Template:Featured Articles/24-2015

Moment of Awesome - Julian Keller: In the aftermath of the Dark Phoenix Saga, Julian discovers the extent of his loss. Angel knew she wasn't who Julian wanted - and she was very much not looking forward to what she was about to tell him - but at that exact moment she was too relieved to see the familiar face in a very unfamiliar world to worry about much else. As soon as he was inside he was tackled, Angel wrapping him a tight hug. "God thank you for not being dead," she said as she pulled away. "Wow. Not every day I get to say that." "What the hell is going on?" he returned the hug, wrapping her in his arms and squeezing with all his might. After a moment had passed he let go, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and looking into her eyes, "The last thing I remember was bleeding out in the woods. Then waking up without a scratch on me." She shook her head, tugging at a lock of hair. "It's...I'm not really sure what it is to be honest. Something about our universe falling apart and Xorn putting it back together with different elements from other broken universes....it's all weird." "What's a Xorn?" Julian asked with one of his eyebrows raised. Shaking off the question with a sigh, he held up a hand. "No, that question is likely to have too long an answer. What I really want to know is...um..." he couldn't bring himself to ask. Good thing he didn't actually want an answer because Angel didn't actually have one. Her shoulders fell as he struggled with his next question, however. She knew what he wanted to ask. "I don't know," she said quietly. "There's been a lot going on, I haven't...really seen her." For a short time, he stood there in silence, with a blank look on his face. Finally, "Um...uh..." it was not Julian's most eloquent moment. "Who...who have you seen?" he needed to put Tandy out of his mind for a moment. Unfortunately, that just filled his head with everyone else: Adrienne, Megan, Rouge...Nico. Angel let him have his silence, closing his eyes as she tried to keep the grief under control. Tandy was her friend. She'd lost so many of them. "Things are a bit messy right now," she said finally. "It's hard to tell. There are people we haven't heard from yet, doesn't necessarily mean they're dead, just...not here. Right now." She had to hold on to that hope. "Which of our kids made it?" he blurted out. Part of him didn't want to know...but he needed to. Angel's voice was heavy as she responded. "Hope and Topaz." She ran a hand through her hair, sighing. "Come on, we need help to have this conversation." "Help," of course, being copious amounts of alcohol. Julian nodded, "Okay, I need to look for her first, but meet me on the flier's platform in fifteen?" she may have already searched the entire place, but he needed to be certain.