A/N:
With Erik's unclear background, I split the difference and went with, his father is German, his mother is Polish, and Erik identifies as both and since WWII more with his Polish heritage.

I am basing this story off of First Class alone and nothing from the comics, films, or TV shows are being considered for the fic.

This work depicts some 1960's attitudes towards women, LGBTQ+ and smoking.


Charles's image was reflected back perfectly in the bar of Nazi gold that sat on the desk, staring at him. It had been nine months since Cuba and he'd finally decided to go through the things Erik had left. The items he'd found within the briefcase painted a fuller picture of Erik, one that Charles hadn't been able to see in October of last year. Erik's obsession with finding Shaw was far, far deeper than Charles had realized at the time. The evidence suggested that Erik had not just been looking for Shaw, but had been hunting him relentlessly for close to two decades. Charles understood Erik even less now than he had before opening the briefcase.

"Damn it, Erik," Charles said aloud to himself. What was he supposed to do with a bar of very illegal Nazi gold? Why did Erik even have it? Charles wished Erik was standing in the empty room now, so he could ask why, and what were you thinking? So he could ask Erik how everything had broken between them. He was angry about what had happened at Cuba, and also regretting the loss of Erik's presence in his life. With so many - and frequently conflicting - emotions about the other man, sometimes Charles didn't know what he wanted.

Sighing, Charles opened his desk drawer and locked the bar inside. He didn't want to think about it all right now, he didn't want to think about Erik right now. The latter was almost impossible, Charles thought about Erik all the time. Nine months ago Charles had hated Erik for paralyzing him, for leaving him. Now, Charles often found himself wishing Erik would come back, Raven too. He missed both of them, and sometimes the isolation and loneliness got to him. Placing his fingers to the rims of his wheels, Charles was turning away from his desk when the phone rang. It's chime echoed around the room. Charles snatched up the receiver, "Raven?"

"Hi, Charles, I just thought I'd give you a call… how are you doing?" Raven's sweet voice came to him through a scratchy line.

Charles smiled softly, hearing her voice was good. She called every few weeks, but it hardly felt like enough. "I'm fine dear, how are you?"

"Doing all right."

Every time she called, Charles was relieved. Her voice told him she was happy and okay. That Erik - who must be with her, probably standing outside the phone booth - was okay.

Charles struggled to think of something to say. He wanted to say, come home, but that was the one thing he could never do. He understood that Raven needed to be out on her own. Charles would not be selfish and ask her to come back, because he knew she would, even if it made her unhappy. It was why after nine months Charles still hadn't told her he was paralyzed.

"Have you spoken to Mother recently?" Charles wanted to keep the conversation going, make it last the entire dime.

"No, I should probably call her but… she's so judgmental, she'll probably want to know why I'm not married yet, again." Raven and Charles's safe subject was complaining about their judgmental, pill popping, martini swilling mother.

"I'm sure she just wants what's best for you. Or, that's what she thinks she's doing." Charles knew his mother and knew that the socialite mentality she had was her way of trying to say she cared even though she struggled to show it directly. Instead she often focused on wanting her children to conform to an upper class lifestyle and marry wealthy, and well positioned people. This topic kept them busy for a while and as always when the dime ran out on the payphone she always called from Charles reversed the charges so Raven didn't have to pay for the rest of the call. After the topic of their mother had ended silence parted them and Charles cast about the empty room for something more to say.

"Is Erik there?" It was the first time Charles had asked about Erik.

Raven paused. "No."

Charles frowned a little, either she was telling the truth and Erik had let her go to a payphone alone at night, or, Erik was there and he didn't want to talk to Charles. If that was the case, it hurt a little. After everything they'd shared, everything they'd been through, didn't he deserve a few words from Erik?

"It's getting late, love, you should probably go home. Call again, sooner this time?" Charles said.

"Good night Charles." Raven skirted his request.

"Good night, it was good to hear your voice." The receiver went dead and Charles was alone, again .

Going to his room Charles went through the now painstaking process of dressing for bed. He'd just laid down and picked up his diary to write out his complicated feelings about the day, when there was a tap on his door. "Come in?"

"Are you awake?" Hank popped his head around the door.

"Yes, Hank, what is it?" Charles just wanted to go to bed, he was tired after the call with Raven and dealing with Erik's things.

"It's just… I guess it can wait till morning."

"Hank," Charles's voice had a note of irritation, "what is it?"

"Well I saw a guy sitting in a car outside the school again." Hank shifted from one heavily shod foot to the other. "It might just have been a door-to-door guy like last time, but."

"I'll look into it tomorrow, thank you, Hank." Charles just wanted to process everything in peace. Hank understood the dismissal and the door clicked shut.

Charles knew that the C.I.A. had been interested in Mutants ever since Cuba, him in particular, from what he understood in the brief interview he'd had with Stryker following everything. That was why it was necessary to take Moira's memories of the events of those two weeks. It was something he still regretted doing, was nothing like the party boy who used his abilities to skim peoples drink orders from their minds. In the last nine months so much had changed, Charles had changed, sometimes he didn't recognize himself anymore.

Opening his diary Charles unscrewed the cap of his fountain pen to make sense of the day.


Erik's heart thundered, sweat collecting on the back of his neck as he woke from the nightmare. Staring at the living room ceiling of his Detroit apartment Erik tried to calm his heart rate and reorient himself to reality. He had been sleeping on the couch after a shift at the auto smelting factory, he could hear rain starting to fall outside. Nightmares were not uncommon, but Erik had thought he would have bad dreams less often after killing Shaw, instead they'd only increased. Before, when Erik woke from a nightmare he'd had a single minded desire to find Shaw, to kill him. Now, when Erik woke he didn't have that to distract him from the sadness. Taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly, Erik tried to banish the shadows of his past that still crept out of his mind and tormented him. Sitting up, Erik ran a hand through his hair and leaned over his knees, resting his elbows on them. The dream was still crawling over Erik's back like a phantom hand.

Erik was alone, there was no one else there, he wished for the silence of the evening apartment to be disrupted by someone else, by someone who cared. His mind drifted back to when Charles's hand had once rubbed over his back after similar dreams and dispelled the crawling feeling still clinging there. Erik closed his eyes; there had been others over the years who'd woken with him after a dream, but even if the others had been there physically Erik had always been alone. Erik had always had to soothe himself, and never spoke of his dreams to anyone. He never spoke of the dreams to Charles either, but Charles had cut through and banished the isolation, had soothed him without being asked, and Erik wished Charles was there now. He had wanted Charles to come with him in Cuba, and still bitterly regretted that Charles had not. The sadness, guilt, and loneliness at having to leave Charles had stayed with him since then. Often, Erik missed Charles's presence in his life, he was still wounded by the absence.

Erik was still collecting himself, when he heard the knock at the door. Erik realized that it was the second knock, the first knock had not registered with him while he was collecting himself. Standing from the couch Erik answered the door. "What are you doing here?"

Emma Frost stood on the other side of the door, her blonde hair laying over the pan-collar of her white raincoat. "Took you a while to answer, bad dreams, honey?"

"Stay out of my head," Erik warned as he let her in and shut the door behind her.

"Thought I'd come see how you were, honey, maybe have a drink," Emma's voice was teasing and she batted her eyelashes trying to get into his good graces, which only annoyed Erik further.

"Don't play games, why are you here?" Erik frowned, he did not have patience for her.

"You said to keep a third eye on everyone, well I can't seem to get hold of Azazel, no surprise there, he's always popping off to screw someone. But, I also can't seem to get a hold of Riptide or Angel now either. I thought you might want to know." Moving to the couch Emma sat and crossed her legs. Tilting her head back she gave Erik her cold closed-lip smile. "I think they've gone off to attack the humans and start that three billion to six war you warned them against. Looks like it's just you and me now, honey, the last two survivors of our race. That's a lot of responsibility, what should we do about it?" Emma raised an eyebrow.

"I'll handle it." Erik moved to the bookcase and taking the pack of cigarettes that lived on top he lit one. He did not know what was going on with the other Mutants and he did not like it.

Emma rose and came to stand close to him. "That's it, nothing more, or is that an invitation to talk about," she paused putting a light hand on the pack "other things?"

"Do the job I gave you, Emma, and get out." Erik turned his hand out of hers, twisting the pack away from her. Emma's expression hardened slightly at Erik's rebuff. Ever since Erik had brought her to Detroit, the woman had been trying to treat him like Shaw, which only made Erik despise her more.

"You're no fun at all, Erik, I really thought you would be, we could be so much better together then apart. More fun too." Emma gave him a little smile.

Erik leaned on the bookshelf and taking the cigarette from his lips blew out the smoke. "Emma, you are a tool."

"So are you," Emma shot back.

"A very different kind, Emma." Erik looked her in the eye, "I told you, one chance, stop screwing it up, stay in line and go home. I'll take care of the rest." Erik put the cigarette back to his lips.

"Fine." Emma gave a little unhappy sneer. The apartment door opened and Raven came in, wearing her blonde street form. Raven, who was clearly surprised to see Emma there, stopped in the doorway.

"Oh, don't shut the door honey, Erik and I were just… talking, and now we're done." Emma made the words sound suggestive. "Nice face, you wear that one a lot." she added as she passed Raven on her way out of the apartment.

"What was she doing here?" Raven took off her raincoat.

"The others have dropped off the radar, I need to go check on them." Erik gestured with the pack to Raven offering her one.

"Thanks." Raven crossed over to stand close to him. Erik lit her a cigarette and handed it to her. Moving to sit on the couch, the cigarette between two fingers, Raven asked. "Do you think it's anything serious?"

"No, not yet, they've been restless for a bit. I'll see what's going on. Emma might just be losing her touch, she's not Charles when it comes to getting inside a mind." Erik saw the guilty look that crossed Raven's face, "How is he?" Erik never understood why bringing Charles up made Raven act guilty. Erik thought it might have to do with her over dependence on her brother and maybe leaving him for the first time still seemed like a betrayal to her.

"He's okay," Raven shrugged. "Asked about you, I said you were fine or something. I don't remember now."

In all the calls that had occurred over the last nine months Charles had not once asked about him, why now? He was uncomfortable thinking about Charles, even if he often found himself doing just that. Not wanting to talk to Raven about her brother, Erik put out his cigarette. "I'm going to take a shower, lock up if you're in for the night."

As he tried to wash the last bits of the dream off his skin, Erik was bothered by the sudden lack of contact from the other Mutants. There was safety in numbers, in a community, and he had been having a hard time instilling that in the other Mutants. They were angry at the world, it was why they'd joined Shaw. Not knowing of his real past as a Nazi, they thought they would be important movers in a new world just for them. They might have been dangerous if they had not been so stupid and childish. It was this alone, and the principle that Mutants needed to protect each other, that had made Erik willing to take them with him. He'd really only rescued Emma because he needed a telepath. She claimed she did not know about Shaw's past but Erik was not sure if he believed her or not. With two world governments, and probably more, looking for Mutants he needed as much advanced warning as possible so Emma was a necessary evil at the moment.

Closing his eyes Erik tried to banish the lingering aspects of the dream and let it wash down the drain with the hot water. His discomfort over the dream was now replaced by his worry about what the other Mutants were up to. He would go visit them all tomorrow and get them back in line.


Sitting on the couch finishing her cigarette, Raven thought over her call with Charles. He'd asked her to call more often before she'd hung up. It made her feel like even now, all these miles away, nine months apart, Charles was still trying to control what she did. She hadn't promised to call, she'd ignored his request as if he hadn't made it. Raven did miss Charles, and felt guilty about leaving him, but he'd told her to go, so he needed to let her go. To live her own life, make her mistakes and get hurt if she wanted to. Putting out the butt of her cigarette, Raven locked the doors and windows then went into the bedroom where she could hear the shower running in the attached bathroom.

There were two single beds in the room, both with the headboards against the same wall on the left from the doorway. Both bedside tables stood between the beds, separating them. It was like something out of I Love Lucy. Separate, decently separate. Raven sat down on her bed, the one closest to the door. Raven sighed looking at herself in the mirror on the wall and shifted from her blonde form to her real blue one. She knew Emma was just trying to get under her skin talking about her blonde form, and it had worked. Raven rarely showed anyone else what she really looked like. She liked the way she looked, what she was afraid of was the negative way other people might think about her. What Hank had said to her the night before Cuba still stung. Raven had been thinking about the conversation she and Erik had the night before Cuba a lot recently. She had been thinking about herself, her own experiences, and the ones she wanted to have.

The bathroom door opened and Erik came out wrapped in a towel. Raven watched as he went to the long dresser that's top dipped in the middle, like a sway-back old horse. "Do you want me to come with you tomorrow?" Raven asked.

"No, I'll go alone," Erik said. Raven let her eyes run down over Erik's back, shoulders, and down to his legs.

"So…" Raven had been entertaining an idea for a while, but was a little nervous about actually trying to pursue it. "You know it's been almost a year since Cuba."

Erik glanced over his shoulder at her. "I know."

"You know I've been thinking about that night before Cuba, when I came to your room. You made me feel beautiful for the first time, really saw me, helped me see myself." Raven approached her point somewhat from an angle.

"I'm glad, you are magnificent and should not have to hide." Erik turned around and leaned against the dresser.

"You also said," Raven hesitated now. She wanted to ask, really wanted to, but also didn't want to come off as a slut, or loose. She didn't want Erik to lose respect for her. And he'd never once made a move on her, now it made her feel a little nervous that maybe he'd think less of her.

"What is it Raven?"

Raven looked at the back of her blue hand, the rough scaly skin there, almost spiky in places, she'd have to be crazy to think Erik would see it as attractive in an up-close manner, in a manner outside of an abstract art piece. "Nothing." Raven lost her nerve, it twisted with a bitter sting in her gut.

Silence lapsed between them, Raven tried to find her courage again, to say what she wanted, to pursue her own desires. She'd had the courage once, if anything saying it now should be easier. Erik interrupted her thoughts "Then are you going to leave so I can dress?"

"I thought we didn't have to hide anymore, or cover up?" Raven teased a little, paraphrasing what Erik had said to her the night before Cuba. Erik gave her a curious look. "Don't be shy, Erik," Raven teased, giving him a little inviting look.

"I'm hardly shy about my body, Raven," Erik said. "Do you want something from me?"

"What would I want from you?" Raven played coy. She couldn't just ask it, that would be… she was good at being forward with people like Hank, people who were more nervous then she was. Erik, however? Yes, she could speak her mind with him, but she wanted him to make the first move. It was… safer. It meant her blue form was beautiful to more than just her, if Erik said it.

"Raven, what is it you want to say?" Erik asked directly.

"Maybe I don't want to say anything." Raven hedged.

"If you're not going to say whatever it is, then get out." Erik gestured towards the door with his handful of clothes. Raven could tell he was tired of her game. She sometimes played games because she was afraid of being rejected.

"What if I did say it, would you think less of me?" Raven's heart beat faster with the anxiety.

"Is that what's worrying you Raven?" Erik's voice softened.

"A little." Raven shifted on the bed, she looked down at her feet, covered in flesh colored nylons, the blue of her real skin showing through. Nothing was made for her, because she didn't look like anything that others considered beautiful, not in her real form anyway.

Erik moved across the room and stood directly in front of her, reaching down he put a gentle hand under her chin and tipped her face to look up again. "You can always be open with me Raven," Erik assured her.

"Erik… you said the night before Cuba, 'maybe a year', it's been a year and…" Raven felt her face heat up saying it. "I want this, I-" her heart was racing now. "I've never before… I was always too scared of losing control and turning blue and I feel safe with you and-" She struggled for the words that were all coming out in a rush. "I- I can't ask you, you have to say it Erik." She hoped Erik understood what she wanted him to ask her. Raven's broken request was answered as Erik leaned down and kissed her softly. Raven closed her eyes and lost herself in the soft exchange for a moment.

"You want this, to have sex?" Erik asked softly, clarifying what she'd been trying to ask.

"Yes," Raven felt a little freedom in saying it, in finally saying it, even if she had asked Erik to ask her. Erik kissed her again, tipping her back onto the bed. His fingers went to her buttons, her skirt waist, the nylon clips on her garter belt and girdle combination. The lamps were still on and illuminated them clearly as Raven's clothes were shed to the floor along with Erik's towel. Raven felt Erik's hand run down her neck. Over the textured skin of her shoulder. Over the scaly, spiky part of her breast, side, hip, the rough texture of her outer thigh and down to her knee. His fingers didn't avoid the parts of her that were different; they seemed to trace every difference in some kind of soft reverence. Raven knew she shouldn't need the physical validation from another, someone to tell her she was beautiful, but she wanted it, that kind of vulnerability.

The sheets were sticking to them as Raven clicked off the lamps and lay against Erik's chest in the dark, a cigarette in hand. Erik's hand, the one not holding his own cigarette, was idly stroking over Raven's arm, tracing the contours of her reptilian skin. They lay there for a while just letting the sweat cool on their skin.

"Relaxed?" Raven pressed the back of her shoulder a little more into Erik's chest.

"Very." Erik's tone was that of a complement to her. Raven smiled a little, pleased. She'd been very nervous about how it might go, but now, it felt so much better than she'd thought it would. "Now I need another shower." Erik took a last drag on his cigarette and put it out in the ashtray on the bed stand.

"Want me to join you?" Raven's voice was suggestive.

"I'll take it alone." Erik pulled the sheets off and pressing a kiss into the side of Raven's hair left her in the bed alone. Raven lay there propped up on her elbows looking at the shut bathroom door. What did that mean? No, he didn't want to take a shower with her? Now she was just confused. The kiss to her hair had been more like a friend than a lover. Raven pushed away her confusion, and the edge of anxiety that maybe he hadn't liked it and just wanted to get away from her. Erik was in a funny mood since Emma had said the others were missing. Raven was concerned about that too, but she didn't really like the others so she wasn't sure she cared if they'd run off to cause trouble somewhere else; at least she wouldn't have to hear them whining anymore.

Erik was only in the shower a few minutes then, appeared dressed in his shorts, saying "showers free," to Raven, who was still laying in the bed. When she got out of the shower Erik was stripping the bed they had been laying on and gesturing to his bed by the window. "Use that one tonight."

Raven was unsure how to proceed, she'd thought she and Erik might share a bed the rest of the night. Then again the single beds were very narrow, and maybe Erik slept hot? He never wore pajamas. "Okay." Raven got into the bed at the far end of the room. Erik finished making up the bed with new sheets and laid down himself. Separate, so very separate. Raven was satisfied that she'd finally experienced something she'd been wanting to for some time, but had been denying herself out of fear over the way she looked. Raven wanted someone to see her real self and like it, the way she did. Hank's words about the way she looked the night before Cuba still stung her. Raven never felt seen, Erik made her feel that way. Not wanting to take a shower with her, not wanting to share a bed with her was feeding Raven's insecurities. Maybe he hadn't liked it, maybe touching her crocodilian skin was something he had to make himself do, and he'd had enough. Raven lay awake worrying about this for sometime before drifting off.


1962 - MIAMI HARBOR

Erik sat alone on the opposite side of the cabin from Charles aboard the Coast Guard ship. The freezing ocean water was still dripping off of them and cooling them further in the night air, leaving them shivering. Erik was confused about the entire situation, other people like him, government officials, and being pulled from the sea. All of this was swimming in his mind as an undercurrent to the disappointment, which was an understatement for losing the chance to revenge himself on Schmidt. A deep devastation that had been frozen over in the cold ocean, and numbed further by the shock of meeting Charles Xavier. Sitting in a state of shock, Erik stared at Charles who looked like a drowned rat. Charles's over long hair was soaking down the back of his neck and dripping slightly. His sweater and slacks were saggy and waterlogged.

"You know you're the first other Mutant I've ever met." Charles's voice shook from the cold, while his body seemed to be almost vibrating with excitement. "Tell me about your mutation my friend?" Charles leaned forwards eagerly.

Erik gave him a frown, what did he mean Mutation ? Was the other man calling him deformed?

Seeming to perceive Erik's uncertainty at the question the other man added, "oh I'm sorry, those amazing things we can do, they're mutations of our- you know I'll explain it later, but it's perfectly normal. I suspect telekinetic powers, maybe?" Charles seemed on edge for Erik's answer.

"Metal." Erik's single word answer did not seem to put Charles off any, instead a pleasant little smile, a quite nice smile, touched his bluish lips.

"You control metal, how marvelous. I'm a telepath."

Erik just nodded a little and looked around the cabin they were in. He didn't know what to say to that. To any of this. The only thing his mind kept coming back to was Schmidt, he'd lost his chance, years of searching, coming to naught. Erik shivered from the cold seeping into his body, his mind turned to the woman on the boat, the horrible memories that had been drug to the surface, fresh, as if they were happening again in that very second for the first time. She had to be like him, like this Charles Xavier, how many others like them were out there?

Erik's eyes landed back on Charles and instead of commenting on the other man being a telepath, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"Well, first back to shore, and then to the C.I.A. facility, where we'll adjust our search for Shaw. I do hope you'll join us?" Charles almost made it sound as if he was inviting Erik to tea, excitement lacing his voice even under the chattering of his teeth.

"Why are you hunting, Shaw?" Erik ran a careful eye over Charles, he wasn't sure about this man yet. Why did the C.I.A. Want Schmidt?

"He's a communist, or in with them, and seems to have some kind of plan to pressure government officials. Not sure of his plans yet, but he's a wanted man. May I ask, why do you want Shaw?" Charles's tone was careful, almost a little unsure, as if he understood Erik's reasons had been worth his life.

"You work for them, the C.I.A.?" Erik did not answer Charles's question. He would keep his own reason's close to his chest until he understood the situation better.

"Yes, as of the moment, just started. We're the beginning of a new Mutant division. As I said, I do hope you'll consider joining us." Charles glanced at the door as it opened. One of the crew came in and handed both Erik and Charles clothes and towels to dry off with. "Thank god, I'm about to shiver out of my skin," Charles muttered in relief after the door clicked shut and they were alone again. Instantly he started stripping out of his wet clothes and vigorously drying his skin. Erik silently did the same and dressed in the new, dry clothes.

He had been going to ditch these people as soon as he got back to shore, but Charles had intrigued him; it might do well to see more about Charles's Mutant division. It had taken Erik almost fifteen years to find Schmidt, and now he was out of leads. Maybe the C.I.A. would have information that could lead him to Schmidt first? Under no circumstances was Erik going to allow anyone else to get Schmidt, or apparently Shaw, before him.

"That's better." Charles rubbed his hands together as he pulled his coat on over the dry clothes he'd just donned.

"I think I would like to see this new division of," Erik frowned a little as he finally answered the question Charles had asked him some minutes ago.

"Mutants, here I'll give you a brief overview of my thesis on the matter. I just got my Ph.D. actually, only this week." Charles moved swiftly across the cabin to sit next to him and started in on telling Erik all about Mutation.

...

Raven had been left ashore by Charles, he thought it might be too dangerous for her, so she was sitting in her room at the Miami hotel reading magazines and silently resenting being left behind. She knew Charles was just trying to protect her, but she wanted to go on the adventures, she wanted to be part of the C.I.A. division, not just tag along after Charles. She heard Charles's voice in the hall and jumped up to go greet him. Stopping only for a moment to check her appearance in the mirror - no slips - she had to be careful no slips, or, Charles would be on her about that. She thought he was really too old to still be concerned that she'd be taken to Area 51 if seen.

Stepping out into the hall, Raven saw that Mr. Black, Moira and Charles had someone new with them. Charles and the stranger were both damp. " Why are you wet? And who's this?" Raven ran an eye over the stranger. He was kind of good looking in a hungry kind of way.

"A new Mutant, he controls metal, his name is Erik Lehnsherr. We um, went for a bit of a dip in the bay." Charles rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet like he always did when so excited he could barely contain himself. Raven was suddenly flushed with excitement herself, another Mutant, someone else like her.

"Nice to meet you." Raven offered a hand.

"What do you do?" Erik asked, he took her hand but it was the most uninterested, almost distracted kind of hand shake she'd ever received.

"Raven is my baby sister, she can change her appearance into anyone else, a perfect mimic." Charles stepped in close, and put an arm around her shoulders. Raven wanted to frown a little. She was used to being introduced as Charles's baby sister , but she wanted this new Mutant to see her as a woman and not the child Charles always made her sound like.

"Can you now?" Erik's tone was skeptical, and somehow also interested in her power.

Raven transformed herself into Marilyn Monroe for a moment, right there in the hall. "I really can." Raven was thrilled with pleasure as she saw Erik's lip quirk in amusement of her transformation. Charles barely batted an eye at her anymore he was so used to it.

"That is good." Erik seemed to become ever so slightly less stiff and awkward, as if seeing her powers had the opposite effect it usually did on people. Raven smiled as she turned back to her blonde form, careful to hide her real blue crocodile skinned one from his sight. She felt kind of strange hearing someone other than Charles comment on her abilities, and he'd said they were good .

"We'll stay the night at the hotel," Mr. Black came into the hall and handed Erik a room key gesturing to the one next to Raven's. "We'll go to the facility in the morning."

"Sounds wonderful." Charles nodded.

Raven and Charles shared a room, like usual, and she was relaxing in her blue form while Charles had stepped out, he said to get ice, she hoped he wasn't bothering Moira. Charles did love the attention of a pretty girl, it often made Raven jealous when they gave it to him. It made her feel like Charles would really rather hang out with someone other than her, and she felt possessive over his attention. She didn't have any other friends, if Charles didn't want to be around her, she didn't have other options. Raven wondered if there might be a chance for new friends, for both of them with this new Mutant division. There was a tap on the door and a moment later it opened. Raven glanced over expecting to see Charles, back with ice, and warning her he was entering, instead it was Erik. He paused in the doorway.

Raven jumped to her feet, in a panic, her blue, scaly, face, neck, chest, and arms on full display in her chiffon nightgown. Raven frantically turned back into her blonde form, but he had already seen too much. "What is it?" Raven tried to stop her voice showing panic.

Erik's expression was a little stunned, "Charles asked if I would like to read a copy of his paper. I wondered if he might have one with him at the moment?"

Raven just wanted him to go, he'd seen her, he'd think she was weird, or awful, he was the only other Mutant she'd ever met, and he was so handsome, and he was going to only see her as a freak! Raven was so overwhelmed by the sudden panic of being seen, by the rejection that would follow, she almost missed it when Charles came back into the room, a bucket of ice in hand.

"Oh, Erik, what a pleasant surprise." Charles had the audacity to look pleased , as if he didn't understand what had just taken place. "Raven, um, don't you want to put on your dressing gown?" Charles suggested not too subtly.

"What?" Raven then realized she was standing only in her chiffon nightdress, grabbing her matched chiffon dressing gown from the foot of the bed she pulled it on. "Erik's looking for your paper, he wants to read it before bed," Raven snapped, closing her robe over her chest and folding her arms over herself so she felt more covered, Raven held the neck closed to give herself a sense of protection against what had already been seen.

"Oh, splendid, here I've a copy in my bag I think, yes." Charles pulled out the small tome that was his paper and Erik left with it.

"He seems nice enough, a little quiet, but I'm sure he'll get over that." Charles looked at the door for a moment longer after Erik had shut it.

"He saw me, Charles. The real me." Raven was agitated and mortified.

"What, oh, well… he's a Mutant like us, I don't think it will be a problem." Charles seemed to dismiss it. Raven frowned at Charles, it was like he didn't even understand what she was complaining about. She'd been seen when blue and scaly, like a snake woman.

"I'm going to bed." Raven went over and fell onto her bed to pout silently before falling asleep. Any hopes she'd had about new friends from the Mutants felt like they'd been dashed to pieces the moment Erik opened that door.

...

The first lancing agony shot through Charles's mind, Shaw standing over him, pain, hurt, loss, the agony of hours and days and weeks blending into one. "The pain, it only makes you stronger." Shaw laughed. A confusion of images seemed to suffocate Charles. Shaw, iron gates, blue and white striped clothes, barking dogs jumping on leads. Charles woke in a cold sweat all over his body. For a moment Charles panicked thinking maybe he was being psychically attacked by the other telepath he'd sensed on the boat. Then Charles realized the dream was still inside his mind, the pain racing through him from… Erik. Once again Erik's mind was experiencing emotions so powerful they'd punched into Charles's. Stumbling out of bed, Charles went to Erik's door and hammered on it to wake Erik from the dream. It was a minute later that Erik pulled the door open. Both of them looked a little disheveled.

"What?" Erik's breath was quick, he'd clearly thrown a robe over his shorts in a rush. Charles could see sweat shiny skin in the dim hall light. Like himself, Erik must have been experiencing physical symptoms along with the dream.

Charles blanked. He hadn't thought of a reason why he was waking Erik in the middle of the night, and at the moment it didn't seem like a good time to say, I saw you having a nightmare and wanted to wake you. Charles cast his mind about for a moment. "I um, wanted to talk to you about my sister."

"What about her, can't it wait till the morning?" Erik demanded.

"No, I'm afraid it can't." Charles pushed past Erik into the hotel room so he wasn't standing in the hall only dressed in his blue and white striped pajamas.

"I only came to the room to borrow your paper, that is it, you have a problem your paper is over there." Erik's tone was defensive.

"What, no, no, it's not about. No um, she says you saw her blue form, you see that's what she really looks like when she's not changing to look blonde," Charles explained, still trying to orient himself after the terrifying dream.

"So?" Erik crossed his arms over his chest, he clearly didn't want Charles blathering at him.

"So um, she's very sensitive about the way she looks, she's worried you'll tell other people and they'll laugh at her," Charles lied. It was true in part, Raven did worry about what other people might think if they found out what she really looked like, but that wasn't the reason Charles was there.

"It's late, I want to go back to bed." Erik gestured to the door.

"Oh yes, it's just that this is very important to her." Charles hedged. He didn't want to leave anyone alone after such a disturbing dream. Charles still felt a little rattled by it himself.

"I'm not going to tell people what your sister looks like, who the hell cares." Erik's tone was slightly cross. "Your paper is there, you can take it back, I have finished with it."

"Oh? What did you think?" Charles was actually eager to know what another Mutant might think of his work.

Erik hesitated for a moment then said, "I actually had a few questions for you, I did not fully understand some aspects of it."

"Ask me anything, I can answer anything in that paper." Charles moved swiftly to the table in the room. Erik sat down with him, seeming a little disoriented himself, but willing to talk with him. Erik fished out a bottle of bourbon from his bag and poured them both a drink in cups provided by the room.

"This part here, I do not quite understand it." Erik turned to a page where Charles was pleased to see that Erik had penciled in some notes.

"Oh, yes, that can be a bit tricky unless you're a geneticist." Charles launched into an explanation of his paper, trying to put it into layman's terms. The longer they talked the more at ease Erik seemed to become, and Charles himself was calmer after the panic of the dream.

Erik kept asking questions, a lot of them, they had stayed up most of the night before Charles had realized it. Like himself, Erik wanted to know about Mutants, about where they came from, and what their potential were. Talking to Erik was like talking to someone he'd known his whole life. When Charles did go back to his own room it was the early hours of the morning. He was still so excited about finding another Mutant, his own age, his own gender, and who seemed so in sync with him, that Charles ended up thinking about all the things he wanted to talk to Erik about rather than sleeping.