“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep. I’ve seen enough superhero movies to know it’s never safe for the love interest. Mary Jane for Spider-Man, Pepper Potts for Iron Man, Lois Lane for Superman, Sam Zhao for the Green Lantern…the list goes on. It’s dangerous, but knowing you’ll be there will be enough for me.”
Quinn offered a small smile. “Okay.”
“Blake saved my life in the tunnel today when one of those super freaks appeared. I didn’t expect that.”
“Yeah?”
Keegan nodded. “I guess he really has changed and is a superhero now. I think I can bring myself to forgive him.”
“That’s wonderful, babe.” He reached out and brushed Keegan’s wet hair off his forehead. Several moments of silence passed, then Quinn spoke up. “Um, did you want me to stay or do you want some more alone time?”
Keegan shook his head and ran a hand through his wet hair. “No, I’m turning into a prune. I’m ready to kick back and cuddle.”
“Me too,” Quinn replied.
Several minutes later, the boys toweled off and pulled on fresh boxer shorts and T-shirts. Keegan led the way to his family’s TV room. Keegan grabbed the remotes from the coffee table and boys snuggled together under a blanket on the couch. Though his worried parents had smothered them with love when they got home and made sure they had something to eat, it was nice to have Quinn all to himself.
“What do you want to watch?” Quinn asked, wrapping his arms around Keegan.
Keegan shrugged and nestled into his boyfriend’s arms. I feel safe for the first time in days. Quinn’s warmth and firm embrace calmed his nerves and he felt the trauma of the kidnapping and his near-death experience melting away. “You know, I could go for one of the Transformers movies. Actually, let’s do the first one, if that’s okay.”
“I’m down for a movie where Optimus Prime kicks Megatron’s robotic butt.”
Keegan smiled and queued up the movie. “You know, if Sam Witwicky and Mikaela can survive a battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, maybe there’s hope for me, given everything that’s gone on.”
Quinn smiled back at him. “I know you’re going to be okay, babe.”
Keegan leaned into him and they kissed as Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime, introduced the story of the Cube during the opening scenes of the movie. When they broke their kiss, Quinn bounced his eyebrows suggestively.
“I thought you weren’t in the mood,” Quinn asked.
Keegan felt himself blush and he smiled. “Check back after the movie. You never know, the superhero just might get lucky tonight.”
Quinn laughed. “It’s a good thing I’m a patient guy. After all, I’ve been waiting for you since freshman year.”
Keegan winked at his boyfriend and turned his attention back to the movie.
Freshman year? Are you kidding me? That’s so…
His skin flushed as hormones and blood surged through his body.
To hell with waiting for the movie to end.
He turned and looked at Quinn with passionate eyes. Then, he pressed his lips against Quinn’s and reached into his boyfriend’s boxer shorts. “Change of plans. Let’s go upstairs.”
“Okay,” Quinn managed to say, despite Keegan’s lips pressed against his.
❖
Blake
After dropping Tim and Aren off at their house and politely refusing an invitation for dinner, Blake flew to his condo. He showered and changed, wrestling the entire time with thoughts of visiting his parents. When he decided to visit, darkness had descended over Portsmouth. He went out to his balcony and then launched himself into the air.
Moments later, he circled above his parents’ home, waiting for the courage to land to fill his veins. Blake decided it was time to reconnect with his parents, though he had no intention of moving back home. With the money he had received from The Order, he decided he would either move out of his condo or find a new place to live. Either way, he had enough cash to live in the condo for a long time and his beloved BMW was paid for. No matter what happened, moving back in with his parents was not an option.
Sirens in the distance distracted him, and he lazily watched an ambulance make its way into Atlantic Heights. When it turned onto his street, his heart skipped a beat.
Oh no, that can’t be…
The ambulance slowed near his home, then pulled into his parents’ driveway. Moments later, one of paramedics exited the ambulance and rushed into the home. The other grabbed the stretcher from the back and wheeled it to the front door.
Blake turned himself invisible and descended until he landed on the ambulance’s roof. With his super hearing, he heard his mother wailing with sorrow as the paramedics scuffled around and treated, he presumed, his father.
Ugh, what did Ralph do now?
Moments later, the scuffling stopped and one of the paramedics said something to Stella, his mother. Then, her crying intensified.
Blake’s stomach sank to his toes and he fell his knees. Oh my gosh, my dad is dead.
For the next thirty minutes, Blake remained silently hidden on the roof of the ambulance until the coroner arrived. After they had rolled his father into the hearse and it had driven away, Blake jumped to the ground as the ambulance drove off and walked into the house. The police who had arrived were busy in the living room taking Stella’s statement.
He shifted into visibility as he passed through the kitchen, which was littered with more bottles of booze and discarded beer cans than he had ever seen.
Holy crap, things got worse.
He entered the living room and saw bottle-lined paths had been created to his dad’s recliner and the couch his mom usually passed out on. Near the recliner, the bottles had been knocked over or smashed.
I bet that’s where he keeled over.
Tears ran down his face.
Why am I crying for the man who told me I was nothing but a disappointment?
In front of the couch, his mother and two police officers were speaking. “Hi mom,” he said softly with tears in his eyes.
She looked up at him from the couch, surprised to hear his voice. “Blake? Blake, is that you?”
He was about to run to her and give her a hug, but her face twisted with anger.
“You stupid idiot!” she yelled, pushing herself up from the couch.
What the hell?
“You killed him! You killed him when you ran away,” she hollered.
“What are you talking about?” Blake asked, stunned by his mother’s accusations.
“He couldn’t bear life without you, and your father became an alcoholic, and it’s all your fault!”
Holy shit. You think he became an alcoholic when I left home?
“You killed him, you killed your father, you ungrateful bastard!”
She lunged at him, but one of the police officers grabbed her.
“Do you live here?” the other officer asked.
“I used to, but I left while ago.” He pointed to the empty booze bottles that littered the room. “This got to be too much.”
“He ran away, he abandoned us,” Stella shouted through tears. “He left me alone with that…monster!”
So, there is the truth. You now understand what a monster dad was.
Stella shrieked and broke down. She fell through the officer’s arms and collapsed to the floor. Blake looked at her with remorse.
“Are you this woman’s son?” the officer asked.
“Yes. Her name is Stella.”
Don’t you dare own their problems.
“I just want to end everything,” she shrieked, grabbing the officer’s leg. “I can’t live without my Ralphie.”
“Are you going to stay with her tonight?”
Blake shook his head. “No, I don’t live here. There’s nothing I can do for her, anyway. She just needs to sleep off the booze.”
The officer shook his head. “I’m afraid she’s far too inebriated to be left alone. Are you the next-of-kin?”
“I guess so. I have an older sister, but we don’t know where she is.”
“Any other family?”
Blake shook his head. “Not nearby, no.”
“I don’t believe your mom should be left alone tonight,” the officer restated.
“I don’t believe I’m equipped to take care of her,” Blake protested. “I’m also not eighteen.”
“Ah,” the officer said, rubbing his chain with concern.
There is no way in hell I’m going to take care of her again.
“Can she go to jail for the night?”
The officer shook his head. “No, but we could do a breathalyzer test, determine her level of intoxication, and recommend she should be transferred to the Pavilion.”
“What is that?”
“It’s the psychiatric ward of Portsmouth Hospital. They’ll put her in detox for a few days and then provide counseling to get her back on her feet. It would really help if someone could clear out all the booze in the house before she came home. That task would fall to you or your sister.”
“So, me.”
“If you’re not eighteen, where do you live? Do you have a guardian?”
Blake looked down at his mother, who had passed out.
“Funny you should use that word…I work with Blue Spekter.”
The officer’s eyes popped open when he realized who Blake was. “Oh my god, you’re him!” His hand instinctively went for his gun. His partner did the same.
Blake slowly raised his hands in surrender. “Easy, officers. You know that gun won’t hurt me. The control chip that was in my head that made me do all those horrible things is gone. I’m not Dark Flame anymore, I’m Helion. You can verify that with Lieutenant Doral. Blue Spekter and I just defeated Victor Kraze, the man who put the chip in my head and made me assume the mantle of Dark Flame.”
The officers stared at him with disbelief.
Yeah, that is a crazy story to believe…
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Blake said. “I’m not going to hurt anyone. The man who died here tonight was my father, and this is my mom, but I can’t take care of her.”
The officers visibly relaxed. “Helion, huh?”
“You can verify that with Lieutenant Doral. My given name is Blake Hargreaves.”
“I will. I take it your mom doesn’t know?”
“Of course not.”
The officer reached for his shoulder radio and spoke with dispatch. Several minutes later, Lieutenant Doral’s voice confirmed Blake’s story.
Lieutenant Doral also gave the officers permission to transport Stella to the Pavilion, where she would remain until doctors cleared her to return home. An hour and a half later, when the police finished taking notes and pictures of Ralph’s recliner and the area of his death, they headed out and Blake locked up the house.
He sat on the front steps and wept, unsure of what to do. I can’t bug Quinn, he’s with Keegan. His dads are probably decompressing from their ordeal in Rangeley. I have no one left to turn to. Unless….
He looked up into the clear sky and saw a shooting star travel across the sky.
Maybe…
He looked around and when he saw no one on the street, he launched himself into the air and flew across Portsmouth. Minutes later, he knocked on her front door.
When the front door opened, Ravone greeted him. “What’s up, Blake?” Her face immediately became concerned when tears ran down his cheeks and he sputtered his response.
“My dad died tonight.”
“Oh my goodness, come in.”
He hesitated. “I know I don’t have the right to ask for help, but I could really use a shoulder to…”
“Cry on?” Ravone said, finishing his sentence. “Get your ass inside, it’s cold out.”
He nodded, stepped inside, and she shut the door behind him. The tears bubbled up. “My father died tonight,” he repeated, then he broke down in Ravone’s arms.
❖
Ana Maria
Ana Maria said her goodbyes to Blake, Tim, and Aren, then ascended into the sky and flew south to her home in Rye.
Shifting to invisibility, she landed in her driveway and punched in the code to open the garage door. Once safely inside, she made her way to the Master bathroom and drew a warm bath in her Jacuzzi tub. As the water filled the tub and the lavender bubble bath created a pleasant and relaxing scent, she lit several aromatherapy candles and placed them on the edges of the tub.
She went downstairs to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of red wine. After taking a sip, she returned to the master bath and peeled off her super suit. Nude, she stepped into the Jacuzzi and lowered herself into the foaming, bubbling waters. She took another sip of wine and then set the glass on the side of the tub. She submerged herself up to her chin, exhaled her stress, and then shut the water off with the toes of her right foot.
Though her body healed and the orgone naturally rejuvenated her, the battle had taken an unusual toll on her muscles and the warm water soothed them as they recovered.
She smiled.
That kid became an astounding leader. If I had known how all this would have turned out, perhaps I might’ve stepped forward much sooner.
Still, the future remains uncertain. Now, Quinn will try to live a normal life, but I know he will respond to the call of duty whenever Blue Spekter is needed. So will Blake.
What about me?
She glanced at the super suit on the floor.
Am I ready to hang up my suit already?
Or, is the path ahead of me clear? Does fear once again prevent me from becoming part of this brave new world of heroes and villains?
I believe Victor is alive, but I also know Quinn seriously wounded him. It’s not a question of if he’ll strike, but when. And, if he has access to another reactor core, will he be able to heal himself now that he’s seen what we did to Blake? Will he create more super thugs and come after us again?
I have to admit, being part of the action is much more fun than watching world pass by…hiding who I am in a closet.
She sighed.
I know what I have to do. I know what I’ll tell Agent Hartman tomorrow.
❖
Tim
Tim stared at the glasses of wine he had poured for himself and Aren. Neither man had taken a sip yet.
“I don’t feel like cooking tonight,” his husband said.
“I don’t blame you at all, love. How about we get pizza? Chinese takeout?” Tim asked.
“Ooh, I really want Chinese food from Greenleaves, but I don’t want to drive up to York and get it.”
“If Quinn were here, he could fly up there and get it for us lickety-split.”
They chuckled. “I don’t mind a quiet night in with you, love,” Aren said.
Tim leaned forward and picked up his glass of wine, completely missing his husband’s suggestive tone. “Speaking of our superhero son, did you see how awesome he looked when he…I guess the word I’m looking for is…resurrected?”
“He’s amazing. Our kid is a freaking superhero,” Aren said.
“I thought he was dead,” Tim said, wrestling with his emotions as tears welled in his eyes. “I thought that fucking monster killed our son.”
Aren reached out and squeezed his arm. “I did, too, love. I was shocked and relieved to see him stand up and kick that monster’s ass.”
“So, now what do we do?”
Aren shrugged. “The only thing we can do: keep it as quiet as possible and support him in this next chapter of his life. We should take full advantage of the fact that the media has not revealed his identity nor ours to the public.”
“That’s true. We could have a lot of people coming after us.”
“Maybe, but I’ve had a thought about that.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Aren cleared his throat and scratched his left ear.
Uh-oh, he only does that when it’s serious.
“What would you think about asking Blake to l
ive with us?”
Tim stared at him. “Why?”
Think about it, love. His parents are assholes. He moved out, and who knows whether he can keep that condo or not. He’s a minor, and if the state gets involved, they’re going to put him up for foster care. Who’s going to want the former-teenage-arch-nemesis-evil-villain of the world living in their house? We know his story, and he and Quinn are pretty much brothers anyway. Blake has always felt like a second son to us. Who knows, maybe one day we could become his…guardians.”
Tim chuckled. “It’s a good idea. I need to think about it. though.”
“People would think twice about attacking this house if they knew two superhumans lived in it.”
“So, your motive is self-preservation?” Tim asked, adopting his best lawyer voice.
Aren frowned. “No, of course not.” His expression softened. “Well, maybe a little. But, I want what’s best for Blake.”
“I do too, hun. Let me think about it, okay? I need time to decompress from being held prisoner.”
“Fair enough.” They each took a sip of wine and sat back on the couch.
Aren looked at him with playful eyes and bounced eyebrows. “You know, it was kind of exciting being tied up with you.”
Tim looked at him incredulously. “Our son’s boyfriend was there.”
Aren waved his hand dismissively. “Just pretend he wasn’t there for a moment. It was kind of exciting, don’t you think?”
“Maybe,” Tim responded, a smile forming on his lips.
Aren took a large sip of wine. “The only thing that would’ve made it better is if we were naked together.”
Tim smiled, fully understanding where his husband was leading the conversation. “We do have the house to ourselves tonight…”
“And we don’t have to order pizza right this moment…” Aren said, sitting forward on the couch.
“Uh-Huh,” Tim responded, looking at his handsome husband.
“Would you like to go to our bedroom and work out some pent-up angst from our recent ordeal?” Aren asked, touching Tim’s knee with his hand.
Why yes, I do.
Tim’s heart pounded in his chest as lust for his husband overwhelmed him. They set their wine glasses down on the coffee table and Tim grabbed Aren’s hand. They kissed passionately and then Tim led his husband to their bedroom, laughing and giggling as they pulled off their clothes and haphazardly dropped them along the way.
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