26. At Her Mercy

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 Kora holds her son's hand tightly as their warplane soars through the skies. Everyone wears tight flight suits; Kora dislikes the way hers clings to her sides. Pluto's hangs off of his lanky figure like a blanket.

The plane jostles every now and then, but Kora remains still. Flight had always been tricky for her. She prefers traveling by land and would do so in a heartbeat, but she has never felt in danger when soaring through the skies. She is...protected, in a way. No one would dare harm her in any domain unless they wish to incur the wrath of nature. Let alone her husband, mother, and father.

"Mom?"

Kora looks down at Pluto. "Yes?"

His wide dark eyes dart around the plane as he struggles to shift closer to her. "Should we call dad? What if something bad happens?"

Pursing her lips, Kora leans over and presses a kiss on his forehead. "Your father won't be able to help, I think. You know how he feels. What dies should remain so."

"But they're my friends," Pluto pouts.

"I know." She tightens her grip on him. "Remember, the Fates work in mysterious ways."

His frown breaks her heart. Too much worry for her child. Kora has worked too hard to keep that responsibility away from her children, to allow them the freedom to become whoever they please. For herself and her husband, fate had never been so kind with the exception of bringing them together; she brought him companionship and love, and he gave her freedom and power. She wouldn't change it for the world.

"Were you scared?" Kora looks up as Jean stares at Raven. "That day in D.C, were you scared?"

"No." Raven looks straight ahead. "But I was scared on my first mission. I was on a plane like this with my friends, about your age. We called ourselves the X-Men. I remember, one of the kindest people I've ever met sat beside me, looking like she was about to throw up all over the plane. Your brother was there too," She glances at Scott. "We used to call him Havok. He was a real handful, but when it came down to it, he was very brave."

"What happened to the rest of the kids that went with you?" Kurt asks. "The X-Men?"

"Hank and I are the only ones left." As Raven looks down, Kora finds herself staring out the front of the plane, slowly unbuckling herself to walk forward. "I couldn't save the rest of them. I told you, I'm not a hero."

"Well, you're a hero to us," Jean says. "Seeing you that day on TV changed my life."

"Me too," Kurt adds.

Peter smirks. "Me too. I mean, I still live in my mom's basement, but everything else is... Well, it's pretty much the same. I'm a total loser."

"Mom, something's wrong," Pluto says from behind her.

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