Now look at this! Another update...barely a week later? What is this madness? Is it summer vacation? Gasp! It must be!
And as for the first two parts of this chapter seeming identical... they're not. Yes, they're both homecoming scenes concerning the same people... but I promise. They are completely different.
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Triste Alma, thank you for catching up and leaving so many wonderful reviews. Haylia Jones, thank you for your awesome plot point catching. It makes me happy when you put things together like that. :) The PTB's Red Fox, I apologize again for the wait! I hope this somewhat faster update will more than make up for it. :) The Singing Duck, I know. No cliffhangers. I'm losing my touch. But don't worry. The cliffhangers are going to make a comeback. You just don't know when. *raises eyebrow and grins maniacally*. 221.B.B., thank you! I'm glad you're loving the story!
And to everyone concerned with the Cain storyline... hehehehe. I have a lot in store for that one. Don't worry. It also, ironically, concerns cliffhangers. Mwhahahahaha. *cough*.
Perks of Being a Telepath
Chapter 42: Truths
Sean and Raven were waiting in the entrance way when Erik, Charles, and Hank returned to the mansion. Erik didn't have to be a telepath to feel their fear and anxiety pouring off them in waves.
Raven glanced from Erik to Hank, before her gaze finally rested on Charles. Her face settled into an intense look of dissatisfaction. Erik understood—her brother looked like crap.
Charles halted at the bottom of the steps and looked up at the other two mutants, clearly attempting to determine what all he should tell them. Erik was no longer sure if they should be told anything at all. It wasn't that he didn't think they deserved to know—they did—it was just that after everything that had happened lately, they shouldn't have to deal with this on top of everything else.
Raven didn't wait for anyone to say anything. She hopped down the steps, dropping her crutches along the way, and pulled Charles into a hug.
She whispered something to him, something that even Erik's keen ears couldn't make out, but the metal bender knew without a doubt that it had something to do with Cain. Clearly, she had seen the news and knew, better than the rest, what all of this meant to Charles.
Charles visibly swallowed and nodded as he pulled away, plastering on a fake smile. Sean and Hank seemed slightly reassured, obviously unable to read through their beloved telepath's falsehood.
For some reason, this made Erik uneasy. He didn't want Charles' past to be common knowledge—Erik resented the fact that so many people knew so much about his own past—but nor did Erik want the others to become complacent and believe they were safe.
Erik knew they weren't.
Charles turned, obviously overhearing the gist of Erik's thoughts, and shook his head almost imperceptibly.
I have a plan, my friend.
The telepath took a deep shaky breath before addressing everyone gathered on the front steps.
"I know you are all confused by what's going on and you want answers. I promise you, you will have them. But not tonight."
Sean looked frustrated, Hank looked mildly concerned, and Raven looked downright worried. Erik hoped his own face wasn't as expressive.
Charles let out a weary sigh.
"I'm not trying to keep things from you. But we're all exhausted and we—I—need some time. Tomorrow morning, I promise you, you will get your answers."
This seemed to satisfy Hank and Sean, but Erik couldn't help but wonder at the unconvinced look at Raven's face. Evidently, there was something else going on.
What else could Charles possibly be hiding?
Charles looked up when Erik put the car into park, anxiety already pulsing through him. He tightened his grip on the car door, trying to remember how to breathe.
Erik let out a soft chuckle.
"Relax, Charles. They're going to be excited to see you."
After two weeks' worth of doctor's visits, cajoling, and outright threats, Erik finally managed to convince Charles to return to the safe house.
Charles couldn't remember a time where he was more anxious than he was at that moment as he pushed open the car door. This was his family, people he cared about… people he had almost killed a few weeks ago.
Sean, Raven, and Hank were waiting at the front door as Charles and Erik walked slowly up the drive. Raven let out a screech of joy when she saw Charles walking behind Erik.
"Charles!"
Before anyone had the chance to think about what was going on, she was running down the steps of the safe house and tackling her brother into a bear hug.
Charles returned the hug, his arms tightening around her protectively. Tears stung his eyes as he realized just how much he had missed his sister.
"I'm sorry."
Raven shook her head at his whispered admission.
"Don't be. It wasn't you."
And that was all it took for Charles' heart to break as he realized how stupid he had been to abandon them all.
His eyes met Erik's. The metal bender had an I told you so look on his face, which Charles responded to with a faint smile.
Raven pulled away from him, her yellow eyes narrowing in concern.
"You look like crap, Charles."
The telepath let out a faint laugh.
"Thanks for that."
She shrugged unapologetically.
"It's the truth."
Charles swallowed hard.
"I'll be all right."
"You better be. I don't want to lose you again."
He could see the tears in her eyes, but decided not to comment on them, instead allowing her to take his hand and slowly lead him up the steps.
Hank and Sean had been watching the scene with wide, anxious eyes, but they seemed to visibly relax as they realized that it was definitely Charles who had returned to them and not his darker half.
Sean approached him slowly.
"It's good to have you back, Professor."
Charles smiled slightly, his eyes going to the still healing scar on the redhead's face.
"Are you all right?"
Sean nodded.
"I'm fine."
Hank let out a snort.
"He's finally had some sense knocked into him."
Sean rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. Charles knew he should probably intervene, but at the moment, he was glad to see his family acting so carefree.
He allowed them to usher him inside, listening to the simultaneous scolding of his absence and relief of his homecoming.
This isn't over.
The sudden, ice cold voice in Charles' head was almost enough to make him pause.
You had your chance, Onslaught. You lost. This is over.
Don't be stupid, Charlie. As long as Erik's alive, you know this will never be over. It's why you didn't want to come back, remember?
"Charles?"
Onslaught's cold words were replaced by Raven's warm concern and the anxious looks of Sean and Hank.
He blinked.
"Did I miss anything?"
Raven looked slightly nervous as she replied.
"We just wanted to know what you wanted for dinner."
"Anything's fine."
As he answered, Charles could Onslaught chuckling in the back of his mind.
This isn't over, Charlie. No matter how hard you try to run, this will never be over.
Erik had finally gone to sleep.
Charles couldn't decide if he was happy or annoyed by this fact. He was glad that his friend had finally calmed down enough to actually sleep—for the first time in God knew how long—but Charles was also simultaneously irritated with the fact that Erik could sleep at all after everything that had happened that day.
The telepath was currently on the roof, having been unable to stay inside any longer.
It was a clear, crisp night. The stars shone with dazzling brilliance and in the distance, the bright lights of the city could be seen.
Charles leaned against the railing, the cold metal soothing the fiery ache in his back. He knew he should have had Hank take a look at it earlier, but all Charles wanted to do was forget. Forget about Emma's look of horrified surprise as the bullet entered her skull, forget about Cain's face... breaking Erik out of the CIA… Cuba… all of it.
He buried his head in his hands, taking a few, deep breaths. It hit him that he hadn't had to meditate like this to control his powers since after the Markos' deaths. The irony of that was not lost on him, forcing Charles back into the reality that he didn't want to face.
Cain was alive.
Hysteria bubbled up inside of him, threatening to boil over.
Of all of the unfair cards life had dealt him—a bullet in the back from the man who Charles considered to be his best friend—this had to be the worst.
Cain. The one person who knew all of the hell Charles had gone through, back to wreck more havoc on the telepath's fragile existence.
What the hell had Charles ever done to deserve this?
The door to the roof opened, breaking Charles' train of thought. He blinked, not expecting to find Sean standing in front of him. The younger man was carrying two cups of hot chocolate and had a determined expression on his face.
"Professor, are you all right?"
The simplicity of the question made Charles want to laugh
and cry all at the same time. No, he wasn't all right, but there wasn't anything anyone could do about it.
"I will be, Sean. Did you need anything?"
Sean looked suddenly hesitant as he walked over to Charles and handed him one of the mugs.
"I—the—Hank told me. About Emma."
Charles closed his eyes, his grip tightening ever so slightly on the mug.
"And you wanted to know if it was true."
"No."
Charles opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"Then why are you here?"
Sean shrugged.
"I guess I just wanted to tell you that it doesn't matter. None of it does."
"It's not that simple, Sean."
"Why not? Because you killed someone?"
Charles was slightly taken aback by how blunt Sean was.
"Yes."
Sean shook his head.
"Erik's killed lots of people. It doesn't seem to bother him."
"And look where that's gotten him."
The words slipped out of Charles' mouth before he could stop them. He grimaced.
"That's not how I wanted that to come out."
Sean smiled slightly.
"It's cool. I knew you were still pretty pissed at him anyway."
A faint smile tugged at Charles' lips and for the first time that day, he allowed himself to relax. He took a sip of the hot chocolate and closed his eyes, allowing the warmth to seep through him.
There was a heavy sigh as Sean leaned against the railing beside Charles.
"You know, Prof, there's a lot you think we don't know about that we do. Like that time when you and Erik accidentally burned down-."
The younger man trailed off at Charles' pointed look.
The telepath sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"I know. You and Hank aren't children."
"That's not where I was going with that. I mean, yeah, we're adults and all now, but… You're the only family Hank and I got. So if you ever need to talk about anything, we're here for you. Because like I said, we know a lot that you don't think we do."
It still surprised and humbled Charles at times how far Sean and Hank had come since they first met.
"Thank you."
Sean smiled and clapped a gentle head on Charles' shoulder.
"Don't take this to mean you can slack off on being the professor, though. We still need you. But it's okay if you need us every once in a while, too."