-Manic Monday-
"Alright Emily, I'm going to the store, do you want anything, love?" Lena called out from the front door archway.
"It's okay, take your time." Lena replied. Wait a minute, I'm not. Lena looked down. She was wearing nothing but some undergarments and her fiancée's famous red sweater.
"Okay then, all the time in the world for you love!" Lena heard herself responding back to own self.
"Wait!" Lena called out her other self. Paying no attention to her, the other Lena left, and the house drew cold and quiet.
What in the world is going on? Lena thought. She tried to stand up from her seat but was instantly pulled back onto it. The temperature around her started to drop quickly in the room and throughout the house. Ice began forming messy patterns on the windows panes, and it was so low now that she started to see her own shaky breath.
"Lena, are you there?" Voices suddenly intruded from seemingly nowhere in the house. "Wake up Lena!"
"Hello? Who's… there?" Lena called out to the voices shivering, but they simply ignored her inquiries.
"She won't stay like this for long." The voices made a return. "She's under the best of care now, I promise nothing will happen to her."
Looking down at the seat she was stuck too, she noticed layers of thin white webbing that fastened itself to the chair and her skin. What is this stuff? Lena thought. With all the strength she could muster, she slowly pried herself away from the cushion, albeit with excruciating pain. Aah! She felt the webbing threatening to tear off her skin. Finally, free of the contraption, she looked up and it was as if the whole room had suddenly changed before her eyes. The same white webbing she was stuck by was now covering every foot of her once pristine house. The walls, ceiling, furniture, lights, and even Emily's favorite grand piano were all covered in the sticky material, as well as looking decayed and rotten. Lena quickly pinched her nose as the house began to omit a strong bleach like odor. The only thing not covered in the sticky threads was the floor, much to Lena's relief, although it still felt like she was stepping on an iceberg. Exiting the guest room and into the hallway, the same could be said for the rest of the house. The walls and staircase railing were rundown and covered in layers of the viscous strings, and as Lena examined the front door, the paint could be barely seen beneath all the white webbing.
"Come on Lena, you're almost there!" The bodyless voices return, but louder. "I'm starting to see more activity."
Knowing she had no chance of ever getting the fastened front door open, Lena reluctantly decided to follow the voices to the top of the staircase. Looking down at the other doors of the house, they were all replaced with a large spiral tunnel consisting of webs and rotten wood. The dim light in the house barely penetrated the dark tunnels for only about a few inches deep, where it then turned into utter pitch blackness. Within those inky tunnels however, Lena could feel something watching her every movement as she cautiously walked up the steps. Lena hugged herself to keep herself warm, but mostly to hold on to the one thing that was keeping her sanity right now, Emily's red knitted sweater. Careful not to touch the wall or railing, Lena's toes turned blue before finally making it up to the top of the stairs. The voices were much clearer now and they all started to sound familiar, but she couldn't figure out who they belonged to were or what they wanted from her.
"I think she's about to wake up." The voices had calmed down. "Alright everyone, positions!"
As Lena approached the door to her bedroom, it was perfectly clear of any distortion or webbing preventing it from being opened. A warm light could be seen shining out from the bottom of the door, relieving Lena cold feet by the warmth it emitted. Rested her hand on the doorknob and ready to be free of this nightmare, she she twisted the knob before feeling a presence emanating from the room across the hall from her. Looking to where the bathroom was, the archway there as well was replaced by another tunnel of webbing and ruined architecture.
"Emily... is that you?" Lena voiced into the dark void, and no response was given. Why did I ask that question? She wondered. There is no way her sweet beautiful Emily would be stuck in that cold darkness. A quiet whistling of wind was heard behind the veil of webs, blowing Lena's cold breath gently back towards her. Something was in there, watching her, and she was unsure if it was inviting her or warning her. Transfixed by the inky void, her hand slipped off the handle.
"Emily!" Lena called out, stepping towards the being she felt within the pitch-dark tunnel. The door of her bedroom quickly flew open, and dozens of hands bathed in bright lights reached out, firmly gripping Lena's arm and leg.
"Wait!" Lena yelled out in surprise. With her free hand she reached out to the black void, desperate to reach the person behind the wall of shadows. However, her strength was no match for the hands pulling her into the light filled room. Before being pulled completely through however, she caught a glimpse of a pair of dim yellow eyes look back at her from the blackened void. Blinded by the light in the bedroom, the door was shut, closing her off from the rest of the corrupted house.
-Hanger Bay Mishap-
"There she is." A soothing voice said while shining a small flashlight into awakening girl's eyes. "How are you doing Lena?"
"Mum?" Lena paused, her skin relished in the gentle warm sunlight that peered through the nearby window. "Is that you?" Fully awakened, her vision slowly correcting herself.
"That's right." Angela pulling the light source away from her eyesight, shuffling around in her medical kit. "The doctor is in."
"Thank the heavens!" Lena at up, slurring her words bit. "I had the weirdest dream last night."
"Oh really? What was it about?" Angela asked, placing two fingers on Lena's wrist, checking her pulse rate.
"Well it was about, there was a… Was there a? Aww... I forgot." Lena lied back down on the bed.
"Lena, do you know where you are?" Angela asked, placing a cold stethoscope on Lena's chest to check her respiratory track.
"Of course, I do, were at Gibraltar." Lena sucked in her breath as the cold metal touched her warm skin. Angela pulled back her hand with her brows furrowed.
"Tracer." Angela spoke concerned. "What day is it?"
"Um, I think its Sunday?" Lena rubbed her stiff neck. "We're headed back home, well at least I am. When do you think were done here so I can leave?" Lena spoke in her usual cheerful tone.
"Lena, sweetie. You are home." Angela said, sitting back in a four-legged chair. "And its Monday."
Lena finally took her focus off the healer and examined the rest of the room. Expecting the medic bay, she was instead greeted by her own bedroom, however much cleaner than it usually is.
"What am I... doing here?" Lena asked, worry crept into her voice.
"Well, we got a call from Emily." Angela explained. "She nearly had a panic attack when you came home yesterday afternoon and passed out. Not wanting to risk it, she called the best doctor in town." She reached down, taking Lena's hand in hers, gently squeezing.
"Aww, thanks mum." Lena squeezed back, reassured. "Wait a minute. If I'm here, that means Emily is here!" And as if on cue, she was struck by a sharp headache.
"Easy, Lena, easy. She is." Angela smiled at Lena's excitement. "And so is everyone else."
"You mean the whole gang is here to?" Lena asked while rubbing her temples, the excitement at seeing her friends again overcome her painful headache.
"Mostly. The girls are waiting downstairs, and the boys are just outside." Angela explained, packing and closing her small kit of medical supplies.
Swinging her legs to the opposite side of where Angela was, Lena slowly rose out of bed, her body feeling like it was hit by a small yet very fast moped. Looking out the bedroom window to the street below, she saw a few of her teammates on the sidewalk.
"Alright everyone, make a secure perimeter around the house. I want zero weak points for entry, understand?" John was hear commanding a small group of two just outside.
"Yes sir!" Jamison and Mako stood at attention as to not upset the former commander.
Lena smiled in comfort and amusement. Her dad was still helping to break in the new recruits, even though he was off the clock.
"Are you ready, Lena?" Angela asked, propping open the bedroom door for Lena to walk through and meet everyone else downstairs.
"Am I ever!" Lena chirped. "Wait, I can't meet everyone looking like this!" She exclaimed pointing at her body.
"Like what?" Angela replied. "There was a reason why the girls were inside, and boys are outside."
Confused, Lena investigated herself in Emily's dresser mirror. It made more sense now as she was completely clothed, with a touch of makeup applied. She couldn't believe they completely clothed her when she was passed out. Hopefully she didn't do anything embarrassing while they do so. Did Emily approve of this? Oh, that's right. Emily.
"And... Emily?" Lena didn't know why, but for whatever reason she walked cautiously towards the angelic healer when thinking about her fiancée.
"Waiting for you." Angela still held her signature smile, holding open the door for her.
Lena swallowed to clear her throat. Locking arms with the doctor, the two women exited the bedroom and headed towards the stairs to meet everyone down below.
-Welcome Home-
Lena could hear familiar voiced downstairs, as she could pick out ones belonging to Brigitte, Hana, Mei, and Fareeha. As Lena landed on the ground floor, she was soon thrust into a whirlwind of greetings and comments. They had all been away on separate missions, and it was a shock to see everyone together, especially in civilian clothing. Brigitte, their newer member, was excited to be going on many new missions, especially if that meant she got to show off in front of Reinhart. Hana made a new online friend, who has been very secretive about her identity, which was a relief to her since it meant staying out of the spotlight. Poor Mei was trying to talk to her, but her thick accent made hard to decipher some of the words she was trying to say. Finally, Fareeha was silent but actively listening to everyone else. She did manage to sneak a few glances at Angela when no one was paying attention though, or so she thought. A couple minutes in, Lena started to feel exhaustion grow on her fast. Noticing this, Angela made room with her hands to allow Lena to breath.
"Girls, settle down." Angela broke them up, each backing away slightly in embarrassment at how worked up they've gotten.
"Where's." Lena saw her fiancée sitting at the piano in the guest room. No words were exchanged between them as Emily got up from the stool, briskly walking up to Lena and throwing her arms around her neck.
"I was so worried about you." Emily said, kissing her a few times on the cheek. "I'm so glad you're okay." She shut her eyes hard, not wanting to let go of her.
"Yeah, me too." Lena said, felling a little dumbfounded. Why don't I feel as happy as I should be right now?
"Alright, you guys can come in." Angela had opened the front door to let John and his recruits know it was okay to come inside.
Before Lena could properly process her feelings however, the rest of the crew from outside squeezed their way in, and before she knew it, the small house had been completely overrun with friends both old and new.
"Umm, why don't we take this to the back yard, there is much more space out there." Emily broke away from Lena, noticing how tight the hallway had become.
"Sounds good. Everyone, to the back." John commanded. Jamison, with a crazy grin on his face, hobbled toward the back of the house. Mako sighed in relief outside as he wouldn't be able to fit inside the house anyways.
From there on out, they held a small impromptu barbecue in back yard, and it was still very packed. Throughout the afternoon, some people found themselves hanging out in the kitchen as well. The day quickly disappeared into nighttime, and everyone was engaged in heated discussions and debate about work and politics. Jamison was passed out however, from boredom and having too much to drink, which was a rare sight for someone so energetic all the time.
Needing to get away from the over stimulation, Lena slipped away from the rest of the group and cooped herself up in the laundry room to allow herself de-stress and take deep breaths. Lena usually hated the quiet, but she now enjoyed the calmness it brought.
"Lena, are you okay?" Emily softly spoke from behind her. Lena's anxiety shot through the roof, not having heard Emily enter the silent room at all.
"Emily!" Lena overreacted to her unexpected presence in the room. "Me? Of course, I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be okay? I was just." Lena froze as Emily reached out and caressed her cheek. Or did she grab it? She is using much more force than normal. And her hand, it was cool, no, warm? Is the room hot or cold? Lena's thoughts stumbled over each other. She never felt like this around Emily before. She always felt warm and fuzzy around her. Lena made eye contact with her, which was a big mistake. Her hazel eyes had a sharpness to it, unlike the round calmness they usually have. Lena tried to look away, but could still feel Emily looking through her, trying to read the inside of her head. Emily's nails lightly dug into the side of Lena's cheeks so she would look at her again, eliciting a fight or flight response from the now timid hero. The door of the laundry room unexpectedly flew open, breaking the tension in the room.
"Alright you two, the time has come." Angela entered the room, followed by everyone except Mako and Jamison. Lena and Emily were quickly ushered out to the front door.
"Time for what?" Lena asked, trying to calm the shaking in her voice. Looking back at Emily, the girl seemed to have reverted to her usual state, confused just as Lena about what was happening.
"It's time for us to leave." Angela stated, rubbing the small of her back. "So, you know, the two of you can rest together alone, yes?"
"Oh, okay mum." Please don't leave. Lena said with a smile, her lips formed signs of agreement while her mind was screaming no.
Everyone shared a round of hugs and goodbyes. Mako however was outside with a passed-out Jamison slung over his shoulder. Each of the girls gave pecks on each other's cheeks while John gave her a solid handshake. After a couple of minutes, everyone slowly made their way from the hallway to the front yard, all the while Lena felt like a pair of eyes were searing the back of her body.
"I will make sure to come check on you from time to time, but I'm very busy as of late so it will have to be a while until then, okay?" Angela stepped out the front door to join everyone else on the walkway outside. "Until then, I told Emily what to do next time this happens, so I humbly leave you in her care."
"Thank you... very much mum." Lena nodded and waved goodbye. Don't leave me with her. Her mind and body were betraying one another. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she felt Emily come up to her, tightly hugging her from behind.
"I promise I will take very good care of her." Emily replied, squeezing Lena's hip while waiving to the group as they entered their respective vehicles.
Stop waiving and call for help. Lena smiled, the smallest of tears forming as her body struggled to resist to what her mind was telling her. Soon, the cars pulled away from the curb and into the silent night. After a few agonizing seconds she felt Emily's arm let her go to reach over her, shutting the door and locking them away from the outside world. Lena was still unable to move, while Emily slowly walked over to the darkened guest room, standing next to the piano chair. The cold air and quietness began to feel all too familiar to the girl.
"Come here darling." An empty smile spread across Emily's face. "You have had such a long day." She motioned to the cushion of the chair she wanted Lena to sit in.
Lena's body obediently followed Emily's command against her mind's will as she walked into the unlit guest room. Why is this happening? Lena thought to herself. No, It's just Emily and I after all. Lena reached the stool she was being commanded to sit on. There's nothing to be afraid of. Lena turned around to sit, but her knees had locked into place. This is Emily, right? Gently with her hand, Emily placed it on Lena's shoulder, guiding her body to sit, to which Lena obeyed without question. This is Emily. Once Lena was comfortably sat in the chair, Emily swung her legs on the chair, so now her knees were on both sides of Lena's legs, straddling her, pinning her. Emily, now seemingly towering over her lovers' frame, clasped her hands on both sides of Lena's face. Lena was forced to look into her lover's sharp eyes again, her heart threatening to burst through her rib cage. Lena felt trapped, and for some reason, like this is exactly where Emily wants her to be. This isn't Emily. Lena thought, unable to fend for herself as Emily went in for the kiss before one last remark.
"Welcome home, Chérie."