Pip walked out of the bedroom freshly showered to find Vivainne phasing through the closed front door.

She frowned as the girl froze, her eyes wide. Why is she acting like she just got caught doing something bad?

"You're up early," Pip commented. It wouldn't have been so odd, if they had morning training, but with parents' weekend starting, they wouldn't have any classes until Monday.

"Just, uh, going for a walk," Vivainne said, smoothing out the front of her shirt. Pip squinted at the clothes; were they the same ones she'd been wearing last night? "What are you doing?"

"Trying to prepare for parents' weekend," Pip said, then winced. Maybe she shouldn't have brought it up to Vivainne. Did the girl even have someone to come and check on her? "Is someone coming for you?"

Vivainne shrugged, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Charles said he'll try, but he's working, so…"

"Yeah," Pip sighed. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering as her wet hair dripped down her back. "Mum isn't coming up here because Dyiona is sick, and I don't think Mom is going to make it."

"Why's that?"

"There's some big crisis out west," Pip said with a shrug. "Calls for someone with geokinesis." It wasn't so strange; Athena was a class above most heroes, and for any earth based crisis, she was the hero to call. Pip knew she'd be here if she could, but saving the world came first. She understood.

It didn't mean it didn't sting, an ache in her chest as she'd cleaned and showered and made sure the apartment looked good just in case, but she understood.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Pip shrugged, then lit up. "But if we're both parentless this weekend, then we can stick together. Keep each other company. Make fun of all the other students with their parents."

Vivainne raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about that."

"Oh, come on," Pip moaned, turning her patented puppy dog eyes on Vivainne. "You've barely spent any time with me recently. Always hanging out with your girlfriend."

Color flooded across Vivainne's cheeks, face going red. "She's not my girlfriend."

"Well," Pip shifted, mouth agape. She'd just assumed they were dating, since they'd been hanging out so much, leaving Pip on her own. She wasn't jealous, she just… missed her. "You're mine today. How about that?"

"Your… girlfriend?" Vivainne squeaked out, not getting any less red.

Pip yelped. She hadn't said that, had she? "No! No. My-my person? My friend. No parents club! Whoo!" She stared at Vivainne, face heating up as she waited for the girl to react. Girlfriend?

Pip hadn't been flirting, had she? She'd been purposefully not flirting.

"Oh, right. Right. Sorry." Vivainne shook her head, unable to meet Pip's eyes. "I'm going to go shower."

"Okay."

"And then breakfast?"

Pip lit up, hopeful once again as Vivainne offered her an awkward smile, cheeks still rosy. She let the girl disappear, fading into shadow and moving into her bedroom to shower and change. Pip puttered around the living room, waiting for her to return.

That word continued to ring through her mind.

Girlfriend.

It was silly. For one, Pip made Florence and Vivainne promise to not let her get a girlfriend and get distracted from the real reason she was here, which was to train. Also, Vivainne was seeing Harper. Or, hanging out with Harper. Either way, she wasn't interested in Pip, and Pip…

Well, Vivainne was her roommate. It was just a bad idea.

Still…

No. Pip shook her head, shaking the thought out and refusing to let it take hold. It was a stupid idea. She'd probably just said something that made Vivainne think she was hitting on her, and she'd apologize later.

Vivainne returned to the living room, hair damp and smelling like lavender, the scent faint and intoxicating all at once. She'd dressed up, far more than Pip had, in a pair of skinny jeans that clung to her legs in an absolutely perfect way, and a button up blouse hanging from her narrow frame.

"So, breakfast?" Vivainne asked.

Pip blinked, tearing her eyes away from Vivainne as her face heated up. No, no, why had Vivainne planted this idea in her mind? "Yes, but first I need to go talk to Florence. I'll be right back!"

Before she could say something stupid, Pip grabbed her shoes and burst out the door before they were even on her feet, leaving Vivainne staring bewildered after her. Hopping on one foot to another to get her shoes on, Pip stumbled her way down the corridor to Florence's room, pounding frantically on the door.

"Go away!" Florence called, muffled, through the door.

"Florence!" Pip shouted, pounding on the door again, the side of her hand smarting. "I need you."

"I need you to go away."

Pip let out a sharp breath, dropping her forehead against the door. She couldn't do this. She'd barely seen Florence these past few weeks and Vivainne was always off with Harper. She'd probably ruined things with Nick.

Why was she so bad with people?

The lock clicked and the door swung inward, barely giving Pip time to catch her balance as Florence stepped into the doorway, sighing. "You're pathetic."

She lurched up, wrapping her arms around the taller boy's neck. "I've missed you."

"And clingy," he said, poking her in the side. "What's this about?"

"I've barely seen you!" Pip shouted, pulling back. "And I need to talk to you before I do something stupid."

"That's my cue to leave," said another voice, and Pip froze. Slowly, she drew her eyes around Florence's side and found herself staring at Damien as the boy climbed into his shirt.

What the hell.

Unable to tear her eyes away, she watched as the boy grabbed the last of his things, exchanged a look with Florence, and squeezed past them in the doorway to retreat down the hallway.

Once he was out of sight, Pip turned her attention back to Florence. "Ew."

He rolled his eyes. "That's homophobic."

"You hooked up with him?" Pip demanded. Vivainne had made it exceedingly clear how she felt about Damien, and while Pip wasn't sure she was right, she was their friend and friends had each other's backs.

"He's not bad," Florence said, shutting the apartment door. "And he's been through a lot."

"So has Vivainne."

"This has nothing to do with her," Florence said. "I just wanted to get to know him, to see if she was right or not, and he's cool."

Pip opened her mouth again and Florence cut her off. "What did you come down here for?"

Pip shut her mouth. She would much rather keep talking about Florence and his bad choices in partners rather than talk about Vivainne. And clearly, he wasn't the best reference when it came to this sort of thing.

"Talk or I'm kicking you out," Florence said, walking back to the kitchen. "Breakfast?"

"I thought you were kicking me out," Pip said, following him. "And Vivainne and I are going to breakfast."

"Were you here to invite me?" He turned to see the look on Pip's face and sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Spill."

A deep sigh escaped her mouth as she leaned back against the counter, arms crossed over her chest. "I was talking to Viv this morning and she said something about girlfriends and now I can't stop thinking about it… Have you ever noticed that she's actually really cute?"

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"No."

"I'm serious."

"And I'm gay," Florence said. "Or did you miss that, just now?"

She stared at him, unimpressed. She tried to bring something serious to him and he just brushed it off.

"Fine," Florence said, rolling his eyes. "Is it possible that you're just lonely and it turns out your roommate is a cute girl so now you're thinking about it?"

"Maybe?" Pip shook her head, as if that could shake free the confused thoughts floating around her mind. Somewhere down the hall, Vivainne was waiting for her, waiting to go out to breakfast. Pip wanted to be back there with her, but suddenly the idea of being with her, near her, was so conflicting. Not because she didn't want to be near her, but because she wanted to be near her too much. "I just… now I can't get it out of my mind."

"Don't do anything about it right now," Florence said. Before Pip could open her mouth to protest, he continued. "Just sit on this feeling for a while. Maybe you're lonely and just want the attention. Maybe, you actually do like her. But if you act on those feelings now, and it's the first option, then you could just be ruining your friendship."

"Gee, thanks."

"So think about it," Florence said, walking up to her and grabbing her shoulders, squeezing them gently. "Let the feeling sit for a while. And if you still are crushing on her in a month, then… see if she feels the same way. Does she feel the same way? I thought she was going out with Harper."

Pip shrugged. "I don't know, she said she wasn't? But they're hanging out all the time."

Florence made a noise in the back of his throat. "Well, Harper seems to think they're going out so… do with that what you will."

Pip winced, suddenly unsure. If Harper thought she was going out with Vivainne, that just made things more complicated.

"Okay," Pip sighed. "I'll just… sit on it, I guess."

"And maybe let Harper and Viv work out… whatever is going on between them," Florence said. "I like you both, but Harper is my friend too, and I don't want to see her hurt."

Pip nodded and picked herself up off the counter, pushing away from it and pulling herself back together. She still needed to have breakfast with Viv. "Thanks."

"Where are you going?" Florence asked.

"To take Vivainne out for breakfast." Florence glared at her and she quickly elaborated. "We'd already planned on it before these… feelings."

"Well, can I come? You interrupted my morning plans."

"Ew, no," Pip said, shaking her head. "This is for the no parents club."

"No parents club? You definitely have parents."

"Yeah, but there's a crisis that Athena has to deal with, and Mum is taking care of my sick siblings," Pip said with a shrug. "So, no parents today. Just Viv and I."

"Boo. Take me with you."

"Nope," Pip said with a grin. "Just me and Viv today. Go find Damien, or something."

Leaving Florence alone in his bedroom, Pip took off, sprinting back down the corridor to find the apartment door still sitting wide open, with Vivainne on the couch, waiting for her.

She rose the moment Pip stepped through the door, brushing a piece of long, black hair behind her ear. Dark circles stood out beneath her eyes, as if she hadn't been sleeping. She had been sleeping, hadn't she?

"What was that about?"

"Nothing," Pip lied. "Just remembered something Florence asked me to remind him about. Ready to go eat?"

"Yeah. Where are we going?"

"No clue," Pip said, unable to stop the alarmingly wide grin from spreading across her face. "Figured we'd just walk until we find something that looks good."

"Sounds like a plan."

They wandered for what felt like hours, ending up at a donut shop where Pip bought far too many donuts before Vivainne insisted on 'real food' for breakfast, whatever that meant. But she didn't have the will to argue with Vivainne, so she followed the girl with her box of donuts until they came across a small cafe, where Viv picked out something far too healthy and full of vegetables for this early, and Pip grabbed a coffee with enough sugar to balance it out for both of them.

"You're going to feel terrible," Vivainne said, side eyeing Pip as they walked back into the apartment building.

"Nah," Pip said, taking a long sip of her chocolate filled coffee. "No food has ever made me feel bad. I've got that Carter constitution."

"I don't think that's an actual thing," Vivainne said.

"Definitely is." The voice wasn't Pip's, and wasn't one she'd expected to hear today, at least not in person. Athena grinned as they came around the turn in the hallway, wearing mundane clothes that did nothing to hide the fact that she was far from ordinary. "When you grow up eating what The Archer can cook, you develop a strong stomach."

"So strong it changes your genetics?" Vivainne asked, a sharp curve to her lips as she stared at Pip's mother.

"I'd say so," Athena said. "And don't argue the science with me, you won't convince me otherwise."

"Mom!" Pip gasped, finally shaking herself out of her shock. "I thought you were dealing with that earthquake?"

"I'm not the only high class hero rated to deal with that problem," Athena said, even as Pip tried to figure out who else could deal with it. "Your grandpa may be retired, but that doesn't mean he's let his skills slip."

"Really?" Pip's eyes went wide. Since Grant had retired as the Earthshaker, he rarely used his powers for anything beyond transportation. Most heroes struggled to ever leave the hero world; it was something built into their DNA, a need to help, a constant drive that left them unable to sit still. The Archer had retired, but Thalia never did, always doing something for the Unity System. Grant wasn't like that though. "I thought he didn't do hero work anymore."

"No, but he'll do his daughter a favor so she can visit his favorite granddaughter?"

"I'm his favorite granddaughter?"

"I really can't say," Athena said. "But you're currently my favorite daughter. Can I have one of those donuts?"

Pip rolled her eyes even as she popped the donut box open, letting her mother take her pick of the dozen donuts she'd chosen. She led the way back to the apartment, letting everyone inside and depositing the donuts on the countertop.

"I should leave you two to catch up," Vivainne said, already retreating toward the bedroom.

"Wait, no," Pip said, reaching out after her. She'd made a promise to keep her company today, and even if it had been made on the belief that her parents wouldn't be coming today, she wouldn't just abandon Vivainne. "You can still hang out with us. Mom doesn't mind."

"Why would I mind?" Athena asked with a shrug before reaching out for another donut. "Also, where's Charles?"

"Busy," Vivainne said. "Not sure he'll be able to make it up here."

"Well, in that case, I'll fill in for now," Athena said, flashing a grin at Vivainne. "The point of parents' weekend is to show off and get embarrassed in equal measure. You hardly get to get off clean."

A smile ghosted across Vivainne's face, color crossing her pale cheeks. "Thank you."

"Now, why don't you show me what my sister has been teaching you?" Athena asked, clapping her hands together, an eager smile on her face. Matching it, Pip finished off the last of her coffee and raced back to the door, all too ready to show her mother what she'd learned.

On campus beneath the city, Pip and Vivainne took turns showing off with their powers and the new skills they'd learned. It hadn't been long, but Athena nodded as Pip showed off her power and shared what she'd been working on, under Canvas's tutelage. She said nothing about her handicaps, about the areas where she was weak, because she'd never been trained in them growing up, but it sat on her shoulders like a weight.

Why hadn't anyone trained that side of Pip's power, until now?

At Athena's urging, Vivainne stepped into the middle of the quiet room, slowly bringing her power to life. They hadn't talked much about what Vivainne had been learning regarding her power, so Pip watched as Vivainne pulled shadows free and began working them around her. The shadows were weak, but Vivainne had only been training for a few weeks, and had a shattered core on top of that, so it wasn't bad.

Athena nodded, humming quietly to herself. "Have you fought her?" she asked, leaning toward Pip as she whispered.

"Not yet," Pip said. "She doesn't have much combat experience."

"You could always just spar with your powers," Athena said with a shrug. "I was just curious as to what you thought about her."

"She's…" Pip's face heated up as she searched for something to say that didn't sound childish, something focused on the training program. "She's going to be a good hero."

Athena nodded, then clapped a hand on Pip's shoulder. "Let me know when you finally do spar. I'd love to come and see it."

"Why did you only train us in combat?" Pip asked. The question boiled out before she could stop it, a burning need to know fighting against a desire to just sit here and listen to her mother like she always had, the utmost authority on anything in the hero world. At least, that's what she'd always been, before entering the program.

"Because it's what we're good at," Athena said, eyebrows creasing together as she looked down at Pip, attention fully captivated. "It's what you're good at. We're fighters."

Pip bit down hard on her lip, trying to stop herself before she said something stupid. Athena was right, she was a fighter. She loved combat. She loved her weapons. She was good at it. But she also wasn't suited to it, not the way Athena was, or her brothers.

"But I should be more, Mom," Pip said, her voice low and strained as she picked the words carefully. "All I know is how to fight, and I'm falling behind because as good as I am, someone is going to be better or stronger or have more of a reach than me."

"You'll make up for it with your mind," Athena said. "You always have."

"I shouldn't have to! I—" She cut herself off, choking back the words. She dug her knuckles into her temple, trying to quiet the growing pain there. "I'm deficient. There's this whole side of my power I never trained before coming here, and I would be so much better if I had. I'd be at the top of my class, proving exactly why I'm here, but instead I'm just… okay."

"I don't understand. You're doing well. Artemis has said as much."

"But I should be doing better," Pip said. It was something her mother didn't understand. Athena had always been the best, the strongest, and Pip wanted to be like her. But she couldn't. "You should have trained me better."

The moment the words left her lips, she regretted them. It wasn't fair. Her mother had trained her, trained all her siblings, as best as she knew how while also being an active hero and leader. But she couldn't help but feel that she'd missed out, that she was behind, when everyone else with her pedigree seemed to be ahead.

Athena's lips pressed tight, eyes locked on Pip. Unable to take it any longer, Pip ducked her head, looking away. She shouldn't have said anything.

Her mother drew in a long breath and the tension left her face. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Pip. Maybe you're right. I'm sorry."

Pip's gut twisted as she heard the words. She'd thought she wanted an explanation but now that she heard an apology, it felt awful. She shouldn't have said anything. Athena had taught her so much, skills she used every day in training and would use as a hero. It wasn't her fault that Pip wasn't a good Carter.

"I'm sorry," Pip choked out, throat so tight she could barely get the words out. "You, I mean, I just… I want to do the Carter name proud."

She lifted her head to find her mother staring at her with a tender look on her face. Athena placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. It quieted the frantic beating of Pip's heart as she leaned into her mother's familiar touch. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart."

Pip managed a smile even as her stomach twisted, knotting in on itself at the non-reassurance. Did even her mother not believe she'd be a good Carter hero?

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