The peace of returning home was not a stranger to Symphony, much less anyone else in the Xavier mansion.
Being confined to her bed on the other hand, was hardly what Symphony had wanted upon reaching home.
Charles and Hank insisted though, that she stay there until Hank found a way to fix her problem.
Symphony sighed as she laid quietly, staring at the trees out the window. She didn't even stir until Charles wheeled into the room and parked himself on his side of the bed, making her look up.
"Bored?" He asked with a small smile, running his hand through Symphony's hair.
Symphony nodded, and bit her lip as she stared at Charles' hair.
"Can I cut your hair?" She asked quietly, wanting to get his hair like it was when she met him.
Charles chuckled and ruffled his own hair. "Here?" He questioned, motioning to the bed.
Symphony giggled and shook her head, sitting up to give his shoulder a teasing swat.
"No you silly! I was thinking over the sink in the bathroom." She suggested, motioning to the sink across the room and through the door.
Charles thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright." He agreed. "You've earned it."
Symphony grinned, extremely pleased that she hadn't had to fight Charles on it.
"Besides, I kind of owe you that much for putting up with everything I've put you through." Charles admitted, holding out his hands in offer of helping Symphony up off the bed.
Symphony laughed and led the way to the sink, pulling out a pair of scissors and a comb from a drawer.
Charles managed to wheel in and turn his chair so that Symphony could reach his hair.
Within minutes, Symphony had his hair back to how it had been in the sixties.
Putting her equipment away, Symphony sighed happily, feeling quite accomplished as Charles started brushing the hair off his shirt, and looked in the mirror.
Doing a double take, Charles ran a hand through his hair, and then grinned.
"I forgot how tidy I used to look." He chuckled, taking the comb from Symphony and fixing his hair so that it was neatly parted.
Symphony shrugged. "I didn't." She admitted, moving back into the main bedroom, and laying back down on the bed.
Charles sat in the doorway, and leaned against the arm of his chair, watching her with folded arms and bright blue eyes.
"Hank tells me he's going to run some tests a little later to see if he can figure out why your powers are causing problems." He finally mentioned, sitting up straight again to join Symphony.
Symphony sighed and stared at Charles with wide eyes and a small smile. "As long as I don't have to stay here bored." She assented.
Charles nodded. "I'll go get the chessboard." He chuckled.
Symphony giggled. "Bring the checkers too, so I can have a chance of winning at something."
"Seems reasonable!" Charles agreed, preparing to leave the room. "I'll be back."
Symphony sighed as she waited for him to return, turning onto her side to stare out the window once more. It made her want to go out. She wanted to feel the wind, the grass... She had only been in this room for a day, and already she felt desperate to get out. This want to be outside made Symphony unconsciously turn into a fox, so when Hank came in with the equipment he needed for his tests, it took him a moment to register that there was anyone in the room, and when he did, he did a bit of a double take, unsure of how to handle running tests on a fox.
"Symphony?" Hank asked, gaining the fox's attention.
Symphony looked up quietly, before standing and turning so she was facing Hank. I'm not as strong in this form... Might be easier on both of us. She told him nervously, noticing the needle in his hand for taking blood.
Hank thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Do you want me to do this now, or do you want to wait for Charles?" He queried patiently.
"No need to wait for me." Charles said, wheeling back into the room with the chess board, pieces, and the checkers pieces, along with a deck of cards.
Hank moved aside to let Charles through, and then nodded. "I'm ready to take her blood for those tests we discussed." Hank informed him, causing Charles to nod.
Symphony crawled into Charles' lap when he wheeled up beside the bed, curling up in a ball to hide her eyes from the needle that Hank was about to put in her arm.
Hank smiled and shook his head. "She's fine with small medicinal injections, but still not with taking blood. That's just a little funny." Hank chuckled as he started taking the blood.
Charles smiled as well, scratching Symphony's ears. "You just don't like the feeling of the pinch." He implied.
Symphony let out a whistling whine in reply, confirming Charles' supposition.
Hank finished taking the blood, and then nodded to Charles as he took his gloves off and started transporting his work out of the room.
"It's done now." Charles whispered, making Symphony jump off his lap so that she could morph back into her human form.
"So... What will we play first?" She asked, eyeing the games.
Charles smirked. "Checkers first, so that I can redeem myself when we get into Chess." He chuckled.
Symphony laughed and nodded in agreement. "I've been practicing, so I might win at Chess too." She warned.
Charles grimaced, hoping that she hadn't really gotten that good.
He was in trouble if she had.
It took only a few moments for Symphony to set up the board for a game of checkers.
*****
Charles ran a hand through his hair, biting his lip. "You're killing me Symph!" He whined playfully, looking at the board that now contained all of Symphony's pieces, and a third of his pieces left.
"I dunno, I've been known to be able to win with one piece left; you still stand a rather large chance." Symphony chuckled, looking at the board.
Charles shook his head, staring at the careful and strategically placed pieces on Symphony's side of the board. "Nope. You're too good. You're blocking my every attack, I can't take a single one of your pieces!" He pointed out, sweeping his hand through the air above the board.
Symphony laughed. "Good point." She agreed.
Charles sighed and finally made a move that he thought would be safe, but realized too late that he'd made a mistake.
Symphony grinned and took one of her pieces, and jumped three of Charles' pieces before she had to land.
Charles groaned. "See? I defend, and you win!" He motioned towards the game.
Symphony giggled. "That's how you win at checkers. You have to be methodical and forceful." She explained.
Charles shook his head and took another move, readily forfeiting the game. "I give up. Take my pieces, finish me off." He muttered.
Symphony immediately made her final move, taking the last of Charles' pieces. "Time for chess then." She said, licking her lips.
Charles smiled and nodded, preparing to set up the pieces as Symphony flopped onto her back on the bed, closing her eyes tiredly.
Seeing her like this bothered Charles. He didn't like watching her tire just from being in bed. He wanted to watch her play out in the garden, hunting birds and squirrels.
"Are you alright?" He asked, leaning forward to touch Symphony's arm.
Symphony sighed and give him a small smile, keeping her eyes shut. "Mattresses don't have much in the way of back support when it comes to sitting upright on them." She chuckled wryly.
Charles frowned. "Perhaps we should wait to play Chess, so you can get some rest."
Symphony shook her head. "I want to play. I'm tired of just laying here."
Charles was about to protest when Hank knocked on the doorframe, poking his head in.
"Symphony should rest now. It's almost time for supper, and I could use your help in the lab Charles." He suggested, knowing full well that Symphony would protest.
Charles nodded, but Symphony propped herself up on her elbows and glared gently at Hank.
"Can't I come up to the lab and sit and watch?" She asked with a sigh.
Hank shook his head. "We can't risk it. You need to stay put." He reprimanded.
Charles watched Symphony with mild regret, as Symphony sighed and laid back down frustratedly.
"Well then both of you get to work. I want out of bed." She groaned, turning onto her side away from them.
Hank nodded, and Charles reluctantly wheeled out of the room, putting the board aside. "I'll be back, I promise." He whispered before he left, receiving a tired wave from Symphony.
Once they were a ways down the hall, Charles turned to Hank. "What is it Hank?" He asked, knowing something was wrong.
Hank sighed. "I don't know how long it'll take to find what's wrong, if I manage to find it at all before it's too late. It's like with the serum. I need to study her DNA, her blood, everything, all over again. I'm basically restarting all the work I already did." He told Charles tiredly.
Charles frowned and wheeled into the elevator to head down to the lab. "This time I'm going to help you though. Maybe we'll go faster." He decided, making Hank smile a little.
"We'll restart together." Hank agreed as the elevator doors closed.
*****
Symphony laid sleeping quietly, dreaming of what was going to be in the future.
A man with a skin of blue with great power, a teleporter, another telepath, one of Havoc's brothers, and a woman with white hair... And four children Symphony felt a connection to.
Charles was there too, but without hair.
It was happening again, and Symphony couldn't wake herself.
Charles! She cried out with her mind.
Charles quickly came wheeling into the now dark and chilly room, reaching for his alarmed wife as she lay clammy on top of the sheets.
"Hank close the window and turn on a light." Charles commanded as Hank followed shortly behind him. "Oh Symphony..." He sighed, feeling Symphony's skin burning beneath his hand.
Symphony, I'm here, I'm right here. He communicated to her.
Symphony reached out with her mind, focusing on Charles' voice, trusting him to help pull her out of the horrible vision she was having.
Charles embraced Symphony's focus, carefully guiding her to a quiet corner of their minds, so that she could calm down.
Hank on the other hand, was busying himself taking Symphony's temperature, and dealing with the medical side of the situation.
"She's burning up Charles." Hank stated, looking up at Charles.
Charles frowned. "Not unlike when Erik and I found her." He remembered. "It seems so long ago now."
Hank nodded. "I think we should move her to the lab so we can monitor her more closely." He suggested carefully, looking down at Symphony as she stirred. "This may just turn out to be a flu, but we should make sure that she's perfectly fine just in case." He told Charles.
Charles nodded in agreement. "Let's get her down there and hooked up then." He answered quietly.
Hank carefully picked up Symphony, making sure he didn't hurt her as he carried her out of the room, Charles following close behind.
"This will work." Hank reassured him. "We will find a way to help her Charles, I promise."
Charles just sat there quietly, focusing on helping Symphony mentally.
Find something that calms you. Charles whispered mentally.
Symphony reached out again in her mind. Something is wrong Charles... I can sense it in your mind as you speak to me. She conferred.
We're just worried about you Symph... Please focus... Charles answered hopefully.
Symphony did as she was told, and kept her mind focused on all her favourite memories, of spending time with Charles, using them to calm her mind.
Charles kept mental watch, and smiled as he saw her memories flash by, following a similar pattern as what he himself used to calm his own mind.