Author's Note: Thank you to ZabuzasGirl, IAmARebel22, NotMarge, NicoleR85, Luna von Rae, partygirl98, musicjunkie1996, kmj1989, Jinxofthe2ndLaw and Torchwhovian for the reviews! I hope you guys liked how Zoey helped save the day, too. My husband and I argued for hours about what would happen if someone ignited the gunpowder in non-exploding rounds still in the magazine of a gun. It's not something that's really physically possible, so I had to base my conclusion off of what happens during a squib fire and what I've read on gun forums. So, I tried!
As for Raven... she's still not really a bad guy here. She's just a rude, bitter person. And I think we can all agree that even if she says Hank's words didn't affect her decision to leave at the end of First Class, they did hurt her feelings. If someone wounds you like that, are you going to like seeing them all happy and lovey-dovey? Even if you don't "want" them, it'll probably still bother you. So that's the bug that crawled up her butt.
Musicjunkie, good question! First we're going to be tying up the loose ends left over from Zoey's kidnapping (anyone want to know what happens to Grey?), so no time jump just yet. But after that we're moving into the final arc of this story, and that's when a few time jumps happen. The set up for the final story line will be in the next chapter. I'll explain it more on Saturday!
Gratitude
We didn't talk much on the flight home, but words weren't really necessary. I knew I would hear the story of what happened to her eventually, but there would be time for that later. For now, everything was alright because Zoey was safely back in my arms where she belonged.
She stayed cuddled up in my lap the entire time, wrapped in a blanket Sean found for her. I gently rubbed warmth back into her arms and legs while she lightly dozed with her face buried in my fur. Zoey's fingers and toes were a healthy pink rather than an angry, freezing red now, so I prayed there would be no lasting effects from her stint in that freezer.
We only spoke once, when we were almost back to the Institute. That last stand-off against those hooligans kept replaying in my mind, nagging at me until I finally had to give voice to the question preying on my thoughts.
"How'd you know igniting the gunpowder in the cartridges would work, sweetheart?" I asked her quietly, so the others wouldn't hear. "How'd you know the bullets wouldn't shoot out of the magazine?"
Even if they had, I still would've tried to shield you from them.
"I didn't know," Zoey murmured sleepily. "But I knew what you were about to do, and I couldn't let you sacrifice yourself without trying to save you. I took a chance, and it worked."
I couldn't even speak- I could only hold her tighter.
Zoey knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would voluntarily die for her and the baby, and respected that choice. But when she saw an opportunity to change the circumstances she took it and saved us both.
"Our baby needs his father," Zoey whispered.
Her voice broke a little with her next words, the cracks finally showing in her composure now that her ordeal was over. She didn't have to be strong to keep me focused anymore. Now she could be weak, just for a moment.
"A-and I need my Hank."
"I'm here, Zoey," I promised fervently. "I'm- so proud of you."
Zoey let out a startled chuckle. "You're the one who came in on a white horse. Thank you, for saving me."
Even after all of this, her faith in me was unshakable.
I almost laughed. "I guess I'm your 'Prince Charming,' after all."
Moira, Gwen, and Maeve were anxiously waiting in the Blackbird hangar when we landed, like a little welcoming committee.
"Zoey!" Maeve cried when she saw me carrying her friend out of the plane. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," Zoey assured her. "Just tired."
I set her on her feet, still wrapped in the blanket, so her friends could satisfy their need to know she truly alright and also congratulate her on the baby. They surrounded her and practically buried her in hugs.
It was only after they were convinced of Zoey's well-being that the ladies turned to their respective significant others.
Moira greeted her husband with a loving kiss, as did Maeve.
"What happened to your eye?" Gwen demanded of Alex, after giving him a rib-cracking hug. "Did some stupid redneck get a lick in on you?"
Alex shook his head and gestured towards Erik, who was standing off to the side with Raven. The two of them looked like they smelled something rotten while they observed the little welcoming scene.
Seeing three humans treat mutants with love make you queasy?
Sadly, I knew it was too late to ever change their opinions about mankind.
"Havok may have gotten a little overenthusiastic about policing Erik's methods," Charles explained. "It led to- a bit of a disagreement over whether Erik was killing one individual with a pen, when in fact he wasn't. Blows were exchanged, but no real harm done."
Erik smirked at Alex. It brought to mind a child trying to silently provoke their sibling in front of their parents to cause trouble. Thankfully Gwen had a good grip on her boyfriend's arm, to keep him from doing something stupid.
"So you didn't go psycho one time, Magneto," Alex said harshly. "That still doesn't mean you're anything but a crazy murdering bastard who gives all of us a bad name. I'm never going to trust you."
"Alex," Charles sighed. "You-"
"It's fine, old friend. We can tell where we're not wanted," Erik interjected, eyeing the rest of us with contempt. And maybe even a hint of disappointment. "We should get going. Mystique?"
Raven nodded. "Goodbye, Charles," she told her brother, like the rest of us were beneath her notice.
They turned to leave.
"Wait!" Zoey cried, tottering forward.
I shadowed her, of course.
"Thank you, Magneto, for saving me," she said earnestly. "You didn't have to, and I appreciate it."
Also, thanks for not going on a mass killing spree, I amended silently.
I still wasn't sure why they agreed to help in the first place.
But Zoey's sincerity seemed to touch the dark hole where Erik's heart used to be, because he gave her a tiny smile before he walked away.
"And thank you, Mystique," Zoey added, before Raven could follow.
Raven raised her eyebrows. "I didn't do it for you," the blue woman replied dismissively.
"Even so," Zoey retorted, "can't you just be polite for once and say 'you're welcome?'"
I had to choke back laughter.
My stars and garters, I love you.
Raven rolled her eyes. "You're welcome. And congratulations on your Beast spawn," she said spitefully, before turning on her heel and walking away.
"Thank you," Zoey called out cheerfully to her retreating back.
Then my wife looked at the rest of us with a hopeful expression, her hands on her stomach.
"Can someone please get me some food? 'Beast spawn' is making me hungry."
"So Nick said he wanted to talk, and I opened the door for him. But as soon as I did, these five other men came rushing in behind him. I tried to fight them off, but one of them chloroformed me. I woke up with my hands and feet duct taped together in this little room being guarded by two guys. I set the room on fire before they noticed I was awake," Zoey explained, leaning against me.
"I was hoping they would leave me in there, but one of them grabbed me. This one man- he seemed to be in charge, he's the one who talked on the phone with you, Hank- yelled at them for putting me in a flammable room in the first place."
"That guy was definitely in charge," Sean agreed. "Alex got him with a good blast to the chest while he was trying to order everybody around."
We were all sitting in one of the more intimate living rooms at the Institute, listening to Zoey recount the events of her captivity.
She'd lit a fire and was currently curled up on the fireplace's hearth, eating a ham and cheesy macaroni sandwich (gross). I sat next to her with my arm around her waist, my hand resting on the little bump of her stomach.
Before we all settled down, though, Zoey had called her sister and told her she was safe.
"Oh, thank God," Chloe blurted out- I could hear her through the phone. "Zoey, I-I don't know what to do-"
"I want you and Livie to go stay at my apartment until I can think of how to deal with Nick, ok?" Zoey told her. "Don't tell him where you're going, just leave him there all tied up. And- please check on my cats?"
"Ok. Ok, I will," Chloe agreed. "Thank you, Zoey. You're a better sister than I deserve."
"Oh, stop it. You're making me blush. Just be safe, and I'll see you soon."
"They moved me to that freezer, and I realized that it would probably to be too thick for Charles to see through," Zoey said now.
"So I behaved myself until I could talk to Hank and send him after Nick to buy me some time. Then I lit the guard's shoes on fire to chase him out and burned the duct tape off of me. They left me alone after that, because I was trapped, but it gave me time to work on that hole in the wall. Whenever they came to check on me I'd throw a fireball at them. They didn't like that, so they turned on the freezer to retaliate. You guys know the rest."
I kissed Zoey's cheek and held her tightly while the others reacted to her story, sending my thanks out into the universe that my wife was safe and by my side. She'd done beautifully through this entire thing. I was in awe of her.
Soon after that we excused ourselves (after another round of thanks and congratulations) to my old bedroom, which was still empty after all this time.
We'd decided that Chloe and Olivia would be safe enough at the apartment tonight, while the FOH was still recovering. Nicholas could stay tied up until morning. But in the future...
It's probably not safe for us to live there anymore, I realized dejectedly.
"I think we need to move," I told Zoey as we entered my old room. "The FOH might-"
She placed a finger to my lips to silence me and pulled me down for a hungry, ardent kiss.
Zoey's fingers tugged at my fur, molding her body tightly against mine. I eagerly responded by stepping forward and pressing her against the door, answering to her, as always, with everything I had.
The kiss went on and on, our lips moving in a rhythm that was comforting, reassuring in its familiarity, but also raw with passionate desire. We needed this, an affirmation of the love and life that burned so brightly between us despite all efforts to tear us apart.
I wanted to fade into Zoey and never let her go.
By the time she finally broke the kiss I was breathless and dying for more. Her eyes were smoldering, blazing with a fire that I would gladly let consume me.
"We'll talk in the morning," Zoey murmured, leaning her forehead to mine and pressing another peck to my lips. "Right now I want you to make love to me and then hold me while we fall asleep."
Her wish was my command.