Ever Met A Mutant? - Charles Xavier

Chapter Six - A Game Of Chess

Just to clarify I don't really know how to play chess so please just go with it

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It had been some time since Evelyn had decided to trust Charles and Raven but it had lead to them all becoming incredibly close. But Charles knew he wanted more. He wasn't going to lie, it scared him how much Evelyn meant to him in such a short span of time. He once would pick a different girl up at the pub every night it seemed yet since the moment he had walked straight into Evelyn that had all stopped. He had no idea why or how but it had happened. And since she had decided to trust them he had gotten to spend so much more time around her; he spent many of his evenings in the pub with her, ignoring the seductive looks other women in the bar would send him. She had changed him and she didn't even know it.

With the rain crashing down outside, Evelyn and Charles had decided to forgo the pub that evening and were sat in the study with a black and white square board between them. Charles watched as Evelyn frowned at the game pieces that decorated the board. He couldn't help but smirk behind his hand. If there was one thing Charles knew he was good at it was chess. Why she thought it was a good idea to play chess with Charles was beyond Evelyn? Charles sat back with his tumbler glass in his hand watching as Evelyn's delicate fingers skimmed over her white chess pieces trying to decide her next move.

"So where's Raven?" Evelyn asked as she picked up a chess piece and made her move.

"Working tonight" Charles answered as he immediately moved his knight into position. "Check." Evelyn frowned as she stared at the pieces on the board. Charles couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. It was the usual reaction he got when people played against him. Quickly, but begrudgingly, Evelyn moved her king out of the line of fire. For a moment Charles debated whether or not he should bring the subject of her powers up. The pair of them had been getting on really well, they had formed a closeness Charles had only ever knew with Raven but there was one touchy subject. Their abilities. Charles believed that Evelyn should train with her powers, learn how to control it but she didn't see the point.

"So I was thinking -" Charles started, he was stubborn and wanted to help her. He couldn't let it go and he knew it was his biggest flaw.

"Oh no that's not good" Evelyn replied with a smirk. Charles just scoffed at her words before he continued with his plan.

"I was thinking about the training we have been doing" Charles said, when he said training they had been doing it was more like Charles trying to get Evelyn to use his power and Evelyn refusing. As expected the woman just rolled her eyes. "You need to learn to control your power."

"Why? It doesn't bother me like yours used to" Evelyn stated. Charles had confided in the girl about his own abilities. When he had been 9 he had developed his powers and he was bombarded by dozens of voices inside his head. It had terrified him, he had felt so alone. It wasn't until he was 12 that he realised those voices were everyone else's voices. But Evelyn had explained to him that her power wasn't intrusive to her, not really, she was used to looking at people and instinctively reading their genes - it was something she was actually grateful for.

"True but what you can do is incredible, you can read people's x-genes and replicate them but you have no control over it" Charles said causing Evelyn to look at him with her beautiful green eyes.

"You have no idea what I can and can't do, do you?" Evelyn replied smugly. It was rare that she knew something that Charles didn't. Charles titled his head and narrowed his eyes at her, what had she been keeping from him?

"What?"

"I can read everyone's X-genes, replicate those mutated x-gene and instantly know how to use their primary power" Evelyn stressed. Charles frowned at her words. He had never heard of primary powers before, he didn't know people had primary and secondary powers; he just assumed they all had powers.

"Primary power?" he questioned as he moved his game pieces.

"Yeah, your primary power is telepathy but reading minds isn't the only power you have. Your mind control is a secondary power that I can't use" Evelyn explained simply before a wide smile broke out on her face and she grabbed one of her bishops and slipped the character into check with his king. "Check."

"But you did use it" Charles argued back remembering their first unique meeting back in the Oxford Pub.

"When I was scared ... I guess my fear amplified my abilities" Evelyn said, with a thoughtful look. The explanation made sense, her flight or fight response was triggered heightening all her senses and actions, and obviously her powers.

"So you do need to learn control" Charles pointed out. The implications of her powers were immense. Moving his own pieces again he placed Evelyn into check. "Check."

"Well, I guess" Evelyn answered with a shrug of her shoulders, "If I wanted to learn how to use people's powers more, than yes, I would have to train."

"If you learn control then you could learn so many more powers. I've personally learnt that when you have true focus you can control your power and become so much more powerful than you know" Charles said, remembering when he had started to learn how to use his powers and discovered so many more powers than he had thought possible.

"Oh really?" Evelyn questioned with a mocking tone. But Charles could see the interest lurking in her eyes, she was listening to him whether she wanted to admit it or not.

"I believe that if you find a place somewhere between rage and serenity you can access a power no one can match. Not even me" he said with a smug smile making Evelyn roll her eyes again. He swore she had many different ways of rolling her eyes, each meaning something different. Suddenly, Evelyn's posture changed and her gaze became determined and strong, it locked with his own. Charles frowned at her actions; he had no idea what she was trying to do.

"Move your King to D5."

Charles frowned once again at Evelyn's words that echoed round his head. He had no idea what she was doing but suddenly he felt his arm move when he hadn't wanted it to. He watched as his hand picked up his King and did as he was told, even though Charles was fighting back against the action. With his king at D5 Charles let go of the piece and quickly moved his arm of his own accord. He was so confused; he hadn't wanted to make that move. What was going on?

"Checkmate!" Evelyn shouted as she moved her Queen into position and won the game. Swiftly, the woman threw her hands into the air in celebration. "Yes! Finally!"

"What just happened?" Charles asked completely shocked and confused.

"I finally was able to use your mind control on you, it's taken me the whole game to make you do what I wanted but I did it, I beat you" she explained before she suddenly flopped back into her chair. Charles' mouth dropped open. He couldn't believe she had been trying to cheat the entire time. As he went to berate her he suddenly noticed how tired she looked.

"How much effort did that take you?" Charles asked as he placed his whiskey down and moved over to kneel in front of Evelyn. She was not looking well. He hoped some rest would solve it.

"A lot. A lot of effort" Evelyn mumbled. She looked like she wanted, no needed, to sleep.

"You know if you trained you wouldn't be so exhausted" Charles reprimanded as he pushed her hair out of her face. Evelyn however had her eyes closed; she gave a simple nod of the head with a quiet hum of agreement. Knowing she couldn't sleep on the chair, Charles moved so he could gently pick her up. Once she was in his arms, Evelyn snuggled her head into his shoulder as the tiredness took her. Charles couldn't help but smile at her action; he turned his head enough so he could kiss her forehead before he began to make his way towards his room. He would let her sleep on her bed, recovering from her stupid actions. However, as he walked with her cradled in his arms, Charles realised that he would happily carry Evelyn to bed every night, if he was given the chance.