Chapter 7. Memories (Charles)

When I have Azazel deliver the Thanksgiving invitation to Moira's home in Philadelphia I'm not actually sure what I'm expecting. On one side I keep hope that she might have been pretending when she claimed to have forgotten everything, the day she resigned as a CIA Agent; I also hope that if she truly has truly lost her memories I might be able to help her. And yet, at the same time, I cannot keep away the fear that those memories might truly be gone, and that even with all my power I might not be able to get them back… What happens then? Should I try to befriend Moira all over again? Should I just let her go on with her life like we never met? Which one is fairer to her? And what about her friendship with Raven? My sister is devastated at losing her first friend since me… Moira told me I blocked her memories in the other timeline, did she now forget because that's how things were supposed to be? Does that mean that I will still end in that wheelchair and Erik will leave me? The mere contemplation of such a thing causes such pain deep inside I cannot help but gasp.

*Charles…* His mutter is more feeling than actual words but I can still feel him.

I respond automatically in a similar manner, mentally whispering his name, something I accompany with a mental caress… he's actually beginning to grow used to those. Not only they're awesome foreplay (Erik smirks), but they are part of us, of our bond, a way to be with each other even when we cannot physically touch…

In that moment I realize that it doesn't matter what may have happened in another timeline, only what happens in this one; the life we're living right now is the only one that counts. It's the very reason why Moira didn't want to tell us more than absolutely necessary. Maybe she was right… most likely… I truly hope she's alright. With memories or without them, she's done so much for us, for me… I may just have a very vague idea of where I would be if she hadn't intervened, hadn't tried so hard to change things, to make them better; and that's enough to feel absolutely thankful to her for the rest of my life… I just hope I'll get to tell her that.

We're standing just outside the main doors of the manor when Moira arrives in her car. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding; while there's still the awful possibility of her not having her memories; it's less likely than before, as I cannot imagine anyone would choose to attend a Thanksgiving dinner with people they do not know (or do not know they know, whatever).

Before I'm fully conscious of what's going on Moira is in front of me, and she's hugging me; so tightly, so effusively. She obviously knows who I am, what we are to each other… and yet, as she hugs me, I also get the impression that she hadn't expected to see me ever again…

"You did not erase my memory…" She whispers in a quiet, half-broken tone.

"I did not." And yet I'd been so afraid the last month that I might have, if just by accident.

"Why?" Her question seems to be so small yet is in fact so huge…

"Because you're a very dear friend and I didn't want to lose you, didn't want all of us to lose you, if it wasn't absolutely necessary." I try my best to explain to her.

She's happy, I can see it, I can hear it… her happiness is such she's broadcasting pretty loudly (though she doesn't seem to notice it) even as some traitorous tears keep falling too.

"You still told your superiors your memory had been erased." I blurt out, thinking of the grief the whole situation has been causing me.

"I did." She nods immediately. "That whole day felt so strange, with me feeling like I shouldn't remember something, yet doing so…and I'm not even sure why I feel like my memory should have been erased! It's the strangest thing!"

"What do you mean you don't remember?" Erik steps in, brows narrowed, immediately getting a bit defensive of me.

He truly believes I couldn't have done anything, and doesn't like the implication of the opposite. I, however, do not take it as an accusation, though I certainly am curious about what might have happened to her.

"Exactly!" She insists strongly. "It's like a part of me is convinced I shouldn't remember any of this, yet I do!"

"I did not erase anything from your mind." I tell her, maybe a bit more seriously than I intend, but still. "Actually, you gave us quite a scare when you fainted all of a sudden, right after we finished talking about everything that happened in Cuba…"

"What happened in Cuba…right…" She shakes her head. "I have no idea what ever made me think I ought to point a gun at a metal-kinetic." Turns to Erik and adds. "Really, I'm sorry about that, I do not know what came over me. It wouldn't have done any good, if anything I might have ended up hurting someone else! At least I returned to my senses and dropped the gun in time."

I realize the truth then, and it's so shocking I can barely hold back my gasp, though Erik still picks up my reaction through our bond.

*She doesn't remember…* I whisper mentally.

*What…?* He doesn't understand. *But you didn't do anything…and didn't she just say…*

*No, I didn't.* I nod mentally. *And yes, she remembers everything she should…if she had never traveled to the past.*

That is the whole point. She truly has lost her memories, though only the old set, of the timeline that has been lost, of a time that has never been, and now will never be, not as it was before.

*So what? Like the other time no longer exists and she no longer remembers?* Erik asks.

He seems to be having trouble wrapping his mind around the whole thing. Then again, the mere idea of time-traveling, and especially a human time-traveling, goes beyond anything I could have imagined possible in fifty years… in fifty decades, centuries even!

*Maybe. I don't know.* I have to ponder a bit more on the situation. *It's quite possible this is just a way for her mind to cope…*

The memories might still be there, with her just not having access to them anymore as a coping mechanism from her mind, so as not to go insane as more things happen that don't fit with what she knows… or they may be truly gone now. We might never know… and I'm in hurry to find out, honestly; not unless it becomes completely necessary.

*Ok, so she no longer remembers a timeline that no longer matters because it will never be.* Erik mentally shrugs. *I'm fine with that.*

He truly is. And really, Moira had already convinced me not to ask anymore about that 'other future', since we were in a completely new timeline with the changes already made. It might even be better this way, there is no temptation anymore… Our lives will be what we make of them, through our choices, no alternate memories, no fears of things that might never be, just us, and the amazing future before us.

"Moira!" We can all hear Raven calling as she rushes to us.

Raven knew why we'd asked her and the others to wait for us to receive Moira before any of them approached her. However, it seems she's decided it's been long enough, and I barely manage to step back before she barrels straight over me to reach Moira and embrace her tightly. For a second I fear Moira reacting to my sister's blue, scaly skin, but she doesn't even bat an eyelash, just looking Raven up and down briefly before smiling and embracing her back.

"Looking good Raven." She says, and I can tell she's completely honest.

*Tone down your over protectiveness or you're going to begin broadcasting beyond our bond.* Erik teases me with a smirk I can actually see and not just feel, his tone softens as he adds. *I know you want to protect her Charles, but she's not a child anymore.*

*I'm afraid a part of me will always see her like that.* I admit. *I will never forget the way she looked when I found her in my kitchen, so small, so hungry, so alone… she was the first person I truly cared for after I lost my dad, the thought of losing her…*

*You won't lose her Charles.* Erik assures her. *And truly, there's nothing wrong about taking care of those you love. You know we have a number of mutants already here, and more to come; and we will protect them all. Just… don't forget to let them grow up. They've all got to do it sometime. Raven should be good practice.*

I shake my head mentally. It still seems strange to me, as right as I know he is, the idea of letting Raven go… but indeed, he is right. Raven is a young woman who deserves to live her life in the light, and not just the shadows I've created in an attempt to keep her safe. So I shall let her grow up as she wishes… though I will still take care of her to the best of my abilities, and may god have mercy on whoever tries to hurt her, for I know I won't.

Erik chuckles some more mentally, probably picking up on my line of thought. However, he doesn't say a word, instead nudges my attention back to the present to Raven's and Moira's current conversation:

"My natural form, but wearing clothes." My sister is telling Moira. "I get to be myself, without giving my brother a heart attack by being completely naked!"

I feel like I might flush. Yes, I might have seen many women naked, and sometimes not necessarily through my own eyes… doesn't mean I need to see my sister that way. I mean… she's beautiful, I know that, I'm not blind, or stupid but… she's my sister!

Finally we go inside and the other children begin calling animatedly to Moira, they all seem delighted to have her back. Even Janos and Azazel, who only knew her for a week before she had to leave (and it was a week when she was absent for long periods of time, as she made sure to collect everything the CIA might have on us), they seem pretty intrigued by the human in our midst, her acceptance of all of us, even those more noticeably 'different'.

xXx

The next morning most of the inhabitants of the manor disappear to take advantage of the Black Friday offers some stores have. Raven even asks me to allow them to use a couple of cars, and after making sure that at least two of them have drivers' licenses I tell them where the keys were as well as the garage and let them lose, reminding Raven to leave my car alone…

"Did you know you have way too many cars?" Erik asks.

Considering how giddy Raven was asking while asking me to use a couple of cars (and the fact that Erik obviously had noticed the connotation of there being more than two cars in the garage), my love had grown interested and we both followed the kids to the garage.

We watch the others leaving, with Moira and Janos driving each one of the cars, before Erik calls my attention back to the rest of the vehicles in the garage. There's almost a dozen, including Moira's (she'd taken one of mine since they fit better in it). Most of them are old cars, at least a decade old or so, but very well maintained.

"Kurt, my step-father, he liked cars." I explain. "Particularly new, fancy cars as you must be able to see. My mother bought two or three of these for him, then there were others he fought, with her money but still, during the time they were married. Cain usually took one, a Ford Anglia his father favored. It's no longer here… I suppose he might have crashed it at some point before the fire, I actually don't remember."

"This car looks older than all the others." Erik comments as he observes a red car at the beginning of the rather impressive (if I do say so myself) line of vehicles.

"That's because it is." I nod. "That Mercedes was the last gift my father gave my mother. While she never did learn how to drive, she had someone to drive her, that was the car she always used. Father gave it to her when it was brand new, not just that particular car, but it was the very first one of its kind. Only the richest and best connected could afford such cars back then. Mother kept using it even after father died, even after far betters cars came out, she refused to use any car but that one. In fact, she once had a huge fight with Kurt when he wanted to get rid of it. It's the only time I remember ever hearing them fight about anything…"

"Your mother must have really loved your father…" Erik comments.

"Maybe…" I cannot help but shrug. "I honestly do not know. By that point she spent more time drunk than not; and whenever she wasn't pissed off drunk she would get awfully depressed… I couldn't handle reading her thoughts then, so I stayed out of her mind as much as I could."

*I'm sorry…* His apology is more whisper of feelings than actual words but I hear it anyway.

It takes me a few seconds to understand why he is apologizing exactly, as I see in his mind snippets of his own family, his parents the love he witnessed between them every day for the few years he had them; even when hiding from the Nazis, in the ghettos, even that awful day as they were being lead to Auschwitz… the love between Edie and Jakob was there for all to see. It was all so bittersweet…

*You have nothing to be sorry for, my love…* I whisper into his mind, letting him feel that I truly mean it. *We each have lived our own lives, have done the best we could with the cards we were dealt. You once told me I shouldn't regret that you ended in a Concentration Camp and there's nothing I can do to change that… well, likewise, there's nothing you can do to change the fact that your parents loved each other while mine…well, maybe they did, I never got to see it. In the end, the past cannot be changed…*

*I'm not so sure about that.* Erik's tone surprisingly turned impish. *Isn't that exactly what Moira did just a month ago?*

I shrug, he's right of course, but it doesn't change the point of our conversation.

"Anyway." He's talking out-loud again. "You told Raven she couldn't take your car… will you show it to me?"

"You might think it's too much…" I admit.

I'm more than a bit embarrassed but I still I lead Erik to the very end of the line of cars, to the one covered by a dark blue tarp. I pull it off with one smooth move, and I can feel through our bond the moment he truly takes the car in. It's a sports car, my car, a 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, white on the outside, with red interiors and a black canvas soft top. The car was one of the very first generation of its kind (back when they were built by hand).

"It was the last gift my mother gave me." I explain to him quietly. "It was famous from the start. My mother ordered this one for me as a high-school graduation present. I only actually used it once, to go partying with Raven the day after I graduated… after that we moved to England and since we were living in a flat in Oxford I didn't actually need a car…"

"You're right, it's a lot." Erik agrees, though I can see the smile tugging at the edge of his lips. "When are we taking it for a drive?"

I hold up the keys. Truly, the possibility of it hadn't actually occurred to me until Raven put the keys in my hand as she kissed my cheek goodbye before leaving with the others but really, Hank is in his lab doing… something. Azazel is sleeping (according to him he's a more of a night kind of guy) and everyone else is out shopping. Nothing will happen if we go out for a spin… and even if I have only ever driven that Corvette once, I really, really liked it…

The keys don't stay long in my hand, suddenly Erik has them and is already sitting in the driver's side of the car, even as he uses his powers to get the passenger's door to me.

"I thought this war my car…" I can't help but pout.

He just smirks at me before kissing me, a short but quite intense kiss. It steals my breath away.

By the time I'm in all my senses again we're passing the mansion's main gates and going faster than I would have expected. The top is also down, so I can feel the wind rushing all around us. The thrill is even more amazing than I remembered… and then I remember what Erik just did.

"Cheater!" I cry out at him.

My voice is half lost in the wind, though I know that, at least through our bond, he heard me; and he also heard my inner laughter. I'm just too happy to possibly get angry at him. And besides, seeing him so happy makes me absolutely joyous. I briefly pray that the rest of our lives will be filled with many more such wonderful moments… together.

xXx

We spend at least a couple of hours driving around, taking advantage of the fact that the manor is outside of town, and that very few people travel through those roads to go as fast as we like (and can). Eventually we have a late lunch in a diner before returning to the manor. Moira returns a few hours later in a cab (apparently the other girls' idea of a shopping spree was too much for her and she chose to bail out). Erik and I held her a bit with her things before she disappears into her room to take a bath and relax.

We find her again while walking through the manor's grounds. For a while neither of us speak, just walking in a somewhat awkward silence.

"So, how many students do you think you'll have here, once you get the academy up and running?" Moira breaks the silence after a while.

"As many as I can manage." I tell her with enthusiasm. "Possibly more."

Talking about the school I'm planning to create is one thing I enjoy very much.

"I cannot imagine the torture it's all going to be, with brats running all around." Erik pretends to shudder before chuckling.

I just shake my head. I know he's as excited about the whole thing as I am… well no, not quite, but he definitely likes the idea. The prospect of helping others so they never find themselves in the position I was… in the positions any of us was… scared, confused, misunderstood, alone…

"Yes, and I'm sure you'll go all paternal on them." Moira says in a tone that shows unexpected confidence. "While Charles will be the mother-hen."

"Hey!" I cry out with a pout. "I resent that."

I'm trying to appear annoyed, I'm really trying, but hearing Erik chuckling both out-loud and in the back of my mind makes it harder for me to fake any annoyance when his having fun (even at my expense) makes me so absolutely happy…

"I'm sure you do." Erik chuckles, before pulling stealing a kiss from me.

Well, it's not like he has to steal anything really. Erik knows any kiss I have to give will always be his, all I am will always be his.

My giddiness at the unexpected PDA is interrupted when I sense Moira's tension growing rather unexpectedly. Whatever it is she's thinking (because at the moment I'm too focused on Erik to pay attention to her own mind), it's probably not good.

"Moira?" I ask her, worried.

"Charles, I need you to read my mind." She says abruptly.

I'm still a bit confused, but I do as she asks, soon realizing what it is she wants me to see. As I focus in the memory I make sure Erik is getting it all as well. I don't plan on hiding things from him, and if anything were to happen, it'll be important for him to know everything.

The memory begins with Moira, Levene, McCone, Stryker, and a few other people Erik and I recognize thanks to the files Moira left for us (and Raven pretending to be the secretary taking notes of the meeting), sitting in the very conference room where Raven and I were first introduced to the high ranking members of the CIA.

"I remember the attack on HQs…" Moira is saying, probably in response to something, but there's a strange quality to her voice, like she isn't really paying attention to what she's saying. "Leaving to go somewhere else…and then this morning…I woke up at home. And that's it."

"All that time wiped clean from your mind. Just gone." Director McCone seems more shocked than disbelieving. "He can do that? You don't remember anything?"

"Sometimes I get fragments." She murmurs half-heartedly. "Like...trees, sunlight…a kiss…"

A kiss…? Yes, I… we knew she'd mentioned a kiss, but right after she says it I can sense her thought, as she realizes how ridiculous that is. How there's no way I could have kissed her because I'm in a relationship with someone else, with Erik…

"Oh, Jesus!" The Director exclaims right then. "Gentlemen, this is exactly why the CIA is no place for a woman!"

She doesn't reply to the McCone's comment, though she still rolls her eyes. Instead she focuses more on her memories she can suddenly call on easily, memories of Westchester, of Cuba, and of all of us. Her wonder at realizing she still has her memories, as her mind begins to finally clear, is interrupted by the alarm suddenly echoing all around.

Instantly Agent Stryker has the phone in hand and is yelling questions into it. Eventually the truth is found out. To a point, they just realized Frost isn't in her cell anymore… Erik snorts in a corner of the bond. He and Azazel had gotten Frost out before the Agents even arrived, and it took them nearly half a day of work to even realize anything had happened.

Most of the men leave the room in a hurry, I agree with Moira in the idea that it's completely ridiculous, not like they will be able to do anything. What's done is done. But then McCone is calling Moira and she realizes she's not fully alone.

"MacTaggert."

"Yes sir?" She's very respectful in the way she speaks, wary too.

"Are you completely sure that you do not remember anything after the attack on HQs?" He asks.

Briefly I wonder if he suspects her of lying, but nothing gives her out. Moira truly is an amazing Agent, in more ways than the CIA will ever get the chance to find out. She easily portrays calm, sincerity, and even a level of vulnerability expected from most women, and especially someone that has been hurt as much as I supposedly hurt her… She knows what's expected of her, and acts accordingly. Of course I (and Erik too) know her enough to realize it's all an act, that and I can sense through her memories the underline thought that goes into her acting.

"Absolutely sir." She takes no time falling into character. "I…I think it might actually go back further than that. The memories of the summer are blurry. I remember the time I spent in the office, and some nights at my apartment, but not much of what I did the rest of the time, other than I was with them…I suppose, if it truly was one of them who did this to me, they just didn't want to take any chances that their safety might be compromised…"

And just like that she's given a perfectly good reason not to say anything about us…ever.

"What about our safety?" McCone grumbles.

"Sir?" It's obvious she doesn't like what she's hearing, but holds back her actual dislike, switching it for doubt.

"People who can read minds, who can make themselves look like anyone they've seen, who can lift submarines from the ocean and disable every weapon created by man…" McCone enlists with growing tension. "What are we supposed to do if they decide to turn against us? How are we humans supposed to protect ourselves?"

"Sir, with all due respect, you turned against them first." She speaks before fully realizing it.

"What?" That actually seems to take him by surprised.

"In Cuba sir." She clarifies.

"I thought you did not remember."

For a fraction of a second I can sense her horror at realizing that she might have just given herself away. But then, just as fast, he gets an idea of how to cover it up and is putting it in practice with apparent calm.

"I don't." She excuses with fake ease. "But I read the reports filed by the Fleet Commanders before the meeting. The missiles that were fired at the beach… according to what I read, the beach was supposed to be secure by that point? Why fire then?"

"We had no confirmation that the threat had truly been neutralized." McCone tries to give an excuse, and not even a good one.

"Did I not confirm it?" She knows she did, but she has to hold back her anger at it, and it takes more effort than she had expected.

"You did. We had no way of knowing if you had been compromised." By that point McCone is reaching, and even he knows it.

"If I…but only C…Mr. Xavier would have been capable of that, right?" She's trying to help, even if deep down she knows how unlikely it is her plan will work. "Wasn't he on our side?"

"Sides are relative MacTaggert." The Director almost snaps. "They are not human, we cannot hope for them to be with us. Especially not considering what Lehnsherr did with those missiles… he was supposed to be on our side too."

"But the missiles didn't kill anyone, did they?" She just keeps trying…

"No, thankfully they exploded before they hit any of the ships. Still, the unmistakable truth is that we cannot grow complacent, next time we might not be as lucky."

"Well, I still think that as long as we aren't the ones to throw the first punch, so to speak, we shouldn't have anything to worry about."

"You…you let us make these decisions, alright?"

It's at that point that she finally accepts that no matter what she says, there's just no way to make her boss see reason. She'd known it beforehand, but had held hope she might be able to at least make him consider it… not anymore.

"In any case, I hope you realize that even if not exactly your fault, you're going to be getting an official reprimand for the way all this turned out." The Director goes on.

"But it's not my fault my memories were erased!" She's almost whining at that point, but she's understandably angry at being punished for something not her fault

"I'm sorry MacTaggert, there's nothing I can do about it, my hands are tied." Load of bullshit.

Moira is bristling, very much so. She even briefly considers ranting at her boss. It's not like he can threaten her with dismissal, she already has her resignation letter ready. But then she considers the possibility of truly losing her temper mid-rant and ending up saying things she shouldn't. She believes herself lucky she hasn't been caught already. Erik just snorts slightly as her thought of him killing her if she ruins something reaches him. While he may not want, or even be able to admit it, I know he cares about Moira, as a friend at the very least. After everything she's done for us… he wouldn't hurt her.

"It's quite alright sir." She chooses to say out-loud, before handing him a sheet of paper.

"What is this?" He asks, not even reading it.

"My resignation sir." I answer promptly.

"Your what?" His shock is evident, he didn't see that one coming.

"I came to the CIA to help our country sir, not to be a glorified secretary, which I know is pretty much what will be happening after that meeting I was just in." It's mostly an excuse, but we all know she's still right. "I am not interested."

"MacTaggert, do you realize what you're doing?" McCone insists, very serious.

"Yes sir, I'm taking charge of my life." She smiles with an emotion he could never hope to understand. "I always knew it wouldn't be easy, being a woman in the CIA. But after this… it's going to be next to impossible! Maybe someone else will come, one day, prove to you that women can, in fact, be good Agents. I just don't care for it right now."

"What will you do then?" He inquires, curious.

I may not be able to read his mind, but I can imagine him wondering once again if he's lying, if she will be meeting us after she's away from the CIA. If he had just known how right that thought was… but even if he did have her followed, Moira is too intelligent not to notice, and not to find a way to get away from her tail. I know we're safe, and Erik shares my confidence.

"I don't know." Moira shrugs, pretending to be indecisive, when in fact the path before her is clear enough in her mind. "Probably go back to school. I seem to have gained a certain interest in medicine recently…who knows? Maybe I'll end up doing something better of my life than I ever could have here at the CIA." She shakes her head. "In any case sir, we both know I have more hope of making a life anywhere but the CIA right now."

He nods, he can't deny that. So in the end he doesn't say anything else, just adding his signature to the document and handing it back to her.

"I will make sure you have the best retirement plan we can offer someone of your status, and a good pay for this last assignment." He assures her. "Regardless of how much we may dislike some of the end details; truth is we would be in a Nuclear War right now if it weren't for you."

"And them." She adds, one last half-hearted attempt to make her boss think twice about things.

"And them." He nods, though reluctantly.

She doesn't insist after that. He's made up his mind, as has she, they both realize it, both Erik and I do as well. Lines have been drawn in the sand, and not everyone will be on the same side. Even those of us who don't necessarily have to be enemies, we won't be friends either.

I can feel Moira's hope that if her now-former-boss ever does act against us that it won't happen until we're ready to protect ourselves, maybe even to fight back. Then she goes down a very particular line of thought, hoping that think won't end up 'as bad as the first time around', and as soon as she thinks that she's left wondering where exactly that came from, what it might mean… things like apocalyptic futures, alternative timelines, second chances are suddenly things of fantasy, of science-fiction novels, no longer the certainty they were when she was a part of all that. She no longer remembers ever being a part of that…

So she truly forgot about the other timeline, her time-travel, the things she changed and how she ended saving us in more ways than one… I hum slightly, considering the implications, hoping we won't be needing those memories eventually.

"I really, truly hope I did not end up making things harder, saying too much, but he just made me so annoyed!" Moira hisses, annoyed. "What he said about you all…"

I can sense the emotional turmoil in Erik, he's angry, just short of furious, at McCone, and probably the CIA in general. But he's also feeling particularly protective of Moira, he realizes the kind of danger she was in as she argued with her boss, how things could have gone very wrong very quickly if the Director had chosen to act on his suspicions that she knew more than she was revealing… if he, or anyone else in the CIA were ever to realize not just what Moira said (and did not say) but also what she did concerning all the evidence they'd gathered on us. It wouldn't be good… not at all. Erik realizes that and it makes him feel protective of Moira, almost as much as I do… I hope Moira sees it too, and that she can connect the right emotion to the person it is meant for. That she realizes that Erik truly cares, even if he tries to hide it.

"No, you did not say anything bad Moira." I barely remember to assure her. "In fact, I am honored, your defense of us…well, it gives me hope for the future."

"As long as you remember that not all people are like me Charles." There's a hint of a smile as she says that. "There are some that will wish you harm, and you need to be ready."

"We will." Erik says, full of confidence. "I will let Charles try his diplomacy, but when it fails, and we know it will at some point…some people are too full of hatred and…evil to accept those of us who are different without trying to either control or destroy. We will defend ourselves."

"Good." She nods.

For a few seconds I can hardly believe she's agreeing with Erik, until I remember that moment in the broken plane… she'd agreed with Erik then too…

*Not only then.* Erik points out.

He directs me to a fragment of memory, it's obviously part of something larger, though we don't have time for it now, so I accept to only knowing the part he chooses to show me:

"Well, Charles is a pacifist, and I understand that as well. Though I'm more of the 'Wish for Peace, Prepare for War', philosophy."

That… I wasn't expecting.

*When was this?* I ask, not even trying to hide my shock.

*The day we fought Shaw, right before we left for Cuba.* He explains. *I will show you the whole conversation later if you want.*

I nod, half absently. Not exactly because of Moira agreeing with Erik, but her philosophy. It's almost like a mix of both of us… a mix that had seemed so impossible just a month ago, an impossibility that could have ruined everything, and almost did…

"Look, things are…well, not too good right now." Moira begins speaking again right then, trying to sound chipper. "And we all know it might not get any better for some time. However, I truly believe that one day the government is gonna realize how lucky they were to have Professor X and Magneto on their side. And of course, the X-Men as well."

I blink, almost having forgotten those names… even as I recall the fragments of memories I caught from her mind, both in Cuba and the day she left to face the CIA; in each and every one of them that's how we were addressed: the Professor… Magneto… as mutants, and fighters, and leaders… never just Charles and Erik… if only for that reason I definitely prefer the life I'm currently living. At least with Erik I know I will only be Charles…

Then I become aware of the other detail I just heard:

"X-Men…" I try the name out-loud, liking the sound. "I like that. And it includes you as well you know, you're a part of this team as well."

* X-Men? Really?* He asks in a drawl inside our bond. *That's sounds entirely too egocentric for you Professor X!*

I know he's just jesting, as there's no bite in his words; still, I can barely stop myself from rolling my eyes or sticking my tongue out at him like a god-damned five-year-old!

*Yes, that would be very mature of you indeed, professor…* Erik doesn't need me to do it to know, and he calls me on it. *You act so childish sometimes Charles…*

*I'm not a child!* My mind-voice even sounds petulant!

*No, you're not, I would have to be seriously sick if I wanted to do to a child the things I do to you…* His comment turned leery.

And really, will every conversation we have from now on turned to innuendo? I can barely hold back my blush, even as we both turn our attention back to Moira.

"Even if she certainly isn't your student, Professor." Erik quips, going straight back to the conversation we'd been in.

I barely notice the look he and Moira share, not really understanding what's going on until she speaks again, and it's something I could have never prepared for:

"Well, I don't know about that…" Her voice is a bit husky and she's looking up at me through her lashes in what I would call blatant seduction if it weren't because I know how accepting she is of Erik's and my relationship. "The Professor has certainly taught me a lot…"

I open my mouth to reply to the first part when I hear the second and then I'm so shocked I can't help the spluttering; it only gets worse when both of them dissolve into raucous laughter.

"You would certainly fail if you ever were a student of mine!" I stated as seriously as I can, though I'm still so shocked my voice shoots through an octave… or two.

Abruptly, her demeanor changes completely.

"Well, I hope that's not a prediction of what's to come." She says with sudden nervousness as she twists her hands a bit. "After all, I am going back to school…"

"So you're going through with it then?" Erik asks.

"That's the plan." She nods. "Of course, I still have to pass the needed exams and find a university that is willing to accept me."

"You know, I can put a good word with Oxford if you wish, and I'm sure Hank would offer the same concerning Harvard." I offer her.

I'm not quite sure what her possibilities and aspirations are, but I'm sure a good word cannot hurt, and both Hank and I have good reputation in our respective alma-mater.

"Well, thank you, I certainly would be a fool not to accept your offer, I just hope to be worthy of it." She smiles shyly as she says that.

Oh… if she could only realize the truth. If only I could tell her, could make her see everything she's done, everything she's achieved and no longer remembers… perhaps that might be the negative side of the whole thing. She did so much, and she will never know… for how can I explain to her what truly happened that day in Cuba, what she did, how she saved me, us… when she no longer knows, or even believes things like time-travel to be possible, and especially that she might have been the one to do it. She saved the world… and us, and she will never know it.

You're worth more than you'll ever know, Moira…

Who knows? Maybe one day she will know. Maybe one day she will look back on this time and realize how different her life has been from what it was in a different timeline, and not just her life, but mine, and Erik's, and so many others, and maybe, that day, she will feel proud for being the heroine… Maybe.

xXx

One could say that was where the true new beginning for all of us took place. With Moira once again living in Westchester, with the rest of us, we were ready to turn my dream… our dream into a reality. It was hard to believe how far we'd come since that first meeting between Moira and I in that pub in Oxford, back in May… so much had happened since. Both good and bad.

We were more than we'd been when first becoming a team, though we could never forget there was one person still missing: Darwin… We would never forget him, but it was in part because of him that we were pushing through in these plans, so no other mutant ever went through the things he did, through the things any of them did.

The time passed: days, weeks, a month… December came around, and with it the cold. Some of the inhabitants of the manor weren't used to the cold, however, they all were quite happy as the family they were beginning to become. The mix of different religions made a mess of most of the month, but it was pretty enjoyable, and I expected it to become even more hectic as we got more students and their various religions and traditions. It was sure to be interesting!

Then came the New Year… our new life was before us…


For those who might actually wonder about it: Charles's reading of Moira's memory was different this time (he didn't keep feeling like he was Moira), because she was actively showing it to him, meaning she was there too, as herself, so Charles was more like an outside observer.

I have finished writing Amity (it will have 10 chapters) and am currently fighting my muse tooth and nail so I can write its sequel. Reviews actually help convince Calliope to stay on this path, and I would love if you would give me more. (I'm not holding chapters hostage for reviews, I did it in the past, not anymore, you're still getting updates every two weeks; I would just like to read more about the people who might actually be enjoying me writing this, please.

On the next chapter: Charles wants to create a school for mutants, does he know what really goes into such a thing? Is he, and everyone else, ready for the challenge? That and more, in some ways the beginning of the end for this saga, in: Institute.