No More Lies
Posted on Thu Dec 14th, 2023 @ 8:45pm by Charles Xavier & Scott Summers & Aurora Summers
Mission:
Episode 3: X-Tra Ecclesiam
Location: X-Mansion
Timeline: August 21, 1990 - Morning after Boston, and the wedding.
Aurora awoke with a smile as she cuddled up to Scott. “Good Morning.” She leant in for a loving kiss before looking at the ring that adorned her finger. “I still can’t believe we actually got married last night! I guess I’ll need to put this safe until after we’ve spoken to Xavier though.” She checked the dressing on her arm. “Looks like I’ll need a dressing change, can you help me?”
Awakened by a kiss, it took Scott a moment to update himself to their circumstances. Their clandestine outing the night before, the cab ride into the city, the ceremony, the... after-party. They'd only known each other for two weeks and now they were married. It felt surreal, like he had stepped into another person and begun living their life.
"Sure," he said, removing his sleep mask and fumbling for his ruby-quartz glasses. "We didn't reopen the wound, did we? Last night, I mean."
“To be honest I’m not sure.” Aurora offered a wry smile. “If we did it was worth it! I really enjoyed our wedding night activities last night.” Removing the old bandage from her right arm, she reached for some spare gauze and a bandage which she’d picked up just incase the wound needed cleaning. “Looks like we did reopen it, but it’ll be okay.”
"I'll just have to wrap it tighter." Scott gave it a quick once over. "It's clean though. Healing nicely, all considered." He cinched off the bandage and the let his hands rest on her shoulders. "How do you feel?" It was a question he found himself asking more and more frequently.
“In all honesty, tired and hungry but apart from that okay.” Aurora smiled trying to put her husband’s mind at rest. “I needed what rest we got last night after Boston, it took a lot out of me using my powers so much. I’m having to really focus to maintain control, I think it’s the pregnancy hormones kicking in.”
Scott frowned. "Symptoms kicking in already? I'm not an expert but that doesn't seem normal."
Aurora shook her head. “Seems this pregnancy is progressing faster than it should be, instead of days I’m already weeks, and at current estimate it looks like we’ll be parents in around six months.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t understand it, but as long as the baby is healthy that’s all that matters.”
Scott nodded, recalling the gist of what Jade had told Aurora. "Well, the Professor is probably still recuperating. I hope he's up and around soon. I don't know about you but I'm ready to get this part over with."
Aurora nodded. “Let’s get ready, and drop by see if he’s up to seeing us.”
"All right." Scott took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
With Xavier still recuperating, Aurora and Scott had had to make their way to his quarters rather than his office. Knocking at the door they had waited for admittance before they’d stepped inside.
“Good Morning, Professor.” Aurora offered a smile.
~I'm in the study~ came his telepathic reply. The master suite gave way to a study at one end which contained a writing desk, cabinetry, and essentially smaller and more private variations of his ground floor office fixtures.
Rather than the battered man from the night before, the Professor looked back in top form. Dressed in his suit jacket rather than his housecoat, he appeared ready for business. An empty cup of tea sat on the desk. Clearly he'd been awake for awhile. When he turned around in his chair, the Professor's eyes took in their joined hands with interlocked fingers before meeting their eyes.
"You have something to tell me," he stated evenly.
Scott looked at Aurora and then back to Xavier. "Yes, Professor. Last night, Aurora and I made the decision...to...elope."
While the Professor did not look surprised, he was still no less stunned. He looked at Aurora for confirmation and... something else. His probing eyes gave away nothing.
Aurora nodded her confirmation. “You’ve had your suspicions about us all along, haven’t you, Professor?” She allowed his mental contact; there was nothing to hide from Xavier anymore. “I wanted to tell you, but I was worried what would happen to Scott. I’m also...pregnant.”
~If only your concern for Scott had stayed your actions, child...~ Xavier nodded glumly and looked into his lap. The pregnancy was news. But that's what tended to happen with this sort of thing.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I know how this looks." Scott looked straight at his mentor. "I know what this means."
The Professor kept his eyes closed and just shook his head as he took it all in and processed it. "You think you do. I understand the desire to make right a mistake, but what you did last night did not fix anything. Not at all." He breathed slowly and kept his emotions under control. "Adolescents come of age here all the time. I was young once as well. You both knew you could come to me. You did come to me in the beginning." Looking at Aurora, the Professor's voice strained despite keeping an even tone. "I warned you, Aurora. Time would heal all wounds. You forsook that for the quick and easy path. I pray it will not be the undoing of you both." Looking back at Scott, he said, "You and I will speak alone."
“Professor... I...” Aurora stopped knowing that trying to make up excuses would only make things worse. “I’m sorry I didn’t confide in you when I saw you last time. I should have, but I have my husband to stand by and stand by him I will.” She took out her wedding ring and placed it on her finger. “I need Scott, Professor. Our baby needs the family that I never had.”
While Scott wasn't going to argue with the Professor in his own house, he stood in quiet agreement with Aurora. He would not abandon the child they had made together. Not for anything. As she put her ring on her finger, though, Scott groaned inwardly. But they were married now. This was going to be part of that. He reached into his pocket and slid his ring onto his finger as well.
"I will not see anyone abandoned," the Professor said carefully. "But I will be heard in what needs to be said next. Neither of you are children, not anymore, and so I will not speak to you as such." How to explain? The folly of youth did not go away with the turning of a calendar. They did not truly understand how they had hurt one another. Could they be made to in a way that didn't traumatize them?
The Professor sighed again. When he spoke, his volume was louder, though not physically. Telepathic weight had been laced to every word. "Scott, you violated the sacred trust that exists between teacher and student. I put you on sabbatical because I knew you needed space to work through your inner battles. Your responsibilities were reduced to almost nothing. Yet you failed even that! Even if you felt you could not come to me with your pain and your temptations, all you had to do was nothing. You didn't just betray me, Scott. You betrayed everyone—Aurora, Jean, yourself."
Each word was a scourge that whipped against Scott's soul, but he braced himself to absorb each and every one in silent submission. There was no use denying the truth.
"Because of what you've done, Scott, I cannot allow you to remain here. I hereby expel you forthwith from this school and trespass you from the campus. I will be making a trip upstate shortly. When I return, you will not be here." Despite his self-control, the Professor still had to wipe tears from his eyes. "The office of my attorneys has a standing appointment to see you."
Scott fought against tremors within his entire body. Trembling hands and a tic in his cheek broke through his resistance. "I understand," he managed to say. "I'm sorry."
Beneath his outward façade, within his own mind, the Professor was a nuclear reactor himself, glowing white-hot with grief and sorrow. "So am I."
Aurora’s eyes grew wide with horror, her heart rate rising along with it. Scott had warned her that this could be the outcome, but it hadn’t truly sunk in until now. Her breathing increased and her hands clenched together as she fought to control her emotions. Her hands lit up with flame, and her eyes turned a bright shade of orange as she fought the internal battle to win over the need to scream and let loose. She stood there visibly trembling as her orange lit eyes looked at Xavier. “What...of me...Professor? Am I to be...exiled as well?”
"No, Aurora. This isn't exile for anyone. It's ensuring the safety and stability of this place." He looked at her directly and engaged directly with her mind.
~Calm~
Since they were married, Xavier didn't bother shielding Scott from his thoughts. There was a subliminal fire to his thoughts as well which burned hotly in his psychic expression. He would not be overtaken by the ire of a fellow telepath.
~When a student fails, it is because their teacher failed first. Therefore, I have failed you both. You will remain here, Aurora, for as long as you will submit to my tutelage and work to rebuild the trust that you have broken. Your offspring may become a ward of my estate just as their father was before them~
Aurora’s flames died down as she calmed herself. “Thank you, Professor, I do not wish to leave what I have come to consider as my home.” She looked at Scott. “However, I will be living off campus with Scott. I will be here for lessons, training, and when I’m needed by the team but I can’t stay here knowing my husband is out there alone, I can’t.”
This was going to be difficult. "Aurora..." Scott trailed off at first, but he forced himself to say what needed to be said. "... you should stay here, at least for now. You aren't a prisoner. You can come to me when the time is right. But let me figure this out. You can reach me anytime. And, if there is any trouble, I will come for you. But the best place for you right now is here, even if I can't be."
"Scott is right," the Professor agreed. "You are free to do as you wish, but I cannot guarantee the safety of you or your baby if you leave. The Mansion's medical facilities are your best bet short of the Mutant Research Center on Muir Island should you face... complications."
Scott's face tightened in a grimace. "Please, Aurora. This is how it must be, at least for now. We need to be strong during the transition."
Aurora’s hands tightened into fists again, but this time there were no flames. She had to trust Scott. He was her husband now and they had each other no matter how far apart they were. “Alright, Scott, for the safety of our baby.” She looked at Xavier. “This pregnancy is...already complicated, Professor. It looks like he or she will be born in around six months. I want Scott here for the birth...please.”
"Arrangements can be made," the Professor said cryptically. "For now, I need to resume my preparations." He began to turn back to his desk, but he paused. "Thank you, you two, for finally telling me. If only you had done so sooner." And then he gave them his back.
Aurora looked at Scott, this was a moment she’d been dreading as she turned to leave the office before looking back at Xavier. “Thank you for letting me stay Professor, I will earn back your trust that I promise.” With that she stepped on out of the office.
"That was rough." Scott sounded like he had went ten rounds with a Golden Gloves boxer. "Had to be done. I feel terrible for not telling him sooner, but I don't know if we could have made even this arrangement otherwise."
Aurora nodded, she was finding it hard to find the right words to say. “Scott, I...I’m sorry! You warned me this would be the outcome, but I never thought it would happen this way.” She wiped away tears not wanting anyone else to see her crying.
Looking up and down the hallway, Scott sighed and gave her a brief but tight hug. "Come on. Let's go somewhere we can talk." He led her back to his room for perhaps the last time. "I know this is bad, but it was always going to get worse before it got better."
Aurora had held back all she could, she couldn’t hold it any longer. “Scott....stand back.” She stepped away from him before letting out a frustrated scream, her body bursting into flame although it remained centered around her body and not out into the room.
Dropping into a crouch, his body's compromise between the reflex to jump back to safety and jumping forward to help, Scott let out Aurora's name in a gasp. "Aurora!" He watched her clothes begin to burn away as much from her scream as from the flames. "Aurora! Listen to my voice. We're going to be okay. Do you hear me? Repeat if you can... we're going to be okay."
Aurora could hear Scott, but along with her clothes her now out of control flames were starting to burn her skin. “We...we’re...” she cried out in pain. “We’re...going to...be...okay.” Tears ran down her cheeks as she sank to her knees, her flames starting to cool and fade away.
Now that her flames had turned to a smolder, Scott knelt down and pulled her into an embrace. His hands gently rubbed up and down her arms. "I promise, Aurora. This is only temporary. From one orphan to another, I won't leave you."
Aurora wrapped her arms around Scott ignoring the pain of the burns on her skin, the upside of being a mutant was the luxury of faster healing than normal humans. She cried until she couldn’t cry anymore.
Whatever arrangements Scott would need to make could wait. For now, he was holding Aurora as she had often held him. Words weren't his strong point in a relationship. In times like these, though, he let his presence do the talking.
Aurora looked wearily up at Scott as he held her. “Thank you...we will be alright, we will...” She held onto him not wanting to let go. “Promise me you won’t leave without saying goodbye.”
"I'll be saying goodbye to everyone," Scott said. "Twice for you," he added with a chuckle while giving her a slight, playful jostle. "Goodbye is not forever. You can come find me wherever I am, especially with Cerebro. Once I work things out, you can come and go as you please. I just need you here where I know you'll be safe."
Aurora nodded. “Where will you go? You’ll be all alone out there Scott!” She gave him a teary eyed look. “What about your safety?”
"I can handle myself," Scott assured her. "I'll see what the lawyers have to say and go from there. Whatever it takes."
“I’ll be with you in here...” She tapped her head. “And I’m here...” she reached up and tapped his head. “We’re connected now.” She offered the best smile she could muster, but under it all she couldn’t help but feel angry both at herself and at Xavier.
"Thank you for being brave," Scott said, taking her hand. "This is a big change but it will work out in the end. At least there will be no more hiding." Despite the gravitas of the situation, he offered a faint smile. "Last night was guilt free. That was worth any price."
Aurora nodded. “Last night was amazing, and if I had the choice again I wouldn’t change anything.”
"Are you sure about that?" Scott cupped her face and watched closely for any cues. He wasn't telepathic but he knew regret when he saw it. "It's okay to wish we'd done things differently. If we made mistakes, then we learn from them. That's how better futures are made."
“I wish...” Aurora paused. “I wish I hadn’t messed up, hadn’t gotten you into trouble.” She looked into his eyes. “But if I hadn’t then we might never have gotten this far, never fallen in love, maybe never conceived our baby. How could I regret any of that?”
Scott kissed her forehead. "I wish things could have gone differently in the beginning. We should have kept our boundaries, gotten to know each other better before diving headlong into..." He actually blushed ever so slightly. "But maybe we only did the best we were able to. Maybe breaking one boundary meant breaking all of them. We'll have a lifetime to work out all of the should'ves and maybes." He kissed her again, on the mouth this time. "Right now, we just have today to work through."
Aurora returned his kiss cupping his face as she did so, before looking up into his visor covered eyes. “How am I supposed to live here without you, Scott? It’s going to be so lonely, and everyone here will hate me because of what’s happened. Well almost everyone, I hope Connor will still be my friend.”
"Maybe this will be a chance to see if those expectations are wrong," Scott suggested. "If I don't have you all to myself every day, then maybe you will form deeper friendships with others." He winked hard enough to pinch his cheek. "Just don't forget about me too quickly."
“I’ll never forget you, Scott, never!” Aurora looked worried. “Don’t you go disappearing on me either! I want to know as soon as you have a home for us, I want to live with you like a married couple should. We can be a family just like you said.” She was starting to worry again.
"I was only teasing," Scott said with an apologetic grin. "I know you wouldn't forget me anymore than I'd forget you. All I meant was that you might find a silver lining. Everyone who matters to me, I met here. You deserve to the chance to find that out for yourself. Maybe...this gives you that chance. And then..." His smile was wan. "...you could have your cake and eat it too."
“I’ve had my cake, and I enjoyed it so much I carried on eating.” Aurora grinned. “You are the only cake I want, I could eat you all up, time and time again.” She gave Scott a wry grin before it changed again. “How soon do you have to go?”
The innuendo ran at least three layers deep there. Scott chuckled at how innocent and lurid she could be at the same time. "Too soon," he replied. "The Professor wasn't specific. I imagine he'll let everyone know when he leaves for... whatever he's doing now. I have until he comes back to leave."
Aurora nodded. “You can leave what things you don’t need with me, I’ll look after them until you have somewhere for us to live.” She was trying to see the positives, but inside she was dreading having to say goodbye. She sucked in a breath as she suddenly realised that in her outburst she’d managed to burn herself. “Looks like I’m going to need to get a grip on controlling my deeper emotions, I dread to think what would happen if I really let loose. I’ve never burnt myself before when I’ve flamed on. Maybe it’s hormonal?” She shrugged her shoulders.
"Let's get you down to the infirmary," Scott said. "There's a pharmaceutical supply for most medications. Some medical grade burn cream would do the trick. I've not been around many pregnant women so I don't know what to expect with that. If anyone can help you with control, it's the Professor."
Aurora nodded. “I know but...” she paused. “I’m angry with Xavier, Scott, I know I shouldn’t be but it’s how I feel. I know I have to get a handle on it, anger just makes my emotional control go haywire. I’ve no doubt the Professor will tell me I have to get a grip!”
"No, I think you will find him surprisingly understanding," Scott said. "None of us, the first team, started out as anything other than scared kids. Whatever we are today, we owe to him. His wisdom. His patience. His determination to never give up on anybody." His mouth turned flat. "I know you're angry. I am too. But we forced his hand. Under the circumstances... this was about as gentle as he could be."
Aurora nodded her feelings of anger subsiding a little. “I trust your judgement, Scott, you’ve known the Professor a lot longer than I have. I promise you that I’ll put my all into learning to control my abilities, and into being part of the team.” She smiled as they headed out to go to the Infirmary.
"You'll be glad you did," he said, walking her down the stairs. And, for the first time, he kept his arm around her.
