Chapter Text
Charles speaks; “Stephen, I need you to open a portal and send her through it.”
“I’m sorry what?” I choke, I just saw the love of my life get murdered a second time and he thought someone was still alive?
“You heard me, get the glowing ball of fire out of the water and back to the school. If you have energy, open one for us, but get her. NOW! or she will die PERMANENTLY!” he shouts
I snap out of my trance and we all are dropped at the academy, on the same stone terrace where we all ‘met’ Toni. the professor who is going to be my father in law? Floats over to the now raging fireball so fast it looks like he teleported.
the red, orange, and yellow ball of rage roared upward eating its way through the cracking stones below it. Plumes of grey were buffeted into the grey sky, swept away by the wind of Storm. Debris wafted silently down as the stones of the courtyard began to melt and bubble. I could feel my face begin to burn. It hurt to breathe and my skin felt too tight. My eyes went dry but I couldn't look away. Toni was in there, this was Toni healing herself. The mutants gathered, following the smells of smoke, they all stood in awe of the roaring flames before them as the courtyard slowly dissolved into molten lava. In the middle of the fire sat Toni, she had curled up, wrapped in what looked like a blanket of flames, and was staring forward, unseeing. eyes transformed into orbs of light, flickering red, orange, and shades of flaming gold.
Charles shouted over the flames “Toni please, you're safe, you can heal, your family is here. Your fiance and son are here. Your siblings are here. I’m here. The witch and captain are dead and far away. You could hurt someone if you don’t turn it down. I know you don’t like to hurt people, especially the ones you love. So please calm down before someone gets hurt. Please.”
I watched as Toni twitched at the sound of his voice, she turned to look at him and tears began to stream down her face. Well, I was pretty sure they were tears. I don’t know if crying fire is normal but I didn't care. Toni was safe and alive. it doesn’t matter that she cries fire as long as she lives.
As the flames around her flickered peter threw himself into her arms, sobbing into her shoulder. The professor pulls them both into a hug.
She looks up and our eyes lock, she looks like she's expecting anger from me, that anger just doesn't exist. All I have for her is love, all I want is to keep her safe. She probably won't accept it just yet, she always feels so much misplaced guilt. I like that Toni wants to own up to her mistakes, but she needs to forgive herself too. But right now I can’t help it. I can’t take the love that overwhelms me and put a stop to it, so I surge forward and wrap her in my arms.
As she lets out a watery laugh the rest of her x-men and avengers family surround us. As long as she is happy that is all that matters.
A few years later she tells me that she won’t outlive me. That she can only be reborn in certain conditions. If she dies where fire can’t live, then she won’t live either. I laugh through my tears and tell her that she’s stuck with me forever. My duty to the time stone makes me exist beyond time and I was so glad I wouldn't be alone.
We’d never be alone as long as we live.