It's a surreal moment, Carol thinks to herself.
Eating breakfast at the kitchen island of her new (temporary, she swears) home, she observes the pseudo family go about its business.
"You sure it's not Beck?" Peter (JUST her roommate, she claims) asks. "I've seen some signs lately that point to a Mysterio."
"Positive", Matt (her neighbor, but not her lawyer) replies. "Illusionists were the first thing I checked out. All are accounted for one way or another." He taps at something on one of the papers they are hunched over. "I'm thinking something spookier."
"Zoinks. Is "spookier" one of those fancy lawyer terms?" Peter quips while arranging some of the scattered paperwork. Carol nearly chokes on her cereal and BBQ sauce (not as funny as he thinks he is, she tells anyone who asks).
You don't need super senses to practically feel Matt roll his eyes. "If the word fits, shut up and think who could be doing this."
Carol turns blue to keep from laughing hearing Peter's, "Old Johnny would have made it sound better." (Better than she gives him credit for, she quietly admits to herself.)
Behind the squabbling duo, Carol can see Elektra (dangerous lady) using the cutting board while Laura (another dangerous lady) watches and asks an occasional question. Two professional killers, and they were discussing cooking recipes and techniques like civilians. (And Peter wanted to raise a baby HERE?)
The ball of demented sunshine drops from the ceiling next to her. May, April, June, or July, whatever she was calling herself (you've had similar issues don't judge, she scolds herself) drops a packet onto the island counter. "Here you go pops, my paperwork to be an official Marvel Knight", she smiles brightly and steals a cereal puff from Carol's bowl.
"Awesome", Peter tells her and places her paperwork in his gathered bundle. Carol can sense a subtle movement in the air and watches a few spiders (kind of cute, she'll never tell a soul) slide Peter's water glass closer to April. The younger woman gags on the sauce covered breakfast staple and downs the glass. (Serves her right, she grins internally.)
"You remember Blackheart?" Matt questions suddenly.
"Hmm", Peter leans forward on the counter and stares into nothingness (intense when he's not flapping his lips, she notes). Carol watches him as he peals back the layers of memories. Fights, beatings, victories, tragedies, it all races through his mind, reminding the cosmic heroine that the man before her is older than he likes to act. (More mature, she squashes the thought down quickly.)
His face comes alive again in sudden remembrance, "dark, shadowy guy with the big eyes? Some kind of demon or something?" Again she is surprised by the breadth of his experience. She knew of Blackheart, and wasn't entirely expecting some street level heroes to have encountered him. (Kind of elitist, she begrudgingly admits.)
"That's the one", Matt nods. He begins to gather his papers into a worn briefcase. "I've heard tell of some cultist group stirring in the sewers."
"An offshoot of the Hand", the Greek woman comments while she and the business attired younger woman begin dividing the prepared food.
"These guys shoot their hands off?" Peter asks mock seriously. Laura brings him a sealed bowl and smacks the back of his head stoically.
"Anyway", Matt continues with a grin, "supposedly these few are attempting to raise a new, powerful being to lead them. If this is connected with the rise in violence recently, they may be trying to recruit Blackheart. Or some creature like him"
"I gotcha Murdock", Peter places his belongings in his book bag. "We can bend Steve's ear a bit when DD shows at HQ. Ninja cultists are serious business." (She can't believe this is a serious conversation.)
The redhead nods again and takes lunch Elektra prepared for him. "And I'll check with the patent office. I have a friend down there. I'll see if they can't find out something on your freeze tech."
"Speaking of freeze tech", Peter turns to his "daughter". "Anything to report Officer AV?" (Anti-Venom, she reminds herself.)
"Adult male. 47. Divorced with a son finishing high school. Ex-wife was with her new husband in Seattle at the time estimated time of freezing", she recites from memory. (More professional than her father, she chides.)
"Hmm. She could have teleported there and back to do it", the head of M.K.C.S.I. (YYYYEEEEAAAAHHHHH! He's rubbing of on her, she laments) ponders. "But where could she have gotten her hands on outdated freezer tech, not to mention a teleporter?"
"I doubt it's her", April takes her own bowl. She looks a bit green from the cereal mishap but thanks Laura for the food.
"Probably not. But that just leaves us with the possible patent office lead", Peter gathers himself together. He's remained oblivious to her constant observation.
"Miguel", Laura reminds him. She slips on her fake glasses and gathers her own book bag.
"Maybe", April adds, casual clothes shifting into something more professional. "I don't see how future boy could have any idea of a weapon from the past though."
She feels it more than anything. Like a click in the air. Peter pauses for a fraction of a second, unnoticed by everyone except herself and Matt who doesn't comment on it.
"Time travel", he utters softly before he explodes into motion. He kisses April on the cheek, "meet us at HQ at noon." In his excitement he kisses her on the cheek, smearing some of the BBQ sauce she accidentally left there, "have a nice day." She leaves her scandalized as he makes his way around the island to Elektra. She brandishes a wooden spoon at him threateningly. Peter pauses and smiles apologetically. Matt grins at his friend and kisses Elektra on the cheek, her eyes never leaving her potential victim.
Peter, Laura, and Matt leave the apartment. Carol sits still running the last few moments over in her brain. "I'm going to kill him." (She wasn't really, she sighs.)
"No you're not", April grins at her. As much as she liked the strange girl, she sometimes wished her powers were working 100% so she could throw her across the city.
"Well then", the eerily silent ninja woman questioned them, "what shall we do with our day?"
Carol looks at her in confusion. "Don't you have to work?"
"Day off", was her received reply.
Carol fell silent as April began talking animatedly to Elektra. As a high profile hero Carol never really felt left out. But as she spent the last few days getting used to living with Peter and Co., she realized how apart she was from some of the other heroes. Even looking at her friendships with the Jessicas, she now realized how much she had in common with the ex-Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and how little she had with the former PI current Knight. And that dinner was in two days! (Great, she sighed.)
She was jostled out of her musings by Elektra taking her bowl to the sink. April had long left to do whatever she did when no one was around.
Carol took a long look at the woman washing her bowl. (Cereal and BBQ sauce? The thought suddenly made her slightly queasy.)
"Elektra?"
The deadly woman turned to the blonde with a brow raised.
"Can… can you tell me about yourself?" Carol struggled to find the words. "I don't think I know too much about you. Or Matt. Hell, or Peter for that matter."
Elektra turned off the water and sat at the opposite end of the island facing the other woman.
"I never realized how much everyone goes through. I'm used to slugging it out with a Power-Skrull or blasting off into space with the Avengers. I just never stopped to consider what kind of things some of the "street-level" heroes went through."
"So you would like to learn?" Elektra filled in. "To understand us, to understand HIM better?"
"So I can understand everyone better", Carol placed emphasis on "everyone".
"Very well. I will tell you a little about myself", the dark haired woman agreed. "But."
Carol waited with a held breath.
"I want to know how you feel about Peter."
How she felt about Peter? Didn't she already tell everyone they weren't together? Has he been telling everyone something else? No, he would have to actually INTERACT with people before he could gossip. Which he has been getting better at. She knew he was socially awkward. Getting out with the Knights seems to have helped a bit. Now he's the popular one. She could appreciate the irony. No, she's glad they're friends, but she can't really see them being anything more.
She was about to say as much to Elektra when April came bounding in to the fridge. "I forgot to tell dad Rachel was calling around looking for him."
Rachel? RACHEL? Who the hell is "Rachel"? Has he been seeing this woman while he's had her here? If he got her to move in, why hasn't he broke up with this Rachel person? She was going to tear him in two when he got home. Seeing another woman behind her back, the outrage. The gall. The…
Elektra's smile told her the ninja got all the information she asked for.
Carol pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.
(Crap.)