(A/N) Thanks to those of you who favorited and alerted, and extra thanks to all of you who reviewed, plus some yummy cyber chocolate. New chapter for you!
How Do You Measure…
Chapter 2: Cups of Coffee
The rest of the evening was…an interesting proposition, to say the least. While Erik prepared dinner, Mystique and Destiny took Artemis up to their room, hoping to get her into some of Mystique's clothes. In the process of getting her out of the fur dress and into a skirt and blouse, they saw all of the old scars crisscrossing her body, and when they got her to say they were from her family, they made a note to ask Beast to take a look at them later. The outer wear didn't seem to bother her as much; it was the undergarments she had a problem with. All throughout dinner, she was constantly pulling at the clothing. Charles couldn't keep from chuckling when he inadvertently heard her liken the bra to a steel trap.
Thinking it might be something she'd be more familiar with, Erik made steak for dinner. They could all tell she thought it looked good, but for the longest time, she just stared morosely at her plate. Charles heard her mental wish to just tear into the offering, but he shook his head when she looked at him.
"No, Artemis. You know how to use them. At least make an effort, please."
Whining briefly in resignation, Artemis picked up her fork and knife and began to cut into the steak. She could handle the knife, but she had no finesse with it and still ended up with relatively large pieces, so it ended up being a cross between her way and their way of eating…partially cut, but still tearing chunks from the cut pieces with her teeth and chewing messily.
It was after all these painful niceties were concluded that Artemis, Beast, Charles, and Erik all wound up in the lab so that Beast could run some physical exams on Artemis.
The wolf girl was very comfortable in her own skin and flat out refused when Beast offered her a hospital gown. If anyone was uncomfortable, it was Beast himself, because Artemis was so fascinated by his physique…especially the fur.
The first order of business was the scars. She didn't seem to understand when Beast asked her if she'd been abused, so Charles hesitantly showed her a few scant images of his time with Shaw. This she understood, and she shook her head violently. Immediately, Charles received happy images of Artemis rough housing with a pack of pups…they couldn't help but leave marks, but it was all done in fun.
"Oh," Charles said softly, a smile lighting up his face. "It wasn't her human family she was talking about. She meant her wolf family. This is normal."
"So you…lived with wolves?" Beast asked, sounding intrigued. Artemis nodded, offering what Charles was sure was meant to be a smile. "And do you…remember your human family at all?"
Artemis scrunched up her face for several minutes, but ultimately ended up shaking her head.
I know…there was something…before the wolves…something bad. There was another mother…and another me…but I can't remember what or why. I ran away…I can't remember. There's only…Artemis.
"It's all right," Charles said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Who you were before doesn't matter now…not unless you want us to help you find that person."
"Care to fill us in on your clandestine conversations, Charles?" Erik asked.
"She says she knows there was a time before her wolf family, but she can't remember it. She thinks something bad happened, though."
"Well, that's not hard to work out," Erik said snidely. "Because girls with perfectly happy home lives often wind up living in forests with wild animals."
Erik, Charles chastised lightly.
"So where did they find her?" Erik asked as Beast continued the examination.
"North of here, somewhere in the woods just south of the Canadian border. Their motorcycles drew her out of hiding. When they found her, she…crushed James' heart with her power."
Erik raised an eyebrow at this. "Literally? She can do that?"
"Apparently," Charles said, eyeing the wolf girl oddly. He had a feeling that whatever had happened to her had something to do with the ability to crush hearts. "I imagine it's how she's been able to fend for herself in the wild."
"But…how did he survive?"
"His mutation. He and his brother both have incalculably powerful healing abilities. Really, only they could have approached her and lived. She might have killed anyone else in a fit of panic."
"So why did she go with them…if she was happy where she was?" Erik asked, turning to look at Artemis. He couldn't understand someone who would walk away from a loving family.
"I couldn't tell you that. I don't think she even knows herself."
The two lovers continued to talk throughout the physical, occasionally lapsing into flirting, which Beast imagined would be causing him to blush, if his skin was still capable of presenting that phenomenon. His face was certainly warm enough for it. Artemis' intense gaze wasn't helping matters, either. He would have asked her to stop…if he thought she'd understand embarrassment at all, which he didn't see how she could. She had lived without shame for so many years. He wanted her to stop…but at the same time, he found her attention almost…flattering. Would she even understand that?
"She seems healthy enough," Beast reported when he'd finally finished up. "I'll let you know how the blood work looks when I've had a chance to go over it, but I'm willing to bet it'll look better than most kids her age. Her diet and exercise regimen must have been exceptional these past years, running with a wolf pack. Anything else we can learn from her will come from you, Charles. Until she learns to speak again, you seem to be the only one who can communicate with her."
"That shouldn't be too difficult," Charles said, giving Artemis a reassuring smile as he approached her. "Don't worry, Artemis. We'll help you figure this out."
XxX
"You're a difficult man to get alone. Did you know that?" Destiny said to Charles as she entered the library. Charles was sitting on one of the couches reading a book. He glanced up at her when she came to sit on the couch opposite him.
"If you were hoping to say something out of Erik's hearing, you'd best hurry. He'll be back soon with some port. You should also know I won't keep it from him if I think he needs to hear it…but of course you do already know that," Charles finished, smiling oddly.
"I do, but it's nice to give it a chance to actually happen. It isn't so much that I wanted to talk to you…as that I know there's something you want to ask me."
"You deliberately left a trail for them to follow, didn't you?" Charles said, his voice only a shade above accusing. "You're former CIA. No one could follow you if you really didn't want them to. What I want to know is do I need to do some damage control?"
"Absolutely not. The trail's cold. I've already cut off the contact they used to find me and no one else will ever be able to use it again."
"You did this…for Artemis, then?" Charles asked slowly. "You…foresaw her coming."
"Yes. Artemis had to get here somehow. If you or Erik had gone to find her, she would have killed you. It had to happen…just the way it happened."
"Why was it so important?"
"Because she and Pele need each other. That's really all I can tell you for now."
Charles sighed, laying his book to the side and resting his chin in his hands, his voice only slightly less agitated when he next spoke. "It's going to be awfully annoying, isn't it…finding out in the future the things you've known all along? There's nothing you could…maybe…warn me about?"
"Seeing the future isn't that easy, Charles. Each action has effects following from it, rippling down through time and making their own marks on events. If I…were to tell you about the future now…the mere act of my telling you could change the future. A new set of choices would suddenly become available to you. In trying to change an event you wished to avoid, you could cause something worse to happen…or you could cause the very thing you were trying to prevent. It isn't an easy thing…this power."
"I know, Destiny. I'm sorry. Only…is there, perhaps…one question you might be able to answer?"
Rather than respond, Destiny waited patiently for him to ask.
Erik and I…will he…will we always be together?
Destiny shook her head. "That isn't the question you really wanted to ask, but what I can tell you is that Erik will always love you…and he is the only other person you will ever love."
Charles smiled sadly. "That isn't what I asked."
"No…but it's what I can tell you. I don't claim to know what will happen…only the possibilities. I can tell you that your love will create something very beautiful…not something intangible, either. It will be something real…something you can hold in your arms and know that part of Erik will always be with you…and part of you will always be with him," Destiny said, a warm smile lighting up her face.
"What…what does that mean?" Charles asked, more lost than ever.
"You'll figure it out, Charles. If I explain it any more, it might not happen…or something terrible will come of it," she said, her expression darkening for the briefest of moments before going right back to the small smile. What she said next let Charles know, in no uncertain terms, that this particular conversation was finished. "Thank you again for the book on Braille."
"You're welcome…though, I doubt you'll need it, your powers being what they are," Charles said, shaking his head in defeat.
"It'll still be nice to learn it, all the same," she said politely.
"I knew, you know?" Charles said as she was standing to leave. "I knew your real name wasn't Moira almost the moment I met you. A thought like that is constantly at the front of a person's mind…and I was more than a little drunk that night. I saw it…unintentionally…when I read your mind. I never looked for the real name. It was just always something in the back of my mind…even if there was no ill will in it…I couldn't help but feel we were being lied to…and I suppose you always will be lying to us in some way."
For a moment, the telepath couldn't quite believe what he'd said. It was almost like he'd meant to snap at her. Where had it come from? He wasn't vindictive like that…
…but Onslaught certainly was.
I'm sorry, he continued telepathically. I had no right to say that. I know you can't help it. It's for everyone's safety. I don't…even know why I said it…
Destiny nodded. Really, she probably already knew what he suspected.
It's not…untrue.
Before Charles could say anything to this, they were interrupted by some rather loud howling.
"Artemis," Charles said as he jumped up from the couch, his features suddenly tight with worry.
XxX
The first night in a new house is always difficult. It's especially hard when you haven't actually lived in a house for about six years and you're used to sleeping in a pile of wolves every night. Such was the case for Artemis. She knew she had made the decision to come here, but she was still missing her pack, so she sat at her open window and howled plaintively at the moon, knowing that her pack was looking up at the same moon, even if they couldn't hear her calls.
When Charles and Destiny reached the room he'd given Artemis, they found that the others had already beaten them there. They were all standing in the doorway, watching her, not sure what to do.
"What's wrong?" Charles asked, feeling the pain coming from her, but unable to identify it yet.
"Maybe she doesn't like sleeping indoors?" Beast suggested. "It would be a big adjustment."
"No," Havok said quietly as he watched her. "She's lonely."
"Ja," Erik agreed.
"Lonely?" Pele snipped. She might have gone further had Erik not silenced her with a look.
"So…what do we do?" Banshee asked.
"Could I…try something?" Havok asked them, not even really sure of himself. Slowly, they all nodded. Charles was hesitant at first, knowing that the young man was prone to harshness, but there seemed to be something different tonight as he approached the wolf girl.
"Hey," he said as he sat down beside her on the window seat, trying to ignore how cold it was in the room. He'd been afraid he would startle her, but she didn't even flinch. Clearly, she'd been aware of them. "Rough night?"
Artemis looked over at him, nodding slowly as she let out a small whine.
"Uh…sorry…I don't speak wolf," he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. For a moment, she seemed to smile, but then she turned back to the window and let out another howl.
"Hey, hey," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. I know what it's like…to miss your family." He knew what it was like…to willingly choose exile as she had. His had been because he was a danger to others, and even though he couldn't quite understand hers, he could understand how she was feeling.
"N…n…nn- naaa….muh…na-muh," she asked haltingly, struggling with the consonants as she pressed a hand against his heart.
"My name?" he confirmed; she nodded. He almost answered 'Havok', but something made him stop. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason, he answered, "Alex."
"L…li…li-tuh…light…nuh…ni…n…g…"
She's trying to say 'lightning', Havok. It's how she thinks, Charles explained to him privately. To her, you are like lightning. Your light…brightens a place that is dark…even if only briefly.
Havok wasn't quite sure how to feel about the comparison…but he did know that no one had ever viewed him that way before. Not as light…just heat…heat and destruction…
She says…that would be your wolf name…like the lightning, Charles reported to him. Havok couldn't help smiling slightly at this. He wrapped his arms around the tele-kine and she nuzzled closer to him, giving several small whines of contentment. Unlike any other time he'd been this close to a girl, there was nothing sexual about this. They were simply two beings snuggling together for warmth and acceptance.
"I kinda like it," he said, coaxing her to lay down with him on the window seat. He didn't look up to see who, but someone came in to lay a blanket over them.
Thank you, Havok, he heard the professor's voice in his head once again. Is this…arrangement…all right for you?
Havok couldn't help but smirk at the tone. He could almost picture the telepath blushing.
It's fine. We'll be all right here. Don't worry, I won't try anything. Artemis just needs some company for now. She's used to sleeping with a lot of brothers and sisters.
Again, thank you. I know you won't like hearing it, but it's not like you to be so selfless.
I'll surprise you, old man.
Once Charles had withdrawn from his mind and the others had gone away, Havok turned his attention back to Artemis…only to discover that she'd already fallen asleep in his arms. Smiling, he nuzzled a little closer to her before nodding off himself. He hadn't slept so well in a long time.
XxX
The next few days brought a fresh blanket of new snow to Westchester. One morning, Charles and Erik awoke to the sound of a well-made snowball smashing against their window.
Erik's first response was to leap out of bed, summoning one of his many small blades to him in the process. Charles, on the other hand, had seen the remains of the snowball.
"Nothing to worry about, Erik," he reassured him, grabbing his robe as he headed toward the window. When he opened it, he looked down to find Banshee, Havok, Artemis, and Mystique down on the fresh field of snow.
"Wake up, you two!" Banshee shouted up at him.
"I take it I have you to thank for the rude awakening!" Charles shouted down to Mystique, who only smiled in response.
"Come on down!" Havok called. "We're teaching Artemis about snowball fights!"
"Oh, my," Charles said to himself as he wrapped his robe a little more tightly around his naked body. Artemis was back in her sleek hooded wolf fur dress, and as she looked up at him, she let out several joyous yips.
"Beast and Destiny'll be out in a little bit! They're bringing Pele down!" Mystique told him.
"That'll be a sight to see," Erik said somewhat snidely.
And you will see it, Charles told him, slipping him a teasing smile. We are going out there.
"Come out, Professor! Mystique says you used to be really good!" Banshee shouted.
"I still am!" he called back indignantly.
"Then come down and prove it…old man!" Havok taunted.
"You'll soon regret those words, Havok!" he warned the young man before closing the window. Erik was standing awkwardly by the bed, still completely naked.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked. "Your legs-"
"Are perfectly fine," Charles said, his tone almost sharp as he went to get dressed. "Besides, what could be better for them than a brisk run through the snow? Haven't you ever had a good old-fashioned snowball fight?"
"Not really," the metal-kine answered stiffly, going to collect his own clothes. If he had ever engaged in a snowball fight, he couldn't remember it. Such a time would have been before the war.
"I see," Charles said, his voice softening. "Well, you won't be my only student today. The girls have never had a snowball fight, either. I shudder to think what Artemis will be able to do once she gets the hang of it."
Before too long, the two lovers were bundled up and out on the field with all the others. Mystique and all the boys looked giddy and Destiny had a small, knowing smile on her face. Artemis was hopping excitedly from foot to foot and Pele looked like she might kill the next person who looked at her wrong.
"Here's what we're gonna do," Havok started decisively. "It's gonna be girls against guys, but since half the girls have never done this before, the professor's gonna join them."
"And how did we reach this decision?" Charles asked.
"Well, you are the teacher…and we're pretty sure you bottom, anyway," Havok said, his tone practically begging Charles to call him on it.
Rather then blush or stutter, Charles strode casually over to the young mutant, his smirk nothing if not mischievous. "Well…Havok…there's certainly no denying that. That doesn't mean, however…that I'm the submissive one."
Havok gulped, his face going a violent shade of red, the flick of Charles' eyebrows letting him know that that was the last time he got to mention his and Erik's sex life so casually.
Banshee blushed, as well, Beast looked away, and Mystique and Destiny both shook their heads. Pele just rolled her eyes. The only thing Artemis really understood about the whole business was an alpha male asserting his position over a yearling. When Charles looked back at Erik, though, he was surprised to find that he was blushing the most violently of all.
Erik?
It's none of their god damn business…what we do.
He's young, Erik. He's teasing when he doesn't understand. I don't think it'll be a problem anymore. Now stop that frowning at once.
Or what? Erik growled out the thought.
Well, Charles began as he bent down to scoop up a decent handful of snow, molding it into a ball, I suppose I'll just have to stop it for you.
You wouldn't dare.
"Oh, no?"
Without warning, he chucked the snowball at Erik, hard and fast, too fast for Erik to dodge.
For a moment, Erik just stood there, his face covered in snow, too shocked to do much more than stare. In that small moment, some of the others were afraid he might get angry, but then Banshee broke the tension with, "Erik, man, are you gonna take that?"
"No," he said, a devious smirk spreading across his face as he bent down to scoop his own handful of snow. "I don't think I am."
"No," Charles started, shaking his head and taking several steps backward as Erik drew his arm back. The retreat was belied by the huge smile on his face, though. Just before Erik could get off his shot, Charles turned tail and made a dash across the field. Erik was on his heels inside of a second.
"Go, Charles! Go!" Mystique cheered before turning swiftly and scooping up a snowball, lobbing it at Beast. Havok quickly jumped into the fray, flinging one at Artemis, who yipped at him and gave chase.
"Oh, what a bunch of overgrown babies," Pele griped, crossing her arms and pretending not to watch the ensuing battle with interest. The façade was soon broken when Banshee threw a snowball at the back of her head. As Erik had done, she stood in silence for several minutes, not quite believing it had happened…but then she quickly turned on the redheaded mutant, scooping up some snow of her own, her eyes promising murder.
Banshee left himself wide open, waiting for her to get a shot in, but when she threw her hastily constructed projectile at him, it quickly broke into several small chunks, never reaching its target.
"No, no, no, no, no," Banshee said quickly, moving in before Pele had the chance to feel too much disappointment. He helped the little girl scoop up a new handful of snow. "You've got pack it together real tight. Tighter," he coached, watching her form the ball. Once she had it together, he backed off several paces and spread his arms wide, presenting an ample target. Her aim was off, but the snowball still struck, hitting lightly in the left shoulder.
"Let's practice some more," he said, coming back to her side. "I think Havok could use some help."
It was true. Beast was holding up pretty well against Mystique and Destiny, who had double-teamed him. For all their agility, he had twice the strength and endurance. Havok, however, was quickly losing ground against Artemis, who had got the gist of the game rather quickly. She'd realized she could make the perfect snowball…with nothing more than her mind. So she could summon up a veritable arsenal of snowballs in a matter of moments. The first time she summoned a line of snowballs to drift casually behind her, she grinned playfully at Havok for a moment.
"I am…so dead," he whispered to himself before he was clobbered.
With a little more practice, Banshee and Pele were able to join the battle against Artemis, giving Havok at least a fighting chance. Mystique and Destiny joined in on the tele-kine's side, with Beast joining Pele and the boys; and while their battle raged, Charles and Erik continued their own private battle, circling each other as they ran around the field, pelting each other with snowballs and ducking away from each other's shots as much as they possibly could. The flurry of snowballs between the two men was almost as great as the volume Artemis was producing, Charles unleashing his mad snowball skills and Erik making up for years of missed childhood. Charles could have almost sworn he was dreaming when he heard Erik laughing as he took another face-full of snow.
Unfortunately, Erik had a nasty habit of being right when it came to forecasts of doom.
One minute, Charles was smiling and laughing, bending to prepare another snowball…the next, his face twisted in agony and he gave a sharp cry as he began to topple over. For Erik, that moment seemed to last an eternity.
"Charles!" he shouted, darting forward and catching the telepath before he could hit the ground. The two of them collapsed into the snow together. "What is it? What's wrong?" he demanded, glancing worriedly along the length of his lover's body and seeing nothing immediately apparent.
"It's…my knee," he groaned. "It…twinged a bit. I turned wrong."
"Does it hurt?" he asked as the others rushed over, the sound of his cry having snapped them out of the game.
"Not…so much now," Charles said, taking stock. "I'm sure it'll be fine."
"I think we're done for today," Erik said firmly as he began to gather Charles in his arms, cradling him close against his chest. "You shouldn't take chances with that." Once he made certain he was steady, Erik stood, heading slowly back toward the mansion. "You all can play some more if you want," he said to the others. "I'll take care of him. I can also get breakfast going."
"No," Beast insisted. "We can handle that. You focus on taking care of him."
"Erik!" Charles protested, struggling briefly. "You really don't have to carry me. I can walk."
"You also said this would be good for your legs. Forgive me if I'm disinclined to trust your assessment of the situation," the metal-kine returned, giving no quarter as he moved steadily back toward the mansion.
"Erik, this is ridiculous."
Rather than say anything, Erik summoned up his memories of the night he'd carried Charles out of Auschwitz…so in pain, so hurt…so shattered. He gave Charles the memory of how his heart had broken at the sight of him.
Don't make me go through that again.
"Oh…oh, Erik…" the telepath said quietly, reaching up to touch his cheek.
"Please…just…just let me take care of you. I couldn't protect you. Let me at least do this."
Charles didn't argue anymore. In fact, they were both silent the whole rest of the way to the mansion. Erik carried Charles into the kitchen with him, making sure he was seated comfortably in a chair before going to fetch him a blanket. With that done, Erik moved to the cabinets, pulling down two mugs.
"What are you making? I thought you were going to let the children handle breakfast," Charles said as he followed Erik's movements.
"They can do whatever they want. I'm making you a hot chocolate."
"But…what will you drink?" Charles asked, his face twisting into an odd expression. "I know how much you…don't like chocolate," he added quietly.
While Erik was strangely pleased Charles had remembered that, he needn't have worried. "I'll make some coffee, too. Don't worry about it."
For a while, the only sounds to be heard were the sounds of clinking mugs and spoons as Erik prepared the drinks. When he presented Charles with the steaming mug and sat down with his own drink, Charles just stared at it.
"You know," Charles started after a while, "it's kind of funny. No one's ever made me hot chocolate before."
Erik quizzically raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his own drink. "Did I do something wrong? I thought this was what people were supposed to do after being out in the snow."
Charles chuckled at this as he picked up his mug, warming his hands with it. "That- that isn't quite what I meant. This is wonderful," he reassured him, taking a small sip of the sweet beverage. "I only meant that…I've always had to do it myself. We had maids all over this place when I was a kid and my mother used to order them to do things like this, but something about it always bothered me, so I tried to do things for myself whenever I could."
"What I said before…such hardship," Erik said, smirking slightly.
"I know, I know. You would have given a lot to be in my place, but…well…at least your parents cared for you."
At least your mother's death was worth avenging. I don't know that I could have cared less when mine died.
Erik had no words for this. The loss of his parents, especially his mother, had been painful, but what Charles said was true. At least he had been loved…for however brief a time. Charles never had been…not unconditionally, anyway. He had had to wait years…wait for him…in order to be loved.
All of these revelations washed over him as he watched Charles stare down into the mug in his hands, ashamed to reveal anymore of the sad smile on his face. Reaching toward him, Erik took one of Charles' hands in his, pulling it toward himself and pressing his lips to the knuckles.
"You can't be reckless, mein Lieben. It takes a long time to heal," he said slowly, not talking just about the telepath's legs.
Charles' smile warmed to this as he looked up. Taking another drink from the mug, he set it aside before leaning forward to plant his lips squarely on Erik's.
Thank you.
Just when Erik was starting to think he could get to like the taste of chocolate, a rather obnoxious voice burst in on them.
"Keep it upstairs, guys," Havok said as he and the others piled into the kitchen.
"Havok, you have impeccably bad timing," Charles half-growled, keeping his forehead resting against Erik's, trying to hold onto the moment just a little bit longer.
XxX
During the weeks she'd lived in the Auschwitz compound, young Blindfold had spent most of her time with Emma, learning psychic self-defense from her. While her precognitive abilities were already quite strong, her other telepathic skills were still in the nascent stage and needed honing.
Blindfold's time with Shaw was a great deal different from several who had passed through his care before her. Unlike Erik and Pele, she didn't resist her current position. She had known for a long time that it was her fate to end up here. She knew many things she should not, and it was for this reason Shaw wanted her in his group.
It was through Emma's power that they had located Blindfold in the first place, and it was through her they had learned what a fragile art precognition was. Emma had been careful not to read too much of what was in Blindfold's mind. It was very dangerous information when taken outside of the massive web of context contained in the girl's head. Sebastian Shaw, however, was not known for being cautious.
Shaw was sitting with Blindfold in her room on this particular day. Some of the others chose to decorate their quarters in some way, but Blindfold felt no need for any of that. Why waste time on something she couldn't see, after all?
"So, my dear…what can you tell me about them?" he asked her, trying not to sound too eager. Blindfold still chuckled quietly.
"You've certainly been patient…waiting nearly a month to ask me that…even though it wasn't what you really wanted to ask."
"Very good, Blindfold. You and I both know I can't ask you what I really want to ask."
"Exactly, but I can tell you what you will need to know in order to instigate your next plot. It's just one thing…simple, really. I'm almost amazed you'll make as big a deal out of it as you're about to."
"And what would this thing be?"
"Well, telling you certainly won't affect whether or not this comes to pass, I suppose. You see, Sebastian Shaw, Charles Xavier…and Erik Lehnsherr…" she began slowly, pausing for effect, "will have a child."
Even Sebastian Shaw couldn't keep his eyes from widening in surprise at this. Of all the things he'd expected her to tell him, this was certainly not it.
"Really? Tell me more. How is it even possible?"
"That I don't know. There are things even I can't see, and I cannot see how this child comes into being. I only know that one day, this child will live and breathe…and he will be the son of Xavier and Lehnsherr. If you wish to succeed in your endeavors, you must await this child's coming."
"Why? Will he be as powerful as all that?"
"Yes and no. The trouble is that there are only a few certain ways in which you can awaken him…and if you miss your first opportunity, you will have lost your chance for many years."
"And how long will I have to wait until their son is born?" he asked, several unseemly ideas all tumbling about in his head at once.
"Many months more. They haven't even thought of trying yet. In that time, perhaps you can figure out what I can't…just how this child comes to exist."
"I think we could manage that. Even if you can't see the answer, I've still got another brilliant telepath, and Charles is no doubt still weak from his time with me," Shaw said as he stood from her bed.
"Don't underestimate him," Blindfold warned sharply. "Watch out. The demon you have brought to life is not a thing so easily tamed as that, Sebastian Shaw. In fact, you may come to regret it before your time is done."
Shaw studied the precog a moment before his usual smirk reclaimed his face.
"Well, my dear, so long as that's a 'may' and not a 'will', I'm content to push my luck. I will see the onslaught awakened before I die."
XxX
(A/N) Before you ask, no, it's not going to be an mpreg. Sort of boggles the mind a bit, doesn't it? Don't get me wrong; I've got nothing against mpregs…in fact, I adore them, but I just wanted to try something a little different with this story.
Translation: Mein Lieben = my love.
Hope you're all still enjoying. Much love til next time.