Chapter Three

Author's Note: So this took a while to get out. I won't feed you some bull about my computer crashing or there being personal issues that kept me from writing. Fact is I just had other things I'd rather be doing with my time. "Sorry 'bout that" to quote The Hombre. You can look that up on YouTube if you're curious. If you don't, I won't be furious, but I might be a bit disappointed that my readers are uninterested in the things I'm interested in. But such is life, I suppose. Anyhow, here's a new chapter for your (insert feeling of choice.) So on with the show, and all that jazz, I suppose.

Chapter Three

Tony shut the door to his room softly. It didn't seem as though anybody had noticed his return five minutes earlier, but his mind was in a whirl and he needed to think, so being quiet like was probably his best course of action. Being disturbed as he thought things over would not do. Who knew what might come out of his little blabbermouth?

His family really didn't need to know what had happened tonight. They wouldn't necessarily say it, conscious of the public perception as they were, but Tony seriously doubted they would be thrilled to know that he had spent his leisure time with someone like that. Someone plane and average really wouldn't suit, no matter how inclusive his family wanted to be perceived. Everybody knew that inclusion and diversity was a message best sold through stunning good looks and conformity, after all. And all that nonsense was nothing compared to the girl's definite lack of moral fiber.

"Dashing without dining? Who even does that?" Tony could imagine Victoria and Paul asking sarcastically.

Tony sighed forelornly. He couldn't deny that he'd had a smashing time, as Television Personalities would say, no matter what his family might think. The girl seemed to be reasonably intelligent, if a bit amoral, what with her scheme to dash without dining. Musically, she seemed to be doing well enough, though Tony might prefer to spend his time with someone a bit more adventurous. That could be dealt with, though. Fact was, he'd had a reasonably good time, all in all, and that really didn't happen too often to poor Tony.

The boy went to put on a Smokey Robinson record. Smokey's received wisdom always seemed to cheer him up when he was in a mental, and not a musical, funk. But just as the needle was about to hit the platter, Tony's door opened. He turned around. Framed in the doorway stood his sister, the luscious Victoria.

"Hey, Tonester! I thought I heard you mucking about, no doubt making a racket with your wretched records," she smirked.

Tony sighed forelornly once more. It had been too much to hope for that nobody would notice the return of the prodigal son. Still, thank god it was the luscious Victoria, for whom he felt such an aching affection, and not someone less welcome.

"Oh yeah, I just got back, Tori Girl," Tony replied.

"Yeah, you may fool Mom and Dad, but you'll never be able to fool me, little guy!" Victoria ruffled Tony's hair, and he unconsciously leant into her touch. "Where have you been, anyway?"

"Oh, you know. Out and about." Tony tried for nonchalance. Victoria seemed to interpret it as coyness, though, and rather than having the intended effect, Tony's reply made a spark of mischievous interest flicker in the older girl's eyes.

"Oh, surely you don't believe that answer "satisfies my soul," as you would say?"

"First of all, it's not I who would have said it. I would just have quoted Muddy Waters as saying it." Tony replied hotly. "And secondly, well, I didn't rightly know."

"God, you're such a dork sometimes," Victoria cooed. "But you're my little dork," she continued playfully, ruffling Tony's hair so it stood out like a halo around his noggin.

A few seconds went by, and the room was filled with nought but the sound of Mark snoring from upstairs.

"Seriously, though, where were you?" Victoria finally persisted.

Tony let out a little sigh of defeat.

"Well, I decided to eat out today."

"Really? Where? I know you hate Bob's."

"If you must know, I blew all the money we got for bringing in Forkfingers on Barabas Pizza!" Tony said. He had finally grown annoyed at this persistant line of questioning. Maybe if he just answered truthfully, his luscious sister would get bored and leave.

"Barabas? Why would you go there? It's not really good form having heroes eating at a place named after a villain from The Bible," Victoria lectured.

"You sound like mom.." And here Tony made his voice imitate Carol's. "It's not right, Tony. It's not proper. Surely you couldn't think."

Victoria released an involuntary laugh, before scowling.

"Well excuse us for wanting New Wave to present a unified front," she huffed.

Tony's ploy had worked. She seemed to have lost all interest in where he had been, and more vitally, been blocked from asking with whom he had been there. She stormed out, her aura leaving his emotions all in a whirl.

"Well, musical and cinematic New Wave didn't present unified fronts. Why should things be different in the superhero community," he grumbled to himself once the door was closed. But deep down, he knew why. And he knew he was in the wrong, even though it annoyed him to no end.