Falling Slowly

9. A Sunset, a Rock, and a Big Problem

1.4k words

Emma sighed in content, dropping the last box on the dinner table. Peter immediately opened the one on the counter. His eyes widened when he saw Emma's suit. He pulled it out of the box and held it up excitedly.

"Is this why you didn't want me to make you a suit?" He traced his fingers over the Kevlar suit.

"I actually forgot I had it until I looked under my bed." Emma grabbed it and threw it back in the box. "I don't prefer to wear it anymore. It reminds me of dad."

"You really miss him, huh?" Peter frowned.

"Yeah." Emma leaned against the counter next to Peter. "He was always there and then he was gone and I was forced to accept that."

"I know how you feel." Peter sighed, slinging his arm around Emma's shoulders. "When I heard my parents got into a wreck and didn't survive, it felt like-"

"Everything just stopped." Emma looked up at Peter with tears in her blue eyes. "It seemed like no one else in the world mattered, but them, and they weren't there to comfort you like normal."

"Exactly." Peter nodded. He stood up straight. "Hey, tell me about the X-Men."

Emma perked up a little at the mention of her friends and family. She sat at the table and moved a box out of the way, so she could see Peter. She gestured to grab a box in the corner of the kitchen and hand it to her. Peter sat across from her and smiled excitedly.

Emma opened the box and pulled out the first picture. It was taken in the courtyard when she and Hank pranked Scott that Jean was hanging out with Logan. Scott had Emma in his arms, giving her a noogie. Both of them had big smiles that made the picture brighter, even in the dusk of the day.

"This is Scott Summers." Emma smiled. "He's probably my best friend and he took care of me when dad was out on missions or dates. I had a crush on him when I was little."

"Is he Cyclops?" Peter grabbed the picture, brushing his fingers over Scott's glasses.

"He is." Emma nodded, pulling out another picture.

It was her being scared by Rogue out of nowhere. Jubilee had taken the picture after they planned to scare Emma by Rogue jumping out at her randomly. She had a bowl of cereal in her hand, but now it was in the middle of the air. Rogue had her hand on her stomach from laughing.

"Rogue." Peter took that picture, too, looking at it with fascination.

"She was so sweet." Emma said. "Almost killed Logan, but we forgave her."

Peter chuckled a little and rested his head in his hands, excitedly waiting for the next picture. Emma pulled out a picture of her with Jubilee. She went on to tell how that picture was taken as well. After Peter fangirled over it, she pulled out more of her other friends. She told him about the next ones with Jean, Hank, and Logan.

Emma smiled sadly when she pulled out a picture of her and Bobby. She let a single tear fall on it before looking up at Peter.

"That's from when I got my first award at Professor X's school." Emma said. "I was six and I beat Scott last second because I put an ice wall up between him and the finish line. He had no chance of winning because the rules were we can't kill each other."

Bobby had his arms around Emma's shoulders with a big smile on his face. Emma held her trophy up in victory, sticking her tongue out at Scott. They looked so happy and Emma wished they could go back to when there were no problems, just Emma and her friends and family.

"Hey, wanna take a ride up the mountains? Have a little getaway before the craziness starts tomorrow?" Peter suggested, setting the pictures up on the counter. "Hey, look, those look good there."