Funny enough this flashback scene was written months before Xmen future past was released...guess I always figured Erik would hurt her.
Anyway this follows most of the movie but is slightly AU since I have taken some liberties and added the deleted kitchen scene. The dialogue is word for word with bits of my own twisted ideas mixed together.
Enjoy...
The Future â 2023
"Wolverine."
"Yeah."
"I know that you and I haven't been on the best of terms, the best of anything really."
"Your point?"
"I need you to do something for me."
"No." Wolverine replied.
"It is to help Charles." Magneto said.
"Will Chuck like it?"
"No. In fact this cannot be told to him, under no circumstances can he know you are looking for her."
"Why would I look for her? I'm supposed to go find him."
"He loved her, I was fascinated, in lust with her. If you cannot convince Charles with what he's told you, you must find Mystique. You must convince her to go home."
"You sure about this?"
"The world will be lost either way, why not correct another wrong."
"I do this, you do something for me."
"Ask."
"You protect Rogue to the end."
"With my last breath."
"Can Mystique be trusted?"
"She's less innocent, less naive to be sure." He looked away and Wolverine could have sworn that Magneto actually looked ashamed. "My doing I'm afraid but at that time, she still loved him. I don't think she ever stopped."
"She poisoned him once, remember? I think she stopped."
"Love can so easily turn to hate. You know that better than most."
"Sure do."
"Raven will eventually become the woman you know as Mystique if she continues on this path. But if you can reunite her with Charles perhaps two more lives can be saved and I can right the wrong I did them."
"I'll try."
"I won't make it easy."
"I know but this time I don't got metal running through me so I can easily tell you to go fuck yourself."
"Logan? Are you ready?" Charles asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Wolverine answered the Professor.
"I hope you warned him about your younger self." Charles muttered quietly to Erik.
"I most certainly did, though really its the younger Charles, I should have warned him about."
"What about him...you?" Wolverine asked.
"He's stubborn and very much in denial...much like you were Logan. Safe trip."
"Here goes nothing."
Charles Xavier's School For The Gifted â The Kitchen â 50 years in the past and two days after cornering Mystique at a local hospital and dragging her back to the mansion kicking and screaming.
"So Erik was telling the truth. It's either me or Trask," Mystique replied looking at the three of them.
"If you kill Trask, they'll be ten more like him." Beast answered.
"Well then I'll kill them too and anyone who comes next."
"Let's just cut to the chase here. You wanna know how all this ends? Cause I've seen you in the future." Wolverine was not going to play this crap anymore. He had a job and he was gonna do it, he didn't care how innocent this girl looked.
"Yeah, what am I like?" she challenged.
"You're a cold murderess bitch."
"Hey," Beast protested weakly.
"Well don't hold back."
Wolverine leaned forward so that he was almost nose to nose with the current blond. He saw Xavier lean forward as if to defend her but Mystique glared at him and he sat back. "By the time they finish you. And they finish you. You've killed so much, you're knee deep in human and mutant blood. You don't even know who you are."
"Well maybe there wouldn't be as much mutant blood if we made our move now," she spat.
"These are Erik's words not yours."
"Are they? How would you know? You've never actually bothered to listen to me, how can you be so sure?" She asked.
Xavier ignored the questions and Wolverine didn't bother to mask his thoughts about it. 'Interesting relationship you two have.' Xavier continued as if he hadn't read Wolverine's mind but the angry flush on the mind reader's face said otherwise. "And besides you'd be giving Trask exactly what he wants. A reason for humanity to...to...to fear us. To hate us."
At this point Wolverine decided to keep his mouth shut and just let them fight it out. Although to Wolverine's trained eye, the two arguing before him did not resemble family. If anything it was too much like him and Marie. Not lovers but not just friends either. Beast thought so too, clearly uncomfortable with the very personal nature of their argument but Wolverine didn't care, this affected all their futures, these two had to patch their differences, it was now or never.
"You think they need a reason?" She laughed, "do you honestly think they'll ever be able to see me like this and feel anything but fear?" Mystique didn't bother to get up as she dropped her familiar camouflage. Xavier averted his eyes instantly and Mystique seized on it. "You can't even look at me."
"That is not true." Xavier denied and though his face was no longer turned, his eyes were looking somewhere above her head.
And that was when Wolverine understood. He'd had his suspicions ever since he'd encountered the professor drugged and cussing at him that she wouldn't return, but that split second hungry look Xavier had thrown at her blue form clinched it.
The young professor wasn't ashamed of her skin, he liked it and definitely not in the family way he kept saying. He clearly wanted more from their relationship than he was willing to admit. He wondered if blondie knew, he'd bet Scott's motorcycle, she didn't.
Mystique changed back and Xavier once more gave her his full attention as she continued, "I can hide like you. But what about the ones who can't? I saw them in Vietnam. It's hard to hide your powers when you are being shot at. And the ones that couldn't hide became lab rats for Trask."
"I would never let that happen to you. I made you a promise a long time ago. That I would keep you safe."
'Please, that clearly didn't work the first time.' Wolverine thought loudly.
The professor didn't miss a beat, "that I would protect you. If I had done my job perhaps none of this would be happening to us." He reached across the table for her hand but she kept her arms crossed and away from him. "Perhaps you wouldn't have left home." 'You wouldn't have left me.'
'I didn't leave you.' "I couldn't stay here forever, Charles."
'And why not?'
"That's why!" She slammed her palms on the table clearly angry.
"Raven, I'm sorry. I don't-" He began but clearly there was some old habits Chuck had never learned to stop and Mystique was gonna remind him of them.
"And its not me that you should be worrying about! Erik is gonna start that war whether you like it or not."
"Well how do you know?" Beast asked.
"He told me," she replied walking towards the front door.
'Of course he did, Magneto always did like to annoy Xavier. That apparently hasn't changed.'
But she didn't get more than a few steps before Xavier was once again stopping her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa."
"When was the last time you changed your bandage? On...on..your...leg?" Beast asked.
Wolverine had smelled the blood earlier but assumed that Beast had too and he hadn't seemed worried so he hadn't said anything. But now that he'd spotted the large dark stain on her pant leg, he kinda wished he had said something. Her limping was pretty bad and she was still very hurt and should not leave, though somehow he didn't think her staying would fix anything if Charles and her didn't mend their fences.
"Hank is going to see to your leg." Charles told her.
"I don't-" Beast interrupted.
"Yes you are." He told Beast."You need some rest, my girl." This he directed to Mystique.
"I'm not your girl."
Wolverine noted that it wasn't said with much conviction.
"You will find your room just as you left it. Hank get going."
"I don't-"
"You know you want to, go on."
Charles looked down at the table and Wolverine didn't need to see Xavier's face to know that the man was troubled by more than Mystique's injury. The way she'd said Magneto's name had bothered the telepath, a lot.
"I don't blame Erik for trying to kill me," she said quietly. "I would have done the same thing." Mystique looked at Xavier but he refused to meet her eyes.
"Alright." He said more to himself than her. Beast escorted her up the stairs and Xavier watched them until they were out of sight."She's home."
The stupidity of that statement made Wolverine shake his head and do what he'd swore he wouldn't. He was gonna have to talk to Xavier about his obvious feelings for Mystique. "What are you trying to do?"
"I'm trying to save her." Xavier said it as if it was obvious.
"Men who try to do that to women, in my experience, it doesn't end well."
'Who did you try to save?' He got a quick flash of white on brown and a face too young to carry the sadness in her eyes. "She seems like quite a girl."
"You're gonna drive her away." Wolverine snarled.
'Is that what you did?'
"Yeah."
"I've already driven her away. I just want her safe even if its just for the night." Xavier replied.
"Why don't you talk to her instead. Be honest, she's smart, she'll get it."
"Would you talk to her...to Marie, if you got the chance?"
"I will if you do." He glanced at the stairs. "You need help getting up there?"
"I'd hate to be a bother."
Wolverine lifted the Professor into his arms and followed the path of the previous two. "Magneto told me that you loved her before they me sent back. I didn't believe him."
"Erik rarely lies. It's not in his nature. He likes being right too much."
"Do you wanna knock or should I?" Wolverine asked as they stopped in front of what used to be Mystique's old room.
"It's probably better if I do."
'The door is open, Charles.'
'I don't want to intrude.'
'Then don't.'
'Will you be here in the morning? Will you give me a chance to talk to you before you leave?' he asked.
'What for? I know what I have to do, can you say the same?'
'One chance, Raven. It's all I ask.'
"See you in the morning, Charlie."
"See you in the morning, Raven."
"So where do I put you?" Wolverine asked.
"My study if you don't mind, I've got a mini fridge with cold beer."
"Lead the way, Chuck."
"You know this isn't the first time Erik's injured her or that I've come close to telling her the truth." Charles said as Wolverine lowered him to the sofa. He grabbed a beer, handed one to Xavier and sat down, this was going to be a long story.
He brought her in leaning heavily on his shoulder. "He hurt you, Raven. You will not be seeing him again and that is final."
"No it's not final. It was an accident and you can't tell me what to do."
"While you're living under my roof, I can."
"It's my roof too, and you are not my father."
"I'm your bro-"
She let go of his shoulder and limped over to the sofa. "No, you're not Charles. No matter how badly you want to be. I wish you were, I really do then maybe I wouldn't feel so awkward about it. "
"Raven?"
"Let's not kid ourselves. If believing that works for you then I'm glad but it doesn't work for me, not any more," she mumbled.
"What do you mean any more?" he asked approaching her cautiously.
"God, do I have to spell it out for you. Are you really this dense?" she snarled the last bit.
"Raven, please luv." He cupped her face with both hands forcing her to look into his baby blues, "I'm at a loss and I honestly have no idea what's upsetting you but I don't want you to see Erik again. I promise that I will do everything in my power to make you happy, if you do this for me."
"You can't keep that promise," she said unable to hold back a few tears.
They slipped down her cheek and he caught them with a sweep of his thumbs, "talk to me."
He pressed his forehead to hers but she instantly moved away. "I can't. I already told you more than I should have. It doesn't matter anyway."
"Everything you say matters."
He hugged her and she sagged in his arms allowing herself to enjoy it just for a second. "You really don't know, do you? You really are too smart for your own sake, Charlie."
"Raven," he repeated but he could feel the moment being lost.
She forced the lethargic warmth of his body away and tried to stand without his help. "I won't see him again, I promise. Please I'm just really tired now."
"Alright but we will have this conversation again."
She didn't reply and he didn't let her go, instead he wrapped one of her arms around his neck and swept her into his arms.
"You don't have to carry me, I can walk." She said with a sad little smile.
"I want to. Indulge your-" he stopped himself at her wounded look. "Indulge me, Rave."
She sighed and settled into his embrace without further argument.
The mansion was quiet and the only sounds that permeated the night were his heavy footfalls and their steady breathing as he carried her up the stairs.
Her room was next to his, which was convenient because even though she wasn't heavy, he knew he would not have been able to go one step further. The idea of talking to his new friend about his oldest friend and the more than possible backlash of that future conversation had already exhausted him.
He would have to talk to Erik as soon as possible, Charles knew he couldn't really dictate who she could go or couldn't go out with but he was worried that what Erik wanted and what Raven was expecting were on two completely different levels.
Apparently their argument had tired her out as well. Her breathing now fanned across his neck in an even rhythm and her arms were resting gently against his chest instead of wrapped around his neck.
He tilted her to one side and freed one hand long enough to open the door to her room but quickly adjusted her so he wouldn't drop her. He didn't bother to turn on the lights; Charles knew her room better than his, having spent many an insomniac night in it chit chatting with her.
He laid her down gently and she rolled onto her side curling like a kitten.
He knew that they would have to talk in the morning and that she more than likely would shut him out but for now he would let her rest and figure out later how to keep that from happening.
Charles quietly went to the bathroom and pulled several bandages from the medicine cabinet, he knew sleep wouldn't come until he personally saw to it that her ankle was taken care of. He carefully pulled off her boots and sat down on the bed so that her foot rested in his lap. He felt for broken bones but was glad to find only mild bruising and possible signs of a sprain. He added some ointment to speed up her recovery then wrapped her ankle tightly.
She let out a slight sound of discomfort but otherwise remained asleep, satisfied with his quick fix, Charles got up and as she slept took the time to admire her. In her relaxed state he was able to fully appreciate the fine texture of her skin without her self-consciousness intruding.
He took advantage of this rare moment to trace the blue of her face. As always it surprised him how soft she was and how delicate her features truly were when she wasn't hiding or mocking them.
There had been few occasions for him to bestow any kind of physical affection on her and when he did it was colored by his chaste upbringing and therefore seemed cold. He regretted that now, he regretted it greatly, maybe they wouldn't be in this mess with Erik if he had.
He was unhappy about their current circumstances and though he was glad to have a reason to hold her in his arms, Charles only wished it would convince her that he cared about her in more than a familial aspect. He knew that her reasons for believing that were his fault and his alone.
He had never really tried to explain why his touches were few and far between. Not that it mattered since Raven seemed to want something that he wasn't sure he knew how to give. The real problem was of course that she had lashed out by attaching herself to Erik and then put him in the difficult situation of stopping it because he certainly couldn't approve of it.
He so desperately wanted to show her that it was a distraction they didn't need now. Especially not now when the CIA was leery of them as it was, not when convincing them that they were mutants who had no quarrel with the rest of humanity was their top priority.
In reality if Erik was her choice, it pained him to think that was the case, he wanted her to really think about it before she committed herself to the man.
He gently tugged the blanket up to her waist, dropped a kiss on her head and would have walked out of her room had her voice not stopped him, "stay."
"I thought you were asleep."
"You make too much noise." She mumbled.
"I see. In that case I apologize for waking you."
"It's ok," she said and scooted over so that he could easily slide in beside her. "Come on, I don't bite."
"So you say but I have no way of knowing." He smiled and popped off his shoes and lay on top of the covers. "You know my rule, I'm here, now got to sleep."
"Fine." She huffed and turned her back on him.
"Raven?"
"I said fine, what more do you want?"
"Are you angry because I won't join you under the covers? Raven. I'm talking to you." She gave no response. "Are you actually giving me the silent treatment?" he said laughing. "That's a bit childish don't you think?"
Without warning she sat up and pushed him off the bed. Charles landed with a thump but made no move to get up as she hissed. "Get out."
"Rave."
"Out," she shouted pointing to her door.
"No." he said and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Get out." She repeated.
"Make me!" he snapped.
"Oh, now who's being childish?" She said but didn't budge.
"There's no need to act like this. I didn't mean anything by it. I was joking. If you want me under the covers so badly I'll get in." he said getting up and dusting himself off.
"No, I don't want you here and I'm not joking."
"Enough. You know my rule. It's inappropriate and yet I'm willing to be here even though I have an exam first thing in the morning and I should be studying instead of babysitting you."
"Babysitting?" she said looking more hurt than he thought possible.
"I didn'tâĤ"
"I'm tired, my ankle hurts and I think you've done more than enough for me tonight."
He sat on the edge of the bed but she stubbornly turned her back to him, "I didn't mean that but sometimes you do act like a child and forget that there are other things going on in our world beyond us. The world is getting more dangerous for our kind. I'm trying to prepare you for it before you get hurt. I would do anything to insure your well being, my haste makes me mean and I'm sorry for that but I will not apologize for watching over you even when you don't want me to."
"I know."
"I can stay for a while if you want." Raven lifted the blanket and he lay beside her. "I am sorry. I don't always think of how my words sound. You are not a baby nor is caring for you a chore." He said by way of explaining his actions. Raven moved closer so that her head rested on his chest and his arm encircled her. "But this is inappropriate, Raven. You are a young lady now, its unwise for me to climb into bed with you."
"You act like my brother anyway, what harm could it do?"
"I act it but like you said earlier, I am not your brother. I am your friend and you are my friend but we are also a healthy man and woman and this could be seen in the wrong light."
"By who?"
"Erik, the others. People."
"What if I don't care?"
"You should sweetheart. I don't ever want anybody to think they can take advantage of you, not even me. I love you Raven maybe not as I should but I do."
"I know Charlie. I've always known you're the only one I can trust," she said touching her palm to his steady heartbeat. "Is this is okay?"
"This is fine." He replied and kissed the top of her red hair. "Sleep, you need to rest."
"Promise you won't leave until I fall asleep."
"I promise," he said and she snuggled into his side.
It wasn't long until she dozed off and yet Charles found himself unable to leave. He wanted to blame it on wanting to protect her and not the coziness of their positions or the way she clutched his shirt in her sleep.
He wanted to say that he felt it was his duty to make sure she was fine. But a darker side of him told him that it had more to do with how perfectly suited her curves were to his frame. How nice it felt to have one of her long slim legs slip between his. How he'd practically already confessed even though she hadn't picked up on it.
Eventually his mind chose to give him a respite from his mixed up feelings and he too grew drowsy and eventually slept and dreamed of soft sweet kisses that were anything but sisterly.
When he woke he tried to pull away from her arms and his disturbing dreams but one glance at her perfect blue skin and bright red hair spread across his shirt kept him in place.
Charles Xavier wondered how he'd managed to pretend that there was nothing but sibling love between them for so long. After this whole business with Shaw was finished, Charles would finally tell the truth about how he felt about her and let her decide if she wanted a different relationship from the one they currently had.
If not he'd respect that as well and distance himself accordingly. It would be her choice to make because Charles was irrevocably and unmistakably in love with Raven and would sacrifice anything for her happiness even himself.
"Things never seem to work out where we are concerned."
"Seems to me you knew exactly how you felt about it then." Wolverine said taking a healthy gulp of cold imported beer.
"After Shaw and my accident. I buried it. I already worried that her feelings had to do with me saving her as a child. Love born out of gratitude was hard enough to stomach, love out of pity, I couldn't endure. So I told myself that it was a passing fancy and told her to go."
"You didn't think she'd actually leave." It was a statement not a question.
"No, I expected her to stay. I was obviously wrong about the depth of her feelings and Erik was more than happy to remind me when I finally did contact him."
Wolverine took the last swig of his beer and opened a new one, "you need another?"
Charles shook his head. "I'm sorry. You probably didn't want to hear all this melodrama."
Wolverine shrugged, "I work in a school, melodrama I know. Real feelings not at all. What happens when you tell her truth and she rejects you? You go back to how I found you?"
"I have very little serum left and I made Hank promise not to make more."
"That doesn't answer any of my questions." Wolverine took Charles' warm beer and replaced it with a cold one.
"No it did not. I accept it and help her in any way I can. I owe her that. Don't worry Wolverine, I will do everything in my power to keep your future from happening, even if it means working with Erik and walking away from Raven."
"I know you will. I just hope its enough for all our sakes."
"Here's to the future." Charles clicked his beer to Wolverine's.
"I'm gonna be really confused when I get back."
"Indeed Logan."
