#have angst

Had honestly been surprised how...easy it was to be welcomed home. Well, to their new home at least. Mandy had always regretted forcing them to move, not reaching out to them, but SDN and the agency they had partnered with advised a complete cut-off.

No contact. It would be easier that way, make it sound urgent and believable.

Nevertheless, those two word haunted her, despite knowing it had to be done. Knew she had made the best decision at the time. Villains were not above going after blood relatives. The nastiest sort would even take glee in rooting out secret connections and utilizing.

Abruptly leaving with only men in black and flashing official enough looking badges to explain the situation was a tad extreme, but she wanted them far away from her new identity. As divorced from Mandy's new reality as possible.

She didn't even ask information on to 'where' they were being relocated to. Now, without her amulet had asked SDN to do her one more favor, give her the file on her family.

"Last one" their dad assured, meanwhile Mandy doubted that because his wife was frowning at the screen of her own phone, so any minute now Mary-Ann would pipe up and say she'd want to 'retake' a few of her own photos.

Before the flash, Mandy's hand on Sig's shoulder was forced to drop as the teenager pulled away.

"Okay, had enough, I'm going back in. Too damn cold out here"

"Ah come on, Sigmund!"

Mandy saw the boy bristle. "No. I'm out. Photoshop me in if you want."

Before anyone could protest, the younger twin had taken the steps two at a time and closed the front door.

-

Mandy gingerly closed the garage door, as if gently putting the barrier back up was going to make a dent in the noise rattling the insulated walls.

Maddox had wanted to share a new piece he was working on, having to interject drumlines with 'This is when the guitar is gonna come in...gotta work on this rhythm, but it's gonna be great!' and various other bits of music crafting Mandy didn't know a lick about but was impressed by.

After helping Maddox record and upload his new 'set' to his phone's social media accounts, Mandy excused herself since it seemed he was raring to practice some more. He was talented, but all of that was starting to give her a headache.

However, closing the door brought her into the heart of the kitchen, three sets of eyes on her, air weighted with an abrupt halt of a conversation.

Mandy knew that look, the subtle shift of gaze from one to another, wringing hands and awkward pressing of lips that clearly weren't done talking.

Had just walked in on her parents and Sig talking, probably about her.

"Oh...kay, I probably shouldn't ask, but what's going on? What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing, well nothing you won't be able to walk away from."

"Sig!" the scandalized tone coming from her mother. Mandy had to admit that did sting.

Unable to help herself, Mandy rested a hand on her right hip, "Well, since I'm leaving tomorrow, might be better to talk about it now. I don't know when I'll see you guys again..."

"That's just the thing" Sig didn't give her time to go into her own spiel, seemingly having enough of this homecoming.

"Don't interrupt her..." her dad began, clearly trying to turn the tone of this confrontation into a civil discussion.

"Why not? She interrupted us! I don't remember the move, but I remember how you and Mom were! Mom had to quit her job, you had to take us across the country...and for...what? So she can fly around in tights and a mask?!"

Animated hands, gestures Mandy had seen in replays of her interviews, the ones that had made her nervous enough to break the bubbly yet competent exterior.

The teenager reeled back, clearing his throat as his voice had cracked a little in his haste and anger.

"You left us" it's an accusation.

"I know" Mandy had to force herself to fix her face into a neutral expression, blink away the start of tears.

"We don't even know if you're...really her. I want proof...something" Sig continued.

"You don't remember who I was back then, Sig" Mandy said as gently as possible.

"...how could I forget? Mom and Dad would talk about you. Dad..."he looked a bit pained to say it, but probably know it was too far gone, "Nearly got into trouble with the law multiple times because he...would go off the deep end sometimes. Conspiracy theories and thinking the government had kidnapped you!"

Mandy blinked, looking to her father who hung his head briefly in shame.

"Sigmund, please don't bring that up" Mom attempted to ease him back from a verbal ledge.

"Mom wasted our savings to hire a P.I to find you" apparently there was enough dirt to be flung around.

"It wasn't a waste..."

"We only saw her again because she can't fly, punch brick walls and whatever ELSE she could do! She came to us..." at this point his gaze was on her, steel gray like their mother's.

"Because she wants us to take her back."

Mandy watched Sig's bottom lip tremble, doubt clouding his eyes, clearly unsure if he wanted to go on or slip away to his room upstairs.

"You never left. Max and I didn't know you, but Mom and Dad made sure we never forgot about you. We still talked about you. Wondered where you were, how to get you...it was...a constant state of mourning, without a body, without someone to actually miss."

Now Mandy could see a near mirror-like shine of tears forming in his eyes, jawline tightened while Sig's face held onto some softness of baby fat, it was clear he was trying so hard to be the voice of reason in a family in the throes of sentimentality.

"And? If you do...get your powers back? Aren't you going to ghost us again? Linger around like you always have?"