Iris sat beside Hank in the cockpit, staring out at the clouds ahead of them. The plane had been in the air for half an hour, and she had barely said a word.

"I'm sorry."

She turned to Hank with a frown, "Why are you sorry?"
"For everything. For letting you get re-involved in this. For letting this happen. I... I don't know. I'm just sorry." He whispered.

Iris inhaled deeply, "Hank, you haven't done anything wrong. What you have done is be an amazing friend for Charles over these years. I can imagine he needed it."

"He regretted everything." Hank hesitated, "The moment he did it, he wished he hadn't. But he always told me... he always reminded me how much he had cared about you."

Iris didn't respond, and Hank sighed.

"I used to find him in the forest. Sitting beneath the trees, staring up at them with a look of such agony on his face. I knew why- it was because you always seemed to bring up the image of that forest. That had been what reminded him of you."

Iris closed her eyes, trying to suppress a sob. Hank reached out and squeezed her arm comfortingly. After she had composed herself, she stood up, "I'm going to sit back there. See you when we land."

As she slid the door of the cockpit open, both Logan and Charles glanced up quickly. She offered Logan a smile as she walked in and sat down opposite him.

"You tired?" Logan asked, and she nodded silently.

"Sleep it off, we'll be there in a couple of hours."

Iris was dreaming.

Not so much dreaming. It was a nightmare. She was reliving her parents' deaths. She could see them both crying, and herself standing with an unreadable expression. She knew how it ended.

Except there was a voice cutting in that she never usually heard as she relived the memory. It was Charles.

"Wake up, Iris. Wake up."

Iris' eyes opened, but she was still in the dream. Her parents were still screaming, and Shaw was standing at the other end of the room.

The difference was Charles beside her, and Logan opposite her. She'd done it again.

"Oh my god," She whispered, "How do I stop it?"

Charles reached out, "It's just an image, Iris. Block it out."

"I can't!" She cried.

Suddenly, Shaw, her parents and the younger version of herself turned to look at her.

"Shit." Logan muttered.

"Iris," Charles inhaled slowly, "You need to control your power. Take us back to the plane."

Her heart beat quickened- she was no longer viewing an image. She had instead transported herself, Logan and Charles into the past.

She glanced at her parents for a moment, and she felt her heart twist. She didn't want to see it again. She didn't.

Iris. You're stronger than this. Take us back to the plane. If you don't do this, we'll be trapped here for the rest of our lives.

"I don't know how!" She screamed.

"Wake up, Iris. Wake up."

Iris jerked awake, glancing around wildly. She was on the plane, with Logan opposite her and Charles sitting down nearby. Both were staring at her, creases between their eyebrows.

It was just a dream, Iris realised, and she fell backwards against the chair, trying to control her breathing.

"Logan," Charles whispered, "When are we landing?"

Logan understood instantly that he ought to leave and stood up, stealing a glance at Iris one last time before sliding the cockpit door shut behind him.

"What happened?" Charles asked gently. Iris shook her head quickly.

"You can just read my mind."

He hesitated, "I... I don't want to do that. I told you once that I don't enjoy reading the minds of those that I'm close with. It's an invasion of privacy."

When she didn't say anything, he sighed, "Talk to me, Iris."

She inhaled sharply, "I had a dream that I sent us- you, me and Logan- back in time to my parents' death and I... I couldn't stop it. You were telling me to control my power and take us back to the plane but I couldn't."

Without meaning to, Iris projected her dream into Charles' mind. He winced for a moment, and then his face fell when he saw the dream unfold.

"I feel weak," Iris whispered, "I feel like a shell of the person I was a couple of days ago. I can't control anything. I can't make it stop. I'm scared that I'm going to end up sending someone away into their worst memories forever..."

"Everything," Charles whispered, "Everything is my fault. You'd have more control over your powers if only I had just left your mind alone all those years ago. I should have let you remember."

Iris raised her head, her eyes tear-filled, "I'm a monster. You were right to do what you did."

"You're not a monster to me," Charles spoke softly, closing his eyes for a moment as if to stop tears from flowing.

All at once, Iris clambered over to the seat beside Charles and leant her head against his shoulder. She felt Charles hesitantly wrap his fingers around her own, and she felt her lips twitch into a smile.

"We can train you, Iris. You'll be able to control your power, and then you won't have to worry anymore. I can help you."

She sat up, studying Charles' green-blue eyes with her own dark ones. He seemed hesitant about something, and Iris wondered if it was the same thing that had caused her to feel a nervous flutter in her stomach.

She kissed him.

A groan escaped his lips, as if he had been longing for this for an eternity. She remembered the experience of kissing him before- of being kissed by Charles- and she felt her eyes sting with tears.

"Are you crying?" Charles asked, leaning back for a moment. She didn't say anything, just raised a finger to her lips and looked up as the plane faded into a forest with golden leaves above below them.

Charles' face lit up as he took in everything around him, and Iris watched him. This was Charles. Her Charles.

"I cannot look at a forest without thinking of you, Iris Miracle." He whispered, and she laughed- a genuine laugh that surprised her.

"You're allowed to be happy, Iris. Let me make you happy again."

Still smiling, she brought her lips down against his.

*

Iris trailed behind Charles as they approached the metal detector, with Hank and Logan beside her. The area was buzzing with excitement as news reporters discussed the grand reveal of the President's new plan to deal with mutants. Iris adjusted her sunglasses quickly, and tossed her hair over her shoulder in an attempt to look confident even though she didn't feel that way at all.

She felt Charles reach out and squeeze her hand for a brief moment before the security guard asked, "May I see your invitations, please?"
Charles effortlessly raised his fingers to his temple, "Yes, you may. These three are with me."

The guard hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Go ahead."

Iris felt Logan drop behind her, and glanced around to see him staring at the metal detector with a perplexed expression.

"Logan!" She shouted, and he quickly followed them.

A ticket man guided the four mutants towards some seats in front of the stage. Iris didn't sit down though, and instead stood behind Charles, resting her hands on the back of his chair. She could feel her stomach fluttering with nerves. Now that she had her memories back, she understood the sheer vastness of this whole adventure that Logan had taken them on- everything made sense. Whereas before, she was just a journalist following them blindly, she was now suddenly as much involved as the rest of them. It thrilled her and terrified her at the same time.

"I haven't found her yet, but she has to be here." Charles muttered quietly.

Iris held her breath as a presenter walked on stage and introduced President Nixon.

He walked on stage, nodding awkwardly to the audience below, "My fellow Americans. Today, we face the greatest threat in our history: mutants. We have prepared for this threat. In the immortal words of Robert Oppenheimer, "Behold. The world will never be the same again."

The flags behind Nixon fell away to reveal the sentinels. Everyone around them was cheering, but Iris' grip tightened on the back of Charles' chair.

Charles suddenly jerked upwards, and raised his hand to gesture at the others, "Raven! I have her! There, see? Secret Service man, left of the stage."

Iris sprung into action, running towards the stage with Hank and Logan in tow. The crowd seemed to be cheering even more, making it more difficult to reach the front. Iris glanced at the stage and swore when she saw the sentinels rising- surely they weren't going to start now?

"I'm sorry, you cannot pass this point," A guard told the three mutants as they approached Raven. Iris began to protest when she heard the sound of a gun shot and spun around to watch a sentinel began firing at a police car.

Chaos erupted.

People ran screaming, but Iris could barely pay attention to them once she had spotted the floating stadium in the sky.

"Erik," She muttered under her breath with a sigh, and watched as he appeared into view, the sentinels flying over to stand by him.

"He's wired the bloody sentinels up himself," She told Logan and Hank quickly whilst looking for Charles in the chaos.

"Charles!" Logan called, and Iris turned in horror to watch as the stadium landed on top of him.

Iris sprinted forwards, screaming his name just before he rolled out of his wheelchair to protect himself.

She felt a hand reach out and pull her backwards, and she turned to look at Logan as he nodded towards Erik.

She crouched silently, not sure what to do. She needed to see if Charles was okay.

"I'm probably not supposed to ask this kind of thing," Hank began, and Iris glanced at him in confusion, "But, in the future, do I make it?"

"No," Logan hesitated, "But we can change that, right? We've saved Iris from being killed by the sentinels in about fifty years time."

Hank nodded quickly as he took his glasses off and changed into Beast form. Erik spotted the three of them crouched down and turned to the sentinel, "Do what you were made for."

The sentinel began to shoot at the three of them, and Hank leapt towards it angrily, "I got this! Go!"

Iris and Logan both ran towards Erik, although she realised as she approached him that she had no weapon to fight with- nothing. Logan on the other hand, had extended his large claws.

"Find Charles," Logan muttered to Iris.

She had only been running for a few seconds when she heard Logan's cries of pain, and she spun around. To her horror, Erik and wound metal bars all the way through Logan's body. Slowly, his body rose into the air.

"So much for being a survivor," Erik smirked, and Iris screamed as Logan's body was hurled out of the park and towards the river.

"Erik!" Iris shouted, and he turned to look at her with a smile.

"You still here, journalist? I'm surprised that you've got the guts-"

"I remember everything, Erik," She hissed, "And I remember how you betrayed us that day on the beach. Don't betray us again. Not now. Please."

Erik sighed, "You always obeyed everything Charles said, didn't you? I think that you trusted him a little bit too much. Clearly that didn't work in your favour when he wiped your memory clean."
Iris recoiled slightly, and it was enough time for Erik to raise a metal bar and flick it towards her. She cried out in pain as it slammed into her stomach, pinning her against a wall.

Without another word, Erik turned to the White House and began to pull something out of the ground. Iris watched hazily as a large metal box was uprooted from the ground and landed with a thud in front of them. Erik ripped the door open effortlessly.

The men within the safe looked terrified as Erik began to speak with a smirk on his face, "You built these weapons to destroy us. Why? Because you are afraid of our gifts. Because we are different. Humanity has always feared that which is different. Well, I'm here to tell you, to tell the world, you're right to fear us. We are the future."

Iris still had no idea where Charles was. She was scared- how could she stop Erik alone?

Suddenly, a thought struck her- Charles had always complained about how she projected her thoughts. She just needed to do it now.

Charles, she thought, Charles! Can you hear me?

There was no response.

"We are the ones who will inherit this earth," Erik continued, "And anyone who stands in our way will suffer the same fate as these men you see before you. Today was meant to be a display of your power. Instead I give you a glimpse of the devastation my race can unleash upon yours. Let this be a warning to the world."

Charles!

It wasn't working, and Iris feared the worse for him. Had Erik killed him?

"And to my mutant brothers and sisters out there, I say this; no more hiding, no more suffering. You have lived in the shadows in shame and fear for too long. Come out, join me. Fight together in the brotherhood of our kind. A new tomorrow, that starts today."

As Iris felt her vision clear, she began to push against the metal bar. It gave way slightly, and then again- enough for her to slip out.

"Erik –stop!" She shouted, sprinting towards him.

The men in the safe looked at her in confusion, and she recognised Trask standing there smugly.

"Erik- this is not a war. We are not fighting against the humans. If you do that, you're no better than Shaw."

Erik glanced at her and a gun slowly turned around to point directly at her. She shook her head, "Don't you see what is happening Erik? Don't you see what you've become?"

At this, Erik laughed, "Don't you see what you've become, Iris? The girl that Charles and I first met that day was powerful- more powerful than any of the other mutants that we sought out. But Charles' meddling inside your head has only weakened you. You can barely harness your power properly, even though we know that it is ten times more powerful than you could imagine. That day, when Shaw killed your parents, you had a choice to harness your power and save them. Perhaps if you had stayed the powerful weapon that he'd created, they would still be alive."

Iris suddenly felt something inside her snap, like a piece of rope pulled too tight.

"What's your worst memory then, Erik?" She hissed bitterly, "Shall we have a look?"

The bright daylight around them faded, leaving behind a dull grey office. Shaw sat behind the desk, with a younger version of Erik standing opposite him, desperately trying to move a coin.

His mother was behind them, held back by two guards. Shaw was holding a gun, pointing it at Erik's mother with a smirk on his face.

Iris glanced over at the real Erik. He appeared lost for words, his mouth hanging open slightly with tears in his eyes.

A part of Iris longed for the illusion to fade away, but a stronger part of her that she couldn't control was keeping it there.

"Erik..." She muttered quietly, "I didn't mean to-"

"What's your plan, Iris?" He asked wickedly, turning away from his mother, "I have this nightmare every night. It isn't new to see it right in front of me. I know that your power is more than this. Unlock it."

She felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and cried out. She leant back to lean onto something, and the bookcase beneath her hands felt very real.

Her eyes flew open. This was not an illusion. They were there.

"I could leave you here," Iris began to say, "I could leave you stuck in this place all over again. That's my power."

A crease formed between Erik's eyebrows, and she smirked.

Iris.

She jumped at the sound of Charles' voice in her head.

Don't do this. You will never forgive yourself.

Iris tried to project her thought to Charles, I don't know what else to do. There's no one else here to stop him. And isn't this what my power is? What it was supposed to be used for?

It's what Shaw wanted you to use it for. Erik is provoking you, causing your power to amplify.

I don't know how to get out of this. Help me. Oh, god, help me.

Iris, I believe in you.

No, Charles. I can't do it.

There was the sound of a gunshot, and Iris felt pain explode in her leg. The illusion faded away, and Erik turned back to the men in the safe without a second glance.

Iris fell to the floor, her vision blurring as she tried to focus on something. She couldn't see anything. The light was blinding. Was she still outside the White House? Or had she transported herself somewhere else entirely.

"You want to make a statement?" Iris heard Nixon say, "Kill me? Fine! But spare everyone else!"

"Very heroic, Mr. President," Erik sneered, "But you have no intention of sparing any of us. The future of our species begins now."

There was the sound of another gunshot.

"You used to be a better shot." Erik groaned.

"Trust me," Raven's voice was bitter, "I still am."
Iris' eyes began to focus, and she started to pull herself up slowly. Raven was standing with a gun pointed at Trask. Iris watched in horror as Raven tightened her finger on the trigger, but only for a couple of seconds before the gun fell out of her hand and she walked away, pulling Erik's helmet off.

"He's all yours, Charles!"

Erik's body rose, and he lifted a steel girder nearby. Iris turned around and saw that Charles was laying beneath it.

Erik turned to face Iris, "You need to learn how to harness your whole power. No point threatening me that you'll leave me in that office if you're not going to do it."

"I didn't want to," Iris whispered, "Believe me..."

"Shaw made you a weapon. You just need to tap into that, Iris. Then perhaps you'll remember how to control them." He turned to Charles, "If you let them have me, I'm as good as dead."

"I know," Charles closed his eyes.

"Goodbye, old friend."

"Goodbye, Erik," Charles replied, his voice barely a whisper.

Erik began to float away, and Raven glanced at them all for a brief moment before limping away herself. The moment they were gone, Iris limped towards Charles and Hank.

"I don't know what happened," She whispered, "I'm scared. It's like something else was controlling me."

Charles held her to him, "I know- I know. I'm sorry you had to go through that, Iris."

"Where's Logan?" Hank asked after a moment, and Iris shook her head.

"Gone. I doubt his consciousness from the future would have stayed alive in his body. If we ever see him again, he probably won't remember us."

Charles reached out and held onto her hand, squeezing it tightly.

We will fix you, he spoke into her mind, and she nodded even though she didn't quite know what there was to fix.

*

Iris leant against the doorframe of Charles' study, watching him reading something on his desk. It had been a few days since Erik's attempted attack on the President. Hank, Iris and Charles had been unable to find Logan, although Charles had suggested that his consciousness had probably returned to his body in the future. They would see him again in the future, although they were not sure when. Iris had to admit that upset her, because Logan had been a good friend to her in the few days that she'd known him. She hoped that they'd see him soon.

Charles glanced up at Iris, and his expression softened.

"Iris? Is everything alright?"

She walked over to him and sat on the edge of his desk, lowering her gaze to avoid his.

"Shaw weaponised me," She whispered, "Erik said it himself. And it makes sense- if he weaponised me, if that... darker version of me takes control, I'm much more powerful and I can't stop myself from sending people back."

"I believe that you have some form of control, Iris. We saw it, ten years ago when we were training together here. It seems that overwhelming your emotions can cause you to lose control once again." Charles reached out and held onto her hand.

"What if something... someone... comes along and manipulates my emotions and my self-control and makes me into that weapon again? I don't want to become a weapon again." Iris' voice cracked.

Charles reached out and tipped her chin up carefully, "You won't. Not when you have me by your side. I can protect you, Iris."

Iris smiled, leaning her forehead against his, "I trust you, Charles. I won't become that weapon again."