Warning: Sexual Content Ahead.  Please be advised. 

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 A knock on the door disturbed my sleep.

"Theresa?" Remy's muffled voice drew my attention. "There's someone out here waiting for you."

My grogginess shifted, as her words penetrated the fog of dazed shock and confusion for a moment, before I gathered myself. My heart felt heavy. Last night I had cried endlessly, letting the pain that lashed at me, unleash from its confines as it weaved around me, threatening to submerge me underneath the mountain of pain and anguish that I felt. I was sure my eyes were puffy and I felt like a hot mess, yet as the sun shone through the window, it seemed like the day was moving forward regardless of what happened the night before.

Like old times, I had to keep moving.

I had cried for myself and for the pain of the loss of my precious belongings, of which I had very few in this world to even count as my own. I came from nothing and I knew what it was like to live with virtually nothing, yet the loss of so few of my precious things when it impacted no one did a number on me.  I was in such stark disbelief that such a thing could have impacted me so, given all of the other shit life had thrown at me back on Earth, that I wondered if I was too weak to figure out a way to extricate myself and my Uncle from the tight chokehold that Dane had on us, if I couldn't handle the loss of my things. While I hadn't had time to reflect on what had happened entirely, just as it happened, it had hit me particularly hard last night, as I was left alone to my thoughts. Whoever it was who had trashed our dorm had done more damage than they had anticipated or perhaps, that had been their true intention all along.

"Theresa? Are you awake?" Remy called again.

I called out, my throat feeling scratchy. "I'm coming out."

Unfortunately, the bathroom was located just in the hallway off to the side of the common room, where my expected guest was most likely waiting. Luckily, since it was Friday, I didn't have class until a little later. I checked the clock frowning at the time. I had slept in and right now I didn't feel like pushing it.

I dragged myself to my oversized duffle bag and hitched it onto the bed, to rummage through for my uniform. I pulled out my black, long-sleeved top and quickly donned it on with one of the standard, black  joggers. Not able to do much about my thick mass of hair, I gathered it all up and secured it into a messy bun. I rummaged through my bag, noting the few toiletries I was able to make use of. I made a mental note to pick up some more at the campus store, which I was sure there was one somewhere.

Gathering my holo-pad and my holo-com, I exited, intending to greet the person, but stopped abruptly at the odd sight of Xavier situated against a wall, with his arms crossed, showing off the impressive musculature of his biceps, as his standard-issue uniform stretched taut against his body. His expression was stoic, his jaw clenched. His dark hair showed off its silky sheen under the sun and the sight of him had my heart beating for what I didn't know and I sure as hell wasn't going to chalk it up to anticipation or excitement of some sort. I blinked wondering what in the world he was doing in my living room, as he stood there, taking up the breadth of the space, reminding me again of the dangerous power and attention he drew from those around him.  It was hard to ignore a threat like thay. My curiosity died quickly when I remembered what he did to Hunter.

Remy seemed occupied exploring the kitchen, as she made herself something to eat, the only noise to occupy the whole room. I didn't even realize we had food. Maybe, the people over at Student Affairs had provided us with some food.

"I need to use the bathroom," I said, as I turned away and rushed to the bathroom.

After I finished, I exited and came back out to see him. He straightened instead and Remy looked up at him in surprise. Xavier looked down at me. "Dean Fetter has called for a meeting. You didn't answer your holo-com so I came to get you."

I frowned, checking my holo-com and sure enough I had some missed calls from Terrance and Dane. "I was a little preoccupied."

Something ticked on the side of Xavier's jaw, as if he didn't like that answer. He looked around the suite. "Nice room. Why'd you get transferred?"

He didn't know? I glanced at Remy who glanced at me and then shrugged. I had assumed rumor had spread by now. "Renovations, I guess."

Remy coughed at that one, before she decided to slip away. Xavier looked between the two of us, confused. "Why are you here?" I asked him, turning his attention away. "You didn't need to fetch me."

"I'm expected to be at the meeting, too," Xavier said. He narrowed his eyes as he examined the state of my face, where I had put on a little bit of makeup. "Have you been crying?"

I froze and looked at him. Well, so much for that. "No."

I felt uncomfortable for a moment that he had picked up on my distress, as our relationship thus far didn't invite the tight scrutiny of my emotional state.  It was too revealing and personal.

I was not one to express emotions so easily, preferring to privately indulge in most of my mental breakdowns away from prying eyes of which I had experienced plenty of when I was in graduate school and simply living on Earth.  Eventually, I was forced to accept that the state of my living conditions and the stress of research was a normal occurrence.  I had little choice I  how I reacted to my life if I was going to continue moving forward with my with any ounce of sanity leftover. It was a fact of life, but some days I wished it wasn't and some days I wished I could lash out into the void, to rage over the circumstances that had made life so hard for people who were selfless like my Uncle, who had done nothing to bring it upon himself. 

Xavier continued to observe me.  It was clear that he wasn't pleased with my lie, but fuck him.  I wasn't here to please him.  Xavier straightened and said in a rough tone. "Let's go."

I said goodbye to Remy, who waved us off and I made my way out the front door and out of the building. There was also a common room within the complex, where I spotted Devon glancing at us curiously. Xavier waved to him in acknowledgement, before we exited the building. I had forgotten that Xavier and his friends lived here.

"What do you know that I don't?" Xavier asked.

His long strides were a bit difficult to keep up with, but surprisingly, he slowed down, allowing me to catch up. "I know about as much as you know."

"Your ability to lie could use some work," Xavier commented. "I could recommend you to a persuasion manipulator if you like."

Xavier's joke wasn't well received. His attempt at friendliness was overshadowed by the events of yesterday and the emotional turmoil I had felt afterwards. Whether I appreciated the effort remained to be seen. On any other day, and possibly any other person, I would've conjured up a small grin at that one.

"Would it convince you otherwise to go away?" I muttered.

"Did something happen yesterday?" Xavier asked, ignoring the remark. "I'm assuming that's why we're meeting with the dean."

"There was an attack yesterday and they think it's more serious than I think it is," I said. "It kind of shook my roommate up, but I think she'll recover nicely with the new place we're in now."

Xavier turned abruptly into my path and stopped. I had to catch myself, before I crashed into him, as he physically blocked my way. I looked up at him, confusion settling over me, sensing the aggression boiling underneath his body. "Someone attacked you?"

"They missed their target," I said instead. I motioned to myself. "As you can see, I'm fine."

His eyes looked me over, as he took a moment to assess my body.

"I didn't get hurt," I iterated again, as he remained unconvinced. "They'll debrief us over there, but they probably think it's in relation to what happened at the Marking Ceremony."

It still confused me why Xavier was the only other person on the case. I knew that there were others who were working with the United Federation on this, but I've yet to see them. Were Devon and Ian also involved?

I resumed walking, as I side-stepped Xavier, which took considerable effort. Xavier began walking as well. His presence beside me unnerved me, making me hyperaware of him as a man.

"You didn't think that it was prudent to let me know what happened?"

I shot him a look. "Why would you need to be apprised of that? It happened late last night and I didn't exactly have time to shoot you a message. I wasn't even expecting a meeting this soon."

"So Terrance and Dane know," Xavier surmised.

"Yeah," I said. "Look, I'm not interested in having a conversation with you at the moment. I'm not very appreciative of a person who likes to exact their will on people when he isn't getting his way," I responded sharply.

"You're still upset about Hunter?"

"I'm upset about a lot of things and one of which involves you hurting a good friend of mine, so yes," I shot back at him, as we crossed the quad and entered the holo-transport that pulled up.

In less time, we unloaded onto the main campus. We were expected to meet in the conference room next to Dean Fetter's office. This meant either a lot of other people were going to be involved or we were also telecommuting.

"You don't need any other male friends," Xavier growled. "You already have plenty of admirers. Hunter's reputation precedes him."

"That's your justification?  What is that even supposed to mean?" I asked, but I wasn't sure if I really wanted to find out. "I think you forget that I have agency over my own body and my own actions. I don't need a protector."

"I'm surprised you don't know," Xavier said, ignoring my last remark. I was tempted to bring it up again, but was curious to see where he was going to with this. "Every guy on campus wants to fuck you. You're the hottest piece of ass walking around, even before the revelation of your ability. The fact that you are an elemental ability user only adds to the desirability."

"So that makes me a commodity?" I asked him, as we entered the elevator to go to the fifth floor. The doors closed on us, enclosing us in the small space. Heat transpired between us as a dark sensual tension rose. "That's not very appealing to me and none of that invites unwanted attention—"

"—I'm well aware of that," Xavier interrupted stoically. "You don't hear the things I do. I don't like it."

A moment of silence passed between us as we remained at an impasse. I couldn't control Xavier's feelings on the matter, but I could emphasize that he didn't have a right to interfere in the friends I made or who I decided to keep company with. Besides, we shared nothing more than a secret and a strange sort of acquaintanceship. There was an implicit understanding that an underlying current of attraction remained, but neither of us seemed to want to cross that. I wasn't even sure if I was in a position to go there with him and neither did I want to at the moment. I had too many things to focus on and deciding what to do with my unusual attraction to Xavier was low on my priority list.

Or at least I hoped it was.

"You find it appealing that every girl wants to fuck you because you have a forbidden ability and a rumored second one and nothing else?"

Xavier gave me a look, one brow raised. "Oh? And do you want to fuck me?"

I looked taken aback. "No."

Xavier gave me a grin then. "Pity."

I didn't comment on that and instead said, "This is the first I'm hearing of it. I think most are afraid I'd freeze them."

Xavier snorted. "That's because they probably don't know how to handle you."

"And you think you do?" I challenged with a secretive smile. It was more of a joke, as I found the whole conversation ludicrous to begin with.

A moment or two passed, as my smile fell away, my eyes widening as they took him in. Xavier took a dangerous step forward. My heart began to beat faster, as Xavier's body seemed to engulf the space around us. "Depends on if you want to see for yourself. Just say the word."

"In my experience, men aren't nearly as half as good as they claim to be," I challenged.

"Is that a challenge?"

"That's a fact," I iterated, my heart going beating fast.

His aqua eyes burned with heat and an all too familiar look of a man who was used to dominating his own came about. Somehow, I had awoken the beast within him and every instinct warned me to tread carefully with a man who had the power to undo me in his own way. There was an instinctual awareness that he could reconstruct me in any way he wanted if I let him take over and that was one thing I was afraid of. He wouldn't just demand my body. He would demand every part of me until my surrender was given in complete satisfaction.

A dark attraction wound around us, as I felt something unfurl, low in my stomach. It was the sensation of lust that blossomed within me, as images of him slamming me against the wall, intending to fuck me hard assailed me. It was my legs wrapped around him...it was his hips surging upwards, as his cock pounded into my heat, breathless gasps urging him to continue with his relentless pounding...it was the explicit images of him owning me in a sexual way that made me realize I was sharing in the images of what he wanted to do to me. More than that, I wanted to fuck him as well, possibly angrily, demanding what's owed to me, challenging him to prove that he was man enough to handle me...

He was pushing me. He was seeing how far I'd go by making me as uncomfortable as possible. I narrowed my gaze at him. "I don't think it'd work."

He stepped away once more, as the images fell away in my head. There was no acknowledgement that he had slipped in the images in my head like a mental caress. Was he "willing" me to imagine what he was thinking? The sexual yearning to be claimed by a man like him? Was he intentionally arousing these things?

"Not willing to find out?" Xavier drawled, his tone suddenly imbued with a raw quality to it.

"Not willing to subject myself to sleeping with someone who told me to stay the fuck out of his way the first time we bumped into each other. You're overbearing attitude and apparent lack of respect, prior to even knowing I had an elemental ability isn't convincing me to sleep with you. Hunter has a better shot at me than you do." Not that I considered it. They were both attractive as all hell, but with everything that's been going on, the last thing on my mind was sleeping with anybody.

Something in the air shifted once more and I realized it was the willed depression seeping into the small enclosed space as it heavily blanketed me. The walls began to visibly vibrate with tension as if it couldn't contain the force of his will. However, it was more than that. I could feel the soft, ghost of a caress along my body, as if someone was laying a possessive claim on my overheated skin, despite Xavier standing some distance away.

"Stop it," I gritted out, feeling the hot heat of his actions.  He was pissed and I could feel it.  Every cell in my body wanted to adhere to him. 

"Push me again, Theresa and see what happens. I can very well claim you here and now," Xavier warned in a low tone. His eyes bore down their ire, hardening into a dangerous glare.

"Do that and I'll make sure you regret it, starting with ensuring that your dick no longer gets any blood circulation. Believe me, I've been eager to practice," I warned, as I shot him a side glance.

He eased up, but I knew I had angered him and for some reason my body heated at the silky threat.

We made our way to the conference room and sure enough, as we entered, Dane, Terrance, Dean Fetter and Professor King were all there. Why the Dean and Dr. Kingsley even bothered to show up was still beyond me. They were practically left out of the loop.

Their faces looked stern, concern etched across their faces, none of them picking up on the tension that seemed to settle between Xavier and I. Dean Fetter sat at the long, floating, glass conference table, in one of the comfortable leather chairs while Professor King looked out the floor-to-ceiling paneled, window that overlooked the rolling green hills, which made way for acres of trees, followed by snow-capped mountains in the background. I could spot the massive Main Administration building in the background, it's towers reaching towards the clear blue sky and the long manmade water structure that extended all the way there.

Dane was also sitting at the table, nearly across from Dean Fetter, his holo-pad on the table, as he sat stiffly, surprising me with his presence. I hadn't considered with all that's been going on, that he'd be here. Huh, I must be special. Terrance was also seated.

Dean Fetter looked up at our arrival. A pleasant smile graced her features, but the lines of worry and stress were now more pronounced. "I'm glad you two can make it. Please have a seat and we can talk about the incident that happened last night."

"What happened last night?" Xavier asked.

Dane looked at me in disapproval, while Terrance just watched me as I sat down in one of the seats next to Xavier. Dane sat several seats above me to my right and Terrance sat at the end of the table to our left. Dean Fetter sat across from me.

"But first, how are you holding up?" Dean Fetter asked.

Professor King decided to turn around and walk towards the empty seat next to Dean Fetter. Dane still looked visibly annoyed.

"I'm doing fine all things considered," I said, my own irritation rising in tandem. My voice was tight with tension and more than anything, I wanted to get a move on with this meeting. What was the point in stalling?

"You didn't bother to contact any of us?" Dane asked, finally as he glanced at me. His tone was disapproving and frankly, pissed me off. "You didn't think it would be relevant to inform us that you were targeted in an attack?"

"I'm not sure if I was," I answered him in equal measure. I gave him a look, as Terrance, Dean Fetter, and Dr. Kingsley looked on, the tone of the interaction different than what they had expected. "I see that you've taken the time to take a personal trip down here."

Dane studied me carefully. "Yes, well with all things considered, I'm taking the matter seriously."

"I must be special, then," I answered simply. "Glad to know that I have the individual attention of one of the most important men in the Universe. Tell me, Director Somerville, why the sudden interest?"

"My concern is related to the vandalism," Dane argued, censure in his tone at my sarcasm. A sense of satisfaction surged through me, as his jaw ticked with a hint of irritation. "I'm concerned it's related to the earlier attack, so perhaps you can set aside your disdain for me for a minute and tell us what happened."

My eyes narrowed in distaste for the man. I knew he didn't want a play-by-play of what actually happened. He would have gotten a report earlier. He wanted my own hunches as to who could have been behind this. What was I going to say? I had suspicions that the vandalism was separate than the terrorist attack that had occurred earlier? I didn't want to go down that rabbit hole if I could prevent it. I wasn't