I want to thank all of you who replied to my question in the last chapter. It's always a joy to read where everyone's mind is at.
It was a great mix of answers and I loved reading all of them.

Therefore thank you all so much for you kind words!

I hope everyone will like this new chapter!

Enjoy!

Chapter 14 - Cross my palm with silver

Covert CIA research base

Charles furrowed his brow and leaned back in his chair. He was currently seated at the table with Moira and Erik in the sitting room while Ann was giving Darwin a tour around the base. This would give Moira some time to update the two men on the news which Ann had already revealed earlier, that Shaw's location had been discovered.

Though location was a rather inaccurate term. They didn't know exactly where Shaw was hiding, but what the CIA did know was where he was going to be within the next three days, and it was nowhere near the United States. The agency's informant, who was currently keeping an eye on one of the top Russian army generals, named Armivolkoff, had finally managed to confirm that a date and time had been set for a meeting between Shaw and the Russian Defence chief in Moscow.

Charles had been a little bit disappointed to hear that it hadn't been Ann who had located Shaw, but in the end it wasn't a matter of who would find him as long as he simply would be found. Three days from now, in Russia. Cold and wintery Russia. The timing could not have been more perfect.

There was only one mutant left that Charles was planning to go after. A young man named Alex Summers, who was currently locked up in solitary confinement in a government prison, by his own choice. As soon as Charles would be able to convince the mutant to join the division, then all of them would have some time to get to know each other better. The mutants he had recruited were going to be working as a team after all, and they could never be a team if they didn't know each other at least a little.

Unfortunately that was all the good news Moira had to share for now. She was still trying to convince her boss, John McCone, that they couldn't go to Russia with just a small CIA team. At least not an all human team. They needed people with powers similar to Shaw's. They needed Division X. But the head of the CIA still hadn't given the division clearance to interfere with Shaw.

McCone wasn't against the idea, according to Moira, but he wasn't a hundred percent certain that this was the way to go. What if Division X decided to collaborate with Shaw instead of taking him in? The consequences would be disastrous. And obviously this new bit of information made Charles absolutely furious.

"Let me talk to the man." The professor said immediately after Moira had told them they couldn't leave the country to fight Shaw. "I'll make sure he sees reason."

"He will see reason." Moira assured him. "It'll just take some time but I'm certain I can get through to him by the end of tomorrow. Even if we don't know where Shaw is hiding, at least we know with certainty where he will be."

Though not fully at ease, there wasn't much to do about it. So Charles let out a sigh. "Alright, love. If you're certain you can convince him then you have my support." He managed to conjure up a smile. "Because let's face it, without us, Shaw will never get caught."

"I can already tell you that that's not going to happen." Erik replied as he swirled his glass, containing a golden brown liquid. "If this is the only shot we have at getting Schmidt, I'm going to take it."

Charles shifted in his seat and placed his elbows on the table. "We will take it, Erik. You're not alone in this, alright? We're not letting Shaw get away, you have my word on that."

"If I may,-?" Moira suddenly interjected. "There is something else I'd like to discuss with you. Something that might help with making sure we know where Shaw will be after his talk with Armivolkoff, should McCone not give us the clearance in time." She went quiet for a second and looked at Erik and Charles.

"We're listening." The latter told her.

Moira nodded and took a deep breath. "We send someone ahead. Someone who has experience with watching people from the shadows. Someone who knows what Shaw looks like and also knows what he's capable off."

Her brown eyes locked with Charles's and immediately the image of the person who she was thinking off showed up in his head. Even if it hadn't, her description made it clear as day who she was referring to and it was safe to say that neither Charles nor Erik cared much for this idea. In fact, Charles pushed himself up out of his chair, shaking his head vigorously.

"No. Absolutely not. Out of the question!"

"Charles, just hear me out,-" The woman said, but he didn't let her continue.

"Have you gone completely mad? It's too dangerous. I won't allow it."

"Well, that's not up to you I'm afraid. I'm not asking for your permission. Besides, it was Ann's idea." As soon as she said that, the professor took a step back and walked away from the table.

"Of course it was." He muttered under his breath. "No wonder she was so eager to show Darwin around. She knew exactly how we would respond to this absurd plan."

Moira let out a long and frustrating sigh. Ann had warned her this was going to be Charles's reaction. But what else was the agent suppose to do? She didn't want to hide anything from Charles and even if she hadn't told him, he would have found out eventually through his mutation most likely.

"I know it's dangerous but it's merely a precaution. If McCone gives clearance, we'll join her immediately. She can then either stay and help you out or she can go back home if that's for the best. But at least we will know where Shaw is."

She then turned her gaze to the other mutant sitting across from her. He hadn't said a word so far, but Moira knew the man would most certainly have his own opinion on the matter. Perhaps one that could tip the scales her way.

"Erik, you must agree with Ann's plan? It'll only be for three days at most. It's important that we don't lose sight on Shaw's whereabouts,- "

Erik opened his mouth, more than ready to tell her how he felt about this, but it was Charles who huffed loudly and answered before he could.

"I honestly don't see how having Ann in Russia will make any sort of difference. She hasn't managed to find him once from here, chances are she won't be able to track him from there either. Her being there won't change that."

"I'm sorry?" Moira frowned. "Weren't you the one who kept telling me that she would be more than capable of finding him if only she thought hard enough?"

Charles stopped his pacing and pressed his lips in a tight line. Indeed he had been that guy. But that was before he knew Ann was willing to leave the safety of the facility and head for Russia on her own. For what reason? Why hadn't she told him this earlier when they were walking around the base? Probably because she already knew how he was going to respond.

"Besides," Moira continued. "Ann is certain that being near him and possibly even seeing him in person, will make it easier for her to tra,-"

A bang sounded in front of her, caused by Erik's glass which he'd set back on the table rather forcefully. "I hope you told her that meeting Shaw is out of the question. You've seen the crowd he surrounds himself with. Surely, you cannot be that stupid to allow your friend to leave, let alone agreeing with her dumb plan?"

Moira's expression turned cold as Erik sneered at her. Quickly she removed herself from the table and walked over to Charles Xavier.

"She has done things like this before, Charles. Talk to her if you must, both of you,-" She added after catching the glare Erik was still giving her. "But I believe in her capabilities. As I said, this is only a precaution. I'll make sure McCone will give us the clearance which will allow us to leave for Russia within two days."

"And if your boss doesn't?" Erik asked out loud.

"Look, I'm not telling you this because it's up for debate. I'm telling you because Ann is a member of Division X, so you have every right to know what she plans on doing, especially if it considers Shaw. But that doesn't mean she isn't allowed to make her own decisions or can't follow through with an idea if you happen to disagree with it. She is not your property."

"Is that so?" Charles finally turned to look at the brunette standing behind him. "I guess I might as well step down from leading this division, if nobody is willing to listen to me."

"Don't be ridiculous,-"

"Ridiculous? This whole plan is insane. You want to send Ann to Russia, right into the lion's den, where she has no way of defending herself. She doesn't have an offensive power like Erik or myself even."

"She's not going into the lion's den. She knows how to lie low." Moira sighed, explaining herself once again.

"And what if Shaw's telepath notices her and she tells him who Ann is and who she works with?"

"Ann had told me with certainty that that diamond skinned woman has never noticed her presence before and if she manages to track Shaw from a safe place, she will never be noticed."

"Oh well, that changes everything, doesn't it?" The professor replied sarcastically. "If Ann believes it, then it must be true."

Erik had heard enough. There was no point in discussing any of this without the woman in question being present. Besides, he agreed with everything Charles was currently telling Moira. Of course Erik wanted to make sure Shaw had no means to escape, but was sending Ann to Russia really the best way to go? The whole idea was positively absurd. There was no way he was going to let the woman leave for Russia on her own, even if it was only for a couple of days. He would bolt her door if that's what it would take to keep her here. Although, there was always another option.

He slipped his hand in his pocket until his fingers touched the cold rim of the coin he always kept with him. She still hadn't tried to use this small trinket to locate Shaw. Perhaps now more than ever was the best time for her to actually see if it would do the trick?

"If I may?" Erik cleared his throat and pushed his chair back to stand up. "I think I have an idea we should attempt first before even considering anything else."

Charles cocked his head and Moira frowned as the metal bender conjured up the German coin. He made it float in front of his face. Moira had no idea why he was doing this, but Charles understood it and his features relaxed gradually.

"Agreed." The professor said firmly.

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

"This place is incredible." Darwin exclaimed out loud as he closed the door to his bedroom. "I can't believe this is all actually happening."

"I doubt that feeling will disappear anytime soon." Ann replied. "You've never met anyone like yourself before?"

"You mean a taxi driver?" The guy smiled and playfully arched one of his eyebrows.

Ann chuckled softly. "Naturally."

"Never. Though it does make you wonder how often you might have encountered one without realizing it. How about yourself?"

"Oh, plenty of taxi drivers. But no one like you or me."

Again she let out a soft laugh. Meeting Darwin was like a fresh breath of air. He was such a different person compared to Charles and Erik. Easy to talk to and funny. He didn't shy away from talking to strangers, something Ann did do most of the time. Strangely enough talking to him made her feel like she was back in the world she used to know before meeting Charles, Raven and Erik.

Darwin nodded and looked her up and down for a second. "Am I allowed to ask what it is you can do? I know the tall guy can do stuff to metal and the other can read minds? I never once could have imagined any of this happening, I,-" He suddenly paused and shook his head.

"I'm rambling now. Sorry, all of this is so hard to believe." He exclaimed once again. "As I was saying,- May I know what you can do?"

Though the two of them had been walking around the facility for the last ten minutes, neither of them had discussed what it was the other could do. It wasn't something common such as talking about the weather or what sort of job one had. Even Darwin sounded a little hesitant, despite being the one who asked the question. But his curiosity was greater than any other concern he used to have because now he knew that he wasn't alone.

"Well,- I guess the easiest way to explain it, is that no one can ever beat me at hide and seek." Ann replied trying to sound as cryptic as possible.

Darwin tilted his head sideways. "Meaning you know how to,- conceal yourself so that nobody can find you?"

"Actually it's the other way around." She explained. "Nobody can hide from me."

"That'll be one game we'll never play then. I'm kind of a sore loser." The man laughed, then paused and looked around. "I would be able to show you what I can do, but it seems there's nothing around here I can use. It's really an interesting power, if I'm allowed to boast a little."

Though Ann's interest was indeed piqued, she was a little surprised to see him this excited. That had not been her own response at all when she met Charles and Raven for the first time. Ann was about to ask him what on Earth he would need in order to show his mutation when her trail of thought was suddenly, and rather rudely, interrupted by a familiar voice.

'Ann, I need you to come back to the sitting room immediately. There is something important we have to discuss and no, it simply cannot wait. If you're not here within five minutes, I'll send Erik to come get you.'

And on that note Charles's voice vanished from her mind. She turned in her spot and stared down the hallway, but there was nobody there except for her and Darwin. When she looked back in front of her, she caught him giving her a puzzled look.

"Everything alright?" He frowned.

"Apparently not." She muttered. "My apologies, Darwin. It seems I'm expected somewhere with the utmost urgency. Perhaps you can show me your ability tomorrow? Oh, and a small word of advice,-" She quickly added before walking away. "If you ever hear the voice of Charles Xavier in your head, just pretend it's not there."

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

She was most definitely going to yell at him, of that Charles was certain. How many times had she told him to not enter her mind out of the blue? Sure, he had done so earlier tonight and she hadn't been that upset with him about it, but that was because she'd been expecting him to do it. This was completely different, which is why he'd gone out of her mind the second he'd finished telling her come back to them at once.

Though it was more of a demand rather than a request, another reason why he knew she was going to walk through that entrance with a scowl adorning her face. He tapped his fingers on the base of his wine glass while keeping his eyes on the doors, expecting them to be flung open any minute.

While he was focused on the door, Moira was watching him from next to the jukebox. The song, Let it be me, playing softly in the background. Perhaps a little foolishly, she was hoping it would ease the tension which she knew was going to fill the room as soon as Ann would be there. Her gaze shifted towards Charles, who caught her looking his way and he threw her a lopsided grin.

He had responded to Ann's idea rather angrily. A side of him she hadn't seen that often. But the way he was currently sitting on the couch, tapping his glass, almost made it appear as if he was a little nervous to confront her. Another trait she hardly ever saw in Charles. He was a weird man sometimes, but a handsome one at that in her opinion.

She could understand a little why Charles and Erik were hesitant about it. Ann was going to be alone in Russia for at least two days. But they didn't know the woman like Moira did. Ann was no dummy and knew how to take care of herself. The agent actually agreed with Ann's plan wholeheartedly. It was a well-thought out idea in her opinion. But it seemed the others were more interested in keeping Ann away from everything. It was almost the same way they treated Charles's sister, Raven, who had been stuck inside the facility for almost a week now.

Moira let out a deep sigh, still not fully understanding what it was that Erik and Charles had currently planned on letting Ann do. She would just have to wit and see. She turned her head to the other man in the room, who had sought refuge a couple of feet away from the entrance.

Erik was casually leaning against the high counter, eagerly awaiting what was about to happen next. Ann was going to use his coin to look for Shaw, something he had wanted to happen from the moment he knew what her mutation could do. But that wasn't the only thing he was looking forward to. He was hoping for a small clash to occur between her and Charles, knowing fully well the German woman wasn't going to let Charles get away with the fact that he'd contacted her telepathically.

It was childish, he knew this. But after having caught the two of them outside, standing closely together, with Charles's jacket covering her shoulders, the metal bender had felt a tug inside his stomach. He wasn't really sure why, but seeing them like that almost made him feel,- betrayed.

Erik had thought Ann hardly trusted anybody, she even told him so herself. Apparently Charles had managed to break down one of her walls, and Erik felt a little jealous that he no longer was the only one who had managed to accomplish that.

Suddenly Charles shifted in his seat, causing Erik to quickly straightened himself as the doors flew open and Ann stomped inside with her brown leather high heeled boots. Her eyes directed at one person only. Charles set his glass back down on the coffee table.

"Ah, there you are. Thank you for coming straight away, my dear. I'm sorry for contacting you the way that I did, but this was a matter that simply could not wait,-"

"Of course it couldn't, why else would you enter my mind unannounced whilst I am in conversation with somebody? This better be a matter of life or death, Charles."

"I'm glad you're phrasing it like that, because it is in fact just that."

Ann frowned and crossed her arms. "And whose life are we talking about exactly?"

"Yours." Charles replied shortly.

"My life?" The woman scoffed with a chuckle, but when Charles's expression didn't falter, she blinked and shifted her gaze towards Moira for a quick second. "Oh, I see,- This is about Russia?"

"Yes, Russia." A deep voice sounded directly behind her and Ann swiftly turned around to find Erik standing only a couple of feet away from her. He walked away from the counter and halted, towering over her as he lowered his eyes.

"Hast du deinen Verstand verloren?" He hissed through his teeth.

"This is why you called me here?" Ann said out loud as she returned her attention back to Charles whilst ignoring Erik's comment. "Because I want to make myself useful?"

"Heading to Russia on your own is not making yourself useful. It is putting yourself in danger." Charles countered. "You must have realized how we would react to this preposterous plan of yours."

"I beg your pardon? Preposterous?"

"Insane, mad, ludicrous,- whichever one you prefer."

Ann huffed at his dramatic response. "You two are overreacting. As soon as Moira's boss gives Division X clearance I'll be going to Russia anyway. Whether I'll be going now or later won't make a difference. But if anything goes awry, then me already being there will make a difference."

"Who said you are coming with us at all?" This question came from Erik. "We need people who can help capture him, not watch from the side line."

Immediately the woman's face fell. She had predicted to be met with some resistance to her idea, but not in the way Erik currently spoke to her. Insulted her even. Out of all the people in the room she would have expected him to understand and support her at least a little. After all, wasn't capturing Shaw the one thing he wanted the most?

Her idea provided them with a backup plan. Even if she ultimately couldn't track Shaw, as she still hadn't been able to to this day much to her frustration, she'd have a higher chance keeping tabs on the people who worked for him. Ann lowered her eyes and Erik realized soon enough that his words had hurt her.

He took a step back. It hadn't been his intention to shout, but she had to realize how pointless her mutation would be in a face-off between them and Klaus Schmidt. Erik simply didn't want her to get hurt. Without saying anything, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the coin.

He held it up between his thumb and index finger and cleared his throat. Ann looked back up and Erik caught a flash of recognition in her eyes as her lips slowly parted.

"The coin." She breathed.

Erik nodded. "Yes."

"You know about it?" Charles spoke up as he approached the two with his brow furrowed. He halted next to Ann but kept his focus on the man in front of him. "Erik, when did you tell her?"

"It doesn't matter." The other man replied shortly. "She knows."

"I don't understand. We know where Shaw is going to be." Ann said.

"We do and yet, you're still willing to go to Russia. This will make sure you don't have to." Charles explained.

The woman stared at him and then back to Erik. It seems she was outnumbered and not even Moira appeared to try and stop them, but Ann reckoned her friend hardly understood what they were talking about. They were really throwing everything her way to make sure she wasn't going to leave.

But she too could play that game. She knew what they wanted from her and yes, she would give them what they wanted. However that didn't mean she was to stay behind and she had to make sure they realized that.

"No matter the outcome, I'm still coming to Russia with all of you." She told them clearly.

Charles nodded at her. "You have my word."

Erik's mouth twitched though he didn't say anything. He'd already upset Ann by shouting at her earlier that having her there with them in Russia would be pointless. It was wiser to keep his opinion to himself. Besides, there were more important matters at hand now. He licked his lips and stepped forward with the coin.

Ann let out a shuddering breath. She raised her arm and grabbed the small circular object from Erik. But she paused and lingered as they both held on to the piece of silver. "Ich werde es versuchen, kann aber nichts versprechen."

Erik nodded and let go, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. This was it, the moment he'd been anticipating for so long. For a second he questioned himself as to why he hadn't tried to persuade her more frequent to give it a shot. But then he remembered their talk at the fountain yesterday, how much hurt they'd both experienced in the past and he quickly disregarded the thought.

He watched closely as Ann walked away from them and headed towards the table. Before sitting down, she turned to Moira and asked her to turn off the music as it was already frustrating enough to have all of them present in the room as she was about to use her power. She then slid onto the chair and sat upright, the coin still clasped firmly within her hand.

This was it. She knew it was bound to happen at some point. But now that the moment was truly here, what would the aftermath be once she was done? Would finding Shaw change all of the upcoming plans? Would heading to Russia still be necessary if it turned out that he was nearby? But if that was the case then Charles should have found him by now, which he hadn't. Ann was more concerned what Erik was going to do if she were to find Shaw right now.

Would he drop everything and leave all of them immediately? That plan had death written all over, more so than her suggestion of heading for Russia one her own before the rest of them. It was too late to turn back now, and perhaps a part of her was curious to see if she could find Shaw within the next couple of minutes.

She inhaled deeply through her nose and placed her hands on the table, her fingers tracing the rim of the coin. All eyes were on her, she could feel them burning in the back of her head. With one final breath she shut her eyes and covered the piece of silver with her palms. It took but a second for that familiar pull from deep within her to occur.

The first thing she heard were the voices. Familiar ones.

One male, one female and a third belonging to the person she was currently inhabiting.

The second thing she noticed was the room she was standing in.

It was spacious enough. There was a couch accompanied by a coffee and a side table. On the upper left side she could see the kitchen situated in a corner, with a high counter in its centre. Against it stood a long table with six chairs and across from it all Ann quickly caught bright coloured neon lights shining from a jukebox.

But her host was currently focused on one thing in particular. Something she hadn't caught earlier. There was another woman in the room and she was sitting at the table. Her hair reached past her shoulder blades and had the colour of warm honey, like caramel.

"Should we say something?" The voice rumbled in the back of her throat.

"I'm not sure,-" The other male voice replied and a figure moved from the corner of her eye. "This is amazing. It is almost like she's asleep. I wonder if she can hear us?"

"Not to my knowledge." The other female joined them at the table. "But then again up until this week, I'd never seen her do this before. If I'm being honest, it still creeps me out a little."

This was the last thing Ann had expected to happen. She was looking through Erik's eyes. Never before had she managed to find someone that quickly. But that shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as they were in the same room together. It was strange hearing them talk about her without them realizing she was actually there overhearing it all.

Ann wondered what she looked like while using her power. If only Erik would move around the table so she could see properly.

"What if I,-?" Charles's voice suddenly spoke up and she watched the professor pull back the chair next to her.

"What if you what?" Erik asked and followed Charles's example by taking the seat on her other side.

Bloody hell, was that what she looked like?

Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes were closed, though if you looked closely you could see rapid movement happening from behind her eyelids. Moira was right, it was a creepy sight indeed. If Ann could shiver right there and then, she would.

"I wonder what will happen if I look into her mind right now?" Charles continued.

Beg pardon? He wanted to do what now?

Erik looked away from Ann and at the other mutant. "You sure? What if that ruins the process or harms her in some way?"

"Come now, Erik. I'll be careful. I'm sure it won't harm her,-"

With a jolt Ann returned to her own body. She gasped out loud as her eyes shot open. The sudden action was enough for Charles Xavier to get startled and he fell back with his chair, crashing onto the floor.

"Charles?" This came from Moira who immediately sprang to his side.

Ann didn't have any time to acknowledge the fright she'd just given the man as somebody else firmly grabbed hold of her upper arm and turned her around.

"Ann, keine Sorge. Du bist sicher." Erik spoke to her softly though there was a faint chuckle noticeable in his voice as he gently rubbed her skin with his thumb.

Of course she was safe, she hadn't gone that far. Oh, this was not good. How on Earth was he going to respond once she told him that the coin, which he'd kept so close to him every single day, was not at all connected to the man he hated with his entire heart and soul?

"I'm alright, Moira dear." Charles mumbled from the floor as he slowly got up to his feet with the brunette's help. "Wasn't expecting that to happen." He let out a nervous laugh, his cheeks slightly red from embarrassment.

"You were only gone for a minute or two." Erik said. "Does this mean that you managed to find Shaw?"

He sounded so hopeful, even his blue eyes seemed to twinkle from simply thinking of it. A lump formed in her throat and Ann couldn't do anything else other than shake her head.

"Nothing?" He asked and the disappointment was already obvious.

"Not nothing,-" Ann replied quietly and she pulled her arm out of his hand to grab the coin from the table.

"What did you see, Ann?" Charles had put the chair back up and was once again sitting next to her.

But Ann didn't answer him. Instead she took Erik's hand with hers and placed the piece of silver in his palm. She exhaled deeply as she closed his fingers over it.

"The coin doesn't belong to Shaw." She told them. "It belongs to somebody else."

The room fell silent as Erik retracted his hand to look at the coin, his expression a mixture of shock and discouragement.

"Who?" Erik looked back and stared intensely at her. "Wer, Ann?!"

She flinched as he raised his voice. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest and she swallowed the lump which had formed in her throat.

"You." She croaked. "It's connected to you."

Erik didn't avert his gaze. But his jaw clenched, as did his fist around the coin he was holding. Without warning it then shot from his hand and flew around the room, crashing through various breakable objects. Glass shattered and scattered around. Moira let out a yelp and ducked. Charles pulled Ann down and covered her with his body as one of the wine glasses on the table exploded.

As quick as it had happened, it also stopped and Erik caught the coin with his hand. The room was a mess. And as was usually the case, he didn't really notice what he had done until it was over. He placed the coin back in his pocket and reached for the woman next to him. But he stopped midway as Charles threw him an angry glare.

"I believe we're done here for the night, Erik."

The taller mutant blinked and nodded shortly. He pushed chair back and stood up. However before he walked away, he gave Ann one last look.

"Es tut mir Leid, Ann." He apologized softly.

Well, the coin is not connected with Shaw...who would have thunk?

I thought it would make sense considering the amount of years Erik has had it in his possession.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, sorry if it was a lengthy one. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Next chapter, off to Russia!

Until next time!

Translation: And if anybody notices any errors with my German translation, please let me know!

Hast du deinen Verstand verloren? - Have you lost your mind?/have you gone crazy?

Ich werde es versuchen, kann aber nicht versprechen - I'll try, but I can't promise anything

Keine Sorge. Du bist sicher - Don't worry. You are safe.

Wer? - Who?

Es tut mir Leid - I am sorry.