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Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
 
 
 

Betrayal - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Valerie Jones
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 13

Charles Xavier woke with a start. He had been dozing, chin propped in hand. Rogue glanced up at him. Her eyes were reddened and puffy from lack of sleep.

*Not even the proverbial wild horses,* he thought as he looked at her. She was at least taking this better than Gambit's kiss-induced coma earlier that year, though that was unsurprising. She sat next to the bed with Gambit's hand wrapped in her two, and simply waited.

Charles rubbed the back of his neck, trying to work the kinks out. The clock on the wall read a few minutes after ten. It was morning again, three days after Gambit's collapse.

"Rogue, you really ought to get some sleep," he told her. "You can bring a couch in here if you want. I don't think Henry would mind, and I certainly don't."

She smiled wanly. "Thanks, Professuh. But ah think ah'd rather just--" She broke off, eyes narrowing. "Ya got some nerve, comin' in here," she said to the woman who had just entered the room.

Charles sighed inwardly. He had felt Psylocke approaching. Now she stood in the doorway, leaning heavily on Archangel. One silvered wing was wrapped protectively around her.

"You should not be out of bed, Elizabeth." She had been conscious for nearly a day, but was still recouperating. *And you cerainly shouldn't be *here**. But he kept that thought to himself. At the moment, she was avoiding telepathic contact, which he was inclined to agree with for the sake of her mental health.

Elizabeth glanced at the figure on the bed, eyes shadowed. "I just wanted to tell you that you can go in a little ways-- without doing any damage." She looked down at the floor, and Charles could feel the hot bite of her shame. "His defenses will slam into place, but you can at least make contact."

"You *knew* he was a telepath?" Charles couldn't help the accusation in his tone.

"I. . . . suspected." She continued to stare at the floor.

"Y'all *suspected*?! An' ya just *attacked* him? Ya couldn'ta *said* somethin' first an' given him a chance ta explain?" Rogue was airborn, hovering a few feet off of the floor. Her hands were balled into fists, and she looked very ready for a fight.

Betsy looked up at her and then quickly away. Her silence was answer enough. Warren's wings were partially unfurled in the tight space, and Charles could see the gleaming tips of flechettes ready to launch. And there *he* was, sitting squarely in the middle of it all, which was probably why the situation had not yet dissolved into violence.

"Rogue! Warren! I want you both to calm down, understood?" He pinned each of them in turn with his sternest professorial stare. The silver wings twitched, lowered a fraction. Rogue shifted midair to a postition that made her look like she was a little less ready to leap forward. It wasn't much, but Charles supposed it would have to do.

"Now, Elizabeth, please explain yourself." All eyes turned toward the bent head.

She did not look up. "It was just after-- after Israel." Rogue's eyes widened at the reference. "When Gambit first woke up. He was hardly conscious-- just staggering through the house looking for Rogue. I felt his presence just before he destroyed the door to the danger room, but at that instant I didn't know it was him. I felt desperation, and pain and fear, but also something much darker-- colder.

"Several hours later, while he was sleeping, I . . . probed him." She winced as if she could feel Charles' anger at her admission. "There was something very dark inside him, Charles. I don't know what, but it was obvious from his mindscape. That was about when he noticed me, so I withdrew. I never tried to enter his mind again.

"But with everything that has happened recently, I thought it was too important to know the truth. I'm sorry."

"The *truth*!" Rogue was up in arms again. "Was it worth his life?"

"Was it worth his love?" Elizabeth retorted. She stared directly at Rogue. "That's why you broke up, isn't it? Because he wouldn't tell you the truth?"

Rogue jerked as if she'd been shot. The two women stared at each other in angry silence.

"Elizabeth, you should return to bed." Charles stated it as a request, but it was clearly an order. "We can talk more later." It would be wise to separate Psylocke and Rogue before the argument escalated. They would only hurt each other further. And if Gambit was at all sensitive to what was going on around him, he didn't need that either.

Warren urged Betsy out into the hall, talking quietly to her. She seemed willing enough to go with him. When they were gone, Rogue sank to the floor. Her boot heels clicked hollowly on the metal floor as she landed. Charles could tell she was trying not to cry.

He sent out a mental call, and was immediately answered. A few minutes later, Logan walked in.

"C'mon, darlin'." He caught Rogue's elbow, and gently tried to draw her toward the door. "You need some fresh air."

She shook her head stubbornly and resisted his pull. "Ah ain't goin' t' leave him, Logan."

"Who said anything `bout leavin'? We'll just go sit out on the porch for a while. Chuck here'll call ya if anything changes. Fast as you c'n fly, you'll be here in a couple a seconds."

Rogue was unconvinced.

"Rogue, you are highly distraught." Charles knew this was something of a low blow, but probably the only thing that might work. "If Remy were to wake right now, that would probably upset him, and that is the last thing he needs. The best thing you can do for him right now is to go with Logan. Get some food, some rest--" He smiled. "And some fresh air."

He could see her resistance wilting. With a last look at Gambit, she allowed Logan to escort her from the room.

Charles allowed himself a drawn-out sigh. As soon as Jean arrived, he would try to contact Gambit. The monitor by the bed showed Remy's brainwave pattern to be strong, if irregular. He simply hadn't been willing to take the risk before. But with Elizabeth's experiences in mind, it seemed that a careful probe might be successful. He forcefully suppressed his anger at her actions. That was something he would have to deal with later. Gambit would need him to be as calm, and as gentle, as possible.

 

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