Flickers (Charles Xavier)

Chapter 10

Iris threw the door open and froze.

Shaw and Erik were standing opposite each other, but she barely registered Erik. Seeing Shaw again in the flesh sent a chill down her spine, and she suddenly was overwhelmed with a sick feeling.

Shaw's eyes fell on her, and his lips seemed to twitch into a smile. He studied her slowly and deliberately before raising an eyebrow.

"Iris Miracle. What a beautiful woman you have become."

Iris felt like she was choking on air, and she could very faintly hear Charles' voice in her head talking to her, but she couldn't hear it enough to register what he was saying.

"I was just telling Erik about everything I did for him. About how I unlocked his power in such an exceptional way. In the same way that I did for you."

Iris shook her head, "You did nothing for me. You didn't make me stronger. You destroyed my life."

Shaw narrowed his eyes, "I enriched your life, Iris. I showed you your powers like you had never known them to exist before. You were so powerful, my goddess."

She frowned in confusion, wondering how she could have been so powerful compared to Erik, who could move metal without even looking at it.

"Ah," Shaw's grin widened, "You don't remember. It's all a blur to you, isn't it? Your time with me."

Iris stepped forwards slowly, "I would rather not recall it."

Shaw reached his hand out slowly and brushed Iris' cheek. She tried not to flinch- she did not want to appear weak to the man who had ruined her life and killed her parents.

"Such beauty," Shaw murmured, his eyes locked with hers. She gulped as he smiled, "You could be by my side, Iris. You and I could fight this together."

"Why would I want to do that?" She hissed, causing Shaw's smile to widen. His eyes met hers, and she felt his thumb brush over her lower lip.

"Because fate has brought us back together. And you are the most powerful mutant I have ever encountered. If you were to fight by my side... we would be invincible, Iris."

Her hand flew up and gripped his wrist before she shoved him backwards, "I would rather die."

The light in Shaw's eyes seemed to fade, and with a flick of the wrist he threw her back against one of the mirrors on the wall. It shattered as she fell against it, and she suddenly became aware of Charles in her mind- much louder than before. She barely registered what he was saying as she tried to push herself up into a standing position.

Shaw stared at her pitifully before turning to Erik, "Erik, this is our time. Our age. We are the future of the human race. You and me, son. This world could be ours."

Erik used metal beams to block Shaw from moving closer to him, and muttered, "Everything you did made me stronger. Made me the weapon I am today. It's the truth, I've known it all along. You are my creator."

He held his hand out and lifted Shaw's helmet from his head, shouting, "Now Charles!"

Iris watched as Shaw froze, and she pushed herself up from the floor, "Come on, Erik. Erik?"

He wasn't responding, instead looking at the helmet with interest. Her heart stopped.

"Erik." She whispered, "No. No. God, Erik. I thought we were a team?"

"Sorry Charles," He murmured, not even glancing in Iris' direction as he reached for the helmet and placed it on his head, "It's not that I don't trust you."