Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Of all the relationships in the X-Men films, Charles/Raven is by far one of the most complicated. This is because their relationship arguably dabbles into three different categories: family, friendship and potential love interests. There have been several debates within the online fandom discussing whether Charles and Raven are siblings or love interests, and I've seen solid arguments to both sides, but it really doesn't matter to me. Either way, I adore their relationship because of the amazing onscreen chemistry that James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence share together. I just wish there were more Charles/Raven fanfics out there.

Beware! This is a romance fic, so if you don't support the Charles/Raven pairing in that way, please leave now.

The future had been altered. The war was over before it even began. Three weeks had passed since Bolivar Trask was arrested and his Sentinel project was cancelled by the U.S. government. Raven had altered the future by not killing Trask, showing the world that not all mutants needed to be feared, that coexistence with humans was possible. With one decision, she had saved everyone—past and future—yet she and Erik were ultimately forced to flee so they wouldn't be arrested for their previous crimes. Charles let them escape, knowing that one day they would all be on the same side again.

Teaming up with Logan's younger self and meeting his future self helped restore his hope in humanity. He made a promise to Logan that he would take Storm, Scott and Jean under his wing when he crossed paths with them, but those moments had not yet arrived.

In the meantime, he and Hank planned to reopen the school once the mansion was cleaned up and in better condition. After everything that had recently happened, though, Charles insisted Hank take a leave of absence and do something positive for himself. His most loyal student and friend refused at first, finally caving when Hank saw how important it was to him that he take a holiday. The young scientist decided to attend a conference in New York City for a week. Charles bid his dear friend goodbye just hours ago, and now he was all alone in the X-Mansion—promising Hank that he would only use his serum when necessary until he returned home.

A knock at his bedroom door took the powerful telepath out of his thoughts. He sensed the stranger's presence and immediately realized who it was. Moving his wheelchair towards the door, he watched it open and whispered—

"Raven…"

While her natural form entered his bedroom, the warmest feeling engulfed Charles' heart. His Raven had finally come home.

"I always knew you'd find your way back."

"You know I can't stay. This isn't my home anymore."

"This will always be your home, Raven. This will always be a place where mutants can feel safe."

She gave him a cold stare. "Skip the speech, Charles. I've heard them all before. That's not why I came here."

Hurt by the callousness in her tone, he simply replied, "Then why did you come here?"

"I wanted to know how you were doing. I needed to know if you hate me for what I've done."

"Hate you? I could never hate you. You saved us all."

"In my darkest hour."

"But you found the light, didn't you? You found a way to harness the true Raven and show the world that we aren't the monsters Trask tried to make us out to be."

"It was you. You were my light."

Stunned by the depth coming from those brief words, the paraplegic was unable to respond. He wanted so desperately to read her thoughts, but he made a promise to her long ago that he would never invade her privacy—and broken it. He refused to break his vow to her again.

After a few moments of silence, the shapeshifter decided to switch subjects. "Why couldn't you use your powers in Paris?"

"Hank created a treatment for my spine, a serum that affects my DNA. It gives me the ability to walk, but it also takes my powers away."

This news both confused and angered her. Charles was the most brilliant man she knew. He had the most amazing gifts, and yet he gave them up. "Why would you take away your powers? So you could walk?"

He saw the accusing look in Raven's catlike, yellow eyes and something in him snapped. "It wasn't just so I could walk! I did it so I could sleep! So I could breathe! I couldn't take the voices in my head any longer. Their pain, their agony—it was killing me. Every tear they shed, every terror-filled shriek. I heard their suffering and there was nothing I could do."

"That's not true. You could have helped them. You could have reached out to them, like you did with Erik, Alex, Sean, Hank, and I."

"I didn't want to risk letting history repeat itself."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I died the day you left! I was nothing more than a hollow shell after you left me on that bloody beach to join Erik's cause! I could never bear that same pain twice!"

"You told me to go!"

"You were my sister! You should have stood by my side regardless of anything I told you!"

"I'm not your sister."

"Guess you weren't much of a friend, either, huh?"

He grabbed the joystick controlling his wheelchair and headed for the door, when Raven spoke up.

"You know how much you meant to me. You read my mind, remember?"

This caused him to stop. He remained still for a moment, then chose to turn back around and face her.

Charles did know how much he meant to her. She had a crush on him. She loved him. He remembered feeling like a blind fool when he learned this—because it took his telepathy to see something that would have been obvious to anyone else.

"You must've known how I felt about you when you told me to go."

"I did. I just never imagined how much pain losing you would bring me."

"I never meant to hurt you, Charles, but I couldn't live under your watchful gaze forever. I needed to live my own life."

"With Erik."

Charles thought back to when Logan first came to his home seeking his help, and recalled how nothing he said about the future sparked any interest in him until the time-traveler mentioned Raven.

"Her heart and soul belong to someone else now."

"I'll help you get her. Not for any of your future shite, but for her."

"I've lost my fair share."

"Ha... Dry your eyes, Erik. Doesn't justify what you've done."

"You have no idea what I've done."

"I know that you took the things that mean the most to me."

"Well, maybe you should have fought harder for them."

"You abandoned me! You took her away and you abandoned me!"

"You shouldn't blame Erik for the choices I made."

"He manipulated you into taking his side."

"How?"

"By pushing his views towards humanity onto you and convincing you that he accepted your mutation more than Hank or I did."

"Erik did accept me! Unlike you, he wasn't trying to control me!"

"He tried to kill you!"

Raven turned around in a huff, furious and ready to storm off, when she spotted a picture of her human form sitting on the nightstand next to Charles' bed. She walked towards the nightstand, grabbed the gold frame, and stared at the photo for several moments. Finding a picture of herself beside his bed somehow reminded Raven of all the old romantic movies she used to watch during her youth, where men—typically soldiers at war—carried around photos of the women they loved so they could see their smiling faces and keep them close to their hearts. It was the last thing she expected to come across in her adoptive brother's bedroom.

Collecting herself as best she could, Raven held out the picture to him. "Why do you have this?"

"Because you're the most important thing in my life that I lost."

A combination of sorrow and sympathy spread across her facial features before she glanced down at the framed photo one more time and put it back on the nightstand. Lifting her head up to meet his wistful gaze, she slowly shifted into her human disguise—the pretty, blue-eyed blonde façade that Charles always preferred. Dressed in a white hippie blouse, a pair of bell bottoms and white leather sandals, nervous energy began to build within her while she stepped closer to him. Getting down on her knees, she continued to stare into his eyes, so full of pain and heartache from losing her—her warmth, love, affection, friendship and companionship. Raven reached out her right hand, intending to stroke the left side of his face, only to gasp when he greedily snatched her hand and pressed it against his bearded cheek.

The psychic closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her soft touch. Her porcelain skin was as smooth and supple as he remembered. Charles knew he was crossing into dangerous territory by doing this, but he couldn't stop himself. Raven was here—in his room, touching his face, giving him his first real human contact in a decade.

Life without her all these years had become a dark, desolate place. If it hadn't been for Hank's loyalty and friendship, he probably would have ended his life after the school shut down. Losing Erik's friendship was the biggest betrayal that Charles ever faced. Losing the use of his legs left him broken, incapable of ever feeling whole again. Who could possibly love a man that was paralyzed? But Raven did love him, paralysis or no paralysis. Despite everything—his desire to "protect" her while they were growing up, her decision to leave him for the Brotherhood—he knew she still had lingering feelings for him. She wouldn't be here right now if she didn't.

"Charles," she anxiously whispered.

Not wanting to scare her, he opened his eyes and released her hand. Raven tried to stand up, but he wouldn't allow it—not yet. He grabbed her wrists and she quickly took the hint, staying put. "Wait. There's something I have to tell you."

The blonde remained motionless, too unclear about where the conversation was going to say anything.

"I did all those things for you."

Puzzled by what he meant, she gave him a confused look.

"When Logan came here and asked me to help him alter the future, I blew him off. I didn't want to be bothered. People die every day, one way or another. What difference does it make? Then he mentioned your name, and everything changed. I agreed to help him, but I was only doing it for you."

"Why?"

"I wanted to believe the girl I grew up with was still in there…and she was."

He caressed her cheek with his thumb before his hand rested on her neck. "You were everything to me once. You still are. I just didn't know it until I lost you."

"What are you trying to say?"

"You don't need telepathy to read my thoughts, Raven. You already know what I'm trying to say."

Taken aback, she felt his hand draw her closer to him until their lips were mere centimeters apart. His blue eyes searched hers, making sure he saw no hesitation in them. When he found none, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, kissing her softly.

Captured in a moment of bliss, the kiss was sweet and tender—more sensual than the kisses he gave her while they were growing up, but less urgent than a lover's kisses. It wordlessly described how much they cared for each other.

Keen on taking things further, his lips started to make a trail, giving her butterfly kisses on her cheek, along her jawline, and down her throat. Raven closed her eyes and sighed in content, enjoying the feeling of his lips against her skin. Growing bolder still, he pulled at the fabric of her blouse and planted a kiss on her exposed cleavage.

This move caused her to jump back, now afraid of how he was making her feel. She covered her mouth in shock and whirled around, unable to look at him. Charles was her adoptive brother, her best friend. She had been his ward for almost half of her childhood. More importantly, he was paralyzed from the waist down. He physically couldn't go any further than this. They had to stop what they were doing before—

A hand touched her shoulder and she spun around, only to find him standing in front of her with an amused smile.

"Charles, how did you…?"

"Don't panic, darling. It's the serum. The treatment will wear off in a number of hours and then I'll lose the feeling in my legs again."

"But why did you do that? Your paralysis has never changed the way I look at you."

"I know it hasn't, and I love you for that. I always will."

The final barrier broke down and her resolve crumbled; Raven couldn't keep her feelings for him bottled up any longer. She took one step forward, clutched the back of his head, and pulled him into a passionate kiss. He responded to the kiss with just as much fervor, closing his eyes and moaning. Her lips soon parted, granting him access, which he eagerly took. Tongues danced, explored every sweet crevice, and fought for dominance. He felt her hands slide down his neck and chest until her fingertips found the buttons to his blue dress shirt. She fumbled with each one, he helped her, and once the shirt was unbuttoned, they discarded it to the floor. Charles never was the muscular type; nonetheless, he managed to keep in good shape. Kissing her way down his chest, the pacifist intellectual exhaled sharply, feeling the bulge inside his pants become hard. Her fingers darted for his brown leather belt, quickly undoing the buckle. She was about to unzip his pants when he caught her wrists. Cupping her face with both hands, he saw the smoky desire in her eyes and pulled her into a heated kiss. After lack of oxygen forced them to part, a breathless Charles took the opportunity to grab the hem of her blouse and yank it over her head, revealing a lacy white bra. His straining cock got even harder at the sight of her lingerie. He wanted Raven so much—more than he ever wanted anyone in his entire life—but he needed to take the moment slow, make it memorable for her, because that's what she deserved. Anything else would be wrong.

Grinding her hips against his, she felt the bulge in his pants rub against her inner thigh; the arousal between her legs only worsened. "Fuck!"

"Patience, love. I want this to be special for you."

"As long as I'm with you, Charles, I know it's going to be special."

Raven grabbed his left hand and led him over to the bed, where she sat down and quietly watched him push down his pants after he kicked off his shoes and socks, leaving him in only his briefs. He bent down to remove her sandals and plant a kiss on her right ankle. When she scooted back onto his bed, he stood up again and went straight for the button and zipper on her denim jeans, undoing them both in a teasing fashion.

He wrapped his index fingers around two belt loops and whispered, "Lift up your hips."

With closed eyes, she complied and felt the article of clothing slowly being removed from her legs until she was wearing nothing but her matching bra and panties.

Charles marveled at the gorgeous goddess in front of him. Her smooth skin… long, blonde hair sprawled out across his bed… well-toned abs… and sexy, sculpted legs. Raven was absolutely stunning, like he told her all those years ago.

"Open your eyes."

She did and found the purest love in his eyes. Getting on all fours, he climbed onto the bed and stopped directly above her. She smiled at him affectionately, running her fingers through his long hair, and kissed him. The kisses started out light and sweet. Hands explored, caressed, as if to take each other's pain away and replace it with comfort. At one point, however, his fingertips gently grazed her damp panties and his loins began to stir with desire again.

Charles attacked her neck, laying smoldering kisses everywhere. He sucked on her pulse point and nibbled on her ear. He traveled further down and licked between the valley of her breasts, eliciting a moan from her. Reaching around her backside, he unhooked her bra with one hand and tossed it on the floor. Her breasts were two mounds of creamy perfection. He kissed the left one, this time using his tongue to swirl around the sensitive flesh until his lips covered her nipple. She cried out his name in ecstasy, her reaction nearly driving him mad with lust while he sucked on it. Then he devoted the same attention to the right one.

The telepath continued his journey down south, briefly stopping to make a swirl around her navel. When his lips finally reached her panties, he hooked his forefingers around the elastic band and peeled the last piece of clothing off her body.

Completely bare to him now, Raven blushed and squeezed her legs together. Charles would have none of it, though. He spread her knees apart and revealed her damp core to his hungry gaze. Giving her a small taste of things to come, he ran his index finger along her center.

The blonde moved against him and whimpered, "Don't stop."

He grinned in satisfaction, increasing the speed of his strokes. She groaned in frustration, clutching the bedspread, her body still aching for more. After he put one finger inside of her, she hissed and arched her back off the mattress, following his slow but steady thrusts. Adding a second finger, he couldn't believe how hot and wet she was, her walls clinching around him.

"Take me, Charles," she begged. "I want all of you."

Removing his sticky fingers from her damp core, he got off the bed to shove his briefs down and kick them aside. Long and painfully hard, the cool night air that came through the open window caused his cock to twitch. He climbed back on the bed, settled himself between her legs, and leaned in to give her a soft kiss on the lips.

"I love you," he whispered before entering her with one swift thrust.

Raven cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure from the sensation of him being inside her, trembling against his body. Charles could tell that she hadn't been with anyone for quite some time—possibly no one since Erik. Concerned, he gave her a peck on the cheek and asked if she wanted to stop. She shook her head and told him to keep going. He nodded, taking comfort in her tight body, moving in and out of her slowly… evenly… until she could adjust. Once she did, she clawed at his back, leaving red scratch marks everywhere, and wrapped her legs around him.

"Harder, Charles! Faster!"

With no more need of encouragement, he quickened his pace, slamming his stiff member into her relentlessly and fulfilling his carnal desires at long last. On and on the lovers went, moving together in unison, almost seeing stars the closer they got to their peaks. An earth-shattering cry emitted from Raven's throat when her climax came, and his soon followed, collapsing on top of her.

Panting and covered in a thin sheen of sweat, he kissed her forehead, wondering if she was okay. She smiled and kissed him soundly to assure him that she was. He pulled himself out of her, rolled onto his side, and draped a protective arm around her slender waist.

Twenty minutes later, Charles and a blue-skinned Raven were basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Spent but content, their bodies were tangled in the sheets, fingers intertwined, while they held each other close, neither one breaking their locked gaze.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," he whispered to her in the dark.

"Hurt me?"

"For not being more open-minded about your feelings and appearance. It was wrong of me to convince you that hiding was the only way to protect yourself."

"You did what you thought was best for me."

"I didn't allow you to be yourself, and because of that I lost you."

"We both made mistakes."

"I will never forgive myself for letting you go."

"No matter where I was, or what I was doing, or who I was with, I couldn't get you out of my heart because I knew no one would ever care about me as much as you did."

"Not even Erik?"

"You're the only man I've ever loved."

Touched by her heartfelt words, the pacifist intellectual cupped her cheek and drew her into a deep kiss.

The sound of birds chirping awoke Charles the next morning. He lazily rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, noticing that he could no longer feel the lower half of his body, for the affects of Hank's serum had worn off. He turned over to his other side, expecting to find Raven next to him, yet his eyes widened in shock when he saw that she was gone. Instead, he found a tray of food and a handwritten note waiting for him. Unconcerned about eating, he used his hands to sit himself up and snatched the note from the wooden tray, anxious to read it.

Dear Charles,

I know you're going to be upset with me for not staying, but I meant what I said before. This isn't my home anymore.
Our talk helped me see that you accept and love me for who I am. You believed in me, fought for me when no one else would. You see the best in everyone. Please don't ever lose that gift.
I also want you to know that I don't regret what we did. What we shared last night was beautiful and I will treasure it forever. I hope you will, too.
We walked down the same path for many years and gone our separate ways. Perhaps our paths will cross again someday, but until then, just know that my heart belongs to you.

Love always,

Your Raven

A/N: Should I write a sequel? Please review! :)