A/N: Sorry 'bout the cliffy! And the shortness of this chapter! But I should be able to put a new chapter tomorrow too!

"OUT!" Charles shouted one last time. Moria snapped out of all the shock she had been in. She wanted to try and convince Charles she could stay, but didn't. What she did was wrong and she knew it. She grabbed her few personal belongings and left the dead silent room, not daring to say goodbye.

Everyone in the room was still in pajamas, most of them in robes. Erik was in only a pair of pajama pants, and Charles in his light striped blue and white pajama set. He let out a soft sigh and let his head fall into his hands, elbows on his knees. Erik kneeled by his side. "Did you want to ta-"

"Do I bloody look like I want to talk about it?" Charles hissed softly. He pushed Erik away and rolled down to room, slamming the door so hard the floor shook.

Erik's jaw hung open with a look of confusion on his face. All of the mutants were speechless. Seeing someone as peaceful as Charles freak-out like that could be traumatizing. "I'll go talk to him," Raven offered.

xxxxx

Raven tapped lightly on the master-bedroom's door, and slowly pushed it open. Charles was sitting up on the bedside closest to the door. His wheelchair was parked next to it. He had propped his legs up, bent at the knee. One of his arms was wrapped around his two knees, with his forehead resting on their tops. His other hand was clasped around the neck of a bottle of scotch. This was the master-bedroom, so Raven figured it was from the secret cabinet in the closet, left there by Sharon.

Raven walked over to what she figured was Erik's side of the bed. She crawled onto it, and sat next to him. "Hey," she said, using her sisterly senses.

"I don't wa-"

"I know you don't want to talk about it." She scooted closer to him, and pulled him into a hug. "But I'm going to be right here when you do."

Charles shifted himself slightly. He lifted up his head and took a drink straight from the glass bottle. He looked at Raven and gave her a weak smile. She could see the tears still on his face. He rested his head on her shoulder and gave him a tight squeeze.

"She was…broadcasting her dreams…" Charles said after about 10 minutes, "Or her memories more so…" Raven didn't say anything and just let Charles speak when he wanted. "All of them, since she's met…me. I guess since when I talked to the CIA, she's had…a…thing…for me."

Raven laughed, "I'd really like to know why those cheesy pick-up lines work."

Charles chuckled slightly, "Ah, hey now. They are rather groovy!" Raven was pleased to see this side of Charles again.

He took one more drink before he continued with his story. "I guess, all the time I spent with Erik made her…jealous. So when Stryker told her she needed to…kill…one of us, she…"

"Hold up. Stryker wanted what?"

"He said we were too big of a threat to them together. He wanted one of us out of the picture, so she chose Erik."

"And she agreed to that?"

"Obviously." Charles bit at his bottom lip, trying to hold back any tears that were resurfacing. "At the beach…when she shot at him…it wasn't a distraction. She really was…shooting at him."

"But bullets are metal. Surely she would have predicted that he'd…"

"Yes. And she did. That's why the sixth bullet was…plastic." He nearly choked on the last word. By now, the tears were uncontrollably escaping his eyes.

"O, Charles…" Raven said as she squeezed him as if he'd die if she let go.

"I love him Raven…I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't…"

"I know Charles…"

"And now I know, that if I hadn't been…shot…he wouldn't have moved, and then, now he'd be…"

"But he's not Charles…"

"…and I blamed him there…when it really wasn't…his fault at all…it was hers…and now I don't know how I'll tell him that…"

"I don't think you need to worry," Raven said. Charles picked up his head and looked at her. She tilted her head towards the door. Erik was leaning on the frame of it, his arms crossed. It was obvious that he too had failed at holding back tears.

Charles tried to smile at his friend, but his weak attempt quickly turned into a frown. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Raven make a gesture, beckoning Erik over. She got out of bed, and Erik quickly took her place. Erik leaned against the backboard and looked over to Charles, who was once again leaning over his own legs.

"How much did you…?" Charles mumbled.

"All of it."

Charles nodded against his legs. "I feel terrible, but…relieved too." Charles picked up his head and looked into those haunting green eyes. "I'd die for you Erik. And I really, really mean it."

"Now Charles," he said, leaning over Charles to grab the scotch, "let's not talk like that." He set the bottle on the table next to him.

Charles pulled himself closer to Erik, wrapping his arms around the taller man. "I love you Erik," Charles said, resting his head in the crook of Erik's neck.

"I know Charles," he said, pulling the telepath closer.

"Um…I hate to interrupt but…" The two looked up to see Hank standing in the doorway, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, "Mr. Lehnsherr, there's someone on the phone for you."

"At this hour?"

"I don't know, but…he sounded urgent."

"Alright. Thank-you Hank." Erik walked over to the phone in the room, wondering why he hadn't heard it ring. He picked it up. "Erik Lehnsherr."

"Hello Erik, it's Emmett Farthing."

"O." Erik sighed. "And?"

"I've got it."

Erik felt a surge of excitement. "When can I…?"

"How does tomorrow sound?"

Erik glanced over to his bed, relieved to see that Charles had laid down and drifted into what he hoped was a peaceful sleep. "Tomorrow will be perfect."

Please, please, please review :)