Agent-G: Thanks, and, yes, I was planning on having Vincent help her. I liked C so much in FD, that I decided to put her here too.
A/N: SORRY! School's been a major pain in the neck, once again. This is a short update to let you all know I'm still very much alive, I'm the final weeks of school, and to be honest: it only gets harder! One week of normal classes and then 9 days of tests, and only tests. Hopefully I'll pull through and get into my final year before I go to University.
Vacation - Haunted
Marianne shot up, barely managing to not cry out in pure terror. She looked next to her and let out a sigh in relief: he was still there!
"In one piece, not dead, thank god, not dead," she breathed to herself while trying to calm her heartbeat. This one had been the one she hated the most: she killed those scientists, but when she looked again, they were her friends. She would see the mutants captured, but they would turn into everyone she held close to her heart.
Michael was still sound asleep, but the terror of the nightmare coursed freshly through Marianne's veins, making it impossible for her to return to sleep. Quietly, she got out of bed and got dressed for the coming day, making sure not to disturb Michael. Old jeans and T-shirt, she decided.
Softly, she made her way to where the kitchen was, rubbing over her, still half closed eyes, being carefull not to wake any of the kids. She didn't know much about Vincent's mutation, but she did know that he required very little sleep, at least, in the other dimension, so chances were he was already up.
"Bad dreams, huh?" she was surprised by Vincent's voice on the last step on the stairs.
"What... what makes you think that?" Marianne turned to see him coming out of the livingroom.
"Not, well, now. It's in your eyes," he switched the light on, Marianne realised too late that he would be able to see her scars.
"Memories of not so long ago," she gestured, "they're not from a lab, if that's what you think. Most do, you know, most people think that. But they're not."
"Then who did it?" she heard Vincent ask as she momentarily relived the vortex.
"Not who, what. It was a fight, and it was not," her voice choked up slightly, but she was well aware that Michael was now silently standing at the top of the stairs. She didn't know how he did it, but he always seemed aware of the fact that she was up.
"It was an entity, no more then a child, like the ones who live here, really, it meant no harm, but it was gonna kill an entire dimension, kill thousands of beings in another. And I, I wasn't in control. My body was not my own, I was part of something so much bigger," she heard Michael walk down the stairs, but couldn't stop herself from talking.
"It hurt, as if every piece of my skin was scraped from my body, reattached and done again. I don't know how I staid sane, but I know Michael was a part of it, and the strength of the entity I was One with. It was in a space between dimensions, in a space that was destroyed with the Other. I killed it when I swore I would never kill again," Marianne was well aware that Michael was hugging her to him.
"And my mutation is not helping. It won't let me forget, play what happened over and over again in my mind when I sleep, lets me fail and lets me see the others dead," she shivered.
Michael gently guided her commpletely down the stairs and settled her down in his lap as he sat in a kitchen chair.
They sat silent for a while, Marianne resting her head against Michael's shoulder, traces of invisible tears on her face, Michael's eyes were closed, even though he was fully awake and Vincent sat thinking.
"I think," Vincent finally spoke up, "you give yourself too little credit. I believe that Michael would be the first to agree with me that you're probably one of the strongest people you can get. I've heard of plenty of docs who went insane after having treated half as many people like you did, and who are a lot older then you. You're strong, yet you stay to wallow in the darkness you created for yourself."
"Because I deserve it," Marianne replied softly, she felt Michael go rigid with shock, "I killed six, six lives. Broke them with hands that were supposed to heal."
"I'm not saying it's allright to kill," Vincent spoke softly, "but if you let it haunt you like that, you'll go crazy, no matter how strong you are."
Marianne looked at him, unshed tears shining in her eyes, showing that no matter what she had seen and done, she still was a vulnerable girl, a girl who grew up never having to fight, and now fought for all she was worth.
She knew that Vincent had been through more then she had been, and he had had no choice. She knew he was right, like Michael was right. But she was tired, so tired, and quietly fell asleep, leaving the two men to talk.
"Thanks, Vincent," Michael smiled tiredly at the younger man, "you're a smart guy."
"I try," the one spoken to grinned, "she'll have it tough for a while longer, it'll never leave her, but it will grow less painfull for her."
"I understand. She's a special girl, tough and forgiving. I don't think anyone else could have done a better job at what she does then she herself. Anne, I never expected to feel for a girl like her, but if someone ever lays a finger on her, they'll wish they would be run over by a train instead of being killed by me," the grim expression on Michael's face proved that he was speaking the truth.
"I can imagine," Vincent nodded, before getting up, "I'll start breakfast. Real quiet."
A/N: SORRY! School's been a major pain in the neck, once again. This is a short update to let you all know I'm still very much alive, I'm the final weeks of school, and to be honest: it only gets harder! One week of normal classes and then 9 days of tests, and only tests. Hopefully I'll pull through and get into my final year before I go to University.
Vacation - Haunted
Marianne shot up, barely managing to not cry out in pure terror. She looked next to her and let out a sigh in relief: he was still there!
"In one piece, not dead, thank god, not dead," she breathed to herself while trying to calm her heartbeat. This one had been the one she hated the most: she killed those scientists, but when she looked again, they were her friends. She would see the mutants captured, but they would turn into everyone she held close to her heart.
Michael was still sound asleep, but the terror of the nightmare coursed freshly through Marianne's veins, making it impossible for her to return to sleep. Quietly, she got out of bed and got dressed for the coming day, making sure not to disturb Michael. Old jeans and T-shirt, she decided.
Softly, she made her way to where the kitchen was, rubbing over her, still half closed eyes, being carefull not to wake any of the kids. She didn't know much about Vincent's mutation, but she did know that he required very little sleep, at least, in the other dimension, so chances were he was already up.
"Bad dreams, huh?" she was surprised by Vincent's voice on the last step on the stairs.
"What... what makes you think that?" Marianne turned to see him coming out of the livingroom.
"Not, well, now. It's in your eyes," he switched the light on, Marianne realised too late that he would be able to see her scars.
"Memories of not so long ago," she gestured, "they're not from a lab, if that's what you think. Most do, you know, most people think that. But they're not."
"Then who did it?" she heard Vincent ask as she momentarily relived the vortex.
"Not who, what. It was a fight, and it was not," her voice choked up slightly, but she was well aware that Michael was now silently standing at the top of the stairs. She didn't know how he did it, but he always seemed aware of the fact that she was up.
"It was an entity, no more then a child, like the ones who live here, really, it meant no harm, but it was gonna kill an entire dimension, kill thousands of beings in another. And I, I wasn't in control. My body was not my own, I was part of something so much bigger," she heard Michael walk down the stairs, but couldn't stop herself from talking.
"It hurt, as if every piece of my skin was scraped from my body, reattached and done again. I don't know how I staid sane, but I know Michael was a part of it, and the strength of the entity I was One with. It was in a space between dimensions, in a space that was destroyed with the Other. I killed it when I swore I would never kill again," Marianne was well aware that Michael was hugging her to him.
"And my mutation is not helping. It won't let me forget, play what happened over and over again in my mind when I sleep, lets me fail and lets me see the others dead," she shivered.
Michael gently guided her commpletely down the stairs and settled her down in his lap as he sat in a kitchen chair.
They sat silent for a while, Marianne resting her head against Michael's shoulder, traces of invisible tears on her face, Michael's eyes were closed, even though he was fully awake and Vincent sat thinking.
"I think," Vincent finally spoke up, "you give yourself too little credit. I believe that Michael would be the first to agree with me that you're probably one of the strongest people you can get. I've heard of plenty of docs who went insane after having treated half as many people like you did, and who are a lot older then you. You're strong, yet you stay to wallow in the darkness you created for yourself."
"Because I deserve it," Marianne replied softly, she felt Michael go rigid with shock, "I killed six, six lives. Broke them with hands that were supposed to heal."
"I'm not saying it's allright to kill," Vincent spoke softly, "but if you let it haunt you like that, you'll go crazy, no matter how strong you are."
Marianne looked at him, unshed tears shining in her eyes, showing that no matter what she had seen and done, she still was a vulnerable girl, a girl who grew up never having to fight, and now fought for all she was worth.
She knew that Vincent had been through more then she had been, and he had had no choice. She knew he was right, like Michael was right. But she was tired, so tired, and quietly fell asleep, leaving the two men to talk.
"Thanks, Vincent," Michael smiled tiredly at the younger man, "you're a smart guy."
"I try," the one spoken to grinned, "she'll have it tough for a while longer, it'll never leave her, but it will grow less painfull for her."
"I understand. She's a special girl, tough and forgiving. I don't think anyone else could have done a better job at what she does then she herself. Anne, I never expected to feel for a girl like her, but if someone ever lays a finger on her, they'll wish they would be run over by a train instead of being killed by me," the grim expression on Michael's face proved that he was speaking the truth.
"I can imagine," Vincent nodded, before getting up, "I'll start breakfast. Real quiet."