Beautiful Ruins

Chapter 84

At some point Peter drifts off to sleep, his head resting in MJ's lap and her hands absentmindedly fiddling with his hair. Tony was in here earlier, trying his best to help, but there is ultimately nothing we can do to make this much better.

Ned looks half asleep, I glance at Henry who looks wide awake and on alert, his eyes have been narrowed in thought since we sat down, he's probably trying to figure out why Magneto would give the order for Peter's aunt to be killed, I also can't imagine why Flash was killed, I went out with him once. I close my eyes, maybe loving any of us is a death sentence.

"Storm" MJ says quietly, glancing down at Peter to make sure he's asleep. She must think he is as she glances up at me. "That was Magneto, yeah?"

"He might've not been the one who directly killed them, but I'm sure he gave the order" I answer honestly. Everyone in this room knows Magneto gave the order for May and Flash to be killed, I just don't understand, I didn't even think of this happening.

"But why Peter's aunt?" Ned asks, looking awake as he leans forward. "She was no threat to the x-men."

"The x-men have killed innocent people, Ned, but I think this was done to hurt Peter" Henry says, glancing over at me. I nod in agreement, this wasn't some random attack, it was done with the intent of hurting Peter, maybe even to break him.

"Can you find out who killed them?" MJ asks me curiously, she then glances at Clover, I think we're all aware of Clover's skills. "Can you?"

"It won't change anything" Clover answers quietly, glancing at me. "Believe me, I've been down this road before." Clover was on the path of revenge for years; she's only just now decided to step off and onto another path.

"Clover's right, for once" Henry pipes in, glancing over at Clover and then back at MJ and Ned. Clover rolls her eyes at him but doesn't say anything. "Peter's aunt is dead, and it sucks, but nothing we do can change that."

"What will happen to Peter?" Ned asks, glancing at me. "Will Tony..." his voice trails off, I don't any of us want to finish that sentence, it just makes it seem too real. If we talk about Tony becoming Peter's guardian, it means that May is truly dead, that today wasn't some sick, twisted nightmare. I close my eyes.

"I think so" I answer, Tony loves Peter, he isn't going to kick him to the curb and let him end up in foster care with people who don't even know him. Tony will probably get custody of Peter, or even just fund Peter's life if Peter resists at first.

"Who was that guy?" Henry asks me. "He wasn't a mutant."

"He said his name was Milo and he wanted to kill x-men, he saved Clover's life" I reply, glancing over at Clover, I could've lost her again and this time it would've been for real, I don't want to live without Clover.

"He caught a spear that was thrown at me, it was pretty wild" Clover adds, I wonder if Milo is being asked a billion questions by Fury and Steve, the poor guy saved Clover's life and then got threatened with being arrested. God, Steve annoys me so much sometimes.

"I might go talk to Tony and see what's going on with Milo, hopefully Peter sleeps through the night" I say, I have no idea what state Peter will be in when he wakes up, but I doubt it will be good. He has suffered so much and lost so many people, now his aunt is gone, the last of his immediate family.

"I'll stay with Peter" MJ says, glancing down at him. "Thank you, Storm." I'm not entirely sure what MJ is thanking me for, maybe for helping to disarm the bomb or maybe for being here with Peter. I give her a small smile and stand up.

"I'll come" Clover says standing up next to me.

"I'll stay with Peter" Ned decides. Henry doesn't say anything, so I head out of the room with Clover next to me.

"I'm really glad you're alive" I say to Clover once we're in the elevator. I couldn't say that in front of MJ and Ned, not with Peter's aunt not being alive. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this one."

"You still don't realise it" Clover says, giving me a half-hearted amused smile. "I'd follow you into hell."

"Me too" I say, truly meaning it. Despite everything that's happened between us, I would do anything for Clover, I think I realised how much I still care about her when I thought she was going to die, and I couldn't save her. "I felt horrible when I thought I couldn't save you."

The lift opens and I see Tony, Steve, and Natasha standing and talking. They stop talking when they see the two of us. We step out of the lift and head over to them.