Broken Promises [Book Two | REMASTERED]

Chapter 4: Imperfections

        Christiana let out a heavy breath as she reached the bottom of the grand staircase.  She passed into the study where Hank and Logan had stayed, finding the two of them talking among themselves.  She hesitated at the doorway but offered a reassuring smile when the two of them looked her way.  It was clear in their expressions that they had heard some of what took place upstairs.

        Keeping her composure calm, she simply tucked a strand of hair behind one of her human ears and looked between the two of them. "I take it you boys heard some of that, didn't you?"

        "You're not hurt?" Logan asked first, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.

        She shook her head minutely and crossed the room to stand behind the desk.  One of the many things about living in the Xavier Mansion was the grand number of secret cupboards and hidden compartments, nearly all of which containing bottles of alcohol from the days of Charles's mother's drinking habits. Given the current situation, Christiana considered it about time for a sip of her own and found a glass along with a bottle of Irish whiskey.  She blew at the dust on the bottle before opening it, pouring the amber liquid into her glass.  

        Hank and Logan watched as she took a long drink from the glass before lowering it and peering into the glass in her hands. Almost absentmindedly, she spoke, "That was the first time he's thrown something at me. It'll damn sure be the last."  She closed the bottle and turned to set it down on the desk before seating herself in the chair.  She sighed to herself and took another drink.  Very rarely did she ever drink even more than a sip of real alcohol, but now she felt she needed at least the one glass for herself.

        "He doesn't abuse you, does he?" Logan's voice was filled with concern, and Christiana could sense the genuine worry. He obviously had an image of Charles in his head that he didn't want completely shattered.  It turned out the perfect man he knew wasn't so perfect after all.

        Looking up to meet his eyes, Christiana offered a sad smile.  "You mean has he ever actually struck me."  Christiana's eyes looked to Logan's boots, and she licked her lips in thought. "No," she finally answered truthfully. "He doesn't do well with violence. He never has."  She shrugged before taking another drink.  "But one person can only take so much before they snap."  And in that sentence, she wasn't sure if she was referring to Charles or herself. And she had earned her right to snap. "So . . . I pushed him."

        Hank sighed and adjusted his glasses, looking down as he crossed his arms. "Why would you do that?"

        "Because he needed to snap out of it." Finally, she tilted her head back and finished off what was left in her glass before setting it down on the desk, the sound of it.

        "I'll help you get her." Charles's voice came from just outside the open study, breaking their brief silence. Logan and Hank turned around to face him. He hadn't cleaned himself up, but he at least looked more sober than he had when Christiana left him upstairs.  "Not for any of your future shite, but for Raven."

        Christiana tried her best to ignore the absence of the mention of their son in that sentence. Slowly, she stood and made her way out from behind the desk, daring to meet Charles's eyes even if he refused to look directly at her.

        Logan gave a curt nodded. "Fair enough."

        Charles leaned back against the round table in the middle of the entrance, staring directly into Logan's eyes. "But I'll tell you this: you don't know Erik. That man is a monster. A murderer. You think you can convince Raven to change?  To come home?  That's splendid." He shook his head in doubt. "But what makes you think you can change him?"