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henry-hart · 6 years

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“The Spy and the Kid...Spy Kid?” - Chapter 4

Dedicated to: @sunbeameyes @kiwikwami @youngbloodthekilljoy @ramune-ray @up-the-tube @shonashee @lesbian-so-what @an-anxious-gay-mess @writing-excuses @sleepylilsnowflake New additions @alissamikealson @x-cookies-art-x @can-you-believe-it and @periwinklechild because I see you guys on my feed a lot, and I want you to know that I appreciate you. Special mention @coldasalaska because they said THE most wonderful things about this fic and my writing in general, and I want them to know that they are one of the reasons I am smiling on this day. :)))))))

Summary: Jasper’s cousin, Elizabeth, is in town for spring break, but Henry suspects trouble when she arrives just a new, unnamed villain begins terrorizing Swellview.

Warning: Minor cursing (really minor)

A/N: Right off the bat, I want to say that this chapter is long, but I’m not apologizing for that anymore (I’m not being snappy of mad or short--just matter of fact. :)). That’s just the way I write, and I hope you can all see it as getting more content and see it as a good thing. :))))))) Now to the notes about this chapter. It’s a bit--emotional. That last chapter was more action and this is more of a chance to say “okay, but what does it mean? What are the emotional or mental repercussions?” I’M BEING 100% SERIOUS WHEN I SAY THAT THIS IS THE CHAPTER WHERE LIZ SEES JASPER AND FINALLY MEETS CHARLOTTE. LIKE, IT’S FOR SURE HAPPENING. THE CHAPTER IS WRITTEN, AND I CAN SAY THAT IT IS FACT. (sorry for all the caps. I’ve just been waiting for the moment Char x Liz meet, and I’m sure you all have too.) I hope you enjoy, and feel free to comment what you thought, good or bad!!!! xoxoxo

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

“Henry! Hen-ry!” Ms. Shapen bellowed.

Henry, who had fallen asleep at his desk, jumped straight up, nearly falling out of his seat in the process. His teacher’s loud voice reverberated in his skull like a train whistle, loud and piercing, taking over all other senses, pulling him out of unconsciousness with the speed of that same locomotive. He was disoriented for a minute, having been ripped out of his nap. Everything around him seemed muted and far away in the way that all things are after waking up--like they exist on a different plane.

Henry looked around and saw that the classroom was empty save for Ms. Shapen, Charlotte, Jasper, and himself.

“Is class over?” He asked, rubbing the warm sleep from his face.

“Well, duh,” Ms. Shapen snapped, leaning towards him with her hands on her hips. “You’d know that if you hadn’t slept through the entire thing.”

Henry grabbed his book bag off the floor--he hadn’t even taken anything out of it--and stood up. “I’m sorry, Ms. Shapen. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Ms. Shapen just stared at him, unimpressed. “You think you’re the first teenager to give me that crap?”

“Well, no, I was just--”

“Just get out of my face already. I just got a week off from all of you, and you’re ruining it.”

Henry didn’t say anything back. He just nodded and left to join his friends who were waiting for him by the door. The trio started for the front doors of the school.

“Are you okay?” Jasper asked, studying the red sleep lines all over Henry’s right cheek from where his skin had been pressed to his sleeve.

Henry stifled a yawn. “Yeah, why?”

Charlotte quirked an eyebrow. “Well, for one, you’re wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday.” She reached out for one side of his flannel and shook it, drawing attention to the wrinkles for emphasis.

Henry looked down at his shirt, taking into account for the first time that day just how unkempt he looked. He imagined his hair and face weren’t looking too hot either.

“I had a long day yesterday.” He said, not feeling like going into details while at school. He scratched at the red bump on his neck (turns out that it was a bug that had bit him last night in the park--he woke up this morning with a mark much like a mosquito bite that itched just as much). “Ray will fill you in later.” He muttered.

Sleep hadn’t improved his disposition; he was still bitter about being told to stay out of things for the day.

Charlotte eyed Henry, trying to figure out why he seemed so irritated. She knew that he had been through a lot yesterday--she had been working too when he and Ray went out after Donnie and Hyde in the park--but Henry had left work more defeated rather than angry. What else had happened last night?

Jasper was also worried about Henry. Long forgotten was their quarrel, and Jasper woke up today with his friendship with Henry still intact and happy to see his cousin. After all, she had been in town for an entire day, and he had yet to see her, but any thoughts of Liz went to the back of his mind when he saw that there was something going on with his friend--something that dimmed Henry’s eyes and made his shoulders droop.

Jasper picked up on what Henry had said last. “What do you mean Ray will fill us in? Aren’t you going to work?”

Henry turned away from his friends, ashamed. “No, I’m not.” Before either of them could ask why, Henry held a hand up. “Like I said, Ray can fill you in later.”

Charlotte didn’t like letting the subject go, but she didn’t want to press Henry anymore than he already was. “Okay, yeah. We’ll ask Ray.” She agreed, continuing to watch him even as Jasper changed the subject.

“Do you think you could bring Liz by the shop then?” Jasper blurted, barely containing his excitement. He realized then how rude it came across and immediately backtracked. “I mean, only if you want to, of course. I can always stop by your house after work, if it’s too much trouble.”

Henry managed a small smile despite how down he was feeling. “No, man, it’s okay.” He understood how much Liz being here meant to Jasper. “My mom kind of kidnapped her for the day, but I promise I’ll bring her by the store when she’s done.” Henry recalled how Liz had fared with his parents the first night they met her, and he hoped today with his mom had been much better for her. Thinking back to dinner, he also remembered that he owed Jasper a piece of his mind. He turned to give his friend a pointed look. “Thanks for the heads up about Liz’ parents, by the way.”

Jasper looked away from Henry. “I was wondering if that would come up.” He muttered.

Henry scoffed. “It didn’t just come up. It was practically the first thing my parents pulled out of her at dinner.”

Jasper’s mouth fell open, hardly believing he was being chastised for not mentioning that family members of his have died. “Well, it’s not like I want to talk about my aunt and uncle’s death.” He retaliated.

Henry went silent, feeling a little awkward for not thinking of the connection to Jasper. He sighed, dragging a hand down his face, trying to get his brain back to functioning normally. “I’m sorry man. I just knew my parents were gonna be nosy, and I wanted to save Liz the embarrassment.”

Jasper nodded, understanding that his friend’s intentions had been good. Jasper wasn’t still affected by his aunt and uncle’s death, but it did send a painful pang through his chest to think of them, despite not ever being close to them. He could understand how it would make for an uncomfortable topic around the table. He gave Henry a meaningful smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Liz wasn’t too shaken up.”

Henry shook his head. “No, she said it was okay, that it’d been awhile ago.” He gave a quiet chuckle. “She let my parents off way too easy.”

Charlotte had no real idea what either of them were talking about, but she was intuitive enough to pick up on the gist of the conversation and decided a subject change was in order. “What do you mean your mom kidnapped her?”

Henry, glad for the change in topic, sighed, but it was a good-natured one. “You know how my mom is with guests.” He began. “Well, I think Liz being a girl makes it worse. Mom’s flight got cancelled because of the weather, so she has the day off. When Piper and I left for school, she had Liz baking cookies with her.”

Charlotte and Jasper laughed.

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Charlotte commented as they walked out of the front doors to head to Henry’s car.

Henry shrugged. “I guess not. I just don’t know how much Liz enjoys baking and all that.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and hit the unlock button. Headlights flashed across the parking lot through the rain.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Jasper dismissed with another laugh (they came easy now that they weren’t talking about his deceased aunt and uncle). “Liz is cool like that. She’s always thinking of other people.” He snapped his fingers as a memory came to him. “When we were younger, she used to go to bucket conventions with me even if it meant missing her inventor’s conventions.”

Charlotte perked up at this. “Did you say inventor’s conventions?” She was already excited to meet Jasper’s cousin, being the only person in the group who hadn’t, but if Liz was a female inventor like her, then Charlotte needed to meet her now.

Jasper nodded, a wide, proud smile breaking out across his face. “Yeah. Liz is crazy smart. She made a robot that could open soda cans when she was like six. I swear she’s gonna win the Nobel prize or something some day.”

Henry noticed how his friend’s whole face lit up when he spoke about his cousin, and Charlotte looked just as animated. Henry understood how they felt; even after only knowing her for a day, Henry thought that Liz was pretty cool too.

He was also glad that he didn’t have to fix anything with Jasper; they were still best friends with none of the hostility Henry had worried was there.

“I’m gonna bring the car around.” He said, breaking up their conversation about the many things Liz and Charlotte have created.

Jasper looked all around them, resting his eyes on Henry last, “No Piper?” He fought back a smile.

Henry shook his head. “No, she’s going to a friend’s house or something, so I’m driving.”

Charlotte and Jasper exchanged looks of relief. They wouldn’t have to worry about Piper’s crazy driving, which was an even greater relief considering it was raining. That was a combination that had the both of them feeling anxious all day, but it wasn’t a problem anymore.

Henry moved out from the cover of the rain and walked--he saw the Mythbusters episode that proved running in the rain doesn’t help--to his car, hands shoved deep in his pockets, shoulders hunched up high, and face downcast to avoid getting rain in his eyes. The heavy pounded down on him anyway, soaking his flannel and drenching his hair, but the rain was warm--cooler than the air but still warm. It provided more of a relief from the heat rather than an annoyance.

He opened his door, not minding that he was going to get his seat all wet, got in, started the car, and drove to pick his friends up form the front of the school.

The ride was quiet; both Charlotte, sitting in the passenger seat, and Jasper, sitting in the back, knew that Henry wasn’t overjoyed about not going in for work today. Whatever had made Ray give Henry the day off, it was obvious their friend wasn’t happy about it, so they left him alone to his thoughts rather than force him to engage in conversation.

When he dropped them off at Junk ‘n Stuff, he didn’t even bother getting out of the car.

He rode silently home, alone, accompanied only by the sound of the heavy sheets of rain sloshing off his windshield with each swipe of the wipers.

-----------

Henry grabbed a piece of leftover pizza out of the fridge, not even bothering to heat it up in the microwave, and made his way to the couch. It was his day off, even if he wasn’t too happy about it, and he had just got off of school for a week; he wasn’t required to do much of anything, so it looked like he and the couch were going to be very well acquainted for the time being.

He had spent the whole hour that he was home aimlessly going through his phone, scrolling through pictures, checking social media. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking at; his brain was on autopilot. He was going through the motions without putting any real thought behind them. He was feeling listless which was partly due to the stormy weather and partly due to the fact that he was home right now instead of at work, helping the others solve the big mystery they were all facing.

A little part of him was scared that, because he wasn’t there, they’d figure it out without him and prove once and for all that he really is useless. Ray can’t be hurt. Charlotte is a genius. Schwoz creates all their technology, and Jasper watches the store. Henry’s just a sidekick. How much did they really need him? Did they need him at all, or was he just a setback? Could Ray have stopped Donnie and Hyde if Henry were out of the picture? Maybe Ray had really sent Henry home not so that he could rest but so that he was out of the way, so that the others could work without being bothered by someone who’s just a sidekick.

Henry couldn’t take his own thoughts anymore. He was starting to spiral out of control in a dark cloud of insecurity and anxiety. He had to find something to distract him because he needed to get out of his own head. His phone wasn’t cutting it.

He grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV. His parents must’ve been watching last because it was left on the news channel. Henry decided he’d leave it. He didn’t have the energy to flip through channels until he found something interesting to watch. The latest season of Dog Judge had ended, and he didn’t have any other show he was really invested in. There was never really anything good on anyway.

The news did have a tendency to depress him considering they don’t exactly report on the positive goings-ons in town, but he was in one of those sad moods when watching something else sad just seemed to be the way to go.

“So, Mary, what does the weather look like for Swellview?” Trent Overunder, one of the news anchors, asked.

The camera panned to the blonde news anchorwoman, Mary Gaperman. “It’s raining, Trent.” She smiled brightly into the camera.

The camera moved back to Trent. “We can see that, Mary.” He looked at the camera with a helpless expression. “I meant what does the weather look like for the next couple of days.”

She smiled again. “It’s still raining,Trent.”

Trent sighed, muttering just loud enough for the viewers to hear, “Okay, I expect nothing, and yet I’m still disappointed.”

Henry muted the TV then, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of the male news anchor. Mary tried her best, but it’s not like she could do much working next to someone like Trent Overunder who took every available chance to cut her down.

I get it, Mary. It sucks being the sidekick, he thought.

He took a bite of his cold pizza, watching the muted people on screen talking and moving about. Henry kept his mind busy trying to read everyone’s lips. They flashed to the meteorologist who gestured to a map of Swellview that showed a large storm front moving over the town. It was followed by another large storm.

Swellview wouldn’t be getting a break from the rain anytime soon, Henry thought. He found the perpetual rain was pretty fitting, considering the way he was feeling. There was a metaphorical cloud over his head. Might as well be a real one too.

“I guess news anchors are bogus everywhere.” Henry heard from right behind him.

He jumped, choking on the pizza he was eating, and turned to see who was standing behind the couch. His thoughts were so loud, he hadn’t even heard Liz come down the stairs.

Liz gave him a wide-eyed look, surprised that she had startled him so badly.

Henry swallowed his food, cleared his throat, and nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” He gestured to the TV. “I’m not a big fan of that Trent guy.”

Liz made her way around the couch, standing near the edge closest to the kitchen, moving away so as not to scare Henry again.

Henry took note of the fact that her long, brown hair was dry for the first time since he’d met her. It was a pretty, deep shade of brown--like raw umber--and fell in waves down to her elbows. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a cropped and worn black shirt that said “I heart science” but the heart was an atom with particles swirling around it (Henry was proud of himself for knowing that considering he wasn’t the smartest person around). He remembered how Jasper had said she was really smart, and her shirt made a small smile tug at the corners of his lips.

Now that it wasn’t wet or up in a bun, Henry realized Liz’ long hair was almost identical to that of the girl he’d fought last night. He couldn’t not see the resemblance now, and it didn’t help that Liz was wearing all black too.

He pushed any similarities he thought he found to the back of his mind, chalking it all up to being just a reaction from all the stress he was under. Liz couldn’t possibly be any more different from this new villain. She was likable, easy to be around, grounded. Hair color didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t substantial evidence to base any kind of assumption on; it was pure coincidence.

Henry dismissed the notion entirely. He couldn’t trust any connections he found; he wasn’t thinking properly. His brain was desperately searching for answers where there weren’t any, taking whatever he could get as explanation, and Liz had fallen victim to his mad need to understand what was happening. He’d apologize to her for even thinking it, but she wouldn’t understand what he was talking about. He decided to just let it go.

He gestured for Liz to sit next to him, and she did.

Liz sat down on the couch and looked at the TV, watching Trent’s mouth move wordlessly. “I don’t blame you. That guy’s a real jerk.” She heard, from the top of the stairs, him talking to the female anchor and didn’t like what he had said. It sounded like a lot of misogynistic condescension to her. She was glad Henry muted it.

It took Henry a moment to remember what they were even talking about. The news. News anchors. Trent Overunder. It was coming back to him now.

“What about the ones where you’re from? Are the anchors there jerks too?” He found himself stepping right back into the conversation with little effort, and he gave Liz credit for that.

Conversation came easy with her. She was easy to talk to, and Henry liked talking to her. He didn’t feel like there was anything he had to do or be--there wasn’t some expectation he had to live up to. He could just talk. It was like a breath of fresh air, being there with her, not feeling like there was something he owed her or she owed him. That was something he desperately needed today.

Liz shook her head. “No, not really. There is this one guy who makes horrible puns though--and they’re always at the worst times too.” She tilted her head to the side, tapping a finger on her chin. “Oh, and the meteorologist never points to the right part of the map.”

Henry laughed, and Liz joined him, liking how, with Henry, things didn’t have to be serious. Her job had pretty much always been her life. From about the time she was thirteen to now at seventeen, she had been all about business. She put childish things away for the sake of her job, to be fully committed to her work as her aunt and uncle wished, and she had sacrificed much in the process. Hanging out with friends, having fun, being a normal teenager--she didn’t know what any of those things were. Talking with Henry was about the closest she’d ever come to any of that, she thought, and despite being on the job--a job that had consumed the past four years of her life--she found herself enjoying it.

She looked over at Henry once their laughter had died down--really looked--and noticed his appearance: wrinkled clothes, tired eyes, and disheveled hair. He looked awful, like he’d really had a rough go of it, and Liz felt her heart clench.

Last night, Liz had seen the extent of Henry’s caring nature, and it had derailed her. She was supposed to get in and get out, to only use the Hart house as a means to be on location, but Henry--and the rest of his family, really--was complicating that.

Having only known her for one day, he had kept himself up, worried sick about her well-being, instead of sleeping. When she’d made it back to the house, unharmed and having just finished a job she could never tell him about, Henry had looked so relieved, so happy, to see that she was okay and unharmed. She wasn’t expecting it. She hadn’t known how to react. It was alien to her that this boy, who was only one step away from stranger, had valued her safety so much. It was a real testament to Henry’s character. There wasn’t a doubt in Liz’ mind; Henry was an incredible guy.

She went to sleep last night with a warm internal feeling, like she’d had a shot of alcohol and it’s effects were buzzing through her veins, letting her know she was alive. Despite not knowing what it meant or what it felt like to have a friend, Liz imagined it was something like that.

Henry’s sincerity and concern had touched her, and she wanted to reciprocate some of that back to him. She may be a hard worker, but she was still a person, a person with integrity. She could manage this act of kindness without throwing her whole mission out the window. She could allow herself to have this small taste of normal teenage friendship.

Opting for distraction to help Henry feel better--she had no other real option considering she didn’t know what was bothering him--Liz decided to focus on anything but Henry’s appearance. She saw the plate in his lap, taking note of what he was eating.

“So it’s a cold pizza kind of day, huh.” She reasoned, knowing that anyone who didn’t take the time to heat up their pizza was going through a hard time.

Henry chuckled dryly, thinking that was an understatement. “It’s a cold pizza kind of day.” He agreed. He realized it was rude to eat in front of guests. “I can get you some. I can actually microwave yours.” He added as an afterthought.

Liz shook her head with a smile. “That’s alright. Your Mom and I made cookies earlier.” She put a hand over her stomach. “A girl can only eat so much.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “I hope she didn’t guilt you into cooking with her.”

Liz made a “please” face. “Your mom didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to do. ”

Henry sat up a little, thinking cookies sounded like a good idea, a silver lining to this dreary day. “Are there any left?”

Liz bit her bottom lip. “We may or may not have eaten them all.”

Henry raised his eyebrows, surprised that two of them had finished off a whole batch of cookies by themselves, but he wasn’t mad. It was hard to be mad around Liz. She just radiated positive energy. Henry wondered if she knew she was such a light.

He then realized, after talking about her so much, that his mom wasn’t anywhere around, and Liz had come from upstairs not the kitchen. A horrible thought crossed his mind.

He set his pizza down, staring straight ahead. “Mom didn’t show you any embarrassing family albums, did she?” He asked in a slow voice, grimacing as he predicted what Liz’ next answer was most likely going to be.

Liz smirked, knowing exactly which photos he meant. “Depends on what you consider embarrassing.”

Henry burned bright red. “Oh god,” he moaned.

His mother had a habit of showing people who came over to their house the Hart family album. Not only did Henry find it a little awkward that his mom shoved photos of their personal family memories into stranger’s faces, but there were pictures that Henry had trouble looking at himself. For instance, the ever classic “let’s put our naked children together in a tub and take pictures” pictures that parents always insist on taking. Henry had been about five and Piper was only a baby, but they were still naked and the people looking at them were still strangers.

There was little he considered more uncomfortable than people he didn’t know seeing him as a naked baby. It was worse when they looked at him now, a fully clothed teenager, and he just knew they were thinking about how they had seen him in all his chubby, naked glory. Just knowing they had that knowledge made Henry’s skin crawl.

Liz laughed a light, bubbly laugh at the redness of Henry’s cheeks. “Don’t worry, Henry. You were a cute baby.”

Henry’s face burned hotter. “I’m gonna kill her.” He grumbled, turning away from Liz to salvage the little bit of dignity he still had.

Liz tilted her head, looking up at the ceiling in thought. “I like your mom. She’s sweet.” She decided for a subject change, not wanting to make Henry any more uncomfortable than he already was. She had succeeded in her plan to take his mind off whatever was bugging him, though, and silently celebrated in the way Henry’s shoulders picked up ever so slightly. “She calls me ‘sweetheart’ a lot. I like that.”

Liz didn’t get much maternal attention at home, so it was nice to be in a house hold with a family whose mother was warm and loving for a change. She hadn’t intended on finding a family like the Hart’s when she took this job, but she was glad that she had. Even if she had come into town for her work and she wouldn’t be with the Hart’s past this one week, she appreciated that she got to experience a familial unit like theirs at all.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Liz played with the frayed strands on the knees of her black jeans, trying not to feel guilty for enjoying the civilian side of this job, while Henry ate his pizza, finding a small bit of joy in the reprieve Liz had given him from his gloomy mood. They both watched the silent TV as the news went on break and a commercial for Fred Lobster came on.

Liz noticed the girl sitting in the back of the restaurant looked familiar. Her eyes widened. “Is that--”

“Piper, yeah.” Henry answered. He took the TV off mute so they could hear it. “It sucks that she’s not here right now. It seems like every time she goes to watch the commercial, the news cuts in.”

Immediately after he finished talking, the news cut in to give an emergency announcement.

“This just in, flash flood warnings have been issued for the following areas.” Trent stated in that voice that only people on the news seem to have. He paused for a moment before saying, “Swellview. That’s it.” He held a finger to his ear and spoke again. “I’m receiving word that we can’t only talk about Swellview--even though we’re the Swellview news--so Mary will be reading off the less important surrounding areas that also have flash flood warnings.”

When the camera was off him and on Mary, Henry and Liz heard Trent say under his breath, “What, do they not have their own news channels?”

They looked at each other and shared an eye roll.

Henry was about to mute the TV again when the topic changed to one that made his stomach drop.

“Last night, well known criminal duo Donnie and Hyde reportedly broke into Schneider’s Bakery.” Trent said. His brows pulled together as he read more of the report. “We’re told Captain Man and Kid Danger answered the call to stop the thieves, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful. Donnie and Hyde managed to escape, and what they were doing at the bakery remains a mystery.” He looked down at the paper in front of him. “I am told that a delivery truck went missing. The contents are unknown.”

The camera moved to Mary. “Some reports have come in of a possible accomplice to the two criminals: an unknown girl wearing all black. She also escaped with the criminals.”

“She is suspected to be working with the notorious thieves, so if you see any sign of them, you are urged to contact the police. Or the Captain Man hotline, though I’m not sure what more they’ll be able to do.” He muttered that last bit.

Henry sank lower into his seat, feeling worse. Even the news was mocking him.

Liz was sitting next to him, however, straight as a metal rod. She was hardly even blinking. Her heart had stopped the second the female news anchorwoman had mentioned the accomplice.

How do they know about me?

There wasn’t anyone else around besides Liz, Donnie and Hyde, their henchmen, and the meddlesome superheroes. That was it. Liz had made sure of it. How had the news found out about her then?

Liz knew she would be given hell by her boss the moment he caught wind of this. She had been sloppy. Somehow there had been a mole, someone who leaked her presence here in Swellview, and somehow the news had gotten word of her. First Captain Man and Kid Danger had almost derailed the entire operation, and now whoever watched the evening news would be aware of her existence.

No. No. No. No. This couldn’t be happening.

Things like this never happen to Liz. She’s too good.

It was those damned thieves’ fault. Donnie and Hyde were a joke, and she had been cursed the moment she had been assigned to work with them. Somehow, she just knew, they were responsible for this.

Henry cast a glance in Liz’ direction, taking note of how still and silent she had gotten. She had gone white, like she was suddenly sick. She looked about as bad as Henry felt.

“You okay?” He asked.

Liz jolted out of her thoughts, realizing she was still sitting next to Henry--someone who wouldn’t know why the news had affected her so. She shook her head, giving him a fake reassuring smile--something she was good at. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She gestured to the TV. “It just sucks that Captain Man and Kid Danger couldn’t stop those two.”

Just like that, she had her true feelings tucked away somewhere Henry would never be able to see them. She was an expert at compartmentalizing. Right now wasn’t the time to freak out about the repercussions she would face in her work from this news report. Right now she needed to be Liz, the regular citizen.

Henry cringed ever so slightly. “Yeah, it really sucks.” He couldn't help the personal contempt that bled into his voice. The news was broadcasting his epic failure to all of Swellview and only further driving in the nail that he and Ray were no closer to stopping whatever was going on. He wasn’t as good at keeping his emotions in check.

Henry wondered if Ray, back at work where Henry wanted to be, had seen the news report. He wondered if he was feeling as bad as Henry was. He wondered if Ray was feeling the same anxiousness he was feeling, an anxiousness that had him on the edge of his seat, impatient with his own ignorance to what was going on.

He wanted to believe Ray was in the same boat, but Ray hadn’t been sent home. Ray hadn’t been sidelined. Ray wasn’t the sidekick. He was the superhero.

Henry’s anger flared. His balled his hands into fists on top of his legs. He watched the news continue on, but he wasn’t hearing any of it. He wasn’t even really seeing any of it. All he could think about was the fact that he was here, in his house, on his couch, watching TV, while Donnie and Clyde and the new girl were out there, doing whatever they pleased, reveling in the fact that Kid Danger couldn’t stop them.

Henry felt a nerve twitch under his eye. He couldn’t just sit here; it would drive him mad. He had to get out of his house. He had to do something. He had to stop Donnie and Hyde and their boss and fix everything he had let fall apart. He couldn’t sit here, like some dejected puppy with its tail between its legs, letting everyone else fix something he had messed up. He had to prove himself. He had to prove that he wasn’t just a sidekick. He was going to stop those criminals if he had to do it himself.

He knew he was being irrational, but that’s the thing about emotions; they aren’t rational, and it was only going to get worse the longer he sat with only his thoughts to keep him company. Liz was a nice reprieve, but even her attractive personality couldn’t keep Henry from himself. The only way he was going to get any semblance of peace of mind is if he went down to the Man Cave and did his part--what little part that is. He had to get to the store and talk to Ray, make him hear him and let Henry help.

He just needed a reason to be there on his day off.

He remembered that Jasper had asked him to bring Liz by, so he decided to use that to his advantage as well as reuniting Jasper and Liz because that mattered to him as well.

He was still Henry, after all. Sure, he was in the midst of a crisis, but he hadn’t lost his softness completely. He still cared for others.

That was probably why he was having such a hard time with all that was happening; he cared too much. He cared too much what would happen to his friends and family and the people of Swellview if he let criminals do as they pleased. He took whatever happened to his town personal as he was someone sworn to protect it.

And he hadn’t done a very good job.

He jumped up from the couch, surprising Liz. “Jasper asked if I could bring you by our work today. You wanna go?” He was already moving towards the door, not waiting to hear her response and also not giving her a chance to say no--not that he thought she would. He pulled his car keys out of his pocket and grabbed a rain jacket, ready to walk out the door.

Liz stared at Henry for a moment, surprised by his sudden burst of energy. Seconds ago, he had been slumped and still, and now he was up and moving. Liz watched him, noticing he couldn’t seem to stop moving. He was swirling his car keys, fidgeting with his hands, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Liz didn’t understand it, but she did like the idea of seeing Jasper; so, she went along with it, figuring a drive would be much better for Henry than moping on the couch.

She also wanted something good to happen to her before she got the inevitable phone call from her boss, berating her for letting things go so poorly last night.

“Sure,” she hesitated, a little afraid Henry’s mood and energy levels would suddenly shift again. “That sounds great.”

She made her way over to Henry, grabbed the rain jacket he held out to her, and let him open the door for her. She found it sweet that he had, in the midst of his anxiousness to leave, taken the time to practice manners.

They didn’t have an umbrella--they were only walking down the driveway--so once they were out from under the cover of the porch, the unrelenting rain poured down on them. Liz was glad for the rain coat because it kept most of her clothing dry. She couldn’t say the same for her tennis shoes. They were splashing through puddles as she walked, soaking the material all the way to her socks. She was inconvenienced, but it didn’t get her down. She was going to see Jasper; there was little that could dampen the spring in her step now.

She hadn’t given herself time to really think about it, having jumped right into her mission the second she arrived in town, but she had really, really missed her cousin. Her heart was beating with the force of a drum, anxiously anticipating when she’d get to see him again in person. It had been close to ten years since she’d seen him last. She had no idea what to expect, but she hoped that time and distance hadn’t changed their relationship. Hidden in her excitement to see him, there was a small sliver of fear that made her think what if it has changed? What if he’s changed? I’ve changed, so how can I expect him to be the same person?

She remained quiet the whole ride, nervously chewing the inside of her lip, feeling her stomach twist itself into knots of uncertainty. Apparently there was something that could bring her down--her own mind. If she let it, her own doubts would ruin the one thing she had to look forward to today.

Henry didn’t sit still at all the whole ride there; he was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and shifting around in his seat. He was antsy, impatient, on edge. He didn’t like how irritable he was. He didn’t like what yesterday’s events had turned him into--a mess of emotions, most of them being destructive.

He was hoping--praying--that there was good news waiting for him at the store.

He hated to think what would become of him if he didn’t start seeing something in the way of getting to the bottom of whatever sinister plot the criminals had in the works for Swellview.

----------

“Schwoz, can’t you stop what you’re doing for five minutes to listen to me?” Ray demanded, appalled that Schwoz wouldn’t even hear him out.

The little man had been running around the Man Cave all day, working on something that he wouldn’t tell anyone about. He just darted around, picking up various mechanical parts and tools, muttering engineering nonsense to himself that probably only Charlotte could understand. Now, when Ray needed to tell him about his dwindling powers--an incredibly important phenomena--he wouldn’t even give him the time of day.

“I can’t talk right now!” Schwoz snapped back, never looking away from tinkering with whatever device he was creating.

Ray’s jaw dropped. “Schwoz, we’re talking about my superpower, here. You know, the very thing that makes me a super-hero?” He moved to stand in front of Schwoz, aggravated that he wouldn’t even look up at him. “Hello? Schwoz?” He waved a hand in front of his face.

Schwoz flinched away as Ray’s waving hand distracted him, and he crossed the wrong wires, making sparks fly out all over his work table. He put down his tools, taking in a deep breath. “Ray, what I’m working on has to do with your superpower.” He picked up a soldering iron, melding two plates of metal together. “And Henry’s,” he mumbled, focusing back on his work.

Ray leaned away from Schwoz, eyeing him carefully. “How did you know about Henry’s powers? I haven’t told you about that yet. I haven’t even told you about me yet.” What did Schwoz know that he didn’t?

Schwoz tried his hardest to keep from looking at Ray, to keep from revealing what he had surmised about the events yesterday and the hero’s superpowers. In truth, he wasn’t completely sure about his hunch. He wouldn’t be until his device was finished, and for that to happen, he couldn’t be distracted. He needed complete concentration to make sure something this important was done right. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

The elevator beeped across the room, and Charlotte and Jasper walked into the Man Cave. They noticed Ray’s obvious distress, added it to the state Henry had been in, and concluded that something very bad and very serious had happened yesterday.

“Ray,” Charlotte began, deciding it was time for Ray to fill them in, as Henry had put it. “What’s going on? I saw a news report about Donnie and Hyde at a bakery?”

“Yeah,” Jasper added. “And Henry was acting weird today. He said you’d tell us about it?”

Ray was glad his call in to the news had worked. If people knew to look out for Donnie and Hyde and their new accomplice or boss or whatever she was, then maybe that would get the criminals scared. Maybe they’d think twice before making another serious move.

Further thought made Ray realize that maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to alert the town. Now the criminals knew to be careful, and that could prove to be a very bad thing for the superheroes.

But he couldn’t worry about that now. He other pressing issues.

“How is Henry?” He asked, concerned for the state of his sidekick. He hadn’t looked too good last night, and Ray was troubled thinking sleeping on it hadn’t done any good for the boy.

Charlotte shrugged, her eyebrows pulling down in concern. “Like Jasper said, he was acting weird.”

Ray looked back to Schwoz and sighed. He really didn’t feel like running through everything that was going wrong for him, but maybe repeating it all out loud, all at one time, would help him to see a pattern or a connection or anything, really.

“It’s a long story,” he started, taking a seat on the revolving couch. “But it starts when Henry and I answered a video call from Donnie and Hyde...”

----------

“Hello?” Henry called out in the store. “Jasper, you here?” He held the door open for Liz so she could step inside and out of the rain.

Liz made her way around Henry and stopped short when she saw the store. When Jasper had told her he worked at a place called “Junk ‘n Stuff,” she had pictured something more like an antique shop but with none of the class. She was not expecting such a colorful, eclectic clutter of some of the strangest and yet most interesting things she’d ever seen.

A dinosaur head on the wall opened its mouth and shot out a stream of fire.

“What the hell?” Liz gasped, amazed.

Henry looked at her, taking note of the excited look on her face. Her eyes were wide and bright, like a fascinated little kid. He was wound pretty tight from the car ride over here, but he still managed a small laugh.

“Pretty strange, huh?”

Liz nodded slowly, spinning around to get a full few of the place. “I’ll say.” She walked away from Henry to see more of the items up close.

“I’m gonna go find Jasper.”

Liz absently waved a hand in his direction to acknowledge that she’d heard him. Her attention was solely focused on one of the random pieces of junk in the store.

Henry gave her one more look, smiling in amusement at how mesmerized she seemed to be before heading to the counter where he knew there was a button that would alert the Man Cave that he was up here.

Liz continued her prowl around the store, picking up things at random, looking at them up close, and laughing when they did the last thing she’d expect. For instance, she grabbed an odd hand device that was sitting on its wrist with the palm facing up like it was waiting for someone to put something in it. Liz examined it, trying to discover if there was some hidden purpose to the item. She found small holes at the tips of all the fingers save for the thumb. She gave an unexpected cry of delight when she pressed the pad of the thumb and bubbles shot out from the holes of all the other fingers.

She surprised herself with the sound and quickly covered her mouth with her free hand, almost as if she had done something wrong. She wasn’t one for squealing and rarely did she come across something that gave her just instant, childlike delight.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever seen.” She laughed to herself. She had invented devices that could deconstruct and then reconstruct items on a molecular level, yet she was the most mesmerized with this weird bubble blowing contraption.

She wondered if Henry would let her buy it.

She heard him approach her.

"Are you okay?" He asked having heard her yelp.

She didn't look up from the hand as she responded. "Yeah, I'm good. I just really love this thing." She turned to show Henry, but stopped short when she saw who he was with.

She nearly dropped the bubble blower.

"Hey, Lizzie," Jasper breathed, fighting back a smile but failing miserably.

It'd been years since he had last seen his cousin, and so many emotions were rushing through him now that she was there in front of him. Words wouldn’t come, but he knew there wasn’t enough anyway, not for what he wanted to say to her. Even if he could’ve managed to get something out, it wouldn’t do what he was feeling justice. He didn’t know what to do except smile. Nothing else felt right.

Liz was overrun with the same rush of emotions, but she was more a girl of action than words anyway, so she did more than smile.

She practically shoved Henry out of the way to tackle her cousin in a bone-crushing hug.

Liz couldn't keep rigid or impassive now. Her job, that whole side of her, was gone. She was too elated to be anything but the little seven year old girl she was when she saw him last. Jasper was the most important person in her life. He was the only real family she had--at least, the only family that actually felt like family. Not even her job could come before him.

She knew that once the initial shock was over and they saw the end to this day, she would be back to putting her mission first, but for now, she had this moment, and neither work nor her boss could touch it. She wouldn’t let them.

Her boss could chew her out and her mission could commandeer her life when Jasper wasn’t around.

She pulled away from him after an immeasurable amount of time (it could've been ten seconds or ten minutes--she couldn't tell) and kept her grip on his arms, taking another moment to study him, to soak in just how much he'd grown.

"God, look at you." She marveled wondering how this tall teenager could be the little kid from her memories. "You're so....grown up."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "I could say the same thing to you. Since when do you have two front teeth?"

Liz laughed, remembering how she had knocked one her baby front teeth out trying to do a flip on her bike when she was seven. "For about ten years now, I guess."

They were both quiet for a moment, letting it sink in just how long it had been. It hit both of them now, now that they were right in front of each other and seeing the changes the years had made, like taking a bowling ball to the gut.

"It's really been ten years." Jasper remarked, his tone breathy in disbelief. He noticed Lizzie’s blue eyes were glistening. He had only ever seen her cry once--at his aunt and uncle’s funeral--so he didn’t bring any attention to it, knowing she wouldn’t like it if he did.

Besides, to call her out would be to call himself out because he felt moisture pricking at the corners of his own eyes.

"Yeah," Liz whispered, thinking about how much she'd changed. She had a whole life she could never tell Jasper about. She was hardly the same girl he once knew. A lump formed in her throat. "It has." She managed to choke out.

Henry, feeling like he was intruding on an important, intimate family moment, cleared his throat.

“I'm gonna give you guys some privacy and go find Ray."

Jasper looked away from Lizzie to give Henry a concerned look. Ray had finished telling Jasper and Charlotte the story of yesterday not five minutes ago, and he was worried for his friend. He also knew Ray didn't have any good news to give Henry, and he didn't want to see him take anymore mental or emotional hits.

"Uh, be careful, okay?"

Henry frowned. "What do you mean?"

“Just, Ray told us about yesterday, and I don't want you to be upset if you don't hear what you want to hear."

Henry's expression hardened. Anger flashed through his eyes. He didn’t want Jasper to think he was mad at him, so he opted for saying nothing and left the two of them to go meet Ray. He tried his hardest not to linger on Jasper’s warning, not to let it get to him. There could still be good news.

He had to believe that.

“Is Ray your boss?” Liz asked once they were alone.

Jasper looked back to her now that Henry was gone. “Yeah, he is.” He tried not to let Lizzie see how concerned he was for Henry, but ten years had apparently changed little between them; she could still tell when something was bothering him.

She set the hand device down. “What’s wrong?” She looked to the direction Henry had disappeared to. “What was going on with Henry? He seemed...off today.”

Jasper shook his head in disbelief. “You always were really perceptive, even as a kid.”

Liz shrugged. “What can I say? It’s a gift.” She gave a smile but quickly snapped her brows together in a serious expression. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”

“Always so bossy.”

“Jasper.”

“And there’s the ‘get off my bike before I pummel you’ voice.” He noted, moving to take a seat behind the counter. “Have you met Henry’s little sister Piper? Because the resemblance is uncanny.”

Liz smiled, liking that she had the same fire she saw in Piper. “I have met her, and I think she’s awesome.” She could tell Jasper was going to interrupt--probably to refute what she’d said about Piper--so she held a hand up. “I also think you’re trying to change the subject.” She eyed him pointedly but softened her voice. “Tell me what’s going on with you.”

Jasper sighed. He’d have to tell her something, but he didn’t know what. He did know that he wasn’t very good at on the spot thinking though. Lizzie was tough and smart; she’d be able to see straight through him if he wasn’t careful.

He fiddled with one of the items for sale on the counter, avoiding her gaze knowing that if he maintained eye contact with her, his eyes would betray him. “Henry just had a rough day at work yesterday.”

Liz looked around the empty store and then back to her cousin, both eyebrows lifted. “Rough?” She gestured behind her. “There’s no one here.”

“Oh, well, yesterday there was a...a...a,” he scanned the room helplessly, hoping to find inspiration somewhere. “There was a--a woman.” He sputtered. “Yeah, a woman came into to the store making all kinds of accusations against Henry.”

“Accusations,” Liz repeated, not really believing Jasper. She knew well enough to know when he was lying, but she didn’t push him for the truth. If Jasper considered it important enough to lie to her, then she would have to respect his decision. “What kind of accusations?”

Jasper pursed his lips. “Just that he wasn’t doing his job and was being rude to her.”

“Rude? Henry?” Liz knew this woman wasn’t real and there weren’t any accusations, but she still had a hard time accepting “Henry” and “rude” in the same sentence. “I admittedly don’t really know him, but even I can say that Henry is the farthest thing from rude.”

“Uh, yeah, I--I know.” Jasper answered quickly, relieved she was buying his story. “That’s why Hen was so shaken up about it.” He thought of Henry down in the Man Cave with Ray. “He was worried she’d file a complaint and get him fired or something. He probably went to ask Ray about it just now.”

Liz nodded, leading Jasper to believe he’d done well in spinning some completely bogus tale. She knew his concern was real though. Something had happened to Henry yesterday. Liz could tell that much just by taking one look at her cousin’s sullen face.

She didn’t want this moment to be a sad one though, and like with Henry, she wanted to get Jasper’s mind of his troubles, so she backed away from the counter and back to where she’d set the bubble blower down. “How much is this?”

Jasper could tell she was purposefully changing the subject, but he was glad for it. Lizzie had always been incredibly insightful when it came to other people’s feelings, and he knew she was able to discern that he didn’t want to talk about yesterday’s events any longer.

He waved a hand in the air. “It’s free. Consider it a perk of having a family member who knows the boss.”

Liz’ nose crinkled, not liking his suggestion. She was already reaching in her back pocket for her phone (she had money in a little stick-on pouch on the back of it). “I can’t just not pay for it.” She looked around the store again. “You guys don’t seem to get too much traffic in here, so I think you could use the business.” She found a sticker on the bottom of the hand that labeled the price as ten dollars. She pulled a ten from the back of her phone and handed it to Jasper. She grabbed her bubble blower. “Souvenir,” she said holding it up for him to see.

Jasper took her ten with a pout. “I could’ve made you take it for free.” He handed her a bag.

“No you couldn’t have.” She stated simply taking the bag from him. She looked up at him once the item was in the bag and smiled, her eyes teasing. “But thank you anyway.”

Jasper’s face eased into one of contentment, not able to stay even slightly annoyed at her. He loved and missed her too much.

Liz crossed her arms and leaned them on the counter. “So, where’s this Charlotte I’ve heard so much about? I want to meet her.” She’d heard some pretty impressive things about her cousin’s other best friend, and she wanted to meet the girl who belonged to all the remarkable stories. She sounded like someone Liz would be able to get on with like a house on fire.

“She’s down--I mean, she’s in the back.” Jasper recovered. He didn’t like that he had to lie to Lizzie so much, but it was an occupational hazard when your best friend and boss were both superheroes.

“This place has a back?” Liz questioned, doubting that the small building had enough room to have a back.

“Yeah, it’s just where we keep the inventory.”

“There’s more of this stuff?” She jerked her head at a nearby stand with some items whose purpose not even Jasper knew. “Where does your boss find it all?”

Jasper pulled his lips in. He was precariously close to being caught in his lie. He also didn’t know how to answer her question. He wasn’t sure where Ray got all his weird store items. “I don’t know where the stuff comes from, actually. I just know that Charlotte is back there, and now I will...go get her for you. Stay here.” He held his hands out in front of him like he was instructing a dog to stay.

Liz narrowed her eyes into slits, not liking his tone but also suspicious. Jasper seemed more nervous than she remembered. Whatever he was lying about had obviously really gotten to him.

Jasper, satisfied that Lizzie wouldn’t follow him, disappeared to the back so he could call Charlotte.

He was excited to introduce her to his cousin, but he was also thinking she could use a break from all the tension and stressful atmosphere in the Man Cave. Lizzie would provide a nice break from the doom and gloom they were all facing in the workplace today.

He also believed they would be great friends; the two were so very similar.

He dialed Charlotte’s number, fingers crossed hoping things weren’t going too badly beneath him.

-----------

“So you’ve found out nothing?” Henry accused, shaking his head in disbelief. A sardonic laugh fell through his lips. “That’s just great.”

“We’re not too happy about it either, kid.” Ray said, trying to keep the anger and annoyance out of his own voice.

Henry had come downstairs looking for answers Ray couldn’t give him, and when he didn’t hear what he wanted, the kid had exploded. Ray wanted to cut in to point out that he hadn’t had the best day today either, what with Schwoz keeping mum about whatever he knew and the fact that they hadn’t taken any steps closer to finding anything out, but he couldn’t berate the kid, not with how terrible Henry was looking.

Ray noticed he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday; it was obvious he had slept in them by all the wrinkles. The dark bags that had worried Ray hadn’t gone away in the slightest. He suspected Henry hadn’t slept too well with so much on his mind, and his shortness with everyone was another indicator. Ray worried for what this meant for the both of them if Henry continued to obsess over this job, continued to deny himself sleep and proper health for the sake of getting to the bottom of things. He wouldn’t be able to take him out in the field. He couldn’t rely on Henry to make the right decision, not when he his judgement was so clouded.

Ray was also wary of telling Henry to stay away from work for another day because that obviously didn’t sit well with the kid.

So Ray had reached an impasse. The only thing he was sure of was that he wasn’t going to reprimand Henry for being snappy or brash.

“Then what have you been doing all day?” Henry snapped. He hadn’t meant to be so short with everyone, but once his hopes of hearing good news had been crushed, he couldn’t really help it. “I mean, you’ve obviously haven’t been finding any answers, so what was your time spent doing?” He whipped around to Charlotte, eyes wide and mad with desperation. “Please tell me you’ve found something, Char--anything.” His voice cracked, the hopelessness he was feeling leaking into his voice, flooding the anger out.

Charlotte watched Henry with sad eyes. She couldn’t bear to see him so deflated, but she didn’t have anything uplifting to tell him.

“No, I don’t.” She whispered, looking away from her friend, not allowing herself to see how he took it. “I’ve watched the videos a million times, but whoever this girl is, she’s good. I can’t find anyway to identify her.”

Henry dropped down heavily onto the rotating couch. He had no energy left. Whatever little bit he managed to muster up on the drive over here had been sapped as soon as Ray informed him that there wasn’t any progress.

He scratched at the bump on his neck.

“So that was a bug bite after all?” Charlotte asked, gesturing to Henry’s neck.

“Yeah,” Henry muttered, dejected, before laying back on the couch. “Turns out that was nothing too.”

Ray and Charlotte shared similar miserable expressions. Henry’s hopelessness was infecting them.

Charlotte’s phone buzzed in her back pocket. She really didn’t feel like spending the energy talking to anyone right now, but she read Jasper’s name as the caller ID and answered.

“Yeah,” she sighed.

Jasper obviously picked up on her tone. “Woah. That bad, huh?”

Charlotte looked over at Henry, who had both arms crossed over his face. “That bad.” She confirmed. “Why the call?”

“I know this isn’t the best timing, but my cousin is here. She really wants to meet you.”

Charlotte closed her eyes and dropped her head into one hand. “Does it have to be right now, Jasper? I’m not sure I can make a good first impression right now.”

“Lizzie is really incredible, Char. It’s not gonna matter to her.”

Charlotte wanted to do as Henry had done, lay down and wallow in the futility of it all, but she knew that wasn’t healthy. Nothing good ever came from focusing on how bad a situation was. She was an inventor, a scientist. There were no bad situations--just an opportunity for improvement.

She stood up from her seat. “Yeah, Jasper. I’ll be up there in a minute.”

“Great!” He replied. “And thank you, Charlotte. Really. This means a lot to me.”

Charlotte managed a half smile. “I know.”

She hung up and slipped her phone back in her pocket. “I’m going upstairs to meet Jasper’s cousin.” She was talking to Ray but looking at Henry. “Do you want to come with?”

Ray was looking at Henry too, but he felt a lot like Charlotte, that sitting down here focusing on all that was going wrong wasn’t going to help anyone. Maybe meeting a new face would be a nice change of pace for them all.

“Yeah, sure. Maybe she got lucky and isn’t too much like Jasper.” Ray answered, trying to be light.

Charlotte scoffed. “They are related, you know.”

“That’s why I said maybe she got lucky.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes, but in truth, she appreciated Ray’s attempt at acting like things were normal. She turned to the sulking boy. “You coming Hen?”

Henry wanted to be like his friends. He wanted to be able to just refocus his attention on something positive, but he’d already done that, and the positive had quickly switched to negative. He couldn’t take another hit like that. He figured it was safest to just expect the worst, that way he wouldn’t be surprised when things went to hell.

And, on the off chance that something actually did turn out well for all of them, then it would be a pleasant surprise.

He took his arms off his face and slowly sat up. “Yeah, whatever.” He droned in a dull monotone.

Another look was shared between Ray and Charlotte, but they said nothing as the three of them filed into the elevator and headed for the store.

Schwoz walked out of hiding then, a pained expression on his face. He didn’t like seeing everyone in such low spirits--especially Henry. The boy was usually very lively, hardly letting anything get him down, but now he acting like someone had snuffed his inner spark.

Schwoz couldn’t tell them now. He couldn’t drop another heavy load on them while they were already trying to stand up after the last one. He would continue to do as he had done yesterday: quietly work on his theory and pray to anyone who would listen that it all worked out.

He hated to think what would become of all of them if it didn’t.

-----------

“You already know Henry. This is my boss, Ray.”

Ray gave Liz a little wave. “Nice to meet you. Henry--I mean Jasper--has told me a lot about you.” He hoped she hadn’t caught on to his faux pas. In truth, he had heard more about this girl from Henry than from Jasper. Last night, she was practically all the kid could talk about, but that wasn’t something she could know.

Liz nodded at Ray. “Nice to meet you, too. I know how much this job means to Jasper, so thank you for hiring him.”

Ray was struck by the girl’s sincerity. He hadn’t expected a thank you from her, of all things. He gave a shaky smile, not sure how to react.

“And this is the genius herself, the mastermind, the one and only, the Charlotte.” Jasper announced, pushing Charlotte forward past Ray and Henry and towards Lizzie.

“Thank you, Jasper, for that totally modest introduction.” Charlotte deadpanned, obvious sarcasm in her voice. She turned to Liz and managed a friendly smile despite how much she really didn’t feel like smiling. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Jasper hasn’t stopped talking about you.”

“Likewise,” Liz said, taking notice of how Charlotte’s eyes didn’t match her smile. They all had similar sadness behind their eyes, so whatever had happened, it apparently had happened to all of them. “I hear you’re a regular Marie Curie.”

Charlotte lifted her chin, respecting Liz’ choice to name a female scientist. She definitely liked this girl. “I could say the same thing to you.”

Jasper was beaming watching the two of them. He was so ecstatic to see them getting on just as well as he predicted that he was practically shaking from excitement.

“Did you know Charlotte invented a device that could turn sound into energy?” He blurted, not waiting for the two of them to get on the topic of their inventions on their own. “Ooh, and Lizzie invented a self-purposing coffee machine that ran on its own coffee grounds!”

Liz and Charlotte looked at each other and laughed, finding Jasper’s eagerness amusing.

“Thanks, J, but, uh, I think we’ve got it from here.” Liz reasoned gently, wanting to have a chance to have a real conversation with Charlotte, just the two of them.

She was a little bummed that she couldn’t reveal some of her best work to her fellow inventor, but those inventions were made for her job. She’d have to miss out on this opportunity to get a scientist’s as well as an engineer’s perspective on her projects.

“Oh, but there’s also this one time when we were kids and Lizzie--”

“Jasper,” Charlotte cut in. “It’s really not necessary for you to--”

“And Charlotte made a device once that could--”

“Jasper, shut up!” Both girls yelled at the same time. The turned to each other and laughed, both thinking the same thing as well.

This girl is definitely best friend material.

It was a thought that felt bittersweet to the both of them.

Charlotte was regretful because she knew Liz would be gone, back to California, in a week. She was also facing a very serious problem with Ray and Henry and Donnie and Hyde and this Mystery Girl, so she wasn’t sure now was the best time to make another friend. She wasn’t sure how much of a friend she could be anyway, what with her attention so divided and with so many things to worry about. It hurt to think, but she might have to miss out on an amazing opportunity with Liz to spare Liz the disappointment of not having someone who could commit to a friendship with her.

If only she had met her at a different time.

Liz was feeling very similar but for a very different reason. She had come for a mission. Her boss had warned her not to get to attached, but he was warning her about Jasper. He had no idea that Liz would feel compromised because of Jasper’s two incredible friends.

Here she was, meeting quite possibly the coolest person she’d ever met, and she would have to deny herself the chance for a wonderful friendship.

But that was her job. That was one of the sacrifices she had made: friendship for respect. She had become so good at her job, so dedicated, because she had nothing to distract her. No friends. No real family (Jasper lived on the other side of the country, practically, and a whole decade had passed where she hadn’t seen him once). None of what the four people in front of her had. Whatever she faced, she faced alone. She had no one to bear it with her.

And she had accepted this. She had only been officially working for four years, but four years prior had been spent training, getting her ready for what her life was going to be. She came to just take being alone and shouldering problems alone as a way of life. She wasn’t saying it was easy, but it was just the way it is. She kept her thinking that way, that this was just how things went for her, because it kept her from questioning it. It kept her from rebelling. If she never acknowledged the other side, the other possibilities, than she never worried about what she was missing.

But now she had Jasper and Henry and Charlotte all standing in front of her, all people she knew that if she let herself, she could love all of them. She could know what was causing the pain behind all their eyes and she could help remedy it.

But that wasn’t her life. She wasn’t like them, and she couldn’t let herself even consider the possibility. She had to think of her job only.

She gave Charlotte a tight-lipped smile. “This sound to energy converter sounds radical.”

“I can tell you my thought process, if you’d like?”

Liz had a similar expression to the rest of the room now; dark eyes that exposed the lie of the false smile. “Yeah, definitely. Do you have it with you?”

Charlotte face twisted into a sneer. “No, it was destroyed by some reckless...kid.” She finished, not wanting to reveal Schwoz’ identity.

They walked off talking about science and engineering, using words none of the boys could ever dream of understanding.

During the entirety of their whole conversation, both of them had, nagging in the back of their mind, that whatever bond they were making would have to be fleeting, and it left them both feeling hollow.

-----------

“I’m gonna go to sleep.” Henry announced with little emotion behind his voice once they had gotten back to his house.

Ray, Charlotte, Liz, and Henry had only just managed to placate an upset Jasper who didn’t want to be separated from his cousin with the promise that he could come over for dinner tomorrow. Henry didn’t feel like entertaining company now or tomorrow or anytime in the foreseeable future, but he wouldn’t let himself be selfish like that.

His own problems were not reason enough to be mad at Liz for staying at his house or at Jasper for wanting to spend time with her. It wasn’t their fault he was finding it hard to be optimistic or happy. He would just have to push his internal conflicts down and wait for a time when he was alone to acknowledge them.

Liz nodded, understanding without Henry telling her that he really wanted to be alone. “Yeah, sure. I’ll tell anyone who asks not to disturb you.”

Henry looked to her to see her giving him a warm, understanding smile. His heart clenched, and he had to agree with Jasper.

Liz truly is incredible.

He left her then sitting on the couch in the living room so he could retire to his room. He shut the door, giving people the impression that he didn’t want to be bothered, and flopped on his bed, again not bothering to change his clothes or take off his shoes.

He feel asleep immediately like he had last night, but this time it was more from mental exhaustion rather than physical exhaustion.

He was once again awakened by a knock on his door. He read the time on the alarm clock next to his bed. It was nine o’clock. He’d slept for almost four hours.

Liz must’ve stayed true to her word and kept his parents away because they hadn’t even woken him up for dinner.

But now someone had come knocking on his door.

Henry was still groggy, but sleep had helped his mood the slightest bit. His brain didn’t feel so drained, and therefore wasn’t making anything he did--like getting out of bed--feel like it took maximum effort.

He made his way to his door and opened it, expecting to find his mother coming to check on him. Instead, he found no one.

He was about to just close the door and chalk it all up to his imagination when he looked down and say something on the ground: a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk had been set down for him along with a note.

Henry didn’t have to read it to know who had placed them there.

He picked the plate and glass up, shut the door, set the food on his nightstand, and sat on his bed to read what Liz wrote.

A lump the size of a golf ball lodged itself in his throat as he read the letter.

“’Hey Henry. I felt bad about not having any cookies for you earlier, so I asked your mom if we could bake some more. She was literally jumping up and down while she said yes.’” Henry laughed, picturing his mom doing that very thing, and continued on. “’Anyway, I know you and Jasper and Charlotte and even your boss are going through something rough right now--you most of all. You don’t have to tell me what it is. I don’t need to know. But, I do know that chocolate chip cookies are magical. They make the hard times seem not so bad. (I think it’s the way the chips melt, you know?)’” He smiled at her anecdote. “So, here’s a whole batch, just for you. I don’t know how much it’ll help, but I hope it’s enough to remind you that things do get better...eventually. You just gotta find the melted chips in the cookie of life. God, that was lame. Sorry. Enjoy the cookies. Liz.’”

He held the note for a moment longer, watching as the paper shook as his hands did. He was surprised when he saw a drop of water at the bottom. He knew that wasn’t there before, so he felt his eyes and found that, unknowingly, a few tears had escaped his eyes.

“Thank you, Liz.” He whispered out loud to his empty room.

He knew she couldn’t hear him but still hoped that somehow the sentiment had made its way through his wall and to her room on the other side. He wanted her to know that her act of kindness had struck him hard. It had been the kind of thing he needed, and somehow she had known when even he didn’t know himself. Once again, his horrible day was salvaged because of the character of this one person.

He wasn’t okay, but he was the slightest bit better, and that made the world of a difference.

He took a bite of a cookie, agreeing with Liz.

Chocolate chip cookies were magical.

A/N Part 2: THE ANGST! I KNOW! I LITERALLY CRIED WRITING THAT LAST SCENE. :’(((((( I feel really bad for hitting Henry with all this stress, but at the same time, I love grittier stories. No one is gonna be happy in this fic. But, rest assured, there will be little bits of happiness scattered throughout the chapters (like the chips in the cookies!!!!!! lol), and because they’re going through some heavy stuff, stronger relationships will be made in turn. :)))))) Sorry if this chapter seemed boring. It wasn’t really a filler, but at the same time, it wasn’t full of action. I liked developing Liz x Henry’s relationship more because I’m really liking how it’s playing out so far. They have a LOT more in common than either one thinks, and it makes for an ironic, unintentional bond. They’re accidentally bonding over similar life experiences, and neither one knows. What did you think of Char x Liz??? It was a long time coming. lolol What about that sweet reunion between Jasper x Liz? I felt bad shoving their reunion to the back the last few chapters, but it made the moment more important when it actually did come. What do you think Schwoz knows? How do you think Ray will react when Schwoz finally tells him? What was the mystery contents of the delivery truck? Why were they important to Liz? Where did they get dropped off? Whom did they get dropped off to??? So many questions, so few answers. Next chapter will have another Liz mission, and this time we’ll get a little more insight into what this big “plan” is. Also, Henry will start to get suspicious of Liz, no matter how much he doesn’t want to. It’ll hurt, lads. Don’t expect to be happy either.....muahahahahaha Hope you enjoyed! Hope I kept you entertained, in suspense, and wanting more! Let me know what you thought!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

#glad i finally got this done #i was so busy making all those icons and headers that my writing got pushed to the side #lololol #hope you liked #hope i didn't upset you too much with the emotional turmoil #hope you stick around for more #bc it's only going to get more intense #sorry not sorry #bless all of you #i hope life is treating you well #henry danger #henry danger fanfic #mine #em writes

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