A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I'm going to apologize now for the lack of Erik in this chapter. I really want to show the relationship that the Xavier siblings have with Raven before diving into First Class.

I would also like to thank: Hwgenius, lovesalot123, Katniss, katniss12, and Draegan88 for reviewing!
Also, thank you to those who favorited/followed this story! It really meant a lot and gave me a lot more confidence!

Please continue to review! I would like to hear your thoughts on this and any other issues!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!


"What a long, boring day."

The tired blonde sighed and fell against her queen-sized bed, snuggling against the coolness of the pillows. It was the end of an eight-hour shift at the restaurant she worked at while Charles and Anna went to Oxford. Raven cringed at the thought of the unappreciative customers, the unfair managers, and the crude comments from the male customers. At that moment, nothing felt better than falling into a deep sleep. Her food stained t-shirt was the last thing on her mind as she continued to lie in bed. She cherished the silence; for once, she was glad that she was the only one in the apartment. Her blue-gray eyes drifted close and her body relaxed against the softness of the bed.

She was enjoying the comfortable moment until someone knocked on the apartment door. If Raven had even attempted to open her eyes, she would definitely be rolling them.

'Maybe they'll go away if they think no one is home,' she thought.

The knocking stopped after a moment and the silence returned. Raven angled her body to a more suitable position before she closed her eyes once more. Her semi-ached body was finally relaxing once more when the knocking continued. She huffed in annoyance before she threw herself off the bed and stalked to the door of the apartment.

Raven wasn't afraid of who—or what—could be on the other side of the door; she could easily shift her body into a menacing figure to scare the knocker away. Out of habit—from Charles' constant scolding—she peered into the door's eyehole and rolled her eyes at the figure she saw.

"Raven!" the voice slurred, "Please! I forgot my keys . . . again!"

The door swung open to reveal a rosy-cheeked woman. The current state of her shoulder-length blonde hair was drastically different from its usual immaculate state. Her red lipstick was faint on her full lips, and her previously ironed red dress was crinkled and off-centered on her body. Black heels in hand, she looked up at Raven with hazy blue eyes and a crooked smile.

"Hey, Raven!" Anna threw her arms around the taller woman and sloppily kissed her on the cheek.

Due to her drunkenness, she accidentally smacked Raven's head with her heels. Raven grimaced at the girl.

"C'mon, Anna. Let's get you to bed, okay? Where did you go tonight, anyway?"

"I-I went to see Matthew," Anna pouted, "Of course, he already moved onto another girl-"

"—Forget about him!" spat Raven, "He was a jerk to you, Anna. Why do you go out with awful guys? I mean, sure, he's attractive, but he couldn't even pass his basic math class!"

Anna giggled when Raven dropped her onto the bed. She watched as Raven shuffled through the dresser drawers, muttering under her breath. After a quiet moment, she sighed and averted her eyes to the white ceiling.

"I'm so glad we met you," she said quietly.

"Yeah? And why's that?" Raven replied, only half listening to the girl.

"W-when our father died, it really messed us up. When we met you a few years later, it was like—it was life changing! We thought that we were the only one like us!" she exclaimed, "Plus, you looked so cool."

"No I didn't," scoffed Raven.

She turned around and held back a flinch when she saw the changes to Anna's physical appearance. Unaware of her actions, Anna's fair skin became a tint of dark blue before returning to its original color. Her pupils shifted from blue to yellow, and then blue once more.

"Yes! Yes you did—you looked amazing. I don't know why—why would you want to look like you do now? I mean, I understand your opinions and reasons . . . but why would you want to look like mother and I? We're . . . we're nothing special."

A tense silence followed the end of her sentence. The shape shifter felt her heart stop; she wasn't aware that Anna knew the real reason why she had picked the physical qualities that she did. The blonde hair was something that Sharon and Anna shared, and eight-year-old Raven wanted to feel like she was a part of the Xavier family. Her choice of blue-gray eyes was her own way of reminding herself that she wasn't a Xavier. Blue eyes were something that the Xavier children had in common and thus, the gray was a distinguishing factor.

"How did you know that?"

"I'm sorry," Anna apologized, "Charles and I were practicing telepathy when we were younger and I read your mind. It was an accident, I swear! I meant to read Emily's mind, but I couldn't control it. I know Charles and I promised that we wouldn't read your mind, but that was the only time I did it."

Raven awkwardly nodded her head at Anna's confession. Varying emotions drifted in and out of her head.

"We love you, Raven. You know that, right?"

She propped herself up and stared at the younger girl with a fond smile. Despite the happiness she secretly felt, Raven rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah."

"No!" protested Anna, "I'm s-serious! You're like, the best sister a girl can ask for. I'm so glad you chose our house to steal food from. Y-you really helped us. In more ways than you can imagine. We truly and honestly love you."

Raven smiled appreciatively and ducked her head, "I love you guys too."

She left the room and closed the door behind her. Memories that she wanted to forget broke through the mental walls she built. Then suddenly, they were gone; happy memories of Charles and Anna replaced the horrible ones of her original family. Raven was beyond grateful for the Xavier children. They claimed that she helped them, but she always felt like they were doing the saving.


It was a typical Friday night; students were out celebrating the weekend. Anna pushed her way through the crowd, hastily crossed the street, and entered the busy pub. The pub was located near the university and was one of the more popular attractions for the students. Familiar faces greeted her when she entered; she, along with Charles and Raven, were regulars here. She was in her last year while Charles, now graduated, was in the process of writing a thesis on mutations.

Anna scanned the room and spotted Raven sitting alone with a dark expression on her face.

"Hey, sorry I'm late! Ran into Jason at the library and one thing led to another—what's with the face?"

Raven continued to glare at the scene in front of her with pursed lips. Her steady gaze fixated on Charles and a blonde woman at the bar. Anna immediately understood the situation at hand and looked away awkwardly. She removed her coat and draped it behind her chair.

"I'm not sure what I find more disgusting: watching my brother make a move on someone or seeing you jealous of that someone. Oh, I hope he's not using that mutation line again. He is so unoriginal. He made fun of me for using that line and now he won't stop using it!" Anna exclaimed and called over a waiter.

"I am not jealous!" spat Raven.

"Right, and I guess I'm not a mutant either," she rolled her eyes.

She ordered a pint of beer and laughed at Raven's expense when the waiter denied her request for one.

"Why can't you just tap into his brain? I could really use a drink right now."

"Because that would be illegal and morally wrong. Besides, Charles is here; he wouldn't let me hear the end of it."

The two continued to watch Charles and the woman interact. Due to their proximity to the bar, they were able to listen in on their conversation. Anna halfheartedly listened, but quickly tuned in when she heard Raven scoff.

" . . . It's a very groovy mutation. Mutation, right, took us from single-celled organisms to being the dominant form of reproductive life on this planet. Infinite forms of variation with each generation—all through mutation."

"So gross," Anna commented with a grimace, "Are we honestly watching this?"

"Then let's reclaim that word," the woman gave a charming smile to Charles.

Raven ignored the extra commentary from Anna—she preferred her own comments better—and rolled her eyes. She abruptly stood up from her seat and grabbed her bag from the back of her chair. Annoyance radiated from her body as she stalked to the bar with intent to interrupt the couple. Alone at the table, Anna could only watch the scene in front of her in amusement.

She watched as Charles' face changed into one of annoyance in a matter of seconds. He excused himself from the woman, paid for the bill, grabbed Raven, and gestured to Anna to follow.

"Put it on my tab, Johnny!" she called to the bartender and rushed out the door.

"Mutant and proud!" Raven mocked with a British accent, "Or is it only with pretty mutations—or invisible ones like yours and Anna's? Oh, but if you're a freak, you better hide!"

"Raven, you're being ridiculous."

"Am I, Charles? Am I really?"

"Just a tad," he cocked his head to the side, "Look, I don't mean to sound like an old fart—"

"—Which you are—" Anna interrupted from behind them.

"—Sometimes, thank you, Anna. We've talked about this. A small slip is one thing; a big one does not bear thinking about."

They watched as Charles continued his way to their apartment. Anna sighed as she scanned the taller blonde's dejected expression. She looped her arm around Raven's and tugged her toward the direction that Charles walked off to.

"That man can't remember if it's his wife's birthday or their anniversary," whispered Anna.

She pointed to a bald middle-aged man who walked to the right of them with a confused, thoughtful look on his face. Raven, still distraught, was confused.

"What?"

Anna pressed her pointer and middle fingers up to her left temple. She closed her eyes for a split second before opening them.

"That woman, over there? Found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her. Nice right hook, that one."

Raven smiled appreciatively at Anna; when they were younger, Anna would read stranger's minds to distract Raven from what she was thinking. Due to her mutant powers, Anna can mimic another's powers. Since she's very close to the two of them, and with a thorough explanation of how their powers work, Anna can easily use their powers as if they were her own.

"And that man . . ."


Rain fell from the dark, cloudy skies on the day of Charles' presentation. The three of them walked out of the presentation hall with high spirits.

"How does it feel to be a professor?" Raven grinned from under the umbrella she shared with Charles.

"Don't call me that."

"Yeah, Raven! He's jobless right now—geez, no need to rub it in!" Anna twirled around them, happily embracing the rainy weather. She jumped into a puddle and laughed when Charles yelped when water splashed his way.

"Oi, thanks for that!" he teasingly scowled at her.

"But professor suits you!" insisted Raven.

"Don't say that . . . Do say, 'Let's have a drink.'"

"Let's have a drink."

"Well? You heard the man!" cheered Anna, "Race ya here!"

She slugged Charles on the arm and took off toward the direction of the pub. The two of them watched in amusement and embarrassment as she stumbled, knocked over a group of students, and ran off.

"Wonderful. A real charmer that one," Charles mumbled, ignoring Raven's laughter.


Anna watched with an amused smile as Charles stood in the middle of the circle, drinking out of a long alcoholic cup. The circle of people that formed around him enthusiastically cheered him on. Once he was finished, Charles drunkenly stumbled off the chair and released a drunken yell. The girls laughed at him when he flashed them a smile.

"I'm so proud of you!" Raven cheered and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Thank you," he draped his arm over Raven's shoulders, "See, this is what I want, Anna. Someone who appreciates my accomplishments and—"

"—We need more drinks!" she interrupted.

"So?" Charles asked, "Why do I have to get it? Your legs look fine—"

"—Yeah, but you're the big brother!"

"You know, I'm starting to resent that title."

Despite his complaint, he turned and made his way to the bar. His lips curled up in a smirk when he noticed the girl from the other night leaning against the bar. He began to approach her when a woman walked up to him.

She had short, brunette hair and wore a black coat. Even in his drunken state, Charles immediately noticed the determined look she tried to hide. Her handshake was firm and she had an air of confidence about her. Although her smile was forced, it was friendly and approachable.

"Congratulations," she greeted.

He looked down at the long cup in his hand, "Thank you—It's much harder than it looks, actually."

The woman raised her brows and shook her head, "No, on your presentation. Very fascinating."

"You were at my presentation?" Charles smiled appreciatively, "How nice of you. Thank you very much . . ."

"Moira. Moira MacTaggert."

"Charles Xavier."

She scanned the pub before her brown eyes met his once more, "Do you have a minute?"

"Well, for a pretty little bean with a mutated MCR1 gene? I have five," He led her to an empty table, "I say 'MCR1,' you would say 'auburn hair'—It's a mutation. A very groovy mutation, I might add. You see, Mutation took us from single-celled organisms to the dominant form—"

Moira waved her hand and interrupted him, "—Look, I'm sure this routine may go over great with the co-eds, but I'm here on business."

"What?" He was utterly confused.

"I really need your help; the kind of mutations that you talked about in your thesis. I need to know if they may have already happened in people today."

Charles took note of her suddenly serious voice and was intrigued. He unconsciously pressed his pointer and middle fingers up against his temple. Unbeknownst to her, he was reading her mind. At his silence, Moira grew annoyed.

"Professor? Maybe we should talk when you're sober," she said, "Do you have any time tomorrow?"

"Something tells me that you already know the answer to that," he replied in a low voice.

Moira looked away uncomfortably at the fact that her cover was blown.

"This is very important to me and if I can help you, I will do my utmost."


"You left to get us drinks, but came back with what—a CIA job?! Are you . . . high? I mean, no judgment here—"

The three of them were back at the apartment after Charles ushered them to leave. He was quiet on the way back and ignored their pestering questions. Once inside, he told them everything. Anna and Raven sat on the couch, watching as Charles walked back and forth in front of them.

Charles stopped and scowled, "No!"

"So what now?" asked Raven, looking between the two siblings.

'Are we going to be away from each other?' She thought.

"The woman—Moira—gave me instructions to leave by tomorrow morning. We have to attend this meeting with the CIA."

"We?" asked Raven.

"What? Of course! Why wouldn't you two come along? Who knows what the two of you would do without me—probably burn down the place."


A/N: I understand that there was some confusion from the last chapter about Anna's powers. Basically, as of right now (since she hasn't had any training), she can mimic the powers of those around her. Although she has this ability, she has to be able to understand how their powers work. She can't just use someone's power just by being in the same room as them. Since she grew up with Charles and Raven, she can use their powers as if they were her own. But just like them, her skills improve with training.

I know that it might seem like she could be invincible, in a sense, but certain actions/events can cause her to lose the ability to control the powers. This will hopefully be seen toward the end of this story.

And one last thing, I'm not too sure what Anna's X-Men name would be. If anyone can come up with something, please let me know!