The next few days things went relatively back to normal for Buddy thanks to adding melatonin to his routine and staying away from the liquor cart. He didn't need any unnecessary influence over him right now anyway. He had the NSA practically on his front porch and a slew of notorious criminals lined up to crash in at a moment's notice. With that on his plate, the last thing he needed was fucking all his plans up because he wanted to get busy with the super.

There were ways to relieve that built up tension, but a hand could only do so much. He considered staying in the city tonight. Get a hotel room and get an escort, that would provide some solace to his current plight, right? He shook his head at the thought.

'Oh, brilliant ideas, Buddy. Let's go get your rocks off so someone can assassinate you in a five-star hotel!'

He was lucky that Violet hated his guts. Fortunate that she already found him to be a creep, a psychopath, and a murderer, and truth be told she wasn't wrong. He certainly checked off a fair number of boxes with his mental health evaluations back in the day. Would probably still ace those psych surveys today too. On what level was it healthy to be pining for the affections of the daughter of a man who rejected you? What sort of sick Greek myth was he trying to live out now?

Another Friday morning came around marking two weeks since their reunion of sorts. He wasn't particularly eager about going into work today, mainly because Friday signified the end of the work week and that he would be left to his own devices for the weekend again.

As he read the paper with a cup of coffee in hand Buddy was surprised that Violet hadn't joined him for breakfast. He hadn't made the challenges anymore difficult for her, at least he didn't think so. But it was a little out of character for her to not be out of bed this hour.

Before he could scold himself for tracking her schedule, Violet walked in with a paper in hand and he smirked as he raised his mug up.

"More demands already?" Buddy asked with a smirk as Violet laid the paper on the table and retreated to order up breakfast for herself.

"I don't expect the request to be met but it would be nice to put the kitchen to actual use," Violet replied with a shrug as she pulled out the cup of her coffee and was ready to receive her plate of eggs and sausage. "Getting pretty tired of the same ten or so meal choices and to be honest I have this hankering for sloppy joes."

Buddy paused and looked at the list. They were all food items in question and Buddy sighed in annoyance and set the note aside. "I'll grab these tomorrow while you are doing your rounds," he mumbled and she furrowed her brow at his tone as she sat across from him but didn't argue.

"Two week anniversary tonight," she mumbled as she stabbed at her scrambled eggs. "Anything sadistic planned for me this weekend?" Not getting so much as a raised eyebrow from the man Violet continued. "Because I think I'd like to start taking a crack at your other line of robots. Get a nice change of routine."

"You aren't ready for those yet," Buddy grumbled and Violet smirked leaning closer over the table.

"Wanna bet on that?" She teased. Buddy didn't need to guess where this was going. She'd make her stake for her mom off the table and then it would be her dad if he kept letting her inch forward like this. He had to nip this in the bud.

"It's not like I'd get much out of this gamble, Parr. I'll either end up with a broken sup or some really expensive scrap metal," Buddy muttered before finishing off his coffee. "Which would leave you with either bragging rights or bed rest, so I'll pass."

"Well, what do you want on the table?" Violet asked sitting back upright as he moved away from the table to put his mug in the sink and head off to work. He couldn't help but laugh at the question.

"I don't know if you realize this, Parr, but you aren't exactly in a position to deliver the things I desire," he said with his back still to her.

"You sure about that?" Violet asked pointedly. Buddy felt his wits escape him temporarily. Surely she wasn't aware of this… crush? No. She was just prodding him for something. And it wasn't a crush. He was a grown man for Newton's sake! Yet here he was, like a damn teenager fantasizing about the super.

"Positive," Buddy muttered as he exited the room without looking at her. "I may be a little later than usual tonight. Chamber five today, and you know the drill-"

"Don't cause trouble… Got it," Violet muttered back.

Buddy arrived at DevTech a few minutes later than he normally would and he half expected Winston to be waiting in his office for him. As he opened the door to his private room he heard Winston's door open. He half turned, figuring that Winston heard him come in, but what he didn't expect was Winston to be walking out of his office with Bob and Helen Parr in tow. Thankfully they were engaged with each other and didn't even take notice when Buddy quickly slid through the narrow opening of his door. Remaining pressed against it, both as a security measure and in hopes that he could listen in on the conversation, Buddy wondered how long he could keep up with this streak of close encounters. .

"Rick mentioned something about a missing intern," came the voice of Helen Parr. "It's our only lead at this point, Winston."

"I don't really think I can give you that information guys," Winston said lowly but his tone was clearly stressed. "You know I'd do just about anything to help you two but-"

"Win, this is our daughter we are talking about," came the voice of his hero turned arch-nemesis. "If we lose this kid then we've got nothing else to go on!"

Buddy cursed to himself and abandoned the door to run to his desk. The NSA searching for a nobody was one thing, but Elstagirl would be able to find this kid at a nobody convention! He should have just blasted the kid himself at the handoff but he didn't expect a falling out with his ilk. This morning he had intentions of handling the hit himself after shift but now that the Parr family was on the case he couldn't be within a mile of the punk.

He scrolled through his contacts on his watch to see who was in the area, and more importantly, who was the least likely to backstab him. It was a short list of those available and even shorter of a list of those he could trust to a degree, but those two elements combined, there wasn't a single name he could call on.

Well. There was one name. But he had already blocked it.

"Son of a bitch," Buddy groaned, wanting to slam his head against his desk. He could not catch a break! He knew he was going to regret this but what choice did he have left? Moving from the desk, Buddy called Sardonic who picked up instantly.

"Well, isn't this an honor to be called up by the worst hero who ever lived," Sardonic's voice purred on the other end. "To what do I owe the honor of being called by the man formerly known as Syndrome?"

Buddy was right. He was already regretting this call but hanging up would get him nowhere.

"Do you still want that energy accumulator?" Pine asked. "If so, I got a task for you. Do it right and I'll sweeten the deal." The criminal was silent on the other side of the line longer than he would have liked. Buddy made a mental note to try to install a killer drone into his hovercraft so he would never have to rely on another living being again.

"What's the job?" Sardonic finally answered back and Buddy felt his lip curl up in satisfaction.

"I need you to kill someone. I'll give you the address to where the guy is hiding out. Just make it look like a B and E that went wrong and I'll send off that accumulator along with any other item of your choosing."

"Make it five add ons and we'll have a deal," Sardonic replied. "Word on the street is that Buddy Pine is no longer on good terms with the big league. I just want to make sure that I'm getting well compensated for the trouble of associating with trouble."

In the background, Buddy could hear a faint ding of the elevator. He knew that he had an edge on the supers, but Elastigirl could slingshot herself across the city in a few pulls and Mr. Incredible- well he had physical proof of what he was capable of.

"Fine. I'm sending you the location and a picture of the target. Call me when it's done, and don't fuck up," Buddy muttered and ended the call before Sardonic could try to push the limits anymore.

Buddy stared off into the city skyline, questioning how he got in this mess. He managed to sweep up supers by the dozen over a decade ago and no one batted an eye, but now with one missing it was like everyone was trying to get their grasp on her again. And it wasn't just the 'good guys' either. If Sardonic was aware of his fall from grace then he didn't have to stretch the imagination of what the rest of the criminal underworld was saying about this. There weren't any hits on him yet, but that didn't mean there weren't eyes on him now. Thankfully, he owned a luxury that few in this world could own, his hovercraft which should outrun nearly anything… Save for at least a few supers.

Another thing that was in his favor was his place of work. Oddly enough, DevTech Enterprises was possibly the safest place for him to be other than his own estate. If a villain even so much as tossed a pebble at one of the windows of the building the entire super network would be jumping down the misfortune miscreant before you could recite DevTech's little jingle. An attack on DevTech would be an assault against Winston Deavor, the man who had campaigned harder for the return of superheroes more than any single politician or activist. Only a villain with a death wish would dare try a stunt anywhere that had Winston's name on it. It was a blessing for the supers to have someone so pure in their corner, but that was also Winston's weakness. The man couldn't see trouble even if it was labeled, but that's why he stepped into the picture before anyone else got the idea.

And speak of the devil, Winston let himself into the room, a habit that Buddy no longer minded or at least didn't see the point in pitching a fit over. Turning to face the man he was surprised to see the normally cheerful man looking rather solemn.

"James, I think I messed up," Winston said looking around the room. It was clear he was looking for Apple, but Buddy didn't dare call him out on it.

"What's going on?" Buddy asked, walking to the side of his desk and seated himself upon the edge of it as Winston took to the chair adjacent to him.

"The missing intern, Violet, she's the daughter of some friends of mine and I can't help but feel responsible here," Winston mumbled, at the point of near tears. "She was taken from this building, right underneath my nose! And she wouldn't have been kidnapped if I hadn't asked her to work here in the first place," he said shaking his head before he buried his face into his hands.

Conflicted, Buddy stared at the distraught man. On one hand, he wanted to gloat. Winston had no clue that he had any involvement with the missing person whatsoever. It was laughable at how many people he had dodged this week alone but yet he couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy. Winston was without a doubt the most kind-hearted fellow one could ever hope to meet. Even if he was annoying with the sheer amount of optimism he brought to the table, seeing him depressed was, well, depressing.

"Hey, slow down Win, it's not your fault," Buddy said simply. "Listen. I got no idea what the heck is going on with this investigation- I don't know if there is a ransom being demanded, or if there is something more sinister afoot, I only know that I want to help," Buddy said as he removed himself from the edge of the desk and pulled out a checkbook from a desk drawer.

"I'm handing you one million dollars," he said as he quickly wrote out the check and tore it from the book. "I know that it's a lot and at the same time it's nothing at all, but I'm sure this could be spent to help in some way. Give it to the girl's family, start a search campaign for her, store it away for the day that she's found to help with any expenses she'll have," he suggested as he handed Winston the check. "Wherever Violet is, I'm pretty sure she doesn't blame you one bit."

Winston stared at the paper in awe. Buddy was confused at the hesitation from Winston until the man rose from the chair and hugged Buddy tight, he found the affectionate contact to be uncomfortable in several ways but he did not complain.

"You're a really good friend, James," Winston uttered as he broke the hug and Buddy paused at the statement. Friends weren't things he had, and he still didn't see the purpose in having them, but it was nice to hear. Even if it was a lie.

...

"It's done," Sardonic said over the line. "When can I pick up my new toys?" Buddy was, as far as he knew, the only one left in the DevTech tower when Sardonic rang him up.

"Anyone see you?" He asked. Not that it mattered. Buddy planned on using a detonation device in the energy accumulator anyway. He didn't want to leave any loose ends, but he hoped that this would make Violet's missing person case run cold.

"Not a soul in sight," Sardonic replied. "Now about my reward-"

"You'll get the goods when I get confirmation from another source. If you actually did as I asked, you can expect a shipment to arrive on Sunday, just send the order through," Buddy muttered as he observed the city below. It was just a little after 7 pm and the nightlife for the weekend was alive. "If I find out you were lying to me, you'll wish you never answered my call," Buddy warned before hanging and debated whether he should stay until he got confirmation on the kill or not. It was likely that Gerard's murder would be tight-lipped if the NSA got there first so going home was his best option. By normal definition standards, Buddy was winning. He had caught the super, fooled all the right folks and would soon be rid of the key witnesses for the case. He was going to get away with it…

But things still weren't going to plan.

He had not only lost the support of his top investors but had clearly made enemies out of them. There wasn't much that the oil tycoon or land developer could threaten him with, but he could call off all hopes of visiting Japan. There was also the matter of LeBrock who had designed his super suit among other things of his, and of course, the good doctor held more weight than anyone. Aside from the guy being a living snuff producer, Doctor Schmerzen was somewhat responsible for his newfound life. He was the go-to surgeon for villains if they came across a super, or took on a little more damage than expected from local authorities.

His hand held still over the place where a propeller had impaled him. Schmerzen had been the one who pieced him together. It was a bitter reality that Buddy owed his life to the man. He had paid the bill and then some with the man, but some debts could never really be paid off.

Then there was the matter of Violet. He was in deep and seemed to only be digging the hole deeper. It was only two weeks since he had snatched her and he was already fantasizing about her like some lovesick teen. He didn't want to return home, but he knew he had to go back and face himself, prep up Sardonic's 'payment' and prepare for the likelihood of having to move his operations again.

When Buddy made his way inside his home an hour later he found Violet in her usual place, with a book in hand and the dog partially draped over her lap. There was one thing new in this picture. Rather than a mug of tea on the table beside her sat a bottle of a cabernet sauvignon wine and not one but two glasses.

Looking up from her book, Violet offered a smile and Buddy had to question if he was dreaming this. Maybe he fell asleep at his desk?

"I forgot that you said you were going to be late tonight," Violet started as she closed her book as he closed the door. "I didn't take Winston to be a slave driver, but I imagine it was your idea to stay later, huh?" Buddy nodded as he approached her, walking up behind the couch and eyed her with suspicion.

"Are you expecting company?" He asked and she nodded.

"I'm waiting for you," She replied as she reached for the bottle but his hand was faster. He observed the label before looking back to the super, trying to figure out what her endgame was here.

"I could have sworn I heard you say something about not drinking what I had to offer no too long ago," he remarked as Violet got closer to the edge of her seat. "Besides… tomorrow we have work to do."

"Yeah, and your point is?" Violet asked as she took the bottle back from him and reached for the bottle opener. "I'm not aiming to get drunk- I just want to unwind."

"You don't need me to do that," Buddy stated as he watched Violet turn the screw into the cork. She shrugged once before he pulled the cork out in a single fluid motion.

"Maybe not, but socializing is one of the best things one can do for recreation and it would keep me from going insane," Violet replied as she set the skewered cork on the table and poured the wine into the first glass, offering it to him. "If I'm going to be here for the remainder of my life, however long or short that may be, it would be nice to talk to someone who can actually carry a conversation. No offense Apple." Of course the dog paid no mind, but she did give a seemingly sympathetic lick at Violet's elbow.

Buddy stared at the deep purple liquid before he took hold of the glass and nodded. She had a point on the socialization bit. He thought briefly of making reprogramming one of the boys to be more of a companion than a tool but knew she would detest that.

"Fair enough, Parr. What would you like to discuss then? Book club? My progress with making your disappearance ?" He taunted as she set the bottle down after pouring herself a full glass.

"Of all the supers to idolize, why did you pick my dad?"

Buddy paused at the question. To say he wasn't expecting it would be an understatement. It was a sucker punch right out of the gates but he should have seen it coming. Thankfully, he could evade the question.

"Oh, speaking of your old man, your parents dropped in to see Winston today actually. I managed to avoid catching their attention… And man, Winston is really distraught with you being taken."

Violet watched as he walked to the leather chair across from her. He smirked at her as he took his seat, but her expression was unwavering. He waited for Violet to ask about the close encounter, watching her as she lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip before casting her gaze back at him again.

"Of all the supers to idolize, why did you pick Mr. Incredible?" Violet reiterated. Buddy shifted his jaw as his free hand undid the top button of his white dress shirt and loosened his tie.

"That was a long time ago," Buddy grumbled before he raised his glass a little higher. "There was no short supply of supers back then, but your dad had more than the other do-gooders. He had charm, all the snappy comebacks, an awesome set of wheels and he just…" Buddy didn't want to think of the rejection. In hindsight, yes, even back then he had taken it a little far, but hell, if he saw any kid making rocket boots or some other crazy functional invention he wouldn't tell them to 'fly home'. He'd be investing in that kid, mentor that raw potential. "He was a really good showman." Buddy finished.

Violet nodded as she folded her legs pretzel style beneath her as she contemplated the answer as well as a follow-up question. She knew he was holding out on her. The pause he made. She could hear one of her professors urging her to dig deeper but knowing how short the man's fuse was Violet opted to switch gears, get his guard down and maybe return to the question.

"So your old man did talk about me then," Buddy asked and Violet quickly nodded.

"Only once or twice," Violet admitted. If he was asking questions on the topic of her father that was a relatively good sign she could stay in that arena a little longer. "He obviously doesn't hold you in high regard but he does regret not being nicer to you." Violet said as she moved to take another sip but the man leaned forward in the conversation.

"He actually said that?"

"Well not in those exact words. We had a short family meeting on you in the back of a van," Violet said as she swirled the liquid in her glass. "When you attempted to kidnap Jack-Jack, you mentioned wanting to be a good mentor, make him your side-kick or whatever," Violet said recalling the first ride to the motel they were camping out in for a couple of months. "Dad said that you were a little more eager than the rest of the kids at the fan fairs. Also that you also nearly got yourself killed by Bomb Voyage."

Buddy nodded at the memory of the night that he had tailed Mr. Incredible. It took the recovery from surviving from an intentional kill from Mr. Incredible to realize that he had saved him from a similar fate years prior.

"Bet he wished he left that explosive on my cape, huh?" Buddy asked as he looked into the dark wine

Violet didn't know the answer to the question but her silence was telling enough. Chances were, yeah, Mr. Incredible would have turned back the clock on that little rescue gone wrong. Had he stayed put then that train lawsuit may not have gone through- but truthfully the super ban was a time bomb waiting to go off.

Prying his eyes from the glass in his hand and back to the woman Buddy offered a half-smile before looking away again.

"Once upon a time, I would have given anything to have what you got. I have an idea of why you stopped doing the super gig full-time," he paused seeing Violet's expression shift towards distress and he held up a hand to keep her in the present conversation. "But why do you think becoming a cop or whatever your criminal degree would change anything?" He asked sitting forward. "I mean, the years that your kind had to keep your gifts hidden is proof of that enough isn't it?"

Violet shook her head as she shifted to sit on her knees and set her nearly empty glass on the table beside her. He was a little surprised to watch her top off the glass but he said nothing as she took another drink. Two weeks wasn't long to sober up, but it was clear that the wine was getting to her head by her body language alone.

"It doesn't matter, super ban or not, what does matter is how we as a society handle our justice system," Violet said as a finger traced the rim of the glass. "Crime increased slightly after the ban because of the 'hey, who's gonna stop us now?' mentality, but the showdowns stopped for the most part and public funds were funneled into law enforcement mostly. We are living in a police state essentially but that hasn't deterred crime. But you know what is the number one thing that keeps folks out of criminal careers?" When Buddy shook his head Violet smiled brightly. "Education. Yet over the decades, we've been slashing at the education budgets, limiting work placement opportunity programs, and making tuition prices impossible to pay off! Crime has in a sense gone down in the last decade, but the petty stuff? Drug deals, muggings and the like? That's skyrocketed- and if it comes down to stopping a bomb going off in town hall or chasing down a common thief, which one am I supposed to stop?" Violet asked before taking a gulp of wine.

"I don't want to be a cop, and I don't want to be a super either. I pursued the degree so that way I could get into policy, get some real reform into play, push to end criminalization for drug use like some of the Norweigian countries, and set up rehab centers, community colleges and employment centers rather than build one more prison in this country," she said mumbled. "Not that there isn't a need for the institution as a whole, but that is a whole other conversation in itself- but if we can provide better means for living. Purpose, opportunity, and hell, just some relief it could make everything more bearable for the average person you know?"

Buddy stared at the woman incredulously and she stared back in waiting. Silence filled the room, save for the faint panting of Apple who at some point in Violet's rant had moved from the couch and down to the floor. And then Buddy did a regrettable thing. He laughed. It was a light chuckle but it held mockery in it and Violet narrowed her gaze on him.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing," Buddy replied as he cocked his head to the side, a grin on his face. "I just never pictured Mr. Incredible raising a social justice warrior is all. Or really any super having sympathy for the little guys," Buddy said with a shrug, his blue eyes piercing her as his lips tugged back a little more to show off his teeth. "It's adorable."

Violet's face went red and the man couldn't help but widen his grin. He polished off his glass of wine and set it aside, never taking his eyes off of the woman. He was sure she'd throw a fit, she looked furious after all but instead, she abandoned her seat, taking her wine glass and the dog with her without saying goodnight.

Victorious in this battle Buddy watched her ascend the staircase and gave her a wave. "See you at zero eight, Parr," he called and Violet responded by flipping him off. He grinned as he shook his head and checked his watch to see what time it was, but he was thrown off by a flood of messages from several folks. He had a few from Sardonic. The man was clearly eager to collect. There was an email from Winston on his alias account, a brief 'thanks for being a good friend' email. Some potential buyer inquiries as well as a confirmed payment for a droid commission. And then there was a single message from LeBrock that urged him to reconsider handing Violet over.

He left all the messages on read with the intention of getting back to them tomorrow, save for Sardonic's. He wanted to get rid of the guy as early as humanly possible.

As she walked down the hall Violet threw back what was left of her glass and set it upon the writing desk. Stepping into the bathroom she stared at her semi disheveled image in the mirror and closed her eyes.

She had set out on weakening his defenses. Lowering his guard and getting him to gain her trust, and what did she end up with instead?

Syndrome mocking her, edging on bringing up Tony as well as her parents searching for her… him calling her adorable.

Turning on the faucet, Violet quickly splashed her face with cold water. She hated him. He was a smug ass who's entire existence was currently staked upon making sure everyone other than him was losing some way or another. She threw up more water upon her face and soaked the strands of her hair hanging by the side of head and the front of her shirt.

He murdered several dozen supers, attempted to kill most of her family, herself included. He was a few henchmen short of being considered a criminal kingpin and she couldn't leave out that he had kidnapped her. She was furious with him but more than that she was pissed with herself. Because she found herself flustered with him.

Unfortunately, these feelings were around before she had her first glass of wine. They were just much easier to throw off this past week because he wasn't giving her much mind. He was still present in the mornings as well as when he got home from his day job, but his attention wasn't on her. Not like how it was last weekend. When he had praised her abilities, placed his hands on her shoulders…

She was touch starved, that much was obvious. She had denied herself of relationships for years and there was no doubt that having no one other than him to interact with now had something to do with the feelings she was catching.

Why did she think drinking with him was a good idea? She planned on getting him drunk enough to let a little loose. Maybe even shit faced enough to get her to grab his watch. She was so close last Monday too. She had her hand on it too! If only her hair hadn't gotten in the way and stirred him. When he asked her what she was doing she panicked, but upon finding that he was dreaming, or moreso having a nightmare about her, she was both flattered and upset. She had essentially foiled herself on that screw up.

She had the training and knowledge to not fall susceptible to Stockholm syndrome and here she was, feeling frustrated because she enjoyed that snarky jerk. She liked that he was playing with her and most infuriating of all discovered that she found certain qualities of his to be attractive.

Drying her face and brushing her teeth, Violet headed to bed for the night but silently swore that tomorrow she would get underneath his skin. The trying to be friends tactic would not work, not for him. She clearly could not hold one over on Winston either now as she was not immune to his charm it seemed.