*cough* It's only been... 2 years? Whoops. Oh well. I'm writing again, if that's any consolation. At least for another week or so, and then I go back for my final week of college ever (someone please send help and sanity).

I have no idea how far I am realistically going to get on my stories during my brief return and I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. My aim is to finish Perks completely, but... that thing keeps growing every time I sit down to write it, so that might not happen. I am also working on my own stories that are available over at FictionPress (same pen name, if anyone's interested in reading those), so that is obviously going to take up a lot of my time. But I shall be on here when I can!

Hopefully everyone hasn't given up on me completely, although I'll completely understand if you guys have. I love you all the same, because I know how exhausting it is for your favorite author to disappear for literal years at a time. But if you're still reading, feel free to review and tell me what you think!

Perks of Being a Telepath

Chapter 59: Last Resorts

It never ceased to amaze Erik how many different ways the CIA came up with to capture mutants. Some of them were obvious—tracking them down and arresting them for various, made-up charges was a practice that had been employed long before the world knew that mutants existed—while some of them were just downright cruel, such as the plans for a machine that could track the DNA mutations in the blood in a way similar to how Cerebro operated, and then kill them from afar. He had seen the machine's plans during one CIA raid a few months prior, but feeling the metal that constructed it while he was standing outside the base was another thing altogether.

He hadn't returned to Westchester after Raven disappeared, knowing that as long as she was gone, Charles wouldn't rest. Instead, Erik had tracked her down using skills he hadn't needed since he and Charles had made peace after Cuba.

He had followed her to a small military base in Nebraska, where apparently, the CIA had been building its next great threat against the mutants. Erik had a feeling he knew why Angel and Azazel were here. The CIA needed test subjects to see if their machine worked, and who better to test it on than eager volunteers with no families to miss them?

Erik was no stranger to the horrors of man. He had Shaw to thank for that.

Birds sang in the trees that surrounded the base, completely oblivious to the horrors that were going on inside the single concrete building that lay in the middle of their home. Erik focused on their melody for a few minutes, using the gentle sounds to center himself instead of letting blind rage and past horrors to guide his powers.

He did occasionally listen to what Charles had to tell him.

Raven's position was uncertain—she was much too intelligent to use metal on her person that would make her easily locatable—but Erik knew she was close. He only hoped that she was smart enough not to go directly to wherever Angel and Azazel were; surely, they were being guarded by the CIA.

As if the world were laughing at him, a loud, far too recognizable scream split the air.

Schibe.

Hank let out a weary sigh and took his glasses off. He set them on a table with one hand, using the other to attempt to rub the growing headache out of his mind.

Raven was unconscious, heavily sedated, and breathing deeply on one of Hank's lab tables. She looked so peaceful, save for the bruises on her temple and face. It was hard to believe that only the night before, she had attempted to murder Charles.

The scientist stared at her sadly. Whatever romance had once existed between them was long gone, but they still had a deep respect for each other and her friendship was one that Hank valued highly. He would give anything to be able to fix her, to undo the damage that Cain had wrought.

Unfortunately, Hank knew that was virtually impossible. Charles had said as much the night before when they had returned back to the mansion. Although the telepath had been exhausted, barely conscious, and projecting the vast majority of his frayed emotions and pain, he had made sure Erik was all right before stumbling down to Hank's lab to try to fix Raven.

Hank had found him a few moments after Charles' attempt to gain access to her mind. How the scientist wished he hadn't, so he wouldn't have had to see the absolutely devastated look on the telepath's face. The last time Charles had looked even remotely close to that was right after Cuba.

Charles had looked up from Raven's unconscious form, blood dripping steadily from his forehead and nose, his blue eyes lost.

"I lost her."

His voice had been a croak, threatening to break right then and there. Hank had been at a complete loss of what to do, wondering half-heartedly if he should go find Erik—the only person, outside of Raven, capable of dealing with Charles when he was like this.

But Hank hadn't been able to move. Instead, he changed the subject.

"You should let me fix that head wound."

If his fear bled through into his voice—the idea of what would happen if Charles lost control again, if Raven couldn't be saved—then neither one of them commented on it.

Instead, Charles had merely touched his fingers against his head wound, his face contorting with a different kind of pain.

"Oh."

Hank let out a gentle, frustrated growl. Stupid, masochistic telepaths.

Charles looked reproachful at that.

"I don't like the pain, Hank."

The scientist sighed and wandered over to his first aid box. He grabbed a package of sutures and some alcohol swabs.

They had sat in silence for a few minutes, Charles barely flinching as Hank carefully stitched up his wound.

Hank had finished quickly, plastering a white bandage over the stitches.

"Be careful with that. And get some rest."

"Thank you, Hank."

The telepath stood, surprisingly well balanced for all the trauma he had been through, and glanced at his watch with a grimace.

"I'll return in an hour or so. Keep an eye on Raven for me."

He had stumbled out of the lab almost two hours ago, now. Hank debated whether or not he should risk leaving Raven momentarily so he could grab a change of clothes and a cup of coffee.

Before he could make a decision, voices could be heard on the stairs. He recognized them instantly, of course, as Charles and Erik's.

The two looked slightly better than the last time Hank had seen them. Erik, at least, had managed to squeeze in a shower and a change of clothes. He was carrying a mug of coffee. Charles still looked relatively the same, except for the two large cups of tea in his hands.

They were conversing softly, though Hank hardly needed his enhanced hearing to know they were talking about what happened in Erik's head the night before.

While the scientist barely understood half of what Charles had said—something about memory replacement, a false life, parallel timelines, and the very real possibility that Erik almost hadn't been Erik after all of that—he did know that Erik was going to be okay, relatively speaking. Hank knew the metal bender well enough to know the guilt of hurting Charles was going to keep the older man up for months to come.

Charles handed one of the cups of tea to Hank, who took it gratefully. The blue lion didn't mind the fact that neither man had so much as acknowledged his presence otherwise—he was rather used to it, to be honest. Charles and Erik had a rather annoying habit of disappearing into a world of their own.

Erik was in the middle of talking about Cain, when he was overcome with a massive coughing fit. He stifled it be swallowing a mouthful of coffee, but Hank and Charles looked at him in alarm.

The metal bender let out a sigh that came out more as a growl.

"I'm fine."

Hank resisted the urge to roll his eyes, taking a large sip of his tea. It was chamomile—his favorite. He sent a wordless thank you to Charles, before settling in at his lab stool.

Charles looked like he was ready to argue with Erik, before deciding against it. Instead, he perched on the edge of Raven's lab table turned bed and wrapped both his hands around his mug.

Erik settled on to another lab stool across the table.

"What is your plan, Charles?"

He spoke carefully and gently, as though he were approaching a wild animal. Given what Hank had seen last night, the scientist reckoned this wasn't an altogether terrible approach.

Charles was quiet for a moment, taking a sip of his tea.

"I tried a direct approach twice last night with no results. Her mind is barricaded. I thought that by killing—I thought that by taking Cain out of the equation, things might have changed. But I was wrong."

Hank let out a soft growl, ignoring Erik's look of concerned guilt at Charles' word choices.

"Are we sure Cain is dead?"

He was met with one rather amused look and one look that was borderline murderous. Hank had to remind himself that Erik was not going to kill him. They were on the same side.

Charles smiled sadly. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Yes, Hank. Though, to be fair, that is a good question."

The last part, he spoke to Erik, who didn't look remotely calmer by the telepath's words.

Hank gave a one-shouldered shrug.

Charles continued.

"I didn't want to do this until I had exhausted all of my other options, but I fear that I have no other choice. We're going to have to wake Raven up."

Hank protested instantly.

"The last time she was conscious, she tried to choke you!"

Erik looked wary.

"Why?"

Charles looked pained.

"I don't have the power to disable Raven's mental barriers the way I did yours, Erik, unless I can somehow instigate an emotion strong enough for her to believe that Cain's implanted reality is false."

A deep hum filled the lab as every metal surface and object vibrated with poorly concealed fear and anger as the meaning of Charles' words hit Erik.

"No."

"Erik…."

"No, Charles. You are not waking her up so that you can let her use you as a punching bag in some suicidal attempt to fix her mind!"

Charles glared.

"There's no other way."

Erik's glare was fiercer.

"There's always another way."

As much as Hank hated to admit it, he reluctantly agreed with Charles. While he wasn't entirely sure what all had caused Erik's return to himself last night, the scientist did know that Charles' telepathy alone hadn't been enough. All the power in the world couldn't save someone who didn't want to be saved; some part of the fight had to be placed on Raven's own shoulders. And if she didn't believe that the reality in front of her was real, she was never going to understand why she needed to be saved, nor would Charles ever be able to reach her.

Hank let out a soft sigh.

"The professor is right, Erik."

The metal bender whipped his head around, his eyes cold and furious. Hank swallowed hard and refused to back down, reminding himself again that Erik wouldn't kill him. Or at least, the scientist amended, he hoped not.

Charles intervened.

"Erik, calm down. This isn't Hank's fault. You're overreacting."

Erik's hands balled into fists as he turned back to the telepath.

"Charles, you're not reacting enough! Raven nearly killed you the last time she was conscious."

"And so did you, but you don't see anyone throwing a fit about it."

The taller man visibly recoiled at the words, and even Hank was surprised that Charles dared say such a thing. It was rare, and only in times when Charles was hurting, that he would use Erik's crimes against him.

Erik was silent for a minute, the fight between protecting Charles and knowing that Charles was right visible on his face. Charles looked like he had just been force fed poison, but refused to take back what he had said.

The telepath shifted his gaze to Raven. When he spoke, his voice was soft and apologetic.

"It's our only chance of getting her back, Erik. We can't lose her."

"And there is no other way?"

Charles shook his head.

"I don't see one."

The lab stopped vibrating and the metal bender's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I'm staying here."

Charles' lips quirked into the barest hints of a smile.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

Erik glared at the telepath.

"And if she gets anywhere close to hurting you, I will knock her out myself."

Charles nodded, looking at Hank.

"Are you ready, Hank?"

The scientist nodded.

"Let's do this."