I woke up early the next morning. Warren had stayed late with me, just lying next to me on my bed. Josie had agreed, despite the fact that Steve put in a few protests. He left a little after midnight, even though he had school. I told him to not worry about me, I'd be fine. But he wanted to stay as long as he could.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, I felt relieved. I didn't feel heavy or downcast with burden. I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I started to think, 'Hey, maybe we could do this thing.' I got out of bed and went downstairs with Emma to get something for breakfast.
Steve was reading the paper at the table as I came and sat Emma in her car carrier. I put some cheerios on her tray and she smiled, gobbling them up. "Warren wasn't here too late, was he?" Steve asked, not looking up from his paper.
"Later then he should have been, yeah. I'm sorry." I told him.
He seemed to ease up a little bit, his only reply a nod. I poured myself a cup of coffee as Will and Josie came into the kitchen for breakfast. Josie smiled softly at me. Maybe she understood, in a way, the meltdown I was having. Or maybe she didn't and she just felt sorry with me.
I felt no need to clarify with her why she was helping me with these things.
"Will, I'm not sure if Cora talked to you yet or not. But she was hoping to work through your homework with you in the evenings." Josie said from the stove top, where she swirled a pan of scrambled eggs with a spatula.
"Uh, no. She hadn't said anything." Will said, looking over at me as I sipped my coffee. "But that'd be fine. I'll even dig out my Freshman books and we can go through them together."
"Thanks." I said with a nod. I still felt awkward here. I didn't quite feel like I fit in, but I was going to do the best I could. While I sat there, trying to decide how Will was going to home school me in the evening and still hang out with his friends, my mind wandered around.
Technically, weren't they my friends too? I could still call them that, couldn't I? We'd essentially gotten over the fact I spied on them and tried to sell them to a top secret 'Government' agency. But I didn't know how to be friends with anyone. The only friend I remembered having was Tony DiNardo in 3rd grade before my mom moved us out of the city.
Granted, I (mostly) enjoyed the company of the Captain America Crew, but because I felt like I hadn't earned their trust back, it was hard for me to talk to them. Warren was different, obviously, because he was my baby daddy.
God… How wrong it sounded when I was talking about Warren… I wondered how I could get that term of phrase removed from everyday life…
And then my eyes landed on Will. Or, moreover, Will's shadow. It was dancing. Slow dancing to be exact. It was doing a version of the Waltz I had once watched on TV. His shadow was doing a one person Waltz behind his chair, as if its partner was invisible. And Will was obviously not dancing around the kitchen.
For a moment, I thought about the Peter Pan movie I'd seen years ago. The boy who never grew up that lost his shadow and Wendy Darling had to tack it back on for him. And then I remembered the man that had been standing in Will's living room the night before.
"Do you guys know the name 'Erebus'?" I asked, as Josie set a plate of waffles on the table and sat down.
Josie shook her head and looked at Steve who gave a short shake of the head. "No, why?" He asked.
"I don't know. I heard the name somewhere and now I can't get it out of my head." I told them as Will and Steve started dishing their plates.
"I've never heard of it. But after I go to school, you can use my computer to look it up." Will told me as he passed me the plate of waffles.
"Ok, thanks." I told him and we ate the rest of the meal in silence. Will left to go pick up Layla, and Steve and Josie were trying to decide if it was safe to leave me alone by myself. "Hey, you guys. I really think I'm fine by myself. And besides, I don't have Warren or Will's powers, so it's not like I can light anything on fire or break a whole bunch of stuff. Just leave me the baseball bat and I'll lock all the doors."
Steve and Josie just looked at each other as the Super Phone went off, alerting them of an impending doomsday. They sighed, still looking at each other. "Hey, my issues are obviously not as important as the city. And if you think about it, if the city gets destroyed, I'd probably end up going down with it."
Josie sighed once more. "Keep all the doors locked, period." She said as Steve answered the Super Phone and off they went to save Maxville.
Once they left, I locked all the doors as instructed and brought Emma and my baseball bat into the living room. I hadn't even made a dent in the Stronghold's movie collection, but I sure was going to try today.
After about six hours, we had watched three different movies, I had fed Emma and myself lunch and I had started on dinner. I figured dinner was the least I could do for them. Emma sat in her carrier on the opposite side of the island as the stove, where I stood browning some hamburger for tacos.
I looked up, hearing a noise. Erebus, the Greek old western sheriff in black, sat at the table, spinning what looked to be a badge.
Really? He seriously had a badge. Oh my god.
He looked up at me with a smile, his black bandana around his neck, revealing his face. "Do you have a plan?" He asked. He looked so at ease in the chair sitting at the breakfast nook, like he came and ate with me all the time.
"What does Erebus mean, exactly?" I asked him, sending the spatula across the bottom of the pan of frying meat.
He cocked an eyebrow at me, as if in surprise. "You didn't answer my question." He said, spinning the badge once more.
I looked up at him as he watched the piece of metal spin. He looked quite a few years older than me. If I had to take a guess, I probably would have said he was twenty-five or twenty-six. However, the aura he had coming off him seemed much, much older than that. "To be fair, you don't answer mine either."
He smiled. "Touché. If I answer yours, will you answer mine?" He asked.
I nodded, seeing this as a fair deal. I looked over at Emma, who started cooing and clapping. "You're definitely going to be your great-aunt, honey bee." I said, shaking my head a little. I grabbed a handful of grapes and starting cutting them into halves before I set them on her tray to munch on.
"I don't have a plan. I have seriously no idea what to do. I mean, the fact they even want to come after me? That's crazy." I told him, stirring the beef.
He cocked an eyebrow again, a hint of a smile playing at his lips. "Crazier than you moving three hours from your daughter to spy on teenage super heroes?" He asked.
My mouth fell open. How the hell did he know that? What? "What? Teenage super heroes? I'm sorry, Mr. Greek Sheriff, did you take your medication today?" I asked, trying to play down what I hoped didn't blow up in my face.
By the time I looked up, he was standing in front of me, on the opposite side of the counter, looking at me hard. "You really think now is a time to be attempting, and failing might I add, to cover up something I've known about since it happened?"
I just kinda of gapped at him. "How did you know that? Who are you?!" I asked, turning off the burner for the burger and moving it to the back burner.
He rolled his eyes, as if I was a child that kept asking 'why'. "I told you who I was. The fact you haven't decided to look me up is your own fault. Here I am trying to help you, and you're arguing with me."
I just stood there, still not entirely sure about this whole situation. I was glad my Spidey-sense wasn't tingling, but that didn't mean this guy wasn't bad news. On the other hand, he hadn't tried to hurt me or Emma yet, so I supposed that was a good thing… Right? I sighed inwardly. "So Mr. Greek Sheriff, you got a plan then?"
His lips twitched angrily. "Don't call me a Greek Sheriff."
I held my hands up defensively. "Erebus. Got it. You never answered me, what does that mean?"
He nodded, ignoring my question. "First off, you need to start working on developing your Danger Sense. Secondly, you need to figure out why the people with automatic weapons are after you."
I opened and closed my mouth twice before deciding to keep it closed for a moment. AND he knew about the Danger Sense? Who is this guy?! I nodded, trying to play over his words. "I don't really have a strong grasp on this hero thing. I don't even know how it works."
He shook his head at me, sighing. "You don't need to know how it works. You just need to know when it works and then you need to figure out what's about to kill you. You're reading too much into it."
I nodded once more. Now, how to figure out why the Agency was after me… "Wait. You said I need to figure out why the Agency is after me. Does that mean you already know and just aren't going to help me?"
His lips twitched, giving me a smile that made me think of a boy I knew from Georgia in Freshman year. He was always getting into trouble. "Yes, ma'am." He said. He tipped his hat once and he was gone.
"What? No. Erebus?" I called, looking around the kitchen. How did he just vanish? "Erebus? Please! C'mon. You're not going to even give me a hint?" I asked, franticly looking around for him to come back.
"Who's Erebus?" Warren asked from the entrance way of the kitchen from the dining room.
"Huh? What? Nobody." I said, a little too fast. "Are you staying over for dinner? I made stuff for a taco bar." I told him, draining off the grease from the hamburger.
He kissed Emma on the forehead as he walked by, causing her to giggle. Then he came to stand behind me at the sink. "Who's Erebus?" He asked quietly, leaning down as to whisper in my ear.
I nearly dropped the pan of hamburger into the sink from the shiver that ran down my spine. He misunderstood my actions, thinking the pan was still hot. He took it from my hands and poured it into a bowl on the counter.
"Just a figment of my imagination." I told him, rinsing out the pan and putting it back on the stove. I pulled out a package of three chicken breasts from the refrigerator and opened them, putting them in the pan with a little water to steam.
"How does that work?" He asked.
I shrugged. How could I explain this and not sound crazy? Hmmm… Oh wait. I couldn't. Mostly because it was crazy. I opened my mouth to try to explain, but somehow saying, 'The man in black in the backyard that scared the living crap out of my daughter, who actually likes him now, keeps dropping by to give me cryptic messages about my future and then he leaves,' didn't sound like it would blow over too well.
I just shook my head. "I have played this over in my head ten different ways and there's literally no way to say it that doesn't sound like I need a strait jacket, so can we drop it?" I asked, putting a lid on the pot with the chicken.
Warren shifted his weight, just watching me. "Crazy or not, I'd really like you to tell me."
I sighed, pulling cheese and spring lettuce out of the fridge. Maybe if I talked while I did something, it'd be easier. I got out the cutting board and cheese grater and got to work. "The guy in black that showed up in the backyard? His name is Erebus and he came back today." I said, pausing to rotate the block of cheese.
"He asked me if I had a plan for the whole 'Agency out to get me' thing. I told him no. He told me I should start working on my Danger Sense and figure out-" I was cut off by a yelp that was my own. I wasn't paying attention and I had totally grated skin off my finger.
I sucked on it to get the blood contained and ran it under water in the sink. "And figure out why the Agency is after me."
Warren looked disapprovingly at the cut on my finger. "I suppose he didn't clue you in much?" He asked, pulling a band aid out of the top cabinet.
"No, that's why I was yelling at him." I told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"What did you say his name was again?" Warren asked with a little smile playing at his lips.
"Erebus and son of a bitch. He didn't tell me what it meant." I said with a sigh. Such a cryptic Greek sheriff.
Warren just smiled at my language. "I've heard that before. I'll go use Will's computer to look it up." He said, kissing my cheek and heading out of the kitchen.
Will got home a few minutes later with a smile on his face. "It smells awesome in here." He told me as I cut up chicken and put it in a bowl next to the hamburger.
"Taco bar." I told him simply as he nodded in approval. "Where's War? I saw his motorcycle out front." Will said. "Oh, he was using your computer." I told him.
He nodded and headed up stairs, taking them two at a time. I rolled my eyes. "Super powered teenage boys. Who decided that was a good idea?"
By the time Warren and Will came back down stairs, I had everything laid out for dinner. "Will, when are you parents going to be home?" I asked, seeing the clock read almost seven.
"Oh, they wanted me to tell you they got a call and had to race off to the East Coast. They should be back by dinner time tomorrow." He said, as he started dishing his plate.
"And you're not going to believe this." Warren said, five or six papers in his hand. He must have printed them out of the computer.
"Why? What is it?" I asked him.
"Well… I guess…" Warren said, unsure of his words all the sudden.
"Your stalker is a Greek God." Will finished, as he took his plate to the table and took a bite of his taco.
I paused my hand halfway to the bag of soft taco shells. I just kind of stood there for a moment and Emma had a noise that sounded a lot like, 'huh?' I looked over at her and she looked confused. Why was my baby confused? "I'm sorry." I said, looking over at Warren. "I thought you said the sheriff looking guy in black was a Greek God."
"He looks like a sheriff?" Warren asked, raising an eyebrow as he held the papers out to me.
I nodded, looking them over. One was a Wikipedia page announcing Erebus to be a primordial deity. "It is said to believe Erebus represents the personification of darkness." I said, reading off the printed page. "The personification… what…" I said, stumbling over my thoughts as I glanced through the other pages. "Why the hell is the personification of darkness helping me out?"
Warren shrugged when I looked over at him before he grabbed a plate and filled it with food. He set his plate on the table and then returned to the counter to unbuckle Emma and set her in her high chair.
"It's so weird seeing you with a kid." Will commented.
Warren ignored him. "There was a super hero back in the fifties named Erebus that I found, but he died in 1984 after being hit by a bolt of lightning."
"Well, I can tell you, he's very much not dead. He doesn't look a day over twenty-six." I said, building a soft taco and going to sit on the other side of Emma.
I glanced at Will, who had gone quiet. He shared a look with Warren, which Warren then turned into a glare. "Ok, so… what did I miss?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to eat now.
"We're just… concerned, is all." Will said quickly.
"Concerned because of what?" I asked.
Warren looked worried from the other side of my child. "You're the only one that can see this guy. It's troubling." He said, trying to keep his words easy.
I raised both eyebrows. "Yeah, well, you're not the one he wants to talk to then disappear. How do you think that makes me feel?" I asked, taking a bite of my soft taco.
"Have you been feeling alright lately?" Will asked.
I looked at him then glanced at Warren, who seemed content on his taco. "Well, other than the fact I was almost killed, almost got you guys killed, and in addition, killed nine grown men, and then I suddenly start seeing a Greek God, who says he's trying to help me, but at the same time, is being cryptic. Other than those little things, yeah, Will, I'm peachy." I told him, forcing a sarcastic smile.
Will's eyes went a little bit wider than normal as he choked down his food. "Nine?" He asked.
Leave it to a guy to catch the meaningful part of the conversation. I groaned in frustration. "I'm fine. I'm not going crazy. I'm not schizophrenic."
Warren's hand set on my knee and I looked up at him. He leaned over to kiss me on the cheek, making me smile a little bit.
The table was silent for a couple minutes. Emma started making a bunch of racket, so I took her out of the high chair to sit with me. She seemed to like this better.
"But seriously. Nine?" Will asked for another few minutes.
I groaned in frustration as I stood and left the table. I set Emma on my hip as I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. I set her down on the carpet to play with the few toys we brought back from Aunt Rose's. I sat next to her on the floor as she crawled towards one of the bight toys that made noise.
Warren came in and sat on the floor next to me. He didn't say anything. He just sat there. How did he know when I wanted to talk and when I didn't? How did he know me so well? This made me sigh. "Do you realize we know almost nothing about each other?"
He smiled, throwing his arm across my shoulders. "Yeah. I figured you'd tell me when you wanted to."
"I completely forgot to tell you about Cora. I was too busy being Jade, remember?" I more said than asked.
He nodded. "Do you want to play questions then?"
"I don't know what that is." I said, watching Emma giggle every time her toy made noise.
He smiled. "It's easy. I ask you a question and you answer honestly. Then you ask me something and I answer honestly. It's like the truth part of truth and dare." He informed me.
I nodded. "Sounds easy enough. But you go first."
He nodded. "What's your favorite color?"
I rolled my eyes. "Orange and black. I know you can't tell from my clothes, like the hippie or Wonder Boy." I said with a smile. "What about the tattoos on your wrists?"
Warren chuckled at my joke about his friends. "I got them to impress my dad when I was in 8th grade." He said with a sad smile and I suddenly realized Warren had never mentioned either of his parents before. He lived in an apartment by himself at 17? I briefly wondered why I hadn't thought about that before.
But I saw the look on his face. He was alright answering that one question, but I knew better than to push more on the subject.
"What's your favorite song?" He asked.
I looked down at Emma as she tried to crawl into my lap. "You want me to pick one?" I asked, making a face.
He smiled. "Fine, top three?" He asked as Will ducked his head in, avoiding my gaze. "Hey, War. I'm gonna head over to Layla's for an hour or something. Are you gonna hang out till I get back?" Warren nodded and Will was out the door. Warren turned back to me, expecting an answer.
"And he didn't even give me his homework to work on." I said, slightly disappointed. "Uh, ok. Top three favorite songs would be Give It All We Got Tonight by George Strait. Somewhere in Neverland by All Time Low. And… Gunslinger by Avenged Sevenfold." I told him.
"I'm going to be honest," He said as he cracked a smile. "I have only ever heard Gunslinger."
I smiled. "Well, you don't exactly look like the kind of guy to dig much country or pop." I told him and he nodded. "Any other tattoos?"
He smiled, pushing a lock of hair behind his ear. "You really like tattoos, don't you?" I shrugged, waiting for his response. "These two and one other." He said, gesturing to his wrists. "Do you have any tattoos?"
I shook my head. "I wanted one but Aunt Rose said she'd kick me out if I get one before I was 21. So I figured it was in my best interest to not get one." I said smiling. "I'm not even going to ask about music because I can guess. So how about the last time you got drunk?"
He shook his head, a nervous smile on his face. "I think I'll pass that one. You can ask another."
I raised both eyebrows at him. "What? You can't tell me you don't drink?" I asked, with a nervous laugh. "You do drink, right?"
He shook his head at me, smiling. "Yes, I drink. I just don't want to answer that."
I nodded, helping Emma climb across my lap to Warren's. "Why does Will call you War?"
He shrugged. "It was better than Hot Head or Flame Boy." I nodded and he looked down at me, getting me lost in his smoky brown eyes. "Do you want more kids?"
His question caught me off guard a little bit. "I suppose. Maybe in five years or something. I'd really like to be married before I have more kids though." I said, watching Emma.
Warren nodded, seeming to understand the point I made.
"Do you want kids? I mean, your own kids with someone?" I asked, watching him run a finger rhythmically over Emma's arm.
He just smiled. "Emma is my kid. She always will be." He said, taking hold of my hand to kiss my knuckles.