Looking up at his childhood home from where he was standing among a group of fellow mutants (and one human CIA agent), Charles mused that the fortune teller Raven had dragged him to during an afternoon spent in the city six years earlier was right when she had told his sister that she saw adventure in her future.Working with the CIA to prevent a madman from starting World War III certainly qualifies as adventure. Although, Charles thought to himself, even back then, anyone could see that, out of the two of us, Raven is the adventurous one.

Interrupted from his musing by movement in front of him, Charles followed along behind the group as Raven took them inside, giving them a tour of the house and sharing stories of her own first few weeks living there along the way. The younger recruits - children, Charles could not help but think - began fighting over who got which bedroom as soon as they reached the second floor and Erik took advantage of their distraction to slip away, making his way over to Charles.

"Which room is yours?"

"It's a few halls over."

With an easy grin, Erik announced, "I'll take the one next to it, though I doubt I'll be spending much time in there."

Clearing his throat, Charles said, "Marvelous. I think they can spare us for a few minutes. I'll show you the way so you can start to get settled."

The two men walked side by side in silence until they reached the bedroom to the left of Charles' room. With a twist of the knob and a slight push, Charles opened the door and took a step back, intending to return to the others. He paused when he felt a tug on his watch and before he could send a questioning look back at the metallokinetic, he felt a pair of arms encircle his waist and a chin come to rest on his shoulder. A kiss to his neck, "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay a little longer?"

Charles turned in the other man's arms and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I would love to, darling. But I am sure the others will soon be wondering where we are if they're not already. I'll go check on them now and after dinner we can come back to my room where, I promise you, you will have my full attention."

Erik let go of the telepath after he had stolen one last kiss. "Okay. Return to your students. I will come find you in twenty minutes."

"Our students, Erik," Charles corrected. "There is a lot you can teach them as well." A tap to his temple, "And I'll let you know where we are so you can join us when you're ready." With that, Charles turned and headed for the kitchen where the others were beginning to make lunch.

After dinner that evening, Erik led the way to Charles' bedroom and they played two games of chess before moving on to more carnal pursuits, first in the shower, then in Charles' bed.

Training started the next morning. A routine soon developed. Breakfast together in the morning, then training - individual lessons or group exercises - with a quick lunch grabbed sometime between sessions, dinner together in the early evening, and finally free time for the rest of the night. While Hank spent most of his free time in the lab, joined often by Raven, and Moira dedicated her evenings to work, Alex and Sean played games or watched television in the library and Charles and Erik spent their evenings playing chess in the study before adjourning to the bedroom.

The evening after Erik had moved the satellite dish, the evening before they would journey to Cuba to stop a war, Erik and Charles were about ten minutes into their third match of the night when Erik commented that it was getting late and suggested they finish the game after they got back from Cuba. Charles agreed and, as they abandoned the study for the staircase closest to Charles' room (their room by this point, the telepath thought), he remembered what the fortune teller had predicted for him. She had said that he would meet someone who would bring him the greatest joy he would ever know, but also the greatest sorrow. Charles knew that Erik was that person. The weeks since he had met Erik were the best in his life; he spent his days teaching his fellow mutants to embrace and control their powers and his nights surrounded by Erik or welcoming the other man into him. On the walk upstairs with Erik by his side, Charles couldn't help but wonder what future sorrows they would experience, but he knew that they could face anything as long as they were together.