Chapter 34: Interdimensional Brain Drain


James had managed to make it through the flight sitting with Craig without any arguments. He was surprised that Craig had managed to keep his many concerns mostly to himself and just … be there for most of the flight. He was pretty sure that was the first time he could remember Craig not trying to be a therapist at the very first moment he got.

Which was honestly nice.

Of course, James slept through some of the flight, too … after the trackers were put in and the transponders were handed out, what was left of the adrenaline from all of that dropped off hard. And considering that he was still trying to catch up from all that had happened in Latveria and he'd been traveling before that … James was pretty wiped out.

The parade through the airport was the usual zoo; they went through in waves to avoid photographers that were once again ramping up for photos of James since Stark Industries had been hyping him up again after his first speedy doctorate. It helped that no one had been tipped off that he'd be there, by some miracle. But even with that lucky stroke, they still had a handful that were simply eagle-eyed and fast on the draw.

Tony had cars waiting for them, too: one for Scott, Annie, Chance, and Forge to go to Westchester; and another for James, Steve, and Craig to go to the tower. Craig had appointments to keep, after all. The photographers followed Steve and James, asking questions about Latveria that all were ignored, questions about Hydra, questions about SI and the projects James was involved in … and there were only a handful asking about why the kid had been so hard to spot in recent months, though for that, James finally broke silence.

"You just were asking about my doctorate," he said, sounding tired as he waited for Craig and Steve to get into the car. "I didn't get it in that timeline by going clubbing, guys. Come on."

The surge of questions and flashbulbs picked up considerably as James sat down and closed the door behind him - to Craig's mild amusement while Happy got them moving.

"Tony says he's got pizza on the way up," Steve said as he read the text on his phone - James had been ignoring his entirely, though he knew that wasn't going to be sustainable. "You ready to tank up or crash?"

"Yes," James said with a nod before he slouched in his seat.

"Not up for it?" Craig asked - being careful not to be explicit in what exactly he meant - the food or Tony.

"I just have a lot of work to catch up on," James said. "I wanted to get some stuff done before everything went to hell. Then, there was the tour, then things kind of snowballed, and I doubt it's going to resolve any time soon."

"We can bring you something to the lab," Steve offered - and frowned when James nodded his agreement with a soft 'thanks'.

Yet, when they got to the tower, James barely acknowledged the rush of information from Tony and Jan before he picked up Morticia, who had come to see him with a purr, snagged a slice, and slipped into his lab. Now that he was in one of the few places he considered safe, he really just needed a minute to breathe.

He was a little surprised when Morticia didn't try to scam some of his food, but the truth was, he was glad to have the little cat being friendly; it was the complete opposite of every dog Clint had that couldn't seem to help themselves from begging or stealing food all the time. The purring was a little reassuring, too.

As soon as he was done with his food, he stretched out a little on the couch, and Morticia curled up on his chest. Within just a few minutes, James was falling asleep…

Only to wake up to Morticia growling low and hissing with a tone he'd never heard from the usually friendly cat. He opened his eyes with the scent of brimstone an instant before Morticia jumped off of him. "Mia?" James mumbled, then swore when Azazel spoke up.

"Close. Very close."

James didn't know what to say or how to even start. He was just too used to an all-out brawl on sight with this guy, but whatever he was doing now, it wasn't that.

"It took you long enough to get here," Azazel said, positively stopping anything James might have said otherwise.

For what had to have been far too long, James held his breath, unsure of what to do or how to move forward until he heard his mother's voice over his shoulder. "Play along," she said, and James saw out of the corner of his eye how intensely she was glaring at Azazel. "He must have tried to command you here. Probably to gather what you need to make that stupid machine."

James was on his feet, though he didn't make a move as he watched Azazel stroll to his workbench. And surprisingly enough, the guy rifled around until he found a piece of paper. "I'm sure you won't be able to move everything needed on your own. This place will work for now to begin," Azazel said before he looked up at James with a studious expression.

James, for his part, simply held steady - which seemed to be the right play when Azazel started to smile.

"Normally, this would be where I tell you to simply make me what I want," Azazel said, smiling wider as it went on. "However, pure drive likely won't be enough, considering what I require."

"Which is …" James said slowly, confused as to what was even happening.

"You will build me my machine," Azazel said and James stiffened up on hearing it. "But … instead of forcing you with magic, which would inhibit what seems to be a fairly clever mind, I will do as your previous master did and simply hold those you love most as ransom."

James opened his mouth to argue, but Azazel cut across him.

"You manipulated those that you care for in Sinister's service, so I know you are fully capable of doing as you're told without too heavy a hand. They are all still reeling from your betrayal, pet."

"He's exaggerating," K said over James's shoulder, but it was a blow all the same.

Azazel was slowly making his way down the bench, examining several projects as he did so. "The machine you create for me will be portable. At least as powerful as the magician's prototype. And self-powered. You can do that much, can't you?"

"Lie," K growled out.

James lightly shook his head. "Two out of three, but not all three."

Azazel stopped and looked up at him, his eyes flashing. "Then you will recruit your mentor to make it possible. I know perfectly well that between the two of you, there are no limits, and I'll not have your little group interfering."

"Just agree to make him leave," K said. "He's got someone following him while I stay with you."

James held his gaze, every cell of him stubbornly refusing to agree, which seemed to have Azazel looking more and more irritated as his eyes flashed. Until James finally looked away and nodded once.

"Excellent," Azazel said. "I'm sure I don't need to draw out what fate will befall those you love should you fail me." He waited for James to silently shake his head 'no' before, with a laugh, he disappeared in a swirl of sulfur.

As soon as he was gone, James let out a growl and headed right for Tony's lab. He needed that anti-teleportation device tiny and functional. And they needed to talk. Now.


"Mind if I join you?"

Kate looked up to see Billy smiling at her, and she shrugged, gesturing to a spot in the long, gray rock she had been sitting on to watch Nate swimming around with David. America and Rachel were in an intense beach volleyball tournament close by, and Wanda was sitting cross-legged as she worked on something that Billy wasn't allowed to look at until he could purge himself of his blood tie.

"How's the Powerless Prince?" she teased him lightly.

"Not so powerless lately," Billy said with a smile as he sat down by her but not next to her.

"Haven't seen you casting any spells."

"I'm saving up my power so I have enough to break the blood tie."

"So you're currently without your power, which makes you…"

Billy laughed and leaned back on his elbows. "Shut up, Kate."

"Just call it like I see it," she shot back, grinning over at him.

Billy smirked at that, watching the waves for a while before he had to ask: "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Kate."

Kate blew out her breath through her cheeks. "It's stupid."

"Whatever it is, I promise it's not."

"It is, though." Kate sat up better, and Billy followed her. "It's…" She sighed. "Last time, with Viper, as screwed up as it was, as much as I know it was part of the programming, he never touched me like that. He…" She trailed off. "He was always there after to take care of me. Clean me up. And even after everything Rachel did to help us clean out our heads, I still trusted him. How stupid is that?"

"Not stupid," Billy promised, watching Kate openly. She hadn't talked to him about what had happened; she hadn't talked to anyone. "I remember how it was. I don't blame you for clinging onto any safety you could find."

Kate gave him a tight smile and then immediately looked away and out toward the water. "I just feel so betrayed. And I feel stupid for feeling betrayed."

Billy nodded, putting his head on his knees. "It's not stupid," he said, not sure what else he could say.

"Sure." They stayed there for a while before Kate cleared her throat. "Check-in's soon, right?"

"Yeah, 'bout ten minutes."

"Think we'll get good news?"

"Yeah."

Kate raised one eyebrow his way. "Optimist," she teased him affectionately.

"I have to be. I'm getting married to the biggest trouble magnet in the world."

"You're the third-biggest after me, so it's not like he's not marrying into trouble too," Kate pointed out.

Billy chuckled under his breath. "Yeah, well, you might fall down the rankings soon. You've had Hydra troubles your whole life, right?"

"Literally from birth. My birth parents were tied up in it, turns out," Kate said dryly.

"Well…" Billy tipped his head toward his mom. "As soon as we're done with this demon stuff, Mom's bound and determined to wish Hydra into oblivion."

Kate took a beat too long for her own liking to smile, but she'd been working with Rachel and dismissed the knee-jerk reaction to defend Hydra, knowing where it came from. "Good," she said and felt her own personal reaction as a smile. Then, desperate for a change of conversation, she said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, always."

"Is it making things worse for you to be around David this much? I mean, it's kind of an open secret that you're barely holding back wishing yourself some kids for you and James…"

Billy turned bright red and opened and closed his mouth a few times as he tried to come up with a response before he settled on a quiet, "I'm… not that obvious, am I?"

"Billy, you couldn't be more obvious," Kate said dryly. When she saw Billy turning redder, she quickly said, "Look, it's not a bad thing. Nate and I knew we wanted to get married and have kids early too. I mean, it helps that we decided college wasn't for us, so our timeline was different…" She trailed off. "This isn't helping, is it?"

"Not really." He smiled tiredly. "But, for the record, it's not like I just can't be around David or anything. I like him. And Chance is sweet. It's just…" He gestured broadly with both hands. "Seeing James with them… or seeing those milestones and big discoveries… basically, sometimes I catch myself daydreaming, and that's feeding the spell that already exists."

"Already exists?" Kate repeated, both eyebrows high.

"Yeah. But I… I can usually handle it. And James gets me redirected if he thinks I'm losing my grip. Mom too."

"Geez. I'm so sorry, Billy."

"Kate, I promise it's fine," he said, reaching out to her and then remembering himself and pulling his hand back. She frowned down at his hand and hated how careful her friends were around her, but neither of them said anything about it. "I'm not actually sorry about it. I think it's a good wish, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think it's adorable."

"So, yeah, I'm not that sorry," Billy said, shrugging both shoulders high. "And for the record, I love David."

"Oh good. I'm pretty sure he adores you."

They sat there and watched Rachel and America finish their game, and Rachel came their way as America opened up the star portal to begin the check-in.

"You two look comfy," Rachel said, sitting down on Billy's other side.

"Always," Kate said without missing a beat. "What was the final score?"

"That's not important."

"Lost again?"

"Maybe." Rachel smirked, though she sat up straighter when she saw that America wasn't just chatting with Scott for their check-in. Someone else was coming through. "Oh, that's interesting."

Kate sat up straighter. "What's interesting?"

Rachel tipped her head toward the portal. "See for yourself."

Sure enough, as they were talking, the girls watched several people step through the portal. Forge led the way and had a bag slung over his shoulder, so he looked like he was staying. But almost everyone in Miles and Kamala's group also stepped through - without bags.

Kate was too curious to wait for Rachel to explain it, so she slid down to where everyone was gathering and raised her hand to wave to the group. "So, what's with the invasion?" she joked.

"Oh, hi!" Kamala said brightly with a wave. "We're just passing through … I guess we need some kind of magical anti-demon enchantment? But we can't stay. Not all of us are done with college, you know."

"I've got it," Wanda said, pulling Miles aside first so she could start to work through the group - and check on them herself to make sure they were okay.

"I guess I'm just surprised you guys are in his sights at all," Billy said, looking past them and visibly disappointed not to see James there, even if he understood why James would keep away from them.

"The way I understand it, it's precautionary?" Bruno said. "Might even be classified as overkill, but I was told there was a credible threat, and someone wanted to safeguard everyone who might even possibly be a target."

"Knowing who's on the other side, I feel like I'm not surprised," Billy said.

"Right - he said to give you and Kate this," Kamala said, holding up a bag.

"Gimmie," Kate said, beaming and making grabby hands.

"Enjoy!" Kamala sang out. "There are notes, too, so … just like junior high school. If you … disregard the different dimension and … you know … demon stuff."

"Does it say to check yes or no, Billy?" Kate sang out, and Billy stuck his tongue out at her as he unfolded the note.

"Sure does," he said before he'd even read it. But then, he smirked to himself as he did read it. His brother and his boyfriend were protected from Azazel because of the spells he'd managed to put on both of them.

Oh, and there was a lot of chocolate for him and Kate to share.

He tossed the chocolate to Kate and grinned at her as she caught it. "Half's for you. I'm keeping all the caramel ones, though."

Kamala was near-giggling as she skipped over to Wanda for her turn, grinning brightly the whole way. "I take it things are going well?" she asked her once she was close enough.

"Very," Wanda said, smiling at her as they sat down together. "You have finals this week, right? You're close to done, aren't you?"

"I do; it's so exciting," Kamala said, still smiling. "I've got a good feeling about most of it, and the stuff I'm not sure about … I'm working on."

"Good," Wanda said, smiling as she took Kamala's hand and worked her magic, concentrating long enough to know it would stick - and weaving a scan underneath it to double-check that there was no existing influence.

Kamala bit her lip as she watched Wanda, trying not to fidget or bounce her foot until she was sure Wanda was done. "So, we're not supposed to actually intervene with anything unless it's like … a super big deal? At least, that's what Iron Man and Cap were saying … so, how necessary is all of this, or is it really just overkill?" She laughed nervously. "I mean, I get it. Demons. But still, that's not … we should be okay, right?"

"You should definitely be okay," Wanda said. "But I won't lie to you and tell you it's not a big deal."

"Yeah, I guess the whole … breaking into a different dimension is the tip off that it's not just your usual run of the mill X-Men stuff, right?"

Wanda chuckled under her breath. "No, it's not, sadly."

"Cool, cool, that's … totally what I thought. Just wanted to double check. Thank you, by the way."

Wanda had hold of her hand to work her spell, so she squeezed it gently before she let it go. "Even if you do come across this demon, you have such good backup," she promised. "He won't be able to control you, and that's the most important part."

"Oh, good," she said, then looked both ways before she handed Wanda a note too. "I was told you should be well-informed."

Wanda discreetly pocketed the note to read out of view of her son and nodded. "Thank you," she said softly.

"So, hopefully, this will all get over and done soon, right? I mean … you guys are definitely making progress, aren't you?"

"I have a plan, and as soon as Billy has enough power to help me with it… yes, we're making progress," Wanda said, smirking to herself.

Kamala smiled brightly. "Good. Because … good. We're all hoping you guys get it all figured out sooner than later."

"To be honest? So are we. I was enjoying the peace we all earned after tearing through the department, and I'm quite annoyed that it was broken again."

"The way everyone's dealing with the bad guys? Shouldn't be too many that can give us a real fight unless they start multiplying. But like … all the big bads I know of are not doing too well right now."

"Are you alright with that?" Wanda asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh, totally," Kamala said, nodding her head. "I mean, if we can keep things to smaller scale, I would not be mad."

"I only ask because Jan has gushed to me about how persuasive you can be - and gushed about your nonviolent approach to superheroes," Wanda said, knowing the compliments needed to be heard beyond the circle of older heroes.

Kamala blushed. "Awww, I mean … she's so cool! And we've learned so much since we joined up with everyone, but like … every time we turn around, it's some huge, world-threatening thing. I'm totally cool with going back to friendly neighborhood heroics if that's what needs doing."

"It always needs doing, and I think we sometimes forget that when we're dealing with big, world-threatening things," Wanda agreed. She nodded to herself and then got to her feet, helping Kamala up as well. "Thank you for playing delivery girl," she said in a teasing whisper.

"No problem," she said, once again bouncing on her toes before she darted in to wrap Wanda up in a hug. "Thank you, really. My parents will definitely feel better about all of this if they know I have a little extra help. You're so awesome."

Wanda pulled her tighter, smiling into the hug. "I know how worried I am for my boys with a demon on the loose. Tell your parents I put the X-Men under my protection. You'll be safe as long as I draw breath."

"Seriously, so awesome."

"So… I hate to break things up, but…" Bruno gestured over his shoulder toward the portal. "We gotta get going, right?"

"Yeah, for sure," Kamala said, stealing one more squeeze before she stepped back, awkwardly waved, and then skipped over to her friends.

Once the kids were through, Tommy poked his head through the portal. "Okay, everyone gone?" he asked, mostly to himself, before he broke into a grin. "Keep it open for, like, a few more seconds, okay?"

"Are you staying?" Wanda asked.

"Nope, but I have a delivery for you," Tommy said, his grin widening, somehow, before he took off - and reappeared seconds later with Tony, who still had shampoo in his hair, was completely naked, and was swearing by the time they skidded to a stop. "Here ya go, Grandpa Tony. No suit, no nothin. Just relaxing. Have fun!"

"What the f-" Tony started, though the portal closed before he could fully even realize where he was. "Tommy! What …?"

Wanda was laughing by the time the portal closed behind Tommy. "Welcome to our little paradise," she said, magicking up a towel for Tony.

"Paradise?" Tony challenged. "Got sand in places sand was never supposed to be and you're going to call it paradise?"

"It's got me in it, so it's gotta be," Kate said, beaming over at him just because she knew he couldn't argue that.

Tony looked down at himself with a concentrated look of irritation. "Really? You just thought a towel would do the trick? I was busy."

"You can go finish your shower in the bungalow," Rachel said, pointing him the right way.

He was still plainly irritated as he headed off the direction Rachel had pointed. "No good reason to send me…"

Wanda was still chuckling as she unfolded the paper Kamala had given her, but by the time Tony, now at least rinsed off and clad in shorts, came back out to join the group, she'd read James' account. Suddenly, exactly who had been sent through made perfect sense.

"I suppose I should be grateful that the Summers kid over-packs," Tony said as he dropped down next to her.

"You should be grateful James looks out for you," she said, handing him the note so he could see what kind of target had been painted on his chest.

Tony took the note, and the further he got into it, the less severe his expression became. "He could have said something to me …"

"It's possible you were being watched," Wanda pointed out.

"He's not supposed to be watching my back like this," Tony said. "It's supposed to be the other way around."

"Pretty soon, he'll be helping you pick out an assisted living center," she couldn't help but tease him - because he looked so indignant. "Grandpa Tony."

"Oh, shut up," Tony grumbled, looking out over the water with her.

"I do apologize for Tommy. He could have at least grabbed clothes for you."

"Now, why would he do that?" Tony challenged.

"No idea. But I thought I'd give you some consolation," Wanda teased him. She leaned back as she watched the waves. "Besides, this might be good for you. When was the last time you took a break that wasn't medically mandated after that heart attack?"

"Well if you're going to put restrictions on it…"

"And that's probably exactly why Tommy pulled what he did," Wanda pointed out. "You know he looks up to you, don't you?"

"I thought that was a passing thing," Tony said with a little shrug.

"Apparently not."

Tony refolded the note and handed it back to Wanda. "You know, the rate he's going, those two will have everyone who's not magically protected hidden away here while they team up on the creep."

"I wouldn't complain. Tommy's only recently realized James doesn't hate him; it could be good for them," Wanda said easily. "Especially since James is marrying into the family soon."

"Are you a fortune teller now, or did you hear about a proposal I didn't?"

"Tony, it's happening," Wanda said. She pointed with her chin toward Billy. "Tell me it isn't."

"Sure, but still. It's not in place until it's in place."

"Sure." Wanda sat with him for a moment longer before she said, "Kate's doing better."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it," Tony said. "She sure as hell didn't deserve the crap she got dealt."

"No, she didn't," Wanda said, something familiar flashing in her eyes.

"Ooh, that? That look right there?" Tony said as he got to his feet and offered Wanda his hand to pull her up, too. "That look is probably why my boy is insistent on following your legal restrictions to the letter."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Wanda said, though she was smiling as she let him pull her upright.

"Yes, you do," Tony said with a crooked smile.

"Then I won't tell you what I have planned until I know I can do it properly - is that better?"

"You know he's been conversing with his mother, right?" Tony said. "He told me that much."

"More than just his mother," Wanda said.

"Yeah, but she's the most constant now." He couldn't help but tease a little. "You can't tell me there isn't a little bit of picking happening with all of this. You know she'd advise him to take his time."

"She would." Wanda looked toward Billy, who was eating chocolate with Kate. She let out her breath. "At any rate, I have a fitting punishment in mind for Hydra when I get back."

"Great," Tony said as they started to walk down the beach. "You can be the one to tell Cap he's permanently retired. Help him pick out his assisted living facility. I'll help him pick the nurse."

Wanda chuckled outright. "I'll leave that to your discerning eye," she agreed.

"He'll be a big, seven-foot-tall Russian," Tony teased. "Or she will. Haven't quite narrowed it down that far."

"Oh, obviously," Wanda laughed. "Bonus points if they are wearing Captain America merchandise."

"Just a little lapel pin," Tony said with one eye closed.

Wanda smiled at that. By that time, they had walked a ways away from the kids. "Do you think about it sometimes?" she asked. "Retiring, I mean."

"Why do you think I've got the kid set up to step in?" Tony replied. "I've had it figured out. Just need him to be ready to take over." He held one hand out in front of himself. "I can almost see the finish line."

"He's ready; he just doesn't think he is," Wanda told him with a warm smile.

"He doesn't want to do it without me backing him," Tony agreed. "That's why it's set up in stages. Won't be all at once unless I drop dead."

"And please don't do that."

"Hey, you're the one that said I needed assisted living."

"You do," she teased him.

"If by assisted, you mean assisted by Jan and James, then yes."

"Obviously." She smiled. "Besides, you'll have to share James with me. When I retire, he'll be married to a king. Have you considered that in your plans for your company?"

Tony nodded. "I have, actually. The headquarters will be where he says it is. Already have things worked around so that if our CEO ends up moving overseas, it won't nuke the contracts. As long as he keeps his citizenship."

"I should have known you had it all worked out." Wanda smiled.

"I'm honestly waiting to see how that part works out," Tony said. "He's already got American and Canadian. How does that shake out with Genosha?"

"Under my father's laws, Genoshan citizenship is automatically granted to any mutant who arrives on the shores. I haven't changed that."

"No need to renounce anything?" Tony asked, honestly curious.

"No." Wanda smiled softly. "As far as my father strayed from his path, he never asked anyone to renounce other parts of who they were. His own past was so important to him."

Tony smirked and put his arm around her shoulders. "You know, we always worked well together anyhow, didn't we?"

"That's definitely how I remember it," she agreed, smiling more deeply.

"These kids - all of them - they're already changing the world."

"They are," Wanda agreed, looking back down the beach toward them. "You should hear the stories I hear when new mutants arrive to Genosha. They've inspired so many people."

"Not surprised."

"The public backlash against MIT has helped several mutants fight against professors who pulled their grades down for who they were, for example," Wanda said.

"Considering a lot of that was constructed by Hydra and others, they're lucky that's all that's happened to them." Tony was on the edge of scowling - still a touchy subject when it came to how MIT had handled things.

"Yes, well, I'm still proud of how he's advocated for others in his same situation," Wanda said. "And your goddaughter gets the world to listen when she insists on mutant-human relations being normalized. You did good with both of them, I hope you know."

"And your boys blew a lot of the damage Magneto did out the window with the general public. Almost like someone read them Xavier's papers for bedtime stories."

"Vision always read them stories ahead of their comprehension; we're lucky it sank in," Wanda teased.

"I don't know, way I understand it, they're both geniuses."

"They really are," Wanda said. "You should see Tommy and Forge put their heads together."

"I have. Thought it best to back away slowly and not to interrupt their flow."

"Probably smart." Wanda laughed. "And that group that came in with Kamala… every last one of them, I've seen them on the news at one point or another saving people on the street. Being heroes while we're all wrecks of ourselves."

"Yeah, James has thoughts on them," Tony said. "He outlined what to do to help them in the company if he didn't make it through that whole … problematic Christmas."

"That's your influence," she said like an accusation.

"Thinking of his friends and the company? Probably."

She shook her head at him and then gestured to an outcropping that almost all of them had used since arriving there to sit and watch the waves without getting sandy. "Join me? Or did you want to go for a swim?"

"I just took a shower. In two different dimensions. I think I'm fine to stick with you for now."

Wanda smirked - and a snap of her fingers later, Tony was in the water. "Live a little!" she called out to him.

"Really?" Tony shouted as soon as he'd emerged from the water - once again sopping wet.

Wanda simply pointed over her shoulder at Billy and Kate, who were bent over laughing. "Not sorry."

"Not yet," Tony said, stalking toward her with a scowl. As soon as he stopped, he looked up at her, shaking his head - and then lunged to wrap her up in a soaking wet hug.

And across the beach, Kate and Billy were still giggling. "Okay, Tommy's brilliant," Billy said through his giggles.

"How long do you give Tony before he comes unglued from lack of access to technology?" Kate said - and stole a caramel chocolate while Billy was giggling.

"I mean, depends," Billy said. "How often does he get to hold David?"

"Touche."

Billy smiled as he watched Wanda and Tony for a while longer before he snatched the caramel chocolate back from Kate. "Think the fact that we're getting more people here is a bad sign for how it's going on the other side?"

Kate shook her head. "Nah. I think everyone would be more stressed if that was the case," she said. "And Rachel and Nate wouldn't have a poker face about it if their brother was in even more trouble than he already is, you know? The second they pulled that from someone's head…"

"If they knew it, you mean," Billy pointed out. "It's not like he was really open about the Sinister stuff for ages."

"He still feels rotten about that, you know."

"I know."

Kate unwrapped another chocolate. "I have a weird question."

"Does it require a weird answer?"

"Maybe." She grinned his way, obviously about to stir up trouble. "Do you think time is passing differently while we're in here? And if so, does that mean you're going to hit 21 faster or slower?"

"What."

"I mean, how many extra days are we adding to your daisy chain countdown to when you can get married?" Kate asked.

"Oh my God, Kate-" Billy covered his eyes with both hands. "That isn't helping."

Kate drew a pretend halo over her head. "Just asking."

"That halo's being held up by horns."

"Lies."

"If that was the case, we would have to work some kind of math to go with all the weird time he felt was longer in Heaven, so i'm going to have to say probably not."

"Oh, good point. Is he twenty-one already? Can't he propose now?" Kate asked, grinning wider with every word.

"Probably? Shut up!"

"I've never seen you turn that red," Kate said delightedly.

"Why do you hate me so much, Kate?" Billy said, rolling his eyes.

"What? Lies. I love you. You're my favorite," Kate said, batting her eyelashes.

"Favorite what?"

"That is an excellent question, and when I let you know the answer, I'll send it to you in five to ten business days," Kate said primly. She let her shoulders drop a bit. "Seriously, though, it's May back home. That's, what, half a year until he's twenty-one?"

"Yeah, but he wants to wait like the stupid law says, so I need to be old enough, too."

"He's totally proposing on your birthday."

"Right. After I get to watch him head off with Tony for months in three-piece suits being charming on camera."

"You know, you're done with classes… nothing says you can't be his plus-one to some business parties…"

"Like anyone would try to stop me."

"Oooh, I love when you do that," Kate laughed. "My favorite godling, that's what you are."

He gave her a dry look for as long as he could hold it before he let out a snort of a laugh. "Okay, Kate."

"Love you," she said with her sweetest, most sincere smile.


James was working in his lab once again, taking the time to put in an effort - if nothing else, then to have something to show if Azazel came sniffing around again. And he was sure that was simply a matter of time. He was keeping himself busy - driving, the lab, working out in Westchester, and more often than not, failing utterly at sleep or anything like it.

As a result, the veil was incredibly thin to James, and he could easily see those around him as they came closer to him or backed away, passing through planes as if they were stepping through curtains - shimmering into view as they pleased.

Noh was nearby - as he often was while James was working, interested in what James was doing while also keeping a watchful eye to be sure that Billy's spell was holding and that James didn't actually create the device Azazel was demanding.

But James was trying hard not to interact with Noh in particular. He felt off about everything … especially since all of this was placing Mia in the crosshairs, and James … he couldn't live with himself if he did something that got Mia killed. Especially after he'd had what felt now like an affair while he was in Heaven. It wasn't the case, strictly speaking, but that didn't change how he felt when he knew Noh was close by. And the things he said were things that Mia needed to hear. From Noh.

The sound of a teleport interrupted James's thought process, and for a moment, he froze, holding his breath as he waited to catch the rest of that scent signature.

Ozone and florals, James thought to himself at the same moment that Mia spoke up with a shy, but friendly "Am I interrupting? Because I can go-"

"You're never interrupting," James said as he set his tools down, reached over to turn on the new anti-teleportation device, and then turned to pull her into a hug. "Are you okay? Or is this official business?"

"I'm fine, James," she said, almost rolling her eyes - though she knew how hard he was taking all of this simply by how many on their side he'd insisted leave … including her dad. "I'm sticking closer to home for a while, though. Classes are out …"

"Yeah, I'm glad you're enjoying Genosha," he said as he let her out of the hug. It was one of the first times they had to themselves since … well, Latveria for sure, and he felt like they hadn't been alone since well before then. And he felt so guilty. "I'm sorry home is missing so much, too."

Mia let her shoulders drop as she watched his body language. "Are we going to be okay? You and I?"

"I sure as hell hope so," James said thickly, and Mia smiled as she shook her head.

"I know we'll be fine as far as this whole mess with Heaven and Hell. I mean … are we going to be okay?" She bit her lip as he looked up at her with a perfectly open expression. "My grandfather has been whispering all sorts of hateful things in my ear about who is actually there for me - and though I know it's a lie, I also know that you and me? We have to clear the air before it's just too little, too late." He looked like he wanted to speak up, and Mia held up her hands in front of herself. "Please don't apologize again for whatever happened in Heaven. I know you never would have … I get it. I just … don't want that hanging over your head for forever."

James smirked, but there was no humor in his expression. "You're afraid I'm going to die again, aren't you?"

"No - well, yes, but not … that's not why."

"Good, because I don't think I could try that again anyhow." He sighed heavily. "I really wasn't coping well-"

"Yeah, I know. You were miserable. Of course you were. You know how I know? Because I was miserable when I broke up with Tommy - only you didn't break up with Billy. You died, okay? But you had a cute alien who already knew how to shut you up and disarm you by telling you everything that all of us have said before. He just hit you when you couldn't argue any of it. Of course you did." She shrugged lightly. "I … kinda did too. But I had him here for real, and for a lot longer than you. And I was actually falling for him."

Mia let the statement hang in the air for a moment before she took the handful of steps closer to wrap him up in a tight bear hug that he returned instantly. "I know you would never do that to me in life. And I don't think you'd do that in death again, either."

"Absolutely not," James agreed, snuggling her tighter.

"And I know you wouldn't have done anything with him had you known you were coming back."

James half laughed at that. "It's kind of obvious, isn't it?"

Mia giggled, then looked up as she loosened her grip. "I don't want to know any details about what you're doing to fight my grandfather, but just … promise me you're going to go ahead and marry your prince. Soon."

"That is the plan," James agreed, relaxing more from that little chat than he had in far too long. "What about you?"

"Oh, mine's skittish. Yours is just waiting for the green light."

"No kidding?" James said, sounding mystified.

"Just tell me you're not waiting for this garbage with my grandfather to be over before you make a move."

"No, just … gotta be old enough. Both of us."

Mia let out a sound of disbelief as she rolled her eyes. "That's so ridiculous. You can ask him unofficially."

"Yeah … I've thought about that, too." James shrugged lightly. "I just want to do it right."

"What is there that you could possibly mess up?" Mia teased. "You love him - he loves you … it's simply a matter of bookkeeping, isn't it?"

"I mean … you're not wrong, but I don't want to take it for granted."

Mia laughed outright. "James. Since when do you take things for granted?"

"I am working on it," James promised before he tossed her a few menus. "Why don't you pick our takeout? It's been a long time since we did that, too. Unless … you have a date with Tommy?"

"I do, but not until later," she said with a smile. "So … we can talk about our princes, or we can just catch up."

"Yes," James agreed as he took a seat next to her. "Whatever you want. I've missed you."