7 A/N: If you don't like the character's, plot or pairings, then don't read.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Captain America, only my character/s

WORD COUNT: 2, 661

Chapter 10:

Floodgates

Joey sat in the lab on the metal slab, swinging his legs back and forth, waiting with the Professor and his Uncle Bobby. His Aunt was coming back for the Professor's help and they weren't going to be wasting any time. Whatever Aunt Seph found at their home; it was enough to shake her. When he spoke to her over the phone, she sounded so tired and defeated, he hadn't heard her like that since the funeral.

Joey rubbed his face with hands, whatever his aunt had been aware of. . . he'd stick by her.

The glass door opened due to the sensor and Joey's head snapped up toward it, to see Seph, pale with dark circles under her eyes, walking in with Steve and Natasha flanking her. "Aunt Seph!" Joey called, pushing off the slab and he ran to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and she held his tightly, pressing soft kisses to the crown of his head.

"Hey, buddy." She sighed, her voice croaky and exhausted.

"Miss. Brandt, welcome back. Did you find what you were looking for?" Professor Xavier greeted and Seph glared at him, unrestrained fury contorting her features. Bobby carefully stepped in front of the Professor.

"How could you do this to me?" She growled and Joey trembled at the anger in her voice, but he held on to her.

"It was a necessary evil to combat the war that was raging inside of you. You were dying, Miss. Brandt. Your parents were not going to lose you and I did the only thing I could." The Professor answered her, calmly.

"I shouldn't have been lied to for eleven years." Seph snarled.

"Persephone, calm down." Bobby ordered, needing her to have her wits about her. "Aunt Cora and Uncle Michael did what they thought was right. Nobody ever thought this could have happened. There was no way to suspect something like this could ever have happened to you, Seph." Bobby looked at her. "What did Barbara say to you?"

Joey stiffened at the sound of his mother's name and then he felt his own aunt stiffen. "She was hurting, she didn't want to keep it a secret from me. The video was a way for her to cope with the truth, to tell me in some form; even if present me wasn't aware. It was an outlet." Everyone looked at Seph in shock; even Charles.

"How did you come to that conclusion, Miss. Brandt?"

Seph's eyes turned to Charles, flashing. "She was my sister, Professor. I knew Barbara better than anyone; I knew what she was feeling in that video. I just knew."

"I see."

"Aunt Seph, what's happened?" Joey asked, looking up to his aunt.

Seph's head bent to lock eyes with Joseph and she sighed, her eyes closing briefly and she took his hand. "Can I just have a sec with him?" She asked and immediately, the crowd dispersed. Seph knelt before him, and slowly slipped her bag off her shoulder. "Okay, now what I'm going to give you is not to be taken lightly, understood?" She looked deep into his eyes and he nodded, unblinking as he stared back at her. Seph nodded once, "okay." She murmured quietly, reaching into her bag before she pulled out a CD case with a disc in it and rested it into his waiting palms.

"What's on it?" He asked, carefully turning it in his hands, inspecting it cautiously.

"Your mother." Seph answered truthfully, causing the small boy to snap his head to her, his eyes wide. "Your mother told me the truth of why this is all happening. I figured it'd be better for her to tell you, rather than me. Because I need to do something very important in here and when I come out, I want you to know that this doesn't change who I am. I am still your auntie. Okay?"

Joey nodded, clutching the case to his chest tightly. "C'mon, kid. I'll stay with you, it'll get boring in here." Nat said. "There won't be much for me to do if I'm here. I'll keep an eye on him and keep an eye out if there are any unwanted visitors thinking about knocking on the front door." She nodded to Seph who reciprocated. She gently pushed Joey in the direction of Black Widow and he walked toward the other red-headed woman before he turned to Seph.

"It'll be okay, Aunt Seph. You'll see." He gave her a gentle smile before the two walked out.

"God, I hope you're right." Seph muttered under her breath as she discarded her bag and jacket.

"Hey." Steve stood next to her, watching her.

"Yeah?" Seph stopped, her eyes finding his.

She looked exhausted.

"You know you don't have to do this right now. I mean, look at you! You look like you haven't had a wink of sleep! Look, I'll just go tell them you can do it another day, I'm not going to let you do it if it means you'll be hurt again, I mean-" Steve was starting toward Charles, intending on stopping the set up, before Seph shot out and grabbed the super-soldier's hand.

"I'll be okay." Seph gazed up at him with a hesitant yet confident gaze. "Steve, I need to do this." She pulled him closer, resting the back of his hand against her cheek. "I'll be fine. I promise." Steve's eyes softened and he sighed.

"Only if you're sure." Steve whispered and Seph closed her eyes peacefully, nodding in affirmation.

They broke apart from their hold as the professor levitated toward them in his wheelchair. "We're ready when you are, Miss. Brandt." He nodded to them and Seph reciprocated, before he moved back to the metal slab, which was covered with a mattress and a sheet with a pillow for comfort. It was obvious she was going to be lying down while he probed her brain.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road." Seph clapped her hands together and walked confidently over to Bobby and Charles as she took the initiative and lay down on the makeshift bed, resting her head on the soft pillow. "Could use two pillows." She teased Bobby who chuckled, before he bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Just. . come back, okay?" Bobby stressed.

"I'm not leaving you alone with Joey, you'll wreak havoc on the city. I'll definitely be back to make sure that, that doesn't happen." Seph joked, smiling before she turned her eyes to Steve, who was pacing, his eyes never leaving hers. "I know I said we'd discuss this after everything, but that kiss-" Steve stopped, freezing at her words as he watched her, "-even though poorly timed, was- is everything I need,"she corrected herself. "So, after this, I'd very much like to discuss our relationship and a possible reschedule of that kiss at a better time, in a more intimate setting." Her lips curled into a large grin as she winked at him and he chuckled.

"I'd very much like that." Steve moved closer so he towered over her and bent down, pressing his gentle lips on her forehead and her eyes fluttered closed, very faintly feeling his worry, apprehension and his frustration toward this procedure and her well being, but she also felt his tenderness and affection toward herself.

It put her to ease, knowing he felt the same things she did and his lips pulled away from her but her eyes remained closed, her lips trembling in fear of what was going to happen next. She heard the slight whir of the wheelchair as Charles hovered over her, his hands at the sides of her temples. "Now, Miss. Brandt, I am going to enter your mind and slowly start to break down the barrier. It could be painless, but it could also be immensely painful, I can't tell you for certain which." He warned her and she nodded, but remained silent. "Now, your ability will not have stopped progressing even though dormant, it will come at you full force and it may feel as if it is tearing you apart. Do you understand me, Miss. Brandt?" Seph nodded, her heart pounding in her chest.

"You must be strong, Persephone. You must fight it. Do not let it control you. Take control of it."His voice whispered in her head and her silent affirmation was all he needed.

"Three. . .two. . . one."

His fingers pressed against her temples and her everything inside her exploded.

Seph's eyes burst open, her eyes blazing from their soft hazel to a furious glowing orange as she screamed, her entire body arching upward.

"Bobby!" The cryokinetic quickly raised his hand and the frost that was conjured; became restrains for Seph as she screamed, but her hands and legs were frozen to the bed as she kept screaming. It was taking all of Steve's willpower not to run toward her and pull her close. She was in so much pain.

His girl was in pain.

(..)

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Cameron?" Seph growled, forcefully pulling his tight hold away from her sister's arm.

"Get lost, Persephone. This is between me and Barbara." Cameron snarled back, but Persephone was persistent and pushed him away from Barbara. "Thinking of putting my nephew up for adoption, were you?"

"I don't want that kid anywhere near me!" Cameron screamed, his eyes wild and full of disgust at the thought of Joseph. "That bitch did this to me. She got pregnant on purpose!" Barbara sobbed as Seph's anger started to bubble, her blood boiling and her temperature rising.

"No! I didn't! Neither of this meant to happen! You didn't put on a condom, Cam!" She cried out, making the young boy grab her arm once again, his hand tightening.

"You did this! I don't want a kid!" He snarled.

"Please, Cam! You're hurting me!" Barbara pleaded, trying to pull away.

"Let go of her!" Seph growled, grabbing his wrist but she didn't see it coming. Cameron had used his free hand and smacked Seph across the face, making her careen in to the wall of the house, before his hold returned to Barbara, gripping her biceps, too close to her throat.

"You're going to put this kid up for adoption, do you understand me? Or I'll do it myself!"

Seph's control on her anger snapped and her head whipped toward the boy, blood dripping from her split lip.

With a battle cry, she lunged for Cameron, both of them flying off the porch, her eyes blazing as she scrambled on top of him, dodging his flailing limbs and she restrained him with one arm and started beating him senseless with the other.

She couldn't hear Barbara, nor Cameron's pleas for her to stop.

All she could feel was the fire inside her, projecting out. Burns adorned his face as she beat her sister's abusive boyfriend to a pulp. His facial bones cracking underneath her knuckles as she continued to pound at him.

Flames overtook her body and her hair blazed a deep red and at that point, she was ethereal. She represented her namesake's husband as Cameron lay beneath her, barely conscious as her mouth opened and she roared an ear-splitting, inhuman sound that sounded like an animal than the beautiful flames that surrounded her. One fiery hand dug around his throat and the other poised to strike.

Then everything went black.

(..)

Charles was pushed back from her mind as Seph quietened down, shaking slightly. The barrier was fragile from all of the emotional trauma Persephone had undergone and as soon as he probed. . the floodgates had evaporated and her power was released. There was no doubt she remembered the awakening of her powers now, but the question remained now, was what would happen. Her powers were powerful, incredibly so. Maybe she could even be of a level as an Omega mutant. He had learnt a little of what Seph's abilities could do and the results were devastating. Maybe she'd never reach the full potential of her power, or she'd become the power.

The restraints melted and Bobby tried to reinforce them, but his mutation wasn't strong enough as the restraints he conjured began to melt at a faster rate.

"What's happening?!" Steve demanded, wanting answers.

"Something isn't right. ." Charles surmised as they looked to Seph, the air now bending around her as if intense heat was distorting the air around her. "We need to go now! We need to contain her!"

"What, why?!" Steve asked, keeping his ground.

"She's become unstable! Her mutation is out of her control!"

Seph's body was suddenly encased in an aura of flames as she started to scream, the bed catching fire and it too went up.

"PERSEPHONE!" Steve screamed, but he couldn't even reach her, the fire was too hot.

"GET DOWN!" Bobby roared, creating a shield with his abilities just as the lab erupted, Seph's screams lost in the loud roar of the fire she had conjured and the explosion that followed.

(..)

Steve broke through Bobby's shield with one swift punch, Persephone's uncontrollable fire having weakened it as he observed the blackened and destroyed laboratory before he ran to the melted metal that was once the bed and held no Persephone. His head snapped to the left where, along the wall, was now a gaping hole with scorched footsteps on the grass.

The super-soldier whirled around and strode to Bobby, grabbing him by the lapels of his shirt and lifted him up from his feet, "where could she have gone!?" He roared.

Bobby was at a loss for words, running through millions of possibilities in his mind.

"She'd go to the one place she'd feel safe. She's visiting the one person who could give her some headspace." Charles spoke tiredly, defeated at how little he was able to help. He'd only unleashed her power and made her feel guilty. Steve turned his head to the man in the wheelchair, dropping the Iceman as he stood back, creating space between them as Charles looked to Bobby. "I sent a message to Jean, she was able to create a forcefield around the school, it only impacted in here. Nobody saw Persephone upstairs. Joseph and Miss. Romanoff are safe, though both have been informed and are worried. You should make sure they are put to ease and that Captain. Rogers will find Persephone, she should not be left alone." Bobby nodded to Charles and Steve, knowing the older man was worried and panicked about Seph and the display of her power.

It was a miracle he wasn't running away.

As Bobby left, Steve looked to Charles, who sighed. "The one place she'd feel safe, gone to the one person who can make her feel safe and relaxed." Steve mused, before he tensed and his eyes widened as he looked to Charles.

"I'm afraid I only reopened Persephone's wounds, I am so sorry." Charles apologised sincerely.

Steve's face steeled, "it's not me who you should be apologizing to," Steve turned and walked toward the large hole that had been exploded through the wall and walked out. "She's gone to the cemetery."