***
“Do you really love him?” Raven asked leaning against the kitchen counter. “I mean he can be violent.”
“Yes.” He turned and studied her. “He’s also gentle, deep down, well mostly to me.” Charles smirked slightly. “Raven, I’ve seen what Shaw did to him, and the fact he’s as sane as he is, is astounding. Erik needs to deal with the rage, and I’m willing to help him find his serenity, but it’s going …”
<<MOM!!>>
Charles cringed. His hand moved up to his forehead as Alex’s voice slammed into his mind.
<<CHARLES!>>
He blinked focusing on Alex, pushing in to find out what was going on. He saw enough to know it was bad.
“Fuck!” He jumped up and ran for the stairs, Raven only a few steps behind him. By the time he got to the right corridor, all hell was breaking loose.
Angel and Sean were flanking Alex, all three standing in front of Erik, who was in a shouting match with Moira. Charles’ could feel Erik’s powers moving through the hallway, the lamps were bending to his will, every metal tray was vibrating, doors were rattling as pins were being pulled out of the hinges.
<<Erik NO!>>
He hit a block wall, hard enough that he actually blinked and looked at Erik to make sure he wasn’t wearing that damn helmet.
<<Erik!>>
“Moira this isn’t a good time …” Raven stepped next to her, taking her arm to pull her away.
“It’s as good as time as any!” She pulled out of her grasp. “He has to answer my questions?”
“It’s been a week since he’s been shot!” Sean stared at her in frustration and shock. “The man is barely standing.”
“He seems perfectly fine to me.” She glared over them at Erik. “You were going to kill those innocent…”
“Innocent?!” He snapped at her. “Innocent. No soldier is innocent!”
“They were following orders!” Hands on her hips she held her ground refusing to be intimidated.
“So where the Nazis when they shoved my father into the gas chamber, along with millions of my people!” He growled. “The moment you put on a uniform you don’t get to claim innocence.”
<<She’s no different, Charles. This is what you don’t want to see.>>
“So you get to be judge and jury!” Moira stepped closer, only to have Alex step away from Erik to block her.
“You may have missed the part where they were going to kill all of us.” Alex waved his hand around the hallway. “Every single one of us, just because we were different. We saved their lives from Shaw and they were going to kill us – get rid of the freaks so they can rest easier.”
<<Please darling, I’ll make her leave. I need you to calm down. You’re hurting yourself.>>
“You were just collateral damage.” Angel added arms crossed over her chest.
“It gives him no right to turn the missiles back on them!” She threw her hand out pointing towards Erik.
“Eye for an eye.” A new voice popped into the fight.
A few turned to see Janus walking into the area, Hank not far behind him.
McCoy ignored everyone and made his way through the line of defense to get to Erik. He growled low in his throat. “Calm down all of you.” He reached out taking Erik’s wrist, cursing when he felt his heart rate skyrocketing. “Out. Every single one of you.”
“NO!” Moira held her ground. “He has to be accountable.”
<<Who’s next Charles? At the moment she’s after me. She’s afraid of me. My power. Who’s next? Azazael? Raven? Which of the kids will she fear next? I’m only the beginning.>>
“You shot him!” Raven pointed out, she looked to Charles who was staring at Erik. She couldn’t help but wonder if they were arguing via telepathy.
<<You have to trust me.>>
“He was going to kill innocents.”
“They were going to kill us.”
<<You’re the only one that I do trust.>>
“We’re all culpable!” Charles snapped, they all turned and looked at him. “I am, for not realizing the true threat Shaw was. Erik is, for putting on that damn helmet. Moira you shot at a man who manipulates metal…”
“I paid my price.” Erik snarled hand clutched over his chest hating the weakness he was showcasing. “You refused to see the same mistakes the damn soldiers were making. You shot at me with Charles in the line of fire. You shot at an innocent. If I had deflected that bullet like I had intended to it would’ve hit Charles.”
Everyone turned back towards Charles, who only had eyes for Erik.
<<Darling…>>
<<I would do anything to protect you, Liebling.>>
“I couldn’t let that happen. But what did you do? You continued shooting. Like those innocent soldiers, who were shooting weapons of mass destruction at an island filled with other humans, but who cares, right, they were just Cubans.”
Hank moved behind Erik, not liking the sudden paleness he was seeing. “We’re done here.”
“Everyone out…” Charles took a step towards Erik, Sean moving out of his way.
“What were you even planning?” Angel asked. “Erik supposed to be on bed rest for weeks. Recovering is going to take months…”
“He needs to be brought in. Detained and questioned.”
“You mean to lock him up?” Sean asked bewildered. “But he’s our teammate. He saved us from Shaw …”
“He’s dangerous!”
“You take him.” Alex pulled back his shoulders, he could feel Angel’s wings vibrating next to him. “You take us.”
<<No. I will not allow her to take our children.>>
Sean looked at her in shock and pain. “I thought you were our friend.”
<<Erik. I will…>>
It was Beast that first realized the metal in the hallway stopped moving. His hand tightened on Erik’s wrist, the other moving around his waist, prepping for the man to faint. His blood pressure was too high, and body was about to give out.
<<I promised to protect you. The school. These kids. I can’t do that in a weakened state. I need full use of my powers.>>
Raven grabbed Moira’s arm pulling her away from everyone else. She could feel Janus’ whirlwinds, and had no doubt he was ready to use them. She couldn’t help but think about the irony of the moment – Moira had done the one thing no one that possible. She proved Erik’s point. If she, who had worked with them, was willing to lock one of them up, who was next?
“ERIK NO!” Charles screamed as he reached out to his lover, pushing past Sean in haste.
Hank frowned at Charles’ frantic expression, and then he heard it … the sound of metal hitting the floor. Followed by a second, third … with a growl he pulled Erik closer, using his larger paws to hold him up.
A cry of agonizing pain echoed through the hall, halting everyone in their tracks. They all turned, staring in shock horror as a bloody wire was pulled from Erik’s chest and landed on the wooden floor.
Blood flowed through Hank’s fingers, as he yelled for Azazael. In a flash the teleporter appeared grabbed patient and doctor and was gone.
Leaving behind 8 metal staples, 2 broken wires, and a pool of blood.