A Darker Path [Worm Fanfic]

[Kehsem]

Decades Later …

Click to shrink...

Alas, perhaps one day, someone will write a story about her first murder of Mars...

That said, thank you once again for the ride.

 

[Ack]

So, I've had a little time to reflect after posting up the last chapter/bunch of epilogues for Darker Path.

I am awed and humbled by the number of amazing comments about it, all positive.

Admittedly, I had my favourite bits here and there (the Cherish/Regent chat log, for one) but I'm glad all of you enjoyed it.

And I totally would not object if people wrote up side-stories based off the epilogues. Such as Regent's Christmas visit, or Kayden having to deal with an 18 year old Aisha absolutely not taking any shit while 15 year old Riley totally spoils Aster.

Just saying.

You guys (girls, whatever your pronouns) are amazing.

 

[Kehsem]

So, I've had a little time to reflect after posting up the last chapter/bunch of epilogues for Darker Path.

I am awed and humbled by the number of amazing comments about it, all positive.

Admittedly, I had my favourite bits here and there (the Cherish/Regent chat log, for one) but I'm glad all of you enjoyed it.

And I totally would not object if people wrote up side-stories based off the epilogues. Such as Regent's Christmas visit, or Kayden having to deal with an 18 year old Aisha absolutely not taking any shit while 15 year old Riley totally spoils Aster.

Just saying.

You guys (girls, whatever your pronouns) are amazing.

Click to shrink...

Have you considered original content featuring a prolific serial killer Dexter-ing their way across America / the world?

There is an enormous overabundance of shitty detective fiction in bookstores. I feel like a well-written murder mystery - where you're also the killer - would be well received.

Doubly so if the killer is, perhaps, a woman with a cool hat.

 

[IlIIlIllIIlIIIlIlI]

Slightly curious who Taylor of the Ending wound up with

Click to shrink...

It's not stated explicitly and I don't even recall if the obvious interpretation is compatible with any other shipping in story, but this detail did stick out:

My son Dan, named after his grandfather, now greying and bent himself. His son Brian,

Click to shrink...

 

[Ack]

Have you considered original content featuring a prolific serial killer Dexter-ing their way across America / the world?

There is an enormous overabundance of shitty detective fiction in bookstores. I feel like a well-written murder mystery - where you're also the killer - would be well received.

Doubly so if the killer is, perhaps, a woman with a cool hat.

Click to shrink...

Hmmm ... interesting.

Anyway, I've just redone the main cover image for the fic.

 

[kuopiofi]

Threadmark when?

 

[Kolarthecool]

Wonderful. A great End to an awesome story. Thanks as always Ack.

 

[Ack]

Threadmark when?

Click to shrink...

Threadmark what?

 

[MichaelSuave]

I'm not crying, you're... okay looks like we are all crying. Good story.

 

[Avernus]

An excellent ending to an excellent story about Ending.

 

[Ack]

A Darker Path: A Christmas Reunion

[A/N: This side-story beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]



Saturday, December 24, 2011

Brockton Bay Port Authority Terminal

Cherish



"I'm nervous."

Cherie felt Taylor's arm go around her in a side-hug. The contact comforted her more than she would've thought possible.

"Don't be." Taylor's voice held a certain amount of assurance. "He's not the same as you remember him being. Just like you aren't the same as he'll remember you being."

"Thanks." She tried to keep the shakes out of her voice. It wasn't even like she was cold; despite a chilly breeze sweeping the streets outside, the terminal was toasty warm. It had also been upgraded in the last six months, and was now able to easily handle the increased traffic flowing through it.

The bus pulled into the correct bay, and stopped with a chnkpssshhh of air brakes. After a few moments, passengers started getting off; Cherie watched them intently, hoping she would recognise her brother. It had been more than a year, after all, and a lifetime of experience and emotional growth had passed for her in that time. What if he didn't even get on the bus?

"He got on the bus." Again, Taylor's voice conveyed warm reassurance. Cherie didn't even bother wondering how the non-emotion-controller had known what she was thinking. That was just how Taylor rolled.

And then a slender teenager, made bulky by a coat and a backpack, stepped down off the bus. Cherie saw his curly black hair first, then his face. "There! That's him!"

"Well, let's go meet him then."

<><>​

Regent

Alec wasn't at all sure what to expect when he got off the bus. As he'd predicted, Lisa had gotten on his case about two days after the conversation with Cherie, and started nudging him toward taking the trip. In the end, she'd squared it with Rook (who seemed surprisingly okay with the idea), checked with Cherie that Atropos was okay with him coming, and even acquired the round-trip bus ticket for him.

He'd packed his own backpack, though. It wasn't like he was totally useless, and he could see the writing on the wall when it was lit up in neon lighting.

Most of the people from the bus were crowding around the luggage compartment, but he didn't need that. Manoeuvring clear of the crowd, he started looking around for—

"Jean-Paul!" A vision in Christmas colours, topped by a bright pink bobble-cap, came out of nowhere and planted herself in front of him. He recognised the face—kind of anyway, though the look of joy was foreign to him—and some of the hair peeking out from under the cap, but the rest of her clothing just did not compute. All cheery colours and normalcy. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Um." After a moment's reflection, he decided that probably wouldn't cut it, so he tried again. "Hi."

"Hi yourself, doofus!" She launched herself at him, and wrapped both arms around him. Fighting down a panic attack, he tried to figure out what was going on. He was being attacked. She was attacking him, wrestling with him, trying to capture him … oh.

She's hugging me. Why is she hugging me? Cherie doesn't hug.

"What are you doing?" he asked, somewhat muffled by her coat in his face. He knew what she was doing, but asking that seemed better than asking why?

"I'm hugging you." Well, there it was. Proof that his sister had been replaced by an overly exuberant clone dressed in Christmas-themed clothing. "It's what family does when they haven't seen each other in forever."

There was a very strong hint in there somewhere. Gradually, his arms crept around her, and he hugged her in return. It was an oddly comfortable feeling. Since 'dear old Dad' had taken a shard of candy heart to his real heart, Alec had been experiencing weird yet comforting feelings from time to time. Lisa had kindly explained that this was what people with normal emotions felt.

By unspoken mutual consent, the hug ended. Alec was reassured by the fact that other people were hugging here and there; he wasn't making an idiot out of himself. Though the tears that had built in his eyes unbidden were threatening to do that all by themselves.

He'd done some crying over the last nine months. Unlike the tears he'd shed in Chez Vasil, he usually felt better afterward.

Cherie either hadn't seen the tears or didn't care. "So hey, wanna meet my bestie and her dad?"

"Uh … sure?" From the grip she had on his hand, he wasn't going to be given a choice in the matter.

He was towed a short distance, fetching up in front of a tall skinny teenage girl wearing glasses and a cool expression; she had long black curly hair and was snappily dressed for the weather. Her father was a little taller, just as skinny, and also wore glasses. The aura of authority and assurance that radiated off both of them was almost palpable.

"Hi, I'm Taylor." The girl smiled and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you. What would you prefer we call you, Alec or Jean-Paul?"

He tried not to gulp in terror as he shook her hand. Unless he was wildly misreading the situation here, he was now face to face with none other than Atropos, the girl who had single-handedly obliterated the stranglehold of crime on Brockton Bay, before casually destroying the Endbringers. Those slim hands had wielded razor-edged steel, and other weapons, in ways that made his bladder want to cut loose.

She had a pleasant smile.

"Um, I've kind of gotten used to 'Alec', if that's okay. 'Jean-Paul' has too many bad memories attached." It was weird to say, 'if that's okay' and mean it, but he'd been doing that more and more these days too.

"Sure." Atropos—Taylor—gave him a nod as firm as the handshake. "Welcome to Brockton Bay, Alec. It's good to meet you. This is my dad, Danny Hebert."

"Wait, the Danny Hebert?" Alec tried not to do a double-take. The face had been vaguely familiar, but the name was whispered at all levels of society, all through the region. What the Betterment Committee was doing with Brockton Bay was unprecedented, but the fact that the man at the forefront of the effort had managed to keep it on the straight and narrow for nearly a year now, despite the insane amounts of money pouring into the Committee's coffers, was virtually unheard of. "I've heard of you." He turned to Cherie. "You didn't tell me she was his daughter!"

Taylor chuckled. "Well, that's a first." Bizarrely, she didn't seem at all upset by the fact that Alec had put her father above her for a moment. He was still terrified of Atropos in the abstract, of course, but having met her face to face, she seemed … nice.

"It certainly is." Mr Hebert held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, son. Cherie has been a joy to have in our household, so you're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Oh, I'll only be in town for a few days. The guys will be expecting me back." But the invitation still warmed him deep down in a way that he wasn't used to. He shook Mr Hebert's hand with a sense of mild unreality. This was the man who directed the disposition of literally billions of dollars on a monthly basis, and didn't even sport a diamond tie-pin, or a tie to pin it to.

"Well, let's make the most of it." Mr Hebert gestured toward Alec's backpack. "Is that all your luggage?"

"Yeah." Suddenly self-conscious, Alec shrugged the backpack strap a little higher onto his shoulder.

"Excellent." Taylor grinned. "Let's go."

They went.

<><>​

The ride in the car provided more eye-opening revelations for Alec. Danny Hebert's car, a mid-range model that was a few years old, was just as unprepossessing as his outward appearance had already suggested, but that was the least of it. Taylor sat in front, chatting with her father about the Christmas preparations around the city—apparently there was going to be a giant tree somewhere on the Boardwalk—but she also took the time to include Cherie in the conversation. The banter between the three of them was entirely outside of Alec's experience, especially as neither Taylor nor Mr Hebert squashed Cherie's opinions if they differed from theirs.

If that wasn't enough already, Alec soon had more to engage his sense of wonder. He'd thought he knew Brockton Bay reasonably well, but the streets they were driving down and the buildings they were passing by occasionally contrasted sharply with his memories of the place. One or two instances like this might have passed him by, but eventually he had to speak up.

"Excuse me," he said, cutting into a reminiscence between Taylor and Cherie of a Christmas party they'd attended with a friend of theirs called Ash, "but … when did all this renovation happen? It wasn't like this in January."

"Oh, it's been going on all year." Taylor's voice was cheerful. "The money from the Nine gave us the startup capital, and when the two billion from the Simurgh dropped into the account, they were able to start breaking ground. There'll be a little bit of a slowdown over Christmas and New Year's, with shifts cutting back to four hours but being paid for eight so they'll be able to spend more time with their families, but it's going to ramp back up to full speed on January second."

"What did Accord think of that?" Cherie sounded curious, though not worried.

Mr Hebert shrugged. "It was his idea."

"Wait." Alec had to speak up at that. "This is Accord, the guy from Boston who murders people for putting a comma out of place, right? That Accord? And you're working with him?"

Taylor turned her head so Alec could see her grin. "I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. The chance to plan out the rebuilding of Brockton Bay properly with an effectively unlimited budget. More persuasive than a gun to the back of the head."

"Oh, and she threw in half a million dollars." Cherie's grin was just as wide. "Of his own money. After she burned the rest, plus the drug shipment that came along with it."

After he got over his sheer shocked bogglement, Alec was still laughing when they pulled up at the house.

<><>​

Ten Minutes Later

Cherish

"I sleep down here, on the fold-out sofa." Cherie indicated the currently folded-away piece of furniture. "Funny thing, when I first started living here, they apologised over how lumpy it was, but I was totally fine with just having a bed of my own. But once Taylor wormed my birthday out of me, they bought a new one then, and it's tons more comfortable. You'll be sleeping on that inflatable mattress there. Don't worry, I've checked it out, and it's really comfy too."

She watched her brother blink and look around with the air of mild bewilderment that he'd worn since he got off the bus. The decorated tree in the corner drew the most incomprehension of all, which wasn't surprising. Christmas in the Vasil household had not exactly been a time of good cheer for all.

"And they don't mind me being here?" he asked at last, glancing around as he lowered his voice. He needn't have worried; Taylor was taking a shower upstairs, while Danny was on the phone in the kitchen.

"Hell, no." She gave him a quick side-hug, something she could tell he was still getting used to. "Taylor's been looking forward to it, and Danny's told me straight-out that he's happy with me or Taylor bringing friends over, so long as he gets a heads-up first."

"And he doesn't … try to tell you what to do?" It was easy to see how their father's controlling ways still loomed large in his mind.

"Nope." She tried to figure out how to explain it, then she remembered something. "He explained it to me like this. The big important stuff, like paying bills and going to school, he gets the final say. Middling important stuff, he might have an opinion, but he'll listen to my input. If I can convince him I really want it, he'll advance me the cash. And for minor stuff, like buying new sneakers, if I've already got the cash, he doesn't care. Also, I get an allowance, so I can buy stuff for myself."

"Jesus." He ran his hand through his hair. "So why are they even letting you live here? To me it looks like you're getting it all your own way. Wait, you aren't …" He gave her a sudden suspicious look.

"Haha, nope." She made a scissoring cut-off gesture with her hands. "Taylor made it clear on the first day that I'd die if I tried it. Besides, I don't need to. Taylor enjoys my company, and Danny likes having someone to be a dad for, when Taylor's off doing something extreme to some asshole somewhere."

Something about that seemed to strike him as being funny, because he chuckled. "Holy shit, I just got it."

"What?" He only chuckled again in response, so she poked him in the ribs. "What did you just get, doofus?"

"Don't you get it?" He spread his hands. "He's the guy who can point at a building and say, 'knock that down and rebuild it' , and it gets done. She's the terrifying assassin who can literally kill anyone. You're the token normal. The one who makes them feel normal."

Cherie blinked. "But … I've got powers too." Even as she protested, she could see the logic behind his words. The sheer scale of change that Atropos had caused with her powers in just a few short months dwarfed anything Cherie had ever done over the years she'd been a cape. "I've helped." And that's why she chose me. The revelation left her shaken.

Alec actually reached out and patted her on the head. "It's alright," he said soothingly, though his eyes (and musical accompaniment) were full of mischief. "We all know you're a big tough cape, sis. Honest."

That was when she tackled him onto the sofa and started tickling him mercilessly. He tried to fight back, but he was laughing too hard, both from the joke and from the tickling (which was also a first).

<><>​

Regent

Dinner was an enjoyable affair. Conversation was brisk and pleasant, jumping topics often and occasionally sparking mild arguments, enjoyed by all participants. And the food, served up by Taylor and Cherie, was really nice.

It seemed Cherie hadn't actually been joking about Mr Hebert being an 'impossible TV dad'. He didn't try to dominate the conversation, and even asked for Alec's input on a few subjects.

About halfway through, Taylor caught Alec's eye. "So, what do you think of the meal?" she asked, with a suspiciously expectant air.

Alec glanced at her, then at Mr Hebert, who gazed blandly back. "Uh … it's good. It's really good." Light dawned. "You cooked it, didn't you?"

Taylor grinned and shook her head. "Nope. All Cherie."

Alec blinked and looked down at his plate, then over at his sister, who blushed and dropped her eyes to her own plate. "Holy crap, you cooked this? That's amazing!"

She lifted her head at the praise, and gave him a shy smile. He could see the pride underneath. "Told you I was cooking real food."

"Damn." He took another bite. "I could definitely get used to this."

"She's putting together her own recipe book and everything," Taylor added. "When and if she ever decides to move out on her own, she'll be set for fixing her own meals."

Which is more than I can say. He gave Cherie an appraising look. "I've never said this to anyone before, family or otherwise, but I'm proud to be your brother."

"Awww. You're pretty cool, too." Cherie got up and went around to where he was sitting, then hugged him. This time, he didn't need any prompting to hug her back.

<><>​

Cherish

"You've got how many Christmas movies?" Alec started leafing through the stack. "I didn't even know they made more than one or two."

Cherie grinned at Taylor's raised eyebrow. "He's not kidding. Whenever there was a Christmas movie on, we never got to finish it, so we thought they were all part of the same few movies. I never did figure out the plotlines."

"Not altogether surprising." Taylor plucked one out of Alec's stack. "This one should do, for starters. Mom always loved it."

Alec frowned at the cover art. "Is that supposed to be a skeleton? And how is a nightmare fun?"

"Oooh, I haven't actually watched that one yet." Cherie headed over and sat on the sofa. "C'mon, Alec. If Taylor says it's good, that's good enough for me."

"Christmas Eve snacks coming out." Danny emerged from the kitchen with bowls of peanuts and candy on a tray. "Soda in the fridge for anyone who wants some." He handed out the bowls, then sat down in his armchair. "Let the entertainment commence."

Taylor slid the DVD into the machine, then sat down next to Cherie and claimed a bowl for herself. "Got tissues?" she asked Cherie in an undertone.

Cherie grinned and glanced sideways at her brother, who was sitting there oblivious. "Two packs."

<><>​

Regent

"What the heck was that?" Alec wiped his eyes and blew his nose again. Without even needing to be asked, Cherie handed him another tissue. Smugness radiated off her without even needing a use of her powers. "How can they make me feel so good about a love story between a stick figure and a stitched-together girl?"

"Christmas movies." Taylor handed him a cup of soda. "They'll punch you in the feels every time."

Cherie nodded gravely. "And we haven't even shown him The Princess Bride yet. Can we play that one next?"

Taylor glanced at Mr Hebert, who shrugged. As far as Alec could tell, he was okay with whatever movie they chose. The fact of actually having a choice still weirded Alec out. "Okay," Taylor agreed. "Princess Bride, then we'll finish off with the Grinch."

"Oooh." Cherie bounced up from the sofa. "I'll get more tissues."

Alec watched her as she left the living room. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

Taylor gave him a deadpan look. "Mwahahaha."

<><>​

Christmas Day, 2011

Cherish

"Merry Christmas! Wake up, doofus!" Still pyjama-clad—because according to Taylor it was a long-standing Christmas tradition, and who was she to stand against tradition—Cherie dropped her weight hard on the edge of Alec's inflatable mattress, causing it to launch him a little way into the air. Fortunately, he was still on the mattress when he landed, but he did wake up while still airborne, and let out an undignified yelp on the way down again.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded, sitting up and glaring at her. "Where am … oh." He looked around, no doubt taking in the tinsel hanging here and there, and the Christmas tree in the corner. "It wasn't a dream, was it?"

"No, no, it wasn't. Come on, get up and get dressed. I wanna open my presents." Cherie knew damn well that on any other day of the year she could buy herself these very same gifts, but she'd never gotten Christmas presents before, and she wanted to savour the experience.

By the time Alec had grumbled his way back into the room after washing his face and getting dressed in the half-bath, Taylor and Danny were also making their way downstairs. Cherie had bacon and eggs started, which drew Alec into the kitchen to watch curiously. She put him to work setting the table and getting the orange juice out of the fridge. Amazingly enough, he did as he was asked; apparently, he could be domesticated too.

Breakfast was a fun affair, especially as Alec kept rehashing the high points of the movies they'd seen the previous night. Cherie caught Taylor and Danny sharing amused glances more than once, but they both liked the movies in question, and added their own favourite points. He also went for seconds with the eggs, because it seemed nobody where he was currently living could make them so good.

After breakfast was done, Taylor gathered the dishes and helped Cherie wash up, while Danny dried. Cherie caught chimes of disbelief from Alec, though they were a lot less strong than they had been the previous day. He appeared to be gradually coming around to the idea that not all fathers were created equal, and that some were a whole lot more bearable than the one they'd been inflicted with.

"So," said Danny as he hung up the towel. "Was there anything else we were going to do today, or should I just head into the office?" There was the hint of a grin on his face, the humour reflecting through in his musical accompaniment.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "You know damn well Cherie's been looking forward to this all year. So stop yanking her chain, and come and sit down with the rest of us." From her attitude and the tone of voice, she may as well have been the adult, not him, though Cherie could see how amused she was as well.

<><>​

Regent

They assembled in the living room; the sofa bed had been folded away, and the inflatable mattress deflated, so there was now room to carry three chairs into the living room. Taylor and Cherie and Alec set them up around the tree, while Mr Hebert moved the armchair a little closer. Once they were all seated, he gestured grandly to Alec. "It's usually Taylor who picks out the first present, being the youngest member of the household, but you're our guest so you can start us off today."

"Um." Alec blinked, feeling suddenly put on the spot. "Okay." Leaning forward, he reached out to the pile of brightly wrapped gifts and picked one out at random. The stuck-on label was hand-written but easy to read. "From Dad to Taylor." With a sense of total unreality, he handed the parcel over. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Alec. And thank you, Dad. My turn." Taylor grabbed a parcel and peered at it. "From me to Cherie. Here."

Alec couldn't have missed the expression of happiness on his sister's face if he'd been on the far side of the moon. "Thank you, Taylor. Um, my turn." She grabbed up a parcel, and her eyebrows rose slightly. "From Danny to Alec."

Wait, what? Alec stared at the parcel as Cherie handed it to him. "But you said you would …" There'd been no mention of more than one present for him. What's going on here?

"Merry Christmas, Alec." Mr Hebert gave him a measured nod. "Your turn."

And so the round-robin went, the number of parcels dwindling as they were meted out to their respective recipients. Alec found himself holding two more presents, one the promised gift from Cherie as well as another from Taylor. Holy shit, this is Christmas! I'm actually getting Christmas presents!

Once the pile was gone, as if by telepathic agreement, Taylor and Mr Hebert began to open their presents. Cherie and Alec shared a grin of mutual amazement and began pulling the paper off theirs as well. It was nice paper, too. Care had been taken in the wrapping.

Once the last bit of wrapping had been removed from the last present, Alec found himself the proud owner of a multitool that looked capable of disassembling a 747, a gift voucher for a major game outlet, and a Christmas-themed sweater. With a sense of unreality that just would not go away, he held the sweater up against himself, then looked across at Cherie as she did exactly the same thing with hers.

"Sorry they're on the ugly side." Taylor was holding one up as well. "It's kind of a thing with Christmas sweaters."

"Are you kidding?" Laughter bubbled up in Alec's throat. "This is the best day of my life."

"Well, you might want to put it on now." Taylor was tugging hers on over her head. "Cherie and I were going out to meet the guys on the Boardwalk, and we thought you'd like to come along."

From anyone else, that might have been construed as a casual comment. Alec had long since learned that Taylor didn't do 'casual'. Taking in Cherie's nod, he pulled his sweater on over his head; unsurprisingly, it fitted quite well.

<><>​

Cherish

It was a little breezy along the Boardwalk, and Cherie was glad of both the new sweater and the pink bobble-hat that Taylor had impulsively gifted her with on one of their expeditions to the Lord Street Market. She'd gotten Taylor a pin that read 'Evil, Mean, Wicked and Nasty' which Taylor had delightedly attached to her shirt. Taylor was wearing a dark grey woollen hat, while Alec had one that Danny had loaned him, in red and blue.

"Oh, hey, there they are." Taylor raised her arm and waved, and got an answering shout. Vicky Dallon got to them first, hugging Taylor and then Cherie with a broad grin. Cherie hadn't even known she was in town, but Christmas was supposed to bring families together, after all.

"Vicky, hi, wow." Taylor was laughing at the exuberant greeting. "I want you to meet—"

"Alec! Holy shit, it's you!" The call came from farther back in the group; a tall black teen forged his way through to end up in front of Alec.

Alec stared up at him. "Brian. Jeez, I haven't seen you since …" He trailed off and gave an embarrassed cough. "Since Lisa pulled that prank on you."

"Yeah, I know. What are you even doing back in town? Did she come too?" Brian looked around, worry in his musical accompaniment.

"Nah, she said she'd skip the migraine." Alec indicated Taylor. "My sister Cherie invited me. Taylor says it's okay."

"Ah. Hi, Taylor." Brian gave the tall brunette a polite smile. "Good to see you."

Taylor's grin was rather more genuine. "And you too, Brian. Where's—ah, there you are, Aisha! And Riley too, woo!"

As the two younger girls more or less threw themselves at Taylor for hugs, Cherie smirked at Brian. Taylor had unmasked to the Laborns, as well as Theo and everyone she'd gone on that wild ride into Scion's pocket dimension with, after the final reverberations of Scion's death and the End of the Endbringers had run their course in society. Most of them had taken it in their stride, but Brian just couldn't relax around her, even out of costume. Personally, Cherie found it hilarious.

"Hi." After disengaging from Taylor, Aisha planted herself in front of Alec. "I'm Aisha. Pretty sure you used to do crime with my big bro." Cherie read interest shading into intrigue in her musical accompaniment. Then Aisha reached out and dragged a chunky young man up beside her. "This here's Theo. He used to be Kaiser's son, but we taught him how to be a decent human being. Say hi to Alec, Theo."

Theo rolled his eyes and offered his hand to shake. "Hi, Alec. Pleased to meet you. Feel free to ignore Aisha. She means well, right up until she opens her mouth."

Theo had definitely gotten a lot more assertive in his time with the Laborns, Cherie had to admit. The bond he'd formed with Aisha, despite their snarky attitude with each other, was both deep and strong.

Alec shook Theo's hand with an answering grin, carefully ignoring Aisha's over-theatrical outraged jaw-drop. "Got it. Nice to meet you both. And trust me, I've got a friend who has the exact same problem. You learn to filter it out after a while."

As the two groups mingled into one, Cherie nodded to Vicky. "So, how's life treating you in the Windy City?"

"Good, good." Vicky smiled. "I've about patched up my difficulties with Gallant. Had to come back here to see Mom and Dad and the rest, though."

"Yeah, me and Taylor come and see the Rogues sometimes." Cherie tilted her head. "And I hear Crystal and the others are still a thing."

"Yeah." Vicky laughed out loud and shook her head. "That's so wild. I love it."

As they strolled off along the Boardwalk, with Alec getting to know the others, Cherie smiled as she took in the multiple harmonic chimes all around her. Christmas really was a nice time of year.

<><>​

Monday, December 26, 2011

Regent

When he'd first agreed to come to Brockton Bay, Alec had been worried about wearing out his welcome early, so he'd told Lisa to only book the ticket for a couple of days. Staring down the barrel of his return to the Red Hands, he was regretting his caution. But right now, there were goodbyes to be said.

He shook hands with Mr Hebert first. "Thanks for putting me up, and putting up with me. I really appreciate it."

"It was no problem at all, Alec." The older man's handshake was firm without being a knuckle-cruncher. "You're welcome to come back anytime."

As Mr Hebert stepped back, Alec turned to Taylor. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're nothing like what I expected. I've really enjoyed the last couple of days. Thank you." As he had with Mr Hebert, he held out his hand.

"Don't be silly." She stepped in past his hand, and gave him a firm hug. After a moment, he carefully returned it. "It's been nice. Thanks for actually showing up."

Once she let him go—holy shit, I just got hugged by Atropos—he was face to face with Cherie. This time, the hug was wordless and spontaneous on both sides. He held her tightly, not wanting to let go, but knowing he had to.

"I'll come back again," he promised. "Sometime soon."

"You better, you jerk, or I'll send Aisha to hunt you down and drag you back." She gave him an extra squeeze, then let him go. "And if you think Taylor's scary, Aisha works at it."

He had to glance at Taylor for that one. She gave a half shrug, and quirked one corner of her mouth. "Eh, it's true."

"Well, okay then." He gave them each a smile as he turned toward the bus. "See you again, soon."

Hitching the backpack—slightly fuller than it had been when he arrived—higher on his shoulder, he climbed on board the bus, then hurried to score a window seat where he could wave to them. Taylor spotted him first, of course; she waved back, followed by the other two.

As the bus began reversing out of the parking bay, he leaned against the window to catch one last glimpse of them, then relaxed back against his seat. It would be a long ride to get where he was going, but that was fine. Soon he'd be back with the Red Hands, doing what he did best.

And sometime later, he'd be coming back to Brockton Bay, to see Cherie again.

He couldn't wait.



End of A Christmas Reunion

 

[Aytesarp]

Damn, that's so wholesome. A nice surprise extra for the already beloved story.
Thanks for the new chapter Ack.

 

[Oddboy]

Damn, Alec really got the Good Ending, huh.

 

[Ack]

Just so everyone knows, I was going through this story and I realised that Chapters 71-73 were very mixed up between what happened on Friday and what happened on Saturday. So I've just gone through it and sorted things out so we're not jumping backwards and forwards all the time in those three chapters.

Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73

I will stress that nothing has been added or removed. It's just been rearranged for ease of understanding.

 

[Ack]

Here's a gorgeous side-story that just popped up on SB:

Memorial Day

 

[Finsdale]

Damn onion cutting ninjas

 

[Kehsem]

Here's a gorgeous side-story that just popped up on SB:

Memorial Day

Click to shrink...

I hope to one day see this contrasted with a Sistine Chapel-esque memorial to Atropos' Greatest Kills.

Park it right next to the Lincoln Memorial and have the perspective from a notable parahuman some time in the future.

 

[Ack]

Baggage, by Masterweaver.

A bit more semi-closure.

 

[Ack]

Just so everyone knows, I've written a one-shot crossover with the Hell's Belles universe, for where Taylor can end up next.

Think of this as an omake rather than hard canon for ADP, though it's canon if you want it to be.

Atropos: Afterlife

 

[Ack]

Legacy

[A/N: This little bit has been circulating in my brain for a while. It fits in after Riley visits her parents' gravesite but before the Ending epilogue.]
[A/N 2: This epilogue beta-read by Lady Columbine of Mystal.]


April 10, 2043
Karamoja Region, Northeastern Uganda

Odoch Baguma, Aid Worker

Seasonal rains had clearly come and gone since the road had last been graded, given the rivulets across the roadbed that nearly put Odoch's spinal column up through the top of his skull. The big truck jolted and swayed, but the driver, a massive stolid man by the name of Samuel, kept control of the vehicle with ease.

There were a dozen trucks in the convoy, each laden down with essential supplies for their humanitarian mission to the outer villages. Anywhere else they'd be seen as museum pieces, but the powerful bio-diesel engines would take the trucks into (and out of) places where electric vehicles would never get a charge. Unfortunately, the suspension and seat cushions also dated from last century; he suspected his butt would be one huge bruise at the end of the trip.

But that didn't matter, in the long run. The organiser of this mission had gone as cheap as possible on the transport for the very specific reason that every dollar saved on their wheels could go on food, seeds, nutrition supplies, water pumps, and other irreplaceable materiel. She'd required that they be rugged and dependable; comfort came a very distant third.

He glanced down at her now, leaning back on the bench seat between himself and Samuel as though she had not a care in the world. Rising fifty like himself, she was almost delicately built, but her reputation was of someone who never backed down when the stakes were this important. The rains were late; crops were failing and cattle dying, so the convoy would get through, if she had to get out and push the trucks all the way there herself.

The ancient brakes squealed and Odoch felt the truck slow. Frowning, he looked around at the road, and saw the trees lying across it. Lightning, he thought at first, then storm damage. Then he saw the men stepping out of the treeline with assault rifles, their leader half a head taller than the rest of them.

Oh, shit. Bandits.

"What do I do?" asked Samuel, his eyes wide with fear.

Odoch knew Samuel would follow his lead no matter what, whether the order was to stop, turn around or charge the barrier. But there was no good course of action. Stopping would put them at the bandits' mercy, turning around would expose them to punitive fire (and the road was too narrow anyway) and charging would see them riddled with bullets in seconds.

"Stop the truck." The woman beside him spoke with authority. "I'll go talk with them."

"Ma'am, no!" he protested, even as the truck came to a complete halt. Behind them, he knew, the other trucks would also be stopping. But they had no defences, only a single hunting rifle to deal with marauding wildlife. It was cased up behind the seat of the truck, and he'd never get it out in time. "They won't listen to you."

That was the nicest way he could put it. The least bad thing they'd do to her would be to ignore her while they looted the convoy and killed whoever resisted. And he doubted very much that they'd be so restrained as that.

Since the old warlords had died off and nobody new had replaced them, non-cape bandits and warlords had started carving out their own little slices of territory. These ranged from almost benevolent arrangements where protection money actually got results all the way to violent gangs that pillaged wherever they could. The man in the middle of the road stood partway between those two extremes.

He was known as Kushinda Simba, or the Conquering Lion, and Odoch had heard stories of his ruthlessness in defending his chosen territory. But at least he didn't murder everyone who crossed him. Immediately, anyway.

"Get out, Samuel," she ordered. Samuel obediently shut down the truck and climbed out. She slid out after him and dropped to the ground. Fearlessly, she started toward Kushinda Simba, looking like a meerkat cub seeking to take down a hyena.

"No, no, no," muttered Odoch as he unfastened his seatbelt and wrenched his own door open. "Please don't kill her, please don't kill her."

He kept his hands open and facing the bandits as he hustled after his employer, trying to get to her before she got to the warlord blocking the road. But he was too late; he was still several paces away when she faced up to Kushinda Simba and said boldly, "Excuse me. There are some trees in the road. Kindly move them so we can get through." Her Swahili, though accented, was easily fluent enough to understand.

Kushinda Simba stared down at her. "Who are you to talk to me like that?" Odoch blessed every minor god that he knew of, as well as the Christian Messiah, that the warlord was more amused than angered by her presumption.

She hooked her thumb back over her shoulder. "I'm the person bankrolling that convoy. We're taking them through to supply the villages out this way. Move the trees, or I will."

The big man's brows knotted together like mating caterpillars as he tried to make sense of her attitude. "Do you not know who I am? You do not order me around!"

"I know who you are, Kushinda Simba." She shrugged. "But if you're not going to help me distribute humanitarian aid, I honestly don't care. Tell your men to step aside so we can move these trees."

He pulled his automatic pistol then, and placed the muzzle against her forehead. Odoch stopped breathing; in the silence, he heard the klik-klik-klik as Kushinda Simba thumbed the hammer back. The woman stood staring back at him as though waiting for him to get to the point.

"If you know me, you know I will shoot you," he said at last. "Do you not fear me?"

Her gaze did not waver. "Do you know of Atropos?"

In that moment, Odoch saw Kushinda Simba flinch, but the big man rallied quickly. "All know of Atropos. Do you claim to be under her protection?"

She snorted then, sounding dryly amused. "Hardly. But I was instrumental in her creation. In the beginning, there were three of us. On that day, she gave each of us our second warning. We had earned it, and more. But one of us was headstrong and arrogant, not inclined to accept being told no. She confronted Atropos and became the first to die, but not the last."

"The Shadow Stalker." It seemed Kushinda Simba knew that much Atropos lore, at least. "Where is this going?"

"I'm getting there. My other friend surrendered totally, and even today leads the Followers of Our Lady in Darkness, doing good works in their devotion to her cause. I … followed the middle path. Too weak to face her directly, too strong to submerge myself in her will. So for two years I lived in terror of her, seeing her every day, knowing that if I did one thing she disliked, I would die. And then I left school. But the terror remained."

"She forgave you, then." But his voice didn't sound certain.

"No." Her tone became thoughtful. "I believe she didn't think even that much of me. But I knew by then that her net was spread wide. She wants a peaceful, prosperous, nice world, and she will End anything that gets in the way of that. So I dedicated my life to making things better for people around me. This gun you have to my head? It's been there for thirty years." She raised an eyebrow and looked up at him like a schoolmistress critiquing a recalcitrant student. "So, Kushinda Simba. What's your claim to fame?"

<><>​

Ten minutes later, the convoy was on its way again. Odoch looked down at his employer, once more seated between himself and Samuel, as composed as though the unplanned stop had never happened.

There is far more to Madison Clements, he decided, than meets the eye.

 

[Avernus]

She snorted then, sounding dryly amused. "Hardly. But I was instrumental in her creation. In the beginning, there were three of us. On that day, she gave each of us our second warning. We had earned it, and more. But one of us was headstrong and arrogant, not inclined to accept being told no. She confronted Atropos and became the first to die, but not the last."

"The Shadow Stalker." It seemed Kushinda Simba knew that much Atropos lore, at least. "Where is this going?"

"I'm getting there. My other friend surrendered totally, and even today leads the Followers of Our Lady in Darkness, doing good works in their devotion to her cause. I … followed the middle path. Too weak to face her directly, too strong to submerge myself in her will. So for two years I lived in terror of her, seeing her every day, knowing that if I did one thing she disliked, I would die. And then I left school. But the terror remained."

Click to shrink...

Interesting. Also funny that "Atropos lore" is a thing, and that Shadow Stalker's main contribution to history is as Atropos's first dead body. *

I also note that this means that the secret is entirely out by this period in history, presumably because by now nobody is going to be dumb enough to mess with her friends or father over it anymore.


EDIT: * Also given that Atropos-in-the-afterlife omake, I'm imagining Sophia in her own afterlife reacting to it when someone recognizes her with something like "Oh, yeah, you were the first one that Atropos killed for being too dumb to back down. You're famous! Kind of."

Shadow Stalker being solely famous as the Loser would be its own punishment for Sophia.

EDIT 2: Thinking about it, to the Followers of Our Lady in Darkness Sophia basically plays the part of Cain the the myth of Cain and Abel. Except in this version instead of Cain killing Abel and being cursed by God, "Cain" fails to lay a hand on "Abel", and "Abel" casually beats "Cain" to death with their bare hands then goes on to kill "God".

 

[Ack]

Interesting. Also funny that "Atropos lore" is a thing, and that Shadow Stalker's main contribution to history is as Atropos's first dead body. *

I also note that this means that the secret is entirely out by this period in history, presumably because by now nobody is going to be dumb enough to mess with her friends or father over it anymore.


EDIT: * Also given that Atropos-in-the-afterlife omake, I'm imagining Sophia in her own afterlife reacting to it when someone recognizes her with something like "Oh, yeah, you were the first one that Atropos killed for being too dumb to back down. You're famous! Kind of."

Shadow Stalker being solely famous as the Loser would be its own punishment for Sophia.

EDIT 2: Thinking about it, to the Followers of Our Lady in Darkness Sophia basically plays the part of Cain the the myth of Cain and Abel. Except in this version instead of Cain killing Abel and being cursed by God, "Cain" fails to lay a hand on "Abel", and "Abel" casually beats "Cain" to death with their bare hands then goes on to kill "God".

Click to shrink...

Certainly a more interesting mythos than the usual.

EDIT: Also, yeah. An entire generation of people have grown up knowing about Atropos. "Do not fuck with her" has gone genetic.

 

[Avernus]

Certainly a more interesting mythos than the usual.

Click to shrink...

"Uh, what happened to your teleporter?" asked Flechette. "Why did I throw it out?"

"Because it was Leet tech." Atropos paused to let that sink in. "Now, I may have mentioned the concept of 'exceeding safety limits' before. Most of Leet's stuff has stupidly low safety limits. Ending persuaded Prototype—his power—to push those limits way up for me. So long as I teleported within Earth Bet, and kept the teleports to four seconds or less, kept it human sized, and let it have a cooldown of two or three minutes between jumps, I could use it indefinitely. But earlier this evening, I did an eight-second jump, which raised the bar slightly. And just now, to get everyone out, I had to do a Dragon-sized portal that also crossed dimensional boundaries. That pushed it all the way over the safety limits, and into 'imminent fail' status."

"I could have possibly analysed and reverse-engineered it for you if you'd kept it," Dragon suggested. "Or are we talking about more than a normal Tinkertech style fail state?"

"Bit more, yeah." Atropos waggled her hand in the air. "Think 'megaton nuke detonation'. Which we needed, because he wasn't quite dead yet. If we'd left him, he may just barely have recovered. I don't play that game. When I End someone, they stay Ended."

Click to shrink...

And in a thousand years the Book of Ending speaks of how the Great Atropos slew the Demon Scion with the Holy Hand Grenade.