Fractals

Fractals Chapter Seven (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… let’s hope the rest of the year is drama free. InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena are wondermous and all kinds of good for archiving/hosting! :) ProPhile: Hmm… I’m afraid I’m about to disappoint you. *poke * And the armadillos are happy where they are so ner. Morgan: *poke * Readers/Reviewers: *twirl* Thank you!!!!

“What’s going on?”
“Hell if I know… Hey! You’re on my foot!”
“Move ‘em, twit!”
“Girls,” Logan barked, silencing Bobby and Sam. “Get back to the dining hall and finish dinner.”
“But we’re done,” Sam said, almost whining. He stood on his toes, trying to peek past Logan down the hall.
“Get seconds.” Logan glared at them, then over their heads. “You all have ten seconds to get outta my sight!” He suppressed a satisfied grunt as there was a collective pause, then mass exodus, complete with muttering and the birth of conspiracy theories, most involving a new student they had yet to meet. Logan waited until the last straggler had disappeared before turning sharply and walking, almost jogging, to the back staircase leading to the Professor’s private study on the third floor. It was an old staircase, narrow and dating from a time when servants were meant to be invisible, passages leading from their quarters and the old kitchens to the homeowner’s public areas, giving the illusion of silent, perfect service. Logan grunted once as he hit his head on a low beam coming up to the third floor but otherwise did not slow down, swinging through the narrow door like a man on mission. Which, he supposed, he was. He did not even bother knocking on the door as he strode into the Professor’s dark wood paneled study. He stopped just short of the desk, facing the settee where Sean sat on one side of their “guest” and Emma on the other. Storm remained downstairs with the students, to make sure no one got a bright idea about sneaking upstairs or outside. Kurt was crouched in the armchair nearest the Professor, appearing something between scared, scary and upset. Logan noted that his holo was on again. “So who’s our little friend?” Logan asked, folding his arms over his chest and peering menacingly at the man on the settee.
“This,” Emma said pleasantly, her hand on his shoulder and red nails digging into his flesh through his sweat shirt, “is Jimmy Olsen. He’s from The Daily Planet.”
Logan narrowed his eyes. “Hello again, bub.” He flexed his hands surreptitiously, wanting to run this young man through therd thd then. “What brings you here? A serious need for an ass kicking?”
Jimmy had the good sense to be scared. “I was just doing my job!” he yelped, looking at the different faces in the room frantically. “I swear! I wasn’t going to hurt nobody!”
Sean raised a brow but remained silent. Professor Xavier gave Logan a significant look, quieting him before he could say his piece. “Jimmy… what job is it you’re doing? Photographing private property, trespassing… for whom? For what purpose?”
Jimmy licked his lips, flinching slightly as Emma’s grip became even more painful. “I… was asked to get pictures of the mutants from the Boston incident a few weeks ago. It took me forever to find where you guys lived and I followed him,” he pointed to Logan with his free hand, “this morning to the airport… He broke my camera!”
“Good,” Sean muttered, his face reddening in anger.
Professor Xavier raised a brow. “Mutants? You saw… mutants? Interesting. I was there and only saw students and a prank gone very wrong. Don’t you read your own paper, Mister Olsen? Or even The Bugle?”
Jimmy jerked his chin defiantly. He was proud to work for one of the leading papers in the state, if not the entire country. As neutrally as he could manage, he said, “Look, we know the truth. You can try and whitewash it all you want but we know that wasn’t some freaky Richard Branson1 style thing out there.” He leaned forward as much as Emmald lld let him and said sotto voce, “I know when something isn’t exactly… normal, you know?” He had the audacity to wink at the Professor then.
Emma yanked him back, her cool expression never changing. “Like knows like,” she murmured sweetly. “I’m afraid you’re, ah, barking up the wrong tree Jimmy.”
“What about him, then?” Jimmy cried, his tone making even himself wince. “I saw him! He was blue! He has a tail! He… he did something weird! He made me get into the house so fast…”
“I’m afraid you witnessed another prank,” Professor Xavier sighed sadly. “Kurt was trying out his Halloween costume and thought it would be a good idea to scare his girlfriend as she ate dinner on the lanai. He saw you sneaking around and was understandable upset and defensive. I’m afraid he acted overzealously, though, and you were knocked unconscious when he tackled you. How’s your head Mister Olsen? Good? Are you sure you don’t want to see the doctor on s? N? No? Okay then. I’m afraid I’ll have to call your supervisor and advise him to refrain from these tactics at once or I will be forced to get a restraining order against you and your fellow Daily Planet employees. Good evening, Mister Olsen.”
Kurt blinked at the Professor’s soft, rapid narrative. He had the feeling that his mentor was subtly altering the photographer’s memories as he spoke, but he did not want to ask. “Shall I see him out?” he asked obediently. “By way of apology?”
“No,” the Professor said quietly, “I think you should go get your study group together… you know, Jean and Scott, Kitty, Bobby, St John… the usual bunch. Don’t forget Remy as well. He needs to be part of the study group tonight.”
Kurt nodded and left the room in the normal fashion, shutting the door firmly behind him. Jimmy Olsen stared at the Professor, his mouth open and finally found words. “But… my job…”
“Will be fine,” Professor Xavier soothed. “Logan, see to it that Mister Olsen makes it safely off the grounds and onto the main road. It’s unfortunate about the camera… I’ll be sure to send a replacement to your offices this coming week. Good evening, Jimmy.”
Emma and Sean waited until Logan had led Jimmy from the room before venting groans of frustration and relief. “Now what?” Sean demanded. “We’re known! The photos, the Daily Planet… now what?”
“Now,” Professor Xavier said on a sigh, “we worry.”


1 Owner of tirgiirgin companies and richer than God. He is always doing stuff like trying to balloon around the world and send civilians into space. He’s a rich eccentric.