Five guards stood in between them and the exit. Mystique gunned them down before they could so much as move toward them. They were all still moving slowly, but Moira knew that it was unlikely Kurt could carry either her or Emma, and Mystique needed to carry the gun.
Black spots swirled in front of her vision. She felt so damn tired, and the sandpaper feeling in her throat was crying sharply for water. Even her lips felt cracked and she couldn't help but wonder if Emma felt the same way.
As they moved, Moira thought she saw something on the wall next to her, but the light was off. An explosive device of some kind? No, it would be armed if that was what it was, and she could tell it wasn't.
They were in sight of what looked like a giant iron door when it was flung open. Kurt stepped in front of them and Mystique raised her gun, but it was just Peter, followed closely by Scott.
Snow blew in, and Moira shivered, realizing just how inadequately she was dressed for cold weather. God, was it winter already? Peter appeared before them, and Mystique's gun was suddenly pointed to the wall. His eyes lit up at the sight of Moira, and he grinned broadly, hugging her.
It was a light hug, but it was enough to throw her off balance. He quickly righted her, but the grin was still glued on his face. She thought the corners turned down slightly when he took in some of the finer details of her appearance, such as the dirt, scrapes and exhaustion, but he was still excited.
"Oh my God, it's totally been forever," Peter said, "Guess how many guys I punched to get in here? It was a ton! And I got that sumbitch with a cowboy hat! He's a snowman now!"
"What?" Moira asked, dazed.
After what felt like an eternity, it felt reassuring to be in Peter's presence. The urge to grab onto the first person she knew and cry in relief was gone now, but it was still good to see a friendly face.
However, she'd forgotten just how little sense he could make sometimes.
"No, seriously, I took all this snow right? And then I made a snowman, and I shoved-"
"Quicksilver," Mystique snapped, "Not the time."
"Okay, okay," said Peter, "But we gotta get you outta here. Saying this in all niceness, but you look like death!"
Moira gave a tight nod. Peter grinned, and then flitted so he was beside Emma, curious. She gave him a long look, but Laura hugged Emma and tried to hide behind her legs. Emma rested a hand on her niece's head.
"So, we got new friends?" Peter asked.
Emma ignored his question, and Moira realized she was looking at Scott. She wasn't certain because of the goggles but, from his expression, she guessed Scott was blinking in confusion underneath her gaze.
"You're Emma, right?' he asked.
"Yeah," she said.
She moved her hand from Laura's head to her shoulder.
"Say hi to the nice boy," she said tiredly.
"Hi," Laura said, still hiding her face.
"Hi," said Scott, "Nice to-"
"Okay, let's quit with the ice cream social," snapped Mystique, "Is there a blizzard out there?"
"Yeah," said Scott, looking away from Emma, but still slightly confused, "Um, Storm whipped it up. For cover."
Mystique looked over at Kurt, who was worrying his lip.
"Can you teleport through that?" she asked.
Kurt walked up to the door and peered out it. A few flakes settled in his dark hair before he gave a brisk nod.
"I can sort of see vhere I am going," he said, "I zink I can do zis."
"Good," said Mystique, "Can you take all three of them back to where we left Amanda?"
"Ja," said Kurt, "Ja, ja."
His tone was nervous, and Moira couldn't help exchange a look with Mystique. She glanced back at Kurt.
"Are you certain?" asked Moira.
"He said he could do it," snapped Mystique, "Now get to the damn boat, okay?"
Yes, there was the Mystique she knew so well. Moira put Emma's arm around her neck and helped her over to Kurt.
"I can take one, help you out man," said Peter, "I mean, I could probably run super fast with Moira over there, you can take the other two."
"Going too fast won't be good for her," Mystique said stiffly, "You'll make her sick."
Moira startled. Could she know? No. There was no way she could possibly know that she was pregnant. But there was something in that tone, a sort of warning to Peter, a protective edge, that made Moira check her assumptions.
She paused, thinking for the first time how teleportation or even moving at fast speeds might affect her. It was difficult. She had spent almost all of her energy getting to the entrance. However, the last time she'd been teleported, she assumed the goal had been to make her pass out. It had accomplished its mission handily.
But she didn't think Kurt would do that many teleportations. And, even at his worst, the man had obviously not made her miscarry. There was no such guarantee with Peter's speed, or that it wouldn't make her throw up upon reaching her destination. But they did need to ease Kurt's load in some way. Her eyes traveled to Emma, and she bit her lip.
"Emma, maybe you should travel with Quicksilver," she said.
Emma's grip tightened around Laura.
"I'll be with Laura the entire way," Moira soothed.
"I don't even know the guy with the tail, and you all are expecting me to trust him to take me somewhere I can't control," Emma said between clenched teeth, "And that was damn difficult. What makes you think I'll trust the silver sprinter over here?"
"Quicksilver!" said Peter, waving his arms.
Scott stepped forward and, hesitantly, put a hand on Emma's arm. Emma turned, her eyes flashing, but didn't lash out.
"He may not look it, but he won't let you down," Scott said, "And neither will Nightcrawler. They're good people Emma."
She looked at his hand, and then turned her gaze to Laura. Her niece looked up at her with big eyes, and Emma let her go, bringing her own fingertips to her lips. Gently, she laid them on Laura's forehead. Kneeling down to kiss her would probably render her unable to get back up again.
"What's that?" asked Laura.
Emma tensed and shared a quick look of dismay with Moira. The child had wanted to know her name, didn't understand what a kiss was.
"Just telling you I love you," said Emma brightly, "And you're going to stay with Miss Moira, and I'll see you in a few minutes."
"I'll probably even beat him there," said Peter, "And then we'll come back and get everyone else, okay?"
Moira nodded, the black spots swimming a little brighter. She moved over to Kurt, grabbed his hand tightly.
"Not to alarm you," she said, "But I think I'm going to pass out soon."
His blood-red eyes blinked at her, his mouth slightly agape.
"I can second that," Emma said, "And...water. I want water."
"Plenty of water where we're going doll," Peter said, "Nightcrawler, I think we should take the girls to a place where they can pass out and not hurt themselves and-"
His eyes widened.
"Hey, guess what?" he asked, "The Professor's asking about Emma! And we already got her! Awesome!"
Kurt grinned, and Emma ducked her head. Maybe she hadn't thought they would keep their promises. For her part, Moira tried to imagine a place where she felt safe enough to pass out. These days, she hadn't even felt safe enough to sleep. All she'd done was close her eyes when her tiredness overcame her.
"Cyclops, kick it open!" Peter howled, "We're headin home!"
Scott wrenched the door open, and Moira felt black tendrils of smoke curl around her.
Charles's faint had, luckily, only been a few moments. Megan was still looking frightened, but Amanda had already mopped up the blood by the time he woke. He'd managed to give a hurried explanation, but he could tell Amanda didn't fully understand. It was, he admitted, rather complicated.
Everything ached. He thought longingly of the few cabins below deck. There were three altogether, and he imagined what it would like to lay down. Mostly they were just full of excess blankets, a few medical supplies Hank thought the would need.
But it wasn't enough. He sent out a message to his students to search for Emma as well. The boat was going to be crowded, that much he expected. They had only thought of adding Kurt, Raven and Moira to their number when setting out. Now they also had Megan, Amanda and Emma, when they rescued her. He had every faith they would. Scott had, after all, made a promise as well.
Something wooshed past him, then reappeared.
"Hey, we got another blonde!" Peter said cheerfully, "And this kid who looks at me like I'm weird!"
Before he could inquire about just what it was Peter was going on about now, black smoke mushroomed up in the middle of the room.
"Ve are here."
A small child with dark hair jumped away from Kurt. Her bathrobe fluttered about her, and she stumbled, clutching the wall and looking dazed. Her nostrils flared and her bright eyes took in everything in the room.
But, for the first time in his life, the sight of a child eager to learn something only dimly registered. After more than a month, he saw her. Moira was propped up in Kurt's grasp, her head lolling to the side, and her breaths tired.
He could see the marks on her face, her clothes worn by the weather and neglect. She was shivering so much, whatever cold she had been exposed to, however brief it had been, was obviously hurting her.
She began to slump, and there was a burst of smoke. A woosh went past him, no doubt Peter was trying to get the rest of the X-men, but his eyes were already on the ramp that led to the lower levels. It was the only place Kurt would take her so quickly. It was clear that she was exhausted, that she was passing out.
More black smoke let him know that Kurt had gone back out. His lightning team, gone to fetch their comrades. Charles just made it to the bottom of the ramp when he heard all of their voices, Storm trying to figure out what was going on, Kurt asking Amanda if she was okay, Peter telling everyone about a snowman. Notes reached his ears of Mystique snapping to get the boat going, Hank saying he was hurrying. Jean and Scott were both asking each other something or other.
He opened the door on his right. The door was slightly ajar, and Kurt's goal would have been to get in and out. It was the only reason he'd have taken her so fast, that he thought she needed to be set down before anything else. A scampering behind him made him briefly look over his shoulder. The little girl had scurried into the same room as Emma, shutting the door tightly.
Charles turned away, opened the door to Moira's room. Kurt had taken the time to cover her up. Charles smiled to himself, pushed his chair forward until it bumped up against the side of the bed.
Blearily, Moira looked to the side. He saw tears gather in her eyes, felt his own mar his vision. He wiped them away, drinking in her face, her presence. Hesitantly, he placed his hand on her face, feeling the weight of her flesh, its solidity. The residue of his tears smear the mar of the dirt.
As he felt her skin, felt the boat lurch forward, he realized it was over. After so many weeks, they had found her. The woman he loved wasn't in the clutches of a sadist. She was here, safe, on her way home, their child soundly growing inside of her.
One of her hands reached up. He used his spare hand to grasp it. The tears he'd wiped away had been replaced with new ones, and they were flowing quickly. He pressed his lips to her hand, clutching it as tightly as he dared.
he bowed his head, his forehead just touching hers.
"You're safe love," he whispered, "You're safe now."