AN: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS EXCEPT MY OC'S Maria AND Etta. THEY BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS

AN2: I went to see APOCALYPSE again yesterday, and this is reason I'm so late at posting – I decided to wait till I'd seen the film again. I realised that I had gotten Erik's daughters name wrong. It is actually Nina and hopefully I've gone back and changed all of the mistakes. If you find a "Mina" in the text, let me know. Also as far as I can tell they haven't given Erik's wife a name so I'm going to keep it as Irena

AN3: There will be APOCALYPSE SPOILERS in this story

'Italics' - communication within the mind

Chapter 2

Etta relaxed back on Charles' bed, already dressed in her pyjamas as per usual. Charles hadn't returned to his room yet so she was waiting on him. She was staring up at the ceiling of Charles' immaculate looking room. She was starting to get tired. Her eyes were beginning to close. She supposed even if Charles turned up now she'd fall asleep without really talking to him. She sighed slightly before standing up. She opened one of the drawers to pull out his pad of paper. She pulled it out but spotted something underneath. It was two photographs. One was of Charles and a woman, whose eyes looked remarkably familiar. The other was of Charles and a baby. The baby was her, she knew that. She'd seen this photo before but the first one was a mystery. Who was that woman? She flipped it around to see the back of it.

'Maria and I – PHD Graduation 1962' was written in Charles handwriting.

Maria? Etta looked at the woman's eyes again. They were her eyes. They were the same eyes that Etta herself has. Her mother's name was Maria. Was this her mother? She'd never seen her mother's face before. Her Dad had no remaining photographs and Etta had promised to never look inside his head, even to learn about her mother.

She grabbed the first photo and placed it in her dressing robe pocket before writing him a little note telling Charles that she'd been to visit but had now gone to bed.

She then headed back to her own room. As she walked in she noticed that Jean was still awake, sat up, reading a book. Etta took off her robe and placed it on a hook to the left of her bed before walking to her own bed, flopping down onto it.

"What wrong?" Jean asked, not even looking up from her book.

"Charles didn't turn up." Etta replied, sitting up.

Jean nodded. "He must be busy. He and Dr McCoy are probably making something for the new boy."

"I suppose so. I suppose they want something done quickly so he doesn't have to walk around with that silly bandage around his face." Etta agreed. "It would have been nice for him to tell me though."

Jean glanced from over her book. "Something else is bothering you"

Etta glanced nervously to the side before looking forward. "I think Charles knew my mother."

"Surely he would have told you if he did" Jean replied, shaking her head.

Etta leant her head back against the wall, looking up. "I thought so to but he has a photo of who I think is her, of them together. Why would he have a photo of them if he didn't know her"

Jean placed her book down and stood. She came over and sat beside Etta. "I think maybe you and the Professor should talk about it. But I wouldn't worry about it right now. I'd imagine if the Professor is keeping it from you he's got a good reason for it. And perhaps the women isn't who you think it is"

Etta nodded. "You're right. We should get some sleep."

Jean nodded before walking to her bed. "Goodnight Etta."

"'night Jean" Etta replied, lying down on her bed.

As they both settled Etta tapped into Jean's power and used her telekinesis to flip the switch to turn the light out. Etta lay awake for quite a while. She had felt tired when she'd been in Charles' room but now she couldn't help but feel awake. She stood slightly and grabbed her robe. She left the room quietly, wondering down the halls, down to the common room.

She turned on one of the lamps and took a seat next to it. She pulled out the photo and glanced at it, at the woman. She was sure it was her. They had the same eyes. Why would Charles keep something like this from her? He knew how much she wished dearly for someone that could tell her about her mother. Her Dad always said it was painful to remember so she couldn't speak to him and so she always thought there was nobody. She turned the photo over to look at the back of the photo again. 1962. The significance of the year suddenly hit her. It was the year her Dad and Charles met. It was the year that Charles lost both Raven, another person she wished to meet or learn about, and her Dad. Did he loose her mother in a similar way? He never spoke about Raven or her Dad for the same reason her Dad wouldn't talk about her mother. Was that why he never mentioned her?

She'd only been sat for a few minutes before a tremor ran through the house. She glanced around as the chandelier above her, the lamps and other items in the room stilled themselves. What was that? She wondered. Was it an earthquake? She tapped into Charles' ability and searched through the minds of the house, to see if anyone had an answer. But all she saw was people coming out of their rooms in confusion, except for one person. Jean. She tapped into Jeans head and regretted it immediately when a flash of pain and the colour red ran through her head. A horrible image of a city being wiped away like sand being blown from a sandbank rushed through her head as a cry escaped from her lips. Another image of fire and destruction passed as she finally backed out of Jean's head, jumping up to stand. She rushed out of the room, the picture still in her robe pocket. As she passed bedrooms, she saw the kids were stood by the doors, including Scott Summers.

"Back to bed, everyone." She called out to them. Most went in, except from the few.

"What was that?" Scott asked from his door, in her general direction.

"I'm not sure but it's nothing to worry about. Go back to bed. Hank will probably have something for you tomorrow to try out. You won't want to be tired when you do." Etta replied, ushering back into his room. "Do you need help finding the bed?"

"Um… I'll be fine" He went to walk back in, only to bump his shoulder against the wall.

Etta smiled a little before putting a hand on his upper back and directed him back to the bed.

"Thank you" Scott replied quietly.

Etta smiled to herself gently. She realised it must be horrible to be afraid to open your eyes and to go from being able to see one minute to not in another. "Good night Scott."

Etta disappeared out and shut the door before Scott could say good night back to her. Etta continued down the corridor, ushering people back into their rooms as she went.

"Etta" Charles' voice ran out.

Etta turned to see him coming up behind her from the direction of his bedroom. He rolled his wheelchair up to her.

"Is it Jean?" Charles asked.

Etta nodded, rubbing her head at the reminder of what happened when she looked. "I think so. I dipped into her head briefly. It was pure hurt and destruction and it physically hurt. I was just on my way there now to try and wake her up."

Charles nodded and they began to walk together towards Etta and Charles' room. As they went they both ushered people back into their rooms. Hank was waiting outside of Jean and Etta's room, a worried look plastered on his face.

"I've never seen it like this before" Hank warned as he slowly opened the door and both Charles and Etta entered.

Both were stunned. Jean was lying in her bed, stuck in what seemed to be a nightmare but what stunned them was the wall. The wallpaper and posters seemed to me be melting in stripped as Jean tossed and turned. Charles approached Jean first, going to the side closest to the window. Etta followed behind, stopping on the side closest to the door.

"Let me try first Etta." Charles instructed.

Etta only nodded and remained standing as Charles connected his mind with hers. Charles instantly winced, pain hammering into his head. Etta watched as Charles seemed to struggle through the nightmare that Jean was stuck in. He began calling to her and she wondered whether it was meant to be out loud or just in her head. It wasn't working and Charles was beginning to falter to the pain.

Etta tapped into the one power that she had taken from her mother before she was even born and charged up her hand with energy. She quickly tapped it against Jean's forehead and the reaction was instant. Jean's eye shot open. Both Jean and Charles began to steady their breathing.

"Etta" Charles commented, almost in a chastise tone.

"Your way wasn't working." Etta replied, sitting down beside Jean, facing her. She took Jean's hand. "Are you okay Jean?"

"I… I saw the end of the world." Jean replied, her voice wobbly from nerves and fear.

"Jean…" Charles began gently, "It was just a nightmare."

"No. No. It wasn't. It felt… real." Jean argued, a frown on her face as she remembered the worst bits.

"You have a strong mind Jean. Sometime a strong mind can convince itself –" Charles began before Jean cut him off.

"No. It's not just the telepathic or telekinesis. It's something else and its getting stronger. I thought I was getting better. I'm… I'm afraid I'll hurt somebody." Jean said, her eyes glancing down.

Etta glanced over to Charles, asking silently what to do. Charles met her eyes and gave her a small smile before instructing Jean, "Sit up."

Jean did so, sitting herself up, as Charles lifted himself up and out of the chair before placing himself on her bed. He leaned forward so he could speak with her more personally.

"Jean. You have the strongest mind I have ever seen. One day you will be able to control it and then you won't have to worry. We will teach you to control it." Charles told her.

Etta nodded. "We'll all help you control it Jean, and I have faith that you will."

Jean shook her head. "You don't know it's like to be afraid to close your eyes. To know everybody's pain, fear, suffering."

Charles smiled. "Oh, I think I do. It wasn't long ago that I was privy to their pain and fear, to hear those voices"

Etta glanced across to Charles' knowing exactly what point he was saying. She could remember him at lowest point, when he went from injection to injection of serum to avoid the voices. She could remember her struggle when she was young and couldn't control his gift like she should have been able to considering that her mutation means that the control over each mimicked gift was dependant on the control the person had on the gift themselves. For example, Alex Summers has control of his gift now so if she used it she would also have complete control, however if she was to mimic Scott Summers gift, who doesn't have control over his gift than neither would she.

At that point Charles leant forward, placing a hand of Jean's forehead. "You will learn to control your powers Jean."

Jean nodded and sighed.

Charles leaned back and pulled himself back onto his wheelchair. "Do you think you'll be able to get back to sleep?"

Jean took a few breathes and nodded. She slipped her way back down the bed, so her head was resting on her pillow.

Charles then turned to Etta, "You too. I don't know why you were up but perhaps its best to get back to sleep."

Etta nodded. She squeezed Jean's hand before standing and making her way to her own bed. Charles wheeled himself over to her bed, but this time of the same side of the door. They both noticed that Hank had moved from the doorway at some point while they had been talking to Jean. Etta took off her robe and hung it up, making sure that the photo was hidden in the pocket. She climbed into her bed and tucked herself in, her head resting on her pillow. Charles moved so he was as close as he could be in a wheelchair to where her head lay.

"I'm sorry I missed you earlier. One of the other students was having a slight problem." Charles said.

Etta nodded understandingly. "I guessed there was a reason."

"I hope it wasn't that that kept you up" Charles commented lightly.

Etta shook her head. "No. I just couldn't sleep. I didn't really feel tired and I still don't."

Charles smiled lightly. "Try calming your mind. I don't have to be looking in to see that it's up in arms."

Etta sighed. "That's easier said than done."

Charles took her hand, "What's troubling you?"

Etta looked to him and then to Jean who was watching her from where she lay. Jean knew what was troubling her and smiled comfortingly. Etta looked back to Charles.

"I… I was in your room earlier and I fo – um… I…" Etta stumbled her eyes on her hand. She glanced again at Charles before saying. "I was thinking about Dad and Nina."

Charles comforting smile dropped slightly before coming back. "What about them?"

Etta shrugged her shoulders. "I worry about them. I don't know why. I have the feeling something bad is going to happen and they are part of it."

It wasn't a complete lie. She did feel that it just wasn't strong enough of a feeling to keep her awake, however the mother issue was. She'd always wondered about her mother. She'd always wished that she had lived so then she could have known her, but of course not at the expense of never meeting Charles and not having Charles in her life.

"Maybe you should visit again before you start teaching. It might make you feel slightly more relaxed so you can sleep better." Charles commented.

Etta glanced away and nodded slightly. She had not long gotten back from visiting Dad, Irena and Nina. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

Charles smiled before raising a minute. "Wait, we're meant to be calming your mind not adding to the list of things to think about."

Etta smiled and chuckled a little. "You're right. I'll try and stop thinking about it for now."

Charles nodded and turned so he could speak to them both. "Good. I'll leave the both of you to sleep, and should either of you need me, you need only call."

He glanced to Etta and sent to her another message, 'Calm your mind Etta. Everything will be alright.'

Etta smiled and nodded.

Charles wheeled himself out and shut the door. Both girls waited a few minutes before sitting up in their bed. Etta used Jean's gift to flip the light switch and turned the light on. Etta watched and Jean took notice of the damage she'd done to the room.

"Don't worry about that. It's easily fixable." Etta said with a smiled. "Besides I've done worse. I'm sure Charles hated me during my younger years. I was getting into trouble left, right and centre. The problem of being raised around Sean Cassidy and Alex Summers I suppose."

Jean laughed slightly before sobering. "You didn't tell him."

Etta sighed and glanced down. "No. I guess I don't want to hurt him. I know he went through a bad time in that year and after thinking about it I can only imagine that whatever happened between Charles and my mother, if they did know each other, probably wasn't pretty and possibly painful to remember so I decided not to say anything."

Jean nodded understandingly. "But you still wish to know"

Etta nodded. "Yes, but I can't bring it up with Dad and I don't want to bring it up with Charles. Maybe one day I'll meet the mysterious Raven and I'll be able to ask her. You never know she may turn up at some point."

Jean thought carefully. "Have you ever thought about asking Dr McCoy?"

Etta glanced at Jean. "No. He has been with Charles ever since he had met Dad so if mother was there then Hank would know her too. Maybe I'll ask him. I have a lab session with him the day after tomorrow, I'll talk to him then."

Jean smiled with a teasing glint in her eye. "You should." She grinned and said with a British accent "Then maybe you'll be able to sleep."

Etta laughed at the terrible attempt at mimicking Charles' voice from Jean. "Oh, gosh. That was terrible Jean."

Jean laughed as well. "Yes but it made you laugh."

"And calmed my mind" Etta replied in her own attempt at a British accent.

All she managed to achieve was make them both laugh at another failed attempt at the stereotypical British accent. "We're both terrible."

They continued to laugh together, before slowly relaxing. They both seemed to sigh at the same time which almost made them laugh again.

"We should go to sleep." Etta commented.

"Yeah" Jean replied rather reluctantly.

Etta looked at her sympathetically.

"Can you remember when I first came here? My first night? I was scared to sleep alone so you offered to let me to stay in here with you rather than having my own room. We put the bed in here but I still struggled to sleep. So you put me to sleep. I slept dreamlessly that night. Would you do it again?" Jean asked, her eyes shifted from her hands to Etta.

Etta smiled and nodded, standing up and moving to sit back on the side of Jean's bed.

"Lie down. I won't catch you if you topple forward." Etta joked with a laugh.

Jean smiled and shuffled down her bed so she was lying down. Etta placed her hands on Jean's forward before closing her eyes. If it had been anybody else Etta wouldn't need to focus so much or use physical contact but like Charles had said, Jean's mind was powerful.

"Sleep" Etta whispered as she used both Charles' and Jean's gift to lull her mind into sleep. She watched to ensure it had worked. Jean fell to sleep.

Etta smiled before moving back to her own bed. Etta lay back on her bed. The light off. She could hear the even breathing from Jean. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind just as Charles had said but she found it hard to get that picture from her head.

'I thought you were going to sleep. I can feel your mind working from here' Etta heard Charles' voice in her head.

'I'm trying' Etta replied.

'Lie back and close your eyes' Charles told her.

She moved her head to get comfy on the pillow and then closed her eyes.

'Now sleep' Charles was using the same trick on her that she had on Jean. She didn't even feel herself falling asleep. She just went straight to sleep, her mind calming and her troubles seemingly vanishing.

AN4: COMPLETED 28/05/2016. REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK

AN5: I know at some point this may get a bit confusing in this chapter from the prologue but it will be explained during a later chapter. I'm attempting to set up a prequel story about Etta's mother during 1st class. Let me know if you are interested in reading the prequel.