Symphony sighed, noticing the car outside the mansion as she jumped out of her own blue car.
It had become a regular thing for her, to wrap her tail around her body and flatten her ears back so she could go out to do some shopping, ever since Charles had started the slide back downhill, living mostly on whatever she made him eat, plus whatever he happened to have stashed around the mansion.
Hank had decided that it would be best if he stayed with Charles, and that Symphony went shopping, so that they could try to avoid fights over the serum, and the reasons why Charles was taking it now.
She hated that serum now, and hate was not too strong a word.
Walking through the door, Symphony uncurled her cramped tail, and let her ears spring up out of her hair, making a mild mess of it.
What she saw when she walked in, was the last thing she'd expected, even though she'd known that this was the day the Wolverine was supposed to show up.
"Hank! What the- ge- wha-jus-... GET DOWN FROM THERE!" She yelled exasperatedly with a strong accent, making Hank and Wolverine look at her in surprise.
"Hank!" She heard Charles call as he started coming down the stairs, still dressed in his jim jams, and wearing a bathrobe over them, while carrying an almost empty glass in his left hand. "What's going on here?" He asked.
Once he came around the corner, Symphony could see that he wasn't pleased over having his sleep disturbed.
"Professor!" Wolverine greeted, half sitting up.
Charles grimaced. "Please don't call me that." He answered.
I've been expecting you Logan. Symphony whispered inside Wolverine's head, placing her groceries down.
"You know this guy?" Hank asked, still hanging from the chandelier.
"Ye-He looks... S-slightly familiar." Charles answered.
"Hank, get off the chandelier." Charles sighed as he sat down tiredly on the stairs, still holding his cup.
Symphony was severely tempted to guide him to a sink so she could wash his hair and give him a haircut.
"You can walk." Logan observed, still laying on the table.
Charles nodded. "Very perceptive you are." He answered in sarcasm, not even taking note that his wife was still standing with bags of groceries in her arms.
"I thought you wer-" Logan started, still laying down.
"I find it rather perplexing that you missed our sign on your way in; this is private property my friend. I'm going to have to ask... Him, to ask you to leave." Charles retorted as Logan slowly stood.
"Well, I'm afraid I can't do that," Logan started, "because uh, because I was sent here for you."
"Well tell whoever it was that sent you, that I'm busy." Charles told him, shaking his head.
Logan half smiled, and Symphony frowned, knowing what was coming next. "That's going to be a little tricky, because the person who sent me, was you." Logan explained promptly.
Symphony bit her lip, trying not to smirk at Charles' reaction.
"What?" He questioned a little daftly.
"About 50 years from now." Came the quick response.
Charles grinned. "Fifty years from now? Like, fifty years in the future from now?"
"Yeah."
"I sent you from the future?"
"Yeah."
Hank sighed and looked over at the very tired fox tailed woman, still standing with groceries.
It's true... Symphony chuckled in Hank's disbelieving mind. You can thank another mutant for this encounter.
"Go away." Charles told Logan unkindly.
Logan sighed. "If you still had your powers, you would know that I'm telling the truth."
Charles looked shell shocked for a moment. "How did you know I don't have my-?" He wondered before pausing. "Who are you?" He finally asked.
"I told you." Logan reminded him.
"Are you CIA?" Charles pried suspiciously.
"Nope." Logan answered patiently.
Charles kept his eyes on Logan. "Have you been watching me?" He tried.
Logan shook his head and started to move closer. "I know you Charles." He began. "We've been friends for years. I know your powers came when you were nine, I know you thought you were crazy when it started, all the voices in your head, and it wasn't until you were twelve that you realized the voices were in everyone else's heads. Do you want me to go on?" Logan revealed, making Symphony smile.
Charles shook his head. "I never told anyone but Symphony that." He marveled.
"Not yet I know, but you will." Logan assured him.
Charles thought for a moment. "Alright, you've piqued my interest, now what do you want?" He finally caved.
"We have to stop Raven." Logan told him.
Hank looked between the two in surprise, knowing the subject of Raven was a touchy one with Charles.
"I need your help." Logan admitted as Charles gazed at him.
Symphony sighed and started to head for the kitchen, already knowing how this was going to play out, and she didn't want to be around for the coming argument that she knew would upset their whole life from that day forward, until this ordeal was over and done with.
It was as she reached the entrance to the hall that Symphony heard that final phrase that she knew would catch Charles, no matter what he was about to say in the argument about to ensue in the study.
"I think I'd like to wake up now." She heard Charles mutter.
"What does she have to do with this?" Hank asked, shifting back to his human form.
Symphony shook her head and set about putting the groceries away in the kitchen.
*****
Once she was finished, Symphony headed upstairs to the bedroom, not daring to look at Charles as he stared at the picture of him and Raven together.
"You think he's right?" Charles asked, coming out of whatever memories he was in.
Symphony nodded. "I do." She answered softly, smiling as she heard Charles leave the room a moment later.
"I'll help you get her." She heard from below. "Not for any of your future shots, but for her."
"Fair enough." Came Logan's gruff reply.
Symphony walked down the stairs as Charles continued.
"I'll tell you this; you don't know Erik." He warned. "That man is a monster. A murderer. You think you can convince Raven to change, to come home? That's splendid, but what makes you think you can change him?"
Logan frowned as he readied a response. "Because you and Erik sent me back here together." He revealed confidently, causing a moment of intrigue between Hank and Charles, as Symphony merely leaned on the banister, listening in.
"The cell they're holding him in," Hank started to explain as they recovered from the moment. "Was built during the second world war, while there was a shortage of steel, so the foundation is made of pure concrete and sand. No metal."
"He's being held a hundred floors beneath the most heavily guarded building on the planet." Charles informed them as they looked at schematics of the Pentagon, planning on their jail break.
"Why's he in there?" Logan asked innocently.
Symphony lifted a curled hand to her mouth in an effort to hide her smirk at Logan's lack of information.
Erik really should have told him before he left. But then, this wouldn't be so entertaining, now would it? Symphony thought to herself, as Charles looked up at Logan in laughing surprise.
"What, he forgot to mention?" He asked, before breaking into mild laughter.
Symphony had almost forgotten that laugh.
"J.F.K." Hank told Logan, earning a shocked expression from the man.
"He killed-" Logan started to catch on.
Charles nodded with a laugh. "How else do you explain a bullet miraculously curving through the air? Erik's always had a way with guns." He explained.
Symphony sighed, knowing she was the only one besides Erik that knew the actual truth behind that event.
"You're sure you want to carry on with this?" Charles tried to ensure.
Logan nodded. "This is your plan, not mine." He answered plainly.
Charles nodded as Hank piped up again
"We don't have any resources to get us in." He said pointedly.
"Or out." Charles added.
Symphony rolled her eyes, knowing that Logan had someone in mind for the job.
She'd even already started keeping an eye on Quicksilver, and had bailed him out of trouble a few times.
"It's just me and Hank." Charles stated, not wanting to mention Symphony as a possibility, noticing that she was coming down the stairs to sit with them in the study.
"I know a guy." Logan responded smoothly, as planned. "Yeah he'd be a young man now. Grew up outside of DC." He explained as he thought the plan out, laughing as he remembered the guy. "He could get into anywhere."
Charles straightened as Logan spoke. "Just dunno how we're going to find him."
"Is Cerebro out of the question?" Hank asked, looking over at Charles.
Charles glanced at Symphony, and then at Hank before looking down in what appeared to be shame.
Logan looked between the three in question as Hank turned back to him. "We have a phone book." He told Logan.
Symphony half smiled, laughing at the fact that they always forgot that she too was a telepath, not just Charles.
Logan nodded, and waited while Hank and Charles went to find the phone book, leaving Symphony behind with Logan.
"So you're a telepath?" Logan asked, sitting beside Symphony.
Symphony nodded. "Psychokinetic as well." She answered.
Logan grinned and shook his head. "You know, I never met you in the future." He explained, looking at Symphony's ears. "It's really too bad that your first child was your last." He sighed.
Symphony frowned, cocking her head. "Mind explaining?" She asked.
"Early 1974... Charles lost you and your kid, because your powers fell out of control, killing the both of you." Logan answered, knowing that he could very well be changing the future.
Symphony thought for a moment. "The serum might stop that." She decided. "I'm not aborting that's for sure." She sighed.
Logan nodded, and then looked at her quizzically. "You mean now?" He asked, looking Symphony over with an unsure eye.
Symphony half smiled. "Don't tell Charles. I already know the results of the future if we tell him now. I need to be present for this in order for our future to survive. And yes Logan, I'm alive and well in the future, now that you've given me this information." She nodded with a grin.
Logan raised his eyebrows. "Charles never mentioned you could see the future." He prodded.
Symphony shrugged. "Only a few people know. Charles, Erik, Hank, and Alex Summers." She named. "And now you."
Logan smiled. "I won't tell anyone." He promised.
Symphony nodded gratefully, falling silent as Hank and Charles returned, falling back into planning with Logan.