Intertwined Genes (Griselda Banks + Akira.S)

[Griselda Banks]

((Sounds good to me! My schedule doesn't allow for much more than once a week, but I try to get on as often as possible!

And no problem about the Professor - he's supposed to be there for either of us to grab whenever we need him.))

Oliver slid into the other chair before the Professor's desk, glancing sidelong at Anna. She wasn't looking at him, so he turned his gaze to his hands nervously picking at the faded jeans he was wearing today.

"Naturally, that's what I hope to achieve," Xavier said in response to Anna's question, steepling his fingers over his desk and looking between the two of them. "And I hope both of you are dedicated to fixing this problem as well, because we're not likely to make any progress unless you're giving this your all. Do I make myself clear?"

Oliver nodded, then carefully lifted his head to meet the Professor's eyes. Those deep eyes that seemed to know everything bored into his, and Oliver hoped he could see the desire growing stronger and stronger with every hour to return to the casual normalcy of his friendship with Anna. To not have this sick fear worrying away at his insides. To stop wondering what was wrong with him. It already seemed like it had been weeks since she had tried to break their relationship off, though it had only been a day, and everything felt so dark and uncertain.

Xavier broke eye contact and glanced down at the papers strewn across his desk, frowning meditatively. "Now," he said, getting down to business. "You both noticed this problem at the same time, correct? When did you notice you were unable to use your powers? What was happening at the time?"

"Well," Oliver replied, glancing between the Professor and Anna, "it was when the mall collapsed the other day, right Anna? We were trying to help people, when all of a sudden...." The memory of the cold jolt of fear when he realized his powers wouldn't help him made him fall siilent.  

[Akira.S]

((Okay that’s good, I think one a week like we are now is great.

Oh okay! Gotcha, I just wasn’t sure if you wanted him to say something specific))

This was going to be an extremely long day...Anna could just tell by the way the conversation was going. This was definitely how she wanted to spend her Saturday before the break was over. So much had happened over the last few days she didn’t know what to make of it....it was just weird and unexplainable. Maybe the Professor thought if he could figure out what happened on the day their powers began to clash he could figure out how to fix it. But the only way for them to do that was to be at a safe distant from each other. It was a like having a restraining order on someone you constantly just wanted to be with. Sitting around and talking all day wasn’t going to solve anything, at least that’s what Anna thought, it wasn’t a genetic thing that caused their powers to clash and break...because if it was...why now?

“Do you really think this is something that can be explained with science Professor?” Anna cut in.
“I don’t believe...perhaps we were attacked by another mutants powers, if so why would this be happening now? Oliver and I have been fine up to this point.” As much as she tried to push him away, the dark haired girl wanted to believe that it wasn’t their genes that were causing this block. “Let’s just say....it is our genes, the first time it happened we weren’t so close to each other...”or were they...she couldn’t remember. She’d already done whatever she could to block it out of her mind.

Was talking really going to solve anything at this point? She was trying not to be irrational, key word was trying, but she was afraid of losing her powers. She’d never been normal, and if she had to leave the school she wouldn’t know what to do with herself...she couldn’t go home, and had no contact with her family. They all thought she was dead after all. “Look, all I remember is that...I felt numb...and almost actually blind when I couldn’t see the wind.” She wasn’t going to admit it because she was too proud but she was scared for her life having almost died twice. And to think someone who would turn out to be her enemy was the one who saved her. “But with all due respect sir, how is talking about it going to solve anything between us?”  

[Griselda Banks]

((Hey, look! I got on earlier this week! ^_^))

Xavier listened thoughtfully to what Anna had to say, watching her with those kind, keen eyes. The first thing he said surprised Oliver. "Don't be afraid, Anna. We're going to work through this together, we three. You will be able to use your powers again. Now."

He straightened a little and looked between them both. "Talking this through is the first step. I'm trying to trace your actions back to the moment you first noticed this problem. If we can find the cause, we may be able to find a cure. I've never heard of a mutant power that could cause such far-reaching damage to another, but the very nature of mutants is...well, mutation." He smiled wryly. "First, let's pursue the possibility of another mutant causing this change. Did anyone...hit you, attack you, even touch you before you realized you were unable to access your powers?"

Oliver scrunched up his face, trying to envision the scene as it had happened the day before yesterday. "Um...the lights went out, then the balconies started crumbling...I was running, trying to get to where Anna was, then this guy knocked me over 'cause a pillar was going to fall on me. He was a mutant; he-" Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he looked at Anna in surprise. "Wait, he was here! When they were attacking! Remember? Did he do something...?"  

[Akira.S]

Anna had to think hard about what really happened the other day...She didn’t remember if Mickey really did anything to her, nor was it in his power to really do anything in the first place...She wasn’t convinced it was someone who’d done something to her, that was for sure.
“No, I don’t think it was Mickey...He doesn’t seem like the intelligent type, unless that wind like tunnel of his has the ability to suck away people’s powers, but it doesn’t make sense because you weren’t affected by it.” It was hard to decide how all of this happened, maybe it was a genetic thing, but why didn’t it happen before was the hardest.

“Do you know of any mutant that can do that Professor...that just seems highly unlikely that someone who has control of a mutant like that...?” Anna was very doubtful and wanted to stick to a story she could believe. “What if it is genetic and for some reason the two of us being together, just shuts off our powers, maybe it’s not believable but-“ she just let her sentence cut off and drift. She really did like Oliver and enjoyed his company. He made her very happy and helped to get out of her bubble, but it all just seemed too good to be true and maybe this was her punishment or something. “Let’s just say it is...us....and we can’t be near each other and it is a genetic thing, couldn’t you use cerebro to try to find the problem in our DNA or something?” obviously science wasn’t her strongest point...but there was no other explanation, they hadn’t been in real contact with anyone.

((Yeah I noticed! Sorry if the post seemed kinda weird I haven't been getting as much sleep))  

[Griselda Banks]

Xavier frowned thoughtfully down at his fingers laced together on top of the desk. "No, I agree; this doesn't sound like a mutant's power at all. The times when you are able or unable to use your powers seem more dependent on proximity to each other. Am I right?" He looked up again at the two of them.

Oliver thought back over all the times in the past couple of days he'd had that sickening realization that he couldn't access his powers, just to make sure he hadn't overlooked something. But he had to nod slowly in the end; for whatever reason, they seemed to cancel each other out.

"Cerebro?" Xavier sat back in his wheelchair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Normally I use it to sift through the vast amount of brain waves of the people around me, amplifying my own psychic power. I've never used it for something quite so refined as examining someone's DNA...but it might work. Still, I'd like to see if there's a practical solution first. There may be something very simple at the root of this - a block that somehow formed between you in a similar way some mutants find their powers are enhanced when they work together."

Oliver wished that could have been the case. If their powers became stronger, instead of weaker, when they were around each other, maybe they would spend even more time together. At the very least, there wouldn't be this awkwardness between them. But Xavier seemed oblivious to the heavy silences that fell between them, and insisted that they go outside right now to try to find out how far apart they had to be to use their powers again. Oliver found this more depressing than hopeful, though.

((Hope I got that stuff about Cerebro right sweatdrop I really don't know much about it. And I left it that way so you can do whatever you want next - detail what they do, or just skim over it. It's up to you.))  

[Akira.S]

((Yeah you got it right no worries: D))

They spent the rest of their afternoon with the Professor, sometimes in the Training Room or outside in nature where their powers manifested better. It was hard to manoeuvre around students so they wouldn’t suspect anything but it was hard... There was hardly any time left in the day to do anything, first they had to determine how far apart they could be to use their powers, then they had to determine if their powers could clash in battle, then after that the professor tried to figure out practical ways around it....but so far nothing came to mind. What did come out of their Saturday was just hard core training that worked the two students to the bone...not something you’d want on your Saturday of Spring Break. After the day’s events Anna was just so mentally and physically tired she forgot that she wasn’t on speaking terms with Oliver for the latter part of the day. Any attempts they had seemed pointless and fruitless where it almost came to the point Anna just wanted to quit.

“Let’s stop for the day and resume next week when classes resume. It’ll give me some time to think about other methods we can try.” The Professor excused the two while he sat at his desk going through his files on both of them. There was just nothing connecting them in any way...why were their powers conflicting with each other? Was it perhaps because their relationship was rocky and therefore reflecting through their powers?

Walking along side Oliver through the halls, the two decided to have dinner away from any of their friends or peers. Anna picked up a burger, fries, salad and some orange juice, heading outside to one of the verandas to eat. Sitting on an arm chair she picked at her food, taking a swig of juice every now and then. Her attention seemed to be turned elsewhere as she looked out at the school grounds and garden. She wouldn’t admit to Oliver or the Professor but she still had one flower that Oliver had given her hanging in her room, it was dead and all dried out but she still kept it by her bed. Anna was just so exhausted, physically and mentally that she didn’t notice Oliver wandering over with his own tray of food and sitting by her. It was either she was too tired to stay angry or that she just didn’t care at this point....

“I’m sorry you’re in this mess.” She said absentmindedly, probably to no one.
“I don’t know why you’re still trying to fix things.” she continued picking at her food slowly, just staring off into the distance with her empty eyes also probably looking at nothing. “I miss when stuff was easy.”  

[Griselda Banks]

Oliver wearily followed Anna to the kitchen, buffeted by their much more lively classmates who had spent the day goofing off or lazily finishing up a bit of homework, rather than pushing themselves to what felt like the breaking point for the entire day. Professor Xavier had only allowed them a five-minute rest every hour and a half hour to wolf down some sandwiches at lunch. Oliver felt like he'd been trying to recite the periodic table from memory while working out on a benchpress or something. He could hardly even think, he was that tired.

Grabbing whatever his hands fell on and throwing it on a plate, Oliver automatically followed Anna out onto the veranda. He was too tired to even wonder if maybe the rift between them was beginning to heal. He put his plate on one of the end tables and looked down at it blearily. He'd ended up with asparagus, potato salad, and some of the leftover lasagna, with a Jell-O cup on the side. It didn't look remotely appetizing to him now, but he made himself start eating, knowing he had to keep his strength up if they were to push past this block.

"Tell me about it," he muttered wearily in response to Anna's words. Yet as he chewed on an unyielding sprig of asparagus, his thoughts delved more deeply into what she'd said.

"I wish things were easy again, too," he finally said, sipping on the water he'd brought out and looking across the yard - that vast plain of power and possibility, barred against him as he sat just a couple feet away from Anna. "That's why I want to keep going with this - keep trying to fix it. I mean...it's hard, but...it's worth it, don't you think?"

He turned his head to look at her, and found his gaze inexplicably drawn to the reddish-gold light of the sunset glittering on her long dark hair. It was really pretty, now that he thought about it...all long and smooth like that.... Embarrassed, he quickly turned his attention back to his plate, hoping that the light would disguise the heat entering his cheeks.  

[Akira.S]

((The only reason I can post is because I’m sick and I had to skip class. So sorry if it’s like really bad...I have a slight headache ^^;;; ))

Food was barely appetizing now. Anna would pop a fry in her mouth every so often but nothing more. Despite the fact she was tired she knew she had to eat something, she just wasn’t sure she could stomach it just yet. Anna was just so tired of everything; tired of not using her powers when she was near him, tired of avoiding and being angry at everything and everyone.

She didn’t think she, or Oliver was in their right state of minds right now after being pushed so hard. Pushing herself off the chair she weakly walked over to where Oliver was sitting. Anna looked like she was about to trip over her own feet the way she stepped over slowly. When she was directly beside him she moved his plate from his lap and onto the small table beside him and sat down...right on his lap.

Her empty eyes seemed tired; she seemed so much more pale than usual, perhaps there was something wrong with her mentally as of late. She made herself comfortable, sitting on Oliver’s lap, then leaned in and pressed the side of her head against his chest and closed her eyes, “I haven’t had any peace since we started training...just let me sit like this for a while okay?” her voice was meek and her breath shallow. Now the two were stuck in a predicament which, really, neither of them minded. Anna secretly felt more comfortable sitting here quietly in Oliver’s arms than sitting alone in her piano room; she secretly hoped he wouldn’t mind. Even if their powers did fix could they really go back to the way things were...Anna hoped...but did he...he seemed to want to, but why should he after the way she treated him. She was stubborn with her conviction; she knew staying with the Elementals would help him grow stronger. Wood and Air just had nothing to do with each other so it didn’t make sense for them to...

Lifting her arm slightly she rested that against his chest as well and gently gripped his shirt while taking a few moments to just rest in the peace, maybe secretly pretending that they were just two normal, really close friends sitting and eating dinner together.  

[Griselda Banks]

((Don't worry, the post was fine! (Though Oliver and I were both kind of eek ) Oh, and...when do you think we should have the Cerebro-stealing part start? Fairly soon? Do you think Magneto would want to take them by surprise, or would he wait longer till they're lulled into a false sense of security?))

When Anna took his plate away, Oliver looked up curiously; when she abruptly sat down on his lap, he instantly froze in place. She wasn't looking at him, instead curling up against his chest, but Oliver stared at her with eyes as big as saucers. Then the heat that hadn't quite faded from his cheeks burned through his shock, and he felt sure they must be luminous, they were burning so hot.

His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, beating painfully against his ribs as though someone in there thought a game of heart-tennis sounded like a good idea. And he knew that Anna would be able to hear it going wild like this, but he couldn't make it slow down. He couldn't hide how pathetically he was reacting; no matter how much he wished he could act cool or at least like he knew what to do, he was thrown completely off balance.

If he spoke, his voice would probably come out in a stupid squeak, so Oliver kept quiet. Despite his embarrassment and discomfort - oh great, he hoped no one would step out and see them like this! - he discovered that...he kind of liked this. The feel of her warm presence against his chest...it was like she'd always belonged there. Like a hand fitting into a glove. Her soft weight on his knees, the pressure against his chest, her fingers curled around folds in his shirt.... He liked it. He liked...he liked her.

His arms, which had been held stupidly a little out to each side when she sat down, slowly relaxed. He hesitated, his heart still beating painfully against the pressure of Anna's ear, then gently rested his left hand on her shoulder. Just a comforting touch to let her know that he understood what she meant, that he also felt this wearying frustration. His other hand dangled from the armrest of his chair, his knuckles just barely brushing against her elbow.

Slowly, his pounding heart began to slow to its normal rhythm.

((Oh, and I hope you're feeling better by now!))  

[Akira.S]

(( biggrin ! Surprise is good every now and then. Umm I wanted to say wait but then I’m like….thinking about it…NAHHH!!! It’ll be fairly soon, we should like skip to it in the next couple of posts. It has to be at night cause he’s not an idiot to attack during the day time. I seriously just think he’ll take some of his older mutant allies and just go in and take it, just to make life easier in the sense like ‘Do I have to do everything myself’ kinda thing? Like after like 2 weeks or something so they’re in like 2nd semester and they’re starting new classes. Like Oliver and Anna will still be taking lessons with the Professor but this will come up and they have to go. And I’m still like…sniffly…but not sick, thanks for asking.))

Oliver’s touch on Anna’s shoulder was like a small warm blanket just urging her to fall asleep. She wasn’t so tired that she didn’t notice the sound of his heartbeat. The idea made her smile a little while she cuddled in a little closer. Maybe she had secretly forgiven him, but she was too proud to really say anything and now wasn’t really the best time. Maybe she was really sorry for what she said and how she pushed my away…but deep in that dark abyss which was her brain, she did want to be with him. If she had enough energy her heart would be beating probably just as fast as Oliver’s, her heartbeat was slow and calming, also shallow and weak. Made you wonder what she was doing after their sessions, didn’t seem like she was taking care of herself after.

Completely forgetting about dinner, Anna just slept, probably for the first time in a while. Her soft black hair sticking onto the fabric of Oliver’s shirt, her skin was warm, her skin was just as or even more pale, but her eyes seemed so tired. There almost seemed to be dark circles under her eyes, but sometimes it was hard to notice if you weren’t really looking for it. Anna and Oliver had been running around the past two days so it was hard to really see, now that she was just sitting and relaxing it was easy for Oliver to notice how tired she really was. Not to say he wasn’t tired but the fatigue seemed to plague both of them.

Well so much for dinner, both of them had barely touched their food however it seemed that they were enjoying themselves by just sitting and resting. Anna was already far too familiar with his warm touch, the roughed scent after a hard day’s work, she was even so familiar with the pace of his heartbeat.
While Anna’s eyes were closed and Oliver was enjoying her company, a couple of girls younger than them came out go for a walk and sort of giggled at the two. It’s not like the girls knew who they were, but they were just commenting and giggling on how cute the two looked, it was a girl thing. Any longer and the two would definitely be a talk of school gossip, and they were – according to other students, still fighting. Honestly, if Anna wasn’t going to get up Oliver would have to make her…and some part of her highly doubted he’d do that.
 

[Griselda Banks]

((Okay, sounds good!))

Oliver listened as Anna's breathing evened out and grew deeper; it seemed she had fallen asleep. He sat there, relaxing more and more with every passing minute, as he slowly grew used to this strange new position he found himself in. His weary mind was too tired to whirl with confusion, so he simply worked through his thoughts at a steady, slow pace as the darkness grew and Anna settled more heavily against his chest.

He'd always been attracted to her, hadn't he? He'd always thought she looked pretty. She was so quiet and thoughtful, so different from girls who went around in packs, giggling or talking in loud, airy voices intended to make them look perky and attractive. Anna never put herself forward, never tried to get anyone's attention...and yet, she'd noticed him. Probably not in the same way he'd noticed her; he knew he was as normal as they came, without shiny hair and piano playing to recommend him to anyone's notice. But she'd been nice to him, let them be friends.

Until recently. Oliver let out a slow, gentle sigh, trying not to disturb her sleep, and gently rested his cheek against the top of her head. He could smell sweat mingled with the shampoo she used, which made him think of flowers. Which made him think of the problem they faced. Surely, if she hated him for blocking her power, if she didn't want to see him or talk to him anymore, she wouldn't be doing this now...right? Maybe she was just too tired to realize what she was doing, but...maybe it wasn't hopeless, not yet. They could still patch things up, with the Professor's help.

Anna shifted slightly in her sleep and Oliver remembered where he was. Her warm pressure made his stomach feel tight, like he was trying to do a sit-up or something. He had to admit now that he liked her. That she wasn't just his friend anymore. He'd liked girls before, of course, but they'd never let him become a friend like this, so now he felt confused. What did this mean for them? Did she like him too? Or did she just want to be friends again?

Slowly, his eyes closed and he breathed in her smell, her steady breaths lulling him to sleep. He'd settle for just being her friend, but...it would be nice if she liked him back.

When the girls tiptoed past them, giggling, neither Anna nor Oliver woke. They were encompassed in their own little world.

((I feel kinda stuck, because I don't know whether Anna would get up and be embarrassed, or stay there, or what. So I just left it like that sweatdrop ))  

[Akira.S]

((That’s fine I’ll move it along : D ))

Both their dinners had gotten cold, and it wasn’t good they weren’t eating but right now sleep took priority. Anna slept quietly in Oliver’s arms in that same position for almost a good 45 minutes to an hour before her eyes flickered open. Anna didn’t react badly to having slept on Oliver, she just hoped he wasn’t too disturbed....she wondered how he was feeling and whether or not she was really still mad at him. But even if she wasn’t would he still like her, would things really be okay between them? She could only hope for the best after this.

Anna wanted to just float off him so she wouldn’t disturb him, but considering the range she knew it wasn’t possible. Pushing herself off she got off his lap and stretched, fixing her long black hair and looking at their plates of food, she felt bad for wasting it but they could just compost it later.

“Oliver” she nudged his arm.

Picking up her plate from the side she started to walk back inside to at least put the food away. While in the kitchen her eyes glanced over to Valon and Luke not too far away. They were looking at her as she was looking at them, but she didn’t say anything. The three were caught in a gaze for a while almost like waiting for one to say something to the other but nothing. Their gaze was cut when Oliver finally walked into the kitchen to put his food away as well and probably head to bed.

“I’m going to shower and go to bed. Don’t forget to catch up on any work you forgot to do.” Anna’s voice resonated quietly so only he could hear. Then her slender figure turned away and walked off. Once she was far away from the kitchen she flew off to her end of the school leaving Oliver with the guys...only thing was did they notice him and did he notice them? “So did you guy mak’ up or somethin’?” Valon asked still keeping his seat with Luke.  

[Griselda Banks]

Oliver slowly came awake as Anna got up again, blinking groggily as his exhausted body protested against any movement. Then suddenly he remembered what they'd just been doing, and he stiffened slightly, looking over at Anna only to find that she was walking back inside. It had grown completely dark while they slept, and no one was left outside; everyone had either gone to bed already or stayed up in their rooms, talking and doing homework.

At first, Oliver could only sit there in the darkness, listening to the crickets chirping and trying to figure out what it meant that they'd just been sleeping on top of each other. He tried to figure out how he felt, what he should do, if he should have said something...but his brain was too tired to think very coherently. Giving up, he stood, stretched, and took his own plate in as well.

He'd expected Anna to have already left, but she was still there, rinsing off her plate. He felt heat rising in his cheeks again, especially when he became aware that Valon and Luke were sitting there watching. Embarrassed, Oliver tried not to look at anyone and concentrated on cleaning up his dishes. Yet he couldn't help just being aware of Anna - the way she moved, the shifting of her weight, the slight swinging of her hair....

But then she was gone, and Oliver turned off the faucet slowly, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He jumped slightly when Valon spoke, having almost forgotten the others were in here as well. Having forgotten anyone else existed in the world. Trying to pretend he was just tired and that his thoughts weren't following Anna all the way up the stairs, he turned around, leaned against the sink and shrugged. "Yeah," he said softly. "I think so. Maybe."

Luke grinned. "Don't sound too sure."

Oliver sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I'm too tired to think about it. 'Night, guys." He turned to leave.

((I just finished watching a silly shoujo anime, so now I'm feeling all fuzzy and romancey 4laugh Oh, and I should warn you - I'm going to be going on a trip for the next couple of weeks, so it'll be a bit longer before my next reply.))  

[Akira.S]

The hot steam rose to the top of the square shaped shower while hot droplets of water rained down from the head. There was no one else in the girl’s bathroom this late at night other than the singular showering station that was on. Instead of really taking the time to shower Anna just stood under the head and let the water brush over her skin. Her head was filled with thoughts of school, training, her powers, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t stop thinking about Oliver. Needless to say it was driving her quite mad. It’s not that she didn’t like him, but the fact she thought about him more than usual was starting to freak her out. She’d never really....liked....LIKED anyone before and maybe it wasn’t him she was afraid of, it was her own feelings for him.

Hopefully the shower would create the magic of sleep and maybe she’d forget all about it in the morning. So after that long shower, cleaning her face and brushing her teeth, she floated back to her room in thin pj pants and a tank top. Tomorrow class would start all over again, and the problems between their powers might resurface during training – but she tried not to let that bother her.

While curled up in her bed, her hair slightly damp, her white eyes wandered over to the pink flower she’d hung on her wall. Of course it was dry but it was the thought that counted. Curled up under her blanket she released a heavy sigh and closed her eyes, hoping tomorrow would be a little less complicated.

~~~

“We are so getting kicked out...” Tanya’s head was rested on top of Mickey’s lap while he leaned against the wall atop his bed, stroking her long blonde hair between his fingers. “He hasn’t said anything about Cerebro to any of us. Well first we were totally outnumbered and that Professor Xavier set his own teachers to attack us, what sort of back up did we have?” she complained, the last thing she wanted to do was get in Magneto’s bad books, especially since she’d do anything for him...and I mean almost anything.

“Cerebro must be important to Xavier if he wants to protect it that badly...” Mickey commented while looking towards the other two girls on his faction.

“What do you think Magneto’s going to do? If he wants it so badly he should just waltz right over there and take it himself.” Curling closer to Mickey and closing her eyes she sigh all flustered and angry that they failed their important infiltration mission.  

[Griselda Banks]

Aria and Garnet were sitting in chairs near Mickey's bed. Garnet sat stiffly, staring mutely at the ceiling looking bored and disgusted with her comrades. Aria, on the other hand, lounged indolently with one leg dangling over the arm of her chair, propping her chin up with one hand. She yawned expansively.

"How should I know what he's gonna do?" she complained. "He'll give us another chance to prove ourselves, don't you worry. We did our part; it was just a problem of planning that made it-"

"Are you criticizing him?" Garnet suddenly spoke up, her voice low and dangerous, her eyes flashing like flint in Aria's direction.

Aria flipped her leg off the arm of the chair and sat up, keeping the sullen, bored expression on her face though her fingers were growing white on the arms of her chair. "No," she said quietly. "Magneto is the greatest man in the world, and if he wants the Cerebro, there's no way in hell any of those stupid 'X-Men' can stop him."

They held each other's gaze for a moment more, then Garnet grunted and returned to her scrutiny of the ceiling. The tension in the air immediately dissipated, and Aria slumped back once more. Before an awkward silence could stretch out between them, a red light on a panel over the door suddenly began to blink at them. A second, then a third light began to blink in tandem. Aria got to her feet, staring up at the panel in surprise. "He's calling everybody...he's got a new plan!"

Pausing only for a brief, excited grin at her companions, Aria rushed out the door.

-----

With the arrival of normal classes, Anna and Oliver's sessions with Professor Xavier were necessarily brief. He seemed content with their demonstration of the physical barriers, and now turned his attention to searching their minds for the source of this problem. For an hour each night, Xavier would take one of them to the room which housed the Cerebro, and would have them sit there while he probed through their minds.

Tonight, it was Oliver's turn again, and he took his position across from the Professor, trying not to be impatient. It was very boring to just sit there while someone else pawed through your mind. Xavier smiled at him as though he knew what Oliver was thinking - which, come to think of it, he probably did - and fitted the metal headpiece over his bald head.

Xavier's probing never felt like much to Oliver, either because Xavier was subtle and gentle enough that he made sure the experience was not unpleasant, or because Oliver didn't have a trace of psychic power in him. Sometimes he felt a faint tickle in the back of his mind, like an itch he couldn't quite reach, but most of the time it was very uneventful. He tried not to let his mind wander too much, hoping his thoughts wouldn't distract Xavier's work, but he couldn't keep from thinking about Anna.

He tried not to dwell on how she made him feel - he was sure the Professor wouldn't tell any of his secrets, but at the moment he couldn't stand the thought of anyone knowing - and tried to think of her purely on the basis of this dilemma of theirs. Unfortunately, mulling over the times their powers had fizzled out in each other's presence inevitably made him think about the way the sun shone on her hair, or the way her small smile made his stomach squirm pleasurably.