AN: Sorry for the sudden disappearance my workload increased by tenfold and I had to get it done before I could even think about writing again.
"So Erik was telling the truth," Raven started, sitting across from Charles at the kitchen table. "It's either me or Trask," she stated, staring at the four of us.
I stood behind Charles, my hands resting on the top of his wheelchair. Hank stood to the left me with his arms folded, leaning against a cabinet while Logan stood to the right of me just staring at Raven.
"If you kill Trask, they'll be ten more like him," Hank pointed out.
The blonde turned and looked at him, "Well then I'll kill them too and anyone who comes next," Raven threatened, a hardened expression on her face.
"Raven, do you hear yourself right now?" I asked in disbelief, staring at her.
"Let's just cut to the chase here," Logan spoke up, seemingly fed up with the polite conversation. "You wanna know how all this ends? Cause I've seen you in the future," he addressed Raven brusquely.
She shifted her veiled, suspicious gaze to him and held her ground, "Yeah, what am I like?" she challenged.
Logan met her scrutiny without blinking, "You're a cold murderess bitch," he answered bluntly.
"Hey," Hank protested weakly.
"Well don't hold back!" Raven exclaimed.
"By the time they finish you, and they finish you," Logan emphasized. "You've killed so much, you are knee-deep in human and mutant blood. You don't even know who you are," Logan finished.
The words hung heavy in the air and on us like weights on drowning, helpless supplicants. Covering and suffocating us, in the undeniable horror of what could be. Raven stared at Wolverine for a moment, taking in his words with a hint of fear behind her eyes.
"Well, maybe there wouldn't be as much mutant blood if we made our move now," she shot back at Logan.
"Gee, I wondered where I've heard that sentiment before," I commented sarcastically, moving to stand beside Charles.
"These are Erik's words, not yours," Charles chimed into the conversation. "Besides, you'd be giving Trask exactly what he wants: A reason for humanity to—to fear, to hate us," he commented.
"You think they need a reason? Do you honestly think they'll ever be able to see me like this—" she briefly paused to shift into her natural form, to which he held his hand up and turned his head away for a second, "—and feel anything but fear? You can't even look at me," she pointed out.
"That—That is not true," Charles denied and though his face was no longer turned, his eyes were looking somewhere above her head.
Raven reverted back to her human form, visibly easing Charles' comfort level, "I can hide, like you. But what about the ones who can't? I saw them in Vietnam. It's hard to hide your powers when you're getting shot at. And the ones that couldn't hide became lab rats for Trask," she continued.
"I will never let that happen to you," Charles vowed, his tone laced with sincerity. "I made you a promise long time ago that I would keep you safe, that I would protect you. If I had done my job, perhaps none of this would be happening to us. Perhaps you wouldn't have left home," he reasoned.
"I couldn't stay here forever, Charles," Raven sighed.
A slight smile tugged at Charles' lips when he pressed his fingertips to his right temple to telepathically speak to Raven.
"That's why!" She slammed her palms on the table clearly angry and rose to her feet.
"Raven, I'm sorry. I don't-" He began, but clearly there was some old habits Charles had never learned to stop and Raven was gonna remind him of them.
"And it's not me you should be worrying about," she warned. "Erik is gonna start that war whether you like it or not,"
"Well, how do you know?" Hank wondered.
"He told me,"
Finished talking to us, the shapeshifter started limping to the bottom of the staircase. Raven's limping was pretty bad and it was clear that she was still injured from earlier today. She didn't get more than a few steps before Charles stopped her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Charles called, as I spotted the large dark stain on her pant leg.
"When was the last time you changed your bandage? On...on..your...leg?" Hank asked, his voice soft.
"Hank is going to see to your leg," Charles told her.
"I don't-" Hank interrupted.
"Yes you are," He told Hank."You need some rest, my girl," This he directed to Raven.
"I'm not your girl," she softly snapped at him, but it wasn't said with much conviction.
"You will find your room just as you left it," he informed her before turning to his most loyal student. "Hank, go," he urged.
"I don't-"
"You know you want to, go on," Charles insisted.
"I don't blame Erik for trying to kill me," Raven interjected. "I would've done the same thing," she stated.
"How you're still able to defend a man who just attempted to murder you only a few hours ago is beyond me," I said, shaking my head.
The former professor absorbed his adoptive sister's radical opinion, unsure of how to reply.
"Go on, Hank,"
Knowing that Charles was ultimately going to get his way, Hank remained silent and caved and the pair walked up the flight of stairs together. Charles took my hand in his, effectively stealing my attention from the staircase and I looked down at him.
"Would you be so kind to give Raven a fresh towel and washcloth?" he asked softly.
"Of course Charles," I answered, nodding my head.
"Thank you darling," he said, planting a quick kiss to back of my hand before releasing it.
I made my way up the stairs and just as I was walk down the hallway I heard Charles' voice.
"She's home,"
"What are you trying to do?" Logan questioned him, not even attempting to conceal his emotions.
"I'm trying to save her," Charles answered, it as if it were obvious.
"Men who try to do that to women, in my experience, it doesn't end well,"
~~~x~~~
Now carrying a fresh, fluffy white towel and washcloth in my hands I stood outside Raven's bedroom door. I don't know why, but I've suddenly become so anxious about speaking to Raven alone. We hadn't seen each other in over a decade, but we didn't exactly end on friendly terms either. Raven wouldn't hold a grudge that long would she? Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath I knocked on Raven's door before peeking my head in to see Raven sitting on her sofa.
"It's just me," I informed, fully stepping into the room. "Charles just wanted me to bring you a towel and washcloth," I explained, as I walked over to her bed and placed them down.
Raven just nodded and I interlocked my fingers behind me, giving a nod of my own before slowly walking backwards out of her room.
"It's funny you know," Raven began, causing me to halt in my movement. "How the roles have reversed," Raven continued, turning her head to look at me. "Once upon a time it was me who was welcoming you into the mansion. And now here you are doing the same for me a decade later," Raven lightly chuckled, shaking her head.
"Who would've thought?" I asked, my lips quirking up into a smile. "Well, I'll leave to it you then," I stated, clasping my hands together and moved towards the door again.
"Wait!" Raven called, and I stopped once again this time I was at the door frame. "Stay awhile," Raven added.
I arched a brow, "Why do you want me to?" I asked, the question a lot more blunt than I meant it to be. "I mean just it's been a decade since we've last seen each other. And it wasn't on the best of terms," I clarified,
A small smile formed on Raven's lips, "I was young and immature," Raven admitted, nodding her head. "But I'm not her anymore," Raven added.
Giving a nod of my own, I made my way back into the room and sat in the sofa next to Raven, leaving a cushion space between us. An awkward silence permeated the space shared by us. As hard as we tried to ignore it, neither Raven nor I could deny that things between us had changed dramatically. We were both completely different people than we were in 1962. I hadn't really thought about Raven this much in awhile, sure she she had popped into my head quite a bit after the years following Cuba, but slowly she became an afterthought.
So many questions raced through my minds as we sit next to each other, praying for something, anything to interrupt the silence between them.
"How have you and Charles been getting on?" Raven questioned, breaking the crippling silence.
I breathed out a laugh and turned my body to face her, "To be honest you, it was only a few days ago that Charles and I saw each other again," I began, and Raven tilted her head in confusion. "Charles and I...well we separated in 1967," I explained, shaking my head. "It's been that way up until now," I added.
Raven's eyes widened to the size of saucers, "What!" she exclaimed, grabbing my hands. "You two were perfect each other!" Raven claimed in disbelief.
"We were," I chuckled, nodding my head and glancing down to the floor. "But the serum that helped Charles walk, it severely damaged our relationship along with other factors," I sighed, lifting my eyes to see Raven's sad gaze.
She squeezed my hands gently, "I take it the school closing down was one of them?" Raven guessed.
I just smile at her sadly, "I think that was the biggest blow to Charles," I answered, sighing again. I put my hand on top of Raven's. "Enough about me, what about you?" I asked, looking at her expectantly.
"I was with Erik as you know already, up until JFK's assassination," Raven stated. "After that I went off on my own to fight for mutant freedom. I know we hold different views on what fighting for mutant rights looks like, but that's what I've been doing," she finished.
I looked away from her momentarily and out the window, "How was he? How was Erik?" I asked, looking back at her again.
"He...he missed you dearly," Raven answered. "Erik said he lost the woman who truly understood him," she continued. "And for awhile I envied you Claudia," Raven admitted. "I wanted to Erik to see me in that way," she added.
"But he did eventually, didn't he?" I questioned, remembering Erik's and Charles' conversation on the plane.
Raven nodded, "Yes, a relationship blossomed between us," she replied, a faint smile on her lips. A small laugh escaped her and she shook her head. "God, I miss conversations like these," Raven breathed.
"Conversations like what?" I asked curiously.
"Trivial ones about men and relationships," Raven answered, laughing lightly. "And most importantly, I miss having them with you," she continued. My brows raised and my lips curved into a soft grin. "You were my first friend Claudia and I've missed you. Jealously shouldn't have ruined our friendship and for that I apologize," Raven finished.
I let out a chuckle and I righted myself. I immediately opened my arms and wove them around Raven's shoulders pulling her into a hug, which she reciprocated happily.
"Stick around Raven," I suggested. "I might let you even have the honor of calling me Dia again," I joked, and the laughter from Raven vibrated against me.
~~~x~~~
Smiling to myself as I walked down the hallway I noticed a door was half-open, allowing me to spot Logan who was laying in bed with a cigar in his mouth. I scrunched up my nose in disgust at the smoky wisps that came out of his mouth. I knocked on the door catching Logan's attention.
"Yeah?"
I pushed the door open more slightly, "May I come in?" I asked sheepishly, to which Logan gave a nod. I scrunched nose my up even more now fully being hit witg the cigar smoke. "You know those things give you cancer?" I commented, arching a brow and Logan rolled his eyes.
I took a seat on the edge of a chair that was placed underneath a desk and listening to the sounds of the TV before Logan spoke up.
"I have to know Claudia, how did Charles end up with a..." Logan trailed off, like he didn't want to finish his sentence.
"Say it, Logan," I encouraged, my lips curving into a smirk. "It's alright," I added.
"How did Charles end up falling in love with someone who is such a bitch?" Logan asked bluntly.
I let out a laugh, throwing my head back in the process, "Well, you know what they say Logan," I began. "Opposites attract," I reminded, a grin on my face. "I do have to have thank you Logan," I stated, interlocking my fingers.
"What for?"
"If you hadn't found me and convinced me to help you, Charles and I probably wouldn't have gotten back together to try and work things out," I explained, slightly shrugging my shoulders. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I owe you...everything," I informed, looking at Logan.
Logan met my gaze, "You really wouldn't have come back if it weren't me?" Logan asked skeptically.
"No," I answered truthfully. "Charles no sign of changing his ways," I added, remembering my time in the mansion.
"Until now," Logan stated, and I nodded.
I lifted a brow, "So, in the future. You really never heard of me or even seen a picture of me," I questioned, placing my arm on the desk and leaning my face on my knuckle.
Logan hesitated, "No," he told me. "It's like I said before, I never heard of you," he said.
My mind was reeling. How could he have never mentioned me. I thought I was his...his everything.
"Wow, so Charles just erased my entire existence in the future," I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief. "I take it that someone took my place. Who's he married into the future? What's she like?" I inquired curiously.
Logan shook his head, "Charles isn't married in the future," Logan corrected, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Being here now," Logan continued carefully. "I get the impression that Charles had found it difficult to talk about you, mostly because of how your relationship had fallen apart," Logan stated, staring at me. "I don't think Charles could never see himself being in a relationship if it wasn't you," he explained, his voice taking on a softer tone. "It's obvious the man adores you Claudia, so the guilt of him pushing you away which subsequently led to your death must've ate at him," Logan finished.
I sat in stunned silence, "Wow," I finally breathed out.
"Ah, there you are Claudia," Charles called from the door, and my head snapped to the door. "I wondered where you had gone," he continued.
I stood up from my seat, "Oh Logan and I were just having a chat," I stated, moving towards Charles with a faint smile on my face. "It was very...illuminating," I added.
I looked at Logan, the man who had changed everything, and I made a promise to myself. I would not let that be my future. I refused to die and I refused to lose Charles again.
~~~x~~~
I watched the sunrise from Charles' bed with a cup of coffee in hand, the morning light spilling through his window. The clock that was on Charles' wall ticked softly in a way that was soothingly. I was usually the only one awake at this time of morning, but the feeling of lips placing butterfly kisses up my back made it clear I wasn't the only one awake. I smiled to myself and slowly let mug float over to the nightstand as I turned over to face Charles.
"Good morning," I greeted, a smile still on my face as he draped his arm around my waist.
"A good morning indeed," Charles said, locking eyes with me and I could see nothing but absolute bliss behind them.
Holding myself up with my elbow, I let the tips of my finger graze his jawline and Charles leaned into my touch. I moved my fingers higher and ran my hand through his long hair.
"You need a haircut," I commented, and Charles smiled. "And a shave," I added, breathing out a laugh.
Charles leaned in closer to me, placing his lips on my cheek. My nose. My lips. I placed my hand on the nape of his neck as Charles slowly broke our kiss. Softly, he ran his thumb across my cheekbone. For a minute, neither of us spoke a word.
"You're so beautiful," Charles whispered, and a smile pulled at my lips.
The sound of knocking on Charles' bedroom door broke us from our reverie. Charles' grip around my waist loosened and I slipped out of the bed, making my way towards the door. I opened the door only to find Hank with a panicked expression on his face.
"Hank what's wrong?" I asked, my previous feelings of serenity slowly disappearing.
"I've made a mistake," Hank informed, and I furrowed my brows in confusion.
"What?" I asked, folding my arms.
It was only ten minutes later when we stood in front of a broken up Cerebro, that I understood what Hank had meant.
Hank held the broken helmet in his hands, sighing, "We can't track her now," he said, shaking his head.
"She's cut her ties..." Charles sighed as well, gazing at the damaged Cerebro in sorrow.
I ran a hand down my face, "So essentially we're screwed," I stated, looking down at the now useless helmet.
"Wait," Hank called. "There's something I need to show you," he added.
We followed Hank, back up the lift and to one of the rooms in the mansion that he had turned into something else during the time I had been away. Multiple TVs were plugged into computers. Tapes were rolling as three voices clashed with each other and a web of wires covered the floor.
Hank sat down and flipped some switches, "This is the system I designed to record any news about Paris, over all three networks and PBS," Hank explained.
"All three? Wow," Logan said dryly.
Hank nodded, "Yeah, and PBS," he repeated with a light chuckled before shifting his attention back to the matter. "Anyways, look what I found," He said, turning up the volume on one TV.
"Tomorrow in front of the White House," a news reporter began holding a black microphone. "The President will make his announcement. He'll be joined by Secretary of Defense, Laird, and has even sought the help of renowned scientist Bolivar Trask, his special adviser to combat this mutant issue. The White House has asked..." Hank stopped the recording and turned back to us.
"Raven doesn't realize that if she kills Trask at an event like that with the whole world watching..." Charles started.
"Then I came a long way for nothing," Logan finished.
I bit my lip, "What are we going to do?" I asked, running a hand over my hair.
"Wait, there's more bad news," Hank informed. "I saw the report, they found traces of her blood in Paris. For all we know, they already have her DNA, which is all they'd need-"
"To create the Sentinels of the future," Logan finished again and sighed.
"Now there's a theory in Quantum Physics," Hank began. "That time is immutable. It's like a river, you can throw a pebble into it, create a ripple, but the current always corrects itself. No matter what you do, the river just keeps flowing in the same direction," Hank finished, and I looked up at him.
"What are you trying to say?" Logan questioned, arms crossed.
"What I'm saying is," Hank sighed. "What if the war is inevitable? What if she's meant to kill Trask? What if this is just simply who she is?" I looked back down at the floor.
"It sure seems like it," I murmured.
Charles shook his head slowly, "Just because someone stumbles, loses their way, doesn't mean they're lost forever," he said, as if reciting someone else's words. I lifted my head smiled, Charles I had known was slowly coming back. He looked at Hank. "No, I don't believe that theory, Hank," Charles disagreed. "And I cannot believe that that is who she is," Charles stated, and Hank nodded in agreement.
"Now ready the plane, we're going to Washington,"
AN: Lowkey, I wanted to rip my hair out trying to write this chapter because I was struggling.