Earth 216

Eight Months and Thirty Days After Invasion

Fandral had just settled down with a nice, hot cup of herbal tea. Something called lemongrass. It was quite delicious. He didn't know Grant - well, none of them really did - so he decided to sit back and relax as everyone swarmed the newly awoken corpse. The hot cup rose to his lips, the sweet scent of flavored water (and just a dash of added cinnamon) hitting his nose in just the right amount. A warm smile settled on his face as he breathed it in, his eyes closing in contentment as his lips parted

And the door smashed open.

Fandral was on his feet in an instance, his sword drawn, his cup of tea in bits and pieces on the ground, the delicious liquid seeping into his boots. His sword lowered, and a small frown set on his face.

"Oh, Tori, do watch your entrances. I'm quite afraid you've made me spill the tea." He sighed and bent down to pick it up, selfishly remembering the olden days back on Asgard when any simple plate or glass would not have broken so easily. When the world didn't seem so fragile.

"Where's Jace?" His son demanded, his eyes scouring the room and his limbs frantic as he raced around, calling out for the rude lightening mutant. When they had found Jace and Cat together, it had stung like an old wound. The universe, or whatever was left of it, was taunting Fandral, bringing up memories of his golden days, traveling the nine realms with Thor and having the most glorious fights. He missed Thor dearly. Such a tragedy…

And seeing Jace, well Fandral didn't think it possible that someone else had lightning powers so extreme. Jace's powers, especially when backed by anger - and the kid was always angry - far outpowered Thor's own. Breaking through anything...vibranium, adamantium, the kid was damn near invincible. He thought Jace to be Thor's offspring at first, but Jace seemed revolted by the thought and was quick to shut down the idea.

'My parents sucked,' he had said, 'but at least I wasn't born to that bellowing asshole.'

"Need Jace?" Fandral repeated, using the table for support as he stood upright again. "Whatever for?"

"He's the only one who can do it," Tori insisted, racing past him again to yell into another room. "He's the only one who can close it!"

Fandral cut off his son as he turned to run again, grabbing him by both shoulders. "Tori, my brave, valliant, charming son - calm down. Whatever is the matter?" The only good thing about the invasion had been the fact that Fandral had been reunited with his son. He loved Tori more than he loved woman and mead - more than he loved both at the same time.

Tori stared up at his father, his mouth moving quickly as he gasped for air. "Portal. The portal. Jace is the only one who can close the portal."

Fandral's hands dropped and his face went slack. He stared into his son's eyes. "We need to find Jace."

Everyone was in the room. It didn't matter who was supposed to be on patrol, or who should be sleeping or doing research or whatever. Grant was alive, awake, and talking. Even to people who didn't even know him, it was a sign of pure hope. It was a small, thin drop of rain in a world that had been set on fire.

Jamie was standing, grasping Grant's hand as he smiled and talked to all the faces around him. He sounded good. He looked good. In the few hours he had been awake, Jamie was almost left feeling tricked, or undermined by the whole thing. His flesh was a soft peach color, his eyes had regained their spark. He wasn't sweaty or dying.

Not that she was complaining.

She was utterly fawning over him. Everytime he coughed or looked in the slightest bit of pain, she would immediately grab him a drink of water, fluff his pillow, squeeze his hand; she'd bring to him whatever comfort she could muster in that moment.

Sasha let out a billowing laugh as Grant grinned, his eyes starting to show a bit of tiredness. Jamie thought about kicking them all out so he could get some rest.

She gazed around the room, looking at all the happy people. Well, most of them were happy. Sasha's wife, Shay, stayed by the doorway, arms crossed as she stared blankly at the small crowd gathered around Grant's body. The rest of them: Steve, Ana-Marie, Clint, Nakia, and Betty Ross smiled down at Grant and seemed generally happy to be alive.

Jamie was also crying. She couldn't really help it- her damn brother was alive and smiling. She didn't know what those creatures out there were, why they were there, or what was going to happen next, but she did know that Grant would be okay. And that was all that mattered. Steve somehow shifted until he was next to her, and she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She sniffed and looked up at him, a small smile forming on her lips as they shared a nod and felt no need to say anything else. Jamie had grown up knowing that Grant wasn't biologically her brother, but no one else had a clue. To be in a world where that was out in the open felt oddly freeing. It was like a heavy weight had lifted and she could breathe again. She had forgotten what it felt like to breath.

But happiness could never last. There was shouting outside the room, some sort of frantic yelling and people running about. Steve's hand tightened on her shoulder. Jamie clung to her brother's hand as he looked up at her in confusion. The poor guy - he didn't even remember what happened. Said he took a walk to clear his mind and then something attacked him. Said it was like everything that made him who he was had been taken from his body and he was an empty shell as it fed on him. Said he didn't remember dying, didn't really remember any pain until he woke up.

"What's going on out there?" Betty asked, taking a step away from the doorway as another shout was heard. As the only one here (well, now besides Grant) who couldn't defend themselves, she was everyone else's responsibility.

Steve looked at Clint. Motioned for him to go check it out. Clint had the best eyes; he could see things no one else ever could, even if they stared at it their whole lifetimes. But he worked his best solo. Far away. He would scope and pick off targets before they knew what was happening. Clint could never be at his best trabbed in a crowded room. Steve was strong. He was a tank of a human, designed to save people. He would stay, protecting those who needed it, if that kind of situation were to arise.

Clint slipped out of the room. They listened, waited. Against Steve's better judgement, the others filed out as well. Several sets of feet could be heard running around, clumsily, skilled, desperate.

"We should go out there," Jamie guessed, but she didn't let go of Grant, who had turned pale again. Steve shook his head.

"Stay with Betty and your brother. I'm sure it's nothing." Jamie severely doubted that anything that happened in this world could be considered nothing. But she didn't argue, and part of her felt glad that she had an excuse to stay. Her brother needed her. But was she trying to make excuses to herself, or fulfilling some important task? She met Betty's eyes and looked down, shuffling her feet uncomfortably.

Tori couldn't believe the world hadn't ended yet. He had been searching for minutes, and yet, there still was no Jace. Looking back on it, that should have been a pretty big clue. He'd feel terrible for it later, but this wasn't later. This was now. And now, everybody had gathered around, shouting and running and wondering what the hell was going on. It was amazing, how easily people got excited. They didn't even know why they were shouting, but they were, and it was rather annoying.

Tori stopped in the main lounge again, letting everyone rush around him until they eventually stopped, looking at him like he held all the answers. Well, at least he had most of them.

"Tori," Steve began calmly, "would you please enlighten us on what's going on?" So he did. He told them all about how Jace shut down the first portal, and how when he was about with Rayne - that got a few questions- and Roy, how they saw another one opening up. Second red flag: where was Roy? Absolutely nobody thought to ask that. It didn't seem important.

Through his story Sam Rogers had found his way into the room, scoffing through the whole thing.

"What do we need Jace for, anyhow?" He complained, flexing his arms as he crossed them over his broad chest. "We'll find it ourselves and close it." Tori didn't have time for this asshole. He rolled his eyes, wishing there was a wall with which he could smash his head into.

"Jace is the only one here with actual powers, Sam. He shut it down once before, and he can do it again."

"I'm stronger than that idiot," Sam encouraged, looking around himself at the others. "Show me where it is, I'll take care of it." Tori couldn't believe no one was shutting this joke of a human being down yet. They were probably just scared, admittedly, to say anything to him while Steve was around. Respectfully, Tori had no qualms telling the young man to shut the fuck up. And that's exactly what he did.

Fandral gave a small smile. Steve looked appalled. Tori cleared his throat, Sam's eyes burning into his flesh. "So, we need to find Jace. Like now." A few people- Sasha and Clint - began the search. Everyone else stood in place; who was Tori to give orders? Tori looked to his father, and Fandral set his jaw. He would stay, ensure that Sam didn't step out of line.

"I'm plenty able enough to shut this portal down. Show me where it is." Sam felt threatened now so he turned vicious. Tori crossed his own arms, muscles rippling as he mirrored his opponent, unafraid. His wrists itched where his swords were stored, his movements calculated like a lioness hunting its' prey.

"Strength has nothing to do with this, Rogers." He didn't want to press too hard. There was still an unknown factor; would Steve back his son up, or put him in his place? Tori had a good feeling he could beat Sam, especially when anger consumed the patriot's son. But, no matter how much he loved him, he was unsure of Fandral would take on Captain America, especially when Steve was known for fighting dirty. Fandral was an honorable warrior - Steve got desperate. That's why he had stepped down, let Fandral take charge. It had been for the best.

"Just because you're a lonely skater boy who will never amount to anything, doesn't mean true heroes - people like me- can't accomplish a little task like closing a portal. Now show me where it is before you get anyone else killed."

"What are you going to do, punch it to death?"

Sam seethed. "I'll punch you to death!" He roared, going to lunge when -

"ENOUGH!" The great Steve Rogers had spoken. Fandral sheathed his sword and walked away with Tori as Steve spun on his son, his eyes wild and angry, and confused.

Sam faltered, confusion scrawling across his face. His father had never been angry with him before. What was this new word? Enough? Enough of what?

"You know where Jace is?" Steve asked, his chest rising and falling heavily and rapidly. Sam narrowed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

"The guy likes to work out. Boost his ego."

"So he's in the weight room?" Steve had gone pure statue. A towering sculpture made by the gods and completely emotionless. His stare was foreign to Sam's skin.

"No, he likes his privacy. He moved some equipment down to the basement." Sam's voice was quiet, silenced by the overwhelming power of his father. He had no idea what was going on.

"The basement is off-limits," Steve reminded him, and Sam gave a half-hearted shrug, his gaze falling to the floor.

"Go get him," Steve demanded.

The room smelled like metal. Heavy breaths were drawn in and out with every push, sweat dripping down his face and chest as he worked hard to his goal.

"C'mon baby...C'mon...baby.." His mutters were drowned out just barely by a soft dragging sound, rubbing, pause, rubbing, pause, rubbing, pause

"Come on Jace, just finish already. I'm bored."

He let out a small laugh, his grip wobbling slightly. "Shut up, I'm trying to finish."

Cat walked behind him, staring down at him as he lay on the bench. With a smirk, she set down her nail file and reached out and grabbed the bar of his weights, her skin tinting faint blue as she pushed down on it. Jace grinned up at her, letting out a defeated breath of laughter as his arms shook and he tried to push the weight up against her strength.

"Okay, beastie, you've got me. Now loosen up before I drop this and kill myself."

She smiled innocently down at him, her short white hair framing her face like an angel. "Promise to talk to me?"

He pretended to think, inwardly straining with all his might as to not decapitated himself. Finally, he let out a heavy puff of air. "Fine, I give, I give." He watched her smile, releasing gently as her arm turned a light peach color once more. "As long as you don't make me read anymore of those stupid magazines." They playfully glared at each other, their amusement quickly turning to shock as the basement door swung open and Sam Rogers strutted in, coming to a fast holt at the scene in front of him.

"What is this?" He demanded, his eyes like beams of pure hatred as they looked from Cat, his tank top and booty shorts of a girlfriend, to his least favorite person in the world, shirtless and sweaty below her.

Cat gasped and hurriedly helped Jace lift the bar into place, backing up as he sat up from the bench and glowered at Sam, his eyes audibly popping with electricity.

"What's it look like, mate? Just lifting some weights."

"Oh, you son of a bitch." Sam stormed towards them, pointing a finger at his feet as his gaze snapped towards Cat. "Get over here," he demanded. She scurried to join him, but Jace caught her leg and pushed her back.

"You'd be best to let her go, Mutey." Jace let out a disgusted laugh, but didn't take it any further, and didn't let go of Cat.

"Look, we don't want any trouble, alright? I'm going to let go of her, and you're going to promise that you won't hurt her, okay? That seems pretty fair to me."

"You've got no business messing with a relationship that isn't yours." Sam's voice was deep and on edge. He strode forward and reached for Cat, but Jace sprung to his feet and stepped between them, a stray bolt of lightning flying awry off his shoulder until it hit the wall and disappeared. Sam cracked his knuckles. He looked back and forth from Jace to Cat, the latter hiding her face as best she could.

"You think he cares about you?" Sam spat, causing Cat to flinch. "You think he sees you for anything else than what you are? A beast?"

"Watch it!" Jace demanded, feeling Cat back away from his grasp and hearing her shed a tear. "You have no idea what you're talking about," He warned Sam, every inch of his body concentrated to fight the power inside from leaving. Sometimes he couldn't control it. Sometimes it scared him. He'd never let the fear show.

"He hated you!" Sam screamed, saliva flinging from his mouth. Cat sobbed. "He hated your blue guts! Before the invasion, he'd never be caught dead with someone like you! He only helped you because you were the only piece of mutant ass left! He doesn't care about you!" Cat cried harder and Jace tackled Sam, electricity popping around the room in blue bolts of raw energy, smashing against the floors and walls with enough force to crack them.

"I saved you!" Sam howled at Cat as she covered her ears, crouching to the floor as she screamed and wailed. His fist swung up and smashed into Jace's nose, splintering it on contact. Jace fell backwards, scrambling to get to his feet as his whole body glowed blue.

"You've done it now, frat boy," his voice was low, angry, and he was pure energy. He raised his arm, pointed, and then diverted it as quickly as he could, Cat racing to stand between them, her arms out towards them both, her face fighting to stay normal and the tears pouring.

"S-stop it!" She screamed, and Jace instantly cooled down, the pain from his shattered nose registering as it started to poor out blood.

The two men glared at each other for a few moments before Sam took hold of Cat's wrist and pulled her to the door with him, her body yanked and grabbed harshly as she continued to cry.

"And to think," Sam turned back," they all think you have enough power to shut down the portal. Pathetic, really, when even Cat can control you."

Jace would have been angry were he to have listened to the rest of Sam's sentence. "Portal?" He questioned, his mouth hanging open in anger. "There's another fucking portal and you come down her to boast that you've go the bigger dick?" He pushed past Sam aggressively, shaking his head as he ran shirtless up the stairs. "You really are pathetic."

"How are you feeling?" Jamie smoothed back Grant's hair for the billionth time. Betty had long since left, not that she had noticed.

Grant looked up at her, annoyance on his face. "Why are you still here?" He asked. She gasped, taken aback.

"What do you mean?" She clutched his hand, but he let go, fighting it out of her grip.

"Jamie, get it together," he pleaded, struggling to sit up. She reached out to help him, but he glared at her. "I can do it myself!" A soft tear fell from her eye.

"Grant, let me help you," she pleaded, but he sighed and shook his head.

"I'm confused, Jamie. I've just learned that you're not actually my sister, and yet, I keep reliving my childhood. You were always there, from my earliest memory. How can you...how can you not be?" He looked at her sadly, and when she went to speak he cut her off.

"I don't need you to tell me that you are my sister, or whatever. Honestly, sis, it doesn't matter. Because I know you are. I know...I know you want to be. I know that I want you to be. I know...well, I know a lot of things. I know we can never be the same again, not really." He stopped there, briefly, to register the look of shock and hurt on her face. He reached out for her hand again, and she hesitantly took it. His thumb rubbed over her knuckles.

"We're both adults, Jamie. I was going to find out eventually. Biologically, you're the daughter of a terrorist. But hey, shh, hey," He tried to silence her tears as they began to fall, her skin burning with his every word. "Jamie… you were raised right. You were raised by my mother and father, and you have every right to call them your parents as well."

"So what is this, you think you can die and come back to life and preach to me? What do you want me to say, that I'm sorry? Because I am, Grant, I'm so sorry," Her words were broken by silent sobs that wracked her entire body. Grant shook his head with a small smile, clearing his throat painfully.

"I never want you to apologize to me ever again, okay?" He gripped her hand harder, giving it a squeeze. "But Jamie, I just want you to open your eyes. You're the bravest person I've ever met. Hell...Dad...he wants you to be the next Captain America. And you're not even his biological daughter." Grant want to clasp her hand with his other one, his words falling slightly as he realized he couldn't.

"What are you doing, Jamie? You're not a damn servant. Where's your spunk? Attitude? Everything that makes you, well, you is gone. I can't see it anywhere, and I'm not going to be the one responsible for killing my sister. You're a shell of who you used to be, Jamie, and that's not okay."

She let her hand fall limp from his, her unwashed hair suddenly itchy and rough on her scalp. Her arms wound around herself, her eyes vacantly scanning her brother's face. "We shouldn't have come here," she whispered. "We never should have come here."

"I agree," Grant nodded, pushing himself further up as best he could. "But we did. And yea, this place is hell, but there are good people here. Good people like you, Jamie. And they need your help. And, well, you can't exactly help when you're so busy…."

"Being useless," she finished for him, and he nodded to her.

"Go save the world."

Tori was getting impatient. Surely it couldn't be that hard to find Jace. Search parties had been sent out to locate the portal, with several com-calls about unusually high numbers of Stingers. Still, no trace of any portals. Perhaps it was too far away. Maybe in Hong Kong, or Hawaii. He sighed, tapping his foot and itching at his wrists.

"What's going on out here?" Much to his surprise Jamie was standing behind him, looking very much like a giant pile of shit, but determined nonetheless.

"Nice of you to join the land of the living." He didn't know Jamie very well. While he had bonded with Sasha, Shay and Roy over the last couple of days, Jamie and Grant had remained hidden away, in their own little world. Still, from their first encounter, Tori held an unlikely amount of respect for her. He knew her the least, but he liked her a lot better than anyone else who had stepped out of that portal.

"Better late than never," she retorted. Her face was oily and stained with tears, but Tori didn't bother asking. Everyone here cried. It was an essential part of life this way. Cry until you can't feel anymore, and then go kill some monsters.

"Another portal was opening up. It looked exactly the same as to the one you all came through."

Her face went slack with shock before she looked like she was going to explode with excitement. "That's great! Oh my God, that's great! Where is it? We can get back-up now! No - we can bring everyone from this world over to ours! We can get Grant some actual medical attention!" She was positively radiant with joy. "Oh my God, where are the others? We need to go home!"

"We're shutting it down." Tori almost hated to burst her bubble. But he watched it deflate in a spectacular fashion. It wasn't a slow burn, air slowly seeping out until it lay flat. No, this was sticking it with a pin and watching it fly wildly around the room as it shook and spun and eventually simply fell to the ground.

"You can't shut it down!" She screamed, her eyes wild. "Are you crazy!"

"Jamie," Tori replied calmly, wary to her anger, "listen to me. Listen to what you just said."

"Listen to what I just said!" Jamie repeated, exasperated. "Did you listen? We can get help!" Her eyes were crazy, begging him to understand. But Tori knew she was just thinking about getting her brother out of her. She was crazy with protection for him. Tori knew that all too well. Tori knew...holding...he remembered...mother...no please….in his arms….mother...dying.

He shook his head, calmly walking over to her. She was like a crazed and diseased animal, flinching at his touch. "Jamie, you just said we can bring everyone over here to your world."

Jamie nodded, her eyes too cloudy to clearly see the problem. "Yes?" She asked, her hands shaking, trying to solve the world's most complicated math problem.

"It's okay," he said quietly, gently pulling her into his embrace, slowly hugging her body to his. "I can't go home either."

"Because if we can get through, so can they," Jamie whispered after a few moments, her hands coming to cling to his body. "And then we're all dead." She pulled away shakily, and Tori could have watched her eyes all day. The fog cleared; all her internal conflicts and emotions remained, but her nobility returned. Her intense drive and focus kicked in and she switched off anything that could get in the way of her and her goals. She was part soldier, part machine, just like her father.

"We need to close that portal." Tori nodded, his face grim.

"I'm sorry." Jamie sniffed, shrugging her shoulders with a small smile.

"It's fine. We'll make our own portal. After all these things are dead. Then we'll go home. But for now; we're the Avengers, and we're here to help. What happened to you?"

Tori was ready to raise a glass and 'Hoorah!' Jamie's little speech until she finished talking. He looked at himself - did he spill something on his shirt? "What? Nothing, I'm f-"

"Not a damn thing. Now, where's this portal?"

Tori turned, watching with wide eyes as Jace clung to the wall, smearing blood across it with every step he took. He was bloody and shirtless, but raw power emitted from him and made everything in the room feel static.

"Well?" He asked, his nose lying crooked on his face as two dark circles began to grow around his eyes. "What are you two staring at?"

Stingers like fresh meat. They like their victims alive and screaming as they feast. What was the joy in eating if the prey weren't squirming? But, for the hungry and lonely ones, the ones deemed weak and cast from the pack, dead meat would have to do.

Dead meat, like that boy in the puddle. It had been watching boy for a while now. There was something weird about boy.

Move closer, boy was taunting him. Come eat me. I taste delicious.

Okay, it decides, I like yummy food. Even if it's dead.

It snaps its big ugly jaws for the fun of it. It moves closer. It steps on boy, pushing his face into the ground.

Yum, boy still bleeds.

Freshly dead

It sings

Freshly dead

Not so bad as oldly dead, but not quite alive

It snaps its jaws again. This is going to be tasty, it decides.

It takes a bite of him.

What?

No!

Blinded

Blinding

Light

Pure energy like it has never seen before.

No dinner today, I'm afraid, boy taunts. Only death. It dies.

They were about to leave when Jamie was reminded of something. "Hey," she asked, causing Jace to look at her impatiently.

"I'm kind of bleeding out of the face here, can we hurry this up?" He demanded, making Jamie huff her breath and turn to Tori.

"What's up?" He asked, and Jamie shrugged.

"Just making sure everyone is safe? Betty, your people out there, Roy…I have this bad feeling in my gut-"

"It's called adrenaline, sweety, roll with it." She wanted to punch Jace in the nose. Again. Jamie didn't actually believe he deserved the first blow, especially since it looked like Sam had used all his strength. There was something off about that Sam guy, too.

"I just haven't seen Roy in a while, now that I think about it. Where is he?" She chose to ignore Jace. It wasn't too hard, looking at his face caused her to cringe. How was he being so calm about it?

Tori, on the other hand, had gone ghostly white. His featherly brown hair seemed to deflate, his face widening in horror until all he could say was, "Oh shit."

That didn't sound good to Jamie. "What do you mean 'oh shit'?" She screamed, running after him as Tori fled form the building, screaming those words over and over again.

He came to a stop near an old building, one of the few left standing in the city. Jamie was there shortly after him, not quite being as fast as the Asgardian male.

"What have you done with my best friend?" She demanded frantically, hardly noticing when Jace jogged up to them moments later, complaining about their speed and leaving him behind. He soon calmed down though, and watched a frightened Tori pace back and forth. He looked to Jamie, who seemed angry and horrified all at once, and noticed that her right eye closed slightly more than her left when she squinted. He turned to face Tori again, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yea, where is the little magic bastard?" He hadn't thought much about it. Roy kind of annoyed him. But it was dangerous out here alone for anyone, no matter how annoying or bastard-like.

Tori gulped. "Please don't kill me."

Jamie forced herself to take a deep breath. "I'm not going to kill you."

"It's just, you look real scary when you're mad. Or worried. Or, well, you just look kinda scary. Always." Jamie sighed, turning to Jace and motioning for him to get some answers.

"What? He's right. You're a little scary." Jamie groaned as Jace cracked a small smile, wincing at how much it hurt. The blood was starting to dry, which meant that everything was starting to set, which meant that if Jace didn't find the portal, close it, and get medical attention soon - his perfect nose would become crooked forever.

"Okay, new game plan," he rubbed his hands together. It's dangerous out here alone for anyone, no matter how annoying or bastard-like. "I'm going to go close that portal while you two lovelies find Rory. Sound good?"

"Roy." Jace rose an eyebrow at her. "His name is Roy."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't ask."

She scrunched up her face at him. "Asshole." He winked at her.

Tori cleared his throat, causing them both to snap their attention back to him. "It's my fault Roy is out here, alone. But I know what path he hopefully took, and I think I can retrace my steps back to him." Jamie nodded, and Tori held out his hand to Jace. "Good luck."

Why the World Sucks: The Truth Through the Eyes of Phineas M. Lehnsherr

Entry 806

It's been a while since I've written one of these. It feels almost foreign to me. I used to write these long essays. Essays on why I hate my father. Essays on how the world was punishing me for something I did in a past life. Essays on how I wished I could die, or kill him. Essays on how I wished I could simply walk away from it all; no note or number to call. Essays on how I wished Edie would die before the world burned her.

Nothing I wished ever came true. No one has succeeded in killing me, no matter how hard they try. I've been taken hostage, I've been scared and broken, I've been burned and drowned, but that sweet release never comes. I'm never granted the only thing I want in life: death. And I just can't seem to pull the trigger. To hang that noose. I'm selfish. I'm so selfish, because I can't kill myself. I can't willingly leave Edie alone with that monster. That monster who always comes to my rescue. That monster who preaches his love to me but never shows it. That monster who will never admit to my face that he is ashamed of me. That he only saves me because of them. Because of Edie and Mom.

Confession: I've never tried to kill my father. I've only wished him dead. I can take care of Edie; I'm old enough. I can take her away from all this pain. I can make sure she never stops smiling - teach her to oppress her mutant abilities and live a healthy,normal life. All that has to happen first - Magneto has to die.

We live a life of fame and fortune. He fights hard to keep us off the streets, but he fights for all the wrong reasons. He fights to kill, fights for power, fights for vengeance. Says he hates humans, yet he married one, knocked her up. I bet he killed her, too. I bet he slaughtered her where she stood when she finally told him no. I bet his sadness is fake. I bet he wishes he could kill me, too. But he can't. I'm invincible, for the moment, until Edie is done with me. My life is tied to my sister's attention span. As soon as she replaces me, I'm done for.

Heck, he could kill me now. Edie loves him more than anything in the entire world. Her father - our father- is her knight in shining armor. Even if he slaughtered me in front of her, she would cry and hug his knees and tell him that everything was okay. But he doesn't kill me, not yet, because he loves her too much.

She is his one weakness. If I want to kill him, I have to kill her. And I can't kill her, because she is my weakness too. We share something dad: and undeniable love for Eden. This is why I dread the day you break her heart. And I'll be there for her - but it won't be enough, will it? She's more powerful than we could have ever guessed. To break her, is to break the world. As soon as you realize that, she becomes your personal weapon.

I can't walk away from it, or it'll happen sooner. The longer I stay, the longer I suffer, the better a chance I have of not loosing her to his control. I have to stay.

I'm not sorry about it, wishing she were dead. It breaks my heart, but I know it's for the best. All the problems, every single one of them, would go away if she were gone. Magneto rules because he has someone for rule for. He cannot be taken down until she is. And I'm scared, one day, that she will be killed, and Magneto will go down in the biggest blaze of dark that anyone will have ever seen. The whole world will suffer, just to kill one man.

He's not worth it. So let him live.

I hope he finds Eden to be hell.

-Finn

Edie slammed the computer closed and flung it against the wall with her mind. Even that little bit of energy exhausted her - but she was angry. She was upset and confused, and in her mind, she could feel the whole Earth begin to shake. It was tiny, little vibrations shaking the whole thing, threatening to grow in size and power.

She wanted to scream, to rip her hair out and let it all fall apart. She didn't know why she kept reading these entries. It always affected her so. But she couldn't help it. Those words on the screen, they were the truth. They were Finn as she had never seen him before. They were ugly, nasty words, and Edie could only assume that they came from an ugly, nasty person.

She quieted her mind through a slow breathing exercise, slipping back down into the warm blankets as her head tilted sideways on the pillow.

Outside her brother cut firewood for the cabin. She watched calmly as the axe blade rose up and down with every powerful blow that Finn delivered. She imagined, just for a second, the head flying off and lodging itself into his throat. She could see the blood pouring out of the new cut, her brother bleeding out on the ground as she looked on with a smile. Finally.

But when the axehead moved, ever so slightly, she gasped and pulled with covers over her head. She could never kill Finn, her own flesh and blood. She loved him, didn't she?

Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons kept playing in hid head as he floated through time and space.

Roy groaned. "What, is Jamie haunting my subconscious now?" His mumbled words were followed by a memory come to life before him, like a movie unfolding before his eyes. It was he and Jamie several years back, hanging at the Roger house as she played her music and they painted together, different brushes but same canvas. Roy floated past it with a wave of his hand.

"Yea yea, the painting turned out terrible and she only ever played Mumford songs. Okay, Google! Play something new," he shouted into the void, the spinning colors and abstract shapes around him making him roll his eyes. Well, at least he knew he wasn't dead. The music stopped and Gold by Imagine Dragons rang back at him. He smiled, bowing into the spinning colors. "Why thank you." He danced a little bit, walking boredly as he did so.

A voice rang out behind him. "How about 'okay, Google', stop?" The music ceased instantly and

Roy waved behind him as he continued walking.

"Dad. Long time no talk. Sorry you're not real, I'd love to catch up but I'd rather untrap myself from the void."

Doctor Strange floated up next to him, his cape billowing in some sort of fake wind. His father was ever the dramatic, but it'd be useless if Roy didn't admit who he got his pettiness from.

"Just because I'm not real, doesn't mean we can't have a conversation." Roy snapped his fingers and a zipper appeared where Strange's mouth was.

"Yea, no thanks. If I wanted some advice, I'd talk to one of the many nannies who raised me." Stephen simply wiped the zipper away and Roy groaned. "So you're even better than me in my own damn head, huh?"

"I didn't want to leave you alone, Roy," he admitted. Roy almost felt a pang of emotion. He easily shrugged it off.

"Yea, well you did. Listen, pappy, I'd love to catch up, but I'm busy. And you're interrupting my groove. So, bye-bye! I'll see you in the dark dimension sometime when I get baaaack." He flicked his finger towards his father and sent him flying across the void. He let out a whistle, admiring how far the 'ol doc flew. "Home run!"

It was a while more of walking before his father showed up again. "It should be no problem for you to get out of the void," he floated along casually, his legs crossed beneath him as he blabbed. Roy wished there was an Office camera to look into.

"Dear pappy, I'm quite afraid I already know that. However, it appears that my stationed body is nearly dead. The return trip could finish the job."

There was a small silence. "I'm disappointed, Roy. There's an incredibly easy fix to your insignificant problem."

Roy's fingernails cut his palm open. "Of course there is."

Finn could tell it was going to snow soon. That's why he was working so hard. Well, that's what he told himself anyway. The more wood he chopped, the better Edie would handle the winter. He needed to keep her alive. She needed to live.

He reread some of his older entries the other night. The ones Edie weren't allowed to see. In particular, he spent a lot of time on #806. He swung the axe down hard enough to split the piece clean in half, one blow. He had blisters on his hands and hunger in his stomach, but he couldn't seem to go back inside. He needed to prepare. To prepare for winter.

Edie had always hated winter. Sure, she loved sledding and snowball fights and making snowmen- her problem was the cold. She would spend hours outside, playing in the snow, until her skin fell blue and her fingers were near ready to snap off. Erik would always chide her - though he could never yell or truly get angry with her- and tell her than she should come inside as the first sign of cold. She would cry and throw fits, demanding that he make the snow warmer so she could keep playing in it. He, Finn, would stand off to the side, ready to be yelled at later for not bringing her in sooner.

To Finn, Erik would say 'What is wrong with you? You need to look out for her. You need to protect her. We live in a dangerous word filled with dangerous people who want to hurt her. And what do you do? You let her waste away in the cold. I'm so disappointed.'

But what was he supposed to do? How could he cause that much hurt to his sister? To drag her away from something she wanted so much? And what would Erik say to her?

It was the same thing every time. He would wrap her in the softest blanket and sit with her in his lap as they lay in front of the fireplace. He would tell her, in German, 'You are such a strong girl, my princess. A true warrior. But sometimes, sometimes we need to know which battles to lose. That way, we can win the war, do you understand, my angel? Lose the night so that you can win the winter. Come now, to bed. You can play tomorrow little snow queen. I'm so proud of you.'

Finn struck the axe into the dirt, falling to his knees with the effort. Yes, it was entry #806. Edie was dying, and she was bringing the whole world down with her.

"How could I do this to him?" Jamie asked for the thousandth time. Tori felt horrible. He felt excruciatingly useless as well. He had retraced his steps perfectly, but he had no idea where Roy was. Obviously, the worst had crossed his mind. He was even beginning to thoroughly believe it, but Jamie was ever serious in insisting that her best friend was still alive, and he wasn't going to try to say otherwise. He would look with her for as long as she needed. Afterall, he left him out here, defenseless, when he knew the portal would cause increased activity for the aliens.

"Jamie, this wasn't your fault," he insisted. "I'm the one who left him. I..I thought…" Jamie forged ahead of him, sniffling silently. He was still alive. He had to be.

"No! He's not your best friend! He's mine! He's annoying and stubborn and brilliantly beautiful, and no one understands him - not even me, but I value him so much and he..he..HE CAN'T BE DEAD!" Jamie sunk to her knees, her chest expanding and falling rapidly. Tori could easily recognize it as a panic attack, but he let her work her own way through it. He thought back to when these strange people traveled across dimensions, to that very first day they came out of the portal. Jamie had been the one to lose the most - her brother died, her best friend was now missing - presumably dead according to Tori. Her big secret had come out in front of total strangers. Even before then, on her home world, her father was a terrorist and her parents were murdered in front of her. Then, for years, she was forced to hide the truth. Tori couldn't even imagine.

And now, she was tearing herself apart. For Roy. He put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Why can't I stop crying?" She begged, "Why? Why couldn't I have been there for him, like he's always been for me? He does so much for he, he's such a good friend. I can't lose...can't lose him. I treat him like shit, and he still calls me his friend. His best friend. Oh Roy, oh my God, oh Roy, oh my God, oh Roy, why?"

Tori let her cry for a few more moments before he hauled her to her feet. "Look, Jamie, I'm going to help you find him, okay? Roy seems like a smart kid, I'm sure he's just hiding somewhere. And when we find him, you can tell him you missed him, and thank him for bringing your brother back to life."

Jamie was dumbfound. "Oh my God," Tori wished she would stop saying that. "He brought Grant back to life and I never even thanked him! He gave part of his life to somebody he hates!" Jamie let out another sob and started running down the street. "We have to find him!"

Tori followed her, glad that Rayne was never so emotionally bipolar.

Steve found Sam in the infirmary. He, admittedly rather selfishly, volunteered to stay back and guard the base. His mind was a crazy web of thoughts and emotions. Memories of his giggling son and before that the man he was named after - brave old Sam Wilson who gave his life for Bucky. That's why he was Sam Buchanan Rogers, and not the other way around. He knew Sam would be up there in Heaven, gloating that Steve must like him better, if he chose to name his firstborn Sam over anything else.

But his son was no Sam Wilson. Over the past couple of weeks, Steve could see that his son was nobody Steve knew at all. It hurt to say, but today his son brought shame to Sam's name. To his legacy. It hurt to have been so blindsided. Did the others notice his brash behavior before these past few days, or was this a new development? What really was happening between his son and that mutant girl? He had always thought that Jace was jealous of Sam's authoritative power, but he was beginning to think that Jace was just strong enough not to deal with Sam's bullshit.

Strong enough… Steve didn't think he had been strong enough with his son, raising him in the invasion, or even before. Perhaps he had let too much slide. He couldn't ever remember saying no to the lad, or disciplining him too much. He had always been so busy playing the hero to truly be one.

And now, as he leaned against the door-frame and watched his son apply ice to his ribs, he could feel nothing more than disappointment.

"What happened there?" He asked, and Sam glared up at him.

"That little Mutey Jace is sneaking around with my girlfriend, so I decided to show him who's boss." Steve narrowed his eyes. Something in his gut drove him to his next question.

"You have proof?"

"Proof?" Sam sneered, "I seen it with my own eyes! Now don't you go telling me my own father is gonna side with the abominations now-"

"You watch your language, Sam Buchanan," Steve warned, his worst nightmare unraveling before his eyes. He had failed as a parent. The great Captain America, and he's got an asshole for a son.

"I'll watch my damn mouth when the world's done burning," Sam spat back, and Steve slapped him. He didn't put much thought into it, just reached out and struck him right across the cheek. Shock spread across both of their faces before Steve's settled firm and Sam's turned to anger.

"Now what in the hell was that for? I did what you asked, I told him about that damn portal! God!" Sam screamed, slamming the ice down with all his might. Steve watched it shatter across the ground as Sam pushed past him, pushing his face real close to Steve's.

"I ain't your Goddamn errand boy, and I ain't your prodigy. I'm my own damn man, so step off."

Soft hands circled around her body. A charming face looked down at hers as they swayed under the pale moonlight, snow circling around them like stars. She felt like they were the sky; two of the most beautiful constellations dancing together for eternity. The cold nipped at her fingers, but she had not a care in the world for them. Let them fall off, she thought, so I can keep dancing forever.

She was pulled closer to his warm body, her soft giggles echoing in the night as they slowed and came to rest their foreheads together.

She sighed. "My father doesn't want me to find love yet. He thinks I'm too young." She opened her eyes, gazing into his with passion and fury. "But I do. I love you so much."

He grinned at her, his hand sliding up and down her back as a way to warm her. "Your secret's safe with me."

Edie woke with a start, the feeling of soft snow against her skin slowly fading. Finn stirred beside her, gently grabbing her hand and caressing it as she cry.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking her over, "Are you in pain?" She nodded her head vigorously, and Finn rose immediately.

"I'll grab the painkillers. We're a bit low, but you haven't had one in a while…"He trailed off, standing still for a moment before beginning to move, but Edie would not let go of his hand.

"Do you think he really loved me?" She asked, looking up at Finn with big, round eyes. "As much as I loved him?" Finn slumped down in his seat with a sigh, rubbing his face warily.

"Be honest, brother, please. I loved him with all my heart. Do you think he loved me?"

"I think you love too hard, sister. You pour all of your emotions into one singular person and you think they can endure it - handle all of you entirely." He shook his head, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "No, I don't think he loved you. Edie, he betrayed you; they all did. Every single person you called friend, they all left you to die as you did everything you could to save them. They never loved you, they used you."

Edie squeezed his hand. "Like you did," she whispered, silent tears tracing paths down her drying skin. Finn nodded, bending over to kiss her forehead.

"I love you, Edie, please remember that."

"I loved father, and you murdered him."

Jamie was ready to give up. She could tell they had been out there for hours, and Tori had received message that no one else had found any portals, and they were all safely back at base. Base. Where Grant was. Where she should be.

No, she had to stop thinking that way. She had sat around for far too long and let her emotions get the best of her. She was smart. She was experienced, and she had an iron will. She'd find Roy if she had to gut every Stinger out there.

"Where do you want to look next? We've covered the whole route, twice." She knew Tori had long since given up. She could see it on his face for hours now- that hopeless expression of another lost soul. But he kept looking, for her sake. Like if he stopped, she would break. She hated to admit it, but she knew it was the truth. She was on the last straw, her body and mind working together to salvage something so that she didn't just fade into the wind and blow away.

"We work back to the base," Jamie decided, "but we become a bit more sporadic. You saw the first portal; you know how it moves and shifts. I bet Roy followed it. I bet he was the one who closed it- he probably used his life to save ours. The least we can do...The least we can do is find his body. Bring it back."

So they kept looking. It was only a few blocks back to the tower, but they searched every crevice and crack until several more hours passes. Until, finally, Tori saw the familiar glint of-

"-My skateboard!" Jamie followed his gaze, chasing after him as he picked it up and hugged it to his chest, flipping it over and and frowning. "He bent the wheel." Jamie smacked his arm.

"Worry about the inanimate object later, moron, he's got to be around here somewhere!" And he was. Just a block east - a block they had passed three other times - lay a motionless body. It was covered in mud and strewn across a large puddle, face down. Jamie gasped, sprinting over to him like she had never ran before.

She stopped at his body, her hands shaking as she squatted down and grabbed his shoulder. Slowly, and then all at once, she flipped him over and gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

Roy Strange was alive, and breathing again, but he was unconscious and his whole face was swollen from lack of oxygen. His skin was blue and his veins popped out of it like mountains. His eyes were closed and his mouth moved like he was trying to say something, but couldn't no matter how vigorously it twitched. His eyes were rapidfire under their lids, moving at miles per second like each of them were having seizures. But the weirdest part, the reason why Jamie gasped, was that just touching his cold, blue skin, had burned her own. He was quite literally overheating to death.