Hello! Sorry this took a bit, but I've been writing a lot of different things, and I've been trying to cycle through all my current projects to keep things fresh.
Enjoy!
An intense chill gripped Laurien's body at Jean's words, but before Laurien could say another word, she was alerted to the sound of someone approaching from the tree line.
She glanced back, and felt a wave of relief as she spotted Erik, who was wearing a simple black long-sleeve shirt and jeans.
She felt Jean stiffen next to her at the sound of footsteps. "It's alright. It's just Erik."
Jean's brow furrowed. "Magneto?"
"Erik is preferable." Laurien informed her quietly, getting to her feet.
Erik came towards them quickly, immediately approaching Laurien and looking her over with concern. "Are you okay?"
"Uh–yeah, I'm fine." Laurien assured him, frowning as she noted that she could practically sense the rapid thrum of adrenaline pulsing through his veins. "Did something–"
"Ariki said we had an unannounced visitor." Erik stated, looking past her and eyeing Jean with outward suspicion.
"Right, uh…" Laurien gestured towards Jean, who was standing awkwardly where Laurien had left her. "Erik, you remember Jean from Westchester, right?"
"Sure." Erik uttered in an uncharacteristically curt manner, before turning back to Laurien and lowering his voice. "Whose blood is it?"
"What?"
"In the living room, there's a shirt covered in blood. Whose blood is it?"
"Oh. I don't know but–" Laurien started, but she then shook her head. He was radiating a nervous energy that was causing her own muscles to tense up, as though she were preparing to fight or flee. "Erik, this is not the best time for this…"
Instead of heeding her veiled warning, Erik impatiently moved past her to address Jean. "Whose blood is it?"
When Jean didn't respond and only wordlessly stared up at him with wide eyes, Erik pressed further. "Look, I'm not Charles. I can't read your mind."
"Erik." Laurien hissed under her breath.
"It's alright." Jean told her, before addressing Erik, her hands still nervously fiddling with the sleeve of her coat. "I-I came here for help. For some advice."
Erik made an unconvinced noise, but didn't attempt to berate her any more.
After a tense moment of silence, with only the sounds of the wind rustling the long grass and the ocean crashing against the bluffs, Jean finally began.
"Um." She hesitated, unsure of herself. "You've hurt people before."
Erik paused, seemingly taken aback at the line of questioning. He cast a sidelong glance at Laurien before nodding slowly. "I have. It's been a while."
"But you did." Jean emphasized pointedly.
Stifling a wince, Laurien couldn't help but wish Jean had taken a different approach.
"Yes." Erik bit out. "Is that what you came here to ask me?"
"H-how did you stop?"
With those four words, Laurien felt the energy within Erik temper slightly. It was a tender subject for him that he himself had admitted to Laurien once or twice, haunted him more and more as he grew older. However she hoped that he would somehow sense that this girl needed them to face their respective pasts in order to help her.
"I've lived with vengeance my whole life." He murmured, his voice tense. "Ever since I was a child, I lost everyone I ever loved. So, I hurt people. Yes, even killed people—killed whatever I thought would make the pain go away."
A deep ache slipped beneath Laurien's skin while she listened.
"It didn't. No matter how many souls I sent under." Erik looked to Laurien, his expression softening as he met her gaze. "Laurien helped me to realize this, so I stopped."
Laurien gently took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, hoping that he could tell how much she appreciated him sharing that in order to bring some semblance of assurance to the girl standing in front of them.
"I-I don't know how to stop." Jean revealed, and when Laurien turned to look at her, she saw that Jean was blinking back tears. "I don't know what's happening to me."
Laurien wanted to go to her, to share some of her own calm with Jean, even in spite of the whirlpool of emotions swirling around her and threatening to pull her in. As if sensing what she was about to do, Erik tightened his grip on their joined hands and kept her by his side, his touch conveying his quiet alarm.
Jean looked down at her shaking hands. "When I lose control… things happen, bad things… to people I love."
"Whose blood is that?" Erik repeated again suddenly, causing Laurien's stomach to plummet like a rock. "Isn't that why you came here?"
Jean's words failed her once more, her blue-eyed gaze snapping up to flit between the two people before her.
"What do you think we can do for you?"
Jean sighed, wiping the tears from her face in frustration. "I don't know."
"Yes, you do." Erik insisted harshly. "Whose blood is on that shirt?"
Laurien's free hand squeezed his wrist in warning. "Erik, please."
Jean shook her head, stammering, "I-I don't want to talk about it."
"Did you hurt someone?"
"Please, I—"
"Answer the question, Jean."
"Please stop, you're making me…" Jean pleaded, her hands reaching upwards and burying themselves in her red hair. "I don't want to hurt you."
"What's going to happen, Jean?" He demanded forcefully, spurring Laurien into action.
Ripping her hand out of his grip, she positioned herself between them and faced her husband. "Erik, I think you should leave and let us talk." Laurien uttered firmly, trying to push him bodily back towards the treeline, but despite her effort, he remained steadfast.
"I'm not leaving you alone with her until she tells us what she did."
Laurien's heart skipped a beat when she realized she could feel the unnatural sensation building once more to a peak within the girl.
Having either not noticed the change in Jean's demeanor or simply not cared, Erik refused to relent. "Who did you hurt, Jean? Tell me."
Her vision flashing red, Laurien pushed out with her powers, making him stumble back a few feet. "Erik, that's enough! Go!"
She couldn't avoid the look of alarm that appeared on his face when he realized what she'd done, that she'd used her powers against him. A flash of guilt burned hot across her skin.
Before either of them could say another word, a familiar voice entered Laurien's mind.
"We've got the military inbound." Selene's low voice told her, prompting Laurien to look westward. "Two birds."
As soon as she had come, Selene's presence disappeared. Laurien glanced back towards Erik, knowing that he too had heard the telepathic warning. She stared daggers at him, wanting more than anything to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, but there were now more important matters to attend to.
"Go, Erik." She commanded tersely, "I'll be right behind you."
Erik looked reluctant to leave her with Jean, but to his credit, he finally heeded her words. He levitated up from the ground and flew over the trees towards the town centre.
The red slowly dissipating from her vision with every uneasy breath, Laurien turned to Jean. "Stay hidden in the forest. We'll come find you once they're gone, alright?"
Jean didn't seem to hear Laurien; her eyes were shut tight and her body still, as though she were carefully listening to something Laurien couldn't hear. The intense anxiety radiating off of the other woman was ratcheting up her own, but Laurien couldn't leave her without making sure she was hidden, so she tried again.
"Jean." She urged in a more forceful tone, effectively drawing the red-head's attention back to the present. Meeting her scared blue eyes, Laurien held out a placating hand in how one might approach a scared animal, but took care not to touch her. "Please, trust me. We'll handle them, and then we can continue talking; just you and me, okay?"
Biting her lip, Jean glanced towards where Erik had disappeared to, before focusing back on Laurien. She finally gave her a small nod, and followed her to the protection of the forest.
Laurien led her to where they could still view the Mirkwood cabin, and gestured towards a hollowed out tree that usually served as Ari's favourite hiding spot during rounds of Manhunt with the other Genoshan children. Giving Jean what she hoped was a reassuring nod and a wordless bid to stay put, Laurien then ran the rest of the way through the trees towards the Shire.
She made good time, as by the time she exited the forest, the helicopters had yet to touch down in the clearing. She caught sight of Erik and Selene, and jogged towards them.
As she approached, Erik tried to catch her gaze, "Laur, I–"
"I don't want to hear it right now." She muttered under her breath, a palpable heat still simmering deep within her belly. "But believe me, we're going to talk about it later."
They watched as two military helicopters slowly descended into the clearing. Some of the residents had come out from their homes to see what was going on, while others who had already been outside were scrambling to save the items that had been blown away by the wind as the chopper blades buffeted everything standing within a hundred metres. As soon as the aircrafts touched down, several heavily-armed military soldiers jumped out and began scanning the perimetre.
This can't be a coincidence, can it? Laurien wondered to herself, nervously eyeing the rifles in the soldiers' hands. The day that one of the X-Men shows up on their doorstep in a state of distress, claiming to have hurt or potentially killed someone, not even an hour later, the United States military makes an unannounced incursion onto their land. She glanced worriedly towards the school house, hoping that Jubilee received some warning and was keeping the children inside until the coast was clear.
Once the surroundings had apparently been deemed secure by the military's standards, an officer emerged from the helicopter and made his way directly towards Erik and Laurien.
They could see his mouth moving as he approached them, but they couldn't hear him over the racket caused by the helicopter blades. As if reading her mind, Erik raised a hand, and halted the spinning helicopter blades in their tracks. A tense peace returned to their surroundings once more.
"Hello, sir." Laurien called out in greeting as the man reached them. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your unannounced visit?"
"Ms. Van Tiel, Mr. Lensherr, I am Captain Boyd with the United States Armed Forces." The officer introduced himself in a stiff manner that hinted at his discomfort, "We apologize for the intrusion, but we are here on business pertaining to national security."
"Well of course, if it's a matter of national security, then by all means barge in," Laurien said, forcing a strained smile upon her face.
"We have a legal right to be here." Erik asserted, his tone low and dangerous. "This land was given to us by the U.S. government."
"We have no intention of taking it back." Boyd responded plainly. While he presented himself well, Laurien could sense the potential volatility of his nerves. "We're not here for you. We're looking for one of the X-Men, Jean Grey."
Even as a wave of heat flowed through her, Laurien simply feigned a confused frown and shook her head. "Jean? We haven't seen her in a long time."
"Then you won't mind if we look around."
Erik cocked his head to the side. "Would you mind if I came to your house unannounced, uninvited?"
"Look, I know who you both are." Captain Boyd said, stepping forward into Erik's personal space and lowering his voice. "I don't want a fight."
Erik's eyes narrowed. "No, you don't."
"Then step aside."
"Do you have a search warrant?" Laurien asked innocently, as if to remind them that she was there. "You'll forgive us for being strict, but this is private land, therefore we have the same rights as you and your family."
"And like I said, we're not here for you." Boyd repeated sternly, "We're here for a girl who gave up those rights when she attacked a squad of police officers. They have families too."
When Laurien and Erik exchanged a quick glance, the Captain added, "Guess you didn't hear about that."
"We don't really get the news out here, Captain." Erik confessed, crossing his arms.
Their attention was suddenly diverted by the sound of one of the helicopter's engines whirring to life behind the Captain, its blades beginning to spin.
"Stop that." Boyd said, glancing at them both.
Not giving them a chance to respond, he repeated, "I said stop that, right now." His hand moved to the gun holstered at his hip.
"It's not me." Erik stated, before looking over at Laurien.
She shook her head in confusion. "It's not me either."
"It's me." A familiar voice called from behind them.
Laurien spun around and saw Jean slowly descending from the sky, her hand pointed towards the helicopter. She looked different. Unnatural. Her eyes had taken on a golden hue and her hair moved strangely about her head as though she were underwater.
"Jean?" Erik called, but the girl didn't seem to hear him.
In an instant, the Captain drew his gun and moved around Laurien and Erik to get a clear shot at Jean. The girl began to turn her hand, causing the metal of the helicopter's hull to creak.
"Jean!"
All of a sudden, the helicopter tilted on its side, causing the blades to strike the ground and churn up the dirt and grass as they splintered into fibreglass shards. Sparks flew from the tail of the aircraft, and something flew out like a shot. Both Laurien and Erik ducked as a helicopter rotor soared through the air and buried itself into the face of their house behind them.
As the crippled helicopter continued to spin in circles, the remaining helicopter was lifting from the ground. Her sights set upon it, Jean walked forth, her arm outstretched.
Erik stepped forward, reaching out towards the helicopter as well. A moan of discontent erupted from its metal hull as conflicting forces fought for dominance over its control.
"Jean, stop!" Laurien yelled, looking around for something that might stop her, only for horror to strike her when she saw Nina, Kasia, and Ari standing along the outskirts of the clearing. "Kids, get into the forest, now! Go!"
Her heart beating out of her chest, she watched Nina take both of her younger siblings' hands and pull them deep into the protection of the forest.
Laurien's gaze snapped back to the scene unfolding before her as she heard the clicks of guns being cocked. Some of the soldiers had levelled their guns at Jean, who swiftly whisked them away with a swipe of her hand, sending them flying across the clearing.
Under the combined powers of the two mutants, the helicopter careened towards them, drawing dangerously close, before Erik let out a strangled yell and managed to push it back.
"Get in the chopper right now, I can't hold it." He gritted out, the force of fighting Jean's control over the helicopter causing the veins in his neck to pop out.
Boyd looked for his fellow soldiers and shouted to them, "Fall back! Fall back!"
In a flurry of movement and shouting, the soldiers hurriedly piled into the remaining helicopter. It began to lift before they were all on, with one soldier clinging to the landing skid for dear life as the ground plummeted beneath his feet. Erik and Jean's combined powers launched it back towards the treetops. The aircraft wobbled violently, and Laurien was fearful that it might drop out of the sky or hit the trees. Mercifully, the helicopter managed to regain its bearings and remained in the sky, before turning and fleeing towards the horizon.
As the helicopter gradually grew smaller in the distance, Jean suddenly threw out an arm and Erik was thrown several feet to the side, crashing into the bike stands twenty feet away.
Laurien quickly moved between Jean and Erik, her arms outstretched. "Jean, that's enough."
She watched in horrified awe as the gold dissipated from Jean's eyes, her red hair now falling normally on her shoulders.
"You didn't have to do that. I told you to stay hidden." Laurien bit out, her body trembling with anger.
"They were going to find me eventually." Jean retorted bitterly, "I just sped up the process a little."
Laurien studied her, noting the strange changes in the girl's demeanor while simultaneously working hard to calm herself, as she knew her anger was only going to make matters worse. "Well, they're gone, and you should probably get going too."
"What? No, I need your help!" Jean's eyes flashed in alarm. "You said we could talk."
"I know, but it's no longer safe for you here." Laurien tried to reason with her. "They could come back with reinforcements if you stay, and we have a duty to keep the residents of this island safe."
Jean stared at her, and Laurien could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she worked to salvage what goodwill she'd destroyed in a matter of seconds. In a move that sent a flare of panic jolting through Laurien, Jean suddenly took a step toward her, her arm reaching out as if to grab her.
Laurien backed up sharply, realizing in a split second that Jean meant to solve matters by taking her away from the island.
"Jean, no!" Erik yelled from behind her, still struggling to get to his feet from the carnage of the bike stands. "Don't you dare touch her!"
Jean halted abruptly, blinking as though emerging from a trance, and Laurien felt an instant wave of shame come over the other woman as she recognized what she'd just tried to do.
When she still didn't make any move to leave, Laurien lowered her voice. "I'm sorry, Jean. You can't stay here."
Jean let out a shuddering breath, giving Laurien one last look before she tilted her head back toward the heavens and levitated into the sky.
Once Jean vanished, Laurien cast a glance towards Erik to check if he was hurt. As soon as she was sure that he only bore scrapes and bruises, she turned to look at the smoking remains of the first helicopter, the grass surrounding it aflame. Their fellow residents were all in the clearing, looking at all the damage that had been wrought in barely more than a minute. Laurien then looked at their house, her heart clenching painfully in her chest as she took in how the helicopter blade had torn through the metal facade and smashed the kitchen window. Averting her gaze, she turned on her heel and headed toward the woods where her children had disappeared.
She heard Erik call after her, but she didn't stop. She almost made it to the tree line before a hand grasped her upper arm and halted her in her tracks. "Laurien, please."
She rounded on her husband, her vision flashing red. "What the fuck did you think you were doing, pushing her like that?" She hissed, wrenching her arm from his grip. "I had everything under control until you found us."
"She's dangerous, Laur. She put us all in danger." He countered, keeping his voice low.
"She needed help! She needed someone to listen to her, not interrogate her like she was a criminal. That's not what we do here."
"Policies change when we're dealing with something that threatens what we've built on this island."
Laurien glared at him as she breathed forcefully through her nose, her jaw clenching tightly. She dragged her gaze from Erik's face and looked towards the other mutants in the clearing. "You handle the other residents. I need to make sure our children aren't fucking traumatized."
Before he could stop her, she took off again and ran through the forest. As she neared where the Mirkwood Cabin was located, looking around the forested area for any sign of her children, she found their newest resident standing in the doorway of the solitary structure. She initially recognized that he was wearing some of the clothes she'd left on his doorstep a while back, but then realized that he was wordlessly beckoning her towards him.
As she approached, he stepped to the side, allowing her to enter the house. It was surprisingly warm and homey inside, and much cleaner than she would have thought possible for a teenage boy living on his own. On the couch in the living room, her three kids sat huddled together, each with tears in their eyes. They immediately looked up when she came in, collective relief surging from them like a tsunami wave at seeing her.
"Mama!" Ari exclaimed, leaping up from the couch and practically knocking the wind out of her as he hugged her around the middle. The two girls followed suit, enveloping Laurien in an embrace that possessed a potent mix of raw emotions.
Kasia let out a small sob into Laurien's side, prompting Laurien to press her lips to her forehead. "Hey, hey, it's okay. Everyone's okay." She murmured soothingly, gripping them tightly together to her one last time before withdrawing to quickly check them over for injuries. "Are you all alright?"
They nodded.
"Where's Papa?" Nina asked with a slight sniffle, wiping at her face with her sleeves.
"He's fine." Laurien said, leading them back to the couch so that they could all sit. "He's just calming down the others, but I promise you, everyone's fine. "
"What happened?" Ari inquired quietly, looking at her with wide violet eyes.
Honestly, Laurien was wondering that very same thing. "Um, do you remember Jean from the X-Men?" Laurien began gently, knowing that she was going to sound odd, but she was unsure if there even was an easy way to explain what had just occurred. "Well, we were trying to help her after something bad happened on the mainland, but the military came looking for her, and there was a little miscommunication."
"What happened on the mainland?" Nina frowned, a haunted look dawning on her face. Laurien knew that this event was likely bringing up a myriad of old traumas for her, nevertheless she was remaining strong for her siblings.
"I– I don't know just yet." Laurien admitted, shaking her head. "But they're all gone now, so it's okay to come out. How about we walk home together and see Papa, okay?"
As they got to their feet, Laurien ran her hand comfortingly along Kasia's back, keeping her close to her side. She had yet to say anything since Laurien had arrived, with silent tears still falling from her mismatched eyes as she kept a firm grip on Laurien's sweater.
Laurien turned to the boy who was waiting near the front doorway, having stayed back to give them their privacy. "Thank you for taking them in." She said, hoping that he knew what his kindness had meant to them all. "If there's ever anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."
The boy gave her a small, sad smile in response, his hazel eyes flitting sympathetically towards the children.
Laurien gently corralled the children towards the door, only for her to suddenly recognize that Ari was wearing the brand new New York Yankees hat that she recalled the older boy wearing when he first arrived.
"Oh, hun. You should give him his hat back." She prompted, gently tapping the brim of the hat.
Ari let out a small gasp of realization and took it off his head before approaching its rightful owner.
The older boy met him with a broad smile, bowing down low enough for Ari to place it on his head as if he were being crowned. Ari giggled and gave him a parting wave before joining Laurien and the others as they started on their way back home to the carnage of the Shire.
Aww, can't wait until they find out that guy's name, 'cause it's hard writing about him without it.
While I was writing, I realized that I was missing a lot of descriptive stuff about the scene, and I was miffed that I had to watch that part of the movie again for clarity. I really don't like the film, but I suppose that's the price I have to pay, hehehe.
Anywho, hope everyone is staying sane somehow. It was definitely a 'bang head against the desk' kind of day, if you get my drift.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review or comment! I always try my best to respond to everyone, and it's really nice to chat with you all.