Cape High Christmas: A Side Story (Cape High Series)

by R. J. Ross

  "Will you meet her?"

  "I... you're asking a lot of me," she says. "It might be too much."

  "Think about it," Ken says. "Call me or Nico when you decide, we'll arrange the meeting."

  "Let me--here," she says, heading down and coming back a second later. "Give these to Technico," she says, holding out two boxes. "Tell him what he's paid is enough."

  Ken looks at the boxes and nods. "My number should be in your new computer system," he says as he takes to the air. "The moment you decide, call me."

  "Goodbye, America's Son," she says. She's gone by the time he's in the air, leaving only a faint dip where the entrance to her home is. She closed the door. He heads home, holding the two crystal boxes as delicately as if they were a child.

  ***

  "And that's how it went down," Ken says as he finishes up the explanation. Nico is sitting in his work room in the apartments, looking at the wedding ring. "I get the feeling she doesn't want either of us coming back."

  "We'll let her think," Nico says. "We're asking a lot out of her. But I'm still going to send this to Marigold to give to her," he adds, picking a watch off the table and waving it. "It might make her feel more confident."

  "And the wedding ring?" Ken asks.

  "It's beyond what I could have imagined," Nico admits, showing the ring to him. It's another rose, but larger and more detailed than the engagement one. "When you put them together, it looks like a bouquet," he says. "I think Summer will love it."

  "Do you have any idea of whether she'll say yes?" Ken asks.

  "Nope, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to ask," Nico says, closing the box and placing it on the table. "Once the whole Advent Calendar is over, can I ask you to keep an eye on my kids for a while? I'm going to take Summer out to dinner."

  "Do they know?"

  "They know," Nico says. "Zoe's first words were 'What took you so long?'" he adds with amusement. "She even insisted on helping set up the dinner place--until Sunny took over."

  "Then I wish you luck," Ken says. "But it's about time we get to the school to let the kids have their presents, right?"

  "Yeah," Nico says, getting to his feet. "Let's get this over with."

  ***

  "So now it's time to give you your presents!" Summer says as they enter the apartment building.

  "We can do that tomorrow," Zoe says. "I'm tired--it's been a long day, right? And Sunny and I both were thinking of watching a movie, right Sunny?"

  "I--" Sunny stops when she gives him a telling look. "I'm good watching a movie. It's been a really busy month. And this weekend I'm going over to Adanna's and setting up that tree house for Cubby and her, so it's not even over yet," he says, dropping on the couch and flipping on the television. "You two have fun!"

  "Summer," Nico says from behind her. She turns, looking at him, a bit stunned to see that he actually looks nervous--and is wearing a suit. "Would you... ah..." he reaches up, tugging on his collar, "do me the pleasure of going out to dinner with me?" he asks, looking twice as awkward as he sounds.

  "I..." she looks over at their kids.

  "Go with him!" Zoe encourages him. "Have fun!"

  "We've got pizza we can toss in the oven," Sunny adds.

  "Well if that's how you feel," she says. "But we'll definitely have a proper dinner tomorrow night, understand."

  "We got it," they say, waving them off.

  Summer looks at Nico, feeling butterflies in her stomach. "Then I would be honored to go to dinner with you," she says, holding out a hand. He gives her a grin, taking her hand.

  "Kids, Ken's just downstairs, so try not to break anything. I'm sure you'll get dragged into a family party sooner or later. We'll be back... sometime," he says, making Summer laugh. "Don't wait up."

  "Bye!" they call as Nico and Summer leave, hand in hand.

  "I have a story to tell you," he says as they head down the stairs of the apartment building and out to the parking lot. "And all those questions you've been NOT asking will be answered."

  "I can't wait," she says as he wraps an arm around her waist and slips a mask on. "Although I guess I should have dressed up--"

  "Nah," he says. "Where we're going, you'll fit right in," he says as he takes off. It's a leisurely flight, and short.

  "Kansas?" she asks as he heads down. "Why Kansas?"

  "Because it turns out that my old man gave Sunny a present a while back," Nico says as he lands in the middle of a forest. The trees, now dormant, have twinkling white lights covering them, even wrapped around the trunks, and winter flowers surround a simple blanket in the middle of the clearing. Nico waves a hand and a box comes up from the ground next to the blanket, opening to reveal plates of high cuisine, kept hot by the machine. The middle part of the blanket rises as well, to create a table.

  "A present?" she asks as she sits down and takes the plate he offers her.

  "This entire field," he says, "it's Sunny's. I was going to take you to some fancy place, but Sunny thought this would make you happier. He grew all of this, and Zoe set up the table and picnic box," he says. "If it's not to your liking, I can take you somewhere else."

  "I like it," she says, looking at the light show in the trees. "It's beautiful, and quiet, the perfect place to hear this story of yours."

  "Well," he says, hesitating before tapping on the box. A small slot opens in the side and he pulls out a bottle of chilled wine and two cups. "I think I've found Sandra's mom," he says, much to her shock.

  "Wh--what?"

  "It all started when I decided that tonight would be the night," he says, pouring them both a glass of wine. "And sure I could have bought a diamond, or gone to Dad, but I think when it's forever, you need to work for it," he explains. "So I went and dug one up."

  "You did, did you?" she teases, "I would have never guessed."

  He grins at her. "You figured that out, huh?"

  "You came home covered in volcanic soil. We don't exactly have volcanoes around here."

  "Well, okay, but back to the story," Nico says, tapping his glass against hers. "I didn't realize until after I found the stone that I had no clue if it's a decent one or not--so I did what anyone would do, I hunted down a cape with rock mimicry to check it out and make the ring for me."

  "There's such a thing as jewelers, you know?" she offers.

  "Where's the fun in that?" he asks as they start to eat. She lets out a laugh. "I went out and I found her--she's one of Marigold's villains, named Diamond Dust. But when I found her, I started to think, how many stone mimics are there in the world?"

  "I don't know, how many?" she asks.

  "Two, since Diamond Dust's dad is dead. The other one lives in Ireland. It's possible, right, that that one's related to her, but more likely not. So I did a bit of searching. I was positive enough to tell Ken about it... I haven't told Century, yet, though."

  "This is delicious, by the way," she says. "But why do you need to tell them?"

  "Both Ken and Century want to adopt Sandra," he explains. "I gave her an illusion watch--I gave BOTH of them illusion watches, actually. It's the least I could do for what Diamond Dust did."

  "So... how is it going to work out?" Summer asks.

  "With you saying yes, I hope," he says.

  "I meant with Sandra."

  "I don't know," he admits. "Ken went and talked to her, said that they might be able to work out something with everyone being involved in her growing up. If we leave it to him and Jeanie I think it'll all work out just fine."

  "I think you're right," she agrees, smiling. "Just look at Jack."

  "So you've forgiven me for putting him with them?"

  "He's so happy, how can I not?" she asks.

  "Good, because I have something to ask you," he says, digging a crystal box out of his pocket. He moves to the side of the low table and gets on one knee. "Summer Rosenthorn, I've loved you for half of my life. I plan on loving you for the rest of it, as well. You've raised my kids, put up with my family, and most importan
tly, put up with me. Will you marry me?" he asks, opening the box. Both rings are in it, interlocked together. She lets out a slight gasp. "This is both the engagement and wedding ring," he adds. "I thought if I could blow your mind, you'd be more likely to say yes."

  "I... wow," she says. "You dug that up?"

  "Both diamonds and a handful of other gems," he says. "All I brought her was the diamond, so I had to replace the gems she used from her own collection."

  "It's beautiful," she says. "How did she make it?"

  "By hand--literally," he adds. "She carved it with her fingernails, or something. I would have done it myself, but, well, we all know how that would have turned out."

  "I'm sure you would have come up with a machine to do it," she says.

  "But it wouldn't have been as beautiful," he says. "She's a fan of yours, by the way, and so am I. So... I'm still waiting for your answer, you know?"

  She reaches out, taking the rings out of the box and sliding them on. "Yes," she says, throwing herself into his arms.

  "Oh thank God," he says, hugging her tightly. "You had me shaking in my boots there for a little bit."

  "Only a little bit?" she asks.

  "Maybe a bit more than that," he says. She lets out a laugh before kissing him.

  "Skye's going to be one of my bridesmaids," she declares as she pulls away. "You might have to get me a power blocker to keep her still long enough for the fittings."

  "You would do that to my little sister?"

  "I might need one for Liz, too. I'm sure Jeanie will help, though," she says with a laugh. "And YOU are wearing a tux, mister."

  "Okay, okay," he says. "Do you mind if I make Sunny my best man?"

  "I insist on it," she says. "Zoe will be my maid of honor. It's a big responsibility for a sixteen year old, but I'm certain she can manage it with her eyes closed."

  "It sounds perfect," he says.

  Deadly Darlin's

  *Texas, Skye's Secret Base*

  "Okay," Nico says. We look up from the toys he's installed in our secret underground base, waiting for him to go on. He looks at me for a long, long moment, before letting out a sigh. "Skye."

  "Yessss?" I say, trying to look innocent. Something about that tone tells me I'm about to get a lecture.

  "No kidnapping people to your secret base, got it? The last thing we want is for some moron to get access to the teleportation booth. They might not be able to use it, but we don't need pictures of it floating around. "

  "Why DID you give her a teleportation booth?" Doris asks. "We all know she can go anywhere she wants with a bit of running."

  "All three of you are set up to use it," Nico says. "This way if you want to visit the family you don't draw attention to it. Mom says you all need to stop by at least once a week, I think she thinks you'll starve on your own. Besides, if an S-class super villain and her team can't protect it, who can?"

  "I don't have any desire to go see Superior," Ariel says.

  "I can go," I say, frowning slightly. "But that means running into that Mother lady..." I frown, still irritated with her for brainwashing me. "I'll call first!" I decide. "Did you put in the school coordinates, too?"

  "Outside of it," Nico says. "I don't allow any teleporting into the campus, not even for Emily. Now--"

  "I've stocked up the kitchen and redid the ventilation system," Zoe says, coming into the room. "Aunt Skye, if you need ANYTHING, just call, okay?" she asks. "Don't get into too much trouble, and make sure that Century knows if you're going to be gone for longer than a day or two--"

  "Yeah, yeah, sheesh, it's not like I'm going away to college!" I say, although I'm secretly thrilled over how they're acting. No one's ever been so worried about me before!

  "It feels like it," Nico says dryly. "Try not to party too hard, ladies--"

  "The pool's finished," my nephew, Sunny, says, walking in and dusting off his hands. I jump over to his side, hugging him happily.

  "Thank you, Sunny!" I say.

  He gives me a little grin. "It was more for Ariel, y'know, since she's a water type, but you're welcome. We should get going, though. You guys--I mean ladies, need to unpack and everything, right?"

  "Absolutely!" I say. "Now shoo, we've got a lot of work to do!"

  The other two in my new little league of villainy look at me blankly as my brother and his kids teleport away. He's got a watch. Unlike my machine, it goes ANYWHERE he wants it to. But anyway, now is where I explain some things! My name is Skystep, I'm a wonderfully powerful super villain extraordinaire! And in front of me, staring at me like I did something stupid again, are my brand new partners in crime! Ariel, a water mimic, who can turn into any form of water, and Doris, a Jersey Devil shape-shifter--

  "Is she introducing us in her mind again?" Ariel asks.

  "Probably, I think she's plotting out her next self-drawn comic," Doris says, dropping down on one of the couches my other nephew, Rocco, brought in for us. "It would be more understandable if she could actually draw."

  "You just don't understand my unique style," I say, posing dramatically.

  "Unique style?" Ariel asks.

  "She just sucks at art," Doris says, totally shooting my claim down.

  "It's not my fault that they don't do super villain comics!" I complain. "But this is our first official day as a super villain group! We need to CELEBRATE!"

  They look at each other, and then at me. "We've been working on this move all week," Doris says. "Shouldn't we just relax for a bit? We can do a job tomorrow, or something--"

  "Who said anything about a job?" I ask. "This is like--like spring break! We should go out, party, and meet boys!" They stare at me. "And ROB them!" I finish.

  "Oooooh," Ariel says. "That makes more sense," she says to Doris.

  "Of course it does," Doris says, picking up the phone that Nico made for her. Everything she touches on the screen brings up a bubble first, explaining what it does. That was really nice of him--Doris isn't very good with technology, she was stuck in a tube in this very base for a very long time. Speaking of that tube, we got rid of the entire room and put in a hot tub! Well, Nico did. "Everyone knows she has a thing for Century."

  "I do NOT!" I yell, grabbing a pillow off the nearest chair and throwing it at her. "He's a pervert!"

  "I would like to get to know the area," Ariel says. "I mean, since we're going to be living here and... well, I'm not a cloud."

  "Maybe I can finally find a place to get my hair cut," Doris agrees.

  "Not the hair! I like the hair!" I protest. They ignore me, getting up and heading for the exit. "How would YOU feel if I chopped MY hair off?" I demand, grabbing Doris's hand and being dragged along behind her.

  "I wouldn't have a problem with it," she says. "Besides, YOUR hair doesn't drag on the ground behind you."

  "You're breaking my heart," I moan pathetically. "It was going to be one of our super villain trademarks!"

  "And the fact that I turn into a Jersey Devil monster doesn't do enough?"

  I jump on her back. "You'll have to cut through me to get to it!" I declare as we step out of the secret base and into the forest.

  "Fine," she says. "We'll do that."

  "Noooo!"

  "Why are we in the middle of a forest?" Ariel asks, floating over our heads and looking around curiously.

  "Because our secret base was once a secret government facility. It's built under a national forest, so if you see any campers just smile and wave," Doris says as she keeps going with me hanging on her back. "I didn't really want to come back, but her highness here insisted."

  "We DID get rid of that room, though," I have to point out, feeling a bit hurt by the "highness" comment.

  "That's one of the biggest reasons I was willing to come," she says, sighing.

  We reach the edge of the forest, only to stop at the sight of Century sitting on a camping chair next to a checkered blanket, drinking a cup of coffee. He's got an ancient looking plaid thermos on the ground next to him, along with two
manila folders and a picnic basket. It looks like he's there for the long haul.

  "Why are you here?" I demand, jumping off of Doris's back and moving between my partners and the head of the South Branch Hall. "We haven't done ANYTHING yet!"

  "I'm just here for the usual, Sugar," he says, uncrossing his legs and reaching down to pick up the folders. "Doris, Ariel, I'm going to need a few signatures. Don't worry if you didn't bring a pen, I brought one for you." He holds the envelope out to them. "Since you're both going to be official South Branch villains, we like to have it in writing."

  "Why do we need to--"

  "How else can I pay you?" he asks. "Don't worry about bank accounts, we pay in cash. It's an 'under the table' sort of thing."

  "What?" I demand, getting angry. "You can't pay them, they're VILLAINS! And you've never paid ME!"

  "Sugar, you stole my credit card," he says, smiling ever so slightly as he continues to hold out the folders. "You have an unlimited spending account, which, I might add, you take joy in mentioning every time I turn around. But you're originally South Branch, so you were automatically registered the first time you robbed a bank. Our newest sweethearts here aren't."

  "Don't call me sweetheart, cowboy," Doris says, grabbing the folders from him and looking at them both. She hands one over to Ariel after deciding which is hers. "This calls for at least two jobs minimum per month," she says, sitting on the blanket. "Does that count if we work as a team?"

  "Of course," he says.

  "Who ARE you?" Ariel asks him. "Some random cowboy man?" Oh, right, he ISN'T in uniform, is he? Stupid Century, coming to see super villains in civvies! Doesn't he have ANY professionalism?

  What? I know how to be professional!

  "This is the grand and mighty yadda yadda Century," Doris says, grabbing the pen he offers and scrawling her name a few times. "Here," she says, holding out the pen to Ariel. Ariel stares at it, looking worried. "Do you... ah, know how to write?" Doris asks her after a moment.