Jimmy ran after Penelope, desperate to get through to her before she did something ridiculous. It was pouring with rain outside, there was clearly a storm coming. "PEN! PEN STOP!" he was yelling, which then made the freaks curiously come out of their tents to see what was going on. Elsa poked her head out – she just wanted to see what all the commotion was.
"What is going on?" she hissed, wading through the thick heavy mud toward them.
"She's gonna go get revenge," Jimmy muttered, finally able to grab Penelope's arms so that she couldn't walk any further.
"GET OFF ME!" Penelope screamed at him, struggling under his grip, but his hands were too tight.
"You're not going anywhere, Pen, so just stop okay!" Jimmy shouted at her. He maintained his hold on her until Penelope fell limp and broke down into tears. Jimmy held her close, he felt like he had no choice. He blamed himself for how she turned out, but he just didn't want to tell her that.
"I never used to be like this," she cried into his chest. Elsa felt herself get choked up too. In the distance, there were faint sounds of a baby crying and Penelope unstuck herself from Jimmy's clothes.
"Your baby needs you," Elsa told her quietly.
"My baby doesn't know me," Penelope corrected her as the rain got heavier and the clouds went from slightly grey to a dark, murky grey.
"She does know you, and she needs you. She needs both of you." Jimmy could have sworn that his heart stopped beating at that exact moment.
"Why would she need both of us?" he muttered. Elsa rolled her eyes.
"Really, Jimmy? You haven't figured it out yet?" she tutted. Then she grabbed both of their arms and dragged them out of the storm, into her tent. As soon as they made it inside, the shocking sounds of lightening cracked and the wind began to bellow. Elsa swiftly closed the tents and spun around to face the two young people. "I'll be back in a second, don't move." Elsa left Penelope and Jimmy standing there awkwardly, soaking wet and avoiding each other's eye contact.
"Pen, I'm sorry," Jimmy finally broke the silence. His voice was barely above a whisper. Penelope raised her eyes slightly. "I'm sorry for everything, I really am."
"You didn't do anything," she whispered.
"Yeah I did. None of this would've happened if I hadn't been with Maggie," Jimmy blushed. "I let go of the only thing that mattered to me – you. When they took you away I…"
"I'm the cannibal here," Penelope finally spluttered the words out. "A cannibal, Jimmy. Do you know what that means? It means they take the meat of humans and they sell it on the black market. I buy it. I don't want to, but I cannot eat anything else." Jimmy went pale.
"Stop, stop talking about it," he muttered, breaking eye contact again. Penelope absentmindedly touched the raw swollen scars on her face, around her lips. She was so insecure about them. She used to be the most beautiful girl in the whole of Jupiter and now she thought she was the ugliest. She wasn't, though. Jimmy gently moved her hands from her mouth. "You don't need to do that," he said softly.
"I'm not pretty anymore," she muttered, heartbroken. Jimmy shook his head.
"You're still beautiful," he told her firmly. "If anything you're even more beautiful than you were before. These are your battle scars. I love them…and I love…you." Penelope couldn't help but gasp at the words.
"You can't possibly love me after I…" Jimmy cut her off with a gentle kiss, of yearning and longing.
"I never stopped," he whispered after they broke apart. Penelope found herself sobbing her heart out now, pulling Jimmy's face down for another tender kiss just as Elsa walked in with a pink bundle in her arms. When she saw her niece and Jimmy, she couldn't help but smile broadly.
"See, baby Selina? Your parents are together again, how it should be," she muttered to the tiny baby gurgling to herself in the blanket. Penelope and Jimmy broke apart as Elsa approached them both.
"Who…who's this?" Jimmy asked quietly.
"Selina…this is our baby girl, Jimmy," Penelope laughed lightly through her tears, carefully taking Selina from her aunt. Jimmy couldn't believe it, his eyes were wide and his heart was pounding against his chest.
"W-w-we have a baby?" Jimmy spluttered. "But I thought we-"
"Yeah, so did I, until I got in that place and gave birth," Penelope giggled. "Jimmy, we're parents." Jimmy felt tears well up in his eyes.
"Can I…can I hold her?" he croaked.
"Of course," Penelope smiled, passing the baby over to her father. Jimmy held the baby gently but also with such protection. He kissed her soft dark hair and nuzzled his nose against her gentle pale skin.
"Hey princess," he whispered. "I'm your daddy, and I promise you, I'll never let anything bad happen to you. I love you so, so much." Penelope wiped her own tears away before wiping Jimmy's tears too.
"She loves you too," she gave a watery smile. Everything was perfect.
But Penelope wasn't done.
…
Penelope sat up in the middle of the night and carefully crept out of bed, trying not to make a noise. She glanced to the right of her and saw Jimmy sleeping there with Selina sleeping peacefully on his chest. He had one hand on her back protectively, it was a sight that made Penelope's heart melt. But she had something else she needed to do. She tiptoed out of the bedroom, past Elsa's room and out of the tent. It was pitch black outside, but she knew where she was going. Everyone was asleep – everyone, but Maggie. Penelope knocked on her caravan door, knowing she would be awake. Maggie opened it quickly –when she saw Penelope standing there, she gasped.
"P-P-Penelope?" she stammered, backing up slowly.
"Can I come in?" were Penelope's only words. Maggie nodded quickly but Penelope didn't bother waiting for the reply before casually marching in and slamming the door behind her.
"I didn't know you were out again," Maggie began, trying to sound innocent. Penelope rolled her eyes and took the knife out of her back pocket.
"I've had enough," she hissed, shoving Maggie backwards so that she was backed up against the wall. Penelope held the knife to her throat. "Look here, Miss 'Fortune', I really don't appreciate what you did, sending me to that place. But guess what? I'm gonna forgive and forget." Maggie's breathing slowed down to a regular pace.
"T-thank you-" Suddenly, Penelope brought the knife so close to Maggie's neck that it created a small cut that started bleeding.
"But everything's fine now. And I swear if you try and ruin this again, give me one reason why I shouldn't come in here, and do to you what those people did to me. I promise I will torture you, I will make you scream and then at the end of it all, I will kill you in the slowest way possible, UNDERSTOOD? Don't touch me, Jimmy, my daughter or my aunt – or that will be the end of it," she spat, pressing harder on Maggie's chest. "Got it?"
"Got it," Maggie spluttered, shaking like a leaf.
"Good," Penelope breathed. "Sweet dreams," she hummed, before leaving Maggie there, clutching at her throat and trying to catch her breath. Of course, Maggie would give a reason for Penelope to kill her because little did she know that they were about to take Jimmy away for their museum collection.
And Penelope always kept her promises.
A/N: I am so so so unbelievably sorry! I'm in my final year of school before university and I had to revise and study and it all got so much but I think I'm back on track now. Thank you for sticking by me. (Also I'm seeing Avengers 2 today and so I am unbelievably excited but anyway)
xx