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]

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."

[aqua_gambit]

"Oh. Huh." Despite having been to plenty of alternate realities, he hadn't really considered what went on in then. He pressed his lips together. Mostly because he had never considered an Alexa existing who was not into him.

He shrugged. "Well, that's... interesting. Been awhile since I considered alternate realities outside of my home."

He waved so the people manning the security cameras knew it was him and the guest with him was welcome. "Anyway, welcome to this reality's Pier 4, home of the Imaginauts."

[sub_mariner]

"Her daughter Maria goes by Iron Maiden. Believe me when I say that the name really is inspired by the torture device." Another romance gone wrong?

Probably.

Derric peered up. "Oh. Huh. It's so quaint."

[aqua_gambit]

Remi noted to not name their child Maria. Just to be on the safe side. "You are definitely sounding like my son. How's Charlotte?"

He glanced at Derric. "The quaint exterior hides all the science labs. It goes a few stories below sea-level, too."

[sub_mariner]

"As tough and feisty as ever," Derric grinned. Their gentle teasing had turned into a stronger brother-sister bond in recent months. Except for where he'd wronged every girl that Charlotte had ever been friends with. "She helped with the fight against the Blood Pack. She's, well, she's tough."

[aqua_gambit]

Remi still felt like he should apologize for how the eyebrow genes worked out for Charlotte. And he wasn't even her actual father.

"That's good. Getting along and fighting villains with your siblings is important. Particularly with tough siblings." That was more a do as he says moment. Though he was getting along fairly well with the new-to-him Kassi.

"So, I should probably muster the Imaginauts. How many of Blood Force was in your reality?"

[sub_mariner]

"Five of them. It doesn't sound like a lot, but believe me, Alterna-Dad, they were pretty damn vicious." The worry in his voice was evident. After all, he'd left his family behind to fend for themselves to come here. Of course, they were capable people, but at the same time, Derric had never faced anything this dark or terrible before.

[aqua_gambit]

Remi frowned slightly. Why would Panther send away her premier thugs? There was some bit of information he was missing. Something that would make this move by Panther make more sense.

"They're the five best warriors Panther has at her disposal. My world, where they come from, is a vicious place. I went reality hopping to learn to be civilized, better." Instead he got in some reality and got a very lovely woman pregnant on accident. Remi was messing up left and right. Not that he would admit it to anyone.

He reached over and clapped a hand on Derric's shoulder. "Your family will be fine. Particularly since your mother was there. Sofia's very capable in any universe, I'd expect."

[sub_mariner]

"I know. I mean, you're tough, Mom's downright scary with her magical implements, and Charlotte's just plain vicious, as is Liza. But look at you. You're far away from home and stuck. It's nice here and all, but I don't want that to be my fate, too. No offense intended, but you know what I'm talking about more than anyone." Because similar situations and, hey, similiar genetics!

[aqua_gambit]

"Oui," Remi agreed quietly. He shook his head a bit and shrugged. He cleared his throat.

"So, anything you need before I call my team together?"

[sub_mariner]

"List of who not to hit on, who can best help me find my way back home, and a battle plan on how to bring down the Blood Pack?" Pause. "I'm sorry, by the way. I didn't mean to dredge up anything negative. It's just...well, you're the closest thing to my dad." He needed someone to vent his worries out to, in other words.