Charles and Erik made their way towards where the plane was waiting. However, Lilia was following right behind. "I'm coming too." They both turned in surprise. Erik couldn't help but feel a small bit of pride.
"You can't. It's too dangerous." Erik held out a hand to stop her.
"You're going to find Shaw. You promised I could help you kill him Erik. And if you have the chance now, I want to be there."
"We don't even know what your mutation is, Lilia. Erik's right; it isn't safe."
She had caught up with them by then. Her eyes flickered with a color neither of them thought they would ever see in the blue. "If you don't let me come to help you destroy the man who destroyed me, then trust me I will kill you. And you don't want me killing you; it will be worse than anything Shaw or anyone on this earth could do." Her eyes gained a clouded, guarded expression. "So either you let me come or I kill you."
Charles sighed. He was not going to get this woman to change her mind. But if she was willing to use her mutation to kill them, when she was so terrified of using it, then he felt certain that she would be able to handle herself. She didn't seem to be one easily frightened. "Fine. But if you get hurt, it is not my fault." He walked away, leaving Erik and Lilia alone.
"Don't try to stop me." she followed Charles, leaving Erik alone wondering exactly what her mutation might be. It worried him how much she seemed to be afraid of it.
The plane ride was filled with silence. The men in uniforms crowded around them, guns shuffling in their hands. Lilia and Erik ended up pressed together, something they both seemed slightly glad about. They leaned towards each other and for once Lilia seemed to relax. Charles was watching from across them, his eyes flickering between them. Even if they did not want to admit it, there was something stirring between them. Like two beasts yearning to be curled next to each other, even if they had to rip through skin and bone to do so.
When the men opened up the back door to the truck, it was clear everyone inside was ready for battle. But Lilia kept her gaze on Charles. He had a hand pressed to his head, his eyes narrowed as he concentrated. The men spoke a language she did not understand, but soon the door closed and the truck began to move again. Erik patted Charles' knee and Lilia smiled at him, something that made Charles smile back. Erik felt something shift inside of him.
They lay on the ground, each with a pair of binoculars. Erik cast a glance at Lilia. Her body seemed to be shaking with anger. He reached a hand out and touched her shoulder. She stilled, but he could feel she was still tense. He felt her anger.
They watched as a woman dressed in white climbed out of the helicopter. "Where's Shaw?" Erik asked in shock. Lilia clenched her teeth.
"I don't know." Everyone turned to Charles. "But she's a telepath and if I read her she'll know we're here." He adjusted himself. "Let me try something else." Everyone returned to their binoculars while Charles stared at the place the woman and the Soviet were talking.
"He's not coming." Charles shook his head. "So what now boss?" he turned to look at Moria.
"Now nothing. We're here for Shaw. Mission aborted."
Erik pushed himself up. "Hell it is." Moria caught his arm.
"Erik."
"She's his right hand woman." Lilia said, still looking ahead. Her fists were clenched around the binoculars. "That's good enough for me."
"The CIA invading a home of a senior Soviet official. Are you crazy?"
Erik smiled. "We're not CIA." And he stood, disappearing into the woods.
"Erik." Charles tried to reach out to him. He looked towards Lilia. "Please."
Lilia shrugged. "I'm sorry." She stood. "But I need to go." She followed him.
She watched as Erik entrapped the men that guarded the home with the metal curled fence that surrounded it. She was standing right behind him, perfect position to stop him, but she didn't. He began to run towards the house and without a seconds thought she ran after him.
He pulled people by the metal of their clothes towards them and used their faces to propel himself forwards. Lilia, following behind, only had to run past limp bodies. Erik slowed down slightly at the door, turning to face her.
"You followed." He seemed slightly surprised.
"How could I not."
With a smile he walked inside. Lilia turned back to see Charles beginning down the path towards the house. She knew he would come. There were shouts from inside and she rushed in, only to find Erik striding past bodies of soldiers. He waited for her at the door to the bedroom and they both heard Charles running up behind them.
Without a seconds thought the three pushed themselves into the room. The man was sitting on the bed, clearly trapped in some kind of fantasy. The woman, dressed only in lingerie, didn't stand from her seat. Erik and Charles looked at each other.
"Nice trick." Charles said. The fantasy entrapping the official seemed to fade away and he saw the three people by the door and the woman he had believed himself to be kissing sitting on the chair. He began speaking furiously in Russian before Charles reached out a hand. "Go to sleep." The man fell back on the bed.
The woman stood and her body crystalized. "You can stop trying to read my mind, Sugar." She said. "You're never going to get anything from me while I'm like this." There was a moment of stillness before she ran towards the three of them. Erik and Charles caught her by her arms and pushed her against the bed, Lilia following quickly behind. Her eyes were blaring.
The gold of the bed began to wrap itself around her, pressing into the diamond of her skin. "So then you can just tell us." Lilia said. "Where's Shaw?" her voice reminded Erik of his own, filled with such hatred for this man it seemed to be breaking her apart inside just to be heard.
The woman began to struggle and Lilia watched as a cord from the bed wrapped itself around her neck.
"Erik." Charles tried. "Erik, that's enough."
Erik shook his head. Lilia watched as the diamond of her neck began to crack. She reached out a hand to hold Charles back, sensing that he wanted to push Erik down to stop him from torturing this woman. Lilia wanted to see her hurt.
"Erik that's enough."
The woman faded back to her human form. Erik reached a hand out. "All yours." With those words, he walked to where the drinks sat. Lilia reached out a hand and the woman's body convulsed.
"Be my guest." She sneered. "She won't be shifting into diamond form any time soon. If she does, just give her a gentle tap."
The car pulled up and Charles and Erik stepped out in sync, leaving Lilia to climb out behind them. The base was destroyed, with soldiers milling about in full uniform. Charles jogged over to where his sister sat, with Lilia and Erik walking slowly behind him. "What happened here?" she whispered.
"Shaw." Erik knew it was Shaw. If only they had been here.
They approached as Charles and Raven separated from their hug. "We've made arrangements to have you taken home immediately."
"We're not going home." The blond boy, whose name Lilia hadn't bothered to learn, spoke.
"He's not going back to prison." The boy with long hair nodded.
"They killed Darwin."
"All the more reason for you to leave." Lilia said, her voice matching Charles' tone. "This is over."
"Darwin's dead, Lilia." Raven said, turning to look at her. "And we can't even burry him."
There was a moment of silence where the only thing that could be heard was the wind.
"We can avenge him." Everyone turned to Erik.
Charles walked over to Erik. "Erik, a word please." The two walked away. Lilia, though she itched to follow, remained with Raven. The two girls smiled at each other before Lilia awkwardly hugged her, ignoring her body's hatred of being touched.
Charles turned back to face them all. "We'll have to train. All of us. Yes?" They nodded.
"We can't stay here." Hank, the only name Lilia had bothered to learn, spoke. "Even if they re-opened the department it's not safe. We've got nowhere to go."
Charles nodded slightly. "Yes we do."
The house loomed over them. Lilia stood by Erik, their hands brushing against each other as they stared up at the place that would soon become their home.
"This is yours?"
"No. It's ours." Charles smiled at the boy.
"Honestly Charles, I don't know how you survived." Erik turned to look at Charles.
"Living in such hardship." Lilia finished, her body shivering.
Charles sent a glance to the two of them. Lilia continued to look towards the house, her mouth clearly clenched tightly. Erik was looking Charles in the eyes, challenging him almost. Raven stepping forward might have been the only thing that could have stopped an argument that would be following.
"Well, it was a hardship softened by me." Charles wrapped his arm around Raven's waist and kissed the side of her head. Erik turned back to look at the house. One of Lilia's and his finger locked. "Come on." Raven separated herself from Charles. "Time for the tour." In pairs, they began to walk towards the house.
A/N: Thank you to those who have reviewed this; it means a lot to me. However, the main question was what Lilia's mutation was. This will be revealed in the next chapter, but I've kept it secret on purpose. I hope you'll like what it is when I show it.
Again, thank you.