"I'm serious Erik," Annalise warned the metal bender as he stood in the hotel room, two bags clutched in his hands as the French girl stood by the bed, moving clothes around in her large zip up bags. He looked at her, his eyes wide and his brows rose as she remained fixated on her bag. "I cannot wear one of those things."

"Why can you not?" Erik snapped back at her. "Schmidt is on the Caspartina. Annalise, this may be the last chance."

"I am aware," she nodded quickly. "And I would like nothing more than to join you and kill him but I cannot."

"Why can you not?" he snapped again at her before dropping the bags onto the floor. The wetsuits from the bag fell onto the ground and Annalise bit her bottom lip, managing to look at Erik through her lashes before her gaze fell back onto her bag.

"I can't swim," she muttered and Erik folded his arms, raising a brow at her.

"What?"

"I said I can't swim," she said louder and Erik nodded once at her.

"It is really easy," he promised and she shook her head quickly at him.

"I am not diving into water. I shall find another way to get onto the boat," she promised and he rolled his eyes once, grabbing onto his wetsuit as Annalise picked out a skirt from her bag, holding it up and looking at it.

"Well I'm going to change," Erik huffed, walking into the bathroom of the hotel which they had rented. "I suggest you do the same and hurry up."

"Oui," she snapped at him as he shut the door to the small en-suite.

...

"He's on the boat," Annalise whispered to Erik as she stood next to him in the harbour. The two of them saw flames coming from the vessel from a small fire but they could not see anything further. Erik wore the tight fitting suit whilst Annalise was crouched behind the wall, her mini skirt on her figure along with her turquoise blouse she had pushed into its hemline. "I can sense his mind but I daren't read into it Erik. He might know it is me."

"It doesn't matter," Erik promised her, his hands were holding onto her elbows as they crouched behind the wall. "You can manage to get onto the boat when I'm there, can't you?"

"Don't worry about me," she whispered back. "I can try to control him but he might be too strong for me Erik."

"You'll be fine Annalise," Erik muttered. "It will be fine."

"Okay," she nodded back to Erik. "You should go if that is how you want to sneak up on him."

"As soon as I am on the boat then I shall hopefully be able to use my power and drag the metal from the boat which you shall be waiting on. That way you don't have to use the engine on the boat and we won't make a noise."

"Okay," Annalise nodded once. "We should go, oui?"

"Yeah," Erik agreed. The two of them moved down the waterside, silently walking until Erik came to the edge of the small little harbour. The night time made it almost impossible for them to see anything other than the light from the yacht and the light from the shore. Erik nodded at her once and then quickly jumped into the water, his body disappearing from sight. Annalise gulped once, looking at the small boat resting on the calm waters before she climbed into it, watching through Erik's mind as he swam to the side of the boat. Before she knew it he was dragging the small transport along. Annalise grabbed onto both sides of the boat, the object wobbling slightly due to the force of Erik's powers. As soon as she neared the side she saw him stood on the deck, bent down by the steps on the side. With haste she climbed onto the metal steps, climbing up them and then joining Erik by his side. He nodded at her once before he walked around the boat. Annalise walked behind him, wondering what she was going to come to face with.

"Herr Doktor," Erik's voice suddenly rang out and Annalise noted the dagger by the side of his hands.

"Erik Lensherr," his deep voice rang out into the darkness. Annalise took a step closer to Erik, her body close to his for comfort. He was there. Schmidt was in front of both of them. The man who had killed their only family was there for the taking. "Et ma belle Annalise."

Annalise heard him speak to her in French and her eyes looked into his, a smile played on his face as she resisted the urge to gag.

"They want to kill you," the blonde suddenly spoke up. Her place was by Schmidt as Annalise saw another man with long hair to his other side but he was simply looking onto the sight. Annalise felt the blonde try to enter her mind but she blocked her out quickly, not wanting her in her thoughts. And then she saw Erik double over in pain.

"Erik," Annalise worried. "Leave him alone!"

"Do as she says," Schmidt demanded from the telepath and she released Erik's thought before shifting into diamond form as she saw Erik throw the dagger towards Schmidt's form but she intercepted it quickly in the air. Erik advanced towards her, his fist clenched and his jaw tensed. But she was too quick for him. She took in all of the moves which he was going to make and used his technique against him, pushing him backwards until he fell over the side of the railing, collapsing into the water. Annalise remained stood still, not knowing what to do at that moment.

"Anna...you don't really want to kill me, do you?" Schmidt asked her, his voice low as he moved towards her. She backed away from him, shaking as she did so. She wanted nothing more than to see him dead. But she wanted Erik with her.

"I would like nothing more," she admitted to him. "You killed my mother."

"I am sorry," he said, not sounding sorry about anything as he smiled weakly at her. "But do you really want to kill your own father?"

Annalise remained quiet, her features turning pale as she looked at Schmidt. The grin on his face wasn't disappearing as he looked at her, his eyes searching her face for any trace of emotion but he couldn't find any for a moment or two. She began to shake her head, her voice trembling as she spoke back to him;

"Shut up," she demanded. "C'est stupide."

"Mais c'est vrai," he promised her it was the truth. "Your mother wouldn't give you to me Annalise. I needed to see if you were like me and she prevented me from doing that...why do you think I took care of you ma cherie?"

"Non," she snapped back at him. "Non...non..."

"You can try to deny it all you want my darling," he whispered. "You can read my thoughts and find out that it is the truth...now that you're here I can teach you more...I can show you how to channel your mind..."

"Je prefere mourir," she expressed her wish to rather die than to join him.

"Ce serait une bonne amie des dechets," he whispered back to her, telling her that her death would be a terrible waste. Before their conversation could continue there was the sound of a large horn and then the declaration of the coastguard moving onto the vessel.

"Riptide," Shaw commanded.

'Annalise...if you can hear me...jump of that boat right now!' Erik's voice suddenly yelled into her head and she looked out into the water. 'Get off the boat Annalise!"

The blonde looked back at Schmidt whose gaze was still on her and she rushed to the railing of the boat, clambering ungracefully onto it and then looking down into the water. Shaking her head and swearing in her mind she then plummeted into the sea. She kicked and splashed with haste, spluttering water from her mouth as she saw a large anchor rise into the air quickly and she looked to the side where Erik was floating, his hands outstretched in front of him. Annalise tried to quickly move over to him, the water kicking behind her but she made no progress against the tide.

"Erik!" she shouted out to him but he didn't hear her. She choked on the water, turning to her telepathy instead and shouting at him which received more attention. He turned his head to her as he continued his fight with the anchor and the yacht. He took in how she was struggling to keep up with the current and he moved his hand. Annalise wondered what he was doing at first but she suddenly felt her body travelling through the water quickly and then she realised Erik was pulling her along by the metal on her belt.

"Hold on," Erik told her as she neared him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she continued to tread water and his free arm moved to her waist, grasping tightly as he saw something emerge from the bottom of the boat.

"He has a submarine," Annalise told him quickly, spiting water out from her mouth as Erik moved her arms told hold onto him around his waist as he used both hands to grab onto the submarine.

"Don't let go," Erik demanded Annalise as he sped through the water, his body acting like a magnet to the submarine. Annalise tried not to choke on the force of the liquid entering her nostrils but she felt sick with worry and fear as Erik refused to let go. Before she knew it they were underwater, the submarine escaping from Erik's grasp.

'Erik...you need to let go...please...' She begged him in her head and he shook his head, stubbornness taking over him. 'He's gone Erik...you can't get him now...we'll drown if you keep this up and then we will have nothing...please...Erik...please.'

Erik listened to her pleas in his head and he took them into account. But he became even more concerned as another voice entered his head as he floated back up to the surface.

"Who are you?" Annalise snapped as her head bobbed above the water. Erik noted she was looking at the same man who had been in his thoughts and now both of their attentions were on him.

"Charles Xavier," he greeted them.

"You're a telepath," Annalise spat as Charles began to swim back to the vessel.

Erik silently grabbed onto Annalise's hand, pulling her closer towards him in the cold water as he moved out his hand, gently towing the pair of them to the US coastguard boat whilst Charles reached the ladders with ease, hauling himself onto them. Erik allowed the blonde to go in front of him as her heavy, wet clothes dragged her down. Her limbs were tired and her head ached as she dropped onto deck, collapsing into a heap on the ground, coughing out the water she had in her mouth. Charles was on his knees opposite her before they saw Erik drop down onto the wooden deck, settling next to Annalise. He looked at the way her wet skirt clung to her and she had lost her shoes in the sea. The blouse was see-through against her body as she brought her arms across her chest, trying not to show off the bra she wore.

"Can we get a blanket?" Erik snapped at a crew member who was stood and just watching them. He scarpered off quickly, leaving the three mutants for a moment before blankets were returned. Erik snatched one from his hold, placing it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she whispered up to him and his hands moved up and down her shoulders to keep her warm.

"I cannot say how nice it is to meet a fellow telepath," Charles told her, his own blanket around his body.

"Oui," she replied simply, not having the energy to say anything further.

'I need you to stay out of my head Professor,' she warned him and he raised a brow at her in wonder.

'I've seen into your mind my dear...I know the conversation which has just taken place...it was at the front of your mind.'

'It still is. But you need to be quiet...he can't know...I can't tell him...then he would want me dead as much as he does Schmidt.'