Out Of The Tower

In the following weeks The Avengers has begun a search that resembled more of a crusade to seek out all Hydra sites and destroy them. Everyone began to notice how violent Peter was becoming and though both Isabella and Natalya had spoken to him he always seemed to have some kind of excuse for what he did.

Serena as well continued seeing changes in Peter. It was clear he still loved her and wanted to spend time with her but his desires were becoming...rougher and he was really aggressive when they made love. That and his sense of humor was darker to as if the lighthearted man she knew was slowly growing into a dark and dangerous man. His dark side was sexy and confident at times but there were also moments of cruelty and sometimes he talked as if he had no conscience at all.

Serena's relationship with her parents and the team was extremely strained and becoming more so day by day. No one seemed to believe her about the suit, except for Natalya. Natalya had tried to argue on Serena's behalf, but no one listened to her either. Natalya then became central to taking down as many Hydra sites as they could find and she was almost never around. Everyone did seem to notice how much more violent Peter was becoming, but almost all of them believed it had to do with the death of his aunt.

Serena's relationship with Peter was...complicated. She kept trying to talk to him about the suit, but that always led to a heated argument. Peter was aggressive with her, especially in bed and though at times she liked his confident side, she desperately missed the Peter she had fallen in love with. She was reaching a breaking point. She and Peter were in yet another argument about the suit and she grabbed it from his drawer and looked at him.

"I'm going to burn this thing!"

Peter didn’t know why Serena was becoming so paranoid. Everyone was. Always asking him about his attitude or about how violent he was becoming when Logan hurt people all the time.

He loved Serena but she was beginning to bore him, especially in bed. He couldn’t put his finger on why or when it all started but he wasn’t certain about his future here in the tower.

Peter was wearing the suit more and more and when he removed it from his drawer Serena was suddenly there and she pulled it away from him. When she threatened to burn his suit Peter suddenly became angry.

“You give that back Serena!” Peter said warningly. He felt something inside him winding up like a top and he didn’t know what was going to happen when it all let go. He shifted to block the door so she could get out that way. It was then that she felt it shift in her hand as if by itself.

Serena felt like her entire world was crumbling down around her. This was a nightmare! This had to be a nightmare. She was going to wake up and Aunt May would be alive and Peter would the Peter she knew and loved. She was becoming frightened of him, but up until this point she was still desperately trying to help him...to save him and she now decided that burning this suit was key to that.

When she felt the suit move in her hand she knew she was right and that it was the suit. It needed to be destroyed. "No! I'm going to destroy this damn thing and help you because I love you!"

In an instant Peter growled and he jumped on her. When her hands came up to defend herself he punched her hard in the face then slipped his hands around her neck. “You won’t hurt my suit!” He growled as his hands pressed down around her neck. He saw her eyes bulge and her face begin to turn blue. When her eyes began to flutter he realized what he was doing and let go of her.

“Oh my god! Serena I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean! Oh god I’m so sorry!” He said as he tried to help her

Of all the things she ever expected Peter to do to her, hurting her was not one of them...ever. She gasped for breath as he released her and she began to cough violently. She was already starting to get a black eye from where he had punched her and tears of fear and heartbreak filled her eyes. "Don't touch me!" She felt sick to her stomach and in a near panic. "Keep your damn suit because you just lost me," she said as she pulled off the promise ring she had worn for two years and threw it at him.

Her parents and Steve and Kate were at another charity event and Logan and Natalya were working out. Pharaoh was in his room. Serena couldn't stay in the Tower for another second. Her entire life had just collapsed at her feet and she needed to get out...immediately. She fled the room and used the stairs to get down to the garage. She grabbed the keys to the black Range Rover and started it up. She didn't even realize she was nearly sobbing until she came to a red light and put her face into her hands. She reached over and turned off her phone and began to try to figure out where she was going to go. She only knew of one person at this point that she trusted. She got out of the city and began to drive towards Westchester. As she drove she glanced in the mirror at her neck and face. The right eye was swollen and bruising as was her neck. She was still in shock over the entire thing and needed to get somewhere safe.

Peter had decided to leave the tower as well. He knew what he had done was terribly wrong. And he also knew that if they found out, they’d try to take him into custody. He would not allow that. They’d take his suit away and he couldn't have that either.

“Isabella, have you seen Serena or Peter?” Tony asked as he stepped out of the lab. He stood in their office as Isabella was trying to manage their schedule for the week.

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Even from the street the grounds to the Xavier mansion looked well tended and inviting. A few children played on one of the greens. Touch football she thought by the look of it. There were a few adults there watching the children play and even from this distance Gambit was unmistakable. It was warm out and yet he still wore a suit though he had a coat by a finger over his back which showed off his white shirt.

Isabella looked up at Tony as he asked about Serena and Peter. She just shrugged and shook her head. "No, I haven't seen them. I'm sure they're around here somewhere. Did you check the pool? Maybe they decided to go swimming."

Isabella pulled up the interior security cameras that the Tower had. Of course there weren't any in any of the bedrooms, but in most other areas there were cameras. She didn't see them in the pool. Logan and Natalya were sparring in the gym and she could see Steve and Kate standing in the kitchen talking. Then, something caught her eye on the camera in the garage. "Uh Tony...did you let Happy borrow the black Range Rover?"

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As Serena pulled up to the mansion grounds she felt a slight bit of calmness come over her. She knew she could get help here...she knew that she would be safe here. Serena pulled up to the gate, but before she could even ring the buzzer the gates opened. Clearly, Professor Xavier sensed she was coming. She pulled through and as she did she looked over and spotted the unmistakable form of Gambit. Her breath caught in her chest when she saw him. She hadn't seen him in over two years and she had a feeling that when he found out what Peter had done that he wasn't going to take it very well.

She saw him looking at the SUV and as she got out she saw him looking at her. At that distance he wouldn't yet be able to see her black eye or the bruises around her neck, but she saw him starting to move towards her.

Before he could go very far Storm suddenly appeared and apparently called to him. He stopped and turned and Serena saw them talking. He gestured toward her and Storm shook her head and gestured toward the kids. Gambit took one more look in her direction, waved and headed away from her toward the playing children.

Storm was in a black and white blouse and blue jeans with black heeled shoes. Her hair was completely white and fell in silky waves down her back. “Hell Serena Stark, my name is Storm. Apparently you’ve met Charles before and before you speak to anyone, he’d like to speak to you. Is this acceptable to you?” Storm asked diplomatically.

Serena was more than a little upset and embarrassed. She was trying to remain calm as Gambit got closer, but then a woman with long, white hair stepped out and began to speak to him. She knew her as Storm, but she let her introduce herself. She listened to what Professor Xavier wanted and she slowly nodded in agreement before following her inside.

"I...I'm sorry for just showing up like this. I just didn't know where else to go at this point."