,,save me from myself,,tony

[Headmistress Charlotte Burke]

-- Charlotte was sitting at her desk, holding her head in her hands. The beginning of the year was always hectic. There was always so much paper work and so many new students. It was getting late, everyone had long since left. She was probably one of the only ones in the building. She wished sometimes Tony helped her more, but she could be a bit of a control freak. Tony's duties were to ensure all the students and teachers were behaving and everything was running smoothly. He was also a professor. So all the boring stuff fell on Charlotte's shoulders. But she truly loved her job.

-- She made herself fill out two more forms and she decided it was time for her to pack up and head back to her dorm. Living on campus was definitely nice. There was no where else she would rather be. She packed some things into her briefcase and packed up her laptop. Charlotte reluctantly slid on her heels again and locked up her office. She ran into a couple students who ran in the opposite direction. All she could do was chuckle.

-- As soon as she got into her room, she plopped her things down on her small kitchen table, kicked off her shoes and walked into her room to change into her pj's. She was mentally exhausted. She sat down in her favorite chair and flipped on the television. She flipped through all the channels at least twice, but there was nothing good on. A loud sigh escaped her lips as she got up and headed to bed.

-- Charlotte curled up on her bed. When she closed her eyes, she remembered her childhood, all the tests and torture. They usually only surfaced when she was exhausted. In the end, her parents had done the right thing, sent her here. But they never knew the names she was called and how she used to get made fun of. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and got up out of bed. She pulled a sweatshirt over her pajama top and slid on some sandals and just began walking. All the students should be in their dorms, so she wouldn't have to worry about running into anyone.

-- She thought about asking Tony to take a walk with her, she even stopped in front of his door, but turned away and headed towards the pool. Charlotte usually went there to think. Before she knew it she was standing in the dark room, the only light coming from the pool's underwater lights. Charlotte breathed in the smell of chlorine, and just focused on the sound of the small waves lapping at the sides of the pool. She sat down on the edge and dipped her feet in, swinging them back and forth. Her mind went blank and her eyes closed as she just relaxed and let her mind clear.

[Professor Tony]

"Gaaaaah."

Sweat was pouring off of him. Literally, pooling into the wooden floor.

"I hate saunas."

The man found himself in one of the three saunas made available to the people of Ashburn Academy. The one he was in was reserved specifically for his fellow teachers and staff members.

Why was the professor in a sauna? Well, as much as he complained about them, as he hated humidity, he loved their effect. The usual solitude gave him time to think, and the fact that it was beneficial to his health made everything better.

With a sigh, he leaned back against the wall. It was nearly 170 degrees F in there, but he was used to it. Closing his eyes, he used his telekinesis to pick up the liter bottle of water he had brought in, already half empty, and poured a quarter of it on the hot rocks in the middle.

This was one of the many ways Tony kept himself from stressing out. Sure, he didn't have to do paperwork nearly as much as his direct superior, but as a professor and the second in command, he had to run behind the students, and sometimes even the faculty, and make sure everything was smooth.

Tony checked his watch, and sighed. Thirty minutes were up.

"Damn, I didn't even get in to planning tomorrow's lesson. Oh well."

Tony, clad only in swim trunks, made his way to the men's locker room. Opening his locker, he grabbed the bar of soap and washcloth and hit the showers.

After all, saunas opened one's pores and let all the bad stuff out.

One cold shower later, Tony came out looking refreshed.

He always went swimming after he took his shower and sauna bath. He loved to swim, though he was much more of a runner. As he made his way to the pool, he heard quiet splashing, a telltale sign that someone was in the pool. A bright smile lit up as he recognized the pool's occupant.

"Boss!"

[Headmistress Charlotte Burke]

-- Charlotte just stared at her feet in the water, watching them move back and forth. Her eyes drifted slowly shut and just just concentrated breathing in and out slowly. She hated what all the stress did to her. Her mind was always quite unstable when she had all the incoming students to worry about and all the paperwork, and just thinking about her own journey through Ashburn. All the memories came rushing back to her, and she thought about all the students that were shipped here because their parents were scared of them, or thought they were freaks. It killed her. Of course she had been put through tests and everything, but her parents had just been trying to help her.

-- She shook her head and she felt the warm tears streaming down her cheeks. When was the last time she had seen her parents. Of course she called and emailed them almost daily, and they knew how busy she was. But they were getting older, she wasn't sure what she would do if they got sick, or needed extra care. Maybe they would want to live here on the island. The island did have a medical complex that was decent. She knew Tony would cover for her if anything serious were to happen.

-- The voice seemed to come from her thoughts. She heard a "Boss" being called from behind her. At first, she did think she had imagined it, but she turned around to face her best friend and colleague. "Hey." She muttered, swiping at the tears falling from her eyes. Charlotte turned her head away, back to staring into the clear pool. She would have been extremely embarrassed if it had been anyone else, but she wasn't afraid to cry in front of Tony. He had seen her at her lowest and at her highest.

[Professor Tony]

Tony caught the remnants of tears in her eyes and frowned. She was under insane amounts of stress being headmistress and leader of the school. In all honesty, the leader of Ashburn was pretty much one of the most looked to positions as far as the Gifted half of the human race went. When things went wrong, oftentimes, Ashburn would get the heat. They weren't the only school in the world that catered to Gifted children, but they were the first, and the best. It was a lot to put on her shoulders. He did what he could to help her, but his own duties as a teacher and as her second in command usually kept him every bit as busy as she was.

Tony and Charlotte had been through the thick of it together. They had each other's backs, they knew how to help each other when one was down.

"I know I'm good lookin boss, but damn, no need to tear up with my presence."

The English Professor grinned as he walked on the water, manipulating his own gravity to be able to float, until he crossed the pool and sat next to his friend.

"You need to talk about it, Char? Lean on me. You can cry on my shoulder. It's fine, I love you, you love me. There there."

He made a lighthearted half grin at the woman before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her head onto his shoulder. Though she didn't look it, the lithe and pretty brunette was the world's strongest woman...

and Tony loved getting a rise out of her.

[Headmistress Charlotte Burke]

-- Charlotte really didn't want to bother Tony with her problems. But he understood her more than anyone. She really relied on this fact. She also enjoyed that her co-worker was also her closest and oldest friend. That meant she could always show her emotions and be herself around him without worrying he would doubt her decisions. Charlotte could also admit the fact that she sometimes let the stress get to her. It only lated for a few weeks. It would all work out soon and she would settle back into her calm routine.

-- A laughed escaped her lips and it felt good. "It's so hard not to." She joked back. That was one thing she truly loved about Tony, is that he could always make her laugh. It didn't surprise her that he walked on the water. She was quite used to him doing things like that. Charlotte let herself be pulled into his side and her head rested on his shoulder. "I'm only letting you do this because if I tried to push you away, I'd break you in half." Now she was grinning.

-- It was kind of nice to just relax and have Tony there to comfort her. She would never admit that to him though, she'd never live it down. But Charlotte was sure he already knew it. "Why doesn't it ever get any easier." She asked, not really wanting an answer, just talking to fill the silence. Charlotte always talked out loud when she was upset or nervous.

[Professor Tony]

"I know, I know. It's entirely understandable. You're a woman, after all. And me? Well... I'm...me! Cute, sweet, lovable..."

He laughed. Charlotte wouldn't break him in half, she had better control than that. She'd more likely liquefy his skeletal system.

"It sure has nothing to do with the fact that my shoulder just happens to be your favorite headrest, I'm sure."

The gravity controller gave his counterpart a light squeeze to reassure her. She was the type of person that pushed through things at full throttle, handling everything she could at once until she got to near breakdown. Tony had long since taken it as his duty to always be there to cheer her up, even before they had ever taken up leadership positions with Ashburn.

Charlotte let loose a rhetorical question that he sighed at. That was a good one. Easy to answer, but none of them were all quite right. Tony gave her another squeeze and tilted his head to rest on hers.

"Because if it was easier, then we wouldn't grow as people. People grow by facing and overcoming hardships. It just so happens that you might have the most stressful teaching job...ever.... but you're awesome for it! I mean, come on, what other school for the Gifted has a cute AND capable headmistress?"

[Headmistress Charlotte Burke]

-- "I'm sure women just fall to your feet right and left." Charlotte joked. Tony was indeed known for being somewhat of a player. It never bothered her since he never let his private life effect his professional life. It was hard to do that on such a small island, so it wasn't that big of a secret. She wouldn't ever admit it to him, but sometimes she got jealous. Charlotte had always had a tiny crush on Tony, and wondered what it would be like to go out with him. Her stomach flip flopped at this idea. There was no way it would ever happen. They would always just be close friends and co-workers.

-- "But your shoulder is just so comfy." Charlotte told him giggling. She snuggled gently into his side. She was so close to telling him how she felt, but no, she couldn't. How awkward would that make it between them. Charlotte told herself it was just because she was in a fragile state. She would realize how silly she had been later when her mind was clear and stable. Her mind wandered from thing to thing, not really staying to long to give anything much though, and she liked it that way.

-- Charlotte just listened to him talk and realized he was exactly right. "Aw, you think I'm cute?" She laughed. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm really doing everything right. I really love the school. I'd never be able to handle it if I had done something that I could've done better, or if something went wrong." She closed her eyes. Her whole life and soul was wrapped into Ashburn Academy. It was her everything. What would she do if she didn't have it. That was one thought she definitely didn't want to think about at this moment in time.

[Professor Tony]

He frowned, something about the way she joked about how women fell down at his feet irked him. He filed it away in his head for later pondering, deciding that comforting his partner was more of a pressing issue at the moment.

"Of course you're cute. You are like a basket of kittens wrapped in pink bows and delievered by a four year old little girl. Phenomonally cute. Your cuteness level is of astronomical proportions."

He chuckled, but became more serious.

"Seriously, Charlotte, you're the best thing for the school. I mean, can you imagine me in charge? Sure, I'm more intelligent than you, but look: you're literally the strongest woman on the planet, you have one of the most difficult jobs on the planet, and you handle it with a flair that I envy, sweetie. You're a role model for these kids, and that's what the old man saw when he picked you for the job. Look at me, Charlotte: I'm getting old, and I'm still acting like a frat boy in college, and I'd be terrible to lead them. I suck at keeping up with my paper work and I can't even seem to help you with your job enough to keep you from stressing out. You, you handle everything as best you can, no matter what it is or how it affects you. You, my dear, are the most incredible woman on the planet."

The english professor smiled.

"So, like the old saying goes, turn that frown upside down. Or else I'm going to manipulate the gravity around your lips and make you."

[Headmistress Charlotte Burke]

-- Charlotte noticed him frown, but she really didn't think to much of it at the moment. She hoped she hadn't said something. She wasn't really in her right mind at the moment. She just rolled her eyes. "Just trying to suck up." Char said playfully, just messing with him. She wasn't thinking about anything, and she was breathing easier now. She wasn't so emotional and she was really calm now. Leave it to Tony to completely reverse her mood. But in a moment, things grew serious.

-- She listened to his every word, just staring across the pool, to shy to look into his eyes. His voice was so strong, so passionate and she could tell that he was being completely honest and speaking his mind. "I really try. I love my job, I love everything about it." Charlotte finally gazed up into his eyes, and was struck by how deep they were, how captivating.

-- Before she realized it, she had moved closer to him and pressed her lips lightly against his. Charlotte couldn't believe she had just done that, but she didn't want to stop. She had wanted to kiss him for so long, and tonight seemed as good of a time as any. If he didn't like it, then she could just blame in on her state of mind. Charlotte closed her eyes and drew back just a little, wanting Tony to make the next move. She was more scared and nervous than she had ever been before.

[Professor Tony]

"Totally, boss. I'm just aiming to get a bonus. Maybe even a raise? It would outstanding."

Tony's eyes met his counterpart's and found them filled with more emotion that he had seen in recent times. The English professor was about to comment before he suddenly found himself liplocked with her.

His eyes widened in total shock before he closed them right as the other educator moved away. Tony wasn't the kind of person that would back away, and naturally moved foward, catching her in another kiss, one that he returned with a confidence that equaled Charlottes's shyer one.

It felt more passionate than he remembered feeling for a while. And he hoped she could feel that. Vaguely, he wondered why he hadn't done it before. It felt good; like all the other girl on the island that he had dated or been with never mattered, or even existed for that matter. All he could feel was himself and her, feet in the pool and together.

He was reluctant to pull away, but his lungs decided that he had gone long enough without air and he opened his eyes as he drew in a breath he didn't know that he had need.

And for once in his life, the genius Gravity User was speechless.

[Headmistress Charlotte Burke]

-- Charlotte sighed playfully at his lame joke. That was the only sound that echoed through the pool area. Everything seemed so right with Tony, it had always been that way for her, she just never admitted it to herself. She could see the shock on his face when she finally got the courage to open her eyes. Before she could say anything, his lips were back onto hers. Without thinking, her hand moved to the back of his neck, bringing him closer to her. Charlotte took a deep breath of air every time they parted slightly.

-- When they finally pulled away she realized how passionate the kiss had been, like they had been kissing each other for ages. No other guy had made her feel like this before. It was strange. Charlotte tried to calm down her heavy breathing. "Why haven't we tried this before." Charlotte asked softly as she brushed her lips across his before resting her forehead against his and smiling.

-- Charlotte didn't want anyone but Tony at the moment, and she was very much glad she had decided to venture down to the pool. Everything happened for a reason. She didn't even want to think about where this would take their relationship, all she wanted to do was live in the moment, take everything one step at a time.

[Professor Tony]

He felt her head resting on his, but drew back, a thoughtful yet amused look etched on his face.

"Well, objectively speaking, you're a workaholic, and I'm a blatant party animal, perverted, and I've always been kinda oblivious to the most important things. It doesn't help that we're stubborn as mules when it comes to getting involved with others, even if we do it entirely different ways..."

Tony decided to lay back, back now resting on the cool stone floor.

"You've wanted to do that for a while, haven't you boss?"

Tony thought about it, and to be quite honest, his coworker was the only attractive woman he'd never considered being with simply because in a way, he already was. They argued like an old married couple. Sometimes, it seemed harsh, but it was always playful and had indeed carried undertones of a romantic sort.

The gravity user sighed.

It was usually Charlotte that would open her door at midnight when Tony came back to the Academy too drunk to know where his own apartment was. It was Charlotte that would put off her work to check on him if he was sick and make him chicken noodle soup for a cold.

She was always there for him. He didn't know if she knew how much she appreciated him. Sure, he listened to her, comforted her when she was sad, but she gave him something that he had always wanted to have.

Stability, and unconditional love and friendship.

"I've been an idiot."

[Headmistress Charlotte Burke]

-- "Good point." Charlotte said grinning. Of course she had thought about it, but when had she ever had time to act on her thoughts? It was also funny to her to think how her night had turned a complete three sixty. First she had been bawling her eyes out, now she couldn't stop smiling and she had finally kissed Tony. "Yes, I have." She confessed, her cheeks turning a light pink, which was barely visible in the low lighting. It had only dawned on her in recent years how much she actually cared for her colleague in a different way. Charlotte had always cared about him and took care of him, but she just never realized how big of a crush she had on him.

-- "What made you say that? You haven't been an idiot, though." She told him honestly. Charlotte wanted to get inside his mind, to know what he was thinking. What did he feel about the kiss, of course he had kissed her back, but did he mean it, or was he just kissing her. So many thoughts ran through her head. Never before had she put herself in the line like that. After all, they were best friends. If he didn't feel the same way about her, would it be awkward or anything? Char closed down her worrying mind and focused on the moment, she just gazed at Tony, wondering what he was going to say.

[Professor Tony]

"I dunno, Char. It's just... overwhelming, ya know? Now that I know how you feel... I dunno. You're closer to me than anyone else is, that's for sure."

The man sighed.

Tony wouldn't lie, he was feeling as confused about this as a kid in his first relationship would be. He kept things seperate between his work life and his personal life, never letting them interefere with one another.

Charlotte was both in his personal and his work life, especially now. They had been friends for years, taking care of each other and watching each other's backs.

But his personal life was filled with partying, one night stands, and week long relationships with women that grew to hate his guts. Tony was a sweet guy, but he wasn't stable enough to handle a fully mature relationship.

A worried feeling bubbled in the pit of the Italian-American's stomach. The girls he had dated before, he'd lived without, could live with out, and he did it successfully. If anything happened to this new... whatever it was between them, it would kill him.

Tony shook it off before he grew depressed. Being overly pessimistic was for other people; he was the life of the party and he'd act like it. The gravity user sat back up, keeping an arm behind Charlotte as he caressed her back gently.

"I don't suppose you have an idea of where to go from here, do you?"

Matters of the heart weren't his strong point, and he subconciously began to realize that maybe, just maybe, it was time for his party life to come to a halt and maybe get a meaningful relationship out of something for once. And you can't get anything new by doing the same thing you always have done.

[Headmistress Charlotte Burke]

-- "I know." Charlotte said softly, returning her gaze to the clear water of the pool, swishing legs back in forth in the water. This is exactly why she hadn't acted on her feelings sooner. It was going to cause all sorts of problems. Now she had probably screwed everything up. She was so stupid. Would he be awkward around her now? Charlotte couldn't believe the giant mistake she had just made. It would have been better if she had just kept her feelings to herself.

-- Her nose tingled, a sign that tears were forming and ready to fall over her lids any second. But she screamed inside her head that she wouldn't cry, not now. She had cried enough tonight. She also had no idea if Tony would even be interested in a committed relationship. Charlotte knew enough of his partying side to know roughly how many women he'd been with over the past few years. It kind of made her sick in a way.

-- "Actually, I have no idea. We can just forget that ever happened if you'd like." Charlotte offered, too shy to look him in the eyes. She wasn't a pro at relationships. She had only been in a few since taking her position as Headmistress. She really didn't have the time, and there wasn't really anyone she'd been interested in, and she knew how stressful and hectic her life could be. Would there be anyone that actually understood? Charlotte wasn't in a hurry, and she knew if her and Tony were meant to have any kind of future together, it would happen. Everything worked out.