By the time they finished their new introductions, the Commander and Jetstream had arrived, making sure all the kids were alright. I stayed in the back of the group, scared to be around the Supers. I knew I was going to get an ass chewing of some kind, and wanted to hold it off as long as I could.

Then they stood there, as the crowd of teens moved away from them, and me. I stood there, head hanging down, ready for the violent words to follow. But what I didn't expect was the words Jetstream said to me.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

I looked up at her. She wasn't mad. Not in the traditional sense. Not in the sense I was used to. I was waiting for the word lashing; not the concern. "I… thought I could handle myself." I said nervously, rubbing the back of my neck.

But Josie surprised me once more, wrapping me in a hug that could easily rival Will's. "Don't you ever scare us like that again young lady! You had the Commander and I worried sick!"

When she pulled away, I could feel the confusion written on my face. She sounded like I had come home late for dinner without calling; not that I had sold her son and all his friends to a top secret Government agency.

Then the Commander stepped forward and I prepared myself for the lashing that I never got.

"I can't believe this stunt you pulled. You are grounded, young lady." The Commander said.

I just stared at them, then laughed. "What? I'm seventeen. I don't even live with you."

"You will as soon as we get back to Maxville." Josie said, crossing her rubber clad arms over her rubber clad chest.

My mouth fell open a bit. "You… what?"

Will just laughed, listening to the conversation. "As soon as The Commander and I get back to Maxville, we're moving your things into the spare bedroom and terminating your lease. And you're going back to school!" Josie told me with a pointed look.

I just looked at them. They couldn't be serious. I voiced this. "You can't be serious. I have a ten month old baby. She's going to keep you up all night and cry. I'm used to being on my own. I don't know how to live with other people." I said, trying to worm out of this.

I didn't think me living with the Strongholds was the smartest idea anybody in the room ever had. "It's already done." The Commander said, giving me Josie's pointed look.

Turning to Will, I actually was looking for help. He just smiled and shrugged, turning back to the group. Before I could protest anymore, The Commander and Jetstream went about helping the police and paramedics.

I walked over to Will and touched him on the shoulder so he'd turn to face me. "I've never lived in a home before. Like, a house home." I was freaking out and Will could see this written on my face.

He just smiled. "Don't worry. I'm great with kids." He said and I froze up. Oh my god. They'd sent a car to Pasadena to look for Emma. I had to get to Los Angeles!

Seeing as Will's mom couldn't fly all of us, and everybody wanted to meet Emma, Josie rented me a car and I drove us all up to Los Angeles. On the drive, Will relayed what his parents had found out about 'The Agency.' It wasn't actually a top secret branch of the Government.

It wasn't even related to the Government.

Abraham was a villain known as Crusade. He had been trying to bring down the world of Supers since he graduated from the Super Academy in England years ago. I had been helping a top secret organization of Villains. Awesome. Another story my daughter was never going to hear.

And from the way Will made it sound, if the testing had gone on for a couple more days, they would have been able to completely drain the powers from Will, Layla, and Warren. And even Zach's fake mind control powers.

I listened as Will talked, but carefully watched the road. There was no way I was missing an exit and turning around. I didn't have time like that. I'd almost died. I wanted to see my daughter.

It was about a two hour drive from where we had ended up at the facility. So as we drove, the Captain America Crew asked all kinds of questions I had previously been unable to answer; how'd I get sucked into working for them, how did they know there was Supers in Maxville, which was pretty easy since Will's parents were pasted all over the news constantly.

And the most disturbing question; how did they know about Emma? I couldn't answer that one. I had no idea. I expressed to them how I thought I had covered my tracks and Layla agreed I had done well. She then explained to me about a time when her mom went MIA for about a month.

Layla didn't know anything until there was a news story about it on the TV.

As we rounded a corner of the run down suburb, I slowed to a stop in front of an older looking maroon house with white trim. The paint was peeling in places and there was children's toys strewn out in the yard. It was all I could do to put the car in park before jumping out.

But I still managed to put it in park, turn the car off, and open my door before any of them could even unbuckle their seatbelts. I ran up to the gate, unlatching it and running up onto the porch.

I knocked on the door and smiled when I heard the shotgun that my Aunt Rose kept next to the door, being cocked. "Who is it?" She called, not even opening the door. This made me smile, while the rest of the gang looked on oddly. "Aunt Rose. It's Cora." As soon as the words left my mouth, the door was thrown open and the big black woman came forward to hug me, gun discarded behind the door.

She was dressed in her traditional white and pink moo moo that only looked good on her. I hugged her back and she beamed a sad looking smile at me. "I was scared there for a bit, darling. You had me running worried."

I could tell she had thought I was dead. That's why she was so relieved to see me. I smiled, stepping to the side to reveal the crew. "Aunt Rose, these are a couple kids I picked up on my latest escapade. This is Will, Layla, Warren, Ethan, Zach, and Magenta. Guys, this is my Aunt Rose."

Aunt Rose went about giving them each a hug. I could tell she already knew what we'd been through. There was a tear in her eye when she looked at me again. "Yes, they saved my life. Yes, they know about Emma. And no, they didn't run away screaming." I said with a smile.

Aunt Rose just shook her head at me. "I knew that all, darling." She said, turning back into the house. I turned to the rest of them and mouthed 'telepathy.' "I saw that, child. Don't be rude now after I've been watching that little angel of yours." Aunt Rose called and I followed her into the living room.

My little girl Emma smiled up at me. She was standing and bouncing against the side of the fold out crib. "Hey Emma baby. Did you miss me? Yeah. You're so big." I said and sadness filled my heart at how big she'd gotten in the six months I'd been in hiding.

"You missed her first word." Aunt Rose told me and the way my heart felt wasn't like it dropped into my stomach; it felt like it fell out of my ass.

"What?!" I squeaked, forgetting the other six were lining the couch.

Aunt Rose nodded, but smiled, coming to stand next to me. "Emmy. Tell me your favorite word. What's your favorite word?"

"Momma!" She shouted, hugging me with her little arms. My heart melted into a puddle of goo as I hugged my baby girl. "You're gonna be smart just like Momma, aren't you baby?"

She just hugged me back and snuggled into my arms. "She hasn't slept well the last week. I think she knew you were going to come back for her." Aunt Rose whispered as I sat in her recliner.

I hadn't noticed Warren move until his shadow loomed over me. Until this point, I had done well to avoid him; looking at him, talking to him, anything that involved him, really.

But I looked up at him and there was a touch of a grin playing with his lips and he moved to stand over my shoulder. "She's got your eyes." He said to me and my gaze returned to the baby who was now staring intently at the man behind me.

"Dada." She mumbled with a smile, making the whole room tense up. I stood up, bouncing her. "No baby. Daddy's dead." I whispered to myself. But she wouldn't keep her eyes off of Warren.

"Is her crib still upstairs?" I asked Aunt Rose who watched Warren carefully. He didn't really care; he was watching me and the baby.

"Yes, child." She said, turning slowly to me.

"You didn't have a vision did you?" I whispered and she just nodded. I felt the color drain out of my face. "I'm not going to like it, am I?" I asked. She just shook her head and I scowled. I turned and headed up the stairs. But as soon as Emma was out of sight of Warren, she began crying.

I was confused. This never happened. She was normally well mannered as far as babies went. But Emma hollered and I slowly turned and walked back down stairs. As soon as Emma saw Warren, she latched her mouth closed.

I knew the others were watching our exchange with curious eyes. I just looked at my little one, then at Aunt Rose. "You can't be serious."

She just shrugged. "I'm only the messenger, darling."

I glared at the hard wood floor in Aunt Rose's living room. Emma cooed another 'dada', holding her arms out for Warren. I was mad. Six months gone and she wants to be held by the dark stranger in the room.

Warren walked over to me. "Do you want me to take her?" He wasn't asking if I wanted a break from holding her; he was asking to hold the child that kept calling him daddy. I knew Warren wouldn't hurt her, but I didn't want to let her go. I wanted to just hold her and fall asleep with her. But she wanted held by the guy.

Great.

Aunt Rose set her hand on my shoulder to comfort me and I handed over my child. "Of all the fuc-" Aunt Rose's hand had contact with the back of my head.

"What I tell you about cussing in my house? I oughta smack the stupid out of you." Aunt Rose's words made my friends laugh and added to my anger.

"Then I won't cuss in your house." I told her, going to the front door and shutting it behind me. I walked down the steps to the yard, letting a long string of random and incoherent cuss words slip from my mouth.

Why was Emma so attached to Warren? And 'Dada'? What the fuck was that? I didn't think he'd ever speak to me again, and there was he, holding my daughter. Did I just suck at being a mom? For Jesus sakes, I was gone for six months. How did she have any attachment to Warren? It wasn't like she'd ever even laid eyes on Dean.

Without me noticing, Aunt Rose, Will and Layla had come outside to stand on the porch. Somewhere in the middle of my questioning my being a good mother, I had begun to pace.

"You don't suck at being a mom!" Layla claimed loudly.

Her statement made me jump. Ok, so I had also been talking out loud. Awesome.

"Why is she latching onto him?" I asked, throwing my arm towards the house. Aunt Rose just sat on the porch swing, watching me.

"Maybe she knows Dean isn't coming back and she wants a dad like him." Aunt Rose said, knowing full well the effect his name would have on me.

"No! Don't you say that! She will never have a man in her life like him. Not as long as I live and breathe on this God forsaken earth." I yelled in her direction. I wasn't yelling at her. Not really. I was just mad.

I could tell Layla and Will were a bit shaken by my words. I stomped up the porch steps and into the house. Warren's head snapped up, previously playing with the baby in his lap. Without saying a word, I took Emma from him and marched up the stairs. In my rage, Emma kept quiet.

I got up to her room and she just kind of looked confused at me. I suddenly felt terrible. She had been smiling and giggling with Warren. I leaned against the wall with the window, across from the door. Slowly, I slid down the wall covered in flowered wallpaper.

Emma smiled at me like she understood my thought process. "Momma!" She claimed happily. I gave her a tight squeeze, holding her close to me. I didn't even realize it until there was creaking on the stairs, but I had started crying while holding my little one.

I didn't look up at the man as he sat next to me, making Emma smile great big. Seeing her happy made me smile before Aunt Rose's words echoed through my head. I could actually feel my face fall. Emma seemed to notice, patting me on the cheek. I turned my head and kissed her little hand with my lips.

Emma just giggled in response, and I remembered Warren sitting next to me. I looked over at him. Emma followed my movements and Warren stared back at me.

"Why are you here?" I found myself asking before my brain-mouth filter kicked in.

He just looked at me blankly, no emotion showing. "What do you mean?"

I wasn't sure what I meant. I didn't mean, how he had gotten to the house, obviously as I had drove him. "Why are you trying to forgive me? Why are you trying to get to know me?"

Warren just smiled at me, running a finger down Emma's cheek, making her giggle. But I was lost in Warren's closeness, waiting for his answer. "I'm not trying to forgive you." He said bluntly and it hurt worse than it should have. I looked away from him, back to Emma who just smiled.

"I already forgave you a long time ago." His words came out quietly.

I just looked at him. "Why? I did nothing to earn your forgiveness." I said and his booming laughter made Emma giggle loudly, reaching for Warren. I refused to give her what she wanted, simply holding her close to me. She didn't protest, just hugged me back.

Warren smiled at me. "You're upset that I don't forgive you and you're mad when I do forgive you? Gonna have to make up your mind, Young." He told me, using my code name.

I gave a small sideways smile. "Is that like my nickname now? Gonna start calling me Jade or Young?"

He shrugged lightly. "Why not? It was the name you had when I met you."

I nodded. I didn't understand him. I sighed. "Thank you, if you have actually forgiven me. If you haven't actually forgiven me yet, that's ok too. Hopefully one of these days, I'll be able to make it up to you if you decide you don't hate me."

He gave me the deepest and most sincere look I'd received in my entire life. "I could never hate you."

I got lost in his smoky black eyes. It was as if, when I looked at him, all my problems went up in smoke. But someone cleared their throat, bringing me back to Planet Earth, where problems were real and made of smoke.

I looked away from Warren to see Aunt Rose. She just gave me a soft smile, knowing exactly what was going on in our situation. "Dinner's ready, child." She said, turned and walked back down stairs.

How long had Warren and I been up here? But as I stood up, I noticed it was getting dark. The sun was slowly sinking into the distance, leaving red, pink, and orange strands behind it. I suddenly got caught up in all of today's events.

Two days ago, Warren and I had our fight on the sidewalk, where Will intervened.

Yesterday, I had tried to help Warren and Will escape Will's house, where he had been tied up and I had shot four men.

Today, I had broken them free; shooting another three men before getting briefly kidnapped myself.

It all seemed to hit me at once, the length of each day; and I really wanted a nap now. I felt so tired, I didn't even notice Warren's hands on my hips, all but holding me up.

"I'm too young to be going through all this. What happened to childhood?" I asked to myself as I readjusted Emma on my hip and led the way down the stairs.

Aunt Rose sat at the dinner table with Will, Layla, Ethan, Zach, and Magenta as Warren, Emma, and I joined the table. Warren and I sat down at the only two empty full size chairs. I pulled Emma's booster seat out of the corner and set her down.

I took one of Warren's hands and one of Emma's as we all held hands in prayer. "Dear Lord, bless this house and the company we are keeping inside it. Watch over the children as they make their way in this world. And please keep that nasty cold away from baby Emma. She just got over the sniffles a few days back. In Jesus name, Amen." Aunt Rose said, making me smile as we let go of hands.

I put a scoop of peas on Emma's tray and let her go crazy. I waited for the others to get their food before I got mine. Aunt Rose called this part of the 'mom complex.' Wanting others to be put before yourself. I guess it was true.

"Now, children. I don't know what you all do at the dinner table, but at this table we talk over dinner. So I want to know all about what's been going on." Aunt Rose said to the seven of us.