Meeting Your Future Self

Xavier Mansion stood for eight years in isolation and now at last it was finally inhabited once more. After the attack on the CIA base and the loss of both Angel and Darwin, Charles was prepared to forget the entire thing and send both Alex and Sean home. However, undeterred, they wished even more to fight the battle against Shaw, so instead of parting ways Charles had brought them to his childhood home where he would train them for the upcoming fight.

So far everyone's training had progressed, each of his 'students' having come far since being brought from the CIA base. Moira took it upon herself to help Charles in some of his lessons and act as chef for the household. Raven spent most of her time in the gym or in the labs with Hank who had been working on prototypes suits, equipment and even a serum that would hopefully hold the cure to his and Raven's cosmetic problems.

Erik did not agree with this idea, though he did not sway either young mutants to his argument, as of yet anyway. Erik spent most of his time training by himself, Charles had asked if he had needed any assistance but Erik ultimately refused every time. The only time Charles got to spend with his friend was in the evenings after dinner, the kids would all go off to watch the tv, along with Moira sometimes, while he and Erik departed towards the study for a good game of chess in which they were currently in the process of.

"Alex was marvellous today Erik, he finally managed to hit the dummy, the wrong dummy mind you, but he didn't set the bunker on fire."

Erik merely nodded. Charles moved his piece and continued what felt like his one man conversation that he had been having for the past forty minutes. "Did your training go well today?" Erik gives him another nod, now focused on calculating his own move. "I do hope you will eventually reconsider allowing me to partake in your training sessions Erik, it would be very interesting to see how you have been getting along."

"Maybe" Erik at last answers and moves his knight, smiling after delivering his move and taking one of Charles's bishops.

Charles loves that smile, he wishes Erik would show it more often. He has a beautiful smile, it makes it seem as though Erik had forgotten his past, all his cares and ideas of revenge. Charles was becoming a little obsessed actually with that smile, in fact becoming a little obsessed with Erik all together. The man intrigued him, never before had Charles encountered someone whose mind was on the same wavelength as his; let alone a man so attractive. Charles had never really found a man attractive before either, he could appreciate the male physique, yet it all came down to the mind in the end, and Erik was perfect in both.

Charles can still feel the shock of want, protection, love, and need when his mind first locked onto Erik's in the ocean. Charles hadn't even been searching for him; it was as though Erik had wanted him to find him. That somehow subconsciously they were both looking for each other. And since then Charles had been fighting the overwhelming want of all things Erik.

Charles had heard of homosexuality before and in all honesty it intrigued him, besides he would never scrutinise against someone for just being different. The idea of Erik though, in his bed, both of them shirtless and kissing and well other things filled Charles' mind constantly.

He couldn't explain this feeling that had overwhelmed him from the very moment he met Erik, in which had been growing ever since. He wondered if Erik felt the same, had felt this strong and overpowering sensational link between the two of them. The telepath had wanted to delve into the metal benders mind often to find out, though he would not go back on the promise he made to his friend.

Charles would never admit it to Erik though either. God, what would he think of him if he didn't feel the same, and even if by some small chance that he did, Charles wasn't sure what he would do about it, after all he still doesn't know what Erik's next move will be after Shaw is dealt with, let alone his current move in their chess game, as the telepath had took his turn immediately after his mental speech began.

"Stuck my friend?" Charles asks, a small smile gracing his youthful face. Erik looks up at him ready to answer back when suddenly they are both blinded by a dazzling white light that engulfs the room. When it dies down and their vision slowly comes back to them two men are standing in the study. Erik automatically stands up, readying himself for a fight, Charles follows suit, searching their minds only to find them being both blocked.

"Sneaking around in here Charles, whatever are you looking for?" the older man of the two questions with a large grin, tapping two fingers against his temple.

"Who are you?" Erik asks, his anger and intensity radiating of him, projecting onto Charles.

"Well I'm you of course" the older man answers.

"Basically we're from the future, the professor wanted us to go back in time to change things, well Magneto here anyway, I'm just along for the ride to make sure he doesn't run off." The other man now speaks barley a hint of concern on his face as he takes the two young men in, confusion etching on both their faces.

Erik clicks first "You were the guy we approached in the bar, you told us to fuck off"

Wolverine now looks confused, whereas Magneto only smirks. "You knew you'd met me before" he aims at his travelling companion before addressing the younger Magneto and Professor. "I kinda lost my memory after I met you then, but anyway I'm an xman now."

"A what?" Charles questions.

"Wow really have gone far back, well I'm gonna head of to my room, hope no one's using it" and with that Wolverine walked out the study making his way to his bedroom.

Before Charles and Erik can continue with their other 'guest' Alex runs into the room "Who was that, and why'd he smirk at me when I told him my name?"

"Don't worry about it Alex" Charles starts, automatically changing into teacher mode "Just a guest is all, no harm, just go about your usual business and let the others know if you see them of our two new guests."

The young mutant nods and leaves.

"Who are you? And who was your friend?" Erik asks again.

"Hardly a friend rather my prison guard. His name is Wolverine; or rather his slave name is Logan."

"Slave name?" Charles asks, again trying to enter this intruder's mind only to fail again.

"Human name. Birth name" The elderly man explains.

"And yours?" Erik questions still.

"Magneto. I'm you from the future."

"How is that possible? Another mutant?" Charles asks, intrigued at the sudden thought of a mutant possessing that kind of power.

"Not this time round, rather a machine created by a man from my time called Tony Stark."

"As in relation to Howard Stark?" Charles asks. Magneto nods.

"Alright, say you are me from the future, prove it!"

With that Magneto pulls his left shirtsleeve up revealing the faded numbers tattooed into his skin. 214782.

Charles' eyes widen in shock at the familiar numbers on the man's arms. He can feel Erik's body next to him jerk backwards, feel the utter confusion and panic coming from the metal benders thoughts. Seeing that his friend was no longer capable of asking questions Charles took over "Why are you here?"

"Why don't you just read my mind Charles, and why you're at it project it also to my younger self there"

Charles is about to speak, but holds back "I couldn't -"

"Only because I was blocking you, seems my possessive use of my helmet over the years has given me a lasting effect you can say."

"Helmet?" the telepath asks.

"You're both see soon, now."

Charles looked at Erik who was staring straight at him. Charles was waiting for Erik's agreement to this, to be dragged into his future self's thoughts; Charles could barely imagine the consequences of seeing one's future.

Erik finally nodded and that was all it took for Charles to jump into Magneto's mind, bringing Erik along with him to stand on the side lines of nearly a life time of memories.

"We have it in ourselves to be the better men."

"We already are."

A beach riddled with debris, an aircraft and submarine. Erik is there floating in the air, he wears a metal helmet and in front of him he levitates a dead Shaw.

They're fighting on the ground, Charles is trying to remove Erik's helmet, to stop him from sending missiles back towards the humans.

"There are innocent men on those ships, they're just following orders."

"I've been at the mercy of men just following orders, never again."

BANG! Gunshots. Shock and worry as Charles falls to the sandy ground beneath him. Erik had deflected a bullet aimed at him by Moira. He shot Charles.

Erik is holding Charles.

"I want you by my side. We're brothers you and I. We want the same things."

"I'm sorry my friend, but we do not."

Erik leaves with Raven. The Brotherhood is created.

A wheelchair. Erik seeing Charles for the first time since Cuba, crippled because of him. A fight between the Brotherhood and Charles' team erupts.

Vast memories of growing old, of fighting and killing humans, fighting to be stopped by the Xmen.

Xmen. Charles' division of mutant heroes. Charles and Erik are enemies.

"Sneaking around here Charles. Whatever are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for hope."

"And I will bring you hope old friend."

"We are the future Charles Not them. They no longer matter."

A school, Charles a professor for mutants, a safe haven here at Westchester.

So many new students that fight Magneto and his brotherhood.

Magneto building a machine to transform humans into mutants. The kidnapping of a young girl whom he intends to sacrifice for his wishes to be fulfilled, to full of himself, to selfish to give his life to his cause.

A plastic prison, Charles is still visiting him.

"Why do you come here?"

"Why ask questions to which you already know the answer to."

"And I will always be there."

Magneto telling the enemy the whereabouts of Charles' school and the secrets of cerebro. Attacking an underground base with the Xmen, only to leave Charles to his doom, along with using Charles to kill all humans. The Xmen stop Magneto's plan.

Sitting in a living room, a mutant in front of the two enemies. Magneto thrown aside as the redheaded woman and Charles stare each other down, having some sort of telepathic battle. Charles loses. The Professor levitating in the air before disintegrating into nothing.

"Charles!"

"Charles Xavier did more for mutants then you'll ever know. My greatest regret is that he had to die for our cause to live."

"You just stood there and let him die."

A civil war. Brotherhood against Xmen. A cure. Magneto losing his powers. Of being human, alone in a world united.

Blackness engulfs them, as no memory presents itself now, but instead a voice, a woman speaking, as if Magneto knew what it would sound like, but wasn't present for. Charles' funeral. A eulogy.

"A world he tried to heal, a mission he never saw accomplished. It seems the destiny of great men to see their goals unfulfilled. Charles was more than a leader, more than a teacher, he was a friend. When we were afraid he gave us strength, and when we were alone he gave us a family. He may be gone, but his teachings live on through us, his students. Wherever we may go we must carry on his vision. And that's a vision of a world united."

And just like that Charles, along with Erik are thrust forcefully out of Magneto's mind.

While Charles tries to regain his balance and sift through the memories he just saw Erik just walks out, and with him his feelings of fear, anger, pain, grief, and the need to vomit follow him.

Charles looks back and forth between the same two men, separated only by time; unsure of whom he needs to talk to first. His mind can hardly comprehend what he just saw, yet being Erik and seeing that would have been much worse.

He follows his Erik.

Charles rushes after his friend, following the loud screams of anger emitting from the other mutant's mind only to be stopped by Raven.

"Hey, Charles, whose that guy?"

"What guy Raven?" Charles replied, torn between replying to her or simply ignoring her. His worry for Erik being too strong or the fact he just saw that one day soon she would betray him, leave him.

"That tall, dark, and sexy broody one. He said he'd just got here but wasn't staying for long."

"That's right only for a day or so, a mutant simply in need of a quick place to stay; now I need to go see Erik." Charles snapped.

"Ok, I was just asking." Raven responded, putting her hands up in a mocking defence before heading of down the other corridor.

When Charles arrived outside Erik's room it was silent, except for the telepath of course who could hear the numerous questions running throughout the metalbender's mind. Charles knocked.

"Erik?"

Silence.

"Erik please."

Silence.

"Fine" Charles opened the door to find the room in darkness, though he could make out the outline of his friend leaning against the windowsill.

"I want to be alone Charles."

"Come now my friend, there's no need to be like this" he walks closer to Erik "we don't even know if this man is really from the future let alone you."

"You saw the numbers. And his memories, new ones, but some are ours." Erik explained barley a hint of emotion in his voice which was so uncharacteristic of the mutant. "Anyway why are you here? Shouldn't you be seeing to the other me?"

"You needed me."

"I don't need anyone Charles."

"Very well, if and when you want to talk" he didn't finish his sentence, not knowing what to say he simply nodded then departed from the room, the thoughts of his friend slowly quieting as he made his way back to the study where he had left Magneto.