ladydeathfaerie: (Dare)
[personal profile] ladydeathfaerie posting in [community profile] marysuevirus
Title: Among the Strong
Chapter Thirty Three: Well, This is Awkward
Fandom: the Marvel universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic violence, language, sex, dark themes, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of Marvel. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. Haley belongs to [personal profile] dazzledfirestar Morgan belongs to[personal profile] ginevra Roxxy belongs to[personal profile] nanaeanaven Jehnna belongs to [personal profile] silverfox_chan and Dare belongs to me. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from [personal profile] dazzledfirestar .

Author's Notes: this is almost entirely Daz's fault. okay. so it really isn't. its actually almost 100% my fault. Daz just did a whole lot of encouraging. this fic is going to be kind of dark, so please keep that in mind while reading.

Among the Strong - the index

Things were in chaos. Utter, absolute chaos. How it had happened, she couldn't say. But it had happened. And now, she was caught in the middle of all that chaos.

The day had started off so well, too. She'd left the medlab with Emilia and Scott in tow. She'd managed to miraculously convince Dare that she needed to be around friends since she was so close to giving birth. Plus it had ensured a way to keep an eye on the other woman because Haley was convinced something was off with her. Scott and Remy had helped move them into a suite, which included setting up the second room for Dare and, eventually, her daughter. Dare had even, if only briefly and very grumpily, interacted with Remy.

Somehow, it had all gone downhill from there. Remy had been in a foul mood when he'd left and her buffer against Scott's presence had been tucked away in the other room, lost to an ever-growing and, frankly, frightening exhaustion that seemed intent on consuming Dare whole. Even Emilia had gone down for a nap and that had left her alone with Scott and the skyrocketing attraction she had for him.

He'd tried to convince her to sleep while Emilia was down. He'd told her he'd stay and listen for the baby and Dare. She'd tried to convince him that she was fine and he could run along and go back to his life. And his wife. She hadn't said that aloud, but he look he gave her suggested he'd heard it anyway. They'd come to an impasse that had resulted in a long length of silence followed by some stilted conversation.

They had just found common ground and fallen into a more natural conversation when Haley's cell had played out a tune she'd have been happy to hear any other time. But the timing, and the events surrounding her life, made her apprehensive to answer. Scott had convinced her to do so despite her better judgement. And then he'd fallen silent when she'd answered, listening to her side of a short conversation with Johnny. He'd called to let her know that he was going to bring the kids around for a visit because TJ had been demanding to know when she got to be a big sister and, upon finding out that Emilia had been born, had immediately demanded that she wanted to go see Momma and Baby Sister right then and there.

Which brought her to where she was now. Surrounded by her children, who all had different feelings about the whole situation. On one end of the spectrum was Spencer, who kept eyeing his baby sister like she was the face hugger from the Alien movies and he expected her to leap up and lunge at him at any moment. On the other end of the spectrum was TJ, who was disappointed that her baby sister was sleeping and couldn't be disturbed. Preston hadn't left her side since he'd burst into the room. And the twins were silent, watching everything that went on. Which did not bode well for either her or Johnny. Not at all.

And speaking of Johnny... He stood on one side of the room, glaring at Scott where he sat in one of the chairs that matched the couch. To be honest, he bore a striking resemblance to his oldest. HE was pouting without giving the appearance of pouting. Haley kind of wanted to smack him, but then she'd have to get into why she smacked him and that was not a conversation she wanted to have in front of their children. Or ever.

For his part, Scott had been cordial and polite in the face of Johnny's antogonism. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't glaring, either. But Haley knew he wasn't as relaxed as he seemed, She was filled with tension. His tension. Johnny's tension. Her own tension. She was going to have one hell of a killer headache after this. If she wasn't breastfeeding, she'd be going to sleep with something that hit harder than an ibuprofen.

She was wracking her brain, trying to figure out some way of making this less painful than it was, when Cassie took that option right out of her hands. "So who are you, anyway?" she asked, posing her question to Scott.

Haley had a moment to sense his initial confusion, then it was gone and he was offering Cassie a smile that suggested he wasn't as on edge with this whole mess as she was. "I'm Scott. I'm a friend of your mom's."

Cassie accepted that answer with a silent nod. Haley felt her pulse speed up. That was no innocent question. Her daughter was on a mission to gather as much information as she could. Which meant things were about to get sticky. She watched as Cassie's gaze lingered on Scott a moment, then it moved to where Haley sat. A moment later, it drifted to Emilia, sleeping peacefully in her bassinet. Haley had a second or two to register her daughter's intent, then Cassie was speaking again. "Are you the guy who got her pregnant with Emilia?"

Haley's gaze shot to Johnny, who was still glaring at Scott. There was a part of her that wanted to chew him out for telling their kids what had gone on. At the same time, she commended his decision to not lie to them. They were the children of super heroes. Things were going to happen and telling them lies wouldn't do anyone any good. Jesus Christ, she needed a drink.

Scott glanced her way, his gaze questioning. She gave a faint nod, letting him know it was okay to answer Cassie's question. To his credit, Scott didn't balk in the face of her child's blatant curiosity. He offered Cassie a smile and nodded his head. "I am. Emilia is my daughter."

"And do you love my mom?" Cassie's attention was focused solely on Scott. It was obvious she was looking for some sign of weakness. Like a shark circling its prey. She didn't know Scott Summers well enough if she thought he was going to be intimidated by an eight year old.

"I can see that my answer is important to you. Can I ask why?" he replied, his voice even and pleasant.

"Because my dad loves her," Cassie returned. "He loved her first. And Mom loves Dad."

As far as answers went, it was pretty basic. But Haley was sure there was more underneath. Cassie was probably worried that Scott might take Johnny's place. And she was letting him know that Johnny had already laid his claim. As if five children wouldn't have made that obvious.But it was clear that Cassie was going to try and bully Scott into stepping into the background for the sake of her father and, as much as she loved her daughter for trying to fight for her marriage, she couldn't let Cassie be rude. "Cassie," she said quietly.

"What?" Her daughter turned to stare at her and Haley could see the stubborn set of her chin and the look in her eyes. She would push it until she got the results she wanted. "Its the truth! Dad loved you first!"

"That's beside the point, Cassie," Haley told the girl.

Cassie frowned at her mother, then turned back to Scott. "Well? Do you love my mom?" she asked. Haley closed her eyes and counted to ten in an effort to keep her temper in check. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell her daughter that that was enough. But there ended up being no need. There was the sound of a door closing, bringing Haley's attention to the doorway into the second room. It also brought everyone else's attention that way.

Dare stood in front of the closed door, kind of rocking from side to side, staring blearily at the gathering in the main room. She looked as if she hadn't slept at all, despite the fact that Haley had checked on her after Remy had left to ensure that she really had fallen asleep. She wore an over sized t-shirt that hung long but did nothing to hide the fact that she was so heavily pregnant. For a long moment, the room was silent. Then that silence was shattered when Spencer opened his mouth. "Wow, Aunt Dare. You're as big as a house."

Haley wished she was closer to the little shit because she'd slap him for his insensitive mouth. But that was secondary to her concern for Dare, who looked like she hadn't really registered Spencer's words and possibly even his presence. She wobbled where she stood for a moment longer, making Haley worry she was going to just fall over.

"Dare? Is everything okay?" It was Johnny who asked the question. Dare turned to look at him, staring almost blankly his way. Haley took note of the concern leaking through the link. It lined up perfectly with her own. And Scott's. Then Johnny was moving, on his way to where Dare stood. "Dare?"

"Oh. Hi, Johnny. I'm fine," she said, voice quiet. And weak. Haley frowned.

"Why don't you sit down?" Johnny suggested, slipping an arm around her shoulders. The fact that she let him escort her to the couch without making a scene spoke volumes to just how off things were with the other woman. Once Johnny had Dare seated, he cast a glance Haley's way, his eyes filled with questions she couldn't answer with the other woman present.

When Johnny stepped away, she was surprised that he didn't return to his spot so that he could continue to glare daggers at Scott. Instead, he moved to where Spencer stood and frowned at their son. "That was rude, Spencer. Maybe you should apologize to Dare and then spend some time thinking about what you should have said instead."

"Why? It isn't like she heard me. And she probably wouldn't hear the apology," Spencer retorted. Anger burned in his voice and Haley couldn't be sure if it was because his father was chastising him in front of everyone, or if it was because Dare was almost like a zombie, or if it was because of the situation with Scott, or if it was just because Spencer liked to be an asshole. "Even I can tell there's something wrong with her."

"Everybody knows there's something wrong with me." The comment was a surprise and Dare's voice was hoarse. But a glance at her told Haley she was with them and aware of what was happening.

"We didn't wake you, did we?" Haley asked, taking note of the dark half-moons that lived under Dare's eyes. They made her skin seem all the paler and there was an air about the woman that screamed of bad things.

"No. Couldn't sleep," she responded. That made Haley frown. Because Dare had been asleep when Remy carried her off to bed. Haley watched her friend's gaze move listlessly from her face, to that of each of her children, then to Johnny and finally Scott. "No one has died yet. That's good."

Haley had to bite back a snort at that one. The day was still young and Johnny and the kids hadn't been there that long. She was sure, given time, that things would explode in a spectacular way. Though maybe, with Dare present, they would avoid that happening at all.

For a short time, there was silence as everyone tried to find new footing. Dare joining them seemed to have put a kink in the conversation. Haley wasn't sure if she was grateful for it or if she should be worried. Cassie was very much single-minded and when she got something in her head, she wouldn't let it go until she had all the answers she wanted. Haley fully expected her to take up her previous line of questioning.

"Aunt Dare, are you having problems sleeping because you're going to have a baby?" Cassie's voice was steady and even, lacking the undertones that had been present when she'd questioned Scott. But Haley was sure she was after something. Dare turned her attention toward the girl and offered a tired smile.

"Yes. She'll be here any day now and its been impossible for me to get any rest at all. Either she's playing double bass against my uterus or she's sitting on my bladder. Its a no-win situation, kiddo," Dare replied.

Cassie took a moment to absorb that information and the room once more sank into uncomfortable silence. Or maybe it was just Haley who was uncomfortable. Because she didn't know what the men in her life were going to do and she was so sure that one of them was going to ruin it. And then one of them did. Just not the one she'd been expecting to say anything really terrible.

"Is that the jerk's baby, too?" Spencer asked, voice hard and edged with malice. Haley gaped at her son. Scott blinked, trying hard to keep his thoughts to himself. And Johnny frowned. He looked as if he was on the verge of once again taking Spencer to task for his mouth. But the woman at Haley's side beat him to it.

Dare rose unsteadily to her feet and pinned Spencer with a stare that Haley was certain burned with flames. She swore she'd seen those flames flickering in Dare's gaze earlier, when they'd been talking about the possibility of Johnny throwing Haley over because of this mess. Either Spencer didn't see the warning signs or he was too pig-headed to pay heed. Haley was putting her money solely on the latter option.

"I realize that you are genetically pre-disposed to being a jackass, Spencer," Dare said, her gaze sliding off to where Johnny stood. It was a blatant statement about where she thought the jackass came from. "But I think you might want to mind what you say because that was uncalled for and now is really not the time to say such stupid shit."

There was a touch of heat in the last of her words that saw Spencer take a step back. Maybe he realized he'd crossed some line and he felt bad about it. Or maybe he saw murder in Dare's gaze and felt like he might be the top of her list. As if satisfied she'd made Spencer aware of his mistake, Dare nodded her head. Then she turned to look at Haley. Her gaze looked slightly unfocused and possibly a little glazed. She was definitely wobbling where she stood. She offered Haley something that was supposed to be a smile. "I'm going to go find food. Maybe if I eat, she'll let me sleep. I'm sorry for intruding on family time."

Dare turned and wobbled toward the door.

"Do you need help?" Scott asked, already on his feet.

"No, thank you," she replied softly. She didn't look back at them. "You can't help me."

Those words had barely registered before Dare was out the door, closing it silently behind her. Once again, the silence hung heavy and loud in the room. Haley stared at the door, practically willing Dare to come back through because she had a bad feeling about it all.

"Shouldn't someone go after her?" Johnny asked. Haley could feel his concern through their link and it echoed her own. It echoed the concern she felt from Scott, too. "She doesn't look good. What's going on? I don't think I've ever seen Dare like this."

That was saying something, since Haley knew Johnny had seen her in the aftermath of being Victor's captive a second time. And after coming back from the dead, when she hadn't wanted to use her powers. Hell, he'd seen her after she'd come back from the dead the first time, when she'd been more than willing to use her powers.

"I'll go," Scott said, already crossing to the door. He hadn't even gotten his hand on the knob when it was turning. The door swung open and allowed Remy to step inside. His gaze slid from Scott to Johnny, then each of the kids, and finally it landed on Haley.

"I came to see if Dare awake. I made stew. She need to eat," he said, explaining his sudden arrival.

"She just left," Haley told him. "You should have passed her in the hall."

"I don' see her when I come," Remy told her. Haley's heart sank at that. She'd hoped, having convinced Dare to move into the suite, that her friend would stop avoiding the men in her life and start talking to them. Apparently she'd hoped for too much.

"Shit," Haley muttered.

Remy frowned. "You sayin' she leave just before I get here?"

"Yes. She left not even a minute before you came in, Remy," Scott confirmed.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying she disappeared before Remy arrived? How is that even possible? What the hell is happening here?" Johnny demanded. No one answered him. Haley's mind was caught in a spiral of worry because that bad feeling was back and it was pressing down on her like a boulder on her chest.

~*~

His mind was whirling with so many thoughts that he could barely concentrate on the targets laid out before him. Some where stationary and some moved in a pattern that was unpredictable and utterly random. But, for the moment, he thoughts were centered on his brief encounter with Haley and Scott not all that long ago. He'd gone down to the suite to see if Dare had woken so he could bring her some of the stew he'd made. And he'd found, much to his displeasure, that she'd managed to slip past him yet again.

He was angry about that. And hurt. He'd hoped, after their brief interaction in the suite, that she'd stopped running from him. He'd wanted to speak with her and start rebuilding their relationship. Kurt's parting words still rang in his ears. And it made sense. Hadn't Remy had the thought himself that Dare didn't quite understand the way the foursome was meant to work? If she misunderstood that, he had no problem believing she would misunderstand the relationship they'd had thrust upon them by Sinister.

And Kurt hadn't been the only one to offer advice. Summers, while they'd been putting the bed together, had suggested that Remy needed push harder where Dare was concerned so that she couldn't keep running. They were about to have a child. Dare would be going into labor any time now and she was going to need him. The minute that happened, there was no more room for her to run. And he'd pointed out that Remy needed to ensure she couldn't run. He needed to remind Dare why it was she'd fallen for him in the first place. It was the plan he was using with Haley.

A plan that looked as if it was working. It had pained him to see how close they'd been in those few minutes of rest between building the bed and putting the dresser together. Haley had stared at Scott with such love in her eyes that it hurt Remy's heart. Especially when Dare had refused to even look his way. He wasn't stupid or naïvé enough to think that it was easier for Scott and Haley. Or for Morgan and Warren. Or even for Jehnna and Sam. They would all likely have their problems. But it seemed to him that they had fewer problems with their new relationships than he had with Dare. It was frustrating and it made him mad.

Because he could see that Dare was destroying herself to keep him away. To keep herself from feeling something for him. To keep denying that he loved her. That he was in love with her. Her constant denial of his feelings, and her own, frustrated him in ways he hadn't felt since he'd been dating Rogue. And he hated it. There was nothing he could do to changed things. Breaking up with Rogue had ended his frustration with her by process of removing her from his immediate circle. He couldn't do that with Dare. She'd been in his head for too long. And she had burrowed so deep into his heart, with her big grey eyes and her fiery temper, that he would never be able to pry her out. He was enchanted by her hidden innocence as much as he was charmed by her ability to play dirty and talk dirty. She lived in every crack and crevice in his brain. She lived in the very pores in his skin.

And she stubbornly refused to see that he was in love with her. To believe that he never wanted to let her go.

Muttering a curse, he let a trio of cards fly, each one finding its own home in three different moving targets. Goddamn it, why had he fallen so deeply for her? What did he have to do to prove to her that he needed her like the air that filled his lungs and the blood that ran through his veins?

Scott and Kurt were both right. He had to make her understand the depths of his feelings. And he had to do it soon. But first... He had to work off the temper that had spiked upon discovering she'd run away once again.

He was no fool to think that proving his love to her would be easy. He knew it would be hard. And she was going to test his resolve. A lot. But he wasn't going to let her go. He hadn't let her slip away from him in the back of Creed's RV. He hadn't let her slip away from him in that other place where Sinister had kept them. He wasn't going to let her slip away from him now.

There was some instinct in his mind that said he didn't have time to waste. Something big was going to happen and it was going to happen soon. He hadn't missed the concern that layered the air in the suite. Haley had been worried and afraid. As if she sensed something bad was coming. Even Scott and Johnny had been touched by worry. Remy hadn't needed to ask, based on those feelings, how Dare had looked. He was sure she hadn't looked good.

He broke away from his thoughts in order to throw himself into a complex tumbling routine that exercised his muscles and his mind. Concentration was necessary in order to avoid hurting himself. Soon enough, he was on the other side of the Danger Room, three more cards flying toward targets one after another.

The explosions were satisfying for only the briefest of seconds. And then his mind was back to the problem at hand. Dare.

Something was wrong with her. He couldn't put his finger on what, but he was positive of the fact. The way she'd boiled water at the lake suggested that something was different. The strength of her telekinesis suggested that she'd changed. Those, on their own, weren't enough to make him worry. But her ability to block off the link they shared worried him. And the way she hid her scent so Logan couldn't track her was concerning. But the fact that she could seemingly disappear at will was the worst of all. Because that was nothing Dare had ever been able to do before. And he couldn't figure out how she was doing it now.

Another curse left him, along with more cards. These were aimed at the abandoned building behind him. The explosions were loud enough to hurt his ears. Strong enough to shake the entire room so that he rocked on his feet. And it wasn't enough to deal with the anger.

He spun into motion once again, attacking a stationary target with fists and feet. Part of him itched for the feel of his bo staff, but he'd left it in his locker and didn't feel like going after it now. The force of his blows saw the target crumbling a bit at a time, until it was little more than rubble at his feet. And it still wasn't enough.

He was starting to think that nothing would be enough to ease the anger that flooded him. Nothing short of pinning Dare down and making her tell him why she kept pushing him away. Even if it took all the charm he possessed, he would get his answers. He'd make her tell him everything. Why she hid from him. Why she denied their feelings for one another. Why she insisted that she didn't deserve him. He'd have it all from her. And then he'd tell her that she'd been afraid for nothing because he never planned on leaving her or letting her go. Not now that he'd tasted the sweet purity of her love for him. Not now that his own emotions bound him to her so securely that he felt there was nothing that could separate them.

Hadn't Morgan said something like that once before? Something about how there was no man on earth who could tear her away from Dare? Is this what she meant? He'd felt the depth of their link that one fateful night, when the three of them had made a mess of his bed. He hadn't understood it then. But now... What was it about Dare that she made the people who loved her fall so completely that it seemed there was no power on earth that could part them from her?

And there was something about her. He'd seen Logan pine after Jean for years. That had ended the moment Dare had fallen into his arms. Morgan had flittered from one person to the next. But she'd always returned to Dare. And now here he was, at the mercy of her emotions. Desperate for her in ways he hadn't been since... well, ever. He wouldn't be surprised if she lured others into her web one by one.

Frustration roared to life again. He simply could not figure it out. And, if he asked her about it, she'd laugh in his face. He knew what her response would be. She'd tell him she was nothing special. That she wasn't beautiful or pretty. She'd say those words belonged to Roxxy and Haley and Morgan. Someone had made her think so little of herself and it hurt. Because nothing he did or said made any difference. She believed it. She believed she wasn't special. She believed she wasn't pretty. She believed she wasn't beautiful. And she believed she didn't deserve him. Or his love.

"Bastards," he hissed, and sent a wide spray of cards out. He wanted to hurt the person or persons who had hurt her like that. And he wanted to kill Sinister a thousand times over for making her suffer through his cruel and inhumane treatment.

With another curse, he turned one last time and let the card he'd been holding go. It glowed with power, the pink of it leaving tracers in the air. It was headed straight for its mark. One of the targets he'd set up was directly in its path. And so was a figure he hadn't heard or seen coming in. He cursed long and loud and wished he could pull the card back.

And he watched, helpless, as it sped toward that figure.

~*~

"Dare, you need to go inside," Faye said gently, coming into existence only a few feet from the other woman. Dare sat on one of the gazebo benches, knees drawn up and arms wrapped around them. Her head rested on her knees. It had to be a terribly uncomfortable position, but she'd managed. And something about it struck Faye as terribly wrong.

She didn't like what she was seeing. She'd done her best to leave Dare to whatever thoughts occupied her brain. The hope had been that she would find a way to sort it all out. But there hadn't been any change in things where she was concerned. She'd had everyone locked out of her head for far too long and Faye shuddered to think how she was accomplishing a feat that, until now, she'd never been capable of. It was time to end this farce and put the girl back on the right path. Faye never should have let it go on this long.

"I can't," Dare responded, voice soft in the encroaching darkness. Muffled by her knees. Faye frowned at that and took a few steps closer. Her act of isolating herself had become both worrisome and tiring. She had everyone concerned and upset in equal measures. Faye knew that both Logan and Remy wanted to find some way to pin her down and ask her what was going on. Haley, on the other hand, kind of wanted to punch her in the face and see if that fixed whatever this was. Faye would never admit it, but she kind of wanted to see Haley punch her.

"Dare," Faye began again. Dare shook her head.

"I can't," she repeated. There was a little more strength in her voice. At the same time, her fingers gripped her legs tight enough that her knuckles went white. And a slight tremor ran up the arm Faye could see.

Realization hit Faye like a bolt of lightning and she stepped closer, putting a hand on Dare's back to find out if she was right. She could feel the tightness of the muscles there. Her frown deepened and she reached up to take hold of Dare's chin. And nearly let go the moment she did so. "Dare. You're cold," she whispered. Dare had never been cold. Not since she'd come into her powers. The only other time she'd been cold like this had been...

The other woman lifted her head and it took effort for her to do so. Her pallor was worrying. The dullness in her eyes was even more worrying. "I can't, Faye," she whispered.

"You're in labor. And you need to go see Henry. But you can't do it, can you? You can't stand or walk." Faye's temper fought for dominance with the worry and fear that had already taken root. A grimace of pain flashed across Dare's face and decided the outcome. Worry and fear were more important at the moment. Anger could come later. For now, she had to get Dare inside. She had to get her to the medlab.

"I can't," Dare repeated in confirmation. Her voice was still a whisper, but that didn't stop Faye from hearing the pain or the fear in it. Faye stared at her a moment, then closed her eyes. A few seconds later, they popped open and she found Dare had put her head down on her knees again.

"Right," Faye said, mostly to herself. She was gone in an instant because time was of the essence. She popped up in the middle of the Danger Room, in the middle of a scenario that looked like some kind of dystopian hellscape. She got the impression of destroyed buildings and overgrown greenery existing in the same space. And then her attention was pulled back to the here and now as a single card, glowing bright pink, slid through her a mere second before she solidified into a corporeal form. There was an explosion behind her only seconds later that spoke to how close that had been. Remy let go a string of curses that would have singed the ear hair of a hardened sailor.

"You trying to get blown up, Faye? What de hell you doin', just poppin' in like dat?" he demanded, his anger riding him. It made his voice loud and sharp. She had no doubt that it was that way because of his inability to find and talk to Dare. She ignored his minor fit and moved toward him.

"Remy, its Dare." She'd barely gotten those three words out when the anger faded and the worry took its place. Some of the color left his face because he knew it had to be serious if she was coming to him. Without asking questions, he whirled for the door. Faye followed after him.

"Where she at?" he asked. The door slid open to allow him out into the hallway.

"The gazebo," Faye replied. "She needs to go see Henry."

That stopped him in his tracks and he turned to face her. "She in labor?" he asked. The worry was tempered with hope. And maybe a hint of happiness.

"She is," Faye confirmed. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that Dare physically couldn't go on her own. But she kept it to herself. She didn't need to upset him further. Besides, there was no way Dare would be able to keep this hidden. And when it all came out... Faye actually felt sorry for her.

She waited until Remy disappeared up the hallway before focusing her attention on the woman in question. It took little thought to return to the gazebo. It had gotten darker, but that didn't stop Faye from seeing that Dare had tried to get up and leave. She was on her knees on the gazebo floor, the upper half of her body resting on the bench where she'd just been sitting. Faye went to her side and wrapped herself around her girl. "Its okay, Dare. He's coming. He's going to help you," she whispered, one hand gently stroking her hair away from her face.

"You shouldn't have gone to him," Dare said, voice a hoarse whisper.

"You need him, silly girl. Your baby needs him. And he needs you. Whether you believe him or not," she replied

"I'm scared," Dare told her.

"I know," Faye said, a soft sigh in her voice. She stroked a hand down Dare's back, offering what little comfort she could. Why did it always have to be so hard for her girl? Why did she have to suffer as she had? As she did? "I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"It isn't your job," she said, voice so faint that Faye worried over what was to come. Dare sagged in her hold, every inch of her limp against Faye's body. How long ago had she gone to get Remy? How much longer before he would reach Dare? Faye didn't want to leave her alone. Not like this. But Henry needed to be made ready to receive her. He needed to understand what had been happening.

"Dare!" Remy's voice broke the silence of the night, the single syllable of her name infused with every ounce of fear he felt. Faye glanced up to find that he was almost to the gazebo, his long legs eating the distance with frightening ease. And then he bounded up into the gazebo, his feet never touching the steps. He was on his knees beside her a moment later, hands reaching for Dare's limp form.

Faye watched as he pulled Dare up against his chest and stared down at her. "Dare? Dare, wake up!" he said, voice filled with urgency. "Come on, petit. Open you eyes.Open you eyes and look at me."

"Remy?" Her voice was rough and weak. Faye thought she saw an eyelid flutter a little before it stilled again.

"I'm here," he replied. One hand reached up to stroke her hair away from her face and Faye watched him recoil from that touch. "She's cold. What happen, Faye?"

Twin points of burning red landed on her and pinned her in place. Faye swore she could feel his anger licking against her skin, like flames eating away at dry wood. She stood and backed away, became incorporeal with the intent to go to Henry. Still, she felt his anger coating the skin she no longer wore. "Faye? You answer me."

"I'm going to go let Henry know you're bringing her to the medlab," she said in response. Then she was gone, Dare's limp form cradled in his arms while his eyes burned holes through her etched into her memory.

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