Valkyrie (Complete)

22: Nightmare

She's running across the ground, the uneven terrain forcing her footing to be slightly shaky. She avoids the big rocks for fear of either tripping or rolling an ankle and giving someone the perfect opportunity to take her out. A shriek comes from behind her and she knows that she's been spotted.

Before she knows what's happening, a shadow falls across her. She glances up just in time to see a boulder the size of a house right above her. She barely has time to throw her arms up over her face before it smashes into her, sending her down through the roof of the caverns and onto a rubble-covered floor.

Her back scrapes against a rock, cutting through her uniform and into her back with ease. She can feel the deep gashes and the warmth that's instantly under her, as well as several other ones across her front. Her breathing is more painful that anything she's ever known and one side of her chest isn't moving. Her pained gasp is more of a wheeze and she can feel her bones breaking. She might be strong, but nothing on this planet could survive the sheer weight that's pressing on top of her.

Blackness begins to cloud her mind and she knows if she doesn't do something now, she'll die before her teammates can get to her. She takes a deep breath and allows herself to release her most powerful burst of energy ever. It shakes the ground and the boulder is vaporized into pebbles and dust, but it doesn't rid her of this horrible, awful pain. It feels like she's dying.

She feels her powers still escaping her, her energy draining faster than she though possible. Her vision swims and she feels like she's going to be sick from the pain radiating from her body. How she hasn't passed out yet is a mystery to her, but she has a feeling that it isn't too far off.

The boys are near her now, but it's like she isn't there. She can hardly hear them and her left ear feels like it's blown, making her nearly deaf on one side. She can hear yelling but she doesn't know what they're saying. All she knows is pain.

Pain, throbbing.

Pain, breaking.

Pain, piercing, white-hot.

Pain, radiating through her whole body.

Then, pain and darkness.

"Val! Come on Val, wake up!"

Her eyes open with a start and she shoots upright, pain flaring in her chest and across her back at the sudden movement. Tears fill her eyes and she doesn't even have to say anything for Phoenix to pull her into his arms. "Shh, baby, it's okay. You're safe now, I promise. You're okay."

She sobs and the sound breaks his heart. He knows exactly what she was dreaming about just by the look on her face. She wraps her arms around his neck, one of her hands covering her mouth as she attempts to stifle her cries. He rubs his hands in slow circles on her back and she seems to like it. He keeps doing it as her breathing calms down and her shaking stops.

She pulls away from the hug but stares down at her lap, refusing to meet his eyes. He tries to lift her chin but she turns her head away, her gaze still focused down. "Val, it's okay," he whispers.

She finally looks up and her eyes are puffy and sad. The amount of sadness and hurting in them makes his chest tighten. "I'm sorry," she says, her voice gruff and hoarse.

He shakes his head. "There's nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart."

"I'm just so....so..... broken," she mutters. "I don't know how you put up with me."

"What do you mean?" He can't help the slightly horrified tone of his voice. What in the world could she mean by that? He doesn't 'put up with her.'

"How can you stand to even be around me? I can't do hardly anything. I can't walk, I can't run, I can't even sleep, for the Lord's sake."

"Valkyrie, listen to me. You aren't broken and I don't 'put up with you.' I spend time with you because I love you."

She takes a shaky breath. "Are you sure that you want to?"

"Am I sure that I want to what?"

Her gaze turns to meet his and he's shocked to see anger in hers. "Are you sure you want to love me? I'm not who I was before."

"What do you mean?" He knows he's repeating his questions now, but he doesn't understand where this change of heart is coming from.

"I might have lost my powers," she tells him, barely holding onto her nerve and finding that her voice is feeble anyway. "I might not be a Maulik anymore."

His warm fingers under her chin bring her attention back to his face. "I know."

She gasps. "How?"

"The doctor told me before you woke up. He didn't know if you were going to live, much less if you would still have your powers. He warned Kaj and I about it a couple days after the war ended."

"But how did he know?"

"He ran some tests while you were asleep. He said a normal Maulik had their powers tied into their genetics, but yours weren't. He didn't know if this meant that it was different because you have multiple powers, or because you don't have them anymore."

She swallows hard and fights more tears. "So everyone knows that I'm nothing special anymore."

"Val, honey, your powers weren't the only thing that made you special. I love you for who you are."

"My powers made me who I am!" She cries, her voice thick with tears once again. She turns her head away and closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath. "I don't even know who I am without them."

"Well, I do. You're sweet, smart, strong, caring and you're the one who saved us all. You're special because of your personality and because of what a great leader you are. I love you because you care about everyone, regardless of who they are. You don't think you're better than anyone else and you treat everyone with kindness. You put them before yourself and that's why everyone loves you. You're selfless and loving and you would do anything for those you care about." He moves closer to her and squeezes her hands. "You would do anything, sacrifice anything- including your life, as much as I wish you would protect that- to make others happy."

She stares at him, unable to come up with any words. She gapes at him for a few moments before blurting out the only thing on her mind, "I love you."

"I love you too," he tells her, a sweet smile on his lips. "I would do anything for you."

"Even put up with me if I lost my powers? I promise that it wouldn't be pretty."

"Even then," he whispers, pulling her closer to him. "I'll never leave you, I promise."

She smirks at him, a playful smile on her face. He relishes in it, knowing how hard the next period of their lives will be. "You might wish you hadn't promised that."