Marcos, Reed, and Andy left a little while ago. I passed out as much food and water as I could, but realized that we don't have enough for everyone. I couldn't look at desperate faces any longer, so I decided to take a walk. I saw John and Sonya talking outside, so I decided to eavesdrop.
"Maybe a little to the left." Sonya said jokingly.
"Figured it was time we started thinking about reinforcing this place." John said placing another cinder block on the wall he was building. He looked exhausted and very sweaty.
"So, you never told me, how did your conversation go with Clarice?" Sonya asked him curiously.
"She left. So I'd say not well. It's about par for the course these days." John said working.
"If you're talking about Pulse, that wasn't your fault." Sonya said emphasizing what I have been telling him for weeks.
"How do you figure that? I left him. I let Sentinel Services take him." John said still feeling guilty.
"You thought he was dead." Sonya defended.
"I was wrong. I should've saved him. He told me something before that mission." John said thinking.
"What did he tell you?" Sonya asked sincerely.
"He told me that if we survived that mission, he was going to propose to Dylan. So not only did I leave him there, but I also made Dylan leave him and I couldn't tell her that he was planning to spend the rest of his life with her. I was a coward and I couldn't tell her and I felt guilty every single day for that." He said leaving me stunned against the pillar I was hiding behind.
"I don't think anyone would've told her that, Johnny. It would've been too painful for her." Sonya said.
"That wasn't my choice to make for her. I should've told her that night she came crying to my room. She couldn't eat, sleep, or talk for at least three days. Maybe I could've eased her pain." John said. I started feeling tears going down my cheeks and they wouldn't stop. Gus was going to propose? John kept that from me for two years? Everything was piling up and I didn't know how to feel.
"That's not your job, Johnny." Sonya said.
"It should be. Gus was my best friend and I promised to take care of her if anything ever happened to him. I'm starting to think that maybe the X-Men made a mistake Choosing me to be part of the underground." John said doubting himself.
"Johnny, you can't think that way. I know you want to live up to who your father was, but you're doing all you can." Sonya comforted.
"It's not enough. We have more refugees in there than we can possibly save. I can barely protect a bunch of veterans." John said.
"You were chosen for a reason." Sonya said.
"The X-Men said a war is coming. They didn't say we'd win." John said glumly. I walked away and headed to my room to digest the information I just heard. How could John keep that from me?
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I was with Sage and Shatter in the control room trying to help Marcos, Reed, and Andy with their mission when John walked in. I tried to ignore him, but it was rather difficult.
"Hey. Just got word from HQ in Alpharetta." John said after walking in.
"What happened they get hit?" Sage asked concerned.
"Yeah. They managed to get about half of their people out. They're on their way here now." John said trying to prepare us.
"Here? We're already over capacity - by at least 78%." Sage said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, well, that number's about to get a lot worse. Guys, I'm sorry. We don't have a choice here. We need to do something. We got to find space for 'em." John said sympathetically.
"What else are we gonna do? Turn them away?" I asked sarcastically not expecting an answer. John looked at me curiously wondering why I was so angry, but I avoided his gaze. I was still mad at him.
"Okay." Sage said.
"You got it." Shatter said walking out of the room with Sage and I to make the proper preparations.
"All right." I heard John say as we walked out of the room.
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I was about to make more beds like I've been doing for the past hour, but Lorna approached me.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked noticing her determined look.
"Marcos, Reed, and Andy are in trouble. A cop has been tailing the truck and I need to find a way to stop it." She said pacing.
"Well, what did you have in mind?" I asked.
"Maybe that one kid that came in, Wes. He can create illusions. Maybe he could make one to lead the cop away from the truck." Lorna said.
"That's a pretty good idea, but what if it goes sideways?" I asked.
"That's not an option. I'm getting Wes and leaving in twenty minutes. Want to come?" She asked.
"I can't. I have to prepare for all the refugees coming in. Sorry." I said.
"No, you're right. I can handle this." She said walking away.
"Good luck." I said knowing she couldn't hear me. I had a strange feeling that someone was watching me, but I looked around and saw John staring at me from the control room. I ignored him and continued to prepare by making beds and making an inventory of all our supplies. I would handle John later.
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Everyone's missions were successful and the people from Alpharetta were comfortable, so I considered today a success. I was still avoiding John, so I just decided to go to bed. I walked into my room and found John waiting for me on my bed.
"Hey." He said nervously.
"Why are you here?" I asked coldly. He was surprised that I was angry with him.
"What's with the cold shoulder?" He asked.
"I overheard you and Sonya today." I said crossing my arms.
"Listen that kiss meant nothing. I was stressed and she was there to comfort me." He said, but I cut him off.
"You and Sonya kissed?" I asked getting more angry.
"Yeah, isn't that why you're mad?" He asked maintaining direct eye contact.
"No. You kept something from me for two years. That's why I was angry. The kiss. That's the icing on the cake." I said bitterly.
"What are you talking about?" He asked confused.
"Gus's proposal. Ring a bell?" I asked.
"Listen... I never wanted to tell you like this. I was waiting..." John said.
I cut him off with, "Waiting for what? Were you ever gonna tell me? Or was it too painful for me to handle? Who are you to decide what is best for me? I barely even know you. Even before Gus. You were always distant and too afraid to open up to people. I've known you for what? Six years? I don't know a single thing about you and Sonya seems to know everything when she's been here less than three." By the end of my speech I had tears running down my face.
"I don't claim to know what's best for you. I never did. I was gonna tell you eventually, but then the kiss happened and Sentinel Services is closing in on us. I never knew the right time." He defended.
"The kiss that you started? That kiss. You ignored me for days after. You didn't even have the decency to tell Sonya. You didn't even care about me enough to tell me that my boyfriend, that we thought died, was going to propose. Did you know that was his dream? Other than peace between humans and mutants. He wanted to have a wife and three kids. You took away the piece of me that it would've seen that he was planning on making one of his dreams a reality." I said through my tears.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause you anymore pain. I didn't think..." John said.
"Yeah, John you didn't think at all. Let me make this perfectly clear. I am done. I don't want a relationship with you. I don't want to talk to you unless it's about the Underground. Do you understand me?" I asked.
"Dylan..." John pleaded.
"Do you understand me?" I said again louder.
"Yes." He said quietly.
"Good. Now get out." I said turning around. I immediately began to sink to the floor in a ball and cry my eyes out. What did I just do? Sure, I was mad at John, but I didn't want him out of my life. I was just so hurt and angry that he kept that from me. How was I going to get through this?