"no good ever came from telling someone you can manipulate them."
Not all mutants are able to come out of the shadows and tell the world to take them as they are. CIA Agent Josephine March is one such mutant. It takes a team of people just like Jos...
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~<x>~
"Josie. It's time to wake up." Charles voice called in her head.
Startled, Josie did just that. Erik poked his head out from the bathroom to look at her. She shook her head at him and he offered a small smile before going back to brushing his teeth.
"Charles," she whispered. "Where are you?"
"Where are you, Josie?"
"I'm... in Paris. With Erik."
There was a long sigh and then his words echoed in her head for a final time. "Raven is going to Washington, D.C. You must get there as soon as you can. This isn't far from over."
"But they have her blood, Charles."
"I know. There's still time to keep the future from taking place just get to Washington."
Josie curled her legs into her chest and nodded. "Alright. I'll see you there."
"Be careful, Josie."
When there were no other words from him, Josie fell back into bed. She knew what he meant. Be careful with Erik, with her hope, and her naive heart. Josie knew who Erik was and how there was a possibility he might never see past the blinding rage encapsulating his very being.
She watched as he switched off the bathroom light, then moved to the lamp beside the small couch he was meant to sleep on to turn that off as well. The room fell into darkness. The only sound reverberating off the walls was her shallow breaths and his sure ones.
"Erik?" she whispers after a few minutes of silence.
"Yes?"
"Thank you
It was morning by the time Josie realized Erik was gone. She stretched her tired limbs and looked over at the couch to find it empty. Alarmed, Josie immediately sat upright. The blanket was thrown aside as she ran around the hotel room looking for something other than Erik's shirt to wear.
"Stupid," she grunted as she shimmied into her jeans, "metalhead!"
Just as she reached for the door handle it opened and revealed Erik with two cups of coffee and a muffin on a cardboard tray. He looked at her confused, "Isn't it a little early to start throwing insults?"
Josie was huffing out angered breaths, her heart pounding in her chest. "I thought you'd left."
Erik walked around her stunned form and placed the tray on the table beside him with a hum of acknowledgment. He shrugged off his coat and threw it on the back of the chair he now leant against.
"I did." he said oh so simply.
Josie ran a hand through her hair at his words. "And where did you go?"
"Last night or this morning?"
"Erik." she chastised and he smiled at her.
"We're going to Washington, D.C. I bought plane tickets and coffee. We have 30 minutes to get to the airport."
Josie reached for a cup beside him but stopped when he mentioned their trip. "How did you know we needed to be there?"
He picked up the cup she wasn't reaching for and took a sip. "The news. Trask is set to be there with the President as he announces his plan for the 'mutant problem'."
"Great," she huffed sarcastically. "We should get going then."
Erik allowed her to turn away from him and start to tidy up the room. He watched her as she straightened the bed and grabbed her purse from the nightstand. When she stood in front of him, he smiled mischievously.
"What?" Josie asked warily.
"You're not going to like this plan."
With a roll of her eyes she moved past him and towards the door. "I don't like any of your plans. All I care about is your promise."
He followed her out the open door and into the hallway. "Which one?"
"Both?" She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Nobody dies and we fix the future. Together."
Once they made it to the end of the hall, Josie reached forward to press the button that would open the elevator doors. Erik gestured for her to enter first and she did. When the doors shut, Erik turned to look at her.
"When this is over, will you come with me?"
Josie froze, looking from her cup to his determined gaze. "Where?"
"Anywhere you'd like. I want to be where you are happiest, I don't care where that is."
"Erik, I-"
He took a step toward her, his free hand moving to hold the side of her face. His thumb moved slowly in front of her ear while his fingers buried themselves into her hair.
"Promise me that whatever happens today, you'll come with me. Don't make me spend another eleven years without you."
Josie was starstruck, her skin flushing a deep magenta at his words. "I can't do that, Erik." she whispered, eyes glazing at over as she did.
He swallowed, eyes darting between her own. "Please, Josie. Come with me."
She wanted to say no again. To remind him that Charles and Hank were waiting for her to return, that the school wasn't completely lost and she still had a place there with them. She wanted to tell him she was afraid of being abandoned by him again, that another dismissal of her would break her beyond repair. Josie thought of Alex, as she did everyday since he was shipped off to Vietnam and everyday after his death was announced. He would have wanted her happiness, no matter who it was with.
"If you spare their lives, I will go with you." she said and his smile was full of adoration at her words. "Trask, Raven, Charles, Hank, Logan, the rest of the human race."
He leant his forehead against hers, contemplating this deal they were striking until he finally whispered, "Okay."
