14) Old Friends, New Friends

Bored, oh so mindlessly, terribly bored...

Erik was laying on his cot in his cell in his underground prison when a tray of his lunch hit his bed. Erik stared at the tray, puzzled.

That's weird, he thought. I feel like lunch should be later. Oh well. Wait... 'Mind the Glass'... What the -

BOOM!

xxx

Logan and Charlotte were soon very close to Erik's cell. They just had to meet Peter once he had Erik free. Hank was left upstairs to do the hacking.

Charlotte knew she was doing the right thing, but she did not want to see that infuriating, unpredictable monster. She hated him so much for what he did to her. Yet, despite everything, Charlotte was slightly happy to get to see Erik again after almost ten years. A small part of her still loved him and considered him a friend. She had loved him and Moira so much, but things had obviously changed. Moira had to leave her, Erik chose to leave her, and Charlotte learned after years of silence that it was better to forget than to forgive.

No, she could not forget, not then. She had to see Erik for the sake of future mutants. Their mission was not about her past relationship. It was about the future and securing it.

They were in a kitchen. Then, guards poured into the kitchen, and Charlotte instantly had an idea.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" She addressed the guards. They had their guns aimed at Logan and her. "This is a code red situation. We are evacuating the entire floor so we, er, um, my..." She gave Logan a pleading look, but he just rolled his eyes. "...So my associate and I can, well, secure the prison."

A guard stepped closer to him. "And who are you?" He demanded.

Charlotte grinned as charmingly as she could, even though she was very nervous. "Sir, we are special operations CIFDB...C." The unconvinced guards did not move an inch. "Look, perhaps you didn't hear me when I first spoke, but it's imperative that you understand we are in complete lockdown. We have to get you to the third floor -"

Logan rudely shoved her, grabbed a pot, and hit the guard on the head. Then, he hit the other guards, leaving Charlotte speechless.

"Oh I'm so sorry," Logan apologized sarcastically. "Were you finished?"

She just chuckled sheepishly and backed up, her back hitting the elevator. "I'm just not very good with violence..."

The elevator suddenly opened, revealing Peter and Erik in prison attire. Charlotte turned around and froze, not believing what she was seeing. Erik cocked his head. He thought he would never see her again.

What's she doing here? "Charlotte."

That brought her back to reality. At first, she looked a little relieved. Then, she raised her fist and punched him in the face. Erik did not expect the punch, nor did he expect his nose to burn as much as it did. He hit the floor and hissed.

Charlotte towered over him with a snarl. Logan just rolled his eyes again, already tired of all the drama. Peter smirked.

Erik touched his nose and grimly smiled at Charlotte. His nose was very bloody. "Good to see you, too, old friend."

"Drop dead."

"Would you prefer 'mein schatz'?"

"I prefer my fist in your face."

Peter snickered childishly. She reminded him of his mom. "I like her."

Erik groaned and clawed the wall to help himself stand up. "So did I, kid." Insinuating hard feelings, Erik stared at Charlotte, whose crystal blue eyes shined furiously at him. "So did I."

xxx

Peter was fast, and his ability sometimes made him impulsive and not very attentive to the details. Still, sometimes he noticed things. Sometimes, he noticed enough.

He definitely noticed how the moody brunette was looking at the metal bender and how he was looking at her.

His mother once told his little sister that she will have to kiss several frogs before she kisses her prince. Peter considered that decent advice, considering that his mother had a fling with a certain frog that left her a single mother with three kids. Still, Peter thought strenuously and found no word of advice from his mother that could answer his questions.

My dad moved metal. This Erik guy moves metal. Could he be my father, or at least related to him?

"Your father... He controlled metal. He was dangerous and nothing short of a monster."

"Remember, kid." The brunette, Charlotte, stared concerningly at the tall preteen. "The mutant you're rescuing is unpredictable and dangerous. He's a monster. Be careful around him. Don't anger him."

Did this Erik guy mean something to Charlotte? Peter was not one to pry, but he could not help but be curious.

"Would you prefer 'mein schatz'?" My dear... His mom taught him a bit of German and insisted he learn more German, so he did. For some reason, she really loved German, obsessed with it even.

Should I say something to Erik, Charlotte, the nerdy kid, or the man with the gross claws? Would they believe me if I told him that I could be the son of...

"Peter?" The preteen turned to Logan, who gave him an impatient look. "Come on, kid! We're leaving!"

The silver-haired kid nodded and zoomed out of the Pentagon. He could not wait to tell his mom about the metal bender and the strange woman. When he saw them together, it was like seeing how his mom and dad reunite, ultimately pissed at one another but still sharing a connection. Only, Peter sensed he and Logan were intruding, intruding on a deep, intense reconnection between two people. Erik had looked at the woman like he had loved no one else before, but the look lasted for mere seconds. Peter could have imagined their chemistry and dismissed it as a lack of perceptiveness on his part.

Nevertheless, he could not help but ask. "Mom... Are you sure you're my mom? Or... do you have a twin sister or something? See, I may have met my dad - "

He winced as her coffee cup hit the floor, breaking into many pieces.