Fear Her Wrath II: Crucible of Glass

Chapter 55

"So," I said warily, "how was your date?"

It was almost noon, and me and Dad had both slept in after the excitement of the night before. I should mention that I wasn't actually looking for information—I knew exactly how his date went. I'd stuck around after Glassface had made his escape to keep an eye on Dad and Corrigan. And, as with all nosiness, mine was rewarded by seeing things I didn't want to see.

"A little more exciting than I expected," he said sheepishly. "Rach—uh, your mom was there. And that character who's been robbing banks—Glassface—he showed up too. Nobody got hurt, but... I don't know, Maggs. I'm sorry I brought you up in this city. It isn't safe. Your mother always wanted us to move to Triumphia, and—."

"They have crazy people in Triumphia, too," I said defensively. "And, like, giant robots and escaped science experiments and stuff like that. Anyways, I notice you didn't say anything about the police lady."

"Sarah?" he said, his face turning slightly red. "Oh, she... uh, that part went fine. I enjoyed her company. She's... very different from your mother."

I sipped my coffee and scowled.

"Is that it?"

"No," he said. "Uh, Maggie, I... I'm going to keep seeing Lieutenant Corrigan—as much as our schedules allow. We're both pretty busy, but... we like being together."

"So she's, like, your girlfriend?" I said, putting as much disdain as I could into the word.

He nodded.

Well, like I said, none of this was really new to me. I'd just wanted to see if he'd actually admit it. I'd stalked Dad and Corrigan to the parking lot after the party was over and eavesdropped on their goodbyes. It started with the usual stuff—"Thanks for inviting me," "Wow, a supervillain crashing our date was not what I expected," etc.—but the tension bubbling under the surface was palpable. There were a lot of those long pauses that should have been awkward if it wasn't for the mutual attraction that made them tense and interesting—to them, I mean. Basically, those two really liked each other. And just when I was hoping that they would say goodnight as friends and nothing would come of it, Corrigan spoiled everything by pulling my dad into a very, very affectionate kiss. It lasted a long time.

Even worse, Dad was kissing back.

"Mmm," said Corrigan when they finally broke apart. "I've been wanting to do that all night."

"I'm glad it wasn't just me. But... Sarah, aren't I a little old for you?"

"Well, I guess," she said playfully. "But you make up for it in other ways. You're a doctor, and a perfect gentleman. You're handsome, intelligent, kind... so what if you've got a few gray hairs?"

She kissed him again.

"Does the insane ex-wife not count against me?"

"God, no. Remember what I do for a living? I know what she is. You're not scaring me off, Colman. I'm the kind of woman who knows what I want. I'm not going to force myself on you, but... if you want to take this further, I'm ready."

Dad smiled wryly. I crossed my fingers, hoping desperately that he was about to turn her down. It was the wishfullest of all wishful thinking and I knew it. His answer was clear before the words even crossed his lips.

"I suppose I'm ready too."

I wish I could say that was where they said goodbye, but no—it got worse. To my horror, they proceeded to climb into the backseat of Corrigan's squad car and started making out like a pair of horny teenagers. It was... very traumatic. It was also the point when I decided I'd better leave before I threw up in my mask.