Fuse 4-5

Dad slumped into his chair at the kitchen table, scratching at the stubble on face.

"Dad?" It was unusual for him to be home so late in the morning. Let alone sleep in.

"Mmm?" His grunt gave me a fair idea that he had been sleeping off a hangover.

"Coffee?" I offered.

"Hmm." He rubbed at his fore head. "Yeah please."

"Out to late?" I asked.

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. He knew what I was asking.

"Later than I intended." He admitted.

The wind picked up and rain blew against the kitchen window in waves. "At least you made it in before the storm."

Dad hummed in agreement and sipped at his coffee as he regarded the rain in sleepy thought. "Don't suppose you would consider staying home today?"

There was something in his voice that I couldn't decipher.

"Because of the rain? I'll be fine." I assured him. I would only have to endure it a few times before I would be able to teleport directly to the Wards base.

"You're hardly ever home anymore." Dad said. "I barely get to see you."

"You are the one who wanted me to join the Wards." I pointed out none too gently.

"They are working you too hard." He protested.

"I haven't gone out since the Bank." I countered. "None of the Wards have. We have been staying in and training so that it doesn't happen again."

"It shouldn't have happened to begin with!"

"Oh, yeah, because you care." I couldn't help it. "Before the Wards I was home all the time but you weren't. You were working or out at the bar."

Anger flashed through his eyes. "Tay-"

I cut him off. "No, Dad, I'm not going to upend my life to meet your schedule just so you can have a few drinks after work." Before he could respond I teleported to my first stop on my way to the base that was feeling more like home than the house I grew up in.

.

"Taylor, what the hell happened to you?" Lisa cocked an eyebrow as she looked me over.

I ran my fingers through my hair to get all the wet strands of hair that were sticking to my face. "There a storm outside" I explained. "It's getting pretty bad too."

"Why didn't you wear a jacket at least?" She grabbed my hand and lead me to the women's locker room.

"Left in a hurry."

"Your Dad again." It wasn't a question. She pushed me towards the showers. "Shower. I'll go get you some clothes."

I took a quick and very warm shower and exited wrapped in a towel to find the clothes Lisa had left for me.

They were not anything I had left at the base. Not even the underwear. The sports bra and matching underwear were not so bad.

And the royal blue tank top with a deep neckline wouldn't be the end of the world.

But the yoga pants were a deal breaker.

I put on everything but the yoga pants and teleported to my room at the base and fished out a pair of sweatpants.

Much better.

There was a knock on the door.

"One sec." I opened the door to find Lisa holding the yoga pants.

"Your too shy." She folded them up and placed them in one of my drawers. "You have nice legs, show them off."

I looked down at my legs clad in baggy sweatpants. "How can you even tell?"

"You popped in here soaking wet." She explained. "Your clothes were sticking to you."

My face heated up.

"I mean you are lucky Chris and Dennis weren't here." She teased.

"And yet you were trying to get me to wear yoga pants." I accused.

She waved it off. "I was more referring to the state of your shirt."

I gave her a questioning look. I had worn a purple shirt today because it was her favorite color.

She rolled her eyes. "Let's just say I could tell the rain was cold."

Oh...OH!

I thought my head would catch fire I blushed so hard.

Of course Lisa just laughed at me.

The lights blinked red, warning us that someone was coming through the Wards door.

Lisa grabbed both of the blank masks off the wall by the door and tossed me one.

I followed her lead and only held it up to my face without actually putting it on. There were only a few people who had access to the Wards base that didn't know our identities.

It was Ethan and Jamie.

"Hey you kids ready for today?" Ethan rubbed his hands together in excitement.

"I'm sure that this won't be as fun as you seem to think it will be." Jamie scoffed. "It's just a workout routine."

"Yeah but they got the Wards their own equipment!" Ethan was far too happy. "No more rotating with the PRT guys. Now we can come over here!"

"I'll give you that, but it's still nothing to get hyped up over."

Lisa bumped me. "I'm going to get changed." She slipped into the room she shared with Lily.

I looked over our mentors. Ethan was wearing a muscle shirt and basketball shorts while Jamie had on much the same as I did except her tank top didn't hang so low on her chest.

Lisa emerged from her room in a sports bra and yoga pants both, inevitably, purple.

"Don't you want a shirt?" I asked my cheeks feeling a little warm as I glanced at her chest.

"No, why?" She smiled at me. She knew why.

I shook my head. "Just asking."

Jamie cleared her throat. "Go put on a shirt anyway."

Ethan gave her a sideways look.

"Chris is going to be there." She explained.

"Yeah I guess we don't want him tripping over his feel drooling over my boobs while I'm on the treadmill." Lisa laughed. "Or god forbid he got hard and gets it caught in a weight machine or something."

Ethan made a choked pained noise. "Don't even joke about stuff like that."

Lisa laughed and ducked into her room and returned in the same style clothes but with different colors plus a tank top.

I must have looked confused because she rolled her eyes.

"I didn't have a suitable top that matched." She explained.

I shook my head. We were going to work out not stroll around the mall.

"Alright let's go." Ethan said.

"You guys can take the elevator and meet us there." Lisa wrapped herself around me. "We're taking the express route."

I smiled and focused on the newly partitioned section of the Wards training area a couple of floors down. And then we were there.

"Jamie is going to give me hell for that." Lisa grinned.

"Why? You are still in the base." I pointed out.

She gave a small shrug.

"Hey you guys going to start making out or something?"

Lisa still had her arms around me. She released me and gave me a wink.

"I didn't know you were a voyeur Lily." Lisa teased.

Lily laughed, not breaking stride on the elliptical. "Hardly but it does make a girl jealous to be the only single one here."

"I'm single!" Dennis called from where he was lifting weights with Carlos.

Lisa ignored him. "Jealous? Of me or Taylor?" She asked with a smile and a tilt of her head.

"Both, I guess." Lily smiled back.

I rolled my eyes. Those two always got into it.

"Both?" Lisa pressed a hand to her chest and raised her eyebrows. "Surely you aren't suggesting a ménage á trois?"

Lily nearly fell off the elliptical.

Lisa had clearly won this round.

Lisa beamed "Sorry. I don't share."

Lily tipped an imaginary hat to Lisa acknowledging her loss.

"What's a ménage á trois?" Missy asked. She was pulling on handles connected to a weight machine with Hannah overseeing her workout.

"Nothing you need to know about." Hannah said firmly. She shot a quelling look at Lisa and Lily.

Both laughed.

"Oh, it's a sex thing." Missy didn't break her rhythm on the machine.

A loud clang came from were Carlos had just dropped the dumbbell he had been working with, face red.

Hannah palmed her face and Dennis fell to the floor clutching his stomach laughing.

I felt my cheeks burning as I tried to shake away the idea.

"What did we miss?" Ethan and Jamie looked around the room eyebrows raised.

"Nothing that needs to be repeated." Hannah ground out.

Missy open her mouth to respond but Hannah silenced her with threats of more weight.

"Where is Rory?" Jamie asked.

"He went out with Dauntless and Velocity today for patrols."

Jamie shrugged. "I assume Collin is holed up in his lab?"

"Of course." Hannah sighed. "And Chris is out with a cold"

"Well that's okay we still have plenty of people for team sparring." Ethan said. "What do you say, Wards versus Protectorate."

"Today is about setting up a routine." Jamis elbowed Ethan in the side. "Not about your games."

Ethan rubbed his side. "Sparring is important too."

"Not today it's not." Jamie directed her gaze to Lisa and I. "Alright ladies shall we warm up on the treadmills?"

PAGEBREAK

"I'm beat." I collapsed down onto one of the sofas. Freshly showered and changed I was dead tired.

"It gets easier once you get into the routine." Carlos assured from the other end.

"Says the guy who doesn't get tired." I retorted.

He smiled. "I don't use my powers during the workout, defeats the purpose."

"Liar." I accused without any heat.

He laughed again. "Anything you want to watch?" He held up the tv remote.

"No too tired to think." I wiped at my eyes.

"I thought that was the point of TV." Dennis joined us rolling over the back of another sofa and sprawling out onto the cushions. "You watch it so you don't have to think."

Carlos flipped slowly through the channels looking for something neutral enough that there would be no complaints.

"What are we watching?" Missy far too energetic after a workout bounced into the room and claimed a chair.

"Nothing yet." Carlos offering up the remote. "Any preferences?"

Missy waved for Carlos to toss it to her. "Dunno whats on." She caught the remote and pulled up the channel guide.

"No mystery shows, Lisa will ruin them." I joked.

Of course that's when she decided to emerge from the locker room. "I do not." She fell onto the sofa next to me and cuddled into my side.

I put my arm around her. "Do so. You even ruined Scooby Doo."

She poked me in ribs with a finger making me jump. "That's a kids show, doesn't count."

I poked her back. "It does so."

She slipped a hand around behind me to get at my other ribs. "Does not. Try again."

I pinned her arm by sitting on her hand. "Okay what about NCIS, or Blue Bloods, or the other cop shows."

There was a wicked look in her eye. "Those are dramas not mystery shows." She adjusted her position and tried to move her hand under me but all she succeeded in doing was trapping it further underneath.

"It's not dramatic if you know who the killer is."

"It's plenty dramatic." Her grin grew and her eyes shown as she pinched me right on the ass.

I had to bite my tongue to keep from gasping in shock. Did she really just do that in front of our friends.

I glanced around but I didn't seem like anyone noticed.

I returned my eyes to Lisa to find her watching me, nibbling on her bottom lip.

"No." I mouthed to her.

"No, what?" She mouthed back, grin in place.

"Oh, is something going on between you two?" Lily's voice came from behind and I nearly bolted up off of the sofa. Instead I just jostled Lisa a bit.

"Uh we're dating?" Lisa said.

"Have you two ever been on a date?" Lily asked skeptically as she moved around the sofa towards the other one. She kicked Dennis's legs to get him to stop hogging the couch. "Together I mean."

"Not since switching sides." Lisa responded, clearly annoyed her mischief was interrupted.

"Oh, that sucks." She flipped onto the sofa. "The house arrest thing."

"Obviously." Lisa returned.

Okay this had to stop.

"Hey Lily, I know you two like to go back and forth but maybe get your own girlfriend and stop going after mine."

Everyone looked at me in shock.

"What? Enough is enough." I defended. "You two go back and forth a couple of times a day, every day, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who is over it."

Lisa made to say something but I stopped her. "I know your both stuck here but really, it's enough."

"Maybe it would be best if we cleared out the last room so they can have their own rooms." Carlos suggested.

"I mean they both live here so why not have their own rooms." Dennis added. "Weld gets his own room."

"I agree let's split them up." Missy piped up. "Sorry guys. It was funny at first but it's getting old."

"I still think it's funny." Dennis put in.

"Uh, sorry I guess." Lily said not looking sorry at all. "It's just. I don't know."

"It's cause I'm a former villain and you have a problem with that." Lisa filled in the blanks. "And I have a problem with you thinking Taylor and I shouldn't be together because I used to be a villain. So just get over it and everything will be fine."

"Hooo boy." Dennis looked between the two.

"Of course I have a problem with it." Lily said as if it was obvious why. When no one immediately raised a voice in support she elaborated. "Who's to say she isn't selling secrets or plans on running off first chance she gets?" Lily folded her arms.

"Ooh someone's been burned before." Lisa cooed.

I pinched her on the arm.

"Ow!" She rubbed her arm. "What? Does she think I got this scar from? Collecting bottle caps?"

"Where did you get it from?" Lily sneered. "Get your head stuck in a toilet?"

Lisa stood up to face Lily. I got up and wrapped my arms around her waist to make sure I could hold her back.

Dennis moved behind Lily ready to use his power.

"I got this scar when an evil fuckstick, who forced me to become a villain by the way, blackmailed a PRT Trooper into shooting me in the head." Lisa was shaking with anger. "All because I got arrested because I stayed behind at a bank robbery to save Taylor."

Lily said nothing.

"What no witty comeback?" Lisa spat. "No blind assurance that the world works only in the way you think it should?"

"That's enough come on." I murmured into Lisa's ear.

Lisa let me tug her towards my room and I shut the door behind us.

We laid down on my bed and I just held Lisa until her shaking stopped.

"I'm okay." She breathed.

"Are you sure?" I whispered. "You were pretty upset."

"When I got arrested, Taylor, I thought I was going to die." She shuddered. "Anyone in the PRT could have been on his payroll. I had to be on guard all the time, always using my power to make sure the next guy wouldn't be the one to put a bullet in my brain. Until finally someone tried and that fucking hag took me seriously."

She must mean Piggot.

"Then after all that you were okay and we were going to be on a team and they were trying to take me away again just when it felt like I was getting some control back." She sniffed. "I don't like not being in control."

I hugged her tighter. "And Lily?"

"That bitch." Lisa muttered. "I don't know if she realizes it or not but she has been trying to split us because she is jealous or because of her stupid 'all Villains are irredeemable assholes' mantra."

She hugged my arms still wrapped around her middle. "I gave up everything and put my life on the line for you Taylor, and when she questions that? It really pisses me off."

I could see that.

We lay in silence for a few minutes more.

"Okay, therapy session is over." She tapped my arms to let her up. "Let's go."

"Okay." I didn't move.

She huffed a small laugh. "You can let me go now."

I smiled into her shoulder. "And if I don't want to?"

"Then I'm going to fall asleep right here instead of making sure I get my own room to sleep in tonight."

I sighed excessively as if I was making a great sacrifice but let her up. "Wish we could room together. Or that they would have let you come live with me."

She laughed. "You think your dad is giving you problems now? Imagine if I, your super sexy girlfriend, was living with you and sharing a bed?"

She had a point. "Seems worth it to me." I returned.

"Oh?" Her trademark grin in place. "Coming out of your shell and getting bolder I see."

"I don't know what you mean." I sniffed as haughtily as i could manage.

"Sure, sure." Lisa opened the door. "Well this doesn't look good."

I followed her out to see everyone crowded around the television.

Over their heads we could see the headline.

Explosion at Winslow High School.

.

"The first time we get to go out in forever and it's to pull a security detail." Vista complained over the team channel.

"At least the rain stopped." I said glancing up at the waning light of a cloud covered afternoon.

Vista, determined to complain, ignored me. "I mean really. It's the weekend. Who are we supposed to stop from going to school?"

"Dastardly criminal nerd types." Clockblocker informed. "They will not be denied their math classes."

"I believe the goal is to prevent any curious people from getting hurt."

Carlos added.

"Or from setting off any additional devices." Miss Militia cut in. "Eyes open Wards and watch your step."

"Yes ma'am." I added my own voice to the chorus of mollified responses. I mean we were doing our best but standing watch for hours, some of which it had been raining, on the edge of Winslow's property wasn't exactly the most thrilling thing .

I mean yeah sure the PRT trooper's we're doing the same as us in maintaining a perimeter and, I assume from their lack of fidgeting, doing so with minimal complaining.

I looked over my shoulder at the smoldering ruins of my formal Hell.

And honestly if when the search was finished and it was decided that no one got hurt? I might chalk this one up as a win.

"They will have to close the other schools after this." Lisa's voice came over the radio. "There is no way they can justify keeping any of the schools open until Bakuda is captured or killed. Not now."

"What kind of bomb was it?" Kid Win asked. "I didn't get close enough to see."

"No one from the Wards team did." Lisa informed. "Armsmaster is investigating of course but I don't have access to the protectorate feed and Triumph isn't sharing anything non critical from their console."

I smiled a bit at her sullen tone.

"Oh, hang on a sec." She perked up a bit. "Kid Win turn your head a little to the left... yeah like that... look back to the right and up like you're really bored."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Clockblocker muttered over the radio.

"Okay, so we have observers from the ABB." Lisa said. "Let me pass that on over to the protectorate and they can handle it."

"What about us?" Vista asked. "We can handle a couple of goons."

"Not when those goons could have who-knows-what kind of bombs ready to twist you into a knot or turn you into a frog or something." Lisa retorted.

Clock snorted. "A frog."

"Sure, she made a time stop bomb that got Lung, so yeah, why not one that turns someone into a frog." Lisa was baiting him.

And it worked. "Nope. Not evil enough."

"I'm sure she is not so much evil as insane." Lisa retorted.

"Why not both?" I could just imagine Clock shrugging as he said it.

"Touché." Lisa agreed.

"Guys, focus." Aegis sighed. "I'm going to fly the perimeter. Where is the ABB?"

"Kid's sector, in the crowd. One shaved head with the tattoos, the other with the green ball cap." Lisa described the men.

I was tempted to look over in their direction but Kid and I were practically on opposite corners of the PRT perimeter.

"I see them." Aegis reported. "Going to give a low pass see if they spook."

"Be careful," Lisa cautioned. "No telling how they will react."

"Wait!" Flechette voice snapped through the coms. "I got a few guys just showed up in a pickup. They look like they could be armed."

"Aegis pull back." Lisa ordered. "Switching to Flechette's cam."

"Console?" Miss Militia asked. "What do you have?"

Lisa clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Looks like some E88 goons just showed up looking for trouble."

"They are heading for Kid's sector." Flechette reported.

"Assault and Battery are in route." Miss Militia reported. "Wards hold position unless civilians are in danger."

"Sidelined again." Missy sighed.

I created a few motes of my fire and set them to orbit me slowly. They would be handy if I needed them and the lazy movement of them I hoped would make me look bored.

In truth I was nervous. The last time I had been out officially as a hero, I had been hospitalized along with the whole team of Wards that had been on patrol.

I scanned my section of the perimeter again. Nothing but onlookers pointing at thing no doubt speculation rampant between them. So not much different that is Wards or even the PRT trooper's assigned to work with us.

Then something caught my eye. A familiar head of red hair and I sucked in a breath.

Emma Barnes.

She had her phone out and was pointing it at me.

What do I do? She couldn't possibly know who I am.

Gunfire erupted from the other side of Winslow and the crowd before me thinned out rapidly.

Except Emma.

And fucking Sophia.

"C-console." I stopped and deliberately slowed my breathing so I wouldn't get worked up. "Stalker is here.

"What!?" My ear exploded with the sound of nearly every one of the Wards asked at the same time.

"She is out of Costume." I reported hesitantly. "What do I do?"

"What is she doing?" Miss Militia was back on the channel.

"She is with a girl who was her friend at school. They are taking pictures." I said.

"Of what?" Miss Militia asked.

"Me."

"That can't be good." Lisa muttered. "We should bring them in."

"Technically they haven't done anything wrong." Aegis cut in. "She's played by the rules and hasn't caused any trouble for us out of costume even though she knows who we are."

"Somethings bothering me about her getting pictures though." Lisa retorted.

"It's the other girl taking the pictures." I corrected.

"Probably ends the same way though." Lisa said. "What do we do Miss M?"

"Keep an eye on her but leave her alone." Miss Militia sighed through the channel. "If we reveal her identity by going after her and she uses her power to slip away, she will return the favor."

"She would have every cape in the Bay out for her head." Lisa pointed out.

"No, if it's not affecting them the Villains likely won't lift a finger." Miss Militia paused, the faint white noise indicating the line was still open. "Ok Wards, pack it up. Armsmaster has what he needs and the site is clear, let's go home."

"What about Stalker?" I asked. "We can't just let her walk away."

"Unless she is currently breaking the law that's what we have to do." Miss Militia's tone was sour. "You have your orders Wisp. Back to base now."

"Yes ma'am." I responded. Before I teleported away I shot a look in Sophia's direction. she was staring at me. I balled my fist and the motes of my fire burst with a series of whumps. Sophia just smiled that shit eating smile she wore at Winslow. I teleported away.

.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! I have been re-reading the Dresden Files in prep for the upcoming Peace Talks in two weeks (if you guys are as excited as I am). And, well, it made it hard to keep my head in the right universe in order to write. If there is any noticeable bleed over I apologize.

Holy Mother of God you guys are awesome! So many of you have Fav and/or Followed this story that I am just blown away. So as thanks the next chapter will feature a date between Taylor and Lisa. It wasn't necessary for the plot but is totally doable with my timeline and I've already outlined how to slip this in. It might actually fit the over all story flow better than what i had planned before. Let me stop here lest I raise expectations above current levels. :)

Thank you all again! (Don't forget to review!)

K. Raiden