InsaneJournal

Cassandra saw someone go down on the streets below but she didn't have time to stop. She had just heard of a major fire on Burrow Street. People were trapped. Cass had been working out when it happened, she didn't have time to change. Everything happened so fast as they often do.

Cassie thought at first that it was an accident, a chain reaction or perhaps the Apocalypse everyone was talking about. Then she noticed a man with his hands held out, concentrating and doing the same to another building. Her eyes narrowed.

Dumbass mutants, she thought wearily, setting the child down and swinging to another part of the city waiting for all of this to end.

~~~

Dom really hated them sometimes. The twins. He hadn't been lying when he said that he really only liked the fighting, not the saving stuff. But that didn't mean that he didn't care a little. It was easy to be cold-hearted in theory but a lot harder when tear-streaked children and half-dead men and women surrounded your feet. That being said, it didn't mean that Dom wasn't suddenly sober of his anger or that a few abandoned buildings weren't leveled and blamed on Apocalypse.

He'd be lying if he said that during the fighting/rescuing, he hadn't been watching Wanda. At first wary, making sure she was okay and then later in awe. After being around Pietro so long, you could easily forget how…powerful Wanda was. How scary she could be, how capable. How very un-fragile she was.

"Are you okay?" Wanda asked, coming over and breaking his thoughts.

Dom snapped out of it. He had been lucky, and besides they had mostly just stayed on the outskirts of the bad stuff. There were a few cuts and a deeper one where a steel beam had fallen down and cut through his jeans on his thigh. He looked at his hands and thrust them into his pockets, muttering a 'Fine' before looking around at all the dust and rubble.

"Where's Luna?"

~~~

Luna ran. This was the point that she wished she had super-human speed or the ability to fly. Luckily, though, she had the ability to make people get the fuck out of her way and that worked well enough.

She had to find Billy. She had convinced herself of that. Which didn't mean that she hadn't helped Aunt Wanda and her…boyfriend thing. Which didn't mean that she didn't stop on the way, but Billy was her priority and she wasn't denying that. He was the hero, not her.

Luna wove her net of emotions over the people making them calmer and steering them away from the wreckage and she ran into it. She thought that there was something to be said for love and stupidity going hand in hand.

On instinct, Luna looked up. That kind of instinct one could never explain, and there he was. Luna didn't call him down yet, he looked busy and she just watched him for a moment. At least she knew he was all right…

Luna saw something else swing between the building, a black blur…the person didn't seem to be like the other heroes that preferred to travel that way. She didn't even bother to cover her face….

"Hey lady!" someone shouted and she wasn't sure whether it was a harmful tone or a warning. She should have seen it coming, but all she saw was a blur of an aura. Full of bad, bad colors. There were many times that she wished she was more like her father and this was one of those times when she knew what was going to happen but she simply wasn't fast enough.

A board connected with her head and she fell but right before she did, she managed to snatch the man's emotions before passing out. If she was going down, she was taking him with her.

~~~
Muse shook her head, walking through walls and trees and glass and shattered dreams. She saw another one go down. It wasn't her own, but she might have been Delirium's once. Muse paused, looking around for Cousin Death before going on her way.

This was a family affair she knew, but she was worried for Delirium. She was alright now, in theory she knew, the creature gone from her…but Muse still worried. That she'd be broken again. Muse hated no words, but that word had a slight contempt attached to it.

A ping went off in Muse's head and she heard Delirium calling her. She closed her eyes and answered back. "Coming," she said to no one.

She knew she should talk to Death or Desire or, Words Forbid, Dream about what happened next, but Muse felt that she would be excluded anyway. It often happened that way either of her own fault or theirs. Delirium was first priority anyway. Besides, Muse was sure that Desire would do a more than sufficient job on the punishment…

~~~

At the moment, in fact, Desire was with Dutchman. She sat on one of the couches, holding the pillow It had given her. She rested her head and watched Desire pace here and there. Dutch had never seen It so angry or restless.

Dutchman didn't really know what was going on. Something about It's sister. Apparently it was dangerous for her to be outside, so she waited here until she was allowed to leave. Dutch loved the threshold and often tried to stay as long as allowed but she had never been trapped in it before. It was a little nervous making. And she was sure that Lady Death had something to do with her presence there. That she was worried for her. Because as much as she desired, Desire never seemed to care as much as she wished. Dutch supposed you couldn't interchange obedience and love.

So Dutchman sat there feeling very much like a helpless baby, waiting for the world to end…

~~~

Rachel sat watching Esme crawl to her then away. It was like a game. Rachel thought it was odd how no matter what, anything could be considered a game. A fun game, a sick game, a sad game, a twisted game, a silly game…

Rachel had multiple mental connections open. She always had some but she hadn't had this many for a very, very long time. It wasn't a dizzy feeling…more like floating. Like when you drop petals in a river and they scatter.

James had stayed which surprised Rachel more than anything and she waited for Emma to come home. And the girls. She knew she'd get in trouble later for letting them go out. But it wasn't like she could stop them and besides, Rachel would be out there too if she could. But she was watching Esme. Someone had too and Rachel didn't really trust anyone else as much as herself.

Rachel periodically checked the psychic force field around the house. Still strong. Rachel peered down at Esme, getting down to her eye level.

"The world's going to shit and here we are playing blocks."

Esme looked up and stared at her as if she understood. Rachel kept staring back until James returned with sandwiches.

"Time for your nap."

~~~

"Night, night," Pansy said cruelly, stunning yet another person in an endless stream of bodies. She didn't even watch it drop, just moved on. She knew Alphonse was watching her back and it offended her. But she was watching his too.

"Alohomora!" Pansy yelled, turning to Alphonse and she scowled at him as an attacker was lifted into the air. "Honestly, Alphonse! Watch your back and move a little faster if you can manage!"

She was yelling but wasn't really angry. She did that a lot. But she was tired and wasn't sure how much longer she could avoid making a grave mistake. Pansy watched Alphonse out of the corner of her eye.

"Merlin, gotta take care of every bloody thing myself," she muttered but a little grin tugged at her lips. This had to be getting her brownie points somewhere up there.

There was a BOOM above her head and Pansy looked up. The world seemed to be quiet and still suddenly. Pansy lowered her wand but was the end ever really the end?