Bobby breathed heavily as he unlocked the door, wincing with the effort of moving. He half fell inside the apartment, almost screaming in pain when he hit his bruised knee against the doorframe.
Last last night, while he'd been at the campus library, he'd been attacked by a group of hooded men and women, who didn't take kindly to mutants. He'd stumbled to Gabriella and Shayne's campus dorm and they'd helped him the best they could, before calling Lennon over earlier this morning to drop him home and then take him to see Hank.
So this was just a stop over to grab some more things, as his clothes were quite bloodied up. Hopefully, Julie wasn't in.
Julie
"Bobby? Is that you?" Julie called out from the study, frowning.
When there was no response, she got up and headed out to where she had head the noise from.
"Omigod! Bobby!"
Bobby
Damn.
"It's alright, I'm ok," Bobby said quietly, straightening up with difficulty.
"Lennon's downstairs, he's going to take me to Hank."
Julie
"You sure?" Julie asked worriedly. "Do you want a hand? Do you want me to come with you?"
She rushed forward, hands out to help.
Bobby
"No, I'm fine. Don't."
Bobby backed away from her awkwardly, before changing his course of direction for the bedroom.
"I'm so sick of this," he muttered.
Julie
Julie followed, unwilling to just leave him be.
"You sure? What happened?"
Bobby
"I got beaten up by mutant haters," Bobby said simply. "Probably the same group that gave me Legacy last year."
He shook his head as he started packing a bag.
"They attacked me outside the library last night."
Julie
Julie gasped.
"That's horrible!" she exclaimed. "You'd think those people would have better things to do."
Bobby
Bobby rubbed his eyes tiredly, careful not to touch his bruises.
"No, they don't. Because that is time well spent to them."
He threw his bag across the room angrily.
"I am so sick of this."
Julie
Julie winced at the thrown bag.
"I know," she said softly. "I wish there was something I could do to change things."
Bobby
"No," Bobby said bitterly. "You don't know. You don't know what it's like to get picked on for something you had no control over."
He retrieved his bag so he could stuff more things into it.
Julie
"Hey, I got picked on at school about stuff," Julie defended. "Okay, albiet nothing that stands out as much as mutantcy. But need I remind you that my father decided to disown me because I was carrying a mutant baby?"
Bobby
"You made the choice to sleep with a mutant," Bobby pointed out, his tone harsh.
"I didn't choose to be one, so you can't understand. Your parents rejected you because of a behaviour, my parents rejected me because of who I was. What I was."
He started packing much more than what was needed into his bag.
"They gave me Legacy, Julie. They wanted to kill me before. They don't know me and they want me dead. So no, you don't know."
Julie
"Well, I'm sooo sorrry that no one's out to kill me," Julie replied sarcastically. "So sorry for being concerned for my husband, and afraid for his life. So sorry that I hate seeing you sick and injured and that my attemps to help and sympathise offend you so."
Bobby
"I am so sick of this," Bobby said suddenly, turning to face her. "I'm sick of the way we can no longer have a decent conversation without fighting like school kids, look at us! Honestly, Julie, I can't take it anymore."
He shook his head slowly.
"I think we need a break."
Julie
Julie stopped short.
"A... a break?" she repeated slowly. "I... I... sure we can. Yes that's probably a good idea. Just a few weeks, and get back together around Christmas? That's a fine family time and -"
Bobby
"Maybe."
Bobby zipped his bag up.
"I'm not sure, we'll feel our way through it."
He leaned over and kissed her forehead.
"I'll be at the mansion. I'm just going to say bye to the kids."
Julie
"O-okay..." Julie stammered.
She didn't even notice how much she was shaking.
Bobby, Dax and Cindy
Bobby headed into the nursery to give his daughters a kiss and a cuddle.
"Hey guys," he said softly. "I'm going to be gone for awhile."
Julie
"Just 'for awhile'," Julie thought to herself. "He said just 'for awhile'. That's not forever."
Julie forced herself to breathe normally. It wasn't forever. Just for a couple of weeks. Probably a really good thing with how sick he had been, and now the beating, and the possible recurrence of Legacy. He wasn't... he wasn't... they weren't.. breaking up.
Julie bit down on her tongue. She was not going to cry. She was not going to cry!
Bobby
Bobby bid the kids goodbye and then hobbled downstairs to Lennon's car.
He felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders.
Julie
Julie watched as Bobby left the apartment. She closed her eyes and felt the first tear fall.
She hated crying.
"It's not over," she told herself firmly. "It's... not... over."
She didn't believe it.