Charles shook his head, "Violet... there is no simple answer"

"Charles, I really like you... No one has made me feel the way you make me feel before. And hell you stayed around even after finding out I had such a young little brother... please, I can't be with someone who can't be honest to me... I I can't go through something like that again..." She'd been hurt before though you couldn't tell on the surface, she was good at hiding the scars. After all, she had to be strong, for Luke's sake. Her hands were clenched together.

Charles sighed. Nodding a little he reached out to take Violet's hands, "I'm much older than I look" he began explaining, "but it has nothing to do with mutant ability. My powers are purely telepathic and very strong. Strong enough that people have wished to control them before, however my body had grown old and weak. I have already lived my lifetime, so they cloned me and my consciousness was brought into this form. The world believes me dead because of the body I left behind and they believe me a monster because of what I left behind in their minds. The whole world, whether they know me or not has a small telepathic suggestion that tells them I am responsible for unspeakable corruption. However it isn't true and I need you to know that it is not true." he clutched her hand tighter, his blue eyes begging her to understand, "It was something that I did out of necessity. I broke every rule, every moral I had that day to save the people I care about. We were on the brink of war between mutants and humans, if all mutants were blamed then the fall out would have been horrific but if one... if one person could be blamed for everything then they yet stood a chance."

'Oh my god.' It all made sense now. Why Charles was staying with Magneto, why Logan seemed so nice to Charles... why most of the old x-men team had been visiting Charles in his new apartment.

Violet pulled her hand away in shock, "You're Xavier..." An overwhelming amount of emotions filled her, "Get out. Just get out."

"Violet please" Charles reached for her hand again, "It's in your mind as well. If you let me remove it then perhaps you would not hate me"

"No!" She slapped his hand away, "Don't touch me." This was too much to take in at once. "I-I need to be alone. Please, just go."

Charles withdrew, looking like a beaten pup, "I'm sorry..." he hesitated at the door, looking back at her. He wanted to say something that would make it all better, to find the words that would make her understand and to make everything alright... no words came to mind, so he left.

Violet cried as soon as he was gone. How could she have been so stupid? Letting him into her mind, he was...a monster. She felt like her heart was breaking, torn between loving this kind gentle man and the horror of his past life.

Luke ended up crawling up onto the bed and hugging her, "Why is Violet sad?"

"Oh sweetie." She held him tight, "I'm... just having a rough day."
Luke held up his juice box and Violet laughed, "Thanks Lukey." She took a sip and they held each other for awhile.

"Better?" Luke asked.
"Yes, thank you."
"We gotta stay together. Be Tough!" Luke posed very macho like and Violet laughed.
"Alright, go brush your teeth... I just need to go downstairs for a min." Luke ran along.

Violet however took their second hand frying pan and headed downstairs. Logan didn't expect a pan to the head, "You bastard! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME WHO HE WAS?!" She didn't care if he was their landlord. Logan had been nothing but kind to them since they arrived and to keep this sort of info from her... It was like a best friend breaking a promise.

Logan's instant reaction was slice the frying pan in half with his claws, "What the hell?!" he exclaimed, "Violet! I nearly cut yer arm off! What're you talking about?"

It was clear from her flushed cheeks and puffed up eyes that she'd been crying hard. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Charles damn it! How could you let me go all goo goo after that... that man! I trusted you.."

Logan frowned, "because he's a good man" he replied, guiding Violet to his office where they could talk a little more privately.

In his office she didn't sit down, her arms were crossed, holding tightly to the cut up frying pan, "So you believe he's fairy tale story? Or... or has he gotten to you too?!" A flash of panic was coming over her.

"Woah-hey" Logan grabbed her shoulders, "Don't start going down that road missy. It'll drive ya crazy, trying to figure out who's touched in the head by some telepath and who ain't. You're questioning it and that's good, it means he's not in yer head, making you believe what he wants you to. That's how you know what's what, alright?" he sighed, falling back into his chair, "but if you really want to hear the truth about ol' Wheels, you gotta ask somebody he can't affect. Somebody who remembers the truth of what happened cuz to be honest, my version is the one he gave back to me." he shrugged, "He's been in my head, so you wanna know more, you talk to Magneto."

She rubbed her arm, Logan had a point.. She relaxed a little, sitting down. "But... he's my employer... I haven't really spoken to him... only in greeting really. Even though I work for him, I don't think he likes me very much because of Luke not having any powers yet or at all..."

"Well there ain't a lot of people in the word who're immune to telepaths" Logan replied, thinking about it, "... Ciara might be able to help ya out. Gambit and Mystique are pretty good 'bout hiding their minds from telepaths but I ain't sure how far that went for when Charles did the whole world mindfuck thing. If it's any consolation, most of the old x-men crew know about him-most of us are okay with it. He actually messed with our heads to, made us think we'd suddenly woken up from years of being under his power. Really screwed with a few of us til Ciara brought him back and got him to set our memories straight again."

"Ok... Thanks for the advice... Sorry I hit you with a frying pan. I didn't want to hurt my hand hitting you..."

*
The next day which also happened to be Violet's day off. She baked up a tray of cookies and put on her best clothes. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on Eric's mansion door.

After a moment or two the large metal door opened and there stood one of the household's most intimidating frequent visitors, Sabertooth. He looked down at Violet gave a growl, evidently meaning 'what do you what?'

"Oi! I thought you weren't allowed to answer the door anymore" Pyro quipped, hopping over and making a face at Sabertooth, "You were lucky the last one could regrow their arms!"

Sabertooth looked at Pyro, grunted and walked away.

"Hey there sheela" Pyro turned to Violet with a grin, "what can I do ya for?"

Violet felt rather small when Sabertooth answered the door and was relieved when Pyro came along. "Oh, I was just wondering if Mr. Magneto was home... I have a matter I'd like to discuss..if he's not too busy."

"Yer the gardener right?" Pyro asked, "Magneto's getting ready for a trip, he'll be gone awhile. What's this about?"

"That's right. " She nodded, very politely. " It's regarding an old friend of his...it's rather personal...If he could spare a few moments..." Violet held fast to the basket filled with cookies, covered with a purple plad cloth. She was rather nervous.

Pyro eyed her a moment, then chuckled, "alright, I'll check." he invited her in and hopped off to talk to the boss.

A little while later Pryo called her into the other room where Eric stood, decked out in his full Magneto gear. It was a sort of office you could say, fairly plain seeing as Eric was reshaping the metal to create something. As Violet walked into the room a chair raised up and formed from the metal floor.

"Thank you." Violet half curtsied as Pyro left.

She took a deep breath and entered the room. She paused a moment in awe at the metal twisting and turning. She'd never gotten to see his powers close up. Marvellous they were and also very dangerous if you were on the opposite end of them.

The whole outfit? >< Why did he have to deck himself out now?

"Good afternoon, Mr. Magneto sir. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time..." The smell of chocolate chip cookies slowly filling the room. She did not sit. Not until she was invited to.

"Have a seat" Magneto replied, his voice echoing through the helmet. He glanced over, seeing the cookies a table raised from the floor for them, "It's Violet, isn't it? I will be departing shortly. You have five minutes." he was adjusting and refitting the red metal around his arm.

She sat down,"Yes Sir. I had a few extra cookies from the batch I was making." She said putting the basket up on the table, "I'll get straight to the point then..." She took a deep breath, looking behind her to make sure the door was closed, "I know the man who was living here was Charles Xaiver... I've been told the story of what he did for us but... I was advised to talk to someone who mind wasn't altered before of it..."

Eric paused, eyeing her for a moment, "and who is it that told you such things?"