I Believe You Owe Me A Cupcake

[Jason Campbell]

Many things could have caused Jason to forget about Charity Croft and what they told each other. One couldn't expect him to take seriously the words he exchanged with a stranger a few days before Christmas. He might not have the most exhilarating life, things still happened during that time to make him push this aside and focus on more important matters. Yet, all he needed to remember this beautiful yet very peculiar woman was a visit to the Academy.

He was not coming often but his services were required from time to time. Not to add the fact he was the doctor of some of the students here. He didn’t mind heading over instead, if his schedule allowed it. It wasn’t like he had much else to do of his spare time.

He had healed someone and was resting before heading home. He thought that sugar would help giving him a boost of energy. Sugar, in his mind, turned into cake and cake into cupcake and through that line of idea, he remembered Charity and how she told him she could cook for him. She worked and lived at the school too.

Obviously, Jason didn’t want her to cook for him but he suddenly grew curious as to what she might do and whether or not he should come over and say hi. She was probably busy. But, since he was already here, there was no real harm in finding out. If she was in the middle of a training session, he wouldn’t bother her and be on his way. Then again, he didn’t want to come over and find out she did not remember him. Well... she was not the only one he knew who worked here. He could say hi to them and say he remembered she told him she worked here and figured he could say hi to her also before going home. It sounded like a plan.

Since he didn't know where she was, and they never thought it would be clever to exchange phone numbers, he went to the reception. “Is there a way to know where any particular staff member is?” he asked there. If they said she was working, he would leave her alone. If not, he didn’t mind calling her, see if she was busy with something else. At least, he was ready to do that, but then he flinched as he was told Charity’s full name. Legrange? He didn’t even realised they were calling her to explain there was someone who wanted to see her at the reception. Legrange!?

[Charity Croft]

Unfortunately, the people in charge of fetching Charity weren't great at the whole explaining thing. She'd been doing what she often did: reviewing files while relaxing in the teacher's lounge with a cup of coffee and a muffin, when she got some notice that someone wanted to see her right away. Charity had popped up, leaving her files there, muffin still clutched in her hand. Then she hurried through the halls, leaving her glasses on and trying not to run into people.

"Why would anyone meet me in the reception area?" she wondered to herself, her brow furrowing. Charity thought they'd mentioned a man, and she was trying to remember if she knew any men that would actually come to visit her. None came to mind, at least, none that didn't work there.

Then she got to the reception area, out of breath, her hair, which had been up in a sloppy-tossed together updo, falling down over her glasses, muffin in one hand, blinking as she looked at Jason. "You," she said, raising the hand with the muffin. "You're the..." she looked around. "Is someone... someone dying?" Besides Charity. At least, she was assuming that was what was going to happen next.

[Jason Campbell]

Jason didn’t want to bother Charity if she was dealing with a student but from what he understood, she was not. It was why he agreed to talk to her but Jason thought they would get her on the phone or something. He had not been paying enough attention to the words said, too busy trying to make sense with something else. Legrange. He knew Guy Legrange. The man used to be his trainer and had become somewhat of a friend since he came back. The fact the man had a daughter was not all that surprising. What really did was the fact this was his daughter. If she was even related to him. But what were the odds to have two people with that unusual a last name and not be related? He saw nothing of Guy in Charity.

Jason also didn’t mean to make Charity run but she seemed out of breath when she arrived. It was when he saw her that he realised they didn't put her on the phone. He didn’t even have a phone receiver in his hands, waiting to get the line. Looks like they decided to have them meet face to face.

As she just said you, Jason figured she didn’t remember him. How could he expect any different! He felt a little stupid now but her question got him to flinch and forget about any embarrassment. “What? No, of course not,” he assured her. No one was dying here, why would she think that? Oh, right. Embarrassment returned all of a sudden. “I, uh...” he began, feeling stupider than ever. Oh well, she was here now and it wasn’t like he could escape this. He came closer to her, ignoring the other people working here. “We said we should meet again next time I come at the school. I was more thinking about calling you but I think they misunderstood me.” And now, he’ll find out she didn’t remember those words just like the only think she recalled about him was that he happened to be the on-call doctor in case of emergency. He sighed. It felt so good to make an impression on people. He wished he knew that.

[Charity Croft]

"Oh," Charity managed, between a few more sucking breaths. She took another deep one, straightening out and letting it out slowly. He'd continued, of course, and of course she remembered him. Charity was so going to say as much the moment breathing stopped being something that sort of took over everything else.

"Right, that's, I totally remember," she let out another breath, straightening up and pointing at him. "Penis cake," a pause, and she let out a little laugh, reaching up with the other hand to rub at her face. "Right, so, yeah, there's that," she took another breath, letting it out slowly. Breathing was starting to become more something that she could sort of do in general and less something that made her want to curl up and die. Though now stuff was starting to burn.

Aaaaand she still had the muffin. Charity looked at it, then flung it over her shoulder. Was mostly gone and kinda squished anyway. Taking another deep breath, she looked up at Jason. "So, yeah, totally remember you. Jason, right?" she smiled slightly nervously, already mentally insisting on murdering whoever was in charge at reception.

[Jason Campbell]

Jason wasn’t sure if Charity was going to be alright or if she was about to hyperventilate or something. Breathing seemed to take all of her energy right now and Jason studied her, ready to help her out sit somewhere if need be. But she got over it. The eventuality that someone might be dying sure caused her a shock.

He had a little smile as she brought up the cake to prove she remembered him. Who would have thought that one day Jason would be remembered because of a penis-shaped cake? He sure never would have thought it possible. He almost laughed at how improbable that was. Well, even though this was not how he had wished to make an impression on anyone, it meant she remembered him and that was nice enough for him not to mind so much about the circumstances leading to that impression. He noticed the muffin flying away and tried not to laugh at this.

Breathing still seemed to be hard for her. As much of a shock the thought someone might be dying could be, she should be over by now. The professional side of Jason kicked in and wondered if she might not have a condition. “Right,” he said as she got his name right. “Are you alright? Maybe you should sit down,” he suggested. It would also give him a chance to examine her if she still had to take deep breath. “Excuse me for asking but... are you related to Guy Legrange?” It seemed impossible for two people with an improbably name not to be related in so small a town but also not impossible, since people from all around the country came to this school and some even from further away. But he still had to ask, because he knew it would keep bothering him otherwise.

[Charity Croft]

Charity took several more deep, sucking breaths, swearing to herself to take up some sort of exercise course or something. She'd ask around. She'd totally cut back on the muffins. Whatever it took to make breathing like this easier.

She was even freaking Jason out. Charity shook her head, raising a hand and shaking it. "no, no, it's cool. I just, was running 'cuz I thought someone died or something, like I said. That's all," she took another deep breath, this time running her hand down her body. She thought that might totally work, though instead she ended up being surprised as Jason asked her a question that she hadn't quite expected to come from him.

It so surprised her that she spent a few seconds just staring at him and blinking, trying to process. Then it occurred to her that it wasn't that hard of a question to answer: "Uh, yeah. He's my dad. Well," her head shifted from side to side, 'biological father. He slept with my mom as a teenager, though she was older," Charity was now gesturing as she spoke, as if her hands were visual aids, "and she didn't tell me till super late. So I, like, took his last name, mostly for recognition around here. It really doesn't make sense, I guess, but, yeah, I kinda wanted to reconnect with him..." That made her trail off. That... hadn't worked as well as she'd hoped.

[Jason Campbell]

Charity assured him that she was fine, that it was just because she came running here, in fear of some terrible news. “Sorry, it was just me,” Jason replied. He did feel sorry that she panicked like this. They should have just let him talk to her on the phone or something. She wouldn’t have panicked then. But she also might not have remembered him solely with his voice and name and reminding the whole cake thing on the phone with a receptionist overhearing everything might not have been that great either. It sure would have been embarrassing for him, especially if she could not recall him with all this.

If running here and fearing the worst had her this short of breath, she needed to train a little. Jason probably shouldn’t talk, as he was in no better shape, but he was a doctor, so this alone gave him the right to say it without anyone going right back at him. Still, he didn’t say it. Not just yet. He wanted her to be fine again. Plus Jason didn’t want to talk to her as a doctor to a patient but more to catch up on someone who caught his interest before.

At first, he convinced himself she was perhaps a niece or something of Guy. It wasn’t like Jason knew his family or if he had any. She seemed a bit too old to be his daughter. He didn’t think he could have had her when he was a teenager. But she said so and it was his turn to be shocked. “His.. daughter?” There was nothing weird in the man having children, though he couldn’t picture them sharing the same DNA. He nearly flirted with his daughter. It was a good thing that she kept talking because it made Jason look like he was listening to her as opposed to simply dealing with the news. “I know him. I had no idea there was another Legrange at the school,” he admitted although he could see why she picked his name for recognition. “He used to be my trainer,” he admitted after a moment.

[Charity Croft]

Charity let out a little laugh as Jason insisted that it was just him. She felt like she should be saying something else there, like, maybe that it was alright that it was him or that it was her that was messed up or something along those lines. Various possibilities popped up in Charity's head, but her brain couldn't land on one before Jason moved on to asking about her dad.

His comment had her laughing. "Yeah, he was a lot of people's trainer," she said, nodding her head a few times. "And now I'm getting a lot of his old students, which they're just thrilled about," she hesitated again, trying to figure out what else to say. "I used to have a crush on him, you know. Back when I was first here. So, yeah, that was fun."

You know, maybe going back and mentioning the whole bit about how Jason was here would have been a good move. Or she could bring up cupcakes again. Or muffins. Yep, definitely should have settled on muffins. Sexual innuendo be damned.

[Jason Campbell]

Jason was not really insulted. He should, or at least, he felt like he should be a little insulted. Only, he wasn’t. Better be only him than a real bad news. To choose it was definitely better, if not to his ego at least to her heart. She was out of breath after a short run and the fear something bad happened. Who knows what might have happened had the person at the reception really had some bad news to give.

He laughed with her. “Yes, you’re right,” he admitted. And he probably had not been the student Guy remembered the most as he had been neither amazing nor extremely aggressive, the only two options he believed would have made the man remember how he used to be as a student. It caused a pinch to his heart thinking about it. “I’m sorry then, for you loss. He was a friend, ever since I came back to Kalispell,” he admitted. The words did not sound too solemn and perhaps they should have, considering she was his daughter and all, but it didn’t seem right to be too serious. Maybe it was her whole attitude that didn’t call for a more appropriate tone of voice?

“Those are big shoes to fill, if you’re hoping to take over,” he pointed out. He meant no pun there. He was surprised when she admitted she used to have a crush on him. He respected the man but he never thought he could have been one to get the attention like this. “I suppose you didn’t know then?” Because that clearly wouldn’t have been weird for her to crush her father.

[Charity Croft]

Charity nodded a little as Jason reiterated her rightness. Yeah, she definitely figured that was a thing that happened. Seemed like so many had been under her dad's tutelage... and now she had nearly all of those too. She pushed that aside, mostly focusing on her dad, the lost opportunities there. It had her nodding.

"Yeah, it... yeah," she said, licking her lip and looking away. Charity soon nodded, mostly as she went over her own thoughts, but also definitely thinking about Jason's comment. Yeah, definitely big shoes to fill, right back to that. She had to laugh a little, nodding and looking back. "yeah, like, I didn't know until pretty recently. I actually wasn't even a Legrange until a few months ago. Which was kind of weird, but, yeah, I wanted to reconnect and all and my mom was cool with it. But, yeah, I did know him. I trained under him for a bit," she laughed at that, rolling her eyes, "nearly every girl thought he was kind of handsome and all. Sexy. Though he had the whole older woman thing. Hence," she pointed at herself. After all, Guy was only fifteen or so years older than she was. Or, well, was. Though Charity knew that most people didn't think she was as old as she was...

[Jason Campbell]

Guy had trained so many people. Yet, when you first looked at him, you wouldn’t think that. It would be hard to find someone to replace him. Of course, Jason was sad of what happened to him, but every time he felt himself going down because of this, he could almost hear his friend’s voice throw one of the sarcastic comment he was so famous for to shake him up and he went back to work. It was sad and they would all regret him but they also had to move on and all of them knew it.

He didn’t want to sadden Charity but he had no idea there was someone he should give his sympathy to. He felt the need to do so when he heard she was his daughter, even if she said they had never been close. “So Guy knew, for you?” He wondered what would have been his reaction. He seemed to be someone who could handle pretty much everything with aplomb but it was still something big, a daughter. Finding out there were two Legranges now at Bellefonte must have been interesting as well.

Maybe it was because he was a guy, but he never thought of Guy as someone particularly sexy. He sure didn’t think he was the one member of the staff all girls wished to sleep with. Have as a dad, maybe, but not as a lover. It was probably obvious in the way he looked that he never thought this to be possible. It was even amusing, and explained why he didn’t get that many girls liking him at school, if they wanted their trainer.

“I hope I didn’t disturb you in the middle of something important,” he let out after a moment of silence. Better stop talking of Guy, or the fact she had a crush for him for a while. Or trying to count real fast how old his friend must have been when he had her. He didn’t think she was thirty but it still made Guy relatively young when he had her. “It’s just that I was here today so I thought about when we met and said we could see each other next time I went to school...” Right, that totally didn’t sound like he had no life at all. He better just leave, before he dug his grave any deeper.

[Charity Croft]

Charity shrugged. "I don't think so? We only had a few conversations since I got here before..." Charity gestured hopelessly, not sure what else she could really say. Yes, she'd been hoping to bond with her father, to really figure out who he was and how he'd ended up with her mother and all that. However, their first conversation had mostly consisted of "you're---really?" and talk about what Charity had done with her life.

At least he'd said that he was proud of her. Charity could only hope that she somehow managed to continue that legacy. She was trying, but right now it really felt as though she was doing more to hurt the Legrange name than to further elevate it.

"What? No, I wasn't...' Charity said, waving a hand dismissively. "I was just doing some of the catchup work. I'm still dashing to get up with everyone else. Doesn't help that most of the staff is actually younger than me," she let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. Great, now her mood was somewhat down, which definitely wasn't where she wanted to be for a reunion with a guy who'd been kind of neat.

"Oh, yeah, definitely, totally,' she continued, nodding. "I'm down for it. Did you," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder toward the school, "want to go in and get some coffee or something? I've got some..." she looked back at the tossed muffin, "muffins."

[Jason Campbell]

“Yes,” Jason quickly replied, not forcing her to say the rest of her sentence, even if she might not have felt the desire to do so. They might not have been as close as a parent and a child could be but she found out he was her father. And he had been an important figure here, so it made sense for it to be a delicate subject. If it was not for Charity, it was a little for Jason. He didn’t have that much friends around and considered him as one.

“Not that much younger,” Jason argued. Maybe she was older than he thought but he hardly doubted her to be older than he was. Mid-twenties, a little older, perhaps. “But it’s true there aren’t a lot of old members here. Is training really so hard you have to quit before you hit thirty?” He did try to make a joke there but he wasn’t sure it was all that funny. He was glad that he didn’t interrupt something hugely important although it would be good for her to catch up before actually having to work with the students in question. It wouldn’t reflect well on her if she was not fully prepared.

Jason tried not to laugh at the mention of muffins, or to be precise, at the one she tossed before. “Yes. If you can allow yourself some time off. Catching up can be time-consuming.” He also didn’t want to force himself on her and had a feeling she would have forgotten about him had he not called her. Looks like they would be two with a mood lower than what they wished in this situation.

[Charity Croft]

Charity nearly sighed with relief as Jason all but cut her off. At least she could dance around the subject of her father, for now. At some point Charity knew she was going to have to sit down and get good and plastered while talking about her dad and all the missed opportunities there. Which she definitely planned to do as soon as she actually found some time.

So probably before she hit fifty, give or take.

The comment on her age had her laughing and rolling her eyes. "Yeah, totally," she said, glad that it wasn't that much of a lie. She really only had a handful of years on them. She just felt old when put in comparison to everyone else, and everything they said and did and all that. The distance between twenty and thirty felt rather extreme to her, but then again, maybe it was going to be like that when she got older too.

Charity let out a little laugh as Jason finished, nodding. "oh, yeah, definitely," she said, waving a hand, "I've definitely got time. I could use a break anyway. Obviously," she let out another little laugh, rubbing a hand along her shirt. "Did you, ah, have something in mind?"

[Jason Campbell]

There seemed to be mostly young members amongst the staff, especially as trainer and recruiter. Maybe it was because they were still young enough to understand today’s youth and their slang. It had to help them trust the staff faster. Maybe. He personally would have preferred someone older because that meant more experience. Not that he needed much recruiting when his power manifested though. He lived here with two mutant parents. The moment they saw his power showing up, they worked things off so he would be sent to Bellefonte. They knew how it worked after all.

Jason both felt a difference between twenty and thirty yet at the same time was barely affected by it. It was probably due to the fact that he had always been quite mature for his age. Even now, he bet some thought him older than he was. The fact he already had a few grey hair and some wrinkles around the eyes did nothing to help. As much as Jason tried to avoid using his power, there were always time he considered it a necessity and took whatever downfall that came with it, including the aging.

“Well... not really,” he admitted, laughing softly. He had nothing in mind for them to do. “To be honest, I wasn’t even sure you’d remember me.” Did that sound pathetic? He felt like it sound a little pathetic but, at the same time, it was not like they had so little to do since their first meeting that it would seem odd for them not to remember each other.