A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone who showed their love for this story by being here for the first chapter after my vacation. I am humbled and honored by each and every review. Truly, everyone - I Thank you!

Charles x Erik = Don't like it? Don't Read it. Have a nice day.

The characters belongs to Marvel

The Story belongs to me.

Charles had called all of the staff into the meeting room before he had ever left his classroom. He didn't explain why he called them. He only made it very clear that they should hurry. He could hear doors slamming and children going to their dorms long before he left the classroom.

He was the last person to reach the meeting room and was quickly frustrated to find his wheelchair didn't move. At least is did not move completely, he could gain an inch in either direction but nothing more. An angry glance over his shoulder revealed Erik was holding him physically in place.

Charles tried to knock away the other's hand but found his grip unyielding. Charles was still shaking like a leaf and his face was damp from where the tears continued to paint a trail of liquid pain down his face. "Let me go." Charles growled through clenched teeth.

Erik, did not comply. He widened his stance to hold the chair more firmly in place. Charles didn't draw away when Erik leaned in close to speak to him. "Not until you get it together." Erik warned quietly. His lips were drawn into a thin line of anger.

Their team was accustom to seeing Erik dance on the thin line of control and chaos - they could deal with him losing his cool. Charles however, was not given that luxury. They couldn't see him fall.

Charles tried to jerk the wheel again and for a spilt second raised his hand to him temple. Erik grabbed him by the wrist, his eyes were suddenly quiet dangerous. "What the hell is that going to do, other than lower your odds of finding her?" Erik growled.

Charles tried to free his wrist but Erik wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Charles was scared and he was angry. Erik didn't mind playing the bad guy if it got Charles back to where he and their team needed him to be.

"Let me go." Charles' tone sounded dangerously close to Erik's, and there was no comfort in that realization.

"No." Erik had shifted so that he had his foot in front of the wheel and his hand on the arm of the chair, holding it immobile. "Listen to me-"

"Don't tell me to calm down." Charles warned.

"I'm not going to tell you to calm down. I want you angry. I want your emotions up because I need you at your best. But for that to happen you need to be in control. I need you to use that." Erik held the others gaze in the moments following his demand.

Slowly, Erik saw realization dawn on Charles' face.

Charles glanced to his right where the closed door of the meeting room contained his staff. Then, carefully - Charles closed his eyes. Allowing the emotion of the moment to be set aside or at the very least be redirected. Charles felt the bite of Erik's fingers on his wrist slowly loosen and fall away. When Charles opened his eyes Professor X had clearly taken the driver's seat. Charles wiped his face and took a deep breath before nodding to Erik who released the chair and opened the door.

The reaction was with out hesitation. The staff weren't stupid and the clear absence of Sean and Raven were cause for alarm. Most jumped to their feet while others who were already standing turned to face Charles.

Everyone spoke at once, demanding answers to fearful concerns.

Charles tried to speak twice but kept being overrun by their questions.

"SHUT IT!" Erik snapped from the door that he closed behind himself.

The room got suddenly quiet, and only Hank's voice rang out.

"Tell me she is ok." Hank sounded far more like a child then he would have cared to admit. The fact he was terrified was undeniable.

Charles' heart broke at the look of desperation on Hank's face. He took a breath and spoke carefully. There was a strength behind his words which he had doubted himself capable of only moments before in the hallway. "Raven has been captured. We will get her back."

Erik motioned Azazel aside and spoke to him briefly. The teleporter vanished in a puff of smoke which seemed louder in the painful silence of the room.

Hank said nothing, but looked like he was about to be very ill.

"Where did you send him?" Charles asked over his shoulder to Erik.

"To find Sean. You didn't see him taken, so they may not have known they were together. You said he was at the mall. I'm sending Azazel to get him." Erik explained.

"Is that a good idea professor, I mean … he can't exactly hide his mutation. If he is seen hurting or freeing a prisoner, won't that hurt our-" Angel grew quiet under the eyes of Professor X.

"Frankly right now Angel, I don't get a damn about personal relations. I want my team back here, now." Charles was sounding more and more like Erik and it wasn't missed, many looked surprised. Likewise, however - many seemed to agree with the course of action.

A few seconds later Azazel returned with a roughed up, but otherwise unharmed, Sean in tow.

"Are you alright?" Charles asked him in a guarded tone.

"I'm fine. The security dorks thought I was shoplifting. Did you guys get Raven out alright?" He asked with an air of causality that didn't fit the tension of the room.

"You left Raven alone?" Angel sounded angry, and only Erik's grip on her arm kept her from getting into Sean's face. "You were told not to leave her alone!"

"I didn't ditch her to go check out the latest albums, Angel damn. I just went for the car." Sean was confused and had actually stepped back in surprise. The move of course had backed him into Azazel and he chose to move forward instead. Azazel was an intimidating guy. "You guys obviously got her out, so what's the big deal?"

In a move no one saw coming, but perhaps everyone should have expected: Hank knocked Azazel to one side and had Sean by his throat against the wall. "You imbecile! You damned fool! If she dies over your stupidity I will kill you myself!" Hank roared, clearly the Beast was thriving on the suppressed rage and fear of Hank McCoy.

Erik let go of Angel and both he and Alex struggled to break the hold Beast had on Sean. Soon, Janos was added to the mix but even his added help seemed to do very little in breaking them apart.

Somehow Sean managed to get enough oxygen to hiss out, "I had to get the car." Beast surged forward and Erik braced his foot on the wall to gain enough leverage to keep Sean's windpipe from being crushed.

In a gasping breath Sean finished; "She was in labor!"

Though his voice was little more than a whisper the words had a profound impact on the situation. Hank froze then dropped Sean with out a care. The words of the banshee still ringing in his ears.

The human brain never works coherently during great moments of stress and Hank found the parallel of a Banshee speaking of his wife and child most unsettling. As Banshee's were known to scream out before someone died.

Sean slumped to the floor with his hand around his throat. Erik knelt on one side of him encouraging him to breathe short easy breaths until his vision and breath stabilized. Alex said nothing but he helped Sean stay sitting up. No one knew for sure if anything had ever advanced outside of a smooch at the wedding, for the pair. Either way, their friendship had not been bothered by it.

Hank had slunk away to the corner where he sat in shocked silence.

"Can't you just use your power to find her?" Alex asked, with a hand still on Sean's shoulder.

Charles slowly turned his eyes away from Hank. "No. I could until she was in the van … then nothing. I think it was surrounded by the same material as Shaw's helmet…" He turned back to Hank. "I am so sorry."

Hank said nothing.

Slowly the silence spread until it entirely engulfed the room. One by one, each member of the team turned to look at Professor Xavier. Each wanting orders, a direction to take on this. Charles' couldn't ignore the panic gripping him again.

He had no idea.

He was a telepath. He had known Raven for 18 years. He had felt the comfort of her presence. Even if he never chose to read her mind, he always knew where she was. He always knew that she was safe.

Now, she was gone.

He felt utterly unbalanced, like a separated conjoined twin. You spend a lifetime knowing that you can reach out and touch someone. That they are never far away… and now that feeling was gone.

Raven, was gone.

Charles was jerked from his thoughts as he heard Erik speak, clearly stepping up in his slack.

"Listen up, we can't expect the Professor to have all the answers all the time. We may be doing this the old fashioned way but at least we are doing something. Work in groups: Bobby, you and Alex go back to the mall. Ask around - and take Angel with you. Angel play curious girl ask about the freak they saw…what ever you need to do." Erik only paused to take in a breath. "Janos and Azazel, check the government lines, find out where the vans go and what are the discriminating factors in handling them. Did they know she was one of ours and the van was a defense against Charles, or at they all doing that? That should narrow things down." He glanced briefly at Charles. "Everyone else, take it easy. Get a nap in, or at least rest. I know no one wants to but when we get the go word, we need to be sharp and ready. That isn't going to happen if everyone is exhausted. Got it?"

Hank stood up and silently left the room. The rest of the team followed him out to meet their mission objectives.

Erik closed the door behind the final few to leave. He rested his head on the comforting steel of the door. He would tear apart whoever had taken Raven, but for now he had to keep it together. A glance behind him reminded him why.

Although Charles had more or less put up a brave front, the second the others had left he resumed his panic.

"Come on Charles." Erik spoke quietly.

"Where?" Charles sounded far more frightened then Erik liked to admit.

"Cerebro." Erik answered simply.

Charles gave a mute nod and followed silently in Erik's wake.

Once inside the metal sphere the real work began. Charles' eyes were closed in concentration and the rest of the world fell away. Erik stood as a silent sentry behind Charles' chair. He never spoke for fear of distracting him. Every time Charles' felt that panic start to swallow him up, he felt a constant warmth resonating from the hand on his shoulder. Erik helped ground him and Charles knew he was safe to continue his exhaustive search.

Fifteen hours into his search and Charles gave into exhaustion. He slumped over the consol, his breathing uneven. Erik gently leaned him back and returned the headset to his resting place. He then pushed Charles to their room.

Erik gently lifted Charles up and relocated him to the bed. He didn't bother undressing him. He knew the other would be awake in a few hours. Erik slipped off Charles' shoes and covered up the sleeping man.

Silently, he left the room to get a status report. The students were following his orders, and sleeping in shifts. Which meant that thankfully he was able to meet with a fully awake team.

A fully awake team, who had no more information to offer.

Erik encouraged them to keep up the work before returning to his room. He took off his sweater but left his shirt and pants on. He had only just slid into bed beside Charles when he heard the other whimper.

Erik started to say sorry for waking him, before he realized the other was still asleep.

He rolled over and by squinting in the dark he could see that Charles' had his fingers to his temper. Erik gently pulled the hand away and kissed each finger. "Shhhhhhhh." He breathed before drawing Charles into his arms. Hoping to combat the feel of loneliness that Charles was drowning in.

Slowly, sleep reclaimed Charles and only moments later - Erik was also asleep.

Their sleep while needed was fitful and neither slept soundly.

Erik was woken sharply only a few hours later by Charles fumbling for him in the dark. Erik grabbed his groping hand to help the other find him. Charles braced himself on the headboard and pulled himself into a sitting position.

"Erik?" The emotion was painful.

"I'm right here." Erik responded sitting up beside him.

Charles spoke in a breathless whisper. "Call everyone, I think I know where she is."

Come and join us on Wednesday when the team trying to infiltrate a high security holding facility. When they be successful, or will they just be adding more bodies to the prison cells?

Thank you for reading!

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