More Meteor Showers Bring Even Stranger Powers. (O/A)

[BeaMichelle]

Theresa settled into Cassandra's grip and muttered, "Worse."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ravan visibly flinched at being called Kit. It brought up not the times her mother would use it as a cute nickname, but of the last time she ever heard it. Just before being let go.

"Don't call me that, please. It doesn't feel right. Reyhan gave me part of her name, so I think I'll stick with that."

"And, I guess, Dawn and I are sister for real. Bet she'll be happy to hear that. Do you know where Dawn and Leo are? Can we see them?"  

[Nova Blancke]

Crys became quite a bit after making that blunder.

"I don't know why I said that I'm sorry sweetie."

"Yeah, I think she'd like knowing that. I think they were near the daycare. You can go see them whenever you want. Don't need my permission for that you know."

"Get some rest" Cassandra told Theresa as she carried her.

"She was hardwired for destruction and sadism. Reveling in causing pain. Daedelus killed the child that she could have been. This was a mercy." I didn't like it but it was better than a slow painful death."

"Yeah she's definitely at her limit." Liv commented.

"I've eh...also never heard of that. Not a lot of Mexican things in my life growing up"

Legio looked at her and thought for a second. Her mother asked the same thing essentially.

"I would say it is because I can. Because I am able to but that might not be the complete truth. The real truth is that I do not know. I cannot give you a satisfactory answer to that question.  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Alec blushed at being called out on his stray thought. "Eheh, I guess I need to get better at keeping my thoughts quieter."

Alec listened quietly to Kerana's assessment of her father. He'd long given up on any thought of contacting his own parents. The day they disowned him and threw him out of the house was still a clear and painful memory. If it hadn't been for Valhalla, and Kerana, even he wouldn't have known what could've happened to him.

"Okay. If you ever change your mind, just say the word. I'm here for you." he affirmed.

Alec leaned his head over to look at Kerana's phone. He wasn't into the whole gossip column things, seeing as he was the target of gossip for most of his adolescent and teenage life, but he did appreciate a good meme. But that image macro looked like it was taken earlier that day.

"...hhhuh. I wonder who takes these pictures? They work awfully fast."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gidget looked over at Theresa and mulled over the blonde streak in her hair. She began to hypothesize aloud.

"The files I was given said that each 'sister' was part of the original's whole since a one for one copy was nearly impossible to make. Each one was given a different core emotion to build from. Joy, sorrow, pain, and fury. Joy was most likely Chariot given her demeanor."

"Now I'm wondering if there was more to that. I'm thinking those emotion that make up those girls were taken from Theresa. The resulting trauma may have been the catalyst for her developing D.I.D."

Ako asked, "But wait, if those were all taken from her wouldn't that have just left her an emotionless machine? We saw the innocent one, Thea I think, smile, laugh, express doubt and sadness. You should've seen the light in her eyes when she started digging into fried pub food."

"I think that goes back to what I said about her identity disorder. She may have unconsciously locked away parts of herself so that she wouldn't lose everything. Thea was innocence, Theresa was the protector, but there was a third. We saw her yesterday when she puts holes into my lab. The more I think back on it, the more I realize she wasn't attacking us out of anger or because she was told to. She was afraid. Terrified even. The file said the one with purple hair was the original. If that's true then..."

Gidget made a startling and sad realization. She looked over to Theresa and felt her eyes well up. "...Fear. They left her with fear."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deora guffawed boisterously and began counting on her fingers as she purposely spoke in a think Mexican accent. "Judo know if I got a knife! Judo know if I got a gun! Judo...know if...if I...got five homies...around...the corner."

Deora's arms drooped until they were splayed out. Her eyes fluttered and drooped until her head went limp. A few seconds later and she was fast asleep with a quiet and rhythmic snore.

Heather put her free hand over her eyes and shook her head while she belly laughed. "Oh my God! We walked right into that!"

There was a knock at the door. Heather calmed herself as best as she could and made her way to the door with only one stumble. She opened it and took the food tray from the gentleman who brought it. She concentrated as hard as she could to make sure she didn't drop a thing and placed it on an empty space by the other carafes. She lift the lid and looked down at what had to be the strangest combination of food she'd ever seen.

Artichokes, oysters, chocolate, asparagus, watermelon slices, figs, and strawberries dipped in chocolate.

There was a note. Heather read it aloud.

"All natural fuel for an all natural evening. XOXO, Princess Rydia Fae'Rakka Eleilya Crescent."

Heather looked up from the note to the one other conscious person in the room with a puzzled look and a shrug. She looked back to the food, and then the note, then the food again. Then it clicked. Heather's face turned beet red and a little bit of steam vented out of her ears her ears.

"Liv...I think we need to have a word with the princess about boundaries tomorrow."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fenris studied Legio's expression. Of course it was blank. Always blank. God that pissed her off. Then she had an idea. Her lips pulled back into a mischievous wolf grin.

"I think I know what can help. Nothing makes a person more freely honest than tequila shots. You're gonna come with me to the bar here, and you're going to allow yourself to get drunk with me while I work out how to purposely make it happen for me. Maybe after a few your oh so big brain will loosen up and allow you to realize things you hadn't before."

"This isn't a request, by the way. I still don't trust you. There's no way I'm letting you near me when I transform the next time. For all I know you'll just reabsorb and spit me out again if things go south. Share a drink with me, get drunk with me, show me you're willing to relinquish complete control a bit, and I'll reconsider."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

8 AM the next morning.

Gidget was in her lab on the phone with the President of the United States. They were discussing reparations and plans for the future of Valhalla's people and metahumans at large.

Ako was with Theresa in the garage Gidget made for him. He was showing her his motorcycle and telling her all about the mechanics of it while she listened, watched, and munched on a plain waffle.

Heather was fast asleep in Liv's arms while Deora was splayed across the bed like a kid and laying on top of their feet and legs.

Damien strode up to Liv's room and rapped on the door. He had respected Heather's request and waited. He was eager to finish what he had started and find out what choice he had to make.

Alec, his room still not prepared since his second resurrection, spent one more night with Kerana. They agreed to share a bed in case Deora came back late. There was a wall of pillows between them, but it didn't bother him one bit. He had slept soundly for the first time in years. Alec sleepily rolled to face the center of the bed. He put his hand on top of the pillow barrier and yawned.

Rydia was alone in her Aunt's room and slept in the clothes she wore the day before upon a pillow that had been partially soaked with tears. She'd made a fool of herself the day before, and had returned to her Aunt's room only to be left alone with her thoughts. She'd cried herself to sleep with Carak laying on the floor beside her bed.

Fenris was passed out from the night before. She was asleep on the floor of the wolf pen at Knoxburg's zoo. The local lupines watched, but dared not approach. Her sleeping position and occasional ticks made her look all the more canine as she slept.

Ravan, Leo, and Dawn were all asleep on the same queen sized bed. Dawn had her arms around Ravan's torso, and Ravan had an arm on Leo's back. Being in close proximity to one another helped like when they were children helped, but not enough to stave off the memories and nightmares that plagued their dreams.  

[PixelMuse]

Trinity went through Sil's training learning new shadow manipulation techniques. They were getting ready to cover the Genkido Tengoku technique. “Alright, now for the technique I’ve been looking forward to …” she said as she eagerly rubbed her hands together. Sil started to explain but her voice faded away into static, her surroundings started flickering oh crud… not now! … I’m waking up .

She stirred but her head felt like it was in a vice or better yet like a giant is about to pinch her head like a zit. She fell out of bed groggy. Every time she went through this it always was way rougher than expected. She dragged herself to the kitchen took a couple of ibuprofen “one for the head” she muttered. Then proceeded to put together a concoction of raw egg, two dashes of hot sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce with some salt and pepper, this is called a prairie oyster “the other to shock the system”. She needed to take a seat and check her emails and texts, she was about to sit in bed to sort things out, then she noticed Theonis was staring at her expecting an explanation. What? Wait… how? Myth doesn’t know where Theonis is … she looked to the clock on the night table it was blinking 12:00 “awww crap… there must have been a blackout” she was wearing the same garb she wore yesterday and took a seat on a near by chair.

“Well, I guess now’s a good time as ever to talk…” she took a deep breath. “To be honest I didn’t want it to end the way it did. But seeing you holding Liv’s daughter… I- I couldn’t take it anymore. Heck after seeing the way you look at Liv while she was changing that morning that was originally the last draw. It was the same look you’ve given me when we were about to make love. Last month, I may have been aggressive yet I couldn’t help but help but think you wanted Liv. Some nights it was like In your face Liv! other nights I can’t help but think that you wished it was Liv or that you’re picturing Liv instead of me and every time you were in the room with her I’m invisible. Seeing you holding Dawn just only proved to me that, that was inevitable. After my death you moved on to the woman who really checks all the boxes especially in the curve department.”

She huffed in frustration “We’ve shared with each other what our types we’d normally go with. Thought it was a healthy conversation to have but it left me wishing to be your everything down to the curves and legs, which I’m guessing is where my subconscious was feeding off of to create the Succubus. In the end I wanted you to be happy, and seeing you with Dawn led me to believe that, that would happen with Liv. Why waist your time with me? Hell, you don’t have to waist time mourning her since she’s immortal.”

“That’s it, that’s why I decided to break up with you. All the signs I see point to you ending up with Liv, and I’m not going to stick around for it to happen behind my back like so many other times it has happened.” she looked to him awaiting his response several ideas came to mind as to what he would say based from experience:
- You are so emotional woman!
- That's not a good reason to break up with someone.
- Stop this nonsense and come back to me.
- I see what it is you have commitment issues.  

[Nova Blancke]

His dreams were....all over the place. It was to be expected after a day like that. There were a few short dreams in which he was just swamped with work. There was so much to do. In his sleep his embraced...whatever it was that he embraced before it seemed to wiggle it's way out of his grasp.

"Hmmmm..." He softly groaned before turning around. After a deep breathe he started hearing something in the kitchen.

"Hmm?" Rolling over again he opened his eyes and slowly sat up and saw.....Trinity? Blinking a few eyes he rubbed his eyes, opening them again to expect her to not be there. But she was. What? Why would she?

Before he could say anything she'd noticed him too and also seemed to be just as confused. His gaze shifted to the clock and back at her. Well that explains that. But that would mean that she still felt safe with him.

It kinda of hurt what she said. Plus bringing Dawn into it was unfair.

He took a deep breath, moved to the edge of the bed and sat on it.

"Okay, a few things I'd like to say. It would have been a lot easier to talk about things before letting it get to this point you know instead of making this decision on your own and not leave me confused and in pain."

"I've interacted with Liv....roughly...4 times max or something like that. I've barely even spoken to her. Yes she does have a great body, you know I like that. We've talked about it. But I didn't chose her did I? I chose you. I've never even once pictured you as her. I am not that unfaithful. Fighting off that woman with her pheromones should have been a good indication of what I am like." He sighed.

"Basing this on decisions made by an alternative future version of me is unfair. Do not blame me for his choices. Have you thought about what could have happened in the future really through? We had a kid together! Does that mean nothing to you? You don't even want children. I've been told you died like...less than a year later or something. Now I cannot speak for him, but I know that would have broken me.In a post apocalyptic world.....raising a child? You think I'd just hop on over to the next woman after that?! I am ******** insulted by that alone!"

"Trinity, I ******** broke down crying in your arms! I've shown you my most vulnerable side and told you that I can't do this without you. Did...did I mean that little to you that you can just casually ignore all of that just to reinforce your own idea of all of this?!"

"I was happy with you Trin.....I don't need anyone else. I do not care about Liv at all." He rested his face in his hands and sighed.

"Why didn't you talk to me sooner?"  

[PixelMuse]

Long summary short 'That's not a good reason to break up with someone'. Trinity took a deep breath and stood up, her fists clenching trying her darnedest to remain calm looking down.

"Because you do what you always do. Dismiss my concerns as nothing to worry about laugh it off. Say that it's just in my head, that you choose me over her, or that I'm making a molehill out of an anthill. I heard it all before …"

She looks to him "… you know that pain you experienced? Try feeling that 29 times before. When you come home from a long day and you're just thankful you're still alive and you open the door you find the man you thought you can count on in bed with another woman. Or try mixing that with having to listen to the dying words of a man you cherished. I've been through a lot of shitty situations before you, so forgive me for being bitter, forgive me for wanting to protect myself by ending the relationship before the betrayal, before the hurt really comes."

"When an alternate timeline spells out your suspicions in this timeline are valid on how this relationship will end, how can I ignore that? It stabbed my heart that us having a kid together did not seem to mean a thing. By the way it was 3 years. The boy was 3 years old when his mother died in that timeline. Which has been rather consistent with my ancestry. Oh and when were you going to tell me about Dawn, huh? You could have shared that in the same breath of sharing we had a son together in that timeline, couldn't you? We both know I wouldn't take it well and that's why you kept it from me. Yet I would have been better equipped to see that happen, and not feel like you were hiding something from me. I dunno…"

"Although it may have been an alternative timeline but at some level you are still, you and seeing Liv's daughter holding you like that, it dawns the question, 'why did I think I'd ever had a chance?' Even now when you say it, 'you choose me over Liv' or 'you don't care about Liv' right now they are empty words of reassurance the alternative timeline has proven it would be a matter of time before that changes."

"With Liv, every time we were in a room together with her it felt like an eternity and I felt like I wasn't even there, because your eyes were so glued to her body. Besides, if it wasn't an issue at all with her, then why drag me in there to be your babysitter? Spent a hell of a lot of time with her saving Heather and all she kept going on about was how she'd steal my man away and kept thinking 'yeah, she could and Theo would be happier because she's his type'."

"I've shared my vulnerable side too. It's what couples do." she narrowed her eyes on that remark.

“I know you don’t like my reasoning or whatever but that’s where I’m at. I can’t get past this right now with what the future has revealed, paired with what I've observed and I can’t continue this relationship with this lingering in the air right now. Right now that’s not going to change any time soon.” she looks to him wishing it didn’t have to be like this but it has to,“No matter how I feel about you.” she muttered.

Trinity took a deep breath "Not to be cold but… Instead of wasting time on what could or should have been done differently let's talk about what's ahead of us. Regardless of our circumstance or relationship, I still plan to uphold the duties I'm sworn to uphold which is to protect you and the rest of Valhalla. I’ll be by your side to do what needs to be done these next 6 months to ensure the world is saved.”  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Alec felt something tickle his one exposed leg. His mouth curled into a grin and he let out a quiet chuckle. Still in a waking haze, Alec's eyes fluttered half open. The hand that was on top of the pillow moved down and brushed some of the fur from one of Kerana's tails. His eyes creeped open as his mind left the subconscious world of dreams and entered reality. At first, he saw the top of Kerana's head. He blinked a few times to work out some of the fog and shifted his head so that he could see her face. His cheeks warmed with light red hue as he came to realize some of the pillows were shifted and Kerana was a bit closer than they had started the night before. He carefully lifted his head so he could trace the path of Kerana's tails to his legs.

Alec smiled and laid his head back down so he could watch Kerana sleep for a bit. He amazed by her somehow being more angelic while she slept. He reached out and swept some stray hairs away from her face. As he watched her, his mind turned to what Lokelonni had said the day before. The queen knew them in a past life. A past life where they somehow had the same names, voices, and personalities. It couldn't just be a coincidence, right? Something akin to fate, or some other cosmic force, had to have been at work in order for the two of them to be reunited. What could've happened? Did something awful occur that made them promise to find one another again? Were they somehow actual soulmates? Or maybe he was just a hopeless romantic and was trying to find some sort of serendipitous connection to justify his adoration. Not just young love, but fate. That somehow, someone like her could possibly be happy with someone like him. Yin and yang. Joy and melancholy. Life...and death.

Alec mentally shook his head. "No. These feelings are our own. If there were some cosmic connection between us, we would've felt it the moment we made eye contact. She likes me for me. Not because she has too, but because there's something in me that she likes."

He cautiously shifted his position down the bed so that he could put one of his hands on top of her closest one. As much as he wanted to look into her eyes, she was just too peaceful to wake up. He squeezed her hand tenderly and just watched her. As he drifted back to sleep, he thought of how he might contribute to their picnic in the sun.  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Deora's phone chirped and buzzed on the floor closest to where she'd passed out. That sound, along with Damien's incessant knocking, began to rouse her. The first thing she realized was that her head throbbed. Her mouth felt like she hadn't had anything to drink in days. The knocking reverberated in her head each time. To top all that off, the lights were still on.

"Uuuuughnn. Oh...oh mah gawd. Ow ow ow." she groaned. "Lib. Heaver. Thers knoggin'. Urgh. Knockin' door."

Heather winced and made an unintelligible series of soft grunts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alec's nose twitched in response to the scent of a fresh cooked breakfast. It didn't take long for the idea of food to wake him. He blinked a few times and stretched the sleep out of his arms and legs. He sat himself up and turned his head toward the source of the sounds and smells. He grinned and said, "Morning. Are those pancakes I smell?"  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Alec sat and looked down at the stack of pancakes that were lovingly arranged before him. He felt as though he didn't deserve such displays of affection. But, Kerana felt he did, and he trusted her. Thus, the feeling didn't last long. It was almost a shame the work of breakfast art would be gone in a few minutes. He looked up to Kerana and smiled as he said, "I did, actually. Heh, I'd say I slept like the dead, but that'd be a bit on the nose. It was the best night's sleep I've had in years."

He separated a bitesize piece with his fork while being careful not to damage the blueberry heart in the center. He'd save that part for the end. He placed it into his mouth and bit down. He didn't expect what happened next. He hadn't had pancakes that good since he was in second grade. A time before his parents changed the way they looked at life...and him. As he chewed, he had to fight a desire to cry with joy. It was difficult, but he managed to halt the flow of bitter nostalgia so that he could enjoy what, and who, was in front of him.

He swallowed and enthusiastically stated, "Oh wow, and here I thought nothing could possibly top your cookies. These are incredible."

He worked his way around the outside for a few more bites so that Kerana might respond to his compliment. He paused for a moment and asked, "What about you? How'd you sleep? I didn't disturb you or anything?"  

[Nova Blancke]

Legio had turned himself into a wolf and sat a distance away from Fenris. Mostly just looking her way. Getting drunk as she did was difficult for him. Not something he enjoyed regardless. Letting go of control? That was not for him. The night had been interesting none the less.

Liv was fast asleep, arms around her personal heater and girlfriend. The night before was good but this night? It had been a long time since she felt like she had slept that well. She was slowly waking up. Nose almost nuzzled into Heather's hair. Not the worst way of waking up. Smelled nice too. Groaning softly she took a deep breath as her eyes fluttered open. Why was it so bright? Who left the light on?