driveway but alas, he did not come.

It was inexplicable why she missed him so much. She'd barely known him and yet felt something closer to him than she ever had with any other person she'd ever known – except from Miss Pryde. Miss Pryde had been the first real grown up Jessie had ever felt any love for – and had often wished that the woman would somehow adopt her and she could call her mommy.

That's stupid, thought Jessie as she hopped back down from the toy chest. She sat down upon the floor and pulled her knees to her chest. No body can pick who their mom and dad are.

Yet, she couldn't help have that fantasy play over in her head; Miss Pryde as the adoring mother, and Mr. LeBeau as the strong and handsome father. She'd even have a little brother – Caleb – who would be her friend when he was old enough to know how to talk.

But Jessie was realistic, and she understood that things were never going to be that wonderful in this place; there were no mothers and fathers here, just friends, and teachers, broken families who were trying to glue together pieces to make their own new families.

Her thoughts shifted to dinner, when she'd heard the older kids talking about who Caleb's father might be and Mr. LeBeau being suggested. What if that were true? What if they would be their own kind of glued together family? And if that would happen...how did Rogue fit into that?

Her throat was dry; she picked up her slippers, pulled them on awkwardly, then left her bedroom to go downstairs. The mansion was in silence, the hallways lit dimly by lights on the wall that were pretending to be candles, but didn't flicker even remotely. She padded quietly down the hall and down the long staircase then turned to the kitchen.

She hadn't expected Professor Xavier to be up, but there he was; sitting at the kitchen table in his Wheelchair, eating a sandwich while reading a newspaper that was laid flat. She stopped there, wondering if she should just turn and go back upstairs; he would probably reprimand her for being up so late.

Professor Xavier raised his shiny head and sat there for a split second, like that, not doing anything, then he said, "Jessie, you shouldn't be up this late."

Jessie knew the Professor's tricks of the mind, and had heard people say he could sense people when they were near, which was how he could tell she was there without even having looked in her direction.

"I'm thirsty," she answered.

"Okay," the Professor nodded.

She wandered to the fridge and picked out a small bottle of flavoured water from the bottom and then she moved over to the table to climb up onto the chair opposite the Professor. She tried to read the writing on the newspaper, but it was upside down from where she was.

"You seem troubled," the Professor said, he closed the paper, and folded it up, he put it onto the chair next to him, as if to fully get rid of the distraction.

"I'm fine," she replied, although she didn't fully understand why she was lying.

He smiled; sometimes he looked stern and cold with the harsh lines of his face and his cold eyes, but when he smiled everything seemed to melt away until he seemed like the kind of person worthy of speaking to. "If there's something bothering you, you should always say so."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it's not pleasant to feel bothered by something," the Professor explained, "so...what is troubling you?"

"I can't sleep," Jessie sighed, "It's too cold in the room – and the rain is too loud."

"Yes, the weather is rather inclement tonight," the Professor glanced to the window even though the blinds were closed and neither of them could look outside into the night. The wind still was audible though even from this side of the mansion. His eyes were unfocused, and he inclined his head a little as if listening for footsteps outside. "Something else..." he looked at her, "are you sad?"

"Kind of," she replied.

"Tell me why," the Professor said softly; he wheeled out from under the table and backed into a counter, turned, and awkwardly grabbed down a jar. He moved back, and placed the jar upon the table.

"I don't know," she shrugged.

"Yes, you do, now, come on. You don't need to keep secrets from me," the Professor opened the jar and retrieved a small cookie out, which he handed her.

Jessie didn't eat the cookie right away, but rather looked at it, and turned it in her hands for a few moment, "the older kids were talking about Mr. LeBeau. And his baby, and about Miss Pryde..." she shrugged. "I don't like the way they talk about them."

"What did they say?"

"That Gabrielle died with a thing around her neck...that's horrible...why do they have to say things like that at the dinner table...?" she asked, she tried to sound as grown up as possible – she hated sounding like a child, being the youngest was stigma enough.

"You're right," said the Professor with a firm nod, "that isn't appropriate talk at all."

"They also said they think Mr. LeBeau is Caleb's daddy 'cause she never said who it is and Mr. LeBeau doesn't shoot with blanks..." Jessie admitted; she was unsure of the meaning of shooting with blanks.

Professor Xavier's eyes widened a little, and his mouth dropped, "well, uh..." he put his hand behind his neck and thought about his words, "that's definitely inappropriate talk," he added, "and you'd be wise not to repeat a rumour like that. But it's good that you've told me so I can tell them off for saying such things."

"Are they true?" Jessie asked, she took a bite from the cookie.

"Jessie...adult relationships are...complicated. But I can assure you that Remy isn't Caleb's father," the Professor said firmly, "but it really is no one's business..."

"I know, I'm sorry," Jessie looked down guiltily. Along with the guilt she felt a strange sense of relief. Momentarily she had even felt slightly jealous of the thought that Caleb might be Mr. LeBeau's – that in future she might fade into the background because he needed more time for the baby.

"You're...bothered, by the possibility of Remy having a child, aren't you?" Professor Xavier queried, he took a cookie from the jar and bit into it himself.

"I know it's wrong to have 'bad feelings' about anything," Jessie responded sadly. She was sure that the jealous feeling definitely constituted 'bad'.

"It's only human to have bad feelings every now and then," he answered.

"I like Mr. LeBeau the best..." Jessie admitted, "and I want to spend lots of time with him."

Professor Xavier looked at her almost as if he understood those feelings. "You will spend time with him – but you know he won't be able to spend every minute with you...and that you should grow used to spending time with others..."

"But it isn't the same," she replied. She wasn't sure why it wasn't the same, she only understood that being with anyone other than the man felt different.

He didn't seem to have a response to this, so he was silent, thoughtful, as he ate his cookie.

Jessie suddenly thought to ask another question. "Professor...when I come here, did you have to adopt me?"

The professor thought about this, then shook his head, "No. Guardianship was handed over to the institute as it was in your best interest to be with others like yourself."

"So I can still be adopted?"

"I...suppose so," said the Professor, "but--"

"Can Mr. LeBeau adopt me?"

The End – Or is it? Mwahahahahahah!!

(Okay, so it's perhaps a little later than promised – after Christmas time was very time consuming. Hope you all enjoy the episode and look forward to the next, which will hopefully be sooner! Lol.

As usual, review if you liked it or have any thoughts. Reviews help encourage me to keep going! :) Happy New Year everyone!).