Part 36

"She must be bluffing. Taking the twins away will break Madga's heart, Shaw can't allow it right?"

"Not if Frost did her mind whammy."

"We can use it though, turn Shaw against her."

"We can't risk the lives of the twins."

"So we risk Charles'! No! Not happening!"

"There must be a way!"

Erik's mind was numb, he didn't know who was saying what.

He was so tired.

Charles places his fingers on Erik's temple.

{"Sleep my lov-"}

Erik grabs his arm, "No! We figure this out, together."

~x~

"Charles, how long is the Genoshan gestation period?"

{"It is approximately the same as humans, on average a little less."}

McCoy makes a face. Charles looked despondent.

"What?"

"If my calculations are correct, the timing of her reappearance would indicate that Frost has likely given birth already."

Well shit.

Part 37

Charles tries locating the twins through Cerebro, but Frost has hidden them well.

~x~

For hours they throw ideas out into the air.

Nothing solid.

~x~

{"I will contact Genosha."}

Raven brows scrunched together in question.

"Can they help? Send some type of police? Army?"

Charles gives Cassidy a small smile.

{"Not exactly. They will send an envoy."}

{"Frost will have no chance against two or more Genoshans."}

Charles keeps his gazed level with Raven's. They both go silent.

~x~

"Is there something you're not telling me, Charles?"

He doesn't quite look Erik in the eyes.

{"I promise you, you will get the twins back."}

Charles traces his fingers up Erik's cheeks...

{"Its been a long day, my love. Get some sleep."}

Well sh-

{"...I love you."}

Part 38a

The meeting point was at the now desolate building of Shaw Industries. The same roof top where they first boarded the Blackbird.

["You look well, Xavier. Say hello to our son, David."]

Frost cradled the sleeping baby in her arms.

{"Where are the twins?"}

["No love for your own blood? Just like your mother."]

Charles flinched ever so slightly at that.

~x~

"Did you really think I'd just hand them over to you?"

Shaw casually studied the gun in his hands.

He wore a helmet that looked to be made of that damned alloy.

He looked ridiculous.

"Little Lehnsherr, such a fighter. So unlike your parents."

"What the fuck do you know of my parents?"

"Have you really forgotten me, boy?"

Shaw took out a pair of old black framed glasses.

Erik knows. But he can't say it.

Charles says it for him, {"Schmidt."}

~x~

Deeply buried memories flooded into the forefront of Erik's conscience.

Horrific images of his father's false imprisonment and murder.

His mother's rape and suicide.

Schmidt and his family was behind it all.

~x~

"You..you're supposed to be dead."

"You supposed wrong."

Shaw aims and empties his gun.

"Erik!"

He falls to the ground.

Part 38b

Erik breaks into a cough and inhales deeply.

"Shi-t M-Coy! They shou-ld name pla-nets af-ter you."

They were all wearing McCoy's newly designed ultra thin stealth suits, courtesy of Tony He-is-a-total-bamf Stark.

"Bravo! You really do exceed all expectations."

Shaw throws the gun away, and sneers.

Now it's Erik with a gun. He didn't ever think he would be capable of murder. Until now.

Shaw is Schmidt. He's been taking everything from Erik ever since before he was a teen.

~x~

Erik thought his hands would tremble in a mix of rage, disgust and fear.

But he finds himself feeling oddly serene. He mind is clear and focused.

"I'd be careful where I point that thing, boy."

"If I die, I'm taking this whole building down with me."

Shaw opens his jacket to reveal more than a dozen detonators connected to one another.

"Your precious children are somewhere below us inside."

"An-d Mad-ga?"

"She stays with me."

Shaw steps back towards the stairs down.

"Sorry Frost, you're on your own."

~x~

"Fuck! We need to f-ind them now!"

Logan places a stern hand on Erik's shoulder.

"You stay here with Chuck, and deal with Frost. We'll go find them."

"Let's go!"

Part 38c

["I really didn't want to sink to this level..."]

Frost draws a sleek pistol-like weapon and takes aim at Charles' head.

["...but you leave me no other option."]

She pulls the trigger.

~x~

Frost stood frozen. Her eyes filled with confusion and horror.

["What is this! How are you doing this!"]

Charles steps forward and takes David out of her stiff hold.

{"You forget Frost, I have a whole planet of loyal subjects at my beckoning."}

A beautiful woman with flowing red hair appeared at Charles' other side.

She says something in Genoshan.

["...Grey?"]

["H-ow is a mu-tt from a thir-d class fa-mily able to..."]

{"It seems I'm not the only one guilty of being condescending."}

The woman lifts her hand towards Frost, as if holding her in place. She turns to Charles and nods.

Charles looks at his son, perhaps soothing him mentally.

{"Erik, may you please hold him."} The boy was tiny, he has father's mouth.

He steps up to Frost and wraps both his hand around her head.

["No! No! Please! Our son! No! Nonononono..."]

His eyes turn a glowing deep violet, almost black.

Frost goes deathly silent and falls to the ground.

"Is she dead?"

{"Worse."}

Erik doesn't ask further.

Part 38d

Charles has Grey take David to the safety of Stark Industries.

He and Erik then join the others in scouring the building for the twins.

They find a number of the explosives Shaw had hidden.

McCoy offered to try and defuse them, but there was just too many.

~x~

Shaw sat calmly in the mirrored cell. Charles' former prison.

Madga is unconscious in his arms.

{"She is alive...but mentally altered."}

"You can't imagine what I went through when I found out the woman I loved turned me down for someone so pitiful as you."

"But I must admit, taking back what is mine, and watching an insect drown really was wonderful entertainment."

Shaw has an determinately dead look in his eyes.

He lifts his right hand. The main detonator.

{"EVERYONE GET OUT! NOW!"}

-Click-

"I win."

Part 38e

Things were blowing apart left, right and center.

And fire ran through the building at alarming speed.

{"Erik! Please, we must get out!"}

Charles uses all his strength to drag Erik towards the stairs and up two floors.

Madga...

Wanda and Pietro! No! We can't-

Erik doesn't feel the fingers at his temple.

{"We must leave."}

~x~

"Let me go! They're still in there! I have to get them out!"

It took Logan, Cassidy and Summers to Erik him down.

"Lehnsherr! There's no way you can get back in there!"

Erik slumps to his knees

Wanda...Pietro...

He's failed them again.

He can't stop punching the ground. His knuckles are bloody and raw. Erik doesn't notice.

~x~

A van pulls up towards them.

The door slides open, revealing the insides covered in the anti-telepathy alloy.

"You owe me, brother."

Azazel.

With the twins. Alive.

Well shit.

Part 39

The next few days passed in a flurry, with everyone ogling and becoming mush over Wanda, Pietro and David.

Logan had it the worst, just don't tell him that.

Erik was nervous that Charles would be cold and distant to the children. But it seemed his anxiety was for naught.

His mate beamed with pride and love for them.

Nonetheless, Erik can't shake the twisted feeling in his gut.

~x~

Charles was speaking, physically so, with Grey. He looked defeated for some reason.

"Can you understand them?"

Raven bit her lip, "...Charles made me promise not to tell you."

"Tell me what? What's going on?"

Raven looks away.

"Go to him, and tell him how much he means to you...it maybe your last chance..."

~x~

"Charles! What the hell is going on?"

Grey stops Erik.

::"My liege and his heir will be returning to Genosha with me."::

"What? Charles is this true? Talk to me. Please."

Charles turns away, {"Please Erik. Please don't make this harder than it already is."}

"I'm your mate, aren't I? Mate for life, right? Was that a lie?"

{"Genosha now knows where I am. For the safety of David, I must return with Jean."}

"Let me go with you."

{"You don't know what you'll be giving up."}

"I only have the twins left in the world, but we have nothing without you."

Tears falls down Charles' cheeks and drops to his knees.

{"I'm sorry Erik, I'm so sorry..."}

Well shit.

Part 40

{"Are you ready, my love?"}

"I don't think I'll ever be ready for this."

Charles straightens Erik's tie and gives him a gentle kiss on the lips.

Beside them, three equally well dressed children slept together in a large simple crib. Hand built by Erik.

~x~

Thousands of Genoshans turned out to celebrate the return of their King.

And the hero who bought him home.

They're even talking about building a statue of him.

Well shit. This aint half bad.

Epilogue

(Spelling errors are deliberate, cause its 'spoken' Genoshan...just run with it~ orz)

"Knig Xivaer, plsaee sit dwon".

"Truns out you are not scik"

"Ralely? Tehn wahts worng wtih me?"

"Yuo'er prgnaet"

Wlel Siht.