Chapter 19: On Borrowed Time

Following my possibly slightly overblown proclamation, Vi and I took our leave. There was plenty of time before the schools let out, but to be honest I was pretty sure that I stunk like used gym socks and looked like I'd crawled out of a desert. Something had to be done about that, but 'something' had to wait while Vi wrung yet another solemn promise from Strange that he wouldn't try anything funny with Thera while she was gone. Truce or not, it was clear that she trusted the Sorcerer Supreme about as far as she could throw him, and as we headed back across the blasted hellscape she kept casting anxious gazes over her shoulder.

After a short while we reached the warehouse and paused to drink in the destruction. Although the basic shell was still standing it was now covered in pits and scars, and thick, dark scorch marks criss-crossed the corrugated skin. Several branches had speared the thin metal, and hung precariously over us as they smoked and steamed. The chain-link fence was simply...gone, and the back entrance was now buried beneath a pile of gently flaming sporting equipment and shattered canoes.

"We'll go around the side," she said. As if in agreement, there was a violent shriek of metal from on high and a branch crashed heavily into the wreckage, sending a spray of plastic and fibreglass splinters flying in every direction, "Even if we could get through, I'm pretty sure you don't want to experience my handiwork again."

"No, thank you," I said primly.

With the faintest of smiles, Vi turned away and led me carefully around the side of the shattered building. The damage wasn't nearly so bad here, and although the foliage was smoking in places elsewhere it was as lush and green as it had ever been. In fact, if one ignored the occasional piece of shrapnel, it would be entirely possible to believe that there hadn't just been some unimaginably vast explosion in the nearby forest. Right now, that was a reality I was more than happy to subscribe to.

It lasted, of course, until we reached the side door where the burned, bloodied corpse of the soldier still lay. The stench of burned flesh hung heavy in the air around him, and flies were already gathering hopefully above the rich, red wound between his empty eyes. I quickly averted my eyes but was too late, and I could already feel the now-familiar nausea beginning to settle in my stomach.

"I'll take him inside," Vi said gently, clearly catching my expression, "I need to lock up my rifle anyway."

"Yes. Please...do that," I said, and then added, "Do you mind if I wait by the car?"

"You mean with Piers and Ladies' Man?" said Vi, lightly, "Still holding out for that coffee?"

"C'mon, Vi…" for just a moment, the image of the dead man flickered across my vision, blood still oozing from the knife wound in his neck, "Don't joke about that."

"Sorry. That was..." she said, and patted me lightly on the shoulder, "That was too far."

"It's okay, Vi," I said, although from her expression I was pretty sure she thought I was lying, "Really!"

"No, it's not," she sighed, "Can I tell you something?"

"What?"

"When I look at all of this, I feel sick." she said, quite honestly, "I feel sad. I feel angry, and...scared."

"You...you do? You're hiding it very well."

"Experience," she said, "But these bastards barged into my home, shot it to pieces, and tried to murder my Sparky with some kind of alien handcannon! How could I not feel anything about any of that?"

"I know," I said, "But you stopped them-"

"By roasting them to death and executing the survivors," she nodded at the charred body by the door, "Whether or not I had to do it, it...look, Laura, the point I'm trying to make is that it's not a sign of strength to pretend you're okay with what's just happened. If you try to tough it out, you'll break eventually."

"I know!"

"Good," she said, and pinned me with a stare, "So how are you feeling? Be honest. I can tell you're feeling a bit sick."

"Well…" I grimaced, "It's the smell, y'know-"

"That's fine. You'll get used to it," she said, in quiet, even tones, "But how about... anger? They hurt your husband, Laura. They tried to kill both of you. They would've orphaned your kids at a stroke and not even known they'd done it."

"I know!" I said, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Don't you want revenge? Don't you want to get back at them for this?" she looked again at the burned soldier, "I don't mean him, of course; I mean the higher ups. People like Keame."

"Of course I do!"

"So what form would that take?" she gave me an appraising look, "What should we do? Press charges? Sue them?"

"How would that work?"

"Good point. It probably wouldn't," Vi tapped her finger on her lips, "I know! We could go after their families. It shouldn't be that difficult to work out who was behind this and where their loved ones live. Does that seem fair to you?"

"No!" I said, "They're innocents!"

"Are they? Really?" Vi said scornfully, "Oh, they might plead ignorance, but let's be honest; most of them know exactly what their partners do for a living. They just don't care as long as it keeps them in shiny new cars and pretty farmsteads. Blood's as good as any other currency, right?"

"I-"

"Okay, so I see you're not going to go for that. Why don't I kill Keame, then? I could, you know; it'd be easy. Tell me to do it, and he'll be dead before the sun rises."

I closed my eyes and took a long, deep breath, "I know what you're trying to do, Vi, and I'm not going to rise to it."

"Oh?" her tone acquired a note of curiosity, "Why not?"

"Because...it won't solve anything, will it?" I said, "You're right. I am angry, and I do want to hurt them like they hurt Clint, but if we do that they'll...well, it's a never ending cycle, isn't it."

Vi's eyebrows went up, "Go on."

"And that's what Strange was worried about, wasn't it? He was worried you were going to retaliate."

"He's not wrong. Revenge has this habit of getting away from you," said Vi, "It just builds and builds, each action justified by their response. You give up your principles, make deals with people who you shouldn't even be giving the time of day to, and then one day you're looking down at a burning city and wondering how the hell it got to this point and how much of it is your fault. Stark and Rogers learned that one the hard way."

"But what are you going to do about Keame?" I said, "If you don't retaliate-"

"You'll see," Vi said, "But that's something for another time. If we really are going to do the school run, I'd better go secure this rifle. And... start hiding these corpses."

There was a waft of unpleasant air as Vi opened the side door, carrying with it the stench of seared meat and burning plastic. With a grunt of exertion she hefted the corpse up by its armpits and dragged it inside, leaving only a faint smear of blood on the floor. A moment later the door shut with an echoing clang, and I was left alone with my thoughts.

I took another long, deep breath and exhaled slowly. Vi was right; I was angry. Everything had happened so fast that I hadn't time to think about how I felt, but now I could feel the raw, red river pulsing just beneath the surface. It didn't have control, not quite, but I couldn't honestly say that I wouldn't have done something stupid if I'd had the chance.

"I guess you see why Vi made sure you had the safety on, then," said the little voice, "Didn't want to risk you suddenly becoming a murderer."

"Those bastards hurt Clint!" I growled, "Why can't I want them dead? Who wouldn't?"

"Oh, you're right," there was an unpleasant little chuckle, "But you might have to wait in line. You know, behind the families of all the people Clint's hurt or killed over the years."

"That's different!"

"Because you deserve revenge and they don't?"

"Because those were bad guys!"

"Were they? All of them?"

"Well…"

"How about that time Clint fought Nat at the airport? Was she a bad guy?"

"That wasn't...it was just a frank exchange of views!"

"From which they were both lucky to walk away. At least one person didn't."

"It's still not the same!"

"You're right; he didn't get paid for that stunt. It might be easy to think that Clint's only ever shot up moustache-twirling villains, but how often were his opponents just like him? Not necessarily bad, but just taking whatever job they could to support their family?"

"Clint wouldn't take a job like this!"

"You don't know what jobs Clint's taken, but I'm sure you'd find a way to justify it. I'm sure you didn't miss the part where she called you a hypocrite."

"'Shiny new cars and pretty farmsteads?'"

"Is she wrong?"

"Yes! No! I mean...I don't know," I ran my fingers through my hair, "This is all just...so very different to what I imagined. I thought I'd made my peace with Clint's work, but-"

"It's harder to ignore when the bodies are staring you in the face? The ones that still have eyeballs, that is."

"I'm still proud of him!" I said, firmly, "He saved the world! He saved the universe! He's not a bad...guy..."

My objection died on my lips as the warehouse door suddenly swung open and a woman emerged, blinking, into the sun. For just a moment I stared dumbly while I tried to make sense of what I was seeing, and then I rather belatedly found my voice.

"Vi?"

She was almost unrecognisable. While I hadn't known her all that long, every time we'd met Vi had been basically wearing the same clothes; they were black, easy to move in, and could be charitably described as 'functional'. Without wanting to judge, I'd simply assumed that her tastes had run in that direction; it made sense considering what she was doing for a living, and having now learned about her upbringing I'd have easily been talked into believing that her choices were shaped by her terrible experiences.

Clearly, my assumptions were spectacularly wrong. The Vi who'd emerged from the warehouse was wearing a pretty yellow floral dress that fluttered and snapped gently in the breeze, and her hair had been gathered into two large bunches with a pair of heavy scrunchies. It'd clearly been done with some care, too; the patches of poliosis had been arranged such that one bunch was almost completely snow-white, while the other was pitch black. Part of me thought, perhaps unkindly, that she looked a bit like a monochromatic Minnie Mouse, but the effect was striking if nothing else. She no longer had her rifle, as promised, but its place was an expensive-looking leather satchel belted tightly shut with a large golden clasp.

"You okay there, Laura?" she said, with a slightly self-satisfied smile, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I...um…" I waved my hands indistinctly, "What's this?"

"You think I wear military stuff all the time? Don't be silly," she said, but then a look of concern crossed her face, "It's alright, isn't it? For the school run?"

"I…" I paused. Rather grudgingly, I had to admit that it was a pretty flattering design, "It's very ...nice. You'll be sure to turn a few heads."

"Well, it's nice to hear I might have options," she said wryly, "Although...on the one hand, I have my loving soulmate who's sacrificed everything for me, and on the other I have a potential cohort of random forty-year-old blokes who love garden centres, second hand bookstores, and complaining about their ex-wives. Can I have a moment to decide, please?"

"Hah," I snorted, "Thanks for taking the effort, though."

"It's no effort," she shrugged, "Besides, whatever unpleasant truth you're going to face up to, I don't think it's going to be helped by me turning up in commando gear and armed to the teeth, right?"

"You'll see."

"Oh, goody. Have I ever told you how much I love surprises?"

"I'm sure it's almost as much as I loved being led around by the nose by a pair of bored mystics with too much time on their hands."

"So 'a lot', then?" she grinned, "C'mon, sweetie, we both know how much of a kick you got out of playing super spy."

I had to admit she had me, so I quickly changed the subject, "So what's with the bag, then?"

"Oh, paper, pencils, pens...y'know, art stuff," she said, "I take them with me everywhere I go."

"Really?" While I hadn't seen the bag itself, now I thought about it she had spent a lot of time drawing when we'd been scoping them out. Hell, she'd been sketching something just this morning, "That's... dedicated."

"Inspiration can strike at any time, y'know. Some of my best work comes from things I've seen when out and about," she said, "Besides... I promised my psych. Drawing helps me keep track of my mental state."

"Like art therapy?"

"More like an early warning system," she said, "I can lie to her about my feelings. Hell, I can lie to myself - but my drawings can't. When I was on meds we used to set the dose by how nightmarish they were."

"Oh. Oh," I said, and then added, "...can I see?"

"Um...later," her hand went self-consciously to cover the clasp, and then she wrinkled her nose, "Maybe after you've had a shower. Seriously, Laura; you stink."

"Yeah," I admitted, "I know."

"Not to mention all that dust, sweat, ash, and Ladies' Man's blood," she went on, "You're still wearing that bulletproof vest, too. Take it from me, you don't want to turn up to a school wearing a bulletproof vest."

"I...don't want to know how you know that," I said, and checked my watch. Although there was now a nasty crack across the face, it was miraculously still keeping time, "You okay with swinging by my house? I won't be long."

"Whatever works for you. I'm just here out of morbid curiosity," she said, before adding quickly, "And moral support, of course. But mostly morbid curiosity."

"Oh, thanks."

"Don't mention it."

We headed back across the parking lot towards my car, and as we walked I realised that Vi's wardrobe wasn't the only thing that'd changed. Her catlike poise and near-liquid grace were gone, and as she clomped across the tarmac in her combat boots I was momentarily put in mind of a puppet that had had its strings cut. It wasn't just that, though; she seemed smaller, somehow. Before her presence had filled the room, but it was with some surprise that I realised she was actually only slightly taller than me, and not all that heavily built. Had it all been an act? Was this an act? Maybe she'd been casting a spell over everyone and had finally gotten bored. All of those options were in keeping with her gadfly nature, and I was pretty sure that if I started asking questions I'd end up being drawn into another one of her games. This time I decided I just wasn't going to play, and from the subtly amused glint in her eyes I was pretty sure I'd made the right decision.

There was a brief pause while Vi dragged Piers and Smith out from under my car, and then we hit the interstate as fast as we could. The roads were mercifully empty, at least for now, and I wasted no time in putting as much space between us and the warehouse as I could. Vi stared in silence out of the window, apparently watching the world go by with great interest, but after a short while she turned back to give me an inquisitive look.

"So," she said, "You gonna tell me what you're gonna do? Inquiring minds want to know."

"Nope!" I replied gleefully, and her eyebrows knitted in annoyance.

"Why not?"

"Because this might be the only opportunity I get to mess with you," I said, "After everything you've put me through, do you seriously think I'm not gonna take it?"

Vi paused to consider this, and then laughed as she turned back to look out the window, "You're unbelievable, sweetie. Absolutely unbelievable."

The interstate gave way to the main road, which in turn gave way to the country lanes leading back home, and as we drew closer I began to feel faintly apprehensive. At first, I thought that it was just simple anxiety; after all, aside from Nat I hadn't had many people intrude on my safe little world. As we drew closer and the feeling crystallised, though, I realised that it was more than that. It wasn't that I wasn't ready for outsider contact - it was that I wasn't ready for someone like Vi. I liked her, or at least I thought I liked her, but at the same time I didn't trust her. Her blunt, often playful nature belied a cold, predatory side, and I was pretty sure the only real loyalty she had was to Thera. Would she hesitate if she needed to throw me or my family under the bus? I doubted it; it was pretty clear that she was prepared to step over whatever lines she needed to win, and from that point of view it suddenly seemed very foolish to put myself in such a vulnerable position.

Right on the heels of that thought came a sudden stab of shame. What was I thinking? Vi had saved my life at least twice, only today, and in one case had undergone a glowy transformation that would've fulfilled every one of Lila's fantasies. Besides, if Doctor Strange hesitated before throwing down the gauntlet, what could an ex-pancake waitress, even an award-winning one, do to stop her?

"Are you okay?" Vi asked quietly. Obviously, she'd sensed my disquiet, "If you'd rather, I can wait in the car."

"No! No," I said firmly, and forced my misgivings deep down inside, "You'll fry like a dog in this heat. At least come inside and have a glass of water."

"If you're sure," she said, "Um, can I... ask you a favour?"

Her tone was soft, almost conciliatory, and I nodded curiously in response.

"Caleb's phone. I'd like to have it," she said, "And I can't guarantee that I'd be able to return it, either."

"...can I ask why?"

"Because when I get back, I'm going to need to report that Sparky had a collapse," she said, "You said he took photos, right? I want to present those as a mitigating factor."

"Do you have to report it? I won't say anything."

"If I didn't, and it came out later, the consequences would be...devastating," she said, "We have this thing called the Empowered Persons Act. It makes it really easy for the government to section people with...additional abilities. They'd bang Sparky up for sure."

"That sounds pretty tyrannical."

"Yeah, until you've seen the results of an empowered individual running rampant," she said, and looked into the middle distance, "You don't have to say yes, Laura, but it'd be a lifesaver."

"If it'll help, sure. I don't think we need it for anything else," I said, and smiled a little nervously, "It's not like I could stop you from taking it if you wanted, though."

"I'm not a thug, Laura," she said, and her gaze turned flinty, "I don't go around beating people up because they have things I want, 'least of all my friends."

"No! I didn't mean that...I was just, um…joking," I trailed off, "Sorry."

"It's okay," she said a little sadly, and I felt another stab of shame, "I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't be," I said, "That's not fair."
"What is fair, Laura? I…"

She trailed off as we rounded the last corner and the house came into view. Maybe it was just the sunshine, but as we made our way up the oak-lined country drive, I had to admit that it really was a 'pretty little farmstead'. In the light windows shimmered and the new paint somehow seemed to glow, and beyond the golden fields of wheat and deep green forests rippled gently in the wind. Despite everything that had happened it still had a strangely timeless quality, a peaceful, serene oasis in a world that was going completely nuts.

"Home sweet home," I said, and tried to keep the pride from showing too much, "It's not much, but it's…"
"...perfect," Vi breathed, "I can see why you never wanted to leave."

"Well, I…" I paused. There was a sudden air of tension from the passenger seat, and when I looked over I saw a strained expression on her face, "Are you okay, Vi?"

"What? Oh, yeah," she said, and gave me a clearly insincere smile, "It's just that it kinda reminds me of my home. Just... wondering if I'm ever going to see it again."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking-"

"It's fine," she said, "And let's be honest; it's probably been picked clean during the last five years. Assuming someone hasn't just moved in."

"Didn't happen here," I pointed out, "I mean, sure, there were animal droppings everywhere and half our stuff had rotted away, but-"

"Time's just as good a looter as anyone else," Vi sighed, "She just takes longer."

"Well...I was thinking, Vi," I said, eager to get her off this morose train of thought, "You know how I was wondering if you wanted to go see that art gallery…?"

"Yeah?"
"I'd like some new things for the walls; you know, freshen 'em up after the Blip?"

"New beginnings? I get it. What, you'd like my advice?"

"I'd like you to draw some of them, if that's okay," I said, "I'd pay, obviously, and...I'd like a drawing of the house, if that's possible."

The tension suddenly ratcheted up a couple of notches, and I heard Vi inhale sharply through her teeth. When I turned to look, I thought I saw a look of panic flicker across her face.

"I-I can't," she said, and her fingers tightened protectively across the clasp of her satchel. "I can't do houses."

"What? Why?" I frowned, "What's the matter?"

"I...don't have my paints! Can't do architecture without my paints!" she said, although as a recovery that must have sounded pathetic even to her, "But I can do lots of other things! This landscape? Your family? I used to do portraits and caricatures in the square when times were tight. I'm pretty good at those, and I've got everything I need..."

"Is there something wrong, Vi?" I asked, with some concern, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were scared of something."

"Me? Scared?" she laughed, but it sounded hollow and fake, "C'mon, sweetie. What would I be afraid of?"

"Well, that's what I'm wondering," I said, "You face down mercenaries and 'murder possees' with a smile and a wave, but now you're babbling about drawing a house? What's going on?"

"I…" she looked at me for just a moment, and then her shoulders slumped, "I can't tell you. I wish I could."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't stuff it up for Sparky. Not again," she said, "Not after everything he's sacrificed for me."

"That's the second time you've said that in less than an hour," I said, "Vi-"

"Look, Laura," she cut across my question, "I know you don't trust me-"

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is," she rolled her eyes, "You're not an idiot, sweetie, just a bit scatty. But still, I'm not asking for your innermost secrets. Please don't ask for mine."

"You're...you're right. I'm sorry," I said, "I won't pry. Instead of the house...how about that big oak? The one over...there."

I pointed to an enormous oak tree, standing by itself in the middle of a field. A simple rope swing hung from one of the lowest, stoutest branches. It barely saw any use these days, but it was a testament to Clint's handiwork that it still seemed safe even after five years of total neglect. Vi stared at it for a long while, apparently lost in thought, and I watched as the clouds slowly lifted from her expression.

"Yeah," she said eventually, with a small smile, "Yeah. I could do something with that."

"Great!" I said, "And...if there's anything I can do, you will tell me, won't you?"

Vi didn't answer that question, and it was with some relief that I parked the car up in front of the house. We hopped out quickly and headed inside, where she stood awkwardly in a pair of stripy socks while I fished out Caleb's phone and got a glass of water. I gave the wide-eyed bodyguard-cum-artist a brief tutorial on unlocking and accessing the camera roll, and then vanished upstairs while she stood there mumbling about the wonders of technology.

The warm embrace of the shower was heavenly, and I was rewarded with a short, sharp shower of grit and ash as I shook out my head and soaped from head to toe. Internally, however, I had to admit I was...a bit of a mess. The adrenaline had given way to anger, then concern, and now a mixture of numbness and guilt was beginning to settle over me. What had I been thinking? What business did I have being on a battlefield? Having escaped being murdered by the skin of my teeth, why the hell did I strap on a bulletproof vest and helmet and wander into the teeth of thirty mercenaries? Maybe if I hadn't slowed Vi down, she could've made it to Clint and Thera and maybe then they could've stopped that enormous explosion. As it was, I'd spent my time basically being a useless dead weight that almost got dusted for a second time, and the only reason my kids still had their mom was thanks to Vi's last-second sacrifice. Why hadn't I just swallowed my pride and come home like she'd said? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Still, if I was mad at myself for my stupidity, it was nothing compared to the guilt I felt about putting Clint in danger. Had I really been so blinded by the prospect of paid work? Sure, we could always use the extra money, and like Vi said saving the universe was apparently an act of charity, but still...having seen what I'd seen today, I just couldn't justify putting his life at risk to put food on our table.

"I need to get a job. There has to be something around here I can do," I muttered to myself, "Clint can be a stay-at-home dad for a bit; god knows he deserves it."

The water slowly turned from hot to lukewarm, and I decided that I'd left Vi waiting long enough. Carefully wrapping myself in a towel, I peered around the bedroom door before going to look for a new set of clothes. While I didn't expect her to be poking around, she very much seemed like the kind of person who'd appear out of nowhere right behind you. Even without the events of today, I had absolutely no desire to experience that while stark naked-

"Hello, sweetie!" Vi's cheerful, almost sing-song voice floated across the room. I shrieked in surprise and dove back towards the comparative safety of the bathroom.

"Damnit, Vi!" I snapped, and looked around wildly for the interloper. There was nobody there, "Wait...Vi? Where are-"
"Now, now, don't hang up!" she went on, "We can either do this over the phone or face-to-face, and I think that right now you definitely want me out of arm's reach."

After a moment, I realised that her voice was coming through the open window on the other side of the room. From the sounds of it, she was standing on the porch, and as quickly as I could I crept across the room and sat down underneath the windowsill.

"Where am I? Not saying. I could be aaaanywhere," the tone was almost childish, but the threat was pretty implicit, "But isn't this tech great, though? Clear as a bell!"

In spite of Vi's apparent ignorance of modern technology, it was clear that she'd managed to work out how to use the phone for its intended purpose - but then...she said she'd needed it for Caleb's torture photos! Just who was she calling?

"Oh, don't waste your time apologising. Or begging," Vi said dismissively, "I know you're sorry. You've got lots of reasons to be sorry, but let's be honest; you've thrown a sodding huge wrench into my carefully-laid plans. If you'd just listened to me-"

She fell silent for a moment, and then,

"Well, I warned you, didn't I? This is what happens when you swim with sharks! I know...yeah...I probably would've, yeah...but listen!" Vi snapped suddenly, "The fact remains that if you hadn't gone and buggered about like that, then he'd be in your arms right now and we'd all be in the clear!"

Another pause. Who did she mean by 'he'? Vi had agreed to look for Alvin, but…would that mean she was talking to Maisie's dad? Maisie had mentioned that he'd been receiving menacing phone calls…

"What, you think that giving them what they want is going to make them go away?" there was a sharp laugh from below, "Dream on, sweetie. These people aren't the sort to stop, and they clearly know plenty about you already!"

Silence.

"Oh c'mon! You can't be that naive! You might think you've given them everything they want, but the instant they decide they can milk you for something else they'll be back! You work in security, right? How much longer do you think you'll be able to do that if people find out you've been giving the goods away to organised criminals?"

Security? That seemed to settle it; thanks to Clint I knew that Bennett had worked for Helix International, and we knew that Keame was looking to purchase it to get access to this #273 thing. But if that was the case, why had he had Bulgakov tortured? He didn't need to force Sophia to give it up unless-

"That's very noble of you," Vi was saying sardonically, "But what about your daughter? What if they threaten her instead? They're always going to have a hold on you, sweetie. Get used to it."

"Maisie?" I breathed, "Oh, no."

"The way I see it, there's only one way out of this for you," she continued, "You get me what I want, and I'll make sure your problems go away. That should be easy enough for you, right? You probably don't even need to get off your chair!"

There was another pause, and then Vi sighed dramatically.

"'Air-gapped'? Does that mean what I think it means? It does? Wonderful; just wonderful. I guess that explains why they don't have it yet."

I heard a faint creak of wood, and then the clink of chains as Vi sat down on the porch swing.

"How do I know they don't have it yet? Well, I'm not currently on fire. Look; you know what it is, I know what it is, and suffice it to say the consequences will be...unpleasant if I'm not the one holding it when the dust settles. The clock is ticking, sweetie."

"What the-!" I gasped, and then felt a surge of anger. I'd thought Vi had been acting a little strangely when I'd asked her what #273 was, and this just confirmed it. Not only did she know what it was, from the sounds of it she'd known all along! But...if that was the case, why lie? And what did she mean about being 'on fire'?

"Glad you see it my way," Vi said, with a faintly mocking edge, "I know you're in the area, so I'm going to pay your old subcontractor a little visit and then we can all meet for coffee, okay? Be ready for my call, okay?"

It sounded like the call was wrapping up, and so I very carefully clambered to my feet and made my way over to my dressing table. Vi spoke up again just as I was picking up my hairbrush.

"Honestly? I'd talk to her," she said, in a gentler tone, "Tell her everything. She might be angry, but I also think she'd understand. If you need any support- no? Okay. See you tonight...Mister President."

After a brief moment, Vi laughed.

"What? Oh, no. I've always wanted to end a phone call like that. Especially when someone's eavesdropping. Really good for the suspense... eh, Laura?"

I blinked, and then stared in shocked silence at myself in the mirror. How did she know? How could she know? Seriously; I'd been as quiet as a church mouse! I dressed as quickly as I could, throwing on the first dress I found in the wardrobe, and raced downstairs, skidding wildly across the smooth wooden floor as I lunged for my boots.

"You okay in there?" a slightly concerned voice came from outside. The door swung open, and Vi stood in the doorway; a darkened silhouette against the brilliant Missouri sun. It was difficult to see her expression, but I was pretty sure I saw a twinkle in those big amber eyes of hers.

"Nice dress," she remarked, with a crooked smile, "And here I thought I would have the pick of all those single dads. Need a hand?"

"No!" I snapped, and scrambled unaided to my feet, "You! How did you know I was eavesdropping?"

"Because you just told me?" she said, and suddenly burst into laughter, "Goddess, Laura! You should see your expression!"

"I...you…damnit, I want to strangle you so badly!" I shouted, and she stepped back in sudden surprise, "You lied to me!"

"I did? How?"

"You know what that #273 is! You've known all along!"

"Oh, right," an eyebrow went up, "And that matters to you because…?"

"What do you mean? Bulgakov was tortured because of it!"

"For most people, that'd seem like an excellent reason to lose interest!" Vi said irritably, "But not you. Not Laura-bloody-Barton, right? Are you part terrier or something?"

"I want to know what it is, Vi!"

"Why?" she spread her hands, "What do you think you'll gain from finding out? Do you just want to know because people want it?"

"I…" I had to admit, she did have a point, "I...just need to know. I want to know what could be so valuable that Keame would torture someone half to death for it!"

"People torture each other to death over the most ridiculous of things, Laura," she said, "Believe me. Some of the worst things I've ever seen have come about through the most trivial of circumstances."

"Yeah, but #273 isn't trivial, is it. Not to Keame."

"Maybe not, but have you ever considered you might be better off not knowing? Look. If I'd popped up a year before the Snap and said 'Hey, in a year's time Thanos is going to obliterate you and your kids in a blink of an eye, leaving your husband to walk the earth alone as a rage-fuelled killing machine... and there's nothing you can do to stop it!' would you have thanked me for that? How would you have spent that last year, knowing you were living on borrowed time?"

"I suppose not," I gave her a fearful look, "Is this really that bad, though?"

"If #273 ends up in the wrong hands, you'll be wishing you'd stayed Snapped."

"But you're not going to tell me what it is."

"I can't. Believe me, I wish I could."

"That's what you said about drawing my house!" I said, and then gave her a suspicious look, "Wait. Are those two things related?"

"Tangentially," she said warily, "I'm not saying anything else, though. I can't-"

"-stuff it up for Thera, right?" I said, a bit sardonically, "After 'everything he's sacrificed for you'? I don't get it, Vi; all I've seen is you busting your gut either keeping him safe or keeping him sane! What has he sacrificed for you?"

"His home, his family, his job, his life," she said promptly, counting them off on her fingers, "All for me."

"You mean, when you guys came here? When he took that contract- hold on, Vi," I stopped as realisation dawned, "You don't mean…"

She took a long, deep breath, and exhaled slowly, "Can we go outside, Laura? I've got a couple of things I'd like to show you."

Without another word, Vi turned and left through the open door. As quickly as I could, I laced up my boots and went outside to find her gently rocking back and forth on the porch swing. She was clutching her leather satchel tightly to her chest, staring tensely off into the middle distance. I was right, I knew I was right, but...what the hell did that mean?

"You may as well sit down," she said, gracefully offering me a seat on my own swing. I joined her, and for a moment we gazed silently across the gently rolling landscape, and listened to the wind gently rustling through the trees.

"So…" I said eventually, not entirely sure how to begin, "I remembered thinking it was... odd that Thera would've left that idyllic seaside town behind to come work out of some dump warehouse in Missouri. When I brought it up, he said it wasn't about the money, it was about the 'perks'."

"Yeah," she said, in a carefully controlled voice.

"You're the perk, aren't you."

"...yeah."

We swung for a few moments more, while my mind span wildly. What in the world was I meant to say to that?

"So...what, he made a deal for your life?"

"More or less."

"With who? Who can make an offer like that?"
"Well-" Vi snapped open the clasp of her satchel, revealing a row of carefully organised pencils and several divided sections filled with sheafs of paper. I craned to look as she quickly went to the back section and pulled out the single piece of paper held there, which she handed to me, "-look at this."

I stared. The sketch was simple, but eerily beautiful at the same time. It showed a large, featureless plain, stretching off into a glowing horizon beneath heavy clouds. A short distance away was an ornate wooden structure that put me in mind of a pagoda, or possibly some kind of Japanese torii gate. It had four stout legs, each intricately carved, and a shallowly sloped, tiled roof. Beneath the structure stood a figure, turned to face the distant sun. Although they were wearing a flowing robe, the hair and general silhouette suggested they were a woman, and around their temples they wore a long ribbon that reached to their lower back in two fluttering streams.

"It's very good," I said eventually, "You're really talented, Vi."

"I've been drawing almost every day as long as I can remember, I'd hope by this point I'd be halfway decent," she said, but smiled nonetheless, "By the way, that's not land, it's..."

"...water," I said, slowly, "It's warm water, so shallow you can walk on it."

I stopped, and when I looked up Vi was looking at me, as if urging me to go on.

"How do I know that?" I frowned, "I've never seen this thing before in my life!"

"Neither have I," she said, "And Strange isn't the only one 'round these parts with a photographic memory."

"So where'd it come from, then?"

"It's a bit odd," she said, "A couple weeks ago, Sparky suddenly started talking in his sleep. I thought it'd be fun to draw whatever he was dreaming, so I grabbed a piece of paper and started drawing so I could surprise him when he woke up. Before I knew what'd happened, I'd drawn this."

"Just from his description?"

"No, once I started, it just...flowed. The odd thing was when I showed it around everyone said what you just did; they recognised it, but didn't know from where."

"And the woman? I don't know her."

"She's the anomaly. Nobody else mentioned her, but when Sparky woke up he was sure she'd been there, so...I did my best," she paused, "There's only one woman I know who wears a blindfold, Laura, and Sparky keeps a little statuette of her on his desk."

"That Goddess…" I said, "Thera made a deal for your life with his Goddess?"

"Maybe. Not even he's completely sure of the details."

"But that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Not...necessarily. People know her as a Goddess of healing and protection, but dig deeper and you learn that she's also a bit of a trickster. It's fine to follow her teachings, but if you draw her attention or even pray to her for help then...prepare to take your life in your hands. Sparky may have crossed a line."

"So what happens if Thera- if you two...fail?"

"Who knows? Most likely...poof-" she clenched her hands and then spread her fingers apart, "-and I go back to sleep."

"That's…" I looked out across the rolling landscape, and then turned back to her, "How are you so calm about that? Don't say 'experience', either!"

"I don't know," Vi was silent for a long time, and then said, "I guess I always knew I was going to die young."

"That's just fatalism."

"Hardly; I did die young!" she grinned, "But even before the Snap I was grateful for every day I was alive. I should have been dead countless times over, and I guess I was kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. While I waited I got to help people, learn new things, fix my mistakes, make new mistakes-" she looked briefly at me, "-and fix those as well. I fell in love, Laura; I never thought that'd happen to me, not in a million years!"

"Nobody does," I smiled at her wondering expression.

"And sure, not every day's gonna be a winner, but that's what tomorrow's for! Being that little better until you have to go, and I've had more tomorrows than I deserve."

"You know that's not true, Vi.""

"Well...be that as it may, I'm not going down to some two bit crook like Keame! I've come too far, and I have my pride, you know!"

"I'm glad to hear that!" I said, and added quickly, "So, what is #273?"

"Nice try, Laura," she laughed, and then her laugh became a relieved sigh.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah. It feels good to get that off my chest," she said, "I have something else for you, too. I was sketching it while I was on the phone so it's a bit preliminary, but..."

She handed me another piece of paper containing another sketch. This time it was of the large oak I'd pointed out earlier, basking in the sunshine amongst lush, verdant grass. It stood tall and proud, each knot and hole picked out with delicate pencil strokes, and it was crowned with a thick canopy of flourishing leaves that somehow seemed to ripple and shift even as I looked at the page.

"It's…very..." I began. I wanted to say 'beautiful', but something stopped me. Despite the warm sunshine beaming down on the tree, a menacing front of storm clouds was massing in the distance. They were dark, dangerous, almost like smoke, and lightning crackled ominously within as they drew inexorably closer. The more I looked, the more I felt a chill building, deep within.

"...dramatic," I finished, a little lamely, "I'm just not sure I'm...looking for dramatic."

"Sorry," she winced, "Like I said, sometimes my mood gets in the way."
She wasn't wrong. Although she was making an effort to appear outwardly placid, I could feel the anxiety radiating off the sketch. There was something else, too; something strange about those clouds...

"No, it's okay," I said quickly, "And it is gorgeous. I'm amazed you were able to draw it so quickly. It's just...I don't want to scare the kids."

"It's okay!" she said, "Look; if the oak's good I'll copy it across to a new sketch when I'm in a...sunnier mood, yeah? I might even be able to pick up some paints and apply some colour. That'll brighten it up, I'm sure."

"Is that okay? I feel like I'm just spitting on your hard work-"

"Like I said, it's a preliminary, and there's no point me giving you something you're not happy with," she said firmly. She took the paper from me and placed it carefully in her satchel, "I want to do this landscape justice, and that might mean transferring it to canvas, if I can find any."

"Donovan in town runs an art shop," I said, "Maybe he has som-"

My watch beeped, followed by a chime from my phone.

"My goodness, is that the time?" I said, and took a long, deep breath, "Okay, Vi; we've got to go."

"Ooh, is it 'unpleasant truths' time?" she said, eagerly, and shut her satchel with a 'click', "I've been looking forward to this."

"Yeah, you've made that pretty clear. Just...try to contain yourself, will you?"

"Don't worry, I'll be good!" she said, "Besides, I wouldn't want to scare off any of my potential suitors."

"Well if you play your cards right, there could be a lifetime of garden centres in it for you."

"Then lead on, Laura. Destiny awaits!"

"Your destiny is boring," Vi said, sometime later. We were sitting in my car outside the school, close enough to see what was going on, but far enough away to avoid attracting attention. Based on Clint's comments I was pretty sure I was still persona non grata, and the last thing I needed was for Liv to spot me before I had a chance to make my case.

That being said, what I was seeing made for pretty poor viewing. During my first (and only) post-Blip pickup, the parents had been all smiles and hugs, with only a few refusing to interact with their Lost or non-Lost counterparts. Now, however, almost all the parents had assembled into two large groups, which surveyed one another with suspicion and sometimes outright hostility across a tense no-man's-land.

"Told you," said my little inner voice, "Didn't I tell you that, sooner or later, everyone would have to pick a side?"

"This is ridiculous!" I said, "Everyone should be on the same side!"

"You mean like you and Clint were?" Vi said absently. She was idly sketching something, but I wasn't quite sure what it was, "Unlike you guys, they haven't had the benefit of having their stupid arses kicked."

"That changes today," I said grimly.

"Does it? Excellent! Too bad I popped all my popcorn when I incinerated those soldiers. I could've used it now."

"You're not helping!" I snapped, "And what are you drawing, exactly?"

"Well, it was going to be you punching out that annoying woman-"

"-Liv-"

"-Liv in a climactic playground showdown, but I got bored so now it's a whale shark. See? The resemblance is uncanny."

She inclined her sketch paper to show the large filter feeder, apparently playing in some surf.

"I'm assuming you mean that the resemblance is uncanny to Liv, right? Right?" I said icily. She shrugged, and smiled that now-trademark small smile of hers, "Aren't you meant to be bigging me up?"

"Whale sharks are pretty big fish," she frowned, "In fact, I think they might be the biggest fish. Doesn't that inspire you?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Oh, you know I'll support you to the hilt," Vi said, casually, as she returned to her drawing, "Whatever it is you're going to do, I'll be right there with you. Or behind you. Or still in the car."

"I'll turn off the A/C. You'll bake."

"Always one step ahead, eh?" she said, and inclined her head, "I think I just heard the bell, you know."

"You sure?" I said, and felt the scratchings of anxiety deep within. A moment later, a shrill, insistent tone rang out from the school clock tower.

"Okay; let's get this over with," I sighed, and opened my door as the dread settled in. Suddenly, Vi grabbed me by the arm.
"Laura," she said, quite seriously, and gave me an intent look, "Just remember; none of those people out there are arseholes, not really. It's just very easy for humans to pick a side. They want to hear someone saying what you're going to say, believe me. They need to hear it - they just haven't yet."

"And what if they don't want to?"

"Then you make them," she said, and got out of the car, "Now c'mon. I need to see Liv so I can get these gills right."

If I had any hope that my punchup with Liv had faded into the parents' memory, it was harshly dashed as soon as we reached the group. A sudden pall of silence fell across the parents, Lost and non-Lost alike, and then a ripple of gasps and murmurs spread through the crowds. Here and there amongst the crowds, I caught a glint of sunlight on metal as a phone appeared and was directed towards us.

"Looks like they haven't forgotten," Vi said quietly, "I wonder if anyone's taking bets for Round Two?"

"There isn't going to be a Round Two!" I hissed back.

"Can I take a bet on that?"

"Vi-"

"Laura!" a man called out above the crowds, and then Paul forced his way through the 'not-Lost' crowd and moved to block our path, "What are you doing here? Who is this?"

"Hi!" Vi said, and waved cheerily, "I'm Viola! Viola Doe. I'm a friend of Laura's!"

"I didn't think Laura had any friends."

"Beats me why. She's bloody awesome once you get to know her."

Paul ignored that, "And what's your business here?"

"My business?" Vi indicated her sketchpad, "I'm an artist...and you, sir! Has anyone ever told you that you have the chin of an Emperor?"

"Well, I...uh," Paul faltered as she stepped forward and gently placed her hand on his cheek, turning it left and right to catch the light, "No. They haven't."

"I guess they probably couldn't find it," she said. There were some muted sniggers from both crowds as they edged closer to the impromptu street show, "But…let's see…"

"Laura?" Paul looked at me warily as the woman waltzed around him, giving him calculating stares from every angle, "What is she doing?"

"I tend to find it's better if you just go with it, Paul," I said, trying and failing to hide a smile, "She's good at getting what she wants."

"What does she want?" Paul threw up his hands and Vi stopped suddenly, her eyes going wide.

"Yes! Perfect! Hold it right there!" she said. She flipped over her sketchpad and opened the front of her satchel, revealing her collection of pencils, "Never mind an Emperor, Paul; you would make an amazing crustacean! The thorax...yes! The dramatic pose of your chelae! Those beady little eyes-"

"Now wait a minute!" Paul lowered his arms slightly, "You-"

"I said hold it right there, Paul!" she growled warningly, and the man froze, "This is art! You will hold that position until I tell you you can move!"

The crowds gathered in closer as she scribbled away furiously, collectively craning their necks to get a view of her arthropodous interpretation of the thoroughly bewildered man. To be fair, he wasn't the only one who was several minutes behind events, but as she caught my confused gaze she gave me a wink and jerked her head briefly towards the school gates.

"Off you go- no, not you!" she said to Paul, "You stay put! I haven't even finished drawing your maxillipeds yet!"

I gave Vi a grateful smile and turned away. She'd given me an opening, but I still needed to find Liv. This wasn't going to work unless I could get Liv in front of the school gates, and-

"What in the world is going on out here?" a harsh female voice rang out, and in a flash my quarry seemed to simply materialise on the other side of the iron bars, anger etched across her sharp features, "Ah, Laura. I suppose I should've known. What brings you back here?"

The crowd suddenly fell silent, and I found myself frying in their combined stare while they nervously held their breath. The atmosphere was electric.

"I've come to do something I should've done right at the start," I said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "And you have no idea how difficult this is for me."

"You've come to apologise?"

"Apologise? C'mon, Liv," I laughed, and her lip curled menacingly, "Punching you in the face is the dream of every parent here, and believe me, it was incredibly satisfying. No, I've come to do this-"

I stuck out my hand, and as one the crowd recoiled with a gasp. Liv threw up her hands to protect herself, but then slowly lowered them when she realised no blow was forthcoming.

"I've come to thank you, Liv," I said, "You were right."

"I...was right?" she stared at my hand in frank astonishment, and there was a collective sigh from the crowd as she slowly shook it, "I...um…"

"Yeah; I want to thank everyone who didn't Blip," I released her grip and turned back to the crowd, "You all lost people, and yet you somehow kept this school running even while everything was falling apart around you. I know that you didn't do it for me, or my son, but thanks to everything you've done he had a school to come back to when...we returned. I should have been grateful for that, and...I wasn't." I paused, partially for effect, and then went on, "Hell; I didn't even acknowledge what you guys did or what you went through! I was so... desperate to pretend that nothing had happened that I ran roughshod over your feelings, and I'm sorry for that. I really am, and I don't think I'm the only one, either."

The crowd fell into a contemplative silence, and here and there I could see parents casting guilty glances around them. Vi gave me an encouraging smile and motioned me to continue, even as she reached out to adjust Paul's outstretched hand.

"But...I was also right," I said, "That's what I've realised, thanks to some...unusual people. We're both right! You kept the home fires burning, and it's only thanks to that that we have a home to come back to, but you need us! I've seen what's happened to the town; it's become sad and empty, because without us you've lost half of everything you are! All those friends, family, your loved ones...you can't just toss us on the scrap heap because we've been on an extended journey, and I think you know that! Believe me, I know how much it hurts to lose people you love...and I know that us coming back doesn't take that pain away, but we are back, and we need you to help us get used to the world that you've built. We don't want to take anything away from you; we want to add to it!"
"But that Keame guy-" someone called out.

"Forget Keame!" I snapped back, "No matter what happens, you'll always get some asshole looking to capitalise on it! He doesn't speak for me; does he speak for anyone else who got Blipped? Guys?"

There was a pause, and then a rather hesitant '...no...' rumbled through the assembled mass.

"I can't hear you!"

This time the response was thunderous, with cries of 'No!' 'Of course not!' and 'Damnit Paul, stay still!' tearing the air asunder. Even Liv looked impressed.

"That's better! If we turn away from each other, we turn right into the arms of those assholes!" I said loudly, and then thought of what Thera had told me, "There's this Blip Centre nearby. You might not have heard of it, but it's for people who Blipped and lost everything; houses, jobs, relationships, the lot. You know what it actually is? It's a bunch of container crates stacked on top of each other. In summer. They're sitting there, day after day, cut off from the world, and they believed that we didn't want them anymore. They turned to Keame, and then...some bad things happened. That's what happens when you start cutting yourself off! Do you want to be like them, or do you want to grow up and start acting like we're all on the same team?"

The crowd rumbled contemplatively, but this time it seemed like the rumblings were more positive. Certainly, some of the shy looks and even shyer smiles that were being passed around gave me reason to believe that I was winning them over.

"Hold on a second, Laura-" Paul began.

"Goddess, Paul! Nobody asked you!" Vi snapped, and jabbed him hard with her pencil, "Now suck in that carapace!"

"But-"

"Listen to the Brit, buddy!" someone else said jovially, "I want to see what you look like as a lobster!"

"She should do you next, Steve!" another parent butted in, "She might even make you look good!"

"Hey! You take that back!"

"Only when you give me back my lawnmower! I don't care if you Blipped; I know you've still got it!"

The crowd laughed, and I felt the tension in the atmosphere slowly drain away as the two groups got even closer and even began to mingle around Vi and her hapless victim, ever-curious to see what the outcome of her efforts would be.

"Your friend...isn't all there, is she," Liv said, quietly, as she watched the artist work.

"Oh, she's all there. She's the most 'there' person I've ever met," I said, "It's just that 'there' might be today, yesterday, tomorrow, or possibly sometime next week. Or on Mars. She's been through a lot."

"I can tell," she said, and coughed awkwardly, "Hearing you speak, I realise I...also have to apologise. I know that I can be abrasive, and I know that I wasn't anyone's first choice. I just...I've given this school everything I could for the past five years, and when Val turned up looking for her old job, my insecurities got the better of me. Regardless, the language I used was completely unacceptable."

"So...are you going to apologise to Val?"

"As soon as I can," she promised, "Honestly, I've missed having someone like her to argue with. The other parents don't have a backbone between them, and Paul just...well, you know Paul."

"Unfortunately," I said, and her lips quirked slightly, "Liv, there're kids at that Blip Centre. Vi and her fiance have done what they can, I'm sure, but they're still not getting an education. If there's something we can do-"

Liv fell silent for a moment, "I'm not sure. At the moment we barely have the funding to keep our own school going, never mind an entire Centre we've only just heard of."

"Yeah," I said, "I understand."

"But...maybe Val would have some good ideas," she said, "When it comes to wringing money out of people she's probably the best this school has ever had. Perhaps...the governors could make her some kind of 'honourary chairperson', in recognition of all her years of service, and I'd imagine she'd probably leap at a project like that."

"You think they'll vote it through?"

"They'll do whatever I damn well say," she said, with a nasty little grin, "Like I said, no spines. Speaking of which-"

"Finished!" Vi shouted, and a cheer went up amongst the assembled parents as she held the piece of paper triumphantly aloft. From this distance I couldn't make out the fine detail, but what was drawn on the paper definitely seemed to be vaguely...lobsterish, with some kind of nightmarish human face, "'Definitely captured your better side, Paul!"

"Can you do Steve next?"

"C'mon, man! Do Jared!"

"Hold on, lads," she said, "I'll be right back! I just need to talk to Laura!"

With a bit of shuffling and bumping, the crowd parted down the middle, and I caught just a blur of a yellow dress before Vi caught me in a tight embrace that was more a tackle than a hug.

"That was brilliant, Laura!" she exulted, as I staggered from the impact, "Goddess, Thera was right! We did hit the motherlode!"

"I did it, didn't I," I said, "I can't quite believe it!"

"I can. I've never doubted you," she said, sincerely, "The only one who did was you."

"Okay, okay!" I said, and one of my ribs gave a warning twinge, "And...now you're crushing me, Vi."

"Oh, sorry!" she released me, "Now, all you need to do is repeat that trick about seven billion times, give or take, and we're home and dry!"

"That's not funny."

"And I'm not joking," she said, although her smile told a different tale, "We've got a long way to go, but I think we're finally, finally on the right path." She pulled me back in for another bone-grinding hug, "Well done, Laura. Seriously."

For a moment I stood there, both enjoying the embrace and the atmosphere of the crowd. The two sides were mingling freely now, and there were handshakes, and hugs, and laughter and even some tears, just like there'd been on that first day back after the Blip. This time, though, it just seemed more...genuine. Oh, I was sure that there were some people out there who were just faking it, who'd just go straight back to their little tribes the instant the good feelings ended, but for now, I felt like we'd finally accomplished something.

It had to be said, that felt pretty good.