n

n

nNolan Hunsacher was furious when he discovered the man in the black suit had gotten away. He had help.

nThe men dispatched to take care of any potential intruders after setting up hidden motion sensors in places Nolan thought his enemy might strike had been knocked out simultaneously from behind. When they came to the man in the black suit was gone and two windows had been broken.

nThese windows were more than thirty floors up. Who on earth was helping him? Was there more than one as he had suspected? Or did he have allies with superpowers?

nThere were several types of powers that could get people up that high. Flying, jumping, powers involving some sort of propulsion. It wasn't easy to narrow that sort of thing down. Multiple power types could have been used to break the shackles too.

nIt wasn't like there was a superpower registry anywhere. Most people kept them secret and either lived their lives with their heads down or became heroes or villains.. The man in the black suit was too low profile; he couldn't possibly be working with anyone that had a public persona.

nWhat could Nolan do to a hero or villain, anyway? They had secret identities for a reason. Nobody could track them down so easily.

nNot knowing the extent of his enemy's allies only added to his frustration. He still hadn't managed to narrow down who they might be. If the man in the black suit knew people with superpowers…was he one of them? Or was the suit technology based?

nHe needed to look into this further. And provide greater protection for his holdings so they couldn't have the chance to regroup. They would surely be more cautious after this.

nHe to catch the man in the black suit. If he knew his identity he could destroy him like he had so many others. This particular thorn in his side had caused far too much trouble already. He deserved to die.

n===

nAvery was nearly certain that everything that happened the night before was a dream when she woke up in her husband's arms as usual the following morning. It was too unrealistic that he would not only still love her but have accepted her secrets as well.

nBut no. He woke up, squinted at his phone to see what time it was, then said it was probably too late for breakfast food so they should make lunch and asked her what the baby wanted to eat.

nHe knew. It hadn't been a dream.

nAvery vaguely remembered stumbling home in the wee hours of the morning from Angelo's place and collapsing into each other's arms. They had both been worn out physically and emotionally and needed the comfort only the other could give.

n

"…we should shower first,

" she said lamely.

nChristian agreed.

"True. I love flying but it can leave me feeling really gross.

"

nThey both took turns and when she came out she saw that he was making macaroni and cheese as she had requested. The box kind she only used when she was feeling particularly lazy. He asked what the baby wanted and that was it.

nThe baby. She for sure got to keep it now that he and Angelo knew about it and were willing to work around it.

nAvery was both relieved and terrified. Her own mother had been horrible and she hadn't even been sure if she wanted it at first because of her circumstances. Would she be able to love it properly and make up for what she almost did out of fear? Would she be able to have the kind of family she had hoped for before her father died?

nHe wouldn't be around to see any of his grandchildren and the thought broke her heart but there was nothing she could do about that. Nancy and Brian would be wonderful grandparents but her children would still be missing out on knowing Levi West.

nShould she be thinking about the future right now? Did she even have the right to after what she pulled?

nChristian didn't seem angry at her this very moment but he had been last night. She was sure he wouldn't let it go that quickly. She had deceived him horribly.

nAvery wasn't sure what she was supposed to say so she simply thanked him for the macaroni and ate in silence. He was the one to speak first after he was done eating his portion and it wasn't what she expected.

n

"How far along are you? You didn't mention that.

"

nSo he wasn't going to keep asking questions about the whole Nox thing or how much she had lied to him? His tone wasn't accusatory. It was a basic question about her pregnancy.

n

"About six weeks,

" she said awkwardly.

nAvery was reminded of the fact that she had a doctor's appointment the next day where she was supposed to tell her doctor her decision one way or the other. Her decision had been made but she really didn't want to bring that up again.

nChristian had likely already guessed based on what she said last night that she had been thinking of getting rid of the baby to protect herself and she didn't want to fight about it. It was better to keep that particular tidbit to herself since she wasn't going through with it in the end.

n

"That's not very far along. When will we find out if it's a boy or a girl?

" he asked.

nShe knew this not because the doctor had told her but because of the tías pregnancies in the past.

"Around the five month mark.

"

n

"That's pretty far out. Do you want one or the other?

"

nAvery shook her head. She didn't care about that. All she cared about was seeing it born safely now that she knew she could do that and still fulfil her obligations to her father and everyone else who needed Hunsacher taken down.

n

"That doesn't matter to me.

"

nChristian's expression turned thoughtful.

"Is albinism heritable?

"

n

"Yes, but unless you have the gene for it somewhere none of our kids will be albinos. They're more likely to look like you.

"

n

"Bummer. And here I hoped any daughters we had might look like you.

"

nThe way he said that made her heart skip a beat. How could he still be so mushy after what happened last night? Would she ever stop feeling like this was a dream or was she destined to walk around in a state of disbelieving confusion for the rest of her life?

n

"They might still look like me,

" Avery said slowly.

"They just won't have my coloring.

"

n

"I suppose that's true. You have the most beautiful eyes though. It's a shame they were hidden away under that helmet for so long,

" Christian said with a shrug.

nShe wasn't sure what to make of that. Was this how he was trying to cope? By being overly casual about it?

n

"Would knowing I was a girl have made a difference?

"

n

"Well, I've fought plenty of female villains over the years but none were as pretty as you. Who knows? Maybe you would have turned me to the dark side sooner. I was intrigued by you at first sight.

"

nAvery rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please. You only did it for the baby.

"

nChristian looked at her very seriously and reached out to caress her face.

"No. I did it for you. I want us to be happy, Avery, and that won't happen until this is behind you. I'll blow up however many buildings I need to in order to make that happen.

"

nThat really shouldn't have been romantic but it was. She stood up and walked around the table so she could kiss him.

nMarriage was supposed to be about teamwork, wasn't it? Her parents had never been like that but she had the chance to be different. If Christian worked with her she had no doubt they would be able to pull this off.

nThe problem in his case would be adjusting. He had to swap out his costume for a pair of black cargo pants with matching boots, gloves, and a long-sleeve shirt. And wear a gas mask just in case. He got the kind that covered everything and effectively disguised who he was.

nHe didn't seem very comfortable in the mask the first time they wore it going out to hit a place Angelo recommended the following weekend.

"…how do people even wear these things?

"

nAvery shrugged.

"I guess they get used to it?

"

n

"How did you get used to your suit? It probably feels just as weird.

"

n

"I'd bet weirder. The sensation of nanobots rushing over your skin is one I can't quite describe. But I got used to it eventually. And I found the filtration button so nothing will happen to me this time!

"

n

"How many buttons are on that thing?

"

n

"Oh, too many to count. Different features are programmable and can be activated either by tapping things or giving voice commands. My dad was very thorough.

"

n

"Thorough enough to include a pepper cloud button,

" Christian said wryly.

"That was one of my least favorite escapes of yours.

"

nAvery made a sheepish expression he couldn't see.

"…my bad.

"

n

"I'm just glad we're on the same side now so I'm not on the receiving end of any more of your creativity.

"

nShe was too. She reached out to hold his hand and squeeze it, careful not to overdo it with the super suit's strength. Having him here helping her meant more than she could put into words. She didn't have to worry about hiding herself from the man she loved anymore.

n