Gowonzu's Snippet Thread (Worm)

[Gowonzu]

I figured it was about time I made a thread where I could compile all my current and future One Shots and odd bits of writing that aren't full fics.

Some stories might be posted in multiple places, but I'll try to post here when it feels appropriate. I'll also be reuploading older One Shots here aswell.

There's won't be any regularity to my posting, just whenever the muse strikes me.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Worm AU, Set ten years after Worm's start. In a world that never ended, Everyone has gone their separate way, but The Undersiders meet up in Brockton Bay for their annual reunion.

---

Taylor parked her car and sighed to herself. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this, or what she was even doing here to begin with. She wore all black, there wasn't any set dress code but it felt appropriate for the moment. Readying herself, she exited the car.

The cold, morning air hit her the second she opened the door. It was early winter, and the snow wouldn't properly start falling for another few days. Taylor swore under her breath, she should've been used to the cold by now but it still surprised her every year.

Walking around the car, she picked up a few important items from the passenger seat before walking further.

She hated this place, these days she had few reasons to return to Brockton Bay. Of all the places in the city, she had to be here. A place she used to visit often. Even still, she returned here every year, on the same day, at the same time.

Another woman was already waiting for her, ahead of Taylor. Dressed in colourful winter wear. She stood, turned away and looked down, frustration on her face as she was trying to solve the same puzzle she'd been stuck on for years. Taylor recognised her blonde hair instantly.

"Lisa," Taylor called out softly. The blonde girl broke her focus and turned.

"Taylor," Lisa said back, her frustrated smile turning into a warm smile. The two women greeted each other in an embrace. "It's good to see you. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Taylor said back, gently patting Lisa's back. "Is anyone else here yet?"

Lisa shook her head. "You're the first. Well, I'm the first, but you're here now too." Her eyes flicked up behind where Taylor had come from, a brief glint of recognition before shooting her signature smile. "And then there were three."

Taylor turned around to see a tall, dark man. Brian, dressed in a suit. His choice of formal attire made Taylor relax about her own outfit. The man nodded to both women before stepping into the conversation.

"Taylor, Lisa." Brian said, "I'm glad you could both make it."

"Wouldn't miss it," Lisa said with a smile.

Taylor looked away guiltily, knowing that she missed the first two reunions, for good reasons.

It had been eleven years since Taylor joined the Undersiders. Eleven years since they killed Coil and took over the city. And ten years since the Undersiders dissolved, with each member going their own separate way.

Taylor turned herself into PRT custody, doing a short stint in prison before being reintroduced as a Ward. Nowadays, she was known publicly as Weaver, a member of the Chicago Protectorate. Lisa stayed in Brockton Bay, officially she retired from cape life, but she kept herself busy acting as an information broker for all kinds of clientele. Brian was still recognised as a Villain, running his own mercenary company. He has his own personal morals and codes, never bothering with such absurd goals as occupying a city again.

"Just in time for the party." A voice called out. All three Undersiders turned back to see Alec walking in with his arms stretched out. "I thought about being fashionably late, but I know you all would've missed me."

"Not a party," Brian said, a hint of anger in his voice. Alec offered him a hand as Brian hesitantly shook it. He calmed down shortly after, giving Alec a smile. "Sorry, I wasn't here last year. Or the year before that. And before that. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to cross the border these days." Alec ran with another group of villains up in Canada these days, he bounced from group to group ever since he left Brockton Bay. "Speaking of which, is the hero here going to arrest me?" He pointed to Taylor.

"No," Taylor and Lisa said in deadpan unison. Alec gave an exaggerated sigh and stepped into the circle of conversation.

"Think this is everyone?" Lisa asked the group, Taylor shook her head as she pointed out two more approaching people.

Lily and Sabah walked side by side, stopping to observe the group ahead of them. Both seemed equally as shocked at seeing the reunion turnout, it had been quite a few years since so many Undersiders all showed up at the same time. Alec being a standout oddity these days.

"Right, should've known." Lisa chuckled, waving at the couple. Both girls walked closer with arms entwined.

"Morning," Sabah said to the group, giving a curtsy. "I apologise for the delay. I got caught up with a new project."

"Oh, hush," Lily said, waving Sabah's comment off. "We're barely late."

Both residents of Brockton Bay, Sabah had returned to running her shop while Lily acted as her bodyguard that also did the occasional vigilante work during the nights.

"Alec, you're looking well," Lily said, looking around the group. "Brian, Lisa." She nodded at them both with a smile. "I never know what to say when we do this, saying something like 'happy anniversary' sounds like a cruel joke." She let out a half-hearted chuckle that the rest of the group echoed.

"Do we still do that after-party thing?" Alec asked, looking between Lisa and Lilly. "What was that bar down the road. We all went to? We should go there after."

"It's not a party, Alec," Brian said again, shaking his head.

"Alibi." Taylor mused, mainly to herself. Thinking of the name of the bar just down the street. It was a common hangout for those that chose to stick around.

"That's the place," Alec said as he clicked his finger. "Let's wrap this up quick. First rounds on me."

"I'm only here for this. I've got a shop to run." Sabah said, "Plus you know I don't drink."

"And I'm with her," Lily said, pointing her thumb back to Sabah. "So count me out too."

"I've also got business in the city after this," Lisa said with a sad pout. "No day drinking for me."

"And I have a long drive back to Chicago," Taylor said, looking down.

"Man…" Alec whined. Looking among the group. "I come all this way for this. When did you all get so lame? Come on, one round of shots." He looked over to Sabah, "Yours can be water, or orange juice, whatever."

Everyone looked among each other, Taylor and Lisa might've been persuaded to stay for one quick round, but Brian and Sabah were firm in the 'not a party' mood of the gathering.

Alec sighed in another exaggerated manner. "Why do we even do this if I can't even get a drink with old friends? It's not like we're here to celebrate the Undersiders. Sure, we used to own this city, but I've had one-night stands that lasted longer than our little team did."

"You know exactly why we're here." Brian snapped back. Everyone looked away as the argument was about to begin. There was a reason Alec didn't show for the last few years, and it wasn't just because of the travel distance.

"We're here because Lisa said we should." Alec defended himself, gesturing to Lisa. "She got a big fancy thinker headache and made us all promise to come back every year for a reason nobody knows. Even her." Everyone looked away guiltily at that statement, it was true. No one knew 'why' they chose to meet up here of all places, just that Lisa wrote down a message some years ago during a fatigued thinker state and demanded everyone to show up. "So why come here and freeze my balls off outside when we could all find a nice warm bar and reminisce about the old days or whatever?"

Lisa stepped before Brian could retort. "It's important, everyone agreed it was." She looked around at the group to affirm her point. Taylor nodded back in support, as did Lily and Sabah. "And you know it's important too, which is why you came all the way back here today."

Alec's posture broke and the thinker picked him apart. The time, effort and money that he spent to get back to Brockton Bay were far too great for just some catch-up drinks with his old teammates.

Taylor shifted her head as her bugs picked up a new arrival. The rest of the group noticed her reaction and all turned in unison. A dog ran up to the group before circling back, two more dogs appeared shortly after, lead on chains.

Rachel paid no mind to the rest of the group and shared no pleasantries. She whistled loudly and lined her dogs up by the entrance before walking towards the group.

"Rachel," Taylor said in greeting, Lisa and Brian echoed the same. Rachel ignored all of them and they gave her some space.

Alec's bravado returned as he slid up beside Rachel. "Now I know that you'll want to get shit-faced with me after this, right Bitch?"

She growled as Alec backed off. Ignoring the man like she did everyone else, digging into a satchel that she carried. Taylor was surprised to see Rachel come here at all, she was still a wanted woman, travelling town to town with her own crew of outlaws. Out of all the Undersiders, Rachel was the hardest to keep in touch with, Taylor hadn't seen her in person since she surrendered herself to custody all those years ago.

Rachel didn't care in the slightest. She was only here for one reason, and it wasn't to rekindle old friendships with former comrades. From her satchel, she fished out a collection of flowers, most of which looked like they had been picked from the wild before tossing it down and turning to walk away. No one made any attempt to stop her from leaving, watching silently till she left.

Sabah let out a sigh of relief. "She always scared me." She admitted, Lily patted her shoulder.

"Didn't think she'd ever come." Brian mused, watching her disappear into the distance.

"She comes every year," Lisa said, looking off even after Rachel disappeared. "Not always on the exact date, but she makes the trip, every year."

There was a long pause of silence while everyone looked back down to the flowers Rachel had dropped.

"Well," Taylor said after a moment. "I guess we should follow her lead then?" Taylor held out her own bundle of flowers she had taken from her car. Kneeling down and placing them on top of Rachel's.

Each member produced either a bundle or a single flower and took turns placing it down on the pile. Alec being the final one, placing a single Lily at the end.

"Anybody want to say a few words?" Alec asked. It wasn't a joke, he didn't dare make light of the situation anymore.

"I wouldn't even know what to say," Taylor said, this was always the most awkward part of the ceremony.

"What do you even say in this situation?" Sabah asked no one in particular.

"I wish I knew," Brian said. Looking down at the pile of flowers. "That's the worst part, I think."

"Every cliché I know doesn't fit." Alec chimed in, "Can't exactly say 'We're always thinking of you.' when, well y'know?"

"How about?…" Lily said softly, thinking to herself. "Always in our hearts? No, that still sounds hollow."

"Do you have any new information that could help?" Brian asked, looking at Lisa. "Anything at all."

Lisa shook her head. "I'm sorry. Nothing we don't already know."

Everyone looked down solemnly. There was nothing else to say, any additional words would be futile. So instead, they stayed quiet, giving a moment of silence out of respect.

"We'll come back again, next year," Taylor said, breaking the silence after she felt enough time had passed. "Same time, same place. It's the least we can do." Everyone nodded in agreement, the reunion would continue as it did every year. "Until then, these words will have to do."

Taylor gestured down, above the flowers. An unmarked gravestone in the middle of Brockton Bay cemetery. The words carved in stone, that brought a pain no member of the Undersiders could describe.

Here lies.

1997 – 2012
Forgotten, but forever loved.​

 

[Sidvious]

Ahh that's sad. Shame I can't remember who died .

 

[space turtle]

Browbeat?

They were very endearing….

No? Hmmmm……

I wonder.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Originally titled 'In Another Life'. I posted this in my Shadow Bug: Extra Stories thread, but it's not exactly Shadow Bug.

I had this idea for a little story where Shadow Stalker saved Taylor Hebert pre-locker.
Taylor gets caught up in a similar situation that Emma did years prior but because Taylor was already on edge from the constant bullying, she handles it in a different way that impresses Shadow Stalker.

---

Shadow Stalker stood atop the city streets. She scanned her surroundings, taking in every detail like a hawk searching for its prey. The streets were mostly empty at this time of night, Stalker wasn't supposed to be on a late-night patrol, but what the PRT didn't know couldn't hurt her, right?

The PRT never checked up on their heroes. They didn't care about what they did as long as people weren't getting themselves killed doing it, that was always Shadow Stalker's motto, especially when she had more important things to take care of. Like patrolling. There were too many criminals out there who wanted to cause chaos, and even fewer heroes willing to go after them. Shadow Stalker made sure that the scum on the street would think twice about going out next time.

So she waited, scanning the surrounding buildings again for any sign of life, any sign of prey. Prey didn't pay attention to shadows, especially not the shadow of a hero. You'd think in a city like Brockton Bay, the average mook would learn to look up. Fortunately, the city's criminals continued to be as dumb as bricks, just as Shadow Stalker liked it.

At this hour, there would only be two types of people out on the street. The people who were up to something, who didn't want anyone looking over their shoulder and her, the predator who would stop them.

Or so she thought.

A third type of person caught Shadow Stalker's eye. A girl, dressed in sports attire. Out on a late-night jog, or early morning, depending on how you'd look at it. It was strange to see an early morning jogger on a night like tonight, in a part of town like this. Normally, these girls would wait until the sun started to rise before venturing outside of their homes, and even then they'd go to the nearest park to run around. But this girl was different. She either wasn't aware of how dangerous this area was or she didn't care. Stalker assumed the latter.

Shadow Stalker could've ignored her. She wasn't a gang-banger, just an idiot. But experience taught her that scum liked an easy target. If she wanted to catch her prey, then following bait would be the obvious lead.

It didn't take long, Stalker spotted them well before the jogger did. A small collection of men dressed in ABB colours. Two of them pointed in the direction of the jogging girl from across the street.

The jogger, being the stupid girl that she was, paid no notice of the men across from her. Running to the end of the block and stopping at the corner to collect herself. She picked the worst place to jog and now the worst place to rest. Stalker rolled her eyes, it was like this girl was asking to get assaulted.

"Hey girl!" One of the men called out, crossing the empty street to catch up to her. Stalker counted six men in total, all in various states of intoxication. Probably spent their night at one of the ABB-owned clubs, now would be around the time when they all closed for the night.

The jogger finally took notice of the men. She stared back and froze up in a pathetic attempt at a defensive posture. "W-what do you want?" she asked the group. The men all chuckled.

As expected, an idiot. Stalker had seen this little song and dance play out in many various ways. A group of drunk and scary gang members circle the unsuspecting civilian, taunting them till they break down and scream for help. Then Shadow Stalker will dive in and save the stupid idiot, they'd be eternally grateful and continue their pathetic life, hoping that 'heroes' would always be around to save them.

Shadow Stalker wouldn't step in until it got really dangerous. She wanted to see how the girl would react first. Stalker was already sure that the girl was typical prey, but she was still curious. It reminded her of the night she met Emma and Mr Barnes. Emma had acted like prey that night, but resolved to be stronger after the experience, perhaps this encounter will educate this jogging girl on how the world works.

"We just want a little fun is all." One of the men replied as they reached the girl. As predicted, the ABB men surrounded the girl completely. "Where ya running to any-"

Before the man could even finish his taunting gesture, the jogger pepper sprayed him. He grabbed his face and fell to his knees, screaming in pain. Stalker hadn't even seen her grab anything, she must've already had the spray bottle in her hand.

The group of men jumped back at the sudden attack before remembering that they had the superior numbers. The jogger used the few seconds of surprise to break for safety. Pushing past the incapacitated man to sprint away. Unfortunately, the jogger wasn't fast enough, with another man grabbing her by the arm and yanking her back.

The jogger responded by turning around and delivering a solid kick to the man's groin. Shadow Stalker chuckled at the man's pained response. The girl was a fighter, that had surprised Stalker. She was still outnumbered, six to one, even if two men were lying on the floor.

A third man pulled out a switchblade, obviously pissed that his friends had been attacked. The girl gasped in fear as the blade swung towards her.

With potentially lethal force being used, Shadow Stalker considered it her cue to step in and do what she did best. Leaping from the rooftop and firing two bolts at the knife-wielding man.

The third man dropped to the floor before he reached the girl. Two tranquilliser bolts landed in his back and arm. Stalker couldn't risk using lethal bolts anymore, as much as she hated fighting like a Ward, she wasn't stupid. With him down, the girl was now clear to run away, Stalker would take care of the remaining three ABB members.

It was three to one, but against a cape like Shadow Stalker, those numbers meant nothing. The fourth man took a swing as the cape but Stalker moved faster, planting a solid punch to his ribs. The men might have been taller than the hero, but they were also intoxicated to all hell. Stalker raised her leg to deliver a strong kick to the other lot of ribs before finishing him off with two quick jabs to the belly and throat.

Shadow Stalker loved getting up close. Her powers were best suited for stealth and ranged attacks but where was the fun in that. The fifth man had a knife of his own, he swung it wildly at the hero and was bewildered to see the knife and his arm phase right through the cape. Shadow Stalker let the man's momentum throw him off before sweeping his leg to follow through. The fifth man fell, face first onto the pavement, Stalker didn't even give him a chance to pick himself up, kicking him in the face.

You never 'knocked people out' during close fights like these, that only existed in the movies. The point was to cause so much pain to your opponent that they wouldn't try to get up again. The fifth man chose to stay on the floor after feeling the boot to his face. Several teeth lay on the floor next to him, a good indicator that his fight was over.

Shadow Stalker turned to the sixth and final man. To her surprise, he found that the man was already engaged in battle, with the jogger who apparently decided not to run away. The man was on the floor, clutching his freshly pepper-sprayed eyes while the jogger delivered several kicks to his torso. She didn't know whether to laugh at the situation or pity the man.

When the last enemy member on the ground, Shadow Stalker stepped in. Firing tranquilliser bolts into each ABB member. The girl took a step back and surveyed the scene, six unconscious men lay around them.

"What the fuck..." The girl said, panting away as the adrenaline worked its way out of her system. "What the fuck just happened?"

"You went jogging in ABB territory," Stalker explained, nudging one of the men with her boot. "What the fuck were you expecting to happen?" She shook her head before adding. "Idiot…"

"Fuck this city…" The girl sighed, "Gonna have to change my route again."

"Again?" Stalker asked, bemused by the implication.

The girl didn't explain her meaning, finally taking notice that she was talking to a cape.

"Oh shit." The girl said, taking a step back from the hero. "Shadow Stalker!? Uh… thanks… I guess. For saving my life."

"You good?" Shadow Stalker asked, not really caring. The girl pattered herself down, inspecting her body before nodding back to the hero. "Surprised you didn't run when I gave you the opening. Most people run, I'd call you an idiot again but you seem to be able to hold your own."

"I'm used to dealing with assholes." The girl grumbled back, looking at one of the men on the floor. "Not usually this many at once… Thanks again."

"No problem," Shadow Stalker said nonchalantly, the girl's voice was annoyingly familiar. Stalker took another step closer to get a good look at the jogger. "Try not to get yourself killed next time, H-!?" She caught herself before blurting out the girl's name.

Getting a good look at her face, it was clear who the girl was. Hebert, Taylor Hebert. That annoying worm that Emma liked to toy with. The miserable girl would often shut down whenever Emma spoke to her, shrinking away like the pathetic prey that she was. But now, Stalker had watched her fight back against several men, even choosing to stay and finish the fight when a real predator showed up.

Even Emma would've folded again if she was in a similar situation. Her friend never bothered learning any proper self-defence, even after being attacked. But Hebert, she'd obviously had some modest training, not to mention who she took care of her fitness. Stalker had never seen Hebert outside of her baggy clothing, but the tall girl was in shape, nothing crazy but much more than Cape had ever expected.

"I'll try not to," Hebert said back. She gave Stalker a nod of thanks with her head before jogging off again down the street.

Should Stalker tell Emma about this? Would she even care? Would she even believe her?

'Hey, Emma. I just watched Hebert take down three ABB members who got up in her face. You know, the exact opposite of what you did that one time.'

Oh yeah, Emma would love to hear that.

 

[space turtle]

But it would be funny though!
Up until Emma actually breaks down.
But hey. Maybe she gets powers out of it?

Everyone goes home happy?
Especially the therapists!

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: This was my first one shot I made midway through writing Shadow Bug, it had its own original post but I'm just adding it here too.

---

Emma was scared. She'd been having the same nightmare ever since the charity event. Bug's crawling over her skin. Down her arms, the creeping feeling that every little tiny creature was coming for her. She hated it.

She'd only met Skitter once, and that was enough to make her skin crawl. There had been several other villains at the scene, including three large, monstrous dogs. Yet it was the villain that controlled bugs that had worried her the most. The Undersiders did their thing, causing chaos and fighting heroes. In all that chaos, it was Skitter who had taken notice of her.

Emma could still remember the sight of those terrifying yellow eyes. The mask showed no emotion and yet, it radiated pure contempt towards her. As if Emma had personally offended Skitter by just existing.

Unable to move, run away or scream. Emma was paralysed by Skitter. If it wasn't for Shadow Stalker, her best friend, Emma would have surely died.

Sophia had told her on various occasions since then, that there was no chance of that happening. That Skitter and the rest of the Undersiders were too busy and too far away to even care about a random civilian. Emma knew otherwise, Skitter had singled her out, in a crowd of hundreds, and Emma was certain that the villain had it out for her.

Emma's fear slowly turned into an obsession. Locking herself in her room, Emma would search for any and all information on the upcoming villain. There were posts online, ranging from the curious to the fans, to the wild and to the downright creepy.

The outfit is made out of insect shells and spider silk- That's so cool!

She held a knife to Panacea's throat at the bank, the chick is cold af

Bitch is downright terrifying to look at…. By bitch I mean Skitter, not the other one

Idk guys, anyone else find Skitter kinda hot?

Her power is so creepy, I mean bugs… urgh

But so many at once, that's some high-level mastering, right?

Can she see through them? Or hear?

I know she can talk with her swarm, it's so badass!

Do you think she can control anything else?

I heard she can control other things, like crabs

That's stupid, crabs? She controls bugs!

Emma looked over the photos of Skitter. There were some clearer pictures during her debut at the bank. The fear at the back of Emma's mind was still there, the photos didn't have the same effect as the real thing.

Confronting her fear, making sure that she could control it and not let it rule her. This was how Emma was going to get over this. She'd seen how fear and despair could lead someone down into a dark pit that they would never climb out of. She never wanted to turn into someone like that. Someone like Taylor.

Emma stared back at the photo of Skitter, something about the thought of Taylor evoked a feeling inside her. Taylor was the person Emma feared to become, if she was too weak, Emma may end up just like her. Skitter was the person Emma feared, someone who reminded Emma just how weak she really was in the grand scheme of things.

The thought of these two people, the fear of these two people. From one extreme to the other, they both merged to bring a singular thought. A random thought that Emma had no idea why she came up with it or how it was even possible.

Skitter is Taylor.

It made a stupid kind of sense. Taylor hated her, Emma had pushed her to the limit and beyond. The girl had finally broken last January and now she was out for revenge.

She shook her head. That was too far-fetched. A giant leap in logic, pulling two opposing fears and merging them into one. Her mind was running wild and had come up with the stupidest idea it could think of. And yet, it remained.

The next time she passed Taylor in school, all Emma could think was, 'She controls bugs.'

Emma became hyper-aware of any and all insects that she came across. The fly that wouldn't stop buzzing around her face. The mosquito that wouldn't stop biting her. The cockroach that scurried towards her during lunch. The lice that were passing through the school.

Could she see through all of them? Could she hear me now?

Emma turned back to look at Taylor, sitting in the back of the class, trying her hardest to be ignored, to be invisible. She didn't look up, didn't react at all. Emma felt like she was watching her all the same.

Can she control anything else?

The second important question. Emma's eyes scanned around, were any other creatures acting odd? The gecko climbing on the wall, or the pigeon that kept sitting by the window. During lunch break, Emma spied a rat making its way through the courtyard. It ran right up to her and Emma stomped in response. The rat did as all rats did, ran away.

"Don't get carried away Emma," She thought to herself, wondering how much of this was in her head, "She controls bugs."

By day's end, Emma was at her limit. Her mind was going wild with theories, and none of them was doing her sanity any good. Sophia and Madison had already picked up on her off mood. Emma's reluctance to prey on Taylor was glaringly obvious. She was succumbing to her fear, this was the first step. Avoidance, soon she would lose all confidence in herself. There was only one thing to do, confront Taylor.

"Taylor," Emma barked out, walking up behind the tall teen. Taylor turned to meet her gaze, she looked like the same meek and pathetic girl Taylor always was. "Come with me."

Emma ordered and Taylor obeyed, the two walking out of the school to find a private spot to speak. Some random parking lot, no one ever came down here. She walked into her position and shoved Taylor into her spot. Taylor looked like Taylor, the same uncomfortable dork she always was.

"What are we doing, Emma?" Taylor asked, nervous as all hell. "Why are we here?"

Emma's confidence returned to her. There was no way this pathetic girl could also be Skitter. She just needed a reminder of reality and Taylor needed a reminder of her place. Thinking back on it, it truly was a stupid idea, letting her fear control her like that, creating a ridiculous fantasy.

Emma laughed. Laughed at how stupid she was and how stupid Taylor looked. The girl had just followed her into some random parking lot and had to gall to ask 'what are we doing?'

"You know, Taylor" Emma began, feeling superior again. "I had the weirdest thought the other day. I don't even know where I got it from. Taylor Hebert… She controls bugs."

Emma chuckled again to herself, Taylor laughed too.

Emma stopped chuckling, Taylor didn't.

"What's so funny, Taylor?" Emma asked, annoyed, and confused. Did she misjudge the situation?

Taylor stood a little straighter and projected a little more confidence into her voice as she spoke. "So, you think I can control bugs, and your plan was to confront me? Alone? In an empty parking lot?"

Emma thought about that idea. Why had she thought that was a smart idea? At the very least, she should have brought Sophia along if she was going to confront a potential villain.

Taylor's demeanour had changed entirely, she held a grin that bordered on the sadistic and stood with the confidence of someone who was completely in control. Emma watched in horror as a dark swarm of bugs formed around the girl.

Emma was frozen in fear, she had been right. Taylor was Skitter. Emma wanted to scream, to run away, call Sophia and tell her everything. But she couldn't find the willpower to move. The swarm of bugs spilled out from Taylor and surrounded the two girls.

Taylor watched on with the same grin, blissfully uncaring about how open her use of powers was. There was no one here to see them, Emma had led them into a quiet and solitary location and now she was at her mercy.

"Do you know what I can do?" Taylor asked, taking another step towards Emma.

Emma was panicking now, Taylor walked right up to her face. All manner of creepy, crawling creatures skittered around her body. Taylor waited for an answer to her question.

"Y-you control bugs?" Emma responded, the question seemed rhetorical and yet Taylor wanted to hear it anyway.

"Yes," Taylor agreed, "It's quite a weird power. I don't like bugs. They're… gross. So tiny and pathetic. You might even go so far as to say, I hate them." Taylor brushed some hair out of Emma's face, and she flinched at her touch.

"I tried to see if there was anything else I could control," Taylor went on, "Like… dogs, y'know? Dogs are cool. But alas, I could not." Her face scrunched up in annoyance, "I could control crabs though. Don't really like crabs either… Again, they're so… gross."

Emma wasn't sure where Taylor was going with this, she wanted to wake up from this nightmare, she wanted Skitter to disappear and she wanted to run away.

"I can't control fish." Taylor continued, ignoring Emma's struggle, "But then, I noticed. I could control geckos." To prove her point, a small lizard crawled up Taylor's arm and hopped off, falling to the floor. Taylor stepped on the gecko without a care in the world. "So maybe, I can only control animals of a certain intelligence? But then why not fish? How smart are they? And what about birds?"

Taylor pointed to some birds that were standing on a nearby power cable. A couple of sparrows sat together and made no attempt to move. Taylor's grin dropped in disappointment before moving her pointed finger to Emma's shoulder. A city standard 'rock dove' pigeon landed where she pointed. Taylor's smile returned.

"So then I thought, what about rats?" Taylor turned down at a rat that was passing by. She looked at it for a short while but the rat moved on, afraid of the swarm of bugs around us. "Why can I control one thing, and not the other. I can control little lizards, but not fish. All manner of bird remains out of reach, but this ugly pigeon will dance to my command. I can summon an army of insects, yet the simple city rat ignores me."

Taylor thought to herself in silence, Emma could do nothing but watch on in fear. Taylor finally spoke again, "It was the rats that made me realise…" She pointed to the pigeon, it shat on command, disgusting and humiliating Emma at the same time. "You see, I know most people freak out around rats, I happen to think that they're kinda cute. Certainly better than insects or even… this."

She pointed towards to bird, a look of disdain on her face. Taylor tilted her head to shift that look towards Emma. The same look of disdain bore into her before her grin returned. Emma wasn't sure what face she found worse.

Taylor made a quick gesture, a flick of her wrist as the swarm of insects and the pigeon both flew away. Leaving Emma alone with Taylor again. Emma backed up away from Taylor, finally finding the strength to move. Taylor continued to taunt has as she attempted to climb away.

"So, Emma?" Taylor mocked, walking towards the terrified girl. "Do you know what we are doing? Why are we here? Why you didn't ask Sophia to come with you?" Emma turned to run but found her legs didn't work again. "Do you know what I do?"

Emma felt her body twist and contort, flipping around and prostrating herself before Taylor. Her arm shot out and bent up behind her back. She was in pain, the arm was locked into place and nothing Emma could do would bring it back to rest. She screamed out and felt her voice choke out. Her lungs stopped working as Taylor crouched in front of her.

Taylor lifted her finger and Emma's head followed. Her head was getting dizzy, her chest feeling on fire as she held her breath. Her eyes were trained on Taylor, focused, forced and unblinking. Taylor looked back at her in disgust. Emma almost blacked out. At the very end, Taylor allowed her the breathe again. She let out a raspy gasp for air as her contorted body relaxed again. The pain remained, leaving Emma on the floor, sobbing quietly to herself.

Emma looked back up to Taylor, she didn't dare try to stand, knew there was nowhere she could run to, no one she could ask for help. Emma understood exactly what she meant. With a sneer across her face, Taylor spoke again, with nothing but contempt in her voice.

"I control bugs."

 

[Ragura]

I really like Reunion! It gives me serious Stephen King's 'It' vibes. Stalking Bait is also cool and She Controls Bugs is an interesting twist on Taylor's power.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: This was the one shot that started 'My Girlfriend Is Terrifying.' It was really just a writing experiment to see what I could come up with on the fly at 2 in the morning. I originally gave it a darker ending but I gave it a happier alternate ending the following day. I've edited it around so that the main story has the happy ending and the dark ending in the alt down the bottom, because more people preferred the happy ending (And its became the canon ending that spawned a whole series)

---

The alarm rang out into the street as the window exploded. A black swarm of bugs burst from the building. Bystanders watched on in fear or simply ran away as the masked villain stepped out of the shop. A duffle bag over her shoulder spilled various gems and jewellery as she moved.

Just another day in Brockton Bay, a supervillain robbing a store and mere mortals are helpless to stop them. Even the police who hit the scene were powerless upon the onslaught of insects. Smartly choosing to take cover inside their cars instead of fighting.

Skitter passed through the street, she was running solo today and didn't want to waste time in her getaway. Tattletale had helped plan the job, it was a simple 'smash 'n' grab' that didn't require the full might of the Undersiders to complete. The gems weren't even the goal, the haul was trivial compared to the payment they'd get for causing chaos in the middle of the day.

Still, who could turn down some gold and diamonds? Not Skitter, that's for sure. She passed down a side alley and moved to the left. Following the route, she had memorised. Two more left turns and into the van that was waiting for her. Drop the bag, change clothes and disappear. It was as easy as-

"Shit!" Skitter swore to herself. Her bugs picked up on two heroes waiting for her at the next turn. Assault and Battery, they weren't part of the plan. "Time to improvise."

The swarm built up a lookalike waiting down the alleyway as Skitter turned down the right instead. If she could lead the capes away, she could circle back later and drop off the stash. Skitter kept moving, not allowing herself to slow down.

The two capes caught eyes of the fake and began to engage. The swarm broke apart and swept forward. Skitter could hear the battle taking place, she hoped that it'd keep them busy long enough to get by.

Her bugs could see the van waiting for her. There was nothing else in her way. Nothing that registered as a threat. She slowed down to a brisk jog as Skitter approached the vehicle. Inside sat the driver waiting patiently, albeit a little bored. Skitter tapped the window as she arrived and the driver was nothing but a hired goon, reliable and forgettable. Just how Skitter liked them.

Waking from his bored daydream, the driver unlocked the back of the van as Skitter walked around to the back. Opening the door, She threw her duffle bag full of goodies and eyed the second bag full of civilian clothes.

The driver pulled a curtain that separated the front seats from the back. Giving Skitter the privacy to change. Taylor removed her mask and pulled a necklace from the pile of goodies. "I know exactly who to give this to." She said to herself.

Before she was able to remove even her gloves, the driver in the front called out. "Uh, Boss! I think where in trouble!"

Taylor looked up and put her mask back on. Assault and Battery were still distracted by the swarm, what kind of trouble would slip past her? She pulled the curtain away and looked out the front windscreen. In front of them, and slightly above them hovered another cape. The hero had platinum blonde hair with a tiara in it. The one and only Glory Girl.

"What do we do here, Boss?" The driver asked, hands gripping the wheel.

Skitter sighed to herself, this was supposed to be an easy job. Now she was facing down a certifiable powerhouse. She jumped out of the van and shut the door. Giving it two slaps as she closed the door.

"I'll deal with this," Skitter groaned, unsure of exactly 'how' she was going to accomplish such a feat, "The second you have a clear shot, get out of here. Stick to the plan, find Tattletale."

Glory Girl hovered closer to the ground, not giving the van room to leave. Attempting to drive into her would be a quick way to end up in a wreck. The blonde hero turned her attention to the raven-haired villain.

"Really Skitter?" She said, disappointment in her voice. "Robbing a jewellery store in broad daylight? How more cliché can you get?"

Skitter tensed as she called her swarm to her. Taking on Glory Girl alone was borderline suicide and there were still two other heroes nearby. Her first job was to get the van clear, and then she could work out how she was escaping.

Walking away from the van, Skitter made sure that Glory Girl had her focus on her and her alone. She pulled out her knife and taser from her belt which made Glory Girl smirk.

"As if that's gonna do anything." Glory Girl mocked, her feet inches from the ground. "But whatever, you want to fight that badly, I'll take you on."

Glory Girl closed her hands into fists and knelt into a fighting stance. Realistically she could finish this in one punch and Skitter knew it. The trick was to make sure she never landed that blow.

With a frightening speed, the hero lunged towards Skitter. Her swarm acted as a wall, shielding her position as she dived to the side. Glory Girl smacked straight into the wall behind them. She could have smashed through the wall if the hero was putting enough power into it.

"Well, she's not trying to kill me," Skitter said to herself as a way to bolster her courage. "…I hope."

The van sped off, taking the initiative of the distracted hero. Skitter could only hope that it would reach its destination without issue. Turning back to Glory Girl, she commanded her swarm to converge.

Glory Girl had a force field that made any attack Skitter could think of basically useless against her, but she could rely on her 'creep factor.' No one liked being covered in bugs, regardless of how immortal they seemed.

Skitter took off down the street, she wasn't sure how much time she could buy with that, but every second mattered. Her mind raced with possible escape routes, and hiding from the flyer was downright unfair.

The two other heroes were also on their way to investigate the noise. This wasn't good. Skitter took off in a random direction. Moving more out of panic than any real plan.
"It'll be easy. In and out. Fifteen minutes tops, only some light resistance. Home in time for lunch." Skitter mocked Tattletale's words from earlier today. The entire plan had gone to shit. "Tattletale, I'm gonna kill you if I get out of this."

Glory Girl shot out of the swarm and into the sky. Shaking off the last few bugs she, unfortunately, brought along with her. From her birds-eye view, she was able to spot Skitter easily.

"Oh, crap," Skitter yelled, watching the blonde and white streak fly towards her. There wasn't enough time to build up a second swarm, not that she expected Glory Girl to fall for the same trick twice. The hero slammed down in front of Skitter, and the shockwave alone almost pushed her over. The villain punched back, more out of fear than any hope that she could harm her.

Glory Girl slapped Skitter's hand away, its hand bounced back and shot with pain. Against the pure raw strength of the brute, Skitter was a bug. She might have yelped but it was cut off with a forceful choke as Glory Girl grabbed her by the neck. The villain might have been taller, but the hero hovered off the ground.

Struggling helplessly as she was held by the throat, Skitter held on to Glory Girl's arm to stop herself from choking. "Anyone… every tell you… that y-you're… fucking… terrifying?…" Skitter choked out.

Glory Girl smiled casually as she inspected the flailing villain. "I know, they say the same thing about you. But somehow I don't see it."

The hero let Skitter struggle for a little while longer. The two other capes finally caught up to the duo. Assault took the lead as they met up.

"Glory Girl!" Assault cheered, "Are we glad to see you. And it looks like you caught yourself a bug." He slapped Glory Girl on the shoulder.

"Don't suppose you got also got the stuff she stole?" Battery asked, inspecting the villain who had all but given up her fight. Glory Girl shook her head. "A pity, any idea where she dropped the bag."

"A van, black. Single driver." Glory Girl said, looking back with a smile, "Went that way." She pointed in the general direction. "Licence plate was a B54T… something, something? Maybe you can catch it?"

Battery nodded, "Right, we'll see what we can do. Want us to call in someone to collect Skitter?" Assault was already making for the street.

Glory Girl looked back to Skitter and mulled it over for a second. Skitter tried to shake her head, a pointless gesture in the hero's hand. Glory Girl smiled at the pathetic attempt. "Nah, I've got this. I'll drop her off myself."

Battery accepted Glory Girl's answer and ran off to follow her partner. Leaving Skitter alone at the mercy of her captive. The two began to hover further into the sky, far away from the ground and all the bugs that she could touch with her power.

"Now then…" Glory Girl chuckled, "What to do with you?" She watched Skitter struggle helplessly in her arm. Amused at her vain attempts to fight her. With a wide smile, Glory Girl let go and Skitter fell to the ground.

*Thud!*

The villain landed on a nearby rooftop. Holding her neck as she rasped for air. Skitter picked herself back up and stared at the hovering hero, her hand still massaging her neck.

"What the hell Vicky?" Skitter choked, coughing a few times. "Playing it up a little rough today. Aren't we?"

Glory Girl stood in the air, arms crossed with a pout. "Don't 'what the hell Vicky,' me! What the hell are 'you' doing Taylor? Robbing a jewellery store in the middle of the day?"

"I was working!" Skitter cried back, annoyed and embarrassed. "Seriously, can't you just turn a blind eye, like once?"

"Not when it's 'my job' to stop people like you." Glory Girl retorted, landing down next to Skitter. "Besides, you're lucky it's me who caught you and not someone else. They would've just thrown you into prison."

"I wouldn't have been caught if you weren't here." Skitter growled, "I was almost home free until you flew in."

"Sure, sure." Glory Girl sigh, sitting next to the villain. "So, what's our excuse this time?"

Skitter removed her mask. Taking a moment to think to herself, Taylor suggested, "I made you swallow a bug and slipped through your fingers?"

Victoria shivered, "Eww, I hate that one. Plus we used it last time." She thought aloud before speaking again, "Oh! What about, I had to check out another disturbance on the way back and you used the distraction to escape?"

"Won't they ask you what kind of distraction was big enough to make you let go of Brockton Bay's most wanted?" Taylor asked, shooting down her idea.

Victoria laughed, "Seriously? Brockton Bay's most wanted? I'm pretty sure the entire Empire rated the top ten before you do, Babe." Taylor blushed in embarrassment and Vicky couldn't help but give her a kiss. She sighed again, "What are we gonna do? And like, seriously? A jewellery store? Come on, Tay."

"What?" Taylor groaned, "It's good money." Vicky didn't take the excuse as well. "Plus I wanted to get something nice for my girlfriend…" Taylor added, pulling out the necklace from earlier.

Vicky still wore her signature 'disappointed frown' but couldn't help but break into a smile as Taylor placed the necklace on her. "One of these days…" Victoria sighed with a smile. "I'm actually gonna arrest you."

"No, you won't," Taylor said, giving her a kiss in return. "You love me too much."

Dating was a complicated thing. Dating a supervillain, more so. To the rest of Brockton Bay, Glory Girl was dating a nobody, Taylor Hebert, the newest transfer student to Arcadia. But only Victoria knew the complications of dating Skitter, newest villain on the streets.

An explosion went off in the distance. Another disturbance in the city. Perhaps it was Bakuda pulling a heist, another video from the duo known as Uber and Leet, or maybe someone had just pissed off Lung. Either way, just another day in Brockton Bay.

"Oh no," Taylor said sarcastically, watching as Victoria stood to hover. "It looks like something is going on, better take a look. Don't worry, I'm sure I won't run away in the meantime." Victoria looked to the explosion with concern then back to Taylor. Taylor kissed her on the cheek one last time, "Be safe. I'll see you for dinner tonight?"

Vicky smiled and gave a nod, Taylor's fingers slipping through her hand as she flew higher into the air. Before long, Glory Girl shot off, leaving Skitter alone on the rooftop, placing her mask back on her face.

Skitter's phone rang and she answered it. "Skitter?" The voice on the end called out, Tattletale checking in. "The van arrived but said you ran into Glory Hole? Are you alive? Please tell me your alive."

Skitter chuckled, "T, you know I'm alive. Everything went fine, no thanks to you. Easy job my ass."

"Hey, this job was your idea, I just helped with the planning. And one of these days your girlfriend is gonna kill you." Tattletale said back with snark. "That girl is terrifying."

Skitter watched her girlfriend fly off into the distance, a smile hidden behind her mask.

"Yeah, she is."

---

A/N: This is the original darker ending I wrote.

---

"It'll be easy. In and out. Fifteen minutes tops, only some light resistance. Home in time for lunch." Skitter mocked Tattletale's words from earlier today. The entire plan had gone to shit. "Tattletale, I'm gonna kill you if I get out of this."

Glory Girl shot out of the swarm and into the sky. Shaking off the last few bugs she, unfortunately, brought along with her. From her birds-eye view, she was able to spot Skitter easily.

"Oh, crap," Skitter yelled, watching the blonde and white streak fly towards her. There wasn't enough time to build up a second swarm, not that she expected Glory Girl to fall for the same trick twice. The hero slammed down in front of Skitter, and the shockwave alone almost pushed her over. The villain punched back, more out of fear than any hope that she could harm her.

Glory Girl slapped Skitter's knife out of her hand, when the second arm swung back with a taser, it was met with an open hand that promptly crushed the device. With both weapons disarmed, Skitter swung with an empty fist which made contact with the hero's force field. It was like punching a wall, her hand bounced back and shot with pain.

Skitter might have yelped but it was cut off with a violent choke as Glory Girl grabbed her by the neck. The villain might have been taller, but the hero hovered off the ground. Struggling helplessly as she was held by the throat, Skitter held on to Glory Girl's arm to stop herself from choking.

"Y-you're… fucking… terrifying…" Skitter choked out, "You k-know that… right?"

Glory Girl smiled casually as she inspected the flailing villain. "I know, they say the same thing about you. But somehow I don't see it."

The hero let Skitter struggle for a little while longer. The two other capes finally caught up to the duo. Assault took the lead as they met up.

"Glory Girl!" Assault cheered, "Are we glad to see you. And it looks like you caught yourself a bug." He slapped Glory Girl on the shoulder.

"Don't suppose you got also got the stuff she stole?" Battery asked, inspecting the villain who had all but given up her fight. Glory Girl shook her head. "A pity, any idea where she dropped the bag."

"A van, black. Single driver." Glory Girl said, looking back with a smile, "Went that way." She pointed in the general direction. "Licence plate was a B54T… something, something? Maybe you can catch it?"

Battery nodded, "Right, we'll see what we can do. Want us to call in someone to collect Skitter?" Assault was already making for the street.

Glory Girl looked back to Skitter and mulled it over for a second. Skitter tried to shake her head, a pointless gesture in the hero's hand. Glory Girl smiled at the pathetic attempt. "Nah, I've got this. I'll drop her off myself."

Battery accepted Glory Girl's answer and ran off to follow her partner. Leaving Skitter alone at the mercy of her captive. The two began to hover further into the sky, far away from the ground and all the bugs that she could touch with her power.

"Now then…" Glory Girl chuckled, "What to do with you? I did say that I'd drop you off… never said that I'd drop you off at the PRT."

Skitter's eyes went wide under her mask. She had no idea how high they were, but a drop from here would surely kill her. She began to struggle again. Kicking uselessly against the hovering hero. Glory Girl just watched on in amusement.

"Hmm, that's it." Glory Girl chuckled, feeling Skitter shake in her hand, "Show me how badly you want to live." Skitter was panicking, she pulled out random items from her pouch in a vain attempt to fight back. An EpiPen broke along the hero's arm, and a baton snapped as she swung it into her torso. Even the pepper spray was swatted out of her hand. Glory Girl's smile only grew as she watched Skitter become more and more desperate.

"You know…" Glory Girl said once Skitter ran out of tools to throw at her, "I know some people who pull the arms of bugs for fun." Her hand
ran along Skitter's arm. Skitter tensed up at the touch. "But only a monster would do that." She pulled her hand back but Skitter didn't relax in the slightest. Glory Girl sighed, her smile dropping into a pout. "Well now you're too wound up, I think I've broke you. It's not fun anymore. Guess I should just kill you now."

Skitter didn't react to that one. The fight had completely left her at this point. She accepted death, there was nothing more she could do. Glory Girl rolled her eyes and sighed even louder. "Although before I kill you. I might as well see…" She pulled the mask from Skitter, revealing the terrified girl that hid under it. Taylor's face was slowly turning paler as Glory Girl's hand gripped tightly around her throat. Tears swelled in her eyes as she looked her would-be murderer in the eyes, but she refused to cry.

The smile returned to Glory Girl's face. "There we go. Look at that face. That fear. That glorious fear." She chuckled maliciously. The 'Hero' inspected Taylor's face, getting very close. Taylor wasn't sure what exactly she was looking for, but Glory Girl nodded to herself. "Now then…"

She let go of Taylor's neck.

Taylor felt the drop inside her. Looking back into Glory Girl's sadistic smile as she dropped her from the sky. She would have screamed if not for the fact that her throat was just choked. In her final moments before Taylor hit the ground, she thought of her life. Her mother, whom she would see soon, her father, how he would soon discover that not only would his daughter be found dead in the streets, but that she was also an infamous villain. The Undersiders, the only real friends she ever had. And all the mistakes she made that led to this moment.

Taylor hit the ground with a thud.

...But not a slam.

She was still alive. Contrary to all beliefs. There was pain shooting up from her behind, but nothing was broken or bleeding. Taylor looked around to confirm if what she was feeling was true. She'd landed on a rooftop, a tall apartment building. Glory Girl was still hovering above her. The hero looked down at her with her arms crossed.

Taylor broke down into tears. The realisation of how close to death she had come, being at the mercy of that lunatic and how her life had gone so wrong finally got to her. She wasn't out of danger, but she found a new 'rock-bottom' in her life.

Glory Girl touched down in front of her and watched the snivelling supervillain. Taylor flinched as she approached. The hero leaned in as Taylor tried to crawl away. Her hand grabbed Taylor's cheek and forced her to look back into Glory Girl's eyes.

"W-what do you want?" Taylor cried, unable to pull away from the strong grip.

Glory Girl inspected her face yet again, the tears now flooding down from Taylor's eyes. The hero seemed to relish the view. "Tell me your name." She ordered, squeezing down on Taylor's face in a warning.

"Tay… Taylor…" Taylor cried out. Wincing at the pain.

"Well, Taylor… Tay. Do you mind if I call you Tay? I changed my mind." Glory girl said. "You look a lot better like this. So pathetic and… cute. That's exactly what I've been looking for. And I do want a new pet." Taylor looked back in both fear and confusion. To answer Taylor's unspoken question, Glory Girl licked the side of Taylor's face, tasting the tears dropping from her face. "Yes, I think I'll keep you. For now…"

She let go of Taylor again and hovered into the sky.

With the same sadistic smile, Glory Girl said, "I'll be in touch, Tay." Before taking to the sky. Leaving the mask-less supervillain shaking by herself.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Don't mind me, just posting another already uploaded oneshot to this thread. This one actually has a sequel on Ao3, but I'll post it here as well tomorrow.

In an AU where instead of being turned into a fleshblob, Amy restores Vicky's body but still couldn't fix her mind.
Victoria ends up in a slightly different type of therapy post slaughterhouse arc.
Two years later, Carol Dallon visits to check up on her recovery.

A/N: Just a heads up, I am not a therapist, nor do I have that much experience with therapy so there might be some inaccuracies in how Dr Yamada handles things.

---

Carol pulled her car up outside the hospital. She didn't usually drive herself this far up, often choosing to fly out and take a cab the final stretch. The last time Carol drove her car to a hospital, it was to drop Amy off for a shift. That memory made Carol feel ill. She chuckled bitterly at herself, she was at the perfect place for that.

This hospital wasn't Brockton Bay General, it wasn't even in the city proper. Driving out this far took almost six hours and that didn't even factor in traffic. This hospital was special, a smaller facility on the outskirts of Philadelphia, hidden far away from the public eye. A place known to many as The Asylum.

While she could fly via the airport in a quarter of the time, Carol chose to drive. She wanted the alone time for one. Brockton Bay was still being rebuilt, even two years on from the attack. The rundown city had turned into a haven for crime, especially once the Undersiders took over. Sure, violence on the street plummeted dramatically, but that didn't mean crime had come to a halt. Brockton Bay's villains had simply become smarter. Brandish had all but retired from the hero scene, only appearing during brief major threats that sparsely hit the city. On the other hand, Carol Dallon, attorney-at-law, had become all the busier for it.

She'd visited the Asylum regularly over the years to check in on her. Putting her there was hard, leaving her there was harder. She considered moving up to Philadelphia to be closer, but she couldn't leave her city, its citizens needed heroes now, more than ever. Sarah would never move and Carol wouldn't leave her so soon after Eric, Mark was in no state to go anywhere and if Carol was being honest, observing her daughter's recovery was the hardest part of the whole experience.

The second reason Carol decided to take the car was that she had hope. Hope that today might be the day she will be taking her daughter home. Dr Yamada was happy with her current progress, particularly over the last six months. Carol hoped that this meant she would be able to move Victoria back home and finish her therapy with her family. Perhaps she was selfish in that hope, but she missed her daughter dearly.

Watching her family fall apart in the wake of Leviathan's destruction almost broke Carol. New Wave was already reeling from the loss of Eric, and then the Slaughterhouse Nine came in to deliver another crippling blow. However, it wasn't an Endbringer or Jack Slash or Crawler that destroyed her family. They were to blame, for that, there was no doubt, but it was the last 'monster' that delivered the final blow.

Carol lost two daughters that day.

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

Jessica sat comfortably in her chair while she watched Victoria write. She smiled at the girl even as Vicky wasn't looking, too busy focusing on her notebook. Victoria had a habit of sticking her tongue out when she got really focused on a project, licking her top lip as she scribbled away with her pen. It was oddly cute, if not rather childish. Jessica smiled at the childish innocence of it all. If she could take a snapshot of this moment, Jessica could almost imagine that Victoria was just a healthy girl again.

Looking back up at her watch, Jessica cleared her throat and said, "You have five minutes."

"Okay. Almost done." Victoria said while deep in thought. She stopped writing briefly to think, rubbing the back of the pen into her hair to scratch some idle itch. With another burst of motivation, Victoria scribbled down more words on her paper.

Jessica had given Victoria a test, a simple writing exercise to evaluate her progress, creativity and critical thinking skills. The paper was full of pointless but fun questions such as 'Can you describe the tastes "salty" and "sweet" without using those words?' or 'If animals could talk, what questions would you ask them?'

There were no wrong answers for the test and it looked like Victoria would pass with flying colours. Jessica had given her the worksheet simply to prove that Vicky could now read, write and understand exactly what was on the paper. A far cry from the Victoria that came into this facility two years ago.

"Alright, I'm done!" Victoria beamed, waving her workbook around in the air with a bright smile.

Jessica stopped her timer and stood to collect the book. Victoria played with her pen, scribbling little doodles on the desk as Jessica read over her work. The handwriting itself was terrible, especially when compared to Victoria's old school work, pre-Leviathan. It was, however, still legible, which was what really mattered right now.

"Looking good. I can actually read this without asking you for clarification. And you have a great understanding of what you're writing." Jessica said in approval as she looked between the pages. Victoria giggled in delight at the praise and tilted her head towards Jessica.

Jessica sighed with a smile before patting Victoria on the head. She didn't like indulging the girl, preferring to keep things professional, but this really was an improvement over the last time.

"I particularly like your thoughts on 'Is it right to keep animals in a zoo?' You sound very passionate about this." Jessica added, amused at the three paragraphs dedicated to a single question.

"They shouldn't be in a cage, they've done nothing wrong," Victoria said, parroting the opening of her written paragraph. Jessica frowned as she picked up on Victoria's own feelings of being an animal in a cage.

At times it was hard to argue with that train of thought. Jessica hoped, that in time, the girl would see that being here was for her own good. That she wasn't a prisoner, but a patient in a hospital. For now she let the topic drop, she'd circle around to it later when they went over the questions in detail.

"I do notice a few spelling mistakes here and there." Jessica went on, causing Vicky to pout.

"I still get confused with big words, that's all," Victoria said, almost defensively. Jessica frowned at her habit of not taking criticism well.

"Overall, it's wonderful," Jessica said, returning to the positives. "Very well done, Victoria."

Victoria giggled again and held a wide smile. Jessica couldn't help but match the smile with her own. Victoria was showing a lot of progress when it came to her rehabilitation, the bulk of it only happening in the last six months or so. She was a completely different girl from the Victoria who first entered the Asylum.

"Are you proud of me?" Victoria asked coyly.

"Now Victoria, we talked about this." Jessica chided gently. Victoria had a bad habit of wanting to please people, especially Jessica, it was one of the things Jessica wanted to work on now that Victoria was a lot more cognisant of her actions. "It's not about if 'I' am proud of you. It's about how you feel about yourself."

Victoria went quiet for a moment, thinking to herself. Jessica could tell that the girl was having an internal debate over what that meant.

"I… am proud of myself," Victoria said as if repeating a mantra. Then she turned back to Jessica as if making sure that was a good thing.

Jessica smiled again. "That's good, Victoria. Very good." She patted Victoria on the head again. "And yes, I'm very proud of what you've accomplished."

Victoria tapped her hands on the desk with glee. "Thanks. I've gotten super good at writing now. And reading. I've read four books this month." Victoria held up four fingers to make her point, Jessica already knew this because she was the one who gave her the books, but she was proud of the girl all the same.

"That you have and it's wonderful to see," Jessica responded, giving in to Victoria's desire for praise. A little bit of praise wouldn't be bad, Victoria had earned it twice over. She appeared to be extra motivated to learn this month.

The idea of being able to write properly again seemed to spur the girl on in a way Jessica hadn't seen since she arrived. Jessica assumed that it was because of Victoria's love of books and desire to read again. She hadn't been this proud of the girl since Victoria learned how to speak in full sentences again.

When Victoria first arrived at the Asylum, she was broken. She was attacked by a member of the Slaughterhouse, and left in critical condition to be healed by… her would-be abuser. It was a wonder that Victoria came out of it with her body intact, her Mother didn't even realise the extent of what had happened until the following day. While Victoria was psychically healed of all wounds, her mind was destroyed, reduced to a blank canvas that could only do the absolute basics that would keep her alive.

The girl was only able to speak a handful of words and had no concept of where she was or who she was talking to. Would get extremely agitated when she couldn't find her abuser and would often need to be restrained else she risked injuring people trying to return. It took over a year for Jessica to reach the point where Victoria could actually engage in conversation. It took even longer for Victoria to talk about someone that wasn't 'her.' With every comment, statement and question being in some way or another, about her abuser.

It was only recently that Victoria could respond with the mental fortitude of a healthy person. Granted, she was mentally closer to a child than the young adult she should be, but it was progress nonetheless. Jessica was certain that learning to read and write again would take another full year of work, but Victoria really doubled down on the lessons and exercises. Proving Jessica's theory that her mind wasn't wiped, simply fogged down by what had been done to her.

"So… I've been thinking…" Victoria said coyly. Circling the desk with her finger as she spoke.

"Let me guess? You want a reward for your good progress?" Jessica said with a smile.

The early days of training and teaching revolved around reward management. If Victoria did something good and showed signs of getting better, Jessica would give her a treat. Usually candy or the like, but as Victoria learned to speak full sentences again, she was able to request specific things. Ignoring the obvious requests to see her abuser again, Vicky eventually settled on simple requests. An old movie she remembered, a picture of a location she liked, and a phone call to her cousin.

"So, what do you want this time?" Jessica asked with a smile. It had been a while since Victoria asked for a specific reward but Jessica was happy to entertain the idea.

"I was hoping to send a letter?" Victoria asked with hope in her voice.

"A letter?" Jessica asked back. "That's a lovely idea. Yes, we could write a letter. Who do you want to write to?"

"Well actually…" Victoria said, reaching into her pocket. "I already wrote the letter… last night. But I need someone to mail it. So, could you? Please?"

Victoria gently pushed the folded paper into Jessica's hand. She gave Jessica her best 'puppy-dog' eyes as she asked, tugging on the therapist's heartstrings. Jessica fought the urge to accept the request right there. As endearing as Victoria could be, Jessica would need to read over and approve of the letter before doing anything.

Turning the paper over in her hand, Jessica sighed. A part of her knew this was coming. She had hoped that it wouldn't happen but past experience told her otherwise. Everything had been going so well, there hadn't been a problem in over a month. Looking down at the letter in hand, Jessica frowned at the name written across in big bold letters.

AMY

"Victoria…" Jessica said in a sorrowful yet disappointed tone. "We've talked about this. You can't talk to her."

"I know. But this isn't talking." Victoria said back, the edges of panic and anxiety building in her voice. "This is a letter. It's not talking when I give people letters."

"It's still a form of communication." Jessica rebutted. Victoria's mood was quickly breaking down, she hadn't had an episode in months. Jessica had hoped that the worst was behind them. "I'm sorry Victoria, I can't send this letter."

"B-but it's not talking," Victoria said again, raising her voice. "Y-you said… you said I couldn't 'talk' to Amy. You didn't say anything about writing to her."

"Victoria," Jessica said again, firmer in tone. "You know very well that your Mother has forbidden all contact with her. Even if I wanted to do this for you, which I do not, I am unable to accept your request. Now why don't I put this letter away and we can-"

"Writing isn't talking!" Victoria yelled, slamming her fist into the desk. Her aura flared violently with anger. "You said I couldn't talk. I'm not allowed to talk to Amy, I'm not allowed to call Amy. But this is different."

"Your aura, Victoria," Jessica said, trying to keep as calm as possible. "Remember your breathing exercises."

"It's just a letter! She can't talk back. It's not the same!" Victoria punched the desk again, her forcefield cracking the top of the table with enhanced strength.

Jessica didn't flinch at the blatant use of powers while angry. Victoria had never hurt her before, there was no reason to think she'd start now. "Was this why you wanted to read and write so badly?" Jessica asked, the explanation for Victoria's attitude over the last month falling into place.

Victoria kicked the desk, hard. It flew past Jessica and smashed into the wall. Jessica moved away from the girl, only slightly. A red light blinked at the door and Jessica responded by holding up her hand. A security system waited at the ready to sedate the aggravated parahuman at a moment's notice.

"It's just a letter…" Victoria said again, her anger dissipating with her kick, turning into grief. Tears ran down the girl's face. "I just want to tell her how I feel. Is that so wrong?"

Jessica relaxed as she took a step towards the now crying girl. Victoria fell to her knees, sobbing the whole way down. She thought about reaching a hand out to comfort her, but a pat on the head was a positive reward and Jessica couldn't risk sending mixed messages. Instead, Jessica crouched down beside the girl and let her cry.

"I love her…" Victoria sobbed, trying to wipe her face. "I just love her so much. It's all I can think about. And every day she's not here… It hurts."

"Victoria…" Jessica said with a sad frown. She was so confident that she was improving, Victoria could speak, read and write. But the core of her problem remained. Her obsession with her abuser.

"Please…" Victoria begged through the tears. "It's just a letter. She doesn't even need to respond. I just need…" Jessica was already shaking her head. On this, she wouldn't budge. Contact with Amy would undo all the work they did over the last two years.

"I'm sorry, Victoria," Jessica said. She stood from her crouched position.

"Wait! Can I have the letter back, at least?" Victoria asked through the tears.

Jessica looked at the letter again. None of what was written was appropriate to be read out loud, going into details of 'what she'd do when they met up again'. Jessica sighed hesitantly as she looked back down at the girl. She'd have to restrict her writing to be under supervision from now on, and possibly have her room searched for any other letters Victoria might have written.

"I'm sorry, Victoria," Jessica said again, shaking her head softly and pocketing the letter. "You know our rules. We don't talk about her here."

Victoria's mind was poisoned by the idea of 'Amy'. When Victoria first arrived at the Asylum, Amy was the only thing she could think about, the only name she could say. Her mind was dedicated to the sole purpose of pleasing her abuser. Extreme Master/Stranger protocols applied here. Victoria was to avoid all mentions of the girl, even saying her name was taboo at this point.

"Wait. Please. Just let me… Please." Victoria said with increasing desperation. "I'm not talking. I'm writing. Let me write about her! Please!"

Victoria reached out and grabbed Jessica's leg. Jessica tried to gently pull herself away. "Please let go, Victoria." She said as she started to tug with more force. The red light turned on once again. "Victoria, if you don't let go, we'll have to end our session early. I don't want to do that, and I don't think you want that either."

"It's just a letter." Victoria sobbed back, ignoring Jessica's request. While Victoria wasn't planning on injuring the doctor, her strength made sure that Jessica wasn't going anywhere. "Please! I love her. She needs to know. She needs to know that I still love her."

An alarm buzzed throughout the room and Jessica sighed in disappointment. Her superiors had obviously triggered the security fail-safe. Reaching into her shirt, Jessica took out a face mask and placed it over her mouth and nose. Three seconds after the alarm, sedative gas spat out of every wall, flooding the room with chemicals that would bypass Victoria's forcefield.

Victoria's grip slowly weakened as she breathed in the gas. She was still too distraught to even notice it was happening, mumbling away as she drifted off to sleep. "I love… P-please… Amy…" With a soft thud, Victoria's head hit the floor as her hand let go of Jessica's leg.

Jessica waited a full two minutes before removing her mask and turning to the mirror in the room. "You didn't need to do that. I had the situation under control." She kept a professional tone but was deeply disappointed. In her boss, who pressed the button too early. In Victoria, who had lied about her progress, pretending to get better, just so she could try to communicate with Amy through writing. Most of all, she was disappointed in herself, for not realising the deception sooner.

With a sigh, Jessica turned slightly, to where she assumed the second person behind the mirror would be sitting and said, "I know you were hoping to take your daughter home today. But as you can see, she still isn't ready to leave this facility. I'm sorry, Mrs Dallon."

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: This is the follow up to Rehabilitation. I posted it originally on Ao3. I wasn't entirely sure if I was gonna turn this into a series but then I heard this song on youtube and got inspired to write a second chapter.

I've have a third chapter in my drafts folder for a while now, whenever I get around to finishing it'll probably be only for Ao3. But here's part 2.

---

It burned. The pain was unbearable. The skin was melting faster than the girl could process what was happening, the shock of the attack combined with the smell of flesh melting away. It was a small mercy that she couldn't see anything, all her other senses were on fire, she didn't need the extra stimuli to tell her what she already knew. Victoria Dallon was dying.

Victoria collapsed to the floor as a battle raged around her. The world might've gone numb to her if not for the constant searing pain of the acid that was ravaging her body. No movement, no position would bring her any relief. Instinct told her to hold the wound but that only rubbed the acid deeper into her skin. This was it, this was how she died. Melting away to the most painful thing imaginable, the only solace she took was that she'd be seeing Dean again soon.

Curling up into a ball, Victoria waited for the end, for the pain to stop. She had no idea how long she lay on that floor. Eventually, someone pulled her away. A mess of costumed individuals and possibly a giant beetle, Victoria wasn't sure if she imagined that part. People were talking over her but Vicky couldn't focus on who was around her.

"Holy shit!"

"Heal her! Just don't touch the spots where the acid hit her!"

"I don't know- what happened?"

"Crawler spit on her, then knocked out her forcefield. Move! Fix your sister!"

Your sister… sister… Amy.
Victoria panicked, in an ocean of fear and pain a whole new whirlpool of terror and rage opened up inside of her.

"No," Victoria mumbled, she tried to stand, to get away but everything still burned.

"You're dying,"

"No," Victoria repeated herself, trying to put as much force into her weak voice. "Not-"

She coughed sharply and mumbled in the same breath, and didn't bother trying to correct herself.

"Do it anyways,"

Victoria swung with her good hand, slamming it into a hard surface. She wasn't going to let Amy touch her. Not after last time. She coughed. "No."

The voices turned away from her. A discussion, or an argument? Victoria could know for sure, she didn't care. She had to get away, even if meant succumbing to this acid, she'd rather die than be 'cured' by her.

"Enough," A voice said, before leaning down towards her. "Victoria, listen, I'm going to pour some sterile water over you, and hopefully it'll flush some of the acid away, okay? I don't know what else we can do for you. I know you can't see, so don't be surprised when it happens."

Victoria was still in pain, excruciating pain all over her body. But the voice promised to help her, to treat her without being touched by Amy. An alternative, a compromise. In an act of total desperation, Victoria trusted that voice, she needed hope to latch on to. Turning her head, she presented the burned side of her face to the voice and braced herself for the water.

Then she was greeted by a familiar hand being pressed to the clean side of her forehead. Victoria's heart jumped, the abrupt terror of knowing exactly what had happened. The world went black, as Victoria Dallon died.

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

"Victoria?" Jessica asked, looking at the girl who was staring off into space. "Victoria, are you listening?"

Vicky took a few seconds to react to the question. She stared at the doctor and then around the room, confused about her surroundings before cracking a smile. "Sorry. I was… No, what did you say?"

Jessica looked the girl over before speaking again. "I asked, how you were feeling today?"

"Oh," Vicky said, thinking on the question for a moment. "I'm good. A little hungry I guess?"

"That's good, Victoria." Jessica nodded before checking her watch, "Yes, it is almost time for lunch. We'll take a break shortly." Jessica frowned slightly before returning to a more neutral position. "You've been drifting off a lot in our sessions. I'm sorry if I've been boring you."

Victoria shook her head. "Oh no. Never." She was genuine in her words. She enjoyed her sessions with Jessica, for the most part. "I've just been… thinking. Remembering things. Interesting things."

"Interesting?" Jessica asked. "Like what?"

Victoria took a moment to get her thoughts in order. "Nothing particularly special. Like the Christmas when Crystal and I got into a fight. I think we made up later that day, I was only ten. Or the time Dad kept playing that Elvis song on repeat for a whole week until Mom finally had enough or just the taste of a particular dish we used to eat at home. I think it was steak? It's weird to remember that I used to eat meat, these days the smell just makes me feel…" Victoria made a little shudder before giggling.

Jessica jotted down some notes as she smiled. Listening to Victoria talk about her childhood was wonderful. Her memories had been scattered along with everything else in her mind. She retained a basic awareness of language, mathematics and the people she knew. Vicky could remember that she used to live in Brockton Bay but still struggled to find it on a map without some further prompting. Greater geography of the world was still lost to her, as well as history.

Over the course of the last few weeks, more and more memories had been reappearing in her mind, recalled from the fog that had clouded her for these past two years. Every day was a new adventure, with Victoria learning something new about herself.

"And I keep remembering all these basketball games." Victoria continued, "I think it was before I had powers because I cannot imagine someone like me being allowed to play sports with a bunch of regular kids. There must be some rule against that, right? No parahumans allowed in sports? Although, that sounds rude. I don't wanna be left out if I enjoyed the sport."

Jessica was content to let Victoria reminisce. The more Victoria remembered, the more 'emotionally intelligent' she acted. A few weeks ago, speaking to Victoria was like speaking to a child, curious but prone to irrational outbursts when pushed. These days, Victoria could act with a lot more rationality behind her actions, nor did she need to be spoken to slowly. If Jessica had to make a guess, she would say that Victoria was mentally an early teenager, and getting better with each passing day.

"Also flying! I remember so, so much flying." Victoria beamed before closing her eyes to picture it clearer. "I can picture Brockton Bays skyline in my mind so clearly now. There's this one bank, I must've flown past it so many times, cause its logo was burned into my brain. Yeah, I can see it now. It's like, red, with three lines that are kinda like a W but not. And I'd zoom right by it before I land on the roof of the hospital to drop off-" Victoria cut herself off and looked to Jessica in alarm. Jessica has a concerned look but nodded back, acknowledging that Vicky had caught herself. "A-anyway. Yeah. I remember flying. I'd like to do it again one day."

"That's wonderful, Victoria." Jessica said, meaning every word. "Perhaps we'll be able to have you flying in a few weeks. So long as you remember to take it slow." Victoria had the habit of hovering wherever she walked, no one in the facility had any issues with it, however on days when Victoria would get too excited or distracted, she had on occasion, hit a wall or a roof with a bit too much speed.

"Really!?" Vicky jumped with excitement. "That would be amazing. I'm always daydreaming about it these days. Is Philadelphia a fun city to fly in? Oh wait, I guess you wouldn't know. Sorry." Victoria chuckled at her question before looking away.

"I think we'd avoid the city if possible. But I'm sure I can talk the administration into letting you stretch your legs." Jessica chuckled back. "So, flying, food and family? Any other interesting memories come to you these past few days?"

Victoria's eyes widened for an instant before they returned to her neutral smile. "No," Victoria said with a soft smile. She held the smile for an unnaturally long time which caused Jessica to frown.

With an increase in emotional intelligence gave rise to a new problem. Lying. In the past, Victoria never really lied about anything. There were often misunderstandings, distorted truths and the like. But she never outright lied to Jessica. Victoria would say what was on her mind, even when the topic was particularly taboo.

Nowadays, Victoria had learned what she could and couldn't say without getting into trouble. The last time she went months without talking about Amy, it was because she thought she had found a loophole, these last few weeks, she actively pretended to be 'better' to avoid talking about Jessica's 'strategies'. But Jessica could tell that there were things Victoria wouldn't say, refused to say.

"Victoria…" Jessica said in what Vicky would call her 'Mom tone.' "You know you can trust me. I'm here to help you, but I can only help you if you're honest with me. Please don't lie to me."

Victoria's latest outburst has shined a light on a major flaw in her treatment. For two years, the hospital had Victoria under extreme Master/Stranger protocols in the hope that time away from her abuser would eventually lead to Victoria getting better. However, after two years and a slowly returning cognitive, Jessica was forced to admit that the protocols weren't helping. In fact, they were most likely hindering Victoria's recovery. It was better to view Victoria as a victim of extreme Stockholm syndrome rather than another case of parahuman mastering.

"I remembered… that day," Victoria admitted. Looking away from Jessica's eyes. Jessica waited for Victoria to continue, it was a long pause until she spoke again. "I remember… the pain. The hurt of it all. Thinking that I was going to die and… hoping that it would just be over. I was thinking about Dean, I think I… loved him? But he wasn't there. He was-" She looked off into the distance, searching her memory for a moment before her lip trembled slightly. "Oh, right…"

Victoria took a deep breath and continued, "I was surrounded by voices, I don't think I liked any of them. I remember wanting to crawl away from them. Needing to get away from them. I was scared and angry and… terrified. A woman spoke to me. Told me that she'd help, get me some water. I relaxed, and then…"

Victoria looked like she was on the verge of crying, scrunching up her face like she was a parahuman being forced to remember their own trigger event. But at the peak of her discomfort, the fear and sadness from her face fell, being caught by the calming embrace of bliss.

"'She' saved me," Victoria said with a smile.

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

Victoria lay asleep, peacefully in her bed. Carol ran her hand through the soft blonde locks of hair. For three long and arduous days, Carol had searched the ruined streets of Brockton Bay. She'd called in all the help she could get, pulled any favour that still had worth, and even yelled at her grief-stricken sister just to get her pitch in. They found her, in some rundown building, abandoned after the wake of Leviathan and the Slaughterhouse Nine. She was alone but unharmed, physically at least. Whatever issues would present themselves in the future were secondary, all that mattered right now was that her child was home.

"..ove.. you," Victoria mumbled as Carol kissed her on the head.

A gentle knock behind her caused Carol to turn around, her sister was standing by the door. Carol patted Victoria one last time before standing to leave the room.

"How is she?" Sarah asked, looking at the sleeping girl. Carol looked back before closing the door, leaving it only slightly ajar, she wouldn't risk putting her out of sight again.

"Alive." Carol choked out, a broken laugh that betrayed the fear she buried deep down inside. "We didn't find any obvious wounds on her, but we'll take a better look at her after she's had some rest."

"That's good." Sarah nodded, unsure of what else she could say in this situation. "I'm glad we found her. I was… worried."

"I'm sorry," Carol admitted, her walls finally cracking. "You already had so much shit on your plate and I just snapped at you-"

"No," Sarah shook her head, giving Carol a hug. "Believe me, I understand. More than anyone, I understand. I couldn't… I can't lose another one. I won't." There were several long seconds where neither sister dared speak, too many people had died in the last few days, friends and family alike. "What about…" Sarah began, clearing her throat before she accidentally started crying. "What about Amy? Any word on where she is?"

Carol shook her head. "Still out there. We're still looking, focusing on the same area we found Victoria. Some reports had her helping with the whole Bonesaw fiasco. If she's there, we'll find her."

"God, that poor girl," Sarah said, sighing as she tried to remain strong. "She must be so scared out there." Carol didn't respond to the comment, looking off into thought. "I'll get back out there, now that Vicky's safe, maybe I can find Amy for you."

"Amy…"

Both sisters paused as they heard the word. It came from the bedroom beside them. Victoria was awake.

"Amy."

Carol moved into the room first.

"Victoria!" She said, moving to hug her child. "You're awake. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you need a doctor?"

"Amy…"

"Do you know where your sister is, Sweetie?" Sarah asked in concern from the door. "We're still looking for her."

"I… Amy…"

"Vicky, Sweetie?" Sarah asked.

"Do you know where you are?" Carol asked, "You're home, Victoria. You're safe."

"Amy? I need…" Victoria said, looking around the room, agitation in her movements. She pushed Carol away without so much as a look in her direction. "I need Amy. Amy. Amy?"

"Calm down, Victoria," Sarah said softly, trying to calm her niece. Victoria stood from the bed and started walking to the door. "Woah, woah. What's the matter? Is Amy in danger? We have people looking for her right now."

Victoria bounced with anxiety, obviously annoyed with Sarah getting in her way.

"I need Amy," Victoria said, trying to walk past her Aunt.

Sarah pulled her into a hug, followed shortly by Carol who joined in behind.

"I'm sorry Victoria," Sarah said into the hug. "We'll keep searching for her."

"I'm so glad I got you back," Carol said, softly sobbing into Victoria. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you… I love you so much."

"I love…" Vicky mumbled into the hug, her arm coming up to push Sarah away from her. "Amy."

"Victoria?" Carol asked, surprised by the casual nature Vicky had pushed her Aunt away. "Please. You need to rest. You need-"

"Amy, I need Amy," Victoria said, walking out the door. "I love… Amy."

This wasn't shock. Carol had expected some degree of mental trauma, being attacked by Crawler, almost dying by acid and then being 'kidnapped' by the Undersiders. Carol hadn't expected Victoria to be 'fine.' But this wasn't trauma, this wasn't anything Carol expected to see.

"Amy? I need Amy?" Victoria repeated, walking down the halls of the room. She got more and more erratic when she couldn't find anyone. "Amy? Amy!? I need Amy!?"

Carol watched on in confusion and concern as Sarah continued to try to calm the girl down. Eventually needing to back off when Victoria punched a door.

The door in question was Amy's room. Victoria moved into the room and picked up a photo on a nearby desk, it was of her and Amy posing at a family picnic. Victoria traced a finger over the photo of Amy before looking around the room.

"Amy? Amy!?" Victoria called out opening the closet doors and pulling the sheets of Amy's bed. "Amy, I need you. Amy!"

Victoria collapsed to her knees, her worry moved to sadness as her head slumped on the bed. A hand reached out and grabbed the pillow, pulling it close to her face.

"W-what's wrong with her?" Sarah asked, looking to Victoria and then to the indent in the door where she punched. "Do we need to get her to Amy?"

Carol shook her head, looking down at her daughter. Victoria was now hugging the pillow tightly, smothering herself in Amy's scent. Horror crept along Carol's face as the realisation dawned upon her.

Victoria continued to sob into the pillow, repeating the same name, the only name she could say. "Amy… Amy. I love you. Amy."

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

"Victoria…" Jessica said again in her 'Mom voice.' "We've spoken about this. She didn't save you. She healed you. Then she kidnapped you. Causing you possibly irreparable harm."

"But she did," Victoria said, cutting her off. "She saved me. She healed me, protected me. Loves me."

"Victoria!" Jessica said, loud enough to cause the girl to jump. Jessica promptly calmed her tone again. "You said you were scared. Before. You said you were scared and angry and wanted to get away. Why did you want that?"

Victoria squinted as she thought to herself. The question not making any sense to her. "Because?… I was going to die?"

"You had already said that you 'hoped it would be over' but once you heard voices you became afraid and angry about dying?" Jessica asked, her voice keeping professional. Her question wasn't to prod, but to make Victoria think.

"I don't…" Victoria said, confusion evident on her face. "No, I wanted to?…"

"You said you didn't like those voices. Why?" Jessica asked, "Did they say something you didn't like? Did you know who they were?"

"I don't know. I was blind." Vicky retorted, annoyed that she couldn't remember any specifics.

"But you did hear them. You said they'd get you to help, get you water. What did they say before that?"

"They said?…" Victoria muttered, "They wanted to heal me?"

"And that made you scared? Angry?"

"I was mad at them. I think?" Vicky said, rubbing her temple.

"But you relaxed when they offered you water, to help. What was it about them healing you that you found so scary?"

"Because they… I didn't like them."

"Didn't like them, or the healing?"

"Both?" Victoria said, unsure of the answer.

"So you admit that you were afraid of the healing?" Jessica asked.

"Yes," Victoria said, thinking for another second before nodding her head.

"But you were healed by… Amy" Jessica said, still uncomfortable in mentioning her name.

"Yes!" Victoria beamed, happy to hear the name brought up. Then she paused to think about what she said. "Wait? That doesn't make sense. Amy saved me."

Victoria went silent to think. Jessica could see the gears turning in Victoria's brain and the confusion she had over the contradiction.

She shook her head. It didn't make sense to her, there was a mistake, something in her memory didn't add up and Victoria didn't like it. Jessica looked at her, waiting for Victoria to reach the obvious conclusion.

"No," Vicky said, holding up a finger. She chuckled nervously. "Amy saved me. She 'saved' me. She loved me- Loves me."

"She hurt you," Jessica said bluntly. "And until you can accept that fact, you won't be able to heal." Victoria shook her head but Jessica kept talking. "Amy kidnapped you for three days. What you went through. The trauma that you carry. It's like a curse from her."

Victoria shut her eyes tightly, continuing to shake her head.

"No, you're wrong." Vicky cried. "She saved me."

"She healed your physical wounds against your wishes and then forced you… Infected your mind to love her in a way that you did not feel at the time." Jessica continued. "And I know that there's a part of you in there that knows that. Knows that all the struggles you've been through over these past two years were her fault."

"Of course, I know that!" Victoria snapped back, her aura flared anger but dissipated as quickly as it came. "I'm not… blind to everything." Victoria looked down at her hands. "I know why I'm here. I know that you're 'trying' to help me. I know why my parents barely visit me, or why my cousin talks to me like she's walking through a minefield."

"My mother comes to see me every few months, she looks me straight in the eye and thinks, 'Nope, that's not my daughter, I'll try again next time,' and I can tell she despises me because of it. And worst of all there's you, who acts so damn proud of me when I start speaking proper sentences and taught me how to read and write again. Then I go ahead and disappoint you by trying to write to 'her.' Leaving me feeling like shit for letting you down."

Jessica moved to speak, but Victoria held up her hand.

"Yes, yes. You're never disappointed in me. It's all a journey and you're so proud of how far I've come." Victoria said sarcastically before returning to a more serious mood. "You keep trying to help me, make me learn things and remember things. But not a single day goes by that I don't think about her, or what she did to me or how it made me feel… Every single day I remember more and more of what I was like before it all happened. And every single day I remember a little more of the Me that was. The Victoria Dallon that everyone wants to see come back. But it's not me, it's never going to be me."

"You don't get it. None of you get it. Amy loves me. And I love her." She looked Jessica right in the eye, saying it as a challenge, waiting for Jessica to rebut it again. Jessica chose to let her keep talking.

"You want to know why I believe that? Because she saved my life. My life. Because everything she did for me was out of love, and she showed me how much she loved me. Nobody in the entire world loved me like she did, no one will ever love me like she did. Because this hollow empty pit I feel now that she's gone is just proof that no one else will ever compare. I know she loves me, because of what she did and I know I love her because…" Vicky's voice crocked with a sob. "Because otherwise, I'd have to accept your truth…"

"My, my, my love is sick. It was forced upon me. I was betrayed by a person that I trusted. I have feelings that aren't my own. That I was fucking raped for three days straight by my sister and then tossed aside. That's what you want me to say, right?"

Jessica was surprised at the honesty in her words. Victoria was aware, fully aware, for the first time in two years of what had been done to her. An outright admission of Amy's crime, that she was a victim.

"That Victoria that you're all so desperate to bring back. She's broken, she's scarred. I'm not going to be that girl." Victoria said with another sob in her voice. "I-I can't be that girl. That's not healing, that wouldn't be me 'getting better.' There's nothing good to be found there."

Tears ran down Victoria's cheeks even as her face fell back into a cheery smile.

"Don't you see? Amy saved 'me'. You say she's my curse, but she's my cure. I need her, I can't live without her, I don't want to live without her. It's still love, I need to love her."

 

[freakytiki34]

I'm glad your full fic is so fluffy, because when you go dark you go REAL DARK. Both Rehabilitation and the Bad End earlier were genuinely unpleasant to read, in the good way.

 

[Gowonzu]

I'm glad your full fic is so fluffy, because when you go dark you go REAL DARK. Both Rehabilitation and the Bad End earlier were genuinely unpleasant to read, in the good way.

Click to shrink...

Usually what happens is, I write a boatload of fluff and then get an itching to write something to balance it out
Thus I make one shots like these.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Taylor invites Amy over for a cute lil cozy date. With tea and coffee.
But she has a sneaky ulterior motive in mind (Don't worry, it's wholesome)

I was in the mood to write some Pillbug. So enjoy.

---

Taylor saw her date approaching even before they got to the door. A part of her wanted to walk out and greet her guest immediately but conventional wisdom had taught her not to act omniscient around people. It had a habit of creeping people out.

She casually strolled through her living room, making sure nothing was out of place. Her father had gone the extra mile to clean up the house before leaving and Taylor couldn't see a single thing out of place. There were three slow knocks on the door before the bell rang out a little tune.

Taylor moved slowly to the door, she wanted to sprint and swing the door open with elation. But neither she nor her date were that kind of high energy people. She inspected herself one last time before opening the door. Using her own bugs like a mirror. Hair, outfit, stance, no embarrassing marks on her face or the like. She was ready, with the biggest smile she could muster, Taylor opened the front door.

"Amy, hey," Taylor said, greeting her girlfriend with a hug. Her smile wavered slightly as she saw the state of her.

Amy was dressed in a casual manner, which didn't bother Taylor one bit, what did bother her was how damn tired the girl looked. She slouched against the door frame, hair as messy as her curls could be. The backpack that held over one of her shoulders had Amy's Panacea robes stuffed into it, add to that, the dark circles under Amy's eyes made her look like a raccoon and it was obvious what happened.

"Did you just come from the hospital?" Taylor asked with gentle concern. Amy nodded her head into Taylor's hug and lazily kissed her neck. "Have you been working all night?" Taylor asked again, a little more worried. It was midmorning and Amy usually worked her shifts after school, which meant…

Taylor pulled herself off Amy and inspected her again.

"My god, did you get any sleep last night?"

Amy rolled her eyes and tried to wave the question away, when Taylor's frown held, she sighed and held up three fingers.

Amy spoke with the tired tone of someone who was mere minutes away from collapsing. "I got a couple hours sleep, but then there was this car crash and another gang shooting and a-" She yawned and wavered where she stood.

Taylor shook her head and held Amy back as she tried to walk inside. "Amy, you're practically dead on your feet. You don't need to work yourself ragged. Get a full eight hours of sleep for once in your life."

"Noooo," Amy whined softly, pushing on Taylor's arm but not having the strength to resist her. "I've been looking forward to this all week. I don't want to waste it sleeping." Taylor could've easily held her arm out and held Amy at bay, but she relented as the smaller girl pushed into her, wrapping Taylor in a hug. "I'm sorry…" Amy mumbled into Taylor's chest. She pushed her face out and looked up at Taylor. "Just give me some coffee and I'll be ready to go. Please? I need this. I like spending time with you."

Taylor looked down at the freckled face, with its tired, pleading eyes. Amy was cute. Hell, Amy was downright adorable, even when she looked like death itself. Taylor's arms closed around Amy to give her another hug. A hand ruffled her messy hair as Taylor leaned down to kiss Amy on the forehead. Amy didn't care about her sleep schedule, she only wanted to spend time with Taylor.

"Alright, fine." Taylor sighed as if she wasn't going to let Amy inside anyway. "I'll make you a coffee, but only because I love you."

Amy let out a tired giggle, giving Taylor another squeeze before letting go. They walked hand in hand to the kitchen, letting go of each other right as Taylor approached the kettle, fingers dancing off each other as they impossibly tried to hold hands while standing on different sides of the room.

Amy slid away to inspect Taylor's bookshelf, she'd been here many times and the ritual was becoming commonplace. Amy would pick out a book, whatever interested her on any given day, and then the two girls would cuddle up on the couch with their drinks and they would read. They took turns reading to each other, and multiple dates consisted of them working their way through novels.

Taylor hummed to herself as she prepared her drinks. Coffee for Amy and tea for herself. Taylor had a very particular method of how she enjoyed her tea, only Taylor could make it correctly, so only Taylor would make the drinks. Amy on the other hand, cared not for whatever brand of coffee she was given. The highest quality beans meant as much to her as a late-night drive-thru coffee from Fugly Bob's. Still, Taylor put care to use the special coffee instead of her father's packets of instant.

Amy was already sitting on the couch as Taylor carried in the two mugs. She was hugging her knees to her chest, watching Taylor intently. The sight of Amy like this sent butterflies fluttering through Taylor. Amy's tired eyes lit up every time Taylor walked into the room. The poor girl was running on fumes and sheer willpower because she wanted to spend time with her girlfriend, and Taylor loved her for that.

"Coffee?" Taylor said, offering the mug to Amy. "Just how you like it."

Amy accepted the coffee with a smile. Taking the mug in two hands and holding it closely to her face. She blew on it gently before taking a sip, letting out a moan of satisfaction.

"I love you," Amy said, to her coffee. Taylor smiled at the inside joke. The first time Amy had blurted out that line, she tried to pass it off as a compliment to her drink, reddening in the face with embarrassment. Now she said it with every cup that they shared.

"So," Taylor said, sitting down next to Amy and taking a sip of her own tea. "What are we reading today?"

Amy fished out the book she had grabbed from the shelf. Holding it up for Taylor to see.

"Murder on the Orient Express," Amy said, handing the book to Taylor. "I think I know the story but I've never actually read the book. It's like Sherlock Holmes, right?"

"Hercule Poirot." Taylor corrected. "Sherlock was written by Arthur Conan Doyle, this is Agatha Christie. Similar idea though."

"I know that," Amy grumbled. "I said 'like' Sherlock, not 'is' Sherlock. Damn literature nerd."

Taylor chuckled and leaned into Amy. Even a grumpy Amy was adorable, although Taylor was strictly biased.

"Do you want to read it today or shall I?" She asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"You read it," Amy mumbled, taking another sip before putting her mug down.

"Didn't I read the last book?" Taylor teased, already opening it to the first page. "I think it's your turn to read?"

"Yeah," Amy said, pulling Taylor into a deeper cuddle. "But I prefer it when you do it. Something about your voice… I don't know. Guess I like it, a lot." She kissed Taylor's cheek before gesturing for her to start.

Flattery like that would get Amy anything she wanted, and Taylor knew it. With a smile, Taylor turned to the opening of the book and cleared her throat. "Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie. It was five o'clock on a winter's morning in Syria. Alongside the platform at Aleppo stood-"

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

Taylor could hear the soft sounds of Amy snoring. Taylor didn't even make it past the opening chapter before her girlfriend fell asleep. Amy looked peaceful while she slept. Her brows were slightly furrowed in the middle as she breathed, her mouth slightly open and eyebrows slightly knitted together, but it was enough to convey how exhausted she must have been.

Some people might think it rude to have their partners fall asleep on them in the middle of their planned date. But not Taylor. She closed the book gently, making a note to read it properly for Amy another day. Then she stood up gently and collected Amy's half-finished mug of coffee to clean up.

Amy never cared what brand of coffee Taylor bought for her, but Taylor did. They'd been dating for months now and Amy still hadn't discovered Taylor's terrible secret. The trick that Amy had fallen for each and every time she came over.

It was decaff.

Returning to the living room with a spare blanket, Taylor leaned down and kissed Amy gently on the head. She cuddled up with some pillows, grabbing a different book from her shelf as she rested next to the sleeping girl. Amy shifted in her sleep, turning over and burying her nose into the crook of Taylor's neck, wrapping her arms tightly around Taylor's waist and pressing her face more firmly against Taylor's neck.

Taylor let out a happy sigh and ran her hand through Amy's hair. Amy might not care about her sleep, but Taylor did.

 

[Radek]

Aww, they're so cute. And Amy definitely needs her sleep.

 

[space turtle]

A date where the only purpose is to sleep together??
How LEWD!!

Very cute.
Pet the sleepy raccoon.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Two dogs stare each other down. Chained, starved and beaten.
Ready to fight for amusement and sport.

Two capes take particular notice of the event, neither of them are happy about it.

Written for the Gaylor Convention Rarepair contest.

---

Two dogs growled ferociously at one another. On one side, a dark rottweiler snarled at any hand that dare point in its direction, standing opposite stood an equally dark pit bull. It was a standoff of sorts. Neither beast wanted to start a fight, hoping to dissuade their opponent through sheer intimidation. Unfortunately, the dogs had no control over their particular situation.

The animals were merely tools for sport. A crowd of people circled them, cheering, yelling, screaming out for blood. The two dogs were surrounded by spectators who took great pleasure in watching both beasts struggle with one another. They enjoyed their fights immensely. And they loved the noise. The dogs' yelps and howls of agony filled their ears as the crowd laughed.

Starved, beaten and depraved of all basic necessities. The humans did not intend to show mercy. This battle would be to the death. A blood sport for amusement and money. Both dogs pulled on their respective leashes. Feral and ready to bite the first thing they could sink their jaws into.

The crowd started the countdown, final bets were taking place.

The anticipation of the crowd hit its crescendo. The noise was deafening, and it became increasingly unbearable for the animals. A sharp kick behind the pit bull's ear caused the dog to start snapping.

One of the animal handlers screamed. The crowd turned to see what had caused the commotion. The fight had started, but not in a way that anyone had anticipated. A sharp metal bolt was jammed through the man's arm, pinning him to the wall.

Three hulking monster dogs sprung forward like a pair of bullets. With full force, they attacked, each biting and scratching at everything within reach. Tearing through the crowd. The bulk of the onlookers were cowardly. A mad panic started as they scrambled for the door.

"Cape!" A voice from the crowd yelled out.

A handful of armed thugs opened fire. Both at the giant monsters and in the direction of the initial attack.

Between the onslaught of teeth and claws from one side, and the sharp sting of metal from the other. The Empire enforces stood little chance of winning this battle.

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

There were more thugs than Sophia expected. She'd only been on the streets for a month and the bulk of that time was spent fighting muggers in alleyways. One of the downsides of being an independent vigilante was that she had no support. Not that Sophia would ever admit that she needed it.

If only she carried multiple crossbows, Stalker could've taken out the two lone thugs at once. As she was now, her costume consisted of an oversized hoodie, stolen Kevlar vest and an old hockey mask. She only brought a large sports crossbow with several bolts and a baseball bat she took from home. Again, the downside of being independent, she didn't have access to any real equipment.

She didn't need support, she didn't need a team. She just needed to be smart and wait them out.

If she could pin one of the men in place, perhaps she could drop down and take the other one out quickly. She still would be at risk of turning her back to the larger group, but all she needed to do was cause a distraction of some kind.

That distraction came in the form of three hulking monster dogs.

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

Rachel hated the Empire. She'd only been in Brockton Bay for a few days now and she already knew that much. There were a myriad of reasons why someone would hate the Empire so much: racism, discrimination, ignorance.

In truth, Rachel cared little about the plight of her fellow man. It wasn't until she learned of the fighting rings did she really start giving a fuck.

This was the second dog fighting ring in as many nights that Rachel planned to hit. She spent her time hounding members of the gang to discover where and when the fights were being held. She had a plan to rescue every abused animal in Empire territory and to rip this 'Hookwolf' to shreds the moment Rachel met her.

Rachel had no subtly to the methods she used. She marched into that warehouse with her best three dogs and commanded them to slaughter anyone in her way. The men inside tried to fight back but were quickly overpowered.

She didn't expect to run into another cape who was in the process of beating up the same thugs. The two fought viciously, trading blows with Empire thugs with no regard for long-term consequences. Most other capes in the past often had issues with Rachel's level of violence, but this one seemed particularly adapt to bashing one's face in. Rachel made sure to tell her dogs not the approach the strange cape.

At least until the last man fell. Then things were going to get complicated.

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

"Who the fuck are you?" They both called out in unison.

Both kept equal distances apart from each other. Just because they were both enemies of the Empire, didn't instantly make them friends.

Sophia eyed the three large dogs, she'd just watched them rip through several armed men without barely a scratch. She always considered herself a predator, but even she was smart enough not to tangle with these monsters. These dogs weren't ordinary hounds. They were massive. And each of them could kill a fully grown man in minutes. She'd seen their teeth.

The strange woman eyed Sophia back. Her suspicious eyes hidden behind the hockey mask. She'd seen Sophia appear from the shadows, turning into a ghost as her assailants attacked her. She knew that her dogs would have trouble fighting such a power and that the cape had no qualms with using lethal force. A single bolt through the woman's chest could end this confrontation faster than her dogs could react.

Two capes growled ferociously at one another. On one side, a masked figure snarled at any dog that dare point a head in her direction, standing opposite stood a muscular woman with three large beasts. It was a standoff of sorts. Neither girl wanted to start a fight, hoping to dissuade their opponent through sheer intimidation.

There was a long silence where both capes stared each other down. Broken only by the whines of two scared dogs behind them. Both fighting dogs were still chained to their posts. Fortunately, the capes had control over the situation.

Cautiously, Sophia turned away from the cape to check on the animals. While she didn't give two shits about the numerous Empire thugs who lay bleeding out on the floor, Sophia did have a soft spot for dogs. They were loyal, intelligent, tough and weren't complete pussies like some people were. More people could learn a thing or two from dogs.

Kneeling in front of the scared rottweiler, Sophia reached out a hand. She never owned a dog herself, but she knew a lot about them. Or at least she thought she did. She remembered to allow a dog to smell her hand before petting it.

The dog bit back, sinking sharp teeth into Sophia's hand. She winced, shifting into her shadow state as she yanked herself free from the dog's grasp.

"Are you fucking stupid!" The woman barked. Marching over to the two pit dogs.

Sophia reformed and shook her now painful hand. "Shit!" She swore through clenched teeth.

The woman watched how Sophia reacted. Some people were stupid when they got bit by dogs, blaming the animal instead of themselves. Sophia jumped around as she shook her hand for a few seconds but didn't yell at or strike the dog in retaliation.

"They're fighting dogs." The woman huffed, walking closer to the chained rottweiler. "Been trained to bite whatever gets in their face, idiot."

Sophia watched as the strange woman stood over the now barking dog. She gripped her hand as the supposed dog whisperer glared down at the pit fighter. The rottweiler quickly quieted down, seeming to recognise the larger woman as its alpha. Sophia huffed with a grin behind her mask, respecting this strange woman's sheer presence among the animals.

"So," Sophia finally spoke up. Taking another step towards the two chained animals, hoping that they were now docile. "You control dogs?" The pit bull stood in a defensive posture, growling at Sophia

The woman growled at the approaching hero. "I don't control shit." She spat out, insulted at the insinuation. She turned to also growl at the other pit bull, forcing it to back down from attacking the mysterious cape. "I save them. I train them. Care for them."

Sophia considered backing away again but didn't want to show any form of weakness to the strange woman. "I see…" Sophia wouldn't admit it but she felt relieved. She had no idea what the fuck she was going to do with the two dogs once she cleared the place.

"Here." The woman said, pushing her hand out towards Sophia, expectantly. Sophia had no idea what she was asking for. She shot her back glare and growled. "Your hand. You need to get it checked. Dog bites can kill, dumbass."

Sophia swallowed down a biting retort and placed her hand to be inspected. The larger woman pulled her arm in and ran her thumb over the bite mark. Sophia bit her lip to avoid wincing, not willing to show any weakness to a complete stranger.

The woman pressed Sophia's hand. Listening to the way the cloaked figure reacted. The dog's teeth cut through the gloves but didn't piece the skin. "You got lucky." She said, dropping her hand. "Don't be stupid next time." She moved to collect both fighting dogs' chains, readying to leave.

Sophia inspected her own hand before looking around the mess of unconscious and probably dying empire thugs. She never needed the help, but she was smart enough to see how much the strange woman had… helped.

Sophia sighed to herself before calling out. "Wait." The woman turned around to see what she wanted. "Thanks…" Sophia drawled out painfully. "I could've taken them out without your help. But your dogs… they kicked a lot of ass. I've never heard of you
before." She felt embarrassed just saying that crap but this cape didn't seem to be a total pussy about things and it wouldn't hurt making connections or some shit. "Shadow Stalker." She introduced herself while holding an arm out.

"Bitch." The other woman responded.

"Fuck you." Sophia spat back. "I'm trying to be nice for once. Just tell me your damn name."

"It's Bitch." The woman said again, a little angrier as she pointed to herself.

"Oh…" Sophia replied, understanding it now. "You gonna be hitting more dog rings?"

"Yeah, got a few more locations to hit. Not tonight though." Bitch said. She took a few more steps to leave before turning around. "Why? Wanna help? Or are you just looking to fuck me?" Sophia did not expect to hear such a direct question tonight. Bitch shrugged. "I'm fine with either or both. Just don't bullshit me."

"Help you, hunt your prey?" Sophia asked, a smile forming under her mask. She wasn't against the other offer either, but wouldn't admit that right now. "I'm usually more of the lone wolf type."

Bitch huffed. "Most wolves don't hunt alone. Whoever said that is stupid." She bent down to the newly rescued dogs and removed the chain from their necks, the two fighting dogs now stood side by side. She whistled as all five dogs lined up, ready to follow her out. "All dogs need a pack."

Sophia huffed in return. "Fuck it…" She stepped forward to catch up. "I'll game to rescue some more dogs if it means I get to kick some empire teeth in."

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Wrote this little snippet on discord, figured id post it here too, It's semi related to my ongoing 'My Girlfriend Is Terrifying' story.
Enjoy some slight MGiT spoilers for a future scene I hope to get around to writing to one day.

---

Rachel stares at her phone, reading as she chuckles.

Alec raises an eyebrow at the whole thing.

"I thought she couldn't read?"

Brian looks to Alec and shrugs, no other Undersider really questions it. Brian is busy mapping out the next job with Lisa, while Taylor sits alongside her. Another chuckle comes from where Rachel is sitting. One hand holding her phone as she idly pets Brutus.

"Seriously? Am I the one going crazy here or am I being pranked?"

Taylor looks over and she smiles softly at Rachel. She never heard her laugh before, it was nice.

Rachel's finger scrolls along her phone as she swipes up, and she lets out another quiet chuckle.

"Nope, not buying it." Alec reached his limit. He stands up and saunters over to Rachel.

Rachel's smile dims as she notices Alec approaching.

"What do you want?" She growls.

Alec puts his hand up in surrender. "Woah. I come in peace, Rach. Just wanna know what you're up to."

"Nothing." Rachel grumbles back.

"Oh yeah?" Alec asks with a raised eyebrow. "Whatcha reading then?"

Rachel glares back at the boy.

"I don't fucking read." Rachel barks, obviously treating Alec's comment as an insult to her.

"Geeze, sooorry." He drawls, "It looked like you were reading something. Don't bite my head off for being curious."

Rachel takes a moment to consider this. Alec wasn't insulting her, he was being genuine in his curiosity. She lets out a huff before calming down.

"Oh."

She doesn't say anything else.

At this distance, Alec notices that her phone vibrates, it's on silent but she's getting messages. Rachel looks at her phone again and cracks another smile.

"That," Alec states, pointing at her lips. "What's that about? Who are you texting?"

Rachel rolls her eyes and briefly considers shielding her phone.

"Not texts, can't read." She explains. Alec waits patiently for her to elaborate. Rachel sighs. "It's photos."

"Cute photos," Lisa adds from her side of the room. "I'm guessing it's dogs from your shelter, or maybe just a friend sending random photos."

"Of course." Alec nods. "Should've guessed as much. It's always about the dogs with her."

Alec lost all interest. Turning back to his spot on the couch.

"It's not dogs" Rachel shot back. "You don't know everything."

Lisa wasn't that offended. She knew Rachel didn't hold a high opinion of her.

Alec renewed his interest and turned back again. "So what's the pictures?"

Rachel hesitated for a moment, looking at her phone and then up to Alec. Alec tried his best approximation of puppy-dog eyes to plead for the information.

"If you fucking must know" Rachel began with a sigh, turning the screen of her phone to show him. "My girlfriend is telling me about her day."

"Your what?" Alec asked in disbelief.

The other Undersider's heads all popped up in shock at the statement.

"Fuck you guys," Rachel grumbled, hiding her phone in a rare display of shyness. "I have a life outside of this shit."

Her phone buzzed again, Rachel peaked at the latest message, and the rest of the team moved over, now curious about their teammate's mysterious girlfriend.

"Wait, doesn't that look like"? Alec whispered.

"Woah, when the hell did that happen?" Lisa chuckled.

"I don't think I've ever seen her smile like that," Taylor said.

"Again? Are you girls serious?" Brian sighed.

All the Undersiders broke out into gossiping.

Rachel ignored the chatter behind her as she happily flipped through the photos on her phone.

The latest picture added to the montage of Amy's day. While they couldn't communicate through text, Amy would send a photo of what she got up to during her day. From sneaking selfies in school to posing with recently cancer-free kids she worked with.

Wordlessly, Rachel took the chance to send back a selfie of her own. Sitting in her chair with a dog on her lap and her friends all around her.

 

[Pyrogirl]

The adorableness is strong in this one.
It's nice when Rachel gets some love, partly because it's so rare.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Hey, Long time no see. I got a little busy with my main project that I forgot to write some snippets, so I gave myself a lil challenge to write a 500ish word story about a silly prompt. Shout out to Clarissa on the Gaylor Discord for giving me the prompt.

---

"So," Victoria asked, turning around and striking a pose. "What do you think?"

Amy was stunned silent.

Victoria's question hung in the air, and for a moment, Amy's mind went blank. She had always admired Victoria's confidence, her ability to effortlessly captivate anyone she encountered. But how could Amy, with her modest demeanour and quiet nature, find the words to express just how incredible Victoria truly was?

Today, however, Amy was stunned silent for an entirely different reason. The two sisters had taken the day to go shopping, as Victoria was interested in getting a total makeover.

Amy wasn't aware of what that would entail but was more than happy to accompany Victoria along on her journey. They went shopping for clothes, and Victoria happily tried on all manner of outfits, asking Amy for her opinion even though she had no idea what matched what.

Amy was simply happy to be part of the experience, watching Victoria twirl in front of the mirror, her excitement contagious.

And then Victoria hit her next stop in their adventure. A quick pit-stop to the hairdressers before getting some lunch. She told Amy to go on ahead, knowing that the smaller girl wouldn't enjoy waiting around as Victoria's hair got treated.

Amy obliged, her mind filled with curiosity about what Victoria had in store. As she wandered the mall, she couldn't help but wonder what her sister's new look would be like. She often talked about potentially braiding her hair, or perhaps she was going to surprise her with some silly hair dye.

Amy giggled at that idea. Victoria would never give up her golden blonde look. She was far too proud of her hair to change it so dramatically.

Little did she know what Victoria was planning. When Amy finally returned to the hair salon, she entered with a sense of anticipation, expecting to be greeted by Victoria's vibrant smile. But as she laid eyes on her sister, her heart plummeted to her stomach.

"You like it?" Victoria asked again, showing off more of her head. A bright smile across her face.

"You cut your hair?" Amy said. Trying to suppress the horror in her voice.

This wasn't a little trim, like so many haircuts before. Victoria had cut her hair short, shorter than it had ever been before. Shorter than Amy had ever seen in her entire time of knowing Victoria. The realisation hit Amy like a tidal wave, overwhelming her with a mix of emotions. Victoria's long, flowing locks, which had always been a symbol of her beauty and radiance, were now gone.

"Yeah," Vicky said, relishing the shock in Amy's voice. "I wanted to try something new. Come on, Ames. Honestly opinion. What do you think?"

What did she think? It was horrible. No, it was worse than horrible. The long hair was one thing—Amy preferred it long, but she could learn to live with a new style. It didn't matter if Victoria had long hair, short hair, or if she decided to be bald. Amy would still love her Victoria. But it was the way she had her hair styled that really punched Amy in the gut.

Her hair was cut in the style of an inverted bob with side-swept bangs. Amy's heart ached with a mixture of longing and grief as she witnessed Victoria's bold transformation.

"Oh dear god…" Amy said under her breath, "You look like Mom."

 

[space turtle]

What's the opposite of an Oedipus complex?

Cuz I'm pretty sure that's what is going on here.

 

[R3N41SS4NC3]

truly the greatest and most horrifying of all mundane horrors: becoming our parent(s). amy getting hit with the longing alongside the grief is super funny; she's totes getting tangled feelings of attraction about mommy dearest right about now. Either that or her romantic feelings for Vicky just got 'cured' in the meanest and cruelest way possible lmao.
I love it, thanks

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Hey, another one.
I was given a second prompt in the discord by Quantum Ripple who wanted some Smugbug. So here ya go.
This is pretty fun to write little stories based on prompts. So, if you got an idea thats short and sweet, feel free to shout it at me and I might make some more of these.

---

Taylor Hebert leaned in through the bedroom door, her concern for Lisa growing with each passing night. The clock's hands edged closer to midnight, yet Lisa remained hunched over a pile of notes, her laptop's glow casting an eerie light across her face.

"Lisa, it's late," Taylor said softly, lingering at the door of the room.

Lisa looked up, exhaustion etched into her features. "I'm fine, Taylor. Just a bit more to do."

"Come on, you need to rest," Taylor insisted, worry creeping into her voice.

Lisa waved her off, her focus locked on the screen. "I'll be done soon."

With a determined expression, Taylor marched over and closed the laptop, surprising Lisa. "No more excuses. You need sleep."

Lisa's protests were cut short as Taylor gently guided her toward the bed.

"Sleep," she repeated firmly, gently pushing Lisa onto the mattress.

Reluctantly Lisa curled onto her side, attempting to glare back at Taylor for her childish attempts but failing to do so with any real grit.

"I can handle myself," Lisa muttered, but Taylor could see the fatigue in her eyes. "I'm a big girl Tay."

"I know, but sometimes you're as stubborn as I am," Taylor replied, pulling the covers up and tucking them around Lisa's shoulders. "But you can't keep burning the candle at both ends," Taylor said, her concern evident.

"You know I'm just going to get up again once you leave." Lisa yawned smugly, eyeing her closed laptop that still sat on the desk. "I'm used to late nights. It's part of the job."

Lisa was egging Taylor on. She fully expected Taylor to sigh and take the laptop with her in some vein hope that Lisa would call it quits for the night. But Lisa was far too busy to stop her work now, and that wasn't the only computer in her bedroom.

With a sigh of her own, Taylor climbed into bed with Lisa, the soft rustle of the sheets accompanying her movements. The mattress sank beneath her weight, and the warmth from their intertwining limbs radiated through under the covers, creating a comforting cocoon of closeness.

"What are you doing?" Lisa stammered, her voice tinged with both confusion and curiosity. She balked at Taylor's unexpected action.

Taylor ignored Lisa's protests, her determination unwavering.

"What I have to," she replied simply, her words punctuated by a weary yawn. With a gentle shift, she nestled closer to Lisa, wrapping an arm around her in a protective embrace. "Can't climb out if I don't leave."

Lisa did not expect this level of escalation. But what else could she expect from Taylor of all people. Lisa's initial resistance melted away as she felt the soothing presence of Taylor beside her

"Thanks," Lisa mumbled, her tone softer than usual. The weight of her exhaustion pressed against her eyelids, and the allure of sleep became almost irresistible. She couldn't deny that her bed had become a lot more appealing now.

Taylor hesitated for a moment, her gaze filled with concern as she met Lisa's tired eyes. She understood the weight of Lisa's responsibilities and the constant pressure she put on herself to excel. Taylor did the same to herself. It was only in viewing it with a close friend that she realised how unhealthy that mentality could be.

"I worry about you, you know?" Taylor's voice was laced with a mix of tenderness and vulnerability, her hand reaching out to find Lisa's within the warmth of the covers. She gave it a gentle squeeze, her touch a silent reassurance.

In the cosy room, Taylor and Lisa shared an unspoken bond. The pale moonlight spilled through the window, casting a gentle glow upon their surroundings, as if the universe itself acknowledged the peace they found in one another's presence.

With a faint smile, Taylor leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on Lisa's forehead. "Goodnight, Lisa."

Lisa's surprise quickly melted into a soft smile. "Goodnight, Taylor."

As weariness washed over them, Taylor and Lisa succumbed to the sweet embrace of sleep.

 

[space turtle]

But seriously. Very cute.
Not sure what part of a smug bug relationship this is supposed to be occurring at though.
I get the impression it's just the start of them realising feelings.
But they're sharing a room….

Confusing.
But maybe I just need more coffee to interpret this.

 

[Gowonzu]

But seriously. Very cute.
Not sure what part of a smug bug relationship this is supposed to be occurring at though.
I get the impression it's just the start of them realising feelings.
But they're sharing a room….

Confusing.
But maybe I just need more coffee to interpret this.

Click to shrink...

i wanted to write those.
'Taylor doesnt know shes gay for Lisa yet' scenarios
just two friends, snuggling in bed, kissing on da head, like besties do

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: Here, have some more casual Smugbug with a side of, Taylor is obliviously gay.

---

The door to the Undersider's base slammed closed as Lisa let out a sigh of exhaustion. She pulled off her mask and tossed it to the side, too sore to care about where it fell.

"Alright, sound off," Brian said, taking off his helmet. "Who's hurt?"

"I'll survive." Rachel huffed as she walked to her room. "Just need to sleep it off."

She shut the door before Brian could respond to that. He knew better than to press the issue, Rachel wasn't stupid. She'd speak up if she needed help.

"Lise?" He then asked in concern.

Lisa waved him off with a smile.

"Just a bruised ego," She chuckled. "And some actual bruises. No cause for alarm."

Brian nodded as he looked towards Alec and Taylor. The latter was still dressed in her Skitter costume.

"I'm fine," Taylor said. Brian could never get a real read on Taylor when she was masked up, so he chose to take her word at face value.

"I don't feel so good," Alec admitted, his voice strained with pain as he gingerly cradled his injured arm. Brian immediately stepped forward, concern etched across his face as he inspected Alec more closely.

"Right, I saw you take that hit," Brian stepped up to Alec and inspected him closer. "How's the arm? Broken?"

Alec shook his head, a hint of frustration in his eyes. "I can still move my fingers. That's a good sign, right?"

Brian gently examined Alec's arm, his fingers probing for any signs of a fracture. He felt a slight swelling around Alec's forearm and winced sympathetically.

"I don't think it's broken," Brian reassured Alec. "But it's probably sprained. Might need a cast and for you to take it easy for a while."

Alec let out a sigh of frustration. "Are you serious? That's some bull... whatever."

"We might have something in the kit," Brian continued, ignoring Alec's complaints. "Do we have any-" He trailed off suddenly, his expression shifting as if a forgotten memory had resurfaced. "Aisha? You here? You hurt?"

Aisha emerged from behind them, a mischievous smirk placed on her lips as she caught sight of Alec nursing his injured arm. She couldn't resist the opportunity to tease him,

"Just a sprain?" Aisha chuckled, her voice dripping with amusement. "Sure, sure. I bet it's the most debilitating sprain in the history of sprains. You won't be able to do anything with that arm for weeks!"

Brian couldn't help but chuckle at Aisha's playful banter, finding some amusement in the situation. "Come on, Aisha, go easy on him. Alec's already feeling miserable enough, I'm sure."

"I'm fine too, by the way," Aisha said with a sly smile. "No one knew I was there, as usual."

"One less person to worry about," Brian sighed, his attention shifting to Lisa and Taylor. "Look, I'll take Alec to the clinic. Get him a cast and some pain meds. You two good?"

"We're fine," Taylor reassured him once again, her voice steady and resolute. "The clinic?"

"The Clinic," Lisa explained, putting emphasis on 'the.' "Just a doctor we know who doesn't ask questions."

"I'll be back in an hour or so," Brian said as he motioned to Alec to follow him.

"Oh, oh," Aisha jumped. "I'm coming too. I have to be the first one to sign his cast."

Alec let out a resigned sigh, his humiliation evident, as the Laborn siblings helped him make his way towards the clinic. Left alone in the base, Lisa and Taylor exchanged a passing glance between them.

Taylor took a few pained steps towards the couch but didn't sit down. She pulled off her mask with a tired gasp and dropped it to the floor. Lisa immediately noticed the strain in Taylor's movements.

"Hey, you okay?" Lisa's voice softened with concern, her eyes assessing Taylor's discomfort.

Taylor attempted to shrug it off, forcing a weak smile. "I'm fine, just a scratch."

Lisa, however, saw through the facade. She approached Taylor, her usual confidence replaced by a gentle demeanour.

"Come on, let me take a look," she urged, guiding Taylor to sit on the couch.

Reluctantly, Taylor allowed Lisa to inspect her injuries. The skirmish had left her with more than just a minor scratch. Pulling herself out from the top half of her suit, Lisa noted the heavy layers of bruising that ran down Taylor's side.

"Just a scratch my ass," Lisa whined as she ran her hand over Taylor. Her touch was surprisingly tender as she examined Taylor's wounds. "You've taken a beating. You need to rest," she insisted, her concern evident.

Taylor considered soldiering on, but a firm press into one of her bruises caused her to wince with pain. That was all the excuse Lisa needed for her not to let her go. Taylor found herself willing to accept the care Lisa offered. She settled onto the couch, unable to hide the discomfort of the pain she felt.

Lisa tended to Taylor's injuries, cleaning and dressing the wounds with a gentle touch that contrasted with her sharp tone of concerned annoyance.

"You're lucky it's not worse," Lisa remarked, "Seriously Taylor. You're not tough for ignoring the pain. It just makes you stupid."

Taylor winced again, the sharp twinge of pain shooting through her side. The acknowledgement of her pain somehow made it more real, causing her to swallow hard against the lump forming in her throat. What she once dismissed as a casual injury that she could walk off now became a deep wound to her pride and self-esteem. She had always prided herself on her resilience, her ability to push through pain without complaint. But now, as Lisa tended to her wounds with gentle care, she couldn't help but feel a wave of vulnerability wash over her.

She opened her mouth, ready to protest, to insist that she was fine and that Lisa didn't need to go through the trouble. But before she could utter a single word, Lisa silenced her with a shake of her head. There was a firmness in her gaze, a silent command that Taylor couldn't ignore. After a moment's hesitation, Taylor reluctantly closed her mouth, accepting the truth. She needed help, and Lisa was offering it willingly.

As Lisa finished bandaging the scrapes and cuts on Taylor's torso, she sat down beside her on the couch, their shoulders brushing. The pain Taylor had tried to dismiss was replaced by a different feeling—an overwhelming sense of gratitude for Lisa's compassion.

Lisa's gaze met Taylor's, and for a fleeting instant, their eyes locked. A small smile tugged at the corners of Lisa's lips as she reached out, her fingers still gently brushing against Taylor's body. The touch was gentle, tentative. It was a simple gesture, but it spoke volumes, conveying a silent promise.

A reminder, that she didn't have to face the battles alone, that she had someone by her side who cared enough to tend to her wounds, both physical and emotional.

Taylor allowed herself to lean into Lisa, finding comfort in her vulnerability. At that moment, she let go of the Skitter facade she had so meticulously crafted, allowing herself to simply be Taylor, scars and all.

As Taylor leaned into Lisa, a strange thought overtook her. Of how her smile felt a lot warmer. How her lips looked so enticing.

Taylor had never thought about Lisa that way before. Never thought about anyone that way before. She wasn't sure if it was a normal thought, to enjoy the shape of a friend's lips.

Lisa continued to smile at Taylor. Most likely reading her thoughts like an open book. Taylor considered asking Lisa what she was thinking, but every movement she made brought her closer to Lisa's face. She couldn't help but entertain the idea of leaning in further, closing the gap between their lips.

But just as Taylor's thoughts were drifting into the realm of possibility, the sound of footsteps approached from behind them. Taylor's heart skipped a beat as Rachel, walked back into the room, oblivious to the charged atmosphere.

Startled by Rachel's sudden presence, Taylor hastily straightened up, pulling away from Lisa. Her body jolted with a mixture of embarrassment and confusion. Lisa's eyes silently acknowledged the shared moment that had been abruptly interrupted.

Rachel, wearing a pained expression, looked between Taylor and Lisa, her brows furrowing with concern.

"I uh, might've underestimated how much pain I was in," Rachel admitted, her voice laced with a tinge of vulnerability. Her gaze fixated on Lisa. "Do you have any of those painkillers you usually use?"

Taylor's cheeks flushed, her mind still reeling from the stolen moment with Lisa. A mixture of guilt and confusion churned within her as she held back an angry glare at Rachel. She made a quick glance at Lisa, who met her gaze with a gentle, understanding smile.

Lisa, ever the composed and compassionate one, rose from the couch. She placed a comforting hand on Rachel's arm. "Of course," she said, her voice soft and soothing. "Right this way."

As Lisa led Rachel away to retrieve the painkillers, Taylor found herself left alone with her thoughts. She took a deep breath, attempting to steady her racing heartbeat.

Taylor's mind raced, desperately searching for a logical explanation of what just happened, what almost happened. The warmth of Lisa's smile, the gentle brush of her fingers against Taylor's body, the frustration that it was interrupted. What did it mean for Taylor? And what would it mean for their friendship?

With a heavy sigh, Taylor sank back into the couch. She had no idea what it meant. The only she did know at this moment, was the frustrating feeling of it being over.

 

[Gowonzu]

A/N: You can thank CowEnthusiast for giving me this idea in my head. A crossover that I'd be surprised to find if no one else has done it yet.

---

It didn't seem real. The world no longer made any sense.

Shadow Stalker, Ward of the local Protectorate, was in fact, Sofia Hess. One of the women responsible for all of Taylor Hebert's suffering.

Taylor had been journaling every attack she encountered during her time at Winslow. Studying her tormentors in the hope that overwhelming evidence might prove Taylor's repeated claims of bullying true.

It reached a peak when Taylor found herself stuffed in a locker filled with waste. However it was not the push that caught her by surprise, but the method Sophia Hess used to phase her through the locker itself.

Sophia was a cape. And she had blatantly shown it off as an attempt to intimidate Taylor. She was both shocked and appalled to discover that a hero was responsible for her misfortune. But Taylor emerged from that locker, stronger than before.

Not because of any newfound powers, no, she was far too unlucky to be blessed with the tools for revenge. But with a burning desire to punish the rogue Ward. Taylor had her smoking gun, she could report Sophia to the proper authorities instead of appealing to Winslow's useless school principal.

However, the discovery of Sofia's identity posed a perplexing challenge as the PRT seemed keen on covering up the truth, shrouding the misconduct committed by one of their own. Taylor initially confronted the PRT officials with evidence confirming Shadow Stalker's true identity and her attempts on Taylor's life. However, she was met with blatant denials and accusations of fabricating false allegations against a Ward who was perceived as a hero. They offered her a deal, a sum of cash and a non-disclosure agreement to keep Taylor from revealing the truth to the public. But Taylor wanted justice.

When she refused the money, the PRT, reluctant to tarnish their image, vehemently denied any claims Taylor made, undermining her efforts to unveil the truth. They painted her as a troublemaker, dismissing her allegations as baseless and attempting to sweep the issue under the rug. Evening going so far as to get her expelled from Winslow, forever tarnishing her school record.

And so Taylor was left without any hope. In a world that didn't care for her. Watching as the people celebrated their heroes. The aftermath of Taylor's confrontation with the PRT officials left her feeling utterly defeated. The weight of their denial and dismissal pressed heavily upon her shoulders, threatening to crush her spirit. It was easy to give in to despair. To amuse that it was the end of the story and no justice would ever be given.

But the world had other plans.

A few days later, Taylor was spending her unfortunate free time in between schools studying in the library. Preparing for her GED. Her head was down in the books, ignoring the world around her as it ignored her. Taylor didn't even notice when a man walked up to her and picked something from her stack of books.

Her hand moved instinctively to grab the one book that mattered to her. Not the small stacks of maths, science and geography research. But a fiction book, one that Taylor had spotted among the rows of books in the library. One that she wanted to read for old time's sake.

When her hands couldn't find the book she was reaching for, Taylor finally looked up at the man who was standing by her table.

The man was tall, and intimidating with a full beard to match. His hair was that of a thick, black greasy tuft on his head. He wore a dusty and battered black trench coat usually paired with some kind of patterned shirt underneath. The man flicked through the same book Taylor was searching for, completely uncaring of Taylor's confused glare.

"The Odyssey," The man said, naming the book as he flicked through the pages. His thick British accent was evident in his voice. "I remember reading this thing when I was a lad. Oldest work of literature around, they said. All about some hero kind on his way home from war."

"Can I help you?" Taylor asked, raising an eyebrow at the man.

He chuckled to himself. "Oh, this is a classic, amiright? Some might even call Odysseus the original fucking cape." He ignored Taylor's question as he handed the book back to her. "Course, ever other book that came out since then seems to repeat the same old shite."

"I'm sorry?" Taylor asked, still confused. She wished she was a more confident woman who could simply stand up and leave. She was currently trying to remember which pocket held her canister of pepper spray.

"I mean, look around, lass. You see these books? Full of stories of heroes that folks look up to." The man continued, either unaware or uncaring of what Taylor was doing. "They sell billions of these types of stories worldwide. Goes to show you, doesn't it?"

"What?" Taylor asked again.

The man's smirk widened, revealing a hint of amusement. He leaned back, seemingly enjoying Taylor's growing frustration.

"The bollocks people will believe," The man leaned in to give Taylor a sly smirk. "If you get them scared enough."

"Yeah…" Taylor said, finally reaching her limit of bullshit for today. "Did you actually need something from me, because I'm not in the mood for conversation."

"I'm not gonna piss ya about, Taylor," The man said bluntly. Taylor felt her blood run cold upon hearing her name. "I 'eard what happened to you."

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"One moment you're walking the halls, next you're stuffed in a locker," The man continued. "How many hours till you cry out 'fore somebody found you?... And you still didn't take the payoff."

"Alright, who the hell are you?" Taylor asked, anger burning up inside her. "How do you know that?"

"I suppose it's about time I introduced myself properly," The man said, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial tone. "Names Butcher, Billy Butcher," Butcher reached into his trench coat and pulled out an FBI badge, holding it out for Taylor to see. "I was thinking that you and me should have a little bit of a chat about your little run-in with the PRT."

"You're a fed?" Taylor asked, hesitant to believe the man. "You don't sound like a fed."

"What? I can't immigrate?" Butcher huffed. "Ain't your entire country made up of immigrants from all over the world."

"And you don't really look like one either?" Taylor continued.

"No?" Butcher chuckled, seemingly amused by her observation. "And what do I look like?"

Taylor's eyes narrowed as she stared at the man before her, she refused to answer that question. She had learned the hard way that trust could be a dangerous thing, and she wasn't about to let her guard down again. She studied Butcher, trying to assess his intentions and the truth behind his words.

"What exactly can I do for you?" Taylor finally asked, her voice tinged with scepticism.

She handed Butcher's badge back to him, still unsure whether he was truly an FBI agent or just a skilled impostor.

Butcher's smile widened as he pocketed his badge, seemingly pleased with Taylor's question.

"No, you got it all wrong, Taylor," he replied, his voice oozing with confidence. "It's what I can do for you. See, you ain't alone, girlie. This happens a lot more than people think."

"Girli—" Taylor began, her voice laced with indignation at Butcher's condescending tone, but he cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Everyone thinks capes are here to help us," Butcher continued, his voice laced with bitterness. "Heroes, like the stories of old. But there's a difference between stories and real life, ain't there? Capes fuck over hundreds of people each year. To them, we're all just collateral damage."

Taylor thought about that for a moment. Her view on capes had been severely shocked since learning about Shadow Stalker, but Sophia must have been an anomaly, right?

"No, come on?" Taylor protested, her voice trembling slightly. "That'd be all over the news. People would be screaming bloody murder."

Butcher's gaze hardened, a flicker of anger crossing his face.

"Yeah, there might be the odd mention of it now and again, like with what happened to you," Butcher explained. "But there's a fuck ton more that happens that just gets swept right under the rug."

As Taylor stared at Butcher, her mind reeling with his revelations, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief. The world couldn't possibly be as dark and twisted as he claimed, could it? Her faith in heroes had already been shaken by the revelation of Shadow Stalker's true identity, but this...this was on a whole new level.

"Why?" Taylor's voice trembled with a mix of anger and fear. "Why would they do that? How could they get away with it?"

Butcher leaned back, his face etched with a bitter smile. "Ain't it obvious?" Butcher said with a grim smile. "Merchandising, music, video games, books. A multi-billion dollar, global industry supported by the government itself and all the corporate lobbyists they can gather."

Taylor's mind raced, trying to comprehend the magnitude of what Butcher was saying. The heroes she had looked up to, the ones who were supposed to protect and inspire, were nothing more than pawns in a profit-driven machine. It was a sickening thought.

"But the main reason that you won't hear about it," Butcher leaned back down and picked up Taylor's book again. "Is cause the public don't want to know about it. See, people love that cosy feeling capes give them. That some bloody golden cunt will swoop out of the sky and save the day. So you don't have to do it yourself."

Taylor's heart sank. The realisation hit her like a punch to the gut.

"But if you knew even half the kind of fucked up shit they got up to," Butcher's voice dripped with righteous fury, his eyes burning with intensity. "Fucken diabolical." He paused, allowing his words to sink in. "But that, is where I come in." He gave a bow to hammer home his point.

"Come in, to do what?" Taylor asked, still unsure as to why she was being told all this.

Butcher's smile widened, his lips curling with a mix of determination and rage.

"Spank the bastards when they get out of line." He declared, his eyes gleaming with a fierce resolve.

"How do you, spank, a cape?" Taylor asked. Paraphrasing aside, it was a ridiculous concept.

Butcher started to walk away. "Come on, Girlie."

"Um, where?" Taylor asked, still in her chair.

"You'll love it," Butcher called back, still walking away.

"Uh, not likely," Taylor said, standing up but making no attempt to follow. "I'm not… yeah, no thanks. I'll just- this was an extremely weird but enlightening conversation. But I'm just a teenager, who has a GED to prepare for. Also, I don't really want to go anywhere with you. So, I'm just gonna go-"

"Taylor," Butcher called out, causing her to freeze again. "This is your one and only mate. Once I go, I'm gone." He took a few steps back to Taylor. "I'm offering you, the opportunity to get the cunt who done got you." Taylor thought back on the last two years of suffering she endured, the humiliation of being expelled and the ruin that was her current future. "What have you got to lose, you ain't already lost?"

Butcher's words lingered in Taylor's mind, stirring a mix of frustration and determination within her. As he continued to walk away, Taylor couldn't help but think about all the anger and resentment she held towards her current situation. The unfairness of it all gnawed at her, fueling a fire deep within her.

She clenched her fists, feeling a surge of defiance coursing through her veins. With a sudden burst of resolve, Taylor made a split-second decision. She wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away. If there was even a chance to seek justice for all the pain she had endured, she had to take it.

Taylor dashed after Butcher. Her mind raced, contemplating the risks and uncertainties of following a stranger like him. But deep down, she knew that this was her chance to reclaim her life, to stand up against those who had wronged her.

As she caught up to Butcher, her breath heavy and her heart pounding, she called out to him, her voice filled with determination. "Wait! I'm coming with you!"

Butcher glanced back, a glimmer of pride in his eye. He nodded, a small smirk forming on his lips. "I thought you might change your mind, Girlie. Welcome aboard."

He held out his hand to shake, which Taylor took tentatively. Taylor stared into the man's deep brown eyes, trying to get any sense of deceit or manipulation out of them. She couldn't bring herself to trust anyone these days, but she didn't need trust, she needed justice. Even if it meant joining forces with a wildcard like him.

"Don't call me Girlie," Taylor said, strengthening the grip on her handshake. "And when you get something on Shadow Stalker, I get to pull the trigger on it."

"Sure thing," Butcher chuckled. "Stick with me, Kid. We'll make it happen."

Taylor sighed at the second nickname she was given. She could already tell this was going to be a thing.

"We're the hell are we even going anyway?" Taylor asked as they exited the library.

"Road trip," Butcher said, pointing towards his car. "Just need to collect a few of the boys."

 

[space turtle]

I feel like there's a very obvious crossover I'm completely missing….
But without resorting to google, I have absolutely no idea who this is.

 

[Gowonzu]

I feel like there's a very obvious crossover I'm completely missing….
But without resorting to google, I have absolutely no idea who this is.

Click to shrink...

Haha, I should've put a note at the end.
This is a Worm/The Boys crossover. (Specifically the TV version, not the comic version)

Taylor meets Billy Butcher, who tries to recruit her into his anti-superhero team.

 

[Gowonzu]

"You'll never believe what I just saw," Emma said with a devilish grin as the trio sat down for lunch.

"Taylor?…" Sophia guessed, sounding very bored. Emma's obsession with that girl was bordering on the psychotic, even for her.

"I actually haven't seen her all week?" Madison mused to herself. "Well, outside of class. Where's she run off to this time?"

"She's sitting in the park, across from school," Emma explained, so proud of how she sniffed out Taylor's latest hiding spot. Ever since they'd chased her out of the school library, she had nowhere safe to eat lunch. "And get this, she's got a new friend," Emma stressed the word friend with heavy sarcasm.

"Who's stupid enough to socialise with Hebert?" Sophia asked. She didn't really care but if Emma was going to keep talking about her obsession, then Sophia could pretend to be interested for her friend's sake.

"That's the best part," Emma giggled. "It's just some kid."

"A kid?" Madison asked, not getting the joke.

"You know, like a kid kid," Emma explained. "Taylor's so pathetic that she has to make friends with little girls because no one her age likes her."

Madison laughed at that. Even Sophia had to admit that it was a new low for Hebert.

"So, I'm guessing you have a new plan?" Sophia asked, knowing full well that Emma wasn't content to let Hebert have a single friend, no matter how young they were. "We gonna scare this kid away from her or something?"

Emma shook her head. "Nothing so crude as that. I was thinking… maybe there's a reason Taylor is choosing to spend time with a kid? Maybe, she likes kids? Like, really likes kids," Emma smiled in a sadistic way that Sophia was very used to at this point. Emma always liked to re-contextualise her crusades against Hebert to make it sound like they were the heroes. "We should do our duty to inform people of what an awful person Taylor is."

Madison nodded with an eager smile. Always willing to brown-nose Emma on whatever scheme she cooked up, regardless of how fucked up it was. Sophia was a little more aware of how messed up the three of them were, she just didn't care. Hebert was weak, she let people walk all over her so, therefore, she should be stepped on. If it wasn't for Emma's obsession with the girl, Sophia would've long forgotten that she even existed.

"So, another rumour mill campaign?" Sophia asked bluntly. "Make everyone believe that Hebert is a pedo or something?"

Sophia never really took part in those operations. All she'd do is confirm the story for anyone dumb enough to ask her about it. Emma was the one with all the connections, and who could convince anyone of anything. All Sophia had to do was sit back and watch as Emma texted a handful of people, by lunch's end, the news would spread like wildfire and Hebert would be none the wiser.

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

A week later, Emma's plan had done exactly what she wanted. The school was filled with whispers of Taylor's excursions off school property during lunch period and the children that she was meeting.

Somewhere along the line, the rumour had expanded to include all manner of children, and not just the lone girl Emma had reportedly seen Taylor eating lunch with. Like with all of Emma's previous slander attempts, the students of Winslow would often add it, making the accusation ten times worse than whatever Emma previously implied. However, for all Emma's work in spreading this foul news around the student body, Taylor herself remained unaffected by it all.

"Dammit!" Emma whined as the trio sat down for lunch. "Taylor doesn't care at all about what people are saying about her.

"Bet the freak is just having too much fun with children," Madison said, trying to placate Emma's annoyance.

"It's to be expected," Sophia said nonchalantly as she ate her food. Emma looked up to her in confusion, Sophia rolled her eyes as she had to explain to Emma what she thought was blindingly obvious at this point. "You've ostracised Taylor so much from everyone else. How is she meant to know what people are saying about her? Everyone's too afraid to even sit next to the girl in class out of the idea that her lameness will spread onto them. Ergo, Taylor has no idea what people are saying about her."

"Shit…" Emma grumbled into her food. That took the fun out of everything. She only did this to get a reaction out of Taylor, if she was going to keep acting like a passive little flower then there was no point. "Alright, what else can we do?"

"We could get the teachers involved?" Madison suggested. "Maybe they'd take it seriously, and Taylor could be arrested or something?"

"Or maybe they'd start looking into what else has been said and done to Taylor and we'd get arrested," Sophia hissed back at her. "Fucking idiot. And you," She snapped her head to Emma. "Why don't you just accept that we've won. Hebert has been crushed under your heel like a worm and let's all move on with our lives… That, or you can just confront her in the park and tell her what people are saying…" Sophia already regretted adding that last suggestion as she said it.

Emma stood up from her table with a smile on her face and a new plan forming in her head. Madison hopped up in a hurry, ready to follow behind. Sophia chose to finish eating her food before she followed Emma on her latest adventure. The stupid redhead couldn't wait five minutes before talking to Hebert, leaving Sophia to chew angrily by herself.

Once her meal was finished, Sophia casually strolled off in the direction that Emma had gone. Students weren't supposed to leave the school during school hours but it wasn't like Winslow had a security guard at the door. No one battered an eye as Sophia exited the building and crossed the street.

The park that Hebert was hiding in could barely be called a park. It was a small patch of lawn with a single tree, a public toilet and a badly maintained set of swings. Exactly the type of park you'd expect in a city like Brockton Bay. Hebert was sitting on the swing, not moving much beyond the odd wobble back and forth while she read her book.

Sophia could spot all the signs of irritation across the girl's face. The way her leg bounced in place, the way she tried to hide her face in the book, the tight grip on the book itself and the single finger that idly tapped the back of her book while she read. Not to mention the tears that were currently drying on her face. Sophia recognised it as a sign that Emma had already shared words with the pathetic girl, but curiously, neither Emma nor Madison could be seen.

She didn't really want to talk to Hebert, but she also didn't want to look like an idiot standing around the park waiting for Emma to show her face. So Sophia walked right up and Taylor and cleared her throat.

"Hebert?" Sophia asked with annoyance. "Which way did Emma go?" She had no real desire to pick on Taylor, Emma had obviously done her thing and Sophia didn't feel like kicking her while she was down. Sophia's boots deserved better than that.

Taylor looked up from her book, not moving the book out of the way or tilting her head. Judging by the way her eyes widened, she didn't see or hear Sophia's approach. She stared back at Sophia and didn't say anything.

"Well?" Sophia asked again. "Come on, Hebert. I haven't got all day."

Taylor's eyes flicked somewhere behind Sophia then back to her. Again, Taylor didn't say a word to her. She simply held her book firm and tapped on the back of it as Sophia stood over her.

"Jesus fuck, Hebert." Sophia sighed. "I know we don't exactly like each other, but the silent treatment is fucking creepy. Did you see Emma or not? She said she was coming here to talk shit about your new friend," Sophia took another look around the park. "Where is the little shit anyway? Emma said you were hanging out with a kid now?"

Taylor didn't say a word, but Sophia caught her eye flicker as she looked behind her again. Sophia followed her view to the public toilets on the edge of the park.

"She in there?" Sophia asked, pointing her thumb back to it. "Just fucking say so already."

Sophia sighed again as she turned around. She took a step towards the toilet as Taylor let out a strange noise. It was like she tried to suppress a cough and failed. Sophia looked back to the girl and watched as her bouncing knee kicked out towards her slightly.

Hebert was always a weird girl, but even Sophia found her exceptionally odd today. She looked over Taylor once more, noting the strange way she looked at her. Taylor still hadn't moved her head, yet her eyes were straining to look in Sophia's direction. She'd stifled a cough yet hadn't so much as opened her mouth and her finger kept tapping the back cover of her book.

As a Ward, Sophia was forced to learn a lot of pointless shit for the sake of being a PRT hero. One of those things was a general understanding of Morse code. Between tinker-tech and sign language, Sophia never thought she'd ever need to learn the dumb thing, but listening to Hebert's fingers tap away, she recognised the iconic beat of 'S.O.S.'

"Hebert?" Sophia asked with growing suspicion, as she looked back towards her with actual concern for once in her life. "Where the fuck is Emma and Madison? And where the fuck is this kid you've been hanging out with?…" Sophia thought to herself, a question she might've wondered sooner if she really cared before now. "And why the fuck isn't this kid in school?"

"Hey!" A voice behind Sophia called out. Hebert's eyes widened again as she looked over past Sophia. "No swearing!"