A Spider's Web

Chapter 6: Family

"Lucy, be careful around your sisters. They're still too little to play with, sweetheart," Sam glanced over her shoulder.

"Mommy! Who's she?" Lucy screeched, pointing at the masked woman. Alice winked at Sam.

"That's one of our guests, Luc." The five year old nodded.

"Okay." She turned to the woman, ran up, and stuck out her hand. "Hi! I'm Lucy and I like your mask! It makes you look like great uncle Kai."

"Um, I'm Spinneret," the woman shook her hand.

 "Luc, be gentle with her. She got hurt early today, so she's a little sore right now," Sam called picking up Faith, the smallest of the quadruplets, and cuddling her. 

"Mom, I know what I'm doing."

"She's barely 5 and she is already acting like a teenager," Alice rolled her eyes. 

"Like her father, I assume."

"Nope, her uncle." Scott and Emma strode in the room, the former leaning on the latter. Virgil got up from where he was playing with Jeff and walked over to Scott, taking his weight from Emma.

"What did you do now?" Scott smiled at him.

"Ticked Doomsday off all over again." Virgil helped his brother onto the nearest chair and began the long process of making sure nothing was broken.

"Doomsday?" Alan raised an eyebrow at his brother, who sighed.

"The older brother of my best friend from the force. And the man who shot at you two." He gestured to the two teens in the room. "He thinks I killed his brother, who ran into the line of fire so the rest of us could disable a missle that would be heading for the U.S." 

"Mom, is Dad okay?" Jeff asked, coming towards his parents and uncle.

"Yes, but not when I get done with him." Emma glared at her husband.

"Emma, he just got his butt kicked. Maybe you should hold off on a lecture for a bit,"  Virgil said, backing away slowly, his hands raised nonthreateningly. 

Scott also tried to escape but stopped in his tracks when Emma narrowed her eyes.

"Scott Carpenter Tracy! What in Hades name were you thinking?! You could have been killed or hurt!"

Just the tone of Emma's voice had every guy slouching in there seat and avoiding eye contact. Scott was in for it this time.

"Emma, please-"

"Don't you dare 'Emma please" me! You have a family Scott! Did you even stop to think what it would do to Jeff if you were killed tonight? Or me for that matter? Or your brothers and their families? No, you didn't. Instead, you decided to be stupid and jumped head first into it!" 

"Emma-"

Scott tried to touch Emma, but she slapped is hand away. 

"Get away from me!" She shouted and took off running, angry tears filling her eyes. As she ran, everyone saw her wedding ring hit the wood floor.

Scott rushed to the door just in time to see Emma dive into the ocean and disappear into the watery world beneath the waves.