A/N: I wrote this to fill in a few gaps after Through the Looking Glass and possibly even bridge a bit between that and a potential sequel. Here is a slice of life story featuring the BF5 and Tezz's opposite gender Anti from the mirror world, Teresa Volitov. This story takes its place in the FD Canon between Through the Looking Glass and JOHNNY MONTROSE in: A Learning Experience, which basically means after Anti-AJ messes up Zoom but before Regular-AJ starts dating Tezz. Reviews are appreciated!
Grace hummed to herself offhandedly, not really paying much attention to her surroundings or her mannerisms. Foot traffic at the diner had come to a crawl the past few days, giving her some much needed time to breathe—especially since Zeke was off in the desert doing god-only-knew-what, again. The young waitress worried about the old man sometimes, the way his obsession with discovering extraterrestrial life kept him from paying any mind to the life before him.
Yes, things had been slow as of late. In point of fact, the usual customers had seemingly been preoccupied. Sure, Grace had seen a few locals come by—Madame Wise Raven couldn't get enough of Zeke's chili, Sheriff Johnson came in for coffee at least once a day, and Zeke and Lupita Drake were always talking about Star Trek, Doctor Who, or Vlador's Quest—and of course there had been the usual parade of truckers passing through. But thinking back on it, over a week had gone by since she had last seen the crew from Spectra Motors. Closer to two weeks, really.
Grace worried to herself that they had lost more valuable customers to Lucky Panda Chinese, or perhaps that the group had gone to check out a new place up in Sagan. She worried over not hearing back from Zoom in quite a while, either; Grace had thought the night of their date had gone so well…
The waitress groaned at the sound of the bell, rolling her eyes as she put on her friendliest smile. The show must go on, she thought to herself, annoyed at her own thoughts being interrupted.
"Welcome to Zeke's Diner!" she chirped in a practiced friendly tone. "How may I serve you?"
"Just the usual's fine, thanks," Vert said amicably.
Grace grinned genuinely and greeted the Spectra Motors crew with more enthusiasm. "Where have you guys been? I've been bored out of my skull here!" Her eyes fell on Zoom and she blinked.
He looked so tired, but so twitchy. The dark circles beneath the little monk's eyes were deep enough to reveal he had been sleeping poorly, but not deep enough to cover the fading bruises on his face. His left arm was held tightly in a sling; the bandages around it extended all the way to his fingertips, and the young man's right hand didn't look so good, either. Glancing between Zoom and his friends, Grace realized Takazumi was not the only one the worse for wear: AJ looked like he had been in a good old fashioned hockey fight some time before, the bruises only now beginning to fade; Tezz's right arm was not in a sling, but he carried it with a stiffness that suggested there were bandages beneath his shirt; Vert looked exhausted and emotionally drained. But the worst by far was the new girl.
She was not just thin, she was emaciated. She was half-starved, and not in the supermodel kind of way. The girl with the long, black hair was not quite skeletal, but she still looked as if a strong breeze would knock her over. Grace's heart just about broke as the new girl carefully limped to the table, not quite able to make it under her own power. Tezz gently gave her a helping hand; the way the Russian handled himself around her, you would have thought she was made of glass. As she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the waitress understood why. This poor girl's black hair, deep brown eyes, and prominent nose betrayed her as a close relative of young Mr. Volitov. But the terrible bruising beneath her sad, sunken eyes and around her throat, along with her gaunt appearance and clearly pained movements, betrayed her as horrifically abused.
"Is there anything I can get you, dear?" she stammered breathlessly, willing herself not to immediately hug the pathetic creature. Then, to save herself from looking silly, asked the rest: "Any changes to the usual orders?"
The new girl shied away into the corner, studiously avoiding the gazes of her tablemates, and Tezz wound up ordering on her behalf. Such a thing was so curious that Grace could not help thinking about this new addition all the while she worked on their meals. This poor girl had clearly suffered from the look of her, and Grace was concerned enough to wonder about giving Sheriff Johnson a call. But she pushed it from her mind, put on a big smile, and brought their food out to them. She tried to concentrate on tidying up the diner, on anticipating drink refills and the possibility of dessert orders, but the hospitable country girl in her kept her from her duties. Something was wrong, and regardless of whether or not it was her business, it ate away at Grace every time her gaze drifted over to the new girl.
She made her way behind the counter. There just had to be something she could do.
Teresa ate slowly, every movement of her arm gentle and deliberate, so as to prevent the pain that continued to reoccur in her abdomen. She had not healed enough to warrant the removal of her stiches for another few days, but she finally had at least some limited mobility. Staying in the hub so long had driven her half crazy, and she was happy to at least be somewhere else, if only for a little while.
The Battle Force 5 she had come to know over the course of the previous week had been kinder and gentler than she was certainly used to, but still had their boisterous nature been unbearable. At least the Evil Force 5, as her new compatriots had come to call them, were a tad calmer for the most part. Yes, they were quick to anger, but aside from AJ they mostly kept to themselves and at least she had gotten some peace and quiet once in a while.
But worst of all was how strongly her new team physically resembled the old.
Teresa shuddered at the memory of seeing AJ's smiling face every day, the sweet young man enquiring as to her health and assuring her that everything would be okay. No matter how many times he said it, she had still despaired at the sight of his grin. He looked too much like the AJ she had left behind, the demon Dalton who had taken so much from her. Even in a new environment with new personalities, visions of the Negative 5 haunted Teresa every time she closed her eyes, and she feared that, though her body was healing, her mind might never recover.
Could she stay there indefinitely? Could she really look in the faces of her tormentors, day in and day out, a constant reminder of the suffering she had endured? Condescending, conquest-minded Vert. Vapid, self-centered Agura. Filthy, boorish Stanford. Scowling, unforgiving Zoom. Vicious, ankle-biting Spinner and his heavy-handed, overweight, and his mentally retarded brother, Sherman.
Grinning, psychopathic AJ.
They were all there; if not physically there with her now that she was surrounded by their friendly counterparts, they were with her in spirit.
And deep down, Teresa felt these ghosts would never leave her.
She had thought defecting to the Goodie-Two-Shoes 5 would help her leave that life behind her and move on—this was in fact the last meager hope she had clung to when they had told her of the eclipse, the only thing that kept her from taking her own life—but the last week had proven that notion highly implausible. Teresa now found herself in a nightmare she could never wake up from. The only bright spot in this had been meeting Tezz.
Naturally, she had been shocked to find her opposite was a male, but there had been little time to marvel at the novelty of it. There had been a mutual dislike at first, neither truly trusting the other, but in the thick of battle they had bonded. By blood, they were brother and sister, and after so much pain on both of their parts, the way they had suffered together, they would always and forever more be brother and sister. In her home timeline, Teresa had been an orphan, and she was grateful for this bond. She had been excited to think of Tezz as being family, this young man of intellect equal perhaps even to her own, no longer isolated as she was by the Negative 5. But even with him by her side…
Teresa whimpered. Even with Tezz, she did not believe she would survive long like this. She could not face waking up in the morning, knowing she would have to look at the people who had destroyed her soul and sense of self.
The female genius excused herself to the ladies' room.
Grace frowned in worry as she watched the pale, thin, girl who looked so much like Tezz stand in the alcove near the stage, an area from which her tablemates could not see her. The poor dear stood with her hands clutched over her ears, trying to will the world away, and a pang of guilt forced Grace's hand.
She looked so surprised when Grace murmured hello, terrified even. But as soon as she saw who it was, her eyes became expressionless. She nodded, but said nothing.
"Here," she said gently, handing over the steaming mug of hot chocolate. "For you, sweetie.
The girl warily accepted the beverage, oddly skeptical. "My brother's friends are paying. I do not have any money readily available."
"It's on the house. I insist. I'm Grace, by the way."
She eyed the waitress carefully. "Teresa Volitov."
Grace smiled as the girl finally took a sip, savoring the way the tension eased out of her features as she drank. They stood in silence for a few awkward moments, and Teresa wished this girl would just leave her alone. Had she not suffered enough? Did she not deserve some peace? Bad enough her 'new life' was already going downhill, now she had this waitress to deal with it.
"I don't mean to pry," Grace said.
Teresa ignored her, saying nothing and concentrating on the hot chocolate. If she did not mean to pry, why was she standing there staring at her?
"It's just…" Grace raised her hand to the female Volitov's shoulder. "If you're in trouble, you can tell me. I'll call the police. No one else has to know."
Teresa blinked in surprise. This odd girl was inquiring after her? The concept of a random person caring whether she lived or died was rather foreign to Teresa, having grown up in the hell she had. Grace's statement had caught her way off guard, and she was unsure how to respond.
"You don't have to suffer in silence," she pleaded, gently taking Teresa's hand in hers. "We can slip out the back if you're scared. I know a place where you'll be safe."
She cared. This random person genuinely cared, and in spite of herself and her own bleak outlook…she smiled.
"Thank you for your concern," she said. "And for your kindness. But you misunderstand the situation."
Grace's voice became more urgent. "Nothing is worth this," she said, gesturing to Teresa's injuries. "I can get you out of here."
"Grace, I assure you, these are old injuries." She gestured to the table, peeking around the corner. "Tezz is my brother, and though I do not know these people, they are his friends. I had never met them…until they risked their lives to save me."
Teresa shivered. "I was trapped in a very bad situation in…the old country," she said, deciding to use a euphemism for the mirror world. "When finally I thought I would die, along came my brother to bring me back to America. I was beaten, stabbed, and dying, and Tezz's friends risked everything to get me here." Her eyes darkened. Why was she opening up to a stranger? This was so unlike her. "This has not been an easy week for me. I am grateful to them for their assistance. I just… I become frightened sometimes. They are kind to me, but I feel sometimes as if I am merely waiting for the next disaster."
Teresa jumped at the hand caressing her cheek, unused as she was to physical contact. It was only when she saw that Grace's hand had come away wet that she realized she had been crying.
The waitress smiled gently. "If you've got a brother like that to help you out, I'm sure everything will be fine. Time heals all wounds." She tucked a strand of hair behind the raven-haired girl's ear. "You've got family here. America is a land of opportunity. You can start over here, Teresa. You'll see; your life can be better, once you decide how you want to live it."
The young Russian lady thought about that for a moment and sighed. "I suppose you are right."
They spoke for a little longer, until Tezz eventually got worried and came looking for Teresa. He was grateful to Grace for keeping her company, but now it was time to go. Leftovers were wrapped up to be taken home, and the Volitovs rode home together in radio silence.
"You seemed to be making friends with Grace," Tezz said warmly. "She is quite kind, from what I know of her. Zoom and Stanford both seem to be quite fond of her."
Teresa gave a bittersweet smile. "She was such a far cry from who I used to know," she said. "So caring, so strong. She has her whole life ahead of her."
Tezz said nothing. Previously, Teresa had stated that Zeke's was a strip club in the mirror world. From this earlier statement, what she had said just then, and the cruel nature of flipped morality, Tezz imagined the Grace that Teresa knew must have been a broken down stripper with cold, dead eyes. He did not want to think about the sweet-natured girl being in such a lamentable position.
A/N: Originally, this was going to be a oneshot, but for something with no battle, it was too long. So I split it up into three parts. The next two will be up as soon as I can think of a couple of math puns for chapter titles.
