The grounds of Maple Grove had become a bustling place over the past few years, still as safe today as it had been when it was first established. With the Grangers making their disparate homes across the sprawling estate, inviting close friends to join them in calling the Grove their home, it was only a matter of time before one of the larger buildings found a new purpose. And that purpose was The Rogers Foundation School for Gifted Children.
Humphrey Granger had been more than happy to gift the former mansion for the project and, indeed, was delighted with his honorary position on the board in exchange for his generosity. With teachers for academia as well as the control and use of powers, Steve Rogers' pet project was well and truly off to a flying start. They had specifically sought out children under eleven years old, whose abilities came from a genetic mutation rather than a magical source, including the Storm and Rogers children as a matter of course, and with a tacit agreement with the Xavier School on Earth to forward young children to them while encouraging teens in the other direction, they had the support they needed on both sides of the portal.
The class sizes were small, as they naturally would be, not more than seven at the very most and even then, only during the basics such as English, Science, Mathematics. Working on powers was often a case of one teacher to a pair of pupils, or even one on one, depending on the abilities in question. And unlike the Xavier School, the pupils of the Rogers School could go home each evening. At four o'clock every weekday afternoon, Maple Grove saw a procession of parents coming to collect their children after a long day of study and fun.
And at that same time each weekday afternoon, Steve was there to see the students off with a smile and a wave and sometimes even a hug, genuinely fond of each and every one of them. Teaching, he'd found, came almost as natural to him as breathing, and he'd often wondered why he hadn't thought of doing it before; but then, he'd been too busy being Captain America then.
"Captain Rogers!"
A small girl stopped halfway to her mother, turning back to come and hug his leg with a big grin. "Fank you for not yellin' when I blowded up my sammich."
Steve's initial reaction was to dismiss the little girl's gratitude with a wave of his hand, like it was nothing, but that wouldn't teach her anything. Instead he went down on one knee, so that he was almost at eye level with her, a friendly smile on his face.
"It was an accident. I'm sure you'll do much better next time!" he said, in hopes of encouraging her. "Go on home and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
She beamed at him, nodding happily, and scurried off to join her mother properly this time.
"Well, aren't you the most adorable headmaster ever?" a low voice drawled behind him, and Nat came into view, pulling her hair out of the braid she wore it in when she was teaching. She smirked at her friend. "All wooby over happy smiles."
Steve moved to his feet as he watched the girl dart off, as if it was his personal responsibility to make sure every child got home safely. He mirrored Nat's smirk as she joined him, taking no offense at her good-natured teasing.
"I like to see them go home happy," he told her with a light shrug of broad shoulders.
"You did good, Cap," she assured him, nodding as she spoke, one hand rising to wave off the kids still clambering into cars. "This place is pretty amazing."
"I didn't do it alone, Nat," he reminded her, settling a hand on her shoulder. He'd had a lot of help, not the least of which was from the woman standing next to him. "We're doing a good thing here. A worthwhile thing," he said, though they both knew that already.
"Maybe tell me that again on a day when your nephew hasn't realized he can, essentially, fly," she suggested with a grin. That physical lesson had gone in a direction she had not been expecting. "Alyona's coming in tomorrow to work with the empathetic kids, right?"
"Alexei can fly?" Steve echoed, though he supposed he shouldn't be all that surprised by that, considering the boy seemed to be telekinetic. Of the four children the Avengers had saved from Hydra, he'd always thought Alexei had the potential to become the most powerful of them, so long as he was properly trained. Steve blinked out of that thought to answer her question. "That's the plan. She's probably bringing Nik with her. They're inseparable these days."
Nat shrugged. "I think I need a few one on ones with that kid to get the full body TK under control," she admitted, smiling at the prospect of seeing Alyona and Nikolai again. "Lianne needs to be in that group," she added. "Pretty sure her self-healing thing is indicative of empathetic healing developing."
Steve nodded in agreement as he started back toward the school to close up for the day before heading home for the evening. "What about Maria?" he asked of the Storm's daughter, who couldn't speak but also seemed to possess some form of empathic power.
"I figured she was already in the group," Nat said, shrugging lightly. She couldn't help grinning at the sight of Liv ambling across the lawns with the gaggle of Storm and Rogers children who were too small for school yet. "And Alyona made a point of learning to sign for her."
"I'm sure she is," Steve admitted, unable to keep track of every student and every class. And if she wasn't, he'd make sure she was. He frowned a little at the thought of little Maria, whose plight always concerned him more than the others, though she seemed perfectly happy and well-adjusted, despite her tragic past. "You'd think she'd be the telepath," he murmured aloud, though who knew what it was Hydra had intended. That frown didn't remain long though, as he, too, caught sight of Liv coming to collect her children from school.
"You're like a mama duck and her ducklings!" he called over to her, a silly grin on his face.
Liv laughed, letting the toddlers run willy-nilly toward the school, secure in the knowledge that everyone there would pick them up if they fell. "The sooner they're big enough for a creche, the better!" she called back cheerfully.
"We call it daycare, Liv," he corrected her with an amused grin. Fortunately, he'd spent enough time in England to understand what she'd meant, but it amused him to no end to correct her.
"You Americans and your simplistic terms," she countered, still laughing as she reached them. "I take it the fearsome four are still in there somewhere?" She nodded to the school - chances were they were either crowding around Colin in the computer lab, or getting under Lucy's feet in the infirmary.
Humphrey Granger had been more than happy to gift the former mansion for the project and, indeed, was delighted with his honorary position on the board in exchange for his generosity. With teachers for academia as well as the control and use of powers, Steve Rogers' pet project was well and truly off to a flying start. They had specifically sought out children under eleven years old, whose abilities came from a genetic mutation rather than a magical source, including the Storm and Rogers children as a matter of course, and with a tacit agreement with the Xavier School on Earth to forward young children to them while encouraging teens in the other direction, they had the support they needed on both sides of the portal.
The class sizes were small, as they naturally would be, not more than seven at the very most and even then, only during the basics such as English, Science, Mathematics. Working on powers was often a case of one teacher to a pair of pupils, or even one on one, depending on the abilities in question. And unlike the Xavier School, the pupils of the Rogers School could go home each evening. At four o'clock every weekday afternoon, Maple Grove saw a procession of parents coming to collect their children after a long day of study and fun.
And at that same time each weekday afternoon, Steve was there to see the students off with a smile and a wave and sometimes even a hug, genuinely fond of each and every one of them. Teaching, he'd found, came almost as natural to him as breathing, and he'd often wondered why he hadn't thought of doing it before; but then, he'd been too busy being Captain America then.
"Captain Rogers!"
A small girl stopped halfway to her mother, turning back to come and hug his leg with a big grin. "Fank you for not yellin' when I blowded up my sammich."
Steve's initial reaction was to dismiss the little girl's gratitude with a wave of his hand, like it was nothing, but that wouldn't teach her anything. Instead he went down on one knee, so that he was almost at eye level with her, a friendly smile on his face.
"It was an accident. I'm sure you'll do much better next time!" he said, in hopes of encouraging her. "Go on home and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
She beamed at him, nodding happily, and scurried off to join her mother properly this time.
"Well, aren't you the most adorable headmaster ever?" a low voice drawled behind him, and Nat came into view, pulling her hair out of the braid she wore it in when she was teaching. She smirked at her friend. "All wooby over happy smiles."
Steve moved to his feet as he watched the girl dart off, as if it was his personal responsibility to make sure every child got home safely. He mirrored Nat's smirk as she joined him, taking no offense at her good-natured teasing.
"I like to see them go home happy," he told her with a light shrug of broad shoulders.
"You did good, Cap," she assured him, nodding as she spoke, one hand rising to wave off the kids still clambering into cars. "This place is pretty amazing."
"I didn't do it alone, Nat," he reminded her, settling a hand on her shoulder. He'd had a lot of help, not the least of which was from the woman standing next to him. "We're doing a good thing here. A worthwhile thing," he said, though they both knew that already.
"Maybe tell me that again on a day when your nephew hasn't realized he can, essentially, fly," she suggested with a grin. That physical lesson had gone in a direction she had not been expecting. "Alyona's coming in tomorrow to work with the empathetic kids, right?"
"Alexei can fly?" Steve echoed, though he supposed he shouldn't be all that surprised by that, considering the boy seemed to be telekinetic. Of the four children the Avengers had saved from Hydra, he'd always thought Alexei had the potential to become the most powerful of them, so long as he was properly trained. Steve blinked out of that thought to answer her question. "That's the plan. She's probably bringing Nik with her. They're inseparable these days."
Nat shrugged. "I think I need a few one on ones with that kid to get the full body TK under control," she admitted, smiling at the prospect of seeing Alyona and Nikolai again. "Lianne needs to be in that group," she added. "Pretty sure her self-healing thing is indicative of empathetic healing developing."
Steve nodded in agreement as he started back toward the school to close up for the day before heading home for the evening. "What about Maria?" he asked of the Storm's daughter, who couldn't speak but also seemed to possess some form of empathic power.
"I figured she was already in the group," Nat said, shrugging lightly. She couldn't help grinning at the sight of Liv ambling across the lawns with the gaggle of Storm and Rogers children who were too small for school yet. "And Alyona made a point of learning to sign for her."
"I'm sure she is," Steve admitted, unable to keep track of every student and every class. And if she wasn't, he'd make sure she was. He frowned a little at the thought of little Maria, whose plight always concerned him more than the others, though she seemed perfectly happy and well-adjusted, despite her tragic past. "You'd think she'd be the telepath," he murmured aloud, though who knew what it was Hydra had intended. That frown didn't remain long though, as he, too, caught sight of Liv coming to collect her children from school.
"You're like a mama duck and her ducklings!" he called over to her, a silly grin on his face.
Liv laughed, letting the toddlers run willy-nilly toward the school, secure in the knowledge that everyone there would pick them up if they fell. "The sooner they're big enough for a creche, the better!" she called back cheerfully.
"We call it daycare, Liv," he corrected her with an amused grin. Fortunately, he'd spent enough time in England to understand what she'd meant, but it amused him to no end to correct her.
"You Americans and your simplistic terms," she countered, still laughing as she reached them. "I take it the fearsome four are still in there somewhere?" She nodded to the school - chances were they were either crowding around Colin in the computer lab, or getting under Lucy's feet in the infirmary.