>>> See. Lasers and saw blades are a perfect example of why you probably shouldn't go around telling random parents about the danger room," Lee said with a shake of her head.

This woman seemed hyper-critical towards the mansion, the x, , and for a moment, He felt like she could be negative about anything. Ashton kept his mouth shut and didn’t say anything. It made him tired. Even if he agreed with her a little. He supposed it took different sorts to be X-men. You either had it, or you didn’t… most sane folks DID NOT.

And every single negative thing she did and said, with downplaying herself and not wanting to actually be present or help— made him want to just postpone the training. It would be a lot of effort to interact with the scenario, and the feedback just wasn’t there. It was like he was alone.

It seemed He had lots of feeelings. Which made him stop while He was listening to her, and assess. Adult Ashton had done therapy, after traumatic events involving an Elephantman. Journaling had been part of it. Why this Ashton even knew about that event. Present Ashton had taken it upon himself to do therapy, to journal, while He had been a cop, and after. He knew He had issues backing him up, like a bad meals indigestion. Therapy let him assess. Take a step back. Look.

” Before we begin…i wanted to share something. I was standing here, getting defensive whenever you are critical of the x men, and realized… asked myself why, even if you’re right on lots. Kind of silly, getting defensive when I agree with you on some things, yeah? I’m sorry. I’ve been standoffish. I owe them a lot. And took it personally.”

He’d been getting tense. While she had not even been close to as bad as he had been acting. He needed to fix his mood .

Ashton ended up turning his full attention on her, away from the room in front of them, and started to speak.

To apologize for taking what she had been saying, particularly about the X-Men, too personally. That he had been getting defensive. And that he even agreed with some of the things she had been saying about them. Which really did seem weird for him to be taking offense to what she said.

"I get it," Lee said, her voice less harsh or judgemental than it had previously been. "They do help a lot of people. I'm still not sure what I would have done a few of the times that they've helped me in the past." Like when her husband had been found comatose in a graveyard mere weeks after they had gotten married. Or with everything regarding her pregnancy and Kevin's birth.

"Some of the X-Men are actually among my oldest and closest friends," Lee admitted. Even if she hadn't stayed in touch as well as she should have over the previous 6 years in an attempt to keep things as safe and normal for Kevin as possible.

"But I've always had…" Lee paused as she thought about how to word this properly. "Concerns. About how they run missions and handle things in the field. And now I've got a teenage boy who's just started school here who wants nothing more right now than to join the X-Men. And if trouble finds him even half as easily as it always seemed to find his father and I…" Lee trailed off with a frown.