Estás a Salvo Conmigo

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna knocked lightly on Jamie's door. "Hola, can I come in?"

[Jamie Morrigan]

Jamie was on her bed, thinking about what had happened on the street - more than that, thinking about what had almost happened. For all her bravado, she had too good an imagination not to see how much danger they were in.

If it had just been her, she could have disappeared, or conjured up a few decoys and sent the bad guys chasing off in several wrong directions. But she hadn't wanted to leave Anna.

What would Spectre and John have done? Spectre would hypnotize half the gang and make them fight each other, then turn invisible and walk calmly away. John could probably fight the whole lot of them, and if they shot their guns, he'd just catch the bullets and throw them back.

Secretly, she wished they had been there. She knew Anna didn't like to fight. But people who did things like that to other people deserved to be hurt. How else were they going to learn that they shouldn't mess with mutants?

She watched a miniature tableau of the confrontation at the foot of her bed. Sitting up, she watched the ringleader winding up to punch Anna, but before he could land the blow, she reached over and, snapping her forefinger off her thumb, flicked him wailing off the edge of the mattress onto the carpet below.

The knock at the door startled her, and she heard Anna's voice from the other side. Quickly, she threw the edge of her bedspread so it covered the imaginary scene, and the tiny figures disappeared. "Yeah," she said, "come in!"

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna cracked open the door, peeking in at Jamie sitting on the bottom bunk, looking at her expectantly. She stepped in cautiously, giving the room a once over and looking for any inesperado ilusiones. When nothing jumped out at her, despite Jamie's too innocent face, she closed the door behind her.

"May I?" She gestured to the end of the bed, and when Jamie nodded, she sat down. "I think we need to talk about what happened earlier..." Anna scrunched up and wiggled further back until she was sitting against the wall underneath the top bunk, and made a funny face at her foster daughter to break the tension.

[Jamie Morrigan]

Jamie pulled up her knees in front of her and hugged them to her chest. She tensed visibly at the sight of the purpling bruise on Anna's face, but the funny expression made jump, as if she was trying to chase it off her cheek. Jamie couldn't help smiling at that.

"You're not mad about the snakes, are you?" she asked tentatively.

[Anna Fernandez]

"No, no, of course not." Anna reached over and patted Jamie's foot. "You were very brave." She paused, considering her next words carefully. "You should not worry about me, though. If anything like this happens again I want you to disappear and run home immediately, you understand me?"

[Jamie Morrigan]

Jamie dropped her gaze and fiddled with a loose edge from one of the quilted squares on her bedspread. She wasn't quiet for want of things to say - she just wasn't sure which one was the right thing.

"Well, what if I'm with Ronnie?" she said. "I can make us both disappear."

It was true, though making things appear was easier.

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna looked at her, "Well, Ronnie might just give them such bad headaches that they leave you two alone. But, yes. Just tell him first. Can't go around disappearing people without letting them know."

She paused, "I did not mean to put you in danger, Jamie, and I won't let it happen again, I promise. It is hard to put into words... no sé cómo decirlo... I am learning that keeping the peace sometimes means I have to fight." Anna leaned over and squished Jamie into a hug. "And I will fight to keep this House safe."

[Jamie Morrigan]

Jamie leaned into Anna and then turned and wrapped her arms tightly around her. She loved Anna and didn't want to see anything happen to her, but she knew Anna was a lot tougher than some stupid human gangsters.

"Anna," she said, resting her head against the woman's chest, "wouldn't it be great if everyone had mutant powers? Then there'd be no reason for people to be afraid of each other. They'd be too busy doing cool things with their powers. And people wouldn't have to be afraid to be mutants, either, because it'd be normal."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Si, that would be a wonderful world." The optimism of youth was breathtaking at times, and Anna held Jamie a little tighter before letting her go. "But, who is normal, anyway?" She tweaked the girl's nose, laughing a little. "I think we are pretty normal. You know, beside the creating snakes out of thin air, and freezing things. Pretty normal."

Anna smiled, leaning back again. "Maybe sometime we can practice in the backyard. I could use the work out... if you want? We can make Jake and Aidan join us." She winked.

[Jamie Morrigan]

Jamie lit up like a flare. "Yeah, let's do it! You and Aidan can have an ice versus fire showdown, and I can set up targets, like a bunch of ninjas, or... or zombies like in Shaun of the Dead!"

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna laughed at the girl's enthusiasm, then said, "Wait, when did you watch Shaun of the Dead?"

She narrowed her eyes and shook a finger at Jamie. "Don' tell me, it was Jake, right?"

[Jamie Morrigan]

Jamie's mirth disappeared, and her mouth came open.

"It was... on a preview," she said. "Before... Wall-E."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna looked at her, her brown eyes sparkling even through she was giving Jamie una mirada sospechosa. "Wall-E?" A half smile leaked out, and she laughed, "You are a terrible liar, chica. And Jake is goin' to hear about this!"

[Jamie Morrigan]

The girl wilted, and she looked up apologetically. "I promised him I wouldn't tell," she said. "And I didn't see that much, I sorta fell asleep on the couch. My dreams were awesome, though."

She lowered her head and peered up at Anna like a guilty puppy. And then she decided she'd better change the subject rápidamente.

"Did Aidan get back with the eggs?" she asked. "I told him to pick them up like I said I would."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Si, si, he brought the eggs. I heard him talking to Jake, and then they both went out."

Anna smiled, "We're having Chinese food tonight, Jake's treat. Hopefully they don't forget to bring it back!" Her face turned serious, and she added, "You know you'll always be safe with me, right cariña?"

[Jamie Morrigan]

"Of course. Us mutant chicas got to stick together, right?"

She smiled with every confidence that they were invincible if they put their minds to it.

"You know what we should do when we practice? Girls versus boys. We'd kick their butts."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna winked, "Of course we would."

She heard someone entering the house, and looked at Jamie. "I better go see if that's the boys coming back or Chelsea and Ronnie. You okay up here?"

When the girl nodded, Anna leaned over and kissed her forehead, then wiggled off the bunk bed and walked to the door. "Don't forget your homework, I think you have a book report due tomorrow..." She let herself out, closing the door quietly behind her.