Dark Ages: Restoring Hope

When the Lights Went Out

It was a Friday. It was a lot easier to keep track of the days back then. Just a regular Friday afternoon catch-up. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, their girl Dani and some pizza.

"Peter Parker" He stiffened, his back going to the back of the white sofa. His eyes could see the mirth of Jessica's eyes, while Luke was purposely avoiding looking his way. He gulped a bit, his face looking back a bit to stare at his beautiful wife. Her red hair held in a ponytail, something that caught his attention since it was a hairstyle he rarely saw her with. Her hands were carrying two more boxes of pizza.

Jean Parker-Grey, his beautiful wife and the mutant known across the world as Marvel Girl, was staring at him with a disappointed look all over her face. He was sure that if she was not holding the boxes, she would have had her hands in her hips or under her chest. But even when she was looking at him with those eyes, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Something that he had proven to her time and time again.

"Yeah, Jean?" He asked, careful to anger the one person that could make him actually believe that he was cattle. He did, however, take a bite of the pizza he had on hand. He was really hungry, and it didn't help that Luke had taken the last two pieces from the box for himself. Thankfully, his wife had already placed the two boxes on the small table in front of the white sofa. Sighing in relief as he could smell the addictive smell of the pizza in question.

"Our daughter is on the ceiling again" He looked up, a smile forming on his face just by looking at the gigantic smile that his daughter had. His little Rachel, barely even three years old, had already developed most of his powers and then some. It surprised the two of them knowing that Rachel not only had Jean's telepathic powers but his powers as well. He was thankful that Rachel had received his Spider-Sense, though. He still remembers the pain that she used to have when she still couldn't stop her powers. Thankfully, the Spider-Sense instinctively stopped his daughter's pain by blocking the thoughts of others from entering her mind.

"Yeah?" He probably sounded like he didn't care right there, didn't he? But it was not like she was going to hurt herself, he was right there and would notice if Rachel tried to do anything. Plus, he could see that Rachel loved being upside down; which was something that she shared with him. Ever since he gained his powers he enjoyed being upside down, which helped him with his thought process. Yet regardless of that, he could still see the slightly nervous expression of Jean at him.

"I know that we made this a power safe home, but are you sure she should be on the ceiling?" He understood where she was coming from, his mind reminding him of the time that one of Rachel's friends almost hit his head hard by playing in an area of the house both adults had prohibited. It had been since that day that they decided to make their home safe for any powered kid out there. He was not going to endanger another child, not on his watch. But their home was built specifically for Rachel, so she was safe.

"I mean, Rachel's not going to fall..." He said offhandedly, offering a slice to his wife who just shook her head with a small smile on her face. He smiled back at her, loving just how her green eyes gained a hint of something that he immediately recognized. And he was thankful that Luke was still looking elsewhere, the previous box emptied by the man, and that Jessica seemingly was thinking of something while she was drinking from her glass. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"She could put her hand in the light socket?" He gave Jessica a deadpan expression, his eyes looking at her with a hint of anger. He was not really angry with Jessica, the black haired investigator had a point that it was a possibility. But she didn't have to betray him in such a way, especially when his wife had already won the battle with her eyes. He could never say no to Jean nor Rachel, the two of the three people in his life that he would do anything to keep them by his side. He took a bite of his slice of pizza, his glands immediately tasting the exquisite taste of the pepperoni.