Time After Time || Charles Xavier

Chapter Three

~*~

"There's two strange men watching us," Lucy mutters under her breath. Ellie's about to turn around to glare, but Lucy grabs her arm and forces her to turn around, "Don't look! Okay, look, but be subtle about it!"

Ellie shakes her head, and cranes her neck to see who it is. Two men were approaching them just like Lucy said, one shorter than the other, both dressed in black suits. Her breath gets caught in her throat. Military? No, no, she had to think more rationally. Military didn't often wear fancy tuxedos. Mormons? Highly plausible. CIA or FBI? Highly Possible. How did they know? How on earth did they even track them down?

Crap. They must have heard about the night at the bar somehow. Maybe one of the customers tipped them off?

Come on, why now? They were only just enjoying a day in at the park together. Well, truthfully, she'd protested at first, but Lucy had demanded that she enjoy the fresh air, away from work and stress she's been under for the past few days.

She hasn't used her powers for a few months now. But, if they end up being a problem, she just might have to.

Then she hears it. The soft, familiar hum in her ears. It's asking for permission to enter her mind.

Charles? She asks with hesitation.

Hello again, Ellie, he answers back softly.

"Let's start walking," Ellie whispers to Lucy, readying a wall of blue light to block the telepath's voice. But he's persistent, keeps fighting through the barrier she's placed around her. The man next to him, must have sensed something was wrong, because they're talking to each other and Charles shakes his head, but kept his eyes on her. "Pretend we don't know anything."

"And if they keep following us?" Lucy asks with skepticism as they both get up from the bench at the same time.

"Run like hell," she answers.

Lucy shrugs, "works for me."

Ellie, wait! Please, we just want to talk with you, she stops, and tenses at Charles's voice.

She holds out her hands in front of her, and everyone around her freezes in place. Escape route. Where can they go? Her eyes dart around the park, and finds a group of students up ahead, large enough for her and Lucy to hide in the crowd. She just had to grab Lucy in time so they wouldn't be separated from each other.

Ellie, the man's voice reaches her ears sternly, and she shuts her eyes as she tries to block him. We're not hostile. Please, just give us a few minutes.

What do you want? Her glare softens at the hurt expression on his face.

To talk, he answers. Can't I just chat with an old friend?