Battle and Peace

Jypz

a/n-seeing as how I can't seem to find any last names for Magenta, Zach and Ethan, I shall make them up myself. So there. Apologies for any glaring grammar or spelling errors. I'm tired.

Chapter One

"You know that craps going to kill you one day." Magenta Evan said as Layla dunked her organic green tea bag into her cup of hot, filtered water. Layla just laughed and continued to dunk. "No, really. I read it on twitter."

"Please. Are you really so bored that you need to read twitter?" Magenta snorted and took a swig of her Coke, unconsciously pressing her other hand across the girth of her very pregnant belly.

"Yes." She answered simply. Layla snorted again and wrapped her hands around the warm mug. "It's not like I can work or anything, thanks to Glowboy." The dark haired woman scowled but Layla knew better.

"Just think about how soon, all of this will be over. Than you'll have that warm, sweet little bundle of joy to cuddle." She reminded her friend with a sigh. Magenta rolled her eyes again, but couldn't quite stop the smile from tugging her lips.

"You should see Zach. Every time the baby moves he's jumping all over me like some kind of crazed shiatsu hound trying to feel it."

Layla snorted at that. She took a sip of her tea and settled into the peace of being home. She was only in town for a short visit. Granted, that's all most of them were, but this one was shorter than usual. Layla was off for a well deserved vacation hiking through Canada. No on but the woods, hills and her own thoughts. She wouldn't have it any other way.

"If you're traipsing around the mighty tundra, how am I supposed to let you know when the baby has come? And what kind of best friend are you to not be around for my due date?" Magenta said, almost as if she were reading Layla's mind.

"I will be here for your due date. I'm only going for a month. And you have another six weeks, tops."

"But what if I go into labor early? Do you realize you're leaving me at that mercy of Zach and Ethan?" Magenta shuddered in mock horror.

"You'll be fine. And I'll be back before you know it."

"You think maybe you'll stick around for a while?" Magenta leveled a stare at Layla that made her squirm more often than not. It was pointed and intense and said much more than Magenta could ever say in her acerbic way.

"Maybe."

"Come on, Lay. You can't run forever."

"I'm not!" Layla denied, but it sounded hollow even to herself.

"Will is hardly ever in town. His parents retired and moved to Boca freaking Raton and Warren…well. No one's sure where Warren is right now." Magenta snapped. Layla shrunk away from the names being thrown at her like well aimed darts, reminding her of why she'd left the world of supers behind.

"How are they?" she heard herself ask. She wouldn't look at Magenta as she waited for the answer, instead she glanced around the tiny apartment Mags and Zach were calling home. Her mind skipped back through time, reminding her of the last time she'd see Will. She could still see the round surprise of his eyes, the hurt that flooded his face as he stared down at the winking diamond she'd placed in his hand.

Was it possible for her heart to still ache thinking about it? Was is still fair?

"Will's fine. His parent's are in Boca, or weren't you paying attention? Warren…"

Something in Magenta's voice had Layla looking back at her. "What?" She hadn't spoken to Warren in ten years. She didn't think he'd want to associate with the woman that had broken his best friends heart.

Funny how walking away from him had hurt almost as much as leaving Will.

"Don't you read the newspaper anymore?"

"Sometimes. Mostly just to see what day it is. I lose track sometimes." Layla explained. "What's happened?" Worry coated her voice as Magenta took a deep breath, then paused.

"Jesus. Why do I have to be the one to break the news?" Magenta grumbled. With an effort she pushed off her barstool and waddled over to the dinette to pick up that days latest edition. "Here."

Layla felt her heart start to skitter when her fingers curled around the black and white paper. With some trepidation, she pulled it to her and unfolded it. It took her only a moment to find the article.

Serial Murderer Escapes!

"Oh my God." Barron Battle. Escaped?! "how did he get out?"

"No one knows. Or the Association of Supers isn't telling."

"How is Warren taking this?" Magenta fell silent and Layla raised puzzled eyes to her friends face. Magenta was rarely nervous and certainly didn't mind speaking her mind. So to see her hesitate about anything made Layla uneasy. "What is it?"

Almost as if on cue, the door bell rang. Saved by the bell Layla thought as Magenta beat a hasty exit to answer the door.

"This better not be about Zach hacking into the national database again." Magenta grumbled. She practically growled after she pulled the door open to reveal two nondescript men wearing gray business suits and matching crew cuts outside. "Come on, don't you guys ever get bored knocking on my door?"

"Excuse us, Mrs. Evans. We're not here for your husband."

"What? Oh…Really?" Magenta's eyes narrowed. "I didn't do anything. I'm just a pregnant civil servant." She crossed her arms over her breasts and glared at the men. She looked somewhat comical glaring up at these two men with her huge belly heaving in indignation that they dare be standing at her front door. Layla didn't feel like laughing though, as her stomach took a dive. Somehow she knew, before they'd even said they weren't there for Zach, that they were there for her.

"Mrs. Evans, please. Ms. Williams, will you come with us, please?"

"Layla?" What do you want with her? She hasn't had anything to do with supers in years." Magenta squawked her hands curling into fists. Layla was pretty sure her friend was about to morph into her guinea pig form and bite on of them. Not sure what that would do to the baby, Layla jumped up and reached for her battered old knapsack.

"Mags, it's ok." It really wasn't. They both knew that. But with no way of finding out what was going on other than going with the men, Layla didn't see any other recourse. "I'll call you later."

"Layla, do you want me to call your mom?"

"No."
"That won't be necessary." Crew Cut #1 said with a tight smile. Layla quirked a brow at him that he didn't' seem to notice. "If you don't mind," he said to her, holding a guiding hand out to lead her from the apartment. He closed the door, not Magenta, and Layla felt that act was scarily final.

"I guess asking what this is about would be futile?" She asked, giving the younger looking of the two a nervous smile. He didn't even twitch.

She sighed and followed the men out of the apartment building. There was a black car at the curb; Layla could have rolled her eyes at the cliché. Crew Cut Guy #1 opened the back passenger door, looking at her expectantly. She slid inside dutifully, pulling her bag into her lap and looking out the dark tinted window. She knew they weren't going to talk to her, so she settled in for the ride.

Layla knew who they were. The Enforcers. A new division of the Department of Hero Regulation. Super Police, so to speak.

What they wanted with her, she had no idea. But since she knew she hadn't done anything wrong, she wasn't overly worried about it. There must be some kind of misunderstanding.

They drove through Maxville, the houses and buildings whizzing by. Some she remembered going to when she was younger. Others were just faded shadows of her childhood.

In no time and much sooner than Layla had expected, they pulled into the parking lot of the Maxville Court House and Municipal building. It also housed the headquarters of the Division of Heroes. Layla hadn't been here since she'd refused her assignment and walked away from Heroes and sidekicks (now called Duos) and never looked back.

Without much preamble and certainly without saying anything. Crew Cut #1 got out of the car and opened her door. She slipped out and onto the sidewalk, barely hauling her bag onto her shoulder when Crew Cut #2 flanked her other side.

Yeah, we don't look too conspicuous, Layla though, sending a jittery smile to the young mother sitting on a bench with her children. Probably thinks I'm some sort of criminal. How was that for ironic?

C.C. #1 pulled open the door and waited for her and C.C. #2 to go through. They led her over to the elevators, swiftly pushing through the security and the throngs of people there for the court sessions that day. They all but pushed an elderly lady out of the way to get to the last elevator in the row. Before the boarded, CC#2 stared at the handful of citizens in the car until they felt uncomfortable and filed out. Layla smiled at each one, embarrassed. Then, she was pulled onto the elevator, CC#1 pushing the door close button then pulling out a key. Instead of pushing a button, he inserted the key into shut down lock and turned it all the way to the right. There was no label, but Layla knew what he was doing.

That key opened up the secret lair of the Association of Supers. A mass underground office complex built under the Municipal building. She wondered how many people upstairs were Supers trying to get to work.

A few seconds later, the elevator doors opened once more to a scene not to different from the one upstairs. The only difference was the men and women milling around down here were all dressed in various costumes and masks. She saw Elastagirl leading her daughter-a pale girl with dark hair pulled back from wide eyes- from one of the back rooms, a schedule clutched tightly in the girl's hand. Layla new that Sky High was getting its newest freshman.

She was surprised to realize that it was that time of year. She saw even more fresh faces moving around, towards the office Sky High kept in the building. She thought she caught a glimpse of Batman-the only non super powered Super in history-but she couldn't be sure. After all, he was a bit of a recluse, and certainly an appearance by him would cause a stir, even in the Super community.

CC#1 and #2 didn't pause as they led her through the din. They walked through the main lobby, guiding her down a long hall full of doors marked with the different departments. Upstairs, the court house felt warm, almost, with all the dark wood and symbols of justice. Down here, it felt more institutionalized. More like a prison. And she knew, that there was indeed holding cells down here.

They led her through the labyrinthine halls and down a flight of stairs. Layla was starting to feel claustrophobic. Down each hall, the doors became more sparse, the light more dense. Her heart sped up as her nerves started to jump under her skin. CC#1 and #2 didn't pause, they just kept ushering her forward like a dead woman walking. And that really unnerved her.

"Could you please tell me what this is about?" Her voice broke the silence like a gunshot, startling her. Her words echoed, bouncing around the men and apparently siphoning off of them for all the attention they gave her. She thought about simply stopping, refusing to go another step until she got some answers. But she somehow thought that her escorts wouldn't be above carting her around like a sack of rocks.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking, CC#1 stopped in front a plain, frosted glass door. He opened it and ushered her through. There was a tiny room on the other side, with a couple of chairs and a reverse mirror. She was in some interrogation room, and she felt her panic level notch higher. What the hell could they want with her? She hadn't done anything wrong. She spent most of her time traipsing around jungles and deserts for goodness sake.

Her confusion was complete when they ushered her into the interrogation room itself. There was a long table with a pitcher of water and a few glasses situated in the middle. Another door leading who knew where was across from the one Layla had just come through. But neither of these things really registered. What had Layla riveted to the spot, with her russet brows pulled together over her eyes was the sight of the tiny, dark haired woman sitting at the table. She had a wad of tissue crumpled in one hand and her pretty face was streaked and swollen with tears.

When Layla walked in, the woman looked up, the misery etched in her face making the younger woman's heart break.

"Mrs. Peace?"

"Layla!" Relief flooded Warren's mother's features, erasing some of years. She stood, knocking the chair back with a loud scrape and advanced on Layla with a fervent gleam in her eye. "You tell them. You tell them that Warren's a good boy. You make them understand he would never join…join…They don't understand him. They never even tried because of Barron. Why make my boy pay for his father's mistakes." Judith Peace, usually a woman so put together and calm was reaching for Layla like she was her savior.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Peace, I don't understand…"

"They think my boy ran off to join that monster." Judith spat, horror that the powers that be would think such a thing evident on her face. "He's a good boy." she insisted, fresh tears welling up and spilling over her cheeks.

"I know. I know he is." Layla assured, dropping her bag and clutching the older woman's hands. "It'll be ok. They'll figure that out."

"Miss Williams?" The other door had opened while Layla was consoling Judith and Layla looked up to see an older man wearing a military style uniform. He fit in wonderfully with CC #1 and #2, his gray hair cut short and his lips pressed thin. He had the look of a man that had forgotten how to smile. Forgotten how to feel anything good at all, even.

"Yes?"

"I'm General Robert Adams. I work closely with the Association of Supers to help maintain the balance between citizen and super populations. I thank you for coming here today."

"I had a choice? Because if that's the case, I have a flight to catch." At her words, Judith clutched Layla's hands tighter and a glazed look of panic filled her eyes.

"No, you can't go. You have to tell them…"

What exactly she was supposed to convince the military and Association of Supers was beyond Layla. Just telling them Warren was a good person wasn't enough. Especially if he'd done something to make them think otherwise.

"Miss Williams, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. But we could really use your help. Your friend, Warren Peace, has…for lack of a better term, disappeared. Now, since this came on the heels of his father escaping from prison, that leads to some obvious suspicion. We know he's been visiting Barron Battle in prison for years. And it's not to short of a jump to think that he decided to join his father."

"Lies! He never visited him. Warren would have told me." Judith spat. Layla tensed and bit her lip hard.

"He did, visit him, Ms. Peace." She said quietly, turning her dark eyes to the older woman.

"What?" She looked shell shocked that Warren would have kept this from her, and if he'd been in front of Layla in that second, she might have wrapped him up in poison ivy. Naked.

"He started his senior year in high school. He said…He said it was to remind himself where he came from, what he never wanted to become."

Judith sank into the nearest chair as she tried to process this information, leaving Layla to stand in front of the General alone. She was kind of curious why there was no one there to represent the Association of Supers.

"You knew of these visits?"

"Yes. I was the only one he told. He didn't think Will would understand." This was said almost to herself, her mind drifting back to a time when friendship held them all together. How long ago that seemed now. "What is this about?" She shook off her melancholy and leveled her gaze directly on the General. The man studied her with steely blue eyes, his expression belying nothing. Then, as he opened his mouth to speak, the door behind Layla reopened-when had the crew cut crew left?- causing all eyes to turn there.

"Sorry I'm late." Layla's heart stuttered to a stop and her skin went from very cold to very hot in a second. The man standing in the door looked nothing and everything like the boy she'd once loved.

"Will," she gasped, her breath coming out with a whoosh on his name.

Will Stronghold stood there in the doorway, dressed in jeans and a button down shirt, his dark blond hair short now, his blue eyes still soft. When he looked at her, his mouth melted into a smile and she had the feeling if they didn't' have an audience, he would have hugged her. It was probably a good thing he didn't, because she wasn't sure her heart would have been able to take another surprise.

"Hello, Layla. So are you ready to go find or boy for us?"