Anote: This chapter is for the big fan crew I have in the Netherlands. I hope you are enjoying the story.

Chapter 23- You must understand part3

'Hey', Charles greeted him in a pathetic whisper, as the taller man hovered over his prone form.

The professor had been laying spread eagle on his back, staring listlessly at the ceiling as twilight crept over the window sills, across the carpeted floor and up the walls. However, the small man didn't need to turn on a light to see who it was that was now sitting on the edge of his bed.

'Hey,' Erik replied in return.

In the silent room, the professor closed his eyes and just savored the warmth and closeness of the other man. He wished and wished with all his might that time could just slow down and stand still. Why couldn't they just stay in this room, forget the world outside and grow old together? Would that really be so bad?

He reopened his eyes as Erik unexpectedly slipped his large hand under his head. Gently the older man pulled him upright to lay him across his chest.

'Drink this,' Erik ordered, pressing the lukewarm cup of tea to his lips.

'Too much sugar?' he inquired worriedly, as the professor took small sips of the tea. Feeling suddenly rejuvenated, Charles burrowed even deeper into the warmth of the strong arms that surrounded and kept him upright, 'It's perfect my friend.'

However, he was forced to issue a disappointed whimper as the older man gripped his upper arms and pushed him slowly back onto his pillow.

'You are not behaving very well tonight, little one,' Erik remarked, as he placed one hand on each side of Charles' shoulders before leaning down to peer intently into his face.

'I'm sorry,' the Englishman replied automatically, trying not to smile too foolishly at the unusual pet name that the other man recently seemed to associate with him. It wasn't the name itself, but the way he pronounced the two words, almost like a caress. The delicious sensations it evoked was as if Erik had bent over and slowly trailed his lips across the bare skin of his stomach. However, Charles forced himself to focus on the present discussion as it was apparent from the other man's expression that this was the start to a serious conversation and not a prelude to seduction.

'Don't apologise,' Erik chastised severely, 'tell me what's wrong and start from the top and don't give me any of that I'm fine crap. You don't have a headache do you?'

'Shouldn't you be in a meeting?' Xavier challenged evasively, trying to find a way to get out of this conversation.

'Yes, I should be,' was the man's curt reply, 'but you know very well that I won't be able to concentrate worth a damn worrying about you.'

Charles reached up to absently fiddle with the cords of Erik's grey sweatshirt as he attempted to formulate a response. He was glad that the other man had come looking for him but at the same time he desperately wished that Erik would just take himself off somewhere, at least for tonight. Did that make any sense?

'It's not really that important anymore,' the professor muttered looking at a random point just over the other's man shoulder, 'seeing as you are not going to be home for any length of time in the future.'

'I'll still rather know whatever it is that I did to upset you. I did something, didn't I?' he pressed determinedly.

'ERIK!' the small man cried out in sudden frustration, a bit disgusted that the older man hadn't figured it out already. 'It was extremely insensitive of you to tell me by TEXT message that you are moving out of my apartment! For God's sake! How could you do that to me knowing the way I feel about you!'

The older man felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on his head and he cowered away instinctively to escape the fiery rebuke of the man laying on the bed. Knowing that he had apparently hurt Charles again, when he was trying so hard to be helpful around the mansion, made him want to puke his guts out in the nearest waste bin.

'Alright to be fair, I agree with why you relocated and you were probably running short on time, but WHY Erik? WHY did you have to pick a room that is two floors away? Are you trying to tell me something?' the small continued to carry on, flapping his arms around in extreme annoyance.

Erik was at a loss. Charles agreed with his reasons but yet he was still upset. It's not like he moved out of the mansion! He was relieved that the other man had stopped shouting though.

'What do you think I am trying to tell you?' he asked cautiously.

Charles sighed and resumed his study of the ceiling tiles. 'That was a rhetorical question love.'

'I would rather you answer it.'

'Well answer my question first!' the professor snapped belligerently.

'Why did I pick that room? I liked the windows.'

Charles raised his head, curiosity replacing the pain and anger, 'the windows?'

The narrow, ten feet tall, floor to ceiling windows had captured Erik's attention instantly. That coupled with the fact that the room was on the ground floor, made him feel that he was outside yet still indoors at the same time. In addition, if he turned sideways, he just managed to fit through the aperture meaning he could slip out and into the professor's beautifully tended gardens any time, day or night.

'I think after a stay in prison, one appreciates being closer to the outside more than normal,' the older man explained. 'I would imagine that you being wheel chair bound for months would understand something like that.'

The small man turned that over in his head.

'I was happy to share your rooms with you and if it really bothers you, I can…'

He stopped when Charles squeezed his forearm to interrupt. Once the situation had been explained to him that evening, the Englishman had readily agreed that Erik should have his own quarters. Officer Gerard would certainly find it strange that in a huge house like this, his now fully recovered parolee should still be living out of the professor's study like some sort of hobo.

'No. No. You DO need your own space….just …just, don't forget to come visit once in a while,' the young man requested. 'Do you want anything special for your room?'

'Once you promise that you will come visit ME,' Erik replied earnestly. 'I will have every thing I need.'

Charles turned his head to avoid his eyes, laughing shyly at this charmingly delivered demand.

'I'm sorry that you were upset,' the older man added in a low whisper.

The professor groaned in embarrassment and covered his face with one of his hands. 'I've always thought of myself as being able to live in the moment…'

Erik reached out and pulled back the hand that was blocking his view.

'…but everything has changed so quickly for us within a few short hours, I think I went a little crazy. I am not usually like this.'

'You're not?' the taller man said with amused sarcasm, to which Charles punched him hard on his arm in retaliation.

The young man watched as Erik caught his fist and tucked it against his chest.

'When I read your text message, I thought that you didn't need me anymore,' Charles confessed in a hollow voice, 'and it really hurt.'

Need wasn't exactly right word but the Englishman didn't want to push the conversation into an area that Erik had already declared to be strictly off limits. All things considered, the older man had voluntarily sought him out and they were more or less discussing the situation rationally which is more than most couples did in the face of a crisis.

His train of thought was interrupted as Erik agitatedly crushed his fingers that were nestled under his hand.

'I'm trying Charles,' he fiercely whispered back, 'but I am beginning to think that I am not capable of something as delicate as friendship.'

'You are capable of more than you know,' Charles answered back just as fiercely, 'and I think you are a GREAT friend!'

The older man snorted in disbelief and released his hand but the professor deliberately refused to let his arm fall.

'You talk to me, listen to me, play chess with me,' the young man argued the point, pressing his open palm against Erik's heart; 'you push me into swimming pools.'

He felt the older man shake with silent laughter even though he couldn't see into his face.

'I'm not just saying what I think you want to hear. You have given me more than I expected.'

Absentmindedly, Erik was lightly trailing his fingers up and down the professor's outstretched arm. The young man was being absurdly generous but he was so taken aback that his efforts at friendship had been so well received that it had temporarily rendered him without the ability to respond.

'I have to go now. I want to have dinner with Gerard and try and sort out this timetable,' he said instead. 'This is a bit much, don't you think? At this rate, I'll only see you for five minutes at breakfast!'

Charles cut his eyes to the dark shadow of Erik's face. Unfortunately what little light there was in the room was shining directly on the bed. He wished he could have seen into the other man's eyes when he said that.

'Yeah, way too much,' he agreed distractedly.

'His logic is sound though. If I didn't have you in my life, I would just go home after work and brood.'

Charles felt his heart rate speed up a bit more. He never imagined that Erik would say something like that out loud, considering the way he had been trying to keep his distance. What did he mean? WAS he in Erik's life?

'Erik?'

'What?'

'I hope you can get some of the stuff dropped from your schedule. You haven't begun working as yet and I already miss you.'

The older man closed his eyes in misery and sighed deeply. Only someone with a heart of stone would not respond to the love that Charles gave away so freely. However, Erik was fairly certain that people who sat in dark rooms plotting various disgusting ways of assassinating their dead mother's killer were not capable of responding to love. He DID NOT have a heart, therefore Xavier was not going to be a problem!

'I'll miss you too,' he replied quietly, removing Charles' hand from his chest and tucking it against his side.

'Can you come back and stay the night?' the professor suddenly blurted out as Erik rose from the bed, 'Just for talking and sleeping, I promise to keep my hands to myself.'

He winced as the older man reached over and switched on his beside lamp. The blank look on Erik's face made him squirm uncomfortably. Although the other man had not softened his hard stance on their relationship, he had felt sure that in the last couple of days that he was perfectly willingly to be close friends. Charles wondered if had read the signals wrong, although he didn't think he had.

The professor swallowed miserably as the other man continued to silently weigh his request.

'Never mind,' the Englishman replied quietly. 'I'll see you in the morning. Good luck with Gerard.'

'If you give me your word that you have something substantial for your dinner, I'll come back.'

Charles nodded vigorously in agreement not daring to say anything else just in case the other man changed his mind. Unexpectedly, Erik resumed his previous seat and stared into space for a long moment before reluctantly turning to face the small man on the bed.

'Has it occurred to you Charles,' he began slowly, 'that it maybe me and not you who will not be able to control their actions? Perhaps it was not a conscious choice at the time, but I am beginning to think that having two floors between us IS a good idea.'

Erik groaned and rose to his feet as the professor proceeded to give him a saucy, little wink.

'Xavier!' he cried in exasperation. 'What is WRONG with you? Where is the man I knew who use to blush at everything I said? Is he still in there somewhere?'

The Englishman tucked his hands under his head and grinned impudently, obviously enjoying the knowledge that he had so much power over him. 'No. I don't think he is.'

tbc