diecastking | XMFC/Adapt to survive

Charles had been trying to work in his study, though concentration never comes easy when he knows Erik is away on recruitment. Especially not when he's away tracking down Shaw's old associates. He doesn't try and hide the relief he feels as he opens his mind to his lover once more.

//Sean. Alex. Hank. Drawing room, immediately, please// He sends out to the rest of their little family, before making his own way to his lover's side.

The room is sharply divided, Shaw's associates and Charles' X-Men, but Erik does not have time for old rivalries.

He nods to Azazel. "Tell them what you told me."

The teleporter nods in understanding. "The mutant who was with you when we attacked. I returned for him before he was dust."

"Darwin," Alex butts in. "His name was Darwin."

"With all due respect," Charles hazards, trying his best to be courteous. He had wanted these mutants to come here, after all, in the hope that they could set their differences aside. "I struggle to see the importance of where Darwin passed away."

Raven cannot contain herself any longer. "He's not dead!" she blurts.

"It is true," Azazel confirms. "Shaw removed the energy he had implanted and concealed the boy in a private bunker."

"...why?" Charles frowns, not able to understand, and therefore believe in what he is being told.

"Who cares why?" Alex's excitement is palpable. "Where is he? We have to go and get him!"

"He wanted to understand him." Azazel shrugs, also not caring much. "I do not know exactly - only where I dropped them. But there were supplies there for many months, Shaw said."

"We will go immediately," Erik says. "He has waited long enough."

"A moment, please..." Charles feels himself rapidly losing control of the situation, and he is meant to be the head of this household, this school.

"You do not know where you're going, nor what you'll find. Who do you want to take with you, Erik?" he forces his partner to at least think his plan through.

Erik is always reluctant to have Charles in the field, but he knows he'll need him somehow.

"I'm going," Alex says immediately. "You're not stopping me."

"Me too!" Sean says.

"And me." Raven folds her arms as if daring him to say no.

"No one is stopping you," Erik says, quelling the protests. "Charles, I will need you with Hank using Cerebro."

"We can go now," Hank offers, reaching for Charles' chair.

"I'll try my best," Charles frowns, "But I have used Cerebro so many times since that day. I would have found Darwin before now, if it were that simple."

Erik considers. "Could you use me to aid you? Concentrate around my location?"

"I'll try," Charles repeats. That is all he feels he can promise.

Erik kisses Charles' cheek, before taking hold of Alex's and Azazel's hands, Sean and Raven joining the end of the chain.

Charles lets Hank push him away, down beneath the school to where Cerebro awaits him.

His connection to Erik is weak, across such a distance, but he can still feel him in the back of his mind. He focusses on that as he puts on Cerebro's helmet, fixed on the location as Hank flicks the switch.

Of course, the mutants he senses at once are Erik and his companions, and he fights to look past them. There's nothing, and he's about to give up, temples pounding, when he sees it. There, beneath the earth, so faint the trace is almost completely hidden. But there it is. Another mutant.

He focuses long enough for Hank to get the coordinates, before pulling the helmet from his head, exhausted.

They trek through the dense woodland to where Hank guides them, Alex marching ahead and the others struggling to keep up. Azazel cannot teleport where he does not know and nothing will stop Alex now he has his friend in sight.

"Havok," Erik begins.

"What? Why can't they keep up?"

"You know that he might not-"

"Charles says he's alive. He's alive, he'll know me."

"He's been...alone. For a long time."

"He'll be fine!" Alex insists and Erik doesn't have the heart to contradict him.

They reach the old bunker just before dusk. Erik holds Alex back and steps forward to break open the metal door, welded shut with Shaw's energy.

It splinters under the force of his power, coming away in parts. Alex is through the doorway before Erik can stop him, calling Darwin's name as loud as he can.

Erik stops Raven and Sean from following, before he takes one or two steps into the doorway. He sees Alex curled around something, lizard-like and dry as bone.

But slowly, slowly, Darwin returns to them, returns to Alex - and he helps him to his feet.

"Let's go home," Alex says, and Erik feels his heart might burst with joy for his son.

Charles and Hank await them in the drawing room, Charles dozing on his sofa. But he is only resting his eyes, and he's awake and alert within seconds when the others return.

"Did you...?" he begins to ask, but his question is answered for him as he sees the young man leant against Alex.

"He's not going to the lab," Alex states, like it's already decided. "He can rest in my room."

"Alex..." Charles frowns. "He may need Hank's attention." Darwin looks to be standing purely thanks to the grip Alex has on him.

"Hank can tend him in Alex's room," Erik says diplomatically. He doesn't think Alex will be letting go of Darwin any time soon.

Charles still doesn't look convinced.

"Alright. But if Darwin wishes to stay with us, once he is recovered, he will of course have his own room here."

"We'll stay in my room," Alex says, already helping Darwin towards the lift.

Erik gets the door. //Leave it for now// he warns his lover.

//He needs Hank's attention// Charles frowns, though he keeps his complaints to himself.

//Look at him.//

Erik nudges Hank's arm, and the scientist follows them, muttering about gathering his equipment.

"We need to find some new rooms," he says, trying to divert attention from Alex and Darwin.

"How... how was he?" Charles asks, once Alex and Darwin are both safely out of earshot.

"Will he be okay, do you think?"

"He was alone a long time," Erik says, shaking his head.

"He...adapted, but his mind..."

Erik shrugs. Only time would tell.

Charles frowns, torn between knowing that Alex is the best person to look after Darwin, remembering how well they had gotten on before, and feeling that Darwin should be given his own rooms, his own space, right away.

"Let us hope," he says quietly.

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