Guess who's up for round three?! Yep, this chick! Enjoy my little finale folks!

Thanks to the oh so fabulous charlie7694 for their review, and a thanks and shout out to the awesometastical guest Mary Read who pointed out my time anachronism in the previous chapter! Thanks so much for catching that, I've gone back and fixed it now! :) Chocolate chip cyber cookies for the two of you awesome people! (::)

ENJOY!

"Welcome home Charles."

Crystal blue eyes shown as they gazed at the mansion and, more importantly, the people who waited on the front steps for him. It still saddened him that Angel had chosen to go with Azazel and Riptide, disappearing with them without a word shortly after Charles awoke. But the mansion was now home to a new mutant as well. Emma Frost had decided to stay for the time being, and Charles understood that she got along quite well with his students.

Charles had missed them.

It had seemed forever that he'd had to remain under observation in the hospital, to the point where he was tempted to mentally ask the doctor to release him. And after that he'd spent forever and a day in a rehabilitation center, taking physical therapy and learning to cope with his new wheelchair. But it was over now.

At last he was home!

And it seemed that his students had missed him just as much as he had missed them! The welcome home party they'd planned for him was simple but exceptional. It was late before they would even consider winding the party down.

It wasn't until Charles tried to retire to his room that he realized a problem.

Though he had been at the rehab center for time out of mind, it had never occurred to him that some changes would need to be made to his own home in order to accommodate his new limitations. One of those changes being an elevator, if he wanted to keep using his own bedroom.

"Need a hand?"

Charles gave Erik a sheepish look. "I didn't even think about the fact that my bedroom is upstairs." He admitted

Erik pushed off of where he'd been leaning on the door frame and came to him. "You've also had a good deal else on your mind. I think you can be forgiven if a few things slip." He assured. "Come on, up you get."

Charles gave a startled yelp as Erik scooped him out of his chair in a bridle carry and started to carry him upstairs, but he quickly settled. "This isn't exactly what I meant." He chuckled, watching his chair float up the stairs behind them.

"I wasn't sure." Erik answered amiably. "But I thought it would be more unsettling if I just picked you up chair and all."

The two fell into companionable silence, Charles tiredly resting his head on Erik's shoulder. It had been a long day, capped off by a late night. He was beat. He expected Erik to put him back in his chair at the top of the stairs, but the metal manipulator calmly carried him all the way to his room, the door opening and closing of its own accord.

"Thank you Erik."

"You're welcome."

Charles frowned, looking up at his friend. Something was off, had been ever since Charles had woken up from his coma. But tonight it seemed worse than usual. Charles would've addressed it sooner, but whenever he got ready to broach the subject someone would walk in. "Something is preying on your mind my friend." He stated. It wasn't a question.

Erik sighed. "We need to talk Charles."

The telepath nodded. His eye lit on the fireplace, thoughtfully set ablaze earlier in the evening by one of his students. "Very well. If you would set me down on the couch?" He waited until Erik had set him down and settled himself on the other end of the couch before proceeding. "Now, what is troubling you?"

Dark eyes met clear blue. "I need to know what happened when I killed Shaw."

Charles froze. That was the last thing he would've expected. "What?!"

"I need to know Charles." Erik growled. "I need to know whether Shaw did this to you… or whether I did…" Charles could see him swallow, could feel the fear rolling off him in waves. "I need to know." Erik repeated softly. "I need to know the truth."

"I will not lie to you." Charles hesitated. "Do you mind?"

The question and the little hand gesture that accompanied it was so familiar it actually startled a laugh out of Erik. He nodded, moving closer to Charles. It was silly really, as powerful as Charles was a couple of feet certainly wouldn't make all that much difference to him.

Charles touched two fingers to his temple, just like he always did, and Erik felt that familiar presence in his mind. Then came the memory.

He could see it all clearly.

The room, the girders, the shattered mirrors. He could see himself standing across the room from Charles' vantage point, wearing the helmet.

Erik, please don't do this.

Erik watched as his past self held up a silver coin, and he felt Charles catch his breath. He felt the fear Charles felt as the telepath recognized the coin. Through Charles, he heard Shaw's reactions to the coin.

"Here's what we're going to do." Erik's past self stated, his eyes cold. "I'm going to count to three. And then I'm going to move the coin."

Erik! Don't do this! This won't bring you peace! Erik heard Charles cry, even though the only one who would hear him was Shaw.

"One." The past Erik counted.

The coin left his fingers, floating slowly across the space towards them. Light from the holes in the sub's hull glinted off the sliver disc. Erik could hear when Shaw's thoughts morphed from angry threats to out and out panic. He felt when Shaw redoubled his efforts to shake Charles grip.

And he felt when Charles fought back.

Release me! Shaw screamed silently at Charles. Erik has lost his mind! Release me and I will stop him, before he kills us both! And if you think that you'll survive this, let me assure you, the psychic backlash of my death will kill you too. Believe me, I know!

To Erik's astonishment, Charles' only reply was to tighten his grip, his chain of reasoning as clear as day. If he released Shaw, the mutant would kill Erik, reclaim his helmet, and then use his newly acquired energy to kill Charles' students and sink the ships waiting offshore. Shaw would start world war three.

Charles would not let that happen.

He had lived through world war two, both as himself and through Erik's memories. If it was within his considerable power, he was going to prevent the start of another. He was going to stop this war before it started. He was going to protect Moira and his students, who had placed so much trust in him. He was going to keep Shaw from killing Erik. Even if that meant letting Erik kill him along with Shaw.

All the while that silver coin floated ever closer.

Erik felt it when the coin touched Shaw's forehead, felt it as surely as Charles had felt it, as if the flesh was his own. He felt the steady press of the coin, felt when the edge broke the skin…

Erik blinked, disoriented by Charles sudden departure from his mind.

"I won't show you the rest." Charles stated, quietly but firmly.

Without even thinking about it, Erik reached up and gently brushed his thumb across Charles' forehead. Charles flinched away from the touch, wincing with remembered pain. And that hurt more than Erik ever could've imagined it would. The man he felt to be his first friend. Sometimes he still felt that Charles was his only friend. To have him flinch away as if Erik would hurt him… But he had hurt him, and Charles had every right to flinch away.

Erik stood and strode several steps away, leaning against the mantelpiece. He had done this!

He had crippled Charles.

"You were right my friend… killing Shaw has not brought me piece. It has brought me a new form of torment. Trapped me in a new level of hell." He turned, not knowing where he would go but knowing he couldn't stay here. Not now.

"Erik."

He ignored Charles' call.

Erik.

Erik stopped, frozen by that mental call but still completely aware. He'd known Charles could freeze people temporarily, but he hadn't known that the telepath could freeze motor control and leave the mind active.

I'd come after you in the wheel chair, but seeing as you left it by the door I don't have much choice. Charles thought at him. I am going to release you now, and if you still want to walk away I will not stop you. But I will follow you as best I can.

Erik felt his muscles unfreeze, but he didn't try for the door again. What was the point, when Charles could follow him without ever leaving the couch?

Erik. Charles' thoughts were gentle. Soothing. I would prefer to talk to you face to face if I may. Please come back to the couch.

"I did this to you Charles." Erik answered aloud.

"Yes. You did." Charles agreed. "But that is not what matters right now."

That did it. Erik whipped around to stare at Charles in shock. "Not what matters…?" He strode back across the room, stopping almost right in front of the crippled telepath. "You trusted me Charles! What matters more than that? You trusted me and I almost killed you! And now you're…you're…" His shoulders slumped and he bowed his head. "…this is all my fault…"

Charles leaned forward, reaching for Erik's hand. He made a face when he realized that it was just beyond his reach. "Damn it Erik, will you please come here?!" He tugged Erik to sit down next to him as soon as the older man complied.

Erik obeyed, and was surprised to see nothing but concern in his friend's eyes. He bowed his head. "I was determined to beat Shaw. But it seems he was the victor in the end."

"What logic lead you to that conclusion?"

"He has the last laugh. I didn't care if I died, so long as I took him with me. So he died and took my only friend from me instead."

Charles jerked, startled. "What?" Erik didn't answer. "Erik, look at me please." He waited until Erik did, then continued. "You made a mistake." Charles said softly. "One that we both will have to live with. There is nothing we can do about that. So let it alone. You weren't the only one making choices that day Erik, and given the same set of choices I would make the same decision again." He smiled. "Yes, I trusted you. And I still do."

"How can you say that? How can you say that when it's my fault you're crippled?"

At last Charles' patience slipped. "Because the minute I give up is the moment Shaw actually does win!" He took a deep breath, regaining his calm with impressive speed. "I lived through your memories of the camps Erik. And in his last moments I lived through every single moment of that horrendous man's unnaturally long life. You made a mistake. But don't you ever make the assumption that the blame for what happened to me rests solely on your shoulders. Shaw had more to answer for than you could ever imagine. You weren't the only mutant he found. You were simply the last. The war ended before he could kill you… if I never have to hear someone scream as long and as painfully as the girl with the emerald eyes…" Charles' crystal blue eyes hardened. "I don't know about you, but I refuse to let him win. My disability will not stop me, nor will I give up a friend who needs me without as much of a struggle as I can muster."

Erik stared at him. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"Ha!" Charles laughed and patted Erik's shoulder. "Erik, it isn't about who deserves a friend. You're an acquaintance because. You're a friend despite. And that night I met you, you definitely needed a friend!"

Erik chuckled. "I won't deny that!"

The two settled back against the couch, laughing as they remembered how they had first met, reminding each other of amusing things the other had said or done. Eventually they drifted into silence, quietly watching the fire.

Charles sighed. "I know we differ in our opinions regarding humans… Do you remember, you once accused me of thinking that all humans were like Moira?"

Erik chuckled. "I remember. And you accused me of believing that all humans are like Shaw."

Charles nodded. "I did. And I have come to realize a fallacy in my assessment. I accused you of believing all humans were like Shaw, but Shaw wasn't human. He was a mutant." Erik arched an eyebrow, a silent request for Charles to elaborate. "Just as Moira is proof that there are good humans, Shaw was living proof that there are evil mutants. Perhaps humans and mutants are not so different as some would have the general populous suppose."

"Your point?"

"My point is that it is the nature of the beast to be frightened of that which it does not understand. There will always be those too fearful to understand those who are different. There will always be individuals in the extreme. But, there are good people on both sides. Is it so farfetched that humans and mutants couldn't learn to coexist, given time?"

"Charles…" Erik sighed. "I lost my faith in humanity a long time ago Charles. You know that… It is a long and difficult road you're proposing to walk my friend."

"But not impossible." Charles countered. "We've had our differences in the past, and I'm certain we'll disagree again in the future. But together we are a force to be reckoned with. And it's up to us to be the better men." He fell silent, giving Erik time to think, then at last offered his hand. "Together?"

"You're mad, you know that?" Erik hesitated, then smiled and shook his hand. "Together it is then."

Fine'

Yeah, the Marvel universe would've been a hell of a lot different if I'd been part of the creative writing process, that's for sure. If these two had never become the frenemies their lives would've been so very different!

Review please! They are the spice of life and love and friendship! Oh! And kudos to whoever gets the music reference in the chapter titles!

Until next time!