Chapter Four
"Charles, do you have a private room where we can do the interview?"
Erik's words interrupted the introduction that was on the tip of Charles' tongue. At first the most inappropriate thoughts came to mind at Erik's request for privacy, but he quickly shook the feelings away. Smiling brightly at the tall man next to him he offered, "There is my private study."
Blue eyes glanced over to his colleague to see Moira shrug her shoulders. "I'll head to my office then, see how Sean is doing." She turned on her heel with the excuse and headed out of the kitchen towards the hallway where their personal offices were.
Moira moved easily past Raven who hadn't moved from her spot at the doorway, something Charles suddenly took notice of. She was staring at Erik, a little wide eyed and cautious, but Raven usually took a moment when meeting new people. New scents, a internal animal instinct that demanded her to figure out if a stranger was friend or foe. If Erik fell into the foe area Charles would have known by now.
He gave his sister a questioning look though that she just licked her lips to before leading Erik into the main foyer. It was a large room; it usually took time for new people to get use to it. A sparkling chandelier hung above them and an almost too grand stair case at the far end of the hall led to the second floor. To the left there were the new offices, recently put in, and to the right was where his mother's old parlor and father's study laid. He moved to the right.
His father's study had always been one of his favorite rooms. A place where he was once read to until he fell asleep on the plush couch, the smell of his father's cologne mixing with the mellow tone was one of Charles' only memories of Francis Xavier. He remembered curling up and reading on it when he was finally able to hold a book himself, and sitting at the large oak desk when he missed the past too much. It now served as his main hideaway. He should have been slightly embarrassed that the place was such a mess when he led Erik in; there were too many papers strewn about from where he was editing the night before, and the paperwork that needed looking over before the Mexican wolf arrived to his facility. The couch was free though and at a gesture Erik took his seat there.
"So Erik, what would you like to talk about?" Charles started, taking the empty armchair nearby and cupping his hands.
There was a smile on the other man's face that Charles hadn't seen yet. It was almost too wide and animalistic, it should be unnerving, but he couldn't help but find it oddly handsome. The journalist leaned forward, "I think I'd like to talk more about werewolves, Charles," he said and then his head jerked to the door, "Your sister will be here shortly."
"My sister?"
And just like that there was a soft click and the door was pushed open. Raven slinked into the study without any okay from Charles, something she never did, especially when she knew he was busy with someone. It was strange. Just like how Erik knew she was about to come into the room.
He couldn't help but give the man a impressed look, "How did you know…"
"Charles," Raven interrupted, closing the door quietly behind her. When he turned back to her he saw a bright excited smile on her face, "He's like me."
The words didn't make sense at first. He turned them over in his mind, brows scrunching the tiniest bit as he did so, and Raven crossed the room in four long strides, standing next to them while Erik took her in with raised eye brows. Her smile didn't break and then she did an excited jump and repeated, "He's like me!"
And suddenly everything clicked into place.
Raven threw herself at him, clutching his arm almost too tightly but Charles didn't feel it. He was too busy staring at Erik, and taking in the surprised look on the other man's face.
"Erik?" his voice came out a little breathless. He took a moment to clear it while Raven squeaked and squealed into his ear.
"Erik! Is that your name?" she extended a hand which Erik looked at as if he has never seen a handshake before. His mouth was opened in a confused "oh" that was almost cute as the blond werewolf prattled on. "I wanted to talk in the kitchen, you really took me by surprise. But Moira was there, and well… she doesn't know. So I came in as soon as you two were alone. I'm sorry if I'm talking fast I'm just so excited - I've never met another like me before."
Erik's mouth closed then opened a few time as his eyebrows narrowed, "You've never met one of us before?"
Raven shook her head, blond locks swaying from side to side. "Never. But I knew as soon as I saw you. You're that funny smell that was on Charles yesterday aren't you?" her body settled in place by Charles' side and she managed to tear her eyes away from the new fascination that was Erik Lehnsherr to give her brother a breathtaking smile. "This is because of your book isn't it? He came out because of your research?"
It was the happiest he had ever seen his sister and it warmed Charles' heart as he looked back at Erik and nodded. "Well Yes, Erik claims to be here because of an academic article, but it seems there is much more to him then meets the eye."
His own mouth felt stretched because he was smiling so much. The idea that Erik was the same as Raven, a werewolf, it was a surprising discovery, and one that made him take in the man in front of him with new interest. Erik though, hadn't really said much since Raven's sudden arrival. Where he had been sitting, smug and comfortable moments ago, he now seemed strangely at a loss for words. Surely he had known Raven was like him the same way she had picked him out.
"Erik," he prodded gently, "Is something wrong?"
The excitement in the room died down as Raven suddenly stopped talking. He could feel her own confusion slowly surface as Erik didn't make a move for the longest time. A small part of Charles told him this isn't a good sign but it wasn't until Erik said, "I'll say there's a problem," that he allowed himself to believe it.
XXX
This was bad.
It took a moment for him to figure out the best way to approach the sudden wrench in his plans. The bright pair of eyes looking at him just an arms length away didn't help. Raven's lips were pursed in unsureness and Charles couldn't seem to stop licking his own nervously. Causing a bit of a distraction.
Pinching the bridge of his nose he forced himself to take a deep breath. "A couple problems if I may be so bold. First, Ms. Raven-"
"Just Raven," the girl butted in quickly to correct him.
"Raven," he said slowly, "You have revealed yourself to Professor Xavier here."
He noticed Charles square his shoulders stiffly at being referred to as 'Professor',his blue eyes glancing down for the briefest of moments while Raven blinked. "Well yeah," she said without the slightest hint of remorse, "He's my brother."
Erik blinked, "Your brother?" His records didn't inform him that Charles Xavier had a sister. A were sister none the less. Xavier didn't have were blood, that was for sure, and even if Raven was his sister her wolf parent should have taught her how to keep the secret even from her human family members. There was a careful balance held in the were community. Which was exactly why they usually didn't marry outside the "family." Too many complications. Sometimes it happened though, and if that was the case it was of utmost importance that the secret be kept. Lest something like the current situation arise.
In front of him Raven let out a slight laugh. "Foster brother - sorry," she amended quickly with a sheepish smile. Her hand on Charles' arm gave a affectionate squeeze while her eyes remained locked on Erik. "He took me in when I had no where else to go. Charles has known my entire life."
The story sunk in slowly, like molasses, and he had to ask, "You're abandoned?"
"Yes." Her chin came up as she said the word without shame.
The situation began to build itself before Erik. Unfortunately it wasn't becoming better, just more complicated.
"He won't tell." Raven said suddenly and with such conviction it caught Erik slightly off guard.
Charles turned his head towards her and hushed, "Raven - "
"What? You won't." Her attention snapped back to Erik, her mouth a firm line set in determination. "He's kept my secret all these years. You don't have to worry."
Erik gathered his words; he needed to think about the next thing to say - mold how to say it. "It's not that your brother won't tell, Raven, the problem is that he already knows." He glanced at Charles and noticed the young man was still holding his gaze. Expression schooled and unreadable. "Charles knows a secret that no other human has ever fully comprehended in almost two hundred years. There are rules and regulations where this type of thing is concerned."
He left out the fact that Charles should be dead according to all pack laws, that he was sent there to do the deed. But the two sitting in front of him were a loophole in a system. Raven had been ignorant to any knowledge of were society and its rules and Charles had done her a kindness taking her in.
Reporting the situation to the pack master wouldn't guarantee anything, but it gave them time. One thing was for certain though…
"Charles, if you publish this book you will die," he stated sternly. "All your information - its too close, we can't allow it to go public."
To his surprise the blue eyed man nodded. "Of course. I will cancel the book publishing as soon as possible."
"Charles - " Raven said by his side; she looked confused but her voice trailed off. It was clear she didn't quite know what to say, but Charles smiled at her fondly and placed a comforting hand over her own.
"Its fine, Raven, the book's publication is really nothing if it means violating the privacy of others."
The fact that Charles came to the decision so easily threw Eric off. He assumed a scientist like Charles would at least protest the sudden discarding of his book, of his research that he had been working at for years.
Charles gave him a remorseful look. "My thesis though has already hit the publications and there is nothing I can do about that," he explained.
All Erik could do was nod, "Then there is nothing that can be done. I will get in contact with my elders and discuss the next plan of action."
"And until then, Erik?" Charles tilted his head at the question.
Erik worked his jaw, grinding his teeth. He almost hated the way Charles seemed so calm about the situation, so unremorseful that he was the black splotch on Erik's perfect plans. He tried to keep all of those feelings out of his voice as he said, "Go about your lives. I'll come back when I have news."
"Go about our lives?" Raven gawked, her mouth open in a surprised smile as she looked from Charles to Erik then to the bookshelves that lined the walls before back to Erik. "How can we do that? After what you told us? I'm not aloneany more," she added the last part as if to emphasize something and gave Erik a pointed look, "and you're just going to leave?"
The words were accusing and made Erik sit up a little straighter in his chair. "Oh don't worry, I won't be far," he gave a look of his own to Charles and Raven – making the point that they were under his careful gaze. "This situation is far from over."
The siblings turned to each other, completely unfazed by the threat that laced his words, and more concerned with their own silent conversation. When they turned back to Erik Raven was wearing a small sly smile that Erik vaguely remembered seeing on Charles' face the other day. "Then why don't you stay with us?"
Erik felt his face fall. Felt the muscles give into shock and tighten then release so suddenly that his jaw goes slack and the skin around his eyes sink low. His first thought was that it must be a trap - they want him there so he can't report back, to shut him up - but then he reminded himself that Charles probably winced every time he drew blood from animals and Raven probably couldn't catch a barn mouse if she wanted to. Then he wondered if this was a joke.
"Please," Raven pulled away from her spot beside Charles for the first time and put her hands together in a gesture as if she was praying to a god. "Hear me out, I've never met someone like me before. I would really like… to hear about your life. About werewolves in general. And what can it hurt? You won't be doing anything where ever it is you're going - right? You can be… like my mentor."
"Mentor?" Erik's lips drew up in a terrifying smile. The word was almost laughable, but he couldn't overlook the subtle desperation in Raven's voice. Her loneliness. He couldn't imagine a life without his pack; even though Erik was very much the black sheep of the Hellfire pack it was something he had always had. A home territory, surrounded by people just like him. Raised by a mother and father who taught him to shift, and following an alpha who taught him to fight.
Raven never had that. She had a human brother who couldn't and would never be able to connect with her the way Erik can. He almost felt bad for Charles, but Raven was right. It wouldn't hurt his mission, just make it easier when word came back. He could keep a closer eye on the two, know their mannerisms. Make sure Charles followed through on canceling the publication, make sure Raven didn't do anything more stupid that could put them in jeopardy, make sure the two were safe from any other weres that didn't know what Erik knew.
He shook his head, clearing it of the muddled thoughts. "As long as Charles doesn't have a problem with it, I suppose," Erik agreed.
Charles rubbed at the skin under his jaw as he said, "Of course it is no problem. We have more then enough room if you haven't noticed." He gave Erik a careful smile, as if his mind were still trying to catch up to the conversation, and Erik couldn't help but smile back, because the feeling was mutual.
