Hera was lonely. 

Jean was busy training Joel, Zeke was off somewhere in the mountains, and her dad was constantly in meetings with the other settlements. She tried to keep Theo out of her mind, but she missed him so much it hurt. She had so many things she wanted to say. Like, 'I forgive you for being a dick, I miss your stupid jokes' and, 'I'm unequivocally in love with you.'

But he needed space. He ran away. 

"What the fuck?" She groaned, slamming her face into her pillow. She couldn't keep his perfect face out of her mind. And his body... 'Oh God.' 

She needed a cold shower.

After a thorough rinse, she went to bed, and even in her dreams, she could not escape him.

...

Dawn broke on another beautiful day. 

The weather was crisp, but it was clear spring was coming. Someone cleared the ground in front of her father's cottage of snow, and Jean was already drenched in sweat, sparring on the hard earth. It wouldn't be a soft landing on the frozen dirt, Hera thought as she warmed up beside the square. She felt weaker, and her skill had dropped after weeks without training, but she picked it up fairly quickly after falling on her backside a few times. Jean went easy on her, which only made her mad. 

"Fight me properly, dammit." She panted out opposite Jean.

"Alright." Her lips curled mischievously. "Get Ivy." She barked at Joel, who sprinted away. Hera raised her brows as Jean removed her gloves and blew on her half- sharpened blood-red nails.

"Really?" Hera remarked, impressed with her boldness. "Okay." They both lowered their stances, and Hera grinned. This was more like it. She sprinted at Jean before sliding between her legs and kicking the back of her legs. Jean fell hard and spun, hands clawed, but Hera was ready and released the energy that had been rearing to come out for days. She promptly dissolved the tips of Jean's nails until they were blunt and dull. She withdrew quickly to not hurt Jean and jumped to her feet.

"I just painted these!" She shouted with a scowl before charging into Hera's core, knocking the wind from her. Jean stood over Hera and lifted her arm, poised to bite when Juno came out to play. A field of energy pushed hard against Jean's face, and she flew across the square, landing on all fours. Ivy returned with Joel and stood to the side of the square. 

"What are you two doing?" She was worried, trying to ask Hera if she was okay just with a look. She nodded and smiled at her lovely friend before facing Jean again.

Hera noticed in fascination that Jean's canines looked sharper, slightly elongated.

 "Just having some fun..." Jean rasped back. She was indeed a force to be reckoned with. If they weren't friends, Hera would be terrified. Although, Jean wasn't looking at her like a friend right then. Jean charged again, this time jumping high and wrapping her thighs around Hera's neck. Oh shit, Hera braced as she was spun violently around, painfully thrown across the square.

Jean didn't wait before straddling her back and sinking her teeth into Hera's shoulder. "Ahh!" Juno's shield delayed slightly, and Jean managed to break her skin before being thrown back again. This time, landing on her back, blood dripping from her lips. Hera rolled onto her back, trying to draw breath desperately, but her lungs wouldn't work. 

Her energy was ablaze with panic and honed in on Jean, who was just getting to her feet. Hera could feel Jean's power, stronger than ever. Her energy mingled with it and tugged slightly. Jean fell to her knees in shock, and her teeth retracted instantly. 

One more pull and she could take it. She felt like she could. 

But she didn't want to hurt Jean.

 She let go. 

She heard screaming. Sorry, Jeanie, it was just an accident, she thought as the oxygen stopped flowing to her brain. She saw Theo then. His sad, perfect face as she lost consciousness, and Ivy knelt at her side angrily. 

She healed her, but it took all of her energy to do it, and Hera didn't wake immediately.

"What was that?" Jean breathed fearfully of her unconscious friend.

"Yeah, Jean." Ivy rounded on her. "What made you think it was a good idea to bite her? You know how hard it is for me to heal that." She ground out, sweat coating her brow.

"I shouldn't have been so reckless; I'm sorry. But did you feel what she almost did to me?"

"No, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about." Ivy snapped before noticing Jean's fearful look. She raised her brows and waited for Jean to continue.

"It almost felt like, like she was pulling my Evolution out of me... I don't know. It doesn't make sense. Forget it." She helped Ivy carry Hera to her room and tucked her in.

"Should wake up within the hour," Ivy commented, primarily to herself, and Jean went outside to continue training. Ivy sat next to Hera's still body and brushed her hair off her face, tucking it gently behind her ear. She clicked her tongue and kissed her on the forehead. "Silly thing." She muttered with a small smile before heading outside to check on Jean.

...

Hera awoke with a start, initially confused about how she was in bed, fully dressed in sweaty gear. "Ugh, now I need to wash these sheets..."

The memory of the fight came back quickly, as did the phantom pain of Jean's bite. She reached for her shoulder, but it was all healed.

She groaned as she got up and made herself some lunch. As she ate, she remembered the feeling of Jean's power. 

It was odd. 

She was sure it was a dream, but it felt like she could have taken it. The glowing orb of energy was just sitting there, ready to be plucked. Hera shook her head, ridding the thought. That was the evilest thing she could ever do, she ruminated. She would never want to take Jean's Evolution. On the other hand, maybe it was just an oxygen-deprived hallucination.

Nope. Juno muttered in Hera's ear. Nope, not a dream.

Hera just rolled her eyes, "Where were you when I needed you, huh? You let me get bit."

I didn't think she would do it. Sorry. Juno sounded remorseful, which only made Hera laugh. 

"I'm just kidding. Sorry for being mean..."

Warmth spread through her body. It felt like a hug, and Hera smiled. "We won't underestimate her next time."

No way. Juno concurred.

The next few days were more of the same, and she missed Theo even more. It felt like a piece of her was missing, and she needed more than a few cold showers to keep the thoughts at bay. That night she woke herself from a nightmare, screaming his name. The house quivered as she pulled her emotions back in, regaining control. 

She wondered how long she had been yelling his name and hoped she was far enough from her dad that he didn't hear. Her cheeks were wet, and an afterimage of his stricken face burned into her lids. After that, she couldn't remember the dream anymore.

She remembered bitterly that he hadn't even reached out. After each call that week, she asked her dad if there was any news and when he would be back, but he was always too busy to answer the phone. So it was always someone else sharing his progress.

'Why doesn't he want to see me, and why do I feel this way about him when he clearly doesn't care as much?' Her thoughts were painful even to think, but she needed a wake-up call. She needed to stop pining after him. She obviously didn't mean that much to him. She let the tears fall in sync with the rain now pounding her bedroom window. 

"When did it start raining?" She muttered, feeling sorry for herself. Slowly the ache of missing him lessened, little by little, until it barely hurt anymore. She looked confusedly down at her body. 

"What just happened." She was good at meditating and being 'mindful', but she had never controlled her emotions that well before.

A sudden banging at the front door made her almost jump out of her skin. She got up, throwing on a cardigan over her band tee and tartan pyjama pants. The banging sounded again, and her heart raced. It was like three in the morning, and it was pouring outside. She stupidly pulled the door open in her daze without checking the peephole and was frozen to the spot.

It was him: perfect, beautiful him. 

She couldn't get a word out. She believed she was still dreaming and went to close the door when he crossed the threshold, dripping rainwater all over the entryway. They stood facing one another for what felt like an eternity. A massive pair of wings flapped outside, barely registering in Hera's periphery as she started to realize maybe she was awake. She met his pained eyes, filled with regret.

When he finally spoke, his voice was barely more than a rasp. 

"You called?"