Memories

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men. I only own my OC, Marie

!

English is not my native language and there might be some grammatical faults! Sorry about that.


Chapter 11

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She watched as the mutants fought against each other. Multiple mutants that she didn't recognize were on Erik's side, fighting against the so called X-Men. They were strong, the X-Men, and it didn't take them too long to finish the unknown mutants off, or at least knock them unconscious.

"Let's go," said one of the X-Men, a man with oddly shaped hair and metallic claws coming out from his knuckles. He had been hit multiple times without any blood coming from his body. Marie felt fascinated by him and almost felt an odd familiar feeling from him. As if she had met him before, just briefly. However, she couldn't put her finger on who he was.

"We should move in," said Marie, earning a shake of Steve's head.

"No, we still don't have a position on Magneto," said Steve while he continued watching the X-Men walk towards one of the skyscrapers.

"So? We can join them," said Marie, knowing that Charles was on their side since he most certainly wouldn't be on Erik's side.

"We don't know if they're on our side," said Steve.

"They are," said Natasha, earning a look from Steve which made Natasha shrug.

"Rogers, they are on our side. Why would they fight against Erik's people otherwise?" asked Marie, sighing as Steve simply looked away from her.

They watched the man with the metal claws destroy the door that led into the skyscraper. However, instead of going inside, the woman with white hair placed his hand on his shoulder, hindering him from going inside. They seemed to be arguing about something which gave Clint the opportunity to say something.

"I vote for joining them," said Clint.

"Me too," said Natasha. "We can't take on Magneto by ourselves. He's too powerful."

"I thought that was why we had Marie," said Steve before sighing. "But you're right. We need more men."

"So, we'll join them?" asked Marie, not waiting for an answer before she stood up and started walking towards the X-Men. She was eager to be able to join her own people again. Steve had been kind to her, but by her people's side she would always feel the most comfortable. They were her family after all.

Natasha, Clint and Steve soon followed Marie. However, they didn't get far before one of the windows from the top of the skyscraper broke, causing everyone to look up. Through the window, two people flew out, calmly as if they rode on an invisible platform, slowly making their way downwards.

Marie heard the man with the claws speak up, "Storm" before a wind suddenly started to blow. Marie looked over at the X-Men and noticed the woman with the white hair lift herself up, her eyes now a white color, as the wind twirled around her. At the moment that she was going to send the strong tornado flying towards the two people coming down, all the surrounding cars were lifted up from the ground and thrown at the X-Men, Clint, Natasha and Steve.

Marie gasped, dropping her machetes in progress, as the side of the car scraped her arm slightly before hitting Steve, making him fall to the ground, unconscious, just like the others did. Quickly, Marie ran over to Steve. For some reason she felt a certain urge to protect him as she touched his face carefully. She saw the images of soldiers and war flash before her eyes as her fingertips touched his cheeks.

With wide eyes, Marie watched the two people descend down to the ground while staying at Steve's side. As soon as she recognized them, she stood up and started walking towards them.

"Raven…" gasped Marie before she fell into her old friend's arms.

"Marie… It's been some time," said Raven.

She had changed. Not just because she now walked around in her blue form at all times, but she had also changed mentally. Marie noticed this just by hearing her voice again. She was not the same woman as the one that Marie had been forced to leave all those years ago.

"You don't say," said Marie as they broke the hug. "You've changed."

"You haven't," said Raven, winking at her which caused a smile to appear on her lips.

Marie slowly turned her head towards the elderly man that was still patiently watching her. Marie's eyes slowly filled with tears as she looked at his blue eyes. There was no way she could mistake him. There was no way that that warm feeling that ignited inside of her was mistaking.

That was Erik.

"You haven't changed a bit, my dear," said Erik, a soft smile appearing on his lips.

As Marie took a step closer to Erik, he placed his hand on her cheek, just like he always used to do. She had missed it, the small gesture of love and it caused her tears to escape her eyes.

"Marie…"

A gasp escaped her as she heard the voice inside her head. Erik's eyes turned from a loving one, to a serious one as he turned around, shifting so that he was standing slightly in front of Marie.

"Charles," said Erik as another elderly man sitting in a wheelchair approached them.

He was all alone without any weapons or allies with him. The street was dead quiet as he moved closer to them. The only thing that Marie could still recognize were Charles' eyes. Erik had been easier to recognize. He was still wearing his signature helmet and his suit with the cape. Charles had changed completely. He seemed calmer and wiser than he used to be. He truly was someone to look up to.

Pity he was against Erik.

"I see you got what you wanted," said Charles just as the man with the claws woke up again, grunting slightly as he sat up.

Erik looked down at his hand where he was holding a tight grip on a small USB stick. Marie furrowed her brow before quickly snatching it from Erik's hand and taking a couple steps away from him, holding it up in front of her, knowing he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

"What is it?" asked Marie as Erik slowly turned his head towards her.

Wolverine, the man with the claws, slowly made his way over to his other teammates, checking their pulses and double checking their wounds. He stayed by a red-haired woman's side while he watched the scene unfold, knowing that the Professor would give him orders if he had to do something.

On the other side, Steve was starting to wake up as well. He made sure he was extra quiet as he stood up, double checking himself for any major injuries. Luckily, he didn't have any. He might have broken a rib and possibly his nose. But he could still, quietly, make his way over to his shield without Magneto or Mystique noticing.

"It's an USB stick," said Erik calmly.

"Yes, I understand that," said Marie sharply. "What's on it?"

"Just some maps, Marie. Now give it to me," said Erik, holding out his hand to her.

"He's planning to start a war between mankind and mutants. He wants to start this war by showing the humans that they can't trust even each other."

"How is he going to do that?"

"By bombing New York with America's own missiles."

Marie's face turned into one of understanding. "Why, Erik?"

A sigh escaped Erik as he let his hand drop. "Did Charles tell you, my dear?"

"Yes. And it's a stupid plan," said Marie. "You can't do this Erik."

"On who's side are you exactly, Marie?" asked Erik, taking a step forwards.

Steve grabbed his shield and made eye contact with Logan before throwing his shield at Erik. The sound his shield made when it swished through the air made Erik react quickly by placing a magnetic field around him, Raven and Marie. The shield bounced off the magnetic field before landing on the street with a thud. Steve sighed before placing his hand on his possibly broken rib. He didn't notice Erik turn around and look at him. He didn't hear Marie call his name until something painfully grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up from the ground.

A few meters away from Steve, a bicycle had been standing. The chains from the bicycle were now around Steve's neck, making him gasp for air.

"No! Erik, please, I beg of you, stop this! This is nonsense! We don't have to do this in order to live peacefully on this Earth! This murdering, this destroying of their cities, that's the thing that's causing mankind to dread and hate us! Believe me, it is," said Marie before softly placing her hand on Erik's raised arm. "Erik…"

Steve fell back down to the ground, coughing and wheezing.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to make a choice, Marie," said Erik, using his powers to grab the USB stick from Marie's hand again. "Me… or them."

The magnetic field around them disappeared and Logan, along with all the others were now standing behind Charles who himself was watching Marie with sad eyes. Ever since the day they had met, Charles had known that both Erik and Marie had fallen for each other. At first, it had been lust at first sight. But as they got to know each other more and more, love had developed. It pained Charles to see Erik turn into a murderer and it pained him even more that Marie was loyal enough to destroy her entire reputation for him.

She had destroyed and slaughtered for him. Her entire reputation was bad. Mankind feared hers and Erik's names. Marie had made a bad choice that day on the beach, and Charles feared that she would do it again today.

Clint quickly hurried over to Natasha while Marie took a few steps back. He shook her slightly but got no reaction from Natasha. She was still heavily unconscious. Instead, he quietly made his way towards Steve, glancing up at Marie and Erik from time to time as he did.

"You okay?" asked Clint as he helped Steve stand up.

"Peachy," replied Steve before quickly redirecting his attention to Marie and Erik.

Erik was now standing with his hand open in front of Marie.

"We can be together again, you and I," said Erik, the wind blowing through is now grey hair. "Together, we can create a new world. A world where we mutants can live in peace. A world where our names will forever be remembered."

A couple hours ago, this would have been an easy choice for Marie. However, a couple hours ago Marie still remembered Erik as the loving young man that he used to be. She was still attracted to him even though he was now older than her. But she knew, deep down, that she back in 1962 had made the wrong decision. She wanted to be with the man she loved. But perhaps the man she loved was still to come.

Her eyes were on Erik's outstretched hand. Her mind was set. She was going to do this. Slowly, she placed her hand in his hand, making a smirk appear on Erik's lips.

"I knew you'd stay with me," said Erik, his smirk changing into a soft smile as Marie placed both her hands, with effort because of his helmet, on his cheeks.

She smiled a loving smile at him and for a moment, it felt just like the old days again. However, the smile soon disappeared from Erik's face as Marie's face turned serious, the love disappearing from her eyes.

"I would stay with you. If the age gap wasn't so big," said Marie before kicking him in the stomach, making him double over in pain as she quickly took the USB stick from his hand. "I'm too old for you," she said before ducking Raven's punch, which made her fall down at the ground.

The USB stick that had been in her hands was now crushed and broken underneath her hand. It had cut into her palm, but she didn't mind. Marie had just stopped Erik from destroying New York. That was all that mattered to her right now.

Erik was just about to use his powers on yet another car, his face filled with rage and probably wanting nothing but to revenge his now broken heart, when a certain black arrow landed on the ground beside him. He looked at it with a confused frown on his face, as did Mystique, when suddenly, Steve jumped in front of Marie, his shield shielding both Marie and him before the arrow exploded.

Erik was just quick enough to create another magnetic barrier, but it still sent both him and Raven flying. Logan was about to attack Erik when Charles' voice stopped him.

"Let him go," said he, earning confused looks from everyone. "He can't harm New York anymore. That was our mission."

"Exactly," said Storm, giving Logan a look to which he simply rolled his eyes.

"Leave now, Erik," said Charles. "We don't want any more destruction here."

With a scoff, Erik and Mystique flew away, as quickly as Erik could with his powers. Steve turned around and looked at Marie as soon as he saw that Erik was now gone.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" asked Steve, looking back at her as he stood up, his shield falling to the ground as he offered her his hand.

"I don't know," said Marie, the adrenaline now leaving her body as she took Steve's offered hand and stood up. As it left her body, the pain from losing Erik took over her heart. It burned and cut in her like a fiery knife. However, she knew that she had made the right choice.

"You made a good choice," said Charles as he and the other X-Men walked over to them, Clint joining Steve and Marie as well while Natasha was still unconscious. "I suppose I should thank you."

"No, Charles, you don't have to thank me," said Marie, smiling at him. "I just followed my heart."

"And what is your heart telling you to do now?" asked Charles. "There'll always be a place here with us for you."

Marie looked at the professor who had a knowing smile on his face. Steve and Clint walked over to Natasha who finally was starting to wake up. Her nose was bleeding frantically and she probably had a concussion. Marie watched them for a while. Seeing the concern that Clint and Steve had for Natasha as she slowly sat up. It reminded her of the love that Erik's brotherhood had had for each other back in the old days. It warmed her heart.

"Bub? You have an answer for us? I don't have all day," said Logan which made Marie look at him, a smile on her face.


Thanks for reading! There will be one more chapter, which will be quite short… It will be up today, I think, since it's already written. :)