Light A Way

31

"It feels good to be back, never thought I'd actually say that about somewhere...but yeah," Alex said while standing in the foyer of the manor, by the looks which were sent up to him, it was clear his friends agreed. Each exchanging a look they all parted ways. The time they spent shut away in that base was the most time they had actually spent together since first meeting, and whenever dinner time was around. A little personal space time would be greatly appreciated right now.

Alex disappeared to his room, Sean seemed to gravitate towards the kitchen, Hank went to his laboratory, and Elsie looked slowly to the side to Moira and Charles. Really she was at a loss as to why Moira was still hanging around, but she wasn't going to question it. With a sigh and a shrug she started walking towards the stairs. She really needed to change into some comfortable clothes which were actually hers.

While she was up there she had a quick shower too and by the time she reappeared she caught sight of Charles moving into his study, without Moira. With a frown she ran down the corridor and turned into the room. "Where's mother?"

"She had to leave," he explained while turning and looking up at her. He drummed his fingers against the armrests of the wheelchair he was seated in and sighed. It had been a month, perhaps two, since they had all been allowed back here. The hospital or more specifically: the CIA, weren't exactly up for letting them freely go. Each in turn they had to suffer some lectures and notices on protocol and whatnot. It was all very heavy, deep and important.

But a month or so later Charles and the others were free to return home. Minus the numbers they had originally left with, it didn't quite feel like home much anymore. It felt empty. The void of life had left the place dusty, which would be easily changed if everyone grouped together and cleaned. Cleaning right now though was not on the forefront of Charles's mind as he motioned over to where Elsie had sat herself down in a chair. She smiled and looked at him, leaning against the arm of the chair she leaned her chin against her hand and continued to smile.

Honestly, Charles was at a slight loss. Though he was pleased he was home, and pleased to be out of the base, he was not exactly pleased with everything. He wasn't pleased with being restricted to the wheelchair, he wished to walk the corridors of his home and reacquaint himself with the rooms he loved the most, so far he could only get into the study and any other room on the ground level. Though he had been told that there was a fifty-fifty chance that he could walk again. The bullet which had been swiftly removed by Erik had not done as much damage as first thought, though it took hours to clean up the mess it had done, the damage to his spine was not as great as the doctors believed. Swelling, bruising, both caused sensations and nerves to be blocked from his legs. But he hoped feeling would come back, though each day the hope was dwindling.

He found displeasure in that though everyone wished so deeply to return back to the manor, they had all gone off on their own. Elsie stayed close though, being away from him had clearly affected her more than he originally thought. He did not know she had grown so attached to him, as he to her. The last straw really was having to wipe Moira's mind of near enough everything. He didn't take pleasure in having to do that. She had been a useful ally, as well as a good friend. Erasing more or less all that they had done was just cruel. Her memories wouldn't return, perhaps she'd get snippets of things but that was about it.

Charles flinched and looked to Elsie sharply, "That's dangerous," she pointed to at him. He reached up and rubbed his forehead where she had quite rudely flicked him. "Stop thinking so much! You're home, that's good, yes? Be happy, Charles!" Elsie said while sighing and shaking her head. She looked at the floor and sighed again. "I know," her eyes flicked up to look at him. "It doesn't quite feel the same, does it?"

"It's missing so much," he said honestly while looking to her. Home was what you make it, it's where the people you care for live. One person Charles cared for was who only knew where, doing who knew what, the other was before him willing him to brighten up, and his friends were all secluded away in different parts of the manor.