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Chapter 20 - Promise me, that all you say is true

When Charles had said he knew exactly where to go, Ann wasn't sure what to expect. Somewhere familiar to him? Most likely. A secluded place, hidden in a rural location? That was a given. An enormous mansion with large arched windows, not to mention acres of land as far as the eye could see? Well, obviously that had been the exact thing on her mind.

No, of course not. How could it have been?

Her eyes were deceiving her. They must be. But that gate they'd driven through seemed very real. As did the rest of the place. No matter where she turned her head to, it all looked like she'd stepped into a landscape painting.

The truck rode down a long path of white gravel leading towards a huge estate. This could not be the place Charles had been talking about, could it? Did this place belong to someone he knew? Maybe it was some sort of hotel? No, the latter was impossible as the sign in front of the gate had said private property. Eventually the army truck they were all seated in, pulled to a halt about thirty feet in front of the building. All of them got out and each of them looked up at the massive structure. No doubt all feeling absolutely gobsmacked. All except for Charles and Raven that was.

Oh, this was it then. The perfect spot as Charles had said. Were they all going to be living here? In this castle? Well, there was plenty of space. Space would definitely not be an issue. Ann had no idea why she was feeling so nervous all of a sudden, but she was. As she got out of the truck she couldn't bring herself to step away from it, keeping her hand pressed against the back of it, as if letting go would cause her to lose touch with reality. Because obviously this was not it. This was a dream.

There was simply too much for her to take in. She hardly knew where to look. So far she'd spotted two fountains in the distance behind her. Broad and long white sand coloured gravel paths. Perfectly trimmed grass and various types of large trees. There must be tons of flora in the area. Shrubs, flowers, trees, and whatever else there could be found in that category.

Where had Charles Xavier brought them?

"Charles, where exactly are we?" Erik finally asked as Sean Cassidy emitted a loud whistle.

The telepath flashed a broad smile and nodded at the mansion. "This, ladies and gents, is my family's estate."

His family's estate? Ann's jaw dropped as she blinked her eyes rapidly. Heavens, this was his? The thought of where Charles had come from had crossed her mind before, but this had not been one of the scenarios she'd pictured. She figured he had been born and raised in England. Still, the way one spoke was no guarantee as to where one was raised. She should have realized this considering her own history.

"Wait, a minute,-" Darwin spoke up as he pointed at the building. "You were raised here?"

"I was,- I mean, we were." Charles turned to his sister who smiled and stepped next to him.

"Honestly, Charles, I don't know how you survived, living in such hardship." Erik scoffed and he crossed his arms.

"Well, it was a hardship softened by me." Raven replied looking at the tall mutant daringly as Charles planted a swift kiss against her temple. She then continued. "Come one, time for the tour."

The blonde took a step forward and motioned for all of them to follow her. "Form a line please and no touching of anything unless you want to loose a limb or fingers. You break it, you buy it."

As the other younger mutants went with Raven, Ann stayed behind along with Moira. She turned to her friend and whispered. "Did you know about this place?"

"Of course I did. CIA, remember? We did some extensive research before I flew off to England to find him." Moira said softly. "I had to know what kind of person I was going to meet."

"Mm, my guess is completely the opposite of what you thought." Ann retorted.

"Initially someone less charming, I'll admit." The agent replied with a small smile. "Professor doesn't exactly ring,- handsome."

Dear Lord.

Ann rolled her eyes at Moira's all too obvious comment. It wasn't hard to deduce that her friend had started to take more of a liking to Charles than she dared to admit. At first Ann had thought Moira simply enjoyed the casually and in-your-face flirting Charles tended to do, but ever since Moira had asked her opinion on Charles's physical appearance, it was clear that the auburn haired woman was developing a crush on him.

But Ann couldn't help but wonder. Just a little bit. If Charles felt the same way about Moira?

"So?" Charles's voice sounded next to her and shook Ann out of her thoughts. "What do you think? Impressed?"

Ann looked at him and shifted her gaze back to the estate. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Ann replied, her eyes moving from left to right.

"Wait until you see the inside." Charles grinned. "There's a wine cellar."

"You're making it sound as if that's all I care about." The woman huffed.

"Well, there might also be good Scottish whiskey stored down there."

Ann shook her head. "Sometimes you are truly insufferable, Charles."

Oddly enough, Charles didn't comment on that. No witty remark as he usually did. He merely smiled at her. Swiftly and not too elaborate. But that was it. She furrowed her brow for a quick second before looking back at the mansion and she cleared her throat.

"I don't know why I was under the impression you were raised in England?"

"You're not wrong. I was raised both here and there. Though during my younger years and teens, I mostly resided here in New York. But it's England that's dear to my heart." He took a step forward and turned around to face her, Moira and Erik.

"While Raven is showing everyone else around, I'll take you up to the wing where your rooms will be. Unwind a bit before we discuss the next step in our plan."

He headed into the direction of the mansion and Moira quickly followed to walk beside him. Erik and Ann lingered a couple of steps behind. They weren't unfamiliar with splendor, but to think that somebody they knew, somebody like Charles, had come from such a place, was still sort of unthinkable for both of them.

"Take us up to the wing." Ann repeated.

"This is indeed a big surprise." Erik said.

"Big surprise? Das ist ein Schloss, Erik." She halted and spread her arms. "My house in England is probably smaller than the main hall."

Chances were that none of them could beat Charles in the housing department. But the size of a house was not important, not to Erik. Though he had to admit that he was indeed impressed with the place that the telepath had grown up in and he hadn't even seen the inside yet. This would indeed be the best location for them to train and prepare before taking on Shaw. But yes, it was also very intimidating.

"Would it make you feel better if I said that I'd most likely prefer your small house over that of a castle?" He said quietly under his breath.

Ann let out a short laugh. "You'll probably take those words back once we walk through that door."

And surely as soon as they'd entered the mansion, Erik kept his mouth shut and Ann couldn't exactly blame him. For the entrance hall alone already proved what Ann had expected to see. Something positively mesmerizing. Black pillars on top of long rectangular white marbled structures that supported part of, what must be, the first floor. The floorboards were a dark mahogany brown with a red Persian carpet covering the entrance hall. From there they descended a four step staircase which led them into the main hall.

Another Persian carpet adorned the floor only this one was twice the size of the one at the entrance. In the centre of the rug was a round table with a large empty vase on top of it. Ann almost didn't dare to look around or above her. Not even her wildest dreams could prepare her for what else this house had in store for them.

"Welcome to my home." Charles said proudly. "I know it can seem intimidating at first, but after a couple of days I'm sure you will all be able to find your way. Now, let's proceed to the rooms, shall we?"

Charles led the way, ascending the broad wooden staircase which was located on the opposite side of the entrance. The sun shone brightly through the large stained glass windows. Midway up towards the first floor, the stairs split into a two way direction. Left and right. Charles motioned for them to take the one of the left. Ann paused for a second and glanced over her shoulder at the main hall again. Five chandeliers caught her eye, as well as her breath. With her mouth hanging slightly open, she quickly continued after the others.

Another long hall followed. The walls were made of wooden panels and they went up to about eight feet in height. The upper part of the wall, as well as the ceiling was painted in white, though the colouring had darkened slightly over the years it would seem. Ann already felt lost after having turned corners for about three times, but finally Charles halted.

"Now then, here we are. Our sleeping accommodations can be found right here." He explained.

It was hard to see where exactly. This particular corridor held many doors and thus many rooms. Moira, Ann and Erik couldn't help but look a little confused at what Charles was expecting them to say or do. Charles's smile faltered and he let out a short cough.

"Right, sorry. Moira, this will be your bedroom." He directed her to the end of the corridor and opened the door for her. "Raven occupies the one next to you. Now, Ann, you're more than welcome to have to one across from Raven."

Ann was already standing in front of the door Charles was speaking of and she simply nodded. All she really cared about was that there'd be a bed waiting for her on the other side. It hardly mattered which one of the rooms in this long hall was supposed to be hers. She pushed the door open, right as Charles directed Erik to his room, which was situated next to hers, and peeked inside.

"Wow." She mouthed.

The room was big, though thankfully not as large as she'd feared it would be. There was king sized bed. A table with two chairs, a couch, a desk and a closet. But the most spectacular thing in the room was the view from the large window. She could already see it from where she was standing. Ann rushed forward and reached for the lock on the windows. She opened them up and leaned forward. A perfect view of the circular fountain as well as the garden. She spotted a little greenhouse towards the right, near a couple of trees.

A creaking sound drew her attention and she turned around to find Charles standing a couple of feet behind her.

"What do you think of the view?" He asked nodding towards the windows.

"It's wonderful." Ann admitted. "Positively beautiful."

Charles smiled contently. "I agree wholeheartedly. I'm glad you like it." He slipped his hands in the front pockets of his pants and shifted his weight. He was about to say something but Ann interrupted him.

"I noticed a greenhouse outside?" She questioned.

"One of my mother's hobbies, actually. She loved flowers. Spent more time in there than she did in the house."

His smile was long gone by now and Ann couldn't help but frown. Was his mother a painful subject? Once again she was reminded of how little she knew about Charles. She found herself searching for something else to say. Change the topic. But it was difficult to make small talk with him. In fact, now that she thought about it. They never really had sat down for a normal conversation, had they? Maybe once or twice? But mostly it was always a discussion. An argument. Mutation related or him being impossible. Their last actual private talk in Russia had been anything but pleasant and it had hardly been resolved.

"I have no idea what state it's in, but,- if you'd like, I could show it to you tomorrow?" Charles asked and Ann nodded.

She was actually interested in seeing it, no matter what state it was in. Perhaps it would also be a good place to talk things over. She was planning on staying with them after all, and even though trusting Charles completely was something she'd probably never be able to do again, they needed to settle things between them.

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

About an hour later, Ann made her way down the stairs and roamed around the ground floor until she finally stumbled onto the kitchen. Charles and Raven hadn't been exaggerating, the mansion was massive as well as impressive. Each area she'd walked through so far had caused her to stop and take it all in for at least a couple of minutes. Eventually she reached the place she'd set her mind on, as she was desperate for a cup of anything after such a long day. But it would seem she wasn't the only one with that plan.

In the middle of the kitchen stood a long wooden table and at the end sat Darwin. Ann hadn't spoken to him much since they'd returned from Russia, but she knew what his opinion was with regards to going after Shaw. He was adamant on finding him and make him pay for his actions, although compared to the others, Darwin had come across as having a more realistic outlook on the situation. He knew the dangers it would bring, but he was ready to take those on.

"Oh, hello Ann." He greeted her with a welcoming smile and he quickly got up from his seat. "I was just making some coffee. Would you like some?"

"I would love some. Thank you so much, Darwin." Ann walked past the table and circled the kitchen, taking it all in.

It was such a large room. Black and white tiles covered the floor, some of them were cracked and smudged. However, the stove looked rather new. She glanced over at Darwin, who had just placed a filter filled with grounded coffee into the percolator. He placed the lid on top as the water continued to boil at the bottom of the glass kettle, before turning around.

"I was surprised to find coffee." He said as he noticed her looking at him. "I take it Charles lived here before staying at the CIA base?"

"I'm not sure actually." Ann replied. "We met back in England and that was right before we flew to the United States. I think he's been living there for a while. Maybe somebody took care of the house in his absence?"

"Makes sense. It's definitely something I would do. Especially with a place this huge. Feels like I'm in a dream." Darwin took his seat again at the table and Ann joined him.

"That makes two of us. This was not where I'd envisioned us training and getting ready to face Shaw. But to be honest, it's much better than the base. Always being watched and whatnot."

Darwin exhaled deeply. "Agreed. I didn't like it there. It felt like being at a zoo exhibit only with me being the animal behind the glass."

Ann smiled meekly and lowered her eyes. She knew it had not been Moira's intention, nor agent Frank's, to make them feel that way. But that was what had happened, unfortunately. She felt a little guilty. She had been gone most of the time while they were stationed at the base. Raven had complained more than once about the way the other CIA agents mocked them. Charles said he understood her frustration, but there hadn't been much he could do about it.

"I'll tell you, I'm really glad that Charles came up with this and that he's willing to let us stay here. I thought he'd never forgive us at first for trashing the sitting room and courtyard,- Agent MacTaggert was even more upset than he was." Darwin let out a chuckle before clearing his throat. "Not to complain, of course, she had every right to be. We should have been more responsible."

"Trash the sitting room?" Ann blinked and stared at him with confusion.

"Happened the day when they left for Russia. Wait, they didn't tell you?" Darwin frowned.

"It's the first time I'm hearing about it."

Darwin looked rather embarrassed all of a sudden. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. "Right. Look, I'm really not proud of this. What happened was, basically we were just showing off. Talking about our powers, giving each other nicknames. We got cocky showing what we could do. Then one thing led to another,- Furniture got broken. Alex destroyed that statue thing in the courtyard." He paused and sighed. "I should have stopped it after that, I don't know why I allowed it to continue. I mean, I was the adult there. It wasn't until Charles and the others showed up that I realized how bad it looked."

Considering what Shaw had done to the place and the people, Darwin's story sounded harmless in comparison. But Ann could only imagine how Moira must have felt at the time. If she'd been there she probably would have thought all of them to be childish as well.

"I'm sure it's all water under the bridge. Especially considering what happened after that. Besides, I'm sure something like that won't ever happen again, right?" She said to him.

Darwin shook his head. "It won't. We all felt terrible about it afterwards. Raven most of all. Charles held her responsible for most of it."

"He did?" Ann frowned.

"Yeah, they had a huge falling out from what I understand. She was upset for most of the time after he'd left. She didn't show it at first, but she got irritated over the smallest of things and then the next day, she talked about him most of the time. Mainly voicing concern for him being in Russia and that there was no way for her to check on him. And then Shaw showed up,-"

Ann had stopped listening at that point. She knew all to well what happened during Shaw's attack. What she hadn't known was what had apparently took place prior to that. Clearly neither Charles nor Moira had deemed it important enough to mention it to her. Which was fine, there were more important things to focus on during their time in Russia. But to now hear that Charles and Raven had been in a fight right before he left, it left a certain taste in her mouth. Ann shifted in her seat and let Darwin's word sank in.

Could this have been another reason why Charles had gone into her mind while she had been in Raven's without thinking of the consequences? She knew he had been worried about his sister's safety. Who would not be? But taking Darwin's story into account, it shed even more light on his anxious and impatiently reckless behaviour. If something bad would have happened to Raven and the last thing they'd shared was a fight, he would have felt guilty for the rest of his life.

Without contemplating Ann pushed her chair back and stood up. Darwin followed her example. "You okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine. There's just something I've got to do. I'm sorry about the coffee, Darwin. I'll see you later."

With quick steps, Ann headed towards the backdoor situated in the back of the kitchen. Last time she checked, Charles had gone outside with Moira. They were probably walking around somewhere. It would save Ann some time if she were to try and locate him with her powers, but he'd notice her presence immediately and that was something she didn't want. Besides, how hard could it be to find them the old fashioned way?

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

After twenty minutes, Ann found herself near the edge of the premise, right in front of the greenhouse. She'd circled the mansion twice already before stopping at the top of the steps near the circular fountain to throw one last glance into the open area behind it. Eventually she decided on taking one last stroll around the area, already having accepted that she might as well wait until tomorrow when she was suppose to meet up with Charles anyway. There was no rush in discussing what she'd found out thanks to Darwin. In fact, what was the whole point?

So what if there was another logical reason why Charles had disregarded the promise that he'd made to her? He'd still broken his word and invaded her mind without asking. He could have done some serious damage, which inadvertently he had. He had hurt her and betrayed her trust. Yes, he felt incredibly guilty and bad about it. And yes, he wanted to do nothing more than make it up to her. So, why was she here trying to find excuses for what he'd done?

'Do not condone his behaviour.' Erik had said to her and he was right. Charles tended to get away with so much. What was she doing?

Ann let out a shuddering breath and ran her hand through her caramel coloured hair. She was just restless, that's what it was. She hadn't had any sleep at all since Shaw's attack on the base. Not to mention, the time difference between Russia and the US didn't do her much good either. Her mind should be shutting down right now, but instead it just kept going and going. She should have lied down for a quick nap, but instead she was doing the opposite.

She took a couple of steps forward and placed her hands against the door of the greenhouse. The wood was chipped in various places and there were several cracks in the glass windows. She raised her arm and began wiping some of the dust away with the sleeve of her sweater in order to take a small peek inside. It was fairly dark, but from what she could gather, there were still some plants in there. Curiosity bubbled to the surface. Would Charles mind if she just took a quick look inside on her own?

"Didn't we have an appointment tomorrow?"

A familiar voice sounded directly behind her and Ann let out a scream before swinging around, almost smacking Charles in his face.

"Whoa!" The telepath exclaimed as he jumped back. "Relax, love. It's just me."

"Dear lord. Don't sneak up on me like that. I could have hit you!" She breathed out.

Charles laughed softly. "That one time was more than enough, thank you."

"Funny."

"Any reason why you're here already?" He then asked. "Not that I mind, of course. You can come and go wherever you want."

"Reason?" Ann repeated and she quickly tried to come up with any answer other than the truth. "Just,- wandering around and somehow ended up here."

If he was reading her mind right there and then, Charles would know she was lying. Heck, he could probably tell by the way her voice quivered as she spoke. But if he was aware of it, he certainly didn't show it. Charles walked around her and set his hand on the doorknob.

"Well, seeing as we're both here. I might as well show you around?" Though he watched her with anticipation, he turned the knob and pushed the door open without waiting for an answer.

The wood creaked loudly as Charles stepped aside to let Ann through. Now that she was standing in the greenhouse, Ann noticed considerably more plants than when she'd first peeked through the window. They were in a pretty good state. Clearly someone had been taking care of them, at least a little. Not all of them were a lucious and healthy green colour. Some were starting to show signs of dehydration. Yellow leaves, some already brown and even a couple that were drooping over the edge of their pots.

"Mmm, it's not all that bad." Charles said as he closed the door behind him. "It seems some are in need of a little more care. I wonder if the sprinkler system still works?"

His voice faltered as he stepped away from the entrance to rummage around the left side of the room. Ann walked over to a nearby metal table where she found collection of small succulent plants. She leaned forward and was about to touch one of them when loud bangs and clanks came from the part of the greenhouse where Charles had gone to.

"Do you need a hand?" She shouted.

Another loud noise of something breaking sounded, followed by a voice telling her. "No, no. All good!"

Ann shook her head and headed towards him. She found Charles behind a couple of watering cans and tin buckets. He seemed to be struggling to place them back where he'd found them after having apparently knocking them over. Ann bent down to pick up a large piece of what probably once was a clay pot.

"Please, love. Leave it. I wouldn't want you to cut yourself." Charles said, even though he wasn't even looking at her.

Ann clacked her tongue and continued picking up any other pieces she could find. It didn't take long for Charles to eventual come up to her with a broom in his right hand. He motioned for her to step aside and he started to sweep the smaller clay bits together into a little pile.

"Seems botany isn't my forte." He chuckled. "One can have many talents, but mine definitely isn't having a green thumb."

A witty comment danced on the tip of Ann's tongue, practically begging for her to open her mouth so it could be released. But she did her best to resist it.

"So, who took care of this place while you and Raven were in England?" She asked instead of falling into sarcastic remarks.

"I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been a very good homeowner. Nor a very considerate employer. When Raven and I left for England, I let everyone go except for the groundskeeper and his family. As you can tell, he took quite good care of the grounds and this place. His wife managed the house in the meantime. Kept it dust free. About a month ago I got the message that they were planning on moving on short notice due to family circumstances. I think they left about a fortnight ago. Haven't had the chance to do anything about it because of,- well,- you know."

Charles stopped sweeping and straightened himself. "Now that we're here, we can take care of things ourselves. What say you?"

"Yes, I'm sure you'll be quite capable of cleaning the house. You look well equipped already." Ann nodded at the broom he was holding and Charles let out a laugh.

He soon stopped and a heavy silence filled the room. He was looking at her again, holding her gaze, all the while still smiling. Ann felt an odd stirring in her stomach. Why was she making jokes? She was angry with him, that hadn't changed over the last twenty-four hours. How could it? Yes, they knew very well how to act in a civilized manner with each other, despite what had occurred. They had to for the sake of what was to come.

Charles's expression suddenly changed and he set the broom aside. "Ann,-"

But Ann had already moved in the meantime towards the collection of broken pieces. She pushed some of the bits which had fallen towards the side back towards the pile, in all her anxiousness she clumsily wasn't paying any proper attention. A sharp edge cut into her skin and Ann hissed through her teeth. She yanked her hand back and looked at her finger. Blood was already appearing in the wound. Quickly she stuck her finger in her mouth and sucked gently.

"Didn't I tell you to let me take care of that? Let me see." Charles's voice was incredibly close and without asking he took hold of her hand and pulled it away from her lips.

"It's fine. Just a cut. It'll heal in no time." Ann replied as she pulled back slightly.

However, Charles grip was tight. With a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, he examined her finger. "I'm only having a look. I promise I won't amputate,- unless it's necessary."

Why on Earth was he having a laugh with her? Ann could already tell from where she was standing that the cut wasn't deep, but enough to draw blood. Cleaning it up and putting a band-aid on it would suffice. Nonetheless she let out a sigh of annoyance and watched as Charles examined her injury thoroughly. He soon reached into his jacket with his other hand and pulled out a handkerchief. He stepped closer and started to dab it on her wound. Red spots appeared on the white cotton, but it was all that was needed to stop the bleeding.

"There." He said as he looked at her. "That ought to do it."

"Oh, good. For a moment there I thought I wasn't going to make it." Ann replied wittily.

The upper right corner of Charles's mouth twitched as he started to rub his thumb across her other digits. His hold on them still firm. Ann's mouth felt dry all of a sudden and she could feel a lump starting to form in her throat.

"Ann," Charles tried again. "I know things aren't,- good between us. But if something is wrong or bothering you, you can tell me. Whatever is it." He practically whispered the latter part that she'd almost missed it.

For a minute there she'd almost forgotten as to why she'd come out here in the first place. Her heart was beating heavily in her chest as Charles stood this close to her, holding and caressing her hand. Darwin's story once again popped up in the back of her head.

She swallowed the lump away and licked her lips. "Nothing is wrong."

"You know, during my walk with Moira, I noticed you circle the house twice, as well as standing near the fountain for a couple of minutes. Clearly you were looking for something or someone, or am I way off?"

Ann scoffed. "Nothing goes by you, does it?"

"I try not to let it. Especially when it concerns things I deem important." He fell quiet and there was that intense stare again.

The woman let out a groan. "Don't tell me you left Moira to come after me to find out what I was doing?"

"And what if I did?"

Ann couldn't help but search his eyes as he said that. The fact that he was standing so close, still holding her hand, really wasn't helping her gather her thoughts. She felt her cheeks heat up. Perhaps now was a good time to address why she'd been looking for him. It was the only thing currently in her head that made sense to throw out there.

"I spoke to Darwin earlier."

Immediately Charles's eyebrows shot upward into a frown. "Oh?"

She wasn't sure if he was genuinely surprised or if he already knew what she was going to tell him and was now feigning it. Nevertheless, she continued. "He told me about what happened the day when the three of you left for Russia. That he and the others had caused damage? Something about the sitting room and some statue?"

Ann paused and waited for a response from him. Some sort of reaction, maybe realization that neither he nor Moira, nor Erik, had mentioned any of this to her. Luckily, that was exactly what she got from him.

"Ah." He mouthed. "That incident."

"Was it really that bad?"

Charles furrowed his brow. "Ann, why are we talking about something that happened a couple of days ago? If this is about not mentioning any of it to you, I assure you, it wasn't done on purpose. But to answer your question, yes it was bad. The window was completely shattered. The furniture all over the place and the statue in the courtyard had been cut in half and was still burning by the time we got there."

Alright, that was a more clear description than what Darwin had already told her.

"Now, if you'd care to enlighten me. Why are you really bringing this up?" Charles crossed his arms.

Ann was this close in asking him if he hadn't already read it in her mind. But obviously that would pave the way for a whole other conversation. One which they'd had plenty of times and by now Ann figured that Charles was also not in the mood for that type of discussion. Besides, it was clear that due to what happened in Russia, he would think twice of entering her mind.

"Darwin told me that you and Raven had an argument afterwards. That you held her responsible for what had happened?"

Suddenly Charles let go of her hand and he averted his eyes. It only lasted a second as he soon looked at her again. "Look, if you're bringing this up because you disagree with me,-you can stop. I fully believe she should have been wiser, but after what Shaw's done, I realized I should have been easier on her. It wasn't just her fault."

"Is that why you entered my mind back in Russia?" Ann asked and Charles blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm asking if you felt so guilt ridden by leaving on a bad note with Raven, that you were willing to do almost anything without thinking of the consequences, in order to make sure she was alright?"

She stared at him this time, intensely seeking his bright blue eyes for what she was hoping was recognition. But instead, Charles exhaled deeply and ran his hand across his face.

"I think you already know the answer to that question." He said softly.

Ann didn't like the way he said that. She felt something heavy settle in the pit of her stomach. She stayed quiet as he once again grabbed her, only this time with both his hands, on her shoulders. He lowered them towards her upper arms and locked his eyes with hers.

"Don't make me say it."

"You don't have to." Ann replied. "I know exactly what your answer is. That it wouldn't have made a difference."

"I don't want to lie to you." Charles sighed as he squeezed her arms gently. Again she felt him rub his thumbs through the fabric of her jacket.

"I don't know why I was hoping it would have been the reason for what you did to me." Ann said looking up at the ceiling. Her eyes felt warm and pricked a bit as she did.

"Maybe you don't dislike me as much as you think you do?"

She scoffed loudly, or maybe it was more of a chuckle. In any case, she didn't dare to lower her head, for she knew how close Charles was standing in front of her. Mere inches. She could actually feel his body heat radiating towards her. Still, a shiver ran through her body. Most likely it was the jet lag getting to her.

"Ann,- look at me, please?

She wasn't sure if she was shaking her head or just blatantly ignoring his request. But she did notice him letting go of her arm, only to find that same warm sensation spreading across the left side of her face. His fingers crept over her soft skin, towards her jaw and the back of her neck, where he then rested his hand. She bit her bottom lip and lowered her head.

A distinctive click then sounded from up above. Followed by a hissing sound and something wet cascading down upon them. Ann let out a shriek as cold water drenched her within a matter of seconds. Charles quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her with him towards the entrance. It seemed the sprinkler system did work.

Let's leave it there, shall we? I hope you all thoroughly enjoyed that! Would love to hear your thoughts, until next time! Have a great day everyone.

Replies to your lovely reviews:

NetteBS: Your words always make me smile. I try my best to incorporate details and background information as much as I can. Sometimes the language can be a barrier, but that's why we have the internet to help out at times lol. Thank you also for being all the way in for Erik and Ann. :)

Mary-Ann: Thank you for liking that little moment between Erik and Ann. Writing them together is completely different from how I write Charles with her, but it's so much fun to write scenes both of them.

Intothevoid: Perhaps it's time to put a bit more romance in there. Hopefully this new chapter satisfied your want for it :)

Hali: No worries, Hali! I'm just happy you're reading the story whether it's once I upload or a year later even. As long as you love it! But thank you for leaving a message. And yeah, I might have laid it on thick with the jealousy count. But it was so much fun to do!

Starksy: Your reviews are always a joy and I honestly can't thank you enough for helping with the German parts every time. I'm glad you're enjoying the dynamics, it's what I strife for! And yes, things will be different at the mansion due to the change I did with the Shaw encounter. Hope you'll keep liking the story!