Annalise's insistence that they first go to Westchester to see Charles was the only thing that Eric had humoured her on. She had been on the phone to her parents, informing her that she would be away for a few days while she had told work that an emergency had come up. She didn't specify what had happened, but she suspected that they could fill in the blanks.

The flight back to the States was long and tedious, with Erik and Annalise barely speaking to each other. Instead Annalise chose to sleep for most of the flight, her head tilted to the side while Erik sat awake, reading a complimentary magazine that had been handed out. Raven was sat a couple of rows behind them.

She hoped the trip to Westchester did not add too much time onto their schedule. She knew they had little time as it were. She was silent for most of the journey, choosing to keep her thoughts to herself. It was only as they drove up to the mansion in Westchester did Erik dare to speak.

He kept one hand on the wheel while his other arm went to rest on the long front seat, his hand behind Annalise's shoulders as he dared to peer over to her through his sunglasses.

"You're mad with me," he declared.

Raven sunk back into her seat slightly, sensing that a storm was brewing between both of them. But Annalise said nothing. She chose to keep quiet instead, peering out the window as Erik rolled his eyes, not bothering to push her. He didn't want an argument in front of Raven, despite the fact he wanted to know what Annalise was thinking.

Approaching Westchester, Annalise climbed out of the car as soon as Erik had parked the vehicle. She pushed herself to her feet and looked to the front door, the sight of Charles and Hank stood there enough to make her smile softly. Moving over to him, Annalise held her arms out as Charles embraced her warmly, careful of the bump on her stomach.

"Love, how wonderful it is to see you again," Charles declared.

"You and one more, it seems," Hank declared and Annalise laughed softly.

"I did write to you with news," Annalise informed Charles as he peered over to her stomach.

"I wrote back, but I suspect were already on your way here before the letter arrived in London," Charles informed her. "But it is glorious news, Annalise. I trust you are thrilled?"

"I will be once we finish this issue," Annalise said and Charles saw Erik and Raven approach them. Hank's smile fell from his face at the sight of Raven, instead he grimaced, unable to look at her after what she had done. She had gone. She had left him and Charles.

"Charles," Erik greeted him.

"Erik," Charles responded, holding his hand out as Erik took hold of it, shaking it softly. "How good to see you again, my friend. It seems as though much has changed since we last spoke."

Erik looked down Annalise as she moved to scratch her scalp and then Charles caught sight of the ring on her left hand and he nodded. Things definitely had changed. Erik dared to press his hand against Annalise's back, feeling her stiffen under his touch as Charles looked between the pair of them. He didn't need to read their minds to know things were tense between them.

"Yes," Erik spoke. "Things have changed. I trust you know why we are here."

"I had to tell them," Raven said, looking to her brother. "He needs our help. We cannot abandon him."

"I have not abandoned him," Charles spoke. "I just know what would happen if we went in there all guns blazing. People would become even more scared than they are now."

"Meanwhile we sit here and let them experiment on him," Raven responded. "Charles, they will not listen to us."

"I keep lobbying the government, but they claim they have no idea what I am speaking of," Charles declared. "Instead it is an organisation that is supposedly holding Banshee. Trask Industries…but Bolivar Trask has petitioned for the government to fund his research."

"And they refused?" Annalise checked as Charles began to move into the mansion, the rest of them following him as Annalise looked around, the sight of the thriving school enough to make her smile as pupils dashed from one class to the next.

"They did," Charles said. "I keep bringing the matter to their attention, but they will not do anything."

"That's absurd," Annalise said, walking beside Charles as Erik loitered behind, his eyes roaming around the hallway. "How can they do nothing?"

"Because they don't care," Raven was the one to answer. "The government still see us a threat. They might not publicly support Trask, but they will do nothing to stop him."

"I keep trying," Charles said and Annalise walked through the door to his study that he was holding open for her.

Everyone else piled into the room and Charles pulled a chair out for Annalise, allowing her to sit down on it while Erik stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder as she still refused to look up to him. Charles sat behind his desk while Raven took the seat next to Annalise and Hank hovered in the corner.

"You keep trying, but you are getting nowhere," Raven informed her brother and he scowled at her while she shrugged her shoulders at him. "Admit it, Charles. They will not release him."

"And what do you want to do, Raven? If you go there and get captured-"

"-Not if we all go," Raven responded. "Charles, if we all went together then we could have a chance of getting through this. We could work together."

"It is risky, Raven," Charles complained to her. "But…as time goes on…I see it might be the only option we have."

"All the peaceful options have been explored?" Annalise checked and Charles sighed, shrugging before loosening his navy tie against his white shirt as he shrugged his jacket off.

"All the peaceful options and more," he confirmed to her. "Believe me, Annalise, as much as I would like to see us talk through this…I admit that I am struggling. The more I think about then the more I understand that there might be no other option."

"Then we have to help him," Annalise said, looking to Charles as he watched her back, both of them on the same wave length when it came to thinking. They both knew and understood what was being asked of them.

"We have to help him," Charles echoed and Erik nodded once, understanding what must be done.

…

"Are you happy now?"

Erik and Annalise had checked into a hotel for the evening after Charles had told them that there were no spare bedrooms in the mansion. He had offered them a sitting room, but Erik preferred his solitude away from schoolchildren. The following day they intended to fly out to Washington D.C. and find Banshee.

"Why would I be happy?" Annalise demanded from Erik. "I simply wanted to make sure every non-violent option had been explored before you rushed in. Surely you can understand that?"

"I do," Erik promised her in a low voice and she continued to unpack her suitcase, searching for her pyjamas as she bent over, her bump getting in her way slightly as Erik took over, pulling them out for her and handing them to her.

"I did not entirely believe Raven when she came to us," Annalise admitted. "I wanted to check with Charles that this was the only way…something about Raven…she has changed."

"For the better," Erik said. "She has grown up and become wiser to the ways of humans."

"You need to stop that," Annalise demanded from him. "You know not all humans think that way. We discussed this months ago and I am not going back there. Besides, you know why I wanted to talk to Charles first…if there was a way to do this that didn't risk you getting caught then I would take that option."

"Unfortunately that way does not exist this time," Erik spoke to her. "But we will be safe. We have Charles. He is arguably the best weapon to have."

"Yes," Annalise agreed with that. "But you need to promise me that you will save him and come straight back out. We do have a wedding to reschedule and a baby on the way."

Erik teased her gently, moving to wrap his arms round her waist, his hands resting on top of her stomach. "Yes, I suspect I do have something worth coming home for."

She rolled her eyes as she felt him kiss the top of her head, the motion tender and enough to make Annalise relax against Erik's grip, her back against his front as she closed her eyes and Erik continued to feel her stomach.

"Nothing will stop me from coming back," he promised her, whispering into her ear. "And nothing will tear us apart."

"Agreed," Annalise mumbled.

…

Charles watched on as they waited in the departure lounge of the airport. Erik was sat on a mesh seat alongside Annalise, talking to her and no doubt trying to keep her calm as they waited for their flight out. Charles had booked them all into a hotel room once they reached Washington D.C., plus he had even gone to the liberty of booking the a first class ticket there.

"What's the plan?" Raven asked from her brother and he shrugged.

"I think doing this in the evening would be for the best," Charles said. "However, there is currently you, me, Erik and Hank. I'd say between us we can manage this task."

"Good."

"But then what?" Charles said, unable to stop himself as he searched his sister's gaze. "Do you come home or do you keep going off on your own? You know that we have missed you, Raven."

Raven looked away then, shaking her head. "I can't come back," she told him. "I need to keep helping…doing what I do best…not teaching in some school."

"What you are doing is dangerous," Charles reminded his sister and she shrugged her shoulders.

"We're not doing this here," Raven whispered, closing her eyes and walking off, unable to have this discussion with Charles.

Passing Erik and Annalise, she almost rolled her eyes as the pair of them tried to pretend that they were a normal couple. She didn't know who they were fooling. Annalise was a human and Erik was a mutant. That child inside of her would be different, but what kind of future did they want it to have? Did they want their child to grow up fearing it would never be accepted?

The problem was that Raven knew Erik. He would never be content with a quiet family life. That was not who he was.

…

"Do you think that your pregnant fiancée will ever let you be who you are?"

Erik looked over to Raven as she spoke to him. Erik had walked Annalise to their bedroom after she had complained of feeling nauseous after the journey there. No doubt that was because of the baby inside of her. Erik had been walking to meet up with the others to discuss the plan when Raven appeared besides him.

"What do you want, Raven?" Erik demanded from her.

"I want to know who you think you're kidding," Raven demanded, standing in the hotel corridor and looking to him. "You're not some stay at home father or office worker. You don't do that, Erik."

"You don't know me, Raven," he informed her.

"I do because I feel like you," she responded. "You want to help people…our kind…that's what you've been doing in London, isn't it? I know what you have been doing there. I can read the news."

"I'm staying hidden."

"The very thing we should not be doing," Raven said and Erik took a deep breath. "And you know that. I'm not saying anything negative towards Annalise. She is lovely and I like her, but I know you…and I know that it might not be enough."

"She will always be enough," Erik said. "And don't you dare question that, do you understand me?"

"Fine, keep kidding yourself," Raven shrugged. "Because you're kidding no one else."

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!