Kings of Hell

Next Afternoon

Serge’s POV

I had never seen such calm, happy people all together. So many smiles and kindness. This whole event was freaking me out. I was trying not to show it.

Viola walks past me through to the kitchen and looks over my shoulder, as she picks up a mitten for the oven, bending over to take out the cake as the timer rung out.

I know she’s Dale’s little sister, yet I nervously and maybe on an ingrained-DNA-inspired-impulse glance down since she is wearing such a short damn dress, such a ridiculous reason to look in that direction, I don’t fucking know why I glance – it just…

I hear an aggressive cough on my left and I snap my gaze up and around, to see a beast equal in statue to me, and also… strangely enough, my half little brother – although to me he was more like a nephew or son.

“What the fuck do you want?” I growl and scowl, as Casey looks at me and then the bowl of whipping cream, as I use a beater to thicken it. He made me do it.

“It’s never going to thicken if you beat it on the lowest setting,” Casey looks from the cream back up to me, “Are you dumb, Lightning?” he asks it with a straight face.

Boy, I swear to fuck.

“How do I turn it up?” I growl.

“The dial,” Casey tries to show me.

“I see it, fucking hell,” I snap and turn it up all the way – only for the cream to start flying out the bowl, everywhere and onto my new fucking suit!

I pull the cable out of the wall and angrily shove the beater into Casey’s patiently awaiting hands, while he stares at me with his cheeky eyes – which he never lost for loving to cause shitstorms.

“I used to make food with mum, so I actually know how to cook,” Casey tells Viola and me with pride, while she just silently smiles and then promptly glares at me as I step back looking at the cream on my suit, not knowing what to do.

“A lost beast,” Viola mocks me, “Oh, how funny you are,” she had such a fucking attitude problem. Snarky like Dale – it was just worse coming from a girl.

She hands me a wet cloth and I take it to wipe off the cream from my suit.

When I’m clean I throw the cloth into the sink.

“I just heat shit up in the microwave,” I murmur, embarrassed.

Viola just continues to glare at me, arms crossed over her chest, while I murmur under my breath an incomprehensible string of insults about the party, and I walk out of the kitchen.

I’m not used to walking slow, with intent to relax.

I’m used to striding fast with intent to kill.

I look to the middle of the room as Strawberry, Raven and Blue play a board game with Ariel and the Zeniths looking closely, curious about learning the boardgame they didn’t have in Andromeda.

ARMY were outside with Sally on the balcony of Casey’s Club Mansion, smoking and drinking already. Thankfully Aaron, York, Renny and Max have the brain cell capacity to know to keep their hands off my daughter while I’m around.

I head for Sally, she’d be a good reprieve after that nightmare in the kitchen.

I had come to help, but I’m sure now Casey just wanted to make fun of me.

Little shit.

The moment I stride out onto the balcony, Sally leaps off the chair and into my arms, holding me in an embrace, squeezing the breath out of me and grinning as she doesn’t let go.

“I never see you anymore,” she goes from smiling to crying a little, and I hold her close, trying so hard not to cry either. Don’t cry, Sal’!

“I’m always right here, baby girl,” I promise her, I know she hears my need to always protect her.

I forget ARMY are awkwardly watching, as I just focus on my beautiful sweet darling daughter. She was perfect.

Sally and Casey organised the surprise party for Alyssa.

To celebrate peace.

“How is everything going with REIGN?” I wonder, concerned about them residing with those robots in Avalon.

“Kane doesn’t bother us, he says we’re his security, so we just patrol that empty city looking for any trouble. Not much of a population anymore there. All humans are scared of REIGN, even mutants… we can handle REIGN,” Sally grabs my arm and brings me over to a seat, next to all her boyfri – argh, I can’t even think it without going green with disgust or purple with rage.

Fucking Aaron, that cunt, had to have lightning better than my own.

Arrogant fuck, too.

I can’t even look at him as he side eyes me as I sit next to him on the spare seat.

“How’s your city running, Lightning?” Aaron asks me the question, very awkwardly trying to start small talk. I can’t stop ignoring him. I send him a glare and no words. Aaron matches my glare, but then looks away, shaking his head, “Old man – you do realise I love her. I’ll never let anything happen to Sally.”

My fingers twitch. I want to go for my gun but I left it at the door when that cunt-faced dog Wade decided to collect all arms.

This party was pissing me off.

“And I’ll always protect her from you,” I promise Aaron, “No one – on this planet, loves Sally more than me,” I explain every word precisely and clearly, so he understands.

The only thing that breaks the tension is Sally’s gorgeous laugh.

“Relax. How’s mum?” Sally changes the topic, thankfully.

“Just fine now,” I answer her with love, a completely different tone from what Aaron gets.

“You didn’t let on about the party, right?” Sally wants to make sure.

“Of course not, I’m good at keeping secrets,” I feel offended by her needing to ask.

“Such a big bad secret, this party,” York has to open his smirking, ugly mouth.

I look over at him, but the moment we lock eyes, he looks away.

Coward.

I glare to Max and Renny – Dale’s brother, somehow, through experimented on DNA. I hate his face –

“Dad, can you please relax? We’re not at war with each other, we’re family,” Sally growls at me now.

When I see the sadness in her eyes growing and the genuine frown, it snaps me out of my aggressive thinking instantly.

Shit.

I’m being so fucking unreasonable.

She’s right.

I sit back in the chair and I relax my shoulders, I shut my fucking mouth, and I try to look pleasant.

“FC is running fine, how about Avalon?” I say as politely as I can to Aaron, who relaxes after I finally answer him.

He grumbles a positive response back, “No issues on our end.”

“That’s what peace is, isn’t it, darling?” I ask Sally, “No issues.”

“Yes, dad, thank you for trying,” Sally regains her joy, and I feel okay again. Then she checks her watch, “…they’ll be here soon, shit. Let’s all move. We’ll have to go inside, quickly, and turn off all the lights,” Sally stands straight, barking off orders, “Get inside, now, move it, move it!” she rushes her men into the Club Mansion, and lastly turns to me, “Dad!”

“Sal’… hang on a sec, was there a particular reason I was invited here early?” I growl to Sally, when we’re alone for a brief moment.

“Oh, Lightning,” Sally looks me over from top to bottom with sympathy, “I didn’t want mum getting suspicious. You have a terrible poker face… you’re just too honest,” Sally picks up my hand when she sees the rage written all over my face. Made sense. Didn’t mean I still wasn’t pissed off, “Come on, don’t look so sour!” Sally tugs me back inside.

I follow.

I’m speechless.

I’m also blushing.

I’m here early because of unanimous agreement about my own incompetence to keep a party a secret.

Was I that useless at being fucking normal?

How fucking embarrassing, these fucking kids were bloody know-it-alls, fuck, fuck, f– focus, Serge.

Focus.

It’s good the lights were off already and I didn’t have to blow the circuit board to hide the horrified look on my handsome face.

Anyway.

This wasn’t about me.

This was about our kitten.

The mission now was simple.

Yell, ’surprise’.

Fuck.