Emma leaned up against a tree, her arms folded across her chest. They were in a thick part of the swamp and Remy had gone on to scout ahead of them. He'd promised to be back, and with the promise of sanctuary hanging over them she knew that he would. Namor was at the other side of the camp, running his hand through the swampy water.
"Why do you do that?" she asked.
He stopped and looked up at her.
"Water is my element," he said, "If I stay away from it for too long…it is like not breathing."
He shook his head.
"I do not expect surface dwellers to understand."
Emma rolled her eyes.
"You really should stop taking that superior tone," she said, "You might run into someone who can take you down a peg or two one day."
He quirked an eyebrow.
"You mean like you?" he said.
Emma shrugged.
"If you can call what we have arguments," she said.
He laughed. For some reason the sound irritated her.
"What?" she asked.
"Sometimes I wonder about you Emma Frost," Namor said, "I wonder how someone can be so confident and yet at the same time be so clueless."
She bristled.
"I'm not clueless," she snapped.
"You're right; that might be too strong of a word," Namor said, getting up, "It's more that you don't know what you want."
"Excuse me?" demanded Emma.
He snorted.
"Perhaps it is time one of us says it when the swamp man is not here," he said, "But I think I'm an easy enough man to understand."
"There are hordes of people who would disagree," Emma said angrily.
Namor strode up to her, stopping a foot away. She glared at him, unflinching.
"I know what I want," he said, "especially concerning someone like you."
He put both of his hands on either side of her and leaned in. He was close now, closer than he'd been since the day that he kissed her. Her heart began to pound and she resisted the urge to swallow. Emma jutted her chin upwards, torn between turning to diamond and punching him or listening. In the end she stayed where she was, unflinching. His lips turned upwards in something like a smirk.
"And that is?" she snapped.
His eyes bored into hers.
"Everything," he said.
She paused, confused.
"Everything that you can give me and not a scrap less," he said, "I don't settle."
Emma breathed in, surprised. She covered it with a snort of disbelief.
"Oh, I understand that it's a great deal to ask," Namor said, "and that it takes time. But as soon as I want something I do go after it."
He cocked his head.
"But it's not one way either," Namor said, "The Invaders earned my loyalty during the War, and I fought until it was over despite the minimal risk to my people."
He leaned forwards until he was all but whispering in her ear.
"If I receive everything, then I give everything as well."
She breathed deep, for the first time understanding what he was offering her.
"Is that something you want?" he asked.
Namor pulled away, still looking her in the eye. She looked back at one of the few men in the world who had ever been able to keep up with her, the first who had made her feel the strange sensation in her chest. Emma swallowed and closed her eyes for a minute before looking back at him.
"I know what I want," Emma said, "You just wouldn't be able to give it to me."
He gave her a strange look. It wasn't disappointment; whatever it was it bordered between sadness and anger. He pulled away and looked down.
"I see," he said.
Emma opened her mouth, but she heard a motor boat in the distance. Seconds later Remy drove into the clearing.
"Come onboard mon amis," he said, "Got some rough patches ahead but we'll be there in a day or so."
She nodded and climbed into the boat. This time Namor looked deliberately away from her, his hands threading back and forth in the water.
Moira sat on the edge of the bed that her sons were sharing in one of the place's guest rooms. Kevin and David stared up at her, their eyes wide. She didn't know how she was supposed to begin, how to tell them that their sister was missing and their father had gone to find her. Moira could barely believe it herself.
"What's goin' on mama?" asked David.
She swallowed and touched her six-year-old's cheek. She remembered Rahne at that age, asking her hair to be braided and playing in the backyard. Moira had been so scared for her sometimes, scared that something would happen to her if someone saw her. Now that something had happened when those worries had dwindled down to almost nothing.
With everything that had happened Moira wondered how it could have come to this. How had her first stepping foot on Genosha led to this? The events spiraled in her mind, coming to a point in the horror of their present. It was like the Night of Fire was happening within their own family, the MRD's fingers snatching her daughter away.
"You're scared," Kevin said.
Moira forced a smile. She couldn't afford to dwell on what was happening. Moira had to be strong for her sons.
"I'm not scared," she said.
She was though. She was scared that the MRD was going to harm her beautiful daughter. Moira was scared about her husband going in to find her. The people they were going up against had no mercy, and being taken prisoner was often worse than death. Although most of her fears were focused on Rahne there was always room for more.
"Rahne's missing."
She looked down at David, who stared at her with brown eyes.
"Where is she?" he asked.
Moira didn't ask how her son knew. It could have been any number of things; the only thing that mattered was that he did know and he'd said it out loud. Biting the inside of her cheek Moira moved forwards so that she sat between both of her sons. She put her arms around them and they leaned into her side.
David grasped her hand and Kevin snuggled beneath her arm. She closed her eyes, praying silently for strength.
"Rahne is missing," she said, her voice soft, "We don't know where she is yet. Your father has gone out to find her."
She heard the quiet gasp from Kevin. David didn't make any noise, but she could feel his hand grip hers tighter.
"You two know what an incredible person your sister is," Moira sad, "You know how strong she is, what she's done. She carried you through woods infested with soldiers when you were nothing more than a baby David."
She felt him nod.
"And you know that our country has been undergoing difficulties," Moira said.
"Because we're mutants," David said.
Moira nodded. Although their children had been shielded from birth against prejudice, the Night of Fire too far away in their memories, they still knew that the rest of the world wasn't like their home. It was taught in every school and daycare center just like every child learned the Pledge of Allegiance in America.
"And because of that the world is going to seem like a dark place sometimes," she said.
She held her children closer to her, thinking of the one that, as much as she wanted too, she couldn't hold.
"But there's still good in it," she said, "There's still light. I want you to remember that, and never forget that. And…"
Moira swallowed.
"...pray for your sister," she said, "Your sister and your father as he goes to save her."
Next to her Kevin started to cry, his sobs quiet. He had always been the quiet one in the family. David began to cry as well, much louder than his brother. She could feel their tears falling on the cloth of her blouse. Tears pricked her eyes and she pulled them close to her, wishing she could shield them from what was happening.
"Father says that we're going to keep it a secret for now," Lorna said, "We'll call it a lab accident until we have them back."
"It sounds sensible," Alex said, "That way the MRD won't know what we're doing."
She nodded, hugging herself tightly. Alex stood on the other side of the room. Officially he was there because the Hellions were gone and he needed to be within the palace confines in case of an emergency. Scott was in a room down the hall and Doug was being guarded by X-men in Hammer Bay General. He was still out, but the doctors said that he would be up in a few hours. Alex planned on visiting him then.
However, the real reason Alex was there was for extra protection. As her bodyguard he could be called in if there was an emergency. Although it didn't seem that the MRD had been targeting Rahne, they didn't know that they hadn't. It could have been the first in a series of attacks, or it could have been that they were going to go for Lorna next.
It was obvious that Lorna wasn't thinking about that though. She was thinking about her best and, until recently, only real friend. Lorna had grown up alongside Rahne, meeting her a mere six months after coming to Genosha. Carly and her were friends as well. Lorna had stood by her as she went through her surgery, and Carly had helped her through her first difficult semester at school. Now they were in danger and there was nothing Lorna could do about it.
His thoughts were of Hank. Lorna knew him, but only nominally as Carly's boyfriend. Alex had known Hank for six years. They had written protest letters, struggled through simulations, and gone through high school. He felt a shudder ripple through him as he thought about what could be happening to his friend.
He looked over at Lorna. She stared at the ground. Her crown had been removed, so there was nothing to hold back the flow of green hair around her face. She had never looked more vulnerable, never looked like she needed someone to tell her that everything was going to be alright more.
Alex wished he could get her father or, if he wasn't available, Neena and Arthur. Her father was dealing with damage control though, giving Director Xavier some time to calm down. Her daughter was missing and her husband had just gone on a highly dangerous mission after all. Neena and Arthur were patrolling the hallways, making sure that everything was secure. That meant that all she had to comfort her in her darkest hour was him.
He swallowed and walked up to her. Alex knew that he wasn't good at this sort of thing. He knew that the situation demanded someone who could do this for her, give her the comfort that she deserved. Alex wasn't that person, but he was going to try. Tentatively he put a hand on her shoulder. She looked around, her wide green eyes staring into his.
"Hank and Rahne have training, and Carly's smart," he said, "They've got the Hellions and the man who helped lead a revolution coming after them. They're going to be fine Lorna."
She took a shuddering breath.
"They're going to be fine," he said.
Lorna hesitated before taking a step forward. She tilted her head forward so it touched his chest. He blinked as her arms wrapped around him and she started to cry. He stared at her for a minute before wrapping his arms around her, letting her cry onto his shirt. Alex tilted his head forwards so that it touched hers.
Several minutes passed and he continued to hold her. He had never been this close to her before, and a strange feeling encompassed him. He felt like he was falling somehow to some unknown destination. Alex didn't know what was going on, but the sensation was both frightening and overwhelming.
Lorna looked up and wiped her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"It's alright," he said.
She bit her lip and looked down.
"Could you stay?" she asked, "Just, sit next to me and…I just need someone to be here right now and…"
His brain screamed that this was a terrible idea. However, something else told him that he couldn't tell her no, that he'd do anything she asked him to.
"Alright," Alex said.
She gave him a watery smile and sat down. He sat down next to her. To his surprise she lifted his arm around her before leaning onto his shoulder.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Alex swallowed.
"Any time," he managed.
