Rupert sat down the block on a bench, cell phone in hand, staring at its open screen. His thumb pressed through the menus. Address Book: not even a hope, but he still looked at it. Incoming calls: apparently he’d been thorough. Outgoing calls: really thorough. He vaguely remembered the night he’d gone through his phone, and deleted her from his life. He remembered that there had been liquor involved.

Raina. It would be so easy to just flip his phone shut, and forget this all. Too damn bad that Xavier’s School for Gifted and Talented Freaks was in the phone book. Ten bucks and a teacup of scotch said she was still working there. It wasn’t a place a former Camp Supervisor could just walk into alone, though. He couldn’t ask Lee and Tarin for this favor. There was just... too much to explain. And the last thing he wanted was to owe the Medium anything.

Rupert stood, and walked down the block to Jacobs & Jacobs Security. Luke Jacobs was in the phone book, too. Somehow, though, meeting him in person seemed better. Maybe it had something to do with actually seeing the man he was talking to. Maybe it had something to do with the real difference: you could hang up a phone if you started acting like an idiot, but it just didn’t work that way in person.

And, of course, there was this:

“Do you have an appointment, Sir?”

“No. If you could tell him that Rupert Kelley is here, though; we met at the pie contest.”

“I see.”

The look on the front desk woman’s face was everything he’d hoped and feared. Chances were good he wouldn’t get a change to see Luke Jacobs at all. Then what?

Then he could forget about this idea. He could forget about Raina; he could forget about his dream. He could forget Tarin and Lee, and wash the fact that they’d dreamed it, too, away with a few cups of something. It would be a sign: none of this was meant to be. If the man did see him, though, and agreed to help... Then maybe Rupert and Raina did belong together.

It all came down to Luke.

Darkness... complete and utter darkness. Of course, Luke had never been able to see light but his sonar had given him the ability to "see" in some manner of speaking. It was his own type of light, though he could never truly explain it to someone else. Since the big brawl three or foru days before Luke had been without the "sight" that had made his live so much easier for years. Someone at some point during the day had healed his injuries but that hadn't taken care of his sonar.

"Can I get you anything Mr. Jacobs?" A female voice asked, startling Luke out of his internal reverie. For a mometn eh was lost, but then he focused and placed it as the voice of his current secretary. "I'm fine Ms. Stevens." Luke replied with a wan smile as he leaned back in his chair, "Just a little bit tired."

"Alright. The front desk says there's a Rupert Kelley here to see you but I'll tell them he needs to come back another time."

Rupert? What in the world was Rupert doing here? Luke hadn't heard from him since they had faced each other in the pie contest some months earlier. Why would he be contacting him out of the blue like this?

"Don't do that. Would you please go down and escort him back up here? For some reason I seem to be having trouble with my cane today."

Trouble wasn't even a strong enough word to describe it. Luke knew how to use his cane but it had been years since he truly had to rely on it. For so long he had carried it only to make those around him more comfortable but now he found himself back in the situation of true blindness. He wasn't even fit to be a member of the X-Men any more. That was the unspoken worry that Luke refused to contemplate. What if his pwoer was gone? What if he was just a powerless mutant? What good was he to anyone if he couldn't help the world anymore?

***

It took about ten to fifteen minutes for the secretary to make it down to the lobby and get Luke's guest upstairs but eventually Luke heard two sets of footstep walk into the secretaries area and then one more set of footsteps make their way up to his door. Even deaf Luke could hear the limp and there was no question about who it must be.

"Come on in Rupert. It's nice of you to drop by."

He was actually being allowed in. Not just to wait until the esteemed Mr. Jacobs had a few spare moments in his busy day; he was being brought to the man’s office directly. He hadn’t been given an elevator floor and vague directions; he was being escorted. If he was looking for signs from the universe, this one was trying to bludgeon his head in like a meteor.

It was also twisting his gut into strange and unfortunate shapes. That first step into Luke’s office put him one step closer to seeing Raina again. Soon.

>> "Come on in Rupert. It's nice of you to drop by."

“Hey, Luke.” He began, awkwardly shifting his weight off of his bad leg. His voice wasn’t exactly an epitome of ease. “So... I saw your press conference, the other day. You’re a mutant, huh?”

****. Was there a wall he could run his head into? Because really, a concussion might make this sound less painfully forced. Or maybe he could have started off like this:

Hey, Luke. Remember how I hate mutants? Remember how you forgot to tell me you were one, while I was ranting about them? Well look at me, standing in your office, not beating your ass. Ten bucks says I want something. Got a few minutes to hear me out, Blind Boy?

Rupert was apparently a little bit ill at ease now that he was in Luke's presence and the blind man couldn't realy blame him. His simple statement revealed that he knew Luke was a mutant and both of them knew that Rupert had revealed his true feelings about mutants while sitting on a park bench with someone he thought understood.

"Yes, I have the X-Gene. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, my sonar sight has dissaeared. I'm just a great big cosmic joke now. A mutant with a washed up ability." Luke said with a tight smile as he waved in the direction of where he knew the guest chair in his office was situated, "Why don't you take a seat?"

Swiveling his own chair around, and quirking his head slightly, Luke's sightless cloudy blue eyes stared off into nothingness as he simply listened to the other man moving around.

"What can I do for you Rupert? I'm sure you didn't come by to hear my story. Do you need a security system for your house or something?"

A part of Luke was screaming at him that he needed to be careful. Rupert was a mutant hater and here he now sat with a completely defenseless mutant. Shoving the voice aside Luke instead focused on common sense. He had never seen anything about Rupert that made him think the man was violent. Misguided and judgemental perhaps, but not violent. Besides, he had a secretary right outside the door that would be more than happy to call some security personell if something were to happen. What could go wrong?

>> "Yes, I have the X-Gene. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, my sonar sight has disappeared. I'm just a great big cosmic joke now. A mutant with a washed up ability."

Because this wasn’t uncomfortable enough. Now he had to figure out the correct response for a freak who was having power troubles. Words dropped out of his mouth:

“That’s... too bad.”

Because apparently his mind had grouped Luke’s power loss in with lost puppies and mother-in-laws coming to visit. Rupert ran a hand through his hair.

>> "Why don't you take a seat?"

“Yeah. Thanks.” The chair scrapped slightly back along the floor as he sat. He naturally met the man’s gaze, then just as quickly averted his eyes. You don’t stare at a blind man’s eyes. Not that Luke could tell the difference. Somehow, that made it even worse—it was like the world forgave everyone in advance for recoiling from that unnaturally fogged gaze.

>> "What can I do for you Rupert? I'm sure you didn't come by to hear my story. Do you need a security system for your house or something?"

A short laugh left his mouth. He leaned forwards, arms on his knees, and hands on his temples. It wasn’t a pose he’d have struck if anyone could see him.

“Listen, I know we don’t know each other well... and you probably think I’m an idiot, after that last meeting.” Which, unfortunately, was their only meeting. Rupert had demonstrated his talent for storming out of a tents just because a mutant came near him. As first impressions went... Well, Rupert wasn’t a stranger to that stomach clench of regret. That was the reason he was here.

“I guess... I have a favor to ask. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, Luke. A lot of mistakes.” That deserved another laugh, right there. “You don’t even want to know.”

He looked up; not that it mattered. Those clouded blue eyes were all that greeted him. “My last girlfriend was a mutant. She... she was a lot like you. She heard me ranting about my views, and she kept quiet about what she was. When I found out... I did a lot of things I shouldn’t have. I—I don’t think she can ever forgive me. But I—”

His breath caught in his throat. He swallowed, past a sudden lump. “She was the one, Luke. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in love, but hell—she was the one. She was the one, and I made her feel like trash because of what she was. Because of what I am—a zealot. A damn blinded—” Poor word choice.

“Sorry,” he said. “I just... I want to try and make it up to her. But the only way I know how to contact her is through her work; Xavier’s. It’s this school for mutants, if you’ve ever heard of it.” Rupert had been there twice in his life: once to destroy the place in the Registration Act raid, and once to look at its wreckage. His laugh came back, cold and brief. “I was a Camp Supervisor. A lot of those students and teachers... they’re going to know me. There’s no way I can just walk up to the place. I...” He took in a deep breath, and let it out again. “I guess I’m asking if you could come with me.”

If there was one thing that blindness had taught Luke it was how to be a good listener. He was always willing to listen to someone's story before passing any sort of judgment. Interrupting someone while they were talking was a good way to give your opinion out long before you knew the truth about the situation. And so, Luke sat there quietly, just listening to the other man pour out his heart about his past mistakes.

"First off, I don't think you're an idiot." Luke said quietly when Rupert had finished his discourse. If a misguided zealot could be this honest and open with him then it was only fair that a blind mutant would give him the same consideration. "You have, or at least had, reasons to believe what you believed. It was more than just disliking someone because they looked different. I'm not saying that makes any of your previous actions right, but at least I can partially understand where you're coming from."

The revelation about the camps was far more than Luke had expected. Rupert had been one of the supervisors? He had been one of the men in charge of those atrocities? It was hard to swallow but Luke could hear the sorrow in his voice. He had no idea if the other man was at all religious but what he was saying was almost worthy of a confessional somewhere.

"I do know about the Xavier School." Luke continued as he leaned back in his chair, "I have some friends there and have even helped them out a time or two. But one thing I know about the people at the school is that they can forgive. It may take time and your first welcome may not be the best one in the world, but if you're serious they'll give you another chance."

He believed what he was saying. Sure, there might be one or two people at the mansion that wouldn't want to forgive and forget but he had to believe that most of them would. Surely Sam, Raina, Ghost, Neena, and plenty of others would be able to look past Rupert's misdeeds to see the penitence in his spirit. This was a man that wanted to make things right. Could they really refuse him that opportunity?

"I'd be glad to go with you Rupert. Are you wanting to go now or later on in the week?"

No questions. None. The man took what he said at face value, and just went with it—accepted it, and kept going. This mutant—this freak of nature, this threat to mankind’s future—just accepted him at a few sincere words. Words Luke couldn’t even know were sincere.

As if Rupert hadn’t felt horrible enough, after that dream. He opened his mouth to speak, but found that damn lump still in his throat. Nothing came out.

>> “I do know about the Xavier School. I have some friends there and have even helped them out a time or two. But one thing I know about the people at the school is that they can forgive. It may take time and your first welcome may not be the best one in the world, but if you're serious they'll give you another chance."

He nodded, not that it did a whole lot of good. In present company, a nod wouldn’t suffice; he had to find a way to force words out. It took a long, long moment, but they came.

“Thank you.”

>> "I'd be glad to go with you Rupert. Are you wanting to go now or later on in the week?"

“I... tomorrow. It has to be tomorrow.” Tomorrow, before he had a chance to go back on everything; tomorrow, while the dream was still fresh. He’d see Raina tomorrow, with Luke’s help.

Apparently Rupert wanted to get this thing done as quickly as possible that was fine by Luke. It actually helped to prove that he was being real about his emotions. Rupert wanted to apologize and ask forgiveness and he wanted to do it before any part of him could convince him to do otherwise. Luke had to respect the man for that.

"Why don't you swing by here tomorrow morning about nine or ten to pick me up and we'll head over to the mansion." Luke offered with the most reassuring grin he could pull off, "And try to relax. It'll work out. You'll see."

Tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day. Luke liked all of the people at the mansion, at least everyone he had met so far, but more than likely Rupert would bring back memories of some of their worst experiences. This was going to be tough on Luke's friends but it was going to be good for them too. The only way to get over the past was to confront it head on.

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

((ooc: Continued in Walking on Broken Glass.))