Chapter 06 Strong Relationships
"Batmaaaaaaaaaan….." said the creature in a raspy voice.
As Batman, Batwoman, Spiderman, and Invisi-girl lost interest in Ock disappearing, they slowly walked outside, still feeling weakened after a tremendous fight.
"Man, he put a beating on us!" exclaimed Miguel
"Sure did" answered the rest in unison after
"I mean, the way he knocked out Invisi-girl, and the way he sent you two flying really surprised me."
"Hey! It wasn't my fault I got blacked-out!" Violet harshly responded, which brought a slim frown upon Miguel.
"Yeah, thankfully we were able still able to complete the job." Tim stated
"Agreed" responded Violet
"Oh shoot! We forgot about Kari's party! She's going to be real mad if she doesn't…" Tim said in shock.
"Don't worry, I told her that something had come up"
"Violet, you are a real lifesaver, did you know that"
Violet and Tim's cheeks started to blush like red lights on a Christmas tree. Cassandra issued for Miguel to come with her, as she wanted to discuss something with her.
"Hey Miguel, do you mind if I asked you a question?" asked Cassandra
"Go ahead" answered Miguel
"Why did you choose me, I'm not that beautiful and I'm not really that smart, there are plenty of people that are way more qualified in those categories than I am."
"Well, I don't see anyone else that's more qualified."
"What about Violet? Isn't she those things?"
"She is very beautiful and she is very smart, and your brother is very lucky to have her, but despite this, I think you're miles in front of her."
"You're just saying that…"
Miguel then puts his hand on Cassandra's back very gently.
"I am saying it. I'm saying it from the bottom of my heart. Cassy, you're the only girl who I have ever felt so much…"
"What is it?" questioned Cassandra
"I swear I just heard rustling of some sort… I'm going to go get Tim and Vi"
"Should I stay here and say on lookout?"
"No, stay with me, we need to be together."
As Miguel and Cassandra were running back to their previous location, they noticed Violet and Batman cuddling very intimately, which brought smiles to their faces, but briefly.
"Tim, Vi, I just heard something rustling in the bushes. Almost like someone eavesdropping…" said Miguel
"Oh? Well if that's the case, we need to leave. We're done fighting for tonight, we're beaten pretty bad" replied Batman
"Aww... I liked this time together." said Violet after, which turned Tim's cheeks blush almost as bright as the sun itself.
"I'm all sure we all did, but we're physically weakened right now, so let's get back to the Bat-mobile, I'll call Alfred"
"… Alfred it's me, Tim, we need rides home, but conceal the Bat-mobile, we feel a stalker is in our presence"
"Right away sir, give me two minutes" replied Alfred"
As the group waited, Cassandra looked back at Miguel and asked what he was going to say before they were previously interrupted
"So Miguel, before you heard that sound, what were you about to say?" asked Cassandra puzzled
"Hmm… Oh yes! … You are truly the only girl I've ever dated, the rest were just people who really just wanted to manipulate me…" said Miguel meekly.
"Aww…" said Tim and Violet
"Really… wow, I can't believe it…" said Cassandra softly
"It's the truth"
"…"
At this point, Cassandra was speechless, she was on the verge of tears when a vehicle pulled up, it was audible, but invisible.
"He's here" called out Tim.
"Masters Timothy, Miguel, Cassandra, Violet." Alfred said while opening the doors.
"Thanks Alfred, you truly are the lifesaver for us!" commended Tim
"Oh, don't be silly… it's just merely my job" Alfred answered back
"And you're doing fantastic at it" insisted Cassandra
"Thank you Master Cassandra, Master Timothy…" said Alfred, looking proud and flabbergasted
As the five entered the vehicle, the ominous character who was spying on them, went back into the shadows, deeming a plot to deal with them.
The vehicle was now completely silent and invisible as it shifted forms into a helicopter (a new feature that they created when the Bat-Copter came crashing down)
"Drop me off first" asked Violet "my parents knew I wouldn't be gone this long"
"Alright" responded Tim "Alfred, fly over to Violet's place first!"
"Affirmative sir" responded the still proud Alfred
The invisible vehicle landed, carefully trying to land in the front lawn of the Parr's without alerting the neighbors or the Parr's.
As Violet exited the vehicle, Tim silently grabbed her arm and said "Good luck not being caught"
"I'll try" responded Violet
Violet then silently opened the front door, which was unusually locked, which made her suspicions that her parents were waiting for her arise. She then checked the living room silently, but there was no one there. She pondered a bit, and then went to check on Dash, who was sound asleep in his bed. She checked the clock which read "1:15", which startled her. She then went to her room, her parents still not there.
"Where are Mom and Dad?" Violet thought
Violet removed her super suit and put on the one she was going to wear to the party, and started towards her bathroom, going to brush and floss her teeth before heading off to sleep. She opened the door, just for a big hand to come smashing above her head.
"Oh crud" whispered a startled Violet
"Oh crud is right" muttered an angry solemn voice
"… *gulp* Dad?"
"Violet, where were you"
"Dad, we were at Kari's party, where else?"
"It ended TWO HOURS AGO, I PHONED IN TWO HOURS AGO, I THOUGHT YOU GOT ABDUCTED!"
"…Dad…"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU 'DAD' ME RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE GROUNDED FOR A MONTH!"
"REALLY DAD, A MONTH? Come on!"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR BACKTALK! GO BRUSH YOUR TEETH AND GO TO BED!"
Violet then put her head down slowly, and went to brush and floss her teeth. She was coming out when Bob's hand graciously touched her shoulder.
"Violet… why didn't you tell me…"
"Because dad, you would of told me no!"
"That's not the point! Violet, you are one of the most important treasures in my life, I can't afford to lose you…"
"I know dad…"
"Violet, your mother and I were worried sick, we searched nearly every single alleyway and nook and cranny and still couldn't find you. We even phoned Frozone and Gazerbeam, who gained the ability to use his lasers to see through objects and we still couldn't find you… we believed the worst."
"… You really did that, for me?"
"Violet, if you did that every night, we would do that every night, even Frozone and Gazerbeam were worried sick about you… I want you to speak to your mother tomorrow, and Frozone AND Gazerbeam."
"Alright dad…"
As Violet was walking back to her room, Bob said "I love you so much, don't do that again, for me, your mom, for anyone…"
"Alright dad… I love you too"
Bob gave Violet a hug before walking off to his room, Violet then walked into hers. Bob was settling back down when Helen asked Bob "So, how was your talk with her?"
"I think now, she understands how much we love her" replied Bob
"And she didn't before?"
"Apparently no, she knew that we loved her, but she was pretty baffled when I told her Gazerbeam and Frozone were worried by this too"
"I suppose she will have a talk with me tomorrow"
"She will. I'm also going to invite Gazerbeam and Frozone over, just to explain how much they do care for her"
"Alright Bob, sounds good… night"
"Night, Helen"
That night, Bob and Violet had nightmares. For Violet, it was that she had been abducted by one of Syndrome's workers, and he would brainwash her so she would do his bidding. He made her do horrible things, and the first thing on his list was to kill Tim and Cassandra, then to kill her family, then help take over Metroville, and when he was done, he would marry her. She whimpered, tossed and turned, and woke up several times during her sleep, more scared than her previous awaking. Bob's nightmare was similar to Violets, but that she was raped and killed, and he would be called in by law enforcement to see what had happened. Then he dreamt of her funeral, and how all the superheroes were there, arm in arm. He cried throughout his dreams, which Helen realized and almost immediately comforted him. In the morning, before Violet awoke, Dash came running into her room, seeing if his sister was safe. Noticing that she was content in her sleep, he exhaled a deep sigh of relief and kissed her forehead, making sure to not wake her up. Two hours after that, Violet awoke, got dressed, and walked out of her room. It was around 10 in the morning, and she saw Bob, Helen, Lucius and Gaze sitting down at their kitchen, finishing their meal.
"Helen, woman, this meal is amazing! Where did you get that recipe?" asked Lucius
"Oh, it's my recipe, glad you like it!" replied Helen emphatically
"Lucius is right, Helen, this is some really good stuff!" Gaze said
"Thank you to, it means a lot to me" Helen said, blushing a bit
"Well well well, look who woke up!" Bob announced
"Morning Dad, Mom, Gaze, Zone" said Violet
"Morning" said the other three
"Guess I'll be off to hang out with Dash, who doesn't love vacation!"
"See you around Bob" said Lucius and Gaze
"Hey Dash, let's go play some football!" asked Bob
"Yeah dad!" said Dash excitedly
As Bob and Dash went outside, Helen checked to see if Jack-Jack was asleep, and then their conversation started.
"So Vi, where were you last night?" asked Helen
"… Out with Tim and Cassandra." said Violet nervously
"*sigh…* Vi, you know that I don't want you up that late fighting crime, especially when your father and I don't know…"
"But mom, it happened right before we were going to Kari's party, I could not tell you…"
"Of course you could, ask Tim for his phone, and tell us that you had to do this"
"But mom, you would of said no…"
"…Vi, you've become really capable over the years, you're capable of…"
"Pardon me Helen" said Lucius "But may I speak, I need to tell her something, since Honey wants me home soon"
"Sure, go ahead"
"Thanks" "Vi, you had us worried sick last night, you aren't just family to Bob or Helen or your brothers, but you are to us, isn't that right Gaze?"
"Yes, you are just as important to us as protecting the people" replied Gaze before he took a sip of his coffee, which made Violet's jaw drop slightly.
"Wow… I never knew I meant that much to you guys" said Vi in astonishment
"Well, you do, and if you don't remember anything for the rest of your life Vi, remember this, we will always love you and we will always protect you, remember that" Lucius said
After Lucius had muttered those words, something awoke in Violet. She had realized that everyone truly loved her, far more than she'd expected.
"Well, I'll be off" said Lucius, "been awfully nice speaking about this"
"Bye Lucius" said Helen and Gaze
Before Lucius opened the front door to leave, Violet shot out of her chair and put her hands around his waist, hugging him while also crying. Lucius acknowledged this by turning around, and hugging her back. Gaze and Helen smiled at the scene as Violet said "…Thank you Zone"
"You're welcome." said Lucius in response
Violet then let go, and Lucius said his final good-byes and entered his car, and pulled out of the street.
"You ok Vi?" asked Helen "you look a little rattled"
"I'm ok, thanks mom..." answered Violet, who really was at an extreme emotional stage. As she held in the tears that she didn't want to show, Gaze stood up and said something that Violet would never forget.
"Violet... without you, me, zone, your parents, your brothers, and the people you work with, we would be the worst super heroes ever. You give us the strength to do what is necessary to protect this city, we can't take a loss of one of us, and we are not strong enough."
At this point, Helen noticed Violet's emotions change from looking rattled to appearing downright shocked. Gaze knew that with the combined words of him and Lucius, she was feeling astonished beyond the highest level.
"Helen, I think she needs some time off, and I'll be leaving as well" said Gaze
"Alright, take care Gaze" Helen replied
Gaze was walking out the door and expected a hug to come flying at him, but there was one. Looking a little disappointed in himself, he walked out the door and started for the car. That's when an invisible force grabbed him at the chest with great strength. Almost instantly he knew it was Violet, and so he hugged her where he thought she was, and found out on the first try.
"Thank you so much Gaze... this means a lot to me..." said Violet in a tiny voice
"My pleasure Vi, remember, we're all family" responded Gaze
Violet, still cloaked, walked back into the house. Noticing the clothing, Helen asked "you need to lie down for a bit sugar?"
"...Yes... I think I do..." replied Violet, still silently tearing up.
"Alright, go rest; I'll talk to you about this later"
"Thanks mom..."
"It's alright sweetie"
She walked into her room and fell face down onto her sheets, covering her now very damp eyes. At around that moment, Bob and Dash came back into the house, Dash boasting "I got the world's best and fastest throw!"
"You sure do!" replied a now laughing Bob
"Hey mom, I threw so fast, lighting fast!"
Helen giggled "Sure you did"
Dash then sprinted into his room, still feeling a major adrenaline rush. Bob realized that Violet was not there, so his first instinct was to ask "So, where has Violet gone?"
"She went to her room, she's pretty rattled right now" Helen responded
"How is she rattled, did Gaze or Zone say something?"
"Yeah, they spoke some pretty powerful words against her, she looked completely ambushed"
"Mmm… She wants to be left alone?"
"I think so"
"She talk with you yet?"
"Not yet, I'll talk to her later."
"We also need to think of a punishment, she knows just as well as I do that we don't tolerate this running off to do superhero work"
"After she speaks with me, then we will think of a reasonable punishment"
As Bob walked away, Helen almost instantly remembered and stretched her arms to ask Bob "What did you dream last night?"
"…I dreamed about the worst thing in the world" he muttered
"Was it about Vi? Tell me about it"
"*sigh*… I thought she got raped and killed."
"Honey… she has superpowers, she can defend herself"
"Not against a whole group she can't."
"I understand… anything else?"
"We went to her funeral….." at this point he started to tear up again "And all the supers were there, we joined hands, and prayed to the lord that she would be in a better place!"
"Bob… It's alright…" Helen tried to comfort Bob, who was crying a silent river of tears. After a good five minutes, Bob regained his composure, and said "I can't lose her; I can't lose any of you! I may be strong, but I'm nothing without my family."
Then she made her mistake. Violet, who has secretly been invisible the whole time, stumbled on the carpet, and they noticed it. "Violet, come out…" Bob murmured
Violet uncloaked, and as she did, Bob ran up to her, crushing her between his huge arms, giving her the biggest and most powerful hug any man could ever muster. Violet had little time to react as she was crushed by the big man's huge hug.
"Don't ever do that again…"
"I won't." Violet weakly said. She tried to speak louder but her father's hug was crushing her like an insect.
"How do I know you won't, I can't trust you well enough after that!"
"Dad, you can trust me."
"Do you promise?"
"I promise."
"…Fine, I trust you." Bob loosened his grip, and Violet gasped for air, much to the amusement of Helen.
"Bit too tight honey?" Helen chuckled.
"Eh, maybe slightly I suppose." sighed Bob
After such matters, peace was restored to the Parr household. However, a dark cloud was rising over the family residence, along with the whole city entirely. Even worse, no one was aware of these changes, excluding the perpetrators of these events.