Eighteen year old, Remus Lupin had been working as a ship-hand after his school years, just so he'd have a bed and a roof over his head. He wouldn't allow himself to mooch off of Sirius, James or Lily any longer. So the young werewolf departed, with a promise to write that was never fulfilled. The work on the ship was hard, but Remus enjoyed the distraction, full moons were never easy however and he nearly drowned himself each time...just to muffle the shrieks and screams of agony. Yet he still did his job, earned his keep and no one looked a sideways glance at him. They all had secrets. Remus' was just slightly bigger than others. His life was perfectly boring until the coast-guard showed up to borrow the ship, and they were dragged far out to sea. Only to confront a much smaller ship that had a strange metal tendril lifting itself in the air, Remus looking around frantically for the wizard or witch who was doing it. But he saw no one except for a man in the water near the other ship who seemed to be manipulating it with his bare hands. He wasn't a wizard, and Remus' heart sank at the thought of what he'd gotten himself into. Suddenly the tendril in question began to rip and tear through the other ship like it was made of wet paper, Remus screamed for the man to stop, but his voice obviously wasn't heard over the screams of the wind. He shoved his way through several crew hands, running as fast as he could to the bottom deck. Just in time to watch the tendril fall lifeless after destroying the ship, and for the man to latch on to another boat, a submarine that was slowly dragging him under. He was going to drown! By Merlin's bloody hat, he was going to die!

"LET GO! YOU HAVE TO LET GO!"

Another man's voice was screaming as Remus was running for the lower deck. He needed to stop this man, he wasn't going to let him drown. Remus was screaming words that he wasn't sure were even words as he waved his arms frantically to the stubborn man. The werewolf only ran faster and harder when he saw the man's head disappear under the waves of frothy water. Then he practically threw himself off the ship right then as he saw a second man throw himself off to swim towards the other man. Both of them were under the waves and drowning, he would never forgive himself if he let them die. He shrieked in warning before throwing himself off the ship and swimming as fast as he could towards them, once he reached them, he grabbed each man by the collar and yanked them up sputtering and fighting with one another, to the surface.

"Get off me! How were you in my mind?"

"I'm like you Erik!"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!"

Remus bellowed making Erik and the other man turn to him in shock. He tried to imagine what they saw, a baby-faced teenage boy, covered in scars telling them to shut up. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but Remus wasn't really thinking as he wrapped his long skinny arms around both their waists. The other man who wasn't Erik was looking at him with a peculiar expression on his face, like he was trying to accomplish something but couldn't. Then he realized...he was trying to read his mind, something that was impossible after so many years of Occlumency lessons at Hogwarts.

"Why can't I read your-?"

"It's not important right now! I need you both to hold on to me, shut your eyes tightly and try not to vomit."

Remus shut his own eyes and pictured the ship's hull in his mind's eye, before Apparating there. Suddenly he gave a short yelp as he was pressed very hard from all directions, his lungs were being squeezed so tightly that he could not breathe and his nose and eyes were being forced back into his head, his ears were pounding like sledge hammers and he could feel the meager contents of his stomach swishing about inside of him as they toppled out of control. It was like being shoved through a tiny tube covered in broken glass, he could only imagine in sympathy what the two Muggles on either side of him were feeling. He just hoped they were still alive as he'd never used Side-Along Apparition on Muggles before. Finally there was a crack like a car engine back firing and all three men toppled onto the deck, the two Muggles then released their hold on him and were left panting on the ground. Remus was dizzy for a moment, but quickly sat up, making sure that neither of his charges had been splinched. That would have been ghastly and he wasn't sure if he had enough Dittany to reattach anything big, such as an arm or a leg. Luckily, both men seemed to be in one piece, despite being soaking wet and having a near chance of getting hypothermia.

"W-Who are you?"

That was the man who's name he'd yet to learn, he had tried to speak through chattering teeth and icy frosted lips. Remus stilled for a moment, what was he supposed to say...he couldn't very well say his name was Remus Lupin and that he was a wizard, it would put the entire wizarding world in danger. No, he'd just have to make it up as he went along.

"Moony, you can call me Moony."

"Y-You're among friends here, Moony. We're mutants, just like you. I'm Charles Xavier by the way."

Charles sent a reassuring smile towards Remus, who just stiffened and remained silent. He was thinking of the people whom were still in the water's icy clutches. The two small boats that had flipped over before the tendril had started rising. He would need to save them as well. The werewolf stood on shaky legs, prompting a surprised look from Charles and a raised eyebrow from Erik. Both men were still shivering fiercely and Remus sent them a small reassuring smile as he turned to a few crew-hands in the small circle of concerned on-lookers that had formed around them.

"Get them inside with as many towels and blankets as you can find. I'll be back with the others."

He barked, an authoritative edge slipping into his voice as he closed his eyes and Apparated back into the icy seawater. He was instantly shivering and panting in the cold within moments, luckily the men had managed to stay in three small pocket groups, desperately trying to keep warm. Remus quickly swam to the first group that he could reach and wrapped his long arms around the three shivering, blue-lipped men. He found himself hoping they would lose consciousness, at least it would dull the pain and discomfort of Apparating. The third time around, the Apparating process wasn't so bad for him but he could feel the three bodies pressed against him, quivering and shaking...one of them vomited on his shoulder, but he couldn't bring himself to care in the slightest. Once they reached the deck, Remus gently set the prone bodies of the men on the ground before Apparating back out. He was feeling quite sick by that point, his head spinning and his vision darkening and blurring at the edges. But he had to save them, he couldn't leave them when he was the only one who could save them.

By the time he'd brought the last man on the ship, he was vomiting up water and pale as a sheet. He'd stopped shivering long ago and was on his hands and knees, unable to stand anymore due to his fumbling legs and useless muscles. His speech was slurred whenever a crew-hand or someone else tried to speak to him and he couldn't remember which way was up and which was down anymore. The werewolf was lucky that he'd yet to lose consciousness. Finally someone took pity on the young man and carried him inside the ship with the rest of the men he'd rescued. They laid him down on a low cot and covered him with a thin blanket. He was finally beginning to slip into blissful unconsciousness when he felt a strong hand grasp him by the collar and heave him upwards, shoving a warm coffee into his frozen hands. Remus blinked blearily at Erik and Charles, both had concerned looks on their faces, Charles more so than Erik...but it was still there if you squinted. Erik was the one who'd heaved him upwards and forced the drink into his hands.

"Are you alright, Moony?" Charles asked, concern evident in his accented voice. An accent that made Remus smile drowsily.

"...m'fine...tired." He slurred under his breath, smile still in its place. Erik with surprising gentleness, took the cup out of Remus's frozen fingers and rested it on a nearby table, releasing the young werewolf's collar so that he could lay back down. "Let the boy sleep then." He barked as an explanation and Charles nodded in agreement as Remus dozed off, thin fingers curled into his blanket and his wand pressing uncomfortably into his side.

-TimeSkip-

'Moony, come on! We're going to be late for Potions if you don't hurry up!'

'Moony...'

'Moony!'

'MOONY!'

Remus lunged awake abruptly in shock, whimpering and wincing when he ended up toppling off his cot and onto the floor. He gave a low moan and ran a hand through his light brown hair that was sticking up in all directions. Charles was looking down at him in surprise, arm raised as if he'd been shaking him lightly. The older man quickly bent down and extended and arm for Remus to pull himself up with. Then he steadied him when the werewolf's legs threatened to buckle underneath his weight. Remus was still fairly dizzy but it was manageable at the worst. He certainly didn't deserve the immensely concerned look in Charles' warm brown eyes.

"I'm terribly sorry, Moony. Are you alright? We've just docked and there's a car waiting."

Remus just smiled and waved off the concern, folding up his blanket and leaving it on his cot as he followed Charles out of the ship's bunker, then off of the ship itself and into a inconspicuous black vehicle with Erik, Charles, a blonde girl, a dark brown haired woman and dark haired man. He introduced himself to the girl first, as she seemed the least threatening. "Hello, I don't believe we've met. I'm Moony and you are?" He asked politely, extending a scarred and calloused hand as a way of greeting. She blinked at him in surprise before taking the proffered appendage and answering just as politely. "I'm Raven, it's nice to meet you." Remus nodded, "Likewise, Ms. Raven." She seemed to blush for a moment before losing interest in him, prompting him to introduce himself to the others, the woman introduced herself as Moira MacTaggert, while the man as Harry Ford. The drive wasn't very long, be it by the speed of the car or his ability to sleep through anything, they still arrived in record time.

"Welcome to my facility. My mission had been to investigate the effect of supernatural powers on army defense."

Remus realized that Ford was talking but he wasn't really paying attention, he was too enraptured by the building that was looming over them like a giant. Raven was doing the same thing he was, gaping and trying to walk at the same time. But he did register it as Erik spoke negatively. "Or offense." It was easy to see the glare that Charles then directed at the sunglasses-wearing man, however. It was enough to send even Remus quaking in his very shoes. But Ford just kept on talking and Remus' stomach was dropping with every word that he heard. Why I'd these Muggles have to get themselves into so many problems.

"This guy, Shaw...Schmidt...whatever you wanna call him, he's working with the Russians and we'll definitely need your help to stop him." That was when Charles inserted himself into the conversation that Remus was still struggling to follow. "Marvelous, are we to be the CIA's new mutant division?" Ford seemed to blanch for a moment before answering. "Something like that..."

The next thing that Remus knew, they were part-way through the tour and he was staring up at a huge, Muggle airplane missile. They didn't have anything like that in the wizarding world. They really had no need for it. But it was still wondrous to look at none the less. Remus stiffened however, when he heard a new voice enter the mixture, the pitch was strangely similar to James' but not the same as his old friend's. "It's supersonic, the fastest plane ever built. You should see it in real life, it's incredible." The new voice informed them, as a young man probably his own age, came out of the shadows. He had light brown hair, black horn-rimmed glasses, khaki pants and a button-down shirt under his lab-coat. Ford soon smiled as he laid eyes upon him before gesturing towards each of them.

"Hank, these are the special new recruits I was telling you about. This is Hank McCoy, one of our best young researchers." Charles instantly moved forwards to clasp the young man's hand in delight, "How wonderful, another mutant already here. Why didn't you say?" Charles exclaimed, then his smile melted as he looked at Ford's surprised and drawn face. "Say what?" Charles stiffened and looked at Hank in utter and total apology. "Because you don't know...I am so sorry." The British man stepped away from the genius, only prompting Ford to step forwards in surprise. Hank was stammering, unable to say anything as his boss moved towards him, prompting him to speak with a hushed.."Hank?"

"Y-You didn't ask, so I didn't tell." Hank whispered, only to jerk his head upwards as Raven spoke, moving forwards as well. "So your mutation is what...you're super smart?" Charles, as if trying to right a wrong that he'd done, praised Hank. "I'll say...he graduated Harvard at the age of fifteen." But Hank just shook his head, moving slightly backwards as he hung his head, responding softly with a voice laced in shame. "I-I wish that's all it was." But Charles tried to prompt him to not be afraid. "You're among friends Hank, you can show off." The young man gently removed his shoes and black socks, revealing prehensile feet, hairless like a human's, but shaped like a monkey. Just like the Missing Link. Then he prompted everyone to move backwards, before flipping up into the air and grasping the plane, upside down with his bare feet.

"You're amazing!" Raven exclaimed and both he and Erik just stared in shock. Remus wondered what on earth he'd gotten himself into.

-TimeSkip-

That night Remus was asleep in an unfamiliar bed, wearing an oversized pair of checkered boxers and an oversized t-shirt. When he heard some shuffling and rustling under his room. He slipped out of bed to follow the sound which turned out to be Erik, fully dressed and carrying a briefcase. Was he trying to escape? Why? Remus had no idea, but he still had to try and stop him, he owed it to the mutant. The halls were cold against his bare feet, but the young man didn't care as he hurried after his friend. Luckily, Charles headed Erik off before Remus. "From what I know about you, it's a surprise that you've stayed this long." Erik stiffened at the sound of his friend's voice, and he stilled but still didn't return back to the safety of the building.

"What do you know about me?" Erik growled, teeth clenched as he turned around to stare at Charles, eyes seething in anger.

"Everything."

"Then you'll know to stay out of my way." Erik turned back around to leave, but was stilled by Charles voice yet again. "I'm sorry, but I've seen what Shaw did to you, I've felt your pain and your agony. I can help you." Charles whispered, gently moving forwards as if Erik was a frightened animal. "I don't need your help!" Erik practically screamed and Remus sighed. "Yes you do, you needed my help last night. Here, you have a chance to be part of something better than yourself. I won't stop you leaving, even though I could." Charles whispered and Remus felt his chest start to ache, Erik was just like Sirius. The same stubborn and partially irritating personality.

"He killed your parents, he killed your mother right in front of you. If you leave now, you're letting him ruin you."

Remus whispered, coming out of the shadows. Surprising both men who just studied him silently. "He made it impossible for you to trust people, for you to have family or friends. You need to show him that you haven't let it effect your life. Just try Erik, please." Remus thought of his own parents, of the way that Fenrir Greyback slaughtered them in front of his own eyes. He could remember their screams, but he desperately tried to push the familiar thoughts away, they were unwelcome in his mind. Charles then chimed in as well. "Even Shaw has friends, you could do with some."

Erik nodded and slowly turned around to follow both his friends inside. Then he made a strange choking noise that made both men turn to him in concern. "You look like an overgrown child, Moony." He gestured to his boxers, shirt, bare feet and tousled hair. Remus couldn't help laughing.