The lone Wolfe

One of her hands reached out to take hold of his briefly, a small smile on her face as she turned his hand upward, tracing the lines in his palm. Scars still pressed their mark into his skin, forever a memory, however distant were still so present for him. Years of watching him struggle made her immensely happy to see him gain some form of control on his abilities. It had never been easy, she knew that, but then again when had their lives been easy? “I know you’re behind me, you always have been. And I love you for it. I just know it couldn’t be easy to just let go like this, with my safety and knowing you can’t always be there, to protect me.” Jon had always been there for her, turn a corner hit a road block, he was there. He saved her life more times than she could count, simply letting go of something like that couldn’t be easy, in fact letting go of her memories with a gun in her hand had taken a couple months in therapy before she could pass any sort of exam to become an officer. But even through that he stood by her choices.

He smiled softly at her when Quinn’s fingertips brushed over his palm. It was such a tender gesture. The skin of his hands was permanently marked by the all those times he’d tried to keep the Chaos from escaping his grasp, so instead of destroying what was around him, the energy tore apart and burnt his own skin. Jon may not have full control of his skills -and probably never would, since he didn’t understand the full extent of his power yet- but at least it had been quite some time since he last harmed himself with his powers. “You’re right. It wasn’t easy” he had to agree on that, because there was always in him that always drove him to keep Quinn safe and to protect her. “But I guess I just have to come to terms with the fact that I’m not your savior, or protector, love. I want to keep you safe, and I always will want that, but I can’t let it be some sort of obstacle or limitant for you, Quinn. I would never forgive myself if that ever kept you from doing what you love or what makes you happy”. He would always be there for her, that wasn’t questionable. But the soldier in him had to let his warrior wife also go out and do her own fighting.

A small frown presents itself on her face. She had not thought about the differences of the house in different timelines, per say, but the fact that this timeline was safe, they had each other and she was pregnant, that was a sign things would be different. She liked different. Quinn lets her hand reach out and graze his skin, her fingers wandering down to trail along his lips, tracing the outline. “You’re right, it isn’t the same as the New Orleans timeline. It’s better.” The redhead couldn’t help but smile, leaning forward to give him one last kiss before their descend upstairs.  “It doesn’t feel like our home.” 

He sat there by the bathtub’s edge looking at her, his eyes acquiring that particular softness that was solely reserved for Quinn. His hand moved to the nape of her neck, slolwy rubbing circles there. He could feel how tense she was, but with any luck, his touch would help her ease and release some of that tension “I’m behind you with any choice you make, love. If it’s what makes you happy and is something that you truly want, then go for it” he said to his wife with a tender smile. Of course going into the field psychology would have been a safer environment for her, but Quinn was not a glass doll that would shatter. She was a warrior, she had fought so many times already and she wanted to keep fighting to keep innocent people out of harm’s way. Jon couldn’t help but admire how noble a calling that was, even if it meant more risks for his wife. She was the strongest woman he knew. He knew that she would be just fine once she became a part of the police force.

God, she loved this man’s smile. She loved him. The years before had been extremely hard for the both of them, the loss, the fighting, all the wars they had to fight just to stay alive, live a normal life and start a family together suddenly seemed worth it. Quinn had never been happier, and she couldn’t hardly wait to tell her husband that their family would only grow. It did scare her though, the thought of being someone’s mother. Quinn was twenty-four years old, married at twenty, and it was sort of crazy to think that at her age she could be having kids. But this was her life, it was just beginning, and it was exactly what she wanted. Kids running around the house, Jon sitting across the kitchen table from her, a widened smile on his face as she sat down to the meal she had prepared for all of them. A family, just as any other would be, and the only things they’d have to worry about were keeping their children safe from bullies and booboo’s. That, Quinn could live with. 

Hearing her say how much she liked their new home was all the man needed to hear. It brought a smile to his lips, one that genuinely reflected how happy he was about the new beginning they were making here in Willenhall. “I’m glad you like it, Quinn. I know it’s not the same it was before we went to New Orleans...” he began to say, recalling how this very home had been so different back then. But so had they been as well. Plenty of new experiences, both good and bad, had happened since and in a way that was reflected in how they were making this house their home now. For starters, they were husband and wife in this timeline. Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe. And both of them were doing their part in giving new life to the old place. “But it really does feel like our home now, doesn’t it?”.

Sighing lightly, the redhead ran her fingertips along his muscles, watching the way they caught on every curvature of his body, enjoying the sensation on her skin. Biting down on her lower lip, she tried to hide the smile that crept up against her wishes, head tilting in a teasing demeanor. “I can’t help but recall how lovely you looked, cheeky as ever sprawled out on our new bed.” Of course she was teasing him, but it wasn’t a lie. Since coming to the house in Willenhall, or rather returning seeing as they had spent a year here before jumping back in time to the point they were at now, the newly weds had been at each other every night. In fact, Quinn had a rather difficult time keeping her hands off of him. 

Jon smiled at her words and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. Ever since they came back to Willenhall, the former soldier smiled more than he ever did before. How could he not? The wars of St. Mary’s were finally over after all the years of pain and suffering students and professors alike had gone through. They could all start a normal life at last. Jon could at last have somewhere he belonged to and he was making a home in this town with Quinn by his side, the woman who was the love of his life. It was impossible not to smile more.

Quinn was too excited about passing to comment on how nice to deck looked when she walked in, far nicer than the last time she’d walked on it and nearly fallen through one of the floor boards due to the rotting. Actually that had brought on all the projects to the house Jon had taken on in the first place. The roof also needed tending to, seeing as some rain damage had begun to get in, which would lead to even more problems. Much to their luck they got to the house before it was far gone. But it was nice, being away from it all. The school, the war, the violence and all the death. At first it seemed too quiet, strange to the redhead that everything could just be fine just like that, after everything that had happened. Something always went wrong, so why not now? She’d practically been looking for things to go wrong now and nothing. Now, they were finally free, and happy. Quinn had passed her exam and could now move forward with her career, and Jon was fixing up the house so they could eventually start a family. Which reminded her, that wasn’t far off…

Jon couldn’t help but laugh a little at her words, as always being very much in love with his wife’s sense of humor. “You do look gorgeous, love” the man confirmed with a soft smile before he leaned close to kiss her again. A hand slipped to the back of her neck and he pulled Quinn a bit closer. After breaking the kiss, he pressed his lips to her temple and embraced her, keeping her close to him. He was aware that she had been feeling sick for the past days, and it worried him that the nausea was still going on. He’d been sure it had been the aftermath of food poisoning for the first couple of days, but now he was fearing that maybe she had caught some sort of stomach infection. He just wanted to pamper her and spoil her a little so she would feel a bit better. “So you haven’t showered, eh? The tub is fixed if you want to try it” he mentioned with a loving smile, thinking of preparing a warm bath for her and then massage her shoulders. It was a good thing that he’d gotten that tub fixed so Quinn could enjoy it.

Jon, I passed!

It had been just a couple of days since the couple moved to this grandma’s house in Willenhall. His house, the one that now belonged to his wife and him. While it had been in a decent state considering how much time went by in which no one lived there, Jon had been working on fixing quite a few things. The new roof was in place. The wooden floor of their porch was fixed. There were still some wooden beams at the back in the garden that needed some work and the man had been doing just that all morning. Hearing that Quinn had arrived, he walked into the house and greeted his wife with a bright smile. Soon enough he held her in his arms and kissed her. “Congratulations, love” Jon said to her as he pulled away from her lips, his arms still wrapped around the small of her back. An amused smile found its way to his lips after her bluntly honest statement “You know, I was about to say the same about you” he said to his wife before he stole a quick kiss from her.

I gaze at you, my shining star and wonder why you chose me; this broken little fragment and brought me into your life Your light has given me purpose and mended jagged wounds In return I give my devotion It is all I have to give.

Smiling lightly at Jon, she puts her fingers under his chin, leaning forward to kiss him lightly. “You’re an amazing father to her, Jon. To all of our children. And you’ve been an amazing husband. You support me, and you’ve been with me through everything. I think that counts for something, soldier.” Knowing that Jon had control over his abilities now was rather calming. In instances like this one, which, to be honest was a normal thing at the Wolfe household, it came in handy. Taking a step forward towards the beast, Quinn puts her hands out in front of her to block herself from its grasp, circling it and looking it over. It looked real, and sounded real so how wasn’t it real? Emma’s powers were progressing faster than Will, Lucy and Sam’s powers had, the girl was only nine years old after all. If she could create something like this at such a young age…imagine what she could do when she grew older. Quinn’s eyes were wide as she exchanged glances with her husband. “There’s a lion in Emma’s room, of course I’m not okay. I mean it could have hurt me.” Lucy states from behind Quinn, making Will let out a loud snort. “Please, you have super strength you drama queen.” “Hey, there’s a lion in the room, if anyone should be speaking right now it’s Emma to get it the hell out of here. Got it?” Quinn snaps, raising an eyebrow in a testing way towards her children. Both of their mouths stay shut, but Lucy does roll her eyes and fold her arms across her chest. “Lionel can’t just leave, mommy, he stays until the bad things go away.” Quinn frowns, looking back at her daughter. “What bad things, Emma?” “The people who gave you and daddy those scars.” Quinn looks at Jon with concern, biting down on her lower lip as she remembers she’d left files out before of Genesis members and even old St. Mary’s files. 

Jon returned his wife’s kiss gladly, as he always did. Her next words brought a warm smile to his lips because that was all he aspired to be: a good husband deserving of Quinn’s love, and a good father and mentor to his children. Every now and then ‘peculiar’ events such as this one happened at their home, but truth be told, he’d almost forgotten when had been the last incident of this kind. Jon kept his chaotic construct around the lion, a protective shield so it wouldn’t jump in and attack his family. “Lucy, are you okay?” he asked once more, putting emphasis on his words. Of course the projected animal wasn’t a normal thing, and it could have harmed them, but he wanted to know for sure that his daughter wasn’t hurt. Glancing back at Will and Lucy, Jon locked eyes with them and simply nodded, a silent request for the two of them to stay calm. His attention turned back to Emma as his little girl explained the reason for Lionel’s presence in her room. A frow settled on his brow, thinking of the same question Quinn asked out loud. Something tightened in his chest at Emma’s reply. If only she knew most of his scars had been self-inflicted due to lack of control of his Chaos... and some of Quinn’s scars were his own doing as well. He looked at his wife and saw something in her eyes that he didn’t fully understand. There was something the two of them had to talk about. “You’re safe with us, darling, there are no bad things here” the man told his daughter as he stepped closer to her, still controlling the construct to keep the lion at a safe distance. “Can you ask Lionel to leave for now? Tell him your dad will make sure the bad things go away. That’s a promise, Em” he told his daughter with a soft smile before he turned to Quinn momentarily, still trying to understand whatever it was that she seemed to know better than he did.

Quinn gasps at his comment, her nose crunching up as she gives him a sarcastic retort. “Well I never. You’re so mean.” Her last words were teasing because she knew that her husband would most certainly not think badly of her behavior nor his daughter, no matter how difficult the two could be. “I know you don’t want your ability to have anything to do with the kids, I really do. I respect that, and I remember all the talks we had about whether or not we would have more than one kid because you were so afraid of even having one inherit your power. But Sam…she’s so strong, and brilliant, and she’s so much like you. She loves being like you, the girl idolizes you, Jon. You’re her hero and whether you both hate the power or not, she loves being close to you in this way. You both share a strong bond because of Chaos. Sam is who she is because of Chaos and I’d never change how any of our babies are. I’m proud of who she’s become and I’m proud of how you’ve stepped up in your role as a father.” Quinn states simply, reaching up to caress his cheek lightly. She pulls him down to her again, pressing her lips against his in a gentle and loving way. God, she loved this man, and she loved the family they had built together. They were everything to her, and so much more. Once the commotion upstairs started, it didn’t seem to stop like it sometimes did. Sometimes, Will harassed Lucy, and Lucy and Will would get into a huge argument that only lasted until the other slammed their door. Occasionally Sam and Lucy got into it but their fighting was slamming doors to the bathroom and their room doors, shooting sarcastic remarks every now and again. This noise was…well, it wasn’t arguing. Quinn took her husbands hand, and as soon as they materialized upstairs, she could sense something was off. Another loud bang sounded and it came from Emma’s room. She heard Lucy let out a shriek, and Will tell her to calm the hell down, shushing her violently. “What the hell.” Frowning in confusion, Quinn’s the first to open the bedroom door her youngest girls shared, nearly screaming herself at the sight of a lion standing in the middle of the room. “What in the fucking hell- Lucy? Will? Why…” “It’s not real mom! Well, he is really but…I kind of always had this friend uh…this is my friend Lionel.” Emma projected, making Quinn throw up her hands. “You’re friend, Emma?” Quinn choked out, grabbing her son’s arm and nodding for him to move the girl’s away. “You were saying about having your Chaos being a problem, hm?” Quinn says to Jon, sending him a look before she turns back to the fucking lion in her daughter’s room. 

Jon kissed his wife’s cheek in confirmation that his words had just been to tease her a bit. His demeanor goes back to its former seriousness when they continued to talk about his power. Of the gene in him that had been passed down to Sam. “I understand where you’re coming from, love, I really do...” he began, his eyes drifting downwards for a moment. He loved his daughter beyond words, and he admired the strength in her and how she’d faired so far with the Chaos. “But if I’d had a say on the matter of this power... I wouldn’t have inherited it to Sam. Or any of our kids”. The cost was too high, the risk always present. He hated the fact that even for a moment his little girl had experienced the fear of what lived inside her, that she’d felt the fear of hurting others because she felt like a threat. A monster. His eyes went back up to meet Quinn’s. With his wife’s hand against his cheek, Jon leaned in.This was all a situation that he couldn’t change, so he just surrendered to what was. As the two of them materialized upstairs, he let go of Quinn’s hand as the two of them assessed the situation. The dark tendrils of his Chaos were still swirling around his hand, ready to use his power if necessary. The sight of a goddamn lion on his daughter’s room was enough necessity, of course, so his power created a construct around the projection Emma had created. “Emma, darling, you need to make your friend Lionel go for now” Jon told his daughter in a collected tone, looking at Quinn as she spoke. Emma’s skill could be quite troublesome at times, he could see his wife’s point there. “Are you two alright?” he asked as he glanced back over his shoulder, looking at Will and Lucy.

“How did I get so lucky?” Quinn mutters as she looks up at her husband. She watches him bring her palm to his lips, smiling lightly when he kisses it. There was so much about him that had been a mystery to her, and his powers were one of them. Another was that she couldn’t comprehend how a man like himself who had lost everyone dear to him and was everyday surrounded by chaos could be so perfect. In her eyes, he was just that, he was perfect. Everything about him made her heart beat a little faster, just the thought of him made her smile. At work when she would worry about the kids on her bulletin board, she’d close her eyes and think of Jon sitting across from her at the dinner table as their family ate together. The family they had built together was amazing all in its own. She cherished the fact she still got to see them everyday she went home, and they weren’t lost or taken away from her. “Well, Sam and Emma are easy to talk to, they’re calm like you. A helluva lot more level headed than Lucy. She’s exactly like me, only probably worse…” Quinn trails off, shaking her head while a sigh escapes her lips. Lucy was her eldest daughter, and the one of the family who had perhaps inherited all of Quinn’s genes, just as Sam had with her father. “I know you don’t want Sam to go, soldier, but it is her decision. And it’s not like Zach would weaponize her. If you wanted I’m sure you could visit her and still train with her as much as you wanted to.” Resting against her husband, Quinn closes her eyes and lets herself relax in the silence between them for a moment. She was scared as hell but what else was new? She’d always be scared for her children until the day she took her last breath. It was her job as a parent to worry, part of the job was keeping them safe. “If anyone else is aware of all those things, it’s mean. Half the time when I come home you know I’m worried I might find you on the ground, or find a new burn on your hand. But, we get through it, just as we got through Emma being bind, and we’ll get through teaching Sam how to deal with the Chaos. Who knows, she might even be better than you.” Quinn shrugs as she pokes Jon’s nose teasingly. She accepts the kiss he gives her, leaning into his chest to close the gap between them. The sudden commotion upstairs, however, interrupts their kiss. Quinn sits up, looking up at the ceiling with squinted eyes. “Will? Lucy? Emma, is everything alright?”

A loving smile crossed his lips at the rhetorical question. It was the same question he asked himself every morning when he woke up and saw his wife asleep by his side. When Quinn spoke of their daughters, he nodded slowly. Sam and Emma were much more like him, not entirely, but they did inherit some of his quiet, reserved nature. Will and Lucy got a bigger share of the Taylor genes, especially the eldest Wolfe sister. He couldn’t help but laugh a little as his wife spoke of her “No one’s worse than you, love” he replied in a teasing manner, leaning close to kiss her cheek. “I would respect Sam’s decision, of course. And I trust Zach would treat her better than Hearst ever treated me. But... I wish things were easier for her” Jon mentioned with a sigh “I wish that she hadn’t inherited this power. She wouldn’t have to be afraid, she wouldn’t struggle with all this uncertainty”. Jon Wolfe loved his family, he loved his children beyond words, but there had been a point when he wasn’t willing to have kids for fear that his gene would pass down to them. When Will’s powers manifested, he felt relieved. When Lucy’s powers first showed, he was glad that the Chaos seemed to be a recessive gene. And then Sam’s powers revealed themselves and he could barely handle the guilt of having inherited her with a heavy burden. As Quinn spoke, he held on to those positive thoughts. He had to hope for his daughter instead of seeing her situation as a lost fight. “I want nothing more than for her to be better than me” he replied with a smile, his statement serious despite the teasing manner in which his wife said those words. He wanted Sam to be in perfect control of her abilities one day, to maybe understand that loophole Jon hadn’t been able to comprehend about his power. He kissed her until she pulled away, and Jon became alert as he heard the sound from upstairs “Luce? Will?” he also called out. He then looked at his wife as the tendrils of darkness envelopped him, holding out a hand to her and his chaotic energy consumed them both in a split second, dematerializing the couple only to appear upstairs and see what had happened.

Quinn let out a small laugh, lifting one of her hands up to his cheek, caressing his skin lightly. “I need that. I need you.” She lets out a small sigh, leaning into his touch as he begins to run a hand through her hair. “You’re better at speaking with Will. I always end up yelling.You’re a bit more…calm.” Sometimes she wished Will would at least try to understand the amount of stress she was under. Countless times she’d worked cases were the kids that were missing never made it home to their families. People could be awful, cruel, and take away things that meant the world to you in seconds if they wanted to. This was her way of helping people, she tried to bring families back together and bring closer to those who needed it. At the same time, she felt she was also protecting her family the way she felt she could. She couldn’t imagine going through what those families went through everyday for the rest of their lives. Quinn smiled when Jon told her that he loved her too, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek softly. Looking down at her hands, Quinn turned her wedding ring around in circles while Jon spoke, listening to his words and thinking on them. Their kids did deserve a different life than the ones Quinn and Jon had lived. They’d both seen so much death, people died at Quinn’s hand and she couldn’t even think about firing a gun again, even if she carried one with her everyday. The shots she fired were warnings, only ever hitting their legs or shoulders, nothing that could kill. “You’re absolutely right, they are old enough. I think it’s worth bringing up to them. Maybe to Emma and Sam, Will’s about to graduate and Lucy won’t leave her friends behind. At any mention of switching schools, she throws a fit. They’ve also mastered their abilities as much as they can for the moment. Their powers don’t progress as fast as Sam and Emma’s. Zach would love to have them, I know he would. If, you know, that’s what they choose.” As he explained his and Sam’s ability, she felt herself freeze up a bit. Knowing there were things about their ability Sam had yet to experience that Jon had at her age frightened her, as well as made her nervous. The idea that their power was that unpredictable scared her shitless. Why couldn’t she have had Force Field Generation like Quinn did? Or maybe something less dangerous like Invisibility or Flight? It just had to be Chaos Manipulation. Biting down on her lower lip, Quinn looks up at her husband while he brings her wrist to his lips, a small smile present for only a couple seconds before it disappears once more. Will wasn’t allowed to use Sam’s ability, in fact he’d stayed away from his sister for months before he felt comfortable being around her again after the incident. Quinn and Jon had had to sit them down and explain why it wasn’t safe to ever take someone else’s ability unless it was a power more predictable to use. The fact that Will had been that severe with Sam’s bully actually surprised her a little. He knew the extent of her abilities and what might happen if she was set off. “See, this…scares me. It scares me more than firing my weapon in the field, and you know how I feel…towards that…” She pauses for a minute, nodding with his words. “You’ll find a way to help her. I know it.” Quinn looked up at her husband once more, meeting his eyes with all the hope in the world in her eyes that he could figure this thing out. She knew he could, and would do anything and everything in his power to help his little girl. “When we found out Emma couldn’t speak, we found a way to communicate with her, and make her life as normal as we possibly could. We can help Sam with her abilities as they grow now too.” She says with more confidence now, knowing the Taylor and Wolfe bunch were as strong as they come. As her lips meet his, she leans under his touch, moving her hands to the back of his neck. She could feel her worries slip away the longer they were close, wanting and needing the touch of the man she loved. Finally, she breaks for air, pressing her forehead to his with a smile on her lips. “Maybe you could talk to Will just a little bit later?” 

Jon smiled tenderly at his wife in response, taking the hand she'd reseted on his cheek and turning to place a kiss on her palm. He knew she needed him and he needed her, that was why the worked out well together: they had each other's backs and looked after each other when they forgot to do it themselves. "You're wonderful at speaking to the girls" he replied. Will was at hotheaded as his mum, and the girls were different degrees of being calmer, which was probably why they balanced it out as parents. He could see that Quinn was deep in thought for a moment, and he didn't interrupt her by speaking up. He just held her close and continued to provide that silent reassurance he always did when she was feeling off about something. Stress of work. Trouble with their kids. Anything. He just was there for her. Thankfully, their kids had been blessed with living in more peaceful times than the chaotic years of Jon and Quinn's involvement with St. Mary's and all the wars and death it caused. Jon didn't want his children to ever feel like weapons, or to experience the guilt of killing someone or to ever have to decide which ones of their friends would be their enemies later. "Yes. We can talk about it later with them, give them as much time they need to think about it and let them do whatever they choose" he replied. A part of him was reluctant to let Sam go there in particular, due to the nature of her power. It could be so easily turned into something to destroy. Chaos was like that by nature, and it had been his greatest struggle: to figure out how not to be only a destructive force. Jon could see the concern in her eyes and he hated that it was this thing in his genes that was the source of that concern. He'd put her through more than enough with his power, and now she had to deal not only with the things that happened with him, but also what happened to her own daughter. "It scares me too, love" he admitted in a low tone. Chaos was infinitely worse than bullets... "I wish that I could offer you more certainty, to you and Sam. But even if I've tried to understand what this thing is, what the Chaos truly is... it's too complex, it's ever-changing". As cruel as Orion Hearst had been, the man had been exceedingly intelligent as well, and not even him had figured out Jon's power in the years of his solitary confinement. Perhaps that was the doom of possessing such a power, that there was no order or coherence in the Chaos. It was whatever it needed to be. At his wife's words, he nodded, because they'd figured how to cope and thrive with Emma's situation. He could only hope that somehow, someday they also would with Sam's power. A small smile appeared on his lips, glad to be having this moment of closeness and tender intimacy with his wife. “Yes, I’ll do that a bit later” he replied in a soft manner, leaning close to kiss her again.

“Oh you know I’m awful with that.” She sighs, waving a hand in the air as if to push his words away. There wasn’t a bone in her body that cared for herself over others. It was like second nature for her to put others before herself, so how the hell was she supposed to just “take a break” from her own children? Quinn bit down on her lower lip, bringing her coffee mug to her lips, but doesn’t take a sip. She holds this position for a moment, staring at the place mat in front of her before she finally moves the mug to her lips. “Thank you, soldier. That’ll at least take some of the weight off. Hey, maybe Will’ll listen to you, he loves talking back to me.” Quinn grumbles, talking under her breath about how disobedient her son was. Will lived to make Quinn’s blood boil. In fact, she was sure he went out of his way to make her yell at him. Jon’s relationship with Will seemed to be different, a bit more…respectable. They could talk about anything, and maybe that’s because they were so overpowered by women that it was nice to just talk as men. Quinn didn’t understand it. Her hand brushes over the stubble on his chin, passing over the base of his throat before it rests on his chest. She concentrates on the movement of his breath, the way his chest moved up and down every time in drew in more air. In some way this was calming to her, having his presence so close to her own, the love of her life in her arms. A smile manages to make its way to her lips, her eyes locking with his. “I love you, you know that?” Sighing lightly, she moves her arms to wrap around his neck, a frown on her brow. “Well of course I’m aware of that soldier. But this bullying thing has me worried. Same never spoke of it until Will got into that fight. And just imagine if Lucy were there with her strength. Are we doing the right thing keeping them here rather than sending them to Zach at St. Mary’s?” She was fully aware of how much Chaos was a burden. Though Jon had the ability, Quinn had been subject to it’s negative effects first hand. He had burned her once before, though he wasn’t in control. She knew how it felt to bare a scare of a memory you never wanted to think on again. “Sweetheart, I know you will. You’re the best things she’s got right now because you’ve experienced every possible outcome she could go through. I’m just…I’m worried. Do you remember when Will was only just coming into his abilities and he tried to use Sam’s? We don’t need any repeats of something like that, or something like today where she burned someone else’s child.” Quinn murmurs, looking down at her wrists, remembering when Will had nearly torn the house apart that day from Sam’s ability. She had to step in and shield Sam and Lucy away from the blast, while Jon absorbed the chaos coming out of their son. The only memory left from that day was a charred pillow and the scar on Quinn’s wrist. Thank god it hadn’t been worse. 

A bittersweet smile crossed his lips. “That’s why I’m here, love” he told her in a soft tone, that tone he only ever used with her.Quinn’s love for others was so big that she left herself for last. But that was one of the reasons he was there for this great woman with that huge heart, so someone wouldn’t leave her for last when she did. For Jon she was priority one, always had been. His hand moves to her hair, absentmindedly running his fingers through it in slow, gentle motions. “I’ll talk to him. Things will get better, you’ll see” he said in a reassuring manner, his fingers softly twirling a lock of her hair before he finally lowered it to rest at her hip. He had to make his son understand that his mum wasn’t going through an easy time right now. As reckless and rebellious as Will could be, he was an understanding boy as well and Jon was fairly sure that if he could get his son to see the stress he could bring to Quinn, he would take his rebel-withou-cause act down a couple of notches. When his wife gave him those three treasured words, a soft smile settled on his lips. He knew Quinn loved him, of course he did, but it was always a nice to hear her say it. “And I love you, Quinn” he told her in the most open-hearted manner he could musted. This woman was his light and he cherished her like she carried the sun in her hands. His look was downcast for a moment as Quinn spoke, because the same doubts she had were the ones that were going through his head. And St. Mary’s... it was a very different place now than it was under Hearst. But an institution to train gifted ones would always be an institution to train gifted ones and some things just didn’t chance when it came to power training. “I just think our children deserve a chance of having a more normal- a more peaceful upbring than we had” he mentioned, because that had been the idea behind sending their son and daughters to a regular school. “But they’re old enough to decide. I believe it could be good to talk to them and let them choose”. Who knew? Perhaps they’d feel safer, more in control. “That’s what scares me, love. It’s a very unpredictable power to have” he said, sounding troubled. To this day his own power kept shifting, developping. Even as in control as he was of it, Jon had no idea of the true extent of Chaos Manipulation. “Sam’s is developing different than mine did. She already has skills that I developped well into my twenties and others that were the first to manifest with me that she hasn’t even experienced”. He held her a bit closer, letting one hand graze tenderly over her wrists before lifting it to his lips to press a light kiss on her skin. Incidents like that day pained him because he’d failed at protecting his wife and children, the scars proved it. And now he was failing Sam as his mentor. “We’ll find a way, love. I’ll help Sam somehow” he told her, barely above a whisper. Jon had no idea how to deal with it, but he knew he had to believe in those words and come up with a way to deal with the situation before his family fell apart. He lifted his hand and caressed his wife’s cheek in one tender motion before it slid to the back of her neck. Jon wanted to take away from her all the worries and sadness that were plaguing her mind, just rob them from her and take them as his own if he had to. Slowly he leaned forward, gently pulling her close as their lips met.

Countless times Quinn had told herself to take time off of work but there was always something else going on. Once she finished one case, another would pop up that she had trouble saying no to. The problem was, she could never say no. It felt wrong to put her kids second, in fact she refused to do that. Obviously she’d just have to be better and manage her time. “No, Jon, I can’t just put my kids second. They’re the most important things in my life, and I have to take care of them. Just…maybe you could go to the school sometimes, and we can switch off? Honestly, I’m there almost everyday arguing with someone about Will’s behavior. That boy…jeez Jon, our boy…” Quinn rolls her eyes, letting her head fall in her hands. Will was eighteen, a womanizer, rebellious and tried to do everything in his power to be disobedient. But that didn’t mean he didn’t care about his family, that was everything to the Wolfe’s and it was something Quinn and Jon has instilled in their children’s minds from the beginning. She moves into Jon’s lap, letting herself relax in his embrace. It had been a long time since she’d had this kind of moment with her husband, and it was one she’d missed the most. Her hand ran through his hair, soothing him, and knowing he needed it at this time. Sam and Emma were different from Lucy and Will because their powers could so easily overcome them. They constantly worried over their little girls, wondering how the hell to raise them and protect them from their own abilities. “She’s at Wade and Serena’s right now spending time with Remy. I think doing homework? I don’t know. The others are upstairs in their rooms. Will’s been brooding ever since we got home.” Quinn snorted, shaking her head. “Of course we’re not sending her away to another school. But mind you, I thought about switching schools all together after I gave that principal a piece of my mind. You know what? Fuck them, we’ve got some great kids despite everything they say. I know Sam’ll be just fine. She’s strong and resilient as hell, just like her father.”

“No, Quinn, it’s not putting them second. It’s taking care of yourself as well” he told her in a gentle manner, but there was a serious undertone clear in his voice. Work was intense for her, it demanded a lot of dedication and it was physically and mentally straining to be out there catching criminals like she did. Jon was proud of his wife, she was one hell of a police officer, but sometimes she dedicated so much to her job, more than she should. “Of course I’ll go. And I’ll go talk to Will in a moment” he told her in a more reassuring tone. He and his son were polar opposites when it came to their behavior, but they had always been able to talk about everything, he was proud of the open and honest relationship he had with his boy. It seemed with all that was going on, a good chat was in order. When Quinn moved closer to sit on his lap, Jon wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He knew both needed this closeness, this connection that managed to bring peace to both. His eyes closed briefly, resting his forehead against her own and he took a deep breath to center himself, to pull it together so he could help his son and his daughter now that they needed him to offer guidance. A small smile graced his lips for a moment, feeling more ease. Quinn, his light, had a way to help him see past the darkness and to find peace. “Love, they’re halfway through the year, it wouldn’t do them much good to switch schools at this point. I’ll head there tomorrow to talk to the principal, see what can be done” he said, now having a more positive view of the situation. Her last words made him smile a bit “I know she is a strong one, much stronger than me. But the chaos is a heavy burden, one that I hoped none of our children would get. Now that it’s Sam’s burden as well, I just need to figure out how to take some of that weight off her, find a some way to make it easier, less painful”.