Hi guys another chapter is here :) I think you know the drill by now. Anything you don't recognise belongs to me - mostly my OC Caroline. Anything else belongs to their respective owners. Constructive criticism and reviews are welcome - flames will be doused by Erik. Now on with the show!
X-Men: The Imperfect Angel Saga – Part Two: Second Chances
Chapter Ten: Time Crawls By…
Caroline's POV
As we walked towards the Danger Room I started to tap out a rhythm with my fingers – and the closer we got to the room, the more intense the rhythm became. Yet I stopped suddenly when I felt observed, before stuffing my hand in my pocket.
"Why did you stop?" Erik asked gently.
"I felt observed, and I thought it was annoying people – so I forced myself to stop." I said monotonously. Yet my hand still wanted to tap out the rhythm – it was the only other way I knew how to regulate my brain and my emotions. I was worried that if I didn't begin tapping out the rhythm again I would have another meltdown.
"If you need to tap your fingers it's ok – I won't judge you." Erik said quietly as he gave my hand a squeeze. And so with a small smile I resumed my tapping, all the while Erik had a smile on his face – at least I think he did since he was still wearing his mask. I wonder if he would ever grow comfortable enough to not wear his mask when around us - after all I didn't mind his deformity at all. Yet how could I get him to understand it was safe for him not to wear the mask? That I wanted to see him – all of him. I had to suppress a sigh when I realised there was no way I could persuade him to drop the mask – especially since I myself wore one; albeit an invisible one. It was at that moment I vowed I would gain his trust each and every day, until the day when he decides he is comfortable enough to not wear the mask except in public. Eventually we arrived at the Danger Room and the tapping became more intense with a definite rhythm to it. It sounded like one of the songs we sang together whilst in the Phantom's world. It was like when I wasn't focusing on anything in particular I could hear the music. I then found myself mumbling under my breath: I can taste it,
I have heard the music and embraced it. I then realised Erik and the Professor were waiting for my attention, and so I forced myself to stop tapping and not to mumble the familiar lyrics under my breath – despite it causing great difficulty to do so. As we entered the Danger Room I immediately felt myself tense up as I grew to realise what was about to occur.
"Ok, so today we are going to try and get you used to the feeling of your mind being penetrated by my powers. All while you are using two powers at once. You can use any two powers you desire." The Professor explained concisely. I subtly looked across at Caroline to see her tapping her fingers again in a rhythmic pattern.
"Caroline….is there anything I can do to help?" I asked gently. Yet she didn't respond but instead her tapping became more intense in nature. Was this the beginnings of the shutdowns the Professor talked about this morning?
"Professor – is it possible she is going through a shutdown? It appears we can't get through to her." I asked curiously.
"It is possible – although without having witnessed one in her before I am not sure for certain." The Professor replied concisely. Yet she spoke moments before so what changed? Was it being in the Danger Room that caused her to become mute?
"Maybe we should reschedule this lesson for another day, when she is less anxious and stressed out." I said quietly. Yet suddenly I stepped back as Caroline became surrounded by lightning and fire.
"Professor what do we do?" I asked quickly, worried for our safety as well as Caroline's safety.
"I am going to try and penetrate her mind – see how she takes to it. But I want you to keep an eye on her – and if it appears to be too much for her I want you to firmly squeeze my hand twice. That is the signal telling me to stop penetrating her mind." The Professor replied concisely, to which I watched as he placed two fingers against his right temple and closing his eyes. At first Caroline didn't seem to react and I saw The Professor's eyes furrow slightly as the look of concentration on his face intensified. I grew nervous as I waited for the moment Caroline's expression changes to one of pain and terror. As the minutes crept by, I mumbled under my breath:
"Time crawls by…." But why was I feeling like this? Why was I so worried about Caroline's wellbeing and emotional state? Suddenly I felt the room grow hotter and I saw the lightning grow in intensity. I quickly squeezed The Professor's hand twice as I quickly realised Caroline's powers were once again growing out of control. Soon enough The Professor's face relaxed, as he stopped penetrating her mind. Yet even though he stopped penetrating her mind, Caroline's powers were still growing in intensity.
"Professor what do we do? I didn't think she was going to react with such intensity." I said quickly.
"I'm not sure…..maybe you should try singing to her again like you did this morning when she was in the throes of her nightmare." He replied hesitantly. But what should I sing? What was the right song for the moment? I then remembered the words I mumbled just moments before.
The day starts
The day ends
Time crawls by
Night steals in
Pacing the floor
The moments creep
Yet I can't bear to sleep
Till I hear you sing
At first there was no sign of a reaction as her powers once again grew in intensity. I faltered for a moment as the heat grew in intensity again.
And weeks pass
And months pass
Seasons fly
Still you don't walk through the door
And in a haze, I count the silent days
Till I hear you sing once more
Was I starting to accept the feelings and emotions I was experiencing? Have I come to accept I possibly love this beautiful quirky girl in front of me?
And sometimes at night time
I dream that you are there
But wake, holding nothing but the empty air
But what kind of love was I feeling for her? That was the one thing I couldn't quite grasp – was it love for a sibling or was it something more?
And years come
And years go
Time runs dry
Still I ache down to the core
My broken soul can't be alive and whole
Till I hear you sing once more
It was then I noticed that my music and my voice were possibly starting to have an effect on her. Yet the lightning and the fire were still too intense for us to get too close to her.
And music, your music
It teases at my ear
I turn and it fades away and you're not here
Let hopes pass
Let dreams pass
Let them die
Without you what are they for?
I always feel no more than halfway real
Till I hear you sing once more
Yet again my thoughts drifted back to the day I almost lost her – and how I would feel if I ever did lose her. If I lost her I wouldn't know what to do with myself as she is my entire world – and I would do anything to protect her. When I looked at her again her powers were still too intense for us to get too close – so what do we do now?
"For a moment I thought my voice was working – but it appears it hasn't worked this time. I am not sure what else we can do for her." I said sadly. I so desperately wanted to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be ok – but I couldn't do so without getting seriously hurt in the process. I knew if she unwittingly hurt or harmed me she would be beside herself with guilt, and that she wouldn't be able to live with herself either.
"Is there anything we can do for her?" I asked sadly as I continued to look at her worryingly.
"There is one more thing we can try – but it may be risky."
"What is it? Tell me what we have to do to save her." I pleaded.
"We have a mutant with the power to absorb powers, but she also can absorb a person's energy in the process."
"We have to try – we have no other choice." I replied quickly, before The Professor contacted the mutant telepathically to come to the Danger Room. Soon after a young woman came in with brown hair and a white streak running through it.
"Ah Rogue – we need your assistance. We've tried everything and feel you are last hope in getting Caroline to calm down." The Professor explained concisely.
"What do you want me to do?" She asked quietly.
"I would like you to try and absorb some of her power. I just hope you don't get hurt – it appears she is a pretty powerful mutant." With a nod I watched as Rogue slowly approached Caroline – still surrounded by fire and lightning. Yet somehow Rogue managed to reach her and touch her arm. Yet the moment Rogue touched Caroline's arm, the lightning and fire increased in intensity and knocked Rogue into the wall.
"I am not sure what else we can do for her. After all she managed to knock Rogue out – so I am not sure who else could get anywhere near her." The Professor said sadly.
"Could Storm absorb some of the lightning?" I asked curiously.
"That is a possibility – but there is still the fire to worry about. And since Pyro left - he was the only one who might have stood a chance against the fire element of her powers." The Professor replied concisely. And so I watched as he summoned Storm to the Danger Room.
"What can I do for you Professor?" She asked curiously.
"Can you try and absorb some of the lightning surrounding Caroline please? Once you've done that I want to try penetrating her mind again."
"Are you sure that is a good idea? She didn't react well to it before." I said warily.
"I don't think we have a lot of choice – especially since she doesn't seem to have full control of her powers yet. Also I don't know the full extent of her powers yet." The Professor replied matter of factly. With a nod I allowed Storm to absorb some of the lightning surrounding Caroline. As soon as some of the lightning vanished I watched closely as The Professor tried penetrating her mind again. I breathed a sigh of relief as the fire surrounding her started dying down. Yet I ran towards her when I saw her swaying slightly before keeling over.
"Is she ok?" The Professor asked curiously.
"I think she expended a lot of mental energy. Also I wonder if the reason why she shutdown was because of what happened at Alkali Lake." I said quietly.
"That is a possibility. After all she reacted pretty badly to what happened, and she also must have expended a lot of mental energy making the X-Jet fly again." The Professor replied concisely. With a nod of thanks I lifted Caroline off the ground before carrying her out of the Danger Room and in the direction of her bedroom. After laying her down under the covers I left her alone to rest and recover. I then decided to look for a book in the library and spend some time reading whilst sitting beside her bed in case she woke up or had a nightmare. As I read my thoughts kept drifting back to that day at Alkali Lake. Was there anything I could have done to prevented this? Was there anything I could have done to help her feel less pain? Yet nothing came to mind and I found myself unable to focus on the words in front of me. As I experienced such tumultuous thoughts, Caroline remained peacefully asleep in her bed – not once did she stir or be plagued by nightmares. Will she ever wake up again? Or will she remain forever in this comatose-like state…?
