The next day arrived, and they made their way back to Virginia. It was cramped in the car, but thankfully it wasn't a long car ride to this facility they were being brought to. Once they arrived, Ruby stayed closed to Erik. Like many years ago, she held onto the sleeve of his jacket. Erik couldn't help but smile at this. She was still the same, and he was glad. Glad to know that she hasn't changed.
As they walked around the facility, Ruby wasn't paying any attention to what was being said. Well, the only thing she did hear was "C.I.A.'s Mutant Division," which she was on the fence about. She wasn't so sure about working for a government agency. She can give a list of reasons as to why not work for a government agency. But, if they were going against Shaw, might as well fight a common enemy together.
They soon reached one part of the facility, where they saw a model of a jet hanging. There, they were introduced to a Hank McCoy, a top researcher of the agency. Ruby had a look on her face when Charles said he was a mutant. It was then revealed that Hank kept it a secret. Ruby was surprised to hear this. A mutant already working in the C.I.A, and he was so young too. She briefly got a glimpse of what his other mutation was, and saw that he has hands for feet. He is super smart, and has hands for feet. That was something new.
Ruby took notice of how Raven was looking at Hank, and vice versa. A small smile crept onto her face as she watched the two. Erik noticed the smile, and gently nudged her.
"What are you smiling about?" he asked.
"Oh. Just took notice of how those two were looking at each other," she said, looking up at him. "Hope it works out for them."
Ruby turned her head, and watched how Raven and Hank interacted. Erik, though, kept his eyes on Ruby. He took notice of how much she has grown since he last saw her. Her personality may still be the same, but she was different on the outside. She was no longer the young girl he met back in Poland. She was older now, and more aware. But, his caring for her remained. That didn't change. He wanted to protect her. And to do that, he was going to find Shaw on his own. She was safe here at the facility, and away from that monster. Later at night, he would find Shaw's file, and go after him again. Ruby was safe, and he can finish his mission now.
Ruby felt his eyes on her, and looked up at Erik. She tilted her head a bit, and turned her body, completely facing him.
"You okay, Erik?" she asked.
"Of course. Just a bit surprised."
"Surprised at what?"
"That you kept this," he said, taking hold of the ring that hung around her neck. "Another that proved that it was really you on that boat."
"Of course I kept it," she said, holding his hand and the ring in hers. "It was a gift from you. I would never get rid of it. I would have gone mad if I lost it."
"You shouldn't fret over something like a toy ring," he said.
"Yeah, but it was from you. It has meaning to it, even if it is just a toy ring."
"Ruby. Erik."
Letting go of the ring, the two turned around, and Charles had approached them.
"We are about to be shown to our rooms," he said.
Neither of them said anything, and only just nodded. Charles smiled at them, and followed Moira. Erik and Ruby soon followed, keeping quiet. Ruby, like before, held onto the sleeve of his jacket. Again, he smiled at this. But, as they were standing face to face just a few moments ago, he felt something else. He wasn't sure what it was, but when she held his hand, chills went through his body. It was a weird feeling to get, especially from someone he knew. He brushed it off, thinking it as nothing, and just followed to where they were staying.
Once they were shown their rooms, Moira and the man left. Hank went to talk to Raven again, and Charles briefly stopped Erik and Ruby from entering the same room. But when he saw how Ruby held onto him, he stopped and entered his room. Ruby and Erik entered the room, with Ruby immediately plopping onto the bed. She relaxed, and let out a deep, heavy sigh. She was glad to be off her feet, and on a bed. Another good news: no more flying for a while.
"Not a fan of flying, are you?" Erik asked.
"Not when you do so much flying in less than twenty-four hours. A few days of no flying is fine by me."
Erik smiled, and placed his suitcase next to the night stand. He took a seat next to her, and looked at the wall in front of him.
"How have you been all these years, Ruby?" he asked. "You were well taken care of, right?"
Ruby looked at him, seeing the concern look on his face. He didn't look at her, but he could feel her eyes on him. She then sat up, and crossed her legs. She played with her hands as she spoke.
"Moira and her family took good care of me," she said. "They treated me like their own. They got me through school, fed me well, took care of me when I got sick...yeah. I was well taken care of until I got a place of my own. Then I took care of myself. Moira would drop by now and then to make sure I was taking care of myself. She's like a sister, always making sure I was eating, and taking proper care of myself."
"Have you taken up any hobbies?"
"Yeah. I like art. I've been drawing a lot since I started living with Moira," she said. "Would you like to see?"
"Of course," he said, softly smiling at her.
Ruby smiled back, and went to take out her sketchbook from her bag. She never left home without one. It was her escape, and a distraction from whatever was going on around her. She sat next to him, and handed Erik her book. He opened it, and started to flip through the pages.
"You're really good, Ruby," he said, his eyes scanning over the details of each sketch.
Erik soon started to slow down when he saw that the next few pages were sketches of him. They all had different expressions, and he remembered them well. They were shown during the days with Ruby, before they got separated. The last sketch of him was an expression he remembered all too well. He had that expression on the day when he and Ruby got separated. A small tear escaped, but he quickly wiped it away. He closed the book, and handed it back to her.
"They are all beautifully done," Erik said, not looking at her. "You captured the expressions perfectly."
"I remember them like it was yesterday," she said. "Not a day went by when you weren't on my mind. You were my first friend, Erik. I could never forget about you. Never."
Ruby put aside her sketchbook and hugged Erik from behind. She rested her head against his shoulder, and didn't move. Erik placed a hand on top of hers, and he didn't move either. She truly cared for him. Even after being taken in by a family, she thought about him. She thought about him every day. And so did Erik. He thought about her every day. He worried about her more than he did himself. They went through the same things during WWII, but he knew that she went through worse. He remembered her screams, and the nightmares that he woke to. Even though she didn't show it, he could tell that it was breaking her. He did what he could to help her.
"We're together again, Ruby," he said to her. "And I could never forget about you either. You helped keep my sanity. You helped me from breaking completely. You were my anchor to the world. And I promised I would protect you. My caring for you will always remain."
"And mine for you, Erik."
Erik gripped her hand tighter, and she hugged him tighter. Despite being separated for so many years, they were always on each other's mind. They were each other's first friends, and they helped each other through troubled times. Erik meant what he said. She was, and still is, his anchor to the world. He would always care for her, and protect her. And same with Ruby. He had last his mother the same way she lost her parents. They both went through hell, and Ruby did whatever she could to help him through the hardships. She would always care for him, and protect him as well.
As they stayed as they were, Erik felt something go through him again. He felt it earlier too when she hugged him from behind. It was a feeling he wasn't familiar with, and couldn't place what it was. He turned his head to look at her, and she looked at him, her chin resting on his shoulder. He was about to say something until they were interrupted by a knock at the door. They broke apart, and Ruby answered. It was Moira.
"Hey. Dinner is ready," she said.
"Time to eat," Ruby said, looking back at Erik.
He nodded, and followed Moira and Ruby to the dining area. They ate together with Charles and Moira, while Raven and Hank ate somewhere else. Ruby found them cute together. She hoped something would happen between them. It was an interesting dinner, with Charles going on and on about something that Ruby and Erik had no interest in. Oblivious to them though, Charles was observing the interaction between Ruby and Erik. He had been inside Erik's head, and knew that he and Ruby went through a lot of pain together, and knew each other years ago.
"Ruby. Mind telling me more about yourself?" Charles asked.
"Uh. Sure. What do you want to know?"
"Anything. What are your hobbies, are you studying anything, what do you want to do when you're grown up. Just things about you."
"Oh, okay. Well, I like going for walks. Nature walks mostly. They are more calming and relaxing than a city walk. I'm studying art. I never leave home without a sketch book. I draw where ever I go. Obviously, I want to be an artist. What type of artist though, I am still working on that.
"You should show him your sketches," said Moira. "She's really good. Her drawings are realistic. She can capture an expression perfectly."
"I'm decent at it. I still have a lot to learn about art."
"I would be delighted to see your drawings, Ruby," said Charles.
Ruby smiled, and nodded her head. The four of them continued eating, just talking about random things. Mainly Charles and Moira talked, while Erik and Ruby sat back and kept quiet. Erik kept looking over to Ruby, just watching her. He couldn't help but think about what had happened earlier before they were interrupted by Moira. It was just something had him thinking. It was still a feeling he wasn't familiar with. He smiled softly when Ruby turned her head and smiled at him. For now, he ignored whatever was going through him, and focused on what he needed to do next. He would wait for Ruby to fall asleep, find Shaw's file, and get out. He would hunt Shaw on his own, and keep Ruby safe. She was safe here, and he didn't want her to get by Shaw. Not again. Once he was done with Shaw, he will come back for Ruby, and leave together with her.
A/N: Yeah. Longer chapter with this one. I got a bit carried away. Sorry about that. But yeah. Trying to focus mainly on Erik and Ruby since...well, everyone already knows what goes on in the movie! No need to repeat all of it! Only some of it, or a little bit of it, or hardly at all! So yeah. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter.