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

Chapter 19: She's a parahuman
A/N: Damn this chapter was getting long. I had to split it again. My stupid ass actually thought I could cover all this in a single chapter.

The Dallon Household – A few moments ago

Lisa stepped into the house and inspected the entrance hallway. There were several photos strewn about the place. She saw them all on the walls and in the frames on the shelves that lined the walls. The pictures ranged from practised portraits of New Wave to candid ones of various family members: a mother holding a young Victoria by hand, two men who stood awkwardly next to each other around a barbecue, Victoria and another blonde girl posing in basketball gear.

Woman, Brandish, looks stiff, stressed. Child bored. Attempted photo multiple times. Males, Flashbang and Manpower, no smile in eyes, faking. Distance indicates recent argument before photo was taken? Only minor. Victoria and Laserdream. Pre-trigger. Gloating, proud. Beat older cousin in game? Laserdream happy for Victoria.

Lisa smiled at the last photo. It was easy to ignore the little details that painted people in a bad light. She had to remember that she was here to set a good impression, not fish out every tidbit of possible drama the Dallons might have.

Every family had issues, and every person had problems. While Lisa couldn't exactly turn off her never-ending stream of invasive data, she had learned how to ignore all the useless things her power pulled up. Things like, when someone last brushed their teeth, how old their shoes were or what random bird caught their attention for three seconds.

Lisa could apply the same logic to anything negative she came across today. Filter out all the bad and only take in the good. Use that information, not to manipulate, but to charm. She could do that, she was already learning to do it with Vicky, all she had to do was extend the same courtesy to the rest of the Dallons. It would be easy.

She looked at another photo on the shelf, this time showing Victoria and Amy in costume at the hospital.

Professionally taken photograph. Taken by journalist for news article. Panacea's first major appearance. Photo copied from website and printed. Dallon's proud of photo. No, photo printed by Victoria. Victoria proud of photo. Moved often. Set to back of shelf. Moved forward by Victoria.

Lisa scanned the shelf for more happy photos. Another family portrait of the Dallons, sitting formally around a couch. All in casual clothes, Brandish and Flashbang sit to the side with young Victoria sitting on her father's knee. A young Amy sat at the end, holding Vicky's hand.

No photo of Amy younger than six. Nervous, shy. Recently adopted. Brandish looking uncomfortable. Annoyed at replacing previous family portrait? Unexpected adoption.

'Why adopt then?' Lisa thought, looking for more details her power could pull.

Very few photos of Amy Dallon on shelf. No photo of Amy Dallon by herself. No photo of her at all on walls. Camera shy? No, child. Has no control over who takes photos of her. Organisation of photos suggest preferred structure. Rigid, controlling. Lawyer? Brandish is a lawyer, Brandish chose majority of photos to display.

'Is Brandish trying to hide Amy? But she's a public figure?'

Most photos of Amy are in costume. Dallon family hid Amy until she became a cape? Revealed out of necessity perhaps? Family caused trigger event? Unknown. Why hide Amy? Adopted into hero family. Timeline matches up with Brigades arrest of Marquis? Possible that Amy is related to-

Curiosity got the better of Lisa as she turned to Victoria, who was closing the door behind her. She wanted to ask Victoria about Amy's birth parents, upbringing and-

'No, no. Don't go there, Lisa. Happy thoughts.'

Lisa decided not to ask any invasive questions the second she walked in the door. She shoved any potential details about Amy's childhood into a mental box. Taylor walked by, stopping before getting to the kitchen entrance. She turned back to Victoria and waited for her to take the lead.

Victoria moved forward and Lisa followed close behind. The smell of a tomato-based pasta sauce was wafting in the air.

"Something smells good," Lisa said, hoping a compliment to the chef would set her off on the right foot. Flashbang turned to greet the girls.

Tired eyes. Depression. Clinical depression. On medication. Often forgets to take-

'Shut up, power.'

"Ah, there they are, just in time," Victoria's father said, wiping his hands on a towel. "You must be… Wait, let me guess. Tay-?"

"Lisa," Victoria corrected. Lisa giggled in response.

"Lisa, right," Mark said, clicking his fingers before extending the hand to shake. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Mark, Victoria's father, probably better known as Flashbang."

Facial structure matches previous photo in hallway. Photo was taken four to five years ago judging by aged face. Facial structure doesn't share similarities with Victoria. Victoria took more physical traits from her mother? Or Mark is not her bio-

'Dear god, power. Shut the fuck up.'

Mark was in the middle of showing off his parahuman abilities so Lisa latched onto the distraction with childlike glee.

"Wow, that's so cool," Lisa said in awe. She really was impressed, just because she was a Thinker who was dating a Master and a Brute didn't make other powers any less interesting to witness. Once the demonstration was done, she stepped forward to shake his hand. "I'm Lisa, Lisa Wilbourn. The pleasure is all mine."

Can summon orbs from multiple body parts, prefer to use hands. Absorbed into skin. Made of pure energy, non lethal. Can be made lethal if larger. Controlled detonation, no fear of dropping orbs.

Lisa studied his hand for far longer than she intended to. Letting it go with embarrassment after a few seconds. She stepped back and allowed Taylor to make her own introductions. It was stiff and formal, as Lisa expected it to be. Ending with Mark catching one of Taylor's flies out of the air.

Surprised. Insulted. Feels when insects under her control dies. Doesn't feel the pain. Trying to act normal about it.

Lisa let out a forced chuckle which Taylor mimicked. Taylor had no problem sending waves of bugs to their death while she was controlling them, but always got annoyed when other people killed them. Lisa figured it was some mentality Taylor had developed, considering the insects to belong to her and killing them to be 'breaking her things.'

Taylor could recover. She wasn't one to hold a grudge over a dead fly. She wasn't someone who held a grudge at all, even when she had good reason to. Victoria on the other hand looked like she just witnessed her father spit in Taylor's face.

Lisa held a thumbs up to Victoria to indicate that nothing was wrong. The girl quickly relaxed… for about five seconds before a voice spoke from behind everyone.

"The pot is about to boil over, Dear. You might want to take care of that." The authoritative voice of Brandish spoke up, making her way into the kitchen.

Visible flinch from Victoria. Fear response? Trained to react quickly to mother's voice. Never physically harmed by parents. Strict upbringing. Unaware of reaction. Afraid to disappoint.

"Mom," Victoria said with a smile as she gestured to Lisa and Taylor. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriends, Lisa Wilbourn and Taylor-"

"Hebert," Brandish finished, looking to Taylor.

Familiarity with name. Knows who Taylor Hebert is. Knows about Skitter? Unlikely. Concern and/or fear in eyes. Worried about Taylor? Worried for Taylor?

"Thank you for coming." She said politely as she shook Taylor's hand, then turned to Lisa and did the same. Lisa resisted the urge to flash a big toothy smile, settling for a reserved, professional smile she often used when dealing with her criminal contacts.

Brandish looked back at Victoria and let out a soft sigh and asked. "Victoria?"

"Sorry, Mom," Victoria said, gently touching the ground.

Often flies in the house. House rule not to fly. Scratch marks and repainted sections of walls indicate damage from Brute flight. Victoria breaks rule often.

Lisa let out a small chuckle which she covered under a cough. Victoria shot her a faux-glare look before turning back to her mother.

"Can you go check on your sister?" Brandish asked. Victoria froze in place for a second.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Victoria asked, the edges of panic trailing in her voice.

"Amy," Brandish said again. "She's in my office, can you make sure she put the books away correctly and bring her down. Thank you." She waved Victoria away with one casual hand as she turned to focus on Taylor and Lisa.

Lisa looked to Victoria, hoping to read more into the worry that was on her face.

Apologising for leaving you alone. Will not speak up against mother.

Vicky moved off and out of the kitchen leaving the two hidden villains alone with Brandish and Flashbang.

"Now," Brandish said. "I've been looking forward to meeting the two young women who make my daughter so happy. Tell me, how did you all meet?"

"I met Vick- uh, Victoria at Arcadia, Mrs Dallon," Taylor said, the same stiff formality she used on Mark.

"Please, call me Carol," Carol said. Waving the pleasantries away with less charm than when her husband did it.

"Of course, Carol," Taylor said, correcting herself. "Victoria invited me to sit with her at lunch a few weeks back." Carol nodded in understanding.

Already knows this. Confirming story. Looking for possible divergence from Victoria's retelling. Determining honestly in Taylor's word.

"I introduced Victoria to Lisa a week later." Taylor continued, gesturing to Lisa. "She's a friend from work."

Carol squinted every so slightly at the phrasing but quickly returned to her neutral stance. "Yes, your work," Carol said, looking to Lisa. "Victoria tells me you both work as interns for a 'Fortune' Constructions? Is that correct?"

Annoyed undertone in voice. Misspeaking company name on purpose. Already looked into company. Attempted to access public employee records? Another attempt to catch us in a lie. On to us? No, Overly protective.

'No way in hell Coil would allow anyone to access employee records of his shell company.'

"Fortress Constructions," Lisa corrected, "And yes. That's how we met." Lisa gestured between her and Taylor. "I met Victoria at the mall sometime after. I was surprised to find out that Taylor was friends with a celebrity like Victoria, given that she was never too interested in celebrity gossip around the office." Lisa added with a chuckle. An attempt to make Taylor seem friendlier while also trying to relieve any suspicion that either girl was here to 'suck up to the celebrities.'

"And what is it you do, at work?" Carol asked. Directly aimed at Lisa.

Spent all night researching Lisa Wilbourn. Couldn't find anything of note. Annoyed at general lack of details in Lisa Wilbourn's life. Treating as hostile. Paranoid of strangers approaching family. Prone to assuming the worst until proven otherwise.

'Well, shit. Not much I can do about personal bias. Why is she giving Taylor the benefit of the doubt then?'

"Carol, Honey," Mark said, turning back from the stove. "Why don't we give them some time to relax before we play twenty questions?" He shot a calming smile at Lisa and Taylor.

'Flashbang to the rescue. Who expected the depressed parent to be the emotionally stable one? Can't imagine what this place is like on the days he forgets his meds.'

Trying to relax guests. Knows that Carol would treat Victoria's partners with suspicion. Also curious about Fortress Construction. Won't stop Carol if she keeps pushing. Want's Lisa Wilbourn to see him as a safety net. Hoping that relaxed attitude will make Victoria's partners open up. Expected and planned approach by both partners.

'That traitorous dick! They're actually trying to good cop, bad cop us!?'

"Oh, it's no trouble," Lisa said, putting on her best fake smile. "I'm a full-time receptionist. Taylor is part-time after school. We work in a small team for admin. Emails, online research, and some marketing stuff. Honestly, it's kind of a boring job. Lots of waiting around, looking at screens all day. But hey, it pays the bills." Lisa said, finishing with a soft chuckle. Carol relaxed her gaze, Lisa could tell that she was holding in several more questions but was interrupted as Vicky came back downstairs.

Victoria was once again flying. Carrying a very grumpy-looking girl in her hands the same way Rachel would hold out Reggie.

"For goodness sake, Victoria. Don't carry your sister like that, you look ridiculous." Carol sighed. Lisa let out a chuckle at the sight before her. Victoria put Amy down gently as the younger girl shot an annoyed glare back at her.

Annoyed. Embarrassed. Tired. Constantly running on a lack of sleep. Instant dislike of seeing adopted mother. Mutual distrust from Carol Dallon? Carol is abusive mother? No visible injuries on Amy Dallon. Does not strike children. Mental abuse? Signs of mild depression.

'No, Stop that. Don't care. Forget it. I ain't listening.'

Not as bad as adopted father. Used to being carried by Victoria. Not actually annoyed at Victoria. Holds Victoria in high regards. Victoria holds Amy in high regards. Both awed by each other's abilities. Enjoys being flown by Victoria. Favourite person? Most likely.

'See power, why can't you just stick to wholesome information like that?'

Victoria nudged her sister as Amy moved towards Taylor with a sigh.

Hesitant. Embarrassed. Guilty. Would prefer to avoid Taylor. Only speaking to her for Victoria's sake. Avoid her? Why? Dislike her? Hate her? Jealousy? Amy Dallon is extremely jealous of Taylor Hebert.

'Uh-oh. That isn't good, right?'

Lisa's eyes flicked to Taylor.

Hesitant. Embarrassed. Guilty. Knows what this is about? Knows she is jealous? Unknown. Wants to talk to Amy. Wants to get this over with and move on. Likes Amy Dallon. Thinks of Amy Dallon as new friend. Wants Amy Dallon to think her as new friend.

"Hey, Taylor," Amy mumbled, neither girl looking the other in the eye. "I'm sorry about… calling you a… you know…"

Called her an insult yesterday. Found out about Lisa Wilbourn yesterday. Assumed Taylor was cheating on her sister. Conflicted feelings. Anger, betrayal, resentment, jealously. Still coming to terms with sister's throuple.

Lisa relaxed a little. Amy was simply blindsided by the throuple and said some choice words to Taylor. That made sense, mostly. But where did the jealousy come into it?

Amy spoke again. "Friends? Or… whatever?"

Lying? Not entirely. Intends to be Taylor Hebert's friend. Half truth. Concealing intentions. Desire to manipulate Taylor? Doesn't want Taylor to date her sister. Really doesn't want Taylor to date her sister. Hates the idea of Taylor dating her sister. Feels strong emotion towards Taylor. Hate? Disgust? Jealousy? Jealous. How jealous? Still intends to be friends? Why?

"Friends," Taylor agreed, shaking her hand. Amy looked back at Taylor as a similar smile crept along her face.

Mimicking Taylor's smile. Mimicking Taylor's stance. Chosen outfit appropriated from Taylor's style of dress. Amy Dallon wants to be Taylor Hebert. Has recently developed new obsession with Taylor Hebert. Obsession. Miles beyond a simple fantasy. Entire friendship is Taylor is a ruse to study the girl. Recreating Taylor's scent in her hand. Using parahuman abilities to aid in her obsession. How? Hasn't healed Taylor without consent. Wants to change body to match Taylor Hebert. Can't Manton Effects forbids this. Amy Dallon parahuman capabilities more than healing. Bio-sculpting? Biokinetic.

'Calm down, Lise. So she's a little, fucking crazy. Maybe I've read it wrong. I've been wrong before.'

"Oh, and also…" Victoria said, sliding up to Lisa, "Ames, this is my other girlfriend. Lisa. Lisa, this is my sister Amy." She gestured to each girl as Amy moved forward, extending a hand to shake.

Micro-expression indicates anger, resentment. Hates Lisa Wilbourn. Actively hostile to Lisa Wilbourn. Imagining harming Lisa Wilbourn. Biokinetic. Could cause severe harm to Lisa Wilbourn. Why? Knows Lisa Wilbourn is Tattletale? No.

'What the fuck? She hates me? Hates me? Why!?'

"Hey," Amy said casually, her hand holding in the air, waiting for Lisa to grab it.

Extreme jealousy. Hatred. Amy Dallon despises Lisa Wilbourn. Amy Dallon wants to kill Lisa Wilbourn. Amy Dallon could kill Lisa Wilbourn with a handshake. Thinking about killing Lisa Wilbourn with a handshake. Thinking about giving Lisa Wilbourn cancer.

'I'm going to die, I'm going to die. Fuck me, I'm about to die.'

Guilty. Regretful. Expression changed. Feels remorse for wishing death on Lisa Wilbourn. Against personal code to bio-sculpt without permission. Will not harm Lisa Wilbourn.

'Let's break down the facts. Amy Dallon has an… unusual interest in Taylor. And might be more than your run-of-the-mill miracle healer. Obviously, her first impression of you was… negative. But she has biases, and by what little I picked up, a somewhat shitty home life. She won't try to kill me… today. She's jealous of me. Why?'

Doesn't approve of you dating her sister. Doesn't approve of either girl dating her sister. Wants everyone to leave Victoria Dallon alone. Obsession with Taylor Hebert. Wants to be Taylor Hebert? Wants Victoria Dallon for herself?

'Like… sexually? Eww, no. That can't be right.'

Obsession with Taylor Hebert. Victoria Dallon is her favourite person. Can't hate Victoria Dallon. Lisa Wilbourn is dating Taylor Hebert. Jealousy. Extreme jealous. Wants to be Taylor Hebert. Wants to be with Taylor Hebert?

'That's it! She's fucking in love with Taylor. God damn it! And Vicky said she wasn't gay.'

Lisa realised she had been standing still for a concerning amount of time. Victoria was about to interject before Lisa slapped on her standard smile again.

"Sorry… Hi," Lisa said finally, extending her hand out, hesitantly to touch the probably bio-sculptor who wished death on her.. "I'm Lisa Wilbourn. It's nice to finally meet. Victoria has already told me so much about you, Amy."

Her hand met Amy's and Lisa braced for the possible cancer or liquefaction that could come. Thankfully nothing happened. With a relaxed sigh, Lisa shook Amy's hand a little firmer as she looked back up at her face.

Amy Dallon is a Biokinetic. Can read your biology. Knows Lisa Wilbourn is panicking internally, knows Lisa Wilbourn is a parahuman. Suspicious of your hidden motives and behaviour.

'Oh, for fu-'
------------------------------------------------------------------

Taylor was sitting down at the table between Victoria and Amy. The four girls had chatted amongst themselves as lunch was prepared. Vicky took the lead in the conversation as usual.

Lisa was uncharacteristically quiet, sitting on the other side of Vicky. Giving Taylor and Amy the occasional side glance. Taylor figured that this was a rare display of Lisa giving into her nerves. While she looked up to Lisa as the confident know-it-all that she was, she understood that the girl was severely handicapped because of the fact that she had to 'play nice.' It wouldn't give a good first impression if Lisa was picking the Dallons apart with wordplay.

Not that there was much to pick apart from Taylor's point of view. The Dallons seemed like a perfectly reasonable family, being here brought back even more memories of visiting the Barnes. Mrs Dallon was a little grumpy, but she was a lawyer and if Emma's Dad was anything to go by, then perhaps all lawyers were strict parents. Mr Dallon balanced it out with being the friendlier face of the couple. Approachable, trustworthy. A lot like Aunt Zoe was, or used to be.

Amy on the other hand was certainly no Anne. But there were a lot of qualities in Vicky that-

'Jesus Christ, Taylor. Don't compare your girlfriend to her.'

Taylor mentality slapped herself. She didn't have much to compare a happy family to, it was either a fake family in one of her books or her old memories of the Barnes. Neither was a good base. Hopefully, in the future, Taylor would set herself new standards, starting with the Dallons. And who better to set the gold standard for a happy family than New Wave?

The dining room was an offshoot from the kitchen, separated by a bench. Taylor could see Mr Dallon walking towards them even without her bugs but the man didn't make any announcement until he was properly in the dining room section.

"I hope you girls are hungry," He said, almost with a sing-song tone. "Because I… made way too much. Seriously. We're probably going to be eating pasta all week." With that, he placed down a giant pot of simmering pasta sauce, followed closely behind by Mrs Dallon who had another equally large pot of spaghetti. It was obvious to almost anyone that there was way too much food, and yet Mr Dallon quickly jogged back to bring in a small plate of garlic bread for everyone.

Everyone took a turn dishing up their plate, Victoria blatantly hovering, much to her mother's frown, so that she could dish up for herself, Amy and Lisa. Taylor insisted that she dished her plate herself, not willing to subject herself to the sheer amount of food Victoria was casually slopping onto each plate.

Once everyone had food in front of them, there was an awkward pause as neither Taylor nor Lisa knew if the family had any rituals when it came to eating. Taylor played it safe and waited for someone else to take the first bite.

"Oh, almost forgot." Mr Dallon said, taking his wife's hand with his own and offering a second hand to Amy. "We need to say grace."

Taylor was halfway to grabbing both Victoria's and Amy's hands before the youngest daughter spoke.

"We do what now?" Amy said through a mouthful of food.

For all Taylor's local omniscient abilities, she didn't notice that only Mark attempted to hold hands with anyone. She became acutely aware that she had just been pranked by Mr Dallon, as the man held a tight-lipped smile.

Mrs Dallon sighed and shook her hand free, Lisa fought a smile of her own but knew better than to laugh and Amy let off a little snort at the joke which caused Taylor to shrink into her seat.

"Dad, please don't tease Taylor," Victoria said, the tone was mostly light-hearted but Victoria's eyes told Mr Dallon exactly how serious that statement was.

Mr Dallon's smile dropped to a serious position as he looked towards Taylor. "My apologies." He said with an awkward clearing of his throat. Taylor nodded in acceptance as Vicky relaxed back into her meal.

There was a silent moment where everyone was simply eating. No words were spoken beyond the occasional complimentary murmurs and the like. While the children were distracted with their meals, the two adults appeared to have a silent conversation with their eyes. Taylor had trouble reading their body language through her bugs but it appeared to look like both parents were nudging the other one to speak.

"So… Taylor." Mr Dallon finally spoke. Taylor shot up straighter in awareness. "We… kind of feel the need to address the elephant in the room."

"Elephant?" Taylor asked, tilting her head in confusion. Victoria also seemed unsure as to what her father was saying.

Mrs Dallon cleared her throat and patted her mouth with a napkin. "Due to an unfortunate lapse in my daughter's judgement," She looked towards Amy with a stern frown to make it clear which daughter she was talking about. "We have learned something about you that we had no right, nor intention of knowing. We can, however, sweep this all under the rug, so to speak. If you prefer. But perhaps due to the nature of our family, you might feel comfortable speaking openly about it with us." She turned to look between Taylor and Lisa. "That is of course, if all parties present are aware?"

'Wait, what? Do they know something about me? Because of… Amy? What? I'm confused. Why is she being so vague? Because of Lisa? Wait, do they know who I am? Oh, shit! That's it, they know I'm Skitter!'

Taylor's anxiety spiked through the roof before Lisa interjected herself. "Yes, I'm aware that Taylor is a parahuman." She said, giving Taylor a stare to drive the point home.

Mrs Dallon frowned at how bluntly Lisa said that, but it also nodded in thanks. Taylor couldn't tell if she was annoyed that Lisa cut through her vague words or respected Lisa's directness. Perhaps both?

"Right, very well then." Mrs Dallon said, turning her attention back to Taylor. "As I said, we can simply ignore this fact about you if you don't feel comfortable talking about it. You are very much entitled to your own privacy. However seeing as you are among a family of parahumans, I think you'd find that we can give a unique perspective on things."

"Exactly," Mr Dallon said. "If you ever had any questions or advice, or just need to vent about parahuman life without fear of judgement. Well, you've come to the right place."

"O-oh… okay," Taylor said, calming down.

She didn't exactly like the fact that Amy had told her parents but she supposed it could have been worse. She also could read exactly what Mrs Dallon wanted, she didn't need Lisa to tell her that much. Taylor could say she'd rather they ignore her supposed abilities but it was safer for her to control the information on herself. Being open and honest with Victoria's parents was preferable to having them investigate Taylor in private.

"I'm a parahuman," Taylor said, the words feeling odd. Like a weight had lifted from her shoulders.

Mr and Mrs Dallon both nodded. They shared another look before turning back to Taylor.

"I suppose we should start with the obvious questions." Mrs Dallon said, a slight smile on her face. "What is it that you can do, Taylor?"

"Obviously, we don't want you to feel pressured." Mr Dallon added, looking between Taylor and his wife. "This isn't an interrogation. But obviously, as parents, we have concerns. For our dau- uh, everyone's well-being."

Taylor knew this question was coming. Not from the Dallons specifically, but from somebody. It was the obvious question, one she was surprised Amy had never asked her. It was also the most dangerous. If Taylor told the truth, said she had fine control over every insect in her radius then she would be admitting to being the infamous Skitter. She could outright lie about her abilities, but that would risk people asking her to prove it later down the line. No, the best option was to skirt the truth.

"I have a kind of… super awareness?" Taylor said, not sure exactly how to describe it. "I can see, smell, feel and sometimes hear things out of my general vicinity."

"You can hear too?" Lisa asked in amazement. Victoria also looked curious at that part. "Since when?"

"Not really. Only a little." Taylor said, shrinking down. "Ever since that time at the boardwalk, I've occasionally heard the odd noise. I'm still working on it."

"How much do you see?" Mrs Dallon asked, "And how exactly do you see it?"

"Oh, just… a radius around me," Taylor said, being truthful but vague. She didn't want to mention that the radius was four to six blocks depending on her mood, so she gestured a circle spinning with her finger. "And it's not like I see with my eyes. But I kinda… see things." Taylor gestured again with her hands but gave up. "Sorry, it's hard to explain. It's like, colour for the blind? No, that's a stupid analogy."

"Like visions in your head or?-" Mrs Dallon said,

"Many parahuman abilities don't make sense to anyone beyond the owner." Victoria added, "They have an innate understanding but struggle to articulate it to others. Like a Tinker explaining how they built their device to non-Tinkerers."

Taylor nodded along to Victoria's explanation, thankful that her girlfriend was a giant cape geek.

"I know that feeling," Amy muttered into her food. "People ask me what I'm doing to them at the hospital, then get annoyed that I don't 'speak English' when I explain exactly how I healed them. Not my fault they don't understand basic biology."

"Either way," Mr Dallon said, looking at Taylor. "Sounds like a very useful ability. Very observant, no chance of people sneaking up on you and the like."

"Unless I'm distracted," Taylor said, thinking of how the trio walked right up to her the other week.

"And might I ask what you have been doing with your abilities?" Mrs Dallon asked, "I take it that you have not signed up for the Wards."

Taylor frowned at that statement. "No." She said before she relaxed again. "I mean, no ma'am. I have no interest in joining the PRT." Victoria looked at her with worry.

'Crap. Did I say that with a little too much disdain? Is my inner Skitter showing?'

Mrs Dallon chuckled softly. "Please don't misunderstand. I have little love for the PRT. However, I do understand parahuman nature. We all have an innate desire to use our abilities. I just hope that you are using them wisely."

"I try my best not to spy on people," Taylor answered, looking at Lisa briefly. "If that's what you mean. But I can't exactly turn it off."

Mrs Dallon nodded to that. An 'always on' power implied that Taylor had no, or at least less desire to use her ability, which would be reason enough to keep out of the cape life.

Amy looked like she wanted to ask Taylor a question but after glancing at her mother, she chose to hold her tongue.

"And Lisa." Mrs Dallon said, turning to the blonde at the end of the table. "I'm sorry we got so distracted with all this parahuman talk. Please don't think we've forgotten about you."

Lisa slurped her pasta, finishing with an audible gulp. The spotlight was shone directly onto her, and contrary to what the Dallons said, this was very much an interrogation.

"That's alright," Lisa said with a smile. "Power talk is always fascinating."

"Yes…" Mrs Dallon said. "You mentioned you worked full-time? Forgive my asking, but what about your studies?"

Lisa quickly wiped her mouth and sat up a little straighter. "I got my GED at the start of the year. It was a legal requirement for getting the job. As you may well know." She chuckled but it died off when Mrs Dallon didn't react.

"And you said you were a receptionist?" Mr Dallon added in before the pause was too awkward. "Answering emails, online research? Do you enjoy it? What's that like?"

"Yeah, I do," Lisa said while nodding her head. "Nice people, lots of downtime with bouts of busy periods. Boss can be a little demanding but he really values my opinion. Says I'm an… indispensable asset." She chuckled again, but Taylor detected a hint of sadness in her voice. Lisa perked up again quickly.

"What do receptionists research anyway?" Mr Dallon asked, "I've never really thought about them beyond welcoming people and answering phone calls." He chuckled at his statement which Lisa joined in with.

"Oh, you know…" Lisa said, thinking aloud. "Planning company parties. Organising employee reports. Scouting for potential new hires. That's how I met Taylor actually." She pointed towards Taylor who nodded, corroborating the story. "Her resume impressed me. I tried to hire her on the spot. Guess I know why." She smiled lovingly at Taylor, then shifted to a concerned look at Amy before quickly looking away. "Uh, and yeah. New hires, reports, threat analysis. The usual."

"Threat analysis?" Mrs Dallon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lisa had a brief half-second where she looked like a deer in headlights before she cracked another smile. "Ha, sorry. That's just a joke I tell myself. My boss sometimes asks me to look into what our competitors are doing. Y'know just… simple online searches, compare rates and such."

"You should be careful with how you phrase that." Mrs Dallon said, relaxing her frown. "People in my profession hear that and might think you're being coerced to do corporate espionage."

Lisa giggled. "What? Espionage? No ma'am, I'm far too young to attempt anything so bold."

"Indeed," Mrs Dallon said, taking another bite of her food. She swallowed quickly before returning her gaze to Lisa. "I do wonder… Your age, and your work. What do your parents think about all this?"

Lisa shot a questioning look at Victoria that probably meant, 'How much have you told them?' to which Victoria shook her head.

"Uh…" Lisa began, hesitant to talk. Taylor knew the general gist of Lisa's youth, but never pushed her for more information. She knew that Lisa wasn't acting when it came to how uncomfortable the topic was. Lisa took a deep breath and turned back to Mrs Dallon. "The truth is, they don't know. Or care. I don't live with my parents. They had a lot of issues and I had to get emancipated from them."

"I see." Mr Dallon said, "We're sorry for bringing it up."

Lisa shook her head. "Don't be. You didn't know. But yeah, my life before isn't…" She gestured and let the sentence remain unfinished. "But it's okay. I'm in a better place now. For the most part." Mrs Dallon looked like she wanted to ask another question but Mr Dallon rested his hand on hers. Lisa answered it anyway. "My uncle took me in. David Wilbourn. It's why I moved to Brockton Bay. He helped me get the job. I told him I didn't want to go to school and he damn near forced me into work." Lisa chuckled at that.

Taylor assumed David Wilbourn was a cover that Mrs Dallon could easily contact if she went looking. Amy looked like she wanted to say something but again, looked to her mother and chose not to. Victoria however made a strange face and did a double take at Lisa, like she just realised something shockingly important.

Mr Dallon gently slapped the table before Victoria could say anything. "I think it's time we get into the meat of why we invited you today." Both Taylor and Lisa turned to him with curiosity. Mr and Mrs Dallon looked at each other uncomfortably before turning back to the girls. Taylor and Lisa were forewarned by Vicky about the real reason why they were there. The Dallons wanted to go over 'precautions' that came with dating a member of New Wave.

"Now, of course, we're all here to get to know you both. And you both seem like wonderful women. However, we feel like it is our duty to inform you, or perhaps simply remind you, that Brockton Bay isn't the safest city in the world. And the nature of your relationship with our daughter might throw some… unwanted attention your way. Now there are a few ways we can go about this, but personally, we feel it best if…"

Mr Dallon paused to find the right words, however, he took too long to think of what to say and Mrs Dallon got impatient.

"We should get ahead of this." Mrs Dallon said, speaking directly. "There's no avoiding the court of public opinion, rumours are already spreading like wildfire. Obviously, the final choice is yours. But we can make an official announcement. Publicly recognise you as Glory Girls… girlfriends' and let the 'people' know that you are under New Wave's protection." The way she spat out the word 'people' let Taylor know exactly who she meant. "Nothing too gaudy. Just making an announcement on our website and social media pages." Taylor felt a little uncomfortable with that thought, having her name out in public. She expected it eventually but it still felt awkward. "You can discuss amongst yourselves and then we can hammer out the details."

Taylor looked to Lisa, who admittedly looked a little more worried than she did about it. Lisa had mentioned that she'd shown her face to some 'work associates,' so that was more of a gamble for her. However Lisa didn't speak up against the idea, so Taylor assumed she was just as prepared.

"I'm thinking perhaps," Mrs Dallon continued, thinking out loud. "A photoshoot? To accompany our announcement."

Taylor almost choked on her food.
 
Well, now all Lisa has to do is induct Amy into their relationship. Lisa will think she accepts for Taylor, and Amy will foam at the mouth at the very idea of technically being in a relationship with Vicky. Once-removed or whatever.
 
And who better to set the gold standard for a happy family than New Wave?

Oh Taylor, for someone with effective omniscience, you really do miss a lot.
Or maybe it's just a sad inditement of her home life that anything is better than the Hebert household.

I'm thinking perhaps," Mrs Dallon continued, thinking out loud. "A photoshoot?

Taylor: "I would rather fight Lung again"

Rest or the Dallon household "…………"

Amy "I understand"
 
Chapter 20: She got through lunch
TW: Mild depression talk
Same as the other warnings in previous chapters. Very mild but just a heads up.


The Dallon Household – Afternoon

Mr and Mrs Dallon spent the last forty-five minutes explaining their detailed precautions for dating a member of New Wave. Once lunch was finished and the table cleared, they brought out a laptop and sat Taylor and Lisa down. The girls were given a brief history lesson on New Wave and the Brockton Bay Brigade. Why they chose to unmask, and the tragedy of Fleur.

Most of the information was public knowledge and stuff that Taylor and Lisa already knew, but they understood why it needed repeating. Even the not-so-public information they shared were things that Taylor and Lisa were already purveyed to, unbeknownst to the Dallons. A general breakdown of the major capes in the Bay, known hideouts, associates, power overviews and psych profiles. The girls had to stop themselves from reacting as they glossed over the Undersiders' profiles.

"This group shouldn't be too much of a problem." Mr Dallon explained, flipping through what little information they had on the team. "Usually limit themselves to thefts and property damage. But it pays to be prepared."

"Most of the team is fairly harmless… to civilians." Mrs Dallon explained, the bored tone in her voice telling exactly what she thought of the Undersiders. "Grue looks scarier than he is. Can blind you in his smoke. Regent, somewhat more concerning. Suspected human master, but that's possibly the PRT overexaggerating their threat analysis. Tattletale, thinker, harmless." Lisa gave an offended gasp but quickly covered it with a cough. "Hellhound, now this one is dangerous. Mutant dogs, wanted for murder…"

Taylor froze up in a panic as she noticed 'Hellhound's' profile. The girl was publicly recognised by her name, Rachel Lindt, in bold under assumed aliases, complete with a blurry photo of her face. Granted it was on an older photo taken from a gas station CCTV, but Amy had still met the girl and Taylor had stupidly introduced her as a 'friend from work.'

Thankfully Amy didn't recognise her that day and had currently left the dinner table to hide away in her room once lunch was done. Taylor wasn't sure how she'd respond if Amy questioned her about it. Her only hope was that Amy would forget, and the two would never meet again.

"And finally," Mrs Dallon continued, unaware of Taylor's internal panic. "Skitter, the newest member of the group." Taylor gulped down her nerves as she looked at the attached photo. Skitter stood menacingly among a crowd of terrified hostages in the bank. Taylor had seen the photo many times since that job, Alec had printed it out and attached it to the wall of wanted posters in the Undersiders Lair. "Victoria has encountered her three times now, so I'm sure she can tell you all about her. But she has control of every insect in her general vicinity with remarkable precision."

Taylor fought a smile to the unaware compliment Mrs Dallon just gave her.

"We know little about her, so assume she is just as dangerous as Hellhound, if not more so. Again, we don't wish to scare you. We have little reason to believe they'll ever come after you personally, but on the off chance that Skitter has developed a grudge or rivalry for Glory Girl, then… well it's best you two be prepared for anything."

"Skitter definitely developed something for Glory Girl…" Lisa chuckled silently as she inspected the profile. Luckily, the Dallons didn't hear her.

After that, the Dallons pulled out a map of the city and divided it into districts. The divide was the same as the map in the Undersider's lair, it broke down the major gangs in the city and where they operated. While the common Brocktonite was no stranger to gang presence, most wouldn't know the exact breakdown of the city unless they were already caught up in the never-ending power struggle for the city. As such, Taylor and Lisa pretended that this was all new information to them.

"It's very important that you all stay out of this section as much as possible." Mrs Dallon explained, gesturing to the Empire's portion of the map. "While I'm sure not everyone living here shares the same opinion as the Empire, it would be safest to assume that all businesses operating here will not tolerate your… relationship. We'd prefer to keep any and all future dates you may have in the boardwalk and surrounding areas." She gestured to the territory labelled as PRT Green Zone. "And not to idle jazz clubs in the middle of nowhere." She added, shooting a side glance at Lisa.

"Understood, Ma'am," Lisa said with a two-finger mock salute. Mrs Dallon didn't comment on her response.

"Now Victoria is trained to handle herself in dangerous situations." Mr Dallon said, nodding to his daughter. "But you can't assume that she'll be around all the time. All it takes is one idiot trying something stupid because they see you alone. So, we can organise some self-defence classes."

"Taylor and I have been taking classes together already." Lisa cut in with a cheery smile. The statement prompted Mr Dallon to give a questioning look. "Work offered us free classes, I got her to sign up with me back when she joined the team."

Taylor nodded. In truth, Lisa and Brian had trained Taylor on the basics back during her first weeks in the Undersiders, so it wasn't a total fabrication. "I've been carrying pepper spray on me for a few years now." Taylor chimed in, pulling out the little bottle from her pocket. "Dad won't let me leave the house without it. It is Brockton Bay after all."

Mr Dallon nodded in approval to that before handing a card each to Taylor and Lisa.

"This is New Wave's personal numbers." Mrs Dallon explained as the girls inspected the cards. "Not the one you find on our website; this one is a direct line to myself and Mark. The second number is to my sister and her husband. It's for emergencies only. Do not give this out to anyone else."

Taylor nodded a little slower, understanding the strict implication of not betraying Mrs Dallon's trust.

"We recommend saving those numbers to speed dial," Mark said with the same strict seriousness in his tone. "Night or day, call or just text us an address and New Wave will be right there."

Lisa pulled out her civilian phone and entered the numbers into her contact list. Taylor did the same, feeling a little bad for having superhero speed dial on her Undersiders work phone. She never did get around to buying a spare phone, having one was blasphemous enough.

Mr Dallon looked at his wife. "What else? Are we missing anything?"

"I think that's all." Mrs Dallon nodded back before turning to the girls. "If you have any other questions? Or concerns, don't hesitate to voice them. Again, none of this is to scare you, simply to make you aware of the dangers that surround… that family." She sighed in a very tired way.

"Now, I'm sure that was a lot to take in." Mr Dallon said. "So we'll let you girls go decompress and relax."

Vicky took the opportunity to get away and ran with it.

"Great, we'll be in my room." She said, standing to a hover but quickly returning to the ground before her mother said anything. Vicky looked between Taylor and Lisa, gesturing out of the dining room and towards the stairs. "Come on, this way. Oh, do either of you want some coffee or something?" Vicky asked, acting as the host for her two girlfriends.

"Tea?" Taylor asked. Victoria nodded but it was Mr Dallon who moved to collect some mugs from the cupboard.

"An aspirin," Lisa groaned, rubbing her forehead. Keeping her voice low to not arouse suspicion. "Or two. If you have any?"

Vicky took a moment to understand why Lisa had requested that but she nodded a little more seriously and pointed towards the stairs again. "Think we have aspirin in the bathroom. I'll get you some."

Taylor followed the other two girls upstairs as Mr Dallon waved her off. The man was content to bring the drinks up for them as Taylor fought between her need to be respectful versus her desire not to be left alone. Victoria reached the first door and swung it open, motioning the girls inside.

"This is my room," She said while backing away and letting the girls through. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back with your pills."

Lisa chuckled slightly then winced, Taylor rubbed her shoulder softly. She'd seen Lisa have enough thinker headaches to recognise what she was going through. Leading the blonde girl to the bed, Taylor inspected the bedroom properly. She hadn't seen the room yet with her bugs, Taylor had mastered the art of pulling insects out of any bedrooms and bathrooms she came across, to give people some semblance of privacy in their lives.

Victoria's bedroom was not how Taylor had imagined it. Taylor had expected the entire room to be in 'Glory Girl White-and-Gold,' with silk sheets and fluffy pillows scattered haphazardly all around the bed. Perhaps a wall of newspaper clippings of all Victoria's major cape battles and awards she'd received while on New Wave duty.

Taylor admitted she may imagine a tad too much 'Glory Girlness' in her idea. The actual bedroom was rather plain in comparison. While the bed looked comfortable, it didn't have any particular theme to it or an overabundance of fluffy pillows. While Victoria had a handful of pictures of her in costume, most of them were of her appearing for charity work or posing with fans rather than any 'epic battles' she might've had. There were trophies, but not to the superhero. A shelf was littered with old-school sports trophies, mainly basketball related but a few for other things.

And that shelf. The sheer number of books caught Taylor's eyes immediately. It still paled in comparison to Taylor's room but she owned a small library thanks to her mother. Victoria had half a wall of texts, ranging from classic literature to parahuman science. It was no secret to Taylor that Vicky was kind of a nerd when it came to parahumans, but she still admired Victoria's commitment to her interests.

Victoria walked back into the room and handed Lisa two pills. "Do you need a glass of water? I think Dad's coming-"

Lisa swallowed both tablets dry and shook her head. Patting Vicky's hand in thanks before lying down on her bed. Victoria gave Taylor a concerned look, Taylor responded by making a calming gesture, letting Vicky know that this was somewhat normal for Lisa and to just let her relax.

Mr Dallon appeared by the door shortly after, holding a tray of three cups of tea and a coffee. "Wasn't sure how you girls like your tea," Mr Dallon said while he handed out a cup for everyone. He raised an eyebrow at Lisa but chose not to comment, placing her cup by Victoria's bed. "Victoria likes hers sweet, so it's got sugar and milk in it."

"Thanks, Dad," Victoria said with a smile. Taylor picked up that perhaps Mr Dallon was going the extra mile for them and it made Vicky happy.

"Call out if you need anything else." He said, picking up the tray that still had a coffee on it. "And let us know if either of you are staying for dinner, we have plenty of food left over." He chuckled to himself. "Or the night. We have a spare mattress somewhere in the attic?" He said as if he wasn't entirely sure. "Have fun." He added before shutting the door. Taylor could see him walking further down the hall, delivering the remaining coffee to Amy's bedroom.

There was a long silence as all three girls listened to the footsteps of Mr Dallon as he eventually walked back from Amy's room and down the stairs. Once it became clear to everyone that no one was listening in on the girls, they all let out a collective sigh.

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

"Oh my god…" Vicky sighed. The tension lifted from her shoulders. She looked over to her girlfriends. Taylor was doing her poker-face 'emotion thing' which meant that she was hiding from something and Lisa was currently groaning in pain as she napped on Victoria's bed. "I'm so… so sorry about today. I knew it was going to be awkward but…" She cringed and waved her hand to finish her sentence.

Vicky looked towards Taylor. "Are you okay, Tay?" She asked with soft concern in her voice.

Taylor tilted her head slightly and said, "I'm fine." The monotone manner betrayed the emotion that she was hiding. Victoria held her gaze, urging Taylor to be more open and honest. Taylor let out another little sigh. "I'm a little nervous about that photoshoot your Mom mentioned, I guess."

Victoria nodded in understanding. While she had done many photoshoots, Taylor wasn't as comfortable with being in the spotlight. She remembered the small panic attack that Taylor had in the cafeteria the first day Vicky brought Taylor to her lunch table, realising that Taylor was most likely, underselling how nervous she was about the whole idea.

"It's alright," Vicky said, placing a calming hand on Taylor's shoulder. "It was just a suggestion. We don't have to-"

Taylor shook her head, shifting her posture to project more confidence. "Your Mother was right. People are going to find out about us eventually, might as well let New Wave control the PR instead of the other way around. It'll be more trouble in the long run if we do nothing. Don't worry about me." There was a scary resolution in Taylor's eyes that made Victoria think she was talking to Skitter, but it fluttered away as quickly as it came. "I'll handle it… somehow."

"And what about you, Lisa? Are you okay with this photoshoot?" Vicky asked, turning to the other girl. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she saw her. Unsure if Lisa had fallen asleep or not. Lisa was curled up in a fetal position on her bed. Victoria frowned in concern but she knew about Thinker headaches, both from first-hand accounts and the books she'd read.

Lisa tried to nod but winced as her head moved. "Ar… yeah." She groaned, lying as still as she could be. "Taylor's right. Your Mom is right. I don't know what the long-term consequences will be either way. But we'll figure it out together, right?"

Lisa opened one eye to look up at Vicky, a small smile on her face as Lisa reached out to hold Victoria's hand. She squeezed the hand as she closed her eye again, letting Vicky know that she was still awake and aware of the conversation.

"Is anyone you- uh, work with going to be bothered by this public announcement?" Victoria asked, looking between Lisa and Taylor.

"You mentioned some people knew your face?" Taylor added, looking in concern to Lisa.

Lisa waved the comment away tiredly. "No one stupid enough to out me. If that's your concern." She chuckled briefly and winced at the pain it added to her migraine. "The boss might be a little pissed with me. I should probably inform him before it becomes public knowledge." She shook Vicky's hand to get her attention. "Might be asked to spy on your family. Or something equally stupid and evil. I'll just feed them some bullshit."

Lisa's boss…

While the Undersiders' secret employer was a question that was at the forefront of Vicky's mind, a smaller tidbit of information was handed out today during lunch. Lisa had told an awfully familiar story to her parents, about Lisa's parents, and an 'uncle' that got her the job, practically 'forced her' into it.

Victoria pulled up her phone to be sure, scrolling through weeks of texts way back to one of the first real conversations she had with Lisa. It wasn't a one-to-one comparison to the 'lie' that Lisa had constructed, but Victoria could read between the lines.

"Lisa?" Victoria asked, looking back down at the girl from her phone. "How much of this is true?"

Taylor looked up, interested in the discussion and what was on the phone. Lisa opened her eye again and looked at the text message.

"Shiiiiit." Lisa groaned.

"Lisa? Be honest with me." Victoria asked again. The returning fear and care came back to her as she did the first time she read it. Only this time compounded by the fact that Victoria actually liked Lisa this time.

"All of it," Lisa admitted. Victoria felt several emotions run through her. Sorrow for her loss, annoyed at the truth being twisted right under her nose and angry as the mysterious person who had threatened… was threatening Lisa. She had to do something, this wouldn't stand.

"Don't," Lisa mumbled, giving Victoria's hand another squeeze, much tighter this time. Victoria was about to argue with Lisa, was she really expecting Victoria to sit back and do nothing?

Lisa's eyes flicked towards Taylor and then back to Vicky. Her frightened eyes told Victoria exactly what Lisa was trying to say.

"What's true?" Taylor asked, looking between the two girls. She picked up on the tension between them but had no idea of the context… yet.

Victoria was angry, she wanted to find Lisa's boss and beat them within an inch of his life. Lock them up and throw away the key. She wanted them dead, in the figurative sense of the word. For all of Victoria's anger and occasional lapses in brutality, she had no desire to become a killer. Would Taylor have any such restrictions? When it came to protecting people she cared about? She liked to believe that Taylor wasn't capable of becoming a killer, but Lisa's panicked eyes told a different story.

'Don't tell Taylor. Let me handle this.'

Victoria let out a calming sigh and put her phone away. Turning to Taylor to come up with an explanation. "Lisa told me about her family, back when we first met. But as a lie." Victoria said a half-truth to placate Taylor. "I only just realised today that it was the actual truth." She shot Lisa an annoyed 'we'll talk about this later' look.

"Oh, right," Taylor said, looking down. "Not the happiest story in the world." Lisa relaxed as Taylor bought the explanation, giving Victoria's hand another squeeze as thanks or an apology. Both worked for Vicky.

There was a short period of silence between all three girls before Lisa pulled herself up from the bed and shuffled over to her cup of tea.

"Feeling better?" Taylor asked, placing her now empty cup down on Vicky's study desk and moving to sit next to Lisa.

Lisa nodded into her tea but still rubbed her head. "Aspirin's kicking in now. I just need to remember not to do my thing for the rest of the day." She grinned again to show that everything was okay. "My fault really. I kept telling it to shut up and then I hear something new and have to dig into it. It's karma for being so nosy."

Victoria frowned at that statement, she was already on edge most days when it came to Lisa's mind reading, but exposing her family to it was another layer of worrying. "I'm not sure if I should be concerned that you're admitting to being nosy or just thankful that you didn't 'do your thing' when my parents were questioning you."

Lisa flashed a toothy grin, but it had layers of anxiety all over it.

"But seriously, thank you," Victoria continued. "Both of you. For putting up with this whole thing. I know my family can be a little… crazy." Lisa made a noise that was half cough, half nervous giggle. "And I know Mom can come off as a little strong. Especially considering what it is you two do. And Dad can be…" Victoria wasn't sure how much she wanted to talk about on that front, even if Lisa might've picked it up already.

"Your Dad's cool," Taylor said with a soft smile. Lisa nodded in agreement, perhaps to only keep Victoria happy. "And your Mom is… stern, but I understand that. I'd probably be the same in her position. It was a bit of a stressful lunch, but only because they care."

Vicky's smile grew on her face as even Lisa nodded along. She could tell that Lisa had more to say on that front but changed her mind.

"You're Dad's certainly a step up from my old man. Not that that's saying much." Lisa said, giving an awkward smile at the cheerless joke. "My Dad would never have brought tea up to my room for my friends." She waved her now empty cup to make a point. "Not to mention, leaving us alone in your room. Good to know Flashbang isn't a shotgun father." Lisa chuckled properly at that one.

Victoria turned back to her door for the first time since she walked in there. Only now realising that it was left shut.

"Wait?" Vicky asked herself. "When I dated Dean, my parents were adamant about keeping the door open whenever he was over. Like, Mom would walk by the door every hour to check in on us. Now I bring two girls over and they shut the door? Not only that but they even offered them to stay and sleep over? A spare mattress, for where? My own room? Should I be offended or happy? Did they just not trust Dean or do they not see this as a real relationship?"

Taylor shrugged but shook her head at the idea that Victoria's parents weren't taking them seriously. Lisa giggled a little louder at the question.

"You do know your mother is quite young, right?" Lisa asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah?" Victoria asked, not yet getting it. Though Taylor was already beginning to blush.

Lisa rolled her eyes and spelt it out for her. "She was worried about you and Dean… following in her footsteps." She said with air-finger quotes. "It's not like they don't care about us but they don't 'care' in that way. Your dad is actually happier that you're dating us rather than another boy. Although, heads up. You're gonna get 'the talk' again once we leave." She smirked at that last addition, relishing in Victoria's reaction.

Victoria flinched from the memory of her parents sitting her down to give her the 'talk.' Back when she started dating Dean. She didn't know why she had to be subjected to it again now that she was dating women but she sure as hell was not looking forward to that awkward conversation.

Taylor reached a hand to Victoria in support. "I think my Dad tried to do the same thing last night. I don't really who it was more awkward for, him or me." She let out a soft chuckle at the memory. "Either way, it shows that your parents support you. The fact that your dad gives us some privacy is cool. Like I said, your dad's cool."

Victoria relaxed again as both girls agreed with the statement. Her dad was cool, on the good days. Both her parents were in their own way. As painful as this lunch was, she was glad that her girlfriends still felt positive about her family. That was until Lisa spoke again.

"Amy's fucking crazy though."

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

The headache remained but Lisa could function. It was easier to keep her power off when the alternative was pain, there was less risk of curiosity getting the better of her. Of course, there were downsides to having her power off, the main one being her inability to read people.

Victoria stood tense as she stared back at Lisa. Perhaps if she used her powers before speaking, Lisa might've been more aware of what kind of landmine she just stepped on by raising her concerns. But between the intense frown on her face and the waves of anger radiating from Victoria's emotional aura, Lisa was confident that she had made a mistake in her approach.

It was hard keeping silent on the matter all lunch. The never-ending wave of information that came from Amy didn't stop at learning about her obsession with Taylor. Drip by drip, Lisa learned just how depressed, angry, tortured and insane Vicky's little sister actually was under her tired mask. Combined with an in-depth analysis of what Panacea could actually do and Lisa might as well have been dining alongside Nilbog.

However, before Lisa could even think about defusing that ticking time bomb of a hero, she had to work out how to get out of the one she just lit.

"Lisa…" Victoria said with restrained anger in her voice. "Look. I l-, uh, like you. A lot… and I know you've probably picked up a lot of things about my family. Things that I might even agree with, privately. I… appreciate you not going all Tattletale on them during lunch. But when it comes to my sister." Victoria clenched her fist as she tried to calm down. "Be very careful with what you're about to say."

Angry, pissed. Will accept any excuse/apology. Amy Dallon is her favourite person. Loves her sister. Will side with sister over-

There was a sharp pain in Lisa's head as her power cut out. It had been stretched to its limits for today and now Lisa was paying for it.

"Ah, fuck." Lisa winced, rubbing her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Sorry. Wait!" She held up her other hand in surrender. "That came out wrong. Just- fuck me this hurts. Let me explain."

Victoria crossed her arms, her frown wavering. A combination of giving Lisa the benefit of the doubt and being concerned about her thinker headache gave Lisa time to formulate a plan.

'She obviously had no idea of the extreme side of Amy. And bringing them up is more likely to start an argument rather than do anything productive. How do I get her to understand my concerns? Get her away from Taylor? No, even Taylor wants to be her friend. Fuck! Okay, think. What do I need? Information, how much is Victoria already aware of? Let's start with that.'

"I meant…" Lisa began, looking back up at Victoria. "Her power is… crazy."

This threw Victoria's anger off. It still confused and annoyed her, Victoria already was awestruck by her sister's abilities, and power talk was always a fun topic for the cape geek.

"Like, biokinesis?" Lisa explained. "That's wild. And dangerous as all hell. Did you know about that? She can modify people's genes, grow extra limbs, create super-viruses, all kinds of life if she wanted to. She could give you cancer, merge you into a giant ball of flesh and then liquefy you with a handshake if she wanted." Lisa tried to hold in the panic in her voice and failed.

Victoria and Taylor turned to each other with a confused eyebrow raised before Vicky replied. "Yeah?… And I can punch holes through people's chests? Taylor could… eat a person alive with her bugs. A lot of powers are scary when you think about them. And Amy's biokinesis is not exactly a secret."

"Well, it was to me," Lisa said back, annoyance in her voice. "I thought she just healed people. Not controlled any biomatter she touched. Maybe put that on New Wave's website next time?"

"We don't really advertise the specifics of our powers," Victoria said. "Just like how we don't tell people the specifics of my forcefield. Panacea heals and I'm invincible. That's all people want to hear. Besides, why is it such a big?-"

"Oh shit," Taylor said, looking at Vicky. "Amy knows she's a parahuman."

Victoria gasped as she looked at Taylor and then to Lisa. "Oh shit!" She echoed. "I completely forgot about that. That's why you froze up. You shook hands. Oh crap."

"And it didn't help her opinion of me, that's for sure," Lisa added with an annoyed and nervous chuckle.

"Alright. Crap." Victoria said to herself. "I'll uh… I'll talk to her."

"Maybe we should all go?" Taylor suggested. "We could all sit down with her and-"

"No, no. That's a terrible idea." Lisa cut in. "That wasn't the only stuff I picked up about her and if she knows that I know then it'll make everything worse."

Victoria's frown returned. "Explain?" The threat in her voice was evident.

'Okay, so she knows about the power. They both did. Shows what happens when you ignore the healer because they're not as active on the cape scene. Alright, new approach. Vicky loves Amy, so let's get Amy some help. Help that is far, far away from Taylor.'

"She's depressed." Lisa blurted out. Victoria's frown fell down as she flicked between offended and concerned.

'Fucking hell Lisa. Try to use a little more tact than that.'

"Not like… him. But still. We should be worried." Lisa added.

"Depressed?" Victoria asked, shaking her head in denial. "I know she's not the most expressive girl but she's not…" She looked into Lisa's eyes, both hoping it was a sick joke and knowing full well it wasn't. "Depressed… Really?"

Lisa nodded, she wasn't sure how she was going to weave the 'obsessed with Taylor' part in without upsetting both girls, so she stuck to Amy's unhappy mental state.

"How?" Taylor asked, also concerned for her friend. "I mean…" She went quiet, if anyone knew that depression wasn't always situational, it was Taylor.

"She's lonely, she feels like an outcast in her adopted family," Lisa said, listing some possible explanations, turning back to Victoria. "She compares her life to yours. She's… very jealous. But she loves you. A lot." Lisa tried to make her words sting less, it would be so easy to twist all this knowledge into blackmail for Panacea or a weapon to be used on Glory Girl. But Tattletale wasn't that cruel, and Lisa would never.

Victoria was silent for another short while. Lisa considered activating her power again to know if she could continue but the headache reminded her not to.

"Dean's said the same to me… before," Vicky said with a slight sniffle. "I always thought he was exaggerating. I never… I should've…" Taylor reached out and wrapped Victoria in a hug. "Amy's always been the best of us. Works the hardest out of all of us. Saves the most lives out of anyone. Why doesn't she say anything?"

"She throws herself into her work. Hoping it'll distract her from life." Taylor said. Taking a guess right out of Taylor's own experiences on Amy's motivation.

"Correct," Lisa said, pointing to Taylor. "Except in this case, I think she hates her work. Like, really fucking hates her work. Panacea is on the fast track to burnout and when that happens… well. Like I said. Amy's fucking crazy." Lisa didn't need powers to tell her how upset it made Victoria. Bringing the entire mood down like that. "Luckily, there's an easy fix," Lisa added, forcing a smile.

Victoria and Taylor back to her with hope in their eyes.

"Well, not easy. But something we, uh, you can do." Lisa corrected herself. "Amy just needs more… friends. That isn't adjacent to you and the hospital. She needs a space that's completely separate from her home-slash-cape life." She made a cutting motion to drive in the point. "Also maybe some actual therapy, but that's none of my business," Lisa added quickly.

"Al-alright," Victoria said, taking a breath. "I guess I have two things to talk about with her."

"Sorry," Lisa said, reaching out to grab Victoria's hand again. Taylor moved backwards on the bed, reaching out to Victoria also, allowing Victoria to climb in and form a little handholding circle among the three. "We came here to relax and I just spoiled the mood. I just needed to say something…"

Victoria shook her head. "No, I'm glad. Thank you. I just wish I realised it sooner. And wished I knew how to fix it. Maybe I'll talk to Mom about-"

"No!" Lisa yelped out before quieting down. "Uh, Amy and your Mother don't have the um, best relationship? It's probably for the best you be the one to approach Amy. She trusts you."

There was still more to say on the matter, but Lisa could tell that Victoria could only handle so much information on her sister. Lisa could only hope that this little push didn't lead Amy to do anything… drastic.

'Amy loves Victoria. She'll listen to her. Vicky is the best chance of calming her down and protecting Taylor and myself.'

There was another period of silence, where all three girls didn't know what to say to each other. Lisa felt bad for ruining the mood so thoroughly. She scanned the room for anything of interest that would help, spotting a rose in a pot by Victoria's' window. The same rose Lisa had left in her locker when she asked her out on a date. Lisa couldn't help smiling at the flower.

"So, any ideas for what we're gonna do on our next date?" She asked between the two girls. "We still want to stay low profile till New Wave makes an announcement, right? That kinda cuts down on potential date locations."

Taylor thought to herself before she said, "Well, my Dad wants to meet you both soon? I know we just had one awkward lunch but…" She trailed off, probably thinking it was an unappealing idea.

"I'd love to meet your father," Vicky said with a gentle smile.

"Count me in." Lisa agreed.

"Alright," Taylor said, confidence returning in her voice. "I'll let him know. We can do something simple, after school one day. Lisa, I'll send you the address. We'll meet you there."

"Already know it," Lisa said back smugly. "No fair though, I'll have to drive while you get to fly air-Vicky."

"Hmm?" Victoria said, thinking to herself. "Ha, I guess I haven't flown with you yet. Remind me next time we're out. I'll give you the tour of the city."

"Looking forward to it," Lisa said. "Other than that. I can't introduce you to my folks, but maybe I'll introduce you to the Undersiders one day. Grue cooks a mean pot roast." She laughed at the mental image, and Taylor joined in too. Lisa wasn't being serious about the offer, Victoria was hesitant to interact with the other members and she doubted that the team would be thrilled to eat dinner with a hero.

"I don't want to intrude on your lair," Victoria said, waving the mock offer away with a smile. "Wouldn't mind meeting your uncle though…" She added, squeezing Lisa's hand. Both as a threat and a promise.

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

Deep Underneath Brockton Bay – The Following Morning

"Good morning, pet. You know my usual questions."

Coil listened as the girl ran off her usual numbers. In another reality he stood in his office, collecting some idle documents from his desk before he got set in with his day. The numbers were good. All within acceptable perimeters. His business would strive, his assets remained undetected, his enemies unmoving and his life-

"Seventy-two point two zero one percent."

Coil froze mid-stride to his desk. He turned back to look at his pet and shut that reality down. In his current one, he dropped the paperwork where he stood and moved. Not quite a walk, but not exactly a sprint, Coil sped down to where he kept his pet.

Another split, one Coil entered the room while another waited outside. Both with a singular purpose. There were only so many questions he could ask, only so many chances he had to narrow down on his target. Even his abilities had limits. He thought hard about the possible suspects, what could've changed between the days and weeks. First, he needed confirmation, it would be silly to put so much effort only to realise he misheard.

Coil knelt down to his pet and asked her calmly. "What is the chance of me dying this week?"

"Seventy-two point two zero one percent."
 
"What's the chance of me dying by being torn in half and those two halves being fed to an angry swarm of wasps?"

Yes, I know it's a specific question!
But it needs a specific answer!!!
Torn in half, fed to wasps: 10.4%

Assassination: 30.5%

Car collision*: 60.1%

*Thrown cars also count. Dinah "accidentally" failed to inform him of that.
 
The PRT agent was in a rush to finish this job and asked Amy of his own volition, and Amy simply doesnt care, she just went along at the time because she could use the distraction.

Was it illegal? Maybe? But the unwritten rules are unwritten for a reason, they only apply when it matters. No one is going to care that Panacea sees a patient in the hospital and the PRT arent going to ask about how they got the job done unless it comes back to bite them later

They matter enough the PRT isn't doing snatch and grabs on the villains in their house or work despite there being zero reason not to know who many are. Saying they only apply when it matters is narratively false. Between body language, voice pattern recognition, the fact you can be identified by veins in your hands, and known associates it's highly unlikely the PRT wouldn't have a good idea on whole major villains are they have way more resources than the CIA and they were able to find guys off one five minute phone call to an associate years after the fact.
 
Chapter 21: She gives good advice.
C/W: Some depression talk and a very mild self-harm mention.

The Dallon Household – Morning

Amy awoke to a buzz emitting from her phone. She rubbed her eyes and groaned as she reached over for the device on the bedside table. The message was still blinking away at her.

Your parcel has arrived.

Amy shot up from her bed and scrambled to get dressed. She pulled on a shirt, pants and a hoodie before rushing out of the bedroom. Tip-toeing past her sister's bedroom as so not to wake her, she snuck downstairs as quietly as she could be.

It was still early morning, Vicky and Dad were still expected to be in bed and Amy could hear the sound of Carol moving about her office. Confident that no one would be watching her, Amy snuck downstairs and peeked her head out of the front door.

A small box was waiting for her. Amy quickly snatched it, hugging the parcel tightly under her arm as she absconded back to her room. Tip-toeing again as she made it up the stairs and quietly shutting the bedroom door behind her.

Amy let out a short sigh of relief as she closed the door.

'Mission accomplished' She thought to herself.

She placed the box on her bed and inspected her parcel. It wasn't the first time Amy had risked buying something online without anyone knowing. Amy had a collection of all manner of 'contraband' as she called it. Most of it was harmless, she simply had no desire to explain her purchases to Carol, who would no doubt give Amy a lecture on frivolous spending or some such crap, on top of giving Amy her signature look of disapproval at whatever hobby she was interested in this month.

Amy much preferred sneaking around the house to avoid having the rest of the family nosing in on her business. Sure, there were one or two purchases that Amy would have a lot more trouble explaining. A collection of manga with questionable subject matter, several attempts at a handmade Dean/Gallant Voodoo doll, complete with multiple pins through the crotch and a bootleg action figure of Glory Girl that advertised itself to be 'anatomically correct.'

That aside her latest purchase was rather tame, if not odd. Amy reached over to a small multi-tool pocket knife on her desk and began cutting the box open. This month's purchase was from a local cosmetics store, she knew about from Vicky's charity modelling gig she did every now and then. Inside the box was a small collection of makeup and a wig. A long, black-haired wig.

Amy was never one to use makeup, that was more her sister's domain. Vicky had tried in the past to get her into the act and for a short while Amy went along with it. Mainly as an excuse to spend time with Victoria and watch her get even prettier at the same time, however, Amy never particularly cared for putting any on herself.

Between Vicky's old advice and a YouTube tutorial on her phone, Amy attempted to apply her newly bought makeup. The collection was aimed at hiding her freckles and making herself appear paler than usual. Combined with the right outfit and the wig, Amy would end up looking like, Victoria's girlfriend.

One of her girlfriends' at least.

This entire plan was formed in Amy's head before she learned about the existence of the second woman. Lisa.

The blonde threw a wrench into all her plans. Amy wanted to emulate Victoria's girlfriend, to become the type of girl her sister was into. Now Amy didn't know what Vicky liked in a girl.

Taylor was cute enough but was such an odd pick. Lisa on the other hand was attractive, in the traditional sense. Amy wasn't sure if that made her more or less jealous. She made much more sense for Vicky to date, the two were closely similar in looks and personality. Obviously, Victoria was still better in every way, comparing a 10 to a 7 but still, this Lisa seemed like the conventionally attractive and normal girl that someone would date.

Normal, with the exception of her parahuman nature. Amy picked it up upon shaking hands with the girl. Lisa had kept quiet about her abilities all while Carol and Dad were interrogating her and Vicky made no mention of it. While there was a chance that Lisa was hiding her powers from everyone, Lisa was already aware of Taylor's abilities. So the odds that the girls didn't know about hers were slim to none.

What could Amy do about it? She'd already outed Taylor to the PRT without her permission and was suffering the consequences for it. There was no way she could bring it up without Carol jumping down on her. But it was suspicious, right?

Victoria was dating not one but two unknown parahumans. What were the chances that they were unrelated? How did Vicky meet her again? A work friend of Taylor's? They weren't Wards, Amy knew that much. There was always the chance that they were villains?…

Amy laughed at that thought. Her sister, Glory Girl, dating villains. Plural. There was no way in hell that was the case. Amy shunted that thought into the void, but there was a connection there.

Victoria was a nerd. She was the biggest goddamn parahuman nerd that Amy ever knew. That was the connection. First Dean, then Taylor and now Lisa. Vicky was interested in Parahumans. And Amy was a parahuman, therefore… she'd gone in a circle and was back to square one.

'Fuck it, stick with plan A'

Amy pulled the wig over her head and shifted it into position. While the wig and makeup would help her look a bit more like Taylor, there were still things she couldn't change about herself. Too short, too fat, no glasses. Her outfit would hide some of that. A collection of dark clothes that she'd seen Taylor wearing at school. The girl liked her long sleeves and hoodies, the shit was too hot with the approaching summer heat. Amy made a mental note to find out what the hell Taylor wore during summer because she'd die in this get-up.

Regardless, she wore the outfit. She had to see what it looked like when it all came together. Call it the sunk-cost fallacy but Amy had spent too much of her allowance to give up now. Looking at herself in the mirror, it was a work in progress. It wasn't exactly right, it still looked too much like Amy wearing a cheap black wig and not Taylor. It needed something… more.

"Hey…" Amy said to her reflection. Clearing her throat to try again. "H-hey Vicky."

Still too much Amy in that. She slouched herself forward, pretending to be a tall girl who tried to hide from the world.

"Hello, Vicky," Amy said again. "What do you think of the new look?"

'Hmm, needs something more.'

Taylor wasn't like Amy. Both were quiet introverts but Taylor was some super mega awkward nerd who constantly forgot how to be human. It wasn't enough to look and pose like Taylor, Amy needed to become the weird girl. She could somehow mute all her emotions at will, Amy suspected her parahuman abilities were the cause, perhaps some secondary effect to go along with her 'super awareness.'

'Urgh, she can see and hear everything around her. I'm gonna have to be extra careful watching her from now on.'

Placing her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, Amy looked down at her feet and tried to imagine what it'd be like to live like Taylor.

"Vicky…" Amy mumbled quietly. She did her best Taylor impression, trying her best to sound as monotone as she could. "How's it going? Wait no… uh, how's things? Yeah, just trying something new. What do you think?"

Amy imagined the responses her sister might give, in a perfect world. Complementing her on the new look, finding her cute. Forgetting all about Taylor and whatsherface second girl. She had her own Taylor at home, and it was better. It was Amy.

"Yeah. I like you too." Amy said, fully immersed in the daydream. "It's not weird. We're just… different." Amy had closed her eyes, picturing the scenario in her head like she'd done so many times before in so many ways. "We're more than sisters. We're special. You're so special, Vicky… so very…" She leaned forward, pressing her lips towards the mirror.

Right at that moment, her bedroom door slammed open. Amy jumped like a startled cat and tore the wig from her head with a speed that would make Legend impressed. Unfortunately, it got caught and only succeeded in blinding her face with hair.

"It's not what it looks like!" Amy immediately called out, she still didn't know which family member she was talking to. "I'm just trying out some… thing? Someone sent me this as a joke! It's bad fan mail! I was going to trash it! Just thought it'd be funny, right? Haha, it's so stupid…"

Amy tried to think of any and every excuse she could think of all the while hoping that it was just Dad, sleepwalking in a depressed daze. Or Carol, she'd just roll her eyes and bitch. Anyone but-

"Amy? Oh my god." Victoria cried out. "How have I never seen the signs?"

Anyone but her…

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

'Amy is depressed.'

The thought kept Vicky up most of the night after her girlfriends left. It was an awful thought to have, the only solace that Lisa had given was that it wasn't anywhere near as bad as her father's depression.

She paced back and forth in her room, thinking of how to approach the conversation with her sister. She was never good at dealing with delicate things like this. The fact that Amy hadn't mentioned it to her was just as concerning as the fact itself. They shared everything with each other, they were sisters. More than sisters, as Amy sometimes put it, they were best friends.

The idea that Amy was struggling all this time and Victoria didn't see. She felt horrible. She was the worst sister, no doubt about it. What kind of idiot couldn't pick on their own sister's deteriorating mental state? How long was Amy like this? Couldn't Vicky see the signs or was she just blissfully blind to everything?

Well no more!

Amy deserved better. She had no idea how she was going to help Amy, but she needed to try. From today onwards, Victoria was going to become the sister Amy needed. She would be attentive and supportive.

The first step was getting Amy some much-deserved space that Lisa mentioned. Convincing Amy to reduce the amount of hours spent at the hospital so that she had the time to relax. Maybe find a way to convince Mom to send Amy to therapy.

Vicky sighed, even after all the years living with Dad, she still had no idea how to approach depression. It was a delicate situation and Victoria wasn't known for being delicate, preferring to barge right in and confront her issues head-on. She knew this was going to be awkward, but it had to be done.

Victoria steadied herself and left to enter Amy's room. During the short walk down the hall, Vicky tried to think up a plan of attack. By the time she got to the door, she had none. So she channelled her inner Glory Girl and projected heroic confidence.

Amy jumped in surprise as Victoria barged it. Face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to hide, but it was too late. Vicky had already seen it. Amy stood in front of her mirror, wearing the darkest clothes Vicky had ever seen her sister wear. Her face was made up to be several shades lighter than usual, giving her a ghostly white appearance and it was topped off with a long black wig. The wig's style mimicked Taylor's hair, in colour and length at least. But it was far too straight to resemble anything like Taylor's actual hair. It caught on Amy's head as she flung herself, the hair blinding the girl.

"Amy? Oh my god." Victoria cried out. "How have I never seen the signs?"

The look was not good, to put it mildly. Victoria was stunned silent upon seeing her sister's new look. Amy looked like she was trying to mimic the style of an early 2000s punk band and failing miserably.

All this brought several questions to Victoria's mind, such as what kind of music did her sister like? And when did she even buy that awful wig? Amy launched into her excuses, mumbling like a fool as to why she was wearing such a wig and what she was doing in her room before now. But all Victoria could think was.

'How have I never seen the signs!? Vicky, you idiot! Amy is literally going through an Emo phase!'

-----------------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Streets – A few hours later

Taylor felt the buzzing of her phone in her back pocket. She wasn't exactly in a position to answer the call. Dodging backwards, Skitter toyed with the lone ABB member that she had drawn out. The man was swinging wildly as all manner of creepy crawlies ran up his leg. The distraction allowed Skitter to get in some much-needed practice in the art of baton combat. A solid 'thunk' sent the man to the floor.

With the thug incapacitated, Taylor reached into her back pocket to check the caller ID. She smiled behind her mask as she saw Vicky's name light up. She debated briefly how wise it would be to answer the phone call in the middle of a job but everything was under control and she had the spare time. Taylor flipped the phone up and remembered to speak up through the mask.

"Hey, what's up?" Taylor asked, trying her best to sound casual.

"Tay!" Vicky whined back, "Are you busy?"

Taylor was aware of three incoming threats to her current location, all of them tagged and unarmed. Skitter split her swarm and directed a counterattack.

"No," Taylor said with a smile. It wasn't a lie, she could easily manage a phone call right now. "I always have time for you."

"Great!" Victoria sighed with relief. "I just need somebody to vent to. This morning has been so…" She let out another exasperated sigh.

"What's wrong?" Taylor asked, true concern coming through her voice.

"Just… Amy." Vicky said back. "I spoke to her about… you know. What Lisa said."

"Oh, I see."

"Yeah…"

There was a long pause where Taylor waited for Vicky to continue. During that time, the swarms descended upon their targets. Taylor covered her phone's mic as all three gang members screamed out in terror.

"Am I stupid?" Victoria finally asked.

"No," Taylor said firmly, reacting on instinct to defend Vicky from herself. "No, why would you think that?"

"Because I didn't see any of this? B-but now that Lisa pointed it out…" Taylor could hear the words catching in Vicky's throat, she could tell how upset she was about this revelation. "It's so obvious. And I've just been waving it off. Worse, I've been joking with everyone that my sister is a little anti-social when she's actually been… been…"

"You're not stupid for not realising, Vicky," Taylor said back, making sure that no one was in earshot of her conversation. "Amy's good at hiding her feelings, I can relate. No one noticed till Lisa did her thing. That's what her power does, she can find the worst parts of us and plucks them from our heads. And you often see the best in people, which makes sense why you wouldn't realise."

Taylor hoped that her argument came off as the compliment she intended and not as an awkward way of putting down both her girlfriends at once. She internally cringed after speaking but directed that useless energy to the bugs that were chasing three men away.

"Look, my point is," Taylor cut in again before Vicky could think about what she just said. "You're not stupid. You care about Amy, always have."

"Yeah… you're right." Victoria agreed. "Thanks, Tay."

"So, what did you talk about with Amy?"

"Mainly just confirming what Lisa already told me," Victoria explained. "She agreed that she's… unhappy with her life at the moment. That the hospital work is draining her and that she isn't opposed to the idea of having a new friend or two."

Two more cars drove up to the building from where Taylor was standing. A small squad of ABB reinforcements parked up. Skitter could count seven men in total, She forwarded that information through her bugs to the rest of her team who were busy breaking into a panic room on a higher floor.

The Undersiders were currently tasked with a snatch & grab/kidnapping/rescuing. An ABB lawyer or some such could see the writing on the wall and wanted to jump ship, contacted the Undersiders to help stage a kidnapping to make it look involuntary. Taylor didn't really care for the specifics beyond that it'd hurt the ABB's dwindling revenue stream. Saving one dirty lawyer to wound the second biggest gang in Brockton felt like an easy trade.

"There you go," Taylor said. "Admitting she needs help is the first step… so I'm told."

"But she didn't admit that," Vicky whined again. "I had to basically force her to say she was 'unhappy' with her current situation. She's so closed off. Much more than I ever realised. It's like, what else isn't she telling me?"

Skitter formed the bugs around Tattletale's feet, spelling out the words, 'Are you done yet?'
Tattletale shook her head, trying to coax out the door lock code with her power. Skitter suppressed a sigh as she prepared her swarm for the oncoming battle. Not that bullets would do anything to protect them from her.

"It's hard to talk about," Taylor said back. "You've opened the door to the conversation. Just… give her time to open up."

"I just… don't understand how it got this bad. We used to be so close. Whenever I got upset, it was always Amy who was the first to know. And we used to tell each other everything. Like, she knows secrets about me that I wouldn't even share with you. No offence."

"None taken."

A wall of bugs blocked off the entrance to the building. Trapping all seven men inside the first floor of the building. Skitter could hear the gunfire from where she was sitting but thankfully Vicky didn't pick up on it.

"And now I feel like we've slowly drifted apart and it's all my fault for never noticing her problems. Like, I didn't even tell her that I was gay until after I kissed you. And only because she noticed I was happy. That kinda self discovery should've been an instant sharing moment, right?"

"Vicky," Taylor sighed sympathetically. "That kind of self-discovery… I didn't even tell my Dad about it till after we… got together. And for some people, it takes time to even fully realise it."

While Taylor paced back and forth on her phone call, the swarm danced around the room below. The tricky part of taking on seven armed men had nothing to do with getting close to them, it was making sure the dumbasses didn't accidentally shoot each other while Skitter did her thing.

"But she's my sister, Tay. I know she's adopted; that's never mattered, she's 'my' sister." Vicky cried back. "We're meant to be closer than our parents. I just hate this feeling, she's been in all this emotional pain and she couldn't come to me about it. Like, if she can't trust me with the truth then who? The very first day she came home, I pinky promised her that we would be sister's forever. And now?" Vicky stifled a small sob. Taylor desperately wished she could be there in person to give her a hug. "I know I'm being selfish, especially with everything she's dealing with. But I don't want to wake up one day and find out that she doesn't consider me her family anymore, y'know?"

Taylor knew the pain of losing someone you called a sister, very well. She bottled that pain, sadness and anger right into her swarm and slammed some poor thug with a face full of spiders.

"You know that's not true," Taylor said, putting more oomph into her tone. "Amy loves you. Lisa confirmed as much and you don't even need her power to know that much. So don't think that. Not even for a second, okay?"

"Yeah…" Vicky sighed, before perking up again. Realising the full weight of Taylor's words. "Yeah, you're right. She loves me, we're still sisters. She needs me right now and I have to find a way to be there for her."

The last of the seven men collapsed onto the floor right as Tattletale got the panic room door open. Skitter sent an 'all clear' message and waited for Grue to give her new orders.

"Have you got a plan in mind?" Taylor asked.

There was another short pause as Victoria thought to herself. "Well, the first thing is to convince Mom to shorten Amy's hospital hours. And make sure that Amy herself follows through with the new hours. She says she's overworked and yet she keeps volunteering all her free time at the clinics. I also mentioned to Amy the possibility of therapy but the look she gave me tells me that it's a no-go. Now she's locked herself in her room like usual, I think she was embarrassed by our talk." Vicky sighed again. "I don't know what to do, Taylor."

Taylor thought about her own experiences for a moment. She could relate to Amy, in more ways than one. Therapy didn't sound very appealing to her, however, she was doing a lot better than at the start of the year.

Grue's voice cut off her thought briefly. "Package secure, Bitch is waiting for us on the roof. Somebody let Skitter know it's time to go."

The swarm that was with the Undersiders formed into a check mark. Grue stared down at it and froze for a few brief seconds which caused Tattletale to chuckle. Brian only now realised that Taylor could hear through her swarm and that their all-seeing teammate was now even more omnipresent.

"I think…" Taylor said, returning to her conversation as she made her way up the stairs. "You need to give Amy a push. Get her out of the house, into a new environment where she can meet new people."

"You think that'd work?" Vicky asked, unsure.

"Don't know," Taylor admitted. She had no issue talking while jogging up a flight of stairs. "But it worked for me. Changing schools, trying a new… hobby. It's how I met you and Lisa. Not that Amy needs that extreme of a change. But it can't hurt."

Taylor reached the top floor and opened the door to be greeted by the rest of her team. Regent was already sitting on one of the dogs, lazily waiting for everyone else to get ready. Grue was trying to convince the lawyer they just 'kidnapped' that the dog was perfectly safe to ride on, but the suited man was hesitant to get near the beast.

"Alright. I'll try that." Victoria agreed. "Thank you, Taylor. Seriously. I know I only called to vent, but you also your advice is really what I needed. Oh, and Mom was planning on booking that photoshoot next weekend. Which admittedly, is annoying because I have finals coming up but rather get it done soon than later, right?"

It always amazed Taylor how quickly Vicky could fluctuate through emotions. One moment she was worried and sad about her sister's mental well-being, now she instantly perked up after a short phone conversation. That summed up Victoria's attitude, upfront with her emotions but never letting them drag her down. Taylor wondered if her emotional aura gave her that ability or if it was Vicky doing it on her own. Either way, she was jealous of that trait, among many others of Victoria's.

"Right," Taylor said affirmatively, walking to one of the dogs. "I guess everything will change after this week." She shook off how ominous that sounded. "For the better." Taylor made sure to add.

"Yeah, don't worry. It'll be-" Vicky said, Taylor could hear her bright smile in her words.

Brutus barked loudly at the now terrified lawyer, who promptly fainted after the fact. Regent let out a hearty chuckle at the exchange while Grue sighed.

"Was that?…" Vicky began, hearing the noise in the background as Taylor moved closer to them. "Hang on, are those Hellhound's dogs?"

Taylor watched as Bitch jumped down off Brutus and assisted Grue in carrying the unconscious lawyer. Unlike Grue, Bitch showed no care as to how the man was handled, lifting him over her shoulders before sliding him onto the dog.

"Yeah?…" Taylor admitted, not wanting to lie to Vicky. Grue climbed on the dog with Regent as a third dog trotted by to pick up Skitter.

"Are you working right now?" Victoria asked,

"Maybe?…" Taylor admitted again. Climbing onto the dog.

"Oh, is that Vicky?" Tattletale chuckled, lending Skitter a hand. "Tell her I said hi."

There was a pause in the conversation as Vicky sighed. Taylor could feel the stern disappointment in Victoria that Taylor now could recognise as a habit picked up from her mother. It left shortly after.

"Hello Lisa…" Vicky said, in a much more neutral, meditative tone. "You two have fun. Be… safe? Please don't get arrested. For me."

"No promises," Lisa said into Taylor's phone. "But don't worry. I'll keep this one safe."

"Bye, Vicky," Taylor said apologetically. Lisa called out her goodbyes as well, kissing the air around the phone before Taylor hung up.

------------------------------------------
Brockton Bay Park – Afternoon

Amy grumbled to herself as she wandered down the footpath, kicking a stone as she trotted along. She had no idea where she was going, Vicky had simply told her to spend some time out of the house and Amy couldn't resist those damn puppy dog eyes she was giving.

This morning had been a shitshow. Vicky barged right in and almost discovered Amy's terrible secret. Thankfully her sister was too preoccupied with some talk about depression to notice what Amy was doing.

The wig and the makeup had been a complete bust. Not only did it not make her look more like Taylor, but it actually made Amy look worse, which is something she didn't know was even possible. Victoria lamented on the idea of Amy hiding her freckles behind makeup, saying that it was one of her cutest features. Admittedly that made Amy feel a little better about the whole experiment.

Although it wasn't a total loss. At several points during the conversation, Vicky had mentioned that Amy smelled 'nice.' Either complimenting the smell of Amy's hair or whatever 'perfume' she was wearing. Amy smiled to herself at that thought, the plan to recreate Taylor's scent via skin bacteria looked to be working.

If only Victoria didn't look at Amy like some wounded animal.

'Seriously? Depression? Where did she come up with that shit?' Amy thought to herself. 'I'm not depressed. I just dislike a couple of things in my life. And wish I was someone else. And occasionally think about hurting myself…' She paused on that last thought for a moment before waving it off. 'But everyone thinks like that. I'm not special.'

In any case, Amy was now out of the house. Promising Vicky that she'd go do… something, while Victoria spoke to Carol about reducing her hospital hours.

In theory, Amy had no issue with working less. But also, in theory, working only the currently assigned hours that Carol gave her was less than usual. Amy would often go overtime for various reasons, a large number of them being from guilt. She had the power to save lives and every minute she wasn't healing someone, she was being a selfish monster.

If it wasn't for the fact that she promised Vicky that she wouldn't walk directly to a hospital or clinic, Amy would probably be right there. Now, Amy was wandering the streets like some homeless bum, trying to find something to do that wasn't hospital, cape or home-related.

'What the hell do people do for fun when they're not in their room?'

Amy had no fucking idea. She was ready to simply wander for a few hours until it was safe to return home, she was rather used to being on her feet for long hours. So she grumbled. She complained, walked and kicked a stone as she moved. Not going anywhere in particular.

A large dog ran over to her. The speed and size of the animal almost threatened to bowl Amy over, she jumped into a defensive posture that her uncle taught her, not really sure if basic judo could be done on dogs.

The animal stopped just short of running into Amy, halting before her and standing at attention.

"What?" Amy asked, looking at the creature. The dog's eyes tracked her cautious movements. "What do you want?"

A second dog ran up behind Amy, she let out a small yelp as she tried to dodge the attack that never came. Amy never had a dog growing up and didn't have all that much experience with the animals. Vicky might be a golden retriever at heart but that didn't mean Amy was particularly fond of the hairy, drooling things.

Both dogs circled and enclosed the girl, sniffing the floor around her. Amy had never used her powers in an offence capability before and was very hesitant to start now. She could already imagine tomorrow's headlines if she did. 'Panacea liquifies dogs in the park. The true terror is revealed!'

Instead, she froze up, shutting her eyes and keeping her hands up. Hoping that someone would notice the girl in distress.

"Angelica! Judas! Down!" A voice called out. Both dogs immediately broke from their encirclement. "What the fuck are you doing!?"

Amy peeked an eye open to see what was happening. Immediately her eyes were drawn to a tall, muscular woman who was angrily scolding her dogs. While that description could also be applied to Vicky, this woman was far too butch to even come close to Amy's angel. Also, there was something suspiciously familiar about her.

An annoying part of her brain was trying to send a warning message, but the information got lost in transit because Amy couldn't for the life of her remember who this woman was.

The butch woman wrestled her dogs into their leashes and tied them to a tree. Amy noticed that there was a third dog who seemed to be the better trained out of the three.

'Something about three dogs. Why does that set off warning bells?…'

The woman turned back to Amy once the animals were secure. The stare she gave was intimidating, but Amy was much more used to people giving her looks at the hospital rather than two dogs, so it didn't phase her in the slightest.

"They shouldn't do that unless I tell them to." The woman said like she was chastising the animals.

'Like those mutts understand what she's saying.' Amy mentally rolled her eyes.

"Did they try to bite you?" The woman asked. Amy wasn't sure if that was an attempt at a little concern in her voice, because it felt more like an accusation.

"No," Amy said back with the same level of hostility she was receiving. "They just ran up to me and sniffed around the place. Control your dogs next time."

Amy stood her ground and growled back at the larger woman. She felt an odd sense of deja vu. Like she had growled at this woman before, and not that long ago-

Suddenly it clicked. Amy had met this woman before. She was that weird girl who told her that Taylor was cheating on Vicky. Or so Amy assumed at the time. The woman must've made the same realisation because, at the exact same time, they both pointed at each other and said.

"You!"

"You're Taylor's friend." The woman growled.

"Yeah?" Amy replied, unsure if that was a question or a statement. "What of it?"

"The dogs like you. Never seen that before." The woman continued. "Usually, they know not to go near strangers." The woman said again, the dogs whining as she spat out the words to them. "What are you doing?"

Amy was caught off-guard by the question. Who the hell was she to just question what Amy was doing. Who the fuck even is this woman?

"Nothing," Amy said, defensively.

"Good, follow me." The woman commanded, walking back to her dogs and picking up their leashes.

"What?" Amy asked, confused as all hell. The woman grunted again and Amy found herself falling into step alongside her.

To say Amy was being kidnapped would be an over-exaggeration. However, the sheer presence of this woman made her feel like she had to follow after lest she be run down by the dogs. Besides, it wasn't like Amy had anything better to do right now.

"Where are we going?" Amy asked before they left the park.

"Need volunteers." The woman said, pulling out her phone and hitting a number. "Yeah, it's me." She said into the phone. "Shut up a sec will ya. I'm bringing in a new girl."

Amy had no clue what the fuck she was being volunteered for but she was eighty… seventy percent sure it wasn't a trap to end up in some ABB sex dungeon. In any case, she had Vicky on speed dial, she was fine, for now.

"Yeah. We'll be there soon." The woman grunted into her phone. "What? I don't fucking know. Fine, I'll ask her." She turned to Amy and asked, "What's your name again?"

"Amy." She replied. The woman didn't give her name, rudely and Amy had forgotten what Taylor said the other day.

'Something with an R? Riley? Or Rebecca?'

"Hold the fuck up," Amy said, not bothering to act respectfully for this audacious bitch. "What the hell am I volunteering for?"

The woman huffed like it was obvious. "Dog shelter. Up north. Near the train-yard."

"And why the fuck am I being volunteered?" Amy followed up.

"The dogs like you." The woman said, pointing her head towards the three dogs she walked. "Never seen that before. Less likely to bite you if they like you."

"Great…" Amy sighed, still knowing that she had nothing better to do. "I'm the fucking dog whisperer."

The woman huffed. Not commenting on her complaint until they walked another city block. "That, or they just like how you smell."

'Like how I smell?' Amy huffed to herself. 'The only thing I smell like right now is-'

"Son of a bitch..."
 
Last edited:
"Kidnapped the most important girl in the world?!"
"Nah, this is just Riley, she's good with living things"

Somewhere Contessa's path had her bang her head into a wall and not question it.
And Jack Slash sneezed.
 
Chapter 22: She's not in this one (Amy Interlude)
A/N: Sorry for the wait, Starfield kinda ruined my life for a little while. (In the fun way)
This chapter is was meant to be a small B plot that went along side the main plot but it ended up getting long. So enjoy this Amy interlude.


Brockton Bay Train yard – Midday

"Why aren't we just going straight there?" Amy complained as she trotted along. "We turn right then left, then right two more times. We've crossed this street several times, just go down it."

Amy walked for over an hour with the strange woman she met in the park. She took various detours on their way to the supposed dog shelter. Amy's old New Wave training was trying to alert her to the suspicious behaviour, like the woman was actively avoiding being followed or seen in busy locations, however, Amy chalked it up to the woman being lost.

The woman, whom Amy had still not remembered her name, simply huffed and said. "We're walking the dogs."

That made sense to Amy. She was never one for exercise, but the concept made sense. Apparently, Taylor went for jogs every morning, she'd mentioned it once during the lunchtime conversation. While Amy knew she should incorporate the routine into her daily life she wanted to be one step closer to imitating Taylor, the idea of getting up in the morning and actually doing exercise was too daunting to even think about.

As they got further away from the city and closer to the train yard, the detours became less and less frequent. Until finally they were walking down the main strip of road that they had passed several times over. Almost an hour after being picked up by the strange woman, they had both made it to their destination.

On the edge of the city, Amy stood outside a rather clinical-looking building, when she was grabbed from the park by that large, brutish woman and told that she'd be volunteering at a dog shelter at the train yard, Amy pictured some run down shoddy shack. The sign out the front read Brockton Dog Sanctuary along with a secondary sign that read Not accepting adoptions. Upon closer inspection, Amy could see some graffiti under the main sign. Underneath the word Brockton, someone had spelled out itch's with a red marker. Amy thought the idea of tagging 'Itch' on a building was rather pointless, but then again, most graffiti tags looked stupid to her.

The strange and still unnamed woman led Amy into the lobby of the building and told her to wait while she 'sorted some shit out.' Amy used the time to check her phone. There was a message from Victoria waiting for her.

VD: I finished talking to Mom. She said that she'd 'think about reducing your hours' but she wants to discuss it with you first.

Amy rolled her eyes. That wasn't going to be a fun conversation. It was already awkward as fuck when Victoria thought she was depressed and overworked, now Carol was going to be questioning her mental state. Amy sent back a simple reply.

AD: k

VD: Remember what we discussed. Don't tell Mom that 'you're fine.' Let her know how you feel, okay?

AD: k

VD: Amy…


Even through text, Amy could hear her pouting at her. Adorable, like a… Amy was about to compare it to a puppy, but now she was in a lobby surrounded by pictures of the yapping things the compassion didn't do Vicky justice.

AD: I'll let her know. Happy?

VD: I just want you to be. <3


Amy rolled her eyes again. Where the hell did this all come from? It was as if Victoria just woke up today and decided that Amy was unhappy with life. She wanted to text back, 'I am happy, stop worrying about me.' But she already knew that would just make Vicky worry even more. It was stupid. Victoria might have good intentions, but that didn't stop Amy from feeling like her own sister was gaslighting her into being depressed.

So what if she wasn't as cheery as Victoria? So what if she didn't feel 'fulfilled' with what she was doing? Who cares if she has the odd daydream about disappearing from the world every day or so? That didn't mean Amy was unhappy, it was just the result of comparing her life to Vicky's. Victoria was a shining beacon of light, comparing her life to Amy's was like comparing a gourmet steak to a sack of crap. That didn't mean Amy wasn't happy, she was perfectly…

AD: I'm fine.

VD: Where are you right now? Need me to pick you up?

AD: Near the train-yard.

VD: What are you doing there?


Then she thought about how it'd look from her sister's perspective. Victoria had explicitly told her not to go work in a hospital or clinic, would she get mad if she said she was volunteering at a dog shelter?

AD: Looking at dogs.

VD: Cute! Take photos.


Vicky sent a gif of a cartoon dog holding up a love heart. Amy snorted a quick chuckle before putting her phone away. She could hear footsteps approaching her. They were lighter sounding than the bulky thump of the woman who brought her here. Amy was surprised to see a young girl walk out behind the counter. She was younger than Amy was, perhaps fifteen or fourteen by the look of her, She held a cheery smile as she stepped into the lobby.

"Hi!" The girl said with a very upbeat attitude that would even put Vicky to shame. "I'm Cassie. Sorry for the wait. Rachel can be very particular with how we handle her dogs post-walk." She chuckled as she ran her hands over the desk, switching on the computers that sat on the reception desk.

'Rachel?' Amy thought to herself. 'Oh, that must be the strange woman's name. I knew it started with an R.'

After typing into the computer for a bit, the girl ran up to Amy and held out her hand to greet her. Amy shook it hesitantly. "I'm so glad we have someone new to help out around here. We're kinda short-staffed at the moment so we really need the help."

With all the craziness in her life right now, Amy was expecting to discover yet another parahuman but was pleasantly surprised to learn that this girl was just a regular girl.

"Um, no problem." Amy said, "I still don't know what I'm doing here. She- uh, Rachel just dragged me from the park after her dogs ran up to me."

The girl laughed at that and waved her hand. "Yeah, that sounds like Rach." Amy picked up on the admiration in her tone as the girl handed Amy a clipboard. It had a form to be filled out, a simple volunteer employee contract. "I kept asking her to find more people but she's very particular about who we get. She chased off the last two people who came by."

"You're short-staffed, yet she's chasing off potential volunteers?" Amy asked in confusion.

"We take dog care very seriously around here." Cassie said, "If the dogs don't like you, you're out. And if Rachel doesn't like you… Well, don't worry about that. She hired you herself."

"I see…" Amy nodded, thinking of an easy way to get out of this if it proved to be a waste of time.

The woman, Rachel walked back into the lobby, Amy noted that her resting bitch face never appeared to change.

"Cass, tell Kyle to stop fucking around and get on with cleaning the sleeping areas." Rachel barked out.

Cassie jumped into a salute; her smile held on her face but she bore no teeth with it. "Yes, boss."

"And make sure Bensen gets enough food today, I know the other dogs are stealing from his bowl."

"Yes, boss."

"And where the fuck is Jack, the dogs need their baths."

"Jack?" Cassie asked, her head tilted in confusion. "Oh, you mean Jake?"

"Yeah, that fuck."

"You fired him, remember?"

Rachel stood silently for a good few seconds while she thought on that before nodding her head.

"Right. Fuck him." She said, pointing a thumb to Amy. "This one ready yet?"

"Almost," Cassie said, holding her clipboard out to Rachel. "Just gotta give her the orientation, give her a tour and also let her know how amazing you are!"

That last part caught Amy off guard. The girl said it with such honest enthusiasm. It reminded her of all the annoying fans who clamour around Victoria. This Cassie girl was some kind of 'Rachel fan girl' which Amy found rather strange. Who the hell likes their boss that much?

Rachel didn't even bother reading the clipboard over, she stared at the paper for all of two seconds and looked insulted by it. Then she lifted a hand to flick Cassie on the nose.

"Stop being weird." Rachel huffed.

Cassie simply giggled as she took the flick. Amy assumed that this was some form of normal for the two and chose not to say anything.

"Forget orientation, follow me," Rachel added, strolling through another door.

Amy took a moment to process what had just happened, and what had been asked of her. The rude bitch didn't even speak to Amy directly, just barked out an order to follow like she was just another dog.

"Is she always like that?" Amy asked the younger girl.

Cassie giggled and nodded her head. "Yeah, Rachel is like a force of nature or something. But it's all for a good cause, y'know? She's actually such a softie when she's with people she likes or her dogs. But uh, don't tell her I said that." She chuckled again.

"You coming or what?" Rachel called out from down the hall.

"Yes, boss!" Cassie called out in a sing-song way, gesturing for Amy to follow suit.

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

Brockton Dog Sanctuary – Afternoon

It was a weird juxtaposition that Amy could feel so dirty while covered in soap and water.

Rachel and Cassie led her to a large bathroom that was made for dogs of all sizes. After a quick lesson on the correct way to wash a dog, Amy and Cassie paired up to work as Rachel brought in all manner of breeds.

"Don't worry." Cassie said as the first dog was led in, "They don't bite, usually. Rach keeps all the violent dogs in another wing. We wouldn't throw the newbie to the wolves."

Amy didn't think she looked that worried, especially when the first dog turned out to be some yappy little thing. Cassie gently lowered the dog into the tub as the two girls got to work. Rachel left them alone, only returning every ten or so minutes to bring in another dog.

After the third dog, Amy felt comfortable to handle the work herself. Cassie split off to a separate bath beside her as Rachel started bringing in pairs of dogs.

"See, now you're earning your pay?" Cassie giggled, giving Amy a friendly push with her elbow.

"Pay?" Amy asked, "I thought this was volunteer work?"

"Oh, it is." Cassie said, "But Rachel still pays us all. She's a good boss like that."

"Huh. So how many people do you have working here?" Amy asked.

"Let's see?" Cassie thought aloud. "We have a handful of helpers… that's what we call volunteers like you. They all switch around a lot, usually because Rach fires them. With you on, we have about five. Then there are the three vets, two professional trainers, maintenance during the week, Dave on security and some more for driving the trucks for supply runs and rescues. Oh and of course we have Rachel who's in charge of it all."

"And how many dogs are there?"

"It varies," Cassie said, thinking to herself. "Rachel is very protective of her dogs. And she keeps bringing in more rescues. So it can get pretty crowded around her. We had close to fifty dogs around here at the start of the year. And considering how small of an operation it was…"

"Fifty?" Amy balked.

Cassie chuckled. "That's when I volunteered. Eventually, we convinced Rachel to start accepting adoptions. But like I said, she's very protective. So the adoption process can be intense. Nowadays we have a little under twenty. But Rach won't allow any adoptions till she sure this latest batch of recuses are safe."

"Where does she find them all?" Amy asked as she finished drying off her current dog. She found her power to read biology to be less annoying when touching the dogs, she wasn't entirely sure why but chalked it up to experiencing something different compared to humans. "I don't think I've ever seen a stray dog on the street."

"Oh, that's easy," Cassie said with another beaming smile, her eyes lit up in awe. "She rescues them from those awful Empire dog fighting rings."

"She what?" Amy asked. Rachel did look to be the intimidating type, but picking a fight with the Empire was a whole other level.

"Yeah," Cassie sighed with admiration in her voice. "Every time those rings get hit. Rach calls over the vans and we pick up the pups. She's amazing like that."

Once again, Amy was reminded how much of a fan girl Cassie was about Rachel. It reminded Amy of all those times she healed kids in the hospital and they would keep talking about their favourite heroes.

"How does she find out about them?" Amy asked. "Does she have a deal with the police, PRT or something?"

Cassie laughed. "That'd be the day." She turned her face to a very confused Amy. "Nah, fuck those guys. They don't do anything, they're happy to let the Empire keep pulling their shit. Rachel just knows these streets. It's all community-driven, with her leading the charge with her badass dogs."

"And you're not worried about the Empire coming to take back their dogs?"

"Not really," Cassie said with a calm smile. "We're too far out of their territory for them to start shit. Plus Rach would set her dogs on any idiot who stirred up trouble around here."

Amy's opinion of Rachel so far was skewed to the 'impulsive bitch' side of the scale, but anyone who fucked with the Empire went up a few notches in her book. She still didn't see why Cassie was such a fan of this woman but she could respect what she did.

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

Brockton Dog Sanctuary – Late Afternoon

Once all the dogs were bathed, dried and groomed. Amy was given time to simply 'play' with the animals. Rachel told her it was important to get the dogs used to her if she was going to be working with them.

Playtime meant throwing various dog toys around the place. Each individual dog had its assigned toy and would only react when it was thrown for them. Amy didn't really know the first thing about dog training but she could tell that these dogs were exceptionally well trained.

Cassie and Rachel watched on from the side, Rachel would occasionally bark out an order when the dogs got too rowdy and watched Amy with a pensive glare.

Amy for the most part sat in a corner and threw whatever toy the dogs brought to her. She was still hesitant to touch the drool-covered balls and bone-shaped toys but relaxed into a rhythm of things. In the end, Amy found it rather relaxing. She never expected that. After all the crazy stuff that she's seen in her life, being around animals was almost foreign to her.

One particular dog, a golden retriever, seemed quite fascinated by Amy. Often ignoring the thrown toy in favour of getting head pats and scratches. Through her power, Amy could see the old damage that had been done to the animal. Old scars from bite and scratch marks that were hidden under the fur.

Amy could've tried healing the dog, but they weren't anything more than superficial scars and were actually pretty healthy all things considered. Neither Rachel nor Cassie had realised that she was Panacea and Amy had no desire to change that fact. As strange as Cassie was, she rather enjoyed being spoken to as 'Amy the helper' over 'Panacea the cape.'

Eventually, Rachel let out a whistle and all the dogs, including the golden retriever lined up. Only then did Amy realise how late into the day it had gotten. She'd spent more time playing with the dogs than actually working. It was… nice.

Cassie led the dogs off, leaving Amy alone with Rachel.

Rachel seemed pleased as she nodded to Amy. As pleased as Rachel could look with her resting bitch face. The woman never really smiled, at best her lips were somewhat upturned as she looked down on Amy. Nothing like the bright toothy grin Cassie would give whenever Rachel wasn't in the room.

"Good job today," Rachel said. The first real acknowledgement of Amy since she got here. "Dogs like you, you don't try to touch them without permission and you can follow directions well enough."

Rachel nodded again, her expression unchanged. Amy gave Rachel a curt nod back.

"It wasn't horrible," Amy admitted, more to herself. "I guess I'm starting to see why people like dogs."

"Good." Rachel said, "Talk to Cassie about your availability. Make sure to collect your pay."

Rachel turned to leave before stopping by the door. She froze as if she just remembered something, turning back towards Amy. She looked very stiff as she shot out her hand.

"Oh," Rachel said begrudgingly. "Welcome to the team or whatever."

There was a brief moment where Amy thought she was going to crack a smile but Rachel's expression didn't change much. In fact, she looked slightly embarrassed if Amy had to guess.

"Oh, yeah," Amy said, reaching out to shake her hand. "Uh, thanks for having me. Or whatever."

Upon shaking hands with her, Amy could read her biology like every other creature she touched. Rachel was relatively healthy, finely muscular with the odd scars and scrapes along her body. That wasn't too unusual considering her build. Currently recovering from some minor damage on her knuckles, Amy saw that a lot of people either fought a lot or used punching bags to work out.

She also had the telltale signs of finding Amy attractive. That was very surprising. Granted, she wasn't foaming at the mouth for Amy or anything, simply picking up on the chemicals being released in the brain that hinted that she liked her, or perhaps it was just women in general, Amy could never tell for sure.

She wasn't a mind reader. Well, she could read a mind in a biological sense, but she had no idea what anyone was actually thinking. Rachel's mind in particular was interesting because the connections didn't entirely match up like a regular brain did. It wasn't any huge difference, Amy would've assumed Rachel was autistic or the like but after playing with dogs all afternoon, she noticed a fair few similarities in the brains.

Suffice it to say, it was strange. Reading deeper into the anomaly, Amy found the cause. Rachel was a parahuman.

"Hold the fuck up," Amy said, still gripping Rachel's hand. Her brain was working overtime to pull in all the clues she'd picked up today. "You're telling me that you run a dog shelter, that rescues dogs from the Empire AND you're a parahuman?"

Rachel didn't seem bothered in the slightest by Amy's current revelation. Nor did she try to hide it.

"Yeah?" Rachel confirmed.

Three dogs, parahuman, warning bells. Amy realised what her brain was trying to tell her all those hours ago. The vague memories of her family explaining the lesser known capes in the city along with her more recent memories of the bank heist that Amy was a hostage of.

"Are you Hellhound?" Amy asked, fear prickling up her spine.

She usually stayed way the hell away from the front lines of the cape scene. The PRT would bring patients to her, New Wave never brought her on patrol and Vicky never called her into the field unless she royally fucked up. Amy knew enough about the big-name capes in this city, but barring one hostage scenario and one unconscious Lung, Amy had never been faced with an actual villain before.

If this girl was Hellhound, Amy was in deep trouble. She was in the heart of the devil's den, on the edge of the city. Vicky would never be able to get to her in time. And what were the other implications? Rachel was a friend of Taylor? Does that mean?-

"Who the fuck is Hellhound?" Rachel asked. "Either call me Rachel or Bitch. I don't care which. And don't call me 'Rach' like Cassie does. I keep telling her to stop but she doesn't. It's annoying."

Amy could sense a lot of things through her powers, micro-expressions, breathing rate, skin conductivity, and heart rate, In short, she was a human lie detector. Either Rachel was a brilliant liar, or she really had no idea who 'Hellhound' was.

Amy thought back on everything Cassie had said about Rachel. Hours of non-stop compliments and praise over this woman who dedicated her time to rescuing dogs from the Empire. That conflicted with what little Amy knew about the violent villain known as Hellhound. Villains were evil, they certainly didn't rescue puppies and nurse them back to health. That was as stupid, like a Warlord who runs an orphanage, utterly preposterous.

In any case, Amy relaxed. She wasn't up to date on the cape scene. She only learned the other day about some cape who exclusively deals in clothing. Maybe there was a whole community of capes like Amy who used their powers for non-combative things, like healing people, saving dogs and making clothes.

"Sorry." Amy apologised, "I mistook you for someone else."

"Whatever." Rachel huffed. She didn't seem to be offended by Amy's mishap, dropping her handshake with a shrug.

Cassie returned with the three dogs that Rachel was walking earlier today. They bolted over to Rachel and lined up beside her. Amy wasn't sure if her 'Taylor scent' was still working after all that dog bathing, but the three dogs didn't appear to notice or care about her.

Rachel turned to Cassie. "I'll be back tomorrow. Call me if you need anything."

"Yes, boss," Cassie said with a salute.

Rachel turned back to Amy and gave yet another nod. "I'll see you around then?"

An actual question, instead of barking an order. One that had a tinge of hope in her words.

"Yeah, sure." Amy nodded back. "I have other obligations but I'll swing by when I can."

With that, Rachel took off, leaving the two girls alone. Amy glanced over at Cassie who appeared to be smiling with glee.

"What?" Amy asked.

"She likes you~" Cassie sang out.

Amy didn't know how to respond to that, or what exactly the girl was implying.

"Seriously," Cassie said in amazement. "I don't remember the last time she brought in someone. I had to beg on my hands and knees to get this job. And the last volunteer I brought in left in tears. You must've really impressed her. Oh, I'm so jealous. What's your secret?"

"I uh?" Amy also didn't know how to respond to that. Rachel was intense, but she didn't seem THAT bad. "Her dogs liked me?"

"Yeah, that'd do it." Cassie nodded. "Took me weeks to get her dogs to like me. Only then did she actually bother to remember my name. She can be so cruel." She sighed in a melodramatic way but cheered up immediately.

"So, do I leave now?-" Amy asked.

"Whatever," Cassie said, more fired up and ignoring Amy's question. "I'll just keep trying my best. Rachie is sure to appreciate my work."

"Rachie?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Cassie said back. "It has a nice ring to it. Rachie and Cassie. Partners in crime." Amy was once again reminded how much of a fan girl she was. "Or better yet. Rachie and Cassie Lindt, just partners…"

'Oh, so she's like that.' Amy thought quietly to herself.

"Good luck with that," Amy said, with no real hope in her tone.

"Thank you," Cassie said back with a smile. "Anyway, let's get you settled."

----------------------------------------------
Back into the lobby. Amy had several messages waiting on her phone, Vicky was asking where she was and what time she was coming home. Amy felt bad for not taking any photos of the dogs for her sister but knew that there was always next time.

After talking with Cassie, Amy agreed to return on her days off and after school. She still prioritised her hospital work, but she would swing by whenever she had the spare time. Amy was paid in cash, being handed a sizeable envelope for her time here. She made more per hour than her Ward friends which she found both amusing and surprising.

Then she was walked to the door and given another overly enthusiastic handshake by the younger girl.

"Thank you again for helping out," Cassie said, both hands on Amy's one. "I'm looking forward to working with you again. Plus you really seemed to enjoy playing with the dogs. It's always nice to see the dogs making people happy."

Happy wasn't the word Amy would've used. But she wasn't unhappy, so she took the compliment.

"Yeah, it wasn't a bad time," Amy said back, trying to wiggle her hand free. "Though I need to go home and wash the smell of dog out of my clothes."

Cassie laughed at that. Both girls smelled like wet dogs and shampoo, Cassie more so if Amy was being honest.

"Oh yeah." She said, "I barely notice it these days. Except for Rachel's dogs. Those three always smell different. I guess it's cause they live at her house instead of here. But that's why I like handling them the most."

"You like smelling like dog?" Amy asked with a teasing smile.

"Well Rachel's dogs, specifically," Cassie admitted with another chuckle. "I have this theory that she'll like me better if I smell like her dogs. So I try my best to work with them every time I'm here. Sometimes I just cuddle with them in the hope that their scent rubs off on me and then Rachie will compliment me or something."

"I see…" Amy said, finally getting her hand free.

"Well. Good night." Cassie said with a wave as Amy backed away.

Amy didn't feel like walking back home so she sent a quick text to Vicky to pick her up at a nearby cafe or the like.

She thought about her day as she started walking, This morning felt like it happened an entire week ago. Amy had to admit, today was nice. It started off weird and she sure as fuck wasn't looking forward to talking to Carol about her mental health or whatever bullshit Vicky was on about, but working with the dogs was a nice change of pace.

Rachel seemed like a grumpy bitch but then again, so was Amy. There was a mutual respect between them and apparently, she liked her, whatever that meant. Cassie on the other hand was the type of yappy annoying girl that Amy would avoid if given the chance.

The girl had a giant crush on Rachel, it was painfully obvious once she had worked it out. A crush that was, in Amy's honest opinion, never going to go anywhere. Rachel is her boss and shows no interest in her whatsoever.

'Seriously, who the hell wants to smell like dog?' Amy thought to herself as she reapplied her scent bacteria, wanting to good before Victoria could pick her up.

The idea that the girl was sneaking off to rub up to some dogs and try to smell like them, as some kind of hair-brained scheme to make herself more appealing to her crush.

'Just roll around with a bunch of dogs and think that'll make Senpai notice me.'

Amy shook her head before muttering to herself.

"Yeesh. This bitch is crazy."
 
The girl had a giant crush on Rachel, it was painfully obvious once she had worked it out. A crush that was, in Amy's honest opinion, never going to go anywhere. Rachel is her boss and shows no interest in her whatsoever.

'Seriously, who the hell wants to smell like dog?' Amy thought to herself as she reapplied her scent bacteria, wanting to good before Victoria could pick her up.

The idea that the girl was sneaking off to rub up to some dogs and try to smell like them, as some kind of hair-brained scheme to make herself more appealing to her crush.

'Just roll around with a bunch of dogs and think that'll make Senpai notice me.'

Amy shook her head before muttering to herself.

"Yeesh. This bitch is crazy."
Pot meet kettle
 
There must be some way to weaponise this girls self delusion.
The concentrated force of it should be able to bitch slap Zion straight back out of the Milky Way.

It was all kinds of cute that shaper went "oh puppy :3"
I can't wait for her to get her hands on Brutus & co when they're all amped up, she'll be on cloud nine seeing all the bio armour on display.

At this point new wave and the under siders should just merge. Carol and Alec can bond over being equally well adjusted family members, and Brian can take on Mark as a project that will just mope on bad days, rather than get into trouble like Aisha. Boxing is meant to be great for mood improvement!
 
Chapter 23: She can be a little intense
A/N: Sorry for the wait for a non interlude chapter. Have an extra long chapter for your patience.
idk how it got this long.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah


Brockton Bay Streets – Late Morning

Lisa wandered from shop to shop, browsing the market wares as she strolled by. She often relaxed after a job by shopping, something about spending her ill-gotten gains on random stuff brought a smile to her face.

The ex-ABB lawyer paid the team handsomely for his rescue the other day, so Lisa felt the urge to splurge. She also enjoyed all the free time she was given, Coil had been unusually quiet this weekend, which was somewhat concerning as he normally would've given her some idle busy work to sort through by now.

Either Coil had run out of threats he needed to be analysed or he was planning something big. And the former didn't sound likely. Unfortunately, Lisa could do little about the latter except wait and see. The problem with, or just one of the many problems with working for a wannabe bond villain is that they never tell their subordinates about their plans ahead of time.

Lisa's best guess at the moment was that Coil was planning on seizing ABB territory, probably some secret assets that he didn't want falling into anyone's hands. That or he finally built his death ray and planned to hold all of Brockton Bay for ransom. Lisa laughed at the mental image, Coil was insane, but he wasn't that crazy… she hoped. In any case, Lisa could do nothing but shop.

The question of what she planned to buy was a matter of debate. She wanted a new pair of shoes, something fit for running. Taylor had invited Lisa to join her in the early morning jogs she did, and while getting up at the ass end of dawn wasn't really an appealing concept, spending more time with Taylor would make it worth it. Perhaps they'll eventually include Vicky if they can convince her to keep her feet on the ground for longer than five seconds.

But once she bought the shoes, she was left with a whole heap of money and nothing of note to buy. Her next thought was gifts. What good was money if you couldn't spoil your girlfriends rotten?

Taylor was easy to buy for. Books. It didn't matter what genre the book was or who the author was, she'd read it. Which was helpful because Lisa knew next to nothing about the literature world. She collected the bestseller in the first bookstore she came across, hoping that Taylor would enjoy it. There was always the chance that Taylor had already bought it but knowing Taylor, she would've barely spent a cent of her money unless absolutely necessary.

Victoria on the other hand was a lot harder to get gifts for. Not that she was complicated in what she liked, far from it. If it was pretty and fashionable, she'd love it. The problem was getting her to accept the gift knowing it was bought with 'crime money.'

Vicky might've accepted when Taylor bought her a dress, and she had no qualms when Lisa paid for her food, but Lisa's powers knew that there was a limit to Victoria's acceptance. All forms of expensive jewellery, for example, are completely off the table. It was safe to say that any gift that more than quadrupled her monthly allowance would be quietly returned.

It would almost be worth it to see the conflicted look on Victoria's face as she battled with the morality of accepting such a gaudy gift versus rejecting her girlfriend's attempt at doing something nice for her. Vicky did look cute when she pouted. But unfortunately, she'd be more upset than flattered, and Lisa was already trying to be nicer around the people she liked.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, flipping it open, Lisa sighed with a smile.

"Speak of the devil." Lisa chuckled into her phone.

"Hello to you too," Victoria said back from the other end.

Lisa laughed a little louder, "Naw, I was just thinking about you."

"Were you just?" Vicky hummed. "Nice things I hope."

"Of course, of course." Lisa nodded back while continuing to window-shop. "I was actually thinking of getting you something nice."

"Oh, really?" Victoria's voice went up an octave.

"Yeah. I have a book for Taylor, thought about buying you a parahuman nerd book but then I remembered that you already own all of them." Lisa smiled knowing how excited Vicky sounded, the girl was easy to please. "So now I'm looking at other options, something… pretty."

"I do like pretty things." Victoria teased back. "It's why I'm dating you."

"Stop it, you're making me blush." Lisa chuckled, actually blushing at the exchange. "But yes, something pretty. Tell me, which do you prefer, gold or diamonds?"

Lisa could hear the silent pause as Victoria tried to parse her sentence.

"You're right," Lisa continued, ignoring Victoria's struggle with morality. "I should just do both. How many carats do you want the gold to be?"

Lisa was midway through chuckling when she realised she'd just done the thing she wanted to avoid.

"Lisa, that's very sweet of you, but…" Victoria finally spoke up.

"Kidding," Lisa cut in, trying to laugh it off. "I'm just kidding. Sorry, I'll buy you something practical and pretty. And then donate to a charity or some shit for extra measure."

"Thank you," Victoria said with a sigh of relief.

"So, what's up?" Lisa asked after a brief pause. "Calling for a reason, or did you just miss my voice? Wait, aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"

"I have a free time slot for exam prep," Victoria explained.

"And you're using it to call your girlfriend instead," Lisa chuckled. "I am a bad influence on you. Nice."

"Shut up, I can multitask," Victoria said back, no doubt while rolling her eyes. "I'm letting you know that we just had a lunch break and we told our friends about you. The throuple stuff, not the… y'know."

"Oh damn, so the cat's out of the bag," Lisa said. She knew that was the plan today. "I hope you didn't embarrass Taylor too much with the announcement this time."

"She told you about that?" Vicky asked abashedly. Lisa hummed an affirmative. "Well no, I didn't stand up and make a grand announcement like last time. We told everyone together, and Taylor made sure to explain things so that no one had the wrong idea."

"How caring. I would've just yelled it out. Taylor is cute when she's embarrassed." Lisa chuckled.

"Agreed, but I'm not a villain like you." Vicky teased back.

Lisa ignored the obvious bait in favour of more questions. "How'd the squad take it?"

"Confused, but positive," Victoria admitted. "Alice and Jessica were supportive but I don't think they really understood what was going on. Carlos seemed genuinely happy for us, so that was nice. Dennis was also happy, but I could tell he was thinking of something crass. And Amy already knew, so she's already fine with it."

Lisa cringed at the thought of Amy, burning with jealousy while Victoria and Taylor made their announcement, neither girl wise to the intense emotions that girl held. Lisa debated for another moment if now would be a good time to mention Amy's crush on Taylor but it was too soon for Victoria.

"And what about your ex?" Lisa asked, avoiding one awkward conversation by starting another. "How'd he take it?"

There was a hesitant pause at Victoria's end.

"Ah, that well," Lisa said.

"He was… polite about it," Victoria said. "I don't think I'll be introducing you to him anytime soon."

"I see, I see." Lisa nodded. "Shame, I always wanted Gallant's autograph."

"Anyway," Victoria said. "I also wanted to tell you that I'm dropping by your apartment after school."

"Are you now?" Lisa said with a raised eyebrow.

"Does that work for you, or do you have 'work'?"

Lisa could still hear contempt in the word.

"No, I'm free. Come on by. I'll even have a gift waiting for you." Lisa eyed the perfect gift across the street and started walking towards it. "Any reason for the visit? I can find us another date spot that's in your parents' approved locations if you prefer."

"No, no. We need to do this at your place." Victoria said in a more serious tone.

"My, my," Lisa chuckled. "I don't know if my heart is ready for that yet. We've only just started dating, and what would Taylor think if we left her out of it?"

There was another pause where Lisa could feel Victoria's blank stare.

"Shut up," Victoria whined. "We need to talk about your boss and what we're going to do."

Lisa sighed, not even her jokes could lighten the mood when it came to this. She was dreading this conversation. She was dreading a lot of things these days. Her upcoming photoshoot that would thrust her into the spotlight, Amy Dallon's obsession with Taylor and the potential fallout that could bring.

Today's source of dread came from the knowledge Victoria had about Lisa's boss and her heroic disposition to try and 'save' her. While the initial thought was sweet, the idea of Vicky taking on Coil was a recipe for disaster that would only leave Victoria getting hurt, or worse.

"Fine, fine, fine," Lisa grumbled. "We'll talk about why it's a horrible idea to get involved with my boss. Then we can cuddle and watch a movie, okay?"

"Lisa, I'm serious."

"And I'm Lisa." Lisa chuckled back. "Oh, I just spotted the perfect gift for you."

She started walking down the street towards the window she spotted.

"All right, we'll talk more later," Vicky said, dropping the topic. "Anyway, tell me about your day then. Shopping? What book did you get Taylor?"

Lisa fished out the book from her bag as she walked. "Let's see. It looks like some kind of fantasy novel. The first in a five-part epic, if the cover is to be believed. There's mystery and magic as a chosen one overthrows the pinnacle of evil and saves the land of… I don't even know how to pronounce that word. In any case, Taylor will love it. Also, I bought some shoes."

Victoria let out an excited gasp.

"Nothing fancy, just some runners for jogging," Lisa said quickly before Vicky could ask a million questions.

Vicky's gasp quickly died down in disappointment. "Are they at least cute?"

"Sorry," Lisa chuckled. "They did have a pair that was all glittery and pink, but I went for the practical black-and-white approach. But I'm sure anything will look good on my feet."

"Send photos, I still wanna see," Victoria asked.

"Did you just ask for feet pics?" Lisa teased.

"Of your shoes you-" Victoria let out a huff before laughing. "Yes, Lisa. I want you to send me feet pics."

"Sheesh. And I thought Taylor was the kinky one out of us." Lisa joked. "Whatever, I'll send you pics, without my feet you perve-"

Man with Shades has been following Lisa Wilbourn for last fifteen minutes.

Lisa resisted the urge to spin around, acting casual as she kept on walking.

"Uh, hey. I gotta go." Lisa said as calmly as possible.

"Yeah, I gotta get back to studying," Victoria said. "I'll see ya later."

"Sure thing." Lisa nodded, picking up her pace. "Bye-bye." With two short kisses, she hung up the phone and pressed on her power.

Man in shades watching Lisa Wilbourn. Communicating through hidden microphone in ear. Caucasian, unlikely ABB member. Possible PRT agent, possible Empire enforcer. Threat analysis, high.

Lisa took a turn down a side street, a pop-up market that was selling mostly food products. Losing the 'man in shades' was relatively simple once she was aware of him. However, there was still a matter of who he was talking to and if he had any friends-

Man in business attire talking into hidden microphone. Hidden under shirt collar. Watching Lisa Wilbourn. Communicating with Man in Shades, highly likely.

Lisa turned again, heading away from the second man. She forewent any acting on her behalf that she was still shopping, pulling her phone out again and quick-dialling Brian.

"Tomato, L," Lisa said coolly into the phone as she walked.

"Cabbage, A. What's wrong?" Brain asked back, straight into business mode, exactly how Lisa needed him. "Where are you?"

"Markets of 6th and West. Got two tails, possibly more I don't see." Lisa explained.

"Alright, can you stall them?" Brian asked. "Bitch is at her shelter, I got Alec with me but it'll take some time to reach you."

"That's what I'm doing," Lisa said. "Don't know who or what they want. Possible Empire, or even PRT."

"Should I get Skitter?"

"No, Arcadia is too far away," Lisa shook her head. "Plus I didn't want to alert Glory Girl unless it was absolutely necessary."

"Right, we're masks up in five," Brian said, "Head west, we'll try meet you".

Lisa turned in the appropriate direction and put a little skip into her step. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far before her power alerted her.

Black sedan is following Lisa Wilbourn. Tinted windows, bulletproof. Reinforced doors. Too expensive for standard PRT budget. Made for engaging capes? Knows Lisa Wilbourn is a cape. Planning to engage in public. No regard for unspoken rules. Empire likely to break rules? Fleur exception, uncommon. Not Empire, knows Lisa Wilbourn is cape. Heavily funded. Coil's mercenaries.

'Coil? What the fuck? I haven't done anything to him?'

Lisa picked up her pace, but it was foolish to think she could outrun a car. The second she tried to sprint, the car sped up. Almost running her down to block off her exit.

Lisa spun to run back where she came, but the car's door slammed her as it opened. A second later, a large man grabbed her by the neck and held her to the floor as he patted her down. A second and third man stepped out of the car, one to point a gun at Lisa and the other to intimidate any would-be bystanders.

After a violent and humiliating feel-up, the first man removed all of Lisa's weapons, along with her phone. Snapping the phone for good measure before pulling her up and into the car. The only solace Lisa could take out of everything was that they assumed she only had one phone on her.

"Hello, Tattletale." Coil's voice called out from the car's speaker.

Lisa was trapped between two large mercs, neither of which belonged to the prestigious group of men she'd be secretly paying off in her long-term plan to overthrow Coil.

"H-hey, boss." Lisa tried her best to sound respectful. "You know there are easier ways to contact me? You could send me an email, or a text… or a phone call."

"Yes," Coil said. "The funny thing is that I tried doing that. And you ran away."

'I ran away? When did that?-'

Coil manipulates probabilities. Messaged Lisa Wilbourn in a different probability and received an unfavourable outcome.

'Fuck you, other Lisa.'

"Care to tell me why you ran from me?" Coil asked with anger seething in his voice.

"Well, if I had known it was your men who were following me, I would've-"

"Don't lie to me, Ms. Livsey."

Lisa didn't finish her sentence. "Look, I don't even know what you want. Whatever you think I did in your other probability, it's not this one. I'm a loyal- I'm a competent worker in your organisation. So I think I deserve the benefit of the doubt."

Coil sighed.

Impatient, annoyed, stressed. Something has disrupted his plans. Acting extra secretive. Worried, vulnerable. Weakness exposed? Need more data.

"Obviously something's changed," Lisa said, trying to suss out whatever Coil's fear was. "You pay me for threat analysis, among other things. So let me help you."

"Indeed, that is what I pay you for." Coil agreed. Lisa sighed in relief. "You'll be informed of the situation when you arrive. I'm locking down all my indispensable assets until the matter at hand is sorted."

Lisa's heart dropped at that. Her worst fear was being realised, the threat that Coil had held over her head for the entire year she worked for him. Being shot in the head was a mercy compared to his plans, locking her away in a room, only to be used as his personal thinker. A bag was thrown over Lisa's head as the car drove on towards whatever hole Coil considered his base.

In a panic, Lisa reached for her secondary phone. She had no idea if the two mercenaries were watching her hand movement but she had to take the risk. Feeling the buttons, she pressed the appropriate quick dial and spoke up.

"So that's it then?" Lisa almost yelled. "You're kidnapping me and locking me away?"

"If that's how you view it, then I can't change your mind," Coil said back. "If you do a good enough job, perhaps I'll consider letting you out again."

"Fat chance of that ever happening, is there?" Lisa spat back. "You just grabbed me from the Markets. A public place with lots of witnesses. You're just a kidnapping bastard, Coil. I'm never going to see the sun again."

"Don't worry, you won't be alone," Coil mused. "My pet needs someone to entertain her while I'm away, I'm sure you two will get on well."

"Fuck you," Lisa growled. "Fuck you and your overpriced armoured, black sedan."

"...Yes. Well. I'll see you soon." Coil said with growing suspicion in his voice.

"Go fuck yourself, take this black, armoured sedan that's speeding through the city, and ram it up your ass. Then everyone will look at you, and be able to read out the license plate on your corpse. Here lies Coil, 7GMR925."

Coil sighed again. "You're really not subtle, Tattletale. Pull the car over, she has a phone on her. And gag her"

"Fuck subtlety," Lisa laughed. "I'm being kidnapped by a supervillain dick. In a black sedan, 7GMR-"

The gag covered Lisa's already sack-covered mouth as two sets of hands brutishly grabbed at her, searching for the phone she had. After several unbearable moments of borderline molestation, while the mercs looked for her phone, the car came to a sudden stop.

Lisa was gagged and blinded, but she could hear the sound of metal being ripped as the car door came apart. Along with a few small explosions and the pews of lasers. Before long, the gag was untied and the sack pulled off her head.

Lisa thought that perhaps she'd see Glory Girl hovering over her in concern, however as her eyes adjusted to the light, it was the other side of New Wave that stood by, holding the mercenaries in place.

"You're lucky we were in the neighbourhood." Lady Photon said, inspecting the damage to the car. Manpower had done the bulk of the damage, stopping the car in place and leaving Laserdream to take out the stragglers. "Victoria and the others are already on their way, we'll have Panacea take a look at you. But first," Lady Photon placed her hand on her hips in a very disappointed gesture. "Care to explain why my niece is dating Tattletale?" Lisa hoped she could come up with a convenient lie as to why Coil had taken her. "We heard everything… So explain, and quick. Brandish is on her way and she is pissed."

Lisa had been saved, but in doing so, she had exposed herself to Victoria's family. The consequences of her actions were incalculable, how long until they realised who Taylor was? What would they do to the two girls?

"Well," Lisa said, feeling an all-new brand of terror. Wishing more than anything that she could just disappear from the world at this moment. "Funny story about that you see-"

And then Lisa got her wish.

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Brockton Bay Streets – Late Morning – Coil Timeline B

Lisa drove home with a smile on her face. She had picked out the perfect gift for Victoria. Not that Vicky would particularly enjoy the gift she had in mind, but it would serve as the perfect distraction from any talk about rescuing her.

With any luck, Victoria would forget all about Lisa's boss and the two girls could simply enjoy the afternoon together. They could even make a plan to gang up on Taylor tomorrow and force her to wear a cute dress, that'd be fun. Anything other than talking about Lisa's private life.

In any case, Lisa was determined to make her afternoon a fun one, while simultaneously redirecting her girlfriend from any self-appointed suicide missions. Besides, Lisa didn't need saving. Coil was too busy being a wannabe Bond villain to even care about Lisa these days.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Lisa's apartment – Afternoon

Victoria flew directly to Lisa's once school had finished. Today had been stressful, announcing the existence of the throuple to her closest friends and opening herself up to the inevitable barrage of questions that came from it.

It was hard to talk about Lisa while avoiding any mention of her parahuman or villainous life. Thankfully Taylor was there to explain away the more minute details of Lisa's life, complete with cover stories. While the general reception was positive and most of the group was interested in meeting the mysterious second girlfriend, Dean still held an air of suspicion towards the whole thing.

A jealous ex was an unfortunate reality of the situation, a jealous Ward however could spell doom for the throuple if Dean was ever inclined to investigate further. For now, Vicky would give him the much-deserved space, hoping that when he was ready to talk, she would have the answers needed to satisfy any curiosity.

A problem for another day, as Victoria only had one goal in mind this afternoon. Saving her girlfriend from whatever monster dared to hold her life hostage. Even if said girlfriend had no intention of asking for help in the matter. What kind of hero would Vicky be if she couldn't even rescue Lisa from the clutches of villainy? Not a very good one, that's for sure.

Touching down in Lisa's neighbourhood, she walked the rest of the way. In the past, Vicky felt the need to hide herself when visiting Lisa's apartment, but not today. This time next week everyone would know they were dating, on top of which she spent the whole day talking Lisa up to her friends, so Vicky made no attempt to hide her presence in this neighbourhood. She was loud and proud to be seen with Lisa.

Lisa's apartment was up a small flight of stairs, knocking on the appropriate door, Victoria found herself getting nervous, as she knew that Lisa would try to distract her from today's topic of discussion. Victoria resolved herself to not get distracted. No matter what Lisa said, or did, or gave her as a gift, Vicky would find out exactly who was holding Lisa hostage and create a plan to save her.

There were another three knocks at the door as Victoria grew ever impatient.

"Coming!" Lisa sang out from behind the door. She opened it with a big smile on her face.

Victoria went through several emotions as the door opened to reveal Lisa, most of those were various forms of confusion. Lisa welcomed her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then stood back to allow Victoria a full view of her planned distraction.

Lisa, in all her splendour, wore a Glory Girl branded T-shirt that featured a cartoon caricature of said hero on the front.

"What the hell?" Victoria asked under her breath as she stepped inside.

"You like it?" Lisa asked smugly while tugging on her shirt. "I saw the cutest little shirt today and I just had to get it."

"You know those are only made for children, right?" Vicky said with a raised eyebrow. "In fact, most of my merch is advertised for ten- to fourteen-year-olds."

"So that's why it was so hard to find one in my size," Lisa said back sarcastically.

Shaking her head, Victoria walked inside as Lisa shut the door behind her. To her surprise, the shirt was only the beginning of the madness that Lisa had planned.

Lisa's apartment was covered in Glory Girl merch. From pillowcases on her couch to placemats on her table, photos and posters that littered the wall. Everywhere Vicky looked, there was a photo of her face plastered onto a random household object. The effect looked very unnerving.

"Make yourself at home," Lisa said as she continued to smile like nothing was wrong. "Take a seat on the couch, I'll get us some drinks."

Vicky moved three different couch pillows with her picture on them before sitting down, looking around the room, she saw merchandise that she didn't even realise New Wave sold.

"Okay…" Victoria finally said once she took it all in. "Where the hell did you find all this stuff? And why?"

"Oh, well I said before, I found the perfect gift for you right," Lisa called out from the kitchen portion of her apartment. "You know those shops that specialise in cape content. Well, I pretty much bought out all of their Glory Girl merch." Lisa returned with two warm mugs. "Tea?"

As expected, the mug she offered also had a Glory Girl cartoon across it, Lisa herself used a well-worn mug that Vicky correctly assumed to be her favourite.

"Oh," Vicky said, accepting the tea. "Again… why?"

"Well," Lisa said extra smugly. "I was thinking, what does my wonderful girlfriend, Victoria Dallon, Glory Girl… You. What does she love most in the whole wide world?"

Lisa took an obnoxiously loud slurp of her tea and paused just long enough for Victoria to open her mouth.

"-And then it hit me!" Lisa continued, cutting off whatever Vicky was about to say. "The heroism, the fame, the merch. She loves being the center of attention. She loves being Glory Girl."

Victoria wasn't sure if she should be offended by that statement, mainly because it wasn't untrue if she was being honest.

"So, this is my gift to you," Lisa said, extending her arms out. "A shrine to your beauty and majesty. May it fill you with the happiness all this merch brings your fans."

There was a long silence where Victoria didn't bother to voice a response. Just long enough to make Lisa squirm.

"What? Too much?" Lisa finally asked.

"Oh no," Victoria said back, a smile cracking on her face. "By all means, praise me more."

Lisa deflated from her stance. "Seriously?"

Victoria crossed her legs and gestured for Lisa to keep talking.

"This isn't off-putting in the slightest?" Lisa asked, waving around the room.

"You've seen my house?" Vicky chuckled, "My entire entrance hall is covered in photos of me. This is a normal Monday for me."

"Damn it…" Lisa grumbled.

"I am curious…" Vicky continued, stroking her chin melodramatically. "How much did this all cost you?"

Lisa sighed, "It was all part of a clearance sale. I grabbed two boxes of stuff."

Victoria chuckled. "And what were you planning on doing with it after this little joke?"

Lisa shrugged, "Dunno, burn it?"

"Ouch." Vicky whined, "You're not even going to keep the shirt?"

"Hell no, I wouldn't be caught dead in this. Do I look like a Glory Girl fan girl?" Lisa chuckled, already taking the shirt off. She had a much more sensible shirt underneath.

"I think they call themselves Glory Fan Girls?" Victoria said smugly.

"Whatever," Lisa said, shaking her head. "What kind of psycho would unironically wear your merch? Especially if they were dating you."

"Well, you have to keep the mug at least," Vicky said waving the tea in her hand. "This one is mine now, I expect to use it every time I come over."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Lisa sighed with a smile as she sat back down next to Vicky. She cuddled up to Victoria as the two sipped on their drinks in relative silence. "So, movie? Or did you just wanna channel surf?"

"You know why I'm here, Lisa," Victoria said back, her tone a lot more serious now.

Lisa winced at the shift in tone but let out a defeated sigh.

"I appreciate you trying to help-" Lisa started, no doubt about to come up with one of several excuses as to why Victoria should drop the subject.

"I'm not 'trying' to do anything," Victoria cut in. "Whatever trouble you're in, I'll get you out. That's a promise."

She placed a hand on Lisa's leg and gave a comforting squeeze, Lisa returned with an uncomfortable smile.

"Now spill," Victoria demanded gently. "Who's got a gun to your head and where do you want me to hit them?"

"It's not that simple," Lisa mumbled. "You can't just punch him away."

"Why not?" Vicky asked, giving Lisa another comforting squeeze. "And who is 'he'?"

"My boss…" Lisa relented. "You'd know him as Coil…"

"Coil?" Victoria repeated. "The Undersiders are part of Coil's mercenaries? You're in a gang?"

"It's not a gang," Lisa corrected. "Coil doesn't recruit anyone off the street without talent."

"He still owns a sizeable chunk of the city," Victoria scoffed. "Like the rest of the gangs."

"But he doesn't make us wear specific colours or insignias," Lisa said. "Besides, we're not affiliated with Coil's organisation. The Undersiders are freelance, as far as the rest of the team is concerned at least. No one but I know who 'the boss' actually is. And the jobs he does give us are usually far away from his usual MO."

"Gang, organisation, it doesn't matter," Victoria said. "He's forcing you to work for him at gunpoint, right?"

"The gun was only used for his recruitment pitch," Lisa chuckled solemnly. "These days he holds numerous sticks over my head. I chose the carrot, and so long as I keep playing nice, I get to enjoy my freedom."

Victoria shook her head. "But it doesn't have to be that way. I can help you, we can-"

"You don't get it!" Lisa snapped in a rare display of outright anger. "Coil's not some run-of-the-mill gang leader who gets taken down on the streets. He's a Thinker, he hides away and he plans, he's two steps ahead of everyone, even me. Just by even having this conversation probably means he's onto us. And when he comes for me, I won't even know until it's too late."

Victoria let Lisa collect herself before speaking again.

"And that's exactly why I'm not going to drop this," Victoria said. "You need help, even if you're too scared to ask for it. And I'm not leaving you alone to face this monster. So yell at me all you want, but when you run out of breath, then we'll make a plan to take down your boss."

"Our boss." Lisa corrected, giving way to Victoria's stubbornness. "The Undersiders' boss. You get that right? You rock this boat, it's not only going to be my life you mess with. Taylor will get sucked into this, all my teammates will."

"Then we make a plan with them, together."

"No, that's a terrible idea." Lisa shook her head. "Half the team won't even consider it, and if Taylor ever decided to take care of my problem herself…" She didn't finish that sentence.

"You keep saying that," Victoria sighed. "But I think you need to give Taylor more credit. Sure, she can be intense… scary when she puts on that mask but-"

"Vicky, you don't know Skitter." Lisa cut her off. "You met her once in the bank when she was green, and then you cornered Taylor at school. Since then, Taylor has put up a cleaner front when you're around." Victoria opened her mouth to counter, but Lisa held her hand up. "I'm not saying that Taylor is some murderer who's one bad day from snapping." Lisa shook her head some more. "I'm just saying there's a lot of anger in that girl, and I don't know what she'd do if she knew how much danger I've been in."

"Robbing banks, smash and grabs, low stake cape fighting. These are all fine for her, it's almost therapy," Lisa continued. "I know you don't agree with it, but she needs the outlet, after all the shit Taylor put up with. Honestly, the willpower alone not to kill those three girls who tormented her is phenomenal. But if you gave her a target who deserved it…" Lisa let the sentence hang in the air. "It's terrifying."

"You don't know that," Victoria rebutted. "Taylor's been through a lot, and she's strong. Probably stronger than either of us. She can handle it, she needs to know. And you can't keep using your fear as an excuse for us not to help you."

Lisa stared back into Victoria's eyes. Vicky could see a desperation that she'd never known was possible, but refused to give in. Once Lisa was certain that she couldn't sway the hero's mind, she let out a defeated sigh and huffed.

"Fiiine," Lisa groaned. "But for the record, this is fucking suicide and we're all going to die. Do you even have a plan?"

"Sure, tell me where he is and I'll punch his face in," Victoria said with a smile while flexing her arm.

"Uhuh, I thought as much," Lisa sighed again. "I don't know where he is, I've only met him in person a handful of times, and each time I had a bag over my head. I know he's underground, near the center of the city. Some kind of bunker. But as to where? I have no idea."

"In the city, underground," Victoria repeated as a mental note. "And his power? You said Thinker, right? Is it like you or?"

"No, not like me." Lisa shook her head. "He… I don't know, manipulates probability, I think? He has a knack for always getting a favourable outcome, so a precog of some kind."

"Precog? So he can see the future?" Victoria swore under her breath.

"Which is exactly why it's a stupid idea to tangle with him," Lisa added. "He'll know we're coming even before we do."

"But other than that, he's powerless?" Victoria asked.

"Sure," Lisa rolled her eyes. "If you count having a small army of trained killers at his command powerless. But no, he only has the one power, that I know of."

"So if we could corner him, he'd go down easy," Victoria said, more to herself.

Lisa sighed even louder. "There's nothing easy when it comes to him. Didn't you hear me, he has an army of-"

"What was your plan of dealing with him before?" Victoria asked, ignoring Lisa's complaints.

"What?"

"You must've had a plan set already if you were so hellbent on not asking for help." Vicky knew Lisa too well to assume otherwise.

"Kinda," Lisa admitted. "I've been skimming his money and reinvesting it in various things. Along with paying off some of the more trustworthy mercs in his employ. Ideally, my plan was to outbid his men when the chips were down and force him out through superior numbers. But that plan is still years out from being viable, and all it takes is one wrong bribe for Coil to catch wind of it."

"How many mercs have you flipped?"

Lisa shrugged. "A decent handful. It's hard to tell where their loyalty would lie if pressured but they know I'm good for the money."

"Any of them willing and able to give you a location?"

"And risk showing my hand?" Lisa balked. "Hell no."

"Better to act now than risk Coil finding out later," Victoria argued. "I'm not leaving you to gamble it all on a hail mary in a few year's time. I say, we grab Tay, your team, any Mercs you can trust and hit that son of a bitch right now. And don't think of a second I won't call in New Wave if you need more backup. Hell, I bet I could convince Armsmaster to send the protectorate in if we just had a location."

"Woah!" Lisa said, hands up in surrender. "No heroes, please. You want to try to save my life, fine. Don't ruin yours in the process by admitting your involvement with me. I wouldn't call in New Wave unless I was desperate, okay?" Victoria hesitantly nodded to that. "Look, I'll talk to the team. See what they have to say, if I can't even convince them, then there's no point. Taylor too, but we're not telling her about the quote-unquote, gun to my head. Alright? If, and only if everyone's in agreement, then we'll make a plan."

"Fine." Victoria agreed, knowing full well that even if the Undersiders decided against it, she would find a way.

"Now. Can we just… I don't know." Lisa sighed, her mood obviously brought down. "Just chill out and cuddle? I can't handle this stress, it gives me a headache."

"Sure." Vicky chirped, leaning on Lisa for a hug as her girlfriend flicked on the TV.

There was a short stint of quiet as Lisa flicked through various channels, Vicky used the time to snuggle up even closer and kiss Lisa on the cheek. Eventually, Lisa settled on a popular Earth Bet Disney movie. Vicky practically purred in contentment, as the movie was a favourite of hers. Around fifteen minutes in, Lisa spoke up again.

"Oh yeah," She said, fishing something out of her pocket. "This is for you."

She handed Vicky a small paper bag between her fingers and looked back to the television. Victoria inspected the bag for a moment before opening it up.

"What is it?" Vicky asked curiously. Pulling out a smaller folded envelope from the bag.

"Your gift. The real one." Lisa said, her wry smile creeping back onto her face. "A two-thousand dollar bracelet. Paid in crime money, of course."

Inside the envelope were two things, a small metal bracelet, pretty but not overly gaudy, and a thank you note to one Victoria Dallon for donating two thousand dollars to the 'National Alliance to End Homelessness.'

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

Skies above Brockton Bay – The following Day

Taylor was getting more comfortable with being touched every time Vicky flew her. Victoria in general was a very touchy-feely girl, something that Taylor was still getting used to after all this time. The way Vicky silently demanded a hug or a kiss after every little interaction they had was tiring, not that Taylor didn't like the attention, but she still fought the urge to tense up anytime someone lay a hand on her.

Slowly but surely, Victoria was wearing down those walls that Taylor had erected. Each reassurance of trust was bashed against two years of self-preservation instincts, which were starting to show some wear and tear. It was only a matter of time until Victoria broke through those layers completely. Until Taylor could feel safe enough to fully relax around someone she trusted implicitly.

Ironically, her anxiety-driven mind was less paranoid about the idea of Vicky betraying her when she was being carried by her in the air compared to when they were interacting at school. Logically this was a much more dangerous situation that relied on complete trust in Victoria not to drop her and yet, Taylor could feel herself relaxing in Vicky's arms.

Perhaps it was the solitude from being above almost everyone. The proximity to high school and all the baggage it came with, or perhaps it was just the feeling of being carried by the well-defined arms of Glory Girl.

Seriously, it was unfair at times at how good Victoria looked, especially while flying. She won both the genetic and superpower lottery. Taylor wondered how much of Victoria's muscle was self-made or given to her through her parahuman abilities. She wasn't bulky like Rachel was, instead having the leaner build of a professional athlete. Victoria would probably dismiss Taylor if she said that out loud, claiming that 'professional athletes looked far better than her' but Taylor couldn't help but be jealous.

How ridiculous it must look, for Victoria Dallon to be carrying Taylor's tall and lanky ass through the sky. It was times like these, that Taylor wondered how the hell she even got into this situation in the first place. Victoria was miles above Taylor's league, everyone knew that. What the hell does she even see in-

"Tay?" Victoria asked while slowing down in the air. "You good?"

Taylor took a second to realise she was asked a question. "Yeah? I'm fine. Why?"

Victoria looked back at her in concern. "You just looked a little sad is all. Anything the matter?"

Taylor immediately tried to shunt her emotions away like she usually did, however with her being in the air, the number of bugs available to her was significantly less.

"I'm fine," Taylor tried to lie. Finding that her usual poker face routine didn't work, she forced herself to smile. "Just thinking is all."

It was a weak and pitiful smile, one that anyone with a basic understanding of expressions could tell was fake but Victoria thankfully didn't push the subject. It was always awkward to talk about those intrusive thoughts and the feelings they evoked and Taylor would not want to have a discussion about that while being trapped in the air.

Instead, Vicky leaned in for a kiss, planting one on Taylor's forehead.

"What was that for?" Taylor asked, blushing in Vicky's arms.

"Kissing it better?" Vicky said, her concerned look breaking into a calmer smile. "Did it work?"

If Taylor were a little more confident like Lisa, she'd make a sly comment about asking for more. Instead, she just hummed an affirmative and tightened her grip on Victoria's shoulder.

A short while later, they touched down just outside of Taylor's house. Even after Vicky's feet touched the ground, there were a few seconds where she didn't let Taylor go, simply holding her in a traditional princess carry. Taylor wasn't sure if Victoria was planning to kiss her again or not, she got the feeling she was waiting for Taylor to make the first move this time.

Unfortunately for Taylor's psyche, they were on ground level now and her bugs made her aware of at least three bystanders watching them. One of them she recognised instantly.

"No fair, why do you get to go on romantic flights?" Lisa whined sarcastically as she sat on the end of her car. "Next time, I'm driving you home from school and we get to make out in the back seat."

"We weren't making out." Taylor defended herself. Breaking free from Victoria's arms to touch solid ground.

"What a waste of a perfectly good opportunity then." Lisa chuckled back. She moved to greet both girls, joining in on a group hug. "How was school? Learn anything valuable and interesting?"

Victoria huffed at that. "Barely, all I have is study for finals and the odd exam."

"Yeah, and I finished all my assignments," Taylor added. "So all I'm doing is waiting down the clock."

"Glad to know I'm not missing out on much," Lisa said before looking towards Taylor's house. "Shall we?"

Taylor led the way, taking a key out from under a nearby plant and opening the door. She debated for half a second if she should hold the door open or walk inside first, and chose the latter.

"Hello," Victoria called out softly as she walked through the door, followed by Lisa.

"Oh, Dad's not home yet," Taylor said. "He usually gets home around five, six-ish. So we got a little time to ourselves before you meet him."

"Home alone. Nice." Lisa nodded smugly.

"Nice place," Victoria added, looking around the room.

"Sorry about the mess," Taylor added, trying to block the view of the kitchen with her body. In truth, it was cleaner than the Dallon household ever was, Taylor had spent all afternoon yesterday going over the entire house making sure the place was spotless. Unfortunately, Danny had left a single plate on the kitchen counter before he left for work today, much to Taylor's disappointment. "My bedroom is this way."

Taylor led the girls down a small hallway and into her bedroom. Again, the room was spotless and yet Taylor apologised for the 'untidy state' of it after seeing her pillow wasn't perfectly straight at the end of her bed.

Through her bugs, Taylor saw Lisa silently chuckle before elbowing Vicky. Once she got her attention, Lisa directed it to the fourth, and newest, poster on the wall. A full-body portrait of Glory Girl, hovering in a standard, chest-puffed-out superhero pose. Right next to the other posters of Alexandria, Miss Militia and Narwhal.

"Cool posters," Lisa said, careful not to sound too teasing. Her eyes held on the Glory Girl poster as she smiled back at Victoria. "Say?… Got any other Glory Girl merch by chance?"

"Hmm?" Taylor hummed back, before thinking. "Couldn't find any shirts in my size, and someone called 'freckled_fangirl' outbid me on this action figure I found online. But I got that poster and a new tea mug."

"Wow, really?" Victoria asked, smiling at the thought. "You didn't need to do that. I could've gotten you a shirt if you really wanted one. Same with the poster, or any merch."

"I'm still surprised you bought any merch at all." Lisa chuckled.

"Of course I did," Taylor said back. She tilted her head slightly, unsure of Lisa's statement. "How can I be dating Victoria and not consider myself a Glory Fan Girl?" There was a silent pause when Lisa's lips trembled, threatening to burst into laughter. Taylor thought over what she just said and grew self-conscious. "Unless…" She turned to Victoria. "Sorry, does this make you uncomfortable? I'll remove it right now."

Taylor took a step towards the poster before both girls reached out to stop her.

"No. No, Taylor." Lisa apologised.

"Not at all, Tay," Vicky shook her head. "I love it. Thank you."

"I was just… jealous is all," Lisa added to her apology. "How come there's no cute Tattletale poster hanging on your wall?"

"Because I don't want to explain to my Dad why I have a villain's wanted poster on my wall?" Taylor replied.

"I was thinking more like a cool poster. Not my wanted poster." Lisa grumbled.

"Sorry, Lise." Vicky laughed. "Only heroes get merch. Who would wanna by a poster of the Undersiders?"

"Who indeed?…" Lisa said, no doubt planning something stupid.

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

Taylor left both girls alone to bicker about the logistics of villainous merchandise while she made tea for everyone. In truth, there was another reason why she had invited them over so early, knowing that Dad was going to be out till later.

Taylor had been wondering for a while now what part Victoria played in the Shadow Stalker arrest and why she would volunteer for that. Today she would get her answer, she didn't like the idea of her girlfriends hiding information from her. With the drinks collected, she marched back into her room with a singular purpose.

Both girls thanked her with a smile as they took their drinks. Calmly sipping on their tea as Taylor seated herself between them and the door. She didn't expect them to actually try and run away but it was as good a tactic as any.

"So," Taylor said, cutting straight to the point and looking at Lisa. "Talk. A while back you said that Vicky helped with the Shadow Stalker arrest. What was all that about?"

Both Lisa and Vicky choked on their teas.

"You told her?" Victoria coughed out.

"Did I? I don't remember…" Lisa lied, badly. "I didn't say that, did I?"

Taylor didn't bother to give a response. She stared back at Lisa with unblinking focus while the blonde mumbled in defence.

"I.. I.." Lisa began to explain, looking between Taylor and Victoria. No doubt thinking up a story that would wave it all away.

I don't want us to lie to each other." Victoria cut in before Lisa could talk more. "Yes, I helped Lisa take down Shadow Stalker"

Lisa winced at the admission but Victoria held her gaze at Taylor.

"Why?" Taylor asked, neither accusatory nor shocked.

"Because…" Victoria began. Lisa stopped all illusions of subtlety and shook her head violently to get Vicky to stop talking. "Because Shadow Stalker was Sophia Hess, and that cunt deserved it..."

Victoria didn't back down from her statement. Taylor took the information at face value and mulled over the implications. Lisa readied herself for the oncoming swarm of bugs that was no doubt forming around the neighbourhood.

"I'm sorry for not telling you," Victoria continued. "I didn't want to upset you with any discussion about her. And I was ashamed at the fact that a Ward did… that to you."

Victoria broke eye contact. Looking at the floor, not quite bowing, but awaiting judgement all the same. Lisa had predicted a fallout of biblical proportions if Taylor was to discover the truth. While she had no doubt that Taylor wouldn't harm either of them, there was no telling what Taylor was capable of if she set herself on a warpath with the PRT.

As both girls waited for Taylor to digest this news, they sat silent. Sweat dripped down Lisa's forehead as Vicky placed a gentle hand on Taylor's leg. Then Taylor made a sound neither girl had ever heard before, a sound Taylor herself thought was impossible for her to even make.

She laughed.

This was not a quiet chuckle. Not a suppressed giggle, nor a puff of air through her nose. This was a loud, open and genuine laugh. The type of laughter Victoria expressed on her best days, the type of laughter Lisa wished she could fake while on the job. The type of laughter Taylor had never made since before her mother died.

"You're… not mad?" Victoria asked. Lisa followed the same line of questioning.

Taylor continued to giggle. The entire Shadow Stalker arrest had been recontextualised for her. She didn't just watch some angry Ward get thrown in the slammer, she watched Sophia 'fucking' Hess get her just deserts. Actual justice for all the shit Taylor had put up with. And her girlfriends were to thank for making that happen.

"Well, my opinion of the justice system can't get any worse," Taylor said. Her laughing fell back to a more reserved chuckle. "But, you two really did that for me?

"Of course we did," Victoria said, giving Taylor a hug.

Lisa joined in on the cuddle pile. "No one fucks with our Tay and gets away with it."

Taylor's laughter croaked into something more emotional. She tried to suppress it but it was already too late. Tears were running down her face. Taylor buried her head into both girl's shoulders.

"You two really are my best friends." She quietly sobbed into them. Both girls squeezed her back. "I love you both."

A sudden drop was felt in Taylor's chest as she realised what she just said. Was that too soon? Why did she say that? Would they push back against it? They haven't been dating for that long. When do normal couples drop the L-bomb?

"I-I mean… p-platonically." Taylor tried to correct herself, before wondering if that was also too harsh to say. "I mean… I do like you romantically and I love- I mean-"

"Naw, we love you too." Lisa cut in, saving Taylor from endlessly mumbling. Victoria nodded in agreement as the three girls hugged it out.

Taylor laughed again, this time more out of embarrassment than anything. She had no way of hiding her teary eyes as the hug ended. Victoria and Lisa joined in with the collective giggling. No doubt taking great pleasure in hearing Taylor being so emotionally open with them.

Taylor moved to collect the now empty tea mugs, hoping that assigning herself a task would bring her back to a better-controlled emotional state.

It's funny," Victoria giggled while prodding Lisa. "Lisa was so sure you'd be furious. Like, violently so. Plague of Egypt style."

Taylor chuckled at the thought. Maybe if Sophia was still out and about she'd feel different. But everything was fine now, everything was better than fine.

"Hey, I'm just being cautious," Lisa defended herself. "I already have a lot of bombs I'm trying to defuse."

"Still," Vicky said in somewhat of a 'mom tone.' "No more secrets."

"No more secrets." Lisa agreed.

"Agreed." Taylor nodded, picking up the last mug before placing it on her tray.

"Speaking of which," Victoria added to the joyous momentum. "I'm coming up with a plan to rescue Lisa from your boss."

"Oh yeah?" Taylor asked, still chuckling as she readied to walk back to the kitchen.

"Yeah," Vicky said, elbowing Lisa. "That cunt deserves everything coming to him for threatening your life, Lise."

"Hey," Lisa chuckled back. "I said I'd think about it. There's no plan right now. But thanks."

"I'm serious," Victoria giggled with her confident smile. "Between the three of us, he won't know what hit him."

Lisa laughed back, nodding in agreement. They were quite a force to be reckoned with if they put their powers together. Both girls continued to laugh as the stress eased out from them. This was a far more relaxing get-together than at Victoria's house.

Both girls continued to prod each other in merriment. Lisa made snappy jokes at all the Glory Girl merch that fed Vicky's ego and Victoria reminded Lise that her predictions weren't always accurate by the fact that everyone was happy and laughing.

Neither girl gave much notice to how Taylor left the room to clean up, ever the host trying to keep the place clean. Neither girl noticed the empty expression that landed on Taylor's face the second she left the room.

Neither girl noticed that she stopped laughing.
 
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"Lets not tell Taylor about how the boss hired me okay?"
"Sure Lise, btw Taylor we got you the justice you always wanted and also Lisa's boss threatened her."

Vicky. Victoria. You could not possibly have accidentally'd that at a worse moment. This is going to go well.


Apart from that, not sure if you're making them elements of the AU, but Taylor can't affect her actual emotions with her power, merely her physical tells--her bugs buzz and attack each other rather than her face twitching or clenching her fists, but she still feels the emotion, this is exactly what got Alex killed. Did this come up before? I cannot remember. Don't post after night shifts folks.
Also, Lisa does actually know what Coil's power is, and even at this point in the timeline, per canon.


That said, the interactions with these three remains adorable. A not to read.
 
"Lets not tell Taylor about how the boss hired me okay?"
"Sure Lise, btw Taylor we got you the justice you always wanted and also Lisa's boss threatened her."

Vicky. Victoria. You could not possibly have accidentally'd that at a worse moment. This is going to go well.


Apart from that, not sure if you're making them elements of the AU, but Taylor can't affect her actual emotions with her power, merely her physical tells--her bugs buzz and attack each other rather than her face twitching or clenching her fists, but she still feels the emotion, this is exactly what got Alex killed. Did this come up before? I cannot remember. Don't post after night shifts folks.
Also, Lisa does actually know what Coil's power is, and even at this point in the timeline, per canon.


That said, the interactions with these three remains adorable. A not to read.

Cannon/Fannon merging again. I should re-read actual Worm one of these days.

And no, Lisa doesn't know Coil's actual power, she just guesses that he see's probability or something to that matter. Again, don't quote me on Cannon, it's been a while.
 
"You're… not mad?" Victoria asked. Lisa followed the same line of questioning.
No, I'm furious and I intend to furiously make out and cuddle with the two of you until you both apologise! As you have nothing to apologise for I understand this will take awhile, but I'm willing to put in the hours.
Neither girl noticed that she stopped laughing.
Killkillkill They won't find a body... killkillkill... Make it slow... killkillkill...Time to start using the less friendly socially acceptable bugs... killkillkill... How many cochroaches can one Coil contain? Let's find out!
 
Neither girl gave much notice to how Taylor left the room to clean up, ever the host trying to keep the place clean. Neither girl noticed the empty expression that landed on Taylor's face the second she left the room.

Neither girl noticed that she stopped laughing.

in my head the backdrop is a mix going on of Doom Music Kicks In and Plagues of Egipt (Metal Edition)

"Sophia got away... now Coil won't be going... anywhere" *ominous skittering*
 

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