A/N: Okay this is truly the last chapter of the story. Sad isn't it?
Her body was warm and cozy and Damia felt oddly at peace, without a care in the world. I must be dead...this quite nice. I think I'll just relax. Damia didn't open her eyes in fear that if she did, the world would come crashing back to her and she'd be filled with the mundane worries and pains which it would bring. As she lay there she became aware of a voice, it seemed to be in the distance but it grew closer.
"I just gave her a reading," the voice said. It seemed familiar somehow but Damia couldn't place it. "It seems as though ever since she was a child her powers would take over in extreme emotional stress. I believe that's what happened at Liberty Island."
Liberty Island... it all came back to her. The pain, the bright flash of light, the worry, they all came flooding back to her. One thing stood out in her mind, more so than the pain. It was a face, filled with tears of concern and worry. She still didn't open her eyes but she kept listening to the familiar voice.
"From what I can gather, she saw what was about to happen and she prevented it," the speaker continued. "Even after she freed him from the rail and was struck by the lightning her powers still operated accordingly with her subconscious."
She remembered the rumble of thunder and the flash before the pain, there was a figure clinging to a rail. That was all she could remember for the moment so Damia returned her attention to the voice.
"That is why the ground shot up to absorb most of the electric shock." Damia still struggled to place the calm voice. "It also explains why the wind carried Mr. Toynbee safely to the ground."
Suddenly it hit her. Mortimer had been using his tongue to hang onto the railing while Ororo tried to kill him. Damia could remember scrambling to the rail and forcing him to let go as a bolt of lightning reached out for them. That was when the pain hit her and when her memory blanked out, with the exception of a teary green face.
She opened her eyes slightly but closed them again when the bright white light stung her eyes.
"So that's what happened," said Damia groggily as she attempted to open her eyes again. "I thought I was dead."
There were several people around her hospital bed. She recognized Scott, Jean, Ororo, Logan, Rogue, Bobby, and the Professor. They were all looking down at her with expressions of shock and relief.
"So did we," said Bobby with a smile.
"Yeah," murmured Rogue. "You gave us a real scare."
Logan grunted and said, "It'll take more than a little lightning to kill this one off. You're tough as a rock, kid."
Damia smiled slightly as them all and Professor Xavier said, "Welcome back, Damia."
"Thanks, Prof." Damia sat up slightly and winced at the sudden pain.
Ororo looked very worried and shifted slightly before she spoke. "I'm so sorry, Damia. I tried to stop it but by the time I realized you were there it was too late and-" she stopped when Damia raised her hand.
"It's alright Storm. You're not the idiot who ran out there to get struck," everyone chuckled a little at Damia's comment. Storm hugged her before she turned to leave. "So, what's the diagnosis, Doc," Damia asked as she turned to Jean.
With a sigh Jean picked up a clipboard and began to shuffle through some papers. "Well, you've got some pretty bad burns but I think you'll be okay." She smiled at Damia. "It's good to have you back."
Damia laughed. "Well I'd say its good to be back but I kind of liked the numbness." Again everyone chuckled at her joke.
After awhile everyone filed out of the room, leaving Damia alone with the Professor. He adjusted the position of his wheelchair so he was looked directly at Damia. She smiled at the little bald man and he smiled back.
"That was very brave of you, Damia," he said after a minute of silence.
She snorted. "Brave or stupid?"
The Professor laughed slightly and said, "Maybe a little of both."
After a little laughter from them both Damia asked, "So, what happened after I passed out?"
"Well, Logan, Ororo, Jean, and Scott all went on to the torch and saved Rogue. Originally they were going to bring you back here to the mansion but they were persuaded otherwise. A certain young, green man brought you back to the X-jet and waited with you until the rest returned with Rogue." The Professor paused before continuing. "From what I hear he was quite upset and feared the worst."
Damia nodded, the last thing she remembered was his voice begging her to live and his tear stained face hovering above her. The Professor read her mind and said, "That's the exact impression I got from him when he carried you in."
There was a moment of silence before Damia spoke again. "Where is he now," she asked while hoping it sounded offhanded.
"Mr. Toynbee hadn't left your side for the three days you were out. I had sent him to his room to sleep just before you woke up. He was most reluctant to go," Professor Xavier said with amusement.
"Does he..." Damia stopped herself from asking the question she had been dying to know the answer to since the moment she met the green man.
The Professor didn't need her to finish her sentence, he knew Damia wanted know about Mortimer's feelings.
"I may have accidentally stumbled across that portion of his mind," he said coolly. "But it wouldn't be very ethical to tell you what I've found." Damia's jaw dropped Charles Xavier continued before she could protest. "I do, however, highly encourage you to talk to him."
The bald man winked as he rolled out of the infirmary. Damia watched the doors which were still swinging slightly from his exit. Did he really just imply that Mortimer... Damia's thoughts trailed off and she lay back down in her bed.
It was about a half an hour after Damia had awoken that the doors swung open again. She looked up from her book and smiled.
"Hi, Mort," she said cheerily to the short man in front of her.
"Damia," he said in disbelief. "How are you feeling?" He sat down next to her bed.
"I'm alive. The pain killers Jean's been feeding me help a lot, too." She looked into the black eyes of the man she loved. How the hell am I going to tell him? He looked down at his greenish colored hands.
"Look, I... I just wanted to thank you for saving my arse and all," he said suddenly. "I'm leaving for London on Saturday, that's in three days in case you didn't know."
Damia could feel her heart tear at his words. He was leaving and she'd never see him again.
"Oh," she said quietly. "Well, watch out for lightning bolts and all."
Toad's lips curled into a slight smile at her words. "Yeah," he said. "We'll best of best of British to you and all." He got up from his chair.
"Yeah, same to you," Damia said as she watched him stand there awkwardly.
He stuck out his hand and Damia shook it, savoring the moment. He pulled away and stuck his hand in his pocket.
"See ya around," he said before turning and leaving the room.
Tears brimmed in Damia's eyes as the doors closed behind him. "Yeah," she whispered. "See you around."
The days rolled by slowly and Damia couldn't help but feel depressed. All of her friends figured her strange behavior was due to her being pent up in the mansion's hospital. They finally let her get up and move around, although with a little pain thanks to her burns.
The sun was shining brightly in the clear, blue sky. It was a beautiful Saturday and Damia sat on a bench in her garden, staring blankly at a rose. The blood red petals mesmerized her as the flower swayed slightly in the warm breeze. Damia sighed, knowing what today meant and she sank further into her depression.
"Sitting there won't help matters," came a voice from behind her.
Damia looked up and saw the Professor rolling down the gravel walkway. He stopped beside her bench.
Looking at the rose in front of her he said, "I don't see why such a beautiful flower should suffer so much."
Damia slowly turned her hazel eyes from the rose to the Professor. "He doesn't love me. He's leaving for London today," she said sadly before turning back to the flower.
Charles Xavier's eyes didn't move from the young girl in front of him. "Everyone loves a rose, especially little green men." He sighed and said, "Damia the only reason why he's going to London is because he doesn't think you return his feelings."
"What!?" Damia leapt off the bench. "Professor I need you to-"
Xavier cut her off by raising his hand. "I already checked Cerebro. He's at the marina, looking for a boat to stowaway on."
Damia hugged the bald man in front of her. "Thank you, Professor," she said before running out of the garden.
"You better hurry," called the older man. He smiled as he watched the girl hurry off.
The car skid to a stop in one of the parking spots and Damia dashed off for the docks. Boats passed by on either side of her as her feet thudded loudly on the wooden planks. He has to be here somewhere! There were people all around and a few of them came close to falling in the water as Damia pushed passed them.
She reached the end of the dock and doubled over, catching her breath. Looking frantically around her she tried to find him. There was no one with his stature or gait and she grumbled in anger.
Damia turned to face the never ending sea. She was too late and Mortimer Toynbee had departed already. She was about to turn around and go back to the mansion when something caught her eye.
There was a small boat chugging out of the harbor. Demeter was scrawled on the side and Damia couldn't help but smile slightly. She recalled a time when the widow she lived with told her about the Greek goddess of nature, Demeter. That was where Damia's named came from. She gazed at the boat as it moved slowly towards the horizon, Demeter, it was almost as if it were calling to her.
At that moment Damia saw something very peculiar on the deck of the small ship. She rubbed her eyes and wondered why she would think she saw a green man. Men weren't green. But Mortimer Tonybee's are!
With the sudden realization Damia began to jump up and down, calling his name. There was no reaction from the figure on the boat. Damia grumbled and thought, Fine! Don't respond. But you better get ready because I'm coming out there.
Damia could feel her hair bristle slightly as she concentrated on the water. It shot up in front the Demeter and blocked the boat's path. The breeze picked up and swept Damia off the dock. Gasps and shouts faded in the distance as she was carried over the water.
The wind died down and set her down on the deck of the boat while the water wall dropped back into the ocean. The sailors stared at her as she landed, none of them spoke.
"Hi," she said trying to sound cheerful and friendly. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. I think I saw him on this boat. Have you seen him?" They still all stared at her. "Uh... he's green?"
They all turned and looked towards the stern of the boat. Damia turned that way too and saw someone step out of a hiding spot.
"Thanks. You're all bloody wonderful mates," came an angry British accent and Damia felt her heart lift.
"Mort I need to talk to you," she said stepping toward him.
He went to the rail and leaned on it, looking down at the lapping water. "About what," he asked, trying to sound offhanded.
"Mort, I..." Damia paused for a moment while she looked at the green man. His black eyes weren't looking at her. For a brief second she thought of giving up and going home but the thought faded when she tried to imagine living without him. "I didn't get a chance to tell you this before you left the mansion and I understand if you still want to go back to London but I couldn't leave without telling you." Damia looked down at her ring and she took a deep breath. "Mort, I love you."
The two of them just stood there for a few minutes, Damia looking at Mortimer, Mortimer looking at the ocean. It seemed like an hour passed and he still hadn't said anything. "Right," Damia whispered. "Well I'm going to go and make an ass of myself somewhere else." She turned and started to walk away while conjuring a wind to take her back to the mainland.
"Damia," came a thick accent from behind her. She turned to face Mortimer. "I... I..." he stammered before muttering, "Bloody hell this is hard to say." His black eyes looked peered into hers, and he remembered how he felt when he thought she was dead. That had been the first time he cried since he was a child. "Damia, I love you," he said, his words rushing out and tumbling over each other.
Damia could only stand there trying to process what he had just said. Slowly it sank in and she smiled. Flinging her arms around his neck she hugged him tightly, relishing the feeling of his arms around her waist and holding her close. She breathed in the earthy scent that clung to him and her smile widened.
She pulled away from the embrace and looked into his eyes, their faces were only inches apart. Damia leaned in, closing the gap, and her cherry lips brushed against his. Mortimer returned the kiss with passion and love, making Damia's senses reel and her emotions soar.
When they finally pulled away from the kiss the wind was supporting them as they hovered above the boat and ocean. Mortimer tensed and edged closer to Damia as he looked down at the water below them. Damia laughed and slipped her hand into his, Mort's clammy skin making her smile as the wind brought them lazily back to the mainland.
"So," asked Mort as they reached the car. "Where do we go from here?"
Damia shrugged. "Wherever we want," she said squeezing his hand slightly.
They got in the car and drove off. The cares of the world had been lifted from their shoulders now that they were finally together. Where they went, is an entirely different story.
Okay, sucky ending. Bad, me! Bad! Really sorry about all the mushy crap. I had such a hard time writing that. The whole time I was thinking, "My god, What am I doing? I'm butchering Toad's personality!!!"
To make up for the poor excuse of an ending... FREE TOAD PLUSHIES FOR ALL except me who gets the real one. If only, right?