Attention Seeking
Chapter Five
Attention Seeking
“Aww, did you shower just for me?” Tony teased as he watched Clint descend the steps onto the first floor of the house. He was sitting on the couch eating french fries as he watched the news. Diana, Kate’s assistant had set up shop on the kitchen island. It was normal to find Diana hanging around the house, especially since Kate went on bedrest. Clint called her the ‘Gatekeeper’, no one got to Kate without speaking to Diana first. She could be scarier than any of the Secret Service agents, and Clint loved that. She was an older woman than Kate, if Clint had to assign an age to her it would be late fifties early sixties. Diana, even though Kate was her superior, acted very maternal to her, and wasn’t afraid to tell Kate to ‘calm the hell down’ when the need arose. Clint never had to worry about Kate when her assistant was around, and the peace of mind the woman’s presence with his wife gave him was priceless.
Sitting on the couch across from Tony, Clint watched as the Ironman stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth. “Aww, did you just eat the pregnant woman’s french fries?”
“Like I would do that…again.” Tony replied with a sharp pull of his head back at the claim. “No, these are mine. Kate’s are in the microwave to keep warm.” Adjusting himself to look up the stairs, or at least as much as he could without physically moving his entire body he asked, “Where is the destroyer of humans?”
Clint projected a serious face, any back and forth humor between the men squashed at the mention of Charlie’s earlier comments. “Please don’t call my daughter that, and she is on her way down.”
Tony nodded, this was serious and had to be handled as such. Even though his normal response to anything even remotely solemn was to make a joke, this was his granddaughter. Her threats were disturbing, and it seems they were not only troubling to Tony by Clint’s face. “How is she doing?”
“Charlie isn’t happy that she isn’t going to school. Imagine a child upset that they have to stay home. However I think, or at least want to think, she understands she crossed a line this morning.”
“It’s probably best she doesn’t go today anyway.” Tony jerked his head toward the television mounted on the wall, “With what transpired this morning with Rhodes and Williamson, humans versus mutants will be the talk of the school I have no doubt.”
“What are you talking about, what did Rhodes do this morning?” The text message Tony had sent Clint alluded to something big brewing, and now it seemed he was going to be enlightened to what constituted such a message.
Checking to make sure Charlie wasn’t around Tony filled Clint in on the current events. “Apparently the Secretary of Defense believes Kate has a database with all the mutants listed on it.”
Clint had seen this kind of thing before and was easily able to read between the lines. “And he wants it.”
“Yup. He is demanding a congressional investigation into the matter. This may sound stupid but does Kate have a database like the Secretary is talking about?”
“I have no clue.” Clint turned his upper body around to face Kate’s assistant. “Diana?”
Diana looked up from her laptop that she was working on at the kitchen island. “That is top level security clearance information Mr. Barton. That being said, I have no idea what the Defense Secretary is talking about, really, I have no idea what he is talking about. Deputy Secretary Rhodes is en route now to discuss the matter with Secretary Barton.”
“She just went to sleep.” Clint informed her, knowing that Diana would accommodate the situation.
“Then the meeting will be brief.” The assistant decided immediately. “It is doubtful anything will happen today anyways.” She assumed as she made her way into the living room. Crossing her arms, she elaborated on her educated guess, “In my experience these ‘investigations’ can happen anywhere from twenty-four hours after the request is made to weeks later. Secretary Williamson has publicly requested the hearing, but that doesn’t mean it will happen. If anyone on Capitol Hill is willing to take this on it has to be assigned to a committee, or an entirely new committee must be formed due to this being a special interest. Of course, there is always the possibility that both congressional houses will want to investigate, it is an election year. Then you either have each house conducting their own hearing, which is just a headache, or a joint committee. In the case of the latter, that will take longer to set up because they have to go through a selection process of which Senators and which Representatives will be involved. And let’s not forget the actual investigation part of it. Whoever is in the committee will have to have their staff research the issue and study the research themselves, so they can claim to be an expert on the matter. Then they have to decide, if it even gets that far, which questions will be asked and to whom they will ask these questions of.”
Giving the woman a big smile, Clint complimented, “Diana, is there anything you don’t know?”
Rolling her eyes at the empty flattery the assistant wittily answered, “How to retire.”
Nodding his head at that answer, Clint raised both hands, “Preach sister, preach.”
“Speaking of which, aren’t you supposed to be doing something in Croatia or somewhere?” Tony knew that there was a mission being developed regarding a lone HYDRA cell out in that area. Last he heard, Steve was floating the idea of Clint and Natasha doing some recon before the entire team was deployed.
“All I know is it is somewhere on the Balkan Peninsula, so it could be there. I am going to head up to the school to talk to Xavier, then the compound. I’m hoping to take the kids to the park this afternoon, you know, some bonding time before I ship out.”
Carefully dancing around this next inquiry as to not imply that Clint wasn’t thinking about the well-being of his family. “Is now a great time to leave?”
“Who knows.” Clint admitted looking just as apprehensive about the situation of leaving as Tony was. “Steve says they will pull me off the mission if something happens here. I don’t like leaving this close to Kate’s due date either, or while Charlie is acting like this, but it’s important.”
“I’ll keep an eye on them.”
Clint knew Tony would look after his family. He was more worried about Kate taking advantage of him not being there and cram as much work in as she could. That would only end with her in the hospital, and Vee arriving while he was away. “Thanks, but I was thinking about revisiting the nurse idea.”
“Dear Lord, she will kill you.” Diana threw over her shoulder going back to sitting at the island and resuming her work.
“Thank you Diana.” Clint replied to the commentary in an annoyed tone, then back to Tony. “I know both Kate and I said ‘no’ when you offered, but I may be leaving, and who knows how long I will be gone. With everything going on now, I would feel better if someone was here to watch Kate.”
“And out of curiosity, what do I do all day, my nails?” Diana asked looking up from the computer.
“I mean someone with medical knowledge.” Clint clarified. “Someone who will take her blood pressure, monitor her medications and report to Hank or her OBGYN if anything is wrong. No offense Diana, I just need someone with a medical background in this type of thing.”
Returning to the email she was typing; the assistant informed the men. “I’ve had three babies myself, I think I can handle it.”
“At least someone has my back in this nonsense.” The three people in the room looked over to the stairs to find Kate standing there. She wasn’t in her pajamas anymore, but a gray sweater and jeans. The clothes themselves made the statement of ‘I am up and staying up’.
“You are supposed to be asleep.” Clint moaned throwing his head back against the couch. Sometimes, Kate was worst then all the children combined.
“Yeah, and you were just supposed to disconnect my phone to charge yours. Where is it?” Clint pushed his pelvis up to fish into his front pants pocket, producing Kate’s cell phone. He held it up and she quickly grabbed it from him. “You turned off the sound.”
“Yes I did.” Clint admitted with a head nod, not looking at her.
“Any particular reason for such extremes?”
“Other than you are eight months pregnant with gamma radiation poisoning going on practically no sleep for two days?”
Kate dismissed the rationale. “You sound like a broken record.”
Retorting right back Clint asked, “Oh, is that why you aren’t listening?”
“Rhodey has called five times.” Kate rose her voice at Clint in irritation over him taking her phone. Looking to her assistant for answers she called out, “Diana?”
Clint jumped around at that, facing the kitchen, he was on his knees over the couch’s back pointing a finger at the woman. “Diana! Whose side are you on?”
“The one that does my evaluation and approves my raises.” The assistant answered to which Kate raised an eyebrow at her husband in triumph. “Ma’am there has been some accusations from the Department of Defense about a collection of mutants on a database that you are withholding at the risk of public safety.”
“If I could fire you, I would.” Clint groaned as he turned back around and flopped onto the couch.
“No, you wouldn’t.” Diana shot back at the man then returned to her boss. “The Deputy Secretary has denied the existence of such records; however, Secretary Williamson has petitioned for a congressional investigation into the matter.”
Whatever reaction everyone was expecting from Kate, her cool collective response wasn’t it. “Any progress on that front as of yet?”
“Nothing official has come to you, no ma’am. I have been monitoring your emails.” Diana answered bringing Kate over a tablet with her daily communication on it for her review. “However, it is early. Deputy Rhodes will be here soon to conference.”
At that moment, Rhodes knocked on the front door and entered the house. Diana had told him to walk right in and not to ring the doorbell. The reason was that Kate was sleeping and that Tony, Clint, and Charlie were at home. “Good morning everyone.”
Giving Rhodey a look that was eerily similar to the one she would throw at one of her own children when they did something wrong, she asked in an innocent voice, “I haven’t seen the news yet, so now is your chance to tell me what happened before I do.”
Shrugging his shoulders, he relented, “The broadcast speaks for itself. Williamson is mad that we withheld information and is bringing the public into it by scaring them.”
Handing back the tablet to Diana, Kate requested, “Please bring it up for me.”
“No need for that darlin’.” Tony offered and lifted the television remote. “The whole interview is running on a loop.”
“Wonderful.” Kate replied dryly, maintaining eye contact with Rhodes.
“Ready for my punishment now.” Charlie declared coming down the steps. The girl had taken the time Kate and Clint had given her to ‘think over her behavior’ to change her outfit. Her previously worn purple sequin long sleeve shirt with light blue jeans had been exchanged for a bright orange tunic top and matching leggings. Walking up to Rhodes, Charlie placed both hands out, “You may take me in now.”
“What the hell is this?” Rhodey questioned the room at the child surrendering herself to him dressed as a prisoner.
Kate pinched the bridge of her nose and looked down. “Please don’t ask.”
Tony had busted out laughing at Charlie’s appearance. Struggling for breath between laughs he was able to choke out, “Just get in my car princess. Your mother is going to have a stroke if you aren’t removed from her sight now.”
Clint felt the headache building at the base of his head. Composing himself, he ordered his daughter, “Go upstairs and change Charlie.”
Tony interrupted the father’s demand. “Oh, hell no, this is awesome. I am taking her to the compound like this.”
“I don’t care what she is wearing. Get her out now.” Kate hissed through clenched teeth at her daughter’s theatrics.
Tony polished off his basket of fries and threw the empty container on the coffee table. Getting up he walked over to Charlie and put his hand on her shoulder. “Come on prisoner two-four-six-oh-one, you have some community service to do.”
“I think I’ll be heading out as well.” Clint said standing up and going over by Kate. Kissing her he looked to Diana and Rhodes, “A short meeting, right?” Both nodded their agreement to the husband’s terms. “Get some sleep, I’ll call you later with an update. Love you.”
Returning the kiss Kate repeated. “Love you too. Call me as soon as you know.”
Reemphasizing his early remarks, “I said I would, but it won’t be until later.” Directing his next comment to Diana, “I look forward to hearing from you that she got some sleep while everyone was gone.”
“Of course sir.” The assistant replied. Clint knew that was as good as a promise as he was going to get and trailed behind Tony and Charlie as they all left through the front door.
Watching the three leave the house, Rhodey waited a moment before he asked, “Do I even want to know?”
Taking in a deep sigh and releasing it at a loud volume to show her annoyance Kate replied honestly, “After everything that has already happened today, no, you really don’t want to know.”
~~~
Storm was busy directing students to class when Clint walked into the Xavier School of Gifted Youngsters. “Good morning Storm.”
Turning her head in the direction of the greeting, she smiled back. “Good morning to you too Clint, where is Charlie?”
Running his hand through his short dirty blond hair he answered, “Long story, but I have an appointment with the Professor about it. Wanda said he would see me at ten.”
Checking her watch Storm observed, “A bit early, but I’m sure he will see you.” She dropped the smile and approached Clint, taking him by the upper arm, she directed him to an abandoned corner away from the traffic of students running to class. “What’s wrong?”
Clint mentally debated how much to tell Storm. Then it dawned on him that perhaps she may have some insider information on the instigator Ethan. “Do you know about this kid Ethan?”
“Yes of course.” Storm said suddenly filled with anxiety about what the new student had to do with Charlie being absent. “He is a new student. Ethan has only been here maybe three weeks. What’s this about?”
Bobbing his head deciding to go ‘all in’ on his reason for being here, and damn whoever he told. “Well he has been filling my girl’s head with the idea that mutants are better than humans. That all humans want to do is to hurt mutants. Charlie solution to that problem was to suggest that there just shouldn’t be anymore humans. To further my dilemma, she believes that if a mutant hurts a human, then the human probably deserved it.”
Neither Storm nor Clint saw Logan come up behind them and listen in on their conversation. He made his presence known with a question, “Shit. The pup said that?”
The facial expression that the Wolverine made mirrored Clint’s own that morning when Kate and he heard the remarks from Charlie herself. “Yeah, she did. Apparently, Ethan has been talking to a few of the students here. They are all comparing stories about what humans had done to them just because they are mutants.” Clint looked to both of the X-Men. “I would assume no one here needs a history lesson on why perhaps that could be a trigger for my daughter?”
“No, just like Charlie, it’s burned up here.” Logan said pointing to his head. The man put both hands on his hips and looked down, deep in thought of what to do. Finally, he looked back up, “Who else is sharing their story? How big of a group are we talking about?”
Storm cut off any response from Clint by attempting to put an end to the matter. “Logan, it’s just a phase. We all have gone through it.”
“That’s rich coming from you.” Logan countered. “Remember what happened when you went through that ‘phase’ yourself?”
Clint was always the kind of guy who minded his own business, but he was unable to stop himself from asking for more information about this ‘phase’ and Storm’s own experience with it. “What happened?”
“Nothing, its ancient history.” Storm tried to brush the whole thing off.
In a nonchalant tone, Logan informed Clint of some of the X-Men history. “She joined an extremist group and tried to take down humanity.”
She looked up at the ceiling to maintain a civil tone. “That is an overstatement Logan and you know it.”
Logan’s eyes widened in shock. “Really? I am exaggerating that whole thing with Apocalypse?”
“You weren’t even there.” She said shaking her head and dismissing the event.
Putting his hands out Logan defended his point, “Doesn’t matter, it happened.”
Clint bent his upper body slightly forward, inserting himself between the two bickering mutants. “Excuse me, my daughter, threats against humanity.”
Casting a dirty look to Storm Logan took the lead. “Have you spoken to the Professor yet about this?”
“I was on my way to his office now. I have a meeting set up.”
Logan nodded at that, glad that Clint was taking this matter seriously and had acted accordingly. “Good, let’s go.”
“Logan, you have a first period class.” Storm reminded him, knowing that it was pointless to do so.
“Find someone to cover it for me.” He said it sounding more like an order then asking a favor from her. “If we have a sect of the Brotherhood sprouting up here under our roof, then I think we should know about it.”
Both men walked away leaving Storm behind to absorb everything that just went down. Clint was curious about the group Logan had mentioned in his excuse to pry his way into Clint’s meeting with the Professor. “The what?”
Eyes straight ahead as they continued their journey, Logan briefly explained the faction. “The Brotherhood, it is a group of people with similar intentions to what the pup was spurting off about with you this morning.”
Arriving outside Professor Xavier’s office door, Logan knocked twice and waited for a response. It didn’t take any time at all. As soon as he knocked the second time, they heard through the door, “Come in.”
“Look who I found in the halls.” The Wolverine commented casually walking into the office with Clint following.
Professor Charles Xavier greeted each of the men with a kind smile. “Clint, please sit. Logan thank you for showing Clint the way.”
Walking further into the office, Logan informed the elderly man, “I’m staying.”
Without a pause, Xavier directed. “You weren’t invited to.”
Logan crossed his arms in a defiant stance. “He told Storm and me what Charlie said.”
Xavier allowed no emotion to show on the subject. “And?”
“And I’m worried about the Brotherhood getting a school location.”
“As disquieting as what Charlotte said is, I doubt it is that severe.” The Professor believed, knowing that it would not comfort the Wolverine. Logan was too emotionally invested in Charlotte to contribute anything productive to this meeting. Wanda had informed Charles that morning about what had happened, and the family’s reactions to the child’s comments. Emotions were already high, hence why he presumed Clint was participating in the meeting, not Katherine. Logan would only add fuel to what he assumed was an already blazing fire going on within Clint. Wanda had even told the Professor that Tony and Clint briefly discussed taking Charlotte out of the school and enrolling her in the same one her sister attended. Yes, emotions were high, and the situation needed to be checked before impulsive and reckless actions were taken that could have a harmful impact on the girl. “I will speak to Clint, then later have a staff meeting to address his concerns with everyone to ensure this type of talk among the students halts.”
“So that’s it?” Logan questioned of the obvious dismissal from the meeting.
“No, that is not it.” Xavier said leaning back into his chair. “Please shut the door on your way out Logan.” The two men engaged in a staring match for a brief moment until Logan relented and left the room, slamming the door behind him. “I apologize for that Clint. I believe Logan was using the excuse of the Brotherhood to mask his concern for Charlotte.”
“And I appreciate his concern for her.” The Professor sent Clint a look of disbelief over what he had just said. “I have come to realize that Logan was a very important part of Charlie’s life, Kate’s too. I owe their lives to him. To all of you actually.”
Charles didn’t need to read Clint’s mind to know that the Wolverine’s relationship with his wife and daughter still hurt, he was using logic and reason to allow himself to accept it. “That is a very mature stance on the matter. I commend you.”
Looking away Clint offered, “Well I guess the therapy is working after all.”
“I would say it is.” The Professor agreed with a smile. He was genuinely happy that Clint had made progress in his mental health. The man had a lot to work through, many demons to slay, and though he hadn’t won the war yet, he had claimed victory in numerous battles. Charles now had to help him through this fight. “Wanda told me about what transpired in your home this morning. While we encourage the students to talk about their experiences and lean on each other for support, we do not condone any acts of retaliation against those who had wronged them. I can promise you, Charlotte knows this. I, myself have spoken to her numerous times over the years about such things. Believe me Clint, she understands.”
The awareness that this has been a previously visited topic with his daughter didn’t sit well with the archer. “You have spoken to her about this before?”
“Yes, you are aware of her hatred towards a particular terrorist organization for performing some horrendous acts on her and her mother. Charlotte and I have had many discussions about why revenge doesn’t work.”
“Good to know that my daughter has had to have ‘many discussions about why revenge doesn’t work.’. It doesn’t make me feel any better about my morning conversation with her.”
“What Charlotte was forced to endure as an infant was so ghastly, that most adults wouldn’t have survived it. In that particular case, her Hyperthymesia was a curse. Her being able to recount the events in perfect detail keeps the memory, thereby the animosity, alive.”
“How do I stop it?” Clint asked in a low and sad voice. He knew what Charlotte and Kate had endured at the child’s birth. Kate still had nightmares of her torture. She would toss and turn sleepily calling out for her baby until Clint would wake her up. It was in those vulnerable early morning hours under the cover of darkness, so he couldn’t see her tears that Clint learned the true extent of what had happened. He pledged that if it took the rest of his life, he would make it up to Kate for leaving her behind to suffer that agony. Even if everyone repeatedly told him it wasn’t his fault, hearing his wife cry at night from remembering the birth of his daughter as not a blessed moment, but as a horrific tragedy caused the guilt he felt of the event to weigh heavy on him. Perhaps that was why he was so strict with her regarding this pregnancy. He knew that he often crossed the line from concern husband to authoritarian dictator regarding her condition, but it was because he was so damn scared of losing her. If there was anything worse than a husband losing his wife, it was a husband losing his wife because she succumbed to the effects of gamma radiation poisoning that she was exposed to because he didn’t do his job of protecting her. Now he was being told that he could lose Charlotte as well, not in the sense of death but losing her soul, losing the innocence and everything good that made up his eldest daughter. Hearing that she was suffering the same, if not more than her mother was a knife to his heart. Charlie had never said anything at home, at least not to him. Charlotte was never anything but a happy and eccentric child with Clint. Yes, she pushed the limits at least ten times a day, but always with a smile on her face. Apparently, she was a different person at school. A person filled with anger and thirst for revenge.
The Professor broke Clint out of the pit of despair he was falling into, if only for a moment so he could push him further down with reality. “Unfortunately, you have done all you can. You have provided her with a loving home, a supportive family, she wants for nothing. What Charlotte decides to do with her feelings, whether physically or emotionally, is all on her. We can just hope that we have given her enough guidance and support to know what to do.”
“So like flipping a coin. You hope for heads, but lose it all when tails come up?” Clint asked. “I’m sorry but I am not willing to ‘just hope’ she does the right thing when she’s older, or hell, tomorrow.”
“At least the coin has two sides. Some mutant children aren’t even given that. They do not have what Charlotte has, parents that love her no matter what. An assortment of friends and family that accept her as who she is. A fifty-fifty chance is a lot better than none at all.” Charles had been preparing Katherine for years of the possibility of Charlotte rebelling in her teenage years. It was a normal behavior for any child. Charlotte wasn’t a normal child, or honestly, not even a normal mutant. While Xavier didn’t actually subscribe to the belief that Charlotte would ever do anything as horrible as she had spoken about that morning, the threat was, and should be, enough to reevaluate the education she was receiving.
“A fifty-fifty chance.” Clint repeated back to the Professor, then raised his voice at the absurdity of it all. “A fifty-fifty chance?! Who gives a child, my child, a fifty-fifty chance of being a good person?” Clint settled himself down. It would not do Charlie any good if he got into it with her principal. “Can she even do it?”
The Professor didn’t need to ask what ‘it’ was Clint was speaking about. First, he wanted to address the odds the man had placed on his child of being a hero or a villain. “Honestly Clint, everyone has a fifty-fifty chance of being a good person. I am positive that I don’t need to tell you that. However, I don’t think it is like that at all. We don’t even know the full extent of Charlotte’s abilities, so it is safe to assume that she doesn’t either. Is she capable of destroying the human race? In a sense, yes. She is. She is able to manifest the weaponry to be used to carry out the deed. That is just one of the many ways she could do it. Charlotte knows what she is doing, and she knows that it is wrong. I think it is an attention seeking behavior.”
“Attention seeking behavior. That is the label you are attaching to this?” It seemed to be a copout in Clint’s opinion.
“Please listen to me fully before you nay say it.” Xavier wasn’t trying to sweep this affair under the rug and move on as it nothing had happened. He had known Charlotte far longer than her father and knew there had to be a root cause for the child’s behavior, and it wasn’t as simple as the ‘crush’ Wanda implied. “Last year, Charlotte was an only child, and her mother’s sole priority. She was a child of this school, raised and loved by everyone here. She was for many of us, the only infant we had ever encountered, better yet had a hand in raising. She was, and still is, precious and sacred to us all, the first of her kind. Now, she is being brought up in a home with two parents and additional siblings. She isn’t the center of attention anymore. There is a new baby on the way, someone who will be receiving for the better part of the foreseeable future, her mother’s full attention as mothers do with infants.”
“She did mention this morning that she hoped the baby would be a mutant.” Clint remembered then pieced it all together. “Now that she knows the kid probably won’t be like her, she is reaching out to people who are.”
“I believe that could very well be the underlying issue here. There aren’t any mutants living with her like there were when she resided here. Her mother being confined to bedrest due to the pregnancy and her condition was the final straw for her. In Charlotte’s mind, the baby is taking her mother. Hoping the child would be a mutant was the only balance she had to that. I’m not saying that she dislikes the child, maybe just a bit jealous. Perhaps she was hoping to be able to relate to the new baby in a way that she is able to relate to the children here.”
“That makes a lot of sense.” Clint agreed. “Kate has been busy. She is running the Department, raising three other children in addition to Charlie and is pregnant with the fifth. Maybe Charlie isn’t getting enough time with her mother.”
“Not just her mother Clint, you as well.” The Professor corrected, being sure to point out that Clint was just as responsible for giving his daughter the attention she craved as her mother, if not more so. “I think it would be a good idea for you to be involved in the school more than the occasional drop off and pick up. Show your daughter that you are alright with her being a mutant and attending here. Support her educationally.”
It was the first time Clint had actually stopped and thought about his involvement in Charlie’s school. He had only been in the school a few times, mostly hanging in the car waiting for Charlie to get in or out. “How?”
“How about an archery camp or after school club?” Charles suggested. “All you would need to do to start it up would be to give me a list of supplies you require. That way you can meet the other students, Charlotte’s friends. It will show your daughter that you are a part of our community and respect her own place in it.”
Meet Charlie’s friends? Again, something Clint had never thought about. He didn’t know any of Charlie’s friends. Cooper had friends over often, as did Lila. Even Nate had playdates at the house. However, Charlotte did not. She would either ask to spend extra time at the school to socialize with her friends or stay overnight in the dorms. Clint realized that Charlie had never asked to have her friends over. Was that because Charlie felt her friends wouldn’t be welcomed? The isolation his daughter felt must have been very lonely. If Clint hanging out at the school more was what she needed to feel that her father supported her, then Clint would spend all his free time there. “Do you really believe that will help Charlie?”
“I do. Her seeing you here more often will make her feel more at ease with who she is both here and at home. Witnessing you interacting with other mutant children will cause her to see you as she does her mother, a friend and champion of the mutants. It can only improve your relationship with her.”
“What about this Ethan?” Charlie had a few problems that needed to be dealt with, but in his mind, Clint believed the ringleader was the new student Ethan. Everything was fine before that boy started to fill his daughter’s head with anti-human propaganda.
The Professor moved his chair from behind the desk to be in front of the window. There was a gym class outside running drills. With attention fully on his students, the man supposed over the motives of Charlotte. “I suspect whatever the relationship between Charlotte and Ethan is has a foundation build in a shared background. It provides the ability to feel included and supported in a manner that isn’t addressed anywhere else. Ethan had never been in an environment such as this one and has appeared to take his new-found freedom a bit too far. Charlotte in her attention wanting state gravitated towards Ethan over their similarities and his vocalizations of the prospects of how to ensure safety for the mutant race. Ethan’s supposed words and conduct would have given Charlotte a feeling of being heard, related to, and above all, an avenue to the preservation of her safety against anyone with ill intent towards her.” Charles rotated his wheelchair to again address Clint. “The children need to feel heard by the adults. If they believe we are listening to them and respect their words and feelings, perhaps they will be more incline to reciprocate and listen to us. I will be speaking to Ethan. I will also be speaking to Charlotte. Is it safe to assume she will be here tomorrow?”
“I feel alright with that.” And he was. It wasn’t just the school who dropped the ball with Charlie. Kate and he had as well. She wasn’t getting the attention and support from the people who regularly supplied it, so she went searching for a new source. It was like a fishing rod that was cast and left alone, only to have it get caught in the current. Charlie got caught in the rapid current and it was now time to reel her in.
“Wonderful, I’m glad.” The Professor went back to his desk and typed a few keys on his keyboard. Looking at whatever he had brought up on his screen the man informed the father. “I make a point of seeing every student here at least once a month for a half an hour. I feel it is important for me to have one-on-one time with everyone. I just brought up Charlotte’s schedule. She has a study hall every other day. Her grades are perfectly fine, Katherine requested the class for extra homework time. I don’t really feel the need for Charlotte to have it. How about I take her for that period? It will give her extra time with me, and I can keep a better hand on the inner workings of her mind. I do believe it would be a better use of her time than a study hall.”
“As long as her grades don’t suffer, and you have the time, I would appreciate it.”
Xavier nodded to Clint’s conditions. “Of course.” Clint stood up to shake the Professor’s hand, happy with the meeting’s ending and everyone satisfied with the actions that needed to be taken. “I will start my one-on-one class with Charlotte tomorrow. Please do think about the archery club and send my regards to Katherine.”
Releasing the Professor’s hand, Clint promised, “I will talk to Kate and Charlie about it and get back to you. I think it is a great idea.”
“I look forward to speaking with you more about it. Probably would be best to wait until after Katherine delivers to set anything up formally.” The Professor didn’t want to add anything else to Katherine’s list of activities she had to coordinate for her family while she was at the end of her pregnancy. It all could wait as long as Charlotte was alright, and he had no doubts whatsoever after his discussion with Clint that the girl wouldn’t be. Clint turned around to leave the office when Charles Xavier called out, “Logan you can come in now. You don’t need to stand outside the door any longer.”