Who I Am

Posted on Mon Mar 3rd, 2025 @ 11:31pm by Charles Xavier & Jennifer Bryant

1,135 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 6: X-Fernus Agenda
Location: X-Mansion
Timeline: December 4th, 1990

The flight aboard the Blackbird had been quick and uneventful as the hum of the engines filled the silence between Jennifer and the Professor. He had allowed her to sit in the cockpit with him, offering an unspoken space for conversation, but Jennifer had chosen to remain quiet, lost in thought. The events of the night weighed heavily on her, and she needed time to process them. The Professor, ever perceptive, did not press her.

After the sleek jet touched down in the underground hangar, its systems powered down with a low whir as it settled into its berth. The Professor turned to her with a quiet nod. "You are dismissed, Jennifer," he said, his voice calm and measured. "I have post-flight checks to complete."

She understood the unspoken message—he was giving her additional time. Time to return to her room, time to settle herself before the conversation that still lay ahead.

Jennifer did exactly that. It was strange. She did want time. She felt the weight of things on her. But it's not like there was a complicated problem to work. The same basic thoughts played through her head again and again. Still, the professor had read her right. She wasn't ready. "Thank you, professor."

Jennifer went back to her dorm, putting her bags in the corner, not bothering to unpack. She threw herself on the bed, looking at the ceiling, and letting the thoughts and the weight of things roll over her.

~When you are ready, Jennifer, meet me in my office~

She didn't wait long. She rose, adjusting in the mirror, and headed for his office. She knocked lightly when she arrived.

"Come in," Xavier's voice carried smoothly through the door.

Jennifer stepped inside, and as always, the professor's office felt like stepping into another world—warm, quiet, and full of an almost meditative stillness despite the storm of thoughts that always lurked behind his eyes. The walls were lined with bookshelves, ancient tomes sharing space with modern texts, and the subtle scent of old paper and polished wood lingered in the air.

In the center of the room, a small tray rested on the edge of his desk, bearing a pitcher of ice water and two drinking glasses. Without a word, Xavier gestured toward it, offering her refreshment as he filled his own glass with a measured pour.

Xavier regarded her with quiet patience, his expression unreadable yet not unkind. "I imagine you have much on your mind," he said, his voice gentle. "Your time away was eventful. Did you find the answers you were seeking?"

Jennifer sat and poured herself some water. She took a sip. She found herself nervous. Even though she had had some time to think about this conversation, it wasn't an easy one. "I think I did. The Sentinel factory was scary. Scarier than I was maybe ready for. I thought I knew what I was signing up for but maybe I jumped in too fast. But, then, at the pizza place, I learned that I can't just stand by and let someone else get hurt, even if there's a cost or a risk. I need to take a stand. I want it to be with the X-Men."

Professor Xavier listened intently, his hands folded neatly atop his desk, his expression both warm and measured. A small, approving smile touched his lips, though there was a weight behind it—an understanding of the burden Jennifer was choosing to take upon herself.

“Your willingness to stand for others, even in the face of fear, is admirable,” he said, his voice calm yet filled with quiet conviction. “But being an X-Man is no small thing, Jennifer. It is not simply a fight—it is a responsibility. A calling. We do not battle for ourselves but for a world that often rejects us, fears us, and condemns us. And yet, we persist. Not out of vengeance or anger, but because we believe in something greater—a future where we are not simply tolerated, but accepted.”

His keen eyes studied her, searching not just for her answer but for her certainty.

“You have already shown great courage. But know this: there is no shame in walking another path. Many who have trained at this school have gone on to become activists, leaders, and protectors in their own way—without the X on their chest. I will support you no matter which course you choose.”

He leaned forward slightly, his tone gentle but firm. “So I must ask, Jennifer—are you certain? This road is not an easy one. And once you step upon it, it is not easily left behind.”

Jennifer paused. She remembered the doubts she'd been struggling with. She remembered how scared she had been. She remembered pain. Her eyes met his. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little afraid, Professor. I'd be a fool not to be. But I can't walk away. I'm certain."

"If you weren't a little afraid, then you would not be ready," the Professor affirmed. "There is no bravery without fear. There would be only hubris. Let that fear guide you positively with compassion, humility, and courage of convictions rather than the loathing and prejudice that negatively draws many humans and mutants alike. Trust the instinct which guided you to escort young Olivia to safety rather than retaliate against her oppressor, and you will do the X-Men name proud."

"Thank you, Professor," Jennifer said. "I'll do my best."

Before the Professor could reply a flurry of claws on hardwood and canine snarls of outrage came crashing through his office. The sight was outlandish, as a small frantic rabbit followed by the biggest wolf either of them had ever seen charged through the doors and created a trail of chaos and fur in the once serene environment. The rabbit quickly rounded the Professor’s desk before tightly turning and exiting through the open doors it had arrived through. The wolf on its heels followed step-by-step but its huge body created utter destruction in the small space. Had not every paper on Xavier’s desk been swept into the air and onto the floor they both might have thought the incident was a hallucination.

"Ah... that was our latest junior class member, Rahne," the Professor said with far more calm than the situation deserved. "Jennifer, just now I wonder if you could try and speak with her? She comes from a rather turbulent past and she's having a hard time… adjusting… to life at the school. I think she could benefit from some mentoring." His smile was genuine but there was no hiding the strain in the crow's feet around his eyes. "Perhaps you can help her as you did in Halifax with Olivia."

"I'll try," Jennifer said, following Rahne out.

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