A/N: aaaayyyyyyy. I am so sorry I haven't written anything in a while. It's not because of school or anything, I just haven't had any ideas. Until now. I plan on making these a series of one-shots, and I'll upload as and when I think of something. Anyway, here's the first one.

I don't own anything that you're about to read.

The Echo of a Friend

Peace at last Storm thought, as she walked through the empty corridors of the mansion.

It was late at night, and the last of the students had went upstairs to bed, leaving herself and a couple of the teachers on the downstairs floor. The school had quietened down considerably, and a lot of the residents had lost their enthusiasm for the place in the aftermath of the incident with Alcatraz, and whilst things were finally starting to resemble normality, the absence of those three particular people was still noticeable.

Several of the girls were still recovering from the loss of Jean, and maths lessons weren't the same for most without Scott. As for the professor…

She made her way into his office, balancing her papers as she went. It didn't matter that he was gone, or that she was now headmistress. As long as it said "Xavier's school" at the entrance, it would always be his office. With a sigh, Storm opened the door, preparing herself for a long night, when she stopped in her tracks.

There, sitting against the desk with a large volume in his lap was a small boy, no older than five with shaggy brown hair falling over his big blue eyes. Normally the sight of a child wouldn't disturb her so, (she worked in a school after all) but there was one thing about this child that caused her alarm.

She didn't recognise him.

Storm had been at the school now for several years, and had seen many mutants come and go. However, now that she taught these kids, it was her responsibility to know who was who, in case someone ever tried to attack the school again. Cautiously, she edged into the room, and was about to open her mouth when she heard a voice behind her.

"Son, what are you doing in here?"

She turned to find the voice's owner, and was met with the sight of a tall, slender man with the same shade of dark hair, with a pair of thin-rimmed glasses resting on his nose. He was wearing a white shirt with a dark green tie, and (like Storm) was holding a mountain of papers in his arms. Curiously, he didn't appear to be looking at the puzzled teacher, but rather at the boy, who had now raised his head from his book, and was wearing the same sheepish expression one might expect to see from a child with their hand stuck in a cookie jar.

"Sorry Father. I…I couldn't sleep…and I thought that reading might help, and…" the boy trailed off, and stood up by the desk, clutching the leather book to his chest.

The man at the door smiled in amusement, and walked towards his son. At this point, Ororo wondered how neither of them had noticed her, but soon got her answer when the father walked straight through her, causing the woman to shudder. She followed his progress across the room, and watched transfixed as he kneeled down in front of the flustered kid.

"It's alright kiddo, but your new tutor is coming at 9 tomorrow, and we can't have you falling asleep on her." He said gently, as he placed his own papers on the table top, before picking up the boy (book and all) and carrying him back across the study.

A small mumble came from the boy, who was somehow managing to hold onto his father as well as the beloved book. The man chuckled softly in response, before reaching the door. However, instead of walking out, both of the figures simply disappeared, leaving the room silent once more.

Storm was so confused that she only just registered that neither speaker was American.

Storm had nearly forgotten her midnight encounter, when several weeks later something similar happened. She was in the middle of grading some papers, when Kitty burst in, and told her that there was an intruder on campus. Startled, she made her way to the window, and looked out into the garden.

The same little boy, who was now at least 7 or 8 was running about the garden, wearing a smart jumper and a pair of grey shorts. He was holding a wooden aeroplane in his hand, giggling as he continued to play a game that only he was a part of, seemingly oblivious to the students who were watching him with cautious faces. One girl tried to approach him, but only yelled in surprise as, like before, the child simply ran through her.

Vaguely, Storm heard Kitty's voice asking her what was going on, when, just like the other night, the boy with his plane vanished without a trace.

After telling the rest of the staff what was going on, the little boy was now showing up all over the manor, seemingly at random. Every time he was seen, the child seemed to age a little more, and he could appear in any room at any time.

Sometimes he was in the kitchen, drinking a glass of milk. Sometimes he was in the recreation room, drawing a picture. Sometimes he was in the library, with his nose stuck in a book.

He wasn't always alone either. There was occasionally a blonde woman in formal dress, Sharon apparently, but she seemed so disinterested in the child that it surprised Storm to hear him call her "Mother". The Father, Brian she learned, had somehow died when the kid was still quite young, as she found out when the Mother, the boy and another man were standing around a grave in the garden. This man was called Kurt, and he and his son Cain proceeded to make life miserable for the small boy, with taunting and beatings that were unpleasant for anyone to watch.

He was joined at some point by a girl, younger than him, with blonde hair and rosy cheeks. He called her Raven, and the two were inseparable. Brother and sister in all but blood.

Oddly enough, no one ever mentioned the boy by name. The part of Storm that wasn't completely bewildered felt slightly guilty that she was practically watching this child grow up and couldn't refer to him as anything other than "the boy". She could only watch on, as he slowly became taller, smarter, faster and stronger. He seemed to retreat into himself at around the age of 9, but by the time he was 12, this child was back to walking around with a mega-watt grin, and an accent and whit which he used to his advantage.

There were scenes that broke her heart, like when his elder step-brother would chase the child around and beat him up in a very non-sibling like manner. There were also scenes that made her smile, like when he would tuck his younger sister into bed, and vow to always protect her.

Eventually, the Mother died too. There were very few tears shed this time.

By the time the boy was 18, he became the owner of the house and his family's fortune. Storm watched on with a hint of pride and satisfaction, as the new lord of the manor threw Kurt and Cain out, telling them to never return. She heard him tell his sister something about Oxford University before they too walked out the front door, with a suitcase in his hand and his head held high.

At this point the ghosts seemed to have vanished, and Storm wondered if that was the last she'd ever see of the mystery child. It wasn't until a few months later that the boy came back, except he wasn't a boy anymore.

This was a young man, roughly 24. He wore his brown hair short and neat, with those same blue eyes that had now begun to regain their spark. He was dressed well, with a sweater and grey pants, and walked with an air of confidence that he had been lacking before.

The little girl was back too, as well as a handful of young men who regarded the boy with trust and gratitude. Although all these people were there, there was one other who was far more prominent.

There was another man, who looked to be around 28, whose lean figure stood just above everyone else's. He and the boy seemed close, and where there was one, chances were the other was keeping them company. The boy was no longer as energetic as before, instead was content to sit with his companion, and chat over a chess board and a glass of whiskey.

It was one of these conversations that finally gave her the answer she'd wanted all along.

The two were playing their usual game, when as if the boy had spoke, the man looked up at him with fondness in his gaze.

"Honestly Charles, I'm not sure why I put up with you."

It was as if someone had poured freezing cold water over her. Suddenly, over 8 months of puzzlement fell together, thanks to that name. The accent. The clothes. The big heart.

Charles. Professor Charles Xavier.

Storm could only watch on amazed. The boy, who she'd seen go through hardships that could turn even the purest hearts bitter, turned out to be none other than the man she had often regarded as a father-figure. Part of her was surprised. Part of her had known.

Suddenly, it didn't matter what the two men were saying. It didn't matter that the game had come to a close, or that the two were seemingly conversing without words.

Storm had just watched the origins of her mentor, a hero in his own right. A little boy who would grow up to change the world. And she couldn't thank him enough.

The End
A/N: TADA! I hope you enjoyed it, and I apologise again for not writing for a while. I only have very vague comic book knowledge, so some of this won't be accurate. Sorry for any spelling mistakes, and feel free to leave me a review or an idea for another story. Until next time guys... :3