Okay, so some info about this AU. Erik and Charles are somewhere in their mid-twenties (25-27) and Raven is 19. Erik's mother was murdered in front of him by a mug when he was a boy. I think that everything else is clear.

English isn't my first language, so there might be some mistakes.

Enjoy! And feedback is love xxx

He knocked on the door expecting to see his old friend. However, the person who answered his call did not have short brown hair or blue eyes. That person wasn't even male.

The person at the threshold was a beautiful girl - no, a beautiful young woman - with golden curls falling almost to her waist and green eyes. She looked hesitant, almost scared, like a deer that has spotted a hunter with his rifle pointed at it. She was a lovely doe, and he was the predator.

He smiled sweetly at her. It was a smile innocent with just a touch of mischief on the side. She blushed and called over her shoulder, "Charles! There's a man here!"

They stood there, looking at each other, blue eyes locked with green ones, as if they were the only people in the whole world. Erik knew that what he was doing was wrong as the exquisite creature before him was most likely his friend's girlfriend, but he simply could not resist. She was a magnet, pulling him to her with a force that he could not possibly fight.

And then his friend was there and the spell was broken.

"Erik? What a lovely surprise!"

"Hello, Charles," he responded and noticed the almost indiscernible shiver that went through the blond enchantress's body as she heard his voice for the first time. It was nothing like her probably-boyfriend's posh accent.

The two men embraced, glad to see each other again after all that time. The two of them had met in college and had become best friends. Not immediately of course; but with time they learned to trust each other and share their well-guarded secrets with one another.

With a hand on his friend's shoulder, a delighted Charles began to speak. "I'm so glad you're here! But why didn't you tell me? I could have picked you up and made sure we had some more food - and...oh, how rude of me. Erik, this is my sister Raven. Raven, this is my dear friend Erik."

The golden-haired angel blushed once again as she became the center of attention. Erik loved the soft red colour on her cheeks. He actually loved a lot of things on her and he didn't even know her.

"Sister?" he asked quite surprised. "From what Charles has told me, I expected you to be a kid. Charles, you old sport, your sister is a beautiful woman, not a little girl."

Raven's cheeks got even redder. Erik realised at that moment that he wanted to make her blush on more occasions. He also wanted to make her smile and laugh.

"Come on, my friend," Charles said, choosing to ignore Erik's comment on his adopted sister, "don't just stand there. Come in. There's plenty of room for you."

In Charles's study, they had plenty of time and the required privacy to catch up. They told each other what they had done with their lives all this time that they had been apart. Erik listened to his friend carefully, but his thoughts were occupied by another person entirely.

"Tell me about your sister," he said at some point.

Charles cleared his throat. "What do you want me to tell you about her?" he asked.

Erik shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps why you always talked to me about a little girl instead of a young woman. Or, maybe, why she appears so awkward when meeting strangers."

Charles sighed. It was obvious that he did not want to discuss those matters, but his best friend had posed those questions. There were no secrets between them.

"All right...Well, you know how fucked up my family is, right?"

Erik nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yes, well, Raven was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I finally had a friend. Someone who understood me, someone I could talk to...From the very beginning I felt responsible for her; I wouldn't let anyone harm her. I love her too much, Erik."

Erik could imagine that Raven could offer solace and comfort to anyone who needed it, with her kind face and sympathetic eyes. However, he said, "I don't quite understand what that has to do..."

"I...I may be a little overprotective," Charles admitted. "She's so beautiful, every guy would want to make her his. I don't want her to be used. I can't bear the thought of anyone breaking her heart. She's my little sister, I have to make sure that she will never be sad or exploited."

Erik nodded while deep in thought. So, Raven was a modern day Rapunzel, locked up in her tower. Although she had beautiful blond hair like the character from the fairytale, it was not long enough for her prince to climb up and be with her. However, Erik was no prince. Erik was a cunning predator. He had come in through the door and he would make Raven his. He would seduce her, he would devour her.

No, he was no prince. He would play the role of the Big Bad Wolf.

He knew that he would have to tread lightly, with caution and care. Raven was innocent. He didn't want her to fear him. He didn't want to force her into anything. And he didn't want her to tell Charles what was going on. So, he would have to be patient and careful. He could do that. He could calculate all of his moves before making them. And he could wait; she was worth it.

He took things slow with her at first. A brush of his hand against hers as he received an object from her. Softly singing under his breath a song that he knew she liked - he had checked their CDs and had managed to find out which ones were Raven's by merely teasing Charles that he would never listen to this or that.

Yes, he was subtle at his approach. Until the day he wasn't.

One bright, clear morning, as he walked past her room, he found her looking at her reflection on the mirror. Through her open door he did not see a vain person but an insecure one. She was a lovely creature that was unaware of her loveliness.

"You're beautiful; you know that, right?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to look at him. She was so startled that she couldn't even blush at first. But, sure enough, the familiar and adorable red colour spread on her cheeks as she processed his words.

He looked at her from top to bottom. Her figure was as lovely as her face. She had the curves of a woman but she had never felt a boy's - or a man's - touch. Her foster brother kept her locked away from all those who wanted to worship her as the goddess that she was.

He left without another word. He had done enough for the day.

That night the Little Red Riding Hood went to the Big Bad Wolf.

When he opened the door of the room Charles had so generously offered him, he was met with a surprise. As he slowly closed the door, he tried to convince himself that this was indeed true and that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. Raven was there, lying on the bed, her nudity covered by a sheet. The sheet was white, the colour of purity and innocence. Her colour.

"Raven," her name came out of his lips like a prayer. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you mean what you said this morning?" she asked uncertainly. "Do you find me beautiful?"

"I do."

She smiled, and it was the sweetest thing that Erik had ever seen.

"I...I never knew if I'm like what men desire...I've never felt like a woman. I've always been Charles's little sister. Nothing more. Just a little girl."

"You're not a girl anymore, Raven. You're a beautiful woman...But you haven't answered my question yet: what are you doing here?"

All of a sudden the sweet smile vanished from her angelic face and was replaced by a hurt look. It reminded Erik of his mother right before he was murdered in front of him. He never wanted to see anyone like that again. The memory hurt him too much.

"Don't you want me?" she asked in a small voice.

He sighed. "Of course I do," he replied. "But you are Charles's sister. And you're still so young."

"I can marry at the age of 16," she said, her tone stubborn now. "What does my age have to do with anything?"

He sat on the bed next to her. He wanted this, oh he wanted this so badly, but... "Your first should be someone your own age, don't you think?"

"No," she told him defiantly. "I want you."

It seemed that they leaned in at the same time. What really mattered, though, was that their lips met. Once again he went slow with her. He was tender until she made it clear that she wanted more. Things got heated; their passion burned them so fiercely that it was surprising that flames did not jump out of their fingertips.

He asked for her permission, ever the true gentleman. She gave it to him. And he became her first lover.

They had had a movie marathon. Afterwards, a tired and drowsy Charles had retired to his room. Shortly after that, Raven nestled in Erik's arms. Although Erik had been a lonely person most of his life, he welcomed her soft body against his.

They hadn't told Charles anything, but both of them suspected that he already knew. He did appear a little sad as his sister had another man in her life apart from him, but he was also happy because his two favourite people in the world were together.

"Haven't you ever thought of sneaking out?" Erik asked, genuinely curious.

Raven sighed. "I tried it twice, but Charles always got me. It's like he has a sixth sense or something. So, I surrendered to going out with him only."

"Don't you want to be free?"

She didn't look at him. Maybe she found it easier to speak the truth without gazing at someone. "Yes," she whispered.

He looked at her shiny blond hair. He caressed her arm. He pulled her closer to him. He had come to care a lot about her during his stay. Perhaps a little too much.

"Would you like to go away with me?"

She looked at him. "Go where?"

"Anywhere you want."

He knew that he was asking too much. She had grown up with Charles. All her life had been centered around him. Although they were not related by blood, they were brother and sister and loved each other very much. Who was he to ask her to severe a tie like that?

Just as he was about to tell her to forget all about it, she gave him her answer, "Yes."