Work Text:
Main character: Anya
Disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to Anya or D'Hoffryn (created by Joss Whedon) or Maddie and Scott (created by Marvel's X-Men comics).
Note: 20 minutes with Anya response
Burning Pain
by Lucinda
Anyanka could feel the despair all the way in Arashmahod. Whoever she was, this woman wasn't just in pain, but she had power. Or at least the potential for it. She leapt to her feet, smiling as she blinked her way near this unknown woman, wondering what sad story of misfortune and betrayal she would hear. Hopefully it would be something new, or at least interesting.
She found herself in a nice enough house, with drifting snow outside and a sobbing redhead on a couch. The pain was just rolling off of her in waves, thick enough to taste.
"Can I help you?" She asked, sitting beside the redhead with a handkerchief.
"You're not another one of his friends, are you?" The woman was shaking, tears rolling down her face, her green eyes already red rimmed from weeping. "Because Scott.... he's... he's not here. And he's not coming back."
"I didn't come her to see Scott. I came to see you. What happened?" Anya knew that there was a story here, and that if she could get the woman to talk, there might be a wish. "And... umm, what should I call you?"
"Maddie. Madelyn S... no, I suppose it'll be Pryor again." The woman took a deep breath, trying to calm her tears.
"My husband... Scott. He... when we first met, everything was wonderful. I was attracted from the first, and so was he, or at least, that's what I thought. It turns out... he was attracted to me because I look like someone else." The tears kept flowing, and Maddie wiped at them with the cloth. "His first love, a woman named Jean. But Jean was dead, and there I was, so... But I didn't know any of this then. I didn't learn about Jean until much later."
"How did she die?" ANya asked, curious. Things were certainly sounding a bit different than most sad stories.
"Some sort of heroic thing. She was a mutant, like him, and they were both heroes together. It killed her, and he wanted to quit, to go somewhere and just be Scott. And when he got here, here I was."
"Sounds upsetting. But surely that wouldn't keep the two of you from being happy, would it?" Anya probed a bit more, now genuinely curious as well as hoping for a wish.
"Warren just called. It seems.... Jean came back." Maddie whispered.
"I thought you said she was dead?" Anya blinked.
"Apparently, she got better." The whisper was filled with pain and bitterness.
"And now..?" Anya prompted.
"He's on his way to New York. To see her, to be happy that she's alive." Maddie took a shuddering breath. "Never mind that I'm here, never mind that we got married and he promised me forever, never mind.... never mind that I think.... that I'm almost positive that I'm pregnant. He's left to go see her. He didn't... he didn't even hesitate."
"Hera, Kali and Hathor..." Anya breathed, shocked. If ever a situation called for vengeance, this was it. "Just like that?"
"Just like that." Maddie snapped her fingers. "I just... I just wish..."
"What do you wish?" She barely voiced the question, feeling the power gathering inside of her, waiting for the Wish.
"I wish that I could go away from all of this. Away to somewhere that I would never have to worry about Scott and his problems making things difficult, never have anyone try to use me as a pawn to get to him again. AND to know that while I have a chance to be happy, I want him to suffer. I don't want him to ever have another chance to settle down and have the nice, loving family that he promised me. I want him to have heartache and misery and suffering and guilt."
"ohhh..." Anya smiled, appreciating the fact that even though she didn't know about the Wish, Maddie's words had carefully protected herself, and left Scott wide open fo all sort of hurting. She felt the power practically explode forth, and shouted "DONE."
Anya found herself back in Arashmahod, utterly exhausted. "Where's Maddie?"
"She will be just fine, Anyanka." D'Hoffryn sounded pleased, and smug. "S'ym will be so disappointed by loosing such an opportunity... We will arrange for Scott to be miserable, and Madelyn will be starting over, in a different world. It might be good to keep an eye on her and her future children..."
end Burning Pain.