Please enjoy!
Chapter 64
Charles Xavier, followed closely behind by his most senior instructors, made their way towards the kitchen. From the hallway, there was a pleasant scent of tomatoes and basil emanating from their destination. It seemed someone was cooking.
"I'm rather famished, now that I've considered it. I do hope there is plenty to go around. The aroma is quite enticing," Hank mumbled, mostly to himself.
Ororo managed to catch his eyes for a brief moment, he felt a mix of frustration, displeasure, and concern from her. It seemed she wasn't in the mood for pleasantries and appeared almost angry at Hank for being delighted at the mere concept of lunch. This wouldn't do. It wasn't the first time today she had been irritated on his behalf. That wouldn't help anyone, least of all him. And certainly not Anna-Marie, who required his support more than ever.
"It does smell good," Charles agreed aloud as he gave Ororo a half smile. Her stern expression dropped, finally, as she allowed herself to return his smile. He felt the urge to speak with her telepathically but restrained himself. Ororo was upset by the lies Rogue had told. It would take time to convince her that the fault was his and not Anna-Marie's.
'Perhaps, her anger would dissipate after Anna-Marie and I finally finished our conversation,' he thought as Logan moved ahead of them to open the kitchen door. "Thank you, Logan," he said as he entered the kitchen. He would speak with her later, he decided, to ensure the matter was set right.
Glancing up, Charles saw Magnus standing in front of the stove, adding seasoning to a large soup pot. Anna-Marie, he saw, sat crossed-legged on the kitchen window seat. Her eyes were closed and the palms of her hands rested upwards upon each of her knees. She appeared to be meditating.
Charles took a deep breath as he readied himself to engage his old friend and his wife. However, he was caught off guard when Hank spoke first.
"I almost die for food and let me have it," he exclaimed gallantly. A chuckle escaped Magneto as he turned to look at the group.
"Sit down and feed and welcome to our table," Magnus replied, with a smirk as he gestured towards the table with his hand.
'A quote, it must be,' he thought to himself as he and Ororo actually did make their way toward the table. This time, he felt annoyance from Ororo as he took an empty spot and she sat across from him, her back turned away from the pair. Logan went to the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of soda, and extended one of his claws to pop the top off.
"Speak you so gently? Pardon me, I pray thee," Hank said as Magnus continued to chuckle.
"At this rate, Hank, you'll have me revisiting the classics," he stated as Logan joined them at the table, sitting next to Hank.
"As you like it," Hank grinned, his voice thick with amusement.
Charles was dumbfounded as he watched Magnus lean over letting out a rather loud and hearty laugh. He didn't quite get the joke himself and in his confusion felt the desire to seek context. He opened his mouth to speak and then promptly shut it again. The joke mattered little and he needed practice at feeling ill at ease. Perhaps, it would be best to start with small insignificant distresses and work his way up to dealing with the larger issues- whatever those may be.
With a nod to himself, he had made up his mind and allowed himself to stew in his discomfort.
"Charles," Magneto said, as his eyes shifted to his, with a pleasant smile.
"Magnus," Charlee greeted with a nod. Magneto's friendly look dropped from his features, replaced with a more serious expression.
"It's Max, actually," Magneto said. Wait, he had heard that name associated with Magneto before.
'Yes, Anna-Marie call him Max when they were fleeing from the Sentinels,' he recalled. He really had meant to gain clarity on the contents of Magneto's other memories. The more he considered it, the less he understood. He felt the urge to ask what his and Rogue's last name were. However, he thought better of it, knowing the debate such a statement would spark. Better to let them explain in their own time. "And your last name?" he asked instead.
"Eisenhardt," he answered easily. "Anna-Marie will explain more. However, she and I discussed it and felt we should start, at the very least, with our given names," he said.
"Yes, I agree. And thank you," Charles said.
"Why give Charles a false name in the first place?" Ororo asked, her tone irate. Charles looked to Ororo, his expression pleading for her to calm her anger. Magneto gave him an apologetic glance as he seemed to prepare himself to respond.
"Oh," Hank exclaimed. "Was Erik the name you gave the CIA, perhaps?" he asked curiously.
"It was, indeed," he answered, looking relieved at Hank's intervention.
"Did the CIA assist you in gaining your citizenship or did you have it prior to working with Control?" Hank pried further.
"American naturalization was part of our arrangement," he answered as turned back to the soup pot.
"Fascinating," Hank commented thoughtfully.
'But not relevant at the moment,' Charles thought as he waited for the exchange to finish. The timing had deterred Ororo, but he needed to redirect the conversation back to the topic at hand. He would wait for the right opportunity to do so.
"Ah, if I could hazard a guess, I might imagine you'd have presumed your citizenship would have been denied had the CIA been aware you had employed an alias," Hank guessed.
"It wasn't worth the risk," Magneto confirmed as he used his powers to lift a large metal spoon to his hand, which he used to stir the contents of the pot.
"This was all prior to Isabella's tragic murder, I assume?" he asked.
"Obviously, Hank," he answered bluntly. Even his old friend was growing tired of Hank's queries. Or perhaps, it was just the subject of the question that caused his ire.
"Apologies," Hank said quickly. Magneto waved his hand almost dismissively. "Still, I'm amazed that it wasn't revoked after your understandable falling out with Control," he said, mostly to himself this time. "Unless," he said as his expression lit up with interest. "The government exploited your identification as a means of tracking your location?" he speculated.
"I've been followed by my share of unmarked black vans. Especially, when the twins were younger and Natalya I had made a go of it. The vans kept their distance, as did I," he explained dryly.
"Fascinating," Hank repeated, seemingly satisfied with his line of questioning.
'Finally,' he thought as he took another breath and readied himself to begin.
As Charles opened his mouth to speak, Sage entered the kitchen with the phone in her hand. She was wearing a green hoodie and dark denim jeans, both of which he recognized as Anna-Marie's articles of clothing. Interesting that she wasn't wearing her own attire. He had been told of Sage's rescue from the Hellfire Club. Perhaps she was in need of personal belongings? If so, he would gladly provide his past savior with the funds to purchase any essential items she may require.
"Sage, I-" he said.
"We'll talk, Charles, but not now," Sage dictated as her free hand balled at her side.
'What have I done to earn her anger?' he asked himself before shaking his head. He would be patient. "Very well," he acquiesced. "But should you require anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask," he said. Charles watched as she restrained herself, taking a deep breath.
"I intend to," Sage replied through gritted teeth, as she stared daggers at him, barely holding back her contempt for him.
"I don't know what I've done or perhaps what I didn't do?" he asked, his tone uncertain and questioning. He shook his head before continuing. "Whatever, it may be, I am truly, truly, sorry," he said as earnestly as he could. He watched her shake her head with disbelief and disdain, as Magneto turned towards them to watch the exchange.
"Charles, leave well enough alone for the moment," he counseled.
"Yes, of course," he said, giving Magneto a nod before turning back to Sage. "This will be the last time I mention it until you, Sage, broach the subject yourself. But please know, you're quite welcome here for however long you wish to stay," Charles finished.
He listened to her let out a restrained groan.
"And should accommodations here prove undesirable, the brotherhood manor is also an option for you to consider," Magneto added.
"Thank you," Sage said, her attention solely on Magneto. He replied to her comment with a nod.
"Lunch is almost ready," he added a moment later. "Would you mind retrieving her?" Magneto asked, his head gesturing towards Anna-Marie. She nodded at him. "Thank you." Magneto gave him a sympathetic glance before turning back to his cooking.
It seemed patience and penitence were the order of the day. Charles would have to grow accustomed to both. How long had Rogue waited for him to be ready to continue this conversation? Years, evidently. He could wait a few hours, or even a few days if need be. She had been patient with him. He could extend her the same courtesy.
Hence, he would wait.
Wolverine watched the exchanges between Magneto and Hank and Charles and Sage with mild disinterest. He needed to talk to Rogue himself but the queue was growing.
'What's she doing anyway?' he asked himself. The fact that she hadn't commented since they came into the kitchen, told him her mind was elsewhere. But since she actually had control over her powers and with Lorna now in Bayville, why did she need to meditate at all?
He watched as Sage placed her pointer fingers on both of her temples and closed her eyes. A moment later Rogue's eyes snapped open as she inhaled deeply.
"Any luck?" Sage asked as Rogue pulled her arm up and covered her mouth as she yawed.
"Not yet," Rogue answered.
'Any luck with what?' he asked himself.
"I'm calling Dr. Strange for assistance," Sage declared. A questioning glance crossed Charles's face as he looked at both him and Ororo. She shook her head no and he gave him a shrug. He downed the rest of his soda, wishing he had more whiskey instead.
"He wasn't available to help with Apocalypse. He might not even be on world," Rogue countered.
"You're making excuses," Sage retorted. "Considering, how well your past attempts have gone, I understand your reluctance to ask for help," Sage said as both women gave Charles the side-eye, making it apparent what they were referring to. Wolverine watched Charles take a deep breath as he seemingly dealt with his emotions.
"And with your versatile skill set, dear, you're quite capable of resolving most, if not all, conflicts single-handedly," Magneto added, turning from the stove to look at the two women. "However, just because you don't require aid doesn't mean you should be deprived of it."
'I've been helping her for years, bub,' he thought annoyed, but kept his comment to himself. Rogue briefly made eye contact with him, fixing him with an apologetic look.
"My point exactly," Sage said, drawing Rogue's attention away from him.
"Okay, fair," Rogue relented. "But I didn't wanna bring the Sorcerer Supreme into all this until after we recused Moria," Rogue said.
"Rogue, that plan flew out the window the second Jean was kidnapped and you know it," Sage said which caused Logan to raise an eyebrow.
"Fuck, you're right," Rogue muttered under her breath.
"I thought Jean had been recused," Ororo said, her tone displeased.
"She has been and she's fine," Rogue said strongly. "But there's a complication and the first person I'm gonna explain that complication to is gonna be Jean," Rogue said quickly, shutting down all room for argument.
"Yeah, that's fair," Wolverine said, backing her up. Rogue gave him a brief smile in thanks.
"But Sage is right, I could use some help with this and Stephen's a good man," she said. "Alright," she relented with a sigh as the phone flew from Sage's hand into hers. "I'll formally ask someone, besides Logan, for help," she said. Wolverine let out an appreciative huff at the correction. "This needs to go well," she said nervously.
"You're handling it. So, it will," Magneto said encouragingly. He watched a smile come to her face as she looked up at her husband. She took a deep breath, fully calming herself before she dialed a number on the phone and pressed it to her ear.
"Good afternoon. May I please speak with Dr. Stephen Strange?" she asked.
"You've reached him. Who may I ask is speaking?" Stephen asked.
"My name is Anna-Marie Eisenhardt. I'm also known as Rogue," she answered as Logan watched Ororo's eye flare with confusion and ire. Logan watched as Charles gestured with his hands, asking her to calm herself.
"Yes, they're married. Anna-Marie told me this the first time we spoke. She is not to be blamed for my memory loss," Charles whispered rapidly, attempting to diffuse the situation. A sigh of relief escaped Rogue as a smile came to her face.
"Charles," Ororo objected as Rogue stood and walked over to the other end of the kitchen.
"'Ro, save it for later, alright? She's trying to help Jean. Let her," Wolverine pleaded. Ororo looked furious, as she crossed her arms over her chest, but ceased speaking.
"I have a request," Rogue continued, "that would be better to make in person. Do you have time today to teleport over to Bayville?" she asked.
"I was just in Bayville on Monday," Dr. Strange said.
"Oh," Rogue said surprised as she turned and Logan managed to catch her eye. He watched her eyes dart back and forth before they widened. "Wait, were ya'll investigating the time anomaly from Monday afternoon?" she asked.
"Time anomaly?" Hank repeated curiously before he stood and walked over to one of the drawers.
"I still am," Stephen answered as Hank pulled out a small notepad and pen. Logan watched the expression drop from Rogue's face as Hank returned to the table. Logan watched as he wrote down 'time anomaly' on the notepad.
"Fuck," she mouthed silently before she pinched the bridge of her nose in distress. Logan watched as Magento hurried away from the stove. The metal spoon continued to stir the soup in his absence as he walked up behind Rogue and placed his hands on her shoulders. He gave them a comforting squeeze as he kissed the top of her head.
"Breath," Magneto whispered as Dr. Strange asked, "Did you witness the event?"
Rogue took a moment to take a deep breath and regain her composure.
"No," she answered as her eyes snapped open. "But I have a pretty good idea what happened," she said as she gave Magneto a nod. He gave her another kiss on the head before releasing her shoulders to return to the stove and his task. Rogue began to pace the length of the kitchen as she continued, "You sensed the anomaly, investigated, witnesses informed you someone came out of the portal so you pursued the trail which went dead. And now you're worried some monstrosity made its way into our dimension because of the trace amount of brimstone you found at the end of that trail."
"That's correct," Dr. Strange said.
"The smoke is from the brimstone dimension," Rogue said as Logan watched Hank take notes. "But aside from a little smoke nothing of concern from that plain made it into our universe. My brother Kurt's mutant ability allows him to teleport himself and others through it temporarily. He's there for a tenth of a second and then right back here," she explained. "Azazel is still locked up tight and he'll set foot on this planet again over my dead body," she said firmly.
There was another pause.
"So, what came out of the portal?" he asked.
"My niece, TJ. She's twelve and adorable and I promise you not a threat," Rogue answered.
"Time anomalies can cause ripples that have long-lasting effects on the stability of our universe," he said.
"I know, but not this one. There was no Nexus event and no other universes were involved. This was self-contained and will not cause an incursion," she said firmly as Hank was furiously taking notes on the pad.
"I'd like to be the judge of that," Dr. Strange declared.
"You're welcome to meet her, but she's a kid. So, I'll have to ask you to direct all of your questions to me," she said.
"That won't be a problem. Thank you for your assistance and corporation," he said as Rogue walked up behind Hank and peered down at his notepad.
"Speaking of getting off on the right foot, my husband's making soup. Stephen, you're welcome to join us for lunch," Rogue offered. "Hank, it's spelled N, E, X, U, S," she told him, looking over his shoulder. "I'm gonna explain what all this is," she said.
"I look forward to it," Hank said pleasantly.
She gave him a smile before she added, "Wong's welcome too if he's free."
"Wong," Stephen yelled, though it sounded muffled. Wolverine realized Stephen must be holding the phone to his chest while calling out to this other man. "We've got lunch plans and a possible incursion," he said as he watched Rogue roll her eyes.
"You know what emerged from the time vortex?" another man called out.
"I'll explain on the way," he said.
"Why are we getting lunch first?" he asked.
"We were invited. There's gonna be soup," he answered.
"Oh, what kind of soup?" Wong asked, seemingly interested as Logan heard Stephen taking the phone off of his chest.
"Wong wants to know what kind of soup," Stephen said into the phone. Rogue let out an amused huff at that.
"Tomato basil," Rogue answered before Stephen relayed that information to Wong.
"Nice," Wong responded.
"Yeah, we'll take you up on that," Stephen said.
"Okay then," Rogue said. "We're in the kitchen. Feel free to use the back door," she said.
There was another brief pause before Dr. Strange tentatively asked, "And the address?"
"Stephen, sugar, I promise I will never insult your intelligence. So, please don't insult mine. The X-Men are a public entity composed of superpowered individuals of various strengths. There is no universe in the entirety of the multiverse where the Sorcerer Supreme does not have the Xaiver Instutite's address on their watchlist," she said.
"So, is there anything we can contribute for lunch?" Dr. Strange asked, switching gears.
"Ya know, actually, I think we could use some Italian bread. Would you mind bringing a few loaves?" she asked.
"Yeah, we'll stop by the deli on our way out," Dr. Strange said.
"Great, see ya'll shortly," Rogue said before she hung up and immediately dialed another number.
Logan listened to it ring as his attention was drawn to the door which opened to reveal Scott.
"Logan, you've got a call in the war room," Scott informed him as someone picked up the other end on phone.
"Hey, little brother, I'm gonna come to get you and TJ in a bit. I just need you to be ready, okay?" Rogue asked as Logan stood up.
He turned to address Scott and asked, "who is it?"
"Direct Fury," Scott answered as he and Rogue instantly looked at each other.
"Kurt, give me a second," she said before she walked up to him. "Did you follow up with him?" she asked.
"Yeah, Monday night, after you asked me to," Logan answered.
"Good lord, you were already pissed at me," she said. "Thank you," she said earnestly. "He's returning your call?" she asked.
"We spoke on Monday," Logan said.
"So, this might be an actual update?" she asked a reluctant smile coming to her face.
"I'm gonna go find out," he said.
"Okay, thank you," she said with a nod. "Fuck, today's been busy… but productive," she said with a slight laugh as she turned back to the phone.
"Thanks, Scott," Logan said before he headed out of the room.
Hey, calling it here for now! Slightly short chapter, but the next one is going to be LONG! Now, I just gotta write it.
Sorry for the delay. The end of December/all of January were insane for me. I got a cold, work was crazy, holiday madness, and a slight bout of depression which I've bounced back from.
Anyway, I am back and hope you liked this new chapter! More to come! Please let me know your thoughts!
Speaking of which:
TFranco9: Thank you! So many compliments! I appreciate all of them! I hoped you like this chapter too! So much more to come!
Kirogue: Thank you! Yes, yes is he, lol. Interesting theory about Ororo. Yeah, Charles can't control his own powers and it's always a problem when he can't. I hope you liked this chapter too! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it.
Little Red Dove: Thank you! Thank you so much! Yeah, I held on to that flashback scene for so long it was so much fun to finally post it! I always appreciate your kind words! Thank you very much and hope to hear from you again soon!