I'm so sorry for not updating. Obviously, I ran into a brick wall. And then other fandoms invaded my head space. And then it was Christmas, New Year's and what the hell am I doing? Yeah.
So, yeah.
I don't own anything.
"I'm not entirely sure what happened after that, but I can only guess that Charles put me to sleep," Moira said, her voice soft and speaking to no one in particular. "Charles must have done the mind wipe on me then."
Erik glanced back at Moira. She was staring into space, dark eyes unreadable and unfocused, her hands neatly folded in front of her. Bobby was asleep on Kitty's shoulder, blissfully unaware, whereas the young woman looked distraught at Moira's words. Erik forced his gaze back to Hank and saw him staring.
Hank held Erik's eyes longer than Erik felt comfortable. "I never agreed to having Moira be mind wiped. Actually, I wasn't the only one who disagreed as well. And Charles knew that," Hank said, his gaze flicking back to the empty airspace in front of them.
Erik muttered something unintelligible and ran a hand through his hair.
Turning on the tracking device, Trask sat back and eagerly watched. He plotted the course the plane was taking and smiled.
He rubbed his hands together in glee. Soon. Soon I will have my cure.
Charles met them all in the sick bay in the sub-basement of the mansion. He was joined by Sean, Alex and Scott. Hank led the way for Logan, Erik, who still carried Moira, and Kitty who was helping Bobby move.
"Mr. Lehnsherr, I don't think he's getting any better," Kitty fearfully.
Hank knelt in front of Bobby. It was the first time Kitty had seen Hank in his natural form. She gasped, but managed to keep her composure when he glanced at her. "Bobby? My name is Doctor Hank McCoy. I'm going to try and help you, okay?" Hank said, looking into his eyes. "Can you tell me if you are in pain?"
Bobby could only stare at Hank uncertain.
"It's okay, Bobby. Dr. McCoy will try to help you," Kitty said standing next to Bobby. She placed her hand on his arm and pulled back as if burned. "Oh! He's freezing!"
Hank cocked an eyebrow at him and felt his forehead. He too pulled his hand back. Hank shook his head trying to shake the pain off.
"Bobby? Bobby are you feeling alright?" Hank tried again, this time even more gently than ever before. He went to pick up the boy when Moira spoke up.
"Let me down," Moira said to Erik. She wiggled out of his grasp, slapping Erik's hands away and approached Bobby.
"Bobby, do you have a special power?" Moira asked softly, gently brushing the hair out of his eyes, careful not to let her fingers linger on his forehead. Even though she did not touch him, Moira could feel the cold rolling off the young boy. How exactly is this happening?
Bobby shook his head and tried to avoid her gentle gaze.
"Are you sure?" Moira asked again kindly.
Bobby looked uncertain and shook his head again, unaccustomed to such tenderness.
Moira smiled. "Do you feel cold?"
Bobby shook his head again.
"How do you feel, my dear?" She said, switching tracks.
"It's too hot," Bobby finally said and fanned himself.
"Too hot? But it's 65 degrees in here," Hank said waving his hand frustrated.
"Hank," Moira said mildly, shooting him a look. She turned back to the young boy. "Would you like us to turn it down in here?"
Bobby nodded his head and edged slightly closer to her. Moira turned towards Charles who merely nodded at her. "It hurts," Bobby said softly.
"What hurts, honey?" Moira said dropping her voice and leaning towards the boy, "Everything," he replied. Suddenly, Bobby's eyes rolled back into his head as he dropped to the ground moaning in pain. He was in the fetal position as Moira kneeled beside him trying to pry him up off the ground. Hank, Erik and Alex had moved forward when Bobby let out an ear piercing wail. The temperature in the room dropped suddenly and dangerously. Everyone in the room gasped and started shivering. Moira, who was the closest to Bobby, was knocked backwards, whether from the force of the wail or from the sudden temperature drop no one knew for certain. She was on her side up against the wall and hurting all over.
Bobby was still whimpering and rolling around on the ground, his body a solid block of pale blue ice. Charles was on his side, his wheelchair a few feet away from him, his breath coming in quick gasps frosting in front o him. Erik was closer to the back was thrown flat on his back. He stared up at the curved ceiling trying to determine what just happened unconsciously shivering from the extreme change in temperature. Hank was the first to gingerly get up on his feet.
"Everyone okay?" Hank asked gritting his teeth while he looked around the room. Hank's eyes fell onto Bobby and Moira. Hank snarled softly and went to check on them.
Erik wondered if Hank knew just how dangerous he sounded. He wasn't about to find out. Erik wiggled his fingers and toes trying to figure out what might have triggered Bobby. A lot of physical and emotional turmoil, to be sure, Erik thought idly. How exactly is human society supposed to deal with mutants if they cannot be counted on to act rationally?
"Yeah, sure," Logan muttered. "What the fuck just happened?" Erik glanced over at the other man and saw him retract his claws back into his hands. His metal claws. Erik's head was less foggy and he thought that they might have formerly been made of bone instead of metal. Society, indeed,Erik scoffed.
"Ah, I believe the young man's power just manifested itself and we were the unfortunate ones - or lucky, depending on your point of view - to have witnessed it first hand," Charles said rubbing the back of his head. He propped himself up on his arms and began pulling himself towards his wheelchair. Erik blinked and righted the chair for him with a shift of his fingers.
Charles gave him a slight glare before pulling himself into the chair.
Erik had enough grace to look ashamed.
"Moira? Are you okay?" Kitty asked her softly. She was still in her thin hospital gown and Erik could see how cold she was. How cold both she and Moira looked.
"Sean, go get sweatshirts for Moira and Kitty," Erik snapped.
Sean glared at him but did as he was told. All eyes were on Erik now.
"What's he doing here?" Alex said crossing his arms. Erik narrowed his eyes and set his jaw. He did not want to fight them here and now...
"I'm not going to fight you," Erik growled.
"There will be no fighting in my house," Charles said, his voice booming in the cavernous room. "At least while I am still alive." He looked at each person in the room to make sure his message was clear.
Erik did not know if he was the first to look away. He should have never have come here.
You are always welcome in my house, Erik, Charles said directly into his mind, cutting short the dangerous thoughts.
Thank you.Erik did not miss the slight stiffness in Charles' voice. Nor did Erik chide him for delving straight into his mind without asking permission.
Now, we have matters to discuss, Charles thought adding to the tension Erik already felt. Charles ran a hand through his hair adding to his currently unkempt look.
Suddenly, Moira screamed in pain, clutching her belly.
"Miss Moira!" Kitty screamed limping to her side. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, god! Not the baby!" Moira said convulsing once again before passing out from the pain.
Trask knew the risk he was taking by letting them take Moira MacTaggert away. Once MacTaggert stopped receiving the serum that he was creating, it would not take too long for the woman to start experiencing the pain. He smiled cruelly before rearranging his face into something more benign and fatherly. He had to break eggs in order to create something beautiful.
He picked up the phone.
"Cordelia, could you please call Lawrence and Tanya? Tell them that their father would like to speak with them," he said pleasantly. In his head, he played out the his plans to cure his children and win back their mother and his wife. Surely, Abigail would take him back once he cured his own children of the terrible disease they labored under.
Hank leapt to his feet easily picked Moira up, running to the lab to check on her and the baby. He started shooting Erik questions as he went about trying to assess what was wrong.
"How long have you been sleeping with her?" Hank didn't bother glaring at Erik who was fast on his heels.
"We only slept together once," Erik shot back. He knew Charles could hear everything McCoy was asking him.
"Are you sure?" Hank paused and gave Erik a very stern look.
"Yes, I'm sure," Erik said through gritted teeth.
"Has she been taking her pre-natal vitamins? Does she have any allergies? Are you sure that was only time that you slept with her? What's her blood type? Does she smoke? Does she drink?"
"I don't know if she's been taking care of herself, but knowing her she probably has been taking her vitamins. I don't know if she has any allergies. I slept with her about three months ago," Erik shot back. He shrugged when McCoy fixed him with another look. "It was under...less than ideal circumstances."
You were right Hank. It was Erik who was in the mansion that night three months ago, Charles' voice interjected into Hank and Erik's minds, more than a little bitter.
"How did you get in?" Hank growled finally turning to face Erik. Erik took a step backwards, practically running into Charles.
"Later, Hank," Charles said sternly and lightly pushing Erik away from him. "Find out what's wrong with Moira."
McCoy nodded tersely and went back to examining Moira. He was muttering to himself when Erik felt a small hand slip into his. Startled, Erik looked down to see Kitty Pryde standing there wide-eyed and frightened.
Erik pushed the frown from his face and knelt down beside her, ignoring Charles' curious stares. "I thought Sean was getting you something warmer to wear," he said softly.
Kitty nodded. "They experimented on us down there," she said solemnly. Bobby Drake was laying on the examination table beside Moira, his eyelashes fluttering as if in a deep sleep. "They injected us with various things and took samples of our blood. It hurt," Kitty continued shivering from the memory.
"Do you remember what they injected you with?" Alex asked her also kneeling.
Kitty shook her head. Sean appeared at her side and handed her a sweatshirt and sweatpants.
"Thank you," Kitty said softly not thinking, "Dr. Trask was always yelling at us. Saying something about needing to cure his children."
"Did you say Dr. Trask?" Scott asked and automatically grabbed Kitty's wrist. Kitty, not thinking used her power and Scott's hand went right through her.
"Cool!" Scott said forgetting his question briefly.
"My dear," Charles said wheeling up to the foursome. "Dr. Trask, did you say?" Erik glanced up at Charles, trying to read his mind. Erik felt his rage begin to boil again. This man, this doctor had experimented on children and had done somethingto Moira.
"Yes," Kitty said solemnly. Charles' expression darkened considerably and a tense hush fell in the room.
"What do you know of Trask?" Erik asked tersely and standing up.
"He was the one who ran the orphanage that I was in," Scott offered, looking up at Erik.
"And obviously, he was the one who ran that lab down in Georgia," Alex said.
"What do you know of him?" Charles asked finally looking at Erik.
"He was the one who broke into my room, three months ago," Erik said through gritted teeth. "He seemed to want to 'recruit' me for something."
"Yeah, that's how he convinced me," Logan said standing off a little bit away. "Said he could help me recover my memories. Fucking bastard, I should have never believed him. How many other mutants did he con with that lie?"
"There's more of us?" Kitty pipped up. Erik did not miss the hint of hope in her eyes.
"Yes, my dear, there are," Charles said, smiling gently. "And it seems that they all have different types of abilities too."
"Really?" Kitty said, her eyes still wide.
"Yes, really," Charles said still smiling at her. He then refocused his attention back to Hank who was still working on Moira. "Sean, would you be kind enough to show our new guests where they will be staying? We'll have to send you out for clothing and other supplies later on, yes?"
"Yes, Professor," Sean said taking the hint. "Come on, Miss Kitty," Sean said playfully. "You can't be standing around here all day. Besides you must be hungry. You too, Mr. Logan," he said.
"Just Logan," he growled.
"Of course," Sean said not missing a beat. "Come on, let me see what I can cook for you."
"We'd better go too," Alex said, nudging Scott. "Who knows, Sean might accidentally kill them with his cooking."
"I heard that!" Sean called back. Erik appreciated the effort Sean and Alex were making, though he knew that the boys, No young men,would be taking Erik aside for a chat.
Alex merely rolled his eyes and followed leaving Erik and Charles with Moira and Hank.
Reviews are nice, but not completely necessary for my emotional well being.