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No Regrets
VII
by Melissa Nolen (melissa123@mindspring.com)

"Emma, where exactly are we?"

"Your memories."

"My memories?"

"Yes, you were injured very badly.  I need you to follow me out of
here.  Will you?"

"Of course, I'll follow ye, Emma."  At his words, the doorway appeared
before them out of the darkness, Sean jumping slightly at its sudden
appearance. "Emma?" he questioned.

"You are in a deep coma right now, Sean.  Through that doorway lies
the waking world."

He stared though the doorway, unable to see beyond the frame.  He
couldn't remember how he had gotten to this state but some part of him
knew that pain awaited him past that doorway.

Emma saw his hesitation.  "I will not lie to you.  It will hurt."

He turned a wry grin to her, "Now, lass, if I was afraid of a wee bit
of pain, I'd not been a joining the X-Men all those years ago." 
Bowing slightly, he swept his arm out before her with a flourish.  "I
believe the phrase is 'Ladies first.'"

He watched her disappear into the doorway and taking a deep breath,
followed her through.

*****

He appeared in greyness.  

"I thought ye said I'd wake up?"

Emma turned an amused glance to him, "Really Sean, I think you need to
start attending the telepathy classes I've been giving the students. 
This is the astral plane.  You have moved from your coma state to one
of regular unconsciousness.  You will wake in your own time now."

Even as she spoke she could see him getting stronger, his form losing
the indistinct fogginess of the coma and taking on a more solid,
brighter reality. He shone, bright and quicksilver in the unformed
greyness of the astral plane, a beacon to her soul.  And through it
all, the much abused silver threat still bound them together, weaker
now, thin with the strain of holding on to Sean's life but
nevertheless, still there, pulsing faintly.

Reaching out she ran one finger along his cheek and then deliberately
hardened her heart, and closed her shields, telling herself firmly
that she felt nothing.

"Emma, what are ye doing?"  Hurt and confusion registering in his eyes
as he felt her lock him out once more.  "What's going on?"

"You are no longer trapped within your own mind.  You are merely
asleep now."

She was evading him.  "That's nae what I meant and ye know it!"

She met his eyes without flinching though she wanted to.  "I'm going
to set you free, Sean."

"I am free."

"No, I'm going to set you free of me.  I created the bond..."

"Subconsciously," he protested.

She smiled softly at him.  "It doesn't matter.  You never gave your
permission and you had no choice in the matter.  Bad enough that I
took away your choice in establishing the bond but I forced you into a
physical relationship as well.  Knowing, even as I did it, that
physical contact would increase the binding between us."  

"Emma, ye didn't force me.  I remember being a very willing
participant that night."

"No, you were simply reacting to the erotic nature of the dreams we
had being sharing.  Dreams *I* created."

"Dreams *we* created," he countered.

"You are not helping here.  For once in my life I am going to do one
completely unselfish act.   Jean told you that first day at the
Mansion that the bond had already strengthened to the point where it
could have been detrimental to both of us to try to sever it.  That
isn't an issue now."  

"What are ye saying?"

She concentrated and the world around her shifted, bringing into his
view the delicate tie between them.  He reached out a trembling hand
to lightly strum the softly glowing cord; a touch Emma felt
reverberate though her soul.

"What I am saying is that the bond is weakened now.  Fragile enough
that it can be safely severed.  You will be free."

She materialised a knife, then swiftly before she could change her
mind, she reached out to cut the cord.  His hand, warm and strong on
her wrist stopped her.  

Putting all of his feeling into his voice, he tried to make her
understand. "What if I dinnae want to be free?  What if I like being
bound to ye?  Emma Frost, ye're proud, wicked, deadly, underhanded,
sneaky, maddening, authoritarian, secretive, rude,... "

She interrupted before he could name off any of her more endearing
qualities.  "Those do not sound like qualities that would typically
inspire a man."

"Ye didn't let me finish.  Ye're also intelligent, resourceful,
commanding, fearless, loyal, beautiful... and utterly magnificent."

"Oh."

"Oh," he agreed.  "Do ye know that somewhere between trying to decide
whether I wanted to wring your neck or kiss ye, that I fell in love
with ye?  I admit, I was angry with ye when I found out about the
bond.  I thought ye had taken away my choices, but ye didn't Emma.  I
realized that later.  I'd already fallen far past the point of making
a choice long before we started sharing dreams."

He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her securely.  He
whispering gently against the top of her head,  "I'm nae afraid of the
White Queen and Emma Frost doesnae scare me either.  Open up to me. 
Let me in."

"I -I can't.  I don't know how."

She stood still, the tension in her body holding her rigid within his
embrace. She didn't move away but didn't move any nearer.  And then
like the lightest caress of a breeze on a warm moonlit night, he felt
her open to him - cautious, hesitant, the tiniest bit of herself
revealed through the bond.  He could tell she was waiting for him to
pull away in revulsion so he simply pulled her in tighter against him.
 It was a small chink in her armor, a single brick removed from the
wall but it was a start, a beginning.

When she was relaxed in his arms, he asked a little hesitantly, "Can I
wake up now?"

"Yes.  Hmm, there is one thing." she added, a strange note in her
voice.

Sean tensed, hearing that tone.  "What have ye done, Emma?"

"Remember the part where you said I was rude?"

"Yes."

"Moira, Jimmy and Teresa are at the School."

"Ye didn't?"

"I did," she answered with what he was sure was satisfaction in her
voice.

"The children?"

"They heard too."

He leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.  "Yer trouble."

"You were expecting anything less?"

He snorted in amusement.  "Whatever was I thinking."  Tilting her head
up, he kissed her lightly.  "I've a fondness for trouble.  Wake me up
and do yer worst."

Stepping back out of his arms, she grinned evilly at him, pale blonde
hair swinging forward to shadow her eyes.  "Done."  

*****

He awoke to pain and a very worried looking Hank McCoy.

THE END

Ok, folks, that is it for Emma and Sean unless some muse comes along
and beats me over the head with just a knock your socks off storyline.
   I know I pulled out the mush factor on this chapter.  What can I
tell you, I'm a romantic at heart.  Everyone needs a little mush in
their life.