Obsession 2

Chapter 19- Hold Down the Fort

When I wake up, Sadie is still sleeping peacefully, wrapped up in my arms. I brought her back to California with me and I refuse to let her out of my sight again until all of this is over. She's all I have left and I won't lose her too.

Now that we know about the others, it's hard to come up with any kind of solution for Sammy. While we should be focused on how we can return to the bridge, we're instead focused on Ren and how many others there might be who want the same things he does.

I'm afraid to think of what could happen if more of them show up. They basically have no consequences, nothing stopping them. No fear of authority or death, endless strength, speed and stamina. It may seem enticing to some, but anyone who has had to live with the guilt of taking someone else's life knows that nothing can take that away. Not even phenomenal power.

Sadie begins to stir, eventually turning over and wrapping her arm around my waist and snuggling into me. She goes right on sleeping while I smile to myself. We haven't been like this in a long time, but it still feels right to me. It must feel right to her as well, if she's subconsciously cuddling me.

I can't even begin to think of love and romance right now though. I've got to help Sammy, first and foremost, but it looks as if I'll be battling a revolution as well- one I'm in no way prepared for.

I look down at Sadie, brushing her hair away from her face. She's so beautiful and peaceful, the last thing I want to do is disturb her. But I have to pee and I've been holding it for a while already. I move her arm away from me and slowly sit up. She turns over and snuggles into the blankets, so I climb out of bed and start for the bathroom.

I pause when I make it to the bathroom door, just down the hallway from the bedroom I've been using.

"I don't care, Leo! I want my babies here, with us! The only people who can protect them are in this house! If Ren came after Sadie, you know he'll come after them!"

"It's too dangerous to bring them here, Mara-"

"It's too dangerous to not bring them here!"

"My mother will keep them safe. She knows what to expect."

"Does she?! Because until yesterday, you didn't know what to expect!"

Wow. It sounds like there's trouble in paradise. I guess I can understand both points of views. For one, being here is very dangerous. Ren, Sammy and God knows who else know we're here and what we're capable of. But since no one else is capable of stopping someone like Ren, I agree with Mara. Their children will stand no chance if Ren or one of the members of his army were to find them.

I go into the bathroom and handle my business. When I come out, Mara stomps down the hallway, right past me, while Leo stands in the doorway, staring at her retreating figure in disbelief.

"This woman will be the death of me," he groans.

I chuckle. "It's funny how they do that to us, huh?"

"I can't believe I'm not dead yet. She drives me freaking crazy," he growls, going back into the bedroom.

"Is the bathroom free?" Sadie asks, coming out of the bedroom we shared.

And now that it's daylight, I'm noticing her tank top is a bit...see through. Actually, it's all I notice.

She looks down at her shirt and gasps, covering her boobs with her arms. "Mikey!" she hisses.

"I'm sorry! It's see through, what do you expect?!" I ask, turning away.

She chuckles, poking my belly as she walks past me and into the bathroom. "It's not like you haven't seen the girls a hundred times before."

"The girls?" I ask, even though she's already closed the door.

Oh.

She means her boobs. In which case, yes, I've seen them. Sadie was the first girl I was ever with and of course I remember everything about her body. Especially the girls.

I clear my throat, suddenly feeling flustered. I decide to go down to the kitchen and see if Kai is up yet. We're supposed to be making a plan today of how to handle what's going on based off what we know. Although, I'm not sure what kind of plan can be formulated when our opposition is an army of X-Men.

When I walk into the kitchen, Kai is sitting at the table stirring a cup of coffee while Crosby is on the phone. Judging by his conversation, his superior isn't exactly buying his explanation of why he's suddenly decided to run off to California with no back up.

I sit down next to Kai, waiting for Crosby to finish up so we can plan our first move here. Before he's done though, Mara comes storming into the kitchen with Leo trailing behind her.

"Kai!" she shouts, earning her an evil glare from Crosby which she ignores. "Tell me the truth. Would our kids be safer here with us, or back home with Leo's mother?"

Kai looks between them like he in no way wants to get involved.

"Neither is a good option, but you've got to choose one," I finally say. "Leo is right, it's dangerous for them to be around people like this. But Leo, Mara is also right. No one stands a chance against Ren or anyone like him except for us."

"What do you mean us?" he asks angrily. "You and your brother are the only ones who can do anything to Ren. Me and Kai? We're done! We gave everything up! So forgive me if I don't want to put the safety of my children in the hands of people I don't know all that well."

"It's risky, of course. But if something happens, I will gladly defend you and your children," I tell him, standing from my chair. "I'll defend all of you."

"Me too," a voice says, coming from the living room.

We're all quite surprised when Sammy walks in, like he's just been lurking here, all this time.

"I want to give up this curse more than anything so my life can go back to normal. But I won't let people like me abuse this power and hurt more people. I understand that you don't trust me, but you can trust my brother," he tells Leo. "If Ren comes around, we won't let your children get hurt."

Mara looks at Leo and frowns. "Please, Leo. They are the only ones who stand any chance against this threat and you know it."

Even though Leo still doesn't look to thrilled, he finally nods. "Fine. We'll go pick them up and take Michael and Sadie with us. Sammy has to stay here though."

"That's fine with me," Sammy shrugs.

Crosby ends his call and stares at Sammy as if he's wondering how he could be so stupid as to just show up here like it's no big deal after he escaped from prison. "Oh, so you're staying here, huh? Not going to run away again?" he asks.

Sammy shrugs. "Do you want me to? It sounds as if you might actually need me."

"Let's not talk about who needs who here," Crosby scowls.

"Are you serious?" Sammy asks, getting offended. "Do you think I need you?! If I wanted to get out of these charges, I would just disappear! You would never find me!"

"Sooner or later you'll have to answer for the things you've done! You're a coward if you keep on-"

"Hey!" I interrupt. "I think we're getting off track here. We could have a much bigger problem and you two are arguing over who needs who!"

"Forgive me for my pessimism, but what exactly do you plan to do," Crosby asks, looking from Sammy to me. "We need to call for back up. We need to alert the people around here, if this is indeed a threat."

"I don't know how many people are like us," Sammy says. "Until it happened to me, I thought all this was old legends. It's not though. It's very real. And if there's any chance I can change things, I'm going to. I know what it looks like here, Crosby. Two innocent girls are dead now because of me. But you've known me since I was just a kid. You know I'd never hurt anyone on purpose. I'll gladly give up this power to make things right. I can't live with the guilt any longer, so please...help me."

I look at Crosby. I know he believes us; that there's something going on bigger than anything we've ever imagined. He knows Sammy. He knows this isn't something he would do on his own.

Crosby finally sighs. "Whatever I can do, I'll do it. I have no idea what's going on here, but it explains why you acted so out of character. But just because I believe you and want to help you set things right, doesn't mean anyone else will. To the state of Texas, you are an accused murderer who escaped from prison and is considered extremely dangerous. That means you have to move carefully or we're both going to end up in a lot of trouble."

"I understand," Sammy nods.

I look to Sammy, thankful that he's willing to cooperate. Because of him, a lot of people could be spared. "I'm going with Leo and Mara, but I'll be back soon. You should stay here and keep an eye on things in case Ren comes back."

Sammy nods. "Don't worry, little brother. I can hold down the fort."