Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel Comics and are being used for non-profit, entertainment purposes only. The story belongs to me.

Continuity: This story takes place during Inferno when Mr. And Mrs. Power briefly found out about their children’s powers.

Dearest Mother

By Magik

Once upon a time, and it doesn’t matter that it was only a year or so ago, I had a wonderful family. I didn’t think anything in the world could ruin it. I thought it was perfect. After all, who could want more than four  children, a devoted husband, a beach house in Maine, and a career designing book covers?

Yes, the children were a handful. Yes, my husband seemed to be more devoted to his science and physics most of the time. Yes, the beach house was remote and somewhat run down. Yes, I had a jerk for a boss. None of that mattered. I could overlook every one of the children’s fights, every cold dinner, every squeaky step, and all the bitching out on the phone about deadlines because we were a family. A family.

We’re not a family anymore. Families don’t keep life-endangering secrets from each other. In a real family, the mother would know that her children had been given super-powers by an alien, that they had risked their lives to save the world countless times, that when she thought she had tucked them safely into bed they were really somewhere else, battling for things they shouldn’t even have had to think about.

My children are super-heroes, my babies. Even Katie. Katie can fly…I remember when Julie asked me if I would still love her if she flew, if she just woke up one day and could fly. I didn’t know that she was telling me, subtly, in her own discreet way. I never figured it out, never even suspected, never saw anything suspicious.

How could I be so blind? How could I…Why wasn’t I there for them?

I’m supposed to protect them. I’m the mother. I’m the lioness who kills anyone who comes near her cubs. My babies, touch them and I’ll rip your throats out. And then this alien comes and takes that away from me, gives my babies their own powers. What am I supposed to do now? What role do I play?

Katie, honey, don’t fly so fast, you’ll bump your head. Alex, the trash needs disintegrated but be sure and fire off a power ball when you’re finished. Julie, don’t go cloudy when you’re not in uniform because you’ll lose your clothes. Jack, Jack, please hold your brother’s hand so that he’s weightless, too. And don’t let go. Never let go.

I can’t protect children like these. What can I provide them with? Not security. They leave in the middle of the night, creep out of their windows like abused children, run aways. I let them. I let all of this go on right under my nose. I never noticed. I let go and they ran into the night to fly and fight and burn the evil out of a world that is so big. So big and so dangerous.

They’re just kids. They’re just babies. I don’t want to lose my babies. But how can I deny them the use of their powers after all this time? How can I tell them to do anything? I lost my authority when an alien horse named Whitey decided to divide his powers among them, to make them different, able to save their world. Now I can’t save them.

I let go and all my babies ran away from me into the night, blazing. I hold my hands out and there’s no one to take them. My arms are empty. My heart is bleeding. I’m shaking.

I remember holding them so tightly. I remember when they were born, how I looked at them and I knew that they were perfect, they were MINE, and I was going to protect them, no matter what happened.

I never counted on this. I never thought they’d be able to fly. I never expected to be the odd one out, to become useless in the fraction of a second, in a flash of light.

Katie is five. Jack is eight. Julie just turned ten. Alex is twelve, almost thirteen. I should still be in charge of them. I should still be Mother, capable of handling all.

But when they no longer need me…I start to fall apart. Super-heroes don’t need mothers, after all, even if mothers still need their babies.