I don't even have an excuse for why this is so late. I'm just the worst. I understand if you hate me.

Emmeline was certain she'd never enjoyed a mall trip less. Emmeline was also prone to exaggeration. Still, this trip, had to be one of the worst. And she was certainly not exaggerating, not one bit.

It had seemed like fun when Ma Rollings had picked her up earlier that morning. The entire day had seemed positive, for that matter. It hadn't been too cold and she'd been prepared in case September decided to get snippy about its weather, and she'd finally ordered that one bit she needed to fix her car. It really didn't take much to please Emm, despite her inclination to dramatics.

"I still don't get why you won't even consider it." And then Maggie had started up.

Emm sighed around her straw. She should have known this conversation would lead to nothing good. Logan, still dressed in his pretzel stand uniform, laughed at her.

Maggie and Emm had taken a girl's day at the mall at Maggie's insistence and Emm's need for a new power drill (not so much a need as a nagging want). Logan had been working at the pretzel place when they arrived and had agreed to join them when his shift ended. He had been the one to start the conversation on partners.

With another sigh Emm looked at Maggie. "I wouldn't consider it because it's silly." This was what she got for being friendly with Warren Peace.

"But, why?" Mags was generally shy and soft-spoken, but when left with people she could trust she could be as obstinate as the best of them. She simply refused to drop the subject. Logan, who was content to watch and finish his cup full of cinnamon and sugar pretzel bites, was no help.

"Because Peace and I fight all the time I don't like him like that and he doesn't like me like that and it would all be bizarre." When they both just looked at her, clearly unsatisfied, she groaned.

"You two don't seem to be really fighting as much as you used to. It's more friendly now."

Emm shoved Logan with a roll of her eyes. "Oh come on, you didn't even know us before we became partners." She'd almost said 'friends', but that would have just spurred them on.

Logan, for all his long limbs and generally lanky appearance, was more graceful than she'd expected and easily spun around and missed the trash can beside him completely. His laugh made her shove him again. "Everyone in the school knew you two. There used to be bets on when he'd finally roast you. Actually, I think you've really let some people down now that you're friends."

She was smart enough to realize she wouldn't win this argument by relying on the old fighting. "I'm friends with Dan, and you too Logan, but no one pushes me to "admit my attraction" to them."

Maggie gave her a look and Emm considered that she'd been a bad influence on her. "That is completely different and you know it."

She couldn't help it; she grinned. If they wanted to be difficult she could be difficult too. She was good at being difficult. "Oh yeah? How? I spend loads of time with Dan, and we get along. We'd be perfect together."

Logan laughed into his cup while Maggie made a whining noise.

"And Logan. Logan and I only met a while ago, but look how well we get along. I'm getting him to not skip class and he's helping me with my project. Hell, we even got paired together. It's fate!" She shouted, earning the attention of an older couple. "It's true love!"

Maggie managed to look mildly annoyed as she fought a smile.

Logan, however, looked ready for a fit of dramatics. He tossed his cup in the trash. "Oh, my dear, if only I knew you felt this way. I would have saved my heart for you." He grabbed onto her shoulders. "Sadly, my heart belongs to another." He dropped his head into the crook of his neck and pretended to sob loudly.

Emm clung to him. "I will never forget you! But, maybe, just maybe, one day I'll learn to live without you."

Maggie walked away before she could completely crack.

He was perfectly content to sit around his room all day and watch the first season of Steve McQueen's first series. He was actually foolish enough to believe it would be a nice quiet day too. Then his phone rang.

"Oi, Peace," She didn't even wait for him to properly answer. "Look outside."

He groaned loudly. Sure enough, when he pulled back his curtains, she was leaning against his car.

"I'm not letting you in."

"Oh, don't be an ass."

He glared at her through the window.

"If you can help it."

He hung up. Just because he'd opened up to the idea of liking her, didn't mean he had to like it.

A minute later he was downstairs opening the door. "Would you stop molesting my car?"

She rolled her eyes at him, but stopped poking at his tires. "Took you long enough." She picked up the shopping bags he hadn't noticed on the sidewalk and gave his car one last pat. When he stepped aside she breezed past him. "Is your mom home?"

"No, she's at work." Garwin looked honestly disappointed. "You just want her to be around because she thinks you're great."

It was the wrong thing to say and her eyes lit right up. "I am great! She's so wise to realize it." She hitched her shopping bag up to her elbow and started up the stairs to his room. "How could such a bright woman have had such an idiot son?"

He swatted her head halfheartedly. "How does a sidekick have such an ego?" He knew it didn't really bother her to be a sidekick and only slightly bothered her that she had so little control over her powers. He, himself, was only slightly bothered by how well he knew her now.

Just like the last time she'd been to his house she walked like it was her own home. She dropped her bags next to his television and plopped onto his bed.

He had to stand in the doorway for a moment and watch her. "You are absolutely ridiculous. You know that right?" When she rolled her eyes he stepped into the room. "No, I'm serious. I don't understand you at all."

"Eh, you'll get over it."

Warren ignored the bags of what he assumed were ridiculous yellow shirts and skirts and sat down at the head of his bed. He considered being nice for a moment, then kicked her off the bed. She squeaked and fell with a thud. The string of curse words that followed nearly made him laugh, but he bit it back down to a chuckle.

"Asshole." She chucked a dvd case at him. With a grunt she sat back down on the bed facing away from him and kick his thigh.

He eyed her gray Converse disdainfully and shoved them off his bed. "What are you even doing here?"

She laid down, letting her head fall over the end of the bed. "I went shopping with Mags and we met up with Logan. He works at the pretzel place, you know." He didn't know that and he didn't know why he would. "I just had Ma Rollings drop me off down the street."

When he raised an eyebrow, she shrugged. They were both getting very used to just spending time with one another without any particular reason, they just didn't want to admit it.

She stretched an arm out and turned his TV on. "Where you just sitting here being bored and boring?" Garwin flipped quickly through the channels until she landed on the History Channel. "You need a life, Peace. It's sad."

He grabbed her leg and tugged her up over the edge. "That's not how normal people watch TV. And your shoes are on my bed."

Garwin made a face but sat up and twisted around so she was facing the television. And for good measure she stole his pillow. They sat like that and watched a special on superheroes of the ancient world and he pretended not to notice the dark look on her face when he mentioned that Jacobsen had gotten out of both the dinners they were required to have.

A look which remained until she was reminded of her shopping and forcefully showed him the new drill she'd bought and the ratchet set she'd put an order in for. She was kind enough to spare him the sweaters and jeans she bought.

Instead Emm made a crack or two about his need to go shopping and expand his very limited, very worn, wardrobe.

When the program they'd been watching ended she stopped teasing long enough to pay attention. Important Heroes of Our Century. She'd watched this one occasionally with Elijah, who'd always held more of an interest in super history than she had.

They quickly ran through the four heroes they would cover in this particular episode. She jumped and slapped Peace's thigh.

He shoved her. "The hell?"

"That's my grandmother." She pointed to the screen but they had already started talking about The Panther. "Well, not him. White Hawk. She's my grandmother."

She couldn't help but pleased when he raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed. "White Hawk is a Garwin?"

"Well, originally she was an Decker, but she married my grandfather and became Eleanor Garwin. She started her career as Decker though. I have to remember to give her a call later today."

She was always pleased when a mention of White Hawk was made. Even if she didn't intend of becoming a hero or even sidekick, she would always be proud of the heroes that were in her family. And there were a few.

"So, Elijah inherited her telekinesis?"

"Yeah, most of the family did. Dad and I didn't, and one of my cousins too, but the rest who actually developed powers were telekinetic."

Peace stayed quite for some time but she was too drawn into the show to notice until the commercial break. She found him giving her an odd look.

"Peace?"

"You've got a legacy."

"What?"

"Your grandmother was White Hawk. Your father is a well respected Mad Scientist with his own unique set of powers perfectly suited to what he does. And I'm assuming there are other heroes in your family." He paused while she looked at him expectantly. "And you didn't inherit the family abilities. You can't even control the ones you did."

She bristled. Her face flushed, she grit her teeth, and her knuckles cracked when she reflexively balled up her fists. "That's right, Peace, I didn't." She jumped from the bed as if burned and crossed the room quickly.

"Shit, Garwin!" He caught her wrist just as she stepped outside his room. "I didn't mean it like that."

To add to her frustration she couldn't make herself phase out of his hand. So, maybe she was a little more sensitive about the subject than she let on. She still didn't want to be a hero, but not having control over something that was meant to be such an integral part of her made her sore. She glared up at him.

"Garwin, listen to me." He pulled her arm back when she tried to turn away. "I'm not saying there's anything wrong with you. Damn it. Listen. I was being impressed."

His open admission made her stop trying to phase through. She watched him suspiciously.

"Legacies mean pressure. Even for the ones who have everything going their way." She assumed he was talking about Will post-powers and not himself. "What I was getting at was that you handle it well. Until just now you've never shown that it bothers you. You were content to let people think you didn't even have powers."

He looked at her seriously. "It's impressive."

Several beats passed between them before she deflated. She felt awkward standing there, reconciling all the anger she'd felt a moment ago, not knowing exactly how to respond. He solved the problem for her and tugged her back into the room by the wrist he'd never let go.

They sat back down on the bed and watched the rest of their program. When she tried to apologize he brushed it aside as unnecessary.

She told him her grandmother's side of the stories they talked about and what a terrible baker she was and how she always gave her sweaters for Christmas. And, when it got dark enough, he drove her home and had several slices of cake forced on him by her mother.