Telky (Charles Xavier Love Story)

Chapter 18

The breakdown Seraphina had in November was the last, she promised herself. Erik wasn't going to change, nor had she caught wind of him since then. It was safe to say he was in prison, and one her friends confirmed he was held inside the Pentagon.

Not that she cared, she told herself. Deep down, she mourned the loss of her closest friend. She wouldn't admit it though, not even to herself. Instead, it was coated with a angry twinge whenever she thought of the subject.

Nearly four more years had passed since then. Sean and Alex taught the littlest kids in the house, while the few outside teachers taught the older ones. Sadly, not many more students were being brought in. The Vietnam War was worsening. She tried not to let it bother her. There were much happier things to dwell on. She liked to poke fun at Sean for apparently finding a girlfriend.

"So how did you find her? Did your soothing voice reel her in?" Alex joked while trying to open a particularly tough pistachio. His look of concentration made her laugh.

"Ah yes, I can picture it now! Sean Cassidy, the singer all the ladies swoon over!" Seraphina laughed. Sean turned red.

"No! You two are unbearable. No, she asked me. To coffee, "Sean insisted. Alex nodded sarcastically, if that was possible.

"She would be braver than you, if she actually said yes to a date," Alex added, "Aha! Cracked it open at last!" He said triumphantly putting the green prize in his mouth.

"Don't know why you love those. I stay away from green food," Sean said with a grimace. Alex threw one at him. "I don't know why you're teasing me. At least I have a girlfriend, unlike some people," Sean quipped.

"They all come up to me. I'm just waiting," Alex countered with a smirk. Sean stuck his tongue out.

"Uh huh, I'm sure they love you," Seraphina piped in. She smiled politely. She had seen Alex try to flirt once, and it went horribly.

"They do! You should know about waiting, took just about eternity and forever for Charles to take you on a proper date."

"Yes, an eternity. Gosh, I've never heard of one waiting a month after a crisis to return to normal!" She said with mock surprise. Sean giggled. 

"Well, it paid off. Look at you now, happily engaged," Alex said while trying to save his sinking argument. Seraphina smiled at the reminder at looked at her left hand.

~~*~~

Seraphina was tired. Not exhausted, just tired. One boy, Westley, had sneezed during class and accidentally blew a hole in the floor. Again. She was working with him now to keep that under control. So, here she was on the sofa in the main living room. Charles wheeled himself through the door and stopped next to her arm.

"I've been thinking," he began slowly. Seraphina chuckled. He was always thinking, even if he claimed not to be.

"And? About installing bomb-proof floors?" She jested. Charles laughed as well.

"No, but Westley sure has me thinking. I've been thinking about us. We've been together for how long?"

"Almost five years," she answered, slightly confused.

"That's long enough, right?" Charles asked. Seraphina looked over at him to be confronted with the bluest eyes. Even after this long she loved staring into them.

"Long enough for what?" She asked. Charles reached into his pocket and withdrew a small blue box. Seraphina was suddenly not so tired, and sat up straight to face him better. She stared at the little box with misty eyes, as the meaning of his question was clear.

"Long enough to ask you, Seraphina Fischer, to be my lovely wife?" Charles opened the small blue box to reveal a ring. Not some fancy diamond thing with a gemstone bigger than a fingernail, but a lovingly picked band of silver with small sapphires set into the metal. It gave the impression of little flowers of blue and silver, the way the metal wound around the miniscule gems. It looked like one piece too; the design was so fluid.

"Yes!"

~~*~~

Seraphina knew she would hold that memory dear to her heart no matter what happened.

"Yes. Happily engaged." She repeated, still thinkin of that evening, which ironically was barely a week ago.

"Indeed." Seraphina turned her head and saw Charles wheel in. He took her hand and smiled.

"Ugh, the looks you have on your faces are so sweet. Stop." 

"Charles, what is it?" 

Seraphina had walked into his study to find one of the teachers, Tom, along with Alex and a woman that was probably Tom's wife.

"We have a slight disturbance," Charles said. Sad blue eyes looked up at the man he could call a friend and a co worker. Seraphina turned her gaze as she stopped in front of the desk. She noticed the letter in his hands, but a peak in his head confirmed her fears.

"No!" She gasped. He nodded solemnly. The woman stuck her hand out, and Seraphina didn't fail to see her puffy eyes.

"Margaret Hamilton. Pleased to meet you, professor." She sniffled. Seraphina waved off the formality.

"He's the real professor," Seraphina indicated Charles, "Are you--Will you be teaching in Tom's stead?" 

Margaret nodded. Seraphina gave her a small hug which the woman returned after a small surprised moment.

From then on the Vietnam War seemed to have finally reached the Xavier Mansion. Some of the tuition paying families withdrew their children as mothers wanted their children at home with their fathers off at war. Margaret was one of two women who tried to fill their husband's places, but almost all of the male teachers had been drafted by the next spring. Older students, mainly Matthew and James, had been drafted shortly after Tom Hamilton, the math teacher. The school was emptying.

Charles' and Seraphina's utter happiness at the possibility of marriage dwindled until it was barely talked about in the wake of the school's slow failure. Seraphina was made sadder by seeing Charles in such a despairing state. His dream was being slowly crushed. She tried her best to keep positive though.

She and Margaret avoided the subject of the war altogether when they talked in between and after lessons. They made their lessons as fun as possible, with subjects like Math and English. Alex and Sean were funny, and the little ones loved them. The ones that stayed, that is.

"Do you think it'll get better?" Alex asked her one dull day. The school seemed dim without Theo trying to prank other kids.

"Yes." Seraphina thought a moment more. "It has too, and it will."

Oh, how she was wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two sad endings in a row. It's making me want to cry, and I had to write it. No way around it though...

Please comment/vote if you want.