Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or its characters, settings etc, all of which belong to Disney. Adamantium belongs to Marvel Comics.
Chapter 4: In-laws & Outlaws
Warren froze for a long moment, looking down at her snuggled against his shoulder, and then he said carefully, "Run that by me again?"
"Warren, will you marry me?" repeated Layla, pulling away a bit to look up at him.
He frowned slightly and stood up from the park bench. He looked down at her. "Could you explain to me how we got from Maybe-next-time-I'll-hurt-you to Warren-will-you-marry-me, 'cos I think I've missed a couple of episodes."
"Just answer the question, please."
"No."
"No, you won't answer the question, or no, you won't marry me?"
"No, I won't answer the question," he replied slowly, "At least, not yet."
He was having that awful sinking feeling that he was fast losing his grip on the conversation. It reminded him of that day when Layla and company had besieged his lunch table, refused to be appropriately scared of him and completely re-arranged his social life. Actually, that occasion seemed quite minor compared to how far out of his depth he was feeling right now.
"Why not?" she asked.
"First you need to explain your little leap in logic."
Layla smiled slightly and looked up at him with her most determined expression. "Okay, it's like this: You were really mad at me, but you stopped yourself before you hurt me. It's like it was the ultimate test of your self control, and you passed the test."
"Only just. And one moment of success doesn't guarantee that next time I won't lose it." She opened her mouth to respond to that, but he held up a hand to stop her from interrupting. "Are you really sure you want to stake your happiness on a risk like that?"
"Yes," she replied firmly. "It's the same chance anybody takes when they get married."
Warren sighed and sat down again. "Not quite. For most people it's not quite such a Safety and Health hazard."
"Some people choose to live near active volcanoes, earthquake fault lines and in hurricane zones," Layla reasoned.
"Don't you get your daily quota of danger just being a hero?"
"Didn't you just admit that I'm quite capable of looking after myself?" she countered lightly.
"Yeah, but – "
"And," she interrupted, "One of these days I'll be able to grow those fireproof vines I've been working on for so long, and then you'd better watch your back, mister!"
He had to smile. "Okay, this conversation is getting a little out of hand." He stood up. "I think we could both use a good night's sleep and some time to think about this seriously."
Layla also got to her feet, trying not to be too disappointed. "Sure. Meet you here tomorrow before work?"
Warren nodded and she gave him a quick hug before turning away quickly.
"Layla," he called after her. She stopped, not turning around. "Just because I didn't say 'yes', it doesn't mean I said 'no'."
Her shoulders lifted, but she said nothing as she walked away.
Although it had been his own suggestion, Warren didn't actually get much sleep that night. Staring up at the dark ceiling, he couldn't help being astounded at the evening's strange turn of events.
Layla had certainly thrown him for a loop. There he was, psyching himself up to let her go forever in order to keep her safe, meanwhile she had every intention of walking right up to the jaws of death and inviting the monster in question home to have dinner, pardon the pun. Being reckless about her own safety seemed to be a recurring pattern for Layla that day.
On the other hand, if she wasn't scared of him – and she was the one who had every right to be – why should he be?
Layla was there and waiting for him the next morning. He wondered how long she had been sitting on that bench, trying to guess what his response was going to be.
"I stopped off at Starbucks," he said by way of greeting and handed her a cup of her usual order, cinnamon spice herbal tea. She smiled a little and took a sip. "I ran into Stronghold there, and he asked me to deliver your forfeit."
Layla took the envelope he held out and put it into her purse with no more than a glance. He sat down next to her, looking a bit uncertain.
"So, um, did you get a good night's sleep, like you planned?" she asked.
"Not really. You?"
She shook her head and ventured anxiously, "And how about the 'serious thinking' part?"
"Got that part right, yeah," he replied, and then lapsed into silence again.
It was worse than pulling teeth. Not that Warren ever spoke that much but this was more difficult than usual, which suggested he might be trying to put off telling her what she didn't want to hear.
"Uh, maybe you should read your forfeit."
Yes, he was definitely stalling. Layla sighed and put her mug down on the bench beside her, deciding to go along with it. She took out the envelope, opened it and unfolded the piece of paper inside.
This couldn't possibly be her forfeit.
Or if it was, it was certainly not what she would call punishment.
There was one word on the note: Yes.
She just stared at it for a few moments in a state of mild shock and then squealed and hugged Warren, who couldn't help chuckling at her reaction.
"You really had me there," she grinned, looking back at the piece of paper. "If only this actually was my forfeit. So, you didn't really run into Will, did you?"
He shrugged. "Haven't seen him since last night. He probably thinks we're still fighting."
"Well, this might come as a bit of a shock," she answered and hugged him again hard, "To all of them, actually."
"Before you get too excited," he said when she finally let him go, "I should point out that I won't be able to afford much of an engagement ring for you, as you probably already know."
"I know," Layla replied lightly. "But it doesn't matter because I don't want a ring anyway. It's a totally sexist custom, you know."
He frowned a little. "Are you sure you're not just saying that to make me feel better?"
"No, I wouldn't do that. I really mean it. If I wanted something you can't afford, I'd say so." He didn't look convinced, so she went on, "Like, for instance, I really would like wedding rings made from Adamantium, because it's indestructible and I like the symbolism of that for marriage. But I know it's not practically possible."
"Yeah, it's not like there's a supplier anywhere near Maxville," commented Warren dryly.
"Anyhow, I know it's not going to happen, and that's fine with me. So there you are: I've told you what I'd like in a dream world, but I know I won't get it and I'm perfectly okay with that. In the same way, I'm telling you I don't want an engagement ring and I mean it. Do you realize how much sexism and gender discrimination there are in wedding traditions?"
Warren cut in before she could really get going. "Yeah, if anything you should be giving me a ring, considering you're the one who proposed," he teased.
Layla picked up his tone and carried on with the joke. "Why, you're quite right, dear." He raised his eyebrows slightly at being called 'dear', but she continued in the same mischievous vein. "In fact I think I'm going to give you one of mine." With that she took off the ring she often wore in the ring finger of her right hand.
Warren played along with a dose of sarcasm. "Your favorite ring, I'm so touched." It was a Russian wedding ring, made up of three linked rings. He'd given it to her years ago, long before they'd even started dating, simply because she really liked the design.
Layla took her alarm button pendant off its imitation leather necklace and slid her ring onto it before placing the necklace around his neck, while he watched all of this with a sardonically amused expression. As she tucked her ring inside his shirt she couldn't help it, and started giggling. "This is getting a bit too embarrassingly sweet for you, isn't it?"
Warren cleared his throat. "Yeah, but because I'm such a nice guy, I'll let you get away with it. But only for today." She giggled some more as he went on dryly, "I'm going need some serious therapy after this, you know. It took me three weeks to get over it that time you called me 'cutie'."
The fire at the pharmaceutical laboratory was almost under control when it flared up again.
Warren took off his helmet and tiredly ran a hand through his hair as he made his way over to a young woman who was arguing with some of the other firefighters just outside the building. The people had all been evacuated by now, although this lady didn't seem to appreciate the rescue all that much.
He sighed. He was too tired for this. That was what he got for spending the night doing more of the 'serious thinking' part than the sleeping part. Although the result had been worth it, he thought with a slight smile. Layla was floating on air, and he couldn't wait to see Stronghold's face when he heard the news…
"Warren Peace!" The argumentative woman seemed to recognize him as he got closer, and come to think of it, she did look familiar. "I'm Denise Walker. We were at school together, remember? But you know me by a different name."
He frowned slightly, vaguely recalling that she had been a sidekick a year younger than him.
"Do you know her, Peace?" asked one of the firefighters.
"Yeah, I'll handle this," Warren replied, and the other firemen all left to take care of the rekindled fire.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Denise turned to him urgently. "I need to get to my office, but they won't let me. There's some Durosium there that I desperately need to transmutate back to its original substance before the fire gets to it."
"Transmutate?" He realized who she was. "You must be the Alchemistress."
"Nice to meet you," she replied with a touch of sarcasm. "Now that we're introduced, could you please use your powers and escort me safely to my office so that I can use mine?"
After a careful check that the coast was clear, Warren handed her his helmet and Nomex firefighting jacket – even with his powers, he couldn't protect her from everything – and they set off towards her office.
"So, tell me about this stuff we're going to rescue," he asked as they reached a junction in the corridor. "Which way?"
She pointed down one of the passages. "It's a very strong metal alloy that I discovered I can transmutate from steel and then use in the neutralization bracelets, among other items requiring tensile – "
He cut her off. "Why's it so dangerous?"
"The problem is, in its current state, the chemical structure of Durosium requires a stable temperature below – "
Warren interrupted again. "Uh, English, please." He had never been one for matchmaking, especially not during a crisis, but he knew straight away this girl would be perfect for Ethan. As it was the geek was dying to meet her just because of what he knew of her powers. Put the two of them in the same room and no one else would be able to get a word in edgewise between the technobabble.
Denise tried again. "Okay, you've heard of Adamantium, right?"
He nodded and thought, yeah, quite recently actually.
"This is almost as indestructible, and in its raw state it needs to be kept below 50 degrees, because when it gets heated and then sets, it stays like that forever. In addition, raw Durosium is extremely explosive." She pointed. "And we need to go through that door."
There was no way to tell if the fire had reached the other side of the door. Warren wished he had the ability to sense fire like his mom had been able to. He would just have to chance it; after all, they'd been lucky so far.
While Denise stood back a safe distance, Warren threw open the door and quickly absorbed all of the fire in the stairwell. Fortunately, the flames were still quite small. He had once discovered the hard way that there was a limit to how much fire he was able to absorb before he overheated.
He went up the stairs to the floor she'd instructed and found that it was safe, so she quickly joined him.
"So if the fire gets to it before we do, we're looking at, what, vaporizing Maxville?" he asked, continuing their earlier conversation.
"If it explodes," she replied, "Most of the city and its inhabitants will be coated in finely powdered Durosium. Think Pompeii, with superglue added."
Warren swore in Chinese.
"Exactly," agreed Denise and, seeing his double-take, added quickly, "Whatever that means."
"Why did you leave it in your office if it's so dangerous?"
She answered, "Not willingly. I wasn't anywhere near my office at the time of the evac order, and you can ask your colleagues, I was kicking and screaming the whole way." They arrived at an open door. "Here we are."
Denise went behind her desk and unlocked a filing cabinet. She moved aside a few files to reveal a small cooler box, which she took out and placed on her desk. Inside were three small ingots of a silvery metal that looked like platinum. She put them on her desk and passed her hand over them, transmutating the Durosium back into ordinary steel.
"There. We're safe now." She gave a sigh of relief.
Warren, however, knew it wasn't over yet. There was still the common everyday danger of being inside a burning laboratory.
"We'd better get out of here," he said. If any of the other firefighters found out about this, he would get his backside kicked. It would be quite tricky explaining this little stunt to the powers that be.
"What were you doing with that kind of stuff in a civilian lab anyway?" he asked when they were almost out of the building.
Denise looked a bit embarrassed. "Um, well, you know how some people take work home? I just took it between jobs." She sighed. "Actually, I'm likely to be in a lot of trouble with the National Council of Superheroes for this, which I deserve, but it would have been a lot worse if you hadn't helped me. So I guess I owe you one." Warren just shrugged it off, like usual. "If I had a sister I'd offer to set you up with her or something."
Warren smiled and indicated Layla's ring around his neck. "I'm doing just fine in that department, thanks."
By now they had reached the outside of the building. "Is it serious?" asked Denise, giving him his jacket and helmet back before anyone could see she had them and start asking awkward questions.
He nodded, and couldn't help grinning.
"Like wedding bells?" she teased, and he nodded again, feeling a bit shy. "Well, I don't think many kitchen appliances usually come in Durosium, but I can make an exception in your case. How about a really original wedding gift?"
Warren was still fiddling with Layla's ring. "How about something smaller?"
Layla was ecstatic when she saw the Durosium wedding rings, the others were ecstatic when they found out Warren and Layla were engaged, and Ethan was ecstatic when Warren gave him the Alchemistress's phone number.
Layla's parents took the news very well too. After a whole lot of excited squealing, hugging and handshaking, the first thing they did was invite the Strongholds around from next door to celebrate by poring over old photo albums ('Oh, she's grown up so fast!').
Choosing a date for a wedding is always quite difficult for superheroes, because you can never guarantee that any particular day would be safe from rampaging monsters, power-hungry villains or natural disasters. Their options were narrowed down a bit by the fact that Layla was determined to have an April wedding because of all the new leaves and blossoms, even though she could easily make spring flowers at any time of year.
Another complication was her father's family in Chicago. They were civilians and so of course they knew nothing about what Layla and her friends really did for a living. There wasn't a lot of interaction between the families, and her aunt had only met Warren once (long enough to take an instant disliking to him, and the feeling was mutual), but Mr. Williams was afraid of repercussions for years to come if his sister was not invited to his daughter's wedding.
Layla didn't see his point in the slightest.
"I don't see why we should have to invite them, just because he's afraid of his big sister moaning!" she complained as she grew some undergrowth for the trees she'd just planted. "I mean, we're inviting my Aunt Lily, but that's because I work for her."
"Yeah, it's not like we're inviting my relatives, for obvious reasons," commented Warren dryly as he walked beside her and tried to mind out for vines hanging from the trees while not crushing the new undergrowth too much. They were in the Amazon basin for one of her tree-planting missions, which turned out to be a nice and private place for her to vent her frustration.
Layla paused in her botanical efforts as a thought suddenly occurred to her that there was something she'd never asked about. "What about on your mom's side?"
"She had a sister, but my aunt and her family died soon after my father was arrested," he replied, running a hand through his hair. This was not his favorite climate, even though he was generally more keen on excess heat than extreme cold.
Layla winced in sympathy, thinking that must have been really horrible for his mom, losing her sister so soon after being betrayed by her husband.
Warren could practically see the thoughts running through her head. "I expect you'll be wanting to keep your own surname, like my mom did," he said, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, yeah, of course," she answered vaguely, still a little distracted.
He stopped walking and turned her to face him with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Layla, it was a long time ago. There's no point in being unhappy about it now."
"I just feel bad that I've never even thought to ask about your Peace relatives."
"Don't." He leant down to give her a kiss when her cell phone rang. They shared a good-natured sigh and a smile. So much for privacy in the wilds of South America.
She looked at the caller ID. "It's Will."
"He probably wants to know where the van is."
She smiled. "Yeah, we'd better take it back before it turns into a pumpkin."
In the end, Layla had her way, and she got the small, intimate wedding she wanted. It was a garden wedding, of course, about ten miles out of town, and everyone who was there was someone special to the bride and groom.
She had her friends dressed in their signature colors – Will, the best man, wore royal blue, while Ethan and Zach were in orange and white respectively. Magenta's dress was purple and Kate, who was taking the photographs, was in a dark red. Warren was dressed in black with a red tie, and Layla had plaited his hair like the elves in Lord of the Rings.
As for the bride herself, she had her hair curled and piled on top of her head with a few loose tendrils, and she was barefoot. In her pixie-like dress made from a shimmery material in various shades of green, she looked every inch the woodland nymph she'd chosen as her alter ego.
Warren and Layla exchanged vows and rings under an ancient oak tree, Layla's personal logo and one of her favorite trees.
Layla sat at the reception, looking around at the most important people in her life as they tucked into their dinner in the dappled evening sunlight. She glanced down at her left hand and smiled at the sight of her wedding ring, which Denise had made in the exact same style as her favorite ring with the three linked bands, and thought that the day had been simply perfect.
Unfortunately, the world often needs saving at the most inconvenient times.
The Commander and Jetstream had to leave early to help out with a tsunami in the Pacific. A few minutes later, Will got a call from his mother. As they were flying over Maxville they couldn't help noticing a rather unseasonal blizzard which was surrounded by a number of rainstorms.
It seemed that Weatherman was back.
Will turned to Warren and Layla. "I'm really sorry, but we'd better go. Hope you guys enjoy the rest of your – "
"Wait a minute," interrupted Layla, "We're coming too." Of course, she didn't want to cut their wedding reception short, but she was sure neither of them could enjoy themselves knowing that their friends might have liked their help and could be in danger. She turned to Warren. "Aren't we?"
Warren looked like he was debating the same issue with himself, not wanting to spoil her special day. And then there was the issue of who they were dealing with here. For a brief moment she wondered if he was going to object to her facing Weatherman again considering what had happened the last time, but then he gave her a little smile.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go get him."
