Age Of Miracles | Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Nineteen: Who Do You Become?

Music is "The Children Arrive" by James Newton Howard from the The Huntsman: Winter's War OST.

Picture is of the Infinity Stones.

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"The world is full of evil and lies and pain and death, and you can't hide from it; you can only face it. The question is, when you do, how do you respond? Who do you become?"

- Phil Coulson, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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A/N: Heads up! This is going to be a very complicated chapter, so stick with me! Let me know if you have questions. Also, the Stebex update is at the end of the chapter!

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CHAPTER NINETEEN

What makes a family? Is it the blood bonds? Is it the love that we share? Is it a mutual living place? Is it shared experiences? One could argue that there's a bit of all that in most families, but mine seems to be quite different from most families. I doubt many people have had one of their children come from the future to save them. I doubt most have had to deal with the possibility that he or she won't make it out alive, that the future they came from will disappear along with the threats. What makes a family? Is it solely blood, or is it more? It has to be more than genetics; I know too many genetic relatives who I swear I will never speak to again.

There is no one set of rules when it comes to a family unit; this much I've learned. Some families have two fathers, some have two mothers, some have one but not the other, and some have neither. Some families have grandparents or foster parents. Some families have no children or adopted children. Some families are made up of just friends, or even just one person and their guardian angels. And some, like mine, are made of friends, lovers, and blood relatives who have fallen apart and then fallen back together again. Whatever the case, a family is a family because they are willing to love and protect one another, no matter the kind of threat, even if that threat is themselves. 

These are the things that flow through my mind as I watch my youngest--yet oldest--child sleep soundly on the sofa in one of Stephen's spare rooms. Though it still is strange to me, she is family. The though boggles my mind. With my twins, Ksenia and Steven, I had nine months to prepare for their arrival. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. I knew that I was going to be a mother. With Elaine, it's almost like I don't believe it. I've seen the proof, I know her story is true, but it still makes me feel so odd when I think about the number of children. "How many do you have?" some have asked me. "Two," I usually reply, but now I have to add another to the prior statement. That feeling will never go away.

After we returned from seeing the Soul Gem in the pocket dimension, and Hong Kong, Stephen's been in the bathroom pretty much the entire three hours since. He barely spoke in his passing, but he mentioned something about every spell coming with a price that just keeps getting higher. He's been in there, probably throwing up his guts, ever since. Not much has gotten done. Katie, after a few minutes of watching Elaine with hushed worry on her face, left to see her girlfriend in the Bronx. Clint, Vlad, and the Odinsons have taken a restful place at the kitchen table--the only safe place Stephen muttered to us on his way to the bathroom. Wong and Clea are still absent. Pietro found the mundane section of Strange's library, the only place in the Sanctum where there aren't spells protecting the books. He's been reading ever since, checking in on Elaine every three minutes.

I've sat on the loveseat across from Elaine the entire time, silently collecting my thoughts. Other than family, the only things that have been on my mind is... everything else. Mostly surrounding Elaine herself and what the future holds. While thinking about what makes a family, a thought crosses my mind: I don't know a thing about this girl. I mean, I know her basic layout of life. I know she grew up on the run, never knew her father, barely knew me, lost her brother and sister just days ago--for her at least, and has had little to no sleep in almost three days.