I was tired, but couldn't sleep. Taylor and Danny were having their, now weekly, dad and daughter night at a local pizza joint, which was a great improvement for their relationship and I approved. Amelia and Victoria were having their own family night with their parents that Danny of all people had suggested, so they were out as an entertainment outlet also.

So that left me with either screwing around on the internet, which had gotten old in my last life, or watching TV; and I really can't stand most of Earth Bet's TV programs.

I really, really hated reality television back in my first life, to a rather ridiculous level. The entire genre was one of the many reasons humanity was more or less a write-off as a species in my opinion.

Involving capes didn't help matters in the slightest.

Regardless, due to my boredom I soon found myself wandering down West 32nd Street with my hands in my pockets minding my own business, when a group consisting of five men stepped out of the alley before me.

Irony is a fickle bitch isn't she?

All of them were Asian, not that their race mattered to me, it was just that they were all wearing those ridiculous ABB Christmas colour armbands, and they were leering at me like I was some sort of French tart.

French... tart... shit that was something my dad would say wasn't it? Wait that didn't even matter just...

Oh goddamnit.

Whatever! This was going to be work wasn't it?

The man at the front of the group had a pistol in his hand and grinned at me menacingly.

Then he opened up with, "'Sup white boy, what are you up to?"

Sweet Obi-Wan, was that rusty piece of shit he was carrying a Hi-Point? Oh, this ought to be good.

Before I could say anything however, the group pushed the smallest of their number forward and I couldn't help letting out a very audible sigh.

Ah, this was a blooding, lovely... I really hope they'll listen to reason, I honestly didn't want to hospitalize anyone tonight. That would just put more work on Amelia's shoulders and tonight was her best friends family enforced night off despite her mother's insistence that she didn't need a day off.

Fuck you Carol.

Oh they were talking again, best pay attention.

"Hey are you ignoring us you little shit!?"

I blinked a moment, then nodded, "Yeah pretty much. Seriously man, what are you expecting from me? You're way outside your territory, you chose your prey solely because he's white, blonde, and has nice clothes.

"So I'm just wondering to myself how you think this is all going to pan out, since you obviously haven't considered all the variables in assaulting an obviously Aryan looking kid on the border of E88 territory and the end result of such an assault."

He blinked, stupidly. "What?"

I screwed my eyes shut for a moment before letting out a tired sigh, "Look, just go home, please?"

Then he pointed his dollar store pistol at me and yelled out, "Hey, fuck you! You think yo-"

I had it at that point and pulled out my mom's Glock while chambering a round, and shot every one of them in the knee with practiced ease within five seconds, all but the initiate who had been standing there looking terrified the entire time.

As the grown men screamed in agony from their new positions on the ground, I policed my brass while kicking the piece of shit pistol aside, then turned to the terrified kid while letting out an exasperated sigh, "You know Mrs. Chang, on 53rd Street?"

The boy was holding the bat to his chest like a life preserver while nodding slowly.

"She needs delivery and busboys, and it pays better than dealing with these idiots, and is way safer. Tell her Benny sent you and she'll treat you alright, she remembers people that are polite to her. So why don't you just drop the bat, wander off home, and leave this gangbanger bullshit behind you while you still can?"

He nodded quickly, muttering profuse platitudes as he dropped the bat and ran away as I walked past the groaning men on the ground wondering exactly what the hiring process for the ABB was. Because that performance from these mooks? That was almost Merchants levels of pathetic.

If they were going to fuck with the Nazis, they really needed to try harder.

Three blocks later I tossed the spent brass down a sewer drain, and decided that I should really be heading home.

Brockton Bay, Obi-Wan damn it all was I glad my mom was a feminist terrorist back in her youth, she taught me well.

As I approached my home I had to stop at the threshold, pausing a moment to collect myself I took in a deep breath, let it out, and opened the door. If I hadn't had the slowly disseminating and disjointed memories of my past life cluttering my mind this may have been significantly more awkward for me as I walked down the hall and prepared to enter my mom's study. Reaching my destination I took in a deep breath, then knocked on the open doors frame as mom quickly turned from her work and smiled at me with open affection.

"Benny, what have you been up to? It is getting pretty late and I know you said your adorable girlfriend was busy tonight."

I... really can't describe how much I loved Marianne Simmons née Weber; my mom operated on the policy of giving you enough rope to either hang, or pull yourself out of the hole you made for yourself. I... well, my memories from my past life get fuzzier as the days roll on but I'm fairly certain my first mom was loving if not coddling to a rather stunting degree. Marianne was... very much not the coddling type, highly protective obviously, but she fully expected me to fix my own problems if I had the power to do so.

It was oddly empowering, and made owning up to my mistakes and misdeeds a lot easier, if not less embarassing.

"Hey mom... is dad home?"

Her face fell at that as she flatly stated, "No, he's still at work."

Fuck fuck fuck, she looks like she's about to cry, redirect the conversation you damn fool!

"Oh, good, I err... don't think it would be a good thing if he heard about this."

Pausing she tilted her head to the side as she swept her dirty blonde bangs from her eyes, "Oh?"

Feeling oddly awkward I resolved myself to be honest and continued on, "Yeah, I... kinda got jumped by a group of ABB gangbangers who were trying to blood an initiate and I sorta... shot them."

She gave me 'the mom' stare for a few moments, which was always terrifying.

Never let any man try to lie to your face about that fact, in so long as you have a healthy relationship with them no one could make you feel better or lesser than your mother's approval or disapproval.

Eventually she sighed and asked, "You, sorta shot them?"

I was feeling oddly defensive as I spread out my hands before me as I quickly explained my actions, "Hey mom don't look at me like that, seriously! Please? I wasn't looking for trouble and I gave them several chances to walk but they refused to! So... I got... annoyed."

Mom took in a deep breath, placed her tablet on the desk, then stood and approached me slowly and soon placed her hands on my shoulders, our identical glacial blue eyes meeting as she assessed me for several moments, then she let out a tired sigh pulling me into a tight hug.

After a time she spoke up, tone tired and resigned, "The Soviets annoyed my family in West Berlin for quite some time son. Even though I was just a child I remember what my dad and uncles did to them... Lustrum, she saw that anger in me, and used it for her own devices. You have no idea how amused I was when I found out my boy was dating Anne-Rose's little girl, she was always a firebrand and going white knight... I suppose my feminist side should be annoyed but really, I'm proud of the man you're growing into..."

Where the hell did that come from?

Mom eventually released me and held me by my biceps at arms length while going pure business, "All right, did you shoot for center of mass?"

Oh, good, familiar territory, no awkward emotions, "No, if I wanted them dead I'd have Mozambiqued them. I just wanted them out of my way so I could get home, so I kneecapped them, intimidated the initiate to go try to get work at Mrs. Chang's diner, and came home."

Mom stared at me a few moments, then shot me a wry smile, "Did you clean up after yourself?"

At that I smiled in return and nodded, "Yup! Policed the brass and ditched them in a drain a few blocks away, then I walked at right angles every other block before hitting a bus stop."

Sighing she took a step back and held her hand out, without question I drew out my Glock 19 and handed it to her. Mom pulled back the slide nodded, then handed it back to me while shaking her head slowly.

"At least you used frangible rounds so we don't have to swap out barrels."

I shrugged at that, "Not like I'm facing off against the murder blender or rage dragon mom."

Mom took in a deep breath while shaking her head yet again, "Benny, I'm not judging, just...try to be more careful, this isn't a city where it's safe to look like... well, us."

Wasn't that loaded, mom and I were the picture perfect image of the Aryan ideal which made us perfect recruitment material for the E88, and an easy target for the ABB.

Such a pity that we hated both organizations with a seething passion.

"I-"

Mom interrupted me as she placed a finger on my lips, "If you get tangled in this gang idiocy, think what would happen to Taylor if she was forced to be involved."

The way mom's eyes softened, I knew I must have looked completely and utterly terrified, a moment later she pulled me into another hug and whispered in my ear, "Benny, just be careful, ok? Take a shower, clean your gun, call your girl, and just... please son, be careful."

All I could do was stammer out, "I... I will be mom, promise."

With that I did as I was told, I took a shower, I broke down and cleaned my Glock, then I sent Taylor a text.

Me: Heyya hon, know it's late, how are you doing?

Cuddlebug: I'm... sorta angsty but ok, how are you?

Me: HonEstly exasperated, but I'll live, talk to you about it tomorrow?

Cuddlebug: Ok... So you're ok ok right? Nothing stupid happened?

At that I laughed and shook my head slowly.

Me: Oh something stupid happened alright but it was taken care of.

Cuddlebug: So, you're ok, then, ok ok?

I couldn't help smiling at her growing protective streak, it was cute.

Me: I swear I'm ok, want me to meet at your place to walk you to school tomorrow?

Cuddlebug: I'd like that

Me: It's a date then

Taylor placed her phone on her bed, smiling wanly as her perception shifted to the basement coal shaft that was currently housing a swarm numbering in the thousands of weaving black widows, and came to the conclusion that she had to share her secret to the only person she trusted sometime soon.