#steven;

The repetitive beeps, whines and whirs from Eva’s medical equipment were oddly hypnotic and Steven didn’t realise he was drifting off to sleep as his eyes fluttered closed and his head rolled forward. After a few moments his head started to loll to the side and he woke up with a start, glancing around in a slight panic due to being disorientated. He recognised the room, the surroundings and the situation all too clearly and glanced at the screens and monitors that were the only sign of life for his younger sister. He had no idea what any of the graphs or digits meant, he only knew that they hadn’t changed. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted movement by the door and rose to greet the new guests, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he did so.

Nadia slipped quietly in the room. “I’m sorry; I hope I didn’t wake you,” she said to Steven. She’d barely seen him---barely had time even to see Eva---and she was already feeling awkward about it. “I was going to bring you some food, but I fell asleep with it in the oven. Um, has anything changed?” Nadia walked over to the hospital bed and lowered the railing so she could sit next to her comatose girlfriend, who she still wanted to call her wife. She gently ran her fingers along Eva’s arm, aching to lay next to her and hold her, but Steven deserved her attention.

“Not at all, mate,” Steven replied with a smile, genuinely pleased to see her, “was just resting my eyes is all.” His expression turned forlorn and he shook his head somberly. “No change at all,” his voice was barely a whisper. He managed a very small chuckle and smiled appreciatively. “You getting sleep is far more important than food for me, ‘sides I think I’m finally getting a taste for the gunk they serve upstairs.” Wanting to give the two girls a moment alone he shifted himself to the corner of the room and busied himself with checking his phone. He had of course informed his and Eva’s mother of the situation but he, unlike Eva, had long given up on any form of concern being shown by the woman for her only daughter so he was unsurprised to find still no response on his phone. He had so many questions and knew Dee would be able to answer most if not all of them so he perched himself gently beside her. “Dee… What happened?”

“I don’t need much sleep,” Nadia insisted. “My healing handles the physical effects for a while; it’s just advantageous for mental functions. You shouldn’t have to be getting used to that ‘gunk’!” Although her ability to read body language deteriorated with lack of sleep, she recognized that Steven was giving her a moment. She took the opportunity to kiss Eva’s forehead, and run her fingers through Eva’s wavy hair while she whispered apologies for her absence and promised that when she woke up they’d spend time doing something fun to make up for it a little. She struggled to think of examples because of the fatigue, but then the thought of her tiredness made her remember something. “I had a nice dream once,” she murmured. “We went to Central Park with Alma...it was autumn, and we went on the carousel twice. I haven’t been on a carousel yet, and I don’t think I realized I wanted to go on one until I dreamed about it. I wonder if you’ve been on one. You need to wake up soon so you can tell me, Eva. We took Alma’s picture next to the Beethoven statue and went on a horse-drawn carriage ride together, and then we had a picnic. Do you think we should do that? Wake up and tell me what we should bring on the picnic, Evee. I’ll make hot apple cider for sure, but what do you want to eat on our picnic?” She quieted when Steven sat next to her, and she turned her attention to him. How was she supposed to answer that question? “She was attacked. By a telepath who calls himself Mastermind. He was trying to force her to use her powers to send him back in time so he could change history. She fought back, even as he was trying to break her mind so he could have control of it.” Nadia lifted Eva’s hand so she could hold it. “My courageous, strong Eva,” she added, giving her hand a squeeze. “A latent aspect of her mutation activated. Maybe Mastermind caused it, maybe it activated as a defense against him; it’s hard to say. It...instead of moving objects or people, she moved minds. Since we ended up in the future instead of the past like Mastermind wanted, I assume it was Eva’s subconscious that took us there rather than Mastermind’s strongarming. Ten years into the future.”

“Everyone needs sleep, mate,” Steven countered feeling a lot like he was back in his home country with a little sister insisting she could stay up later than she actually could. But this situation was far more serious than that one had been. “Even if it’s just for a little, it helps keep everything ticking as it should.” Attempting to lighten the mood just a little he added, “I hear the gunk here is actually better than some places in Harlem, so I’m not complaining.” Having nothing to focus on with regard to his phone, he couldn’t help overhearing the whispers and promises and the story of the dream. He felt an icy grip taking hold of his heart and a lump rising in his throat. Blinking rapidly didn’t quite stop a single tear escaping and rolling down his cheek but he wiped it away quickly. He was struck by the realisation that he didn’t know if Eva had ever been on a carousel either and agreed with the sentiment that Eva should wake up soon and tell them.   “Attacked!?” He couldn’t stop the outburst when he heard his baby sister had been actively sought out and attacked. “I hope this Mastermind ain’t still breathing,” he seethed but then got his temper back under control and listened to Dee, hanging on every word. He shook his head forlornly and looked around Dee for a moment to look at Eva - at least she looked peaceful. “It all makes sense now,” he said in barely more than a whisper. “The docs say her injuries are like she’s been hit really hard on the head but there no external evidence of it, because she was literally hit inside her head. She’s always been brave, and strong in ways people don’t tend to see. She’s a tough cookie, always has been. She fought through that attack bravely and she’ll be fighting through this too, she’ll get through, I know it.”   He didn’t pretend to understand mutations or the fact they could evolve and change or latent aspects could activate. He just accepted it as fact, he’d seen and heard enough evidence to never have to doubt it. “The future? But you were still here, partly anyway. I saw you once and it was like you were a zombie, you didn’t even recognise me. You were hardly functioning, just going through the motions.” He took a moment to process what he had heard and then asked a different question. “Ten years… How different was it?”

“I know,” Nadia acknowledged. It didn’t convince her to go take a nap, but the concern was appreciated. “As far as I know, he is. I don’t know if the attack was orchestrated by the Brotherhood or if he was acting alone.” She hoped he was. She wanted to believe someone they considered a friend wouldn’t knowingly allow this to happen. “If anyone with green hair comes to visit, let me know right away.” Nadia nodded in agreement and gave Eva’s hand another squeeze. “You’re right. She’s stronger than she knows. I should get a hold of Jacen, have him take a look. He’s very good at psychic surgery, but I think Eva would hate knowing he was in her head. She punched him the last time he was in mine.” The memory made her laugh. “My brave fighter. You better wake up before I have to call him, Eva.” Nadia rubbed her neck and sighed. “Yes, physically, everyone who was moved to the future remained here. Most were unconscious, it seems. Maybe me being awake---sort of---had to do with my healing, or because of how often my mind’s been meddled with; maybe I got a teeny bit of immunity. But I don’t remember any of what my body was doing while my conscious mind was gone. I’m sorry for what that must have put you through, Steven.” Nadia smiled fondly at Eva and let her gaze drift to her bare ring finger. “It was very different. I don’t know how much is safe to talk about, because Eva says knowing too much about the potential future is dangerous.” She half expected to hear Eva make a joke about Darth Vader, but there was only the steady beeping of machines. “We were still together, Eva and I. Steven, you’re always nice to me, but it’s hard for me to discern if people genuinely like me. Do you think I’m enough for her? To marry her?”

“I might just have to change that,” Steven growled, though he had no idea how he would ever manage to get near a telepath nevermind win a fight with one. The threat made him feel that he was at least trying to make things right. “Green hair? Ok… Is this person someone to be worried about?” His eyebrow rose with the question, if the green haired person had anything to do with Eva’s current state they would find it very hard to get anywhere near her. Steven couldn’t help a soft chuckle as well, the laughter felt good but was still tinged with sadness. “I heard about that incident, I’ve met the chap once but it was very briefly so I don’t really have an opinion and what I have heard is… shall we say biased?” He nodded towards Eva’s motionless form, he knew very well she wasn’t a fan of Jacen at all. He laughed again softly. “That’s a new one, I haven’t tried threatening her but it’s definitely worth a shot.” His gaze was fixed on his sister’s face - did her eyelid just twitch slightly, or did he imagine it?  A few more seconds staring and he put it down to his imagination.   He listened once more to Dee’s explanation, which again made perfect sense and he waved off her apology with a smile. “No dramas, I was just worried but… but I couldn’t leave here to make sure you were ok. I know you would never have left her on the floor had you been your normal self, it’s how I knew for sure there was something really wrong.” The loving look Dee cast over Eva made him smile. He had seen that look before, many times and often going both ways, Eva never hid her adoration for Dee and he loved that about them. After a nod and another soft chuckle he spoke again. “Yes, I have received that particular lecture, enthusiastically delivered with many a Star Wars comparison dropped in for reference.” His features turned sad and he stared for a moment at Eva’s face. “I’d love to hear it again though.” In truth he would simply love to hear his sister’s voice, he didn’t really care what it was saying or what language it was using as long as she was awake and speaking.   Dee’s question surprised him, but joining the dots between the ten year jump into the future and the fact they were still together he worked out the pair were married. “You are a very likable person, I think it would be hard for someone not to like you. You are absolutely enough for her. The way you are together, what you do for each other during both good and bad times. Everything you’ve been through and yet here you are holding each other up. To be honest, it actually doesn’t matter what I think, only you know how you feel.” He smiled warmly, his biggest smile since this whole awful situation had begun. “But if this is some roundabout way of asking me for permission because she doesn’t have a father, then you definitely have my blessing. I know she’ll say yes and I don’t need adventures in the future to see that. But I also know she’ll probably ask you what took you so long.”

Nadia assumed Steven was smart enough to only be making idle threats, so she let it slide without comment. “No, she doesn’t have any reason to hurt Eva, and I don’t think they’d send her if they did. We’re not close, but we were classmates briefly, and even if she doesn’t consider me a friend, we’ve always had an understanding, I think. I just don’t want her around Eva until I know if she knew Mastermind’s intentions. If she did, then we have a problem. If not...we still have a problem, but I’m not going to start a fight with one of the few people who can easily incapacitate me.” She realized only after the rambling that her explanation was probably more worrying than reassuring. “What you heard may have been biased, but it was probably true. He’s done some very bad things, and some very good things, too, but it doesn’t necessarily make him more likable.” Nadia’s brows shot up in shock. “Wait, I---I left her on the floor? I, I know it was hardly me, but---oh, I’m so sorry, Eva...” Her distress began to ease as Steven reacted positively to her question. She didn’t think she deserved such praise, but she’d rather receive praise than scorn. “I do know how I feel. I love her completely, and I always want to be with her. I just worry that… I know it will be complicated. She will age normally, and I will only look the slightest bit older a decade from now. Every year the disparity will increase, not just how we look but how we are treated. Eventually there will be awkward questions and pressure to pretend we’re something other than what we are. She will experience stages of life that I will not be able to relate to and go through with her the way a wife should. I know I will always love her, and she will always love me, at least in a way. But I don’t want her to feel pressured to stay with me as her life goes on. I don’t want to hold her back.” Nadia sniffled. It simply wasn’t fair. “But I know, I know that she was so happy when she realized we were married in the future. She knew right away that she took my last name and didn’t hyphenate it with hers, so I know she’s thought about it in our time. I know it’s what she wants, and I know that when I saw how happy it made her, I knew I wanted to take that risk.” She kept glancing down at Eva’s hand in hers and imagining it with an engagement ring. “I think I need to talk to Logan, though. He’s the only person I know who may have gone through this dilemma, and I need to be sure---but you have eased my mind.” Nadia couldn’t stifle her yawn. Forming coherent sentences took so much energy that she didn’t have to spare. “I couldn’t bear to put a wedge between you two. Thank you.”

Steven looked down at his hands which were balled into fists and took a deep calming breath. Jumping in fists first had always been his way but as he'd got older he had learn to back away from fights where he was outmatched. Plus, he had no proof that Mastermind was responsible for Eva’s current state. What Nadia said about the potentially visiting green haired girl didn’t ease his feelings of uneasiness but he trusted her judgement and would go along with whatever Nadia suggested. As hard as it was for him to admit, she knew what was best for Eva far better than he did now. “A chap from the police offered to increase security on the room if we thought it was needed. D’ya think that’s something we should do in case this girl comes knocking?” His hand found it’s way to her shoulder and he squeezed it reassuringly. “Hey, it’s not your fault. It wasn’t you and she’ll know that. You’d never have left her if things had been normal, but it was as far from normal as ya could get.” His features split into a knowing smile and he nodded at each of her points, understanding where the worries were coming from. “Anything that’s worth doing is normally hard or complicated, mate. That’s what makes it worth it.” His gaze fell back on sister’s face, she looked like she was peacefully sleeping and he suddenly wondered if she could hear or understand what was being said around her. “Y’know, it’s been, what, six years since she left and she doesn’t really look that much different. Maybe she’ll keep her youthful looks for longer than you think and you’ll have more time to prepare for those awkward questions. But you’re absolutely right, she has thought about it. She mentioned it to me once and she said the same thing you just did, is it fair to tie you to someone who can’t share your whole life. But it is what she wants. She loves you so much and … well, she’s always saying how she can’t live without ya.” He nodded again. “Talking to someone who knows how it feels is probably a good idea,” he chuckled softly as a memory stirred, “isn’t Logan the one Eva was terrified of?” He noticed the attempt at stifling a yawn and stood to move around her, lifting tubes and wires up and out of the way and tucking some down the side of the bed to keep them secure but still freeing up space. “Not much chance of that,” he said lightly as he continued to work, “I just do what she tells me. She’s definitely the boss.” Satisfied with the space he had cleared he gave Nadia a gentle nudge. “Lay down, have a cuddle, and a nap if you like. She’ll appreciate it.” He raised a hand to stop the objection he was sure was coming. “My sister, my rules. Come on, just for a bit. Try and relax.”