I do not own X men.

Claire wandered through the mansion of the late Charles Xavier looking for Warren. She had checked in the kitchen, in the maze and in the skies but hadn't seen him anywhere. She was finally walking down the corridor to his room feeling a little uneasy. It was ridiculous, she knew it, but she couldn't stand the thought of being in a secluded place with him, or any guy for that matter. It had only been three days since she had been attacked and it was still fresh in her mind. She had told Warren next to nothing about that night except that she had been attacked. He seemed to have figured out the rest from her unfaltering silence.

She stopped in front of his door and took a deep breath, preparing herself to turn down any invitation to enter. However, before she could knock the door opened and there stood Warren.

"Claire?"

"Warren, I've been looking for you." she told him.

He looked surprised. It was the first time she had sought him out since the attack. "Oh. Sorry Claire, but I'm about to leave." he admitted apologetically.

"What?" she asked, confused. "Where are you going?"

"My father's lab." he said straight faced.

"Your father's lab?!" she exclaimed in surprise. "But didn't you come here to get away from him and that place?"

"Yes, but I heard that the X Men are leaving, Magneto plans on attacking the labs. I have to go make sure he doesn't hurt my father."

"Magneto?" the war that Magneto had preached about for so long seemed to finally be happening. "Warren, Magneto is very dangerous, I think you should let Storm and Logan take care of this." she had seen firsthand what Magneto and his army could do and did not want her friend to be put up against that.

"I have to Claire, he's my father. The only reason he researched for a cure was to try to give me a normal life. This whole thing is my fault-"

"You can't blame yourself for being a mutant! You can't do this Warren! I won't let you!" she exclaimed, determined.

"You can't stop me Claire." he said solemnly.

"Have you talked to Storm? Does she know you are doing this?" she asked, a little frantic.

"I think she has already left." he replied.

"Well we'll just see." she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward Storm's office. He didn't fight her but went willingly. She knew that even if Storm said no Warren would still go rushing off to save his dad. He was noble like that.

"Storm?" Claire called into Professor Xavier's old study. The door was ajar so Claire took a step inside.

"Logan? Mr. McCoy?" but as she looked around she knew they weren't there. The study that was usually a congregating place for the X Men was empty, the television on and muted.

"They aren't here and I need to go." Warren informed her, trying to be gentle about ignoring her wishes.

"No! Warren, you don't understand! Magneto has to be a level 3, probably a 4-"

"What are you talking about?" he said, puzzled at her Brotherhood jargon.

She cast her eyes around the empty room for help. She saw a stack of files on Xavier's old desk and marched over to them. She began sifting through the files of mutants.

"What are you doing?" Warren asked, uneasy about her going through mutants' personal files.

"Looking for Magneto's file. He is too powerful for you Warren!" she moved files of students and Brotherhood members around, information that Xavier had acquired on their abilities and lives.

"He would tear you to pieces without so much as a second thought! He-" she stopped suddenly and pulled her hand back from the files as if they had bitten her.

"What?" Warren asked, coming closer to see what she was staring at. He came around the desk and saw a file with a boy's picture paper clipped to it. The boy was 12 or 13 and had no hair.

"Jimmy?" Warren said, reading the name underneath the picture.

"How?" was all Claire said.

"Do you know him?" Warren asked.

"He's my brother." she told him, not looking up from the picture. She hadn't seen or heard from her brother in years. He had been about ten when she had last seen him. This picture was recent. It had to have been taken after his letters had stopped.

"Oh." Warren said, looking through the contents of the file.

"What?" Claire asked, breaking out of her thoughts.

"Your brother is at my father's lab." he read.

"What?!" Claire said, shocked.

"He is the source of the cure." he continued.

"Jimmy? I didn't even know that he had a power..." she said, more to herself than him.

"This isn't good." Warren said.

"What isn't?" she asked, trying to make sense of her thoughts.

"Magneto hates the curse. He is going there to stop anyone who is involved in making it." Warren said, looking at her seriously.

Claire's eyes widened. If Magneto got hold of the source of the cure he would be sure to destroy it, it didn't matter if it meant killing a thirteen year old.

"Warren, you're going to San Francisco."

"Yes." he nodded.

"And you're taking me with you."

John sat on the edge of the city of San Francisco along with all of the Brotherhood. Magneto was giving another speech and for once John wasn't listening with bated breath.

Claire had lied to him. She hadn't told him about her second power. She had lied when she claimed her horrible boyfriend story wasn't true. What else had she lied about?

John wasn't even sure he cared. She wasn't the first that had lied to him. He tried to conjure up feelings of anger.

Nothing.

All he saw was Claire smiling at him, Claire laughing. He saw her gazing at the fire in his palm. He saw her startled expression when the curtains had caught on fire. He saw her on the forest floor, clothes ripped.

He shook himself mentally. He regretted leaving her at the mansion. He knew she was perfectly safe but he also knew she needed him.

He also knew she had lied to him.

He wondered if Storm had told her that Spyke was alive. Logan had found him regaining consciousness in the woods and Storm had forced him to take him to a hospital and turned him in to the police. As if that was going to do any good. But Storm wouldn't just let Logan finish Spyke off.

John wondered if Claire had any idea that her attacker was lying chained to a bed not a hundred miles from her.

He hoped she didn't. He thought of how much worry it would cause her.

It's not like it matters he thought bitterly. She can just use her power to help her.

John looked up as Magneto finished his speech. They would attack the lab the evening of the next day, right now they were to rest.

He leaned against a rock and looked up at the slowly appearing stars, not able to help but think of Claire.

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