Our Master's Legacy

by ChrisPro999

My first attempt at an Incredibles fanfic. Two or so years after the end of the movie, a series of increasingly powerful beings attack, bent on carrying out the plans of a mysterious creator. Lots of action, some romance, but tons of fun! Chapter 10 is up, so enjoy!

10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own The Incredibles, but the idea for this story.

Author's Notations: Ahhh… the sweet, refreshing feeling from completing another chapter! So… freeing! Anyways, this chapter is LONG… be warned. Probably the longest chapter I've ever written in one of my fanfics. Most of it is the various verbalizations of the various peoples feelings about what when down in the previous two chapters. Of course, for those Dash-Anabel, or Dashabel, people out there, yes, more fluffy stuff with them… This is also a bit Mirage-heavy at the beginning, so there's that. I did have trouble ending it, or at least finding a spot to end it, as my creativity wanted to keep going… however, I couldn't just let my creativity vomit all over you guys… Ok, bad image, sorry. Anywho… read, enjoy, and hopefully the next chapter won't be as long of a read!

Chapter 10

Director Rick Dicker exhales heavily and sits back in his office chair then runs a hand down his face. It was days like this that makes him wish he'd never taken this job but then again, who else on this planet would take on this task? No one else comes to mind that'd be able to handle the pressures being the director of the NSA brings. He stares blankly at the opposite wall to his desk as various scenarios involving the potential political fallout from this new robot attack. However, this time, it was much more serious, as during this attack, other supers were involved and not just ones from the US, but from other countries.

A soft knock on the door brings him out of his thoughts and Rick sits up in his chair. "Yeah, come in," he states as he glances down at the mound of paperwork on his desk.

The door opens and a tired looking Mirage steps into the office holding a couple of folders and gives him a weak smile. "Here are the remaining dossiers for the injured… personnel, sir," she says, trying to sound more in control and full of energy than she actually was.

Rick takes the dossiers from her and looks up at her, seeing through her façade. Her normally cheery face is partially replaced with a blend of exhaustion and sadness. As she turns to leave the office, he pipes up quietly, "Hold on a second, Mirage."

Mirage stops and feels her stomach drop slightly. Her first thought was did she do something wrong and then begins to quickly replay the past four hours over in her head. She turns hesitantly and asks, "Um, yes, sir?"

Rick sighs and looks at her compassionately. "You've… done a great job," he says, giving her a small, warm smile. "And I couldn't have asked for more. When was the last time you ate or even sat down?"

His statement and question takes Mirage slightly by surprise then racks her brain to find the answer to his question. "I, ah, maybe ate breakfast about six-thirty this morning and… I have no idea when I sat down last was," she replies then sees a strange, distant look on her boss's face. "I… take it that the conversation with the VP wasn't a pleasant one?" she asks.

"It went as well as expected. Please, sit for a moment," Rick answers, indicating the chair across the desk from him.

Mirage glances at the empty chair then back at Rick. "Um, n-no offense, but there's still a lot to…" she starts.

Rick frowns at her and interrupts her, "Yes, that's true, but it'd be a heck of a lot easier to do what needs to be done if you're able to stand up with out passing out from exhaustion."

Mirage frowns and replies, "Sir, I have no delusions that what I'm dealing with is more than what you're dealing with. You easily have double the amount of what I have!"

"Humph. Again, that's true, however, there are times, Mirage, that people need to stop and rest, even during a crisis, sometimes even more so. That way, they don't burn out or conk out right before the end. Sure, you could go on working, doing the things that needs to be done, but for how much longer? And how efficiently?" Rick says, folding his hands in from of him on the desk. He looks her over and sees that she isn't completely sold on the idea. "Look, Mirage, I understand that you want to do everything you can to help all those people lying in the med bay. That's admirable and down-right heroic of you, but ask yourself this, how much better are you gonna be able to help if you're rested and got a full belly, hmm? Besides, there are other people who work here on this island too, you know."

Mirage frowns again then finally nods. Her slender frame nearly falls hard into the chair as she sits down and lets out a heavy exhale. Her eyes water, threatening to release a stream of tears, much to her confusion. Why, she didn't know, but surmises that it could be that her mind has finally had a chance to fully process all that her eyes and ears has taken in, from the wounded coming in and being loaded on the helicopters, to the sheer stress of making sure everyone is taken care of. Mirage wipes her eyes, trying to preemptively catch any tears that fall, however, she misses one and it rolls down her cheek. Instantly, she wipes her cheek dry, and says, "Sorry…" Rick waves it off and reaches into a desk drawer to get her a tissue. He hands her one and she takes it gratefully then dabs her eyes. "Great. Now I have to redo my mascara…"

"And that's why ya never should wear the stuff," Rick says, causing Mirage to look at him curiously then sees that he is joking.

"Trust me, you do not want to see me without makeup…"

"My late wife used to say that."

"She was a nice woman, sir, despite only being able to meet her only once before she… Sorry," Mirage says trailing off.

Rick smiles and again waves it off. "It's ok. Her and I were prepared for that long before her cancer got bad," he responds. "She always told me to focus on the positive things in life; the good times."

Mirage sits back in the chair and nods then feels her feet ache. She leans down and slips off one of her high heels and rubs her foot, trying to soothe the pain away. Then, she becomes self-conscience of Rick being in the room. "Thank you, sir…" she says finally then slips her high heel back on.

"For giving you a chance to rest? Not a problem," he replies.

"Well, yes, for that, but I was referring to… you allowing me off the island. Thank you for trusting me that much," Mirage says.

Rick sighs and nods in thought. "Well, in the two years that you have been here in a strange, modified version of cooperative incarceration, you've had ample opportunity to get away and escape, and some of those times were because I presented them on purpose, just to see if you would. However, each time you were presented with the opportunity to escape, you've refused to do so and stayed. You've built more trust with me than you think, Mirage. Today wasn't a test to see if you'd run away or not. Today, I needed a trustworthy agent to go into the field and do what needed to be done, because I could not go due to being called by the Vice President. To be honest, Mirage, I should have let you go off the island sooner, but… that was my fault. I made excuses up and rationalized myself out of doing so," he says, causing Mirage to grow wide-eyed. Rick reaches into another drawer of the desk and grabs something out of it that she cannot see. He stands and walks around the desk to her right side. "I was really hoping for a better time to do this and have more fanfare, but right now, there's not much time for that. Perhaps later, there'll be a celebration."

Mirage stares in shock at him and tries to speak but her words die in her throat. Rick produces a small electronic device and pulls over another chair that is against the wall to sit next to her. He holds up the device and Mirage instantly recognizes it. "Sir, I… I… I," she starts but her words once again fail her.

Rick motions for her to lift her left leg. He takes the device and presses it against what looks to be an ankle bracelet on her left foot. The device beeps and a green light appears on both the device and bracelet then the bracelet pops open and falls to the floor. "You don't need that anymore, Agent Mirage," Rick states, picking up the bracelet and setting it on the desk with the device then holds out his other hand.

Mirage's gaze shifts from the bracelet to his out-stretched hand. In it sits a NSA badge, which confuses her for a second, then realizes that it is much different than the one she currently has. Her hands come to her mouth in shock as it finally sinks in… she is free. "Oh… oh my… oh my gosh..!" she stammers.

He raises an eyebrow and says, "Well? Are you gonna take it and get into proper uniform, agent, or are you gonna just sit there staring at it?"

Mirage nods and gingerly takes the badge from him. "H-how?" she starts.

"The VP approved of your release this morning, before the training exercise started, or rather, should have started, until it was interrupted by three homicidal robots. You have been released from your house arrest and you've been promoted, so to speak, from being an in-house informant to a full-fledged NSA Senior Agent. Also, your record, while not expunged, has been redacted some and sealed. Of course, there are a few limitations to start off with, but as time goes on, those will be lifted as I see fit, much to the ire of the VP. He didn't particularly care for that, but a few convincing words later, he 'agreed' that my way of seeing it was worth a try," Rick says standing. "Your job description won't change much, but now you've got more freedom to do other things."

Mirage stands and wipes her eyes once more then smiles at him. "T-thank you, sir!" she says happily, still having trouble believing what is happening right now.

"You're welcome. Now, go get something to eat. That's an order, agent!" Rick states half-smiling.

Mirage nods and replies, "Yes, sir!" Then she turns to leave.

"Oh, one more thing," Rick says as he walks around the desk back to his chair. "Er, rather two more things…"

"Yes?"

"One, go and tell Bob and Helen I need to see them," Rick says, opening a dossier.

"Of course."

"And second, I know that you like to maintain a certain level of professional dress, but if those heels are bothering you, go and change into something more practical!" Rick states without looking up from the dossier. "Consider that a 'freedom' you can enjoy, ok?"

Mirage smiles and giggles softly to herself. "Yes, sir, thank you!" she answers then exits the office, closing the door behind her softly. She starts walking down the hall towards an elevator, then pauses to look at the new badge. It felt strange and almost alien to be free once again. Still, she didn't feel as if she had fully repaid her debt for all the horrible things she did under Syndrome's command. Granted, at times, Syndrome treated her with a bit more favor than the rest of those who followed him and even had a skewed version of a romantic relationship with him, but majority of the time, Syndrome let everyone know, including her, that he was in charge and not to be taken lightly. That is, until the Parr family entered her life. Had she'd known that her encounter with Bob- Mr. Incredible would have changed her life forever… She saw firsthand what true love, strength, and family was. The Parr's, all of them, had changed her life, for the better. Not only that, but it was a big surprise to her that both Mr. and Mrs. Incredible vouched for her and were advocates on her behalf to allow her to stay out of jail and on the island, in exchange for helping the NSA as an informant of sorts.

But now, her sentence lifted and a new job title, Mirage finds that she is struggling to think of a way to fully thank them, including Director Dicker, who's also been one of her biggest supporters. This wasn't something you could just get a fruit basket for…

Then, a rumble from her stomach snaps her back to reality. Mirage places a hand on her tummy and glances around self-consciously to see if anybody was nearby and had heard it. Seeing no one really paying any real attention to her, she clears her throat then presses a button to call the elevator. The doors open and she waits patiently as three people exit the elevator before she steps on. Mirage glances around outside the elevator to see if they needed to get on but sees no one then presses the button for the residential section of the island. First task- let Bob and Helen know that the Director wants to see them. Second- food… She glances at herself in the fuzzy reflection of the stainless steel interior of the elevator. Then, Mirage slips her new badge into the waistband of her skirt as to display it proudly and then smiles at herself.

A few minutes later, Mirage stands slightly nervously before the private room for the Parr family. She lightly knocks on the door then listens intently to determine if there was anybody inside. Nothing. Hmm, maybe she knocked too softly. Mirage knocks again, this time harder. A few seconds pass and still no answer. They all may still be out helping people. As she turns to leave, Mirage hears a voice from down the hall, "Mirage? Hey! How's it going?"

Mirage turns to look down the hall behind her to see the majority of the Parr family walking towards her. "Oh, hi! I am glad I caught you," she states with a smile.

Bob, Helen, and Jack-Jack come up to her and Helen raises an eyebrow. "You look… different," Helen states, unable to pinpoint just yet what was different about her.

"Um, thank you?" Mirage replies, unsure of how to take Helen's comment. "I have a message for you and your husband, ma'am."

"Ma'am? Do I look old enough to be called 'ma'am' to you?" Helen starts frowning at her, causing Mirage to be taken aback slightly.

Bob sighs and places a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I don't think she meant it like that, honey! It was just a term of… um, respect—right?"

Mirage instantly nods in agreement with him. "Yes! Yes, that's right! You technically outrank me here, sooo, you know," she says. "Getting back on task, the Director wants to see the two of you," Mirage continues, desperately trying to redirect the conversation.

"Oh? Any idea why?" asks Bob.

"Um, no, sorry. All I know is that he wanted to speak to the two of you then he ordered me to eat some… you know what, that part doesn't matter," Mirage answers. "I am just taking up your time, so I should be going."

Mirage waves quickly then turns to walk away, however, Helen's voice stops her in her tracks. "Wait a minute, Mirage!" Helen calls after her with authority. Mirage turns slowly and sees Bob looking at his wife curiously and Helen eyeing her up and down. "What is that?" Helen asks, stretching her arm over to her and pointing at Mirage's new badge.

"Uh, um, a new badge. The Director gave it to me," Mirage replies, secretly hoping Helen doesn't pry too much more.

"Wait, does this mean… you're free?" asks Bob, slightly irritating his wife.

Mirage blushes and crosses her arms and grips her upper arms. "Yes…" she answers quietly.

Bob gets a wide smile on his face. "Congratulations, Mirage! That's great!" he exclaims happily.

"Thank you, Mr. Incredible, but I wouldn't have had the opportunity if you and your wife had not given me such an undeserved good character reference, not to mention how much work the Director put into getting the courts to place me under the care of the NSA," Mirage says humbly.

Helen's face softens and she studies Mirage for a moment. "Well, you have proven yourself to be a good asset to the NSA and you have also not taken any of the chances to escape that was presented to you, so, yeah, I guess that you have shown yourself trustworthy," Helen states.

"Thank you, Mrs. Incredible, that means a lot coming from you," Mirage says.

"Well, you're welcome. Now, I have a request for you," Helen says.

Mirage blinks in wonder and replies, "Um, ok…"

"You said something about going to eat. Would you mind taking Jack-Jack to his older sister while we go talk to the Director? Last I heard, she and her new friend, Ebony were in the cafeteria, since you were heading there anyways?" Helen asks with a slightly bland face.

Mirage gets wide-eyed and stares at the toddler in Helen's arms. "I, uh…"

"Oh, just think of it as a small thing you can do to say thank you, Mirage," Helen continues then walks over to her and hands Jack-Jack to her. Mirage glances at Bob but all he does is shrug. "Well, thanks, Mirage! Tell her we'll pick him up once we're done! Bye!"

And with that, Helen turns, walks back to her husband, grabs his arm, and leads him back down the hall in the way they came. Bob glances back at the befuddled Mirage and whispers to Helen, "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you just took advantage of her..."

"Now, what on earth would give you that idea, Bob?" Helen replies with a bit of sarcasm.

He frowns at her and states, "Why can't you just be nice to her?"

Helen raises an eyebrow at him then replies, "I am nice to her. I haven't punched her once since that day two years ago."

"You know what I mean, Helen. She's worked hard to earn her freedom," he chastises softly.

Helen rolls her eyes then gets an irritated look on her face. "Fine. I'll try to be nicer. Happy?"

"Yes. Thank you," is his reply.

Meanwhile, Mirage watches as Helen and Bob disappear around a corner then she looks at the toddler in her arms. This… was weird. She'd never held a child before, much less a super-child. Jack-Jack stares back at her blankly and tilts his head slightly. "Well, ah, Jack-Jack, let's go see if we can find your sister, shall we?" Mirage finally says and he simply nods. Then, she turns and heads down the hall.

Violet sits at a table by herself in the cafeteria, stirring her mashed potatoes and staring blankly into space, not thinking about anything. There were a small handful of other supers, NSA personnel, and representatives from other countries dotted around the cafeteria. Some, like her, are sitting alone while others are sitting in small groups, trying to make small talk. A solemn atmosphere has fallen over the island since everyone got back. Her friend, Ebony had been called away to be debriefed by the German delegates but did promise to meet up later. She hadn't seen her brothers or any of Dash's team since they boarded a separate helicopter than her when the last of the people at the training facility were extracted. Violet surmises that he's with Anabel, or rather, with his team, but mostly with her. She gets a small grin on her face as she finds it funny that he teased her about… what's-his-stupid-face, and how he has said in the past that he's not gonna have a girlfriend and blah, blah, blah… but now it's obvious that Anabel has caught his eye. Violet makes a mental note to tease him back—perhaps saying that she has him wrapped around her little finger or that she's the boss of him.

Violet sighs and pulls her fork out of the mashed potatoes then stares at it. Her appetite has left her and she forces herself to take one last bite then she drops the fork gently on the cafeteria tray and slides it away from her. "Blaaahhh…" she says, sticking her tongue out in mild disgust. "Gross…"

"Hello, Invisi-Gal. May I seat… er, sit here?" comes a voice from beside her.

Violet glances up to see Ebony standing nearby, holding a tray of food. "Ebony! Hey! Yeah, sure, have a seat!" she replies, perking up.

Ebony smiles and sits down by her friend and glances at Violet's mostly full tray. "Um, not hungry?" she asks.

Violet half-frowns and shakes her head. "No, not really," she answers. "How did your debriefing go?"

Ebony takes a bite of her Salisbury steak before answering, "It went… ok… They did not say too much afterwards. Just, 'thank you' and 'good-bye' after taking down what I said to their questions." Then she glances at the tray. "Mmm… that is good."

Violet sighs and props her head up in her hands with her elbows on the table. "I feel so… drained," she says. "Mentally and physically, but mostly mentally."

Ebony glances at her sympathetically. "I know how you feel. But as you said, it makes me want to get better," she says.

Violet nods and half-smiles. "I just wish that… you guys didn't get sucked into this. It really wasn't your problem to begin with."

"That may be true, but you are my friend, even more now that we went through this together. I know that we only met a short time ago, but if I had to do it again, I would fight with you!" Ebony says comfortingly. "That is what friends do!"

Violet smiles at her and nods. "Still, a lot of our people got hurt. Have you visited Heat Tank or Magna-Lass?"

Ebony shakes her head no as she takes a drink of her tea. "I have not had the chance. Once I got back, I had to brief… no, de-brief? How about you?" Ebony asks after swallowing her drink.

"Not yet. I wanted to go earlier but it was too hectic in the med bay. Maybe we can try a little later on," Violet says then catches a glimpse of Mirage… carrying Jack-Jack? "Wait, what is he doing with her?"

Ebony tries to look at what her friend is looking at and glances around in confusion, unsure of what to look at. "I, um, who?"

Mirage spots Violet and gets a relieved look on her face then walks over to them. "Sissy!" exclaims Jack-Jack happily and reaches for his sister.

"I'm glad I found you, V- er, Invisi-Gal," Mirage states, correcting herself once seeing Ebony sitting by Violet. "Your mother asked me to bring him to you…"

Violet smiles and pats the seat next to her opposite Ebony, and Mirage gently sets Jack-Jack down. "Ok, thanks. Where are they?"

"The Director called for them," Mirage answers simply, then rubs Jack-Jack on the top of his head.

Violet looks at her brother and asks, "Did you behave for Miss Mirage?"

Jack-Jack nods and replies, "Yeah, and her tummy growled loudly all the way here!"

Mirage blushes and puts a hand to her face. "Oh, dear Lord…" she mumbles in embarrassment.

Violet and Ebony can't help but giggle. "It was funny!" Jack-Jack continues giggling.

"Sorry about that, Mirage!" Violet says apologetically.

Mirage sighs then shakes her head. "No, no, it's alright. It's partially my fault since I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. Your mother also said that she'll be by later to pick him up," Mirage says. "Well, if you ladies would excuse me, I am going to get something to eat."

"This steak is good," Ebony says pointing with her fork at the Salisbury steak then takes another bite.

"Thank you for the recommendation, Ebony," Mirage says then glances at Violet's tray. "Not hungry, Invisi-Gal?"

Violet shakes her head. "Not anymore," is her reply.

"Well, be sure to eat something. It'll help you keep your strength up!" Mirage says encouragingly.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Violet answers. Then, Mirage nods and waves bye to the girls as she heads to the cafeteria buffet line.

"Sissy, I'm hungry…" Jack-Jack says. Violet glances at him and sees that he is eyeing her tray.

"You want to finish my plate?" she asks, to which he nods excitedly. She scoots the tray over to him and he begins chowing down. Then Violet turns to Ebony and asks, "I don't suppose you ran into my other brother, did you?"

Ebony finishes another bite of her steak then answers, "No, sorry." She then takes a polite sip of her tea before continuing, "Perhaps Mirage would have seen him."

"Yeah, I just didn't think to ask her. Oh, well. I'm sure he's fine and he's probably with GC," Violet states, then gets a clean napkin to wipe a bit of food from Jack-Jack's mouth.

"GC?" Ebony asks.

"Oh, sorry. The Green Celt. She just shortens it to GC," Violet replies and Ebony nods in understanding. "Hey, what're you doing after you finish eating?"

Ebony thinks for a second as she swallows the finishing bite of her steak. "Um, I am not sure. Why?" she asks, wiping her mouth politely.

"Well, I have nothing to do until the ISC or the NSA decides on what to do, sooo, I was wondering if you'd like to come over to my, er, our place to hang out. You're the only friend I have here today… and I just need to unwind. If not, that's ok," Violet says.

Ebony nods and replies, "Certainly. I will have to get permission from my… um… leader?" Ebony shakes her head, not satisfied with the word she chose and pulls out a small German to English book. She flips through the pages until she finds the word she is looking for but gets a confused look on her face, as the pronunciation and the spelling of the word do not match. "Um… I have to talk to my cham-pa-rony?" Ebony says, frowning.

"Oh, you mean your 'chaperone'. That's fine. If you want, I can go with you, but we'll have to take Multi-Jack with us, if that's ok," Violet replies.

Ebony glances at the toddler, who looks at the two girls just because he heard his name. "Ok! That is fine!" she says then looks down at her tray. "I think I am full…"

Violet then turns to her youngest brother and asks, "And what about you? Are you finished?"

Jack-Jack looks at the now empty tray and asks, "May I get dessert?"

"No, you may not, young man! You've already been promised too much dessert already!" comes a voice from behind them.

Violet turns around to see her parents standing behind them, with her mother crossing her arms and giving Jack-Jack a stern look. "Mom! Dad! You're back!" she exclaims smiling.

"You act as if we've been gone a long time," Mr. Incredible states, giving his daughter a curious look.

"It feels like a long time…" Violet replies. "Oh, um, is it alright if Ebony hangs out with me at our apartment?"

"Apartment?" her father asks.

"Well, yeah, what else would you call it? Domicile?" Violet returns.

"I was thinking more along the lines of home-away-from-home… but apartment is better than domicile…" he replies slightly disappointed.

Mrs. Incredible picks up her youngest son and then frowns at the mess on his face. "Hand me a napkin, would you?" she asks and Violet hands her a clean one. "You are a mess…"Mrs. Incredible states to him as she wipes his face off.

"So, can she, Mom?" Violet asks.

"I don't see why not. It'd be great!" Mr. Incredible answers smiling. "I think Ana.. oh, uh, your brother's… what is she? Um… good friend, yeah, that's it. Well, anyway, GC may be over as well as a couple other of your brother's team."

"You saw D… Quick Flash? How is he?" Violet asks.

Mrs. Incredible, who has been frowning at her husband, finally manages to answer, "He is fine, but does have a slightly tender wrist. Oh, also, just so you know, the Director is thinking about cancelling the dance tonight…"

"What? Why?" asks Violet.

"Because of what happened today. He feels that it would be in poor taste to…" Mrs. Incredible starts.

"Does Quick Flash know?" Violet asks, interrupting her.

"Uh, um… no, we ran into him before we talked to the Director…" her mother answers, slightly annoyed.

"He's gonna be so disappointed…" Violet comments. "And I was really looking forward to teasing him!"

Mrs. Incredible frowns at her and raises an eyebrow. "I think you're missing the bigger issue here," she says.

"Mmm. Maybe, maybe not. I think we should still have it. It'd be a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy day," Violet replies.

"I agree, honey. Why heap more disappointment and bad news on top of what has already happened?" states Mr. Incredible, much to his wife's annoyance.

"You know, I just said that he was thinking about it, not that it is canceled," Mrs. Incredible states. "And you, mister," she continues, turning towards Mr. Incredible. "You side with the kids more than you should!"

"That's not necessarily a bad thing!" Violet chimes in smiling.

"Aw, that's daddy's little girl!" Mr. Incredible says returning the smile.

"Ok, I am not the bad guy here! And you're just buttering up your father so you can get a car in six months!" exclaims Mrs. Incredible as Violet giggles.

Violet then gets a mock shocked look on her face. "Mother! I would never take advantage of my dear old Dad like that!" she says and Ebony finds that she can't contain a laugh of her own.

"Old?" Mr. Incredible asks softly, slightly hurt.

"Ok, this is the end of this conversation. I'm taking your brother and father up to our room," Mrs. Incredible says. "And, no I don't mind if you come for a visit, Ebony. That is, if you can handle the weirdness of my family."

Ebony laughs again and nods. "I think I can, Mrs. Incredible!" she replies.

"Good. Well, let's go, Mr. Incredible…" Mrs. Incredible says taking hold of his arm and pulling him away.

"Oh, uh, ok! Bye, Invisi-Gal! See you at our 'domicile'!" he jokes.

The two girls laugh but Mrs. Incredible just rolls her eyes. "Bye, Dad!" Violet says, giggling. She felt better now that she had a good laugh.

"Your family is funny!" Ebony says as she slides her food tray away from her.

"Thanks. Normally things like that happen between Quick Flash and my parents. So, you ready to go?" asks Violet.

Ebony nods and the two stand. "Want to try to see if we can visit Heat Tank?" Ebony asks.

"Just Heat Tank?" Violet asks teasingly.

Ebony blushes and presses her lips together. "No, not just him!" she finally says defensively. "Magna-Lass as well!"

"I know! I was just teasing! Oh, and just so you know, Heat Tank is nineteen, so don't get your hopes up too much," Violet states as the two carry their trays to the tray return window. Then Violet glances around to see if anyone was in earshot. "By the way, my name's Violet, Violet Parr," she says, sticking her hand out.

Ebony gets a stunned look on her face but it softens quickly. "Leyna. Leyna Gottschalk. Nice to meet you, Violet!" she replies smiling then shakes Violet's hand.

"Leyna. I like that name!" Violet says.

"It means, 'little angel', and my father picked it out," Leyna replies.

"Little angle with a lotta power!" Violet says.

Leyna blushes and looks away. "Maybe…"

"I know you're humble about the amount of power you have, which is fine. Unlike my brother, Quick Flash…" Violet says as the two head out of the cafeteria. "Wanna go ask your chaperone about visiting me at our room or go by the med bay first?" she asks once they are outside the door.

Leyna shrugs and replies, "I do not care. My room is on the way to the med bay."

"Then let's go ask first," Violet suggests. Leyna nods in agreement then the two friends head off down the hall.

In the med bay, Dash and Anabel sit together in one of the waiting areas, waiting somewhat patiently until they are able to visit Technica. Dingo, Megumi, and Intangi-Bill had been waiting with them as well, but they got called away by their respective chaperones to debrief- with Dingo and Megumi, it was with the Australian and Japanese delegates respectively, but with Intangi-Bill, he was called to go debrief with an agent of the NSA. Anabel gave her debrief to Edward, her butler. He had come and met them in the med bay as Technica was being wheeled on a gurney into the med bay. They had to practically restrain Dingo from following her inside.

Anabel glances at Dash and still sees the solemn-ness that crept over him during the last hour and a half. She leans over and bumps his shoulder with hers gently to try and cheer him up. He glances at her and smiles, but goes right back to being solemn. "Hey, cheer up, Dash. She'll be alright," Anabel says quietly to him, bumping his shoulder again.

"I know, I know. It's the waiting that gets to me," Dash replies and bumps her back.

Anabel smiles, thankful that he's slowly beginning to get playful and getting back to his normal self. "Oh, I see. You move so fast all the time, sitting still is like an eternity, right?" she asks smirking slightly.

Dash smirks and rolls his eyes as she giggles. "Ha, ha. No, that's not it," he states. "Waiting in of itself is fine, like waiting for the day when your class takes a field trip to the local zoo or whatever. You know what you're waiting for and it isn't bothersome, but this type of waiting—the waiting without a clue about what's going on, that's when waiting gets to me."

Anabel cocks her head to the side slightly and smiles understandingly at him. "Kind of like when you were waiting to see if, er, when another attack by those robots would happen, right?"

"Eh, kinda. We knew, or rather, heavily suspected that there'd be another attack. When or where, didn't know, but it was gonna happen until we figure out who this 'master' they keep babbling about is and stop him," Dash says. "Never thought it would happen like this…"

"It wasn't your fault, Dashiel, so don't even try to think like that!" Anabel states sternly. "And let me be clear about one thing, even if there were a hundred robots that had attacked us, I'd still fight right next to you becau…" Anabel stops herself for a moment to collect herself, as she felt a sudden upwelling of tears. "Because, you know why..." she finishes then leans against his shoulder.

Dash looks at her and sighs then gives her a smile. "Yeah, I do know why, Anabel. Still…"

"No, there is no 'still', mister! Just agree with what I say and things will go smoothly for you!" Anabel says, interrupting him.

Dash looks at her funny; dubious about her statement. "Wait, just agree with you? Blindly? Who do you think I am, my dad?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. Anabel giggles and gives him a definitive nod. "Are you sure you didn't get hit in the head while we were out there fighting A9?" he asks frowning.

Anabel leans up from him and smacks his shoulder. "Well, it's good to see that you're back to normal, Dash. I was worried that I may have to take more drastic measures to bring you around!" she says.

"Like what?" Dash asks, narrowing his eyes slightly at her.

She grins deviously and shrugs. "Doesn't matter now. You're all better!" Anabel replies.

Dash starts to say something, but decides not to. Then, he sees one of the doctors that took Technica in walk out into the waiting area. Dash instantly calls out to him, "Um, doctor?"

The doctor turns and sees him then nods. "Yes, yes. I was just getting ready to look for you. Your friend, Technica, is now in her own room and is resting. She incurred one broken rib and a partially cracked rib. Other than a few rather large bruises, she is fine," the doctor states as Dash and Anabel stand.

Anabel wraps her right arm around Dash's left and asks, "May we see her?"

The doctor pauses for a second before answering, "Yes, but not for too long. Her uncle also wants to see her so…"

"Yeah, I know. You don't want us to take up all the time visiting her," Dash says. "We'll be quick, promise."

"No pun intended, right, dear?" Anabel says jokingly. Dash just rolls his eyes and chooses not to respond to her.

The doctor nods and opens the door to the med bay. They follow him to the private rooms wing of the med bay and up to Technica's room. The doctor gently knocks on the door, that is cracked open slightly, and a voice comes from inside, "Come in."

The doctor pushes the door open and ushers Dash and Anabel inside. Technica, who is lying in the bed, turns her head to see who it is and instantly gets a smile on her face. "Hello!" she says.

"Hey, Technica! You look better!" Anabel says as her and Dash walk up to the side of the bed.

"Well, then, I look better than I feel," Technica replies then realizes that she doesn't have her mask on. "Oh, dear!" she says and starts to reach for it on the table next to the bed.

"No, no! Lay down! Let me get that! Rest!" Dash says and picks it up quickly.

Technica sighs and relents as he hands her the mask. "Thank you, sir—I mean, Quick Flash… sorry. I feel so… useless just lying here!" she says as she puts the mask on. "Well, I guess you could say that you now know what my face looks like under the mask."

Anabel prods Dash in the ribs with her elbow and says, "Well, I guess it'd only be fair if you saw what's under our masks then."

"I have a huge scar running over both eyes that's remained a weird pink color!" Dash says playfully and Anabel punches him in the shoulder with her free hand.

"No you don't! I've seen you without your mask and you look fine! Stop trying to freak her out!" Anabel says frowning at him.

Technica grunts as she tries not to laugh. "Ooh, ow! Please, don't make me laugh! It hurts!" she says holding her ribs and giggling.

"See what you did? You made her hurt herself!" accuses Anabel.

"No, it's alright, GC! I needed a good laugh. Besides, this isn't the worst I've been beat up," Technica replies smiling. "And don't worry about sharing your secret identities with me. I'm just glad that you came to visit me."

"Yeah, and I'm sure Dingo will be by to visit soon! I'm sure you heard that we had to practically tie him up with his own lasso just to keep him from following you in here?" Dash asks.

Technica shakes her head and replies, "Mmm. I kind of figured that something like that happened. He is quite infatuated with me."

"That's putting it lightly," Dash responds smirking.

Technica sighs and stares up at the ceiling. "I guess I have plenty of time to figure out a polite way to let him down," she says.

"Ah, I take it that you're spoken for then?" Anabel asks her.

Technica blushes slightly and replies, "Well, not exactly, but there is this guy back home that I like and I think he likes me back…"

Anabel starts to say something else but then notices that Dash has an uncomfortable look on his face. "Oh, sorry, is our conversation bothering you?" she asks, trying to mask her playfulness.

He glances at her and frowns slightly. "No, of course not. What would ever make you think that?" he replies slightly sarcastic. Technica giggles softly as to lessen the pain of giggling.

"You two are perfect for each other!" Technica says. "And I've never been wrong! When my oldest sister met her then future husband, I said that they were perfect for each other, and about a year later, they got married and they've been happy ever since! Then there was this friend of that same sister, and it was a similar situation, except I suggested that him and her would be perfect and she should go with him, but she didn't believe me, until he asked her out and they also ended up happily married about a year and a half later!"

"Aw, ya hear that, GC? We're now stuck together forever!" Dash says smiling deviously at Anabel.

Anabel frowns and raises an eyebrow. "Hmph. Maybe Technica's due for a miss…" she states as she lets his arm go and then crosses hers in front of her.

"No, I'm not! Just accept it, GC!" Technica chimes in, smiling.

Anabel frowns at her and replies, "No, I'll make up my own mind, thank you very much! And besides, aren't you supposed to be resting or going to sleep now?"

Technica holds in a laugh and Dash chuckles at her. "Wow. Can dish it out but can't take it, I see," Dash says.

Anabel presses her lips together and bumps his hip hard with hers. "Stop it. Leave me alone," she says.

"Alright, fine. Technica, hope you get out of here soon!" Dash says.

She smiles and nods. "Me too! I get bored easily and tend to mess with things when I am. I'm not sure the medical staff would appreciate the resident technopath messing around with the medical equipment!"

Anabel lets out a sigh and pats Technica's shoulder. "Well, try to contain your boredom, ok? We'll see you later," she says. Then, her and Dash wave goodbye to Technica then leaves.

Once out in the hall, Anabel tries to just walk beside her Dash, but finds that she just can't. "You're right…" she says.

Dash glances at her slightly confused. "About…?"

"Me not taking teasing very well," she replies.

"Ah, a weakness to exploit!" he says deviously.

"No, please don't! It's part of that tough-girl façade I put up around other people. Just… treat me like you have been… wait!" Anabel starts but then sees his face get even more devious. "Dashiel! I'm trying to be serious here!"

He laughs and she punches his shoulder. "Ow! I can't help it! This is the way I am!" he says defensively.

"Just… promise me that you'll not tease me. Too much… in front of people. My façade breaks down so easily when I get teased too much," Anabel states.

Dash looks at her dubiously. "There's a lot of things I can promise, but that, I can't promise!" he says and sees her get a worried look on her face. "Look, maybe the reason I'm here is to help you tear down that façade-thingy. I don't know about Technica's statement about us, but I do know that we're good for each other. You're good at getting me out of any mental, super-serious, non-fun states and I, um, help you with, um, taking teasing better?" he says shrugging.

Anabel looks at him, not sure if she believed him, but to a certain degree, he did make sense. "Ok, sure. Let's go with that for now. This conversation is getting too deep. So, what do you wanna do now?" she asks, wrapping her right arm around his.

"Dunno. I am a little hungry. Oh, hey, there's my sister!" Dash says, spotting Violet and Ebony as the two enter the waiting area. "Hey, sis!"

Violet looks up at him and smiles. "Hey, Dash!" she replies, causing him to look at her stunned.

"Um… Invisi-Gal…" he starts and points to Ebony but she waves his concern off.

"It's ok. She knows," Violet says and Leyna gives him a small wave. "This is Leyna!"

Dash and Anabel glance at each other then shrugs. "Dashiel. This is Anabel, or GC, whichever," he says pointing to the redhead that's latched onto his arm then extends his hand to shake Leyna's.

"Nice to meet you. Again…" Leyna answers.

"Sooo, I take you guys are here to visit someone?" Dash asks, trying to make the conversation less awkward.

"Yeah, we're here to see if we can visit Magna-Lass and or Heat Tank," Violet answers. "You?"

"We just got through visiting Technica," Anabel says.

"Technica… she's the one that got transferred to your squad late, isn't she?" Violet asks.

"Yeah, even though she is in the age group above ours. Still, glad we had her!" Dash replies.

"How is she?" asks Leyna.

"Sore. She's got a couple messed up ribs, but fine otherwise," Dash answers.

"Yeah, this guy wouldn't stop trying to make her laugh!" Anabel states.

"She said she needed it. I suppose it broke her boredom," Dash adds quickly. "And you remember what she said about her boredom!"

"Yeah, well, that's beside the point!" Anabel returns. "You kept causing her to hurt herself laughing!"

"Haven't you heard the saying that laughter is the best medicine?" he retorts.

"Not when the 'best medicine' hurts the patient more than it helps!" she answers back.

"How would you know? You wouldn't even let me get that far to test it out!"

"What?! She even said not to make her laugh!"

"Followed up by her saying that it was ok and she needed it! Even she recognized that she needed to laugh!"

Violet and Leyna watch the humorous exchange and giggle, completely entertained by the two. Then, they stop, now aware that they are being laughed at, and look at Violet and Leyna. Dash raises an eyebrow then says to the pair, "I'm glad you find our sophisticated and intellectual conversation high-quality entertainment."

Violet and Leyna bust out in laughter as his face slumps in disappointment in his sister. "Clearly, they don't fully understand nor grasp the seriousness of the topic at hand, dear," Anabel says, chiming in with his playfully sarcastic demeanor.

"Yes, clearly. Mayhaps we should move on, my dear?" he asks in a fake, proper voice.

"Yes, we shall!" Anabel replies, equaling his tone. Then, she and Dash straighten their posture and stick their chests out in mock haughtiness as they turn to leave the med bay. "Let us go, my dear, to consume some consumables in the fine dining establishment known as 'the cafeteria'!" she continues, upping her proper tone to more of a pompous one.

Dash nearly breaks character but manages to maintain. Violet and Leyna now find this exchange much more hilarious than the previous one, and continue to laugh. "Yes, forthwith and forsooth! And so on and so on!" Dash says, straining against a laugh of his own. Anabel lets out an accidental giggle but quickly regains her fake composure.

Violet wipes her eyes as she tries to calm herself down. Leave it to her dorky brother to make a day that started out bad and turn it to something so… absurd. "Oh, my gosh, that was ridiculous…" she says as a couple more giggles escape her lips. "You two, are nuts!"

"No kidding! Very funny!" agrees Leyna as she dabs her eyes with a tissue that she grabbed from a nearby tissue box.

"No more than the rest of the family!" states Dash.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Hey, I hate to mention this after such a… moving performance by the two of you," Violet says, trying to turn serious.

"Oh? What's that?" he asks, relaxing his posture.

"Um, well, I talked to Mom and Dad before we came here and they had just got out of a meeting with the Director," Violet starts, then begins fidgeting. "Mom said that he's thinking about cancelling the dance tonight."

Anabel feels her heart drop down into her stomach. "What? Why?" she asks.

"It's not a sure thing, but the reason was something about it being in bad taste after what happened today," Violet replies, seeing the massive amount of disappointment in Anabel's face.

Anabel looks at Dash and sees a strangely calm look on his face. "Well, you know what that means," he says.

The girls all look at him curiously. "Um, no, not really. What does it mean?" asks Violet.

"It means I have one more job to do before I go get something to eat," he replies.

"Uh… what?" asks an even more confused Leyna.

"I have to go and make sure the Director decides not to cancel it!" Dash says as a smile slowly forms on his face.

Anabel blinks then gets a smile of her own. "That's a great idea! We'll both go and double team him!" she exclaims. "Food can wait a little while longer!"

Violet raises her eyebrows at them. "You serious?" she asks.

"Yeah, why not?" Dash asks. "He and Dad go way back to the olden days, so I'm sure he'll at least listen to me, er, us."

Violet gives him a dubious look then shrugs. "Well, if you think can even get in to talk to him, go ahead! Have fun!" she states.

Dash gives his sister a wide, confident smile and says, "Oh ye of little faith, dear sister!"

She rolls her eyes at him and shakes her head. "Uh, huh. Sure."

Dash then looks at Anabel and asks, "Ready to go?"

Anabel nods excitedly and then turns to Leyna. "It was nice meeting you!" she says.

Leyna smiles and nods, "You too!"

"Good luck, Dash," Violet says. "Keep him out of trouble, ok?" she continues to Anabel.

Anabel gives her a nod and replies, "That's a job in unto itself, but I'll try!"

"You know, I am standing right here," Dash says frowning then he turns to Leyna. "Leyna, good to see you and I hope my sister doesn't drive you crazy like the rest of us!"

Leyna giggles and replies simply, "Good to see you too." Then, Dash and Anabel wave goodbye to Violet and Leyna and exit the med bay. Once they are gone, Leyna turns to Violet and says, "Those two are cute together!"

Violet smiles and nods. "Yeah, I kinda have to admit it, they are. Maybe she'll make him grow up a little more!" she says.

A few minutes later, Dash and Anabel wait patiently alone in an elevator as it takes them to the upper floors. He rubs his stomach and begins wishing he had zipped by the cafeteria to snag a quick bite to eat. Anabel, still with her arm wrapped around his, leans her head against his shoulder. She takes her mask off and slips it into her waistband of her skirt then lets out an audible sigh.

Dash glances at her and asks, "You ok?"

"Yeah…"

"What's on your mind?"

She giggles once then squeezes his arm. "I was just hoping that you can convince the Director to not cancel the dance. That way, the day can end on a good note," Anabel replies.

Dash takes off his mask with his free hand and nods. "Yeah, me too, and that's why I'm even attempting to talk to him. There's a lot of people, some of them are our teammates, need a pick-me-up. Also, it'll be kind of a victory celebration for overcoming an enemy who was determined to take us all out," he says.

Anabel smiles then closes her eyes. A sudden wave of tiredness hits her and she yawns, causing Dash to look at her slightly wide-eyed. "What? Haven't you ever seen someone yawn before?" she asks.

"Yeah, but not wide enough so I could see all the way down into their stomach!" Dash replies jokingly.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head before replying, "It wasn't that big of a yawn, silly."

Dash half-smiles and chuckles then looks at his mask. "You know what Technica said about the automated data-stream thingy each of the robots might have had?" he asks.

Anabel shifts her gaze to his face. "I think she used more technical terms than that, but yes, I do. What about it?" she replies, turning her head to where her chin rested on his shoulder. "Uh, oh. You have that look again," she says, lifting her head off his shoulder.

He sighs and frowns. "Really?" he says quietly. "Ugh. I just… want this whole thing to end."

"What thing?"

"This… robots show up, attack, send off data, shout something about their master and his glory or whatever, blow up or just fall over dead, then next wave of robots come that are stronger than the ones before... on and on and on… I want to go back to before," Dash says, leaning his head back against the wall of the elevator.

Anabel looks at him sympathetically. "I understand how you feel. I thought it'd never end when I was investigating my dad's murder, going through all the minions of the mob boss. But always remember, there is an end. It may take a little longer to get to than other times, but it will come," she says encouragingly, patting his shoulder with her free hand. "And… if you'll let me, I'll be there with you every step of the way."

Dash looks at her with a slightly stunned look then slowly smiles at her. "Thanks, Anabel. You know I'm not gonna say no!" he replies. "And, something tells me that if I did say no, you'd do it anyways."

Anabel giggles and says, "Well, yeah, of course!"

"So, now might be a good time to say that this ordeal isn't over. There'll be more of those robots, most likely stronger than this group was," Dash states.

"Bring'em on. Team Quick Flash will handle them!" she says confidently and rests her chin once again on his shoulder.

"Team Quick Flash? You've been hanging around me too long, Anabel! Usually, I'm the one naming things after myself!" he says smiling at her. "Team Quick Flash—minus Technica. Technically, she's not part of our group."

"We can make her an honorary member. How about that?" Anabel suggests smiling.

"Heh, we can offer her that, but whether she takes us up on it, that's a whole other story!" he says.

Then, the elevator dings and the doors open then they get off and Dash glances around to get his bearings. "Ok, um, I think it's this way," he says, then spots Mirage down at the other end of one of the halls. "Ooh! Mirage! She can take us there!"

Moments later, Director Dicker sits behind his desk, hands clasped in front of him on the desk, listening to what the young Parr has to say. He slowly raises an eyebrow and glances up at Mirage, who is standing off to the side and behind the two supers. Mirage shrugs slightly but keeps a smile on her face. His gaze returns to Dash and notes that the boy is slowly becoming a clone of his father…

"… and that, Mr. Director, sir, is why we think that the dance should not be cancelled tonight," Dash finishes and lets out an audible exhale.

Rick twiddles his thumbs for a second as he thinks about what to say.

"You know, this is totally off the subject, but I just got the strangest feeling like I'm in the principal's office…" Dash adds and gets an innocent grin on his face.

Mirage giggles softly behind them and coughs, as if to clear her throat.

"Are you sure your father didn't put you up to this?" Rick asks.

Dash gets wide-eyed and side-glances at Anabel. "Um, yeah, I'm sure. I haven't seen my Dad since we were airlifted out of the training facility," Dash answers.

"And you, young lady," Rick says directly at Anabel, causing her to snap to attention more than she already was. "You weren't coerced into this either?"

"N-no, sir! I completely agree with Da—er, Quick Flash on his, um, assessment… of the dance… issue," she replies, realizing that she's trying to be unnaturally professional.

"Assessment of the dance issue. Huh. That's a new one…" Rick states to himself as he rubs the bridge of his nose.

"Um, sorry, sir, but I may have been around Quick Flash too long these past couple of days. A couple of his mannerisms may have rubbed off on me," Anabel states, restraining a smile.

"Hey!" Dash says, looking at her.

Mirage once again giggles then coughs to try and cover it up, this time garnering a raised eyebrow glance from her boss. "You need a drink of water to clear that up, Mirage?" he asks.

"No, sir. I think it's gone!" Mirage responds then presses her lips together tightly.

Rick then redirects his attention to the two young supers. "Well, I have to admit, you have made some very compelling arguments and I will take them into consideration when I make my final decision," he says. "However, at this moment, the status of the dance is pretty far down the list on things to do."

"What if we found someone who'd take over handling it?" asks Dash.

"Oh? And did you have someone in mind?" asks Rick slightly dubiously.

"Um… no, not off the top of my head," Dash replies, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, if you do, and they are willing to do so, let me know," Rick says. "Now, if you would kindly follow Mirage out, I have lots of work to do."

"Thank you, sir," Anabel says.

"And, um, thanks for seeing us, too," chimes in Dash, then the pair turn and follows Mirage out of the office. Once out of the office, Dash glances at Anabel. "Well, we tried, and now it's up to him," he states.

"Hopefully we made a good enough case to keep it going," Anabel adds.

Dash turns to Mirage and half-smiles at her. "Thanks again, Mirage, for getting us in to talk to him.

Mirage smiles at him and replies, "You're welcome, Dash."

The two supers look at her wide-eyed at her calling him by his real name. "Uh, I think you meant to say…" Anabel starts.

Mirage shakes her head and looks at them knowingly. "Really? I know the two of you are… um, really, really good friends and… your Dad might have mentioned something about the two of you sharing your secret identities with each other," Mirage says. Dash and Anabel look at each other, hoping that they weren't in trouble. "But don't worry. I haven't told anybody. Your secret is safe with me! Personally," she continues then leans down to them. "I would refrain from letting too many people know that you two know each others identities, ok?"

"Oh, don't worry, Mirage. The only ones that do know is my family, and her, um… butler?" Dash says.

"Well, there is your sister's friend, what was her name?" Anabel starts. "Ebony? She knows…"

"Not helping our case, Anabel," Dash whispers to her.

Mirage sighs softly. "That's… probably more than should know, but no more, ok?"

"Ok, got, ma'am," Anabel says quietly to her.

"Alright, good. Now, about the dance tonight," Mirage says. "I'd be willing to help with that."

"Really? But don't you have a ton of things to do?" asks Dash.

"Heh, well, yes, but one of the perks of being a full-fledged NSA agent now, is that I can delegate some of my work to other people. Say, just enough to help ensure the dance party is still on!" Mirage says with a sly smile.

Dash looks at her dubiously and asks, "Mirage, you wouldn't be trying to abuse your power, would you?"

She half-smiles and raises an eyebrow. "No more than your mother would. Anyways, let's go to my office and talk this over, shall we?" is her response. Dash and Anabel glance at each other, shrug, and then nods. The three then heads towards Mirage's office.

An hour later, Violet and Leyna recline on the couch in the Parr's private room as Bob and Helen once again get called away for a meeting, leaving Jack-Jack in the care of his sister. Jack-Jack, who is sitting in the floor playing with some cars, glances up at his sister. "Sissy, I'm hungry. Can I have a snack?" he asks.

Violet looks up from the magazine that she and Leyna are sharing to the wall clock. "Um, I don't know, buddy. We'll be eating in a couple of hours and I don't want Mom to get upset if you ruin your dinner. But…" she says trailing off. "I can get you a juice box, if you want."

Jack-Jack thinks for a second then nods. "Yes, please!"

"Alright, I'll be back in a sec!" Violet says and hands her half of the magazine to Leyna then gets up to go into the kitchen area.

Jack-Jack watches her leave then glances up at Leyna and tilts his head to one side, eyeing her curiously. Leyna notices him looking at her and asks, "Yes? What is it?"

"Your super suit is weird," he states bluntly.

Violet walks back in the room just in time to hear him. "Jack-Jack! That's not nice!" she scolds.

Leyna giggles and waves it off. "It is ok, Violet. I hear that a lot, mostly from children his age," she says. "I should have brought something else to wear instead of this," she continues, pointing to her suit.

Violet hands her brother the juice box and he gladly takes a drink. "Thank you, Sissy," he says after swallowing.

"You're welcome, now apologize to Leyna," Violet says.

"Sorry, Miss Leyna," he says apologetically.

Leyna leans down and ruffles his hair. "It is ok! I forgive!"

Jack-Jack smiles then returns to his cars and takes another drink from his juice box. Violet sits back down on the couch and Leyna opens the magazine back to the page they were on. "You know, I think I have a spare change of clothes you can try on if you want," she says after a second.

"Um.." Leyna starts but the entrance of Dash and Anabel interrupts her.

"Never fear! Dash is here!" Dash exclaims with a wide, confident smile after he closes the door behind them.

"Oh, good grief…" Violet says shaking her head, however, Jack-Jack and Leyna giggle at him. "Anabel, I thought you were gonna make sure he behaved."

"I don't have that much control over him yet," Anabel replies then walks over to Jack-Jack as she takes off her backpack and sets it down near the couch. "Hey, buddy! How are you?" she asks him sweetly.

Jack-Jack blushes and replies, "Fine!"

"Hello, Leyna, is it?" Anabel says stepping over to the couch.

"Yes! Good to see you!" Leyna replies smiling.

"Hey, Vi!" Anabel says, turning to Violet.

"Hey," Violet replies waving at her. "Oh, Dash, could you do me a favor?"

"Um, sure,"

"Could you and Anabel watch Jack-Jack for a few minutes while I take Leyna to my room to try on some of my spare clothes?" Violet asks.

"Of course! No problem!" pipes up Anabel, sliding down to the floor across from Jack-Jack.

"Um, sure. What she said," Dash states.

"Come on, Leyna!" Violet says standing and taking Leyna's hand. Leyna hesitates before allowing herself to be pulled up off the couch.

"Violet, this is not necess…" Leyna starts.

"Nonsense! It'll be fun!" Violet says pulling Leyna behind her.

Anabel and Dash watch them head off towards Violet's room, shakes their heads, and then returns their attention to entertaining Jack-Jack. "Hey, once they get back, dear, I'm gonna change into my civilian clothes I brought," she says to Dash.

Dash nods and takes a car that Jack-Jack is holding out for him. "Ok, that's fine," he replies as he and Jack-Jack begin to have a pretend car race.

Anabel watches the two brothers playing together and begins to wish she had a younger sibling. Dash glances at her and asks, "Hey, you ok?"

Anabel shakes herself out of it and nods. "Yeah, I was just… no, it's silly," she replies.

"You're having the only-child blues again, aren't you?"

Anabel smiles in embarrassment. "Well… yeah, a little."

"My offer still stands, if you wanna take him to Belfast!" Dash says with a big grin.

Anabel rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "There's only one member of your family I'd like to take with me…" she says giving him a sly smile.

"Who? My Mom? Why?" Dash replies playfully.

Anabel rolls her eyes again and shoves him as he giggles at her. "No, you big goof-ball!"

"Hey, you should expect it from me by now!" he replies.

Meanwhile, in Violet's room, Leyna watches Violet dig through her suitcase with a frown on her face. "Dang it! I know I put it in here!" Violet says to herself. "Did I put it in the other one?"

Violet closes the suitcase and picks up another one then opens it. She begins rummaging around in it until she finds what she's looking for. "Aha! Found it! Here, try this on," Violet says holding out a pink shirt.

Leyna takes it and holds it up. "Um, pink is not my color… if you cannot tell," she says.

Violet glances at her in thought. "Yeah, I can see that. How about grey?" she suggests, pulling another shirt out of the suitcase and handing it to her.

Leyna hands the pink shirt back to Violet and makes a disgusted face at it then holds up the grey shirt to her body. "Perhaps, if it fits. The sizes in Germany are different than yours," she replies.

Violet pauses in realization. "Ooh, good point. Well, just try it on."

Leyna frowns slightly then takes her cloak off and lays it neatly on the bed. She slips the shirt on over top of her super suit and glances at her herself in the mirror. "It appears to fit, mostly," she states. "It is a little tight… here," she continues, pointing at her chest.

"Oh, um, yeah, sorry, I have another…" Violet starts but Leyna shakes her head.

"It is fine," Leyna says then sees Violet pull out a pair of blue jogging pants with a white stripe down the sides of the legs. "Um…"

"Try these on. Hopefully they aren't too short or too small in the waist," Violet says handing her the pants. Leyna sighs and takes the pants. Violet glances at her and asks, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. It is just… I am not used to, um, playing 'dress-up'," Leyna replies. "One of the things about being an only child."

"Ah, I see. You can borrow my brother Dash for a while to see what it's like to have a sibling, if you want!" Violet says jokingly.

Leyna half-smiles and replies, "I do not think GC, er, Anabel? Yes, Anabel… would like it if I did!"

Violet giggles and nods in agreement. "True. Forgot about her. You never tried on clothes? Not even with your friends back home?" Violet asks.

Leyna shakes her head. "No, I… do not have… any friends that I could do that with," Leyna says.

Violet looks at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Leyna, I didn't mean to…" she starts.

"No, no! It is ok! Really!" Leyna replies, smiling, trying to make Violet not feel bad. "The town I am from is small and very… um, how you say… country? A lot of girls are either much older or much younger than I am. That is not to say that I do not know other girls my age. There are a couple of girl supers but we rarely get to see each other. The rest are boys."

"Oh, I see," Violet says in understanding.

"You are… my first friend my age and I am grateful!" Leyna says smiling. "Now, I can experience this mystery of trying on clothes with a friend!"

Violet giggles then watches Leyna try on the jogging pants, however, Leyna cannot pull them up past her mid-thighs. "Oh... hmm. Well, you are more… muscular than me. And… curvy, so… yeah…" Violet states as Leyna slides them off and sets them on the bed neatly.

"Um… yes, perhaps," Leyna replies humbly while blushing slightly.

"Oh, boy," Violet says with a bit of dread as she digs through the suitcase.

"What?"

"Um, the only thing I know that I have with me that would fit you," Violet says giving Leyna a unsure look. "… is these." Violet pulls out a pair of gym shorts. Leyna frowns and grunts. "Sorry… they're pink…" Violet says apologetically. "You don't have to try'em on if you don't want to…"

Leyna closes her eyes and gets a disgusted look on her face as she takes them. "No… I will… suffer through trying them on!" she says and slips them on then ties the draw string comfortably. "I hate pink…" she mumbles but giggles.

"Um, if I may, why do you hate pink so much?" asks Violet. "I mean, it looks good on you."

Leyna sighs and shrugs. "It is a color that just does not… look good to me! Too… girly… Too… bright," she replies.

Violet gives her a strained smile. "Well, maybe you can use it to help hide your secret identity!" she says, trying to lighten the mood.

Leyna sticks her tongue out in disgust. "I prefer black. Or red."

"Then you'll like these," Violet says pulling out a pair of red flip-flops with black soles.

Leyna glances over at them and her face lights up. "Ooh! Pretty!" she exclaims. "Though, this outfit does not… match… at all."

Violet half-frowns, knowing that her friend is right. "Black or red, black or red… um… this is all that I have with me, sorry. The rest is, of course, at home, in my closet," Violet says.

Leyna shrugs and half-smiles at her. "It is ok. This will be fine just for here. I do not think we will be in public soon," she states.

"This is true. I mean, who else is gonna see you? Dash and Anabel? My mom and dad? They don't care!" Violet says, finally feeling better about the outfit.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Dash takes the empty juice box from his brother and gets up to go throw it away. "Now, make sure he doesn't float off somewhere!" he says to Anabel.

"Why? Has he been known to do that?" asks Anabel, skeptically.

"Um, yeah, he has!" Dash replies, leaving Anabel to wonder if he was being serious or not as she watches him leave the room.

"You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" she asks Jack-Jack sweetly. Jack-Jack looks at her confusedly then shakes his head no. "Good! I didn't think so!" she says then ruffles his hair.

"You like bubba?" Jack-Jack asks her, to her surprise.

"Um, yeah, I like your bubba. He's a good friend!" Anabel replies after quickly collecting her thoughts.

"Well, that was a dirty job, but someone had to do it!" exclaims Dash as he re-enters the room.

Anabel looks up and gives him a disproving frown. "Yeah, way to take one for the team, dear," she replies sarcastically.

Dash gives her a sarcastic smile then hears Violet and Leyna coming back into the room. "Har, har. You're just jealous that you didn't have the honor of dealing with it!" he says, causing Anabel to roll her eyes at him.

"Oh, yeah, you caught me! That was it!" she replies sarcastically.

"Well, it's nice to see you two are playing nice together!" Violet chimes in with a bit of her own sarcasm, as she glances at her brother and Anabel.

Anabel stands and straightens her skirt then says, "At least one of us is! I'm gonna go change now."

"Ooh, dissension in the ranks!" Violet says smiling gleefully as she and Leyna sits down on the couch.

"No, just playful banter!" states Dash confidently.

Anabel picks up her backpack and giggles at him. "Yeah, sure. I'll be right back," she says then turns to Violet. "Um, which way…?"

"Oh, down that hall. The bathroom is straight ahead or you can change in my room to the right," is Violet's reply.

"Thanks!" Anabel says then heads down the hall.

Dash sits back down on the floor next to Jack-Jack and resumes playing with him as Violet and Leyna return to the magazine. Then, Dash half-frowns and rolls onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Problem?" asks his sister.

He puts his hands under the back of his head and broadens the frown. "Well… no… but…" he starts. "I don't know... I just feel… lucky… I guess,"

Violet raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Lucky how? That you and Anabel are…" she starts but he grunts and frowns more.

"No, not that! Well, yeah, of course I'm lucky because she is my friend, but I was referring to how lucky I was, rather, my team was, during the fight with A9," he states.

Violet then picks up on the seriousness in his voice. "Dash…"

"Think about it, Violet. Any one of us could have easily been… you know… but none of us were! Even you and Leyna were lucky! Sure, we all got banged up, granted some more than others, but it could have easily gone much worse!" Dash says. "In fact, to be honest, if Jack-Jack hadn't have shown up like he did, I have no idea how we could have won…"

Violet can hear a gradual increase of sadness and despair in his voice as he talks. "Hey, you would've figured it out! Don't go blaming yourself…" she starts, but a grunt from him cuts her off.

"I'm not blaming anybody except the psycho who sent those things in the first place, Violet. But you have to admit; these new robots were on a whole other level compared to the one that you and I fought and the one that Mom and Dad fought. Stronger, faster, more durable. They even mimicked our powers to a certain degree! Well, mine, Mom's, and Dad's strength, that is," he states, sitting up and hugging his knees. "And you know what's the worst thing about it all?"

"No, what?" Violet asks.

"It insulted Anabel, tried to get in her head and tell her that she wasn't good enough, that she had to have the rest of us pick up her slack. It, A9, called her names... put her down, but she's not like that! She's awesome and powerful in her own way that I can't be. That… I'll never be…"

"That's the heart of it all, isn't it?" asks Violet, handing an uncomfortable Leyna the magazine and sliding down to the floor. "That thing verbally attacked the one thing you cared about the most."

"And I, nor the collective power of my team, could do anything to stop it. It just kept coming… it even reattached one of its arms that Technica blew off! How do you fight something like that; something that can fix itself quickly and easily?"

Violet can hear the desperation in her brother's voice and it sends chills down her spine. She's heard him be a little depressed, like when he's grounded or scolded for getting a bad grade, but this—this was different, even more different than he was after the first training session, when Lucius was called away for an emergency meeting.

"Look, I know how you feel. If it weren't for Leyna, I don't think I could have beaten A10 by myself. My team, well, hodge-podge of a team, was pretty banged up. Magna-Lass and Heat Tank was in no condition to help me fight because they were injured during the crash of their transport. Triage was concentrating on healing those two. That left me and Leyna to face it alone. And she can attest to this, it was not an easy fight. We did our best, Dash, that's all we could do, and that's all anybody is asking of you," Violet says as comfortingly as she can.

Dash sighs and glances at his sister then back to the ceiling. "Yeah, ok, I guess…" he says. "But, what if—what if next time, all of our best isn't good enough?"

Violet didn't have an answer for him. She glances at Leyna, who now has a slightly worried look on her face, then glances back to her brother. "I don't know. I don't have an answer. But, I will say this: when the time comes, I'd rather go down fighting for what I believe in and for those I care about than lying around worrying about all the 'what ifs' life throws at me," she says finally. "What about you?"

Dash looks at her and blinks, thinking about what she said. "Yeah… I guess you're right," he replies finally. "For once!" he adds as a smirk slowly forms on his face.

Violet smiles, not caring about his teasing, but just glad he's getting back to his normal self. "Good. Now, Jack-Jack," she states, turning her attention to her youngest brother. "Let's see if we can build a freeway up and over this mountain called 'bubba'!"

Dash frowns and sits up quickly. "Nope! Sorry! Mount Bubba is a no-freeway zone! I'm gonna go get changed," he says.

Violet nods and smiles at him as he turns to head down the hall. "Well, I guess we'll just have to see if Miss Leyna would like to play with us!" she says to Jack-Jack while glancing at Leyna. Leyna gets a skeptical look on her face then gives in to the cute, begging eyes of Jack-Jack and slides down to the floor with them.

As Dash walks down the hall, he meets Anabel and sees that she's now wearing a dark pink t-shirt with a strawberry embroidered on the upper left side and a pair of white and multi-shades of pink plaid shorts. She's taken her hair down and is running her fingers through it as they near each other. As he tries to pass her, she reaches out with her right arm and catches him around his waist then pulls him into a hug. Anabel giggles as he squirms, trying to get away. "Nope! I gotcha!" she says as she slides behind him and wraps her other arm around him.

Dash presses his lips together then looks back at her smiling, devious face. "You think so?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. All she responds with is a devious grin and chuckle. "Hmm… It seems that you've forgotten what happened during our training day. I think I might have to give you a little reminder," Dash continues then sees her get a playfully competitive look in her eyes. He grabs her forearms and in one, quick, blurry motion, Dash twists out of her grasp by pulling her arms out a little then he spins around, slips behind her, crosses her arms by gently pulling each arm to the opposite side and to her back, and then bear hugs her from behind, pinning her arms in place. Anabel makes an "eep" noise and starts giggling. "Now, who's got who?" Dash asks, smirking.

Anabel tries to wiggle her way free but Dash squeezes her in the hug tighter. She grunts and tries to tickle him with her hands that are pinned between her back and his chest, but he simply lifts her up off the floor. Finally, she gives up and sticks out her bottom lip cutely as she turns to look at him with puppy-dog eyes. Dash returns the look with a shake of the head and a look that tells her he isn't buying into the "I'm cute and innocent" act. "I'll behave, promise," she says.

Dash gives her a skeptical look then sets her feet back on the floor. "Uh, huh. Every fiber of my being is telling me not to believe you, but I'm going to go against my better judgment," he replies.

Anabel giggles then lets her face relax back to normal before leaning her head back against him. "I said I'd behave. Plus, I promised, so you can… unpin my hands," she says quietly. He still gives her a skeptical look. "Please? I can't feel my fingers!"

"OK, fine," he replies, then loosens his hug to allow her to pull her hands free.

"Thank you, dear," she replies as she works her fingers to get the feeling back in them.

"Welcome. Ok, I'm gonna go change," Dash states then gets a whiff of the scent of strawberries. He sniffs her red hair and chuckles.

"Why are you laughing? My hair doesn't stink!" Anabel exclaims.

"It doesn't. I'm trying to figure out…" he says then pauses to smell her neck. "Aha! There it is! Only you could wear strawberry scented perfume."

Anabel blushes slightly then replies slightly indignant, "Yeah? So what?"

"So what nothing. I was just making a general observation. It fits you and your personality, unlike, say, Dingo for instance. It would be very weird if he wore strawberry cologne," Dash replies.

Anabel giggles at the thought. "Not only that, I'd be very concerned if he did!" she says.

"Ok, well, I'm gonna go change now. I'll be back in a bit!" Dash states then releases her from the bear hug.

"Ok, I'll go entertain your little brother then," Anabel says then turns to face him and pats his chest. Then they part ways and Anabel enters the living room to see Violet, Leyna, and Jack-Jack playing with a deck of cards.

"Hey, welcome back, Anabel! Join us in this riveting card game!" Violet says to her.

Anabel shrugs then nods and sees an empty spot between Leyna and Jack-Jack. "So, what's the game? Five card draw?" she asks jokingly as she takes a seat in the empty spot.

"Um, I don't think that game's toddler-approved…" states Violet.

"Yeah, I know! I was just kidding!" Anabel replies.

"We're playing 'Go Fish" and so far… Jack-Jack is winning and, um, Leyna is…" Violet says glancing at the German girl who has a confused look on her face.

"I cannot help it! I never played this game before!" Leyna says defensively.

"Um, it's not that difficult of a game to play…" Anabel states.

"The rules are easy. Remembering what people have asked for or not asked for, that is hard!" Leyna says frowning.

Anabel giggles and glances at Leyna's hand then tries to sneak a look at Jack-Jack's hand but he hides them quickly before she can. "No cheating!" he tells her.

Dash enters the room wearing a blue t-shirt and a pair of black gym shorts then pauses at the sight. "Um, Vi, I don't think Mom and Dad will appreciate you teaching Jack-Jack how to play poker," he states with a straight face, which causes Violet to hang her head and Anabel to giggle.

"Ok, Anabel, you've been hanging out with my brother for waaay too long! You both are making the same jokes now!" Violet exclaims frowning at them.

Who said I was joking?" asks Dash as he sits behind Anabel, still straight faced.

Violet looks at him, slightly appalled. "I am not teaching our little brother poker! This is a game of Go Fish!" she exclaims.

"Then, why are there potato chips in the middle of everybody?" Dash asks pointing to the bag of open potato chips.

Violet grows wide-eyed and snatches them up. "Those are mine! I just sat them there so I wouldn't have to hold them the entire time, Dashiel!"

Anabel glances at Dash and says, "Ooh, she used your full first name! You're in trouble now, mister!"

"Hey, I'm just callin'em as I see'em!" he replies shrugging.

Violet narrows her eyes at him then drops the bag back down on the floor. "You know what, fine. Believe what you want! I don't care. I know the truth!" she states then looks at her hand. "Does anybody have any sevens?"

Leyna, trying not to burst out laughing, pulls a couple of cards from her hand and hands them to Violet. Then, the door opens and Bob and Helen enter the apartment. "Hey, kids," Bob says as he closes the door behind him.

"Hey, Dad," Violet and Dash say in unison.

"Mommy! I'm winning!" Jack-Jack says excitedly as Helen walks over to the group.

"That's good, honey! What're you pl… Violet, please tell me you're not teaching your little brother how to play poker," Helen states.

Violet gets an exasperated look on her face then drops her cards on the floor. "Ok, that's it! I've had it! I give up!" she exclaims as Leyna, Dash, and Anabel burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" asks Bob.

"You'd just have ta been here, Dad!" Dash replies, suppressing his laughter.

"This is not funny!" Violet states, frowning angrily at the three.

"Well, I'm sure it's a riveting tale, but I thought all of you would like to know, that the Director has decided that the dance tonight will still go on," Helen says.

The laughing stops and the group smiles at each other then Dash and Anabel glances at each other knowingly. "That's great, Mom!" Violet says.

"Yes, apparently, some mystery person took over the job of planning it and making sure it still was going to happen then was helped by a couple of other mystery people. Not sure who they were, but I hope they knew what they were doing!" Helen states, glancing at Dash and Anabel suggestively.

"Well, Mom, I'm sure whoever is doing it, they are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, don't you agree, Anabel?" Dash says nonchalantly.

"Oh, yes, of course, Dash, and I'm sure that they are staying in the shadows about their involvement as to not have any rumors started about the reason why the dance is still happening," Anabel answers.

Helen frowns slightly at the two then shakes her head. "Uh, huh. Well, for the two kids that are mine, the dance is about three hours from now, so that should give you plenty of time to get ready," she says looking at Violet during the last part of her sentence.

"Oh, and I heard it was formal!" chimes in Bob smiling. "So, Violet, you can get to wear that new dress… that you only… wore for about… ten minutes… before," he continues but due to his wife's disapproving look, he drifts off. "Um, you know, never mind what I think. Wear what you want!"

Violet half-smiles at her dad. "It's ok, Dad, and technically, it's not new," she says. "Just new for me. Oh, and please, no disco ball jokes this time, Dash!"

Dash gives his sister an innocent grin then sees Anabel give him a curious look. "Um, tell ya later…" he whispers to Anabel.

"Mm. Can't wait," she replies blandly then stands. "Well, I better get back to my suite and get ready."

Dash stands quickly and asks, "So, have you already picked out something to wear?"

Anabel thinks for a second. "Mostly, but there are a couple of things that I need to decide, like what to do with my hair. That sort of stuff. Don't worry, we'll match!" she replies as the two walk to the door. Dash opens it for her and she steps outside into the hall. "See you later!" she says then winks at him.

"Bye!" he says as she walks away then turns to see everyone staring at him. "What?"

"Ooohh!" says Violet teasingly. "Isn't that romantic! 'We'll match!' 'See you later!'"

Dash raises an eyebrow at her then replies, "Yeah, you say that now, but later, you'll wish you'd look as good as we do!"

"Ok, this isn't a competition," interjects Helen.

Violet rolls her eyes at Dash then stands and turns to Leyna. "What about you, Leyna? Do you have an outfit picked out yet?"

Leyna blushes and replies quietly, "Um, I do not think I will go."

"What? Why?" asks Violet.

"I… have nothing to wear…"

"Oh, that's an easy fix! Why not ask Mirage if she has a dress you can borrow? I'll go with you!" Violet suggests. "I'd hate for you to miss out on something so small!"

"Violet, I don't think you should…" starts Helen then a knock on the door interrupts her.

"I got it," Bob says and opens the door. "Oh, Mirage! Hey! Were your ears burning?"

Mirage stands in the hall with a confused look on her face. "Um, what?"

"Never mind. Come on in!" invites Bob politely.

"See? Perfect timing! Hey, Mirage, I got a question for you!" says Violet.

Mirage gives a strained smile at the sudden attention she's getting. "Um, ok, but I need to talk to your parents first," she replies.

"Oh, ok," Violet says then gives Leyna a reassuring nod.

"Sorry for the chaotic barrage you just got, Mirage. What can we do for you?" asks Helen as Mirage steps into the room tentatively.

"Oh, um, one of the people who chaperoning tonight's dance has had to cancel. He is one of the scientists that is studying the remains of the robots and he is unable to get off in time to go because of the report that the Director wants," Mirage starts.

"Is it Technica's uncle?" asks Dash.

Mirage pauses for a second, stunned that he should know that. "Um, yes? How did…?"

"Technica mentioned she had an uncle that worked here, analyzing the robots," Dash replies.

"Oh…well, um, I was wondering if you knew of anyone who could fill in?" continues Mirage.

"Too bad you missed Anabel. You could've asked her if her… you know, wait right here. I'll be back," Dash states then zips to his room then zips out wearing his super suit again.

"Dashiel, don't you…!" Helen starts warningly.

"I'll just zip over there and ask!" he continues then zips out of the apartment, leaving Mirage befuddled.

"W-What just happened?" Mirage asks blinking.

Helen narrows her eyes and grits her teeth. "I blame you…" she says, turning to Bob.

"B-but, what did I do?" he asks innocently.

"Does he not realize he could have just called her room on the phone?" asks Mirage.

"Heh, I think he'd take any excuse to just go and see her!" Violet says smiling.

Helen palms her face then lets out an agitated grunt. "I'm glad everyone is taking this so lightly!" she exclaims. "My son just bolted out of here, just so he could go see a girl!"

"I dunno, Mom. Grandma always told us stories how she'd catch you trying to sneak out of the house to see a boy…" Violet states shrugging.

"My mother is old and senile and nine times out of ten, still thinks she's got the body of a twenty-one year old," Helen states blandly.

"I hate to side with the kids again, but Violet's right. I heard those same stories from your mother when we had our 'civilian wedding'," Bob says. "And she wasn't senile then."

"You're not helping!" barks Helen.

"Mom, he'll be back. Besides, we're on Nomanisan Island, not back home in Metroville. It's perfectly safe for him to go running around here. We're surrounded by other supers and members of the NSA. He'll be fine!" Violet says.

"W-what is this?! A plot to undermine my authority in this household?!" Helen exclaims.

"Ok, now you're being overly dramatic, Mother," Violet states frowning at her. "Nobody's trying to undermine you."

Mirage stands there, wide-eyed and afraid to say or do anything. She glances over at Violet's friend Leyna, and sees that she's chosen to try and ignore the situation by entertaining Jack-Jack. Smart.

"Oh, I feel like I'm losing control of my family!" Helen states exasperatedly.

"Hmm, maybe you should take Mom to the dance and leave the rest of us here, Dad!" Violet suggests smiling.

Helen shoots her daughter a stern glare as Mirage takes a subtle step backwards. "Mommy, I have to poo," comes Jack-Jack's voice, which relieves most of the tension.

Helen relaxes and lets out a heavy sigh. "Ok, kiddo, let's go," she says then leads Jack-Jack away.

"Sorry about all that, everyone," apologizes Bob to Mirage and Leyna.

"It's ok, Mr. Parr. I know families can be… chaotic at times," replies Mirage then turns to Violet. "So, I guess now would be a good time as any. You said you wanted to ask me something?"

"Oh, yeah! My friend Leyna, doesn't have anything to wear tonight for the dance and I was just wondering if you'd might have something she could borrow?" asks Violet.

"Violet, it is not necessary…" starts Leyna.

"I might. Her… dimensions are different than mine at your age, but I think I may have something," Mirage says as she mulls it over in her head.

"There's just one stipulation, though," Violet adds.

"Oh? What's that?" asks Mirage.

"No pink, at all."

Leyna shrugs as Mirage glances at her then remembers that she is wearing pink. "These belong to Violet. They were the only thing she had that fit me!" Leyna says quickly to justify her wearing the color.

"Alright, that's fine. I don't think I have anything pink—as outerwear, that is—so you don't have to worry about that. Is there a color you prefer?" asks Mirage.

"Black or red," replies Leyna.

Mirage thinks for a second then slowly nods. "Ok, I can work with that. Can you come by my personal room in about an hour?"

Leyna nods and gets a confident smile from Violet. "See? Told ya! I go with you to help choose," Violet says. "You have anybody to help you with your hair?"

Leyna crinkles her brow then shakes her head. "No… would you help with that too?"

Violet gives her a thumbs up and a grin. "You bet!" she says. "This is going to be fun!"