Sorry

"What exactly is going on in here?"

Erik had been on his way to bed, but the distinct sound of an argument had drawn his attention towards the end of the hallway where the children's rooms were located. Scott and Jean were obviously disobeying Charles' firm order to go to sleep. Erik had paused, wondering if he should go to bed and leave it alone, or do the responsible thing and send them to bed.

He had stared at the soft light spilling from beneath Jean's doorway into the hall, undecided about how to handle this. Children stayed up late, didn't they? If they were too tired for classes in the morning, well then, they'd simply have to learn to go to bed earlier.

It was then that he'd heard Scott say, in an angry voice, "Jean, what did you do that for? Where are my glasses?"

Erik had turned immediately on his heel and walked in Jean's bedroom after giving a cursory knock.

Jean was sitting on the bed, glaring at Scott, who was crawling around on the floor looking for his glasses. Scott's hands searched almost frantically amidst the remnants of a board game on the floor, the pieces scattered in a bright array of plastic. Jean looked at Erik defensively, her hands on her hips. "Nothing," she said in response to Erik's query.

"Nothing?" Erik made his voice slightly firmer. "Then why is Scott looking for his glasses? Did they just fall off, then? While you were supposed to be sleeping?"

Jean raised her hand and levitated the glasses towards Scott, who was visibly relieved to have them back, though he noticibly did not thank her for her efforts in returning them.

"Yes," Jean said, but her eyes slid away from Erik's and focused on the overturned game pieces. They began to right themselves, slowly, settling back on the board. "He got mad and shoved me, so I shoved him back. Kind of."

"I didn't shove you," Scott complained, sitting cross-legged on the floor, all gawky adolescent with limbs too long for his body. "I just bumped you on accident when I reached around you to get my game piece, since you threw it off the board."

"I didn't do it on purpose," she muttered. She looked up at Erik. "I accidentally made the pieces knock over because I was mad that I had to start over again. I didn't mean to make his glasses fall on the floor like that, either. He shouldn't sneak up on people, though."

Scott made an affronted sound at that. "Sneak up? Jean, duh, I was right in front of you."

"You couldn't have just asked me to pick up the piece for you?" Jean protested hotly, eyes narrowed. "You had to get in my space and lean over me like that?"

Scott opened his mouth, and Erik felt a headache begin to spread from the back of his head behind his eyes. "Enough," he said sharply "You two should be asleep, anyway, not fighting over…Sorry, is it?" He smiled briefly. "How appropriate."

"Why aren't you asleep?" Jean demanded, her tone bordering on bratty. "The Professor went to bed two hours ago."

"I don't believe I'm the one with a bedtime," Erik informed her coldly, but he could see from the expression on her face that she wasn't all that intimidated by his attempt at authority. He sighed. The metal chamber that housed Cerebro, that he understood. The children, however, were still somewhat of a mystery. He tried to think of what Charles would do in this situation. Likely something along the lines of making them apologize and pick up their toys. "Jean, apologize to Scott for knocking his glasses off."

"But I didn't mean to—"

Erik cut her off. His voice was louder than hers. They were going to wake up Charles, he just knew it. "Nevertheless, you did. Take responsibility for your actions like a good young lady, and apologize."

Jean had two red splotches of color on her cheeks. "I'm sorry I accidentally knocked your glasses off after you knocked my game piece over because I was winning," she said tightly.

Erik nearly laughed at her graceless apology, but he was pretty sure that was not what Charles would do, so instead he stared up at the ceiling and counted to five before looking at the younger boy. "Scott, be a gentleman and accept her apology."

"Why? That was the worst apology ever," Scott protested, springing to his feet. "I don't think she's really very sorry."

"Scott."

"Fine. Jean, I accept your apology, even though I still think you overreacted but I guess maybe you just did it because you're a girl."

Jean rose from the bed in a quick motion, hands on her hips. She was taller than Scott by a few inches. "Scott Summers, you did not just say that." Behind her something rattled ominously on one of her shelves, filled with microscopes and dolls and small glass snowglobes.

"Listen to me, both of you," Erik interjected, not wanting to clean up bits of glass from the carpet in the dark. "In four seconds, Charles will wake up and then he'll give you both detention for disobeying the rules. I, however, am prepared to overlook this little incident if you both clean up this game and go to bed right away. Do you understand me?"

Jean's gaze was shrewd. "You won't tell him? That we stayed up too late?"

"Not a word," Erik promised, backing towards the door, almost tasting freedom.

"What if he's awake and he knows already?" Jean demanded. Behind her, Scott was slowly and carefully putting the game back in the box, placing all the pieces in their correct slots.

"Then all bets are off," Erik responded with a shrug. "And you shall have to take your punishment, I suppose. This is why you should be doing as I say instead of arguing with me."

"Wait, so you'll rat us out if he's awake? That's not very fair, Mr. Lehnsherr."

Erik smiled. "Aren't I always telling you that life isn't fair?"

"Yeah," Jean muttered, sounding annoyed. "You are."

Scott finished cleaning up the game and stood up, placing the box neatly on Jean's dresser. He eyed the young girl warily, nearly tip-toeing around her as he went for the door.

"Fine. I'll go to bed." She looked down at the floor, then at Scott. "Oh. Thanks for picking up the game, Scott." She smiled brilliantly at him, their past tussle apparently forgotten.

Scott flushed red and stammered out a hurried, "Night," before moving off into the shadows and heading towards his room. Erik heard the door close behind him and let out an exasperated sigh.

"What?" Jean challenged, arms akimbo. "Did I do something else to Scott that I'm going to get in trouble for?"

"Not for a few years, at least," Erik muttered. "Go to bed, now. And remember, no mentioning this to Charles or else I'll have detention, too."

"Maybe it would be worth it," Jean said pertly, giggling. "You would have to sit next to me at the kitchen table and copy things out like I do when I get in trouble."

"I assure you, it wouldn't be worth it in the end for you. Charles is the nice one, remember." He turned his back, but she apparently didn't like him having the last word.

"Nuh-uh. I think you're the nice one."

"Well then, if you don't want me to disprove that, go to bed." He smiled where she couldn't see, and pulled the door shut behind him before she could respond.

He should have known it wouldn't be that easy. Good night, Mr. Lehnsherr. But the Professor's awake. Her voice was soft and lyrical like bells in his mind.

Jean. You know you're not to do this, he reminded her, walking towards his bedroom.

I just wanted to warn you that he was awake. With that, she was gone; a light brush like silk sliding between fingers.

Erik undressed in the dark, sliding into bed. "I know you're awake, Charles. Your protégé informed me of it. Go ahead and chastise me, then."

"I'm not going to chastise you," Charles murmured, his voice husky with sleep and amusement. "Your way of disciplining them is admittedly not the same as mine, but that doesn't make it wrong, necessarily."

Erik snorted. "Nice of you to say so." He closed his eyes. "We're going to have to remind Jean that just because she doesn't mean to do something, it doesn't mean that she's not responsible for her actions. That could become quite problematic."

"I do hope that our sessions will help her get a handle on her occasional tendency to react with her powers before she realizes it." Charles shifted in the bed.

Erik felt a vague stirring of unease at Charles' words. He still didn't understand why it was necessary, treating Jean's mind like it was a river that needed to be dammed, and there was something about the casual way in which Charles spoke of it that bothered him.

"I know that you don't agree, Erik, but I promise you I believe it is in her best interest. She could do far more damage than accidentally knocking Scott's glasses off, if she wished."

"So you were awake the entire time," Erik muttered, rolling on his side, barely able to make out Charles' form in the darkness. "Thanks for not helping me out, then."

"I thought perhaps you could benefit from the experience," Charles said smoothly. "While your methods of making them behave were a bit underhanded and could have been far more straightforward—"

Erik glared daggers at him in the dark, interrupting Charles' unwelcome dissection of his disciplinary techniques. "It worked, didn't it?"

"Yes, but they'll only do it again, you know."

"Of course they will," Erik murmured, shoving his arm beneath the pillow. "They're supposed to test the waters. They're becoming teenagers. Isn't that what they do?"

"Have you been reading my psychology books again?"

Erik snorted. "Most assuredly not. Are you going to give them detention?"

"No. I am, however, going to give them a pop-quiz first thing in the morning, perhaps over Crime and Punishment." Charles sounded smug. "Perhaps they'll be motivated to confess."

"Jean's right," Erik mumbled, yawning. "I am the nice one."

"Regardless, I still think she's your protégé more than mine," Charles said, and Erik found himself smiling as he fell asleep, not entirely displeased by the idea.