Thanks, Spider-man's Uncle (Deirdre, Spectre, Eiley, Gabriel)

[deirdre-ionuin.livejournal.com]

The first Spectre gig had gone off a treat, and Deirdre and Spectre were lounging in her hotel room afterwards. "The twins are still on London time," Deirdre sighed, leaning against Spectre while he held Gabriel close. "They won't sleep, the little buggers." Deirdre was feeding Eiley, who seemed able to drink more than twice her own weight in milk at a time.

"How can you mind?!" Spectre asked, enthralled. He did love babies, even when he should have been exhausted. He was riding the high of an excellent first show in a new place and now there were babies. "Look at his little nose!"

Deirdre chuckled. "Eventually we'll have one which is half you, but oh my god, not for years," Deirdre breathed. Twins was hard enough. She didn't know how Peter did it. And speaking of Peter... "Do you know why Peter and Thomas are in China?"

Spectre sobered then. He hated that his beloved husband was putting himself in potential danger again. Even if the man couldn't die, he could experience pain. And Spectre would do anything to keep his love from that. "Thomas said something about the Templar," Spectre admitted quietly. He hugged tiny Gabriel closer to him. "Apparently that new chappy from Dead Meat interrogated Dragonetti and they discovered some shady dealings they have to stop."

"In China?" Deirdre was not a religious person. She was so nonreligious, she had very little idea of what religion even was. But even she knew China wasn't really the place for a secret Catholic cult to be hanging about. "What the hell?"

"I don't know," Spectre sighed. "I just hope they get whatever it is over with. I don't want Thomas stuck here again."

"No," Deirdre agreed quietly. The last time had been quite horrific. "I bet they could use you," Deirdre smiled then. Spectre had never really be useful in a fight. He was not strong or really very physical at all in anything beyond dancing. In the last rescue mission in Morrissey's Glen, however, he had gone one-on-one with a very powerful angel, and emerged the victor. Barely. "You could just lightning bolt the Templar all in the arse!" Deirdre grinned. Then her grin faded and she looked up at her friend. "I...I want to learn that."

Deirdre immediately saw the veiled look of horror cross Spectre's face and she felt stirrings of anger, which she buried deep inside. It was that anger which would give Spectre pause in the first place. "Deirdre-"

"I know what you're going to say," Deirdre rushed on. "And I get it. But hear me out because most people who can do illusions can't really fight, with the exception of Joel and he does tend to overdo things. If I could do those illusion thingies, I wouldn't have to fight because I could scare them away with a vision and then I wouldn't get all itchy to hit more people later!"

Spectre wasn't looking at her and Deirdre knew that wasn't really a good sign. "Deirdre it's...having the ability to do this is a double-edged sword. I have anger issues too and it's so easy to slip. The ability to make anyone believe they're in crippling pain might

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The first Spectre gig had gone off a treat, and Deirdre and Spectre were lounging in her hotel room afterwards. "The twins are still on London time," Deirdre sighed, leaning against Spectre while he held Gabriel close. "They won't sleep, the little buggers." Deirdre was feeding Eiley, who seemed able to drink more than twice her own weight in milk at a time.

<lj-cut text="With great power comes great responsibility">"How can you mind?!" Spectre asked, enthralled. He did love babies, even when he should have been exhausted. He was riding the high of an excellent first show in a new place and now there were babies. "Look at his little nose!"

Deirdre chuckled. "Eventually we'll have one which is half you, but oh my god, not for years," Deirdre breathed. Twins was hard enough. She didn't know how Peter did it. And speaking of Peter... "Do you know why Peter and Thomas are in China?"

Spectre sobered then. He hated that his beloved husband was putting himself in potential danger again. Even if the man couldn't die, he could experience pain. And Spectre would do anything to keep his love from that. "Thomas said something about the Templar," Spectre admitted quietly. He hugged tiny Gabriel closer to him. "Apparently that new chappy from Dead Meat interrogated Dragonetti and they discovered some shady dealings they have to stop."

"In <i>China</i>?" Deirdre was not a religious person. She was so nonreligious, she had very little idea of what religion even was. But even she knew China wasn't really the place for a secret Catholic cult to be hanging about. "What the hell?"

"I don't know," Spectre sighed. "I just hope they get whatever it is over with. I don't want Thomas stuck here again."

"No," Deirdre agreed quietly. The last time had been quite horrific. "I bet they could use you," Deirdre smiled then. Spectre had never really be useful in a fight. He was not strong or really very physical at all in anything beyond dancing. In the last rescue mission in Morrissey's Glen, however, he had gone one-on-one with a very powerful angel, and emerged the victor. Barely. "You could just lightning bolt the Templar all in the arse!" Deirdre grinned. Then her grin faded and she looked up at her friend. "I...I want to learn that."

Deirdre immediately saw the veiled look of horror cross Spectre's face and she felt stirrings of anger, which she buried deep inside. It was that anger which would give Spectre pause in the first place. "Deirdre-"

"I know what you're going to say," Deirdre rushed on. "And I get it. But hear me out because most people who can do illusions can't really fight, with the exception of Joel and he does tend to overdo things. If I could do those illusion thingies, I wouldn't have to fight because I could scare them away with a vision and then I wouldn't get all itchy to hit more people later!"

Spectre wasn't looking at her and Deirdre knew that wasn't really a good sign. "Deirdre it's...having the ability to do this is a double-edged sword. I have anger issues too and it's so easy to slip. The ability to make anyone believe they're in crippling pain might <i><sound</i> fun... It's not. I am mostly able to stop myself from doing it to everyone who isn't nice to be, but I lived with the burden of my father's illusions for so long, I know how damaging they can be. And I still slipped and mentally tortured Sacrifice."

Deirdre rolled her eyes. She didn't care that Sacrifice had suffered, but maybe that was Spectre's point. "I guess I just wanted to be able to do it like Joel can. Like you can. I don't like just being a battering ram."

"You're not," Spectre replied easily. He nodded his head down at the tiny baby she was feeding and Deirdre chuckled at her daughter who was finally getting full.

"Yes, I suppose there's them!" Deirdre kissed Eiley's head and then she looed back up at Spectre. "Would Thomas be afraid of me if he knew I could do visions? Would...would you?"

"I can't speak for Thomas, Deirdre, though I don't think he would be. As for myself, I've seen you lose yourself to the demon in front of me and I walked away unscathed. You didn't harm me, but I saw how hard it was for you to stop yourself. Illusions only take a second and they require no physical activity whatsoever. Once you know how to do it it would a second for you to do something you really regretted. Would I be afraid for myself? No. I would be afraid for you. Afraid you might do something you would never forgive yourself for. And if you did that, I could never forgive <i>my</i>self, and it would create this incredible cycle of self-loathing that I see no appreciable end for. Let's not do that, Deirdre..."

Deirdre sighed because stupid Spectre was always stupid right with his stupid angel brain of stupidness. "And Stephie probably doesn't need to know I can look like anyone I want to either..."

Spectre nodded. "I wasn't going to bring Stephie into it, but I did think of her. She and I have had similar experiences with that. And Pierre's Delilah as well. If no one ever wears my Thomas' face again, it still wouldn't have happened soon enough. You do understand this isn't because I don't trust you right?"

Deirdre leaned against him again and she cradled Eiley against her now that the girl was done feeding. "I do," Deirdre whispered. "And Spectre? Thanks for actually telling me instead of giving what I want. It actually makes me happier that you did that instead of...well you know."

"I'll always tell you the truth, Deirdre," Spectre promised.

"I really know," Deirdre smiled quietly. "Now switch! Gabriel is hungry.

Spectre looked so pleased at the idea of holding Eiley as well, that Deirdre dissolved into laughter and it was a few moments before she could relieve her son from Spectre's arms.