Log [Alison, Hank] - Just a phonecall away...

[x-dazzler.livejournal.com]

And we introduce to you the return of our bouncy furry blue bundle of gleefully long words! Hank calls in at the mansion during the Holidays to check in on things, and comes to the realization that he needs to talk to people a bit more than he has been, of late.



Hank was only listening to the news on the small television as he fiddled with his rather old-fashioned microscope. He liked being able to tinker with the focus with proper little wheels... sometimes it let him see things that he'd otherwise miss, little things that put other things in focus.

The half-heard phrase 'body identified as that of a runaway mutant teenager' brought his head up quickly, and he looked over at the television. The newsreader was making a professional sad face, shaking his head at the tragedy of it, and Hank sighed. This was happening more often, of late.... children identified as 'mutant' before they were even given names...

The view switched to a live feed. In New York.

Not one of the students! Hank thought frantically, pushing away from the bench he'd been working on and reaching over to turn up the sound a little. Please, not one of the students!

The on the spot reporter at least managed to produce a name - Dana Alvarez - and a grainy photograph.

Hank missed most of the rest of the story, and the one after it, as a sudden and terrible realization struck him. He had no idea if the girl was a student.

There had been several new students lately... Forge he'd met, but the others... and one had been a girl, he was sure. Her name might have started with a D, he thought he remembered a D, but...

He wasn't sure. Dear god, how had he let himself drift so far away from the school? Half the time he wasn't even there, and when he was, he'd been in the infirmary or in the lab. He hadn't met the new students. He wasn't even sure, now that he thought about it, if all the students he knew were still there. The realization of his dereliction of duty hit him painfully hard, all at once. How could he have neglected them all so shamefully for so long?

Some time later, he pushed himself up off his stool, shaking off the guilt he'd been wallowing in. Wallowing would not make this right. He had to... well, finish what he was doing, he'd made a commitment... but then he'd go back. He'd start making it up to people.

And right now, he was going to call the school... Alison was there at the moment, good... and make sure that they hadn't lost a student that he hadn't even known about.

* * *

"Macy's, lace and silk nothings department, how may we help you?" Leaning on the side table in the hallway, Alison wound the line of the phone around one fingertip, a touch glad there was no one around to hear this latest version of the typical mansion greeting. Though some she'd heard from the students were pretty gory compared to this. She was surprised some of the people actually called back after being greeted with those.

"Why, Alison, I didn't know you still cared." Hank smiled a little, even through the shock and guilt. "Do you have anything in blue?"

Startled laughter greeted that, Alison trying to muffle the most of it as she snuck another look down the hallway. Nope, no one in sight, all was clear. "Hank!" There wasn't a whole lot of reproach in her voice though, since she had set herself up nicely there. The first few replies were immediately discarded (she was dating someone after all, and flirting outrageously with someone was Not Done no matter how silly it might get). "Silly. How're your holidays going? Did you go visit the parents?"

"Not this time... but I called, and they said to give you their love, and asked again why I let such a delightful damsel slip through my fingers." Hank smiled. Okay, this felt a little better... talking to Alison helped. "I... Alison, this may seem like a strange question, but... we don't have a student named Dana Alvarez, do we?"

A moment's pause and she thought it over, frowning a bit at the tone of voice on the other end of the line. "No." There was a quasi-certitude to that, even. "I can check records for you if you like, but I don't remember ever hearing of someone named like that and I tend to see most kids in the first week they're here, even if I'm not a counselor anymore." It was the determined attempt to get them into Music 101, or so she told them, that was the reason. "Are you okay, Hank? You sound worried..."

"I am a very sad and sorry Hank indeed," he admitted. "And I feel very guilty. I... there was a murder in New York a few hours ago, I assume you haven't seen the news yet... a mutant teenager, by that name. And... I realized that I had no idea whether or not she was a student. There are some I haven't met, and I know at least one is a girl... and it rather brought home to me how terribly I've been neglecting my duties, of late. And my friends, as well. I've barely seen you lately, even when I've been in the Mansion... and I didn't even stay at Miles' birthday party for long. I'm sorry, Alison, very much so..."

Oh no. Alison cradled the phone closer, because that was a piteous and woeful Hank voice and she knew what he looked like when he had that voice too. Kicked puppy dogs had nothing on Hank when he was using that voice, and he didn't even know it. "No, she's not a student here sweetie." And he'd been awake for a ridiculous amount of time when she'd been in the medlab after blowing up and did he think she'd forgotten that? "You're been working like an insane working thing for a good reason and I remember seeing a whole lot of you through that polarized window in the medlab for one, and - we have missed you." She ended with the last in a quiet tone, though there was no reproach in it.

"I should have been there more often..." Hank said softly. "And I have missed you too, very much, although I only just realized it now. I will come back, as soon as I can, and commence making up for my neglect to everyone." He sighed. "I... admit to telling a small falsehood," he confessed. "I am not on holiday, per se, but working on a rather heavily classified project, in a similarly classified location. I said I was going skiing because I knew that you and Madelyn would shout at me if I admitted to working during my holiday."

"HANK!" His name reverberated down the hallway at that, indignation and exasperation showing through clearly. "And they dragged you in by telling you no one else could do it and the fate of billions depended upon your genius, right?" Because if he'd volunteered, she was drowning him soon as he set back foot in the mansion.

"Well, no.... It's more of a favour for an old friend from college," Hank said a little sheepishly. "And it's the fate of thousands. Uh. But I can finish up in a couple of days, if I don't sleep much, and then I promise I'll  come straight home and start doing the things I'm *supposed* to be doing."

"Gnr!" She actually stamped her foot once no less, head falling down in resignation. "Haaaank! Not sleeping results in you trying to stuff Twinkies up your nose. Or something like that. Bad! All bad!" She paused, taking a deep breath. "You don't want me breaking into your lab to go through your rolodex and threaten all your old friends with horrible things if you don't sleep, right?"

"I will sleep, I promise, but only the bare minimum." He smiled. "And I can always crash when I get home to my nice bed that fits me. This one's too small, so I'm not sleeping a lot anyway. So no hurting my poor lab... it's bad enough that I'll be deserting it for a while. I have students to get to know and fuss over, and doctors to placate - they've been covering for me far too much - and I owe you some Guilt Chocolate. I'm going to bring Miles an I'm-Sorry-I've-Been-Away-So-Much present, too... do you think he'd like a nerf cannon?"

"Bribing me with chocolate is fruitless and you're still in trouble. But bring Belgian chocolate while you're at it, if you must." It sounded like the staff was keeping an eye on him at least, wherever he was. "And I think I know what Miles would like best. Leaping out window into snow time. I don't think some of the new students have been treated to the sight of you racing down the hall with someone on your back and just yodeling madly as you take a header out the window yet. That should be fixed."

"That I can do. Often." Hank smiled. "I didn't realize how much I'd missed it, actually. Thank you for reminding me." He twiddled the cord of the phone around one large finger. "Forge I've met, but there are... two others, who are relatively new? Tell me about them?"

"There's Dani whose file you probably saw go through and how was in the Room for a few nights until her power quieted down while she got some rest." Hank would know she was pregnant, no need to tag her as 'the pregnant girl' really. "Kyle got in a while ago but you were away then. And there's Catseye too. She's the purple cat. Charles says she thinks she's a cat and not a human and I don't think anyone's contested her on that so far... I know better than to argue with a cat, myself."

"Kyle... he's the one with the feral mutation, right?" Hank tapped on the table thoughtfully. "I should make time to talk to him... as a fellow Very Obvious Mutant, if not a doctor. I know how hard it is, and I'm not sure if any of the others with really blatant mutations have made time for it..."

"Or would have quite the oomph you'd have there. You're the most obvious mutation we've got other than Catseye say, and I think she's probably tell Kyle he was being a silly kitten about it. She's a cat in the down to earth that's how things are way, from what I've seen on the journal. And the hair she's shed on my stuff when I let it lie around in the laundry room."

"Catseye I believe I encountered once or twice, but only as a purple blur. I should introduce myself... and get to know Dani, as well. It is really inexcuseable of me to have failed to familiarize myself with those I may have to treat at very short notice." Hank smiled. "And a fellow shedder... at least I'm not the only one any more. A pity she isn't blue, then I would have a perfect scapegoat."

"Or she'd have just perpetuated the 'blame Hank' trend. She is a cat," Alison laughed, liking the far less tense sound of his voice as it was now. "Dani's been fairly quiet, but that's hardly anything she can be blamed for. We usually have a lot of extroverts around, now that I think about it. We've a few quiet ones still." She trailed off at that, reminded to check up on a few people herself. "Including blue and furry Twinkie hunters. I brought some of the deep fried ones for you from the Madroxes, again. They're scary, you do realize that, don't you?"

"They are *delicious*," Hank said firmly. "And I will be sure to talk to Dani when I get back... the quiet ones are sometimes quiet because they don't think anyone will listen to their troubles. Kyle as well... and Forge, who I am supposed to be working with and who I have neglected shamefully." He smiled, feeling much better, as he usually did after talking with Alison. "And I owe you and Miles lunch, at the very least. I'm sure Haroun will let me borrow you for a little while... my intentions being pure as the driven snow, you understand. As always." He knew she could hear the grin in his tone.

"Well, hearing Forge go on about it, he's still feeling pretty privileged," Alison snickered. "but more attention is all the better. He deserves it, and I still feel like I owe him the world for everything he did to help me, while I was in the medlab and after too. Same for you, Maddie and Moira at that." And with that note of gratitude slipped in as a reminder that he did Good Things, damn it all, Alison grinned. "Miles will be delighted as will I. Haroun won't mind one bit," she added firmly.

"I will repay Haroun by keeping Miles all to myself for the rest of the afternoon, while returning you after lunch." Hank grinned. "I'm told that Keeping The Kids Out Of The Way is always an acceptable gift... according to my mother, anyway, who I really do not feel needed to share that."

Laughing, Alison nodded, even though he wasn't there to see. "I think Miles will be just as happy about the arrangement as anyone else. He pretty much adores you, beyond the 'he's blue and I'm green and he knows' part. You soothed the scared out of his pretty damn fast that first time he was in the medlab for an evaluation, when I brought him back..."

"Aww... he's a little charmer himself." Hank beamed. "And I should probably let you get your rest, but.... thank you. Talking has helped a lot. Please give Miles my love, and tell him I'll be bringing him a surprise. A nice surprise."

Alison would tell him Hank was coming back with intent to play outside in the snow, which was all the surprise Miles would need, really. "I'll let him know you're coming back and give him your love." There was a clear stern tone to her voice, as she continued. "And you try to get at least a little bit of sleep, mister, between all the work you're doing."

"I will, I promise. But it won't be *comfortable* sleep." Hank grumbled under his breath. "I'm too wide for the bed. And my pillow smells funny."

"I don't want to know what kind of lab you're in. Don't wanna," she chuckled quietly. "Get two beds and strap 'em together. And a new pillow. And sleep. And when you come back you can fall flat on your face for an extra day before even thinking of hunting down any of the students or staff for catching up sort of stuff. Promise me?"

"But I want to talk to people!" Hank protested. "I'm a social flower, in need of the sunlight of conversation! But I promise to at least get a good night's sleep first. And perhaps Miles and I will nap after playing in the snow."

"Actually, you tired and talking to people might be funny to watch. The words get longer in proportion to how little sleep you've had," Alison teased gently. "And I think Ororo had plans for snow to be more than abundant and snowball perfect for quite a while to come, too. You two ought to be set for weeks."

"Good, and good again." Hank smiled. "Sleep well, my dear. I shall be home in a day or two, and bring with me the Belgian Chocolate of Reconciliation."