The X-Project

Angelo and his mother invite Nathan over for dinner. Afterwards, when Angelo's out walking the dog, Nathan and Juanita get a chance to talk about Angelo and where his life is going, and Juanita gets an idea that Nathan finds very interesting.


"That was delicious, Juanita," Nathan said as he rinsed the plates in the sink. "I can't speak as to the quality of the turkey, but the leftovers made a great soup." He looked sideways at her, smiling. "Perfect day for soup, too - I hope Angelo doesn't freeze out there walking the dog."

Juanita laughed, hands busy drying the plates. "He'll be fine. He complains about New York weather, but he got used to it a long time ago."

"True. I've taken him to some pretty cold places, too, and he's never really complained. Then again," Nathan said wryly, handing her another plate, "he doesn't complain about much."

"He never has", she said, her smile turning a little rueful. "His way was always more to think of things he could do."

"I don't think it's so much internalizing things any more as it is just being... self-contained. I think he's learned that there are things you don't bottle up..." Nathan finished with the last of the plates, and dried his hands on the end of the towel Juanita was using.

"I hope so", Juanita answered, reclaiming the towel to dry the plate and put it in the rack. "You've done him a lot of good, you know."

Nathan hesitated, then smiled again. "I've given him opportunities," he said after a moment. "Which he's made the most of."

"That's what I mean", she said with a smile in return. "I did my best for him, but it's not 'til he came here..."

"You raised a fine man," Nathan said, gesturing for Juanita to precede him out of the kitchen. "I'm only starting to appreciate just how fine. He is going to do... great things, I think," he said with a slightly foolish smile. "I may be a little biased, but he's got the drive and the intelligence, and a very level head on his shoulders."

Juanita, heading into the living room, glanced back over her shoulder and smiled to herself when she saw the expression on Nathan's face. "The drive and the intelligence, he's always had. The level head... well, sometimes. Of course, things have changed now. He's grown up on me."

Nathan sank down into one of the armchairs. "He certainly has. He... handled himself very well in Smichov," he said, a bit awkwardly; it simply was awkward to be telling her mother that her son had handled chaos, tank battles, and burning buildings well on what had supposed to be a humanitarian mission.

Juanita settled in one of the other chairs, looking at him directly. "I was watching the news, Nathan, while you were there. And Angelo thinks I don't know he hasn't been sleeping well. But I believe you."

"I'll keep an eye on him. I promise," Nathan said quietly. "He and I have already talked about it. If the nightmares keep up, he's going to talk to someone."

"I know you will", she said with an honest smile. "He tries not to tell me the harder parts of it, I know. But you... you're there too, so he'll talk to you."

"And Rahne, and Bobby... we do have a very good support structure among ourselves, really. But actually," Nathan said slowly, thoughtfully, "I might encourage him to talk to Joel, too. Joel saw plenty of war zones during his time as NGO field staff. Hell," he said with a crooked smile, "I probably ought to talk to Joel about all of this myself."

Juanita nodded. "Anything you think will help him... I don't want to say 'get used to it'. I don't want him to get used to it. But... well, you know what I mean. He grew up on me, but Nathan, he's still only twenty years old." And he's my boy.

"Whatever and everything I can think of," Nathan said with a little sigh, "without being too pushy about it."

She laughed a little. "You really do know him well. He always was stubborn... but you do know that you don't even have to ask and he'll do anything, don't you?"

Nathan shifted in his seat a little. "I know," he said more softly. "Hence why I try to be careful about what I ask."

Her voice was completely matter-of-fact when she spoke next - no anger, just the knowledge. "It won't stop him if you don't ask, if he gets it in his head it's what needs doing." A faint sad smile. "I didn't ask him to go running errands at six years old just for the little extra money he could get."

"I worry about that, but the best I can do is to try and avoid putting him in that sort of position," Nathan said. "It's something I have thought about lately, Juanita." Since Angelo had started training for the team, especially.

"Sometimes... I think the only thing you could do to avoid that ever happening is not to put yourself there." She looked at him. "And that's not something you can do, is it? You and Angelo..."

"No," he said forthrightly. "Kind of comes with the territory. The sole saving grace is that we're never in those positions alone." Or almost never. But he didn't really need to say the qualifier aloud; the point stood.

She nodded slowly. "It wouldn't be fair of me to ask you to keep him safe. He makes his own choices, he always did. But... I still want to."

"Juanita," he said very seriously, "you can take it on faith that I will do everything I can, everytime I'm out in the field with him, to bring your son back in one piece."

"Thank you", she said quietly, not looking away from him. "I always trusted to that, at least." She was on the edge of telling him she wouldn't blame him if something ever did happen... but that rang a little too close to tempting fate.

Nathan leaned back in the chair, letting the air in his lungs out on another, longer sigh. "Speaking for myself, I could do with a couple of months of quiet and relative inactivity, I think."

"After Prague, I wouldn't blame you", she said a little more cheerfully. "You're always welcome in this house, if you need time away from the school."

Nathan gave her a quick, grateful smile. "I appreciate that. It's too quiet at times back at home, the days Moira and Rachel are gone..."

"I can imagine", she said with an involuntary glance around the house. "...not that I really have to. You should bring Rachel over too."

"I should. I've been... avoiding bringing her into New York, just because she still tends to fly at the drop of a hat, but maybe that's been too cautious." He smiled. "She may be a mutant, but she's a terribly small and cute one."

"Exactly. Anyone even looking like they might hurt her would be facing a crowd before they knew it."

"The folk in Scotland at her mother's are more than accepting. Maybe it's time I gave the people here some credit, too."

"My neighbours have been fine", she agreed. "I've never let Angelo wear that... thing that changes how he looks. Not in my house."

The firm, calm way she stated that made Nathan smile again. "You know," he said conversationally, "we hear so much about parents who can't handle their children's emergent mutations, we being the public and all. The parents who think their children are freaks and toss them out of the house, and then go and talk about that on some damned talk show. But that's not really fair, is it?" He shook his head. "I think of you, and Gail Collins, and a number of the other parents of kids at the school..."

"If I could change one thing", she said quietly, "it would be that Angelo hadn't run away after he manifested. I know he was afraid, after what happened, but... I wish he'd come home to me." She paused. "And I should really talk to the other parents more."

Nathan gave her a long, thoughtful look. "You could, you know. Very easily - I could get you phone numbers and the like."

"I'd like that", she said without hesitation. "And if what you're saying's true, that only the parents who take it badly are seen... well. My son's out to change the world. Maybe we should make more of a public face."

"I think about Rachel, and how much... joy she takes in the world, with these perceptions and abilities that some people would say a fifteen month-old shouldn't have..." Nathan trailed off, his expression gone contemplative. "I don't like the idea that there are people out there who'd assume I'm ashamed of the fact that my daughter's a mutant."

"Then bring her out", Juanita said with a smile. "And if she wants to fly, let her fly. As for the other... you know about how these things are done, don't you?"

"Not entirely," Nathan said thoughtfully, "but I do know at least one person who does."