[Author's Note: oops I have one more in this bunch, now though I really am going to go to sleep.
X-men Characters in this chapter: Sabertooth (), Wolverine (Logan), Nightcrawler (Kurt), Multiple (Jamie), StormFireGirl's character Bio-hazard (A.J.), and of course my characters Marcus Preed, and Panther (Emery)
PS - Triple C stands for Confrontation, Conflict, and Confusion]
Halfway down the driveway to the cabin, Wolverine was sniffing the air. He growled and slammed on the breaks. Before the others could react, he was out of the vehicle and racing towards the woods.
"Where does he think he's going?" Multiple asked.
"No clue," Bio-hazard responded.
"He's here! He's here! No, no, no, no. This is too soon. She's not ready. She isn't ready."
Panther came stumbling into the kitchen, one hand on her forehead.
"I don't feel so good."
Marcus looked at her. 'Shit, I forgot to put the collar back on her,' he thought. "Emery, why don't you sit down?"
"Nn." She let him guide her to a seat at the table. He began to rub at her neck. She began to purr. He used his powers to levitate the collar off of the counter and within his grasp. As quickly as he could, he moved to refasten the collar around her neck. He wasn't fast enough. Emery expanded a bubble from her body instantaneously, knocking him backwards, and sending the collar tumbling across the floor. He caught himself mid fall and dispelled her bubble. She turned to look at him.
"Why would you even try such a thing?" she glared at him. "I can hear you," she said standing up. "I can feel you. In fact, I know exactly what your plans are for me. I won't be part of them. I won't be a part of anyone's plans: never again."
"Emery."
"No!" A whip of plasma shot out and nailed him in the chest. "I know I'm dangerous! I know I don't have much control over my powers, but you cannot use me to bait another person, you cannot use me to murder another person: regardless of the amount of wrong-doings a person has done. You cannot use me at all!" She shot goo at him, some of which he dodged, some of which clamped onto his clothes and skin.
"We should follow him. Maybe he decided just to go the rest of the way on foot to get more of a surprise on Marcus," Multiple suggested.
"Good idea Jamie, let's go," Bio-hazard said getting out of the car, Multiple and Nightcrawler not far behind her. They snuck quickly up the rest of the drive and stuttered to a stop when they reached the yard. Wolverine and Sabertooth were rolling around, teeth bared and fists swinging.
"Vhat is he doing here?" Kurt complained, confused.
"What are we going to do? I was kinda banking on Wolverine to distract Marcus since he's the one that knows Marcus best," Bio-hazard mumbled. "With him focused on Sabertooth, how do you expect us to beat Marcus?"
"Vith Emery's help."
The three of them snuck over to the cabin and peaked in through the front window. When Kurt's eyes landed on Emery and Marcus fighting each other he called out her name.
Emery pulled the collar with her mental powers and flung it at Marcus. Marcus pushed back. The collar floated shakily between the two of them as their powers clashed.
"Emery!" they heard from outside. It was Kurt. Kurt was outside. He was here. No. No, no, no. He'd get hurt. Marcus' powers began bowing to hers as her pressed harder. The collar inched closer to Marcus' neck. Marcus flung out a disc of plasma at the window where the voice came from. In doing so he lost focus and the collar moved within a foot of his neck. 'Shit,' he swore mentally.
"You. Will. Not. Harm. Him," Emery forced out as she pushed against Marcus' powers. All of her focus was back on Marcus, and all of his was back on her. Their minds became locked together, emotions and memories floating back and forth between them.
Nightcrawler and the others watched in awe as Emery slowly inched the dispelling collar towards Marcus' neck. If she could just get that around his neck, they would be able to rescue Emery and deal with Marcus really easily. He wanted her to come home.
Marcus was losing the struggle; he could feel it. He'd absolutely underestimated her ability. Even if she wasn't able to control it as well as he could control his, hers was still more powerful it seemed. There was only one thing left for him to do to twist things back into his favor. He shot a tiny little spark into her brain. He had just enough time to get the spark where he needed it to go before he lost control.
After an intense struggle, one which was invisible except for the purple sparks flying around the room, the collar snapped around Marcus' teleported into the room without a second of hesitation and punched Marcus in the face. Almost immediately following the punch, Nightcrawler's left hand was gripping Marcus' throat.
"Vhy did you take her und vhat did you do to her?"
Marcus' crossed arms and tightened fists flew upward in one swift motion, knocking Nightcrawler's hand away from his throat. Marcus tucked and rolled to the side before spinning and bolting for the exit. Panther raised her hand and the doorway suddenly had an invisible wall there, recognizable only by it's faint purple glow. Kurt teleported to the doorway, causing both he and Marcus to run face first into Panther's invisible wall.
"Ow! Em!" Kurt complained.
"Sorry," she said, but she wasn't. The wall of plasma peeled down and wrapped itself around Marcus, who struggled greatly, but ultimately failed . He was cocooned in plasma, deprived of all his mental abilities and most of his motor functions.
"That seemed way too easy," Bio-hazard said, coming into the house through the door. Multiple followed in her footsteps.
"Hey don't knock it," Multiple said. "Something'll go wrong if you do."
Nightcrawler teleported Marcus back to the vehicle and waited until Bio-hazard and Multiple arrived.
"Where's Emery?"
"Uh," Bio-hazard shifted uncomfortably. "She said she's not coming back to the mansion."
"Vhat?" Nightcrawler asked confused.
"She said she had to go somewhere first."
Marcus laughed.
Nightcrawler smacked him upside the head. "Vhat is so funny?"
"You will never be able to control her you know. She will never even learn to love you."
"What nonsense are you spouting now?" Bio-hazard asked rudely.
"She's a loner. She will always be a loner. Did you know everyone in her high-school shunned her after she developed her mutant abilities and physical attributes? Did you know that she's still in love with her first and only boyfriend?"
"I'm her boyfriend," Nightcrawler growled.
"Not in her mind. In her mind, she's still head over heels about Chet, her high-school sweetheart. At least until he betrayed her and left her all alone in that school. She's dark inside. All she wants is for Chet to tell her he's sorry and that he'll never leave her on her own again."
"You don't know vhat you're talking about."
Marcus laughed again. "I've been in her mind. I know every inch of her past, as well as all the emotions and thoughts that go along with it. I know what's happened between you and her and I know what's happened between her and Chet. And let me tell you, he got a lot farther than you."
Bio-hazard slapped duct tape over Marcus' mouth. He laughed quietly to himself.
"Don't listen to a word he says Kurt. He's just trying to rile you up."
"But vhat if it's true."
"Go talk to Emery before she leaves his house. I'll go get Wolverine, if he's still here... Jamie you stay here and watch him. In fact, Logan's got some rope in the back, why don't you tie him up nice and tight, just in case Emery's thingy disappears."
"Sounds like a plan," Multiple winked at her. She blushed a little before exiting the vehicle.
When Kurt teleported back to the house, Emery was just leaving.
"Vhere are you planning on going?" he asked softly.
She stopped in her tracks. Slowly, she lifted her head up and looked at Kurt.
"There is someone I need to pay a visit to."
"Chet?"
Emery's eyes widened in surprise, for he had actually guessed who she was planning on going to see. She sat down on the step she was standing on.
"Yes, Kurt. I'm going to see Chet."
"Vhy?"
"It's just something I have to do."
Kurt tried to take steps towards her but she held up her hand.
"Please Kurt, don't come any closer. A lot of things have happened within my brain in the last several weeks and I need both time and space to straighten things out."
"Vill you come back?"
"I don't have anywhere else to go."
"Vould you come back if you did?"
"I don't know."
They stayed there in silence for a few minutes, both of their eyes on the ground.
"Do you love him?" Kurt asked softly.
"Yes."
Kurt's heart clenched. So Marcus had been telling the truth?
"Did you... did you ever...?"
"He was my boyfriend back when I was a normal teenager Kurt."
"That doesn't mean you..."
"But I did. Frequently."
Kurt frowned. At least she was being brutally honest with him.
"Is that vhy you feel like you love him?"
"Love isn't something you can reason with, Kurt."
"But you love him."
"I told you I did."
"Then vhy did you let me believe you vere interested in me?"
"Because I am."
"You can't love both of us."
"I know!" she exclaimed, frustrated. She stood up and started walking away.
"Em, please, don't go."
"Don't call me Em," she turned around to fling her words at him. She continued to walk away.
"I love you! And I still vill vhen you are ready to come home," he called after her.
She stopped once again, long enough to turn and look at him.
"I know. But I have to go."
[Author's Note: Don't hate me! *hides* I have a really good reason for doing this.]