Frostbite

The Waves Come Crashing

The water was rough and dark, the clouds overhead rumbling threateningly. There was nothing but ocean before me and I felt the rush of power in my veins, soaking in strength from the tumulous waves. I stood on a rock a ways out from the shore, closer to the cliffside so that I wouldn't be as easy to spot by any possible onlookers. Though it would be unlikely that anyone would be crazy enough to come out right before a storm. Well, except me.

My anxiety was skyrocketing by the second; I hadn't used my powers in months and maybe I had bit off more than I could chew. I rolled my shoulders and tried to shove my worries aside so that I could focus. It had been years now, and I still couldn't fully control these powers and I knew I could do more.

I took a deep breath and focused on the waves in front me as they became more violent. My hands rose in front of me, and I twisted, attempting to hold the wave in place. It halted in the air, but seconds later it collapsed back into itself. This didn't deter me, and I tried again with the next one that approached.

Again, it stopped at its peak, and I was able to hold it. My confidence grew, and I tried to expand my reach and make the wave bigger, but as soon as I moved my hand, I lost it. A small voice in the back of my head taunted me, but I brushed it off.

Many more attempts were made, and with each one I was able to hold it slightly longer until I was able to start gathering smaller waves to add. Only a few were added before I could no longer hold the weight and it fell back into the ocean once more. I cursed loudly.

By this point I was sweating and growing frustrated. I was supposed to be able to help people. How could I do that when I was obviously so weak? Her image made its way to the front of my mind. A choking noise came from my mouth, and I held my chest, trying to control the ache that clawed its way there.

I had failed her. Who was I kidding? I couldn't protect anyone. I was the Stark who amounted to nothing.

Anger began to slowly raise its head as well until I was completely blinded by it. I screamed, lashing out, the waves growing more brutal as a result. Of course, the only thing I could do well was cause more destruction. Uncaring, I threw everything I had into making the water as vicious as I could. Eventually, I collapsed onto the rock, huffing from the exertion.

I tried to catch my breath, and while doing so I had stopped paying attention to my surroundings. Which was, frankly, stupid. I sensed it before I saw or heard it. It was too late, though. I didn't have enough time to even attempt to stop the enormous wave before it crashed into the rock, sending me hurtling into the water.

Shocked and dazed, I couldn't immediately get my bearings or even tell which way was up. I glanced around but couldn't see anything. I propelled myself up and managed to break through the surface. The rock was no longer in sight, and I couldn't even tell where the shore was at this point.

I thrusted my arm forward trying to calm the waves, but another hit me, and I went spiraling back under the water. Shit. Again, I made my way back to the surface, spitting out water as I did. The gravity of how screwed I was if I couldn't get this back under control was glaring at me.

Once more, I thrust my arm forward and for a moment it worked, the water around me seemed to calm some. Just as some relief was starting to seep into my mind, it was just as quickly snuffed out. One hit me roughly from the side and I was pushed deeper than before. At this point I was exhausted and couldn't even get myself above the water anymore.

There was a sharp pain in my back, and my vision grew spotty as I floated there stunned. I must have been pushed into a rock or the cliffside itself. My consciousness was slipping from me, and I fought against it, but everything just kept getting darker. Everything was numb.

I waited for the full embrace of darkness for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, I felt something grab ahold of me, pulling me through the water. Finally, my head broke above the surface, and I gasped for breath. My body hit solid ground and I rolled to my stomach, still coughing up water.

"Melanie, what the hell were you doing out there?" my rescuer berated me, huffing. I turned to slowly look up into Steve's face, which was etched in worry.

"That's not how that was supposed to go," I grunted, forcing myself to sit up. He snorted and shook his head.

"Don't start joking now. You could have died. I... I thought I wasn't going to find you out there," he stressed.

"What are you even doing out here? We were supposed to meet later at the airport," I asked, eyeing him suspiciously. We had sold the apartment and had come to D.C to sign the paperwork. My back throbbed, and I tried to roll my shoulders to relieve some of the pain.

"Well, I just had a feeling. So, I followed you. Good thing I did," he added as an afterthought. I was silent and he sighed, scanning me with concern again. "Are you hurt?"

As I stared at him, something snapped inside of me, and I could no longer keep the waves from crashing inside me. I couldn't even talk; I was too choked up. A small sob unwittingly escaped from me, and my chest felt like a boa had wrapped itself around me, slowly constricting and crushing me. I shamefully buried my face into my hands so that I could no longer see his.

"Oh Mel," he whispered, immediately pulling me into his chest. His strong arms wrapped around me, caressing me. He stroked my hair and didn't say another word. I took comfort in that and some of the ache subsided.

"I'm a monster," I whispered brokenly, which was barely even audible to myself. He shook his head and placed both of his hands on the side of my face, gently forcing me to look up at him.

"That's not true. What happened wasn't your fault. We're only human at the end of the day and we do everything we can. You're selfless and compassionate. You've risked your life over and over without a second thought. I would say that's pretty far from a monster," he told me softly, brushing the tears away from my face. I knew he was right, but it was hard to accept, to not want to ignore the responsibility I felt, but his words soothed me.

I pulled him down to me and kissed him gently, but when he kissed back everything seemed to melt away. Not caring that we were still soaked, and the rain had started to pour, I straddled him, forcing us even closer as we kissed. One of his hands found its way into my hair and the other pressed into the small of my back. He was the only one who could calm me and fill my heart with such peace; he was my bliss.

Unfortunately, after only a few moments he pulled away and said, "We should go, baby. You're gonna end up with pneumonia." I rolled my eyes, very doubtful of that, but agreed with a small smile. He helped me to my feet but waited when he noticed my hesitation as I glanced out at the water.

"Are you alright?"

"I won't stop. I can't."

"I know. Just be more careful, please."

I nodded, appreciating that he understood that I had to become better. We began strolling up the empty beach hand in hand, and I waved my arm above us, blocking the rain from hitting us any longer. I peeked up at him and smiled to myself before speaking.

"I love you, ya know."

"I love you too."