If Ever I Stray// Charles Xavier

Someone's At the Door.

 "Hank!" Jaquelin rasped, leaning across the counter. "I think there's someone outside."

"What?" he asked out loud. "Why are you whispering?"

"There's someone in the driveway." she hit his is shoulder.

"How do you know?"

She rolled her calico eyes and pointed to the ears near the top of her head. Sure enough, seconds later someone knocked on the door. Hank looked panicked.

"What do I do?!" he whispered frantically.

"Go answer it!" she snapped. The young man sat down his glass of lemonade silently on the counter and stepped softly to the grand doors, his friend tip-toeing behind him.

"You answer it, Jack." Hank grabbed her shoulders and guided her to stand in front of him.

"You really think that a good idea?" she asked, gesturing to the dog-like ears on top of her head.

"If they know we're mutants they might leave us alone." the brown haired man shrugged.

"No, they're anxious, I cant feel it." she shook her head. "Answer it."

"Jax..." he whined quietly, looking down at the small auburn haired girl. She nudged him and he gave in. He unlocked the door and peeked out. "Can I help you?" Hank asked nervously. Jax pressed herself against him to better hear the conversation.

"Uh, yeah, what happened to the school?" a deep voice asked.

"The school's been shut for years." Hank informed them. "Are you a parent?"

The man outside scoffed. "I sure as hell hope not. Who are you?"

"Hank McCoy. I look after the house now."

"You're Beast?" the guy sounded surprised. She felt Hank tense and he eased back from the door a little. "God," he sighed. "Look at you, I guess you're a late bloomer. Where's the runt, is she running around yet?" Jax figured the guy was tripping balls on something bad but wondered about the way he called Hank 'Beast' as if he knew about his mutation.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Hank stuttered. Jack put a hand on Hank's arm to remind him she was there. "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." he began to shut the door but the man out side pushed it back open and they started struggling against one another and Jack stepped back, she didn't want to get an elbow to the face.

"So where's the professor?" 

 "There's no professor here." Hank grunted.

"You're pretty strong for a scrawny kid, you got someone back there helpin' ya?"

"No," Hank growled, glancing back at Jax. She got the hint and put her hands on the door and pushed. She wasn't a very physically strong woman.

"Now you do, it's the runt, isn't it? You sure there's not a little beast in you?" the man growled back.

"No." Hank struggled, Jax was putting all her weight on the door, trying to gain friction on the wooden floor with her bare feet.

"Come on, Beasty!" The man shoved the door open and stomped inside. "Hey look, I knew she was here!" the man smirked, walking through the foyer.

"I said the school is closed, you need to leave." Hank followed after the man, trailed by Jax.

"Not until I see the professor."

Hank grabbed the man's shoulder just before he reached the grand staircase and spun him around. "There's no professor here, I told you that."

"Look kid, you and I are gonna be good friends." he said and punched Hank right on the face, he fell to the ground. Jax could feel herself loosing it, her fingernails were morphing into points and her canines were growing as she dropped to make sure Hank was okay. The man jogged up the stairs and Hank's skin started turning blue, the angrier he got.

"Shit." Jax cursed.