A/N: This chapter title came from Sia's "Chandelier" which I really had to put some thought into before settling on it. The song is more of an inspiration that is kind of reflected in where Leah is in her life mentally and emotionally. When I looked up the lyrics, one person gave their interpretation: "Chandelier is about being trapped, running away but not moving, telling yourself that you will live but you can't move, forever stuck in preconceived notions. We all say we will "live", but it is again and again an exercise of forward self-denial. 1, 2, 3 - 1, 2, 3 – repeat." and there is also the more literal interpretation of how it has to do with alcoholism, refusing reality, and self-medicating one's pain. That is practically Leah in a nut shell right now. It might have seen like a big leap from how she was just a few chapters ago, but keep in mind a whole decade has passed, and events are drastically different. The line in the song, "I'm going to swing from the chandelier, I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist" I felt like perfectly sums up her self-destructive behavior in the last chapter and so those are the reasons I specifically chose this title :) happy reading!
"Let me guess, you haven't driven in a while?" Logan asked Charles as we pulled up to the house we had been driving to for the past three hours.
"I am a bit shoddy, yes. There, just up there."
"Next time I'm driving, alright don't get used to it." Logan said, reflecting on how most of the trip entailed him teasing Charles' driving skills. The three men sat in the front as I fit into the smaller back seat, musing about the conversation.
"Finally, we're here! Sitting in that back seat with you three was enough to last me a while." I said as we filed out. Maximoff was written on the mailbox, so we knew we had reached our destination.
The front door was glass, and had curved metal decoration on it. Next to Charles I stood in behind Logan and Hank, waiting for the door to be answered.
"What's he done now? I'll just write you a check for whatever he took." The woman answered when she came to the door.
She wore a conservative yellow sweater over a blouse, with a look of apprehension on her face. She looked like to be about late thirties to early forties, but still retained her beauty not many with children usually had after child rearing.
"We just need to talk to him." Logan coolly said, his face a mask of calm behind his sunglasses.
"Peter! The cops are here, again." She nodded and opened the way for us in.
"Something tells me your friend is a model citizen!" I whispered to Logan which earned a humorous grunt.
Making our way down the basement, it was filled with loud music and what appeared to be a lot of stolen goods. A ping pong table was in the center of the room, with what appeared a young man flashing back and forth. We had to do a double take as he went from one side to another playing against himself.
"What do you guys want? I didn't do anything, I've been here all day." Before he even finished his sentence, he flashed away to the couch behind us and leisurely sat. Once he finally sat still, I could see who the mystery friend was. He had uniquely silver-grey hair and was an avid fan of Pink Floyd due to his clothing.
"Just relax, Peter. We're not cops."
"Of course you're not cops. If you were cops you wouldn't be driving a rental car."
"How'd you know we've got a rental car?" Charles asked, clueless without his power.
"I checked your registration when you walked in the door. I also had some time to kill, so I went through your rental agreement and saw you're from out of town. Are you F.B.I.?" Peter asked quizzically, right before he pick-pocketed Charles' wallet.
"Nope, you're not cops. Hey, what's up with this card?"
"That's an old card." Charles stressed as he picked up his fallen wallet.
"He's fascinating!" Hank said smiling.
"He's a pain in the ass." Charles was in no mood.
"What, a teleporter?" Hank asked Logan.
"No, he's just fast and when I knew him he wasn't so young."
"I think he's adorable." Peter briefly blushed as a sent him a friendly wink.
"Young? You're just old." Peter said, almost done eating a popsicle this time.
"So you're not afraid to show your powers?" Hank asked.
"Powers? What powers, what're you talking about? You see something strange here? Nothing anything any one would believe if you told them." He denied, not trusting us.
"So, who are you? What do you want?" Peter transitioned over to an arcade game, forcing us to once again turn around.
"We need your help, Peter."
"With what?"
"To break into a highly secure facility and get someone out." Placing his fists on his hips, Logan seemed much more patient than he had originally been when I first met him.
"Logan, are you sure he's ready for this?" Though marvelous his power could be, I had to doubt a little if he would be serious enough for what we needed.
"Prison break? That's illegal, you know."
"Um, only if you get caught." I almost wanted to laugh as Logan looked around at the stolen goods.
"So, what's in it for me?"
"You, kleptomaniac, get to break into the Pentagon." Rubbing his eyes, Charles casually said piquing the teenager's interest finally.
"How do I know I can trust you?"
"Because we're just like you." Logan replied.
"Show him." Charles said to Logan and myself. I went first, conjuring up a red ball swirling around in my right hand, enjoying the warmth I felt. Curling up his fist, Logan let the bone claws slowly break through the skin between his knuckles, making an uncomfortable sound. The face Peter and myself made were very similar, as I had never seen his actual mutation before.
"It's cool, but disgusting."
"Hah! I think we'll get along just fine boys." I smiled and sat on the couch.
"So, the plan." Charles began filling in Peter.
"Yeah, just tell me what you want me to do!"
"We will start off in a tour group until we find the perfect moment to break off into the back hall that leads to the kitchen. Hank will stay with the group and use a device to interfere with the security cameras so we won't be seen." Charles said before letting Hank take over.
"As they're making their way to the meet up, your job is to intercept the security guard that delivers food to the cell. I trust that won't be a problem for you."
"I want to go with him." I chimed in, not wanting to waste another moment having to wait.
"Leah, we talked about this. Unless you develop the power of invisibility or super speed like our friend here, its not a good idea. There will be more than a few guards in that area with guns." Charles said, still ever the protector.
"Ooooh, plastic guns! I'll blast them all away before they could even shoot me." I sarcastically said, waving my fingers not worried at the thought.
"That's exactly what we don't want, bringing attention to us. Are we clear? We need you with us."
"Fine." I begrudged, cracking my knuckles in preparation.
X-x-X-x-X
The tour was incredibly boring, so I tuned the woman out and focused my senses on our surroundings and looking as inconspicuous as possible with my friends. Fortunately, it didn't take long before we had our opening to break away from the group. I gave Hank a quick reassuring squeeze before we detoured to our right where a staircase led downstairs. After going down a few flights, we reached a hall and quickly strode through it, hoping Hank had turned his device on so we would remain undetected.
"I can't believe we're actually doing this." Charles quietly muttered under his breath.
"I can, should have been much sooner. What, don't tell me you're a sourpuss like Charles here!" I teased Logan, who even as his future self didn't seem to hold a lot of love for the master of magnetism.
"If you only knew, sweetheart." Logan lightly chuckled before becoming serious again. I assumed he meant in the future they weren't the best of friends.
"Leah, if you'd be so kind and tell me where Peter is?" Charles said, ignoring what I had said.
"Give me a second. Time lag, you know." I reached out through the building to find Peter's previous memories, making sure they were only a couple of seconds behind at most so I could as up to date with what he had seen.
Once Peter had taped the security guard down and stole his clothing, he was on his way out of the elevator with a tray of food. I braced myself because it would only be moments before I would see my beloved, although it would be through another person. The memory flashed forward, with Peter entering the cell.
"He's in the cell now. We have to hurry." As we reached the end of the corridor, I focused back on Peter.
The cell was all white, with the only opening being where a food tray slid down into the room. My first glimpse of Erik Lensherr sleeping, his face portrayed serenity. His hair was different now; his smooth side part was less evident and replaced by a hint of wave and wildness from not being kept.
My breath caught and I could feel my heart rate increase when he opened his eyes and looked up at Peter. It felt like he was looking at me. I swallowed and did my best to keep my composure over seeing him for the first time in a decade.
"The alarm is about to go off in: three, two, one!" And with perfect timing, I knew the glass was shattered and there was no going back now.
Hank was playing his part as well, he instructed us the fire alarm in the kitchen would be going off at about the same time we would make it there to rendezvous. I smiled to myself when I saw Peter knock all those security guards down as they raced past them into the elevator.
"Must have done something serious. Whaddya do, man, whaddya do? Whaddya do? Why'd they have you in there?" Peter queerly asked.
"For killing the president." Erik said as he caught his breath. I didn't like that he acknowledged that. Peter turned to the guard, who was still trapped in the corner of the elevator and silently mouthed to him.
"The only thing I'm guilty of is fighting for people like us."
"You do karate? You know karate, man?" Peter switched, I suspected the speed of his brain made it easy to mistake him for attention deficit.
"I don't know karate. But I know crazy." Peter smiled, and made me wish I was in his place.
My focus on Peter's memory fizzled away as we walked into the kitchen to find the alarm going off and the sprinkler's spraying water everywhere.
"Ladies and gentleman, we have a code red situation. We are evacuating the entire floor, so we, my uh, associates and I, can uh, secure the premises!" Charles stammered as the kitchen staff left, but the two guards remained. Logan exchanged a stern look with me for Charles, but we nonetheless let him take the lead. I was already starting to feel mentally drained.
"Who are you?" The guard cautiously asked.
"We are... special operations CBFECI... C. Look: perhaps you didn't hear me when first I spoke, but it's imperative that you understand we are in complete lock down situation. We have to get you to the third floor..." Charles struggled at first to improvise, but it didn't take long for Logan to lose patience and take care of the situation himself. He rolled his eyes and knocked the guards out with a pan in less than five seconds. By now, our clothes were pretty much soaked from the water.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Were you finished?" Logan sarcastically said before smiling at me.
"Logan, if I wasn't already in love with someone, I think I'd kiss you." I said fondly to him as Charles stood dumbfounded for a moment.
"I can't argue with a foreign beauty. In another life." He winked at me, giving the lead back to Charles who took the keys to the elevator from the guard.
My vision quickly flashed back to Peter's for a split second, seeing him make conversation with Erik while they waited for the elevator to bring them down to the kitchen. He made the most odd comment about his mother once knowing a man with the same powers that Erik had, which caused us both to have a worried expression on our face.
"Sorry, I'm just not very good with violence." Charles said, with his back turned from the elevator.
"Oh, we know." I said, just as the elevator door opened.
"Charles..." Both of their faces changed as they saw each other, but Charles' demeanor changed more as he ironically slung his fist back to punch Erik in the face.
"Erik!" I instinctively ran to him as he lost his footing, ignoring Charles who cradled his hand in pain.
"Good to see you too, old friend. And walking." He looked at me, but not long enough before he had to speak with Charles. He owed him that much.
"No thanks to you."
"You're the last person I expected to see today." I helped him stand up, my hands slightly shaking as my fingers grazed his arm. The dark side of me didn't believe he was real because I spent years thinking I'd be alone the rest of my life without him.
"Believe me, I wouldn't be here if we didn't have to. If we get you out of here, we do it my way. No killing!" It pained me to see him be so contemptuous to his former best friend.
"No helmet! I couldn't disobey you even if I wanted." Erik, on the other hand kept a cool demeanor.
"I'm never getting inside that head again. I need your word, Erik." Out of respect for Charles, I stayed silent especially on the fact that Erik didn't know Charles had lost his powers.
"NOBODY MOVE! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" The room was suddenly flooded with pentagon personnel armed with guns right at our heads. We stepped out of the elevator and Erik moved me behind him, but kept his calm as usual.
"I'm not letting them hurt us." I pushed my way around his arm and stood next to him, not caring that I risked being shot. Even Logan still tried to keep me behind them.
"Charles?" Erik asked, expecting him to do something.
"HANDS UP, OR WE WILL SHOOT!"
"Freeze them, Charles."
"I can't." Is all he said, and with that Erik turned to the men and started to use his powers. My hands instantly brought forth my power, ready to throw at the man closest to me if all else failed. Logan was not far behind.
"NO!" Charles tried to stop the violence that was about to start, but the very next second the scene had changed drastically.
Bullets flew in different directions meant for us, and the guards were knocked out. One punched himself, two punched each other out, and another was thrown up and down to the floor. Peter, who was last seen behind us, was now across the room with his goggles on and wearing a security hat. Exchanging looks with each other, I breathed a sigh of relief for not dying the moment I found Erik again. Leading us out, Erik and myself followed behind Charles hand in hand, with Logan behind us.
"Thanks, kid."
X-x-X-x-X
The cabin was small, but had just enough room for a cot where I could finally have a moment alone with Erik. When we had arrived at the private airport, I said my gratitude's to Peter but didn't linger, quickly heading up the stairs of the plane to beat every one else. I knew Erik would follow me. When he closed the door and turned back to face me, my walls came crumbling down. I slapped him, trying to stay resilient so he wouldn't see me weak. I couldn't help but feel some anger that he had been locked away.
"Well, that's the second time I've been hit today, but it certainly beats being stuck in that-" I cut him off, crashing my body into his with a searing kiss. Our arms immediately found each other as if they never left. His lips overpowered mine easily, and I melted.
Long, powerful kisses mixed with short sweet ones as we kissed for what seemed hours. My hair was dry but left with tangled, slightly wavy curls that he eagerly put his fingers through, and I found myself with tears silently running down my face. His other hand reached up to find them and he slowly broke off.
"It's been a long time, love." His gaze pierced mine, leaving me in a trance as it always had.
"November 22nd, 1963 was the last time we saw one another. Each day since then has been Hell." At that statement, my facade completely came down as my mouth broke into a quiet sob.
"I know. I've regretted every second of it. I almost broke out three times, until Trask put an end to that. You look as beautiful as the last day I saw you. Hank was right about you. I think I'll be an old man when you look like my trophy wife." He mused which caused me to nervously laugh, because I knew better.
"Oh, you don't see the bags under my eyes? I have not been kind to myself, Erik. You should hear the stories the local barkeep could tell you about my many visits to him!" I laid my head against his chest and sighed, wishing I could change everything.
"I had to go away, I'm sorry." He kissed the top of my head before reaching for the bag of clothes I had packed for him.
"You did it for her. To protect her. I tried to find her after it all went down. She's impossible to track. I don't trust her any more. Not after what she did." I crossed my arms, waiting for him to finish changing.
"I don't want to talk about Raven." He said, avoiding the subject. I exhaled heavily and wiped my tears away, composing myself.
"Well, we're about to take off. We better get back, even though I don't want to." My mind lingered on him, my body desperately needed him, but I knew now was not the time or place. I gathered my jacket and exited the room and went into the main one where Logan was already sitting next to one of the windows.
"Happy reunion?" He asked, sipping on a drink.
"More than you could ever imagine." I sat down and a moment later, Erik came out buttoning up a blue shirt. On the table in front of Logan, he went to grab the newspaper but was blocked by claws.
"Imagine if they were metal." Erik turned and sat next to me.
"Where did they dig you up?" He said, not looking at the wolverine.
"You're going to find this hard to believe, but uh, you sent me. You and Charles, from the future." Erik quickly looked his way in disbelief and then looked at me for my reaction. I nodded and for a while we stayed in silence.
After the plane had taken off with Hank as pilot, Charles sat staring intensely at Erik. I could feel the tension, although Erik and Logan seemed to be fine.
"How did you lose them?" Erik was first to break silence, daring but not caring to tempt Charles' temper.
"The treatment for my spine affects my DNA."
"You sacrificed your powers so you could walk?" He asked incredulously, not understanding why he would do such a thing.
"Erik." I gripped his arm in protest, but to not avail.
"I sacrificed my powers so I could sleep. What do you know about it?" Charles quietly said, looking down.
"I've lost my fair share."
"Ah, dry your eyes Erik. It doesn't justify what you've done!" His voice climbed now. My hand dropped from Erik's arm and clenched into a fist, my temper starting to flare as well.
"You two need to stop talking." I sternly warned, gritting my teeth because I knew where this was going.
"You have no idea of what I've done." Erik's voice was still just as even, despite Charles.
"I know you took the things that mean the most to me." With his statement, he revealed his true hatred for Erik. He only used the assassination of the president to cover up his true pain, the pain that had made him the embittered man he was today.
"Charles, shut up!" My hand was very hot now, I was a thread away from burning a hole in the hull.
"Well, maybe you should have fought harder for them."
"If you want a fight, Erik, I will give you a fight!" Both men got up, but through all of this Logan still sat in his chair.
"Sit down!" Logan became the mediator as I was not helping to deter the conflict.
"Let him come."
"You abandoned me! You took her away and you abandoned me!" Charles pushed at Erik, but would not budge. I rose quickly, my hands pushed him back in warning. I could feel my hands and eyes were starting to glow red. I was not ready for this. Eleven years after we left on that beach, after everything that happened afterwards, I still was not ready to confront those demons.
"Angel. Azazel. Emma. Banshee." Each name he spoke sent a stab through me, and I not only lost my balance from Erik losing control of his powers, but because of the panic attack I was having.
They were all dead and their deaths replayed in my mind. Over and over, the wounds became fresh again and stabbed me in the heart each time. My curse of memories came back to haunt me tenfold of what it would do to a regular person. It was enough to break me.
"Mutant brothers and sisters, all dead! Countless others, all experimented on! Butchered! Where were you, Charles?"
Hank lost control of the plane as it began to nosedive. Everyone but myself and Erik were able to stand still, but that did not change the fact I sank to the floor.
"No, no, no, no. You don't know what it was like Charles, you didn't have to see them dead. The blood!" I screamed, angry at Charles.
"Erik!" Hank frantically said before we crashed.
"We were supposed to protect them! Where were you when your own people needed you? Hiding! You and Hank, pretending to be something you're not! You abandoned us all!" Erik's fury was great, it had been bottled up much the same as Charles' but worse.
"Erik!" Hank protested again, this time leading to the plane starting to stabilize again.
"You abandoned us ALL!" And then it ended. I held myself, talking myself down mentally; it was the only way I could calm myself without using alcohol to soothe the pain. Charles rose, clearly disturbed and stalked off to the cockpit.
"So, you were always an asshole." Logan said, breaking the ice as he lit his cigar.
"I take it we're best buddies in the future?" He asked, turning around. All of the anger was gone in his voice now.
"I spent a lot of years trying to bring you down, bub." That earned a chuckle from him.
"How's that work out for you?"
"You're like me. You're a survivor. You wanna pick all that shit up?" Just as soon as Logan could be dead serious, his style of humor would ring in the next statement.
"Hah! Oh my." I ran a hand through my disheveled hair and laughed. Erik turned and looked at the damage, and just as I was about to get up and help clean the disorganized room, he picked me up and started to take me back to the private cabin.
"Is she going to be alright?" Logan asked out of concern.
"She's just mentally exhausted. It takes a toll out of her." He replied as I sighed and closed my eyes and huddled up against his chest.
"Is my hair falling out yet?" I morbidly joked to my lover.
"Never." Entering the cabin, he gingerly laid me down and sat next to me with my hand in his.
"You were always worth it, leibling. I can't lose you again." I took a deep breath, my mind no longer swimming in chaos.
"I won't lose you either." He brought my hand to his mouth and softly kissed it. I knew he longed for my body as much as mine. At that moment, I did not care we were on an airplane with three other men. The world did not exist outside that small room, so I anxiously pulled him to me to bring him back to my lips.
"Make love to me, please." No other words were said. His lips graced mine slowly but surely while his hands moved down my body, remembering all the delicate curves that had been long neglected.
I reached down and started to unbutton his shirt and then let him bring my shirt over my head. His lips trailed to my neck, softly nipping at the skin as he cupped my breasts. I could feel his hard member push against me and I could wait no longer. He leaned back just enough to pull my pants off and then his own.
He brought his face level with mine as he gently guided himself into me. My eyes welled with tears as I adjusted to him. I went years without him; the pain of him entering me was only momentary, then my wetness welcomed him. It was as if I was losing my virginity all over again, but this time it would be perfect.
His pace quickened, but kept at a steady rhythm to not lose himself too quickly. Our eyes never left each other, except when we kissed, and it was so sweet. His manhood swiftly dipped in and out of me, with it our quiet moans breathed in each others ears.
"I love you, Erik." I let the tears fall, but they were not of pain or sadness this time.
While his right hand found my breast, his other held my hand until the ecstasy had built to climax. He waited for me, making sure I reached my nirvana so he could with me. It was the most amazing thing to ever happen to me, it was like our first time together but multiplied. I could feel his seed dripping out of me and down my leg but did not care. I had been told I was infertile a long time ago, but a more recent visit to my doctor had proved that my fertility was not as shot as it had seemed. I left that up to fate.
"I love you too, my soul." He laid on his side facing me, never leaving my embrace except to pull the blankets on us.
"What's going to happen when we find Raven?"
"We're going to secure our future. And then I'm going to make you my wife."
A/N: Shout out to Emily and Amazeballs96 for reviewing the last chapter; JennC30, and DinoPower for subscribing! There's a bunch of others I haven't gotten around to listing, but my humble gratitude goes out to you :) Review and let me know what role you think Leah will play in the coming DOFP chapters! Will she be able to tip the balance of what happens in the future?