"Understudy," Will said as they rode the bus back to their neighborhood. "That's great."

"But he only goes on if the lead can't," Ethan said.

"It's still acting experience," Layla said. "They have to rehearse with both the leads and understudies. Congrats, Warren. And you, too, guys. With Zach as LeFou, Ethan as a villager, and Magenta on light crew, you all get to have so much fun together."

"You know it," Zach said. "Just you wait. Warren and I are gonna be tight friends. You'll see."

Warren growled at him as he tried to put an arm round his shoulders. Zach shrugged and sat back in his seat. He was getting used to Warren's attitudes.

Mary leaned the back of her head against the bus window, smiling slightly at the pyro in the seat next in front of her. "Think of it as building an immunity." He glared at her but she only laughed. She'd been so tense by what the day might have brought that she could only feel relief and light hearted now that it was done.

The bus came to a stop, interrupting their conversation. Will let Layla go first; Warren followed Mary off and toward her house.

"Are you sure your mom won't mind us over for dinner?" Mary asked, getting the mail and closing the mailbox.

"She reminded me twice when I talked to her last night. I apologize now for anything and everything she's going to do. Mom likes having people around."

Mary smiled. "I guess we both have that in common."

Warren opened the front door for her but she stepped to the side as the twins tackled the taller boy. "Warren! You're back!" Randy said, latching onto his left leg.

"I made cookies we can bring to your place," Suzy said, holding on to his right leg. Warren wavered slightly at the sudden weight on his legs, but managed to put a steadying hand on Mary's shoulder.

She laughed but took pity on him. "Guys, did you finish your homework?"

"Yes, Mary," they chimed together.

"And you double checked it all?"

"Yes, Mary."

"Is there anything that I need to know about or sign?"

"No, Mary."

"Ok. Then why don't you grab your coats and the cookies then we'll head over to Warren's house?"

They raced back inside, the teenagers following at a slower pace. "How do you do that?" Warren asked.

"Do what?" Mary flipped through the mail, sorting it in her hands as she walked to the kitchen.

"Get them to listen to you so well?"

Mary snorted as she set the magazines and flyers to the side. "They don't always listen to me. You haven't seen the days where they really want to live up to the name 'Twin Terrors'. But it usually helps to make it sound like my suggestions benefit them. It works with most people, really, if you know how to phrase things."

Mary finished sorting through the mail, setting the few bills to the side, and paused at a large brown envelope with her name on it. Her eyes widened at the postmark and stamp. It didn't take a moment for her to open the envelope and shake the contents onto the counter. Five envelopes with different names written on the front. Mary flipped through them, smiling at the handwriting.

"My French friends," she said when she caught Warren's curious look. "It looks like they all sent me letters." She wanted to open them, read what her friends said after so long with no contact, but the twins were ready to go and wouldn't wait.

Mary slid the envelopes back into the bigger one and put it in her satchel. "Let's go, then," she said, putting on a bright smile. She locked up the house as the twins grabbed onto Warren's hands, asking a million questions about where he lived. She followed behind them as Warren let them ramble; ah, seems he'd learned that trick already.

They walked about four blocks down and two over, coming to a stop at a two floor house not unlike the others in the neighborhood, but was a bit smaller and had a larger than average garage. An old motorcycle was in the driveway and a few simple bushes lined the front porch. Honestly, it wasn't too out of the ordinary.

"It's so normal," Randy said.

"What? You were expecting barbed wire fence and flame throwers?" Warren asked, raising a joking eyebrow.

Randy shrugged. "Kinda? But it looks like our place."

The door opened and Zoey Peace stepped onto the porch, hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Hey, there," she said cheerfully. "You're right on time. I just finished the enchiladas."

Suzy let go of Warren's hand and ran up the steps. She grinned at the woman, tipping her head back and offering her the large plate of plastic wrap cookies. "I made chocolate chip for desert."

Zoey knelt down. "You must be Suzy. Warren speaks very highly of your baking and I jut love it, too." She looked at the cookies. "Chocolate chip is my favorite. You know what? I think I have a tub of ice cream in the freezer that would pair great with this."

Suzy rocked back and forth on her toes. "Warren talks about me? What does he say? Does he talk about Randy, too? And Mary? Because I think they'd be a good couple. Could you talk to him and–"

"Alright, pipsqueak," Warren cut in, stepping onto the porch. "Let's get inside."

Zoey chuckled as her son walked past her, purposefully not looking in her direction. The twins followed, instantly starting up their rambling at the house's interior. Zoey turned to Mary, who had been watching everything with just as much amusement. "Hello, Mary."

"Hello, Mrs. Peace. Thanks for having us."

"You can call me Zoey. I don't mind the company. How are you feeling?"

Mary gave a genuine smile. "Much better. I'm so over Warren's tea but I can't argue with the results."

Zoey laughed. "You're right that it's truly awful but nothing else cures things so quickly. Come inside; maybe my cooking can get the after taste out. Hope you brought your appetite."

The inside of the house was warm and inviting. They walked right into the living room, an open doorway leading to the dining room where Warren and the twins were setting the table. Landscape artwork hung on the walls, along with family pictures and shelves with overflowing piles of books. A few colorful blankets were draped haphazardly over the couch and armchairs facing the fireplace and the TV hanging above the mantle. Shoes were kicked off next to the front door and Mary added hers to the pile. Though there were only two residents, the place looked well lived in.

"You can set you bag on a chair," Zoey said as she disappeared around a corner into what sounded like the kitchen, if the moving of pans was any indicator.

Mary slid her things off and added them to the chair where Randy and Suzy's coats were. Warren's jacket was hanging up on a peg by the door, his backpack sitting on the floor under that. A set of carpeted stairs to the right led upstairs, the walls holding pictures of Warren as a child, a few shots of Zoey and Barron Battle as teenagers, and a wedding photo that Mary couldn't help but smile at. Zoey had her head thrown back in laughter as Mr. Battle tried to catch a piece of cake that was falling off his plate.

Mary stepped into the dining room, keeping out of the way as the twins finished setting the last of the utensils on the table. Warren was putting glasses of milk at two of the place settings but looked up at her when she moved. "Milk okay?" Mary nodded. He slipped through the doorway into the kitchen, skirting around his mother, who was bringing a hot pan out and setting it on a coaster on the table.

"This is a recipe I picked up in college," Zoey explained as the twins got settled and were served. "My roommate loved using spices in everything. She even put it on watermelon." She laughed at a memory. "I learned pretty quickly to check which food I was picking up in the fridge."

Warren returned with the last of their drinks and they settled down for dinner. Mary breathed in the spices, mouth watering at the delicious smells. The taste was even better. "I need this recipe," she said, spearing another bite. "This is delicious."

Suzy chugged half her milk. "Hot," she said, sticking her tongue out.

"It just came out of the oven," Randy said. "Of course it's hot." He took a large bite of his own food; heat didn't affect pyros the same way they did most people.

Suzy frowned at him. "I know that. But my tongue didn't."

"Your tongue doesn't know anything. It's a tongue."

"Guys," Mary said. "We're guests. Remember your manners."

The twins deflated slightly, suddenly remembering where they were. "Sorry, Mrs. Peace," they said.

Zoey smiled at them. "No harm done. It means you feel at home here. And you can call me Zoey, if you want."

"Miss Zoey," Randy said, "Are you a pyro, too?"

"No, dear. My power is Levitation. My uncle was a pyro, though. He liked to do tricks for us kids when the family got together."

Randy perked up. "What kind of tricks? Can Warren to them, too?" He looked to the teenager.

Zoey chuckled. "Warren is very good at controlling his powers, but he's had to work very hard at it."

"I've been practicing, but so far I can only turn my flames on and off."

"That's very good. A great start."

"Yeah, but Mary won't let me practice in the house. She thinks I'll set something on fire."

"But you did already," Suzy said. "The kitchen curtains, remember?"

Randy frowned. "It was one time, an accident, and I haven't done it since then."

"And you have healing abilities, right, Suzy?" Zoey asked, looking to the little girl.

Suzy grinned, sitting up with pride. "Yup. One touch and I can heal burns, cuts, all kinds of things. I'm going to be a Hero when I grow up. Or a nurse. Maybe a field pamanetic."

"I think you mean paramedic," Mary said softly.

"Yeah. That."

"That's a big job, you know," Zoey said. "But a really good one."

Suzy nodded but paused. "Or I can be a baker." She shrugged. "I'll figure it out later."

Mary smiled, eating another bite.

"How did auditions go?" Zoey asked, turning to her son.

Warren swallowed his mouthful and took a sip of milk. "Good. I'm the understudy for Beast."

Zoey grinned. "That's wonderful! Oh, I'm so proud of you."

Warren blushed and shrugged.

Mary turned to Zoey. "He was super nervous but did great. I'm surprised he didn't get the lead, but I heard that Timothy Smith is a Senior, so Mr. Johnson went with him for the lead. I have pictures, though."

"I'd like copies when you have them." Zoey smiled fondly at Warren. "My little baby in his first play!"

Warren turned red. "Mom," he hissed. "Stop."

Zoey huffed comically, turning back to Mary. "You see what I have to deal with? Mr. Grumpy and Brooding over there is just too cool to let me be proud of his hard work. Can you believe that?"

Mary shoved another forkful of food in her mouth to keep from answering the playful question as Warren looked at her. She gestured to her puffed cheeks and purposefully chewed to show she couldn't answer.

"Mary's like that, too," Randy said. "She's alway taking pictures of us at the bus stop and everything. Super embarrassing."

"So you do a lot of photography, then?" Zoey asked Mary.

"Our mom's in prison and doesn't get to be part of our lives, so I take pictures when I can." Mary shrugged. "I was in the photography program at my old school, too."

"So you want to be a photographer when you graduate? It's a fairly flexible job at times; it wouldn't get in the way of your Hero work."

Mary gave a polite smile. "Perhaps. I'm still looking into things." She gestured to the living room. "I noticed a lot of landscape paintings. They're very beautiful."

Zoey looked to the room, smiling slightly. "Thank you. I enjoyed making them."

"You're an artist?"

The woman shrugged. "It's mostly for relaxation. I have my studio set up in one of the spare rooms, so do be careful if you wander up there. I wouldn't want you to open the wrong door and step in some paint or something."

"Mom's not the most organized person at times," Warren said, though there was a bit of cheek in his tone. He shot his mother a look that only made her laugh.

"He's right. I guess my head's only fully on at work."

"Miss Zoey," Suzy said. "What's it like being a nurse?"

The rest of dinner was mostly Zoey and Suzy talking medicine with Randy trying to get some more gory ER stories out of Warren's mom. Mary had to shut that down a few times; that was not appropriate dinner conversation.

"Quite right," Zoey said. "It's more of a desert kind of conversation. And it's such a nice night that we should have it outside. Warren, would you get the dishes while I make up desert?"

"I can help with that," Mary said, picking her own plate up but Zoey shook her head.

"You're guests. I can't make you help. But you're more than welcome to go on out to the back porch. Warren's old play set is still up that Suzy and Randy can play on. I've just never found the time to take it down."

The twins were already running through the backdoor. Mary let Warren take her plate and she went back into the living room, grabbing the envelope of letters before making her way to the backyard. Suzy was enjoy the swing set while Randy climbed on the monkey bars of an old sun faded kid's play set. Mary sat down at a family table on the back porch, making sure she could keep an eye on her siblings no matter where they might wander off to in the yard. Once she was sure that the twins were completely occupied, she turned her attention to the letters.

They said similar things: asking how she was doing, saying they missed her and the twins, telling her that their schooling was going well, they had new projects that were getting good attention, there was new gossip to pass along, etc. The more she read, the more Mary missed them. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She wanted to be back with them and enjoy herself like she once had. She wouldn't have dealt with the stress she'd had this morning.

"You good?" Warren asked, taking the seat next to her and putting a cup of tea in front of her.

She nodded, wrapping one of her hands around the mug while the other rested on top of the pile of letters to keep them from being blown away in the soft evening breeze. "After getting worked up this morning about what I might face at school, it's just nice to have the day finally over. No worries beyond making sure the twins get their homework done and to bed on time."

Warren watched her for a moment. "Why were you so worried about what people said about you? You didn't care when you started bothering me at the beginning of the school year."

Mary leaned back in the chair, looking down at the letters and the different handwriting. "Did you know that France has a separate Heroes and Villain network than America? If I hadn't exchanged letters and emails with my friends, I never would have known what was going on in Maxville. My French friends had no idea who Nightmare was and I didn't tell them. For a whole year, no one sneered at me because of my mother. I was judged on my merits and the worst thing I had to deal with were snooty models and designers." She pushed her hair back from her face, sighing. "I'd gotten used to not having people look at me and see a potential villain. The past few months…I guess I'm just tired from having to toughen my skin again. The constant watching and talk at school wasn't helping and then with the rumors on top, my anxiety just grew a bit too uncomfortable."

"I get that. People develop different techniques. My brooding emo personality did a fair job at keeping people away." The corner of his lips turned up. "Well, almost. Did nothing for you and Hippie."

Mary chuckled. "Like I said; it's broken."

Warren sighed as if having to shoulder a heavy burden. "Enjoy it while you can, Lamb. Not everyone gets to see me like this. Just you and a few others."

That filled Mary's chest with a satisfied warmth. She got to see this side of him. Even when he became a bit Hero and actor, she'd still be able to claim this. Her smile slowly faded as her mind caught onto the thought that had been hiding in the back of her mind all day.

The future had always been an idea but not really a plan; she would not become a villain, she would raise her siblings, she would get a job and make sure they were looked after…and there was not much thought beyond that. Not even if she wanted to be a hero. She was a sophomore at a school specifically made to produce heroes, she'd be leaving in two years, and she had no solid plan. Warren, even, had a plan and his part in the school play was a step in his future direction. But what was she doing? What did she want to do?

"You'll have smoke from your ears if you keep thinking too hard." Mary turned to Warren, his concerned frown having returned. Why was she always putting that look on his face? "What is it?"

"The future." She couldn't not tell him after all of this. "You already know you want to be an actor and you're taking the steps to that right now. But me…I don't know what I'm doing, Warren. I'm just working day by day. Randy and Suzy, taking care of the house, doing my school work, visiting Mom…It's more of a to-do check list and not an overall plan. But I'll be gone from here in two years and I don't know what I'm doing. What if I don't want to be a Hero? Then why am I here?" She paused in her rant and looked away from his perceptive eyes. She needed to stop before she said too much. He wasn't her therapist, after all. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. It's not something to bother you with."

"Isn't that what friends are for? To bother with your problems and share in your joys?"

Mary barked out a laugh. "So philosophical." She blew out some air, tipping her head back against the top of her chair. "Claude would have just given me a bottle of vodka and told me to drown my sorrows. Anything left over in the morning could be dealt with then."

Warren frowned. "What kind of friend is that?"

"The one that was all about rebelling if things were too constricting. A great designer but not a great person at times. He's more Michelle's friend than mine, anyway."

"Thank god you upgraded."

Mary chuckled but it still sounded sad. The future was not a discussion she wanted to have right now. But she would need to have it at some point, right? And soon.

"Here we are," Zoey said, setting a tray of bowls on the table.

"Desert!" Randy said, racing across the yard with Suzy hot on his heals. They hauled themselves up into two of the chairs, practically bouncing in their seats.

Zoey smiled. "I warmed up the cookies and put ice cream on top, but I also brought toppings." On the other end of the tray were a selection of sugar; chocolate sauce, caramel, sprinkles, whipped cream, and cherries.

Mary gave a dramatic sigh. "I'm never getting the twins to bed, now."

"You could always let us stay up late, you know," Suzy said with an 'innocent' smile.

"No luck."

Everyone doctored their deserts how they like them before the twins started their ramblings about their new after school activities and their classes. Mary had heard most of this but it was new to Zoey, who asked questions and reacted in the right spots. Zoey seemed to be a pretty hands on kind of mom; Mary could tell that just by watching her with the twins. They'd never really had a mother figure beyond Mary, and that was a line that kept wavering. She was their mother, their sister, their friend, their cook, their everything. And though she never regretted stepping into those roles, there were times like now that she realized she'd never be able to give them proper mother moments. Visiting Mom in prison could only do so much and it would never be like other people's experiences.

A warm hand wrapped around hers, bringing her attention to the pyro next to her. "You're thinking too much again," he said softly. His voice was overshadowed by Randy's animated retelling of Taylor's sleepover party.

"I'm afraid that it's a deep obsessive thought kind of day."

Warren nodded and squeezed her hand. "Do you need me to do anything?"

She shook her head. "Just…be here?"

He smiled, sending a soft warmth to settle in her chest. "I can do that." She smiled her thanks. Warren shifted and used his spoon to steal a cherry from her bowl.

"Hey," she said, smacking his arm and moving her bowl away from his reach.

He shrugged. "Not my fault you left it unattended."

"What about your desert?"

He tipped his bowl enough so she could see the bottom. His spoon descended on her bowl again, but she smacked it away with hers. With a raised eyebrow, he held his spoon up in challenge. Mary raised hers, ready to defend her sugary treat.

Before either could attack or defend, though, Zoey laughed. "Oh, you two are just too perfect," she said, wiping a tear away from her eye. She looked at the two of them, a look appearing in her eye, but waved to the back door. "But there's more than enough in the kitchen. You can make yourself some more."

Warren stood, taking his bowl, and walked around the table. When he was almost fully past Mary, he grabbed her bowl and hurried into the kitchen.

"You better be getting me a refill, Warren," Mary called after him.

"I want more, too." Randy and Suzy took their bowls and vanished back into the house.

Zoey leaned back in her seat, a soft smile on her lips. "I'm glad to see Warren with such good friends. I was starting to worry about him. He takes after his father a bit too much at times."

"My mom said Mr. Battle was hard to be friends with, too. That it took a while to break through." Mary's fingers fidgeted with her sleeve as she added, "I'm a little glad that they're in prison together. As strange as it sounds, at least they have friends there. Right?"

Zoey nodded slowly. "The life of a villain family isn't easy. We have to take comfort where we can if we plan to stick with them." She turned to Mary, her age starting to show a little bit more. "I'm under no illusion that things are tough for you and Warren. I get similar judgement and treatment because I'm married to a villain. It doesn't get easier, but it can be managed with a good support network." Her smile grew warm and, a bit, maternal. "I want you to know that you and the twins will always have Warren and me. If you need to talk or to just be around other people who understand, the door is always open."

Mary swallowed back tears and quickly nodded. Why did today have to be such an emotional swing? And why did Mary have to feel more at home with a woman she just met than with her own father? She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and swallowed a few gulps of cooling tea. Zoey, thankfully, let her have a moment to compose herself before the others returned.

"Bad news," Warren said, returning with his and Mary's bowls of ice cream as the twins followed with their own. "There's no more cookies for your sundae." He set her bowl down and retook his seat.

Mary looked at his ice cream and frowned. "Because you stacked three on top of yours. You couldn't spare just one?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He covered the ice cream and cookies with whipped cream. "I don't see any cookies."

"Oh, you sneak." Mary scooped a dollop of whipped cream off the top, reveling part of a cookie. "What's that?"

Warren looked at the spot and then back to her. "Off colored ice cream."

"That's a cookie."

"If you say so, but I'd get my eyes checked if I were you."

Mary reached out and grabbed the cookie off the top, uncaring of the cream on her fingers.

"That is really unsanitary," Warren said. "You don't know where this sundae's been."

"In the kitchen, duh."

Warren reached for the cookie but Mary leaned back, snapping a large chunk off with her teeth and chewing quickly. He frowned but she stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, that's really mature."

"I don't remember that being a requirement for sundae making."

"Sundae making is an art form."

"What's so artistic about it? You put ice cream in a bowl, add a few things, and put a cherry on top. Simple."

"How can you say that," Suzy asked, staring at her sister in shock. "There is so much more to it than that." She shook her head slowly. "How can I call you my sister when you say that?"

Zoey laughed, the hand over her mouth doing nothing to cover the sound. After a moment, Mary joined in, too caught up in the absurdness. Soon everyone was laughing. Mary caught Warren's eye and smiled when he gave her a quick wink.