Lumen was sitting on the sidewalk just past the gate to the front yard examining her torn knees with care. They would need to be cleaned, but would heal fine with time. Something was very wrong with her, and perhaps several others she knew. Time was missing. Ten entire years of time simply gone from memory. The last thing she remembered was settling into bed in her Brownstone in New York, and she woke next to a man she almost didn’t recognize in a house that wasn’t hers, rings on her hand, and a newspaper telling her a decade was gone.
Boulders had settled into her stomach and a constrictor wrapped itself about her chest. What had she done in ten years? Who was she to the world? Who was she to the man in the house who had been in the photographs on the walls? Where was Alec? Jubilee? Nadia? Where was <i>she</i>? There were too many questions, and she put them aside as she dusted herself off, noting the stinging and cool feeling of blood dripping down her shins. Maybe she could at least treat herself inside, though the front door opened before she completed her approach.
Michael paced the kitchen before peeking into the window to check on his wife. She was off. More so than the normal ‘off’ which of course, concerned him. Would he call Jubilee? He resisted the urge and instead poured Lumen a drink--a favorite of hers and the same one he had offered her the first time they met. Clearing his throat, he opened the front door and made his way towards her, silently taking a seat beside her and placing the glass between them. “Are you doing okay, love? I noticed you hardly touched your breakfast and…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Talk to me, beautiful. What’s going on?”
“Today’s July 1st of 2026.. What did I do yesterday? Or even the day before? How many weeks has it been since.. Anything. Name something,” Lu insisted, trying to hold back the panic and anxiousness. “I.. don’t remember any of it.” She had been honest with Michael when things were wrong before, would the present be any different? Present. Was it? Or was it some sort of strange, unfamiliar dream? But it had to be real. There are no monsters here. “I assume, if the newspaper is to be trusted.. I’ve probably told you about my mutation, and.. I need to know..” How many accidents with others’ powers had there been? Wouldn’t that be the logical explanation? Just another accident? But if that wasn’t the case, what did happen?
Conversationally, she was probably losing Michael in her attempts to process the strangeness of her predicament, so the blonde took a shaky breath and tried again, steeling herself to be utterly frank. “I last remember going to bed, alone, mind, on June 30th a decade ago, after a shift at the Menhanata. I don’t know this house, this yard, this street. I know you. And that’s all I’ve got so far for certain.”
Everything else was just speculation.
Michael kept his closeness, brows furrowed. She didn't remember anything for that long? What.. was happening to his wife? “I-- Lu.. hey, it’s going to be alright. Do you think maybe we should go visit a doctor? Get you checked out? I’m...worried not going to lie.” He kept his soft eyes on her. “You’ve told me about your mutation. The newspaper is to be trusted. I’m to be trusted.” Why he felt the need to tell her that was something he’d answer in private later. For now, he needed to focus on her.
“We got married on my parent’s backyard. Art helped us find a place out here so we’d be closer to them. You insisted after we found out about my dad getting sick.” It felt weird to him to have to break this down for her but after everything they had been through, anything was possible and he had to believe that this was the right thing to do right now. Because he loved her. “When he passed away.. you told him you’d take care of me which…” He chuckled. “We included in our vows. That we’d take care of each other. Because we’re both crazy, accident prone individuals and you’re… Lumen.” He smiled and looked down at her hands. “May I?” He held his hand out for her, remembering how ten years ago she struggled with even being in the same room as him let alone letting him touch her. If what she was getting at was true, Michael had to tread carefully. “We went on that coffee date and, umm, I insisted on taking you out again. Think less stalker-y and more super romantic in a really dorky way. You shot me down a lot. It sucked.” Michael laughed. “Until your friend Jubilee butted in. I thank her for that. Her son, Cole was our ring bearer. He’s adorable. And you love him very much. We don’t work at the bar anymore. I own my own. Here on the Island...we’re happy. Very, very happy.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry you don’t remember any of it, Lu.”
Lu shook her head. Things were too beyond normal to warrant a trip to a doctor. Besides, as far as her memory concerned, she’d just gotten done with one. “Let me make some phone calls first. The thing about being friends with Mutants is that strange isn’t out of the ordinary. Someone else might know something.” Surely she had explained this at some point. She hoped she would have.
It could be inferred that she was close with Michael’s family also, then, and that Art hadn’t disapproved despite the working situation. She had done a lot more growing up than she could reasonably see herself doing, in that case. “I’m me, I save boats because I can even if it almost kills me,” the blonde chirped, watching him. An odd emotion seemed to settle over her with the way he proceeded with great care. A light, happy feeling and something about the way his blue eyes sparkled made it hard to look away. There was also a trust present that whoever she had been just the day before held for this man. She had, after all, married him, which suggested some bond stronger than she might have anticipated in her.. Own timeline. Or it was the same timeline and she had genuinely just forgotten- No. Now wasn’t the time to try to process the situation. Lu had been asked a question. The last you remember is a coffee date. But is that who I am now? Lu now would probably say yes without thought, and despite the familiar feeling of slight anxiety, she placed a hand in his. It was worn, in a way, but strong and still full of the gentleness she knew he had even in 2016. “Jubilee kind of encouraged me to go on the coffee date too, actually. I remember that like it was a few weeks ago.”
Her? Adore a child? Alma had her favour, certainly, but Alma was very bright, even if she was afraid of her own voice. Perhaps this young Cole was similar in some way. “Maybe.. I mean, maybe I could remember, if it’s just a case of missing memory. It wouldn’t be the same, but.. I dunno.” The rumbling of a car travelling down the street dragged her gaze away. There would be no threat here. She would’ve made sure in the beginning. “Maybe we should go inside? I should probably clean up my knees anyway.” Had she gotten any better at patching her own self up? Or had Michael taken over that messy task? Or had she somehow abandoned the reckless life she knew herself to lead? It was unlikely at best, given the thrills she found in danger. What, then, became of Ceto? “That bar… ‘s’more of a pub, isn’t it?”
Michael chuckled heartily, his chest and shoulders rising as he did. It was a genuine reaction to Lumen’s mention of Jubilee being the reason she went on that coffee date with him. “Well, that certainly makes a lot of sense.” The memory of Cole Jr. as their ring bearer and Jubilee running behind him to make sure he stayed on the right path as he tried his best to keep the task at hand made his laughter soften into a smile. He looked down at their now joined hands, a sense of sadness pouring over him, wishing he could truly help his wife with.. whatever this was but one thing would always remain true for him--he loved her and regardless of how strange the situation seemed to him, he would always give her the undying support he promised her on that makeshift altar in his parent’s backyard. “I think we can do that.” He replied with a gentle voice--a complete contrast to his exterior. “And you don’t have to worry about the cleaning up. Let me do that. And when we’re done and if you’re ready, we can look at our photo album. And maybe calling Jubilee would help?” He stood up, gingerly pulling her up with him. “Ready, love?”
Photo album. Of course there would be one to accompany all the photos on the walls inside, scattered amidst paintings and silly little quotes. Lumen was still somewhat surprised by how.. domestic it all felt, and part of her wanted to put it all away because it wasn’t safe. It contradicted the evidence that it was safe, because the self she couldn’t remember wouldn’t have agreed to any of it otherwise, or at least that’s what she thought. But that was 23-year-old Lu thinking.
“Calling Jujubee would be good, I think.” She appreciated how calm he was being about something that, in all reality, was rather alarming, though calm was just Michael in general. Stark contrast to the torrent she assumed she was. There was a small wince as she rose, but the stinging sensation was swallowed down. Worse hits had been taken and survived, minor scrapes would be no different. “I mean, I can handle the brunt of the cleaning just using my power. Unless there’s something you know about that that I don’t remember-” the blonde was attempting to assume responsibility and control. “But.. uhm.” There was a ‘hmm’ as she tried to choose her words carefully, while also observing the unfamiliar feeling of the path under bare feet, and the way the front step creaked just slightly to the left of center. Flower pots on the railing.. Hers? His? Did he have a green thumb? Probably not. Grey eyes drifted over the hall until they tottered into the kitchen, where clear cabinets full of blue, teal, and varied shades of brown dishes greeted her, and an odd assortment of coffee cups sat on a drying rack. Breakfast, probably cold, was still set out. Another potted vine sat in the windowsill, absorbing the morning sun that drifted in through lazy, pale curtains. She tried to bury the wonder on her face when she recalled she had been speaking at last. “Me at 23 is trying to argue with the me I don’t remember. I’m supposed to trust you. I realize that but.. It’s hard. I- what of me I remember, is very used to being self sufficient to a fault-” she sighed, hopping up on a spot of empty counter space and fighting the urge to bounce her heels off of the cabinet below. “But okay.” He’d treated her before in her memory, in a very hands-off way, and with that thought in mind, she found her gaze solely drifting up to meet his, letting some of her uncertainty peek through. As much as she wanted to hide it, to look away, a certain sort of charm held her there before she smirked. “At least you kept the beard.”
Michael nodded, fetching for his phone from one of his pockets and asking for the automated system to pull up Jubilee’s number. “We’ll call her as soon as I clean you up.” He placed the phone on the counter in the kitchen and chuckled at her words, bringing his hand to stroke his beard. “Well, you’ve always been very fond of it so…” His teeth rake along his bottom lip and he felt a sudden onslaught of butterflies as a chill ran down his spine. It was like he was trying to woo her all over again. With a cautious glance, he held out both hands as if telling her he was going to pick her up before she beat him to it, sitting on the counter. “Alright. Dr. Gallagher is in office. I hear you have some bruises you’d like me to take a look at. How about you tell me more about them?” He reached for the Hydrogen Peroxide above them and the gauze pads as well. He was going to get a smile out of her. That was her goal for the morning.
Lu quirked a brow at the new model of phone. Well. New to her current self. She had an entire decade’s worth of technology missing from her memory too, and inwardly, she found herself groaning. There was no telling what type of security she had on any personal computers, or her own phone. But that was for thinking about later.
Good gods, was she flirting? The odd tingling in her face that came with blushing seemed to suggest as much, even as she watched his physical response. It was a little too much to handle, and she found herself looking away, attempting to fight back a grin. The idea that this was a future self she was attempting to remember made the atypical behaviour much easier to process. In all honesty, it wasn’t so bad. “Would you like some more cheese with that, Doc?” the blonde joked, letting the smile come through in full. It was still difficult to not reach out for the peroxide herself, but she tried. She said she’d let him, after all. “Not much to tell. The sidewalk out front’s a bit weird and I tripped..” There was a strange feeling that accompanied the mental replay, and she found her attention drifting to her left leg, visually observing the lack of scarring. “How long’s it been since.. The burn scars faded, Michael? I mean, I was told they probably would eventually, but it never really.. Felt like it.” Three years and they were tolerable enough to wear shorts in public. Another six, maybe? “Probably the last year or two before they were really gone..”
Michael chuckled as he drenched a cotton ball with Hydrogen Peroxide, eyes bouncing from the injury to his wife, the flickering causing him to feel those butterflies again. How was it possible that after being married for so long, he’d still feel this way? He was lucky. There was no doubting that. “Oh don’t act like you don’t enjoy this level of nerdiness, madame.” He crouched down so he was at eye level with her bruise and blew onto it to prepare her for any stinging as he gingerly patted the injury to clean it off. Even with the knowledge that Lumen was exactly in the present with him, he still tried to make this all seem as second nature as possible. At her question, he fell silent, wondering how to respond before adding some antibiotic cream to her knee. “In case it gets infected.” He whispered before blowing one last time and placing a small piece of gauze. “I should have gone to med school when I had the chance.” He joked and stood up. “About two years or so.” He responded and held up the phone for her. “Jubilee? Still want to speak to her? Afterwards, we can sit together and watch a movie or something. Sound good?”
The amount of care and gentleness was still impressive, even all that time later. Lumen knew there wasn’t any real need for it with something so simple, she could just breathe through any discomfort, but it was nice. It was nice to not, for once, have to tend herself. “I mean, I could crash course you through some rough first aid if you wanted, but it’s no med school,” and there was always the question of whether or not she already had. Probably not if she was careful.
Two years.. Time was fickle and hard to understand. “If she’s not, like, busy or something. I mean, I don’t.. Remember what she really gets up to.” But movies were good, and her mind could use the wandering opportunity. “Do we still keep DVDs? Or is it all digital finally? ..Do I still pirate those..? Probably.” Digital media. The only thing she had ever been okay with “stealing.”
Michael smiled at her question. “We still keep DVDs because we like the whole vintage thing.” He responded so as a matter-of-factly. He was trying. Until they both figured out what was happening, he’d have to try. “But yes, everything is digital now and media sharing has become less restrictive now. Although I liked that bad ass side of you.” Of course he was teasing and he gave the phone to Lu. “She’s never busy for you. You two are very close.” He wondered if she remembered that. The fact that he had to question it made him a bit sad for his wife. He sighed softly and pressed a soft kiss at the crown of her head before turning his back to her to start on their dishes. “Say hi to her for me and tell her that I’ll be facing Matt soon in Fifa. Man that guy is good.” He mumbled as he reached for the sponge.
His words struck her in a way she couldn’t quite rectify in a single moment, and she wondered what she told him of her past. Did he know all the things she had done? Where she had been before landing in the Menhanata? But he also could have referred to any number of other things she simply didn’t know about herself yet. “Good to know, on both fronts,” Lumen mused with a small smile, though there was a brief moment of hesitation as Michael drew near. A simple, tender act, and nothing to be concerned over, though she found her forehead tickled slightly due to his facial hair. But what was Fifa? “Uh. Sure. I’m assuming she’ll know what you mean more than I do.” Hopping from the counter, she quirked a brow and studied the tall man briefly, almost as though to ensure he was busy before turning to quietly step out of the kitchen. Furtively, her fingers passed over the screen, trying to determine the manual controls and the general function of the OS. Information would be good, from both Jubilee and whatever else she could get her hands on.
