A/N: Here's two chapters to make up for the lack of updating. I've been busy; I got engaged this summer, and was spending it with my fiance. Still have a bit to go till we can be in the same room;
this Christmas is the last stretch. Man, it's a sucker punch in the stomach to say good-bye, and it fucks you up for days.

( Volume: 4 Arc: "not this again" 4 Issue: 5/5 )

Chapter 149 : new objectives

"A girl," Laura said, waving her spatula (as she was in the kitchen, cooking) for emphasis. "I want another girl, to balance things out, because you managed to add another male to the
household, without my consent." Of course, she was referring to James.

Julian rolled his eyes.

He was sitting at the table, leaning his head on his palm and watching Laura as she lumbered around the kitchen, grasping for items (and often failing)—but seemingly undisturbed by her
clumsiness. Although she had cursed quite colorfully when she'd dropped a steak on the floor with a resounding smack!

He thought about their situation. He was still nervous. Somehow, he was even more nervous because he felt responsible. It was somehow different than the Shrimps. He knew he was
responsible for them; he loved them and would do anything to protect them—but he didn't feel that he had really had a part in bringing them into the world, since it hadn't been their choice.

But this—this was his responsibility, his choice that had gone wrong.

"You're awfully quiet," Laura said. "I was sure that'd make you speak up. Are you just going to lie down and take it like a jail bitch, Keller?"

"I've got a lot on my mind," Julian grumbled, looking down at the papers in front of him. They were reports from his company. He couldn't concentrate on them, of course, despite the fact that
his lawyers phoned him every second day, sounding panicked and asking him to either 'take a crap or get off the throne' about being the president of the company, since he was being so uninvolved.

Laura poked at the steaks with the spatula. "Mmm." She was worried, too. There had been too much bloodshed and loss, of late; they were always waiting for the next shoe to drop, and Julian
seemed to be losing his voice. As long as she'd known him, he'd always been fairly laid back, making jokes, criticizing other people. Full of himself, too. Lately, however, she'd noted that for the
most part, he didn't speak unless spoken to. He looked a little thinner and more tired. It was to be expected, of course; one could not lose so much in such a short period of time without showing some signs.

Nonetheless, she worried. She hoped that things would go smoothly with this newest complication, so as not to cause more grief. It was about time that something was created instead of destroyed.

…

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Julian asked, peering into the room. He saw that the headmaster of Xavier's was sitting at his large oak desk, working on something with his laptop computer.

Scott looked up and snapped the laptop shut. "Oh, Julian. Yes, I did want to speak with you. Come in."

Julian ventured into the room, thinking of the times he'd been in here. He vaguely remembered the last time—his head had been clouded with amnesia. Beyond that were many memories of
Getting In Trouble With Laura, the type of memory that deserved a title with proper capitalization.

They had been nerve-wrecking, exhilarating times that had pretty much changed his idea of 'fun'. And he thought he'd been the school trouble maker, even bearing the name 'Hellion'.

He remembered very clearly being told that this wasn't a 'school for clowns'.

"Sit down." Scott was smiling at him now, confidently. Like he knew he could rely on him. Had the Shrimps changed them that much?

He sat down.

"How do you find your current stress load?" Scott asked him.

"Uhh…" Julian blinked. "You mean, all the bloody deaths, murdered friends, and genocide threats aside, right? Not to mention what Laura's cooking up."

Scott remained silent.

"I might have developed PTSD," Julian said sarcastically. "Except it's not over, and I assumed the 'post' meant you had to be past the trauma, all done with the bad times and just coping with memories. Right?"

Scott smiled slowly. "I like how you think, Keller. Can you take more?"

"Sure, why not," Julian said. "Who's dying next?"

"No one, if I can help it." Scott looked his pupil in the eye, although it was hard to see behind his visor. "I want you to take over a class for me."

"Oh, Special Ed?" Julian had stopped teaching the class with his induction as leader of the New X-men, Scott having temporarily put a cease to all academic activities as the Legacy attacks worsened.

"No. I was going to give that class to another deserving individual." Scott grinned. "I want you to be the Hellions adviser. You'd coach them through their training simulations, be the go-to-guy for
all their questions…be a shoulder for them to lean on when times get rough. You know the drill."

"I didn't really lean on Frost's shoulder," Julian said. "But I guess I know what you're talking about." He'd bore witness to Dani Moonstar's relationship with her students; and Northstar's.

Apparently an adviser could be more than just someone who dictated what would happen.

"Mind you—not only will you be leading your team, but you'll be responsible on passing on your values to the next generation of mutants. You're going to be someone for these kids
to look up to." Scott paused. "You want the job?"

"Uhh…sure?" Julian shrugged. How hard could it be?

"Who'd I be advising?"

"I'm working on the roster," Scott said. "So far, I was thinking of your brother Jim…Sylvia Rockefeller-Black…and—"

"Not Sylvia," Julian said. "No way in hell. She's a snot-faced brat with major superiority issues and attitude to boot."

"Exactly why I'm placing her with you," Scott said evenly. "I think—of all the advisors I've picked for this term—you're the one who can deal with her best, Julian. Not to be mean…but if you
think about it…you just described yourself, three years ago."

Julian flushed. He knew Scott was right.

"Fine. Expect her in your office all the time."

"That's what it's here for," Scott said, grinning again. "I'm torn about the last few members of your team. I thought we'd give Noseeum a go…Gaia…and Flare. You need a tanker, too. Any ideas?"

"Waitaminute—who?" Julian asked. He'd heard of the first two names Scott had mentioned before, but not the last one.

"Candace Burns," Scott said calmly.

"Sir—excuse me—but are you out of your fucking mind?" Julian asked.

"You're excused," Scott said, undisturbed.

Julian stared at him until he answered.

"Candace is…a challenge, yes. But I think she can be trained into the Xavier mindset. She's just a little lost."

"She cooked Laura alive," Julian pointed out.

"And you're going to train her not to do that."

Julian rubbed his forehead. "So let me get this straight. You're putting—on this little piece of disaster—the flaming psychopath who reacts at the drop of a hat—the little brat with the
attitude problem who lives to start fights—and my brother, the emotional amplifier?"

"Yes," Scott said calmly.

"Are you trying to blow up the school?" Julian asked, incredulously. "Do you really not see a problem with that particular combination?"

Scott grinned. "Well, it'll be your job to make sure that doesn't happen, won't it?"

"…" Julian swallowed. "I changed my mind. I won't do it."

"Too late, you already agreed," Scott said.

"I didn't know what I was agreeing to!"

"You could've asked." Scott sighed as Julian folded his arms and glared at him. "Oh, come on, Keller. I know you can handle it. You have great buffering powers, should things get
violent—you know how to deal with people who have slight—imbalances—" Scott paused, not wanting to name anyone in particular. "—and Logan's going to be your co-mentor."

"Oh." Julian relaxed slightly. "Really?"

"Well, more like your assistant. I want you to get the experience in. He'll be around to help you set up stuff, discuss tactics with students, and help you if the shit hits the fan. But mind
you—I wouldn't recommend running to him with every detail. Logan gets annoyed with petty problems."

"Yeah, I can see that," Julian said, drawing on memories.

…

"So I'm a teacher again," Julian announced, having opened the door to find Laura in the kitchen, holding a tub of ice cream and a spoon. Everyone else was in bed.

"What? Really?" Laura wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah. Guess what I'm teaching."

"Ohhh! I know! The really 'special' class, right?" Laura grinned meanly, making quotation signs with the hand holding the spoon.

"Guess again."

"Huh, they gave you a real posting?" Laura asked, surprised.

"Yeah." Julian took off his jacket and threw it at the coat hook, his forehead wrinkled. "Apparently, I'm the advisor for the new Hellions squad."

"Sweet." Laura dug her spoon into the container. "How much does it pay?"

"Laura, we have over five billion dollars, in cash, in one of our bank accounts."

"That's in our bank account. What does the job pay?"

Julian rolled his eyes. "That means I'm doing it for free, to help the school out, asshole. We don't need money, but they need teachers."

Laura sucked her tongue. "I don't like you just giving it away, Keller."

"Whatever." Julian sat down on the couch. "That's not the interesting part, though." He watched her pull up a heaping curl of ice cream on the scoop and consider it. He knew what she was thinking.

"What's the interesting part, then?" Laura ate the spoonful of icecream.

"The roster." Julian paused. "Scott put Jim, Sylvia, and Candace-fucking-Burns on it."

"MMM-mmm!" Laura squealed, set the container down and made a face. Julian turned and watched her pound her fist on the counter with a painful expression; a few moments later she gasped began massaging her temples.

"Oh my god," he said, rolling his eyes.

"THAT SUCKED!" Laura managed, a few minutes later. "That was the worst brain freeze ever! Do not drop bombs on me while I am eating frozen food!"

"Not my fault you wolf things down."

Laura lidded the ice cream, shoved it in the freezer and slammed the door with a sulky expression.

"Scott's insane, letting that psycho stay at the school," Laura said in a flat voice. "But I can see why he chose you for the problem students. After the Shrimps, I don't think there's any fight you couldn't separate, right?"

Julian considered this. "I guess," he said. He hadn't thought of that before.

"Except me and Daken," Laura continued dreamily. "I wouldn't allow you to separate us till I'd lovingly dissected every fiber of tissue that composes the rotting sac of meat Logan believes to be a heart."

"…" Julian stared at her.

"Half joking," Laura offered.