Charles closes the door on salvation.
The feeling of finally being lost in a fatal war zone, all alone, laps over him like a wave, burying him.
Raven is gone, Scott is gone. He is all alone.
He can feel the Erik's presence in his back and every fiber in his body strains to rip the door back open and run, just run, to scream for Scott.
But he can't. There wasn't and isn't a way.
Erik wouldn't have let them take the kids out of here, and even if he had...or if Scott had come back with police force...Erik's influence is too big. He would have come for them, angry. Angrier.
Charles stares at the closed door, trembling, not daring to turn around and face Erik.
He has brought a cop to his door...he has to be mad, feel threatened- Charles stomach twists into knots. If Erik is mad enough to hurt him...them...no one would know or care-
He has to fix this, say something, anything-
He turns around too fast, heart racing with barely suppressed panic.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen. He won't come back, I'm sure of it-"
It's desperate, and an obvious lie, but he can think of literally nothing else to do then to save them.
Erik meets his frantic gaze, looking more troubled than mad. "Charles, it's alright." His calm voice doesn't register in Charles brain, doesn't make sense.
"I understand why you'd worry for your friend, but don't. I won't waste energy pursuing him. He's no threat, whether he decides to listen to you or not. I told you: the PD has tried for years to get something on me, they never have...and all he has now is a grudge and you telling him you're fine. He'll can hardly make you leave me if you won't."
The smile that pulls at his mouth is almost soft at that. Charles stares at it, at his placid and completely self-assured expression and tries to let the words sink in.
There's genuity in Erik's expression, as much as Charles can tell anymore, satisfaction even, as though he actually believes that Charles said what he did because he truly felt that way.
'God,' Charles thinks, heart racing, 'He can't actually think that. It's a farce. He's mad. He's lying. Again. What if he kills Scott?' His stomach turns, nausea overtaking. 'But ,why would he lie? He has no need- No. He's not angry. Doesn't feel threatened. Agree. Play along. He wants to believe you're on his side, that's the whole reason you're still standing. You have to pull yourself together.'
Charles fights to regain control of his body, just enough to function again, to agree before Erik's patience and good-will fade.
Through sheer force of will, he nods, tries to somehow look like he feels actual relief. Like he was only ever scared for Scott all along, not all of them. Like he doesn't think he's talking to a powder keg of a mad man. He forces a smile. "Alright. Yes. Thank you."
He sees Erik's pupils dilate, just a millisecond before the man's arm moves, coming towards him.
Charles' back hits the door before he even knows he's moved.
Erik halts abruptly, fingertips stilled in mid-air. His eyes are widened in surprise for the fraction of a second, then his face rapidly darkens, jaw tensing as he stands back.
Charles tries to get himself to unfreeze, to fix his terrible mistake, but he can't even attempt to reign in his flight instinct faced with the storm clouds now rapidly gathering in Erik's expression. 'No, no- what have I done-'
"I- I'm sorry, I- didn't-" he forces out, but his voice trembles, betraying him just like his body.
Erik just stares at him, forever, gaze hooded and unfathomable, until suddenly, he turns around and walks away, back into the apartment, without a word.
'The kids-'
The thought that they might be in danger now, a possible target of wrath, all because of his stupidity, his nerves, is the only thing that gets Charles to unfreeze despite his renewed terror. He rushes after Erik without thinking, only to stop abruptly when he finds the man sitting on the living room couch, alone.
Charles stand, motionless, staring at Erik while the man sits with his elbows resting on his legs, looking weary as he lights a cigarette. Silence falls heavily between them as Erik takes a long drag, breathing in smoke and staring into space it seems.
"Sit down, Charles." he finally says, without looking up.
Charles forces his body to move, to obey even though ever fiber of his body strains to get away from Erik more than ever, simply because there is no other choice.