By the time they had made it back to headquarters, the pain in Winona's chest lessened to a dull ache. Caitlin had given her painkillers, after assuring her that nothing seemed to be broken, and Winona was still waiting for the pain to subside. She was stood with Clarice, Lorna, Sonya, Marcos, John, Sage, and Reed as the Asian woman was in a cage.

"So she was sent here as a spy?" Sonya asked. "Something between a spy and a suicide bomber. She had a beacon in her bag she could've activated when we brought her in. It would've sent Sentinel Services right to our front door. She had weapons too," Marcos replied. "Yeah, it sounds like the station in Perry was hit by another one of these, uh, things," Lorna said.

The spy sped over to the bars and slammed against them. "If Sentinel Services is planting these things out there, we may need to stop taking in refugees," Sage said. "You don't turn your back on desperate people because one of them might be dangerous," John said.

"John's right. There are a lot of mutants out there that still need help. It's our job to help them," Winona said. John sent her a nod of appreciation and she nodded back before looking away from him. "Reed, we should get on the road. Try and figure out whatever we can from your dad before it's too late," John said.

"Yeah," Reed replied, pushing himself into a standing position and walking over to John. "Hey, what about Little Miss Vicious?" Lorna questioned. "We got to get what we can out of her. See if you can figure out who she is," John answered. "That doesn't seem like an easy task," Winona pointed out. Sonya nodded in agreement. John looked at Marcos and Lorna.

"Do you think you can handle this?" He asked. "Yeah," Marcos answered. "We'll be fine," Lorna replied. John didn't seem as though he believed them but he left anyway.

Winona pulled out her phone as it rung obnoxiously. She looked at the number before picking up the call. "Hello?" She said. "It's Edward," the person on the other end replied. Winona began to walk away from the group who watched her curiously. "What's up?" She asked.

"I think I know where Elaine is," came Edward's reply. Winona stopped abruptly, her eyes widening. "You think or you know?" She questioned. "I'm not a hundred percent sure. But, you told Renee that your friend told you that she was in some prison far away, right?" He said.

"Yes," she replied, unsure of where this was going. "So I was out at a bar with some friends a few nights ago. One of them works for the Sentinel Services. I got him drunk and asked some questions and I was able to find out where that prison is," Edward said. Winona could feel hope swelling up within her.

"Well then where is it?" Winona asked. "It doesn't matter because she's not there anymore. Around three weeks ago, Elaine was transferred to a different facility though it wasn't a prison. It was Trask Industries," Edward said. Winona's breath hitched in her throat at the information. "Trask Industries? Are you sure?" She asked. "That's the last report on where she was. Whether or not she's still there, I'm not sure," he answered.

"Well, where is this lab?" Winona asked him next. "I'm not sure yet. But I'm working on it," came his reply. Winona took in the information. "Thanks Edward," she said before hanging up.

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Winona walked around the beds in the Underground's infirmary. She was checking up on the mutants that were there. At the same time, she was keeping herself distracted from her thoughts as well as her feelings. She really hated that she felt the way that she did. Unfortunately, she couldn't help it.

It's times like these that she wished that Elaine was here. Elaine was good with feelings and relationships and drama. Whereas Winona didn't know anything about it. That was partly because she closed herself off to people and also because she didn't trust easily. Her parents were the cause of that. Both biological and now adoptive.

If Elaine were here, she would give Winona all sorts of advice. She would probably tell Winona to go get her man and then proceed to argue with the younger girl when she refused to do so, because the younger girl most likely would refuse. Winona really missed her sister and she hoped that she would be able to find her soon. Sooner or later, she would start losing it.

Winona walked over to the short haired blonde that had been watching her back in Perry and was currently watching her. With furrowed eyebrows, the blonde's eyes never left Winona's form as she approached. "Do you need help?" Winona asked the girl. The girl snapped out of her daze and smiled sheepishly. "No. Sorry. I didn't mean to stare. It's just. How do I say this?" The blonde trailed off.

"Just spit it out?" Winona suggested. She took a seat next to the blonde and raised her eyebrows. "I'm a telepath. I can feel thoughts and--" Winona cut her off. "I know what a telepath is. I'm one too," she said. "You are?" The blonde asked to which Winona nodded. "That might explain it then," the blonde muttered in mild relief. "Explain what?" Winona questioned. "Why I can't read your thoughts," the blonde responded.

Winona's eyebrows raised and the blonde shook her head quickly. "I wasn't trying to read your mind or anything. It's just sometimes I can't help it and I just do. But with you, I can't. It's like, radio silence," the blonde said. Winona nodded with a smirk. "Well that's because I have a shield up in my mind. So that other telepaths can't get into my head," Winona said.

"A psionic shield. That's a pretty advanced skill," the girl said. "I guess." Winona shrugged. "You think you can teach me how to do that?" The blonde asked. Winona shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I'm not a very good teacher," she replied. "That's okay," the blonde smiled. "I'm Esme, by the way," the blonde, Esme, said, holding out a hand.

"Winona," Winona replied, taking Esme's hand in her own and giving it a shake. A strange feeling washed over Winona as she did so. She looked at Esme who was smiling and an uneasy feeling washed over her. Winona plastered a smile onto her own face and pulled her hand out of Esme's. "It's nice to meet you, Winona," Esme said.

"You too," Winona replied. Something was off about this Esme girl. She could feel it. But the girl seemed so genuine, Winona was unsure if what she was feeling was something to worry about. Still, she planned to keep an eye on the girl sat next to her. "I should go check up on some things. I'll see you later," Winona said, standing up. Esme nodded, "Okay. See ya."

Winona began walking away from the blonde who watched her leave. A smirk made its way onto Esme's face as Winona left.

····

A frantic Caitlin rushed over to where Winona was. The girl was on her way to check on the others who were trying to get information out of the unknown woman when Caitlin ambushed her. Esme was walking behind her, her expression unreadable.

"Winona! We need your help!" Caitlin exclaimed. "With what? What's going on?" Winona asked, holding her arms out to stop Caitlin. "It's Chloe. She's trying to communicate with us but she can't speak," Caitlin said. "Who's Chloe?" Winona questioned. "T-the mutant. The spy. Look, we don't have much time," Caitlin said.

Winona nodded and followed after Caitlin along with Esme. "What do you need me to do? Read her mind?" Winona questioned. "Yes, that would be helpful," Caitlin replied. "Well then why do you need me and Esme? She can read Chloe's thoughts on her own," Winona said as the three bounded down the stairs.

"I told Caitlin that you might have a better shot at getting more information out of her," Esme informed. The three walked into the room. Winona could see the woman laying strapped to a table, her breathing coming out in pants. "I'm sorry to spring this on you guys. I-I don't know what else to do. I don't think she has long," Caitlin told the two.

"It's okay," Winona assured. "Yeah. I just hope I can help," Esme said. The two walked onto either side of Chloe. "So you think you can do this?" Lorna asked. Winona nodded as Esme said, "Maybe." Lorna walked up behind Esme. "You understand what we're fighting for, right?" She asked the blonde. "Sentinel Services have my family. I'm here to fight," Esme replied. "That makes two of us," Winona muttered.

Caitlin leaned down closer to Chloe and whispered something to her. Esme looked to Winona. "You can do this. I'll be here to help if you can't get enough out of her," Winona said. Esme nodded and released a breath before concentrating. Winona took ahold of one of Chloe's hands and held it. Esme's eyes began to glow a vibrant blue which threw Winona off guard. She hadn't expected to see another telepath whose eyes changed color when using their ability.

This made Winona more interested in who this girl was. "What're you getting?" Marcos asked her after a few moments. "Need. And pain. Oh God, it's awful," Esme replied. Caitlin whispered more reassuring words to Chloe. "Okay, what's happening?" Marcos asked. "Are you getting something?" Lorna questioned.

"She wants you to know they killed her husband and took her daughter," Esme replied. "Who-who did this to you? Where are they?" Caitlin asked. "She gave me a vision of it. But, I can't see it clearly. It's kinda blurry and hard to make out," Esme said. She looked up at Winona who nodded. Winona's eyes changed to their usual silver and Esme tried to conceal a smirk.

Winona concentrated on Chloe's mind and she could see the visions. They were memories. She saw a building and then a man talking. There was a group of mutants in the room. "It's a building," Esme said confusedly. "Some kind of lab. North of here. Trask Industries," Winona added. That's where they had Elaine. "Well can you find it?" Lorna asked next. "I don't know. Maybe," Winona replied.

"I-I think so," Esme said at the same time. Winona could feel that Chloe didn't have much time left. She was dying. So, Winona did what she could to make sure Chloe didn't feel any pain. To make sure that she died knowing that everything would be okay and that she was happy. Winona quickly manipulated Chloe's emotions so that she felt happy. So that she felt okay.

"Listen to me, Chloe. We will find the people who did this to you and make sure it never--" Caitlin stopped when Chloe released a final exhale. Winona's eyes returned to brown. She took a small step away from the table and released a breath. She then took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Sadness washed over her and the other people in the room. She hoped that what she did had helped. That Chloe felt a sense of comfort before she died. Winona slowly released Chloe's hand.

····

Clarice had just finished filling Winona in on the events of her day. When she was done, Winona did the same. Both girls found comfort in knowing that in some way, they had helped someone today. Although, Winona wasn't one hundred percent sure that she helped Chloe, she felt as though she did.

By making her feel a final sense of happiness before her death or by getting out information that could help other mutants, including her daughter. In some way, she had helped. At least, that's the way she saw it. A knock on the door pulled the two girls out of their thoughts.

They both turned to the source and saw John standing in the doorway. Winona sighed and turned back to Clarice who was still eyeing John. "Hey," he muttered. "Hi," Clarice said. "Winona, can we talk?" He asked. Clarice stood up from her bed and Winona shook her head at the girl. "I'll let you talk alone," she said. As she walked past John, she muttered something to him before giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now, John," Winona said tiredly. She was upset about the day's events and just wanted to sleep. "That's good, because I'm not here to argue," John said, stepping into the room. Winona couldn't contain an eye roll. "Let me guess, you're here to talk," she said. "Yeah. But not about what you think," he replied.

"Then what?" She asked. "Remember what you said about not holding grudges? That we should stick together?" He said. Winona pursed her lips. "Is this your way of trying to use my own words against me?" She inquired. John sighed and walked closer to where she sat. "I really need to talk to someone right now," he said.

Winona's eyes narrowed and she turned away from him. "Talk to Sonya," she replied. She attempted to keep the bitterness out of her tone but failed. "Winnie, please," John whispered. The desperation in his voice caused Winona's eyebrows to furrow. She turned to face him. John's eyes held sadness, among other things. He looked broken, though he was trying to hide it. Her face softened.

"What's wrong?" She asked him, moving over to allow him to sit on the bed next to her. John was hesitant, but sat down anyway. He took a moment to gather his thoughts and Winona watched him patiently. "You remember when we were getting Lorna and Reed out of Sentinel Service's custody? The guy who suppressed our powers, my friend?" John started.

"Gus," Winona said and he nodded. John pursed his lips for a moment. "He uh, he died today," he stopped speaking and Winona closed her eyes. "I wanted to help him. Figure out what they did to him so that I could reverse it. I wanted to save him when he was dying. But there was nothing I could do," he said quietly.

Winona scooted closer to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. She used her hand to rub his arm comfortingly. "I'm sorry," she murmured. She didn't know what else to say. She didn't know what to do except comfort him as best as possible. "Yeah, me too," he mumbled. She pulled him closer to her and he leaned into her side slightly.

The two stayed that way for a while. John decided to pull away. He looked anywhere but her. "I could just hear your voice in my head, telling me to not keep this all bottled up," he said. Winona smiled slightly. "I don't think I've ever told you that though," she replied. John nodded in agreement. "I know. But it's something that you would say," he responded.

This time, Winona nodded in agreement. "You're probably right," she said. She took one of his hands in her own and squeezed it. John's eyes finally traveled over to her. He stared at her with an intensity that Winona had never seen before. She gave him a tiny smile and he looked down. He quickly looked back up again. His eyes traveled from her own to her lips and then back up. A motion that Winona almost didn't notice.

Winona couldn't depict the emotion in his eyes. But before she knew it, John was leaning in. And so was she. Her head involuntarily tilted slightly to one side. His lips gently pressed against hers. They were slightly chapped, which barely registered in her mind. Her lips slowly moved against his and she released his hand.

Their lips pressed harder against one another's as Winona's hand moved to cup his face. The kiss deepening as her hand moved up to his hair. She had never imagined herself kissing him. It was something that she didn't think would happen. Their feelings were too complicated and he was with Sonya.

Sonya.

As if a force came between the two and pushed them apart, Winona pulled away from John. The motion was so quick that he didn't have time to react as she pushed him away. Winona shook her head. "Hey, stop. We, we can't do this," she said. John's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why not?" The confusion was evident in his tone. "Well for starters, Sonya. And because you're hurting right now. Your emotions are on overdrive. This isn't what you want," she answered.

"But what if it is?" He questioned. "John..." Winona trailed off and sighed. "The way I feel about you, it's real," John said. "I don't even know how you feel about me, not really. I don't even know if you mean the thing that you did. The things that you're saying," Winona replied. "I..." John was at a loss for words.

"John, you just lost your friend and you're trying to cope with that. Trying to find comfort in someone to make yourself feel better. To make things hurt less," she said, not meeting his eyes. "That's not-that's not true," he said, though he wasn't sure of his words. "John, it's okay. I understand. But this, it isn't the healthiest thing for you to do. Maybe you should talk to Sonya," she said. John shook his head.

"I don't want to talk to Sonya. I want to talk to you. Why do you think I came here?" He said. Winona shook her head and stood, moving away from where he sat. But John followed her. "Sonya loves you, John. And you love her too. I know that you do," she muttered. "I don't even know how I feel. So there's no way that you do," John said. Winona didn't respond for a while and John didn't say anything either.

"You should go talk to Sonya," she finally suggested, repeating her previous words. His intense stare was directed at her again, but she refused to look at him. "Is that what you want me to do?" He questioned. Winona hesitated in her response. She didn't know what she wanted at this point. He took a step closer and timidly reached out to her. "Winona--" She cut him off.

"Yes. That's what I want you to do. You guys are together, right? Or at least, you have some kind of relationship. Talk to her about, stuff. I really can't do this with you right now. Because you may be confused about your feelings but, I'm not confused about mine. And I don't want to put myself in a situation where I can get hurt," Winona said.

Silence engulfed the two again. John nodded his head. "I'm sorry," he murmured. She just nodded, still unable to meet his eye. He looked at her, hoping that she'd just turn around. But she didn't. He sighed softly and left the room.

°°°°

It seems like I love torturing Winona as well as you guys. I don't, I promise. But you didn't really think I would just let them get together and be happy did you? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. They finally kissed! Whoo hoo! It's too bad Winona is out here over thinking things as per usual. Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Bye.