"Strong"
Not easily upset, resistant to harmful or unpleasant influences; physically powerful, capable of exerting great physical force.
Anything in italics and underlined is in French
In a puff of red smoke, the group disappeared, but right before they did, Shaw opened his hand and released Alex's energy.
Darwin turned and shielded them.
Marianne threw her hands up.
The explosion washed over them in a blaze of red light and fire and heat - Marianne watched it come closer, closer, closer, and she pushed back.
The fire parted around them like Moses and the Red Sea, swirling to the side and above them, washing over everything else like a tidal wave but never touching or even coming close to them. She pushed harder, forcing the energy away from them, around them, anywhere else but near them.
The explosion did not last long. It was just seconds of fire and heat and light and pushing back, pushing away, and then it ended, leaving them surrounded by clouds of smoke and what remained of the facility. Marianne didn't lower her hands. It turned out to be the good thing to do, as a piece of the ceiling above fell and would have crushed them had it not been for her. She heard Raven squeak and Sean yelp as the debris was deflected and fell to the ground next to them.
Then it was silent. No one dared to speak.
Marianne waited a few moments longer, waiting for the smoke to clear. When it had mostly been cleared out, she finally lowered her hands and let her defenses drop.
She looked around. The part of the building they had been in and everything close had been destroyed, leaving only some half-obliterated structures and piles of slightly-smoking rubble. Half of the facility was still standing, giving them enough light in the darkness to see the destruction and all of the corpses that still covered the grounds - those that hadn't been burned to a crisp by the explosions, at least.
Hank was the first one to break the silence. "Oh my God."
Marianne could not have said it better herself.
Finally, she cleared her throat and softly said, "Is everyone alright?"
Raven made a soft, pained noise, but when Marianne turned to check on her, she was nodding her head, tears running down her cheeks. Hank, although unhealthily pale, nodded as well. Alex was staring blankly across the devastation but seemed physically unharmed. Sean looked like he was going to be sick.
"Sean?"
He nodded, his voice raspy as he said, "I'm fine."
Marianne turned to Darwin, who had been standing completely still and had not made a sound. "Darwin."
He blinked after a moment and looked down at her.
"Are you alright?" She asked, reaching up and placing a hand on his shoulder. He tensed under her touch for a moment but relaxed just as quickly.
"I'm good," he said. "Thanks to you. That was- thank you."
She nodded. "No thanks needed."
"Do you think you could have survived that?" Alex said suddenly. When Marianne looked at him, his eyes were haunted as he stared at Darwin. "If she hadn't saved you."
There was a long pause as Darwin stared back at Alex.
"I don't know."
"But your mutation-" Hank began, cutting himself off in confusion before starting over. "Shouldn't it have protected you?"
"Yeah, but somehow I just know? That it wouldn't have worked. For some reason," Darwin said, sounding distant. "Maybe it would have."
Alex clenched his jaw. "So I could have killed you."
"Shaw could have killed Darwin," Raven corrected, her voice cracking. "It isn't your fault, Alex."
"Raven is right. We did not know what he could do."
"I could have killed Darwin."
"Man, you didn't know-"
"I could have killed you."
"Now is not the time to think about what-could-have-been," Marianne interrupted, thanking God that her voice didn't crack. "We were just attacked by Shaw. Angel is gone." Oh, Angel. "We need to call someone. The fire department, the- um, the paramédical - paramedics, for any survivors. See if we can contact Moira." She resisted the urge to play with her locket, keeping one hand on Darwin's shoulder and the other at her side, flat against her leg. "There has to be a phone still working somewhere, we need to find it. They must have something for emergencies. We should split up - some of us can search for survivors, others can try to find a way to contact somebody." She took a deep breath, trying to focus. "I will search for survivors or anything that can be saved, and Darwin, you and Raven and Sean can go find a phone or something. Hank, do you have any, um... medical training?"
"I have enough."
"Then you can stay with me, if you want. Alex, what do you want to do?"
Alex, his arms crossed and shoulders practically at his ears, muttered something about staying and helping but said it so quietly Marianne barely heard him. She nodded. "Alright." She rubbed Darwin's shoulder. "Is that alright with everyone?"
They all nodded or mumbled something in agreement. Darwin took a second too long to do the same. Marianne turned to Darwin and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.
It was an act done on an impulse, something she had done so many times for Henry and for her siblings, growing up. Darwin had nearly died. He needed it.
He was a few inches taller than her, so she was not able to tuck his head under her chin as she did for Henry or her siblings, but she was still able to hook her chin over his shoulder, which was good enough. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, rubbing the area between his shoulder blades with one hand and cupping the back of his neck with the other. He stiffened at first, but after a moment, he relaxed. He even leaned into it, hugging her back, leaning his head against hers gently. She felt him sigh, felt him tremble and felt his hug tighten.
When Darwin pulled back, she did the same but kept her hands on his shoulders and took a moment to look him in the eyes. When he gave her a small smile, one that reached his eyes, she was able to return it. Marianne removed her hands from him and then approached Sean, sweeping him into her arms in a similar embrace. He hugged her back just as tightly as she hugged him, his fingers grasping at the back of her shirt like he was trying to grab a lifeline. Her fingers carded through his hair, pushing it every direction and then smoothing it back into place.
"We're okay," she said, willing her voice to be strong. "We're okay."
Sean squeezed her even tighter for a few seconds and then released her. He stepped back and met her eyes. "Yeah," he said firmly. "I know."
Marianne smiled, reached up and gently pushed a lock of his hair back into place. She turned to Raven, who stood hovering nearby with an unsure expression. The tear-tracks on her face were still visible. Marianne took a moment to place her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. Raven chewed her lip.
"I'm okay," Raven said. Marianne nodded.
"If anything happens, come and let us know," Marianne said to the group. They nodded and the three of them walked off, carefully maneuvering through the rubble surrounding them. Marianne turned and saw that Alex had already started working, picking up whatever he could. "Alex, don't strain yourself."
Alex didn't respond and kept working.
Hank was kneeling on the floor of what had been the lounge. Marianne approached him and was surprised to see the unconscious man she had saved earlier, unharmed, a ring of undestroyed concrete flooring around him.
"He's still alive," Hank said, checking his neck and wrist for a pulse. "He's untouched by the explosion, just like us. Did you shield him, too?"
"Yes, although it wasn't my focus," Marianne admitted, crouching down next to Hank. "I was thinking more about the rest of us."
"But you still managed to shield him, even though you weren't focusing on him," Hank concluded. "That's incredible."
"I was thinking of him," Marianne corrected. "Enough that I was able to protect him. But I was thinking mostly about us." She stared at the man. "Hank."
"Yes?"
"Are you alright? What just happened - it was not something we were expecting." She swallowed but made sure to keep her features unbothered. "How are you feeling?"
Hank stared at the man. "I'm fine," he said after a moment. He was silent for a moment longer. "Ask me later."
"Alright." She stood up. "If you need anything, you can talk to me. Alex!" She called to the boy. He turned and she was grateful he acknowledged her. "Have you found anything?"
"If I had, I would have said something!" He snapped.
Marianne did not respond to him. She turned to face the destruction. She began sifting through the rubble, slowly, to ensure nothing would happen if things moved too quickly. Chunks of concrete slowly rose into the air, followed by glass and pipes dripping water and other pieces of the facility. Nothing.
She continued with this process, walking through the grounds and going through the remains. She found several bodies. She found what remained of bodies. She found no survivors.
The third time she was confronted with a corpse mutilated beyond recognition, she had to turn away, holding her hand to her mouth and blinking back tears, trying not to vomit. Memories of a blood-stained body covered in a white sheet surfaced in her mind, unwanted and unbidden. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a few deep breaths. She had to remain calm. She could break down later, out of sight. She needed to stay calm for now.
She inhaled, held it, and exhaled. She opened her eyes and checked to see if anyone had seen her. She turned around, looked at the body, and, hands shaking only slightly at her sides, willed the body to float up and across the ground to the field where she had started placing all of the corpses and discovered remains.
She took a few steps further and felt glass break under her shoe. She looked down.
She realized that this must have been where her room had been. Underneath her foot was the photo of Lawrence and Henry she had put up. The wooden frame was charcoal black and splintering. The glass was broken. The part of the photo with Lawrence had been completely burned away, the edges of where he had once been curling and still smoking. Henry had been untouched.
Marianne knelt and picked the pieces of glass away, ignoring when a sharp piece cut her finger. She moved the frame - it left a residue of black on her fingers - and picked the photograph up.
It was a mistake to do so. The photo came apart, becoming ashes the second it was in her hand. Henry's face had been smiling up at her and the next minute, he was gone without a trace.
She stared at her fingers, at the few flakes of ash that was left of her family, and did not move for what felt like a very long time.
The others had managed to get in touch with the facility's emergency contacts, as well as the fire department and the paramedics. They had managed to contact Moira as well, and Moira had promised they were on their way back to the States and would be there in only a few hours.
There was nothing more they could do after the first responders arrived. They recognized that, due to where the attack had taken place, whatever had happened was classified information and so beyond asking a few necessary questions (if anyone was hurt, if there were any other survivors), the mutants were mostly left alone. Other government agents arrived and took over the situation, answering all questions and making plans on what to do next. They ignored the mutants entirely, which they were all grateful for. Marianne did not want to be questioned by strangers in suits.
The six of them sat down on the cement bench in front of the facility and waited for Moira, Charles, and Erik to return.
Hours went by without anyone checking on them. It was after midnight by the time the first responders arrived, but no one slept or even dozed off despite their clear exhaustion. Sean came the closest after putting his head on Marianne's shoulder, but he refused to fall asleep. There was some attempt at conversation, but they all quickly lapsed back into silence.
Marianne asked everyone how they were doing every so often, despite no change in their situation. Every time, no one said anything more positive than "fine." Alex and Darwin never answered at all.
Darwin had made a point to sit next to Alex. Alex had said nothing to acknowledge it, but Marianne watched them bump shoulders and thought he had appreciated it.
Marianne had, at some point during their wait, placed a hand on Alex's shoulder. He had gone stiff when she touched him, but when she started to pull back he had relaxed just a bit, and he hadn't told her not to touch him, so she kept her hand where it was. She wondered how long he had gone without affection before Charles and Erik had found him.
It was seven in the morning when Charles, Erik, and Moira finally arrived, pulling up in the same car Marianne and Sean had arrived in. Charles jumped out of the car before it had come to a complete stop, Erik only seconds behind him. Charles ran through the wreckage and went straight to Raven, who had stood to tightly hug her brother. Charles hugged her back just as tightly, letting out an audible sigh of relief as soon as she was in his arms. Marianne couldn't help but give a tired smile at the display of love.
"Thank God you're alright," Charles said, wrapping an arm around Raven's shoulder once they had stopped hugging. "Is everyone-?"
"Everyone is safe, Charles," Marianne said.
"Good." Charles nodded. "We're making arrangements for all of you to be taken home immediately."
"We're not going home," Alex stated.
"What?"
"He's not going back to prison," Sean said firmly. Alex had told them the circumstances in which Charles and Erik had found him some time during the day - he had offhandedly mentioned it and after a few questions (mostly from Marianne), no one had brought it up since.
"Shaw almost killed me," Darwin said.
"All the more reason for you to leave," Charles said. "If he almost killed Darwin, he could kill the rest of you. This is over."
"I'm not going home." Darwin rose to his feet. "I could have died. I can't just go home after that."
"Then we won't go home," Erik said. Everyone turned to look at him. "We'll stay and fight."
The look on Charles's face spoke volumes. He pulled Erik aside for a quick conversation.
Marianne stood up. She crossed her arms and looked around at them all. Sean, hunched over in his seat but with a determined look in his eyes she hadn't seen before; Alex, arms crossed and full of defiance; Hank, hands shaking but jaw set; Darwin, standing tall and unafraid; and Raven, looking small and fragile but holding clenched fists at her sides.
She wondered how she looked to them, and could only hope she looked strong.
"We'll have to train," Charles said; Marianne turned around. "All of us."
"We can't stay here, though," Hank reminded them. "Even if they reopen the department, it wouldn't be safe for us to be here. Where do we go?"
Charles smiled slowly. "I think I know a place."
Raven's eyes widened. "Charles, you're not thinking-"
"Yes, I am."
"We haven't been there in years, would it even be functional?"
"There's been a cleaning service coming in every four months or so to make sure it's usable in an emergency, or if we ever decided to come back." Charles put his hands in his pockets. "We may as well take advantage of that."
"What is it?" Marianne questioned.
"Our childhood home," Charles said, rejoining Raven's side and putting an arm around her shoulders. "It's been empty since our parents died, we both moved away when I left for school. It's secluded, so one will bother us or know we're there - it's the last place anyone would look for us. And it's big enough for all of us."
"Sounds good to me." Sean stood up. "Well, it's not like we have anything to pack up anymore. Let's get going."
"What are we doing?" Moira, who had been discussing things with whoever was in charge of the agents and soldiers swarming the grounds, finally joined the group. While Charles quickly explained things to her, Erik put a hand on Marianne's back. She looked up at him; he looked down at her.
"Can I speak with you?" He made a gesture for her to follow him, which she did. They only went a short distance away from the others, not far enough for them to not hear anything but far enough that they couldn't overhear without effort.
"Are you staying with us?"
"What?" Whatever she had been expecting, it had not been that.
"You don't have to do this," Erik said. "You can leave if you want. Go home. Be with your son." There was urgency in his voice that had not been there before, though his expression had not changed.
Marianne studied him.
"Why are you giving me permission to leave?" She asked. It was not that she did not appreciate his understanding of her situation - it was just that she did not understand him.
Erik stared at her, his eyes searching her face. Finally, he said, "You have a son."
She tilted her head.
"A boy shouldn't be without his mother."
There was sorrow and grief in his voice, mirrored in his eyes. From the look on his face, he had not meant for it to escape. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Marianne reached out and put her hand over his arm, giving him what she hoped was a comforting squeeze.
She may not have understood him, but she could tell that the world had not been kind to him.
When he opened his eyes, she said, "I have to stay."
When he said nothing, she looked over the grounds. "I know originally I did not want to come because I did not want to risk my life fighting Shaw and leave Henry an orphan," she said. "But now I have seen what he can do."
Marianne looked back up at Erik. "I cannot leave. I have to stay and ensure that Shaw does not win this war."
She could not leave and hope they would win without her. She could not risk that. She could not stay home and listen to the news, waiting for the best or the worst.
She still did not want to die. She could not leave Henry an orphan. But the image of the burning photograph was seared in her mind.
"I have to fight for Henry," she said softly.
She glanced at Sean, at Alex and Raven and Henry and Darwin.
She had to fight for everyone.
Erik gave her a slow, sad smile. He put his hand over the one she still had over his arm and gave her a gentle pat.
"You mothers," he said in a voice she thought was rather fond. "I've never met anyone stronger."
Marianne smiled up at him. "I don't doubt it."
When they turned back to rejoin the group, they found Charles standing there waiting for them. He studied Marianne with a confused frown.
"Have we been approved?" Marianne asked with a light voice. "Are we off to your childhood home?"
Charles, apparently shaking off whatever had been in his mind, smiled and nodded. "We have; we're off to Westchester right now."
"Westchester?" Marianne repeated, dread forming in the pit of her stomach. "So - we're taking the plane again?"
"I think so," Erik teased, lightly patting her on the shoulder. "We can't let Darwin drive us again."
Marianne made a displeased noise that made both men laugh; they rejoined the young adults, as well as Moira, who was coming with them ("I started this, and you need someone to watch over you, I'm not leaving,"), and headed off to find a car that would fit all of them, or a second car so they could go in two groups.
"So, you're not leaving?" Charles asked in what Marianne assumed was supposed to be a casual voice but was failing miserably at being so.
"No," she said firmly. "As I told Erik, and I assume you overheard, I have to fight for Henry's future."
Charles nodded, though he had begun to frown slightly once more. "That's very noble of you."
"I think it is something any - any good mother would do," Marianne said. She had almost said 'any mother' but had managed to stop herself before she could.
Charles nodded again, this time smiling grimly. "I don't doubt it."
Marianne shot him a worried look he didn't notice. Suspicion was forming in her mind but she wouldn't develop any theories just yet.
They managed to find a second car, and the team - they were a team now, Marianne thought with amusement, just like the superheroes in Sean's comic books - split into two groups. Marianne ended up in the group with Erik, Moira, Darwin, and Hank. While Moira drove and Erik took the passenger seat, Marianne sat in the back by the window with the two boys.
She stared out the window at the passing countryside. The colours of the sunrise hadn't yet faded. There were still streaks of vibrant reds, oranges, and golds.
If she thought too hard, the red in the sky looked like blood smeared across the pavement. If she closed her eyes, the reds, oranges and golds turned to flames in her mind, burning her photograph to ash.
She closed her eyes, forcing back the stinging tears, and leaned her head against the window. She had to remain calm. She could break down later, out of sight. She needed to stay calm for now.
The alternate chapter title is "Everyone Has Issues Pt. 1/?"
Sorry this chapter took a day or two longer than usual! Schoolwork was really killing me. :/
Hope you liked this chapter! Don't be shy, leave a comment, please. Let me know what you thought - if you liked it, why you liked it, whether or not you thought characters were In Character (That's definitely important, so let me know your thoughts on that), your thoughts on what may come in the future? Anything. I appreciate all and any comments left on my stories.