A/N: So to start out I'm going to go ahead and say that this story will be AU. I'm going to try and follow the plot of X-Men First Class, however I'm adding a character so things are bound to go a bit differently. Also, I'll be messing with ages a bit. You see, I have no clue how old Charles is supposed to be in FC, so I'll be assuming a lot of things. At this point, I'll be going with 27 for him. (If you want an explanation PM me and I'll go into detail.) So there's that-Oh! And I do not under any circumstances own any of Marvel's characters or plots. I am making zero money from this I don't want to. - Love RGIG
CH. 1 (WARNINGS: CURSING)
A loud, suffering sigh escaped Skylar's lips as she leaned heavily against the counter. She was on hour twelve of her thirteen hour shift, and she was beyond exhausted. She had worked in this dump of a restaurant for just about five years now, and she had hated every single day of it. She couldn't just quit, though.
She had been on the run for most of her life. As a result, she had no official papers or proof of her citizenship, and this shithole had been the only place that would hire her without those very important things. They had accepted her story that she attended the University in town and told her that she could start right then if she was willing to take a lowered pay
Skylar rolled her eyes at the memory as she brushed her long, dark brown hair out of her face. She couldn't even wish to go back in time and stop herself from taking the offer because this job was the only thing keeping her off the streets. Of course her rat hole of an apartment was barley a step up from the street, but at least it kept the rain off of her head...mostly.
The brunette shook her head to clear it of that train of thought. A large group of college age kids walked in the door and stopped to read the menu. Skylar got ready to write down orders and smiled politely at the group. They were all soaking wet from the storm outside and dripping water all over the floor. Mentally, the blue-eyed cashier seethed at the thought of mopping the floor for the third time that night.
As they came up to order, though, she put the thought out of her head and focused on getting the items correct. After all eight of them had ordered and Skylar had given the cards to the cook in the back, the brunette went for the mop. She got to work on the floor and let her mind wander, allowing the kids' chatter to float over her calmingly.
They were worried about finals, apparently their physics professor was a real hardass. Skylar wondered what it would be like to go to school. She'd had the same thought many times before, since she had never gone to school as a child. She'd gotten all her knowledge from spending whole days at local libraries instead. She loved to read, and any subject was game as long as she could get interested in it.
She was brought out if her own world when the order bell rang. Skylar looked up and noticed that she was done mopping anyway. So, she leaned the mop against the far wall and ran back behind the counter to grab the waiting food. Just as she got all of the plates balanced on her tray, Skylar heard the door open again. Her hair fell into her eyes as she turned to see the new customers.
A puff of air from her mouth moved the brunette strands enough for her to glimpse the two men. One was tall with short, brown hair and a scowl on his face. The other was average height with long, dark brown hair. Their eyes locked and he gave Skylar and absolutely charming smile, his light blue eyes shining.
'Ooo, cute!' Her inner thoughts squealed at the shorter man. Then she noticed their soaked clothes, 'I don't give a fuck how cute he is, if they get this floor wet again I will strangle them.' Skylar silently laughed at her violent inner voice and walked around the counter with the first group's food. She missed the slightly concerned glance the man shot at his wet clothes as she called over her shoulder to them. "I'll be right with you!"
The twenty three year old made quick work of handing out orders and turned back to the counter. When she got back to the cash register and looked up, she saw that the new customers seemed to be having a silent conversation. They were looking at each other pointedly, yet neither men said a word. Thy also hadn't moved from the welcome mat at the door.
'Oh well, at least the floor is still dry.' Skylar shrugged slightly and leaned against the counter again. She ran a hand though her hair and closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. A sudden wave of annoyance washed over her and her eyes snapped open. She checked on the college kids, looking for a sign that she had gotten an order wrong. Thy all seemed fine, though, so she moved her gaze over to the men in the doorway.
There is it, the taller man's scowl had deepened and he was rolling his eyes. The cute one must have said something he didn't like. A wave of amusement washed over her then and she saw the cute one's mouth twitch like he was trying to hide a smile. Skylar wondered what could possibly be so amusing about the silence they had been having since they walked in. She also wondered if they were going to order anything. It had been at least five minutes since they had walked through the door.
The girl glanced at the taller man again and their eyes met. A wave of anticipation hit her like a truck. Skylar sucked in a sharp breath and she could feel her eyes widen. She saw that man's eyes flick over to the group eating their food. She followed his gaze with her own eyes and saw that they were nearly done with their meals.
Anxiety clutched at Skylar's gut. Just who were these guys? The brunette looked back to them- they still hasn't moved from the door. Were they waiting for the students to leave? Why?
'They know,' Her inner voice supplied. No, they couldn't- she had been so careful. 'They caught up to you anyway.' Now Skylar could feel her heart racing and her breathing pick up. Her left shoulder twinged with the memory of pain and that only served to freak her out even more. 'They're waiting until you're alone. You need I get out of here-'
Her frantic thoughts were cut off when she saw all of the students stand suddenly. They all turned and walked out the door silently and as one. They swerved around the two men who still stood in the doorway, not even looking at them. The shorter man had two fingers pressed against his temple and a frown on his face.
'This is it,' Skylar swallowed thickly as the door slid closed behind the last of the group. She had no time, nowhere to run.
The taller man sighed and took a step forward, "Finally Charles, you should have done that sooner." His deep voice held an accent that Skylar couldn't place.
"I only did it then because we're making her nervous," the cute one- Charles said, his accent clearly British and very posh. The two of them walked up to the counter finally, "Sorry about he floor, love, don't mean to cause more work for you." He looked to Skylar with a charmingly apologetic smile, but the girl barely registered it. She braced herself to run for the back door as they stopped in front of her.
"Oh, love, please don't run." Charles said holding up his hands, plans out. "We're not here to hurt you."
"What? How-" Skylar blurted out, eyes widening in surprise.
"How did he know what you were thinking?" The taller man asked, cutting her off. "You're not the only one with...gifts."
Skylar gasped quietly, taking a few steps back. No way. "You...I dont- What?" Ah yes, very eloquent. The girl's brain was running faster than her mouth at this point.
"We're getting ahead if ourselves," Charles said, "My name is Charles Xavier, and this is my friend and colleague, Erik Lehnsherr. We'd like to talk with you for a few minutes, if that's alright." He held Skylar's gaze and gave her a reassuring smile. A wave of peace washed over the girl and she knew. She was safe, they hadn't found her. She didn't have to be afraid.
"Um, yeah," she cleared her throat and nodded, "Yeah, sure. I just- well, I-I'm still on the clock for another hour-"
Erik cut her off again, "I've got it covered." He flicked his fingers and Skylar watched as the door locked itself and the OPEN sign flipped to CLOSED as the blinds shut themselves. Her eyes widened again and she looked up at Erik in wonderment. "Shall we sit?"
All Skylar could do was nod and walk around the counter to sit in the chair Charles pulled out for her. The two sat down across from her at the round table and Charles touched his temple and closed his eyes.
"Alright, the cook is...ocuppied," he nodded to Erik and smiled at the brunette girl across from them. "Let's begin with a name then, love."
"Oh," Skylar blushed. She wasn't sure why, but she felt very nervous at the moment- maybe it was the mild panic attack from earlier. "Sorry, my name is Skylar. Skylar Steele."
"Well then, Miss Steele-" Charles started but Skylar cut him off.
"Please, just Skylar is fine." Ms. Steele made her feel odd.
"Skylar then," Charles smiled, "We came to all to you about your abilities." Skylar nodded, blowing her hair out of her eyes when it fell in front of her face again. "You see, you have them because of a mutation in your x-gene. This mutation allows us all to do extraordinary things. For example, Erik can control all metals, and I myself can read and communicate with people's minds."
"Charles and I are gathering a group of mutants, and we would like you to join us " Erik said, leaning forward, "Why don't you show us what you can do?"
Skylar's eyebrows raised, "Oh, um, ok." The brunette stood up and looked around for a moment. Her gaze settled on the table to their left and she lifted her hand out towards it. Her middle and ring finger pressed together while her other fingers spread out and suddenly a black energy- almost like a flame- arched around her hand in a half cirlce.
On top of the table she was looking at, the napkin holder, salt and pepper shakers, and ketchup bottle were all coated in black and lifted into the air. They circled in the air for a moment and gently came to a rest back on the table top. The energy dissipated from around Skylar's hand and she lowered the appendage to her side. She looked back at Charles and Erik and smiled sheepishly.
"There's that and, um," she sat back down and bit her lip, looking for the words. "It's hard to describe really, but...Well, basically I can feel other people's emotions. That just happens all on its own, though. I don't know how to not do it." She flicked her hair out of her eyes and shrugged. Her blue eyes found the tabletop and she bit her lip again. She couldn't understand why she was being so nervous. She felt completely safe with these two strangers...maybe she was going insane, actually.
"Brilliant!" Charles's exclamation drew her eyes up to see his wide smile. "A double mutation, then!" He looked to Erik and nodded pointedly. "Skylar, we would love for you to join our team. You could be a huge help, love."
"Team?" Skylar raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Yes, we're putting together a team of mutants, like us," Erik supplied. "We need all the help we can get."
"What would I be helping with exactly?" The brunette asked, guarded. She looked to Charles and he adopted a remorseful look. A wave of sadness hit Skylar to go along with it.
"Not all other mutants are content to live peacefully with humans." Charles started, "A mutant named Sebastian Shaw is intent upon putting mutants at the top of the pecking order. Only, he plans to kill millions if people to do it." Skylar gasped softly at the thought. Millions? How would he even do that? "He is planning to wage a war between Russia and America involving nuclear missiles. The whole world will perthe and he believes that the nuclear power will make us mutants stronger "
Skylar shook her head, "That's insane!" Charles nodded his agreement. The girl sighed and looked to the ceiling for a moment. 'Well it would really suck if the whole world got nuked,' she thought, 'And I guess that my being there couldn't hurt, even if I'm not that great of a help.' She looked back to the men across from her, 'I'd get to meet other mutants, too, that'll be cool. And hell, even if this sucks ass I'll get to spend more time looking at cutie-pie over here. Why not?'
The twenty three year old took a deep breath an shrugged, "Sure. Sounds like it'll be a blast."
A/N: So there's the first bit. Lemme know if you liked it? Hated it? S'all cool. The next chapter shouldn't take long to finish, and I've got about 9 of them planned for this (# may increase depending on how bored I get). - Love RGIG