"Magnetic"

Chapter Six

"Questions"

Damn you, Charles, if you've done this to me!

The thought hit him like a ton of bricks. It didn't take much for Charles to know where, or rather, who the thought came from.

So Erik did indeed have the same dream.

The idea astounded Xavier. How could two people have the same exact dream? How could two people feel the same emotions welling up inside of them until they were ready to release them? How could two people be apart but feel so close together? None of these questions made sense to Charles.

The professor thought it over for a few minutes and shook his head slowly beginning to see the bigger picture. If he was able to read Erik's thoughts then he must be somewhere nearby. More importantly if Erik had the same dream then what did that mean?

Did it mean that Erik had feelings for him? Xavier thought about that for a moment before another question began to form in his head.

If Erik has feelings for me...

Charles shook the thought from his head not wanting to go down that road. There were too many things standing in the way.

First, they both fell on different sides of how best to deal with normal humans. Charles wanted peaceful coexistence between them and mutants. Erik wanted mutants to rise up and fight the normal humans for the rights they deserved. As long as they landed on these two separate sides Erik's Brotherhood and Charles' X-Men would forever be in conflict. There could only be one clear winner.

Second, the two hadn't talked since the events on the beach. The thought that Erik had sent to Charles had been the first he had heard from his friend in weeks. Could Xavier still call Erik a friend? He nodded his head. As long as they both lived Charles knew he could never truly bring himself to hate Erik. Now with the dreams those feelings became even more complicated.

Thirdly, Charles was now in a wheelchair so even if the two did manage to meet, talk, and form some kind of relationship, physical intimacy would be nearly impossible.

Would that be enough for Erik?

Charles frowned as he finished the thought.

Here I am thinking if it would be enough for Erik when I haven't even talked to him.

That made Charles think of the thought Erik sent to him. Why would Erik blame him? It was true that Charles was a powerful mutant and very skilled at telepathy. Had his powers really progressed to the point where he could manipulate them into thinking whatever he wanted them to think..Feel whatever he wanted them to feel.

If Erik felt manipulated then it could be that he didn't have feelings for Charles at all. He thought about that for a few moments and was filled with a sadness.

I must really love you Erik.

Before Xavier could dwell on that anymore Hank McCoy entered his room. The professor cleared his mind and turned his wheelchair to face Beast.

"What can I do for you Hank?"

"I've come to let you know that the new Cerebro is ready."

"Already?"

"Well it was designed by me originally. I don't know if it will pack quite the same punch as the one the CIA used to have but it will allow you to track down mutants again over greater distances."

"Have you gotten any sleep?"

"A few hours here and there."

Charles smiled at his friend.

"I will test this new Cerebro."

"I will-"

"Retire to your room and get some much needed sleep. I can take Banshee and Havok with me on recruiting missions."

It was then that another thought hit Xavier. He missed the days when he and Erik went on the recruiting missions. Granted, there hadn't been many but Charles knew he would miss them all the same. He and Erik had a certain camaraderie that Xavier knew he couldn't find with anyone else. Charles noticed Henry staring at him and smiled.

"Are you sure Professor?"

"Yes, I am sure."

"Alright but don't hesitate to get me if you need my help."

"You've been a great help already."

Beast smiled and began to walk away. Charles maneuvered his wheelchair out of the room and began to make his way to Cerebro. When he arrived he had to submit to a retinal scan but after the door opened. Charles went inside and found the room to be massive. There was a narrow walkway leading to the device he would put on his head to find mutants.

He reached the device, placed it on his head and reached out with his mind. There were so many mutants. He saw young ones and old ones. Mutants with minor powers and mutants with extraordinary potential. He was about to focus in on one particular mutant signature when a sharp pain went through his head.

Think you can help them all Professor? Think any of them will join your cause? I'll find them first...If you want to stop me come to the Savage Land...Bring your "friend" Erik with you.

What do you want?

Xavier waited a few moments but an answer never came. He wheeled himself away from Cerebro and began to call out using his mind.

Banshee! Havok! Beast! Assemble in the foyer! We have a job to do!

Charles knew they might not be enough so he decided to send out one last thought

Erik! I need you! Come to the mansion and I will explain everything!

Now all Charles could do was wait. Wait and hope that Erik would agree to help an old friend one last time.

Author's Note: I am slowly winding down to the last couple of chapters. I think there are maybe five or six chapters left..It might have been more but I realized that I can't drag this out forever..Well I could but a lot of people would be very annoyed and very unhappy. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll update shortly. Until next time..;-)