Broken Things Can Be Mended

Chapter 15

Toni and Stephen could be seen walking through the white marbled corridors as they were guided through the school of the infamous Charles Xavier.

"Are you really sure this is a great idea?" Stephen asked, for the tenth time. Toni rolled her eyes, glaring at him.

"I asked you to stay back." She just hissed.

"I am not leaving you behind!" The doctor argued, but Toni cut him off, "I am not going to fight a war. I don't think Professor Xavier intents to harm me."

Stephen huffed, jerking his head aside, as they reached the huge metallic doors. The doors were opened and whatever Stephen had imagined, it was not what he saw. Professor Xavier was an old man, sitting on a wheelchair, no, it wasn't exactly a wheelchair, but it was something different, something much more technologically enhanced.

"Dr Stark. Dr Strange." The man nodded, greeting them.

"Professor Xavier." Toni greeted back, looking at the man who gave them a small smile.

"I think it would be fine if you leave us alone." He said to the man who was standing behind Charles, the man looked at Toni, and then at Stephen, before giving the sorcerer a warning glare and leaving the room with others.

"I waited you for years, Miss Stark." Charles spoke, looking at her with a mysterious smile.

Toni frowned, sharing a glance with Stephen who looked equally confused.

"Why would that be, Professor Xavier?"

"To remove your binds, off course." The man spoke, before he smiled, "but I see you have already unlocked those binds."

Toni could proudly say she never allowed herself to be caught off guard, to be this blindsided in front of other people, that she had a brilliant hold on her emotions, but now, she felt her mouth drop. Binds? What binds?

Apparently, Stephen had a better hold on his emotions, and definitely was much better to collect himself as he asked, "What binds are you talking about?"

"Did you never wonder how all of a sudden, all those things that happened around you stopped?" He asked, looking at her, before his glance went out of the window, his chair moving as he commanded it to.

"I," she gulped at that, thinking about it. She did think about it, but never gave it another thought, too relieved to not face that freakiness. "I was too glad to be left alone, too busy to appease him." A bitter chuckle escaped her as she looked at the man who had his lips pressed in thin line.

"Your father was surely a difficult man to please."

"So, you bound my powers for him?" she asked instead, already coming to the conclusion.

"The biggest regret that I have, you would have touched skies if you were allowed under my tutelage."

Toni wanted to scoff, to laugh at his face, to cry, to scream, but she didn't instead, she gulped all those emotions.

"Why don't I remember it?"

"The backlash of the binding, and besides, you were too young. I argued with your father, made him rethink his decision again and again. But he was firm, he was dedicated, he ignored my every plea." The professor looked grim. "Your powers, they were enormous, nothing I had ever seen. Your mind was brilliant, the best one I ever saw. I wasn't really sure if it was you, or your powers, and I feared that separating them both would leave your mind without its essence. Howard didn't care, his fear of unknown was much greater than his will to have an heir that would be as genius as him."

"Howard risked my brain in all of his shenanigans?" Toni yelled, surprised at her own outburst, but all this was too much to take in. Was his father's hatred so great than his love for his daughter? His only daughter!