Arc 2 - Chapter II: Get Bent

At a hospital, both Kairi and Gwen were sitting in one of the rooms. Kairi was leaning back against the raised portion of the hospital bed while Gwen was sitting next to him. The little girl that Kairi had saved was still in his arms, unwilling to let go.

Before they left for the hospital, they had told the first responders that they would drop off the toddler at a local hospital. And en route, Sleeper had receded, allowing Kairi to change out of his Ronin outfit while Gwen did the same with her Ghost-Spider outfit. Though had been a challenge for Kairi given that the little girl refused to let go of him. He had to gently coax her that he wasn't going anywhere and once he was done changing, she immediately latched on again.

For a moment, they had been worried about revealing their identity to the toddler, but all she did was look back at them silently. Deciding that the little girl's well-being took priority, they could only hope she could keep a secret.

"Finally tuckered out, huh?" Gwen said quietly when she saw that the little girl was asleep.

Kairi sighed, "Can you blame her?" Gently prying off the toddler's arms, he placed her on the bed so that she could lie down. "Being in a fire is traumatic enough. But being locked in the closet and chained to the wall?" He shook his head, "I'm just glad her parents, whoever they are, aren't here. Otherwise, I'd be asking Sleeper to eat some brains this one time." Reaching over to the side of the bed, he pressed the call button for the nurse.

"Again, I'd be more than happy to overlook my distaste for brains for a bunch of child abusers," Sleeper popped his head out for a moment.

Gwen shook her head with a morbid chuckle, part of her, the one that sympathized with the little girl was in full agreement. When the door to the hospital room slid open, two doctors and a nurse stood in the doorway. When she and Kairi had arrived at the hospital and it was clear that the little girl wasn't going to let go of Kairi anytime soon and shied away from the doctors and nurses, no matter how much they tried to endear themselves, one of the doctors suggested patiently waiting for the little girl to tire herself out.

One of the doctors addressed Kairi and Gwen, "You two, can we talk outside for a minute? Don't worry, she'll be safe with Cathy and Doctor Palmer."

"Sure," Gwen replied.

Kairi simply gave a nod as well as he followed Gwen out. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked, giving a cursory glance back as the nurse and doctor checked the toddler over.

"Physically, yes," the doctor nodded. "The trauma to her lungs from smoke inhalation will heal and eventually pass. However, I am more concerned with the girl's mental state. You guys said that Ghost-Spider and her new partner mentioned that they found the little girl locked in the closet and chained to the wall?"

"Yeah," Kairi nodded. "And it's kinda a shame I never thought to ask her her name until now. Calling her 'little girl' all time seems a little rude."

The doctor nodded, "Of course, but you can ask her when she wakes up. However, her behavior shows the classic symptoms of abuse; fear and anxiety, hyperventilation, she looks at least ten pounds underweight, and I did see some bruising on her arm earlier. I can't say for sure without a confirmation from Doctor Palmer, but the bruising looked consistent with ones that came from being hit with a hard object."

Fuckin' despicable.

No arguments here, partner.

"But why did she cling to me so quickly?" Kairi couldn't help but mutter to himself.

My Dad has a lot of medical books in his place, including a psych one. My guess is that since you saved her from the fire, she probably views you as probably the safest person in her life at the moment.

I…

The doctor looked over into the hospital room, where her fellow doctor was finishing up her checkup on the toddler. "We'll let her sleep. We can worry about what comes after tomorrow. But since she has an obvious connection with you, I'd like to ask if you'll be there while we administer treatment when she's awake."

Kairi frowned as he crossed his arms. He was willing of course, but his schedule seemed to be packing up now that he had taken up the mantle of Ronin.

Well, that and being from a different dimension.

Kairi suppressed the urge to sigh.

One problem at a time, Sleeper.

Still, he'd have to tell his mom what was going on and probably grab some clothes. At least he was done with school for winter break, so he had the time to give. And it was the holidays, so no better time to give than now.

"We can work her treatment with your schedule of course," the doctor assured.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Kairi replied. "I'll be here."

"You sure, Kai?" Gwen gave her boyfriend a concerned look.

"I'm sure," he nodded.

Besides, isn't that what heroes do? Help people when they really need it?

The doctor and the nurse soon exited the hospital room and the nurse headed off while the doctor joined the others. "Well," Dr. Palmer nodded, "that little girl back there should be fine in a few days. There'll be trauma to her lungs from the smoke inhalation, we won't know how severe until we put her under the MRI. But otherwise, she's fine besides the soot. I've already asked Cathy to get a sponge and water to clean her up."

"Thank you," Kairi nodded.

"Of course," Dr. Palmer smiled before giving the other doctor a nod, "Doctor Sofen."

"We can discuss the little girl's treatment further tomorrow," Sofen said to Kairi and Gwen. "The staff already knows about our little patient and under the circumstances, I've told them both of you can stay with her tonight, if you'd like."

"I will, thank you," Kairi nodded.

"Both of you have a good night," Sofen said before she left.

"Good night," he replied before glancing back at the sleeping girl in the hospital room and looking over at Gwen. "You can go home if you want, Gwen. I'll head back… home and let my mom know what's going on, pack some clothes and stuff."

"Hey, if you're staying, then I'm staying, Kai," she shook her head, giving him a smile.

He smiled at her, "You're the best."

"I know," she grinned.

…The next morning…

When Kairi woke up, he raised a hand to the back of his neck, groaning when he felt and heard the satisfying crack when he shifted. The night before, he insisted that Gwen take the couch to sleep on while he took the chair. He was regretting it a little considering the stiffness in his neck, but before he could think on it further, he realized there was a weight on him. Looking down, he found the little girl curled up on his lap, gently sleeping.

She woke up in the middle of the night, immediately went to you. Didn't think to wake you since she fell back asleep quickly.

Thanks for keeping an eye out.

You are welcome.

Wrapping his arms around the girl, he picked her up and walked over to the bed. Placing her on the bed, he then glanced over at Gwen and found that she was still asleep too. Heading to the restroom, he used the toilet and it was while he was washing his hands, he saw Sleeper's form in the reflection of the mirror rather than his own.

What will we do with her?

Whatever she needs us to be, buddy. Sometimes, saving someone doesn't require a mask or superpowers. Sometimes the worst trouble that people are in, you just need to sit down and let them know that you're there.

How will we know if what we're doing is working though?

Kairi thought back to the times when he was a child and saw his mom in her room crying over a picture of his father. He'd go to her and ask what was wrong, but she'd just smile at him while trying to wipe away her tears before telling him that she was all right.

You won't, sometimes that kind of thing is personal and people don't like showing it to others. Sometimes you actually can't help and all you have to do is have faith that the person in trouble will make themselves feel better.

Hmm…

Sleeper's reflection disappeared, revealing his own that stared back at him. Finishing up in the restroom, he walked out of the bathroom and found the little girl sitting up on the bed, looking anxious. But the anxiety on her face disappeared when she saw him. He gave her a smile as he walked over to her side, sliding the chair over to her bedside.

"Hey, good morning, kiddo," he said as he took a seat.

She just stared back, her blue eyes blinking.

Unperturbed, Kairi continued. "So, it just occurred to me that we don't know each other's names," he said. "I'll go first, my name's Kairi. And it is very nice to meet you." As he waited for a response, he noted that the little girl's hands had become restless, fumbling around.

When she did speak, it came out soft and uncertain, though a little raspy. Which was probably because of the smoke she had breathed in during the fire. "I… I'm Andi."

"Andi, huh? That's a pretty name," he smiled encouragingly.

Andi bit her lip, "I don't… like my full name, Andrea. So I… go by Andi."

"A good a reason as any," he nodded. "Andi, can you do me a favor though? Remember the… outfit I was wearing when I found you? And the one my friend was wearing? I'd like to ask if you can keep it a secret. Can you do that?"

Andi nodded eagerly.

"Thanks, kiddo," he smiled appreciatively. Spotting movement, he looked over Andi to see Gwen had woken up and was watching the two of them from her spot on the couch. "Would you like to meet a very good friend of mine?" he asked Andi.

The little toddler looked unsure, her hands becoming restless again.

"It's okay," he assured. "You already met her yesterday." He then beckoned Gwen over.

"Hi, sweetie," the blonde came over, perching herself on the armrest of Kairi's chair. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Gwen."

"I'm Andi," the toddler replied.

"So I've heard," Gwen smiled before she leaned over to whisper, "And between you and me, I don't like my full first name either. Mine's Gwendolyn, waaay too long for my liking. That's why I like using Gwen."

A smile bloomed on Andi's face as she beamed up at Gwen.

"Well, since we're all awake, why don't we all get some breakfast?" Kairi suggested.

Yes, please. I'm starving.

"I could eat," Gwen agreed with a nod before looking back at Andi. "How about you? Are you hungry, Andi?"

"Mmhmm," Andi nodded before her face became anxious. "Can… can I have pancakes? I never had pancakes before…"

I'm going to fuckin' kill Andi's parents…

For a moment, Kairi wasn't sure if that thought came from his own mind or if it came from Sleeper's. And also at that moment, he didn't really much care where it originated from. He just wholeheartedly agreed with it.

Gwen gave Kairi a troubled look before she smiled down at Andi, "Of course, you can, Andi, we'll get you as many pancakes as you can eat."

A wide smile nearly threatened to split Andi's face in two.

After explaining the situation to the nurses on station, who were completely understanding, the trio was allowed to head over to the cafeteria and order some food. Since it was morning, there weren't a lot of people besides some hospital staff. And just as Gwen had promised, she had gotten as many pancakes as she could pile on a plate. Kairi swore Andi's eyes sparkled as she beheld the leaning tower of pancakes, coated in syrup and topped with butter

And the symbiote host could only watch as Andi all but demolished her pancakes, shaking his head in amusement. His own breakfast meal consisted of a lot of nuts and beans, so that Sleeper could get some phenylalanine, along with whatever he felt like eating that morning. But he also recognized that the Andi now contrasted to the scared little girl he rescued from the burning apartment. And part of him couldn't help but be upset that this could be the first time Andi was so excited.

He really hoped that the fire department was able to take pictures of the closet he had found Andi in. She shouldn't have to go back to that.

"Slow down, Andi," Gwen chuckled. "Your pancakes aren't going anywhere. Besides, you might choke."

Andi, whose mouth was stuffed, looked up at her before she nodded dutifully. She slowly began to chew as to swallow the food in her mouth. And bless her heart, a cute little frown on the little girl's face as she concentrated on chewing.

Feeling her phone vibrate, Gwen fished it out of her pocket and looked to see that she got a text from her dad. She had texted him the night before of what happened, asking if he could look into who Andi's parents were. And if there was anything he could do to arrest Andi's parents for child abuse.

Found out who owned the apartment you found the girl in. Jack Benton. Wife died in a car accident four years ago a few months after she gave birth. There's a record of his daughter, Andrea Benton, but I couldn't find any recent record of her. No school files, nothing. If you and Kairi hadn't found her, I might've thought she died.

Gwen read over her father's text before replying back, asking if there was anything that could be done for Andi.

The fire department was able to enter Benton's apartment and the closet was left mostly intact, they've sent us pictures. I can't say for certain if Benton would lose his parental rights, but an investigation can be conducted by Child Services and we can get Benton's daughter into protective custody.

Gwen bit her lip and replied, asking if it was possible for Andi to stay with them. And for a long moment, her dad didn't respond.

Technically, I could ask Child Services to relinquish custody of Andi to me until the investigation is over. I guess you and her formed a connection?

She smirked and replied that it wasn't her, but Kairi mostly. And it was adorable how her boyfriend went into big brother mode. Glancing up, she saw Kairi grab a napkin and wipe off some of the syrup that was plastered around Andi's mouth.

No promises, but maybe it'll help if you and Kairi will be there, show that Andi has made a connection with you both. How are you doing by the way?

She suppressed the urge to sigh, Andi's situation and learning more about it, it saddened her. And seeing her so excited over something as mundane as pancakes, it just made that feeling worse. Typing a reply that she was fine and she was having breakfast at the moment, she also wished her dad a good day and she would see him when he got home from his shift.

"Your dad?" Kairi guessed.

"Mmhmm," she nodded. She wanted to say more, but not in front of Andi. However, when she noticed said toddler, she also saw that her plate of food was empty. Impressive for a little girl. Though, she wondered if a sugar rush was inbound. "Full, Andi?"

"Yup!" Andi chirped with a beaming grin, her bright blue eyes shining as she looked between the two of them. "That was soooo good! Thank you, Kairi, Gwen!"

Aww, my nonexistent heart just melted.

"You are welcome, little miss," Kairi chuckled, both amused at Sleeper's comment and happy at Andi's enthusiasm before he spotted the clock. "Ah, but, we need to head back to the room before the nurses think we kidnapped you." He expected some sort of reaction from the little girl, amusement, but instead, Andi looked pensive.

Almost as if she didn't mind being taken by the two of them.

Sharing a concerned look with Gwen, he looked back at Andi anxiously biting her bottom lip before he grabbed their trays to put them away. When they later went back to the hospital room, Dr. Sofen was there waiting for them.

A sight to which Andi immediately latched onto Kairi's leg when she saw the person she did not recognize.

"It's okay, Andi," he assured the toddler. "She's a doctor, she's here to help you."

Andi worried at her bottom lip as she peaked at the woman from behind his leg.

"Hi, Andi," Dr. Sofen smiled at the little girl, respectfully keeping her distance. "I'm Doctor Sofen."

Andi furrowed her brows as she regarded the woman in suspicion before she looked up at Kairi. "What's a doctor?" she asked, gently tugging on his jeans.

The two teens traded worried looks before they both looked over at Dr. Sofen.

"Kairi?" Andi tugged on his jeans again.

"A doctor helps people, Andi," he explained gently, crouching down to her height. "They make sure you're safe and healthy. And that's what Doctor Sofen is going to do for you, if that's okay."

Andi anxiously looked over at the woman before looking back at him, "Are you going to be there?"

"If you want me to," he nodded.

"Okay," Andi's shoulders sagged in relief.

A notion that infuriated Kairi, no kid should have to look like that. But he kept his rage to himself, no need to make Andi worried.

…Some time later…

After a session with Dr. Sofen, Kairi and Gwen were allowed to take Andi to the Stacy apartment with an oxygen mask and instructions to buy some children's Tylenol if Andi experienced any pain in her chest, a common symptom with those who had been in a house fire. They were about to leave when George came by, a weary smile on his face, no doubt tired from his shift.

"Hey guys," he nodded at them with a smile.

"Hi, Mister Stacy," Kairi nodded.

"Kairi, it's just George," the police captain deadpanned. "Mister Stacy was my father. I don't need to feel any older than I already am."

The symbiote host chuckled, "Right, I'll work on that." He was a little startled when he felt a tiny hand grasp his jeans. "Andi?" He looked down to find her fidgeting against his leg, burying her face in his pants. "Andi, what's wrong?"

The little girl whimpered.

Kairi looked up in concern at the others.

"Andi, are you okay?" Gwen took a knee, placing a hand on the little girl's shoulder. But the little girl refused to look back as she began trembling.

Kairi didn't even need a second to think as he grabbed Andi into his arms and practically ran over to somewhere there weren't any other people. A door leading to a side staircase. He sat down on one of the steps, cradling her head against his shoulder as he felt his shirt starting to become wet from her tears.

"Shh, you're all right," he whispered as she sobbed.

I don't think she likes big men… she freezes for a moment every time she spots anyone who matches anyone who has the same height as George. You're not that tall. You're what? Five eight, five nine? George is over six feet, her father must be around that height too.

Kairi frowned as he gently rocked back and forth. He filed Sleeper's pondering thoughts away for later, something to mention to Dr. Sorel and George. "You're all right, Andi," he hummed. "You're all right."

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Andi," he said firmly, but he also filed that away to tell Dr. Sofen. "You hear me? You have nothing to be sorry for."

She just clung to him harder.

So he began humming, whatever tune of whatever nursery rhyme popped into his head. Anything to keep her calm because right now, he was close to breaking himself. No kid should know how to keep her cries so quiet like this.

"You're okay…"

Eventually, Andi cried herself to sleep, but she still clung to him tightly. Grabbing the handrail attached to the staircase, he pulled himself up onto his feet as he kept an arm wrapped around her. Pushing the door open, he stopped short when he found Gwen and George standing nearby.

"Is she okay?" Gwen asked immediately.

Kairi looked around before he beckoned them in.

"What's wrong?" George asked when the door closed behind them.

"Sleeper?"

The symbiote's head materialized from his shoulder, "Good morning, you two, how're both doing?"

"Great," Gwen shrugged.

"Tired," George replied, having already spoken to the symbiote a good number of times when her daughter's boyfriend had visited the previous times prior. Honestly, he'd rather talk to the alien when it turned into a cat. Talking to it like this, connected to Kairi's shoulder was… disconcerting.

"Well, you've been working for almost twelve hours, it makes sense," the symbiote nodded. "Anyway, I think Andi had a panic attack when she saw you and you got close."

George frowned, "Me?"

"It's not you specifically," Sleeper assured. "I think your stature matches her father's, I've noticed that she would pause, freeze whenever she saw any male with the same height and build as you."

"She didn't say a thing when we were with Doctor Sofen earlier," Kairi shook his head as he looked down at Andi's sleeping face.

"I can make myself sparse around the apartment until Andi gets used to me," George offered before looking at Gwen. "If you could, sweetie, do most of the legwork in taking care of Andi when Kairi's not around?"

"I'm no psychologist, but I wouldn't recommend separating Andi from Kairi," Sleeper cut in. "Every waking moment so far, Andi has immediately sought out Kairi, she even woke up in the middle of the night and climbed into his lap, fell asleep there. Taking Kairi out of the picture now would probably be not good for her, not when we just saw how she sought him out when she felt anxious. Of course, feel free to get an expert's opinion."

"No, you're probably right," George sighed. "I've seen the same thing in other victims of abuse back when I used to work the beat. It's almost the holidays though, are you sure about this, Kairi? You'd be offering a lot of your time."

"It's winter break," the symbiote host shrugged. "I have nothing but time, but I guess my family can have Christmas here if it comes down to it. Actually, my mom and grandma asked me to invite you guys to celebrate Christmas with us."

"Oh," Gwen blinked.

"You can take people with you with that magic thing you do?" George asked.

"Everyone else has faith in me," Kairi shrugged. "And I did ask Doctor Strange before I came to this dimension, he signed off on it. Just don't bring any colliders or other dimension-breaching devices. Don't want anyone to start glitching out again."

"Yeah," Gwen suppressed a wince. "Not fun."

George frowned as he took in that information. "So?" he asked after a moment.

"It's up to you guys, my family wanted to ask, I asked," Kairi shrugged. "If you two have other plans, I'll tell my family."

Gwen and George shared a look. Christmas had just been the two of them for a long time, what with George's long hours at the station and Gwen's career as the Ghost-Spider. And before that, sometimes Gwen had to spend Christmas alone some years whenever he had been on the roster for the holiday. It'd be nice to actually spend the holidays with some people who actually knew what it was like to keep the superhero secret.

"I do have Christmas off this year," George said slowly.

"And it would be nice to have a mini-vacation," Gwen followed up.

"Look, are you two coming or not?" Sleeper deadpanned. "Honestly, this whole stretching things out longer than they need to be is annoying."

The three conscious humans chuckled.

"Yes," Gwen answered for herself and her dad, "we'd love to come."

"Cool," Kairi smiled before he looked back down at Andi. "But what are we going to do with her?"

"I'll tell our D.A. that Gwen and I took her to meet the family of my daughter's boyfriend that lives out of town since she's connected to you, Kairi, " George shrugged. At their looks, he shrugged. "What? It's not like I'm lying or anything."

"Technically, yeah," Sleeper chuckled.

"And in the meantime, until we get the okay?" Kairi asked.

"It'll probably be for the best if you stay at the apartment with Andi," said George. "Just in case Child Services decides to make an impromptu visit out of nowhere."

"Week-long sleepover in a different dimension, I guess I can cross that off my bucket list," Kairi chuckled.

"Mine too!"

"Why don't the two of you go to the mall and get some stuff for Andi," George suggested after a chuckle, shaking his head in exasperation a bit at Sleeper's exuberence. "Some clean clothes, maybe some toys. Make her feel at home, the least we can do."

"Sure, Dad," Gwen nodded before she gave her father a hug. "See you when you're shift's over."

"See you soon, Gwenie-bug," George returned the hug. "I'll give the hospital staff the paperwork for Andi," he said before he then looked over at Kairi. "Take care of her," he nodded at the child in the teen's arms before giving a Sleeper a significant look. "Both of you."

"I will," the symbiote host nodded.

"We'll take care of her," the symbiote added before its head receded back into its host's shoulder.

…Some time later…

…Stacy apartment…

"You sure we had to buy all this stuff?" Kairi asked, a little miffed, as he entered the apartment, using his shoulder to open the door. "And how the heck did I end up carrying all of it the whole way back while you only got Andi?"

"What, you're telling me you can't carry all that stuff with Sleeper boosting your physiology?" Gwen scoffed in amusement, cradling Andi to her shoulder.

She has a point.

Kairi had to transition the still-asleep kid to her when he had to take a restroom break when they were at the mall, buying some clothes for Andi. Of course, two teens walking around the mall with a kid in tow created a lot of misunderstandings the whole time, along with quite a few judgemental stares, but Gwen just ignored them. Though she was a little surprised that Andi had remained asleep the whole time.

Placing the little girl on the couch, one of the couch pillows under the girl's head, she grabbed the quilt blanket that was lying on the loveseat and tucked the little girl in.

"What do you want to do about lunch?" he asked.

"I was thinking of making chicken burritos," she replied, heading over to the kitchen. "Mind giving a hand?"

"Sure," he nodded. "Sleeper, can you keep an eye on Andi?"

"Of course." The symbiote separated from its host, transforming into a cat in midair, landing on the coffee table, and promptly took a seat.

Grabbing all the necessary ingredients from the refrigerator, Gwen started prepping them to cook while Kairi grabbed some pans. "You know, this isn't how I imagined I'd be spending my Christmas break," she chuckled, chancing a glance back at Andi. "But it's nice to help someone like this."

"Yeah," he nodded before he too looked over at Andi and breathed out a sigh as he shook his head. "But I wish we didn't have to. I mean, really, chains and a locked closet? What kind of person would do that to their own kid?"

"Someone more evil than all the villains both of us have faced put together," the blonde shook her head in distaste.

Kairi frowned before he smirked, "Does that number really count when the supervillains I've faced are the ones that we fought back when you were stranded in my dimension? Cuz then those guys would count twice."

"Kai," she rolled her eyes, bumping his shoulder with her own. Still, she appreciated his attempt to lighten the situation. When the food was ready, she was about to go and wake up Andi when someone loudly knocked on the door. She frowned, that can't have been her father, he had his own keys.

Trading a look with Kairi, her boyfriend frowned as he placed down the last of the plates on the dinner table. "I'll get it," he said before he walked over to the door, Sleeper leaped from the table, landing on the teen's shoulders before going beneath its host's flesh. Looking through the peephole, he found a tall, dark-haired man standing on the other side of the door scowling.

"Open the damn door!" the man barked.

To Gwen's surprise, Andi suddenly awoke with a gasp, looking around fearfully. Her small body began to curl inward on herself as she jumped off the couch and moved to the far wall, moving away from the front door as much as possible. Both Kairi and Gwen watched in shock as Andi cowered in the corner before Kairi glared at the door, specifically the man behind it.

Part of Kairi wanted to open the door so that he could introduce the guy to Sleeper, but he refrained from doing so, didn't want to scare Andi anymore than she already was. He looked over at Gwen, who had a hard look on her face as she pulled out her phone and immediately texted her father, while he went over to Andi.

"I know you're in there! Open the goddamn door!"

Andi whimpered as she huddled closer to the wall.

"Give me back my daughter! She's mine!"

What an asshole…

Gathering Andi into his arms, Kairi stood up and carried her further into the apartment, towards the bedrooms. Finishing her text, she sent it as she followed the two, placing a hand on Andi's shivering shoulder. However, both jumped when they heard a crack and a crash.

"Take her," Kairi nearly threw Andi into Gwen's arms before he spun on his heel.

"Kai!" Gwen bit her lip before she dove into her room.

Andi's face paled as she reached an arm out toward the katana-wielding hero, "Nn!" The last thing she saw was Kairi's back before Gwen closed and locked the door.

Kairi went back into the living area of the apartment where he found Andi's father, if he could really be called that, standing there, the front door's hinges broken.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Andi's father kept on scowling. "Where the hell's my kid?"

"Out of your fucked up reach," Kairi replied calmly, glancing over at the door that now lay on the floor. "I may not live here, but even I know you're going to pay for that," he gestured to the broken door before coldly regarding the man.

"Get the fuck out of my way, you punk brat," the man sneered. "You have no right to take my kid away from me!"

Kairi scowled, "Technically, the police did that when Ghost-Spider and her partner rescued her from a fire that was in your building and saw the lock on the closet and chains bolted to the wall where she was shackled to. You have a problem with that? Call your lawyer."

The man scoffed, "Fuck this." Stomping over, he reared his arm back for a punch and threw it.

But Kairi moved to the side to avoid the punch and retaliated with a right hook to the temple, effectively knocking the taller man out. Watching the man crumple to the floor, Kairi straightened up and pulled the burner phone he bought in this dimension and immediately called one of the two numbers.

"Hey, George. Yeah, got a guy claiming to be Andi's dad passed out on your floor. He, uh, also broke down your door."

That was a nice punch, though, by the way.

"Thank you."

AN:

Right, sorry about the really late post on this chapter. I know I'm way beyond late than when I wanted to post this, but some coworkers of mine at work took their vacations when the year started so the rest of us had to cover those shifts... for a whole month. Oh well, overtime paychecks are nice. And now I've finally caught somewhat of a breather. Anyway, I won't make any more promises as to when my chapters get posted because honestly, I'd probably be setting myself up for failure if I did. So I'll just post them when they're ready.

As always, stay safe, stay healthy, and you all have a good day.