Author's Note: Sorry for all the line breaks but it doesn't seem terribly easy to create sections on this site. Anyway, I seem to be writing longer and longer chapters with these last few updates :) Here is the confrontation (finally) between Max and his parents about what happened in Cuba. I did some creative time jumping between sections and hope it's not too jarring to read. Erik takes a beating here, no doubt about it but I hope you all like the way the chapter ends. (Hint: see chapter title)
Oh yeah - Cherik is on!
Chapter 15
"Max!"
He's awake and out of bed in a flash, claws extended and ready for battle. Using his body as a human shield, he crouches low in front of the Prof. who has jolted up in bed. Logan sniffs the air around him to try and sense the attackers, expecting someone or something to crash through the doors or windows at any moment. "Chuck? What's happening?"
Charles looks as close to frantic as he's ever seen him, though he shakes his head at Logan. "No, the School's not under attack." He grabs his pajama bottoms off the wheelchair and starts tugging them on in haste. "Help me get dressed please, quickly!"
He turns to look at the Prof., just as the sound of something large smashes against the wall in the room across the hall. Charles winces at the noise and murmurs under his breath, "Oh god, Erik."
Logan snarls as he grabs the robe off the floor and flings it quickly over the Professor's shoulders, "What the fuck is Lensherr doing? Did something happen to Max?" Another crash; this time it's even louder, as something big and heavy smashes and splinters right outside of Charles' door.
"No, it's not what you think. Please we've got to get to Max quickly." Charles throws himself into the chair and slips his arms inside the robe, not bothering to fiddle with the belt. "Come on, before Max hurts someone by accident."
The crash wakes her up from a sound sleep and her sharply honed instincts have her out of bed and tensed for an attack in mere seconds. Adrenaline pumps through Raven and her mind cycles rapidly through the multiple side passages and exits in the mansion to come up with the quickest escape route. She's moving and out the door fast; it'll be a pleasure to take down anyone who tries to stop her from getting to Charles and Max.
"...can't believe you tried to help that asshole Hank. The sooner he leaves here the better."
Sean eyes his two friends, who can only be described as 'facing off' across the island in the kitchen. Hank sets his beer down and calmly addresses a seething Alex. "I didn't do it for him, Alex. I did it because Max wants his father in his life and wants his parents to get along. If there's a way for the Prof. and Magneto to come to some understanding or to find some common ground..."
A muffled crash coming from the west wing stuns them into silence for just a moment, before Alex is running as fast as he can towards the staircase with Hank and Sean hot at his heels. They sprint and leap, two to three steps at a time up the stairs and hit the landing outside Charles' room just in time to see Erik's door fling open and a large wooden desk fly out and across the hall, smashing into pieces against the opposite wall.
Alex shakes his head in disbelief. "What the hell..?"
Hank is the first to notice Raven - in her natural blue form, minus the jump suit she's been wearing around the school - running towards them from the opposite end of the hallway. From the look on her face, he's certain that she's just witnessed the same...incident. She stops abruptly, wary of crossing in front of the open door and looks over at the three men in front of her. "What just happened?"
Sean wonders if someone has broken into the School to attack Magneto, and is just about to suggest that they go in to check on Erik when the door across the way slams open and out rolls the Prof. from his room. He's never seen Charles look so disheveled, the usually impeccably dressed man wearing his pajama bottoms with his robe hanging open, chest bare. He curses in his head as a split second later, his mind registers the second person following closely behind the Prof., shirtless in jeans and body coiled tightly and ready to fight.
It's obvious from the look on their faces that Hank and Alex are a bit stunned to see a half dressed Logan coming out of Charles' room in the middle of the night. Raven doesn't look surprised, though it's hard for Sean to guess what she's thinking having not seen her for the last eight years. Alex is looking from the Professor to Logan and back again, mouth gaping open and he's about to speak when Charles rolls over and places a gentle hand on his arm. "Later, please. One thing at a time."
He wheels himself closer to Erik's door and then calls, gently, but loud enough to be heard by those inside the room. "Max, love. It's alright. Please come out so I can explain."
"Max? What's wrong? Are you...why are you crying?"
"Vati...," Max is still backing away from him, eyes red and glittering with tears. "You're the reason Daddy can't use his legs."
Erik is so shocked that he sits frozen, staring at his son who is now standing in front of the bedroom door having moved as far away from him as possible. He can't think, can't breathe; his mind can't register the look of hurt and pain on Max's face as it slowly morphs from sadness to anger at his continued silence.
"I heard you, in my head," Max continues in a quiet voice, trembling with hurt and frustration. "You were having a bad dream and I wanted to help you feel better so I came into your room. I wasn't trying to read you but you were so loud...you were projecting and I could see everything..."
A wheezing sound makes its way out of Erik's throat before he can clamp it down, tight. "What...what did you see?"
"A submarine. The plane crash. There was a fight and you pushed a coin into the bad man's head while Daddy held him with his mind." It's all coming out of Max in a rush, the boy clearly understanding some but not all of what he's seen from the dream. "You put on that helmet and Daddy couldn't talk to you anymore. And then the men in the boats tried to send missiles to hurt everyone and you stopped them but then you tried to send them back and then...then..."
"Max...please..." The little boy's face is blurring around the edges as Erik tries desperately to fight back his own tears, his hands still clenched in the bed sheets.
"Daddy, he told you to stop. To not hurt all those men in the boats but you wouldn't listen. And he tried to stop you and you hit him!" Max's voice continues to rise in volume as he relays the events witnessed in the dream. "You hit him and then the lady tried to stop you with her gun and you..., you..."
Erik chokes back a sob and answers in a voice he barely recognizes as his own. "I deflected the bullets and one of them hit Charles in the back." He watches his little boy's face crumple and he thinks - he knows - that whatever relationship he might have had with Max is slipping away from him at these words. "I'm the one who paralyzed your Dad."
The pained, wounded sound coming from Max finally pushes Erik into action and he climbs out of the bed, taking a careful step towards his son. Max snarls and moves away from the door, trying to maintain the distance between them. The look of betrayal on his face makes Erik suck in a sharp breath, his chest constricting from the agony of seeing his own actions reflected in the eyes of his innocent little boy.
Max is glaring at him, his eyes hard and an expression on his face Erik recognizes easily as one of his own. He wants to laugh at the terrible irony; that this horrible incident is stripping away the gentleness, the sweetness of Charles Xavier from their son and replacing it with the pain and anger that is such an inherent part of Erik Lensherr.
"You hurt him," Max points his finger accusingly at his father, "And then you just left him, on the beach! You and Aunt Raven left him when he was hurt and bleeding, when it was all your fault!"
The lamp sitting on the desk topples off the edge and falls onto the floor, followed by the painting hanging over the bed. Erik thinks for a moment that he's losing his grip on his powers, accidentally moving the metal in the room. It's not until the wooden chair goes flying against the wall with a loud crash that he realizes that it's not coming from him.
"Max, please. I'm sorry. I know you're upset but I need you to calm down alright?" He takes another small step towards his son and the boy narrows his eyes at him. "Let's go talk to Charles."
"No!" Max all but screams at him, "You stay away from my Daddy! I won't let you hurt him ever again! I want you to leave!"
The door slams open and he watches in open-mouthed shock as the wooden desk goes flying out of the room, smashing into the wall next to Charles' door.
There's an eerie silence that follows as both Erik and Max look out at the pile of broken furniture on the floor. They can hear people moving around outside, followed quickly by remarks of disbelief.
"What the hell..?"
"What just happened?"
Max closes his eyes and wraps his arms around himself as though he's trying to shut out the world around him. Erik watches him intently and doesn't know if he should hold his son or try to comfort him with words; it's a fair guess that anything he does right now will do more harm than good.
He can barely contain his relief when he hears in the next moment, the warm dulcet tones of his ex-lover drifting in from the hallway. "Max, love. It's alright. Please come out so I can explain."
The little boy turns and runs out of the room, not bothering to acknowledge Erik as he rushes by. He follows quickly, just in time to see Max hurtling into his Dad's arms as Charles pulls him onto his lap and cradles his son's head against his chest.
"Shh...it's okay sweetheart. Daddy's here, everything's alright, love."
Sean and the others watch quietly as Max comes barreling out at the sound of Charles' voice and throws himself onto the Professor's lap. The little boy is whimpering, his whole body shaking as he cries while Charles holds him and gently strokes the back of his head.
He looks over as Erik walks out of the room and is genuinely shocked by his appearance. The man looks absolutely wrecked, his eyes red with tears, the expression on his face so tired, so devastated that Sean finds himself wanting to reach out to comfort him.
There's pained sympathy reflected on Raven's face; it would appear that she's guessed at the source of Max's anguish. Looking around the room Sean finds very different reactions from the people gathered around father and son - Alex is livid, his hands clenched into fists as he glares thunderously at Magneto; Hank can't stop staring at Max, his eyes wet with unshed tears and even Logan looks stricken, his eyes darting anxiously between Erik, Max and Charles.
It's Alex that speaks first. "What did you do to Max?" he snarls at Erik, who is standing stock still in grey jogging pants and a white t-shirt, looking nothing like the imperious and intimidating Magneto they've all come to know.
Erik opens his mouth as if to answer, then shakes his head and barely manages to choke out a single word. "Charles?"
A wave of calm envelops Sean and he feels himself relax, his shoulders loose and spine becoming less rigid. He notices similar reactions from the others and knows that Charles is deliberately projecting peaceful, soothing thoughts and feelings to the people around him.
"I've made sure that the students will be sleeping soundly through the night undisturbed. However, Sean and Hank, if you could kindly look in on them please when we're finished here?" They both nod at the Professor's words, though everyone remains rooted in place.
Raven takes a few steps towards Erik and places a gentle hand on his arm though the man seems oblivious to everything around him, his gaze still locked on Max and Charles. Her voice is soft, concerned and she seems to be asking the question to anyone willing to answer. "What happened?"
The Professor sighs, running his hands through Max's hair before he looks up at Raven and the others. "Erik was dreaming...about Cuba. And Max picked up his thoughts about what happened on the beach."
No one looks particularly surprised at the revelation, though Alex's face becomes even more twisted with anger. Sean interrupts, attempting to stop his friend from losing his temper in front of Max. "What about the crashes? The desk?" He turns to address Erik, "It wasn't you was it? There's no metal here."
Erik shakes his head though it's Charles that answers. "I believe Max unlocked a secondary mutation tonight – telekinesis. It appears that he can move things with his mind, though he has little awareness or control of his new power." He places a tender kiss on his son's forehead. "We'll do some tests with Hank this week and help him develop a training plan."
"A training plan? That's all you have to say Charles?" Sean is shocked at the tone that Alex uses with the Prof. though Charles himself looks unfazed. "Max is traumatized! He didn't just wake up out of bed one day and realize that he was telekinetic! This...he caused it!"
"Alex please," the Prof. still looks composed, but Sean can hear the slight waver in his voice, "I'm aware of what's happened here but I'm asking you to please trust me to handle this."
There's no answer from the younger man and Charles takes his silence as tacit agreement. He pulls Max gently from his chest and wipes the tears from the boy's face with his thumbs. "Come on love. I think we need to talk so I can explain what you saw in your Vati's dreams. Why don't you and Erik and I go speak in the study and we'll let the others go back to sleep?"
The words have the exact opposite effect than the Professor intended; instead of calming Max, the little boy scrambles out of his lap and points an accusing finger at his two parents. "No! I don't want to talk to him! I don't want him anywhere near you or me! Ever again!" He spins to face Erik, his tiny hands clenched into fists as he faces off with his father. "I want you to leave right now and take Aunt Raven with you too."
They are all stunned at the little boy's outburst; none of them have ever seen such anger and resentment from the sweet, gentle boy they all know and love. Raven tries to reach for Max, only to be shoved away, his anger switching from Erik to a new target. "You," he points an accusing finger at his Aunt, "how could you leave Daddy like that? When he loved you so much? You're his sister! His family! And you left with the man who made him lose his legs!"
He turns away from her then, only to spin around and wave his arm to indicate everyone in the room. "You all knew! You knew what he did and you let me bring him home. So he can lie about how much he loves me and Daddy!"
"Max, please I...," Erik is crying now, tears running down his face and Sean's heart hurts maybe just a little for his former mentor. "I didn't mean to hurt Charles, I swear. I love him, Max. It was a terrible, terrible mistake. I would never deliberately hurt him."
Charles is rapidly losing his own composure as he rolls closer to his son, the little boy standing rigid and unyielding in front of him. "Sweetheart, your Vati is telling the truth. What happened in Cuba was an accident." He reaches for Erik's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Your father and I, we loved each other Max. He didn't hurt me on purpose."
"Max," Hank bends down and places his hands on the little boy's shoulders. "You know that we were all there that day, except for Logan. We can all tell you the same thing. Erik may have deflected the bullets but he didn't know Charles was getting up behind him." His tone is soft and comforting as he pulls Max into a hug. "I've never lied to you before and I'm not lying now. Your Dad's paralysis, it was the result of very bad timing and poor judgement."
Max doesn't say anything, though he seems to have calmed a bit from Hank's words. He turns to look at Sean, who nods in agreement as does Raven who looks devastated at her nephew's rejection. Finally, he wanders over to Alex and takes the older man's hand. "I know you weren't happy when I brought Vati and Aunt Raven home. You'll tell me the truth won't you Alex? Did he mean to hurt Daddy? Was it really an accident?"
Sean can see Alex hesitate, his mind warring with the desire to rid Erik from their lives forever or to help Max deal with the events of that fateful day. They're all watching him, waiting, until finally he rubs a hand over his tired face and looks down at the little boy. "Yeah Max. It was an accident."
Erik is shaking, his face a mix of relief and raw emotion and he's still clutching Charles' hand like a life line. The Professor squeezes it again and then gently slips his hand away from the other man's grip to pull Max close. "Please, love. Come with me and let us tell you what happened. I promise we'll explain everything."
The little boy nods in agreement and Charles leads them towards his bedroom. "Let's go chat in my room shall we?" He opens the door and waits for Max to enter, then turns to address the others. "Erik, will you join us please? And I think perhaps it would be best if we cancelled classes in the morning, give us all a chance to sleep on things. Good night."
They all watch as the Prof. disappears into the room behind Max, followed closely by Erik who is taking slow, halting steps forward. Sean can't help but think he looks a lot like a man walking to his own execution.
The door closes and the remaining adults stand awkwardly in silence, unsure of what to do next. Hank throws an arm around Sean's shoulders and sighs, "Come on. Let's go check on the kids."
Logan pushes himself off the wall where he's been leaning. "I'll help."
It happens so fast that none of them have a chance to react before Alex is slamming his body against the other man and punching him in the face. "You son of a bitch! How long have you been waiting for this chance, huh? You just couldn't wait to get into the Prof.'s pants could you?"
"Alex!" Both Hank and Sean are on him in a flash, pulling him off a surprisingly calm Logan, "Stop!"
"You bastard," They're barely able to keep Alex from lunging forward and yanking himself from their grasp. "You're taking advantage of Charles while he's vulnerable, what with that rat Magneto showing up again after all these years. I can't believe we ever thought it was a good idea to let you stay here!"
Logan shifts his jaw slowly and then reaches up to wipe a bit of blood from the corner of his lip. His body language is relaxed and unconcerned and Sean is infinitely grateful that he – hopefully – won't have to peel his best friend's ass off the floor. "Listen Summers. It's not like that with me and the Prof. But it's none of your business and don't think I need to tell you shit."
"Alex!" Sean throws his whole body around the other man to hold him back. "Listen, the Prof. and Logan, it didn't just start tonight okay? It's been going on for a while. He's not taking advantage of Charles."
"What?" Alex stops struggling completely and turns to look at him. "What the fuck are you talking about Cassidy?" He turns to glare at Logan again. "How long?" A slight pause. "And why didn't Charles..."
"Look Summers," Logan cuts him off impatiently. "Chuck and I like each other. We're adults so you can probably figure out the rest of it. As to why he didn't tell anyone; I assume he wanted to keep his private life, you know, private."
"You knew?" he glares at Sean and then Hank. "Did you know too? Am I the only idiot who didn't know Logan was fucking the Prof.?"
"No I didn't..."
"Alex," he's trying his best to remain calm, to help pull his friend back from the edge. He knows what a shock this night has been for all of them and then for Alex to find out about Charles and Logan this way... "I only know because I accidentally caught Logan coming out of the Professor's room one night. The Prof. asked me not to say anything. He didn't want to confuse Max."
"You know Charles' abilities, Alex. No one can trick him or take advantage of him." Raven's tone is neutral, not pitying or mocking which seems to help settle him down.
Alex doesn't say another word, stalking off towards the other end of the hallway no doubt to check on Scott and the others. Hank follows closely behind and Logan turns away, wandering off in the opposite direction. Sean is left standing next to Raven, the two of them a little breathless and stunned.
"How do think it's going in there?" She waves her hand towards the Professor's door.
Sean just shakes his head and sighs, "I hope it's going better in there than it did out here."
He watches quietly as Charles walks Max through the highlights of that day, his face numb and head still reeling from his son's reaction. Two weeks ago, Erik had been alone in this world, with nothing in his life but his cause and the Brotherhood. And now, having just been given a second chance at a family, he stands to lose them from the consequences of his own actions.
And that's when he realizes the truth; he's petrified of losing Max and Charles and can't bear the thought of never seeing them again. If he has to choose now - choose between the cause and his family, Erik will do the right thing for once and be there for the people he loves.
"That's all of it, love. There are probably some things that you're still too young to understand, but I've explained everything you should know about what happened that day."
Max is calmer now, though his expression is sullen and he's refusing to look at Erik. He narrows his eyes at Charles and pouts from the middle of the big bed. "You should have told me before."
"You're right. I'm sorry you found out this way." Charles sighs and slides himself closer to their son, pulling him back against the pillows. "I was planning to tell you when you got a bit older."
The boy doesn't respond for a few minutes, his hands picking absently at the sheets, his forehead wrinkled in thought. Erik approaches tentatively, stopping at the foot of the bed and hoping more than anything that he can get his point across without messing things up even more. "I know I've made you lose your trust and your faith in me Max but I want to prove to you that I'm telling the truth. You can read me if you like, so you know how I feel about you and Charles."
He sits down at the end of the bed and waits for Max to make the first move. The little boy hesitates before scrambling towards him, kneeling in front of Erik and placing his fingers on either side of his father's head. Max turns to look at Charles, who nods and smiles encouragingly, before closing his eyes and diving in.
Erik feels the presence like a warm ray of sunshine; as angry as Max is at the moment the boy is still gentle, taking great pains to carefully rifle through his thoughts and memories. He pushes them to the forefront and lays them bare – the regret and pain and crushing guilt from hurting Charles, from leaving his lover behind; all the lonely days and nights over the years, punctuated by the few short months of happiness before Cuba; the last two weeks of great joy and confusion having Max and Charles in his life.
Max pulls out of his mind and sits on the bed, a thoughtful expression on his face as he turns to address Charles. "Vati really is sorry that he hurt you but...are you really not angry with him? Don't you blame him for not being able to use your legs anymore? Don't you want him to hurt too?"
Charles shakes his head, his smile a little sad. "Do you remember last summer, when you dared Ororo to climb up the big tree out back? And she fell and broke her arm? How did that make you feel?"
The little boy frowns and curls his arms around his knees. "I felt really bad Daddy. It was all my fault she got hurt; if I didn't dare her to climb the tree she wouldn't have fallen."
"You felt responsible right? Because Ororo was climbing the tree because of you. But her falling out was an accident and not something that you did to deliberately hurt her."
Charles wraps an arm around their son as he continues, "And was she mad at you? Did she blame you for what happened to her arm?"
"No...," Max looks between Charles and Erik and sighs. "Are you saying it's like that? You can't walk because of Vati but it was an accident so you're not mad at him?"
"I am still angry Max, sometimes. Just not about the bullet or what happened to my legs. Your father and I have hurt each other and misunderstood each other a lot over the years." He chuckles wryly and shoots Erik a glance, "I think this has been a lot harder than either of us expected, seeing each other again after all this time."
"I regret a great many things Max." Erik slides a bit closer and is relieved that his son doesn't immediately move away. "I wish I had stopped the bullets instead of deflecting them. I wish...I should never have left that day, I was a coward. I was afraid to face what I had done and I didn't want to stay long enough for Charles to realize that he hated me, because it would have been his right."
He looks over Max's head at Charles who is gazing intently at him, eyes glistening. "I regret not reading the letters he sent me about you. I was afraid that I would drop everything I believed in and come back, only to resent your Dad later for my own weakness." It's not until he feels the tear rolling down his cheek that he realizes he's crying. "I want to fix this Max. I want to make things right and make amends for how much I've hurt you and Charles."
"So...you're going to stay Vati? You're not leaving us?" The little boy sounds so scared and hopeful at the same time that it makes Erik's heart ache.
"Yes Max. I'm going to stay. I want to stay...if Charles will have me here."
"Erik...," the Professor tries to hide his own tears as he shifts closer to Max on the bed. "Of course you can stay."
"Okay then that's settled." The little boy smiles for the first time that night and Erik almost collapses with relief. Max flops backwards onto the pillows and wiggles under the blankets, reaching out to pull Charles next to him. "Can I sleep with you tonight Daddy?"
Charles smiles and hugs Max so tightly it makes the boy squirm. "Of course you can. Just make sure you don't kick me out of the bed."
Erik pushes himself up and walks over to Max, leaning down to run his hand through his son's hair. "I should go back to my room, let you two get back to sleep."
"No, don't go! Why don't you stay here with me and Daddy? He's got a giant bed, I know we can all fit."
He looks at Max who is gazing up at him with the sweetest smile and wide, blue eyes and then over at Charles who seems amused at the exchange. "You can stay Erik, if you want."
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, he climbs quickly into bed as Charles turns off the lamp on the night stand. He settles comfortably next to Max with Charles on the other side of their son and within minutes the boy is fast asleep, leaving the two men laying together in silence.
"Thank you Charles, for what you said tonight." His voice is pitched low so he doesn't wake Max. "I know I don't deserve your support but I'm certainly grateful for it."
He can hear Charles sigh and turn to face him, though it's too dark to see much more than the silhouette of his face. "I meant everything that I said Erik. I want you to stay, if that's what you want. Just...please don't disappoint Max by promising you'll stay and then..."
"Charles," he searches blindly until he finds the other man's hand, then laces their fingers together. "I won't let him down, I swear. I wasn't lying about wanting to try to make things work between us."
He can hear the nervousness and uncertainty in Charles' voice when he answers, "I don't know that I can...I think we should keep things professional between us Erik. I'm not sure I can go back to the way things were before Cuba."
Erik swallows the bitter disappointment swelling inside him and gently strokes his ex-lover's hand. "I know Charles. I won't pressure you to revisit things between us, but I won't stop loving you either, or hoping that you'll change your mind."
There's no response for a long time and Erik worries that he may have pushed too hard with even this simple declaration of intent. He breathes a sigh of relief when Charles finally responds, so softly that he almost can't make out the word. "Alright."