For the next week, that's how it went. Charles and Erik would entrust the children with Jean, who still slept in Charles's personal room.
Erik did nothing more than hold Charles at night, both finding some sort of comfort in lying in each other's arms. Erik returned to his duties, and Charles spent his days reading and trying to find a way to break into the dungeon below the palace.
Jean enjoyed the children's company immensely, and they loved her. They were insatiably curious, constantly peppering her with questions about her and life and the world beyond the palace. The older twins were so young when their father had taken over, the younger twins only babies at the time. Life beyond the palace was merely a blurry memory for Pietro and Wanda, and they missed it. They'd had friends and lives before these solitary walls, and now they were completely disconnected from what they'd known.
Jean understood how they felt. She'd felt it once- losing everything she'd known for life in a castle. She'd never felt more alone than in those first few years; but she'd met Scott, and everything had changed.
He'd been her light.
"Jean, do you have a mommy?" Wanda asked, looking up at her with big eyes. They were playing house- Jean playing Mommy- but now Wanda seemed to have lost interest. The little girl sat down next to her, eyes wide with curiosity.
"I did, once. But I lost my mommy a long time ago," Jean said, hoping her sadness didn't creep into her voice.
"I don't remember much of my mommy, but I remember she was nice," Wanda replied innocently, a slight frown on her angelic face.
"All good mommies are nice. They love their children with all their hearts and would protect them from everything," Jean informed them, smiling. Wanda had a serious, pondering expression on her face for a moment.
"Is Charles our new mommy?" Wanda asked, all inquisitiveness and cuteness.
"No one is replacing your original mommy, dear," Jean replied kindly, worried Wanda thought ill of Charles's new role in her life. Jean knew Charles- knew he would never wish to replace someone so important to the twins. Besides, he really had no choice in the matter. Charles might love the children, but this life was a gilded cage.
"But is he going to take care of us and protect us like a good mommy?" Wanda pressed, not letting up in her questioning.
"I suppose so," Jean conceded, knowing full well Charles would protect these children with his life. She couldn't very well dispute that fact.
"So he's our new mommy." Wanda smiled in triumph. Charles has his work cut out for him with this family, Jean thought amusedly.
The children played for hours, Pietro rushing about and Wanda making cookies appear every-so-often. Jean supposed she should try to limit how much they use their abilities before someone gets hurt, but she's pretty sure Erik would kill her or throw her back in the dungeon (so, in essence, torture her) if she tried to stop them from using their powers.
Jean would kill herself before she returned to that damp cell.
After a few-too-many yawns, Jean insisted upon the children all taking naps. The younger twins, after a few minutes of crying, gave up the fight and fell asleep in their cribs. The older twins were a bit less compliant.
As she was tucking Pietro in, she was frozen by his question. "Miss Jean, why do you and Charles and the lady in white wear that thing around your neck?"
She couldn't believe no one bothered explaining this sort of thing to the most inquisitive children she'd ever met. These children asked millions of questions, and Jean couldn't believe this was the first time that the question had popped up. Had no one cared to listen and answer their questions?
