Part One

Part Nine

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The suite he had booked last minute, was not his usual style.  He prefered something more lowkey.

When he had surprised Erik a few years ago with a trip to Paris, he had rented an apartment, it had been a simple studio and the two had enjoyed their weeks away. He had known Erik spoke French fluently, and had been to Paris during the time he hunted Nazi’s, but he had never taken the time to enjoy the city.  That trip were some of his fondest memories. He had felt contentment bleeding off Erik the whole time they were away.

This two bedroom suite was huge, and was more than enough space for the four of them.  The bedrooms sat on opposite sides, with a large living area in between. There was a fully stocked bar in the back, near the balcony that overlooked city.

A bar Charles was aiming for.

“Erik isn’t alive is he?”  Charles grabbed the scotch and poured himself a glass, not offering anything to the other mutant.  He downed it in one swallow, then poured a second before focusing on Logan.

“Chuck.”

“I can rip it out of your head.”  He downed the amber liquid and poured a third.  “I think you would be surprised how far I would go to protect my family.”

“Oh I know exactly how far you would go.”  Logan gave him a look, moving towards the bar to grab his own vice, huffing in triumph when he found an actual Cuban cigar. “I’ve seen it.  You’re a scary bastard when pissed.”

“Who sent you?”  He demanded, blue eyes flashing with determination.

“You, with your two Generals: Beast and Mystique.”  He lit the cigar and moved to the balcony doors. The city was quiet, as if in anticipation.  The last time he had been in Paris, they had been hiding in the Palace of Versaille.

‘It’s beautiful.’  Kitty smiled at all the trimmings, though most of the historical pieces were destroyed.  She grabbed Bobby and began to dance across the ballroom floor.

Chuck had watched them with a small smile on his face.  It was a rare moment, to see him so open and unguarded.

‘Look at all the gold…’

He flashed a look towards Mystique who quickly shut her mouth and wandered off.

‘So much abundance.  All they had to do was feed their citizens and they could’ve kept their heads.’  Charles’ voice had turned to lecture mode, though most had ignored him, there were times Logan sat and listened wondering what the Professor was really telling them. ‘But we hold onto our perceived rights.  Cling to wealth and power.’

He pulled out the spray can, and like all the places before left behind their calling card.

214 782

He had no idea what that number meant, until now.  Logan had seen the same six numbers tattooed on Erik’s left arm.  

“Erik’s a Holocaust Survivor.”  It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.”  Charles looked at him, as if trying to read him, but without using his telepathy.  “Why?”

“You used his number to mark our territory.” He puffed on his cigar.  “I never knew why? No one talked about it, and you yelled at anyone who did.  It drove the governments insane trying to figure out your code.”

“When it was me reminding them of their past mistakes?”

“I think it was more of a fuck you.”

“How did he die?”  Charles asked wanting … no … needing to know so he could stop it.

He shrugged, chomping on his cigar.  “I don’t know. You took me in after I escaped Stryker.  There was no school only the Brotherhood. I never heard the name Erik, until Mystique told me to get him on my side.”

Charles’ slammed the glass onto the bartop.  “She gets Erik killed and lives. I lose everything, and she stands by my side – fighting a war she fucking started.”

“I’m not saying you two got along.”

“I bloody fucking hope not.”  He snarled moving from behind the bar towards his room, then stopped. “Kurt and Peter?”

“Sorry, but I don’t know them.”

“Sean? Alex?”  Charles asked desperately, eyes wet with tears.  “Darwin?”

“Darwin I knew, he fought like hell.  You actually destroyed a small city when he was killed.”  Logan stepped away from the balcony doors and approached the distraught man.  “I only know the man you became Chuck, and for the past few days I’ve seen the man you are.”  He gripped Charles’ shoulders tightly, bending down to look him in the eyes. “You were a fighter, a fucking vicious general, a phenomenal teacher, who everyone was willing to die for you.   But I like this long haired cardigan wearing hippy. I want to meet him in the future. I want to see the school as a school. I want you to save Jean and Scott. I want to bring you Rogue. I want to see Kitty as a teacher not a soldier.  I want to see Erik with fucking grey hair.”

“But I don’t know how to do that.”

“Yes, you do Charles.”

Charles turned to see a sopping wet Erik.  “Fucking hell you’re soaked. Out of those clothes, into the shower – you’ll catch a cold!”  And before he could blink, Erik was dragged out of the room towards their bedroom.

Logan looked at Beast. “I’m taking the sex is amazing.”

“From what I’ve heard. Yes.”  He shook his own fur, letting water fly.  He focused on Logan, and with a low growl he made his intent known.  “We need to talk.”

“There’s the general I know.”

Part One

Part Eight

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Erik had no idea who the other Mutant was, but the long tongue had made things awkward fast.  

Before Hank had even hit the ground, the Mutant had grabbed him and thrown him into the fountain, then used his tongue to bend the metal spikes trapping him in the water.  

Erik levitated himself to the ground, and the moment the mutant toad attacked he threw a trash can, sending it straight into the idiots face.   As he made his way towards Beast, he reached out with his metal senses looking for the bullet, but it was nowhere in the vicinity. The whiff of sulfur was enough to know how she got out of the area quickly.  

“Now what?”  Beast asked as Erik pulled the beams apart and yanked him out of the fountain, getting himself soaked in the process.  He shook the water out of his fur, noticing instantly that everyone was staring at the two of them.

“We need to get back to Charles.”  He stepped out of the fountain, throwing his hand out as the cops approached tossing them to the side.  “Can you de-fur.”

“What happened to Mutant and Proud.”  Beast stood next to him, growling lightly.  He hated being furred and wet.

“Your wet fur is making me sneeze.”  He smirked, getting the eyeroll he was expecting.  

<<Go left the crowd has no idea what’s going on.>>

<<Ah Liebling did you mind whamming tourists?>>

<<Fuck you Erik.>> He could feel the pause.  <<Yes, but you have a short time. Get to our rooms, I have news.  It’s not good. And stop teasing Hank!>>

He glanced around noticing people were frozen – staring past them.  “Time to leave.” He grabbed Hank, and headed left.

“Is Charles keeping us from being seen?”  He asked, passing by a young couple obviously on their honeymoon, neither one of them looked at his wet sopping blue fur.

“At the moment.”

Charles had surprised him with a trip to Paris a few years ago, they spent half their time in bed, the other exploring the city.  Giving Erik an advantage as they maneuvered through the city.

The moment they hit a dark alley, he grabbed Hank and shoved him against the wall.  Beast growled, grabbing Erik’s wet jacket. “Why did you stop me from shooting her?”

“She’s his sister!”  He pushed back using his strength to slam Erik into the opposite wall.

“You heard what Logan said, if she kills Trask we’re done.”  He brought his hands down on Hank’s arms making him let go, then pushed him back into the wall.  “I don’t give a shit about Mystique or even if Charles is pissed at me. I’m saving our future.”

“Killing her isn’t the way.  You know it!” He argued back.  “She think she’s doing the right thing, like you did back on that beach.”

“So you thought declaring your undying love would stop her?”  His voice dropped, going from anger to frustration. “Hank that only works if she loves you back.”

“I know.” He sunk into the wall with a sigh.  “Do you know how hard it is to see the adorable kid running around, the one who calls you uncle, knowing it’s the son of the woman you love with someone else!”

“Fuck Mystique.”

“Azazel already did.”  Hank dead panned. They both snorted, laughing lightly.  “I thought I was doing the right thing, but now everyone knows about us.  I mean I know there’s been rumors and theories, government inquirers, but now we’re publicly out there … Shit.”

“It’s not a bad thing, we shouldn’t have to hide!”  Erik argued. “Yes, we need the school, hell this would likely boost our enrollment finally, but why should we hide to make them comfortable.”

“Because they build Sentinels to hunt us down!”

“Then we stop them.”  Erik reached over and put his hand on Beast’s shoulder.  “I’m not sure how, but we will.”

He looked at the one person he thought he would never be friends with, the one person who wasn’t to be trusted.  The one person who he had become family, who fought for and against him. The one person who made him believe in the geeky kid and the Beast.  “But you die. You and I both know it. Logan doesn’t know Magneto … only Erik. So you died.” He reached up and wiped the tears from his eyes.  “And I don’t think we handled it well.”

“This time.”  He pulled Hank into his arms, not caring that they were both wet, and fur was getting up his nose.  “We make sure I don’t.”

“How did this become our lives?”  Hank asked stepping back while pulling off his glasses and trying to clean them with his wet shirt.

“I blame Charles completely for my lack of world domination.”  Erik grabbed his arm, and headed out of the alley way, they had to get the hell out of sight.   And later, he needed to find Azazel and beat the shit out of him.

 

Part One

Part Seven

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The conference room was in shambles.  Chairs tossed to the side, some tipped over as people scrambled to get away from the ‘monster’.  Trask stood at the head of the table, in shock and awe at the sight before him.

If it hadn’t been for the fact he carried his Mutant detector around with him at all times, he would’ve never have known she was in the room.  He watched as the same mutant that had invaded his lab disemate his security. It had been because of her, he had built the detector and started the Sentinel program.  

How does a simple human fight against that?!

She was mere feet from him, when she looked up, eyes going wide.  Trask turned to see four men enter the room. The one with the long coat, he recognized.  It was the one who threw him against the wall, he still hadn’t figured out what his mutation was.  

He stalked into the room, pulling one of the guards guns from the floor, without touching it, and aimed it at the blue girl.

The smaller man, moved next to him putting his hand onto the gun floating in mid air.  “Erik, please let me try….” The gun didn’t waver, but it didn’t go off. “Raven, for once listen to me!”

“Why should I?” She snarled back, her focus between the long haired hippy and Erik.

Trask wondered if he could levitate items?  Maybe Telekinesis. He glanced at the surly man behind him, eyes widening at the bone claws, the very thought of what the man could do as a soldier …

The younger man on the sidelines, seemed out of place as did the hippy, but then he’s learned that mutants who looked innocent were usually the most dangerous.

“Because our future is at stake!”  He snapped at her. “This isn’t the way to do it.  Killing Trask isn’t going to solve anything. It’s just going to set everyone off.”

“He has to die!”  

“And who are you willing to sacrifice in the process!”  He stepped closer to the table, hand out. “Is our lives forfeit for your revenge?  Is mine? Erik’s …”

Her eyes narrowed, he knew it was the wrong thing to say.

She pulled her own gun on Trask, who stepped back tripping over his useless guard.  He scrambled up, and without a second thought slid past the big guy and ran out of the room.

The last thing he heard was a gun going off.

Mystique back flipped off the table, throwing a chair towards Charles knowing, it would distract Erik.   She couldn’t believe they would attack her, instead of the real threat.

She felt the bullet go through her calf as she went through the window.

Erik growled, ready to rip Hank a new one for tackling him into the table, only to see him go through the window after Mystique.  With a frustrated yell he shattered the gun, and turned towards Charles who was knelt next to Logan, who seemed to be lost in a convulsion.

“Is he okay?”  Erik asked.

“I think past and present is mixing.”  He tried to sooth the mutant, but was having a hard time getting past his claws.

“Not surprising.”  He glanced down at the unconscious military personal.  “It’s Captain Stryker, you’ve met his father, and if I recall Alex mentioned him a few times in his letters.”

“Go deal with Raven and don’t hurt Hank too much.  I’ve got this.” Charles jumped back at the slash of the claws, then moved in quickly to pin them down.

‘Hold him!’  He heard the yell the moment he touched him.  It sounded so much like Hank, but older gruffer. ‘God I miss Erik.’

‘He would’ve had a field day with Logan’s metal frame.’

Charles shook his head, he knew that voice, it was Raven!  He put a knee down on Logan’s arms looking down at the bone claws, the metal must have been added later.

‘Kitty are you okay?’

‘I’m fine.  He’s calm now.’

‘Logan… go back.  You need to go back.  The Sentinels are on their way …’  

Charles blinked at the sound of his own voice, older, wiser, harder.  

Dark eyes snapped open, staring at him.  “Are you back?” Charles asked easing up on his grip.  

“Yeah Chuck.”  He struggled to get up, looking down at the bodies around the room, not quite sure what happened.  “Where’s Mystique?”

“Out.”  Charles pointed towards the broken window.

“Erik?”

“Also out.”  He sighed trying to ignore the screams, growls, and crunching of metal.  “We’ve got to get out of here.”

Logan looked down at the soldier.  One flick of his claws …

“I do not know what happened to you, but it made you the man you are today.  The one who was willing to come here to save the world.” Charles put his hand on Logan’s wrists.  

“I’m not sure I like this version of you, Professor.”  He turned and walked away, dragging Charles behind him.  If there was one thing he had learned, leaving the Professor behind would only make Erik angry.

And that wasn’t a good thing.