Thankyou again guys for the lovely reviews, they make me very happy :P

amon: I'm really glad the characters motivations have come across as realistic. I wanted to keep everyone's behaviours logical. Well logical according to their own personal set of morals at least. I'm trying hard to not to make Erik either too heartless or too fluffy...because he's neither...but he is dangerous. I always compare Erik to a big cat because I think that's what comes to mind most when I write him. He has got a charming side where he's like big purring kitty, but he can also rip your head off and leave you in a bloody mutilated mess. Not mention all that deliciously complex stuff in between.

Lekta: Hehe glad you like Erik showing a softer side. I like complicated adolescent stuff that X-men Evolution and WatXM fanfiction often explores too. But I think XMFC magneto lends himself well to having a bit more emotional intelligence than the animated versions. Magneto's reaction to people and his formation of relationships seems very much governed by the circumstance in which he meets them, and I wanted to explore a universe where he meets his son after he's finished grieving for their mother but before he becomes too ruthless with his ambitions. Simpler in some ways I guess, but Erik always comes with his baggage ;) BTW please please please write more of your story when you have the time!

Erik's own lungs began to burn when they reached the halfway point. The swim was not at easy one, Erik was a strong swimmer, but he was tired, cold, injured and carrying excess weight. The flooded corridor was completely dark, which meant he had to rely on his tactile senses. He finally found the entrance to stairwell and began to swim upwards.

The water ended at top of the stairs; at the entrance to the next floor. Erik and Pietro broke the surface coughing and gasping. Erik was relieved and slightly surprised to find that Pietro seemed to have suffered less from the lack of air than he had and appeared to recover faster. Charles had mentioned the boy's x-gene had granted him an increased speed and agility, he supposed an increase in lung capacity would go hand in hand with such a mutation.

Pietro stumbled out of the water and grasped Erik's arm trying to pull him out too. Erik chuckled, through coughs when the child tried and failed to pull his father's weight out the water.

" Well you do not lack ambition...I'll give you that.. " Erik commented. Pietro looked at him blankly. Erik hauled himself out of the water and ruffled the boy's wet hair affectionately. " Your vocabulary is in dire need of refinement.." As he spoke the ship creaked and then suddenly swayed sending them both off balance.

"The ship is losing it's equilibrium..." Erik said as frowning he regained his footing "...we need to leave before it capsizes... " Perhaps speed of the flooding also had something to do with vessel being de-powered, water leaking in through the pump mechanisms too...Erik thought as he looked down at Pietro, who looked tired but far happier now that he was no longer in the water, and almost exhilarated at surviving the near death experience. Pietro felt bouncier, like he had gotten a second wind. Erik theorized maybe that had something to do with ventilation system and subsequently the x-gene dampening compound being shut off ….the air felt different on this floor now..

" Can you run? " Erik asked.

Pietro's back hurt, but adrenaline and the cold water was having a numbing effect on the wounds. He could run. He always run. In fact he really really wanted to run. Pietro grinned and nodded.

Pietro started to open the door that led to the corridor. Erik snatched the hood on the back of Pietro's borrowed coat and gave him a hard jerk backwards to stop the boy walking blindly into the corridor.

"Use your senses!" He hissed. Was the child trying to get himself killed? Erik sighed "You'll turn me grey overnight..." he muttered, he could swear Charles was thinning too, perhaps all x-gene endowed children had detrimental effects on adult hair...

"Sorry.." Pietro said, however Erik's scolding had not dampened his mood "...but it's not like anyone in this joint could stop you from splitting.. " Pietro stated beaming at Erik with no small amount of awe, they were home free as far as he was concerned. Erik raised an eyebrow at his son.

" I think you are severely overestimating my abilities...I am not superman."

" Close enough..." Erik heard Pietro whisper under his breath, and Erik didn't think he'd ever heard a statement about himself that both endorsed and burdened him so much. He sighed again and carefully looked around the doorframe into the corridor, a few bodies lay on the ground unmoving, Erik couldn't tell if they were unconscious or dead. Some were prisoners, some were guards, but otherwise it was devoid of movement.

The boy swallowed "Should we help?" Pietro asked quietly, referring to the unmoving prisoners. Charles would probably say that he'd seen too much, but Erik didn't see the point the in deluding children. The sooner they learnt the world wasn't a fairy tale the better equipped they'd be to survive.

" No, Pietro. We have other priorities." Erik replied matter of factly , and I am not Florence Nightingale he thought ...or Charles Xavier... " There will always be casualties in war. "

Erik called to Pietro as he slipped through the door " Come. Stay beside me as we move, unless you wish to become one of them."

x-x-x-x-x-x

Erik was surprised to find not just one floor but all of them clear as he made he way up to the deck. Pietro kept his pace with ease while they ran, and appeared to be revealing in the chance to stretch his legs again. But the boy faltered when they had to climb a ladder to a deck hatch. He was a few rungs up when the effort of using his arm and back muscles irritated the gashes and caused a wave of burning pain which seemed to take the breath from him. Erik who was a few steps behind, caught him carefully around the waist before he fell.

" Breathe slowly" Erik said gently.

Above them Erik couldn't hear anything, neither buzz of voices, or the sound of combat. He needed to know what was happening. Erik supposed that Charles would be the best person to ask about that, and began to somewhat regret forcibly ejecting his friend from his head earlier. As frequently as he had been around telepaths Erik still knew very little about the internal mechanics of the phenomenon. When you severed a connection was it similar to telling someone not to look at you? In which case you couldn't expect them to respond when you if you started trying to communicate in sign language. Or was it more akin to telling some someone not eves drop? You might tell someone not to sit directly by the door while you whispered over the phone, but if you raised your voice and called their name, they would hear you whether they were actively listening or not wouldn't they.. Erik concentrated hard on talking to Xavier

Charles can you hear me?

Erik? Are you alright?

Yes

You're not hurt? I could not sense you at all. I was about to send beast and Havoc looking for you...Is Pietro with you?

Erik was surprised by Charles' concern and obvious relief. He had been expecting the other man to be miffed with him as he'd cut him off mid sentence the last time they talked. Apparently though Charles had not associated that action with Erik.

Yes he's here. No, I'm not hurt, well a few scratches perhaps...nothing of note Erik sent to Charles, who paused so long in reply that Erik wondered if the telepath could still hear him Charles?

I'm here Erik, sorry...it's just your mind...it feels...odd...almost like you're still unconscious..I'll explain later...The two of you should hurry on to deck, the ship is sinking!

Erik turned to his son who had caught his breathe and was about to attempt climbing the iron ladder again. Erik gently placed a hand on the boy's head to stop him.

"This will go better with you on my back I think." Erik bent down and let Pietro climb on to him, then ascended the ladder. As Erik emerged through the deck hatch he saw that the opposite end of the deck was considerably lower in the water and the whole ship seemed to be at a forty-five degree angle. As Erik rushed to the railings, still carrying Pietro, he saw a medium sized ferry anchored a short distance from Omega's sinking vessel. Charles was on the deck, along with Banshee and two other mutants he did not recognise, at least Erik presumed they were mutants because they were dressed in a similar combat uniforms to one that he himself had worn a year earlier. They were both male; one wore a red bandanna and had a Latin look about him*, the other was almost as muscle bound as Rossovich and looked like he hailed from somewhere close to Erik's and Pietro's ancestral homelands in Europe. They were helping the liberated mutants out of life boats. Some of the guards were there too, but they were unarmed and being marshalled by Havoc. Erik estimated there were about forty former prisoners that had survived the riot, many of them looked malnourished and shell shocked. The entire nightmarish trip had been too much of a reminder to the darker times in his youth. He itched to have this whole mission dead and buried.

"Professor! Colossus!** " Pietro shouted excitedly. Erik twitched as his eardrum protested in pain at the sudden increase in volume.

Charles and the eastern European called Colossus waved back. Pietro scrambled down from Erik's back, and whizzing around so he was now standing in front of Erik and yanking on the older man's jumper. "Erik, Erik! I know them! Quick there's a boat over there let's go!" Pietro said excitedly almost bouncing up and down as he spoke. Erik looked in the direction Pietro was gesturing, several lifeboats still hung on the side of the ship, thankfully whoever had designed Omega's mobile testing facility had taken the threat of a sinking ship seriously and provided ample numbers of the craft. The pair climbed into the boat and Erik mentally commanded the pulley to lower them into the water. He felt another wave of pain and nausea as he exercised his powers, and closed his eyes reflexively.

"Are you ok?" Pietro asked worriedly noticing the pained look on his companion's face as they reached the water.

"Fine." Erik answered shortly in a tone that forbade any follow up questions. Hating to show weakness, let alone discuss it he reached for the oars and started rowing towards the ferry. Erik felt like he wanted to grab a bucket and some pain killers then lock himself away from the world for several hours, the irony of such a thought was not lost on him.

Colossus extended one of his huge arms to help them on board as Erik pulled up beside Charles' vessel.

"Рад вас видеть снова немного один." [It's good to see you again little one.] Colossus greeted Pietro in Russian as he and Erik boarded the ferry. "Who is this you have brought with you?" Colossus asked good naturedly.

"This is Erik" Pietro answered proudly like school boy who had brought an exceptional favourite toy to show and tell " He's like us and he's amazing! You should see him use his powers!" Erik blinked at this. Pietro's hero worship of him was bringing up mixed; emotions guilt, pride, irritation, affection, but the strongest was the one constant that always hovered in the background of Erik's consciousness: fear. Erik had spent years avoiding getting attached people, the way wild animals avoided fire. People he got close to either left or they died, in Erik's mind that was an innumerable truth. Honestly he didn't really want to get attached to Pietro...he wanted to arrange somewhere safe for the boy to grow up. Somewhere far away from him, far away from danger. But he didn't want to be a single parent, didn't want the heavy responsibility of safeguarding another little life...he'd failed at that when Magda had been by his side and he'd had aspirations for a relatively mundane existence. God only knew how horrifically it would all end now that she was gone and his life was even more complicated and hazardous. No, the boy would have to go. Erik wasn't burying any more of his kin.

"I quite agree Pietro, Erik is amazing." Charles said wheeling up beside them "I'm very glad you're both back safely"

"You two know each other?" Pietro asked.

"We're old friends" Erik answered.

Charles' smile grew at the mention of the term "friends". He hadn't really realised just how unsure he was of where he stood with Erik before that statement. Despite himself Erik returned Charles' wide smile with a lopsided one of his own.

"Is that boat yours too Professor?" Pietro said pointing at a vessel in the distance. Erik's eyes picked out the silhouette of a US aircraft carrier in the distance. He turned to Xavier with a look of thunder on his face.

"Charles-" Erik began in a voice that was laden with quiet fury.

Erik I can explain. Charles spoke directly into Erik's mind. But perhaps if we go somewhere more secluded first?I think we have some private issues to discuss as well as this pressing one? Colossus will look after Pietro for the moment.

Erik glared back, but followed as Charles to lead him into a room at deck level that looked like the captain's quarters. Once the door closed Erik rounded on the other man and exploded.

"You invited the military here? Are you mad Charles or just a fool? They'll throw all these people straight back into laboratories and jails!" Erik vaguely remembered Charles mentioning something about "turning Omega employees over to authorities" at the start of the mission, but he didn't think Charles would be stupid enough to do it in the same breathe that he liberated their people, besides Erik had been planning on a mass culling and hadn't seen Charles sentimental ideals as too much of a threat...that plan had obviously gone to hell... But he had thought Charles would at least have the sense to keep the guards and scientists as hostages, interrogating them all first, biding time. Erik would have tortured them, sold back the valuable ones and then slaughtered the rest. It was no more than they'd done his people.

"Erik we need to hand the guards and the rest of the staff over to the justice system. Omega started of as Soviet division but shortly after Rossovich took control they went rogue. They are no longer affiliated with any government, some of the staff have committed humanitarian crimes yes, but some of them have been coerced and bullied into working for Omega. They all need to be put on trial for what they have done and sentenced according to the rule of law. We have righted a terrible wrong Erik, but we cannot play judge jury and executioner for these people. We cannot dispense mob justice. We must be better than that. The world would paint us as dangerous uncontrolled threats. We must prove that we are human too. That we can be merciful. That we are civilised. That we are willing to respect laws and justice."

"I don't need to prove anything to their people Charles. My loyalty is to my own." Erik replied darkly "Why are you so forever concerned by the opinions of those insects? We are gods, you and I, and yet you would content yourself with scraps from their table!" He spat as he stormed out of the room.

* Points for guessing who red bandanna guy is.

**Otherwise known as Piotr Rasputin, to learn more just google "x-men colossus" :)