Charles could hardly believe it as the doors to the room containing Cerebro opened and he entered, followed by Hank and Logan on either side. He hadn't been in this room in years. Using Cerebro required a lot of strain on his brain, and he'd only just decided to use his powers again. He doubted he'd be strong enough to control it, even though Iris had seemed to believe that he was strong enough.

Iris... The thought of her was like a stab in the heart. He closed his eyes for a moment as he tried not to think of her. He'd wanted to go after her to see if she was alright, but- surprisingly- Logan had told him that Iris needed time alone. He shook his head now, shaking any thoughts of her away quickly.

"Raven's wounded," Hank murmured, "She won't be moving fast."

Charles picked up the headset of Cerebro and blew the dust away carefully, "These are muscles I haven't stretched in a long time."

He placed the helmet on and closed his eyes, preparing to find Raven's mind somewhere in the world. Around him, the lights of every mind in the world appeared. He smiled hesitantly- a small part of him had missed using Cerebro. He tried to latch onto some of the minds, but a sharp pain shot through his brain. He cried out, and a moment later the lights around them were spinning faster and faster.

"Charles!" Hank was calling, "Charles!"

A second later, the system blew, and all of the lights went out.

"Charles?" Hank bent down and took the helmet off of him, "It's alright. I'll go and check the generator."

He left quickly, and there was a moment of silence. Charles could read Logan's thoughts, but he didn't need to.

"It's not the machinery, is it?" Logan asked as Charles began to turn away from Cerebro.

"I can't do this." Charles shook his head sharply, "My mind..."

"Yes you can." Logan quipped.

"It won't take it." Charles told him weakly.

"You're just a little rusty."

Charles groaned in frustration, "You don't understand. It's not a question of being rusty. I can flip the switches, I can turn the knobs, but my power comes from..." He pointed at his heart, "And it's broken."

Thoughts of Iris filled his mind again, and he closed his eyes. After a moment, he turned away and began to wheel back towards the door.

"I feel like one of my students. Helpless. It was a mistake coming down here. It was a mistake freeing Erik. It was a mistake recruiting Iris. This whole thing has been a bloody mistake. I'm sorry, Logan, but they sent back the wrong man."

Logan stepped out in front of Charles, his expression not showing the slightest evidence of hurt.

"You're right. I am. Actually, it was supposed to be you. But I was the only one who could physically make the trip. And, uh... And I don't know how long I've got here. But I do know that a long time ago... actually, a long time from now... I was your most helpless student. And you unlocked my mind. You showed me what I was. You showed me what I could be. I don't know how to do that for you. You're right. I don't. But I know someone who might."

Charles frowned in confusion, and Logan leant towards him, "Look into my mind."

Charles huffed, instantly dismissing the suggestion, "You saw what I did to Cerebro. You don't want me inside your head."

Logan almost laughed, "There's no damage you can do that hasn't already been done. Trust me. Come on."

Hesitantly, Charles reached up and brushed his fingertips against Logan's temples. A moment later, a flash of images filled his mind. Images of a woman with red hair, and of pain, death, experiments, love, more death, Logan sinking his claws into the woman with red hair...

Charles flinched back, "You poor, poor man..."

"Look past me," Logan persisted.

"No!" Charles shook his head, "I don't want your suffering! I don't want your future!"

"Look past my future," Logan's voice was softer than his usual gruff, "Look for your future. That's it. That's it."

Charles allowed himself to immerse his mind in Logan's, and to reach out for the Charles of the future.

When he opened his eyes, he was in a dark room, with stained glass windows and surrounded by various people sitting and standing around him. It was slightly fuzzy. He sat up, and his gaze fell on an older, bald man in a wheelchair.

"Charles," He murmured.

"Charles," Older Charles responded.

Charles gulped, "So this is what becomes of us. Erik was right. Humanity does this to us."

Older Charles smiled slightly, "Not if we show them a better path."

"You still believe?"

"Just because someone stumbles, loses their way... doesn't mean they're lost forever," Older Charles murmured, "Sometimes we all need a little help."

"Oh, I'm not the man I was. I open my mind... and it almost overwhelms me." Charles whispered, "How can I teach myself control, when Iris' own mind is now uncontrollable?"

Older Charles' eyebrows lifted, "Iris? You mean-?"

"Logan invited her on our journey. Seeing all of it has unlocked her mind. She remembers everything. But now she can't control her powers. I fear it may destroy her..."

Older Charles shook his head, "You have been given an opportunity to save Iris' life. I'm sure Logan has told you that she died in our timeline. If you save her... she may have a happier life. Teach her control. But first... you must teach yourself control. You're afraid, and Cerebro knows it."

"All those voices..." Charles felt his eyes sting, "So much pain."

Older Charles leant forwards, his expression pleading and desperate, "It's not their pain you're afraid of. It's yours, Charles. And as frightening as it may be... that pain will make you stronger. If you allow yourself to feel it... embrace it... it will make you more powerful than you ever imagined. It's the greatest gift we have... to bear their pain without breaking. And it's born... from the most human power. Hope. Please, Charles... we... Iris needs you to hope again."

With a nod, Charles closed his eyes and emerged from Logan's mind. He was back in his wheelchair, with Logan in front of him.

"Find what you were looking for?"

Charles nodded with a smile, just as Hank appeared by the door.

"The power's back on."

"Yes," Charles smiled at Logan, the worry in his chest loosening, "Yes it is."

*

Iris' mind felt exhausted as she walked through the ruined grounds of the mansion. Years ago, they had been so well kept. Now, they were overgrown. It hurt to see them like that. As she approached the forest, she wondered if she should leave now. After Charles had betrayed her like that, she didn't know if she could stay with them. Even if mutantkind was at risk... she couldn't control her own mind. She needed time alone.

Just ahead of her, in the forest, she caught sight of two figures. Frowning, she stepped forwards into a clearing, and her gaze fell on the two. She instantly recognised them- a younger version of herself and Charles, sitting in the clearing together. The younger Iris had her head leant against Charles' shoulder, and as Iris watched the scene unfold, she recognised it. It was a few days after Charles had unlocked her powers and she'd discovered her past. She'd been grieving her parents, and Charles had only an hour before spoken to her to encourage her to continue to train.

The younger Iris shifted slightly, and she gulped.

"Charles..."

"Yes?" He spoke softly. While the two of them had grown close, they were still slightly shy around one another, with a fear of overstepping the mark.

"Why should I carry on?" The younger Iris asked quietly, "Why can't I just leave right now, and not come back? Carry on my normal life before all of this happened? My power... it scares me."

Charles paused for only a second, "Because we are fighting for others like us. We are all different. And soon enough, when the world discovers our abilities, we are likely to be judged harshly. Not all humans are like Moira. Some are very unforgiving. History repeats itself. When people are different, they are oppressed. Shaw, through his actions, is giving every mutant in this world a bad name. We will be judged based on his actions, and not by our own. So we must stop him, because in one way or another, we all care for our tiny planet and the humans and mutants living on it."

Iris pulled away from his shoulder and studied his expression, "So we don't just fight for ourselves. We fight for those we love. We fight for a better, more accepting world."

"We fight for the future," Charles whispered to her softly. A second later, the two of them faded away into nothing.

Iris stepped back, Charles' words resonating heavily with her. We fight for the future.

Logan had come back to them for help in creating a better future for everyone. She couldn't step away now. She had to help them save it.

We fight for the future.

*

Charles stared at the television screens that Hank has just shown him. His efforts to speak to Raven through Cerebro had been futile. Raven was going to kill Trask in front of the whole world on television- Logan's trip back in time was pointless now.

A new voice sounded in Charles' head, and he flinched- still not used to them.

He glanced up and saw Iris leaning against the doorframe, avoiding his gaze. She was just as beautiful as when they'd first met. Her dark curls were much longer than they had been ten years before, tumbling down her back in a waterfall that he longed to reach out and touch. But her face was different- hardened, as if she had thrown up a new protection against the people that could potentially hurt her.

"What did I miss?" She asked, her voice soft.

Logan spoke up, "Charles managed to get into contact with Raven- she's going to Washington. He couldn't stop her and... we know where she's going."

Iris' eyes widened, "Where?"

"To kill Trask. In front of the White House," Charles answered, and he watched as Iris closed her eyes, leaning her head against the doorframe. He realised that now that she remembered Raven, it was a lot harder for her to see her like this, with a desire to kill.

"We can stop her," Iris whispered, "We have to. We can't let this all happen again. I don't want to live in a world where we're just all going to get killed. We have to work together. For the future."

Charles' lips twitched into a smile as she looked at him, but she immediately glanced away, lowering her eyes.

"Hank, ready the plane," Charles muttered, "We're going to Washington."