Hello Again!
I've been a little uninspired recently and really struggling with the new pieces I've been trying to shape out so I'm reverting to an idea I had a while ago.
This is a kind of continuation of one of my other stories, Trinity but not really a sequel. It'll just be little snapshots of the gang's lives after the epilogue. They might be really short pieces or I might get carried away. There probably won't be any rhyme or reason to it; just little 'snapshots' and there definitely won't be any kind of chronology to them. They won't include all the characters in every chapter (as you'll see ch1 is Brooke, Julian and Theo focused) but I'm sure that there will be group scenes later though as I love writing the dynamics between them all. Also you'll be introduced to Leyton and Naley's families who came along after Trinity!
If you haven't read Trinity it's recommended but I don't think these will be too hard to follow without reading it. The basic premise is; the group are in their mid-twenties and all live in New York. By the end of Trinity, Brooke and Julian had a son; Theo (who also goes by the nickname Kook); Nathan and Haley were getting married and planning to start a family; and Lucas and Peyton, freshly engaged were expecting a daughter. This is a tangled continuation which will jump around the timeline a lot, I'm sure their histories will be picked up along the way.
Happy reading!
…
Julian turned his key in the lock and let Theo run inside the house ahead of him, a blue cape trailing behind him, flying in the wind created from his speedy run. Smiling, Julian shook his head after the four year old who had inherited Brooke's energy and his own love of superheroes. It was an awesome combination, in Julian's biased opinion.
He set his keys down on the side and briefly ran his eyes over the mail tucked between a vase and paperweight. He noted an envelope addressed to Theo in his mother's familiar handwriting and slipped it inside his coat pocket, knowing it would be an early birthday card.
He padded through to the kitchen where he could smell Theo's favourite dinner; spaghetti bolognaise cooking. Inside, he found Brooke with Theo balanced on her hip, even though he was too big now really.
"Hey, Daddy," Brooke smiled and leaned in to kiss him, "Theo's been telling me about what he wants for his birthday,"
"Oh yeah?" Julian asked, hoping that he looked curious but surprised. He may or may not have ignited an idea in the little boy's mind.
"Mmm-hmm," Brooke's eyes smiled over at him, "It's only like the best thing ever, I'm told."
Julian lifted his brow, "What's that then?"
"It's called Comic-com." Brooke revealed.
"Comic-con." Julian corrected softly, "Con, short for convention."
"You've heard of it then?" Brooke challenged, her hand on her hip.
"Comic-con, Mama!" Theo celebrated excitedly, smiling a wide dimpled smile up at Brooke. It was a smile she'd yet to be able to say no to.
Brooke pursed her lips and looked between her boys, "This is what you really want, Baby?"
"Everybody's gonna be there! Superman and Spiderman and the Hulk and Iron Man and Wolverine!"
Biting down on her lower lip, Brooke suppressed a laugh. She found it impossibly cute when Kook talked about superheroes; he was so passionate and knowledgeable. And so like Julian. "That all sounds great, Buddy, I guess you'll have to see if you're lucky enough to go."
Theo nodded, dutifully, knowing that only good boys got what they wished for. Julian though could already see the answer in Brooke's eyes. His eyes sparkled over at her and she pouted. She never used to be such a pushover.
…
Rachel let herself into Brooke's office at Brooke Trinity without knocking and arched her brow towards the brunette who was concentrating fiercely, leaning over a sewing machine. Rachel strode forwards, intrigued; Brooke rarely worked on individual pieces, unless it was something for one of her friends.
"What are you working on?" Rachel asked as she fell into a seat opposite.
Brooke lifted her gaze for a second, "I don't pay you to interrogate me."
"Is it something naughty?" Rachel continued, her interest piqued. She leaned in and fingered the black spandex, "Kind of kinky."
"It is not!" Brooke gasped, snatching it away, "It's for Kook's birthday."
Rachel pulled a face, "A little inappropriate, don't you think?"
Brooke sighed and lifted the piece up, "It's a superhero outfit for me to wear,"
"Still sounds kinky to me." Rachel said.
"It's Comic-con." Brooke elaborated reluctantly, "It's like a kind of festival, gathering thing where comic book enthusiasts get together and dress-up like superheroes and….do other stuff that I'm not quite clear about yet."
"That sounds terrible." Rachel concluded, "Why are you even going along with it? Can't Julian take Kook by himself? You can come to a spa with me or a bar or do laundry. It's gotta be more fun than the Geek Festival."
Brooke pursed her lips and looked heavily to Rachel, "Theo wants me to go. He's so excited. He just wants to be part of a superhero family for a day, what's wrong with that?"
Rachel didn't answer for a moment, her eyes lifted slowly from her lap to meet Brooke's, "You're a great Mom, you know that?"
Tilting her head slightly, Brooke smirked, "Was that a compliment?"
"All I'm saying is, I wish my parents had sacrificed their dignity for me." Rachel admitted slowly, "My Mom never would have dressed up like an idiot just to make me smile."
"Mine neither." Brooke nodded. She got it. She'd grown up in a solitary childhood which became a wild adolescence; striving to fit in. She always wanted to feel accepted someplace, by someone. Luckily she had, but not until she reached college and met Haley and Peyton. That was something she didn't want for Theo; she and Julian both strived to make sure he always felt like he fitted in. If that meant sacrificing her dignity then she would. She'd do anything, in a heartbeat, if it meant happiness for her little boy.
Rachel laughed a little, "I've got him Star Wars Lego."
"Which he will love." Brooke assured. "He's obsessed with Yoda."
"I don't know what that is." Rachel said frowning.
"Tip of the iceberg." Brooke smiled, "I'm still learning. I'll tell Kook you don't know about Yoda, he can introduce you; his impression is the cutest!"
"Looking forward to it." Rachel nodded, rising from her seat, "I'll leave you to your spanks, I'm sure there's someone I should be yelling at."
She clicked her way out of the room as Brooke called out after her, "I don't pay you to yell at people either!"
"You ruin all my fun!" Rachel yelled back, smirking.
…
"This is your finest work." Julian complimented from where he was leant in the doorway of Brooke's closet. She was giving him a twirl in her latest creation; a black shining cat suit, complete with a cape and mask. The finishing touches were a pair of over the knee boots, her hair in long barrelled waves and (for Julian's benefit only) a whip. "Really Brooke. You're my superhero."
"But is it okay? For the Comic-con, I mean." She glanced at herself in the mirror, spinning a twisting to see her reflection from all angles. "It feels kind of….slutty."
Julian swallowed down his laugh, "Well, comic books are aimed at teenage boys, you know. Slutty kind of comes with the job title."
"I hope I'm rewarded by lots of rock hard abs to look at, since there's going to be so many hot female superheroes around for you to look at." Brooke countered, to which Julian deflated a little. Brooke smiled, "Your turn."
She pressed a red costume into his hands, her brow kinked.
"Red huh?" He remarked, having not seen his own outfit until now. It was just before 6:00am and they were getting ready to surprise Theo. It wasn't quite his birthday but the Comic-Con event he wanted to go to was today so he was having an early present.
"I like red." Brooke offered as an explanation, "Now strip, Baker."
"I really like you with a whip, by the way." Julian threw her a lop-sided grin as he pulled his t-shirt over his head.
Brooke ran in through her fingers, not wanting to thrash it in case it woke Theo who was still asleep in the next room. "Maybe you'll see more of it, if you're bad. I may need to whip you into shape."
Julian shook his head, "Okay, you need to stop. It's too sexy."
"Can't handle it, Hero?" Brooke teased placing the whip between her teeth.
"You're making the teenage me very happy right now." Julian told her as he held up a garment that looked suspiciously like a pair of tights. "Are these what I think they are?"
"Real men wear tights." Brooke husked in a sexy tone. "Your alias is Captain Camera; you bottle people's memories and dreams and you make them permanent so that they can be enjoyed over and over."
"Okay, that's pretty awesome." Julian conceded as he settled into the feeling of the navy blue tights. "What's your superpower, aside from being hotter that the sun?"
Brooke smiled, "This fingertips are magic. I clothe heroes and heroines. Can't have all you superheroes being butt-naked now can we?"
"Comic-con would be a different day out if they were." Julian laughed, as he threw his arms out, "So what do you think?"
Nodding, Brooke swept her eyes over her superhero. His outfit was strong blue and red, like the most commonly featured characters in Julian's comics, his utility belt was fastened with a camera shaped buckle and the cuffs of his costume were decorated to look like film reels. But Brooke wasn't looking at the details of her labour. Her eyes took in the broadness of his shoulders, his oiled hair and his powerful stance.
"You look heroic, Captain Camera." She grinned and wrapped the whip around his waist and used it to pull him flush against her. He leaned down and kissed his girl.
…
Theo scrubbed a hand over his eyes and blinked in the sound of his Mommy's voice calling out to him, "Super Kook? It's time to wake up, Buddy. We've got to get to Comic-con!"
"Comic-con!" Theo's eyes burst open and he met the smiling hazel eyes of his Mom. He took in the rest of her appearance slowly; a mask rested on top of her head and an outfit with a cape. "You're dressed up!"
"I sure am, because today's the one day of the year that superheroes get to go out dressed as their secret identities. I got the invite to Comic-con yesterday. It was in code, of course, but your Daddy is a great code-breaker. It said that Captain Camera - that's Dad's secret identity - needed to bring his girl; Fashionista - that's Mommy - and his son; Super Kook, to Comic-con today."
"And I'm Super Kook?" Theo asked, his eyes wide with excitement and near disbelief.
"Of course." Brooke frowned. "Dad's loading the car with Super Gas so we'll be ready to go after breakfast. You ready, Super Kook?"
Theo beamed up at her and Brooke felt his happiness in her chest. That smile alone was worth all the effort.
"Yeah, Fashionista!" He was a smart one.
"I have your outfit," Brooke held up a hanger holding a little yellow costume; the same colours as Wolverine, Theo's favourite. Brooke had also chosen it in the hope that they'd be able to spot him in the crowd. "And then we're going to have pancakes and protons for breakfast."
Brooke could feel the excitement radiating from her little boy. She led him through to the bathroom and got him ready for the day, listening to his enthusiastic ramblings about super powers and batmobiles and ray guns. Brooke could live from the feeling.
Ten minutes later, Theo bounded into the kitchen to find his Dad stood with his hands on his hips in his superhero costume. "Super Kook! Just the man I need. We've got a mission today; I'll explain it over breakfast."
Theo nodded seriously, taking in the adventure of the day. From across the room Brooke smiled. She was pleased that she'd made Julian's alias Captain Camera; it was the perfect excuse for them to take lots of pictures without breaking character. Julian winked at her and waved her towards the coffee and pancakes.
"We have to drive to Comic-con in the Turbo car," Julian was explaining to Theo, "And when we're there, the Department of Superheroes has asked that we get evidence of everyone who's there. So they want photographs, okay?"
"Yeah-huh." Theo nodded, loading his mouth with pancake.
"And you're the most important part of the task," Julian continued in his most sober tone, "Because you need to ask them if we can take their picture. They'll all say yes, because superheroes love having their pictures taken. And today's the only day they don't have to worry about secret identities, because it's Comic-con."
"I know that, Daddy." Theo assured Julian as Brooke hid her laugh in her coffee cup.
"You're perfect for the job because Super Kook's superpower is getting his own way - when it's for a good cause." Julian concluded. "So are we ready, gang?"
Julian put his hand out towards the centre of the breakfast table and Brooke followed, covering his hand with her own. Theo joined them a second later and they chorused the words, "To Comic-Con!"
…
Julian pulled the car into the bay and cut the engine. Theo bounced in his booster seat, his eyes shining and looking in every direction as his parents stepped out the car and pulled open his door.
"Okay, Super Kook," Brooke reached into her purse and produced a shiny red bubble gun. "This is only for emergencies, you understand?"
"Bubble gun!" Theo gasped. He'd wanted one for ages.
Julian lifted him out of the car and set him on the floor. Brooke handed him the toy and told him to test it out, which he did, rather overenthusiastically.
"It fits right here," Brooke indicated to a loop she'd integrated into his costume and he tried the gun out fitting into the holster. "The bubbles are very powerful so they mustn't be shot directly in someone's face, okay? It hasn't actually been tested to see what happens if someone swallows them so not near anyone's face. The bubbles are for if you find that you're not with Captain Camera or me anymore. All you have to do is point the gun up and shoot the bubbles into the air. We'll find you. There are villains in there but there are too many good guys for them to dare be bad so you don't need to be scared. We need to stick together though."
"You understand, Buddy?" Julian asked, to be sure.
Theo nodded solemnly, "I won't use it in anyone's face. The bubbles might make fire in someone's belly."
Julian pointed his finger, "Very good point, Super Kook."
Theo smiled proudly and allowed his Mom - Fashionista - to take him by the hand. As they got close to the building they crouched down low and ensured the coast was clear before dashing for the entrance. Brooke and Julian each had hold of one of Theo's hands and were lifting him up into the air on every second step like he was flying.
"That was close!" Julian declared grinning, "But I don't think anyone saw us."
"High five, Heroes." Brooke instructed, holding her palm out, which Theo and Julian promptly clapped. "Are we ready for the next phase?"
"Yeah!" They both cheered and Brooke beamed.
Then they ran, capes flying, into Comic-con and two little boys' dreams came true.
…
Thank you for reading!
I can remember when working at a restaurant years ago, being out on the patio when a young family ran around the corner of the building, their bodies pressed to the wall. They crouched down and flanked one another and made the shape of guns with their hands. They shared hushed whispers and serious instructions on the best way to enter the building. What I remember the most is the way that those kids' eyes were shining. And they believed in the game so much. It was the most awesome display of parenting. That kind of inspired some of this story.
Any ideas of what you'd like to see will as always be considered, so let me know what you'd like to see next. This is a very open premise so there are lots of avenues we can go to! Lexie :)