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dizi
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disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, Marvel does. I do not expect any monetary benefit from this work of fiction which is intended for entertainment purposes only.
Ordinary People
by Dizi
Chapter 15: An Epilogue but Not Really an Ending
"If you'll sign here, Mr. and Mrs. Gaines, young Joshua will be officially enrolled." Charles pushed the papers across his desk to rest in front of them and held out a pen.
Without hesitation, Albert signed immediately, but Janice did not. She was filled with doubts. Josh was excited now, however she couldn't let go of the idea he might feel abandoned later. He would be so far from his family. Oh Maggie would be close by, but would that make up for his parents being several hours away? By agreeing so readily, would she be sending a signal that they were happy to let him go? Would he then think they didn't love him as much as their other children because he was a mutant? She-
"For God's sake, Jan!" Albert irritably interrupted her thoughts. "Sign the papers or he'll never forgive you! And remember, Josh has a very good memory."
"Are you sure this is the right thing to do? He's never been away from home before," Janice fretted.
"Perhaps the paperwork can wait until the end of your visit," Charles suggest mildly, wanting to avoid an argument. "There's no rush."
"No rush he says," Albert told the ceiling, the bald spot in the middle of his dark hair peppered with grey glinted in the afternoon sunlight coming in the windows. "Beg pardon, Mr. Xavier, but you don't know my son. He is intense, driven, and always very sure of his personal decisions - much like his mother. Dr. McCoy's offer is the best chance Josh will get to realize his ambitions. He knows that. He wants it. He asked for this. If we leave this room without this being a done deal, it's because I climbed out the window."
His voice had been gruff with a real warning directed solely at Janice. She'd had plenty of time to voice any concerns before they had arrived and this was the wrong time for doubts to crop up. He knew his son was waiting impatiently outside to be assured his plans were on track. Albert was not exaggerating in stating he'd rather run than face Josh's disappointment.
"I'm just not convinced he's ready," Janice protested. "He's only fourteen."
"Alright." Her husband nodded agreeably, apparently doing an about face. "You explain it to him and stay the weekend as planned. I'll climb out and go to Maggie's place. You can watch him mope, I'll play video games and be back to pick you up in time to go home."
Seeing the resolute expression on his face and considering he knew their children better than she did, Janice signed the form.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Gaines," Charles reassured her, carefully keeping his expression blank so as not to show his amusement. "We don't lock-up our students here, quite the contrary. If Hank's plan is successful, within a few months of working with him Joshua will be accepted at virtually any college he may wish to attend. The idea is to prove himself to the scientific community. By the time he leaves here, he will have recommendations from two former Avengers and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. The college boards will be begging for him to choose them instead of the other way around."
Having signed with a flourish, she leaned back in the chair. "I understand the plan, and I know Josh is simply brilliant. I am grateful he has this opportunity, but he's my child. I'm afraid he's trying to grow up too fast."
"Cut the drama, Jan." Albert sighed. "Carter tried to grow-up too fast. Trevor is still trying, Ryan's doing fine, and Maggie clung or she'd have been gone years ago. But Josh was practically born mentally prepared to leave us and already an adult, he just had to wait for his body to mature. It frustrated the hell out of him." His normally fierce expression softened. "Jan, just give it up. Josh was never a child like the others. He held himself back since he was eight because he loved us and didn't want to let us go. If he hadn't... uh, mutated?"
"Manifested," Charles corrected quietly, not expecting the man to know the right term. He could see both of these people's personalities in Maggie, though she did look like Janice. It was very interesting to see the different parts of her in their original form. Albert and Janice were two people who he could sense were separately very circumspect. Together sparks flew at the least provocation. It was a testament to the strength of their love and affection, both for each other and their children, that their differences hadn't broken up their marriage long ago.
"That's it, manifested." Albert nodded his thanks. "If Josh hadn't manifested he would have left home two years ago." He took his wife's hand in a gentle grip which showed he was well aware of the physical strength clearly visible in his physique despite his age. "Don't feel guilty, baby. Josh has a good head on his shoulders. He'll let us know if he gets homesick or overwhelmed, and we'll either visit or bring him home. Just don't look for it to happen, because I doubt it will."
Seeing Janice relax and squeeze Albert's hand, Charles was impressed by the man's knowledge of his son. It was very rare to see a man so in tune with his children. Albert Gaines had obviously taken his 'care-giver' role seriously. He remembered Maggie's description of her father during the incident with Lorna - though he'd heard it second hand. Perhaps it was the military background, but he had seen the similarities to Logan in the man's gruff exterior. His sensitivity shouldn't have surprised Charles one bit and he felt a twinge that he had been.
"I'm so sorry for the display, Mr. Xavier," Janice apologized politely. "Perhaps we should start the tour you mentioned?"
"Of course," he smiled at them, grateful to be moving on. "We will have time to finish before Maggie arrives. She comes straight here to study when she gets out of class."
"So you're still with Maribeth? Isn't that a record for you, Carter?"
"Ha-ha, Maggie. It'll be two months tomorrow, we're going to celebrate."
"You're going to leave Ry alone with Trevor? Bad move."
"No, it's cool. Trev's got a girlfriend now so he'll be on good behavior. Maybe. Jane's a little scary 'cause she's a lot like him."
"A real bundle of sunshine, huh?"
"You know it. She's one of the goth crowd and has taken to the darkside literally. Mom doesn't know what to make of her."
"Hard to see Trevor dating a normal girl. Jane sounds right up his alley."
"I'll keep you updated on it. Oh, a little warning for you. Dad gave Ryan the 'talk' with his usual visual aides. Mom didn't take it well. You'll probably hear about it."
"Joy, oh joy. How did he take his first experience with porn?"
"Lots of gagging could be heard from his room. I don't think he's interested in that sort of thing yet. If he had been, I'm pretty sure he's not now."
"Trevor was almost as bad. Remember how he came out of his room pale and asked Dad how he could stand to do that four times?"
"I remember Dad sputtering and walking away. You'd think he'd come up with a better way to tell us about sex than to hand over a hardcore porn video and then ask if we had any questions."
"You got hardcore? Mine was just the soft stuff. Maybe he upgraded with you because of all the questions I had. You know, it's understandable he'd have trouble talking to ME about it, but you're boys. I'd think it would be easier with you."
"Guess not. The little speech about making sure to use a condom hasn't changed either. I shouldn't complain, though, because, personally I like his methods just fine. Very educational and informative."
"You were interested in girls from the day you were born. The movie just showed you what to do with them."
"Like I said, very educational and informative. That's all I got on this end. What about you? Did you find out if Mom tried to run off Bobby?"
"All concerned parties swear whatever was said is none of my business. If she tried she didn't succeed because we're still together. I'm on my way to our study date at the school. He's still helping me with my algebra homework. Man, I hate math in all its varied forms."
"If we're lucky, this will be the first time you've ever passed that particular subject."
"Probably because of the personal tutor with his special reward system. Great food is just one of my percs when it comes to Bobby."
"Bet you've been putting your sex-ed to good use. Don't try to deny it, I know you."
"I take the fifth, especially if Mom's around. Dad too, unless I'm mad at him. Gotta go, I can see my ride coming."
"You are so lucky. How many people get to ride in a limo everywhere they go? And have a personal flunky to carry their books."
"Yeah, and I only had to get attacked and dislocate my knee. I don't recommend you trying it. Mom keeps getting all freaky on Warren. She calls him regularly to make sure he's doing all he promised. When I asked to ditch the driver completely, he said he wasn't taking any chances with me until I'm cleared by the doctor. The guy gives me the creeps."
"Another six weeks then?"
"At least. I'll still be in a brace for a long time after that, but I'll be able to work again then."
"Whoa! You're going back to work? Mom didn't say anything about that, just that the rich guy is paying for college and stuff."
"I don't feel right accepting the money and not working. It'll only be part-time and definitely afternoons. Listen, I really have to go. I'll take to you later."
"Okay. Bye!"
... End Interlude...
"I can't thank you enough for getting me out of that damn tour. What do I care about stuff like that?" Albert sipped from his beer straight from the bottle, which he wasn't able to do unless Janice wasn't around. She took offense at things like that. "That's a real nice bike you got there. Custom made?"
"Yep, had some parts shipped from overseas. Put 'em in myself, don't trust any ole mechanic with my baby." Logan lit his second cigar, the two men studying his pride and joy. "So tell me what branch was ya in?"
"Marines." Albert puffed his own cigar, relishing it thoroughly. Janice had some kind of radar that all women seemed to have and wouldn't be happy about his smoking since she was so damn politically correct. But then, she was still doing the tour with Xavier and wasn't here, was she? "You?"
"Canadian Special Forces."
He just nodded as that was all that needed to be said. They were men and didn't need to beat it to death. Thank God he'd found someone here he could relate to in this place where he felt like everything was a suit and tie affair and he was wearing jeans. "This Bobby kid, he a good one?"
"Yeah, he's 'bout as good as it gets except fer the Boy Scout, but that 'un's already married." Logan understood completely. He'd been prepared to like Albert Gaines since Maggie had lit into Lorna and he hadn't been disappointed. Not because of the military background or because she said the two men were alike, but because Albert had raised a girl with real gumption. "You want details?"
"Nope, that's all I wanted to know. Maggie's my little girl, you know? Got my boys, but she was firstborn. Does something to men like us when we have a daughter." He grimaced. "It's worse when you're the only one taking care of her."
"Yeah, I heard 'bout how ya had ta learn to change diapers an' do up little girl's hair." Instead of smirking like some might expect, Logan gave him a look of sympathy. "It musta been hell."
"Finally, someone who gets it! Everybody seems to think it's easy being a stay at home dad. You have no idea how bad it was. Fall for a gorgeous woman and end up playing mommy. I'm not the most sociable person and I was expect to be 'room mother'. Not sure how Maggie turned out so good."
There was so much pride in Albert's voice Logan felt a twinge that he had never experienced family life. "She's turned out fine. From what I seen, she handled the robbery better than yer wife did."
"She would, my daughter's tough." His expression changed to that of a warrior born. "What I want to know is what happened to the sonuvabitch who took her down? And what was up with the store? Jan wasn't clear on the details."
"The police are still lookin' fer the robber, but it weren't all on him. Manager at Maggie's store didn't like mutants an' sure as hell didn't like one of his clerks datin' one. He sabotaged the place 'cause he was tryin' ta set her up as the fall guy onna robbery he was tryin' ta stage, but a real robber got there first. The dumbass."
"Let me guess, no evidence and he's walking around free?" Disgust dripped from him and there was a note in Albert's voice that said Dave wouldn't be walking for long.
"It was a strange thing, seems he slipped onna patch o' ice on his own front porch, got himself a concussion. Real shame it happened two days after he was fired an' lost his medical benefits." Logan puffed his cigar and stuck his thumbs in his belt loops, rocking on his heals. "Yep, real shame."
"Pitiful even." Some of the fire went out of Albert's eyes, but he shook his head. "Would be better if someone had beat the crap out of him."
"Gotta look at what kinda people they are 'round here. They don't believe in hurtin' those who ain't as powerful as they are. Figure ya know by know we're all mutants." Logan watched Albert shrug as if it wasn't important to him, which he hadn't thought it would be with the way Maggie acted. "First thing we teach is ta take care o' the weak. The jerk was weak."
"Sounds too much like turning the other cheek to me," Albert grumbled. "Never liked that part of the Bible."
"Myself, I know what ya mean but the others... well, they don't see it our way." Handing the other man his cigar for a moment, Logan put a tarp over his motorcycle. "Almost took care o' it myself but Iceboy is Maggie's boyfriend an' all, so I let him handle it his way."
Considering, Albert asked, "Concussion you said?"
"Uh-huh, ice on his porch."
"And no insurance?"
"Not a bit an' he was hospitalized fer a week."
Nodding, Albert stepped on the cigar to put it out. "Since he did suffer some and he'll be in debt for the rest of his life, I guess I can live with that."
A limo pulling up the drive of Xavier's School for the Gifted had become such a daily occurrence that the students no longer paid any attention to it. With the new school year in session, they had been very curious at first. But after two weeks, they simply ignored the shiny black luxury vehicle knowing it was Mr. Drake's girlfriend arriving.
The 'driver' assigned to Maggie was an irritation to her. Not because he wasn't kind, patient, and attentive; she actually didn't know if he had those traits or not. Wensly - not first name or last, but simply Wensly as a proper servant should be called, he had informed her - was very very formal. Maggie had thought he would have thawed out by now and become more friendly, but it hadn't happened and she had given up making overtures. Worse, he was very conscientious about doing his job and Maggie didn't like the idea of only being a job to anyone.
Being as Wensly was part of the deal between Warren and her mother, she had initially tried to make the best of it, him. His duties were basically to take her wherever she needed to go, assist her in any way possible, and carry anything and everything; taking care of her in every way. On top of that, Maggie knew he made reports to her doctor, Warren, and her mother.
She fully agreed she needed help, crutches alone were awkward especially in the beginning. However, Maggie did not see how preventing her from doing what she was fully able to was good for her in any way whatsoever. Which was exactly how Wensly had interpreted his job description, preventing her from doing absolutely anything.
As the original agreement called for Wensly to be with her twenty-four hours a day until she was fully healed, Maggie thought she had done very well not to throw a hissy fit. Not only was the man a complete drag, his presence would have majorly interfered with her love life. She loudly demanded a new agreement.
Her mother had fiercely objected, of course. Janice had thought twenty-four hour care was a fine idea, even better when such care was willing to give semi-hourly calls to relieve her motherly concerns. She had been very much in favor of every suggestion and concession Warren had offered once he made it clear he was more than willing to take full financial responsibility for Maggie's injuries and beyond, as long as he wasn't going to be sued over the incident. In fact, during their discussions Janice had come to like Warren so much that at one point she had commented he and Maggie would make a nice couple. Bobby and Betsy had not been amused, neither at the time nor when they had told Maggie about it.
So now Wensly's job was basically the same but he was only a constant presence during class hours and he was also 'on call' for anything she might unexpectedly need help with such as errands she couldn't do on her own. This allowed Maggie her freedom and privacy while still providing assistance. All were happy except for Janice who did not give in gracefully - actually she did not give in at all, Albert was heard shouting in the background and that was the end of it. Wensly himself did not state his feelings as such would be far too personal given his formality.
As it did every day since her college classes had begun, the limo pulled up directly in front of the school entrance. The front driver's side door opened and Wensly straightened his uniform and cap before going to the rear passenger door. With quick economical movements, the door was opened for Maggie and two bookbags were lifted out - her regular bag and a new one strictly for school books.
Maggie made her way out of the limo under her own efforts and Wensly's careful gaze. Not until she was completely on her feet and steady with the crutches did he take the bags into the building. Just inside the entrance to be specific as that was as far as Maggie felt he needed to go which she had made very clear. There were many willing to assist her from there and she wanted him gone as soon as possible, though she was polite about it.
The distance from the car to the front door wasn't large, however it took a long time to get there because Maggie had to keep stopping to return greetings and waves from students. She had made it to the first of the four steps on the porch when three teenage girls stopped to greet her. Maggie recognized them as Bobby's students but she couldn't remember their names for the life of her.
"Hi, Maggie!" A tall girl with curly blond hair and green eyes called excitedly, almost skidding to a halt.
"Love the hair, Maggie!" This from another girl slightly shorter with albino white skin and spiked black hair.
The third girl was bright yellow from head to toe. Her eyes, matching the rest of her, were trained on Maggie's hair as well. "It's very cool!"
Grinning at them, Maggie brushed said hair over her ears. "Thanks! I got it done last night by Steve, a friend of Jenny's."
"You mean Mrs. Wagner?" The albino girl's eyes went wide. "I didn't think she was cool enough to know about stuff like that. All I've ever heard about her is that she cleans a lot."
Her smile got a bit wider but Maggie didn't say that her own job took a lot of cleaning too, as any job in a place where many people came and went did. She could testify that Jenny could be a cleaning machine because she'd seen her in action at the beginning of the week. Assuming Maggie would have trouble cleaning house, she'd come to do it for her and left the place immaculate. Jenny had done a better job than the cleaning service Warren had hired for her. "Don't sweat it, I'm sure Jenny doesn't mind not being too high up on the coolness scale. See ya later, I've got me a hot guy waiting inside."
The girls giggled among themselves at her wink and the idea of Iceman being called 'hot' as Maggie went the rest of the way up the stairs.
Having stood silently to the side, Wensly held the door for Maggie and tipped his hat. "I will be available if needed. However, if I do not hear from you, I will, of course, be on time Monday morning, ma'am."
Sighing at his use of the word "ma'am" which she couldn't get him to stop saying to her, Maggie replied, "I'll be just fine, Wensly. Enjoy your weekend."
"And you as well, ma'am."
The door shut behind her as he left and Maggie looked up to find Bobby studying her. "I almost didn't recognize you."
"Yeah, there's lots of people around here on crutches that arrive in a limo," Maggie said good-naturedly, touching her hair. Along with the blue streaks at the front which had been touched up, she now had purple and pink highlights. There were so many that the blond was barely able to be seen. "Do you like it?"
"I think it's fine." When she looked at him suspiciously because of his bland tone, Bobby laughed. "I'm not lying, I just don't care about your hair. It's you I like."
"Good save," she laughed.
"Since it's Friday, how 'bout we wait on the homework for now?" He pushed the bookbags out of the way with his foot. "I've got a surprise for you."
"A surprise?" Maggie's eyes lit up. "Did you make more ice-cream?"
"Nope, but I will later tonight if you want." His expression was very smug since he knew she wouldn't be able to guess. There was only one thing on Maggie's mind right after school. "Try again."
"You went to the mall and got more of that candy we both liked?" she said excitedly.
"Nuh-uh." Bobby started leading the way down the entrance hall, going slow to allow for Maggie's crutches. Though she could go pretty fast with the right incentive.
"The cook made more of that broccoli stuff with the wild rice and nuts and chicken and you saved me some? Like a whole big giant pan. Mmmmm..."
"Sorry, she said it's on the menu for next week though. I'll try to sweet-talk her into making extra." Now school was in session, a full staff was in place. The cook and Maggie had become fast friends with Maggie doting on her cooking. It wouldn't be hard to get that pan.
"Oh-oh! Chili-dogs! I know you know how much I love chili-dogs!"
"I sure do, but that's not it." He was starting to wonder if his surprise would be good enough because it wasn't food.
They were just passing the main staircase with the side hall which had the entrance to the sub-basement, when a brown and blond blur ran out, clutched Maggie around the waist causing her to drop the crutches, and twirled her around as she shrieked.
"In certain cultures I'm sure I would be considered a delicacy, but I don't think Mom and Dad would like it if you ate me." Josh was holding her in a tight hug, Maggie's feet several inches off the floor. At seven feet two inches and still growing, such a feat wasn't difficult for him. His cat shaped lime green eyes twinkled as his voice changed from academic to that of a more normal fourteen-year-old. "Besides, that's just gross. Ewwwww!"
Hanging from his neck, holding tight with all of her strength not so she wouldn't fall but because she didn't want to let go, Maggie had tears of joy in her eyes. "I'm so happy I can't believe it! What are you doing here? I thought you weren't supposed to arrive until tomorrow!"
"Well, Prof. Xavier talked to Mom, then Dr. McCoy and Bobby talked to Dad, and here we are a day early!" Carefully, Josh set her back on her feet and Bobby helped her put the crutches in place. "You should see the lab! It's so cool! I can't think of anything I might possibly need that isn't in there!"
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Bobby said dryly. "There always seems to be something new that Hank just has to have."
"Technology is always changing." Josh sounded so very serious, which was so very normal for him that Maggie couldn't stop smiling. "To stay at the top of his field, Dr. McCoy needs to have the latest and best available. Which he does and I can't wait to get started!"
Just listening to his voice, Maggie wasn't really taking in Josh's words. She had missed her family so much, being with Josh again was so overwhelming she couldn't think of anything else to say. She had been forcing herself to not get too excited about the prospect of her brother and parent's arriving because otherwise she wouldn't have been able to concentrate on anything else, like classes.
Her body, on the other hand, had a one track mind which made itself known as her stomach rumbled. The sound was echoed exactly in Josh. He was still a growing boy afterall.
"I know it's the usual time for you to eat." Bobby was surprised Maggie's hunger had waited so long. It had been a whole five minutes. "And I would normally rush right off to get you something. BUT... I reserved the rec-room if you want to play a quick game. We can get some popcorn or something to snack on while you play."
Torn, Maggie and Josh looked at each other in a way only siblings could. It wasn't always the case but both knew exactly what the other was thinking: food was a necessity but then again... "The one with the big-screen high-definition TV?"
"Well, of course." Bobby was offended she would even ask. He'd had to go to extreme lengths to get hold of the main rec-room for them.
Again Maggie and Josh exchanged glances. They didn't really have to talk about it. Food was important, true, but their favorite games on the best TV currently on the market made a higher rating.
"Race ya!" Josh shouted as he took off, having already been shown the way during his personal tour by his new mentor.
Being a considerate boyfriend, Bobby took his time getting started. Because of this, he was left alone as Maggie followed her brother as fast as she could on her crutches. Which turned out to be pretty quick now she had a reason.
"I am very impressed by the facilities you have here," Janice commented as she and Charles ended their tour. "And I understand completely not being able to view the lab area, I'm sure I wouldn't understand what I was seeing. But why the reinforced walls? You seemed to be making a point of mentioning it."
"There have been some... accidents in the past." Charles tried not to scare her by keeping his voice normal. He remembered very well the occasion where the need for special construction became a necessity. Luckily it had happened before there had been more than a handful of students, but he would never forget the carnage. "I simply wanted to assure you we have taken every precaution in that particular area."
"I see." She had understood the need for a separate ventilation system - which Charles had also made special mention of - because many times Josh's experiments had left her house filled with strange chemical smells. Janice hadn't realized the 'pursuit of science' could be so dangerous as to need reinforced walls. She found herself grateful all they had suffered at home was the need to air out the house. "When should we expect Maggie to arrive?"
"Actually, she may already be here. Their usual place to study is the small diningroom, which is our next stop. It's just down the hall here from the entertainment areas." He frowned as a couple teenage boys came tearing down the hall from the large rec-room. "No running, please! What seems to be the rush?"
"Mr. Drake's girlfriend is hungry and I promised to get her something to eat!" The first boy had stars in his eyes for Maggie. She seemed to have made an impression on him.
"She and that new kid Dr. McCoy's been waiting for are in a battle to the death on Dragon's Breath III!" Boy two was all about his favorite game. "I'm getting the others, they've just got to see this! Who knew some geek could rack up so many points so fast!"
"Definitely my children," Janice said under her breath. Years ago she had given up trying to get them to find a new 'hobby'.
Unintentionally hearing her thought, Charles hid a smile. That was just what he had done about Bobby and his video games. "Well, please carry on without running."
They chorused "Yes, sir!" and took off at a very fast walk until they thought they were safely out of sight.
Listening, Charles frowned again. It was too quiet. This time of day when the students were out of class, there was usually too much noise for him to be able to think straight due to all the traffic. The hall was empty and he wasn't sure if it was good or bad.
"NO RUNNING!" came a yell from Logan's distinctive voice.
Wincing as the sound echoed off the walls, Charles waited for him to stalk around a corner before asking, "What happened to Mr. Gaines? I thought he was with you."
"Al saw a bunch of them kids playin' some game an' felt the need ta show 'em how it's done." Logan's face lost its annoyance from the wayward students and was replaced with a smirk. "They was real surpised an 'old guy' knew what he was doin'. They're payin' more attention ta him then they do in class. It's really somethin'."
"And that's my husband." Janice sighed.
"Why don't we go to the parlor and have some tea?" Charles suggested mildly, vaguely wondering if there was a way to combine lessons with video games the teens would be interested in. "We can continue talking and I'll answer any further questions you may have."
"Why don't we make it brandy?" Janice surprised Charles by winking at him. "I'm considered on vacation for the next couple weeks before I start working for Frost Enterprises part-time."
Eventually, the rest of the Gaines family remembered Janice. After Maggie and Josh had stalemated a number of times - Bobby had been smart enough to stay an observer - after Albert had beat all comers to the point they didn't want to play with him anymore, and after they had all compared notes on their various victories. Then they went looking for Janice.
Coincidentally, it was just in time for dinner.
When they had all finished eating, Bobby got busy making ice-cream. He went with a more traditional flavor this time in the form of strawberry. The students hadn't been made aware of his ice-cream making expertise, everyone agreeing to spread the knowledge meant to share the spoils. So he only had to make enough for the resident adults and guests - Josh being considered a guest until he officially started class Monday morning and sworn to secrecy. This still left him needing to make several batches but by the time everyone had filled their bowls to the brim there wasn't any left.
As the weather was still warm enough, they had all taken the ice-cream outside and spread themselves out over the picnic table and all the lawn chairs and loungers. This meant Logan, Albert, and Janice along with Charles were in one grouping of loungers, while the rest were mainly at the picnic table. Since they all assumed Hank and Josh were discussing things they would not understand, which would be a conversation they did not care to participate in, the two were left alone in a couple chairs off to the side.
"I must say, that is a very interesting concept," Hank complimented, his attention torn between his new protégée and scraping every last drop of ice-cream from the bowl he possibly could.
"Yeah, Dad wouldn't let me try it in the basement. He said any project I could think of that might possibly lead to or require an isotope was off limits." Josh sighed mournfully at his own empty bowl and the parental limits. "But I wouldn't have had nearly enough space or all the equipment I would need."
"Highly doubtful," Hank agreed. "Under normal circumstances, my own technologically advanced haven would not contain all which would be required."
"That's okay, Dr. McCoy. I know I'll need to wait until I have access to a much larger and more prestigious laboratory." The young man's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. "Oh, sir! I didn't mean to imply your wonderful lab isn't good enough! It's wonderful! Really! The best private lab I've ever even heard of outside of Dr. Richard's!"
"Be at ease, young Joshua. I am not offended in the least as you are being quite honest to the best of your knowledge. However, you are laboring under a misconception."
"Yes, sir?"
"What you are not taking into your calculations is the benefits of my other profession. Among the X-Men are several specialized talents. Such assistance from them will be easily procured by way of only a minimal amount of pleading on both our parts and a large bribe in the form of their favored currency." Hank beamed at him. "For instance, with her telekinesis Jean can do many delicate and precise manipulations normally awkward through containment cells.
"That's amazing." Josh's voice was full of awe and his mind began running with possibilities.
"Indeed. There are other skills which can be beneficial as well. Logan can be very useful. Once he has been properly primed to offer his assistance. I must warn you, he must be challenged rather than simply enlisted and you are yet too young to be able to properly bribe him as he demands large quantities of alcoholic beverages as compensation."
"That would make it hard," Josh agreed.
"Just so. Returning to your fascinating hypothesis, the amount of liquid nitrogen necessary alone in most cases would make this particular theory next to impossible to prove. But!" Hank paused dramatically. "It is a wondrous coincidence that another of my erstwhile teammates is the one commonly known as Iceman whose abilities will readily take its place."
Comprehension dawned on the younger mutant. "Bobby!"
"Exactly." Hank smiled smugly. "And all he will require is a large quantity of Twinkies."
"Really?" Josh looked over at Bobby in speculation.
"Truly. Observe as I enlist his willing assistance with the greatest ease." Clearing his throat softly, Hank raised his voice loud enough to be heard a short distance away. "With the assistance of my very best friend in the entire world, we should be able to complete the initial processes within a couple days."
From his position by Maggie and across from Scott, Bobby rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Hank. Just make sure you time it so there's no class interruption and I don't miss out on time with my girl."
Maggie suppressed a giggle as he wiggled his brows at her.
They could actually hear the conversation at the chairs, but had been blocking it out. So she was fully able to hear Hank when he commented to Josh, "As I said, once you know their favored currency and the proper way to request it, the X-Men's abilities are at your fingertips."
"X-Men?" Maggie blinked, looking around the table with new eyes. "Like on TV? In the news? That X-Men?"
The assorted X-Men around the table looked back at her, surprised she wasn't already aware of their identities. They had assumed Bobby had told her some time ago.
For himself, Bobby tried to scoot down the bench and away from her. When upset Maggie tended to get physical. He didn't want to get too far away though, it was hard to use crutches as weapons in close quarters. "Ah... um... remember that conversation we never got around to?"
"You went on and on about me staying close to that infernal panic button and you're going off and fighting crazy people who hate mutants and powerhouses like Magneto," Maggie forced out through clenched teeth. It hadn't taken her more than a few seconds to realize the hazards. "We are soooo going to work on our communication skills. And until I think we've gotten it right, someone just might loose their chocolate sauce privileges!"
"Uh-oh, I know what that means," Josh whispered to Hank. "How much trouble did you just get him into? And will it affect his agreement to help with the experiment?"
"Not much," Hank replied just as softly. "It has become common knowledge that their more adult activities includes both chocolate sauce and whipped cream. The latter of which she neglected to deny him. Last week when they became irritated with each other, the duration of the episode was only a couple hours. Maggie cited her inability to hold a grudge for any significant length of time as being due to requiring his mathematical expertise as my own attempts confused her making me an unsuitable replacement tutor."
And on the opposite corner of the lawn, only Logan had heard the whole of what was said, but the others had gotten enough for Albert to whisper in Janice's ear, "Just how open did the two of you get? Sounds like mother and daughter have a lot in common."
Blushing, Janice pretended she didn't hear him.
The End
A couple other secondary characters which you have not actually become acquainted with yet, are Sunshine and Melody. The blond girl with long curly hair and green eyes is Melody and the girl who is entirely yellow is Sunshine. Melody will be in a story titled "Lost Then Found" which I will be posting either later this week or next week - maybe both - and it is FINISHED. Sunshine will be in another story I have started but not finished yet.
I kinda lost my way during this one for a time, but always knew where it would end up. This last chapter is a little longer than I would have liked it to be but I couldn't see leaving any of it out. We all deserved an appearance by Janice and Albert and some depth in Josh. I apologize that Dave's come uppance wasn't bigger, but really what would they have realistically done to him? Not what we would WANT them to do, but what would they REALLY do? I couldn't think of anything "bad" or "mean" Bobby could do to him that would be in character, he probably feels guilty for the little he did. Sometimes the bad guys just don't get all they deserve. I'm sure in the future Dave would have tried his tricks again and spent the rest of his life in prison because he's too stupid not to get caught. Or that's how I imagine it.
Special thanks to Sara my wonderful beta. She's stayed with me longer than any other and does a great job. Also thanks to those who insisted I should show Maggie finding out about Bobby's X-Man status (there were several and not all posted actual reviews). Hope you liked it.
To close - because this is again getting to be a long note - I hope you liked the Gaines family as much as I do. They can be seen in "person" by way of a link in my bio. They make great sims.
Almost forgot! For those who don't remember Steve, he's the boyfriend of Claude Jenny's nail-artist from "Human and the Demon". He works in the same salon but in a different area. Goodness! I'm starting to have a whole bunch of OC's as secondary characters, huh? Well, they're fun so who cares?
Thanks for reading and all the support,
Dizi
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