Chapter Text
Taylor crept back towards her house after another night out as Skitter. She had recently joined the Undersiders, and had done a few small jobs, but hadn't done anything big since the bank. There had been a disturbance in a warehouse down at the far end of the Docks, but investigation found the place empty, with burn marks in circular patterns all over the place. Tattletale was looking over the information she got, and would let the team know how to proceed the next day.
As her home entered her range, she decided that for now, all she wanted to do was to go home, sneak inside as to not wake... yes, her dad was still asleep. Sneak inside as to not wake her dad, silently close and lock the door (most of he windows in her house had screens. If she had more energy she could climb up to her bedroom window, which did not), then sneak past the person sitting in the living room to her bedroom and go to bed.
Wait a minute. If her dad was asleep...
Taylor broke out into a run, starting to gather a swarm as she got closer. By the time she got enough bugs out of the basement to see who it was, she was at her front door. She turned the handle but stopped dead in her tracks. The figure had heard her, though, and opened the door the rest of the way.
"...Taylor? Is that you?"
"Mom?"
Taylor grabbed her in a hug. She didn't care if this was some master illusion or anything. All she wanted right then was to be with her mother. Her face twisted in a silent crying, and she removed her mask to bury her face in her mother's shoulder. They stayed that way for a while, before exhaustion drove them both out of the doorway (which they closed) and onto the living room couch. Taylor took her glasses out of the utility compartment on her back and put them on.
"How are you back?" Taylor whispered after a dozen or so minutes
"I was put in an alternate earth by some powerful thinker. Last night, A portal got opened by some bomb tinker. She seemed distracted enough by the portal that I just left. I wanted to come home right away, but I wasn't sure what would happen. And I didn't want that tinker to follow me back to you. I guess I shouldn't have worried so much if you're a cape."
"Well, I did kind of take down her boss a while back. And one of my teammates, Tattletale, says she isn't fond of University teachers. So I think you made the right choice."
Annette paused.
"Taylor, that doesn't sound like a hero name."
"Well... I was originally going to infiltrate them, but it turns out Armsmaster's kind of a dick, and they're not really 'Evil' Villains... so I figured I could do good as a 'bad guy'..." Taylor explained.
"Ha! Reminds me of my college days. Maybe I could put my old mask back on..."
"Mom, you're a cape?!?" Taylor exclaimed
"I think I still have my mask in a box somewhere, though the rest of my costume is long gone. But yes." Annette said.
"I can make a new one if you have a picture. I made mine myself, and it's pretty good armor"
Annette stood up, letting Taylor keep hold of her hand as the two of them walked to the basement. Annette pulled a sealed box down from the top shelf, opening it to reveal the top half of a mask that looked like it should attach to a cloth lower section, though any sign of the lower section or other parts of the costume were absent. At the bottom of the box was a photo of a younger Annette and several other women, all in costumes. The back of the photograph was signed by several people with various cape names.
"I can make you this scarf/robe/mask part by tomorrow afternoon, but the rest of the costume might take a week or so" Taylor explained, and went on. "I have to meet up with them tomorrow afternoon anyway, so if you would like to come with and meet them, you could."
"I would love to meet your friends, little owl. Right now it's late, though, and you look exhausted. Why don't you get some sleep, ok?"
"Ok. I love you, mom."
"I love you too, Taylor. I missed you so much."