Chapter 1: Certainly Not the Beginning

THREE YEARS LATER...

"RAISE AND SHINE ON THIS BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY HERE IN NEW YORK CITY! IT'S CURRENTLY 6:30 AM AND 46 DEGREES OUTSIDE WHERE THE BIRDS ARE SINGING AND DANCING! IT WILL BE AT A HIGH OF 59 DEGREES TODAY, MEANWHILE WE WILL PLAY OUR CITY'S FAVORITE TUNES!" A loud talk show radio host voice echoed through out the clean, sleek modern apartment shaking all the windows that were currently covered up by midnight blue curtains. The song they had just recently put on the radio was loud and certainly obnoxious, it sounded like an adult who had the voice of a prepubescent teenage girl when singing.

"J.A.R.V.I.S, turn off the radio." Annaliese voiced croaked out to the A.I. "And please next time let it be a different channel and not this today pop music crap." She cursed to herself pushing off her cotton white sheets, and putting her feet flat on the pure snow white fluffy, shaggy rug that framed her king size bed.

"Certainly will do Ma'am, shall I let Mr. Stark know your a wake while you go on your morning swim?"

"No, let him know after I've come back and already took my shower. Thank you." The A.I. spoke out as she walks into her bathroom quickly disrobing from her flannel pj's into a solid color maroon two-piece swimsuit. Grabbing nice neatly folded towel, slipping on house slippers, and a nice robe to cover herself. "Also if people call or want to see me, tell them I'm not available."

"Will do Ms. Xavier."

Annaliese walked out of the apartment, turning around and locking her door. Even though she lives in the Stark tower, which has the state of theart top notch security system, she always locked her apartment door. Just for habit or a message if something happened to her. Annaliese then brushed her fingers through her hair and started her day walking down to the tower's pool. Ever since she arrived and settled into her new place, being surrounded by the salt water of the pool became her safe haven. Sometimes she would create an air sphere in the deep end of the pool to meditate for hours, but not as long she would loved to. Though she is grateful for the fact that the pool was on her floor, and that she usually had it to herself.

"Welcome Miss. Xavier, would you like me to play your usual playlist?" JARVIS voice spoke out as she entered the pool area.

"Start with Castle by Halsey this time, please." Annaliese replied letting her robe and towel hit the floor as she walked towards the water. Her eyes focused on the undisturbed water like a tiger waiting to strike on its prey. For some unknown reason, seeing the water still was unsettling for her, but yet so satisfying.

The beat of the song filled up the entire room as she began to enter the water. She continued to walk deeper until her entire body was submerged by the saltwater of the pool. Nothing but the song played in the room.

Annaliese felt like she was at peace.

She anchored herself to bottom of the pool at 10ft, laid her body onto the floor, and closed her eyes.

"I thought you were my friend!" A voice cried out.

Suddenly, Annaliese felt chains wrapped around her body and choked her closer to the pool floor. Her eyes quickly sprang open to the sudden feeling and looked down her body. Nothing was on her, but her arms felt like they were tighten closer to her body and couldn't sit up. She started to struggle.

"I need to do this…" Another voice replied.

She looked directly up at the surface of the water, and felt like she was panicking.

"No, you don't Thomas." The first voice protested.

Annaliese quickly recognized the voice.

"Yes, I do."

All of a sudden she felt the release of the chains around her body and a wave of air bubble started to force her up to the surface. As she took her first breath after so long, she felt the water around her disappear.

"ANNIE!" Tony's voice yelled out towards her. Annaliese than felt her body drop, but there was no water to save her fall, "I GOT YOU!"

She than felt to strong arms of an ordinary man grip catching her in mid air, and felt Tony falling on to one knee feeling the force of her body mass as he caught her. Annaliese looked at Tony with wide eyes of panic not knowing what exactly just happen, and scrambled to get out of his embrace to look at her surroundings. The entire swimming pool was empty.

"Wh-What happened? H-H-How long was I in the pool?" Annaliese questioned scrambling upon each one. Tony looked up at his scared coworker with a quizzical brow and out of breath.

"I'm not sure how long you were in there, but its 10:45 am," Tony took in another deep breath, "but I received a distressed signal from J.A.R.V.I.S."

"A distress signal?"

"Let's just get out of here, Annie. Plus you need to get dress Captain is coming over here with Nick." He gently put his hand behind her back leading her out of the empty pool, grabbing her belongings, and exiting the room. Tony unlocked her apartment and handed back her stuff, leaving her alone with her self. Wanting to know had what exactly and happen, Annaliese hurried to her room.

"J.A.R.V.I.S, show me the security footage of the pool of earlier today." She commanded.

"Yes, Ma'am" J.A.R.V.I.S turned on her wide screen TV and played the footage.

"Fast forward to the time you sent out the distress signal." Annaliese commanded again to the A.I.

"I'm sorry Miss. Xavier, but the security footage cuts off there."

"What do you mean?" She asked taking off her damp swim suit to hang up to dry.

"Because all electricity cut off in the pool area, Master Stark had to enter the room manually." J.A.R.V.I.S replied.

Annaliese let out a breath in defeat, nothing was recorded of the incident which meant that it would be harder to investigate what happen to her in the pool. She would probably ask Stark what he walked on, but she was convince on the fact he would most likely to avoid the conversation. So she sat in her room, naked, and quietly thought her about first step to take. This wasn't the first time of hearing different voices in her head or seeing visions of other people talking to her, but it always felt like a past memory though some of these memories weren't even in the present time. The voices she heard in the pool, one of them was her own. Who was Thomas? Why didn't she have a vision instead to see a face? Looking around her main room, the sun was at its highest pointing its rays through her windows that lit up up the spacious room. She laid on her bed, savoring the feel of comforter filled with goose feathers against her unclothed body. Annaliese felt like she could stay like this forever.

"Anna?" A strong male voice called out from her living room. "Where are you?"

With wide eyes, Annaliese scrambled all over her room to find something to cover herself. She found a sunny peach see through maxi dress with deep v-neck and hugged every curve on sun-kissed body, she didn't really like the dress but right now she had no choice to put it on.

"Are you in here?" The voice came closer to her room, until Annaliese stopped him in his footstep and open her own door.

"Steve?" Annaliese looked up at the super solider, "How did you get into my apartment?"

"Umm, your front door was unlocked." Steve answered while looking up and down at Annaliese physique blushing, "I knocked several times, and Tony told me you were awake."

"Right..." Annaliese pursed her lips. "So, whats up?" The mutant pushed pass the super soldier letting him follow into her kitchen. She open up her clean metal refrigerator looking for something to eat, meanwhile Steve couldn't help but to stare at Annaliese bending over. He couldn't help to think of her naked either, but he couldn't pushed away his sexual thoughts of his good friend.

"She's just a friend Steve!" His mind yelled.

"Who is 'just a friend'?" Annaliese smirked as she perked up from her stance with lunch meat and cheese in her hand, "What are thinking about Mr. Rogers?"

"Uh...Were you reading my mind?" Steve asked with a nervous chuckled.

"No, I heard your mind yell." She replied.

"Am I that loud in general?" He leaned on her kitchen counter waiting for her response.

"Not really, you keep to yourself unlike some people." Annaliese replied back with a smirk. Steve laughed a bit knowing that she was hinting towards Tony's loud mouth and loud mind. "So, why are you And Nick here at the tower?"

Steve looked up in shock and confused, because he never mentioned that he arrived with Fury. "Steve, Tony told me both of you and Fury were going to be here." Annaliese clarified, "Honestly your face is gives everything away not your mind."

"My face?" He raised a brow.

"Yes, your gorgeous face gives everything away, and your body language. It's easier to read the body than the mind actually." Annaliese licked the excess mustard off her finger and put her used butter knife in the kitchen sink. "Anyway, why you are guys here?"

"We need help in DC." The super soldier answered.

"What kind of help?" Annaliese took a bite of her newly made turkey sandwich, and stared at Steve waiting for his answer. But instead of answering her question right off the bat, he walked towards her and suddenly he was towering over her 5'7" figure. Captain America smiled looking down at the mutant, and wiped off the mayo/mustard stain on the corner of her mouth. "Steve, you could have just handed me a napkin."

"I need help on a mission and Fury wants your help for different reason, but won't tell me." Steve walked away from Annaliese and answered her question blushing.

"I probably already know what it is." She spoke softly under breath. Fury has been trying to expand her powers and use them for inspiration. Refusing and promising Fury not to read his thoughts, Annaliese curiosity and discomfort of reading the head of leader of SHIELD mind only grew. Though should would have to thank him for helping expanding her powers as if she wasn't dangerous enough. "Did Fury tell you about the expansion of my powers?"

"No," Steve grew curious and angry. "what do you mean by expansion?" He stood up straight towering over the evolving mutant woman.

"Meaning I'm unlocking new found powers, and inspire SHIELD to create weapons of some sort. Now, I need a napkin." Annaliese answered.

"What kind of weapon?" Steve stepped forward corning her in her kitchen.

"Steve!" She yelled "May you please, give me a napkin? I asked you several times." Steve stood back in shock and scurried around her kitchen in search of a napkin. Annaliese giggled at the thought that she scared the super soldier only by raising her voice, it's quite rare to see someone who usually so hostile and defiant run around like a little mouse searching for something that was in front of their eyes. "Here you go." He spoke softly giving Annaliese a napkin to whip her face.

"Thank you, I'm not sure but whatever it is I hope it's never used in war or used in testing."

"Unbelievable." Steve mumbled under his breath.

"Steve, everything I do is unbelievable." Annaliese teased in hoping to make him blush. And it worked.

Steve looked back at the women with shock and his face glowing bright red as she walked away to her room with her exaggerating her hip movements. At that very moment he realized that she heard everything that was going on in his head before.


Hello once again!

I'm sorry that I didn't update this earlier, but everything been so hectic lately with school ending and graduation ceremonies practices. I really do hope that you guys enjoy this chapter.

love, Rain