Annalise didn't know what was happening. She knew that she couldn't move and she couldn't see much through her closed eyes. She tried to move her hands but found they were bound behind her back and her ankles were also tied. Her mind was blank and her head pounded lightly. She managed to see that she was in a room, the walls were covered in steel and there was a bright light shining down from the ceiling. She finally managed to open her eyes wide and she looked around, her breath coming out in slow pants.

"You're awake," a cold and hard voice stated the obvious. Annalise heard the noise coming from behind of her and instantly tried to move her neck to crane a better view.

"James," she sighed his name when she saw him stand in front of her. His arms were folded and his jaw was set squarely. The normally kind eyes were filled with a lack of emotion, the unknowing visible in them as he looked down at the deranged blonde in front of him. "What's going on?"

"I bet you'd like to know that, wouldn't you, Annalise Dubois?" a new voice asked but Annalise allowed her eyes to remain looking at the man she had once trusted. The man she thought truly liked her. He stood beside James, a sinister grin on his face in comparison with James who was emotionless.

"I'm serious," Annalise replied quickly, trying to sound braver than she felt.

"I'm sure you are," the elder one drawled and patted James on the back once.

"We should tell her Daniel," James declared. "She has a right to know why we're going to do this, don't you agree?"

"I shall let have the honour," Daniel drawled, his hands moving behind his back as he circled the chair which Annalise was tied to. Annalise didn't let her eyes move onto Daniel. She could tell he was the one who she had no hope in persuading. James was still looking at her, his eyes narrowed but his face unreadable as she tried to break into his mind but the walls around it were strong, they replicated the room which Annalise was being held in.

"Argentina," James stated as if the word should unlock the door to whatever Annalise was supposed to know. "You remember being there with your dear Erik, do you not?"

"Yes," Annalise said after a moment's hesitation at which Daniel took in a sharp intake of breath, thinking about his father whom he had lost because of Lensherr.

"If I say the word," James paused, the word in his head but hurting to come out as he thought about the profession of his father. "Tailor. Does the word tailor mean anything to you?"

Annalise remained quiet, going back in time and accessing the memory which she had shared with Erik as she sat on the bar stool in the Villa. He had drained his beer as the two German men had stared at him. He had looked at them with so much hatred that Annalise worried for what he was going to do to them. But they had said it. They had come from Dusseldorf. A pig farmer. And a tailor.

"They were going to kill Erik if he didn't do anything!" Annalise suddenly snapped, trying to get out of the ropes which bound her to the wooden chair.

Daniel made his move, his hands resting on the back of the chair with a large thud as his mouth came close to Annalise's ear, the spit from his spray coming into contact with her pale skin.

"Our father went to Argentina to escape judgement from people like you."

"He was also friends with Sebastian Shaw," Annalise replied, her eyes trying to move to the side to look at the man who was so close to her. "That makes him a bastard."

Before James could comprehend saying anything to her, Daniel had made his move. His hand rose into the air and he allowed it to hit Annalise right across the back of her head. She winced at the pain which had been caused as he glared darkly at his brother who had closed his eyes after hearing the sound of skin hitting skin.

"Stupid cow!" he snapped at her. "You do not talk about our father like that."

"Why not?" Annalise challenged as Daniel finally faced her. James still wasn't moving. It was like he was stuck to the spot he was in. His hands folded together and resting behind his back, his face stone like and a posture to match that. "It is clear that you have the intention to kill me and I am not going to cower from you."

"You're naive."

Annalise remained silent, moving her attention back into her thoughts, thinking about clearing her mind as she spoke out, hoping that he could hear her.

'Erik. I need you Erik. Please find me. Please.'

"Don't bother," James suddenly decided to speak up, his meek mouse impression going out the window as Annalise looked back at him and Daniel watched between the two of them. "This room is built to stop contact. Your pleas to Erik will simply go amiss and he won't get them."

"Well I could just control you two," she retorted and Daniel raised a brow and James shook his head again.

"You could control Daniel," he admitted. "You can't get into my mind so don't bother."

His voice was bland in comparison to his brother's whose was full of hate and the need of revenge.

"I don't know why you think Lensherr would come for you anyway," Daniel snorted at her, pulling his tie further up and straightening out his jacket. "You're damaged goods to him from what I've heard."

"Shut it," Annalise warned him.

"Well you two have an odd relationship," he shrugged simply. "But anyway, he will suffer soon enough."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice an octave higher as she began to worry about Erik's safety. Daniel smirked menacingly and James winced, closing his eyes for a moment.

"You never wanted me, did you?" he whispered to her and she looked at him again. "Erik was always the one."

"You never wanted me," Annalise pointed out. "Or is this just some kind of sick joke?"

"You're right," Daniel interrupted before James could speak for himself. His brother had taken this mission to his heart. He had allowed Annalise to become close to him and in the end he had been scorned. Falling for a girl who was in love with the man you wanted to kill was never a clever move. "He never did want you. But you thought he was genuine and you even gave yourself to him. That's not why we intend to kill you though."

"And why do you intend to kill me? I never technically touched your father." Annalise informed him.

"But you were there and killing Magneto is far too easy and dull. By killing you then he suffers more than he ever possibly could by death. He will know what it is like to lose someone who he cares about."

"Erik has been through enough," Annalise defended him. "He lost his mother and went through hell. If you think that by killing me he will crack then you're stupid."

"Don't lie," James spoke up again in a small hiss. "He likes you and we both know it."

"This is ridiculous," Annalise complained to him. "Erik and I...you know there's nothing, James...you know that..."

"Your heart was never truly in it with me," James shook his head. "Just don't lie to me, Annalise."

"I'm bored anyway," Daniel clapped once, the noise echoing throughout the room before he looked at Annalise and then his brother. "We don't have time for this. Do you want the honours of starting out with revenge or shall I?"

James didn't say anything in response to that and so Daniel took the lead.

"I'll have first dibs then," he declared and then Annalise felt the torture begin. Daniel's hand rose high, hitting her across the face quickly as she allowed her head to remain looking down to the floor as she felt another blow to her ribs. Her eyes began to tear. She wasn't strong enough to endure the torture which her body was being placed in. The hitting kept on coming against her petite frame and then she felt it. The heat from his touch was enough to burn her. She managed to lift her head up, looking at his hand as it remained on her arm which was restrained. He had flames coming from the tips of his fingers. She yelled out in pain, crying loudly as he burnt her skin and she looked at James in need. All she could think about was Erik. She needed Erik. Her mind was clouded with his image and the words in her head all focused on his finding her. James heard her thoughts, his mind becoming as twisted as hers was at that moment.

"James," she whispered his name quietly. "James, please...please...please help me..."

James listened to her pleas as Daniel's mouth became wide, bearing his teeth with a sinister smile. She sobbed lightly as she felt his hands burn the sleeves of her blouse and James gritted his teeth, listening to her begs and trying to ignore her. But he couldn't.

"Enough," James declared and Daniel stopped for a moment, looking down at Annalise as he extinguished the flames by clenching his hand into a fist.

"I agree," he said. "We've had enough of your crying and snivelling Annalise."

"No," James spoke after a second. He slowly pressed his fingers to his temple and Daniel's eyes went wide.

"What are you doing?"

"Go to sleep, Daniel," he demanded and Daniel didn't gain the chance to protest as he fell to the ground, his eyes closing and his breathing shallow as he began to snore as soon as his head hit the floor. James walked over to Annalise, bending down and unbinding the ropes from her wrists and ankles. She remained crying, too weak to do anything but sit there as she felt blood rush to her cut off limbs.

"James..." she simply whispered his name and he grimaced.

"I'll take you back to your apartment. I can only persuade my brother that you got away so that he won't turn against me. He'll come looking for you so you need to be gone."

"Thank you..." Annalise whispered as he helped her to her feet, his arm sternly around her waist as she limped by his side.

"I need you to go to sleep," he said. "You'll wake up back at your place and then you run, do you understand?"

"Yes," she promised him and then his command kicked in.

...

Annalise found herself sat in the corner of her apartment, her body curled in a ball as she thought about what had just happened. James had just saved her. He had saved her from death but he had placed her into that situation in the first place. She didn't know what to think about him. Charles wasn't at the apartment and she didn't know where he had gone. She remained in her bedroom, looking at the small jewellery box which sat on her dressing table. With a lot amount of strength, she managed to sit herself up, opening the box and trying not to collapse onto the ground as she held onto the edge of the wooden surface, her other hand holding onto the note which Erik had left her months ago. I'll always be there when you need me. She needed him. She needed him now more than ever before. And so she begged him in her mind.

Annalise didn't know how long she had been sat in the corner of her own room. She had glanced quickly to the mirror to see the damage done to her. She barely even registered her bedroom door opening and he was there. She looked up shyly to him, her body quivering as he remained stood still for a moment, his eyes glancing at her and his eyes going wide. He managed to keep his mouth closed to stop him from gasping in astonishment. She remained staring at him as his eyes roamed her beaten body.

"Erik," she simply croaked out his name. "You came."

"Of course I came," Erik whispered back to her, his voice slightly harsher than he had intended. He was pissed off. Annalise recoiled slightly at the rough edge to his voice and he shook his head, slowly walking over to her and bending down. His hand gently caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes, leaning her face further into his hold.

"It was him, wasn't it?" Erik whispered to her.

"I begged for you to come, Erik," she replied to him and he drew in a sharp breath. "I begged for you to come to me."

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her and she shook her head gently, entwining her blooded fingers into his as she moved his hand from her cheek.

"You couldn't have found me anyway," she promised him. "You couldn't have done anything."

"I should never have left you," Erik said ferociously. "I should have kept a better watch. I was stupid."

"No," Annalise promised him as he began to stand up, his hands moving through his hair in frustration, the leather jacket rising on his body as he paced the length of her room. She slowly stood up, clenching onto her bruised ribs as she moved against the wall for support. "I didn't know what was going to happen Erik...he...James...he helped me in the end."

"What?" Erik snapped at her, his eyes glaring at her as she saw Charles move into the doorway, his hands on the wheels of his chair as he looked at the two of them.

"Annalise is right, Erik, you need to calm your mind," Charles urged him and Erik looked at him with his darkened eyes.

"I need to calm my mind?" he barked in anger.

"Annalise is the one who was hurt," Charles spoke deeply. "She is the one we should be looking out for. Your constant yelling is no help."

Erik went silent at this point. He hated Charles. He hated his logic and his caring attitude. But he hated the fact that he was right. Anna remained quiet, not daring to speak out as she felt Erik look back at her and she looked at Charles, asking if he would explain the situation to Erik. He nodded at her once and then coughed lightly.

"Perhaps we should give Annalise a moment to change, Erik," he suggested to the metal bender. Erik looked back at Annalise, silently asking for her approval and she nodded at him. He sighed lightly once but did as she had asked.

...

Erik stood by the door of the bathroom, listening to see if he could hear any sign of movement but he didn't. He took it upon himself to open the door wide, moving into the room and he saw her. She was sat on the closed toilet seat, her hands resting on her lap as Erik folded his arms and she looked up at him weakly.

"Charles told me," he declared, kneeling in front of her, his fingers slowly moving to the buttons of her blouse as she looked down onto his steady hands. "He won't get to you again, Annalise, I can promise you that."

"I should have listened to you," she whispered as he reached the last button, pushing the burnt shirt from her shoulders and allowing it to tumble behind her as he looked at her burnt arms and bruised face. "I should have trusted you, Erik."

"It's in the past," Erik simply told her. "I'm here now. I won't let anything happen now."

"I trust you," she whispered simply to him.

Erik kissed her gently on the back of her hand as he looked at her bruised ribs and then began to move about the bathroom. He picked up a sponge, dipping it into the running tap and rinsing it for a moment before he dabbed it onto the blood on her body. She winced and he continuously apologised for everything, not knowing what else to say or to even do. As soon as he had finished his task he dropped the sponge into the sink.

"Stay here," Erik told her and then moved back into the living area where Charles had sat on the sofa, his mind concentrating and worrying about what would happen to Annalise.

"I need to borrow one of your shirts," Erik huffed at him. "The only clothes which she owns are tight fitting and would hurt the cuts on her body."

"My bag is in her room," Charles quickly spoke. "Take what you want. How is she?"

"She's...quiet," he decided and then walked away before Charles could ask him anything else. He picked up one of Charles's shirts and returned to the bathroom. He slowly helped her into the purple material, buttoning it up as it hung loose on her front.

"You should rest," Erik decided.

"Will you stay?"

"Of course," he promised her. He gently helped her to her feet and saw her wince. His instinct took over him and he bent down, sweeping her into his arms as he navigated into her room, gently resting her onto the bed which was unmade already. She remained still, hurting all over her body as Erik bent down by the bed, his chin resting on the mattress and his hands holding onto one of hers as he looked into her tear stained eyes.

"I'm coming with you," she whispered to him.

"I wasn't going to let you not," he replied in a murmur and she weakly smiled at his coerce attitude.

"I love you, Erik." She declared, not knowing those three words had slipped from her mouth. Erik heard her as she shut her eyes and his mouth turned dry. He simply wiped her hair back from her face.

"Go to sleep Anna...I'm not going anywhere."

...

A/N: So a review would not go amiss my dear readers, if you would!