Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2007 00:45:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mark <rahvin747@yahoo.com>
Subject: Fire and Ice - ch 14

Disclaimer : The X-men are property of Marvel and this is a work of
fiction.

*********************************************************************

Justin walked quietly through the grounds of Xavier's school for gifted
students. He had been here for a few days now, and found the place to be
peaceful and beautiful.  When he finally left, he'd have a lot of
explaining to do. For one thing, his office probably thought he'd
disappeared, and he refrained from answering his cell phone when he
recognised the number. Ten messages beckoned his return, from pleading and
worried co-workers to angry and threatening supervisors. He didn't
care. Perhaps if he was fired, it would be the change he was looking for.

His mind leaped back to the evening in question - the evening which had
strained all credibility. He'd decided to go out after a particularly nasty
day at work, a day filled with hostility and frustration. He was tired of
returning home to an empty apartment - tired of his corrosive feelings of
loneliness. His heart sank as he thought of what he'd do to feel a decent
embrace. He had no contact with his family, and although he had some good
friends, it wasn't the same as having someone to hug and kiss. He'd tried
for several months to find someone to go out with, but with little
success. Most of the guys who noticed him, only wanted him for his body -
to have their way with him for one night and discard him the next day. He
could see right through those guys, and it would be a cold day in hell
before he fell for any of their tricks. Then a few days ago, he'd been
sipping his drink morosely at the bar when Kevin had walked in. He was hot
- really hot. He felt himself thinking about Kevin naked within a few
moments of seeing him, and his heart had fluttered as the guy walked
awkwardly across the room.  Yet it was something else - something vague and
mysterious about him. He was unhappy. Most guys managed to conceal their
tormented existence when they came to a bar to share their sorrow with
whatever landed up in their glass. Yet Kevin had stumbled in, almost as if
he'd been drinking before coming to the bar, and it looked as if he carried
the world on his shoulders. He'd had dark rings under his eyes, and his
face was filled with sorrow. He looked lost, and almost desperate. An
almost unstoppable urge to help the guy erupted in him, and within moments
he found himself talking to Kevin, trying to see if he could aid him. He
should have been more aware of Kevin's situation, because the guy had
immediately put his guard up as if another guy was trying to climb into his
pants. Sure, he'd never say no to a guy like Kevin - but his motives were
definitely not such when he approached him. He'd spent a few minutes trying
to help the guy and he figured he'd made a difference. That smile, that
fucking amazing smile. Shaking his head slightly, he cleared the memory
from his head before it could consume him. It was a particularly dangerous
memory at the present time.

It was a curse, a blessing, destiny... he didn't know, that at that exact
moment he had started talking to Kevin about mutants. He thought the guy
was quite open with his opinions, but something seemed suspicious about his
defence of other mutants whom he'd apparently met. That's when the
nightmare had started. He had heard of anti- mutant action in that area,
but it had always been a rumour and nothing more. When those guys had
seized them, it had become a reality though. After that, everything was a
blur. Sometimes he would gain flashbacks of that evening late at night
while in a deep sleep, but whether they were real he couldn't say. He had
dreams of Kevin screaming in rage, and a tornado of fire swooping around
him, of terrified thugs trying to run away but being torn to pieces by some
ungodly force. Shivering, he tried to push those thoughts from his mind. He
tried to convince himself that they were just bad dreams, but something in
the back of his mind laughed at him, and he knew that if he faced it, he
would admit otherwise.

He'd woken up here, and been treated by a school doctor for some minor
wounds he'd sustained. He'd been visited by Charles Xavier, a noted mutant
and psychic. He felt terror when the man introduced himself, constantly
aware of his mind being read until the Professor had consoled him, and told
him it is not his policy to invade other people's thoughts without
permission. Since then, he'd spent the last few days pretty much alone in
his room biding his time and recovering. He knew where he was, though. This
was a school for mutants. He's spent hours staring out his window at
children who could fly or walk on water, at hideous teenagers with red skin
and forked tails. He guessed he could become used to it after a time, but
he felt aware, and small in a place where he was the minority and not the
other way around.

This morning he'd been eating his breakfast (which was delivered to him
daily by a random student), when a knock at the door had caught his
attention. He'd opened it to find a very good looking guy glaring at him,
and it wasn't long before he wondered whether all mutants were as hot as
Kevin. The guy identified himself as Bobby, though he was cold and
distant. He said he offered to walk him around the estate, so that he could
get out of his room for a few hours per day. Naturally, he'd leapt to the
occasion, partly due to the fact that he really wanted to explore this
place inconspicuously, but also he thought that very few sane gay guys
would turn down a chance to be with a hot guy like Bobby.

They'd been walking for nearly half an hour now, in silence. Bobby seemed
to be frustrated and forcibly restraining himself, but Justin felt that he
had enough on his mind to ignore this rude inattention and think about his
current situation. His thoughts were exhausting him though, and with a
vexed look he glanced to his left to see Bobby walking stiffly beside him,
looking at the ground grouchily.

"So where's Kevin?" he said suddenly. Bobby's cheeks reddened, and he took
a laboured breath.

"None of your business," he said curtly.

Justin smiled to himself. This was obviously Kevin's boyfriend, and he was
obviously aware of the flirty guy from the bar who wanted Kevin's body.

"Something funny?" he heard Bobby mutter.

"Yeah," Justin replied with a dangerous smirk. "I'm just laughing at you."

The honesty of the reply seemed to ignite Bobby's eyes. "Is that right?" he
said, and stopped to turn angrily in Justin's direction. Justin merely
carried on walking, forcing Bobby to abandon his threatening stance and
catch up with humiliation.

"And why are you laughing at me?" he heard Bobby say almost
immediately. His fists were clenched and it was apparent that he wanted an
excuse to fight.

"Because you are acting like a fucking asshole to someone who is merely a
friend to your beloved Kevin. How does that feel, being a fucking asshole?"

Bobby's mouth dropped - he was so enraged it looked like he was going to
explode like a bomb. He literally shook, but within seconds he started to
listen to the words which had been said to him, and his anger turned to
embarrassment. He'd stopped again, of course, but Justin merely continued
his directionless stroll through the vast estate. He felt a hand on his
shoulder, and the grip was strong and forceful. He half expected Bobby to
take a swing at him, and he prepared himself for a fight, but when he
turned around Bobby looked wilted and shamed.

"Dude," Bobby said. "I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"I know exactly what came over you," Justin said with a smile. "It's
nothing to be embarrassed about. Kevin's a real catch, and you should show
your teeth to anyone who could potentially rob you of that. I know that I
would."

"Thanks man" Bobby said, and he smiled sheepishly. His personality seemed
to finally be revealing its self. "It's just that - well you pretty much
said it. I can't lose that guy. I just can't." His eyes were desperate
almost, and it seemed like he considered the possibility for a second
before pushing the terrible thought from his mind.

"I understand. I admit that when I first saw Kevin I thought he was
incredible, but he deflated me like a balloon within moments of me starting
to flirt with him. Said he had a boyfriend. Said he wasn't interested."

"He said that?" Bobby said, looking at the ground, but it couldn't be more
apparent that he was agonizing for the answer.

"Sure did," he replied, and he saw Bobby smile, almost as if Kevin was in
front of him and he was smiling to him. "Why are we walking around?" he
asked after a moment of silence.

"Oh... well," Bobby said bashfully. "Kevin is busy having a meeting with
Professor Xavier. He said he was worried about you being alone all day and
asked if I could keep you company for an hour or two while he was busy."

"I'll bet you weren't too happy with that," Justin said with a chuckle.

"I'll bet you're right," Bobby said. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah, I wasn't that badly injured in the first place," he said, agreeing
silently to deflect the topic at hand. "Are you a mutant, if you don't mind
me asking?"

"Yes," Bobby said simply. "Everyone here is. It's the purpose of the
school."

"What can you do?" Justin asked, finding that his inquisitiveness overrode
his sense of tact.

Bobby picked a leaf off a bush as they passed it and in a flash it froze
up, a beautiful green leaf encased in an icy shell. It looked very
beautiful, but Bobby smirked at it and threw it away into the surrounding
shrubbery.

"Awesome," Justin said. "So you're Mr Snowball," he said laughing loudly.

"What?" Bobby said with a confused look on his face.

"Just something I heard the other night. It's nothing." Justin at least had
the sense to blush, and he decided to behave himself until he became better
acquainted with these people.

"They call me Iceman here. I'm one of the - "

"Is Kevin a mutant?" Justin interrupted. The question hadn't occurred to
him until a moment ago, but he was furious for an answer. He didn't know
why, but he was convinced it could explain things.

"I told you," Bobby said impatiently. "Everyone here is. Kevin definitely
is," Bobby said smiling, and it was his turn to share a private joke.

"What can he do?" Justin asked.

"Anything," Bobby said, looking into his eyes seriously.

Justin laughed at the romantic answer. "Sure," he said sarcastically, but
when he looked back into Bobby's eyes, he saw no evidence of a pun. "You're
serious," he said.

"I'm serious," Bobby said, now with a small smirk. "Kevin can do
anything. Is he the first mutant you met?"

"Yes, but I didn't know he was a mutant. He - "

"Hilarious," Bobby said, though he wasn't really into the joke. "The first
mutant you've ever met, and you meet the most powerful one in the world."

"Huh?"

"Kevin is the most powerful mutant in the world. Probably."

It took a moment for the words to sink in. "He saved us?"

Bobby laughed at him, and probably at his slow thought process. "Bingo," he
said, confirming his suspicions. "Remember Cairo?" he said looking at
Justin, who gasped at what he heard. "Don't tell him I told you
though. He'll be angry."

They walked in silence again for a while, and Justin felt his mind
racing. He'd actually been joking with Kevin about this very topic on the
night of their attack.  Imagine how ridiculous he must have seemed not to
know that he was speaking to the person responsible for that enormous act
of power.

"Kevin is much more than that, though," Bobby said suddenly, and Justin
turned eagerly towards him to hear what could possibly outdo his previous
proclamation.

"Kevin is the most decent guy you'll ever know. He's strong and gentle. He
could balance the greatest mountain ranges on his fingertips, yet he is
loathe to abuse his powers. I can't tell you how many times I've seen him
try to use his powers for good.  You'll hear all about Cairo from the media
- the destruction, the terror - but you won't hear how he killed several
murderous villains who'd just slain a good friend of his." Bobby paused at
this moment, and he seemed to be thinking back on that situation. "Same
with you. He used his powers to protect you in that alley. There were whole
buildings missing from that place, yet you lay there untouched and
protected."

They walked in silence for several minutes this time, and Justin thought
about Bobby's words. He found himself smiling. He could see that Bobby
loved this guy more than anyone else in the world, and he wouldn't try and
interfere with that, but he certainly intended to find out about Kevin, a
guy he knew he could be close to.

"Let's head back to the mansion. Kevin will want to say hi to you," Bobby
said, and they started their slow stroll back to the main house.

********************************************************************

Kevin sat in the Professor's study looking at the floor. He noticed he was
twiddling his thumbs and stopped. It was a sure sign of anxiety, and he
didn't want the Professor to see weakness in him. He'd been here for over
an hour, and the conversation had been grave, though amicable.

"Are you listening to me, Kevin?" the Professor said finally.

He looked up, and coughed. "Sorry Professor. Some of this stuff takes a
while to sink in."

"Don't I know it," the Professor said gravely. "There is no doubt that de
Mille is trying to wipe out the most powerful mutants to clear a path to
power for himself. He is a mutant, you know."

"Yes, you said so. How did..."

"Cerebro can find all mutants and non-mutants. Imagine my surprise when I
tried to track his location several days ago and found him on the mutant
alignment curve. The fact that he is a mutant makes the situation worse,
because it proves that he is using human beings for some personal gain, and
not merely conservative hatred - which can usually be dealt with
peacefully. Kevin...?"

Kevin felt himself gripped by a strong force which started to speak through
his mouth.  "I see an avalanche descending on this place, a force of
violence. Mutants in chains.  Mutants with vacant eyes and stopped
hearts. I see the school in flames. I see... all of this."

A long silence gripped the room, and the Professor seemed shocked. "I can
sometimes see the potential future, Professor. I am sorry," he said, though
whether he was sorry for the revelation or whether he was sending his
condolences he couldn't be sure.

The Professor recovered quickly. "It's quite alright, Kevin," he said, but
a shadow passed over his eyes, as if the pain of the vision threatened to
overwhelm him.

"You know I won't let it happen," Kevin said, half a statement, half a
question.

"I know," the Professor said anxiously. "Yet if my suspicions are correct,
you will be the primary target of the whole campaign. If they are aware of
you, that is."

"They are," Kevin said, and something about the statement rang of pure
truth. He didn't know where this shit came from, but his powers seemed to
be moving to greater levels in different directions.

"I see," Xavier replied, without questioning further.

"If the army tries to come here, I will destroy them beyond anything they
have ever experienced," Kevin said with icy eyes. He met Xavier's serene
gaze and held it for a few moments. "I'm sorry Professor, but I sense the
futility of diplomacy here."

"Oh I quite agree, Kevin," he replied hastily. "De Mille has managed to
alter the President's mind. I don't know how. I don't sense psychic traces
coming from his mutant signature, only energy fluxes. Blackmail couldn't
have worked, so he must have a machine or perhaps another mutant helping
him. In any case, it isn't the President or the army's fault if they invade
this place."

"I know," Kevin said softly. "I thought you might say that. In the end it
doesn't make a difference. Whether a willing or unwilling army tries to
kill the students here, I can't allow it to happen. I MUST destroy them, or
choose to stand back and let them go about their business - which I've
already seen to be an atrocity second to none."

"I fear you may be right," the Professor said silently. The two of them
seemed to argue less and less these days. "Thousands of innocent humans
will die because of de Mille."

"I'm afraid that's better than thousands of innocent mutants. I'm very
sorry Professor, but nobody said the choice would be easy, but in my mind,
I cannot let harm come to Bobby... I mean... to the school."

The Professor smiled at him, quite aware of his small slip. "You follow
your heart, Kevin. That's a good thing, when pointed in the right
direction. How is Bobby?"

"Fine I guess," he said with downcast eyes. He didn't like discussing his
personal relationship with this guy. He saw too much, and gave away too
little.

"Just fine?" the Professor said kindly.

Kevin smiled, despite himself. "No... it's great," he said with a wide grin
which the Professor shared. "It's just that I... he's so... and I'm
so... gah!" He closed his mouth before he could embarrass himself further.

"I understand," the Professor said with a rich laugh

"Professor, can I speak to you about something?" He asked with a side
glance.

"Certainly, Kevin. Anything." The Professor leaned forwards and gazed and
him through steepled fingers.

"Professor, I think Bobby and I have more than our relationship. I think
there's something above it - something unique."

The Professor did not ask for elaboration, but to his shock merely nodded
as if he'd suspected this all along. "Not unique," he said, "but certainly
exceedingly rare."

"You know?" Kevin said in exasperated tones.

"I suspected," the Professor said, standing and walking to the window with
his tea.  "There is no doubt that you amplify one another's powers. Indeed,
I am quite sure that despite your limitless potential, you are at least ten
times stronger when you are with Bobby than at any other time."

Kevin sat back in his chair. He had worked this up to a theory, but the
Professor seemed to have already considered it in the deepest detail.

"I have watched the two of you for a long time," he continued, half to
himself.  "Whether it is true love which does it, or whether it comes down
to perfect genetic resonance, I cannot say, but it is definitely a true
occurrence." He turned and walked back to the table and sat heavily. "I
know that you try to shield your room while you and Bobby are there alone,
but if you weren't so caught up in what I can only imagine it is that you
two do in there, you'd notice the disturbance you two cause."

Kevin felt his face flush red, and massive embarrassment flooded his
face. "Professor, I'm so sorry. I swear I tried to cut off the sound, but
it.."

The Professor laughed loudly. "Not that, my friend - though I imagine if
it's half of what I sensed, it would have been quite something to hear."
Kevin thought his face couldn't get any redder, but he suspected it was. He
really wished the guy would stop.  When Xavier next spoke, he was afraid of
what he was going to hear. "I sensed massive electromagnetic forces
emanating from that room, despite the shielding.  Almost every mutant in
the school's powers were charged in some way. It's been a problem of course
- Jason Devlin who could usually jump several metres high, suddenly jumped
several hundred metres high. He's in a serious state of shock, but he'll be
fine. I estimate that your powers were at least ten times as strong as
you've experienced them previously. Been past the lake today?"

Kevin managed to shake his head slowly, wondering why this benign topic had
turned into a nightmare. "No, I .. uh... haven't."

"It's frozen solid," Xavier said with a smile, and Kevin's head jerked
up. It didn't make sense, unless.. "I also estimate that Bobby's powers
increased by a hundred fold, because he has never done something close to
that scale. You must have had quite an effect on him," the Professor said
with the most annoyingly smug looks.

"Yes well... I"

"Don't worry about it, Kevin. Just be aware that you two amplify your
powers when you are close - and that when you're, well... very close... it
makes a very large difference."

"I'll do that Professor," Kevin said with a croak.

"Good," Xavier said indifferently. "Now, I must ask you to excuse me,
Kevin. A student has vanished without permission and I need to track
him. Be careful out there, okay?"

"I will. Thanks for the chat Professor," he said, as they shook hands. It
was difficult not to run out of the study, but he managed a brisk walk. In
the passage he was panting from embarrassment, and he eventually had to
shake his head angrily to recover himself. Idiot, he thought of himself.

As he turned the corner he ran into Bobby and Justin, both of whom smiled
widely at him. Bobby ran up to him and gave him a hard hug, one which
threatened to make his ribs creak. He returned the hug, and grasped Bobby's
sweater roughly.

"I missed you," Bobby whispered into his ear, and he smiled despite himself
and kissed Bobby's neck silently. He found himself looking at the walls
beside them, expecting ice to form there or some other augmented occurrence
to suddenly present its self. He needed to warn Bobby of this, or the whole
house would be aware of them whenever they were together.

"You have a good walk?" he asked Justin, who seemed to be looking at him in
a different way - an awed way he would have guessed.

"Uh... yeah," Justin said bashfully.

"Let's get some lunch," Bobby said grabbing Kevin around the neck and
rubbing his head hard. He couldn't help but laugh.

*********************************************************************

Later that evening he and Bobby were lying in bed. It was dark except for
the silvery moonlight which glistened through the curtains and lit up the
walls. It was very quiet, except for the sound of Bobby's rhythmic
breathing to one side of him. He looked to his left and saw Bobby lying on
his back, one arm behind his pillow, the other resting on his chest. The
white sheet stopped started just below his navel, allowing Kevin a
privileged view of a fine body. It was a privilege which he used to the
full - staring hungrily at Bobby as he imagined what he could do next to
him. Tonight he'd been more cautious - he's spent a full ten minutes
sealing off the room. He was convinced a nuclear weapon could go off in the
room and Xavier would sense nothing. He'd told Bobby about their bond and
the effects it had. Bobby thought it was the most hilarious thing in the
world, and he'd insisted that Kevin remove all forms of shielding from the
room to see what would happen. He was serious! He'd spent the whole day
begging, but eventually he decided he was getting nowhere and desisted. He
had however, made it clear that he was going to test the integrity of this
new shield. The bastard wasn't lying. He really tried his best to outdo any
previous experiences they'd had, and in his opinion, he'd been successful -
though he'd never admit to it. It was hardly any surprise that Bobby was
sleeping as deeply as he was. With the energy Bobby had used on him and the
vigorous ways he'd tried to optimise every position, he expected anyone
would be exhausted. Kevin found himself yawning, and realised that being
the victim was tiring too, and he rolled over and lay on Bobby's chest. He
heard Bobby groan in his sleep but he was already slipping away himself.

He started to dream about the lake. Something shifted, and it seemed as if
the dream had just begun when a knock at the door woke him up. He looked to
his left and found that Bobby was gone and that he was alone in bed, the
harsh sun was in his eyes.  Grumbling he climbed out of bed and muttered
all the way to the door. He checked to see if he actually had any clothes
on and was glad to see his boxers were at least in place. On more than one
occasion he'd thought that he was clothed, only to discover that Bobby had
stripped him during the night. It was less than humorous to see a young
student's face when you answered the door naked. He opened the door and saw
David standing there with a hopeful look on his face. It was unbecoming of
the boy to smile, and he immediately felt wary. The guy looked him up and
down, and for the first time Kevin wondered whether this guy liked guys.

"David," Kevin said with a croaky voice. "How can I help you?" He tried to
sound patient but this guy had threatened him last time, and now it was
early in the morning, and he'd woken up alone.

"Sorry to bother you, Kevin. Xavier just asked me to remind you that the
funeral is at ten this morning. You'll be there?"

Kevin frowned. This was all very strange. "What are you talking about?" he
said roughly.

David frowned back with confusion. "Uh... the funeral. You know, the
funeral?"

"No I don't fucking know! What are you going on about?" Aggression was now
open on his voice, but this was ridiculous.

"Kevin... I... uh... don't want to be the one to remind you," David said
with some tears glistening in his eyes. Kevin suddenly felt dread at what
he was going to hear.  "Bobby uh... died last week. He hit his head while
diving into the lake and he ...drowned." David's voice choked at the last
words, but something seemed disingenuous about his grief.

"Don't you fucking say that!" Kevin said in a rage and an invisible hand
gripped David and lifted him into the air. He was groaning as the hand
threatened to crush him to mulch. He looked to the empty bed behind
him. Bobby was out somewhere - having breakfast. Yes, he was there.

"Please..." David said, who was starting to turn blue.

Kevin released David who fell to the floor gasping and hungrily gulping for
air and clutching his throat. He threw on a white vest, well aware of his
shaking hands and he sprinted out of the room. As he ran down the corridor,
some students passed him.  Some were crying, and others were consoling one
another, clearly grief-stricken. One or two saw him and shouted condolences
as he ran past them. He shook his head angrily, as if he could shake their
calls from his mind. Panic ran through his veins. He reached the dining
room and threw open the doors, only to see Storm eating sadly and picking
at her food. She saw him and tears glistening in her eyes. She stood up and
he backed away from her, his head shaking wildly.

"No! I refuse to believe it!" he shouted and ran. Suddenly he sensed Bobby,
and a cry of triumph emanated from his mouth. He was underground, two
levels below in the medical ward. He ran down the corridor and dived into
the floor as if it was a swimming pool. The floor gave way and he landed on
his feet two levels below. He didn't care about the damage - he would
repair it later when he'd recovered his sanity. He ran into the medical
ward, which seemed ominously deserted.

"Bobby!" he cried out, and nobody answered. The place was silent. Bobby was
here.  His senses never lied. His eyes fell on a casket on the far side of
the room and he gasped. His heart had for the few moments it took to cross
the floor. His senses shrieked with awareness and the hairs on his arms and
the back of his neck stood on end as he became aware of the cold floor and
air. He moved towards the open casket and was utterly terrified to gaze
over the verge of the box, terrified of what he would see. His terror
become a reality as he finally found the courage to look.

There lay Bobby, still and pale, and yet peaceful. He was wearing a dark
suit and had a white rose pinned to his left pocket.

"No," he choked, and he started to cry. He placed a hand on Bobby's
forehead and his eyes closed painfully as he felt the ice cold evidence of
a dead body. Reality hit home as he leaned his head on the casket and cried
for Bobby, the one person in the world he'd loved so much. How could this
news be new to him? Could he have blocked it out of his mind to the point
that he'd forgotten the whole funeral?

"I'm so sorry," he muttered between sobs. "I should have been there to help
you."  Where had he been? Why wasn't he with Bobby when he'd drowned?

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around angrily, furiously
wiping his tears away. Out of the blur he saw that it was David. "What the
fuck do you want?" he shouted, and saw the bruises on David's neck where
he'd gripped him. He didn't care.  Nothing mattered anymore. "I wasn't
there for him," he said to himself.

"No... you weren't," David said gravely.

He turned to face David, his eyes were on fire at the comment. "What did
you just say to me?" he asked with the deepest sense of malice in his
voice.

"You could have saved him. You two always went to the lake together to
swim, but this time you refused." David's face was plain and
matter-of-fact.

"I ... refused?" Kevin said. He couldn't remember ever swimming with Bobby
but there were hints of truth in the statement.

Strong... so strong... he heard something whisper, and he spun around to
look who had said that.

"Yes," David replied before he could ask if he'd heard the voice. "Xavier
asked you to go and find me. I'd been gone from school for a few days, and
you found me. But you had to turn down Bobby to do it. Bobby was alone in
the lake and nobody was around when he hit his head."

"Oh no!" Kevin cried and sank to his knees weeping openly.

David kneeled down on one knee and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It will
be okay.  Xavier has been suppressing your mind, making you think that
Bobby is alive - to minimise your shock. Today is the funeral though, so he
had to finally tell you."

Outstanding... he heard the walls whisper again, but he didn't care. Tears
rolled down his eyes. A fiery blade appeared in his hand at his
beckoning. He didn't want to live without Bobby, who had died because of
his indifferent ambitions to help Xavier.  David suddenly seemed frustrated
and angry.

"Don't you dare!" David said and gripped the blade. The two of them
struggled. Lift it quickly!... he heard the walls cry out again, and
suddenly waves of blurriness swept over him. He fell into a void of
darkness, still weeping at the tragedy which had taken his only love from
his life.

"Wake up!" he heard someone shout into his ear, and he leaped up. Someone
had literally shouted into his ear. It was dark, but the lights in the room
had been turned on. Bobby was next to him anxiously looking at him with a
confused look. Xavier, Storm and Wolverine were all in the room, all
looking very concerned. He jumped up and noticed that his shirt was gone
again. He ran to the corner of the room and turned to face them angrily.

"Get away from me!" he screamed, and they looked at one another worriedly.

"It's okay, Kevin, we couldn't wake you. You were thrashing about in your
sleep crying," Professor Xavier said with a placating hand.

"Liar! You're using your powers to hide Bobby's death from me!" He felt
enraged that Xavier was still trying to perform circus tricks on him, and
to keep him from the truth.

"Kevin, here I am," Bobby said pleadingly.

"You fucking stay where you are!" he shouted at Bobby who stopped
immediately.  "You and your illusions Xavier! Stopping toying with my
mind!"

"Kevin, I haven't...!" Professor Xavier said desperately, clearly worried
about what was happening.

"I want to go to the funeral now," Kevin said angrily. "Get out! I've
already accepted what I did. Stop pampering me, Charles. Just get out
please! Get out so I can get ready! Get out!!"

There was a moment's silence, and suddenly the illusion ran up to him. "I'm
tired of this shit," Bobby said angrily.

"I ... told...you..." Kevin said with the utmost ferocity in his voice,
"not to toy with me, Xavier!" And he flung out his hand and a massive force
hit Bobby's illusion. A moment's surprise appeared on Bobby's face as he
was flung like a toy through the glass windows and off the high
balcony. His screams rang as he fell.

Xavier looked to Kevin, his eyes wide with fear, perhaps perceiving the
gravity of the situation for the first time. Wolverine's claws were out for
the first time, and Storm's eyes were white but fearful. "Kevin, what are
you doing!" Xavier cried out. "That's the man you love!" Xavier's voice
cracked with emotion.

"I've had enough!" Kevin shouted, and he ran towards the broken window and
dived through it. He wrapped himself in fire and flew off, sparing a
disdainful glance towards the illusion lying below him unconsciously,
covered in glass and cuts, his arm at an odd angle. Xavier had outdone
himself with the torture of that illusion, he thought to himself
bitterly. He soared off and watched the mansion disappear quickly, with
many lights starting to light up in the darkness. "I'm so sorry, Bobby," he
said sadly, and he repeated it several times before he started wiping his
eyes weakly.

He felt so weak, so tired. The flames around him faltered and he realised
he couldn't maintain his powers for long in his state. He quickly descended
and landed in a far off forest with an enormous force. Where a large patch
of trees had been, only a crater remained, smoking and tinged with fire. He
took his time walking aimlessly into the remaining forest, and he leaned
against a tree and wept for a very long time. He remained there all night,
silent and ruined. The cold air was nothing compared to his stony
heart. Images of Bobby smiling ran through his mind, and tears fell
unstopped over his cheeks as he remembered his good times with his
boyfriend. Since he'd become a mutant, all he'd known was suffering and now
he'd lost the only thing he really cared about. He contemplated the fiery
blade again, but if he lost his life, that would be yet another thing taken
from him. Anger coursed through his veins, and a sense of deprivation swept
over him. Mutants, humans... both used him for their own gain, and now it
had finally cost him the ultimate price. No one was worthy of mercy, of
happiness. So much had been taken from him, and so little had been given.
Bobby... the thought cracked his composure again, and he started to cry
again. He punched the tree and the whole thing uprooted and flew fifty
feet. For the first time in his life he genuinely didn't know what to
do. Without Bobby, his life was directionless... goalless... pointless.

End of ch 14.

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Thanks for any previous comments guys. Sorry for the very long delay with
this chapter. I moved to a different city, which takes quite a while.
Future chapters won't take as long, if there's someone to read them. All
comments can be sent to rahvin747@yahoo.com