AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for hanging in there guys! And thanks a million for all the reviews. Sorry about the cliff hanger, but I really wanted to end it on a sudden note, really drive home the shock. I think I did the same thing here-just maybe not a large of a bomb dropped.

As always, every review is greatly appreciated so please review!

CHAPTER 15

Gideon's POV

After the shocked silence last more than five minutes, I thought I maybe should elaborate on my outburst.

I stepped towards Professor Xavier, a bit unsure. "Sir-I-I-mean no disrespect. But Alex and I-"

"No."

My head snapped towards the sound of Alicia's shaky, furious voice. "No. There is no 'Alex and you'. That shit is unacceptable." She rubbed her temples and began pacing. "You-and-her-and-this is just…" she apparently was having a really hard time wrapping her mind around it. Hell, it was my relationship and I'm having a hard time believing it's really happening.

The Professor looked a bit shell-shocked. Everyone did, to be honest. Professor Storm's eyes darted to behind me. Feeling dread creeping up my spine. I turned slowly. Don't be my father. Don't be my father.

When I turned, I saw Chad's stunned face. "Chad-"

He held up a hand. "Don't." He drew a breath, and it looked like he was really trying to remain calm. "Can I talk to you? In private?" His steely gaze met mine.

I crossed the room as he motioned me over.

"Ok. I'm going to ask the questions, and you're going to answer them. Honestly." He started. I merely nodded, afraid that if I was a smartass it would send him directly to my father.

"Are you really-"

"Yes."

"I see. And how long has this been going on?"

"A few months."

"When did this start?"

"Roughly around the time I pulled her from the alley."

Chad was really quiet after that.

"I guess it's my turn to ask a question." I said. Chad looked at me. "Are you going to tell my father about what you've just learned?"

Chad pondered that. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally answered me. "I don't like having this secret. But you've been my best friend since grade school. So I'll keep it."

I exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

He held up his hand. "Don't thank me yet. I've got this to say. Keeping what I discovered secret is one thing. But do not ask me to be involved. I don't want to hear about her, don't ask me for advice about her, and-although I doubt this would happen-don't for the love of god-bring her around."

It hurt me that I wouldn't be able to share this part of my life, a part that has become a massive part, with my oldest friend. But I could understand where he was coming from. "Alright."

Chad nodded briefly at me then turned and walked out. I watched him go.

Professor's POV

Although it was technically wrong, I listened into Gideon's conversation. This was what Alex had been shielding? I felt like pacing, something that hadn't happened to me for a very long time. I turned it over and over in my mind and came to the conclusion that although I didn't want her dating Gideon Lenshaw- in fact just about ANYONE else would have been better, I had always left it up her to make her own decisions. I suppose my being her father coupled with that fact, had caused her to grow up a bit faster than other teenage girls.

I also watched the twos body language. I had no doubt in my mind that Gideon was worried about his father's reaction. I highly doubted that Magneto would be as calm as I am. The other left and Gideon just watched him go.

I folded my hands in my lap. No one was talking; I assumed that most of us were still processing what we'd just learned.

Storm's POV

I was watching the professor, and I was feeling rather serene about all of this. Reflecting back over the past few months, I wondered when this had all started-and how long it had been going on. Months? YEARS? The latter was almost unthinkable. I didn't care how talented you were in the gifts of the mind, there's no way you could keep this buried for years. Which lead me to believe that this had been going on only a few months.

I tilted my head as I shifted my gaze to the two boys talking, and then flitted around to the faces of our group. Wolverine was shaking slightly, I wondered if he would be able to even stay in the Lenshaw boys' presence. Looking over at Alicia, she sat in a chair, an angry but thoughtful look on her face. Alicia was very practical, but she had a Latin heritage, which came with a fully fleshed temper. She was noted for her ability to stay angry for weeks to months, even. I couldn't remember her and Alex ever being seriously upset with each other thought, which made me wonder how this would affect the friendship.

Wolverine's POV

I was so upset that I could feel myself shaking. I'd had a few minutes to process and come to grips with the situation, and I was still as upset-I hadn't even begun to look at the practical side yet and I had no intention of doing so. Storm and the Professor were the masters of logic. Not me.

I saw the professor watching them, and I looked away. I really didn't know what I was going to say to the boy when he walked back over. I didn't know if I would have the composure to even try to remain civilized.

What could Alex be thinking, dating this boy? Although Gideon wasn't exactly from the ghetto, I thought she could do much better.

Alicia's POV

I was a mess of emotions. I felt like I had been ripped in half. When I looked at it from my perspective, I felt upset and utterly betrayed. But when I thought about it from Alex's perspective, I could totally understand what she did what she did. I didn't think it was right, and I did think she should've at least confided in me, but I got it.

So I kept flipping back and forth trying to decide which I felt more strongly.

Alexandria's POV

I would tell that I was slowly rejoining the world. My body felt weird, it felt off.

It didn't exactly hurt-it was achier more than anything. My mind was too fuzzy to really tell where I was, but I assumed I was still on my bathroom floor. Agk-that can't be good for me.

I began to noticing little things-like how bathroom floors aren't soft. Jolted awake I shot up, and nearly screamed at the pain shooting up my arm. Loud bleeps that were annoying as hell sped up. Shaking the last of the fuzziness from my brain, I took in my surroundings and realized I was in a hospital. The pain in my arm was from the IV I'd damn near ripped from my skin. A nurse came in. "Well well, Miss Xavier, welcome back." She pushed me back onto the pillows, which she quickly rearranged so that I could be propped up. Looking around I fought down panic. Why the hell was I in a hospital? Where was my father? Where was Gideon? Did something happen? Oh my fucking god did I have amnesia?

I struggled to remain calm. I'm a generally calm person by nature but let me tell you waking up in a hospital with no recollection of why you're there and no one you know around, can be pretty disconcerting. I turned to the nurse.

"I'm confused. Why was I brought here? Where is my father? Was there an attack? Is he alright?" I had to stop myself from talking any more unless I wanted to freak myself out.

The nurse gave a small chuckle.

What could she possibly find amusing about this, Mmm? I know I wasn't finding anything to laugh about! She patted my shoulder reassuringly.

"Your father's fine Miss Xavier. He wasn't attacked nor was he ever in any danger."

I relaxed a bit upon hearing this, but my mind was still racing. "Where is he?"

The nurse was changing my IV as she talked. "He's at the White House I would imagine. Visiting hours are over. He was here all day waiting to see if you would wake."

"Today? What time is it? What day is it?"

The nurse started checking off things on a chart. "It's 11:30pm, July 25th 2013, Miss Xavier." She turned and left the room.

Oh my dear lord I had been out for two weeks. Oh my god. Is this what rip van winkle felt like? And I still didn't know why I was in the hospital in the first place!

Professor Xavier's POV

I was being pushed by Storm back to the rooms from a late dinner when I felt Alexandria's mind wake suddenly. I held up my hand. Storm stopped. "What is it Professor?" She asked with a small amount of worry in her voice.

"It's Alexandria." I replied. "Please bring me a phone. She's awake."

Gideon's POV

I stood at my window at the White House. The trip had lasted longer than anyone had originally anticipated, but that was fine by me. It gave me a reason to stay here without raising any questions. I didn't want to leave without seeing Alex. So much had happened-Her family and Chad finding out, mostly. I wore dark jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt with some long forgotten 80s band on it. I think I had worn this outfit for a few days in a row. Still smelled fine though. I could barely think for worrying about Alex. It killed me that I couldn't go and stay at the hospital all day every day like the Professor. Although they knew, I couldn't risk my father asking questions, or worse yet-the media. Alex's collapse had been front page news and she'd be splattered back on the front pages once she woke up. I didn't want Alex waking to a million questions about us.

My mind was whirling. The press couldn't get into the White House to interview the Professor and his group because the White House had been placed on lockdown. I knew that many of the security team thought either me, my father or Mystique had been behind Alexandria's attacks.

As I slid on a black blazer with hopes of disguising the fact that this wasn't the first day I'd worn this outfit, one word kept flitting across my mind. It was the same word that had been whirling around over and over for two weeks. And every time I thought it, it made me so angry that I wanted to throw something-preferably a lethal weapon at Alex's attacker.

Poisoned!