𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐞

xv

Ｈｏｍｅ

30th of January,
1973.
Westchester, New York.

Logan drives the car to Charles's mansion. Eleanor is sitting next to him looking at the landscape. Charles and Hank sit in the back seat. Charles is looking at Eleanor really worried, since is not willing to speak a sentence with more than one word. Logan looks at her and tries to start a conversation.

"How long has it been since you were last here?"

"A lot" She answers looking at the road. Logan finally reaches the door of the property and gets out of the car to open it. Eleanor frowns when she sees how abandoned the house looks. She looks around, noticing everything she left behind is not as she remembered. Logan gets in the car again and finds Eleanor looking around.

"Is there something wrong?" She shakes her head with a forced smile and Logan drives into the stone road of the mansion. He stops in front of the door and Eleanor looks at it before leaving the car. Charles walks over to her door and opens it, taking her hand. She accepts it while Hank and Logan take her things from the back of the car. Eleanor looks at them and Charles looks too.

"Let's go help them" He tells the girl as they walk to take some suitcases. She takes the smaller one since Charles wouldn't let her take another one. They walk into the house and she leaves it in the hall, looking at the lonely house. As Charles walks in, he screams and falls to the ground. Eleanor looks at him worried and watches how Hank helps him to lean against a pilar on the entrance. Eleanor walks over as he groans in pain.

"Charles!" She exclaims.

"What happened?" Logan asks before Eleanor can.

"Come on" Hank tells him.

"Can he walk?" Logan asks frowning at the younger self of his friend.

"He needs his treatment"

"Hank, I can hear them" He cries suffering "God, I can't take it"

I know. It's okay.
Can you make it stop?
I'll get them.

"Hey, hey" Eleanor says standing next to him.

"Pull yourself together. It's not over yet" Logan tells him.

"You don't believe that" Charles says looking at him. Eleanor looks at Logan too, knowing he is doing his best.

"How do you know?"

"As these go..." He points as his legs "This comes back" He now motions his hand over his temple. He holds his head with his hands "They all come back" He cries. Eleanor stands in front of him and caresses his cheek.

"Charles" She calls him softly. He opens his eyes and looks at her with pain "Calm down. I'm here with you" He know sees that as his powers come back, Eleanor's mind is based on screams for help. He can't stand it.

"Help me" He tells her taking off his jacket. She starts to move the cloth through his arm. He looks at her getting glimpses of her grief, seeing her crying herself to sleep and trying to be the perfect wife. He sees her going to bed next to another man. He sees a grieving Eleanor who lost a husband and can't have children. He looks at the ceiling and Eleanor knows he has seen something.

"Charles" She says but he ignores her "Charles, look at me" She tells him. He turns to look at her with his watery eyes again. She looks at him with a small smile as she takes his pain, just like he did with Logan. She nods at him in pain as he shakes his head.

"No, Eleanor, no, no" He murmurs "What are you doing?" She looks at him trying not to stop smiling.

"Look, I'm still here" Logan says walking around the entrance "And Raven's still out there. We need your help, Charles. Not like this. I need you. We can't find Raven. Not without your powers" Logan says as Hank starts to walk down the stairs.

"I can use Cerebro for him, it's okay" She says letting out some air. She doesn't want him to suffer but Charles doesn't want her to be in pain either. Charles looks at her narrowing his eyes.

"No, it's not Eleanor, you will only harm yourself" He tells her shaking his head.

"I can do it" She murmurs with a forced smile, taking as much psychological pain as she can.

"I added a little extra because you missed a dose" He takes the needle and stares at it. Eleanor nods, looking at him. She can't let him see what she feels or how much pain she keeps inside of her. She can't let him suffer. Charles takes the needle and puts it in position to inject the substance into his body.

"Charles" Logan murmurs. Eleanor stands up closing her eyes and she is able to stand up without falling. She opens her eyes, feeling a lot of pain and Charles knows this. He drops the needle and covers his face with his hands. Then he looks at Logan, who gives him a slight nod.

"Hank, do me a favor" He says avoiding eye contact with Eleanor "Would you help me to my study, please?" She covers her mouth and leans on the border of the table, letting go all the pain. Hank looks at him nodding and puts his arm around his back. They enter the study and Logan stares at them before looking at Eleanor. He walks over to her and puts his hand on her shoulder.

"He has to do this, Eleanor" He tells her looking at the woman's eyes. She nods biting her nails.

"I know. But he saw everything, Logan" She whispers nervously. He nods not knowing what to say "I just hoped it wouldn't be painful" She looks at Logan and he furrows his lips "But I guess it was a foolish thought" Logan pulls the woman closer to him and surrounds his arms around her.

"Come here" He tells her. She lets him comfort her, changing their future and securing Eleanor's future.

"How is it to hug the woman you killed?" She asks softly.

"I didn't kill you" He tells her pulling away "You weren't like this. You were a cold blooded killer, full of hatred and anger. But I can't see that now when I look at you" She looks at him and nods.

"We hadn't spoken at all in your future, did we?" He shakes his head and scoffs.

"Not really, unless insults and threats count. Although, we did talk once and you tortured me" He says trying to lighten the mood.

"Nice" She chuckles softly and they walk into the study. Charles leans against the wall as Hank opens a closet, showing his wheelchair.

"Are you sure about this?" Hank asks looking at it. Charles shakes his head scoffing.

"Absolutely not"