Mid March, 1962.


It was around four months after Cuba when Charles finally forced himself to enter what had been designated as Erik's room when he'd stayed there in the short time before Cuba. The room was one of the most recently decorated with light, open colours as opposed to the older, darker ones that his mother had so loathed.

The reason why Charles had left the room untouched he wasn't exactly sure he could pinpoint. Even when Hank and Sean had gone to clear out Erik's clothes that he'd left, he'd stopped them...and he hadn't known why. There could be many different reasons for his behaviour. One could be some mind of vain hope that Erik would return. Of course, it was much more likely to be that he simply didn't want to face the fact this his friend was gone for good.

And so, here he was, hovering in the doorway as the light streamed in from the windows. Everything was perfectly tidy; the bed had been made, the clothes were neatly folded even the few books Erik had taken from the mansions' library were stacked neatly on the desk. But there was nothing personal about it. The others all had some form of uniqueness about their rooms but Erik hadn't. Charles knew why. It was because Erik had spent so long moving from place to place that he'd lost who he was. He'd never taken the time for hobbies, so Charles had been more than obliging when he'd first discovered that Erik could play chess.

None of that explained why though, he was so tentative to even enter the room.

He liked to think of it as laying a ghost to rest. In all the times he'd tried reaching out for Erik's mind he'd drawn a blank; Erik was shutting him out using his helmet no doubt. He could easily finds the minds of Raven, Azazel and Riptide, even Emma Frost he could find if he wanted to...but he didn't. He'd spoke to his sister once, over a month ago. It had been a very short lived conversation.

Once he acknowledged that Erik and Raven weren't going to come back then he knew he'd have to move on...and he wasn't sure he could do that. He wasn't sure he was strong enough. More to the point; he wasn't quite sure he wanted to.

In all the years since he'd first developed his abilities, Charles had never found a mind he was so attuned to as he had been to Erik's. it was strange that it had happened in such a short space of time but when one could see everything within a persons' mind in a matter of seconds, he supposed that time didn't exactly matter.

And Raven, his beautiful sister, whom he should have known was beautiful from the first moment he'd laid eyes on her, was gone now too. The one person he could always count on over the years was gone. Why had he been so blind? So stupid? For someone who claimed to be so intelligent it was a foolish mistake, one he'd never forgive himself for.

A shiver ran down the back of his neck as he moved slowly into the room and across to the desk, where, slung unassumingly across the desk chair was Erik's brown leather jacket. He reached across and rested his hand against the slightly worn material and couldn't help the sigh that passed through his lips. His anger had worn down as the months had progressed but that didn't mean that he slept easy every night. Charles knew he needed to move on but that was easier said that done.

His mind was finally made up. He'd have the room cleared of all Erik's possessions...if only for the sake of his sanity.

"I have to say goodbye, Erik, for both our sakes," he thought, hoping more than anything, that maybe his friend might just hear him.