#About 16 years ago, Xavier left his wife before she could tell him that she was expecting his son, David. Why did he leave her, and what repercussions will it have on the future?#
Disclaimer: I own nothing, nada, zip. Blaze owns me. Ilehana is Corrinth's.
A/N: I was fascinated by the X-Men Evolution episode 'Sins of the Son', and I've been dying to get my teeth into a story bringing together that storyline and some of the tangents from my own writing. I'd love to know what you think? Number 11 in my Evo fics, though there is no reason to read them in order.
01
Approximately 16 years previously…
Blustery wind and fine, drenching, icy rain swept endlessly across the Scottish Highlands. It made the late winter afternoon as dark as night, saturating the spectacular, rugged countryside. The North Sea surged tempestuously against the tall, grey-black cliffs, submerging the shingle beaches where in the autumn the grey and common seals had birthed their pups. In the distance, the North Sea oil platforms were a frenzy of activity as men sought to batten down against the incoming storm. The few gulls and cormorants crazy enough to attempt to fly in the gale flitted backwards and forwards like dandelion seeds on the wind.
On the bleak hillsides, the once-spectacular dragon's blood coloured heather had lost its bloom, becoming drab and brown. What few stunted trees grew on the thin soil were coiled, black and wretched against the weather, their deciduous leaves long since departed. The red deer that had patrolled these outcroppings for the rest of the year were cowering now in the many secret valleys of the Scottish countryside. The expectant hinds browsed the thin copper grasses, keeping close together like Antarctic emperor penguins huddling for warmth.
The deep gusts of the gale whistled chill and lupine around the soffits of only human habitation in the vicinity. It rattled the gutters and shook the windows in their frames. Inside, the cosy family dwelling was lit warmly with electric bulbs. There were paintings and photographs on the wall, depicting stunning sunsets and long-gone ancestors. A fat tabby tomcat kneaded the thick wool of the hearthrug, enjoying the heat from the living room gas fire. Up on the hill above the house, the stone silhouette of the old castle keep loomed menacingly in the low cloud; a ruin. Not unlike one man's marriage.
"Charles!" a woman's shrill voice called, stopping her husband in his tracks shortly before he reached the front door. Charles Xavier turned his wheelchair to face her, his brown eyes troubled deeply. "Charles, where are you going in this terrible weather?" pressed his wife, Gabrielle. She halted three steps from the bottom of the stairs, looking down on him like a judge. She folded her arms and pressed her lips together in a stern frown. Gabrielle had forgotten that Charles was a telepath, and he could sense that in truth she was near to tears. She folded her arms to keep him from seeing that her hands were shaking. Yet he had no choice, he had to leave.
"It's her, isn't it?" Gabrielle asked, her voice tremoring dangerously with raw emotion. She slurred the word 'her', making it an insult, and a barbed one at that. Charles stiffened his resolve. He turned back to the door and picked up his one black holdall, his one bag of possessions. "Charles! If you leave now, this marriage is over, I swear it Charles!" Xavier only looked back at his wife sadly, pleadingly. He could make her take that back, but he would not use his powers in such a way. Instead he just told her the stark truth, "She needs me." He opened the door and passed through, out into the storm. The door caught in the wind, and the rain swept in across the hall carpet.
"So do I," Charles' wife begged of the empty hallway, and of the howling wind. Gabrielle unfolded her arms and carefully placed her palms on her flat stomach. "I'm pregnant Charles, I'm carrying your child." But it was in vain that she entreated, as Professor Charles Xavier was already gone.
Roll titles…………………