Her eyes widened when she saw me and Tony. Her heels scraped against the hardwood floor as she ran toward us. We both opened our arms to welcome her hurtling form. I caught her in my arms quickly wrapping my arms around her, constricting her. Her face was buried in my chest, as I pressed my lips against her hair. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. I had barely set a foot inside the school and here she was clutching me as if she was home sick.
"When do I get my hug?" I gave a small smile as I pulled away from Liberty her Green and silver eyes quickly seek mine before darting to Tony's own bright blue eyes. Tony buried his face into the crook of her neck as she stood up on her tip toes and pressed her face into his collar bone. His hand splayed out across her back, holding her possessively.
I looked down the corridor to see The Vision gliding towards us. I have him a nod and a tight lipped smile.
"So how'd she react to you?" I asked as I pushed my slightly skewed glasses up my nose. The vision looked down at Liberty in Tony's arm with a curious look. It was affection; I don't think the vision had a clear representation of affection until he looked down at Tony and Liberty. It was the connection after the loss, missing someone and accepting them when they return.
Something Tony forgot when Liberty came back into our lives. But by looking at him, he was never going to make that mistake again.
"She accepts me, doesn't see me as some inhuman thing to gawk at. Which is nice." I nodded and gave the vision a larger toothless smile. The vision was calculating but, he was as equally emotional. His technological green eyes focus and constricted at the scene of affection. I looked at Tony and Liberty to see her pulling away from Tony, they had reconnected they had rekindled what friendship they had.
"Is everyone here?" she asked as she tried to look over Tony's shoulder. Tony looked over his shoulder and then looked to me, his eyes held hurt. I knew why, outside inside that jet stood two people, one both me and Tony thought Liberty would never want to see again, the other maybe too painful for her to see.
"Yes. Now Liberty there's something we have to tell you..."
"I would rather tell her Stark." Both me and Tony twisted around, to see Thor standing there in all his Asgardien glory, minus the cape and hammer. I heart a short almost pained gasp from behind me. I twisted around to see Liberty's eyes full of tears, which were liberally pouring down her cheeks.
"Liberty?" I questioned as I grasped the tops of her arms in a gentle grasp. Her eyes didn't move from the God of Thunder as I moved my hand up to her face to wipe away the constant tears.
"Thor I think its best you go." Tony said as he looked at Liberty with a distressed expression. He felt sorry for her, she had been away from anything to do with Asgard for years and here he was, Thor the God of thunder, Loki's adoptive brother, standing in front of her. Thor didn't move away he only stepped forward.
"I want to see my sister Stark." Tony stood in front of him like a waist high barricade. Thor pushed him out of the way. I looked back at Liberty was she stood there looking up at Thor. He bent down to her eye level and witnessed the raw emotion that poured from her. It was palpable, strong and painful. My chest constricted at the sight of her crying. She was the strongest of us all yet here she was, so overcome. I moved away from her as Thor's hands replaced mine, and began wiping away tears.
"I have missed you sister." He said softly as he looked into her green and silver eyes. I dared to think what Thor thought as he looked into the eyes, that mirrored both Liberty and His adoptive brother. I saw the pain of loss blossom between them.
"I missed you Thor." Thor's hard Asgardien exterior shattered in that instance. His large arms wrapped around liberty in a body consuming hug lifting her from the ground.
The God wept.
He wailed into her long black hair, muffling the pain filled noise. I saw Liberty's body wrack with sobs as she buried her own face into the blonde hair cover crook of Thor's neck. I looked to my left to see The Vision intensely focused on Liberty and Thor. He had so much more to experience. He understood loss, pain and heartbreak but had never experience them. He wouldn't truly understand them until then. I looked away from the vision as tears slowly trailed from the comers of my eyes. I pulled away my glasses and rolled my sleeves over the damp skin that lay there.
"Are you crying Bruce?" I nodded and gave a quick sniff before placing my glasses back on the bridge of my nose.
"Yes, yes I am." The Vision nodded as he continued to stare at Liberty. He had known her for only a few minutes and had learned more about emotion for her, than he would from anyone else. I looked on with tear blurred eyes as Thor lifted his face up from Liberty's long black hair and looked down into her silver and green eyes.
"Loki's soul agrees with you sister." His voice was muffled and strained from the sobbing. Liberty gave a small chuckle as she looked up into Thor's sky blue eyes and smiled at him.
"I hope so... I'm to be married to him at some point." Thor chuckled and placed Liberty's feet back on the ground. As he quickly wiped away his straying tears, and smiled down at her. Tears welled up in my eyes again as I looked down at her. If anyone could be described as optimistic it would be Liberty, she had seen so much hate and indifference in the world yet here she was looking toward a happier, brighter future.
"Are you crying Bruce?" I rolled my sleeve once again over my cheeks as Liberty looked dup at me with her glazed gaze. I nodded and gave her a weak smile.
"The Vision has already asked me that." She chuckled and stepped towards me. She hugged me around my waist as I continued to wipe my tears away.
"Seeing you cry makes me cry." I said as my voice trembled, I cared for her as any sibling would, protectively and wholeheartedly. She chuckled into my chest and held me tighter; I moved my hands from my cheeks and wrapped them around her. I rubbed her back as she hugged me. I loved her, I always will, never in the way Loki will, but I will love and care for her none the less. Because she was the first person who could truly know me.
Bruce's brown eyes were bloodshot from crying. I smiled lovingly up at him as his glasses became skewed from rubbing his eyes. I reached up and pushed the gasses up to the bridge of his nose allowing them to settle into a straight position.
"The rest of them are waiting outside for you Liberty." Tony had bloodshot eyes, as tears looked like they were on the verge of spilling yet they stayed, he had practiced for many years to stop the tears from falling. He turned is tear filed gaze away from me and called out to eth grounds.
"You should come in; we've got a lot of work to do." I gave an inquisitive look up at Bruce who sighed, as Tony's words. He looked down at me and gave a small sigh and a soft smile.
"Tony's going to try and come to an arrangement with the X-men; we both have a common enemy, so why not work together." I nodded as I heard the approaching footsteps on the gravel of the path. The first to enter was Clint Barton, he looked so normal; he wore a black leather jacket pulled over a tight fitting purple t-shirt, and a pair of blue jeans. He looked so civilian, the next to enter was Natasha Romanoff, she wore a pair of black skinny jeans and a zipped up black leather jacket. Her combat boots slammed against the hardwood floor. As Clint gave me a gentle smile, Natasha avoided my gaze after our last confrontation, still feeling guilty was she?
"Liberty, I want to warn you Steve is ..." just as Bruce was about to finish his sentence in walked Steve Rodgers himself. After all that was said and done, he was only human, temptation will always prevail, but it takes more than a man to overcome that temptation and to come out a better man.
He stood there in the doorway, Thor eyed hi wearily, as he stepped towards me. Clint looked tense as Steve passed him on his way towards me. I stood there and gave a soft smile up at him, as he looked around him at the silently accusing eyes.
"Don't worry Steve, they're just protective of me, that all." He looked down at me and smiled gently as he bent slight to my eye level. He gave a quick glance over his shoulder to Tony who was waiting tensely to see what his next move was.
"I think it's fair to say they don't trust me around you." He whispered mentally I gave him as sad smile and a small nod.
"Give them time." He gave a quick nod and held out a hand to me. I grasped it tightly and shook it; Steve looked down at me and gave me a grateful smile. I had forgiven him long ago, it was time they did too.
"Ah, I'm glad you made it Mr Stark." I pulled my hand from Steve's as I twisted around to see Charles Xavier standing there, to his right was Eric who had his steeling gaze set on me without distinction, and to Charles's left stood Jean Grey. Jean gave me a small smile as our eyes met; I smiled back as I looked at them.
"I thought it would be best if I brought along some friends in case it got ugly, like last time." Eric's eyes finally moved away from mien allowing me to shiver from his cold stare. Eric glared angrily at Tony, who moved forward and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. I looked up at him as he broke off eye contact with Eric and gave me a small wink. I smirked up at him causing him to smirk widely.
"That is reasonable; I promise that no such altercation should occur. Now you wanted to discuss about the possibility of working together, is that correct?" Tony nodded, he let go of my shoulder and stepped forward into no man's land.
"That's right Professor, we have a common enemy, and we have a common ally." Tony looked at me and smiled as his blue eyes glinted from the harsh white sun that pierced through the veil of grey cloud. I gave a small wary smile back, as Eric's gaze moved away from Tony back to me. I could feel him trying to talk to me mentally, put I was purposefully throwing up my mental walls in order to ignore him.
"Well if that is the case, I think its best we retreat to my office to further discus thing Mr Stark." Tony nodded and looked to the Avengers, and me.
"Of course professor is it ok if the Avengers wander the grounds." Charles looked at me with his intelligent eyes. I nodded to him with a soft smile causing him to smile back.
"Of course." With that Tony continued to talk with Charles as they continued to walk down the hall towards Charles's office. I stood just inside no man's land. Jean grey and Eric on one side, on the other were the Avengers.
"I think Liberty should give us a tour of the grounds." Clint suddenly called out from the back of the avengers. I pulled my emerald and silver gaze away from Eric's own cast steel eyes and smiled at Clint who was in possession of a large boyish grin. Bruce nodded as did Steve. The Vision floated there indifferent, he probably had this place mapped out already. Natasha just leaned back against the ornate wooden walls of the school, her eyes cast down and her stance tense.
"I think its best I take the tour." Jean said happily. I looked up to my left to see Jean smiling and looking at the Avengers. I looked to see Clint's smile drop from his face. I could see why Jena was doing this, she wanted to make relations and show good faith in this unconventional alliance.
"I think its best; I don't really know this place yet myself. He knows more about this place then I do." I ran my hands through my hair nervously as the Avengers looked down at me with a confused gaze then looked to Jean Grey.
"Okay... I guess that's ok." Clint said cautiously as he scratched his blonde hair. Jean looked down at me and gave me a small smile.
"Thank you Liberty." I nodded and stood there as she walked forward happily, as the rest of the Avengers trailed behind her, as they took the Xavier institute tour. I looked on until Jean closed the front door with her Telekinetic powers leaving in the hallway staring at where my adoptive family stood.
"Liberty." I twisted around quickly to see Eric standing there. I didn't want to deal with this now. He had insulted the very man who gave up his own soul to save me, the very man I was engaged to. He wanted to hurt me all because I had already given myself to someone.
"What do you want Eric?" I called sternly as he stood there. His eyes didn't widen he just stood there, his steely gaze unchanging. The corner of his lip twitched slight at my tone, but other than that his expression didn't change.
"I want to tell you that training is starting today. I want you on the field at two o'clock." With that he twisted around and began to walk down the save hallway Charles and Tony walked down. Suddenly he stopped and looked over his shoulder to me.
"By the way Liberty...Logan doesn't deserve you." Like he was the one to judge who deserved me. He looked away from me with his storm like gaze. I could feel the jealously flow off him in waves. As he store away from me, with an aura of intimidation and power.
I groaned and pulled my phone out from my pocket. It seem that time had sped past as I looked down at the digital clock. I sighed and slipped my phone back into my pocket. It was already twenty to two; I sighed and walked through the hall way to my right. As I walked my bronze and silver haze wrapped around me, pulling away my silk blouse replacing it with a charcoal coloured vest, my heeled boots transformed into electric blue Nike trainers, my jeans peeled themselves away from my skin revealing a pair of three-quarter length electric blue and charcoal yoga pants. I reached up and bundled my hair together pulling it high as I removed my hand from the base of the pony tail, an elastic hair band materialised from my gasps bundling the hair. I sighed as I walked through the silent school.
Only the brave were left, or at least the people who had nothing to lose. I sighed as I made my way towards the training field. I hadn't glimpsed the Avengers once throughout my walk through the school. I threw open the French doors on to the field and watched as Eric moved crushed and broken vehicles onto the field effortlessly.
"You're early." He stated as he laid the last car down on the ground. I nodded and tightened my pony tail.
"I wanted to start early." He nodded as he looked down at his watch on his wrist. He pulled at the leather strap and magnetically suspended it in the air. He pulled away his jacket revealing the tight marron t-shirt he wore with his blue jeans. He lifted his shirt slightly to reach his belt buckle; he magnetically pulled it through the loops and suspending it with his other items. He carefully moved them magnetically through the air over to a bench laying down his items.
"All of these items can be magnetised, you want to reduce the amount of power another person can have over you. With such a physical ability, ridding yourself of metal object is the first step." He looked over me. Suddenly he threw up a splayed hand up to me; he held it there for a few seconds, and then lowered the hand.
"Good, you're magnetically inept." I nodded as Eric looked over to me, and then to one of the heavily damaged cars to his left. Suddenly the car came hurtling towards me. I dived out of the way, as the car flew past me and straight toward the school. I didn't hear the impact I pushed myself up from the ground to see that the car was suspended just meters away from the wall of the school.
"What the hell was that?" I asked as I dusted myself down.
"That was to see if you had any magnetic reflexes. I think beast over estimates your abilities Liberty. Beast if basing your powers scale on correlations, there are always a few who do not fit the common correlation. I think you are one of those. I have had these powers for decades; it has taken decades to master them. Do you really think you can master them within such a short time?" I looked into his dark grey eyes as he pulled the car back to him and setting it down on the ground.
"I know one thing; I have mastered any ability that was thrown at me by Loki, so why can't I master one of my own abilities?" Eric smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Fine, I want you to lift that car and throw it at me." He uncrossed his arms and pointed to the very car he had just thrown at me. I focused on the hunk of twisted metal; I reached out a hand with splayed fingers, and as the metal began to lift it was suddenly slammed back to the ground.
"I just asked you to throw a car at me Liberty; I'm not going to let you do it so easily." He smirked mercilessly, as his powers kept the car pinned. I looked around me and saw four other cars. I kept my hand pointed towards the car he wanted me to lift and concentrated on the car behind him. It lifted into the air with minimal effort. But my hopes were suddenly dashed; Eric without breaking eye contact with me reached out with a splayed hand and grabbed the offending car, and overwhelmed my powers throwing the car straight towards me.
As the car hurtled toward me I bared my teeth and with two clawed hands. I focused on the car spiralling towards me, and with tearing motion and tore the car in two. It tumbled to the ground and halted as I stood there in its wreckage. Eric looked at me and smirked.
"I must say I wasn't expecting that." He suddenly lifted another car into the air, and threw it at me. I dropped my mental barriers against my impulses and allowed them to surface. Electrical energy crackled at the surface of my skin and came off me in wave of pure energy as I caught the car between myself and Eric. His powers were desperately trying to push it towards me, as I pushed back. The car shifted between us in mid-air, but as soon as Eric gained the upper hand I pushed back twice as hard.
I looked him dead in the eye as I bit hard into my lip trailing thin lines of blood off my chin as I tried to hold my ground. My feet dug into the soft ground as Eric tried harder to push the car towards me. Suddenly my foot slipped. I lost all concentration dropping my powers, and for that second it cost me. The car ploughed into me with all the force that Eric pushed behind it.
The car slammed into my body slamming me into the ground. The metal tore away skin and muscle as the already battered and twisted frame curled around my body like a cocoon of steel. I spluttered out blood, as tears ran from my eyes. I felt my fingers twitched within the wreckage as I desperately tried to pry the twisted body out of my own.
I managed to splay my contorted hands drawing the metal wreckage out of my body. I took in deep desperate breath through my collapsed lungs. I kept my hand's splayed tugging out metal shrapnel from my body. My breathing was quickly improving as I now had a viable lung to breathe with.
I raised my body up on my broken and shattered arms creating a chorus of snaps of disjointed cracking as I pushed myself up from the ground. I could feel the cold air on the bare muscles of my face. The skin on the left side of my face had been pulled away as the car wrapped itself around my body. I took in another deep breath through the bared teeth which my cheek once hid. I could barely see through my left eye, it was blurred red mess, as I looked at Eric.
His Eyes were wide as I raised myself from all fours to stand tall. The torn away muscle stitched itself back together as twisted and mangled bone of my legs snapped and broke into order to heal. I felt the skin of my face stretch over the bare muscles that lay there. My bloody eye soon became viable as I began to see the grey light of day as Eric stood there. His eyes were full of shock as the skin and muscle that had been mercilessly been pulled away replaced itself with ease. I smirked; he had no idea what I was capable of.
I raised a mangled hand raising the mangled wreckage that claimed my body. My impulses ran rampant across my body turning me into an electromagnet. Amplifying what strength I already had, into something much greater, into something to be feared. I screamed out from the unnaturally bared teeth as my body tried to heal.
"You so consumed by trying to prove how powerful you are you forgot one thing. I'm spurred on by it; I'm spurred on by people who think they are better and more powerful than I am." I walked forward on the field. My broken legs cracked and dislocated as I threw the car towards him, he batted it way as he stood his ground. I threw another at him from his right, he tried to push it away only for me to push it harder. I reached out with another hand grabbing another car from his left. He held out his hand either side of him as the cars grew closer inch by inch. I hadn't even put all my power behind it yet. I narrowed my eyes at him as his stormy gaze became silver as he stared at me with rage filled eyes.
I pushed hard bringing my hands closer together, trapping Eric slowly between them.
"Stop this Liberty!" he growled out. I pushed them an inch closer his hand now touched the metal of the twisted wrecks yet he could no longer push them away. I dropped them away from him as skin and muscle was finally replaced over my raw teeth. I move my jaw and brought my hand's up to view to see the mangled and twisted fingers move and twist back into place beneath my muscle and skin.
Eric stood there panting, as he looked at me. I looked back at him.
"Why didn't you stop the car coming towards me? Was it because I have a healing factor? Or was it for you to prove a point." I asked as I flexed my newly healed fingers. The joints popped painfully as furled and unfurled my hand into fists. His silver rage filled eyes, soon morphed back into their steely gaze.
"You know the answer to that Liberty. It's the same reason you had behind trapping me between two cars." I glared at him, it may have been the same reason but I didn't go as far to mutilate someone just to prove a point.
"At least I didn't maim you. You can't say that about your actions." I turned away from him and walked back with a fully healed body, devoid of any evidence of our altercation. The broken bones, the degloved skin, the bare muscle, that was all gone all that was left with was smooth skin, with undisclosed scars.