Author's Note:

There's going to be more romance between Charles and Raven going on, making things easy but difficult between the two. Of course things will be taking a turn, for better and for worse as well. Thank you to those who followed and commented! I love you all and I hope you will enjoy what I've posted. I'm sorry for the long wait between postings! I couldn't decide how to make this turn work for Charles.

Days passed since I had sent in my application and while things were peaceful around the house, my mind was going absolutely out of the ordinary. Whether it was the serum, which Raven protested, or the voices that I barely managed to keep at bay, I didn't know. I hated it, which ever it was. It sent waves of dizziness through me, ones that I seemed to overcome without much trouble but it would get worse when I needed the drug again.

But in these days, I noticed that my old companion began to close the space between us. I wouldn't argue with her, however; I didn't want her to shy away again. We exited onto the small balcony at the east far corner, taking time to gaze upon the stars. We stood in silence for a few moments until she turned her gaze to me.

"Charles, do you remember when we were in ninth grade? They had a dance and I felt like I'd be the only one who didn't know how?" Her voice was as soft as the breeze that brushed against my cheeks.

"Oh please, you know you weren't," I insisted quietly, raising a slight eyebrow at her, slightly intrigued by her question.

She rolled her eyes before beginning to speak again. "Yes, but you stayed up all night to teach me how to do almost any dance any boy might think to ask me?"

"Well, yes, I remember staying up all night with you stepping on my toes," I teased, bumping her arm gently.

Raven teasingly glared at me, laughing softly. "I seem to have forgotten how to dance." Her brilliant sapphires never left me and at some point, I almost wish they had. I could feel the change in my expression, whether it looked as though I was happy or not.

I looked up into the stars for a moment, mumbling a soft thanks to whoever let her have the idea. "I'll show you how again." I pulled away from the railing, holding my hand out for her to take. I knew that this moment would most likely be one that would repay in my mind for ages.

She took it, moving closer to me. The hand that she had taken moved to her waist, my other hand moving one hers to my chest. I curled my fingers over hers, holding it gently to me. Our feet began to move, our eyes finding one another.

Silence fell upon us but it seemed like it was enough. As time passed, her forehead eventually rested against my right brow, my nose pressed against her cheekbone ever so gently. I was tempted once again, as I smelled the lilies in hair, to peer into the thoughts she was having at the moment. Were they as chaotic as the ones that I was currently thinking?

My mouth opened to speak before metallic shrills cut off my words. I stayed silent, willing the caller to just delay their call for a few minutes, to let me slip further into this moment with the person whose breath brushed on my cheek bone. But none of us in the house, especially Hank, could ignore the third toll. "I should go get that," I whispered, pulling away.

She nodded, letting my arm go from her hold. I walked from the balcony and to my study; the phone was in my hand by the beginning of the four ring. "Hello, Xavier residence," I greeted to the one calling.

"Ah, Charles!" a voice greeted, undoubtedly my former headmaster, Elliott Sir Claude Aurelius. "I must say, when I received this, I was pleasantly surprised but thrilled. I have reviewed your grades while you were here and asked all your former teachers. Most of them have said they would love if you were a professor here. How would you feel about a meeting at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning? I know it's early but I hope that we could reschedule if you can't make it."

I could hardly contain the smile that graced my lips but it was cut short as the weakness in my knees started. "Of course, professor," I began, falling to my knees, grabbing the side of the desk. "I will be there at 10 and not a moment later. I hope you can be convinced that I am the man of the job."

Even with as much as I tried to hide it, a grunt escaped me as I attempted to keep myself up. "Are you alright, Charles? You sound slightly troubled, if I m-"

"No, I'm alright. I promise that I will be there. If you may excuse me, Hank is in need of my assistance.." I hung up, attempting to move closer to my desk chair.

"Charles, what happened?" Raven's voice asked softly, crossing the room quickly. Her hands found my elbows, helping me stand. "I heard the thud but I thought it was Hank.." As she helped me into my chair, I caught sight of her saddened eyes, causing a shame to resonate within me.

Sighing, I unbuttoned my cuff's button, rolling the sleeve up. "My serum as worn off, I suppose. But in better news, I have an interview tomorrow." I lifted my gaze to hers for a moment before it fell back to my arm. I gave a weary smile, opening up my desk to rummage through its contents; eventually, I found the needle and liquid addiction.

Before I could give much thought to it, her hand was on my arm, finding my vein. "I'll do it," she whispered, taking my syringe and serum. "Does it need to be in the crook of your arm or somewhere else?"

I simply motioned to the vein, my eyes never leaving hers. What had caused the change of her mind? Was it that she finally understood how important it was for me to walk again? I had little time to question it as the needle dug into my vein, filling me with the drug that kept me going these days.

Sighing, I let my head fall back onto my chair, allowing the "counterpoison" flow through my arteries before bringing my head from its rest. Taking a deep breath, the flow in my veins almost thickened, as if the medicine wanted me to collapse. "Thank you, Raven."

My eyes found her, finding the disappointment that was just under the surface but I let it slide. "You're welcome. What were you on the phone for?"

"My old Headmaster called and told me that he would interview me at ten tomorrow. I suppose he enjoyed the added touch of my four-point-five GPA." I chuckled, taking a deep breath, as I lifted my head back so that it was level with the rest of my body.

She shared my smile, her hand moving down to grasp mine. "I'm happy for you, Charles."

The evening following my news, Hank seemed impressed that I even wanted to leave the house. He knew that it had taken ages for me to even get up from the couch. "How do you think it'll go? Do I need to make a form-"

"Hank, I'm going to be fine, I promise," I assured him, looking at him above my tea cup. His mind was everywhere, already stimulating equations all over the place. "I don't need to read the Headmaster's mind to know what he wants to hear."

It was true; I'd always been one of the more favored students, making my carousing acceptable in his eyes. Even in the hang-over stages, I was excused of almost everything. "Well, what if he asks all the things that you aren't prepared for?"

Sapphire pools met mine, giving me hope that she would ask me almost anything. Electricity seemed to flow from her fingertips as her hand met mine over the table. I could feel the heartbeat that thundered in her palm, almost like a steady river.

How had I gone so long without this, without her? Words weren't shared between us in any sense but they didn't have to be. She read my eyes like she always had. Our eye contact was only broken by the scooting of a chair, Hank being the source of the commotion. "She was always yours, Charles."

"Hank, you know I didn't want her to-"

A block seemed to come between us and succeeded, not only because I wasn't as strong with my powers as I once had been but I was too distracted with Raven. I winced slightly at the disconnection, feeling like there was a burning sensation at both of my temples. I didn't move, however, from where I sat.

"Charles, what's wrong?" a gentle but familiar voice asked softly. "Are you hurt?"

Even in our youth, Raven had been able to tell physically and emotionally if something pained me. "Nothing. Just a little shut down of the brain is all." Our eyes met again, her hand tightening around mine. I didn't have to pry into her thoughts to know that she could see through my pathetic excuses.

The phrase kept repeating in my mind. "She's always been yours. She's always been yours. She's always been yours." How had he known? How had I missed it? Then again, how had I missed that I was in love with her for almost an entire lifetime and that she had loved me?

She's always been yours, Charles.