author's notes: warning—super-long chapter ahead! it's two or three times longer than my usual chapters, but i couldn't think of how to break it up into two shorter chapters, so here it is.

---
---

The first thing Cree did that morning after waking up was pull a package out from under her bed. She opened the flat, rectangular box and pushed aside the tissue paper to reveal a shirt. She had bought it for Abby weeks and weeks ago. She had been so certain at the time that her sister would love it; now she wasn't so sure. It was long-sleeved and slim-fitting—probably a little bit girly for Abby's tastes, but at least it wasn't pink and covered in frilly things or anything.

Cree sighed and carefully put the shirt back in the box. It was too late to buy her another present now, anyways. And besides, anything was better than that old, over-sized t-shirt she always wore.

She walked down the hall to her sister's room and knocked on the door. "Abby, are you awake?" she called through it. There was no answer, but she turned the doorknob and entered anyways.

"Good morning, Abby," she said as she stuck her head in through the door. She walked to the lumpy mass under the bedcovers. "Abby?" She shook the lump gently. "Happy birthday."

The blankets seemed to fold into itself, huddling into a tighter bundle.

"Go away," Cree heard her sister's voice say.

"Abby," Cree urged softly, "it's your birthday; you should be happy." She put the box down on the bed. "I got you a present. Open it."

"I don't want it."

Cree sat down on the bed and bent forward to hug the mess of blankets her sister was under. She wished their mother were there, maybe she would know what to say to comfort Abby. But she was on her own.

"I know it's hard turning thirteen, especially for you. But don't think of it as an end to your childhood, it's just the beginning of a great new chapter of your life." Cree frowned. She hoped that didn't sound as cheesy as she thought it did.

"Being a teen is great?" Abby asked disdainfully. "Yeah, like you've really got your life together."

Cree didn't respond. Her sister's words hurt, probably more so because they were true. Her life was a mess lately; she really wasn't one to advertise the wonders of teenaged existence. She released her sister, sat up, and left the room without another word.

Minutes later, Abby called out in a small voice, "Cree…?" When there was no answer, she sat up and looked around her room. Her eyes fell on her birthday present on the bed beside her. She sighed and curled up under her blankets again.

---

The doorbell rang and Cree opened the door to see her boyfriend.

"Thanks for coming," she said as she reached out and hugged him tight. She pulled him inside and closed the door behind them. "It's Abby's birthday today."

"Is it?" he asked with an expression that seemed to show mild surprise and interest.

"Yeah…and she's not taking it well. I've tried talking to her again and again, but I can't even get her to open her door. So I was thinking…." Memories of her sister and boyfriend talking together flashed through her mind. "You're friends, maybe she'll talk to you."

Maurice was looking up the stairs and not at her. "Okay, I'll try. If that's what you want." He began ascending the stairs, and noticing her following him, he said, "maybe you should wait downstairs."

"Oh…okay." She took a few uncertain steps away from the foot of the stairs as she watched him climb the rest of the way up. She heard him knock on Abby's door, and heard him call her name softly. There was a pause, another knock; the name was repeated.

A minute later, maybe less, he came back down the stairs looking gloomy. Cree watched him intently.

"She wouldn't talk to me," he informed.

Cree sighed. "Thanks for trying." She moved closer to kiss him but he turned away.

"Anyways, I need to be somewhere. See—"

"Wait, I'll come with you. Can I? I'm feeling kind of down myself, and staying here trying to get Abby to come out of her room isn't helping."

He didn't look pleased at the thought, but he said, "Fine."

---

It was a little unusual for Cree to have scheduled a meeting on a Saturday, but Chad remembered her specifically asking him to make sure he was free that day. Of course, it was a while ago when she had asked him. It was even before she had started acting…the way she'd been acting.

As he approached the Lincoln house, he saw Cree and Maurice leaving it. "Actually, wait…I don't know now," she was saying, "Maybe we shouldn't leave her alone—"

She stopped short when she noticed Chad. "Chad, What are you…? Oh, that's right, I asked you to…. I'm sorry, we're not going to have a meeting today after all."

"Oh, okay. I…guess I'll see you later." He turned to leave.

"Wait, Chad?"

He stopped.

"I was…." She paused and frowned, looking up to the house. "I was hoping you could do me a favor."

He was more than a little surprised but tried not to show it. "Uh…what do you want?"

"Today is Abby's thirteenth birthday. She's depressed, I know she is, but she refuses to let me cheer her up. She won't talk to me; she won't talk to Maurice…. Could…could you stay here with her? You know, just make sure she doesn't sit around and wallow in self-pity all day."

"I…don't know…" he hedged. "She and I really aren't close—"

"Please…? She probably won't even come out of her room. But if she does, I don't want her to be all alone in the house. We won't be too long. An hour, two at the most."

"I don't see what good it would do having him around," Maurice mumbled.

Chad shot a resentful look at Maurice. "Fine, I'll hang out with Abby if that's what you want."

"Thanks so much!" Cree reached out and squeezed his hand. She then released his hand quickly, and Chad could have sworn he saw her blush. "I just don't want to leave her alone on her thirteenth birthday, especially not when she's like this. You're the best!" And with that, she left with a grouchy-looking Maurice.

Chad turned to walk into the house, wishing that he were the one leaving with Cree and that Maurice were the one staying with Abby.

He walked through the kitchen into the living room. She was in neither of these rooms. He headed to the dining room, but was certain she wouldn't be in there, and a quick glance around confirmed his suspicion. He stepped to the foot of the stairs and looked up them. If Abby felt anything like he did on his thirteenth birthday, she wanted to be left alone. But still, he told Cree he would. The things I do for her….

"Hey," he called upstairs in a rather flat voice. "Abby, it's me…Chad. I'm here…in your house…just to let you know." Well, that sounded lame.

He saw the door at the top of the stairs open, and Abby's head peered out. "Chad? What are you doing here? Cree's not home."

"I know, I saw her leave, she let me in."

She scrutinized him. "Why? Did she ask you to keep an eye on me?" Abby muttered something inaudible under her breath.

"No," Chad lied, realizing that admitting so would only anger her more. Though judging from her scoff, she didn't believe him anyways. "She told me it was your birthday. Uh…happy birthday."

"What's so happy about it?"

"Thirteen consecutive years in the same body, that's a decent accomplishment."

She scoffed again, but this time it may have been a short laugh.

"Do you want to talk about it or something? I remember my thirteenth birthday pretty well."

"Yeah, I remember it pretty clearly myself."

Chad reddened. That's right. I tried to kill her and her friends on my thirteenth birthday. He looked up at her irritated countenance. "You're right. I'm sorry. I…I guess I'm the last person you want to talk to right now. I should go."

Abby sighed loudly. "Yeah, I think you should."

He took a step away, but then paused. "I just want to say, even if you don't believe me, that I'm sorry about what I did back then. I didn't really want to hurt you. I was just…so angry at everyone and everything. I wasn't thinking; I was just lashing out at everyone nearby. I know it doesn't excuse what I did. I'm sorry."

Abby watched him during his entire monologue. It was a little unnerving. But when he finished and bid her farewell, she spoke in a low and even voice.

"I know how you felt. When you're upset you hurt your friends because they're the ones who'll feel it the most, and it's like…validation when you can cause someone pain. I understand."

Chad didn't know what to say, but managed to stammer out a "thank you." He headed again for the door to leave.

"Wait a sec." She came out of her room. "Maybe it would be good to talk about things. I'll be sitting in my room thinking about it anyway, I might as well have a sounding board."

He was rather stunned at her change in attitude, but said, "Okay. Do you want to stay in or go out?"

Abby glanced around the place. "Let's go out."

They walked out the house together, though Chad really couldn't say he was overjoyed at the prospect of spending time with Abby. He still didn't quite trust her, and he sensed that the feeling was mutual.

"Um…so…" he started uncertainly.

"Let's go to Müller's," she suggested the local deli.

"Oh, okay."

"You like bologna, right?"

"Uh…yeah," Chad replied, looking at her in surprise. "How did you—"

"Lucky guess," she said with an expression that might have been a smirk.

They went to Müller's Deli and got sandwiches.

"I could pay for yours," Chad offered, "as a birthday present."

"Hell, no," she answered as she plunked her money on the counter.

They sat on the bench outside the deli. For a while the two of them just ate in silence, but then Abby said, almost contemplatively, "You know, I don't feel any different."

Chad turned his head just slightly to look at her.

She continued, staring at her sandwich. "I thought it would feel different, turning thirteen. But I feel pretty much the same as I did yesterday."

Chad studied her. He wasn't quite sure if she were trying to start a conversation or if she were just thinking aloud. Of course, if she had wanted to talk to herself, she would have just stayed home.

So he swallowed hard and said, "I know what you mean. It's like, when I was little, I expected Christmas to feel different from any other day of the year, but it didn't really."

Abby looked at him then, and for a moment he worried that maybe she was thinking aloud after all and she didn't want to have a conversation. But then she smiled—sort of—and he exhaled in relief. That was probably the main thing about her that he found so intimidating; he could never really tell what she was thinking. Chad made a mental note never to play poker with her.

"Yeah, it is like that," she replied, "except…more internal. Some people make it seem like you turn into a completely different person once you become a teen. I guess some people do." She paused, no longer looking at Chad, but at a point past him, far away.

But then she pulled herself back and focused on him again with a grin. "I don't know if I will. I still eat a pound of candy every day, I don't think that'll change now that I'm thirteen."

Chad raised his eyebrows at her. "Good luck with that pancreas."

"Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little, but still, I eat a lot of candy."

"Yeah, but eating a lot of candy isn't really a way to define childhood. I mean, look at Stickybeard. Now there's a man who throws caution to the wind."

Abby smiled musingly. "To think I was this close to being his first mate."

"Seriously? He must have liked you. Whenever I encountered him he was always trying to get gum in my hair."

"He's just jealous. He's completely bald under that hat, you know."

They finished their sandwiches unhurriedly and then walked back to her house, continuing their conversation. Chad was rather surprised though grateful for the lack of awkward pauses in their discussion. He privately laughed at himself for being so scared of her all this time. She was actually a friendly and well-spoken person. And he began to realize as he talked to Abby how much he missed having a conversation with someone. That someone used to be Cree before she started acting all weird and evasive.

When they reached the Lincoln house, they caught a glimpse of Cree and Maurice through the window. Her arms were around him as they often were these days. Chad turned away, deciding not to go in.

"Well, I'll see y—"

"Ugh. Again with the hugging and the kissing and the…. Let's go someplace else."

"Oh, okay," he answered, and they walked away together.

They continued their conversation as they went to get ice cream cones. Again Chad offered to pay, and again his offer was rejected. The topic of their talk had segued to what it meant to be a teenager.

"To be honest, I don't know what it means, other than literally being between the ages of twelve and twenty. I mean, sure there's the stereotypical teen who does nothing but complain and listen to loud music and make stupid decisions. I don't know, I think it has a lot to do with the whole situation of not being old enough to be respected as an adult, but supposedly being old enough to 'know better' so we get punished more severely for things we got away with as kids. We totally get a crap deal."

"So you're saying that what it means to be a teenager is to be disgruntled all the time?"

He chuckled a little. "Yeah, I think that sums it up pretty well. Of course if that were true, I've been a teenager all my life."

Abby laughed slightly at this. "Yeah, I…" but then she trailed off and settled into a thoughtful pause.

Chad turned, wondering at her silence. What is she thinking?

She continued. "You know, I'm surprised that even after all this time…or even today, during our first real conversation, that you haven't asked me why I joined the teens." She pointedly wasn't looking at him.

But Chad was looking at her. Is it possible that she can read me that well; that she can see the question that's been on my mind for so long, while I can't figure her out at all? Aloud, he said, "I…guess for the same reason you haven't asked me why I joined the teens when I turned thirteen. That, and you probably don't want to talk about it."

A bittersweet smile was on her lips. "You're right. I don't."

That exchange finally triggered one of those awkward pauses that they had managed to avoid until then.

Abby broke the silence. "It's kinda chilly out, isn't it?"

"You just devoured three scoops of ice cream, I'm not surprised you're cold." He took off his jacket and offered it to her.

She shook her head. "No, thanks. I just need to get inside and warm up a little."

"My house isn't too far from here."

They entered the Dickson residence and were greeted by the smell of baking.

"Something smells good," observed Abby.

'Hello, dear," Mrs. Dickson called from the kitchen.

"Hi, Mom," Chad said in reply, "I brought a friend—"

His mother peered out of the kitchen. "Oh, hello, Cree," she greeted as she saw her.

"Actually, no, this is Abby; she's Cree's sister."

"Oh, I'm sorry, you look a lot like her."

Chad turned to study Abby. He never really thought about it before, but it was true, she did sort of look like Cree. It was then that he noticed that she was wearing a different shirt from usual. It suited her.

"That's okay, I get that sometimes." Abby shrugged. "Whatever you're making smells delicious."

"Oh, how sweet of you to say. They're my cinnamon scones, you can have one if you're willing to wait a few more minutes."

"That'd be great, thank you."

Mrs. Dickson returned to her kitchen, and Abby started looking around the living room. "Must be nice having your mom around all the time."

"Huh?" Chad asked a little distractedly. "Oh, yeah, I guess so. Um…you want a tour of the house?"

"Sure," she agreed without much enthusiasm.

He showed her the living room, the den, the study, and the game room.

"So where do they keep the Mega Mom and Destructo Dad stuff?" Abby asked with a grin.

Chad glanced at her conspiratorially. "That's upstairs."

She peered furtively towards the kitchen, where they could hear his mom bustling around. "Can I see it?"

"Okay, but we have to be quiet."

Abby nodded and they crept up the stairs. He walked to a door that looked like all the others, but when he opened it, it revealed another door; this one was metal with a small display and a keypad. Again peering behind him, out of paranoia more than anything else, he punched in an access code. The door slid up, revealing a staircase, which they ascended quickly. Once at the top of the stairs, he turned on the lights to show a room that resembled a lab. It kind of looked how the Bat Cave would if Martha Stewart were Batman's decorator.

"Pretty snazzy," remarked Abby as she looked around the room.

"Yeah, it is, kind of."

She stared at the two villain uniforms behind glass doors.

"Mom launders those after every use. It's a real pain because they're hand-wash only."

"I'm surprised they haven't made you one of them."

"They did, actually, just after I turned thirteen. I accidentally destroyed it during the test run."

"Not your color?" She smirked.

"Totally not," he deadpanned. "Anyways, they hardly go on missions anymore. Mom mostly uses hers when they go to the Supervillain Supermarket. They have good deals there."

"Best place in these parts to buy Rainbow Munchies."

At the sound of Mrs. Dickson's voice from downstairs, they scrambled out of the room.

Once they were in the living room again, they saw a plate of scones and two cups of tea laid out for them on the coffee table.

"Help yourselves," she said to them warmly.

"Thanks, Mrs. Dickson," said Abby, reaching for a cup of tea.

"Yeah, thanks, mom," Chad echoed, rather surprised.

"You should bring your friends over more often." His mom smiled at them and returned to the kitchen.

Chad then understood the warm reception. He hadn't had a visitor since Cree dropped by for that impromptu visit months ago. She had never been by before then, and hadn't visited since. Now that he thought of it, he used to drop by uninvited at her house, too. He couldn't even imagine doing that now. Their relationship was getting more distant instead of closer.

"Mm, these are really good," Abby managed to say between mouthfuls of scone. "Your mom sure knows how to make guests feel welcome."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, she's taken classes in hospitality," he replied, thinking he could use some lessons himself. Because right then he was wishing he were alone. It happened every once in a while and was completely beyond his control. It manifested as a physical pain, an ache, an emptiness, and he was sharply reminded of how badly he wanted to be with Cree. Sometimes he'd be fine for days, but it always caught up with him eventually, and the only thing he could do was shut himself up somewhere by himself and cry.

"'Scuse me. Bathroom." He headed up the stairs.

---

Abby had finished her tea and two scones, and was wondering what had happened to Chad. She had already wandered the living room, read the inscriptions on all his trophies, and looked at all the photos on the walls.

Mrs. Dickson came in through the kitchen. "Oh, hello, Abby, where's Chad?"

"I think he went to the bathroom."

"Oh, well, you're welcome to stay for dinner if you like."

"Thanks, but I should be getting home. Thank you for the scones, they were delicious."

"I'm glad you liked them. I'm sorry you can't stay, but feel free to come by again anytime. Say the same to your sister for me, I never got a chance to properly thank her for dropping by and cheering up my boy last time."

"Okay, I'll let her know that." Abby headed for the front door, and she heard Chad's mom reenter the kitchen behind her. But she paused before leaving. It felt kind of weird just leaving without saying anything to Chad.

She headed up the stairs. All the doors in the upstairs hallway were open except for the door to Mega Mom and Destructo Dad's room. She saw the bathroom; it was empty. She passed one room that seemed to be a guest room, and another that was probably the parents' room. Beyond that was a door that was only slightly ajar.

---

Chad was curled miserably on his bed when he heard Abby's voice call uncertainly:

"Uh...Chad?"

He sat bolt upright and hastily rubbed his eyes, cursing himself. He had completely forgotten that he had ditched her downstairs.

His door was pushed open, letting dim light into the room.

"I'm sorry. I—wasn't feeling well," Chad stammered. He suddenly found himself jealous of girls who always had the long-standing excuse of PMS or cramps to explain any erratic behavior.

"It's okay, I was just leaving and wanted to say bye."

"Okay, bye," he said, not looking at her. "And happy birthday."

Abby stood at the doorway of Chad's darkened room and observed him as he sat, hunched miserably on edge of his bed. Slowly she walked over and sat beside him.

"You're in love with Cree, aren't you?" Abby asked softly.

Chad looked up at her, surprised for a second. Then focusing again on the floor, murmured, "Is it that obvious?"

"I've seen the way you look at her. I...don't think she knows, though."

"Good."

She studied him. "Good? Why?"

Chad sighed and didn't reply for a while. "She's with Maurice. I don't want to…. If she knew how I felt it would be awkward. At least now I can be near her…."

"It's not enough." Abby's voice was barely a whisper.

Chad turned to her again, caught off-guard by her insight. "You're right, it's not."

He gazed at her next to him as she sat staring at the floor in front of her. She felt kindred, somehow. He studied her, the curl of her lowered lashes, the glow of the soft light on her cheeks, the small pout of her slightly frowning lips.

It was towards those lips he found himself leaning….

"What are you doing?" she demanded, pulling away.

Chad blinked at her and realized he couldn't answer the question. "I—I'm sorry," he stammered, straightening, moving away.

"No, I—" Abby began then stood. "I should go."

Chad nodded, having returned to staring at the floor. "Yeah. Okay."

She stopped at the threshold and looked back at him. "I'm sor—it's just—" She took a breath and continued, "You'd be wishing I were Cree, and I'd…."

"You're right, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was doing," he replied raggedly. "I'm sorry."

The misery hung heavy in the air, and Abby hated that she had somehow added to it. She returned to his side and sat a little distance away from him.

Chad winced at this action and then let out another sigh.

Abby struggled with words of comfort. "Don't be…I mean, it wouldn't work, but…I understand."

He finally met her eyes. Like Cree's, but not. He believed her, she understood.

He managed a smile. "Thanks."

---
---

more author's notes: heh, i don't know, something about this chapter was like watching a very slow train wreck.
anyways, regarding Mega Mom/Mrs. Dickson, i figure the main reason Chad's parents became super-villains was to help their son become "Numbuh One" and now that he's not part of the KND anymore, they no longer have much reason to don the suits. so it's back to the life of a happy homemaker for Mrs. Dickson, albeit a slightly odd, somewhat creepy one.