July 29, 1966
Laura reached the top branch in the tree. She winced as she swung her legs onto it. The pain in her feet had become a dull throb ever since she'd started taking the medication the Genoshan doctor had given her. There were dull pains in her hands as well, but they were easier to work through.
She leaned back against the tree trunk, dangling one leg over the side of the branch. The doctor had talked with her aunt for a long time. Laura had been put through a few machines and had blood drawn. In the end he'd prescribed a lot of things before he'd gone back to Genosha. Laura wished that she could go back too.
It wasn't that she didn't like Virginia. They lived in a big house with a pretty garden. Virginia was heavily wooded, making it feel a little homier in some way. The trees there looked like they belonged in a story, and somehow Laura felt safer in the woods. She didn't know why that was; she just did.
There were more opportunities to play there. Emma let her have the run of the gardens, just as long as she didn't go beyond the wrought iron fence. Laura knew that there was another fence beyond that one, an electrified one. Emma had told her that under no circumstances was she to go near it. To demonstrate she'd tossed a stick at the fence. Laura had watched as the stick had shaken before fallen to the ground and smoking. She'd never needed another incentive.
At the same time she knew it was to keep her safe. Ten days earlier they had lit candles and dressed in black again. She had only vague memories of the Night of Fire, just glimpses of her father biding her mother and her goodbye. Laura remembered her mother telling her an old legend about the moon, but those were only so clear because Emma had helped her. After that there was only blackness and Emma had told her that she had fallen unconscious.
It was as good a reason as any that Laura could come up with, since if she'd had more memories Emma would have let her see them. She knew that she only had the memories she had because Emma had given them back to her. They were all she had of her parents, that and their wedding rings. They hung on a chain around her neck, her good luck charm.
Her parents had still died in Genosha though. The molten piece of metal that was her father's wedding ring reminded her of that. Emma told her that her mother had been protecting her and her father had been fighting the people who'd tried to hurt them. She'd told her that her parents had died heroes. It wasn't much consolation, not when she'd grown up without them.
So she knew she was safer in Virginia than she was in Genosha. No one was going to attack them in Virginia, at least, not like they had on Genosha. Laura knew that her aunt would always try to keep her safe, but she knew that her parents had tried that too. Growing up in a city where her parents had died was difficult, a constant reminder that things weren't always as safe as they appeared.
Genosha was her home though. She had been born there, and all of her friends were there. Emma assisted her in letter writing, and she got a few back. Laura wanted to go back soon, but she knew that her aunt had work to do. When everything was over then she could go back to Genosha and everything she knew.
She cocked her head, thinking about her aunt. She'd been acting strangely lately and Laura didn't know why. Laura had heard that everything was going alright at work. All of the aides that fluttered around Emma and Clarice were thrilled. Emma was away less often and she played with Laura more.
It was a mystery to her why she seemed uncomfortable. Laura saw her touch her lips from time to time, frowning. She'd asked her why she did that once. Emma had shrugged off her question and gotten back to playing a board game with her. Laura hadn't forgotten though, but she knew that she wasn't going to get an answer from her aunt.
Gnawing on her lip she looked down from the tree. She saw her aunt and Clarice talking in the kitchen. Laura's stomach growled and she wondered if it was time for dinner yet. It was sunset and she was supposed to be in before dark. Emma always got mad if she was still outside when it was dark.
Laura swung down from the branch. Her hands and feet began throbbing again, and she winced. Maybe it was time to take more of those purple pills again. Emma would know better than Laura. She'd always been able to tell her when she needed the pills and when she didn't. Her aunt had an excellent memory.
She hit the ground, her feet coming down hard. The softness of the ground threw her off balance as she tried to take a step forwards. Laura stumbled and fell backwards into the grass. Mud smeared on her skirt and she frowned, trying to wipe it off. Emma was going to get mad at her for ruining her clothes.
Laura paused in the middle of her work and took a long sniff. She found herself doing that more often. So many smells had become strong, almost like seeing a picture. For the most part she enjoyed it. This time something smelt wrong in the air though. She wondered if they were having broccoli for dinner again that night. That always smelt wrong to her.
She took another sniff. This was stronger, much more menacing than broccoli. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and her hands fisted into the dirt. She could almost hear a slight silencing in the gardens, a stillness that hadn't been there before. Laura bit her lip, inhaling the strange smell again.
A slight sound sent shivers through her. It made her feel like she had when she'd ridden in a plane for the first time; something powerful, strange, and unfamiliar was happening. This time it felt more menacing though. She wondered what it was, until she realized it was a foot coming down on grass. Laura turned behind her, staring at the figure that towered above her.
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Clarice.
Emma shook her head.
"No," she said.
"Are you sure?" Clarice pressed.
Emma shook her head again. Clarice sighed and put her glass down. Sometimes her friend could be really stubborn.
"In twenty minutes, you're going to meet with someone who kissed you about a week ago," Clarice said, "Just you and him. You're probably not going to be able to restrict this to business. And you don't want to talk about it?"
"No," Emma said, her words terse, "I don't."
Clarice folded her hands in front of her. Emma had told her what happened with Namor, looking somewhere between horrified and shocked. The story had taken less than five minutes to explain, and Clarice had wondered about whether or not they should report it. She decided against it though; he had stopped when she asked him to.
All the same at first Clarice had offered to stab him with one of her crystals. It was more of a formality than anything. Emma was a confident woman, but not when it came to these matters. She'd discussed the situation with Azazel years earlier, although she'd be mortified if Emma ever found out about that conversation. They'd both come to a consensus that Emma needed a great deal of support and, if it came to it, protection.
It wasn't that Emma was weak. Emma was one of the strongest people Clarice had ever met. However, she had a tendency to get into situations that had only one outcome, or at least she had when she was a teenager. Emma's mind had been fractured, and watching her hold onto her sanity was like watching water being poured into a leaky bucket.
Of course she had supported Emma's unspoken decision to avoid getting into a relationship. At best it would end soon and mean nothing. At worst it would end up meaning everything and Emma would end up harming herself or the other party. Until she had her powers and her sanity under control, no small feat, they needed to keep an eye on her.
However, the more she talked to Emma about the situation, the more she realized times had changed. Emma was not the teenager with questionable sanity anymore. She was a woman who, while she could be cruel, could also sparkle and shine. Emma had fought to balance out her life and she had won. She was a respected diplomat with sharp intelligence and keen sense. In short; Emma had pulled herself together.
Clarice had thought over Emma's story after Emma rejected her offer, pondering why this particular incident had meant so much. Men had been enamored by Emma's looks for a long time. Emma possessed a swaggering confidence that men both admired and detested, attracting them for both of those reasons.
Emma had gotten used to dealing with them. She could cut the floor out from under a man's feet in a matter of seconds. Her talent with words and ability to make other people feel like they were peasants and she a Queen had gained her respect and enmity. However, she had always dealt with the situation quietly; they had never mattered to her.
What happened with Namor had mattered, and Clarice was beginning to get an idea as to why. She twisted her engagement ring, a piece of jewelry that she had never been given but had been meant to possess. Clarice wasn't sure if she was the best equipped person to talk to Emma about this, but she was the only one there.
"So you're going to just pretend that it didn't happen?" asked Clarice.
"If you must know, yes," Emma said, sounding irritated.
Clarice shook her head.
"I don't think that's going to work," she said.
"It might," Emma said, "I refuse to talk about it with him."
"And if he wants to talk about it?" asked Clarice, "No offense, but it sounds like he can be just as stubborn as you."
Emma narrowed her eyes. She had obviously hit a nerve.
"Emma, come on," Clarice said, "I can tell that this wasn't just something that you can brush away. It's bothering you."
Her friend folded her arms in front of her chest, glaring at the floor.
"He's coming over soon," Clarice said, "This is your last chance to talk about it."
Emma looked up, her face irritated but resigned.
"I can't do this with him," Emma said, "I can't."
"And why not?" asked Clarice.
Emma sighed in frustration.
"To start with we're technically co-workers," she said, "I don't want to get involved in that sort of thing."
Clarice considered her words.
"That's a good reason," Clarice said, "But you won't be his co-worker once the Hellions come. And furthermore, I don't think that's why you're doing it."
Emma glared at her.
"It won't work," she said.
"You don't know that," Clarice said.
"There are too many things at work here," Emma said, "I don't want to open myself up to this sort of thing."
Clarice frowned and sighed; she should have seen it earlier.
"This was your first kiss, wasn't it?" she asked.
"That has nothing to do with it," Emma snapped, "I don't want to do this, okay? I don't want to get involved in all the stuff that comes with it. I've got enough on my plate without dealing with…that."
She looked at the ground, her teeth clenched. Clarice winced, knowing that she would have to choose her next words with care.
"Emma-" she said.
"And don't give me this whole 'live your life' thing," Emma said, "I am living my life, alright? I'm a diplomat and I'm raising Laura."
She snapped her fingers.
"There; that's my life," she said, "I'm good. I'm not going to jeopardize things for something that won't work out."
Clarice bit back any comments she wanted to make on the state of Emma's life. That would probably push her friend to the edge, and Namor was due to arrive in a few minutes. She considered her options in silence, her finger tracing the edge of the glass. Finally she picked a simplified version of what she originally wanted to say.
"How do you know that?" she asked.
"What?" Emma asked.
"How do you know it won't work out?" Clarice said.
Emma looked away, sighing. She gazed out the window before going rigid.
"Emma, I'm just trying to help-" Clarice began.
Without a word Emma turned to her diamond form. Clarice blinked, unsure of what had prompted her friend's change. A second later Emma crashed through the screen doors, glass, flypaper, and splintered wood going everywhere. Clarice drew back, knocking her drink onto the floor and adding to the broken glass.
"Emma!" she called.
She ran to the screen door, looking out. Her mind froze, taking in every detail of the scene. Laura was on the ground, her head turned behind her, staring in surprise at a dark figure mere feet away from her. Emma was running towards the two of them, the setting sun reflecting on her diamond skin. It was almost difficult to see beyond her, to see what Emma was running at.
When she did manage to focus her heart stopped. Adrenaline coursed through her system, her old battle instincts kicking in and taking over. Standing behind Laura was a man that Clarice hadn't seen in six years, doing shifts at the maximum security prison as an X-man. It was the last person she would expect to see at the embassy, but standing behind Laura was her uncle; Victor Creed.