Flickers (Charles Xavier)

Chapter 22

The mansion was silent.

It was oddly eerie, yet peaceful, hearing it in this state. The students that ran around after each other all day and created more noise than Charles could imagine were completely silent at night-time. He and Iris often felt as though they had to have whispered conversations or block the bottom of the door with blankets to prevent the students hearing any noise that they made.

Charles was facing Iris, watching her sleep softly. Her long dark hair had become tangled within the bed-sheets, but it still appeared as though it were a waterfall in the darkness. Her lips were pouting slightly, as she always did when she was sleeping. Charles often thought that she looked like she was thinking about something when she slept. She was always pondering or questioning something when she was awake, and it seemed that she carried this on as she slept.

Iris' eyebrows suddenly drew together, and her lips parted as if she was trying to say something. Charles frowned for only a moment before the dark room around them disappeared and was replaced with flames.

Charles pushed himself up quickly, glancing around him. Iris was still laying next to him on the bed, muttering something under her breath. She hadn't woken up yet though. She was asleep, and having a nightmare. Charles' breath caught in his throat – she hadn't done this for years. He'd thought her projecting her nightmares while she was sleeping was a thing of the past, but he was wrong.

A figure emerged from the flames around them, one that Charles had not expected to see at all.

It was Sebastian Shaw.

Behind him emerged another figure, dressed all in black. Her eyes were cold and unseeing, although there was a hint of a smirk at the edge of her lips.

It was Iris, but not quite Iris.

"Look at all that you've done," Shaw smiled at the dream-Iris, "The most beautiful weapon I have ever created."

The flames were starting to die away, and as Charles looked closer he saw something littered across the floor. Something that made him feel uneasy...

Bodies.

And Charles recognised all of them. He saw the students from the school, Hank, Raven, Erik...

Beside him, the real Iris cried out in horror.

"Iris," Charles tried to shake her awake, "Iris, wake up. You're only dreaming-"

"I have one last request for you, Miracle," Shaw smirked, "Kill Xavier. Kill Charles Xavier."

Charles felt his heart stop as Iris began to sob uncontrollably. She was still sleeping, and she wasn't waking up.

A dream version of Charles appeared in front of them, and the dream-Iris walked towards him, swinging a sword in his direction. The dream-Charles began to plead with her, but she said nothing as she swung the sword down and stabbed him in the chest.

Iris screamed. Charles began to shake her again, whispering, "Iris, please, it's only a dream. Please."

She jerked upwards, and the vision around them vanished, leaving the room in darkness. Iris turned to look for Charles frantically, and the moment her eyes fell on him, she burst into tears.

He watched her for a moment in shock before reaching out and pulling her towards him. He could feel her whole body shaking, and she was trying to say something to him.

He stroked her hair gently, "It wasn't real, Iris. It was just a dream."

"I- Shaw," She whispered, "I killed you."