ELEANOR WALKED the halls of the mansion, her arms full of the books she needed for her next class. Her mind was pretty stressed too since Nathaniel and Anastasia almost blew up the laboratory earlier for fun. They were trying to experiment with their powers using the chemicals they discovered around. One could imagine the horror she felt when she heard the story from Hank earlier.

She turned around a corner and her eyes caught sight of a tall red-haired girl. "Jean!" she greeted, immediately ambling towards her. The girl grinned and waited for her to come near.

Jean was like a daughter to Eleanor since she had mostly raised her. It was maybe because they both had similar mutations that she trained Jean herself in controlling her abilities. The girl was a very gifted telekinetic and telepath that Eleanor was certain Jean rivalled her and Charles. The only problem with her was that she was afraid of her gifts. She always needed an assurance that she was still in control. Eleanor would sometimes advise her to let go of whatever that was restraining her, but Charles would intervene and say that it isn't a good idea to do so.

"How's Nate and Ana? I heard the little adventure they did earlier." Jean smirked, looking at her.

Eleanor chuckled. "Please don't remind me, my dear. I was so terrified that I felt I had a heart attack when I first heard about it."

"We can't let our beloved teacher die early on us. That would be catastrophic." Jean stared at her, smirking. "Everyone is looking up to you. You're their hero. You're our hero."

Eleanor swallowed at that. Ever since she had faced Erik and stopped him from killing the president, everyone called her a hero. They praised her and Raven for their bravery. Yet somehow internally, Eleanor felt like she didn't deserve it. She only did what she thought was good for everyone at the cost that she almost killed the man she loved the most.

Her deed that day then catapulted her into instant popularity that every mutant and human who supported them called her an inspiration, a hero. The face of a new age.

For a time, Eleanor used that recognition to educate people about their existence and tried to persuade the government to give them the rights they deserve. Eleanor would have press conferences then left and right, providing information about mutantkind and advocating for it all.

It was only after she noticed her family needed her presence that she stopped her conferences and focused more on them and the school.

The two women continued to talk as they went down the stairs. Jean was asking about the chemical composition of stars when Eleanor suddenly noticed she was about to bump into someone.

"Watch out!" She tried to warn Jean, but it was too late. The boy crashed into her, knocking all her papers off her arms. Jean instantly used her telekinesis to return them all to her.

"I can't..." Scott answered though no one had spoken to him. Eleanor smirked as she realized Jean had used her telepathy to talk with him.

"What? Who are you talking to?" the blond boy who Eleanor assumed was his brother questioned, his eyebrows furrowing. His mind was vulnerable and open that the brunette couldn't help, but hear all his thoughts. She discovered immediately that they were Alex and Scott Summers.

Alex Summers. Where had she heard that name again? Eleanor then let the scene in front of her play out, amused by their now rising banter.

"Me."

"I just heard you in my head."

"I'm telepathic, I read minds."

"Well, stay out of mine." Scott said. "I don't need some weird girl creeping around in there."

Eleanor was about to reprimand the kid for his behavior, but then Jean proved that she could handle herself.

"Don't worry, Scott, there's not much to see." Jean rolled her eyes, pushing her notes closer to her chest and walked out. "I'm going ahead, ma'am. I'll see you later in our lesson." She smiled to Eleanor.

"Hey, wait. I didn't tell you my name."

"No, you didn't." Jean snapped and Eleanor chuckled at that.

She then glanced at the two brothers, smiling. "My name is Eleanor Ridges and I'm one of the teachers around here." She introduced herself, extending her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss." He shook her hand and Eleanor noticed how warm his hand were. She raised her eyebrow as she sensed a large amount of kinetic energy from his body. "I'm Alex -- "

"You were part of the first class, weren't you?" Eleanor then claimed, suddenly remembering the photo Charles showed her in the hallway when she came back in the mansion. "Alex Summers, right? Yeah, my fiancé mentioned you to me once."

Alex tilted his head a little, curious. "Oh?"

"Yeah, I'm Charles' fiancée." She answered before curling a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Wow, I'm still getting used to saying that." She chuckled.

Eleanor saw Alex slightly furrow his eyebrows and the next thoughts she heard were related to Valerie's whereabouts. It was obvious he hoped she and Charles ended up together.

Alex didn't voice out his thoughts though and instead nodded, smiling. "Wow, I'm glad to meet the future Mrs. Xavier. This is my brother Scott. May we know where -- "

"Alex Summers?"

Alex suddenly beamed like a light bulb. "Hank McCoy!" He exclaimed. "Whoa. What happen to the big blue... furry you?" He glanced over in mock shock, chuckling.

Hank shrugged. "I... keep it under control now."

"This is my brother, Scott." Alex patted his brother's shoulders.

Hank smiled. "Hey, Scott. I'm Hank McCoy. I'm one of the teachers here."

Scott nodded a little, still unsure of everything. Eleanor tilted her head slightly, seeing that the boy could produce optic blasts.

"Where's the Professor?"

At that, Eleanor smiled. "He's where he is." She winked. "Come, follow me."

They all proceeded to the classroom where Charles was. He was currently discussing T.H. White's The Once and Future King to his students. Eleanor wrung her hands together as she passed the hallway. Though the mansion felt like home and where she truly belonged, she still couldn't help think that there must be some place she could've been in.

" ... to break forth bloodily, then the past must be obliterated and a new start made. Let us now start fresh without remembrance, rather than live forward and backward at the same time." Charles recited, looking around to his students. "Now, what are the aggrieve things that the author meant when he wrote all that? He... " He then paused when he saw Eleanor, his lips turning into a wide grin. He was always like that. Always making her feel she is the only person that mattered.

"That's going to be your assignment for tomorrow. Top marks, everyone. Class dismissed." He told them all, leaning forward to give Eleanor a kiss on her cheek. "Hello, my love."

The brunette didn't object to that and happily returned the gesture. "You have guests, darling."

Charles grinned. "Alex, it's good to see you."

"Yeah, you too."

Charles then Eleanor's hand and placed it on his shoulder. "You look... well. It's been a while." He voiced out.

Alex nodded, inserting his hands in his pockets. "It has. You're not too bad yourself." He gestured to him.

"Thank you. I believe you have met my fiancée here. Ellie, this is Alex."

"Yes, we have met earlier and this is my brother, Scott." He introduced his brother, patting his back. Scott still looked apprehensive and afraid of everything. A common reaction of a mutant child who had just learned he was gifted. Eleanor smiled. She would be glad to help him out realize his potential.

"Hello, Scott." greeted Charles, kindly. "Welcome to the school for the gifted."

"Yeah. It doesn't exactly feel like a gift."

Charles glanced at Eleanor, shaking his head. I like this one. He told her telepathically. "It never does, not at first." He responded, not even once turning away.

They all proceeded outside of the mansion, trying to understand Scott's mutation. Eleanor already knew what he could do. She just wanted Charles to discover it himself and react to it. She heartily pushed his wheelchair as they went to the archery area. Eleanor noticed Charles was extra affectionate that he always held her hands on his shoulders and place gentle kisses atop her knuckles.

During the ten years they have been together, she had already learned that Charles would be like this whenever he wanted to soften her up for a proposal. Last time he did that was when he wanted to have some time alone with her in Manhattan for a few days during the summer break. He had Hank take care of their kids while they were gone. She wondered what he was up to now.

"The first step in understanding one's power is learning the extent of it. Only then, can we begin the process of teaching you how to control it." Charles began to explain. "If you do decide to stay, I can promise you that by the time you are done here, you'll be able to go back into the world and play a stable productive partner."

"And I can assure you," He paused as they faced a target range. "My fiancée here would be glad to train you personally."

"Absolutely!" Eleanor chirped, handing him his sunglasses.

"Why don't you take your bandages off and we can have a look at what we're dealing with here. Alex, would you line him up. Face him in the right direction if you will." Alex directed his brother to face the paper target just as Scott removed his bandages. "There's 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... " He tried to soothe, but reverted back when Scott's eyes suddenly emitted a bright red energy blast.

Eleanor ducked and staggered backwards, hiding behind Charles' back. "Holy shit!"

Charles gripped her hand as he chuckled. Scott didn't hit the paper target and instead split a tree in half. "My grandfather planted that tree when he was five years old. I used to swing from the branches then myself." He said just as Eleanor gasped in admiration, placing a hand over her mouth.

"And it's where I proposed to my Ellie here." Charles heartily laughed as the tree finally split in half, crashing to the ground. "I think that was probably my favourite tree."

"Does that mean I'm expelled?" Scott tensed, nervous.

Charles chortled, staring at the teenager with a knowing look. He nodded once to Eleanor with a smile. "On the contrary. You're enrolled."

━━━━━━━━

"I HAVE A PROPOSAL."

Eleanor averted her eyes from her testpapers to the man in front of her. They had just finished late dinner and started marking papers together.

"I know. Spill it. You've been hiding it in your mind since this morning." the brunette crossed her arms, leaning back against her chair. They both decided to stay in the kitchen so they had better access to the coffee and snacks.

Charles steered his wheelchair over to her. "Well, our children's birthdays are coming up and I was thinking that maybe we should have a quick getaway."

"To where?"

"Hawaii."

"Really?"

"Yes. I mean, Nate and Ana just told me how they always wanted to visit there. I thought it would be nice to give it to them as a present and as a reward for all their achievements."

"But, what about the school?"

"I already had everything taken care of." Charles immediately implored, placing his hand above hers. "Hank will manage everything while we're away. I have the plane for us all ready."

Eleanor smirked. "Why do I feel like my choices are only yes or yes?"

"Well, you can just say no and it'll be fine." Charles shrugged, swallowing. "I know it's all sudden and that. I mean, we're both busy and our children, of course, can't miss their classes. Then, we also have to prepare the campus for the new batch of students coming in next month and I just -- I just feel like I want some time with you and the kids before we get busier -- "

"Charles."

"I feel like I don't spend much time -- "

"Charles."

"I've been thinking, you know -- "

"Charles!" Eleanor put her finger to his lips to pause him. "You're rambling, you dork! I get your point," She laughed as she stood up from her chair, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"And why would I even say no? Our kids would love that." She kissed his cheek. "Let's admit it, they'll happily skip their classes for a vacation in Hawaii."

Her fiancé adjusted himself to give more space for her. He sighed in relief, chuckling. He rested his head against hers. "Thank you, Ellie."

She looked up. "For what? Saying yes?"

"For everything, really."

"No, I should be the one thanking you." Eleanor looked down. "You already did so much for me ever since. You helped me clear my name, you supported my advocacy, you stood as Nathan and Ana's father," Eleanor ran her finger along his jaw, memorizing the details on his face. "You did so much."

When Eleanor first discovered she was pregnant, she didn't know what to do. Erik was somewhere she and Charles couldn't find at that time and things were complicated due to her being kept under surveillance by the government. She vividly remembered Charles offering himself to stand up as their father and took care of everything. From her needs to their birth. From giving his last name to honing their powers.

Eleanor knew her children were now too attached with Charles that when the truth comes out, she feared they'll not be able to handle it. That they'll resent Erik and stay with Charles. That would be somehow her fault if they did.

Both she and Charles had no intention of hiding the truth from them when the time came. The couple had already talked that they'll tell the children the truth when they discover it themselves or even when Erik resurfaces.

"I wanted your children to grow up with a father. I knew what it was like to not have a parental figure around."

"And for that, I thank you."

Eleanor placed her hand on his cheek. She was quiet as she did that for a minute, just staring at him like he held the moon and stars for her. This was one of the times she was thankful for the life she was living right now even though it was not what she wanted in the first place. Eleanor let out a small sigh. The more she gazed at Charles, the more she realized that there was nothing that really stopped fate. So, why not just follow it, right?

"Let's get married."

Charles blinked twice before reacting to what she just blurted out. "What?"

"You heard me. I want us to get married. We don't need a big wedding, Charles. Let's just get married here in the school. Just us, our children, and Hank." She explained. "We need him as your best man. I mean he's already the godfather of our children so it's necessary he's there."

"Wait, wait," Charles talked. "While I am uh, happy with this, what -- what made you decide suddenly?"

Eleanor took a sharp breath. "I'm ready to hear your last name attached to mine. Eleanor Ridges-Xavier. Sounds nice, don't you think?"

"Perfectly fitting."

With all the emotions running inside of her, the woman leant forward and gently captured his lips. She wouldn't lie. It felt different, it always did. Although Charles would return her kiss with equal fervor and passion, it still felt foreign. She was torn, really. Her mind and heart were at war with one another, both telling her what she should do. One told her to be rational while the other screamed to follow what she really wanted.

That's when she also felt a small tug inside his mind and it didn't take much effort from her to know that he was thinking about Valerie Swan. A second later, she felt him push his thoughts about the former archivist in the back of his mind and focused on her instead. Charles once told her that he and Valerie met again after the events in Washington, D.C., but she left because she believed she wasn't meant for him.

The two slowly pulled away, leaning their foreheads together. With both of their minds shielded from one another, Charles placed a gentle kiss on her eyelid and her nose before giving another peck on her lips as if it was some kind of assurance. Honestly, Eleanor wasn't sure who he was convincing. Was it her, himself or the both of them? Deep inside, she knew they were lying to themselves and they knew about it, but they still tried to make everything work.

"So, when?"

She smiled, setting aside her recent thoughts. "After we get back from our vacation. We can just get a marriage officiant -- "

The woman suddenly flinched when she felt a strong tug inside her mind. She could hear a scream and felt like she was burning from inside. She coughed, instantly feeling a headache from what was happening. Her mind wandered to locate the source of the telepathic projection. She gripped Charles' shoulder, looking up at him. She didn't even need to speak for he also felt it, saw it even.

Jean.