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Charles always loved the outdoors. Ever since he was a little boy he was always running around the family estate with his father and mother. He loved the feel of the wind on his face, the earth underneath his toes, the grass against his fingertips. When Summer would change into Fall, he would jump into the piles of leaves with Raven. They would run across fields of dead corn stocks and pick Fall apples from the trees, gorging themselves until their tummies hurt. Fall would soon change into Winter, but still despite the harsh cold, Charles and Raven would be outside. They would fall into the fluffy white snow and make snow angels, have snow ball fights and build snow forts. They would skate on the estates massive pond whenever it was cold enough to freeze. Spring would bring about the non stop rains, large puddles and muddy earth. The maids would always fuss over them when they would come back inside soaked to the bone and covered in mud. These where the things that Charles loved the most.
But even as he grew older, the seasonal joys never stopped. They didn't stop when his father passed away. They didn't stop when his mother retreated into herself with a bottle of whatever alcohol she could find around the house. They didn't stop after his mother passed away from an alcohol soaked liver. They didn't stop when Cain and his son Kurt left them. They never stopped when they left for England. Whenever Charles had a long break from his studies or when Raven had breaks from her own classes; they would drive across the English country side, dance in fields of green and on the edges of vast cliffs, the ocean churning below. They would travel across Ireland, Scotland and Wales. On summer breaks, they would take the train to France; eat in cosy cafes, visit museums and venture into Paris to see the Eiffel Tower.
Charles may love to be cooped up inside with a good book and a cup of tea but he could never, ever stay away from the beauty of nature.
Even now as he sits in his wheelchair never able to walk again, he surrounds himself with the wonders of the outdoors. Raven stands with him, his darling sister and fellow explorer, as they reconnect with the home that they once left oh so long ago. They take in the sweet taste of Fall air, the wind across their faces, the earth against their finger tips. This is where the Xaviers' belong.
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