Devil in the Church: Interlude

Console duty, on the best of days, sucked.

There were two reasons why a Ward ended up on console. You either screwed up, or had the bad luck to be scheduled for it because no one else had screwed up enough recently to rate desk work.

Unsurprisingly, Dennis wasn't here because he was scheduled to be.

It wasn't so much the sitting around part. That wasn't so bad when you had a giant tinkertech TV screen to play your favorite movie or game on. If that didn't appeal, there was always Parahumans Online surfing. Or trolling depending on what the crackpots were up to. Those guys were always good for a laugh.

Nor was it being stuck at base while everyone else was out. Seriously, who wanted that kind of attention anyways? Especially since patrols rarely got any action. Well, unless you were Sophia. She always found something. But for the rest of them, not so much. Most of the time could be best described as, 'Smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.'

No, it was the dead time that got to Dennis. That damning silence that existed between scheduled check-ins from the patrol team. He never did do quiet time well, but it had been especially bad during this last week.

A quick look around the empty room reconfirming he was alone, Dennis took out the playing card that had -admittedly- been weighing on his thoughts more and more lately.

The Queen of Hearts. Was there any significance to that? That she had chosen that specific card? She had given him the same card when she'd given him the address to pick her up. And she had said that she'd had a good time, and at the end there, he'd thought, maybe, but she'd told him to think about things and now he was confused.

Admittedly, it hadn't been the best date. But it also hadn't been the worst he'd heard of, and she hadn't ditched him halfway through like he'd thought she might have. Okay, it had been awkward at first, but once they'd gotten out of that damn restaurant, things had started going pretty good. Dennis knew she hadn't been telling him everything with her answers during their question game, but he understood why.

Okay, yeah, she was kind-of a villain. Close enough to one that Dean was always bringing it up whenever the topic of Gambit came up. Enough so that even Missy was getting sick of hearing about it and had taken avoiding the stalwart teen hero whenever he started in on it. Which, considering the massive crush Missy had on Dean, was saying something.

At least it wasn't just him sick of hearing that argument.

According to the file Ethan managed to sneak them from the New Orleans branch of the PRT, the only evidence they had of her breaking the law was circumstantial. On the other side of the coin was that she worked multiple part time jobs, helped out at an orphanage, and was believed to be the only reason three soup kitchens and two shelters stayed open. She didn't get into cape fights often. Of those times she did, she usually won and made sure they were unconscious for the PRT to pick up.

If she was a villain like Dean harped about, what kind of villain was she?

Which brought him back to the question that had been haunting him for the last week. Why hadn't he called her?

"You're such a girl."

"Shut up, Chris," Dennis mumbled, putting the card away again.

Snickering, the normally shy teen sat next to him. "Seriously, why haven't you called her already? It's driving Missy and me nuts. You guys looked like you were having a blast during your date."

"And look how well that turned out," he groused.

"So you got yelled at by Renick and Dean," Chris chuckled. "That's Tuesday for you. They're always yelling at you for something. You knew it was going to happen when you took off."

Dennis nodded.

"So, why haven't you called her?"

And that was the question.

"It's not that easy, man," Dennis sighed. "Gambit isn't like the girls at school. She's…"

"Which is why I don't understand why you haven't called her yet," Chris interrupted. "Maybe if you did, it would finally shut up Dean about her."

"It's because of Dean I haven't."

"Why?"

"We hung out and stuff, and that was great once we got out of that stupid restaurant. I can handle Dean, but what if he says something to her? Like that New Orleans Ward in her file. Maybe she's cool with hanging out again and we're doing something and he finds out and shows up to ruin it?"

"Dunno, she blows him up or something?" Chris half joked. "That is her power according to what is known. It's not like Dean hasn't been smacked around by a girl before. Hell, GG does it all the time."

"And that would make everything so much better."

"At least it would shut Dean up."

"And probably piss off Collateral Damage Barbie enough to take a swing at Gambit for damaging her boyfriend. You know how she is when girls even look at him funny."

"Dude, Gambit took out that big villain before she moved to the Bay. According to Assault, that guy could hit way harder than Glory Girl. I think Gambit can take care of herself."

"Yeah, but I'd rather she didn't have to defend herself from my friends."

Which, was the problem, Dennis thought to himself. While he didn't mind the flack from his colleagues and friends, he wasn't so sure he could do that to Gambit. She'd had it rough enough, something he could tell by the way she'd answered questions during their date. Not that she had given him anything specific to work with, but that she hadn't spoke volumes.

Not that he really knew enough about her or what she thought of things. She had given him her number. That was a good, right?

Sighing, Dennis shook his head. "I wish there was someone I could talk to about this kind of thing. Too bad Rory graduated. Ever since he joined the Protectorate he's been way too busy to hang out with us. Rory always seemed to know about these kinds of things."

"Yeah, but adult hero stuff. Not much we can do about it, you know? What about Assault? He helped before."

"Maybe, if I knew where he was," Dennis answered. "I haven't seen him all week."

Chris nodded. "I wonder what he's doing?"

"No idea. Probably some case he got assigned or something."

"He would just call you a girl for not manning up and calling Gambit."

"He would have helped me by making Dean back off."

"Probably. While calling you a girl."

XxX Gambit XxX

"You're bluffing."

"It will cost you two shortbreads and three thin mints to know for sure," the preteen girl across from him said.

Eyes narrowing behind his visor, Assault looked down at the few cookies he had left before adding the requirement to the pool. Even if she wasn't bluffing, he had three jacks. Those cookies were as good as his. "Call."

Next to him, Gambit watched silently, a gimlet twinkle in her black eyes as she folded. "I might be a gambling woman, but there are some bets you just don't take."

"Seriously?"

"Three thin mints," Gambit lazily replied. "Must be a heck of a hand."

Behind the kid across from him, a gaggle of her friends -all of whom had already lost all their cookies in previous rounds- giggled behind their hands, whispering to each other while the pint-sized card shark still seated at the table smirked knowingly as she put down her cards.

Three kings.

When his jaw dropped, her friends cheered and swamped the girl, offering congratulations.

Turning quickly back to Gambit, Assault pointed at her cards, saying, "You said that when she chews her hair it's a tell that she's bluffing!"

"I did," Gambit laughed.

"She wasn't bluffing."

"No, she wasn't."

"She chewed her hair!"

"She did, but she was smirking when she did it," Gambit explained, fighting her obvious amusement over his mock outrage. "You were sitting right there when I explained everyone's tells after Marcy asked about them. Face it, mon cher, Angela played you."

Giggles and laughter erupted from the young girls, mixed with chuckles from several of their watching parents. Sighing, he slumped in his seat, playing the part of the sucker while trying to fight his own smile at the kids.

Getting up when Gambit did, they moved away from the table, letting the girls take over. Stopping under the banner, Gambit whispered, "Thanks. I know birthday parties are not really part of the whole hero thing at your level."

"No problem. I've wanted to meet your Girl Scouts ever since I heard about them," he chuckled. "Besides, they're good kids. Except for her, she's evil."

Chuckling herself, Gambit nodded. "Ma Petite is crafty, no doubt. Best hope she never gets powers. It won't be a month before she takes over the city. Pretty sure Chubster would help her if she kept him supplied in cookies. Which, she would."

"She knows Chubster?"

"She was helping her friend sell her share and asked me to help. I took them to meet him and they sold him thirty boxes of cookies," Gambit smirked. "Marcy was so excited about it, it wouldn't surprise me if it turned out to be a new record. They would have sold him more, but his wife wouldn't cover it when he asked her for more money. Good thing for Chubster we caught him between rent collections otherwise I think she would have been really mad when he turned up empty handed except for a wagon of cookies."

"Chubster's married?"

Gambit chuckled.

Looking over the laughing and joking group, his attention was caught by the sole girl who wasn't joining in. Just standing on the outskirts of the group with a smile that screamed fake.

"Is she okay?"

"Not sure," Gambit answered. "Angela mentioned she was having a hard time recently."

"Oh? Something happen?" Assault asked concerned.

"Sort of," Gambit answered. "There was a drive by about a month ago. Not your usual cape gang stuff, just normal people hating people. Apparently Dinah saw it happen. She's been shook up ever since. Real quiet and it's rare she leaves her house outside of school. Even at school, Angela said she's quiet and tends to keep to herself."

"Damn."

"Yeah. It's kind of a big thing that she even came here tonight. I think having a hero here helped."

"Please," Assault snorted. "These kids love you. I'm surprised you haven't taken over the troop yet."

"If Angela and Marcy had their way, I would have," Gambit chuckled. "As it is, I don't think their parents like me very much."

Across the room several of the girls parents mingled. Occasionally one of them looked their way, gazes a mix of curiosity and admiration toward him, while Gambit received looks of mistrust or suspicion. Thankfully, those looks had tapered off as they watched them interact with the kids.

"Probably because you're teaching their kids how to play poker."

"Marcy wanted me to teach them to pick locks," Gambit snorted. "Elizabeth and Veronica keep asking me to teach them sleight of hand. Don't ask what Angela wanted me to teach them. Poker was my compromise."

"Great," Assault muttered. "Just what this city needs. Cute little Girl Scouts who can break into your house and lift your wallet when they're not fleecing you at card games. It was bad enough when they just sold cookie crack. Now they'll attack your wallet from both ends! Get your money one way or another. How'd you even get involved with them?"

"Just seemed to happen," Gambit chuckled fondly. "Met Angela my first day in Brockton Bay and things sort of went from there. When I mentioned to her I used to actually be a Girl Scout she insisted I come to one of their meetings. That's where I met most of the others. Even wore my old sash over my armor. They loved that. Their parents, not so much."

"I bet," Assault snorted. "I would have answered that call when it came in but I was laughing too hard and Battery wouldn't let me go since I lacked the ability to behave myself. Triumph said good things when he came back, even if he looked kind of embarrassed. I haven't seen Prism laugh like that since last year's Christmas party when Mouse Protector showed up and spent the whole night hitting on Armsmaster."

"Glad I could entertain you," Gambit said dryly. "Though as to his embarrassment, I think that might have been because I talked him into helping me show the kids how to tie a knot."

"Not sure I get that."

"They practiced by tying up Triumph and seeing if he could get out of it."

"No wonder Prism's laughing made him blush like that," Assault laughed. "I bet that never made it into the report."

"Probably not," Gambit agreed, chuckling herself and ignoring the extra attention Assault's laughter was bringing them.

Shaking her head at his antics, Gambit turned to him. "Thanks again for showing up. It means a lot to the girls. Are you sure I can't convince you to take the money?"

"Nope," he replied joyfully. "I know how things work, Gambit, but something like this isn't about respect between capes."

"You're still into me for twenty-five," I reminded him. "Getting five of it back shouldn't bring up any red flags, if that is something your worried about."

"Even if Protectorate heroes didn't have to work in a different rule bracket, I wouldn't take it for something like this, Gambit"

"We both know this is not about Angela's birthday party, Assault. It's about being seen with me."

It was about seeming legitimacy was what she meant, and both knew it. Even in a small circle like a kids birthday party, being seen with a legitimate hero gave Gambit -even under rogue standards- a certain kind of air. If nothing else, it definitely put her on the neutral side of the line.

"And like I told you when you asked, I don't have a problem with that," Assault said. "Of course, that changes if you get caught breaking the law or are suspected of it. But until then, we're good."

"It doesn't work that way. It's never worked that way."

"It can."

Gambit frowned.

Shrugging, Assault turned away to watch the kids having fun. "I'm serious."

"Is this another Wards pitch?"

Allowing his smile to show he didn't deny it.

"Two pitches in the same amount of weeks," Gambit mumbled. "I've never been so popular. When I left New Orleans everyone there hated me. Always suspicious. Always… condescending. Like because I didn't want to join the Protectorate I was a villain regardless of the good I did. Just because I looked different."

"It's not easy, straddling the line in today's cape world," Assault said low enough that only Gambit would hear. "There's always lots of talk about how -in general- people prefer to see capes as rogues but we both know the reality of that life. Rogues are only rogues until someone decides they should pick a side and even a lot of villains are only labeled as much because of one bad decision that can't be taken back."

When she didn't reply, Assault asked, "Would it surprise you if I told you I have some experience with this?"

"Yes."

"It doesn't happen much," Assault said. "But sometimes. Especially if the cape isn't well known or objectionable. I was borderline when I switched. Before that I was an active villain for some time. Even had a hero nemesis and everything. I was making a ridiculous amount of money doing what I did. Helped people sometimes and lived how I wanted, by my own rules. I had it pretty good. Ate what I wanted, lots of nice top shelf things, all that stuff. But you know what I didn't have?"

"Your mask on a brand name cereal box?"

"A life," he continued, his tone surprisingly serious, making sure to look directly into the girls hellish eyes. "Straddling the line means large groups will use you, but won't let you get close in case you end up on opposite sides later. The same with small groups and most indies will sell you out faster than you can blink if it means you or them.

"Which meant I was alone a lot outside of my civilian ID, and what good was that? Can't tell them what you do for a living which means you spend most of your time lying to everyone who even remotely matters. You can't really live like that."

"So what," Gambit asked flatly. "You just decided one day that enough was enough? Time to see what the other side was like?"

"No," Assault answered evenly. "I almost killed my nemesis."

Gambit blinked.

"I was on a job," he explained. "We had this thing going for months by then. I'd do a job, she'd show up and we'd banter and fight it out. Never stopped me from completing my contracts, which pissed her off like you wouldn't believe.

"It was fun, like adding a challenge by handicapping myself. After a while she was getting pretty good and our bouts always brought something new, which was just a bonus. After a while I didn't think she might interrupt me, I expected it. Even purposely let slip things now and then to make sure she heard about it so she could."

"That… that sounds pretty damn hard to believe, to be honest. You're about the most cordial member of the Protectorate I've ever met. Even if you're a bit of an ass sometimes."

Assault grinned, but then sighed and continued. "It's true though. Then there was that fight and it was great. She gave it all she had and far more than I was expecting, but things kept escalating. By the end of it her whole team was out and it was just us. We traded insults and jibes as well as powered blows. She just wouldn't give up, and I didn't want her to. Then she made a mistake, and I had her dead to rights.

"I knew I had her. She knew I had her, but I knew that if I did it, I'd hurt her. Not just a little hurt, but hurt her badly. I knew that if I crossed that line I would lose whatever it was we had going. Already it felt like I was at a tipping point and was going to lose no matter what I did."

"What happened?"

"I couldn't do it," Assault answered honestly. "I played it off by being the gloating monologuing villain, but it didn't change anything. I took off, confused about everything. Between that job and the next I realized that whatever this thing was between us, it was the most honest relationship I had ever had with anyone since I'd gotten powers. This rivalry, it was more real than anything else I had going on in my life prior. So the next time we fought, I put up a good fight, but let her catch me and struck a deal with the Protectorate."

Gambit paused for a long moment. "Maybe I'm not as alone as you think I am."

Her silence had already given away how much she related. Assault didn't know her exact circumstances, but even with what she'd said about the Protectorate in New Orleans, she was missing something here, that she'd had back there. A hole that even teaching girl scouts how to tie knots couldn't fill.

"Once upon a time, I said the same thing," Assault countered.

"Just something to think about," he added when Gambit didn't reply. "Before you find yourself in a similar situation, or worse, the choice is made for you. Both are likely the way things are in the cape world now. Especially in this city."

"You're not the first person to mention something like that," Gambit said. "That there was something about this city not liking neutrality."

"It doesn't," Assault stated. "If you're a villain and white, you'll end up with the Empire, or killed by them at some point. Same if you're Asian, just with ABB. As much as I don't like either, both are better than getting hooked on something and joining the Merchants, but they don't always give you the choice. The other groups are not much better, but make no mistake, every rogue eventually picks a side in Brockton Bay. With villains, it's just a matter of which poison is your flavor and we both know you're not a rogue."

Turning revealed Gambit looking back at him, stone faced with an eyebrow raised. Assault chuckled. "I've read your file and I'm uniquely qualified to be able to read between the lines. I'll say it, you're good. Especially considering how old you are and what you've gotten done in just two years."

"Assuming you're right, why the pitch?" Gambit asked blandly. "Shouldn't you be arresting me instead of hanging out at a birthday party?"

"I will, if it comes to it. But I'm hoping that doesn't prove necessary."

"Why?"

"Because for everything you've done -and we both know you've done your share and then some- I think being a hero would suit you more than being a villain."

"And what if I don't want to be a hero?" Gambit asked.

"I think you've already made your choice," Assault answered, waving his hand over the giggling preteen girls. "I just don't think you're aware of your options. And you have options, Gambit. Options that maybe didn't exist in New Orleans. Or maybe didn't exist the same way they do here?"

"I don't have a good track record with heroes. They tend to want to arrest me or fight. Usually both."

"Well, there's two in Brockton Bay that don't."

Gambit snorted in denial. "He never called me."

"He's young. And a guy," Assault snickered. "But mostly he's a guy. We do stuff like not calling the girl we like because we're idiots."

"Maybe."

"Well, I know that neither Vista nor Kid Win dislike you."

"They haven't met me yet," Gambit retorted.

Assault nodded putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Think about it."

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You never said what happened with your nemesis. That rivalry thing you guys had."

"No, I guess I didn't."

"So what happened?"

"I married her," Assault smirked. "The Protectorate got a new 'hero' and I got my puppy. Best decision I ever made. The only regret I have is how long it took me to do it."

With that, Assault walked away and toward the kids. Once again to wish the birthday girl a happy birthday and say goodbye to the others before shaking hands with the adults. By the time he was leaving, Gambit was once again surrounded by chattering girls, answering questions or telling a story, by the looks on their faces.

Noticeably, the troubled girl he noticed earlier was sitting right next to Gambit, her face just as enthralled by what was being said as the others, with no trace of the worry or stress that had been there before.

And she didn't think of herself as a hero.

Just as he stepped outside, his phone rang. Checking the ID, he almost laughed as he answered it.

"Hey Clock, I was just talking about you…"