Scott and his grandfather, Tuesday morning

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Scott and Phillip have a nice, long talk. The conversation includes a job offer, discussion of obsessive-compulsive thinking patterns, and a little bit of grandfatherly advice.


"Coffee?"

Scott took the mug from his grandfather, smiling. "Thanks," he said, wrapping his hands around it as he sat down. The hangar had been freezing, although Scott really hadn't noticed it while he'd been out there. Too busy with his hands forearm-deep in plane guts, he reflected happily. "I finished up with the DC-3," he said, taking a long sip of the coffee. "Beautiful plane. Absolute classic."

"Benny and Jim keep nagging at me to get rid of her, but I think that's just because they don't like to fly her," Phillip said with a chuckle, settling himself behind his desk in the little office. "But I'm too fond of her to do that. She was one of my first, and I've made sure she's been well-maintained over the years." He chuckled, lifting his own mug. "You know, I didn't intend to put you to work when I invited you and Alex up here for Christmas."

"But I've really enjoyed it," Scott said, meaning it. He'd done some work in the hangar, and even taken a few of the scheduled post-Christmas flights. Flying the DC-3 or one of the Cessnas wasn't like flying the Blackbird, of course. But it was so... relaxing, to be taking tourists up, or doing a cargo run. And the scenery was absolutely exquisite. "It feels so good just to..." He trailed off a bit confusedly, not quite sure how to put it without revealing things he really couldn't to Phillip.

Phillip sipped at his coffee, giving Scott a long, thoughtful look. There was a lot more going on at that school than the obvious, he reflected; it hadn't taken more than a conversation or two with Scott to realize that. Whatever his grandson was, he wasn't just a teacher. That much was as plain as the nose on his face. The way he reacted to some things... it almost smacked of military training. He wasn't going to push, though. At least not yet.

"You've done a damned fine job at everything you've set your hand to," Phillip said finally, more seriously. "You ever decide you've had enough of teaching down south, you're more than welcome here." Alex was quite obviously determined to get back to Hawaii for college, and Phillip was content with that, as that appeared to be where his younger grandson really wanted to be. Scott, however, was another matter entirely. He was obviously committed to what he was doing, but Phillip was getting the very definite impression that he wasn't really all that happy in it a good portion of the time. Which bothered him.

Scott blinked, the mug stopping halfway to his lips. "Uh..." That should not be as tempting as it was. It really shouldn't. "That's... I mean, thank you. Means a lot to me that you'd make an offer like that based on a few days..." And it really did, Scott thought, relaxing a little, smiling almost despite himself. Phillip wouldn't have made the offer based strictly on their blood relationship; he'd figured out that much about his grandfather, even in the few days they'd had together.

"It's a standing offer," Phillip said easily. "Heaven knows I could use another pilot. Got more business than I know what to do with half the time."

"I'll... keep it in mind," Scott said. He'd almost said 'I'll think about it', and when he stopped to reflect, he acknowledged to himself that it was really what he'd meant. So tempting, he thought wistfully. The job, the place, the people... there was part of him that knew, even after less than a week, that it was quite possible that he could feel at home here. Maybe that made sense, given that this was where he'd been born, but that didn't make it any less surprising. Especially given how wary he'd been about coming in the first place.

But he couldn't stay. He was needed back at the school. There was too much to do, too much that he had to do. Running away to Alaska to live a normal life was not in the cards.

Phillip gazed across the desk at Scott, noticing that the stone-faced look was back. "In the end," he said thoughtfully, "we need to do what makes us happy."

"No," Scott said after a moment, almost wryly, "we need to do what needs doing." At Phillip's raised eyebrow, he shrugged a little. "Personal happiness hasn't been much of a priority lately," he admitted. "Then again, I've hardly had time to consider it one way or the other, these last few months..."

Phillip shook his head. "I've gotten that impression, from what little you've said. The school sounds like it's awfully hectic at times."

Scott laughed, a bit bitterly. "There's the understatement of the year." Phillip watched him expectantly, clearly waiting for him to elaborate, and Scott went on somewhat reluctantly. "Above and beyond the fact that we have, well, students regularly blow up, the school attracts a lot of adverse attention. Mostly because of what it is, and the nature of our student body." There was a nice euphemism...

"Trouble comes looking for your kids because they're mutants?"

"Sometimes." Scott sighed and sipped at his coffee. "It gets so... complicated. And hectic - that's a very good word for it, you know. It's one thing after another, and half the time we can't really protect the kids--" No, not going there. Scott stared down into his coffee cup, struggling with the bleak expression that had settled across his features.

"From this adverse attention?" Phillip asked wisely. "Or themselves?"

A faint laugh slipped out before Scott could stop it. "Both. Sometimes at the same time." He shook his head, slouching in his chair a little and all too aware of Phillip's keen gaze. "I just... they're good kids, most of them, and it's frustrating not to be able to--well, shield them better. And Alex..." Scott bit back the words, covering his grimace by sipping at his coffee again. There was so much he couldn't say! he thought in frustration.

"You worry about him," Phillip said after a moment, almost gently. "Not hard to see that. Your Professor--Charles, rather, told me he'd had a pretty rough time this past year. Some bad experiences." He let a touch of sternness enter his voice. "I don't know what happened, but I suspect you shouldn't be kicking yourself about to the extent you obviously are."

Scott looked up at him, a bit startled. "I'm not--well, not really," he protested at Phillip's skeptical look. "But there are things I should have done, things I should have noticed... he's my brother." He bit his lower lip for a moment, sighing. "I seem to say that about a lot of things, though," he admitted more quietly. "Here I thought I'd kicked that habit."

Phillip leaned back in the chair, regarding Scott speculatively. Then, abruptly, he rose. "Finish up your coffee," he said briskly, coming around the desk and laying a hand on his grandson's shoulder for a moment, squeezing gently. "I'll go tell Benny we're heading off for the afternoon. You and I are going to take a nice long drive while the weather's holding."

"Where to?" Scott asked, a bit bewildered by the sudden change of plans.

"Into town, I think," Phillip said firmly as he headed for the door. "Alex has seen a bit of Anchorage with Deb, but you haven't really gotten the chance yet." And Scott definitely needed to do more relaxing and less fretting, Phillip told himself. Less... analyzing, more living.