Cassidy's P.O.V.
I stared wide-eyed at the shards of metal from Warren's wings lying in the sand, inches away from Peter. I knew that this was bound to happen at some point - Peter was going to say something and Warren was going to snap. I know that it was wrong for Warren to elbow Peter but he should have just stopped and calmed down. Now, Warren flew off who knows where because of what Peter said. His expression just before he flew off got stuck in my head. It wasn't even one of anger, just sadness and regret. I knew it was because what Peter said had hit a nerve. I just couldn't understand why Peter wouldn't let it go. I was really worried about Warren and all I wanted to do was make sure he was ok. As far as I knew, he had nowhere else to go except for the X-Mansion, so I was sure he would be back there. I wasn't mad at him for what he did. His anger got the better of him and I couldn't blame him.
We gathered our stuff and began heading back to the X-Mansion. The walk back was completely silent with no one knowing the right thing to say. Scott and Kurt took Peter to get his black eye and broken nose looked at in the medical wing while the rest of us went to change. I rushed to my room to check if Warren was there. To my dismay, he was nowhere to be found, so I quickly changed out of my beach outfit and into a t-shirt and leggings. I had to talk to him.
I searched all over the school but still couldn't find Warren. It had been about an hour since I had last seen him and I was growing more concerned by the second. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down, hoping that he was ok wherever he was. I was about ready to give up my search when Jean's voice through in my head
"He's on the roof," she said
"Thanks, Jean" I quickly responded before dashing out of the common area
Once I was out of the way of the students, I sprinted up the stairs to the roof. When I finally made it up there, I saw Warren sitting in the same spot where he and I had our first kiss. He had empty bottles of alcohol surrounding him and his head was hung low. The last time Warren drank alcohol, he ruined my Mom's picture, and I didn't want anything like that to happen again.
"Warren," I said softly, attempting to get his attention without startling him
He turned around, his eyes glossy when they landed on me. It almost looked as though he had been crying. His expression then turned stone-cold and he turned away from me.
"Please, talk to me," I pleaded, making my way over to where he was seated
"Piss off," He said coldly
"Warren I just-"
"BACK OFF CASSIDY" He yelled as he threw one of the empty bottles at me
I jumped aside just as it hit the spot next to the wall, right where I had been standing. That took me back to the warehouse in East Berlin. He had been so cold to me then, but this time was different. I felt tears forming in my eyes and I quickly turned around and left the roof before he could see me cry. He had such an effect on me. All I wanted was to tell him everything was ok and make him feel better. I didn't know why he was pushing me away, but it made me feel awful.
I rushed to my room and buried my face in the pillows. I finally let the tears spill and started to cry with no hesitation. Warren and I had finally gotten close and I didn't know what I'd do without him. He had helped me through some rough times, so I just couldn't understand why he wouldn't let me help him.
That night, Warren didn't come back. I was really hoping he would so we could talk some things out, but he never did. I didn't feel like eating dinner or talking to anyone, so I just stayed in my room until I finally got tired enough to fall asleep. The group had been texting me, asking where I was, but I decided it would be best to just not respond. They would see me the next day at training anyway.
Throughout the whole night, I couldn't sleep properly. I just kept staring at the ceiling thinking about everything that happened today. I wondered where Warren was and if he was having trouble sleeping without me at all. I tried to focus on things that made me happy, but my mind kept wandering back to Warren.
I found my eyes closing just seconds before my alarm went off. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was six AM. To be fair, training didn't start until 7 but I knew that today was going to rough. , I felt awful about everything that happened the previous day with Warren. However, I knew that I had to get up and go to the training session if I wanted to truly be a part of the X-Men one day. I had to push Warren out of my head and focus on what really mattered at the moment. I was ready to be there when he decided to talk to me, but until then he would hopefully be able to figure everything out on his own.
I got ready slower than normal. I could feel myself being sluggish. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I was met with a sad and broken reflection. I put on a fake smile, so I would at least look semi-back to normal. Now, all I had to do was be my normal self throughout the session and make up an excuse that my phone had died so I couldn't respond to my friend's texts.
I arrived at training and was almost tackled by the group the second I stepped into their sight.
"Where were you?"
"What happened?"
"Are you OK?"
They started bombarding me with questions.
"It's all good," I answered all the questions at once, hiding behind my fake smile
Everyone else nodded and walked away, but Jean looked at me suspiciously, her eyebrows furrowed. I could tell that she didn't believe me. She whispered something to Peter, who nodded.
I began making my way to stand in line between Peter and Jean, with a smile still on my face. I noticed that Warren was standing away from everyone else. No one was even making eye contact with him. It was almost like when he first arrived here.
"Hey, Cassidy!" Peter waved at me, pulling me out of my thoughts
"Oh, hey" I replied
"Woah, you seem kind of spaced out today. Are you alright?" He asked
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep last night. That's all"
"Just promise me you'll be careful, OK?. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt" Peter said as he linked my pinkie with his
"I promise" I chuckled lightly, finally starting to cheer up a bit
However, I could feel Warren's cold glare on Peter and I from across the room. I quickly unlinked our pinkies as Wolverine and Mystique began explaining the training exercise.
"Alright, I'm assuming everyone enjoyed their day off. Today, we're getting right back into training" Mystique said
"Today you're going to train against each other. We need to be prepared in case your abilities get used against you." Wolverine explained
"Peter will sit this one out since he's still injured, so we have an even number" Mystique said
"You will all fight as a group. We will split you into teams and you will each be assigned a person to fight. Once you've defeated that person, move on, and help your other team members." Wolverine stated
"Team 1 is Cassidy, Jean, and Scott. Team 2 is Warren, Kurt, and Jubilee" Mystique said, having us each step forward when our names were called
"Cassidy, you'll fight Jubilee. Jean, you'll fight Kurt and Scott will fight Warren." Wolverine said
We all made our way to the two separate sides of the training center and got in position, while Peter sat on a bench to watch. Soon, the fighting began.
I dodged Jubilee's attacks and when she wasn't paying attention, I did a roundhouse kick to her legs to knock her off her feet. After taking Jubilee down, I saw that Scott had been defeated by Warren and was laying on the ground while Jean and Kurt were still going at it. That meant that I had to fight Warren.
That was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn't want to hurt Warren and I was pretty sure he would never want to hurt me. Right?
He slowly took a few steps toward me.
"Warren-"
I was cut off by him charging at me. He wrapped a hand around my neck and flew into the air. I was brought back to the night back at that warehouse, once again. We were in the exact same position as back then, except this time it was clear he wasn't going to hold back. I gasped and tried to breathe but his hold on me was too tight. I tried to use all my strength to pry his hand off me, but he was just too strong.
"Please, let go" I begged him "I can't breathe"
However, despite my pleading, Warren's expression only hardened more as he snarled.
"Who's not good enough now, huh?!"
Before things could go any further, Jean then noticed me struggling and stopped fighting Kurt. She quickly entered Warren's mind and forced him to loosen his grip before I could pass out.
Warren's rage-filled eyes turned blank and he released his hand from my neck. Unfortunately, his hand was the only thing holding me up in the air, so when he let go I fell. I hit the ground hard, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down. Peter rushed over from the bench he was sitting on and helped me up.
"Holy shit, Cassidy" Peter panicked, looking me over for injuries as Wolverine, Mystique, and Jean rushed over as well
"I-I'm ok" I said, still struggling to catch my breath
"I can't believe he did that to you"
"It does look pretty bad," Jean said as she furrowed her brows
"What are you guys talking about?" I asked, confused
Jubilee showed me the front camera of her phone and all I could do was stare back at my reflection in shock. Around my neck, there were distinct bruises in the shape of a hand. Warren's hand. I couldn't believe he was the cause of that bruise. He promised he would never hurt me...but he did.
I felt tears begin to form in my eyes, but luckily, Peter engulfed me in a hug before anyone else could see. I tried my best to silently cry into Peter's chest as he rubbed my back soothingly.
"Warren!" Wolverine barked "Professor X's office, with me. NOW!"
"Everyone else, you're dismissed for the day. Peter, make sure Cassidy gets back safe, ok?" Mystique added
Everyone quickly exited the training area, Peter's hand never leaving my back the whole time. When we finally reached my room, Peter unlocked the door using his spare key and motioned for me to sit on the bed.
I did as he suggested and wiped my tears away, slowly beginning to calm down. Peter returned with a towel soaked in warm water and gently pressed it to my neck.
"No one ever listens to me until it's too late" Peter shook his head
"I know" I said "You were right. I should have never gone on that mission in East Berlin in the first place"
"This isn't your fault, Cassidy. We both know who's the cause of this whole situation."
"Yeah, I guess so" I sighed, accepting that I was wrong
Warren was gone. He didn't want to be with me anymore and I just had to accept that. When I looked into his eyes, they were just cold, filled with pure hate. I can't understand what made him change in such a short time.
Peter finished up with the bruise on my neck and knelt down in front of me, "Maybe this was for the best. Now that Warren's gone, it'll be you and me again. Just like how it used to be before he showed up and screwed everything over."
I nodded my head a bit,
"We'll have fun with the group, just like we used to. I'll give you piggyback rides anytime you want." Peter looked at me with hopeful eyes, shining with determination, "You'll forget him once you remember how good we had it before he came into our lives. Trust me."
I was still in that state where all I could do was nod. Suddenly, the Peter I knew from before the mission in East Berlin was kneeling in front of me. Not the jealous, moody one I grew to know in the time Warren was with us. The pain in me turned to desperation, seeking the familiar comfort of the person in front of me. I just wanted everything to go back to the way it was before.
"Just you and me" He whispered, taking my hand in his and placing a gentle kiss to my knuckles
He was closer than I thought. So close, I could feel his breath on my lips. I closed my eyes as Peter leaned closer until he was inches away from my face. He cupped my cheek and then pressed his lips onto mine while wrapping his arms around my waist. As much as I wished I could forget about Warren in that moment and just focus on the kiss with Peter, I couldn't. I couldn't force myself to pull away from the kiss, either. That would've hurt Peter and he didn't deserve that. Peter cared for me in so many ways that I could never understand. I wish that Peter's kiss could have comforted me the way I thought it would, but the whole time, I felt myself wishing it were Warren.
A/N:
I hope that you guys enjoyed Chapter 21 of Archangel! I will be taking down the original chapters of 22, 23, and 24 just because I am taking the end of this story in a totally different direction. I just don't want it to get confusing for new people reading the story. I will definitely be adding new chapters soon and hopefully, everyone likes this version of the chapter much better. If you like my story please feel free to vote. Have a great day : )
- edited 6/11/20 -