Cape High Christmas: A Side Story (Cape High Series) (21 page)

"Oh. There's a good chance," Nico admits. "Can you imagine that many speedsters? I mean, Carla's enough of a handful as it is. I'm thinking I'll issue power blockers as soon as they enroll."

"Will you?"

"Probably not," Nico admits.

They fall silent for a while before Ken goes, "this makes adopting her even more complicated, doesn't it?" he says finally. "Jeanie's got her heart set on having a daughter, you know."

Nico says nothing.

***

There's a single picture on the screen--a little gargoyle-like girl wearing a Santa hat and holding a stocking with a smile. It's obvious, Diamond Dust thinks as a she chokes on a sob. He knows.

Her baby girl is turning into a true Rockslide line, just like her.

***

"Thank you," Summer says, looking up as Nico walks into the room, covered in dirt again. "I'll see you, then. I'm sorry for bugging you on a Sunday, but I'm really excited," she adds. "Summer's Bouquet will be open by mid-spring," she adds with a smile that's not quite as wide as she was hoping. She hangs up, looking at her--her Nico, she decides, and frowning. "Again?" she asks. "Are you saving people from fires?"

"Just another digging job," he says, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. "Nothing for you to worry--" he blinks as she runs her fingers over his cheek, looking at the grime closely.

"What have you been doing around a volcano?" she asks, rubbing her fingers together. She might not be an earth elementalist, but she DOES know her fertile ground.

"I swear I'll tell you everything," he says, "on Christmas day. Until then, I need a shower. We're supposed to be going to church for Alyssa's day today, remember?" he says, heading for the bathroom.

Her mind races as he walks away and she touches her cheek, where he kissed her. Volcanoes, digging, Christmas--she lets out a gasp as she puts it all together. "No," she says, shaking her head. "He wouldn't!"

"Wouldn't what?" Sunny asks as he stumbles sleepily into the room, yawning. He drops down at the table and falls asleep before she decides what to say. Zoe comes out a second later, dressed in her Sunday best already. Soon Summer's too focused on getting everyone fed and ready for church (Zoe is, but Sunny's got to be prodded the entire time.) The idea is firmly shoved to the back of her mind for the rest of the day.

It's only that night, when Jeanie catches her in the hallway, that she remembers her errant thought. "Ken asked him--I'm sorry, I know you were planning on trusting him--" she says silently, looking guilty.

"Asked him? Did he find out anything?" Summer asks, wondering if they should go outside for this conversation.

"He did, but he refuses to tell me!" Jeanie says, irritably. "He only smiles a little and gets that 'I've got a big secret' look when I ask before changing the subject. It's so OBVIOUS that something's happening, but... but SOMETHING is bothering him," she admits with a frown. "I'm certain of it. I just don't know if it's what Nico's up to or not."

"You know him best," Summer says. "If you think something's bothering him, then I'm sure there is."

"That's why I was wondering if you wouldn't like to come for a little flight," Jeanie says. "Just a little jaunt out!"

Summer blinks, completely thrown off guard. "Jeanie, you realize I can't fly--"

"Oh, I'll carry you," Jeanie says, waving it off. "It's just too pretty a night to waste and Ken is on patrol."

"Then I would be honored to go for a flight with you," Summer says, knowing she probably shouldn't. She'd decided, right? She was going to trust Nico--but--"I think some fresh air will help me think more clearly, anyway," she decides, remembering her thought from this morning.

"Think about what?" Jeanie asks as they head for the exit.

"I have a... theory," Summer admits, smiling with a hint of a blush, "on what Nico is up to. But if it's worrying Ken, I might be wrong," she says, suddenly realizing.

"Then all the more reason to go for that flight," Jeanie declares, slapping on her mask as they head out of the apartment building. She wraps an arm around Summer's waist. "Let's go!" she says, shoving off the ground. She races through the sky, heading straight for the East Branch.

"Why are we heading this way?" Summer asks, shoving her hair out of her face.

"Because this is the direction I saw Ken fly the other day. Considering the speed he was traveling and the time he got back, there's a good chance he came this far to find Nico," Jeanie says, hovering over the East Hall. "And Marigold will know for sure that Nico's not doing anything bad, since it's her territory. That's all we need to know--even if we WANT to know more," she says, landing on the building. Several black suits come out, carrying guns. "Hello, boys! We're here to visit Marigold," she says with a blinding smile.

"Stand down," Marigold says, stepping through the group of guards. "Star Spangled, Lady Rose, it's an honor to have you visit," she says, smiling broadly and offering a hand. "But I would have appreciated a heads up, first, red tape and all that."

"I think America's Son came this way the other day, and I just wanted to apologize in case he forgot to stop by," Jeanie says.

"And Nico, as well," Summer says. "I know he's been causing all sorts of trouble with his border hopping. I really do need to talk to him about it."

"Oh, he's fine. We've been through all the paperwork this time around," Marigold says.

"Oh? So it's official business?" Jeanie asks.

"I can't tell," Marigold says with a pointed look at Summer. "I've been sworn to secrecy, ladies, and as much as I'd like to tell, I can't."

Jeanie looks at her. "So he's not doing any massive excavating that could get him thrown into the Cape Cells again, right?"

"I promise he's not."

"But he HAS been digging," Summer says, "near a volcano," she adds with a little grin.

"Oh! So that theory you mentioned--" Jeanie says, excited. "You think he's going to propose?!"

"Well, it's just like him to decide to do it the hard way," Summer says, wryly. "But we can't let him know that we know--IF that's what he's doing. But I did enjoy the flight, it's a beautiful night for it! The only thing I regret about my powers is that I can't fly, myself."

"That's so exciting!" Jeanie says, practically bouncing. "Oh, but if that's all it is... why did Ken seem worried?"

"Because you might run off and do something like we did tonight?" Summer asks. "Let's leave--I don't want anyone to know we came."

"You ARE going to say yes, though, aren't you?" Marigold asks. "Not that I'm saying that's what he's doing, of course. I'm sworn to secrecy, remember?"

"I might say yes," Summer says playfully, "if he plays his cards right." The others start laughing. "And of course you'll be invited to the wedding, Marigold," she adds. "Thank you."

"I'll be invited, too, won't I?" Jeanie asks.

"Honey, you're going to be one of my bridesmaids! I expect you to keep Skye on the ground through the entire ceremony, of course. That's if we can get her in a dress," Summer says, hugging Jeanie with a wide smile. "Now I just need to keep the fact that I know a secret from Nico," she says.  "Let's go back before he notices," she says to Jeanie.

"Absolutely," Jeanie agrees, taking to the air.

***

A short flight away from the two females, Ken lands on the ground outside Diamond Dust's den. He hesitates for a moment, thinking of the night he and Sandra had filled stockings for the school. It had just been a few nights ago, he thinks.

"Diamond Dust?" he calls down the hole. "Can I speak with you?"

Nothing seems to happen for a long moment, and then slowly the entrance to the hole in the ground opens. "What do you want? If it's to pick up the ring, I at least expected Nico to do it for himself," she says irritably.

"It's not that," he says. "I want to talk to you about Sandra."

"Who?" she asks, not reacting to the name at all.

"The girl that Nico thinks might be your daughter," Ken says seriously, looking her straight in the eye without flinching. "My wife and I are interested in adopting her. So is Century. But you need to know--"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she says, turning to go back into her den.

"Is she your daughter?" Ken asks.

"I have no daughter," she says, heading down.

"I don't think you're being honest with me," he says. "Nico can make it so you can live like a norm. You can be her mother--her real mother. She's got a school and a future ahead of her, Diamond Dust. You can be a part of that."

"Don't YOU want to be her parent?" she demands, turning on him. "You just said you did. So why are you shoving this in my face?"

"Because I think she needs you," he says, "even if you don't. I think you should meet her," he says. "I love that little girl, Diamond. My first thought will always be for what's best for her. If that means you instead of my family, then that's what I want. But it could even mean ALL of us," he says, "you, my family, and Century. I think if we truly worked for it, we could provide a stable support system for her that way."

"How would that work?" she asks quietly.

"I don't know, yet, but I'm sure we can figure it out," he says, starting to smile now that he has an idea, vague though it is. "Just think on it for a while. If you decide that you don't want to be a part of her life, I'll never tell her what I know, but... your daughter is a precious gift, Diamond, and we can make what seemed impossible possible," he says gently. "We're supers, it's our thing."

"How?" she asks. "How would she forgive me for doing what I did?" Her voice is raw, now, and she finally lets her heartache show. "I abandoned her--"

"Could you have raised her properly?" he asks. "She only just now started coming into her powers. She was a normal girl before. She would need more than... what you could provide, living like you do," he says gently, motioning to the hole in the ground. "You knew that."

"I didn't know what to do," she admits. "She was basically a normal child--I thought--I'd hoped--that she would be born with her powers, like I was. If she had, I could have handled it. But when she was born, she was so soft, so... breakable. So beautiful," she whispers, looking away from him. "Marigold didn't know--she just knew that I was taking a year off. I should have taken her to her. I regret that so much, now," she says. "I was afraid to touch her," she goes on, looking at him. "I can shatter adult bones with a firm grip," she says. "Can you imagine the horror that hit me every time I picked her up? I was terrified that I would grip too hard without realizing it--"

"I know," he agrees. "It's terrifying. When my son was born, I had the exact same problem. Both Jeanie and I did. You did what you felt was right, and I can't disagree with it," he says, his tone still gentle. There's a gleam of empathy in his eyes. "But she's not breakable, now."

"I've seen her picture," she admits. "The stone will start smoothing out with time--or a grinder, if she's impatient. She should be a beautiful jasper under all that crag. My father was, and it's obvious she's from the Rockslide line." She stares forward, her mind turning back to the past. "He didn't bother to polish, though, said it was too girly."

"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.