This chapter is just some fluff, I wanted to do some lighter chapters before we get to the season finale. This also sets up the relationships between her and Isaiah and her and Roy. Also, I've started writing the first year in the five year gap, but I could still use any advice or suggestions you have for it, so please review and let me know. Hope you like the chapter, please review.
Three weeks later, Mallory and Isaiah were walking around the city, looking for new restaurants and making fun of the tourists staring at the 'sights'. They got a shoe sold from the bakery and found a bench in the park to relax on.
While they were sitting there, Isaiah said, "You know how you warned me that I might get a visit from some guys?"
Mallory chuckled. "Yeah," she said.
"Well, they finally found me."
Mallory sat up. "No! Oh my gosh, what did they do?"
"They just threatened me, warned me not to go too fast with you or they'd tear me apart, all the typical stuff. Why didn't you tell me you have brothers?"
Mallory bit back her laugh. "You know about my team," she said.
"Yeah, but I didn't know you had, like, real brothers. The oldest is really scary."
She couldn't keep the laugh in. "I don't have biological brothers. I think the guys you're talking about are Kid Flash, Red Arrow, and Robin. Kid Flash told me after our first date that he was going to get the guys together. I didn't talk about you to him after that, though, so I thought he forgot about it."
Isaiah shook his head. "No, he didn't forget."
Mallory sighed, though she was still smiling. "I'll talk to them," she promised.
"Thanks. But don't tell them I thought they were scary."
"I won't."
They drifted back into silence for a while, then Isaiah said, "So, next week is Thanksgiving. I want you to come to my house the day before and meet my parents."
Mallory straightened and looked at him. "Wow, um, that's pretty big, isn't it?"
"Well, yeah, but don't you want to meet them?"
"I mean, yeah, but, I really don't think they're going to like me."
Isaiah chuckled. "They'll like you. Just don't set anything on fire. My mom didn't appreciate it when I set the couch aflame."
Mallory laughed. "All right, well, if I'm meeting your family, then I think you should meet mine."
Isaiah smiled. "I'd love to meet your parents," he said.
"Parents? I didn't say you would meet my parents."
"Well, why can't I meet them? You're meeting mine."
"I haven't exactly told them about us," Mallory said haltingly.
"What? Why not?" he asked, sounding hurt.
Mallory sighed. "I don't know, they just act so weird when I talk about training you. I don't think they like the idea of you too much."
"Well, they haven't met me yet. Come on, Mal, let me meet them. Please?"
Mallory thought for a second. "All right. But you still have to meet the team. We can do it all on the same day. We'll do your parents, then mine, then the team. All right?"
Isaiah nodded. "Yeah, sounds great."
They spent the rest of the morning sitting on the bench, enjoying each other's company.
Mallory zetaed to the cave that afternoon to find the whole team there. She pulled Wally and Robin to the side and crossed her arms.
"What did you do to Isaiah?" she asked.
The boys grinned. "Just put a little healthy fear in him," Robin said.
"Really, guys?" Mallory asked, her tone slightly exasperated.
"We didn't do anything to him," Wally assured her.
"Sure you didn't," she said sarcastically.
"No, really. Here, you can watch it, if you want."
"You videoed it?" Mallory asked, a laugh threatening to escape her.
"Well, yeah, duh," Wally said. Mallory rolled her eyes and watched as Robin pulled the video up on his wrist computer. He must have been in a vent or something across the hall from Isaiah's apartment.
Wally and Roy walked up to the door in civies, Roy in his sunglasses, and knocked on the door. Isaiah answered, and Wally smiled.
"Hi, you must be Isaiah Crockett. Could we have a word with you?"
Isaiah closed the apartment door and stepped out in the hall. "Sure, what about?" he asked.
"Inferno," Roy said quietly.
Recognition showed on Isaiah's face. "She told me I might get some visitors. Listen, you don't have to do the whole intimidation thing. It's not going to work, anyway."
Wally and Roy exchanged a glance.
"You think we're the typical older brothers threatening to beat you up if you mistreat our sister? You are very much mistaken. If you do anything to her, you won't be able to tell the cops what happened that broke every bone in your body," Roy said, his voice low and deadly.
Isaiah paled a little, but other than that, his face stayed the same. "Please, I could burn you both where you stand if I wanted to."
"I'd like to see you try," Wally said.
"And anyway," Isaiah continued, "Mallory can take care of herself."
"Mallory, is it? So, she trusted you with her name." Roy took a step closer to him, even though he was already too close. "Well, I don't trust you. Just remember, we can track you down wherever you go, so if you ever mistreat her, you'll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your very short life." He backed up and Wally grinned. "Well, glad he had that chat. Have a nice day!"
The boys walked back down the hall, but the camera stayed on Isaiah. He waited until he thought the boys were gone, then leaned against the door and let out a breath.
"Isaiah, what are you doing out there?" his mom called.
"Oh, nothing, mom. I'm coming." He went into his apartment and the video ended with Robin cackling, his laugh echoing eerily in the close space.
Mallory stared at her friends, and all three of them started laughing.
"I can't believe you did that," Mallory gasped. "Oh, poor Isaiah."
That made them all double over as the laughs came harder, and Mallory fell onto the sofa.
"What's going on?" Zatanna asked.
Mallory looked over the sofa back to the rest of the team staring at them curiously. They got control of themselves, and Robin started to pull the video up for the rest of the team.
"No!" Mallory said, grabbing his wrist. "Okay, thanks and all, but I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't put that video anywhere people are going to see it. That wouldn't be fair." She turned to the rest of the team. "Anyway, I'm bringing Isaiah here for dinner Wednesday to meet you. Please make him feel welcome."
"Of course," Megan said, sliding her arm in Conner's. Conner didn't seem to be as enthused, but he didn't say he wouldn't. "I'll make dinner," Megan offered.
"Thanks. And guys, I mean it, be nice," she said, staring Wally and Robin down. "He's going to be coming here straight from meeting my parents."
Wally faked a confused, innocent face. "I don't know why you're looking at us, " he said, and Robin added, "Yeah, you know we're not going to do anything."
Mallory eyed them suspiciously. "Uh huh, well, good."
She went to her parents house next. "Hey, I'm back," she called.
"Oh, your home early," Elaine mentioned. She and Darren were in the living room. "Oh, Mallory, don't forget to invite Wally over for Thanksgiving leftovers. I don't want the food around to tempt me."
"Yeah, I'll remember. But, can I talk to you about something?"
"Sure, what?" Darrin asked.
"Well, that guy I've been training, Hotspot? We've been seeing each other for the last few weeks, and I want you to meet him."
"How long is a few weeks?" Darrin asked.
"Well, since the worlds split. Anyway, I'm meeting his parents Wednesday, and he's meeting the team, and I want him to meet you, too."
They exchanged a glance. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Elaine asked.
Mallory sighed. "Because whenever I tell you that I do something on my own, you act like it's wrong or something."
"We just want to protect you," Darrin said.
Mallory rolled her eyes. "I can take care of myself. And I always have help just a text away if I get into something I can't get out of."
Her parents let it go, but a tense silence followed.
"So, can I bring him to lunch on Wednesday?" Mallory asked finally.
Elaine looked at Darrin, who half shrugged and said, "If you're going to keep seeing him, I guess I'd feel better meeting him."
Mallory nodded and the stormy silence returned. After a few minutes, she went up to her room, wondering when things had changed between her and her parents.
Mallory was up bright and early Wednesday morning, waiting for it to get light outside. Isaiah had told her that he'd meet her by The daily planet at 8:00. She got dressed in jeans and a nice t-shirt, something that looked nice but she wouldn't mind wearing the whole day. She grabbed her phone and jacket and hurried through the brisk November air to the zeta tube.
She wasn't waiting long before Isaiah showed up to take her to his apartment. He took her hand and they walked the six blocks to his apartment house. Mallory could feel her stomach knotting up more and more the closer they got to his apartment.
Isaiah looked at her and gave her hand a squeeze. "Calm down. They're going to love you," he assured her. Mallory mustered a smile just as the elevator doors opened.
She recognized the door from the video, and she noticed with some amusement that there was, in fact, a vent directly across from the door. Isaiah let them into the apartment and led her to the kitchen, where a dark skinned woman a few years younger than Elaine was standing in front of the stove.
"Mom, this is Mallory," he said.
The woman turned from the stove and gave Mallory a warm smile. Mallory recognized her from the picture in Isaiah's mind.
"Hello, Mallory. It's so nice to meet you." The woman extended a hand, and Mallory shook it lightly.
"You, too, Mrs. Crockett," she said.
"Well, I hope you like French toast," Mrs. Crockett said, turning back to the stove to flip a piece of bread.
"Love it," Mallory replied.
A girl about half her age trotted into the kitchen then. "Mom, is breakfast almost ready?" the girl asked, ignoring mallory.
"Nikki, you say hello to Mallory. And it'll be ready in a few more minutes."
Nikki turned to Mallory and offered a quick hello before walking out the kitchen.
"Come on, I want you to meet my dad before we eat," Isaiah told her. He led her by the hand to a door and knocked on it softly.
"Come in," a deep voice said from within. Isaiah pushed the door open slowly. Mr. Crockett was sitting at a desk with papers spread in front of him.
"Dad, this is Mallory," Isaiah said.
His father rose from the desk and walked over to them. "It's very nice to meet you, Mallory," he said, his deep voice echoing slightly in the room. Mallory smiled and returned the greeting.
"Mom said breakfast is almost ready," Isaiah told his dad. Mr. Crockett nodded and the three of them went to the kitchen, where Mrs. Crockett was moving the food to the kitchen table.
"Oh, good. Now we're just waiting for your sister." the woman said. Nikki appeared as if on cue, and they all took their seats.
They started eating, and Mallory said, "Oh, this is the best French toast I've ever had."
Mrs. Crockett smiled. "Thanks, dear. I just put a dash of vanilla in it, that's all. Does your mom make this a lot?"
Mallory shook her head. "No, she's more of a dinner person. She's never liked making breakfast food. I don't know why."
Mrs. Crockett laughed. "See, now, I'm the opposite. Isaiah must have known that when he asked you here so early."
Mallory looked at Isaiah, who shrugged. "Didn't really think about it. Mallory has a lot of family, so I figured it'd be easier to come here first."
"Oh, it's nice to have a big family. You live around aunts and uncles?" Mrs. Crockett asked.
"No, my dad's an only child and my mom's only sister lives in California, I think. Isaiah's talking about a group of friends I have. We're so close, we're practically siblings."
Mrs. Crockett nodded, and the conversation died out for a while.
"So, Mr. Crockett, what do you do for a living?" Mallory asked.
"I'm a judge here in Metropolis," he replied readily.
That caught Mallory off guard. "Did you used to work for Lex Luthor?" she asked.
"Yes, but that's ancient history. It was when I had just gotten out of law school, Luthor hired me as one of his many lawyers. He didn't like the way I handled one of his cases, so he fired me. It took a while to get back on my feet after that, but eventually I became a judge." Mallory nodded.
"Well, Mallory, Isaiah hasn't told us how you two met," Mrs. Crockett said.
Mallory looked to Isaiah for direction. She didn't know if his parents knew she was Inferno, or if they knew he was Hotspot.
"Well, I was out with my friends, and we were going past the Luthor suit unveiling. Isaiah was there, and it was pretty clear that he didn't like Luthor. Anyway, we got to talking, then he asked me on a date, and we just hit it off," Mallory said, keeping everything as vague as possible.
"What do you do for fun?" Nikki asked.
Mallory took a sip of water. She couldn't exactly say beat people up or burn things. "Well, I hang out with my friends a lot, and I like to work out," she said, again trying to be vague.
"Well, girl, you can tell that. You'll have to show me your workout routine sometime," Mrs. Crockett said. Mallory smiled and nodded.
"What school do you go to?" Judge Crockett asked.
Mallory's heart quickened. School. She couldn't say Keystone, but she also couldn't say the school for paranormals. She racked her brains for schools she'd seen during the split worlds mission. "Metropolis high," she said calmly, taking a bite of her toast.
"Will you stop interrogating her?" Isaiah said.
The questions slacked off, and when they finished eating and went into the living room, Mallory actually started to enjoy herself. Soon, though, it was time for them to go. Mallory left the apartment feeling like she'd be welcomed back, which made her feel good.
"See, I told you they'd love you," Isaiah said in the elevator. Mallory laughed. "Yeah, thanks. Now it's your turn."
They say that to Central City and Mallory led him to her parents house and let them in the door. Her mom was in the kitchen, so Mallory introduced her first.
"Mom, this is Isaiah. He's the guy I've been training for the last few weeks."
Elaine extended her hand, but it felt more formal than Mrs. Crockett's.
Isaiah shook it and said, "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Johnson."
Elaine nodded. "Yes, well, lunch will be ready as soon as I put it on the table. Mallory, go find your dad and tell him to come in. I think he's on the back patio."
Mallory did, but she pulled Isaiah a long gently, not wanting to leave him with her mom when she was acting so weird.
"Dad, food's ready," Mallory called out the back door.
Darrin took his time coming in. "So, this is Hotspot," he said.
"You can call me Isaiah."
Darrin nodded. They went to the kitchen and started eating, then Darrin turned to Isaiah. "Well, what do you two usually do on your dates?"
Mallory winced at his tone, almost accusatory.
"Eat, mostly," Isaiah replied.
Darrin obviously wasn't expecting that answer. "You eat?" he asked.
"Yeah, we've been trying all the local places in Metropolis."
"That sounds nice," Elaine said. Some of the formality melted off of her face. "So, you live in Metropolis?" she asked.
Isaiah nodded. "My dad's a judge there, and my mom has a part-time job as an interior designer."
"Oh, that's nice. Do you like it there?" Elaine asked, clearly leading up to something.
"Well, yeah. I mean, it's all I've ever known."
"Do you see yourself living there for the rest of your life?" Elaine asked, finally coming to what she wanted to know.
Isaiah shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I never really thought about it."
"What college are you planning on going to?" Darin asked. Mallory stifled a groan and took another bite of lasagna.
"Honestly, I don't know. I think I want to be an engineer, though." Darrin nodded his approval.
"What do you do, sir?" Isaiah asked.
"I'm a consultant. I used to be an accountant, but I decided I wasn't enjoying my job anymore, so I quit."
"So you work from home?" Isaiah asked.
"Mostly. I do have to go in sometimes, but not very often."
"And you, Mrs Johnson?"
"Oh, I don't have a job. I tutor some, but I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom." Mallory bit her lip. She'd heard that before, and every time her mom said it, Mallory felt guilty because she felt like she deprived her mom of something.
"Well, Isaiah, where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Darrin asked.
"Dad," Mallory said, but Isaiah shook his head. "It's fine. Well, I'll be 20, so I hope to have a place of my own, be in college for engineering," he chanced a glance at Mallory, then decided against whatever he'd been about to say. "I don't know, I try not to plan out every detail. Life never works out the way you plan, so why plan?"
Darrin squinted slightly. "Well, I can't say I agree with you, but I understand the sentiment."
They finished eating and Isaiah started helping Elaine clear the table. "Oh, thank you, but you go sit down. I can manage."
They went to the living room and sat down. They talked until Mallory's phone went off.
"Oh, we need to go," she said, turning the alarm off. "Megan's making dinner at the cave."
They left the house and started walking down the street.
"What were you going to say at the table, when my dad asked you where you saw yourself in 5 years?" Mallory asked.
"Well, I was going to say living with my girlfriend, but I wasn't sure how your parents would respond to that." Mallory smiled.
"You know, we haven't really talked about that. What about you? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Isaiah asked.
Mallory thought about it for a few steps. "Pretty much exactly where I am now. In college instead of high school, but still on the team, still Inferno, get a job, live with my parents until I can afford to place on my own."
"You still see yourself on the team at 20?" Isaiah asked.
"I mean, I hope so. They're my family, and that cave is more of a home to me than my parents' house is."
They got to the zeta tube and Mallory authorized Isaiah's entrance. He disappeared, then she got in. At the cave, smells of baked chicken and veggies greeted them. The team was on the sofa and Megan and Zatanna were in the kitchen putting finishing touches on dinner.
"Hey, guys," Mallory said.
"Oh, hey Mal. You're here already?" Wally asked. His tone immediately made her suspicious.
"Yeah, it's 5:00, that's when I said I'd be here."
"Oh, that's right," he said.
Mallory gave him a look that said 'don't you dare', and then she started introducing everyone.
"Guys, this is Isaiah. Isaiah, that's Artemis, Conner, Wally, Robin, Kalder, and in the kitchen is Megan and Zatanna." Wolf came in then, and Isaiah took a step back. "That's Wolf. Don't worry, he's not going to bite."
Megan and Zatanna started bringing everything to the coffee table, then Megan walked over to Isaiah. "It's nice to meet you. Officially, I mean, not when you're cuffed on the bioship."
"Thanks," Isaiah said.
Zatanna looked everything over. "Well, guys, dig in," she said.
Mallory sat on the couch and Isaiah sat next to her, where Wally usually sat. She was surprised and relieved when the speedster didn't say anything about it.
As they ate, Mallory got more and more suspicious. The evening was too normal. Wally and Robin were being too nice. A light conversation about small things kept up, but other than that, it was quiet. Mallory noticed that Artemis's bow and quiver were next to her chair, and Robin's utility belt was on the coffee table in front of him. She shook it off, though, and kept eating.
"Recognized, Red Arrow, b06." The computer's voice rang through the room. Mallory shot a look at Wally and Robin, who were looking just a little too innocent.
"What, you didn't want him to come?" Wally asked with a smile. Roy walked over and sat down, filling his plate like it was normal for him to be there.
"Hey, Mal," he said. "Who's this?"
"Roy, this is Isaiah. Isaiah, you remember my 'brother', Roy? From when he threatened you?"
Roy smiled a little at the memory, and Isaiah nodded. "Right. How you been, Roy"
They fell back into a normal conversation. When they finished eating, Roy leaned forward, facing isaiah.
"So, Isaiah, what are your intentions with Mallory?"
Isaiah glanced at Mallory, who was glaring at Roy. Roy ignored her, staring intently at Isaiah.
"You don't have to answer that," Mallory told Isaiah.
"That's right. You don't have to do anything," Roy said, raising an eyebrow.
Isaiah cleared his throat, and Mallory was suddenly aware of the whole team staring at him. She rubbed her eyes and groaned.
"Guys, back off. We aren't getting married, we've been dating for like 3 weeks. Chill out."
"Yeah, guys. Overprotective, much?" Artemis chimed in.
Mallory crossed her arms. "Yeah, cuz you always bring your bow to dinner," she told the archer, looking pointedly at the weapon.
Artemis grinned unapologetically. "Well, you never know when you might need it."
Mallory could swear she heard Isaiah gulp.
After that, things calmed down and the team started acting like their normal selves. They brought snacks in and settled around the coffee table. Roy was sitting on the floor leaned against the sofa by Mallory, Wally was on the other side of Isaiah, and Robin in a chair not far away. Isaiah got up to get water, and Mallory took advantage of his absence. She simultaneously kicked Wally and punched Roy.
"I told you to be nice," she hissed. Wally laughed, rubbing his shin, and Roy smiled.
"We're being nice," Robin said.
Mallory raised an eyebrow. "You are. Because you called Roy to do the interrogation."
Robin didn't say anything, but his grin admitted guilt.
"Oh, and Roy? I saw the video. I think threatening to kill him is going a bit far."
Roy shrugged. "I don't remember saying I was going to kill him - specifically."
Mallory let out a breath. "Just don't threaten him anymore, okay? I'll let you know when I want you to beat him up."
The boys nodded and Isaiah sat back down, unaware that they've been talking about him.
At the end of the evening, Mallory walked Isaiah to the zeta tube in the training room, just to have a moment alone with him.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked.
"They're cool. You're lucky, I mean they really care about you."
Mallory smiled. "Yeah, they take it a little far sometimes, sorry about that."
"No, don't be. I mean, if I ever do you wrong, I'm dead for real, but it's nice that you have people that would do that for you, even if you don't need them to do anything."
Mallory laughed softly. "Yeah. Now you know why I want to stay in the team for as long as it's around."
He nodded. "Well, I'll call you tomorrow," he said. He gave her a quick kiss, then let the zeta tube take him away.
Mallory went back to her team. Roy had moved on to the couch in her spot, and she pushed him over to take it back.
"Well?" she asked.
"He seems nice," Artemis offered.
"But?" Mallory asked.
"But you met him trying to break the law," Robin said.
Mallory rolled her eyes. "Robin, we've all broken the law once in a while. Especially you. And he didn't go through with it."
"Yeah, we know. We're just trying to find things wrong with him," Wally said.
Mallory smiled. "So, you like him, right?"
"Yes," Megan said, and no one disagreed.
"Well, I'm gonna head out," Roy said, standing. He started for the zeta tube, and Mallory went after him.
"Roy, wait," she said. He turned and waited for her to catch up to him. "Thanks for coming," she said.
Roy smiled and ruffled her hair. "Anytime, little sis," he said.
Mallory smoothed her hair and glanced over her shoulder. "You know, you fit in really well with the team. Why don't you join it?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully.
Roy let out something between a scoff and a chuckle. "Sorry, Mal, you know how I feel about that."
Mallory sighed. "Yeah, I know," she said, disappointment seeping into her voice.
"Hey, you know I'm around if you need me," he said.
Mallory gave him a small smile. "Yeah. Hey, we should go to Gotham next time," she said, talking about them and Robin and Wally. They'd done Central and Star, and then Star again. Metropolis was boring compared to Star City or Gotham, so no one even suggested they go.
Roy grinned. "Yeah, we'll do that, in a few weeks." He gave her hair another tussle, then went on to the zeta tube and Mallory went back to the team.
Well? Any thoughts? Please review!