Chapter Two: The Time I Convinced Him To Stay

Charles POV:

We had only been at Agents Platt's facility of a few days. We meet Hank McCoy, another mutant with an extraordinary gift. I saw my sister flirt with Hank and I saw him flirt back. I didn't need to be a telepath to tell me my sister found somebody to be happy with.

Meanwhile, I grew closer to Erik. We both liked playing chess and we both like the same literature but I also knew he was getting antsy. He wanted to go after Shaw right now, not wait until we had more information. On the night I knew he was planning on leaving I distracted him for as long as possible then I waited outside for him.

When I finally saw him exit the building I tried to stop him by saying. "From what I know about you, I'm surprised you managed to stay this long." He turned around and asked. "What do you know about me?" I smiled at him. "Everything." I answered. It surprised me when he shot back. "Then you know to stay out of my head." He turned and started walking away. I walked behind him and said. "I'm sorry, Erik, but I've seen what Shaw did to you. I've felt your agony. I can help you." I hoped this would make him turn around and stay with me. I laughed softly to myself. Raven always said I fall in love hard, but this is the most smitten I've been with anybody in a long time. He laughed and turned around. "I don't need your help." He said. That stung, I thought we were getting on really well.

I told him. "Don't kid yourself. You needed my help a few night ago. It's not just me you're walking away from. Here you have the chance to be part of something much bigger than yourself." I looked at him and he looked at me. "I won't stop you leaving. I could. But I won't." I said walking away. He needed to make the decision to stay himself. "Shaw's got friends. You could do with some." And that was the last thing I said to him. I made it all the way back to the room they gave me while I was staying at this facility. I sat on the bed, then the tears came, no sooner than I started crying did I hear a knock at the door. "Charles, it's me, Raven. Can I come in?" My lovely sister asked. "I dried my eyes and answered. "The door is unlocked, Raven."

She came into my room and saw the tears. "Oh my god, Charles. What happened?" She asked. I wiped my eyes again and explained. "Erik is leaving." She looked at me with those eyes she gets when she knows my heart has been broken. "God!" I exclaimed, laying down on the bed. "I feel so stupid. I knew he was going to leave. I read his mind and saw that he doesn't like to stay in one place for too long. But I had to get close to him." I sniffled a few time before telling her. "I hate it when you're right." She looked puzzled for a second before I continued. "I fall in love too fast and when they leave I'm heartbroken. With Erik, nothing has changed. I thought…" I chuckled. "I was naïve enough to think he would stay here. All the time we spent together playing chess or reading I thought it meant something to him. I guess I was wrong." I said, trying not to tear up again. "Will you stay here with me tonight?" I asked her. "Of course, Charles." She said. "Just let me get some pajamas and I'll be right back." She kissed my forehead before she left. After she was gone I got ready for bed. I don't remember her returning to my room because after I had gotten all tucked into bed I fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

The next day:

I woke up to a knock at my door. I crossed the room and opened it to see Moira. She blushed really hard and I realized I was not wearing a pajama shirt just a pair of plaid pants. She turned away and said. "Platt would like to see you in his office at the soonest possible moment." And with that, she walked away down the hall. As I showered and dressed for the day I wondered what Agent Platt wanted me for. Guess I'll figure out soon enough. I thought to myself as I left my room. I walked to Agent Platt's office in relative silence except for the stray thoughts of the people already working today.

I knocked on Agent Platt's office door and he turned away from the window. "Ah! Professor Xavier, nice of you to meet with me so early this morning. Please sit." He said, pointing to a chair. "You're welcome and please call me Charles. I believe you don't get to be called a Professor until you have a teaching position." I said smiling. "Now, what did you want me for this morning?"

"Hank turned that radar installation into a transmitter." Agent Platt explained pointing out of the window he had previously been staring out of. "It's designed to amplify brain waves, so it could enhance your telepathic powers, help us find other mutants for our division." I was looking out the window, intrigued by the machine out on the lawn, but trying hard not to cry. I silently wondered how far Erik had gotten overnight and if I could reach him with that machine just to tell him I wanted him, no, needed him by my side.

Suddenly, I heard Erik's voice. "What if they don't want to be found by you?" He asked. I turned my head to see him standing by the door. I slight smile made its way onto my face. "Erik. You decided to stay." Telepathically, I told him. I'm glad you stayed. I saw his barely there nod, then he turned to Agent Platt and said. "If a new species is being discovered, it should be by its kind. Charles and I find the mutants. No suits." I felt Agent Platt get really defensive. "First of all, that's my machine out there." He explained. "Second of all, much more importantly, this is Charles' decision. Charles is fine with the CIA being involved. Isn't that right?" I heard Erik's plea. Please back me up. I looked at him. Are you sure you want to do this? I thought you were ready to go back out to find Shaw? He smirked. I do want to go after Shaw, but when I do finally go after him I want you by my side. I turned back to Agent Platt. "No." I said. "I'm sorry, but I'm with Erik. We'll find them alone." I looked at him again. And I need you by my side. "What if I say no?" Platt asked me. I turned to him and side with an underline threat. "Then, good luck using your installation without me." Reluctantly, Agent Platt agreed and Erik and I step outside his office. "Hank should already be up there." He said to us. We both started walking to a door that would lead us to Hank's machine. "Did you mean that?" I asked out loud. He looked at me with a hint of a smile on his face. "Yes, Charles, I did." He said and as soon as the words were out of his mouth he had me pushed up against the wall. He was looking down on me, our faces mere inches apart. "Erik." I whispered. Our lips about to meet when I heard that Raven was about to round the corner. I pushed him off of me. We will finish that later. I promised him. "Charles." She said as she saw me. "I just ran into Hank and he said he was heading someplace to meet you."

"Well, that's good, because I was coming to collect you, my dear sister, and then head over to meet Hank." I explained. Then the three of us went to go see Hank.

We had just entered Hank's machine, I was rather excited by the idea that I would finally meet other like me. As we climbed the stair and the roof opens up to show off the beauty of Hank's creation. "I, uh… I call it Cerebro." Hank said. "You…" I chuckled. "As in Spanish for 'brain'." He elaborated. "Yes, of course." I said. Then he dove right in to explaining how Cerebro worked. "Okay, so, uh, the electrodes connect Charles to the transmitter o the roof. When he picks up a… mutant, his brain sends a signal through a relay, and then the coordinates of their location are printed out here."

Raven, I could see, was star struck by Hank. I ran my hands though my hair then lowered it onto my head. "What an adorable lab rat you make, Charles." Erik said. I could tell he was teasing me but I didn't care. "Don't spoil this for me, Erik." I shot back. This is important to me. I sent him. Suddenly he stopped joking. "No. I've been a lab rat. I know one when I see one." He admitted. I felt Hank by my side messing with stuff. "Okay. Great. Are you sure we can't shave your head?" He asked. "Don't touch my hair." I told him. I heard Raven and Erik chuckle a bit before Hank said. "Okay."

He, then, went back to the controls and flipped some switches. I could hear the machine powering up. I looked at Erik and sent some positive thoughts because he looked worried. I closed my eyes and concentrated. For a brief second, I thought the machine wasn't working. Then, I saw them. It was like seeing the world in black and white except for a few. I saw an African-American girl with white hair writing in her dairy, then a girl who looked to be around ten years of age at the doctor's office and behind her was a young boy in his teens playing catch all by himself. I saw I boy sitting in a chair reading a book, a girl with her parents teaching her how to ride a bike, an Asian boy eating dinner with his family. There were so many of them and I was taken away by just how many of us there actually were. After, what seemed like only a few moments, Cerebro shut down and I was exhausted. Erik. I sent out to him. I suddenly had two strong arms around my waist. I'm here, Charles, I was really worried about you. I looked at him with confusion written on my face. Charles, you were hooked up to Cerebro for nearly three hours. "Nearly three hours?" I questioned out loud, looking around. Hank and Raven both nodded in agreement. I released myself from Erik's grip and tried to walk on my own. That resulted in me almost falling down the stairs before Erik caught hold of me again.

"Erik, I'm tired and I want to go to bed." I complained. "Then, let me help you because you are not going to make it five feet without falling on your face." He said. He, then, picked me up and carried me bridal style down the stairs, out onto the lawn, back into the building, and to my room. The only thing I see after that is black because I passed out.