Unmasked

Audrey was silent on the entire drive to her apartment. She felt battered and bruised, and still untethered from her body. She kept replying the scene over and over again in her mind. Matt tossing her the gun. The recoil as she fired again, and again. Titan's body toppling to the ground. It hadn't felt real. She still wasn't sure she was awake, and the last of her adrenaline was fading fast.

She really wanted Matt to go away, because her knees were about to give out and she didn't want him to see her stumbling and weakened. He remained silent too as he rode the elevator with her up to her apartment.

"I'm going to take a shower," Audrey said stiffly. She limped away before he could answer. Her body was a full collection of old and fresh bruises and cuts. Her side was swollen from the ribs Titan had broken and she looked practically dead. Her eyes were wide and staring; Audrey didn't even recognize herself. She stepped into the steaming hot spray, letting it wash away the dirt and blood. She felt like something resembling human again when she stepped out and gingerly dried off. She threw on a random sweatshirt and pair of yoga pants before heading back out to the living room. She froze when she caught sight of herself in the mirror and realized she was wearing an old sweatshirt of Matt's.

He seemed to notice it too as she slunk into the living room, but he didn't comment. A faint flash of pain crossed his face but then he returned his attention to the TV while Audrey curled up on the opposite end of the couch.

"Melanie got reinforcements in from other IHC chapters," Matt said. He gestured to the news station he was watching. "Things are still pretty wild and hectic, but they're getting control again. Apparently there's corruption being uncovered in the mayor's office, and of course there was everything with Jasper-ah, Titan. No one has a lot of details yet, or at least they're not sharing them. The news people can only know so much, with IHC being secret. But Melanie called me while you were in the shower and there's going to be a lot of changes and upheaval in the organization."

"Good." Audrey stared at the TV without really seeing it.

"Audrey, I'm sorry about-"

"Don't," she said quickly, her voice wavering. "I'm not...just don't right now. Where's my cheeseburger?"

"I'll go get it. Are you going to let me back in?"

"Only if you have food."

Matt left and Audrey turned off the TV and popped a few Tylenol. Titan was dead. She had killed him. It may have been said that revenge didn't make you feel better but it was a lie. Audrey felt like a crushing weight had been lifted from her chest. She had accomplished what she had set out to do since she became Phantasma. But now there was nothing to distract her from the situation with Matt and Phantasma wasn't going to help her with that.

Audrey gnawed on her lip, trying to figure out what she would say when Matt came back. She still didn't know when he did, but her mouth seemed to be working independently of her frazzled brain.

"Why are you here?" she burst out. "Why are you bringing me food? Why did you help me?"

He sighed and set her food on the coffee table. Audrey stayed hunkered on the couch, eyeing him warily.

"Why are you even asking me that, Audrey? You know the answer."

"Because heroes help damsels in distress?" she asked flippantly.

"Because I love you."

"We broke up."

"It's not a switch I can just flip, Audrey. Do you really think that's how this works? Finding out I was Cryogen may have made you hate me, but you being Phantasma doesn't make me hate you."

Audrey unfolded her legs and reached for her food with a wince. Maybe after she ate she'd lie down for a week and not move. Matt sat down on the couch, keeping his distance while she wolfed her food. It occurred to her that she hadn't actually eaten anything for a while. Finally she sank back into the couch and sipped at her milkshake. Matt watched her with a strange look on his face.

"When is capital hill Barbie going to call you back in?" Audrey asked. "I'm sure there's going to be a lot of questions for you."

Matt shrugged. "I don't really care right now."

Audrey finished her milkshake and still didn't know what she wanted to say to him. She realized she hadn't kicked him out, and more importantly the larger part of her didn't want to. But she was still prickly about him being IHC, and she had already said plenty of awful things to him.

"You should hate me," she said finally. "That's how this is supposed to go. We're arch rivals. You're supposed to hate your arch rival. You're not supposed to rescue them, and bring them cheeseburgers, and wear their ratty old sweatshirts. Though for the record I didn't actually need your rescuing."

"Of course not."

"You can't be in love with your nemesis, Matt. The whole dynamic goes to shit."

"Doesn't change how I feel. Audrey North isn't my nemesis."

"Phantasma is Audrey North, and vice versa. You can't have one without the other."

"Then I guess I've come to terms with Phantasma. Declared an unspoken truce."

"That's stupid." Audrey realized with surprise that her eyes were welling up with tears.

"Aren't you always pointing out that Cryogen is stupid? Cryogen is Matt Carter."

"That's why I'm supposed to hate you," Audrey sniffled. "You're ruining everything. If I'm not angry then I'm just sad and I'd rather be angry."

She rubbed her oversized sleeves across her face and hiccuped softly.

"Isn't being happy an option?"

"I don't know," Audrey mumbled into her sleeves. "I'm mad at you and I miss you and that makes me more mad at you."

"You miss me?"

Audrey lifted her head and swatted at him with her damp sleeves. "Don't push it, Matt." She tried to glower at him but just dissolved into tears again. Matt looked at a loss for what to do, just staring at her helplessly while she kept smacking at him and sniffling.

"Audrey, for what it's worth, I'd be more than happy to give up the IHC, if you wanted me to. They don't exactly have their shit together anyway. I don't care about being a hero for them." He took another sleeve to the face. "I just wanted to be one for you."

Audrey made a helpless choking sound and practically melted forward like her bones had vanished. She landed facedown on the couch and grimaced. "Ow."

"You should probably go sleep," Matt said. "Your body isn't going to take a whole lot more abuse."

"Don't tell me what to do," she mumbled into the cushion. With tremendous effort Audrey managed to push herself up onto her knees and stared at him for a few long moments.

"Are you going to hit me again?" he asked.

"I'm thinking about it. How long do you plan on staying on my couch?"

"Until you tell me to leave. If you want me gone, I'll go. If you want me to stay, then I'm here."

Audrey shuffled forward and let her head fall against his chest, starting to cry again.

"I liked being pissed off better than whatever Meg Ryan movie shit this is," she complained. But she didn't protest as Matt gently put his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, Matt. When I found out who you were I felt like I'd betrayed my family and I was so angry with you but it's not your fault. And I don't actually hate you and I don't want you to leave." She pulled away from him slightly. "If you want to I would completely understand after all the terrible things I said. I know I'm messed up, that's what I tried to warn you about when we got together."

"You're not messed up. I get it, Audrey. As soon as you told me about Titan it made sense. I don't blame you for being angry."

"Then...maybe we can try again?"

"If that's really what you want, nothing could possibly make me happier."

"It is what I want. I tried really hard not to be, but I'm still in love with you, Matt."

He leaned over and kissed her and she flung her arms around his neck even though her aching muscles protested.

"Now you really need to rest," Matt said. Audrey was already having trouble staying awake, refusing to budge from where she was. So he lifted her gently and carried her to bed.

"You're going to stay?" she asked, still expecting him to bolt for the door. He pulled the blanket over her and kissed her forehead.

"As long as you want me to," he promised.

It took Melanie a week to call Matt, and when she did he gave her an official notice of resignation.

"What the hell do you mean you're not coming back?" she squawked.

"I'm kind of doing my own thing now," Matt said, watching Audrey as she kept stretching and wincing. Her body wasn't healing nearly as fast as she would have liked.

"Not all of us are cut out for the IHC," Matt went on. "I'll see you around, Mel."

"Matt, don't you dare hang up-"

He hung up. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited one more person to this little get-together."

"Who?" Audrey asked, sprawling across the floor with a huff.

"Her name is Christine. She's a young recruit of the IHC. She wanted out a long time ago, I thought this might appeal to her."

"Is she the one that plays with spiders?"

"Yeah."

"She's not allowed to bring any into this house." Audrey scooped herself up off the floor and shuffled into the kitchen. "What do I offer a bunch of fetuses to drink, anyway? They're all underage."

"I'd recommend little cartons of apple juice," Matt grinned. "They'd love that."

There was a knock on the door and Nichelle's voice carried to the kitchen. "Audrey, there's a bunch of children milling around here in the hall too nervous to knock."

Audrey rolled her eyes and opened the door. Nichelle and Cyrus were there, as well as the three teenagers from the pizza parlor, and who Audrey assumed must be Christine. She waved them inside.

"So, all this time those two little twerps wreaking havoc were you two?" Audrey gestured to Cal and Mikaela and they nodded.

"You had burgeoning supers under your nose all this time and didn't even know, Matt." She snickered.

"I can't believe you guys are seriously Cryogen and Phantasma," Mikaela said. "That is so cool."

"We asked all of you to be here today because we intend to operate outside of IHC authority," Audrey said. "We're going full Team Captain America on this one. We're going to function on our terms, not theirs. Which should be easy enough to do, since this entire chapter of the IHC is basically in tatters."

"They had been trying to track you two down for months to try and enlist you," Matt said.

"Who are the IHC?" Cal asked.

"A secret organization of super dorks," Audrey said. "All the people who operate as heroes work for them. Well, not all of them anymore," she amended. "But I have no interest in joining forces with them, and Matt officially quit today. So if you bunch of babies want to learn a thing or two about being heroes without looking like idiots, then you'll be on my team."

"Our team," Matt protested.

"Matt, darling, I said learning to be heroes without looking like idiots."

Matt pouted while everyone laughed and Audrey ruffled his hair.

"Do we get a cool team name?" Leon asked.

"No."

"Do we get a bat signal?"

"No."

Do we get to hang out with Matt all the time?"

"Yes." Audrey ignored Matt's scowl.

"We won't have any ties to IHC at all?" Christine asked.

"Never have to even talk to them again, if you don't want," Matt assured her.

"Then I'm in." Christine stuck her hand out and looked at the others. Leon immediately put his hand over hers, and it didn't take Mikaela and Cal long to join them. Nichelle heaved a theatrical sigh.

"There goes my neutrality," she said. "But what the hell." She put her hand in too. Then forcefully grabbed Cyrus's and put his over hers.

"Why do I have to join?" he complained. "I don't have any powers."

"You can help Leon with all the intel stuff," Nichelle said. "Now shut your pretty mouth."

Audrey swallowed a laugh as she put her hand in too, and Matt covered hers.

"So this is it, then," he said. "The dawning of a new era of superheroes. A team such as the world has never-"

"All right that's enough," Audrey said, rolling her eyes. "And we can put our hands down now, by the way. We look like jackasses."

"Team Leon!" Leon yelled, waving his hands in the air. Matt smacked him in the back of the head. Audrey wrapped her arms around Matt's waist and he kissed the top of her head.

"What do you make of them?" she asked as she watched the others talking in the living room.

"They're a little rough around the edges, but I think we can work with them."

Audrey gave him a crooked smile. "I like rough around the edges." She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips before banging a spoon on the counter to get everyone's attention.

"All right, maggots. Let's go turn you into superheroes."