152. Everybody Needs A Hero

Warning: none

Brideport, present day...

“I missed this,” Eloise confessed on their way to Leigh and Krisis’ place. She was excited, and so was Devon and Blake. But their little man didn’t understand what the fuss was about; he just knew they were going to Aunt Leigh’s house, to him that meant Lily and she’s all he cared about.

“Me too,” Devon agreed, he too, had missed Pancake Saturdays.

He smiled wistfully as he remembered how their weekly holiday had come about…

Soon after Leigh opened her art gallery, he was at the peak of his career as a talent agent and they had hardly seen each other. Their schedules were always in conflict and whenever they did set out days to hang out, something always came up and they’d shove each other aside, until one Saturday morning.

Leigh had awakened early; the plan was to surprise him with a nice breakfast. But to her dismay, she’d found him up and about in the kitchen, already on his fourth cup of coffee, getting ready to leave for work.

Of course she’d put her foot down and insisted he join her for breakfast and since she came up with the idea they’d settled on her choice, Blueberry pancakes.

That morning was the best they’d had in months.

He cancelled all his appointments and they turned off their cell phones.

They talked, danced around the kitchen to one of his artist’s rap albums and messed with the cooking ingredients under the pretext of making breakfast. Leigh had even enjoyed his bad impersonation of Elvis.

After their breakfast of half-done pancakes, they’d settled in front of the TV and watched As the World Turns and played video games. Leigh was hopeless at video games, but being the nice big brother that he was he had let her win.

It was freezing that day, Devon remembered how he didn’t want to leave the house, but because Leigh had suddenly missed their mom and to make her feel better he’d agreed to accompany her to Bridgeport’s Eternal Rest cemetery to leave fresh flowers on her grave.

When they returned to their tiny apartment, they’d decided there and then to make it a weekly thing, to dedicate some part of their Saturdays to each other just to catch up and talk. Leigh had then taken it upon herself to declare all their Saturdays, Pancake Saturdays.

Over the years they’d stuck to their routine until recently when their lives suddenly changed and they found themselves thrown into parenthood.

But now it looked like they were back on course and Devon couldn’t be happier.

Leigh had called them last night and invited them over; she thought it would be a great tradition to pass down to the kids, to remind them of the importance of family and friends.

Eloise, who’d gatecrashed many a Pancake Saturdays, couldn’t agree more.

They felt the tension between Leigh and Krisis as soon as they walked through the front door.

They were fussing over the kids on the floor in front of the fire place, making a point of showering them with attention.

Eloise wondered out loud if they were fighting again.

Leigh looked miserable and exhausted and so much older; she’d grown painfully thin too.

Devon could see that taking care of four toddlers was taking its toll on her, hell just keeping up with Blake was impossible sometimes, so he could only imagine the amount of pressure she and Krisis were under.

He felt guilty as he watched his sister. She’d been so supportive throughout Blake’s kidnapping and Tamsyn’s trial; he on the other hand had made little effort to reach out to her since the arrival of the triplets.

“I’ll talk to her,” he found himself saying to Eloise, who was no longer paying attention to him.

She was speaking with Patty about the latest bridal couture.

Leigh suddenly took one of the kids’ bottles from Krisis and headed to the kitchen to start breakfast and Devon found his chance then.

“Can we talk?” He asked in a low voice. He looked over his shoulder cautiously, making sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. He wanted to close the door, but he couldn’t because there wasn’t one, the entrance to the kitchen was an ornate arch made of marble, and he thought it must have cost an arm and a leg.

 “Sure. What’s going on?” Leigh sounded casual, but there was nothing casual about the weariness in her eyes when she turned from the fridge with a tray of ingredients in her hands.

“You tell me. Are you okay, Sis? Is everything okay with Krisis and the kids?” Devon held her gaze as he took the tray from her and dumped it on the counter.

Leigh’s eyes popped out. She looked shit scared out of her head, and all he could do was reach for her and give her a hug.

“Talk to me? Is it the kids? What?” He felt her shake in his arms as waves of sobs ran through her thin frame.

Krisis came in when he heard Leigh’s cries. Devon asked for some privacy, he wanted to be alone with his sister. Krisis reluctantly obliged and left them alone.

“The triplets. They are strange, Dev. Kristian starts fires. Ariel thinks I’m going to die, Azalea just destroys our appliances, and she can’t stand anything electrical. There’s a gene specialist. We have an appointment on Monday, but I’m so scared. What if they hurt them, what if it’s painful? Krisis says we don’t have to do it if I don’t want to, but I don’t know—" she wailed over his shoulder and for the longest five minutes of his life Devon was completely lost as he tried to sort through her messy explanation.

“Tell me what’s going on. Slowly,” he said as he gently sat her down at the island.

He wanted to get her some water but he wasn’t familiar with her kitchen, and there was no glass in sight. As if she’d read his thoughts, she pointed at the cupboard next to the fridge.

He went to the sink and let the water run for a while. Leigh didn’t like iced water. Their mom always warned them against it, saying they’d catch pneumonia. Of course Devon never believed it, but Leigh had trusted anything their mother said; she was her hero, her guiding light. He laughed softly when he remembered how at eleven, she still believed Santa existed only because their mom had said so. Her word was truth in Leigh’s eyes.

“What’s so funny?” Leigh asked with a hint of a smile in her voice.

“You. Remember how silly you were at eleven, you still believed Santa was real.”

“Mom said he was,” Leigh laughed at the memory.

“You were so gullible.”

“And you were annoying,” she smacked his arm playfully as she took the glass from him.

Leigh took tentative sips, stalling for time. But when Devon leaned over the counter, letting her know in not so many words that he wasn’t going anywhere until she told him everything, she sighed, a resigned sound.

Everything after that rushed out at a frightening momentum, like grey clouds gathering speed just before a storm.

Devon listened patiently, his eyes widening from shock to utter disbelief, before narrowing with worry and concern and then popping out with excitement.

“Whoa! They are super heros? How COOL is that?” He clapped his hands “You know, maybe with Az, since she controls appliances and stuff, she can control ATMs. Wouldn’t that be cool? Getting free money. Like that kid on Heroes, remember him?”

“Micah Sanders?” Leigh just had to laugh at that. It was always like Devon, to find humor in everything.

“Yeah him! From all of the Heroes on that show I always thought he had the coolest power.”

“Me too,” Leigh agreed. She grew quiet suddenly and Devon noticed it.

“This procedure on Monday, what are they going to do?” He asked as he took a seat beside her.

Leigh wrung her hands on her lap. She wasn’t clear on it. The doctor they’d had a conference call with during the week hadn’t gone into specifics. But she’d gathered from their phone conversation that psychic ability tests would have to be done on the triplets. Depending on those results they’d then have to conduct medical tests to find and isolate the mutated gene which gave the triplets their special powers.

“Isolate it? What does that mean?” Devon was seriously fascinated by the whole thing, it sounded like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

“I don’t know. I think they make it latent with drugs. The gene will still be in their bodies, but it won’t be active. Meaning they can’t start fires at will and move things with their minds. But Ariel’s precognition ability is more complex. They can’t isolate it since it doesn’t manifest physically.” Leigh explained. She looked much better, much more relaxed in fact, as Devon stared at her. Talking things through with someone other than Krisis was obviously helping.

“I can’t tell you what to do. That’s between you and Krisis, but is it so bad to be different Leigh? They are toddlers; they are still coming into their abilities. Maybe with proper training they can learn to control their abilities. You said so yourself that only intense emotional situations bring out their powers.” Devon murmured.

Leigh was confused. “What are you saying Dev?”

“I’m just saying maybe try a simpler solution first before going the extreme route. Taking them to a lab, and isolating genes sounds very extreme. There must be someone who can work with them to help them control their abilities,” Devon suggested.

Leigh kept quiet, mulling over his suggestion. In her exhausted, emotional state, she’d only seen the triplets’ abilities as something they had to get rid of at all costs; the thought of training them to control their abilities had never crossed her mind. If it could be done, why the hell not?

Devon got up and left her alone at the island. He stopped in the middle of the kitchen when he saw Krisis in the doorway.

Krisis shook his head, silently answering the question in his eyes. He only came in just moments earlier, and he’d only caught the last bit of their conversation.

“Thank you,” Krisis mumbled as he brushed past him.

“Anytime,” Devon told him, and he meant it. Sure they were not buddy-buddy, but he knew Krisis loved his sister, and being a father himself he understood the other man’s fears about taking the triplets to the lab.

In the living room, he joined Eloise and all five kids on the floor.

They were singing nursery rhymes Blake and Lily had learned at playschool.

Azalea and Ariel though weren’t really interested; they were caught up with the strangest looking dolls Devon had ever seen and he vaguely remembered it was a gift from Jesse for Leigh’s baby shower.

Leigh left her seat; she smiled when she saw Krisis at the door. He opened his arms for her and she flew straight into them.

“Dev suggested training the triplets; I think it can work-” Her excitement would have rubbed off on anyone.

Krisis swung his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. They danced around the room for a bit, with Leigh slapping his back playfully before he placed her on the counter.

For a long time he stared into her eyes, wishing he could describe just how much she meant to him. Without her he’d be finished.

And the thought tore him up. He brought her head down to his and kissed her with such fervor and heartache it brought tears to their eyes.

He couldn’t tell her. Couldn’t tell her how shit scared he was over Ariel’s premonitions.

“What’s wrong?” Leigh asked. She’d sensed his sadness and heartache.

“Nothing,” he kissed her again. This time he chose to focus on all the good in his life, and she was right at the top of the list. Being here, with her in his arms was enough for now, and he wanted to cherish their moment forever.

“You are my life Leigh, and seeing you so unhappy hurts me,” he told her when they came up for air.

“I know, and I’m sorry. It’s not you I’m unhappy with. It’s our situation, and I guess sometimes I forget it affects you just as much,” she purred as she held him tightly to her. They stayed like that for a while, both grateful for Devon. What would they do without him?

“I’m going to say this once, your brother is my hero, but don’t tell him I said that,” he told Leigh as he helped her off the counter.

“Okay, your secret is safe with me,” Leigh jumped on his back and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

She took off her hoodie and grabbed two aprons from the hook on the wall, she passed one to Krisis. He took it and put it on, reluctantly though.

‘What? You don’t like the color?” Leigh teased.

“It doesn’t bring out my eyes,” Krisis made a face at her as he turned on the iPod on the docking station. Barney’s “I love you” song filled the kitchen. Nursery rhymes were all they listened to these days.

Leigh and Krisis shared a smile when they heard all five kids squeal and go crazy over the purple dinosaur in the living room.

“Need some help?” Eloise asked from the doorway.

“The only help we need is your company. Sit down, make yourself at home,” Leigh beckoned to her and pointed at the island.

Devon joined them and not even a second later, all five kids followed suit.

Before long the kitchen was a hive of activity and noise. But Leigh loved it, and there was no place she’d rather be.

As she removed the first batch of pancakes from the stove, her eyes found Devon’s. “Thank you,” she mouthed at him.

“For what?” Devon smiled back.

“For making Pancake Saturdays possible,” she replied.

“You’re welcome.”

Breakfast was served on the patio. Krisis had plasma fruit pancakes. Devon gagged and almost threw up when he saw Leigh have some as well.

“What? It’s very nice,” Leigh assured him.

She tried to feed him a small bite, but he refused, causing the kids to laugh at the funny faces he was making.

Eloise though was curious. She gladly accepted a small helping.

“So?” Krisis asked, eagerly waiting for her verdict.

“It’s an acquired taste for sure,” she replied as she slowly swallowed the last bite.

Krisis laughed, he remembered that’s exactly what Leigh had thought when she first had plasma fruit.

Later Krisis and Devon drifted back inside the house to watch a soccer game.

Krisis thought it was a great time to show Devon his new pet, Viper.

One of brands he endorsed had sent him the mini python. The perks of being a celebrity meant he received a lot of free stuff.

But most, like the python, were really weird.

Devon, deeply engrossed in the game on the screen, politely asked him to keep the snake away from him, he didn’t care how “mini” it was, it still gave him the heebie-jeebies!

Leigh and Eloise splashed in the pool…

While the kids played nearby.

They even held a breathing contest...

To see who could stay under water for long. It’s something they liked to do in Eloise's backyward when they were growing up.

Like she knew she would, Eloise came out victorious. Leigh could never hold her breath for longer than two minutes.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Eloise said as they got out of the pool.

She dried herself with a soft fluffy towel before donning on a summery robe.

“What?” Leigh threw on a blue sarong and tied her wet hair in a side plait.

“Will you be maid of honor?” Eloise asked.

“Yes, yes, yes. I will,” Leigh squealed with joy.

Her screams caused Devon and Krisis, who assumed something was seriously wrong, to come outside and check on the commotion.

Both men frowned when they found Eloise and Leigh giggling and jumping up and down in each others’ arms. They were obviously happy. Nothing was wrong. And this left them confused.

“Why do they scream like that when they are happy?” Devon grumbled as he settled back in front of the TV.

“Beats me,” Krisis replied, he was just as confused as he was.

Outside, Leigh and Eloise’ excitement was contagious; they managed to suck in the kids too.

 Kristian didn’t know what was going on, but he was just happy to clap and scream along with his mommy.

“Who are the bridesmaids?” Leigh asked when she’d calmed down.

“No one. You are the only person I’d rather have up there, watching my back,” Eloise explained.

“I’m honored,” Leigh hugged her again before she ran inside the house. When she came back, she had stacks of bridal magazines in her hands and a cordless phone. She handed it to Eloise and told her to call Jesse.

Their friend was there in less than an hour and they spent the rest of their day planning Eloise’s wedding. For real this time. They had to. It was just six weeks away…

______

Note: This is the last Krisis update for the year. I'm off to the coast this Thursday and when I come back next Monday it's back to work, so updates will be slow, I think bi-weekly.

Thank you all for making 2011 a  great year to write Krisis. I couldn't have done it without all your wonderful support, encouragement, kindness and friendship.

I know it's way too early to be saying this, but since I won't get the chance to  on the day, I'd like to wish each and everyone of you a...

Namaste, may 2012 be everything your spirit needs...