Amelia, Worm AU [Complete]

Amelia, Ch 342


"We're legally separated. Or we will be as soon as the paperwork's finished," Mark qualified. "All our legal documents and records were in Brockton Bay, and that's slowing things down. You have no idea how hard it is to get a divorce done when your birth and marriage certificates no longer exist."


Huh, it's about time that happened. I was expecting it months ago. If I was being honest, part of me hoped for it years ago. Taylor massaged my hand with her thumb anyway, a show of comfort that I didn't really need, and she knew that. She seemed to feel like she was supposed to do something to support me, and I was more than willing to accept her efforts. We have each other, no matter what else may come.


"You can't be serious!" Vicky exclaimed. I almost cringed. Of course Vicky would react like this. To her, the Dallon home was normal and happy. Around her, it actually was.


"We are very serious," Carol responded, meeting her daughter's eyes. They stared each other down. A challenge that neither of them was going to let the other win. "Things have changed. Your father and I have changed." It's my fault Mark's so different, now. ConcernSupportDefensive. "You and Amy have grown up, and old enough to make your own decisions on how you live your lives, as you have gone out of your way to let me know lately."


Vicky deflated some at that last comment. Maybe they had a fight recently?


"There's no grandchildren to worry about," Carol continued. "No custody battles, any property we might have argued over was lost in Brockton Bay, and since then we've been rebuilding our lives separately from each other. Frankly, there will never be a better opportunity to do this."


"Maybe you could go to a marriage counselor or something?" Vicky suggested. "Aunt Sarah? Ames? Back me up on this."


Oh fuck, she wants me to argue that Carol and Mark should stay together? How am I supposed to do that when I think it's one of the worst ideas she's ever come up with? I froze up, clenching Taylor's hand harder as she reminded me she was still there to defend me.


"Vicky, be reasonable." Aunt Sarah was the one that came to the rescue. "There's no way this could come as a surprise to you. Your parents haven't lived in the same house for almost a year now."


"You knew?" Vicky accused.


"We talked about it some," Sarah admitted. "I told them to hold off for a while, give it some time."


"We've given it enough time," Carol added, and Mark nodded in agreement. A divorce is the first thing they've agreed upon since I healed him. "We would have done it sooner, but there's been so much uncertainty. New Delhi, the new Endbringers, Pantheon, your resurrection... the fear that it might cause some scandal that could hurt the whole Avalon project."


Carol wasn't entirely wrong. My parents getting divorced would be a tabloid headline. Not a big deal in the US, like, at all. But North America wasn't where we were drawing most of our colonists from. Now we had enough people from enough parts of the world that we could rely on existing colonists to convince their own friends and families to make the move. Plus our foothold in Japan was supplying more than half of our total population right now. To call us 'established' would be a bit much, but something like this would be mostly meaningless now. They really were concerned for me when they delayed this long. Or, more likely, it was Aunt Sarah that thought of it.


"After Brockton Bay... well, we started making it official," Mark continued. "As far as divorces go, it's going to be as clean and quiet as possible. Like Carol said, we don't have custody to fight over, or any joint property. With any luck, by the time the press even notices we're divorced, it'll be old news."


"So, that's it then?" Vicky slumped into her chair, looking more vulnerable than I ever imagined she could. I actually felt sorry for her. "You didn't even think that maybe your children would like to find out before it happened?"


"There wasn't ever really a good time for that, either," Carol responded. "Everything's just been so hectic lately. We wanted to tell you together. Today was the first chance we had for that, and we wanted to save it for after the meal."


"No sense in letting good food go to waste, right?" Mark smiled, tapping his fork against his plate. "And this is really good food." He took another bite of his meal, clearly intent on letting this conversation drop in favor of returning to the meal.


"Dammit," Vicky sighed. "Yeah, I guess I saw it coming. Maybe I was hoping if the two of you spent a little more time around each other, then maybe you'd realize you were happy together... and I think I'd have been happier if I didn't say that out loud. Emotion reading sucks, by the way."


"Sorry, firecracker," Mark offered a lopsided grin. "Our minds are made up."


"I wonder if this is what Minerva feels like all the time. No wonder she's such an insufferable bitch."


"Victoria, I know you're upset, but you shouldn't badmouth your teammates like that," Carol chided.


"It's alright, Aunt Carol," Crystal spoke up. "She's not wrong. If anything, she's being generous." AnnoyanceDefensive. "Sorry, Taylor, but it's true and you know it. Minerva knows it, too, and in fact brags about it."


ReluctantAcceptance. "I know," Taylor admitted.


"Actually, when she finds out about this, she's probably going to be secretly thrilled," I added in. "At least for the first five seconds. Then she'll be openly thrilled and using words like 'I told you so' and 'welcome to the club, here's your complimentary aspirin' are going to be used."


ShockRecognition. "Wait. She said that to you, too?" Taylor asked. "When was that?"


"Right after I created our magic tree fort," I informed her. "What about you?"


"When I tried to track people using skin mites," Taylor answered. "Turns out, there's a reason my power doesn't track things with an average of three brain cells each. That's on the list of things I will never try again."


"Well, at least that'll make me feel better," Vicky responded. "Now when she makes her smartass comment, I'll be able to tell her to come up with something more original. Imagine, using the same one liners over again."


"Yeah, but now you're prepared for it, and she'll know it, so she'll use something else," Crystal corrected. "I'll probably accidentally give her a clue when I get back to LA and let her know she can go home."


ConfusionSurprise. "Wait," Taylor spoke up. "Why's she in LA?"


"Oh, I dunno," Crystal shrugged. "Something about testing a new power combo and dropping off some plans that'll help the locals work out how to get things back to the standard disaster instead of the extra special disaster it's currently at."


"Aww, Lisa went to visit her girlfriend," Vicky responded.


AnnoyanceBoredom. "Vicky, this gag's kinda gotten old," Taylor responded. "Minerva and Alexandria are not dating. Minerva isn't into women, or anyone for that matter. And I'm not sure what Alexandria's into, but I'm pretty sure it's not Minerva. They're only friends, and even that seems to be centered around their jobs." Taylor hesitated for a second. ConcernSecrecy. "Alexandria's been a lot of help to us, after all, that's why they spend so much time talking."


"What's with you lately, cuz?" Crystal asked. "Trying to hook me up with one of your friends from work. Then there's Clock and Weld. Alexandria and Minerva. Next you're going to suggest, I dunno, Lung and Legend or Eidolon and Glaistig Uaine. There's such a thing as spending too much time online."


"Yeah, you're probably right," Vicky sighed. "But they're closer friends than they're letting on to the outside. You don't fabricate an excuse to travel to the other side of the continent and across a dimension just for someone you kinda know from work. Honestly, the whole thing comes off on my senses as more parental than romantic. It really is kind of adorable, however you look at it."


I noticed that the adults had gone silent. "Umm, are you guys okay over there?"


"I think we're all just a bit shellshocked," Mark was the one who spoke up. "You girls are talking about some of the biggest heroes in the world, and you can do it because you know them personally. I think I speak for all of us when I say we're really proud of you."


"I can toast to that," Danny agreed immediately.


"That is, if we'd thought to order any alcohol with our meals," Aunt Sarah smiled teasingly at him.


"Something to keep in mind for later," Danny responded. RealizationDiscomfort.


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A/N- I'm thinking Lisa/Alexandria next chapter. Maybe.