Lauren opened her eyes slowly and was momentarily surprised to find herself back at school. Looking around, at all the familiar faces of the kids she had grown up with, the surprise faded away. Everyone around her was smiling and joking and Lauren felt lighter than she had in a long time.
Suddenly she realised she was holding a container filled with homemade corn muffins. Realisation flooded through her; it was the football team's fundraiser breakfast – of course! But… hadn't that been months ago?
Obviously not.
Lauren made her way over to put her container down with the others. She spotted her boyfriend by the table, and had the strangest feeling like it had been a long time since she'd seen him. It felt good to see him but, Lauren thought she used to feel more excited whenever he was around.
Trying to shake off her growing feeling of unease, Lauren took a deep breath; she must have had some strange dreams last night to be feeling this weird. Talking to Jack would make her feel better.
He caught her eye as she approached the table, and Lauren was shocked by the look of disgust on his face. She was about to ask him what was wrong, when he reached across the table and smacked the container out of her hand.
"You think we'd eat anything made by a mutie?" He spat out the last word, his voice thick with hatred. Suddenly it seemed like every eye in the room was staring at her, every face full of loathing, surrounding her.
"Freak!"
"Mutie!"
"Disgusting!"
"You're not one of us!"
Tears filled Lauren's eyes as she stumbled backwards towards the door. This was wrong; these were her friends.
This was her worst fear come to life.
A strong pair of hands took hold of each of her arms, as Agent Turner stopped her in her tracks. His smile was chilling as Lauren felt the all too familiar feeling of the mutant suppression collar snap around her neck and Doctor Campbell came into view, gun in hand.
Her former classmates were gone, replaced by the people she cared about most in the world, and Lauren looked in horror as Campbell raised the gun and
BANG
Sonya fell, just like she had before, blood pooling underneath her
BANG
Clarice was dead before Lauren even had time to scream
BANG
John hit the ground with a crash, the light gone from his eyes. Lauren tried to move, to run, to help, but she was powerless
BANG
A blinding flash light filled the room, fading to reveal Marcos lying lifeless on the floor.
And then Campbell raised the gun again, and Lauren fought harder to get to them, to stop him, to save them, to-
BANG
BANG
Lauren was released, finally, and she collapsed at her parents' sides, begging them to wake up, to forgive her for failing them.
A hand on her shoulder made her jump, but when she looked up it was Andy. It was her little brother, here and alive. Lauren jumped into his arms, holding him with all the strength she had. After a moment he pulled away, and suddenly they were alone, standing on the rooftop. Andy was smiling.
"It's okay Lauren. We can help them. We can make them pay." Andy reached down and took her hand, and Lauren realised exactly what he meant. She looked out across the city, full of innocent people going about their day, living their lives.
"Andy, no!" She tried to pull her hand away, but his grip was too strong, "This is wrong! We'll kill innocent people! They don't deserve this!"
Andy ignored her, twisting her hand, his eyes lighting up with the power of Fenris. Lauren felt it rising in her too.
"You were right. We are meant to be together."
Lauren shook her head, "That's not what I meant, not like this." Andy's hold only grew stronger, his face hardening.
"No! Stop!" With a burst of strength Lauren wrenched her hand free, taking a few steps back to distance herself from her brother. Before she had time to react with anything more than a weak shield, Andy's power slammed into her at full force. Lauren went flying backwards, just like before. She was falling
falling
falling
/
The heart monitor's rhythm stayed steady, even as Lauren's face scrunched up and she tried to pull her hand out of her father's.
"Shh," Reed soothed, "It's okay baby, we're all here." He hated seeing his daughter like this. They should never have let her go, even though Reed knew Lauren had made the decision herself. She'd wanted to get her brother back. Her brother.
Andy had done this.
Reed didn't want to believe it, but he knew it was true. Who was Andy becoming? Would they be able to bring him back from this? What if Lauren never woke up?
How could he have failed his children so completely?
The headache that had been pounding ever since John had let them know what had happened stabbed even stronger. Reed felt the familiar sense of horror as his power surged within him.
Abruptly he let go of Lauren's hand and jumped to his feet, the chair screeching as he flung it backwards. He heard the conversation that had been rumbling around him stop, and his wife made to come over to him. Reed quickly shook his head.
"I need a minute." Reed managed to say, barely keeping himself together. He couldn't lose control now, not when Lauren needed him. The pills he'd taken earlier were already losing effect.
Before anyone could say anything, Reed rushed out of the room, only to almost walk into Marcos, who had been pacing in the hallway outside of the door. He was clearly distressed.
"Reed, I'm, I'm sorry. I should have-" Marcos started, his voice shaking, but Reed just walked away. He didn't have time to stop, not when he could lose control any second and destroy something.
Or someone.
/
For a moment the only sound in the room was the regular beep of the heart monitor. John ran his hands through his hair; he wasn't sure how everything had got so messed up.
"Do they have any idea when she'll wake up?" he asked Caitlin, wishing there was some way for him to actually help. He hated feeling powerless, and it was becoming an all too common feeling.
"Or why she hasn't already?" Clarice added, letting her shoulder bump against his arm, grounding him.
Caitlin tore her eyes away from the door, glancing at the unmoving form of her daughter on the bed for a moment, before she looked at them. They'd all spent so much time together, especially since they'd left Atlanta, that he could read her with ease. John could see just how hard she was working to keep it all together; he knew she'd do anything for her family.
"They have no idea," Caitlin's voice was surprisingly calm, "Her scans came back clear. There's no medical reason for her to still be unconscious. I don't know what to do, other than wait." As she spoke Caitlin made her way over to the chair her husband had discarded. She dragged it back over to her daughter's bedside and wearily eased herself into it, "I can't think straight. I can't believe Andy hurt his sister. I don't know what's happening to him, what they're doing to him. I know he'd never want to hurt Lauren, I know he wouldn't." It sounded to John as though Caitlin was trying to convince herself.
John wasn't sure what to say, he didn't have any answers for Caitlin. He was grateful when Clarice stepped forwards, standing at the foot of the bed. She seemed to be thinking very intently, "When we first met," she gestured to Caitlin and Lauren, "I overexerted myself using my powers. I couldn't wake up then, just like Lauren now. Could this be the same thing?"
Caitlin looked up, a spark of hope in her eyes, "Maybe! I can try-" She was interrupted by Marcos, who must have been listening at the open door.
"It's not that," he said, finally entering the room. John knew he was beating himself up for this, even though no one else thought it was his fault, "It's because of Andy." At that Caitlin stood up, looking defensive.
"I know it was Andy, but that's not-" Marcos interrupted her again.
"It's because of their connection. None of us understand it. Lauren didn't overexert herself, but she did say they'd been having the same dream. Think about it, Andy used his power to break through Lauren's shield. Their powers are meant to be used together, not against each other!" Caitlin quickly waked to him and pulled him into a hug. A little of the burden seemed to lift off Marcos' shoulders.
"Thank you," Caitlin sounded close to tears again. John caught Clarice's eye, and she shrugged as if to say, "he's probably on to something."
Releasing Marcos, Caitlin turned to face them, "I need to do something, can you stay with Lauren? I don't want her to be alone."
"Of course." Clarice gave her a supportive smile. She'd barely sat down next to the bed before Caitlin had vanished into the corridor.
"What happened with Reed?" Marcos asked.
John sighed, "I should probably go and find out." Marcos glanced briefly at the bed, then back at John.
"I'll go with you." He was definitely still feeling responsible, and John could understand that, even if it wasn't true. He'd make sure to talk to him as well as Reed. He looked to Clarice.
"Go, we'll be fine here." She gestured to Lauren. Marcos was out the door in a second. John leant over to give Clarice a kiss.
"Good luck with those two." Her voice was affectionate, and John smiled despite everything. Clarice could always make him smile, no matter the situation.
"I have a feeling I'll need it." John ran his hands through his hair once more, before heading out after his best friend.
/
Caitlin glanced around to check no one was watching before she opened the door to the hidden room. She had a plan, but she knew not everyone would approve of it. Reed wasn't inside, which she was ashamed to admit was a relief; however, her eyes drifted to the mark he'd left on the wall. But there was no time to deal with any of that now.
Quickly, she logged on to League online. No one else knew she'd been contacting Andy, and he'd never responded or even acknowledged the messages. But just knowing he still played his favourite video game gave Caitlin hope; no matter what had changed, the son she knew was not gone. Not completely, at least.
That was why Caitlin felt so sure this would work. Despite the events of the day, she knew Andy would never want to hurt his sister. Not willingly. She had no idea what kind of pressure or manipulation he was being subjected to.
But no matter what, Andy was not so far gone that he'd let Lauren suffer while he could do something about it.
Her hands shook as she typed the message. She told him they weren't angry – not entirely true, but any anger was currently being swallowed by fear and desperation – but that Lauren was hurt, badly, because of their connection. She needed him to come to the clinic. She promised him he wouldn't be pressured to stay, but his sister needed him. In her heart Caitlin knew she wouldn't be able to let him go without trying, but if it saved Lauren she'd make herself watch him leave again. She ended the message the way she always did, "Love always, Mom."
Caitlin shut the computer down and took a deep breath. It was time to tell the others about her messages to Andy. She was sure they'd be angry that she hadn't told them, but that didn't matter.
Tonight there was a chance she could save both her children.
/
"What's so urgent?" Esme asked as she entered Reeva's office, her sisters close behind. Reeva handed her a tablet, waiting while the sisters read the message it displayed. When they looked up, she spoke.
"Andrew received this a few minutes ago." She'd been monitoring his screen time more closely ever since he'd disclosed that his mother had been contacting him.
"You want us to convince him not to go?" Sophie asked.
"Or force him?" Phoebe added with a smirk, which Sophie echoed. Reeva noticed with irritation a conflicted expression pass across Esme's face; she needed them in sync, and there was no room for a weak link.
"It's his sister, surely we can arrange something?" Esme asked.
"You really are going soft!" her sisters responded, turning on her. Reeva raised a hand to prevent the argument.
"Esme is right. Andrew proved himself on this mission, but his family is still important to him. The sister in particular. He would not cope well if something terrible happened to her by his hand. He has yet to grow out of his childish sensitivity. It would be unfortunate to lose him." The Frost sisters absorbed her words, nodding. Esme was unable to completely hide her relief; a problem Reeva tucked away for a later date.
"Andrew believes in our cause, and that it is his family he is fighting for. I believe he will return. However, it will prove interesting to see how he acts when faced with this news. Will he come to us, or try to act alone without our notice? Another excellent loyalty test."
In perfect unison the Frost sisters' eyes' flashed blue, "It appears he's going to pass," they chorused. Reeva exchanged a satisfied smile with them at the sound of a hesitant knock at the door.
"Come in."
Andy looked extremely unsure of himself, and very much the 15 year old child he was.
"Is everything okay, Andrew? We were just discussing how our new guest is settling in." He took another hesitant step into the room.
"I got another message from my mom. It's, um, Lauren. My sister. I think I hurt her pretty bad and I-" he broke off, clearly worried to ask to be allowed to go to her.
"I am very sorry to hear that Andrew, we all regret how the situation escalated. Is there anything we can do to help?" A look of surprise crossed Andy's face.
"My mom thinks I can help Lauren, 'cos we're connected. But I'd need to, you know, go see her." His eyes were fixed to the ground as he asked, clearly expecting Reeva to be angry. He certainly had come a long way from the day she had almost had to kill him. She was pleased; it really would have been a shame to waste such potential.
Reeva plastered on the most sincere smile she could manage, "Of course, we would never want to prevent you from helping your sister." She stood up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his arm, "My only concern is whether or not your family would let you leave. Sometimes parents find it hard to accept that their children have grown up. I'm afraid they might not respect your wishes.
"Oh, my mom promised they wouldn't try to make me stay, and I can always, you know," he mimed using his powers, sound effects and all, "through a wall to get out."
Reeva looked him in the eye, before giving a nod, "Go, quickly. I trust you. Do all you can for your sister, but please be careful."
Andy smiled at her, "I will, thank you." He raced from the room. Reeva pointed at Phoebe.
"Find Fade and follow him. Stay out of sight, but monitor the situation. Ensure they allow him to leave and that he does not choose to stay." Phoebe nodded, and Reeva turned to her sisters, "You two, please check on our new guest. She's had time to rest."
As the sisters obeyed her instructions, Reeva turned her attention to her camera feeds. She saw mutants she'd handpicked training, Lorna rocking her baby, and Andy quickly getting ready to head out, concern for his sister radiating from his very being.
Reeva had a sinking feeling that it was going to prove tougher than she'd hoped to sever Andy's connection to his family; she could only hope the price would not be too high for anyone involved.
/
Andy wasn't sure he'd ever felt this nervous. The clinic was full of busy looking people, but no one stopped him or questioned what he was doing. He supposed a clinic that secretly helped mutants must be used to looking the other way.
How was Andy supposed to find Lauren? Could he ask at the reception desk like normal? Or were they hiding somewhere secret? Was he even in time to help Lauren? Or was he too late?
He hadn't meant to hurt Lauren, or Marcos, not really. But he had known from the look in Lauren's eyes that she was not going to move out of the way, and he'd known that the mutants waiting in the car would have had no issues hurting her, or worse. He'd felt like he had no choice. Then Lauren had said he was scared. Andy hadn't been able to suppress the anger that bubbled up inside him. He was not scared, not now. Before, maybe, but now he was fighting back. He was not scared anymore.
Anyone can stand up to an enemy. But what happens when you care about someone? When you fought and sacrificed with them? I need people who are going to be strong enough to stand up to their friends.
Reeva's words had rung in Andy's ears, and he'd wanted to prove her right for having faith in him. He'd known he could do it. He had to.
Lauren hadn't expected him to attack, she'd been a fraction late in responding.
Andy hadn't held back.
For a moment after she'd hit the ground, Andy had waned to run to her, to see if she was okay. But he hadn't.
Now he knew she wasn't okay. Because of him.
He hadn't meant to hurt her. Not really.
Andy was pulled out of his thoughts and saved from having to ask someone where to go, by the sight of a flash of purple hair disappearing down a hallway to the right.
Clarice.
Following as closely behind her as he could, it wasn't long before he rounded a corner and saw Clarice enter a room. He paused outside for a moment. He wanted nothing more than to help Lauren, but he wasn't sure what he'd find in that room. He wasn't sure how he'd face his family. Especially after this.
Taking a deep breath, Andy opened the door; he hoped his face wasn't showing just how anxious he was. Stepping inside, Andy felt all six pairs of eyes on him, heard faint sounds of surprise and shock. But his eyes were focused on the still form of his sister on the bed. Unconscious. Because of him.
From what sounded like a million miles away Andy heard someone – John, he thought – saying, "We'll give you some privacy", and he heard people moving, leaving the room. But he couldn't look away from Lauren.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Andy suddenly became aware of the other two people in the room as his mom threw her arms around him. Instinctively Andy returned the hug. It sounded like she was crying. He risked a look at his dad, worried about what expression he'd see there. Disappointment? Anger?
All he saw was sadness, so he quickly looked away. Back at Lauren.
Gently Andy pulled away from his mom and walked towards the bed. Lauren just looked like she was sleeping, and he wondered if she was having the same dream. The one she'd said she shared with him. The one that frightened him more than he'd ever admit. He hoped not.
Andy got the sense that his parents didn't know what to say or do, so he did the only thing that made sense to him, to help Lauren.
He took Lauren's hand, concentrating. Relief flooded through him as he felt the Fenris power begin to rise; it was working. And, if he was honest, he'd missed it. Lauren still wasn't moving, so he called through the connection.
Wake up. I'm sorry. Everyone needs you. I'm really sorry. Lauren, wake up!
Lauren's eyes shot open, and she blinked slowly as she came to. Distantly Andy heard his parents' exclamations as they rushed towards her.
Then Lauren's eyes met his; the fear he saw there felt like a punch to the stomach. He'd caused that fear. Lauren pulled her hand away, and Andy didn't try to stop her. Instead he took a step backwards.
As the connection broke Andy felt the rest of the room come rushing back in. His parents were at Lauren's side, asking her if she was okay, smiling and hugging her. It was such a complete family scene that Andy felt an ache in his chest he'd not noticed before. He didn't like the feeling.
Slowly Lauren sat up, and when Andy was able to bring himself to look at her she didn't look scared anymore. She just looked like his loving big sister.
"You came." Those two words filled Andy with such hope and love and guilt it hurt. Andy once again found it hard to look at her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- I didn't want you to get hurt."
Lauren didn't sound angry, "It's okay, you're here now. That's what matters. You can stay. We can be a family again." No. Andy looked at his mom. She'd promised.
"We won't make you stay," She reassured him, a strange look on her face.
"Kate?" his dad started, but his mom continued.
"It's your choice. We won't make it for you. We trust you to make the right one." She sounded so hopeful, Andy hated himself for what he knew he had to do.
"You belong here. With us." Lauren gestured to their parents, "We fought so hard to stay together. You belong with your family, not against us." Andy could hear how strongly she meant those words, how much she loved him and believed in him. If only she understood. Andy shook his head.
"I'm doing this for all of you. So we can be safe. So you don't have to hide in badly funded clinics." Why couldn't they see?
His dad stood up slowly, "You can't trust Reeva Payge. She's turned on the people working with her before. She's not afraid of hurting innocent people."
"This is war! She's doing what has to be done to make a difference. She believes in me, and I believe in what we're doing. We're making a world where all mutants can be safe." Andy was doing his best to explain. If they could just understand it would all be so much easier. Maybe they'd even join him. But Lauren wouldn't meet his eye, and his mom looked like she was about to cry again.
"Andy, you seriously hurt your sister today. Was that the right thing to do? Was it what had to be done?" his dad sounded tired, but Andy also heard an all too familiar patronising tone that had always driven him mad. His dad had never listened to him, never respected him. Not like Reeva did. The Inner Circle understood that he wasn't a kid anymore, why couldn't his family see that too?
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but, if you guys hadn't interfered, if you hadn't been in the way none of that would have happened," He looked at his family, desperate for them to understand, "If you just stay away, stay safe, it will be better for everyone. No one will get hurt. We're are all on the same side. We all want the same thing."
"I'm not sure we do, not anymore." When he looked at Lauren, the hope in her eyes was gone. For a moment there was silence, and Andy felt a terrible urge to just beg them to forgive him and let him stay. But he couldn't do that. It didn't matter how much missed his family. What he was doing with the Inner Circle was too important.
He took a step towards the door.
"I should go."
Immediately his mom was at his side, her hand on his arm, "Can't you stay? Just a little longer? We could all have dinner together and catch up. It's been so long. Please? Just for a little while?"
"He's made his decision, mom," Lauren sounded angry, "Let him go." Andy couldn't look at her, guilt was eating him up inside. But he had to go.
Feeling as though a part of him was breaking inside, Andy wrenched his arm free.
"I'm sorry, but you'll see I'm right one day." It hurt worse than it had the first time, as he walked away from his family.
"You can always come home." His dad's voice halted Andy's steps, just for a moment.
"I love you." He said, his voice almost a whisper. He hoped they heard it. He hoped they didn't.
As he closed the door he could hear his mom crying. It hurt so much worse than it had the first time he'd left, but Lauren was okay. She hated him, but she was okay. Alive and hating him was better than the alternative. If their roles were reversed Andy supposed he'd hate him too.
He'd forgotten that the others were there until Marcos ran up to him, a wary look on his face. When he spoke, he sounded desperate, "How is Dawn? Is she okay?" Andy wasn't sure what to do, if Lorna would want him to answer.
"Please. She's my baby." Andy still felt guilty for not helping Marcos, his friend, when he'd last seen him. Surely it wouldn't hurt to answer him.
"She's good. She, err, loves the rattle you gave her." Did newborns love things? Andy had no idea, but it seemed like it was the right thing to say from the intense relief and happiness that washed over Marcos' face, "Tell her that her daddy loves her, please?" Andy nodded. He could do that, he supposed. Maybe when no one else was around to hear. Marcos walked away, collapsing into a chair as John rested a hand on his shoulder.
Andy turned to leave, eager to be out of here and away from all this guilt, but was stopped again. This time by Clarice.
"Some friendly advice? Think about what you're doing, about the choices you're making. Think about who you want to be. I've fallen in with people like the Inner Circle before, and it never ends well. But you're not alone. Think about what's important to you." She gestured at the door to Lauren's room, with his family inside; hurting, because of him. "It's not too late to come back, but if you walk too much further down this road, it will be."
Andy stepped away from her intense gaze, feeling as though she could see right through him. As much as he didn't want to admit it, her words frightened him. But she was wrong. They all were.
"One day you'll all understand." He told her.
This time, when Andy turned and started to walk away, no one stopped him.
/
The chaos of the day had finally calmed, but Marcos knew the emotional toll would be felt for a long time to come. In the hours after Andy had left, Marcos hadn't moved from the chair outside of Lauren's room. Caitlin had come out not long after, letting them know that Lauren was awake. The decision had been made that Lauren was to stay overnight in the clinic, just to be safe, and that her parents would stay with her. John had suggested that he, Clarice and Marcos should take shifts outside the room; thanks to Caitlin the Inner Circle knew exactly where they were (a conversation Marcos knew they would all be having once morning came). Who knew what Reeva Payge would do with that information? Her reputation for dealing with enemies was less than comforting.
Marcos had taken the first shift, letting John and Clarice go home to rest. It was the least he could do, after how he'd let everyone down today.
He'd known Andy couldn't be trusted to stand down. He'd seen him stand there watching, doing nothing, as Reeva inflicted the worst pain on Marcos that he had ever felt. He'd heard Andy cockily telling him that they hadn't had to bring him there to save his daughter. His baby daughter who had been sick, who had been suffering, and Andy had expected him to be grateful they'd deigned to let him help. What sort of monsters would even consider letting a child suffer?
The Inner Circle had got into Lorna's head, Marcos had no choice but to accept that. So of course, they'd got to Andy. Of course, he'd be a true believer too. Marcos had known that. He should never have let Lauren be the one to face him. She loved her brother, wanted to protect him, to save him. Marcos could understand that. It was how he'd felt about Lorna, until he'd seen her in that place. He should have kept Lauren out of harms way. The minute Andy stepped out of that car, he should have taken Lauren out of there. She was only 17, still a kid. And Marcos had stood by while she got hurt.
It was all his fault, even if no one else would say it.
Suddenly there was a loud cry from inside the room. It sounded like Reed. Marcos was on his feet in an instant. Had something happened?
The door flew open, and Reed once again burst out of it, almost running down the hall. His powers. Again. Marcos supposed he'd had a nightmare and triggered them; it had happened to Marcos a few times when his powers first manifested. He and John had convinced Reed to start training – well, John had convinced him - but with the events of the day there'd been no time. They were due to begin tomorrow. Marcos was about to follow him when Caitlin appeared at the door.
"He had a nightmare." She told him, confirming what he'd thought. Marcos nodded.
"You go back to sleep, I'll find him and-" he started, but she silenced him with a shake of her head.
"He's my husband, I'll help him figure this out. Tonight at least. I think we both need to talk through everything that happened today." That made sense to Marcos, so he made to sit down again. He wasn't needed.
"Could you sit with Lauren? I know she's out of danger, and she's trying to be so strong for us, but she's very shaken. I'd rather she wasn't alone." Marcos couldn't understand why she'd want him anywhere near Lauren, not after today, but he stood up and headed for the door anyway. Anything he could do to help. Caitlin stopped him.
"Stop blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault." Marcos made to protest but she cut him off with a hug, "I mean it, stop blaming yourself. I don't, Reed doesn't, and I know Lauren doesn't. All we have is each other." She looked up at him, a concerned, almost motherly, expression on her face, "Try to get some sleep too?" And then she was gone, leaving him momentarily stunned, tears in his eyes. Why had they all forgiven him so easily?
He crept inside the room as quietly as he could, not wanting to disturb Lauren.
"Marcos! Are you alright?" She was sitting up in the bed, clearly wide awake. Probably woken by Reed's nightmare. Right. Of course she'd be awake.
"Me? I'm fine. How are you?" Marcos couldn't help but feel nervous. This was all his fault. Lauren shrugged, but he noticed she was fiddling with the blanket anxiously and wouldn't meet his eye. She clearly blamed him and didn't want to be in the same room as him. He understood.
"I'm okay, honestly. I wish everyone would stop worrying." Finally, she looked at him, and Marcos couldn't quite make out the expression on her face, "I'm sorry, I should have listened to you. I was so stupid, believing in Andy, that he wouldn't hurt me. I really am so sorry. You could have been hurt because of me." Guilty, she looked guilty. Marcos was shocked.
"You're sorry? I'm the one who is sorry. I should have been looking out for you, I should have done more to-"
"Trust me, I wasn't going to let anything stop me trying to get through to Andy. Except Andy himself, I guess. I'm the one at fault, for believing in my brother more than I trusted my instincts." It was like a weight from Marcos' shoulders. She was okay, there was no lasting damage. Lauren didn't blame him, and maybe he could believe the others didn't either. It didn't erase his sense of failure, but it eased it. He settled in to the chair beside her bed. One thing nagged at him; whilst he was relieved she wasn't angry at him, he also knew she shouldn't blame herself.
"It wasn't your fault. You wanted to see the good in Andy, just like I did with Lorna. We both had to find out the truth the hard way. If it's anyone's fault, it's theirs. For leaving. We get to be as angry at them as we want." He was speaking for Lauren's benefit, but also for himself "But we have to make sure we don't lose ourselves in it. Don't stop believing in people." For a moment there was silence, a comfortable silence. The tension they'd both been feeling was gone.
"Thank you Marcos, for everything." Lauren reached over to take his hand, "Not just today. Thank you for everything you've done for us, from the start."
"We're in this together, we're all here for each other." He thought back to his conversation with Caitlin, "All we have is each other." Lauren nodded. It was true, it had been true for a long time, but Marcos knew they'd been growing distant, despite their close proximity. They all needed to do a better job of asking for help, instead of suffering in silence.
"Do you know… Is my dad okay?" She asked, her tone sad "I know he's struggling with his powers, but he won't talk to me about it, not really."
Marcos sighed, "Your mom's with him, she'll help him tonight. And then tomorrow John and I are going to start his training." Lauren smiled a little, settling back against the pillows.
"That's good." She was unable to suppress a yawn, and Marcos remembered that it was the middle of the night. Some responsible adult he was.
"You should get some sleep. It's late, or I guess, it's early." Lauren looked down, her face worried again.
"I've been getting nightmares, more and more recently. I don't- don't want to go to sleep." Lauren looked up at him again, "I pretended to sleep earlier, just so mom and dad wouldn't worry."
Marcos could understand that, and he wished he could say something that would actually make it easier, "I get nightmares too, and if I'm honest, I don't really want to sleep either. I've not slept much since Lorna left. But I'll try tonight, if you will. And if you have a nightmare, I'll be here. And if I have one, you'll be here. Deal?" Lauren managed to smile at him.
"Deal." She rolled over onto her side, facing away from him, "Goodnight Marcos."
"Goodnight." There was silence, and Marcos settled into the chair, resting his head against the wall behind him. It wasn't the comfiest, but he was so tired it would do just fine. Lauren surprised him by speaking again.
"I'm sorry about Lorna, and Dawn." Marcos felt a tear escape and roll down his cheek. He wasn't alone in feeling the pain of this separation, there were people who understood.
"I'm sorry about Andy." Marcos closed his eyes, and finally drifted off to sleep.
/
Clarice paced outside the room. Marcos had never come to get either her or John to take over in the clinic, but the night had passed without incident. They'd all met this morning to find Lauren up and ready to get out of room, embarrassed by everyone asking her how she was; she'd just wanted everything back to normal. Clarice was just relieved she was okay, that they all were okay. Physically at least.
And she was worried that they would not be so lucky during their next encounter with the Inner Circle, which John and Marcos seemed intent should be soon. They needed the Morlocks on their side more than ever, and Clarice knew she was the key to that.
There were raised voices inside the room, and Clarice knew she should be in there too. But Erg – Clarice still thought it was a stupid name – had contacted her for the first time. It was time for her to keep up her side of the bargain.
John's voice carried loudly from inside the room, "We just have to get ahead of the Inner Circle! We have to figure out what they're planning!"
Caitlin's response was just as loud, "We don't even know who they took, or why!" Before someone, Reed she assumed, reminded them to be quieter.
That was the problem. They were all committed – now more than ever – to stopping the Inner Circle, but they were at a disadvantage in every possible way. And since Laruen had been hurt, Caitlin was anxious that no one take any unnecessary risk; in her eyes, this now seemed to be any risk at all.
It was time for Clarice to go to meet the Morlocks, but as she turned to leave Marcos arrived.
"Where are you going?" he asked, and Clarice wished there weren't people around, so she could just open a portal to the street outside and be gone before she had to answer his question.
"I've got something I need to do, could you just tell John I'll be back later. And not to worry?"
Marcos looked concerned, "We shouldn't go anywhere by ourselves, not now. I'll come with you."
"I'll be fine. If I run into any trouble, I can just portal away. Just let John know, I don't want to interrupt."
He nodded, "Be careful."
"Always am!" Clarice laughed, turning to go. She hated lying to them, especially to John, but there was no other choice. This was too important, for everyone.
"Wait. I'll go with you, wherever it is." Marcos insisted, running after her, "It's safer. I'll help. I'm not letting anyone else get hurt on my watch." Clarice sighed, but didn't protest. If the Morlocks needed her help so badly, they'd just have to accept Marcos coming along. And maybe it would be good for him to have something to do, something that wasn't directly related to Lorna. What was the worst that could happen?
"Where are we going exactly?" He asked, and Clarice rolled her eyes before answering.
She could only hope the next 24 hours would not be as eventful as the last. They all needed time to recover; the aftermath of their first real encounter with the Inner Circle had left scars she could only hope time would heal.
Author's Note:
I just couldn't get this idea out of my head... So I had to write it!
I love this show so much, I'm really happy I've finally written a fic for it!
If I'm honest, I'm still very emotional after the events of 2x04 (could you tell? haha), and the 2 week wait did not help!
It was a lot of fun getting into everyone's heads! Even Reeva's, which surprised me! I love these characters so much!
I feel like Andy is perilously close to going too far to ever come back, so this was my way of trying to get into his head and give him the benefit of the doubt... Mostly... For now...
I cannot wait for the next episode!