Among the Strong

[ladydeathfaerie]

Title: Among the Strong
Chapter Fifty Five: Where There is Loyalty
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

The sun had set while she’d slept, taking with it what little warmth there’d been in the air. Now that it was pitch black out, the air had turned chilly. And the steady drizzle didn’t help. So Dare was glad that Vicki had decided to take her car into the village rather than walk. She could handle being rained on and the flames kept her constantly warm So there was no risk to her being outside when it was like this. But Petra was still so small that it would be super easy for her to take a chill. So Petra was belted into the back seat of the Jaguar, safe and warm and dry. Dare rode up front with Vicki, silently taking in everything that the high beams could reach as they headed toward the village.

There wasn’t much to see. She could make out some basic shapes that she thought might be small cottages or houses, but there were no lights in the windows to tell her if she was right about that. It felt for all the world like they were the only three people left on the planet because it was so remote. At least the road they were on was paved because Petra had been sleeping when they’d loaded into the vehicle and Dare wanted that to continue as long as possible. Something told her that it was going to be a long night.

A sign came into view, a square thing made of what looked to be wood. It had been painted a bright, bloody red. The words carved upon it had been painted black and edged with white. Wytching Village seemed like an odd name to name a village or town, but Dare knew it had been named by her ancestor. Given that it had been established to offer safe haven to people who’d had Witchbreed powers, as Vicki had called them, the name made sense. She had to wonder at the intelligence behind giving it such an obvious name, but she put it aside as unimportant. The buildings they passed, hulking shapes huddled close in the darkness, were the important thing.

Lights slanted across the road as they made their way further into the village. They passed more of the dark shapes Dare thought were homes, but these had windows that were lit from inside with either candle or lamp. Some had curtains drawn over them, which muted the glow. Others were bare so that Dare could see into the building if she took a look. Her eyes were everywhere at once, staring at everything they could. The darkness made it difficult to tell one building from the next, but she suspected the ones on the outer edges were homes while the ones they were passing now were businesses and the like. She caught a glimpse of the occasional sign, naming a business. But they were brief and many of them were shrouded in darkness. It looked as if most of the businesses had closed up for the night, which made the trip into the village seem kind of odd.

A moment later, Vicki was turning the sleek car into a small lot outside a building that was lit brightly inside. It appeared to be a stone building and there was an awning running across the front and around the side. Some people stood under the awning and Dare saw the bright red cherries of lit cigarettes. When Vicki had the car parked in an empty slot, she turned to look at Dare. Even in the muted light from the building, she could see the bright smile on Vicki’s face. The subtle pleasure in her eyes. “Are you ready?” she asked.

“I… guess?” Dare responded. She didn’t know for certain because she didn’t know what she was supposed to be ready for. Vicki’s smile brightened and she made a motion to the building beyond the window.

“You’re going to like this. I promise,” her cousin said, then took the keys from the ignition and swung her door open. She climbed from the car and waited for Dare to do the same. Wondering if she should have claimed jet lag and stayed at the house, Dare undid her seat belt, then climbed from the car and moved to fetch her daughter. Petra still slumbered on, which was something of a relief for Dare. Despite the welcome she’d gotten from Vicki and her staff, Dare was still hesitant about how other people might react if they saw that Petra’s eyes weren’t normal.

“Come, come. Inside with us,” Vicki said as she took hold of Dare’s free hand and started tugging her toward the brightly lit building. Dare must have been tense because Vicki leaned in. “Relax, love. You’re amongst friends here. You’re quite safe, I assure you.”

“I’m not good with people,” Dare responded. It was as much the truth as anything else she could have said, though perhaps not the real reason she was dragging her heels. Vicki rolled her eyes and offered a smile, then they were stepping through the doors, a pair of hand-carved wooden panels with windows made of leaded and stained glass. The light shining through had painted colored shapes against Dare’s least holey t-shirt.

There had been a dull roar happening inside the building that Dare had heard coming through the doors, but silence fell fast and hard the moment she and Vicki stepped into the interior of the building. And every eye swung their way. Dare had a moment to fortify herself before the whispering started up. Which had her faltering, because she’d expected some other kind of reception. But the gathered throng was staring at her intently and the whispers were passing from one ear to the next, leaving her feeling slightly adrift. At least there hadn’t been a loud noise that woke Petra.

She’d take the wins, however minor, where she could.

“Vicki, my lass! `Tis good to see you!” A voice called out, which seemed to be some kind of cue for the rest of the people there. Greetings came fast and hard, along with broad smiles and twinkling eyes. Dare could almost feel the curiosity of each person there pressing against her. “And you lot! Haud yer wheesht! Cannae you see the wee babe?”

Dare watched as a woman of moderate height stepped out from behind the bar. Her hair was long, pulled back into a braid that had fallen over her shoulder to hang down over the dark blue of her apron. Her hair was a rich brown, lightly peppered with strands of silver. A pair of brown eyes were locked onto Dare, their gaze assessing and just shy of being uncomfortable. She wore a plain tee under her apron, along with an old pair of jeans that looked like they might be older than Dare. “Good evening, Catriona,” Vicki said to the woman as she approached them.

“And a good evening to you, Vicki,” the woman called Catriona responded, tugging Vicki into a hug that looked like it might crack bones just a bit. When she let Vicki go, she turned her dark eyes Dare’s way. “And who might your friend be?” she asked. There was interest there. And something else Dare didn’t think she could name. It sounded a little like disbelief, but that couldn’t be. Dare didn’t want to consider why that might be.

“Catriona, I would like for you to meet my cousin. Alasdare Scott. Dare, this is Catriona Peadersan. She owns The Wytching Hour.” The introduction drew forth a series of gasps that echoed around the place. Now that the shock of having so many stares turned her way had worn off, Dare could see that it was a pub. The bar she’d seen earlier should have been a give away, but she’d blame it on being someplace strange and not on her own obliviousness.

A glance around showed Dare stone walls that had been white washed so that they were bright and cheery in the low light of the sconces. Sconces that were made of wrought iron and looked as if they’d come straight from the sixteen hundreds. The windows were of more leaded glass and mullioned. There were thick wooden beams running from one side of the pub to the other, meant to support the ceiling above their heads. She found a few sports posters tacked up on one wall, but the majority of the decorations was artwork of rolling hills covered in bright green, of big stones of grey jutting up between patches of green field and groups of heather, of craggy mountains topped with snow.

The only painting that wasn’t nature-themed was a large painting hung behind the bar. It was a seascape. There were heavy clouds lurking in the background, while the ocean was roiling and waves that looked like they could sink any ship that dared sail into them. Except, it seemed, the ship that had been painting riding those dangerous waves. It was a black stain against the background of grey clouds and the white-capped waves holding it in their grasp. The artist had rendered the ship, its lines and rigging, in loving detail. Dare swore she could feel the wind blowing through her hair and the way the deck rocked back and forth beneath her feet. It was a ghostly sensation, almost like a memory. She shook it off and brought her attention back to the people staring at her like they were looking at a ghost themselves.

“I know. I look just like her,” Dare said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had settled over the pub. She stuck out the hand that wasn’t wrapped around Petra’s car seat and offered it to Catriona. The woman stared at her a moment longer, then put her hand in Dare’s and shook. Catriona had a firm grip and she held Dare’s hand long enough to not be rude, but not so long that it got weird. When she let go, her gaze dropped to the car seat and Dare saw her eyes go wide in surprise.

“Vicki! You didnae mention the bairn’s eyes!” The exclamation drew every eye, including Dare’s, to Petra, who had woken at some point and was presently staring silently at the room around her. The whispering started up again, bringing tension to Dare’s shoulders.

“I wanted you to see for yourselves,” Vicki responded.

“What are we seein’ for ourselves?” a new voice asked. The crowd parted and a woman with a head of wild, frizzy hair made her way toward them. There was an equal mix of red and grey in the woman’s hair. Her eyes were a piercing blue that seemed to shine incandescently in the light from the sconces. There were a few lines on her face to suggest she’d seen a few years but her body was lean and looked kind of wiry under her butter yellow shirt and brown pants. The woman neared where they stood, her gaze sharp on Dare’s face before dropping to stare at Petra. “By all the gods. It has been a wee while since we’ve seen eyes like that in our tiny little hamlet.”

“Morag,” Vicki dipped her head in a gesture of respect. The other woman did the same in return. “Is everyone else here?”

“Aye, lass. They’ve all taken the usual table,” Morag answered, her gaze coming back to Dare’s face. “Come along, my girl. Let’s go show ye off to the rest o’ the bunch.” A hand landed on her arm and fingers curled around it, then urged her forward when Morag moved. Dare shot a curious look to Vicki, who nodded in return. Dare held on to her sigh and allowed the woman to pull her through the staring crowd toward the back of the pub.

This was more than she had bargained for, and a part of her brain was screaming at her that she’d made the wrong choice in allowing Vicki to bring her here. The pub was open and there were far too many civilians. If Sinister came, someone would get hurt. Vicki had been nothing but kind and she didn’t want to see her cousin harmed because of her. Nor did she want any of these strangers put in harm’s way because she’d allowed herself to think that it was okay to let someone in. But she had no other place to go, unless she started running again. But something told her that if she did that, if she went on the run, she’d always be on the run. And not just from people. She’d be on the run from herself, from whatever it was she had become. Was becoming.

Because she knew that she was changing, becoming something else. And it idea scared her more than she was willing to admit.

Dare’s thoughts were put aside when Morag came to a halt before a table in the back corner. There were no windows here, nothing but walls. It felt like a defensive position. Which should have been weird, but her life had always been weird. So Dare let it go and gave her attention to the four women who had taken up the table for themselves.

Morag motioned with her free hand to the table. “Abigail MacPhearson.” she said. Abigail MacPhearson was a thin woman in the corner. It was obvious she was taller than the others because she sort of towered over them even sitting down. She sat straight and tall and wore a stern look on her face. Hazel eyes stared at her almost dispassionately and her iron grey hair had been pulled back into a severe bun. It only served to make her face look less welcoming. She gave Dare a quick once over and offered up what might have been smile. But it was hard to tell with the lack of warmth touching her eyes.

“Felicity Douglas.” The next woman was short and slightly rounded. She had a riot of curly hair topping her head and it was pure white. Round, wire-framed glasses rested on the bridge of her nose, making her green eyes look slightly bigger than they were. She wore a pleasant smile as she looked at Dare and she wore a pastel orange top that could have been a shirt or the bodice of a dress.

“Effie Q Stewart.” The hand motioned to a third woman with pepto pink hair and an infectious smile. Blue eyes watched Dare closely, her cheeks dimpled up. She was wearing some kind of floral print that Dare felt certain was a dress, while a pair of black plastic glasses rested against her chest. She had them suspended from one of those cords that kept a person from losing their glasses. Effie even lifted a hand and gave a little finger wave of welcome, which did a lot to set Dare at ease.

“And the last member of our group, Willemina Munro.” The woman that was motioned to met Dare’s stare with one of her own. Her eyes were hazel, the flecks of gold and green softening the brown into something more like a dark honey. Hair that had once been blonde was going white, leaving it looking platinum blonde with traces of gold in it. She had it pulled back into a pony tail while a fringe of bangs brushed her forehead at eyebrow level. She was a pale woman, despite the light dusting of makeup she’d applied at some point during the day. She was clad casually, wearing a cable knit sweater over a collared shirt and a pair of dark pants.

Morag finally let go of Dare’s arm and used that same hand to motion toward her. “Ladies, meet Alasdare Scott. She’s Victoria’s cousin.”

“Just call me Dare,” Dare responded, only slightly startled when every set of eyes widened at that. They’d already been studying her like pheasant under glass and she wanted nothing more than to go right back to the manor house. But this was something Vicki had insisted on and it left Dare feeling as if she had a damn good reason. So she offered a faint smile in the hopes that things would get more comfortable between them.

“Come, come, dearie. Have a seat. Ye must be right knackered,” Effie of the pink hair said, patting the empty spot next to her. Dare looked to Vicki, feeling helpless and overwhelmed. Vicki smiled as if she understood, then nodded. Dare slid carefully onto the bench seat next to Effie, already leaning down to settle Petra’s car seat on the floor. Catriona was there to take the contraption from her. She had a chair pulled over from one of the tables and she set the baby’s seat down upon it. The chair was tall enough that everyone could see Petra’s face over the top of the table.

Vicki took a seat on the other side of the table, next to Willemina. She smiled at the ladies already gathered at the table. Morag pulled two more chairs over and settled them at the end of the table. She took one while Catriona took the other. That seemed to be some kind of cue because the noise started up again and Dare spotted a young man taking his place behind the bar. A glance toward the table she sat at with the others saw Catriona nodding. In only moments, a fresh round of drinks ended up on the table. A large mug of ale was settled before each of the women at the table, while the mug set before Dare was filled with ice and clear liquid.

She lifted the mug and took a faint sniff before sipping at it. She was surprised, and pleased, to see that it was water. She took a longer drink, relishing the chill as it slid down her throat. “Ye didnae tell us ye had a cousin, Victoria,” Morag said, giving her attention to Vicki.

“She’s Amelia’s girl,” Vicki said by way of explanation.

“The one who married the Yank?” This from Abigail. Her gaze shifted toward Dare once more and it looked as if there was some disdain in her expression.

“Aye, that would be the one. Of course Mum and Dad knew she’d had a child, but there wasn’t much correspondence between them. Dare’s folks moved a lot because her Dad was in the military,” Vicki explained.

“So she decided to just hop on over and pop in for a visit?” Willemina questioned.

“No,” Dare said before Vicki could offer an explanation. “I’m on the run.” She wasn’t sure why she’d said it, but it was better than letting Vicki answer and possibly lie on her behalf. “Without getting into all the boring details, some bad things have happened recently and I just couldn’t stay where I was anymore.”

“The bairn’s father?”Abigail said, her gaze sharp and focused. “Does the lad beat you?”

“No. No. Its nothing like that,” Dare shook her head. She apparently didn’t sound very convincing because the looks she was getting suggested that these six ladies, women she’d only just met, would take payment for any pain caused Dare or Petra out of Remy’s hide. She drew a breath and held it, wondering for a moment just how much she should spill. A glance at her cousin showed her an expression that suggested Dare was with friends and there would be no judgement. Letting her breath go on a sigh, she let her gaze slide from one face to the next, meeting each of the ladies’ stares. Then she returned her attention to Petra. Red on black eyes, so very much like her father’s, stared back until Petra cooed happily.

“Does he no’ want the bairn?” Morag asked, her voice soft and gentle. That brought Dare’s surprised gaze her way. The older woman had a look on her face that said she’d hunt him down and make him see the error of his ways.

“He does. He very much does. Her father isn’t the problem,” Dare assured the ladies. She took a drink of her water and wished she could drink something stronger. But that wasn’t to be for so many reasons, the least of which being that Petra was still breast feeding. “So. This is going to sound utterly bizarre, but its the gods’ honest truth. There is a… person out there named Sinister who kidnapped me and several of my friends in an effort to create a super mutant baby which he was going to give to Apocalypse so that those babies could be brought up to be horsemen.”

“Sinister?” Effie asked, her voice filled with something dark and secret. “Oh, he’s a right nutty bastard.”

“Apocalypse isnae any better,” Morag added. Dare blinked at the ladies, kind of surprised that they knew who both Sinister and Apocalypse were. Morag smiled at her and took a drink of her ale. “We weren’t always the auld ladies ye see before ye,” she told Dare.

“I don’t think any of you are old,” Dare replied.

“Och, we’re all each old enough to be your gran,” Willemina told her. Dare stared at the woman a moment before a smile came to her face.

“I think, if I had grans like you ladies, I wouldn’t have ever felt so out of place when I was a kid,” she told them softly.

“Didn’t either of your grans spoil you rotten and treat you like you were the most amazing thing in the world?” Felicity asked. There was a touch of disbelief in her eyes, as if she couldn’t accept that Dare hadn’t gotten to have that kind of an experience with her grandmothers.

Dare shook her head. “My dad’s mother had died by the time I came along. And Mum’s mother wasn’t very grandmotherly. I only spent a few vacations with her, but she was more interested in seeing to it that I was brought up as a good Christian girl than in being my grandmother.”

Morag’s eyes went from Dare’s face to her left hand, which had no ring resting there that would proclaim her a married woman, and then to Petra in her seat. The little girl was avidly staring around at the ladies, obviously more interested in their companions than anything else. “Well, we can see that she didn’t succeed there.”

The woman’s comment brought laughter and, for a moment, Dare wasn’t sure if she should laugh, too. She didn’t know if the comment had been made in jest or if it had been meant as an indictment of Dare’s character. Morag’s gaze found Dare’s again and she offered a smile that was somehow genuine and kind while reminding Dare of a shark at the same time. “`Tis a compliment, girl. Naught good came from following along blindly. `Tis good to always rely on your own intelligence.”

A warm hand settled on Dare’s arm, drawing her attention to the woman sitting beside her. There was a gentle expression in her eyes and she was practically beaming as she stared at Dare. “You’ve got all the grans you need now, dearie. We’ve officially adopted you.”

Dare gaped a moment. “But… you don’t even know me.”

“We know enough, girl,” Abigail replied, her tone as stern as it had been before. But Dare thought she heard something warm under that sternness.

“You’re one of ours now, lass,” Catriona added, as if she thought Dare wasn’t processing things. Which she absolutely was. And she was on the verge of tears. Because here were people, random strangers, being kind to her again. She’d seen more kindness in the past few days than she might have seen in her life. Her gaze drifted from one face to the next, finding nothing but acceptance and assurance in each one. Finally, she allowed a smile to come, something soft and hesitant and a little shy

“I think I’d like that,” Dare told them. “Very much.”

“Sean!” Catriona called, her voice carrying over the din of the crowd. “Another round here, lad! And have Angie bring us a platter of chips!”

A cry went up around the bar, one that seemed to be commonplace because it looked like everyone joined in. And then it died down and things went back to normal and Dare felt deep in her soul that she hadn’t just been adopted by six grannies. She felt it was a sure bet she’d just been adopted by the entire village.

Well.

~*~*~*~*~

The air was warm and dry. The sun shone down on his head like it was personally affronted by his stunning good looks and his ability to burn brighter than it could. It also felt, just a little bit, like it was mocking him and his companion as they stood at the end of the drive. Because things were about to go from bad to painfully stupid.

The pink ranch house was much the same as the last time he’d seen it. And the time before that. Very little had changed. He suspected that was largely because Edie just didn’t feel the need. For a moment, he considered what this all must look like from Scott’s perspective. A bright pink house, nestled on a small plot of land out in the middle of Arizona, with a blacktop driveway and a 1955 black Cadillac convertible parked in a pink garage. The car was Edie’s pride and joy, with an interior that was white with pink accents. He’d tried exactly one time to talk her into letting him drive it. Never again after the reaction she’d had.

The front yard was a mixture of small rocks, large stones, and various types of cacti. There were few plants, to cut down on the need for water. A few pieces of art sat in the yard. They were subtle and placed in such a way that they looked as if they’d grown up out of the ground along with the cactus groups bundled around them. The yard didn’t look any different from those of her neighbors, but he’d always gotten the impression that Edie’s yard was just a little weirder than the rest. Maybe that had something to do with how he perceived Edie, though.

“Are you two going to stand at the end of my driveway until doomsday and make my neighbors wonder what the hell is going on, or are you going to come up to the house and get out of the sun?” The voice came from the door located on the side of the house. Johnny looked up to find Edie was standing in it, sending them a faintly disapproving look. Johnny knew there was no turning back now. Not that Scott would even consider it, despite the fact that Johnny had told him coming here was nothing but folly.

“Gird your loins. You’re about to enter the lion’s den,” Johnny whispered to Scott before starting up the driveway, It took a moment, but Scott followed after him. And it took them no time at all to make it to the bottom of the steps upon which Edie stood. She studied the two of them a moment, then shook her head and opened the door. She disappeared inside, leaving Johnny and Scott to follow in her wake.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust after having stood out In the bright sunlight for too long. He was kind of disappointed to see that nothing about the kitchen had changed since he’d last visited. The walls were still a very cheery mix of white and sunshine yellow. The curtains were white with yellow flowers embroidered upon them. As was the table cloth she had spread over the kitchen table. The floor was tiled with bright white tiles and while the appliances were also white, the cupboards were the same sunshine yellow that covered parts of the walls.

Edie had also not changed since his last visit. Her hair might have been a little blonder than before, but there were still some hints of red in it that named her as blood relation to Haley. As did the green eyes, which flashed with displeasure as she stared at the two of them. She wore some gauzy concoction that was meant to be a dress, but Johnny couldn’t make sense of it, really. It looked like something he’d seen a couple of characters wear in a movie once. All that seemed to be missing was a big, floppy hat. She made a point of looking both of them up and down, head to toe and back again, before taking a seat at the table. There was an open can of beer on its surface and a frown upon her face.

Damn. It was going to be one of those conversations.

Johnny took a step forward and upped the wattage on his smile. “Good afternoon, Edie. You’re looking as lovely as ever.”

“Flattery will get you no where, Johnny,” she quipped, her gaze sliding over to where Scott stood. “But I must admit, I am curious as to why you and Scott Summers are both on my doorstep. Especially when I don’t see Haley with you. Just what’s going on?”

The tone of Edie’s voice told Johnny that the difficulty level of this meeting had just notched up about a billion points. He had to bite back the urge to roll his eyes and heave a sigh. It was time to try a tactful foray into this conversation. “You see, Edie,” he began.

“Haley’s gone missing,” Scott answered, steamrolling over Johnny and destroying his plan to break it to her gently.

Edie stared a moment, then pursed her lips and made a sound. She lifted the beer and took a drink before setting the can back down on the table. Her eyes were practically glacial when she pinned them on Johnny. They lingered for a few moments, until Johnny wanted to climb into a hole and hide. Then the look turned toward Scott. To his credit, the man didn’t back down. But it looked like maybe he wanted to squirm a little bit. Served him right, suggesting coming here. “Why don’t you fill me in on Haley’s disappearance?” Edie suggested lightly. Johnny knew it was a trap, that nothing they said would matter to Edie. All the woman would hear was that Haley had left and she’d lay blame at their feet. Rightfully so, but Johnny wasn’t about to admit that.

“You know how dedicated Haley is to her team?” Scott asked, though it really didn’t need to be a question.

“She’s devoted to her team,” Edie responded. “She considers them sisters, the family she never had but always wanted.”

Scott nodded his head at that, then took a breath. “Some recent events have created problems inside her family. Without going into detail, because I believe that its Haley’s story to tell, one of her family has gone missing.”

“And Haley went chasing after her,” the woman guessed. Neither of them spoke, but they didn’t have to. All three of them knew exactly what Haley was like. Edie nodded, as if she accepted this as truth. Then she gave a faint smile. “But.”

Scott inclined his head in acknowledgement of her accurate assessment of the situation. “But it isn’t entirely certain that Haley actually went after her missing team member.”

That statement brought a frown to Edie’s face and she turned her attention back to Johnny. He did not like the stare she gave him and he had to fight not to squirm. Somehow, Edie always managed to make him feel like he was five and he’d gotten caught raiding the cookie jar. “What aren’t you telling me? Haley wouldn’t go off without telling people unless something happened. And seeing as tall, dark, and brooding said she’s missing, that tells me that she left without telling you of her plans. That also doesn’t explain why the leader of the X-Men is standing in my kitchen.”

Johnny shot a look Scott’s way. “We’re going to have to tell her,” he said.

Scott was silent for a few moments, then muttered under his breath. But he gave a reluctant nod of his head, letting Johnny know he agreed. Heaving a sigh, Johnny shifted his attention back to Edie. The hand he raked through his hair highlighted his agitation. Edie was going to suspend him, upside down, over a cactus for this whole mess. “A few months back, Haley and her team went on a mission in search of the rest of the X teams. They’d all somehow gone missing.”

Edie arched an eyebrow, her gaze sliding to where Scott stood. It was next to impossible to tell what the man was thinking with his glasses on and Johnny had to think that was working in his favor at the moment. When Edie’s gaze returned to Johnny, she gave him a look that suggested he should get on with his story. Johnny didn’t want to have this talk with Edie. It wasn’t his story and he was capable of admitting that he’d had a very bad reaction to everything. It was a story Haley should be telling her. With Haley missing, however, there wasn’t any other option. If he wanted even an iota of Edie’s help, he had to tell her as much as he was able.

“The X-Men were up against a fairly formidable supervillain. And he had the help of another supervillain. They set up an ambush,” Johnny explained. He didn’t think it was possible for Edie’s lips to get any thinner. But they did. She considered the two of them for a moment or two, then muttered a curse under her breath that told Johnny she’d put some things together.

“These villains managed to grab four teams of X-Men,” she said flatly.

“They did,” Johnny confirmed. “The villain involved in their abduction kept eight members of all four teams. Haley and all but one of her team were four of those kept. The other four were men,” Johnny said, then paused to take a breath. Edie waited almost patiently for him to continue, her eyes boring into him while he sought out his bravery. It took a good minute, but he knew this would end with Edie sporting a look of murder. “When all eight of the missing X-Men were returned, it was one at a time. And the four women were pregnant.”

Silence spread around them slowly. It was thick and heavy and oppressive. After a blink or two of her eyes, the murder Johnny had expected made an appearance. Edie rose from her seat and glowered at the two of them, letting Johnny know she’d figured a few things out. Not that he hadn’t expected it. She and Haley were very much alike and in so many ways. It was only natural that she’d read between the lines to see what he wasn’t telling her. She let her gaze slide between the two of them, let the silence stretch around them. Let them both sweat while they waited for her to say something. He didn’t know what Scott was expecting, but Johnny expected her to rake his ass over the coals.

“So what you’re telling me,” she finally said, her voice soft and low. Oh, shit. She was well and truly pissed. And it was well past too late to run. “Is my niece is out there somewhere, pregnant and alone, and you two idiots are standing here in my kitchen because you think I know where she is?”

“She’s not pregnant, Edie. She gave birth a few days after she was returned. Everyone was kept in a pocket dimension. A year passed for them,” Johnny corrected. Despite the fact that he did not want to engage any further in this conversation.

“Oh,” she said, her voice airy and light. “Oh, I see. So Haley is missing, with a newborn, and you think she came to see me instead of going after her friend. Who I will assume is also carrying around a newborn and some trauma. Because some idiot kidnapped them and, according to what you’re telling me, decided to use them as incubators. Is that what you’re telling me? Have I got it right or did I miss anything?”

Johnny swallowed and held on to the urge to look to Scott. Doing so would only earn them more trouble. Johnny had no doubt that Edie knew why both he and Scott were there. He also felt it was a good bet that Edie knew who Emilia’s father was. Which was something that they’d have to discuss with her when, and if, the three of them ever figured shit out. Not something he was looking forward to.

“Did I miss anything, Johnny?” Edie asked, her tone sharper than before. Harder. There was bite to her words.

“No, ma’am,” he said, giving a shake of his head to emphasize his statement.

The silence that surrounded them was painful. Johnny wanted nothing more than to escape. Edie’s stare was hard and unforgiving. And there was no missing just what she thought of the two of them. Those thoughts were bright in her gaze as it took the two of them in. She had a lot of opinions. She was just being nice and not giving voice to them. That was something for which Johnny would be eternally grateful.

Eventually, a heavy sigh broke the silence. Shattered the heaviness of it around them like a pane of glass. She pinned them both with a stare that told Johnny that Edie was a little concerned about just how much intelligence the two of them had. “Haley isn’t here. I haven’t spoken to her in a while now. I was unaware of the things that had happened lately,” she told them, her words clipped. Johnny opened his mouth, ready to tell her thank you. But the glare she shot his way saw him closing it again without ever getting a word out. “However! Chances are good that I would tell you she wasn’t here, even if she was. Because it sounds like she needs time away from everything and everyone.”

Her tone of voice made it obvious that ‘everything and everyone’ meant the two of them. Johnny hated that Edie could read the writing on the wall without even having to actually see it. She had both of them figured out and she was putting them on notice.

“Now get the hell out of my house,” she ordered.

“We’re going to find Haley,” Scott said. “We’re going to bring her home.”

“You do that,” Edie replied, her expression flat and empty. Johnny knew she was mad. But he also knew she was probably only a handful of moments away from tears, because he knew very well just what the relationship was between Haley and her aunt. He wanted to offer her some kind of assurance. But he knew better. Because the truth was, he and Scott had no idea where to look and Johnny wasn’t even certain Haley would talk to them when they found her.

So he tipped his head at her and offered a faint smile. Then he turned and headed for the door, ushering Scott ahead of him. They’d barely cleared the door when Edie’s voice followed after them. “Just make sure you figure your shit out before you find her. Because God help you if you haven’t done that.”

The door shut firmly behind them, leaving them standing on the blacktop driveway in the heat while the sun beat down upon their heads. Johnny drew and breath and started for the street, where they’d left the rental. He glanced at Scott. “Well. That went better than I expected.”

“Better,” Scott echoed. Then he shook his head and stopped moving and turned to look at Johnny. “If that was better, I’d hate to see worse.”

Comments

[dazzledfirestar]

I kind of want to visit this tiny town in Scotland now. lol I love the pub and the grans. And the subtle hints that this place would still be safe for any mutant but especially one with eyes like little Petra. Can't imagine why that'd be. ;) And I hope we'll get more of these lovely ladies! I bet their stories are amazing.

It's so nice to see Dare letting go of some of her guard, even just a little. Letting people in is hard for her, we know, and the way she clearly feels some kind of good way about this place, even with the weirdness of her looking like the founder of the town is fun to watch.

What the hell did Johnny do to Edie that gets this reaction? lol I feel bad that we're fully introducing her in such a dark moment. It's likely her own powers have something to do with that though. Hopefully both of them can make it up to her eventually.

Great work, hun.

[ladydeathfaerie]

Wytching Village does sound like an awesome place to go, doesn't it? i can kind of picture the pub in my head and its all wood and stone and probably darker in the corners where the golden hue of the dim lights doesn't really reach. the wood is all darkened with age, and smooth as can be from generations of people sitting upon its stools, at its bar and tables. lively music, a lively crowd, and no judgement (unless well warranted). it would be a most amazing place to visit.

oh gosh. the grans! i absolutely love the grans! so, so much. i feel like there is a part of Dare that would, if not for all of her commitments, stay there for the rest of her life. i feel like her visit to Scotland and her stay with her cousin will do her so much good.

you know, i'm not even sure what Johnny did. i feel like maybe a small part of it has to do with Haley herself. Edie is obviously more of a parental figure to her than her own folks were. and i would imagine the sentiment runs both ways. so i can totally see Edie being super protective of Haley. and i can see her have just a little bit of that "no one is good enough for her" mentality. just a little. plus i'm sure she knows Johnny would never show up without Haley unless there was something seriously wrong. also. he asked to touch her car. you know a person shouldn't come between a woman and her 1955 Cadillac. it just isn't done. i'm sure, once everyone's got their shit figured out, the boys will find some way to make it up to her.

glad you liked it. thanks for reading! <3

[nanaeanaven]

Hmmm, a group of six old mutant/witchbreed ladies (I'm guessing, since they know who Sinister and Apocalypse are and that they're in a town literally founded by Dare's witchbreed ancestor) who sound like they have an interesting past. Catriona - my first thought was it was a nod to Cat. Then Morag was introduced and I though ... Morgan? Or rather, some descendant of the Morgan from Yarr at least? And then the others ... well, one shares Roxxy's last name. I'm probably over-thinking this and it's just pure coincidence. Maybe. Maybe not, though... Regardless, color me intrigued. I'm definitely looking forward to finding out more about Dare's new grans.

“If that was better, I’d hate to see worse.”

Same. Gotta say I kinda like Edie though. lol

Well done, bb. I enjoyed it muchly. *smooches*

[ladydeathfaerie]

i have some backstory for the grans, but nothing that points toward them being mutants or descendants of the Yarr version of the girls. that doesn't mean there isn't something there. i just don't know it. but i love the grans and the whole idea of them. and i think Dare deserves some grans. as a little treat. but i can tell you there will be more with the grans. both here and, possibly, in another fic to come later. we'll see how that all works out. but, yes. the grans are cool.

i like Edie, too. i feel like all of the girls need someone like the grans or Edie in their lives. someone who cares about them without exception and has absolutely no fucks to give. and isn't shy about telling it like it is. to everyone.

glad you enjoyed, sweetie. thanks for reading! <3