"Princess Luna?" Xavier asked as he wheeled himself over to the Princess, her dark blue eyes staring off into space as she swirled a glass of brandy in her hand.

The two of them were on the roof of the Ritz, the sky having long since darkened and a beautiful full moon hung over the city, the bright lights of New York reflecting in Luna's iris like that of a lost cat's; the beauty of the sight lost on the poor creature as it simply tried to find where it belonged.

She snapped back to reality as Xavier repeated her name, a surprised look on her face as she looked down at the mutant professor.

"Yes Charles?" she asked in a friendly manner "How can I help you?"

"I'd like to ask you a question, about a certain someone present tonight, downstairs that is" he began.

"And who would that be?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The young master Parker" Xavier said.

Luna's face dropped at the mention of Peter's name, her body turning back to the ledge of the roof and leaning on it, a heavy sigh leaving her lips.

Unlike most times she faked no anger, there was no faux-rage to give anyone nearby the impression she despised him.

Xavier knew her true feelings about Peter, the feelings of remorse and loss, jealousy and anguish.

These emotions played across her mind and heart as she closed, her eyes, imagining the smiling face of the teenage boys cross-referenced to the first time she'd ever met him when he was nothing more than a mere infant.

"It still stings doesn't it?" Xavier asked in a soft tone.

Luna's answer was not immediate, her head hanging down as her eyes remained closed, a sick feeling in her stomach and a tightness in his throat.

"It's not fair" she said, rubbing her eyes as she began to feel tears form in them "He... he wasn't supposed to be-"

"I know Luna, I know" Xavier said, placing a comforting hand on her arm, the Princess finishing the rest of her drink and setting it down loudly on the ledge before turning around, leaning her back against it and crossing her arms "You feel betrayed still don't you?"

"Yes... but..." she began, looking down at her shoes and hanging her shoulders "Was it my fault?"

"What do you mean?" Xavier asked.

"Did I try too hard? Did I not try hard enough?" she asked, seemingly on the verge of sobbing as her voice shook uncontrollably "If I'd listened to him more, if I'd listened less, if T'Challa had accepted my offer or if I'd accepted his, if I'd bowed my knee to Doom's demands or if the opposite had been done"

"You feel that you're to blame for it?" Xavier asked "That's something you've never felt before"

"No... it's something I've never admitted" she whimpered, tears beginning to glide down her dark cheeks "I've spent the past twenty years regretting the choices I'd made for him, for us Xavier, I've drank, raged, sobbed, and screamed for hours at a time because I'd felt cheated... but I'm starting to think it was my fault that he left, that he didn't run away with her and instead that it was my own arrogance and unwillingness to admit my own faults that pushed him away"

Xavier said nothing, knowing that the princess merely wanted to vent at someone, anyone who was willing to listen.

"I forced him into situations that risked his life while telling him that he couldn't rely on me to bail him out of them, I pushed him to the point of breaking and when he couldn't live with it any more, when he'd hit a roadblock that he couldn't work past... the way he felt about me wasn't the same it had been when he'd started" Luna said, covering her face with her hands "I'd made him believe that I was a heartless monster when I was trying to stay strong, to not show any weakness to keep him steady"

"And then you found out about him quitting the project?" Xavier asked.

"He never even said goodbye" Luna growled "He never told me he was leaving, told me why or told me when I'd see him again... and when I did... he was with her"

Xavier nodded his head, joining his fingers and looking up at Luna, her eyes now red and her cheeks stained with tears, trying her best to keep composed when she was another three sentences away from breaking down in front of him.

"And because of how similar Peter is to his predecessor?" Xavier asked, knowing the answer "You push that hate onto him undeservedly?"

"Not just the hate..." Luna murmured.

"The love?" Xavier asked.

She didn't answer, but he knew from her change of posture that he was on the right track.

"And... do you share this view of romance alongside the view you hold about being-" Xavier said before being interrupted.

"No, that feeling died down years ago" Luna said, wiping her eyes and standing up straight, trying desperately to regain her dignity "I feel sick enough without mixing those two conflicting loves together"

"So what do you view Peter as in regards to yourself?" Xavier asked.

"To myself?" Luna asked, crossing her arms again "A lost dream and one of the biggest regrets I hold in my life"

Xavier remained quiet again, seeing the pain behind Luna's eyes as she took several deep breaths, straightening out her dress and exhaling slowly.

"That's enough" she said "I don't want to talk about this any more"

"That's fine, but if I may give you a piece of advice?" he asked.

Luna nodded, allowing him to continue.

"Tell him the truth" he said calmly "There's no reason he wouldn't understand if you just explained everything to him"

"No" Luna said, shaking her head and beginning to walk away "He doesn't need to know about this"

"Then it'll continue to eat at you for years Luna, the only way the pain'll stop is if you tell him and try to move on" Xavier said in a sharp tone.

Luna stopped and turned around, pointing angrily at Xavier.

"I've kept this bottled up for twenty years, what makes you think I can't do it for longer?" she demanded.

"The fact that my mere asking about it has caused you to break down... now if you'll allow me to ask another question?" Xavier requested.

"Fine, let's hear it" Luna said.

"Can you bear that pain in your heart while watching him romance other women?" Xavier asked "You've already admitted you feel for the boy, and you've always been the jealous type Luna. What's going to keep the rage inside when he dates other girls? When you see him with a ring on his hand, your proclaimed successor performing the exact same actions that nearly drove you insane the first time?"

Luna had no answer for this, knowing she was in the wrong, knowing that she would feel better if she told Peter everything she wanted to.

But she didn't want to.

Her pride, no, her ego was too large for her to admit her faults to the boy and she refused to openly accept that she was in the wrong.

Which was the mistake that had driven her love away all those years ago. Next Chapter: Didn't See That One Coming Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 31 Minutes