Behaving Badly

Okay, it's unlikely, but not imposible.

Xavier didn’t start to want her on purpose. It was an accident, really. She had nightmares and used to walk in her sleep. Rahne Sinclair, with her soft eyes and bright spirit, he’d seen her only as a child. Then her dreams had disturbed his reading one evening, and he’d opened his door to find her curled up on the carpet in the hallway. He probed her mind and saw images of her being pursued by hunters in her dream. He summoned Logan and slowly introduced happier images into her mind. He didn’t want to startle her and have her wake, so when Logan emerged from his own room, he asked the big Canadian to put her back in her bed.


Logan had lifted her into his arms and carried her past Xavier’s wheelchair. That was when it happened. He didn’t mean to see her, he just looked up and her white, cotton, nightgown billowed out under Logan’s arm. He saw her legs, pale and smooth, and her round bottom. She wore no undergarments to bed, and he saw her. She was pink and soft and hairless. He was startled, but didn’t shield his eyes. He went back to his room and picked up his book again. He couldn’t concentrate on his book, however, and sat awake in his study for a long time. She was young enough to be his daughter. He told himself that he hadn’t mean to look, but it had been a long time since he’d seen a woman. Rahne wasn’t a woman, she was a little girl. Old enough to start shaving, he thought.


Xavier managed to push thoughts of what he’d seen out of his mind, but she walked in her sleep again a few nights later. He could feel her distress and fear, and wen his his door. She was on her knees underneath a table, her eyes were open, but she was not awake. He probed the dream gently, to try and discover a possible cause. He’d done it before, and analyzed what the dreamers saw. She was hiding, he ‘stood’ a little behind her, observing quietly from inside her mind. She was curled up under a tree in what appeared to be a representation of the estate’s woods. It looked slightly different, but he recognized a few features through the dream’s distortion.


Xavier guessed that the nightmare was caused by anxiety. The version of Rahne who was in front of him was smaller, more l, tl, than the girl under the table. The woods were darker and more frightening in appearance than in reality. He found that many people looked different in their dreams, than their true selves. Their emotions affected the way they percieved themselves. Since Rahne was feeling helpless about something, her dreams made her small and naked; essentially like a child in the woods. He made his presence known to her and she stood up, holding out her arms. Her bones stood out along her ribs and hips.


“Help.” She said, walking toward him. He allowed her to bring him into the dream as her subconcious interpreted him. He stood tall, and dwarfed her small frame, meaning she saw him as powerful and strong. He opened his arms and she walked into his embrace. Her skin was clammy and cold. He was completely clothed in the dream, and wore a long overcoat. He took off the overcoat and placed it around her shoulders.


“What is wrong?” He asked, patting her shoulder. “Tell me why you leave your bed at night. Tell me why you’re in the woods alone.”


“I Don’t want to be alone.” She replied. “I want to be warm and safe.” She snuggled against his chest. “I’ve been alone for so long, can you help me?” She looked up at him with her huge eyes.
Xavier felt her need for closeness and responded. He leaned down and kissed her, softly, gently on the forehead. She calmed and the forest immediately began to brighten. She was less afraid with him there. Her skinny arms went around his waist and she squeezed him. He stroked her hair and whispered words of comfort.


“You are never alone, Rahne, we are all here for you. We will never leave you.” Xavier felt more of the fear recede in her. And she smiled up at him. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. Without thinking, he caught her chin with his fingers and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. He felt her pull away from him in surprise and he jumped out of the dream. He summoned Logan to the hallway and kept Rahsleesleep on the floor. He could feel her fighting for consciousness, she wanted to wake up. Logan came out of his rood wod wordlessly picked up the girl, Xavier didn't look at them when they passed. After her heard Logan's door close,slowslowly released his hold on the girl.


Rahne went to the bathroom and took a shower. Xavier could feel her unease. It must have been scary to be unable to wake. He felt a pang of guilt at his moment of weakness. He’d gone into dreams in the past. It usually worked out for the best when he could speak directly to the unguarded sub-conscious. Now he had forced her to remain asleep while he used Logan to help him make his escape. But he'd thought it better for her to wake in her own bed. She might feel safer that way. If there were continued problems, he'd have Jean mention it to her. He went to bed and did his best to put her out of his mind. He wasn't a child molester, he didn't really want Rahne; he'd just read her signals wrong and responded to her need for closeness. No one would ever have to know about the dream. He’d never really touched her. And he wouldn’t have. It never happened.