Charles and Ellie have met before. They just don't remember it. After all, changing and stopping time always has consequences.
| Connected with Living on a Prayer |
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~*~
She should be upset. She should be crying, like the other people who were dressed in black just like her: aunts, uncles, friends that knew them from work, she supposes.
But, she isn't upset, or crying. Oh, they'd asked her why, they'd asked if she was okay, and she just didn't have the time or energy to deal with them. She'd dealt with her parents her whole life to know there's just no reasoning with people. She knew better than to let people get under her skin.
She could have given a speech about how much she loves her parents and how they have been so good to her, but she doesn't. She'd rather face the judgmental stares and appalled gasps than tell a lie. She worked restless nights just to make money for her parents funeral, isn't that enough?
The past few months have been absolute hell for her as she tried to get her life back together after quitting college. Where were all these people when she needed help?
A tall man with white hair, and sunglasses covering his eyes, wearing a black suit approaches her among the crowd. She smiles at him, and he waves back, and gives her a hug.
"I'm sorry, kid," he says.
"Thanks, Stan, you didn't have to come," she says, her smile wavering as he pulls out of the hug.
"Yeah, I did," he nods. "You did a good thing, Elle, your parents would be proud."
"Would they?" She asks. How many of these people knew she had powers?
"They're both stubborn as hell," he says with a wistful sigh. "Need a good knocks over their head every now and then, but deep down, they were good people trying to do what's right."
"How's your wife?" She changes the subject.
"She's doing much better these days," he smiles. "She wants to go to central park this weekend, have a little picnic."
"Glad to hear it," she nods.
"You take care of yourself too, you hear?"
"I will," she says. "You take care too."
She walks him to his car, and waves as she watches him drive away. Ellie sighs tiredly, and glances back at her parents graves.
Why is she still standing here?
Her parents made it loud and clear how they felt about her. About mutants. They chose to believe the stuff that's been said about them on the news. They chose to work for a government who's been working so hard to eradicate her own kind.
And there's a part of her that wondered that if she didn't have her powers, would things have been different between them? Would she rather just be happy with them in ignorant bliss? Or would they still have hated mutants no matter what?
