Bloody Wagner's universe. New York city. Seven months after the last WOT thread.

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Joy looked wearily at the television camera that was pointed at her. "I'm nae a hero. Zer vas vork t'be done, 'n sae I did vhat I could. T' heroes're the volk who've vorked vith me. Ye maun speak wi' zem i' ye vanna speak tae heroes. Guten Tag."

Ignoring the babble of questions from the reporters who'd come to the private interview, she twitched her ears at her lieutenants and then slipped away through the back door. It was too much effort now for her to leap, or even to fly to the roof of the building, so she pressed the button on her image inducer that would leave her invisible and walked to where she could see the river.

It had been seven months since she'd seen her home, and a niggling little voice at the back of her head hinted that she might see it nevermore; that her time there was done. That hurt, but not as much as her uncertainty concerning her husband. Some part of her mind pointed out the fact that he'd been working with both mutant and X negative, and even told her about working with the X-Men. But those were lost in the wild certainty that something was wrong; that she had to stay away from him and from the X-Men. She'd always been careful to tell her lieutenants that there was a difference between enemies and idiots, lest her actions start the wrong kind of hostility.

She'd seen Kurt several times over the passing months, and always assured him that she loved him. But he'd always tried to catch her; seemed to want to stop her from her work. It had finally gotten to the point where she would no longer let him touch her....

She looked out over the sluggish water, pushing her wind-blown hair away from her face with one grey-brown hand, and tried to remember what she'd just been thinking about.

Comments

[bloody-wagner.livejournal.com]

Kurt walked down the bank of the river, slowly wading into the cool currents just south of where Jean told him Joy was. He'd regaining his physical strength in the months since his wife had fled from the rooftop, but his heart had grown older, and the change reflected in his eyes and fur. Gray stained his hair and fur, and his shoulders slumped with the weight of the world's grief.

He knelt and took out his cross and beads, starting to pray for his wife, his cause, and his people. He finished the prayer with a special mention for the young girl he was getting ready to send away to college. Then he sighed. He knew if he went to Joy, tried to take her and hold her, she'd run away. He could only send a silent, desperate prayer that she would come to him, let him talk to her. He missed her and worried for her with every fiber of his being, the fur beneath his cheeks almost had a permenant change in direction from the nights he'd spent weeping over his inability to find her and keep her close and safe.

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The watch she wore was irritating her wrist... and suddenly she couldn't really remember why she'd been wearing it.

So she took it off and examined it, one ear perked toward it, and the other trying to catch the voices that she could hear on the wind. She thought she heard Kurt... but she'd just heard her mother and father too.

"Was...?" she muttered, both ears going back in a frown.

[bloody-wagner.livejournal.com]

"Liebe..." he said, looking over and seeing her. He rose from the water, staring at her, seeing how weak she was. He hurried over. "Liebe!"

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She startled and turned her head to stare at him with wide eyes that were foggy from illness and weariness. "Ach! Nien! Stay avay! Ye'll nae take me!"

-Maun stay avay from the blue mon... maun stay avay....-

She was shaking as she backed away from him, trying to muster control of her wings so that she could escape.

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-Shh, Joy, it's only your husband, Kurt,- Jean's voice heralded warmth and comfort projected into her.

Kurt stopped and stared at her. "Joy..." he wanted to go to her, touch her, and heal her, but the reaction stopped him.

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Something warm and strong snuggled against his palm, the baby's heat radiating through Joy's cooling skin. So close to birth and so weakened, she was falling prematurely into the coma that Feen women experienced after birth.

[bloody-wagner.livejournal.com]

Tears started to fall down his cheeks as he continued to pray, Hank working quickly to do what he could, praying the indution would work.

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It... wasn't going to. But there was one thing that could cut through Feen skin.

Adamantium.

[bloody-wagner.livejournal.com]

Hank reported these grim findings to Kurt, who stared at him agahst.

"He vill vant zem dead though," he said, crying softly.

-I won't let that happen, Kurt. And I doubt Logan would do so,- Xavier said. -He just volunteered for the job.-

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"Who the heck do I look like, bub?" asked the other man calmly. Then he nodded to Joy. "She'n I work fer the same boss."

Baby was starting to shiver again, and whimper.

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Kurt held her close again.

"Can you save her?" he croaked.

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"Do I look like a doctor?" He glanced at his alternate, then walked past him to look down at Joy's still face. "What the heck'd y' do ta 'er?"

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"I don't know," Kurt moaned. "She started going gray von day und stopped speaking to me, or letting me speak to her. I haff barely seen her in ze last seven months."

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Warmth. Spreading all through her and chasing away the deadly chill, bringing life and hope where it had been forgotten.

Joy gasped, her face screwing up and her back arching slightly, then fell silent again.

But the deadly grey had faded from her skin.

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Kurt's head jerked up, and he sprang to his feet, shoving Logan aside as he went over, taking Joy's hand.

"Leibe? Liebe!" he cried softly, clutching her hand.

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Logan watched her closely, shoulders slumping with relief as he saw her slowly turn her head toward her husband's voice. "She ain't gonna wake up yet."

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"Vy not?" he gasped, touching her cheek and holding her hand.

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"Y'git inna argument or somethin'?"

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"Nein! I-" he stopped, remembering the talk about the war.

He frowned as he quickly went over the last words they shared, then how her skin went gray as she left.

"Nien," he sat hard, tears burning in his eyes. "Nien... liebe... how could you take zat onto yourself?"

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"What?" demanded Logan gently.

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"Ze var... she didn't vant it... I tried to explain it to her but she left before I could..." he faltered and moaned, curling up and rocking. "I'm a fool... oh Gott, mien liebe...."

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"Promised t' eat with my lady," said Logan gruffly. "But I'll be back."

He looked at Sunshine, who looked back before walking over to lay the baby beside her father and pull a handy blanket over them.

Logan nodded as the young Feen took up a protective stance, then looked back to Hank.

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He looked at the Feen as well.

"And you? The babe will be looked afer, art not hungry?" he asked.

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She shook her head, ears twitching slightly in a smile. "I haf just eaten. Danke."

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He sighed, then looked at the Logan again.

"Thank you for your assistance," he said.