"Your brother stole our daughter."
If Violet was supposed to be surprised by that sentence, she would have to disappoint. Instead, she kicked off her heels, mouthing "Thank you" to the ceiling.
It wasn't that Violet didn't love her daughter. At the ripe age of thirty-two, Violet loved their only child as much as a mother could love their child. With their daughter being the ripe age of three, her daughter could only be what one expected of a three-year-old. The days of exploration were at an all-time high and despite baby-proofing the house years ago, Violet and Wilbur had their hands full with trying to keep their perfectly normal, non-super child from accidently dropping something on her head or getting her fingers stuck.
They just needed a break to catch their breath every now and then, but their three-year old didn't disappoint with keeping them constantly on their toes. She got her father's curiosity and her mother's athleticism, combining the two traits into a dangerous pair. By the time she could crawl, she was already climbing out of her own crib at night to wake her parents to wreck havoc on their sleep schedule.
If Dash wanted to spend a couple of hours with their kid, Violet was all for it. Especially if it meant that he would be fun uncle Dash and exhaust their child enough to give them a restful night of sleep.
Wilbur's figure was draped over their stained couch, a litter of children's toys in front of it from when he probably swiped them to the ground. He was watching her, his lips quirked in a smile.
"I know, I know. I shouldn't have let such a fiendish thing from happening, considering Dash's track record, but I was just thinking, with the goodness of my heart, that you deserve some time off," Wilbur said.
Violet raised an eyebrow, unable to hide her amusement. Playing along, she pulled out her phone from her back pocket.
"Well..." she started, twirling the phone in her hand. "I don't really need any time off, so I think it is pretty safe to say that we can just call Dash and ask him to return our lovely, kind, sweet daughter and spend the rest of the night cleaning up pasta stains and rereading Goodnight Moon for the millionth time this week."
She handed him the phone, tilting her head as if to challenge him. There was a silent struggle as she watched her husband try to come up with another excuse. The gears in his brain were trying to come up for a witty retort, but as she moved the phone closer to him, her finger precariously hovering over the call button, he sighed.
"You know... As much as I would love another night of watching Gaspard and Lisa, I think I can just deal with the agonizing pain and suffering, but don't think that she isn't always in my heart," Wilbur sniffed, attempting to look as if he was experiencing a great deal of sadness.
She smiled triumphantly, dropping her phone on the coffee table. The smirk on her lips was enough to make Wilbur roll his eyes. She nudged him with her thigh, and he moved accordingly, giving her enough space to plop down next to him.
"Don't think you won this round," Wilbur said. Violet smiled broadly at his comment, only prompting him to tear his attention away from the television to stick his tongue out at her.
"Mmm-hmm," she sounded, the sly grin on her face spreading. She leaned over, laying her body on top of his before placing a kiss on his cheek. "Oh, I miss this." A sigh escaped her lips, and she pressed herself harder onto her husband.
There were just some things that she couldn't do with him when they had a kid to take care of.
"I, too, miss the feeling of suffocation," Wilbur managed to squeeze out. He felt her hand on his cheek before she shoved his head deeper into the cushion.
"Shut up," she said jokingly. "You know what I mean. What'cha watching?"
He pulled his head out from under her grip. "How it's Made," he replied, nodding towards the television as a row of caramel apples were plucked from their carrying tray.
"God, you're such a nerd."
"Says the person who just came back from her cyber security job less than five minutes ago."
She slapped his shoulder playfully, before placing another kiss on his head. She could feel his smile without looking at him, the way he lit up like a Christmas tree. While having a family, a daughter, was nice, she still missed this. There wasn't a time she could remember when it was just the two of them since Katie was born. And even though he was wearing jeans that had stains older than their relationship with holes where the belt loops used to be, there was something that was still so attractive about him. Something irresistible about him in the current moment that just made her want to jump him. Or maybe it was because she just loved her husband, and she could barely remember what it felt like to sleep with him.
"What's wrong?"
She started at his question, realizing that she had waited too long to add her usual witty retort.
"Nothing," she sighed, pressing her face against his. "I was just thinking about the last time we had sex."
There was a pause on his end, and she could feel him stiffen beneath her.
"I can't even remember the last time we had sex," he whispered, almost horrified. She almost had to laugh at his response. It had been a long time, between a child and nightly super hero work. Life had just gotten in the way, which wasn't a valid excuse, but he never brought it up either, so she had always assumed it was fine. It wasn't as if she was lusting for him. Nowadays it was a miracle if either one of them could stay awake past ten.
Suddenly, he moved from underneath her. She bit back a yelp as he fell onto the floor, almost laughing at his immediate cursing from falling on several toys. He quickly sprung up, adjusting his hair like he always did, smiling at her with the biggest grin on his face. The glint in his eye could only mean one thing, and she almost laughed again. She finally cracked when he scooped her up, her laughter overcoming the noise coming from the television.
"What are you doing?" she asked, in between fits of giggles, fully aware of his intentions. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she clung onto him as he carried her to their room.
"I'm remedying the situation."
"Oh, really?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "Because I don't see any situation that needs to be remedied. But, I don't see any reason why not start something."
She whispered the last part, bringing her face closer to his. She brought her hand to his face, and he reflexively leaned into her touch. Warmth pooled in her gut as he leaned in, the heat of his breath radiating from him to her lips.
"Really?" he asked. His voice came out husky and low. He moved closer, his lips just brushing hers. She held her breath, her eyes focused on his lips. She felt herself nodding, becoming hyper aware of the blood rushing in her body. Loosening her arms, she pulled his face closer to hers, her lips making contact with his.
And then, she felt herself being dropped.
Her back fell in contact with their mattress. A small yelp escaped her lips, but before she could protest, he slammed his lips against hers, and all she could think about was the fastest ways to get him naked. She placed her hands on the side of his face, deepening the kiss. She could feel his hands in her hair, yanking out the headband. He threw it off, the clattering sound of it hitting the floor not bothering either of them.
His hands traveled down her body, skimming over the clothed surface. He made quick work of the buttons on her shirt. She quirked a smile at this, remembering how desperate he was at the beginning of their relationship, ripping the buttons right out of her shirt. Though she had to admit, the shirts were never a top concern in the moment.
She moved with him, pulling her arms out of the sleeves when he made the move to push them off. Her hands tugged at the bottom of his shirt, and he complied, barely stopping as he pulled it off and threw it across the room. He made quicker work with her clothes, unclasping her bra and the hook on her pants, pulling one after the other off her body. She grabbed his face, opening her mouth for him. His hands continued down her body, tracing a circle around her breast before grabbing her nipple between his forefinger and thumb and rolling it gently. She gasped softly, and somehow, she could feel him smile.
His lips traveled down to her neck, and she could feel the heat travel down. Every spot he touched felt like fire on her skin. It pooled in her stomach and went down between her legs. Once she would have been embarrassed with how fast she got aroused, but it had been months, no a year, where she felt this good.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, pulling him closer to her. His erection pressed against the inside of her leg. The fabric of his jeans scraped against her. Her hands fumbled out of their lock around his neck. He took her breast in his mouth, repeating the same motions he made before with his hands with his tongue and teeth. Her hands twitched from the sensation of pleasure that rolled through her body. A groan fell from her lips.
She wanted all of it. The touching, the kissing, the way he could make her body tighten like a coil before releasing a wave of pleasure so strong she thought she was seeing stars. All he needed to do was to move south, and she could let herself fall apart. Her hands fumbled over each other before she could finally push the button on his jeans. She yanked them down his hips, the sudden full force of his erection pushing itself into her upper thigh.
A switch flicked in her brain. The hazy feeling clouding her judgement lifted, and it felt as if a cold bucket of water was tossed on her.
Wilbur noticed almost immediately. Pulling away, he hovered over her, his lips already pursed into a question.
"I haven't been on birth control for a year."
Violet watched as he processed the information. Suddenly her hips were free, and the mattress got significantly lighter. The sound of drawers opening called her attention. She turned, seeing Wilbur rifling through them. He cursed under his breath.
"We're all out, aren't we?" It wasn't as much of a question as it was a statement. The color on her face faded, the adrenaline seeping out of her body. He nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"The first time we're alone, like actually alone, and we can't have sex," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not unless you want to tempt the fate on having another kid."
She sat up, wrapping the covers around her. Laying her chin on his shoulder, she wrapped her arms around his midsection, pulling him closer.
"No, I guess not," she mumbled. It wasn't that she didn't want another kid. Well, maybe she didn't. It had only been a year since she been green lighted to go back into her super hero duties. She had spent that year dispelling rumors over her disappearance, watched herself on talk shows make half-baked lies of what happened to Invisgirl. Magazines and newspapers liked to talk about supers. They always wanted to know who was behind the mask, as if to degrade them to celebrities.
She appreciated her mask, the sense of anonymity it gave her. In her suit, she was Invisgirl, protégé of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl. Her sharp tongue and dry sense of humor paired well with her no-nonsense fighting style. She could whip fields at lighting speeds, disappear at a drop of a hat, all while giving her own snarky commentary to the villains she fought.
Violet Parr, though still with her wit and blunt nature, was not expected to fight crime all the time. There were plenty of times in her late high school and undergrad years where she left class because she felt the buzz of the NSA watch alert on the small communicator at the edge of her headband. (which, was a frequent complaint from the NSA when she kept breaking them from either super work, or other activities).
Married life was different. She still loved to fight crime and would easily drop everything to be the first responder, but she also had a job she loved at a cyber security firm, a husband she was still head over heels with five years later, and a daughter who was still in her formative years. Time had to be adjusted. She had to balance her work life with her home life. Maybe it would have been easier if Wilbur was a super, and if Katie had powers. But Wilbur was the furthest thing from a super and the timeline for kids to show their powers had past for Katie. A super family could have been easier to handle. Her parents had done it well. She took care of her brothers, filling the protective older sister role, though still holding her own ground. They fought crime together, as a family.
That wasn't something she was looking for in her newer, smaller family. Keeping them safe was her number one priority. It had already been hard when she was dating Wilbur. He could hold his own ground against normal people, but villains with powers? She once watched him accidently get thrown into a wall when her dad patted him on the back.
And then there was Katie, sweet and naïve at the age of three, who looked on the tv and screamed every time Violet was on it. Scribbles of Violet as Invisgirl was littered across Katie's bedroom, all that had to be put away when a neighbor or a friend from day care came to visit. They were still teaching her what she could say, making sure she didn't put Violet or herself in jeopardy.
Though it had only been a year since she came back into her role as Invisgirl, she could see herself leaving the spotlight again. She had been fighting crime since she was fourteen and had gotten to be one of the best in her field. The job was still as rewarding, but she was older now, with more in her life that she loved. Super hero work was time-consuming. It meant late night patrols and coming back to cold breakfast with a kid begging if they could finally go to the park now that mommy was home. It meant days going on 'business trips' while missing her daughter's first steps. It meant no hugs because she bruised her ribs.
So, the idea of having another kid was starting to enter in her mind.
"I mean, unless you're okay with tempting faith," Violet said.
Wilbur turned, her chin coming off his shoulder. She moved next to him and grabbed his hand. Her thumb rolled over his fingers as she continued.
"If there's one thing the world needs more of… it's more Robinson-Parr kids, right?" She raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in her eyes.
"I thought we said that we'd think about it," Wilbur replied, the words slowly falling from his mouth. "I mean, we're talking about another kid."
"I know what I said, it just, maybe now is the time that we think about it. I love being a Super, but I also want to see Katie grow up that isn't through videos you recorded of her. And – and I think that we could have another kid, and it wouldn't be bad. I could take time off again, maybe a little longer. Let Dash take over with Jack-Jack with the NSA mentoring program."
Wilbur looked at her, half wary, half excited.
"You sure you're not saying that because you want to finish this?"
Violet rolled her eyes, "Yes, Wilbur this very emotional speech was because I want to bang you – can you be serious for five minutes?"
"I am! I just thought," he paused, his mouth puckering closed.
"What?" Violet drawled, her voice sounding slightly threatening, but very much like her mom voice whenever Katie tried to hide secrets from her.
"I just thought that you liked being Invisgirl and you wanted to keep being her for a lot longer. I don't mind taking care of Katie, you know that?"
"I would you hope you wouldn't considering she's your daughter too," she said drily.
"Vi," Wilbur grabbed her hands. "I just don't want this to be a thing, where you think it would be fine, and then ten years later you regret it. I want another kid, really, I'm pretty sure I've said it before."
"You mean on our wedding anniversary where you started crying 'cause you saw some kids playing together on the beach and you said you wanted six of them?"
"To be fair, I was really drunk and was very emotional."
Violet nodded, a smile growing on her face.
"I'm just saying if this is something you want, and I mean really want it, then let's do it. But if it isn't, then we won't. So…?"
He looked at her expectantly. She could feel the warmth of his body, the feeling of uncontrolled joy rising in her chest. This was the man she fell in love with her senior year of college. This was him, reminding her of his support of her decisions. If he was willingly to put up with her craziness that was her life, it was only fair that she followed suit.
"Okay, let's do it."
She flashed a grin. He sent her the same one back before leaning in and brushing his lips against hers.
That was as far as they got before the door crashed opened. Violet disappeared, whipping the covers off her and onto Wilbur. He scrambled to cover himself up, as Violet turned, plucking the intruder up off the ground.
"I found mommy, Uncle Dash!"
If she was visible, her brother would have seen the irritation on her face. Dash was looking everywhere but into the room.
"I did not need to see that."
"Then knock next time," Violet huffed, handing over Katie, who was asking questions about why mommy was wearing her super suit inside the house. She pulled her robe off the chair, wrapping it tight as Wilbur fumbled in the background with getting his pants back on. Dash rolled his eyes, tossing up his niece before putting her right back down.
Violet reappeared, a smile arranging itself on her face as Katie wrapped her body around her leg.
"Did you have fun?" she asked. Katie nodded, tugging at her sleeve.
"We went to arcade and, and Uncle Dash got, he won a lot of tickets, and I had ice cream, and, and pizza. And then I got wet!"
"How did she get wet?" Wilbur chimed in, handing Violet a sweatshirt. Again, Dash turned away, not making eye contact on any sort of contact with either of them. To say that this was the first time he walked in would be an understatement. It didn't help that he rarely saw his sister's husband with his hair less than contained, and the mess it was now already an indication of how private a moment he forced himself in on.
"Someone decided that she wanted to go for a swim on the way back in the fountain across the street. I grabbed her before she fell all the way in. Can I go now, Vi?"
"What, we're not making it uncomfortable enough for you?" Violet cocked her hip, a smirk on her lips. "If you want, we coul-,"
Dash covered his hands over his ears, "Nonononono, I'm not listening! I'm leaving now! Goodbye Katie!"
"Goodbye!" the toddler shouted back, eliciting the slightest wince from her parents.
He could have ran out of there, left as fast as his super speed would have taken him. But Dash chose to storm out of there, the theatrics more worth it than giving his sister the satisfaction of knowing that she could gross him out by talking about her love life.
If he had paid attention, he would have seen the purple field coating the front door. Instead, he walked right into it, bouncing back.
Violet was behind him, one hand focused on the field, the other holding her robe closed.
"What is it now?" Dash whined. "Haven't I suffered enough for one day?"
"Ugh, stop that, you're almost as bad as Wilbur," she scoffed. Releasing the field, she straightened up, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was just wondering if you'd be free to watch Katie again next week."
She saw the look of disgust form on his face, and the withering glare she sent back stopped her brother in his track. He may have become the taller sibling, but she was still older. Despite the fact that they were adults, the way they argued made it look as if they were still fourteen and ten.
"Violet," he began to whine. "If this is because I walked in, it wasn't my fault that Katie ran straig-"
"We're thinking about having another," she interrupted. "And it would be great if you could keep Katie busy. Just for the next couple of weeks."
Dash stared at her, not saying anything for a while. He spoke, "What's in it for me?"
"Geez, I don't know, the prospect of having another niece or a nephew. Don't think I'm going to name it Dash Jr. if it's a boy."
Again, silence fell between them. The sound of running water and Katie's voice filled in between them. They could hear her recount the events of her day, Wilbur making reaffirming sounds back. This was home, not like the one they grew up in.
But it could get there.
It would be different, of course. The super gene didn't run as strongly in this family as it did in their own, but who knows? Maybe Violet's next kid would have powers.
As long as he didn't have to hear about how Violet and Wilbur were going to get to that point, he was all for it.
"You really want this? 'Cause I don't know if I could give you your position back on the NSA mentoring board if you leave again," he joked.
Violet took in her surroundings. A messy house that hadn't seen a mop in two weeks, toys strewn on the floor creating a fire hazard, a drawing of her mom as Elastigirl that Katie wanted to give to her. It wasn't as glamorous as the penthouse suite her brother managed to get, or as spacious as one of Winston's Deavor's mansions, but it was home. A home that she wouldn't mind opening another position for.
"Yeah, I really do."