Hey, Readers!

I had posted this earlier, but removed it for personal reasons. It's back now, with a few changes, and I hope y'all like them.

Also, I'm only posting the first five chapters to start; depending on the reception they receive, then I'll decide if I'll post the rest of the story or not.

Thanks for your support, and peace out!

-aggiefrogger

Note: I do NOT own X-Men or X-Men: Evolution in ANY way, shape or form.

Preparations:

"Why do I get the feelin' that this new kid's gonna be different from the others," Logan queried, glancing at the Professor with a frown.

"In a way, you're right," Charles Xavier answered, pulling up the young man's file for the rest of the faculty to see. "Jerry is physically 14, but his mental age is closer to Jamie's age. However, he is exceptionally bright, and will be attending the high school as a junior, despite his age."

"It says here he has Asperger's," Hank commented, raising his bushy blue eyebrows as he scanned the kid's medical information. "He'd be the first student here with a mental disability besides a mutation."

"What is his mutation," Ororo, aka Storm, asked, looking at the photo of the newest student, who was wearing a pair of heavy, bulky earphones.

"According to his parents, it appears he has some sort of psychic ability," Xavier answered. "His parents told me he's always had a vivid imagination, but now it appears that they can manifest themselves into reality if he focuses hard enough or when his emotions spike. Unfortunately, they found out about Jerry's mutation when he was attacked by bullies at school. He… created something that pulled them off of him, giving them all whiplash and sending them to the hospital with several broken bones, not to mention damaged the surrounding hallway."

"Oh my!"

"After that, his parents say that random stuff would sometimes appear around him, then fade away shortly after, mostly when Jerry asked them to. They even say that he sometimes purposefully creates things. It's most unusual for his mutation to activate earlier than most, given his age, but his Autism may be a contributing factor. His mutation also appears to be tied to his emotions, which means he may sometimes overreact to the littlest disturbance with his abilities if he gets too upset, like what happened at the school."

"Well, good thing he's comin' here, right," Wolverine cut in, looking at the files as well. "But how the hell are we supposed to help him if his dreams come to life?"

"They don't always come to life, Logan, but Hank will be working with the boy's mental facilities, since he's our Institute's in-house counselor and doctor." The other faculty members turned to the large mutant, who nodded his head in acknowledgement. "And of course, we will all be helping him control his abilities as well."

"I do not recall you mentioning that you've found this mutant," Erik spoke up. "Nor do I recall you going to Texas in the past few months."

"Because I didn't find him. Mr. and Mrs. Mathews made the first contact with me, and we video chatted, to assure them that the Institute was real. They'd seen what we did on the news with Apocalypse, so when they asked if we could help their son, I said yes."

Erik's eyes widened. "So you've never met Jerry in real life? That's not like you, Charles."

"Nor via video call. Even over a phone call, he's nervous about talking to strangers; especially a mutant like himself. But, regardless of how he was found, he's going to be a new member of the Institute and the X-Men. Any other questions?" The table was silent, and Charles smiled. "Well then, I think it's settled, then. In four days, Jerry Mathews will be a new student at the member of the Xavier Institute."

The mutant students, now including the Brotherhood, were confused at being called into the main living room that evening; dinner was over, and Professor Xavier never called a sudden meeting without telling them. Even Jean and Scott, who were still adjusting to their new rolls as teacher assistants, were surprised that they weren't informed about the meeting sooner.

"You know what this is about," Sam whispered to Kitty and Ray.

"I dunno. Did Bobby or Todd do anything crazy again?"

"Hey," the two boys chorused indignantly, glaring at them from one of the couches. "Why is it always us that get blamed?"

"Who else would it be," Jubilee replied, amusing herself and Jamie by making small fireworks appear at her fingertips. "But I don't think any of us are in trouble, since the teachers are here too; it probably means it's gonna be something the Professor wants all of us to hear."

"So ya squirts better listen up," Logan growled, sliding into the seat next to the girl, who quickly stopped making sparkles appear. Once, she'd accidentally set Logan's hair on fire, and she wasn't anxious to repeat the trick. A few moments later, the bald mutant rolled his chair to the front of the room, which waited with anticipation for him to speak.

"None of you are in trouble," he started, and the room erupted into a brief lapse of relieved sighs and small cheers. "However, there is something I wish to discuss with you all." He took a deep breath before continuing. "As some of you may know, we have a new student that will be joining us in a few days."

The room erupted into murmurs and gasps, the students looking at each other as they absorbed this bit of news. It was always interesting whenever someone new showed up, though they hadn't had anyone arrive in the past few months. Eventually, Bobby raised his hand.

"Yes, Bobby?"

"What's wrong with them, Professor?"

"Bobby," Professor Ororo snapped, glaring at the boy. "Don't you-"

"It's fine, Professor," Xavier said, while Bobby looked down at his lap, embarrassed. "I can understand where he's coming from. We don't usually announce the arrival of a new student this way, so you're probably wondering about who is coming to stay with us." A few of the teens nodded. "Well that is precisely what I wanted to talk to you all about. His name is Jerry Mathews, and he's from Brenham, Texas."

Rogue, from her seat in the back, straightened a little at that comment. Being from Louisiana, it was a little comforting and surprising to hear that someone else from the South would soon be joining them. Remy had disappeared a while ago, and while she wouldn't admit it out loud, she missed hearing a Southern accent. She quickly slouched back down, before anyone saw that she cared.

"He has a unique ability that allows him to make his imagination a reality, but it has its limitations; for instance, he cannot directly affect or control another living being, and he cannot read minds or do traditional telekinesis."

Jean raised her hand. "But that's not why you called us here, did you Professor?"

The man nodded; Jean's telekinetic abilities were growing every day, and it was starting to be a bit of a struggle to keep her out of his own mind. "Yes, Miss Grey. Besides his mutation, Jerry also has Autism. Asperger's Syndrome, to be exact."

Most of the students, especially the younger ones and the Brotherhood, looked confused, but Jubilee gasped loudly, her eyes going wide. "I know what that is," she exclaimed, all eyes on her now as they waited for an explanation. "My neighbor back home had Asperger's; he was good friends with my family."

"Well, then, would you like to explain to everyone who may not know what that is?"

"Sure! Autism's a mental disorder that's usually categorized by difficulty with communication and social interaction. They also like staying on strict daily routines, and don't like it when things change too suddenly. There's a whole spectrum of Autism, from low to high functioning, and Asperger's is at the top of the high functioning." She glanced at the professor. "Does that mean he's super smart?"

"Not all Asperger's individuals are smart, but in this case, you are correct, which is why he's going to be taking high school courses, even though he should be in middle school. Jerry also has specialized knowledge on certain subjects, but is clueless or unable to understand others; especially with socializing and communicating. While we can effectively talk with one another and even read emotions and body language, he is unable to do so accurately, and is often awkward and shy around other people."

Kurt raised his hand. "So… he's different? On ze inside?"

"We're all different," Lance cut in, rolling his eyes a little.

"But Jerry more so," Hank McCoy cut in, stepping forward a little to address the group. "Yes, our mutations make us different, but we are still fully-functional human beings. Somethings you all do on a normal basis is completely foreign to him, and vice versa. He won't act like the rest of us; he won't look anyone in the eyes, nor shake hands when meeting you, and he'll often either be eerily quiet and vacant, or ramble on about a given subject for minutes at a time."

"Well put, Hank," Charles cut in. "Which is why I wanted to prepare you all for when he arrives. Especially when meeting new people, we don't want to startle him or make him feel any more uncomfortable than he already is."

"Professor," Rogue spoke up from the back, and everyone turned to look at the girl, who quickly crossed her arms and glared at them to hide her curiosity. "You said earlier that his power is to make his imagination come to life. Does that mean we always have to be nice to him or else he'll hurt us?" The students turned back to the man, waiting to hear his response.

"No, Rogue, it does not. Yes, when he becomes emotional at times, he may accidentally strike out, but everyone here did the same when they were first coming to terms with their mutations. This will be no different from any new student, and I encourage you all to treat our new ward with respect and decency. And also, he had dealt with bullying in the past, so I will say here and now that we will not tolerate any pranks or harassment towards him." He put a stern tone in his statement, wanting them to make sure that they understood how serious the situation was.

"Yes, Professor," they chorused.

"Where will he be sleeping," Scott asked, the light from the ceiling fan reflecting off his red glasses.

"Kurt has an extra bed in his room, so he will be rooming there. And Kurt," he added, looking at the surprised mutant, "he is also Catholic, so he will be going with you, Scott and Wanda to Mass on Sundays."

"R-Really," the blue boy asked, a smile crossing his face. Wanda also looked up, a small smile on her face as well.

Charles smiled. "Yes. Now off to bed with you all; there will be some more information later tomorrow, but for now, I want you all to do your best to make sure Jerry's first impressions here are good."

Hope you enjoyed! Favorite and follow if you want more, and drop a review if you wish!