Disclaimer:
See chapter 1.
Chapter 7: Out of Reach
Emma flopped gracelessly onto the bed. She felt wrung out and remarkably like a used tube of toothpaste. Her clothes were tight and uncomfortable against her skin and she shed them with relief, replacing them with her thin satin robe (white of course).
At least the interrogation was over now.
She flung up an arm to cover her eyes as the door slammed.
Then again, maybe not.
"What was that today!" Scott demanded hotly, storming up and down the room. Without moving her arm, Emma could tell he was running his hand frantically through his hair, making it stick up. She'd thought it was charming once. Everything seemed now to be suffixed by 'once'…
"I don't know what you're talking about Scott." She spoke wearily. Dodging and evading questions always took a lot out of her and now she just wanted to rest.
"How could you allow students to get hurt in your class! A class with Rachel in!" Emma sat up abruptly and glared at him, eyes glacial cold.
She could not believe what she was hearing.
"What makes you think I had any control over what happened, Scott?" She asked coldly. How dare he think that! After all she'd done for him? For the school? "I was just as affected as the students! And Rachel shouldn't be any more or less important than Robert, Jubilation or any of the children, for that matter!"
'You didn't ask how I was and you still haven't…' She thought, heart constricting painfully.
"Emma, you're a strong telepath and Headmistress of this school! You can construct psionic shields, which should have been enough to protect yourself and them! You have a telepathically immune diamond form! How did you manage to do nothing?" He retorted, jutting his chin out aggressively.
"Did you even notice how strongly the telepaths in that room were affected?" She asked, annoyed. Her arms aggressively crossed underneath her breasts, for once, unintentionally pushing them upwards. His accusations were disturbing her. She had been in too much mental pain to consider alternate strategies, but this truth did not prevent searing guilt from burning through her.
"That's not an excuse! You should have known to keep your shields high AND you should have taught your students better. They wouldn't have been so badly affected if they had been given proper teaching!" Emma went red. Memories of her Hellions, her beloved Hellions, lying dead and broken, their faces slack in surprise, hit her hard.
"You. Ignorant. Little. Fool." She whispered hoarsely, hurt and betrayal seeming to clamp down on her lungs, making speaking difficult. She felt as if her skin had been peeled back and she was left soft and defenceless for his words to tear into her flesh. Him going anywhere away from her right now would be absolutely smashing, so long as she did not have to look at him or feel his uncomfortable mental presence around her a moment longer.
He had gone too far. But he ignored the warning signs and red flashing lights.
"And letting that girl so easily into the Mansion? She could murder anybody in their beds and we wouldn't find out until she was five states away!"
Emma snapped.
"You are talking about denying medical attention to a woman who had severe internal bleeding, fatal smoke inhalation, concussion, broken ribs, punctured liver, kidneys and lungs AND somehow, despite all this, managed to survive bringing herself somewhere, deliberately or not, to help herself. You are talking about the difference between life and death. You are talking about killing a young woman." She took a shuddering breath, eyes closing. "Get OUT." They flew open as she hissed, her gaze seeming to freeze the air in front of her. The temperature in the room seemed to drop by several degrees. Emma could not believe what she was hearing. She wanted Scott away from her now.
"You also undermined my authority in front of the students AND other staff members!" Scott continued blithely, seemingly oblivious or perhaps simply uncaring, of the mounting fury of the woman in front of him. Emma resisted the oh-so-strong but completely unethical urge to rifle through his mind and forcing him to leave the room, with the additional possibility of making him do something extremely embarrassing once he left her sight. Barking like a dog every time he heard his name was looking attractive…But no, that would be something the old her would've done. Being the White Queen was looking more and more attractive by the minute...
"That wouldn't be true even if there was something for me to undermine. And have you forgotten Elisabeth questioned you as well? Or that Kurt was the one who teleported us out? OR that Henry was the one actually saving her life?" She sneered, in full ice bitch mode. Emma could feel her fury and pain pumping madly within her body, each struggling for dominance over the other. "I have been running things around here Scott. You've been content to run around in a skin-tight spandex costume and ignore the daily concerns of this institute. You've been too long wrapped up in your own concerns and blind to what's happening around you."
(Jean, would never have done this.) The thought was projected clearly into the air between them. Emma felt as though all the air had been sucked from her lungs. She scrabbled to retain the illusion of composure.
"I don't know if you've noticed Scott dear, but I. Am. Not. Jean." She said calmly, all the while feeling her heart thud painfully in her chest.
"I can't help but notice…" He said bitterly and Emma flinched inwardly.
"If you could let her go, then we could be something." Emma whispered softly, deflating slightly, wanting, more than believing it to be true. This was the closest they'd ever been to talking about the ghost of Jean haunting their relationship.
"I don't know if I can."
She sighed. Why didn't that surprise her?
"You need to leave Scott. I don't want to be in the same house, let alone room as you right now. " His jaw stiffened and his fists clenched.
"I'm not leaving Rachel."
'Do you care about anyone else?' She wondered briefly.
"I never said you had to, I just don't want you in here." She said shortly, acting as blasé as she could.
"Fine." He ground out and stamped past her, every line of his body radiating anger. The overhead light glinted off his red glasses, making him appear demonic and inhuman. Emma clasped her arms tightly around her middle, trying to keep herself from shaking. He stopped at the door with his hand on the knob and turned back, expression inscrutable.
"Well?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and sneering. "The knob turns clockwise if you've forgotten how to operate the door." Scott shook his head slightly, as if to say: 'Women…' and slammed out of the room.
Emma mentally traced his passage down the corridor and safely away, until she finally allowed herself to collapse onto the bed. After creating an inexplicable aversion to walk near her room ("Damn, I forgot to ask…someone…something…") with her powers, she relaxed and stared at the ceiling.
When her vision began to blur, she was confused, until she reached up and touched her cheeks.
Her fingers came away wet.
"Damnit!" She shouted and leapt up. She poured herself a stiff drink like she had last night and drank it in a similar fashion. Distractedly she ran a hand through her hair, sighing heavily.
Well, she had bought herself some much needed time and space.
'It's not like you're much better off…' A voice sneered. 'When he comes back, nothing will have changed. He'll still be the same person; still not in love with you, still not caring about you and you still won't feel the same about him.'
'He would have just let her die…How can I be with someone like that?'
"Shit." Emma said and rubbed her face furiously before pouring another glass. It seemed to fade in and out of sight and she noticed her hand was shaking. Sitting down on her bed, she lay back, eyes closing of their own accord. A curious sensation of warmth crept over her. It felt like someone was soothing and relaxing her mind from the inside out, making all her tension melt away. It seemed familiar…
'This has happened before…' She thought drowsily. Her mind drifted back over the day. The memory of her earlier dream hit her. 'Again? Why…?' But the seductive sensations once again succeeded in lulling their captive into a willing slumber.
Knew the signs
Wasn't right
I was stupid for a while
Swept away by you
And now I feel like the fool
So confused, my heart's bruised
Was I ever loved by you?
Out of reach, so far
I never had your heart
Out of reach, couldn't see
We were never meant to be
Catch myself from despair
I could drown if I stay here
Keeping busy every day
I know I will be okay
But I was
So confused, my heart's bruised
Was I ever loved by you?
Out of reach, so far
I never had your heart
Out of reach, couldn't see
We were never meant to be
So much hurt, so much pain
Takes a while to regain what is lost inside
And I hope that in time, you'll be out of my mind
I'll be over you
But now I'm
So confused, my heart's bruised
Was I ever loved by you?
Out of reach, so far
I never had your heart
Out of reach, couldn't see
We were never meant to be
Out of reach, so far
You never gave your heart
In my reach, I can see
There's a life out there for me...
- Gabrielle, Out of Reach
Author Note:
Hey there, I'm back...(Aww you missed me, didn't you?)
People, people please do not panic (or adjust your computers) this chapter is horrendously short, I know, I'm even slightly sorry (just a tad)
But bear with me, it's necessary and I believe that Chapter 9 will more than make up for it (next chapter will be up quicker too).
Or your money back ;D
BTW - Next chapter, the rating (wait for it) ...is going up (shocked gasps) Yes, I know, I know. I'm rather excited too...
Review…?