In which Charles and Erik find something life-changing at the mansion's doorstep.

[Cherik]

I don't own any of the X-Men :( Enjoy!

The game of chess had been going quite sour so far. Charles mind always drifted somewhere else and Erik couldn't help but being so pent up on his opposing views. From the corner of his eye he would catch Charles staring outside with a look of utter interest.

"Is there something wrong, friend?" He dared ask as he slid another one of the chess pieces down the board.

Charles could only shake his head with a pouted lip, as if saying: eh, it's nothing. But Erik believed otherwise, perhaps they were doomed to have opposing views on even the smallest of things. This made Erik place his hands back in his lap and cross them over his knees.

"What do you sense?"

Charles sighed, running a hand through his hair and moving another chess piece across the surface of the board. "I want to say, that it's nothing. But I would be lying."

The night was warm outside and the regular trees stood at their regular place. Nothing was eerie, not something that Erik couldn't place. Everything was normal, Erik thought, so what was he fussing about?

"I think that–" He was cut off by Charles placing his hand abruptly in the air to silence him, a worried and focused expression contorted his features. The wailing had been muffled by the heavy doors of the mansion, but somehow Charles was able to hear it. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he stood from his seat and began to walk away from the long-neglected game.

"Charles…" Erik called, now noticing that something was wrong and stood as well. Charles, on the other hand, ignored his friend's calls and neared the entrance of his home. The wailing had stopped and so did his heart, afraid of the possibility of the creature outside could be, in fact, dead. No, dying. This he shook his head at and immediately opened the doors. To his surprise, there was no basket, not even a blanket. The only thing that covered the frail being's small body was a notebook sheet of paper with thick, black marker writing that spelled out a phrase.

Erik had walked patiently to his friend's side, knowing it was probably some human looking for trouble or one of Charles' weird thought spasms. His feet came to a stop once he reached the space behind Charles and his eyes observed what was before the doorstep. His friend quickly took his coat off, picking up the baby (for now assumed human) into the warmth of the jacket and into his arms. Erik's eyes widened as he looked on his friend carrying the bundle. Once inside, he did the favor of closing the heavy doors behind.

"What have you just found?" He asked Charles rhetorically, still staring at the blue lips of the delicate being. For a warm night, the poor thing was sure cold.

The next thing made Erik's heart almost stop: Charles looked up at him with the brightest smile he had ever seen on his face. So full of something inexplicable. He turned his gaze back to the baby and pressed his hand on the soft surface of its forehead. The baby let out an adorable smile and yawn to follow.

Erik usually wasn't one for these types of feelings but right now he couldn't help himself. He looked on the child with a smile he hand t even been aware until Charles spoke.

"It's a girl." He almost whispered, as he gently swayed the baby in his arms. Erik's mind went back to the disgusting note he had found as the only thing shielding the baby girl from the outside world. He chose not to think about it too much, but to think of what was to happen.

"You're not thinking of keeping her, are you Charles?"

"I sometimes think you wish you were a telepath." He chuckled, facing his friend then taking a jolly step back to the study where the chess board stood. "But, quite frankly, I believe I have made the decision to keep her. After all–"

"She is a mutant." Erik finished for him, not breaking his stare away from the baby. "It said so in the note those monsters labeled on her."

"Well, her abilities must have shown a lot earlier than expected." Charles kept smiling.

"You can't just keep her in your jacket forever." His friend noted, smiling as well when seeing the child wave its fist and turn its head. Her small chest rose and fell with the most lulling rythym.

"Well, before we get any appropriate supplies, she must have a name. The note never said anything about a name." Charles replied with a worried frown.

Erik reached for her head and gently smoothed out her barely visible brown hair. "I was never good with names."

This made Charles laugh as he went to go take a seat in the chair he was previously using. "Neither am I, but I'm sure we'll think of something over time."

"Such a shame what humans are capable of doing." Erik's heart swelled at the sight of her cooing and waving her small fist.

"At least she has a new home, Erik." Charles kindly stated. "And people who will stop at nothing to make sure she's alright."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Erik, it looks horrendous."

Even the baby they had named Finley made a face.

Erik just chuckled and set the black dress back on the hanger with the other dresses of similar appearance. Charles shook his head and kept rolling the cart towards the stuffed animal section. Raven smirked at Erik while waving a pink onesie in his face.

"She's not going to like that, look." He raised his eyebrows at Finley who had put her hand in her mouth and stuck her tongue out at him.

"What are you talking about?" Raven kept her expression. "She loves it."

"Baba-bu bu." She blurted out bubbles and hugged the onesie close to her affectionately.

With a glare, Erik took the pink article of clothing away from her. Her small green eyes had widened and her mouth trembled, a paused hiccuping was followed by a full sobbing show. Raven snatched the onesie back from a grinning Erik and handed it back to Finley, but she kept crying. She had turned away from it and reached her chubby hands out towards Charles, who was busy choosing between a stuffed unicorn or panda.

All of a sudden, the objects in the store began floating, no, trembling with the slightest minimum. The more Finley wailed, the wilder and more brash did the objects around her move. Surprised and amazed at first, Erik soon smiled and was proud of the things his daughter was capable of doing. Charles noticed this and was about to address the situation when-

"Charles." Raven called to him, making him turn around and soften his features at the sight of his daughter. Once she was exchanged between her aunt and her dad, she calmed down and buried her face in Charles' neck.

Erik had felt slightly guilty under the glare of Charles and the shaking head of Raven. The objects in the store had stopped moving and were now placed in a more crooked angle than before. Thank the heavens that there was no one around in the aisle to witness it.

They continued shopping and eventually walked outside the store, where Finley's mouth formed a smile headed in Erik's direction, where she was currently leaning her head on her dad's shoulder whilst he carried her. Erik chuckled and walked right behind Charles.

"Sorry, sweetheart. But you were pushing my buttons back there." He smiled, pinching her pink cheek gently. She let out an adorable giggle and beat her hands softly on Charles' back, making him look over his shoulder.

She reached out for Erik and he gladly took her in his arms. "You're quite the handful, peanut."

"How lovely." Raven teased, placing the shopping bags inside the car, causing Erik to shoot her a glare.

"I guess she can move things with her mind, then." Charles noted with a smile. "Amazing."

All Erik could do was finally agree with his friend on something so significant and wonderful as the baby that had landed into their lives.

~Le Fin~

Thank you guys! And I hope it didn't suck :b -Bella