A/N: GRRRR! So sorry! I know it's been months since my last update. I ran into writer's block and I can't seem to keep a beta as they keep disappearing on me. Anyway, I tried to expand on this chapter further but I think I left it at a good spot. I really want to complete this story, and I know where I'm going with it. The 'getting there' part is the hardest. Please bear with me and thank you for your patience and reviews :)

Chapter 7:

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

Charles visibly jumped slightly at the first arrival to the large kitchen. He looked up from his notebook where he had been writing on. Erik was surveying the buffet of continental breakfast items scattered along the island at the center of the kitchen that Charles had obviously set up himself.

Then Erik turned his eyes back to Charles who was still dressed in last night's clothes, dark circles under his eyes, blue eyes clouded with exhaustion. It was almost eight in the morning and Erik had slept later than planned, but thankfully he was able to catch Charles alone. Charles stretched out his arms slightly the corners of his mouth curving slightly upwards, but not fully forming into a smile.

"I couldn't," he admitted in a stronger voice that differed from his appearance. "There's too much to do and I want to be available for everyone today."

"You're no good to anyone without any rest Charles." said Erik. He wanted to reference Charles' incident in the library the previous night, but didn't want to make the other mutant uncomfortable. Obviously Charles wasn't privy to showing weakness and was probably embarrassed so for now Erik would let him bring it up if he wanted to. Charles didn't say anything and Erik stared back in annoyance. "Can we take a walk?"

XxX

The grounds of Charles' Westchester Estate mostly consisted of open fields with a wooded area off to the side. The morning air was chilly and quiet with the only sound coming from their footsteps hitting the gravel. Erik couldn't shake off the nervousness that was growing inside him with each passing moment of silence. It was as if there was an unfamiliar presence around them, but it was more likely the tension of yesterday had put a dent in the bond they had forged for the past couple weeks. From his peripheral vision he could see that Charles was staring straight ahead seemingly into nothing, hands in his pockets. They continued to walk the trail yards away from the residence which Erik was grateful for because that meant no one could easily find and disturb them.

Charles finally stopped and Erik followed suit letting out a small sigh if only to break the thick silence between them.

"So Erik here we are," spoke the telepath leaning against a large oak tree putting a good ten feet of distance from Erik. "I know something is bothering you."

Erik crossed his arms. "I want you to show some kind of emotion instead of this passive aggressiveness. Are you ok?"

"Of course Erik why wouldn't I be?" questioned Charles emotionlessly as he stared at Erik wearily.

"Verdammt Charles" he cursed taking two steps towards Charles and no, his equal did not just flinch at that. "How about the fact that I wanted to kill every single human on those ships yesterday? How about the fact that I fought you? How about the fact that I disappointed you in every fucking way by taking my revenge? How about the fact that I don't regret any of it? Perhaps, just perhaps you're not ok with any of that."

"I think those questions should be directed towards yourself Erik" the telepath told him matter of factly. "I told you that killing Shaw would not bring you peace and look at you now almost worse off than before"

"Charles do not turn this around on me," demanded the metal manipulator. "You're avoiding having to tell me how you really feel in all this. You can't just go from averting a Nuclear War, to wiping the minds of I don't know how many people, to making tea and coffee and resuming your game of house."

"I'm hardly doing any such thing," Charles shook his head. "If you're mad at me because of the kiss I had with Moira…"

"I couldn't have any care in the world what you had with her" Erik interrupted once again feeling-was it jealousy? "You've made it quite clear how fond you are of people who can be a threat to us."

"Oh Erik not this again." Charles sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair he turned to leave only to have Erik grab his arm and spin him back around.

"Stop walking away from me." Erik ordered his gaze boring into Charles' eyes.

"Erik I am not doing this with you," Charles said shrugging off Erik's grip. "What's done is done and perhaps I cannot change you or your beliefs, but I accept you. For now we agree to disagree on certain matters but one thing is clear and that is we must bring everyone together and plot out our next course of action. Yes?"

Charles' fingertips twitched nervously as he fought the urge to bring them to his temples. How easy would it be to inflict the same pain that he had felt during Shaw's death? To make Erik experience the depth of his telepathy, but that would only strain their situation further. No, no matter how hard Erik pushed for some kind of reaction Charles wouldn't push back. So he took a deep breath and looked Erik straight in the eye.

Erik matched Charles gaze and couldn't help but notice some kind of change within the man. There was no mirth in those deep blue eyes. Charles was almost giving him a pleading look and although he meant what he said only moments before he didn't exactly voice everything he wanted to say. That he would never hurt Charles if he could help it. That deep inside he couldn't help but feel that he should be worried about the telepath's state of mind. This was only because Charles was quite possibly his only friend (if that wasn't completely ruined), and not because he felt his heart skip a few beats when they were in close proximity, or that his palms began to sweat when they made eye contact; no, not because of those things at all.

"Are you contemplating leaving?"

Erik realized he didn't give Charles a reply to what seemed to be an olive branch, but that didn't stop him from uttering three words that brought more truth than he was willing to convey. "I don't know."

Charles scoffed and shook his head before he began to walk back towards the house then suddenly he stopped and peeked over his shoulder. "Like I said I accept you Erik, but this is no place for Magneto. I suggest you make a decision and make it soon before any further attachments are made."

Had Charles stayed behind; had he looked Erik in the face then he would have seen the other man blanch at his words. He would have seen Erik shaken to his core, but as he walked back towards the mansion it wasn't Erik that he could see or feel. It was an image of Sebastian Shaw standing 10 feet in front of him, clapping slowly and nodding his head in approval to Charles' words.

XxX

"Sonic hearing would come really handy at this point." muttered Sean as he strained to get closer to the window as if that would suddenly grant him the ability to hear Charles and Erik's conversation from across the grounds.

"Ow Sean that's my head you elbowed!" growled Raven as her yellow tinted eyes shot up from her crouched position on the floor. The ginger muttered an apology and looked to each of the inhabitants squeezed into what Raven told them was the-present wrapping room-which was devoid of anything attributing to use. The said room only had one window off to the far end of the room to which Alex, and Angel stood at either end of it, with Raven and Sean crouched on the ground and Hank standing behind the group as he was certainly the tallest of the bunch. It was comical and reminiscent to their time in Virginia when Alex warned them to stay back before displaying his plasma blasts. The tension between Charles and Erik was not unnoticed by the younger mutants and now they watched as Charles stalked past Erik, stopped, said something to the metal bender and continued to walk.

"Maybe we shouldn't be watching this?" Hank grunted from behind noticing that his words were going unnoticed. He only rolled his eyes and left the others to their spying. Sure they heard Hank and his heavy footsteps leaving the room, but what grabbed everyone's attention but Raven was the way Erik punched the trunk of the tree then he turned around and leaned his outstretched arms against it. Raven however was carefully watching Charles, his face void of emotion, and just before he walked out of their view she saw him seemingly focused at the empty space on his right. She swallowed and sat back on her heels-I feel nothing-those words, his words bounced around in her head for the third time that morning.

Children, I'm sure you can see that the show is over now will you please join me in the kitchen for breakfast we have things to discuss

Raven was used to her brother's voice in her head, however that feeling was still foreign to the others so they visibly jumped. Angel almost made a beeline to the exit as if Charles himself were standing there in the room having caught them.

"Shit, that is always going to creep me out." Angel muttered at the doorway before she walked out. Raven scowled wondering if it was because she didn't want a stranger referring to Charles' telepathy as creepy (but if she were to be honest with herself…), or the fact that she kept catching the boys glancing at Angel clad in a short silk slip that barely left anything to the imagination.

"Keep it in the strip club lady", she wanted to say, but then remembered that she's the one that kept Angel here and she shouldn't be jealous that she thought, no knew, that no one would ever look at her like that in her natural appearance. Not even Erik. There was an appreciation for her mutation, but no desire, no longing looks.

There was a playful bump to her shoulder and she turned to see Alex smirking at her. "Stop daydreaming and let's go."

Raven returned the smirk and looked back outside of the window to see that Erik was now stalking back towards the house himself. She was relieved to see that he wasn't making his way towards the exit of the grounds. She didn't want Erik to leave.

Because she wasn't sure she wouldn't be able to keep herself from going with him.

XxX