Cha-Cha-Changes (IC)

[Raveled]

Winter was moving in on Freedom City with cold determination. The temperature had been dropping all month, and many of last night's trick-or-treaters had been bundled enough to obscure their actual costumes. Jessica had turned down the opportunity to go around with Blake, citing mid-terms she needed to study for. But she had made a date with him today, at the Hunter Museum of Natural History. The only problem was that he had been waiting on the steps for her for twenty minutes now, and she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

[Lone Star]

Blake tapped his foot as he waited patiently. In the back of his mind, he debated calling her. How long should he wait? He turned over the possibilities in his mind. Blake finally decided he'd call her now. Blake reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out his cell phone. "Jessy? You there sweetheart?"

[Raveled]

It took a few rings for Jessica to answer, and when she did her voice was hoarse. "Blake? Um, yeah, I'm here. I -- oh. I was supposed to meet you at the Hunter Museum, right? I'm sorry, hon. But I..." She trailed off and Blake could hear her swallowing heavily. "I got home and Grandpa was on the floor and he couldn't get up. So I called 911 and they came over and now I'm over at the Freedom Medical Complex." Her voice broke at the very end and she took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "And I could really use someone, Blake."

[Lone Star]

Blake's eyes widened. "Jessica, oh my god. I'm so sorry. I'll be there as soon as I can, I promise sweetie. I'll see you in a few." Blake ran behind a dumpster the moment the call ended, and transformed. He spread his wings out, testing the wind. He then flew towards the hospital, tears obscuring his vision.

[Raveled]

Freedom Medical Center was a massive complex, a full city block on the North River filled with the most advanced machines and best-trained doctors in the country. It wasn't an easy place to navigate, but the emergency room had a clearly-marked waiting room. Jessica was sitting there, with several empty seats around her. She had a backpack near her feet, and a notebook over her knees. It was turned open to a blank page and a mechanical pencil was in her hand, but from the blank expression on her face it was obvious that schoolwork was the last thing on her mind. Her attention was somewhere else, and she didn't even look up as Blake drew close.

[Lone Star]

Blake's heart fell as he saw his girlfriend looking so forlorn. He walked towards her, his face calm. "Hey Jessica." Blake took a seat next to her, and laid his hand over hers. "I'm here for you, love." Blake looked into her eyes and felt her sadness become his. He felt her pain deep inside him, and it cut straight to his heart like an ice cold knife. Blake sobbed softly as he put an arm over her shoulder. "I love you so much, Jessica."

[Raveled]

Jessica was lost in her own little world, so closed off from everyone else that she didn't even notice when Blake walked into the room. Fear and anger and frustration had all coiled in her belly, making her hunch her shoulders until her back muscles twisted into a knot. When Blake sat down next o her, she gave a start of nervous energy and her pencil clattered to the floor. She leaned into his arm, grateful for his warmth and presence, and rested her head against his shoulder. She didn't cry, but the tension in her back and shoulders slowly drained out of her.

After a few minutes, Jessica started to speak. Her voice was almost lost under the background noise of a busy hospital. "I stayed late at school," she said, "almost an hour later than usual. I was working on a project. I was gonna stay there later, but we had a date. If I'd been home when I usually was, I would've found him earlier. If she dies, it'll be my fault." She started crying then, hot tears that slid down her cheeks and soaked into Blake's shirt, her shoulders shaking in time with her sobs.

[Lone Star]

Blake felt for her. He put his arm around her shoulder and started to gently stroke her hair, hoping to comfort her in her time of pain. "Jessy, you couldn't have known that. You can't blame yourself for what happened. Just relax sweetheart, I promise I'll be here for you. I won't leave your side." He knew the pain she felt inside. He still missed his parents. It was a hole inside of him that nothing could fix- and he hoped it wouldn't happen to his girlfriend. No one deserved that kind of emotional pain.

[Raveled]

Jessica didn't say anything in reply, but her tears stopped and she reached up to grab Blake's hand, squeezing hard. "I just don't know what I'm going to do," she said finally. "I had my life planned out. If Grandpa dies, I don't know what'll happen."

Before Blake could reply, the it doors swung open again. A man and a woman stepped through, both talking quietly on slim cellphone. The man was tall and solidly built, dressed in a tailored suit, with close-cropped, butter-yellow hair; the woman was tall and slender, wearing a knee-length dress, with platinum blonde hair that fell past her shoulders. The pair glanced around and made a beeline for where Jessica and Blake were sitting. Jessica glanced up and straightened with a start. She pulled away Blake's arm, standing upright and scrubbing at her eyes. "Hello Mom. Dad."

[Lone Star]

Blake cleared his throat, and stood up. "Hello. My name is Blake Salazar. It's very nice to meet you two. I'm very sorry we had to meet under these circumstances, and I hope everything turns out okay. I'm just here with Jessica." He patted his girlfriend on her back. He knew this was going to be tough for her, and he had no intentions of leaving anytime soon. He really felt for his girlfriend, and he was reminded of the pain he felt when his parents passed. The empty feeling rose inside him once again, and he became a little choked up. "It's just...I know how this feels. I don't want her to have to experience it alone, like I did."

[Raveled]

The man -- Jessica's father -- swept past the group and stomped up the nurses' station squeezed into one corner, where he started angrily asking after his father-in-law. Jessica's mother swept to a halt in front of her daughter, pulling the girl into a tight hug. Neither of them seemed comfortable with the physical contact, though, and they separated quickly. "Jessica," her mother said. "What happened? How long have you been here?" The woman's gaze wondered over to Blake. "Who is this?"

Jessica took a deep breath before she started speaking. "I found Grandpa when I came home from school. I called 911 first and then -- and then I left a message on your voice mail." There was a hint of displeasure, maybe even contempt in those last words, but Jessica didn't give her mother a chance to butt in. "I came here in the ambulance. And this is Blake." She took a step towards him, slipping her arm around his ribs. "My boyfriend."

[Lone Star]

Blake smiled a little, and put an arm around her waist. "I don't want to interfere or anything, Mrs. Parker. I got a call from Jessica, and I just wanted to help her out." He kissed her gently on her cheek, closing his eyes. He hoped Jessica's mother would like him. Although to be honest, Blake couldn't really care less. He was happy to be there for Jessica, and that was all that mattered.

Blake held Jessica a little closer. "So I have a question for you two." Blake said, his eyes narrowing. "Why do I only get to meet you two when there's a family tragedy? Shouldn't you be there for your daughter regardless of what happens?"

[Raveled]

Courtney Parker colored at Blake's question, taking a quick step back. "How dare you," she hissed, "and at a time like this!" She drew herself up and looked down her nose at the boy. "In any case, Dawes Tech prides itself on a close working relationship with the US government. Ties have to be maintained, faces -- highly-placed faces -- have to be seen at the right parties and fundraisers, talking to the right people. If I didn't do this, the company would be a show of itself in just two years. Why, before I flew here I was talking to --" She stopped herself with a visible effort, and turned to head enough to see her husband at the nurses' station. Gregory Parker ended his argument there with a flourish, turning away flushed. He stomped out the exit doors, digging for his cell phone, his movements abrupt and angry.

Courtney's gaze flicked back to Blake and she pulled a money clip from an inside pocket for her suit coat. She peeled off a fiver and help it out to the young man. She smiled then, and suddenly her face was open and sunny. "There were some vending machines on the way in," she said. "Could you get me a coffee or a soda or something?"

[Lone Star]

Blake was rather taken aback by her quick change of emotions. He didn't like either of Jessica's parents, but it was important to be at least diplomatic. "Yes, ma'am." Blake said, walking to one of the vending machines. He put the five into the machine, and clicked the button. He thought to himself as the coffee brewed. They clearly didn't care very much about her daughter, and Blake would never respect them. He knew he could only trust Jessica, and he hoped her grandpa would make it through this. If her grandpa died, he'd be her only support, which he was more than willing to provide for her. Blake sighed. He wished Jessica's parents gave a flip about her. It was bad to have your parents dead- but having them be alive and not supporting their only daughter? That was something Blake would never forgive them for.

[Raveled]

Blake wasn't the only one by the vending machines. Gregory Parker was also there, talking into his cell phone. "well, what about that cardiologist that tracked me down in Berlin? Someone -ska or -ski. He had a fully artificial heart he wanted to prototype." He paused, listening to whoever was on the other end of the line. "And if we say to hell with the testing and just made the the things?" Gregory apparently didn't like what he heard, if his expression was anything to go by. "Well, find something. That's I pay you for, dammit."

Gregory ended the cal and put his phone away, running a hand through his hair. His eyes hunted across the tiles and the glass-fronted vending machines, looking for something that just wasn't there. Instead, his gaze fell on Blake. "You were in there with my daughter, Jessica." He stepped forward and offered the young man his hand. "Gregory Parker. So... what exactly is your relationship with Jessica? Why are you here with her at the hospital?"

[Lone Star]

"Nice to meet you, sir." Blake shook his hand. "I'm her boyfriend, Mr. Parker. We've been dating for a few months now. I got a call from her that her grandfather was in the hospital, so I'm here to provide some support for her." Blake shifted uncomfortably in his spot. It was a little strange meeting his girlfriend's parents, especially under such occasions. Jessica's father looked like a man in power- what he had heard from Jessica is that they worked for some big international corporation and didn't have much time for their daughter. He pretended like he did, but Blake didn't have much respect for either of them.

[Raveled]

Gregory nodded slightly, mentally reviewing what he knew about his daughter's boyfriend. "I'm surprised she called you," he said finally. "I'm surprised she called anyone but family, really. She's never been close to kids her own age. She's too smart," he explained. "She's had private tutors for most of her life, and she's been graduate work at HIT for the last year or so." The unvoiced question was just how they had hooked up.

---

Courtney Parker waited until Blake had left the waiting room, then waited a little longer. She wasn't used to talking to ehr daughter and had no idea how to start the conversation, but she tried anyway. "So, Blake," she said. "Have you been with him... long?"

Jessica stooped to pick up the pencil she'd dropped, settling back in her chair. "A few months. He's really funny, and sweet. And he's a great artist. He's going to Claremont right now." Jessica knew it was stupid to mention the school the second it was out of her mouth, but it was too late.

"Claremont," her mother said archly. "Does that mean Blake has superpower, or something?"

"Something like that," Jessica allowed, hesitant. It wasn't her place to reveal Blake's secrets, after all.

"It is... Is he a shpeshifter or something like that?"

"Why would that matter?"

"Well, you're together, and you're both teenagers. I remember what it was like to be seventeen, you know."

Jessica stared at her mother in sudden shock. "Are... are you giving me the 'birds and the bees' talk?"

[Lone Star]

"That's very true, sir. She's the smartest girl I know. Let's go back and sit with them." Blake said, walking with Mr. Parker back to the hospital's lobby. He wasn't about to tell him that he was a superhuman as well, if he didn't already know. Even worse would be if he knew exactly what kind of powers Blake had. Nothing better than showing off your blasphemous other form on the first meeting with her folks.

"Well, you're together, and you're both teenagers. I remember what it was like to be seventeen, you know."

Jessica stared at her mother in sudden shock. "Are... are you giving me the 'birds and the bees' talk?"

Blake walked into the room just as those words were being said. His mouth dropped. "Mrs. Parker, you don't have to...don't worry about that. We haven't done-umm." Blake faltered over it. As awkward as it would be, he had to tell Jessica's mom that they hadn't done the deed. "We haven't done it. Just saying." A bead of sweat came down Blake's neck. Whew.

[Raveled]

Just inside the waiting room, Gregory stopped Blake with a hand on the young man's shoulder. "So where did you meet Jessica? Do you have AP classes at HIT?"

Jessica and her mother didn't notice the two men reenter the room and continued their conversation. "I didn't mean it like that," Courtney said. "Superheroes can be like sports stars or actors, you know? It can be fun to read about them, and they seem glamorous, but once you get to know them they aren't all nice people." She gave her daughter a smile. "I'm just trying to think of what's best for you, Jessica."

Jessica, for her part, was staring at her mother in shock. "Are you serious? You haven't seen me or talked to me in three years and you want to plan my life out? How can you know what's best for me? You have no idea who I am!"

"Don't talk to me like that," Courtney snapped. "I'm your mother! And I'm telling you that getting involved with a superhero isn't always fun and games. You could end up a target for every one of his enemies!"

Jessica snorted, and an arrogant tone crept into her voice. "I can take on all comers, trust me. Anyone who thinks they can get to Blake through me is mightily mistaken."

"Jessica, you may be a genius, but what are you going to do when someone that can bench-press a city bus tries to kidnap you?"

"I don't know, maybe I'll do something like this." Both woman were on their feet again, and Jessica reached down to press a button on her wristwatch. There was a sudden flare of light and Ironclad suddenly stood there, shining in her dark gold and green. The superheroine faced down Mrs. Parker for a moment, then the faceless mask folded back to reveal Jessica's features, tears in her eyes again. "This is who I am," she told her mother, almost shouting. "You don't know anything about! The only person in this family who knows or cares about me is on an operating table or might be dead for all I know. So don't tell me that you have my best interests in mind, when you don't even know who I am!"

Jessica stayed standing there for a moment, her posture forward and aggressive, her body tense, before her eyes drifted over to the door where her father and boyfriend stood. She locked eyes with Blake for a long second, then turned and rushed out a different exit, metal boots ringing on the tile.

[Lone Star]

Blake shouted out to her as she ran down the hallway. "Jessica, wait!" He tossed Mr. Parker's hand off of his shoulder, standing in the middle of the hospital waiting room. He looked at the two of them, staring them down. "I can't believe either of you two. Honestly, I hope I never see either of you again. You don't just walk back into your daughter's life after ignoring her for so long. Cthulhu f'thagn." Blake's body was covered in a moment with the mystic flame, his form changing beneath it. The familiar green skin and scales sprouted over his skin, and the black spandex took the place of his clothes, the Elder Sign visible in the center. He took off down the hallway, trying to catch up with Jessica.

[Raveled]

Jessica charged through the hospital corridors, almost blind with the intensity of the emotions churning through her. Anger and her mother; pride that she'd finally stood up to the woman; shame that she had snapped so easily and revealed her identity; and of course fear for her grandfather. She deftly avoided the other people in the halls, her long training and experience allowing her to do it almost without thinking. She headed for the front entrance without really making a conscious decision to do so. She burst through the front door, and once she sensed open sky above her head the young woman leapt up and away, flying straight up until she was on a level with commercial airliners. Once up there, she hugged herself tightly, almost feeling like she about to be ripped apart by the force of the emotions inside her.

[Lone Star]

KC dashed through the halls, his wings flapping behind him, narrowly avoiding knocking down doctors and patients walking the hallways. He hardly cared. The only important thing was getting to Jessica, and talking to her about what happened. He practically slammed the doors open as he reached the exit. His green scaly wings pounded against the air as he slowly gained altitude. He knew her parents were crap to her, which was more than he could take. He didn't care if they told the whole world his secret identity- he had no family for villains to get ahold of, and his girlfriend was a superheroine herself. He finally reached the skies, where he saw Jessica, holding herself. He slowly flew towards her and put an arm on her shoulder. He looked at her through her helmet, and held her close.

[Raveled]

Jessica had calmed down a bit by the time Kid Cthulhu got to her altitude, so she didn't flinch away when he touched her shoulder. "So now you've met my whole screwed-up family," she said. "I'll understand if you want to l--" She choked up suddenly, unable to to say the word leave. Blake had been the only one standing by her through this whole thing. She couldn't stand the though of not having him by her side right now. Still, now that he'd met her parents he might not want to stay. So she swallowed the lump in her throat and continued. "If you don't want to be here anymore."

[Lone Star]

KC gasped in surprise. "Leave you? Jessica, I wouldn't think of leaving you, especially at a time like this." He held her closer. "Jessica, you mean the world to me. I'll stand with you through this. I know how difficult it is to lose a loved one- and I won't make you go through it alone like I did." KC wrapped his arms around her waist. "I've got you, Jessica. We can take a little while and relax up here. Although, to be fair." KC said, his breathing becoming more labored as he flapped his wings hard. "It is a little difficult to stay at this altitude. Can we talk on top of a roof or something?"

[Raveled]

Jessica wanted to rest her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, but with his wings flapping the motion of his shoulder was too great to provide a good resting place. She nodded and pulled away from him, falling through the sky to the roof of the hospital. She set down lightly and waited for Kid Cthulhu to land, then went over and wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him tight and put her head on his shoulder. "So do you hate me now," she asked, "because of my crappy parents?"