"They healed, you don't even have leftover scars," Jean said as she finished inspecting Emilia.

 

"I said so," the raven-haired girl muttered while pulling her shirt down over her previously exposed midriff.

 

"You feel ready, you know you don't have to come if you don't want to," Jean said, but Emilia felt the redhead was loath to go alone.

 

"No, I'm coming, even if I'll be just following you around," she said, shaking her head.

 

"Alright, we will have to collect the bike, then head over," Jean counted on her fingers, " have you ridden a motorcycle before?"

 

"Nope," she didn't ever want to either, on the other hand, she could have to hug Jean through the ride.

 

"You will be fine, it's fun," Jean said, "let's get going."

 

They arrived an hour later at the gates of the mansion. Emilia felt conflicted, she swore to avoid coming here, mostly because she didn't want to meet the Professor. By now she was mostly sure he wasn't a mind-rapist evil version of him, though he did seem to be up to some shady stuff, not to mention the psychic seal on Jean.

 

Not that a person could protect mutant children from dozens of organizations wanting them without getting a bit dirty, but she could even respect him for not being an idealistic moron like in the movies.

 

Showing normal humans that mutants could help them by beating up evil people would never have been enough.

 

This both made the situation better and worse for her.

 

"Let's go," Jean said, putting her phone down as the gates of the mansion creakily opened by themselves. She had to make a call so someone would open them from the inside.

 

Emilia just nodded, and Jean continued driving down the road. Emilia felt her heart rate pick up when the gates closed behind them, she knew it was just paranoia. If they didn't want the two girls to leave it wouldn't be the walls and gates that stopped them, it would be the mutants living inside the mansion.

 

One of the prime candidates that would stand in their way should such a thing happen stood in front of the mansion, waiting for them, as Jean stopped the bike.

 

Emilia disentangled herself from Jean and shakily stood while Jean elegantly got off the bike afterwards.

 

"First time ridin' a bike huh, bub?" asked the gruff Canadian man, uncrossing his arms and taking the keys Jean was handing him.

 

"Thanks for letting me borrow it, Logan,"

 

"Yeah," Emilia steadied herself, while she enjoyed the ride, she was still a bit disoriented. Jean shouldn't have a licence that's for sure.

 

"Ya get used to it," he inspected the bike for any scratches, nodding when he didn't find any, "Ya' wanted to talk with Chuck, yea?"

 

"Yes," Jean nodded, "I would like you to stay for the talk too Logan."

 

"Alright," he shrugged, not putting much thought into it.

 

The two led Emilia through the hallways of the mansion, she saw a few children and teenagers walking around but she recognized none aside from Logan. She also refrained from using her psychic senses over the mansion, holding her field of influence close to herself, only covering her and Jean. She realized she could project her field around the redhead through their Mind Link, she could also apply her powers through it, though it was taxing.

 

They turned another corner, and Emilia was quickly losing track in the labyrinthine hallways, *We are almost there,* Jean nudged her mentally. Emilia also felt a rising discomfort from the girl as they got closer and closer.

 

*You alright?* she asked with a sideways gaze.

 

*Let me take care of him when we meet,* the redhead sent.

 

*The Professor?* Emilia kept her gaze facing forwards.

 

*No,* Jean sent back.

 

Emilia soon got the answer she didn't have time to ask as a young brown-haired man stormed out of the office she assumed was Xavier's. His trademark crimson eyeglasses instantly gave away his identity as Scott Summers.

 

Emilia was a bit confused, she was even worried Jean would already be in a relationship with Scott as in the movies. She assumed she wasn't when the ginger agreed to go on another date with her, the first could have been just a dinner between two strangers, maybe friends but the second was as romantic as they get. minus the getting shot at and torturing a sniper to death. Those weren't very romantic but the kiss made up for it.

 

"JEAN," the man yelled, anxiety and relief radiating from his aura, "we thought you were kidnapped, where were you yesterday evening?" he demanded.

 

Emilia quickly understood Jean's discomfort.

 

"None of your business Scott," Jean said, "I'm not a child anymore, I don't need to obey the curfew."

 

"But you've never slept outside the mansion before, what happened?" he demanded, now standing close to the two girls. Towering over the two, as even Jean only reached 170 cm of height, barely average for women.

 

"Bub, she a grown ass woman, can't you see you are making her uncomfortable," Logan said gruffly, stepping forward and putting a hand on Scott's shoulder, "we have a meetin' with Chuck, get goin' Scott."

 

Emilia imagined Scott had one hell of a tunnel vision, ignoring both her and Logan but it seemed he got fed up with it.

 

He tore her haze away from Jean's as she glared at him. Finally realizing there were two other people there.

 

He got a frown as he glanced at Emilia, probably not recognising her, but he quickly ignored her and nodded to Logan. He pushed past them, his footsteps still sounding like the annoyed stomps of a child to Emilia.

 

"We are here," Logan said, opening the Office door and ushering the girls in before he entered.

 

As the door clicked shut behind them Emilia looked around the office from behind Jean, somewhere along she instinctually hid behind her. She forced herself to step outside her shadow as she looked at the figure behind the dark artistic table. Bald head, wheelchair and an unmistakably psychic presence. However she put it it was Charles Xavier, even if he looked nothing like Sir Patrick Stewart or James McAvoy he was unmistakable.

 

"Ah, Jean you asked for an official meeting, welcome," he turned his eyes to Emilia, disturbingly recognition flashed through them as he asked, "And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

 

"Emilia Novak," she answered the old man.

 

"Sit please, you too Logan if you are staying," he waved them over to the couches at the side of the office. He too rolled over to the smaller table, "tea or cookies?" he asked.

 

"Tea please," Jean sat down on the couch, motioning Emilia to sit beside her.

 

"Tea for me too, please," she obediently followed Jean's instructions and sat down as elegantly as she could. She felt weirdly out of place, the man she so feared was acting like a 19th-century gentleman and even offered cookies.

 

"There is brandy in the drawer Logan, pour yourself some if you want," said the leader of the X-men as he carefully poured three cups of tea and handed two of them out to the girls before taking a sip of the third.

 

"I want to leave the mansion and travel around the world with Emilia," Jean said, causing Emilia and Logan to similarly choke on their drink. Emilia managed to not get herself drenched, unfortunately, Logan now had expensive brandy soaking his shirt. The Professor too seemed surprised, though not as much.

 

"What, why?" Logan asked, disregarding the state of his shirt as he plopped down into an armchair. He still held half a glass of alcohol in his hand, though now more carefully.

 

"I'm 21 Logan, others have gone to college and got a degree by now," she said, glancing at Emilia, "I've had enough of just spending my days meaninglessly, training, eating, sleeping, repeat, I've been doing this since I've finished high school in here."

 

Logan considered that ponderously as Xavier finally spoke up, "Are you sure it is wise? Many would wish to harm you, I cannot protect you from the outside of the mansion."

 

Emilia would have considered that a threat were it not for the telepath looking and feeling worried.

 

Emilia got the feeling he did care about the children under his protection. Genuinely fearing for Jean's safety were she to leave.

 

"We are quite good at protecting ourselves," Jean glanced meaningfully at Emilia, "Emilia is good at hiding."

 

"That she is," Xavier Looked at her, she felt a few tendrils of psychic energy manifesting from his body. They didn't approach her just hovered around a bit, observing her.

 

"Indeed, it seems you are the young mutant I failed to locate," he reabsorbed the tendrils into his mind.

 

He sounded praising while saying it, like a grandfather happy his granddaughter managed to outrun him in a race.

 

"Thank you?" Emilia scratched her cheek awkwardly as both Jean and Logan looked at her, surprised.

 

*For real?* Jean poked her mentally.

 

*Kind of?* she thought, projecting her memories of dodging the psychic feelers and deflecting them.

 

When she glanced at the Professor she noticed he was staring at the two of them, eyes wide.

 

"I am not going to ask whether you are ready for such commitment as that telepathic bond as it cannot be broken anymore, instead," he pulled out a card from his inner pocket, "you can reach me at this number if you need advice on telepathy throughout your travels."

 

Emilia carefully took the card, as it was extended in her direction, "Thank You."

 

"I am aware we have barely met but I try to help fledgling mutants like yourself even if you don't wish to reside in this mansion," said the Professor.

 

Emilia's empathy was working in overdrive, trying to decipher the man's intentions but she didn't find any malicious emotions. She refrained from doing the same with her telepathy, that was a fight she couldn't win.

 

She looked over the card, it was a sort of business card. It had his number, email and the address of this mansion on it.

 

"The brat's gonna make a fuss," Logan said, staring at the empty glass in his hand.

 

The old telepath just sighed as she shook his head.

 

"I can't say being away from him wasn't helping me make the decision," Jean said with a frown.

 

The old man just massaged his eyes, "He might just grow from being away from you too."

 

Emilia felt like she was missing something, Scott was Jean's squad leader in the X-men, whom she knew.

 

Just as she gathered her courage to ask Jean about it Logan interrupted her.

 

"He's gotta grow up sooner or later, can't keep hounding ya ex like that," he said, having a fatherly strictness to him. Emilia got the feeling he considered Summers a sort of surrogate son, even more so than the other kids here.

 

Emilia threw a sideways glance at an exponentially awkward Jean.

 

Well, she did feel like Jean had experience with romance before meeting her.

 

She did feel a bit disappointed she wasn't Jean's first partner but this was life, not a fairy tale where two protagonists are guided to each other by destiny and live happily forever after.

 

She didn't know why the ginger was feeling guilty right now but she tried to reassure her it was fine.

 

"Alright, I need to get back to working, if you don't have anything else to speak about we are done for now," the Professor announced.

 

"Goodbye Professor, Thank You for taking care of me all these years," Jean stood up.

 

"You were a pleasure to have around Jean, I assume this is farewell for now?" said Xavier.

 

"Yes, we want to leave soon," she admitted.

 

"Take care of yourself, " the grandfatherly Professor said, " and of Miss Novak here too, I can feel she has potential, yet it pales in magnitude compared to yours, no offence Miss Novak."

 

"It's alright," Emilia shook her head, "You are right."

 

Logan rose from the armchair, making his way to the door.

 

"I'll escort ya out, cya later Chuck," he pushed the door open.