Hello everyone,

Thank you all so much for still being with me, I hope you're still enjoying it. Big thank you to those who added the story to their fav/alert list. Now a few words to those who left a review.

Cassie-011: thank you so much for still reading and loving the story. as well as taking the time to leave a message! :)

Mary-Ann: Charles still tends to act before thinking. But at some point he will become more responsible and less selfish...hopefully.

Guest (on chapter 7): I don't know if you've read more after that chapter, but thank you for leaving such a detailed review on you feel about Erik and Charles. I've tried to stick to their personalities as close as possible (how I view them), but perhaps with Charles I went a little overboard. Maybe he'll redeem himself at some point :)

Intothevoid: I love that you keep switching between Erik and Charles and who you find more suitable for her. I have no clear path for either of them, we'll see what happens as the story progresses. But you as readers have a lot of influence on it!

Here's another chapter for you all :) ENJOY!

Chapter 17 - One wrong move is all it takes

What was happening here? How was it possible for her to hear Charles inside her own head while she was in somebody else's?

'Charles?'

'I can't believe this worked, I wasn't expecting it to,- this feels strange.'

She wasn't mistaken. Charles Xavier was somehow communicating with her while she wasn't even present in her own body. How was he doing this? But most importantly, why was he doing this? Hadn't he just asked her to find Raven because he was incapable of doing it himself? Yet here he was. Was he even able to see what she was seeing?

'Ann, I know you have a million questions and I promise to explain later, but for the time being,-'

He stopped abruptly as the voice of Sebastian Shaw sounded once again. He was talking to the other mutants. To Raven, Hank, Darwin, Alex, Sean and Angel. It seemed Ann's earlier question, if Charles was able to see all that she saw, was now answered. He even verbally confirmed it.

'Oh my word. He's here.'

Every time Charles talked, his words echoed inside her head. It was like standing on the centre stage within an opera house, where a dome shaped ceiling was present to create an harmonious reverberation. But as beautiful as such a place was, this was incredibly unpleasant. Ann wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to maintain her connection to Raven while Charles was present at the same time.

"My friends, there's a revolution coming. When mankind discovers who we are, what we can do,- each of us will face a choice. Be enslaved or rise up to rule. Choose freely, but know that if you're not with us, then by definition, you're against us. So! You can stay fight. For the people who hate and fear you, or you can join me and live like kings." Shaw paused and his eyes landed on the short woman standing in front of them. "Or queens."

All of them fell quiet. Charles had gone silent too. Shaw was persuading them to go with him. Though it was anything but a free choice from the sound of it. Thankfully it seemed that he wasn't there to kill them. Not yet at least. But why had he come for them specifically? There were many more mutants walking on the face of the Earth, yet Shaw had come here to gather the ones that Erik and Charles had found. Or had this not been his initial goal? He had asked after Charles, and now that he found the others mutants instead of the telepath, Shaw decided to take them in his stead?

'Ann, can't you talk to Raven in some way? Draw her attention? Make it known to her that we are watching?'

Ann winched. He really had to stop talking. Why was he asking her this anyway? He knew the limit of her ability. Had he not listened to a word Erik had said to him earlier? Even if she was to locate Raven, which she had managed to, thank goodness, there was nothing else she could do but watch. Ann didn't answer his question, he could probably pick it up in her mind anyway, but her attention was currently drawn elsewhere.

Angel had taken a step forward towards Shaw, who stood there offering her his hand.

"Angel?" It was Raven who spoke. It was hard to believe what she was seeing taking place right before her very eyes.

The ebony haired woman stopped and turned to face them, her hand firmly clasped within Shaw's. Her eyes were glistening as if she was sad. But Raven couldn't tell if that was due to relief or from feeling connected to what Shaw had said.

"Come one, we don't belong here and that's nothing to be ashamed of." She said softly.

She was leaving, Angel was actually going with him. Were they just going to let her? At that moment. Darwin reached out his hand, not to join Angel it seemed, but to convince her to stay with them. Only the girl simply stared at him, before shaking her head remorsefully. She had made her choice. Darwin lowered his arm and watched as Shaw led Angel with him back to his group of mutants.

Raven licked her lips and slapped Alex's upper arm. "We have to do something. We have to stop them." She whispered to the others. "Can't you do something, Alex?"

"Raven, no!" Charles's voice boomed through Ann's mind without warning, accompanied by yet another sharp jab through her skull.

"Charles?" Raven's eyes darted across the room.

She'd heard him? That should not have been possible, then again he had yelled so loudly how could she not have felt it. For Ann it sure did feel as though her head was about to explode.

"Raven?" Hank placed his hand on the woman's shoulder. "Are you alright? Did you just say 'Charles'?"

"Yeah, I,- I though I heard Charles just now." She blinked her eyes and looked up at him. "That's impossible. He's not back yet, right?"

"Raven, listen to me!"

Now she was certain that she wasn't hearing things. She took a step back, out of sight from Shaw and his companions. "Charles, where are you?" Raven whispered.

"Not important. Listen, Shaw's power is that he absorbs energy! Which means that none of you can hurt this man! Not with your powers. Whatever you do don't attack him!"

How much Raven had actually heard him yell, Charles would not know as of this moment. For all of a sudden he couldn't see anything anymore aside from a vast darkness. There were no voices. No sounds. No thoughts. A total and absolute emptiness surrounding him completely. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at the wall of his hotel room. The connection had been broken.

Charles lowered his head to look down upon the woman whose head was lying in his lap, her hair covering his legs spread out like a fan of toffee coloured waves. However, it appeared she hadn't quite snapped out of it herself. Charles removed his hands from the side of Ann's head and placed them on her shoulders, giving her a firm but gentle shake.

"Ann, wake up."

That seemed to do nothing.

"Ann?! Ann!"

She remained motionless.

No, this couldn't be happening. The timing could not have been worse. Not now. Not when he'd been able to actually communicate with his sister who was miles away from him. Not while she was in danger. Not while Shaw was there trying to persuade her and the others to go with him. Charles leaned over Ann and shook her more forcefully this time.

"ANN! WAKE UP!"

At that same moment the door to his room opened up, revealing a tall and broad shouldered gentleman with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. Erik had only been gone for a few minutes to relieve himself and have a quick change of clothes. Thinking nothing would be able to happen in a span of ten minutes, but from the look of things he couldn't have been more wrong.

He stood on the threshold of the room, quietly observing the scene he walked in on. Charles was still situated on the bed, as was Ann, only she was no longer in the same position as when he had left. Even for the short while that he'd been gone, it seemed a lot had happened during his absence. Ann was on her back with her head in Charles's lap. The look on the other man's face revealed more than enough, something was wrong.

"What happened?" He asked swiftly closing the door behind him.

"I,- She,- She managed to connect with Raven and it is as we feared. Shaw is attacking the base." Charles said to him, slightly stumbling over his words.

With just a few strides Erik reached the side of the bed. He crouched down and looked at Ann. "Is she still there?"

Charles opened his mouth, shut it and shook his head. "No. The connection is broken. It's worse than we thought, Erik. Shaw's destroying everything we've accomplished so far. We have to get back as soon as possible, before it's too late and everyone we know is gone,-"

"What do you mean before everyone we know is gone? What did Ann tell you?"

Of course Ann hadn't told Charles anything, for he had seen it himself. Heard Shaw's words as he'd spoken to Raven and the others. Telling them how non-mutants would never accept them for what they were. They would fear them. Hate them. Possibly even hurt them. Shaw knew exactly what to say to those kids. It was a fear they all shared, even Charles did at times. But he still dared to believe not all humans were the same.

"Shaw is trying to convince our friends that his path is the one they should follow. He's playing on their fears and worries in order to get to them. That they will never be accepted for what we are by society. I don't know what happened after his little speech as Ann lost the connection. But I can only fear the worst."

Charles paused and pressed the back of his hand against his mouth. He felt nauseous, and he wasn't sure if that had been from being in Ann's head or because of what was currently happening. He swallowed the lump away before continuing.

"Raven suggested doing something in order to stop Shaw. I told her that under no circumstances should she attempt such a thing, but I,- I don't know how much she heard of that."

"I'm sorry? You told her?" Erik frowned with confusion. "Are you telling me that you were able to talk to Raven?"

Charles cursed inwardly, as he'd once again gotten ahead of himself. But what good would it do to keep what he'd done from Erik? As soon as Ann would regain consciousness, she would most certainly make it known in some way that he had gone into her mind without permission. She was still resting in his lap with her eyes closed. There was no doubt about it that she was in this lifeless like state because of him. He hadn't meant for any of that to happen. He gently stroked the side of her head for a second.

"Help me move her, would you?" He told Erik.

There was a lot that needed to be done. He had to tell Moira what Ann had seen. They had to get out of the country as soon as possible. And eventually he was also going to have to talk to Ann about why he decided to read her mind while she was using her powers. Charles looked at Erik, who eyed him suspiciously.

"I'll gladly move her as soon as you tell whatever it is you're trying to hide from me." Erik was no fool and he should have seen it earlier that something was wrong with the woman.

He had seen Ann use her powers once before. It was but a few days ago when she'd finally took the coin he always kept on him, to try and locate Shaw. Alas that had led to nothing. But it had been a rather interest sight to see it up close. When she was in that state with her eyes closed, head and shoulders slightly slumping. At first you'd think she'd merely fallen asleep. Then afterwards she would wake up with a jolt and a loud gasp. But that was not what Erik was seeing now. That in combination with the look of guilt on Charles's face, it was easy for him to deduce what had befallen her.

"You went into her head." Erik concluded.

Of course he had, it should not have come as a surprise, especially considering it was but a couple of days ago that Charles had voiced his curiosity on reading her mind while she would be using her powers. He'd told this to Erik while Ann was in the midst finding Shaw. Erik had been against the telepath's suggestion, worried it might interrupt the process or even hurt Ann in some way. Clearly the thought had never left Charles's mind and now he'd actually done it. Rather conveniently as Erik had left the room for a few seconds, he honestly couldn't believe he'd gone that far.

"Now Erik, you have to understand that I did it with the best of intentions. I needed to see,-" The telepath let out a sigh. "I had to know what was happening. Look, I know it wasn't the right time and that I should have thought of it sooner. I guess I panicked and lost patience."

"You'd do well to make that story more believable when you tell it to her." Erik replied.

"I know how this comes across, my friend. But my word, it was unbelievable. I could see and hear all of it. Everything she was experiencing! I was there, in Ann's mind and at the same time in Raven's." Charles paused and licked his lips. "And by some miracle I managed to communicate with Raven. I don't know how it's possible, but somehow Ann worked as some sort of telepathic link between us. Like a telephone,-"

The weight of Ann's body suddenly disappeared from his lap as Erik had slipped one arm underneath the woman's legs and the other under her back. Gently, she was being lifted off him, within Erik's arms and her head fell sideways against the man's shoulder. Apparently Charles had also managed to upset Erik with this little stunt. Whatever good intent he had meant with going into Ann's mind, it didn't really matter too much to Erik. She had but one job in his eyes. Find Raven and see if she was safe, but that had not been enough for Charles.

Erik felt angry. In the end they were all known for using their gifts for things one could consider wrong or immoral. He was known for it more than any of them, though Charles came pretty close in that regard. However, seeing Ann in her current state really got him hot under the collar. Erik turned around with Ann in his arms and stepped into the direction of the door. Ready to let Charles deal with his emotions on his own. But as soon as he moved, the bed creaked behind him and soon Charles appeared before him.

"Let's just leave her here so she can rest. I'm sure she'll wake up any moment. In the meantime, I'll try and contact Moira. Tell her what happened. Maybe she's got some news to tell us as well."

"Oh, I doubt it. You've probably already gotten the scoop." Erik sneered as he walked forward and the door automatically flung open without him ever touching the handle.

"Erik, where are you going? There's no need to move her. If anything I should be there once she wakes so I can explain,-"

The taller man scoffed and stopped right before stepping over the threshold. "Trust me, if I know Ann, you're the last person who should be around her when she wakes up. You should have thought of that before going inside her head."

Charles pressed his lips in a tight line. His heart pounded rapidly in his chest and his palms were clammy. He knew he'd taken a huge risk. He knew she was going to get upset with him. He had meant no harm with it, surely she would also understand that? Erik was right, partially. Yes, he should have thought of it sooner and talked to her about it. But Charles hated to think what could have happened if he had not been there. He still didn't know whether or not Raven had heard him, he could only hope that she had.

Somehow knowing what was sort of going on back at the base had made him more concerned and anxious than if he had not known anything at all. Another thing Erik had also been right about.

He watched as the other man walked out of the room carrying Ann with him. Her arms hanging limp past her body. Chares exhaled deeply and he placed his hand on the frame of the door. He kept looking at Erik who headed into the direction of his own room. It wasn't until he'd gone inside with Ann, that Charles dared to breath again. Everything was falling apart. He had no idea how Raven was doing, nor the others. As well as how he was ever going to make this up to Ann. Best thing he could do at this moment was tell Moira what he'd discovered.

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

The silence was welcoming. The day had been long and she was tired, exhausted even. But she knew she would have to get up eventually. Open her eyes and deal with the aftermath of what she'd witnessed. However she didn't feel in the right state of mind to deal with any of it. More specifically with a certain someone. As soon as she was to wake up, she knew she would find him there. Ready to explain to her why he had done what he did. A waterfall of excuses.

She swallowed. Her mouth and throat felt dry, but at least the sharp jabs in her head had subsided. Was she even awake? Ann stirred and turned sideways, moving her hand to feel the soft touch of fabric underneath her fingers. She was at the end of her tether. Perhaps actually sleeping a little bit was not such a bad idea.

"Ann, kannst du mich hören? Wach auf."

Wake up? Apparently sleep was not in the cards. That voice could only belong to one man. Something warm touched her arm, followed by a gentle rubbing. Ann opened her eyes only to quickly shut them again. She blinked slowly to adjust her sight to the bright light shining from the ceiling. The person who'd spoken was sitting right beside her. Erik Lensherr. She tilted her head back to look up at his face and was greeted with a smile, accompanied by a soft gaze.

"Hello." He said quietly.

"Hello." Ann replied groggily as she pushed herself upward.

"Careful now." He told her as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders to help her sit upright. "You gave us quite the scare."

"Did I?"

Erik nodded. "You were unresponsive for the last fifteen minutes. I was about to throw you into the bathtub and turn on the cold water."

Surely he was joking. With regards to the tub that was. But had she really been unresponsive for a quarter of an hour? Though Ann knew it was difficult to pull her back while she was in the midst of using her powers, however having to take fifteen minutes before waking up was a ridiculous long time. That had never happened to her before, then again, neither had another person ever been able to enter her head during such an undertaking.

Ann glanced around the room and noticed something peculiar. Her surroundings, they were not the same as before. She swiftly turned her head and stared up at Erik.

"Where am I?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" He replied, not answering her question.

Ann remembered a lot of things. Awful things. Shaw attacking the base, persuading their friends to come and join his cause. Charles Xavier unexpectedly entering her head and taking control of the situation, while she struggled to keep her mind connected to Raven's. She'd never felt that kind of physical pain while using her ability, except for that one time. It reminded her of when she'd first discovered her powers. That memory was painful enough on its own.

She threw another look around the room. Wherever they were, it appeared that Charles wasn't there with them. Something she hadn't expected. Ann figured that he would have been there, ready to bombarded her with excuses and apologies. But not a sign of him. Did this mean that he knew what he'd done was wrong and now was too afraid to face her?

"Where is Charles?" She said, her tone low and sharp.

Erik cleared his throat and removed his arm from around her shoulder. "In his room, I presume. Either that or he is searching for Moira to inform her on what happened at the base."

"I suppose that only makes sense. She might have been unable to reach them." Ann huffed. "I take it Charles told you what has happened?"

For a couple of seconds he stared at her. She was obviously referring to Shaw, but there was more to tell than just that story and Erik wanted to hear that specific ordeal from her point of view. He placed his hand on top of hers.

"Are you talking about Shaw? Or what he did to you?"

Ann widened her eyes surprise, though it soon faded as she realised that it was only logical that Erik would know about it. He'd been in the room with them when she started searching for Raven. But she hadn't expected him to mention it to her. Clearly he hadn't done a thing to stop Charles from entering her mind. Knowing Erik he probably hadn't even cared about it at all, despite knowing perfectly well how she'd feel about something like that being done without her consent.

"Right." She muttered. "You were there. Of course you'd know everything."

"No." His reply was swift and short. "I wasn't there."

Ann furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? You were there when I looked for Raven."

"I was, but I left the room almost immediately after you started. I saw no harm in leaving for a few minutes. And then I eventually returned, I found you with your head in Charles's lap. He was trying to wake you. Shouting at you, shaking you. But you just laid there like a doll, not responding to anything." The upper right corner of Erik's mouth twitched.

Motionless, unresponsive. She could only imagine what that might have looked like. No doubt it had scared both of them a little, but Erik made it sound like she'd been a lifeless sack of bones and what not. But the more disturbing part was hearing him tell her how he'd found her in that state. Ann felt her cheeks tingle and heat up as she replayed the words Charles and his lap in her mind.

Oh, he had really gone too far, hadn't he? The audacity of that man. How could he do this to her? Had he not told her a few days ago that he had no intention of misusing her powers for the supposed greater good? Yet had he not done just that? Had he not claimed she could trust him?

Erik gave her hand a comforting squeeze, his expression almost sympathetic. "Es tut mir leid."

"Was tut dir leid, Erik? You didn't go inside my head while I wasn't even actively present in my own body." Ann pulled away and pushed herself off the bed.

Erik had no reason to apologize, he hadn't even been there during any of it apparently. It hurt her a bit though that he hadn't even bothered to stay around. Would Charles have dared to do anything if he had? Erik used to show such interests in her powers, albeit mainly for his own benefit. But then there were moments where he displayed something different. A kindness towards her.

There was a kinship between them through their history with the war, as well as being mutants. But as of late that had also diminished. Ann had not forgotten about their fight prior to her leaving for Russia. He'd called her insane for even considering going before them, claiming there was nothing for her to do here that could make a difference. Well, he'd been right about that, hadn't he? It wasn't until now, at the very last minute, that she'd done something noteworthy.

She walked across the floor to a desk and placed her hands on top of its surface. From the corner of her eye she caught sight of a suitcase, which she knew belonged to Erik. So this was his room? He still hadn't told her why he'd moved her here in the first place. Charles had probably asked him to do so while he could go and inform Moira. She let out a sigh. Maybe she was overreacting. But Charles being in her head like that had been incredibly uncomfortable, to the point of it physically hurting.

Ann tilted her head back and stared into the mirror situated in front of her above the table. In its reflection she could see Erik getting up from the bed and making his way over to her, holding her gaze as she watched him approach her. A tingling sensation settled in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm sorry. I know there are more important matters at hand than Charles being,- Charles." She said softly.

Erik furrowed his brow as he halted right behind her, his eyes still locked with hers. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Condone his behaviour. It was dangerous. For all we know he could have done some serious damage to you." There was that angry expression she had seen all too often on him.

"Mein Gott, Ann. I watched you for the last fifteen minutes not responding to anything. What if you hadn't woken up? All because Charles didn't have the decency or the patience to wait for your return." Erik spat irritably.

Ann lowered her head and averted her eyes. Why did this man always seem to be right? Charles had hurt her and he had damaged the trust she thought she could have with him. And even though he might have had a good reason for it, she never knew what to expect from him. He was a rather loose canon at times and that made her nervous. Unlike Erik, whose behaviour was predictable, albeit chaotic and selfish.

"I know. I know, Erik. Trust me, I'm not disregarding anything, but I,- what can I do about it?"

Erik suddenly grabbed hold of her and roughly spun her around to face him. He glowered at her, that same scowl still adorning his face. "I will not hear that from you. Since when do you allow anyone to walk over you?"

But Ann shook her head. "It's not about that! I should have listened to you when you told me to stay at the base. Perhaps I could have made a difference there instead of being here. Avoided all of this. I didn't change anything here, made any sort of difference. I sped things along, perhaps. But nothing major."

"I was wrong." Erik whispered as he moved his hand and placed his index finger underneath Ann's chin, raising it slightly so she would look at him. Her eyes were shimmering. "I was angry. I never should have told you that you being here with us was going to be useless endeavour and a waste of time. I'm glad you didn't listen to me. Otherwise you would have been there now, while Shaw,-"

He paused and cleared his throat, never looking away from the woman in front of him. "Ich habe es ernst gemeint. When I apologised just now, it wasn't merely because I felt guilty for having left you alone with Charles. It was also because of how I treated you a few days ago."

It was a sincere apology. She could feel it and see it. But that wasn't all she felt. He was expressing concern for her wellbeing. He'd watched over her while she was unconscious, even tried to wake her. He showed anger towards Charles because of what he'd done to her. Ann almost couldn't believe it. It made her feel,- weird. Excited and anxious at the same time.

Ann licked her lips and stared into his eyes. She still didn't know why he'd moved her into his own room instead of leaving her in Charles's. "Erik, warum hast du mich hierher gebracht?"

"Because I wanted to." He replied.

It was a simple explanation, not at all what she thought he'd say. But at least he hadn't done it because Charles had told him to, which made her feel a little better.

"Nimmst du meine Entschuldigung an?" He then asked.

"We're you really going to toss me into the bath?" She frowned.

"Mmm, you will never know." He chuckled.

At least Erik hadn't lost his sense of humour. Ann couldn't help but smile a little, a gesture he returned. He was still holding her. One hand resting against her upper arm and the other holding the lower part of her face, his thumb moving across her chin. There was that odd stirring in her stomach again.

"Ann?"

"Yes?"

A loud knock sounded through the room and both Ann and Erik jumped backwards. Ann bumped against the table, causing a vase filled with flowers to fall over. As the water rushed out of its container, spilling down the desk onto the carpet, Erik made his way towards the door. Before he'd even had a chance to open it, Charles's voice sounded from the other side.

"Erik, I've just spoken with Moira. They're alright. Would you open the door please so we can talk?"

I honestly rewrote this chapter multiple times. There were too many ways this could have gone.
 I wasn't sure on how Ann would respond, but considering how she usually is when Charles uses his telepathy on her as well as taking her history into account, I figured this was the best way to go. And then that ending with Erik fired out of my fingertips.
But who knows what she'll do when she sees Charles in the next chapter.

Hope you'll loved it though.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this one.
Until next time!

Translations: (reminder, German is not my first language, therefore errors are bound to happen. Feel free to correct me!)

Kannst du mich hören? Wach auf. - Can you hear me? Wake up.

Es tut mir leid - I'm sorry.

Was tut dir leid? - Wat are you sorry about?

Warum hast du mich hierher gebracht? - Why did you bring me here?

Ich habe es ernst gemeint. - I meant what I said.

Nimmst du meine Entschuldigung an? - Do you accept my apology?