“What if it…?” Now that she was about to voice her fears aloud, Caroline felt silly, like a child seeing monsters in the dark. “What if it comes for me, too?” She shrugged helplessly, offering a weak smile. “I know it has no reason to,” she said. “I’m not a suitable host. It would probably kill me, and I’m sure it’s aware of that.” She smiled faintly. “But still,” she said. “I think about it. I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone. If it came for me, I don’t know if I’d be able to resist it like she does.”
Pierre gave Caroline the space to admit her fears aloud. They had built trust over the years and there was nothing the two couldn’t tell each other free of judgement. “Why would it come for ya?” Caroline had said it herself time and time again: she wasn’t as strong as her mother was, not that it was anything to be ashamed or saddened by, but it did make her less of a target for the phoenix force. To some extent that was a blessing. “What’s got ya thinkin’ that way, Care? A nightmares just a nightmare.”