NOVEL NEXT Chapter 050 – Patience
[2009 – June]
A short message to the Professor confirmed that he was in his office and had time for us, so I didn't hesitate as I lead the way to meet him.
Clarice had gone back for the moment, while Emma followed behind myself and Jean, causing quite the surprise in some of the students we passed.
Knocking on the door of Xavier's office, we entered after hearing Charles calling us in.
"Jean, Elijah, what can I d- … Emma? I didn't expect to see you here too. How unexpected.", Charles's exclaimed a bit startled, and judging by the tone of his voice, I knew that he wasn't very happy to see her.
A manipulator such as him, would never be comfortable, being in the presence of those he could not manipulate and Emma certainly fell into that category for Charles.
“Hello Charles, I am just here to make the transfer easier.”, Emma voiced out calmly, causing the bald telepath's eyebrows to shoot up in surprise.
…
A foreboding feeling bloomed in Xavier's heart, as he registered his former student's words.
“What transfer?”, he asked calmly, but it wasn't Emma that answered her question.
“Mine.”, Jean voiced out, anger and betrayal clear in her eyes.
“I am afraid, I don't understand the meaning of this.”, he voiced out calmly, as his gaze couldn't help but turn towards the only other male in the room.
"You shouldn't have tried to manipulate me into helping you invade Jean's mind, Professor.", Elijah stated calmly, as the aged telepath saw the suppressed desire for violence in his eyes.
Frowning, Charles answered while trying to salvage the rapidly devolving situation: "Jean, this was for your own good. You weren't able to control your power. You hurt people, remember? I did this for you."
…
Strengthening my grip on Jean's hand, I took half a step forward and blocked the Professor's sight of Jean as I addressed him, wrath boiling inside my heart.
"Your intentions hardly matter at this point, Professor. Care, love, trust. You betrayed all that when you tried to gain access to her mind without her consent.", I stated with forced calm.
"That is-", Charles voiced out, probably trying to defend his actions but Emma cut him off.
"Charles, your students have the right to leave your school at any time and Jean has already agreed to attend the Massachusetts Academy. Even with her being underaged and you being her legal guardian, it will not change anything about the outcome of this situation. Unless you want to make a big deal out of this and force me to release the information to the public that you used your powers against your own students.", Emma stated icily.
A whole mix of emotions went over the Professor's face. Shock, anger, bitterness, guilt, and helplessness among them, before he schooled his expression and questions calmly: "Is that a threat, Emma?"
“It is.”, she answered unflinchingly.
…
At this point, it wasn't about losing or winning anymore for Xavier, it was about patience.
It was a simple fact that he wouldn't be able to keep Jean and Elijah from leaving, especially with the latter not really being a student in the first place.
The only two options he had left, were letting them go or inciting a violent conflict by trying to detain them with the help of his X-Men. And truthfully their chances of succeeding weren't that great.
Fighting three Omega-level mutants, one with incredible experience, the other with unbelievable power, and the last one being mostly a mystery, was simply a very bad idea.
Elijah's power itself made it impossible for Charles to play any significant role in this fight, not to mention Jean's incredible offensive power.
He had to let them go for now and reevaluate his plans while thinking about the changes Jean's absence made. And what the consequences of her standing on Emma's side were.
His shaky alliance with Emma still had to be kept intact for now, as the mutant race really couldn't afford any infighting. Emma's threat also wasn't an empty one, of that he was sure off.
Their situation as a whole also being too unstable, with more and more voices popping up among the political landscape to enforce a Mutant Registration Act, he knew that he had to keep the peace between Emma and him.
Charles knew for the greater benefit of mutantkind, they could not let such a bill pass. Much less having internal strife at such times.
Thankfully, over the long years of his life, if there was one thing he had learned then that was to be patient.
…
A few short moments of tense silence passed, as the Professor's gaze moved over the three of us and finally settled on Jean before he let out a quiet sigh and voiced out: "I see that you have all made up your mind, so I won't try and convince you to change it. But I hope you believe me when I tell you that I only ever did this to protect you, Jean. And maybe some time in the fut-"
“I don't.”, Jean's quiet voice echoed in the room, interrupting Xavier, as she stepped beside me and locked gazes with the old telepath.
A pinkish portal appeared next to us as Emma said: "Well with that said, goodbye Charles. Until next time."
A perfectly polite smile on her face, she stepped through the portal.
I stayed with Jean for a moment longer, knowing that she still had something to say, considering her fixed stare at the Professor. And when flames erupted from her form the next moment, I knew that I had been right.
…
Looking at the old man that had been like a father to her for nearly ten years, anger born from pain and betrayal rushed through her veins, accompanied by fire.
Mentally guiding it, Jean let the fire pour out of her body and surrounded her whole body in a mantle of flames, as she voiced out angrily: "Every rule you made me promise to keep when using my power, you broke. Everything you told me about right and wrong, you ignored."
"I thought … ", Jean started but was unable to continue, as tears welled up in her eyes before suddenly Elijah's arm wrapped itself around her.
His presence and love giving her strength, she ended quietly: “I thought you were my family and that this place was my home. But I was wrong.”
Turning away, she grabbed Elijah's hand as they followed Emma's example and vanished through the portal.