The Core Of The Problem (February 2012)

Tony thought about what his wife said. He liked Charles Xavier. He and Isabella had worked together in their defeat of the mutant registration bill. He was someone they knew they could trust. He took his wife’s face into his hands and kissed her lips softly.

“I think that is a very good idea. She is not herself and this is more than just guilt I think. What Melantha said troubles me. It was just a warning but now...now I think there is more to it. Something happened in that lab that Serena will not say,” he said as he slipped a few strands of hair behind her ear with a finger. You go ahead and take her. She’s got a court date coming up. I’ll handle that while your gone,” He said. “I’ve donated alot of money to that college, and the police have no evidence that she was careless. I’d say you might want to stay close to her though, for a while. If she harms someone else she might get into trouble I can’t get her out of,” Tony said.

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Gambit sat on the floor in his bathroom. He had the hot lamp fans going to suppress the noise. He flicked his lighter, lit it, and closed it. Flicked it open, lit it and closed it again. He did this over and over and over as silent tears streamed down his cheeks.

‘I was too slow...and she should not have rushed ahead’ he thought as the pain in his heart ravaged his mind. Rogue had been the love of his life. They shared a common background and had been the best of friends. They were lovers and he was going to ask her to marry him. He plucked the small, black box out of his pocket and looked at it. The ring was a solitaire diamond. Dazzling and brilliant. He closed the box and held his fist up to his mouth as he stifled a sob that threatened to choke him. “God I miss you,” Gambit said as he wiped his face with his hand.

“Gambit, are you alright?” Jean asked. She could feel his pain and it had drawn her to him. “Go...away Jean!” Gambit said angrily. “Ok...but if you just need to talk...I’m so sorry Gambit…” She said as she put her hand on the door. Rogue was her friend and she was taken from them. From all of them. Jean stepped away.

It was one week before Serena's 21st birthday and instead of preparing for a party Isabella and Kate were taking Serena out of the city and up to Westchester to Professor Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters. It was a school for mutants. Shortly after Serena was born Professor Xavier determined that she was going to be a powerful mutant. When her powers emerged when she was a toddler they knew she was a class 5. Serena though had never actually attended the school. Tony had decided to train Serena himself on how to control her powers, but Professor Xavier was always a phone call away if he or Isabella had any questions. Now, they needed Charles more than they ever had before. Isabella had called and spoken to him for over an hour. He had already seen the news and knew what happened at Osborn Corp., but Isabella told him everything else...the things that the reporters didn't know. He believed he could delve into her mind and figure out what was going on and so the next day Isabella and Kate loaded Serena into one of the SUV's and headed that way. Kate was there just in case Serena woke up. They had been forced to keep her sedated. She had woken up during the night and had begun screaming and using her powers at seemingly nothing. Isabella hated keeping her daughter unconscious, but this was to keep herself and everyone else safe. When they arrived Charles, Hank, and Scott were waiting for them. Scott helped get Serena out of the back of the car.

"We've been forced to keep her sedated," Isabella explained to Charles. "Something is definitely not right with her. I'm so worried about her."

Charles looked up at Isabella. “You do realize that I can not ‘delve’ her mind unless she gives me permission,” Charles said as Scott held her. “Put her up in the blue room Scott,” Charles said. “Hank, can you get some tea sent to my office?” Xavier said. “Sure Charles,” Hank said as he waved to Isabella and Kate.

The mansion bustled with activity like it always did. Xavier’s office really hadn’t changed that Isabella could see. He invited them to sit. “So, it sounds as if our Serena is a troubled young lady,” Charles said. “Did you know the young man...uh, Evan Cullen?” He asked.

Isabella watched as Scott took her daughter inside and up to one of the bedrooms. She and Kate then followed Charles and Hank inside. Hank went to get them some tea and the two women walked behind Charles as he escorted them down to his office. Kate had spent a short amount of time at the mansion when she was younger after her parents had both been killed. Then Phil had decided to bring her back to SHIELD and care for her himself. The mansion hadn't changed much during that time and still had a cozy, warm feeling to it.

The two women each took a seat in Charles' office and Isabella sighed and nodded when he asked if they had known Evan. "Not very well. But he spent an evening at the Tower and had dinner with us. He was a very nice, polite young man and he clearly loved Serena very much."

Kate nodded in concurrence with what Isabella had said. "She is carrying the weight of his death on her shoulders. The guilt is heavy, but what is going on with her is beyond just grief and guilt. It's...it's almost as if she's being possessed. She's said the name 'Nyx' a few times. I'm honestly not sure if she's going to be in the right frame of mind to even give you permission to delve into her mind."

Isabella was upset over all of this and Kate reached over and gently held her hand to comfort her.

"Whenever she's conscious she starts screaming and her powers are out of control."

Charles frowned at the two women and he rubbed his chin in thought as Hank came in with the tea. He fixed them each a cup and then was gone again. Charles took a sip from his tea as he thought about that name. “It might help if I knew who or what Nyx was,” He said. There was a knock on the door and Hank as there again.

“Yes Charles?” He said. “I need you to research the name Nyx please...and time is of the essence Hank,” He said and Hank nodded. “I’ll get right on it,” He said and smiled at Kate as he left.

“Isabella, we’re not a hospital nor a prison. Have you considered the possibility of committing Serena?” Charles asked.

Kate looked over at Hank as he handed her her cup of tea. He left, but then, suddenly, came back. Kate realized Charles had psychically called him back. Charles asked him to look up the name 'Nyx' and before Hank left he gave her a smile. She smiled back at him.

Isabella was too anxious about Serena to drink the tea, but she held the cup politely. "I know my daughter Charles and Serena is not mentally ill. There's something else that is going on. Last night, when she woke up I swear her eyes were black. Now, I understand that I've been under a lot of stress the past few days but I did not imagine that."

Kate took a sip of her tea and looked at Charles. "Can you possibly delve into her mind while she is unconscious?"

“Mrs. Blackwell, that would be unethical. We need to proceed delicately. And you need to consider that the strain of losing someone she was so close to. Losing him and feel responsible for his death, can cause psychosis,” Charles said. “Isabella, you know I’ll do everything I can to help Serena but I won’t look into her memories without her consent,” He said. “We do have devices to disable her mutation. For that though I will need your consent,” He said.

Charles asked them several more questions and to find that she had injured her father Tony Stark was troubling for Charles. Isabella could feel that, before he had even a chance to help her daughter that Charles was becoming uncertain about his willingness to risk having her there at the mansion.

Isabella had not gotten much sleep the last few days and she was really starting to feel the effects of that as she sat in Charles' office. Anyone who knew Isabella knew that she was a strong, graceful woman. A woman who was every bit Tony's equal. She ran the foundation of a Fortune 500 company, was the co-leader of the Avengers' Team and took care of the entire team. She had dined with presidents, had tea with the Queen of England, attended major events with celebrities and drunk champagne with dignitaries. She was cool under pressure and did not crack easily. Today she was cracking. She could see Charles was becoming uncertain about his willingness to even have Serena at the mansion. She was a very powerful mutant and was dangerous now. But Charles was Isabella's only hope.

"Please Charles," Isabella begged with tears in her eyes. "Do what you must to disable her powers but I need your help. I don't know what else to do. Please...""

Charles rolled up to Isabella and took her hand. “Alright Isabella, I’ll do what I can for her, I promise,” Charles said just as Hank knocked on the door. “Come,” Charles said and Hank came in. Once again as he passed Kate he smiled at her.

“I found several references for the word Nyx but the one I think you need to hear is somewhat far fetched. “Nyx is the goddess of the plane of Chaos. A completely different plane of existence. Now this in itself might not really mean much but I checked with the forensic detectives in the 12th precinct that investigated Evan’s death and they found negative energy particles at the scene. It’s relevant because the plane of Chaos is supposedly saturated with negative energy...at least that’s what the internet says,” Hank said. Charles looked thoughtful as he listened to Hank’s information.

“Well, Hank, for now. We need to neutralize Serena’s mutation. Mrs. Blackwell, why don’t you go with Hank. If Serena wakes up it would be good for her to see a familiar face. I must talk to Isabella alone,” He said. Hank nodded and then waited for Kate to join him.

As they headed down to get a neutralizer he tried to think of what to say to her. Kate was a very beautiful woman and Hank felt like such the geek that he was next to her. Obviously he hadn’t noticed her wedding ring yet and was obviously into her. “So...how do you like it at the tower? Working with uh..the Starks, Logan and Steve Rogers,” he aksed.

Kate nodded at Charles' suggestion that she go with Hank while he neutralized Serena's powers. She gave Isabella an encouraging smile to tell her that everything was going to be alright. As she walked down the hallway with Hank she noticed him frequently glancing her way. She began to get the feeling that he was attracted to her and that he didn't know she was married. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but also didn't want to lead him on either.

"I love working at the Tower. I've been there about 5 years now. I love working with all of them...Tony and Isabella, Logan, Natalya, and of course Steve, my husband." She said that last part gently so as not to embarrass Hank. He seemed like a really nice guy.

Hank’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “Well...that makes sense...Captain America,” Hank said. ‘Why are all the nice ones taken?’ He wondered as they went down to the lower level. The walls were blue gray and the floor was a white tile. Unlike the other floors, this one was ultra-modern like some military bunker of sorts. He brought her to the room that had weapons and all sorts of devices. He picked up what looked to be some sort of choker necklace.

“I developed these myself,” Hank said.

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“There is a way I can help her Isabella but only if your there. I can use Cerebro and we can view what we see together. I warn you thought, seeing into ones memories can be...a difficult experience, are you prepared for that?” Charles asked.

Kate had hoped not to embarrass Hank, but out of the corner of her eye she saw his cheeks flush. She decided to say nothing more on the subject and followed Hank down to the lower level. This room had an entirely different feel to the rest of the mansion. She had certainly never been down here before. She could see weapons and other devices, but what Hank picked up looked like a choker necklace. She took it from Hank to examine out of curiosity.

"How does it work? It won't hurt Serena, will it?"

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Meanwhile, Isabella continued to sit with Charles in his office. He suggested using Cerebro so she could view the memories from Serena's mind as well. She knew it was going to probably be difficult to see but she nodded in agreement.

"I will do whatever I need to to help her."

Hank smiled. “I could show you?” He said as he gestured to her neck. “By having contact with your skin it emanates a pulse of neural energy right into your skin cells. He placed it onto her neck just to show her. “The clasp is on the back and it has a code to open it,” he said. Once it was clasped she felt...something. As if she had lost something, an awareness. She noticed immediately she did not notice objects like she did before. They were just separate things now where before she felt connected to everything, if in minor way. Her power gave her that awareness in anticipation of her using her power to move them. Even things at rest emanate energy and she used her power to manipulate that, and set it into motion.

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“I know you will Isabella, and that’s why I am concerned. You’ve lost your objectivity,” he said. “We here are the mansion have suffered a great loss as well. Rogue died yesterday,” Charles said and rolled over to the window and looked out onto the green. He really liked Rogue, her southern charm brightened every room she entered. “There is a young man...Gambit, who is suffering right now because of that loss,” Charles said as he drew out his handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes with it.

Kate was a little nervous about having the collar on her neck, but also immensely curious. As Hank clasped it on she felt a sudden change in her body. It was as if she had lost apart of herself. She had had her powers for so long at this point that she had forgotten what it felt like not to have them. She felt...lost in a way...as if she weren't Kate anymore. She reached out a hand to try and lift a box that was nearby, but it didn't budge at all. It didn't even shake at her effort. She didn't like this feeling and she was grateful when Hank removed it.

"We should probably get that on Serena before she wakes up. It will be difficult to do after."

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Isabella knew that Charles was right. She was far too close to Serena to really be able to make the best decisions for her at this moment. She was tired and upset and very stressed. That led to snap judgement and decision making. She listened as Charles told her that the X-Men had lost a member of their team the day before. It sounded as if this young man, Gambit, was going through the same feeling of loss that her daughter was.

"What are you suggesting exactly Charles?"

Serena was on the bed in the blue room. It was a large bed with victorian style furniture and finery. Even as Kate and Hank came up Serena was sitting with her face in her hands on the edge of the bed. She was crying.

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“I think perhaps you should let Serena remain here with us for a while. I think by putting these 2 together they might be able to heal. I can’t be certain ofcourse but though Gambit can be rough around the edges he is a good man,” he said but Isabella might feel as if Charles knew something more about this than he let on to her. He did in fact, his insight was far superior than most anyone else on the planet. He knew things that others could not possibly know. He didn’t say more though.

Kate could hear her crying from outside the room. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to possibly have to hold her with her powers. She and Hank stepped into the room and Kate cautiously approached her.

"Serena?"

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Isabella sighed and stood up and began to walk around the office as she considered leaving her daughter here. She wanted to keep Serena near her, but being in the city might just make things worse. There were too many things there to remind her of Evan. Out here it was more quiet and she would have time to heal. She hated making this decision without Tony, but he trusted Charles as much as she did and they both wanted to do whatever was best for her. It also wouldn't be forever.

"Alright...I will let her stay here with you."

Serena looked up at Kate as tears streamed down her face. She slid down onto the floor. “It hurts...so much Kate...I can still feel him, inside me. I love him...so much!” she said in between her sobs. “As if he’s still here...but I know he’s not!” she wailed. “He’s not and I could have stopped it!” She cried. “I knew something was wrong! I knew it and I didn’t stop it!” Serena wailed nearly on the verge of becoming hysterical once more.

Hank’s own eyes began to tear up just from witnessing this and his face was a mask of deep concern and sadness.

Kate knew that if Serena became hysterical that her powers would surge and go out of control again. She needed to calm her before that could happen and get the collar on her to disable her powers. She knew that Serena would trust her more than she would a stranger and so she began to walk towards her. "Serena," she said gently as she slowly approached her. "I know it hurts Serena. When I lost both my parents at the same time I didn't think I would ever get over my grief. But it did happen. That's not to say that you should forget Evan. No, you shouldn't do that. He will always be with you Serena if you keep him in your heart. But right now I need you take a few calming breaths. Ok? Your mother and I have brought you to Professor Charles Xavier's school. Charles would like to talk to you. But just so you don't accidentally hurt someone would it be alright if I put this device on you? It doesn't hurt. I've tried it on myself. All it is going to do is neutralize your powers for a little bit. It's not going to stay on forever. I promise. Does this sound alright?" Kate spoke calmly and gently to Serena to try and calm her down.

Serena looked at Kate as if she wanted to embrace her. She listened to what Kate said and thought about how horrible it would be to lose both her parents. And then her eyes went wide. “Oh my god...I hurt my father!” She said in a strained voice that was hoarse from sobbing. She had a look of horror in her eyes and looked around the room almost wildly. “Kate…” Hank said. “Get it on her Kate,” Hank said quickly. Kate took in a breath and beads of sweat formed on her brow. She didn't 'want' to do this but Serena was on the verge of losing herself again. Kate made her decision, there was just too many people, too many children here for Serena to unleash her powers here. She quickly went onto her knees and clasped the collar on Serena's neck

Kate managed to get the collar on Serena just before Serena was able to form an energy orb. Serena felt a sudden emptiness inside of her and it frightened her. She began to cry again and Kate sat down on the bed beside her and out an arm around her to comfort her. Serena leaned against her as she cried and Kate made soothing sounds as she rubbed her arm.

“It’s going to be alright Serena.”

Hank helped get Serena back into the bed and he handed kate 2 pills that kate knew would help her sleep. After she took them Hank had to leave but Kate remained at her bedside and softly rubbed her back. Serena did seem to calm down after a time.

“Tony was not seriously hurt and he is far more worried about you than anything else,” Kate said. “We all are Serena. We watched you grow up. I’d like to think you learned something from all of us,” she said. She could see Serena’s eyes begin to flutter, she was on the brink of sleep now.

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Charles put on the helmet and turned the machine on. “Please, try not to move,” He said to Isabella as the door behind them closed and the room suddenly changed…

Serena was a young girl and she sat on Tony’s lap. She had hurt her elbow and Tony put a bandaid on her elbow then kissed it to make it better. She giggled and then put her arms around his neck…

Serena was about 12 and Isabella was showing her how to make lasagna. Serena layered on more noodles and then put in the meat sauce then the cheese. She smiled up at Isabella when the pan was filled. It looked like a perfect lasagna....

Serena was in class and she gazed over and saw Evan looking at her. He smiled at her and nodded a silent greeting…

Serena watched Evan as he slept, she was smiling, and her heart was filled with love for him…

Serena and Evan were in some odd place. It was like another world with Violet instead of blue sky and black streaks instead of clouds. Nyx loomed above them and she reached down toward Serena….

Nyx was coming out of the portal in the lab. She lifted up her hand and shot something out at Serena. It hit her in the chest….

Serena knelt over Evan. Half of his face was burned and one, blue eye looked at her. He looked so sad, as if he knew what was happening was going to hurt her. When he stopped moving Serena became hysterical…

Charles rewound the memory playback…

Serena was making love to Evan…

The lab where Serena was at her laptop…

The lasers were firing…

The lasers were changing colors…

Nyx was half way out of the portal…

Evan was using his power to force Nyx back and Nyx lashed out at Serena…

Charles held this image…Then looked over at Isabella.

“I think this Nyx, a very powerful entity, has done something to Serena’s mind. Maybe her subconscious. I could try to remove it but it could be dangerous to Serena’s mind,” he said.

Isabella could only stand helplessly and watch as Charles connected with Serena’s mind through Cerebro. She had never seen him use this device before, but she knew about it. They were in a large room with a doomed ceiling. As Charles connected to Serena’s mind images were suddenly projected onto the ceiling. There were memories throughout her life. Isabella saw Tony and herself and Evan as well. Then, she saw something that terrified her. A woman that was almost more moving mass than solid human. She was see through but had black eyes. She recognized those eyes. They were the same eyes she had seen on Serena the other night. She saw this being lash out at her daughter and it made her heart nearly stop. She knew removing Nyx would be dangerous but she felt they had little other choice.

“But leaving her is dangerous as well...more so because Serena is hurting other people. We need to remove her.”

“We can stop her from hurting others Isabella. And there is likely a reason this Nyx did this to Serena. She knows something we do not. Once more I think your lack of objectivity has blinded you to the bigger picture. We need to find out what Nyx wants with Serena. This connection she has made with her could be all of it or just be a small part of her plan. If it just a small part then we need to find out what her plan is. How do we do that if we sever the connection? I can subdue the effects, for now,” Charles said. “However since Serena is not exactly in her right mind, I have no choice but to go by your judgement,” Charless said even though he had just said her judgement has been compromised. “You are her closest kin and so you must make this decision,” Charles said. “And I will do what you ask,” he said.

Isabella sighed as she listened to Charles. She decided to step out and call Tony. She spoke to him for a few minute as she told him what she and Charles had learned. They discussed the two options and cane to the decision to trust Charles’ judgement in this matter and defer to him.

She hung up and walked back in to where Charles was patiently waiting. “We have decided to defer to your judgment. If you believe it would be best not to sever the connection just yet we will trust you.”

Up in the blue room where Serena was asleep. Charles and Isabella found Kate who had been sitting in one of the chairs. She stood up when they entered And Isabella would see Serena on the bed with a quilt draped over her. Her cheeks were red as if she had been crying and the black and silver collar was clasped to her neck.

“She...had another episode but we managed to get the collar on her before she did anything,” Kate said with a frown.

Charles looked at Serena and rolled up next to the bedside. Kate looked at him and the. Isabella with a questioning look.