A big thank you to everyone who is reading this story. As well as a thank you to those who have added it to their follow/favourite list.

Shout out to all of you lovely beans who reviewed the last chapter; isanxd, intothevoid, Mary-Ann, Smolbean39, D. Xin, guest, Cassi-011 and MiaEther (Goodness you guys, thank you so much, truly. You make me all so happy).

Smolbean39: I'm humbled that you find this story actually good. That is an immense compliment and I thank you :)

D. Xin: I'm happy you find Ann and Charles hilarious and that you're rooting for them!

Cassi-011: Thank you so much for the love you're showing Charles, and his struggles ;)

I won't take up any of your time with babbling here. Enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter 7 - Wise men say, only fools rush in

Covert CIA research base

The car drove through a gate and made its way down a sandy path towards a grand looking building. Was this entire facility the research base? It was immense, much larger than Raven initially thought it would be. There were a lot of people walking around and they all seemed to be wearing black suits with white shirts and dark ties. She also noticed most of them carrying rectangular black or brown leather briefcases.

Raven shifted in her seat and stared outside with her hand pressed against the window of the car. "Wow." She breathed. "This place is huge. Ann, look!"

Raven and Ann had paired up to join Frank for the journey from the Hotel to the research facility. Erik and Charles had gone with Moira in the other car as it would have been impossible for the six of them to have squeezed inside one altogether. Well, perhaps not impossible, but it was a long ride and the idea of sitting like a sardine in a can for an hour was simply out of the question.

Ann followed Raven's example and leaned forward to stare out of the window. "Bloody hell."

"Do you like it?" Agent Frank asked as he glanced in his rear-view mirror.

Both women moved back into their seats, not sure how to respond to Frank's question. Neither of them knew anything about the place nor were they even sure what it was they were going to do there. Raven knew that the CIA wanted their help to find Shaw, at least Charles's help. She had no idea how she was suppose to fit in, with her shapeshifting and all that. The only real reason why she was there was because of her brother.

"It's impressive." Raven answered with a small smile.

Ann agreed and once again stared at the square shaped building. She caught herself having trouble taking her eyes off it. Not necessarily because she impressed with the place, but because of that tiny voice in the back of her head telling her to get out now that she still had a chance. Were they supposed to stay spent their nights here at the facility? She honestly hoped not. On the outside it hardly looked like a research base, especially with all of those people wearing their fancy suits and carrying their briefcases about. In short, everything was already giving her the creeps.

"We're here." Frank said and he started to slow down.

He finally stopped and at the same time another vehicle pulled up right behind them. Raven was already out of the car before it had even come to a complete halt and she quickly made her way over to the car where he brother was sitting in. Charles got out and shut the door behind him while looking up at the building. He too was rather impressed by the place at first glance. He quickly diverted his eyes the second his sister appeared in front of him.

"Well, this is it. Did you have a good ride?" He asked her.

The upper right corner of Raven's mouth twitched. It had been an interesting drive, that much was certain. Agent Frank was not a quiet driver. As soon as they'd left the hotel, the man had turned on the radio and started to sing along with the first song that came up. Then the next one and then the one after that. Strangely enough most of them were Elvis Presley hits.

However if a song that he didn't know popped up, he would start a conversation about how he had always believed there were supernatural people out there. He'd bring up stories of unexplainable situation and wanted their opinion on it. If it hadn't been for Ann trying to answer each of his questions politely, Raven would have lost her mind for sure with all of his singing and talking. Thank goodness she hadn't been alone in that car.

"Turns out agent Frank loves Elvis." Raven replied, she said it with a smile though it was clear to Charles that it meant that she probably did not have as good of a time as she would have liked.

"Come now, that doesn't sound too bad. All we did in the car was talk. Rather serious conversations. Having some music in the background, even if it was Elvis, couldn't have been that bad?" He frowned.

"In that case, you can drive with him next time." His sister whispered under her breath. "I'm sure Ann would have preferred it, turns out she doesn't like Elvis." The young woman added nodding over her shoulder at the other woman.

"She doesn't?" Charles let out a chuckle.

"I believe we're expected." Erik suddenly said appearing behind the two of them. He pointed towards the two agents and Ann already making their way towards the entrance of the research facility.

"We best hurry, there is a lot to do, a lot do see, but most importantly, a lot to discuss and it all starts here." Frank said to Moira as the other three quickly joined them. The dark haired, slightly pudgy man turned around and looked at all of them. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the CIA research base. My mission has been to investigate the application of paranormal powers in military defence."

Paranormal powers in military defence. Ann let those words sink in for a second and repeated them more than once in her head. A sentence that spoke volumes to someone like her and the others. But was she really surprised that such an investigation existed? It also explained agent Frank's eagerness and enthusiasm towards all of them. If he had been investigating something like that for years and he was now finally getting his proof, Ann would have probably reacted with the same eagerness as him. But seeing as she was on the opposite end of that equation, she didn't want to think about any of it.

"This guy Shaw, Schmidt? Whatever you want to call him." Frank continued. "He's working with the Russians. We might need your help to stop him."

"Marvellous. So we're to be the CIA new mutant division, yes?" Charles asked.

"Something like that."

Schmidt? Ann slowed down a little as the others continued their way into the building. Sebastian Shaw was not his real name? Frank had looked at Erik as he said those words, did that mean anything? Was he familiar with a different name? Ann couldn't remember anybody else mentioning that detail.

"Something wrong, Ann?" Moira made her way back to her. She'd been about to walk through the door when she noticed her friend lingering behind. "Are you alright?"

"I didn't know Shaw went by another alias?" She said to the brunette.

Moira shrugged slightly. "That's the name Erik gave us. Klaus Schmidt. German. I don't know any further details on it. It's likely he used various aliases depending on where he's been."

Ann nodded. "I see."

"Why? Do you recognize the name?" The agent then questioned, but Ann shook her head.

"No. Really I don't." She stressed again after noticing Moira's sceptical frown. The name Klaus Schmidt was just as unfamiliar to her as Sebastian Shaw. "It caught me off-guard, that's all."

Klaus Schmidt. Erik Lensherr. German names, like her real name. Not that it meant anything, but still an uneasiness settled within her. Actually, anything that had to do with Germans or Germany had the ability to unnerve her. What sort of association did those two have with each other and why was Erik after him? She'd pondered on this before, but now that she knew Shaw was German, it was even more on her mind.

Perhaps Charles knew? Even if Erik Lensherr hadn't told him anything yet, there was a chance that he already knew about it. He did tend to read minds on a whim, with or without permission, of this she was certain. After all, he had read her mind the moment they met and then again on multiple other occasions, as well as this morning during her private conversation with Moira. An awful rude and impolite trait. She doubted it was beyond his control, in fact she was sure that he knew perfectly well what he was doing most of the time.

"Are you ladies coming?" A British voice suddenly sounded from in between the doors of the facility's entrance.

Moira placed her hand on Ann's upper arm and gave a gentle squeeze. "Come on." The agent went inside and threw a swift smile at Charles as she passed him.

Again the little voice in the back of Ann's head told her to just turn around and make a dash for it. But instead she let out a deep sigh and forced herself to head towards the man currently staring at her with anticipation as he held the door open. How high were the chances he'd once again listened in on her thoughts?

"Ma'am,-" Charles bowed a little and stepped aside to let her enter before him.

Good grief. Ann smiled through gritted teeth and quickly hurried inside.

::::::...::::::

Around fifteen minutes had gone by and Agent Frank had shown them all of the places they were most likely going to spent their time during their stay. They weren't allowed everywhere in the building, something which Charles understood perfectly. Although he didn't particularly like it, nor did the rest of them, but it would have to do for the time being. At the moment they were on their way to a different area of the facility, one situated on the far end of the base. Frank was incredibly eager to show it to them.

They arrived in front of a metal double door and the agent halted. "Last stop for the day. The lab." He said as he pushed against one of the doors and held it open to let the others inside.

This space was enormous, whatever they'd been expecting to see, it wasn't this. It looked more like a hangar than a laboratory, but that was probably because of the rather odd looking airplane dangling on a couple of wires a few feet up in the air. There were glass panels dividing the room in the centre. Metal tables with vials, test tubes, microscopes and other scientific equipment. It was something else for sure. But that wasn't the only surprise Frank had in store for them, although the agent himself was unaware of this.

The very minute all of them stepped inside of the room, Charles immediately noticed the presence of someone else. And the second he saw the young man wearing a pair of dark rimmed glasses, he already knew more than enough. He couldn't hide the broad smile forming on his face as Frank introduced them to Hank McCoy.

Charles stepped forward and immediately grabbed his hand, shaking it vigorously. Unfortunately, in his enthusiasm, Charles made a mistake. He greeted Hank and told him out loud how happy he was to see another mutant already there in the facility.

Hank turned pale on the spot as the room went eerily quiet. What Charles didn't know was that Hank had already been working a while for the CIA and that nobody knew what he truly was. Charles cursed inwardly. He felt embarrassed for exposing the young scientist right there and then, although Charles really felt Hank shouldn't be ashamed of himself, but he could understand why he had chosen to not reveal his true identity.

"I am so, so terribly sorry." The professor apologised.

He always read a part of a person's mind, just a tad bit though, to know what he was dealing with. With Hank he'd only touched the surface and nothing more than that. He probably would have, if it hadn't been for eavesdropping on Ann's thought earlier, dubbing him rude and impolite for always reading someone's mind without permission. He could have prevented exposing Hank in front of Frank. He felt like a fool for letting her opinion get to him, even though she wasn't wrong and he knew it. Perhaps that's what aggravated him more.

It was a second nature to him, he never really thought about it, it happened automatically. Besides, he would never dig deep unless he found it necessary. She couldn't really blame him for that. It was his way to find out what type of person he was dealing with, a form of self-defence one might say. There was nothing else to do now but to make Hank feel better about the situation.

Charles turned his head and looked at Raven, ready to ask her in her mind to help him out, but she was already on her way over to him and Hank. He caught her curiosity for the young scientist as she halted next to him and immediately Charles relaxed. She always somehow knew how to mediate a difficult or tense situation. She started asking Hank questions on his mutation, which the young man answered with humility and a slight wariness.

Meanwhile Erik and Ann were standing a couple of feet back, observing the situation silently as everyone else seemed intrigued with the newly met mutant. It was Erik who leaned sideways and opened his mouth first.

"What do you think his mutation is?"

"I have a feeling we're about to find out,-" Ann whispered back to him.

She was right on the nose with her assumption as Hank suddenly kicked off his shoes, and she couldn't really tell from where she was standing, but it looked like his feet were part of his mutation. Hank took a couple of steps back until he was underneath the wing of the plane replica. He bent through his knees, set off with a backflip and next thing they knew, he was hanging upside down with his hand-like feet clutching onto the plane, dangling in the air like a bat.

"I was not expecting that." Ann said softly as she stared the young man hanging only a few feet away from her.

"Likewise." Erik agreed.

::::::...::::::

It was already dark outside and most of the people who worked at the base had already left for their cosy houses or apartments back in the city. The only ones left were the guards, a couple of agents who were working overtime and of course the guests Frank had brought in. A few hours had come and gone and everyone had settled in for the night. All except for Erik and Charles who had sought refuge in a large sitting room, a place arranged specifically for them, curtesy of Frank.

There was a bar, a jukebox, a pinball machine, two black leather couches with a white oval coffee table standing in between. In front of the bar stood a large table with a couple of chairs. Charles was currently enjoying a cup of tea while Erik was reading a newspaper, each situated opposite side of each other. The room was quiet, but neither of the two gentlemen seemed to be bothered by it. However, after a couple of minutes, Charles lowered his drink and set it down on its saucer just as Erik folded the paper he'd been reading.

"Any idea how the CIA is planning on locating Shaw?" He asked Charles.

"Nothing specific yet, they have multiple options on their side. I suspect they'll try whichever one is the least amount of work."

"Or costs." Erik added and the other man grinned.

"Most likely."

"I take it that's where you come in?"

Charles leaned back in his seat as Erik asked him that question. The man had been patient so far, more patient than Charles initially had given him credit for. Erik's thirst for finding Shaw was written all over his face, Charles didn't even have to read the guy's mind to figure that out. Still, he was hoping to sway Erik not to go after Shaw alone should the opportunity arise.

"I highly doubt it, Erik. I can sense a presence within a certain radius, but if the man is in another country or another continent then I won't be of much help, I assure you."

Erik averted his gaze towards the bar. "I guess we are merely here to help them out in some other way then?"

Charles cleared his throat and leaned forward as Erik turned his attention back to him. "Erik, you might as well ask me whatever question you have currently burning in your mind, instead of prevaricating."

"I would, but something tells me you won't answer it honestly." The other man retorted.

"You got me there. It isn't really my place to answer, if the question is not meant for me." Charles smirked mischievously. "If you're willing to wait a minute or two, I'm sure your question will be answered. Or not." He added quietly.

Erik turned in his seat and threw a look at the door behind him, but there was nothing to be seen. "That is why she is here then? Because unlike you, she has the ability to find Shaw?"

Charles didn't like the way Erik phrased that sentence. It wasn't as if he was unable to locate Shaw, he simply couldn't reach another person's mind as far as the person Erik was referring to. Although Ann kept claiming that she wasn't able to do it, Charles didn't believe her. He was certain she hadn't touched the full extent of her power yet. It was a guess, or more of a hope he had, but he wanted to find a way to work on it with her. If only she would let him, because so far he'd had no luck with getting on her good side.

"Like I said before Erik, if you have any questions you should ask her. Not me." Charles stood up from his seat and walked around until he reached a high, floor to ceiling, bookcase on the other side of the room. He leaned against it with his arm and absentmindedly stroked the back of one of the books on the shelf in front of him.

"She punched me when we first met, you know?" He suddenly said.

"Oh?"

"Yes." He couldn't help but chuckle a little at the memory. "I had it coming though, on some level. She was the first mutant I ever met, aside from me and Raven. I had no clue how to approach her, so my instinct was to show her what I could do."

"Ah, that explains a lot."

Charles immediately arched an eyebrow and he moved away from the bookcase. "I beg your pardon?"

Erik shrugged and once again reached for his newspaper indicating he was no longer in the mood to talk. "She's not fond of you. I haven't known any of you for that long, but even I can see it clear as day. It's a miracle she's even here then. You know, I think I will ask her about her mutation next time I see her,-"

"Am I interrupting anything?" A soft voice sounded a couple of feet behind him and Erik swiftly turned around to look at Ann who'd quietly entered the room without his knowledge. The smirk on Charles's face was more than apparent as he walked back to the table.

"Not at all. Care to join us? We were just having a quiet chat."

"Don't stop on my account." Ann said as she made her way over to the bar and grabbed a glass from one of the cabinets. When she turned around she caught Erik staring at her, casually leaning on his right hand.

"You sure you ought to be drinking?" He nodded at the glass she was holding.

The woman didn't reply, she bent down and opened the door of a small fridge situated on the floor right before her legs. After a couple of seconds she stood up straight and filled her glass with some iced tea. She set the pitcher back and used her foot to gently kick the door shut. It seemed her little drunken behaviour in the hotel last night had left a certain impression on Erik, a reputation she did not want or deserved in her opinion. Choosing to ignore his ill-mannered comment, Ann slipped into the chair across from him and placed her drink in front of her.

"Anything interesting the two of you were talking about?" She asked as Charles moved around the table to stand behind the chair next to her.

Erik shook his head, folded the newspaper for the second time that evening and put it aside. "Nothing compared to what I've experienced in the last twenty-four hours, that's for sure." He answered.

Ann raised her glass to her lips. "It has been quite something." She agreed.

"I think I'll pour myself another cup of tea. Can I get you anything, Erik?" Charles asked out of the blue.

The other man threw him a puzzled look. "No, thank you."

"Great. In the meantime, perhaps Ann can answer that question you've been dying to ask her?"

A look of surprise crossed the woman's face as Erik narrowed his eyes at Charles who was casually heading towards the small bar situated a couple of feet away from their table.

"I'm going to make an educated guess and say that you want to know about my mutation?" Ann frowned as she traced the rim of her glass with her finger.

"Very astute of you." Erik replied.

Despite being right, her confident expression faded slowly and Ann pushed her chair back. She walked across the room until she reached the jukebox, where she stopped and let her eyes roam over the collection of songs the machine contained. It was unavoidable and more than logical Erik would want to know about her powers. He was like her. A mutant. But it bothered her and the only reason she could think of why she was so hesitant to tell him, was because something told her that Erik was probably just as eager for her to find Shaw, just like the CIA was.

"Would anybody mind if I,-?"

"Be my guest. As long as it's not Elvis." Charles quickly added, which earned him a confused look from the woman.

When the night has come
and the land is dark
and the moon is the only light we'll see

She lingered for a couple of seconds at the jukebox before finally heading back towards the table where Charles had now also taken up a seat. As she arrived and was about to sit down, Erik suddenly stirred.

"Allow me." He turned his hand and a creaking noise came from behind her. She turned her head just in time to see the chair she'd been sitting on earlier move a couple of inches to the left, before sliding across the floor in one swift motion until it hit the wall.

No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you come and stand by me

She knew what he could do, in a sense, though she had not seen it up close and personal. Erik quite enjoyed the look of surprise adorning Ann's face. The woman parted her lips and stared at him and she wasn't the only one looking his way. Charles had his mouth pressed in a tight line and his brow furrowed.

Ann took a couple of steps sideways, slightly shaken by the sudden display of power happening before her very eyes. She probably wouldn't have been this taken back had she been up on deck yesterday to see him destroy Shaw's ship. She licked her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "Subtlety is not your forte either, is it Erik?"

So darling, darling stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand, stand by me. stand by me

She threw a quick glance at Charles as she walked towards her chair and dragged it back with her to the table. She sat down, crossed her legs and looked at Erik again. "How much have already you heard about me?" She asked him.

Erik's eyes flicked towards Charles for a second. "Hardly anything, but from what I can tell it is rather special and I would like to know more." He cocked his head and smiled at her with unfeigned interest.

Unfortunately for Erik, that sentence alone was enough to raise Ann's walls of defence. She grabbed her glass and took a couple of seconds before taking an actual drink from her iced tea.

"I heard you were the one responsible with finding Shaw's location?" The metal bender asked.

Erik!

Charles's voice echoed in the other mutant's head, but he ignored it and kept his focus on the woman in front of him.

"Let me explain to you what my mutation does, Erik. Since you are so incredibly eager to learn of it." Ann's expression had turned cold, in fact, her entire demeanour had changed within a split second.

"I can find anybody on the face of this earth if I have the right tools at my disposal. That usually means some sort of personal belonging of said person that I'm looking for. Once I have that, I can see through their eyes. Hear what they hear, see what they see, feel what they feel,-"

She paused for a second and swallowed a lump which had formed in her throat. "I have never looked through Shaw's eyes. I found him on accident through somebody else the CIA was looking for. Now, I don't know what it is that you really want to ask of me, Erik. But if it has to do with finding Shaw's location? I'm not the one who can help you."

Ann got up from her seat, grabbed her drink from the table and headed towards the bar. Erik's gaze followed her until she reached the sink and let the water run to clean her glass. She was deliberately avoiding eye contact with him. Erik clenched his jaw, he'd definitely said too much. Shown too much eagerness with regards to her power thus allowing her to see straight through him. He was beginning to understand why Charles seemed to clash with the woman as well. If he wasn't careful, he would suffer the same fate. And he could tell he was already treading on thin ice.

He pushed himself out of his chair and walked towards her, ignoring the glare Charles was giving him. Erik stopped at the other side of the bar and cleared his throat. "You're right. I'm sorry." He apologized.

"When it comes to Shaw, I'm willing to do anything to find him. My instincts told me you were capable of helping me and that was merely based on what I've heard so far."

The water stopped running and Ann dropped the glass in the sink. "Listen, I admit my mutation comes in handy in some circumstances. But I need objects in order for me to find someone. Not pictures, not a description, an actual belonging. It's not as easy as snapping one's fingers." She let out a deep and shuddering breath.

Erik moved his arm and reached for something in his pocket. "If you had something that once belonged to Shaw, would you even try to find him?"

Ann stared at him for a few seconds, but it felt longer than that. "Obviously." She eventually said, though frustration was written all over her face.

Erik, that's enough!

Charles's voice was loud and demanding. But that didn't stop Erik from pulling a small circular object from his pocket. When he looked back up, Ann was still staring at him. Completely still, unwavering and unmoving. Erik frowned and moved his hand in front of the woman's face. She didn't even blink.

Erik turned his head to find Charles already standing next to him. It seemed the telepath could do more than read and communicate with minds. "Nice trick." He commented dryly.

"I told you enough is enough." Charles repeated.

Erik's expression turned dark and grim. "You know she has the ability to find Shaw, I have something that might do the trick and you're stopping me?"

"I understand you perfectly, Erik. But like I said, enough is enough. You've only known her for one day and without hesitation you are ready to try and force her to do your bidding?" His voice was rising and every word sounded filled with anger.

"I wasn't going to force her." Erik assured him.

"Weren't you?"

The two men stared at each other while Ann was still frozen on the spot. Charles couldn't keep it up for too long and the atmosphere was getting more tense by the minute. He tried to calm himself down.

"I'm not saying you can't ask her for help eventually. I'm simply telling you to let it rest for today. Please." By some miracle that seemed to do the trick and Erik lowered the coin back in his pocket. Charles relaxed his shoulders and time moved on in the room as normal.

Ann blinked and rubbed the side of her head. "I'm sorry, I seemed to have lost myself for a minute. Did you say anything?" She looked up at Erik with her blue green eyes and for a split second the man felt like a complete asshole.

He shook his head and took a step back. "Nothing. Thank you for telling me about yourself, Ann. I still think you have an amazing gift. I really do." With one last glance at Charles, Erik walked out of the sitting room and shut the door behind him without even using his hands.

"Are you alright, Ann?" Charles asked her. He sounded rather concerned, which she found a little bit strange.

It hadn't been the kind of conversation Ann had hoped for to have with Erik, but she wasn't completely surprised by his response. He had ended it rather quickly though. She'd half expected him to try and convince her to help him find Shaw or something along those lines.

"I'm fine. I take it my answer wasn't the one he'd been hoping for." She replied.

But Charles shook his head. "He went too far with his questions. I should have stopped him at some point. I'm sorry I didn't."

"Don't be silly, Charles. But I appreciate the thought." She smiled at him. "I think I'll go to bed now. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ann." He watched silently as she walked away and went through the door, never looking back. A new and much softer melody played in the background and Charles sighed slightly as he realized it was an Elvis Presley song.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter :)

Would love to hear your thoughts. How do you feel about Erik or Charles at this very moment?

Have a great day everyone!