Disclaimer:I do not own Sky High, its setting, premise, or characters -or related characters named and unnamed. All is the property of Walt Disney Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures, Andrew Gunn, and Mark McCorkie.

Tumble Through Time

Chapter Seven: Not So Neat and Tidy

"Okay, so, if I don't give her the diamond, what do I give her?"Battle asked.

Villain Son looked him dead-ass in the eyes. Or, at least, Battle assumed he was looking him in the eyes. Honestly it was a little hard to tell with the whited-out lenses of his mask. A mask that was almost identical to Mara's Flamebird mask apart from the color. "You know we can't tell you."

"Okay, but supposing you did…" Battle pressed.

"We won't." Hero Son announced.

Battle peered across his older son at the younger one. The light hitting his glasses just right so that the boy couldn't see his eyes behind the lenses. It actually made Battle more terrifying than if he could read his whole expression.

He stammered something unintelligible, looking about as nervous under the older man's gaze as he sounded.

"You and Mom tell two very different proposal stories." Explained Villain Son. "Two stories that contradict each other."

Battle opened his mouth to ask another question.

"Neither version included a diamond." He added quickly.

Battle pouted. Actually, pouted. Like a child.

Villain Son finished his last bite of spicy pancake and got up to carry his own plate into the kitchen. Battle watched as he turned on the hot water tap and began filling the sink with soapy water to wash it. He also grabbed Hero Son's plate out from under him before the younger man was finished eating, and began washing that one too. It was nice to see that one of his children at least, learned to clean up after themself.

He even grabbed the frying pan off the stove and the mixing bowls and washed those too!

When he was done, he turned off the tap and lit his hands on fire to dry them. Then looked at the clock. "Anyway, isn't there some place you have to be?"

Battle also looked at the kitchen lock and realized he was right. If he wanted to be on time to pick Mara up from work, Battle would have to leave right now. His time with his future children was cut short, and Battle still had so many questions!

Villain Son grabbed his flying brother and dragged him to the locked balcony doors. "We'll see ourselves out."

Barron was on time and waiting for Mara when she got off work. Of course he would be, Barron was always on time. Punctual and dependable. Perfect if they ever did have kids. Mara could always trust him to drop off or pick-up said hypothetical child from school, and never have to worry. Once again, Barron did seem like ideal husband and father material.

…except for the whole supervillain thing.

She slid into the passenger seat next to him, leaned over the stick shift, and gave him a 'hello' kiss. On the cheek. A 'hello' kiss on the cheek, not the mouth.

"Rough day?" He asked. She usually was no so reserved with her affection.

"Just have a lot on my mind is all." Mara told him honestly.

"Me too." Battle admitted right back.

They drove back to the condo in relative silence. That was nothing new. Sometimes when he was working on a new Evil Plan, or she was working a particularly difficult case they didn't chat on the drive after work. That was one of their rules. She didn't try to stop his villainy, and he didn't interfere with her superhero work. Only this time, it wasn't a case she was figuring out, it was the dilemma of whether or not she should break up to him; and it wasn't an Evil Plan he was working on, it was how to propose to her.

Mara started tripping out of her work clothes the moment she was inside the condo. Battle hadn't even shut the door all the way before she was kicking off her shoes and pulling off her sweater.

She left a trail behind her as she moved. Shoes, followed by the sweater, followed by her blouse, pencil skirt, stockings, her bra. Wearing only her panties only, Mara went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Selecting a bottled drink, she popped the top and chugged it quickly, a few drops leaking out and sliding down her bare neck to trickle down her equally bare breast.

Battle didn't even notice. His attention was focused on cleaning up after her. Picking up her discarded clothing and making sure it made its way into the hamper.

Slowing down on her drink a little, Mara watched him, appreciating the view. A man that cleaned up, not just after himself, but after her too, was a rare thing. Worth keeping. Definitely marriage material. Except- Barron liked things very clean and children were messy. Children were very, very messy. Would fastidious and tidy Barron Battle be able to handle having the counters smeared with pureed baby-food their baby didn't want to eat? Or spit-up. Children puked almost as much as they pooped. And diapers!

Hell, he got tense and moody when she forgot to use a coaster!

"Hey, Bambi," she began, floating out of the kitchen to flop down on the couch, "how's that OCD of yours?"

Barron poked his head out of the bedroom where he was tucking everything down into the hamper. "It's not a compulsive disorder to keep the floors clear."

"Mm." She offered a placating smile, made eye-contact with him, then –slowly- set her bottled drink down on the coffee table. Without using a coaster.

A vein in his neck pulsed.

His face made no identifiable expression.

He was quiet a moment.

He took a breath.

Then, calmly, "Sparky, aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?" She batted her eyelashes and smiled at him, playing the ditzy bimbo.

She was good at playing the ditzy bimbo, but Barron knew that it was exactly that, playing. If she was playing it at home then she was playing with him.

He came around the couch and selected coaster from the holder –that was very clearly placed in the center of the table- and slid it under her bottle.

"Oops! Silly me." She giggled. "And they were right in front of me too."

Mara tapped the coaster holder, poking it hard enough to move it a fraction of an inch out of the exact center of the table.

That vein in his neck pulsed again. "Why are you doing this?"

"Random compulsion check." She told him honestly. "Hey, how would you react if someone just picked up the whole coaster holder and threw them up in the air?"

The vein in his neck twitched again. "I… would… make- ask!- them to pick them back up. Politely." He answered stintingly.

"Mm." Mara nodded at him, crossing one leg over the other. She lifted her drink off its coaster and put it to her lips, taking her time to sip it slowly. "What if it was a person who doesn't understand?"

"Why wouldn't they understand?" He asked. "If they're in my home they should be someone I already know and trust, so they should understand that throwing shit in the air and making a mess is not okay. I get that not everyone is as neat as I am. But even you didn't just start breaking shit the first time you came over."

"What if they're a child." She asked.

"Oh." Battle did a full stop. Even his posture changed. "A child. Our child? Well. Obviously, that's different. I would- explain to them why they shouldn't throw things."

"Mm." She said again.

That was –technically- a correct answer. But there was a big difference between knowing the answer to a question under quiet circumstances in comfort of an already clean living room, and remembering the correct thing to do when faced with a loud, screaming, child in the throws of a tantrum (possibly with superpowers involved).

Mara drained her drink, and left the empty bottle on the table (on the coaster this time), and stood. "Okay, well, I'm gonna head out for patrol." She announced. "I don't know when I'll be home."

Pulling her purse over to her, she fished out the wadded up pieces of her costume and slipped it on. A quick trip to the bedroom to get her boots, then Flamebird was flying out the balcony doors.

She said she would patrol, and she would. Flamebird would fly around the city and if someone needed the help of a fire-wielder, she would help them. But, mostly, she needed to just fly around and clear her head. She needed to think.

Baron was a really nice guy. To her. He was a really nice guy to her. And she did really like him. A lot. She liked him a lot. He cooked, he washed the dishes, he picked up the floors and did the laundry. He was good in bed, and that was important too. He was wealthy. And he was tall…

But all that cleanliness was to a degree that would not allow for messy creatures like babies in the home. Picking up her laundry off the floor was one thing. But vomit and urine were very, very different kinds of messes to pick up. And if they did have kids, how much would she actually get to enjoy him in bed? Wouldn't they both rather just sleep if they were given the opportunity? His money would make things easier. They could hire a nanny or something. Except his wealth was all blood money.

Because Barron Battle was a supervillain.

And that was it.

That statement should be the end of it. He was a supervillain. He was a bad guy.

Flamebird –Mara Peace- was a superhero. She was a good guy.

She could not marry a supervillain.

That had to be the decision she made. There really wasn't any other acceptable alternative.

She had to break-up with Barron Battle.

Elsewhere, Warren was with Will back at Divide. Getting ready for another night working to pay for their room and board at the Broker's club.

Will was carrying tables –lots of tables, they were taking advantage of his super strength- when he looked over and saw Warren stagger suddenly and lean against the bar he was delivering clean glasses to. The Bartender took the large rack of glass out of his hands before Warren could drop them.

Setting down the stack of tables, Will crossed the space to his friend. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah." Warren assured him, looking more confused than anything else. "I just got weirdly dizzy for a second there. Like, the world wasn't lining up quite right. I'm good now. I feel fine."

Will only continued to look concerned. "Okay… if you're sure…"

He hoped that mad scientist the Broker mentioned was already on their way arrived soon. The past was weird enough as it was. He didn't want anything new or bad happening before they got home.