-"Pirates, Emma? Didn't think that was your stile."
Instead of slamming the door as she wanted to, Emma made herself to close it as slowly and silently as possible. Waking anyone else was not going to make any good, quite the opposite more likely. And she should probably reconsider the idea of Scott Summers stalking her. What would he do here otherwise? What was more important now though was how he knew.
-"I'm flattered, Scott. To know me that well…"
Reading his thoughts wasn't probably the best thing to do. It was however the quickest and that decided it. What she saw, was something she probably should have expected. How long could children keep secrets anyway? That was her mistake and it looked like pay day had come. She would have mind-wiped Scott without a second thought, if there was at least tiny chance for her to get away with that. But there was no way she would be able to hide her act from Xavier. As much as she hated to admit it that meant negotiations.
-"Apparently not well enough. How long was this going on? Just don't tell me I got it all wrong. Or that your intentions were nothing but honorable. "
So much for handling things quietly. They certainly were going to wake half the school up and that's if they were lucky. It looked that if she wanted to get away with this there were sacrifices to be made.
-"In case you hadn't noticed, everyone else is sleeping. How about we go downstairs and talk."
-"Are you suggesting a cease-fire, Emma?"
So she surprised him. Nothing extraordinary when considered that she surprised herself as well. More unexpected was the fact, that he actually considered her offer. Even if almost entirely because he imagined what she could make it look like, should they really wake someone. Alone in the dark hallway… Emma almost liked the idea.
-"Something like that, yes. Just don't get the wrong impression."
-"Never. All right, it's almost eleven now. I'll forget I can't stand you from eleven until…let's say one o'clock."
Two hours of 'civilized' conversation? More than enough, from her point of view. But right now Emma was not going to argue. What had to be done, that would be done. Even if she actually had to be nice to Scott Summers.
-"It's a deal then."
---
-"Now, how about you explain me why are several students having the common dream. And why that dream develops from night to night?"
Two of them were now seating at kitchen table. Emma could tell Scott was still more than eager to accuse her in every crime imaginable, but he was keeping his word. It even looked like she had better chances than she had hoped for.
-"Therapy. Five of them were so eager to become X-men, they forgot there is more to it than simple fighting. I just gave them an opportunity to have their own adventures."
-"By putting some fantasies into their minds night after night?"
Emma knew she was too used to eluding confessions and sincerity. Too used may be, because even when sincerity was the best way imaginable it was too hard to stop pretending. Probably that wasn't normal to try to conceal something that was not wrong. Old habits die hard though. Besides she could – she would – prove her case to Scott. But she knew Charles Xavier well enough to know she would be unable to do same with him.
-"If you mean that what those children dream about is my creation – and that's exactly what you mean – I have to disappoint you. I just made sure they did share a dream and the dream continued next night. The rest was their own fantasy. As you found out, they wanted pirates. Pirates they got."
-"Get. Out. Of. My. Head. Besides, how do you know they are not going to prefer those dreams to reality?"
Emma suppressed a smile. She actually expected stronger resistance. Right now though Scott Summers was resisting her explanation more out of habit than anything else. Nothing comes for free, but making role model X-men her accomplice was most probably worth it.
-"You have talked to them. Do they seem 'other-worldly' to you? Believe me, they are perfectly capable to distinguish dreams and reality."
-"You say so. Unfortunately it's rather hard for me to control your words, isn't it?"
Emma didn't need to read his mind to know it was already made up. Right now he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her. Perhaps he wasn't so hopeless after all.
-"And what happened with 'trust' X-men seem to be so fond of?"
-"You are the one having secrets, Emma, not me. And now you want me to cover it up."
Secrets? Emma was ready to bet anything that, should she look into his head deep enough, she would find quite a few things to be called that name. Everyone had something, it was just the matter of finding out.
-"You can put it that way if you wish. Or you can let me finish what I started. Contrary to your belief that was not meant just to entertain them."
Really, she was much more than altruistic entertainer. That was something to be evident, wasn't it? If she only knew now exactly why was she trying so hard to be understood. Oh yes, for some reason she somehow became so attached to that school, she was acting idiotically not to anger its headmaster more than she already did. Idiot she was, she most likely deserved it all.
-"'Therapy', I know. You just wanted to help them and now I'm going to ruin it all."
-"See, you can actually think when you want to. They are going to get tired from fighting, I'm going to stop. And Charles is not going to get bloodthirsty X-men into his precious team."
There. Now he could agree with her because of a perfectly legitimate reason. In reality both knew exactly what will exposure do. While Emma herself still had a chance to get away, kids didn't. Unlike Bobby and Jubilee those five knew exactly what was going on. Guilty as charged. Not even Scott Summers hated her that much.
-"Never though you were the one to care about what X-men will those children make."
-"If I didn't, I wouldn't be here in the first place, don't you think?"
Emma allowed herself to relax. The conversation had taken less dangerous turn. Not the most pleasant one, but that would have to do for now. In some way it was even nice to have Scott genuinely interested in what she had to say. She was an idiot after all.