A full week of daily rehearsals, necessary though they were now that Erik was a permanent member of the band, were beginning to take their toll not just on Charles' sanity but his patience as well. He'd become terse and irritable, more irritable than usual, with everyone. Raven and Erik in particular.

Raven of course, stubborn as she was, refused to even acknowledge her brother's foul mood. Over the years she'd learnt the best way to deal with Charles' bouts of panic induced bad temper was to simply ignore them and eventually he'd wear himself out. Sometimes it took longer than others though and this particular bout was so far showing no signs of coming to an end but she would ride it out like she always did. She understood where the moods came from and she recognised that sometimes, a lot of the time, she wasn't entirely blameless in causing them.

Erik however didn't understand, and Charles couldn't help but notice that each time he snapped at him unnecessarily Erik looked, not hurt exactly but certainly a little unhappy. Charles felt awful, the man had done nothing to warrant his anger but exist and it was hardly his fault that Charles was a deviant. Still Charles couldn't bring himself to ease off. Better Erik thought he disliked him rather than risk him learning the truth.

After one outburst too many Charles decided to call a break in rehearsal. His head was pounding and shouting was only making it worse. Everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief and went off to do their own thing for ten minutes while Charles reordered the music and adjusted his stool.

Raven glanced over towards the bar at Hank, who silently beckoned her over.

"I think someone could use a friend." Hank said, nodding towards the far end of the bar where Erik had taken a seat. Raven watched the man for a moment.

"I'll talk to him." She leant over the bar and kissed Hank softly on the lips then made her way over to Erik. "Charles' bad temper getting you down?" She asked, hopping up onto the stool beside him. He was hunched over a glass of something and he didn't look up.

"Something like that."

"It's nothing personal you know?"

"Sure feels personal."

"Charles is just… he's kind of a private person, he gets…" She paused for a moment while she searched for the right word. "Nervous around new people. Antsy."

Erik snorted.

"Antsy? Try downright hostile." Raven wrinkled her nose and shot her brother and angry, unnoticed, glare from a distance. "I don't think he likes me very much."

The man's voice gave away little to indicate how he felt about that but the brief look he sent Charles over his shoulder told Raven more than words ever could. She'd seen that look on Charles' face many times, more importantly she'd seen it directed at Erik.

"You know Charles and I didn't exactly have the happiest of childhoods. Our parents were… well, they weren't really there for us most of the time. Actually, I don't think they really wanted either of us at all but that's not the point.. The point is, for the longest time, all we had was each other and because of that we're real close. I love my brother, and I know him better than anyone…" She trailed off, nibbling nervously at her bottom lip, not sure if Erik was really listening to what she was trying to tell him but hoping that he was. "I don't think he hates you as much as you think he does." She reached out and placed her hand gently on top of Erik's, smiling reassuringly when he looked up with a fretful frown. "Charles likes to keep himself to himself, has done for a very long time but I think it's about time he had a… friend."

"A friend?" Erik questioned, his frown softening slightly.

"A friend. There are some things a brother and sister can't share." She smiled as a look of understanding slowly crept across Erik's features. "Be patient with him." She said. Then she added. "And persistent. Be persistent too."

She gave his hand a small squeeze and hopped off her stool, heading back to Hank.

Erik called after her.

"You're a helluva a woman Raven, you know that? If I didn't go for, brunettes…"

Raven chuckled loudly, and looked back at him with a grin.

"Yeah yeah." She said with an exaggeratedly dismissive hand gesture. "Don't forget, patient and persistent."

After a moment, Erik turned back to the bar and his glass, still untouched and he smiled to himself.

Patient and persistent. He could do that.

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