The Healing Process

Natalya knew that ultimately Logan was right, but she still held a tremendous amount of guilt in her heart. However, placing blame wasn’t going to change what had happened. She sighed and walked into Malcolm’s room. She walked over to him and sat down on the edge of the bed and took his hand into her own. “I’m sorry Malcolm,” she whispered to him with a few tears in her eyes.

Serena slowly became aware of sounds around her. She heard a steady beeping as well as a voice of someone she knew very well. Her hand squeezed his a little before her eyes slowly fluttered open. She was still in pain, but it was more of a dull ache now. Her mouth was dry and her lips felt a little chapped. Peter looked tired and very worried. Glancing around her she saw she was in a hospital room. “What happened?”

The relief on Peter’s face at her waking was obvious. Part of him was in shocked surprise while the other was all exhausted relief once he heard Serena’s voice. He kissed her hand and tried to keep himself together though he felt like crying. He looked toward the door briefly then back toward her. They were still talking outside.

“Doom happened. In the end he was killing you but Mr. Stark...Tony, your father stopped it by giving him what he wanted. Doom left after that,” he said. “We were all being overcome so it was a matter of time anyway I think,” Peter said though it was hard to admit. “He used some kind of dark energy on you,” he said then tilted up her hand to show her the pale gray lines of her veins. “This..guy, Evan Cullen removed it from you...most of it anyway,” he said.

Serena had no memory of what had happened. All she remembered was Doom appearing and then very little after that...apart from the horrific pain. She felt weak and slightly nauseous. Serena looked at her hand, but almost didn’t recognize it at first. She could see the pale gray lines of her veins and a wave of terror came over her at the mention of dark energy. She had no idea who Evan Cullen was, but she knew she owed him her life. “So, Evan is a mutant?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah...I thought he was killing you at first. I almost stopped him. You were screaming and I think I almost went crazy,” Peter admitted. “There is so little data on things like Dark Energy, Dark Matter and Negative Energy. But This Evan and his father...uh, Dimitri Cullen, seem to know alot about it,” Peter said. Isabella had heard voices and she poked her head in to check on them when she saw Serena’s eyes shift to her own.

Rachael walked in Malcolm’s room after the other woman. She didn’t really want to be out there with...them though the man, she did not get his name, that was talking so well of her brother did catch her eye. Rachael liked the ‘bad boys’ even though they always seemed to get her into trouble. She saw the tenderness Natalya showed her brother and she put two and two together. She had been his manager for nearly a decade and knew when women were under his spell. He had a ‘way’ with the opposite sex. With men to but he wasn’t like that.

“So..you’re, what his girlfriend?” She asked as she stepped into the room. She extended her hand to the woman though she wanted to slap her to. She wanted to slap somebody for what happened to her baby brother. “I’m Rachael his sister and manager,” She said and gave her a scrutinizing look. Tall, dark and beautiful. Well Malcolm had a type and Natalya hit almost all of those bases on her first up at bat. If she had a maternity agreement contract she’d have stuffed into the woman’s face to sign already.

Isabella knew her daughter...and she knew in an instant that something was...different about her. She couldn't put her finger on it, and perhaps it was the pain medication that Serena was on, but there was something that had changed. Of course how could she not be different after what she went through? She decided not to worry about it though and looked back at her husband. "Tony, Serena is awake."

Natalya heard someone walk in and glanced up to see Malcolm's sister. He had told her about his sister, but the two of them had never met. She couldn't blame her for being upset and angry and she wasn't sure what to say to make her feel better. She thought about herself and Malcolm and their status. "I suppose you could call me that," Natalya said as she slowly extended her hand to shake Rachael's."I'm Natalya Sokolova. There is something between us. I care about your brother and hate seeing him like this." She saw Rachael continuing to scrutinize her and she sighed. "I'm not after his money. I didn't even know who he was until someone told me. I've never asked for anything from him."

Rachael winced at herself. And outwardly as well. “Sorry...force of habit. Malcolm never sees the worst in people...that was always my job,” she said as she took a seat near to her and her brother.

“So you’re a..an..avenger?” She asked as she looked at her. “Malcolm always tried to keep that part of his life separate from the rest of his life,” she said.

Tony came in and Steve, Kate and Logan stayed back by the door.

“You alright kiddo? It’s good to see you awake,” he said as he stepped over to the bed. He took a look at Peter and saw how tired he was. “Hey Peter, we’ll watch over her why don’t you go and get some sleep,” he said and Peter shifted his gaze between him and Serena. “Uh...Mr. Stark...I’m alright,” he lied. “Go ahead Peter, we’ll look after her,” Tony said. Peter sighed and kissed Serena’s hand again then stood and leaned over Serena. “I’ll be back soon,” he assured her but it was so hard to let her hand go. He did eventually then moved past everyone and left.

Natalya glanced at Malcolm and then looked back at Rachael. "Yes, I've been apart of the team for a few years now. I was actually on the other side before that. I...I did some horrible things, but they decided to give me a chance at a different life. I owe them a lot." She was quiet a moment before looking at her again. "Please don't blame Steve for this. He takes things very personally and carries blame in his heart. He already feels horrible about what happened, but to be honest we were all lucky we weren't killed."

Serena looked at her father as he walked in. Isabella had gone to find the doctor and to get Serena something to eat and drink. Serena didn't want Peter to leave, but she knew he was tired and needed some rest. She gave him a little nod when he said he would be back later. She watched him leave and then looked at her father. "How long have I been here?"

Tony did not like seeing his daughter like this. He wanted her to come home and he thought that soon she would. He had spoke in length to Dr. Cullen and his son Evan. He had met Evan before but under different circumstances. He looked at Serena and smiled at her. “Almost a week and look at you, almost ready to go,” he said. Steve and Logan were talking softly near the doorway to someone. After a moment that someone stepped into the room. It was Evan Cullen all dressed in black as usual.

“Ah Tony Stark...I was hoping I’d see you again,” he said and stepped up to them. “Hey there...Serena right?” He asked. “Well you look like you’re doing better,” he said and clasped his hands behind his back. He hadn’t gotten a very good look at Serena until now. She was quite lovely if young. He smiled at her then looked at Tony. “I’d like to do a final examination before she is released...if I may,” He asked. He turned when he heard someone else come into the room. It was another woman and he thought he recognized her but never got her name.

Serena was shocked to learn that she had been in the hospital that long. She hoped she would be able to go home soon. She wanted to be back in her own bed and away from this hospital room. Suddenly, she sensed something...no someone draw near. She didn't know who it was...but she could feel a connection to this person. It was a strange feeling. A moment later a man dressed in all black walked in and she realized that it must be Evan Cullen, the man Peter had told her about that had saved her life. She only nodded a little when he confirmed her name.

A few seconds later Isabella walked in with some water for Serena. She looked at Evan and extended her hand. "I'm Isabella Stark. Thank you for what you did. You saved her life."

“Well, she is a very strong woman,” he said honestly. “If I may, I’d like to make certain...he began but then an odd feeling came over him now that he was close to her. He ‘knew’ she was clean. He didn’t know how he knew but he just did. “She is feeling alright, I think” he amended as he looked at her quizzically. The sensations he felt were...altogether odd. He knew she was unsettled and still quite sore all over. And thirsty and tired. As he ‘reached out’ with his feelings and he had no real understanding what he was doing he didn’t just ‘think’ those things, he knew them as if those feelings were in him and not just her.

“I don’t mean to blame anyone I’m...I’m just upset and angry. I don’t know what I’ll do if anything happens to Malcolm. I love him so much,” she admitted and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. After a few moments of silence she looked at Natalya. “I think I’m going to have them do the surgery. As if there is much choice,” She said.

Serena watched Evan and could see from the expression change on his face that he was feeling the same strange connection she was. She remained quiet about it though as she knew her parents were already quite worried about her. Isabella was surprised at Evan's very sudden change of mind about checking Serena.

"Are you sure? Why did you just change your mind?"

Natalya sighed a little and nodded when Rachael told her she was going to have the doctors perform the surgery. She knew his chances either way weren't great, but they had to at least try. She slowly stood up and found a sheet of paper and wrote down her cell phone number and then handed it to Rachael. "If you need anything please give me a call." She then left the room to return to the Tower to try and get some rest.

Evan wasn’t a fan of lying but he felt that not telling the whole truth right then was the best course until he came to know these people. Which brought him to a new realization. He was indeed leaning towards joining them.

“I didn’t sense anything in her and just looking at her now is proof enough. They will likely do the normal tests though before they let her go,” he said and they much was true. He smiled at Serena’s and Isabella who was extremely beautiful herself. Dark, wonderful skin and eyes...He was surrounded by beautiful women it seemed and he didn’t mind that, at all.

“If you can control Dark...uh, energy then maybe you can give Doom a run for his money,” Logan said and he looked over at Tony. Tony was about to say something but he gave Evan a scrutinizing look. “Are you a mutant as well, Mrs. Stark?” Evan said politely and his voice had a soft, warm tone to it though he hadn’t meant to sound like that. He was thinking about Natalya and it just came out. It made Logan’s eyebrows lift in surprise and Tony pursed his lips and looked at Serena.

Isabella wasn't sure if she believed Evan or not, but she decided not to push the matter. Serena seemed to be alright and that was what ultimately mattered to her and Tony. She was, however, intrigued by Logan's thought and saw her husband give Evan a scrutinizing look. She wondered if he was considering Evan for the team.

She walked over to Serena's bedside and helped Serena to sit up so she could drink from the cup of water she had brought for her. She glanced over at Evan when he asked her if she was also a mutant. She noticed the tone of his voice but said nothing in response to it. "No, I'm not. But Logan and Kate are." She glanced at Serena and could see that she looked tired. "I think perhaps we should all give Serena some time to rest."

A little while later a nurse came in and took several samples of Serena’s blood and Dr. Cullen came in to see how Serena was doing. He spoke to them briefly and assured them that she would likely be leaving tomorrow.
Logan, Steve and Kate headed back to the tower to find that the repairs were well under way. Logan decided to check up on Natalya and instead of beer he had a bottle of a pretty decent whiskey in his hand and no glasses. He didn’t knock as he entered her room and took a good swig of whiskey as he looked her over.

“You up for some company, They say Serena will be coming back tomorrow,” he said as he set down the bottle next to her then tossed himself into her large, leather recliner. Each room had 2 chairs like that though Logan was on his third set of furniture.

Steve and Kate were undressing for bed and Steve seemed preoccupied and not very talkative as he pulled off his shirt. He was just standing there holding it and looking at nothing as if his thoughts were a million miles away right then.

Natalya was in her room just laying on her bed. Her mind was swirling with thoughts of Malcolm...and Evan. She felt guilty for thinking about Evan, but she couldn't stop him from entering her thoughts. She hadn't expected to see him again and then suddenly he had come back into her life. Malcolm may be dying and here she was thinking about another man. She suddenly heard her door open and looked over to see Logan walk in with a bottle of whiskey. She took the bottle and took a swig before handing it back to him. "I'm glad Serena is going to be alright," she finally said. "But I'm worried about Malcolm."

Kate knew that Steve was still thinking about Malcolm and what his sister had said. She could see it in his eyes. It was in his nature to be protective and she knew that he felt he had failed Malcolm. She walked up behind Steve and slipped her arms around him and then kissed the back of his right shoulder. "Steve, I wish you wouldn't continue to blame yourself for what happened," she said gently. "He knew the risks of what we do and he made a decision to join the team."

“We need to be thinking about Doom, and what we’re gunna do when he comes for us. He might have been telling the truth about why he wanted the book but he knows eventually we’ll cause him trouble,” he said. “If we can get past his guards armor we can end them,” he said. “Any ideas? They appear pretty strong but I did punch through that woman’s arm,” he said and took a swig from the bottle then set it back down next to Natalya.

“I’m..worried Kate, Doom is still out there,” he said and seemed to melt back against her. He needed Kate a lot more than he knew he would. His confidence was waning after the pummeling they had had from Doom and he there was little any of them could do about it. And that was not a feeling Steve had much experience with.

Natalya knew the answer to that question, but she wasn't sure how she felt about it. "Evan Cullen...he could help us because of his mutation." She took another swig from the bottle and then just held onto it. "Evan and I have...some history, as you may have already guessed. I...I still have feelings for him." She took another swig and then handed the bottle back to Logan. "I'm feeling so guilty that I am thinking about him when Malcolm could be dying." She glanced over at Logan. "Does that make me a bad person?"

Kate felt Steve relax back against her and she kept her arms around him. She kissed his shoulder again and then rested her cheek against it. "We'll figure this out...together...as a team. We lost...but we will continue to lose if we don't learn from our mistakes."

“Bah, you didn’t know Evan was there. You can’t stop your feelings Nat. You can choose to ignore them but you can’t stop them altogether. I think most of us could see ourselves in your position,” he said and hoped she knew what he meant. For himself it was Jean, for Steve it was Peggy. People that they’d likely never stop having feelings for.

“Your not betraying Malcolm for just having thought and feelings,” Logan said and had another drink. He set the bottle back down and looked at her. “Pharaoh is back,” he said out of the blue. He had smelled him a few minutes ago.

Steve turned around to face her. He wore a frown on his face but seeing her in her bra made his body react to her but he wished his head was there to. “You going to be carrying a shield now as well?” Steve said and a smile cracked through his frown.

Natalya did know what Logan meant, but it didn't stop her guilt. It didn't stop her from thinking about that kiss...She picked the bottle up and took another swig. "Well, he missed all the action. I wonder what he is going to think about Doom now possessing that book." She became quiet for a moment before looking at Logan. "I think Evan might want to join the team."

Kate loosened up her arms as Steve turned around to face her. She then re-wrapped them around him. "Are you asking because you liked what you saw, or because you want to be the only one with a shield?" she asked with a playful grin.

Steve cupped Kate’s face in his hands. Her quip did not make him smile and he had a soft, serious look in his eyes as he looked into hers. His eyes were bright blue pools of passion right then and he brought his head down and kissed her hard on her lips. He felt her hands go back to unclasp her bra and then it was just a mad scramble to get the others clothes off as fast as possible.

Logan groaned. “Not another one. Won’t that...complicate things with how you feel about him? You’re not exactly a pillar of self control...when it comes to...Well you know what I mean,” he said. “I suspect he won’t be happy that is for certain. He could have used his power though. I suspect we were just all to close or likely could have done a lot more,” Logan said honestly as he took another swig or whiskey then set the bottle down again. He had a good buzz going now.

Natalya sighed and laid back on her bed. She looked up at the ceiling and thought about what Logan had said. He wasn’t wrong. “I’m not saying I like the idea,” she told him. “But I could see Tony already considering the fact that Evan might be able to help us defeat Doom. Even if Malcolm survives this surgery he likely won’t be coming back to the team...at least not for a while and so we will probably need the extra help.”