Shaw lingered by the window, staring out at the water with a scowl. Azazael stood behind him, tail lashing angrily.

"Should I go get them?" He asked, turning his attention to the man still glaring out the window.

"No, no don't bother. The boy's as good as dead and so are we once Erik figures that out." Shaw muttered, finally turning away from the window and walking quickly to the door. "Go find Emma, tell her what happened and then we need to go."

"What about the American?"

"Leave her here. They'll find her soon enough and send her home."

Azazel frowned slightly but nodded, disappearing in a flash of red smoke a moment later. Shaw paused in the doorway once he was sure he was alone, looking back to the shattered window and shaking his head with a scowl. He should have known something would go wrong. Even so, he and the others needed to get out. It was only a matter of time before Erik found the boy's body and was out for blood…again. With a soft curse, Shaw turned and hurried down the hall, gathering the few things he knew they'd need once they fled from the vengeful mutant.

00o00

The moment he hit the water he was frantically searching, ignoring the burning in his eyes from whatever the hell had been thrown into the river recently. There were more important things to focus on. He pushed himself to the surface, spitting out water and grime and frantically searching the filthy water for any sign of the boy.

"Charles!" He called out, spinning in place and fighting to keep himself above the water. "Charles!" He shouted again before the water drew him under. He struggled back to the surface, catching sight of something near the edges of the river. He frantically kicked towards it, sputtering and cursing as the water threatened to pull him under once again.

A flash of colour a little ways off caught his eye, and he immediately swam towards it. As he got nearer to the shape, he could see clearly that it wasn't another piece of debris, but a coat floating atop the water. He stopped in front of it, grabbing the fabric and cursing. It was Charles' jacket, but the boy was still nowhere in sight. He felt something grab hold of his leg and before he had the chance to breathe was pulled under the water.

He struggled against the grip, coming up again and yanking off what had grabbed hold of his ankle, hauling it to the surface and getting ready to toss it away. He stopped himself when a mess of dark brown hair broke the surface, Charles gagging and coughing out water. Erik's eyes widened and he immediately began kicking back to the shore, resting Charles against his chest and trying to calm the frantic child. The boy could not be consoled though, his eyes screwed shut and pained sobs racking his small form.

Erik struggled to get them both ashore, cradling Charles close to his chest as he fell to his knees in the shallows.

"Charles…Charles, look at me." He gasped, shaking his head to try and get the water out of his eyes. The boy's eyes fluttered open, the blues of his irises standing out against the sharp red of the rest of his eyes.

"It h-hurts…" He whimpered, fingers tightly gripping Erik's soaked jacket. The man frowned and lay Charles down, flinching back as the boy cried out in pain. Erik's eyes searched frantically over the boy's body, searching for any sign of injury.

"Charles, please calm down." He murmured, feeling a faint buzzing at the back of his head. Charles didn't seem to respond, body going ridged and chest rising and falling sharply. Erik placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, frowning in concern.

"Charles?" He said, moving to pick up the boy. As he was lifted, Charles lashed out with a pained scream, falling back to the ground as Erik stumbled back, the faint buzzing exploding as though he'd been hit in the back of the head. He staggered back and fell to his knees once more, hands cupping the side of his head. He fell to his side, the world blurring in and out of focus even as he fought to stay awake.

The last thing he saw before blacking out was a pair of feet racing towards them and a woman's voice calling out.

"Erik! Charles!"

00o00

The steady beeping of a clock roused him from his sleep. He groaned softly and reached out of bed, fumbling to stop the source of the sound. When his fingers met nothing, he scowled and clenched his fist, smirking at the satisfying crunch of metal. A woman's surprised squeak confused him, and he forced his eyes open, squinting against the harsh white walls that greeted him.

He looked around with a frown, eyes widening slightly when he noticed Moira sitting in the corner, staring at the crumpled clock that lay on the floor in front of her.

"Sorry…" Erik murmured, struggling to sit up. Moira looked up and shook her head, managing a weak smile. She stooped down and picked up the clock, tucking it away into her bag.

"Wouldn't want anyone to see that." She said, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling? You had a bit of a nasty fall from what I heard."

Erik shrugged, looking down at himself. Nothing appeared to be broken, and the only damage he could make out were a few scratches along his arms. Even the pain in his head was gone…

He sat up quickly and looked across to Moira, eyes widening in a panic.

"Charles. Where is he?" He demanded, leaning forward. Moira took a step back and lowered her gaze, clearing her throat and shrugging.

"I-I don't know." She replied hesitantly, refusing to return Erik's frantic and searching gaze. "They were still working on him when I last checked. They may have moved him…" She trailed off, finally looking up to Erik and shying away from his doubtful gaze.

"Erik, please. I don't know much more than you do."

"But you do know more." Erik pointed out, watching her closely. Moira opened her mouth to protest, then after a moment's thought closed it and sighed.

"He's expected to live, but that's all I know." She said, jumping as a nurse appeared in the doorway, clearing her throat.

"Miss, there's someone on the lobby phone for you." The young woman said, looking nervously between the two. Erik watched Moira a moment longer before sighing and laying back again, letting his eyes drift closed. Moira hesitated a moment before hurrying off after the nurse.

Erik lay in the bed for several moments, being sure that Moira wouldn't return before he pushed himself up and hurried to change out of the hospital gown and into his now dry – albeit somewhat stiff – clothing. He moved down the hall, casually looking into each room that he passed.

It was several halls and a flight of stairs later before he finally found what he was looking for. He pushed the door open slowly, eyes on the still form in the bed. He closed the door quickly behind him and carefully approached the bed, worried that if he moved too quickly the boy would be gone again.

Charles lay unnaturally still, his chest rising and falling slowly with even breaths. Erik settled into the empty chair by the boy's bedside and sat in silence for a moment, just watching the boy breath. After a moment he reached over and placed a gentle hand on Charles' shoulder. The boy jerked awake, looking around with a panicked expression.

"Charles, Charles relax." Erik said quickly. The boy took a moment to calm down, his eyes eventually settling on Erik. He sagged back into the bed and stared at the ceiling, silent even as Erik waited for him to speak. When the boy remained silent, Erik's expression fell and he tilted his head.

"Charles…What's wrong?" He asked, pulling the chair closer to the bed. Charles turned away and shook his head, tears brimming in his eyes. Erik pushed himself out of the chair and settled carefully on the edge of Charles' bed, hand resting on the boy's shoulder.

"Charles…."

"I can't move my legs." The boy interrupted, voice quick and pained.

"I-I'm sorry?"

"I can't move my legs! The doctor said it was because of the fall." Charles said, looking up to Erik with wide eyes. The man sat in stunned silence, staring down at Charles. He could feel the rage boiling in his chest, but he forced it back for Charles' sake. The last thing the child needed was to see him in a rage.

Erik was about to speak when the door swung open, causing both him and Charles to jump. He stood quickly and hovered over the boy, eyes hard before he realized who stood in the doorway.

"You shouldn't be out of bed." Moira said, the doctor hovering worriedly over her shoulder. She turned and murmured something to the man, who seemed reluctant to leave the three of them one their own. Never the less he turned and hurried down the hall, muttering crossly under his breath despite himself. Erik scowled and turned away, focusing his attention back on the increasingly upset child beside him.

"You could have told me." He muttered, the words directed at Moira.

"I know you, Erik. You would have gone off right away." She said.

"You know nothing about me." Erik snarled, though he had to admit she was right. Never out loud though. He smoothed a hand through Charles' hair, sighing heavily as the boy leaned up into the touch.

"I'll only be a few days…I'm sure I know where he went." He said, looking up to Moira. She seemed to hesitate, shuffling uncertainly. Erik narrowed his eyes and stood, not straying far from Charles' bedside.

"You're keeping something else from me." He said slowly, eyes never leaving Moira's face. She managed to hold his gaze for a moment before sighing.

"We…we've managed to find some distant relatives of Charles'. He's going to be going to live with them."

"And where are these relatives?"

Moira hesitated a moment before speaking.

"America."

Erik's eyes widened and he looked down to Charles. This seemed to be news to the boy as well, who shook his head stubbornly.

"I don't want to go to America! I want to go with Erik."

"Charles, it isn't safe for you to go with him. It never really was." Moira said, shooting Erik a pointed glance before returning her gaze to the boy. "You'll be here for a couple more days. We have to wait for the doctor's okay before we even think about getting you onto a boat."

"So I have time…" Erik murmured.

"Pardon?" Moira asked, looking up with a frown. Erik blinked and looked to her, straightening up but not yet moving from Charles' side.

"I have time to find him and make him pay."

"Find him? Erik, who are you…Oh." Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "I mean I can't stop you but…" She trailed off and sighed heavily.

"There is no 'but'." Erik said firmly, turning away from her and kneeling beside Charles. The boy looked up with wide eyes, torn halfway between crying and smiling.

"I'll be back before you leave, I promise." He said, managing a small smile.

"But what if you aren't?" Charles asked, sniffling softly despite his attempts to keep a strong façade.

"Well then I'll just have to find my own way over there." Erik said, ruffling Charles' hair gently. Moira cleared her throat and looked down.

"I don't think his aunt and uncle would be too happy with you moving in."

"I never said I would move in with them." Erik said with a frown. "Charles is going to want someone around who's like him. We've both been alone for far too long…"

Moira sighed and nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You have a week at most."

Erik nodded and once again looked away from her, focusing on Charles once more. The boy looked up at him with wide eyes, tears once more threatening to spill down his cheeks.

"You'll be back, right?" He asked, holding out his arms. Erik smiled faintly and nodded, pulling the boy into a careful embrace.

"Of course."

"And you'll be careful?" Charles asked, looking up with wide eyes. They both now knew what Shaw and his associates where capable of.

"I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best." Erik said, realizing he was wasting precious time reassuring Charles. While it pained him to push away, he stood and ruffled Charles' hair fondly.

"Moira will take care of you while I'm gone." He said, glancing to the woman for a moment. He wasn't too happy leaving Charles with her, but he had no other choice.

He finally managed to tear himself from the bed, walking to the door and pausing. He looked over his shoulder, watching the two. He seemed like he was about to speak, but changed his mind at the last moment and turned away.

"Take care of yourselves." He said, voice tight. Without waiting for a response, he stepped out of the room and quickly shut the door behind himself. He took a moment to collect himself in the hall, out of sight from both Charles and Moira before he headed out.

Shaw was going to pay for everything that he'd done, even if it was the last thing Erik managed to do.