Megs doesn't hear what Webby said, too absorbed in the sudden panic that grips her at the idea that she'd have to go back to them.
Even as Webby starts explaining why, Megs quietly stumbles back, and slips out the lab's side door into the music room. She curls up on the couch, trying to steady her breathing as she makes herself as small as possible.
Henry sees her leave, and glances to Webby. She gives him the slightest nod, continuing her explanation inside his head now, as well as out loud for the others. He follows Megs, and kneels on the floor in front of her. Megs flinches as he takes her hands in his, but slowly relaxes when she realizes it's just him and not… one of them. Her parents.
The force that brought you here was out of control, Webby's saying.
Megs can't hear her, but Henry can. He listens carefully as he tries to soothe the girl in front of him. She's softly whimpering, shaking from head to toe, squeezing his hands like they're the only things grounding her to reality.
Or to this dimension.
It was a portal similar to the one that General MacNamara used to access the Black and White, but less stable.
Hannah comes into the music room, chewing on a chunk of her own hair. She goes over and curls up on the couch with Megs, who instinctively holds the little girl close. Megs slowly stops shaking, but she doesn't stop whimpering.
P.E.I.P. opened it to try to access the alternate realities of Hatchetfield. They ended up reaching your world instead.
"Megs," Henry whispers, squeezing her hands. "Megs, sweetheart, I need you to listen to me. You're not going back there."
"Door's closed," Hannah mumbles.
"B-b-but…"
When they realized their mistake, they hurried to close the portal. In their haste, they accidentally dragged the five of you here.
"You can't go back, Megs," Henry soothes. "You never have to go back there again. As if I'd let you at this point."
"N-never?" Megs slowly gets her breathing under control, looking up at the professor with tears in her eyes.
The portal has since been closed, and the device that created it destroyed. Even if any of you wanted to go home, you couldn't.
"You never have to see those people again," Henry promises. "You're here, with us. You're safe. You never have to worry about being ostracized for your orientation again."
Megs nods slowly, her tears spilling over, but for a different reason now. She sits up, bringing Hannah with her, and Henry hugs them both. "They were going to kick me out," Megs says quietly. "They'd just found out… about me. About the group chat- they took my phone that night. Then I started feeling really sick, and m-my dad… he-"
"It's okay, Megs," Henry says, "you're safe here, remember?"
She nods. "I puked everywhere, then passed out," she mumbles. "Then I woke up in one of the spare rooms upstairs."
"The nausea was from the portal," Webby says, stepping into the room. "The unconsciousness was from me. It was safer for you all that way… no mortal is meant to see the inside of the Black and White. Sleeping meant you could bypass that safely."
"But didn't MacNamara, Cross, and the president all see it?" Megs asks. "I mean, in the show…"
"John died," Webby reminds her. "Wilbur went mad and joined Wiggly's side, and Howard is currently having a mental breakdown that has lasted since the events of his trip almost a week ago."
"Fair point," Megs admits.
"Stay?" Hannah asks, looking between Webby, Megs, and Henry.
"Yes, darling," Webby says, coming over and stroking the hair from her mouth. "Megs, Ash, and the others all get to stay."
"Stay," Hannah insists, looking specifically to Henry as she squeezes Megs' hand.
Webby chuckles. "She wants you to adopt Megs," she says, and Henry blushes a little.
"I- I could," he says softly. "If you want me to, Megs."
The teen sniffles and nods. "I'd really like that," she mumbles, and Henry holds her closer.
"Me too," he whispers.
•~~•
Ash sighs as Webby leaves. The eldritch being had appeared as the only member of her family who had accepted her for who she was, the only one Ash would miss from their old world.
She goes over to the counter along one wall of the lab, and climbs up to sit on it, putting her head in her hands. Theo, Lucy, and Cara head back upstairs, leaving Ted alone with her. He goes over and rubs his hand along her back, and she flinches slightly at the unexpected contact before relaxing and leaning into him. She sniffles quietly.
"I have to tell Ethan and Peter, don't I?" she mumbles.
Ted cocks his head to the side a little. "Um… yeah, you probably should tell Ethan… but why Peter?"
Ash quietly explains the polyamory situation, leaving out the part about Ethan kissing Peter. "They deserve to know what they're missing out on by having me instead of Lex…"
"They're not 'missing out' on anything," Ted insists. "Just because you don't remember the relationship with him from before, doesn't mean he doesn't. That kid clearly loves you. Maybe there's another version of him that loved this 'Lex' girl, but this version- the one that matters the most- has no idea who that even is. And I'm sure Peter's in the same boat there."
Ash sniffles again, scratching at a spot on her inner left wrist. "She was so cool, though… minus the smoking. Tobacco's gross."
"Then she can't be all that cool," Ted reasons. She shakes her head.
"No, she was… it's hard to explain, but her whole character just had this vibe… not to mention Angela Giarratana is like, really hot…"
Ted chuckles. "Ash, I promise you that Ethan and Peter won't resent you for something you had no control over," he says. "They won't leave you for someone that doesn't even exist in this universe. And even if they tried, I'd kick both of their asses into next year."
"You're a good father," she whispers, hugging him close. He blushes a little, not used to hearing that kind of compliment, and certainly not from someone who means so much to him. He hugs her back.
"Want me to be there when you tell them?" Ted asks softly, but she shakes her head as she pulls away and hops down from the counter.
"No, it should be Theo," she mumbles. Fiddling with her sleeve, she bites her lip. "Theo and the others…"
Ted sighs, but nods. He kisses the top of her head, before heading out the side door into the music room.
Ash takes a deep, steadying breath, and goes out the main door and back up to the kitchen. Tom and Becky are sitting with Tim, now, and Peter and Ethan are nowhere in sight. She gives the two adults a small, nervous smile, before checking a few other places for her boyfriends. The living room, back porch, and rec room in the basement are all empty.
And I thought the singular version was gonna take some getting used to, she thinks, blushing a little. She gets to the front bedroom, where Theo, Cara, and Lucy are sitting… with Ethan and Peter. The boys are looking a little disheveled, and Ash narrows her eyes a little. She's still wearing Ethan's leather jacket, but his tee-shirt is looking more rumpled than it had before, his hair tousled. Peter's glasses are crooked, and his bowtie is coming undone.
"What did I miss?" she asks, and Theo smirks.
"We just walked in on them making out," they say, and Cara snickers.
"Not cheating," Ethan reminds his twin.
"No, we know," Lucy pipes up, waving her hand dismissively. "It was just really funny to cockblock you guys like that."
Peter buries his face in his hands, and Ash snorts.
"We weren't gonna-" Ethan starts, glaring at Lucy.
"I don't wanna know if you were or not," Theo declares, and their twin groans.
"We need to tell them," Ash says softly, after a moment. Megs comes up behind her, eyes a little red and puffy from crying, but otherwise perfectly fine.
"Tell us what?" Ethan asks, eyes narrowing.
"They're going to murder us," Peter mumbles between his fingers. "They found out about what happened before…"
"It's not that," Ash says softly, going over and sitting next to him on the bed. "It's not about you guys, this is about us-" she gestures between herself and her four friends. "But… once you hear it, it might affect you guys, too."
"You don't want to date them all instead, do you?" Ethan jokes, sensing how nervous his girlfriend is. She gives him a small smile, and shakes her head.
Theo starts the explanation, and the others jump in at different points. All five talk about their home-lives from before, and how none of them were particularly satisfied with them. Megs mentions Starkid, and how it brought the five of them together, much more calm now that she knows she doesn't have to worry about her (former) parents. Lucy talks about the group chat, Cara talks about some of the changes they'd made from canon for it, Theo talks about what Webby had said, and finally Ash talks about Lex.
They boys take it well- if not confusedly. There's a long moment of silence when the explanation is over. Theo, Lucy, Cara, and Megs file out of the room, closing the door behind them to give Ash some privacy with the boys. She bites her lip, not looking at either of them.
What if this doesn't go well?
Peter grabs her hand, rubbing circles onto the back with his thumb. Ethan gets up from the bed to sit on Ash's other side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She leans into him, taking a deep breath as she slowly relaxes. Neither have even said anything yet, but she can tell from their body language that they're not upset with her- for lying, or for not being Lex.
"Not gonna lie," Ethan says quietly, "I don't think I understood half of what was just said. But it doesn't matter, okay?"
Peter nods along, bringing Ash's hand to his lips. His warm breath tickles her fingers. "The Lex girl doesn't exist here," he whispers. "You do. That's what's important, Ash."
She tears up, hugging them both. "I love you guys," she whimpers. "Both of you, so much."
They chorus quiet responses, holding her close between them.
The door creaks open, and Ted peeks his head in. "Don't mean to interrupt, just want to say one thing real quick, here…"
Ash sighs, pulling away from her boyfriends to look at Ted.
"Just remember what I said before," he says softly, then smirks, "about no grandkids."
Ash blushes furiously, jumping up and shoving him back out the door. "That's enough out of you!" she squeaks, closing the door again. She leans against it, sighing.
"You're adorable when you blush," Ethan teases her as she comes back over to him and Peter, and the statement only makes her blush more. It spreads to the tips of her ears, and Ethan tries to touch them, smirking, but she leans away with a small pout. Peter's no help, kissing her warm cheek.
The sound of the doorbell interrupts whatever's about to happen next.
With another sigh, all three of them get up and go to see who's there. Henry's already at the intercom, talking to whoever's on the other side. It's a young woman, and she sounds surprisingly relaxed for the apocalypse. Megs, Theo, and Ted are with Henry.
"Come on," she says, voice crackling through the speakers. "Please let me in? It's freezing out here!"
Megs eyes are wide as saucers when Henry opens the door for the young woman, and she catches a glimpse before Henry hugs their visitor.
"Holy…" she mumbles, staring.
Ash goes over to her, rubbing her back. "What's wrong, Megs?"
"Good to see you, too, Uncle Henry," the young woman chuckles, hugging the professor back.
Ash's eyes widen in recognition, whipping her head between Megs and the newcomer.
"Harriet?!"