Chapter 1: The Visit
Being a Super was hard work. It was even harder, trying to fight crime and raise a family at the same time. Helen Parr managed to make it work, though. Sure, having two kids who were constantly at each other's throats, and a toddler who was just learning to walk, is something most mom's had to deal with, but it was a whole different story when one throws powers into the mix. It was tough to find a quiet moment and just, think.
Now seemed to be one of those rare times where everything was at peace. Helen had just set Jack-Jack down for his afternoon nap, the housework was all done, the kids wouldn't be home for another hour or so,and her Husband was off being Mr. Incredible. So, she had decided to make herself some coffee,sit back, and relax.
Since defeating Syndrome's Omnidroid and stamping out the Underminer's plans last Spring, Violet and Dash's relationship had improved tremendously. They were much more capable of working together than they had been before, but that didn't mean the sibling bickering had ended altogether.
Dash still loved to tease Violet about her crush-now-boyfriend, Tony, and Violet still enjoyed calling her brother an 'insect' whenever she got the chance. Whenever trouble would arise and the world called on the Incredibles ,(as the public had dubbed the family), the siblings couldn't help but to compete with each other. Whether it was how many bad guy's one of them could knock out, or how many people they managed to save from harm's way. Actually, now that Helen thought about it, maybe the sibling rivalry hadn't changed as much as she thought.
When all was said and done though, the two were really an amazing pair when it came to fighting crime. Helen was confident that it wouldn't be long before someone came up with some sort of team name for Violet and Dash. Violet was already being called Invisigirl, and Dash, the Blur, or as Dash preferred, the Incredible Blur. The thought always made Helen laugh.
Of course, any progress Dash and Violet had made in the past few months could quickly go out the window in a week. Today was the final day of school for both of them, and Summer vacation had finally meant the two would have a lot more free time on their hands.
'Maybe if I beg enough, the NSA will have some assignments to keep Dash and Vi busy...' Helen mused.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of the doorbell ringing. With a sigh, the super mom set her coffee down and stood to see who it was. Opening the door, Helen was surprised to be met by a large bouquet of dahlias, and a familiar young face.
"Aunt Helen!" a young woman cheered. "I was hoping you would be home, it would have been the worst if you hadn't been. Maybe I should have called… but I wasn't sure if I had the right number and-" taking a deep breath, the woman extended the bouquet. "I-I brought flowers. I mean If you don't like dahlia's, I could change them but I thought you said you liked dahlia's so-"
"That's very kind of you Demetria." Moving aside, Helen let the woman come in, taking the flowers and setting them in a vase with a small smile.
She couldn't help but stare at her niece as she came in. It was amazing how much Demetria had taken after her mother, from the light,cheery aura she could bring to a room to the bright green eyes that hungrily took in even the smallest of details. She had grown as well, standing just slightly taller than Helen herself, no longer the little flower girl whom threw petals at her wedding.
"Would you like some coffee?" Helen offered. Demetria gave a small nod, and watched as her Aunt prepared a mug for her. They then moved to the living room, where the two could more easily converse.
"So what brings you here? Not that I mind the company, of course." Helen watched as the young woman nibbled on her lip in thought. " I've been meaning to stop by after what happened but, things just…sort of got in the way."
It wasn't surprising that her niece knew it was her Aunt and cousins who had stopped the robot that had been rampaging a few months prior. She would have to be living under a rock to not notice all the press coverage the super family had been getting since,either.
"How, is everyone doing? I saw that Vi has more control over her powers." Demetria took a sip of her coffee, letting the bitterness linger in her mouth. " Everyone's been great. Bob and I are happy to be out of retirement, Violet has been… more confident with herself. Dash has been… well he's been Dash."
Glancing towards one of the doors, Helen added, " It seems Jack-Jack has powers now."
Rick Dicker disclosed to Helen and Bob Kari's testimony from when she had been babysitting the tot. From what she had been told, Jack-Jack might be one of the most powerful supers the NSA has record of. Yet, the baby had shown no signs to herself, (nor anyone else in the household) of these powers. It must have been because he was in a moment of distress. After all, Helen had never left the young one with a sitter that wasn't family before, top that with being kidnapped by a homicidal maniac and suddenly the idea doesn't seem so far fetched.
Leaning back, Helen turned back to Demetria. It was blatantly obvious that the girl was just making small talk. Something had to be on her mind to cause her to stop by." What about you? How has college been?"
The brunette suddenly found the carpet to be interesting." I actually just graduated, about a month ago." Curious, Helen waited for the young one to elaborate. For something as momentous as that, she didn't seem all that happy.
Instead, she quickly changed the subject." I got accepted into the NSA."
Ah, the truth comes out. It was an idea the young woman had been passionate about since high school.
'It's the only way I can fight crime without violating the Super Act.' A rebellious Demetria had argued, once upon a time. Arguments about this would be one of the highlights of the girl's teen years.
Now Helen knew why her niece was so melancholy," Let me guess, David doesn't think you should go into super work." Still refusing to look at her aunt, Demetria spoke," I...didn't wait to find out."
Eyes widening, Helen set her coffee down. " You're going to have to sit down and talk to my brother eventually, you know."
"I know, I know I will, I just knew he wouldn't take it well! If I just give him some time to… think, and I show him how good I'll be at it, he won't be so angry with me!"
"Or, you'll give the poor man a heart attack from how much he'll be worrying about you." Helen's voice was soft, but firm as she pointed this fact out.
Demetria knew exactly what her Aunt had meant.
"I know i'm all he has left after mom died, but that doesn't mean he can hold me back. I can finally be part of the world I've been shielded from for 23 years."
The sudden surge of passion had brought the girl to her feet, looking down on her Aunt. Almost as if she was actually arguing with her old man all over again. Helen saw the fiery look in Demetria's eyes, how sure of herself she was. Not unlike how Helen herself had felt just before she had taken up the name Elastigirl.
Finally understanding why her niece had dropped by, Helen looked up at the young woman. "When does your training start?"
Sitting back down, and tucking some of her hair behind her ear, she spoke,"Tomorrow. You... aren't going to try and change my mind?"
"Of course not! Even if I wanted to, you'll just end up storming off again. I would much rather you stay here, where it's safe. "
Aunt Helen knew her so well.
Wait, did she just say-
Blinking in astonishment, Demetria looked at Helen. "How did you know I was going to ask to stay the night?"
"Considering the facts, I doubt you would have anywhere else to stay."
Squealing in delight, Demetria pulled her accomplice into a tight hug." Thank you-thank you-thank you!" Laughing, Helen hugged her back before breaking away.
" Don't go thanking me just yet,young lady. You'll have to help with dinner, and I will be calling your father to tell you you're alright."
"I will! I will! Just… maybe not yet. Can't you just… wait until after I'm at the academy? Otherwise he'll ask to talk to me and-"
"Demetria Truax! My brother is a smart man, he'll know you would have stopped by. He'll probably call before I even get a chance to pick up the phone."
Wincing, the young woman let out a sigh."Alright, I'll… woman up if he asks to talk to me. He won't be happy though. I'll...figure out some way to sugar coat it.
There was a nod of approval before their attention was turned to the front door being flung open. In the blink of an eye, Dash was standing before his cousin.
"Demi! What're you doing here?" giggling, the woman ruffled his blond hair." Nice to see you too, Dash."
"Hey! You cut you hair! And you dyed it the way you've always wanted." Violet commented as she stepped into the room behind her brother.
"Oh! Yeah, I did!" Demetria smiled as she picked up a strand of her own hair.
"Are you staying for dinner?"
"I kind of just dropped by unannounced but yeah-"
"Mom! We have a guest, so does this mean I get to drink soda?!" Dash asked, excited.
"You're like a running caffeine rush do you really think Mom would let you?"
Well, there goes all hope of any peace and quiet.