On the way out

[Black Widow]

Sharon: You know, I had looked forward to the moment you became a mortal threat to The Six, knowing that I would be the one with the power and WILLINGNESS to stop you… with LETHAL force.

"Oh, I BET."

She interjected with a smirk. She let Sharon go on, explaining how they were actually kindred spirits and Haleigh nodded. They had a lot more in common than one would guess at first glance.

Sharon: Haleigh...I don't know if you'll understand this, but....If i had remained DEAD after what happened with Master Mold...I....I would have been OKAY with that. Being brought back the way i was...it was the most impossible, CRUEL twist of irony! I think even if I hadnt been insane from the trauma of the "resurrection" and brainwashing, the idea that i was the victim of some cruel cosmic JOKE like that to turn me into a pawn of the very thing i stood so strongly against would have driven me insane just as well.

"No, you're right, I DON'T understand. [a small smile] but then, I've come back so many times… it doesn't faze me anymore."

Sharon goes on, accepting some of the responsibility for her not fitting in with the Six, and not getting along well. She mentioned Alycia how Haleigh hadn't harmed her at all, in fact it had not BEEN Alycia and that she was still on Themyscria and for a moment, Haleigh looked puzzled, but she didn't stop to ask questions. She could figure out what happened later. They were ALL safe, that was the part that mattered most to Haleigh. Sharon stated that she planned to live at Hellfire, but assured Haleigh that she wasn't joining the inner circle, and Haleigh nodded.

Sharon: Thank you… for finally seeing me the way I hoped someone would see me despite my armoured exterior…. I still have a heart… and feelings.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure out."

She said with a sheepish smile. Haleigh realized they probably could have been friends this WHOLE time, that things could have been easier, smoother. They could have been a stronger unit… and Sharon COULD feel like she had a support group to fall back on, if only they ALL hadn't been so stubborn.

Sharon: Take care Haleigh.

"And you as well."

Sharon: Please say goodbye to the others for me. I know the team will recover from this, and they'll have a real leader now until Morgan comes back.

Sharon gives Haleigh's hand a squeeze and Haleigh returns it with a smile, realizing that this is the first time the two have even had a conversation that didn't contain any bickering.

Sharon: Goodbye… Black Widow.

"Farewell, Silver Swan."

She says, to Sharon retreating form. She watches the woman's silhouette disappear into the sunset and then, with one last deep breath of fresh sea air, she turns back to Minerva's with a sigh.

 

[Persephone]

Alone one minute...and in the blink of an eye, with company the next. Feeling Alison's hand rest on her shoulder, Ava didn't jump. She wasn't startled. She figured it was only a matter of time before Alison showed up; knowing how Ava was questioning herself and her stay with the six.

Alison: You being who you are is no different that Morgan, myself, Haleigh...any of us. We each bring something to the table.

"But is it worth the risk...."

She said softly, keeping her eyes focused on Sharon. It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement to herself. Alison went on saying that this victory wouldn't of happened without her--that this moment would have ceased to exist. But Ava remained silent, watching as Haleigh approached Sharon by the cliffs.

Alison: She's beautiful to behold. Powerfull beyond imagination, with a killer instinct to rival your own. Perhaps she would have been better suited to ...the Masters of Evil.

"She would have. She would have been perfect."

Alison: But she's part of US, just like you are now. She's leaving The Six. There's nothing any of us can do about it, and it is what is meant to happen. Sometimes you have to let a bird go before she comes back to stay permanently.

"Maybe it's for the best. She may be a part of us....but she never truly 'fit'."

Spoken in such a way that didn't specify whether or not Ava was taking about Sharon or herself. In that moment, Ava and Sharon mirrored each other in such a way that it was frightening. Probably so much so neither one of them would ever like to admit it.

Alison: I know what happened with Alycia, the "life decoy model". Viper was cruel and very well calculated using "her" as an emotional trump card against you...

Keeping her mouth shut, Alycia wasn't a topic she wanted to dive into at the moment. But Alison persisted.

Alison: WHY do you hate Alycia so so much? I know she killed you're father, but that was in self defense. You know that. You also know what led up to that. It's no different than when I killed Jasmine (Frost's) father when he was out to assassinate Alycia after the trial in the courthouse.

"Do you want to hear something funny? [finally looking up at Alison] I don't even know anymore. I know how it started....my father's death. But how it escalated into me wanting her dead? To me being disappointed in finding out she was ALIVE tonight?.....I. Don't. Know. And right there is what scares me. Because I love this team--you...Haleigh.......But a part of me loved my mother as well, BEFORE I killed her. And a part of me loved Hades, BEFORE I him. And I have always respected and admired Karen...and I STILL killed Mike. I just.....I don't know what to think....I don't know what to do."

 

[MorningStar]

Delilah had retired to the room Alison had given her to rest in. It felt as if she'd been awake for days but she couldn't sleep. She lay there, eyes staring at the wall.

After the relief that Haleigh was indeed herself, Delilah had spoken little to anyone. She felt so out of control. Her emotions were all over the place - and they were getting the best of her. It was handicapping her, and her ability to help the team. It needed to stop, but she had no idea how to make that happen.

She just felt so guilty. Guilty for letting things get so bad with Sharon. Guilty for not doing more to keep Alycia safe - not just recently but going back to the days in New York. Guilty for not being there for Haleigh after Set. And perhaps most of all, guilty that she had taken a human life in Bishop, that she had misused her powers for personal reasons. That she had allowed her ideals to be so corrupted that she had thought murder was okay.

She sat up abruptly, the walls closing in on her. She decided a walk in the fresh air would clear her head - she had always loved to walk in Ororo's garden and that had restored peace to her when she had needed it. Maybe this beautiful place would do that for her again.

 

[Harbinger]

"She would have. She would have been perfect."

Travel through enough of the time stream, and you'll probably find a timeline where she WAS apart of the MoE.

:: Alison said with a slightly lighthearted tone as the wind and waves of the ocean played a natural sound track in the background of theier conversation.::

"Maybe it's for the best. She may be a part of us....but she never truly 'fit'."

Spoken in such a way that didn't specify whether or not Ava was taking about Sharon or herself. In that moment, Ava and Sharon mirrored each other in such a way that it was frightening. Probably so much so neither one of them would ever like to admit it.

I dont think any of us can say that about each other without some hypocrasy. in the beginning, i'm quite sure Haleigh and Cameron, who i didnt know was my brother at the time, probably thought i was the LEAST qualified person to be calling the six into being. and yet...Haleigh and I came to trust each other unwaveringly in the years that followed. Remember how WE interacted when we released you from your statue form in Ororo's garden?

:: Alison smiled a bit and there was a little laugh in her voice as she recounted::

I dont think either of us thought highly of each other then...but look where we are now.

The thing about us. ALL of us ...from the beginning of the six until now, is that we're all...victims/SURVIVORS. powers or not...that kind of status usualy comes with extreme emotional baggage, which we each "cope" with in our own way. Karen would NEVER be out of work if she had us as her clients. and even SHE has been forever changed since the dawn of the Six.

"Do you want to hear something funny? [finally looking up at Alison] I don't even know anymore. I know how it started....my father's death. But how it escalated into me wanting her dead? To me being disappointed in finding out she was ALIVE tonight?.....I. Don't. Know. And right there is what scares me. Because I love this team--you...Haleigh.......But a part of me loved my mother as well, BEFORE I killed her. And a part of me loved Hades, BEFORE I him. And I have always respected and admired Karen...and I STILL killed Mike. I just.....I don't know what to think....I don't know what to do."

I wish i could give you an answer to sum it all up...and i suppose some people think i should be able to, as a precog, but i cant. you're unique even among us. your life spans so many centuries even timelines. and now you're life in THIS timeline has become bound to that of Ava Cassadine. I suspect her own emotions/memories have more than a little to do with this...but then I would ask you...are YOU in control of yourself and emotions?

I...WE know there is more to Persephone than what the history books or scholars tell the world. You accepted responsibility for what happened to Demeter, you apologized to her and to Hecate, the MOTHER of all witches...the goddess from whom Morgan and her cross time alternate Darkchilde are direct descendants, you've helped right the wrongs committed by Stavros Cassadine during his dealings with Mystech. and this is while you've been HERE with US.

There's a reason why you were on the TOP rung of the MoE ladder with Darkchilde. But beyond the conquests and battles, the MoE was a FAMILY, just like the SIX are a family. we have our problems...goddess do we EVER have our problems

:: looked up to the ceiling and rolled her eyes as she thought about so many problems, squabbles and recent "issues"::

but with each disaster, with each thing we face...we have to LEARN and APPLY that knowledge to ourselves and the future. otherwise we're doomed to repeat the past....and as a precog, i can tell you that is a fate sometimes WORSE than death.

:: she looks at Ava.::

Do you know how badly i wanted to BLINK to Sheena Island and HELP you all? But I couldnt...my place is HERE. I must follow my path as Harbinger and guardian of Pandora FIRST and foremost no matter my EMOTIONAL feelings and connection to the Six. I may be better able to make a gamble than others sometimes due to my power....but again...its the EMOTIONAL thing.

Sharon left the Six because SHE didnt feel it was right for her...not NOW anyway. and she didnt have much help or support from the very people she laid her life down for once as Senator Sharon Kelly. It breaks my heart...I love her...but even I knew that I could not interfere in what is going on now.

:: at that moment, Sharon has said goodbye to Haleigh and is now FLYING AWAY from Minerva's mansion and off into the sunset.::

Ask yourself, Ava...Persephone....how justified, how LOGICAL is this bloodthirsty hatred of Alycia that you have? I can understand being angry over your father's death...but it WAS self defense. Aside from that, Alycia is part of our family too. I'm just asking that you look inside yourself and dont be a slave to your emotions....not like Nicolas was when he nearly TORE DOWN Melrose Place right before Barbas attacked.

Hecate and Demeter forgave you...The Six , individually choose to stand by you INSPITE of what we learned in the ancient greece timeline. KAREN forgave you for what you did to Mike.

I guess what I'm trying to say to you is...cant you show Alycia even a LITTLE of that?

:: Alison asked with a gentle tone as she looked down at Ava and smiled with silent encouragement, hoping the goddess could look inside herself and pull herself together to own her emotions and see that she truly did belong here with them.::

 

[Black Widow]

Haleigh was headed back towards Minerva's mansion from the cliff when she saw Delilah emerge, looking troubled. Haleigh altered her course, falling in step with Delilah.

"Tough day."

She said softly, deliberately making the understatement of the century. She still wasn't really sure what had happened after she'd been knocked out. Apparently Alycia hadn't REALLY been Alycia, which was hard to absorb, after all, so much had happened with her since she'd returned. It had been a rollercoaster from start to finish. Her being back, her not wanting anything to do with them, her being with Terra Save, her MURDERING Ron Davis, her betraying them towards the end… Even if it hadn't truly BEEN Alycia, it seemed like it at the time, and it caused them pain and strife and they'd dealt with it as if it HAD been Alycia, and now to try and just disregard it all, to simply overlook everything the just went through with Alycia because it 'wasn't her'? It wasn't so easily done. Haleigh wondered how heavily it was all weighing on Delilah.

"So I'm a little confused about this Alycia situation. Sharon said 'it was never her'… So who were we dealing with, her evil clone??"

She asked, jokingly, not aware how close to the truth she'd guessed. But the particulars weren't as important to her as the purpose of asking the question-- she was trying to get Delilah started talking. It had not been lost on Haleigh how withdrawn Delilah had been after Haleigh assured everyone that she was okay.

 

[MorningStar]

"Tough day."

Delilah only nodded, looking out over the expanse of green before her, still walking.

"So I'm a little confused about this Alycia situation. Sharon said 'it was never her'… So who were we dealing with, her evil clone??"

Delilah shook her head and smirked.

"You and Ava might actually like that one."

She sighed.

"Apparently MysTech could make 'life copies' of people. Swell huh? I guess Alycia never really left Themyscria."

Then she stopped and turned to Haleigh.

"Your sister's not here, so you can level with me. How are you doing? And I'm not just talking physically. You went through some scary shit back there. I...I thought we were going to lose you."

She looked down at the ground, embarassed, not used to showing emotion towards Haleigh other than annoyance at her pig-headedness.

 

[Persephone]

Although Alison spoke words to appease her guilt and growing insecurities, Ava just heard words. Empty, hollow words. Nodding absently in an effort to show Alison that she was in fact paying attention to her, the brunette kept her eyes focused out the double french doors and on the ocean. Sharon was gone, as was Haleigh. Only the beautiful view of the Mediterranean ocean remained constant.

Alison: I wish i could give you an answer to sum it all up...and i suppose some people think i should be able to, as a precog, but i cant. you're unique even among us. your life spans so many centuries even timelines. and now you're life in THIS timeline has become bound to that of Ava Cassadine. I suspect her own emotions/memories have more than a little to do with this...but then I would ask you...are YOU in control of yourself and emotions?

Those words in particular grabbed her attention--forcing her to pull her gaze away from the ocean and up to Alison. With a firm nod, Ava looked her dead in the eyes without wavering.

"Yes. I am. And that's what haunts me...concerns me."

Alison: There's a reason why you were on the TOP rung of the MoE ladder with Darkchilde. But beyond the conquests and battles, the MoE was a FAMILY, just like the SIX are a family. we have our problems...goddess do we EVER have our problems

With a soft sigh, Ava shook her head gently. She knew Alison was only trying to help, but she was growing impatient with the situation as a whole.

"I understand what you're trying to say, Alison. But don't you understand that it's not as black and white as you paint it out to be? I'm a duel conscious in a single body. I have my memories as Persephone and as Ava. I have my emotions as Persephone and as Ava. And THAT fact alone is one reason the six has had problems in the past.

Alison: Ask yourself, Ava...Persephone....how justified, how LOGICAL is this bloodthirsty hatred of Alycia that you have? I can understand being angry over your father's death...but it WAS self defense. Aside from that, Alycia is part of our family too.

Cupping her hands around her face forcefully, Ava felt like her head was about to explode. She couldn't give the answers Alison wanted to her. She couldn't ease the precogs concern or tell her what she wanted to hear. Because Ava didn't KNOW those answers. She just knew what she felt at the moment.

Alison: I'm just asking that you look inside yourself and dont be a slave to your emotions....not like Nicolas was when he nearly TORE DOWN Melrose Place right before Barbas attacked..

Scoffing with an almost humorous tint to it.

"I'm not THAT unstable, thank you."

Alison: Hecate and Demeter forgave you...The Six , individually choose to stand by you INSPITE of what we learned in the ancient greece timeline. KAREN forgave you for what you did to Mike. I guess what I'm trying to say to you is...cant you show Alycia even a LITTLE of that?

"Alison, these feelings are RAW right now. Alycia [catching herself] Alycia's CLONE betrayed us, attacked us, and threw us to the wolves. How can you stand there and expect me to so easily ignore what i'm feeling so soon after it happened? I KNOW it wasn't her, LOGICALLY I do. But even so....all my dormant anger towards her after Stavros' death reemerged in those moments."

With an exasperated sigh, Ava shut her eyes for a moment, allowing the silence to ease the growing tension in the room.

"Al, I know you're telling me what I need to hear right now, and for that I am grateful. I know I can always come to you for a swift kick in the ass when I need it....[looking back at her] But right now, I think I need time to figure all these unsorted emotions out on my own. [taking her hand] That's all I can promise right now."

 

[Prophet]

Cameron watched intently from the observation lounge. Malice had softened on Sheena Island, but only for a moment, and he still didn't trust that she wouldn't do something covert or hideous to Haleigh's psyche. He also hated the fact that Malice was a stronger telepath than he was, that only SHE was able to help Haleigh at this moment. Cameron sipped on the elixir, which made him exponentially more calm about what was going on, though he was still nervous, and not to mention EXHAUSTED from the entire caper.

After a few moments that felt like HOURS, Haleigh awakened, and she seemed to be functioning normally. She seemed to be back.

Haleigh: I know that some day, probably soon, I will truly regret being indebted to you...

Yep. She was back alright. Cameron sighed heavily with relief. They had all made it. They were all alive and intact. After a few solemn words back and forthe, Isis and Malice were GONE, which surprisingly left Cameron a little distressed. For the horrible women that they were, they helped the Six and the WORLD when it was needed, and Cameron felt like he wanted to thank them... he was relieved they left before he uttered such words. They were already indebted to the Sisterhood ENOUGH, but of course, ever the do-gooder Delilah, stepped up and thanked them anyway. She was decent to a fault. He smiled a little bit.

Everyone swarmed around Haleigh, as Cameron remained back, to give her some distance. She wouldn't want people to be so concerned with her, and she probably ALREADY felt guilty enough being unconscious for the better half of the Six's battle with Viper. He would go to her later, in a little more private of a setting. FINALLY, he got to see his sister as they began to debrief her on what had transpired, her staff tending to their wounds. Cameron's eyes went then went to Sharon, as he foresaw what was about to happen. His eyes darted to the floor, he felt like a failure. He wasn't enough to make her stay.

He had become a little bit enamored with Sharon since his return to the Six, and besides Delilah, she seemed to be his only other ally. He had wished that the others could see what he saw in her and not the monster that she had "played" for quite some time now, and they did. When the choice came to lay Haleigh to pasture or to keep her alive, Sharon did what was best for the team, she proved that she could co-lead the team, and that maybe she did in fact care, so it was a little perplexing to Cameron as to why she would leave when she had just gained so much more ground with the team, and then it hit him. Birds are meant for the ground, they are meant to fly.

Sharon had for the moment, gotten all she could have out of the Six for the moment. She needed to find herself, much like he did what seemed like many years ago now. She needed to rediscover Sharon Kelly, mutant, mother, politician, woman, ALL of it. She needed to integrate herself in this new life, and she HAD to do it alone. Cameron understood that, though he didn't want to accept it.

As everyone said there goodbyes, once again, Cameron stood back. This time because it was almost too hard to say goodbye. Too hard to watch her leave. He turned his back as she began to take to the sky, as a tear streamed down his cheek. It seemed like everytime he ever got close to somebody, they dissappeared, which somewhat gave Cameron the revelation that Haleigh must have felt the very same way about HIM. He didn't like that at all. When he turned around, Sharon was gone, and he had regained his compsure.

With Alison and Ava deep in conversation, Cameron would have to wait to talk to his sister...wait in LINE he guessed after what everyone went through. He saw Haleigh and Delilah in the distance in the garden and he trotted over to them.

"It's times like these I wish I still smoked."

He said as he made his way over to the both of them. His senses tingled.

"I hope i'm not interrupting some kind of moment. I just kind of don't really want to be alone right now. Not good for the head."

He sat down in the grass, and ran his hands through the blades of grass, he looked up at the women.

"And yeah.. are you doing okay, Hales?"

 

[Black Widow]

Delilah: Apparently Mystech could make 'life copies' of people.

"Wait-- as in a 'Life Model Decoy'?"

Delilah: Swell huh?

"Well, yes…. I've never seen one in action before. Now I'm rather impressed."

Delilah was saying that Alycia never left Themyscria, but Haleigh's attention was starting to drift to her memories of their recent encounters. She had been completely fooled… even as a Zombie, the decoy had never once seemed ANYTHING but human and aside from the out-of-character behavior, it had never registered as anyone OTHER than Alycia Barnett.

Delilah: Your sister's not here, so you can level with me.

[out of her reverie] "Hmm??"

Delilah: How are you doing? And I'm not just talking physically. You went through some scary shit back there. I…I thought we were going to lose you."

Haleigh stopped as Delilah did, her gaze shifting from their path back to Delilah, who was acting as if something very interesting to look at was on the ground at her feet.

"Delilah? [pause] You almost DID lose me… but that's not what I feared. The scariest part was thinking I might do something to hurt you, or one of the others. If I had hurt someone I cared about… I WOULD have been lost. I could not have come back from that…. But that didn't happen, and we can thank Sharon for that. I'm going to be quite alright…"

She reassured, but then she sighed heavily. After everything they'd been through lately, and the way Delilah had stepped up and backed Haleigh against Sharon, haleigh felt that she owed it to Delilah to be straight with her, and answer as Delilah had asked.

"However…. I DO feel kind of awful. I was selfish-- I didn't want to be a coward and stay, so instead I went and allowed myself to become a liability. I'm very sorry you all had to deal with that, ON TOP OF having to defeat Viper. I mean I--"

Cameron jogged over to catch up with them, saying that he hoped he wasn't interrupting.

"Actually, you kind of ARE."

She clipped, but he plopped down on the grass and confessed to not wanting to be alone, how it wasn't good for the head.

Too bad Sharon's not around to keep you company anymore.

She thought darkly, but Cameron wouldn't hear that. Haleigh's transformation left her with something of a 'firewall', a computer-like barrier between her and the rest of the world… and just as Malice had stepped in and shielded Haleigh from Viper's influence, it seemed that she'd left the 'block' in place… or else that was something Haleigh had gained through transference from spending so much time mentally linked to Malice. Whatever the reason, ALL telepaths [except Malice herself] would now find it very difficult to read Haleigh's thoughts, and probing would leave them with a severe 'brain freeze' feeling, not unlike the feeling Malice's departure had left Haleigh with. She had already grown accustomed to the cold feeling, but both Nicolas and Cameron-- and any other telepaths-- would find it extremely unpleasant.

Cameron: And yeah.. are you doing okay, Hales?

Funny how friendly he was being, now that he didn't have Sharon. It was a WONDER he was even LOOKING at her. BEFORE this whole mess went down, it had seemed impossible for him to bother with speaking to her, except when he had a particularly HURTFUL thing to say. He'd been much too absorbed in 'courting' Sharon… just to SPITE Haleigh, she was sure. He had WANTED Haleigh to react to the whole affair, she'd known that. It was why she'd been so dismissive about it, even as Malice tried to out Haleigh's grievance the morning after Cameron had slept Sharon. Ever since he'd been back, he'd made it a POINT to 'prove' his supposed 'indifference' to her, and NOW all of a sudden he gave a DAMN about how she was doing? No, she wasn't going to play that game. If he wanted to change the way they interacted, he had some apologizing to do.

"I'll live."

She replied, in a stoic tone, and then she turned back to Delilah, took her gently by the elbow, and resumed their walk, leaving Cameron sitting right there on his ass. She lowered her voice and returned to their previous conversation as she steered Delilah away from Cameron.

"How about YOU, Delilah? I know there's something bothering you."

 

[MorningStar]

Haleigh wasn't paying much attention to her...which was okay, except that SHE was the one who sought out DELILAH.

"However…. I DO feel kind of awful. I was selfish-- I didn't want to be a coward and stay, so instead I went and allowed myself to become a liability. I'm very sorry you all had to deal with that, ON TOP OF having to defeat Viper. I mean I--"

Delilah shook her head dismissively.

"No. You're our leader and we needed you there. YOU were the one taking the risk."

She sighed.

"You're so much like Morgan in that respect - you aren't supposed to do everything all by yourself."

Cameron joined them. All she had wanted was to take a peaceful walk and now she had a crowd. Haleigh ushered them off to the side.

"How about YOU, Delilah? I know there's something bothering you."

Delilah paused. She wasn't used to confiding in Haleigh - frankly she wasn't really used to complaining to anyone. It wasn't that she didn't trust Haleigh; she just was so accustomed to keeping her feelings inside they didn't come out often, until they bubbled over...

"I don't know...I'm fine, I'm just...my emotions are a bit out of control. I just feel...handicapped by it. I have all this...guilt...hanging around my neck. Plus I've let my relationship with Sharon take a nose dive - what's Morgan going to say about that when she finds out? And if Sharon leaves..."

Delilah didn't yet know that Sharon HAD in fact already left.

 

[Black Widow]

Delilah: I don't know… I'm fine, I'm just.. My emotions are a bit out of control. I just feel...handicapped by it.

Haleigh nodded with a smile. She OFTEN felt that way, and she wished she could give Delilah the magic answer for getting her emotions 'under control', but she was the LAST person who ought to be giving advice about it and she KNEW it.

Delilah: I have all this… guilt… hanging around my neck.

"Guilt? About what?"

She couldn't fathom what Delilah would have to feel guilty about. Delilah was the LAST person that Haleigh would assign guilt to. But then, Haleigh had been out cold for quite some time. She could have missed something crucial, for all she knew.

Delilah: Plus I've let my relationship with Sharon take a nose dive - what's Morgan going to say about that when she finds out? And if Sharon leaves…

"Delilah… Sharon's gone already. I saw her off just before I ran into you. She left on a positive note, though, and I think… honestly, I think Sharon needed to leave. She wasn't happy with us, Delilah. She was beginning to resent us for feeling STUCK with us and I think Sharon needs some alone time to find herself-- or whatever it is she's looking for. I wouldn't be surprised if Morgan is upset that she's gone but I wasn't about to FORCE Sharon to stay, and I will be the one to 'answer' to Morgan if she has a problem with it, so don't you worry about that. And hey, you didn’t 'LET' anything happen with Sharon. It happened, and the rest of us were just trying to stay alive. Sharon was more responsible for the deterioration of her relationship with you than YOU were, and if Morgan has ONE SOUR WORD to say about it, you just direct her to me, and I'll have a little chat with her on THAT topic too, okay? The LAST person who deserves to get flak for what happened with Sharon is YOU."

 

[MorningStar]

"Guilt? About what?"

Delilah slumped down to a seat the ground. She ran her hand through the growth around her, picking off a few green stems in her hand before reluctantly replying.

"I killed someone, Haleigh. Because I was angry. I didn't have to do it, but I did. I wanted to punish him. I know you can't understand but"

She looked away. None of them could understand. Because she was the only one who didn't think they had the right to kill anyone who got in their way...

Delilah… Sharon's gone already.

Her head snapped back towards Haleigh.

"What?! Oh no, no, no, this can't be happening."

She put her head in her hands. What else could go wrong?

"I just couldn't get through to her..."

Haleigh promised to talk to Morgan for her. Delilah looked at her with a weary smile.

"Thanks, but that's not necessary. I made my own bed."

She stood up, and brushed herself off.

"And now it seems I'm going to have to lie in it."

 

[Seer]

and so

<< a sound victory with no apparent casualties...unless you count the depature of a powerfull team member who had once been a valiant ally and trusted friend to more than one member of the Six.>>

<< Sharon Kelly, now known as the Silver Swan, had taken her final leave of the Six. for how long was anyone's guess but even Haleigh felt like it was for an indefinate period of time. Was it for the best? In some ways yes...but it was also a very unfitting end to a situation between Sharon and Delilah along with the rest of the team, one that would have to be addressed sooner rather than later.>>

<< Delilah, who was like a lighthouse to her team was finding herself in the midst of an extreme struggle not just about Sharon but guilt...guilt from the not so distant past that lingered like Mystech's ghosts and could return to menace her AND her team.>>

<< Delilah wasnt the only one struggling. Ava too was having issues. Although she played a vital part in the defeat of Viper and saving the WORLD from the progenitor virus, the goddess still struggled with the primal issue of being a blended consciousness in a single body. Though Alison offered her support and clarity, in this situation it was simply not enough. not at this time.>>

<< Alycia Barnett was safe and innocent all along, She was never there, her relationship with the Six was still as it was when she originally left Aerie for Themyscria which meant there was still hope. >>


<< Haleigh was back, and perhaps BETTER than ever thanks in large part to Malice. Haleigh and the Six ALL knew that their deal with this very real DEVIL could have serious ramifications in the future, that the devil would one day come to collect HER DUE, but sometimes, risks like that are worth taking, especially when it comes to saving those you love a nd for Ava and the rest of the team...it was worth whatever cost there may be down the road. The Six had survived Viper AND the ghosts of Mystech's legacy and saved the world! Though it may not have felt like it...it was clearly one of their better capers. Haleigh was forever changed. Viper had showed her her ultimate destiny but Silver Swan and Malice BOTH helped give her a new lease on life. Even now she was feeling the changes and just beginning to understand what they would mean to her...what they would mean for her family, the Six. >>

<< Was this the FINAL end of Mystech? had their lingering threat perished with Viper? No one from the Six OR Sisterhood was truly ready to say that and no one knew for sure.>>

<< and now, with no where left to go but FORWARD, they would face the coming days and situations with their eyes open...TOGETHER.>>

<< and so we watch...>>