The Guardian - Season 1

by SpongeGuy

An accident at a field trip leads to Lori Loud having superpowers. With college looming, and her past mistakes rearing their ugly heads, Lori must try and balance her new life, as she tries to be better, and become The Guardian of Royal Woods.

13. Angels with Clipped Wings

Yeah, I know, another 5 month hiatus. Truly sorry, honesy! The plan (as told in my latest "Scandalous Chemistry" update) is to post the rest of this story between now and December (tho it may end up being January). I am working as hard and as fast as I can. 40K words WOULD take two weeks, let's be real. Point is, this is a BIG chapter so you can't say I don't make up for the time XD

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March 31st. Sunday. Great Lakes City. 6 AM.

"Testing, testing. How do I look? Do I look convincing? Am I attractive enough for Great Lakes viewers? Do I need to show more skin?', Katherine Mulligan asked, earning laughter from some of her studio crew. She blushed angrily. 'THIS IS SERIOUS! News 3 NEVER gets simulcast in another city! The demand for my takes on the most pivotal moments in Michigan this CENTURY are required! They must be delivered perfectly!'

She turned around, pushing out her behind. 'Now, does this Gitana make my butt look big?'

'Not anymore than usual.', Mark the Camerman quipped, eliciting more laughs.

'Oh, good... WAIT, WHAT DID YOU SAY?!', Katherine growled maliciously, only to hear from her earpiece that they were rolling.

'When I make it big, I'll do a whole expose on how your mother can't get enough of my posterior!', Katherine insulted Mark, storming back to the center of the shot and taking a deep breath.

Opening her eyes, she began the highest rated: Sensatlionizing and fear mongering.

'Hola, Great Lakes City! Soy Katherine Mulligan, and THIS is News 3, your number one source (AND FIRST SOURCE TO DOCUMENT) not only America's most beloved mayor with record breaking approval ratings, Bertrand Tetherby, but also the world's first superhero, wanted vigilante The Guardian!', Katherine announced, constantly flaunting off her looks and dress.

A picture of Tetherby looking sophisticated and graceful and a wanted picture of The Guardian with her blue flashing eyes and a frown were displayed side by side, painting an obvious picture.

'You may very well ask, WHO is The Guardian? For many, she is still an oddity of a random town in Michigan state, nothing to be that excited about, a hoax even. But this is no hoax, my amigos and amigas! This public menace has been moseying around for about a month now, sending our once normal town into chaos!', Katherine ranted, and who could tell if she believed her words or not? All that mattered were how passionate her words and eyes were, stirring up a storm far away from herself.

Everyone rolled their eyes at the cultural appropriation and some found the Guardian propaganda roll worthy too.

But not all.

'Keep an eye out for strange things, for oddities! Trust no one! The Guardian attracts monsters and supervillains of any kind, and rumor has it that she might take Great Lakes as her next target to hide out the storm, or track down any of her old assailants.', Katherine said mysteriously, trying to incite paranoia, as she read off one of her tabloid reporters notebooks.

Remembering a potential lead, she narrated 'Take, for example, this infamous fellow, recorded in an insta post by beloved town celebrity Carol Pingrey!', Katherine pointed out, showing off the graphic of said post, showing The Guardian in battle with Agent Wolf. In freeze frame, the hero with tired, sunken eyes and a sharp cape seemed almost as imposing as the beast towering over her.

'This figure has not been spotted in 17 days and counting ever since he fought The Guardian in the attack on the science expo! Perhaps he's headed towards you, leading The Guardian! If you find any information at all, send it here, to News3's Twitter page, so we can inform our local Task Force of the whereabouts of these wanted individuals.'

Katherine finished by saying, with narrowed eyes and a dark tone 'Beware, Great Lakes City. Our little town is burning thanks to the actions of this would be superhero. What could she do in a place as big as yours? This is Katherine Mulligan, signing out.'

The broadcast ended, replaced with an infomercial for some monster hunting service run by someone called Vanessa Van Helsing.

But the fear caused by it did not.

Shivering on his porch, a dairy farmer could barely register the motorcyclist that was arriving as he surveyed the damage to his stables. 'That Mulligan has no idea how right she was. Too little, too late.', he thought, moustache freezing in the cold. It would rain tomorrow, for sure.

'Is this the road into Great Lakes City?', the motorcyclist asked him, voice echoing spookily from the helmet. The farmer, already jumpy, gasped and collapsed onto the ground, clutching his heart.

Taken aback, the motorcyclist rushed to his aid, removing her helmet to reveal a spectacled mess of a girl we know as Pepin.

'I am SO sorry, Mister! I didn't mean to frighten you, I just forgot I was wearing the helmet, it was so comfy!', she apologized, pulling him back up and offering her stimm toy invention. 'What the hell is that?', the farmer cursed, only to use it and begin to destress. 'Oh, oh I take it back, that's nice.'

'Gee, thanks! See, first I researched it on myself, and once I couldn't let go I knew it would work, but then, how did I remove it, you may very well ask? Well, I built a semi functioning worm hole... Oh, but I'm getting sidetracked! I wanted to ask you if this is the right way to Great Lakes City? My phone map is a little wonky, and the real map confuses me. None of the colored lines are colored irl! How does THAT make sense?!', she exclaimed in frustration.

'See, I always said the same thing, but everyone called me a hick for it!', the farmer agreed, turning around and gasping as he remembered. 'Oh, missy, I would advise NOT entering the city!'

'How come?', Pepin asked, scratching her head.

'That wolf character, the one that puta Guardian fought, he's here! And he'll bring her with him! It's too dangerous for a little lady such as yourself!', the farmer warned, waving his hands in alarm. He seemed perturbed to the extreme.

But Pepin simply rolled her eyes. 'The Guardian isn't as bad as everyone says she is, and even then, I need to know, because the wolf is...', she almost slipped and revealed, but was thankfully shocked into silence by the sight in front of her.

A whole cow stable full of blood and bones, with horrible gashing scrapes on the wooden fences, now splintered like a cell. The smell of death and saliva permeated the area, looking like a scene out of a low budget horror movie. Something inhuman and raw had happened in there, the hunger of a creature beyond humanity satiated by the murder of a whole herd of cows.

And Pepin knew who had done it.

'The wolf is...', the farmer asked, puzzled by the trailing sentence. He had scratches on his face and arms, seemingly from the struggle with the Wolf, who thankfully hadn't eaten him.

Did he... Did he eat people?

The thought shocked Pepin to her core, but she refused to venture it. Instead, she shook her head and mumbled 'The Wolf is gonna be caught by me.'

'Oh, good. I wouldn't recommend it, but you DO seem serious about it. Perhaps I should call that Van Helsing hotline just in case, though...', the farmer trailed off himself, reaching for his phone.

Pepin, staring off into the horizon, could see the first few buildings of Great Lakes, the very early morning sun just about breaking the misty turquoise dawn. Today, tomorrow, Pepin would confront The Wolf, who may or may not be her own brother.

A brother she hadn't seen in years.

A brother she thought was gone.

A brother now seen by all as a monster not to be trusted.

'...But I trust you, Bruce. I won't let you be the monster you think you are.'

She sighed, clenching her first but still scared.

'...But will you let yourself?'

And so, she rode into the city on her bike, continuing to track any signatures of his down, while just a few hours later, on that same road, a different visitor came along to find the exact same target...

10 AM.

'Yo, yo, yo, this is Radio GLC 23, welcoming any visitors to the melting pot of Michigan! Weather may be stormy and News may be scary, but why sink into it all, when you can try and enjoy ourselves with some banging new tunes, eh? Here, just for you, a very early look at Imagine Dragon's song for the upcoming League of Legends series, "Arcane"! It's a little ditty they've called "Enemy", and I think it'll speak to your trouble little minds, dudes and dudettes!'

"I wake up to the sounds of the silence that allows

For my mind to run around with my ear up to the ground

I'm searching to behold the stories that are told

When my back is to the world that was smiling when I turned"

While all this played, echoing off Vanzilla's stained and foggy windows, Lori looked into the side mirror, seeing her face surrounded by the imposing obelisks of the city she was entering, one full of danger, of her loves ones and of a potential ally...

Or enemy...

All the while her sunken eyes stared back, a tired face, one that seemed dark and dull, outside of a small crackle of blue in her pupils...

"Tell you you're the greatest

But once you turn, they hate us"

'Lori?', a voice asked from behind her, and Lori snapped and turned around, wild look in her eyes, about to raise a fist...

'Lori, all good?', Lincoln asked, sitting in the furthest away seat, waving at her in confusion. He was holding a "Flying Rodent Man" comic, writing down notes for things Lori could do or use to stop The Raven.

Lori, breathing hard, nodded slowly, pretending it was. 'Y...Yes. I just, um...'

'Long time since you saw Bobby, huh?', Lincoln asked matter of factly, and Lori bit her cheek, agreeing with her brother's assessment. 'Yeah. A few weeks.'

Lori didn't bother examining the fact that she didn't know the exact time that had passed, like she always did. Right now, she just wanted to keep her energies up, lest she crash the car and hurt the passengers.

'Like Lincoln again...', Lori shuddered, banishing the thought. 'No, no. Not now. There's still much to do.'

'Yeah, we need to find the wolf guy, after all. How we gonna do that while you visit Bobby, though?', Lincoln pondered, ooh'inh and writing down a note about finding a potential hideout. Better than reconvening in his room or Lisa's room or the garage.

'Leave it to me. I'll figure it out. I have to.' Lori sighed, turning left towards the street where the Mercado and in extension, The Casagrande's apartment were located. Passing colors and sounds and sights that had once thrilled and excited Lori, promised her a life beyond the suburbs she knew, but now all served as alarm bells of the potential victims she was responsible for, by choosing to trust a creature capable of killing all of them...

And what did they think of her? Of The Guardian, most wanted of Michigan? What did they think of a hero contesting a seemingly angelic elected official?

Did they fear her more than the Wolf?

Shaking her head, she banished that thought too. 'Just push on. Let Bobby heal you. If he can't give me a boost, I may as well let Raven win now.', Lori planned, feeling a little dirty for using Bobby like this, but she REALLY needed him. Plus, he probably needed her, he probably missed her, while she was off saving the world, and if there was one thing Lori wasn't bad at, it was guilting herself over anything. 'Selfish me, dedicating myself to everyone else but Bobby! Can't I make room for him too? God, Lori, that bullet can't hit you soon enough.', she mused, parking near the apartment building after narrowly avoiding a motorcycle.

'Huh, wonder who that was. Driving like they just had enough Coffee to kill an elephant!', Lori grumbled, shaking her fist at the cyclist. Turning around, she opened the door to help Lincoln onto his wheelchair. 'Now, I want to remind you: This is MY mission for The Guardian. I will find that wolf guy. You stay here and hang out with Ronnie Anne and the other kids.'

'I still don't totally know about this, Lori. Captain Griffin is one thing. She seems like a solid partner, she seems...', Lincoln trailed off, stammering.

'Seems what?', Lori asked, shrugging.

'...Not interested in eating people. Not afraid of silver. Not sexualized by Tumblr. You know... Not the star of Teen Wolf.', Lincoln offered awkwardly, clearly nervous.

Lori leant down and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, calming him down instantly. If only she knew he felt that way, maybe she wouldn't be so hard on herself. 'Lincoln, I've literally got this under control, okay? Guardian needs anyone who can help, even if it's someone like Wolf.'

'Like me, for example!'

Lori had almost forgotten the other passenger, so quiet she had been up until now, but here she was, Lyberti, wearing her journalist outfit (complete with a rose attached to her fedora) and writing down a first draft for her future article, "Guradian catches Wolf, isn't cancellable, shut up". 'I too am a valuable ally for the operation: Stop Raven From Being Cringe."

'SRFBC. I've come up with worse acronyms.', Lincoln chuckled warmly, fist bumping the girl. Lincoln chuckled warmly, fist bumping the girl, the two chattering about the city.

Lori chuckled too, giving Lyberti a hair ruffle that made her smile brightly. 'Of course you're a valuable ally! I'm only being sent because...'

Lori almost said "I'm Expendable", but she thought better of it. No need to get Lyberti and Lincoln all worried about her, there were FAR more important things to think about. '...Because I'm the eldest. Yes, that's it. Good one, Lori. Thanks, Lori.', she said, giving herself a high five. It didn't do much, but she had to pretend that maybe she could feel better, no?

Lyberti looked a little bummed now, though, shifting her feet. 'Oh, I... I thought I'd be able to help, too.'

Lori bit her lip in anxious thought. She couldn't really tell her that her father had asked her to protect her, right? Yet, her conscious couldn't let Lyberti look this sad. 'Hey, hey, it's not that you can't! In fact, you will! You'llllll...', Lori trailed off, fishing for an idea in her purse, full of all her new gadgets.

Wait, that's it!

'YOU'LL hold The Guardian's gadgets, which she very conveniently told me to place in my purse, which isn't overflowing because those things are usually there, nooooo. Totally normal Gucci purse over here. Well, it's actually not Gucci, it's imitation imitation Gucci, which normally would be disappointing, I mean, obvi I wish I had the real thing, but like, it's still pretty swag, and far more accessorizable! Plus, Bobby once said it matches my eyes, since it's the same color, and well, you can imagine how much I was squealing that day, so it's not a bad bag by any means, has some memories! Plus, look! Pokemon Gym Badge pins! Pretty neato!', Lori info dumped, hoping that somehow Lyberti bought that.

Lincoln was naturally face palming at how bad his sister's lying was, but Lyberti had bought it hook line and sinker ("Is that a bad sign for a truth seeking reporter?", Lori wondered). 'Cool! I accessorize mine with stickers!'

Taking out her bag, Lyberti revealed it had all kinds of stickers: Fruit, Rainbows, Baby animals, superheroes, memes, and especially stars.

'I have every constellation here! I just think that they look cool! My dad once said that stars are lit to light the way for us when we're alone!', Lyberti explained, Lori ooh'ing, impressed. 'That is VERY swanky! May I suggest Boyz Will Be Boyz? Or Jack Nicklaus? Or Blake Bradley? Ugh, what a dreamboat!', she offered, swooning.

'Yeah...', Lyberti trailed off, blushing. 'I'd let him bite me and turn me into an unsatiable creature of the night, dark and terrible.'

'SAME GIRL!', Lori whooped, and she and Lyberti high fived.

'COUGH mom obsession COUGH.', Lincoln coughed next to Lori, who stuck her tongue out.

'Blake Bradley can bite me, but in a different way.', a voice suddenly caught Lori by surprise, and she jumped, screaming.

'Woah, woah! I didn't mean to be a scary vampire too!', the voice laughed, that soothing timbre Lori adored, and when she turned around (thankful she wasn't floating), it was none other than...

'BOO BOO BEAR!', Lori cried, running up to him for a big hug.

'BABE!', Bobby cried in return, running up to her with tears in his eyes.

'Wow, dramatic much?', Lyberti asked, ignoring the irony.

'You have NO idea.', Lincoln joked, only to spot a familiar figure staring down at him from a high window.

Ronnie Anne.

Who had yet to see him in a wheelchair.

She seemed... Off.

Lincoln did too, gulping. Blushing a bit, he waved, wondering how weak he looked to her now.

'Pot calling the kettle black.', Lyberti said, irony missing her again.

Meanwhile, Lori and Bobby collided with a gigantic kiss, the smack reverberating across the city. Bobby's warm lips, as warm as the sun that seemed to never weaken even in a stormy day such as this, engulfed Lori in a blanket of protection. His hands, rough and callused from hard work at the Mercado, carrying crates and cans and coupon books, were soft for her, like she was the one exception, his exception, his beloved babe.

Lori never felt beautiful. Not really. It was a lie she loved to spread when younger, a game she played. She knew better than anyone. Her awkward years were an understatement, her glasses, braces and acne making her look like a pizza who went 3rd place in Math camp. She didn't have the best hair (that was Carol), or the best selfies (that was Carol too), or the best makeup (Carol 3: electric boogaloo), or the best fashion sense (Leni, for a change) OR the best, er, well... Assets (That was Whitney. "Stupid, caked up, big booba Whitney. No wonder all the boys want her when she's packing all that. If I was a boy, I'd want her!").

But with Bobby...

Lori felt like a Disney princess.

To Bobby, Lori had porcelain cheeks that never broke because of her tough personality. To Bobby, Lori's smile was as bright as any diamond and her hair was as smooth as silk. She wasn't this messy, gangly, awkward teen wearing her mother's old girdle and cargo shorts, she wasn't second place in a golf fashion runway, she wasn't some overly masculine and authoritative drill Seargent bitch who had to compensate for her lack of looks with Selfies and Ego.

No.

To Bobby, Lori was graceful, beautiful, elegant, the opposite of what she once felt like, scribbling down in her notebook, getting teased by the bullies, she wasn't...

'Hey, babe, you okay? You ain't lookin' too hot. Rough night?'

Lori gasped. Bobby would never say that if it wasn't REALLY bad. 'Is it my hair? Oh, I spent so long this morning spraying it!', she pulled it, trying to force it into shape.

'Trust me, she did. My poor, poor bladder.', Lincoln groaned, rolling up to Bobby in his chair. Bobby gave him a bro fist bump and nod, no need for words about the condition. All was the same between them.

'No, babe, it's not that, it's...', Bobby started, but Lori interrupted, spiraling.

'It's my face, right? Puffy, I know, I haven't slept a lot recently, so I probably look wrinkly, but I think I applied enough lotion, I don't wanna be too sticky! AM I STICKY?!', Lori asked, attaching Lyberti's arm to her cheek. 'Outside of the anxiety sweat, no.', she replied, a little shaken.

'Babe, look, it's just...', Bobby tried again, but Lori once more cut in. 'Dang it, It's my biceps, they look flabby, right? I only did 4 tonnes in the gym yesterday.'

Once Bobby and Lyberti gaped at Lori's bicep, thankfully distracted from her slip of the tongue, the Santiago boy finally got Lori to slow down enough to listen. 'No, babe, honest, it's nothing like that! You just seem kinda different, like you haven't been sleeping much.'

'Ain't that the truth.', Lori muttered, embracing Bobby again. 'But I don't look bad, right?'

'Of course not!', Bobby reassured, patting her on the back.

But when Lori caught a glimpse of herself in the budling's glass window, she gasped, turning as white as a ghost.

Her body was misshapen, overly muscular, far more than a girl her age... Than arguably any woman would be, without roids or years of practice. She had been a superhero for a month. Her back and chest were quite toned, her biceps rippling. Were those the beginnings of abs? It should have been something to feel proud of, but Lori saw nothing but flaws, a bizarre looking girl.

There was also the fact that Bobby wasn't noticing her slightly floating ('my little airhead', she thought affectionately, still self-critical however). It looked so unnatural. Like all the rules of physics were breaking in front of her. How was she doing this? She shouldn't have. She looked... Imposing. Like she was forcing something, like she was bending reality out of shape to use it. The ground was below her feet, it was impossible, but not for her, and it made her feel bad.

But not as much as her face and eyes. Sunken, black streaks of tiredness, blue tinges on the cheeks. She looked like death, she really did. She looked, well, like someone who had been punched numerous times, fought herself, got imprisoned, and fought an army of robots, all while gaining a death wish.

But then there was the part that scared Lori most.

The part that was somehow more alien to her than the flying.

Her eyes, her pupils, even now, were shining blue. A harsh blue, like a flashlight, like a beacon, like a blue sun. It made her seem like an alien invader. It made her seem terrifying, especially with her sunken face. There was something off, something human yet decidedly not at the same time, like she was pretending, like she was, joke shockingly not intended, an imposter among them.

It was like you couldn't see the life from that blue, it was just all encompassing.

What bothered Lori as much, however?

'My eye color is black.', she whispered in horror, reaching out towards the Lori... The whoever that was in the mirror.

Who was she anymore? She couldn't just go visit her boyfriend. She had to hire a werewolf and the police captain to stop the mayor from using robots to take over the city and seemingly stop someone. While she herself held the powers of some alien or something.

...What was she?

'I hope I can trust you, Wolf and Griffin.', Lori's thoughts stormed in her head as she and Bobby went inside, hand in hand, towards the stairs.

When no one was looking, Lori let the elevator near them close on her hand.

Nothing.

Not even the slightest sting.

'...Because I don't know if I can blame you for fearing me', she whispered, still moving on with the mission, but feeling even more monstrous than ever.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Captain Griffin was outside of Tetherby Mansion, recording her thoughts on her phone's audio recorder. She had opted for casual clothes, a grey turtleneck with white trainers. Her eyes were obscured not just by the fog but by the smoke from her cigarette, her third of the day already.

'March 31st, Sunday. I'm supposed to be head of the Task Force to catch The Guardian, to be a captain of the police force of Royal Woods.'

She shook her head, struggling to believe what she was doing or saying.

'And yet, here I am. Spying on our fairly elected Mayor who's making everyone's lives better because a girl with a cape who can fly told me and I struggle to doubt her.'

Griffin felt the wind in her hair, saw the view of the city from here, the ravens flying past and cawing. It was ridiculously peaceful.

'He lives in a paradise home, just to make it that much easier for me.', she sarcastically pointed out, knowing she'd have to find private places to record herself tailing him, lest he finds out.

'I myself hardly believe it, whoever will end up listening to this. Personally, I'd much rather just believe him. I'd rather arrest The Guardian.'

She bit her lip, looking away with pain. 'I'd much rather not be wrong again. Wrong about things getting better.'

She considered walking away, for just a moment. Even with what she saw and felt that past week, it could easily just be a coincidence.

'...But if I am... If she's right... I would rather die being right to have no hope, then live being wrong about being hopeful.'

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forwards, only for the door to open, and Bertand Tetherby to come out in full mayor gear, black and golden blinding fit, welcoming her with open arms.

'Captain Griffin! A joy to have you here today! I was pleasantly surprised by your proposition!', Tetherby greeted, shaking her hand and smiling like he had won the jackpot. No one could have guessed what a terrible few days he had had.

'Not many politicians would be excited to show the progress of their promises. Most of those are just that. Promises.', Griffin pointed out, staring into his deep black eyes. How sad yet resilient they often looked. She wondered if she could ever look like that.

'Well, as I have said before, I see you as a kindred spirit, Captain. One who deserves to see how we're both healing this city. One who deserves a dash of hope, for once.', Tetherby explained, kissing the back of her hand.

A common courtesy, but Griffin couldn't deny she appreciated it. 'I...', she got a little flustered too, however, and coughed, deciding it was her smoke before. 'I'd like to get started, if you don't mind. Where to first?'

'City hall meeting. Gotta approve change against those buzzards before I can enact it. But hey, can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs, no?', Tetherby motioned, leading her to his car.

Griffin thought of how Guardian kept saying he was willing to do anything to get his goal.

'...For your sake, Guardian, I hope I can trust you. But what I'd give for you to be wrong.', she blew out a puff of smoke from her fourth cigarette, entering the car and shielding her eyes from the blinding shine that was the brave new world Tetherby was creating.

All across the city, in the market squares, the alleyways, the kiosks, the private homes, everyone was whispering and gossiping about him, about the Wolf from Royal Woods that had chosen to invade their home.

Their sharp forked tongues flickered in judgement and fear, all assuming, all knowing, as if they had ANY idea what he felt.

Right now, they probably all thought he was out for blood, out to eat their children and destroy their homes. They thought of his sharp claws that shone like the moon, or his yellow unfeeling irises, revealing his animal instincts, or perhaps his unnervingly anthro form, somehow both straight and bent, somehow both flesh and fur.

But they would be wrong.

Right now, all he was...

Was knocked out.

The scuffle with the farmer had taken more out of him than he realized, and he was weak enough as it was, having not eaten in weeks. With Bruce retreated into the mindscape, Wolf had been piloting for a while now, and he was running out of fuel, fast.

And when a jet runs out of fuel, it crashes.

Blood was spilling, but from Wolf this time, the gash in his chest painting a telltale trail that wouldn't look out of place in a children's hospital. He had fainted a while ago, but he couldn't remember when or where, just that he was near some sort of zoo... Perhaps he had tried to get more food? He honestly didn't recall.

'Might as well... Open my eyes and figure it out...', he decided, heaving up, struggling to. As he did, he suddenly felt a burning sensation, like a thousand suns erupted at once on his chest, and he howled so loud and hard that he tore his throat and shattered a glass lightbulb.

'Ah, you're awake!', a voice suddenly called, and Wolf's eyes widened. Turning to his side, he realized he was elevated, on some sort of makeshift operating table, and beside him, holding a rag and adhesive waterproof dressing, was...

An 11 year old girl.

Wolf's eyes were still adjusting to the harsh light emanating from the girl's phone, but he could still see what she looked like: Light skinned, almost a little too pale, like she hadn't left her house for a while, though, clearly, she has, with long brown hair that seemed playful, only restrained by a pink headband, and freckles that danced across her cheeks. A long sleeved blue shirt that revealed her shoulders seemed sort of unprofessional, but the white doctor coat around her made up for appearances. White studded earrings contributed to the harsh light, while her black tennis boots were easier to look at. She seemed relentlessly cheerful, but Wolf didn't have time to hate that, seeing as he was being treated by this girl and she had a rusty knife coated in his blood besides her.

'Ah, I see. Research. Try not to draw too much blood.', Wolf choked out, trying to ignore how his side screamed in pain. He tried to turn around but couldn't, and bit his tongue hard, drawing more blood.

'What? No, I'm healing you, silly!', the girl giggled, shaking her head, as if Wolf had just said that one plus one equaled banana. 'You're badly hurt. Nearly open chest wound, I would gather a rake, or a hoe?'

'The farmer who used it was a hoe all right.', Wolf cursed, making the girl laugh in embarrassment. 'Sir, please, I'm not age appropriate for such a joke. Bad as Sergio.', she admonished, lightly slapping his nose.

Wolf grabbed his nose, hating the treatment. 'I'm no mere puppy to be trifled with, girl! I am the Wolf everyone is talking about!'

'Yeah, I know.', the girl nodded matter of factly, whistling cheerfully as she snapped on some new rubber gloves and fetched some gauze and a belt.

'What's the belt for?', Wolf asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.

'For your pants, everyone can see your Spongebob undies.', she joked, only for Wolf to look down in concern.

'...Listen, it's the only pair that doesn't rip when I transform.'

The girl decided not to laugh at the gigantic beast with sharp claws and teeth and instead placed the belt in his mouth. 'Bite down on this.'

'Why?', Wolf asked again, only to get his answer as she applied the gauze to his chest to wipe out the latest gush of blood.

An ear piercing howl erupted, breaking another lightbulb. The girl clapped her hands, and a small robot sailed past, shooting out a lightbulb into the empty canister like it was a waffle. 'Good job, Breakfast bot! Who's a cute little robot buddy? You are! You are!'

'Why... Are... You...', Wolf tried, but the girl shushed him to his lips, somehow not getting cut by his fangs. 'Hush now. Let me work.'

'WHY are you working?', Wolf demanded again, only to bite on the belt again, as Sid cleaned up the wound. 'You're VERY fortunate I found you outside the Zoo. You have no internal bleeding, thankfully. At least, nothing so serious that you need proper medical care. But you ARE heavily malnourished.', she said scientifically, applying a large Band-Aid with Kittens on it to the wound.

'At least... Tell me how a little girl knows so much about...', Wolf tried, breathing heavily. Everything felt like it was on fire, and he could barely move his head without feeling woozy. His tail stood very still between his legs, limp as his arms, that felt so damn tired. So ready to give up.

'Mom's a zoologist. We all operate this zoo as a family. I've treated a bunch of exotic animals, so overgrown Siberian Husky isn't a big leap for me.', the girl explained, moving around in the dark room that Wolf was beginning to understand was some sort of storage room. She was gathering her tools and dumping them into a sink, causing another sharp sound that hurt the Wolf's ears. As the girl inspected this, a sudden whoosh rattled all the doors and windows, making him howl in pain again.

'Earache.', Sid wrote down, curious. 'Loud noises usually bother you? Very canine if so.'

'All I hear are loud noises.', he cooperated, growling in frustration.

Sid applied a hand to his forehead. 'Owch! You're burning up! Fever? Last night wasn't THAT cold...', Sid observed, getting a cold compress for the Wolf.

The Wolf winced again as she applied it to his forehead, feeling perspiration rain down on his eyes and nose. 'I... I always feel like that. Isn't that normal?', he couldn't help but ask in concern.

'Unlikely. I tested your blood, it's not THAT warm blooded. Perhaps whatever turned you into a werewolf caused that. Super awesome, by the way! I never got to treat a werewolf before!', Sid exclaimed, kicking her heels as she ran back again to get more things.

'You are... Far too calm about all this.', Wolf choked out, as Sid came back with headphones, a music player and a book.

'You'd want an 11 year old with a knife to be calm, no?', Sid joked, as she connected the headphones to the music.

Wolf couldn't help but chuckle just slightly at that. 'I guess that's true. What's that?'

'12 at midnight. Music to soothe the supposedly savage beast. Hope you don't hate K-POP. And in case that isn't distracting enough, read this.', Sid plopped the book onto his claws.

Already tearing a little bit of the cover, Wolf read the inscription. "The… The…', he could barely decipher it.

'Oh, hold on, I noticed your eyes weren't used to such small things. Here, I've got a spare pair of glasses about your size, my dad barely uses them!', Sid eureka'd, taking out the spare pair from a nearby shelf and placing them on his eyes. Wolf could now read properly, surprised by how clearer, less on fire, everything was. 'The… Secret Garden?'

'Classic. Read it 47 times. Maybe 48. I can't remember. I'll be back with food. Like I said, you're malnourished. Any allergies?', she asked, writing down on her palm what to get.

'How? I ate about 20 cows.', Wolf raised an eyebrow at the diagnosis.

'Yeah, and that's all you've had in about two weeks. I don't know how you're not all skin and bones.'

'...I don't know why you're doing this. I'm the Wolf everyone's been talking about. I was the one who fought The Guardian. Doesn't any of that bother you? Aren't you scared?!', The Wolf demanded, accidentally roaring a bit.

The girl stopped to think. 'Hmm... No, not really.'

'How come?!', Wolf objected, banging his fist, only to scream in pain again.

The girl quickly wrapped a bandage around the hand, unbothered by the claws. 'Well, for one, you haven't tried to eat me or hurt me this entire time. Seems like a good sign.'

As she began to leave, she added 'Plus, monster or not, everyone needs help once in a while. Us scientist doctor zoologists know live by that.'

As she opened the door, she turned around and pointed. 'Food allergies? Anything?'

'...I wouldn't say.', Wolf closed his eyes, struggling to believe this wasn't a dream.

'Wonderful. I'll be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail.'

Wolf looked up excitedly.

'Sorry, we don't have lamb.', the girl apologized sheepishly, how fitting. 'We do have muffins!'

Wolf tried not to sacrifice his image. 'That would... Suffice.'

'Your tail sure agrees.', the girl giggled, and Wolf hid his tail, flustered.

Finally, she began to close the door. 'Oh, wait, one more question, I can't believe I forgot: What's your name?'

Wolf suddenly grew very silent.

'...Well... I guess we'll think of one later, okay?', she replied soothingly, trying to sound as comforting as possible.

Just before she left, he asked 'What's... What's your name?'

'Sid Chang.', Sid said pleasantly.

'...Thank you, Ms. Chang.'

'You're very welcome.', she replied back, and closed the door.

Wolf, unsure of what to do, opened the book, careful not to tear it again.

'Chapter 1: There Is No One Left' When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle, everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen...'

'Hey, everyone!', Lori cried, as she closed the door to the bathroom, thankful that Lisa had packed a stink bomb to make it look like she had actually been there.

'Hey, Lori!', the entire Casagrande clan (Mother Maria, lying collapsed on a couch, "reading" a book; Tia Frida, Maria's sister, painting her son Carl, who was posing his "muscles"; Tio Carlos, Frida's husband, reading a book about wolves and humans, walking over his baby son Carlito, who was playing peekaboo with dog Lalo; C.J, the third son, waving his pirate sword and fighting his older sister Carlota, who erupted out from the shadows and surprised him with a tackle, the two laughing; Those kids cousin, Ronnie Anne, sitting uncomfortably on the couch next to Lincoln, who was fiddling with his wheelchair to use it later; Sergio, the parrot, stealing from Abuela Rosa's plate full of Empanadas; and Abuelo Hector, on the phone with a friend, gossiping) said in return, waving.

Well, entire clan sans Bobby.

'Where's Boo boo bear?', Lori asked, looking around in confusion and fear. Was he THAT weirded out?

'Downstairs at the mercado, Mija.', Maria called out, before continuing her loud snoring.

Lori chuckled at that, sighing in relief. 'Phew.'

'The real question is, where have YOU been, girl? I've been lookin' all over for you!', Carlota asked, excitedly bouncing over to Lori. She seemed particularly hyped about her cousin's girlfriend's arrival, being a shipper.

'Heh, oh, well, you know, I just had a... Really long bathroom break. Wouldn't recommend going in there, it was... Hard.', Lori lied, rubbing the back of her neck as she remembered what she REALLY did...

'Not here...', she muttered as she flew past every farm outside the city, uprooting weeds and crops.

'Or here...', she grumbled as she whooshed past every house on the block, fluttering window shades, accidentally upsetting a few trash cans, breaking a few drinking glasses.

'Where is he?!', she shouted as she swooped into every alleyway, newspapers and leaves joining her in the sky.

'WHERE IS HE?!', she screamed, flying so fast she broke the sound barrier, impacting the Great Lakes City Zoo, the school fire alarm, and uprooting a few trees towards the empty plains.

Breathing heavily, heart pounding, The Guardian slowly descended down towards the street, panicky and pissed. 'How hard is it to find a gigantic werewolf in a city totally terrified of said gigantic werewolf? Like, literally, it should be like finding Chris Hemsworth attractive: Alarmingly easy and obvious!'

Biting her cheek, a flash of her usual maternal concern glimmered. 'Plus, who knows if he's hurt anybody by now? This isn't just to gain a potential ally, it's to stop a potential threat. People are scared. I gotta make them less scared.'

But as she landed, thinking perhaps the daily newspaper could hold any clues, she got a rude awakening towards the people's fears.

'Hey, that's that Guardian girl, from Royal Woods!', the vendor man shouted, hiding. Guardian, raising an apologetic arm, tried to reassure him. 'No, don't worry, I won't hurt you!'

But her warm soothing voice didn't seem to assuage their worries, as a father and two daughters shielded themselves. 'Why is she bright? It's barely sunny!', he pointed accusingly.

Guardian turned around, again trying to reassure, but her shining aura, reflective eyes and misshapen build made her seem large, imposing and foreign, like a biblical angel that never skipped Leg Day. 'Don't be afraid, it's okay...', she tried to say, but her tiredness combined with her habit of speaking rougher and growlier as Guardian made her sound like she was growling at the people.

'Back! Back off!', the father and kids shouted, running away, and other people around Guardian took pictures, flashing her over and over, blinding her eyes. They turned a blinding blue now, as she shouted for them to 'PLEASE, STOP!', sending some flying back, others clutching their eyes in pain.

'Did I... Do that?', Guardian asked, scared. Was that an ability? What happened there?

Turning around again to help the ones who fell, her cape swooped, appearing sharp and foreboding. 'Quick, take her down!', someone cried, shooting at her in the middle of a crowded area.

Guardian, not being an idiot, immediately turned and took the bullets herself, allowing them to hit her.

But they didn't hit her chest.

They hit her face, her eyes, her nose, her mouth, crunching into flat metal and falling off her like they did nothing, except for one that struck her tired area around her eye and nose. The already light blue ring secreted blood at first, only to magically heal in front of everyone.

'What's wrong with her?', some people whispered in alarm, holding their kids protectively, some of them crying. Guardian didn't know what to do, except she couldn't handle making them even more scared, so she set off in her own fear, flying off and breaking the sound barrier again, shattering the glass windows of every car and setting off every alarm.

It was stormy, but the only water falling from the sky was her crystal clear tears...

Back in the present, Lori felt herself choking up with tears again. She couldn't blame any of them for hating her, especially for what she had done, but if she died without leaving a positive impact, she would be even more selfish than ever. She had to dispel this monster image...

But how?

'Well, you're here now, so let's talk YOUR DATE LOOK!', Carlota exploded, pulling Lor back to earth. Taking her to her room, she pulled out a bunch of skirts and really short shorts, with plaid patterns or with makeshift bows tied around them. 'These would REALLY accentuate your Greek statue legs, if I do say so myself! Gotta flaunt that thigh action, that "step on me generalissimo" vibe, ya know?'

Lori, flustered and shocked, looked down at her legs. 'Aren't my cargo shorts short enough?', she wondered aloud, smoothing them over. They did feel a LITTLE tighter...

'Oh, maybe a few inches ago, but you've REALLY hit a growth spurt! Amazon energy, and I'm talking about the bi-con lady Di that isn't d to the e to the a to the dead, not the evil enslaving company with the crusty eyed probably brushes his teeth with shoe polish bowling ball lookin ass CEO amazon.', Carlota went on and on, throwing some high waist dresses at Lori too, all of which hung off her head in quite a silly way now, one conveniantly forming a sort of cape as it hung off her neck.

Lori took a look at them and gawked, now REALLY red. 'Um, Carlota, not for me to tell you how to do your thing, since, well, you're Carlota. But... Aren't these a little, idk... Curvy? Revealing?'

'Explain.', Carlota asked, as Lori raised an eyebrow, then slipped one on, showing off and accentuating her muscles, arms, back and, ahem, other assets that Bobby might find intriguing. '...I'm going on a romantic day out on the town with Bobby and THREE kids including my little brother and your young cousin, not posing for a playboy shoot.'

Carlota, blushing a bit, waved off Lori's concerns with a serious look. 'Listen, Lori, I mean this in the best way possible, but you just aren't the same like you were before. I'd just tell you to go the way you usually do because slay queen slay, but now you're more of a slay mami slay, ugh, how does Bobby stay in the Mercado when this swole goddess is strolling around the house looking beautiful, beautiSWOLE and BOOTYful, if you know what I mean.', she wiggled her eyebrows, biting a pencil to really sell her pitch.

Lori wore both an unamused and depressed expression on her face. 'I don't look THAT different, right? Also, Carlota, I respect your sexuality, but I am not into girls.'

'That's what they all say, but I can smell a vibe.'

'Really? I thought I avoided that trash can when I flew over 8th Street. I MEAN, UM, WHEN I WAS WALKING. YESTERDAY. NOT HERE.', Lori coughed out, only to catch herself in Carlota's mirror. She gasped, growing a bit pale.

She really did look different, far more than she had noticed in a while. To be fair, she had been a little caught up ever since she had been imprisoned by Raven, so she hadn't really caught herself in the mirror PROPERLY, too busy with pretty much everything else.

But, well, when you go from 5'8 to 6'2 in a month, you notice it.

She now towered over Carlota ('She did seem a little shorter, she used to reach my chin, now she can look right at my... Oh, god, don't give her any ideas'), her older clothes were far tighter, doing a bad job of hiding her build, while her new clothes showed them off even more. Her legs and calves looked sculpted by the gods and her muscles were more pronounced than ever. She wasn't a bodybuilder, but she wasn't exactly the gangly sticc she once was. No, she was...

'Strange.', Lori whispered, feeling ashamed. No wonder people were offset, she looked like a freak!

'Now, now, I think you look great! I bet Bobby is all over this!', Carlota said cheerfully, spraying Lori with some athlete perfume to counteract the sweat from her previous flying session.

'I bet he's over me, that's for sure...',Lori muttered melancholically, hugging herself in sadness.

'Oh, I see you're getting ready for your date with Bobby!', a voice suddenly erupted, opening the door and rushing in. Lori recognized it immediately, and not just because of the great smell of cooking that followed her everywhere. It was Abuela Rosa, happy to snoop in and see what her grandson's girlfriend was up to.

She nodded approvingly at the outfit Carlota had chosen. 'Excellent choice, mijita, really shows off your god given gifts!'

'Yeah, plus you're hot!', Carlota added a little obtusely.

Lori bit her lip, still feeling bad about it. 'Is it THAT obvious?'

'Lori, bebe, you look like you could crack coconuts with these STRONG trunks!', Rosa complimented, pointing at Lori's thighs. 'Which is great, because I could use some help in the kitchen later, if you don't mind!'

Lori felt even more embarrassed now. 'Great, I'm a pair of clamps.'

'I must ask though, are you sleeping enough? You look like death!', Rosa asked in concern, feeling Lori's forehead and taking out some fish. 'Here, this gets rid of sleep rings.'

Lori looked at the mirror again. How had she not noticed how tired she looked? Not to mention bruised. Seems like her fight with the robots hadn't healed as fast as she wanted. 'How come that doesn't heal but my gunshot would did?', Lor wondered in frustration. Her powers could be REALLY fucking annoying, and today was no exception.

'Um, I guess I'm just a little excited about college, Abuela.', Lori explained, sitting down and cringing as the fish smell came closer thanks to Rosa wiping it on her eyes.

At that moment, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne walked in, still clearly awkward, to see what the hubbub was about. 'Hey, Lori, how's the dress up session going? Carlota going gaga again?', Ronnie Anne asked, firing a finger gun.

'I AM AN ARTISTE, YOU WOULDN'T KNOW DRIP IF A FAUCET SUED YOU FOR FASHION CRIMES!', Carlota shouted at Ronnie Anne, shaking her fist.

'Lori, why is Abuela Rosa wiping your eyes with fish?', Lincoln asked the reasonable question.

'Duh, she thinks it gets rid of sleep.', Carlota and Ronnie Anne answered, unfortunately used to this.

'...D-does it?', Lincoln asked.

'DON'T ANSWER THAT.', Rosa demanded, continuing to rub the fish. 'Oh, and Lincoln, about your little, um, condition, I heard this great thing on Dr. Karaso last night, thought of you, perhaps what you need is one of those herbal drinks, Lemon grass, ginger, black pepper, honey, I think it could circulate the energy in your legs and...', Rosa explained, circling the wheelchair bound kid, who looked a tad uncomfortable, but understanding of Rosa's attempt to help.

Ronnie Anne was less so.

'ABUELA! ARE YOU LOCO?! LINCOLN GOT SHOT, HE DOESN'T NEED A GROSS DRINK TO VOMIT OUT HIS BONE FRACTURES!', Ronnie anne exploded at her Abuela, who was so taken aback that she didn't know if to get angry or concerned. Everyone in fact looked at Ronnie Anne in surprise, Lincoln the most. 'Is... Is everything okay?', Lincoln asked, but Ronnie Anne, a little flustered, shook her head and grumbled 'Of course! I'm gonna get some soda!', and she marched off, stomping.

'...I'm sorry, Lincoln, I didn't...', Rosa began, a little ashamed.

'No worries. I know you meant well. I think Ronnie Anne is just getting used to, well, this.', Lincoln motioned at his chair.

'Don't feel guilty, Lincoln. Ronalda always gets a little uncomfortable when it comes to this stuff. She's been QUITE worried about your malady, just as I'm worried about this wolf person going around town.', Tio Carlos came walking in, holding his book to his nose and lecturing as if he was teaching one of his classes. 'And speaking of wolves, did you know that by using loud noises and throwing stones, a human being can fight a wolf off, since we don't stand a chance in hand to hand? They are about as afraid of us as we are of them!'

'Oh, um, that's interesting, Tio Carlos, but...', Lori tried to find a way to explain how she would be careful about the wolf without saying that she could probably just fight the wolf hand to hand with her eyes blindfolded.

'Oh, Lori, can I paint you and Bobby later? I'd like to update my portrait of yours, seeing as you have this new blue aura around you, I think it's very different!', Tia Frida suddenly interjected, carrying a canvas and paints, unhelpfully not specifying if the different was good or bad. Lori, looking upset again, shook her head. 'Oh, um, no need, I prefer the old look... I mean, it's not really that different, right? I mean, I'm not even ug...'

'Oooh, Lori, I see that you want to match up to your macho man with those muscles, mui caliente!', Carl flirted, taking his shirt off and posing his "muscles". Lori, who probably had more muscle in her pinkie than Carl had in his whole body three times over, raised an unamused eyebrow. 'Sure thing, mi amor.', she sarcastically barbed, rolling her eyes.

'Bark bark bark.', Lalo barked.

'...Bark?', Lori responded, unsure what she was supposed to say.

'Sqwuak! Something something Lori looks different! Sqwuak!', Sergio flew over and chattered, annoying Lori.

'Dude, you too?'

'Hey, I didn't wanna feel left out!'

Suddenly, the commotion stopped, as Abuelo Hector came in and whistled loudly, silencing the room.

'Dios Mios, you're going to drive her crazy! How can she prepare for her date with Bobby if you won't stop talking?!', Hector announced, looking at everyone with a disapproving stare.

'...Goo goo ga.', Carlitos quickled added, just in case he forgot what he was gonna say.

'What did he say?', Lori asked Sergio.

'I think "Damn girl you thicc"?', Sergio said with genuine surprise. 'Didn't know he had that in his vocab.'

'OKAY, THAT'S IT, EVERYBODY MOVE! Lori, come with me, let's take a breather from the madding crowd, eh?', Hector offered, helping Lori out. Lori, still draped in her new clothes, waved awkwardly goodbye to the rest of the family, who all now looked at each other in confusion at Carlota's room.

'...So, like, she's the dom and Bobby's the sub, right?', Carlota asked.

'Well, duh!', everyone nodded. 'She was the dom before she got all beefcake!', Carl added, and Frida nodded intensely.

'You guys are frikin' weird, I'm gonna find Ronnie Anne.', Lincoln commented, affectionately shaking his head and rolling towards her.

Meanwhile, Hector led Lori to the balcony, where he had two chairs situated already, a lovely view, and a pack of strawberry flavored gum. 'Want some?', Hector offered, Lori taking some to relieve her stress. 'Since when do you eat gum?', she asked, chewing away like an express train.

'Trying to kick the smoking habit. Not that this is MUCH better, but I'm hoping to deescalate from this to putting those little ships in a bottle. Eventually, my habit will be sleeping on front of the TV and you can finally call me an old man.', Hector joked, making Lori giggle a bit. Still, she chewed intensely, shoulders shaking, fingers tapping. She would have bitten her nails if she could, but nails and gum don't really mix. Plus, with her powers, what if she just bit her fingers off? Or would her fingers react back and break her teeth? Or was it an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object?

'Whew, they really stressed you back there, didn't they?', he asked gently, patting her back, noticing how shaped it was now. Lori nodded, letting the sugar lull her into a state of distraction. 'Like, literally so much, Abuelo! I... I know they mean well, but I think I would have actually screamed another minute in there!', she didn't add her thoughts on what could happen if she screamed. Seriously, what WAS that back in the street?

'Ha, that is Familia for you. They just really appreciate how happy you make our Bobby, you know?', Hector explained.

'...For now.', Lori whispered to herself, feeling her fears rise up in her chest. She needed Bobby so badly, but was she needed by him? Was she helping him, or was she so different now that only she would gain anything from today? She was supposed to be a good girlfriend, not a selfish one! She had promised to go on no matter what, and she would, but if she was nothing but a sore for sighting eyes, was she really leaving the world with a net positive?

Hector couldn't hear her thoughts, but he could see her eyes, and sighing, he reclined and looked out at the view, a beautiful morning in the city. Clotheslines flowing in the wind, a pair of socks tickling the roses of a nearby apartment window, a flock of pigeons descending onto a half eaten hot dog, and children playing football and breaking the window of a grocer, who got angry at their skills and showed them how to properly heel flick a ball.

'It's beautiful, isn't it?', Hector asked Lori matter of factly.

'What is?', she asked, still lost in her spiral.

'Life.', Hector simply replied, showing off the view.

Lori looked down, and saw nothing but angels she needed to protect with her demonic form. '...I agree.', she replied, but in a resigned depression, in a 'I could never be that way' way.

'...What is troubling you, mijita? I can see it in your face. Something is wrong.', Hector asked, leaning forwards, ready to help. As he did, he accidentally moved too fast, causing himself to cough hard.

Lori, alert, acted fast, and patted his back, fixing his air tunnels instantly. 'Woah! What a strike! Gracias, you really are a beefcake, huh?', Hector said with a smile, shaking her hand in congratulations.

Lori wished she could properly enjoy that. 'Heh, uh, yeah. I guess.'

'Hmm...', Hector scratched his chin, looking at her face. He snapped his fingers suddenly. 'Food, you need food.'

'I do? I mean... I haven't eaten yet, so...', Lori pondered, looking down at her stomach, seeing her developing abs and frowning.

'An abuelo always knows. Here, I snuck some empanadas from Rosa when she wasn't looking. Here, take one, take two! Let it wash over your stress.'

Lori stared at the savory pastry, delicately coated with egg yolk, curved around the edges, filled with mouthwatering ground beef that soothed the roof of your tongue, that blended so well with the diced potatoes, and the other one had sweet corn that lulled her into a sense of security that only a grandmother's cooking, even one not of blood, could do. Her stomach felt relieved, alongside Griffin's spaghetti and her father's cooking, the only times she felt truly relieved in ages, since pretty much the rest of the time she subsisted on trail mix, bean chips or cold ramen noodles. God, finally the pain in that area was loosening, she felt like all this pent up energy was actually lighting up, like she could properly restrain that wolf and..

'Woah, woah, Lori! Wow, you really were hungry! See how good I am?', Hector laughed, as Lori blinked in surprise. Looking down at her hands, she got it. The only wolf around here was the wolfing down she did with those empanadas. Her hands were full of crums and bits of meat, and her face was messy, like she hadn't eaten for days.

'Sorry.', she said sheepishly, as red as one of the tomatoes Rosa would be using in her salsa later. 'I was hungrier than I thought. I get hungry a lot lately.'

'I guess it's a late puberty burst. Would explain the growth spurt and the trips to the gym.', Hector mused, making Lori feel worse.

'It's... I don't...', Lori stammered, totally embarrassed.

'Oh, don't feel bad, I think it's cool! You must be really packing heat, you'll probably get some abs soon! You're a real monster now! Here, let's test this new strength out, huh? Give Abuelo an old fashioned arm wrestling match!', Hector offered, positioning his arm and elbow on the little coffee table between them, right next to a crumpled napkin from his Empanada. He grinned and winked, inviting her to try.

Lori giggled from embarrassment again, fearing the potential consequences. 'Oh, you don't wanna waste your time...'

'Oh, come on, it would be fun! I can't do this with Bobby or Carlos. Come on, try me! What, am I too old now or something?'

Lori laughed and rolled her eyes, deciding she could try and risk it, she'd just be careful. 'Well... All right. If you insist. I bet it's not that bad.'

'PLEASE DON'T BE THAT BAD PLEASE LET ME HAVE THIS LET ME BE WEAKASS IN THIS GIVE ME THE NOODLE ARMS', Lori begged, hoping against hope as she clasped arms with Hector.

'Uno, Dos, Tres, let's go!', Hector announced, making silly luchadore noises as he tried to bring Lori's arm down, first softly, since he underestimated her strength. That didn't budge her. 'Okay, okay, just fooling around, I won't be mean. Here, let's treat this properly, I'll give you a fair match.', he said, and so, he pushed back hard, with all his might.

Lori's arm still didn't budge.

'Oh, I... Guess I'm a bit rusty. Okay, no more Mr. Nice Abuelo.', Hector spat on his palms and rubbed them to make himself loose, then clasped with Lori again, who begged for a reprieve, but none came. She just didn't feel anything, not a single iota of pain. She was just invulnerable, and it broke her heart in a way. To realize just how detached she was from the people she aimed to save.

She had to act, and quick. Before Hector got REALLY suspicious.

And so, she threw her hand back, pretending it was hurting. 'Ooh, ow, owch, my life is flashing before my eyes, so much of it is in front of the phone, please buy that.', Lori muttered, rubbing her hand and letting out "pained" gasps.

'Ha ha! Still got it! You gave me a real run for my money there, but I guess you're not as strong as you seem, must be a trick of the light!', Hector celebrated, doing a little victory dance, while Lori glanced at him with a small smile. 'Guess at least I made him happy with that.', she thought, standing up and towering even more than usual over him, so much so that she seemed to cast a shadow. 'Yayyyy...', she sarcastically mumbled while Hector finished dancing. 'Well, enough chit chat. You got a date with Bobby to get to, so let's hurry, chop, chop!', he announced, clapping his hands. 'Oh, stay away from the sportscenter, by the way.', he suddenly interjected, conspiratorially whispering in her ear. 'I can't be 100% sure, of course, but I've heard rumors that some gang activity might be running in there. Real tough guys from Detroit.'

Lori nodded, noting she should check it out while she searched for Wolf. Suddenly, she got a eureka moment, realizing this was her opening for some intel. Brushing up to him as they walked into the house, Lori asked "innocently" 'Say, Abuelo, you're the gossip guru of the casita.'

'It's a living.', Hector shrugged, narrowing his eyes. 'What do you want to know?'

'I want to cause no alarm, so let's keep this hush hush.', Lori lowered her voice, kneeling down so Hector could whisper in her ear and vice versa. 'The wolf, the one that came from Royal Woods. You got a location, a name, anything?'

'Ah, the Wolf, yes, I know what you mean. No one can shut up about him, and for good reason.', Hector looked back and forth and covered his mouth with his hand, just in case. He too knew how imperative it was to keep the calm of the Casagrandes, especially the children. 'Look, I cannot tell you how true this is. Us gossips know that a sensationalist topic like this, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE wants to take part in. They'll lie, fabricate, exaggerate, the works, just to participate in the conversation.'

Lori nodded, getting what he meant. 'Just like how I pretended I knew who Dana was crushing on. Turned out she was just forced to cook highly addictive Mountain Dew with Principal Huggins.'

Suddenly, Principal Huggins opened the door to the house and shouted 'AND IT WOULD HAVE WORKED! I REPLACED THE GAMER PISS WITH MONKE PISS! WE WOULD HAVE RETURNED TO MONKE!'

Lori and Hector stared wide eyed at him as he slowly closed the door. 'Monke pee pee... Think about it.'

Once he left, they resumed like nothing happened.

'Exactly. So again, I cannot tell you in good conscious that this is true, but I heard that he attacked some dairy farm on the outskirts of the city, ate 20 whole cows, and has not been spotted since. He could be anywhere. I did hear one rumor that he MIGHT be in the inner neighborhoods, you know, arcades, the zoo, etc.'

'I see. I'll make sure we... Stay away.', Lori trailed off, not revealing that she would definitely not stay away.

A pang of guilt then hit her. What if the rumors weren't true and Wolf would find them and... And hurt...

'I see that lump in your throat, mijita. Believe me, if I thought it was too dangerous, I'd demand you, Lincoln, Bobby, Ronnie Anne, Lyberti and Carlota would all stay here and find something boring to do. But I have faith that you'll all be okay.', Hector patted her hand, trying to reassure. Lori looked down. His hand was wrinkly, spotted, with bunches of white hairs sticking out. He seemed so fragile, yet strong, eyes full of life, head full of knowledge. How had he achieved balance? What was she missing?

Lori sighed, patting back. 'I'm just... What makes you so sure we'll be safe, then?'

'Easy, Lori. You're gonna be there.', Hector smiled affectionately, leaving her be.

Lori watched him go, feeling the eternal weight on her shoulders increase once more, making her knees almost buckle.

But she'd have to endure. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and decided it was time to go get Bobby and go.

'Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, Carlota, get ready, we're leaving in 5 minutes!', she cried out, her voice permeating every space of the house.

Suddenly, she realized that she didn't know where Lyberti was.

'Oh, you better be in that Mercado.', she bit her lip, feeling guilty already.

She remembered Hector's words about keeping everyone safe.

'I hope you're right, Abuelo. I wouldn't place my faith in a monster.'

Lyberti, to Lori's great relief, was in the Mercado.

To Lori's future misfortune, she was about to make a REALLY bad decision.

While Lori was upstairs, Lyberti was sniffing for clues of the Wolf's whereabouts. She had checked the storage rooms for any wolf attack signs (all she found was a whole lot of dust, cans, juice, and Par the delivery man juggling knives. 'Hey, hey, isn't this cool? Maybe I could be part of the fanfic? Another potential sidekick? Huh? What do you say? I'll add so much sex appeal!', Par asked, pleaded, while Lyberti stared blank.

She then slammed the door.

'OH GODDAMNIT!', Par cussed.

Sorry, Par, you just kinda mid.

Lyberti had also checked the security cameras for any late night breeches, but Bobby swore that every single item was accounted for (and seeing how crazy he looked as he fondled the frozen meats, that is, "The Meatsteins", who were ironically non kosher), and Lyberti found nothing in the security cameras, outside of the newfound knowledge that she hated watching security camera footage (she left a deserved -1/5 on Letterboxed).

So she had been left with the final resort: Interrogation.

'Now, look, my partner here, she can be a little... Rough.', Lyberti explained, suddenly placing lentils on her eyes and a bowl of fruit on her hair. 'Roughage, get it, it's a pun.'

'Ha ha, not bad!', Vito, the old Italian frequent visitor of the Mercado, laughed at the joke, appreciating it. 'Say, maybe you could do a standup routine, I'll be your agent. We'll split it equally, 100-0. Okay, you drive a hard bargain, 99-1/2. The other half goes to my mother, you understand.'

'JOKES OVER, SONNY!', Lyberti suddenly shouted, placing a flashlight into Vito's eyes, only for it to run out of batteries. 'Gah, who's selling this without batteries? What a grift.'

'Right?', Vito asked, only to get flashed by Lyberti's phone instead. 'Gah! 2020's writing means everyone has a phone!'

'The truth blinds you, doesn't it? Where's the Wolf, Super Mario's fatter uncle?'

'Fatter?', Vito asked, looking down with a frown.

'LOOK AT THE LENTILS! DO NOT LIE TO THE LENTILS!', Lyberti demanded, pointing at them. 'Lady Lentils DEMANDS justice!'

'Okay, I draw the line at Lady Lentils. That name sucks, no offense.', Bobby interrupted, pointing at his prepared basket. 'Besides, I'm done charging Vito, and I've got more customers here.'

The old lady nodded, waving her milk. 'While we're still young!'

'I'll get to you later!', Lyberti shouted, only for the old lady to grin. 'I'll make sure there's a murder to investigate, then. Unless you understand no one gets between me and "Adios, Anna, Adios".'

'Lady Lentils announces her temporary retirement. But she will return once my insatiable hunger for justice (and a lil snaccy) are in need of nourishment. Hugs, not drugs.', Lyberti bowed out, backflipping to where Bobby was, getting a smattering of modest applause. 'Wow, who knew grocery shopping could be so fucking funny?', a 6 year old asked, and everyone agreed.

'Sigh.', Lyberti sighed, munching on a chocolate covered churro.

'Okay, no one eats a churro like that without some sort of angst. What's up, dude? Who are you, even?', Bobby asked, as he charged some, well, interesting magazines with his eyes closed, out of respect.

'I'm Lyberti Evans, I write for the Royal Woods High School paper. Plus, I'm friends with The Guardian, besties, pretty much soulmates. She sent me here to help in a mission to track down that wolf guy, you know him, no?', Lyberti asked, scooching back into a dog bed she borrowed so she could sit on something comfortable.

'Oh, totally! Scary stuff. Thankfully, Lori is here, so I've got nothing to be worried about!', Bobby replied, smiling as he thought of his girlfriend. 'She's so strong, and terrifying. What a knockout.'

'Yeah, I guess so. I just wish I could help The Guardian, you know? I've been kinda flunking on that, one school incident notwithstanding.', the reporter explained, sneakily stealing Bobby's taco, which was overflowing with black beans, beef Baracoa and salsa.

'Yeah, I can get that. But I wouldn't worry about that, she's real nice! I met her in the park a few weeks ago when I went on my anniversary date with Lori! And the fact that she trusted you enough to send you on this mission should mean something, no?', Bobby asked, confused by the lack of taco on his plate.

Lyberti, deciding to be nice, cut the taco in half. Bobby shook his head and tutted. 'I guess I'll let you have it, on account of that rainy face you got there.'

'I get hungy when I'm down, okay?', Lyberti expressed, vacuuming up her half of the taco. Shrugging, she got up slowly. 'I guess you're right, but I still feel like I need to do more. I haven't done anything MAJOR.'

'Hmm... Well, maybe if you found the wolf guy? Aren't you a journalist? Use your sources and senses and stuff to pinpoint his location instead of just lounging around here, asking random shoppers what they know. Trust me, all you'll get here are stories about lawyer nephews and karen moments.' Bobby offered helpfully, patting Lyberti's head.

'That's... Not a bad idea, actually! Thanks, Mr. Lori's girlfriend!', Lyberti thanked him, rushing off to the exit.

'Atta girl!', Bobby smiled, as Lori entered the Mercado, running into Lyberti. 'Oh, hey!', Lori waved, trying to hide how nervous she had been about Lyberti's whereabouts. 'I didn't know where you were!'

'Sorry, forgot to tell you! I was just chillin' here with Bobby, doing hot girl shit, you know.', Lyberti explained, smirking.

'She interrogated my customers and stole my taco.', Bobby corrected.

'Liberated your taco, Roberto. Liberated.'

Lori rolled her eyes in humor. 'Okay, you two, we gotta get going, daylight's burning!'

'Right! Sorry, babe, lost track of time.', Bobby explained, taking off his smock. Hector would come down in just a moment to replace him. 'I've been really looking forwards to today!'

'Literally same, I REALLY could use some quality time with you!', Lori exclaimed, holding Bobby's hands. He stroked her cheek, already improving her mood. 'Babe, don't you worry, I'm here for you.'

'Boo boo bear...', Lori practically purred, her heartrate slowing down.

'Gosh, I hope I won't be like that with Leo. NOT THAT I LIKE HIM LIKE THAT!', Lyberti shouted out in alarm, accidentally throwing a churro she held at a can. The can rolled off and dropped a bag of rice, that launched a bottle of ketchup, that knocked over a lightbulb, that bounced over to a pillow, bursting it enough to unleash one single feather at the most packed shelf in the Mercado, the one with all the sharp knives.

And the shelf began to fall.

At Lyberti.

'OH MY GOD, LYBERTI!', Bobby screamed, trying to reach her.

Lori, seeing all this, blinked. Suddenly, everything was in slow motion. Everything was a blur.

Except for Lyberti, Bobby, and the danger they were in.

Not even thinking for a moment about the danger of running at a heavy shelf full of sharp objects, Lori set off, running as fast as a bullet, faster, hands out to stop the shelf, knees ready to bend, shoulders ready to lend a hand.

The sharp knives were getting closer, closer, they would be there any moment, Lyberti and Bobby would have to go to hospital, if not worse, Lori could not let anyone else get hurt, no, 'NO, NO MORE', she screamed, as she pushed them out of the way and took the gigantic shelf to her body.

'BABE!', Bobby shouted out, shaken. Lyberti, shaking too, tried to see through the dust that was suddenly kicked out onto the air.

When it settled, the two both gasped as they saw what didn't make sense: Lori holding the shelf up, the knives seemingly bouncing off her, her feet slightly off the ground. She clenched and tightened, muscles glimmering in the light, and when she pushed back properly, her blue eyes reflected off of every knife, creating a blue shimmer that fit with her sudden shining aura.

When she turned around, she ran up so fast it was like she was a blur. 'Are you okay? Are you hurt?', Lori asked, any signs of knife scrapes healing instantly. She checked both for wounds, but saw none.

'Oh, thank goodness!', she exclaimed, kissing Lyberti on the forehead and Bobby on the mouth. 'That was a close one, huh?'

Bobby and Lyberti, gaping, looked at each other, then at Lori. Lori, realizing what this looked like, stammered and gulped. 'I... Well... The shelf... Adrenaline... You see... I have a perfectly good explanation as long as you're willing to give me 5-10 business days to come up with one.'

Bobby and Lyberti gulped, then...

'Okay, that Taco was NASTY. I'm NEVER buying from Tito again.' Bobby expressed, waving his arms. 'Yeah, what was that about?!', Lyberti expressed, walking away with Bobby.

'Dang, though, Lori, you really are stronger, how did you hold that thing up?', Bobby exclaimed, having to reach up to kiss Lori, which really sunk in how taller she was now.

Lori groaned, mood totally killed. She linked arms with Bobby as they walked off. 'Yeah, I know. Freaky.'

While all this happened, Griffin had accompanied Mayor Tetherby to the city hall meeting.

Griffin had been to city hall meetings in the past, both in Detroit and Royal Woods, in bodyguard capacity. She was used by now to the theatrics: A bunch of mostly old white guys pretending to get anything done when really all they wanted was to play Debate Club, collect their paychecks, and smile at reporters. 'Parasites in Plaid.', Griffin had coined once, and she was right. Normally, these tabled meetings, more like a quarterly discussion than a legislation debate, would echo as hollow as the Styrofoam coffee cups littered across the desk.

But not with Mayor Tetherby.

It was like he was in a marathon to break the impatience world record. He breezed through issues, raising them, countering any selfish disagreements, swiftly explaining which robot he'd use to solve the conundrum, sighing an approval to create it and or send it, then move onto the next slide on his PowerPoint presentation. It was honestly impressive, even for an experienced jaded cynic such as Nikita.

In a matter of 112 minutes, Mayor Tetherby had elected to fix the potholes in the roads without prolonging it to save money ("I have machines that can do it in half the time and pilots for these robots that can shave off a third off that"), lower taxes on all businesses except Tetherby Corp, that would pay triple the taxation rate on the rich ('And I would hope that everyone else can follow suit...', he said with a non-subtle threat, planning to send Organized Chaos and Hocus Pocus later), and even a motion to get houses build on top of the now abandoned Tetherby mansion grounds for the homeless in the city ("Proper houses, no rundown shelter. Until they can pay for their housing, I shall cover it in secret.").

'Careful. I just might get a little hope here.', Griffin whispered next to him, writing all this down. Tetherby allowed himself a snicker. 'Getting soft on me, Captain?'

'I hope not.', Griffin thought to herself, concerned. This wasn't looking good for Guardian. Sure, she was still VERY offset by his behavior when he tried to arrest the hero, but she couldn't pretend she hadn't had her bad reactions. So far, he seemed perfect in every other way. It had to be wrong, yet... Here it was.

'Mayor Tetherby, with all due respect, we simply cannot get ALL this done in such a short time...', one rich man, Mr. Fowler, an old friend of Bertrand's father, shook his head slowly, owl scratched eyes hiding his more dangerous veneer.

'Yet, here I am, doing that. How come we can't, old friend? Is it possible you don't WANT us to?', Tetherby suddenly spoke up, earning a few gasps from his party people, Griffin raising an impressed eyebrow. 'I'm not even forcing you to pay for any of this... Yet. This is all coming out of my pocket. It's almost like you'd rather just sit here and do nothing.'

Mr. Fowler didn't reply, but he sat down with quite the dirty stare.

'Dang. He's good.', Griffin mused, writing it down. How could anyone be this strong, this determined, in the face of clear monstrosity? How could she ever ape that?

While a familiar looking woman placed down a cup of water for Tetherby, he cleared his throat and went on. 'Next item on the agenda, if that doesn't make Mr. Fowler feel dizzy: prisoner conditions.'

Griffin was in full attention with this one. Especially as this was a report she had handed in a year ago.

Tetherby gripped the report and read it out loud, like it was the most important thing in the world, gripping the attention of the room. He spoke of the horrible living conditions ("Prisoners are placed in dirty cells, vulnerable to infections, with rusty sinks and restrooms and little to no space"), of the security issues ("Dozens of guards for hundreds of people, most of which are sent from the academy if they've been routinely aggressive, whom provide no security whatsoever, hence the physical and sexual violence running wild in there") and of the basic humanity that was more than missing ("Rations are scarce and bereft of substance. Female prisoners can't sanitize properly. Many are practically slave labor working all kinds of menial jobs to earn money for the running of the prison, most of which goes to the Warden's wine addiction. We know of one prisoner, a mother, pregnant, who had to give birth on the prison floor, helped by her cellmates. The doctor arrived hours late. The baby was lucky to be alive, and was immediately shipped off to the husband outside. The woman was guilty of assaulting an officer, when he tries to arrest her for "looking dangerous and in possession of drugs", and she shouted at him.")

Tetherby dropped the pages after that. The woman holding the drinks fought a sob. Griffin looked normal on the outside, but on the inside, her heart cracked yet again. Many of the people inside were stunned silent.

'Tell me. How can we live with ourselves if this is what we call "Justice"?', Tetherby asked, both with transparent truth and insane irony. 'I suggest that we follow Captain Nikita Griffin's year old recommendations, and completely restructure our city's prison system, lest we risk eternal damnation.'

'Oh, grow up, Tetherby! These people are criminals, the bottom of the barrel!', Mr. Fowler protested, standing up and pointing at him and Griffin. 'I don't care what that woman thinks, she should go back to cleaning up the precinct with such nonsense! We are nothing if not reasonable with the recent infamous crime rates here!'

Griffin barely reacted. She was used to it by now, being both black and female in any high position such as this, ESPECIALLY law enforcement. She would just let it slide, there was nothing that would or could be done any...

'True. We must be reasonable.', Tetherby voiced, barely looking at Mr. Fowler. 'You're fired.'

'...What?', Mr. Fowler asked, shocked, aghast. The rest of the cabinet gasped too. 'Mr. Tetherby, are you sure...', one member started saying, only for the lady with the drinks to protest. 'Of course he's sure! Like me, he knows what vultures you all are! Eating away at us for dessert while your pantries are overflowing! You should be the ones rotting in those cells, you...', the lady suddenly realized how angry she had gotten, and she walked away, embarrassed. 'I'll hand in my resignation, I'm sorry.'

'Wait! Stay here, I'll talk to you later!', Tetherby stated, turning to Fowler. Griffin could see his veins throb and his cup shake. He wasn't just standing up for her. He was PISSED.

'Mr. Fowler. I demand to see you privately, say, the men's room.'

'What meaning is...'

'NOW.', Tetherby demanded, so loud and commanding that it made everyone jump.

'...Yes, Mr. Mayor.', Mr. Fowler acquiesced, and he and Tetherby left.

Griffin simply stared in shock, still struggling to believe it.

In the restroom, Tetherby was washing his hands, as if he had to to feel right about this, as if he had to reassure himself this was the only way.

'I knew your father, Bertrand. We did things certain way, and we did them well. Everyone that counted made do. Why can't you do that too? Sooner or later, everyone will be onto your "nice guy" act. Surely you aren't THIS into positive PR.', Mr. Fowler complained, waiting for him in the middle of the room.

'Act. Quite observant, Mr. Fowler. Would you like to see how I really feel?', Mayor Tetherby asked, feeling his face grow a scowl, his voice change.

He was that thing they all feared, the monster he created to being forth his paradise.

The Raven.

'Yes, I would. I would like to remind you that none of us are happy about Volte's imprisonment. If I must, I'll provide you a hush fund. Your brother lost a lot of money, so maybe that's why you're such a communist sudden...', Mr. Fowler started, only to see a phone flash in front of his face.

A woman, as old as Fowler, enjoying a conversation with another old woman, the two sitting in their home sipping on margaritas. The Pollock collection really added to the cashmere carpet and ivory silverware.

'Mrs. Fowler. It's been so long. Perhaps I should say hi.', The Raven whispered, choked out, raw, like the sting spit of a squid.

'She's vacationing in our summer home at Florida. She went incognito. How do you know this?', Mr. Fowler demanded.

'Such a lovely home. Beach houses are so open, however. Security risk. Sure, you only brought your essentials, but it could still be dangerous. Here, I'll prove it. Say hi, Barbed Wire.'

Barbed Wire, upset, simply nodded, revealing themselves as tailing the woman from a park bench nearby.

'How are you... What is the meaning of this?!', Fowler demanded, outraged, prodding Raven in the chest.

'I'll spell it out for you, since you so routinely misunderstand big issues: You keep killing our prisoners, I'll kill your wife.', Raven drew out every word, staring right into Fowler's small brown eyes.

'...What?', Mr. Fowler asked, flinching, looking away in fright. 'You... This is bribery!'

'Funny, you seemed to be okay with it just a moment ago. In fact, I could reveal ALL the documents that prove you helped Volte and the Warden get away with borderline manslaughter for years, including the murder of my parents. I could reveal where taxpayers money really goes into. Think they like Pollock as much as you do? Personally, I've always been more of a Cubist fan. Everything, in the end of the day, is comprised of shapes. I can see a pristine duo of rectangles in your future. Full of depth. Dirt. Ashes. But if you play by the new rules, you'll find yourself in a very nice square, thinking "It's a good thing I did as Mayor Tetherby said." You help me, I help you. Circular logic, you see? It's all about shapes. So shape up, or ship out, Roger.', Raven said calmly, coldly, like the Devil in a winter morning.

'...I'll vote wisely.', Fowler nodded, white as a ghost.

'Two more things.', Tetherby suddenly said. When he saw Fowler bite his tongue instead of protest, he smiled.

'For what you did to my father, I think it would be most generous of you to finally stop an actual threat. You're on the Pingrey board of Directors, no?'

'You say that like you didn't already know.', Fowler scowled. 'I'm a long term investor.'

'What do you know of Melanie's plans?'

'I ask no questions. Science gives me a headache.'

'Better pack up on Adderall, then.', Raven demanded, staring down at Fowler with venom. 'She's hiding something. She's lying to the people, to the government, to me. I want you to go in there and wrestle out any document, any infraction, any possible excuse for me to find where she's keeping that secret lab of hers.'

'What secret lab? You've really lost it, Bertrand.', Fowler complained, only to get another phone shoved in his face, one showing a 12 year old girl in a senior high school class, lifting her phone.

'Ah, but you didn't hear the reward! In return, I'll make sure your daughter isn't in any danger. Would be such a shame... She's such a fine young mind. I would hate to trade her soul for the city's. But, you seem a lot more callous. I suppose I'll tell her you just couldn't be bothered to stop Melanie's sociopathy. That's okay. You can just buy another child, right?', Raven shrugged, placing the phone down, showing Hocus Pocus spying on her from outside.

'Say hello, Mr. Fowler.', Raven whispered.

Fowler did so. 'Hey, honey?'

'Hey, daddy! I just finished the science test!', she answered cheerfully, moving past Hocus Pocus, who nudged past her.

'You... You did well, huh?', Fowler asked, gulping.

'Yeah! I think I'll get a job in Pingrey one day too! You think that's a good idea?'

Tetherby placed a hand on Fowler's head and made him nod.

'...Yes. I think... I think that will work out splendid. I... I gotta go now. I have to... Work a few things out in that regard.'

'Okay! Talk to ta later! Love ya!'

She hung up.

'Hmm. What ambition. And here, an open door. Hurry. It closes in 5 seconds.'

Fowler stammered.

'4.'

'I...'

'3...'

'That's not fair...'

'2...'

'I... I can't... Why do I have to...'

'1...'

'OKAY, OKAY! I'LL DO IT!', Fowler screamed as he saw Hocus Pocus suddenly lift a gun and aim it at the girl.

'...See? Isn't that nice, when we all have a good discussion, compromise, and work together for the future of our city?', Raven asked, stroking Fowler's chin.

'Isn't it nice to do our jobs for once?'

'...I'll do it.', Fowler choked out, terrified. 'Just... Just leave my daughter alone. Please. She hasn't done anything, you know that.'

'And neither did Captain Griffin. I catch you talking to her like that again, I'll make sure you know what it's like to live in one of those prisons. Capice?', he asked, staring at him intently.

'...Capice.'

'Good. Pleasure doing business with you.', Raven shook his hand, then left the restroom, leaving Fowler alone, stewing in his fear.

It took all of Tetherby's power not to throw up. 'I still hate doing that. But it had to be done.', he commented, ignoring how it also felt good to see the fear in Fowler's eyes. 'Just because he deserves it doesn't mean we enjoy it. Means to an end, remember?', he asked himself, biting his lip when the internal answer came a second or two later than usual.

Entering the meeting room, only Griffin and the lady were left.

'You. Name?', he asked, pointing at the latter.

'T...Theresa Davies. I was... I was Volte's assistant for a few days. Before he lost.', Theresa explained, fearing what the imposing man would say.

'...The position wasn't filled. An oversight. Something you seem to be good at correcting. Starting now. Come with us to the factory. We could use another set of eyes.', Tetherby instructed, making Theresa gasp in relief and thankful shock. 'Oh, of course, I... I'll do that right away!'

She ran off, stammering about "Second chances" and "Wishes coming true".

Griffin got up, slowly, exiting the place with Tetherby. It began to rain. Of course.

An umbrella suddenly lifted.

'Need a hand?', Bertrand offered, a gentle flicker in his eyes, contrasting the cold of the outside world.

Griffin hesitantly took the handle, fingers interlocking with his. 'I'm usually the one who has to do that grunt work.'

'No shame in some help, no?', Bertrand asked.

'...Not when it comes from you.', Griffin whispered, oddly pleased that for once, she didn't need to be the strong one, as they walked off through the rain, totally dry and endurant.

'I do not understand Collin.'

Sid, looking up from her K-POP magazine, sitting in a dingy plastic white chair that had seen many coffee stains but little light, nodded in a manner that showed she had read the book many a time. 'Ah, Chapter 13.'

Wolf, from his makeshift hospital bed of a table, scrunched up his face, the reading glasses he had received making it easier to be confused by the text. 'Oh, I knew I was reading that wrong. XIII doesn't make any sense.'

'Oh, no, no, you were right, sort of!', Sid was quick to correct and reassure, moving from her chair towards his table, careful not to make any sudden movements. He was still quite jumpy. 'XIII is Roman numerals! It means 13!'

'If it means 13, why do they not write it that way? It sounds very confusing. Should they not say what they mean? Or mean what they say?', Wolf asked, scratching his head with one of his sharp claws.

Sid chuckled, making a mental note. 'I might have another book for you after this one. But first, tell me, what did you mean about Collin?'

'Oh, right, that!', Wolf remembered, taking a moment to sip on the calming ginseng tea Sid had prepared with the Muffins they shared. Wolf wasn't sure why, but Muffins were the only non carnivorous food he had so far enjoyed. 'Must be a Bruce thing.', he thought, letting the tea's energies soothe his spirit. 'Well, you see, it says here that he doesn't want to live, but he also doesn't want to die. He says so right here.'

'Can you read the line again? I must admit that even I can't quote it from memory.', Sid asked, and Wolf looked a tad shy, biting his lip, hiding his tail. 'Oh, I... I don't know.'

Sid caught on immediately and shook her head gently. 'I wouldn't laugh. I know you're still getting used to it.'

'It's less the reading, more the talking out loud. I have a... A frequent growl. I'm used to shouting out short phrases at best.', Wolf stated, but Sid didn't relent. 'You're talking to me now, with a few longer words.'

'Yes, but... It's different out loud. Reciting.'

'Go ahead.', Sid pressed on, clasping his palm. Wolf, terrified, fought every urge to pull his hand away, lest he hurt her.

The very thought of it made him want the floor to swallow him whole.

'Well... If you insist.', Wolf acquiesced, and so, he read aloud.

"Do you want to live?" inquired Mary.

"No,", he answered, in a cross, tired fashion. "But I don't want to die. When I feel ill I lie here and think about it until I cry and cry."

'Well, what's confusing you?', Sid asked, showing no sign of mockery. Wolf breathed a massive sigh of relief. He knew he had stuttered a few times, and that he had mispronounced inquired at first. 'Well, it's just... How can one want to not live and not die at the same time? It's one or the other, no?'

'Collin is sort of, well, stuck. Living means living in pain, living crippled, shaming his father. It's not living at all, according to him. But dying would mean potentially nothing more but final pain. It's a significant loss, but he doesn't know if it would be easier in the long run than living a few more years just to die even sadder. In short, he has two bad choices and he can't decide which one is the lesser of two evils.', Sid explained eloquently, munching on a muffin.

Wolf took one too and nodded, slowly. 'I suppose that makes sense. But Mary too was upset, and she found the garden. Perhaps if Collin went to it, he would feel better. It can't be good for him to be cooped up in that miserable room with little light and no friends.'

'Hmm, perhaps. I suppose you'll have to continue reading to find out.', Sid winked, walking back to her chair and getting comfortable, the flickering lightbulb above her painting a sort of halo around her form.

Wolf gulped, trying to rouse the courage to venture forth in a question. 'Um... Sid?'

'Yes, Mr. Wolf?'

'...Would you say Collin... I mean... It is possible he can't walk? How would he be in the garden?'

'Oh, well, you see, he c...', Sid started, only to realize what Wolf was doing. With a "disapproving" grin, she wagged her finger at him. 'Oh, you naughty wolf you! I'm not telling you ANY spoilers!'

'But as your patient, I might die of curiosity!', Wolf insisted, moving up a bit, rattling the table. 'What if Mary can't keep it a secret forever? And Mr. Craven gets upset that his wife's garden has been unlocked? He could send her away, and she'd be all alone and upset again! She never got a chance before, and if she loses that, she might revert to her original behavior, she might hurt people again, and who would ever give him a chance if not the people of this house? Mary shouldn't have to... Well, maybe he deserves to, but... Perhaps not, I mean, if you are so willing to be nice to me, I mean, Mary, I mean...', Wolf stumbled over his words, losing his train of thought, regaining it, and parking it in alarm. He seemed like he had seen a ghost, and Sid was quick to stabilize him, running a wet compress on his forehead. 'You're heating up again. You can't let your fight or flight control you, it makes you make bad decisions.'

'...I'll just hurt you.', Wolf crossed his arms, looking away from Sid in fear.

'You haven't so far.', Sid reminded, checking his heartbeat. Mostly normal. Perhaps this was a false alarm.

'So far. But it could happen.', Wolf insisted, almost like a pouty child.

A scared, pouty child.

'...Why? Why are you so sure that you would?', Sid asked, concerned, holding onto his hand. Wolf tried so hard not to pull away, but it burned. 'Why are YOU so sure I WOULDN'T? You think everyone is scared for no reason?'

'Yes.'

'You think that... That The Guardian would just go after me for no reason?'

'Well, how come she is?'

'I... Well, I fought her in the science expo! I tried to talk to this woman, she's important to me, well, not just to me, point is, I didn't know how to, I... Oh, whatever. Point is, if she's after me like the papers say, then I'm in danger, I AM a danger, and that means you are in danger too!', Wolf pointed accusingly with his other paw, claw hanging frightningly close to Sid's nose.

Sid grabbed the paw, despite the danger.

'Stop... It's a bad idea...', Wolf insisted, but Sid shook her head. 'I don't believe all this Guardian nonsense. I know you haven't done anything wrong. She's busy with this whole bullshit "bad vigilante" stuff. She wouldn't be dealing with you for fun. If she's after you, it's either because you work for the Mayor, or because she wants to talk to you.'

Wolf shrugged. 'I mean, I don't exactly work for the mayor anymore. I'm sort of in a personal exile to just go somewhere where I can be left alone to squalor in my misery, like Antarctica, or New Jersey.'

Sid sighed, shaking her head. 'See, this is what I'm talking about!'

She stroked his snout, scratching him there like a real dog. He whined like one too. 'How can anyone give you a chance if you don't give yourself one?'

'Monsters don't get chances.', Wolf muttered, averting his gaze.

'Do monsters warn others about themselves?', Sid asked, and Wolf struggled to find an answer.

'Just... Think about it. You're strong, fast, and smarter than you think. You can do what you want, instead of what you think you must. It's like Mary: you can hide away forever in the dark, or you could try and make your own secret garden. After all, you can't fail to be good if you never try in the first place.', Sid posited, getting a phone call. 'Oop, one sec!', she asked, going to the other side of the room to talk. 'Oh, hey, Ronnie Anne! You with Lincoln? Great! You two lovebirds enjoy yourselves! Oh, come off it, everyone knows you two are crushing! Ha, well, you can't noogie me, I'm at the Zoo and it's closed to all but Changs!'

While Sid chatted with her friend, laughing, gossiping, sharing who she was with someone and vice versa, Wolf mulled her words over, staring at the book. Despite his claws, he had managed to not scratch it once since the cover. The pages, full of such beautiful words and people, spoke to him so deeply.

Could he be beautiful too, like the flowers in Mary's garden?

Closing his eyes, he entered the mindscape.

It was as red as ever, but raindrops were cascading all over the place, tearing past the crimson and introducing blue swathes. Seated in the corner, away from the control panel, from the windows, was Bruce Fenrisulfer. He seemed thinner, paler, but he kept on meditating, as if nothing had happened.

Wolf, hunched over a bit, glasses nearly slipping from his snout, cleared his throat to get Bruce's attention.

'If this is about the relentlessly cheerful girl, I do not care.', Bruce voiced without looking back.

Wolf shrugged, but tried to rouse his courage. 'She's... She's not wrong. Why would anyone take care of me like this if I was that dangerous?'

'Hippocratic oath. She's legally bound to heal you.'

'She's 12?', Wolf asked, eyes wide. 'I may not know much, but Doctor's don't usually come that age.'

'Great, you can keep puzzling on that once you leave. Which you will very soon. Once you get hungry for meat again, or upset. Really, any emotion.', Bruce's words carried some venom, which Wolf noticed. He wasn't about to take it standing down.

'This is rich coming from you! You've been radio silent ever since the Expo! You and I BOTH chose to run away and hide, WE both...', Wolf started, but Bruce suddenly got up, his mediation clearly not helping his temper. 'We?! There's no WE! There's me and the monster injected into my brain by Tetherby so I could stop Melanie Pingrey's serum! But you didn't, did you? And now the serum's results, The Guardian, Lori Loud, MY STUDENT, is after ME because of YOU!', Bruce prodded wolf in the chest over and over, aggressive.

Wolf growled, losing his temper, teeth flaring and foaming. 'TYPICAL! BLAME IT ALL ON ME! I WAS NEVER ALLOWED TO BE ANYTHING MORE THAN TETHERBY'S MUSCLE! EVEN YOU GOT TO TEACH!'

'Oh, and what, you want to teach too? I'm sure there's a lot of demand for lessons about beating up and scaring enemies of the mayor!', Bruce berated with disgust, shaking his head.

Wolf grabbed Bruce, claws ripping through his shirt. 'I NEVER ASKED FOR THAT!'

Cringing, he placed Bruce down, staring in fear and shame at his claws, full of cloth, coated in so much dried blood from over the years that they were dark red instead of yellow. '...I never asked for anything. I couldn't formulate any thoughts. I was just your battering ram. But the longer I spend outside, the longer you hide here, the longer I feel and see things I never knew before. Pepin... She may be your sister, but she means a lot to me too. I see her. I see every single thing she's done that you know. How could I not grow to care for her too? No one told me about books and gardens and muffins.'

'Oh, grow up! You are born from me. You probably got that from me.', Bruce brushed him off. Wolf raised an eyebrow, suddenly, growing his own thought. '...But you hate sweet stuff.'

'...', Bruce didn't answer, turning his back on Wolf.

'Fenrisulfer. You hate sweet things. And you fall asleep in front of the TV.'

Bruce still didn't answer, shoulders shaking.

'...What if Sid IS right, Fenrisulfer? What if I CAN choose to be... Well, at least not a monster? Everyone calls The Guardian a monster, and we both know she's not! Maybe... Maybe I don't want to hide. I know you don't either. Pepin seemed understanding... What if we went to her, tried to solve this? At least, control it better. We could try and not hurt people for once, make up for what we did under Tetherby! We could try, Bruce!', Wolf got excited, hyping up the idea, but Bruce turned around, red in the face, furious.

'I'M NOT BRUCE TO YOU! I'M NOT ANYTHING TO YOU! YOU AND I ARE JUST TWO SIDES OF ONE RUSTED COIN AND WE ARE GONNA BURRY OURSELVES SO DEEP IN THE GROUND NO ONE WILL EVER REMEMBER THE SCARS WE INFLICTED AND BLOOD WE SHED! PEPIN WILL MOVE ON AND SO WILL THIS SID! I DON'T CARE IF THE GUARDIAN WANTS OUT HELP! SHE CAN DO BETTER! ANYONE COULD! SO STOP PLAYING PRETEND AND USE THOSE GLASSES TO FACE THE FACTS: THERE IS NO BRUCE FENRISULFER OR AGENT WOLF! THERE IS JUST A MONSTER THAT CAN'T BE PUT DOWN SOONER!'

Bruce was screaming so hard, reacting so badly, that he had grabbed Wolf by the arms, nails digging into him. When they retracted, Wolf was bleeding, and needed to lick his wounds.

With genuine puppy eyes, he stared at Bruce, begging for hope.

Ashamed but resigned, Bruce stared away, the lightning surrounding the mindscape from their argument casing them in a cage of flickers of light.

'It's... It's nothing personal. I don't care about myself, let alone you.'

Bruce sat down, resuming his meditation.

'You can't hurt anyone if you never see anyone.'

Wolf considered that counter to what Sid said, but instead of relenting, he used his brain for once.

And he spoke. Calmly. Quietly. Thoughtfully.

'...I get it now.'

'Get what now?', Bruce asked, massaging his temples.

'Collin. I understand now why he acts the way he does.', Wolf explained, looking down at the ground and holding his tail with his claws, trying so hard not to hurt it.

'Wonderful. Go give yourself a gold star.', Bruce spat out, closing his eyes.

Wolf took an exhale, then finished his point.

'...I understand. Because you're Collin and I'm Mary.'

'What?', Bruce asked, turning around for a second.

'...I'm afraid of living and dying. And you just don't want either. We're both stuck, locked outside of the secret garden. There's a key, but we don't know what we'll see if we turn it.', Wolf explained softly and eloquently, turning his back on Bruce.

'...I guess we'll never know, then.', Bruce replied, turning around too.

'...', they both silently introspected in the mindscape, alone together in their resentment and fear.

A monster not by choice, but by hesitation.

'Okay, so, let's plan this out, shall we?', Lori asked, messing around with three different maps and one map app, trying to somehow balance them all. Next to her were an amused Bobby, a gloomy Ronnie Anne, an "appreciating the sights" Lincoln, a live streaming Carlota ("Hey, guys! My cousin and his "step on me" girlfriend are here, so we're VIBING today at the city square! #Taggingalongontocousindatetogetsomeshoesandzazabitch!'), and a sneaking around Lyberti, looking back and forth for any newspaper HQ she could use.

'Babe, you seem to be in a bit of a pickle, eh?', Bobby chuckled as Lori placed another map in her mouth. She shook her head, just about keeping it all above her. 'Whattttt? No! I know EXACTLY what I'm doing, I've been studying up since my last few visits! I know exactly where I'm going!'

To punctuate this, Lori marched over to one side, accidentally dropping a lamppost with her forehead.

'Wow, they just don't make 'em like they used to.', Bobby commented, scratching his head. Lori breathed a sigh of relief, cursing her strength.

Placing the maps down, Lori decided to let Bobby lead. 'I could just fly up and figure out like that, but I don't need that potential fuck up. Besides, I really don't feel like flying.', she thought glumly as Bobby found a directory. 'Mmm hmm, mmm hmm... Well, I have a plan!', he said, sitting down with the others at a park bench. He helped Lincoln onto it, getting a high five from the guy. Ronnie Anne bit her lip.

'So, like, I think we can all agree that Lori and I want a LITTLE private time. Not necessarily too private, since everyone needs to be supervised today, what with that wolf dude, and it wouldn't be fair to Carlota if she had to look after everyone.'

'Like, totally! I can't be TOO good at this.' Carlota smirked, Bobby rolling his eyes with a smile. 'Point is, I think one of the, um, younger ones, for lack of a better term, will be with us, and Carlota will have the rest.'

'Well, she can probably come with Ronnie Anne and me! We'd much rather go to the skate park than the shopping center!', Lincoln pitched, feeding a few birds with some seed he had in handy. Lyberti joined in.

Ronnie Anne raised an eyebrow, surprised. 'But you can't ska... I mean, I don't know, is that something you'd like to do?', she asked, uncertain, biting her thumb.

'I mean, sure! You and your friends are SO good at it! I don't mind watching!', Lincoln explained, genuine. He was feeling better than usual with his wheelchair. 'Plus, I've got more walking exercises in the next few days, so it's not like I won't be out of this chair soon. There's no rush!'

Ronnie Anne was clearly doubtful, but she relented to Lincoln's cheerful smile. 'If you say so...'

'Well, then I guess I'll go with them!', Carlota offered her services, bowing. 'I'll be grateful to accompany you fashinless vigrants into the bowls of the urban rink.'

'I could skate over you in my sleep, prima, don't get ahead of yourself.', Ronnie Anne joked, some of her characteristic confidence coming back. Lincoln felt happy to see it.

'Then I guess you'll be with us, Lyberti!', Lori said, secretly relieved. It was her job to take care of her, after all. Leaning in conspiratorialy, she whispered 'The Guardian would want it that way too. If you see any clues, tell me, and I'll tell her.'

'Sure thing.', Lyberti winked, though she didn't reveal her secret plan. Not yet. Lori might snitch, after all.

'No problem with me! No such thing as a third wheel on our, um, tandem of love.', Bobby tried, shurgging at his weak metaphor.

Lori clearly liked it, as she sloppily kissed Bobby on the cheek. 'You're the Lance Armstrong of bicycles.'

'He, um, not the best example, babe.'

'Oh, then, um, what about Michael Jordan?'

'Basketball.'

'Michael Jackson?'

'That's not even a sport.'

'Well, whatever, you're a really sexy bicycle, point is, I love you.', Lori declared, and Bobby couldn't help but smile at that, kissing her back, only to squint in surprise. 'And you're the basketball of girlfriends, dang! How come your face feels so rough, Lori? Did you get hurt?', he asked, feeling her hand and recoiling too. 'Hand too! You feeling okay?'

Lori gulped. She couldn't exactly reveal it was because she had been punched and kicked in the face multiple times, not to mention all the electrocutions. 'Must be a reaction to the sun...', she tried, pretending it hurt. 'Owie...'

'Quick, Lyberti, help me slap up some sunscreen on her!', Bobby demanded, the two taking out bottles of sunscreen and drowning Lori in it. 'Jesus Christ on a bicycle!', Lori gurgled. 'Still not a cyclist!', Bobby corrected.

'Well, we'll leave you to your fun! Byeeee!', Carlota waved, taking Lincoln and Ronnie Anne with her. 'Wanna help push my chair, Ronnie?', Lincoln asked in a friendly way. 'I've heard it can be kinda fun!'

'It IS kinda fun, actually. Here, giddyup, cowboy!', Carlota cried, making Lincoln's chair rise a bit. 'Yee haw!', Lincoln cried, laughing. 'That's so dumb. Here, Ronnie, be dumb with us!', he offered, smiling as wide as Carlota.

Ronnie Anne coughed, averting her gaze and searching for an excuse. 'Oh... I... I think some of that sunscreen dropped on my hands, so I'm kinda slippery now. Bad idea.'

'Oh, okay.', Lincoln shrugged, and he and Carlota kept on walking and talking, while Ronnie Anne stared off in despodence. 'Why can't I handle this?', she looked to the sky and asked, but got nothing. 'Lousy God, can't even answer his coolest soldier when she's in a rizz epidemic.'

Meanwhile, Lori, Bobby and Lyberti entered a clothes store. 'Ooh, Bobby, you spoil me! Shouldn't you have first choice?', she asked, twirling as she admired the hats and dresses in front of her.

Bobby wore the most loving smile Lyberti had ever seen. 'Who said that wasn't my first choice?'

Lyberti nudged him with a smirk. 'Dang, rizz king.'

'She's looked unsetteled all day. She needs this.', Bobby explained, making Lyberti nod, having not really considered that. Lori just seemed like a balanced person most of the time she knew her. What could have her down? Just because she looked kinda different now? Lyberti thought it looked cool, tbh.

Stepping towards Lori, she saw her try on a fashionable sun hat with a rose tied to it. 'How do I look?', she asked, posing with a kissy face.

'Una Hermosura, babe!', Bobby complimented, Lyberti ooh'ing. 'Very chique!'

'Thank you!', Lori smiled, only to suddenly grimace. 'Ugh...'

'What's wrong?', Bobby asked, confused. 'Hat too big?'

'No, too... Small.', Lori sighed, knowing exactly what that meant. She took it off and placed it back on the rack. 'I guess my head grew too.'

'Well, that's okay, babe! We'll just find a hat that fits you!', the green jacketed boy tried to reassure, searching the racks for the largest hats he could find.

Lyberti, meanwhile, saw Lori's upset frown, and concuded that she wanted to see it stop as soon as possible. But how? What could Lori use? Well, she seemed upset, but what shirt or pair of shoes could really fix that? At least, as far as Lyberti knew. Well, what else did she seem to feel? Lyberti spied on Lori as Bobby threw hat after hat at her, each one not fitting. As Lori placed 5 down with a sigh, she hugged herself, shivering a little, and feeling her dress was a bit too loose. 'Is she cold? It's a pretty warm day, especially for March. It's not gonna be stormy until night. And what's wrong with her dress? It's seemingly too loose. Maybe it could use a belt...', Lyberti thought, eyes suddenly widening. With a snap of her fingers, she ran off into the accessory department to see what she could find.

Meanwhile, Lori kept getting larger and larger hats. She got sombreros ("Feels sort of steriotypical"), bucket hats ("I look like a dad on a vacation about to get us all lost in the shady part of town") and sun hats ("I can't see a thing, they're blocking my vision!").

'Anymore?', Lori asked, burried underneath a pile of hats. She lifted a thumb's up, hoping for a positive answer.

'Nope. Sorry, babe. Seems like none of these fit.', Bobby apologized as he climbed down the ladder.

Lori blew a raspberry and turned her thumb's up into a thumb's down. 'God, this sucks. I can't believe my head got so big!'

'I like it! Makes you feel distinguised, like a judge, or the Bigheads from "Rocko's Modern Life"!', Bobby tried to assuage the damage, but Lori began to sniffle from underneath the hats. 'BUT... BUT I DON'T WANNA LOOK LIKE A THICC SEXUALLY AGGRESSIVE FROG!'

'Hmm, not my best. Maybe a bobblehead?', Bobby lamely suggested with a sheepish shrug.

'I PREFER FUNKO POPS!', Lori cried, so hard that some of the hat flew off onto Bobby. 'Dang, loud cry, babe! Nice!', Bobby again tried his best, but it didn't help. Lori didn't like the potential implications of this. Of any of this.

Standing up, she caught a mirror, relfecting her, reflecting her reflective eyes, that shimmered blue again. Why were they shining? Was something important near? All she could see were a bunch of guys in trenchcoats. A little odd, but it WAS gonna rain soon. Why? Why were her eyes turning blue? What was going on?

'...Babe, are you sure you're...', Bobby approached slowly, worried for his girlfriend. He placed a comforting hand on Lori's shoulder, feeling how hard and tense the muscle was, like Lori was waiting for something, for trouble.

Suddenly, Lyberti burst in, as excitable as ever, leaping over a fallen manequin and flipping over a whole rack of shirts. 'I went to the, um, "Large Ladies" section and found something you might like!'

Large Ladies. Could this BE more insulting?, Lori thought, as Lyberti held the stuff behind her back. 'Well, let's see em.', Lori said with little enthusiasm, reaching behind Lyberti.

Lyberti karate chopped her.

'Ow! Dang, I... That would usually not hurt that much...', Lori mused, surprised, as she rubbed her for once painful hand. She almost relished it.

'Self defense classes. Overprotective dad. Now, close your eyes! What's the point of a surprise if you just know?', Lyberti explained, and Lori shrugged and closed her eyes, still unenthusiastic.

Lyberti then got to placing the things around Lori, climbing around her like a snake, wiggling like a worm. When she was done, she clapped her hands. 'Open your eyes, madamoiselle!'

Lori did, and gasped, for the first time today, in a good way.

Around her waist was a golden belt, big enough for her big dress, but not a work belt, a fashionable one, with a golden circle. It had a few compartments, but they were small, nothing faux pas. It sparkled and shone, making Lori feel sparkly.

But not as much as the scarf.

It was a beautiful dark blue scarf, as dark blue as the early night, as childhood. It reminded Lori of her favorite picture books and paintings. It was a comforting blue, a blue that was perhaps a tad melancholic, but also full of love for the brave and bold world around her. A blue that was made of so many emotions, but ultimately, a good blue, a calming blue, a blue of peace and care.

Perhaps, just perhaps...

A Lori blue.

'I noticed you seemed cold. Maybe you're one of those who feels cold more than hot?', Lyberti pondered, scratching her chin. Bobby nodded, agreeing. 'Lori often feels a chill! Great catch, Lyberti!'

'What can I say? I'm good.', Lyberti smugly grinned, fist bumping Bobby.

Lori, meanwhile, stared at herself again, and for the first time all day, she didn't hate what she saw.

All because Lyberti apparently cared for her enough to think all that.

Or maybe she didn't care.

She was just that kind.

'...Thanks, Lyberti. This is... Literally lovely.', Lori grinned, tightening the scarf, feeling warmth, real warmth.

When Bobby offered her a hug, it got even better.

'Happy to help!', Lyberti saluted, getting a hair ruffle from Lori. 'Good job, partner!'

Lyberti couldn't help but wonder why that sounded familiar.

But she didn't have time for that. She had work!

'Okay, um, I'm gonna try on these, uh, cool lightup boots! All... 376 pairs! Not that I can buy them, but you know, for fun! See ya in an indeterminate time! Totally there! Ha!', Lyberti lied, rushing off to a dressing room, ready to escape the moment she needed to.

Lori, totally buying this, grinned at Bobby. 'Let's see what we can get you, boo boo bear!', she exclaimed, skipping off merrily towards a toy store.

Bobby grinned, giddy. 'Now, that's more like my Lori!', and he joined her.

At the skate park, however, things were going far less well for Ronnie Anne.

Meeting up with Nikki, Samir and Casey was normally just that: Normal. It was as natural as breathing.

Instead, Ronnie Anne had to feel her throat choke up as they all tried to beat around the bush with Lincoln, who had to lean over to shake their hands from his wheelchair.

'Oh, hey, Lincoln!', Nikki coughed, smiling a little too widely.

'Yo! Um, how's it going, dude?', Samir greeted, averting his gaze of the wheelchair as much as he could.

'You here to shred some wheels with us? Wait, crap, I didn't mean...', Casey apologized, realizing his error too late.

Ronnie Anne nudged him angrily. 'Duh, of course not!'

'Well, no, sadly, but I am here to watch! You guys are SOOO good at it! I could really learn a lot from you, so I got my notebook!', Lincoln explained, trying to keep things calm. He honestly wasn't bothered that he couldn't skate.

'And I got my drawing notebook, to design some bomb ass outfits with! You think Murcielago wings would look great on a dress?', Carlota asked Lincoln, sketching already.

'Murcielago?', Lincoln asked, shrugging at Ronnie Anne.

'Bat. Sid has a few wild ones she keeps in case of emergencies.', Ronnie Anne answered, sounding quite pissed as she strapped on her helmet.

The others very much noticed this, and, concerned, tried to talk to her. 'Say, Ronnie Anne, you gonna do that 360 spin of yours? It's my favorite trick of yours!', Lincon tried, signalling to the others to back him up.

'Oh, oh, yeah, it's so cool!', Samir agreed, giving at thumb's up.

'Yeah, super cool!', Nikki seconded, giving two thumb's ups.

Casey, desperate, made three thumb's ups. 'So cool I grew an extra thumb!'

'What the fuck is wrong with you kids?', some random insert here lady from the Casagrandes said, walking off with a hurt thumb.

Ronnie Anne, so tough looking before, now seemed hesitant. 'I don't know... Would that really make you feel good?'

Lincoln wasn't used to Ronnie seeming this... Fragile. Her eyes were almost pleading, and a dark shadow seemed cast over her, despite the high powerful sun.

He tried to seem his most encouraging. 'Of course! I love seeing you girlboss it!'

'Lincoln, I know you're 11, but you're so bad at slang, it's so cringe outta you.', Ronnie Anne snickered, loosening everyone's tension, joining in the laughter. 'Yeah, Linc, that white hair ain't the only thing old about you!', Nikki quipped.

'Heard that!', Carlota agreed from over at the park bench, drawing the wings over the dress. 'Ooo la la, Carlota, we are COOKIN'!'

'Well... If you insist...', Ronnie Anne relented, and so, she approached the half pipe with her signature purple skateboard, without her signature brand of charismatic cockiness.

'Well... Here goes nothing...', she whispered, angling her board and ZOOMING down the rink, gaining speed.

Reaching the other half, she bent the board up a little to catch some drift, and she flew up quite a distance up in the air.

'Good start!', Lincoln commented, impressed. 'Yeah, she really utilized her small frame to increase the acceleration to achieve a height distance ideal for wind breaking, so that she could then attempt the 360 spin. To put it most eloquently: rad, rizz, rococo art.', Casey summed up, applauding politely.

'Whatever the heck nonsense Casey spewed, we just startin', keep your applause for later!', Ronnie Anne demanded, her grin rising a bit. Lincoln's heart skipped a beat seeing it, and not just because he was worried about her.

Landing down, she used her building speed to lift over the other half faster, then again to the other half. Each time, her acceleration built and built, until she attempted a 180 spin. She landed JUST perfectly to scratch the wheels, leave a satisfying echo of wood scraping plastic, and there she was, heading towards the other side again, turning more and more into a blur.

'PERFECT FORM!', Nikki cheered. Samir nodded proudly. 'She makes me look like a clown. Approved. The coolest of silly guys.'

'Wow, she's really building up there, huh, Carlota?', Lincoln asked, but the fashionista was busy with her design. 'Hmm? Oh, sure. Say, you think instead of a boob window, I should add a yellow window to make a shining beacon from the chest?'

'...I don't think I'm allowed to answer that.', Lincoln responded, blushing.

'Sigh. The curse of being older than everyone and far bi-er.', Carlota groaned, removing the boob window. Too distracting.

Meanwhile, Ronnie Anne did a couple more 180 spins, getting ready for the big one. 'Ya'll ready to get your brains blown?', Ronnie Anne asked, sounding just like herself.

'That's what I'm talkin' about.', Lincoln smiled widely as he cheered. 'Yeah, Ronnie Anne! Shred our heads!'

'Shredhead.', Casey commented.

'Shredder.', Samir added.

'Anyone suddenly got a hankering for Pizza?', Nikke mused, wondering if that joke made more sense in another universe.

'Ooh, I do!', Lincoln and Carlota said, raising their hands.

'Same!', Ronnie Anne cried, only to suddenly see Lincoln properly from afar. He looked so frail now... So weak... Who could have done this to him? Why hadn't she...

All those thoughts led to the girl losing control of her skateboard, her 360 spin now making the board slip loose as she fell thankfully into Nikki's arms.

The board, however, was headed straight towards Lincoln!

'NO!', Ronnie Anne screamed, leaping towards it, only for...

'YOINK! TOUCHDOWN!', Carlota cried, grabbing the board just in time, somehow right in front of Lincoln and Ronnie Anne.

Ronnie Anne hit her cousin's stomach and bounced back, falling now onto Casey. 'Ow...', Casey rubbed his head, while Ronnie Anne ran over to Lincoln.

'You okay, dude?', Nikki and Samir asked, while Ronnie Anne saw him breathe heavily.

'Whoo! That was a close one! Thank goodness for Carlota, eh, Ronnie Anne?', Lincoln asked innocently while the plus sized girl put down the board and checked Lincoln for an increased pulse. 'No worries, you seem okay!', Carlota happily informed. 'Just a small scare.

But that wasn't good enough for Ronnie Anne, the pint sized Latina fuming and turning red. 'NO WORRIES? JUST A SMALL SCARE? HE NEARLY GOT DECKED WITH MY DECK!'

'Ha, that's got a cool sound to it, actually.', Lincoln observed, but Ronnie Anne was having nothing with it. 'Lincoln, you could have been badly hurt! Ugh, why did I let you talk me into doing that trick? Why didn't you think?!', Ronnie Anne shouted accusingly at her friends, pointing at them with vitriol.

'Woah, woah, it was an accident!', the friends swore, backing off from the scary and pissed Ronnie.

'Hey, Ronnie, it was an accident, fr! No one meant any harm! We're all good, no?', Lincoln tried to peacekeep again, but Ronnie Anne grabbed her board and stormed off, stomping on the ground at every opportunity. 'I'm going to get some air. You should lose some from your heads!'

Now left alone, Lincoln, Nikki, Samir, Casey and Carlota all looked at each other in a mild shock. 'Wow. I know she has her moments, but I've never seen her THAT angry. Well, outside of when I insulted her about kissing, but that was a whole lifetime ago. Honestly, our relationship is confusing and full of twists and turns, like some sort of CW nonsense. Technically we're still in "Just Friends" territory, but that could change at any moment. My point is that it's a volatile situation.', Lincoln explained, quite matter of factly.

'Yeah!', Nikki sort of agreed to what he said, at least the first part that she understood. 'I wonder what's got her so ticked off.'

'Um, not to be rude and state the obvious...', Carlota coughed, pointing at Lincoln.

'No offense taken, Carlota. I get it. I just wish she'd talk to me about it.', Lincoln sighed, closing his eyes in guilt.

'Nah, don't let it drag you down, dude. Ronnie Anne's the one who can control her reaction. You just gotta do you, you don't have to adhere to anyone's wheelchair sensibilities. I mean, this is weird for me too, but I'm not shouting at everyone around me.', Casey replied, Samir nodding in agreement.

'Yeah, that's a good point... I just hope she'll find a way to talk to me about it. Just being herself would help me.', Lincoln agreed, hoping his wish would come true.

Meanwhile, at the local newspaper's HQ...

Ms. Ramirez was a reporter in Great Lakes City, so she was used to some weird sights by now.

But there was something about having a random teenager pretending to have a deep scary growl while hiding in the toilets that was just a bit too silly for her.

'Look, "Deep Duty", I don't have time for this. I have an actual job to do. Here, I'm definitely holding 5 dollars, if you jump out the window for them, I'm sure you'll be fine.', Ramirez said, pretending to throw some money out the window.

'Ha! You can't fool me! Your whooshy noises are even worse than mine from last production! Bad liar, Ms. Ramirez.', Lyberti sassed, shaking her head while sitting on the toilet and stroking a roll of toilet paper as if it were a cat.

'Sigh. Just tell me what you want. You want us to bring back that Garfield comic strip, right?', Ramirez asked, shaking her head in frustration. What a waste of time.

'You dropped Garfield? No wonder print is dead.', Lyberti commented, shaking her head too. She then refocused. 'But that's not what I want. What I want is info.'

'Info?', Ramirez asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Yeah, duh, info, intel, the inside story, the lowdown, the dope, the bumf, do you not work at a newspaper?', Lyberti couldn't believe this woman, and she made sure the toilet paper knew her dissatisfaction.

'I do, and as a professional, why would I EVER give info to a teenager hiding out in the toilet?', Ramirez pointed out, tapping her foot impatiently.

'Because... Because...', Lyberti gulped and stammered, realizing she didn't have a good enough reason that this woman would buy.

Or... Did she?

'Because I work with The Guardian, and we are trying to locate the Wolf who everyone is talking about!', Lyberti declared, closing her eyes proudly at her brilliant idea.

Ramirez was silent for a few moments, before bursting out in laughter. 'Are you kidding me? Why would that vigilante work with some kid?! Oh, that's rich!', she wiped tears of mirth, finding all this so very amusing.

Lyberti's cheeks and ears burned and she kicked the door in anger. 'Hey! It's the truth!'

'Proof or I'll meme you.', Ramirez threatened, turning on her tiktok account.

'Crap. Okay, um...', Lyberti mumbled, getting an idea as she rubbed her heated ears. Tapping it on and making sure it could be heard on speaker, she coughed 'Ahem, Guardian, ahem, any news on the Wolf yet?'

Ramirez rolled her eyes, preparing to record, when...

'No, nothing yet. I had a flyover this morning but it brought, um, nothing. I'm around the shopping circuit, trying to get some intel. What about you?'

Ramirez opened the door, shocked. Lyberti really was talking on an ear piece, and that voice... She had heard the recording. She could never forget it.

'It really is her...', she whispered, as Lyberti explained that she hadn't found anything yet herself. Turning it off, she grinned. 'Well? What do you say now?'

'I say that I'll give you bumf if you can tell me where Guardian will be. An interview with her would be my, well, my big break!', Ramirez negotiated. Lyberti loved that idea. 'Finally, some good PR for Guardian!', Lyberti thought, giddy. As she shook her fists in a stimm, she nodded like a bobblehead. 'Agreed!'

'Well, then, we heard a rumor that the Wolf might be around the zoo, probably searching for food in there. The owners also run a subway. He might use it to escape outta town before he gets hunted. But it's just a rumor.'

'Better than nothing. I can confirm without a doubt then that The Guardian will be where The Wolf is! I'll go the subway later tonight and stake it out myself! Thanks, fellow reporter of justice!', Lyberti thanked, rushing off whilst humming her own theme song.

Ramirez smirked, waiting for her to close the door. 'Yes... Justice.'

Suddenly, she lifted her phone and dialed a private number.

'Angelo? Joaquin? I know where The Guardian will be. Yes. The girl from last week. Yeah. She'll be defending that reporter girl when you bounce her at the subway station. Revenge will be ours, and Great Lakes won't be protected by her too. Viva La Sombra!'

During all this, Lori and Bobby shopped for each other and themselves in the mall. Lori had gotten Bobby a cute solar powered waving cat toy for the Mercado desk ("He's so cute, like you, babe!"), while Bobby had also bought the latest Sword and Shield plushes ("Skwovet, since you love Squirrels, and I got Cuphant for me!") for the both of them. Lori sighed happily, reminiscing, as they walked past a group of gossiping housewives. 'You remember that's how we met? I was dressed as my fave, May, because Omega Ruby was coming out, and you were a dragon, because Ronnie Anne wanted to be a knight!'

'Ha, ha, I remember! You had all your faves from that era as stickers on your bag, and you had the big bow!', Bobby recalled, chuckling warmly. 'You were so anxious that day.'

'Yeah. I was deep in my awkward phase. I felt so ugly! Until you complimented me~', Lori flirted, playfully booping Bobby's nose. Bobby blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. 'You're always pretty, Lori. I don't see any awkward stage.'

'Even now?', Lori couldn't help but ask, lip pouting.

'Lori, I really don't see a problem!', Bobby tried to reassure, but for some reason that didn't help. Lori still seemed upset.

Suddenly, she overheard the word "Wolf" from behind her. Turning around, she saw the gossiping housewives. 'Hey, you go get our seats at Amores Pizza, okay? I need to...'

Suddenly, someone carrying a gigantic pepper shaker dropped it, spilling it all over Lori.

'Babe! Are you okay? I wanted you to feel peppier, but not like this!', Bobby asked, concerned. Digging her out, he was surprised to see that her eyes seemed normal and her nose too. In fact, Lori didn't seem affected at all.

Lori, cursing the admittedly convenient mistake, pretended to sneeze and rub her eyes. 'Oh, boy, I gotta wipe my nose now! Eww! Do please get our seats while I do so?'

'Of course, babe! Feel better!', Bobby waved, walking away at haste towards the pizzeria.

Lori groaned, dark shadows crossing her eyes. She wasn't hurt at all. She rarely got hurt. How could one miss that?

Walking away towards the ladies, she took a quick detour into the girls restroom to put on her costume, hoping against hope no one would be scared.

'Hey, um, besties! One gossip girl to another: You hear about where that Wolf might be? Trying to get him under control and all. Motivation we can ALL get behind, right?', Guardian said in her kindest, friendliest voice.

But her authoritative timber and imposing presence, combined with a chill everyone felt as she passed, caused the ladies to scream in fright from the behemoth of a woman. Backing off, one lady pointed and screamed 'Witch! Witch!'

'What? No, I'm not a wi...', Guardian started, only to notice the woman was in danger, backing off towards the ledge! 'Look out!', she cried, pointing.

'Don't point your magic fingers at me!', the lady cried out, tripping and falling.

'AAAAAA!', she screamed, descending towards the floor. She would splat all over the mall like this!

Guardian snapped into action, flying as fast as sound, the sonic boom shattering a few shop windows, setting off alarms. She caught the girl, thankfully, but when she landed, she got boos and shrieks, people demanding for her to go.

'Great. No Wolf info, and my self esteem took an ever bigger drop. This can't get worse.', Guardian muttered, only to see Lyberti rush out of the clothes store with the shoes, having accidentally forgotten to pay for them.

'...I am not looking forwards to telling Bobby why I'm late.', she thought, face palming, while Lyberti smiled sheepishly.

Ronnie Anne and Lincoln were distracted with their problems. Bobby was clueless. Lyberti just couldn't put two and two together. Carlota could have figured it out, but she was sort of busy taking selfies with her Pizza inspired outfit (yellow dress, green buttons, red cloak, black rings).

In other words, no one could REALLY comment on how Lori was wolfing down her pizza like, well, the wolf she was hunting.

Well, almost. Lori couldn't be that lucky.

'Gee, babe, you sure are hungry today! You been eating properly?', Bobby asked, placing a comforting hand on Lori's shoulder as she slurped the cheese off another slice full of peperoni, onion and olives.

Lori, blushing, nodded. 'Totally. Totally not... Starving myself most of the time. Totally not reacting to metabolism. I have normal metabolism that isn't in need of way more energy than usual to support fighting crime. Nuh uh.'

'...Great! Here, let me get you some sparkling water to wash that all down!', Bobby offered cheerfully, walking over towards a waiter.

Lori smiled sheepishly, then banged her head on the table, mowing down another slice. 'Dang it. I'm a goddamn freak. Even this yummy za za isn't helping.'

Carlota, overhearing this, closed her phone and scooched over to Lori, moving Lyberti out of the way, the girl doodling a proud Guardian patting her head and maybe saying she was her best partner, even more than Lisa. 'Hey, we all have munchies when we're upset. I should know, being a, ha, big girl myself I guess.'

'That's your body type. You don't sit down and decimate a whole Pizza in 5 minutes. Speaking of, are you literally finishing that?', Lori asked, pointing at a slice of Ronnie Anne's, who growled at her, not so distracted as to lose out on her pizza. 'Sorry.', Lori uttered, feeling worse.

'Well, no, except for that one time when I learned that my basketball bestie Mia is straight. Why did god make his thirstiest and prettiest soldier live in a town of straight vanilla CW viewers?', Carlota shook her fist at the sky, annoyed. Lori shrugged. 'Can't help you with that. None of my friends are into girls.'

Somewhere out there, Carol Pingrey was conducting a fake marriage ceremony with a cardboard cutout of Lori. 'Dr. Nevio, it's "Till Death Do Us Part", not "Until The Inevitable Ascension Into the All Too Mortal Plain Occurs"! Am I the only one taking this fake marriage seriously?', Carol demanded, the Lori cutout losing a hand. 'No worries, darling, I'll kiss that stump better, that's how medicine works.'

Back at the pizzeria, Lori sighed. 'I just feel like I'm right back in my awkward stage. But it's somehow worse. Now, I'm not just ugly, I stick out like a sore thumb!'

'YOU ARE NOT UGLY!', Carlota gasped, shocked.

Lori raised an eyebrow. 'Yeah, but you're into everyone.'

'Also true. It's not my fault everyone is hot.'

'Point is, I just feel down, okay? I thought this day would cheer me up, but I feel worse than ever. I bet I'm ruining it for Bobby too. Just leave me alone with the mozzarella sticks. Only they pity me.'

Lori covered herself in mozzarella sticks like they were a nest for a wounded bird, and let out sad peeps.

Carlota, sympathetic stare on her face, walked over to Bobby, who held the sparkling water. She explained the situation as well as she could.

'Oh no, not the mozzarella bird! That's a bad sign. We gotta act fast! Quick, what does Lori love?', Bobby demanded, pounding his palm.

'You!', Carlota tried.

'Yes, but we need more than that.'

'Um, clothes!'

'Tried that.'

'Pizza!'

'Tried that.'

'...Pizza clothes?'

'That's more a you thing.'

'Hell yeah, I'm rocking it!'

The two tapped their chins, humming in thought. 'There's gotta be something else. Oh, come on, Bobby! How are ya gonna pass business school if you can't remember what she likes?', Bobby frowned, annoyed with himself.

'That's it!', Carlota eureka'd, finger up in the air.

Bobby looked up and scratched his head. 'I don't know. Riding on a ceiling fan until you puke is SO last year.'

'I... What? How did I miss that? Never mind. I'm talking about golf! Remember, she's going to Fairway and you to business school?', Carlota pointed out, making Bobby nod in understanding. 'Yes, yes! Brilliant! And great news: There's a new Mini Golf place right down the street! The Morales' opened it just about a week or two ago!', Bobby exclaimed in excitement, waving his arms around.

'Great! The kids can come too, then! It's not hard like regular golf!'

Bobby and Carlota high fived happily. 'Good work, Prima!' 'Not bad yourself, Primo!'

'Come on, let's tell her the good news!', Bobby announced, as they walked up to the table, only to see Lori was missing.

'Where is she?', Bobby asked, Lincoln, Ronnie Anne and Lyberti shrugging. 'I think she said she wanted to ask the chef if the wolf had been spotted recently.', Lyberti explained, smirking smugly. She knew, and she was gonna ace it so hard!

Suddenly, the kitchen doors opened, and two figures burst out among billowing smoke: The chef, coughing and sputtering, and a girl on fire, performing resucitation she learned recently. When the smoke cleared and the patrons could see who it was, they were shocked to see Lori, the flames seemingly not bothering her for a moment, bringing the chef back to life.

'Ugh... You... Saved me...', the chef's eyes weren't clear, but he could tell it was The Guardian, thanks to her eyes. When Lori turned around, her reflective eyes momentarily blinded many, allowing her to shake off the flames.

'Wow, babe! I can't believe you saved that guy! For a second there, I thought you were on fire!', Bobby chuckled proudly, slapping her back.

'Yeah, literally lit!', Carlota complimented. Ronnie Anne and Lyberti nodded, impressed too. Only Lincoln knew.

And he could see that Lori was still upset about all this.

'I hope that minigolf plan of theirs works. Or else The Guardian will fight the Wolf like she's a monster too. I wouldn't want to be the Wolf in that scenario, that's for sure...', Lincoln gulped, holding out hope for his sister.

'Welcome To Morales Mini Golf Madness! Where being in da club is fore-tiatous... No, wait, where the quick sand is a stink hole... No, wait...'

The golf attendent giving the group their equipment shrugged in embrassment, rubbing the back of her neck. 'Sorry, I flubbed that. It's supposed to be 'Where being in da club is four-tioutus and the quicksand is a sinkWHOLE of fun!'

Welcome To Morales Mini Golf Madness! Where being in da club is fore-tiatous... No, wait, where the quick sand is a stink hole... No, wait...'

The golf attendent giving the group their equipment shrugged in embrassment, rubbing the back of her neck. 'Sorry, I flubbed that. It's supposed to be "Where being in da club is four-tioutus and the quicksand is a sinkWHOLE of fun!", she declared with jazz hands, accidentally throwing a club and hitting her father. 'Sorry, Papi!', she cried, running towards him with a ready made ice pack.

'Well, this looks like a well run establishment.', Lincoln quipped, smirking at Lori, who rolled her eyes while placing down her golf hat. 'Look, it's obviously a little green around the edges, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun!'

'Yeah!', Lyberti cried, flexing her club and dropping it on the ground. 'Though I've never played, to be honest. Are we supposed to beat each other up with these until the last dude standing?'

Lori decided not to mention that even then she would still win. 'No, you put balls in holes.'

'That's what she said.', Lyberti joked, making Ronnie Anne and Lincoln laugh. Lori shook her head affectionately. 'Okay, okay, let's remember our target demographic.'

The attendent finally came back, carrying all the balls and scorecards they needed. 'You'll need these to score, and, whew, you'll definitely be scoring with these babies, ma'am, you are RIPPED!', the attentdent reacted enthisastically, her intentions supportive, as she had noticed Lori's glum face when she had entered the area.

Lori blushed, her biceps flexing from holding her club. 'Oh, um, great. You noticed too.'

'Hard not to notice! I bet your swing is EPICO!', the attendent whooped, Bobby nodding in agreement. 'She's real good! Going to Fairway in September!'

'OMG, no way! SAME!', The attendent replied, slapping her cheeks in shock and squeeing in delight. 'Hey, can I watch you guys play? No one else is gonna come anyway, and I could use some examples of proper play!'

Lori gulped. Great. More embrassment. 'Oh, um, sure, I guess, I mean, this is your place!'

'It's my place if I "Stop being such an accident prone apricot", so we'll see about that. Regardless, I'd love to see!', the attendent pleaded, puppy eyes on. She seemed oddly upset about that accident prone line, and Lori couldn't help but feel a wave of sympathy.

She turned around with her own puppy eyes.

Bobby was no fool when it came to puppy eyes. 'Join the party, dude!', Bobby greeted, shaking her hand.

'Oooh, I love your jacket, very snug!', Carlota complimented. The attendent, a tad plus sized too (she was at the very least, as the kids say, thicc, with a significant amount of build), nodded cheerfully. 'I love your dress, really flaunts your stuff!'

'Okay, ladies, we get it, you're all beautiful, can we hit some balls with clubs?', Ronnie Anne demanded, and so, they went off to the course.

It was 18 holes, just like in regular golf, each one with a fun theme and area. There was a castle with a draw bridge you had to aim in just right, lest the dragon eat your ball. There was a windmill that kept sending your ball back to the start. There was an "Adios, Anna, Adios" themed hole, where you had to hit the ball off of an elaborate series of traps and help Anna escape the villains. It was quite remarkable, and Lori and the others ooh'd and ahh'd, impressed.

'It's just a work in progress, honestly, it's just one big "goofy aaa moment" all over the place. I mean, come on, fake piranna trap to reach the sink in the bottom of the ocean? That's just dumb.', The attendent remarked, shrugging it off.

'What? Like, it's literally the coolest! Been a while since I've seen such creative holes! Like Dante's Inferno! Going through nine circles of hell to reach inner peace? That's, like, literally me!', Lori complimented, laughing uneasily. Lincoln felt a tad worried, but he was distracted by Ronnie Anne hitting the ball in anger. 'You, uh, good?', he asked, recoiling as she turned around.

'Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?' , she asked, marking down her score as a 1, breaking her pencil. 'But how are you going to play?'

'Oh, don't worry, I can do it sitting! Not that hard!', Lincoln expressed, taking a bat and aiming. 'I've caddied for Lori before, so this isn't anything new for me.'

But seeing Lincoln this obviously weak and frail was new for Ronnie Anne. He had never been the toughest kid, truth be told. She was easily stronger and sterner than him in every single way.

But seeing him struggle to hit the ball, seeing him out of breath after each hit, seeing him so... So okay with this. Like it was normal. Like it was okay!

'I need a drink.', Ronnie Anne grunted, going over to the vending machine. 'Okay, um, enjoy!', Lincoln wished her, at the 4th hole now. Bobby and Carlota were still at the first hole, their score rising to the post 50's. 'I'm sure we'll get it if we hit it really hard! 48th time the charm, no?', Carlota stated, and Bobby agreed, hitting hard. It flew off into the horizon.

'Gosh, I wonder where they're all going.', Bobby mused, shrugging.

'And speaking of wondering where they're all going, where are Lori and that attendent?', Lincoln asked, searching for them, trying to keep the sun out of his eyes.

'I think she's at the ninth hole.', Carlota gaped, pointing far away from them. Lori, biceps glistening, back muscles flexing, with thighs that could crush steel and a swing that could hit god in the nutsack, took a hit so hard yet accurate and floaty that it practically flew into the hole, landing daintily. In one hit.

'HOLY SHIT!', The attendent cried, getting an annoyed look from her father. 'Sorry, Papi!', she cried again.

'Holy shit is right. Like, golf hole. Holy. I'm funny.', Bobby commented, scratching his head. 'Lori's good, but I don't remember her being that good.'

'Yeah, and she's super strong now. Did she always go to the gym?', Lyberti asked, at the second hole, struggling to putt it in from a short distance for the 17th time.

'No, she only joined recently, Leni told me. Speaking of, am I, like, cray cray, or does she have blue eyes sometimes? Can eyes, like, change color? My art teacher told me not to change mine in self portraits.', Carlota pondered, confused too.

Lincoln gulped, unsure of how to answer all those valid questions. He could only think of one possible answer.

'...Puberty: The Squeak-well?'

Everyone considered this...

Then immediately nodded.

'Duh!', Lyberti face palmed.

'SOOOO obvi.', Carlota tutted.

'Gosh, I guess my Puberty got review bombed on Rotten Tomatoes. Fucking racists.', Bobby observed, missing again. 'Dang it!'

Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief, then looked out for Lori, now at the 11th hole. 'I hope you're okay, sis. You seem to be struggling with this so called Puberty sequel. I wish there could just be someone who could get through to her that it's going to be okay...'

Meanwhile, at the 11th hole, Lori got another hole in one, hitting it perfectly through the giant Waluigi mouth, who despite the game, was holding a tennis bat.

'Because Waluigi's debut was in Mario Tennis and he always does the wrong thing!', Lori and the attendant pointed out at the same time, laughing and uttering 'Jinx!'

'Wow, you are SO good! You just might finish this whole course without a single mistake!', the Attendent pointed out, excitedly writing down another hole in one in the score card.

Lori was less excited. 'Wait, is this cheating? Even if not, it's sus. Would people find out because of this? Do I need to golf worse now? How do I even do that? Oh, come on, this was the one thing I had that still felt normal, I…'.

Lori shook and shivered, clearly upset. She kept bending and bending her club, eyes growing stormier and stormier.

'Hey, are you okay?', The Attendent asked, placing a comforting hand on Lori's shoulder.

Suddenly, Lori heard a whistle. A ball was coming right towards the attendant and she had no idea.

Not even listening to self preservation of identity or self, Lori leapt in front of the attendant and grabbed the ball midair, spinning and throwing it right into the hole of the 12th course. She then turned around, big, buff, imposing, authoritative, asking 'Are you okay? Are you hurt?'

How could someone so clearly hurt do such things? How could someone so clearly lost in their own resentment afford such genuine care, that despite the clear burn marks on her palm (that seemed to be healing), she cared more about her?

'I…I'm okay.', the attendant professed, blushing a tad. Not every day did you get your life saved by an amazon such as this.

'Literally the best.', Lori smiled warmly, dusting the attendant off, only to realize what she had done. 'Oh… Oh, crap. I'm sorry, you must be so weirded out. I know, I'm too tall…'

'Ma'am?', the attendant scrunched up her face, confused.

'And I'm too muscular, and my eyes are too bright…', Lori ranted, spiraling.

'Ma'am…', the attendant tried again, but Lori interrupted again.

'And I'm too fast and you probably felt weird when I walked past you and that one time I whooped loud the sign flew off, still figuring that out, and…', Lori listed off on her fingers, growing more and more despondent.

'MA'AM!', The attendant interrupted once more, grabbing hold of Lori's face, which wasn't easy since she reached her lips just about. She was about the same height as Bobby, actually, 5''8, with long brown hair that reached her lower back and looked as wavy as a chocolate river, and a medium comporomise between light dark and dark skin. She wore a cliché old timey golfer outfit, light green with white sleeved shirt, a white hat with a green fuzzy ball on top, and green and black checkered socks. On the socks were a pair of golf shoes, rainbow laced, and she too wore cargo shorts like Lori. She should have looked ridiculous, but the orange afternoon sun coated her in a shimmering light, making her look like she alight, a sunny beacon for the woman who always had to be a beacon to others. 'Ma'am, you saved my life! I don't care if you looked weird, it took someone weird to save me from adding my head to the ball collection!'

Lori, startled by this reaction, laughed quietly, feeling overwhelmed by the appreciation. 'I think your head might be a bit too big to fit in.'

'My point still stands, like I do, since I'm not dead. GIRL. THANKS. What more should be said, isn't it obvi?', the attendant asked, confused.

Lori suddenly looked away, that confident towering frame now bent over, shaken, unsure. 'I just… Everyone's been reacting to me like I'm different.'

'Well, I don't know you, but I think you're pretty cool as is!', the attendant immediately said, and Lori felt the tiniest timber in her ice cold depressed heart ignite with enough warmth to try and keep going just a little longer in this difficult city with this difficult mission. Sometimes, you still needed a tiny push.

'…Thanks. That… That means a lot.', Lori replied, genuinely grateful. Unsure how to show it further, she took the golf ball that nearly hurt the attendent and the pencil and quickly sketched a heart. 'I guess this can be your lucky ball from now on.'

'Lucky, ha. All I do is screw up. I'm never gonna get into Fairway if I keep falling and tripping.', The attendant said glumly. Lori hated to see her upset, especially after how kind she had been to her. Deciding to give something in return (that would also help her not use her powers and feel bad about them), she pointed to the first hole. 'What say you and I go back to the beginning and I'll give you some pointers? Plus, I think my boyfriend and his cousin and my friend could use some help.', she giggled, seeing them STILL struggle at the start, while Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were at hole 7.

The attendent's eyes sparkled, so much so that Lori felt herself beginning to glow a bit. 'Hope she doesn't notice.', Lori thought. People don't normally get a blue shine. 'OMG, I WOULD LOVE THAT! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! OH, I WISH I COULD GIVE YOU SOMETHING TOO… I KNOW!'

She ran off, falling twice, but getting back up each time, like an excited golden retriever on her 5th cup of coffee in the last 3 minutes. Lori stifled a giggle as she came back, holding a small, golden trophy, the kind you'd buy for a father's day gift that say "world's best dad" in print.

"Dad" had been replaced with a little sticky note that said "Girl who might look different but is very cool regardless". 'I know, not very catchy, but I think you could really use this!', the attendant handed the trophy on one knee, like a knight offering a reward.

Lori honestly had to use all her powers not to cry. She didn't know how much this would help, but she felt a lil better all the same.

'Gosh, thanks, um… Ms. Golf.', Lori stammered, sounding incredibly dorky. The attendant laughed at that. 'You're also silly! I like that, um, Ms. Golf Guru!'

'Heh, it's Lori, actually. Lori Loud.', Lori introduced herself finally, shaking her hand, grateful that her hand apparently didn't feel too rough this time, pleasantly surprised at how soft the attendent's hand was.

'Marisa. Marisa Morales.', Marisa introduced herself, finding Lori's rough hand oddly comforting. 'Come on, now! Let's turn that frown upside down!', she declared, running back to the first hole.

'Who is cheering up who?', Lori smirked, but she ran with Marisa there, happy to finally do SOMETHING right that day. 'Maybe things are looking up.', she thought, a slight spring to her step, almost floating above the course.

At the same time, back in Royal Woods, Captain Griffin was still trying to find a fault in Mayor Tetherby, but it was getting harder and harder, especially when they were at his greatest achievement: The Robot factory.

Griffin had experience as a quality inspector. She knew when employees were mistreated, when employers were tyrants, when the quality of the business was inexcusable and the place was failing every health code. The prisons here had taught her that like it was the ABC's, and Detroit hadn't been much better.

But she had been investigating this place even before Tetherby had brought her here. The Guardian herself had admitted she didn't see much wrong when she had spied on it, and Griffin now saw why: If ethical capitalism was a thing, it was here.

'Our employees work from 9:00 to 17:00 with optional extra days. They get paid 6 times the median hourly wage, since I can afford it, so why not?', Tetherby explained, showing all the paychecks overflowing from the brims with wads of cash.

Leading her from his office to the spacious assembly line, Griffin saw that it was as clean as a mansion. No single speck of dust, no dangerous machinery, and what there was that was a risk was being handled by people in advanced safety suits, like something out of a sci-fi movie. 'Here, we make the robots for hospitals, construction, safety. As we speak, these robots are out there, making life better for our citizens, piloted by our workers, to avoid any employee displacement. Human error is still possible, but it's better than an A.I error that could be far more disatrous.'

Screens above the workers showed said robots doing their work: One medical robot (made to be as soft as possible, Baymax-esque) helping a boy on a wheelchair walk; A construction robot (remote controlled by the Construction Crew villains) building multiple roomy and modern houses with all the perks of millions of dollars but made for the homeless, surrounding the hill of the once Tetherby mansion, which was being torn apart; and Centuriborgs, already upgraded with stronger armor and faster weapons, easily intercepting purse snatchers and armed thieves with minimal violence.

While the workers cheered for their successes, Griffin couldn't help but remember the Centuriborgs from the chase for The Guardian. 'Don't you think they're a mite overkil?', she asked, nudging him.

Tetherby shook his head, keeping his cool. 'We're trying to capture a girl who can fly and lift cars and a bunch of escaped supervillains. If anything, they're not strong enough.'

'I guess that's one point... But we're barely focusing on capturing those villains.', Griffin pointed out, ready to write down Bertrand's reaction.

'...You're right.', he said, illiciting much surprise, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 'I've been so focused on The Guardian... I just think she can be so much better than this. But you're right. My priorities need to be straightened. I guess I simply lost myself in fear.'. His eyes looked uncertain, hesitant. She had never seen him like this, and it sort of hurt.

Griffin nodded, shrugging. 'I can't pretend she doesn't distract me too. There's just something about her.'

'I guess it's because of who we are.', Tetherby shrugged.

'Government officials?', Griffin raised an eyebrow.

Tetherby shook his head and stared at her intently. 'Parents.'

Suddenly, the evidence of said parenthood arrived: Mr. Stone, carrying a professional looking clipboard, talking excitedly to Theresa, who had been tasked with seeing if his side of the factory was keeping up well. 'If I remember correctly, the dental is all arranged with General Medical, we are sponsering all the insurance, I safety tested all the machines, there is no possible injury and if anything does happen we'll pay for it, and the worker's union meets up every day and reports back to us. I take the minutes down and keep them all in my office, so I can show you all of them, if you want. They recently asked for a longer lunch hour and a wheelchair ramp, so we're looking into that.'

Mr. Stone never sounded this intelligent and professional. Perhaps it was because he was allowed to, for once. He seemed very passionate about it, waving to all the employees, who all seemed super happy to see him. Griffin knew a fake smiler. She was adept at it. No one looked like she did in the mirror, so either they were all expert actors, or they really were happy.

'Hey, Johnny! Great work on that piston! Dalia! How's your grandma? Doin' better? Great! We'll all visit her in the hospital later! Hey, Rocko, thanks for the notes at the union, you've got a mental health break for the next 4 days with pay, enjoy!', Mr. Stone greeted every employee with a handshake and a smile, treating them like people instead of gears in a machine. 'Ooh, it's almost my lunch time. A little late, I know, but I have a lot of work to do for dad! I'm going to this great place, Lynn's Table! Everyone says it's super yummy!'

Theresa couldn't help but giggle at Stone's enthusiasm, it was sort of adorable for a guy who looked like he could break her in half. 'I haven't had lunch yet myself. My hours back at the City Hall weren't ideal.'

'We'd better fix that, now that you're working with me. Say, why don't you two go together?', Tetherby offered, smiling warmly at his son. 'You've both had long days, and I can carry on with Nikita here just fine.'

'Oh, thanks, dad!', Mr. Stone looked so giddy he could have heel clicked. 'I never have lunch with other people!'

'Ha, me neither. I won't even know what to talk about.', Theresa admitted, looking a little sheepish.

'No, I bet you have all kinds of interesting stories! I'd be happy to hear any of them!', Mr. Stone expressed, making Thersa smile even wider. 'Well... All right, I guess I could try!'

As they were leaving, Mr. Stone telling Mr. Evans he was in charge of worker morale, Tetherby stopped him. 'A quick word, son?', he asked, hand on his shoulder. Stone stiffened up a bit, but he turned around all the same. 'Oh, um, sure! Everything okay?'

'Of course, why wouldn't it be?', Tetherby countered, moving aside to show Griffin, who was watching very closely.

Stone nodded. He had to be careful. 'True. Just a little antsy.'

'Don't worry. I'll let you let loose in just a moment. Just need one more favor. I'd do it myself, but I'm so tied up recently...', Tetherby sighed, sounding exhausted. Stone, feeling bad, immediately helped his father stand better. 'No problem, dad, whatever you need!'

'Thanks, son. Just take this list of robotic upgrades for our testers up to Dr. Grade.', Tetherby asked, handing him a notebook. Stone, a little nervous, nodded obediently. 'Yes, sir.'

'You're a good boy.', Tetherby congratulated, patting his shoulder. Stone tried not to flinch. He tried not to reveal that he only ever heard that when he did exactly what he was told without a single argument. Like how he didn't want to do THIS. But The Raven knows better. Always.

As he left, Griffin nodded happily. 'It's good to see such agreement between the two of you. I feel like my daughter and I always find a reason to fight.'

'Children are hard. They don't get that all we do is to protect them. If they just accepted that we've thought things through, they'd understand.', Tetherby insisted, and Griffin honestly agreed with what he said, not seeing the implications.

'I hate to say this, Guardian... But I'm not seeing anything wrong so far. All I see is a city worse off if he IS bad.', she thought, uneager to find herself chasing her again.

Meanwhile, she was being proven wrong in a different room...

'Dr. Grade, here's the list.', Stone said, offering it to the hunched man with jet black hair. He had stauesque looks, but eyes as sunken as a black hole. When he moved, his amputated hand was revealed, the one he prefered using.

Not for much longer, if he had anything to say about it.

'Place it anywhere, Stone. Working hard but hardly working. Tetherby's hesitance is like a Justin Timberlake song: Just won't go away.'

'Hmm. He might not be wrong to hesitate...', Stone started, but Dr. Grade turned around and laughed, mockingly, spilling his cup of coffee. 'Stone, you want me to get heart problems too? Don't shock me with such stupidity! How will we counteract Pingrey's serum and The Guardian's powers WITHOUT upgrades?'

In another room, a bunch of workers waited in tense trepidation. They all had horrible bodily injuries, and awaited the medical tech Tetherby had promised.

And they would get that.

But those with fighting experience, like those men, those soldiers, and the villains Tetherby had hired...

They would be getting a little extra...

'Science, my good, big, friend, is all about going forwards. How can humanity do more than survive if it won't evolve? We are supposedly the greatest creature God ever created, if they exist, which I posit they don't. But this isn't about what I believe. It'sabout what I KNOW. And I know that we are badly constructed, badly assembled, badly prepared for the world we're entering.'

Dr. Grade lifted up a robotic arm with a built in laser canon and a robotic leg that could turbo boost you into super speed and grinned, like a kid at a toy store.

'God can move over. I'm his upgrade.'

Stone still thought his father was right about this, if not anything else. But he supposed that stopping Pingrey and Guardian was for the best, no?

Yet, of all the tech there, it was the incriminating USB that still burned a hole in his pocket.

Who was right? Who was good?

'I wish someone would just tell me already.', Stone begged, not noticing two robot armors behind him, one smaller, the other gigantic...

'Now, you gotta be real carefeul, okay? Because he's VERY jumpy and...'

'Sid! I underSTAND! Let me see the wolfie!'

Sid rolled her eyes, though she could hardly blame her little sister, Adelaide, whose pigtails bounced in anticipation of her new animal friend. Adelaide loved them as much as Sid, but she was more interested in having tea parties with them.

Not that Sid was against that.

Nor was Wolf.

But right now, he had other plans.

'Okay, okay! But try and be not TOO excited!', Sid pressed, as she unlocked the door to the storage room/medical room and prepared herself to calm wolf down.

She didn't need to.

He was up and at them, book and headphones back in their proper places, standing there awkwardly, like he didn't know how to say it, but had to.

'Oh! You're looking better! Mr. Wolf, this is my little sister, Adelaide...', Sid began introducing, but Wolf forced himself to interrupt her.

'Look, Ms. Chang, I...'

'WOLFIE!', Adelaide screamed, making Wolf recoil, ears stinging. He covered them as Adelaide bounced around him in a happy dance. 'HE'S SO BIG! AND HE GOT SUCH A FLUFFY TAIL! I WANNA SQUISH HIM!'

She grabbed the tail and hugged tight, squeezing like she was squeezing a lemon for her afternoon tea. It took all of Wolf's willpower not to react. 'Ms. Chang, please... I don't mean to be a bother, but...'

'Oh, don't be like that!', Sid stated, closing the door and helping him sit down on the table. She took out a pair of gloves and socks, plus a winter hat, and handed them to him. They were all colored green and purple, and looked VERY comfy. 'It's gonna rain tonight, so you might want these.'

Wolf couldn't take them. That would be too much. 'Look, Ms. Chang, if you'd just listen...'

Adelaide, meanwhile, was busy not listening, now burrying her head in Wolf's chest. 'IT'S LIKE HUGGING A CLOUD WITH TEETH! A SHARK CLOUD! A CLARK! LET'S CALL YOU CLARK!'

'He's undecided on a name.', Sid commented, not wanting to force one.

'I mean, I was sort of considering M... No, wait, that's not the point...', Wolf again tried, stumbling over his words, but no one listened.

'The point is that you must be starving. It's been most of the day since you last ate, and the sun's setting in just an hour. Here, I got you more muffins!', Sid popped one in Wolf's mouth, who chewed it slowly.

'HE LOVES MUFFINS? ADOPT.', Adelaide cried, hugging Wolf hard.

Wolf swallowed the muffin and tried for one last time to choke it out. 'Please, please, I can't...'

'Can't what? Are you hurt? Is your chest wound acting up again? Adelaide, step back, I'll get the gauze!', Sid declared in alarm, running to get it, only for Wolf to cry 'NO! I'M LEAVING!'

Adelaide, a little shaken by the noise, pouted sadly. 'But why? We just met!'

'Mr. Wolf, why? I thought you were feeling better here.', Sid expressed in concern, slowly approaching Wold with understanding eyes, even if she didn't quite get what he meant.

Wolf sighed, resigned to his fate. Sitting down again, he crossed his arms like a sad child. 'It's not that I want to. But my human host, Bruce... He knows me, okay? I, we... Whatever. We can't be happy. We'll just hurt you.'

'No, you won't! You haven't! And even if you do...', Sid started, Adelaide nodding, but Wolf rejected that instantly. 'What are you going to do, keep me as a pet?!'

'Yes.', Adelaide replied instantly, but Sid shut her up with a hand to the mouth. 'Ignore her.'

'HEY!'

'Mr. Wolf, look at me! I know all kinds of dangerous animals! I've slept with snakes and tarantulas! This is nothing! You aren't a threat! You don't HAVE to be one!', Sid pleased, begged, holding his claw.

Wolf looked at her, considered it. Considered... Life.

Then, a noise. The golf balls Bobby had all hit far away had somehow landed on the storage room's roof, creating a loud noise that made Wolf react in pain, howling, losing control of his reflexes from how hard he was holding back and...

'OW!', Sid cried, falling backwards. Wolf gasped. The girl lifted her palm...

And it was coated in blood. Three telltale scratch marks. Not scars. But pain nonetheless.

Sid, to her credit, remained exceptionally calm. 'Adelaide? Bandaids, gauze, water. Paper towl to press into the wound.

'Right away!', Adelaide saluted, apparently not startled either.

That didn't take away from Wolf's reaction.

'NO! See, this is EXACTLY what I'm talking about! I hurt everything, everyone I touch! I can't have this... This secret garden!'

'No, Mr. Wolf, you can, I believe...', Sid tried, but Wolf shushed her.

'Ms. Chang, look at this. You know it's weird. I'm... Weird. Bruce doesn't want to live, I don't want to die. We can't co-exist anywhere. All I can do is go, go to the Mainstee forest. Live in isolation.'

Sid, fixing her wound, a blubbering Adelaide next to her, fought back tears. 'But... You'll be miserable.'

'...But no one else will.', Wolf remarked, holding his head in pain. In exhaustion.

Sid and Adelaide suddenly embraced his head, patting him. He allowed himself to shake his tail just a bit.

'...If that's what you wish, Mr. Wolf. That's what I'll do. My dad runs the subway. We can drop you off outside of the city from there, and if needed, we'll all drive you there. If that will make you content.', Sid said wisely, only for her phone to suddenly ring. 'OMG, IT'S MY BFFFL, JUST A SEC!', she cried excitedly, answering the phone in a flash. 'Oh, sorry, it's not that... Just my bestie, you know?', she apologized sheepishly.

Wolf nodded in understanding. 'Go ahead. I need a minute anyway.'

While Wolf prepared to leave any chance of happiness behind, destiny was intervening. Sid's phonecall with Ronnie Anne would set everything in motion, as was discovered a few hours later, back at the Casagrandes apartment...

The mini golf game had genuinely helped Lori, and she stared at her memento from Marisa with a small, affectionate smile. It was silly, really. A meaningless trophy bought at a 1 dollar store.

Yet it made Lori feel full of meaning, good meaning.

'I helped her a lot, it seems. She was looking far more composed by the end, she has a great precision when she's not down on herself.', Lori thought, sort of ironically, as she stared at the mirror in the bathroom. She looked okay, no? She didn't seem to have any eye color change or glow, she didn't see that tall or strange looking. She looked a lot like herself!

'Who would have thought I would miss that?', Lori put on a small smile, fixing up her dress and spraying some perfume around her neck. 'Okay... Okay... Let's calm down. Regular family dinner. Nothing major, just eating with your future in-laws, you've done it tons of times! Feeling a bit better. Just gotta pull through this, find Wolf, then you can go to sleep, and tomorrow it's right back home to stop Raven. We've got this, Guardian. It's been a hard day, but we've got this.', she wore her bravest face, feeling the self belief pouring through her, filling up her soul. She could do this... She could do this... 'I can do this...'

'Lori? Mijita? Dinner time! Those Chilles Relenos won't eat themselves!', Abuela Rosa called out, opening the door slightly. 'You ready?'

'Literally, Abeula! Got a good feeling about this one!', Lori greeted cheerfully, moving towards Rosa with a friendly grin. She gave her a kiss on the cheek. 'Thanks for working so hard, by the way. I'd be honored to help you one day!'

'I'm sure once I get over my kitchen pride I'll let that happen.', Rosa chuckled, Lori laughing too. As she turned around, she had just one more thing to say. 'Oh, btw, it's good to see you feeling better!'

'Heh, thanks. I am.', Lori replied softly, sighing in relief.

'The spirits around you must be quite positive! Why, you appear to be floating!', Rosa added, widening Lori's eyes and shattering her soul. 'W...What?'

'Yes, you must be surrounded by healing energies! We should talk about it next time you come! Well, see you at the table!', she offered innocently, then closed the door, banging on her pot with a spoon. 'HECTOR! GET OFF YOUR BOOM, PEREZOSO! HOW DO YOU NOT COME RUNNING WHEN THERE'S FOOD, THAT'S ALL YOUR LEGS EXIST FOR ANYMORE!'

While she left, Lori adopted a thousand yard stare, looking back in the mirror. She was floating. Normally it looked magical and cool. Now it looked disturbing, like she was some sort of... Creature.

'Me and my big mouth...', Lori mumbled in frustration and depression, as she landed on the ground and walked out for a dinner she was now less excited for.

Rosa had gone, as ever, as hard as she could, especially for a special dinner. Tostada Ceviche (Shrimp, chopped Tomato, chopped Avocado, Serrano chile, red onion, cilantaro, oregano, lime juice, crumbled feta cheese, all decorated on tostada shells) for an appetizer, when for many that would be the main meal; Spicy Chilaquiles (The Chilaquiles Rojo sauce made of Anchor peppers, oil, white onion, red onion, garlic, roma tomatoes, red wine vinegar, cumin, Mexican oregano, honey, salt, pepper and tomato sauce, with crispy fried tortilla chips, with toppings of crumbled queso fresco, diced tomato, chopped jalapeno peppers, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro and fried eggs), which would make most of the Casagrandes let alone the Royal Woods folks struggle with the spice, and Bunuelos, Bobby's favorite (fried dough fritters covered in Cinnamon sugar).

Safe to say, everyone was very eager to begin eating, even Lori, who while depressed, felt oddly hungry. 'I necked all that pizza earlier. How am I still starving? Gotta ask Lisa. Must be stupid metabolism crap.', Lori thought stormily, looking like someone had pissed in her cornflakes.

'I really hope you'll enjoy this, Lori! This is a meal I could see you making with our Bobby when you two tie the knot!', Rosa declared proudly, giggling excitedly. 'Oh, I can see that day so clearly!'

'Oh boy, here we go. The wedding rant. You haven't heard it yet, eh, Lori?', Hector winked at her from the other side of the table, taking a generous bite of the tostadas. 'Mmm, exquisite as always, mi amor!'

'As will Lori and Bobby's wedding be!', Rosa expressed, standing on her chair, Carlitos giggling and clapping next to her. 'First, we will have a BIG congregation at the church! We'll invite everyone! I've been assembling a little list for a while now...', Rosa removed it from her hair bun, the absurdly long parchment rolling from one end of the table to the next, smacking into Bobby's face. 'Ow!'

Lori looked down, eyes widened and startled. Blushing, she rubbed the back of her head. 'Wow, Abuela, did you invite the whole town?'

'What? No!', Rosa protested, hands on her hips. 'I didn't invite Fernando! That La concha de tu Madre still hasn't apologized for clogging the toilet of Apartment B4!'

'Mami!', Maria cried, waking up from her rest inside her plate to call out her mother's cussing. Tio Carlos fiddled with his glasses, embarrassed, while Carlota and Carl snickered. Lori, looking back and forth, assumed it was something bad, but couldn't translate.

'Actually, Rosa, he did, remember? Last week, when we were down at the Mercado, talking to Vito about the tax raises?', Hector reminded, nudging her.

'Oh! Si! Hmm... Well, I guess he's back on the list! So, si, Lori, everyone is here!', Rosa cried, happy about the latest invite and Lori secretly hummed the Smash Bros. theme under her breath.

She looked a little taken aback, taking a bite of her tosatdas. Lyberti wasn't, and Lori motioned for her to eat. Lyberti, looking a little odd, rubbed her stomach. 'Abuela, that's literally so lovely of you, but don't you think it's a bit mu...'

'Nonsense!', Rosa interrupted her, walking over and pinching her cheek like a lobster with wrinkles and bad taste in fortune tellers. 'It is going to be a celebration! You should invite too! Your familia is on the list, of course, but anyone else you want can come too!'

'Can I go?', Lyberti asked, shaking like jell-o, hand up like she was in class.

'Of course, Carino! So cute that you ask! What is your connection to Lori, again?', Rosa asked, waving her wooden spoon around, spilling sauce that Sergio the Parrot collected up in the air with his beak.

'She's, um, a friend, I guess? More Luan's friend, um... It's complicated...', Lori tried to explain, searching for a good term. Friend wasn't totally true. Schoolmate sounded too casual. Partner, sidekick? That made more sense for The Guardian, and Lori couldn't really pitch it as "She's the news reporter I use to fight against supervillans".

'MY CONNECTION IS THAT I WILL DIE IF I DON'T GO TO THE TOILET, CAN I GO PLEASE?', Lyberti screamed, standing up and shivering like she was riddled with hypothermia.

'SHE'S GONNA BLOW!', Sergio shouted, flying past.

'Los siento, Lyberti! Go, go, we'll keep your food warm for you!', Rosa apologized, letting Lyberti run past her.

Once Lyberti slammed the door closed, the conversation resumed. 'So, speaking of Casagrande Loud weddings...', Rosa began, smirking knowingly at Ronnie Anne and Lincoln. Everyone did, even Lori, despite her mood.

'Oh, brother, not this again. HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!', Ronnie Anne shouted, waiting for Lincoln to say "She's not my girlfriend" as ever.

But Lincoln was oddly silent. In fact, he was as red as the Chilaquiles, which C.J and Carlitos were digging into, yet somehow at the same time giving the two shifty eyes. Biting his cheeks, he tapped his fingers together, Maria helpfully providing him with a towel to wipe his sweaty brow. 'I mean... I wouldn't say it's SUCH a bad idea...'

Everyone, especially Lori, gasped in hype and anticipation. 'I HAVE WAITED YEARS FOR THIS!', Lori squeed, she and Carlota holding each other's hands and shaking, though Lori's shaking made Carlota shake a lot more.

'Oh ho ho, seems like the lil bro is becoming a big bro. Enough to make a bro cry.', Bobby wiped a tear, proud.

'He's a keeper, Ronnie Anne, I always said that!', Frida insisted, snapping a pic of the "happy couple".

Blinking away the flash, Ronnie Anne banged her fist on the table. 'Oh my god, will you all stop?! Including you, Lincoln! If this is a prank, it's WAY over the line!', she cried, cheeks turning red too, blazing red like a forest fire.

Lincoln, embarrassed, but a little too late to getting out of it, cleared his throat and straightened his tie. 'Oh, look, it's just... I wanted to do this privately, but... Ever since the accident, I've been thinking...'

'You're not thinking now! If we're gonna talk about this, that's in my room, ALONE. PRIVATELY. CAPISCE?!', Ronnie Anne demanded, snarling like a bull. She looked like she could bite the table in half.

Lincoln, desperately in love, nodded slowly. 'Si.'

'Gracias, stupido!', she "thanked" him, crossing her arms and taking a big bite of her Buenulos.

Everyone stared at each other, a little concerned. 'Perhaps, like, it's best we let them deal with it. Here, I've got something better for you: Check out this new dress I designed!', Carlota announced, showing her latest notebook sketches.

While everyone ooh'd, Lori was distracted by the food. Her metabolism was acting up again, she needed, no, she BEGGED for energy. She wouldn't beat Wolf on what honestly somehow felt like an empty stomach, even with how much she had eaten so far. She had already finished her second tostada in one gulp, then taken three buenulos and scarfed them down too. The food tasted incredible, and it made her powers recharge. Her muscles seemed more visible, her eyes bluer, her movements faster.

'It's very provocative, eye catching, dramatic! I ADORE the stylization, carino!', Frida complimented her daughter's work, snapping pics of it. 'Great shading, by the way! Is it meant to be that black?'

'Black IS the new black!', Carlota explained, happily giggling from the compliment.

'It looks really cool!', C.J. flashed his sister a thumb's up.

'Yeah, and I'm no dress fan!', Bobby added, impressed, hand on his chest.

'OMG, thanks, you guys! #wholesomeaf!', Carlota took a selfie of herself, winking and doing a kissy face.

'I think it kinda looks like a superhero costume!', Carl pointed out excitedly.

'Huh. I guess I DID take a little bit of an inspiration from The Guardian, tbh!', Carlota admitted, looking at the picture at an angle.

'Ay, ay, ay, I don't know what to think of that girl.', Hector stated, shaking his head as he cut through his buenulos, taking a bite.

Lori looked up, a little concerned. 'Oh... How come?'

'She's some super powered teenager flying around deciding that the mayor of her city should be opposed when he's trying to finally help the less fortunate.', Hector explained, staring seriously at Lori. 'We have always been blessed with surviving just about, but my heart breaks to see what is happening over there. How can she not listen to him?'

Lori gulped, feeling terrible again. She quickly tucked into her food again, the Chilaquiles this time.

'Si, mi amor. I don't know what to think of her. She doesn't seem bad, but it is very, what do the kids say, sus sus amogus?', Rosa asked, searching for the term.

'ABUELA, PLEASE!', Carlota blocked her eats. 'I'M ALLERGIC TO CRINGE!'

She then immediately resumed her normal look and shook her head. 'And I kind of disagree. What's wrong with taking things into your own hands? She's helping the poor too! If she thinks something is, um, sus, about that rich dude, then maybe something IS wrong!'

'I would have to agree!', Bobby strengthened, softening Lori's heart even more than Carlota's comments. 'I met her in the park in Royal Woods, back when Lori and I had our anniversary date, and she was SUPER helpful! Oh, excuse my pun. She even took a cool pic for Carl!', he showed the pic in his phone gallery.

'Yeah, she was REAL cool!', Carl posed, smirking.

'She kinda looks familiar, no? I've seen that complexation in pictures I've taken before...', Frida muttered, angling the picture with her hands, then slowly moving towards Lori.

'Yeah, she does remind me of someone too...', Maria pondered, scratching her head.

'She kinda looks like...', Ronnie Anne started, squinting.

'She looks like Lori.', C.J. blurted out, after blinking a few times.

Everyone slowly looked at Lori, staring at her, but the girl, whose metabolism got worse and worse, had gotten distracted by the Chilaquilas. She was mowing it down, even though it made even most Casagrandes tear up and lose their shit.

'Oh, wow, Lori, you've really developed that spice tolerance! Finally, someone did.', Rosa rolled her eyes, annoyed.

'You're really like Rosa's cooking today, huh? She's such a part of the family already!', Hector congratulated.

'Very nice, babe! I could never do that!', Bobby said happily, kissing her cheek.

'Wow... Literally can't be happening...', Lori thought, struggling not to cry from happiness. 'I was being weird again, but they didn't mind? AND it stopped them from noticing I look like The Guardian? Are things... Actually looking up?'

Lori was so happy, she could feel herself floating a bit, but she didn't mind. Nothing could ruin this! Nothing!

Suddenly, Carl, noticing Lyberti still wasn't back, began sneakily shifting towards her plate, eyes pleading for more.

SLAM! Lori placed her hand between Carl and the plate.

'Oh, mi amor, getting a little mui caliente with me? Nothing a little fork can't handle...', Carl smirked, stabbing her in the palm.

'CARL! DO YOU WANT TO BE SENT TO YOUR ROOM?!', Rosa and Frida both reprimanded the boy, who apologized. 'Hey, I didn't do it hard! I just wanted her to move her hand!'

'Actually, you wedged it right in there, see, that's why...', Tio Carlos pointed out, only to stumble into silence. Everyone did.

Lori, still shoving Chilaqilas into her mouth, noticed the staring and shrugged. 'What? He missed, no?'

He didn't.

The fork was wedged right in Lori's hand, in fact, it had penetrated. Yet, the blood clot was instantly healing, drying up in front of their very eyes, while Lori had kept on eating like it was nothing.

'Oh, what, don't worry, it's just... Just a fluke, ah... I guess it missed, um...', Lori stammered, while everyone stared shocked and gaping (except for Lincoln, who bit his nails in fear).

'Here, look, I'll show you everything is normal, just gotta remove this fork...', Lori tried to keep her cool despite the clear sweat beads and shaking on her part, and she removed the fork careful, muttering out fake 'Ow's' and 'Owchies'.

But alas, when the fork came out...

'Ta da! See? Nothing weird...', Lori began, only to trail off when her eyes opened. '...Here...'

The fork had been removed carefully, gently even.

Yet Lori's strength had bent it completely out of shape.

Then, it snapped in two.

Lori barely pressing on it with her thumb and forefinger.

The Casagrandes stammered and sputtered, their minds desperately trying to come up with a logical explanation for the impossible.

'Must be a... Trick of the light?', Tio Carlos suggested, blinking rapidly to reset his eyesight, then cleaning his glasses with a blue cloth.

'A trick of the light for all of us?', Frida rightfully called out, shaking her head. 'Carlos, this is obviously a very strange prank and she is using a fake fork or something.'

'I'm the prank queen here, and I made the house prank proof for Lincoln!', Ronnie Anne countered.

'Wait, how come?', Lincoln asked, a little obtuse.

'Duh, you know why!', Ronnie Anne protested, rolling her eyes and growing angry again.

'Okay, but you know, it really doesn't have to be such a big deal between us...', Lincoln tried to extinguish the conflict but Ronnie Anne blew up instead, screaming 'OF COURSE IT IS! YOU'RE ON A FUCKING WHEELCHAIR AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AND I'M SCARED, OKAY?!'

Everyone, momentarily distracted from Lori (including Lori), stared at the two. Lincoln gulped. Ronnie Anne, boiling red, ran off, hiding her eyes and heading to her room. She slammed the door so hard it dropped a picture frame high above the family. Lori, even now, reacted instantly and stopped it, slightly floating.

'Maybe we're all sleep deprived. I mean, Lori seems to be floating now.', Maria yawned, shaking her head to stay awake. 'I should check on Ronnie Anne, anyway.'

'I'll go too.', Lincoln volunteered, feeling responsible, and the two headed to the room after Maria helped him onto his wheelchair.

Lori, back in her seat, began feeling dizzy. 'They're so close to finding out, and some of them don't even like The Guardian! What will they think of me? Will they tell Bobby he can't date me? Will they call me a monster? Am I a monster?!', she began spiraling, eyes shifting rapidly between blue and black, vision getting blurry.

'Lori, can you explain what's happening to you?', Hector asked, puzzled, looking like blurred jell-o.

'We're worried about you, Carino. This isn't normal. I mean, I checked for spirits!', Rosa expressed in concern, looking like blended juice and olives.

'Lori, do you want me to research?', Carlos asked, his glasses melding with his face, making him look lifeless.

'Lori, do you, like, need some air?', Carlota asked, spouting wings and turning into a monster as dark as the night.

'Lori, are you okay?', Carl asked, super apologetic now, but his teeth were jagged and crooked, growing dragon scales all over his body.

'Lori, are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay?', The voices echoed and echoed, growing far less clear, her vision doubling, tripling, quadrupling. Lori could barely hear anything over her hammering heart, her head spinning so much she felt like it could fly right off. Everything was on fire and she was not okay she was not okay 'I'm not okay', 'I'm not okay', 'I'm not okay'...

'Babe? Are you o...', Bobby started, placing a hand on Lori's shoulder. Lori didn't see Bobby. She saw the Wolf. She saw herself.

'NO!', she screamed, trying to get rid of the visions, flinging her arms wide and standing up.

Everyone gasped.

Lori, breathing heavily, like she was on the edge of another panic attack, looked around and saw it.

Bobby.

On the ground.

Rubbing his cheek.

His hurt cheek.

His BLEEDING cheek.

And that blood?

Was dripping from her palm, staring right back at her.

'No...', Lori whispered, heart shattering, tears bursting out.

'Lori, wait...', Bobby called, shaking his head. 'Everything is ok...'

'NO!', Lori screamed again, running off, faster than should be possible, bursting into the bathroom, leaving everyone at the table shocked and silent.

Slamming the door, Lori turned around to the mirror, feeling like death.

It was about to get worse.

Suddenly, staring back at her, was a blue eyed reflective and buff monster with a blinding blue glow and blood flowing from her fists. She snarled and smirked, licking her teeth like a wolf.

'...Who are you? What is this?', Lori asked, though she knew the answers, only just about able to muster surprise.

'This?... THIS is all you'll ever be... Unless you die.', the creature said, with a growl even worse than Lori's when she needed to be scary. 'There's no hope of an alternative. Even if you somehow redeem... You'll never belong with them again. You never did.'

The mirror suddenly showed Awkward phase Lori. Glasses, braces, pimples.

Then it showed pre-powers Lori. Not the right size. Not the right femaninity. Not the right style or looks.

Then it showed The Guardian. Too tall. Too authoritative, too masculine. Too muscular. Too everything.

The monster returned, bursting into laughter, as Lori, tears streaming down her face, begged. 'Please... I don't want to be a monster...'

The monster kept on laughing.

'Please!', Lori shouted, choking on tears.

She just couldn't handle it anymore.

'I JUST WANT TO BE GOOD!', Lori screamed again, so hard, so visceraly, so broken that...

It broke the mirror, shards all over the floor.

Lori still didn't know why.

Or maybe she did.

'...But I'll never be more than a necessary monster. Until it's finally over.', she croaked, going into a fetal position and sobbing quietly and painfully.

The homeless shelter was just like the factory and city hall.

Perfect.

Too perfect.

Griffin had searched and searched, from top to bottom, from bottom to top, sideways and vice versa and every single way possible. She knew her way around corrupt, fake places that supposedly wanted to help. She knew all about artificial hospitality.

But if this was a homeless shelter, she must have been dreaming.

It was practically heaven. No two ways about it. Did they even need houses after this? There were lavish halls like in any golden mansion, swimming pools bunched up in the garden like boots next to a door, a 24 hour serving staff that fed them with 5 course meals and got them the finest clothes and the finest services. Leading medical experts had cured them of every single ailment, each one even got a high wage just for living there so that when they would get into their new homes they would have excellent foundations for living and getting jobs.

No, it wasn't practically heaven.

'It's heaven. Period.', Griffin jotted down in her notebook, and sighed, leaning back on the backside of the shelter, staring out at the setting sun. Her smoke rings circled around the burning sphere. She puffed hard, coughing, forcing herself to choke, so that she would wake up. This had to be a dream.

She couldn't hope again.

Yet, here she was. Trying to choke, but her lungs were filling up with hope.

And it felt so wrong to breath freely.

'You okay?', Tetherby suddenly asked, coming out of nowhere, leaning against the wall too.

Griffin sighed, sniffing up the smoke. 'Yeah. That's why I'm smoking.'

'I understand. Everytime I see what I've done so far, I feel so... Fake.', Tetherby explained, waving his arms around in an attempt to explain. 'There's so much left to do, and so much I can do better. I've come so far, but... I can just see it.'

'The inevitable failure. When the ones with power remind us just how small we are.', Griffin took her cigerate and smashed it with her palm, squeezing, squeezing...

Tetherby placed his hand on hers, helping her let go of it. '...But now we are the ones with power.'

His voice, so soft and relatable, caught her eyes, and she stared into his, ignoring the rain that began.

'...I've noticed you have a wedding ring, but you never mention your partner.', Tetherby asked, quietly, sympathetically. He truly understood when it came to that, in fairness sake.

Griffin's eyes shifted down. 'We've been on break for so long now, but if I'm honest... We divorced the moment I set foot in here. The moment I let Detroit break my heart instead of giving him the time to try and not do that.'

Tetherby geniuinely fought tears, sounding choked up, hollow. Like his broken remains had another echo to deliver. '...I, too, was in love. She was... She was...'

He stared off into the rain.

'What?', Griffin ventured, drawing closer.

'...Everything I wanted to be. Until we became too different.', Tetherby stated, broken. Almost ashamed, he crossed his arms and hid his face. 'To be completely frank... In a way, I still love her. I still wish that she would have the chance to try and not break my heart. She already did once. But I would give her a second chance like that.'

'Truly.', Griffin agreed, moving her palm to the rain, to feel something for once...

Only for Tetherby to grab her hand, staring at her in a sort of trance. '...Or perhaps it's time we both moved on. We both define ourselves with our failures, yet here we are now, actually saving a city.'

'...Still broken hearted.', Griffin reminded, allowing herself to be weak, allowing herself to be saved. She loosened her hold as she allowed him to draw closer.

'...Then let me fix that too, Nikita. I'll fix everything, no matter what I must break.'

And so, their lips joined, Griffin ignoring the rainstorm...

It was a few hours later, that night, when she stirred awake, the blankets feeling warmer than ever. She had no space in her bed, and her feet were cold because he had hogged it a bit.

'How I've missed that.', Griffin shook her head, smiling to herself slightly.

She looked around her. It was the master bedroom of the mayoral house, far bigger than hers, that's for sure. The black bed and blacklight were perhaps a tad uncreative, but they sort of relaxed her, luled her into a sense of security. 'Cashmere blankets really are soft, huh?', she sort of asked herself.

She then looked at her bedfellow. Smaller than her, yet he felt so strong. So... Weathered. Like he'd been fighting a war all his life, but what, she didn't know.

'I know his parents got killed in front of him. That would scar any kid. But he keeps talking about all these other things he's tried to do all these years. I wish he'd be more detailed.'

That, of course, could have born suspicion.

But for once, Griffin just wanted to trust.

To trust that she didn't need the cigerattes on her bedside cabinet.

To trust that she could melt into the blankets and not stay up all night.

To trust that someone else out there could just... Could just make her feel anything again, instead of this stone cold cynicsm.

She embraced him, careful not to wake him up, curling her feet and spooning into him, as if they were one broken and acute circle.

Allowing herself to be someone else's.

Ignoring the rain pitter pattering on the windows.

Ignoring the utter perfection of it all.

Ignoring that there could be more hidden behind the scenes.

That the road to hell is paved with the best of intentions.

Like Mr. Stone, entering the house late, happiest he had been in all his life...

Taking off his shirt...

Back and chest paved with horrific, blood red scarlines.

'Ronnie Anne? Can you open up, please?', Lincoln asked, gently tapping on her door. He and Maria both stood nervously, aware that an angry Ronnie Anne was not to be trifled with. They had to be careful with every single word.

'NO!', she shouted, sounding as choked as Lori did. She seemed to stomp on her bed, since the floor echoed.

Maria took a deep breath and knocked again. 'Ronnie Anne, please. We can't help you if you won't tell us what's going on.'

'I'M NOT DOING THIS NOW!', she screamed again, clearly sniffling and hiccuping, every word a punishment to her throat.

Lincoln sighed, guilt lacing every syllabile. 'Ronnie Anne, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable.'

Ronnie Anne didn't say anything for a moment, then she let out a pained cough. 'Lincoln, please don't blame yourself.'

A shuffle, then she opened the door, looking horrible, puffy eyes and tear canals all over her face like Mars. '...I just... It's just...'

She let out a long, cold shiver. 'It hurt. Thinking about you like this. Thinking about what happened. Talking to you on the phone. Hearing the news report.'

A shaking hand reached out to his wheelchair, caressing the cold metal. 'But seeing it with my eyes makes all that previous pain feel like a picnic.'

She bit her lip, looking away. 'I knew it wasn't fair. It's not my leg, it's not my trauma. I felt so... So frikin' selfish.'

'Bebe, you're not sel...', Maria tried, but Ronnie Anne shook her head. 'Mami, let me finish. This is between me and Lincoln.'

'Okay.', she agreed, nodding.

Ronnie Anne continued, clinging onto the blanket like it was her only friend. 'It's not right to be like this. It's your pain. So I tried to hide it, but everything reminded me of this. You look so... God, I don't wanna say it.'.

'Say it. It's okay.', Lincoln reassured, and when she stared into his chocolate brown eyes, she calmed down, like she always did.

'Okay... I just felt... You look so weak. So different. Less confident, less happy.', she voiced sadly, before her anger began to return. 'Yet also so used to this. Like it's okay. It's not! Someone hurt you! Someone SHOT you! I can't talk about it, but I can't not talk about it! I can't treat it as normal but I wish I could! I just... I'm bad at this stuff! I'm bad at emotions and feelings and mushy stuff! I tried once, and instead of just being honest with you I shoved a fucking sloppy joe down your pants! So I don't know what to do, okay? I don't know how to care for you, so I hide with jokes and pranks and vibing! But this isn't a joke, or a prank, or a vibe! This is real! My... My feelings for you are real. But I'm afraid of being real with you. I'm afraid that you'll realize how fake I am.', Ronnie Anne ranted and ranted until she was crying again, shaking and shivering with her whole being now. How she wished she could just collapse now to the ground.

Instead, Lincoln rolled up to her and grabbed her face.

'If you're so fake, why can I do this?'

Pushing her gently into the room and quickly closing the door, he swiveled with his chair, grabbed her face again, closed his eyes, prayed that he won't get a heart attack too, and...

Kissed her right on the lips.

It must have lasted a minute, otherwise why was Maria knocking and wondering if everything was okay. It must have lasted a minute, because Ronnie Anne thought she might have just died and gone to heaven. It must have lasted a minute, because it would have lasted an hour if it could.

Yeah, it was just a first REAL kiss for the two almost 12 year olds (they didn't count the jean juan kiss, it was different, it wasn't real like this), but it meant everything.

'I don't care that you get angry, or that you don't know how to express things, or that you feel afraid. Honestly, you could be classified as a heatstroke warning, you're so hot.', Lincoln quipped, giving her the dorkiest smile ever.

Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes whilst blushing hard. 'Getting lessons from Luan, I see?'

'Hey, if it works.'

Sighing, she leaned her forehead into his. 'What can I do? How can I help you with this?', she asked, crying a little again.

'Honestly, just do what you can. I'll understand no matter what. You can ignore this, really.', Lincolm smiled softly, leaning back.

Ronnie Anne chuckled warmly. 'Thank you.'

Then, she smirked shyly. 'Well... I could still get better at the emotions thing.'

'How so?'

Ronnie Anne suddenly opened the door, grabbed his face, and kissed it sloppily next to her mom, who seemed quite taken aback. Looking back at her, a stunned and dreamy Lincoln leaning back on his wheelchair, Ronnie Anne smugly stated 'Tell Abuela I'm in charge of the guest list.'

She sat there in the fetal position sobbing for surely only a minute, two at most. Anyone would need a moment to process before checking on her, it was more than logical.

But it felt like another life too many for Lori.

When the knocks finally echoed, Lori had cried so much that she could see herself reflected on the bathroom floor, just to make things worse.

It was Hector who spoke first, trying to take charge. 'Lori?', he started, but Lori immediately whimpered 'Stay away from me...', so weakly that they wondered if she had hurt herself.

'Lori, déjanos entrar ahora mismo o derribaré esta puerta como si estuviera hecha de tejido!', Rosa smacked the door with her chancla over and over, demanding entrance. 'Please stay away...', Lori whimpered again, hacking out some spit.

'Lori, like, please, we're literally SO worried about you!', Carlota tried, sounding concerned, but Lori muttered 'Nuh uh' and turned around.

'...Babe? Please?', Bobby asked as softly as a cloud, and Lori's resolve melted. Exhausted and resigned to her fate, she barely said 'Fine' above a whisper.

The door creaked open and the four Casagrandes entered in carefully and slowly, trying to hold back their reactions to the scene in front of them, Lori surrounded by glass shards and lying down like that in a pool of tears. She didn't need another reaction, they had to be cautious.

'Okay, let's tackle this one thing at a time. I don't want to overexcite her.', Hector directed, and everyone nodded silently, allowing him to approach Lori.

Leaning against the cabinet (and avoiding the glass, deciding not to question how Lori wasn't hurt), Hector cleared his throat and clasped his hands, trying to figure out the best beginning. '...Well, first of all... Are you hurt?'

Lori didn't have the patience for her powers anymore. 'Didn't you notice? The goddamn knife didn't hurt me, why would any of this?'

'I... I admit, I don't know what to think of that.', Hector stammered, awkward. He looked for the others for motivation, an idea, but they all shrugged, scared. Sighing, he tried to keep going. 'But maybe that's just some weird puberty thing, or some kind of strange supervirus that's got you acting a little strange. Weirder stuff's happened recently. I don't care about that. What I want to know is are you okay, Lori?'

Lori felt his hand caress her hair, and she sniffled. 'I'm not.'

'Why not, Mijita? We're worried about you. Please, tell us, it's okay! We won't judge!', Rosa insisted, Carlota and Bobby voicing their 'Yes!'s.

Lori let out a painful and trailing breath. What other choice did she have, really? She couldn't hold this one in. 'Maybe you won't judge. But everyone else has. I do.'

'Judge what?', Carlota asked, confused.

'Me!', Lori exclaimed, making them all jump. She turned around, exposing her red eyes of shame. She almost felt like a little girl calling out for her parents. 'I've always been awkward, gangly, different! But now look at me!'

'Babe, I don't see anything that dif...', Bobby started, but Lori interrupted him, snapping at her state. 'Boo boo bear, don't lie, okay? I'm 6 foot fucking 3! I'm built like an outhouse and I eat like I'm gonna fill 7 outhouses!'

'I don't see the problem. You've got good taste if you're eating my food like that.', Rosa crossed her arms, not understanding this reaction. Hector rolled his eyes.

Lori groaned. 'That's not the point! The point is that I'm a fucking mess! Everyone seems unsettled and scared by me! I don't blame them, I feel scared too! I looked into the mirror and all I can see is a freak!'

Lori went on, ranting and raging, losing herself in her resentment. 'But that's nothing new! I've always looked this wrong! I'm not feminine enough, I'm too tall, I'm not right, I've never been right! And now I got so scared about it that I accidentally hurt you, Bobby! What do you call that?! Because I call that a MONSTER! I'M A MONSTER!'

Lori finished and resumed sobbing, only for Carlota to sit down next to her (careful of the glass) and shake her head. 'Lori, let's begin with the fact that EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE has had an awkward stage!'

'Not as bad as mine.', Lori pouted, almost like a child.

'Oh, yeah? Not to brag, but feast your eyes!', Carlota removed a picture from her wallet and gave it to Lori, hands on her hips.

Lori's glazed over eyes glanced over the photo, then they widened like pie plates. Carlota looked arguably stranger than her! She had whiskers of sorts, braces AND a retainer, a gross pink shirt with a white skirt combo. She looked more like a deranged chipmunk asking if you could buy her some megabloks rather than the fashion icon standing before her today.

'It's like you're the burger king version of yourself.', Lori breathed out, making Carlota giggle. 'Yeah, it's BAD. But guess what? It's not that serious! We all look weird sometimes. Doesn't make us bad!', she said softly, stroking Lori's cheek, her stream of tears breaking apart around her fingers.

'Si, Lori! We don't care about the changes, you are still you! So you're a little taller, a little hungrier, a little stronger, so what? Do I look ideal to you?', Rosa explained, swishing her hips, making everyone laugh. 'I don't know, you look pretty good to me.', Hector complimented, and Rosa, blushing and giggling, kissed him. 'Oh, mi amor, you flatter me!'

Lori, chuckling a tiny bit, bit her lip. 'Really? You really don't... Don't feel afraid?'

'Not for a moment! You're the same old Lori! Why, I trust you as much as I trust my familia!', Hector confessed, holding her hand, smiling a deeply loving smile.

Lori wanted to believe it.

But...

'But I hurt you. I hurt you, Bobby. How can you be okay with that?', she asked, crying again, feeling her heart shatter...

Only for Bobby to put it together again with a kiss.

'It was an accident, just like you said. You didn't mean to, so why would I think any less of you? I love you, Lori, and I've always loved you, any face, any look, any way. You're not a monster. I love that you're tall and strong and full of authority and quirks. You're my hero.', Bobby exalted beautifully, kissing her again, stroking both cheeks.

Lori cried again, but this time, happily.

'I... I...', she still couldn't quite say she felt good, but she had never felt this reassured her entire life. Hearing all that really softened the harsh voice in her head. Adopting some courage, she went up to Bobby and kissed him back, the rest of the room's occupants applauding with great pleasure.

Breathing slowly, tears still shedding, Lori looked up at Bobby and glowed. 'I love you too, Boo Boo Bear. I love you all.', she added, looking at the rest. 'I... I really needed to hear that.'

'Anytime, Babe. Anytime.', Bobby whispered, and everyone hugged her again, cooling her down.

Which was good, because she needed to settle her nerves again, since...

'Lori?', Frida asked nervously, opening the door.

'It's okay, guys. I think I'm going to be okay now.', she explained, standing up slowly, with help from Hector and Carlota.

'No, I mean, we're very happy to hear that, but um... We have a little question.', Frida explained, pointing at C.J, who looked super scared.

'I really had to pee, but I couldn't go, since Lyberti was in the bathroom. Then we all realized...'

His eyes seemed haunted. 'Lyberti went 30 minutes ago.'

'And she left a note, to read to The Guardian, that you would be able to tell her?', Tio Carlos explained, straightening his glasses as he read. 'Going to subway station. Wolf will be there. Come when you can, partner.'

'And Ronnie Anne just reminded us that Sid's family runs that place, and that Sid was talking about moving an animal on it tonight...', Carl added, shivering.

The rest of the Casagrandes looked understandably scared. They all stared at Lori, who apparently knew The Guardian.

'Well, Lori, what do we do? Can you call The Guardian?', Hector asked, sounding ultra serious.

Lori, quite shocked, stammered. 'I... I thought you didn't trust her.'

'I don't know if I do, but I trust you, and apparently so does she. And even then, Sid, Adelaide and Lyberti are in danger.'

He placed a hand on her shoulder, staring her in the eyes. 'So what do we do?'

Lori closed her eyes...

Thought of Wolf, of Royal Woods, and of those girls in danger right now...

And she opened reflective blue eyes that shone like a lighthouse beacon.

'We're going to earn that trust.'

While Lori ran in the dark streets, so fast that no one could see her, you could hear the remnants of the plan she had concocted with the Casagrandes. 'So who's going?', Hector asked, trying to stand up and failing, back cracking badly. As Rosa supported him, Lori shook her head.

'All of you aren't capable of dealing with something like this. You don't have the athleticism. No offense.'

Lori leapt over a puddle, blowing past a bunch of scared newspaper readers.

'None taken.', They all responded. 'But then who'll go?'

'Carlota and Bobby. They have the stamina and strength to help get the kids out of harm's way.'

Lori leapt over a bench, leaves scrambling everywhere from her jump.

'Sure thing, babe. But what about you? What are you going to do?', Bobby asked, concerned. Carlota nodded.

She stared at the full moon, clenched her fists, and soared into the sky, creating a sonic boom that shifted a cloud in front of the moon to look like a G.

'...I'm gonna get some help. Then, I'm joining you.'

Bobby and Carlota had been quite lucky. Bobby's car had managed to avoid any serious traffic, and not even the sonic boom that made them both jump slowed down the car.

'I think it's best if you drive, just in case my nerves interfere with us. I'll direct you.', Bobby suggested, whipping out his google maps.

'I'm still kinda new at this.', Carlota bit her lip, unsure.

'This is about getting to Sid, Adelaide and Lyberti before they get hurt, not being good at it. Drive, prima, drive!', Bobby insisted, and Carlota shrugged and got the engine purring. Contrary to her belief, Carlota had driven with purpose, her lights breaking through the orange darkness of the city, warning everyone to let her pass. She went as fast as possible, arguably faster than she was allowed to, but there was no time to care about that. Crazy turns and Tokyo drifts led them in no time flat to the subway station, where Carlota parallel parked in one smooth motion.

'...You said you're still kinda new at this?!', Bobby gaped, in awe at this display of driving.

Carlota shrugged. 'Guess my instincts kicked in. At least I didn't crash into anything.'

'If you keep driving like that, you will, but it would be kinda based. Now, come on, let's get in there!', Bobby directed, and the two opened their belts and rushed down to the station.

The grey steps and old piss smell didn't help matters at all, nor all the used gum and torn newspapers, but they would have spent a eternity there if it meant they could intercept Sid's family.

Which they did! They caught them just as they were nearing the subway train, Sid and Adelaide helping Wolf walk there, him disguised in a large brown trench coat. Mr. and Mrs. Chang had noticed the two teens first and gasped. 'Who told them?', Mrs. Chang asked, annoyed. 'Not me!', Adelaide defended herself.

Sid gulped. 'I may not have been subtle enough in my phone call with Ronnie Anne.'

'Dang it, Sid!', Adelaide whined, holding onto Wolf. 'Great work!'

'Please, it's okay, let's just rush in, maybe they won't stop us...', Wolf tried, but Bobby and Carlota quickly rushed over to grab Sid and Adelaide.

'Hey, hey! Let us go!', they cried, while the older teens held onto them hard. 'Come on, now, don't struggle! That's the damn Wolf!', Bobby cried out, disbelieving this strange behavior.

'I don't care how much you guys like animals, he's dangerous!', Carlota shouted, barely able to stop Sid from wiggling out of her hands.

'Let our children go!', The Changs shouted angrily, but Wolf motioned for them to stop. He didn't want them to get hurt too.

'Please, don't hurt them. I mean no harm, honest...', Wolf tried to growl out, but he sounded so scary that Bobby and Carlota couldn't trust him for a second.

'Only one getting restrained and potentially drafted onto the team is you, Wolf!', Lyberti cried out suddenly, stepping out of the shadows, flashing a picture of Wolf with her phone's camera, making him stunned.

'Lyberti, come here! He'll hurt you!', Bobby demanded, but Lyberti shook her head and hands. 'No way! I'm gonna help The Guardian! She should be here any minute!'

'No! He didn't do anything, he just wants to...', Adelaide tried, but suddenly, Wolf roared violently and angrily, the bright lights from the flash setting his pain response off. Scratching at the floor, he seemed to be threatening the girls.

'Wolf, careful! They'll think you're...', Sid tried, but suddenly...

'Is everyone okay? The Guardian is going to be here any minute!', Lori cried out, rushing inside, panic stricken.

She felt justified in that reaction when she saw what was in front of her.

Wolf was losing control, hitting out blindly, the kids too near him not to get hurt. So were Sid's parents, who tried to duck.

'Lori, you brought The Guardian? Great! I did well!', Lyberti cheered, bouncing up, only to get struck by Wolf. 'OW!', she cried, getting thrown back onto Carlota, who caught her just about. As she rubbed her forehead, a trickle of blood coated her glasses.

'Please... Stay away...', Wolf cried out quietly, but Lori didn't hear that.

She just saw what she had promised get broken once more. What she hated about herself in someone else. All her insecurities and fears from today just came bursting out again.

And she wasn't going to let it subside.

BANG!

Like that, she ran into Wolf, punching away at him over and over. 'DON'T YOU HURT HER! DON'T YOU HURT ANY OF THEM!', she screamed, kicking him away.

'BABE, BE CAREFUL!', Bobby cried, everyone else following suit (though they said Lori, of course). 'Lori, please, he's not bad!', Sid cried, tears falling, but it was too late.

Wolf could only handle so much pain, and so, he lashed out in defense, not wanting to hurt Lori but to at least stop her from hurting him. With a sharp strike, he sent Lori flying into the dark tunnel of the subway.

'BABE!', Bobby cried in alarm, tears falling too. Everyone looked terrified and trembling.

'Please... Please just let me go...', Wolf begged, trying to reach the subway.

Only for all of them to suddenly hear footsteps.

Loud, echoing footsteps.

From the darkness came out a figure with a dark face, piercing blue eyes, a sharp billowing cape and a symbol that nearly blinded Wolf. Slowly, she began floating above the ground, fists clenching harder and harder.

'Fine. You won't come quietly? I'll be a necessary monster, then.', she growled, sending chills down everyone's spines.

And so, The Guardian flew Wolf into the subway, hitting the lever and setting them both off towards the right of the tracks. Sid, screaming 'No!', leapt onto the train, entering it just in time.

'SID! NO!', her parents cried, just about missing her.

'So... That's The Guardian?', Carlota asked, stammering in fear.

'Sort of...', Lyberti muttered, scared as to how Guardian would handle Wolf. He was a planned ally, but who knew anymore, what with all this madness.

'We have to save Sid and Mr. Wolf! He hasn't done anything wrong! He just wanted to escape somewhere where he couldn't hurt anyone!', Adelaide explained, the adult Changs backing her up. 'It's true! If you hadn't overwhelmed him, he would have been fine!'.

'I don't know about that. He still hurt Lyberti.', Bobby countered, wiping the blood off her forehead.

'Fine, then I'll just go myself! You two can go save Lori! Seems like I'm the only one here with some common sense!', Adelaide yelled angrily at them, only to gasp as she saw six men approach from the entrance.

'Oh, we wouldn't say that. You were all dumb enough to be here. But you'll all get to experience an historic event, at least.', the main man smirked smugly, whistling.

'Which... Is?', Lyberti asked, only to see a gun pointed at her face.

'The death of The Guardian...'

Meanwhile, inside the train, Sid shook in fright. The lights flickered on and off, the subway shaking in a scary beat. She could hear roars and growls, but who was doing what?

Slowly approaching, walking down each car, she gasped and ducked behind a seat as the fight raged on.

'I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU COULD HAVE THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA!', Guardian bellowed, throwing two sharp jabs at Wolf's cheeks, then a spinning elbow to knock him over onto the ground. He spun in the air and grabbed onto the floor with his claws, hanging on and growling. 'I WAS JUST TRYING TO RUN AWAY! I DIDN'T WANT TO HURT ANYONE!'

He straightened himself up and whacked at her face, drawing blood, only for the wound to instantly heal. Sid gasped again, shivering. Wolf stared, shocked. 'Your powers are... Stronger.'

'OH, AND ASKING A BUNCH OF KIDS TO HELP YOU WAS THE WAY?!', Guardian countered his first statement, uppercutting him to the roof, where he hung onto with his claws, kicking at her and sending her tumbling onto one of the seats, upside down now, cape on her face.

'SID FOUND ME HURT ON THE GROUND, OKAY? I'M NOT... I DON'T WANT TO BE A MONSTER!', Wolf roared at her, but Guardian kicked herself back to her feet, roared back, and flew up to him, frowning with venom. 'NEITHER DO I! BUT YOU'RE NOT MAKING A GOOD CASE OF TRUSTING YOU!'

She clobbered away at him like he was a boxing glove, smacking away at his chest and shoulders, leaving red sores all over his chest, flinging him around all over. Wolf howled in pain, and let go of the roof, momentarily disorienting her. Landing on one of the seats, Wolf tore it out and threw it at Guardian, who just about avoided it, only to get struck with a second chair, breaking in half on her. 'HOW CAN ANYONE TRUST ME IF THEY NEVER GIVE ME A CHANCE?!', Wolf said, a tad hypocritically considering Sid.

'I WAS GOING TO! THEN YOU GOT A LITTLE BLINDSIDED AND YOU STRUCK LYBERTI?! WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?! THAT'S THE KINDA SHIT I WOULD DO!', Guardian raged back, grabbing the two chair halves and sandwiching Wolf with them, the pieces now smashed.

Growling, Wolf bit her cape, tearing it, choking her slightly. Slashing at her hoodie, making the G torn a bit, he managed to distract her with a sharp chest pain, then grabbed her and threw her out the window, CRASH, where another subway hit her.

'...I'm sorry. But you didn't listen.', Wolf lamented, hoping she was okay.

Suddenly, he heard a subway door open violently, clanging onto the sides.

The lights flickered on and off properly now, as footsteps echoed ominously.

'How?', he asked aghast, turning around.

The Guardian, limping and bleeding, except every step she took had her healing unnaturally, like she wasn't made of anything logical anymore. Growling like a wild animal.

Pissed.

'That... Tickled.'

She grabbed onto his throat, staring at him with crazed eyes.

'Maybe it's time I treated you like what you are: AN OBSTACLE.'

Wolf countered, slashing at her and grabbing her to throw her again. She, however, grabbed onto a pole, swinging on it so she could fly right at him with her two fists aimed forwards, like a catapult. Wolf gasped, trying to hide but failing, getting struck down like a bowling pin.

Spitting a tooth out, Wolf somersaulted onto her shoulders and began hitting her temples. Guardian used his weight to smash him onto the ground multiple times, only for him to roll away and kick at her, sending her onto the back.

She charged at him, smashing him through the door of one car, then another, stepping on the glass and coming out unscathed.

Furious, Wolf leapt onto her, and they started to wrestle on the ground, broken down and obscene. Wolf messed up her hair, tore holes in her hoodie and trousers, left scratch marks all over her face and hands. Guardian tore clumps of his fur, left bruises on his cheeks, got him bleeding from his nose.

Tired of this, Wolf picked her up and squeezed her with his tail, compressing her chest. Even The Guardian needed air, so she began choking. Struggling to breath, she grabbed him with her bare hands, squeezing him back. And so, both began choking, turning blue, then purple.

'JUST... STAND... DOWN...', Guardian sputtered out.

'LET... ME... GO...', Wolf choked out.

'STOP! BOTH OF YOU!', Sid cried, finally getting the bravery to act, as she rushed out. Both weren't willing to hurt Sid, so they let go of each other, gasping for air.

'Don't you see?! This is EXACTLY what everyone keeps saying about you, what you are both afraid of!', the blue shirted girl stated, pointing at the two figures of the night.

Guardian bit her lip, ashamed, looking away. 'We've never met, though.'

'I watch the news. I know you're not what people say. I've seen you save people! But I bet hearing all those things about you hurts! I can understand why it could get you to think it! But you can't let it happen, you can't let it dictate you!', Sid said, looking at Guardian with sympathy. 'I know you were trying to protect us. But Mr. Wolf here really wanted to escape. He can't control his reflexes, he's not in total control of his body. It was an accident!'

Guardian thought back to Bobby, and fought back tears.

'And you!', Sid pointed at Wolf, who was blinking away the pain. 'You can't just let your anger control you! If you didn't start fighting, maybe we wouldn't be here right now! If you don't want to be what they say, you have to try not to be, not just try and run away!'

Wolf looked away, he too ashamed.

Sid, crying, lifted her phone. 'I don't care if you guys are "scary". Right now, I need you. We all do. Adelaide just texted me. They're in danger! Some mobsters are threatening them unless The Guardian comes out!'

Sid walked up to a shocked Guardian, holding her hand. 'Please. Please save my family.'

Guardian looked at Sid, thought of what the Casagrandes had said, and with a face clench of determination, stood up to her feet.

In front of her was a mirror, showing all her new, different, cryptid like differences. All the things that could make her scary.

She closed her eyes, then turned her head back, addressing Sid and Wolf, specifically the latter.

'...Maybe I am a monster. Maybe I'm not. I... I don't know.'

She clenched her fist and took a deep breath, narrowing her eyes. Choosing her next steps.

'But I know one thing. I know that until my final breath, I will do everything I can to save people. I will choose to be trusted, to be good, despite how I appear, despite what people think, despite what I think.'

She stared into Wolf's soul, seeing the book hiding in his coat. 'That's my secret garden. What's going to be yours?'

Turning her head back, she saw that her costume had somehow repaired itself, as had all her wounds.

She was glowing now.

'...Hero time.', Guardian nodded, and she flew off to save the innocent.

Sid turned around to look at Wolf, who looked down at his paws, retracting his claws, then unfurling them. Seeing his reflection through them. Thinking of The Guardian, and her unwavering resilience.

'Mr. Wolf... Whatever you choose, I'll understand. I just want you to be survive.', Sid explained, turning around.

Suddenly, Wolf grabbed her, hugging her, his claws out, but not hurting, kept away through newfound strength.

'Mary.', Wolf whispered.

'What?', Sid asked, confused.

Wolf put her down and smiled.

'That's my name. Mary. Like the book.'

Hitting the lever, they began to drive back.

'I'll open the door for you.', Sid said, nearing the button.

Meanwhile, Wolf retreated into the mindscape.

There was no red. No storm.

Just Darkness, Mary and Bruce.

'...This is my choice. But I'm not interested in forcing anything. So... Is it just me, or are we in this together?', Mary asked, offering his paw.

'...I never wanted to hurt anyone.', Bruce grumbled, heartbroken. So full of hate for himself. 'I did all this to protect Pepin.'

'There's a student of yours there. There's Lori. Yes, WE made lots of mistakes. But maybe it's not too late! Maybe instead of wishing no one feared us, we could start not being that. Now. Together.'

Bruce didn't look at first.

Then, slowly, he stood up and turned around.

'...Let's do something right for a change.'

He shook back, and suddenly, it was like they were both in charge of the body.

And they were ready to use their powers to stop those bad men.

Inside one of the offices of the subway, the six men held the innocents as hostages, waiting for The Guardian. Adelaide, Bobby and Carlota looked horrified and tear stricken, praying for help to arrive. The Changs were a little more composed, as was Lyberti, who was getting used to this, and believed in The Guardian.

'She'll come. You'll see.', Lyberti reassured, but the men laughed. 'She better!'

'You're all real confident considering what she can do.', Lyberti mocked.

The main guy flicked a pocket knife and stabbed the wall next to Lyberti, shaking her a little bit. 'We heard about her abilities. She's impressive. But she CAN be hurt. With persistence. Plus, if what you say is true, she just fought that Wolf. How strong can she be right now?'

'As strong as I must be.'

Everyone turned from the sudden voice, not knowing where it was. Outside? No, they opened the door.

'Where...', one guy started saying, only for the a Guardian shaped hole in the roof to form, Guardian smashing through it like she was descending down from the sky like an angel.

The dust settled around her, and when everyone's eyes cleared, they saw a glowing Guardian with piercing blue eyes.

Bobby looked at her with relief. Carlota looked at her in awe. The Chang's just hoped everything would be okay. Adelaide cheered. And Lyberti?

She, as always, grinned.

'Told ya so.', she smirked. 'Happened just a week ago or so.'

'Don't remind me.', Guardian shook her head at the amount of times Lyberti had been held hostage, and she stared down all the men. 'Stand down. Now.'

'You don't order us around!', the men jeered, aiming their guns. 'For what you did to the honor of the men of "The Sha"...'

Suddenly, Guardian flew super fast, removing all the hostages to the outside.

Returning, it was just her. 'You were saying?', she asked, smirking.

The men couldn't believe this. Their leverage, removed! 'Take her down!', the main guy ordered, and so, six guns shot at her over and over and over.

They barely scraped. 'Gonna need more than that!', she posed, trying to scare them a little. But even Guardian could only take so many bullets, and one eventually made her short of breath, so she bent over. 'Dang it...', she breathed out in pain.

'Now's our chance! Take out the battering ram!', the main guy screamed, the others taking it out.

'The... The what?', Guardian asked, raising an eyebrow.

SLAM!

Guardian got yeeted through the wall, bursting through the plaster. She laid on the floor, a bit away from the civillains, who gasped in worry. Guardian stared at them, realized they were in danger, and blocked them with her hands, as the men attacked. 'If you're gonna hurt anyone, hurt me! I'm the one who can knock you back to your wombs!', she cried, smacking one so hard he went flying towards the hole in the wall.

So, a fight began, each one firing at her over and over, stabbing her with knives, kicking her. Guardian normally could take this, but she was tired and depressed, plus her endurance was lowering. She got stabbed in the right shoulder and left side, she got shot in the symbol and right knee, and they pulled at her hair and slapped her, laughing maniacally.

She took it all, all to protect the people behind her, who looked on in awe at how much she was willing to hurt for them. Every time a bullet seemed to stray towards them, she grabbed it, let it strike her instead, and now even her healing factor couldn't stop the bleeding.

'THIS is the monster we were told to fear?', they mocked, kicking her on the floor. For a moment, Guardian wanted to say yes, that this was what monsters earned...

But then...

'No. We are.'

The men looked up, their ears drowning out the cheers from the innocents thanks to the growls of the one speaking.

Bruce. Mary.

'Agent Wolf.', Agent Wolf introduced himself, lifting The Guardian up. She took his hand hesitantly at first, then with an effort to give him a chance.

'So... What say we subvert what people think for a change?', he suggested.

The Guardian responded by cracking her knuckles, glowing even harder now, looking tall, strong, different.

Herself.

'Literally yes.', she grinned, officially in heroic second wind mode.

'...Shit.', one gang member said.

It was a route. The Guardian started, clotheslining two of them onto the ground and stealing their guns, smashing them into nothing.

Agent Wolf then swiped two more of them with his tail, stealing their guns and destroying them too.

The fifth guy threw a knife at Agent Wolf but The Guardian caught it and broke it over her knee. She then bycicle kicked him away, before returning to the two grounded guys, who needed sharp elbows and knees to disorient.

Wolf's two guys got up again, but instead of hurting them massively, he used his claws to destroy their clothes and show them in their underwear. They ran off, embarrassed. Adelaide laughed, and Agent Wolf flashed a thumb's up.

Guardian, meanwhile, fought the sixth guy. Deciding to make things lighter too, she stopped him with a finger to the top, making him run at place. 'Now, for my secret superpower.', she said creepily, making him freeze.

'What?', he asked, scared.

She winked and kicked him in the balls.

As he began crying on the floor, Lyberti and Bobby laughed.

'Heh, nice move.', Agent Wolf complimented. 'Oddly non—violent, all things considered.'

'I prefer getting it done ASAP. I far prefer saving people to fighting them.', Guardian explained, smiling sightly at the comment.

'There are other methods. Having had to hold myself back as much as I do, I recommend more disorienting moves. Use your cape to blind them or throw them off, then swipe them with your legs.', he suggested, as the two guys Guardian had taken down got up again.

'Okay, here goes!', Guardian nodded, and she did just that, throwing both off with her cape, and as they lost their balance, she swiped them down onto the floor.

'Good work.', Agent Wolf said, and Guardian beamed, only to point behind him. 'Behind you, he's got a taser!'

The fifth guy did indeed have a taser, and despite how it was one of the few things that consistently hurt Guardian, she immediately leapt in front of it, taking the shock. Everyone stared again in awe at her self sacrificial nature.

Agent Wolf snapped into action immediately, however, and he ate the device, taking the electricity like it was nothing. Then, he growled, until the guy ran off.

'There's just one left, then.', Agent Wolf commented, and so, the guy who got his balls kicked got up and whipped out...

'A silver dagger!', Guardian cried, the dagger aimed right at her. Without a thought for himself, Agent Wolf ran into it, taking the stab in the chest, howling in pain.

Guardian acted quickly too, and she headbutted the guy away. 'Quick, throw me at him like you threw me at the window!', Guardian reminded Agent Wolf, and he grabbed her and threw her, her fists aimed forwards as she screamed, sending him into a wall.

'I think... That's it...', Guardian coughed out, growing frail.

Suddenly, the guy got up one last time, shakingly waving his pistol.

'It ain't... Over... Yet...', he cried out, trying to shoot. '"The Shadow" did not like what you did to his men back in Royal Woods, Guardian. You will not get away with such insolence. You will never save anyone when you are so deformed and terrifying. So says the Shadow!'

The Guardian looked at the innocents behind her, all rooting for her.

Then she turned around and knew that even if they didn't, even when now she can feel so insecure, she would and could work her butt off to be trustworthy and good.

So when he shot the bullets, she didn't take it on her weakened chest.

BLAST! BLAST! BLAST!

GULP! GULP! GULP!

She ate them.

As everyone stared in shock, Guardian took the gun from the started man and destroyed it too.

'...Tell him The Guardian says Hi.'

The man ran off, terrified, and The Guardian turned around to fall on her knees, out of breath.

Adelaide ran up to her.

'You're huge! And buff! And you eat bullets!', Adelaide informed her.

'Yeah, I know, I know...', Guardian started, only to be interrupted with a hug.

'Thank you, Ms. The Guardian!', Adelaide said sweetly, squeezing as much as she could.

'Thank you so much.', The Changs said gratefully, eyes tearing up, as Sid got out of the subway now that it was safe.

'Gracias. I really thought we were goners... I guess this hero thing works!', Carlota high fived her, while Bobby shook her hand. 'Thanks again! But, did you help Lori? She got hit a while ago!'

'I... I did.', Guardian lied, staring at all of them.

'So? Is she okay? Is Lori okay?', Lyberti asked, concerned.

Guardian smiled deeply and hugged Adelaide back.

'She is now.'

Standing up, she turned to observe Agent Wolf, who looked a bit sheepish, as Sid came up to give him a hug.

'I'm sorry about the whole stupid fight. I came here in the first place because I wanted to help you, and because I believed you could help me. Us.', Guardian explained, pointing at Lyberti and herself.

'The Raven.', Agent Wolf acknowledged, and the two girls nodded.

'The who?', Mr. Chang asked.

'Is that like an animal themed villain? We could probably do something...', Mrs. Chang tried, but Guardian shook her head with a thankful smile. 'That is LITERALLY lovely of you, but this is too dangerous. It's why I'm asking Mr. Wolf...'

'Agent Wolf. And yes. Having worked for him, unfortunately, I know how dangerous he is. What I'd give to teach him a lesson.', Agent Wolf corrected, sighing morosely. 'If only I hadn't...'

Guardian placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. 'He's manipulative. If you wanna take him down, then I believe you.'

'How?'

'...I guess sometimes you just gotta take a risk and trust someone. I know what it's like to try and do what's right and fail. Maybe we're more similar than we think.', Guardian reassured further, smiling with love.

Agent Wolf stared at her back with a feeling of gratitude, and suddenly, he began transforming into...

'Students can tend to take on their teachers attributes, at times.'

The Guardian and Lyberti gasped, as did former student Bobby. 'Mr. Fenrisulfer?!', they all gaped, hands on their faces.

'Heh. In the flesh, so to speak.', Bruce admitted, shocked at his ability to reveal his secret. 'Raven experimented on me as a kid. I've been like this ever since.'

Sid and Adelaide grabbed his hands. 'Wow! So that's your human form! No offense, but I thought your human would look cleaner!', Adelaide commented.

'Adelaide!', Sid reprimanded, but Bruce laughed it off. 'She's right. I'm a mess.'

He turned to Guardian with shining eyes. 'But I'm done with that. With running away. I... We. If we must be we, then we will make sure it's earned. Like you said. Until the dying breath.'

And so, Agent Wolf knelt down on one knee and closed his eyes. 'Agent Wolf will fight to save Royal Woods with you, The Guardian.'

Guardian smiled gratefully, and the two shook hands.

'Okay. And speaking of that, I swore to make sure no one got hurt. Let's just say today hasn't gone well in that regard. I think it's time I dealt with that little problem.', Guardian explained, looking at Agent Wolf and Lyberti.

The next morning, after the visit with The Casagrandes was finished and Bruce and Mary hugged Sid and Adelaide one last time, they, The Guardian, Lincoln and Lyberti headed home. And after a quick pitstop to get Lyberti's dad, The Guardian arrived at The Loud House with some intriguing news for Lynn Sr. and Rita.

'I know, I know, this is so crazy and out of nowhere and everything, but this is really important, Mom an... Mr. and Mrs. Loud!', Guardian explained, floating in front of the two parents outside of their house, as Bruce, Lyberti and Mr. Evans all twiddled their thumbs in uncertainty. 'The fate of the city is in jeopardy! I know what the news is saying about me, and believe me, I'm no fan of myself, but this could hurt all of us, could hurt our... Your family, could hurt...', Guardian pressed on, only for Rita to shush her.

'Ms. Guardian, if you really think your allies would be safest here, with Lori supervising, then that's fine by us! We fight for our home too!', she declared, hands on her hips.

'Yes siree! I don't know who this Raven man is and what he has to do with the mayor, but I trust you! And if our daughter trusts you, then that's the real clincher!', Lynn Sr. crowed, saluting.

Guardian struggled not to cry. 'You... You trust her that much, huh?'

'She's going through a hard time. But our daughter is strong, smart, beautiful, and kind. If she thinks you are too, then who are we to disagree?', Rita replied, Lynn Sr. nodding vehemntly.

Guardian's lips trembled, and she smiled brightly back at them. 'Thank you. I... Thank you. I won't let you down. I will die before that.'

She whispered under her breath 'Hopefully.'

She flew off, waving goodbye. Then, turning the corner, she took her costume off and pretended she had been in Vanzilla the entire time.

'Hey, guys, is everything...', she began, only for her parents to scoop her up in a hug.

'You okay, Lori?', they both asked.

And Lori, hugging back, was happily able to say...

'Yeah. I'm okay. I'm... Different. And that's okay.'

---

POST CREDITS SCENE:

Standing on top of a building that night, Guardian looked down and listened.

People were laughing, helping each other, bartering, bantering, singing, shouting, dancing, everything. They were people who could judge so much, fear so heavily, hate what they don't know, but also love so deeply.

Guardian reflected on all she had gone through the day before at Great Lakes City. Her identity issues. Her need to trust her new allies. To trust herself. Her guilt over Lincoln. Her desire to stop Raven and do something good for once.

For all those people there.

'I used to be selfish, vain, cynical. I used to be annoyed by other people.'

She stepped closer to the edge, darkness still obscuring her.

'In a way, I'm almost thankful for all the trauma and pain and self resentment.'

She stepped into the light, the moon illuminating her, her glow spreading all over.

'Because now I see how blind I was.'

Her voice grew thoughtful as she considered her enemy.

'Do you see them like I do, Raven? Do you see how your lack of faith, your desperate desire to save them blinds you? They're all complicated, loving, flawed, broken, mean, weird, wonderful people. Every single one has beauty in them, they just need to be inspired.'

With a watery smile and misty eyes, Guardian floated a bit, smiling down at all of them. 'If only they knew how loved they were... They'd never raise a fist in anger again.'

She closed her eyes, letting her depression flow through her. 'Yes. I hate myself. I still want to die at the end of this. But at least it has opened my eyes. I love all of them so much. And I will make sure they know there's a kinder way, even if, hopefully, I must die to do so.'

She opened her eyes, and stared down at the city vilgilantly, glowing, shining blue eyes staring out for any trouble, ready to be the different weird hero she was.

Until her final breath.

'So swears... The Guardian'.

---

Next time: A costume party gala, a focus on Carol, Pepin (who failed to find Wolf in this chapter) plays a part too, it's a big one that will really begin to set into motion the final third, now that Lori has her partners!