A/N: I lied. It's 12,000 words.

I feel like I'm about to reveal classified government information...Okay, I won't say much other than this chapter is why I started writing this story and I put a lot of time behind it so I hope you like it.

Also, please listen to this song while reading, it really pairs well. There's no lyrics, it's just piano.

God, I'm so nervous...

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AUGUST 21, 1982

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Adelaide, happy birthday to you! Blow out the candles, Dellie!"

Adelaide took a deep breath, giddy with excitement, and blew out the four candles in front of her. Henry and Ava began clapping and Adelaide laughed along with them. Ava cut out a small slice of cake but Adelaide took ahold of the spoon before her mother could.

"I wanna do it, momma! Let me!" she said and Ava laughed, handing the spoon to her daughter.

"Alright, alright, you do it," Ava smiled. Jumping with excitement, Adelaide took a spoonful of her cake.

"Who are you going to give it to first, pumpkin?" Henry asked, silently pointing to himself. Adelaide giggled, covering her mouth.

"No, it should be me. Right, Dellie?" Ava asked, crouching down to come to eye level with her daughter.

"No, no, it's me. C'mon pumpkin," Henry said, opening his mouth, "Ahhh."

"Momma's hungry, Dellie," Ava sang, opening her mouth and Adelaide couldn't stop laughing as she looked at both her parents crouching down on either side of her with their mouths open for cake.

Finally, she made a decision and ate the spoonful of cake herself.

"Traitor!" Henry said, pulling his daughter into his arms to tickle her. Adelaide laughed uncontrollably, squirming in her father's hold. Ava stood up, taking this as a chance to disappear into their bedroom.

"That tickles!" she laughed, feeling her cheeks beginning to hurt from the laughter, "Daddy, that tickles!"

"Alright Henry, I think she's been punished enough," Ava smiled, entering the room again with a pink package in her hand. Adelaide's little blue eyes widened at the gift-wrapped package in her mother's hands.

"You got me a present!" Adelaide shouted, running to her mother.

"Happy fourth birthday, Adelaide," Ava said, smiling softly as she handed her daughter the present.

"Open it, pumpkin," Henry said, appearing behind her but his daughter was already tearing open the wrapping paper with her small hands. Inside, was a beautiful, big, brown teddy bear.

"A teddy bear!" Adelaide gasped, holding it in her hands as if it was made of a delicate gold. It was her first birthday present. Her very first present.

"I love him, I love him!" Adelaide shrieked, jumping up and down while hugging her present to her chest. She stopped for long enough to pull both her parents into a hug. And then she pulled away, running to the bedroom with her new toy.

"I'm gonna call you...Maxwell," they heard their daughter say and they both gave each other a smile.

As long as their little Dellie was happy, everything was going to be okay...everything was going to be okay.

—————

AUGUST 22, 1983

"How are you feeling?" Ava asked softly, cupping her daughter's cheek. The woman's red-rimmed eyes clearly spoke about how she was feeling.

"I'm scared, momma," Adelaide whispered, grabbing her mother's hand. Ava bit her lip to keep the tears from spilling over.

"It'll all be over soon, honey," she said shakily, her voice cracking at the end, "Be strong for me, okay?"

"Okay," Adelaide nodded, too scared to say much else. Ava leaned down, softly kissing her forehead.

"That's my good girl," she whispered, letting her lips linger. She stepped back, closing the door and locking her daughter inside the coffin-like box. Who knew if this would have been the last time she would be able to hold her daughter? Were they about to make the biggest mistake of their lives? Would it be worth the risk?

As she watched her daughter sitting in the middle of the barren field in the darkness, Ava realized that didn't know the answers to any of these questions. But, in that moment, her love for her daughter overwhelmed her and she had to look away.

They didn't choose this life – no one would have.

Henry saw the look in his wife's eyes and he was sure he had the same expression in his. They were about to risk everything. And if they failed...they wouldn't be able to live with themselves.

"We have to do this," Henry said, reaching out to squeeze her hand and Ava nodded, taking a deep breath and wiping away her tears.

"I know," she whispered, looking out at the field.

They were in a remote area, on an abandoned farm lot. The energy source was strongest here and they had developed an intricate system to harness its power. It had taken years of research and another year of preparation to build the particle accelerator that was encircling Adelaide. She was in the center of it, right above the heart of the energy source.

They were lucky to have found a source that emitted so much power. It was unlike anything they had seen before, but without it, Project 1978 would have been useless. Adelaide was standing in an enclosed box that almost looked like a coffin and the only visible part of her body was her head. Her eyes were closed peacefully. She was in the center of it all, connected to the particle accelerator and the energy source coming from the ground by large pipelines.

Henry and Ava were standing far away from the experiment site with a large computer to control the site. One lever was all it took to start Project 1978. They both looked at each other unsurely.

"It's time," Henry said, glancing at his watch. The energy source was always pulsing and when it emitted a stronger signal, that was his sign to start the project.

"Together," Ava said, taking a deep breath. Henry nodded.

"Together," he agreed.

Together, they pulled the lever.

Instantly, the accelerator started until the particles inside were at an unimaginable speed. Their pulsing source was now glowing red under their daughter. The white light from the accelerator and the red light from their source came together in a collision at the spot where their daughter was standing. The brightness grew and grew until it blinded them.

Somewhere during this explosion of light, Ava found Henry's hand again and held on tight.

They had done this to save their daughter from their demons. Once this was over, they would burn everything to ashes. The accelerator, the research, the computer...everything. Then he wouldn't be able to get his hands on it. And if he ever touched their daughter, she would be able to hold her own.

And when the lights stopped exploding, they were cast into the dark.

—————

SEPTEMBER 14, 1983

Their house was small. The first room consisted of the kitchen and an old couch they had found by a dumpster and there was a bedroom with a small bed that touched all four walls and a little bathroom in the corner. The only furniture they owned was the sofa, and a wobbly chair that they also used as a table. There was a wonderful view from the two windows in the house and it consisted of nothing but bare trees.

Their walls were thin. Especially the one between the kitchen and the bedroom. And as Adelaide was trying to fall asleep on the small and uncomfortable bed, she couldn't help but overhear her parents whispering. As a little girl, she had a birthright to be curious so she sat up and pressed her ear against the wall to listen better.

"What do you mean he knows?" her mom whispered angrily. Adelaide found it strange because she had never seen her momma angry before.

"I said I think he knows," Henry sighed. She could imagine her daddy rubbing his face tiredly. He did that a lot.

"Who do you think they're talking about, Maxwell?" Adelaide asked the teddy bear in her arms. He shrugged and Adelaide frowned, leaning her ear against the door once again, her eyes now slightly glowing.

"What now?" her momma asked, "We can't keep running, Henry. And you know that I can't - not in this condition."

There was some quiet.

"I don't know. I don't know what to do," he answered, "He-He won't stop until he gets what he wants. Maybe I should just call Nick-"

"No, you can't," Ava snapped, "Do you know what they'll do to her if they see what she can do? No, there has to be another way."

They had already burned everything. But Lukov didn't know that. Not that it made any difference.

"There isn't Ava!" Henry shouted and Adelaide flinched at the volume of his voice. Daddy had never been that angry before. She glanced at Maxwell and he held up one finger against his mouth, telling her to stay quiet.

"I'm sorry, I just-" Henry sighed.

"I'm sorry too," Ava said softly.

"We should go to sleep. We'll figure something out tomorrow," he said quietly.

Oh no.

Quickly, Adelaide threw the blanket over herself, covering her and Maxwell.

She tried not to peek when she heard the door opening. She knew it was her momma. Daddy always stayed awake way past his bedtime even though momma always told him to sleep.

There was no more room in this tiny bed so daddy always slept on the sofa. Adelaide wanted to sleep on the sofa too but her mom wouldn't let her.

"Dellie?" her mom said softly and Adelaide couldn't help but peek at her through one eye.

"Can't sleep?" Ava asked with a small smile as she slid beside her on the bed. Ava hugged her daughter from behind as she did the same to her teddy bear.

"Momma, what man were you and daddy talking about?" she asked. The room was dark now and there wasn't a window. Adelaide didn't like the dark. It was scary. She focused on the light coming from under the door and the feel of Maxwell's soft fur against her face.

"Nobody, honey. Come on, let's go to sleep."

"Momma?"

"Yes?"

"Why do we have to sleep on this tiny bed? I don't like it. It makes me uncomfortable," she complained, "Can't we buy a bigger house?"

"Because, Dellie. There are bad guys chasing us and it's very hard to hide in a big house," she explained.

"Bad guys? What bad guys?" Adelaide asked, turning to see her mother's face over her shoulder. She could only make out the outline of her face in the darkness.

"Why do they want us, momma?"

"They want you, darling. They know that you're very special and they're jealous."

"What if they get me?"

"They won't because your daddy and I will always be there to protect you. Every time you use your superpowers, we will be right here," Ava said, placing her hand over her daughter's heart.

Adelaide held up her hand until it began to tickle and pretended she was holding a star in her hand.

"Like that?" she whispered in awe as she felt her heart beating faster. Ava laughed softly.

"Just like that," she said.

"Momma?" Adelaide asked, making the star disappear and settling closer against her mom.

"Yes?"

"Can you sing me the lullaby?"

"Спи, девочка моя, красавица..." (Sleep good girl, my beautiful girl...)

—————

OCTOBER 19, 1983

"Daddy, where are we going?" Adelaide asked as he clicked her seatbelt in.

"We, pumpkin," he said, putting some luggage under her feet, "are going on a road trip."

"Really?" she asked, her face lighting up. Henry tapped her nose.

"Really."

"But it's so dark outside," she frowned, glancing out the window. She didn't like the dark. The woods were scary in the dark.

"It's a nighttime road trip, pumpkin," he smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Adelaide grinned.

"A va-vaca-vacation?" she asked. She really liked vacations, even if she couldn't say the word sometimes.

"A vacation," Henry smiled, dropping a kiss on her forehead. He stood up straight and shut the car door.

They didn't have much luggage except for a few clothes. He spotted his wife walking out of their little cabin in the woods, holding a teddy bear with one hand and keeping the other on her swollen belly.

Ava slowly walked over to their car, stopping beside Henry. She crouched down over the window and tapped on it, getting her daughter's attention.

Adelaide rolled down the window with the handle.

"Dellie, aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?" Adelaide frowned. Ava held up the teddy bear in her hand.

"Maxwell!" she said, taking it from her hand. She never went anywhere without him, it was a surprise she had forgotten it.

"Everything's in the car?" Ava asked her husband, standing upright.

"Yup, we were just waiting for you," he replied.

"Let's go, then," Ava said, taking a deep breath. Henry put a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"We're going to be safe once we get there," he reassured her, putting his other hand over hers on her stomach. Inside, was a little secret of theirs. It was the reason Henry was so eager to leave the woods and find someplace better, someplace safer.

With Dellie's powers they would be able to get new identities and start their lives over. The middle of the woods was no place to raise a baby.

Ava nodded, staring at the dirt.

"I just...I have this feeling."

"Me too," he said quietly and she looked up, swallowing.

"I don't like this," she said. Henry pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Neither do I," he agreed, "But we don't have another choice."

"Momma, I wanna go on vacation!" Adelaide complained from her seat and Ava forced a smile, glancing at Henry.

"Alright, alright, we're going," she said. Sharing a look with Henry, she took her seat in the passenger side while he walked around the car to take a seat in the driver's side.

"Ready, pumpkin?" Henry asked after turning the car on.

"Ready!" she said, smiling big from ear to ear. They had never gone on a vacation before and she couldn't wait to see where they were going.

Two hours later, Adelaide was getting bored. She wanted to play a game with her parents but they were busy talking.

Maxwell rolled his eyes.

"I'm worried, Henry," her momma said, "She's still a little girl." She wanted to think that they were doing the right thing, but, in all these years, they had forgotten what was right and what was wrong.

"I am too, Ava," Henry agreed, his eyes still on the road, "but we've done the best we could. She's safe." Her mom didn't look assured. If it had been up to her, they would have stayed in their little cabin instead of out here, in the open, where he could find them.

"This – all of this – it's unfair to her. She's just a child!"

Henry reached over and grabbed his wife's hand. He glanced at her for a second, but his eyes were still fixed on the road. Ava stubbornly looked out the window, a deep frown on her face. She looked tired and her eyes were filled with guilt and regret.

Adelaide had never seen her momma look so worried before. Except maybe that one night in the field.

"Ava, listen to me. Our daughter's power will make her the most powerful person in the world. No one will be able to touch her," Henry said. Ava softened, looking down at her hand holding her husband's. She knew he was right. They had done everything they could, given the circumstances.

"Not even him?" she whispered, even though she already knew the answer. She just needed to hear the words.

"Not even him," Henry said firmly, trying to convince himself. The man's eyes glazed over with determination. No one was going to touch his daughter as long as he was alive. Ava looked out the window again, her gaze beyond the dark trees.

"I hope you're right," she whispered, her other hand going to her swollen belly. He squeezed her hand.

"Just watch, Ava. Our daughter will avenge us," he said, looking at his wife and then at her hand on her stomach, "I promise."

His attention wasn't on the road now, he was watching his wife's beautiful blue eyes that made him fall in love with her many years ago. Those bright eyes were what got him through the dark days of their life.

They would find a way out of this, they had to. For Dellie and for their little munchkin.

Unknown to Henry and Ava, in the distance, a pair of headlights came towards them. The car was driving on the wrong side of the road. It was coming right at them but it wasn't slowing down.

Adelaide had busied herself playing chameleon with Maxwell and Henry was saying something to Ava, his eyes not watching the road.

The car was dangerously fast and dangerously close.

Suddenly, Ava screamed, "HENRY!"

Henry's eyes grew wide and he spun the steering wheel to the right, but it was too late.

The car crashed into theirs. Both cars skid off the road, theirs hitting a tree. For a moment, Adelaide's ears were ringing and when everything stopped spinning, she tried to open her eyes.

"Momma..." she whispered painfully. There was a trail of sticky red blood running down from a wide gash on her arm. She blindly reached out, trying to find Maxwell but she couldn't see anything in the dark. Tears pricked her eyes from the pain coming from her arm.

Outside, a black car appeared next to theirs. The driver got out and opened the back door. Another man stepped out, in the middle of reloading his gun. His dark eyes locked onto their car, narrowing as his thin lips curved into a smile. Somehow unaffected by the disturbing sight of the accident, he gracefully walked over to whatever was left of their car, casually bending over to see the couple.

Upon seeing him, her daddy's eyes narrowed. On the other hand, Ava was trying to keep her fear and pain from showing. Keeping one hand on her stomach, Ava kept subtly glancing into the backseat, at her daughter.

Adelaide didn't like this man. He was scary and he had a gun.

A terrifying smile appeared onto his face. The smile not wavering, he aimed his gun at Henry's head.

Adelaide wanted to scream, but her voice was gone. Her breaths shortened and she looked at her mom. Why wasn't she helping daddy? She tried to use her superpowers to make her momma and daddy invisible, but she was fading out. She was too scared to help them.

"Daddy..." she whispered, feeling dizzy. Henry's eyes pricked with tears but he didn't look back.

This was it. That would be the last time that he would hear his little pumpkin call him that. He took the soft sound of her