They needed to find her. She needed to find her. The witch. All these people were missing, and it turned out she was why.

It may not have been an officially SUPER-sanctioned mission. It may have been a personal hunt. It was personal. The Lady had made it personal. You don’t just waltz in on someone’s private moment and try and nuke them, then laugh and waltz away in a poof of smoke.

Flippant fey freak. It had almost been ethereal.

She needed to consume less fantasy.

As Amelia blazed through the residential area near just outside the mansion grounds, she caught herself humming something. The lyrics just might have ended with “valley of plenty”.

She was going to get that witch. She snugged the collar of her green Carhart hoodie closer to her as she went.

The woman had been sighted around here. Normally, she’d have avoided any area around the mansion, but— if the woman were nearby, Mansion kids might be in danger. And wouldn’t you expect a criminal to return to the scene of a crime?

She stopped outside the Mansion gates, and glanced at the building. Memories flooded back to her. All her own. Her other half had never had a mansion to deal with. Maybe if she had, she’d have been a better person. Certainly a more compassionate (and messed up) one.

Serena had been spending quite a lot of time at the mansion lately, the whole X-men thing hadn't been as big a lifestyle shake up as she'd expected it to be. Mostly day to day it meant that she was doing more directed and concentrated training, as well as learning how to work with other people in a one on one situation. Mirror had been awesome about the whole thing, in fact Serena felt like they were more excited about the whole situation than she was, which was amusing.

The mansion grounds actually looked kind of beautiful. There was this light dusting of frost that just sort of made everything sparkle, and she'd come here pretty early to do some power training, and then decided she should run the grounds. She'd not done that in so long, and it used to be such a relaxing freeing activity. Thankfully she didn't run into anybody like Evelyn, there were a couple of students dotted around the area, but most of them she didn't know directly.

She was very much in workout attire, appropriate pants, top and hoodie were adorned, and her hair was tied back. Obviously she didn't really have any makeup beyond the essentials on. She was here to exercise, not impress random students or staff members.

Everything else sort of became background noise in a tunnel vision, she even worse headphones when she ran to minimise outside distractions. She'd been doing a pretty excellent job of it too, until a flash of brunette hair a familiar figure appeared in her path. The blonde came to a very sudden halt, planting her heels and skidding a few feet on the icey ground, just staring in disbelief Bon Jovi backing her thoughts which were racing at about a hundred miles an hour.

A gate separated them. Probably for the best.

At first, Amelia didn’t notice her. Focused as she was on looking for her target, she was a million miles away.

It was a day off and police officers so rarely get good ones. Using it for this had not been the epitome of good choices, but choice it was. And she rarely made good choices, these days.

When she did notice Serena, Amelia made one of those bad choices she always seemed to make lately. She acknowledged her.

“Oh. Hey.” Her eyes flicked back to the street beyond.

If only she had a super power for sensing others, like a bloodhounds nose. A witch sense. Then she could better track the woman. She was uncomfortable.

Serena was in shock for but a few moments, her body stiff as a board. How did one normally react in this situation? Throwing things? Screaming? General petty anger perhaps? Nah. Serena was a bit more mature than that. Surely Amelia had a reasonable explanation for ghosting her, clearly being well and alive and randomly turning up at the mansion out of the blue.

She mentally braced, pulled out her headphones and glanced at Amelia, suddenly feeling strangely cold and vulnerable. It must have been because she stopped running, that made the most sense.

Okay, Ami had noticed Serena now. Maybe this would be good for them, get a little closure on whatever problems they'd had, reasonable and patient conversation like adults-

OH HEY?!?!?!

"Y- Y- You-" Her face slowly turned from it's usual pale shades to deeper shades of reddish anger. "I-" Words Serena. Use your words she told herself.

"OH HEY? THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE?!" She exploded. Okay. The words were in upper case, punctuated more as a scream of rage. But they came out. Oops.

Yes, a gate was a good thing.

She had been dreading this but it had been bound to happen, sooner or later.

“No.” Amelia said. “Oh hey is not all I’ve got.”

It would have been insulting if she’d ignored Serena at that moment to continue searching for the serial de-agifier. The rogue agent. So she turned her focus entirely to the blonde. It probably saved her life.

“It’s probably fair to say I’ve been avoiding you. And for a good reason, though it pales a little now. And the first part was entirely not of my choosing. If I could go back in time and punch myself in the face to stop it from happening, I would wear brass knuckles.”

How does one explain everything? The long drawn out conversation method usually relies on having time to monologue. And she wasn’t being the most coherent on the spot, either.

In retrospect it was probably a good thing that there was a gate between them, Serena had not been this off the handle well... Ever really. She wouldn't be able to recall a time she'd been this mad since at the very least when she was 16. Well at least she was paying more attention to Serena than she had been a minute ago, sometimes you just needed to explode in front of your ex girlfriend for them to give you the time of day, she supposed.

Serena's eyes narrowed. "Well it's a f-------- bad way to open a conversation!" She was definitely still yelling, it just had less force in it than the first explosion. Serena was gripping her own arms now, nails were digging in with visible force.

She felt like Ami had just slapped her. "G-Goo-" She swallowed. "GOOD. REASON??" WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE A GOOD REASON?!" Okay, the volume was back. This was going to be a taxing encounter. Definitely a good thing there was a gate between them. Amelia would probably have received a punch in the face.

“Well. To protect you.” This entire next bit would sound crazy.

“The people I’m working with these days are scary. And they would have noticed if I’d started seeing you again, and think something was up. And then, we’d all be in trouble.”

She shifted uncomfortably. Made a face. “See. I got kidnapped a few summers ago. By SUPER. During the whole rift thing, and—“

Everything Amelia was saying probably would have made sense to another person or an outsider. Not to Serena, she was too wound up, bitter, angry and concerned over the whole ordeal. "PROTECT ME?!" She basically rocked on her heals at that one, moving closer to the gate, her voice lower and colder than it had been before. "I don't know if you noticed, Amelia, but I'm not made of F------- paper!" She cursed.

"Started seeing me again? You couldn't pick up a phone, drop me a message??" She moved to unlock the gate, intent on either dragging Ami over to her side, or getting in her face on that side. "Or, write me a letter? Leave me a note? It's not like you couldn't get into my apartment. Contact me through somebody else? Or are you trying to tell me you didn't speak to literally anybody else you knew the last 2 years? Mirror, Rebecca, Sam? Did you contact any of them in any way shape or form?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. She was pretty confident she knew the answer.

As Amelia began explaining more Serena cut her off, feeling physically smacked again. "KIDNAPPED?! WHEN!?" She was really losing it now, the gate started opening automatically and Serena just yanked it aside, stepping forwards.

Amelia couldn’t get a word in edgewise with all the questions and accusations flying around, so she didn’t even try. Maybe when it was all out, there’d be space to talk. Or maybe there’d be more.

Amelia went to her when the gate started opening, so they met halfway. No scampering away like a coward. The other her in her head was getting annoyed with all the silence and holding things back. Letting things get said.

Her shoulders got tense. And it all came gushing out.

“I was kidnapped when the goddamn rift opened and people from other worlds started spilling out. My life got taken over by that same person while I rotted in a SUPER cell in a straight jacket. They looked like me, only better, and more despicable.”

She clenched a fist in front of her and flexed it. “I was in that cell for about a year. During that time they got me a promotion and ruined my life. But I didn’t know it until I figured out how to make my straitjacket a bulletproof vest and broke out. Found them. And asked.”

Holy. Fuck. How did you deal with that? Kidnapped and held for a whole year?? Serena didn't know how that would effect her. One thing was for sure though, she'd speak to her F------- girlfriend about it. Or at least let her know she wasn't dead. "I doubt they looked better than you." She muttered absentmindedly. Clearly some of that was still there, beneath layers of bitterness.

The meeting halfway was interesting. Amelia was basically spewing a barrage of verbal exposition and Serena was responding with rage and screaming. There were definite on lookers now. Serena absentmindedly closed the gate behind Ami.

Serena had a sudden urge to find and maim somebody, anybody that worked for SUPER. As furious as she was at Ami, she was even angrier with the people that had done that to her.

Serena's own hands clenched into fists. "Wow. Ami. That's really shitty. But you knew that." Her voice was soft for a moment, quiet, slowly picking up in intensity again. "The rift alternate reality evil twin thing is a lot. Trust me. I F------ know." She spat, picking up volume again.

"Do you know what my first thought was when I finally made it back to our reality, and wasn't busy dealing with the serial killer that was my alternate self?" Her voice had an edge to it. "Where is my girlfriend. I should let her know I'm okay. I'm alive. But I couldn't." Even if that particular moment wasn't Amelia's fault, what followed definitely was.

"And if I'd been there for a year, Do you know what I still would have done? I WOULD HAVE FOUND YOU!" The words hurt. So damn much as they came out of her. Her rage was twisting with a deep, intense sadness she'd forgotten and tears were streaming down her face. Great. Some badass X-man she was.

“Sorry.” Amelia said mildly. “Meant to say they looked like me and were better than me. But thanks.”

She knew it had been an unconscious thing and that Serena was still mad. They weren’t at the banter stage yet. So no wry grin came with the comment.

Serena started quiet, then got stronger. And dropped that she’d had her own twin to deal with. Well they’d certainly talk about that later. Her eyes may have widened slightly at the thought. She didn’t comment. Not now, because Serena was shouting again.

The mansion kids were watching, weren’t they? Why is daddy yelling at mommy? Some might haven even known about them. Others probably just wanted the tea.

And she was on a roll. Serial killer? Nice.

Her complaint was valid. Perhaps she should have let her know. But there were extenuating circumstances. At least, in her head there had been. Whether that was based on reality or not was up for debate.

And then she was crying. And what was this? We’re there tears in the corners of her eyes too? Amelia glanced away.

“Dammit. You’re right.” She smoothed our her tone, which had been rough. “About a ton of crap. And that serial killer stuff. We can talk about it, because it sounds awful.”

Then the tone got rigid. “They experimented on me, Serena. I was not thinking clearly when I was picking people up and pinning them to walls and fighting the guy who couldn’t feel pain. When I got out, I was on the run from a dimension hopping bunch of secret agents. I found me, to eliminate the threat and find out what damage she’d done to my life. To make sure she hadn’t done anything to you or anyone else I love. And when I asked her, ‘Hey what did you do with Serena?’ She said ‘Who?’ So I bitch slapped her around for a bit and she bitch slapped me around for a bit and then her target psychic whammied us and FUSED OUR FREAKING CONSCIOUSNESSES so two became one.”

She was quivering mad remembering it and wanted to hurl but settled for real tears.

“I wanted to go see you. See everyone. Literally only called my brother, and left a message for Mirror and told Rebecca not to fucking trust me. But I was on the run. And then I had a brain dead me at my feet and woke up disoriented with some other Me’s memories rattling around in my head getting ready to have a lightsaber fight to Duel of the Fates. And I was fighting to maintain superiority. I was messed up.”

“Soooo I called my brother, and said do you want to move a body? And we took it to SUPERs super secret our-reality-side HQ. Because I knew that. From her. And I was gonna toss it down and declare war— but I realized I could take them out from within so I infiltrated their organization instead. Which is part of why I avoided affiliating myself with people my double wouldn’t have ran with. Because apparently she’s a bitch and doesn’t research girlfriends when she has their phone...”

“And I tried to call you but it wasn’t accepting my calls... or maybe it was off.”

Serena hadn't even really meant to let that previous comment out. But it was true. Amelia... Her Amelia, was the best. She was so unique and quirky and clever and the best cop Serena could have imagined. It was so hard to think that somebody could kidnap her and hold her for an entire year.

"Of course I'm bloody right!" She spat, still feeling the searing rage but also feeling terribly weary. She'd not reflected on all of that alternate reality insanity in a while. Seeing that version of herself had been so many different kinds of disturbing all at once, like a twisted reflection. She understood where Amelia was coming from on that front, her evil twin had been clever and scary and an exceedingly dangerous encounter.

"Now you want to talk." She croaked. She raised an arm and wiped the tears from her face. God. This was humiliating. She could feel eyes on her from students gawking at the encounter.

Serena shuddered at the next explanation. She'd left the city by that point, no wonder Amelia thought her evil clone had done something to her. The thought of merging minds with one was even scarier. She couldn't imagine fusing minds with Hel, that would have been traumatic on so many levels.

She blinked, tears coming back. Amelia had left messages fro Rebecca and Mirror AND called her brother. She hadn't even let Serena know she was alive. "Y-You what..."

She closed her eyes, more streaks of tears streaming down her pale skin. "For someone behaving like an insane super spy, you're a moron!" She yelled. "Amelia Mellitus is smarter than that! For F---- sake! I've distanced myself from so much the last 2 years from all this pain and bull, you clearly didn't try very hard to find or contact me." Her voice lowered and radiated pain. "Yours is the one call I would have answered."

“The brain merge...” She said quietly. “It. It changed me. I had a lot on my plate just sorting out my own emotions, let alone hers. And I didn’t want SUPER to think I was the one that got away. And actually finding you... would have set off all the red flags.”

Although maybe the logic was weak there, now. But she had had two sets of personality sets in there fighting. Did she still have the high ground?

“I just didn’t know what to do. Or who to talk to. I hadn’t really talked to anyone about it until recently and that was only because—“ She audibly gulped.

Her voice cracked. “O-oh Serena. I’ve done so many fracking stupid things. If you want to. Just. Here-“

She placed a hand on her chest.

“Hit me right here. With everything. Blood power. Whatever. One good hit. Maybe you’ll feel better. Don’t even worry about holding back. It won’t even stain.”

Maybe it’d even make her feel better. She’d been a lousy everything.

Serena's face twisted a little in pain. Ami had gone through all of that, without her. Why had Serena not spent longer searching for her girlfriend. Why had she not pressed Mirror for details about what had happened to her. She was just as guilty as Amelia, in so many ways. "What, you couldn't have found a way to send me a letter? I'm a writer, not a ninja it's not like I don't have a social media profile." She murmured.

"An- And-" She gulped. Words. Hard. "And you didn't think that the one person that could help you sort out your personalities would be your girlfriend?" She practically whispered.

Serena laughed a little through her tears, it was an odd sound. "You think? Clearly you weren't yourself if you thought pretending to be a super spy and infiltrating an evil organisation to try and take them down would help anyone." She shook her head. "Even I'm not that stupid. And I write fantasy."

The Amelia spoke again. Hand on chest. Serena's tears welled even further. She wanted to kiss Amelia almost as much as she wanted to punch her. "Amelia if I didn't hold back with my power I'd kill people." She murmured.

She could barely see clearly, she heard onlookers muttering. It didn't matter, her thoughts were racing so hard they almost blocked out her hearing entirely. "Moron. Idiot. Dumb." Her voice was cracking, she reached out slowly, unsure if she was preparing to punch Amelia.

"Idiotic. Unbelievably stupid..." Her words weren't even making much sense. Her hands softly reached around to Amelia's neck, and rested against her, Serena's body moved wholly of it's own accord. Her tear stained face and lips were suddenly much closer in distance to Amelia, and then there was no distance at all.

A letter. Maybe. But maybe they were like the NSA. And- And-

No. She hadn’t thought Serena could help. Because- because- she might be in danger. And add it to the pile of bad choices and questionable decisions. But—

She shook her head.

Everything was too much. She was trembling. And not just because of what Serena was saying. There was the other stuff, too.

Because- she’d done so many stupid things. To which Serena heartily agreed. Ow.

Like taking down the organization would even help anyone? Double ow. Not much could hurt worse than jabs from Serena. Even—

Hand over heart, she’d given Serena a chance to get her good. Not like it’d work. Was that other Ami at work, setting up a lie behind the bold action? Probably. Or just common crappiness. Crappiness that made Serena cry even more.

>>”... if I didn’t hold back with my power, I’d kill people.”

There was an underlying thought there, but Serena directly followed it up with more curses... and why was it when she cursed with that voice, Amelia always found it kind of cute?

Moron, idiot, dumb.

She was reaching out... and then—

Was she going to choke her? That hadn’t been part of the deal. And- o-oh.

But she was missing all the minutiae of the fuck ups. And yes, Serena was dangerous and so was she. And that was why they needed SUPER. And maybe it was bad but so are terrorists. And the US government takes care of those. Balance is the important oh was she getting kissed now. Unfair. She’d just discovered the underlying thought she’d had.

She’d been expecting to get to show off, too. Well, there was nothing else for it now. She returned the gesture, and liked it.

Doesn’t it stink when you suck and you’re terrible and you’re prepared to tell someone everything about how awful you are and have real discussion about it and make yourself feel and look even worse— and then they kiss you and any further discussion is just shooting yourself in the foot? No? Just her?

The kiss lasted long enough for all the thoughts of self flagellation to fall away and be replaced by something far, far more wholesome. And then it ended, and some of that came back.

“S-stupid Serena,” Amelia laughed weakly. “You’re supposed to be mad at me.”

Far, far out of hearing range of both the girls, one mansion student turned to another mansion student and muttered “Freaking Tsunderes!”

The other one threw up her hands, and walked off.