(no subject)
Title: And Then There Were Seven
Chapter 2: The Strongholds
Disclaimer: If you recognize it from the movie, I don't own it.
Warnings: OC character (kind of) - I've given Freeze Girl a name and a character
Rating: PG13/T
Pairing: Warren/OC, Will/Layla, Zach/Majenta
Summary: Some interaction between the teens and Will's parents.
Author's Note: First posted at FF.net
Here is Chapter 1 - MELINDA
What time is it?
Melinda rolled over, slapping at the snooze button on her alarm. Glaring at the clock, she tried burrowing back under the covers. Why did she have to be up so early on a Saturday? It's not like she had plans. Did she? Unfortunately, in trying to remember, she managed to get her brain in gear and her body followed. With a pressing need to go to the bathroom, she got out of bed, yawning.
Ugh, morning breath.
She went through her morning routine, playing the previous night's event out in her head. Now she remembered, since she was going to Will's house this afternoon, she wanted to get some research done. As a special assistant to Mr. Medulla, she had outside research projects. Having the extra work on weekends did not always thrill her, but it had helped her focus her powers better.
I'll bet the others are still sleeping.
Going into the kitchen, she found a note from her guardian, Vedette.
"Mellie, I hope you had a good time at the dance. When I get back, you can tell me all about it. I'm headed out to visit my brother. Jacan thinks he's finally found a way to make a living and wants to show me. I should be back in a week or so. I've frozen some dinners for this week, and left some money in the safe. Don't forget to water the plants, and do not feed that new cat the neighbors have picked up. He's a beggar. Call if you need anything."
Melinda snorted.
Right - 'cause you'll just swing in from Venice.
Vedette could be really sweet, but she was a bit air-headed. Half the time, Melinda figured she was taking care of Vedette instead of the other way around. With a roll of her eyes, she dropped the note in the trash and made for the fridge. After making a sandwich and grabbing some soda, she headed down to her study. A couple hours of hard work and she could take off without any guilt.
She knocked on the front door of the Stronghold residence.
"Melinda!"
"Hi, Layla."
The red-head hugged her and then ushered her inside.
"I'm so glad you made it. Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold wanted to meet you. They've met the others of course. Well, not Warren, but we're not even sure he's coming. It might be uncomfortable, really, at least for him. With the history and everything, I mean. When we talked to him last night, he never did commit, did he?"
Melinda waited a beat, just to make sure Layla was done.
"No, he didn't. Still, even talking about the idea of coming here is a big step."
"Exactly. Come on in."
Smiling, Melinda allowed herself to be pulled into the den. She bit her tongue when she realized the others were still color-coded. The two adults stood to greet her as Layla brought her over.
"Mr. Stronghold, Mrs. Stronghold, this is Melinda McKay."
Mr. Stronghold gave her a charming smile as he took her hand.
"Welcome to our home."
Mrs. Stronghold's smile was warm and friendly.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. You're welcome to put your purse in the kitchen. Would you like something to drink? We have soda, water, tea…can I get you anything?"
"Some tea would be great."
After a few more minutes of chatter, the adults disappeared into the back of the house while the teens grouped around the coffee table. Almost at once the conversation turned to Homecoming, Layla leading the way.
"Last night only proves how little labels mean. Think about it - if any one of us had not been there, we might never have stopped her. It took all of us working together, hero and sidekick."
"If I hadn't screwed up, it wouldn't have happened at all."
"Sure it would have, bro. Maybe not in the same way, but that chick was determined."
"Our efforts deserve some recognition, but we were helped by the congruence of factors that allowed us to maximize…"
"In English."
Melinda started laughing at the exasperated look on Majenta's face as she interrupted Ethan.
"He basically restated Layla's point - it took all of us, and a little luck, to pull last night off."
"Why can't he just say that?"
"Well, he did…in his verbiage."
Everyone started laughing when Majenta grimaced. People began trading family tales. Melinda learned that Will and Layla had grown up together, while Zach had been their friend since elementary school. They met Ethan and Maj on the first bus ride to Sky High. While Will and Layla each had famous hero parents, the other three sets of parents were sidekicks. Zach's mom was a minor technopath - she could diagnose mechanical problems, but had to fix them the hard way. His dad created electric shocks - not enough to hurt anyone, but he could help restart a person's heart. He was a favorite among EMTs. Ethan's dad should have been a sailor - he could read water currents the way a weather power could read the wind. He didn't melt solo like Ethan did, but he could blend with any form of liquid. His mom had a tracking talent - if she knew you, she could find you. Shape shifters made up the entirety of Maj's family. Her mom could shift into an inanimate object while her dad turned into a falcon. All of them wanted to hear about Melinda.
"My parents were Devlin and Sophia McKay - better known as Vortex and Zephyr."
Ethan perked up.
"I know those names. They could both control the wind. Although they didn't work together usually, they did…umm…"
His voice trailed off as he looked away from her. Everyone stared for a long moment, waiting for one of them to speak. Her eyes focused intensely on the picture above the mantel, she spoke in a distant tone.
"They did on their last mission. They had joined forces to take on Miasma. She could create a cloud over a city that rained poison instead of rain. She fought them for a while before retreating. They followed her, leaving their sidekicks behind. They were never seen again. Her plane went down, but no bodies were ever recovered."
"So that's why you seem familiar."
A soft voice came from the door to the kitchen. Josie Stronghold stood there, blinking back tears.
"Courage and wisdom - a perfect combination. That's how we saw them, you know."
"Mom?"
"Their names, Will, that's what their names meant. Devlin means fierce courage, while Sophia means wisdom."
She came further into the room and sat beside Melinda on the sofa. Her husband perched on the arm next to his wife. Taking Melinda's hand, she brushed back a lock of white-blond hair. Her eyes were very kind.
"Devlin could be loud and even brash, matching Steve or Barron. The three of them would rush headlong into everything. Fate seemed to like all three though - they never got in over their heads at school. It's almost a blessing they never worked together. I'm not sure there would have been a school left for you to attend."
Tears glinted in Melinda's eyes. She remembered her parents, but the grief had changed into "might-have-been" by now. Six years had passed since the last time she saw them. The deeper voice of Steve Stronghold entered the conversation.
"Sophia was different, always calm, serene. I can only remember seeing her truly angry a handful of times in high school. People learned the very first time out - if Sophia's mad, duck. Gale force winds would whip through the common area and the poor fool who had upset her never did it twice. I think two of them were homebound for a week with vertigo. Still, she would help any one who needed it. Her grades were the best in her year - valedictorian easily."
"They balanced each other. She calmed him down and he shook her up. It was fun to watch."
Melinda blinked away her tears and smiled at both of them.
"It's always nice hearing about my parents. Vedette never talks about them. I don't think she's forgiven herself for staying behind."
"Who's Vedette?"
She turned to Layla, who was wiping her eyes.
"Vedette is my guardian. She was Mom's sidekick - Karma. She can…I'm not sure how to describe what she does. Her power is very subjective. When she invokes it, she can't control what the outcome is. It…influences things so that her target had the worst luck for an hour. Take a robbery - if she's there and focuses on the robber, his weapon backfires, he trips, or drops the money - or it could be all of the above. I back talked one time, and she nailed me. My favorite shirt ripped; I lost my necklace; every barrette I tried to use broke…I learned quick not to mess with her in a mood."
Will winced.
"Ouch, not fun. Did she mind you coming over?"
"No, she's gone to visit her brother in Venice. She'll be back in a week or so."
"Does she leave you often?"
Melinda turned to face Will's mom, shaking her head.
"No, not really. Up until this year I would stay with a friend if she had to leave. I'm fifteen now, so she's comfortable allowing me to take care of myself."
"Well, make sure you have our number before you leave. If you need anything, all you need to do is call."
"Thanks."
The adults smiled at all of them and left the room once more. Keeping the conversation light, they compared opinions on the teachers and classes. Before they knew it, it began to get dark and all of them were invited to stay for dinner. It turned into a fun evening, listening to Will's parents reminisce about when they were in school, and how much (or little) things had changed. As the conversation continued, they began to talk about life after school and what it was like being superhero parents. His dad glossed it a bit, but his mom described the very real difficulty of taking care of a baby while trying to save the world.
"Even normal babies, born to normal parents, bring difficult changes. We had it easier than some parents since Will didn't immediately manifest his powers."
For some reason, that conversation lingered in Melinda's head as she got ready for bed that night. It had been a fun afternoon and evening, full of insight and information, but that was what kept bothering her the rest of the weekend.
Chapter 2: The Strongholds
Disclaimer: If you recognize it from the movie, I don't own it.
Warnings: OC character (kind of) - I've given Freeze Girl a name and a character
Rating: PG13/T
Pairing: Warren/OC, Will/Layla, Zach/Majenta
Summary: Some interaction between the teens and Will's parents.
Author's Note: First posted at FF.net
Here is Chapter 1 - MELINDA
What time is it?
Melinda rolled over, slapping at the snooze button on her alarm. Glaring at the clock, she tried burrowing back under the covers. Why did she have to be up so early on a Saturday? It's not like she had plans. Did she? Unfortunately, in trying to remember, she managed to get her brain in gear and her body followed. With a pressing need to go to the bathroom, she got out of bed, yawning.
Ugh, morning breath.
She went through her morning routine, playing the previous night's event out in her head. Now she remembered, since she was going to Will's house this afternoon, she wanted to get some research done. As a special assistant to Mr. Medulla, she had outside research projects. Having the extra work on weekends did not always thrill her, but it had helped her focus her powers better.
I'll bet the others are still sleeping.
Going into the kitchen, she found a note from her guardian, Vedette.
"Mellie, I hope you had a good time at the dance. When I get back, you can tell me all about it. I'm headed out to visit my brother. Jacan thinks he's finally found a way to make a living and wants to show me. I should be back in a week or so. I've frozen some dinners for this week, and left some money in the safe. Don't forget to water the plants, and do not feed that new cat the neighbors have picked up. He's a beggar. Call if you need anything."
Melinda snorted.
Right - 'cause you'll just swing in from Venice.
Vedette could be really sweet, but she was a bit air-headed. Half the time, Melinda figured she was taking care of Vedette instead of the other way around. With a roll of her eyes, she dropped the note in the trash and made for the fridge. After making a sandwich and grabbing some soda, she headed down to her study. A couple hours of hard work and she could take off without any guilt.
She knocked on the front door of the Stronghold residence.
"Melinda!"
"Hi, Layla."
The red-head hugged her and then ushered her inside.
"I'm so glad you made it. Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold wanted to meet you. They've met the others of course. Well, not Warren, but we're not even sure he's coming. It might be uncomfortable, really, at least for him. With the history and everything, I mean. When we talked to him last night, he never did commit, did he?"
Melinda waited a beat, just to make sure Layla was done.
"No, he didn't. Still, even talking about the idea of coming here is a big step."
"Exactly. Come on in."
Smiling, Melinda allowed herself to be pulled into the den. She bit her tongue when she realized the others were still color-coded. The two adults stood to greet her as Layla brought her over.
"Mr. Stronghold, Mrs. Stronghold, this is Melinda McKay."
Mr. Stronghold gave her a charming smile as he took her hand.
"Welcome to our home."
Mrs. Stronghold's smile was warm and friendly.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. You're welcome to put your purse in the kitchen. Would you like something to drink? We have soda, water, tea…can I get you anything?"
"Some tea would be great."
After a few more minutes of chatter, the adults disappeared into the back of the house while the teens grouped around the coffee table. Almost at once the conversation turned to Homecoming, Layla leading the way.
"Last night only proves how little labels mean. Think about it - if any one of us had not been there, we might never have stopped her. It took all of us working together, hero and sidekick."
"If I hadn't screwed up, it wouldn't have happened at all."
"Sure it would have, bro. Maybe not in the same way, but that chick was determined."
"Our efforts deserve some recognition, but we were helped by the congruence of factors that allowed us to maximize…"
"In English."
Melinda started laughing at the exasperated look on Majenta's face as she interrupted Ethan.
"He basically restated Layla's point - it took all of us, and a little luck, to pull last night off."
"Why can't he just say that?"
"Well, he did…in his verbiage."
Everyone started laughing when Majenta grimaced. People began trading family tales. Melinda learned that Will and Layla had grown up together, while Zach had been their friend since elementary school. They met Ethan and Maj on the first bus ride to Sky High. While Will and Layla each had famous hero parents, the other three sets of parents were sidekicks. Zach's mom was a minor technopath - she could diagnose mechanical problems, but had to fix them the hard way. His dad created electric shocks - not enough to hurt anyone, but he could help restart a person's heart. He was a favorite among EMTs. Ethan's dad should have been a sailor - he could read water currents the way a weather power could read the wind. He didn't melt solo like Ethan did, but he could blend with any form of liquid. His mom had a tracking talent - if she knew you, she could find you. Shape shifters made up the entirety of Maj's family. Her mom could shift into an inanimate object while her dad turned into a falcon. All of them wanted to hear about Melinda.
"My parents were Devlin and Sophia McKay - better known as Vortex and Zephyr."
Ethan perked up.
"I know those names. They could both control the wind. Although they didn't work together usually, they did…umm…"
His voice trailed off as he looked away from her. Everyone stared for a long moment, waiting for one of them to speak. Her eyes focused intensely on the picture above the mantel, she spoke in a distant tone.
"They did on their last mission. They had joined forces to take on Miasma. She could create a cloud over a city that rained poison instead of rain. She fought them for a while before retreating. They followed her, leaving their sidekicks behind. They were never seen again. Her plane went down, but no bodies were ever recovered."
"So that's why you seem familiar."
A soft voice came from the door to the kitchen. Josie Stronghold stood there, blinking back tears.
"Courage and wisdom - a perfect combination. That's how we saw them, you know."
"Mom?"
"Their names, Will, that's what their names meant. Devlin means fierce courage, while Sophia means wisdom."
She came further into the room and sat beside Melinda on the sofa. Her husband perched on the arm next to his wife. Taking Melinda's hand, she brushed back a lock of white-blond hair. Her eyes were very kind.
"Devlin could be loud and even brash, matching Steve or Barron. The three of them would rush headlong into everything. Fate seemed to like all three though - they never got in over their heads at school. It's almost a blessing they never worked together. I'm not sure there would have been a school left for you to attend."
Tears glinted in Melinda's eyes. She remembered her parents, but the grief had changed into "might-have-been" by now. Six years had passed since the last time she saw them. The deeper voice of Steve Stronghold entered the conversation.
"Sophia was different, always calm, serene. I can only remember seeing her truly angry a handful of times in high school. People learned the very first time out - if Sophia's mad, duck. Gale force winds would whip through the common area and the poor fool who had upset her never did it twice. I think two of them were homebound for a week with vertigo. Still, she would help any one who needed it. Her grades were the best in her year - valedictorian easily."
"They balanced each other. She calmed him down and he shook her up. It was fun to watch."
Melinda blinked away her tears and smiled at both of them.
"It's always nice hearing about my parents. Vedette never talks about them. I don't think she's forgiven herself for staying behind."
"Who's Vedette?"
She turned to Layla, who was wiping her eyes.
"Vedette is my guardian. She was Mom's sidekick - Karma. She can…I'm not sure how to describe what she does. Her power is very subjective. When she invokes it, she can't control what the outcome is. It…influences things so that her target had the worst luck for an hour. Take a robbery - if she's there and focuses on the robber, his weapon backfires, he trips, or drops the money - or it could be all of the above. I back talked one time, and she nailed me. My favorite shirt ripped; I lost my necklace; every barrette I tried to use broke…I learned quick not to mess with her in a mood."
Will winced.
"Ouch, not fun. Did she mind you coming over?"
"No, she's gone to visit her brother in Venice. She'll be back in a week or so."
"Does she leave you often?"
Melinda turned to face Will's mom, shaking her head.
"No, not really. Up until this year I would stay with a friend if she had to leave. I'm fifteen now, so she's comfortable allowing me to take care of myself."
"Well, make sure you have our number before you leave. If you need anything, all you need to do is call."
"Thanks."
The adults smiled at all of them and left the room once more. Keeping the conversation light, they compared opinions on the teachers and classes. Before they knew it, it began to get dark and all of them were invited to stay for dinner. It turned into a fun evening, listening to Will's parents reminisce about when they were in school, and how much (or little) things had changed. As the conversation continued, they began to talk about life after school and what it was like being superhero parents. His dad glossed it a bit, but his mom described the very real difficulty of taking care of a baby while trying to save the world.
"Even normal babies, born to normal parents, bring difficult changes. We had it easier than some parents since Will didn't immediately manifest his powers."
For some reason, that conversation lingered in Melinda's head as she got ready for bed that night. It had been a fun afternoon and evening, full of insight and information, but that was what kept bothering her the rest of the weekend.