Heroes & Roses (X-ray and Vav)

Chapter 23: Mourning

I expected to land face-first onto concrete, but instead I landed in what felt like a net, but it was invisible and I land only a foot above the ground. Confused, I struggle to my feet to see both Jack and Lindsay looking back at me. Gavin was having a conversation in the background with Kerry that I couldn't hear, but I could tell it was tense. Michael strides over from where he landed toward us, which was only a few feet away.

"Where's Geoff?" He asks me. Lindsay and Jack both look at each other with solemn expressions, as if they both already knew. My mouth becomes dry and I find it hard for words to form. However he seems to understand. He balls his hands into fists and shoves them to his eyes. "Son-of-a-bitch," he mumbles. "That stupid son-of-a-BITCH!" He yells this time. He kneels on the ground and Jack puts a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

I hadn't quite taken in what had happened yet, but I quickly did. We were a few yards away from the wall that separated the Palace from us but I could still feel the heat that radiated from the explosion, and I suddenly understood what power Geoff had taken from Gavin. Gavin was like TNT, except he could reform his mass and be fine, but Geoff couldn't. Geoff wasn't impenetrable like Gavin. He couldn't survive and explosion like that. The blast took away nearly every window in the building and at least the top seven floors.

Debris falls all around us and suddenly my hearing becomes faulty and everything begins to move slower, as if the world was in slow-motion. I turn slowly to look at everyone and to see if they were alright. First I see Michael, who was still kneeling on the pavement and looking at the Palace with now red eyes. Jack still placed his hand on Michaels shoulder but now also had his other arm around Lindsay, who needed support. She leaned into Jack with tears falling from her cheeks and onto the ground. The last people I register are Kerry and Gavin. Gavin was screaming at the top of his lungs with tears rolling shamelessly out of his eyes, trying strenuously to get back towards the destroyed building, but Kerry was holding him back from doing so. I couldn't hear much else from my own breathing and heartbeat, but the scene that unfolded around me caused murmurs to form in my mind of everything that was happening. I run a hand thoughtlessly under my eyes, and when I pulled it away it revealed that I too was crying along with the others, even though I couldn't tell.

Not even when Jack had dragged me backward from where I stood staring at the Palace did I realize what had happened. Not when he helped me into the car and drove home did I realize. It was only when we had gotten home that I snapped back to reality. It was only when Millie ran up to us and Griffon had followed that I had fully realized what happened. Only when I saw the tears brimming Griffon's eyes as she knew what had happened, but stayed strong for her daughter. Only when I saw the worry on the small girls face did I remember what Geoff had told me. 'Make sure my daughter will be okay'.

"Is my dad not coming home, too?" The girl asks helplessly. Millie Ramsey, daughter of Geoff and Griffon Ramsey, was now faced what both she and her mother feared; losing Geoff. I kneel down so I could be face-to-face with her.

"Your dad was very brave, Millie. He saved us, all of us, and you should be very proud of him," I say with thick tears rolling down my face. My voice isn't steady, but it's confident with the words I am saying. Millie nods her head quickly and purses her lips trying to hold back tears what she couldn't control. She starts crying but tries to stay strong.

"Was he scared?" She asked in a small and shaky voice. I shake my head and wipe off my wet cheek with the palm of my hand.

"Scared? No, not at all. You know what the only thing he wanted was?" I say, trying to maintain a small smile just for her. She looked at me quizzically and shook her head. "He wanted to make sure you were okay," More tears roll off my cheeks as she began to sob. Millie closed the space that was between us with an extremely tight hug, wiping her tears on my shoulder. I didn't mind it, and I squeezed her back tightly. She was too little for this, too young to have to be faced with a death like this. It reminds me of when I lost my mom when I was young, and how much pain it causes me even now. After she releases me she runs to Griffon, who kneeled down to hug her daughter tightly. She was also sobbing as she tightly held her daughter in a hug.

They didn't move after several minutes, and I left them alone as I went to stand off by a wall. They went to join the others in the mourning group over by the green couch. Millie was now hugging Gavin, who was sitting on the couch, as she sat in his lap. It was now that I realized that Geoff would never see his daughter grow, or see what powers she develops. I wipe my face again. Soon everyone in the building was crying as they tried to understand what had happened and what was going on. Joel and Burnie were talking with Kerry and Kara was crying with Lindsay. I couldn't bare to join in with the sadness; it was like an improper funeral.

It seemed like so long ago that we were in here celebrating the first use of my powers and being joined into the Achievement Hunters. It seemed like forever ago that the King murdered my mother. It seemed like months had passed in the matter of a couple hours. It seemed like years ago; a lifetime ago. Soon drinks were passed out in order to ease everyone's pain, even though for some it made it worse.

Griffon had let Millie stay with her even though she fell asleep on Griffon's lap. Gavin walks over to me after a while of mourning with Burnie and offers me a drink. His eyes were red and puffy.

"I still don't drink. It doesn't make much of a difference, anyhow," I say quietly, watching the others, afraid to look at Gavin. Geoff was like a father to Gavin, and I could only imagine what he was going through, even though in reality I knew exactly how he felt. I knew the pain that resided in his heart now, a pain that wouldn't ever fade, not really. He shrugged and put the drink down on a nearby desk.

"I'm still going to bev up," he says tiredly, as if he hadn't slept in days. "If you don't mind," He takes a swig from the bottle in his hand, but from the way he wobbles on his feet I can tell he's already had a few.

"I'm sorry. About Geoff, I mean," I say quietly, not sure of what else to say. I was not good with these things.

"It wasn't your fault. There isn't anything to be sorry about," He said while peeling the label off if his drink.

"I don't believe that," I say. I was tired but hardly wanted to sleep. "I could have helped him. I could have stayed," I didn't want to add in the part where he pushed me off the window seal, because maybe if I had been paying attention and not gotten up in the first place, we might not be in this situation. I wouldn't have had to seen Millie cry so hard or try to be so strong.

"Ray, don't do that to yourself," He says shakily, as if he could cry again. That was the last thing I wanted. I suddenly remember how Gavin reacted when the explosion happened, how he was screaming and thrashing to try and get to Geoff who would now be long gone. "Don't blame yourself, please. Blame can't help him,"

It was late that night, or really early, when everyone finally went to bed, exhausted and dehydrated from crying themselves dry. Griffon fell asleep on the couch with Millie and I helped Gavin back to his room. I help him lay down gently on his bed. I go to walk out of the room but his small voice keeps me from leaving.

"Ray, stay here. C- can you just lay with me for a while? Please?" He sounded so small and innocent, like a small child. I couldn't say no, since I didn't really feel like being alone either. I close the door and shut off the light before climbing onto the bed with Gavin. He curls up into my arms and I hug him closer to me and shut my eyes. I can feel Gavin's silent sobs as he cries into my chest. I rub his back gently and, eventually, we both drift off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello, everyone! Please don't hate me, but hey, two chapters in one night! I was on a role! Leave your thoughts and advise, and as always, thank you for reading!

**Chapter 24: Revenge, Coming soon!**