Flickers (Charles Xavier)

Chapter 15

Iris stood at the foot at of the stairs leading to the plane as they waved goodbye to Peter. She turned to the others, "Well, I should go. Whatever... this is, I feel like I've been caught up in something I really shouldn't be. I don't think I should be here."

"Hey," Logan frowned at her, "Iris, I don't know if I'm getting the wrong signals here, but you see, like you're drawn to everything that's going on. Where's the harm in you staying with us a little while longer? You've been a great help, and I'm sure everyone would be grateful if you carried on helping us out."

"But..." Iris hesitated, touched by Logan's words, "I'm not like the rest of you. What help can I offer?"

"You've got a mean punch," Logan snorted, "And you're a human who supports mutants in a time when we need it. I think you're worth more than you believe."

Her gaze flickered to Charles, who was watching her intently. When their eyes met, he looked away, but she couldn't ignore the feeling that passed between them. She was drawn to Charles for some reason that she couldn't quite understand, despite his initial coldness towards her. She glanced back over at Logan who was studying her.

"Okay. Looks like you're stuck with me," She murmured, and Logan's mouth quirked up at the corners.

They all moved towards the plane, and as Iris passed the cockpit Hank beamed at her. She smiled back, but when she turned her head her eyes fell on Erik, the man that they'd released from the Pentagon. He was watching her with a raised eyebrow, as if attempting to figure her out.

She frowned at him for a second, her brain lingering on his face as if she recognised him from somewhere.

"You okay?" Logan appeared behind Iris, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. She nodded quickly and broke eye contact with Erik as she moved further down the plane. She and Logan sat down opposite each other, which comforted her. Logan's support throughout his whole extremely odd situation made her feel like she belonged much more.

She watched as Charles sat down on a seat on his own, and the moment the plane took off the air became tense. It was clear that Charles and Erik were not friends, although she didn't know why. All they were doing was staring at each other sullenly, waiting for the other to speak first.

Erik made the first move.

"How did you lose them?"

Iris frowned in confusion, straightening up so she could see Charles more clearly. His expression had darkened.

"The treatment for my spine affects my DNA." He replied quietly.

Erik seemed shocked, "You sacrificed your powers so you could walk?"

Something clicked into place, and suddenly Iris understood. Whatever Charles' powers had been were now lost because the use of his legs was more important to him. Her heart tightened.

"I sacrificed my power so I could slee..." Charles shook his head, "What do you know about it?"

"I've lost my fair share," Erik hissed.

Charles laughed coldly, "Dry your eyes Erik, it doesn't justify what you've done."

"You have no idea what I've done."

"I know that you took the things that mean the most to me, and forced me to sacrifice something I cared for so dearly." Charles' voice sounded thick with tears.

"Maybe you should have fought harder for them," Erik whispered, "And whatever you did to her- you could have changed that. Whether it was for your concern about her safety or your worry that she would run off with someone more powerful and more willing to let her use her powers to the extreme- you could have done something different."