Author: Pirate Turner
Rating: PG for language
Summary: Charles shares a special moment with a surprised kitty.
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1,816
Date Written: 20 August, 2010
Disclaimer: Professor Charles Francis "Professor X" Xavier, Logan/Wolverine, Rogue, Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner, Warren "Angel/Archangel" Worthington the Third, Raven "Mystique" Darkholme, any other characters mentioned within, and the X-Men are & TM Marvel comics and Disney, neither of which are the author; are used without permission; and may not be used without permission. Everything else is & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Charles Xavier glided quietly over the grounds of his home estate as the sun slowly began to reach its golden fingers over the westernmost hill. The dew was still damp upon the grass, and yet already there was an intruder to his home. He had known the moment she had entered his domain, and yet he had taken his time coming to investigate her and had not awoken a single one of his students.
He spied the female in question, turned his chair to greet the early morning sunlight, steepled his fingers before him, and bowed his head in reverence. He waited patiently, knowing that he presented to her an opportunity that she would be unable to resist.
She came just as Charles had predicted, padding softly over the wet grass from whence she had been on her morning travels. Her tail was a straight banner of pride as she stalked to him and leapt onto his chair. She rubbed her furry head against his hand, and Charles' bright blue eyes popped open. He smiled warmly down at the cat. "Why, hello there, little one."
The cat meowed and rubbed against him, and Charles sighed softly and returned her strokings. She prowled over his arms and chair, across his lap, and then up to the back of his chair. He only stilled and grew a little bit nervous when she laid down beside him and gently patted his ear lobe. He forced himself to remain bravely calm as he questioned instead of making accusations he knew to be truth, "Are you enjoying the morning sunshine? The Summer heat seems to finally be being chased away."
Her paw fell to his shoulder, and he relaxed just enough to keep her unsuspecting. He reached a hand up over his shoulder and stroked her, his smile growing as she actually purred in response. Seconds stretched into minutes. A shadow passed over them, and Charles glanced up to see Warren returning home from his night on the city. Something rustled in the bushes, and a quick check assured him that Logan was merely enjoying a morning hunt.
Like Ororo, Charles had been appalled when he had first learned that Logan hunted, but once he had seen him catch a deer only to stroke the frightened, innocent creature and release her back into the wild, his concerns for the wildlife who also found sanctuary in his land had eased. Now he rather enjoyed watching Logan play with the animals, though Wolverine became angered every time he sensed his mind riding with his on his jaunts, and so Charles refrained from sharing in Logan's hunts except for very rare occasions.
His eyes were closed, a smile firmly etched upon his face, when he sensed Logan's growing concern. He opened his eyes and found himself and his companion being watched. *It is all right, Logan,* he spoke within his loyal student's mind. *I am fully aware of the situation.*
*Are ya nuts, Chuck? Ya know who that is an' yer just lettin' her sit there?*
*Yes,* Charles firmly responded, *and I request that you do the same.*
He felt Logan's uneasiness almost as vividly as he felt his own, but at last the wild man relented. *All right, Chuck, but I hope ya know what yer gettin' yaself into.*
*I do,* he assured him. *Now please continue on your hunt as though all was normal, my son.*
He felt Logan's frustration harrumph in his mind, but Wolverine nonetheless did as he asked of him. *Thank you.*
*Yer funeral,* Logan retorted angrily. *Just don't come cryin' ta me when she cuts yer head off.*
*I assure you that will not happen.*
Charles almost gave himself away by blushing at the long string of curse words he was treated to in response. He smoothly withdrew himself from Logan's mind and continued to enjoy basking in the sunshine with the purring cat upon the back of his hoverchair - or, at least, as well as he could given the circumstances.
He did not know how long they had stayed there in silence that should have been companionable when the cat finally stretched. Her little, pink tongue lolled out of her mouth, and he had the feeling she was laughing as she jumped down from his chair and sprinted away. Just before she was completely out of sight, Charles called to her, "I hope you found your children sleeping well this morning, Raven."
The cat screeched, every hair upon her back standing on end. She whirled around with a fierce hiss to glare at him.
Charles smiled and resisted the urge to laugh. He had known for years now that Raven came from time to time to check on Rogue and Kurt for although she felt herself unable to be with them, or to be the mother they both deserved and would always need, no matter what they themselves declared, and he had known, too, that he represented as irrestable a target to her as she did to him. He had let her come for years now without making himself known, but on a rare whim of fancy, Charles had decided to do just that this morning.
As he had known she would, Raven had come to him in her form of a calico cat and had taken a certain pride in her daring acts of pretending to be just a friendly, stray cat seeking a little attention. He had known that she had thrilled at the thought of being able to so easily break his neck from where she had laid behind his head, - and he, in turn, had received a certain, admittedly egotistical rush from allowing her to be so close and continue to think that she held him at her mercy while, in truth, being completely aware of her the entire time.
Raven's feline eyes flashed up at Charles, and she continued to screech. *HOW THE HELL DID HE KNOW?* Charles heard her mind fiercely demanding. *How long did he know? Why didn't he do something?*
"Because we could be friends, if only you would allow it," Charles told her, his smile growing at the sight of her furry, kitty jaw dropping open in shock. "We both hold the interests of what we believe to be best for our people, and especially for our children, at heart."
She released a series of furious hisses, spits, and yowls in response, and Charles struggled to keep a straight face in the view of the cat jumping up and down in fury and kicking up dirt with her claws, her every fur still risen straight up upon each inch of her body, and, most especially, her back. *I'LL NEVER BE FRIENDS WITH YOU, XAVIER, OR BE ONE OF YOUR IGNORANT X-MEN!* were the only words that Charles could make out that were not blatant cusses.
He smiled in the light of her fury. "That is your choice, Raven, but as long as you come here in peace, you will not be harmed."
*I SHOULD KILL YOUR POMPOUS ASS NOW!*
"You may try," he returned as the bushes rustled louder, "but if you do succeed, you will never make it off of our school grounds alive, and you will lose any chance of reuniting with your children once they learn what you have done."
*DAMN YOU!* Raven screeched. It wasn't enough that he had embarrassed her! It wasn't enough that he had known all along that she had been coming to check on her children, or that he had figured out how she truly felt about them and the family she had once had and yearned to have again! It wasn't even enough that his damn hound dog, Wolverine, was lurking in the shadows, just waiting for his Pompous Lordship's purmission to attack her! He had to be right too!
She hissed as her yellow eyes bored holes into him. *I'll have your ass, Xavier, when they least expect it!*
"We shall see, Raven," Charles replied calmly as a siren suddenly cut over the school, "but now that my students are fully aware of your arrival, I suggest you go on about your business."
Wolverine stepped forward from the bushes, his claws unsheathed, his eyes glaring with fierce hatred, and his fangs bared. "Think Chuck's got a pretty good point there, Mystique. He says th' word, an' I'll have ya for breakfast." He smiled. "An' I'm hungry too."
"Rogue is almost here," Charles told Raven.
And Kurt, Raven knew, would be there just as soon as he was dressed. Only one second separated her from having to face her son and either admit to him why she had come here this morning or lie to him yet again. Though he was completely unaware of her vow, she had made a promise to herself and to him that she would never lie to him again unless it was to keep him safe. She knew she was not yet ready to face him, and so she turned and ran.
Logan sheathed his claws, at Charles' silent gesture to do so, and walked over to the Professor as both men watched Mystique beat a hasty retreat. "Why?" he asked, finding that Charles' grin tugged on his own.
"I wanted her to know that I was aware of her feelings and that she will be welcome here whenever she chooses to come in peace. Make certain that that happens, my friend, for a mother should always be allowed to come to her children if she does not mean them harm."
Now that Mystique was out of sight, Logan had been watching Charles' face while he had been speaking and had noted the gleam of amusement in his bright, blue eyes. "Wan't just that," he observed.
"No," Charles admitted but did not elaborate as the rest of his students converged upon them.
"Prof," Rogue asked, "what's goin' on?"
"Ja," Kurt said while the others continued to wave away the smell of his brimstone that permeated the cool, morning air. "Jean said mein mother vas here."
"She was," Charles admitted, "but she is now gone."
"What happened?"
"I chased her off," Logan spoke up to keep Charles from feeling the need to lie to cover the truths of the situation. He was grinning as he walked away, but only he and Charles knew the real reason behind his grin. *Ol' Chuck's got some mighty big stones, after all!*
A shade of light pink crept up Charles' neck and tinged his face. *I thank you for that observation, my son, . . . I think.*
Logan threw back his head and laughed as he kept on walking. The gathered X-Men knew that they had missed something, but no matter how many questions any of them asked, never did Charles let on to the truths of the secret he, Logan, and Raven shared. It was her place and right, and only hers, to tell her children how she still felt about them, and in that, at least, he would never intervene.
The End