"She is wondering where we were the other night," the crystal woman spoke out loud as she settled herself down onto a sun lounger and smirked lightly, changing back into her normal, blonde and beautiful self. The man behind the bar sighed lightly, pushing a hand through his hair and shook his head quickly, downing the champagne which he had just poured into a crystal glass. Riptide chuckled once as he noted the smirk on Emma's face and Azazel remained tight lipped, sitting down on the sun lounger next to Emma's.
"She detests it when you read her thoughts," the leader of the three spoke out loud, managing to down another glass as he winked at Emma and she pushed the sunglasses further onto her eyes with haste, covering her emotion. "I should go and see her."
Sebastian Shaw managed to move himself from behind the bar as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his white designer suit and he walked down the wooden deck of the boat and down the steps into the living area, standing still when he saw the brunette. He remained stood a slight distance back, watching as she ran a hand down her curly hair and pushed the straps of her dress back onto her shoulders where they belonged.
"Why do you not go back to the front of the boat?" Sebastian managed to call out as he walked further down the luxurious carpet and then stopped, sitting on the plush cushioned chair opposite the girl's as she looked at him through her blue eyes.
"I know you had Emma read my mind," she spat. "You know why I am sat here."
"Then you should know that nothing is going on which concerns you Clara," he warned her dangerously. "Enjoy the Miami sunshine whilst we are still here."
"There's an issue though," the brunette spoke. "I know there is something which is going on and the fact you won't tell me what it is worries me."
"It is business Clara," Sebastian drawled, his hands pushing his hair behind his ears. "You need to trust me a little more. I am your father after all and I have done well by you for all these years, have I not?"
"Of course," Clara nodded. "I just don't want anything risky to happen."
"I don't plan to drag you into anything Clara," Sebastian promised her. "You can stay back as much as you want. I understand you're not cut out for this."
"You mean I'm not a mutant and so not worthy of knowing anything?" she said, her voice venomous slightly as Sebastian stood up and looked back up the steps and onto the deck of the boat.
"You really do need to stop placing words into my mouth," Sebastian informed her. "Now stay here. I do believe Colonel Hendry has arrived."
Sebastian moved out onto the boat of the deck as Clara stood up, looking up the steps and realising no one was coming down. She pushed the brown curls behind her shoulders as she looked at her father's desk, lifting up paperwork to see if she could find anything out. But there was nothing. He kept nothing of interest in the room.
...
"The fire isn't that warm Clara," Sebastian told his daughter later on that night when he had finally managed to drag her onto the deck of the boat and he removed his white linen jacket.
"I'm fine," she replied, sitting down on the left hand side of the seat as her father rolled his eyes and placed the jacket onto her lap before turning his attentions to petting Emma. Clara reluctantly placed her arms into the white linen as Riptide watched her avoid all of those stares. Emma did her best not to read the twenty one year olds mind but it was taking a lot of energy considering she was moaning about anything.
"Herr Doktor," Riptide suddenly spoke and Shaw stood up with haste, smirking lightly as Emma moved to his side. Clara remained seated, peering around the bodies of the three mutants as she saw a man in a wet suit stood on the boat. He had his hands clenched into fists as Sebastian spoke something in German to him. Clara finally stood up, wondering what was going on as a dagger flew through the air and Emma grabbed onto it in her hand, her crystal form showing as the man bent over in pain.
"You really do need to let go of the past Erik," Shaw informed the young man whilst Clara remained confused as to what was happening. What was in the past? And who was Erik? "And so I bid you farewell. Riptide, please do the honours."
And with that a large gust of wind shot through the air and Erik fell back into the water. Clara rushed over to the edge and looked down into the water, her hands grabbing onto the metal bars to see if Erik had survived. Before she had a chance to say anything there was the sound of horns and the shouts of threats were heard. She looked up into the blinding lights as her father declared the party had well and truly started.
"What the hell is going on?" she asked her father who smirked back at her.
"They have a telepath on board," Emma informed Shaw. "I've blocked him out."
"Answer me Dad!" Clara yelled at Shaw as his eyes went wide and he saw the metal anchor rise from the water with brute force. He watched as it began to move down and he then grabbed onto Clara's wrist as she fought against him.
"We need to go!" he snapped at his daughter and she pushed him away from her in worry. She barely noticed the following of events as the anchor sliced the deck in half and left her stranded on the half away from her father. He looked at her as she fell backwards, clumsily tripping over her feet like normal people do.
"Clara!" he yelled at her and Emma grabbed him around the arm, dragging him down the boat as Clara stumbled back even further in fear of the flying anchor. Before she could register anything she was in the water.
...
"I'm like you!" Charles snapped at Erik five minutes later as they stood on the side of the large navy boat. Erik remained confused, panting heavily as Charles was handed a blanket and he wrapped it around his shoulders. Raven moved to his side, checking he was okay as he remained staring at Erik.
"What do you mean?" Erik snapped. "You were inside my head...how did you do that?"
"I'm a telepath," Charles explained, spitting some more water from his mouth before his head began to hurt and he grabbed onto it in slight pain, looking into the water with haste and then seeing Moira out the corner of his eyes.
"There's someone out there," he quickly spoke. "Moira...there's someone in the water..."
"Who?" she simply asked and Charles shook his head.
"I don't know. But she fell from Shaw's boat and it isn't the telepath."
"There was another girl on the boat," Erik recalled, coughing for breath. "I don't know who she was."
"I could get a lifeboat to go out and check," Moira suggested and Charles shook his head hastily, his brown hair sticking to his face and his cheeks seeming paler than usual.
"She doesn't have that long," he replied, throwing the blanket from his shoulders as Raven tried to pull him back from the railings.
"No!" she snapped. "You cannot go back in there."
"Someone is in danger," Charles replied. "I have no option."
Charles managed to jump over the railing and fell into the water, his mind guiding him to where this girl was. He swam with increasing might before he saw a piece of metal flying by the side of him. At first he feared danger but then he latched onto the plan. Erik had thrown the anchor in to drag him back when he found her. His legs began to ache as he kicked against the rapid current, listening out to her thoughts until he found her.
"Take hold of my hand," he spluttered, the water lapping around his face as he bobbed up and down in the sea.
"Who are you?" she spat back, grabbing onto his cold hand as he pulled her to him, his arm slipping around her waist as he grabbed onto the anchor chain and it began to move through the water.
"Charles Xavier," he greeted her as she allowed an arm to move around his neck, pulling her out the water slightly.
"Well...what..." she tried to ask a full sentence with coherence but she couldn't manage it as the water in her lung was too much and the energy which she had was too little.
"Save your breath," Charles advised her. "You need the energy."
As they reached the side of the boat, Charles found the steps, allowing Clara to move up them first, her limbs dragging her down along with the white linen jacket she wore over her simply navy blue summer dress. Erik extended a hand, helping her to climb the last two steps and she stood in front of him, her clothes dripping onto the floor of the boat as Charles came to stand beside her, his hands on his hips and he doubled over, breathing deeply for breath. Erik took in the girl's appearance before he dropped her hand from his own, his face turning stricken with hatred and disgust.
"Why did we save her?" Erik snapped loudly as Raven draped another blanket over Charles' shoulders and the telepath shook his head at Erik. "She's his daughter! She is the spitting image of him!"
"Erik, you need to calm yourself," he warned him and Erik shook his head, ignoring Charles' advice as he grabbed onto Clara's wrist tightly and she yelped in pain.
"What are you doing?" she snapped. "Let go of me!"
"Erik," Charles warned.
"What's he planning?" Erik snapped at her, his face close to hers. "What is he going to do?"
"I don't know," Clara spoke, the pain of Erik's grasp hurting her with immensity. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Don't lie!"
"Let her go," Charles demanded, ever the voice of reason as he pushed Erik from Clara, standing in front of her and glaring at the man he stood opposite. "She is telling you the truth Erik. Now I suggest you go and calm down. Leave this to me."
Erik stormed off as Raven remained mute in the background, Charles silently communicating with her to go inside where it was warmer as he took hold of Clara's wrist, looking at it delicately to make sure Erik hadn't done too much damage.
"We should get you somewhere warm," Charles decided and Clara followed him into an open door which revealed a small room with an armchair inside of it. He sat down on the sofa, picking up a blanket from it and handing it to the girl. She smiled weakly in thanks and placed it around her shoulders.
"What was Erik talking about?" she wondered. "I understand it is something to do with my father but I do not know what is happening. One minute he was on the boat and the next he fell from it and then there was the US coastguard." She blabbered on and Charles couldn't help but grin inside. He had met a fellow babbler.
"I understand this must be confusing for you Clara," he promised her but she spoke before he could say anything else.
"How did you know my name?" she wondered. "I never told you it."
"I understand you are aware of mutants?" he spoke, looking into her mind and she nodded once.
"You're one of them, aren't you?" she checked. "How else would you know?"
"I am a telepath," he informed her. "I can read your mind. That was why I knew you did not understand anything of what Erik was saying about your father."
"You mean...you read my mind?" she asked wearily and Charles smiled lightly at her.
"You don't need to be so worried. I won't read it unless you want me to in the future," he assured her. "I can also control your mind if I wanted to. But you aren't a mutant, are you?"
"No," Clara admitted. "I am very confused however. What does Erik have to do with my father?"
"I think that is a possible question for another day," Charles coughed lightly, his hair dripping into his face.
"I need to know," Clara said. "He has never mentioned Erik before...in fact...he rarely tells me anything..."
"I think there is a reason for that Clara," Charles promised her. "Would you mind if I were to read your mind?"
"Why?" Clara asked, her eyebrows raised at Charles as he saw her begin to shiver.
"I need to know everything which you know about your father," he replied, his voice soft.
"But why?" she asked him again. "I don't understand."
"I promise you I shall make everything clear to you in the morning," Charles swore to her. "For now I need you to try and sleep. You're exhausted and it shall be less stressful for you when I read your thoughts."
"How can I sleep at a time like this?" she asked him and he moved from the sofa, kneeling beside it as he nodded at the empty cushion.
"As soon as your head hits the cushion then you shall feel tiredness dawn upon you," he spoke quietly. "You can trust me Clara."
...
A/N: So...let me know what you think about it and if I should continue! Thank you!