A/N - This is my first X-Men story. I love the newer movies just as much as the originals. So this comes after watching First Class many times. Please read and review...I hope you all enjoy this!
To say Charles was enraged was an understatement. Incensed was more like it. He also felt betrayed at the same time. He watched as Erik turned the missiles mid air and aimed them for the American and Russian fleet currently out in the ocean beyond the beach they were standing on. At that moment, Erik was embodying his other personality, Magneto.
"Erik stop!" Charles yelled, trying to reach through the exterior Erik had built around him. He already couldn't communicate telepathically because of the damn helmet he was wearing and now he was having a problem getting Erik to see the insanity of it all.
Charles took a flying leap for Erik, concerned for humans and mutants alike. After reaching out to feel the captains of the American and Russian vessels, he became connected to the others on the ships, good men who were just following orders. He couldn't let Erik destroy those innocent men; their lives, their families.
He and Erik rolled in the sand, Charles trying to get the helmet off of the metal bending mutant. He felt the punch to the face, stopping him for the briefest of moments. He could sense the fear of the men on the ships, and he wanted to make that stop.
Erik got one more lick in before standing, leaving Charles in the sand. He was seeing just how twisted his friend really was at the moment. He rolled to his stomach to stand when he heard a new noise.
It was like a bad dream. He saw Moira shooting at Erik, stupid thing to do since the man could stop missiles mid-air. He saw Erik deflecting the bullets away toward the ocean and over his head, but it was enough of a distraction that he wasn't controlling the missiles anymore. Charles realized that Moira was trying to save the soldiers on the ships in her own way.
Charles leapt up and instantly regretted doing so. He saw Erik's hand wave in his direction and the next moment the blinding, white hot pain hit him, his lower back feeling like it could explode at any moment.
He landed face-first in the sand, tasting the grittiness as he let out a blood-curdling scream. His right hand was trying to find a way to take the edge off the pain as he saw a pair of black boots run past his field of vision. Hands turned him to the right, his head resting in someone's lap.
The blinding pain struck again as he felt the bullet being pulled out of his spine. He couldn't hold back the screams of pain as he felt the bullet leave his body. He opened his crystal blue eyes to see Erik holding him, cradling him actually. Charles knew he was on the edge of consciousness, his mind wanting to shut down, to give him peace. He knew if he gave in, his mind would radiate his pain to the others the moment his eyes closed, but he didn't want them to know the amount of pain he really was in.
Erik's attention turned to Moira, who had since dropped her gun and was staring at Erik and Charles, her face registering shock. He could feel the guilt radiating from her mind without even reading it.
"You did this!" Erik exclaimed, his hand shooting out toward the hapless CIA agent. He saw the dog tags around Moira's neck shoot up and start strangling her.
"No, Erik, she didn't do this," Charles said, looking up at his friend. "You did."
Charles knew in his heart that it was never Erik's intention to hurt him; he was trying to defend himself and if he was honest, the other mutants and Moira who were stranded on the beach.
But he had to get Erik's attention away from Moira before he killed the brave CIA agent. Charles watched as Erik's hand fell, coming to rest again on his chest, his eyes turning to look at him.
It was as if Erik was seeing, really seeing him, for the first time.
"They want us to fight each other, when we should be coming together. You and I are brothers. We want the same thing," Erik said, a sadness in his voice that Charles had heard before. But it was laced with guilt as well.
"I'm sorry Erik. But we do not."
Erik looked into the eyes of the man who had become his brother, who had saved him. All he saw were tears falling from those crystal blue eyes; pain, hurt and betrayal. He sat there, weighing his options for a moment before he waived Moira over.
Charles felt the shift as Erik turned his position over to Moira and stood up. The pain intensified as she tried to carefully maneuver his head into her lap.
"I'm so sorry Charles! I'm so sorry!" Moira exclaimed, hot tears burning her eyes and falling to the chest of the man whom she had become fond of.
He grabbed her wrist before replying, "Its ok love. It's ok." He grunted in pain as she shifted slightly below him.
He could hear Erik talking to the others, but he could not concentrate on that while the pain was radiating all through his body, even into his brain.
Charles was hastily putting up mental barriers, hoping they would hold when he heard steps. He his head slightly to see Erik's hand outstretched and Raven walking toward him. But Raven came to him first, kneeling next to him, tears in her eyes. He could hear her thoughts, the warring in her mind on wanting to go with Erik and her intense worry for her adoptive brother.
"You should go with him, it's what you want." His eyes gave away the truth in him, how much he really wanted her to stay. But he knew he couldn't hold her back anymore.
"You promised to never read my mind," Raven stayed sadly, wiping a hand over his brow. She figured her thoughts were pretty loud anyway.
"I know. I promised you many things, and I didn't keep them in afraid," he replied, moisture again leaking from his eyes. He knew she had feelings for Hank, and to him, a part of him hoped she stayed just for him. But he could feel that Erik had turned her mind and started her on a dark path, one he wasn't even sure if the both of them could come back from.
"Take care of him," Raven replied, looking to Moira before kissing his forehead. She stood up, taking Erik's outstretched hand. Charles touched her mind, one last time, I love you Raven, I always will. I will never be far away if you need me.
The pain in his heart was so great, tearing him apart inside, knowing that her heart belonged to Erik and his cause. It was at that moment he knew how much he loved his sister and didn't want to see her hurt, or worse.
He knew he was letting her go, but he really didn't want to. He had tried to protect her since the day he found her in the kitchen when they were 12 years old. But apparently all he had done was drive her away, the one person who really knew him best.
Raven and Erik glanced down at Charles and Moira, a brief moment of sadness washing through their minds, a wave he could feel as it mixed with his emotional and physical pain. The tears fell freely as Azazel teleported the 5 mutants off the beach. Charles had never felt more betrayed than he did in that moment.
Charles heard boots pounding in the sand before Hank slid beside him and Alex and Sean dropped to their knees on either side of Hank.
"We need to get you to a hospital Charles," Moira said as he grabbed her hand.
He tried to sit up, holding on to Moira and Hank when the agonizing pain he'd been feeling since he'd been shot increased tenfold, causing him to scream out, some of the mental barriers starting to crumble.
"Wait, Charles. Don't move."
It was in that moment, Charles realized something was very wrong. He was confused for a brief moment before replying to Hank, "I...I can't...I can't...I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my legs." He kept saying it over and over, hoping this was just some bad dream that he would awaken from.
But he wasn't dreaming. Charles really couldn't feel his legs. And he could tell his voice was getting weaker as the edges of his vision blurred, before everything went gray and he lost consciousness.