AN: Don't know why but I struggled to write the ending of this chapter.
Tying a headscarf around my head as if I was a 50's starlet, I found myself stepping out of the jet only few hours later after my long conversation with Erik. I breathed in deeply, looking around at my surroundings. Here I was, in France, the same country that I had lived in two years prior. The faces of Jean and and Anna popped into my mind and I momentarily had to stop as I felt a knot form in my stomach. When the time came for me to fly back to America, Jean and Anna were so sad. Especially, Jean, his sadness went deeper than me just leaving to go home. A feeling of loneliness washed over me, remembering the family that took me in as if I belonged there in the first place.
"You alright?"
I turned to look up at Logan who surprisingly seemed concern, "Yeah, just thinking back. That's all," I answered, nodding my head. "We should get going," I suggested, sliding my sunglasses onto my face.
I quickly moved away from Logan and headed in the direction of Hank, Charles, and Erik. I didn't feel like taking a trip down memory lane even further so I cut the conversation off quickly, thoughts of what if or what could've been is the last thing I need weighing on my mind right now.
"We need to call a company and request a rental car to get to the hotel," Hank stated, as I approached them. "My only concern is the language barrier. They might not understand us or vice versa," Hank explained, sliding his hands into his pant pockets.
I smiled and slightly raised my hand, "Have no fear Hank," I spoke up, and the three men turned their attention to me. "We'll be out of here in a jiffy," I promised, before walking towards a nearby payphone.
Digging into my pocket, my fingers grazed over the francs I took from my home. I grabbed a franc that I had originally saved as a souvenir of my time here, but now unfortunately had to be used. I turned towards the phone and inserted a coin.
"Bonjour, opérateur, pourriez-vous me connecter avec une location de voiture?"
As I waited for an answer, I looked over at the men behind me with a grin on my face, happy to show off a skill I learned over the years. Erik, Logan, Hank, and even Charles looked fairly impressed. Finally, I was connected to the rental shop when I heard a deep, male voice begin speaking French into the phone.
"Bonjour. Je vous ai entendu louer des voitures," I began, and looked back over the group men. "Vous n'arriveriez pas à avoir des voitures noires qui en détiennent cinq, n'est-ce pas?" I asked curiously, a smirk growing on my face.
~~~x~~~
Paris was just as beautiful as the first time I stepped foot in it, I wanted to explore The City of Lights all over again, the only thing I needed was a Super 8mm camera and the song Sous Le Ciel De Paris playing in the background and I would be set. But, unfortunately there was no time for such dreams. We had to stop Raven from killing Trask, an event that would doom us all if she succeeded.
Once we found the nearest place to rent a car I asked oh so kindly for the man to let me borrow the car free of charge, much to Charles' annoyance. After acquiring our car we began our journey to the Hotel Royal. As we drove around the Parisian streets there were some many sights to see, people were celebrating everywhere, hearing the news that the Vietnam war was over. I would've loved to join in on the celebration if I wasn't preoccupied. We continued making our way towards the hotel where the meeting was being taken place, spotting journalists and cameras flashing everywhere as we went.
"So, what exactly is the plan?" I asked, looking at Erik who was sitting in the passenger seat in front of me.
"Well, to be honest. I think its self-explanatory," Hank shrugged, from beside me and I rose an eyebrow.
"You mean just breaking in and pretty much saving her?" Logan questioned, glancing at him through the rear view window.
"You make it sound so simple," I said sarcastically.
"I think we should skip the planning, there isn't time for that." Erik piped up, seeing that we were approaching our destination.
"Alright everyone, shut up and let me do the talking," I ordered, preparing to use my language skills again.
Logan drove the car up to the Parisian building where they're signing the Peace Accords, stopping at the gate where there was a checkpoint. I got out of the car walking in direction of the security guards.
"Excuse moi," I called, moving closer to them. "Pouvez-vous nous aider?" I asked, clasping my hands together. "Mes amis et moi sommes perdus," I explained, letting out a chuckle as I lightly tapped my forehead.
"Madame vous ne pouvez pas-" one of the guards started, before I outstretched my hand and sent the guards flying against the concrete wall.
With a simple flick of the wrist, I lifted the gate to the jail-like entrance. Logan drove the car further in as I hopped into the moving car.
"You're always one for dramatic flair Claudia," Erik commented, as I took my shades off.
I turned to look at him, "Toujours," I repeated in French with a smile, as I shrugged my shoulders.
Erik rolled his eyes and shook his head as Logan parked the car next to a door which leads to the halls. We entered a highly decorated hall and walk quickly
I closed my eyes and began to guide us, getting in the head of different Generals. Out of nowhere, a sharp pain cut into my psyche. I groaned and double over, palms of my hands pressing to my temples as a flood of pain overwhelmed me. Angel, dead and cut open, one wing cut off. Sean, throat slit open and vocal cords hanging out. Azazel, tail chopped off and body cut open. Two hands immediately latched themselves onto my back, looking up I saw Charles on my left and Erik on my right, both men glancing at me with worry.
"She's here," I informed, and they nodded before helping me stand back up.
"Up here," Logan called, who seemed to know where he was going.
He lead us up the stairs and down a long, velvet carpeted hallway and as we approached the conference room, there were shouts of alarm from inside. Logan and I exchanged glances just as Vietnamese delegates suddenly rushed out the room and down the corridor, paying us no attention. All of us ran into the room, pushing the large doors out of the way, and we walked into a chaotic mess. Men in uniform were on the floor, crouched in pain, and Raven sat perched on the table in her natural blue state aiming a gun right at a small man's forehead. It slightly broke my heart to see her like this, so full of hate and pain.
Raven!" Charles called, distracting her for just a second to look our way as we entered.
In a split second, threads of silver were shot at her and she convulsed, falling to the table's surface, thanks to the lieutenant on the floor with his taser.
"Raven? Raven!" Charles cried in worry as he rushed to her side.
Charles and I went to her side, he held her head as I grabbed onto her arm. She was one of the few female friends I had ever had, and I could never stop caring about her well-being.
She was still convulsing when Erik yanked the threads from her and sent it flying into and into the man's neck who had fired them at her in the first place.
"Raven?" Charles repeated gently stroking his sister's hair, she was still slightly thrashing still feeling the aftershocks of the taser.
"Claudia?" Raven looked up at me, then to Charles. "Charles?" She breathed at the sight of us, staring in disbelief.
"Surprise!" I cheered breathlessly, slightly throwing my hands up.
"We've come for you, Claudia, Erik, and I..." Charles explained. "Together." He added in a whisper.
"I never thought I'd see you again," Raven whispered, looking at us both.
"I made you a promise a long time ago that I would protect you," Charles reminded her. "I'm going to keep you safe. I'm going to keep you out of their hands," he promised her.
A sudden rush of anger struck me, making me recoil from the mental onslaught. I glanced back my eyes stopping at Logan, frowning as Charles continued comforting Raven. Logan was taking heavy breaths, rapidly trying to grasp at the air around him. Anger turned into confusion which then slowly turned into shock and that into fear.
Something was wrong with Logan.
"Logan?" I called. "You alright there buddy?" I asked, just as I felt something slide pass me. Looking down I noticed it was the handgun Raven had been holding. "What the hell?" I murmured.
"Erik..." Raven called, her voice trembling.
I turned around to see Erik with the gun in his hand, he had made it move into his own hand and was now pointing it at Raven.
"Erik? What are you doing?" Charles asked extending his hand, fearing what he is capable of doing.
"Securing our future," He answered coldly, loading the gun.
"Erik don't!" I warned him. "This is murder!" I argued, but Erik barely spared me a glance.
"Forgive me, Mystique. As long as you're out there, we'll never be safe," Erik stated a serious expression, Raven looked utterly terrified, looking from Charles, to Erik, then me.
"Erik," Hank warned.
"Use your power, Charles!" Raven ordered nervously, as that would be the easiest course of action."Stop him!" she begged, as Charles let out a shaky breath.
He tried to say something, but was at a loss for words.
"He can't," Erik informed her ominously.
Raven shot up, making a run for the window on the far side of the room and leaping off the end to jump out of the window
"Well I can," I thought.
I lifted up a glowing hand and aimed it at him, ready to stop him. I stretched my hand out only for Erik to do the same and thrust his free hand out. My breath involuntarily caught in my throat as I found it hard to suddenly breathe, and Erik took this opportunity to fire his shot, not even fazed by Hank tackling him. The sound of glass shattering echoed throughout the room as Raven broke through the window and I could see the bullet following her. Screams could be heard from the street below us and I got a sensation of burning pain.
Raven had been hit.
I attempted to clear my throat to clear my airways, but couldn't. The crushing pressure around my neck persisted now pressing down on my jugular. I looked down to see my necklace cutting into my skin, leaving welts, nearly breaking. I struggled to breathe, attempting to pry the chain from my throat with my hands.
"Erik, stop!"
And I fell to the tiled floor, gasping and choking, as a thin line of blood began to trickle down my chest. A coughing fit wracked my body as I lifted my head up from the floor to witness Erik and Hank fighting, but Erik quickly managed to defeat Hank. Then he moved onto fighting Charles, a battle that I knew Charles was surely going to lose. Still feeling lightheaded from almost being choked out I managed to lift my hand up and release a bolt of energy at Erik which grazed his arm.
Erik knocked Charles to the floor and then whipped his body around in my direction. He used the metal chain of my necklace to fling me into the wall behind me. My head bounced off of the stone, causing my skull to throb in pain. I groaned and clutched my head as my vision went blurry. I was disoriented, I couldn't see, and I couldn't hear.
My hand weakly made its way to the back of my head and where I felt a slight dampness in my hair. Bringing my hand back towards my eyes, it was coated in red. I dropped my hand to the floor, feeling the corners of my eyes begin to darken. Out of nowhere, I felt a hand on my back and I could barely make out someone saying my name.
"Claudia? Claudia, can you hear me? Claudia, come on. Are you okay?"
A grunt escaped from me as I attempted to roll onto my side. I blinked a few times before my vision was restored and I saw Charles kneeling beside me. Concern pressed deeply into his features.
"Mmm. Help me up," I breathed.
He took my hands in his and he was able to haul me back into a standing position. The only problem was that the world began tipping and I felt as if I was going to topple over and fall back down again. I grabbed onto Charles' jacket and he caught me, holding me to him. I kept my face buried in his chest while I tried to regain my senses.
"Just breathe. You'll be fine," he cooed. "You're gonna be all right, just breathe," he repeated, soothingly rubbing my back.
I nodded and pulled myself away, "Thank you," I whispered, staring into his eyes.
It was at this moment I noticed our proximity, it's the closest we've ever been to each other since we've been reunited.
"I should've done something sooner," I breathed, shaking my head. "I should've known Erik-" I continued.
"It's okay Claudia," Charles reassured, cutting me off.
"Where am I?" Logan questioned, causing Charles and I look at the man in confusion.
"Huh?" Charles said confused.
Then I noticed the lost look on the taller man's face as pushed himself off of the floor and looked at us.
"How the hell did I get here?" he asked again, staring at us with wild eyes
I furrowed my eyebrows, "Charles...something's not right," I stated, shaking my head.
"What? You came to us," Charles corrected, still confused.
Logan looked at the room in confusion and fear, before suddenly grabbing Charles roughly by his jacket.
"Who are you?" Logan asked, practically shouting as he eyed him up and down.
"Charles," Charles answered, and Logan grabbed the lapels of his jacket, lifting him from the ground slightly. With wide eyes Charles placed his hands against Logan. "Charles Xavier!" He exclaimed, still being eyed suspiciously by Logan.
"Hey!" I yelled. "Put him down!" I demanded, eyeing Logan's claws.
"I don't know you!" Logan exclaimed loudly, as he narrowed his eyes at Charles again.
"What?" Charles said, still very confused.
Jesus Christ, this whole moment was getting crazier by the second.
I looked over my shoulder when I heard shuffling and saw a sight I hadn't seen in awhile. Hank was up on his feet, but now in all his blue furred glory. Full beast. Hank must have lost control after his altercation with Erik.
Logan's eyes widened, "What the hell is that?!" He exclaimed stepping back, scared of him.
Hank growled at Logan and Charles turned to look at Hank, "Whoa. Whoa," held his hands up between the two men to calm them down. "Look, I can deal with this. Just go. Stop Erik!" Charles ordered, snapping his attention back to Logan.
Hank roared before sprinting across the room, jumping out the window Raven and Erik had gone through.
Charles turned to face me, "Go with him," he ordered softly.
"What? No!" I replied, snapping my head to look at him. "Are you crazy? He's not in his right mind, he could easily kill you!" I whispered harshly
"All the more reason you should go," Charles countered. "I'll be fine, I promise," he reassured.
I began to back away from him, "You always make promises that you can't keep Charles," I stated, before running to the paneless window myself.
I leaped out of the window and made force field platforms as steps down. Outside of the building was chaos. People everywhere were screaming or filming with their cameras. Erik was being pummeled by the Hank, and Raven seemed to have disappeared. I tried to push through the crowds and watched Hank push Erik down into the large fountain.
That's when I started to see tints of red in the water, and I put my hand over my mouth. It seemed that Hank was winning the battle, when all of a sudden, the large metal bars from the fountain bent and latched onto Hank. There were also metal objects being thrown around, causing the civilians to panic more. Maneuvering myself around, I was able to get to the front of the crowd as Hank was being slowly pulled up by the metal ornaments.
He roared with anger. Erik stood up out of the water, drenched, and stared at me from my place in the crowd. It seemed as if time stood still, my brown eyes bore into his blue ones. I shook my head, pressing my lips together. Frowning, I sent forth an echo of the emotion that Erik drew out from me by his actions.
"How you disappoint me Erik Lehnsherr,"
I watched his face fall as he walked away, continuing on his quest to look for Raven. And just like that, the shared moment that Erik and I had shattered as everything came back in full focus. I could hear the sound of numerous cameras clicking as they all took pictures of him Hank. His eyes found mine as he looked down in pain and shame.
"I got you," I mouthed.
Concentrating, the wind around me began to pick up unnaturally strong. Everyone looked around in confusion, something was happening. And that something was me. In reality, nothing was happening, the wind was a light breeze, but the illusion I created made it feel like tornado type winds. I glanced around at the crowd as they struggled to stay on their feet, which was beginning to become even more difficult due to the winds. Shouts of terrors rang out as people fell to the ground or were stumbling to get to their feet, trying to dodge invisible debris flying their way.
With the crowd distracted, I ran toward Hank with ease and I slightly raised my hand causing the cameras closest to me float in the air as more screams erupted from the crowd. I flipped my hand down and the cameras in my possession mimicked my movement, crashing into the pavement. There was an array of empty police cars in the corner of my eye, spreading my fingers out one by one the cars turned into a fiery blaze while setting off a thunderous explosion as I reached Hank.
"Good enough distraction I hope," I thought.
With that I ended my illusion and all the photographers and filmers had scattered, the crowd followed suit also running away frightened and no longer paying attention to us. I turned my attention to Hank, flicking my wrist the bars unwrapped themselves from Hank's body and he dropped to the ground.
"It's probably best we get out of here," I said, glancing at the hysterical crowd and he nodded, and the two of us ran off.
AN: I hope you enjoyed it, it felt I was giving myself gray hairs trying to write this thing.
Translations:
Bonjour, opérateur, pourriez-vous me connecter avec une location de voiture? - Hello operator, could you connect me with a car rental.
Bonjour. Je vous ai entendu louer des voitures. - Hello. I heard you rent cars.
Vous n'arriveriez pas à avoir des voitures noires qui en détiennent cinq, n'est-ce pas? - You wouldn't happen to have black cars that hold five would you?
Pouvez-vous nous aider - Can you help us?
Mes amis et moi sommes perdus - My friends and I are lost
Madame vous ne pouvez pas - Madame you can't
Toujours - Always