The Ghost of Professor X (Part 2)
Jun. 23rd, 2011 04:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cxelloverAuthor Note: I am going to start putting these behind a cut because I am going some rather disturbing places with Charles. I know it's my journal and the like but I don't want to cause someone browsing any consternation.
About this story. I have most of it worked out in my head. I do know the ending but I am letting the middle fill to tell the story that is in my head. This part takes place the day that Charles comes back to the mansion and starts to deal with the rest of his life.
It is PG currently but it is going to be going to an R pretty soon so be forewarned.
This chapter had Charles, Moria, Alex, Hank and Sean in it. Eventually Erik will appear but it will be a little while.
Charles was glad to be home. He was so tired of hospitals and rehab. He was ready to get back to his life without all these extraneous minds that kept invading his. He found himself working more at keeping his mind away from others. He just wanted to feel normal or as normal as he had ever felt. And the mansion was a place of safety for him.
Alex got the wheelchair that Charles had been using out of the trunk and opened it up. He opened the car door and removed one of the armrests to allow Charles a straight shot into the chair. Charles maneuvered himself into the seat and got his legs on the footrests. Alex handed him the armrest and Charles put it back into place. He put his hands to the wheels and started to try to turn to get out of the way of the door but the gravel underneath the chair made it difficult. Alex saw quickly and jumped in to push Charles towards the house. Charles suppressed the urge to yell at Alex that he could do it thank you. He found himself suppressing a lot of emotions recently.
Alex, rather than wheeling him to the front of the house, took him around to the side to the entrance into his study. Charles figured out pretty quickly why. Coming around the corner, he saw a new structure on the steps leading up to the patio to the doors of his study. It was a ramp and again Charles found himself suppressing the angry and rage that was welling up inside.
“I see you have been busy while I was away,” he said to Alex and Moria.
Alex said, “Hank was the idea man, we were the labor force trying to get it done before you got back. He called in some favors from some people to get everything in place.”
‘Everything in place for the cripple’ thought Charles.
Moria put her hand on Charles’ shoulder and said, “You shouldn’t think like that.”
Charles was a little startled “Did I say that out loud?”
“No but your thoughts are bleeding a bit into our brains” said Hank coming out of the study onto the patio. “I know it can’t be easy for you.”
Charles looked at Hank in all his blue furry glory. Out of everyone here, he could probably at least have an inkling of how Charles felt.
“Let me show you what we did” said Hank and Alex pushed Charles into the study.
In the study there was a rather impressive chair waiting for him.
“Hank made it” said Alex. “He said that he worked to make it as ergon..ergo..”
Hank cut in, “Ergonomic as possible. I figured that it would be less pressure on certain parts of your body if I made it this way. Also it is electric with a solar panel for the battery or you can plug it in.”
Charles stared at the chair and his future all in one place. He took in a deep breath and released it. “Let’s try it” he said. Hank picked him up very gently and sat him down in his new chair. Charles did have to admit that the chair, or what he could feel of it, was very comfortable. He tentative touched the joystick on the arm rest and found himself slowly going forward. Alex folded up the other wheelchair and put it in the corner of the study. “Very nice job Hank” Charles said in all sincerity.
Hank smiled or what passed for a smile for him now, “Let me show you the rest of what we did.” Hank led a tour of Charles new quarters. They had redone the lower guest bedroom and bath and brought down his bed from upstairs along with all his possessions approximately where he had them when he had left for Cuba. Hank had added a bar to the bed so Charles could get in and out of it.
The bathroom was a marvel. Charles could see how Hank had worked out the best way to allow Charles to be as independent as possible. The sink was at his new height with the chair. The toilet had bars on either side so he could get out of his wheelchair and use it. The shower had a seat and bars so Charles could maneuver in the shower.
“I didn’t have time to get the elevator installed yet, that’s next” said Hank.
“No Hank. Nothing to worry about. This is rather amazing” said Charles in all sincerity. “I appreciate everything you did more than I think you will ever know.”
“Well now you are settling in, I need to get back to Washington,” said Moria.
“Let me show you out” said Charles and the two of them went back to the study and out. Hank and Alex watch the two go down the path next to the house talking. They watched them kiss and then Moria stood up and, rather mechanically, walk back to her car with Charles watched her go with a very sad expression on his face. Once she was gone, Charles turned the chair around and worked his way back to the study.
They were waiting when he came in. “It’s for the best” he said, “We need to have as few people know of our existence as possible. Right now we are being hunted for who we are. We need to work to convince them that we are not here to hurt them.”
“Well most of us any way” Sean said under his breath.
Charles gave Sean a very sharp look. Hank saw it and said “What about Raven and Mr. Lensherr and the others? Do we protect them as well?”
Charles had a look of infinite sadness pass over his face “Yes. We do. I am hoping that someday we can work out our differences and find some common ground again.”
He picked up on various thoughts coming from the boys doubt about the future and theirs specifically. Anger towards Erik for what happened to him. And Pity. God how he hated pity. Before Cuba he hadn’t really known how much he didn’t like pity but since then, he really learned how he felt about it.
He looked at his watch. Most of the day was gone.
“Listen we have had a long day. Why don’t I take you all out to dinner to thank you for all the hard work you put in here.”
Hank snorted “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll stay here and work on Cerebro II. But if you could bring me back something that would be great.”
Charles was a little surprised that he hadn’t considered that Hank would have some difficulty going out in public. He figured because Raven had been a shape shifter that when he saw someone blue, he assumed that they could also not look blue.
“What about it Sean and Alex? Up for sometime outside the mansion?” asked Charles.
The two younger lads looked at Hank who nodded and the Sean gave out a whoop sound that shattered a vase. He looked at Charles who for the first time in a long time had a good laugh at the silliness of what just happened.
Everyone relaxed. The Professor seemed to be fine. In fact he was anything but.
About this story. I have most of it worked out in my head. I do know the ending but I am letting the middle fill to tell the story that is in my head. This part takes place the day that Charles comes back to the mansion and starts to deal with the rest of his life.
It is PG currently but it is going to be going to an R pretty soon so be forewarned.
This chapter had Charles, Moria, Alex, Hank and Sean in it. Eventually Erik will appear but it will be a little while.
Charles was glad to be home. He was so tired of hospitals and rehab. He was ready to get back to his life without all these extraneous minds that kept invading his. He found himself working more at keeping his mind away from others. He just wanted to feel normal or as normal as he had ever felt. And the mansion was a place of safety for him.
Alex got the wheelchair that Charles had been using out of the trunk and opened it up. He opened the car door and removed one of the armrests to allow Charles a straight shot into the chair. Charles maneuvered himself into the seat and got his legs on the footrests. Alex handed him the armrest and Charles put it back into place. He put his hands to the wheels and started to try to turn to get out of the way of the door but the gravel underneath the chair made it difficult. Alex saw quickly and jumped in to push Charles towards the house. Charles suppressed the urge to yell at Alex that he could do it thank you. He found himself suppressing a lot of emotions recently.
Alex, rather than wheeling him to the front of the house, took him around to the side to the entrance into his study. Charles figured out pretty quickly why. Coming around the corner, he saw a new structure on the steps leading up to the patio to the doors of his study. It was a ramp and again Charles found himself suppressing the angry and rage that was welling up inside.
“I see you have been busy while I was away,” he said to Alex and Moria.
Alex said, “Hank was the idea man, we were the labor force trying to get it done before you got back. He called in some favors from some people to get everything in place.”
‘Everything in place for the cripple’ thought Charles.
Moria put her hand on Charles’ shoulder and said, “You shouldn’t think like that.”
Charles was a little startled “Did I say that out loud?”
“No but your thoughts are bleeding a bit into our brains” said Hank coming out of the study onto the patio. “I know it can’t be easy for you.”
Charles looked at Hank in all his blue furry glory. Out of everyone here, he could probably at least have an inkling of how Charles felt.
“Let me show you what we did” said Hank and Alex pushed Charles into the study.
In the study there was a rather impressive chair waiting for him.
“Hank made it” said Alex. “He said that he worked to make it as ergon..ergo..”
Hank cut in, “Ergonomic as possible. I figured that it would be less pressure on certain parts of your body if I made it this way. Also it is electric with a solar panel for the battery or you can plug it in.”
Charles stared at the chair and his future all in one place. He took in a deep breath and released it. “Let’s try it” he said. Hank picked him up very gently and sat him down in his new chair. Charles did have to admit that the chair, or what he could feel of it, was very comfortable. He tentative touched the joystick on the arm rest and found himself slowly going forward. Alex folded up the other wheelchair and put it in the corner of the study. “Very nice job Hank” Charles said in all sincerity.
Hank smiled or what passed for a smile for him now, “Let me show you the rest of what we did.” Hank led a tour of Charles new quarters. They had redone the lower guest bedroom and bath and brought down his bed from upstairs along with all his possessions approximately where he had them when he had left for Cuba. Hank had added a bar to the bed so Charles could get in and out of it.
The bathroom was a marvel. Charles could see how Hank had worked out the best way to allow Charles to be as independent as possible. The sink was at his new height with the chair. The toilet had bars on either side so he could get out of his wheelchair and use it. The shower had a seat and bars so Charles could maneuver in the shower.
“I didn’t have time to get the elevator installed yet, that’s next” said Hank.
“No Hank. Nothing to worry about. This is rather amazing” said Charles in all sincerity. “I appreciate everything you did more than I think you will ever know.”
“Well now you are settling in, I need to get back to Washington,” said Moria.
“Let me show you out” said Charles and the two of them went back to the study and out. Hank and Alex watch the two go down the path next to the house talking. They watched them kiss and then Moria stood up and, rather mechanically, walk back to her car with Charles watched her go with a very sad expression on his face. Once she was gone, Charles turned the chair around and worked his way back to the study.
They were waiting when he came in. “It’s for the best” he said, “We need to have as few people know of our existence as possible. Right now we are being hunted for who we are. We need to work to convince them that we are not here to hurt them.”
“Well most of us any way” Sean said under his breath.
Charles gave Sean a very sharp look. Hank saw it and said “What about Raven and Mr. Lensherr and the others? Do we protect them as well?”
Charles had a look of infinite sadness pass over his face “Yes. We do. I am hoping that someday we can work out our differences and find some common ground again.”
He picked up on various thoughts coming from the boys doubt about the future and theirs specifically. Anger towards Erik for what happened to him. And Pity. God how he hated pity. Before Cuba he hadn’t really known how much he didn’t like pity but since then, he really learned how he felt about it.
He looked at his watch. Most of the day was gone.
“Listen we have had a long day. Why don’t I take you all out to dinner to thank you for all the hard work you put in here.”
Hank snorted “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll stay here and work on Cerebro II. But if you could bring me back something that would be great.”
Charles was a little surprised that he hadn’t considered that Hank would have some difficulty going out in public. He figured because Raven had been a shape shifter that when he saw someone blue, he assumed that they could also not look blue.
“What about it Sean and Alex? Up for sometime outside the mansion?” asked Charles.
The two younger lads looked at Hank who nodded and the Sean gave out a whoop sound that shattered a vase. He looked at Charles who for the first time in a long time had a good laugh at the silliness of what just happened.
Everyone relaxed. The Professor seemed to be fine. In fact he was anything but.
