Heather Collins (loveontherocks) wrote in dc_nextgen,
@ 2012-03-24 22:51:00

Entry tags:

azurite, emerald, plot - "like it or not...", sapphire

Meet the Parents
Opal City

Okay, deep breaths, even if she didn't actually breathe anymore. It was still a pretty good steadying action. A quick teleport from Harry had brought Heather, Jess, and Harry himself to Opal City, and a relatively short flight had brought them to outside her parents' house.

It was a pretty decent sized townhouse. Heather's father, she explained, was a doctor, and her mother a lawyer.

She stared at her cellphone. Call first, let them know she was outside. She could knock, sure (hell, she had keys), but there was only so much surprise she wanted to dish out in one move.

Another breath. "Thanks for coming with me, guys."

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	in_reserve 2012-03-25 12:14 am UTC (link)
	"No problem Heather," he says with a reassuring smile. He's got more than enough energy stored for a getaway teleport back if they really need. But he hopes it's going to be okay. Plus, her parents could see that their daughter's new teammates were good people and they didn't need to worry. Granted, they weren't exactly experienced but that didn't need to come up. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	greenwillpower 2012-03-25 12:15 am UTC (link)
	"Don't worry.If they're like my Mama and Dad they ain't gonna care you look different. Just that yer okay," Jess says offering Heather a small smile. Jess is very confident today. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

loveontherocks
2012-03-25 12:45 am UTC (link)

Okay. She could do this.

Heather pulled out her phone and hit her speed dial.

"Mom? Figured you'd be home. Is Dad there too? He is? Good. Because... I kinda need to talk to you guys. I'm, ah, actually outside. With a couple of my friends."

For just a moment, Heather was grateful for the cooler Opal weather. It let her wear the hooded sweatshirt with the hood up without too much attention from anyone on the street.

"So... can we come in and talk? Okay. Thanks."

With a nod, Heather directed them up the steps and let them into the townhouse with her key. "Okay, so I'm here... Um... got a couple of... surprises..."

Her parents were waiting for them in the living room.

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in_reserve
2012-03-25 12:50 am UTC (link)

He's feeling a little nervous too, maybe it was just the atmosphere but he tries to look calm. Being jittery was not helpful. And if Harry wanted to be anything, it was helpful.

He hadn't known what to expect but...he realizes he never thought of what Heather looked like pre-Sapphire, and he felt guilty about that.

With his friendliest smile on, Harry quietly follows behind and waits for Heather to explain things to her parents.

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	greenwillpower 2012-03-25 12:54 am UTC (link)
	To give Heather's parents privacy Jess was sporting a similar look. She didn't want to throw the whole meta thing in their faces right away. Even if it would be obvious. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

loveontherocks
2012-03-25 01:08 am UTC (link)

Huh. Had she mentioned this before? Guess she hadn't. Hadn't come up.

"Mom... Dad..." she began. "These are Jess and Harry. They're some of my new friends."

Her parents looked at her with concern. "Heather?" her mother asked. "What's wrong? You've been dancing around something with us for months."

Her dad looked her over. "You don't look like you're pregnant..."

Heather sighed. "No. Nothing, um, like that. But the fact is... I've gone through a lot of changes."

She pulled back her hood. There were quiet gasps from her parents.

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	in_reserve 2012-03-25 01:21 am UTC (link)
	Harry smiles politely when introduced and takes a deep breath, preparing for whatever reaction they'll have when Heather reveals herself. If any of them needed it he'd do some teleports, even to avoid potential flying objects. For Heather's sake he hopes this goes well. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	greenwillpower 2012-03-25 01:21 am UTC (link)
	"She's still her," Jess feels the need to point out. She pushes her own hood back. "Did ya all hear about that fire in Chicago? Heather was one of the people who helped save the people there. She might not look the same but she's still Heather." Jess felt the need to say something. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

loveontherocks
2012-03-25 01:35 am UTC (link)

There's another slight gasp at Jess's appearance, but their attention stays focused on Heather. Both were already rising, moving over to their daughter.

Her mother's hand brushed her cheek. "Your skin...?"

"It's... it's crystal now," Heather said. "All of me is. It's part of what happened to me. And to Harry and Jess. And to my other new friends too."

Which included an Amazon and an android, but that was getting complicated.

"Can you... change back?" her dad asked.

She shook her head. "I can't. This is... me now."

"Oh, my baby..." her mother said. There were hugs.

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	in_reserve 2012-03-25 01:38 am UTC (link)
	Harry stays off to the side but he's smiling. Heather had a great family, and he's happy that they're dealing with this rather well. He'd expected the worst. But now Heather didn't have to keep hiding from her family. He knew first-hand that wasn't the best feeling, and he can't help but give her a smile as he looks on. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	greenwillpower 2012-03-25 02:49 pm UTC (link)
	Jess just smiles happily. She knew this was going to turn out just fine. If it didn't? She was sure they could have found a place with lots of love all around to act as comfort food of a sorts for Heather. But they hadn't needed that for a moment. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

loveontherocks
2012-03-25 04:45 pm UTC (link)

Well, this had definitely gone better than she was expecting. They moved to sit, and Heather slowly outlined everything that had happened to her over the last several months. There were looks of fear and concern at times, and even pride when she rounded around to the art show and how she'd helped with the fire.

"So... um..." she finished, "I hope you're not too mad I kept this from you? I felt like a heel, but I just couldn't..."

Her mother nodded. "Of course we understand, sweetie. This... this was very brave of you."

"We're proud of you, you know," her dad said. "Our daughter, the super-hero. It doesn't mean we're not going to worry... but it sounds like you've got some pretty extraordinary friends too."

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in_reserve
2012-03-25 05:04 pm UTC (link)

He watches her parents reactions with interest. It interested him to see such a supportive family in action, he kind of wished he had one. When she gets to the part about the art show he grins, proud that she had decided to go through with it if only so she could share her success with her parents.

"Heather is extraordinary! We couldn't have helped anywhere near as much with the fire if it weren't for her," he pipes up.

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greenwillpower
2012-03-25 05:12 pm UTC (link)

"She's been dealin' pretty well too all things considerin'. A change like this is huge. She's been doing well," Jess offers with a slow smile.

"And Cindy.... she's sort of our team leader? She's been doing everything she can to make sure we're all happy and adjusting well."

She knows they know a little bit about the HQ. Heather had mentioned it. "I'm sure if ya needed anything answered Cindy would be glad to help out."

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loveontherocks
2012-03-25 05:14 pm UTC (link)

"Cindy's a miracle-worker," Heather agreed. She'd been a little light on some of her explanations--mostly Andy and Saishu, but she'd also left out the whole "getting a hole blasted through her stomach" thing--but had mostly supplied the proper details.

"I wouldn't be doing half as well if not for my friends though."

Her father looked over at Jess and Harry. "Thank-you, both of you."

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	in_reserve 2012-03-25 05:20 pm UTC (link)
	Harry's taken aback at that. "Oh! No no, don't need any thanks. We, well I mean I can only say for myself but...I didn't do anything to thank me for. Heather's great and well...you help friends and all so..." He trails off, floundering a little, a little embarrassed. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

greenwillpower
2012-03-25 05:58 pm UTC (link)

"Heather is our friend. We ain't going to let her deal with these problems alone. I know how scary it is um. Telling your family about this. I was going to school to join the police force." She dryly smiles.

"My Dad is a cop too. I always knew I might end up doing one of these..." She waves her hand. Yeah. Cops look out for each other.

"I'm glad this is for a good reason."

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	loveontherocks 2012-03-25 08:27 pm UTC (link)
	The rest of the conversation goes rather well, with Heather promising not to hide things any more. It's a promise she won't entirely be able to keep, she knows that, but the words are good. As crazy as their lives have been and are likely to get... there's some things people aren't meant to know. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	loveontherocks 2012-03-25 08:27 pm UTC (link)
	(END) (Reply to this)

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