Chapter 14.
"Thus the jury finds that one Third Degree is found guilty of the unintentional homicide of villain Secondhand. Because of the evidence presented in court and the testimony of time agency members Fintan and Emma, his sentence is reduced to two years in prison."
I looked over my shoulder at Lydia. She, Knight and her father all had tears in their eyes as they watched the guards lead me away. I faced the doors before I was led through them, stalwart though my sentence was yet to be carried out. Two years? Hell…I could handle that, and on the other side, Lydia would be waiting.
000
"Warren!" Lydia's voice carried across the gates of the prison even before they opened.
I was still shrugging into my recovered leather jacket when I heard her. Grinning, I quickened my step and then broke into a run, pride be damned. I took her in my arms and spun her around quickly.
"Where are the twins?" I asked, kissing her neck and jaw and mouth until the guard on duty began whistling. I glared over at him, but couldn't manage the expression long.
"At home, Knight's watching them," she answered breathlessly, slinging her arm around my waist as we walked out of the prison gates and towards the car.
"Knight," I repeated with a satisfied smile, thinking how glad I'd be to see his face again. Was he really alive? Of course he was…this was another world- one I'd saved.
000
"Dada," Fiona squealed as we entered the house. Having only seen me through the glass wall of the visiting booth in the prison, she was fascinated with touching my face with her chubby toddler hands.
I sat patiently on the couch, eyes always shifting between my daughter's face and the figure of Lydia, setting the table for dinner. My attention turned back to Fiona as her hand traced the scar on my face, eyes wide with the sensation of feeling it for herself. Fintan crawled closer and pulled himself up on the edge of the couch, thin red hair sticking up in random places. He laughed and hit the couch with a slobber covered hand.
Knight grabbed him from behind, placing him on his knee before looking over at me. "Weird isn't it?" he asked, looking at the baby, "Wonder when he'll know how many times he's saved our lives already."
I shrugged, busy with a staring contest with Fiona. I didn't want to think about the Fintan I knew in the future- he had some things to answer for, even if he was my son.
"Dinner's ready," Lydia called and I looked up, losing the contest automatically. I smiled at her, standing there in sweats, short hair escaping from her messy ponytail.
She's beautiful, I thought, picking up Fiona before I moved towards the table.
000
I slid through the small window with some effort, her hands tugging me through from within. We both tumbled back and I looked down at Lydia's face in the darkness with a faint smirk. Pecking her on the lips quickly, I scrambled up, bringing her to her feet as well. The mission had gone well, but the surveillance we'd been under the whole time on this 'vacation' required some creative maneuvering.
"Shhh," Lydia reprimanded with a slight laugh and she crept over to close the window I'd just climbed through.
When she turned around I was looking her up and down with amusement. "New style?" I asked, examining her severely patched up pj pants and overly large t-shirt that I could have sworn had been mine at one point.
I folded my arms and walked closer, nearly tripping over the bed post.
"It might catch on some day," Lydia retorted when we were inches apart.
I wrapped my arms around her tightly moving my mouth close to her ear. "I doubt it."
"You're getting me all wet," she complained as the rain on my clothes soaked into her. Pulling away, Lydia touched my clammy shirt with a pointed look.
"Guess I better take it off," I replied and almost laughed at how readily she agreed, hands already tugging up on the hem before I'd made a move.
We met each others gazes and laughed silently, shoulders shaking as we enjoyed the secretive silence.
000
"Fiona?" Lydia whispered, leaning over the hospital bed, "Honey can you hear me? Come on, wake up…"
I watched helplessly and put my hand on her shoulder, squeezing and trying to keep my own tears at bay. "She's gone," I ground out, uneasily watching the doctors in the room, "She's gone now," I repeated, pulling Lydia away from the little girl.
Once she was out of the room I turned back to the bed, pausing before I bent over and kissed her forehead, already pale and cold.
"I saved her," I whispered to her, "Thank you."
000
"Ack," I choked as Lydia tightened my tie. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"No," she replied testily and stepped away so I could look in the mirror. I knew she was annoyed, probably thinking of what a baby I was being.
I shook off the thought and examined my reflection in the mirror. The non-prescription glasses were in place, my long hair had been tucked behind my ears and the tight tie looked appropriate around the collared shirt I'd been forced into. Still…something was off.
"I look like a convict stuffed into a suit," I offered sullenly, loosening the tie in a quick, bitter movement.
"You are," she shot back with a glare and left the room.
I followed after, knowing from experience that it was best to stop this fight before it built up into a blaze. "Lydia," I called, grabbing her arm, "I'll go, alright."
"It's just for a year- you just have to see if you like it."
"I know," I replied, trying not to grumble. Teaching at Sky High was the last job I'd ever thought I'd end up with.
She finally smiled and reached up to tighten the tie again. I growled inwardly, but her next words caught me off guard, interrupting my anger.
"Sides we need the money right now…Neither of us have had much work moonlighting and now that we're going to have another kid-"
"Huh?"
"I'm pregnant Warren," she replied, eyes suddenly sparkling.
I looked down at her stomach, forgetting the noose around my neck briefly.
000
How to explain what happened after the fight with Secondhand without confusing anyone is a problem…All I know to do is to tell what I saw. Even that won't fill all the blanks, because as I was flung through space experiencing things as history changed and time snapped back into place, my brain conformed, receiving new memories to explain all that had happened in this newly created universe- a universe where Secondhand's carefully planned revenge had been thwarted.
When everything had stopped spinning around me, I found myself in bed, at home, with Lydia lying next to me, 5 months pregnant and sound asleep. I wanted to wake her up, to ask if she remembered everything I just had gone through. It seemed too good to be true.
My hand moved of its own accord and swept Lydia's dark red hair away from her face. My finger traced the freckles on her face, across her forehead, down her nose and then rested over her lips briefly. I smiled, too giddy with our sudden reunion to keep in my happiness. My hand wavered as Lydia turned over and opened her eyes, looking very sleepy.
"Are you trying to tell me to wake up?" she asked groggily, "My appointment isn't until nine," she added, putting a hand on the bulge of her stomach.
The doorbell started ringing before I could answer. The frantic pushing on the button made Lydia groan and reach for a pillow to cover her ears. I got out of bed, head still spinning with everything that I'd gone through in the last hours…or was it years? Grabbing some clothes off the floor, I dressed and went out into the hallway, nearly stumbling over a toy car that Fintan had left there.
"I told him to pick that up," I mumbled and then froze in the hall, I did? I can remember that? These duel realities were going to confuse me to no end.
I reached the front door and opened it, glad that the frenetic sound of the doorbell had finally ended. Staring back at me from the other side was Knight. He smiled widely as he saw me.
"You really are alive! And I'm alive!" he half-shouted and launched himself at me, tackling me in what I assumed was a hug. "I can't believe this," he continued rambling, "When I woke up I just had to rush over here, everything's ok now…and I'm ALIVE!" he jumped up and down and I wondered if the neighbors could hear.
I struggled out of his grasp and shut the front door before turning on him with a shhh-ing motion. "You remember everything?"
Knight nodded, almond-shaped eyes suddenly wide with excitement.
"Everything?" I repeated, "Mortis Angelus and you dying and-"
"Everything," he answered, "Why are you surprised?"
I ran a hand through my hair and leaned against the wall, "Because…I don't think Lydia does."
"Hmmm," Knight replied, losing his uncharacteristic hyper enthusiasm in a moment. He scratched the back of his neck and looked back at me through the lenses of his glasses. "I'm not sure why she wouldn't…"
"Before- before things were changed, some guy who could block memories had been working on her…"
"That could be it," he replied, snapping his fingers, "I'm not sure if it's something that could be fixed though. Usually blocks like that come loose on their own, especially with her powers, but if they haven't already then it might be dangerous to force it."
I nodded, it was a relief. I didn't want Lydia to have to remember any of the pain she'd been through.
"Um, sorry for barging in so early," he suddenly offered, "I guess we can all talk about this some other time. I just wanted…I wanted to let you know that I knew and that I was glad, even back there, for what you did. You were a hero, even if the superhero courts didn't agree."
My throat felt froggy, but I blamed it on the early hour. "Thanks."
Knight nodded, moving awkwardly to the door. He left without a backwards glance and I wondered what it'd been like for him to wake up at all. Resurrecting someone from the dead wasn't something I ever wanted to have to mess around with again. A thought came unbidden to my mind; maybe all of this, these strange tempests in time, was meant to be. Of course, when you've changed the future, fate loses its magic.
But for now, I had only one thing to concentrate on, and that was the disheveled woman stumbling into the kitchen to make coffee.
AN: I might add an epilogue to this story, but I'm not quite sure yet. Obviously there's a whole backstory on Leopard and Lightning Strike that hasn't been fully explained. In case an epilogue doesn't happen, the basic explanation is that Leopard had a clean record and was determined to break away from his villain roots. His twin sister on the other hand, was determined to make sure he was forced into villainy. They cared very much for each other so she thought her death at the hands of a hero would suffice to get to him. It did. On the other hand, Secondhand manipulated all these events into place by having the Mortis Angelus appear. As for Fintan- his motivations are, as always, a bit of a mystery. Why he let things go that far will be something you'll have to ask him about...though I doubt he'll tell you ;)
Thanks so much for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated! I wouldn't have finished this story without the encouragment from all of you.
All time series fans can look forward to a collection of oneshots about Lydia and Warren sometime November/December.