WordCount:3,344

ChapterFour: Stopping Time

Shaw was holding Erik's hand a fraction too long, and Erik looked uncomfortable. Charles watched with a knot in his stomach as Erik snatch his hand away as quickly as he was able to. Once Shaw realised him, Erik's fingers flexed as if he wished to rid himself of the memory of Shaw's touch, before his fingers curled into a ball. Charles was desperate for Erik to look his way, he didn't know what was happening, but he felt as if he had been betrayed. His heart was hammering, and his breathing was becoming shallow and fast, the beginnings of panic. Had Erik known all along? Why hadn't he said anything, why would he let Shaw attack him like this, without any warning? Were Erik and Shaw friends, or more than friends? The questions ran on and on, and there were no answers to be had. But it did not stop his mind from running wild, for his heart to sink, and for his hands to shake. Charles needed to know, but there was something holding him back, stopping him from truly wanting the answers. He wasn't ready for his world to shatter tonight.

"This is the young man I was telling you about," Shaw said smugly, his hand slipping around Erik's back in order to guide him forward to Charles' table. "Charles, I would like you to meet the architect of this club, Erik Lensherr. Erik, this is Charles, the boy that has been giving me the run around for far too long."

Erik's eyes lifted from where they had been firmly fixed upon a point just before the table, and felt a shiver run up his arms and towards his fluttering heart as he met with Charles' startled blue eyes. He saw in Charles' face a pale terrified expression, something that looked so very wrong on him. Erik could feel Charles searching his face in return, desperate for answers Erik was unable to give. It was clear that Charles couldn't believe what had taken place tonight, the shock was clearly written through him. From the way that he sat in his chair, small and unmoving, to the way his eyes drifted to Shaw, Erik knew that Charles was sharing the same cold unnerved shiver as he.

As Erik took a seat in front of him, landing heavily in the chair like a dead weight, Charles wished with every frantic beat, that he had not drunk quite so much. Maybe this wouldn't have been so frightening had he been able to process what was happening? Charles kept his eyes firmly on Erik, seeing him flinch as Shaw clapped him roughly on the shoulder, before taking the empty seat next to him.

"Erik designed the interior of Hellfire, he has an intriguing imagination, has he not, Charles?"

The way Shaw lingered on Charles' name made Erik tense. The weight of Shaw's hand on his shoulder felt heavy, and he wished he might shake him off. Eventually Shaw let go, and Erik forced himself to repress a shudder. The contact was not welcome, especially when everything was being done to intimidate Charles, and make it seem as if they were in some kind of collusion together, and out to get him. Erik hoped will all his heart that Charles was not doubting him, but the frightened look in Charles' eyes did not suggest he was prepared to trust anyone right now. Erik was sorry that he had had any part in this trickery of Shaw's.

The way Shaw was talking made Charles wondered whether this was some kind of double bluff. Did Shaw know that he and Erik were already acquainted? Or was Erik as shocked as he was? It was impossible to tell, since Erik didn't look surprised, rather, he looked ill. He had simply looked at Charles when he had first arrived with dread; now his face was steely cold, his eyes now held an expression so very unlike the Erik Charles knew. Shaw was smirking at them both, as if this scene couldn't have possibly gone any better, and Charles felt himself completely tongue-tied. He had the feeling that both he and Erik were balancing on a knife-edge, and one wrong word and everything would come tumbling down.

"The club is amazing," Charles replied sincerely, there was no need to lie. His eyes returned to Erik, who was now looking at him with a slight pleading in his expression. "You really designed this?" His interest was genuine, despite the tense situation.

"Yes," Erik answered. He tried his very best to ignore Shaw, who was watching the exchange with the keenest of interest. "That's my job. Designs, architecture, helping a club make money… among other things. Except this job here, this is permanent."

Charles could have discussed this topic all night. Erik had always been a mystery to him, and since Charles had not wished to talk about his job, he'd never asked questions about Erik's. Erik had returned the favour, by never mentioning how he made a living, not even in passing, even though Charles had always wished that he would. Shaw must have noticed that he was losing Charles' attention, as he quickly changed the subject.

"Do you know how hard it was tracking you down? I had to use all of my contacts to get that invite to you," Shaw admitted, calling Charles' attention to him.

Inadvertently he gave his hand away to Erik, it was true then, Charles had been avoiding Shaw. No matter how much bragging Shaw did, Charles was clearly not interested. The fact that Shaw had no direct means of contacting Charles also said a lot. Maybe it was Erik that knew the most about the man before them, more even that his supposed ex-lover. Erik shook the thought of Shaw and Charles together out of his mind, it seemed so unlikely, and especially when Charles was behaving as if seeing Shaw again was some kind of torture. It certainly didn't make Erik think that it had been anywhere near the intimacy Shaw would have him believe.

The fact that Charles had spent most of this meeting gazing at Erik had not gone unnoticed by Shaw, and he was rapidly regretting inviting him. In fact, apart from backing him up, Erik looked surly and uninterested. He kept glancing at the clock on the wall, which was now ticking past two in the morning.

"You wouldn't like me if it was easy Shaw," Charles replied languidly, as if this was a run of the mill occurrence for him. He followed this statement with a yawn, his hand raised to politely try cover his mouth, but he looked genuinely tired. He glanced at the clock; it was much later than he had thought it was, Raven had been missing for some time, yet his phone was silent. She had not noticed his disappearance, or, she was not worried.

Erik looked at Shaw. The older man seemed stumped for a reply. Erik didn't know what to make of Charles either. But he couldn't stop the smile that appeared at the corners of his mouth. Charles was looking at Shaw in such a way that told Erik that he expected to get his way eventually. Erik wondered how Charles could go from terrified to not caring in the space of a few minutes. Then he stopped smiling. Maybe Shaw had never caused the frightened look in Charles' blue eyes after all? Maybe it had been aimed at him?

Charles' hand moved from his mouth to the side of his head, where he casually touched his temple, and rested his elbow on the table. He smiled slightly.

"The day that you stop driving me crazy Charles will be the day that Mars attack," Shaw said looking Charles over with an obvious hunger in his eyes. "Erik, please ensure my guest remains were he is, I have some business I need to attend to." Erik frowned at the peculiarity of this comment. Why would Shaw leave them alone, after going to such effort to get Charles here in the first place? Nothing about any of this made any sense.

Charles grinned, but the relaxed pose he had adopted twitched with the underlying tension he still felt. He was pretty good at bluffing his way through most things, but Shaw was something else. Charles had been unprepared tonight, and seeing Erik had knocked him off his stride. But Shaw hadn't changed. He still wanted to believe that he had what it took to conquer everyone around him. All Charles had to do was convince him that he had indeed won this round, and he might leave here in one piece.

"Certainly," Erik replied.

Shaw stood, walked around the table to where Charles was sitting and bent to whisper something in his ear. His hand took hold of Charles' shoulder, in a cruel imitation of the same touch he'd used on Erik not long ago. Only this was not a gentle touch, rather a fraught grip of a drowning man. His fingernails dug into Charles shirt, deep enough to touch the skin beneath, most likely leaving marks.

"Getting hold of you was never easy," Shaw said in a low voice, filled with a threat.

"I am sorry you were so inconvenienced," Charles returned more coldly. He turned to look at Shaw, and shrugged his hand from his shoulder.

"You changed your number," Shaw continued, straightening.

"You didn't get the hint."

There was silence this time. Erik felt as if the air had just been sucked out of the room, and this time Charles had pushed Shaw too far. Shaw's ego wasn't so big that he missed the hostility in which Charles had spoken his last words. Erik sat frozen, feeling as if he might shiver under the weight of the sudden threatening atmosphere that had descended over their table. Even Charles looked as if he had lost the spark in his eyes, and the frightened look was returning.

"You made a deal with me Charles," Shaw warned, speaking very evenly, as if every word was an effort. His hands were at his sides, but looked as if they would very much rather be around Charles' neck.

"What deal?" Erik asked quietly. He was long past feeling like the third wheel here, and it Shaw had invited him in order to show Charles off, he'd been banking a lot on Charles being pleasant tonight.

"Exclusivity," Shaw replied with a spiteful sneer.

Erik straightened in his chair. If there was any proof to be had that his speculation about Charles was correct, this had to be it. What else could Shaw mean? However, it seemed Charles had a really risky business plan going on, since he was on the verge of pissing Shaw off more than could be repaired. But the fact that Shaw hadn't punched Charles by now, it seemed likely that the man got off on Charles being obnoxious. Erik raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I've changed my mind," Charles said folding his arms.

"You don't get to decide that!"

Erik felt himself tense. He was sitting with two of the most unreadable men he had ever met in his life, and there was no telling what would happen next. But it seemed that Charles had won this round, since Shaw simply pulled out his phone and started calling someone before he left the table and walked through the doors to the kitchen.

"Don't even think about running out on me Erik," Charles warned. Erik blinked hard, that was exactly what he had been about to suggest, except he would have taken Charles with him. "That would be stupid. Shaw would only follow you, especially if you managed to convince me to follow you."

"What the freaking hell Charles? What the hell is all this with Shaw? Don't you know the man is completely unhinged? He talks about you like he had the winning bid at the auction and now he owns you!"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Charles replied, not giving anything away. He leant back in his chair, clearly not about to be making any bids for freedom soon. "It will do not good Erik, you cant run from Shaw. Believe me, I've been trying."

The kitchen was starting to empty. Lights were being turned off at the far corner, and the remaining patrons looked around to see if they were going to be kicked out.

"Why didn't you tell me your ex was psycho Shaw? He's the one isn't he, the one you warned me about that night isn't he? The one that wouldn't want any competition," Erik accused, his voice lowered. He watched Charles scowl, his brows creasing together. But still the ferocity of the blue in his eyes, still burned in the dim light.

"Why didn't you tell me you work in the club psycho Shaw owns?" Charles retorted. "You've had plenty of opportunity. If you've said something, I never would have come here."

"Partly owns," Erik corrected, unable to help himself. He saw Charles' scowl deepen.

"Whatever Erik, you've hustled me tonight. How do I know you weren't in on this from the beginning? Maybe Shaw paid you? Does he know that I live with you? Is he going to be popping by later?" Charles asked, the questions firing faster than his brain could even register them.

"I promise this was as much as a shock to me as it was to you," Erik protested in earnest. "Just look in my eyes Charles, and tell me if you believe I am lying to you. I tried to find you, to warn you, but when I went back to the flat you had already left. What could I do?"

Charles did as he was told to, and looked into Erik's eyes. He didn't know what he was trying to find there, but he felt as if Erik was too far away from him. He wanted to be closer, to touch him, and tell him everything. Forget Shaw ever existed, and just start again. This should have been his night with Erik. He should have found Erik on that balcony; they should have spent this time at the bar, sitting together and laughing. They shouldn't be here in this dim lighted place, staring at each other like strangers.

The pull into Erik's mind was so appealing, and for the second time tonight, Charles let his abilities get the better of him as he yielded to temptation. I know you haven't lied to me Erik.

Erik froze. He could have sworn Charles had spoken to him, but there was no way that could have been possible. Charles seemed to mirror the alarm that was written across Erik's face, as if he had also surprised himself by this strange moment. But then he smiled shyly and dropped his eyes to stare at the table.

You're not crazy. Charles' voice continued.I really am talking to you.

Erik stood abruptly, knocking this chair over in the process. Had someone spiked his drinks tonight? Was all of this a hallucination? Was he about to wake up in a gutter in a back alley, face down in the mud? There was no way Charles could be talking to him inside of his mind. That was impossible. No, maybe not impossible, there were all sorts of extraordinary people in the world right now, but it was just not possible for Charles. He was supposed to be the one normal thing in this really messed up world, he was supposed to be the person that Erik wanted to be more like. The person that Erik wanted to impress and fantasise that one-day, Charles might be interested in him in return. Except, at no point had Charles ever promised to be normal. He'd never agreed to play a part in Erik's imaginary world.

This night was being quick about destroying everything Erik had believed to be true for so long. If Charles was speaking to him from within his mind, then that meant only one thing. Erik wasn't the only one who was unusual, only Charles just seemed like the most unlikely person to have surprised Erik in this way, and he didn't know what to do about it.

"I have to go," Erik declared. He didn't know what to say, he felt stunned, and just wanted to run away for a moment. This was one weird event too far tonight.

"You said you wouldn't leave me," Charles replied with a hint of panic in his voice. He could see that Shaw was making his way back to them. He stood clumsily, matching Erik's tense stance, the table between them keeping them apart.

Charles' heart was pounding. He hadn't meant to lose control like that, but he'd been drinking, and the tension had been too much. He could tell that he had frightened Erik, and Shaw couldn't have come back at a worse moment. He needed to explain himself, because things couldn't end like this. He couldn't let Erik walk away not understanding what was happening, and with Charles' secret hanging in the balance, out in the open.

"Don't leave," Charles begged hurrying around the table. "Please, don't leave me here with him."

Erik took a shaky step backwards unsure where to look. He could feel Shaw walking closer to them, the tension back in the air. As he moved away, he could see the panic building in Charles, and his hands balled into fists.

"No, stop," Charles said, his words not a request, and more of a demand. Erik hesitated.

"Charles," Shaw warned growing nearer. "Where do you think you are going?"

Charles turned to look at Shaw, and a strange expression crossed his face. Before Erik could even take another step, a strange sensation overcame him. STOP!

Erik watched Shaw pause in mid stride, his hand outstretched towards Charles as if he was about to take hold of him and force him back into his seat. As Erik looked around, he saw that Shaw was not the only one affected by this strange magic. The girl by the wall halted, a drink halfway to her lips, her date frozen in checking his phone. Erik realised that the only ones still moving were himself and Charles, the rest of the room was stopped in time.

"What the hell did you do?" Erik asked, his voice barely even a whisper. He could hardly even breathe. But his nervousness was tempered by the fact that he could see tears forming in Charles' eyes.

"I don't know. I didn't mean to scare you Erik, I just wanted you to understand that I didn't… that I don't… what I am not interested in Shaw, and I'd rather leave here with you," Charles replied in a shaking small and uncertain voice. He looked around also, his face betraying all the alarm he felt in his bright eyes. He hadn't meant to do this, not in front of Erik, such displays of his powers had only resulted in screams and panic in his past experience.

The room had stopped at his command. Never had he pulled his powers from his soul with such ease, and never had he used them with such abandon. The desire to stop Erik from leaving had over ruled everything else. Usually there was some resistance from deep within him, but tonight, it was if Erik's presence had ridden over Charles' self control. He had never felt so powerful than he did right now in Erik's presence, and at the same time he had never felt so afraid.

"We have to leave here now," Erik instructed. "Because if he touches you again, I won't be responsible for what I do."

Charles eyes widened in surprise and unsteadily he turned to face Shaw. Erik saw him staring at him intently for a few minutes, but when Charles made no move to follow, Erik returned and took Charles' hand.

"Come on. Come home."