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Joan formed another large fireball between her hands. She lobbed it into the night sky over the river. Mark shot a big, icy ball at it, dissolving it on contact.

They’d been at it for a good ten, maybe fifteen minutes. Every blast of fire brought relief, like her body was grateful for the release.

The row of riverfront warehouses provided coverage from prying eyes. A good place to discharge built-up fire. She’d never gone so long without using it to fly or fight.

“Are you almost out?” Mark asked, shooting little ice pellets into the cracked blacktop.

“Not yet.” Joan wiped rogue hair off her slightly damp forehead. “You definitely let the Supers know we’re doing this?”

“I texted Zee to let them know there was no cause for concern.”

A slow smile pulled at her lips. “You texted Zee . I didn’t realize you had Race’s number.”

“It’s for shit like this so the Supers don’t freak out.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Mark crossed his arms. “Don’t start with that.”

“Just saying you two have this very entertaining flirty repartee.”

He sprayed her butt with a snow shower.

“Which I get to witness once a week when they drop by the truck to get dinner because we have—” She made air quotes. “Good hand-cut fries.”

“We do have good hand-cut fries.”

“That you personally serve.”

Conjuring up a big block of ice, Mark said, “Focus on the task at hand, nosy.”

Joan shot a streaming flame at it, melting it to a pool of water in seconds. They did it twice more, each time with a little less oomph.

“Whew.” Joan exhaled a deep breath. “That does feel better. I’m glad Sadie suggested this.”

“She’s the best,” said Mark.

“She is the best.”

“Are things good between you two?”

“Everything is perfect.”

“Other than you wanting to get with her like a rabbit in heat?”

Joan laughed. “Yeah, I guess she had a point.”

Mark stared out at the dark water. “She mentioned you started having nightmares again. I thought they’d stopped.”

With a vague shrug, Joan said, “I’ve had a few random ones.”

“Sadie said it’s been two this month. She’s worried.”

Shit. She hated to worry Sadie.

Glancing over, Mark said, “Were they like the other ones?”

“They’re always the same. Some variation of Melvin, Irving and Ethel yelling at me. Staring me down or holding me so I can’t escape.”

“What are they saying?”

“I’m not sure. It’s not really words.” Joan rubbed at the tightness building in her chest. “But they’re mad. They’re so mad, I can feel it. I wake up wanting to run and hide.”

“Damn.”

She sat on the concrete barrier separating the riverfront from the warehouses. “I’m freaked out that what happened to them will happen to us.”

Mark dropped beside her. “That the Supers will change their minds and say, ‘Just kidding. We’re gonna lock you up, too.’”

“Yeah. One misstep and this could all be gone.”

“I get it. I worry about that, too.”

Flashes of her former cohorts’ angry faces played in her mind. “It’s not fair. What went down.”

“They were going ahead with their half-baked plans no matter what we did.”

Joan shook her head. “What happened wasn’t fair. They got life in prison. We got to walk free.”

“They made their own choices. They wanted to be Villains. They enjoyed it.” Mark rested his arms on his thighs. “We didn’t actively choose that life. I don’t think Perry did either. He had his cagey reasons he never tells us.”

“He had to have been double-crossed by the Supers. We know he once trusted them, and now he acts like they’re mortal enemies. I mean, he gave his Breeze suit and computer crap to us to give to the Supers so he wouldn’t have to face them.”

“Yeah, Per’s got secrets, but…” Mark raised his eyebrows. “Maybe he’s freaking out, too. He’s been betrayed before. Who’s to say it won’t happen again?”

“Exactly.” Joan’s heartbeat thumped from the realization.

“I wouldn’t worry too much. We’re making amends. We’ve always tried to do some good. Melvin and Company were selfish assholes who never thought about anyone but themselves. They liked being the bad guys.”

“We sometimes liked being the bad guys,” Joan admitted.

Mark nudged her knee with his. “We were pretty good at it. We also gave a whole lot of apology money to people and businesses. The Supers know that.”

“Yeah, but do they care?”

“No, but it’s further proof we don’t suck.”

A heavy sigh brushed past Joan’s lips. “We turned on our friends, Mark. Turned in our friends. We’re persona non grata to everyone we used to associate with.”

“We’re building a new life.”

“I know, but…”

He nudged her knee again. “I know, sis.”

They sat in understanding silence. They’d stayed ultra busy over the past few months to mask the pain of giving up the life they once knew.

“Why dwell on what’s done?” Mark said. “We have the food truck we always wanted. You have the girl you always wanted. Per likes being a not-so-silent investor in Hot and Cold.”

“We think he likes it,” Joan corrected. “He doesn’t tell us one way or the other.”

“I think one of his superpowers is masking his true emotions. So I assume he’s happy to keep my conscience clear.”

She shook her head at how easily her brother could rationalize something. “How are you really doing? I know you’re avoiding being at home.”

“’Cause it’s boring.”

“Your hooking up more is only partially from the excess energy.”

“It’s also my abandonment issues, Joanie.” He said it flippantly, gazing at the gray clouds, but real pain pinched his eyes. Mark always left someone before they could leave him. But lately, it’d been more like running away before he even learned the guy’s name. Running away from potential hurt.

Thanks a bunch for kicking us out, Mom and Dad.

Joking was the only way to get him to open up. “How can you have abandonment issues when your wombmate hasn’t left your side in thirty-five years?”

Mark cracked a grin. “Present company excluded.”

“And Perry and my very patient girlfriend let you crash at our respective homes whenever you feel like it.”

“Which I do appreciate.”

“Greta still talks to you.”

“Greta’s your friend.”

“But she talks to you.”

Not that she saw Greta much lately. Their usual Let’s break into the mayor’s office for funsies hangouts had been replaced by her old friend stopping by the food truck once in a while.

Leaving the criminal element had put a strain on their relationship, mostly because the Supers knew where to find Joan.

She couldn’t lurk in the shadows anymore.

“Maybe we need therapy,” she said, not entirely in jest.

“Oh, we definitely need therapy,” Mark laughed.

“Good luck trying to find a shrink who specializes in superpowered issues.” She tried a new approach. “You can hang out with me and Sadie’s friends if you want.”

“You said you have a hard time relating to them.”

True, their normal lives and problems sometimes made Joan feel out of place. “It’s getting easier now that I have regular people issues to talk about. The price of gas, taxes… And they’re nice. They seem to be happy.”

“I am happy, Joanie,” Mark said. “I don’t regret what we did. I love finally being able to cook every day. And we’re making new acquaintances with the other food truck owners and vendors. Things are great.”

Joan smiled. “I’m happy, too.”

“Good.”

“I hope Perry’s happy. We foisted this on him.”

Mark set a hand on his chest. “I like to think we put him on the path he always wanted to be on.”

“He wanted to work in the art world.”

“He technically worked in the art world for many years.”

“I don’t think stealing works of art counts,” Joan said.

“He always knew which ones were worth taking.”

She dug the toe of her shoe into the ground. “I just hope he’s not struggling too much with the adjustment.”

Mark snorted and said, “If he was upset, he’d let us know. Irritation with us is the one thing he’s never had a problem expressing.”

“True.”

A whiff of mucky river water floated past on the breeze. Sadie liked to say it smelled like fish poo. After working at a fish-and-chips cabana on the upscale riverwalk to the north, she’d stopped eating anything that came out of water.

“Sadie needs to meet with him to talk about her café,” Joan said. “She’s dragging her feet. It’ll be good for both of them to have something to focus on.”

“Why do you think she’s stalling?”

“I think she thinks we can’t run Hot and Cold without her. And I’m kind of worried she’s putting aside what she wants for what I want. She has a history of going along with whatever her partner wants.”

“Ah. I can see that.” Mark cringed and added, “But we do need her.”

“We don’t need her to work for us with no ownership interest. Which yes, she doesn’t want because of the stolen money we used to fund the truck. She deserves more. She can have more.”

“But like, who’s gonna tally up our expenses at the farmers market to keep us on budget?”

“I can operate the calculator on my phone,” Joan drawled.

“And she’s so great with the customers.”

“We’ll hire someone who’s great with customers.”

“But what about her?—”

“I don’t want her to give up on her dream,” she stated. “Not when she refused to give up on me, even though I really didn’t deserve it.”

“Okay. I get it.” Mark twirled his hand, spraying ice shavings into the air.

She really didn’t deserve Sadie. But every day, she worked hard to be worthy. Maybe that was why the fear of getting locked up for past crimes was so sharp. Her amends might not be enough.

“Ugh, that’s enough feelings.” Joan stood and cracked her knuckles. “I’ve got a little more in me.”

“Sweet.” Mark hopped up. “We haven’t lit it up in forever.”

“Okay.”

They held their palms out and blasted equal streams of fire and ice. Steam rose at the point of contact. One of their favorite tricks to create cover as Ice and Spark.

The connection went on until Joan’s flames began to sputter. “Are you good?” Mark yelled over the hiss and pop.

“I’m good,” Joan yelled back.

They waved out the remaining flames and ice shards. A cloud of thick air hovered just overhead. “I figured we should stop before that got any bigger,” Mark said. “Don’t want to attract attention.”

It was a bit of a gamble doing this in their street clothes. No Supervillain outfits meant no protection, either from their powers or hiding their true identities. “That’s smart,” Joan said. “Otherwise, someone would report it on SuperWatch, and you’d have to text Zee again to tell them?—”

“Oh my god, you’re the worst.”

“Though maybe you want Race to come running down here so you can?—”

“The literal, actual worst.”

Joan cackled and took off in a sprint, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll text my bestie Darlene so we can have a party.”

“I hate you,” Mark shouted.

“Love you too, buddy.”