[There's a miraculously dry-eyed smile from Alex as Ben climbs over the pew. Only Ben, he thinks, of all the people he knows, would do that and not think anything of it. Only Ben.]
[And that must mean he's lucky. It must, because how many people have the opportunity to know people like Ben? This boy who's spent so much of his life trying to be what he was designed to be, who has now become not just that but something stronger, more complete. He's become someone strong enough not only to lead, but to teach others how to lead.]
[Alex looks up at him and the smile falls away, because he knows what he's being told is the truth. It helps, weirdly enough, not to be comforted but to be told what he has to do, what he's known all this time that he has to do. He can be strong through this. He survived Erik leaving them, after all; he stayed strong for Charles, for Sean and for Hank. He protected his family. He did not allow it to break him.]
[His family is here now. These are the people he has to protect. That, he thinks, is what Charles just doesn't understand. This isn't home, not really, but then again, it isn't not home either. Home isn't any one place, not necessarily. It can be - but it can be several. There are parts of his heart that will stay buried here forever, and there's nothing he can do about it. Nothing he wants to, either.]
[He squeezes Ben's hand, then lets go.]
You believe that I'm that strong.
[Not, notably, You believe I'm stronger than I am. Because he knows Ben believes he is exactly as strong as he is. He knows Ben's right. He can do this. It'll just hurt along the way.]
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[And that must mean he's lucky. It must, because how many people have the opportunity to know people like Ben? This boy who's spent so much of his life trying to be what he was designed to be, who has now become not just that but something stronger, more complete. He's become someone strong enough not only to lead, but to teach others how to lead.]
[Alex looks up at him and the smile falls away, because he knows what he's being told is the truth. It helps, weirdly enough, not to be comforted but to be told what he has to do, what he's known all this time that he has to do. He can be strong through this. He survived Erik leaving them, after all; he stayed strong for Charles, for Sean and for Hank. He protected his family. He did not allow it to break him.]
[His family is here now. These are the people he has to protect. That, he thinks, is what Charles just doesn't understand. This isn't home, not really, but then again, it isn't not home either. Home isn't any one place, not necessarily. It can be - but it can be several. There are parts of his heart that will stay buried here forever, and there's nothing he can do about it. Nothing he wants to, either.]
[He squeezes Ben's hand, then lets go.]
You believe that I'm that strong.
[Not, notably, You believe I'm stronger than I am. Because he knows Ben believes he is exactly as strong as he is. He knows Ben's right. He can do this. It'll just hurt along the way.]