Applejack

By Mice

Chapter 10: Shortage in the Switch

-Hyperion Hotel, Present-

Francis Peckenpaugh, aka Dr. Strangefate, opened to door to the hotel suite with a manic gesture and no coordination. "Yes?"

"Room service!"

"We didn't order room service."

"Not tonight, no, but you see…" the hotel clerk got out a slip of paper. "We've been waiting to deliver this order for over ten years."

Dr. Strangefate read the order and opened the silver lid. "Poffertjes? Proper poffertjes?"

"Yeah! I had no idea what they were and the chefs were adamant about not calling them "tiny pancakes" but –"

Scott appeared behind Strangefate and took order form from him. "Jean." He saw her name and the date that they were ordered – the night of Janet Van Dyne's wedding when he had ordered Jean the same dish. "She knew something."

"Was she a clairvoyant?"

"No," Scott shrugged. It was the obvious answer but not the correct one. "But –"

The sound of a crash from further inside the suite interrupted Scott's thought.

Strangefate pushed in the tray, closing the door at the hotel clerk, saying only, "I promise to tip you later!"

Scott made his way to the room where the telepaths and his friends were. Specifically, Bobby pinning down Jubilee.

"Really, Drake! Really? This is how you break the ice after ignoring me for eons?"

"I'm doing this to protect Annie from the old lady because you're supposed to be some sort of pod person."

"The old lady isn't going to get her!"

"So you're not a pod person?"

"…if anyone would be easy to read as a pod person, you know it would be me, you frosted freak."

This was good logic.

"But Emily said –"

"The chick who was in the New Defenders with you?"

"…yes…"

"What? Who?" Warren spoke up, coming into the room. "I don't think I remember sleeping with her."

"You didn't sleep with Emily."

"Are you sure, Bobby? I slept with many—"

"During the Champions. You were with Candy during the New Defenders."

Warren smiled. "Of course. Continue."

Bobby slowly got off of Jubilee. "Emily said the old lady would send somebody to make sure not all of us would come back. I got chosen to come back first because Drake'son knew I could distract you."

"That's so Drake'son."

"I know!" Bobby looked around. Drake'son and Hank were beginning to stir – Annie remained motionless. The empaths were beginning to awaken.

"Paige!" Jubilee shouted out the door. "Bring the husk. They're waking up."

-The Ocean, NYC-

The door buzzed to let Annie and Bert inside the building. A winding staircase went up for what looked like an infinity.

"I don't know if I can walk that," Annie said, young and afraid of the time it would take.

Bert grabbed her hand. "You have to see what's on the other side of the door."

"Why can't he just come to me? Haven't I come far enough?"

"It doesn't work like that, Annie." Bert led her to the stairs. "I don't know who my father is. Neither does my mom. And you have a chance to meet yours. Don't be selfish, Annie."

Annie nodded, shamed. "Ok. What floor?"

"Twelfth."

"We can do this."

Annie and Bert began to run up the stairs.

-The Sun-

Bobby had already faded away. Drake'son and Hank had begun to fade.

Salem took her daughter's hand. "I'm sorry I failed you."

"You didn't fail me…you just…" Annie struggled to find just the right way of saying how she felt. "Just…it didn't work out."

"No shit." Salem moved in closer. "You didn't turn out so bad, though. You have made some very bad choices in your life, but overall, you're better than what you could have been." She wrapped her arms around Annie. "Do not marry that man, Annie. I did not find a way to come here and protect you and have you turn out not so bad just so you can ruin your life for the next few years. You are better than this and know that this is not what you want. You have the choice to leave."

Annie shook herself out of the embrace. "I can't. I'm just someone who runs away from their problems only to find new problems. Nobody can save me from that."

Salem rolled her eyes. "You want someone to save you so bad, little girl, but the only person who can do that is yourself." She grabbed Annie's arms tight. "Save yourself."

"I can't." Annie's face went hot with shame. "I can't do anything."

"Listen to me! You got out of Wyoming. You have been working with some of the best scientists and have gotten to do things that you hadn't even dreamed possible not ten years ago. You took the risks necessary to get here – take another to get yourself out."

"How?"

Salem let go of Annie's arms. The wedding dress Annie had picked out for the next day was on her now. "Run. As fast and as far as you can."

"But we're going back –"

"They went back. You have new adventures ahead of you."

"What about you?"

Salem frowned. "I made a choice when you were born. I don't think I can go back."

"And Strangefate? What am I supposed to tell him?"

"Tell him…" Salem's eyelids fell, chopping off tears. "Tell him nothing could ever hurt me except him."

"Mom." Annie went to hug Salem who pushed her away.

"I said run. And don't stop until your legs and lungs stop."

Gathering her dress, Annie nodded. Dust clouding around her, she began to run.

"And don't wait for black swans!" Salem cautioned before disintegrating into nothing.

-October 23rd-

Annie woke up, stood up, and took a deep breath of air. She immediately regretted it as she crashed back down into a seat. The sound of the room was loud and the floor was not solid.

"You're back!"

Annie tried to focus her eyes to the new surroundings.

"You need juice. I'll have juice come to you. Tuppins! Juice!"

"Where…" Annie croaked with a dry throat. "Where am I? Am I still in the astral plane?"

"You haven't been there for hours. Right now, you're in a jet plane."

A glass of juice was set down before her in a crystal glass.

"Is that all, sir?"

"Good for now, Tuppins. Drink slowly, Annie."

She reached for the glass, desperately wanting to drink it in one gulp but consented to sipping it. "Why am I in a jet?"

"Because that's what you wanted."

"…is Matt Murdoch behind this?"

"A lawyer of his stature has no access to a jet plane and a butler like Tuppins."

Annie racked her brain for possible people she knew who could fit that bill. "I feel like I've been running miles for days." Another sip. The sugar hit her heart like oil in a frying pan. "Where are we going?"

"I was surprised when you asked, but it was where we met so I do find it quite romantic."

Annie tried to remember. "So I didn't marry Sean?"

"Aside from the pact some of us made to stop you and Sean deciding to leave to get some help at Emma's insistence, when you woke up, you pretty much decked him, said no, and began to run out of the room. Dragging me with you, of course."

A napkin laid near her glass with writing. She tried to focus her eyes on it. She wished she could place the voice, but the plane and the pressure in her ears made it difficult.

"Now, Annie, I don't want you to worry. I know you just got out of a very difficult situation. I am going to give you my greatest luxury – my restraint. I promise that I will be here when you are ready to open your heart up again."

Annie brought the napkin close to her face. It was a delicately embossed gold that read "The Perfect Ten". A new feeling of adrenaline plunged into her as she realized who she was with. "Warren?"

"I don't know why I didn't see it sooner. You showing up at my Colorado home on a stormy Christmas Eve. You always asking me for help when you were in trouble and in danger. You hid your feelings by dating sevens and even sixes, but I never thought you could be brave enough to say that you wanted to be with the one true ten in your life!"

"I said that?"

"More or less.

Letting her head fall onto the plush couch of Warren's jet, Annie concluded that she wasn't able to run far enough.

"Oh, Annie! Falling in love in Colorado with you will be my greatest adventure."

Not nearly far enough.