7) A Moment of Peace
Tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow mankind would either love or hate them for their attempts to stop Shaw. As Charlotte stared at the chessboard in front of her and waited for Erik's next move, her mind's eye was fogging apprehensively. She had no idea how the humans were going to react, but she had to prove Erik wrong. She had to prove that humans had enough good in them to spare them. She knew that killing anyone, even that monster Shaw, was avoidable.
"Shaw's declared war on mankind, on all of us. He must be stopped." Erik briefly observed the telepath before he opened his mouth.
"I'm not going to stop Shaw. I'm going to kill him. Do you have it in you to allow that?" He paused, both furious and anxious, as Charlotte shifted in her seat, eyes back on the board. Still, his face showed hardly any emotion.
"You've known all along why I was here, Charlotte, but things have changed. What started as a covert of mission, tomorrow, mankind will know mutants exist. Shaw, us, they won't differentiate. They'll fear us, and that fear will turn to hatred."
She looked up. He sounded like he was schooling her, but Charlotte knew her equal better than that. He was warning her. He was secretly afraid she would get hurt in the midst of this fight with Shaw because her heart was too fragile to him.
"Not if we stop a war," she persisted gently. "Not if we can prevent Shaw, not if we risk our lives doing so."
"Would they do the same for us?" He snapped. Charlotte sighed and decided to play with fire by placing her hand on his. His whole body shook slightly out of anger, but he did not appear appalled or nettled by her action.
"We have it in us to be the better man," she reasoned.
"We already are!" Erik growled to himself. "We are the next stage of human evolution. You said it yourself."
"No, no. I..." She removed her hand from his to get a much needed sip of her drink.
"Are you really so naive as to think they won't battle their own extinction? Or is it arrogance?"
Erik paused to look into her eyes. He saw remorse but also obstinacy. He also saw that he hurt her slightly, but Erik did not need to be a mind reader to know she was majorly concerned about others, himself included.
Charlotte bristled a little at Erik's accusatory tone and words. "I'm sorry?" She asked warningly. For once, he was close to trying her patience.
"After tomorrow, they will turn on us. But you are blinded because you believe they are all like Moira."
"And you believe they are all like Shaw." She cursed herself for her cracking voice, but Erik just watched her intently, waiting for her next words, her next move. It was as if they were still playing chess, only the game risked the lives of innocent children, merciless villains, and humans. It was a game of wit, a game to see whose ideologies would win.
She took a deep breath and leaned forward. "Listen to me very carefully, my friend: killing Shaw will not bring you peace." It would not make the suffering or the rage dissipate, not one bit.
"Peace," Erik muttered crossly, "was never an option." If Erik could have made the ghosts of his past go away, he would have dealt with the issue years ago. But he couldn't. All that mattered was Shaw's death and Erik's revenge.
But then, he stared at his friend. She had done so much for him. The least he could do was assure her that her efforts to calm his mind have not been in vain. She had taught him so much, no matter how unrelenting he was...
Charlotte shut her eyes and leaned back in her chair. She heard Erik get up, but she did not open her eyes until she felt his warm breath on her face.
"Erik? What is the meaning of -"
"I didn't say I never had moments," Erik whispered tenderly, clasping his calloused hands into her smooth, slender ones. "Moments of peace... because of you."
Charlotte gulped and searched his blue-gray eyes for any ulterior motives. She would not break her promise and read his mind without his permission. However, she was unusually frightened under his softening eyes.
"And why would that be?" Erik chuckled and leaned closer, lips mere centimeters from hers. He found himself wanting, and he had never wanted to kiss anyone so much before.
"I think you're too intelligent, professor, to underestimate our... connection. You, of all people, should know what we have shared, so carelessly, yet so genuinely, in such a finite amount of time."
"My friend..." Charlotte sighed as Erik projected nothing but true affection and admiration. Erik usually expressed his feelings like a stone wall up until that point. Meanwhile, Charlotte, although an open book, could not find the right words to say.
"Don't speak. He lightly kissed her lips, brushed some stray hairs covering her ears, and leaned into one of them, making her shiver. "Just feel." He faced her again before Charlotte leaned in and they kissed passionately. Tomorrow mattered, but tomorrow was tomorrow. What mattered then was their bond, their connection, and their love.
xxx
They were still kissing as Erik led her down the hallway and to his room. Thankfully, no embarrassed teenager was traumatized among them. Erik pulled her closer as he used his powers to open the door.
Raven smirked as she watched the oblivious pair make out. She was a little insulted that they had not even acknowledged her presence yet, but she was more amused more than anything. There she was, lying naked in Erik's bed, planning to seduce him and see if he was loyally attached to his sister. And there they were, kissing ahead of time!
It was not until Charlotte fell on Raven that they even noticed her and stopped. "Raven? What are you doing?!"
Raven smiled innocently at the two of them. Charlotte was as red as a tomato, while Erik was gritting his teeth, looking extremely pissed.
"Don't bite my head off, Lottie! I was just here to see if he was being true to you. Ever heard of looking out for a sister?"
Charlotte stared at Raven, puzzled. "Thank you, Raven. But... Your eyes are red. There's another reason why you're here, isn't there?"
Raven bit her lip. "It's just... Hank made it seem like people, people like me should still hide."
Erik sat down on the bed. It angered and hurt him to see a fellow mutant disgusted with her true form. Those foolish humans saw her form as revolting, but Erik knew that humans would not know perfection if it hit them in the face.
Beside him, Charlotte grasped Raven's hands. Raven was wrong. She was beautiful. Charlotte remembered how amazed she was when Raven entered her kitchen. Mutants were, without a doubt, wonderful creatures. Hank. Alex. Sean. Darwin. Raven. Erik...How could humans have stayed so blind for so long?
"You don't have to hide," Erik assured her. "Have you ever looked at a tiger and thought you ought to cover it up?"
Raven smiled and stifled a laugh. "No, but..."
"You are an exquisite creature, Raven." Charlotte whispered tenderly. Erik nodded in agreement.
"All your life the world has tried to tame you. It's time for you to be free." Raven nodded at Erik and changed into her true form. Then, she stood up and went to the door.
Erik just pulled Charlotte close to him and began kissing her neck, but the telepath gawked at Raven. "No! No! Put some clothes on!"
"Let her have her fun." Raven giggled and Erik winked. Once she closed the door, Erik captured Charlotte's lips. "Besides, you need freedom, too, mother hen." Charlotte rolled her eyes but lovingly kissed him back. Erik was right. She could scold Raven later. What mattered then was their moment of peace.
