Marvel and Fox owns, I'm just borrowing their toys. Spoilers for First Class.

If there is anything- anything at all- that you, as the reader, find wrong with this fic, historically or character-wise, please let me know! We're all aspiring writers here, and can take a little constructive criticism.

"You're not... scared of me?"

"I always knew I couldn't be the only one who was... different."

From the moment Raven entered the lives of the Xaviers, she was made well-aware that Charles' mother despised her. When the young boy had introduced his new friend to his parents, asking if she could live with them, Raven had disguised herself as an rosy-cheeked, blonde, normal ten-year-old, the perfect picture of innocence. Brian Xavier, a kind-hearted man who, despite being rather distant, was sympathetic to her, and didn't need much persuading before allowing her to stay. His wife Sharon, on the other hand, was suspicious by nature, even of a little girl, and only accepted her into her home at her son's request.

She put up with their family's newest addition for all of a week.

It wasn't a pretty story, but it was Raven's strongest memory of the women who would have been her mother; and it happened like this.

Late at night, Raven had been curled up under her bedsheets, when she was awoken by Charles climbing out of his bed and carefully exiting the room they shared. Despite all his caution, Raven had always been a light sleeper, and Charles was a rather clumsy child, his limbs too long for him to really know what to do with them.

Under normal circumstances, she might have accepted the idea that her new brother was leaving for the restroom, or to get a glass of water; but she'd felt how Sharon's eyes glared at her every time she saw her, judging her, declaring her unworthy of her love. Raven had tried to ignore it, tried to prove her worth, but deep down she knew she couldn't be accepted by this women; after all, she'd been trying for acceptance all her life. Charles knew, of course, and now she feared he would try to change his mother's mind, try and make her see reason. Which was precisely what he was planning to do now.

Feigning sleep, Raven waited until Charles left and she could distantly hear his footsteps at the end of the hall, then tip-toed out of their room after him. The much nimbler of the two, she followed him all the way downstairs to Brian's study, the only illuminated room in the mansion. Charles entered, while Raven crouched in the shadows behind the mahogany doors. Inside, Sharon sat at the desk, nursing a glass of bourbon, and clearly deep in thought. She started at the sight of her son and stood up, setting the glass down.

"Charles, what are you doing up so late?" Sharon asked, not even attempting gentleness.

"I couldn't sleep, Mother," he answered.

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" she slurred. "I'm not the bloody sand-man." Despite his mother's rudeness, Charles didn't back down.

"I couldn't sleep, because I need to talk to you about Raven," the boy continued hesitantly. From her hiding spot, Raven could almost feel Sharon stiffen.

"What's there to talk about?" she said brusquely, the tell-tale clink of a glass on the table indicating she had just taken another swig.

"You don't like her," Charles answered simply. "Why? She's really nice-"

"Nice? Charles, you caught her invading our house! Nice girls don't break into houses!" snapped Sharon.

"She was hungry, that's all! Wouldn't you break in if you were her?" he argued.

"I'm not her, and that's besides the point," Sharon sniffed. "How do we know she won't sneak off and take whatever she damn well pleases with her? She's just some charity case your father has become temporarily fascinated with, nothing more."

"No she's not, she's my sister now, and she's your daughter, too!" Charles shouted back.

"Young man, you will not raise your voice to me," she said, her voice icy.

"It's not as if you'd listen otherwise!"

"I'm warning you, Charles, do not speak to me in such a way!"

"You're just angry that you can't have a daughter of your own anymore; that Dad would rather have a daughter who isn't really his, than one with someone as cold and mean as you-!" The audible smack of Sharon striking her son across the face echoed throughout the rest of the house, sending Raven reeling back in shock. Quiet filled the air for several moments, before someone finally filled it.

"Go back to bed, now, Charles. We'll discuss your behavior in the morning." There were no more words said between the two of them, and Charles exited the room. He stopped for a moment just outside the doors and extended a hand towards Raven. Her heart sank even as she took it, realizing he'd known she was there all along. Stupid telepathy...

Once they were back in the safety of their room, Raven ran a hand gently over the angry red mark across his cheek.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed, wiping her nose on her pajama sleeve. "It's my fault she-"

"No, it isn't," Charles interrupted, pulling her into a tight hug, which she eagerly returned, burying her head in his shoulder. "It's not your fault at all." It took him repeating those words all night before she almost believe them true. Almost.

Sharon left the next morning, and the divorce papers were finalized within a month. As it turned out, the Xaviers' marriage had been failing for quite some time; Raven and the fight with Charles had just been the final straw.

They never saw her again after that; correction, Raven never saw her again, though Charles still saw her occasionally. He tried not to make a big deal out of those meetings, and she tried not to make a big deal out of how much Sharon's rejections had hurt. Still, though, they hadn't hurt her as much as that slap Sharon gave Charles, which stung Raven as if she had taken the hit herself. Even after the red had faded, she felt a horrible guilt over the whole affair, and swore to be the best sister and daughter she could be.

And even as she made that promise, Raven knew this wouldn't be the last time Charles took a hit for her.

Basically, I've fallen completely in-love with the new movie and its talented cast! Aside the relationship between Charles and Erik, I loved Raven and Charles, and felt these two deserved more fics.

Reviews are lovely, darlings, and with updates on Mondays, what more could you ask for?