Darkness Falls (July 2012)

Peter smiled, talking to Serena was easy but, considering the situation, he could see that she had alot on her mind. Still he felt it was important to go on as if everything was going to work out in the end. Peter had a desire to take her hand but he saw her engagement ring.

They talked for a while longer but they had quickly arrived and had been given access into the shield. Kate landed and once again they were met with T’Challa and his entourage. “Once again you are here Isabella Stark. Shuri is expecting you,” He said and invited them in for comfort and refreshment. “We’ll be nearby Serena,” Steve said as they stopped as the other continued on further into the palace and up a lift to the 3rd level.

Shuri was there in her lab with several other Wacondan’s in lab coats. Her lab bustled with activity and she approached them as they came in. “Sister, this is Serena Stark, Gambit, Peter Parker and Tony Stark,” He said, introducing them. “Come Serena, we are ready for you. Peter, have you had a chance to look at the schematics of our scanner?” She asked as they were led further into the lab. The technology blew away what Tony had for certain but was also more crude too. “I have but I need clarification on several things,” Peter said.

“Serena, please, lie here,” Shuri asked and helped her to lie down on the scanner bed. As soon as she did it began to scan her body and then her mind. “The scan will take a few minutes,” She said and her and Peter moved to confer together on his laptop. Gambit came over to her.

“Are you frightened?’ he asked unable to get her mood from her expression. “I wish I could say I wasn’t,” He admitted. Tony and Isabella were nearby, all 3 of them within hearing distance from one another.

Serena was rather nervous. She had never been to Wakanda before, but she knew her parents had on several occasions and they were close with King T’Challa. Serena normally would have been awestruck by the incredible technology they had, but her mind was preoccupied by everything else that was going on. She quietly followed Shuri and the others. Peter seemed immediately at home and began conferring with Shuri about the tablets.

Serena laid down on the table and the scan began. Serena tried to relax, but she didn’t know what the results were going to be. She looked over at Gambit as he came up beside her.

“I am,” she admitted. “I just want a plan. I’d feel better if I at least had that. I just hate not knowing what’s going on.”

“A plan? A plan for what? Nothing about this is something we can plan for I think. From what you’ve told me, these...beings from another plane or some such, aren’t supposed to be able to survive in our world right? Well, just having powers is limited without a true existence,” he said. When she looked at him he grinned. “Hey...I listen,” he said. She found that there were several small conversations happening in the room. T’Challa, her mother and father and also Peter and Shuri. When she focused on them, to her surprise she found that she could hear them as if she were right there.

“Our scouts have noticed something coming in from the east. A storm of darkness above a woman dressed in all black. She isn’t hurrying but she is definitely coming toward the shield,” he told them softly.

“How are you coping Peter?” Shuri asked. “Shifts into alternate timelines, from what we’ve learned, can be...well, rough. I wish you would explain more of why you’re here,” she asked. “I’m sorry Shuri, I can’t,” He said and then looked in Serena’s direction a moment. “I know and feel things though my memory was intentionally modified. I feel...close to Serena for some reason, as if she and I…” He began but then shrugged. Shuri put her hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright Peter, we will help her, together,” Shuri said confidently. “I did see something in the scan. An alternate wavelength. Subtle but I suspect it was designed that way. It’s not that of a human so I can only believe it has to be Nyx’s consciousness,” he said. There was a 3 dimensional hologram of Serena’s brain up in the middle of the area. Peter pointed to a small, violet area. “It originates here,” he pointed. “As humans we don’t use this part of our brains. Obviously Nyx has found a way to use it to control a human host. But…” he began but Shuri stopped him. “But your worried about harming Serena?” She said. And Peter nodded. “There is so little we know about our brains...My mind tells me that this is the avenue we must go but I’m afraid as well,” he said.

Serena opened her mouth to say something in response to Gambit when suddenly she found that she could hear the other conversations happening around the room even though everyone was far enough away that she shouldn't be able to. It sounded as if they were right there next to her. She could hear her father, mother, and T'Challa. T'Challa was telling her parents about a dark storm that was heading their way from the east. T'Challa told them that there was a woman dressed in all black directly below the storm. Serena knew that this woman must be bringing the third tablet. She began to become worried that they weren't going to be able to find a way to separate Nyx from her consciousness in time.

She could also hear Shuri and Peter talking. Serena blinked when she heard Shuri mention alternate timelines. It sounded as if she was commenting on the fact that Peter had come from an alternate timeline. As she listened she saw Peter glance her way. He spoke about feeling close to her and Serena couldn't help but feel that there was something more between them that she didn't fully know or understand. How could this be possible though? She would need to speak to Peter more about this later...if she was able to. She honestly wasn't sure if she was going to survive this or not.

She looked over at Gambit. "Gambit...if I don't survive this I want you to know how much I love you."

“Steve, get up here,” Tony said into his wrist comm. Gambit leaned down and gave Serena a kiss. A passionate kiss, a last kiss until their lips could touch again. “I love you too,” He whispered and he smiled a smile of confidence. Gambit always had that for her. It was like armor for her. Isabella and Tony came up to Serena. Tony leaned over and kissed her forehead.

“We’re going out to...meet our guest. I love you Serena and I’m so very proud of you too,” he said then touched her face. He smiled and then let Isabella say her goodbyes.

Steve and Kate came into the lab. “It’s time Steve, Darkness is here,” Tony said then he looked over at Peter who came up to him.

“I...I could help you, our there,” he said trying not to let on who he really was. “No, you’re needed in here, we’ll give you as much time as we can,” Tony said. “You save her Peter, you stop this,” Tony said. “I will do my best Mr. Stark,” Peter replied. “I know you will son,” he said by mistake and didn’t even realize it.

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Outside everyone was assembled. Tony and Isabella had on their suits. Steve and Kate were in their uniforms and T’Challa was in his suit along with hundreds of Wakonda warriors and aircraft.

In the lab Shuri and peter worked furiously as they began to configure the scanner to emit a graviton pulse. The pulse was going to hurt Serena physically but the hope was that it would treat Nyx’s consciousness like chemotherapy to a cancer by changing our own gravity to that of the plane of chaos in the tiny, little area in her brain. Peter gave Shuri the wavelengths and the modifications to their scanners emitters. Her eyes bulged as she pulled them up on her viewscreen. “Peter, I don’t even understand this matrix...its more advanced than anything I’ve ever seen,” Shuri said. Peter glanced at Serena briefly in hopes that she wasn’t paying to close attention to what they were doing. He had spent alot of time on this. Alot more time than he could have if he hadn’t been working on it for years.

“I merged the beam strength to the wave’s frequency that Serena had used to open up a portal into the plane of chaos. Her algorithm was the final step,” he said.

Serena closed her eyes and returned Gambit's kiss. It was deep and passionate and full of love. She honestly wasn't sure if she was going to see him again and she wanted him to know how she felt. She watched him as he stepped away and her parents stepped up to her next. Her dad approached her first and she felt a few tears come to her eyes at what he said. "I love you too," she told him before he stepped back. Her mother then came up. No one heard what Isabella said to Serena, but Serena nodded as tears began to stream down her cheeks. Her mother reached out and gently wiped them away before leaning down and kissing her. Isabella stood up and stepped away and Tony would be able to see the tears shimmering in her own eyes. She took a moment to compose herself and get herself mentally ready for this fight. She then joined Tony, Steve, Kate, T'Challa, and the other Wakanda warriors. As before any fight, Steve and Kate had had a moment together. No one ever knew what was said between them, but they always stood facing each other with their foreheads touching and their fingers intertwined. Isabella and Tony had shared a similar moment together, but now they were all ready for the fight. They were focused and ready to defend Serena.

Back in the lab, Serena lay on the table feeling completely helpless. She wanted to be helping, but she didn't know how she could help. She could hear Peter and Shuri talking and every time she looked at Peter she got this strange feeling that she had known him longer than she really had. Something strange was going on. Between hearing her father call Peter 'son' and this feeling she knew there was something more happening that she wasn't fully aware of.

“Do you think that she can break through the shield?” Steve asked. “I don’t really know. We’ve had creatures that have done it but not many,” T’Challa said. The woman pushed the black storm over the dome and everywhere it touched the dome, white electrical currents shot onto its surface.

“She’s testing it for weaknesses,” Tony said. He hovered in his suit next to Isabella as the dome was slowly covered with the blackness. Inside the dome it grew darker and darker as more of it was covered.

“Peter typed quickly on the keyboard and Shuri and the others in the lab were working as fast as they could to reconfigure the beam emitter to what Peter was telling them. Some of the things Peter was saying was far beyond anything Serena knew and she knew quite alot. So, Peter just ‘happened’ to have her algorithms and he just ‘happened’ to know her father. He just ‘happened’ to be able to read the tablets and he just ‘happened’ to know how to reconfigure the emitters in her father’s lab and now here as well for this, specific thing. Thats alot of coincidences.

“Unfortunately Serena, you’ll need to stay awake and...and it’s going to hurt...alot,” Peter said. Shuri was beside her. “Ok Serena, we need to get your head braced so you can’t move it alright?” she said and began to help get Serena into the head and neck restraints. They restrained her arms and legs as well should she try to protect herself. Peter could see she was frightened and worried about not surviving this. He moved up to her when Shuri stepped away.

Peter smiled down at her and then lightly touched her worried face. “Hey, no matter what happens, I’m not leaving your side ok? I’m right here,” Peter said and reached down and put his hand near her fingers so she could grab onto it.

Isabella watched as this woman tested the dome shield for weaknesses. She landed down next to T'Challa and looked at him. "Are there weaknesses in the shield?"

Serena looked rather nervous and uncertain as she lay there. She looked over at Peter and only nodded slightly in understanding when he told her that she was going to need to remain awake and it was going to hurt. As Shuri began to brace Serena to the table, she felt her anxiety begin to rise. She wanted her parents or Gambit there, but they couldn't be there with her. Then, Peter moved over to her and as his fingers lightly touched her face she knew she wasn't alone. She reached over and lightly took hold of his hand and braced herself mentally for what was about to happen.

Peter recalled the feel of her face and the touch of her hand. He felt as if he knew them so well, knew her. Knew her for a very long time. A memory came to him just then. His hand was on a knife that he had plunged into Serena’s heart. Her hands were on his arm as if guiding him, urging him to do what he needed to do. As his eyes began to blur he banished the memory from his mind.

He cleared his throat. “Do you like jokes Serena?” He asked. “Ok, lets see if you get this one. “ A Roman legionnaire walks into a bar and holds up 2 fingers and says..I’ll take 5 beers please,” He said with a smile. “I, for one, like Roman Numerals,” He said as a quick follow up joke. He needed her to laugh and when she did he gestured to Shuri. WHen he did she flipped the switch and a searing pain came to Serena. It emanated from the side of her head. There was no lead up to it, no warning, suddenly it was there. Peter let her squeeze his hand as she screamed.

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“I’m not certain,” T’Challa said as he watched the dome become completely covered in the blackness. “I…” He began but then the woman in black was right there amongst them suddenly. “Boo!” She said and everyone turned to face her.

The woman had long, straight, jet black hair and she was in an all black outfit of what looked like a dress made of black mist. Occasionally he breast would show or a thigh but most of the time it covered her. She was extremely beautiful and her body looked as if it were chiseled from stone.

“I am Rochaela and I am looking for my mother, where is she?” The woman asked. Tony flipped on his suit’s light but it didn’t seem to really shine on her much. It was very dark where they were and no lights seemed to work very well.

Serena wasn't certain she was in the mood to hear a joke right then, but she could tell that Peter was trying to distract her. She nodded slightly to him and then he began to recite one to her. Surprisingly, the joke did make her laugh and for a split second a strange memory came to her. It was hazy and not her own...and yet it was. She saw herself with Peter. They were in her room in the Tower...and yet it wasn't just her room. It was hers and Peter's. She was upset about something...she was crying and as Peter soothed her he told her that same joke. She had laughed then too.

Suddenly, there was a searing pain on the side of her head. It was the most intense pain she had ever felt in her entire life. In that instant the memory of that moment with Peter was gone...lost. She screamed in pain and squeezed Peter's hand.

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In an instant she was there. She was shrouded in a black mist and everything around her was black emptiness. To Isabella, it reminded her of what she imagined a black hole would look like. She just seemed to suck in all the light from around her. Isabella looked at her.

"She's not here. I suggest you leave."

The woman looked at Isabella who was in her suit. She smiled at her. “Isabella?” Frank said. She was not where she had been she was at the dinner table and Frank set a bowl of pasta down for her to put onto her plate. He then came and set down another bowl with his sauce in it. He leaned over her and kissed her. “I’ve been wanting to cook for you for a while now Isabella,” He said softly as their eyes met. She was much younger than she was now and she knew what was going to happen after they ate. Frank was going to make love to her several times before the night was done.

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“I’m proud of you son, your mother and I both are,” Howard said.

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“Steve, I’m so glad you’re back,” Peggy said and enveloped him with her arms.

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“Its a boy Kate, do you want to hold em?” The nurse asked. Steve was right to her left and kissed her cheek. The nurses placed her newborn son on her belly. He cried and was the most beautiful thing she ever saw.

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One by one they were all enveloped in a dream as they were bathed in Darkness. Alchair had come with Rochaela. He was the master of dreams and facades and he smiled as those that he had forced into dreams just stood there.

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Finally the beam cut off and Serena gasped as the pain subsided. She was sweating and Peter dabbed at her forehead with a white cloth. He could see Serena was half out of her mind from the pain. “I saw you die once, I won’t let that happen again,” He murmured as he dabbed at her face and neck that were covered in sweat.

“I think the gain wasn’t high enough Peter,” Shuri said. Peter turned and faced her. “Turn up the gain by 1.25 Mega hurtz and increase the gravity by 0.3 atmospheres,” Peter said then turned back toward Serena. She was looked at him and her eyes pleaded with him not to hurt her again. “I’m so sorry Serena, I’m sorry,” He said as she did plead with him.

Isabella blinked as she suddenly found herself somewhere she had not been in a very long time. She was back in the old apartment that she and Frank had shared. She was sitting at the dining table and as she looked up she saw Frank there above her as he put down a bowl of pasta and then a bowl of his sauce. She could smell it. She was younger...as young as she had been when she and Frank had been together. As she looked at Frank she remembered the love that they had once shared. She could feel it emanating from him as he looked at her.

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Kate was suddenly not out on the field of battle, but in a hospital room. She was laying in the bed and Steve was to her left. She looked up and suddenly she saw a nurse there holding a newborn wrapped in a blue blanket. She then realized it was her child...her son. She felt the nurse put him into her arms and as she looked down at him she felt tears come to her eyes.

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Serena's entire body was covered in a sheen of sweat as the beam cut off. She gasped for air. Everything around her seemed hazy and almost dreamlike. She felt Peter dab at her forehead with a cloth and brush back her damp hair from her face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She heard Peter say something...but in her current mental state she didn't fully process it. However, what she did understand was that the horrific pain she had just gone through was about to begin again. She began to beg...plead with Peter not to hurt her again, but it was no use. She gripped Peter's hand tightly as suddenly she was hit with the pain again. Her screams echoed through the lab.

Frank pushed the plates and bowls out of the way then drew Isabella out of her chair to sit on the table. He drew up her dress to her thighs and she playfully wrapped her legs around him to draw him toward her as he unbuckled his belt. It was a good dream and getting better by the moment. However she felt a jarring and the room in her dream began to shake. Paint and plaster fell from the ceiling though Frank never seemed to notice it. There was more jarring and then she saw T’Challa’s face.

‘Isabella! Snap out of it!” He said loudly. She was in her suit and her facemask had been retracted. “She’s headed toward the palace, they both are, we need to stop them. You go on ahead, I’ll bring them out of their dreams,” He said.

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The pain once again seared Serena’s head. It felt like some ungodly pressure that was going to crack her head like a coconut. And then there was no pain. She was still there but she seemed to hover over her body. To her horror, Nyx was beside her. A smaller version of herself but definitely Nyx. “You will make him stop or I will kill him slowly,” She told Serena. I will flay everyone you ever loved if you don’t make him stop. My children are coming for me, they will make him stop,” she said. “I will make you relive Evan’s death a thousand times. 10,000, 100!” She threatened. “Hey, who are you?” Peter said just as the beam stopped once more to be readjusted again. Evan stood in the lab and came toward them.

“Why’d you let me die Serena? You could have saved me. You could have stopped it all!” He said.

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As Isabella flew a black tendril of mist grabbed hold of her and smashed her into the ground near the woman in black. She had her arms up as she controlled the inky, black tendrils that held her.

Isabella awoke with a start. She blinked as T'Challa's face suddenly appeared above hers. Her face mask had been retracted and she looked around and saw that she was back in Wakanda. Tony, Kate, Steve, and Gambit were all standing, but they were still and their eyes were closed. She knew then that they all must have been affected somehow. She heard what T'Challa said and she knew she needed to get the palace quickly. She started to fly, but suddenly a black tendril of mist grabbed a hold of her and smashed her into the ground near the woman in black. Isabella got up and shot a repulsor beam at her.

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Serena felt delirious. She wanted to die...she wanted the pain to end. It felt like it never would. It felt like it was going to continue forever. But then suddenly it stopped. However, she realized that she was no longer in her body. She was hovering above it. Below her, she could see herself screaming in pain. She began to wonder if she was actually dying. Then, she saw Nyx beside her demanding that Serena tell Peter to stop what he was doing to her. Serena knew though that she couldn't let that happen. No matter what Nyx did to her she couldn't allow Peter and Shuri to stop what they were doing. She knew it was working if Nyx was telling her to have Peter stop. However, before she could say anything to Nyx she suddenly heard Peter say something. She looked over and her eyes widened when she suddenly saw Evan there. How was that possible?! Her heart ached with the memory of what had happened to him. No...he wasn't there. He couldn't be. He was dead. She knew that. She forced herself back into her body and she looked over at 'Evan'. "You're not Evan..." she said with a voice that shook from the weakened state her body was in. "Evan would never say that to me. He would never blame me." She looked at Peter. "Do it!"

A shield of shadow blocked isabella’s blast and then she was grabbed by another black tendril. Tony came in on her other side but before he could unleash a blast he was also grabbed by a tendril then, like a rag doll smashed into the ground repeatedly. The Black Panther together with Captain America leaped toward the woman but like the others tendrils grabbed them. Kate fired her sidearm at the woman but shadows shielded her from the bullets. Wakonda warriors attacked but a wave of blackness shot toward them and rammed into them. Several warriors were tossed into the air while others were crushed by the wave. Men and women screamed in pain while others would never move again. The woman ripped Isabella’s helmet off with a tendril and where she was held by it, her armor began to spark as she began to crush her suit. “It will bring me great pleasure to remove your seed from this world first. It will be as if you never existed, Isabella Stark!” She said as Isabella felt the enormous pressure of her suit pressing in on her in several areas. Jarvis and alarms were going crazy with alerts and warnings as her suit slowly groaned as it was squeezed. Gambit finally ran up and vaulted himself into the air. A black tendril grabbed hold of his torso but not before he charged and threw 2 cards at the woman. She screamed as the explosions enveloped her and everyone was flung away as the earth around them was riven from the force and energy that was released. After the dust settled Tony ran up to Isabella. Her armor was a mess but it had held and she was alive.

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Evan produced another small case. “I have something for you Serena, I think you’ll want it,” he said just as Shuri turned back on the beam. Serena felt Peter’s hand leave hers as the searing pain struck her once more. In an instant Peter was on Evan. He knocked the case away from him but he had already opened the latch. The case flew open and a violet fume escaped from it and flew toward Serena. Serena could feel Nyx pulling her toward what looked like a cliff though it was only really a feeling. She had her by the neck and Serena knew if she flung her off of it that she’d fall endlessly into the black abyss below.

“This was always inevitable Serena. The moment you met Evan, my Nephew, your fate was sealed. Ironic that the Queen of Chaos would rely on order to affect the future. Serena felt Nyx suddenly surge with power as the power of the third tablet infused her with the last remaining part of her consciousness, her being.

Peter was on top of the man who looked like Evan and had managed to choke him unconscious. However Nyx grabbed him with a violet tendril using her power through Serena and pulled him up into the air and brought him over to Serena. “Serena felt the beam still piercing into her but seeing Peter before her, Nyx allowed her eyes to see, made what was happening just as important as the pain. “This one...this one I did not account for. I could not see him in my dreams. No matter, I will end him just the same,” she said. Peter struggled in her grasp and his hands tried to pry the tendril away from his neck.

“Serena!” he said as he choked. “I love you!” he said in a rasp as he felt his consciousness slip. Nyx took hold of Shuri with another tendril then lifted up into the air as well. Her legs broke from the shackles and then her arms broke free. Just as she removed the head brace though the beam destroyed the last remaining cells of the part of Serena’s brain that contained Nyx’s consciousness. Nyx screamed in horror as she felt herself being ripped away from Serena’s mind. Peter and Shuri were dropped and she hurriedly crawled and turned off the beam. Serena’s head stung like a thousand tiny needles had pierced into it but she was conscious and able to move.

Isabella gasped and tried to yell out as she felt herself being crushed like a tin can by this woman. She couldn't move...she couldn't do anything. She began to panic as she heard the alarms in her suit going off. She could hear the suit itself breaking collapsing under the pressure and it began to squeeze around her body. She couldn't breathe. She felt helpless and began to think she was going to die. Tears came to her eyes as she thought about Tony and about Serena...about not seeing either of them again. But then, she saw Gambit fling himself at the woman. He charged two cards and threw them at her. Isabella was suddenly released and her body was dropped to the ground. She gasped and coughed as she struggled to get air into her lungs. She looked up as Tony rushed over to her. "I...I'm alright," she reassured him.

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Serena's eyes grew wide in fear as she saw the third case. She knew that if he opened it that the game would be over...Nyx would win. They were so close to defeating her. They couldn't let her win. Suddenly, Peter flung himself at Evan and knocked the case away from him. However, the case flew open and the violet plume escaped and flew towards her. Serena suddenly felt herself being pulled towards what appeared to be a cliff. Serena knew the cliff wasn't real, but what it represented was very real. If she went into that abyss she would be gone and Nyx would take over her body and destroy the world. Serena struggled against her with all of her might. However, what Nyx said stopped her cold. Evan was Nyx's nephew?! He had used her? Tricked her? She couldn't believe that...she didn't want to believe it.

Serena looked over and saw Peter fighting against 'Evan'. He was choking him, but then Nyx reached out with a violet tendril and grabbed him and pulled him over towards her. She looked into Peter's eyes as he was being choked by Nyx and she felt a deep, real love between them. She didn't understand how it could be, but it was. It was as real as anything she had ever felt before. It gave her strength...the strength she needed to do what she needed to do. With a yell she broke through the shackles that were holding her. In that moment she heard Nyx scream as she was ripped from Serena's consciousness. Serena stood up and looked at Nyx. "You've hurt people I love and care about. Well not any longer. I won't let you hurt anyone else." She then fired a powerful energy blast at Nyx.

A bar of white light shot toward Nyx and even though she began to for a shield made out of violet colored energy the white light struck her. For an instant Nyx’s image turned white and left an after image as violet motes shifted as the air moved in the room. Nyx was no more and Serena fell to her knees, exhausted from the use of so much energy. It took from her bodies reserves but she remained conscious. Peter lay beside her and when she touched him his eyes opened. Shuri panted nearby and felt at her neck where she had been strangled.

Where Peter had come from he had been different. His mind worked so fast most of the time and his mouth always struggled to keep up. He wasn’t the same here. Somehow the traverse into this timeline had changed him, in more ways than one. He smiled tiredly at her but his breaths were rasps because of how hard he had been choked by Nyx’s tendril. He had accomplished what he came to do though he hardly did it alone. He and Tony had cheated to save Serena. Just like Tony had cheated to save Isabella. Just like before he knew they’d have to pay for what they did. Somehow the world would get even with them but it wouldn’t be today. Today Serena was alive and whole, if not a bit battered. Tony flew up with Isabella and Gambit. Once they hit the terrace Gambit ran toward the lab and toward Serena when he saw her. He skidded to a stop and fell onto his knees as he took her into his arms. He cried as he hugged her to him. Cries of happiness that she was alive. “Oh Serena, I was so frightened for you,” He murmured as he hugged and kissed her. His kisses were quick and desperate and everywhere. On her forehead, her cheeks, her lips, even her nose. Tony helped Isabella shift down to her knees so she could check on Peter. Her Medical suite was about the only thing that actually worked in her suit right then and her suit administered a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory on him. Tony watched and nodded at Gambit and Serena and was flooded with relief when Serena seemed like herself.

Serena collapsed down to her knees and gasped for breath. She was exhausted...physically and mentally, but it was done...it was over. Nyx was gone. They had done it. Beside her she saw Peter and Shuri. Serena reached over and touched Peter and his eyes opened and he looked at her. Their eyes met and an understanding passed between them...a knowledge of what existed between them. It was a bond that could never be broken. She wanted to know more...to ask Peter questions, but she knew now was not the time. She gave him a small smile before Gambit and her parents suddenly rushed in. Gambit skidded to a stop in front of her and took her into his arms. She felt his kisses all over her and his tears on her skin. She wrapped her arms back around him and whispered to him that she was alright. She glanced over his shoulder and saw her mother tend to Peter. They were all ok...they had all made it through.