There Is Truth in The Light (July 2012)

Serena could not believe the tale that Peter told her. They had been married in another life? They had children...twins? She had died? He and her father had figured out a way to send him to this timeline to stop Nyx? No one else would have believed this story. Serena knew deep in her heart that Peter was telling the truth...she could feel the connection between them...and yet she still wanted proof.

"I have a scar on my body I got when I was a child. Where is it and how did I get it?" She knew that this was something only someone intimately familiar with her body would know.

Peter ofcourse knew where the scar was but he was fighting with himself about what he had just done to her. He and Tony had ‘cheated to get him here and now he cheated again with Serena. He and Tony had agreed NOT to tell her any of this but he remembered how Serena was about lies and keeping things from her. Isabella didn’t like it when Tony did that to her, Serena though, Serena HATED that and Peter just did what he always did, he told her the truth.

“The scar was from a damaged flying drone you had fixed. Tony used the drone to take video of his work but it was damaged when one of its propellers hit his robot assistant. You fixed the drone but didn’t really know how to fly it. When you tried, it flew right into you and cut your thigh,” Peter said. Tears slipped from his eyes and rested onto his cheeks. He missed their children…’his’ children but losing Serena, his soul mate, the love of his life had snuffed out the light in his heart. Seeing her again, sitting next to her right then, made his heart swell with love once again. Love and hope for the future.

Serena felt a few tears come to her eyes when Peter began to tell the story. Only those closest to her knew about that scar. She had known in her heart before that what Peter had told her was true, but now it was absolutely undeniable. Sitting this close to him...looking at him...she felt a connection to him that she had never felt with anyone else...not even with Gambit. How was she going to explain this to Gambit? Could she even tell him? What was she going to do?

"I...I feel this connection to you...a strong connection...something I've never felt with anyone else...but I'm engaged to Gambit...I...I don't know what to do Peter..."

Peter frowned at her response. ‘She didn’t know what to do?’ He wondered. ‘I come across a timeline, which had a great chance of not working at all, risked his life and poured out his heart to her for…’I don’t know what to do?’ His heartbeat began to hasten as he thought about what he was going to do. When he was younger, in that other life he had always been awkward with women and in social situations. He never would have thought about doing what he was going to do right then. Somehow though that part of who he’d been did not exist. He was the older version of himself. He ‘remembered’ his life, everything. He remembered the feel of her lips on his and how she liked to be kissed. He shifted on the bench close to her turned and touched her face. He could see the troubled look on her face and the dampness of her cheeks. He shifted his hand and touched the back of her neck in a very intimate way then leaned in and kissed her.

Serena looked over at Peter and saw his eyes meet hers. She saw his eyes glance down at her lips and then look back up into her eyes. She began to tremble as she knew what was going to happen. She didn’t pull back though. Her heartbeat began to increase. She watched him as he slowly leaned forward. As their lips met she felt a feeling pass through her body that she could not describe. It was deeper than anything she had ever felt before. She had not known true love until that moment. She didn’t realize it but tears had begun to slip down her cheeks.

“Seriously? This is happening...right now?!” Gambit said from behind them. He was in the doorway to the terrace. “Well...I guess I know why you wanted to delay the wedding.

Peter pulled away quickly and he looked at Gambit. He stood but not as if he had just got caught doing anything wrong. “Gambit...let me explain…” “I’m not talking to YOU!” Gambit said in outrage. “You think you know someone,” Gambit said then stormed back into the lab and headed for the elevator lift.

Serena heard Gambit’s voice and she immediately pulled back. She looked over at him and she saw the anguish in his eyes. She quickly got up and followed after him. “Gambit...please stop...please let me talk to you. There’s more going on here that you don’t know.”

Gambit didn’t stop but listened to what Serena said. “Of course there’s something going on, there’s always something going on,” he said angrily. Why was he so hurt by this? He didn’t know he only knew that he was hurt and angry too.

“If you wanted to break up you could have just said so. You had every opportunity for that earlier,” he said. “What really stings is that you didn’t tell me how you felt about Peter,” he said.

Serena continued to walk after Gambit. She knew he wasn’t going to understand, but she needed to try. Gambit deserved at least that. She felt a few tears come to her eyes. “I didn’t realize until just now Gambit. I promise you that. There’s something very complicated going on. I’m still trying to figure it out myself. I don’t want to hurt you. I do love you Gambit.”

Now Gambit stopped and turned to face her. “Serena, I realize that you’ve been through a lot in a short time. And maybe a kiss is just a kiss but it didn’t look like it to me,” he said l. It didn’t want to be angry with Serena. He loved her so much but his pain just kept bubbling over and so it was difficult.

“You don’t want to hurt me yet you are kissing another man? What do you think would happen?” He said and grabbed her hand and lifted it up. “Clearly this doesn’t mean anything to you,” he said. And then just looked at her. Looked into her eyes. She was crying but he was so angry. Before she could say more he spoke again. “Do you love him? And I don’t care what’s happened or why. It’s a simple question, you owe me the truth if you can tell me the truth,” he said. The last part was an insult but obviously she hadn’t been forthcoming about the conflict in her about Peter.

Serena’s heart broke as she looked at Gambit. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she was. He was angry and she knew he had every right to be. He deserved the truth from her, no matter how difficult it was for her to say. “I do love him,” she told him honestly as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Gambit’s face was a mask of disbelief. “What do you know about love anyway, I’m beginning to wonder why I even got involved with you. Obviously you weren’t ready for anything serious. “Screw you and you’re lies,” Gambit said. Peter had, by now, stepped up to the doorway. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop but Gambit was not trying to be discreet and his voice carried. He had a dangerous way about him and his words were angry and cutting. Part of him could sympathize feeling jilted like this but there was no cause to beat her down like this.

“Hey, I think you’ve said enough,” Peter said. “I think she gets the idea,” He added as his eyes flashed a hint of warning toward the man. Gambit’s eyes looked up. “This isn’t any of your concern Peter, just walk away,” He said threateningly. “No, I won’t walk away. Go Serena,” Peter said plainly as Gambit stepped toward him.

Gambit’s words bit deep. They hurt, but she began to think she deserved it. She didn’t want things to end this way between them, but she didn’t know how to make things better. She did love Gambit, but she knew they weren’t meant to be together. Peter was her soulmate. She knew that as strongly as she knew water was wet.

She looked over at Peter as he walked up. She could sense the tension rise instantly. She wasn’t sure she wanted to walk away from them. “Gambit, please stop.” She knew if Gambit started a fight that Peter would get involved.

“Ho! There will be no fighting here Gambit. Not in my lab, not in my palace! We are all friends here. If you can not be civil than you will leave!” Shuri said forcefully. She had kept out of it until now when it looked as if Gambit was going to fight Peter. Gambit stopped but kept his eyes on Peter. Peter stopped and watched everyone. He turned to Serena.

“Go to our room, now and so help me if you’re not there when I get there…” he said angrily,” When Serena just looked at him. His eyes grew even more dangerous. “Go!” he snapped.

Serena blinked when Gambit threatened her. She didn’t like that...not one bit. She glanced at Peter and he gave her a nod to let her know he was alright. Serena sighed, but stepped away. She walked down to the room and began to pack. She was feeling rather overwhelmed by everything that had just happened. She looked down at her engagement ring and she gently pulled it off of her finger. She hated how badly things were ending between them. She hadn’t wanted this, but it had happened and she couldn’t deny her feelings for Peter.

After a short time Gambit came into the room and slammed the door. It was never him being dumped it was always he who did the dumping. Serena has severely wounded his ego and he was furious with her.

“I don’t see how but did you fuck him? Or was this all some ‘sudden’ revelation that you didn’t respect me enough to tell me you were on the fence. God damn you Serena, when Nyx was gone I thought I got you back. I suddenly saw us living together and loving one another. Fighting side by side and you teaching,” he said. “It’s like Peter came and you lost your fuckin mind!” He shouted.

Serena was standing whenever Gambit walked in. She could tell he was furious, but she stood her ground. She needed him to calm down so she could talk to him so she remains calm herself. “No, Peter and I haven’t slept together...at least not in this life. Please just take a deep breath and calm down and let me talk to you. Everything that has happened happened quickly. I’m still trying to understand it all myself.”

She then began to tell him what Peter had told her. She told him about how she and Peter had been married and had had twins. She told him about how they had been unable to stop Nyx in that life and how she had had Peter kill her. She explained that Peter and her father had then worked years to figure out a way to send his consciousness here to save her.

“I found all of this out just today Gambit. I don’t know how to explain it other than to say I feel a deep connection to Peter. I didn’t want to hurt you Gambit. Please know that.”

Gambit came and sat down on the end of the bed. He leaned forward and put his face onto his hands as his anger leaned out of him. It was never in the natural order of his personality to be angry. And he cared deeply for Serena.

“Why are you doing this to me Serena?” He asked. He tilted his face up to look at her. “Why are you tearing my heart out like this?” He asked. “Do you think that I wouldn’t make you happy?” Gambit asked.

Serena gated every moment of this and she hated herself for what she was doing to him. She wanted to be the woman he needed her to be, but she couldn’t. She sat down next to him and reached over and took his hand into her own. Tears came to her eyes.

“I want to be the woman you need me to be Gambit, but I can’t. I hate myself for it. Being with you changed me...made me a better person. I will never forget that.”

“Serena, you can be anyone you want to be. To say that you want to be the woman I need you to be...remember the guild? You were the woman I needed you to be. You can be that woman. You’ve proved it, several times. I know you feel you have this connection with Peter. And maybe you do. But before he came, you were ready to marry me. You think about that when you say different,” he said. “You ARE that woman, you’re just intrigued by how and why Peter is here,” he said. He uncovered the pale scar on her forearm and rubbed his hand across it.

“You got this defending me, remember? The guild… Charlotte, wanted you dead. And we came through it all together. We make a great team Serena. How can you throw that away?” He said.

Serena wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to throw all of that away. They had been through a lot together in a short amount of time. However, she wanted to spend more time with Peter and get to know him better.

“Alright, what if we just put everything on hold while I figure things out? Will that work?”