My lovely hubby has done it again! Bringing my fantasy plot bunnies to glorious life! =D I tell the story, he writes the details! For all those who know me and read the fics I post here, you'll know my fanfic posted stories all usually have spanking in them. This story of course is no exception, but a spanking doesn't come around until the 4th chapter. So you'll have to be patient or skip ahead, but I'll say now, it's worth the wait! LOL! For a Christmas present, we wanted to upload enough chapters not to leave you readers hanging! You'll get a sense of completion, but you will hopefully still have a lot more to look forward to in the future as the next bit is currently getting pumped out! :P
Now then... on to the story! =D
Janet Van Dyne reminded herself again that what she was doing wasn't bad. At least, not in principle; Janet could not help but admit to herself that doing this right after Gravity's funeral did make her feel a little guilty. After all, she would never have been able to try if Parker Robbins had not shown up to honestly mourn a good man's death.
Janet had to weigh the means versus the ends here though, since knowing who Parker was and what he was up to was paramount to her as an Avenger.
The oddest thing about the mysterious figurehead vaguely identified simply as 'the Hood' had been that even S.H.I.E.L.D. did not know who he was.
That had changed when the being known only as 'the Stranger' had used his deific powers to pluck the Hood and multiple Avengers up for his lethal experimentation. In the course of horrific events that followed, the Hood actually volunteered his name to them, perhaps thinking he likely would not survive the encounter.
A name was something to go on, but the Hood had a rapport for being impossible to track down even so and with powers like invisibility and intangibility, it wasn't hard to see why. So Janet had used her unique powers to shrink herself down so small she was difficult to see with the human eye, and used the same trick she had used on the cyborg Deathlok back on the Stranger's created world; she hid inside his ear.
Janet was as quiet as she could possibly be, knowing that if she gave herself away, Parker's ability to become intangible could still ruin her attempt to follow his movements. The Hood was supposedly the coordinator of a vast group of super-powered criminals, and despite the perhaps rude timing, Janet could not pass up this opportunity to find out everything she could about his involvement.
As she rode along in Parker's ear, however, the last thing she had expected to see and hear from him was an overall sense of decency and respect that he showed his girlfriend, whom had attended the funeral with him. Not so much as a curse word escaped his lips, and his manner was cheerful; a stark contrast to the dour mood she had become accustomed to.
They had been undergoing an ordeal then, though, and the thought that they might never return home surely crossed Parker's mind as it had hers.
Perhaps his irritation had been on account of his wish to return to his happy partnership with this Sara, who seemed a genuinely good person.
Janet frowned as she thought to herself. Parker must be pulling the wool over her eyes, a con artist of high magnitude to seem so genuine, after all, what decent girl wanted to be with anyone involved with organized crime?
When Parker and Sara returned home, though, Janet was in for even more of a surprise. They had a daughter, Briana, who immediately called out for her daddy even as Parker rushed up to her to take her into his arms, smothering her in kisses.
Janet started to wonder if she didn't somehow have the wrong person. This man obviously loved his daughter, it showed in his eyes, and no amount of faking it would match such an open display of affection. But hardened criminals can have families too, she reminded herself. The fact that he cared for his family did not extend to meaning that he wasn't still a killer. After all, she had seen the man rip organs from the shape shifting creature called the 'Space Phantom'.
Janet was shaken nonetheless as she watched Parker take the time to sit on the floor with little Briana and play with her. Regardless of what she resolved, the man whose ear she hid in certainly did not act the part of a super criminal. Janet began to wonder if there was some mistake.
Later, Janet's sense of right concerning the task at hand was solidified completely, as Parker flew over the city to his base of operations. She always found it to be a jolt to the senses, if fascinating, to shrink down and be inside someone.
As Parker went invisible that sense went over its end, though, and she had to fight not to start flapping her wings to stay aloft, as it seemed as if she were suddenly free-falling, despite the fact that she still felt the solidity of Parker's ear canal below her. She carefully sat, not trusting her balance like this, and prayed that Parker didn't leap through a building.
As the Hood entered the room, Janet gazed around to see villains of all backgrounds and types waited for Parker at a large wooden table. Janet noticed that Parker didn't immediately make himself visible, instead standing at the foot of the table, apparently listening to their idle conversation.
Janet realized then that not only was Parker smarter than she had originally given credit, but a boss who could listen in at any time would certainly inspire loyalty, even in hardened crooks. Parker suddenly appeared, most of the slouched men and women in the room glancing over at him as they straightened.
Janet listened as they discussed business, and her brow drew down as any doubts as to Parker's involvement in this circle faded away. He spoke with an entirely different air to these people, an edge of authority hidden behind a thin veil of diplomacy. There was no mistaking who was in charge here.
Janet listened in on their entire plan to bust some minor players out of a medium security prison, realizing once the meeting concluded that she had heard more than enough. She had to wait for a good time to leave, though, as getting caught now would be highly dangerous in addition to invalidating the whole point of her mission.
Janet waited until Parker exited the H.Q., invisible, of course; the better to frighten the more primitive criminals. Finally letting out a sigh of relief, she waited until they were far enough away that she should have removed even the slightest chance of being discovered before exiting Parker's ear.
There she paused; however, as she noticed that Parker wasn't heading towards his home and family. Janet waited, unsure if she should follow him or call it with the information she already had. Torn between potentially putting her mission in jeopardy and possibly finding out something important, Janet finally followed him down a dirty side street.
Janet saw that Parker had removed his hood and cloak and placed both in a backpack, a maneuver she found both odd and highly fortunate, since if he disappeared now she would have no option to continue following his movements.
Then Parker exited the alleyway and continued on through a few more winding turns to a four story building in a cleaner part of town that boasted itself to be a nursing home. Janet was confused but nonetheless slid through the door behind Parker before it could close.
Sure enough, the building was in fact a nursing home, with nurse staff roaming the halls and the occasional elderly person slowly making their way along the softly lit corridors. Parker signed in at the front and walked through the various hallways to the elevator as a person who was familiar with the building.
At the second floor, he went straight to the room it seemed he was looking for and knocked a few times before entering. Janet was too far back to hear if someone had responded, but she flew up quickly to get inside before he could shut the door on her.
Inside was another scene for Janet to Marvel at. Here a woman sat, whose eyes and mouth bore the lines of a person accustomed to smiling, obviously under some form of debilitating mental condition. Parker spoke to her with obvious love, though, spending hours just bringing her up to speed on how things were.
Janet noticed he mentioned the current news and how Briana and Sara were doing, but said nothing about his involvement as the Hood. Of course, this man was living a double life; why share his darker side with his mother?
That was whom she was, Parker indicating as much as he spoke. Janet frowned as once again she was haunted by the idea of locking Parker away in prison. He was nineteen years old, just a kid, with obvious good in him. She had never actually seen him kill anyone though she had heard a rumor that the Hood had been involved with a policeman's death.
As Janet watched the realization that Parker was going to spend hours just telling his mother sweet things made her decide she would need to get a second opinion. As uncomfortable as it made her to do so, there was only one other Avenger she knew of who had spent any time with Parker to help her with her choice.
Janet exited the room when a nurse came inside with drinks for Parker and his mother, and she flew as fast as she could back to the Avenger's mansion.
Henry Pym raised an eyebrow at Janet's story, "Wait, so you think he's really a 'nice guy', and you're looking for another way to stop his reign as the kingpin of this city rather than the legal one of sending him to jail for his crimes?"
Janet gave Hank an angry scowl, "Well, put that way you make it seem silly, but I don't see you in jail for your crimes!"
Hank's voice raised an octave as he countered, "Oh, so we should compare penitent ex-Avengers to common thugs with powers who run criminal cartels?"
Janet crossed her arms over her chest and glared, and Hank sighed and dragged a hand across his face. "Sorry, Janet, I understand what you mean, and sure I believe he should have a second chance, but he has to want it."
Janet nodded, "Of course! I just wanted to have you on board for this because I have a plan to try and turn his life around for him…"
Hank gave her a despondent look, "Oh boy."
Parker sighed as he stepped away from the nursing home, glancing back and thinking for the hundredth time that his mother didn't deserve to be in a place where old people were sent to die. He simply hadn't had the money to afford her any kind of real treatment before, though, and now…
Parker lowered his head as he stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. Now the specialist doctors he could recently afford were telling him that she was beyond help; possibly had always been beyond help. So Parker had left her here in this drab place because at least here she knew people and it was familiar.
Parker turned at least to leave and froze at the sight of Janet Van Dyne standing in front of him, looking at him. His mind raced with reasons why she would be there and he could only seize on it being a coincidence. He regarded her warily regardless, "Are you following me?"
Janet shook her head, "No. At least not right now; I have followed you in the past, that's how I knew you'd be here." Janet open her palms as a sign of peace as she saw anger light in Parker's eyes, "I'm not here to fight or try to haul you off to jail; I just want to talk."
Parker arched an eyebrow at her, his expression guarded, "'Haul me off to jail'… what reason could you have to do such a thing? If you have an accusation I suggest you make it known before you threaten."
Janet sighed. She didn't know how she had ever managed to become leader of the Avengers; she was particularly bad at diplomacy. "Look, I just want to talk and met you here to let you know that I know you're a good person who just wants what's best for his family."
A dark look passed over Parker's eyes as what she said removed all doubt as to why she had bumped into him right outside the nursing home. "What, are you going to blackmail me now? I thought Craig said you were one of the Avengers, the 'good guys'."
Janet sighed again, realizing that this was going to be even harder than she had originally thought. "No, I'm not going to blackmail you…" Her gaze wandered to a parlor down the street, and she pointed with her thumb, giving Parker a quirky smile, "Want some ice cream?"
Parker spooned a mouthful of chocolate mint ice cream as he watched Janet, mush in the same way as he had the entire time she had attempted to make small talk about the ice cream and her chosen profession as a stylist. "Are you gonna get to the point soon?"
Janet shot him an annoyed look, "No need to be rude about it; I'm just trying to let you know you can relax. I'm not out to get you, and in fact I want to help you."
Parker laughed, "Lady, if you think buying me ice cream is going to sway me, either you take me for a punk kid, or you are a total newbie in the art of manipulation."
Janet frowned and sat back in her chair, "Neither. I think that I don't really have to do anything other than offer you an opportunity to get out of the mess your in; to open the doors for you to get out, so you can become a productive member of society your daughter can be proud of who doesn't have to fear missing his child's first steps because he's in prison."
Parker set the cup down and leveled a dangerous look at Janet, "There you go with those threats again. What makes you think I'll ever get caught, or if I did that I wouldn't find my way free again?"
Janet shook her head, "Parker, I'm trying to give you a hand up, are you at least going to hear me out?" Parker was quiet, simply watching, so Janet took that for consent, "Okay, here's my idea: I am going to give you a job with a salary that will allow you to pay for your girlfriend and daughter to live in comfort, as well as your mother."
Parker gave her a scrutinizing look, "What kind of job might that be?"
Janet smiled, "I want you to work in one of my own personal businesses; you can pick which one."
Parker raised an eyebrow; this was not what he had expected to hear, "Exactly what kind of businesses do you own?"
Janet pulled a few cards from her purse, sliding them across the table toward Parker, "I have a beauty salon, a hair salon, a flower shop, and a number of businesses associated with home decoration and fashion."
Parker's face was openly surprised now, "You mean you want me to work as a freaking hair dresser? You aren't looking to have me rat out one of my gang or use me as a double agent for your Avengers?"
Janet shook her head, "Nuh-uh. My side of the deal is that you quit your gang but nothing more than that, no strings."
Parker gave her a flat look, "What is this, some sort of rehabilitation program your starting out; are you going to try to convince Doctor Doom to give up his ambitions and pursue ballet next?"
Janet scowled, "Look, I don't really have connections anywhere else unless you weren't being sarcastic about joining the Avengers. And no, I obviously can't offer everyone out there this chance. I'm using my own personal resources to extend an opportunity to you, Parker, because I think that you are a good person who had the ill luck of a hard life on the streets."
Parker sneered, "So what is this to you, some charity game that makes you feel better about yourself, or do you have some kind of bet with your fellow Avengers on whether or not you can get me to stoop this low?"
Janet stood, "I told you I wasn't making threats, and I meant it. I won't use anything I've learned about your family against you, but if you turn this offer down then you're making the choice to be a career criminal when you had the opportunity of a lifetime to turn yourself around for the sake of that same family."
Parker gave Janet a hard glare and sat perfectly still as she continued to return his gaze, her own face sympathetic, "Parker, do you accept or not? If you don't I'll walk out of here right now and the next time we meet I'm going to assume that it will be under less friendly circumstances."
Parker sat frozen, torn suddenly by what he had already achieved without needing help and what Janet was offering; a way out of the twisting mess of lies and guilt his life had become. He felt almost as if he had two minds on the matter, and felt far too rushed into what felt like an insult and salvation at the same time.
Janet glanced down sadly and nodded, "Alright, I guess it was a little foolishly optimistic of me to try this; I'll leave you be as I promised. I genuinely wish you good luck, Parker."
She turned to leave and Parker suddenly held out his hand for her to stop as she approached the door to the small shop, "No, wait!"
Parker glared at the phone, as if to try to will it to stop ringing. The obstinate phone refused to give in to his silent wish, however, so he finally answered in exasperation, "Van Dyne Incorporated, how may I direct your call?"
In all of his life, Parker had certainly never seen himself working a straight-laced nine to five as a phone operator. The pay was good as Janet had promised, and true to her word, she had put up the money to make sure that his family was cared for, including his ill mother.
Parker could finally tell Sara what he was doing with his day without feeling like the world's worst boyfriend and father, though he still hadn't told her about Gro. Parker pulled at his hair as he sat in the small office he shared with three other employees, leaning forward as he stared at the floor.
Thinking about Gro made him want to give her a visit, which was a totally thrilling idea in one hand and on the other made him remember his horrible lies to Sara, which was one of the things he was trying to avoid.
She had found a condom of his and the truth about the fact that he was seeing a whore on the side almost came out. Parker had lied up a storm and succeeded at making her feel better, but the whole affair had made him feel like slime.
Parker hadn't gone to see her since taking Janet's offer, and at first he had felt genuinely better about himself, and still did in a way. But something felt off, and now Parker had to wonder if he wasn't just destined to be an asshole.
John glanced over Parker's way as the latter moved to sit down across from him. "I was starting to think you'd given up on me, Park. Shocker took over the gang, claiming seniority and the fact that you've been missing for weeks. What's up with that?"
Parker gave John an irritated but somewhat resigned look. "I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to give it back, though I don't know if I want all of that anymore.
I just came to see you, cuz, let you know that I'm working legit now."
John did a double take, his usually narrowed eyes widening, "What's gotten into you? We were rolling in dough, Park, why would you give all that up… and what about Masque, you just going to bail on her too?"
Parker's expression hardened as he sought to hide how much estranging himself from Masque stung him, "What about her? I have a girlfriend and a kid,
John; I can't be sleeping around and dodging bullets if I'm going to do the right thing by them."
John surprised him by nodding agreement, "You know, you've always been the one to pull me up when I fell off the wagon, but here I am telling you to get back on it. Sorry, cuz."
Parker gave John a flat look, "That's not how the expression goes, you dumb fuck."
John grunted in annoyance at Parker's patronizing tone but continued his statement, "I think you came here for more than catching up; I think you need someone to tell you you're doing good, and maybe encourage you and stuff like that."
Parker simply gave John a satirical look, and the latter swatted the table in annoyance, "Well, it can't come from me, Parker! I'm losing out big with you doing this shit! With us both in the gang I can get a cut and get back on my feet, but with you going straight I'm back to scrounging little league stuff!"
"Those guys respect you…" Parker caught himself even as he said it, "Okay, those guys are afraid of me; they won't kick you out."
John gave him a pitiful look, "But how am I supposed to pull my weight then? I can't fire fucking laser beams out of my ass!"
Parker smiled as he pulled his duffel bag out and set it on the table. "Good luck, John. If some weird guy starts talking to you and it's driving you nuts, you can always take the cloak off and he shuts up."
John's jaw dropped as he felt the material of the great red cloak inside the bag, his eyes flitting nervously around the bar. "You're just gonna put me in charge, just like that?"
Parker nodded, his smile widening, "Yeah, just remember to practice with them before you piss off anyone who might want to kill you."
Parker put his hands over his face, trying not to think about what he had just done. Gro slept quietly at his side on the bed, and pale moonlight drifted in through the window, illuminating Parker's latest mistake.
He rubbed his temples as the realization that he had now ruined months of trying so very hard to be good to Sara with one wild fuck. Did he simply not have it in him to be loyal and true? No, Parker valued his loyalty to family over everything else… so why was it so hard not to see a whore?
It was worse than that, too. Parker missed being the Hood, and though there were no articles in the paper or on the news talking about what would now be John's doings, Parker found himself resenting giving up the mantle more than a little.
He couldn't just go back to the way to was, though. The whole reason he had started this gig was because Janet had been right, and there were too many reasons stacked against him continuing his old venue.
Also, he had worked too hard to quit now, and the Avengers knew who he was and who he cared about; he felt trapped between what he knew he should do and what he wanted to do. Parker took a deep breath and rolled over to start putting his clothes on.
When things had been at their worst Parker had run here to Gro's place. She was just a whore, knew little about him and cared even less what happened in his life, yet he had come here instead of going to his girlfriend.
Parker stared at the wall as he sat on the edge of the bed. The reason was that he had been lying to her for so long that he didn't feel he could share even a lie that bordered on the truth with her, as he had with Gro. John had been in jail and Parker had been without anyone he could feel honest with.
One of the reasons he was in the dilemma he was in now was because he had been trying to change that; to make it so that he could come clean with Sara. Parker didn't even feel like he could go to John now, though, so maybe he was even worse off than before.
Parker slipped out of Gro's apartment quietly so as not to wake her, and walked the street outside, kicking pieces of asphalt, the sidewalk and random trash as he thought. He pulled his jacket tight against the cool night air and wished he hadn't come here.
Not only did he not feel better, he felt worse, and his sense of helplessness only seemed to grow with each action he did or didn't take. Parker stopped, gazing up at the murky clouds above. He needed someone to talk to who could help him, but whom?
Not Janet. That would only make things uncomfortable if it didn't pan out, with her being his boss and all. Plus he had overheard more than a few conversations between her and her ex, Hank, and Parker had the feeling that she wouldn't handle the truth of his infidelity very well.
Hank was an option, but his ties to Janet made Parker swerve around the idea of trying to confide in him. Also, he didn't know Hank very well, and what he did know pointed to Hank needing help with his own conscience as it was.
Parker frowned; that didn't really leave anyone other than complete strangers, and Parker was loath to hire a shrink. How the fuck is some pampered prick with a degree supposed to know what it was like growing up on the streets?
Then it occurred to him; Parker would talk to Luke Cage! The Avenger who had once been an ex-con could surely understand what Parker had been through, and maybe have some advice.
Also, though Parker would never admit this to anyone, including himself, his choices had alienated him from all the people he cared about, and he was lonely.