"The X-Advisors..."

"The X-Advisors..." Part XLIV...

Disclaimer: All is Chuck's...

Part XLIV...

"So...You two managed to find each other..." Xavier eyed Penny and Amy across the hotel room table, he eating a large breakfast heartily.

"Dr. Hofstadter located me." Amy noted, sipping her Penny-tasted, on Penny's insistence, juice.

"And managed to convince you of who she was and how she got here. By the way, 'Doctor' Hofstadter, I haven't had the chance to mention how much I admire your courage in following us through the vortex, you surely had no idea where or when you might end up."

"I knew I had to, to stop you." Penny, grimly.

"As my broken hand attests, you're a very determined woman."

"Can we stop playing, Doctor?" Penny cut him off. "You're a mass murderer and you know it. I have every right to kill you. I'm not doing that yet, in part because I don't want Amy here to see me do that, in part because I want to know what you're planning, and in part because I hope I may learn something that could restore our world as it was from you. If you have something to say to us, say it."

"I'd be glad to leave the room and let Penny deal with you, I should say." Amy noted, calmly. "You did, after all, kill me and my Sheldon and I understand, from Penny, a number of people I loved. I don't see anything wrong if Penny acts preventatively, except that you might be useful to us."

"I sound quite the evildoer." Xavier sighed. "And yet, I've asked you to this little brunch to make peace among us. My goals are quite aligned with yours. I want to see our timeline restored and all those who died, live as they should have."

"I don't believe you." Penny glared. "You destroyed our world without any regard for the people in it, you had no sure proof we could restore that universe, and even if the people here don't get destroyed in 2017, our world remains gone, to us."

"And I deeply regret that, Penny." Francis, earnestly. "I know you are the victim here. I would have given much to have prevented you from entering the vortex. You'd never have experienced any loss, your life would have simply gone on...Leonard's experiment would have seemed a fine success, once I restored the timeline, avoiding Susan's effort and with no changes that would have affected you or your friends personally. It's only that your double followed mine and Susan's that you suffered this. I am truly sorry."

"The fact that I exist...And you exist...And Susan, somewhere exists here...Proves that our world was destroyed. You can't escape that..." Penny, tensely. "So, 'Dad'? When do you see uncle Francis?" she changed tone as a housekeeper passed the open door.

"I've no intention of visiting Francis, my dear. I've no need to, now."

"You're lying." Amy shook head. "You either need to go back further and prevent Susan from being born...In which case you need his help, telling him some lie, no doubt. Or you need to eliminate young Susan, to avenge yourself on Dr. Stein."

"My dear. I don't kill children." Xavier frowned, annoyed. "I'm sorry I gave you that impression, either of you."

"You just killed billions of children." Penny, icily. "What's one more, when she's the best way to punish your ole pal."

"Whatever you may think about me, I've no intention of harming young Susan. She is free to live to experience everything she did, excepting utilizing her father's theory to destroy our world. My ole pal as you say...And he still was at this juncture, will suffer quite enough from her sad fate without my intervention." Xavier smiled. "Sorry if that worries you, Miss Fowler. But I'm confident you'll triumph over her yet again. Perhaps she'll even manage happiness, with another, if we work together. I should point out though that adult Susan is still out there, probably planning mayhem."