Among the Strong
Aug. 29th, 2025 02:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladydeathfaerie posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
marysuevirusTitle: Among the Strong
Chapter Forty Seven: Suspicions
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 todazzledfirestar Morgan belongs toginevra Roxxy belongs tonanaeanaven Jehnna belongs to silverfox_chan and Dare belongs to me. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from 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
“So. When are you going back to Jean?” Bobby’s question dropped into the living area of the boat house like a turd in a punch bowl. And had about the same effect. Scott shot him a look that was more than easy to read, despite the man’s ruby quartz glasses. In fact, if Bobby was a betting man, and he absolutely was, he’d be willing to say that Scott’s mouth got even flatter than it had been. Which was something of an accomplishment, because it had been pretty flat the whole time Bobby had been there.
He’d come to visit because he’d been concerned about his friend. He’d heard from a reliable source that something had gone down between Scott and Jean and that whatever it was had been so bad that Scott had moved himself out of their shared rooms and into the boat house. Not that it seemed to be common knowledge that he’d done so. Only that he and Jean had been arguing. Just one more thing for the rumor mill to spread around. And there had been a lot for the rumor mill to run on lately.
“It isn’t as simple as that, Bobby,” Scott replied, his tone stiff. And those words felt like they held a finality that had never been there before. Because of course Scott and Jean had argued. What couple didn’t argue? But the atmosphere around either one of them had never felt quite this tense and fragile before. Bobby let his gaze slide around the main room of the boat house and actually took note that there were very few personal items on display. He saw nothing that marked his life spent with Jean. No photos of them together. No photos of her alone. Nothing.
There were pictures, however, of Emilia. Just a couple of small ones. They were the only personal items that Bobby could see in the room. Everything else felt sterile and dispassionate. Much like Scott at the moment. Bobby stared at the other man a moment, brow crinkled in confusion. “But you’ve argued before And you’ve always gotten back together after.”
Scott drew an audible breath, then let it go slowly. And the look the man turned on Bobby was probably very unpleasant. But, again, his glasses hid it from view. For a moment, Bobby thought the other man would say nothing. But then he crossed his arms and leveled a stare on Bobby that he used to put unruly trainees in their places. “I am not Gambit, Bobby.” There might have been a hint of exasperation in Scott’s voice.
“Jean’s moping, Scott,” Bobby persisted. He’d never seen his friends like this before and, truth be told, he was worried for them. The entire school had been in an uproar since Sinister had snatched teams left and right, then sent most of them back with members missing. And when he had sent those missing members back, the ladies from Purple Team had come back pregnant. The school had been going ape shit with the implications of the whole mess.
“Your point?” Scott asked, his voice flat. His arms were still crossed tightly over his chest, a sure sign that he was fighting his temper. And, to be honest, Bobby didn’t understand it.
“Jean never mopes,” Bobby returned. As if that should explain the entire conversation.
“Jean never mopes in public,” Scott corrected. “Moping is nothing new to her when she doesn’t get to have her way. And I’m not charitable enough to give it to her this time. Nor am I stupid enough.”
Bobby frowned. Scott acted like something so terrible had happened between the two of them that there was no way to salvage their marriage. And that just didn’t seem like Scott. Or Jean. They’d always been deeply in love. So happily in love. This was just… unsettling. “What does that even mean?” Bobby asked. He was sure his confusion showed on his face. “You guys have always worked things out before. Why is this time different?”
Scott’s lips pressed even thinner than before. Bobby hadn’t thought it possible. But there it was. “It means that Jean destroyed my trust in her. And in what our relationship means to her. To me. She did something for which I can’t forgive her. Not now and maybe not ever. And at this point, I’m not even sure if I have it in me to try.”
Bobby frowned. That sounded terrible final. He hated to think that two of his good friends were unable to salvage a relationship they’d cultivated for years. There was a part of him that wanted to help them fix it. But he didn’t know what the problem was. And that made it hard to help. Unless… “Does this have something to do with the rumors?” Bobby asked, trying to puzzle the whole mess out.
“There are always rumors running wild in this place, Bobby. You’d have to be a little more specific than that,” Scott replied dryly.
There was almost a challenge in Scott’s words. One Bobby considered ignoring. But it wasn’t in his nature to avoid things like that. Especially not when it concerned the happiness of his friends. So he drew a breath and pulled his courage around him. Because Scott could get really fucking scary when he wanted to. And Bobby had no doubt this conversation was pushing his friend ever closer toward scary. “The rumors about you and Haley. Does this have something to do with those rumors?”
“I suppose that depends on which rumors you mean. There are so many of them floating around about Haley and I at the moment.”
That comment caught Bobby off guard. It probably shouldn’t have. Because Scott rarely missed such things. But Bobby was still surprised that Scott knew there were all kinds of rumors running rampant about he and Haley. “The one about how you’re leaving Jean for her.”
“Ah,” was the response. Scott shook his head and turned to look out the window at the lake just beyond the glass. There was a soft huff of sound that might have been a sigh. Or it could have been a laugh. Bobby didn’t know exactly what it was. But Scott shook his head and turned his attention back to his guest. “I am not leaving Jean for Haley. No matter what anyone wants to claim.”
Bobby heard hints of bitterness in Scott’s statement and it made him wonder what else was going on in the man’s life. “Look, man. I’m sorry if my questions have stirred up bad feelings. I’m just concerned. About you. About Jean. About what this means for the X-Men. Because… Well, I’ve heard that Purple Team might not survive this… This whatever it is.”
That made Scott shake his head. “There are a lot of problems to contend with right now. And not just for Purple Team. The eight of us who were taken and used like breeding stock have issues to deal with before we can all really handle any missions again. The problem is, no one is trying to work on their issues. Me included. It just feels like we’ve gone from one extreme situation to another with no break in between and no ending in sight.”
Bobby nodded at that. The whole school had been in a whirlwind of activity ever since Sinister had grabbed teams, picked the ones he’d wanted to play dolls with, then sent the rest back. And those who had been sent back, himself included, had been kicking themselves ever since, wondering if there was something they could have done in order to prevent what had come to pass. Sadly, Bobby had no answers on that front. “Things have been insane lately.”
“They have. But that’s no excuse for me to let things slide as far as I have. Everyone needs therapy. And I can’t expect them to start going if I don’t lead by example. I just… I’ve been so caught up in everything that there hasn’t been time.” Scott shook his head and heaved a sigh. Summers always had been really damn good at blaming himself. Even if it wasn’t his fault.
“You need to quit blaming yourself for things beyond your control,” Bobby said. His tone was firm. Not unkind. He still felt the self-recrimination in Scott’s gaze when it landed on him.
“I’m the leader of the X-Men. All of them. And my X-Men are in shambles now. The only way to lead them out of this mess is to show them the way. And therapy is the way. I just need to put my words into actions.”
“That may be. But you didn’t mind fuck them, Scott. That’s all on Sinister. And don’t think I haven’t seen what its doing to you. To all of them. I see it daily. The fact that no one has imploded yet is a miracle. Cut yourself some slack,” Bobby snapped at him. Scott’s worst trait was his ability to martyr himself, no matter who was actually at fault.
Scott’s snort pulled Bobby away from his thoughts. But the man wasn’t looking at him. He was one more staring out the window. And, even with the glasses, Bobby thought maybe he was staring at things only he could see. Then he sighed and shook his head again. And his attention came back to where Bobby sat.
“Maybe that’s what this break is for,” Scott said softly. There was contemplation in his voice. “Maybe this is the push I need to do what I should have been doing from day one.”
“What’s that?” Bobby asked, curious.
“Therapy,” Scott responded. “I need to put my life back together. Too much has been thrown off balance lately. And the only way to find that balance back is to actively look for it. And maybe, if the others see that I’m making the effort, they’ll do the same.”
Bobby considered that a moment or two. The idea had merits. It gave Bobby a shot of hope for his friend. “Then you could maybe talk to Jean and fix whatever went wrong between the two of you.”
A slow shake of Scott’s head was the answer to that. Bobby saw his hope deflating in his chest. “I’m pretty sure therapy can’t fix what’s wrong between Jean and I, Bobby. I realize this is hard and you don’t really know what’s going on. But I am fairly certain that there won’t be another chance with Jean. She’s burned that bridge. It hurts, but I can accept it. Now its time to focus on me and my life. What comes next.”
There may have been a wistful look on his face when he said that. Bobby wondered what that look was for. “So you’re just going to give up on a decade or more of your life?”
Scott offered Bobby a smile that was less pained and more appreciative.”I know this is hard to understand, Bobby. And I get that its sudden. I’m sure this whole mess has left you, and many of the others, confused. And I really appreciate that you’re concerned about me. You’ve always been a good friend. But things change. People change. And sometimes, some thing that seemed amazing and special and wonderful, loses its appeal. The shine rubs off. That doesn’t change the shine that was there. I’m not going to lock away the memories of my time with Jean. I’m just moving on to a new phase in my life. One that, for the foreseeable future, does not include Jean. Maybe that will change at a later date. Maybe it won’t. But I need to work on me before I can even consider if there’s still an us.”
Bobby nodded at that. It made sense. He just hated to see his friends so at odds. Of course, he didn’t know all the reasons behind Scott and Jean’s split. There were so many more rumors that it had to do with Haley than the one he’d mentioned. And Scott seemed sincere in the notion that it had more to do with him than with Haley. But Bobby wasn’t so sure about that. Then again, most people hadn’t seen Haley around the school in the past week or so that Scott had been living his bachelor’s life out here in the boat house, so who knew if there was really any truth to the rumors at all.
So Bobby supposed he’d have to accept that this split was nothing to do with Scott’s relationship with Haley. Or with the baby he’d had with her. That it was everything to do with Scott feeling the need for personal growth. For now. But he wasn’t going to put the idea completely out of his head. Because he was left with so many questions.
“Okay, Scott. I understand. I imagine there’s a lot of stuff to deal with after being held captive by Sinister the way you were,” Bobby said, his gaze intent on Scott’s face.
“Thank you for understanding,” Scott replied.
“But what are you going to do about Haley? And what about Emilia?” Bobby questioned, pinning Scott with a stare that said he wouldn’t let the man side step the issue. “Where does all this leave them?”
Scott responded with a heavy sigh that told Bobby this was going to be a long, long conversation.
~*~*~*~*~
“Holy shit! She’s so fucking tiny!” Duke’s exclamation was made with a lot of awe in his voice. He was presently holding Petra and staring at her like he’d never seen a baby before. Petra was wide awake and staring up at him with eyes that spoke loudly as to who her father was. The last time Duke had been looking into eyes like that, there’d been a huge pissing match going on. One that he’d won simply because he’d known shit that Logan and Remy hadn’t.
“Duke!” Ghost admonished lightly, drawing his attention her way. She was presently staring down at Emilia, who had one tiny fist wrapped around the finger Ghost had stroked across the little one’s cheek. Haley was watching the whole scene with a critical, unwavering eye that Duke found interesting. There was a story there. He was sure of it. “You can’t talk like that in front of the babies! They’re… babies!”
For a moment, Duke was too taken by the way Ghost stared so intently at Emilia to pay attention to what she’d said. As long as he’d known her, Ghost had been shy and reserved. She didn’t latch on to people as easily as Duke or the others did. But such was the way for some of the people who found themselves on the streets. Seeing her practically moon over Emilia, though, was odd. Because it was such an unusual thing to have happen. And then the tone of Ghost’s voice made it through the amazement and he felt himself flush.
“Shit,” he said, then flushed even harder. “Oops. I didn’t mean to swear in front of the babies. They’re just so fucking tiny and so fucking cute!”
He heard Dare chuckle. Haley smiled and turned a bright green gaze his way. “Don’t worry about it. They’ll no doubt learn to swear from one of us. Or their fathers.”
“Then Petra will be swearing in French,” Dare commented. It was meant to sound like a light-hearted edition to the conversation. But Duke wasn’t convinced. There was something slightly off about Dare’s voice. As if she was saying what was expected, even though doing so hurt her. Duke turned a look her way, but Petra cooed and drew his gaze back toward her tiny little face.
“Haley?” Ghost’s voice came soft and hesitant. All attention in the room turned to where she sat. She was staring at Haley wistfully. Hopefully. And Duke knew they’d found Ghost’s weakness. “Can I… Would it be okay if I held Emilia?” The question was as hesitant as Duke had ever heard from Ghost. And he didn’t miss the way Dare’s gaze shifted to Haley, her attention kind of intense.
For a moment, he swore Haley was going to say no. There was something akin to… panic in her eyes for a moment. Then it was gone and she seemed to relax back into the chair. And the smile that broke across her face was kind of like the sun coming out. The atmosphere in the room had felt sort of oppressive when he’d walked in. Haley’s agreement, her smile, was like having the clouds move off so the sun could shine down on them. “I think Emilia would like that,” Haley answered softly. It was the softness of a mother’s love. The tenderness of that love.
He watched as Haley reached toward the seat or whatever it was that Emilia was in and carefully undid the strap that held the little girl in place. Then she was picking her daughter up in order to settle her into Ghost’s arms. It struck Duke as strange that Ghost made a perfect cradle of her arms without Haley having to instruct her on how to do so. Maybe it was instinct or maybe she’d been around babies before ending up on the streets.. There was awe on her face. Amazement in her eyes. Then she was cradling that tiny body against her own, her head tipped forward so she could stare down into that tiny face. It was,,, the softest Duke had ever seen Ghost get.
“She’s precious,” Ghost whispered.
Duke didn’t miss the look that passed between Dare and Haley. It spoke volumes, a story that Duke couldn’t figure out how to read. He didn’t know if it had to do with Ghost or if there was some other reason for the look. Then Haley was turning to the younger woman with a smile. “Thank you. I think she likes you. She fusses when she doesn’t like someone.”
“Babies know,” Ghost replied.
Again, there was a look shared between Haley and Dare. And Duke found his curiosity definitely piqued. He wanted to know what was going on. Because there was very absolutely something going on. But asking them now wasn’t the time. He suspected he wouldn’t get an answer. And he was still trying to get a handle on the weird vibe that he’d noticed when they’d walked into the room earlier.
He let his gaze slide from Ghost and Emilia to the baby he held. Petra was still staring at him as if she was trying to figure him out. Maybe she was. Who could tell with a baby? It was obvious by looking at her just which bits and pieces she’d gotten from her parents. Her eyes were more than obviously her father’s. The shape of her eyes, though, were like Dare’s. And her skin had the same paleness that her mother’s did. Petra’s chin was her father’s, too. Her mouth came from her mother, as did her tiny little nose. He could see, even now in the soft chubbiness of her baby’s face, the face of the woman she would grow to be. For a moment, he had a flash of something akin to fear.
How would such a sweet, innocent little baby become the cold-blooded creature he’d met that day in the desert?
“What the hell is this thing?” Fog’s voice broke across Duke’s thoughts. It saw him glancing up to find Fog was standing by the wall, next to a small rectangle with a pair of square buttons on it. They looked as if they lit up, but were both dark at the moment. Another look showed the faint outline of a circle against that section of wall, which was suspiciously bare of any of the ornamentation that seemed to dominate the rest of the room.
“Its a portal,” Haley replied. Her voice was mostly, suspiciously empty. Save for a tiny hint of sadness Duke could hear at the very back of her words.
Fog’s head came up and he turned to stare expectantly at Haley. “A portal? To where? Another dimension?”
“No. Nothing quite that cool,” Haley replied. The sadness was still there, but it was buried under a faint touch of amusement. “It leads to the Baxter Building.”
Fog’s eyes got wide as saucers. “The Baxter Building? As in the Baxter Building where the Fantastic Four live?”
Haley nodded. The smile she wore faded. Just a little. “Yes. That Baxter Building. Its tech created by Reed so that my kids can come visit me when they want to.”
Duke noticed that she hadn’t included her husband in that statement. And he noticed that the sadness was back again, a little stronger this time. That answered some of his unasked questions. But he felt there was more to it than her missing husband. In fact, he’d noticed that he hadn’t seen a hint of Summers since he and the others had arrived for their visit. That thought saw him frowning because it made him wonder just what the fuck was going on with the men around her. First the two idiots in Dare’s life. Now the ones in Haley’s. He was starting to think that he’d have to go troll and bust some heads.
“That is wicked cool!” Fog said, his excitement getting the better of him. It made Duke smile. The other man had been intrigued by tech as long as Duke had known him and that didn’t appear to be changing any time soon. “Can you show me how it works?”
It was an innocent question, the kind that got asked by a kid who wanted to know everything about everything. But Duke saw the look that came to Haley’s face. The one that spoke to her sadness. The one that said her husband was being an idiot. And he got it. This was a lot of shit to deal with. To accept and come to terms with. But it was just as hard for Haley as it was for her husband. And she needed someone to support her. Someone other than another victim.
“Chill, dude,” Null responded softly. Fog looked at Null curiously. Duke didn’t see the look Null sent back, but whatever it was had Fog turning to look at Haley. And then Fog looked slightly abashed by his inconsiderate actions.
“I mean, when you have time. Can you show me how it works when you have some time?” Fog made the addition. It saw Haley nodding. While the sadness didn’t go away, it did seem to fade just a bit. Duke couldn’t be sure if that was a genuine reaction or if she was pushing it down so that no one saw it.
“Of course,” Haley replied. The smile that came with her answer didn’t feel quite natural.
“Dude. You know how a fucking portal works,” Null interjected. “Why do you need a demonstration?”
“Because its cool tech. I want to know how that tech works.”
Null frowned. He’d been mostly silent since they’d gotten there, though he’d greeted Haley and Dare pleasantly enough when they’d arrived. And he’d shown the appropriate amount of awe and all when he’d laid eyes on the babies. But now he was defensive and almost cranky. Duke thought he knew why.
“It probably works the same way a magic portal does. Just using technology instead of magic. No doubt its a headache, no matter how it works.”
“Just because you’re sensitive to a magic portal isn’t any reason to try and kill my joy,” Fog returned. That statement saw Haley and Dare glance toward where Null was sitting on the couch.
“You’re sensitive to portals?” Haley questioned. There might have been a hint of life in her voice, as if she was genuinely interested in the answer. Her attention saw Null shrug, his cheeks taking on a faintly pink hue. His reaction might have been funny if he hadn’t spent years on the streets, hiding who and what he was.
“If its magic, I can sense it,” Null told her.
“He did sense the portal that opened in the desert,” Dare replied, her tone thoughtful.
Fog turned to look at them then. His interest in the portal on the wall seemed to have faded for the moment. His gaze was on Dare, and it was intense. “He did more than that. He sensed the portals that opened here on the school’s grounds when you five came back. He’s the reason we knew that Sinister had returned you.”
Dare’s gaze, filled with a smattering of curiosity, swung toward Null. “You sensed our return?” she asked the other man softly. Null flushed again, more pink touching his cheeks in response to the regard focused on him.
“Yeah. Every time Sinister opened a portal, I felt it. I had one hell of a headache after you all came back. The magic used was … a lot.” Null shook his head and offered Dare a faintly pained smile. “I want you to know that I’d do it all over again if I had to. Headache be damned. Finding you and getting you back was more important than how much my head pounded at the end of it all. And if I could have done anything to prevent everything from happening, I would have gladly taken the headache or whatever pain there was that came with it. Just to ensure that nothing bad happened to you or your friends.”
Duke turned to look at Dare and was mildly surprised to find a genuine look of gratitude and surprise there. It was completely out of line with the expressions he’d seen on her face since they’d stepped through the door and it only served to enforce the idea that there wasn’t something quite right going on at the school. He wondered if he was going to have to hunt up some idiots and beat their fucking skulls in because it kind of seemed like the last discussion he’d had with them hadn’t really done any good.
Conversation carried on around him as Duke considered the things he’d seen so far. And what he hadn’t seen. Both Haley and Dare were engaged in the conversing when they were required to do so. But neither of them were making any effort to start a conversation. And though he saw smiles, something about their smiles felt off. Both women seemed to have stiff expressions. As if they were only going through the motions. The only time either of their expressions seemed normal was when they turned their attention to their infant daughters. Then he saw life in their faces, in their eyes, that hadn’t been there before.
Something fucking strange was afoot at the Circle K. And he was going to fucking find out what it was. Come hell or high water.
~*~*~*~*~
“Deirdre.” The name, said in that no-nonsense tone of voice, brought Dee’s face up until she stared her mother in the face. She could see concern in the expression her mother wore, along with touches of impatience. Dee realized that her mum must have been calling to her for a while. “You’ve been staring a hole in the floor for the past ten minutes. Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you and we’ll see if I can help you find a solution?” The last of that statement was made with a touch of a smile on her mother’s face and a gentleness in her eyes that was always there when Dee found herself saddled with a problem.
And, boy, was she saddled with a big one now.
Dee let go a sigh and straightened her shoulders. She wasn’t sure how to broach this subject. She knew well her mother’s temper and how volatile it was at the best of times. But the past weeks had seen her teetering on the edge of some chasm and Dee was afraid her problem was all that was needed to send her mother going over the edge and off into the deep end. But she also knew, from experience, that her mother wasn’t going to let her be until she got everything off her chest. Which left her conflicted.
“Deirdre,” Dare said again. This time, there was that warning note Dee had come to recognize in her mother’s voice. It meant stuff was about to get real, and fast. And it was in Dee’s best interests to just tell her what was going on before she got any madder than she was.
Dee knew there was something off with her mum. There had been since she’d come back from where ever it was that Sinister had kept her. But that something off had gotten worse in the past few days. Ever since Purple Team had gotten together to talk. Or whatever. Dee was sure it hadn’t really been talking. She just wasn’t sure what it actually had been. Other than t had left the air around her mum and her aunts feeling thinner. More brittle. As if it would take very little effort to shatter the ties that held them together. Dee didn’t like that idea.
Purple Team had existed before she’d been born. And it had been a thing of passion for her mum. Something that had helped keep her personal demons at bay. A thing that had helped strengthen the ties of family that her mum had made for herself. The team had filled a need for her mum that Dee wasn’t sure anything else could fill. And now, with things so messed up, it felt like her mum was left adrift in a sea of anger and confusion that she didn’t know how to navigate.
“Deirdre. I’m not going to ask you again,” Dare said. Her final warning. They’d gotten to this point once or twice before. Dee had learned quickly that it was better to tell her mum what was wrong than to let it go. Because the guilt trips had been legendary and Dee had no desire to take them again.
“Okay,” she replied, heaving a sigh as she searched for a way to start. “I just… don’t know where to begin.”
“The beginning is usually the best place,” Dare responded, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Dee hated that she was going to kill that smile. Her mum already had so much to deal with. Dee’s problems shouldn’t have to be piled on top of all that. She should have known that Dare would see through her, admittedly, weak attempt at keeping this hidden.
“The beginning. Why didn’t I think of that?” Dee muttered, sounding so very affronted. Her mum chuckled softly. The sound pierced Dee to the soul. She’d come to the suite to visit her mother and her baby sister. To try and make her mum smile. To try and make her realize that things weren’t as dire as she thought they were. Dee didn’t know what made her feel she had to do it. But the feeling had been there all the same, digging deep into her brain until she thought it could consume her if she didn’t deal with it.
Dee was going to ruin everything with what she had to tell her.
She hadn’t realized she’d spaced out again until the couch dipped beside her and her mother’s arm slid around her shoulder. Dare pulled Dee into her side and hugged her close with that one arm. “Its so hard to grow up. Isn’t it, poppet? I remember when I was caught between still being a child and just resting on the cusp of adulthood. I know it isn’t easy. Tell me what troubles you, my girl. Let me help you.”
There was so much tenderness and love in her mum’s voice. It was almost enough to make Dee cry. Because this was who her mum was meant to be. Someone soft and caring, filled with love and happiness. Not the angry, beaten down woman that she was now. And Dee was only going to add to that.
Dee heaved a sigh and looked up at her mother. “You know Aunt Roxxy has been helping me with my powers, right?”
“Of course,” Dare nodded. Her eyes held a mix of understanding, pride, and sadness. For a moment, Dee didn’t understand that. And then she realized that her mum had wanted to be the one to help her learn how to control her powers. Only Dee had gone and developed powers her mother didn’t have and never would. “Roxxy says you’re doing a great job at learning control. She says you’re getting better every day.”
That was news to Dee. She thought she sucked at controlling the visions. They still came when they wanted and took her where they pleased. All she could do is try to hold on to the here and now so that she didn’t get lost in the when and then. More often than not, she only just managed to do that. “I think Aunt Roxxy is sugar-coating things, Mum. I’m not that good.”
“You need to remember that Roxxy has memories of me to compare you to. I have no doubt that you’re doing a good job. Roxxy wouldn’t lie about that. I had absolutely no control over my abilities until I was an adult,” Dare reminded her. Dee had heard stories about how terrible her mother’s control had been. She’d even heard whispers of a Danger Room session that had resulted in a situation that could have been so much worse. There was a joke among some of her peers that it had been a hairless experience for her father. “Now. Tell me what this is about, poppet. You’ve been brooding since you came through the door. The only one in the whole school who broods more is Summers.”
Somehow, her mother managed to make that sound like a horrible thing. And it brought bright laughter bubbling up Dee’s throat. “Uncle Scott doesn’t brood. He worries. About everyone,” Dee told her. “Including you.”
That statement saw her mother’s smile going flat and the light slid out of her eyes. “Summers would do well to put his worry where it belongs. But we are not talking about who Summers is and isn’t worried about. We’re talking about you, poppet. You are brooding and that makes me worried. Tell me what troubles you, love. I’ll do what I can to help.”
“Okay,” Dee replied. She put aside the topic of Uncle Scott and his worry because she knew it made her mother uncomfortable. And she returned her focus to the matter at hand. “During one of my sessions with Aunt Roxxy, we decided that maybe I was having visions in my sleep. And she thought I should tell Da what was going on, because I guess I looked bad or something.”
“Your Aunt Roxxy is wise beyond her years. You absolutely should have told your Da if something was wrong,” Dare responded evenly. Dee glanced at her, a frown on her face.
“But you were still mostly unconscious and Da was so worried about you. I didn’t want to worry him even more. Plus, I didn’t know what was going on. For all I knew, I was just having nightmares I couldn’t remember. I woke up a couple times with a dry throat. And these dreams or visions or whatever came with a sense of dread. So Aunt Roxxy thought maybe I should start recording my sleep.”
“Again. Your Aunt Roxxy is a wise, wise woman,” her mother replied.
“So are you,” Dee replied, squeezing her mother tight in her hold. Dare’s free hand came up to card softly through Dee’s hair, the touch gentle and soothing.
“Smooth talk will not get you out of answering my questions. So out with it, girl,” Dare said, only a faint hint of authority in her voice. Mostly, it was understanding and tenderness. It had always been understanding and tenderness. Her mum had never raised her voice and yelled.
“Fine,” Dee replied. She picked her words carefully, because she knew how this was going to sound. And she reached into her pocket. The tape she’d tucked into it before coming down to visit her mother rattled slightly as she withdrew it. It rattled when she pressed it into her mother’s hand. “Uncle Henry found a tape recorder that could be triggered by speech. So he helped set it up for me. And he provided the tapes. Because Aunt Roxxy had asked him for them. He showed me how to work it and everything. And mostly, its been recording dreams. Nothing special. Nothing to inspire dread or whatever.”
“And this tape?” her mother asked quietly.
“It got recorded last night. And I listened to it this morning.” Dee looked up at her mother and frowned. One finger reached out to trace one of the holes in the tape. “I… I think it was a vision. It sounds like a vision. But I don’t remember having it. And I’m not entirely sure what it means. But its…”
“Deirdre,” Dare said her name again and Dee’s words fell silent. “You do know what it means. Or you wouldn’t be bringing it to me. What did you hear?”
Dee shook her head. She didn’t even want to put it into words. What she wanted was to take the tape back and burn it. Forget she’d recorded it. But she couldn’t. Her mother wouldn’t let that happen. And Mum was right. She knew what it meant, even if she didn’t want to admit it. She just didn’t want to make trouble. And that tape… It was definitely trouble.
“Someone in the school has been doing something really bad for a long time,” Dee whispered. “Hypothetically. I don’t know for certain if what I’m saying is what’s happening. But its… Its a really bad thing. And I didn’t know who else to talk to about this. And you have to promise me you won’t do anything!”
For some reason, it felt like it was important that her mother promise she wouldn’t do anything.
“I can’t make a promise like that, Dee. If someone has been doing something bad, you’re making it my problem by having me listen to this tape. And that means I can’t let it go on. You know this. That’s why you brought me the tape.” Her mother’s voice was not unkind. But there was a finality in it that Dee recognized. She nodded, feeling conflicted and miserable. Was she really going to be that person?
“I know, Mum. I know,” Dee responded. Then she threw her arms around her mother and hugged her so tight that her arms ached with the effort. “But I’m scared what this will do to you.”
Her words were ominous. Dee wished she’d never spoken them even as they dropped into the room and filled it past comfortable. They tolled out like some kind of a death knell and sent a shiver of fear running up and down her spine.
Chapter Forty Seven: Suspicions
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
dazzledfirestar Morgan belongs toginevra Roxxy belongs tonanaeanaven Jehnna belongs to silverfox_chan and Dare belongs to me. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from 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
“So. When are you going back to Jean?” Bobby’s question dropped into the living area of the boat house like a turd in a punch bowl. And had about the same effect. Scott shot him a look that was more than easy to read, despite the man’s ruby quartz glasses. In fact, if Bobby was a betting man, and he absolutely was, he’d be willing to say that Scott’s mouth got even flatter than it had been. Which was something of an accomplishment, because it had been pretty flat the whole time Bobby had been there.
He’d come to visit because he’d been concerned about his friend. He’d heard from a reliable source that something had gone down between Scott and Jean and that whatever it was had been so bad that Scott had moved himself out of their shared rooms and into the boat house. Not that it seemed to be common knowledge that he’d done so. Only that he and Jean had been arguing. Just one more thing for the rumor mill to spread around. And there had been a lot for the rumor mill to run on lately.
“It isn’t as simple as that, Bobby,” Scott replied, his tone stiff. And those words felt like they held a finality that had never been there before. Because of course Scott and Jean had argued. What couple didn’t argue? But the atmosphere around either one of them had never felt quite this tense and fragile before. Bobby let his gaze slide around the main room of the boat house and actually took note that there were very few personal items on display. He saw nothing that marked his life spent with Jean. No photos of them together. No photos of her alone. Nothing.
There were pictures, however, of Emilia. Just a couple of small ones. They were the only personal items that Bobby could see in the room. Everything else felt sterile and dispassionate. Much like Scott at the moment. Bobby stared at the other man a moment, brow crinkled in confusion. “But you’ve argued before And you’ve always gotten back together after.”
Scott drew an audible breath, then let it go slowly. And the look the man turned on Bobby was probably very unpleasant. But, again, his glasses hid it from view. For a moment, Bobby thought the other man would say nothing. But then he crossed his arms and leveled a stare on Bobby that he used to put unruly trainees in their places. “I am not Gambit, Bobby.” There might have been a hint of exasperation in Scott’s voice.
“Jean’s moping, Scott,” Bobby persisted. He’d never seen his friends like this before and, truth be told, he was worried for them. The entire school had been in an uproar since Sinister had snatched teams left and right, then sent most of them back with members missing. And when he had sent those missing members back, the ladies from Purple Team had come back pregnant. The school had been going ape shit with the implications of the whole mess.
“Your point?” Scott asked, his voice flat. His arms were still crossed tightly over his chest, a sure sign that he was fighting his temper. And, to be honest, Bobby didn’t understand it.
“Jean never mopes,” Bobby returned. As if that should explain the entire conversation.
“Jean never mopes in public,” Scott corrected. “Moping is nothing new to her when she doesn’t get to have her way. And I’m not charitable enough to give it to her this time. Nor am I stupid enough.”
Bobby frowned. Scott acted like something so terrible had happened between the two of them that there was no way to salvage their marriage. And that just didn’t seem like Scott. Or Jean. They’d always been deeply in love. So happily in love. This was just… unsettling. “What does that even mean?” Bobby asked. He was sure his confusion showed on his face. “You guys have always worked things out before. Why is this time different?”
Scott’s lips pressed even thinner than before. Bobby hadn’t thought it possible. But there it was. “It means that Jean destroyed my trust in her. And in what our relationship means to her. To me. She did something for which I can’t forgive her. Not now and maybe not ever. And at this point, I’m not even sure if I have it in me to try.”
Bobby frowned. That sounded terrible final. He hated to think that two of his good friends were unable to salvage a relationship they’d cultivated for years. There was a part of him that wanted to help them fix it. But he didn’t know what the problem was. And that made it hard to help. Unless… “Does this have something to do with the rumors?” Bobby asked, trying to puzzle the whole mess out.
“There are always rumors running wild in this place, Bobby. You’d have to be a little more specific than that,” Scott replied dryly.
There was almost a challenge in Scott’s words. One Bobby considered ignoring. But it wasn’t in his nature to avoid things like that. Especially not when it concerned the happiness of his friends. So he drew a breath and pulled his courage around him. Because Scott could get really fucking scary when he wanted to. And Bobby had no doubt this conversation was pushing his friend ever closer toward scary. “The rumors about you and Haley. Does this have something to do with those rumors?”
“I suppose that depends on which rumors you mean. There are so many of them floating around about Haley and I at the moment.”
That comment caught Bobby off guard. It probably shouldn’t have. Because Scott rarely missed such things. But Bobby was still surprised that Scott knew there were all kinds of rumors running rampant about he and Haley. “The one about how you’re leaving Jean for her.”
“Ah,” was the response. Scott shook his head and turned to look out the window at the lake just beyond the glass. There was a soft huff of sound that might have been a sigh. Or it could have been a laugh. Bobby didn’t know exactly what it was. But Scott shook his head and turned his attention back to his guest. “I am not leaving Jean for Haley. No matter what anyone wants to claim.”
Bobby heard hints of bitterness in Scott’s statement and it made him wonder what else was going on in the man’s life. “Look, man. I’m sorry if my questions have stirred up bad feelings. I’m just concerned. About you. About Jean. About what this means for the X-Men. Because… Well, I’ve heard that Purple Team might not survive this… This whatever it is.”
That made Scott shake his head. “There are a lot of problems to contend with right now. And not just for Purple Team. The eight of us who were taken and used like breeding stock have issues to deal with before we can all really handle any missions again. The problem is, no one is trying to work on their issues. Me included. It just feels like we’ve gone from one extreme situation to another with no break in between and no ending in sight.”
Bobby nodded at that. The whole school had been in a whirlwind of activity ever since Sinister had grabbed teams, picked the ones he’d wanted to play dolls with, then sent the rest back. And those who had been sent back, himself included, had been kicking themselves ever since, wondering if there was something they could have done in order to prevent what had come to pass. Sadly, Bobby had no answers on that front. “Things have been insane lately.”
“They have. But that’s no excuse for me to let things slide as far as I have. Everyone needs therapy. And I can’t expect them to start going if I don’t lead by example. I just… I’ve been so caught up in everything that there hasn’t been time.” Scott shook his head and heaved a sigh. Summers always had been really damn good at blaming himself. Even if it wasn’t his fault.
“You need to quit blaming yourself for things beyond your control,” Bobby said. His tone was firm. Not unkind. He still felt the self-recrimination in Scott’s gaze when it landed on him.
“I’m the leader of the X-Men. All of them. And my X-Men are in shambles now. The only way to lead them out of this mess is to show them the way. And therapy is the way. I just need to put my words into actions.”
“That may be. But you didn’t mind fuck them, Scott. That’s all on Sinister. And don’t think I haven’t seen what its doing to you. To all of them. I see it daily. The fact that no one has imploded yet is a miracle. Cut yourself some slack,” Bobby snapped at him. Scott’s worst trait was his ability to martyr himself, no matter who was actually at fault.
Scott’s snort pulled Bobby away from his thoughts. But the man wasn’t looking at him. He was one more staring out the window. And, even with the glasses, Bobby thought maybe he was staring at things only he could see. Then he sighed and shook his head again. And his attention came back to where Bobby sat.
“Maybe that’s what this break is for,” Scott said softly. There was contemplation in his voice. “Maybe this is the push I need to do what I should have been doing from day one.”
“What’s that?” Bobby asked, curious.
“Therapy,” Scott responded. “I need to put my life back together. Too much has been thrown off balance lately. And the only way to find that balance back is to actively look for it. And maybe, if the others see that I’m making the effort, they’ll do the same.”
Bobby considered that a moment or two. The idea had merits. It gave Bobby a shot of hope for his friend. “Then you could maybe talk to Jean and fix whatever went wrong between the two of you.”
A slow shake of Scott’s head was the answer to that. Bobby saw his hope deflating in his chest. “I’m pretty sure therapy can’t fix what’s wrong between Jean and I, Bobby. I realize this is hard and you don’t really know what’s going on. But I am fairly certain that there won’t be another chance with Jean. She’s burned that bridge. It hurts, but I can accept it. Now its time to focus on me and my life. What comes next.”
There may have been a wistful look on his face when he said that. Bobby wondered what that look was for. “So you’re just going to give up on a decade or more of your life?”
Scott offered Bobby a smile that was less pained and more appreciative.”I know this is hard to understand, Bobby. And I get that its sudden. I’m sure this whole mess has left you, and many of the others, confused. And I really appreciate that you’re concerned about me. You’ve always been a good friend. But things change. People change. And sometimes, some thing that seemed amazing and special and wonderful, loses its appeal. The shine rubs off. That doesn’t change the shine that was there. I’m not going to lock away the memories of my time with Jean. I’m just moving on to a new phase in my life. One that, for the foreseeable future, does not include Jean. Maybe that will change at a later date. Maybe it won’t. But I need to work on me before I can even consider if there’s still an us.”
Bobby nodded at that. It made sense. He just hated to see his friends so at odds. Of course, he didn’t know all the reasons behind Scott and Jean’s split. There were so many more rumors that it had to do with Haley than the one he’d mentioned. And Scott seemed sincere in the notion that it had more to do with him than with Haley. But Bobby wasn’t so sure about that. Then again, most people hadn’t seen Haley around the school in the past week or so that Scott had been living his bachelor’s life out here in the boat house, so who knew if there was really any truth to the rumors at all.
So Bobby supposed he’d have to accept that this split was nothing to do with Scott’s relationship with Haley. Or with the baby he’d had with her. That it was everything to do with Scott feeling the need for personal growth. For now. But he wasn’t going to put the idea completely out of his head. Because he was left with so many questions.
“Okay, Scott. I understand. I imagine there’s a lot of stuff to deal with after being held captive by Sinister the way you were,” Bobby said, his gaze intent on Scott’s face.
“Thank you for understanding,” Scott replied.
“But what are you going to do about Haley? And what about Emilia?” Bobby questioned, pinning Scott with a stare that said he wouldn’t let the man side step the issue. “Where does all this leave them?”
Scott responded with a heavy sigh that told Bobby this was going to be a long, long conversation.
~*~*~*~*~
“Holy shit! She’s so fucking tiny!” Duke’s exclamation was made with a lot of awe in his voice. He was presently holding Petra and staring at her like he’d never seen a baby before. Petra was wide awake and staring up at him with eyes that spoke loudly as to who her father was. The last time Duke had been looking into eyes like that, there’d been a huge pissing match going on. One that he’d won simply because he’d known shit that Logan and Remy hadn’t.
“Duke!” Ghost admonished lightly, drawing his attention her way. She was presently staring down at Emilia, who had one tiny fist wrapped around the finger Ghost had stroked across the little one’s cheek. Haley was watching the whole scene with a critical, unwavering eye that Duke found interesting. There was a story there. He was sure of it. “You can’t talk like that in front of the babies! They’re… babies!”
For a moment, Duke was too taken by the way Ghost stared so intently at Emilia to pay attention to what she’d said. As long as he’d known her, Ghost had been shy and reserved. She didn’t latch on to people as easily as Duke or the others did. But such was the way for some of the people who found themselves on the streets. Seeing her practically moon over Emilia, though, was odd. Because it was such an unusual thing to have happen. And then the tone of Ghost’s voice made it through the amazement and he felt himself flush.
“Shit,” he said, then flushed even harder. “Oops. I didn’t mean to swear in front of the babies. They’re just so fucking tiny and so fucking cute!”
He heard Dare chuckle. Haley smiled and turned a bright green gaze his way. “Don’t worry about it. They’ll no doubt learn to swear from one of us. Or their fathers.”
“Then Petra will be swearing in French,” Dare commented. It was meant to sound like a light-hearted edition to the conversation. But Duke wasn’t convinced. There was something slightly off about Dare’s voice. As if she was saying what was expected, even though doing so hurt her. Duke turned a look her way, but Petra cooed and drew his gaze back toward her tiny little face.
“Haley?” Ghost’s voice came soft and hesitant. All attention in the room turned to where she sat. She was staring at Haley wistfully. Hopefully. And Duke knew they’d found Ghost’s weakness. “Can I… Would it be okay if I held Emilia?” The question was as hesitant as Duke had ever heard from Ghost. And he didn’t miss the way Dare’s gaze shifted to Haley, her attention kind of intense.
For a moment, he swore Haley was going to say no. There was something akin to… panic in her eyes for a moment. Then it was gone and she seemed to relax back into the chair. And the smile that broke across her face was kind of like the sun coming out. The atmosphere in the room had felt sort of oppressive when he’d walked in. Haley’s agreement, her smile, was like having the clouds move off so the sun could shine down on them. “I think Emilia would like that,” Haley answered softly. It was the softness of a mother’s love. The tenderness of that love.
He watched as Haley reached toward the seat or whatever it was that Emilia was in and carefully undid the strap that held the little girl in place. Then she was picking her daughter up in order to settle her into Ghost’s arms. It struck Duke as strange that Ghost made a perfect cradle of her arms without Haley having to instruct her on how to do so. Maybe it was instinct or maybe she’d been around babies before ending up on the streets.. There was awe on her face. Amazement in her eyes. Then she was cradling that tiny body against her own, her head tipped forward so she could stare down into that tiny face. It was,,, the softest Duke had ever seen Ghost get.
“She’s precious,” Ghost whispered.
Duke didn’t miss the look that passed between Dare and Haley. It spoke volumes, a story that Duke couldn’t figure out how to read. He didn’t know if it had to do with Ghost or if there was some other reason for the look. Then Haley was turning to the younger woman with a smile. “Thank you. I think she likes you. She fusses when she doesn’t like someone.”
“Babies know,” Ghost replied.
Again, there was a look shared between Haley and Dare. And Duke found his curiosity definitely piqued. He wanted to know what was going on. Because there was very absolutely something going on. But asking them now wasn’t the time. He suspected he wouldn’t get an answer. And he was still trying to get a handle on the weird vibe that he’d noticed when they’d walked into the room earlier.
He let his gaze slide from Ghost and Emilia to the baby he held. Petra was still staring at him as if she was trying to figure him out. Maybe she was. Who could tell with a baby? It was obvious by looking at her just which bits and pieces she’d gotten from her parents. Her eyes were more than obviously her father’s. The shape of her eyes, though, were like Dare’s. And her skin had the same paleness that her mother’s did. Petra’s chin was her father’s, too. Her mouth came from her mother, as did her tiny little nose. He could see, even now in the soft chubbiness of her baby’s face, the face of the woman she would grow to be. For a moment, he had a flash of something akin to fear.
How would such a sweet, innocent little baby become the cold-blooded creature he’d met that day in the desert?
“What the hell is this thing?” Fog’s voice broke across Duke’s thoughts. It saw him glancing up to find Fog was standing by the wall, next to a small rectangle with a pair of square buttons on it. They looked as if they lit up, but were both dark at the moment. Another look showed the faint outline of a circle against that section of wall, which was suspiciously bare of any of the ornamentation that seemed to dominate the rest of the room.
“Its a portal,” Haley replied. Her voice was mostly, suspiciously empty. Save for a tiny hint of sadness Duke could hear at the very back of her words.
Fog’s head came up and he turned to stare expectantly at Haley. “A portal? To where? Another dimension?”
“No. Nothing quite that cool,” Haley replied. The sadness was still there, but it was buried under a faint touch of amusement. “It leads to the Baxter Building.”
Fog’s eyes got wide as saucers. “The Baxter Building? As in the Baxter Building where the Fantastic Four live?”
Haley nodded. The smile she wore faded. Just a little. “Yes. That Baxter Building. Its tech created by Reed so that my kids can come visit me when they want to.”
Duke noticed that she hadn’t included her husband in that statement. And he noticed that the sadness was back again, a little stronger this time. That answered some of his unasked questions. But he felt there was more to it than her missing husband. In fact, he’d noticed that he hadn’t seen a hint of Summers since he and the others had arrived for their visit. That thought saw him frowning because it made him wonder just what the fuck was going on with the men around her. First the two idiots in Dare’s life. Now the ones in Haley’s. He was starting to think that he’d have to go troll and bust some heads.
“That is wicked cool!” Fog said, his excitement getting the better of him. It made Duke smile. The other man had been intrigued by tech as long as Duke had known him and that didn’t appear to be changing any time soon. “Can you show me how it works?”
It was an innocent question, the kind that got asked by a kid who wanted to know everything about everything. But Duke saw the look that came to Haley’s face. The one that spoke to her sadness. The one that said her husband was being an idiot. And he got it. This was a lot of shit to deal with. To accept and come to terms with. But it was just as hard for Haley as it was for her husband. And she needed someone to support her. Someone other than another victim.
“Chill, dude,” Null responded softly. Fog looked at Null curiously. Duke didn’t see the look Null sent back, but whatever it was had Fog turning to look at Haley. And then Fog looked slightly abashed by his inconsiderate actions.
“I mean, when you have time. Can you show me how it works when you have some time?” Fog made the addition. It saw Haley nodding. While the sadness didn’t go away, it did seem to fade just a bit. Duke couldn’t be sure if that was a genuine reaction or if she was pushing it down so that no one saw it.
“Of course,” Haley replied. The smile that came with her answer didn’t feel quite natural.
“Dude. You know how a fucking portal works,” Null interjected. “Why do you need a demonstration?”
“Because its cool tech. I want to know how that tech works.”
Null frowned. He’d been mostly silent since they’d gotten there, though he’d greeted Haley and Dare pleasantly enough when they’d arrived. And he’d shown the appropriate amount of awe and all when he’d laid eyes on the babies. But now he was defensive and almost cranky. Duke thought he knew why.
“It probably works the same way a magic portal does. Just using technology instead of magic. No doubt its a headache, no matter how it works.”
“Just because you’re sensitive to a magic portal isn’t any reason to try and kill my joy,” Fog returned. That statement saw Haley and Dare glance toward where Null was sitting on the couch.
“You’re sensitive to portals?” Haley questioned. There might have been a hint of life in her voice, as if she was genuinely interested in the answer. Her attention saw Null shrug, his cheeks taking on a faintly pink hue. His reaction might have been funny if he hadn’t spent years on the streets, hiding who and what he was.
“If its magic, I can sense it,” Null told her.
“He did sense the portal that opened in the desert,” Dare replied, her tone thoughtful.
Fog turned to look at them then. His interest in the portal on the wall seemed to have faded for the moment. His gaze was on Dare, and it was intense. “He did more than that. He sensed the portals that opened here on the school’s grounds when you five came back. He’s the reason we knew that Sinister had returned you.”
Dare’s gaze, filled with a smattering of curiosity, swung toward Null. “You sensed our return?” she asked the other man softly. Null flushed again, more pink touching his cheeks in response to the regard focused on him.
“Yeah. Every time Sinister opened a portal, I felt it. I had one hell of a headache after you all came back. The magic used was … a lot.” Null shook his head and offered Dare a faintly pained smile. “I want you to know that I’d do it all over again if I had to. Headache be damned. Finding you and getting you back was more important than how much my head pounded at the end of it all. And if I could have done anything to prevent everything from happening, I would have gladly taken the headache or whatever pain there was that came with it. Just to ensure that nothing bad happened to you or your friends.”
Duke turned to look at Dare and was mildly surprised to find a genuine look of gratitude and surprise there. It was completely out of line with the expressions he’d seen on her face since they’d stepped through the door and it only served to enforce the idea that there wasn’t something quite right going on at the school. He wondered if he was going to have to hunt up some idiots and beat their fucking skulls in because it kind of seemed like the last discussion he’d had with them hadn’t really done any good.
Conversation carried on around him as Duke considered the things he’d seen so far. And what he hadn’t seen. Both Haley and Dare were engaged in the conversing when they were required to do so. But neither of them were making any effort to start a conversation. And though he saw smiles, something about their smiles felt off. Both women seemed to have stiff expressions. As if they were only going through the motions. The only time either of their expressions seemed normal was when they turned their attention to their infant daughters. Then he saw life in their faces, in their eyes, that hadn’t been there before.
Something fucking strange was afoot at the Circle K. And he was going to fucking find out what it was. Come hell or high water.
~*~*~*~*~
“Deirdre.” The name, said in that no-nonsense tone of voice, brought Dee’s face up until she stared her mother in the face. She could see concern in the expression her mother wore, along with touches of impatience. Dee realized that her mum must have been calling to her for a while. “You’ve been staring a hole in the floor for the past ten minutes. Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you and we’ll see if I can help you find a solution?” The last of that statement was made with a touch of a smile on her mother’s face and a gentleness in her eyes that was always there when Dee found herself saddled with a problem.
And, boy, was she saddled with a big one now.
Dee let go a sigh and straightened her shoulders. She wasn’t sure how to broach this subject. She knew well her mother’s temper and how volatile it was at the best of times. But the past weeks had seen her teetering on the edge of some chasm and Dee was afraid her problem was all that was needed to send her mother going over the edge and off into the deep end. But she also knew, from experience, that her mother wasn’t going to let her be until she got everything off her chest. Which left her conflicted.
“Deirdre,” Dare said again. This time, there was that warning note Dee had come to recognize in her mother’s voice. It meant stuff was about to get real, and fast. And it was in Dee’s best interests to just tell her what was going on before she got any madder than she was.
Dee knew there was something off with her mum. There had been since she’d come back from where ever it was that Sinister had kept her. But that something off had gotten worse in the past few days. Ever since Purple Team had gotten together to talk. Or whatever. Dee was sure it hadn’t really been talking. She just wasn’t sure what it actually had been. Other than t had left the air around her mum and her aunts feeling thinner. More brittle. As if it would take very little effort to shatter the ties that held them together. Dee didn’t like that idea.
Purple Team had existed before she’d been born. And it had been a thing of passion for her mum. Something that had helped keep her personal demons at bay. A thing that had helped strengthen the ties of family that her mum had made for herself. The team had filled a need for her mum that Dee wasn’t sure anything else could fill. And now, with things so messed up, it felt like her mum was left adrift in a sea of anger and confusion that she didn’t know how to navigate.
“Deirdre. I’m not going to ask you again,” Dare said. Her final warning. They’d gotten to this point once or twice before. Dee had learned quickly that it was better to tell her mum what was wrong than to let it go. Because the guilt trips had been legendary and Dee had no desire to take them again.
“Okay,” she replied, heaving a sigh as she searched for a way to start. “I just… don’t know where to begin.”
“The beginning is usually the best place,” Dare responded, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Dee hated that she was going to kill that smile. Her mum already had so much to deal with. Dee’s problems shouldn’t have to be piled on top of all that. She should have known that Dare would see through her, admittedly, weak attempt at keeping this hidden.
“The beginning. Why didn’t I think of that?” Dee muttered, sounding so very affronted. Her mum chuckled softly. The sound pierced Dee to the soul. She’d come to the suite to visit her mother and her baby sister. To try and make her mum smile. To try and make her realize that things weren’t as dire as she thought they were. Dee didn’t know what made her feel she had to do it. But the feeling had been there all the same, digging deep into her brain until she thought it could consume her if she didn’t deal with it.
Dee was going to ruin everything with what she had to tell her.
She hadn’t realized she’d spaced out again until the couch dipped beside her and her mother’s arm slid around her shoulder. Dare pulled Dee into her side and hugged her close with that one arm. “Its so hard to grow up. Isn’t it, poppet? I remember when I was caught between still being a child and just resting on the cusp of adulthood. I know it isn’t easy. Tell me what troubles you, my girl. Let me help you.”
There was so much tenderness and love in her mum’s voice. It was almost enough to make Dee cry. Because this was who her mum was meant to be. Someone soft and caring, filled with love and happiness. Not the angry, beaten down woman that she was now. And Dee was only going to add to that.
Dee heaved a sigh and looked up at her mother. “You know Aunt Roxxy has been helping me with my powers, right?”
“Of course,” Dare nodded. Her eyes held a mix of understanding, pride, and sadness. For a moment, Dee didn’t understand that. And then she realized that her mum had wanted to be the one to help her learn how to control her powers. Only Dee had gone and developed powers her mother didn’t have and never would. “Roxxy says you’re doing a great job at learning control. She says you’re getting better every day.”
That was news to Dee. She thought she sucked at controlling the visions. They still came when they wanted and took her where they pleased. All she could do is try to hold on to the here and now so that she didn’t get lost in the when and then. More often than not, she only just managed to do that. “I think Aunt Roxxy is sugar-coating things, Mum. I’m not that good.”
“You need to remember that Roxxy has memories of me to compare you to. I have no doubt that you’re doing a good job. Roxxy wouldn’t lie about that. I had absolutely no control over my abilities until I was an adult,” Dare reminded her. Dee had heard stories about how terrible her mother’s control had been. She’d even heard whispers of a Danger Room session that had resulted in a situation that could have been so much worse. There was a joke among some of her peers that it had been a hairless experience for her father. “Now. Tell me what this is about, poppet. You’ve been brooding since you came through the door. The only one in the whole school who broods more is Summers.”
Somehow, her mother managed to make that sound like a horrible thing. And it brought bright laughter bubbling up Dee’s throat. “Uncle Scott doesn’t brood. He worries. About everyone,” Dee told her. “Including you.”
That statement saw her mother’s smile going flat and the light slid out of her eyes. “Summers would do well to put his worry where it belongs. But we are not talking about who Summers is and isn’t worried about. We’re talking about you, poppet. You are brooding and that makes me worried. Tell me what troubles you, love. I’ll do what I can to help.”
“Okay,” Dee replied. She put aside the topic of Uncle Scott and his worry because she knew it made her mother uncomfortable. And she returned her focus to the matter at hand. “During one of my sessions with Aunt Roxxy, we decided that maybe I was having visions in my sleep. And she thought I should tell Da what was going on, because I guess I looked bad or something.”
“Your Aunt Roxxy is wise beyond her years. You absolutely should have told your Da if something was wrong,” Dare responded evenly. Dee glanced at her, a frown on her face.
“But you were still mostly unconscious and Da was so worried about you. I didn’t want to worry him even more. Plus, I didn’t know what was going on. For all I knew, I was just having nightmares I couldn’t remember. I woke up a couple times with a dry throat. And these dreams or visions or whatever came with a sense of dread. So Aunt Roxxy thought maybe I should start recording my sleep.”
“Again. Your Aunt Roxxy is a wise, wise woman,” her mother replied.
“So are you,” Dee replied, squeezing her mother tight in her hold. Dare’s free hand came up to card softly through Dee’s hair, the touch gentle and soothing.
“Smooth talk will not get you out of answering my questions. So out with it, girl,” Dare said, only a faint hint of authority in her voice. Mostly, it was understanding and tenderness. It had always been understanding and tenderness. Her mum had never raised her voice and yelled.
“Fine,” Dee replied. She picked her words carefully, because she knew how this was going to sound. And she reached into her pocket. The tape she’d tucked into it before coming down to visit her mother rattled slightly as she withdrew it. It rattled when she pressed it into her mother’s hand. “Uncle Henry found a tape recorder that could be triggered by speech. So he helped set it up for me. And he provided the tapes. Because Aunt Roxxy had asked him for them. He showed me how to work it and everything. And mostly, its been recording dreams. Nothing special. Nothing to inspire dread or whatever.”
“And this tape?” her mother asked quietly.
“It got recorded last night. And I listened to it this morning.” Dee looked up at her mother and frowned. One finger reached out to trace one of the holes in the tape. “I… I think it was a vision. It sounds like a vision. But I don’t remember having it. And I’m not entirely sure what it means. But its…”
“Deirdre,” Dare said her name again and Dee’s words fell silent. “You do know what it means. Or you wouldn’t be bringing it to me. What did you hear?”
Dee shook her head. She didn’t even want to put it into words. What she wanted was to take the tape back and burn it. Forget she’d recorded it. But she couldn’t. Her mother wouldn’t let that happen. And Mum was right. She knew what it meant, even if she didn’t want to admit it. She just didn’t want to make trouble. And that tape… It was definitely trouble.
“Someone in the school has been doing something really bad for a long time,” Dee whispered. “Hypothetically. I don’t know for certain if what I’m saying is what’s happening. But its… Its a really bad thing. And I didn’t know who else to talk to about this. And you have to promise me you won’t do anything!”
For some reason, it felt like it was important that her mother promise she wouldn’t do anything.
“I can’t make a promise like that, Dee. If someone has been doing something bad, you’re making it my problem by having me listen to this tape. And that means I can’t let it go on. You know this. That’s why you brought me the tape.” Her mother’s voice was not unkind. But there was a finality in it that Dee recognized. She nodded, feeling conflicted and miserable. Was she really going to be that person?
“I know, Mum. I know,” Dee responded. Then she threw her arms around her mother and hugged her so tight that her arms ached with the effort. “But I’m scared what this will do to you.”
Her words were ominous. Dee wished she’d never spoken them even as they dropped into the room and filled it past comfortable. They tolled out like some kind of a death knell and sent a shiver of fear running up and down her spine.
(no subject)
Date: 2025-08-30 12:05 am (UTC)I'm really enjoying seeing more of Duke. Am I imagining things, or is he maybe on the verge of developing a thing for Ghost? Seems like she has some experience with babies too. Yes, things are weird. I hope he doesn't have to beat sense into anyone, but I'm not gonna hold my breath on that.
I'm glad to hear that Deirdre and Roxxy's sessions are going well. And I always enjoy the interactions between Dare and Dee. But damn, that was a hell of a place to end the chapter, bb. Questions and more questions and no answers in sight.
Well done, bb. I enjoyed it muchly. *smooches*
(no subject)
Date: 2025-08-31 12:29 am (UTC)i have so much love for Duke. just so much. he is so much fun. at some point, i'm going to have to delve into his history and see how he got where he is today. that should prove fun. hmmm. i don't know if he's developing feelings for Ghost or not. that will be interesting to figure out. also. good move not holding your breath. he's going to go troll and smack someone around. cos everyone is, as far as he's concerned, an idiot.
i am forever astonished by the relationship between Dee and Dare. Dare is so certain that she's a horseshit mother. but its obvious that she is. because her kids are all so well adjusted and its obvious they love her. and Dee. she just keeps becoming more and more of a person in my head. i love Dee so much and i love how she and Dare interact.
i know. and i'm sorry. but there will be answers. eventually. i think...
i'm glad you enjoyed, sweetie. thanks so much for reading!
(no subject)
Date: 2025-09-01 02:52 am (UTC)I love Dare's team so much. And like, Fog is now from Boston in my head. lol That "wicked cool" solidified it. Also I love Ghost with the babies. It's so cute and I hope we can learn about everyone more as things go on and hopefully settle down. They're so much fun.
Oooo what is Dee hearing? I know we covered her recording things before but man do I wish I could hear the tape. LOL It's good she still has her mom to help when she's lost about something and not sure how to proceed. That is the sign of a good mom!
Great work hun!
(no subject)
Date: 2025-09-02 12:03 am (UTC)her team is really kind of awesome. Duke is such a puppy dog until you get him pissed, then he's a snarling guard dog. Fog can absolutely be from Boston. i have said wicked cool for a long time so i never really thought about it as a regional thing. but that makes sense. oh, no. he and Haley getting pissed and then falling back into their natural accents... that will be frightening. i think Ghost is sweet on Emilia. and hopefully someday, we can learn more about all of them. i think they're fun, too
you know, i kind of feel bad for Dee because she didn't just start with tiny, easy visions. she got thrown so far into the deep end that its amazing she's keeping her head above water. Dare has made a point over the years to let Dee know that she's always there for her. no matter what kind of problems Dee might be having. she doesn't want Dee to grow up cloaked by the same confusion Dare dealt with. i think she made a promise to herself back when she was pregnant with Dee that she would always be there for her.
glad you liked it, sweetie. thanks for reading!