I do not own X-Men: First Class.

Duh.

In the Beginning

Chapter 14: Pain in the Name of Love

It was evening. Charles was presumably with Moira, his current love interest, whom Raven had grudgingly proclaimed to be a step up from the usual brainless bar twits he typically pursued.

Or perhaps he was engaged in another philosophical debate with Erik.

They did that frequently. Engaged in intense, private conversations to the exclusion of all else.

Hank didn't know what they talked about. But he could guess it most likely wasn't rugby.

Shaw and Cuba, most likely. Tomorrow they were planning on stopping the monster and averting World War III. Saving countless lives.

But none of that mattered just now.

The serum was finished. It was ready.

He had worked tirelessly on it for days.

And now the time had come.

He had gone into town alone that very afternoon. To a high-end jewelry store and under the hawkeyed scrutiny of the appraising sales lady, had found the most beautiful set of diamond bracelets he could lay his eyes upon. He had bought them and brought them back to the Manor. And taken the black velvet box to the lab. Removed the lovely bracelets and replaced them with the serum-prepped syringes .

They were beautiful, the pair of them. Sitting together upon the soft, black fabric, whispering to him of hope and acceptance.

First, he and Raven would take their injections. Together. Solve their aesthetic problems. Together.

Then he would finally feel confident enough to express his undying love for her.

And she, happy once more and forever free of her shameful scaly blue, yellow-eyed condition, would be able to accept his love.

He would then give her the secondary gifts, the diamond bracelets.

And they would live happily ever after.

It was a fairy tale, to be sure. But fairy tale that could come to pass.

With the help of the green serum patiently and strategically developed by Dr. Henry Philip McCoy.

Hank closed the box and took a deep breath. Said a silent prayer to all that was good and pure in the universe.

He checked his appearance once more in the full-length mirror of his bedroom.

He'd changed his shirt, brushed his teeth, and brushed his hair carefully so that when the serum took hold and normalized his physical mutation, he would be absolutely ready to start his new life as a non-freakish, normal person.

That's all I want: to be normal. That's all we want.

And he was going to make it happen.

Then he set off for Raven's room.

He knocked on her door in three times in quick succession, so eager was he to share with her his special gift.

"Come in," her lovely, smoky voice invited.

Hank opened the door and entered, feeling like a kid in a candy shop. Her private room.

She smiled beautifully and rose from her perch at the vanity table when she saw him. Apparently, her sudden ire with him had cooled now and she was ready to make amends.

You'll be much happier in a moment, my princess. Your mutant prince is here to rescue you. With a syringe.

He smiled back nervously, excitedly.

His lightening quick mind did not miss the fact that she was clothed only in a fluffy, white bathrobe.

Is there anything on underneath that? Um, never mind.

He closed the door for their privacy and considered locking it.

No, no, that might be a little presumptuous. Perhaps later.

"Hey," he said, suddenly breathless with rising anticipation. "I have a surprise for you."

She smiled with curious delight and took his proffered jewelry box.

Hank waited with baited breath, gazing upon her beauty, reveling in her nearness. Eager to see the joy and relief that would inevitably spread across her face when she discovered the contents of the box.

When she opened it, her smile froze then faded. Then she looked at him, her lovely blue eyes full of questions.

Yes, yes, the sight of them is quite stunning, I know. They're so . . . magnificient.

He smiled reassuringly.

I've brought you the entire world, my sweet Raven. Floating there within that light, green fluid.

Then she moved toward the twin chairs to sit before the fire. Hank followed her eagerly.

"I isolated the right marker in your DNA sample," he relayed, taking a seat in the chair next to her.

She just needs some explanation so that she understands exactly how it will work. Intelligent woman, of course. Never just take a chemical someone gives you. Not even me.

The flickering firelight, gently warming the room, created the perfect ambiance for them and what they were about to do together.

Hank could see it all in his mind's eye. He had gone over it time and time again until it had become his hopeful, unerring reality.

They would take their serum injections together and their physical mutations would melt away like snow before the reborn spring. Then he would get down on one normal knee, take her hand in his, and profess his undying love to her.

If that confession ended in a kiss, then that would only prove to make the experience more perfect.

And then, if in exalted passion of freedom, they also expressed their love physically in the bed to his left, then that would be her prerogative as well. But only if she desired it. He could wait. He'd been waiting for her his whole life. A little while longer was nothing to a man like him.

Yes, this is perfect, he decided. This is where we change our lives. Together.

"The serum works like an antibiotic," he continued, wishing to explain it so that she may have complete and utter confidence in it. In him. "Attacking the cells that cause our physical mutation."

Still she hesitated, seeming unsure.

Ah yes, of course . . .

"It won't affect our abilities," he reassured her. "Just our appearance."

There. Isn't that fantastic? We can finally be normal. Together. It's so easy, so simple.

Hank felt another surge of excitement as he imagined their wonderful, deform-less existence together.

Still, his tentative, thoughtful Raven remained still, her face drawn into a frown.

A tremor of worry passed through him. He thought he could hear the other trying to talk to him, trying to shout something. But he couldn't make it out over the thundering of his own heartbeat.

And he didn't really want to either.

"Do you still want to do this?" he queried.

Timid, she's only timid. That's natural, that's normal. Just give her a minute and she'll acclimate to the idea. Patience, my love, of course. I have all the patience in the world for you.

Raven leaned forward a little, her lovely face beseeching him.

"Should we have to hide?" she asked doubtfully.

His heart went out to her, his shy, sweet darling. She only needed a nudge. Just a little guidance.

"Well, you already do," he reminded her gently. "You're hiding right now. Like I have my whole life."

Did she wish to reveal their individual mutations so that when the serum took hold the moment would prove that much more momentous and freeing?

A little . . . dramatic, perhaps. But if that's what you wish, my princess.

Hank opened his mind and stood ready to do anything in his power to make her more comfortable in this, their moment of transfiguration.

Anything, my Raven. Just tell me. And I'll do it.

"I don't want to feel like a freak all the time," he confessed, reaching out to her sense of compassion in hopes of bringing her back to him in their mutual quest for a normal existence.

"I just want to look . . ."

". . . normal," she finished for him.

Ah yes, my Raven. You do remember. You do understand. I knew you would. Thank you.

He breathed a sigh of relief, trying to see it from her perspective.

I know. I know what will help. I am a gentleman. Of course. I will go first.

Hank drew his gaze anyway from her and set his eyes to the offering upon the table.

Yes, I will go first and then you will see that it is safe. Yes, of course.

He lifted the heavy syringe from the back (you, of course, my princess, get the first one. As a show of honor, you get the first one of, course) and tapped it, more out of nervousness than anything else.

The other's distant voice was getting louder but Hank brushed him away before the words came clear and proved a distraction.

"Hank, don't!" Raven exclaimed suddenly.

He glanced up, concerned and confused at her outburst.

"You're beautiful, Hank," she said.

Well, thank you, my sweet Raven. That is very kind of you to say. Delusional though it may be.

"Everything you are, you're perfect," she continued adamantly. His precious woman.

He sighed.

Yes, he had expected that she may experience some sort of residual attachment to her old life. That was to be expected, he supposed. It hurt him to see her so desperately cling to an old stifling life of freakdom.

But if he could only be patient with her, guide her into seeing the truth, seeing the reality. Then she would go with him on the journey of transformation.

And in the end, they could be whole and normal and free and together.

If he could only make her see.

So though it hurt him, he listened. Because if he listened to her, then she would listen to him.

"Look at all we achieved this week," she continued. "All we will achieve?"

Achieve, yes, you lovely, logical woman, yes. Exactly! And if we could achieve all that under the duress of our mutations, then what more may we achieve without their shackles? Don't you see?

"We are different," she admitted.

I'll say so. Did you know you turn blue and scaly and naked? But I love you anyway.

"But we shouldn't be trying to fit into society," she contended. "Society should aspire to be more like us."

Well, Raven, now you sound like Erik. And that man, my dear, is a little more than slightly mad.

But Raven, his stubborn Raven, wasn't done.

"Mutant," she began, revealing her blue form to him. "And proud."

He sorrowed the words he was about to speak because he knew that they would hurt her. And he never, ever wished to cause her pain. He wished only to take it away from her.

But he had to speak the direct words so that he may save her. Save her from her physical mutation, heal her from it with his carefully engineered serum. So that they may be together as normal people.

And so he steeled his heart and spoke the words he knew would hurt her, cause her pain. So that she may see.

"It behooves me to tell you that even if we save the world tomorrow and mutants are accepted into society, my feet and your natural blue form will never be deemed beautiful."

She rippled back into her blond shape and it was indeed a sight for his sore eyes.

Though her betrayed expression and wounded tears were not.

He tried to make it better.

"You look beautiful now," he insisted.

Please, Raven, please. I love you. I just want to help you. So you can be happy. So we can be together.

He held up his syringe for her consideration.

"We . . . need . . . this . . . cure," he said slowly, in a final attempt to break through her fear, her confusion.

But it was obvious to him now that she was not ready. She needed more evidence to convince her.

And he needed time to think, to sort through his tangling thoughts for a better way to convince her.

He tried to say so but words failed him as he had used them all up in his pleadings and coercions to her.

So he simply got up and left.

Perhaps time alone to think would help her see the truth.

Perhaps it would help him formulate a new plan to reach her.

Perhaps.

If you love Hank as I do, you did not look away from his plummet into the abyss of the crazy. You stayed there beside him because you resolved to bear witness to the shame and embarrassment that he himself can't yet face. And I commend you for it. (Yeah, it's 5 in the morning and I'm being a little dramatic. What?)

Hank's so desperately delusional here, clinging to whatever he can to validate what he is doing to himself and Raven. It's very nearly excruciating to me. I love that sweet boy so much and I hate what's going on here. But that's what he told me happened. Yeah, yeah, I know he's fictional. Hush. ;)

So anyway, thanks for reading this far everyone. And thanks to brigid1318, A Bewildered Bear, and MoonlitShadowsoftheHumanSoul for speaking up.

Next up, delusions and dreams will be shattered. And I warn you now, it's going to hurt.