Autumn 1954

"Raven?" Charles popped his head into her bedroom where she was sitting on her bed flipping through a magazine. "I'm going out with some of the lads, I'll be back later."

Raven looked up. "Don't be too drunk when you come back," she warned.

"Don't worry about me, make sure to lock up before you go to bed if I'm not home, I have my key." Charles jangled his keys together to demonstrate.

"And you'll still have to wake me up to let you in because you'll have lost them somewhere between your third and fifth pint." Raven gave him a knowing smirk.

Charles looked at her, nonplussed. "It was only one time."

"So far." Raven looked back at her magazine. "Anyway, you should take me out tomorrow. We haven't been in a while since you're always hanging out with 'the lads.'"

Charles smiled, he supposed that it had been a bit since he and Raven had hit the pubs. "All right, I promise I'll take you out tomorrow."

Raven looked up again and grinned. "I'm going to hold you to that."

Leaving his and Raven's flat, Charles strolled down the sidewalk with a bounce in his step. He wasn't going to meet "the lads" so much as one lad in particular named Roger. They'd been introduced a few weeks ago by a mutual friend and Charles had soon found he couldn't get the young man off his mind. He hadn't exactly said anything to Roger yet, but he had more than a feeling Roger felt the same way about him. Sometimes, being a telepath had its advantages.

Coming into the pub, he caught sight of Roger. The little thrill that went through him as he caught the other man's eye was more than enough to convince him that it was time to finally say something. Roger stood as Charles came to the table. "Charlie," he said, shaking Charles' hand, "how's your day been?"

Charles shook Roger's hand and patted him on the shoulder in the chummy way most young men did before he slid into the seat next to Roger. "It's been all right, but it's a sight better now that I can get a few drinks."

"I'll drink to that," said Roger with a cheerful laugh, "I'll buy the first round."

Three rounds later, Charles was intoxicated on more than the beer. His head was beginning to swim and being so close to Roger made his heart pound in a way that was almost disconcerting. He was still waiting for the right time and place to say something. Looking down at his empty cup he considered it for a moment before looking up and clapping Roger on the shoulder. "Roger, I think I need some air. Why don't you and me take a quick stroll down to the park?"

Roger, who was flushed and trying to quell a bout of hiccups, nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea, Charlie."

The cool evening air was a welcomed relief to Charles as they exited the bright and noisy pub. He enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere at the bar, but if he was going to say what he wanted to say, he needed a little quiet and a little space. Shoving his hands in his pockets he strolled along with Roger in a comfortable silence. Charles kept stealing glances at his friend. The young man was handsome as could be, blond, and well-built. To say that Roger was attractive would be damning with faint praise.

Coming round the corner they entered the park. It was quiet with only the gentle sound of the breeze rustling through the trees. Charles nodded toward a bench that was tucked under a tall tree. "Why don't we sit for a minute. The air out here feels good."

"You know, Charlie, this is one of my favorite places." Roger looked around the park as he sat down. "I love it here in the mornings when the birds are singing, it feels magical."

Charles sat down next to Roger, propping his arm on the back of the bench. "Do you come here often?" He gazed at Roger just drinking in how lovely he was.

Roger looked at him, his eyes flicking to Charles' lips for a moment before answering. "I try to walk through here in the morning. My flat is on the other side of the park so anytime I come this direction I walk this way."

Charles scooted a little closer to Roger. "That sounds marvelous." He was drinking in Roger's face, he wanted to kiss every inch of it. "Tell me, what are you thinking about?" He hoped Roger and him were on the same page. Briefly, he touched his fingers to his temple, just to be sure.

"I guess I'm just thinking about how pleasant this evening is." Roger smiled. Using his powers, however, Charles could see that Roger was thinking the same thing he was.

Taking that as a go-ahead, Charles leaned forward and kissed Roger deeply. His heart was racing from the thrill of it but he knew this was what they both wanted more than anything. For a long moment, Roger kissed him back. Everything was perfect.

"What are you doing?" Roger said, suddenly shoving Charles away. "What the fuck was that?"

Charles sat back, surprised. "I thought you-"

"No, that's disgusting." Roger jumped to his feet and wiped a hand over his mouth. "I'm not some sort of deviant, Charlie, and I can't believe that you are."

Charles was stung by Roger's words, but also very confused. He knew that Roger wanted to kiss him, and much more than that. He'd seen it in his head. He was never wrong about these things. Whatever the reason, though, he hadn't meant to upset his friend. "Roger, I'm sorry, I guess I misread the situation."

"You're damn right you did." Roger seemed to be getting angrier for some reason. "I don't know why you'd ever think I was like that." Roger paced around, his agitation more than a bit uncalled for.

Charles tried to calm him down. "I said I'm sorry, Roger, I made a mistake, I've been drinking. It won't happen again." He got to his feet as well. "Let's pretend this never happened, okay? Why don't we go back to the pub and I'll buy us another pint."

Roger finally seemed to settle down a little."Fine," he said. Perhaps he was feeling his beer and that's why he was overreacting, thought Charles. Whatever the reason, Charles knew it was time to let this crush go.

They walked back to the pub in a silence somewhat less comfortable than before. Charles, however, was confident it wasn't something a few more beers couldn't smooth out.


Raven woke up to the ringing of the phone. Glancing at her clock she saw it was only around eleven thirty and she'd only just gotten to sleep. "Charles better not be calling because he lost his damn keys again," Raven mumbled to herself, "or his wallet and needs me to come pay his tab." Scooping the phone off its cradle she put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Raven, it's me, Charles." Charles' voice sounded strained.

"You know I'd just-" Raven started.

"Raven, sorry, but I need you to be quiet and listen. I'm in jail and I need your help." Raven could hear that Charles was trying to stay calm, but a sliver of panic was leaking through.

"Jail? What? Why?" Raven couldn't imagine what must've happened for Charles to wind up in jail. Had he drunk too much and been involved in an accident?

"There's no time for that now, I need you to come to the police station immediately. Ask for Detective Thursday, tell them you're here to post my bail. Can you do that?" Charles' tone was starting to make Raven panic, he didn't sound as cool as he usually did.

Raven's brain was racing as she tried to think through this problem. "But I don't have any money and the banks aren't-"

"There's some extra cash in my sock drawer, it should be enough to spring me. Please just do as I ask. I have to go now, please hurry." The line went dead as Charles hung up the phone.

Raven hurried to dress herself, then went to Charles' sock drawer. Ignoring a slim stack of magazines she knew would be of a lurid nature, she rifled around until she found the money Charles had said was there. Shoving the bills into her handbag she went as fast as she could to the police station. She hated walking the streets at night alone, but there was nothing for it right now. Charles needed her help and she wasn't going to let him down.

Entering the police station, she went to the desk of the night clerk. She tried to put on her sweetest voice as she spoke to him hoping to curry some favor. "Hi, my name is Raven Xavier and I'm here for my brother, Charles."

The night clerk looked her up and down and gave her one of those smiles that told her she had him where she wanted him. He leaned over his desk in a typically paternalistic way and said, "Well, missy, it's a terrible thing for you to be out this late for that no-good. You'd have been better off leaving him till morning."

Raven ignored her anger at some stranger calling her brother a "no-good" and tried to look helpless. "Well, you see, I live with him and I don't feel safe without him home." Raven made sure to pull on a lock of her hair. "Can I see him? I'll be worried sick if I don't."

"Why don't we talk to Detective Thursday about this, I think he might have a few shocking and confusing things to tell you." The night clerk grinned like he was doing her a favor by doing his job and waved her to follow him to the back. Coming to a door marked Detective, the night clerk waved her through. As he did so, he called into the office, "Thursday, there's a girl here to see about your latest case, the Xavier one. Says he's her brother."

The man named Thursday rose from his desk and motioned Raven over. Raven tried to keep calm, she had no idea what any of this was about. "Good evening, miss," Thursday said politely as he gestured for her to take a chair.

Raven sat, her handbag clutched in her hands resting on her lap. "Where's my brother? Can I go talk to him?"

Thursday shook his head. "I'm afraid visiting hours are over for tonight, unless you have the cash on you to post bail he's going to be camping out here."

"What has he been arrested for?" Raven was trying to make this make sense, completely forgetting about the bundle of bills in her handbag. "Is he okay?"

Thursday pulled the police report off his a stack of papers on his desk. "I'm afraid your brother has had some serious charges leveled against him. A young man your brother knows has accused him of gross indecency, which can carry some serious penalties." Thursday's voice was firm, but not without compassion. "If these charges stand, your brother could spend a couple years in prison."

"But what does gross indecency even mean?" The term was opaque and Raven wanted to know exactly what Charles had done that warranted arrest. "What did he do?"

Thursday looked like he was weighing how honest he was going to be with her. Raven hated it when men did that. To Charles they'd just say what it was, but to her they'd always try to beat around the bush so as not to spoil her supposed innocence. "Well," Thursday said after a moment, "I'll leave it to your brother to tell you the specifics, just know that his alleged crimes are of a personal, sexual nature." Thursday put down the police report and leaned forward over the desk and looked at Raven, his face grave. "Just know that if he goes to trial he'll very likely have his reputation ruined and his academic career stripped away from him."

A rush of cold doused Raven's body. Charles' research into mutation meant everything to him. And as for spending time in prison, she couldn't imagine how he'd survive something like that. "How can I stop this from going to trial?" Raven really got the sense that this detective wanted to help her brother.

"If the person who filed the complaint rescinds it, there's no reason for any of this to go any further. Have a talk with him, make him see sense on the matter. He doesn't need to ruin someone else's life over a silly mistake."

Raven still had no clue exactly what mistake it was, but now she had an idea. "Who filed the report?"

"Officially, I can't tell you that." Thursday leaned back. "But I also couldn't possibly stop you from peeking at the report if it was just laying on my desk where someone could see it."

Raven's eyes darted to the form and near the top saw a box with the name Roger Hartfield. She knew it was one of Charles' newer friends, one he'd only been hanging out with for a few weeks. She tried to recall what he looked like exactly. She remembered lots of blond hair. Rising, she gave Thursday an appreciative smile. "Thank you so much, detective. I appreciate your help."

"So, were you going to be able to bail out your brother tonight?" Thursday put the police report back on the stack of papers that were his work for the night.

Raven remembered the wad of cash in her bag, but the idea she had was growing. "I won't be able to get the money together until tomorrow. I guess I'll see you in the morning."

Nodding, Thursday stood and escorted her back out of the building. "I'll take good care of your brother, miss, but if you can't talk sense into his accuser, then you might want to be looking for a good solicitor."

Raven nodded at the advice and turned down the sidewalk as if to go home. She walked a few blocks, waiting until she was sure Thursday had left the door to the station, then darted down an alley. Quickly shucking her clothes, she focused on the man she wanted to be. Pulling her compact out of her purse she checked to make sure she looked as close as possible. She actually managed to impress herself, this was one of the best copies she'd ever done.

Stashing her clothes and purse in a bundle under some cardboard, she turned back out of the alley and returned to the police station. This time, as she came through the door, the night clerk hardly looked up as she entered. "What do you want?" he said in a monotone.

"My name is Roger Hartfield. I need to speak to Detective Thursday about a police report I filed earlier." Raven said, trying to word it like a uni boy would. She stuck her hands in her pockets in imitation of how Charles always stood and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "And hurry up, it's late enough as it is."

The night clerk looked nonplussed, but didn't argue. "All right," he said, waving Raven to follow him, "this way."

Raven tried to maintain a loose, easy gait as she was led through the building a second time. Looking like someone else didn't mean it was easy to act like them and men had a bit of a different way of walking. Charles said it had something to do with the anatomy of the pelvis and the curvature of the thigh bones, but Raven hadn't really been listening when he'd explained.

The night clerk came to the door marked Detective once more and opened it. Sticking his head in he called out, "Thursday, that Hartfield boy from earlier is here to talk." He waved Raven in and headed back to his desk.

Raven sauntered back over to the only occupied desk. Thursday rose and shook her hand before motioning her to sit. She tried to remember to give a good firm handshake - something she wasn't used to doing - and sat down in imitation of the relaxed way she'd seen Charles sit. Putting on her easiest voice she gave what she hoped was a bashful grin. "I need to talk to you about the police report I filed earlier about Charles Xavier, you see this whole thing is a mess and I didn't mean for it to go this way."

Thursday rifled through the papers on his desk before locating the report. It seemed he was working on several dozen cases tonight. He gave her a searching look. "Are there any corrections or additions that need to be made to it?"

"Yes, actually, I want to drop the matter altogether. You see, Charlie is a friend of mine," Raven struggled for the cadence of the posh crowd Charles tended to run with, "and after we'd had a few tonight I thought it would be funny to get him put in jail as a bit of a prank." Raven could totally believe some of Charles' friends would do something like that, too. Why were men such dicks to each other?

Thursday raised an eyebrow at her, his tone that of someone who is trying to do his due diligence. "The allegations you had were pretty serious. I'll remind you that you stated," Thursday looked at the police report in his hand, "'Charles Xavier attempted to induce you to homosexual acts, attempted to solicit homosexual sex, and publicly acted on homosexual tendencies,' all of which fall under the law on gross indecency."

Raven's mind was reeling. She didn't know if all of this was just a lie Roger told to get revenge on Charles for some reason, or if it was true. Regardless, she had to keep a straight face. "I'm dreadfully sorry about all of this, I really am. I'm afraid I was a few pints too deep and thought this would be a lark, I really didn't mean for it to go this far." Raven tried to play it cool but her heart was pounding as she sat there and lied her face off.

Thursday put the report back on the desk and looked her square in the eye. "I hope you know how serious it is to file a false report. I could fine you if I wanted to, and even put you in jail." Raven tried not to swallow, she wasn't the one who needed to be scared off of filing a report. "So," Thursday continued, "I'm going to ask you once more: Did Charles Xavier attempt to induce you to homosexual acts, or to solicit homosexual sex, or act on any homosexual tendencies in public?"

Raven was afraid her voice would shake from nerves, but she spoke anyway. "No, none of that happened. It was just a story I made up for a prank. I realize that I've attempted to abuse the system of law and order for my own stupid games and I'm sorry about it. I swear, you'll never hear from me again."

Thursday sighed heavily. "I wish you uni boys would use those brains that you're supposedly developing and not try to use the police department as a way to pull pranks." Thursday picked up the report once more and looked at Raven. "I'm going to tear this up now, but this is your one and only second chance. The next time you file a false report on me you'll be finding yourself in jail, got that?"

Raven nodded. "Once again, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to get as out of hand as it did. It was just supposed to be a joke, but I guess I got carried away."

"The police don't have time for your jokes, son. We've got real work to do." Thursday took the report and ripped it in half and then half again before tossing it into the waste bin. "Let's go spring your friend."

Following Thursday back to the holding cell, Raven almost couldn't believe how well her deception had worked. She'd only used her powers to trick people very seldomly, and never usually for more than a minute or two. Maintaining someone else's appearance was somewhat tiring, but right now she felt exhilarated.

"All right, Charles, your pal here told me that he only had you arrested as a joke and is sorry for bringing the police into this." Thursday said as he unlocked the door.

Charles looked up from the bench he'd been sitting on, confusion on his face. Raven stepped forward. "Hi, Charles, sorry about all this." She knew she was close enough he'd be able to sense her mind and figure out what was going on.

Charles stood, his eyes darting from Thursday to Raven before she saw the realization on his face. "Well, I'm glad that this is all cleared up," Charles said, obviously trying to sound more cheerful than he felt.

As Charles exited the cell, Thursday put a hand on his arm. "You're a nice boy, Charles, I don't want to see you in my cells ever again. Make sure to keep your nose clean and be careful."

Charles nodded with a polite smile. "Don't worry about me, detective, I'll be giving this place a wide berth from now on."

Thursday nodded, then led Charles and Raven out of the police station without another word.

Charles and Raven didn't say a thing on the walk home. Charles kept his head down, hands in pockets, almost defensive the entire way. Raven stayed in disguise as Roger until they came to the alley where she'd hidden her clothes. Making Charles stand look-out, she pulled on her dress and morphed back into her blonde form. She was tired after the extended period of pretending to be someone she wasn't used to, but she was elated at how well the entire thing had gone. Part of her was dying to talk to Charles about it, but she could tell he wasn't in the mood to talk.

Coming back to their flat, Charles opened the door and held it for Raven to go in. As she stepped past him she noticed he didn't even try to catch her eye. Raven was definitely starting to think that maybe Roger's allegations hadn't been false. Leaving Charles in the hallway to lock the door, Raven went to the kitchen to turn on the kettle. She needed some answers before the end of the night and a cup of tea might help the whole process.

Charles came in and sat down at the table, still not looking at her. Raven quietly made two cups of tea, hoping Charles would break the silence. When he still didn't as the water came to a boil, Raven knew she'd have to push.

Setting a steaming cup of tea in front of Charles, Raven sat down next to him. "So, are you going to tell me what tonight was all about?"

Charles fidgeted with his cup. Raven wasn't sure he was going to answer her for a long moment. Drawing a deep breath, Charles finally opened his mouth to speak. "What did the detective tell you exactly?"

"Something about gross indecency and," Raven paused, she could tell her brother was uncomfortable, "homosexuality. That's not true, is it?"

The silence that followed was lingering and uncomfortable. Raven wasn't sure who was going to crack first, her or Charles. Eventually, Charles sighed. "Raven, I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. There is some truth to the charges."

"What happened, exactly? Why did Roger have you arrested?" Raven was trying her best to process this information.

"Well, I," Charles cleared his throat, "I kissed him."

"Why did you do that? Couldn't you tell he wasn't like that?" Raven tapped her temple with two fingers to emphasize her point.

"Because he is like that." Charles sounded confused. "Or, at least I thought he was. I took a little glance in his mind and I knew he wanted me to kiss him. I guess he must be in total denial of his feelings."

"And you? You've never even hinted you feel this way about men." Raven wished her brother had been more open with her sooner, learning this now made her feel like she didn't even know him at all.

"It's not that simple, Raven." Charles rubbed his hands over his face.

"Let's simplify it then, do you like women or men?"

"It's not like that. Of course I like women, I go on dates, I have se-" Charles glanced at his sister and changed course, "I like women a lot. I just have never felt with a woman the way I do when I'm with someone like Roger. Or any of the other boys I've had feelings for. It's different with them. More powerful, somehow, more real."

"How long have you felt this way?" Raven tried to think back to when they were younger. Charles had always been popular among boys his age but that hardly meant anything.

"I don't know, since around the time I met you, maybe? I never really found someone who wanted me too until I was finishing high school." Charles played with the handle of his teacup, seemingly bracing for what he was about to say next. "What do you think of me, Raven?'

Raven realized he was afraid she would judge him. This came as a complete surprise. Charles and her had lots of petty squabbles, but he had never doubted her affection for him, until now. Was this why he hadn't told her before? He'd been afraid she'd disapprove?

Raven reached out and took one of Charles' hands. "Charles, I don't care who you love or who you're attracted to. You're my brother. I love you and would be completely lost without you. I only wish you'd told me sooner."

Charles gave her a weak smile. "I didn't know what you'd think. And besides that, I didn't want to say anything since I was pretty sure it was just a phase."

"Do you still think it's a phase?" Charles might be good at reading other people's minds, but sometimes he needed a bit of help knowing his own.

"No," Charles looked down at the table. "It seems like my feelings have only gotten stronger."

"Maybe this is just who you are, just like we are with our powers. There's nothing wrong with you Charles." Raven scooted her chair closer to his and put her arm around his shoulders. "You and me are just the way we're supposed to be, no matter what we can do, or who we love."

"You really think that?" Charles asked, brushing some dampness from his eyes.

"I do." Raven pressed a kiss to Charles' cheek. "And I'll always love you no matter what."

Charles finally gave her a relaxed, happy smile. "Thank you for getting me out of that scrape, I don't know what I'd have done without you." Leaning over he pressed his own kiss to her temple. "You really are my best and truest friend."

Raven leaned her head to rest it on Charles' shoulder. "So, what does this mean for you now? Are you going to keep looking for a boyfriend?"

"I think I might just cool it until I can really know for sure." Charles sighed. "And I guess I'll just not make assumptions just because I can read someone's mind."

"So, here we are. Quite the pair we make." Raven laughed mirthlessly. "We both have to hide who we are and be very careful about who we reveal ourselves too, or else we'll be in danger."

Charles slipped his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "It sure looks that way. Just the two of us together. Still, there's no one I'd rather have at my side through thick and thin than my dear baby sister."