Broken hero

Chapter 17

   By the time Eclipse had finished in the house it had grown dark and thunder could be heard in the distance.

"Sounds like we're going to have some fun weather." She mumbles as she locks the front door and goes into the garage. Her 2010 Ford mustang sat right where she'd left it.

She smiles as she pops the hood and looks over the engine. The car had been a hobby of her's a couple years ago. She had fixed it up and modified it to fit her needs. She checked the oil and gas, using her powers to clean out any gunk that could harm the engine and then puts the hood down. Sliding into the driver's seat she turns the key in the ignition and listened as it roared back to life.

Driving it back to the academy, rain started pouring down just as she finished checking in. She parked it in the specialized parking garage and hopped out, watching as the doors shut and her car disappeared.

Her body soaked up the rain and kept her dry as she made her way into the dorm area and headed towards her room, stopping as she sees Anna in the hallway looking around.

"Hey, Anna. You, ok?" Eclipse asked, worry tinting her voice.

Anna nods and speaks slowly, "Can I come to your room for a bit?"

"Uh yeah sure." Eclipse jumps at the chance to spend more time with her, although she was worried about how tense she looked. "I need a quick shower so you can sit on the bed if you want."

Eclipse opens the door to let her in and motions for her to sit down as she grabs some clothes from her closet. Anna sits down quietly as Eclipse disappears into the bathroom.

A couple minutes later Eclipse comes out in a tank and shorts, rubbing her hair dry with a towel. Before she can say anything, a loud crack is heard from outside as thunder boomed. Anna jumped in her seat.

"You're scared of the storm." Eclipse realizes, a smirk forming on her face.

The smile quickly drops as she notices the look on Anna's face, her eyes darting from the window to the door as her body shakes. This wasn't natural fear. Eclipse grins her teeth as she forces herself to remain calm. Storms were supposed to be where lightening wielders thrived so for one to be this terrified meant that someone had taken that safety away from them. She could deal with that later though.

"Hey, Anna. It's ok." She softens her voice as she crouches down to the young woman's level, careful not to startle her or touch her without her permission.

People in a panic often become worse when touched unprovoked, and she didn't want Anna to feel unsafe in her presence. Another loud crack causes Anna to yelp and spring forward, her arms clinging to Eclipse as she buries her face in her chest.

"It's ok little one." Eclipse soothes her as she puts her arms around the trembling frame. "How about you stay with me tonight?"

Anna nods, not daring to speak or look at Eclipse's face. Eclipse stands, picking her up and taking her to the bed. She had planned to tuck her in and sleep on the floor but when Anna refused to let go, she was forced to climb in with her. Reaching up, Eclipse turns off the lights and then hits a button on the wall and listens for the small click. The room grows silent as the soundproofing kicks in, removing the sound of the thunderstorm outside.

Anna slowly relaxes in Eclipse's arms and soon she can hear her breathing settle into soft snore. She stays awake for a bit longer to make sure the young woman is comfortable before closing her own eyes. She didn't expect to sleep much to be honest. Usually, she would become restless in her sleep and move constantly, something that irritated most of her previous partners. But tonight, she turned her focus to staying as still as possible to not wake the woman sleeping against her. Sleep finally came and she let the darkness wash over her.

The bed moving wakes her up the next morning as she looks up at an embarrassed Anna.

"Morning princess." She smiles as she sits up.

Tears dot Anna's eyes, causing Eclipse to grow concerned.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't..." Anna chokes out as she covers her mouth. "I didn't mean to put you through all of that last night. I got confused on my way to my room and..."

"Hey, it's ok" Eclipse reaches out and takes her arm, tugging gently.

Anna gives into the gently prodding, collapsing against her chest with a quiet sob as she wraps her arms around her. Rocking gently, Eclipse let's her cry it out before letting go. Anna sits up, rubbing her eyes.

"Better?"

Anna nods and gives her a small smile. "Thankyou."

"Anytime princess. My door's always open to you. And when you're ready to talk, I'm a pretty good listener too." Eclipse winks, causing Anna to giggle. "Now get outta here, we got work to do."

She reaches out and pokes Anna's side, making her laugh as she jumps to her feet and hurries out the door.