^^Above, chapter title credit: Song by Oasis.^^

{Geoffrey}

I catch Eckles again after our meeting that same morning. It feels like I've barely seen him since Raina's arrest, but maybe that has something to do with Hugo and Aisha's problem. I haven't been able to concentrate on work much at all recently.

"Howard!" I have to jog to catch up to him.

"Geoff, good to see you," he says, bright blue eyes flaring. "How're things?"

"Actually..." I look around, seeing we're still surrounded by people. "Could we go to your office maybe? I don't want people listening in."

"Yeah, sure," he says, sounding a little confused. Then he nods down the hall. "I'm a floor up."

I don't feel it safe to say anything until we're safely shut away in his corner office on the level above, his secretary instructed to hold all his calls.

"Is it bad?" he asks, watching me pace and pull at my collar. "You're lookin' kinda tense."

"Yeah, it is," I say, stopping and collapsing into a chair. I fill him in on everything that's happened since we last saw him in the city, being careful to not linger on Raina for too long. I don't like the look he gets in his eyes when he hears her name.

"Well, lemme tell you somethin'," he says when I'm done. "Think we can get rid of Banks pretty easily."

"Really?" I raise one eyebrow. "How?"

He scratches a temple, and then folds his arms. "Put in a word with the FBI, that he might've been practicing without a license. Once they dig up one thing, they'll find tons of other stuff, and then you'll have raids, hearings, subpoenas, the whole deal. Think he'll be tied up for a while."

I sit up, surprised. It seems too good to be true. "And he won't ever find out it was you?"

Eckles shakes his head. "Anonymous tip. Feds love those."

"I can't believe you'd do this for us."

He shrugs. "You know what they say. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours."

I'm about to ask him how that's possible, but I realize why after a second. He's not doing it because we're business partners. It's because of the fact that Banks held a gun to my wife's head and threatened to shoot her. As much as I've tried to deny it, I know it's true – he cares for Raina so much that he was willing to sabotage Banks for it.

"Yeah," I say instead, wisely deciding to keep all of that to myself. He can probably read my mind anyway.

"So this election night party," he says, changing the subject. His ears are pink, confirming my suspicions. We've found each other out, evidently. "Green's still going through with it? His numbers are way down."

"I guess." I pull at my necktie. It feels too tight suddenly. "He thinks he can pull it out at the last minute."

"Not likely, with his gap in the polls," Eckles says, adjusting his own necktie. He never looks disheveled, but it seems the air in here just became charged. "Twenty-two percent behind now."

"I don't think the way he handled the Blob attack helped."

He rubs the back of his head, not looking at me. "Well, I got some good news. I'm already starting to pull support. Cut Wigmore loose a few days ago."

"You're right. That is good news."

"All I'm sayin' now, Geoff, is you'd better watch yourself. Green gets any wind of this at all, and we're all dead meat." He drops his hands to his sides, gripping the ledge of the desk.

"I won't say a word, I promise."

≈

I don't go straight home when the workday ends. Instead I drive due west, until I enter forest. I keep going, turning onto a dirt road hidden behind some branches. After another bend in the road, Seneca Lake appears, fairly calm for this time of day. I park on the shoulder, turn off the car, and step out. The cool and quiet of the forest settles around me as I take off my suit jacket and necktie.

The last time I was here was with Dad, that much I remember. It was his only effort to establish a father-son relationship. He tried to take me fishing, but neither of us knew anything and the day deteriorated from that point.

I find the small stretch of beach that's publicly owned, and sit down on the ground. After a few quiet seconds, I pull the newspaper clipping Eckles gave me at the end of our private meeting from my pocket. I unfold it, and the title jumps out at me again. Green lags in polls, takes desperate measures.

Those "desperate measures" aren't directly referenced, but the reporter – who chose to only write as NY Times Staff – mentions super villain attacks and an attempt to slander his opponent publicly. His opponent is silent on the issue. The reporter even says that Salinger did not respond to requests for comment.

I know this is Hugo's doing. The anonymous byline is new, but I have a feeling he's got enough influence to be able to do that and get away with it. Ridley won't be able to act if he can't prove Hugo wrote it, so for now, he's dead in the water. I think of what Raina told me this morning, about Pascal's sex-offender charge.

Anonymous tip. Feds love those.

That gives me an idea. Journalists love those as much as the Feds do. And if this one doesn't take Pascal down in flames, I don't know what will.

≈

"You're home late," Raina says when I enter the living room two whole hours after I'm supposed to be back. "Long day at the office?"

"Yeah." I sit next to her and slump back into the pillows, rubbing my face with both hands.

"I had Mila hold dinner for you," she says, and I feel her rub my knee as she gets up. "I can go warm it up..."

"Raina, stop for a second." I catch her hand as she pulls it away, and her eyes darken with concern. "Sit. Don't worry about that right now."

"It'll only be a minute—"

"Raina. Sit down, now."

Her brow furrows, and briefly, I think she's going to protest. But she doesn't, and instead listens to me, sitting down again. "What happened?"

"I think you should read this." I pull the article out again and hand it to her.

She unfolds it and reads quickly, biting down on her lip. When she's finished, she doesn't look up.

"I thought you talked to him about this," I say. "Raina, look at me."

Her eyes flick up. "I did," she says. "I really thought it worked, Geoff, I thought—"

"I thought we agreed we'd put a stop to this. He published this just a day ago, in the Sunday paper."

"We did...I know we did, it's just..." She rakes a hand through her hair, but it falls back to where it was. "I tried to convince him Geoff, I know I did—"

"How did that work?" I say without thinking, and I see her flinch. "He obviously hasn't stopped."

She bites her lip, but says nothing. Instead she sets the article down between us and goes out. I don't even think about how I've hurt her until she comes back, with my re-warmed dinner plate and a glass of water. She sets them down on the coffee table in front of me and leaves again, swiping at her cheeks.

When I've finished, I get up and return my plate to the kitchen. She's standing with her back to me at the counter, hands gripping the edge.

"Raina," I say.

"You know all I've done my whole life is disappoint people?" she says, voice shaky. "I think I even disappointed my parents by being born. And then...just now...the way you looked at me...it just brought it all back."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes you did. No hidden meanings or anything this time. I've let you down again."

I say nothing, and neither does she. I'm not sure if admitting I'm the screwup is better, or if I should say something about how it's not her fault.

"I'm going to bed," she says finally, stopping long enough to kiss my cheek. "Don't stay up too late."

I don't go up until I know she's asleep. I'm not sure what to say to fix this, even though I know it'd be better than nothing at all. My silence that time was an agreement, and we both knew it.

≈

The next morning, sure enough, I wake up alone. I usually get up early enough for work to sneak out before she wakes, but this time, that's not the case. That gets me out of bed, and I find her in the first place I look: Ettie's room. Ettie's tucked up snugly against her, head under Raina's chin. For a minute, I watch them until I hear Cam making little groaning noises from the next room.

"Hey, buddy," I say when I peek in, seeing he's awake.

"Doo-doo, Dada," he says as I lift him out. "Doo-doo."

I've been around him long enough to know that means he needs his diaper changed. I wish I was around more often to help Raina with his firsts, but she seems to have it handled. And right now, probably wanting nothing to do with me.

"Mama," Cam says, squirming to get down. "See Mama."

Just then, she stirs and then wakes, catching sight of the both of us. Cam wriggles even harder and I let him down, holding his hands as he walks bow-leggedly over to the bed. Seamlessly, Raina's there to catch him when I let go, lifting him onto her lap and kissing the top of his head.

"Raina," I say, but she doesn't look up. "Raina, please."

"It's okay, Geoff, I get it."

"Get what?"

"You know..." She adjusts Cam on her knee. "This. You say you married me because you loved me, but I know it's not just that. You felt guilty after I told you I was pregnant."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it? I know your dad told you we couldn't be together. But you came after me anyway. I couldn't help it, given my situation. But you...it could have been a game to you, for all I know."

"Raina." I kneel in front of her, cupping her face. "Stop it. I'm sorry about what I said last night, okay? I'm just tired and stressed, and I'm sure you are too. I love you. And I admire you for protecting our kids the way you do. You've never been a disappointment to me. Ever."

She sighs. "Good to know," she says finally, and I know she's not convinced.

When she leaves, I curse inwardly. I have to wrack my brain to think of a way to get us back on track, even though I have the awful sinking feeling that it's been a long time since we've been there.

≈

Matt and Tori's baby arrives during the first week of October. A boy, seven pounds six ounces, nineteen and a half inches long. He's sent an e-mail to my inbox, with two pictures attached – one of Tori, holding the baby at the hospital, and the other of just the baby, sleeping in his crib.

Say hello to Brandon Kyle Benson! says the message, with a smiling emoticon. That makes me smile also. With all the stuff about Ridley lately – getting worse and worse now that the election's closer and his numbers hit an all-time low – we'd had little to be excited about. This is the first good news in a long time.

I find Raina in the kitchen afterward, sitting by Cam in his high chair and feeding him some mashed carrots. She looks up at me as I come in, with just the barest flicker of a smile.

"Matt's baby was born the other day," I say as I sit across from her. "Brandon Kyle Benson, they're calling him."

"Fancy," says Raina, standing up partway to wipe the food from Cam's chin. "Did they get pictures?"

"Yeah. I'll show them to you."

She nods, but doesn't reply right away. "Geoff...about Ridley's election party."

"What about it?"

"I'm worried something's going to happen. Something bad. Especially because it's pretty evident now he's losing." She stirs the bowl of carrots absently.

"We'll be prepared to fight him if he does," I say, even though I'm not overly confident about it. "Me, Hank, even Eckles, if he's up for it."

"If you beat him, though, there's still two others. That's how I thought...he'll try to outnumber you. Pull another evil super out of the woodwork."

"You don't have to worry about me, Raina. I've fought plenty of villains."

"I know, but..." She takes a deep breath. "That doesn't change anything. We've gone up against plenty of Ridley's non-super allies. They've probably got more power than he does."

"Well, there's one good thing about this. We don't have to worry about Banks anymore."

That catches her attention. She turns to look at me fully. "Really? Why?"

I rehash my conversation with Eckles, and she doesn't say a word until I've finished.

"He's got more courage than I do." She shudders, and I know she's remembering when he held a gun to her head. "I don't know if I'd ever be able to do that."

"He did it for you," I blurt, and her eyes widen visibly. "He said so."

"I'm flattered, but..." She trails off, suddenly dropping her gaze to the floor.

"But?" I prompt.

"He's not my husband, you are. If you think, Geoff, for one second, that I return his feelings..."

"I don't," I say truthfully. "I never did."

She stands up, rounding the table and throwing her arms around me. I pull her closer, kissing her cheek as she buries her face in my shoulder. As I do, I feel my resolve solidifying. I pushed her too far, and yet, like a whipped puppy, she came back. I don't want her to feel like she's not good enough for me, ever again. And I plan to start on that right away.

≈

Before we know it, election day is on us. We've both filled out our ballots and sent them in, and if it's one thing we agree on, it's that Ridley can't win. Shouldn't win. He'd been giving me increasingly nasty phone calls as the election got closer, and managed to sic the Blob on the Thomas apartment. Fortunately, neither of them were home, and the worst of the damage was the fear from the neighbors. There was a rumor he had letter bombs sent to Salinger and his campaign staff, but that turned out to be fake.

"He'd do something much worse than that, wouldn't he?" Raina asks me from the bathroom as we got ready that afternoon.

"I wouldn't put it past him," I answer, buttoning up my shirt collar and beginning to knot my necktie. "Matt's promised he'll put in an appearance tonight. For reinforcements."

"You're worried something'll go wrong," Raina says, not a question but a statement.

"Yeah." I fold my collar down and then pull on my suit jacket. Ridley had asked us to wear pins for his support, but that was where I drew the line. I want to make it clear he's not getting any support from us. "And you'll be right in the middle of it."

"I've got plenty of weapons," she says. "Did you know Ridley bribed Osborne to keep us there until Pascal showed up?"

"With what?" I ask, too surprised to say anything else.

"A spot on his staff, a raise, promotions, you name it."

"I assume we haven't seen the last of him?" I dread going up against Osborne in his super form again, but maybe this time I'll be more prepared.

"Bingo," Raina says. "What do you say we divide and conquer tonight?"

I feel a grin spread across my face. "Great idea."