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Chapter 13 - Conversations in the dark
Covert CIA research base
Before the car came to a full halt, Charles Xavier had already opened the door on his side and jumped out of the slow moving vehicle. There were a lot of thoughts flashing through his mind, but his main focus was to get into the building and find Ann as quickly as possible. What happened today was incredible and he simply had to confront her about it.
"Charles!" Erik's voice boomed from behind him, but Charles ignored it completely.
He hadn't told Erik anything about what happened in the taxi today, when they were busy meeting Darwin and convincing him to join their division. Of course the fact that Charles had said Ann's name out loud in the car had raised some eyebrows, but he'd played it off as it being nothing more than him remembering that there was something he had to ask her. Erik hadn't questioned it, not verbally at least, but he also hadn't believed Charles entirely.
Charles pushed the doors aside and ran through the entranceway without greeting anyone from the security staff. He was on a mission here and he had no time for a friendly hello or chitchat. Even escorting Darwin inside and showing him around would have to wait. Normally he would have, but there was a solid reason as to why he was rushing this very instant.
He knew there was a chance of Ann not even being at the base at all, and if she was that she would try her best to avoid him. Of that he was certain. She had a knack for that. He simply had to make sure there would be no time for her to gather herself and brush him off. She wasn't going to get away with that, not today.
Thankfully it didn't take long for Charles to find her. But as was to be expected she wasn't alone. He entered the sitting area where all of them spent most of their time while on the facility, and found Moira MacTaggert and Ann sitting at the table enjoying a glass of red wine. Moira was the one who noticed him first as she was facing the doorway.
"Good evening, Charles." She greeted him with a smile. "Did you just return?"
Charles approached the two women and placed his right hand on the top rail of Ann's chair. Perhaps a rather aggressive and unnecessary method of making sure that she wasn't going to get up and leave the room, but he knew she was a flight risk and he couldn't let that happen.
"We did and we had a terrific day. We found two more mutants and one of them has actually come back with us. Erik is with him at the moment, but I'm sure you ladies will meet him shortly. He has quite a remarkable gift, I can't wait for you two to see it."
"That's wonderful news, Charles. Today is a day for celebrations then as I've got some good news to share as well." Moira got up from her seat and walked over to the counter next to the table. "Would you like a drink?"
"I'd love to. Whatever you're having looks good." Charles replied as he stayed in his spot right behind Ann, who hadn't said a single word since he'd entered the room.
The tension was already looming around them and he could feel it buzzing around him like a small electric cloud. He couldn't stand there and wait for Ann to address him, if he'd let that happen he would still be here in the morning most likely. He raised his hand and placed two of his fingers against his temple, his eyes never leaving the top of Ann's head.
I believe we've got something to talk about. He whispered into her mind.
Ann didn't move a muscle, but there was no doubt that she had heard him. But instead of replying, let alone even acknowledging him addressing her, Ann reached for her drink and took a big swig. Was she really planning on ignoring him? The upper right corner of his mouth twitched.
You do realize I'm just going to keep hanging around you until you talk to me?
He waited patiently though he felt the need to grab her shoulder and turn her around to face him. But he couldn't do that, not with Moira in the room. He doubted she knew what happened today and even if she did, Charles didn't want her to be part of the conversation.
Eventually the woman in front of him lowered her arm. "It was an accident." She said the second she put her glass back down.
An accident? She was obviously talking about what happened today between her and him, but it wasn't the answer he'd expected. Still, he was happy she'd decided to speak to him. "All the more reason we should talk."
"You want to talk now? Moira just offered you a drink thus it would be awfully rude to leave, wouldn't you say?" Ann retorted as she looked sideways at the woman standing behind the counter.
However when her gaze landed on Moira, she noticed her friend wasn't moving. Her hand encircled a bottle of red wine, ready to pour it into a glass for Charles, but she was clearly frozen perfectly in her spot. Ann frowned and moved in her seat.
"Moira?" She called out.
"What would you say to a walk in the courtyard?" Charles asked not even bothering to address what was currently going on.
Ignoring his question, Ann placed her hand on his lower arm and squeezed tightly. "Do you have anything to do with this?" She pointed in Moira's direction.
Charles smiled calmly. "Spectacular, don't you agree? Do not worry, she's perfectly alright. I can turn everything back to normal within a second. I figured you might be more comfortable talking without Moira knowing about it?"
Ann had no idea how Charles was even capable of doing this. Clearly his powers went further than simply reading and communicating with the mind of others. Or was this all some sort of illusion he was putting in her mind? She retracted her hand and watched as Charles stepped back from blocking her chair. Quickly she got up and made her way to Moira. She waved her hand in front of the woman's face, but she didn't even bat an eyelash.
"This is unbelievable."
"You're impressed?"
"Impressed? There is absolutely no need for you to do this. I was already planning on talking to you about what happened,-"
Charles frowned a little sceptically. "You were?"
"You honestly think I would be here if I wasn't? In one of the most open and convenient places for you to find me?"
"Fair point." Admittingly he had anticipated Ann to be more reluctant and possibly apprehensive to see him tonight, but clearly he was wrong. Which could either mean two things. Either she didn't care or she actually had the common sense that he wasn't going to allow her to avoid him.
"So,- the courtyard? The fountain? Wherever you find comfortable. Your room perhaps?" Charles suggested as he winked at the latter option, which Ann ignored.
She nodded at Moira. "You're just going to leave her like this?"
Without warning her, Charles snapped his fingers and Moira suddenly continued her earlier act of pouring Charles a glass of red wine. When she was done she looked up and let out a loud yelp when she noticed Ann was standing right in front of her.
"My goodness, I didn't even see you get up. Would you like another drink?" Moira held up the bottle but Ann shook her head.
"No thank you. I need a clear head. I'm going to leave for a minute. Get some fresh air. I'll be back." With that said Ann made her way to the doorway, throwing Charles a quick glare as she passed him.
Charles cleared his throat, disregarding her stare and turned to Moira. "Just put my drink on the table, my dear. There's something I have to discuss privately with Ann for a quick second. Nothing to worry about, we'll be back by the time Erik and our new friend get here."
He winked and hurried after the caramel haired woman through the doors. She hadn't even waited for him and was now already halfway down the corridor. This was going great, as usual. Why did everything had to be so difficult with Ann? Charles grumbled as he finally gained up on her and slowed down to match her pace.
"That went well." He noted.
"Oh yes, not suspicious at all." She replied.
"I'm sure Moira won't think anything of it. If you're worried I can always check her mind later?"
Immediately Ann shook her head. "No thank you. This display of power was quite enough. Honestly, I don't understand why you feel this need to show off all the time."
"Not all the time." Charles let out a nervous chuckle.
He was not in the mood to have another argument with her. There was but one thing he wanted and that was to talk about this afternoon. Why had she checked in on him? Had it really been an accident as she claimed it had been? Or had she searched for him purposely and if so what had been the reason behind that? Any possibility excited him greatly and he couldn't wait to hear the answer.
"Shall we head this way?" He asked her politely as he stopped her by placing his hand on her upper back and motioned into the hallway leading to the field near the observatory where Cerebro was hidden. "It's a beautiful night and we can talk without being disturbed by anyone."
"Whatever you want."
Charles let out a frustrated sigh as they continued their way to a large metal door which would lead them outside. He held the door open for her, which she thanked him for, before shutting it behind them.
The night's air wasn't too bad today. Not too nippy as there was a warm breeze flowing around them. Still, Charles noticed Ann shivering already. She moved her hands and rubbed her upper arms to seemingly warm herself. Without contemplating he removed his jacket and placed it over the woman's shoulders.
"Better?" He asked.
Ann looked at him, her mouth twitched and formed a small smile. She then cleared her throat. "You wanted to talk about today?"
"Naturally." Charles said a bit too enthusiastically. "It was completely unexpected. I was having a conversation one minute and then all of a sudden I sensed you inside my head. As if you were sitting right next to me instead of Erik. It was incredible."
"Incredible?" Ann repeated.
The way Charles described it caused her to feel a slight sense of embarrassment. There were many words she would use to describe how she felt when locating someone, but incredible wasn't one of them. His response surprised her. As if he'd made some sort of grand discovery. But then again, for the short time she'd known him, Ann had already noticed that even the smallest of mutations had the ability to make Charles as giddy as a child with a lollipop.
"You're not curious as to why I was there?"
"Of course I am. That was obviously going to be my next question." The man smirked. "Still, the most exciting bit was actually being able to sense you in here." He tapped the side of his head with his index finger. "It really does prove my initial theory of you possessing telepathic like powers, like me."
Ann pulled Charles's jacket tighter around her upper body as they continued their walk. "I didn't feel excited at all. You scared the living daylights out of me when you said my name out loud. I never would have expected you to be able to actually feel me. I didn't know how to get out of your mind fast enough. My heart was positively racing during all of it."
Charles halted and grabbed hold of her shoulder to stop her. "Why?"
"I felt embarrassed, guilty. Perhaps it made me realize how,-" She paused for a minute to find the correct word. "Invasive, my mutation is."
"Your gift is many things, but I would never call it invasive. You use it to do good, not because you want to spy on people or use it for your own personal gain."
Ann furrowed her brow and searched his eyes. "How would you know that?"
"I just do, love." Charles replied as he looked back with an equal intense stare.
A shiver went through her body as goose bumps prickled her skin. Quickly she averted her gaze and rubbed her arms more vigorously to get rid of the tingling sensation coursing through her. The other mutant grinned slightly as Ann turned around to move along.
"But it does bring us back to the big question. Why were you looking? I believe you mentioned earlier that it had been an accident, which actually makes it all the more interesting, if you ask me."
Ann let out a sigh. The reason alone was humiliating enough. Not only for her but for Moira as well. It had been her fault from the very beginning. If she hadn't brought up the man walking next to her, nor had asked Ann that particular question which made her think of him intensely, she wouldn't be here having this conversation in the first place.
"I wasn't looking for you. I merely thought of you and all of a sudden there I was." She rapidly explained.
Charles frowned but Ann could already tell he felt amused by the whole thing. There was that incredibly smug and coy smirk again and the urge to groan bubbled up in her throat.
"You were thinking of me?" He asked.
"Not voluntarily, I assure you." Ann replied shortly.
"Of course not, why would you? I'm a horrible person. Disgusting, ugly and cruel."
"You're forgetting pompous, conceited and haughty."
"You do realize all those words mean the exact same thing?"
"Stuck-up and toffee-nosed."
Charles let out a laugh. "Alright, alright. Point taken. Still, it is rather odd then. Did you happen to have anything with you that belongs to me?"
Ann shook her head. "No."
"Nothing?"
"Not one thing."
The mutant frowned and rubbed his chin. "Then what is your theory?"
"I told you, Charles. It just happened through mere thought. I don't know what else to tell you. Moira was talking about you. Well, actually she was basically telling me off for mistreating you when suddenly she decided to ask me if I think you're,-"
Abruptly Ann paused. She hadn't meant to reveal any of that and she doubted Moira would appreciate it if she told him about it. Knowing Charles he would never let either of them hear the end of it. The man's ego was big enough as it was already and definitely did not need any further encouragement.
"If I'm what?" Charles asked almost immediately. There was no way of denying the amusement clearly present in his voice.
"It's not important." Ann told him as she waved her hand.
"Now why don't I believe that?"
"You are free to believe anything you want and will you stop giving me that look?" She added as Charles was again giving her that intense stare while grinning broadly.
"She wanted to know if you think I'm ruggedly handsome, didn't she?"
An expression of disgust crossed Ann's face. "I don't believe this. You already read her mind, didn't you?" She said accusingly, but Charles shook his head.
"I didn't have to. You just confirmed it." He replied with a smile. "But maybe I have seen a hint of it earlier when I talked to your mind in the sitting area."
"Of course you did. Goodness, I am going to need a dictionary to find more words for smug,-" Ann growled under her breath.
Ignoring her, Charles ran a hand through his brown hair. "So aside from Moira being the instigator in all of this. It still doesn't explain how you managed it."
"We're going in circles here, Charles. I already told you. I thought of you and abracadabra."
"I must say, Ann, if that is really all it took for you to suddenly appear inside my head, then that is absolutely amazing!" Charles smiled broadly.
Gosh, he made it sound as if she'd performed some sort of miracle, when in fact it hadn't been as easy as snapping one's fingers. Yes, she'd thought of him. Strong and vividly. The shape of his head, the colour of his eyes as well as anything else she could think of in that moment. But should she tell him that? Knowing Charles he was going to make a joke about it or use it to stroke his ego in some manner.
"You're not upset that I popped in without warning?"
"Don't be silly, love. Why would that upset me? I'm surprised you aren't more thrilled. You managed to accomplish something new with you powers."
New? It wasn't really, it simply didn't happen that often. She never knew when it would or what could trigger it. She figured Charles would know that, he had read her mind more than once before, but based on his current reaction it seemed he was unaware of it.
"If you want,-" Charles suddenly continued. "We could work on it?"
Ann frowned at him. "Work on it?"
"Yes! Refine it. Training is not just for those who want to look more fit. The mind needs to stretch and exercise as well. Before you know it you will only need to think of someone for a split second and voila! You'll be able to find them just like you did today. No need for personal belongings."
"Why?" Ann furrowed her brow with slight concern.
"Why not? You've already shown me you're capable of it."
"I've been around you every day since you showed up at my apartment in London. Perhaps it's not a matter of how strong my mind is, but how much time I've spent around said person?"
"Plausible." Charles replied.
"Or how much said person manages to annoy me on a daily basis."
That conjured up a smile on the professor's face. He stepped closer towards her and searched her eyes. "And have you considered how much effect you might also be having on said person?"
"Are you saying I annoy you?" Ann asked with clear disbelief noticeable in her voice.
Charles shook his head. "Oh no, I wouldn't dream of calling you annoying. I prefer the word,- inscrutable. And that says a lot coming from someone who can read minds, you know."
"In that case might I suggest we train your mind instead and leave mine well enough alone?"
The cheerful expression on Charles's face faltered and he turned serious within a split second.
"You don't have to be afraid when you're around me, Ann."
His voice went soft and without giving it any thought he raised his hand and moved part of Ann's caramel coloured hair out of her face.
"I want you to trust me. You're not here because I want to misuse your extraordinary gift for the supposed greater good."
Ann's lips parted slightly and Charles didn't have to read her mind to know that his words hardly had the ability to convince her. But it was better to say them than not mentioning it at all. He had seen bits of her past, enough to understand why she was hesitant and raised her walls whenever someone got too close.
And he knew that the following thought was a little bit selfish, but he honestly couldn't stand the fact that she trusted Erik more than him. He just knew she did, even if it was only a little bit more. None of that was necessarily Erik's fault. He couldn't help it that Ann shared a similar past to his or that they spoke the same language. But it were those little things that was just enough to give the metal bender an edge when it came to connecting with her.
Charles had the feeling that he had almost nothing in common with her, aside from their powers sharing the same sort of telepathic analogy. Sure, they both lived in England, were of the same age. But obviously those weren't valid reasons as to why one should trust another. Yet Moira had trusted him rather quickly. Why not Ann?
"Maybe we should go back to Moira?" The woman in front of him spoke quietly.
Charles's mouth twitched and he lowered his arm. She hadn't even reacted to what he'd said to her about not needing to be afraid or that she could trust him. He could sense her uneasiness and she appeared more than ready to put the conversation to an end. A repetitive behaviour pattern she tended to have, one that Charles wasn't going to allow to continue.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" He asked ignoring her suggestion of heading back inside.
"Funny, I thought you said I was hard to read?" She replied wittily.
"And I thought you said I was the one with the stuck-up attitude?"
The two of them stared at each other. A breeze crossed their path, blowing Ann's hair back into her face, but she didn't look away from him. Charles felt an odd sensation stirring in his stomach as he stared into her greenish blue eyes.
"I'm sorry, that was unprofessional of me." He apologized.
Ann let out a shuddering breath. "No, I shouldn't have responded like that. I don't know why you irritate me so. I know you mean well. I didn't at first,-" She paused for a second and looked back up at him. "But I do now."
Charles's heart skipped a beat, as it had done the first time he saw Ann popping her head through the window of her apartment to see what madman had dared to disturb her day. But instead of his heart skipping a beat, it could also have been the loud bang coming from the base. Charles and Ann turned their heads to look into the direction of the door they'd come through earlier. In the opening stood a tall and dark silhouette. Its face hidden by the darkness of the night, but Charles already knew who it was.
He stepped in front of Ann just as Erik Lensherr came towards them, taking rather large strides as he walked their way. Charles tilted his head back as the man stopped a few inches from him.
"Ann, ist alles in Ordnung?" He asked glancing over Charles's shoulder.
Ann blinked. "Warum sollte nicht alles in Ordnung sein?" She answered with a confused look.
"Ah, Erik. There you are. Have you shown Darwin around the base yet?" Charles smiled politely yet with a clenched jaw.
Erik was upset with him, which was to be expected. Charles had practically jumped out of a moving vehicle in order to get into the facility and look for Ann before Erik could follow him. He knew that stunt was going to get back at him at some point during the night, but he had hoped that taking Ann for a walk outside would have provided him more time alone with her.
"I escorted Darwin to the sitting room, where I figured I would find you." Erik replied. "Then I left him with Moira because she asked me to look for the two of you. Apparently she has some important news to share and she doesn't want to wait any longer."
"Ah, in that case I suggest we better get back. Wouldn't want to get on Moira's bad side." Charles smiled and motioned for Ann to walk ahead.
As soon as she passed him and Erik, the latter quickly placed his hand on Charles's shoulder to stop him for a quick second. "You have some explaining to do."
Charles calmly slipped away from Erik's grip and adjusted his shirt. "I'm afraid you need to be a little bit more specific?"
"Oh no, don't you dare pretend that you have no clue what I'm talking about." The other man hissed through his teeth. "You leaving me behind with that taxi driver without any sort of warning. Ten minutes later I find you here with Ann. And why is she wearing your jacket?"
"Because I was raised a gentleman, Erik."
"A gentleman when it's convenient for you, you mean."
Charles shrugged. "I had something important to discuss with her about her powers, she got cold and therefore I gave her my jacket. It's really not that big a deal, All I wanted was to talk with her in private. Now that that is obviously over and done with, shall we head inside?"
Erik gritted his teeth, trying to stop himself from saying anything else on the matter. Whatever Charles's reason was for behaving this way, he was obviously not willing to share it. Fine. If that was the way he wanted to act, so be it. Erik turned on his heel and walked back to the base where Ann was standing holding the door open for the two men. Erik grabbed the handle and motioned for her to go through, though he didn't bother holding it for Charles who was only a couple of feet behind him.
As Erik got inside, he pulled Ann to a halt. "Lass mich dir helfen."
He placed his hands on Ann's shoulders and without asking, lifted the jacket from her before throwing it swiftly in Charles's face as he walked through the door. As if he'd expected it, Charles caught it with ease and flung it over his shoulder, giving Erik a lopsided smirk as a result. Ann watched them quietly from the corner of her eye. Whatever was going on between those two, she had no desire to be a part of it.
"If you two supposed gentlemen are quite done, I believe there is a CIA agent waiting for us? Unless neither of you are interested in hearing that we now know with certainty where Shaw is going to be within the next couple of days?"
Let's wrap this chapter up, shall we?
I do hope you all enjoyed it. It was a lot of Charles in this one, I hope none of you mind. I wonder if any of you have changed their minds yet with regards to this becoming a Erik/OC, Charles/OC or perhaps a mix of the three? Anything is possible in this world.
Would love to hear your thoughts!
Until next time, have a great day!
Translation:
Ist alles in Ordnung? - Is everything alright?
Warum sollte nicht alles in Ordnung sein? - Why wouldn't it be alright?
Lass mich dir helfen - Let me to help you