Stanley Asked for help: his family
Sunday (day 14)
Alex and Handwitch were driving through the under-highway back from the casino. Stan's friend had come through, and they now had everything they needed to operate the casino. It took most of the day and 50 gnomes, but they had moved it all into the now fully refurbished and renovated complex.
The Molemen had even finished making the underground entrance. The end product was a carving of a door on a solid wall, indirectly designed to be reminiscent of the one to the Mines of Morea from Lord of the Rings. When you moved towards it, the wall would receive around you, making a passageway you could walk through with a foot clearance around you. After you pass through, the wall will seem to reform behind you. Alex had tried it a few times, found it enjoyable, and worked no matter his form.
While doing that, the Molemen also expanded the tree stairway to allow more giant beings to use it. Leaderure of the Manotaurs couldn't use it, but the other Manotaurs would be able to. They had also added a tree-based elevator next to it for those who couldn't use stairs, just in case.
They only had to place all the equipment on the floor in the optimal locations and hire the staff. Based on how many were chomping at the bit to get jobs there and the research Stan had provided on how to optimize casinos, Alex estimated they would be able to open next Saturday.
All in all, Alex was feeling great! He was even considering trying out leading a tour tomorrow. Since it was a Monday, the crowds would be light enough that he wouldn't be overwhelmed. He would have to run it by Stan, but he had been encouraging Alex to try socializing more, with this being a suggestion for a while.
HAndwitch then slowed the cart before moving onto the newest addition to the under-highway. Alex looked up at the sign and smiled.
"STANLEY'S HOUSE: LAB ENTRANCE."
The second the movement found out that there was an underground lab deep enough to build a station right into it, they didn't waste any time doing so. This way, they wouldn't need to expose themselves to the surface more than necessary, and they could retire the tunnels near the dreaded "HOLE 114." They had already begun moving the tunnels around to expand the exclusion zone.
"Come on, Alex! Stan said he was going to introduce you to barbequed hot dogs tonight, and I don't want to miss it!"
He smiled at his friend's enthusiasm and followed her to the door.
It was disguised to look like part of the rest of the wall. Stan said it would be ok if it looked like a normal door, but the movements were insistent on it.
"What's the point of being a secret society under the nose of humans if we can't have fun with it?"
Neither Alex nor Stan could argue with that. Having a hidden door in a secret lab to a hidden subway network was cool.
"Would you do the honors, Alex?"
Alex smiled and bowed like a gentleman towards Handwitch. "It would be my pleasure, my lady."
The two then began to giggle as Alex reached over to the lever.
"I am so glad you also like the 'Black and White Period Piece Old Lady Boring Movie Channel.' It is so hard to find people to watch it with me."
With a pull of the lever, a 4-by-8 section in front of them began to rise.
"Hay, I find the character interactions to be incredibly-"
"WHAT ARE THOSE?"
Alex and Handwitch then realize that they aren't alone in the lab. Handwitch saw three people they had never seen before standing near the entrance to the control room.
"Who are you?"
Alex ignored them after noticing they were there; he was too busy locking onto Stanley, who curled up on the floor. Alex recognized what it was as soon as he saw it.
Stan was having a panic attack.
He immediately rushed to him, trusting Handwitch to deal with those strangers. When he got close to Stan, he knelt near him and tried to get Stan's attention.
"Stanley?"
Stanley didn't react to the voice, continuing to rock back and forth with his eyes clamped shut.
"Stanley? It's Alex. Can you tell me what is going on?"
At that, Alex heard something from his panicking friend.
"My family hates me."
Alex froze at that and turned to take another look at the people in the room. The family resemblance was obvious now that he was paying attention to them. Both Stan had their father's nose, and his brother was a dead ringer for an older version of the Pine twins.
He began to feel rage bellow inside of him.
How DARE they make Stanley feel this way! He had done nothing but try and make up for Ford's mistakes since he came here! He wanted nothing more than to take the most intimidating form he could, march right up to those jerks, and give them a piece of his mind!
Stan then began to whimper, a tear dripping from his eye to the floor.
Alex felt his anger dissipate at that. Vengeance could wait; Stan needed him.
He sighed and sat down next to him.
"I don't know anything about your family beyond Ford, but who cares what they think?"
Stan murmured a quiet response to that statement.
"I destroy everything I touch."
Alex gave a small half-laugh at that. "I just returned from a casino being rebuilt to a thriving business that both say otherwise."
"It's my fault Ford is gone."
"You didn't build a portal that could be turned on by accident in the middle of a fight. Ford also could have just torn out the instructions for the portal and burned them. He is just as much responsible, if not more."
"No one cares about me."
"Handwitch still wants to be around you despite you constantly shutting her flirting down. My support group enjoys spending time with you, and the closer you bring insights into Ford's actions. Despite knowing your past, Anna will let her daughter spend time with you. Mary goes out of her way to spend time with you daily and will talk about you and the Mystery Shack for hours if given the chance.
"And then there's me. Your brother saw me as a pet, and McGucket saw me as a monster. Even Handwitch treated me like one at first. But you, you gave me a chance despite me trying to trick you and then threatening to eat you when we first met. You helped me with a name, freed me from the dark, and you continue to help me with the light. You support me unconditionally, no matter how badly I stumble or mess things up."
Alex looked down at his own fidgeting hands.
"You are the best thing that ever happened to me and the best family a guy could ask for."
Alex was quiet, beginning to realize what he just said.
"Family?"
Alex looked over to see that Stan had calmed down enough to turn and face him with a tear-stained face.
"You think I'm family?"
Well, in for a penny.
"Yes, Stan. I know you might not feel the same way about a random shapeshifter, but-"
Alex was silenced by the arms of a grown man being thrown around him and hugging him tight. Eventually, he returned it with one of his own.
The two stayed like that until Handwtich walked over.
"Hay, is everything ok here?"
Stan calmed down enough to untangle himself from his- whatever he and Alex were now.
"Yeah, I'm feeling better. Where are my folks and Shermie?"
Flashback
Alex and Handwitch then realize that they aren't alone in the lab. Handwitch saw three people they had never seen before standing near the entrance to the control room.
"Who are you?"
Handwitch then saw Stanley collapsed on the floor. She was about to go to him but noticed that Alex was already doing that.
Ok, it looks like it was the intruders for her.
She snapped her hands and summoned dozens of her minions to surround the three people.
Three very familiar people.
She hadn't seen pictures of them, and Stan didn't talk about them much, but she knew enough that these were probably Stan's parents and older brother.
With a quick whistle, she halted the advance of her forces and walked forward herself.
"I'm guessing your Stanley's parents and older brother. Can you tell me what happened to Stanley?"
The mother and son hugged each other while the father was frozen in shock at the front.
"You're the Handwitch."
Handwitch nodded. "Yes, I am; now tell me, what happened to Stanley?"
The man then turned to look at Alex with Stanley.
"That's the shapeshifter."
Handwitch rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's Alex, the shapeshifter, with Stanley, the human, behind my army of severed hands. Can we skip to the part where someone tells me what is happening?"
The lady then spoke up.
"Stanley was telling the truth?"
Handwitch just shrugged at that. "I just got here, so I have no idea what he said."
She and her son stood together as horror grew on their faces, slowly morphing into rage.
"HE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH!"
Suddenly, the two converged on Filbrock and began punching him repeatedly. Filbrock didn't even attempt to defend himself as he was shoved to the floor and kicked by his wife and son.
"You bastard! You said he killed Ford! He told you he didn't!"
"This is the last straw! You said he wasn't your son! Well, I am no longer your wife!"
Handwitch had trouble explaining what the two angry people were yelling as they kicked him, but she heard enough to get the gist of what happened.
The only thing that kept her hands from ripping the man to pieces was that his own family was doing a better job than she could.
And if anyone had the right to kill him and throw him into the bottomless pit, it would be Stan.
She let the agony of a terrible father calm her before she turned around and headed to Stan and Alex. Luckily, it looked like the two were hugging and feeling better.
"Hay, is everything ok here?"
Stan calmed down enough to let go of his son. The two might not have realized their relationship yet, but it was plain to see if you looked.
"Yeah, I'm feeling better. Where are my folks and Shermie?"
Handwitch smiled as she pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the grown man being beaten up by his wife and son. Stan looked at it and got a predatory grin.
"Can you two wait here for a bit? I want a piece of that."
The two stepped to the side and let Stan walk over to his Pa.
No, he made it clear that Stan wasn't his son anymore. If that were the case, he wouldn't call the Filbrock his Pa anymore.
When Stan got there, his Ma and Shermie stopped kicking and turned to look at him with a mix of sorrow and regret on their faces.
"Stan!"
"Hi guys, can you give me a few minutes alone with him? You can talk to Handwitch and Alex if you want."
They stepped away but left a few parting words.
"You didn't kill Ford. We don't need to talk with them to know that."
"She's right. We're sorry we didn't stop him sooner."
The two then gave Stan some space to work out his issues with Filbrick Pine.
Stan looked down at the black and blue man curled up at his feet. His glasses had been broken and shattered around his face. His suite was covered in tears and dirty with mud and blood. His hat was torn in half. His nose was broken and bleeding. While his face was a wreck, there still weren't any tears.
With the lack of a beatdown being rained onto him, Filbrock uncurled himself enough to look up at Stanley standing before him.
"Stanley?"
The youngest son looked down at the man at his feet. For so long, he had dreamed of this moment and spent ten years picturing how he would react when he and this man reunited. In the early days, he had thought about hugging him and being welcomed back into the family. He later changed it to his Ma hugging him, with him and Pa coexisting quietly. Years later, he fantasized about using a duffle of money to beat his pa up, with rolls of quarters stuffed inside boxing gloves.
Now…
"Leave and never come back. I'll call you when we get Ford back."
Stan then turned around and walked to his family without looking back once.
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I have decided to cap this series at 29 chapters, that way it will end with the year. I am not 100% happy with the in universe pasing and how I have been jumping from one idea to the next with no break, so when I do this again, I plan on setting up a timeline and outline from the start before writing my first chapter.
I have them all written up, and the final chapter is over 6k words.
I have a if you want to support me and my New Year's resolution of posting one fanfic of 2k words or more weekly. This is also being posted on , AO3, and Tumbler.
Remove all the spaces from the URLs to get them to work.
: : / / w w w . user?u=10132890
. c o m : : / / w w w . s/14051718/1/luz–appreciation–week–2022–from–1228248
AO3: : / / works/52823413/chapters/133608991
Tumbler: : / / w w w . blog/brianedner
I am also doing fanfic info dumps, like wiki articles that go one episode at a time, with some compilations at the end on specific topics sorted by episode.
Fanfic info dumps here: : / / w w w . 1228248/gallery