Note: There is going to be a part that will repeat. But this isn't a mistake since it will connect. And just a memory from two povs.
Back To Reality aka Through The Looking Glass
Hovering in the air, he looks down at their felled adversary. Letting gravity dispel her, she slowly rises up. Keeping a distance between them, she reaches her hand out but doesn't let it connect. "Ikaris?!" Turning to look at her through his peripheral vision, before facing forward again. The two remain stationary in silence. Realizing he is go to remain ignoring her, Kat takes off in the opposite direction.
Touching down on the roof, she quickly makes her way to her intended mental signature. "JOHNATHON STORM!" Punching him, sending him through the wall. "What the hell?!" Hovering, engulfed in red energy. Power rising up from her eyes and fists, "I know what you did!" "If this is about your husband, Red?!" "No. This has nothing to do with him!"
Reaching out, she moves before he can get his bearings, socking him another good one. His head jerks back. "Stay down, don't even bother getting up! You're lucky I don't pound your face into the cement! I knew you were quite the flirt. But up until now I never pegged you for a cheater and liar! You don't even know how rare it is to find one's soulmate. And first chance you got you took the easy way out.
And then there is Lyja! Sure, she messed up a lot. But it always came back to her, Rachel told you this once. And while she may have not have been the other part of you, she was the love of your life. You have always loved her. You always will." "But!" "That is bull$hit! Saying that you never loved her was the worst lie. And I never thought you could be so cruel?! If Rachel saw you now, she would be sorely disappointed and disgusted in you! And what of Torus, he is going to think his mom abandoned him?!" Turning away from him, she flies back the way she came; leaving Johnny to have nothing but regret.
"Lady Ikaris! Lady Phoenix, brother, Mariah, to what do we owe the honor?! And where is Barbara Jean?!" "We left her with my dad." Mariah answers. "Norwegian Thorson, Valhalla Thorsdottir, Lady Wagner and Lady Pryce would work much better." "We have kept this secret long enough." "But why are we here?!" "You deserve to know the truth as well, Sean Xavier and Mariah Maximoff."
Kathleen turns to her counterpart. "I am glad you made peace with your mom before she died, Sean. I don't blame you for being angry over her choice causing Norwegian and Valhalla to disappear from existence. And I know that you are still confused at how you were able to bring them back. But while Rachel Summers and Thor did have a brief relationship. She was never their mother, I was or am, will be." Phoenix R.S. Wagner tells them.
"That actually makes more sense of them being reinstated if they were never my mom's children to begin with. Especially after her decision to not return. Have you told Kurt and Ray?" "No. I am still not sure if I should?!" "Ray should know he has a brother and sister. Kurt, I kind of get since he will have been long gone when this happens. But who knows how long Ray will live?!" Nodding her head, "what brought this one then, mother?" "Norway, Val, you are going to have a sister soon."
Jaycen, Margo, Constantine and Zuras clamor around her. "My love, where have you been?" Picking their children up, "making amends of sorts." She leaves the room with the kids. Just as Thena and Sprite walk in. Sighing, he looks down. "What happened in that mirror image is still weighing heavily on her. Ikaris, give her time." "It's all I have been doing. I am lucky if she can barely look at me! And when she has, I don't know how to proceed?!" His friends watch unsure of what to do as he leaves the room as well. His posture and demeanor reeking of despair and rejection.
"Thena, we have to do something! He has never been like this before." Putting her hand on Sprite's shoulder, "I know, child! Come on, we will think of something. He has still been able to lead us well enough, so there is still some hope. But not even we can tarry much longer, with the way he is going, his mental state can break everything down for him. Committing suicide once was more than enough for us."
"Wow! You are really asking for a lot!" "It's why we came to you. All of you combined would manage to contain them and even then, that might not be enough?!" Stephen Strange, Wanda Maximoff, Billy Kaplan, Hope Shepard, Charles Lensherr, Jean, Nate and Rachey Grey, Cable, Phoenix R.S. Wagner, Charles Xavier and Emma Frost. As our occasional allies, you know how Ikaris can be.
And all the years we have lived next to him, we have never seen him like this. He is still doing an adequate job as the Prime Eternal, if barely. But there is a very good chance, we could lose him if this continues?!" "Careful, there Thena, one might think you actually care about him?!" Emma says. "Why, you?!" "Ladies, please!" Charles (Xavier) intervenes.
"I can definitely see why Rachel detested you so much now! Kat has told us all about her. We know how dishonorable you are, Frost. You were aptly named. Nothing is more underhanded then stealing another woman's husband." "If this is how you ask for help, you sorely need lessons." "We are only asking since you are one of the strongest telepaths on Earth. Best rest assured; we can do this without you."
She turns and begins to walk away. Sprite looks between them, "but?!" "Wait! We'll help you. You are our friends after all, we could do no less. It is the right thing to do. And my sister would have done no less." Jean says. "What is it you need exactly or had in mind?"
"Thank you. I tried what I could without forcing them. But nothing became of it. He really hurt her. And while, I don't blame her. She is also being ridiculous. Both are being blind and foolhardy with their marriage. I do care about him; he is my friend and leader. And she is my best friend, like a sister to me. And their children are suffering as well. I."
Seeing as he watches helplessly as Kathleen soars through the air. "What are you doing?! Go after her, Ikaris. You know you will regret it if you don't!" Why?! There is nothing left, Thena." Stopping by his side, searching his face, "you still have your children. What about them?! You still very much love each other."
Turning to face her, "do we, do we really?!" The despair and sorrow in his very countenance greatly rattles her. "Of course, you do?! How can you really ask this?! I have never seen you love a woman this much. Ikaris, please?!" Shaking his head, "I thought she knew. But that mirror world we wound up in undid everything. The what if I could have had with Margo has created too much of a chasm between us. I have tried everything I can, to no avail. You can see if you wish?!"
Rounding on her the moment he walks through the door. "Aikaterine, are you ever going to forgive me?!" "Yes. But that doesn't mean there is still something between us anymore." "That is exactly what it means. I thought we had moved past this." "I thought so too?!" "All the flowers and getting down on my knees, begging day after day mean anything?! What more can I do, say for you to take me back?!"
The fear, sorrow/pain and desperation in his eyes. "I have never so let my vulnerability show so much when it came to another woman. Is this not enough?!" Closing her eyes, she does her best to push the hurt and betrayal down. Opening them, she looks down at him. Keeping the distance between them. Taking a chance, he gets up and steps closer, gazing down at her.
His breath caresses her as she shallows, never breaking eye contact. "You love me, still. I know you do, so why are we still torturing each other, the children?!" "Because it showed me that if you had been given the chance, you would have picked her. I wouldn't have mattered. Our children as hell wouldn't have. We would have simply been "your side piece"! I was able to live with her ghost. Because she was dead and buried, this, this was something else entirely."
"I'll show you!" He resorts to his usual tactics; they have never failed him before. And it does work, until she manages to push back, punching him in the face. "Aikaterine?! You have never resisted and denied me before." He tries again. The two landing on the bed, she begins to yield before struggling again. "NO! IKARIS!"
He almost gains control, thinking she can't really be serious. Her legs doing their best to get out from under him. Before bringing one leg up, kneeing him. Groaning in pain, he turns over to her side. Using the opportunity, she scrambles off the bed. Leaving a good enough berth between them, as he stands by the side of the bed.
"Aikaterine?!" "GET OUT!" "You really wish to fight?! Do you really think you could win against me?!" Her eyes and body begin flashing and pulsating with energy. The building begins shaking. Laughing, before she replies. "OF ALL THE ARROGANCE, YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME?! CLEARLY, YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN WHO I AM, IKARIS OF THE ETERNALS!"
After a moment of silence, both deadlocked. "It is best we take this elsewhere. You are scaring the children." "Oh, I am scaring them?! If you really wish to fight, I won't stop you, Aikaterine. But I won't hold back either." His sudden resignation and calm rip through her. Screaming, she is upon him the next moment as the punches start flying.
He quickly breaks through the building. She follows in his wake. "IKARIS, YOU COWARD!" Olympia's residents begin gathering as the hits produce gusts of wind and loud bangs. "Don't look, children." "But Mommy and Daddy are fighting again, Aunt Thena! Don't they love each other anymore?!"
Their nights consist of their backs facing each other. No tender looks or any other forms of endearments, intimacy. Until one day, he awakens to see a piece of paper where she would lay. Her side of the bed having long since grown cold. Despite the previous night, being a lack of weakness and judgment. Ikaris, Iast night was a mistake. And I am sorry if my caving gave you false hope. I love you! I always will! And I forgive you! Now you just need to forgive yourself! This is on me. I lost myself in what was, what we had! I know that sounds like the worst excuse. And it hasn't been right and fair that we have been putting the children in the middle. And that is one of the reasons, I have decided to leave. Tell them that I love them and I am sorry! And that despite everything, I never regret marrying you nor having been your wife!"
Crumbling the parchment as his fist tightens around it. His head bowed. Two lone tears finally breaking free of his stoic walls. Continuing to stare into nothingness. 'Aikaterine, why?! I thought we had finally been making progress?!' Reaching out he can feel that she has yet to leave Olympia's vicinity.
Remaining feet away, he watches her sitting on the edge of the rookery. The air gently blowing their hair. Both aware of the other's presence. She tilts her head looking up at the sky. "I don't know where I will be going?!" "Aikaterine?!"
Shaking her head, "it was perfect. You were perfect for a time. I should have known it would have never lasted?! But then heroes never really get their happy endings do they; there is always some catch?!" Standing up, she takes to the sky as he is forced to watch another marriage dissolve. The sun playing a cruel joke as it shines down on him.
Seeing as he watches helplessly as Kathleen soars through the air. "What are you doing?! Go after her, Ikaris. You know you will regret it if you don't!" Why?! There is nothing left, Thena." Stopping by his side, searching his face, "you still have your children. What about them?! You still very much love each other."
Turning to face her, "do we, do we really?!" The despair and sorrow greatly rattle her. "Of course, you do?! How can you really ask this?! I have never seen you love a woman this much. Ikaris, please?!" Shaking his head, "I thought she knew. But that mirror world we would up in undid everything. The what if I could have had with Margo has created too much of a chasm between us. I have tried everything I can, to no avail. You can see if you wish?!"
"I think I have a solution?!" Rachel Grey tells them. "The only problem is finding and getting her to come back. But I am guessing this is where our assistance comes in?!" "Thank you. How else can we get her to listen otherwise, at this point?! When it comes to her, he has shown he will do whatever it takes. He definitely had no problem doing so on their wedding day. In fact, I have some songs in mind!"
