Author's Note: So the family problems are taken care of. That's the good news. The bad news is that on Sunday night I got really sick, and I've been able to do nothing for the past three days. I did write most of this out, but I unfortunatley was distracted because my mom decided to get me Dragon Age: Origins as a 'get-better-soon-present'. Yeah. It's a great game. Just impossible to stop playing. Updates will still be a bit scattered thanks to all the make up work I need to get done, but I do need to focus on catching up for school.

But here's a new chapter! :D For those of you who enjoy the Erik/Miranda moments... well, read below for more of them. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I love hearing what you guys have to say, and it's great to hear that you guys are enjoying this. And thanks to everyone who has subscribed, read, or favorited, too. That means a lot to me.

I don't own X-Men. I'd love to own it, though, along with half a dozen other fandoms. If I could choose two, though, it'd be the X-Men universe and the Dragon Age universe. But yeah, I don't own either.

Please review, and enjoy, everyone. :)

Turning Tables
Erik glared at her. "You haven't even heard my plan yet." "I don't need to. It involves boats and a sociopathic doctor. It won't end well." With a partner in his vendetta against Shaw, Erik Lensherr thought things would change. He was right. Erik/OC

Chapter 19

State College, Pennsylvania
1962

"We are not stopping in State College."

"What's wrong with State College? It seems like a nice town."

"It's kind of cute… it's just based around the college here, right?"

"And that's the whole problem."

"Wait, you're not actually from the Pittsburgh area, are you?"

"Yep."

"Okay, that actually make sense."

"Yeah."

"Alex, I congratulate you for making a stand."

"Thank you."

"And I applaud your loyalty to your hometown."

"Thanks again."

"But we're still stopping in State College."

"If I ever go home and my mom refuses to let me into the house because she can sense I've been in enemy territory, it's completely your fault, Miranda."

"I can live with that."

Erik rolled his eyes as he followed the cars in front of him into a diner's parking lot. "Dare I ask what that conversation was about?" he asked Miranda in a low tone, shooting a glance towards the backseat, where Alex sat scowling and Caroline sat giggling.

"College football rivalries," Miranda explained, smiling as she was reminded of simpler days, where the most important things were football games, friends, and getting good grades. "Granted, I grew up south of the Mason-Dixon Line, but there were some pretty intense bets about who would come out on top, Penn State or Pitt."

Caroline glanced over towards Alex. "Aren't they planning on a game for November?" she asked.

Alex scowled, though there was a hint of humor behind it that Miranda was beyond glad to see. For the past few hours, he had been almost completely silent. The whole car ride had been silent, though. Erik had been concentrated on driving, since Moira had insisted on not taking a straightforward drive to where Charles was taking them to, insisting that a twisting trail could give them some cover. Miranda had been deep in thought. Caroline had been fast asleep. And Alex had just stared out the window, his face a blank mask.

At least until five minutes ago, when he finally realized just where they were heading to.

Alex nodded in confirmation. "Yep." A dry smile crossed his face as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "They're going down this time."

Erik shook his head. "I'm amazed at how bored I am just hearing about this rivalry," he muttered as he unbuckled his seatbelt and pulled the keys out. He smiled lightly at hearing Miranda's soft laugh, and opened the door, stepping out at the car as Caroline, Miranda, and Alex did as well.

Alex glanced back in the car for a second, his eyes lingering on the plastic container sitting on the floor, surrounding by pillows. For a second, he wondered if he should bring it in or not. The blonde jumped as a hand touched his shoulder. He glanced over to see Miranda standing there. She shot him a gentle smile before shaking her head. Alex sighed, nodding once before closing his door.

Caroline seemed to have noticed the little exchange, and bit her lip before heading over to grab Alex's arm. Alex blinked in surprise as the former waitress pulled him to one of the two other cars. As they stepped over to the other car, Katie emerged, being helped out by Sean and Hank. Miranda's gaze was captured for a second by Katie's wrapped ankle. Raven stood nearby, smiling cheerfully.

Miranda chuckled slightly before looking over at Erik, who rolled his eyes.

Charles glowered towards Miranda, who grinned slightly to herself at the look on his face. "We're going to stop for the night at a motel Moira knows, about two hours north of here," he explained. He glared towards where Sean was beaming proudly, talking animatedly with Alex. "And you and Erik will be the ones that are driving Sean and Katie there."

Erik shot a teasing grin towards the telepath. "You're having problems handling two teenagers, Charles?" he asked.

"When one of the teenagers is Sean, yes," Charles admitted without shame. He shot another glance towards the teenagers before repeating, "Sean is your problem from this point on."

"Good luck," Moira muttered, running a hand through her auburn hair.

"I think we can handle him," Miranda replied dryly, swatting Charles's arm lightly before turning to the teenagers. "C'mon, kids, into the diner or we'll eat and leave without you."

"Very funny, Mom," Caroline teased, grinning as she squeezed passed Moira into the diner, followed by the recruits.

Miranda froze and glared at Caroline's retreating back before turning towards a smirking Erik and a smiling Charles. "Why do these kids keep calling me Mom?" she demanded, shaking her head in frustration. She ran a hand through her curly dark hair. "I'm not acting that much like a mom!"

"Keep telling yourself that," Charles replied, patting Miranda on the shoulder as he passed. Erik watched as Charles took Moira's arm and pulled her into the diner with a charming smile that the CIA agent immediately returned.

Miranda turned her scowl to Erik. "I'm not acting that much like a mom."

"It's endearing," he assured her, shaking his head. A genuine smile lit up his face, and Miranda found her exasperation disappearing instantly at the sight of that smile.

He turned to walk into the diner, and Miranda hesitated before grabbing the sleeve of his jacket, stopping him just in front of the diner's door. "Wait," she whispered, taking a deep breath as her thoughts from the car came back to her.

Erik turned around, a confused frown set on his face. For a moment, the two watched each other. And then, in a moment that both would later remember as one of the strangest of their lives, both leaned in, their lips meeting in an almost too hard kiss. Miranda's hand grasped the front of Erik's sweater, keeping her balance. Erik's hand went to the center of her back as the kiss deepened, making them oblivious to everything around them.

It was different from their kiss on the plane. Actually, it was different from everything, because Erik was still trying to get used to the fact that his partner was entirely kissable and actually interested in him in that sense. It was almost desperate, and somehow, that reminded him of her, of the mischievous smiles on her face when she teased him, of the determination on her face while on the hunt, of the exasperation on her face when he brought up her fear of water…

Somehow, the kiss felt right in every way possible.

It didn't last long enough for Erik's liking. Only too soon did Miranda's hand release his shirt, and his hand slowly left her back. For a moment, the two stared at each other, and Erik was amused to note that Miranda looked very pleased with herself.

"I thought we were going to wait for this," Erik said, chuckling slightly to himself. Nonetheless, he looked to be slightly pleased, if not a bit surprised.

Miranda bit her lip before looking in the window, where she could clearly see the kids watching them from inside their booth. She shot them a sweet smile as she waved, and Sean grinned cheerfully in return, waving back. Alex rolled his eyes and hit the back of the Boston mutant's head. Erik turned towards them, raising a threatening eyebrow, and the kids immediately dove out of sight, though both could distinctly hear Raven cackling to herself.

Miranda rolled her eyes, a smile remaining on her face as she moved so that Erik's back was facing the kids, effectively hiding her smaller frame and whatever words the two might share. "Look, maybe it's one of those bizarre, life is short realizations, but…" She fidgeted slightly before looking up at Erik. "I want to have something in my life that Shaw isn't involved in."

Erik frowned at her. "Darwin's death affected you more than you've let on," he murmured, concern lighting up his ice blue eyes.

Miranda bit her lip. "Am I going to lie and say that I don't feel guilty about him dying?" she asked, slipping her hand into her coat pocket. For a few seconds, her fingers mindlessly played with her wedding ring, still tied to the inside. "Absolutely not. But…" She paused. "If you look at this logically, Erik, there's a chance that one of us isn't going to make it out of facing Shaw."

Erik's frown only deepened in worry. "Don't say that," he replied, his voice firm and uncompromising. "When we're ready, we'll find him, and it'll all end. I don't know what we'll do after that, but…"

Miranda smiled sadly. "Look, for right now, I'm going to force myself not to worry about that," she interjected gently, taking his hand in hers. "For right now, I'm going to focus on the kids, getting ready, and, if you're willing, you."

Erik watched her. "And when it ends?" he asked, thinking to that future where Shaw would be dead. That future had always seemed so far away, and now, with allies that could help them with things they could not do alone, it seemed close enough to touch.

"Well, as you might have been able to tell, I've actually gotten rather fond of you, so… I don't know. I don't think I'll want to go our own ways when it ends," Miranda replied, her voice trailing off as she studied Erik's face intensely. Her face turned slightly crestfallen as she watched him. "Of course, if you're not interested…"

"Hanson?" Erik cut in, raising an eyebrow at his partner.

Miranda frowned at him. "What, Lensherr?" she demanded, sounding a bit angry at being interrupted.

"Shut up." Her indignant reply was cut off as he leaned in to kiss her again. Miranda instantly went silent, her green eyes slipping shut as she let herself be lost in the moment, however short it might have been.

"They're so cute!" Katie murmured, grinning as she watched the two through the window.

Raven was absolutely beaming. "Operation Hanson-Lensherr is totally a success," she proclaimed, turning her cheerful grin to faintly amused Hank. She and Caroline, who sat on the other side with Alex in the middle, exchanged a conspiratorial look. "And you dared to doubt it."

"I was wrong, happy?" Hank asked, smiling faintly to himself.

"Very." Raven's grin didn't fade in the least.

Sean shook his head. "Why didn't they just admit it?" he asked. He shook his head before glancing out. The red head sat between Katie and Hank, with Alex right across from him. "I mean, seriously, they've known each other for years, and they're just now admitting they like each other?"

"Because romance is complicated, duh," Katie replied without a pause. She sighed with content before turning back to the table and looking towards Moira and Charles, who were talking quietly to each other. She grinned. "Ah, romance is everywhere now a days." Her gaze went from Caroline to Alex for a second, only to cause both to glare at her fiercely enough to cause her to look to the table.

Alex rolled his eyes. "You know, the more time I spend with these girls, the happier it makes me that I only have two brothers," he told Sean, pulling up a menu to scrutinize carefully.

Sean chuckled. "Can't relate." He gestured towards Katie. "This is actually comforting in some insane way. I have three older sisters at home." He pointed towards Katie. "She's got four older brothers and a sister, which is why we ended up always hanging out as kids. She loved my older sisters, I loved playing with her brothers."

"Plus our moms are best friends and have been conspiring to get Sean and I together since we were kids," Katie added, shaking her head as memories of childhood came back. She smiled slightly out of nostalgia.

"Is that why you two are so clearly in love?" Caroline asked, her tone a combination of teasing and amusement.

"Shut up," both Sean and Katie growled, glaring at each other. Despite being in the middle, Sean edged a bit away from Katie, pushing Hank out of the seat a bit. The scientist shot a glare at the red head as Alex, Caroline, and Raven all giggled.

"You're giggling. That somehow makes me terrified for me life," Miranda noted dryly as she passed the table of kids with Erik. She stopped as Erik, looking somewhat smug, continued on to the four seat table Moira and Charles had claimed not far away, taking the seat across from Charles. "Don't get into trouble, guys."

"Who, us?" Caroline asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought Hank and I had common sense."

"You do," Miranda assured her. Her teasing green eyed gaze moved to Sean and Alex, both of whom had adopted innocent looks on their faces. "I'm talking directly to Sean and Alex here."

"Us?" Sean asked, staring in Miranda in what she imagined was supposed to be an insulted manner. "Have we ever caused any trouble at all?"

Miranda's gaze turned to the red head. "Window." As Sean winced slightly at the memory, Miranda turned her attention back over to Alex. "Statue."

"Okay, she's got a point," Alex conceded, leaning back as he glared at each of the giggling girls in turn. His gaze hardened as he looked to a smug looking Hank, but softened as it went back to Miranda. "I'll behave. So will Sean."

"I give no promises."

"Sean, just remember, she can electrocute you if you piss her off. And if you tick her off, you know who's going to go after your blood, too?" Alex pointed towards Erik, who had been watching the conversation the entire time. The Nazi hunter frowned at the mention of him. "A very, very angry Nazi hunter."

Sean seemed to pale instantly at the thought. "We'll behave," he assured Miranda, shooting her a cheerful smile. "C'mon, Miranda, we know to act in normal society."

Katie stared at him in a state of absolute disbelief. "Then explain the duck incident at last year's homecoming game," she demanded, raising an eyebrow as she waited for Sean's reply. "Because it had your handiwork all over it."

Sean grinned. "Good times," he muttered, shaking his head as the others all shot him looks of mingled respect, amusement, and even horror.

Miranda sighed. "I don't think I want to know." She paused. "Actually, no, I'm sure I don't want to know." She patted Hank on the shoulder. "Hank, I trust you to make sure that we still have all four of those teenagers when the four of us get back from our dinner."

"I'm a scientist, not a miracle worker," Hank replied, glancing at the other recruits.

Raven giggled slightly, shooting Hank an amused smile before turning back to Miranda. "I'll help him," she promised, beaming when Hank grinned over at her.

"Great." Miranda shot the group an easy smile before heading back over to the adults table. Moira, Erik, and Charles all looked at her as she sat down with a sigh. "Those kids are insane," she stated, pointing back to the table. She looked at Charles. "If we're taking Sean, you owe us big time."

"I'm well aware," Charles replied, chuckling to himself. "We were discussing what we were going to do when we reached our destination."

"Which you still refuse to tell us where it is," Moira muttered, rolling her eyes fondly at Charles.

"It's a surprise!" the telepath protested, grinning back at her. "If I told you, it would be ruined."

Erik sighed, a half smirk resting on his face. "As long as it'll work for what we plan to do," he said. He shot a glance towards the table of kids, where Sean and Alex seemed to be building a house of straws, joined by Raven and Katie. "I have a feeling that training them will be rather destructive."

"That's a given," Moira muttered, chuckling to herself as she watched the scene herself.

"They're going to need individualized training," Miranda murmured, taking a menu from the table. "They all need to learn control. Caroline's powers still activate even when she doesn't want them to. Alex doesn't have any control. We're not sure what the extent of Katie's power is. Sean… well, Sean is Sean."

"I believe Erik will be able to directly help with Katie, and you with Alex and Caroline," Charles replied, looking at each of the partners in turn. At Erik's questioning look, he explained, "Katie's powers are linked directly to her anger, as are yours." He turned to Miranda. "Your power takes a great deal of control to fully work. Alex's is the same, but you're proof that the control can be learned. Caroline is the same. In fact, her mutation deals with her physicality, as does yours in a sense."

Miranda nodded, though she hadn't understood more of the scientific words that the geneticist had spoken. At that point, the waitress had returned with their drinks. "Sounds good." She glanced towards the others. "What about Raven and Hank? They seem to have a pretty good grasp on what they can do."

"Maybe they could figure out things they didn't know they could do before," Moira suggested. She fidgeted slightly at the attention of the mutants. "Think about it. Hank's feet… I can't even think about how that affects his physical abilities. He'd be a fast runner, I'd bet. And Raven's powers could help a lot."

"Good idea, Moira," Charles praised, looking excited as he smiled cordially at her. He turned to the partners. "We should train ourselves as well." He smiled as he looked at Miranda. "Tell me, have you ever wondered if your powers could grow?"

Miranda frowned. "Maybe once or twice, but they've never given any sign."

"I believe that can," Charles replied, studying Miranda with a knowing smile. "If you could gain even more control and learn where your abilities stem from, I think you could do different things with electricity. Control currents, even throw electricity…"

"I'm in," Miranda interjected, looking excited. She smiled. "That sounds awesome."

"Just what she needs," Erik replied. He rolled his eyes as Miranda swatted his arm, a fond smile on her face. "The ability to throw lightning. She doesn't even have to be close anymore to hit me."

That caused a chuckle around the small table. "We could do that for everyone," Charles replied. He glanced at Erik. "Even you. Your powers are fascinating, actually. I think they could grow a lot more powerful. We can research how the powers affect our genes, how they can grow over time…" He looked more and more excited with each word he spoke.

"And we're stepping close to lab rats with that," Erik muttered. He shot a warning look towards Charles. "If that information gets out to the wrong people, they'll know exactly how to stop us. Never mind if they got a hold of any of the kids or one of us…"

"They won't," Charles assured him. "Figuring out how the powers work is only to be able to help them grow. I swear on my life, they won't get out to the wrong people." His eyes flickered to the other table as the kids exploded into laughter. "They don't deserve what would happen if that research did get out."

"They didn't deserve to go through that," Miranda murmured. Her gaze went to Alex. "He blames himself. He's hiding it, but right now, he feels like it's his fault."

"How do you know?" Moira asked, turning a worried frown to Alex as she contemplated Miranda's words.

The curly-haired brunette smiled sadly. "Because," she explained. "That's exactly how I felt right after David died." She looked at each of the three in turn. "We need to talk to them about what happened. Make sure they feel alright."

"We can do that," Charles replied. He glanced at Moira, and there seemed to be an almost passion in his eyes. It was like this talk was something he had been looking forward to for years. "We all can talk to them. If you can help train them in hand to hand combat and a few other techniques, we could train them into the people we need to help fight Shaw."

Moira nodded. "Absolutely," she replied. She glanced at the kids before looking back at them. "Look, I'm not a mutant, but anything I can do to help, I'll do it."

Miranda grinned. "Our awesome CIA agent," she toasted, raising her glass. Charles chuckled and Erik rolled his eyes as the two mimicked the action. "Seriously, though, your awesomeness is pretty much a mutation on its own, because you're one of the greatest people I've met."

Moira laughed. "Don't forget the hair," she mentioned, shooting a teasing grin to Charles.

Charles groaned. "I admit, it wasn't the best pickup line…" he began, pausing as he saw the highly amused looks on the faces of Erik and Miranda.

Miranda grinned. "I knew you two had a thing."

"We don't!" Moira protested.

"You totally do. Don't deny it."

"Because you and Erik totally deny that you both have a thing."

"Oh, I've admitted that we do. I'm not denying it anymore."

"I'm not denying anything!"

"Moira! You're totally denying it! You're talking to the queen of denial here!"

"Miranda, you have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Oh, Moira, dear, naïve Moira…"

"I swear, Miranda, one day…"

Erik and Charles exchanged an amused glance as the banter between the two women continued. It may as well have been that the two male mutants were not there. "To women," Charles toasted, raising his glass.

"May they someday make more sense than they do now," Erik finished, knowing that his toast was something that would never come true.