>>"Not every situation can be as clean cut as ye want it. The Cataclysm wasnae just a monster; he was a threat. Ye did what ye did tae keep us all safe."

She had. She knew Becca was right. Well... mostly... right. After that battle, after leveling the Mansion and taking everything from them just out of pure evil and spite, Maya hated the Cataclysm. That was the worst part. Because she wanted him to die.

>>"If ye hae tae cross that line tae protect our family... Ah understand. But ye're nae a killer. Ye're a good person who had tae take a life. If ye hunt this man down tae kill him... that's a killer. Dinnae let this guy or The Cataclysm turn ye intae something ye hate."

Maya bit her lips, folding her arms tighter. There was a storm of emotions she was trying to control, and failing at it. She knew none of this was Becca's fault; she was the voice of reason. She just hated reason in this moment.

"You know, I hate that argument." she snapped. "These... people, one after the other, just show up and... try to kill us, they hurt our kids, they blow up our home, they f*** bend reality to wipe us out, and they just keep merrily f*** wreaking havoc, and when we fight, we keep f*** bending over backwards to make sure they are not hurt, because that makes us the bad guys? F*** that. I'm so f*** tired of that!"

The last thing Rebecca wanted to do after three of the most stressful days of her life was get into an argument with the person she loved. Despite her best efforts, it was clear they were on track for exactly that. There was no going back now, so for better or worse, they were going to deal with this tonight.

"It sucks being the bigger person," she snapped back, "but that's the shit deal mutants get. Ye think Ah dinnae hate the bigots that come after our family and friends? Ah dinnae care that ye killed the Cataclysm, okay? He was a godsdamned serial killer bigot. If the choice was him or you, then he deserves tae be dead." That was the honest truth. The man was not just filled with hate; he was filled with intent.

Intent not every mystic or even cultist shared. "But nae every cultist is a killer. Some were taught tae be scared or had their brains fucked with til they saw the world wrong. Sam was raised tae be a weapon; should he hae been killed before he got the chance tae get right?" Rebecca was a breath away from making the mistake of mentioning Maya's assassin mother, but she held her tongue. That would have been unfair and cruel.

"And if ye undae all your work with the X-Men. Dae ye think the news wouldnae love tae run with a story of a rogue X premeditated hunting down and killing folks? It's nae fair, but ye know that's how it'd gae." The X-Men didn't get to go on murderous vendettas.

Maya knew it was a mistake to snap at Becca; none of this was her fault. In fact, she was the one attacked by mystics and changed forever, not Maya. She was being unfair, she knew it, and it made her feel worse. She didn't have the right to be more upset than Becca.

>>"It sucks being the bigger person, but that's the shit deal mutants get. Ye think Ah dinnae hate the bigots that come after our family and friends? Ah dinnae care that ye killed the Cataclysm, okay? He was a godsdamned serial killer bigot. If the choice was him or you, then he deserves tae be dead."

Maya ran her hands through her hair again. This was a mess. And she had no idea how to make her way back from it.

>>"But nae every cultist is a killer. Some were taught tae be scared or had their brains fucked with til they saw the world wrong. Sam was raised tae be a weapon; should he hae been killed before he got the chance tae get right?"

Maya winced, glaring at Becca. She knew she was right, and it hit a spot. And she heard the unspoken part too.

>>"And if ye undae all your work with the X-Men. Dae ye think the news wouldnae love tae run with a story of a rogue X premeditated hunting down and killing folks? It's nae fair, but ye know that's how it'd gae."

Maya glared some more, because there was no argument to be made. Becca was right. But there was still a lot of shit to work through. Maya groaned, pacing a few steps like a caged animal, and punched the tiles on the wall, which proved to be a bad idea. But the pain was a welcome distraction. "F**K!... Ow, f**k." She sucked her teeth, and finally slid down with her back against the counter, sitting with her knees up, hands in her hair. "What am I supposed to do...?"

The fist slamming against the wall made Rebecca jump. There was so much anger, and Maya was doing everything she could not to burn herself up. "Ah wish Ah knew. Deal with this guy like the X-Man ye are?"

Rebecca sat herself on the kitchen counter, sighing heavily. "Ah'm always gonna worry for the mutant cause. But we're at a crossroads without the Cult. People are lost and confused." After the failure of the Supremes and the revelation of the Master's deception, many mystics would have the choice of confronting the lies they were taught, or clinging to fear.

"The last thing mutants or mystics need is a new civil war. And like it or not, Ah'm a mystic," she reminded her partner.

"Like the X-man you are."

She was. She had been all her adult life, and for the longest time, she knew what that meant. They both did. And now, she was still an X, and Becca was not. She was a mystic. And not on the team anymore. Maya still had her wife, but she had lost a teammate.

"I know." She sighed, head falling back against the counter behind her. She flexed her fingers. Something might have broken there.

"They keep winning." She said in a bitter voice. "They got to you, to Kalos, to Iris..." she choked. The little one hurt the most. She did. Becca had put up a fight, and Kalos chose, for better or worse. But Iris... she didn't even know what was happening to her. And Maya had not been able to help any of them. This was a nightmare. "... they blew up the Mansion. They took everything... even when I kill a goddamn Supreme, they win."

Rebecca watched Maya adjust her finger and winced. This was a lot more anger than she typically saw out of her partner. Nothing mattered more to Maya than protecting their family, so Rebecca understood where this pain came from.

"Nobody won, Maya. Terrible things were done by terrible men, and a lot of misled people have blood on their hands. And we had to cross lines we hate to prevent more pain." Sabine had declared the situation worthy of extreme measures. Rebecca tried her damnedest to avoid lethal action, but it was hard to pull her punches against even mundane mystic cultists. Maya did what she had to do to stop one of the strongest, most fanatical dangers on the field.

The losses Maya was dealing with were stacking up, but one made Rebecca squirm. If they were getting things out into the open, it was time to address the elephant in the room. "Maya... Ah need ye tae stop talking about me like a casualty. Ah'm nae dead," she reminded her. "Ah lost mah mutation, and Ah've had tae unpack that. It was a huge part ay who Ah was, but it's a part Ah lost. Ah've been trying tae come tae terms with that. Hae ye?"

>>"Nobody won, Maya. Terrible things were done by terrible men, and a lot of misled people have blood on their hands. And we had to cross lines we hate to prevent more pain."

Maya tilted her head up to look at Becca, sitting above her on the counter. It did feel like they were winning, whatever one called it. They wanted to hurt people, and they succeeded. They wanted people to be scared, and they were. They wanted to take things away, important things, and they took them without remorse. Everyone else was only reacting. She frowned. Becca went on.

>>"Maya... Ah need ye tae stop talking about me like a casualty. Ah'm nae dead. Ah lost mah mutation, and Ah've had tae unpack that. It was a huge part ay who Ah was, but it's a part Ah lost. Ah've been trying tae come tae terms with that. Hae ye?"

She blinked, looking at her wife. "What..." Well, this was shittier than he thought. Maya turned, still sitting on the floor, to look up at her. "You think I'm upset because of your mutation?... Jesus, Becca. I'm upset because they kidnapped my wife and child and took something from you. I'd still want them dead if they took your f*** kidney or something. This is not about you being a mystic."

Rebecca shook her head, phrasing her issue poorly. "Ah know, Ah get that's what you're upset about. Sorry, it's just." She groaned, trying to figure out how to phrase her issue without sounding crazy. "What happened tae me was terrible. Kalos and Ah was tricked by someone Ah thought cared about us. But it feels like people around me either treat me losing my powers as a tragedy or want tae act like Ah'm still a mutant." The X-Men wanted her to stick around because they cared about her, but Rebecca felt like it was also because they were where she belonged before.

"Ah know you've done your best tae be supportive. Ah just hate being on a list of ways we've lost. Ah fucked up by nae seeing the trouble for what it was and letting Kalos get involved," she admitted, hating that her sister used the bond with Kalos to sway an impressionable teenager. "But Ah also got us out of that warehouse. We kept Kalos out of the hands of the cult. We found a way to win, but that day's a loss because of what they took?"

Rebecca was sure she was doing a terrible job of explaining her feelings, because they were feelings. Inherently illogical. "Ah need this new part of me tae nae just be a reminder of what I lost. Just like Ah need the Mansion we rebuild nae tae be a testament to our failure. We lost things, but we won. Just like we'll win when we track down this rogue asshole."

It was hard to put words to these things. It was hard to voice feelings, Maya could tell it was hard for Becca too. They had talked about this before, but now, compounded by the battle, Iris, the Mansion, everything, Mirror was feeling them all over again.

>>"Ah know you've done your best tae be supportive. Ah just hate being on a list of ways we've lost. Ah fucked up by nae seeing the trouble for what it was and letting Kalos get involved. But Ah also got us out of that warehouse. We kept Kalos out of the hands of the cult. We found a way to win, but that day's a loss because of what they took?"

Maya winced. She knew she had more to process about Becca losing her mutation. About anyone forcibly losing their powers, to be fair, and becoming a mystic on top of that. But still, that was not what this was about.

>>"Ah need this new part of me tae nae just be a reminder of what I lost. Just like Ah need the Mansion we rebuild nae tae be a testament to our failure. We lost things, but we won. Just like we'll win when we track down this rogue asshole."

Maya sighed, feeling miserable. The sense that she did not have the right to be upset about this was back. It was unfair to make this harder on Becca than it already was. If she had had more self-control left after this mess, she would have been better at packing it away. She should have been. "I'm sorry. You're right." She folded her arms on her knees. "I didn't mean it like that. I mean... I hate reacting to things that already happened. It feels like they get to do what they wanted to do, and we keep picking up the pieces after them." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I just... I'll be okay."

It was rare for Rebecca and Maya to air out issues like this because, until recently, they didn't have many issues to air out. After getting past Bad Agnes at the start of their relationship, their love story was fantastic. When obstacles came up, they faced them together. They were rewarded with two wonderful daughters. Life was good, and then it threw nothing but haymakers and curveballs and a third sports analogy at them.

They had every reason to be at wit's end, and that was manifesting in a need to realign. She loved her spouse, and they were both looking out for one another. Maya was trying to see things from Rebecca's perspective.

It was only fair for Rebecca to do the same. Getting off her kitchen counter, she strode to Maya, bundled up in her misery. Rebecca offered a tentative hand to rest on Maya's arm, but was ready if her partner wasn't ready to be touched. "It's okay that you're nae okay, love," she promised. "Please dinnae feel like ye cannae be upset. How ye feel is valid. It's shit that awful people did all this, and worse that we couldnae stop it. Ye want tae dae what ye can, and Ah love ye for that. It's been a shit two years, but we dae still get tae pick up those pieces together."

Becca moved next to her, and she felt her hand on her arm. Touch was good. Maya was the kind of person who sought comfort in touching, and it made her shudder, some of the misery lightening at Becca's proximity.

>>"It's okay that you're nae okay, love. Please dinnae feel like ye cannae be upset. How ye feel is valid. It's shit that awful people did all this, and worse that we couldnae stop it. Ye want tae dae what ye can, and Ah love ye for that. It's been a shit two years, but we dae still get tae pick up those pieces together."

Maya drew a shuddering breath and shifted to lean against her wife. Becca was somehow the more level-headed of the two of them, stereotypes about red-headed Scottish girls notwithstanding. Maya felt like a mess, especially when she didn't have anything to punch. That's how she ended up sitting on the kitchen floor. "Someone hurt Iris..." she muttered quietly, pain clear in her voice. "It's our entire job that she's... safe, and happy, and..." she choked, tears spilling from her eyes. "She's so small..."

Rebecca did not want Maya to think she had to bottle her feelings. It was possible that was what got them here in the first place. It hurt to hear Maya choke and sob, but it was good to have her let this all out.

Getting down to the floor, Rebecca wrapped her arms around Maya. It was reprehensible that someone messed with their child's genes. But this was the kind of magic Rebecca was sure they could undo; if not, they had big things to worry about. Still, this was the worst fear of any parent. "She's sae small... but we'll help her tae be okay." She may not ever remember this loss of her powers, or, in a nightmare scenario, she might never remember having powers. But they would help her through this thing that happened to her, one way or another.

But she was not alone. Carefully, Rebecca broached a suggestion. "There's nae shame in needing help tae be okay. Tae get through trauma. This is yer choice, love, but with all ye've been through... maybe it's time tae have someain tae talk to. A professional." Rebecca did not want to sound accusatory, and Maya knew how Rebecca felt about therapy. "Seeing my therapist has helped me deal with what happened. But Ah've been sae wrapped up in processing my grief and anger, Ah didnae recognize how much ye were holding in, love. Ah should hae supported ye better through this. Ah'm sorry."

Becca wrapped her arms around her and Maya sank against her. She was not alone in this. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks. In the end, even the anger was just a distraction, from how much it hurt, to be helpless when her family was in danger.

>>"There's nae shame in needing help tae be okay. Tae get through trauma. This is yer choice, love, but with all ye've been through... maybe it's time tae have someain tae talk to. A professional."

Becca had been seeing a therapist, ever since she'd lost her powers. And gained new ones. Maya had been supporting her, and it clearly helped her a lot. She herself didn't really have anything against therapy... It was a good thing. She just had not felt like dealing with it while Becca was going through it.

>>"Seeing my therapist has helped me deal with what happened. But Ah've been sae wrapped up in processing my grief and anger, Ah didnae recognize how much ye were holding in, love. Ah should hae supported ye better through this. Ah'm sorry."

"It wasn't your job." Maya sniffled, shaking her head. "You had to be okay first..." She was the one things happened to, after all. No one could expect her to deal with Maya feeling bad. That would have been all backwards. Maya swallowed. "But... thank you. I know... I'll need help with this." She sniffled, looking down at her hand, which looked pretty swollen now. "I think I broke my fingers..." she muttered, embarrassed.

"Hey, hey." Maya gave Rebecca an excuse she could use to justify not seeing her partner's pain. Rebecca wasn't having it. "Mah feelings and mah mental health don't take priority. Ye got that?" She smiled softly, running her fingers through Maya's hair.

They let Maya have the time to cry out everything she was dealing with before they could finally focus on something else; namely, her busted fingers. "We should get ye looked at," she agreed, carefully examining the bruising hand. "Ah'm sadly the wrong kind ay witch for this."

They could call someone in, but first, Rebecca had one last thing to get off her chest. Not a complaint, but an apology. "Hey, babe? Ah'm sorry Ah made ye free Aoife. Ah believed we needed her, but it still wasnae fair tae ask ye tae dae it coz ye trust me." It was not how Rebecca wanted it to sound, but when it left her lips, Rebecca could not shake the realization that she was using their love to make Maya help the woman who caused so much of her trauma. "Ah dinnae want tae cause yer hurt like that again."

>>"Hey, hey. Mah feelings and mah mental health don't take priority. Ye got that?"

Maya nodded. In some cases, it did take priority; when Becca was a victim of an attack, for example. But she understood what she meant. And she was grateful to have a partner like her.

>>"We should get ye looked at. Ah'm sadly the wrong kind ay witch for this."

"I'll go to Doc." Maya muttered. She'd have her hand fixed, and then they'd get around to fixing everything else. But she wanted to spend a few more minutes leaning against Becca.

>>"Hey, babe? Ah'm sorry Ah made ye free Aoife. Ah believed we needed her, but it still wasnae fair tae ask ye tae dae it coz ye trust me. Ah dinnae want tae cause yer hurt like that again."

Aoife. Maya still had... a lot of feelings about her. In the chaos of the battle, it had been a hard decision to free her, one she could only make because she trusted her wife. She nodded again. "I know. I... thank you." It felt good that Becca acknowledged that, even if she would have never asked her to. Maya took a deep breath, looking up. "I love you. You know that?... I really do."