A/N: don't own don't sue
Lyrics are from 'Clarity' by Zedd & Foxes
Clarity
Chapter Four
High dive into frozen waves where the past comes back to life
Fight fear for the selfish pain, it was worth it every time
Hold still right before we crash 'cause we both know how this ends
A clock ticks 'til it breaks your glass and I drown in you again
'Cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need
Chasing relentlessly, still fight and I don't know why
If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy?
If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?
Walk on through a red parade and refuse to make amends
It cuts deep through our ground and makes us forget all common sense
Don't speak as I try to leave 'cause we both know what we'll choose
If you pull then I'll push too deep and I'll fall right back to you
'Cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need
Chasing relentlessly, still fight and I don't know why
If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy?
If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?
"You could leave, no one will stop you." Charles said soothingly, his fingertips steepled under his chin as he gazed at her.
"Of course the people who came after you are still out there." Erik tossed out casually.
Eden glared at him. He had that smug grin on his face that made her want to punch him. She had woken that morning with itchy feet and a sense of intense isolation. She was miles away from anything she knew and the sense of unreality was smothering her. She had found Charles and Erik in Charles's study discussing something intently. Shen had, rather embarrassingly, flown into the room without knocking and had shrieked at Charles that she wanted to go home.
"What would you suggest I do?" She hissed between her gritted teeth, her fingers tapping on her bare arms angrily.
"Stay with us." Charles said immediately, opening his big blue eyes endearingly. "Help us."
"Do explain how." Eden said sweetly.
Charles and Erik exchanged a glance, silently communicating as ever. Since her rescue Eden had firmly maintained that she had no idea how she had learned to control her mutation, insisting her ability to do so had been a part of her skill set as long as she could remember and she could therefore offer no insight into teaching others to do the same.
"Teach them to fight." Erik suggested disinterestedly, flicking imaginary lint from the knee of his cream trousers and looking for all the world as if he couldn't care less what she did with her life.
"What?" Eden and Charles blurted in unison, both equally stunned by the sudden suggestion.
Erik levelled them both an impassive grey-blue stare, cocking his head a little to the side as he pondered.
"You handle yourself well in a fight."
"How do you-" Eden broke off, turning pink with embarrassment.
To regain her old strength and agility after the attack she'd set herself a rigorous training schedule pulling together her kick-boxing skills and her yoga routines. She had thought she had chosen an isolated area of the huge grounds, out of sight of the main occupied areas of the house but of course he'd seen her. Somewhere along the way. She felt flushed, her skin burning as she avoided his eye. Her work out was personal, something she did to clear her head and work off her emotions. Thinking someone had watched her for long enough to gauge her skill level was like being repeatedly caught in the shower.
"No." She snapped, darting her gaze across to Charles.
She could see the cogs churning in his head as he thought it over.
"It's interesting." He murmured thoughtfully. "You react instinctively with your reflexes, only reaching for your mutation when you have to. It's a valuable trait." Eden shifted uncomfortably, not liking the way they were both staring at her. "It would be useful for them to learn to protect themselves physically."
"No." Eden repeated firmly.
"It's a win-win situation." Erik tapped his knuckles against the arm of his chair lightly. "You're safe here, and you teach them to protect themselves."
Eden opened and closed her mouth several times, searching for words she couldn't find.
"At least try?" Charles wheedled, his big blue eyes peering into hers.
She opened her mouth to tell him exactly where to get off when she felt Erik shift slightly, his presence a warm flickering flame in her awareness.
"Fine." She heard herself say. "For now."
"A trial run." Charles agreed readily, looking as if he wanted to hug her. She appreciated that he didn't, she had no idea why she'd agreed to it and the only believable excuse made her want to hit something. Hard.
"I'm not sure I can do this." Eden grumbled, glugging back some water and glowering at Erik over her shoulder. "I don't like people in general. Teaching? Seriously! Me?" She scoffed, shooting another poisonous look at Erik. "This is your fault. Talking me into it. Giving me those stupid silver eyed pouts, looking all cute." She rambled irritably, yanking her brush through her long hair.
Erik watched her. Since agreeing to stay and teach, she'd alternated from reluctant excitement to quiet dread to panicky anger. It was most amusing. This morning she'd flat out refused to do the class, slamming her door in Charles's face. When Erik had tried her again an hour later she had changed into grey jogging bottoms and a white vest top and was attacking her hair with far more force than was necessary.
"I should strangle you for this." She snapped, waving the brush at him threateningly.
"They're just kids." Erik chuckled, using his mutation to drag the silver-backed brush she was wielding out of her hand with a flick of his fingertips. "They won't hurt you."
"I'm not worried about them." She grumbled.
"You're afraid you're going to hurt one of them?" He asked curiously, tossing the brush onto her bed and crossing over to stand behind her where she was seated at the ornate vanity table, twisting her golden hair up into a messy knot on top of her head. He leaned against the back of her chair and studied her terrified reflection. She was pale under the very last of her bruises, a barely there sickly yellow around her throat, face and bare shoulders.
"Let's just get this over with." She turned away from his probing stare in the mirror and hurried out of the room.
After extensive discussion, they'd decided her self-defence class would be better outside in case anyone lost control of their mutation. Eden remained silent during the walk through the mansion and into the grounds; in fact except for the odd furious glower in Erik's direction she ignored him completely. Eden's step faltered a little when she saw the group splayed out on the grass waiting. They shot her varying sceptical looks as she approached, her fading bruises a vivid contradiction to the idea that she could defend herself well enough to teach them about it.
"They don't bite." Erik reminded her, putting one hand on the small of her back and giving her a little shove.
She stumbled forwards a step and glared at him. He stared back completely unrepentant, nudging her towards the group. At least they stopped talking when she approached, giving her a modicum of respect. She'd avoided them as much as possible and had in turn only been seen briefly in passing or in the kitchen. She had no idea what went on behind closed doors and had little interest in finding out what they murmured about conspiratorially. They eyed her assessingly, weighing her up.
"Err, hi." Mumbled greetings flittered back, a net of awkwardness settling over them. Eden cleared her throat, glancing at Erik for help. He shrugged one shoulder most unhelpfully. "So, self-defence-"
"Is this mandatory?" Angel grouched from where she was reclining in the grass, leaning one shoulder against Sean's raised knee.
Eden opened her mouth to snap back a retort and received a burning glare between her shoulder-blades from Erik. She took a deep breath and swallowed down her sarcasm.
"Let's get one thing straight. I don't want to be here anymore than you do. So how about if, after this first session, any of you decide you don't want to come back for a second one. Fair enough. Don't."
They goggled at her, exchanging glances and nudges as they tried to gauge if she was serious or not.
"So, you all know Mr Lehnsherr, I'm sure." She beamed a sweet false smile at Erik who narrowed his eyes at her warningly. "He's going to be our dummy for the day." She grabbed his arm and dragged him to stand in front of her, ignoring the danger sparking in his eyes. "I'm going to show you some of what I'll be teaching you." She beckoned to Erik lightly. "Attack me."
He laughed, his teeth flashing in the mid-afternoon sun. She lifted her eyebrows and he realised she was serious. She held up her finger.
"Wait. No powers." She clarified, glancing across at the teens watching curiously with doubt written all over their faces. "Attack me."
Erik gave a martyred sigh and lunged at her half-heartedly. In a flash she gripped his arm, swung him around and tossed him over her shoulder as if he weighed nothing. Erik let out a startled grunt as he found himself face down in the grass, hoots of laughter echoing around the grounds. He climbed to his feet with a vicious glare at her. When he'd agreed to help her out it had been mainly to shut Charles up and partly to satisfy his own curiosity. He had not expected this.
"How'd you do that?" Raven asked grudgingly.
"I used his own aggression against him. His own speed, his own power, his own weight." Eden gestured to Erik again. "Come at me again."
Erik was warier this time but his pride was also injured. He lashed out at her, attempting to grab her shoulder. She gripped his other arm this time and swung him down onto the ground, twisting his elbow until he gritted his teeth in pain. She released him and he got back to his feet rubbing his sore arm sulkily. Eden proceeded to toss him around like a ragdoll, blocking all of his attempts to lay hands on her. The few times he did manage to grab her, she allowed him to pull her down and used the momentum to knock him off balance. They were both drenched in sweat and covered in grass stains by the time Eden called the demonstration to a halt, rubbing her tender ribs.
"Anyone want to try?" She panted.
Eden felt a brief flash of smug satisfaction as they all jumped to their feet clamouring excitedly. She told them to split into groups of two, partnering a shy Hank herself. She showed them some basic holds to start off with both for those playing the aggressor and those acting on the defense, steadily progressing them onto throws as they built confidence. Angel got a little overexcited and almost broke Sean's arm at one point but Eden hurriedly healed the injury so they could continue.
After nearly two hours they flopped down onto the grass chattering animatedly, sticky with sweat and in a few instances blood from well-placed elbows and knees. Eden was surprised to see that Erik had observed the whole session, sitting silently a few feet away. She had expected him to leave as soon as his part in the demonstration was over.
"So I guess that's it." She pushed strands of hair dark with sweat from her forehead, the awkwardness returning as her confidence seeped away. "Is there a point organising another session?"
"Yes." Sean replied immediately, a grin on his freckled face as he brushed away drops of blood from a tiny cut on his forehead.
"Is there a point to this at all?" Raven asked doubtfully.
"I think the point is to learn a way to defend yourself without using your power."
"Why bother with that?" Angel scoffed.
"Because what if one day you meet someone who's immune to what you can do?" Eden snapped, a bit more aggressively than she'd intended. The brunette glared at her. "You reach for your power automatically, without giving it a second thought. What if you can't use it because you'll be seen? Or using it would be dangerous to bystanders?" Eden shrugged, not really caring if she was convincing them or not. "Besides, it never hurts to have another skill. I do my workout routine first thing in the morning. After that I'll be here. If anyone wants to join me." She shrugged.
"Thank you." Hank smiled sweetly as they climbed to their feet and Eden grinned. She knew he'd been afraid his strength would cause him to hurt one of them, that was why she'd partnered him.
"I can fix that." She offered to Sean but he shrugged it off.
"Nah. My first war wound."
She laughed as he jogged ahead to catch up with Alex. It seemed only Angel still had anything depreciative to say about the session, everybody else was thrilled that when they only had a shred of control over their abilities this was something they could do to let go when they felt most vulnerable.
"That was impressive."
She glanced at Erik as he joined her, watching the teens crossing the lawn ahead of them in a long straggling line.
"Kicking your ass?" She snorted, plucking the material of the back of his shirt lightly where there was a long grass stain. "Are you surprised I could?"
Erik's face darkened slightly but she ignored his mood. She knew she'd probably offended his masculine ego; he was very sensitive about how powerful he was. She also knew he wanted to ask her how she had managed to evade him and sneak in under his guard so easily. She turned away from him as they climbed the inclining lawn in silence. When they reached the gravelled path, she paused as the others clattered inside chattering loudly about lunch.
"You rely on your power too much." She said quietly, leaning back against the short stone wall behind them. "Every physical movement you make, you hesitate slightly beforehand, because your first reaction is to reach for your power and you're convincing your body to take the next available option instead." Eden shrugged, looking away from him and studying the huge looming stone mansion. "It's hard to supress your instincts but it makes you a lazy hand to hand fighter."
Erik scowled again and she bit down on a laugh, not wanting him to think she was mocking him. Erik did not take criticism well, but the next morning he was sitting beside Raven waiting impatiently for her to teach them when she arrived.