Divine Source
Disclaimer: I don't own X-men or Charmed in any way, shape, or form. I own only the plot.
Chapter 26
Taylor just stood there, mouth agape, staring at Logan as he asked her for something she wasn't sure she could give. She closed her mouth and swallowed hard, pushing down nothing but air. Suddenly she was angry. She was angry at the Woogy, she was angry at herself, and she was angry at Logan.
"Dammit Logan!" she exploded. "Don't ask me that!" Logan's eyes flashed and he frowned. Taylor, already adapt to his moods could sense that anger was just beneath the surface.
"Why not?" he shouted back.
"Because I don't know how to answer, okay? I can't just make a promise to you-to anyone-right now."
"I'm not asking for the rest of your life. Not yet anyway. What I want is for us to see if there's something there. You feel it, I know you do. You like me." Chris stood.
"Logan, give her time."
"The hell with that! I've given her enough time." Taylor, angry with Logan threw her hand over him and orbed him from the room. She looked over to Chris and saw him eyeing her with one eyebrow raised.
"Where-"
"X-jet."
"Oh," Chris sighed heavily. "Taylor, I have a confession to make?"
"What? You're not really Chris, you're Mystique?" she tried to joke. Chris smiled halfheartedly.
"No. Taylor, I…I," Chris stalled. He couldn't tell her. Not after Logan. Not like this. "If we leave. We should go back to the manor. It's still up and running." Taylor smiled.
"I think I'd like that. I haven't been there in so long. I miss it," she walked over to Chris and sat down beside him on the couch. She leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder.
"Chris, I never thanked you for saving me," she whispered.
"Don't worry about it," he said with a slight smile. He reached around and hugged her close with one arm. "I'm just glad you're alright."
"No, really, thank you. If it wasn't for you-"
"Wyatt would be alive." Taylor moved away from Chris, shaking her head.
"No. No-"
"You said it yourself," Chris reminded her. The look on his face broke her heart.
"No, I was wrong. Chris, look, I know how you feel. Everyday I wake up and just want to disappear. I want to run from this world. There have been many days that I've awoken and wanted to just hand the Elders my powers."
"But you didn't."
"But I wanted to. Look, the only thing stopping me was that I was it. There was no one there to take over if I didn't do it. You had Wyatt and he was very powerful. I can see where you thought he'd be okay. You didn't ask for this."
"Neither did you, but you're still here."
"You came back, Chris." He looked down at the floor and made a sound somewhere between a chuckle and a sob.
"But I came back too late."
"Dammit!" Logan growled when he found himself inside of the X-jet. Damn girl had done that thing with the lights to him. He started to walk but felt as though his insides were still swirling and sat down instead.
How was he going to ever have a conversation with Taylor if she kept using her powers to escape? He wasn't going to let this go. He couldn't. It was too important. She was too important.
Professor Xavier rubbed his temples tiredly. He could feel the psyches of Taylor, Chris, and Logan battling with themselves and one another. It annoyed him to no end that he didn't have the answer for this one. The three of them were caught up in something he couldn't get involved in. Logan was three steps from falling in love, as was Chris, but Taylor…Taylor didn't know her own heart at the moment.
Her head was confused and the Professor was willing to bet that her heart was also. He felt a twinge of anger at both Chris and Logan for not backing off and allowing the girl time to regain her bearings. She had just been under a love potion and here they were, ready to proclaim affections for her.
Xavier sighed. The stupidity of men, excluding himself of course, never ceased to amaze him.
Taylor entered her room swiftly and slammed the door. Chris had orbed off to the manor to check on things and she was left alone to vent to herself. However, her plan of entering her room to silently throw a tantrum was thwarted by Rogue's presence.
The other girl was sitting Indian style on her bed with two books open in front of her, her brow lined with concentration. Taylor slowed her tirade down as Rogue looked up. The smile that had been forming on her face faded as she saw Taylor's expression.
"What happened?" Taylor shook her head.
"Nothing. I-I'm fine." Rogue frowned and looked down at her hands.
"Taylor, I know that you like to keep your distance. You think that no one will get hurt that way, don't you? Especially," Rogue took a deep breath. "Especially yourself." Taylor shook her head.
"Rogue-"
"Don't shut me out because you're afraid of getting hurt," Rogue interrupted Taylor with a knowing stare. "I've done it. Logan's done it, trust me it wears thin. Just, take a leap and trust me. Let me in, I know what it's like to have to shut others out to save them." She raised her gloved hand meaningfully. Taylor shook her head.
"Rogue, I'm sorry. I've been selfish and I know it. You've all helped me so much," she frowned as she felt tears build up. She averted her eyes to the walls as she tried to fight them back. "I've been a brat and I know it. I just want you to know that it…it feels good to know that there are others who, like me, are doing their best to stop evil. It feels good to know that I'm not the only one with gifts who feels lost sometimes. I…thank you," she said finally unable to hold back any longer as a few tears fell from her eyes. "Thank you so much." Rogue smiled as she got up off of her bed to hug Taylor.
"You're welcome. Now tell me what's wrong." Taylor started to shake her head and deny that anything was wrong, but, before she could stop herself, she found herself pouring out everything. She told Rogue about her first meeting with Chris, her arguments with Logan, what happened to her while she was with the Woogy, her feelings, and what had just happened between her and Logan.
When she was done, she looked to Rogue to see the other girl just blinking at her. At Rogue's dumbfounded expression, Taylor began to laugh.
"I'm sorry, did you get all that?"
"Yeah, I just, I don't know how you're so calm." Taylor rolled her eyes.
"Well, five minutes ago I was going to come in here and throw a tantrum, but I feel better now. Thank you for listening to me." Rogue smiled.
"You're welcome. Hey, Taylor?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you really going to leave the mansion? I mean, what about Logan?" Taylor shrugged.
"I don't think this is the best place for me right now. I mean, ever since I've been here, I've done nothing but cause problems."
"Not true."
"So true. Look, Logan and I…we…well, I don't know what to think about Logan right now. As a matter of fact, I don't know what to think about much of anything right now. The only thing I know for sure is that mutants and magic shouldn't mix." Rogue nodded as she glanced down at her hands and then looked searchingly back up to Taylor.
"So you're leaving?"
"Yeah, I'm leaving."
"Professor Xavier?" Taylor asked, knocking on his office door.
"Come in." Sighing heavily, Taylor opened the door and entered the office. Glancing around, she took in with some relief, that she was the only one there, save the professor, and he was sitting behind his desk.
"You wanted to talk to me?" Xavier asked, gesturing for Taylor to have a seat. She shook her head to decline the offer and then nodded to his question.
"Yes…I…I wanted to thank you. Well, Chris too but he's gone to set up."
"Set up?" Xavier asked before understanding dawned on his features. "You're leaving."
"Yes." Xavier nodded.
"What about Logan and the others?"
"I've already said goodbye to Rogue and, to be honest, I don't think I could handle saying goodbye to everyone else too. Logan…that's a different case as I'm sure you very well know," she said with a slight teasing smile and a raised eyebrow. "I just don't think I can see him again before I leave. I wouldn't know how to handle it."
"I see," Xavier nodded. Taylor cleared her throat and wondered why it was suddenly so hard to breathe.
"I just wanted to come and thank you for all you've done for me and apologize for getting you guys mixed up in my battles." Xavier smiled.
"You saved Kurt," he told her softly. "So I believe we're even." Taylor laughed.
"Actually, I believe you guys have the upper hand, unless…" Taylor trailed off. "Is Jean still in the hospital wing?" Xavier nodded slowly.
"Yes, she's beginning to recover but I'm not exactly sure how long it'll be until she's recovered fully." Taylor gave him a slow smile.
"I think I do."
Taylor made her way to the infirmary behind Professor Xavier. He had no idea what she was up to and she knew he was curious but too respectful to probe her mind without her permission. She wouldn't have minded, at least this once.
When they entered Jean's room, the woman was lying unconscious on a bed. Scott sat by her bedside, holding her hand and whispering sweet words to her in hopes that she would awaken and on her bedside table were flowers and a group picture of the X-men.
"Scott," Taylor said softly. "Scott," she said a bit louder. Scott turned slowly towards the sound of Taylor's voice. She saw his eyebrows rise above his glasses as he took in the sudden appearance of both her and the professor.
"Taylor, what's going on?" Taylor shrugged, not really sure what to say.
"Um, I've got an idea. Chris! Chris!" she called out into the room. Scott turned to Xavier with a question threatening to fall from his lips but the older man shook his head to show that he knew as much as Scott did.
Before Scott could ask Taylor what she was doing, Chris orbed into the room, slightly breathless, from the show of power.
"What's up?" he asked looking around the room. Taylor walked over to him and whispered a few words into his ear.
"Will it work?" she asked him seriously as she pulled away.
"It should," Chris responded slowly as he tried to forget the feel of Taylor's lips brushing against his ear.
"Will what work?" Scott asked suspiciously. Both Taylor and Chris ignored him. Instead the two moved to stand beside Jean's bed. They each took one hand and placed it over Jean and used the other to hold one another.
"We call upon the ancient power," Taylor began.
"To awaken this soul before the hour," Chris continued.
"The pain that death would surely bring."
"Will not find the one within our ring," Chris finished. There was a faint golden glow passing from Chris and Taylor into Jean from their outstretched hands.
For a few seconds nothing happened before Jean opened her eyes and blinked. She gasped, as though she hadn't been breathing, and then looked around the room with wild and confused eyes.
When she saw the professor and Scott sitting, completely astounded, next to her she smiled. She was home.
"Now we're even," Taylor said with a smile. She walked into Chris' waiting arms. "Tell the others goodbye for me." She winked as Scott grabbed Jean and hugged her as tight as he possibly could without hurting her. Xavier smiled at her and nodded his thanks. "Later." She turned her face into Chris' shoulder to hide her face as she fought back tears, she and Chris orbed away from the mansion and the X-men.
THE END
AN: There will be a sequel so no yelling yet. The Chris-Taylor-Logan triangle will be resolved then but I thought it'd be better to let Logan stew for a while. So hopefully you guys will look forward to the next story. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, I enjoyed your insight. Other than that, Later!
Special thanks to the following:
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If I missed anyone or misspelled a name, I'm sorry. Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed the story.