[3] The New Ones {X-Men Apocalypse}

II

"Alex. It's good to see you." Charles said, wheeling himself forward a bit so that they shook hands.

"Ah, you too." Alex says and they hugged briefly as Atlanta stood back with the kids, who were hugging her as if their lives depended on it.

"You look well. It's been a while." The professor said, studying him briefly as they separated again.

"It has. Not too bad yourself." He said and Charles smiled slightly at him.

"Thank you." He murmured before Alex stepped back a couple steps and clapped Scott gently on the shoulders.

"This is my brother, Scott." Alex said and Rebel winced at what she read in Scott's thoughts about this place, and yet, he hadn't even seen it yet.

"Hello, Scott. Welcome to the School for the Gifted." Charles said calmly as he always did, the polite tone always.

"Yeah. It doesn't exactly feel like a gift." Scott said and Alex rolls his eyes again, as did Atlanta and Rebel, who'd once thought like that as well.

"Take it from us all, Scott. It never does at first. Ever. But at least you're in a safe environment for it now. The other options are not so great."

Atlanta winced as she spoke the words that everyone knew to be true and Alex reached over and grabbed a hand in his, which was shaking.

"It never does, at first." Charles confirmed as they all consented to take a look at the grounds, except for Rebel who had a class to teach.

"Rebel? Our Rebel, teaching classes stuffed full of kids? Could you see it back in '62?" He asked and she laughs at him, shaking her head.

"No, I honestly wouldn't have ever thought of her as a teacher then, as I am sure you would agree." She says a bit mischievously as they walked.

"The first step in understanding one's power is learnin' the extent of it. Only then can we begin the true process, of teachin you how to control it." Charles said and laughed at an image in Dive's head. "Although, for some, it may take longer then others."

He said, as Alex's eyes went to Atlanta, who was looking down at the ground, but she was now without the shadow of a doubt, absolutely shaking with laughter.

"If you do decide to stay, I can promise you that by the time you're done here, you will be able to go back into the world and play a stable and a productive part in it." Charles finished and Atlanta finally regains control of herself.

"You done?" Alex asked her in annoyance, which promptly set her off hysterically laughing once again.

"Why don't you take your bandages off and we can have a look at what we are dealing with here?" Charles asked, ignoring Atlanta's laughter behind the adult mutants. "Alex, would you line him up for me please? Face him in the right direction, as it were." Charles said.

Alex put his sunglasses down over his eyes, and turned Scott in the intended direction of the target.

"There is a target just across the water. When you open your eyes, try and hit that. You, can open your eyes, Scott. There's nothing to be afraid of... it's quite..."

Charles moved out of the way as a huge blast of energy shot out of Scott's eyes.

Decimating the practice target until there was nothing left, and continuing to promptly cut through an entire tree until he finally shut his eyes.

"Holy shit." Atlanta mumbled under her breath and Charles looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry." She'd roll her eyes quickly.

"Get back!" Rebel shouted at the students as the tree split in half and she caught it with her telekinetic power, and her eyes shone blue.

"I think... that... that was probably... my favorite tree." Charles said and the roll of Atlanta's eyes was clear.

"I'll go put out the fire." She said and he nodded swiftly at her, as she raced cleanly across the lake with Silver by her side, and a second later the mother and daughter duo were putting out the fire.

"Does that mean I'm expelled?" Scott asked, as the two girls returned from their brief stint across the lake.

"Oh, on the absolute contrary. You are enrolled." Charles says.

Now hours later, every child was awake as they whispered about Jean Gray.

"Back to bed now, everyone. Come on now, back to bed please." Atlanta said gently as both Trent, her son, as well, as Silver, her daughter, they went all over and around the mansion calming every one of the younger children of the school back to bed, as they were some of the oldest there.

"I have never seen it this bad." Hank said as he opened Jean's door and the Professor rolls himself in, finding that Rebel had been, already attempting to wake her up.

"I can't stay inside her mind... Charles, it's like every single nightmare... that I have ever seen rolled into one." She'd whisper and he nodded.

"Let me have a go. You go get some rest, you've been at it for awhile." He said and she looked at him. "Yes I'm sure, now go." He said, and she nods quickly, walking out of the room with a pounding headache from all of the kids' thoughts.

Atlanta was in her old room that was still her room, and Alex knocks on the open door. "Headaches? I thought that was Rebel's thing?" He asked, as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"You're right, it is her thing. But when I'm the only thing standing between a lot of kids, who have fire abilities, and a wooden house... it gets tiring." She'd mutter and he looked at her.

"You're tired of all this. You could've come and stayed with me." He said as he moved his arm around her and she shook her head, leaning against him.

"They need me here, Alex. I would love to, but the kids need me and I'm not just talking about our own kids anymore, Havok." She said and then he smiles slightly at her.

"Love you." He said and she smiled slightly and sighed, as she heard feet coming down the hallway.

"I love you too." She said and by someone's power, the door was now slammed shut and locked.

"Put a hat on the door or something, none of us want to walk in on you two going at it. It's a school."

Atlanta growled.

"Rebel, I'm gonna start throwin' you in the tank if I have to hear, just one, one more word of your speculations, kid." She snapped.

"I am not a kid anymore!" Rebel shouted through the wall and Atlanta rolls her eyes and Alex kissed her quickly, before Atlanta rolled onto her side to shut the lights out.