Chapter One Hundred and Seventy

...

Gemma was equal parts excited and nervous to be moving to Maxville, Ohio. On the one hand, she would be out of her father's shadow and his loving but overprotective nature. On the other hand, it was Ohio.

Despite the fact that it was Maxville, home and birthplace of most known supers, it was still a far cry from California. Lake Erie wasn't like the beaches of California, and she'd been told by all of her friends that a California sushi roll wasn't the same outside of California. They'd said the same thing when she'd gone to Japan, and she didn't really like the beach anyway, so Gemma was determined to enjoy the opportunity and life she planned on building.

She had been accepted for a job that would use her MBA as a store manager and her minor in geology since it was selling jewellery and appraising stock. Even better, the job came with an apartment in the same building so she didn't have to find accommodation. Her father had, of course, determined it as a tactical and security nightmare and had planned on sending his own protective detail for her until Gemma had talked him down. Her mother had helped, she was sure of it, and Gemma reminded herself to send her an extra large bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day this year.

She had arrived the night before and it had been a breath of fresh air when she'd left the airport terminal without finding a bunch of men in black suits with ear pieces waiting for her. She had taken a taxi without needing to wait for her security detail to get their asses in gear, and felt positively giddy at the experience.

God, that had been a pain in Japan; the three tall men had stuck out like sore thumbs even without the black suits and ear pieces, and every single trip had been delayed because they needed to check buses and taxis and every vehicle in the vicinity to make sure she was safe. She understood their jobs and while she appreciated her father's form of overprotective love, that had been the last straw. She'd come home from Japan - all of the photos had at least one security guard, and it had become a game of 'try to get a selfie before the security guards step in the frame' which she had failed each and every time - and applied for six jobs across the country after drinking all of the saké she'd bought in the airport on the way home.

Checking her reflection in the mirror by her door, Gemma decided the pencil skirt and blouse were professional enough, her hair done up in the fanciest lazy way she could manage at 8am after a red eye flight and four hours of sleep. But she was a professional and she could get through one day before coming home and collapsing on her lovely new bed to sleep.

Taking her apartment key and phone, Gemma slipped her heels on and headed downstairs to start her first day at Gemstone's.

The store was at the front of the apartment building, across from a bakery that smelled delicious even from the elevator. Skipping breakfast in favour of sleeping longer hadn't been her best decision, but Gemma stood by it, and she passed the bakery to enter Gemstone's with only the scent of food and coffee to fuel her.

Turning on the lights, Gemma stopped in awe for a long moment. She'd seen photos and Jewel had taken her on a virtual tour, but they paled in comparison to seeing the store and diamond-covered feature wall in person. Pinks and blues covered the wall in a geometric fashion, the colour intensifying where the colours mixed. Jewel had asked Gemma's opinion on the colours since she would be the one looking at it all day, and she was glad she'd been able to steer Jewel away from a pure neon pink wall. The diamond covering was pure and sparkled, even in the store's fluorescent lighting, and she knew it would be the talking feature. Along with the jewelled rib cage and eye set that were centred in the store, of course.

Gemma had seen the Maxville Fashion Week debut on TV, along with the rest of the world who couldn't attend the prestigious week, and she was still morbidly fascinated by the ribs and eyes. Being only metres away from them didn't lessen her fascination, but she couldn't help but look away; those eyes looked like they might blink and that was a little too terrifying to contemplate when she was the only one in the store.

The display cabinets set up around the store were lined with black velvet. Some of the glass cabinets included jewelled trees to display necklaces and earrings at a better vantage point, while others had trees that looked like skeletal hands with rings adorning each finger-like branch.

Doing a walk around the store to see the bracelets and earrings, the necklaces and jewelled ornaments, Gemma paused at the display window at the front, looking out to the street. Cars drove past, a few vans, a bright yellow school bus and taxis among the vehicles, and Gemma was already at her work with half an hour to spare. She didn't envy anyone the commute, especially considering the number of villains she'd seen terrorising Maxville on the news every other week.

Finishing the lap of the store, she spent a moment straightening the chairs and table at the side of the store for the VIP customers. Gemma then took note of where the security cameras were, where the high end collection was held, and made a few notes on her phone about moving the expensive jewel drop earring and necklace set so the cameras could see them more clearly. She refused to let anyone steal from her job, and if they tried, they would find out exactly how much pain the daughter of an Admiral could cause.

Walking around the counter so she could put her keys away in the staff area and organise the computer before the day started, Gemma grinned at the sight of the pink and blue geometric bags and ribboned boxes already prepared. There were boxes of more bags and ribboned boxes in the staff area, so Gemma bent to lift them, stretching out her back at the same time.

She needed to find the gym in the building and start running again. At least until she figured out a safe route to run outside, she mused.

...

Ex watched as the leggy brunette bent down to lift a box, doing something complicated and twisty with her back before squatting - in heels and a skirt, he had to admire that just as much as the view - and lifting the box with as much precision as a robot programmed with health regulations.

He hadn't even wolf-whistled at her - see, he could be a gentleman, Ex thought with a grin - just as she turned around and caught him looking at her legs.

Her eyes widened and then narrowed with a glare. She set the box on the table next to her, moved forward, and without a word of introduction, slapped him hard across the face.

Ex had been greeted this way far too many times over the years, but he usually knew the woman's name first.

...

Bader groaned when his phone vibrated on the bedside table, glaring at the sunlight streaming into his room. He was sure he'd closed his blinds last night when he'd said goodbye to his family and locked himself in his room. Pepe was clearly dying to know what was going on, but Decima and the prospect of a child-free evening awaited him, so Bader had managed to avoid what would have been a night of questions. He was glad for the reprieve, honestly, because Bader had no idea how to tell his over-the-top-still-in-love-after-thirty-years parents that he might've been dumped by Quentin on their first date. They'd want to know why and how, and despite them seeing the news footage of the aquarium, they hadn't realised that he'd been the one to poison everyone. They didn't know that Quentin had looked at him after his explanation of his power as a poison dart frog shifter, or how Quentin's voice had trembled with betrayal as he'd asked Bader if he'd poisoned him, too. His parents didn't understand what it was like to have to answer 'yes' to that question, even as he'd apologised profusely and repeatedly.

His Mami had never poisoned Pepe, and certainly not on purpose on their first date. Besides, they'd been together for so long that they no longer knew what it was like to be in a relationship before the other person knew what they were. Pepe and Mami had met in the forest while shifted, and Barney was always so proud and smitten by the fact that despite being surrounded by what could have been hundreds of frogs of all kinds, Decima had chosen him.

"She could have had anyone there, but she chose me," Pepe had said so often, tears in his eyes, love in his voice and expression, and ever since he'd first heard those words and truly understood what they meant, Bader wanted that. He wanted someone to choose him over everyone else, too.

Now, the person he wanted didn't want him, was horrified and disgusted by him, and would probably never want to talk to him again, let alone see him again.

His phone vibrated again, and Bader watched as it vibrated right off the edge of his bedside table. Stifling his groan of annoyance - Pepe could be waiting outside of his room, ready to pounce as soon as he knew he was awake - Bader leaned over to grab it, wincing at the bright screen. His eyes widened in the next instant because it wasn't a text message from Pepe or his siblings like he'd thought, it was Quentin calling.

Bader snatched up his phone and answered the call. "Hello? Quentin? Is that you?"

"Yes. I thought you saved my name in your phone?"

"I did. I did. I just... I thought it might have been a mistake. You calling me," he added, wincing and forcing himself to shut up right now.

Quentin paused, and Bader could almost see the little line he'd get between his eyebrows when Quentin got confused by something. "It isn't a mistake, Bader."

"Oh. Oh, that's good. I... How are you?" he asked, biting his lip so he wouldn't desperately ask the question he desperately wanted to ask: do you forgive me and do you still want to date me?

"I'm all right. The poison left my system within a few hours, like you said it would."

Bader felt like he'd been sucker punched. Quentin didn't say the words with malice or anger, but his constant tone was somehow worse than either. It was a statement, clearly, and Bader would never forget it: you poisoned me.

"I spent most of the night thinking," Quentin continued, and Bader had to force himself to listen and concentrate on the words instead of his own blood running cold and the fire of disappointment burning in his chest. "I couldn't think of a logical way around it."

Bader frowned. "What?"

"The aquarium. There was no way for us to be awake and conscious without drawing suspicion when everyone else was knocked out by the supposed gas bomb. Even if we'd managed to escape out of the aquarium through the hole or Really Cool Reef, there were too many witnesses that had seen us there. You actually resolved the situation faster than Airborne would have or already had. Knocking everyone out stopped more plants from being destroyed by the hero, villain, or citizens trampling them, too."

Bader didn't give a solitary fuck about the plants. They didn't matter to him, Quentin did. But Quentin was worried about the plants, so maybe he did give a solitary fuck about the plants, after all. Just one, and the rest was for Quentin.

"Can you promise you won't poison me again on purpose without asking first? Or at least letting me know?" Quentin asked.

"I won't. I promise. I'm sorry, Quentin, again. I really am."

"I accept your apology, Bader. Please let me know if you have to do it again, okay?"

"Yes, I will. I... Shit, I'm sorry. I was so worried I'd killed you by accident and your ghost would haunt me and you'd hate me forever," Bader burst out, his voice trembling as much as his body. He didn't know if it was relief or fear or exhaustion, but he couldn't make it stop either way. Bringing his legs up to his chest, Bader rested his forehead on his knees and tried to control his breathing and listen to Quentin's response.

"I wouldn't hate you, Bader. You had just taken off a repressing cuff, so the poison you released was likely to be diminished, and you wouldn't have killed me on purpose."

Bader let out a small moan. He hated the fact that Quentin was talking about him accidentally killing him so calmly. "I... I'm so sorry. I can't... I... "

There was a moment of silence and Bader struggled to breathe through the weight crushing his chest.

"Bader? Are you all right?"

Bader couldn't breathe, he couldn't answer, he couldn't do anything...

"Do you want to break up with me?"

The shock of Quentin asking that question with a tremble in his voice felt like Bader had just been thrown into a freezing cold river in winter. He somehow managed to breathe through the cold. "No! No, I don't. Do you want to break up with me?"

"No. I liked our date before a hole was blown in the wall. Even before the kissing, though I definitely enjoyed that, too," Quentin said.

Bader was going to die because Quentin sounding shy was something he was not mentally or physically ready for before... whatever the time was.

"So did I," Bader admitted, smiling as he remembered the feel of Quentin's mouth and tongue and hands. "Would you like to try it again?"

"Kiss you? Or go on another date?"

"Both?"

"Oh. Yes, both. Definitely both, Bader."

Okay, now Bader really was going to die because Quentin sounded breathless and lusty, which was clearly illegal at this ungodly time.

"I have to go to work now. Can I call you after work? I'd like you to choose where we go on our next date."

"Yes, please call. Enjoy work, Quentin. I'll be thinking of you," he said, wondering if the underlying meaning would be clear in exactly what context he'd be thinking of Quentin.

"Enjoy your day, Bader. Talk tonight. I'll call at 6pm."

"Talk then."

Bader glanced at the phone screen to ensure Quentin's call had ended, then let out a happy noise, muffled against his arms. His phone vibrated again and he looked at the screen to see that he had several messages from Pepe, Mal, and even Obe. He ignored them for the moment: he had a date to organise!

Wait. If he organised the date, that meant he had to pay, didn't it? He really needed a job if he was going to treat Quentin the way he deserved.

...

The blue on the wall - the blue she had picked personally - was the same colour as his eyes, Gemma realised. She hated that she'd chosen it subconsciously, almost as much as she hated the man standing in front of her. He was looking at her like he didn't even know her, which hurt worse than the day she'd woken up to an empty bed.

"Well, hello to you, too, sunshine," Ex said, rubbing his jaw.

"Why are you here?" Gemma asked, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring.

"Security for the building. Thought I'd introduce myself, but I get the feeling you know me," Ex said with a grin that usually had people forgiving him sooner rather than later.

Gemma glared harder. Maybe if she kept glaring he'd turn to stone and she could sell him in the store.

"All right then. I'm Ex, and you are?" he asked, offering a hand despite the death glare.

Gemma was so tense she couldn't move or she'd hit him again. Maybe between the legs, since he was obviously a dick, and deserved to be kicked in said dick. Several times. She needed to get her pointy heels so it would hurt.

"All right. Look, I'm sorry if I slept with someone you know, but - "

Gemma slapped him again so hard her hand hurt. "Get the fuck out."

"Jesus, all right!" Ex said, stepping back and leaving before she could murder him with her heels or something. "Have a nice day, sunshine, and enjoy the store opening!" he said over his shoulder, trying not to sound sarcastic when that's all he'd really come in to say.

"Super damn Jesus, Ex. What did you do?" Baby asked, seeing the red imprint on his cheek.

"Fucked if I know," Ex muttered.

"I thought you said you hadn't slept with anyone in Maxville?"

"I haven't! Well, not that I know of," Ex said, rubbing his jaw again.

"You should apologise anyway," Baby said.

"That's why I got slapped the second time."

Baby frowned at Ex, then looked over to the jewellery store, and wondered what the hell had happened in there. Looking to the security screens, Baby sent Sport and Ex to get some ice so he could see it for himself.

...

Kid was going insane. It felt like every corner he turned, there was one of the teenagers, or their friends, or Layla and Warren themselves, and every time he saw them, his fight or flight instinct kicked in. Alarm bells rang in his head each time, warning him of danger, and he was exhausted by the noise. The only reprieve he seemed to get was at the end of the day when he could go to his and Buddy's apartment and avoid everyone else.

Kid had worked a double shift to cover for Sport's date with Ammie, and the exhaustion was catching up to him. He stepped out of the elevator, alarm bells going off in his mind again and Kid forced himself to be alert and to not respond to the noise by crying in frustration.

"Hourglass? I mean, Honey? What are you doing here?" he asked, frowning at her.

"Hey, Kid. It's all right. The noise will stop soon, I promise. In the meantime, I brought this for you," Honey said, putting a bracelet of all things over his wrist.

The alarm bells faded and Kid breathed out a shuddering sigh of relief. He knew the noise and constant alert had been detrimental but he hadn't realised how much until the noise was no longer there. "Oh, fuck. Thank you, Honey."

"It's a temporary measure, okay? You need something more... permanent for it to stop. But this will be enough to give you a break and your powers to focus on the proper threats, okay?"

Kid straightened up at her words. "What threats?"

She smiled, though the action didn't reach her eyes and in Kid's opinion, she looked sad. "I can't tell you that, Kid. You'll find out soon enough," Honey said, patting his wrist. "I'm on my way to see Alice and Chayton. Lottie's sewing machine arrived this week, so she's going to be busy."

"Oh. That explains Killer and Champ looking at fabric sites in the security room," Kid murmured, shaking his head. "Can you... can you say hi to Alice for me and Buddy? And Chayton too. I don't think he remembers us, though," he admitted.

"Of course. I'll send her up to you when I'm done talking to her, okay?"

Kid nodded firmly. "Thank you, Honey."

"You're welcome, Kid. Uh, wait for six minutes before you have a shower, okay?"

Kid frowned at her words, his frown only deepening when Honey blushed. "Wait, what? Why?"

Honey grinned. "You'll find out. Listen to your local seer, and trust me, okay?"

Kid sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Of course I trust you, Honey. I wouldn't be alive or employed if it weren't for you."

"Good. Go on, now, or we'll both be late," she said, patting his hand and stepping around him to walk into the elevator.

Kid didn't know how to respond and by the time he thought he should have at least said goodbye, Honey was already gone. Sighing, he headed up the hallway to his and Buddy's apartment. He set a timer for six minutes and moved about the kitchen, getting a long drink of water and trying to distract himself from why on Earth he needed to wait to shower. Buddy was doing the night shift tonight, so he'd have time to himself, but Kid saw a note on the fridge in his familiar block handwriting.

Gone shopping. Back soon. Buying more condoms and your fave lube 3

Kid snorted. Of course Bud would write something like that. At least he was getting the good lube this time.

Glancing at his phone, Kid saw he still had three minutes remaining. Unlocking his phone, he navigated to the messages and wondered if he should message Bud to bring home junk food. He saw his recent messages and sighed when he saw Alice's name followed by far too many love heart emojis.

"God damn it, Bud. Stop changing my contacts," he muttered, his thumb hovering over her name and tempted to change it back to his far more practical 'Alice' contact name. The alarm went off loudly and Kid yelped at the sudden noise. "Fuck, I forgot that was on. Stay," Kid said to his phone, balancing it on top of his empty water glass and heading for the bathroom.

Washing away a double security shift of tension and the last few weeks of noise tension from his power, Kid decided he was keeping this damn bracelet on for the rest of his life if it meant he didn't have to hear that alarm again. Standing beneath the pounding spray for a few extra minutes was a luxury he didn't usually allow. Not only did it waste water, but Kid got used to fast showers in the Navy and hadn't outgrown the habit, even though he'd been in private security for long enough. His guilt at wasting water was easy to assuage thanks to the Sanctuary's water recycling system. There was a machine in the basement, a level below the internal parking space, and it recycled grey water throughout the apartments and offices. It was probably more technical and involved than that simple explanation, but that's how Kid understood it and since he didn't have to fix the thing or do anything else with it, that's all that mattered.

The doorbell rang loudly and Kid turned off the shower at the sound. Figuring Buddy had his hands full with their groceries and couldn't open the door, Kid wrapped a towel around his waist and hurried out to open the door, wet footprints trailing on the hardwood floor behind him.

"How much lube did you buy? Oh, fuck."

It was definitely not Buddy at the door, and Kid's cheeks burned bright red when he saw Alice standing there, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Uh, sorry, Alice. I didn't realise... I should have checked... I... I'm not even dressed. Damn, just... Fuck, give me a minute?"

"I don't mind," Alice said, still staring at him like she was afraid to blink.

"Hello, dear Alice. What brings you over to our neck of the woods? Ooh, Kid, look at you. Actually, I think I've had this wet dream before," Buddy said, grinning as he looked Kid up and down, wiggling his eyebrows. "Although, if I remember correctly, you and I were both wearing far less, dear Alice," he admitted, adjusting the bag of groceries in his arms.

Alice swallowed hard, licked her lips, and looked away from Kid very reluctantly. "I came to say hello. In person, instead of by text. We live in the same building and I should have said hello sooner."

Buddy snorted. "Who wrote that script for you, dear Alice?"

"Honey."

"Is she also the one who sent you up here in time to catch Kid in a towel? 'Cause I'll forgive her for the shitty script, if that's the case."

Alice just nodded.

"Do you want to come inside?" Kid offered. "I'll get dressed and Bud can put the groceries away," he said, stepping back and holding the door open for her.

"Uh, yes. Thank you. I... Never mind," Alice said quickly, shaking her head.

"You what?" Buddy asked, crowding up behind her as she started to walk inside.

She swallowed hard again and looked like she was gathering her courage. "I like you in a towel, Kid."

Buddy grinned and leaned in as close as he could without squishing the groceries. "Wait 'til you see him out of it."

"Bud, stop making Alice uncomfortable and put the groceries away."

Buddy sighed and stepped back, poking his tongue out at Kid. "I was just telling her the truth, ain't that right, dear Alice?"

Alice's face was flushed red and she kept looking between Kid and Buddy as though she didn't know who to look at or who she wanted to jump first.

"I think you broke her, Kid. Go get dressed before I fuck you with our new lube. Strawberry flavoured, for your deep throating pleasure."

Kid groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Fucking hell, Bud."

He just laughed and set the bag down, rummaging in the bag to retrieve the lube and condoms, throwing both at Kid. "Think fast."

Glancing up just in time to catch both, Kid felt the towel slipping around his hips. He held it up with his hands full the best he could, and hurried to the bedroom, a cheek exposed as the towel fell entirely.

"He's got a great ass, doesn't he, dear Alice?" Buddy asked, grinning.

"Yeah," she breathed, fanning her face and turning to Buddy before she did something stupid.

"I'll tell him later for you, if you don't want to tell him now."

"I... I don't know what I'd say."

"'You have a great ass' works. 'Cute butt' works well, too, but it's usually in the moment, so you should've called that when his towel slipped. I was hoping it'd fall off entirely when I threw the lube and condom at him. Shame, you'd like his dick. It's a thing of beauty, honestly."

"No one's ever called a dick beautiful before," Alice said, too amused by the description to be embarrassed.

Buddy laughed. "Just wait 'til we take you to the art gallery, dear Alice. You'll hear me comparing every single dick in clay and paint to our boy's beautiful dick."

"Ours?"

"Mmm, if you'll still have us?" Buddy asked, trying not to look nervous and keeping himself occupied by putting the last of the groceries away, leaving the steak on a plate to cook later.

"You still want me?" Alice asked, a mix between shy and incredulous.

She had been secretly terrified that they'd forgotten about her or wouldn't want her anymore; that they'd only expressed interest in her because she was the only woman they'd seen for three damn months, and now that they were allowed out in the world again, she would be cast aside.

Honey had ignored her excuses and stammering, and Chay had betrayed her by pressing the elevator button so she could "go see those guys and smile again". Alice hadn't realised she hadn't been smiling. She thought she'd smiled every time she saw Chayton, alive and safe, and that's all that mattered. Her son was safe and she had her only wish granted, so what did her happiness or lust have to do with it? She would forget about it, Buddy and Kid had probably already forgotten about her, and she'd promised that she would never ask for anything again in her life if Chayton was returned to her. She got what she wanted, so she had to keep her promise, right?

"Of course, dear Alice. You're a difficult woman to forget, even if we wanted to, which we don't," Kid said behind her, breathless as though he'd run a race and his chest heaving in his very tight Henley.

"Definitely not. In fact, I want to see more of you, if you're up to leaving your apartment more often," Buddy added, then frowned. "Where's Chayton? He is safe, isn't he?"

Alice felt her heart melt at his concerned question about her son. "He's visiting his friend, Lupo. You remember Lottie? Lupo's her son."

"Champ and Killer were with Lottie, yeah?" Buddy asked.

Alice felt like her cheeks were burning red again. Lottie hadn't been explicit in stating what she'd done with Killer and Champ during her exile from the rest of humanity, but she'd said enough and Alice couldn't help but remember her teasing comment about how well they took orders. She wondered if Kid and Buddy would respond to her as easily as Killer and Champ seemed to for Lottie. Shaking her head at the thought, she pressed her hands against her cheeks and tried to calm herself down.

"Oh, I recognise that blush, dear Alice. What naughty things are you thinking of? Did Lottie tell you all about the things she's done with Champ and Killer, hmm?" Buddy asked, grinning as he left the kitchen to stand in front of her. His shirt was just as tight as Kid's and it seemed like his muscles were threatening to burst the seams at any moment. "Are you wanting to do all of those things with us, perhaps? Imagining them in great and filthy detail?"

"Bud, down. Alice, are you all right? Do I need to send him to the bedroom?"

"Please do, I know where you keep the lube and condoms," Buddy said with a broad grin.

Kid sighed and gently pushed Buddy's shoulder to make him back up. "I said down, Bud."

"Aww, but Alice looks beautiful when she blushes like that. I reckon I could paint her red from tip to toe," Buddy said, giving Alice a slow and burning once over that made her feel like she was the one wrapped in nothing but a towel in front of them.

She exhaled slowly, her cheeks still red. "God, I've missed you both."

Buddy and Kid both looked at her, surprise on their faces.

"We've missed you too, dear Alice."

...

Gemma had no idea what the hell had happened. Ex had tried to apologise, the words memorised like he'd said them to hundreds of women in the last week alone, and the next thing she knew, she'd slapped him again.

It wasn't exactly how she'd imagined seeing him again. Well, the first slap had been, but she hadn't even considered the lack of recognition, like she hadn't even mattered. With a guy like Ex, she supposed she hadn't. He just said words he didn't mean to get women to sleep with them, and he didn't even have the decency to remember them later.

Gemma didn't realise she was crying until there was a knock at the door and she saw that everything was blurry around her. Cursing under her breath, Gemma wiped at her tears, careful of her makeup, and went to open the door.

If it was Ex, she'd kick him this time and then -

"Baby?"

He was lucky her hand hurt or she'd slap him, too.

Baby smiled hesitantly and held up a coffee and cupcake in each hand. "Hi, Gemma. Peace offering?"

Gemma pursed her lips, took the coffee and cupcake, and closed the door in his face. It would take more than coffee and cake to appease her. Even if the cupcake was goddamn delicious.

Gemma hadn't slapped him, she'd taken the peace offering, and even though she hadn't said anything in response, Baby still counted as a win.

Now, he just had to keep Ex from fucking up. Or down, or in any direction, really.

He returned to the security room and ignored Champ's curious expression. Baby couldn't ignore the bag of popcorn, though. "Really, Champ?"

Champ grinned and took another mouthful, slow and deliberate.

Baby rolled his eyes and turned to the screens again, keeping an eye on Gemstone's security feed through the rest of his shift.

...

The purple folder had included three possible candidates for Jewel's brand new store, Gemstone's. All three candidates had experience in working retail, and while Honey had other boxes to tick, there were only two that Jewel needed: they knew about geology and precious stones, and they could deal with the fact that she was younger than them and a super. The job didn't include all of the usual hazards that came with being Hero Support, but she wouldn't be hiding the fact that Gemstone's was owned by Gemstone, and that could cause problems for the citizen staff down the road. Jewel had interviewed each of the candidates individually, and while she had only spoken to Gemma over the phone and Skype so far, she was impressed by her professionalism, knowledge, and her military background which could help with any additional hazards. Honey had promised that Jewel had the final decision, and she'd chosen Gemma.

Now, on Gemstone's grand opening day, Jewel had been stuck at uni for her morning classes and had no idea how the store was going. She'd spent most of the morning looking at the time to see if she could leave yet, only to discover mere minutes had passed when it felt like hours. Beau had threatened to sit on Jewel to keep her still, but they both knew that would only result in both of them being distracted, so Jewel had tried to take notes to keep herself occupied.

As soon as their class had ended, Jewel had grabbed Beau's hand and left with him, running across campus to where Grant was waiting by her car. He'd barely had time to greet them with a kiss before Jewel was throwing her things in the back of her car and getting in the driver's seat impatiently.

"I'll leave you behind if you're not in the car in five seconds," Jewel called, even as Grant and Beau kissed chastely.

"She's been like this all morning," Beau said with a fond smile, getting in the back of the car with Grant.

"Don't break the speed limit; we can't go to your grand opening if you're in prison," Grant said mildly, squeezing Jewel's shoulder.

She stayed on the speed limit the whole time, cursing anyone else who wasn't driving the same speed, and they made it across town in twenty minutes rather than thirty.

Beau was fairly certain the traffic lights had all changed out of pure fear, but considered it was probably thanks to Adam. Sending him a thank you via text, he got a thumbs up in response, so he figured Adam was in class.

"Okay, babe?" Grant asked, kissing Beau firmly, Jewel already at the window of Gemstone's, her excitement almost visible.

"I thanked Adam for the green lights. Jewel's not going to lose control, is she?"

Grant looked over to their girlfriend, grinning when he saw her jewelled skin, and increased his power to block her. "We'd better get in there before she jewels the building."

"Can she do that?" Beau asked, half horror and half curiosity as he followed Grant out of the car.

"Probably. Jewel, babe, breathe. You're going to faint in front of your store," Grant said in concern, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"It's my store, Grant," she said, eyes and tone bright with excitement.

"If I'd known the first Business 101 assignment would've resulted in you actually starting your own business, I would've been your partner and got an A," Beau said with a laugh, kissing her. "Congratulations, Jewel."

"Thanks, Beau. And I worked my jewelled ass off to get that A, you're not coasting on my grade," Jewel quipped, slipping out from Grant's arm and around Beau to go into her store.

"Worth a shot. Coming, Grant?" Beau asked over his shoulder, pausing when he saw that Grant wasn't moving. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm really proud of Jewel. Look how happy she is," Grant said with a broad grin, ignoring the shiny trinkets and sparkling rings, and looking inside at his girlfriend, who was hugging the woman behind the counter like they were old friends.

Beau stood next to him and they both watched as Jewel went around her first store, listening intently to Gemma's suggestions and ideas with an excitement no power on Earth could quash.

...

Craig had fidgeted so much that Ethan had to melt him down so he'd stop distracting the bus driver.

"We're going straight there, right? I don't think I can handle waiting much longer; Craig's bouncing," Ethan said, frowning.

"We'll get off the bus and go straight there," Adam said. "Layla wants to know how the Hive went this weekend, anyway."

"That reminds me: everyone has to send in their timesheet or you don't get paid," Ethan said firmly.

"Do we get extra for emotional trauma?" Terrence asked, wincing.

"Nah, that's why Honey's hired a therapist for us. Well, emotional trauma is one of the reasons, at least," Zach added with a frown.

"What other trauma is there besides emotional and physical?" Justina asked, nudging Robin so they'd answer.

"Spiritual, maybe. Depends if there's powers involved, super trauma is a new disorder according to the DSM," Robin replied, then looked back to their homework. "What did you get for question six? Mad Science," they added, showing Justina the question.

"Oh, radioactive tiger. If they're bitten by a regular tiger, they'd just lose a limb," Justina said decisively.

Terrence's eyes widened. "What? No way, if it was a radioactive tiger, they'd totally be dead. The tiger and the person," he added.

"Who here talks to animals? Oh, right. That'd be me," Justina said, rolling her eyes.

"That doesn't count for a Mad Science question; it's not literal. Besides, how many radioactive tigers do you know?"

"Did you get your permission slip signed yet? You're going to the museum, right?" Adam asked Ethan and Zach, ignoring the continuing argument.

"Yeah, Anita signed it yesterday. She gave us our money and enough for another student, in case someone couldn't afford it at such short notice. Mr. Boy cried and wrote a thank you letter. It's three pages long."

"You'll cry when you see the lesson plan. We can't go Hero and Hero; it has to be Hero and Hero Support," Adam said. "If you think Craig is hard to handle now, just wait 'til they give us excessive sugar for snacks."

Ethan winced. "Are we allowed to choose our Hero? I can handle Craig, if you take Zach."

"I'm sitting right here, Eth!" Zach said with an exaggerated pout.

Ethan patted his hand absentmindedly, waiting for Adam's response.

"Principal Powers already organised the pairings. Layla and Warren might want to stay sick for an extra day to avoid their pairing," Adam muttered.

"Who'd we all get?"

"You'll find out on the day."

...

End of the hundred and seventieth chapter.

Thanks for reading; I hope you liked the updates!

...

Author's note: The next story arc will begin in the next chapter.

If you're doing a full fic read, take a break now!

Reminder: don't forget water, medication, food, and your tea/coffee!

Take care 3