The nudge in his head came around 1:30 a.m. Kevin wasn't sure how he'd managed to fall asleep that night, only that he had. His only priority now was getting downstairs as fast as he could.
Kevin jammed his feet into slippers and ran for the door. He took off down the hall, still picking sleep from his eyes. His feet felt fat and dazed, but slowing down wasn't an option.
She's in the library, Charles said.
He took the stairs two at a time. Kevin lost one of his slippers on his way down. He didn't go back for it, nor did he take the other one off to try and get some sort of balance. It didn't matter. Come to think of it, why did he even bother with the slippers in the first place?
The hallway seemed impossibly long. Kevin was actually surprised at how fast he could go. When he was younger, he all but failed his physical examinations in school. Softball games had made him strong, games his mother had taken him to, had cheered for him at.
He slid on the floor outside the library and yanked open the door. His eyes scanned the room, and immediately lit on his mother. She was seated on one of the couches, her head turned to him and her eyes wide.
Panting, he ran around the side of the couch and clambered into his mother's arms. She held him tightly, whispering his name. Her head leaned on his, her auburn hair tickling his face.
Kevin didn't say anything. He didn't ask if she was alright. He'd already been told. His mother cared about Charles: she wouldn't have lied to him about whether or not she was alright. She also cared about him. She wouldn't have told Charles to lie to him for her.
For the longest time, neither of them spoke. Kevin closed his eyes, her hand slowly stroking the back of his neck. It was soothing, and yet also familiar.
He tried to remember if they had ever done this before. A memory surfaced of a night spent in the hospital on a cot next to her bed after his father had stabbed her with a piece of a plate. The doctors had said Kevin shouldn't be there. He was too young, they said.
Levine had told him he was Kevin's guardian at the moment, and if he wanted to stay with his mother, then he could. He'd said he wanted to, and Levine told the doctors where they could stick it. So Kevin had spent the night by his mother's side.
When she'd woken up from the anesthesia, he'd leaned over and rested his head on her pillow. She'd smiled and stroked his head, smiling softly. He hadn't spoken, because he'd already known she was hurt. He'd also known who'd done it, and the dislike, disgust and fear he felt at the sight of his father had turned to utter hatred.
But this wasn't then. Again, he thought about the school, about Charles. His mother was going to stay at the school, and she wasn't going to have a job that would take her far away from him again. She would stay right there, and Charles wouldn't hurt her. Charles even liked Kevin, although Kevin didn't know how he would feel about being called dad. Maybe that would have to wait for a while.
He felt himself start to drift off, and he bit his lip to make sure he stayed awake. The movement made his mother look down, and Kevin shifted so she could see him. One of her hands continued to rest on the back of his head, and he managed a smile.
"I love you mom," he said.
"I love you too," she said, "I'm so happy to see you."
"Me too," Kevin said.
He leaned against her. She shifted again.
"I think you're missing a slipper," she said.
"Dunno," replied Kevin.
She chuckled, her voice low.
"You are," she said, "I guess it doesn't really matter."
"No," Kevin said, "But it's all okay. You're here. I can show you where my classroom is, and you can meet some of my classmates."
He perked up at the thought of that. Xi'an had said she wanted to go into the military someday. His mother had been in the CIA, so they would probably get a long really well. She'd get along with Sam because Sam pretty much got on with everyone.
"How are classes going?" she asked.
"Good," said Kevin, "Some of the kids are jerks, but not all of them. I think I'm close to having friends. At least, there are two people who are friendly, and I think that if I try, I can be friends with them."
He just hadn't been trying while she had gone. He couldn't see how something as trivial as friendships were important when his mother's life were in danger. But now that she was alright, that changed things.
"I'm glad," his mother said.
"We can just do exactly what we wanted to do before everything happened," he said, "You're still quitting the CIA, right?"
She chuckled again.
"Kevin, I handed in my two weeks notice around a month ago," she said, "I think I'm officially retired."
"Awesome," said Kevin.
He let his eyelids drift slightly. He wasn't sure why he was this tired, he'd gone to bed early and everything, but maybe it was just his luck. Running full speed down the length and breadth of the school probably didn't help.
"And then we can do everything else," he said, "We were gonna stay here, remember? And you'll get a job here? Just like we planned. Nothing about that's changed, right?"
His mother smiled, although she swallowed slightly.
"Well, most things haven't changed," she said.
Kevin frowned, but she didn't sound upset. She just sounded nervous.
"We're still staying here, right?" he asked.
"Yes, of course," she said, "Everything you said is right, except the part about nothing being different."
"That's…good," Kevin said.
He cocked his head, and his mother sighed.
"I just…this is harder than I thought it would be," she said.
He blinked at her, trying to figure out just what she was talking about. Kevin licked his lips.
"I'm much better with my gifts," he said, "You could think it, and I could hear it if it's difficult."
A shadow of alarm passed over her face, and he was reminded of that day when she'd told him she and Charles were together. She hadn't wanted him in her head either, for reasons she'd assured him he'd understand in a few years.
But, that meant he knew what this was about.
"So, you and Charles?" he asked, "You two are still together, right?"
There was a thread of worry in her son's voice that touched her. He really did like Charles. However, she had no intention of letting him think that they weren't together any longer. Besides, the idea of breaking up right after what had happened on the boat was so ridiculous that she couldn't stop her laughter.
Sensing the mood change, Kevin started smiling next to her.
"No," she said, "That's not going to change. But…what I'm trying to say is…do you remember when you were younger, and you asked if you could have a younger brother?"
Kevin frowned. Moira remembered it clearly. Kevin had been five, almost six, and she had told him she didn't think it was likely. She'd already stopped being intimate with Joe, the idea of letting him touch her was revolting by that point, but it had broken her heart that Kevin wanted siblings.
He'd had so few friends after all.
"Yeah," said Kevin, "I thought it would be fun."
"Well," she said, "You might get your wish."
His frown deepened.
"You just might get a sister instead of a brother," she said.
He looked around, as though a stork might fly through the window any minute now, a baby in its beak. She winced. He was too young to explain the birds and the bees to, and she certainly wasn't going to start because of this.
Maybe she could edit it until two years from now?
"I don't...I don't get how," he said.
"Well," she said, "When a man and a woman love each other very, very much, sometimes the result is a child. And, right now, I'm...I'm pregnant with your little brother or sister."
His eyes widened, and he moved a little closer. She knew he understood the concept of pregnancy from the myriad of books he read, although not the lead up.
"So the baby is Charles's?" he said.
"Yes," Moira said.
A small grin broke out on his face.
"I'm glad he loves you that much," he said, "And I'm glad you love him too."
His grin broadened.
"Jane Austen," he said.
Tears built up in her eyes, remembering the way Charles had held her on the boat, the longing in his eyes as he asked her what she wanted. She smiled and reached out, gently tucking some of Kevin's hair behind his ear.
"He loves you too you know," Moira said.
Kevin's eyes lit up, and he wrapped his arms around her. She stroked the back of his head again. There were still a few difficulties, including smoothing everything over in the CIA concerning her reappearance. There'd be a way to handle that somewhere, and then there was what they'd found in Scotland.
But, for now, she knew that, if nothing else, the future for her, for Charles, her son, her baby, was one full of love.
Charles wheeled down the hallway. His arms were exhausted, and he was tired enough to sleep for days. That wouldn't be an option, not with everything else going on, but it was certainly a rather tempting suggestion.
He turned another hallway. Somewhere, Kevin was being reunited with his mother. Maybe he already knew about his future brother or sister. It wasn't an easy thing to explain, but Moira had insisted on doing it by herself. Like the news of their relationship, she believed it would be best coming from her.
He'd wondered how she was going to explain the child to an eight-year-old who he doubted knew where babies actually came from. They weren't married, so she couldn't use that explanation. However, she was Kevin's mother, and she was smart. He trusted she would figure something out, and he had plans to change that particular aspect of their situation.
Charles smiled to himself as he approached Cerebro. It was easy to key in the passcode, see it open in the familiar X pattern. He made the rest of the trip by himself, and it took him longer than he would've liked to boot up the machine. He'd thought about asking Hank, but he deserved his rest.
As he placed the helmet over his head, he thought about the last few days. Yes, he had found Moira, had brought her and their unborn child safely home. They'd even managed to save two other young children, and help two refugees. No one had been killed on their team, no severe injuries.
However, Emma and Laura's predicament raised questions, one that couldn't be solved by giving them a safe haven and a hot meal. Emma had been kidnapped, along with her sister, tortured and experimented on. Laura might have been snatched at the moment of her birth, judging on her naivety about the world.
Then there was the whole reason for this situation in the first place. Essex had wanted to take Charles's unborn child. He'd been originally after Moira for her research. Why? Why did he need more information about the X-gene? He'd had a prototype of Cerebro, which meant he was very clever. It made him a formidable threat.
This would not stand. Essex and, by association, Stryker, could not be allowed to operate unchecked despite whatever power they held in the world of law and order. It was why they had started the X-men after all. He wasn't just running a school, and that meant certain other services could be offered.
He reached out with his mind, searching. Hopes and dreams filed past him, thousands upon thousands of people. For that night though, he was only looking for one man. Despite how grim the situation was, he found himself smiling when he found him.
Charles?
Yes old friend, Charles said, I'm sorry to disturb you, but we need to talk.
A/N: And that's "Sinister" everyone! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! The next story, "A friend in need," will be out in a week.
This has been a great fic to write. I actually enjoy using elements from "Origins." That was a bad movie, I'm not arguing that, but there were flecks of brilliance about it. As for Laura's appearance, it's been a while since I wrote anything with her as a character. But the minute they pulled that vial at the end of Apocalypse, I thought of her.
I also wanted to try and give Hank and Raven a little bit of closure, because he's been putting two and two together since their talks in "On a beach in Cuba." But I also wanted to look at Raven's relationship with her son. It's painful for her, given her life and everything she's lost, to be around him like this but, as Hank pointed out, leaving right now would be catastrophic.
I got a few questions about whether or not Erik would be in this fic. I had to inform anyone who asked that, more or less, he wouldn't be. I wasn't counting his slight appearance at the end. For those who do, my apologies. But he'll have an actual role in the next story.
Finally, Charles/Moira. What else do I need to say? I've never really had them in this position, and that was why Chapter 22 was such a joy to write. I really wanted to see a situation where Charles would let go of his powers. I figured that this situation qualified.
Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! Also, someone left a comment that they were a labor and delivery nurse. They didn't sign their review though, which means I can't message them back. So, in answer to your question, yes, I would like pointers. Just message me.
And, for my special shoutouts: Coyote Blues, whose portrayal of Mystique never failed to inspire me, knightphoenix2, brigid1318, jguti210, savedbygrace94, BROSMP, and whoever it is who signs their reviews as Hi! See you all in a week!
