▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐒𝐢𝐱 ━︎━︎ 𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐃 a hand on Caitlin's shoulder, making the woman jump awake, ready to scream only for John to quickly shush her. Marcos and Aphrodite stood there , looking around the home before looking back towards the blonde haired woman. Aphrodite rose an eyebrow in amusement when Caitlin pulled a knife from under the pillow, lowering it when she realized who it was.

     "Caitlin, listen to me." John whispered. "I don't have time to explain right now. You are in danger here. Where are Andy and Lauren?"

     "What are you doing here?" Caitlin hissed, standing up from the couch. "You can't just break in."

     "You don't understand―︎"

     "Yes I do. I understand that I am trying to help my husband."

     "What, with favors and phone calls?" Marcos questioned her. "We discussed this."

     "No. I distinctly remember. There was, in fact, no discussion."

     "Guys, we need to go." Aphrodite urged them, crossing her arms over her chest before looking back towards Caitlin. "If we can find you, others can too."

     "Cait?" The sound of an unknown male's voice grabbed their attention. They turned just as he entered the room. "What's going on?"

     "Danny."

     "Relax." John calmly told him, holding out a hand to show he meant no harm.

     "Dany, please. Everything's okay." Caitlin assured him.

     "No, it doesn't look okay to me." Daniel shook his head. Aphrodite and Marcos exchanged glances at the sound of tires screeching right outside of the home.

     "These are the people who are trying to help us." Caitlin quickly defended.

Marcos and Aphrodite exchanged another look before quickly walking over to the window at the front of the house and carefully pushing the curtain back. Some people from the neighborhood stood outside, guns in their hands as they stared at the house, waiting for them to come out. Aphrodite swallowed thickly.

     Turning away, Marcos was quick to walk over to the other three, interrupting the argument taking place. "Save your family spat for later. Right now we got bigger problems."

     "Get the kids." John looked at Caitlin. Caitlin didn't hesitate, running out of the room in order to go grab her children.

     "We know you're in there." One of the neighbors yelled. Aphrodite glanced towards John as he moved to stand beside of her before looking back towards the group of people outside. "Danny, come on out, we need to talk."

     "Who did you tell that you were coming here?" Daniel snapped, walking over to Caitlin.

     "No one!"

     "Well, obviously one of your friends here did, 'cause―︎"

     "Dad, I think―︎"

     "Scottie, not now." Daniel cut his son off. "Please."

     "I texted a pic of a trophy Andy tore apart to one friend."

     "What?" Andy looked at the boy in disbelief.

     "Oh, Scott." Daniel sighed.

     "He swore he wouldn't show anyone. He swore."

     "They're seven deep out front. Anything around back?" Marcos questioned, turning to look at John as he entered the room once more.

     "Yeah, there's four of them, and then more outside the kitchen door. We're surrounded." John answered.

     "That's great." Aphrodite muttered.

     "Look, I can get us through a wall, but if they start shooting while we run, there's gonna be a fight."

     "I can handle the guns." Aphrodite nodded, looking away from the men out front to look between Marcos and John.

     "Run?" Andy questioned with a frown. "Why should we have to run?"

     "Didn't you hear them?" Lauren asked her brother. "There's an army out there."

     "Yeah, so what? We can take those guys."

     "God, you remind me of my kid." Aphrodite muttered.

     "Yeah, of course we can take them." John told the boy. "But we do that, people are gonna die."

     "Well, maybe it's time these people learned."

     "Andy, you don't mean that." Caitlin shook her head as she looked at her son.

     "Yes, I do." The boy snapped. "Listen to them, mom. They hate us."

     "Just send 'em out, we'll go away." One of the men called. Aphrodite rolled her eyes.

     "I'll go." Daniel grabbed their attention. "It's Chuck Sanders."

     "Chuck?" Caitlin asked in surprise. "I was on swim team with him. We went to church―︎"

     Aphrodite cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "You were on swim team?"

     "I know, I know." Daniel grabbed Caitlin's shoulders as she moved forward, Marcos nudging Aphrodite in the side as if to silently say 'not now'. "I don't think you're quite understand how people. . . how they feel about all this. You guys should move."

     "Come on." John grabbed Lauren and Andy whilst Caitlin moved to stand with Marcos and Aphrodite. They stood there, watching as Daniel opened up the front door, looking at the group of people that were standing on his lawn.

     "Morning, Dan." The man at the front greeted. Daniel closed the door behind him.

     "Chuck. The hell you doing? Who are all these people?"

     "Just a few concerned folks from the community." Chuck answered. The conversation continued and Aphrodite stood there, watching with a sigh falling from her nose. The argument only got more heated by the second, talking about how they wanted to keep everyone safe. A gasp fell from her lips when she watched Chuck his Daniel across the face with his rifle.

     "They're coming." Aphrodite warned. She was quick to look at John. "What's the plan?"

     "Open this door or we're coming in!" Chuck yelled.

     That's when Andy moved forward, and suddenly the door exploded into tiny wooden pieces. Aphrodite looked at the boy with wide eyes, mouth slightly a gape before she closed it and nodded her head. Aphrodite sighed. "Well, I guess not fighting is no longer an option."

     "Leave us alone!" Andy yelled at the men, watching as they stood up from where they had been knocked over by the the impact of the door exploding. "Leave us alone." They watched as Chuck quickly grabbed his rifle, aiming it. John was quick to grab onto Andy, moving him out of the way whilst Marcos stepped forward, melting the gun in Chuck's hands.

     "Leave it!" Marcos snapped. They made their way out of the house, Marcos keeping his hands held up and staying in front of the group as they started to make it towards the car. They were all quick to jump into the car, Marcos being the last one to get in before John quickly sped off. Aphrodite was quick to call her sister, explaining everything that was happening.

     "We're headed you're way, and they're hot on our tails." Aphrodite told her sibling.

     "Hold on, Aph. I thought you were getting the Struckers." Sonya panicked.

     "Well, we did." Aphrodite glanced towards the family before looking back behind of them. "Shit happened. We got the local mutant welcoming group on our asses."

     "She wonders why Artemis has such a bad mouth." Marcos muttered.

     "How many?"

     "You want me to fucking count?" Aphrodite snapped. "I don't know! Eight? Maybe ten? Either way, we can't afford a fight, not with everything that's been happening recently."

     "What do you need?"

     "How about a way out of this?" Aphrodite asked. "I mean, I could probably stop at least three of the cars with my powers, but I would probably get my head blown off in the process, and  I don't know about you, but my kid is not ready to lose her other parent." The three Strucker's looked at the woman as she said this, a deep frown forming on Lauren's face at Aphrodite's words. "And John is glaring at me at the simple idea, so if no dead bodies could be involved, that would be wonderful."

     "Get back here. I will figure something out." Sonya promised her.

     "Love you." Aphrodite sighed before hanging up, glancing back at the men that were shooting at them as they drove down the road.

     "Lauren, can you shield them?" Andy quickly asked as another shot went off.

     "I can't shield what I can't see!" Lauren snapped.

     "Just stay down!" Caitlin ordered.

     "If I die, this is your fault." Aphrodite snapped at Caitlin. Caitlin sent her an apologetic look. "Alright, hold on people. I'm gonna try and push them back some."

     "Dove, you just healed after what happened with Clarice." Marcos warned her before looking back in front of him. "Where the hell are our people."

     "You heard Dreamer, they're working on it." John answered.

     "Not fast enough, we're getting way too close to head quarters. We're gonna have to fight." Marcos shook his head.

     "Birdy, sunbeam, you sound a little tense." Aphrodite mused, cocking her head as she smiled at the men. John watched as her eyes flashed purple, purple surrounding her hands before she quickly rolled down her window, poking her head out and then throwing her magic at the cars. She watched as the stopped for a few seconds, putting a space between their cars and the one's the group of mutants were in. She rolled the window back up and smiled innocently at John as he glared at her, his jaw clenched.

     "Better?" They ducked again as more gun shots came.

     "Look!" Caitlin shouted, pointing forward. "Look! There!" A giant portal stood in the middle of the road.

     "Go. Go, go, go, go!" Marcos yelled. John was quick to step on the gas, sending them through the portal, just as Clarice closed it before the others could come through. A breath of relief fell from Aphrodite's lips when they appeared in front of headquarters.

     "Everybody in one piece?" Marcos asked after John stopped the car. Aphrodite leaned against the seat, her breathing heavily as she nodded. John looked at the girl for a moment, waiting for her to open her eyes. She did, meeting his eyes and offering him a small reassuring nod as well as a gentle smile.

     "Get everybody inside. I'll be there in a minute." John said, looking at Marcos. John and Aphrodite climbed out of the car to see Sonya and Clarice running towards them as Marcos drove away. Aphrodite made her way towards her sister, immediately pulling her into a tight hug. She pulled away, frowning in confusion when she saw Clarice jump into John's arms.

     "I missed a chapter or seven?" Aphrodite mumbled, glancing towards her sister before watching as Clarice pulled away from John.

     John looked at Clarice before nodding towards the building. "Go on inside and I'll see you there in a second."

     "Yeah." Clarice smiled, nodding her head. "Okay." Aphrodite and John watched the girl run back towards the building. And suddenly, Aphrodite realized what just happened, causing her to immediately turn towards her sister.

     "Tell me you didn't." Aphrodite clenched her jaw as she looked at her.

     "What did you do?" John demanded, turning towards the younger Simmons sibling.

     "You needed help." Sonya said, looking between the two. "She needed somethin to connect to, so. . . I gave her a memory."

     John sighed. "Oh, man."

     "Of you two." Sonya finished.

     "You're shitting me, right?" Aphrodite frowned.

     "Do you realize what you've done?" John snapped. "What the could lead to?"

     "Believe me, Johnny, I do." Sonya nodded before walking away. Aphrodite watched her sister to go before closing her eyes and looking at the ground.

     "I need to see my kid." Aphrodite muttered before walking away from John, and into the Mutant Underground.