Visiting Hours(Bobby)

[phase]

Bobby's parents had stayed in his room for hours, not leaving for a single minute until many hours had passed and dinner was needed. Someone or other, who introduced themselves as a teacher but looked in their mid-twenties (which made Madeline Drake wonder how they could have people so young teaching at a school that was supposed to be teaching Bobby college-level math and sciences), informed them that Bobby would need to be checked over soon, and that if the Drakes wanted to get themselves some dinner, that someone would watch over Bobby while they were gone.

The Drakes had reluctantly agreed, William making the final call for his wife. She was in an awful state, from the combination of mourning over her son and being so tense and--though she wouldn't admit it--scared at being surrounded by so many mutants, including a disgustingly bat-like one they had passed on their way to Bobby's room.

So with the promise that someone was being sent to watch their son, William and Madeline Drake left their son with quietly-spoken good-byes.

++++++

Hannah woke up somewhere around ten oclock. Miss Candice had brought her new clothes, a pair of jeans and a white tshirt with a sparkly X on the front with a circle around it. She couldn't figure out how to tie the tennis shoes Candice left her, so after a few minutes of trying she picked them up in either hand and ran out into the hall.

"BOBBY!!!!" She called, running over to the boy's dorms. "Bobby I canna get my shoes tied!!"

When she couldn't find him, she frowned to herself, turning in the hallway. No one answered her call, they must all be busy. Closing her eyes, she sent her mind out in all directions, looking for Bobby.

On the other side of the door! He must be asleep!!!

Hannah pushed the door open, shoes on her hands like gloves. "Bobby! My shoes! See the shoes Miss Candice got m-" She stopped short. He didn't feel asleep. She could sense sleeping people's dreaming emotions. Bobby had nothing... he was quiet...

She walked up to the bed, tapping him with her shoe-y hand. "Bobby?"

[logan]

Logan was heading down the hall, his turn for the watch. Bobby had been out for a day, and the new guy, Medicine Man, or whatever he'd be called, didn't really fix him to consciousness. He had fixed him, Wolverine assumed, just as he'd fixed Conduit's brother and Storm.

It had been difficult to sleep through the night, he found, his blood boiling from that moment outside the bar the night before. Rayen had revitalized him in a way he didn't even know he'd needed, and the entire motorcycle ride back he could feel it. He felt it when he let her go back to her room, and when he returned to his own... he was even feeling it this morning when he'd visited 'Ro in her office, getting the rundown of Baltimore. The injuries, what had happened with her and 'Crawler, and how the new mutant had probably saved her life.

Then there was Bobby... they were to take shifts watching him until his parents returned. Whatever had happened to him had been purely psychological, and Storm had mentioned some sort of psychic control. The thought of an enemy Xavier working for the Brotherhood really bothered Logan, but these days anything about the Brotherhood did.

He heard a child yelling somewhere ahead, in the hall, and saw a small shape enter Bobby's room before he did.

Leaving the door partially open behind him, he watched as the kid failed to really understand the extent of Bobby's problems. It was touchingly sad, even to the Wolverine.

“Sorry squirt, he's gonna be out for a bit.” He said, regarding her with curious eyes. What was the connection between this kid and Bobby? He thought Peter was the one who hung out with kids.

[phase]

Hannah turned around, looking at the tall man. He was nice, and a little sad, and kind of warm and tingly. Maybe he'd just watched cartoons.

"My name's Hannah," she said, then looked back at Bobby. "Is he taking a nap?"

She felt Logan react before he said anything. A surge of sadness, and he was uncomfortable. "Is he dead? You don't come back from being dead."

Hannah frowned. It wasn't like her to get upset about things... she simply understood them, it was part of her survival instinct. But death... death she hadn't encountered yet.

"Bobby it's Hannah Banana. You said we could fro the football in the back yard when you gotted back..." she whimpered a little, dropping her shoes to shake Bobby's arm with both of her small hands.

[logan]

“Hey now,” Logan said, putting a hand over her little hands. Poor kid was getting rattled up somethin' fierce. “He's gonna be okay. He's not dead, not even dyin', kid – he's... uhhh... yeah, nappin'. He just needs some rest. He'll be up and tossin' the football around in no time, okay?”

As far as any of them new, it was the truth. Bobby wasn't dead, just psychically winded – maybe even comatose – but far from dead.

“Bobby may not look tough, but he's got it where it counts.” He bent over, looking at her. “Know what 'guts' are?”

[phase]

Hannah looked a little worried, but she was ever trusting of adults.

She poked at her belly. "It's in your tummy. Your guts. But Bobby doesn't have a big tummy, so how can he have lots of guts? And how does that help you wake up?" Confusing herself, she wrinkled her nose.

"Why can't we wake him up now? He said we'd play football."

[logan]

Logan frowned a bit, a gesture that was mainly seen in the lines between his eyebrows. He got down to a knee, so as to be more level with her.

“Yeah, guts means stomach, but it also means piss and vinegar. It means not being afraid, and not giving up. If you got guts, you keep goin’, even if you’re hurt. Bobby’s got those kinda guts…” He looked over at the peaceful looking boy, who talked to him about increasing his power one day, long ago in the wood. “I’m afraid that shaking him isn’t going to wake him up, short stuff. He’s in a kind of sleep that only he can wake himself out of. It may take a few days.”

[phase]

Hannah frowned hard. It was an intense expression, but the cuteness of her concentration made it more comical than anything.

"Okay then. Bobby's got pissed and vinegar." She turned and picked up her shoes. "And when you wake UP BOBBY!!" She yelled as if trying to get him to hear even in his 'sleep'. "WHEN YOU WAKE UP YOU CAN SHOW ME HOW TO TIED MY SHOES!"

She half-ran to the door, as most six year old motions are executed at a running pace. Pausing by Logan, she looked up. "You have to take care of him, cause I'm late." She nodded. "Late late for a very important date."

Running out the door, she wore her shoes as hand covers. "I have feet for hands!!" She shouted to no one in particular.

[chamber]

Chamber had been looking for SOMEone in authority all morning. Candice wasn't sure where Storm or Kurt were, but had let him know Logan was upstairs watching Bobby.

Skipping every other step as he jogged up the stairs, he knocked on Bobby's door and stepped in.

Good morning. He tapped on his temple, indicating the telepathic speech. You don't mind, do you? I wanted to run something past you.

[logan]

Logan had just settled in a chair after the girl left when the brooding man known as Chamber entered.

Now, Logan wasn’t sure what to think about this one. He was reserved, quiet, and almost monk-like. He was very passive, in a way, Though from what Wolverine understood – and saw, in Baltimore – held a great powerful energy in him, which he could use to blast things apart with. He was a lot like the new Cyclops, in that fashion, a blaster… but he was definitely not the talkative type. Or, you know, telepathically talkative type.

Still, Chamber had a no-nonsense way of dealing with things, which, of course, Logan liked. As the masked man spoke in his mind, Logan shrugged. Sure. He’d experienced it before, with Chuck.

“Sure,” He said, listening. He’d decided at the last minute not to say ‘shoot’.

[chamber]

Chamber only regarded Bobby for a moment before sitting on the bed opposite the chair Logan sat in. Folding his fingers together, he gave Logan a rather hard expression- though really it was hard to look any other way with only your eyes showing.

We haven't had a chance to catch up since Baltimore, and I'm not sure what Storm's had a chance to tell you. I've worked with the X-team a number of times over the years- used to be a student.

Jonothan ran fingers through his hair, frowning as he considered what he was going to say.

I was close with Xavier, and Scott, and Jean. Pretty much my only family, you could say. There was another pause as Chamber shook those thoughts away, fingers tapping on his knee.

Storm knows I'm here to make up for not being here when they really needed me. So you're just going to have to trust her judgement of me going forward. He nodded, satisfied with how he'd phrased that. We have a bit of a problem. One of our friends, someone we've worked with in the past. He has a bit of a reputation, might be dragging some trouble with him if he shows up here. He's pretty valuable in a fight though, and like I said he's a friend. Charles would have taken him in- Chamber swept a hand sideways to illustrate his point. -without a thought. But Charles isn't here anymore. He paused, looking at Logan.

Remy needs our help, but I think he could also be a big help to us. No one wants to put the kids in danger, least of all him. But he didn't want to just walk in with trouble on his back without letting you know. Now personally, I don't think the X-Men can stay here at the school any longer. It's becoming a danger to the students. But I understand I'm likely the only one who's thinking that, so it's here Remy will have to come if he's going to help us out.

[logan]

Logan leaned back, 'listening' to Chamber. So much for the not-talkative bit, the guy could ramble with the best of 'em. He completely understood Chamber wanting to be here to make up for when he wasn't... God knows if they had that guy on their team at Alcatraz... well, wouldn't have made much a difference about Jean, Scott, or X, really. But it'd have been helpful. Perhaps now wasn't the time for 'oh it wouldn't have saved them' talks. As far as Logan was concerned, if 'Ro trusted this guy, then he trusted this guy. At least until the guy happened to prove himself untrustworthy.



"Charlie did his best to keep me here, and I was considered a big threat to the safety of the team." He said, deciding not to go on about animal analogies. "I think he'd take just about anyone in. He'd even take John back."



Logan put his booted feet out in front of them, crossing them at the ankle, and crossed his arms.



"I'm with you about the school. X-men are public now, I'm sure that's gotta affect the school. Even if you didn't mind your kid being a mutant, you may mind him staying in a school that has a vigilante team stationed in its basement. I think X had us here to protect the children. He felt that very important, and it does make sense… though now it seems like trouble finds the school because we ARE here."



He sighed, unsure what to think on the issue. If they left, the school would be a sitting duck… but from whom? What would attack the school without them knowing it was on its way?



"As for this Remy fella, why's he so dangerous? You don't mean he has an uncontrollable power, like randomly blowin' up buildings or makin' people see their nightmares or anything like that, do ya?"

[chamber]

It's not Remy himself that is dangerous- though he can be. It's his enemies that would be a concern. As you said, it's not as if we haven't had that sort of danger here before. He nodded to Logan.

I think if we moved us, obviously SOME of us would still be at the school. But those of us who aren't teachers... is there any reason they should be here? If nothing else Logan, I know this place is about 'trust' and 'family'... but times are getting tough. What if one of the adults here ends up hurting one of the kids? Do random people have a place here around the students?

[logan]

Logan nodded. It was a good point. There were a lot of people here that had nothing to do with the school… was Chamber teaching classes? Bishop? Hell, Logan himself?

“Alright. So maybe we set up a base somewhere nearby… maybe down the road a bit? Make it an official X-Man base? Put it in the phone book?” He asked, half-joking.

“As for Remy… who ain’t got enemies around here? That’s something we should be wary of, naturally, but it’s not something that woulda stopped Xavier. Is he wantin’ to be an X-Man? I’m sure that’s something we could arrange. Way I see it, the more the merrier these days.”

[chamber]

Chamber shook his head. No. Neither Remy nor I have ever accepted the uniform. It's something.... well, it's complicated. We just have a thing about wandering.

Rising, he reached out his hand for Logan to shake. Well, I'm glad we're of the same mind about this one. I'll let Remy know and maybe we can get our heads together about the base later.

[logan]

Logan stood, thinking hard about what Chamber said. He took the man’s hand, and shook it firmly. “You know, I put the uniform on because it was necessary. I take it off when I’m done, and I leave when I want. I’m usually only here a couple months outta the year. Least that’s been the trend.”

He nodded at the other man, an understanding brewing between them. “Oh, since you’re here. You mind stickin’ around for a bit and watchin’ the kid?” He nodded towards Bobby. “I’m starvin’.”

(( Logan continued elsewhere ))