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My Girlfriend Is Terrifying [Worm Au][Taylor x Victoria x Lisa]

Reader mode
The Glory Girlfriends
  • Extras
    • a6af0627d993b78478756685258780b2146efb7f.jpg

    Art by Mikezzzzz
     
  • Extras
    • Chapter 49: She's trying to convert her
  • Threadmarks
    • Stanfield Household – Backyard

    "Wait, don't you three work together?"

    Amy's question caused Lisa's already tight smile to stiffly freeze on her face for a good half second. It wasn't often that Victoria got to see her girlfriend so wordless, but the hole Amy was unwittingly digging into was getting deeper by the second.

    "Lisa works in admin, she doesn't work directly with freelance hires like Rachel," Taylor lied expertly, keeping a far cooler head than either of her two girlfriends.

    Thankfully Amy accepted the answer, and Rachel didn't speak up in opposition. One minor emergency was dealt with while Vicky defused the larger threat of the four Wards ready to pounce on the unsuspecting Undersider.

    With a slow and careful shake of the head, Victoria silently told Dean to stand down and not cause a scene. Letting out a long breath as the Wards blended back in with the rest of the party. Eyes were on them, that much wasn't going to change, but it did buy them time to think.

    "Right, exactly," Lisa added, returning to her senses. She looked off in the same direction as Vicky, noting the concern on her face and more than likely picking up on the Wards in the crowd. "Admin and stuff. We've never met, properly until today."

    Brutus, who had spent most of the conversation firmly by Rachel's side, stood up to rub along Taylor's leg, silently demanding a pat from the girl, which Taylor idly handed out. Lisa shook her head silently as the dog then turned to her and demanded the same.

    "Huh," Amy pondered, looking down at the dog. "Brutus really likes you two. That's rare to see, right?" She looked up to Rachel for confirmation. "Only other person I've seen him do that to is Cassie."

    "Oh, y'know," Lisa waved the comment off while briefly glaring at the dog. "Dogs just love me, what can I say?"

    "What? No they don't." Rachel cut in, offended by the notion that all dogs would love Lisa.

    "How would you know? We've never met before…" Lisa deadpanned, stressing the word.

    Rachel stared the girl down for a solid two seconds before rolling her eyes. "Whatever."

    "Jesus fucking Christ…" Lisa muttered under her breath as she gave Brutus a hesitant pat.

    Victoria felt the need to also attempt, in the hope that it made her girlfriends look less suspicious. Unfortunately, her plan backfired, as Brutus responded to Victoria's offered hand with a growl and a snap.

    "Look out!" Amy chuckled cautiously as she pulled Brutus back. Vicky watched as dog teeth scraped along her forcefield. "He still needs time to get to know you better."

    "Y-yeah…" Vicky said, pulling her hand back with a forced smile. Obviously, her time in the Undersiders so far hadn't warmed her towards the animals.

    "Um, so. We're just gonna find a spot to chill. Rachel doesn't want her dogs near the pool," Amy explained, pointing towards the open yard. Don't let us interrupt your swimming time." She chuckled awkwardly, still pulling on Brutus' collar.

    While Victoria was originally looking forward to spending the party with her sister and their girlfriends, she was more than happy to take the excuse.

    "R-right, of course," Vicky smiled. "We'll see you, later then. Have fun, Ames. And nice you meet you, Rachel."

    Rachel gave a solemn head nod, mainly towards herself and Taylor, while Lisa received something of a scowl. Then they turned and moved off towards the less crowded section of the yard. Amy looked exceptionally stiff with her movement as she dragged Rachel away.

    There were three long seconds of silence as the girls watched Amy and Rachel disappear into the crowd before Lisa turned back to the group.

    "Well, I'm only going to say this once," Lisa hissed. "I fucking told you so. I told each and every one of you and you all thought I was crazy. Next time, listen to the fucking thinker!"

    "Enough gloating," Victoria said quietly. "What the hell are we going to do?"

    "I'm going to find my phone and make a call," Lisa said, already turning to the changing rooms. "I suggest you come up with a good excuse for your Ward friends."

    "The hell am I meant to tell them?" Vicky asked. Lisa didn't bother with a reply, power walking off to take care of whatever she needed to do. Victoria turned to Taylor to ask the same question, but Taylor alerted her to the approaching Ex-boyfriend who was also powerwalking in her direction.

    "Vicky, can I talk to you for a quick second?" Dean asked, grabbing her by the arm. "Hey, Taylor. Hope you're having a fun party. Mind if I borrow Vicky for a moment, thanks."

    Taylor stepped back and allowed Victoria to be pulled aside, giving her an apologetic wave as the two found someplace relatively quiet to discuss Amy's plus one.

    "Okay, what the hell is going on?" Dean asked, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Are you okay? Is Amy okay? What is Hellhound doing here? What threats has she made? Should we call for backup?"

    "No!" Victoria panicked. The last thing they needed was the entire Protectorate to show up. "I mean… It's not. She didn't… Amy's just… Just…"

    Her mind was spinning. A million little thoughts in her head and not a single reasonable excuse as to why Amy would bring Bitch to a public party filled with Wards. The Wards obviously feared a hostage scenario, which needed to be put to rest before anyone escalated. But what other excuse was there?

    "Amy was just…" Victoria began again, her mind falling back on the truth. Not Amy's truth. No, she had no clue what the hell Amy was thinking, but Victoria's own truth was the best excuse she could think of. "Amy has taken it upon herself to show Bi-, uh, Hellhound. I mean… Rachel, that there are better ways to live than being a villain. She hopes that by showing her an open hand of kindness and love, well. She could maybe turn Rachel away from a life of crime if she had a better support network, and friends. Y'know?"

    Dean stared back at Vicky, completely dumbfounded.

    "So, you're telling me, that your sister is trying to… seduce Hellhound, out of villainy?" He asked.

    "Yeah, you get it!"

    "Vicky, no offence to your sister, but that is the stupidest idea I've ever heard," Dean shook his head. "We have protocols for handling villains. When did she even meet Hellhound? She should've come to the PRT immediately. Do you know how many young capes end up roped into gangs? Amy is five times more likely to wind up entrapped in the Undersiders than convert a Hellhound to the Wards."

    "What? No. It's not that stupid…" Victoria defended. "It's… honourable. It's a noble goal. Five times more likely to… that's not… likely…" Her voice died out as she thought about what had happened to herself.

    "God, could you imagine what the Undersiders could do if they got their hands on Panacea?" Dean added. Unaware of Vicky's internal struggle. "Okay, first thing we need to do is separate Amy. We could get a Ward to follow each dog around, time a coordinated strike to take Hellhound down," Vicky sputtered at the idea. "But that'll only work if Hellhound is acting alone. We're pretty sure the other Undersiders are here too."

    "What!?" Victoria blanched, looking back over to Taylor who also turned in her direction. "The Undersiders? H-here? No, they're not- not here. W-why would you think that?"

    "There's no way a Thinker like Tattletale wasn't aware of Amy's ill-informed plan," Dean deduced, mistaking Victoria's horror at the idea for acceptance. "We suspect that the entire team is somewhere among the crowd. The rest of the Wards are keeping an eye out."

    At that, Victoria broke into a choked laugh. Her eyes flicked to Taylor, who casually leaned against a wall, waiting for Dean to leave. Then to Lisa, whom she could see pacing back and forth on her phone through a window. Alec and Aisha, splashing each other in the pool, blissfully unaware that Bitch had just walked by moments ago. And then to the rest of the party, where Brian was no doubt schmoozing with Dean's Ward friends.

    "Oh good god…"

    "Don't worry," Dean said, placing a firm hand on Victoria's shoulder. "We won't let anything happen to Amy. Now if we can somehow get Hellhound alone, we-"

    "No," Victoria shook her head. Dean looked puzzled at her attempt to shut down any plan of attack. "I mean, uh. A-amy is really serious about this, uh, helping Rachel thing… I'm not going to, ruin it for her. I mean, we don't even know if the other Undersiders are even here? That would be pretty ballsy to show up out of costume. I bet Tattletale had- has, no idea what Hellhound is doing here. And isn't that a total overreaction to just assume the worst?"

    "Then what?" Dean asked. "Are we just supposed to let Amy parade around with a wanted parahuman and act like nothing is wrong? There are a hundred people at this party, I'm responsible for their wellbeing and I can't in good conscience let a known murderer mingle about them."

    "Just let me handle Amy. Okay?" Victoria asked, practically begging. "I'll keep an eye on Hellhound, make sure she doesn't do anything… illegal. And then when the party is over, I'll have a stern talking to her about this stunt of hers," Dean held his gaze at Victoria, she could feel her heart pounding in her head. He wasn't buying it. "Look, do your thing. Amy and Hellhound. What do you see from them?"

    "Hellhound is neurodivergent. I don't see anything from her," Dean said back flatly. No doubt adding to his distrust of the situation.

    "Okay, and what about Amy?"

    Dean sighed and took a good long look at Amy and Rachel. The girls found a spot on the lawn to sit down and relax. Neither of them looked particularly interested in socialising with anyone else, but also, they smiled. They cheered cups and watched as Brutus ran circles around them. Even now, Amy and Rachel were still holding hands.

    "She's happy," Dean admitted. "Nervous, anxious as all hell. But definitely happy."

    "I haven't seen Amy this happy in, forever," Victoria said quietly, a small smile building on her face. "Not really. It's like, realising all the other times I've seen her smile have been forced and this week. She's been, different. Better," Dean opened his mouth to rebuttal, but Vicky pushed on. "Just one day. Please. Give me- give her, just one day to be happy. And then I'll talk to her, figure this all out."

    Dean opened and closed his mouth several times, raising a finger and letting it drop. "This is a terrible idea… but fine. We'll keep an eye on Hellhound."

    "Thank you," Vicky said, letting out a long-held sigh of relief. "Oh, and don't tell my Mom about it. She would flip her shit if she found out. Or the PRT. Basically, keep it a secret entirely."

    Dean scoffed. "Vicky, I have no intention of bringing this shitstorm to your mother, but if you think for a second Carlos isn't going to report this to Piggot tomorrow, then you're more deluded than Amy is."

    "I'll talk to him after," Victoria nodded, making a mental note to plead for Amy's life to every Ward in attendance today. "I'm sorry, for everything going on. It's your party, you should be relaxing."

    "It's not your fault," Dean chuckled dryly. "You didn't invite any Undersiders into my life," They both laughed awkwardly at the situation. "How the fuck am I meant to relax?" He asked, more at himself.

    Victoria reached over to Dean's blue cup and took it from his hand, finishing the drink herself. "Maybe time for a colour swap? I got things from here."

    Dean shook his head, but walked away, heading back towards the drinks table. Victoria watched as each Ward slowly crowded around him, looking toward Vicky with a face of shock and confusion and more specifically, how Dean reached for a red cup.

    The crisis was averted, at least for now. Victoria knew she'd have to have a serious talk with each and every Ward before the day was over, and even then, there was no assurance that word wouldn't get out about Amy's new girlfriend.

    She turned back to Amy, wondering what in the world the girl was thinking about.

    -------------------------------------
    Stanfield Household – Backyard, Lawn

    All things considered, everything was going well.

    Amy watched as more make-up fell from Rachel's face as drops of sweat wiped away on the girl's sleeve. But the overall disguise had held. No Wards had started screaming bloody murder, and her own sister had a face-to-face conversation with Rachel.

    It had worked. They'd been introduced without a fight. Amy had proved to Victoria that Rachel was a real, normal, decent girl that in no way could ever be considered a violent Undersider.

    The dogs were also a hit, as expected. Everyone loved dogs, Angelica and Judas were busy being smothered in affection by whomever they chose to receive it from. Lapping up the attention, much to Rachel's worry.

    Granted, it wasn't perfect. Rachel was still as stiff and anti-social as Amy knew she could be. Her meeting with Vicky and her girlfriends was about as awkward as Amy imagined it could be. Thankfully Taylor was there to break the ice. She wasn't sure if Taylor was going to recognise Rachel behind her disguise, but everything had worked itself out.

    There was some tension between Rachel and Victoria's other girlfriend. But Amy was too busy trying to read every little micro expression of Vicky's face during the meeting to really focus on anything else.

    It didn't matter. In the end, Rachel was being civil, and Victoria was accepting and nice. The plan had been pulled off perfectly. At least until Victoria asked to see Rachel again, or even invite her over to the house. But Amy had plenty of time to think about plans for that in the future.

    Now that the stressful part of the day was over, she could relax and enjoy Dean's party for the first time in her life. Cuddled up on the lawn with her girlfriend, talking about random nonsense.

    Rachel and Amy were in the middle of a playful argument over the preferred taste of beer over cider. Amy could not fathom how Rachel could choose it over what was basically alcoholic apple juice. When an inflatable volleyball landed nearby and rolled past the two girls.

    Brutus immediately gave chase, giving in to his base playful instincts to hunt down a giant ball. The girls were too enrapt in their discussion to notice the approaching partygoer attempting to recover the volleyball.

    "Oh, hey Brutus! Give me the ball boy, give me the- Wait? The fuck?" Both girls looked up as Amy saw a young, African-American girl petting Rachel's dog. "The hell are you doing here, B-dawg? Did you follow Brian again? Did you?-"

    The girl looked up as her eyes met with Amy's and Rachel's. Blinking in as much surprise as Amy was as someone casually petting Brutus and calling him 'B-dawg.'

    "Ho-ly, shit," The girl said, a slow smile of amazement forming across her face. "R-Rachel? And- Holy shit," She looked at Amy specifically and started giggling involuntarily. "The fucking patron saint of curing cancer…" She wheezed, Amy blinked again at the nickname. "She was right, she was fucking…"

    The girl broke into a fit of laughter, unaware or ignoring the scowling look Rachel was giving back to the mystery girl.

    "Um, do we?-" Amy began before the girl moved towards them.

    "Rachel, what the fuck?" The girl asked, still smiling wide. "When did this happen? What? Oh my god. Wait I have to find Brian? Does he know? Oh god, he's gonna flip his shit! Wait, oh wait! Lisa! Did I miss it? Please tell me I didn't miss it. Fuck I missed it. Okay, wait. I need to find my phone. This needs a photo!"

    Brian? Lisa? Amy didn't know who the hell Brian was, but she was certain that the Lisa this girl was referring to was the same Lisa that Victoria was dating. But why would she know? And why would she care, unless…

    "Rachel?" Amy asked in concern. "Who is this?"

    She looked the girl over again. She knew Rachel well enough to approach Brutus and pat him. She didn't work at the shelter and seemed too young to work at a construction company like Taylor. She wasn't afraid of Rachel in the slightest, seeming to take pleasure in her scowling look. What if this girl somehow worked for Rachel? Amy couldn't think of who it could be though. There were only three female Undersiders and one was Rachel, the other was blonde. So that left… It couldn't be.

    "Rachel?" Amy asked again. Unsure if she wanted an answer to this question. "Is that? Is she?..."

    "What?" Rachel asked, looking back at her. Her scowl dropped in favour of another confused furrowing of the brow that Amy was beginning to find adorable.

    "What?" Amy asked back. Shaking off the conflicted feeling of adoration for her girlfriend's face and confusion over... What were they talking about again?

    "I just like the taste, what's the problem?" Rachel said again, referring to the drink in her hand. She looked over to Brutus and let out a sharp whistle, calling the dog back to them. "Can't stand sweet drinks," She added, shaking her head at the dog.

    Amy swirled her own cup in her hand, looking back at the contents in thought. Something bugged her about this moment, but it was most likely the fact that she'd have to endure Rachel's beer breath all day. A small price to pay for getting to kiss her girlfriend in public.

    She ignored the feeling. Changing the topic of conversation to the music playing throughout the party. Trying to find out more about her confusing yet wonderful girlfriend, but more importantly, an excuse to snuggle up even closer to her and kiss her again.

    -------------------------------------
    Stansfield House, Inside

    Dean had been gone for some time now. Brian was beginning to think the boy had forgotten about him entirely. He couldn't blame him though, this party had grown far larger than he had expected and Dean was obviously stressed about it.

    Brian had spent the last half an hour stuck in the middle of a tense conversation with two girls from Dean's school. He could tell both women were trying to one-up each other and impress him, and honestly, a part of him could enjoy the attention. To a point.

    However, Brian hadn't come to this party looking to hook up with anyone, least of all with anyone Dean knew personally. Women and relationships had taken a backseat in his life ever since he first put on a mask and it wasn't worth the effort in his eyes to get entangled with anyone that could put him or the team in danger.

    He was still dealing with the stress that Lisa and Taylor brought in thanks to their relationship with Victoria Dallon. Sure, she'd turned out to be willing to overlook their villainous activities for the sake of their romance. And Deimos was a rather helpful addition to the team, albeit risky as all hell. Brian didn't want to imagine the type of clusterfuck the team would land in if the girls ever split up.

    Aisha and Alec's relationship stressed him out just as much, if not more so. She'd wormed her way into every part of his criminal life, much to his frustration, and chosen Alec of all people to latch onto. He had no real beef with the boy, he and Alec were actually rather close friends. He liked Alec, he respected the boy. He understood that the boy was his own person and the trials he'd overcome to get where he was today. He'd never even joke about comparing him to his father.

    But if someone had gone up to Brian a year ago and said that his little sister would end up in a relationship with one of Heartbreaker's kids, he probably would've punched them.

    So no, relationships and hook-ups and women were not a thing on his mind. Getting stuck in the middle of two women, no matter how beautiful or attractive they were, was not something he wanted right now.

    He needed an out.

    "Excuse me," He said, nodding to the women. "I'm going to go get another drink."

    He put on his best and brightest smile. Not promising to return but also not saying that he wouldn't. They seemed satisfied enough by his comment, giving him enough time to walk away.

    Brian sighed and took in the party once more. The music was loud, the drinks were flowing, and the guests were all happy. And Dean was huddled up around the drinks table with several friends from the prior group. Including the little blonde girl who had raised a number of unanswered questions. Like, who is this sassy lost child? And why is she here?

    "Brian!" Someone yelled, snapping him out of his thoughts.

    He jumped as Aisha appeared in front of him, no doubt using her powers in the middle of a crowded room full of civilians. He flinched hard and did a little hop-skip backward, his hands reflexively balling into fists.

    "Goddammit, Aisha!" He growled through gritted teeth, trying to keep his voice low and not draw attention. "Don't do that in-"

    "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Aisha waved him off. "You can lecture me later. Right now, you gotta check this out," She grabbed Brian by the hand and yanked him past the crowd, leading him out into the backyard.

    "What the hell are you-?" He asked, his annoyance at the girl building as he turned back to Dean. He was still distracted by the group around him and didn't notice Brian passing.

    "Just check it out," Aisha insisted, pointing him towards the back fence. "You're gonna want to see this," She kept dragging him, weaving through the crowds of people. They passed the pool, where Brian could see Taylor and Victoria chatting conspiratorially amongst themselves. Interestingly, Lisa wasn't with them. "Hold up, just here," Aisha announced, stopping at the edge of the crowd and turning back to him, a mischievous smile on her face.

    "What are you doing?" Brian asked, not understanding the reason he was dragged to the edge of the crowd. He knew his sister was up to something, but would put up with whatever prank she was pulling out of a desire to be a good older brother.

    "Just want to get the lighting right," Aisha announced, pulling out her phone and posing for a selfie. Brian looked at her screen, unamused at the wasted time, but then huffed a smile. If Aisha wanted to take a photo with him, he'd play along. "Lisa was right, by the way," Aisha hummed, shooting her phone's camera a duck face.

    "What?" Brian asked, raising an eyebrow at the ridiculous face his sister was making.

    "On your left," Aisha answered, still posing for the incoming photo. Brian's eyes scanned left to see what the hell his sister was talking about.

    He felt his stomach drop.

    It was Rachel. Rachel 'Bitch' Lindt. Dressed in the worst amalgamation of fashion Brian had ever seen. With Brutus trotting in circles around the yard. Swapping spit with a mousy-looking brunette girl who could easily be described as the fucking patron saint of curing cancer.

    He froze, his mouth hanging open in disbelief, as Aisha took her favourite selfie for the year.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Gowonzu said:
    "Just want to get the lighting right," Aisha announced, pulling out her phone and posing for a selfie. Brian looked at her screen, unamused at the wasted time, but then huffed a smile. If Aisha wanted to take a photo with him, he'd play along. "Lisa was right, by the way," Aisha hummed, shooting her phone's camera a duck face.

    "What?" Brian asked, raising an eyebrow at the ridiculous face his sister was making.

    "On your left," Aisha answered, still posing for the incoming photo. Brian's eyes scanned left to see what the hell his sister was talking about.

    He felt his stomach drop.

    It was Rachel. Rachel 'Bitch' Lindt. Dressed in the worst amalgamation of fashion Brian had ever seen. With Brutus trotting in circles around the yard. Swapping spit with a mousy-looking brunette girl who could easily be described as the fucking patron saint of curing cancer.

    He froze, his mouth hanging open in disbelief, as Aisha took her favourite selfie for the year.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Oh Aisha... never change.
     
    I usually picture Rachel as having shorter hair, but this looks good. Also, I'm amused that the dog's leash is wrapped around Amy several times, clearly showing that it had excitedly run circles around her a few times before she caught it and began petting it.
     
    Chapter 50: She finds out
  • Threadmarks
    • Stanfield Household – Backyard, Lawn

    "Oh my god? Is that Panacea?"

    "I didn't know she was gay."

    "Who's she with?"

    "Ugh, Is all of New Wave gay?"

    "Fuck, I hope so. Is Laserdream at this party?"

    "Seriously, who's the girl who's sucking on her face? And what is she wearing?"

    "I don't know, she does kinda look familiar…"

    "Brian? Yo? You still in there?

    Fingers clicked in front of Brian's eye and he snapped back to reality. Unfortunately, he wasn't experiencing a hallucination. Nor had he suffered an aneurysm and gone into a coma. He didn't know how long he'd been standing there, slack-jawed, staring. But he was slowly realising that he wasn't the only one.

    There were more than a few couples that throughout the party, had found quiet secluded places to be alone. Brian had walked past several of them while being dragged through the party by Aisha. But no other couple turned heads more than Panacea's very public outing and the ensuing makeout session with Rachel Lindt.

    To most, the shock was in the fact that the second Dallon sister, notoriously media-shy, had brought the most conspicuous girl in the world, marched her through the entire party and planted herself on a lawn chair where she was currently sucking face like a Hoover.

    To Brian, he watched as his teammate, notoriously anti-social and publicly known member of the Undersiders, sit in the middle of the single most crowded party in Brockton Bay. With Panacea in her lap.

    People were staring. People were gossiping. People were taking photos.

    What could he do? Brian's leg twitched as he briefly considered his options. He could shroud the area in darkness and march over there. Drag the stupid girl away and berate her for pulling such a stupid stunt. But that would risk blowing his cover.

    No, he couldn't do anything, not without revealing that he was Grue. He couldn't even send a secret message because the Bitch couldn't read. He couldn't warn her off, couldn't call her over. Couldn't tell her off.

    He couldn't do a damn thing.

    Aisha had already ghosted him, disappearing into the crowd and causing him to question why he even walked over here. He needed to leave, find Lisa, come up with some semblance of a plan. Mostly he needed to not spiral into a panic attack.

    He needed a drink…

    ---------------------------------------------

    Somewhere in Brockton Bay

    Colin stepped out of the shower, reaching for his towel. He didn't know what to do with himself on his off days, he could only train and clean his gear for so long. Exercise of the body would help whenever he got himself worked up into a Tinker fatigued state, a warm shower would ease the aches and pains.

    But after the shower, nothing. There was nothing else he could do, there were no more tasks.

    Ethan often mocked him for his lack of 'life' outside the Protectorate. Standing alone in his apartment, he was beginning to think the man had a point.

    But what did people do in their free time? He had no close friends to meet at a bar. He'd read every book in his apartment, twice over. Television was filled with mindless junk or depressing news and the internet was just as bad.

    Considering wasting the day on the internet, he supposed he could message Tess and see if he could assist her in whatever project she was working on. She was a friend. An online-only one, but a friend nonetheless.

    Of course, any project she was working on would involve Tinkering and Colin still needed to recover from his last bout of Tinker Fatigue. Plus Tess would message him if she was looking for his input.

    With a sigh, he moved into his bedroom to change. After dressing, he looked around, his apartment was spotless. He couldn't even waste an hour cleaning. But he did note his phone was flashing. He'd received a message.

    Not a serious message, the Protectorate would have alerted him if he was needed. Picking it up, he saw a notification from one of the Wards.

    Chris would often message him during all hours of the day, usually asking about his thoughts or advice on something or another. Usually, he would ignore it and respond later. But the kid was nice enough.

    This message wasn't from Chris. It was from the newest member of the Wards. Browbeat.

    He hesitated on reading the message, he didn't want any more Wards thinking they could message him whenever they felt like it. But the message had been sent over an hour ago when Colin was finishing up his workout.

    Colin knew that most of the Wards were at Dean's house party. It wasn't a secret, everyone knew about a Stansfield party. He'd only hope that those kids didn't do anything stupid with the alcohol, like giving any to Missy. Piggot held a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy about underage drinking, it wasn't taking place on PRT property, and no one but their parents would police those kids.

    There was a not, zero per cent chance, that this message was nothing but an intoxicated minor taking advantage that they had a real hero's phone number and making an idiot out of themselves.

    Sighing, Colin tapped his phone and opened the message.

    --------------------------------------------------

    Stanfield Household – Around the Drinks Table

    Lisa found Brian hunched over the table, sculling a red cup, looking as stressed as Lisa felt. She walked up beside the boy and refilled her blue cup with lemonade.

    "Too soon to say I told you so?" Lisa smirked. Brian held up a finger as he finished off his drink. Lisa handed him the bottle in her hand and held her somewhat forced smile.

    "Don't. Just…" Brian sighed, refilling his cup with lemonade and however much vodka was left in the bottle he grabbed. "What the fuck as we going to do?" He asked in a hushed whisper.

    "I'm already on damage control," Lisa explained, eyeing the concerning lemonade to vodka ratio the boy was pouring. "Got a car coming by to collect. We just need to somehow convince Rachel to leave when it gets here."

    "And the hundred or so witnesses that watched her mash faces with Panacea?" Brian asked.

    Lisa sighed, looking out at the partygoers. "One problem at a time. I've got the social media teams scrubbing through every post Amy and Rachel show up in. With luck, we can get every photo taken down before anyone realises. Main issue right now is the Wards…"

    "The Wards are here?" Brian asked before taking another long sip. "Of course, the Wards are here. Everyone is here," He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do we have any idea who we should be avoiding?"

    Lisa looked at Brian like he had asked her the most stupid question she'd ever heard. It took him all of two seconds to realise what her look meant.

    "Seriously?"

    Lisa shrugged, sipping on her own drink. "You already knew, you just didn't want to admit it."

    "Why didn't you say anything?"

    Lisa shrugged again. "It was funny. And painfully obvious."

    "Alright, so Deans… What about the rest of them?"

    Lisa gave Brian yet another look as she took a sip.

    "Seriously? All of them!? What? Even the little girl? That's… Oh, that tracks… Oh, damn. That's kinda obvious now that I think about it…"

    Lisa nodded along, patting the older teen on the shoulder. Brian proceeded to scull his drink for the second time just as Taylor and Victoria came over to join them.

    "So, do we have a plan in place yet?" Victoria asked. "Or are we still just winging it?" She looked between Lisa and Brian, raising an eyebrow at his drinking. "What's with him?"

    "Ignore him, having a midlife crisis," Lisa waved him off. "I have our people doing digital scrubbing and a van will be out front in the next twenty minutes to pick up Rachel. We just need to... convince her. Til then, keep an eye on the Wards and make sure they don't do anything stupid."

    Victoria nodded. "I've already talked to..." She froze, looking at Brian.

    "Oh, he knows," Lisa waved again.

    "Dean," Victoria finished hesitantly. "Gave him a valid and reasonable explanation for Amy's actions," She stressed the words, willing her statement to be true. "He's told the rest of the Wards by now, but I'll go around the room and give them all a one-on-one. Not sure yet on how to split Amy and Rachel."

    "Why bother?" Asked Taylor, oddly calm. It was normal for her to act emotionless in times of high stress, but this felt less like that and more like Taylor's natural reaction.

    Everyone turned to her, giving a questioning look in response.

    "The Wards already know," Taylor explained, gesturing to where Amy and Rachel were still sitting. "No amount of cover-up is going to invalidate the word of several official heroes. I highly doubt our team can capture and scrub every photo and video taking place right now and as bad as it is for New Wave's perception, it isn't that big of a deal for us specifically… Uh, no offence, Vicky."

    "Not a big deal?" Lisa and Brian parroted.

    Taylor sighed, rubbing her temples. "Rachel is already a known parahuman. It's not like she's gotten unmasked. It couldn't be that hard for the PRT to track her down if they really cared enough about her in the first place. And Amy is Panacea, the girl who cures cancer on a weekly basis and heals half of the Protectorate when things go south. She's too important to the public image for the PRT to let her go. Neither side wants to rock the boat and Bitch is the wildcard here. It'd be smarter to take the diplomatic route, so that's what they'll likely do."

    "Yeah, in theory?" Lisa countered. "But you realise that most people don't think as… logically as you do right? The Wards see a villain in public and suddenly it's their duty to stop her, even if it puts them at risk. The PRT are just as likely to turn this party into a warzone when they find out Bitch is here."

    "Which they won't," Victoria added. "Because I will make sure that no one says anything today."

    "And what do the rest of us do while you handle the Wards?" Brian asked.

    "Blend in?" Lisa suggested. "Avoid the Wards and Rachel, we've already made contact with Rachel and established our cover. For now, just don't draw any attention to yourself and try to relax."

    "Relax…" Brian huffed, looking at the empty bottle of vodka on the table. "Yeah, sure… Easy. Can do. No problem. No problemo…" He pushed off the table and wandered away.

    Lisa shook her head and turned back to Vicky. "Are we sure none of the Wards have already contacted the PRT?"

    Victoria shook her head but shrugged. "No way to be sure, but it's not like any of them have a habit of calling on their day off. Wards are more likely to try to handle it themselves. Well, besides Chris… but he's not even at this party."

    "Chris?"

    "Shit," Victoria swore under her breath. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Lisa. "Uh, Kidwin… He messages Armsmaster a lot, but it doesn't matter. He never comes to these things. And I can't think of another Ward who would."

    -----------------------------------

    Somewhere in Brockton Bay

    Hello Mr Armsmaster sir. I am at Dean's party (Gallant) and have possibly discovered a villain hiding in plain sight. Not sure what to do. Please advise?

    -George (Browbeat)

    Colin suppressed an eye roll at the boy's blatant name-dropping of himself and his fellow teammate. If anyone got a hold of his phone, it was obvious who his contact was and who his friends were. He'd have to let the PRT know that George required some serious confidential information training.

    Still, the point of the message concerned him. A possible villain at the Stansfield party? It wasn't improbable, everyone did have a habit of showing up to those things. But it was still unlikely. The Stansfields had been very public with their support of the PRT, any villain of the Bay would know that going to one of their parties was a bad idea.

    Plus, George was still new, he'd only been heroing for a few months now and it was easy to get caught up in the 'villain hiding behind every corner' mentality that came when you were still fresh. Added to that, the blatant drinking at a teenage house party, and it would be easy to imagine that George had mistaken someone's behaviour as villainous.

    But the possibility that a villain was attending this party and the consequences, if George was right, did put him on edge.

    Colin tapped his phone, selecting a reply. He asked for more details but didn't get any response in return. If there was a villain at the party, George would've been waiting on his phone, or even outright called him. And he had heard no word from the Protectorate of any indecent.

    He considered if it was worth investigating. He had no desire to drive over there and inspect a teenage house party, nor was he going to bother the PRT with one random message. But Colin supposed he could do his due diligence and check in with a more respectable Ward.

    Scrolling through his contacts, he looked at the Wards he had on his phone. Logically, Dean would have the best understanding of the party and its participants, but he'd also be the one most likely to lie and pretend nothing was wrong if something was wrong. He chose the second best option, Carlos, leader of the Wards.

    It took a short while before the call was picked up. Immediately, Colin's ears were assaulted by the background noise of a house party. The sound of music and a hundred people talking filled the airways.

    "Hello?" Carlos' voice broke through the noise, just barely.

    "Carlos, hey," Colin said, trying to sound casual.

    "Hello, Sir," Carlos said again, "Can I help you with anything?" The boy was shouting into the phone to get over the noise.

    "I'm just calling to check in on you."

    "What?"

    "I said, I'm calling to check in on-"

    "What!? Sorry, one second…" The mess of party noise slowly muted as Carlos moved somewhere slightly more private. "Sorry about that. Um, what did you, um, need?"

    A distraction. Colin didn't say as he sighed, rubbing his temple. He didn't know what the hell he was doing.

    "Just calling to check in on you kids," Colin said, trying to sound authoritative yet casual. "Is everything alright over there? Nothing... untoward is happening, is there?"

    There was a pause, a very telling pause, as Carlos thought over what to say.

    "N-no… nothing like that… Sir," Carlos said. "We're just all… drinking punch and swimming…"

    Colin rolled his eyes. "Oh, no, I don't mean like that. Is there anyone at the party who shouldn't be there?"

    There was another long pause as Colin figured he'd gone about this all the wrong way.

    "Who shouldn't be? What- what do you mean? I mean, uh. No. No…. We're all good. Uh, everything's under control. Situation normal. Y'know." Carlos said, very stiffly.

    Of course, this was a waste of time. The kids just wanted to drink in peace without an authoritative figure looking over their shoulders. He'd finish his check and move on with his day.

    "Is George there?"

    "Who?" Carlos asked, confused.

    "George?" Colin said again. "Uh, Browbeat."

    "Oh right, what about him?"

    "Is he there? How does he seem?"

    "He's around here somewhere. He's fine, we're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?"

    Colin was a little taken aback by the question. It was awkward, he'd made things uncomfortable.

    "Yeah, I'm fine too…" He sighed, scratching his head. "Look, sorry about taking up your time. I'll let you get back to your fun. If you see George, tell him to stop messaging me while doing… whatever it is you kids do. Okay?"

    "Of course Sir, thank you, Sir. Goodbye, Sir."

    The phone hung up before Carlos could say 'Sir' even more times and Colin dropped the phone onto his table, right next to his helmet. He sat down on his couch and sighed into his hands, Ethan was right, he really needed to get a hobby. Or some friends. Maybe get himself invited to parties.

    He couldn't imagine himself fitting in at a party like the Wards were at. The number of people at the party alone gave him social anxiety just thinking about it. Too much chaos, too many people. It even sounded like someone had brought their dogs to it…

    That thought gave Colin pause. Dogs. Who brought dogs to a party? He knew Dean didn't have any dogs, so somebody brought them. Dogs, a known villain. Teenagers. His mind went to the obvious. Hellhound, the Undersiders.

    Of course, that was ridiculous, and a giant leap in logic. Everyone knew what Hellhound looked like. All the Wards were up to date on her file. Colin could possibly imagine someone like Tattletale having to gall to sneak into a Stansfield party, but Hellhound… No. That was just stupid.

    Then again. Carlos did sound weird on his phone call. The boy was usually more confident. Not saying Sir a hundred times. And asking how Colin was? That was not a smooth conversation.

    His mind raced, what if, hypothetically, the Undersiders crashed Dean's party and were using Hellhound's dogs as an open threat to the civilians. Maybe Carlos was stiff, not because he was worried about the banality of underage drinking, but because the Wards are stuck in a high-stress hostage scenario. What if their conversation had a secret message in it, asking for help?

    Colin laughed at his brief indulgence of fantasy. He had seen too many movies, he knew it.

    He knew, in all likelihood that nothing was wrong, the kids were just nervous because he was calling to check up on them and he was bored, paranoid and looking for a distraction.

    But Colin was bored, paranoid and looking for a distraction.

    "Computer," He barked, placing his helmet over his head and inserting a cord that connected it to his phone. "Analyse the last phone call, let's see if we can make sense of this background noise..."

    ------------------------------------

    Stanfield Household – Backyard, Lawn

    Rachel was confused.

    She was also happy and content and had been enjoying the party so far, but she was still confused.

    Her interaction with Lisa and Taylor had brought into focus some questions that she never bothered to consider before today. She knew that Victoria Dallon was both Glory Girl and Deimos, dating both women and a temporary member of the Undersiders. She knew that Amy Dallon was both Panacea and Rachel's girlfriend and that she had no issues with Rachel's work.

    She knew the girls were sisters long before today and knew that in most families, sisters often found themselves to be close confidants with each other. Even with the sparse interaction, she'd overheard Victoria brag about her sister enough to know that this was true. And Amy had spoken about her sister with enough reverence to form its own religion, even without ever uttering her name at the shelter.

    So why then, if both sisters were so close with each other, did it appear that neither of them were aware of the others' activities?

    It made no sense to Rachel.

    She knew she wasn't the most social person in the world. Rachel often found socialising with people confusing and difficult, people often spoke with more than one meaning and got upset when she didn't pick up on it. She knew her teammates spoke to each other a lot more than they spoke to her, and she was fine with this. But it created issues like today, where Rachel would assume that everyone in the know, knew the same amount of information. Because they should, they speak to each other, all the time.

    Yet Lisa had stressed that she and Rachel had never met each other, and Amy had believed it. Meaning Amy wasn't aware that Lisa was Tattletale, even though she knew that Taylor worked with Rachel. And so, Amy didn't know that Victoria worked with them, which meant that Amy didn't know that Taylor was Skitter.

    Secret identities were confusing and bullshit. Rachel understood why other people did them, she wasn't blind to the help they offered. Given the chance, she probably would've kept hers in retrospect. But fuck, were they annoying to keep track of. Who knew who, who's allowed to know what and how much? This was precisely the reason Rachel never bothered to socialise.

    What could Rachel say? She wasn't going to unmask her teammates on purpose. She wasn't going to spill Victoria's secrets to her own sister, even if the idea of not telling her made Rachel feel some kind of way. Usually, she'd defer to Brian on what to do, but he looked to be actively avoiding Rachel.

    Instead, Rachel fell back into her comfort place. Not talking, not asking pointless questions, not worrying about saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. She'd stick to her girlfriend like glue and just watch the rest of the party unfold around her.

    And so far the plan had been a pretty great one. Blissfully ignorant and uncaring, Rachel had been able to avoid all the drama that seemed to follow her team wherever they went. She had Amy in her lap, a drink in her hand and the taste of apple cider on her lips. Today was a good day, everyone else can figure out the rest.

    "Well god damn, I didn't think it was true…"

    An annoying voice cut through the calm and Rachel glared up at its owner. Alec smiled down at the two girls, sipping on a red cup of his own.

    "Um, can we help you?" Amy asked, just as annoyed as Rachel was for the interruption.

    "Oh, don't mind me," Alec waved away. "I just needed to see this train before it crashed. Good for you, Rache, You got a Dallon of your own. I didn't even know you had it in you."

    "Shut up."

    "I'm not judging, just impressed."

    "Shut. Up."

    Alec grinned, holding his cup out for a toast. Amy frowned at the statement and looked up at the boy. "What does that mean?"

    "Don't worry about it, kid," Alec shrugged.

    "Wait, Rache?" Amy asked again, looking at Rachel and back up. "Do you know her? Wait, do you work with her?"

    Alec went quiet for a short moment before his eyes glazed over and he took a deep breath. "Nope, never met her in my life." To contrast his statement, Brutus ran right up to him and rubbed across his legs. "Heya Brut Butt, see ya, Rachel."

    They watched as Alec walked away, handing his empty cup to a random kid before diving back into the pool where Aisha was waiting. The pair looked back to gossip about something, earning another scowl from Rachel.

    "So… was that? Was he, an… Undersider?" Amy asked, looking shy and adorable in Rachel's lap.

    Rachel didn't know how to answer that question. Don't reveal secret identities, one of the golden rules. To anyone else, Rachel would've simply said no and willed it to be true, but again, the thought of telling Amy something untrue made her feel, odd.

    Instead, Rachel fell back into her comfort place. Tasting the apple cider on Amy's lips.

    -----------------------------------

    Somewhere in Brockton Bay

    Colin had done it.

    Extracting his recent call audio into his suit, the computer had isolated and separated the background noises and identified them. There were dogs, three of them to be exact. Each individual bark could be identified to specific breeds and those breeds could be compared to the DNA evidence in Hellhound's file, matching the three breeds of dogs to the suspected breeds of Hellhound's monsters.

    Damning evidence in it's own right, but that wasn't even the smoking gun.

    A conversation, too quiet to hear under all that noise through human ears, had revealed itself. Victoria Dallon, talking to Carlos off to the side, pleading with the boy to stay quiet.

    "Don't say anything. Please, I'll handle it. Don't let him know. Do it for me, please. Tell him everything's fine. Don't mention Amy. I'll handle Rachel. Please…"

    Curious. Now why would Victoria want to hide the existence of Hellhound and what did it have to do with Amy Dallon?

    That took a little more effort for Colin to work out. Using the Protectorate database, he checked the records and found a curious pattern. Amy Dallon had reduced her hospital hours as of late, sticking to a far stricter schedule of Sundays and Wednesdays only. In the few weeks, she hadn't shown up for a single impromptu healing session, like she had done so many times in the past.

    Carol Dallon had gone on record to state that Panacea's mental health and well-being came first and that it was her decision to curve Amy's responsibilities for her own good. But that still left the question of what Panacea did with her free time.

    Accessing some more data, data that Colin probably shouldn't be using on his days off, he learned that Amy Dallon was occasionally sighted on busses heading to the north of Brockton Bay. The bus route ran through several suburbs that might've raised alarms, but it was its final stop that had the most significance.

    The train-yard.

    Hellhound's file mentioned it several times. Numerous sightings had her estimated to be living in the area. It was too convenient. Colin tried to rationalise another explanation, but the pieces just didn't add up.

    Panacea was going out to the train yards, visiting Hellhound. Hellhound had invited herself to Dean's house party. And Victoria was trying to keep the Wards from reporting, for whatever reason. He never expected to find anything when he called, but this was a discovery worth reporting in.

    "Computer," Armsmaster commanded, activating his helmet. "Call Director Piggot."

    --------------------------------------------------

    Stanfield Household – Kitchen

    Brian stumbled into the kitchen, looking for something a little stronger than vodka or beer. Something rich, smooth and full-bodied. Something like a sixteen-year-old Single Malt.

    He found Dean nursing a bottle of just that.

    "Hey," Dean nodded, cheering with a glass instead of a red cup.

    "Hey," Brian answered, freezing in place.

    All day, Brian wanted to ask this boy a question. And now he knew. Dean was Gallant. Gallant was Dean. Gallant was pouring a glass of $400 whisky and offering it to Brian.

    "Want some?" Dean asked, pushing his cup along the kitchen bench.

    The kitchen wasn't as packed as the rest of the party. Most people preferred to gather around the music, pool or cooked food. The handful of people in here were either looking for a quiet place to take a phone call or getting water from the tap.

    "Sure," Brian said, accepting the glass and inspecting it. He took a sip and coughed. "Oh, wow, that's strong."

    Dean chuckled. "Yeah, usually I'd mix it with cola but-"

    "You can't mix this with anything," Brian interrupted. "This is good stuff."

    Dean laughed even harder, earning a confused look from Brian. "My dad would love you. Although, aren't you a little young to know what the good stuff is?"

    Brian took another, far more careful, sip of the scotch. "I used to work as a bouncer, at a club," It was Dean's turn to look confused, Brian shrugged. "I used a fake ID to get the job. Spent most of the time out on the freezing street. But the manager always gave us a free drink at the end of the night."

    "Oh, that sounds fun?" Dean asked, grabbing a second glass to pour for himself again.

    "I hated every second of it," Brian huffed. "But I needed the money. Anyway, when the manager realised my inexperience with drinks, he told me to stop mixing gold with shit and to appreciate the finer things. I rolled my eyes at it, but he did start pouring me top-shelf drinks from then on. If only to educate me or whatever."

    "Looks like it stuck." Dean cheered with his own glass.

    "To your health," Brian cheered back before they both took a sip, Brian took it down better than Dean did.

    "Sorry about before," Dean said after a short pause. "Leaving you with the girls. Some stuff happened, uh, party host stuff."

    "Oh, that's alright, I get it," Brian said. "You have responsibilities… as a host." And a Ward, he added to his unspoken thought. "Did you need help? With your party?"

    "No, it's all handled," Dean said, dismissively. "For now… Just have to, relax and get into the party mood again."

    "The stress of being a host," Brian said, wishing he could outright ask how Dean had things handled, and if that was a good or a bad thing. "I know it well."

    "You do house parties also?"

    "Never as glamorous as this," Brian chuckled. "I prefer smaller parties but I can see the appeal. I usually host things for my friends."

    Dean looked up from his drink, holding his gaze on Brian for a little too long. "You okay, you seem… stressed?"

    "God, am I that obvious?" Brian groaned into his cup.

    "Don't take it personally," Dean smiled, "I have a knack for reading people."

    Brian sighed again. "It's nothing… I just…"

    Brian didn't know where to begin. He couldn't outright say that his villainous teammate had decided to show up with fucking Panacea and throw everything into chaos.

    "Dealing with a… frustrating situation at work," Brian admitted. "Need to clear my head… Or cloud it."

    "Oh, I can relate," Dean grumbled into his drink. They both went quiet for a moment, finishing their drinks before putting the cups down. "You know what you need?" Dean finally said, perking up with a sly smile.

    "What?"

    "A bottle of the good stuff," He said, putting the lid back on the whisky.

    "This isn't the good stuff?" Brian asked, not understanding whatever he was on about but willing to humour him.

    "Nah, this stuff?" Dean waved the comment off. "Some bottles left in the cupboards. My Dad keeps all the real drinks in his office."

    "Won't he, like, kill you if you drink his good stuff?" Brian asked, both afraid and excited to see what Mr Stansfield considered a real drink.

    "Dad only cares if the drink is appreciated," Dean smiled, putting the bottle back but keeping the two glasses. He moved towards the door and motioned for Brian to follow after him. "Like I said, he'd like you."

    "Where's the office?" Brian asked, following behind as Dean led him to the stairs.

    "Top floor, second door," Dean smiled, moving past the line of people waiting for the toilet. "I also preferred quieter parties too."

    -----------------------------------

    Somewhere in Brockton Bay

    "This is Director Piggot speaking. What can I do for you today, Colin?"

    Armsmaster paced around his apartment. It was an awkward position to hold a conversation, he'd prefer to give a presentation to Piggot directly but time was a factor.

    "Piggot, I'm sending you an email," He said, signalling his helmet to do so. "It lists out everything I've discovered but we have to move fast. The Undersiders are tricky and most likely have contingencies-"

    "Colin, it's your day off. I'm already privy to the latest Undersider reports and they're nothing out of the ordinary. What are you going on about?"

    Colin sighed, rubbing his face. "Just read the email. Hellhound is at Dean Stanfield's house party, I have strong reason to believe she has made contact with Panacea for some time and that Victoria Dallon is trying to cover for her.

    The call went silent, but Colin could hear Piggot clicking through her emails in the background.

    "Ma'am?" He asked after a long enough period had passed.

    "God dammit," Piggot swore under her breath. "What do the Wards on site say?"

    "Nothing, Ma'am," Armsmaster sighed in relief for being taken seriously. "As I said, Victoria Dallon appears to be begging for their silence."

    "Any signs of duress? Demands being made?"

    "None so far, but-"

    "So no active crime is occurring on their premises?" Piggot asked, "And do we have any confirmed proof that Hellhound is on the scene, besides your computer analysis of dog barks?

    "Well, no," Colin admitted. "But we could send a squad to-"

    "Absolutely not," Piggot spat back. "I am not sending a squad van to raid a teenage party on a hunch, no matter how valid it appears."

    "But Hellhound-"

    "Unless there's a clear and present threat on the field, we will not engage," Piggot stressed. "It's private property, not to mention the house of one of our biggest supporters in this city. The backlash we'd face…"

    "So we do nothing then?" Armsmaster asked, confused.

    "I didn't say that," Piggot grumbled. "It's clear that Amy Dallon and Hellhound have some connection, however implausible. This needs to be investigated, cohesively and carefully. We're not causing a scene at a Stansfield house and I'm certainly not calling Carol Dallon until I have the utmost evidence of something going on. Panacea is too valuable a resource to risk alienating and Hellhound is already known factor."

    Colin went silent. Piggot was right, there wasn't a direct threat, not yet at least. This needed a delicate hand, not a hammer.

    "Armsmaster, do I make myself clear. Do not escalate the situation."

    "Yes, Ma'am," Colin said, sitting back down on his couch.

    "Honestly, causing a scene at a party would be a disaster. Too many civilians unmasked Wards. And for what?" Piggot muttered, more for herself as she worked through a plan. "Better to confront Ms Dallon privately en-route to the hospital, or on this bus if the report is accurate. Not to mention, antagonising the Undersiders, now?

    Colin had to concede to that. Piggot was a strategist. She was strict and hard on crime, held little love for parahumans who committed them. But Colin knew that a part of her would just as easily shake hands with the Undersiders for their work against Coil, not that Piggot would ever admit it out loud.

    Both Colin and the PRT had run the numbers. Crime was down throughout the city, reduced by 13% since Skitter's appearance. It wasn't a coincidence that the rest of the team had gotten bolder since hiring her. A lot of that could be antiquated to the fall of the ABB and Coil, but the Undersiders were at the center of both those events.

    "So, what do I… do then?" Colin asked, falling back to square one.

    "For now, nothing," Piggot said, already tired of the call. "I'll take it from here, Colin. Just relax, take the day off for once."

    The call ended and Colin was left with his thoughts.

    "I need a life..."

    --------------------------------------------------

    Stanfield Household – Backyard

    Victoria had a lot of awkward conversations today.

    Begging the Wards to keep a secret. Weaving a tale of Amy's courage and self-sacrifice to domesticate the wild Hellhound. Tugging on the heartstrings of her fellow heroes and getting odd, confused looks of pity back at her.

    Apparently, Victoria was the only teen hero in existence to think it was noble to try and personally redeem a villain, while all the Wards had it drilled into them that there was a protocol to follow when dealing with villains, and it didn't involve befriending them.

    At least they'd agreed to her wishes, Victoria could live with some awkwardness.

    But now came the most awkward conversation of all. Telling Amy that everyone already knew who her girlfriend was and just how much of a mess she had just put everyone in.

    Vicky would've preferred to wait until after the party, but Taylor raised a good point of 'Why not tell Amy now? There's literally no reason to keep it a secret from her if everyone else knows and it'll only make extracting Rachel that much harder at this point'.

    There were benefits to dating a girl who could easily regulate her emotions and make logical decisions during a crisis, Victoria realised.

    She walked towards her sister, feeling both Lisa and Taylor's support from behind. The news would be best delivered without Amy feeling like she was being cornered. Watching the girl now, Victoria could see just how happy Rachel made her sister.

    The pair spent most of the party alone, but they weren't being outright antisocial. Amy spoke to the odd person who drifted into her space, even Rachel shared words beyond 'don't touch my dog.' Lisa had commented on how strangely sociable Rachel was when she got up to get another drink. Not just tolerating, but engaging with someone who asked about her and Amy's relationship.

    Watching her sister mindlessly mash faces with someone was a bit weird. But Vicky had displayed affection in public, both with her girlfriends and with Dean before them. She couldn't fault her sister for wanting to show her own love.

    Love.

    Victoria knew that this conversation wasn't going to be the end of their problem. Amy wasn't the type to just give up on something she loved. Hell, she knew how adorably clinging she was to Vicky, imagine how she acted with someone she was actually in love with. The thought made Victoria chuckle, then sigh.

    Whatever happened, whatever consequences Amy would face, Vicky would be by her side. If they had to fight Wards, or the PRT, or even their own mother... that last idea scared her the most. But Victoria would do that, for Amy. Somehow.

    The pair didn't notice Victoria's approach, still too enamoured with each other's lips. Vicky would've coughed but the dog nearby started growling at her.

    "For the last time, you can't pat-" Amy growled, turning back and stopping when she saw who it was. "Oh! Vicky!" Her face blushed as she climbed off Rachel's lap and stood up. Wiping whatever makeup had smudged off from Rachel's badly disguised face. "Um, what's up?" She clicked her fingers as Brutus dropped his defence stance and returned towards the two girls.

    "Heyyy, Ames," Victoria smiled awkwardly. Even though Amy had carved out a space for herself, the backyard wasn't the most private place for this kind of conversation. "Can I, uh, talk to you? Upstairs?"

    -----------------------------------

    Somewhere else in Brockton Bay

    Her work was never done. Meetings and reports and emails. The sun was coming down but there were no plans to leave the office until everything was done.

    At least she didn't have to cook tonight. Takeaway in the office sounded nice. An excuse to indulge in the food she didn't eat at home, her diet had gone to shit anyway. Another mental note to fix it, tomorrow.

    The door opened as her secretary walked in. Silently, he placed a pile of mail and files on the corner of her desk, offering an apologetic smile.

    "Anything important?" She asked, briefly flicking through the top few pages.

    "Nothing that can't wait till tomorrow, Ma'am" The secretary chuckled, an ongoing joke to poke at her self-imposed workload. "But I've arranged it for you." The top sheets of paper were pamphlets from two restaurants. "Chinese or Indian?" The secretary smiled, reading her so well.

    She picked up the pamphlets and handed back the Indian one. "Just get my usual."

    "Of course Ma'am," The secretary said, bowing his head before leaving. The door opened again shortly after.

    "What is it?" She asked out, not looking away from her pile of notes.

    Another woman spoke up, instead of the secretary she was expecting. A coworker in the building.

    "Hiya," The woman said with a bright smile. "Was just heading off, wanted to pop in before I did. Wanted to say, I didn't know your daughter was gay, but that's great!"

    Carol looked back at the woman, Susan was another paralegal in the office, a mother herself. Carol was on somewhat good terms with her, if only because she was more interested in discussing parenthood over heroism.

    "Yes?" Carol nodded, confused as the enthusiasm. "We had a whole announcement about it…"

    "Oh!" Susan laughed. "Oh, no. I knew that. Of course," She giggled at whatever was so funny as she shook her head. "I mean little Amy. You must be so proud, two gay daughters."

    "Amy?" Carol asked, feeling more confused.

    "Yeah, my daughter just posted it to Facebook, such a cute photo, here I'll find it…" Susan pulled out her phone and started scrolling. Before her face scrunched up into confusion. "Well, that's strange? It was just here? She must have deleted the post?"

    While confused, it hadn't been the first time fake images or news had popped up online about New Wave. Carol made a note to check in with Sarah to see if any rumours about Amelia's sexuality were circulating the web.

    Not that she didn't doubt that Amelia would end up gay, Carol and Mark had already made that bet a long time ago. She watched as Susan fiddled around with her phone, before giving up trying to find the aforementioned post. It was a silly distraction, but Carol had other work to do, so she made another mental note to question Amelia the next time they spoke.

    "Oh, never mind," Susan said, waving the comment away with a chuckle. "I took a screenshot of it, cause it was so cute." Carol's own phone beeped twice. "Just sent it to ya. You should frame that one."

    Susan waved goodbye before Carol could respond. Her confusion had turned to worry as she reached across her desk, flipping up her phone. With a frown, she opened the message.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • NO!!! No! Why would you do this to us!

    Love the fic, and thanks for the chapter, but GOD DAMN IT.

    Cheers
     
    Chapter 51: She hits the fan
  • Threadmarks
    • A/N: Shout out to Pendragoon for helping me bring the ending scenes together. It took a lot of revisions before I was happy with it.

    Stanfield Household – Living Room

    It was a spectacle that no one could look away from. What started as a simple house party quickly devolved into a battle of Good versus evil, light versus dark. Cape versus Cape. Clashing in the center of a simple living room for all the world to see.

    The villain thought she could slip by unseen, but justice never tired. The hero matched the villain pace for pace. Both fighting for the upper hand and neither of them giving an inch. Whether or not they wore costumes, Capes had egos, to show weakness for even a second was to fail, and there could be no failure.

    "Should we do something?" Carlos asked, watching from the side in horror. "Where did Dean go?"

    The villain was violent and intense, but the hero knew how to hold their own. They no longer cared for bystanders, the only thing that mattered was the battle. The hero knew how close to danger they were, literally dancing around fire. Still, neither side had capitulated, so the battle raged on.

    "Forget Dean," Dennis said, charging into the fray. "I'll handle this."

    The hero was beginning to lose ground. Engulfed in the all-encompassing flames that was this villainous woman. Pinned onto their back, all hope looked to be lost for the hero. She chuckled darkly at her moment of victory and at the exact second the hero knew they were beaten.

    But all was not lost, even in the lowest of situations, justice could find a way. All the hero needed to do was get some leverage, push at just the right angle and it would be the villain on her back instead. It took all their willpower, but when the time was right-

    "Alright, break it up you two," Dennis said, pulling on the intoxicated girl who was currently straddling his teammate. Even as they moved apart, drunken slobbery kisses were shared between them. "Keep it PG kids," Dennis chuckled as he pulled the passionate couple apart. "Maybe it's time to stick to water, hey Georgie?"

    George couldn't respond with anything more than a wild grin on his face. He watched as Emily climbed off him and readjusted her hair, she winked down at him before wiping her lips and giving Dennis an apologetic smile of her own. Graciously, she accepted the water offered to her.

    "Thank you," Emily murmured into her cup. Dennis rolled his eyes but kept a grin on his face as he offered a second cup to George. "Oh, shit," Emily choked, spilling the water slightly. Both boys turned back to her in alarm. Emily wiped away at her shirt before standing up straighter, she gave an awkward laugh and thumbed towards the door. "I uh, didn't realise the time."

    If George could think clearly, he might've picked up on the slight panic in Emily's voice, but the hero was still recovering from his epic battle. The villain took two steps before turning back, pulling out a sharpie pen she had hidden away in her back pocket. George chuckled lightly at the ticklish feeling that ran down his arm.

    "It was George, right?" Emily asked with a flirty smile. George nodded an affirmative. "Call me sometime."

    She downed her cup of water and handed it back to Dennis, nodding her head in thanks before marching for the exit. George tried reaching out for her, but the girl was gone before his blurry vision could make sense of the crowd.

    "Want me to call you a cab?" Dennis called out, when no response was given, he shook his head and looked back down to George. "What was that, Buddie?" He asked with a quiet grin.

    "I think I lost…" George groaned, his head beginning to spin.

    "Naw, Buddie…" Dennis said sarcastically as he helped the boy sit up. "If that's a loss, then I'm scared to see what you consider winning. Come on, I'll call you a cab," Dennis heaved the boy to his feet and grimaced a smile as Hellhound walked past them, Victoria's girlfriends following closely behind. He motioned a hand in their direction before letting it drop. "One thing at a time Dennis…" He muttered to himself.

    George didn't know where he was being taken but quickly found himself in the back seat of a rather nice feeling vehicle.

    "Is that boy alright?" A voice asked out.

    "Don't worry about that," Dennis waved the voice away. "Just make sure he gets to this address in one piece," Fingers clicked in front of George's eyes. "Hey, Georgie, hand me your phone."

    "Sursh…" George slurred, sliding his phone from his pocket and handing it to his fellow hero.

    "Arm." Dennis barked out, pulling George's arm out straight. George didn't know what was happening anymore, but it sounded like Dennis was typing something into his phone. "Name?"

    "Wha?"

    "What was her name?" Dennis clarified. "The girl you were with?"

    "The viv… vivvian… villain…" George hiccuped.

    "Don't think about that," Dennis shushed him. "And stop texting Armsy on his day off. Now, name? Or I'm guessing something stupid."

    "Spitfire…"

    "Girl from party who slobbered over my face," Dennis said as he typed out the words. He handed the phone back to George and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now listen. You're going to go home, sleep it off, wake up with the worst headache of your life and probably have to apologise to your mother for being a giant mess. But once that's all over, you call that girl, okay? Good. Now go rest up."

    "Thanks man…" George mumbled as Dennis shut the car door.

    "And George?" Dennis added, shooting two finger guns and giving a stupid grin. "You're a cab."

    -----------------------------------------------

    Stanfield Household – Upstairs

    Victoria led her sister upstairs, past the eternal line to the toilet and into Dean's bedroom. It wasn't the first time she'd been in his room and she was sure Dean wouldn't mind considering the circumstances. Amy's face scrunched up slightly in disgust at being in the boy's bedroom but sat down on the bed when Victoria motioned to it.

    "So... What's up, Vicky?" Amy asked, fidgeting nervously by the side of the bed. She'd picked up on Victoria's change of mood and was confused and concerned.

    Victoria grabbed a spare chair and spun it around before taking a seat and crossing her arms over the top. She looked down at her sister and gave a hesitant smile.

    "So... About Rachel?" Victoria started. Amy's confusion grew.

    "What about Rachel?" Amy asked as she choked out a laugh. "S-she's great, isn't she? I mean, a bit odd and scary sometimes, but that's just part of her charm."

    Victoria had no idea how to start the conversation. It wasn't every day you told your sister off for dating a supervillain. Ignoring the fact that she herself was doing the same, twice over. But the circumstances where different. In any case, Victoria thought it best to just rip the band-aid off.

    "You know she's Hellhound, right?"

    The way Amy's body froze up immediately told Victoria all she needed to know. A small part of her wished that Amy was somehow oblivious to the truth, however, it was clear that was not the case. It still didn't stop Amy from lying through her teeth.

    "Hellwho? What's that? Like a band or something?"

    "Hellhound," Victoria said again, a little more forcefully this time. "The Undersider. Also known as Bitch. A well-known and wanted parahuman criminal."

    Amy blinked a few times, her mouth opening and closing without words leaving it. Victoria recognised this face, she'd seen it a few times before, usually when Amy was caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be. Breaking Mom's good plates, forgetting to defrost the chicken, that time she hid Vicky's necklace after a fight. It was the face she pulled when she was trying to think of a good lie, and failing miserably.

    "No," Amy said with a forced smile. "R-rachel isn't Hellhound. Hellhound is a violent criminal. And, and Rachel is a good girl, uh, I mean, nice girl. Did I tell you she runs a dog shelter? We take care of the animals together, she's very passionate about dogs. Not a... a... Undersider criminal…"

    "Ames," Victoria interrupted, she held up a hand to stop the flow of words. "We all know what she looks like. No amount of bad make-up, wigs or sunglasses is going to change that."

    "We?" Amy squeaked out, too afraid to look Vicky in the eye.

    "The Wards," Victoria said calmly, watching as Amy flinched under the name. "They all know she's Hellhound. They've… been a little stressed since you two have first walked in."

    Amy choked out another worried laugh, still shaking her head.

    "Y-you're mistaken, Rachel isn't-"

    Victoria could hear as Amy's breathing became heavy and panicked, her face turned bright red and she was clearly struggling to keep herself under control. The last thing Victoria wanted was for her sister to panic. So, she reached out and gently placed a hand over Amy's, stopping her nervous twiddling.

    "Hey, Ames. Look at me," She said, gently turning her sister's face. "Breathe. It's alright. Just, breathe. I don't want to stress you out. It's just…"

    "B-but the disguise…"

    Victoria shook her head. "You always needed my help when it came to make-up. Plus the Wards have Rachel's photo up on their board. They see her face at least once a week."

    "Oh."

    Amy let out a long, drawn-out sigh and closed her eyes. She took a moment to compose herself before looking back to her sister.

    "Are you… going to arrest her?" Amy asked quietly. Victoria moved to speak but Amy held up a hand to stop her. "Because she's not a bad person. Sure, she's robbed a bank or two and hurt a lot of people with her dogs. But she only really hurts bad people and heroes who get in her way, which can be argued as self-defence. And it's all in service of keeping her dog shelter running because she takes care of tons of stray and mistreated dogs. Which-"

    Victoria held up a hand to Amy's passionate ramble. "I'm not going to arrest her. Okay?"

    Amy gave a slow nod. "O-okay."

    "And I've already spoken to the other Wards," Vicky added, giving Amy's arm a comforting rub. "I told them that you're trying to convert Hellhound to the side of heroes with the promise of friendship and love."

    Amy raised an eyebrow at Victoria like she had said something royally stupid.

    "What?"

    "You know," Victoria explained, making vague hand motions. "That romantic notion of finding someone who's had a rough life and taken a bad path. And turning them to the side of good. All because you show them the true meaning of love."

    "Great…" Amy sighed sarcastically. "Not only did my plan fail, but the Wards all think I'm some stupidly naive Disney princess…"

    Victoria let out a small gasp of offence. Even her sister thought the idea of rehabilitating villains with the power of love was ridiculous. And she was dating one.

    "So what?" Victoria asked, hiding her annoyance. "You're just choosing to ignore all the wrongdoings your girlfriend has done? You haven't even tried to change her just a little? You? Who was held hostage by the Undersiders earlier this year?"

    Amy hummed, thinking to herself. "No?" Victoria blinked back in surprise. "We've rarely talked about her other job, I have no interest in meeting the Undersiders, least of all Skitter and that stupid know-it-all Tattletale," Victoria blushed and looked away guiltily. "But I like Rachel just the way she is. She never asked me to be anything other than myself and I wouldn't want to change her either. Plus, these days she only fights the ABB and the Empire, so she's pretty much a hero in my book."

    Amy held a soft smile on her face that slowly faded as she remembered where she was. Her gaze fell down to her hands as she looked apologetic.

    "I mean..." Amy spoke again, a little quieter. "Please don't take it the wrong way. I know you have a personal vendetta against the Undersiders ever since the bank. And I'm sorry for disappointing you. But Vicky… Please don't fight her. Rachel means a lot to me. And I want to spend more time with her, getting to know her better, maybe even one day becoming something more."

    "Amy, I'm not- I could never be-" Victoria moved to hug her sister. "All I ever want for you is for you to be happy. If Rachel makes you happy, then I understand. She's not the type of girl I'd pick for you but who am I to judge?" She gave a self-deprecating laugh."

    The sisters held onto each other for a short while, neither saying a word, both appreciating the embrace. Victoria could feel Amy's worry in every beat of her heart, in the way her grip was a little tighter than usual. But Victoria wasn't about to let anything happen to her little sister. Not if she had a say in it.

    "What do I do?" Amy eventually asked, her voice catching in her throat. "They all know... The PRT are probably on their way…" She froze up as another fear hit her. "Mom's gonna kill me… This is it. This is how my life ends. All I wanted was one good thing to call my own and now it's going to get me killed.

    "No, Mom isn't going to kill you. No one else knows," Victoria said, stroking Amy's back in comfort. "We made sure of it. And we have a plan for Rachel too. People are coming to pick her up. Friends, not the PRT. We'll go downstairs, and say our goodbyes," They broke the hug and leaned back. Victoria could see tears forming in Amy's eyes, she reached out and gently brushed along her left eye. "Don't cry, Ames. We'll figure this out. It's not the end of the world."

    As if to contradict her statement, Victoria felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. She pulled it out of her shorts before both sisters stared blankly at the caller ID. One word, that sent shivers of fear through both girls.

    Mom.

    -----------------------------------------
    Brockton Bay Streets

    "Pick up, pick up, pick up!"

    Carol yelled into her phone as she sped down the street. It wasn't rush hour but it was still a city and navigating through Brockton Bay was hell. Thankfully the Stansfields lived in the nicer, less populated suburbs, but Carol was still having trouble finding a straight route.

    "You've reached Amy, I'm busy. Leave a message."

    Carol growled at the message tone and hung up the call. She'd already left two voice mails and a dozen texts, but so far, no response. That only made her panic more.

    Carol's feelings toward Amelia were complicated. She'd never wanted her, never planned on raising her. The thought of caring for Marquis' daughter made her sick to her stomach and she held a grudge towards her sister for forcing the burden onto her to begin with. But that was years ago, and you couldn't blame a child for the sins of their father.

    It wasn't Amelia's fault she was in the house when the arrest was made. It wasn't her fault that had her father's eyes, that caused Carol to recoil in anger. It wasn't her fault that her only maternal figure spent the first decade imagining increasingly elaborate ways to abandon her at an orphanage or the streets… or the wood. It wasn't her fault that she triggered in a mall after her sister got shot, or that her power was just as, if not more terrifying than her father's ever was. And it certainly wasn't her fault that Carol only realised this once Amelia became a moody teenager.

    Amelia was a good kid. Carol could accept that. She was the quiet one, the camera-shy one, the one who never caused any trouble. Mostly. She had an attitude problem, but Carol understood what being a teenager was like. She'd expected some degree of teenage rebellion when she became a parent, but never this. Never caught kissing a fucking supervillain.

    It was bad enough that Amelia had been outed in public. It was always a fear of hers, giving Empire more excuses to target her family. Amelia was the reason they had plans already in place when Victoria announced her sexuality. Getting caught making out with a girl at some party was irritating, but manageable. But of all the women in Brockton Bay, and she somehow ended up with Hellhound!?

    How the hell did Amelia end up sitting in that monster's lap? How the hell did she not recognise her?

    The disguise Hellhound was wearing, if it could even be called a disguise, was pathetic. A pair of shades and a wig were not going to trick her. And it certainly shouldn't have tricked her daughter, especially with how often they went over the faces of Brockton's most dangerous parahumans.

    Except… They didn't go over the faces of Brockton's most dangerous parahumans. Not with Amelia. She wasn't a fighter. She healed. New Wave went on patrol, Panacea worked in the hospital. Victoria had taken her out on the odd patrol in the past, but when was the last time the entire New Wave family included Amelia in anything cape-related?

    The realisation hit her harder than the picture on her phone. This was her fault. She'd sheltered Amelia away from New Wave and the Wards, never letting her learn about the dangers of cape life. She'd let her become naive and ignorant of the reality around her. They'd taught her to defend herself, but not what to look out for.

    And now Amelia was sitting in the arms of a murderer. Being deceived and seduced by a criminal. Manipulated, most likely, her feelings will be twisted towards whatever sick goal Hellhound wants to achieve. They'll take Amelia and hold her for ransom, or worse, they'll turn her against her family. Carol knew how dangerous Amelia's powers were, if in the wrong hands. She could rival, or even succeed her father if she were so inclined.

    Not that Hellhound and the Undersiders would allow her to get that far. Carol knew exactly what would happen. They'd lure in Amelia with a promise of love, lust or friendship. And the second her guard was down, they'd take what they wanted from her and kill her the second she was no longer of use. Carol had seen it before, Carol had lived it...

    Carol's knuckles went white as she gripped the steering wheel. Her breathing was shallow, her teeth gritted.

    She gave up on dialling Amelia. Victoria was also at the party, as well as the Wards. She wasn't exactly sure why neither of them picked up on Hellhound's intrusion, but there was no time to question it. She called her daughter and listened to the ringing.

    "Hey… Mo-"

    "Where's your sister!?" Carol barked out the second Victoria picked up the phone. She was sure she'd come across as a deranged maniac, but she didn't care at this moment. "Victoria, listen to me. Find your sister, get her out of there."

    There was a period of quiet where all Carol could hear was the thumping of her heartbeat in her ear. The car in front of hers was moving unbearably slow and Carol had half a mind to simply ram it off the road and keep driving.

    "Victoria!?" She called out.

    "Y-yes, Mom." Vicky yelped out. "Amy's… Uh, around here… somewhere."

    "She's in the backyard," Carol said, pulling off the road and onto the sidewalk. She blared her horns at the pedestrian she almost ran over as she overtook three vehicles before speeding off. "With a woman, dressed badly. It's Hellhound. It's fucking Hellhound! Get her your sister, now!" She ignored a red light, narrowly missing two cars as she turned off the main street and into the suburbs. "I'll be there in ten minutes-"

    "Okay, sure. I'll go find her right away. Love you, bye!"

    The call hung up suspiciously fast, but Carol chalked it up to Victoria feeling as panicked as she felt. She couldn't relax, even with the knowledge that Glory Girl was there, not until her family was safe. Carol pressed down on the gas, doing over double the speed limit through the quiet suburb.

    The Undersiders had slowly become more than the minor nuisance they once were. They'd gone from thieves to ganglords in a matter of months. Worst of all was how they constantly made a show of it all. Appealing to the people, pretending to be the lesser of two evils, like that didn't make her any better than the Empire.

    Skitter was the worst of the bunch. Spokeswoman of the group, a leader in all but name. The way she'd taken over the docks and downtown, spreading the gang's influence like a cancer. Saving Victoria's girlfriend and making New Wave look like fools in the process. The PRT acted like they had the situation under control, but Carol was aware of Piggot's bias. The second Skitter dropped off Coil, she had them eating out of the palms of her hand. Carol recognised all the moves, straight out of Marquis' playbook.

    And now they were targeting Amelia. Carol had no doubt that if Hellhound was there, the other Undersiders weren't far behind. The whole thing was most likely orchestrated by Skitter, to take another stab at New Wave.

    No more. Carol wasn't going to let anyone else take her family. Not Empire, and certainly not the Undersiders. They'd crossed a line, and Hellhound would pay dearly for it.

    --------------------------------------------

    Stanfield Household – Living Room

    Victoria and Amy moved downstairs in a panic. Victoria tried her best to reassure her sister that everything would be fine, but it was hard to do that when she knew their mother was coming in on a warpath.

    Lisa met them at the bottom of the steps and smiled her usual, knowing grin.

    "I see Amy took the news well." She chuckled, before noting Victoria's stiff mood. "Everything alright?"

    "My mother knows..." Vicky sighed out. Lisa's eyes went wide and she took a step back. "She'll be here in ten minutes."

    "Right, well," Lisa hummed, rubbing her chin. "The van should be here soon. We'll load up the dogs and head out."

    "You said than an hour ago."

    "Welltraffic is a bitch, and it had to come from downtown. It'll be here soon."

    Amy was standing off to the side, ignoring the conversation as she was still in a state of shock. She scanned the party with new eyes, noting the frowning concern of Carlos when their eyes met. She turned away and back to Victoria, who was arguing quietly with her girlfriend.

    "Where's Rachel?" Amy asked, noting that she'd moved from out back.

    Lisa thumbed over her shoulder, Rachel was now mingling with the other party guests, standing in the living room with Taylor as they made casual conversation. Amy also noted that Rachel had removed her bulky jacket and wig. There was no longer any point hiding.

    The group around Rachel laughed audibly. Rachel herself frowned in confusion at whatever joke was shared amongst the group and Amy took a step forward in concern but stopped when she saw Rachel relax again and give a soft smile, looking to Taylor who was also politely chuckling.

    Amy smiled and continued walking over, her legs a little more steady as Rachel welcomed her into the group with an arm. Taylor nodded and swapped positions, exiting the social group to meet back up with Lisa and Vicky.

    "Huh, I'd never seen her so happy before today…" Taylor smiled, as she joined the two girls.

    "Yeah, Rachel? It's almost a shame to pull her away from the party," Lisa sighed.

    "I meant Amy," Taylor corrected. "But the same can be said about Rachel," She gave another wistful smile before shaking her head. "Alright, what's the plan? Get Rachel in a van and hope no one follows after? We can't all go with her, it'll be too suspicious."

    "Brandish is on her way too," Lisa informed, causing Taylor to frown with thought. "ETA is under ten minutes, it's gonna be a tight extraction. Might turn ugly."

    "It's going to be ugly either way," Victoria sighed. "You didn't hear her on the phone. She's gonna kill Amy when she gets here. Not literally, but… fuck. She's gonna make a scene and Amy's not going to take it well. Amy's already had a hard time of it, and I don't know what to do?"

    "What did she say?" Taylor asked, "Exactly, what were her words?"

    Victoria rubbed her temple as she sorted through her disorganised thoughts. "Uh, where the hell is Amy? Get her out of there. Fucking Hellhound is there. Get Amy out now."

    "So she's responding out of fear?" Taylor asked, still thinking.

    "She sounded pretty fucking pissed," Victoria corrected.

    "Where are you going with this?" Lisa added, noting Taylor's puzzled expression.

    "We get Rachel and her dogs out, and then what?" Taylor asked. "Brandish comes in, kicks in the door and starts ranting about how horrible we are. Yells at Amy, publicly. Humiliates New Wave again while she's at it?" Vicky winced at the mental image, New Wave hadn't had a good time in the public eye recently. "That's not mentioning how it'd look when word gets out that Hellhound was trying to kidnap Panacea, or however the news will spin it. Our goal was to make the Undersiders look sympathetic for when we take on the Empire, targeting Panacea ruins any credibility we have."

    "We could stick around to back up you and Amy?" Lisa thought aloud. "I mean, I'm good with words. But I don't know if I'm good enough to avoid a fight."

    Taylor shook her head. "The fight is already on its way. We can't avoid it anymore. Now is about damage control," She turned to Lisa. "The extraction van? Would it have our usual gear in it?"

    Lisa looked puzzled. "It should, but how does dressing up help us?"

    Victoria but in with a hand up. "Hold on? We were talking about ways to de-escalate my mother. I'm with Lisa, wouldn't adding more Undersiders to the scene make it worse?"

    "And wouldn't fighting Brandish at a house party also ruin our sympathetic credibility?" Lisa asked. "I suppose we could try meet her halfway and beat her up on a lonesome street? But that just delays the problem."

    Taylor shook her head again and stood up straighter. "We don't want to beat her up. In fact, we don't want to beat her at all. Round up the dogs and get the others. This time, we're giving New Wave the win."

    -----------------------------------------

    Stanfield Household – Out Front

    The party was slowly beginning to die down. With the sun disappearing over the horizon, the cold wind was starting to set in. Even a heated pool could only warm people so much, and with the already devoured free food, many people were getting ready to leave.

    The handful of designated drivers and Stansfield-paid taxis were already in motion, gathering groups of intoxicated teens and ferrying them off towards their homes. Amidst the small crowd of vehicles, a singular black van at the edge of the street looked no more out of place than the others.

    Carol's car was parked up on the other end of the street, the woman stepped out of the vehicle, dressed in her white and orange costume. The few stragglers around the party noticed her entrance and whispered amongst themselves. A few began to pull out their phones and Brandish did her best not to glare at them.

    Her first priority was her daughters.

    Victoria was waiting for her at the entrance, dressed casually and nervously playing with her hair, it was still mildly damp from swimming. Brandish marched forward, not stopping as she reached the girl.

    "Where is your sister!?" She demanded, Victoria jumped in surprise and turned to her. "I told you both to leave. Why are you still here?"

    She moved past Victoria and inspected the front yard, scanning the faces of everyone who passed by. Many watched in wide-eyed wonder as she searched the yard, some pulling out their phones. Brandish did her best not to scowl at them, knowing it would only fuel the gossip mill.

    "She's… right here, Mom," Victoria mumbled out, following after her. "But just... wait a moment. It's not what you think."

    "Weren't we waiting for some fucking van?" A gruff voice barked out in annoyance. Brandish locked in on it and caught eyes on Hellhound, casually leaning against a wall with Amelia sitting on the floor, stroking a dog's head.

    The sight infuriated her. She marched forward, fists clenched. Her teeth were gritted and a low growl escaped her throat as she stomped towards the pair. One of the dogs started barking at her approach but she didn't care. A short blade of energy formed in her hand as she pointed it towards the offending parahuman.

    "Get the fuck away from my daughter you psychotic bitch!"

    Amelia jumped up in alarm as Hellhound moved into a defensive posture. Her dogs formed a semi-circle around them, barking and growling angrily at her.

    "M-mom!" Amelia squeaked, falling backwards into Hellhound's arm. The fact that her gut reaction was to move closer to her captor instead of her mother was heartbreaking. A reminder of how strained her relationship was with the girl.

    "Amelia, get away from her," Brandish growled out, not taking her eyes off the offender. Hellhound stood up straighter and clenched her fist. She was ready to fight. Brandish kept her sword pointed at the girl, ignoring the crowd of civilians behind her. "Hellhound! You get one chance. Get away from her, stand down and surrender. Or else I'll cut you down here and now."

    "There's no need for violence," A disturbing reverb of an altered voice came from above her. Brandish turned slightly to keep both threats in her view and spotted a dark figure appearing up on the wall that ran along the property.

    "Oh shit..." A boy said from inside. Brandish recognised the voice belonging to one of the Wards, Clockblocker "Not her. Anyone but her. Where the hell is Dean?"

    Victoria moved to calm the crowd, but Brandish stared daggers at the voice. Skitter, climbing over the wall and planting herself in the yard, a haze of bugs around her.

    "Skitter," Brandish hissed, pointing her sword towards the villain. "I should have known this was all you."

    "On the contrary," Skitter buzzed, "This is all on Amy. You should be proud of your daughter Mrs Dallon, for she somehow managed to-"

    Brandish wasn't going to sit here and listen as this teenage warlord, Marquis Jr wannabe spat out some charming drivel for the masses. She lunged forward, cutting a swath of insects with her blade, aiming straight for the bug-masters neck. Victoria screamed out in a panic as Brandish's weapon sunk into the villain and impaled into the wall behind her. It was rough, dirty and violent. But Brandish couldn't find herself to care as Skitter's blood sizzled on her blade.

    Then the body dematerialised into a swarm of insects. Brandish could only growl at the illusion that vanished and rematerialised behind her.

    "Okay…" The swarm of bugs said, with a little more emotion than was normal for Skitter. "I wasn't expecting you to stab me... like that."

    The second clone was too far away to lunge at, and she couldn't afford to be distracted with Hellhound so close. Brandish spun and glared daggers back at the parahuman who was still standing with Amelia.

    Hellhound didn't budge. She glared defiantly back, keeping a protective arm over Amelia even as three growing dogs stood between them. A performance, making Amelia feel safe, and protected from her own mother. It was disgusting.

    "Amelia! Come over here, right now," Brandish ordered, her voice growing more heated. "Get away from that monster!"

    "She's not," Amelia spoke up, her voice was barely a whisper.

    Brandish grit her teeth harder. "What?"

    "I said, she's not a monster," Amelia spoke again, a little louder. "Rachel is nice. She's good to me. And she cares about me."

    "That's a lie," Brandish said. "You're being manipulated."

    "No, she's not!" Amy shouted, shocking Carol into silence. With a sharp whistle, all three dogs stood down from their aggressive stances and moved in behind Amy as she took a shaky step towards her mother. "Rachel doesn't manipulate people, she doesn't pretend to be someone she's not. She's blunt, but she's real."

    Brandish looked at Amelia, and down to the dogs who obeyed her without hesitation. This was worse than she thought, Hellhound hadn't made contact today.

    "The shelter..." Brandish muttered, realising what had happened. "That was all code for you to meet up with her? You planned this!?"

    "N-no, Mom." Amelia shook her head. "The shelter is real. Rachel runs the shelter," She gestured back to Hellhound. "A real one. With real people and animals who need help. People think Rachel's cruel because she's rough with people, but the way she treats her dogs shows a totally different side of her. And I know she's done some bad things. But... I'm realising the world isn't as black and white as you make it sound. Rachel doesn't let the world tell her who to be. She's had a terrible past, but she's still here, fighting, living life on her own terms, helping lost animals, helping me. She's resilient in a way I wish I could be."

    Brandish stood there in disbelief, unable to process what was happening. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the gathered crowd who had their phones out, recording the argument.

    "You should listen to her, Brandish." Skitter's buzzing voice called out. "Rachel has done some questionable things, yes. But she's not-"

    "You shut the fuck up, Skitter!" Both Carol and Amelia yelled at the same time.

    The swarm backed off, the buzzing lowering as the bugs parted. Carol looked back at Amelia and gave her a pleading look, Amy returned one full of sorrow.

    "She's rough on the outside, sure, but she has a kind heart underneath it all." Amy continued, standing "She just doesn't show it the way you'd expect. She doesn't care about my powers or my family. She just sees me as I am, and for once, I don't feel like I'm under a microscope. She's one of the few people who makes me feel normal, like I don't have to be Panacea."

    Carol hesitated briefly before growling again. "You can't be serious, Amy. Do you even hear yourself? This is Hellhound we're talking about. One of the Undersiders. A criminal. You think a few good qualities can erase everything she's done? The chaos and destruction she's caused?"

    "No..." Amy shook her head.

    Brandish's blade pointed back at the villain, but Amelia stepped out to cover her this time. "She may have some loyalty to her dogs, but that doesn't change who she is, Amy. She's violent. Unstable. She runs with people who tear this city apart. You don't get to pick and choose the parts of her that suit you and ignore the rest."

    "Please," Amy whimpered. "She's not like that. She's good… for me."

    "I don't understand, Amelia." Brandish pleaded, "If you're struggling, you should come to me, to your family. We're the ones who care about you. Not her."

    Amy shook her head and stepped closer to Hellhound, placing her body between Brandish and the larger girl.

    "Then why am I more scared of you, than them?" She nodded to Skitter and the other Skitter behind her, who was most likely the actual Skitter. The crowd began murmuring amongst themselves at the sight of the villains, but all of them waited for Brandish to respond.

    "I can't just sit back and watch you throw your life away on someone like her. You'll get yourself hurt." Brandish yelled. I don't expect you to understand right now, but one day, you will see that I'm trying to protect you. This. This can't continue."

    "And I'm not letting you hurt her," Amelia stated, standing tall, "If you want to take out your anger on someone, you can start with me. I won't fight you. So do it, if it'll make you feel better."

    Carol felt her breath hitch at her daughter's words. Is this what Amy truly thought of her? That she would hurt her daughter in a fit of rage?

    "Amelia..." She choked, her voice softening as she realised the tears in the girl's eyes. "Amy. You're my daughter," Carol sighed, the blade of energy in her hand disbanding. "I'm trying to protect you. I know I haven't been..." She huffed in frustration, she'd come here for a fight, not an argument. "...the best mother, but I swear, all I want is for you to be safe."

    "Today's been a lot," Amy sighed, as her hand tugged on Hellhound's, moving her from the stiff stance she'd held the entire time. The dogs growled and barked, but remained where they were, watching and waiting. "This last hour has been... a lot. And I just want to leave for a bit. Take Rachel with me, and make sure she doesn't get hurt. I'll go back home later, talk about all this properly."

    Carol opened her mouth to protest, did they seriously think she'd let the Undersiders take her daughter? Only to be met with Victoria pulling on her arm.

    "Mom, please," Vicky whispered, "Don't fight her, don't push her away any further," Amy and Hellhound moved cautiously to the exit of the Stansfield estate, watching Brandish with a weary gaze. "I'll keep an eye on her, okay? I'll bring her home."

    Carol could feel the pressure of the crowd, their stares, the phones pointed at her, she'd gone out tonight for a fight, but she wasn't looking to turn her blade on Amelia, even if she did feel like she was losing her right now.

    "I love you," Carol called out to her daughter, "I didn't say it... I don't say it enough. But I do love you, Amelia. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise."

    Amy choked out a laugh through the tears. "You know, for once..." She wiped her eye and smiled, taking a cautious step to the side. "I actually believe you."

    A black van drove up to the entrance of the house and stopped. The side door opened, revealing Regent and another masked girl Carol had never seen before. Tattletale and Deimos sat in the front seat of the vehicle. They accepted the three dogs, now small again, as the real Skitter climbed into the back. Hellhound climbed in first and offered a hand to Amelia. Amy turned back to Carol and gave another soft smile.

    "I'll be home before curfew," She said, stepping into the van. "I promise. We can talk about it, and ground me for life or whatever…" She let out another choked laugh and almost climbed in before turning back around. "And Mom?" She added Carol couldn't remember the last time Amelia called her that. "Thank you, for caring."

    The van door shut with Amy inside, and the vehicle drove off. Victoria wrapped an arm around Carol, watching her mother in concern before hovering into the air.

    "I'll follow from above," Victoria said quietly. "Make sure she gets home, okay?"

    Carol nodded and turned to the crowd, glaring at the phones and the people. The group had already started dispersing, no longer interested in the scene. Some of the Ward boys were also attempting to shoo away any remaining gawkers.

    With nothing left to do, Carol marched towards her car and sat in the driver's seat. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to dwell on the fact that Amy had essentially run away. Amy was gone. Her daughter had been taken by the Undersiders and all she could do was trust that the girl would come home.

    ----------------------------------------------

    Brockton Bay Streets

    Amy didn't actually know what she was doing when she climbed into that van. She was just following Rachel and wanted to get the hell out of a supremely awkward situation.

    As the vehicle drove off, she found herself in a strange predicament. Sitting next to Rachel in the back of a van full of people she wasn't sure how to interact with. She didn't fully register that the Undersiders had shown up during her argument with Carol, with Mom. And in retrospect, stepping into an unmarked van with a bunch of criminals was not a smart decision.

    Her hand squeezed with Rachel's, trying to ignore the fact that terror incarnate was sitting opposite her, willing an army of bugs into a backpack. There was a long period of silence, and no one seemed willing to speak.

    "Can I take this shit off now?" The one driving, Deimos, asked. Without waiting for a response, he reached up and pulled off the mask, pushing back the hood. Amy was surprised to see a thirty-something-year-old-looking man sitting there, not some teenager. "I don't know how you kids stand wearing those things all day."

    "Just shut up and drive," Tattletale barked. "Bitch's shelter, assume we're being followed, take the east way."

    The voice was annoying... and familiar. Amy had only met Tattletale once before, at the bank, and they didn't speak much. But the blonde's voice was grating her ears.

    "Are you okay?" Rachel asked, giving Amy's hand a gentle squeeze. Amy's gaze focused and she gave a shaky nod.

    "We're not gonna hurt you," Tattletale called out from the passenger seat. Rachel growled at the idea. "What? It's what she's thinking about. Just relax. We'll drop you off soon and be on our way."

    Regent and the other unknown masked girl were gossiping in the far back, Amy couldn't hear the conversation, but they both erupted into a fit of giggles.

    "What's so funny?" Skitter asked out, causing Amy to flinch. Even without the millions of bugs, her muffled voice felt threatening.

    "Oh nothing," The mystery girl sang out. "Just realising how much fun the news is gonna have with this." Amy tilted her head in confusion as the two capes went back to gossiping, she could faintly hear singing from them. "Panacea and Bitch, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

    "Grow up," Tattletale whined, kicking her feet up onto the dashboard.

    "How is the media response?" Skitter asked, "Can we still salvage this?"

    Tattletale chuckled to herself. "After you almost died? Sure. I got social media on it already."

    "I didn't almost die," Skitter muttered back.

    "You would've if we'd gone with your first plan and showed up all together in person. Brandish went straight for the jugular. Would've been brutal."

    "And Skitter was complaining I took too long," Regent huffed. "Looks like I saved your life."

    "You did take too long," Skitter said flatly. "And I would've used my bugs anyway."

    "Well if some people would've let me change in the van like the rest of you girls…" Regent sighed sarcastically, the mysterious woman responded by slapping him on the arm. "Dammit, Imp."

    "Anyway," Tattletale said, ignoring the comment. "Social media is going wild with it. Amy's speech helped a ton. It's only just been posted and people are calling it a real-life Romeo and Juliet situation."

    "What?" Amy asked out. She hadn't meant to draw attention to herself but it was too late.

    "It's an expression, Panacea," Tattletale said. "Basically, it means people are supporting your forbidden relationship with the scary, brooding but actually kindhearted villain. Winning her over to the side of the angels with the power of true love and all that shit."

    Tattletale laughed and again, Amy was sure she'd heard the voice before.

    "Lisa?" She asked out, the name leaving her lips before her brain even caught up. Tattletale flinched at the mention of her name, her feet slipping off the dashboard. "You're Lisa!?" Amy said again, accusingly. "What the fuck? Are you fucking serious right now!?"

    "Ah, shit…" Lisa sighed, peeling off her mask before turning back to smile at Amy. "Well, this just got awkward."

    "What? But how?" Amy went through several confused sounds before getting red in the face. "You're Lisa!? You're dating my sister? Did you know?" She asked Rachel, who looked away guiltily. "Does she know? Are you fucking manipulating her? Holy fuck, Mom was right…"

    "Woah, hey," Lisa said, moving quickly to grab her attention again. "I'm not manipulating Vicky… Well, I have. But not like that. I care. I do care about her. It's not fake, it's a real relationship. I do love her. And-"

    "We do love her," Skitter said.

    Everyone else in the van stared at her, even Amy was caught off guard. Skitter shrugged at the silence and reached for her own mask. Amy watched in horror as the terror known as Skitter turned out to be…

    "Taylor!?"

    "Hey, Amy..." Taylor gave a little wave and a shy smile. "This is... was not part of the plan. But it's only fair. With everything going on."

    Amy was speechless, looking between the two girls. Her mind couldn't wrap around what was happening.

    "You... You... You..." She stuttered, getting even redder in the face.

    "Now again, we want to stress," Taylor began, holding up two calming hands. "We both care very deeply about Victoria."

    "You held a fucking knife to my throat!" Amy spat out, the first in a long list of complaints. Taylor blinked back in surprise. "You're a snake! A lying liar! Deceiving Vicky and for what? To keep tabs on a real hero while you both cause havoc?"

    Taylor's face did the blank, emotionless thing she sometimes did at school before she frowned and looked away. "Oh, speaking of which..." She ignored Amy's outburst and nodded over to Regent. "Open the door and move over."

    Regent opened the back door of the still-moving van and shuffled across, patting the dogs as he made space for something. Victoria appeared shortly after, matching speed with the vehicle and landing in the empty space. She shut the door with a huff and sighed.

    "Well, this is one giant clusterfuck. I'm not looking forward to going home tonight. But at least we're all safe, right Ames?"

    Victoria slouched into the van's chair and looked over to her sister. Amy held her shocked expression and gestured to Taylor and Lisa, waiting to see her sister's reaction to the revelation.

    Vicky stared for a moment, looking between the two, her expression looked surprised, but not to the level that Amy would expect.

    "So we're just laying it all out, huh?" Vicky finally responded.

    "Wait, you knew?!" Amy squeaked out.

    "Well, yeah," Vicky replied, hesitantly and guiltily. "It's why I was so interested in Taylor, to begin with…"

    "So you've just been out, dating not one, but two goddamn Undersiders this whole time?" Amy baulked before palming her face. "I thought my life imploded before… but now."

    "It's not imploded," Victoria sighed, leaning over to rub Amy's hair. "It's just different. And once we explain things to Mom, it'll be different again."

    "So we're not just running away to become Undersiders?" Amy asked. Regent, Rachel and Imp all chuckled.

    "No, we're not." Victoria shook her head, scowling at the three. "You promised Mom you'd come home and I promised her that you would. We'll regroup for a bit, then I'll fly you home and we can all have a… talk, with her."

    "And what? Explain how both her daughters are dating crooks?" Amy huffed.

    "Oh, hell no." Victoria smiled. "Mom's already freaking out over you and Rachel, imagine if she found out about me and these two. Nah, I think it makes sense to break the news gradually. You and Rachel first, then we'll see how she really takes it... In like, a month? Or two?"

    "So I'm the control group?" Amy chuckled, feeling more relaxed at the idea.

    "Pretty much," Victoria smirked. "I love you, but you brought it on yourself."

    "Gee, thanks," Amy sighed, still palming her face.

    "I'm serious Ames," Vicky said, flicking her forehead. "What the hell were you thinking bringing Rachel to that party?"

    "I tried to disguise her."

    "It was terrible." Victoria shook her head.

    "And you," Lisa added, pointing to Rachel. "What the ever-loving fuck made you think you could go to a party full of Wards?"

    Rachel shrugged. "Didn't know there were Wards there," She reached out and hugged Amy, pulling her away from her facepalm. "Plus my girlfriend invited me out on a date. It was fun." She kissed Amy's cheek.

    Amy broke into a fit of delirious giggles before letting out a big sigh. "Fuck… I'm feeling a hundred different things right now. I have so many questions, and so many thoughts, and so many feelings. And I'm terrified of going home to see Mom, but I promised her. But holy shit, we did not plan this well enough. Holy fuck, I am not ready for the world to know about us, not like this," Rachel pat her on the back as she calmed her breathing. "At least I can say that nothing else today could surprise me…"

    "Oh," Rachel said, as if remembering something important. She looked up to Victoria, pointing at her. "You forgot to tell her that you're Deimos?"

    Amy looked up in another bout of unexpected surprise, as Victoria stared back at Rachel, eyes wide.

    Imp raised a finger into the conversation, ignoring the tension in the van.

    "Is this a bad time to point out that we left Brian back at the party?"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Gowonzu said:
    She gave a self-deprecating laugh."
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    Unnecessary speech mark.
    Gowonzu said:
    "Is this a bad time to point out that we left Brian back at the party?"
    Click to expand...
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    Ah poor Brian. Got pushed out of being Team Leader so hard that the team completely forgot her was a member.

    Also god was this chapter fun. I especially liked the opening. But also wow Carol. My morbid side kinda wants to know what would have happened if they went for plan one and Brandish just fucking murders a teenage girl without warning.
     
    DeathShade said:
    Also god was this chapter fun. I especially liked the opening. But also wow Carol. My morbid side kinda wants to know what would have happened if they went for plan one and Brandish just fucking murders a teenage girl without warning.
    Click to expand...
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    If Brandish had managed to do any serious damage, she'd have a very different daughter to worry about...
     
    Carol is a lawyer, she could probably get Rachel off on those murder charges, they would fall apart with just a tiny bit of work. Obviously the career with the undersiders is still there, but they could politely ignore that at family dinners.
     
    Doesn't Carol OWN a whole law firm?
    While also being a practitioner.
     
    Oh man, this was fantastic. And seeing Amy and Carol actually manage to have a civil conversation ending with Amy leaving with Rachel... I did not think that would have been possible;.
    YoRHa_42s said:
    Doesn't Carol OWN a whole law firm?
    While also being a practitioner.
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    I don't think there's any evidence of her owning one. Just that she works at the same firm that Alan does. IIRC, she's not even a practicing lawyer.
     
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    Oh my gd, they forgot Brian? 😂 😂 😂 And after so thoroughly spoiling his plans to confess to talk with Dean! He's going to be so pissed.

    Well, at least he has a solid alibi for not being Grue! Kinda. It's not like they had a Grue body double in the car too.

    Maybe he'll have some time alone with Dean now that New Wave has ceased making a spectacle? But probably not tbh, more likely he'll be in a tizzy looking for Aisha.

    Carol actually giving Amy the benefit of the doubt for once only to learn that she was knowingly dating a villain was beautiful btw 😚👌
     
    The Draft Reveal
  • Extras
    • A/N: So the Amy/Vicky reveals have happened and mostly everyone is on the same page in the story. I'm quite happy with how it's all turned out, but it wasn't how I originally planned to reveal things to characters. It's safe to say that this story and its characters have developed a mind of its own. The whole party arc was originally just a one-off fluff chapter and you all saw how that went. A lot of ideas get dropped or moved around. What you're about to read is what I originally envisioned as the moment when Vicky and Amy first discovered that their sibling had ties to the Undersiders.


    Deimos huffed and panted. Her costume was torn, her arms were bleeding, and her heart was beating at a million miles a minute, but she was alive. The battle was hard fought, but Hookwolf lay unconscious at her feet.

    "You good, Deimos?"

    Vicky didn't hear who called out to her, she held up her hand anyway, thumb up to the sky to symbolise her victory.

    She wobbled on her feet as Tattletale rushed to catch her, stabilising her fall and giving her a shoulder to lean on.

    "That was fucking insane," Tattletale groaned, heaving the heavy brute to her feet. "Never do that again, please."

    "Sk-Skitter…" Deimos panted out.

    "She's fine," Tattletale answered. "Resting. Alive, thanks to you," Tattletale led her over to an empty seat, one that hadn't been destroyed in the chaos. "Your turn now. Rest, but don't sleep. I need to check how much blood you've lost."

    "I can… still feel… my arms…" Deimos sighed, slumping into the chair. "Give me five… I'll be fine."

    Tattletale watched her with concern and then hugged her tightly. Deimos raised a tired hand up to hug the girl back.

    "So, we won? Now what?" Imp asked out, walking through the wreckage. "What are we doing with all these guys?"

    Regent dropped the unconscious body onto the pile of all the others, after wiping his hands he turned back to the group and asked, "Anybody got gasoline and a match?"

    "Dude?" Grue said, shaking his head.

    "What?" Regent chuckled. "They're just Nazis…" When everyone stared at him harder, he waved the group off. "Oh, come on. I was joking. Chill."

    "Well, I agree with the Nazi burning," Imp said cheerily. "But I was actually asking about these little guys."

    She motioned her head towards the several cages of frightened dogs who were trying their best to appear invisible. Imp reached out towards the closest one.

    "Don't touch them!" Bitch growled, grabbing Imp's hand and throwing it away. "They'll bite you, stupid fuck."

    Imp pulled her hand back and took a few extra steps for good measure. Bitch knelt down to inspect the animals, looking to see if any needed immediate help.

    "There's a lot more than we were expecting," Grue said, looking over Bitch's shoulder. "I don't think the van will fit all of them, even if we took them out of the cages."

    Bitch shook her head, agreeing with the statement.

    "No, we won't." She murmured. "It's already taken care of though."

    "Taken care of?" Tattletale asked out, still comforting Deimos.

    Bitch ignored the Undersiders' stares as she pulled her phone from her pocket. "Where are you?" She barked into the call. "Too slow, we're ready now. Well, I don't give a fuck, hurry up. We'll be waiting," She snapped the phone shut as quickly as she pulled it out and did a little spin around the room, looking for something. She pointed at a random wall. "Deimos, push that wall down. Dogs could do it, but they're healing."

    "Deimos needs healing too!" Tattletale growled back at Bitch's rude orders.

    Deimos stood up and held an arm out to calm her.

    "It's fine," Deimos sighed, floating up instead of putting weight on her legs. "I got it."

    "That wall," Bitch said again. "Trucks will be here any second. So be quick."

    "Trucks?" Grue huffed. "What trucks?"

    "It's all part of the plan!" Bitch snapped, "Wall, now!"

    "Plan?" Regent snorted. "You have a plan? You make plans? Since when?"

    Deimos started pushing against the wall, feeling the brick and steel buckle under her strength. She didn't feel up to punching anything, so it simply collapsed to the floor rather than exploding like most walls she dealt with.

    "This was my job," Bitch said back to Regent, thumbing her chest. "I got the information, I found the target, I made the plan," Everyone looked at her in sheer disbelief. Bitch blushed slightly under her mask and muttered. "…Skitter helped." All the Undersiders nodded and got to work clearing the rubble.

    --------------------------------------

    It was a quiet drive in the truck.

    Amy had no idea what she was doing, beyond helping her girlfriend out with a pit-fighting rescue. She sat in the passenger seat, watching the Brockton Bay city skyline as they drove deeper into Empire territory.

    Territory she would never find herself caught dead in if it wasn't for her dog-obsessed girlfriend. Amy grimaced at what her life had become, turning back to the driver and his black ski mask that hid his face.

    Three trucks, six shelter employees, all wearing some kind of mask. Amy included, a cheap plastic raccoon mask that was currently up over her hair. She knew what it looked like, a bunch of crooks in a heist movie, driving towards the big score. Except the score was several abused animals and the victims were literal Nazis.

    While she was adamant about taking no part in her girlfriend's criminal activities, Amy didn't for a second feel bad about helping Rachel out with this job. The Empire were monsters and helping dogs was her literal job. There was nothing illegal about what Amy was doing…

    Well, she was sure there were some laws Carol could spout off if she were ever caught in this situation, but Amy didn't care at this point.

    "Get ready," Cassie's voice said over the shared radio, she was in the truck ahead of Amy's. "We're about to pull up on the place, no clue how much time we've got until Empire send reinforcements. The Undies are here to cover us, let's get those pups and get the frick out, alright?"

    That sent a small chill down Amy's spine. Not the idea that Empire was sending more goons, although that was mildly concerning. But meeting the Undersiders proper. Amy had imagined that Rachel was working alone on this one, Cassie had mentioned that she'd never met the villainous team before, so Amy didn't even consider running into them today.

    The trucks turned up onto the scene of a cape fight, or a fight that had just ended. Rubble spewed across the street and the building in question had a giant hole in the wall that was perfectly sized for the first truck to back up into.

    Amy's truck parked up on the side of the street, and the man driving waited behind the wheel as Amy climbed out. Along with her and Cassie, the third non-driver got out and moved to assist in whatever mess had taken place inside. Amy pulled down her raccoon mask and moved to meet Rachel.

    "Ah good, the help is here," Tattletale chuckled, standing next to Grue, who was an intimidating sight on his own. "Bitch is that way," The villain pointed, giving Amy and Co no more than a passing glance.

    Amy didn't like her already, but she had no desire to spend even a second in the Undersiders' presence. She made one quick scan over the building, noting an unconscious Hookwolf and several Empire thugs piled in a corner. Another person lay at the feet of Grue and Tattletale, Amy froze in alarm when she recognised it as Skitter, she'd been incapacitated in whatever fight they'd gotten themselves into.

    Tattletale glared daggers at Amy as if seeing Skitter in such a compromising position was a punishable offence. Amy was glad she was wearing a mask, beyond hiding her identity, the small smile that formed upon seeing Skitter get some comeuppance would definitely get her shot by a psychopath like Tattletale.

    Amy moved on, down into the fighting ring, where Rachel was waiting. Her smile grew with relief as she noted that Rachel was relatively unharmed. She pointed out the dogs to Cassie and started moving the cages with dogs in them. Once Cassie and the third helper got a hold of the first cage, she motioned for Amy to help her with a second.

    Regent and another mystery cape were also helping, lifting cages and following after Cassie to the trucks. Amy suppressed the desire to welcome Rachel with a hug, but Rachel hugged her anyway, much to the surprise of her fellow Undersiders.

    "How can I help?" Amy asked, ignoring the odd stares she felt on her back. She already knew what to do, carry dogs to the truck.

    Rachel kept a hand on her shoulder, hesitating on what should've been an obvious order. The pause made Amy realise that Rachel was considering something and didn't like whatever she was thinking.

    "Help me lift these," Rachel eventually said, defaulting onto the expected command, but Amy already guessed what Rachel wanted to say, what she refused to say, for Amy's sake.

    "Does someone need healing?" Amy asked, steadying Rachel. She'd told Rachel that she wouldn't use her power for Bitch, and Rachel had respected that fact. But now that Amy was here, was helping. What was one more code to break?

    Rachel hesitated, feeling guilty for even considering it before finally grumbling. "Brutus… Got hurt. Could you? Please?"

    Amy nodded. Feeling annoyed. Not that Rachel would ask her to use her powers, but that she almost didn't when Brutus had been hurt.

    "Of course. Take me to him."

    Brutus was in a cocoon of meat and muscle. Rachel's powers were attempting to heal the dog as quickly as they could, but it was rough and imprecise. The scars would remain, the missing eye, the mangled foot. Brutus would never be the same dog again after his encounter with Hookwolf, or wouldn't have been if not for Amy.

    "You're an idiot," Amy spat out as she got her hands on the dog. Rachel looked at her with confusion. "Next time, just ask for healing."

    "But you said?-"

    "I know what I said," Amy growled. "But fuck that, I know what Brutus means to you. I would heal him if you asked. Or you… Idiot," Rachel huffed and gave a small smile. Watching as Brutus' eye regrew itself. "Remember to feed him extra for the next few days. I'm not sure how your power works exactly, but he'll need to rebuild some muscle after this."

    Some dogs behind Amy started barking angrily, Amy herself tried to ignore it but Rachel spun around to see what was happening.

    "One at a fucking time," Rachel barked. "And don't fucking fly with them, you're just scaring them."

    Flying. That caught Amy's attention. She didn't realise anyone on the Undersiders could fly.

    "Oh, sorry," A familiar but muffled voice said back to Rachel. "Thought it'd be faster…"

    The voice trailed off as it got closer, Amy turned to see Deimos, hovering in the air as they placed two dog cages into the back of the truck. The battle-damaged outfit revealed long blond hair flowing out from behind the cape, as well as the muscular arms of a woman. Arms that Amy could pick out from a lineup. Arms that had carried Amy a hundred times over, paired with a voice that no amount of mask muffling could cover up.

    "What's going on here?" Deimos asked, watching as Brutus' foot unmangled itself and facial scars filled out to healthy fur again.

    She looked down at Amy, right through the cheap racoon mask that covered her freckled face. Amy looked up at Deimos' gold lenses, right through to the girl who existed behind it.

    Both women stared at each other for a short moment, neither one said a thing. Brutus finished healing and immediately stood up to lick Amy's face. She didn't fight it as the dog carelessly knocked away the mask.

    In response, Deimos pulled her own mask off. An act that looked more out of disbelief than rational thought. Victoria let the mask drop from her hand, both sisters still said nothing to each other.

    Amy's mouth felt dry, any thought she had died on her tongue, the only action her brain could take was to point at her sister, the act being a question in itself. What are you doing here? Why were you wearing that mask? How long has this been going on for?

    In response, Victoria pointed back, asking the same silent questions. That held the same damning answers.

    The rest of the Undersiders watched in a mixture of confusion, amazement, fear and amusement as both Dallon sisters failed to do anything except point.

    A single word came out of their mouths, a collective sound that summed up all their thoughts and feelings in that very moment.

    "Oh."
     
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