amy

Monday May 9th, 2011

A breeze blew across the desk, ruffling papers with cool evening air.

Amelia hated going back to the Dallon household, as the place she had grown up no longer felt like home. Really, Carol's domain had only ever felt welcoming due to the presence of Vicky — her sister, whom she had fallen in love with once upon a time. Her sister who was now dating a supervillain, much like Amelia herself.

Wasn't that a strange thought.

Stranger still was that Lisa wasn't available tonight because she had inexplicably wormed her way onto the Medhall board of directors; with the Elite muscling in on the city, Amelia had not wanted to interrupt her Thinkering more than necessary. Lisa had certainly seen through her oft-repeated 'everything is good,' but had not raised an objection.

Amelia had even considered going to the arena despite the fact that Taylor and Chrissie were gone until late in the evening and no one else she knew was there. Dinah and Aisha were studying for tests, Madison and Charlotte were helping at Rachel's shelter, and Vicky had all but moved in with Ashley already. Even Robbie was unavailable and there was no way she was going to pry into why.

So there Amelia sat, staring at a computer screen and several open books on neurochemistry and the associated sciences. Mark was downstairs cooking what was likely a celebratory meal for Carol's success in the Canary case — if a mistrial and reasonable new charges was considered a success — but Vicky's absence promised to ruin the effort. Amelia almost considered sneaking out for his sake to avoid whatever pointless fight Carol was going to inevitably start tonight.

If not for Lisa's… help, Amelia knew that she would have already snuck out and gone to the hospital. Her heroism and self-sacrifice would never convince Carol that the Marquis's daughter wasn't a villain, and yet Amelia still felt the almost instinctual desire to spend the rest of her night desperately trying to win Carol's approval. Lisa assured her that it would take some time to break those habits, and in the meantime…

Well, Amelia had been trying to avoid forming worse habits.

Shortly after Vicky had reappeared from her 'totally not a first date' with Ashley, her sister had asked Amelia why she hadn't created something to heal herself. Apparently some Earth Aleph sci-fi movie that Vicky had seen (of course, the nerd) had technology where people healed by being suspended in a tube of blue liquid.

Amelia had struggled up the stairs with crutches exactly once before deciding to make her own variety, rules be damned. The resulting inventive fugue lasted for a night, using her secret stash of gummy worms, yeast, and a lot of metaphorical elbow grease. Her efforts had paid off immediately, as she would have likely been crippled for months or more without her almost magical glob of healing goo, though Taylor's own hemokinesis had been surprisingly effective on its own. Amelia wouldn't even have a scar for her trouble, and the rest of the prototype was now masquerading as chewy treats in her desk drawer. If the PRT wondered how she was up so fast, she just blamed the Butcher, because fuck them with a rake.

Not that she was bitter.

On the desk, Amelia's other source of temptation scurried and squeaked. Lisa had gifted her an assortment of mice to practice messing with brains, and to Amelia's shame, she hadn't turned the gift away. Reaching into the enclosure, Amelia extracted the friendliest of the critters and held him in her hands, letting the mouse's biology flood into her brain. Breathing out, she focused on his tiny mouse brain, on the billions of cells and their connections, the energy sparking throughout in a dizzying web of infinite complexity that gave them life.

All of it at her mercy.

She hadn't wanted the temptation so close at hand, to be able to bend a being to her will and have everyone be none the wiser. Amelia had practiced a few minor tweaks to each mouse under Lisa's encouragement and supervision, but she wasn't ready to do so on her own. It had been painful to admit to her girlfriend that Amelia wasn't going to be able to hide behind her remaining rules forever, that there would inevitably be a time when Amelia would need to know how brains worked to save someone she loved.

Hopefully, that wouldn't be at dinner tonight.

Gently, she returned the mouse to the cage, patting its head before triggering a rush of endorphins to continue to encourage the friendly behavior. At least the mice were easy, and her own brain wasn't consumed with cursed thoughts of turning the healing gel into some grotesque tentacle monster again.

Amelia knew that she was distracting herself from one uncomfortable subject with another, especially when she really wanted nothing more than to smoke a fat one and curl up with her girlfriend and best friend on the couch. Of course, even that simple idea was now fraught with peril, because she was starting to look at Taylor and Chrissie as more than just friends, which wasn't fair to Lisa in the slightest.

Worse, Lisa had to know, and hadn't said anything. That secret alone was tearing Amelia up — not that the sensation was foreign — yet she wasn't ready to talk about it, not until she understood what she was feeling more clearly. It wasn't like she cared for Lisa any less; if anything, those feelings were growing stronger. Even the laugh that bubbled up from the depths of Amelia's spiraling thoughts had a bitter edge, because it was only with Lisa's help that she had even been able to laugh recently, and…

Amelia was falling for them all, wasn't she? Couldn't her personal life just be simple for once? Even tinged with shame and horror as it was, at least her feelings were purer than the lusty obsession for her sister. Oh, there was love there, but it was familial — and Amelia knew that Vicky would only ever love her in that way. With Lisa's help, Amelia was doing her best to move away from that self-destructive path of wanting more.

Of course, because nothing could ever just go right for Amelia, she had traded that path for a different sort of self-destruction — the Teeth. Amelia was under no illusions that the Teeth were anything other than some of the worst villains on the east coast, though at least they were more likely to just kill someone than sell them into some sort of horrible slavery. That wasn't exactly a comfort for their victims, anyone near their victims, or anyone who owned property in the vicinity of their victims, but…

For whatever reason, they treated Amelia better than her own forcibly-adopted family.

The irony was not lost on her in the slightest.

Amelia was morbidly curious what her father would say about her current situation. Lisa assured her that Marquis had been entirely concerned with young Amelia's safety, but there was no way that he could have foreseen that the Brigade's incompetence would send her into the literal arms of one of his hated enemies.

Then again, he probably would have never foreseen a Butcher who spluttered incoherently when her girlfriend flirted with her, or fell asleep with Amelia on her lap, or any of the other myriad of Taylor's illusion-shattering behaviors. So maybe sororitizing with the enemy wasn't as bad as he would have expected — hell, from what Amelia had learned about his veneer of civility, he would have appreciated Taylor's efforts to reform the Teeth.

All other things aside, it was viscerally satisfying to know that Aunt Jess's killers had finally been put down like the rabid animals they were. Amelia found it endlessly amusing that it was the fucking Teeth that finally decided that the Unwritten Rules should be respected, followed by a slaughter that had already made it into the history books. They had certainly scared the shit out of the PRT.

After the last month of anxiety following their botched attempt to send an otherwise (mostly) innocent hero to the Birdcage, Amelia didn't have much sympathy. Her own powers were far more terrifying than the Butcher, and it wasn't like anyone was going to ride to spring Panacea out of a Birdcage transport. Pandemic, though…

Well, according to Lisa, the Teeth found Amelia's alter ego to be a hilarious thumb in the heroes' eyes, and the Butcher liked having her around. Maybe most of the Teeth weren't friends yet, but they didn't want her just for her healing prowess and they would probably save her from meeting her father's fate.

Amelia never thought she would take solace in the idea that the Butcher would save her from the Birdcage, but here she was. The worst part, in Amelia's mind, was that the PRT might actually try something stupid due to her healing goo. Her victory nap after finishing the project had been ruined by another nightmare about one-way elevators.

At least it wasn't another where she went full-tilt mad biotinker while the Teeth cheered her on. Amelia knew deep down that she would enjoy it too, after all of her fuckups, and that scared her even more. The Teeth had certainly cheered while she had learned to throw knives, and Amelia really didn't want to think about the tangle of emotions that debacle had stirred up. Amelia hated how easy it had been to get swept up in the Teeth's wake, nevermind the thrill of it…

Luckily, she didn't have to not think about it for long. A lack of footsteps followed by a knock at her door could only be one person. "Vicky? You can come in."

Amelia's door opened to reveal her sister, who indeed was taking full advantage of Carol's absence to fly in the house. However, where once Vicky would have just charged into the room and maybe given Amelia a spontaneous (and coveted) hug, she now floated in almost timidly before shutting the door behind her. "So, um… what dastardly crime is Pandemic doing tonight?"

Amelia sighed, pinching her nose. Vicky had been out-of-sorts ever since the conversation where Amelia admitted that she was, in fact, Pandemic; it had not helped the situation for Vicky to learn Ashley's identity at the same time. Ashley herself had been less than pleased about the reveal — Amelia suspected that the ridiculous villain had been planning a more dramatic version — but the real damage had been to Vicky's own psyche.

"Har har. Last I checked, Pandemic hasn't been implicated in any actual crimes. It's just a mask so I can actually go out with Taylor and Lisa." That wasn't quite the truth, but Amelia had been hiding far worse secrets from her sister for a long time and Vicky had not caught onto those, either. "Oh, and to piss off the PRT, I guess."

A tiny smile flashed over Vicky's face, replaced by a frown almost immediately. "That's dangerous, Amelia… what if someone mistakes you for an actual Teeth cape and shoots you?"

"Again? Well, they'd likely get transferred to another department," Amelia said, rolling her eyes. "Why do you care all of a sudden? You didn't seem to mind all that much when we talked about this earlier."

"That's because we were in the Teeth lair!" Vicky snapped. "What was I supposed to do, go punch out Lisa for seducing you into villainy? Taylor was right there, and as cool as she is, I doubt she would take that sitting down."

Taylor would absolutely not take that sitting or standing, and Amelia hated how safe it made her feel knowing that Butcher XV had personally made it clear that Panacea was off-limits. Villains were supposed to be the kidnappers for the bay's miracle healer, not the protection detail. Worse, given the Teeth's willingness to escalate to lethal retaliation immediately, Amelia found herself trusting their claim more than anything New Wave had done.

"What do you want, then?" Amelia asked with a resigned sigh.

Vicky didn't answer immediately, eyes darting around the admittedly lonely room. They lingered on the mice before focusing back on Amelia herself. "You're actually friends with them, huh? Not that I can throw stones or anything," she said with a chuckle, "but this isn't some elaborate ruse and they're not threatening you. They're not… right?"

A dark part of Amelia almost wished that they would threaten her in some way, since it would give her a reason to use some of the more unpleasant creations she had dreamt up in the past few weeks. Oh, she would avoid Taylor — the Butcher with Amelia's power was about the worst thing she could think of — but most of the rest of the Teeth were almost uniformly guilt-free targets, Lisa being one of the few exceptions.

An even darker part of Amelia wished that hanging out with the Teeth would give her an excuse to try out her ideas on equally deserving enemies. She knew that the Teeth would welcome her horrors with open arms instead of a one-way ticket to a mountain retreat (or worse); hell, they would probably ask to fight her creations themselves if they knew what she could really do.

Her situation was literal nightmare fuel.

"They're not threatening me," Amelia said eventually. "Taylor and Lisa know what… my power can do," not that Amelia let it off its leash, "and they're too disorganized to try to coerce me. I know that it flies in the face of everything that Carol, New Wave, and the PRT says, but surprise! It's possible to be friends with villains."

"And you yourself," Vicky added sharply. "Come on, Amelia, please admit that this is weird. Even if just to me, and I promise not to tell Lisa or any of the other Teeth. You went from hating villains to dating one in the space of a few days, and then you have a sleepover with the fucking Butcher herself. How did you go from Panacea, the most heroic cape on the coast, to… whatever this is?"

"I thought you weren't throwing stones," Amelia snapped back. "At least I knew that they were villains."

Vicky goggled at her. "That… doesn't make it better."

Amelia huffed. "What I meant was that I'm not trying to make some post-hookup rationalization." Her sister just crossed her arms, glaring. "Fine! Yeah, it's weird. But Carol was fucking wrong, alright? She was wrong about Taylor ever since the poor girl inherited, she was wrong about heroes being the good guys, and she was wrong about Lisa."

Maybe Carol was even wrong about Amelia herself.

"We were all wrong about Taylor," Vicky muttered. "Everyone thought that she was this crazy killer, and instead she's just this dorky girl with a horrible power. But I guess they're all like that, just normal people in some terrible situation."

"I guess." Amelia knew that wasn't quite the truth — some of the Teeth really were reprehensible serial killers. Even Chrissie was a little suspect sometimes, though Amelia personally thought that Taylor was actually a good influence on her compared to prior Butchers and the rest of the gang. Then again, the bar was set pretty low.

"At least Lisa hasn't done anything truly bad," Vicky continued. "Ashley… I don't know. Maybe I don't want to know." She trailed off, clearly lost in her own thoughts. Amelia considered bringing up her increasingly complicated feelings about Lisa and now Taylor and Chrissie, but she figured that Vicky was already worried enough without 'Amelia wants to have the Butcher sit on her face' added to the mix.

The silence lingered uncomfortably, and Amelia distracted herself by poking one of her test subjects and continuing her attempts to decipher the tiny mouse brain. Vicky fidgeted with her phone, eventually pocketing it with a grimace. "They'd let you go, right?'

"Huh?"

"Like, you can escape, right? Even if we had to go join the Wards in Los Angeles or something, healers are rare en—"

Amelia slammed the mouse cage door hard enough that the mice inside squeaked in complaint. "Fuck that. I'll help people because I'm a hero, but I refuse to go back to being the good little healing robot where one fuckup means that I'm a villain." She wiggled her fingers at Vicky. "I'm a scary biological Tinker, Vicky, and I'm not going to join anyone who doesn't accept me for what I am."

"You're not a Tinker," Vicky retorted absently. "You don't get designs in your head, right?"

Amelia stared at her sister for a long moment — Vicky was such a nerd. Then she snorted. "Ok, fine. Then I'm better than them, because my stuff actually makes sense. No Tinker magic necessary. And I doubt the PRT cares about that distinction."

Vicky cracked a smile. "You didn't answer my question."

"Taylor let Grue walk away, didn't she? And if they tried to make a fuss, they would regret it," Amelia replied, voice going dark at the end. "Don't worry about me."

"But I do," Vicky said. "You're my sister."

Even if she left the Teeth today, Amelia would be forever grateful to Lisa for at least helping dull the ache of bitterness at that statement. For the moment — and despite Vicky's entirely reasonable concerns — she wasn't going anywhere. Unless the Teeth decided to make Amelia's life miserable (unlikely, given Taylor) or Amelia's home life drastically improved (unlikely, given Carol), her little double life had been just the relief valve she had needed for all of the pressure she had been under for the past few years.

The sound of the garage door opening jarred both girls into motion. Amelia frantically checked that all signs of her experimentation were hidden, leaving Vicky to dart back to her own room and cover whatever tracks she didn't want Carol to see. Not that Carol would be searching Vicky's room for illicit power experimentation, of course — Amelia was the problem child in the Dallon household.

Carol didn't waste any time. "Victoria! Amy! Please come to the kitchen!" she called before the garage door had even finished closing. Amelia pulled herself to her feet, fighting long-ingrained instincts that leaving her admittedly flimsy haven (except to go to the hospital) would lead to just further emotional pain. A too-loud part of her still screamed that if Amelia just worked harder and was more selfless, Carol would stop being so cold to her; the rest of her told that part to shut the fuck up.

She almost succeeded.

To Amelia's surprise, Vicky was waiting by her door in a show of solidarity. "She sounds like she's in a good mood?" her sister asked quietly. "I mean, she did 'win' the case…"

"Let's go find out," Amelia replied. "Come on. Hopefully it won't be too bad."

Amelia regretted the words almost instantly as she walked into the kitchen and found Myrddin sitting at the table with Carol. The famous hero was instantaneously recognizable, with his burlap sack robe and literal wizard's staff, though Amelia knew him from having been forced to sit through painfully boring meet-and-greets with the visiting Protectorate leaders by Carol. They hadn't talked about anything of substance, which was suspicious in retrospect.

"Miss Dallon and Miss Dallon, it's good to see you both again." the hero said, standing up and offering them his hand. The gesture was completely undermined by the fact that he was wearing gloves — and the alarm bells that had started ringing in Amelia's head upon entering the kitchen started to clang much more loudly.

Vicky shook his hand with her normal enthusiasm, naturally. "I'll admit I didn't expect to see a famous hero in my house tonight, but I'll take it."

Amelia, in contrast, barely met the bounds of politeness. "Hey."

Carol's eyes narrowed at the rudeness, but Myrddin didn't seem to care. "Well, I'm afraid I can't say the same, given that your mother invited me into the house of the Bay's two brightest rising stars."

"Thank you!" Vicky replied, preening. "But, um, do we need to go so you and mom can talk?"

"No, not at all," the hero replied. "In fact, the reason I am here is to talk to the two of you about your careers as heroes, as well as a number of concerns that your mother has brought to me." At Vicky's momentary look of horror, Myrddin chuckled. "Everything is fine, Miss Dallon. We are just worried about your safety."

He sat down at the table, gesturing for Amelia and Vicky to follow suit. Once the scraping of chairs had subsided, he leaned forward. "Frankly put, we're worried about the Teeth. Not that we think that they would hurt you, Miss Dallon… can I call you Amy?"

"Amelia."

"Amelia," he continued, ignoring Carol's further-narrowing eyes. "We are very concerned about the fact that the Teeth seem to be taking advantage of you, Amelia, either directly through your work as Panacea or just by your presence here in the city."

No.

"The incident several days ago made it clear to everyone that Butcher XV isn't as different from her predecessors as she wants us to believe, nevermind the Teeth. However, she is much more strategically capable than prior Butchers."

Hell no.

"Moreover," Carol cut in, "it is possible that the Butcher might target you in particular, Amy, due to your father."

Amelia shrugged. "I don't think Weaver gives a shit about my dad."

"Language," Myrddin and Carol said simultaneously, sharing a look; the Protectorate hero continued with a serious voice. "Don't be naive. You must appreciate the danger that you are in, both due to the nature of your power and the fact that your father was one of Butcher's most steadfast opponents."

"That goes for you too, Vicky," Carol said. "Supervillains are more than happy to kidnap people for ransom, and someone as valuable as Panacea makes all of us tempting targets."

Vicky shook her head. "Weaver's made a big stink about the Unwritten Rules, so —"

Carol's voice cracked like a whip. "Victoria! We are not rehashing that argument again, and I refuse to let you put yourself in danger due to your own misguided understanding of the realities of being a cape. You simply cannot trust Butcher, no matter how much of a sane façade she puts up."

She turned her attention to Amelia. "As for you, while I appreciate how hard it has been to make friends as an open cape, associating with Taylor Hebert is a mistake I mean to see rectified. I did the due diligence that you seem to have forgotten, and upon looking into her background, it is clear to me that she has joined the Teeth and dragged her family into it. Villainy seems to run in the family, given that her mother ran with Lustrum's group."

Amelia was struggling to keep her expression blank over her rising outrage, but she was able to sneak a sideways glance at Myrddin. His head twitched almost imperceptibly; Amelia had to assume that Carol hadn't yet realized that Taylor was Weaver. His reaction also gave away the true purpose of this meeting, not that Amelia hadn't already figured it out.

A sudden pair of biologies that leapt into Amelia's mind caused her to glance downwards — two bugs had landed on a rip in her jeans underneath the table. Luckily, the motion made her look contrite to Carol, giving her a precious few seconds to prevent this meeting from going any worse than it already was.

Because naturally, the bugs were from Taylor, and she had sent two very different species. One was a truly ferocious wasp, the other a fuzzy moth; the question and associated signal were extremely clear. She eased a hand into her lap and furiously petted the moth, only to cup her hand around the wasp before it could go.

Everything is fine now, but we might need help later.

"Right," Myrddin said awkwardly. "In any case, your mother, myself, and the wider Protectorate are worried about the Teeth, and so we've made some arrangements both for your safety and for your future as heroes." A wave of his hand produced a pair of folders, a trick which Amelia would have enjoyed anytime except for the current situation. The Protectorate logo was emblazoned on the font above the words 'New Wards Contract.'

Hell fucking no!

"What about New Wave?" Vicky asked, voice strained. "I mean, if we leave…"

"A decision was reached. The adults will dissolve New Wave and join the Chicago Protectorate," Carol replied. If there was a trace of regret, sadness, or anything else, Amelia couldn't detect it. "I will need to take the Illinois bar exam among other details, but we are planning on moving to Chicago immediately."

"What about school? We're almost at the end of the year!"

"You will take your final exams from Arcadia remotely."

"And my independent neuroscience project with Mrs. Green?" Amelia asked, a slight smirk spreading on her face as Carol's eyes widened in horror.

It was a terrifying thought, because now that she had opened Pandora's box, she couldn't help all the ideas that kept coming the more she experimented. It was also the reason she passed on that name. It wasn't a matter of if Amelia was going to become a full on villain, but when. She was just glad to have people in her life that understood that, and would help her down that path without judgment.

"Chicago has some of the best universities in the country," Myrddin said brightly, not having picked up the subtext. "I'm sure they would be thrilled to work with a Ward of your stature and abilities."

"My friends?" Vicky's voice caught at that.

Carol nodded. "I was able to arrange for Dean to be transferred to Chicago instead of Boston. I know that you are understandably upset about his parents, but you know as well as I that he doesn't share their vile opinions. At the very least, he will be a friendly face."

Vicky seemed at a loss for words. "But…"

"But nothing," Carol said firmly. "I'm sure that you're aware of the Elite, right? They're not as prevalent on this coast, but they control the majority of the organized crime from San Diego to Seattle. You may not be aware that the reason for their dominance is that the west coast PRT departments simply prefer the Elite to the alternatives, and thus refuse to hold them accountable for their numerous crimes."

"We've talked about it in class," Vicky said slowly.

"Indeed. Then you might understand the scope of the disaster when I say that the Protectorate seems willing to let the Teeth become similarly entrenched." Carol's voice turned frigid. "I was even made aware of the fact that Amy healed the Butcher herself to forestall what might have been yet another hero falling to madness. "

"Hey, I helped too!" Vicky said, then winked at her sister.

"I will be having words with both of you about that disaster at a later time, but it demonstrates that the Protectorate ENE is not taking the threat seriously."

Amelia huffed. "So we have to move because they screwed up?"

Myrddin shook his head. "By itself, no. But we've started to hear… disturbing rumors that the Teeth have been socializing with the Wards, likely buoyed by Butcher's claims about the Unwritten Rules."

"It's almost certainly why that Taylor girl suddenly tried to befriend you," Carol agreed.

Amelia very nearly lunged across the table to do something Teeth-worthy to Carol, but somehow found the willpower to merely twitch in her seat. Taylor and the others were her first actual friends in years, and while Amelia probably wouldn't have met them if she hadn't been a cape, they certainly weren't friends with Panacea. In fact, New Wave was responsible for her not having normal friends in the first place!

Vicky wasn't having it, either. "So, what? We're leaving because you're afraid that we might make friends with the wrong sorts of people? And then you want me to be friends with Dean again? Please tell me you won't want me to be nice to Rune, too."

"Not… as such, but Scribe is in desperate need of good influences," Myrddin hedged. "While your mother's point can be construed in a bad way, she is right." He tapped the table a few times in thought. "I suppose I can admit this — we believe that the Teeth have actually somehow convinced a Ward to run away and join them. In any other situation, we could mount a rescue operation immediately and make a statement about villains poaching our members. But because the Butcher is willing to jump straight to lethal force when civilian identities are involved, we are struggling to come up with a solution."

Lisa had already complained about Sophia's presence in the lair and the heroes' inability to relieve the Teeth of their newest and most annoying member. Of course, it wasn't like they ever made an effort when groups like the Adepts, or hell, the fucking Fallen grabbed Wards off the streets. The only reason they seemed to give a damn about her was because she was their little miracle healer, and nothing more. The rest of New Wave was just a means to an end for them.

Amelia wasn't particularly pleased by the prospect of yet another of Taylor's former bullies joining the Teeth, but at least it wasn't Emma. Madison had proven themself after. Still, the situation was a hilarious fuckup for the PRT, and she hid a smile before leafing through the packet.

"A hero running away to join the Teeth?" Amelia asked, feigning innocence. By the way Victoria had to suppress a snort, she hadn't done a very good job of it. "What could lead someone to consider joining villains like them?"

Myrddin's lips twisted at that. "We believe the Teeth are blackmailing them."

"Mhm," Vicky said, nodding. "Luckily, we're not Wards, so they don't have any reason to try that with me and Amelia. Weaver did declare Ames hands-off, so I have a hard time believing that she would suddenly do something stupid like that to her."

"They could Master someone into trying something that would have me running into Weaver's arms," Amelia said, tapping her chin. "Didn't they recruit the suspected Master from the Undersiders?"

"Regent," Carol supplied, "better known as Hijack, one of Heartbreaker's children."

"I dunno, seems like a lot of trouble," Vicky said. "I know the PRT is transferring a bunch of people around, maybe they just didn't want to leave and saw the Teeth as their only option?"

Amelia could have kissed Vicky for that, but she wouldn't. She couldn't, not after all the help Lisa had given her on working through those feelings.

Myrddin shook his head, his hood waving with the motion. "Few of the transfers were without the consent of the Ward in question. Those that weren't were due to… special circumstances."

"Like causing Weaver's trigger?" Amelia spat.

Carol flinched back, her eyes widening as she looked upon the Protectorate hero. "Is that true? Did a Ward actually cause Weaver's trigger?"

Myrddin hesitated, giving Amelia all the opening she needed to pull a page from her girlfriend's playbook and cut right to the heart of things.

"Three of them, actually," Amelia continued with a knowing smirk. "Remember when I had to heal Stalker and Meteor? That was because the idiots attacked Weaver in civvies at school, attempting to bully her."

"Didn't Weaver say she got her powers around the start of the year?" Vicky asked idly. "Seems to me she was bullied for months, with her bug powers, and did nothing in retaliation."

"Not a damn thing," Amelia added, relishing how Myrddin kept fidgeting in his seat and Carol's anger continued to bubble to the surface. "That explains how she managed to remain a hero until she was ambushed at a truce meeting."

"You've spoken to Weaver," Carol said, her voice distant.

Amelia just stared at Carol. "Several times, yes. Have you forgotten the bank? How about the Wards meeting after it? Or when she showed up in civvies with a rescued girl in her arms at the hospital just hours after that? Yeah, I've talked to Weaver."

"That sort of attention is precisely why we are worried," Myrddin said quickly. "You're in danger should she ever decide to lash out in anger. You saw what she did to Hookwolf."

Yeah, and she had the severed arm to prove it too. "I saw what happens when someone goes after Weaver's family. Her identity is paper thin and everyone knows it. The Empire tried to kill her father, all because Ru— I'm sorry, Scribe, put the idea into Hookwolf's head."

Lisa had figured that one out in the aftermath, putting the pieces together. She'd fed the murderblender a bunch of information that set him after the dockworkers, and Kaiser didn't know that he was walking into a trap when he allowed Hookwolf to carry out his plan.

"At least Aunt Jess was finally avenged," Vicky said solemnly.

"You see the danger there, don't you?" Myrddin asked. "The Teeth have a Thinker Eight in their midst. Surely you can see how dangerous that can be if you allow the Teeth to fill your head with ideas!"

Amelia had to fight back the grin, because Lisa just apparently got a ratings boost and was going to gloat so damn much for it. She was very much looking forward to the smug little smile her girl was going to get over that, and the whining from everyone as she lorded it over the entire Arena.

"I don't think you need to worry about us," Vicky said.

"We disagree," Carol said simply. "And rather than worry about what sort of leverage the Teeth might discover on you, the prospect of the Teeth becoming completely entrenched, or a Butcher with Weaver's powers but none of her purported self-control, we have made the decision to move. Now, for reasons that I would rather not get into, we do require your signatures to make things legally simple. Please open your folders to the first page."

There was no way in hell that Amelia was going to let herself get shipped halfway across the country so that the PRT could finally have their perfect little healer. That was clearly their goal, even if Myrddin was trying desperately to talk around the issue. He knew that Amelia was happy just where she was, but it wasn't where he wanted her to be.

It was the same fucking thing every time: everyone wanted Panacea the miracle worker, and only seemed to begrudgingly put up with Amelia. Myrddin wasn't even the most egregious of the lot! The worst part was that Amelia knew it certainly wouldn't end if she actually joined — departments would be jockeying for her time, politicians would be harassing her, and she would never make another normal friend.

Actually, that was a lie — the worst part was that Carol would always be there, disapproving of Amelia no matter what she did. She'd be no better off than Dinah feared for herself, locked in a gilded cage until someone stole her away.

But as much as she was tempted to tap the wasp and summon Taylor, Amelia could recognize that Weaver was likely no match for Myrddin, at least when the latter was expecting her and Weaver would be teleporting in mostly blind.

Amelia was going to have to save herself.

The beginnings of a plan started to churn in her brain, but she needed a distraction to get everything right. "So where's the merch part of the contract?" she drawled, opening the folder. "I want to see who gets all of the cash for selling Panacea plushies."

"Your mother suggested that all of the profits go to charity," Myrddin replied slowly.

Fucking figured.

Carol shot her a look. "Amy, don't be greedy. Protectorate heroes are compensated very well, and donating the profits to charity is a powerful political statement." One that Myrddin didn't seem too happy about, Amelia noted.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm thinking of only keeping thirty percent of mine," Vicky said. "I mean, as far as I can tell, that's the whole point of joining the Protectorate is the merchandise sales."

"Young lady —" Carol started, but Vicky barreled right on through.

"What, mom? We're selling out because you're stuck in the past, unwilling to even look at the evidence surrounding the Teeth. The Protectorate sat there and let literal Nazis infest the city for more than a decade, and when Weaver asked for help to get rid of them, they tried to Birdcage her! And then she went and cleaned them up anyway!"

Ameliasnorted loudly at that, drawing Carol's attention before she could lambast Vicky. "There was a reason I never came out. Speaking of, what about our girlfriends?"

"Lisa can afford long distance," Vicky said. "I'm more worried about Ashley. Unlike you, I didn't land a pharmaceutical heiress."

Amelia was still amused that Vicky had stumbled on Reflex's niece at the Palanquin of all places. Still wouldn't top her own meet cute with Taylor at the hospital, but hey, that's what made for good romance. Not that those feelings didn't make her feel guilty given she was with Lisa. She really needed to figure out what was wrong with her that she also wanted the gods be damned Butcher as well as her cute punk girlfriend.

"You're actually seeing someone," Carol half-asked, staring at Vicky like she'd grown a second head. Had she thought Vicky talking about Ashley was nothing but a ruse? "What about Dean?"

Nevermind, she absolutely did.

"What about that Nazi sympathizer?" Vicky shot back.

Vicky and Carol were glaring at one another, and Amelia could feel the tension rising. Luckily for her adrenal glands, she needed just a few more moments, and everyone was getting way too jumpy as it was. "Hey Myrddin, what sort of villains do you ignore in Chicago?"

"Not counting Scribe," Vicky quipped.

To his credit, Myrddin kept his calm. "Amy, Vicky. I understand that you had entirely justified reasons to disagree with the Protectorate ENE, but I can assure you that we don't ignore any villains in Department Four. Since this is your house and your lives are being upset, I will give you a pass for now — but that sort of behavior is unbecoming of Wards."

"In that case, I don't really want to be a Ward," Vicky replied.

When Myrddin and Carol both sat forward to chastise Vicky, Amelia struck. "Oh, there's a mistake here," she said, sitting forward herself and spinning her folder around.

"Yes?" Carol snapped.

Amelia gave her a vicious grin. "My name isn't Amy Dallon. It's Amelia Lavere."

Then she blew a raspberry right in their faces.

Carol's look of outrage would forever be a cherished memory as both heroes fell face-first onto the table, very deeply asleep. "Amelia… what the fuck did you do!?" Vicky said after her own moment of being stunned. "You just — what?"

"Knocked them out, " Amelia said, jumping up from her chair. "We need to get out of here before anyone else figures out what happened."

Vicky hesitated, a moment that seemed to stretch like taffy. Amelia could easily escape by herself, but Vicky hadn't seemed too pleased with the notion either and she desperately wanted her sister to follow her. Having Vicky would hopefully help curb the worst impulses from the Teeth (because Amelia's destination was obvious), and if she was being honest, some mostly-buried part of Amelia still craved her sister's attention and praise.

"Damn, alright," Vicky finally said, jumping up herself. "Come on, they probably have backup."

"Backup?" Amelia asked as they darted up the steps.

Vicky sighed. "Right, you don't go into the field. There's almost certainly some sort of backup, if only to help us leave quickly if we needed to. Is there anything you have to grab? I don't think we'll be coming back here after this."

"The mice," she said instantly. "And my gel."

"Okay, I'll be right back." The words had barely left Vicky's mouth when there was a loud pounding on the front door. "Shit!"

The next thirty seconds were a mad scramble as Amelia put the mice to sleep and piled them into the pockets of her hoodie, then crammed the healing goo in her backpack with her favorite pillow and a stuffed bear that Vicky had given her for her first Christmas with the Dallons. Vicky darted in just as the front door opened with a loud crack, and they made to go out the window like usual.

Unfortunately, the PRT had already sealed it with a glob of foam.

Vicky didn't even hesitate, pulling Amelia in close and flying back-first through the ceiling and roof. Amelia screamed the whole way up as wood and shingles rained around her, then screamed again when Vicky twisted with her midair to carry her princess-style. "Never do that again!" Amelia screamed into the wind.

"The same goes for you!" Vicky yelled back.

Shooting through the sky, their home shrinking rapidly behind them, the finality of her path in life truly settled upon her. It was then that she could see twin figures rising into the sky after them.

"Vicky! We've got a tail!"

They rolled through the air, Amelia yelping as they did, and Vicky took a look behind them. "Fuck, that's Aunt Sarah and Crystal."

"And here I thought no local would be dumb enough to attack someone under Teeth protection," Amelia snarled. Looking in the direction of the arena, she pointed towards the darkening cloud hanging low in the distance. "Fly us there! Taylor's waiting."

"Flying to the Butcher for safety," Vicky said, adjusting course. "Things I never thought I would ever say."

Amelia looked back, watching as her aunt and cousin closed the distance between them. Crystal had always been New Wave's fastest flier, but Vicky was far more agile in the skies. That wouldn't make a difference today, not when she was carrying Amelia. The pair had trained for this, in the event the Empire or some other group ever tried to kidnap her.

Now that training was about to be put to use escaping their own family.

Gripping Vicky tightly, Amelia settled in for what promised to be a harrowing experience. Her sister shot down, dropping a hundred feet in less than a second, then turned hard down a street and began to weave through the low buildings. Amelia grit her teeth, holding tightly while breathing in the way that had been drilled into her during evasion practice.

Unfortunately, Crystal was the one they always drilled with since her powers were close to Purity's. She knew exactly how the game would be played, which meant they needed to change up the rules a bit. Amelia took the risk, reaching into her pocket where she had the healing gel. It wasn't completely finished, but it did the job, and more importantly?

It was biological soup.

Twisting it into something else was the effort of a moment, her power seemed to relish anything that wasn't repairing the human form. The small drop on her fingertip soon changed into a wasp, the venom sack filled with a powerful sedative. The wasp fluttered twice, but Amelia kept a grip on it with her power. Taylor had control of it, but until she gave the okay, the wasp wasn't going anywhere.

"Just get us close to the arena," Amelia yelled. "Doesn't matter if they catch up!"

"Doesn't matter, she says," Vicky muttered, barely audible over the wind as she banked down another street.

Crystal was hot on their heels, but no lasers fired off. Amelia knew that she could use her force fields if they got close enough, but that would put Amelia at risk, which was why she never used them in training. She was betting that the same would hold up in this pursuit.

"Aegis, incoming!" Victoria yelled, ducking down another street.

The whiplash hit Amelia hard, but she grit her teeth and glared at the growing ensemble of heroes chasing them. It was funny. Whenever Amelia imagined this moment, she always assumed that Vicky would only be helping her because she fucked with her head. Amelia could see everything about Victoria, including her mind, and she knew that no tampering had occurred. Her sister was helping her for no other reason than that, they were sisters.

The thought was warm, something villainy shouldn't have been. There was no way that they wouldn't be branded as villains after this, but Amelia didn't care. She had family, and Vicky had chosen her over her own parents. She had chosen the Teeth over the heroes, just like Amelia had. She couldn't help but think that she was corrupting her sister in other ways.

Vicky pulled up, Amelia's stomach dropping as she did, but the sight of the arena in the distance was more uplifting than anything she had seen in weeks. The swarm above was cloyingly thick, an omen of death and ruin for all who entered those cursed lands. Except for her. To Amelia, they represented hope.

"Victoria!" The sisters looked back, Crystal was right on their heels, her hand extended and her face pleading. "Don't do this, please!"

Amelia was about to shout her answer when a deafening buzz enveloped them. Vicky came to a stop almost immediately, their vision completely blacked out by the swarm even though no bugs touched them. From the sound of it, her cousin wasn't so lucky. The wasp still in her hand buzzed, and nipped at her finger almost gently. Getting the message, Amelia released it into the swirling masses.

"Land in the parking lot," the swarm buzzed. The sound of billions of insects all vibrating in tandem was deafening, yet, it made Amelia relax. She was safe now. "That includes you too, Victoria."

Most of the light was cut off by the swarm but Amelia nodded to her sister, trusting Taylor completely. Vicky swallowed, and started to drop. The swarm parted, giving them a clear shot down. A flash of fire revealed Taylor, wearing nothing but a loose shirt and sweats, and her terrifying mask.

There were a few armed guards in and around the arena, as always, but they were giving the capes a wide berth. Well, most of them were. Big Robbie was watching from one of the rooftop positions, fuck-off rifle in hand. Given what that thing did to Victor, she didn't want to know what it might do to her cousin's shields.

Vicky touched down, then gently helped Amelia to her feet. She patted herself down, happy to find the mice still dozing in her pocket, only mildly stressed from the flight. Looking back at Weaver, Amelia couldn't read her at all. She was stoic and still, the mask hiding her wide and expressive lips from giving anything away while her hand held steady one of her handheld shotguns.

She wanted to walk up and hug the woman, but that would have to wait. What didn't have to wait was when Lisa came running out, her domino mask the only thing concealing her identity. That didn't stop Amelia from running over and jumping into her girlfriend's arms. Her enhanced biology exploded into her power sight, everything working as intended and no signs of any new cancers.

Lisa feathered a kiss on Amelia's crown, and it made her want to melt.

"You're safe now," Lisa whispered. "We won't let them hurt you."

"Carol tried to send us to Chicago," Amelia answered, her voice hitching as she forced down a sob. Fuck, she really had been afraid of being forced to abandon the few people that showed they cared about her without expectation or reservation. "I couldn't lose you, any of you."

Crystal had landed a few dozen feet away, looking between the four women standing opposite of her. Five, given that Chrissie was now strolling out, hands in her pockets and a cocky smile visible under her mask. Chrissie stopped right beside them, patting Amelia on the shoulder even though her eyes never left the arriving heroes. Aegis was now floating a few feet behind Crystal, and aunt Sarah was touching down. Amelia didn't miss the faint shimmer reflecting the lights of the arena around them.

"We're family," Lisa said, squeezing Amelia gently.

"Nobody fucks with our family," Chrissie added with a nod.

Vicky was standing beside Taylor now, though she was giving Weaver a bit of a wide berth. The last thing they needed to do was to get in Taylor's way. More Teeth were arriving as well, the standoff growing in scale and tension. Looking up, the swarm parted for Myrddin, Mark, Uncle Neil, and fucking Carol, all held aloft with him.

"Well, this is turning into a clusterfuck," Lisa muttered. "Are you okay to stay for this? You don't have to if you'd rather step away."

Amelia was sorely tempted by the offer, but if she walked off, it was almost guaranteed to come to blows. No, she needed to confront this herself. She couldn't run from her destiny, she was a villain now, and she needed to make sure that everyone knew it.

"No," Amelia said, clenching her fist to hide how she was trembling. "I need to do this."

She stepped forward, her stomach twisting as she did. Once again, the moth and wasp landed on her skin, but she didn't react, leaving them be. Taylor was offering her support, but letting Amelia control how things progressed.

"Butcher," Aunt Sarah snarled. "Release Victoria and Amy."

"Weaver," literally everyone on her side of things correcte in unison, Vicky included.

"Do I look like a prisoner?" Amelia said, projecting her voice before things got out of hand. Internally, she pumped a fist for how her pitch hadn't cracked. "I asked Vicky to fly me here, because apparently I'm not safe in my own home anymore."

The last part had been directed at Carol and Myrddin who had finally touched down. It was intimidating having so many heroes standing across from her, and brought back memories of so many nightmares that ended in one way elevators. Carol was always standing opposite of her in those nightmares, but there was one distinct difference.

Vicky stood on her side, of her own free will.

That alone filled her with strength, more so than the entire assembled might of the Teeth behind her.

"You heard the lady," Weaver said, her words resonating with the swarm. "I made it clear that Panacea was a walking truce, and you violated that. She's safe here, and always will be, so fuck off before I make you."

Amelia's cheeks warmed at the possessive declaration and ultimatum. It was further proof that she had made the correct decision as far as she was concerned.

"Butcher, I demand you return Panace—" Myrddin began, only to slump to the ground.

Amelia blinked, then realized that Taylor must have used the wasp she made on the man. Given he was the biggest stick in the room, not counting the actual stick he liked to wave around, it made sense to level the playing field. Amelia held back a snort at that thought. No, Taylor was just tipping the scales further in her own favor.

"Looks like he needed another nap," Taylor said. Amelia recognized the smirk in her tone and should probably be thankful that Taylor was wearing her mask. The bitch would have totally winked at her if she could. "Anyone else want to try and take people away against their will?"

"Says the villain harboring a human Master," Carol spat.

"Oh, you mean Regent?" Lisa chimed in, stepping up. "He's too busy yelling at tweens on iGame Now to be bothered with that."

"Plus," Taylor said, "I would make him regret his entire miserable life if he ever dared touch someone that didn't deserve a kill order."

Amelia's heart sank at those words, knowing full well that if the full extent of her powers ever came out, they would happily slap a kill order on her. The Birdcage was always the good end to her story, the lucky break. Taylor knew some of what her power could do, but did she know all of it? Would Taylor kill her like she threatened Regent?

Lisa's biology blossomed into her mind as her girlfriend pulled her hands into her own. Amelia looked up, a soft smile greeted her.

"That will never happen," Lisa said. "Remember, Weaver understands all the implications of your power, and she trusts you. We all do."

Amelia swallowed heavily, looking back at the tense standoff. She wasn't sure she believed it, even though Lisa had never lied to her, even though she could feel Lisa's biology. She knew that Lisa fully believed what she was saying.

"The words of a villain mean nothing!" Carol yelled. "Return my daughters now, or we'll return with the full might of the Protectorate to reclaim them by force."

Taylor laughed, loud and boisterous. "Oh yes, please call the Triumvirate. You'll make it all that much easier for me to go as Alexandria for Halloween."

Even as Taylor continued to exchange barbs with Carol, a small swarm moved beside Amelia, the buzzing coming across as a harsh whisper. "Just say the word and I'll make them leave."

Amelia almost asked for just that, her mouth opening for just a moment before it clicked shut. Just asking wouldn't be enough, especially since Regent really was a human master. The heroes would just assume he was controlling them, he would be the excuse they needed to rally dozens if not hundreds of heroes against the Teeth.

"I can speak for myself," Amelia said, not meaning to have said it so loudly. The conversation halted, all turning to regard her. Swallowing heavily, she squeezed Lisa's hand and stepped forward. "I'm not going to Chicago, Carol. I'm not abandoning my friends."

"The Teeth aren't your friends," Aunt Sarah said, stepping forward. "They're using you, Amy, can't you see that?"

"Oh yes," Lisa said, a wicked grin spreading across her face, "we're using the girl that could make billions as a literal fountain of youth. We're using the girl that could end world hunger. We're using her so much that we have to drag her into a cuddle pile just so she takes a damn nap. None of you ever noticed how stressed she was, did you? She was just a healing robot sent to the hospitals for your own selfish PR. Carol never treated her like a daughter, all because she was the daughter of a villain."

"Being evil isn't genetic," Taylor added. "I wasn't lying when I said she was the best hero I knew. All I've done is give her a space where she can feel safe."

Safe.

Amelia had rushed to the Teeth the moment she felt she was in danger. It was the first place she considered too. Not her aunt, not the Protectorate, it was the Teeth. Amelia couldn't help it, she laughed. She didn't care that everyone was looking at her, she didn't care what they might think. She was surrounded by murderers and monsters, yet she felt safe. That thought was just so… Absurd!

"I just wanted you to be safe," Carol said, her voice barely carrying over the sounds of the swarm. "I tried to keep you safe. To prevent you from becoming like… him. I failed. I promise you, I'll fix this."

Taylor snorted, the swarm chittering with her. "And let you sequester Amelia in a bunker while you force her to conform? Fuck that."

Would Carol actually do something like that? Probably not, at least not to the extent that Taylor was implying. They needed Panacea to be seen, to be out there healing the unwashed masses of all their ails. At the very least, New Wave and the Protectorate could agree on the importance of public relations.

Amelia knew everyone thought they knew what she wanted, but only the Teeth had bothered to actually listen when she said what she wanted. It wasn't even that complicated, she just wanted to light up a fat one after experimenting with her powers and veg out while cuddling with her favorite people.

Giving Lisa's hand a squeeze, Amelia stepped forward, pulling off her hoodie as she did before passing it off to Chrissie. "Weaver, send me some of your swarm. It's time they understood."

Taylor turned, her motions inhuman in an insectile way. She always did that when she was putting on a show, which was disconcerting as hell given Amelia had seen her laughing like a normal person while Chrissie blew raspberries on her belly just a day earlier.

Amelia might have been just a touch jealous of that.

Right, she was in the middle of making a point — one that would make the Teeth (and probably her father) proud. Amelia held her arm out, glad she was wearing short sleeves, and the bugs slowly began to land. As soon as they touched her skin, their biology exploded in her mind. She'd done this before, when making Taylor's relay bugs. That first one she'd made using some biogoop she had been playing with and a single fly.

This time, she was going to use the entire mass of the swarm if need be. If she was going to join the Teeth, it was time that everyone understood exactly what her power really was. She was already damned, so she may as well embrace it.

The bugs quivered, their biology shifting, and she forced them to flow together. Amelia looked up, the new creation moving across her form, more of the swarm joining it by the second, and she could only relish the dawning horror on Carol's face. She might not have had the whole Pandemic ensemble ready to go, but that didn't mean she couldn't make it on the spot.

The biomass molded itself to her form, shifting into a bastardized robe of modified chitin. She could refine it later, but the idea of biomass on demand for creations definitely appealed to her in more than one way. It would also serve as armor, which would be nice the next time some asshole hero decided to shoot her.

Which, judging by some of the looks she was getting, might be rather soon.

Aunt Sarah wasn't much of a surprise — for all PHO liked to call her Photon Mom, she wasn't much better than Carol when it came to dealing with others. It wasn't like she had an adopted villain she had to pretend was her daughter.

Crystal however had reeled back from the transformation, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. That made Amelia feel a bit bad, but she couldn't let it show, not if she wanted this demonstration to have the proper impact.

She knew Vicky was watching, but she was also the only person outside of the Teeth that had seen a hint at what her power could truly do. Carol had thrown a fit over the roses she had modified to have rainbow colored petals, and that effectively ended her experimentation back then. It wasn't until Lisa started to help her work through things that she branched back out.

And what a weight lifted that was. Vicky often talked about her parahuman studies, and one thing that always stood out to Amelia was that powers wanted to be used. There was some sort of compulsion to use them, and that capes could go stir crazy if they couldn't for too long. Something about that never rang true to Amelia, however.

Amelia had used her powers all the time, healing for hours each day, but that feeling never went away. It wasn't until Lisa helped her feel comfortable enough to do something she hadn't done before, to experiment, that the feeling finally abated. It was as though a veil were lifted and she could breathe again.

Now, she felt nothing like that. If anything, there was an electric rush running through her as she converted a biblical plague into armor, weaving organic fibers into flexible joints, and finally, adjusted their carapaces into something close to bone. The final touch, a mask, so similar to the one that she had worn that first night she took to the streets to fight the Empire alongside the Teeth, yet it was also a weapon.

One Amelia could use as she willed.

Lifting it to her face, she let the mask affix itself into the hood that now covered her head, obscuring a smile that Amelia knew was unnerving. That smile stretched wider when she blinked through the new skull mask and found Carol trembling, jaw slack.

"If it wasn't clear," Amelia said, causing a few people to startle at how the acoustics of her voice changed thanks to the mask. "I am Pandemic, and I am a member of the Teeth. Now fuck off, or accept the consequences."

There was a moment of silence, the remainder of the swarm falling silent as if to give everyone a moment for that to sink in, and then Taylor laughed, low and malicious.

"You heard the lady," Weaver said.

Then the remainder of her swarm descended.

Chaos followed, but Amelia stood still, letting the swarm wash over her, because Taylor would never hurt her. Even with every opportunity, she had never even hinted at hurting her, never threatened her like she did some of the Teeth. Hell, she'd threatened Lisa and Chrissie, but never her.

"Don't kill them," Amelia whispered.

"I won't," the swarm answered.

Moments later, a gentle hand found her own, and she was being guided away from whatever was happening. She couldn't feel their biology through the new costume she wore, one she continued to refine by the moment, but there weren't many people it could be. She let them guide her and was soon walking through the front door of the arena.

Lisa smiled, letting go now that they were inside.

"Hey," she said softly. "You okay in there?"

"What?" Amelia asked, then remembered. "Oh right, the new costume."

She reached for her face, then paused. Rather than removing it, she willed the hood to pull back, bringing the mask with it, and let it fold into her back where it could easily be drawn back up if she needed it to do so. That action used a fair bit of energy, which already had her thinking up ways she could make the mass into a living creature that could sustain itself.

"That was quite the display," Lisa said, her trademark smirk back in place. "I think Carol almost shit herself."

"I'll try harder next time," Amelia said dryly.

Looking back, the swarm was still too heavy to see anything more than a stray flash of light, no doubt some of Crystal or Aunt Sarah's lasers. Amelia hated that she wasn't out there fighting, but that wasn't what her power was built for. She could add more to her costume, a stinger system to deliver sedatives wouldn't be a bad idea, maybe some added limbs so she could move quicker would work as well.

Actually… She held out her palm, letting bugs form from the material, and sent them out into Taylor's swarm. Each carried more of the knockout drug that she'd put into that first wasp. If the fighting was going to continue, the least she could do was help end it sooner. A dozen of the wasps took flight, and she left the violence to Taylor and Chrissie to solve.

"I wasn't sure you would be here," Amelia said after a moment.

Lisa shrugged, leaning against one of the support pillars. "I wasn't. Not until one of my trackers twigged that Myrddin was heading for your house. Luckily your little chat and getaway gave me the time to tip off Taylor and get my ass over here. She was having dinner with Danny and Chrissie at the arena, so it worked out."

"What about the other capes?" she asked.

"Most of them are high as fuck downstairs," Lisa said. "I gave them my stash of your weed the moment I arrived and threw them some frozen wings to throw in the oven. They all lit up rather gleefully and probably aren't aware that they're even missing a fight."

She could only shake her head at that, already planning to give them another round just to keep the bitching to a minimum. That thought brought a pause with it, had she just thought of the other Teeth capes like they were unruly frat boys that were easily placated with drugs and food? Actually, that's basically what they were, in her experience at least.

Huh.

Laughter soon reached her ears, Taylor and Chrissie wandering back in from the still raging swarm. Taylor was showing a bit of wear, her shirt cut and burned, but otherwise she seemed alright. Chrissie on the other hand was bleeding from right under her eye. Amelia huffed that those two had gone and gotten themselves hurt, but she wasn't actually angry with them. If anything, she was touched that they had just fought to protect her.

"Care to share the joke?" Amelia asked, already checking them over.

None of their injuries were all that bad, Taylor's were healed in moments, and Chrissie's were healed into a rough approximation of how they would have scarred had she not helped things along.

Taylor rubbed the back of her head, looking away. "Oh, it wasn't anything special."

"She gave Myrddin crabs," Chrissie said, barely getting the words out. "Brandish too."

Amelia couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up, but it was quickly squashed when Vicky floated in, gripping her sides while a haunted expression rested on her face and a thousand yard stare filled her eyes. Not to mention the way her limbs were trembling even as she floated across the ground.

Amelia could imagine a few of the things Vicky might have seen out there, not to mention the shock of having just fought family. She'd felt something similar after that first night running with the Teeth, seeing the damages first hand when she healed them later that evening.

Whatever came from tonight, Amelia wouldn't be there to heal them.

She was done being their on tap healer, she was no longer Amy Dallon, she was Amelia Lavere, and she was finally free. As if picking up on her thoughts (which Lisa totally was, because she cheats) Amelia found herself being pulled into a hug.

"Come on," Lisa said, waving Taylor and Chrissie over. "Group hug, girl needs it."

Chrissie and Taylor immediately broke off from their playful ribbing and came over, and turned it into a group hug. Amelia nearly broke right there, fighting back tears. No matter what she did, she never felt like she was a member of the Dallon family, but right here and now? She felt like she belonged. The Teeth were the family she never had.

Amelia had been all but rejected by the woman who had stolen her, but not by her sister, that woman's daughter had chosen her over blood. Lisa was there and so were Taylor and Chrissie. No matter what anyone might say, she still had her family. The family that had accepted her without expectation. The family she had chosen.

She had the Teeth.

Author's Notes:

Pen: I lost count of how many rewrites we did of this… Seriously, the first draft for this was like 2k words as part of a 6 pov interlude showing off the different girls in the Teeth spending their days. Five of those Six povs should survive to the final version, but each are being fleshed out into full chapters. Aisha and Lisa povs being next in line.

Anyways, check out my original fiction, Be Gay Do Crime! There's 23 chapters up as of this posting, totaling over 60k words, with over 140 drafted. Updating daily for the month of April on Royal Road, Scribble Hub, and Spacebattles! Patreon chapters extend through the end of act 2 and chapter 69!

Join Ashe Hamilton as she struggles against the establishment in pursuit of justice that those in power don't want to give her and the steps she is willing to take in the pursuit of it. Thankfully she has a smoking hot gay girl willing to give her advice of the not strictly legal variety!

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/be-gay-do-crime.1149224/

Be Gay Do Crime | Royal Road

https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1025068/be-gay-do-crime/

FS: hey look a chapter