The Blood Phoenix 3: An X-Men: Apocalypse Fanfiction

Chapter 1: The Nightmares

I awoke and screamed. It had been two nights since I came home. Turning the lamp on, I groaned and sat up. Charles was peacefully asleep next to me. After a couple of minutes, he opened his eyes and tried to sit up as best as he could.

'What's wrong, Adelaide?'

'I can hear them.'

'Hear what?' he asked groggily.

'Their screams. I can hear them in my head.' I started to cry. My shoulders shook and drawing my knees up, I hugged them, still crying. I couldn't cope with the pain. I could feel Charles' arm on my shoulder pulling me down to the bed. When he did, I curled up next to him, placing a hand on his bare chest and crying.

Truth be told, I was miserable. Miserable as can be. Charlene started to notice that I was growing further apart from her as her mother. She started to spend more time with Charles. As I became more moody, my post-traumatic stress grew and so did my nightmares. I would continually hear the screams of injured men in my sleep and I was restless. I only found comfort in being awake and alone. I also began to distance myself from Charles and he and I started to fight more and more. Marriage was no longer the fairytale that I thought it was. Neither did he.

One afternoon, I was in my bedroom sleeping. Or trying to sleep. I could hear Charles' wheelchair. I soon felt a blanket being placed over me.

'Thank you, Charles.' I smiled and pulled the blanket further over my shoulders. I could feel him pull himself up onto the bed and he stroked my hair.

'Are you okay, love?'

'No, Charles.'

'What's going on?'

'More nightmares. I can't sleep. I'm trying to, but I still hear them screaming in my head. It's almost too much for me to bear.'

'Just keep pushing through it. I'm sure there's a light at the end of the tunnel for you.'

'No,' I said tearfully. I continued to cry. As my shoulders shook, he touched me calmly. I swatted his hand off my shoulder angrily and kept crying. 'Leave me alone, Charles.'

'No, Adelaide.'

'Don't call me that.' I got up from the bed and put a jacket on over my shirt, then took a gun and placed it in my thigh holster.

'What are you doing?'

'I'm going to Poland. My father's there. I felt him. I'm going to live with him.' I stuffed a few things into my backpack and dumped it on the bed, then got my suitcase from under the bed and began to pack. At that point, Charlene came in and I gave her a little hug. 'You want to go on a trip with Mommy?' I asked.

'A trip?' she asked. She was looking earnestly at her wheelchair-bound father. Sometimes I never seem to fathom how Charles and I had our daughter. We were unsure that he and I would ever be able to have a child if we ever got married. Really, little Charlene was a miracle. When he and I had gotten engaged, we had spoken several times about having children, but we decided we'd stick to one kid, if we could ever have one. I loved my little brown-haired, blue-eyed toddler daughter dearly and I knew I wouldn't trade her for anything. 'A trip?' she asked again.

'Yes. I'm going to Poland. You'll get to meet your granddad Erik. You'll really like him.'

'Is Daddy coming?'

'No. He and I need to sort some things out. Away from each other. You'll understand someday. Do you want to come? Daddy would like me to bring you with me on this trip.'

'Yeah.' She shrugged. I patted her head. Coming out of my embrace, she ran out of the room. I knew Raven would help her pack. Continuing to pack, I felt like I was about to cry. I was leaving the life that I knew and it broke my heart. I knew it was for the best, though.

'You're going to cry.'

'You said you wouldn't read my mind, Charles,' I said, beginning to cry. Packing my things, I left the room and met Charlene and Raven in the foyer of the school.

'Thank you, Raven.'

'You're welcome, Adelaide. Have a safe trip.'

'Keep Charles out of trouble. I will miss him very much. Keep the whole place safe and the students as well. They are very close to my heart.'

'I will. Goodbye.'

'Goodbye to you, too. Charlene, say goodbye to Daddy and Auntie Raven.'

They waved and we went out to the car, with Raven helping me with the bags. Putting Charlene in the car, I got into the front seat and started the vehicle. Waving to Charles and Raven, I drove out of the driveway, on our trip to Poland and to a peaceful life.