He was there in the blink of an eye. He'd caught him by his wrist before he could strike her. He bent his arm away then delivered a blow to his gut, sending him crumpling to his knees. She shrieked and rolled off the bed, away from them both. She hit the floor with a dull thud and struggled to gather her bearings. She could hear the sounds of something being struck and thrown but she wouldn't dare look. She clasped her hands over her ears as best she could despite the fact they were trembling. She was terrified to an extent and trying to block out her surroundings. Suddenly, there was a girlish squeal and for a moment she thought she was hearing herself cry out. She shakily lowered her arms and inhaled a deep breath. She mustered enough courage to rise up from the floor and stare at the doorway.
Todd stood trembling in the doorway and eyes glued to the floor. She slowly followed his gaze and gasped. Lance was on his back, struggling to fight back against a very pissed off Pietro. The speedster was powering his arms up to deliver very swift punches to his comrade. He wasn't striking his face but the sounds his blows were making caused her to cringe. She dove over the bed before she realized it and tackled Pietro. She stood between them, pushing against their chests as she tried to keep them apart. Pietro uttered curses at Lance at about a hundred words per second yet Lance would only glare at him while trying to swing a few punches at his face.
Gabrielle yelled and pleaded until Fred managed to squeeze into the room and dragged Lance out of the room. The room began to shake but ceased almost immediately as Gabrielle focused on canceling their abilities within her radius. She inhaled shaky breaths before she wrestled Pietro to the floor, sitting on his lap and keeping her palms pressed to his chest. She turned her head and hissed at Todd to scram, which he quickly obliged after seeing the menacing glare behind her once soft emerald eyes. She turned to look down at Pietro, who was merely sulking.
"Pietro... What the hell happened?"
"Tch! I should be asking you that!" He spat at her.
She frowned and glared down at him. "Don't give me that! I want an answer!"
He scowled as he met her gaze. "The hell you think I was doing?! I protected you! He was going to hit you!"
"Oh yeah?! Well I kind of had that coming!" She replied and got up quickly, nearly tripping over his legs.
Pietro's sapphire eyes widened and he sprang to his feet, arms loose at his sides but he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. He looked her up and down, searching for any signs that she'd been hurt. He then reached out to grab her by her chin. She protested as he turned her head left then right, eyeing her neck carefully then her jawline. He slowly released her and she smacked his arm, demanding answers. He frowned as he tried to imagine why Lance would want to physically hurt her. He came up blank so he rubbed the back of his head, trying to make sense of what he'd intruded upon. He began slowly pacing around the room, ruffling his hair around and glaring at the floor.
"Pietro...?" She called out softly after she'd been ignored for a good ten minutes.
He casually glanced at her as he crossed his arms behind his head. "Yeah?"
"What the fudge...?" She asked as she spread her arms wide and shrugged her shoulders.
His sapphire eyes met her emerald ones for a brief moment before he cracked up. He started laughing and holding his right arm over his abdomen as he doubled over a bit. She stared at him and tried to reach out to touch him. She gasped and quickly drew her hand back when he threw his head back. He was practically howling in laughter, causing her to slap her hand to her forehead and drop to the floor on her knees. She was certain Pietro had snapped from reality. He ceased his terrifying antic a few minutes after, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. He inhaled deep breaths and slowly extended his hand out to Gabrielle.
"Sorry for freakin' you out. I just couldn't help it." He smirked and raised a cocky brow. "Fudge? Really?"
She slowly lowered her hand from her face and gazed up at him. Her lips were in a pout and she seemed flustered to an extent. "I didn't want to cuss..."
"That's rich." He grinned and wiggled his fingers in her face. "You gonna let me help you up or is that floor really doing it for you?"
Her cheeks burned as she slowly placed her hand in his. He gave a tug and easily helped her to her feet. He tried to dust her off and partially succeeded... until he tried to dust off her posterior. She delivered a hard slap to his face but he only grinned. She straightened out her clothes and looked at him seriously. Her lips were set in a grim line and Pietro's brows furrowed in concern. He eyed her up and down slowly but she seemed to be unharmed. She turned to face him, her right fist clenched tightly and shaking at her side.
"Please gather everyone in the living room. I have something very important to tell you all."
"Gabrielle..." Pietro started but stopped when she shoved her hand to his face. She stopped a few centimeters short of pressing her palm to his lips.
"Go. Now." She commanded and her eyes narrowed dangerously.
He quickly sped out of the room, leaving her alone in Lance's room. She reached up and yanked off the hat, freeing her hair. She removed the goggles and threw it on to the bed along with the hat. She then started tugging off the fingerless gloves, throwing them on to the bed as well. She messed with her hair until it naturally cascaded down her shoulders and back in light waves. She then walked out the room and slowly made her way down the hall. She hesitated at the top of the stairs before she began to slowly descend, gripping the railing as hard as she could. She made it to the foot of the stairs and turned her head, noticing that her team was gathered like she'd requested.
She couldn't let go of the railing. She stood there, frozen in place. She feared if she let go, she'd fall apart. She was terrified of what she had to say. She didn't know them well enough to predict their reactions yet. She felt her heart and lungs shrinking. She couldn't breathe anymore. A warm hand clasped over hers, bringing her back from her troubled thoughts. She blinked and her gaze met Pietro's. His warm hand was clasped over hers and was subtly rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. He could feel how she tightened her grip on the railing to ease her trembling and he wouldn't let the others see it if he could do something about it. He grinned and slowly removed his hand before he sped back to his seat. She was smiling on the inside though the smile she projected was a weak one.
"There's something I'd like you all to know... Actually, it's several things but I'm not sure where to begin..." She whispered softly as she approached them, nervously hugging her elbows to her chest.
"Uh... the beginning...?" Fred asked and glanced at his teammates, hoping this wasn't a trick question or something.
"I could do that but... It'll be a long story." She replied and gave another weak smile.
"We gots time! Right, fellas?" Todd chimed in cheerfully and smiled a toothy smile.
"If not, we'll make time." Lance stated in a tone that implied he'd strangle Father Time if it means he'll get them more time to hear her story.
"Very well..." She whispered and began to fidget with her fingers as she struggled to piece together the right words. "I guess I should start with my parents..."
Todd turned his head to the side then stuck his pinky in his ear, picking away at it while he stared at her. "Why yer parents?"
"Because that would give you all a better understanding of how I got my power."
Gabrielle crossed her arms over her chest and stood awkwardly by the stairs. She glanced at them all in turn and saw them patiently waiting for her to tell her story. It was strange to see Pietro, Lance and Todd occupying the sofa together. They looked cramped and uncomfortable but they wouldn't dare go into the kitchen and bring out a chair. The kitchen was forbidden territory and trespassing merits an execution. Fred was happily sitting alone in the recliner because he knew that everyone was well aware he'd claimed it for himself long ago. She inhaled a deep breath and slowly exhaled before she closed her eyes.
"I do not know the true name of my parents because given their line of work, truth merits death." She could feel their eyes glued to her and it would've made her stop talking, if she hadn't made it her resolve to finish her story. "They presented themselves to me as Dreamwalker and Defender. They are both mutants and members of an underground Russian division that specializes in using mutants as their agents."
"Whoa..." Todd whispered under his breath and Pietro elbowed his side to keep him from interrupting.
"Defender is my father and he has a rather... unique defensive power." She clasped her hands together and looked her feet. "He is capable of creating a barrier that blocks many things that could kill someone. As far as he's aware of he can block bullets, grenades, fire, poison and other projectiles. He considers himself the tank of the division. He'd constantly brag about how anything that can kill someone in a battlefield or mission, he can brush off without moving a muscle."
Lance couldn't help but whistle and Todd's mouth hung open. Fred began to wonder how big of a guy her father was and if he could develop his power to that extent.
"Now, Dreamwalker is my mother, as you may have already guessed. I heard that she gave herself that name when she discovered her power is to enter the dreams of others, like her name obviously implies. This happened when she was only four years old." She slowly raised her head up and crossed her arms over her chest again. "She trained her power over the years to the point she can enter someone's mind when they're unconscious and not necessarily just when they dream."
"Wait... When you say enter... you mean..." Pietro began as he tried to solve the puzzle himself. He became visibly concerned shortly after.
"Yes, it means she's in their mind. She describes it as her very soul invading upon their mind and tearing it apart from the inside out." She shuddered before continuing. "She explained the process to me and I find it quite terrifying. When she's in their mind, she's essentially walking through it. Dreams are glimpses of someone's life, their fears, their worries, their joys, etcetera. They are the gateway to your soul. They reveal more information than you could imagine. It's why her talent is used for interrogations. She probes through their mind in a more... invasive manner than a telepath, at least that's how she describes it. You can push information around in there but nothing is gone or locked away forever."
"I'm sensing that there's a catch..." Lance stated and locked his fingers together, resting his chin upon them.
Gabrielle smiled and uncrossed her arms, wagging a finger at him. "Very perceptive." She then eyed the other members. "Yes, there's a catch. If her body should be disturbed when she's doing her walk, it can cause her to lose her link to her body. That means that if anything happens to her body in the slightest, it can cause her to become trapped in that person's mind forever. It's very dangerous and my father told me that there's been a few close calls when it almost happened... Aside from that terrifying fact, she is capable of causing severe damage to the person's mind if she isn't careful. If she uses too much force to find the information she wants, the person could end up suffering severe brain trauma. I'm not exactly sure how that all works out but that's as far as I know."
"Holy fuck, your parents sound like hardcore mutants. They make our shit seem like child's play!" Lance exclaimed and threw his arms up in the air, leaning back on the sofa.
"Well, you know, they have years of experience under their belt." Gabrielle stated and shrugged.
"Man... Hearing what they can do..." Todd began but cut himself off. He slumped in the sofa and shook his head. He looked like he'd been stomped by a giant and scrapped off its shoe like dirty gum.
"We're still cool. Right, Fred?" Pietro asked with a cheeky grin before he looked over at the big guy. His grin faltered when it looked like he was in pain. "Uh... Fred?"
Fred brought his hands to his head and began to squeeze. His head was pounding but he wasn't sure why. Gabrielle gasped and rushed over to his side. She placed her hands over his forehead and began to gently shush him. She inhaled a deep breath and leaned her head back. After a few moments, Fred's arms dropped to his lap and he was snoring under his breath. She slowly removed her hands and her knees gave away. Pietro sped to her side and caught her, hoisting her up like a bride and carried her to the sofa. Todd hopped off and sat on the floor, gazing worriedly at Fred. They hadn't made a move to stop her or even asked what she'd done to him. Pietro laid Gabrielle down while Lance raised a suspicious brow at the pair. He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.
"Gabrielle, what the fuck was that?" Lance demanded sternly as his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Ummm..." She turned her head to gaze up at him. "I sort of knocked him out...?"
"We can see that!"
She flinched and caught Pietro's hand to keep him from attacking Lance. "My story was too much for him to process so soon. He was suffering a tremendous headache. I tried to sort his thoughts out, bring him peace but they were too jumbled for me to make any sense of them. Obviously, my poking around his mind like that was too much for him to handle so that's why he's unconscious. Don't worry, he'll be fine."
Todd tried his best to turn invisible but it was impossible. The best he could do was wrap his arms above his head and hide like that. His legs were tightly crossed and he didn't move a muscle. Lance leaned against the sofa from behind, his back pressing against the back of the backrest. Pietro glanced down at Gabrielle and managed to slip from her grasp since she was distracted by her thoughts. He sped to stand by the unconscious Fred and crossed his arms over his chest then his left leg over his right.
"Ummm... Should I keep going...?" She asked quietly.
Lance gestured with his hand, being the only one to respond.
"Okay then... Well, we all know that when two mutants have a child, either the child is a mutant or it's not. When it is a mutant, their power is usually one of the parents' power or a variation of one. In rare cases, the child inherits both powers; however, in extremely rare cases, the child ends up with completely unprecedented powers." She began then paused. "I am something of a mystery..."
"Go on..." Lance whispered as he lightly turned his head to gaze at her.
"My primary power is to block out other mutant powers, especially psychic ones. Even as a baby, my mind could not be tapped into. I trained myself for hours every day. I learned that I could extend the reach of my power. At first, it was like a cloak over my body. I could only block through direct contact. I practiced every day until one day, I discovered I could extend this... psychic shield of mine outside of my body. I began to train it more until I developed a kilometer radius. Of course, it's something I prefer not to do for extended periods of time since it leaves me physically exhausted."
"So when I suddenly became normal, that was because of you?" Pietro asked.
Gabrielle smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry...?"
He exhaled a deep breath and dramatically wiped nonexistent sweat off his forehead. "For a second, I'd thought I was losing my powers. Ain't no way I'd wanna go back to being a slow punk."
"Lemme get this straight... You can block powers within a radius?" Lance asked as he turned around and placed his hands on the sofa, peering down at Gabrielle.
She seemed to be wanting to shrink down further into the sofa. "If I focus enough, yes. I mean, the whole blocking powers outside of my mind only works when I think about it." She quickly explained, hoping he wouldn't lash out at her again.
"What else can you do? After what you said, I'm pretty damn sure you got more under your sleeve than you told us." Lance stated and gripped the sofa tighter under his hands.
"Whoa, Lance, easy." Pietro started and took one step forward.
"I'm not done." Gabrielle snapped and looked at them both in turn, silently warning them to keep it cool. "I'm a telepath to an extent... I can poke in your pretty little heads all I want, whether you're conscious or unconscious but the catch is I have to have physical contact. Skin to skin to be more precise."
"Uh..." Todd mumbled then muttered something incomprehensible under his breath.
Gabrielle chuckled and nodded. "Yes, Todd, I know all about you guys since the day we first met. I peeked... a lot in your heads."
The three boys groaned audibly and she couldn't help but smile a little.
"Yeah, sorry about that boys. I had to know what I was getting myself into." She rubbed her cheek with her forefinger slowly as she gave them time to take it all in. "Besides, if I use my little telepathic touch, I can't block out mutant powers. My mind is still safeguarded but other than that, I'm vulnerable like everybody else."
Lance couldn't stop shaking his head and rubbing his palm to his face. He was sure she knew exactly what he taught about Kitty. She'd seen all the... dreams. Todd knew she'd seen how miserable his life had been all these years. She was probably kind to him out of pity. Pietro was internally kicking himself. His entire secret history was known. He couldn't help but wonder if she'd reveal it to the others. They were all fearful of having their deepest darkest secrets exposed.
"Wait..." Lance started and blinked before he stared at her. "What about that thing you did when you introduced yourself?"
"Huh?" She blinked and pursed her lips together. "Oh... that. I'm not sure. It started about two months ago. I woke up one day and suddenly I could throw little balls of energy. I doubt it's something permanent."
"That's... reassuring?" Lance asked as he raised a brow.
She smiled and slowly got up, stretching her arms over her head. "Now that you know the truth about what I can do, what do you guys say we go out and cause some mayhem?"
Author's NoteI apologize for the late update. I'm working on a few fanfics at the moment. I'm hoping to have a day when I upload quite a few of the works in progress I have or I might wait and upload completed works. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D