Memories

Chapter Eleven

It was the next day, and the children were all just waking up for the day. Charles was already in with Cerebro, trying to let his foggy mind find itself in the vast unknown that was Cerebro. In a mindless search for familiarity, he found a consciousness he'd never thought he feel again.

Darwin? Charles asked the consciousness, and the familiar voice answered. Professor? Is that really you? Darwin's voice called out into the abyss, his voice shaky and unsure, far different from the young man that had grown so close to Havok, yet so similar. Oh, thank God! We'd thought we'd lost you forever. Hang on, I'll try to pull you through. Darwin was in some sort of Limbo, floating around them as pure energy. That was how his body must have decided was the best way to survive. Charles could feel that his mind was tethered to Alex- it was probably the only reason Armando wasn't floating among the stars.

Charles pulled at Darwin's consciousness until the form of Armando appeared before him, live and whole. Charles let out a gasp of joy and relief, removing the helmet so he could see Armando properly. He mentally called for Alex, telling him to come quickly as Armando kept patting himself all over to make sure his hand wouldn't go right through himself.

Once Armando was sure that he himself was here, he looked over at the Professor, ran to him, and hugged him tightly, not even heeding the fact that Charles was in a wheelchair. In a moment, Alex burst through the door, looking around the room wildly for any sign of danger. When his eyes landed on Armando, who had straightened up and turned to the doorway, his eyes filled up with tears and he slowly began to walk forward.

"Armando?" Alex asked tentatively, as if he asked too loudly, Darwin would blow away with the breeze and float out of Alex's life for good. "It's me, Alex," Darwin replied, his voice hoarse and strained with emotion. Alex then ran to him, tackling him in a hug as Alex's body shook with the force of his emotions. Darwin rubbed his back and embraced him, trying to soothe the pain and anguish Alex had suffered.

Charles left them then, messaging the rest of the family with the events of today. Hank and Sean were overjoyed, Logan was indifferent yet awed, and the children were confused- except for Ororo, who was enamored with the bond the two men shared in order for their minds to be so closely linked in order for Alex's mind to be able to anchor Armando's consciousness to this world.

Charles chalked up Ororo's fascination with it up to the oddness of near-adolescence. That reminded him- he'd need to stock up on supplies for such times when the girls hit puberty. Charles suppressed a shiver at the thought. He was not going to enjoy the coming years of their lives almost as much as they weren't.

"I can't believe Armando's back!" Hank was gushing to Sean in his lab, Sean already there for a new suit fitting. Logan was waiting his turn in the hallway, leaning against the wall. Charles chuckled at Logan's easily annoyed demeanor, going all the way to the kitchen where Jean and Ororo were practicing their hands at cooking, Scott and Kitty benefitting from their creations.

Bobby was playing with the twins in the living room, Pietro racing around the room as Wanda played with some stuffed toy she'd brought from the orphanage- a unicorn by the name of Miss Sparkles. She'd said her parents had given it to her when she was young. Marie was watching the three, smiling as she held a pillow in her arms as if it was shielding her.

Charles kept going, reaching his study with ease. The glass that he'd thrown had long since been cleaned up, and someone had sorted his desk and gotten rid of the clutter. A few pictures hung on the walls and sat on the desk.

A family portrait was on the wall behind his desk- a picture of a happy little family before his father's death, before his mother became distant, before Raven joined Charles, before his mother's second marriage, before voices assaulted his mind, before the late nights with Charles tossing and turning, trying to forget the worst events in his whole life.

Charles shook his head, rolling himself behind his desk. A picture of Raven and himself, smiling and happy. One of when they were younger, and one of them older. A picture of his mother and father on their wedding day. And the final one- Erik. Erik caught off guard, smiling at something as amusement danced in his eyes. Not the man who'd crippled Charles or murdered out of revenge, but the kind man who had known how to laugh, if only briefly.

Charles sighed, turning away from the picture and the memories it brought on. It wasn't fair- why hadn't Erik been able to let go? Why hadn't he loved Charles enough to let his pain go?

Charles's mind raced with the possibilities once more of the things he could have done differently. What could he have said instead so that Erik would have loved him more than he had craved vengeance? What could he have done differently so that Erik would have chosen to come back to the mansion with Charles, to choose to be good instead?

Charles wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.