"You did."

At those two little words, Erik's gaze returned to his friend.

Moira was released and she fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Erik didn't even notice as he whispered to Charles mournfully, "Us turning on each other, it's what they want. I tried to warn you, Charles."

Charles gazed up at his friend with equal sorrow as Erik pleaded, "I want you by my side. We're brothers, you and I. All of us together, protecting each other."

Erik peered down at his friend.

"We want the same thing."

"Oh, my friend." Charles gasped at last, a tear escaping him and trickling down his cheek as he gazed up at Erik. "I'm sorry, but we do not."

His eyes were apologetic but firm as he stared Erik in the eye, and Erik stared back silently for a moment. His gaze was searching, but all he found was the same answer - the answer he'd known deep down he would find.

Finally Erik lifted his head and he motioned to Moira.

She was fast to react, rushing over and Moira gasped as she took Erik's place as Charles's support, "Charles! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's all right. It's all right." Charles murmured as Moira sobbed over him, begging his forgiveness that he already gave.

Erik meanwhile turned back to his fellow mutants - the only people he had left.

"This society won't accept us." He called, gesturing to them all. "We form our own. The humans have played their hand."

He pointed to the fleet that still stood, the smoke from the missiles they had launched still filling the air like a poisonous fog.

"Now we get ready to play ours. Who's with me?"

He looked at Evie as he spoke, silently asking - pleading - one last time.

A tear slipped down her face, but Evie shook her head. She couldn't follow him where he was planning to go; she knew that now more than ever. She had never hated humans, only cruelty and injustice - and it was clear Erik sought both in his future. In his battle against humanity. He had proven that today.

Erik's jaw locked at Evie's rejection, and his eyes travelled along before resting on Raven.

The blue-skinned mutant was watching him, her yellow eyes uncertain, and Erik held out his hand to her.

"No more hiding." He murmured.

That sealed Raven's choice, and he knew her answer from the way her gaze turned determined. Evie closed her eyes against the fresh tears as she watched Raven walk away from the others, knowing her former friend's choice as well as Erik did. She wasn't surprised, not after what she'd thought she had seen… but it did little to lessen the pain in the bleeding remains of her heart.

Charles too knew Raven's choice as his foster sister knelt down beside him for one last time, and he whispered to her, "You should go with him. It's what you want."

Raven smiled sadly and she murmured, "You promised me you would never read my mind."

"I know." Charles replied regretfully and remorsefully. "I promised you a great many things, I'm afraid. I'm sorry."

He kissed her hand and Raven kissed his forehead before she looked at Moira.

"Take care of him." She requested of the agent.

Moira nodded and Raven moved to take Erik's outstretched hand.

To no-one's surprise, Angel, Azazel and Riptide also moved to take Erik's offered hand, and in a line that was eerily familiar to the group of friends, the beginnings of what would become the Brotherhood stood in a tall line on the edge of the Cuban beach.

"And, Beast!" Raven called one more time as Azazel prepared to take them away. "Never forget. Mutant and proud."

Hank lowered his gaze, unable to look. And with that, Erik… no, Magneto, and Mystique, Angel, Azazel, and Riptide disappeared in a flash of red smoke.

Instantly, the team moved toward Charles. At Lisa's pulling insistence, Alex went to fetch Evie where she was still kneeling in the open hole in Shaw's submarine, while the others knelt down beside Charles in concern.

All the while Moira pleaded desperately, "Help me out, come on."

As Hank came to relieve her of Charles's weight, Moira told Charles worriedly. "I'm gonna get you to a hospital."

They started to move him as Alex carried a shaken and exhausted Evie over, but Charles cried out in such pain at being jostled that Hank stopped them.

"Wait, don't, Charles." Hank pressed Charles's shoulder comfortingly. "Charles, don't move, okay?"

"I won't." Charles gasped in agreement, his face contorted with pain… and something they couldn't understand. "I can't; actually…"

Hank frowned, trying to understand while Charles opened his eyes to reveal a tortured expression as he stuttered out, "I, I, I, I… I can't feel my legs."

"What?" Moira whispered in shock while Hank leant back slightly in stunned understanding.

"I can't feel my legs." Charles repeated, his voice breaking with each admission. "I can't feel my legs."

Evie let out a noise like a small wail and Lisa held onto her friend tightly. Sean collapsed beside the group while Alex placed a grim hand on Lisa's shoulder as they remained gathered around Charles while Moira and Hank looked at each other with wide, hopeless eyes as Charles continued to cry quietly on the empty, Cuban beach.

Some months later

Moira rolled Charles around outside in his mansion gardens, keeping him company while helping him enjoy a breath of fresh air.

"So, how many students do you think you'll have here once you get the academy up and running?" She asked curiously, picking up on the conversation Charles had initiated when he'd revealed his plans for the future to her.

"As many as I can manage." Charles chuckled as he looked at his old family home fondly. "Possibly more."

Moira smiled too, before she slow them down to a stop.

"You know," Moira began as she moved around Charles's wheelchair to be right beside him. "One day the government is going to realize how lucky they were to have Professor X on their side."

Charles huffed out a sigh and he murmured, "I suppose I am a real professor now, aren't I? Next thing you know, I'll be going bald."

Moira laughed at his light joke, but she grew more serious as Charles looked at her and said sincerely "We're still on the government's side, Moira. We're still G-men. Just without the 'G'."

Moira hummed as she looked up at the sky for a moment.

"No." She answered thoughtfully, looking back at Charles. "You're your own team now. It's better. You're…"

She searched for the right word.

"X-Men."

Charles chuckled at that, smiling brighter than he had since that terrible day on the beach.

"Yes, I like the sound of that." Charles smiled.

Moira grinned too, happy to see him doing so much better, but then Charles called her softly.

"Moira?"

Moira looked at him questioningly, and Charles's gaze was suddenly much older, wiser… sadder.

"For us," he began in a voice that trembled just a little. "Anonymity will be the first line of defense."

"I know." Moira answered instantly and reassuringly, leaning down to be face to face with Charles in her sincerity as she made her promise to him.

"They can threaten me all they want, Charles. I'll never tell them where you are. Ever."

Charles smiled, but the expression did little to hide his pain as he replied, "I know you won't."

That small smile should have warned Moira, as should have Charles's next words as he leant in close to her.

"I know."

Moira felt Charles's soft lips on hers, felt the briefest moment of tenderness… and then she was falling back, unconscious. All memory of them and their adventures erased from her consciousness.

Hank was there to catch her, having been watching the whole time at Charles's request. Sean and Alex joined the blue mutant, the two males silently helping Hank in carrying Moira away while Charles turned his head to stare into the distance so he wouldn't watch as she was taken away. His team would be sure to make sure she was safely returned home, he knew that. He trusted them with his life.

A soft noise from behind sounded, a footfall on the gravel, and Charles greeted quietly, "How are you, Evie?"

"Doing better." Evie replied just as quietly.

She remained standing beside him in silence for a moment before she revealed, "Lisa suggested I come out."

"I know she did." Charles replied and Evie hummed.

"How are the dreams?" Charles asked after a while and Evie laughed without humour.

"You can call them nightmares, Charles. That's what they are, and saying otherwise isn't going to keep them at bay any more than calling it like it is will."

"Apologies, Evie." Charles replied with a heavy sigh. "I had only hoped to be delicate."

"I know you did."

Another long moment of silence passed between them, before Evie spoke.

"Charles?"

"Hm?" He asked though he already had a fair idea what she was going to say.

"Does it hurt?"

Ah… there it was. Charles closed his eyes briefly before opening them and looking at Evie for the first time since she had joined him.

She looked very little like the girl he had first met several months ago. She was thinner in an unhealthy way, given how thin she'd already been that first night he'd met her. Her hair was longer but hung limp and her eyes had permanent shadows beneath them that she hid with makeup now that she was - as Lisa hoped valiantly - on the mend. Charles knew that deep down Lisa knew the truth too, but none of them ever mentioned how blue Evie's eyes were since her tears had dried on that terrible beach.

"Yes." Charles answered Evie honestly. "I doubt it will stop for a while."

Evie nodded gratefully for his honest response, ducking her head a little in apology for the insensitivity of her question so soon. But Charles took her hand and he squeezed it in understanding and forgiveness - after all, if anyone understood his pain, it was Evie.

They remained in peaceful and quiet company until at last Charles said, "Well, I had best get back inside. There are many arrangements to be done if we are to start the school."

Evie hummed in agreement, but she appeared preoccupied. This was nothing new and Charles was about to leave her to her thoughts when she called softly once more.

"Charles?"

"Yes, Evie?" Charles asked, looking at her curiously but Evie was staring off into the distance.

"Do you know German?" She asked, and Charles frowned a little.

This was not a topic he had expected; they had all actively avoided the topic of Erik and Raven and anything related to the pair, especially around Evie. Charles knew the others also trod with care around himself and Hank about the two, so it was quite a surprise that Evie would bring anything related to Erik up and to him of all people.

"A little bit." Charles said carefully, and Evie took a deep breath.

"What does 'Schatz' mean?"

Charles glanced at her in surprise – he'd thought she'd known.

"It means… 'my love' or 'treasure'." Charles answered slowly. "Did you not know that?"

Evie was blinking back tears as she admitted, "I… think I did. At least, a part of me did. I just wasn't sure I wanted to admit it to myself… especially not these last few weeks..."

Charles's eyes softened and he nodded in understanding.

Knowing what she needed now, he rolled himself away to give Evie some privacy.

And as soon as Charles had moved out of hearing distance, Evie broke down. Clutching her chest as she sobbed her heart out, Evie let all the tears that she had been holding back since Cuba fall at last.

"Erik… Erik..." Evie wept, calling out for the man she had loved. The man who had been murdered the day Magneto was born… the day the X-Men and the Brotherhood were formed. And, although they wouldn't know it for another ten years, the day that their choices set things in motion that would define all of them for the rest of their lives.

End of First Arc