Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-men characters
Soooo...heeey readers...I know it's been a while, sorry! I've been very busy! Anyways, here's a new chapter, I was reading this and decided that I should pick up my fanfictions again. So here you go!
Ororo sat at her desk, her hands trembling around a single piece of paper. She smiled, tears stinging at her lashes. Ten million dollars...what this school could do with ten million dollars...it might not be much for larger schools, but for Professor Xavier's little hideaway, it could fund and entire new wing, complete with the tech necessary to run it. And all because of that new professor.
A knock sounded softly at her office door, and she quickly opened a drawer to slip the check into. She cleared her throat.
"Come in!"
A pause, then the knob turned. She was greeted with a pair of lovely grey-green eyes, and a handsome smile. A little flustered, she smoothed her silvery hair. "Oh, Professor Lehnsherr, it's good to see you!" She stood to shake his hand as he took the seat across from her desk. A catlike smile graced his features. "I wanted to thank you, again, for your extremely generous donation."
"I just want what's best for the school," he assured her. "I've always admired Professor Xavier's work, ever since I was very young." Storm smiled and waited to see what he'd come in for. He leaned forward, his fingers twisting self-consciously. He seemed at a loss for words.
"What is it, Mr. Lehnsherr? Did you need something?" she asked him, seemingly concerned. Erik smiled and laughed abashedly.
"I just...my cousin wants to come in and see me, Miss Storm, and I was wondering if there were any spare rooms for her? She's coming from very far away, and I know that there aren't any hotels within a good distance of here. I had hoped to show her the school." He put up his hands, as though afraid of offense. "If it's too much, then I'm sure we can figure something else out!" Storm smiled kindly.
"It shouldn't be a problem at all. And please, call me Ororo." Suddenly, his expression shifted. Storm stirred, feeling her cheeks flush a little. Though she knew he wasn't a mutant, something about this man felt so...so powerful. His confident eyes made her more than a little bit shaky. But he smiled brightly at her and stood. She stood too, a little bit dazed.
"Of course. And Ororo, I'd love to take you to dinner sometime. You know, for being so hospitable." She felt herself nod as he took her hand and, instead of shaking it, leaned forward and brushed his lips across the back of it. With that, he turned and left her office. Storm plopped back into her seat, feeling confused. There was something very mysterious about this man, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was as though they had met before.
"I heard you're taking the headmaster to dinner this week."
Sabine flipped another page irritably, trying not to let herself feel just a little betrayed. They weren't in a relationship or anything...she just didn't like Erik getting close to somebody as important as Storm, especially with the secret she was so desperately protecting. The library was a good place to fume alone, but her favorite professor had a knack for hunting her down. A graceful hand smoothed the page for her. Erik had taken the seat next to her for some reason.
"Don't be hurt. You know that every woman pales to you," he purred, but she rolled her eyes at him in irritation. He sighed and leaned back, expression more calculative. "How did you even find out?"
"Everybody knows everything here," she muttered, wishing he would leave so she could study properly for her test. 'Liar,' her brain crooned to her. 'You love that he's bothering you...' She tried to shake off her own secret enjoyment at his attention; never before had she enraptured somebody. She knew it made her weak, and she knew that she needed to remain strong against him. Even as the thought passed through her head, she could feel his cold gaze on her. But when she looked up, his eyes were surprisingly warm.
"I'm taking her to dinner to discuss the school," he said quietly. "This is all according to plan. She means nothing to me, my dear." He crowed inwardly at Sabine's flush, at the jealousy she tried so hard to stifle. His mind flew to Raven, his most trusted accomplice. Could Sabine be even more? She could be easily manipulated, if he was careful enough. She was a shy and defensive girl, prone to moments of weakness. Raven was ambitious, dedicated to not only him but his cause; this girl did not have Raven's ambition, he could see that clearly. But she was immensely powerful, and was absolutely the key to his invincibility.
"Tell you what, how about I take you to dinner twice this week?" he asked her softly, his gaze what could only be described as smoldering. Sabine felt her heart stutter, felt her head nod yes, yes yes! But before she could open her mouth and refuse, he chucked her chin gently and grinned.
"Great, then the first one is tonight. Be dressed by seven, and I'll take us somewhere secluded."
Before she could say a word, he stood and left her. Furious with herself and unable to make her brain focus on the book, Sabine slammed it shut. Somebody looked up and shushed angrily, and she blushed and immediately apologized. Sadly, she picked up her books and tucked them into her orange backpack. Why couldn't she just stand up to people? She mourned inwardly at the test that she was probably going to fail, now that she had a dinner date and had hardly got any studying done at all once she heard about Erik's date with Professor Munroe. But her grade was decent in that class...maybe she could pull off an A on the final and scrape by.
Which she wouldn't have had to do if she'd just never turned Erik young again in the first place.
Cursing her own stupidity, she shouldered her backpack and began the short trek back to her own room. Her mood only spiraled down as she passed James and Kitty, now at the holding hands stage of their new relationship. He didn't even spare a glance for her, despite the fact that she had gone ahead and brought him up with Kitty after their horribly failed date. Miserable, she turned into her room.
It was empty. Not even Marie had stopped by. Feeling glad to be alone, she curled up on her cool bed and opened a window a little bit. A lovely breeze flowed into the room, and she felt better. Good enough to begin wondering what she would be wearing at seven. Her closet hung open, and from the bed she could pick out some outfits already hung together. The green dress? It seemed too fancy...she cursed herself again for not asking him where he was going to take them. She hated being over or under dressed. Jeans? What if it was somewhere really expensive? The pencil skirt with her button down white blouse? She'd look like a secretary.
Wishing she didn't care so much, Sabine rolled over into her pillow and screamed.
Erik carefully sorted through the essays on his desk. Being a languages professor was paying off; he could carefully steer into subjects that he wanted to know without anybody catching on. Teaching nearly all languages, he had almost every student at the school cycling through his course. The latest assignment he had given them was to write a paragraph in one of his various language courses on their powers, and he did look forward to doing some recruiting.
A soft knock sounded on the door to his classroom. Erik glanced up and called them in; a young man walked into the room, one of the students in his French class. It was a quiet young man who usually sat in the back of his room and sketched; Erik didn't mind, of course, but he felt uneasy about this student coming in after hours. Regardless, he pushed away the papers and smiled. There was no reason to make this boy afraid of him.
"Mr. Burn, what can I help you with?" he asked easily. The lean man looked very unnerved, and that probably didn't bode well. Erik frowned. "Can I help you with something? I have somewhere to be very soon, I'm sorry."
"You...you're a bad person," whispered the boy fearfully. Erik, eyebrows raised, froze. "And you need to leave..."
"Mr. Burn, I assure you, I'm not a bad person," replied Erik curtly, picking the papers up again and dropping them into his briefcase. "And I think you're the one who needs to leave, I really have a full schedule for tonight." He stood and gestured towards the door, but the boy just backed up a step and stared.
"You lied," stammered Peter Burn. Erik's eyebrows rose as he studied the boy. Tall but lanky, polite but awkward; this was a nobody. "You lied to the Headmaster...you do have powers." Erik smiled slowly, not hostile in the least. This would have to be handled very carefully.
"And how do you know that, my dear boy?" he asked with interest. The boy looked surprised, but almost pleased. Erik's discomfort settled into calm intensity. "Your powers must be very impressive. However, I have not yet read these essays, so I really am curious."
"I...I read minds," burst the boy. "I'm technically a psychic...but I'm no Professor Xavier. I can't make force fields or communicate or pause time...I can only hear what other people think. I mean, I usually don't listen to other people...but I can't help it sometimes. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to listen to you. But I'm sorry...I have to tell Professor Munroe if you don't go!" His voice had steadied, become more determined. Erik wondered why the boy hadn't gone to the professor earlier, but staring intently at the boy, he realized that this was a kind soul. This was a boy who could not bring harm to another creature, like his Sabine. However, he was hardly as useful as his little prodigy. Erik could not forgive this boy's soft heart.
"If I'm a bad person," said Erik smoothly, rising from his desk. The boy stumbled a few steps back, but it was pointless. The door swung shut and the bolt slammed. The boy's eyes turned wide and fearful. "Then why did you come alone?"
"I'll scream," croaked Peter, realizing that his situation had changed entirely, "somebody will hear me." He had clearly hoped that being in Erik's office, which was surrounded by adjacent offices and study rooms, would give him privacy and also safety. Erik chuckled, not feeling threatened in the least. His hand lashed out and caught the boy's neck. He dragged Peter, squirming, very close. Erik's teeth bared only inches from the boy's face.
"Leave," he hissed menacingly. "Say a word, and I will kill everybody in this school. Go ahead and read my mind; I can do it. But I'll get you first. Leave tonight, or so help me I will tear you apart piece by quivering piece."
He threw Peter to the ground, where he remained trembling and horrified. Erik dusted off his suit casually. He really needed to get into something more comfortable for his date. A glock floated out of his suitcase and hovered right in front of the boy on the ground. He swallowed hard as the bolt charged. Erik calmly withdrew a pack of cigarettes and balanced one between his lips.
"You think I couldn't get away with it? Whose fingerprints do you think would be on that gun?" Sweat beaded down the boy's forehead, and Erik recognized the breaking point. He dropped the gun and the door flew open. "Get out. Never come back."
A waste, he thought mournfully to himself as he watched the long figure scramble to flee his office. A psychic, even a weak one, would be a good asset to have. But he might come back. Or, better, Erik might just find himself a new psychic. It didn't really matter. But he made a mental note to go through those essays soon, just in case there were any more surprises like Peter Burn.
He couldn't afford to have too many breaks in his cover.
Sabine pulled at her fingers shyly. She had finally, agonizingly, decided on her green dress, but downplayed the formality of it with a brown belt and jacket; if they went somewhere nice, she'd just take the jacket off. If not, she still looked pretty casual. Heat flooded her face as she realized that she was dressing for Erik; had she purposefully chosen a dress with a low neckline?
There was no time to change. Almost sweating from nerves, she held her breath and knocked on the office door.
A tall and handsome man emerged. Sabine smiled at him before she could stop herself. He sported long black dress slacks, a light grey button-down shirt, and a very toothy smile. He looked so elegant that she was glad she'd worn the dress anyways. Her heels were low, but they were heels. He offered her his arm and they sneaked down the back stairs.
Luckily, they didn't run into anybody on their way out. Sabine wished that she could be angry she wasn't studying, but something about the cold air made her too giddy to care. Or was it her charming date? He pulled her along until they approached a nondescript black car. It seemed very elegant, as Sabine slid across the grey leather. Erik pulled into drive and soon they were speeding out of the school and towards the town. Suddenly, Sabine realized that this was a real date...that she wasn't with her friend Erik who used to play chess with her, or Professor Lehnsherr, but a man who was taking her to dinner all dolled up. She was abruptly and terribly nervous. She tried not to wipe her sweaty hands on her pretty dress, but her jacket was just not absorbent. And when she realized how silent the car was, it was all she could do not to panic.
"You look lovely," said Erik calmly, lowering the windows a crack. Sabine gratefully enjoyed the cool air across her damp skin. Her heart rate slowed. She was wrong. This was Erik, her friend who had listened to her and given her comfort and advice. He was younger, but he was the same man. He had to be the same man. She frowned as she noticed how fast the car was going. It ran so smoothly that it had been difficult to tell, but she caught a quick glimpse of the speedometer.
"Shouldn't you slow down?" she asked him, concerned. He laughed and shook his head. She couldn't quite determine why he looked so deviously pleased until she heard the telltale wail of a police car. "Now you've done it," she said grumpily.
But, suddenly, the wail stopped. Sabine whipped around and saw the dark shape of the car motionless on the road, and had one glimpse of a confused and disgruntled policeman emerging before they were out of sight. Erik burst into mischievous laughter, and the sound of it was so contagious that Sabine couldn't stop a few giggles from bursting out, though she disapproved highly of taunting policemen.
"Okay, that was pretty funny," she admitted after failing to stifle a few more fits. She felt much more at ease, and shrugged out of her jacket. The cool night air played flirtatiously across her bare arms. She felt drunk off of the dark sideways glances she elicited from Erik. "How far are we going?"
"Not too far," he admitted, smiling a little. "Just on the edge of town, there's a quiet Greek restaurant. It's very exclusive, I didn't want to be intruded upon by other students or, god forbid, professors." At the word exclusive, Sabine was very, very glad that she had not worn jeans.
Sure enough, Sabine did not recognize anybody inside of the restaurant. It was a dark and sultry place, with a balcony opened to the sea. She shivered as she looked around; she had never realized that this place was here. But apparently it was exclusive, because she had seen Erik slip the maitre d' a rather hefty tip.
He seated them in a quiet corner, overhung by a canopy of ivy. Sabine smiled; the light of the moon through the ivy was beautiful. She'd never seen a place like this before. Erik winked at her before opening his menu, and her hands shook slightly as she opened her own. Erik, of course, didn't miss it; he waved a waiter over.
"Can we get a bottle of Merlot?" he asked quietly. The waiter nodded, and though his eyes slid momentarily over Sabine, he didn't question them. Sabine scowled lightly at Erik, who gave her an innocent smile.
"I'm not twenty-one," she whispered, but Erik scoffed before opening his menu again.
"You're at a university away from home, and you're twenty; I'm very confident that this won't be exactly new for you." She didn't bother asking why the waiter hadn't carded either of them. Sipping at her water, she tried not to seem overly surprised at the price of the food. Why should she have expected anything less than obscenely expensive?
"What are you getting?" she asked him, straining to figure out what price range she should be aiming for. He sighed and shrugged a little.
"I guess the honey-glazed porkchops," he murmured. Sabine shook her head; who pays fifty dollars for pork chops? He glanced up and smiled when he caught her expression. "Something wrong? I'd suggest the lamb kleftico, it's very delicious." Sabine laughed when she saw that it was even more expensive than the pork.
"Whatever your job was before you retired, I want it," muttered Sabine as she slapped the menu down in slight irritation. She raised an eyebrow as Erik chuckled. He reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
"My dear, before I retired I led a revolution that shook the pillars of earth. You are free to have my job anytime you stand up and take it." She didn't quite know what to say to that, but her heart stuttered when his fingers caressed hers. 'Stop it, this is so inappropriate...he's older than you!' Her stubborn heart proved difficult to silence. More likely, though, it wasn't her heart at fault...
The waiter returned with the wine, and filled two glasses wordlessly. Sabine smiled and took a sip of wine; it was light and delicious, and just what she needed to warm her cheeks. She took another sip. "So, you're old; how did you make so much money?" He traded her a slightly miffed look before setting down his menu. She wondered if it was not an appropriate question to ask him, but the playful gleam in his eye eased her nerves.
"I am not old," he pointed out, trying to look very serious. Sabine stifled a giggle. "But if you must know, I did get left quite a bit of money when my parents died. On top of that, I worked a bit with various national governments...just some freelance stuff, from when I was younger. That opened up some of my bank accounts overseas. The real money was in my 'Homo Superior' movement that ended not too long ago; a lot of big names were willing to donate to the cause, sometimes in support and sometimes as a bribe to stay away from them or to move in a certain economic direction. Nearly all of it was used in recruiting, but there was always more than enough left over."
Sabine noticed that though he gave her a good outline of his financial experience, he didn't exactly go in depth into anything. What exactly was freelance work for governments? But she had already asked him something very personal, and she sensed that he didn't often go into his own background, so she should just appreciate what he did tell her. Something about his words, though, gave her a strange feeling. She felt as though she should be scared, or worried, even though they were just sitting in a restaurant.
"Recruiting?" she whispered fearfully. She saw something unfamiliar flit quickly into his eyes, but it was immediately gone. He smiled and leaned forward, petting her fingers reassuringly.
"All in the past," he said firmly. "I needed a lot of support with the political movement, and that doesn't exactly come free." She sat back, frowning, but didn't ask any more. She sensed that she had tread onto hostile grounds for some reason. Though Erik was still relaxing against the cushioned booth, she couldn't help feeling that he was tense, or anxious. "But, tell me how school is going."
"Miserably," sighed Sabine, glad that the conversation had steered somewhere safe. "My classwork is suffering, and all of my friends have paired up, so now nobody wants to do anything besides sneak off with their boyfriends. It doesn't help that I spend half my time worrying over you." She shot him a glare, but it was halfhearted. She had brought this on herself, after all. Erik looked appropriately sympathetic. "But...I'm glad you're here too. I'm learning a lot about my powers that I've never realized before." It was true. Erik had been dedicated to her ever since he had arrived at the school. His latest interest, he had mentioned to her, was in the potency of the breath. He had instructed her to fill several jars, and had sent them to a private lab to have the gas carefully evaluated. Sabine herself had had no idea that the potency could be important, and was very excited to find out.
"You don't need to worry over me, I won't hurt anybody" said Erik soothingly. His eyes got that look in them, and she felt her heart beat faster. The waiter discreetly slipped their steaming meals in front of them; the exotic aroma of the roasted lamb was intoxicating. When had they ordered? Her slim silver necklace tugged gently forward, leaning her towards him. He leaned forward until his face was inches from hers. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his steely gaze. "Gentle as a kitten," he breathed, and though indescribable fear spiked through her at the raw, barely controlled power beneath his eyes, she flushed hotly.
It took her several extremely aroused seconds to realize that he had released her necklace. Leaning back slowly, she felt a little foolish as he cut into his meal. She picked up a knife too, and sliced into the tender lamb dish. He was right; the lamb was delicious. She savored each juicy bite, wishing that she had the money to eat here every day.
Erik's phone rang, and he immediately stood. "I'll take this outside, I'll be back in a few minutes." Sabine nodded, unconcerned, as Erik slipped quickly and quietly through the restaurant. Outside was a slender convertible, and a lovely dark-haired woman leaned against it with her arms crossed. She was as beautiful as ever, but now age lined her delicate features. Erik smiled at her as he approached.
She awarded his smile with a slap that rung across the parking lot. Erik rubbed his jaw, but shrugged. "I deserved that, I guess," he muttered, still smiling a little. The look she gave him was ferocious.
"You deserve a lot more than that," she burst, but slowly her expression shifted. She reached up and gently touched the red mark where her hand had struck, awe filling her face. "So you were telling the truth..."
"Yes...Raven, your life is about to change again." He slipped a vial from his jacket, a vial filled with a clear, milky fluid. "The lab results just got back; they concentrated it down to a fluid. One injection of this, and you'll be the way you were before." Raven picked up the vial, unable to distrust him. Not with that face...how could he lie? She had always been his most useful right hand. She quickly slipped the vial into a pocket of her jacket and glanced back at the restaurant. Not for the first time, he saw that menacing look.
"You're seducing her," she said grudgingly, taking in the dark-lit restaurant. Erik nodded; there had never been any reason to hide things from Raven. "Like me..."
"Not like you," he corrected. "Not exactly. She's much more gentle than you were, but easy to manipulate. We need her. Her powers could be the key to making our revolution unstoppable."
"Revolution? What revolution? scoffed Raven. "We're done. Everybody's dead or they left us when we lost our powers. You aren't going to be able to harvest enough of this stuff to bring them all back without her getting suspicious, and I highly doubt that she'll willingly agree to something so morally wrong, especially from what you've been telling me about her."
"I don't need my old recruits," said Erik dismissively. Raven's eyebrows rose. "I have a new idea, and some new footholds, but I need your help with it. Besides, you were always my most loyal follower." Raven frowned.
"I was loyal because I loved you," she said quietly. "I would have followed you anywhere." Erik was serious now, and Raven's eyes watered a little bit as she returned with a sad smile. "She won't follow the revolution either, will she..."
"No. She's mine. And I don't want you to interfere," said Erik quietly. Coldly. Raven swallowed her tears. Her fingers clenched around the vial in her pocket. "I got a place for you in town. Lay low until I call you, and I'll lead you from there. Just do what I say, and everything should go according to plan. We'll have our army again soon. And...you'll always be my right hand. I won't abandon you again."
Raven whirled away from him and into her car. She cast him one hateful, longing look before pulling out of the parking lot and speeding away. Erik stared after her for a few moments before returning to the restaurant.
"You missed dessert," scolded Sabine playfully. Erik laughed as he sat beside her instead of across from her. From the flush of Sabine's already wine-tinted cheeks, she was not about to complain. He smiled when he noticed that she had left him a sizable portion of the demolished German chocolate cake. "And you didn't finish your food!"
"I'm not hungry for it anymore," he said in a low, reverberating voice. The darkness behind his words left her speechless. A smudge of chocolate colored her soft mouth, and he licked his lips as he leaned forward. Trapped, Sabine had nowhere to go as he sucked gently at her lips, one hand tangled firmly in her dark hair. With the wall at her back, his hand in her hair, and his body much too close, Sabine suffered in delicious, inescapable agony. It was so, so wrong, but there was something so authoritative in him that she couldn't push him away.
Done with light play, he kissed her deeply, his tongue breaking past the seal of her lips. Heady with wine and unbearable longing, she ran her hands through his hair, down his neck, across his broad chest, and over his shoulders. Power, so much strength...she couldn't help herself. She wanted it to be hers, she wanted him so badly, wanted him to hold her against his powerful body, wanted to feel his arms tight around her bare back. She wanted his terrifyingly destructive hands to trace her face with the gentle curiosity of a child.
But too soon he pulled away, leaving her breathless and glowing. He was still so close, and the smell of him invaded even her mind. He smelled like something dark and wild, exotic and forbidden. Her hands clenched at the front of his nice shirt, frightened that he might fade away from her, though he stayed so close. They had already gone too far.
With one hand, he tugged her easily into his lap. She gasped and immediately looked around, but nobody was paying them any attention. Most of the patrons had already left, and the wait staff had taken the hint. They kept a respectful distance from the secluded table. Erik tugged at her necklace, this time with his hand, and pulled her into another kiss. This one was slower, more intimate somehow. It stirred something deeper in her, though she couldn't describe what. She could have stayed there forever, kissing him, but a hard, hard nudge exactly where she needed it convinced her that they needed to leave. Now. She pulled away, eyes wild, and he smiled up at her. So innocent. She wanted to smack him for that look, but his next words were exactly what she wanted to hear.
"Should we take this somewhere else?"