"come round and wait from where we're going"

~

Neva noticed the cameras on her as she smeared her tears away. The sting of the cut in her leg was growing worse, and it took all her effort not to pass out or start screaming again. Erik looked at her with distaste, but before she could do anything, she heard Hank growl and imagined him with blue fur and baring fangs. Erik turned to one of the robots, and it levitated forward. It raised its gun towards the two men and started shooting. They went in two different directions - Hank on top of the Sentinel and Logan running towards Erik. Neva looked around for a gun and saw one lying on the ground, probably from a Secret Service worker. Biting away the pain, Neva dragged her leg and pulled herself to the weapon to help Logan.

She was about to grab it when she heard a loud yell and turned to see Erik plunging metal bars into Logan's body. Her eyes widened as Logan was raised into the air and then pushed far over the stadium and into some forest or river (she hoped).

"Please stay alive, please stay alive," Neva whispered, knowing he wouldn't hear her. Erik turned back to the White House, waving his hand around some more. She wondered what he was doing. She could hear Charles wincing in pain behind her.

All of a sudden, a loud crash came from the house and a large metal room floated out into the open: the Presidential safe room. Erik moved his hand across, and the whole front section peeled off with a metallic creak. All of the men's guns, aimed at him, were magically tugged out of their hands and stayed in midair, now pointing towards them instead. Neva knew it was now or never. She lunged for the gun on the ground, aimed it, and shot straight. The sound echoed through the stadium. However, she also knew a metal gun against a man with metal manipulation would fail. She was right.

Erik put up his hand, and the bullet stopped. It dropped to the floor, and Neva felt the gun being pulled out her hands. She tried to resist, but he eventually won. The gun aimed at her in midair, and she put her hands up in reluctant surrender.

The man turned his palms, and Neva saw the cameras turn also. Was he going to say a speech? She almost laughed. He did enjoy his drama.

"You built these weapons to destroy us," he said, nodding to the Sentinels. "Why? Because you are afraid of our gifts. Because we are different. Humanity has always feared that which is different." Neva had to agree with that statement. Difference was the reason for all the wars unfortunately. "Well, I'm here to tell you, to tell the world, you're right to fear us. We are the future. We are the ones who will inherit this earth, and anyone who stands in our way will suffer the same fate as these men," he motioned to the president and his advisors, "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. And to my mutant brothers and sisters out there," Erik's tone became more sincere but still aggressive, "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 he finished, there was a loud commotion from the metal safe room. The president was coming out of the room!

"Mr. President! Sir!" one man said.

"Stand down!" the president muttered, waving his hand. His men exchanged glances. The president turned back towards Erik. "You want to make a statement? Kill me? Fine! But spare everyone else!"

"What is happening right now..." Neva whispered to herself.

"He's not real," Charles said. She jumped a bit and realised he was talking telepathically.

"What do you mean 'not real'?!"

"That's not the real president," Charles murmured. "And where is Hank?" Neva looked out of her peripherals and saw the Sentinel back off of where Hank was trapped in a car. She hoped he wasn't dead.

"Over there," she said in her mind. "Are you doing ok?"

"Been better," he said. Neva nodded in agreement, even though Charles couldn't see.

"Very heroic, Mr. President," Erik said dryly. "But you have no intention of sparing any of us. The future of our species begins now." He pointed a floating gun at the man. Suddenly, the Sentinel who had been chasing Hank now ran towards Erik. He pulled it apart slowly, and it became just more debris littering the stadium.

"Wait..." Neva said to herself. "If that's not the real president then..." Before she could finish her thought, the president raised a gun towards Erik, shooting it at his neck, and also transforming into a blue-skinned woman at the same time. There were audible gasps.

"You used to be a better shot," Erik said, staggering around and surprised. 

"Trust me, I still am," Mystique said coldly. Erik proceeded to fall to the ground, unconscious. Mystique turned back towards the safe room, aiming her gun at Trask.

"No no no no," Neva muttered. She willed herself to stay strong and dragged herself over to Charles as best as she could. He was already mumbling something with his finger on his temple, meaning he was communicating somehow. She turned back to see Mystique with her gun still raised but looking confused.

"Neva!" Hank called. He ran over, blood and dirt all over his face. His glasses were gone, and his clothing was ripped and stained. He had a big smile and hugged Neva tightly.

"Hank! You're ok!" She hugged him back, blinking away tears of happiness because he was still alive. Charles continued to say words, staring off into the air. 

"-one so far is save the lives of these men. You can show them a better path," he said. Neva and Hank exchanged looks.

"Shut her down, Charles," said Hank encouragingly. Neva held onto him, partly because of the pain in her leg and partly because of never wanting to let him go again.

"I've been trying to control you ever since the day we met and look what that's got us," Charles said and laughed a little. "Everything that happens now is in your hands. I have faith in you, Raven." He blinked and pulled his hand away. "Neva, Hank."

"Charles," Neva said, putting her hand in his. He squeezed it. "You think we'll survive this?"

"I do," he nodded. They looked at Mystique, and time was frozen.

The three were a family; a strange one, a mutant one, but a family nonetheless. They had all seen each other in dark times and had taken care of each other in those times. They had experienced joyful times, cheerful times, times for celebration, but also times for sadness. They had lost other family members, and there would always be an emptiness.

But Neva would not have rathered to be with anyone else at that exact moment.

"Come on, Raven," Hank murmured. The blue-skinned redhead looked down at the ground and reluctantly dropped her gun. The three let out a breath of relief.

"We made it," Neva said softly. "We actually made it."

"Told you so," Charles replied smugly. Neva rolled her eyes with a laugh.

"He's all yours, Charles," Mystique called loudly. Neva saw her pull Erik's helmet off. Charles quickly put his hand on his forehead, and Erik woke up. The man magnetically pulled the bars off of Charles' body. Hank helped him up, and Neva staggered to her feet. Mystique took one last look at Charles. "Say hi to Clara for me." With that, she walked off behind the star spangled display.

"I...ok," said Charles, blushing slightly. Blood was also dripping down his forehead like Hank.

"If you let them have me, I'm as good as dead," Erik said, gazing at them. Charles nodded.

"I know," he said. Neva widened her eyes.

"Wait we're letting him go?!" she asked frantically. Hank put a hand on her arm to calm her down.

"Goodbye, old friend," Erik said. Charles nodded again.

"Goodbye, Erik." Erik opened his hands and floated away into the cloudy sky. Neva looked at the metal and concrete debris around them.

"You sure we should let them go?" Hank said doubtfully. Charles took in a deep breath.

"Yes, I have hope for them," he said with confidence. "There's going to be a time, Hank, when we are all together."

"That sound nice," said Neva. "No fighting, no violence. Just friends."

"What about Logan?" Hank said.

"Uh...I think he'll be ok, right Professor?" Neva turned to Charles, who nodded once more.

"I think he will be ok. Now let's go back home."

~

"Who's Clara?" asked Neva. Hank shrugged from his position by a black pan. The two were in the kitchen, trying to make a late dinner. Neva was on the counter, handing Hank ingredients and utensils.

"Uh...the name does sounds familiar," he said, leaning on the cabinet. "Why?"

"Don't you remember Mystique saying it?"

"Oh yeah. I thought it was just something in code or something." He shrugged again.

"Not sure. But maybe she was from Oxford?"

"She was an old friend," Charles interrupted. They both looked up at him and his wheelchair in the doorway. He had showered and changed into cleaner clothes, same as Neva and Hank.

"Where is she now? Does Mystique not know that she isn't here?" Neva said. Charles shook his head and got a glass of water.

"No, Raven left before," he said softly. Neva sensed that it was a hard topic.

"Oh ok...uh Hank and I are making a soup and salad," she said, trying to change the conversation. "Wanna help?" Charles' face lit up, and he wheeled over to the cabinet. Hank moved out of the way.

"Sounds delightful."

~

January 30, 1973

Dear Alex,

The whole Washington DC ordeal is finally over. Erik and Mystique are both gone, although Charles claimed that they will return soon. That kind of scares me, but he told me not to worry.

I hope that you are ok. I heard the war is ending which is good. Maybe you will be home soon! I am really wishing for that.

I am going to get River tomorrow morning, which I guess means yet another trip to DC. Hank said it would probably be better to not scare River with all the blood and dirt, and I had to agree. Plus, we got back really late and she probably would have been either very tired or very hyper.

All of us don't know what happened to Logan. He got thrown out of the area by Erik, but last I saw him, he had twisted metal bars sticking out all over his body. It was a gruesome sight. I hope he is ok also. He was a lot of help.

I'm not sure if we changed the future. It seems...unchanged, but then again, we are in the past. Or the present? Maybe it's like we are in the days of future past. If that makes any sense (it doesn't really).

Anyways, I learned about a girl named Clara. Hank and I both don't know who that was, but Charles and Mystique seem to. Mystique said 'Say hi to Clara for me' before she escaped. I am really wondering who the mysterious "Clara" is. Charles said she was an old friend, and that's all we got out of him. Maybe she used to be an X-Men. Do you know anything about her? I'm not sure. I'll ask you when you get back.

I really miss you. Now that we're home, I miss you even more.

Come back soon.

Love, Neva Liu

~

"I'm glad we're back," Hank sighed. Neva nodded in agreement. She flopped onto her bed, and he sat in her chair, spinning slightly.

"Me too. Just wish River was here."

"We'll get her soon, stop worrying," he laughed a bit. She smiled.

"I miss Alex."

"He'll be back soon too," Hank whispered. They sat in silence.

"He will," Neva said. "I can sense it."

"Can't you read the future?" Hank said, smiling.

"Yeah, but I don't know," she shrugged.

"At least Charles is better," he said. She nodded again.

"Yes, thank God for that."

"What does the future looks like when you read it?" he asked, looking at her intently. Neva thought about it.

"Dreamy," she said. "Almost...almost ike memories. But sometimes, they're more realistic. Like you can actually feel everything." She looked up at him. "But futures are usually more dreamlike."

"That's kinda cool," he said. She laughed.

"Thanks, Hank."

"Anytime, Neva."

~

SORRY FOR THE SHORT CHAPTER AHA

the next couple of chapters will be shorter as we near the end eheheheehehhEHEHEHEH

6 MORE!!!