A/N: Thanks to Bluemist for your review of the last chapter, glad that you
like the pairings I have here.
A/N #2: I forgot to mention another pairing that I'll be mentioning in this story Rogue/Bobby.
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men or any of the characters. Only a few people here and there are mine.
Chapter Four
A New Power
"I'm sorry Ororo," Theo said, walking with Storm to the back of mansion. "I forgot that I was to help you watch the children."
"It's alright," Ororo said, opening the back door. "How are you feeling by the way?"
"I'm fine," Theo answered as the two walked to the basketball court where most of the kids were playing. "Thank you for coming to get me despite Dr. Gray's wish for me to rest."
"You're welcome Theo," Ororo said. "I'm going to go watch the kids that are playing on the field. Call me if anything goes wrong."
"I will," Theo called after Ororo as she walked over to the field. She sat down on a bench that was on the side of the basketball court and then turned her attention to the children playing basketball in front of her.
"Hello Ms. O'Malley!" one of the boys called to her, waving.
"Hello," Theo answered.
The boy ran over to where she was sitting and said, "Want to play with us?"
Theo laughed and said, "I would love to."
"Good," the boy, whose name was Sam, said.
Theo stood up and followed the boy to his group of friends.
"Ms. O'Malley said she'll play with us," Sam said to the others.
"Can you play basketball?" one of the boys asked.
"How about a game of Horse?" Theo asked.
"Okay," the kids said.
"You go first Ms. O'Malley," a young girl said, handing the basketball to Theo.
"Okay, I'm going to try from back here," Theo said, going back to the three point line.
"You can't make it from there!" Sam said teasingly. The kids around him murmured their assent to this.
"Just watch," Theo said laughingly.
*
Inside the mansion, in his office, Xavier watched Theo as she played with the children on the basketball field.
"So you two almost kissed?" a voice behind him asked.
"That is what I told you," Xavier said quietly.
Jean sighed and then walked over to stand next to the professor. "You know that I really don't care whether or not you and Theo decide to go into a relationship-"
"Jean," Xavier said, sighing. "I did not tell you what happened so you could tell me your opinion of me and Eleanor. I told you so that I could get your advice on what I should do next."
"I... I'm afraid I don't understand Professor," Jean said, confused.
Xavier looked out the window at Theo and sighed again. "I have never really been in love with a woman," he said, staring down at Theo intently. "Eleanor though... Jean, I may be intelligent, but I am without a clue on how or if I should even try and start a relationship with her."
Jean stared down at the professor, surprised that he was asking her for advice. Especially romantic advice. But as she watched him, looking out at Theo, she could see that he felt very strongly about her. She thought for a moment before saying something. "Well, before you start a relationship, you need to know if she feels the same about you," Jean said.
Xavier thought about that and then nodded. "I'll-" he started to say, but he was interrupted by a scream from outside.
*
Theo turned around and saw a girl lying at the bottom of the stairs that led down to the basketball court. She ran over to the child, who was crying and clutching her leg in pain. "Shh, it's okay Penny," Theo said, gripping the girl's hands in her own.
"Theo, what happened?" Ororo asked, running up to her.
"I'm not sure," Theo said. She let go of Penny's hands and let Ororo take her place as she moved down to look at the girl's leg. "Penny, I'm afraid you're leg has been broken," Theo said. Then she paled suddenly and she clutched her right wrist.
"Theo?" Ororo asked worriedly.
"My, skin," Theo hissed between her teeth. "It's...it...burns." Finally, tears of pain streaming down her cheeks, she let go of her wrist and put her hands to her eyes. A few moments later, she put her hands down and looked at everyone around her.
"Ms. O'Malley...y-your eyes," one of the children that had gathered said.
Inside the mansion, Xavier looked down at Theo in shock. "Eleanor..." he began inside his mind.
Theo looked down at Penny, who had stopped crying when she had seen Theo's eyes, and then placed her right hand on the broken leg. She closed her eyes briefly and seemed to be concentrating on the leg. Her eyes had turned a silver color and as she stared down at Penny's leg, the silver seemed to drain out of the eyes. Theo took her hand off the leg and then stood up, holding her arm.
"My leg," Penny said, sitting up. "It, I don't think it's broken."
Ororo looked over at Theo, her eyes widened in surprise. "Theo?" she said questioningly.
Theo seemed to sway for a moment, and then she collapsed to the ground.
~~~
"Will she be alright?" Logan asked Jean as she walked through the open door. He, Xavier, Scott, Ororo and Nightcrawler were waiting in the hall outside the medical room.
Jean looked over at Xavier and said, "I'm not that sure."
"Is she awake yet?" Xavier asked.
"She is," Jean answered. "And she said she wants to talk to you Professor."
Xavier nodded and went into the medical room, the door closing behind him. He went over to the side room where Jean had placed beds for those that would need to stay under her watch overnight. In the bed farthest from him, was Theo. He went down the room and then stopped his chair at the side of her bed.
Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be asleep.
Looking at her face for a moment, Xavier reached and took her hand into his own.
Theo opened her eyes and she said, "I was only resting my eyes."
"Jean said you wanted to speak to me," Xavier said, letting go of her hand.
"I just want to know what you can tell me this is," Theo said. She reached down to her right wrist and pulled off the gauze that had been wrapped around it.
Xavier frowned and took her hand in his to look at her skin more closely. A small silver X had seemed to be etched there. He reached out and touched the center of the X very softly with his index finger. "Did that hurt?" he asked Theo.
She shook her head. "It was burning earlier," she said. "Just before I touched Penny's leg. Oh, how is Penny?"
"She's fine, her leg isn't broken... anymore," Xavier said. He let go of Theo's arm and settled back in his chair. "Eleanor, I think that you have acquired another power. The power to heal."
"Another power," Theo said softly, looking down at her wrist. "I... how?"
"I do not know Eleanor," Xavier said. "But I shall have to somehow help you to learn how to use this new power."
The door at the entrance to the medical room opened and Jean stepped inside, walking towards Theo and the Professor.
"I feel fine now Dr. Gray," Theo said. "Could I go now?"
"Professor, do you think...?" Jean asked Xavier.
"I believe that she'll be fine," he said, smiling.
"Alright, but I'd like you to rest so you don't end up collapsing again," Jean said.
"I will," Theo said.
Before Xavier left the medical room, Theo called out to him, "Would you mind coming up to my room later so we can play that game of chess?"
"Not at all," Xavier said, smiling. "I shall see you later tonight."
Jean handed Theo her clothes and closed the curtains around the bed so Theo could change in privacy. "You and the Professor seem to be pretty close," Jean said, sitting on the bed next to the one Theo was in.
"Hmm," Theo said in response, pulling her shirt over her head.
"You know," Jean said. "No one in this school has ever played chess with the Professor."
"That's not too surprising," Theo said. She pushed aside the curtain that was surrounding her bed, finished dressing.
"Well, keep that in mind when you play with him," Jean said standing up and smiling.
"I will Dr. Gray," Theo said.
"It's Jean, and I'll walk with you to your room," Jean said.
The two women left the medical room and walked over to the elevator.
~~~
The next day, Theo met Xavier in his study to begin with trying to learn to use and control her new power.
"How exactly are you going to help me with this Professor?" Theo asked as she sat down in the chair in front of the desk.
Xavier didn't answer her and opened a desk drawer. He withdrew a small knife and set it on the desktop.
Theo's eyes went wide and she said, "Professor, there's got to a better way to do this..." She trailed off when she saw Xavier's expression. "Okay, but I'm not going to practice for too long. I don't want you to collapse from blood loss just so I can gain control of this power," she then said.
"I'll just give myself a small cut on the top of my hand," Xavier said. He grabbed the knife and moved his wheelchair so he was next to Theo. He raised the knife and then cut himself on the top of his hand.
Theo waited until Xavier had put the knife on the desk to move. She placed her right hand on top of his cut one and then she started to concentrate on the cut. Her eyes turned a shiny silver color, and then it drained out quickly. She lifted her hand up and nodded at Xavier. The small cut was gone.
Xavier studied his skin for a moment and the asked Theo, "How do you feel?"
Theo nodded and then asked, "Did it hurt at all when I healed you?"
"No, it felt like you had numbed my skin," Xavier asked. He reached over to the desk and grabbed the dagger once again, cutting the top of his hand.
~~~
After fifteen minutes of healing every one of the cuts Xavier gave himself, Theo seemed to become weak.
"Eleanor, are you sure you are okay?" Xavier asked, noticed that her skin had turned an almost grey color.
"I-I think we should stop," Theo said weakly, putting a hand to her forehead.
"Yes," Xavier said, worriedly. "You should go get some rest." He reached out and placed his hand on Theo's forehead after she had moved her own.
There was a flash of light, and the next thing that Xavier knew; he was inside Theo's mind, inside a dark tunnel.
He was in his wheelchair, but as he tried to move it forward, it would not go.
A small girl dressed in blue and silver appeared in the tunnel suddenly. She spoke to Xavier through telepathy. "You will not need that," she said.
Xavier stood up and then walked towards the little girl. He was a bit cautious; the last time he had been in the company of a little girl in this kind of situation had actually been Jason Stryker. Now, however, as he approached this girl, he could see from her blue eyes that it was Theo as a child.
"Come with me sir," the girl said when Xavier reached her. She put out her hand and waited for him to take it. She then turned and pulled Xavier down the tunnel, towards a bright light.
Xavier looked around the tunnel; there were doors on each side of them.
Suddenly, the girl stopped and pointed to the silver door in front of them. "She wants you to see this one," she said, pointing to the door. She let go of Xavier's hand and then seemed to dissolve into the darkness.
Xavier looked at the silver door in front of him and then put his hand on the doorknob, opening the door.
*
It was the Chinese New Year, and Theo was standing in an alley, watching a parade going down the main street of Chinatown in San Francisco. She hesitatingly stepped out of the alley to get a better look at the parade when a boy set off some small firecrackers next to her. Theo jumped and the firecrackers flew up into the air, exploding loudly.
The people near Theo turned to her and they started whispering to each other.
"That woman's a mutant!" some one in the crowd cried.
"She made the firecrackers fly into the air!" another person yelled.
All of a sudden, a hand gripped Theo's shoulder and a gruff voice said, "Don't worry; we'll take care of this mutant freak." The man dragged Theo into the alley, followed by five men as burly as he was. Once inside the alley and hidden from the parade watchers, the man threw Theo down on the ground.
"Who do you think you are mutant?" the leader said. "A normal person?"
Theo got up on her hands and knees, blood dripping from her nose and mouth. "I-I just wanted to see the parade," she whispered.
The men all laughed and the leader then said, "The parade is for humans, not you freak. Now we've got to punish you for trying to pretend you were normal."
The gang surrounded Theo in a circle, closing in on her.
Theo threw as hard as she could with her mind at the men and one fell back onto the ground.
"Get her guys, she's going to use her powers!" the leader yelled.
At that moment, the rest of the gang rushed toward her and started beating her furiously.
When they had finished, they dragged Theo over to a pile of cartons and lay her there.
"Have a nice life freak!" the leader called as the men left the alley.
Theo moaned in pain. Two of her ribs had been broken, and she was bleeding profusely from many cuts all over her body. She opened her eyes a crack and was startled to see a large dog looking down at her. "H-hello boy," she said weakly. "Thank you for giving me some company while I die."
The dog left her vision and then she heard barking.
A few minutes later, she heard the dog panting and two people were with him.
"Ma'am, are you okay?" a policeman said, looking down at her. "Radio for help Smith," he then said to his partner. "You'll be okay ma'am; we'll get you to a hospital."
Theo could have wept with relief. She raised her right hand slowly and the dog that had helped her licked it encouragingly.
*
"Professor?" Jean said to Xavier, her hand on his shoulder.
Xavier opened his eyes and sat up with a start. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes unfocused for a moment.
"I don't know," Jean answered. "I came in here and Theo was on the floor and you were slumped in your chair."
Xavier ran a hand over his face and then looked over to the chair where Theo had been sitting. "Where is she?" he asked.
"Down in the medical room in one of the beds," Jean said. "Sir I think I should take a look at you-"
"I'll be fine," the professor said, pushing his chair out of the study and toward the elevator.
A/N #2: I forgot to mention another pairing that I'll be mentioning in this story Rogue/Bobby.
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men or any of the characters. Only a few people here and there are mine.
Chapter Four
A New Power
"I'm sorry Ororo," Theo said, walking with Storm to the back of mansion. "I forgot that I was to help you watch the children."
"It's alright," Ororo said, opening the back door. "How are you feeling by the way?"
"I'm fine," Theo answered as the two walked to the basketball court where most of the kids were playing. "Thank you for coming to get me despite Dr. Gray's wish for me to rest."
"You're welcome Theo," Ororo said. "I'm going to go watch the kids that are playing on the field. Call me if anything goes wrong."
"I will," Theo called after Ororo as she walked over to the field. She sat down on a bench that was on the side of the basketball court and then turned her attention to the children playing basketball in front of her.
"Hello Ms. O'Malley!" one of the boys called to her, waving.
"Hello," Theo answered.
The boy ran over to where she was sitting and said, "Want to play with us?"
Theo laughed and said, "I would love to."
"Good," the boy, whose name was Sam, said.
Theo stood up and followed the boy to his group of friends.
"Ms. O'Malley said she'll play with us," Sam said to the others.
"Can you play basketball?" one of the boys asked.
"How about a game of Horse?" Theo asked.
"Okay," the kids said.
"You go first Ms. O'Malley," a young girl said, handing the basketball to Theo.
"Okay, I'm going to try from back here," Theo said, going back to the three point line.
"You can't make it from there!" Sam said teasingly. The kids around him murmured their assent to this.
"Just watch," Theo said laughingly.
*
Inside the mansion, in his office, Xavier watched Theo as she played with the children on the basketball field.
"So you two almost kissed?" a voice behind him asked.
"That is what I told you," Xavier said quietly.
Jean sighed and then walked over to stand next to the professor. "You know that I really don't care whether or not you and Theo decide to go into a relationship-"
"Jean," Xavier said, sighing. "I did not tell you what happened so you could tell me your opinion of me and Eleanor. I told you so that I could get your advice on what I should do next."
"I... I'm afraid I don't understand Professor," Jean said, confused.
Xavier looked out the window at Theo and sighed again. "I have never really been in love with a woman," he said, staring down at Theo intently. "Eleanor though... Jean, I may be intelligent, but I am without a clue on how or if I should even try and start a relationship with her."
Jean stared down at the professor, surprised that he was asking her for advice. Especially romantic advice. But as she watched him, looking out at Theo, she could see that he felt very strongly about her. She thought for a moment before saying something. "Well, before you start a relationship, you need to know if she feels the same about you," Jean said.
Xavier thought about that and then nodded. "I'll-" he started to say, but he was interrupted by a scream from outside.
*
Theo turned around and saw a girl lying at the bottom of the stairs that led down to the basketball court. She ran over to the child, who was crying and clutching her leg in pain. "Shh, it's okay Penny," Theo said, gripping the girl's hands in her own.
"Theo, what happened?" Ororo asked, running up to her.
"I'm not sure," Theo said. She let go of Penny's hands and let Ororo take her place as she moved down to look at the girl's leg. "Penny, I'm afraid you're leg has been broken," Theo said. Then she paled suddenly and she clutched her right wrist.
"Theo?" Ororo asked worriedly.
"My, skin," Theo hissed between her teeth. "It's...it...burns." Finally, tears of pain streaming down her cheeks, she let go of her wrist and put her hands to her eyes. A few moments later, she put her hands down and looked at everyone around her.
"Ms. O'Malley...y-your eyes," one of the children that had gathered said.
Inside the mansion, Xavier looked down at Theo in shock. "Eleanor..." he began inside his mind.
Theo looked down at Penny, who had stopped crying when she had seen Theo's eyes, and then placed her right hand on the broken leg. She closed her eyes briefly and seemed to be concentrating on the leg. Her eyes had turned a silver color and as she stared down at Penny's leg, the silver seemed to drain out of the eyes. Theo took her hand off the leg and then stood up, holding her arm.
"My leg," Penny said, sitting up. "It, I don't think it's broken."
Ororo looked over at Theo, her eyes widened in surprise. "Theo?" she said questioningly.
Theo seemed to sway for a moment, and then she collapsed to the ground.
~~~
"Will she be alright?" Logan asked Jean as she walked through the open door. He, Xavier, Scott, Ororo and Nightcrawler were waiting in the hall outside the medical room.
Jean looked over at Xavier and said, "I'm not that sure."
"Is she awake yet?" Xavier asked.
"She is," Jean answered. "And she said she wants to talk to you Professor."
Xavier nodded and went into the medical room, the door closing behind him. He went over to the side room where Jean had placed beds for those that would need to stay under her watch overnight. In the bed farthest from him, was Theo. He went down the room and then stopped his chair at the side of her bed.
Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be asleep.
Looking at her face for a moment, Xavier reached and took her hand into his own.
Theo opened her eyes and she said, "I was only resting my eyes."
"Jean said you wanted to speak to me," Xavier said, letting go of her hand.
"I just want to know what you can tell me this is," Theo said. She reached down to her right wrist and pulled off the gauze that had been wrapped around it.
Xavier frowned and took her hand in his to look at her skin more closely. A small silver X had seemed to be etched there. He reached out and touched the center of the X very softly with his index finger. "Did that hurt?" he asked Theo.
She shook her head. "It was burning earlier," she said. "Just before I touched Penny's leg. Oh, how is Penny?"
"She's fine, her leg isn't broken... anymore," Xavier said. He let go of Theo's arm and settled back in his chair. "Eleanor, I think that you have acquired another power. The power to heal."
"Another power," Theo said softly, looking down at her wrist. "I... how?"
"I do not know Eleanor," Xavier said. "But I shall have to somehow help you to learn how to use this new power."
The door at the entrance to the medical room opened and Jean stepped inside, walking towards Theo and the Professor.
"I feel fine now Dr. Gray," Theo said. "Could I go now?"
"Professor, do you think...?" Jean asked Xavier.
"I believe that she'll be fine," he said, smiling.
"Alright, but I'd like you to rest so you don't end up collapsing again," Jean said.
"I will," Theo said.
Before Xavier left the medical room, Theo called out to him, "Would you mind coming up to my room later so we can play that game of chess?"
"Not at all," Xavier said, smiling. "I shall see you later tonight."
Jean handed Theo her clothes and closed the curtains around the bed so Theo could change in privacy. "You and the Professor seem to be pretty close," Jean said, sitting on the bed next to the one Theo was in.
"Hmm," Theo said in response, pulling her shirt over her head.
"You know," Jean said. "No one in this school has ever played chess with the Professor."
"That's not too surprising," Theo said. She pushed aside the curtain that was surrounding her bed, finished dressing.
"Well, keep that in mind when you play with him," Jean said standing up and smiling.
"I will Dr. Gray," Theo said.
"It's Jean, and I'll walk with you to your room," Jean said.
The two women left the medical room and walked over to the elevator.
~~~
The next day, Theo met Xavier in his study to begin with trying to learn to use and control her new power.
"How exactly are you going to help me with this Professor?" Theo asked as she sat down in the chair in front of the desk.
Xavier didn't answer her and opened a desk drawer. He withdrew a small knife and set it on the desktop.
Theo's eyes went wide and she said, "Professor, there's got to a better way to do this..." She trailed off when she saw Xavier's expression. "Okay, but I'm not going to practice for too long. I don't want you to collapse from blood loss just so I can gain control of this power," she then said.
"I'll just give myself a small cut on the top of my hand," Xavier said. He grabbed the knife and moved his wheelchair so he was next to Theo. He raised the knife and then cut himself on the top of his hand.
Theo waited until Xavier had put the knife on the desk to move. She placed her right hand on top of his cut one and then she started to concentrate on the cut. Her eyes turned a shiny silver color, and then it drained out quickly. She lifted her hand up and nodded at Xavier. The small cut was gone.
Xavier studied his skin for a moment and the asked Theo, "How do you feel?"
Theo nodded and then asked, "Did it hurt at all when I healed you?"
"No, it felt like you had numbed my skin," Xavier asked. He reached over to the desk and grabbed the dagger once again, cutting the top of his hand.
~~~
After fifteen minutes of healing every one of the cuts Xavier gave himself, Theo seemed to become weak.
"Eleanor, are you sure you are okay?" Xavier asked, noticed that her skin had turned an almost grey color.
"I-I think we should stop," Theo said weakly, putting a hand to her forehead.
"Yes," Xavier said, worriedly. "You should go get some rest." He reached out and placed his hand on Theo's forehead after she had moved her own.
There was a flash of light, and the next thing that Xavier knew; he was inside Theo's mind, inside a dark tunnel.
He was in his wheelchair, but as he tried to move it forward, it would not go.
A small girl dressed in blue and silver appeared in the tunnel suddenly. She spoke to Xavier through telepathy. "You will not need that," she said.
Xavier stood up and then walked towards the little girl. He was a bit cautious; the last time he had been in the company of a little girl in this kind of situation had actually been Jason Stryker. Now, however, as he approached this girl, he could see from her blue eyes that it was Theo as a child.
"Come with me sir," the girl said when Xavier reached her. She put out her hand and waited for him to take it. She then turned and pulled Xavier down the tunnel, towards a bright light.
Xavier looked around the tunnel; there were doors on each side of them.
Suddenly, the girl stopped and pointed to the silver door in front of them. "She wants you to see this one," she said, pointing to the door. She let go of Xavier's hand and then seemed to dissolve into the darkness.
Xavier looked at the silver door in front of him and then put his hand on the doorknob, opening the door.
*
It was the Chinese New Year, and Theo was standing in an alley, watching a parade going down the main street of Chinatown in San Francisco. She hesitatingly stepped out of the alley to get a better look at the parade when a boy set off some small firecrackers next to her. Theo jumped and the firecrackers flew up into the air, exploding loudly.
The people near Theo turned to her and they started whispering to each other.
"That woman's a mutant!" some one in the crowd cried.
"She made the firecrackers fly into the air!" another person yelled.
All of a sudden, a hand gripped Theo's shoulder and a gruff voice said, "Don't worry; we'll take care of this mutant freak." The man dragged Theo into the alley, followed by five men as burly as he was. Once inside the alley and hidden from the parade watchers, the man threw Theo down on the ground.
"Who do you think you are mutant?" the leader said. "A normal person?"
Theo got up on her hands and knees, blood dripping from her nose and mouth. "I-I just wanted to see the parade," she whispered.
The men all laughed and the leader then said, "The parade is for humans, not you freak. Now we've got to punish you for trying to pretend you were normal."
The gang surrounded Theo in a circle, closing in on her.
Theo threw as hard as she could with her mind at the men and one fell back onto the ground.
"Get her guys, she's going to use her powers!" the leader yelled.
At that moment, the rest of the gang rushed toward her and started beating her furiously.
When they had finished, they dragged Theo over to a pile of cartons and lay her there.
"Have a nice life freak!" the leader called as the men left the alley.
Theo moaned in pain. Two of her ribs had been broken, and she was bleeding profusely from many cuts all over her body. She opened her eyes a crack and was startled to see a large dog looking down at her. "H-hello boy," she said weakly. "Thank you for giving me some company while I die."
The dog left her vision and then she heard barking.
A few minutes later, she heard the dog panting and two people were with him.
"Ma'am, are you okay?" a policeman said, looking down at her. "Radio for help Smith," he then said to his partner. "You'll be okay ma'am; we'll get you to a hospital."
Theo could have wept with relief. She raised her right hand slowly and the dog that had helped her licked it encouragingly.
*
"Professor?" Jean said to Xavier, her hand on his shoulder.
Xavier opened his eyes and sat up with a start. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes unfocused for a moment.
"I don't know," Jean answered. "I came in here and Theo was on the floor and you were slumped in your chair."
Xavier ran a hand over his face and then looked over to the chair where Theo had been sitting. "Where is she?" he asked.
"Down in the medical room in one of the beds," Jean said. "Sir I think I should take a look at you-"
"I'll be fine," the professor said, pushing his chair out of the study and toward the elevator.