Bobby's Return...

[x-coldhands.livejournal.com]

When Bobby Drake returns to the mansion, he comes with an apparent carbon copy of himself. After explaining his situation, and hearing that of the mansion, a surprise offer is made.



Robert Drake stood in front of a set of double doors that he knew all too well. These doors, which were so familiar to him that he knew they would never leave his mind and he could still sketch out every detail. Albeit the last time he looked upon them was two years ago, and back then he didn't know when would be the last time. Before knocking he turned silently to his side, looking at his brother, a person he never dreamed would be standing in the same place. He noticed Ronnie quiver slightly as he looked up at the door, but did nothing to comfort him. That would take much longer than a flight from Ireland to New York. With a deep breath Bobby knocked on the door, taking another step back and refilling his head with all the subtle hints of his childhood home.

~Please, both of you come in.~ Apparently that was another thing that hadn't changed, Charles' habit of answering a knock before it actually happened.

Bobby pushed open the door and used his shoulder to gesture his brother to follow him in. As his brother shuffled along, Bobby greeted his former professor with a coy smile, tilting his head forward. "Professor." With a pointing of his thumb back towards Ronnie, he stepped forward towards the his mentor's desk. "As you can see, we have a bit of a problem."

Charles took in the identical boys with a raised eyebrow. "So I see," he said out loud. "Please, sit, and we'll decide how best to address the situation." He nodded encouragingly to Ronnie. "Would you like some tea? I find it rather soothing in situations like this."

Bobby turned towards his brother as he looked dumbstruck. "You can wait in the hall Ronnie while we talk." The boy nodded his head and quickly turned rushing out the door. "Sorry about that professor, it looks like once a member of the FOH, always a member. He's still a bit shaky around mutants, even though it looks like he's one of us now too."

"So I see." Charles didn't seem overly surprised, simply wheeling himself out from behind the desk to the more 'informal' setting before the fireplace of armchairs and small coffee table. "It does complicate his options somewhat," he continued, gesturing for Bobby to sit down. "Normally I would suggest that he remain here to learn to control his abilities. However, that might not be possible, between the psychological reminders the school has for him of yourself, and the discomfort to the other residents of seeing another shapeshifter wearing your form, considering the past."

As he fell into the chair, Bobby couldn't help but smile. The Professor's intuitive way of knowing things, be it through seeing things in the minds of others, rifts he felt through Cerebro, or just his way of "reading" things through his students actions and body languages had driven him to the breaking point when he was a teenager, but after being away from it for so long, it was more than comforting. "The discomfort for them? It was a little awkward for me answering the door to the keep and seeing myself. He says that he can't shift out of it, that he doesn't even know what caused the shift in the first place." He couldn't help but grin as he knew that the Professor probably already knew everything. Drake squinted for a second before lifting his head back up. "Is Dr. MacTaggart still conducting her research on Muir Island?"

"There are still those who remember Mystique's replacement of you - such a reminder would not be welcome, I would think," Charles elaborated. He smiled a little at the direction Bobby was going in; obviously the young man had matured since his departure, to make such a proactive suggestion so quickly. Interesting, indeed. "I believe you have hit upon the best solution, at least for your brother. There are enough resources there to assist him in regaining his own shape, and no reminders of yourself to interfere with that. Ronnie's... personal issues with you and with mutants in general will have to be addressed before he can control his powers, I suspect, and having some distance might help with that. If you are needed, it isn't so far from Cassidy Keep to Muir."

"And it's quite the trip from here and all the crazy mutants that he's lived most of his life afraid of." Bobby paused for a second, pulling something out of his own comment. "But it doesn't seem like it's quite as crazy as I remember it." Furrowing his eyebrows together, Bobby recognized the sharp contrast between the constant commotion that happened during his early walks to the Professor's door, and the near ghost town that he had encountered this evening. "Is there some kind of concert or mutant rights festival tonight?"

"The school is rather more sedate than when you were last here," Charles admitted. "We have recently had a number of departures, especially among the staff and the team, and I suspect it has impacted on things rather more than anticipated."

"I can only imagine, it was almost scary not getting pounced by people on my way down here." Bobby paused for a second, picking apart every word that he just heard from the professor. It was hard for his heart not to sink just a little bit, thinking of all the students who were still at the school. He couldn't bear to think of their education being any less than the spectacular childhood he encountered. He hung his head for a second, knowing that his lifetime could be altered by the answer to this next question. "Professor, would it be helpful if you had one of the staff and team members at all come back? You know, on a temporary basis."

"I won't deny that you'd be not only welcome, but extremely helpful," Charles responded frankly. "But what of your responsibilities back in Ireland? The Keep? Your wife?"

Bobby swallowed hard. Immediately after hearing about the situation, he had done his best to keep Terry out of his mind, but upon mentioning her name, all he could see was the smiling red-head. "If there's one thing I've learned from my wife, it's how important a sense of duty is to her. Right now she's showing that with her allegiance to Interpool. My heart is and always will be at this place." He closed his eyes, weighing his options greatly. "I think she would understand." It took a lot of force to pull his eyes open again. "And I can always do my best to convince her to put the leathers back on again." A wry smile grew as he did his best to hide the pain. It was difficult enough being separated from his wife during her long stays at Interpool, but at least they were on the same continent. But there was no denying it felt right being back in the mansion again. If they needed his help, he would be there. "And finding a caretaker for the Keep is easier than it sounds. I can guarantee about a hundred responses to a newspaper ad asking people if they want to live in a castle." His blue eyes caught the Professor's. "So I guess the ball is back in your court. Will you guys take me back?"

"The fact that you can give me the answer you have is more than enough to make me think that you coming back would not only help us, but it would help you as well." Charles smiled, his own eyes warm. "Welcome back, Mr. Drake."

It only took Bobby a few seconds of looking at the man in front of him to know that he made the right decision. "Thank you Professor, I won't let you down." He extended his hand outward, his smile growing.

"I don't believe you will." Charles shook the young man's hand, knowing he wasn't the same confused boy who had wound up in so much trouble previously. And with Jean and Scott away, Bobby would have the chance to establish himself beyond those particular poor choices. "Now, you should let your brother what we have decided, if only to stop him fretting out there in the hall."