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It Began with a Goodbye
by Riley Berg
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Chapter Ten
Christmas Eve dawns quietly. I smile as I wake.
Although yesterday was Friday, the day I usually pretend to go out on the town to give Stephen a reprieve from having to sleep beside me (but actually sleep in my own bed, even if I do have plans for some of the evening), I did not pretend so this week. I will give Stephen his reprieve tonight, as an additional Christmas present for him.
Stephen, who has taken to staying up later and rising earlier than me, is surprisingly still asleep when I get up. After running my hand along the fabric of the Cloak of Levitation that hovers in the corner (a habit I have developed whenever Stephen is not wearing it, or looking), I quietly go to my dormitory room and enjoy the dirty white view from my window for a moment before dressing. A few days ago, I mailed a package to Charles's school containing my presents for him, Ororo, Jean, Scott, Logan, and Marie. I mailed a second package to Tony Stark at his Malibu home, though I am not certain that that is where he is at the moment. But I thought since the Baxter Building is here in New York—and I am not on undefined terms with those four like I am with Tony—I would hand-deliver the presents intended for Sue, Reed, Ben, and Johnny.
With no sign of Stephen waking, I leave the Sanctum quietly, hail a taxi, and direct the driver to the Baxter Building. It seems the boys of the Fantastic Four have the same idea as Stephen, but I find Sue awake. I place the presents on the table and help Sue make breakfast while we talk quietly.
"You sure you don't want to come over for Christmas? Or even tonight?"
I shake my head. "I think Stephen… did not appreciate me dragging him here Thanksgiving. But he denies having any other friends to make plans with and I do not want him to be alone, so…"
Sue nods in understanding.
"I did invite a mutual friend of ours to join us for Christmas dinner, though."
Sue looks at me strangely. I return the expression with a questioning one.
"Where are you staying?" she asks suddenly.
I groan internally. I have successfully avoided this question since she called me about my plans for Thanksgiving and I unintelligently let slip that I am not staying at Charles's.
"I know you haven't gone back to Charles's because you talk like you've been staying here in New York again. Are some of the Avengers back at the Tower?"
"No," I reply slowly.
"What other friends do you have that I don't know about?" The question is not sarcastic, or rhetorical. She is genuinely interested.
"A few," I answer with honesty but vagueness. "From my SHIELD days." I do not mention that I am currently not in contact with them, and certainly not staying with them.
Sue observes me with narrowed eyes.
"You're staying with Stephen, aren't you?"
I groan audibly this time. Here we go again.
"I don't know why I didn't notice earlier. The way you talk… Well, I think you've been careful not to let it slip, but the implications of some of the things you say…" She gives me a knowing look.
Except she does not know. There is nothing to know. "Sue, would you drop it? Do you know how annoying it is? In all the decades since I returned from isolation, I have yet to get used to humans' suspicions about love. And they are always suspicious! It is like a curse upon my curse," I growl. "I told you I am incapable of that sort of feeling," I add quietly.
"And I believe you as little as anyone else to whom you have admitted that mistaken assumption."
This is going nowhere. "Then just believe me when I say I do not feel that way about Stephen. I only broke my no-male-companions rule because he had found out about my… condition, and was the only one that did know that resided in a location convenient for my needs. In any case, he suggested it. We made a deal out of it and everything. I help him, he helps me. It is a business transaction and nothing more."
"Yes," Sue replies slowly, "but you did self-impose that rule for a reason."
I nod. "Yes. Yes, I did. But I think… I think if anyone can resist my charms," I smile ironically, "it would be Stephen. I've lived with him for more than a month now," (albeit not much more) "and he still keeps quite a distance. He does not come over to me simply to spend time." Except when Wong came to accept my invitation, I realize. "If we are not working on something together, he is hiding away. He has yet to express interest in even friendship, let alone something worse."
"That must hurt."
I look at Sue in confusion.
"You think of him as a friend already, I can tell. And you do so cherish your friends. It must hurt to have your friendship rejected."
"Not rejected. More like ignored." I shrug. "But, as you point out, that might be for the best."
The boys wake up and I am able to wish them all a Merry Christmas. As I leave, I remind Johnny to wait to open my present until tomorrow. The others say they will ensure his obedience. I am still smiling as the elevator door closes me off from my friends.
By the time I return to the Sanctum, Stephen is awake and readied for the day.
"Where were you?"
I look at Stephen in surprise, not expecting him to care about my whereabouts.
"I went to drop off the presents for our friends at the Baxter Building," I reply slowly. "Sue and I got talking, so it took longer than I anticipated. Why?"
"I'm hungry."
I raise an eyebrow. Is he expecting me to make breakfast? I have been making most of the meals, I suppose, but I know how to cook and Stephen does not, so far as he has let me know. Maybe I will have to add that to my lessons…
"I was waiting for you before I started breakfast. Didn't want it to get cold before you got here."
"I have a phone, you know. You could have called."
He looks surprised at that revelation.
"My phone number is in your contacts under 'Sophy.'"
"When did you do that?" he asks, pulling his phone through a small portal.
"The day we made our deal," I shrug. "I thought if we were going to live together, we might need to contact each other occasionally."
"You could have been texting me instead of yelling across the Sanctum."
I laugh. It seems so silly. But, then again, he does have a point. "I will try to remember that."
"So, breakfast?"
It is a fairly basic meal. Not many people can mess up scrambled eggs, or pancakes made from a just-add-water mix. But there is hope for Stephen's cooking after all.
"Merry Christmas," he says as he sets the food on the table, the eggs getting cold and some of the pancakes a little underdone.
"Merry Christmas Eve," I correct, but waste no more time before digging into the small bounty between us. I snatched a few bites at the Baxter Building, but since Sue was not planning on a fifth member of their breakfast party, I did not want to eat much. And now it is late in the morning and I am hungry.
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"Stephen, have you ever created a portal to a person rather than a place?"
"No," he answers in confusion.
"Hmm. I think it should be possible."
"Why?"
Understanding that he questions my desire and not that I think it possible, I answer, "I have some presents to deliver. I know who I want to send them to, but not where they are at. I assumed I could use sorcery to do so—a spell if not a portal. But I think if I can make it work, a portal would be easier."
"Maybe a combination?"
I tilt my head. That is a worthy idea. "Would you mind helping?"
"Not at all."
I smile. "It gives an excuse for you to practice on your teacher's day off."
With a quick consultation with a few spell books, we create a basic locating spell on the floor of the training room. When I am certain that we have done so correctly, I kneel in the middle of the circle and think of the first recipient, making him the target of the location spell. But using the spell to inform me of the location, or transporting myself to him, or bring him to me, I create a small portal within it. I duck my head to peer through and see my target—blessedly with his back to me.
At a nod of my head, Stephen carefully hands me the first present and I push it through the portal, letting go gingerly so it drops on the ground and swiftly closing the portal before he can turn around at the noise of its landing.
"Success," I sigh.
We repeat the process with the remaining presents, adding a parameter to the spell so that I will not be seen.
I look around to check there are no presents remaining and count on my fingers to ensure I did not miss anyone. Nick, Phil, Maria, Natasha, Clint, Steve, Thor—that one was more difficult, probably because of his location—Bruce, James, Sam, Wanda, and Vision. That is everyone.
I sigh with relief and realize how tired the process made me. Stupid friends, not keeping in contact so that I can deliver their presents the mundane way!
"And now I have to go prepare our Christmas Eve feast," I sigh. At least I made some things ahead of time, but then there is also Christmas breakfast and Christmas dinner tomorrow. Maybe I should have gone to Charles's or Sue's after all. I glance at Stephen, remembering why I refused their invitations. "You are helping." I leave no room for argument or negotiation.
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