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Chapter Fifty-Eight!
Magneto shut the bedroom door behind him. Rogue and Lorna were just ahead of him, standing in the hallway. Lorna was her usual bubbly self, bouncing slightly in her little green dress. Thanks to his wife, her hair was in twin french braids. She looked adorable for the eventful day she had ahead of her.
"Max," Rogue said as she turned to face him. She held a manila envelope under the crook of her arm.
"Anna-Marie," he said as he walked up to her, a few short inches separating them. A blissful contented sigh left her at the sound of her own name. He watched her take a short breath before her expression turned serious. He knew what would follow were his marching orders for the day.
"Pietro's gonna be here shortly. He's driving you and Lorna. You're gonna leave the car at Lorna's school so Pietro can use it to pick her up and take her back to the brotherhood manor. She's gonna spend the afternoon with the brotherhood, and they'll meet us back here at five pm for my class," she explained as she held out the envelope. He knew that everything he needed, to register Lorna in her new school, was collected neatly into the envelope.
"Yes, ma'am," he said, he had no arguments, as he took the envelope from her.
"Thank you for-"
"My love, I've been unconscious more often than not these past few days. I understand the need for a chauffeur. I might not like it, but the last thing I wish to do is put our daughter in danger. I can put my ego aside just this once," he said.
"Just this once, huh?" she asked with a playful glint in her eyes. A chuckle escaped him as he leaned in and kissed her. He felt her smile against his lips.
"Eww," Lorna exclaimed. They broke apart, staring into each other's eyes as they shared a laugh.
"You ain't gonna think it gross when you get older," Rogue pointed out as Lorna started to walk down the hall
"Yeah, I will," Lorna insisted, waking a bit ahead of them. He shared a glance with his wife before they laughed again. He found her hand and took it in his. He lifted it and brought her bare hand to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of her hand. Another contented sigh escaped her as he smiled down at her.
"It's good to see you so happy," he said.
"It feels good to actually be this happy," she smiled before her expression dropped. "Which probably means something unspeakably horrible's about to happen," she said dryly. He raised an eyebrow as he squeezed her hand comfortingly.
"Excuse me," he said. "But this relationship only has room for one pessimist and I can assure you that slot is utterly occupied by yours truly," he said. She smiled again.
"You know, Max, you're more of an optimist than you give yourself correct for," she pointed out.
"Is that a fact?" he asked. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to tell him something but closed it again, stopping herself. He watched her take a breath before a small smile graced her face.
"Absolutely," she said instead.
"Whatever this thought was, tell me later before we turn in for the night. Then perhaps I'll recover a new memory by morning," he said.
"Sounds like a solid strategy, sugar," she smiled before he leaned down, kissing her again. She placed her hand on his chest. He heard a noise down the hall and around the corner that caught his attention, so he pulled back from the kiss. "You're right. We should get going," she said. He shook his head slightly as he reached out with his senses.
Strange, no one aside from him and Rogue usually ventured to this wing of the institute. And with Logan gone for a couple of days, no one had any business here either. He felt no metal.
"Good morning," he called out. Rogue raised an eyebrow as she turned to look in the direction.
"Good morning," Jean replied as she turned the corner.
"Not like her lurk," he whispered, knowing only his wife would hear him.
"Morning," she said, her eyes meeting his for a brief moment. The look in her eyes told him she agreed with him. "Jean, you alright, sugar?" she asked.
"Yeah, I just needed to talk to you about something," she answered. "But it's okay if now's not a good time," she said.
"I said I'd make myself available when you needed me and I make good on my promises," she said before she looked at him and then down at Lorna. "Just give me a second, Jean," she said before she turned back toward their room. "Lorna, sweet-pea, you forgot your backpack," she said as with a wave of her hand their bedroom door opened.
"Sorry, mommy," Lorna said as she ran past him and into their bedroom. He looked over at Jean and watched her eyes widen slightly.
"Are you certain you're alright, Jean?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Jean closed her eyes for a brief moment as she shook her head slightly. She opened them and all signs of shock left her features.
"I'm fine," she said.
"Got it," Lorna called out before she ran out and up to Rogue's side, now with a green backpack hanging over her shoulder. Rogue lowered herself to Lorna's eye level.
"Now, could you please close the door?" Rogue asked. Lorna smiled happily before she reached out with her hand. Green energy emanated from her hand and soon covered the doorknob. With a little more force than necessary, Lorna pulled back her hand and the door slammed shut. Rogue opened her mouth.
"Wait, I can do it better," Lorna exclaimed as the door flew open again. He watched his daughter take a breath before she pulled on the door again. This time, it closed gently. Rogue leaned over and kissed Lorna on the cheek.
"Well done, sweet pea," she said as Lorna giggled at the contact. "I love you very much and I'll see you this afternoon, okay?" she said.
"Love you too, Mommy," she said, hugging his wife. Rogue squeezed her tightly before she stood. "Daddy, let's go. I wanna meet Pietro," she said as she ran over to him and took his hand. Looking up at Rogue, he was met with a smile.
"See you this afternoon," he said. She nodded before he and Lorna headed down the hall, past Jean, and around the corner.
"So, what's going on, Jean?" he heard Rogue ask from behind them. Ahead of them, he saw Scott walking down the hall.
"Good morning," he said pleasantly.
"Hey, have you seen Jean?" he asked.
"She's down there, speaking with Rogue," he answered, pointing towards the direction they had come from.
"Thanks," he said before he rushed past him. "Jean," he called out as he turned the corner. "Man, I've been looking for you everywhere," he said.
He raised an eyebrow but continued walking towards the kitchen with his daughter.
Kitty Pride sat in the kitchen of the Xavier Institute. She had her computer on her lap as she sat in the window seat, where no one eating their breakfast could read over her shoulder. Not that anyone was in the room yet. Usually, it was just her and Logan around this early.
It had been a while since she had written to her parents but she needed to get some stuff off her chest. And she always went to them when she was having trouble with something so it felt fitting. Her fingers hovered above the keyboard. Taking a deep breath, she started to type.
Dear mom and dad,
Sorry, it's been a while since I emailed. It's been totally crazy around here since we fought Apocalypse.
So, what's new? Well, I made a new friend. Her name's Wanda. I've gotten to know her over the past couple of weeks and she's really nice. I think she's had to deal with a lot growing up. Like, way more, than anyone should have to.
Which, I guess, is why I'm writing. I think I need to spend some time at home. Maybe, I could come home for a long weekend? I know the semester's over in, like, a month and I should just wait until the summer but I really need to see you guys before then. Dad, I need some advice about something. And I totally already talked to the Professor and Rogue about it. They both told me the same thing. But, I don't know, my gut is telling me they're wrong. And this isn't something I can just put into an email or talk about over the phone. You, like, need to be face-to-face.
So, would that be okay?
Love, Kitty.
Kitty stopped typing as moved the arrow and over the send button. With one click she would have some help, she wouldn't be ignoring the situation, she would be doing something about it, she would…
She was pulled from her thoughts as she heard a tapping on the window behind her. She closed her laptop, sliding it off her lap onto the window seat as she turned to glance out the window.
Nothing, no one was there.
Using her powers, she stuck her head through the glass and glanced around. She still didn't see anyone.
"Huh," she huffed as she pulled her head back through. She reached down to grab the laptop, but she didn't feel it. She quickly looked down and it was now missing. "Hey," she exclaimed. "Okay, very funny guys. Now, give it back," she called out as she stood.
Placing her hands on her hips as she looked around and saw no one in the room. She didn't smell sulfur so it probably wasn't Kurt. So, who would be fast enough to take it without making any noise?
"Great, just great," she muttered under her breath as she ran out of the kitchen and down the hall and into the main corridor.
There she saw Magneto standing by the foot of the stairs. Pietro was kneeling down hugging a little green-haired girl, who she assumed was Lorna. Over Pietro's shoulder was a backpack, and she knew her laptop was in it.
Pietro's eyes flashed to hers.
"Little sister, who I am seeing for the first time today, it is so nice finally getting to meet you. I can't think of anything that could ruin this perfect moment," Pietro said.
Kitty felt her hands form into fists but kept herself from speaking. Magneto caught her eye, he had a curious look on his face. She quickly shook her head and walked right past them, taking the stairs up to the second floor.
The last person she wanted to talk to about Wanda was Magneto.
'It's fine. I'll get it back at school. And it's not like I don't know where he lives,' she thought annoyed. 'He better not do anything to it,' she thought as she marched down at he the hallway towards her bedroom. She might as well go get her backpack anyway and finish getting ready for school.
As Charles Xavier reviewed his memories, he found his younger self sitting in a lecture hall at Oxford University during his and Moria's third period. His new friend was sitting beside him, to his left. At the front of the class was their Professor, Doctor Essex. And a tall female student, he assumed was his teaching assistant, was handing out copies of the syllabus to each row.
"Welcome to an Introduction to Biology, the study of all living organisms," Doctor Essex said as he obtained a copy from Moria.
Charles smiled at her before he opened his copy and reviewed the topics they were going to cover.
"Biology draws upon the sciences of chemistry and physics. We take their foundation and apply the laws of these disciplines to all living things," Essex continued. "Throughout the semester, you will study the energy metabolism that underlies the activities of life and the genetic basis for inheritance in organisms. We will also study the evolutionary relationship among organisms and the diversity of life on our planet," he said.
That caught Charles' attention, as he glanced up and looked at their Professor. He reached out with his mind, wanting to know more about evolution.
"We will consider the biology of microorganisms, plants, animals, and everything in between," he said.
Strange, he couldn't enter the man's mind.
"We will cover a myriad of subjects of increasing difficulty. Each lecture will build upon the last and you will be expected to keep up your attendance and your reading. This will not be an easy class. There will be no shortcuts to obtaining the knowledge I intend to impart. Only hard work will allow you to succeed," Essex said.
Confused, Charles tried again, using more of his strength. He felt an instant push against his intrusion as Essex's eyes locked into his.
"I do hope I've made myself clear," Essex said calmly. Charles felt his eyes widen as a shiver ran down his spine. He had never- no one had ever stopped him before. His face flushed with embarrassment.
He quickly nodded, hoping no one else would notice the exchange. A large grin formed on Essex's face and Charles knew- he knew- Essex had prevented him from reading his mind. There was no denying it.
"Good," he said enthusiastically. "Good," he repeated as he finally looked away from him. "Then we can begin," he said.
He felt something brush up against his hand and he jumped slightly in his seat. His eyes darted down and he saw it was only Moria's hand. He shook his head as he tried to compose himself. Moria's fingers locked with his and he had to admit the comforting gesture was helping his composure. He glanced up to give her another smile but was surprised to see a cross expression on her face, her eyes narrowed.
She leaned over, putting his lips close to his ear, and whispered, "Careful, Charles. You don't want to make enemies on your first day, do ya?"
"No, sorry," he whispered. She nodded before she turned her attention back to the lecture.
Charles, however, was finding it hard to concentrate. He had never been in this situation before. He had met another individual with powers. Hadn't he? How else could Doctor Essex have stopped his powers without possessing some of his own?
Now the question was what should he do with this information. Should he speak with him? Or was it smarter to ignore it? If he did ignore it, maybe that would prompt Doctor Essex to seek him out instead. Was that the more polite course of action? He had already been, unintentionally, rude by attempting to read his mind.
He thought back to the grin on Doctor Essex's face and how his gut reaction had been one of discomfort. Should that be his warning? Should he leave well enough alone?
He didn't have to make a decision immediately, he realized. He would consider his options carefully, before making a move.
Time, time was on his side.
Kitty re-entered the kitchen and saw some of the others had come down for breakfast in her short absence. Jean and Scott were standing by the countertop waiting for Rogue who was by the sink.
"So, nothing new is happening with your powers?" Rogue asked as she turned off the water.
"No, everything feels normal," Jean replied as Rogue walked up to her and Scott with a bowl of washed purple grapes. "But what should I expect?" she asked as scooped a few grapes into her hand. Kitty saw Rogue's eyes light up with interest and happiness.
"Well, the power surges are gonna keep coming," Rogue said as she gestured towards Scott with the bowl, he took a few grapes from it. "You're used to those by now," Rogue answered as Jean nodded as chewed. "But eventually, it's gonna be more than increasing your range and strength. You're gonna start getting access to some of your offset abilities. Ya know, the cool stuff," Rogue said with a smile before popping a grape into her mouth
"Like what?" Scott asked before he ate some as well.
"Long-range astral projection, telekinetic weapons made from psionic energy. That sort of thing," Rogue answered.
"Yeah, astral projection," Scott repeated deadpan.
'Why's he annoyed with Rogue?' Kitty asked herself as she watched Rogue roll her eyes before she ate another grape.
"Jean," Rogue said, ignoring Scott. "It is really encouraging to hear you ask for more information. Curiosity is good. Great even. It's a much better response than fear, believe me. I could give ya a demonstration if you like," she offered. Kitty saw Jean winch slightly but quickly brushed it off. "I would just need to borrow a dose of your powers," she said.
"Don't you already have Magneto's?" Jean asked.
"Well, yeah, but I can handle more than one," she said.
"Hmm, can you?" she asked as Rogue raised an eyebrow. "I don't- I'm not trying to offend you. But we all saw what happened when you have access to too many powers at once. You lost control of them at the concert," she pointed out.
"Hmm," Rogue said as Kitty noticed she almost froze in place.
"Rogue, you almost died, and then you were in the infirmary for a month. Is it really safe for you to have more than one? Especially when one of them is as powerful as Magneto's? Jean asked.
"Those weren't my powers. That situation was," she said before cutting herself off. "There was more happening then-" she stuttered before hesitating. "You know what?" she huffed, mostly to herself as she almost threw the bowl onto the counter. "It doesn't even matter anymore. It ain't worth being upset over," she said as she disengaged from the small circle they had made by the countertop. "We defeated Apocalypse, so it doesn't matter what happened at the concert. It all worked out," she said as she walked towards the exit.
"Wait," Jean called out, as she grabbed onto the clothed part of her arm. "What does Apocalpyse have to do with the concert?" she asked as she pulled Rogue to face her.
"Oh my god," Kitty exclaimed. "Did Mystique do something to you? Did she make your powers go out of control?" she asked.
"No," Rogue and Jean exclaimed at the same time. Rogue's eyes locked with Jean's, whose eyes widened briefly before she regained control over herself.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to read your mind," Jean explained swiftly.
"It's fine," she said bluntly as she pulled her arm out of Jean's hand. "So, now you know," she sighed. "I can't recall powers like that, not without a boost from an alternative source," she explained to the rest of them.
"What kind of source?" Kitty asked.
"A magical one," Jean said, her voice low. Her eyes darted back up to Rogue's. "Am I right?" she asked.
"You read my mind, Jean, you know you are," she said matter-of-factly, as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to invade your privacy," she said.
"It's fine, just- I don't-"
"I want to make sure I understand this," Jean interrupted. "Irene Adler paid Agatha Harkness to cast a spell on you. And that's what made you lose control?" she asked.
"Yeah," she said dryly, as she glanced up at the ceiling, her foot tapping against the floor.
"What were they thinking?" Jean said, visibility upset. "You could've died or worse. What if the spell backfired and had an unintended effect? What were they gonna do then? Just make you deal with the aftermath? That is- that is not okay," she said.
"It's fine," Rogue repeated, though it clearly wasn't. "Look, I really don't wanna talk about any of this, okay? I know we're only a few days away from everything being out in the open- but if we could just-"
"Great," Scott said taking a step forward, getting into Rogue's face. "Then, why wait?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's your excuse this time?" he asked. Kitty watched Rogue's eyes lock onto Scott's, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"She has PTSD, okay? Like give her a break," Kitty exclaimed.
"Kitty," Rogue reprimanded her.
"Of course, she does," Scott said unconvinced. Rogue's eye flashed to Scott's, as she glared daggers at him.
"Rogue, sorry," she said. "But everyone's mad at you because they don't understand. If you would just tell everyone, they wouldn't be."
"Kitty, trust me, I know that, but some things are difficult for me to talk about. My foster mothers are at the top of that fucking list," she said. "I know I owe y'all an explanation. But I only wanna tell this story one more time and I'm gonna need Logan's help," she said.
"So, you've told Wolverine? He knows why you have PTSD?" Jean asked.
"Took me months to get it all out, but yeah, he knows" she answered.
"When's he coming back?" Jean asked.
"Saturday," she answered.
"Okay," Jean said thoughtfully to herself. "Then we'll wait till Saturday," she said before turning to look up at her boyfriend. "Right, Scott?" she asked.
"Or you could let the Professor read your mind," he muttered shaking his head. "But you're not going to do that. So, whatever," he said before marching out of the room. Rogue let out a sigh as they listened to Scott's pronounced footsteps down the hall.
"Sorry about him," Jean said as the footsteps faded. "He's been a little on edge lately," she said. Rogue opened her mouth to comment but promptly closed it again. Instead, she took a deep breath, and finally, her foot stopped tapping against the floor. "Can I ask you something?" she said delicately.
"Do you have to?" she asked, sounding tired.
"Look, I'm not trying to make you open up about everything," she said as she walked closer to her and put her hand on Rogue's clothed shoulder. She squeezed it, before asking, "are you okay?"
Kitty watched a sad smile cross Rogue's face before she answered, "yeah, give me twenty minutes and I'll be fine. The PTSD is bullshit but, actually, I'm happier than I've been in a while."
"And that's because of Magneto?" Jean asked.
"Yeah, yeah it is," she smiled.
"And because of your daughter?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah," Rogue said with a stressed smile. "How I adopted Lorna- hmm, it's a long, long story. Which I'll get to, just."
"Not this morning," Jean finished.
"Yeah," Rogue said.
"Okay, last question," Jean said. "Do you want a ride to school?" she asked with a smile. Rogue out a short laugh in relief.
"Jean, that would be great," Rogue answered pleasantly.
"Yeah, thanks, Jean," Kitty said.
"Sure," she said before the three of them headed out of the room. Jean led the way, walking ahead of them. Kitty and Rogue trailed behind her a few feet.
Rogue, looked over, shooting Kitty a look.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"Kitty, I appreciate you having my back. Really. But I need to know I can trust you not to tell anyone about you-know-what and you-know-who until I'm ready to talk about it?" she asked softly.
"Yeah, I didn't mean to," she said meekly before she straightened her shoulders. "You know, I'm right though. No one would be mad if they knew," she defended. Rogue sighed.
"I get that but I need time to explain it all in a safe and controlled manner. Okay?" she whispered.
"But," Kitty protested.
"This is life and death. Kitty, please," she begged. Her eyes widened before she nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, okay," she said, backing down.
"Thank you," she said.
Charles pulled himself out of his memories, his eyes snapping open, to find Ororo still tending to her plants.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"I couldn't read Essex's mind. He was able to push me out," he explained.
"How," she asked.
"I don't know. But the likelihood, that Professor Essex of Oxford University and that Apocaplyse's servant Essex, are one and the same has greatly increased. I'm uncertain where to look next," he said.
"What else can you recall without looking at your memories?" Ororo asked.
"It's starting to come back to me now," he said. "You have to understand this was decades ago. I was but a boy and I was, of course, intrigued by the possibility of engaging another powered individual but I hesitated to approach him," he explained.
"Why?" she asked.
"There was something that didn't feel quite right. He had an aura about him that was almost- Well, for lack of a better word, sinister in nature," he explained.
"Hmm," she hummed. "So, you never talked to him? What about Moria?" Ororo asked.
"He was her adviser while she obtained her doctorate in genetics," he recalled.
"Really?" Ororo asked.
He took a moment to test his recollection, before responding, "yes."
"Then you should focus on Moria," Ororo suggested. "How did things end between you?" she asked.
"Which time?" he asked with a muffled laugh. "Our relationship was a bit on and off," he answered as she held his gaze. He didn't need to read to her mind to know what she was thinking. "Alright, I'll- I'll look there next," he decided. "Thank you for your assistance," he said before placing his fingers on his temple. "Actually," he said, lowering them again, "Ororo, would you be willing to look at these memories with me?" he asked.
"They seem very personal," she said.
"They are, which is why I'm asking. I believe an impartial point of view would be helpful. I may get caught up in my old emotions and you may see something I don't," he said.
"Of course, Charles," she said as he glanced around. He watched her gaze settle upon a fold-out chair.
"We could take this to my office. Perhaps, we'll both be more comfortable," he offered. She smiled at him.
"Lead the way, Professor," she said kindly.
Calling it here for now! Sorry for the delay. I had to provide coverage for one of my co-workers and that was a month's worth of training to get the workflows mapped out right! Now it's my turn and it's leaving me exhausted after work. But I managed to finish up this chapter and I'm happy to get it to you guys now!
Please let me know your thoughts!
Speaking of which!
Kirogue! THANK YOU! You summed up the entire situation so well! There have been so many moving parts and Rogue is honestly doing her best to keep it all together. The problem is the only one who knows everything IS Rogue. Everyone else is acting on titbits of information. And Rogue understands that. And she trying to get everyone on the same page, but her PTSD is a factor, and also she HAS to control the competitive environment. It's what's kept everyone alive this long and relinquishing that control is no easy feat.
Magneto and Pietro get that now. Logan gets it but he's mad about it. Kitty kind've gets it but wants to know more. Charles and Ororo are fumbling in the dark- trying to put the pieces together. And Jean...
More to come on Mystique and Destiny shortly! Her powers were crazy in Taunting Repartee and I'm honestly surprised I was the first one (to the best of my knowledge) to take Irene's powers to their utmost extreme. I actually had to put limits on them in this story so I didn't write myself into the same hole I did with Taunting Repartee. The limits I set were based on Krakoan-era Moria's powers and how she was able to keep invisible from Irene for most of her lifetimes. (THANK YOU for the compliments! This has been a long time coming!)
More to come! Can't wait to hear your throughs on this chapter too!