Chapter 11: If you show me...
"Let's hope we can," Charles replied to Emma's question on the possibility of breaking Mystique out of prison. "It could blow Erik's cover, though…"
"Yes, I agree it would be better if it didn't," Emma concurred. "We may be able to find another way… Do you have any ideas?"
Charles thought long and hard. "I'm not sure if…. I suppose Erik could provide us with a lot more details about the lay-out of the cells and such… He would know the routines…"
"When will he be home?" Emma wondered.
"His shift should end in a few hours," Charles replied. "I still can't believe…." The shock that Erik was a mutant took all of his mental energy. He couldn't think of anything else at the moment…
Emma smirked at the other telepath's uneasiness. "So this Erik is really the first mutant you met since Raven?" she asked him.
"Yes, well befriended anyway… I've seen them in court, of course, but had to keep my cover. I tried to give comfort where I could but that proved to be nearly impossible…" His job had clearly made Charles quite bitter.
"You're on the wrong side you mean?!" Emma hissed. "Prosecuting people, mutants too?"
Charles became angry. "Prosecution mutant-bashers as well, for your information! But…" his face fell, "sadly these days mutants are being chosen to serve as scapegoats more and more often…"
"Getting higher punishments for the same offences, I bet…" Emma stated.
He nodded solemnly. He believed in justice and wanted badly to believe in the justice of the system too. However that was slowly becoming harder and harder….
"Perhaps you've put your faith in the wrong people…." Emma challenged him. She had an agenda of her own. "Perhaps it is time for a new allegiance….?"
"He's coming…." Charles nervously paced up and down his living room. "What do I say…?"
"Don't ask me!" Emma rolled her eyes. "I'll be in one of the guest bedrooms… Give you some privacy…" Charles huffed in return. Telepaths couldn't give you privacy even if they wanted to…
"Charles! Charles! Where the hell are you?!" Erik's voice boomed as he ran up the stairs. "You'll never believe what happened at work today…."
"Erik…" Charles mumbled, fidgeting with hands.
"I met her! Raven…. They asked me to guard her…. She is quite something though…" Erik shook his head, laughing cheerfully. "What's the matter with you? You're all silent…" he said when Charles didn't respond.
"Aren't you pleased? She seems to remember you too!"
"Tell me what happened, please… Was she hurt? Did they hurt her?"
Erik's eyes narrowed. "Exactly how…? She said some strange things about you…" He gave Charles a puzzled look.
Charles swallowed hard. "Please, Erik… Did they hurt her in any way?"
"They tried… I… Well, I know you didn't exactly ask me to, but I… I helped her a bit… So she's more or less all right… I did so…" Erik felt like he had to defend his actions. A cop helping a prisoner... "I did so because I wanted her to keep your name out of it… Your past acquaintance with her should not get you into any trouble…"
"Erik… Someone… Someone came to see me… A woman. She works with…. She's a friend of Raven apparently…"
"Another mutant? Here?! In your house?" Erik didn't understand what was going on…
"She told me about…." Charles faltered. "Well, about you, actually…."
"What?! What are you saying, Charles….?" His tone threatening. Erik felt like trapped and seriously contemplated lunging towards him, pinning him down on the floor.
"Perhaps I should…. Maybe it would be better if I… Okay, here goes…" Charles took a deep breath. "Erik… I'm a mutant."
Erik's anger diminished in an instant. "You? But you…."
"It's why I never wanted to talk about it… Nor did you, which helped a lot…"
"I… I don't know what to say…" Erik mumbled in return, his eyes hopeful but still a little on guard.
"This woman said you are too. Are you?"
Erik looked at his lover. Could he trust him? Should he? He nodded silently. Yes, he was.
Charles continued: "I… I can read minds… Hear what people think… It scared the living daylights out of me the very first time, but at some point I realized…. It's still hard though…. And nearly all my relationships…. Well, I couldn't truly be myself, could I?" He smiled sadly.
"And you?" he asked, when Erik still didn't respond.
"I…" he rasped his throat. "I… Metal… It sort of listens to me… Like, I can make it do what I want…"
"Sounds quite handy…" Charles laughed heartily.
Erik couldn't help but produce a weak smile of his own.
"Look at us…" Charles giggled. "We've been together for quite a while… and didn't have a clue… If they knew that at work…."
"…we'd both be fired…" Erik finished his sentence. His detective skills seemed to have a blind spot indeed.
