Taylor watched as Julianna was speaking with August, Darren and a few others, that included Wes as well. Taylor smiled sadly at the sight of it, as August was being left with Wes and a few others.
Taylor could see that it took Julianna everything in her, in order to not start crying as she put the familiar necklace around August's neck.
It was a necklace that she used to wear her wedding rings and promise ring on, before a moment of confidence had come over her as she wore them freely. Julianna turned away as she walked out of the room.
"Jules." Taylor said loudly, quickly now running after her friend and catching her by the arm. Julianna turned around to look at her as she blinked, tears beginning to fall and Taylor pulled her into a hug. "It is going to be okay." Taylor whispered and she could feel the building around her, beginning to tremble.
"I don't know if I can leave her." Julianna admitted and Taylor was turning around to look at the group of mutants, who had stopped to notice. "She has his dog tags, in case we don't make it." Julianna murmured and Taylor sighed.
"She has Gus's dog tags?" Taylor asked in astonishment. "But you haven't taken those tags off since they were... well, I mean, since the aftermath of 7/15." Taylor exclaimed and Julianna said nothing to that, before she was wiping her eyes and quickly now, she was walking back over to the group of mutants.
Julianna took August back from them and she was looking at Taylor, who was nodding slightly. Julianna got into the car that John and Taylor had claimed with August, while Darren was riding with the three Struckers and Bernie.
Marcos was driving another vehicle with Clarice in the car with him and now, they were all making their way to DC.
Taylor was driving the car so that John could track from the passenger seat and Julianna was looking over at the young August, who was playing with the dog tags that were resting around her neck.
Julianna eventually was switching with Taylor on the ride there together, to drive the remaining distance to DC and they were renting out apartments as close together as they could.
Meanwhile, Taylor and Julianna were both on their respective cell phones. Trying to get in contact with various contacts, that they both had in the DC area.
It wasn't completely in vain, since Julianna still had some warehouses and properties in DC and the surrounding areas under aliases, that all still belonged to her.
Julianna walked back into her apartment and she found that Bernie was snoring on the couch, Darren was in the guest bedroom, and August was asleep in the crib in Darren's room.
Julianna smiled faintly at the sight of the dog tags hanging around Bernie's neck and she was looking around at all of the furniture, before she walked into her room.
Taylor was soundly asleep on the bed and Julianna chuckled softly, seeing that Taylor's phone number journal was in her hand and that her phone was buzzing next to her.
"I think that you might just be in the actual wrong bed." She said as she sat down next to Taylor and very gently shook her. Luckily for her, she had become very much aware of Taylor's waking up tendencies and she had shields up already.
Taylor stared up at her, before she was groaning quietly. "Oh... Sorry." Taylor said and Julianna chuckled softly, before she was shrugging her shoulders. "You don't care? I mean, about me falling asleep here?" Taylor asked with uncertainty in her voice.
"Taylor, I'm definitely not worried about where you fall asleep." Julianna murmured quietly and then now, as Taylor was sitting up on the bed, Julianna looked over at her and she gave her a half-hug. "Come on Fern, cheer up." Julianna said.
"Am I failing?" Taylor asked and Julianna was looking over at her. "I feel like I am just failing, everybody. I couldn't convince Lorna to stay, I couldn't be there for you or John when you needed me. I couldn't do much more than roar, when you needed help at Trask. I got myself captured and basically gave the Frost triplets access to Andy and the others..."
"Everyone has been making their own decisions, Taylor. None of these decisions were on you, none of these accidents were on you. And for every mutant that we have lost, we've gained at least two more." Julianna said and Taylor chuckled.
"Quite literally, in the case of you, your family and Gus." Taylor mumbled with a smile and Julianna hit her in the shoulder.
"Shut up." Julianna joked and she was shaking her head, before she was looking out of the door to see the sleeping mutants and she sighed. "We will rebuild, Taylor. We will help as many mutants as we can, we will keep going and we will keep fighting. You can't let this tear you apart and, do not let it tear you down." Julianna ordered.
"You sound just like Gus." Taylor quietly murmured and Julianna looked at her with lifted eyebrows. "The day that they left for the relocation center, he gave me a similar speech. Trying to make sure that no matter what happened to them, that I would always have to be prepared for it. To step up and lead, if Gus and John fell." Taylor said as Julianna felt tears prickling at her eyes.
"You were still at home with Darren, Kat and Jaime. He told me that he left the dog tags with you, told me that he walked out of the room and that the mission felt different for him." Julianna sniffled at the words and she was wiping at her eyes. "He, uh... He told me that it was the hardest thing that he ever had to do." Taylor said as Julianna clamped her hand over her mouth quick to stifle her sobs, as Taylor moved her arms around her.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Julianna asked quietly and Taylor rested her chin on her shoulder.
"Because you really didn't need to hear it before?" Taylor asked quietly and Julianna sighed, before they were staying like that for a while.
Just hugging one another, silently remembering everything that had happened to them. Every single way that their lives had changed, since 7/15.
YOU ARE READING
¹ Roar || The Gifted: John Proudstar
Fanfiction"I never thought that I'd see the day, when we would ever hear you roar again." ~~~~~ It had been years since they had seen each other. One enlisted in the military, the other became a licensed therapist. When one fell into a dark hole that seemed t...
