And a Fine Hello to You, Too. (Alterna-Son)

[aqua_gambit]

Remi deNamor escaped out of Pier 4 as soon as he could feasibly do so without risking the ire of a pregnant redhead. Some days, he got overwhelmed by how different his life was going from what he planned when he left his home reality. It had been ostensibly to learn how worlds that were better off than his governed so he could bring that experience home. While he had enjoyed the adventures of being an Exile, he had never expected to be discarded into some reality with no mission and no way home.

The bronzed Atlantean went to the end of the pier and sat down. He watched waves lap against the pillars. The steady wet slap lulled him into introspection. His blue eyes stared out at nothing.

So anything that showed up near him would be a complete surprise.

Comments

[sub_mariner]

Not five minutes ago, Derric deRemi had been fighting for his life as the Blood Force had attacked him, trying to find his father.

Well, a version of his father.

A version of his father who hadn't been the father that Derric himself had. They'd fought them off, though, Derric, his dad, his mother, his sisters, and his friends in the Avengers. Not a complete defeat, but they'd held them off enough for his mother and his half-sister to create a portal that would send Derric to warn the version of his father who was actually in danger.

This was why, out of the blue, a somewhat familiar looking young man would come flying out of a whirlpool that was suddenly created in the water ahead of Remi, the wings on the young man's ankles flapping as he shot a bolt of electricity down at the whirlpool, effectively closing it.

Then, noticing Remi just sitting there, as though he were somehow expecting him, Derric whooped. "Dad!"

[aqua_gambit]

Remi got jolted out of his reverie. He blinked. "Is the baby earl-..."

His question died when he spotted a familiar face above the water. It was a good thing he was sitting on a pier. There was wood behind him to brace against. It saved him from falling into the water.

"Derric?"

[sub_mariner]

He flew towards Remi, his shimmery teal, black, and white wetsuit glinting in the sunlight as he reached his Alterna-Dad.

"Yeah, sorry, I know. I didn't call, I didn't write." He landed on the pier next to Remi. "But, you know, there's not quite any tech for that yet."

[aqua_gambit]

Remi got to his feet, or more correctly, floated to the appropriate level to have his feet an inch or two above the pier. He scratched his head for a moment.

"Not I'm not glad to see you, but... how and why? I thought you went back to your home time-and-space." He looked over the suit. "Nice suit though. Very sting ray-esque."

[sub_mariner]

"Thanks," Derric grinned. "You and Mom gave it to me for my birthday. But that's not why I'm here," he added. "There's a little issue going on that we need to talk about. Ever hear of the Blood Force?"

[aqua_gambit]

It took Remi a moment to realize 'Mom' did not mean Alexa in this case. Alternate futures did things like give you unexpected kids. He settled down to have his feet on the pier.

He stared a little at Derric. "Well, there was one from my reality. They are the Panther's goon squad. Why?"

[sub_mariner]

"They're looking for you. Reality-hopping, I guess? I don't know where they were before they came to my reality but..." Derric shrugged. "They're probably on their way here as we speak."

[aqua_gambit]

"They're-wait, what? Last I knew they were stuck behind Panther's impenetrable shield. And I've had the scientists here looking for a way to get from this reality to mine, but it's been... a whole lot of nothing." Remi rubbed his forefinger and thumb along his eyebrows as he tried to make sense of it. Even eyebrow massage did not make this any clearer.

"You're sure they're after me? And how did you get here? Did you knock out that redhead back at Xavier's again?"

[sub_mariner]

"Some unstable way they've got of reality-hopping. I don't know much about it, but Mom managed to use her magic to, you know, manipulate it a bit, shunt me to you. Which, hey, surprise." Pause. "I didn't bring anyone with me, so there aren't any more kid surprises. Also, not sure if it's you-you that they want, but you're the only you I know that's not the you that raised me, so I figured that you should know that they're after you."

[aqua_gambit]

"It is a surprise," he admitted with a soft grunt. He was trying to process a goon squad from his home hunting him. It didn't seem likely to him with all the smart people being stumped here about getting him to his own reality.

"I'd ask why me, but I'm sure they didn't tell you why. Unless Blood Witch got to you." Remi eyed Derric's neck to make sure there were no vampire fang marks.

[sub_mariner]

Derric tilted his head over so that Remi could see. No bite marks.

There was a hickey, though.

"They, uh, interrupted my date with Mircea Guthrie."

[aqua_gambit]

Remi quirked an eyebrow at the hickey. "Nothing dangerous I see. Though a 'date,' huh? Hopefully you're better at those than I am."

Satisfied that his not-son was not in the thrall of a psychic vampire, Remi held out a hand. "Come on inside Pier 4 until your... wait, do you have a way to get back?"

[sub_mariner]

"As long as Sam Guthrie doesn't find out that I'm seeing his granddaughter, I think the dating thing is gonna be fine." He glanced down at Remi's hand and back up at Remi. "I'm not...gonna hold your hand, Dad. And, uh...you know? We didn't actually...think that far ahead."

[aqua_gambit]

"... granddaughter? Oh, boy." He looked down at the offered hand and back up at Derric.

"Did I pick up something where you wouldn't shake my hand? I know you just came off a date, but c'mon, Derric."

He pressed his lips together to keep himself from making some sort of facial expression. "Taking after your mother there a bit?"

[sub_mariner]

"She's like two years older than me," Derric explained, staring back down at the hand. "Oh, god, you wanted a handshake. I thought you wanted to...oh god, never mind," the blonde Atlantean laughed heartily. He took his not-quite-father's hand and shook it vigorously, laughing again. "Yeah, well. You know. Mom's influence isn't the weakest."

[aqua_gambit]

Rather than question why his not-quite-son thought he had wanted to hold hands, Remi just blinked and shook his head.

"Handshake," he reaffirmed before they did so. "You're a bit too hold for the holding hands thing. If you run off, I'll figure you saw a pretty girl."

He shrugged. "Maybe the dimensional studies guys can find a way back to your reality. Though the timeline thing may be trickier."

[sub_mariner]

"Just try and make sure it's a good while after Stevie Rogers tried to behead me with her granddad's shield because she caught me with Jeri Hunt?" He started following his dad back to Pier 4. "Because that...didn't end well."

[aqua_gambit]

"Bad as this reality's Liza and me?" He cast a sideways glance at his s-Derric. Though Remi's own luck with the superheroic ladies hadn't been as good as Derric's, Remi started to see it as a blessing.

"I'll try to make sure you get back not long after you left for here." Not that he personally could. Outside of looming over the scientists who would.

[sub_mariner]

"Worse? She was...well. Super soldier serum really passes down well generation to generation. S'all I'm going to say," Derric said. "How is Liza anyway? And Mom? Have you two...you know?"

[aqua_gambit]

"Yet her father isn't a Prince of Hell. With fire and ... fire and things." Remi scratched his neck, near where his gills were. It was a nervous itchiness.

"I'm not sure how Liza is doing. I avoid her as much as possible, and it seems to work for us. Sofia... just popped up from... wherever she went. She, uh..." He wasn't sure how to put Derric wasn't going to exist in this reality no way no how. "We haven't conceived a child. And not likely to as I'm with someone else now."

[sub_mariner]

"Oh." Derric's face fell a little. Granted, he understood that this was a somewhat different reality, but still. "Who...who are you with?"

[aqua_gambit]

Remi wasn't going to try Derric up by pointing how his twin half-sister wasn't going to exist here either.

"Sofia's still my friend. It's just not a relationship that will produce children ever now." He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand while they walked up to the entrance.

"Alexa Stark."

[sub_mariner]

Derric was silent for a long moment.

And then, "Really? You're dating Iron Man?"

[aqua_gambit]

"Who? Wait... what?" Remi turned to look at Derric more fully. He worked his jaw a moment to get something out.

"Tony Stark's daughter?"

[sub_mariner]

"Yeah. Iron Man. Because, you know, Iron is F and E on the table of elements, and then male." Pause. "At least, that's why I think she went with that name. I never actually asked her, but it's kind of cheeky. She never actually dated you where I'm from. Although, from what Mom tells me, you tried and tried."