"Raven…" Erik said, softly, a small smile crossing his face as Raven stepped through the doorway, tears streaming down her face.
"I knew you'd let me in." Raven replied, immediately walking into his arms
"Always." Erik said, closing his eyes as he rested his chin on the crown of her head.
They held each other for a long moment before Erik turned, Raven still in his arms, toward Charles.
But, the telepath was gone.
# # # # # # # #
Raven took a shallow breath, sitting stiffly on the sofa in the downstairs den with her hands in her lap and her eyes locking with Charles' where he sat across from her in his wheelchair in the center of the room.
The silence was palpable in the air between them as the grandfather clock in the corner ticked quietly in the background.
Finally Raven blinked.
"We are wasting time, Charles. This is ridiculous. Erik needs our help."
"He does," Charles responded immediately, calmly, but with a hard voice, thinking back on the pain he had experienced earlier and still feeling it's after effects, but kept his voice even, "But we are going to talk first. You are going to tell me what you know—"
"What I know?" Raven asked, narrowing her eyes, "What I know is that Erik is missing—"
"Raven—" Charles started, closing his eyes as he tried to keep his anger in check
"No," Raven scoffed, placing her hands on the cushions beneath her and starting to push herself up off the couch, "This was a mistake. I—I never should have come to you for help. I should have known —"
"Known what?" Charles interjected, slightly offended, his eyes flying open instantly
"That this—you and me—would get in the way of…well, everything!" Raven cried, throwing her arms up in the air as she stood
"I don't understand," Charles said, shaking his head, confused
"I show up here tonight on your doorstep. I show you Erik's necklace and tell you that Erik's missing and you look so shocked and concerned and then you tell me that you have a connection to him and that you think he's been captured by someone, then you bring me here and we sit and stare at each other for like thirty minutes!—"
Charles gave a sad smirk, then rolled forward and reached out to her, "Raven. I'm sorry. Please sit."
"I've done enough sitting," Raven said, her voice a little calmer as she stepped out of his grasp and folded her arms over her chest, "I want to stand."
"Alright," Charles nodded and rolled back from her, "But I just want you to know, I'm not not doing anything…I'm actually waiting."
"Waiting?" Raven asked, quirking an eyebrow
"Yes," Charles snarked, "It's what patient people do."
Raven scoffed a laugh, eyeing her brother incredulously.
"I'm waiting for the children to complete dinner," Charles continued, "Whereafter, I've asked Hank to bring two of my students with the strongest telepathic abilities to meet us here so that we can locate Erik. You're right—he and I have a connection, but right now I am weak and the connection I had to him has broken for the time being—why? I'm not sure. But, the children will hopefully be able to re-establish the connection. We just have to be patient. "
Raven gave a sullen nod then looked down to her feet as she unfolded her arms.
Charles rubbed his legs nervously, eyeing her, then said, "So, I thought we might take the time in between to… talk and catch up. It's been months since I've seen you and, despite everything you may think I think about you and what you and Erik are doing in support of the mutant cause, I care about you. That will never change."
There was a long silence between them as Raven absorbed his words, then sighed as she closed her eyes in slight embarrassment, "I'm sorry, Charles. I —"
"No apologies are necessary," Charles interjected, "You are worried and scared and…" he trailed off for a moment as his eyes softened, then he finished, "I am your brother. No apologies are ever necessary between us."
Raven smirked as she shook her head and sat gracefully back down on the couch, "Adopted brother, not biological…" she pointed out.
"Which makes it better," Charles pointed out
"What?" Raven asked, mildly amused
"Yes," Charles said, his voice softening, "Better because I chose to be your brother—it wasn't an obligation or something that was forced on me by law or biology—it was a gift. A wonderful, beautiful, stubborn and unpredictable gift that I was thankful for every day we were together, Raven. And I still am grateful for…and always will be."
Raven suddenly bit her lip and turned her face away and it wasn't until Charles saw her hand move to her face to wipe under her right eye that he realized that she was crying.
"I don't understand…" she whispered, "I'll never understand…"
"You keep…saying that…" Charles answered, confused and slightly amused
Suddenly, after an intake of breath, Raven turned to face him again with her wet green eyes glistening.
"You," she said, looking him up and down, "I'll never understand you. You are unfailingly kind and generous and forgiving. Always the strong and steady hand on the helm—always the wise and calming mentor. And no matter how many times we knock you down with our arrogance, our defiance or our powers, you always get up and walk over to fight in our corner, even though you just went ten rounds against us."
"And that's a bad thing?" Charles asked with a smirk
Raven shook her head as a tear streamed down her face, "No. But it's why we couldn't face you again after Cuba."
Charles shifted in his chair and looked down as Raven continued, "You are too good Charles…too good for us. We almost didn't survive without you after we left. There were days when it was almost too painful to be so far from you and that connection you had formed with us in the back of our minds. It was hardest on Erik—he missed you terribly. Your friendship and guidance meant more to him than you will ever know. I tried to counsel him and help him the best I could, but it wasn't the same for him. He wanted you…he needed you. There were many times when he wanted to reach out and contact you, but I told him no. I told him that it would only dissuade him from what he wanted his true goal to be for the mutant cause, but also because I knew it would kill him for you to forgive him like I knew you would—without any prejudice or malice. Because that is who you are, Charles."
"So I would have killed him with kindness?" Charles asked, looking up to her with a raised eyebrow, "That doesn't make any sense, Raven."
Raven chuckled as she wiped at her eyes again, "If you think about it, Charles, it makes perfect sense."
Charles brought his hand to his chin and started rubbing it nervously, "Well, regardless of all you have said, I'm glad you had the courage to come here."
"Well," Raven smirked, "You are my brother."
Charles lowered his hand as he genuinely laughed
"I know for you, it will be just like yesterday," Raven said, her eyes turning sad, "Like nothing has changed between us—you are that type of person, Charles, and I know that. But, for me, everything is different. I—I would love to catch up with you and tell you what is going on in my life and then have us put on our magic XMEN outfits and swoop in to save Erik. I would be lying if I didn't say that I would love that…"
She looked down to her hands, clasped in her lap before she continued, "But, I'm not a teenager anymore and though I wore my glamour here because I knew that it would make everyone more comfortable, I want you to know that I'm different—that we'll never be able to have the same relationship we had before. You will always see Raven, glamour or no glamour, but I will always be Mystique—"
"But, we could try …" Charles interjected, narrowing his eyes almost in a plea
"Charles, I don't know if it's possible…" Raven said, shaking her head as she looked up to him again
"But…we …could…try…" Charles reiterated
Raven smirked, then after a moment said with a shrug, "But, how?"
"We could start with something simple," Charles said, then smiled as he rolled past the sofa and over to the standing cabinet in the corner of the room next to the bar, "Something familiar. We don't even have to speak. I promise."
Raven watched over her shoulder with curious eyes as he opened the cabinet and pulled the cover off of the record player on the second shelf, then shuffled through a stack of records.
After a few moments, she heard him slip a record from its sleeve and the soft clatter as he placed it on the turntable and set the wand.
When the opening overture began, Charles rolled backwards, then turned as he made his way around the other side of the sofa and stopped in front of Raven, holding out his hand.
"May I?" Charles asked as Bob Dylan's voice filled the room
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true…
Raven bit her lip in thought, her eyes softening.
She thought she'd hesitate more, but this was Charles, so she didn't.
She loved him. He was her brother.
Charles smiled as Raven placed her hand in Charles' and he pull her up from her spot on the sofa and let him lead her toward him.
May you always do for others
And let others do for you…
She gave an amused smirk when he pat one of his knees with his free hand and she gracefully took a seat on his lap and leaned against him, closing her eyes at their sudden proximity.
Her heart beat faster as she breathed in the familiarity of Charles' scent, allowing it to comfort her as he guided her arm around his neck and she laid her cheek against his collar bone like she used to when they were younger.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung…
Within moments, she felt Charles' chin on the crown of her head and the palm of his right hand against her temple.
Another five seconds or so and she was instantly transported into another time and place courtesy of her brother's telepathic abilities.
And may you stay forever young…
They were suddenly standing on the dance floor in the middle of the busiest bar on the Oxford campus, facing each other—ten years younger and dressed in the fashion of the early 1960s.
Forever young…
Raven gave a slight smirk as Charles cocked his head then held out his hand to her and she walked forward, taking it as the same Bob Dylan song filled the crowded room.
Forever young…
He pulled her in close and placed their entwined hands over his heart as she rested her left hand and chin upon his shoulder and Charles started leading them in a slow waltz
May you stay forever young…
Suddenly, with a smile and a wink, Charles stepped back and twirled her under his arm, then brought in back in, then twirled her back out.
May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true…
As he brought her back in again, he released her hands and stepped forward, taking her face in his hands as he kissed her on the forehead.
Raven closed her eyes as she felt his soft, warm lips on her skin.
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you…
When she opened them, she looked down and found herself completely transformed into her alter ego, Mystique—completely blue, sans clothes.
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong…
Raven stood in awe for a few moments before she realized that she hadn't turned herself into her mutant form, Charles had.
May you stay forever young…
She looked up to him with soft green eyes and smiled.
Forever young…
Charles nodded in approval as he beheld her, then held his arms open and she embraced him in a hug for a long moment before she realized that he had started leading them around the floor in a slow dance again, her face buried in his shoulder as she cried softly.
Forever young…
# # # # # # # # #
May you stay forever young…
"Where's Charles?" Raven asked curiously as she looked around Erik into the study, releasing her hold on him, "I thought I heard his voice, too."
May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
Without a word, she moved past him, into the empty room, her green eyes searching.
"I'm—I'm not sure," Erik said, suddenly feeling confused and out of sorts, "I—I don't remember…was he here?"
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift…
"Hmmm…" she purred softly as she walked over to the chess board on which Erik and Charles had been playing, finishing the move by knocking over Charles' queen in surrender.
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung…
"Raven," Erik said quietly, under his breath, still looking down in confusion, "Why can't I remember?"
Raven walked over to the bay window and tried to look out, but the glass was frosted.
And may you stay forever young.
Raven narrowed her eyes before swiftly punching through the glass, but only finding her now bloodied hand in a room filled with nothing but complete darkness on the other side.
Forever young…
"What the Hell are you doing?!" Erik suddenly cried, his head snapping to attention as he rushed forward.
But, Raven just smirked devilishly as she held her bleeding hand up to her face
Forever young…
When Erik grabbed her to turn her toward him, he gasped when he saw that he no longer holding Raven, but his mother.
She looked exactly as he remembered her from his childhood.
"Mama…" he whispered
"Eriklinschka…" she said softly as she brought her bloodied hand to the side of his face in a gentle gesture.
May you stay forever young…