Superhero Complex

Summary: Alex has to tell her family she's keeping the powers. Meanwhile, as her family deals with life after the explosion, Annie decides to share her version of the day's events.

A/N: I can't believe I actually wrote another Alex Mack story, and it's all because of a recent article I randomly found online. Co-creator Thomas Lynch and Larissa Oleynik - with input from Darris Love - give their take on what happened to Alex after the finale. (Among other cool behind-the-scenes facts. The Huffington Post article link is on my profile page.) Lynch outright said that Alex never took the antidote. I imagined how that would go...and wasn't satisfied with the expected route, where Alex probably wouldn't tell her parents or even her sister about her decision. So I wanted to write a scenario where she did.

Almost two months/eighteen pages later, and after binge-watching downloaded episodes, I finally finished. This turned out to be much longer than expected but I think it was worth it. Enjoy!

Edit: For some reason there were a bunch of missing words and odd symbols when I first uploaded the chapter. I tried to fix all the glitches.

In Alex's mind, the plant explosion had been a Life Changing Event. Everything before it was now her old self - a totally separate existence compared to everything after it. She'd experienced one Life Changing Event before, so it comforted her a little to realize that if she'd survived the accident, not to mention the explosion itself, she could survive the aftermath too. Annie told her this way of thinking was called a coping mechanism and encouraged her to continue using it.

Even with the progress she'd made, Alex still felt very overwhelmed. Two weeks had passed, but it still amazed Alex that only fifteen days ago she'd been lying on the grass with Ray and thinking about chemistry notes. Now...she didn't have to worry about tests until she felt ready to take them. That's what all her teachers said the day she returned, that they would make allowances for her until the year ended. She could basically do as she pleased for as long as she wanted. Depending on how they saw her, she was either the hero who brought down Paradise Valley Chemical, or the poor ccident kidwho had been through a traumatizing ordeal. The "hero" comments were starting to bother her - Ray and Hunter were the ones who really deserved praise.

Then again...unlike her classmates, at least the teachers didn't ask her a ton of personal, borderline judgmental questions. (Actually some did, but they were more tactful.) No one really knew how GC-161 had affected her, so they all speculated. They all wanted to know. Every minute of her school day was spent defending herself to people who thought they had her all figured out. The worst were the students whose parents lost their jobs because of the explosion. She didn't shut down the plant or cause the explosion, but she was the only participant there who could take the blame. A few times she'd just lost it and argued that both she and her family had been victims too.

Unfortunately her little outbursts were what caused the rumors. Well, half of them. The other half were caused by Louis' big mouth. At first he apologized repeatedly for causing Alex's capture and begged for forgiveness. But...he loved the attention. Since he was part of Alex's circle of friends, everyone asked him for gossip too. Louis couldn't turn down the temporary popularity. While he didn't describe Alex's powers in detail, he often confirmed or denied classmates' theories.

Robyn turned out to be a loyal friend. While filled with endless pessimistic theories of how Alex could be affected by GC-161 in the long term, she also kept her mouth shut and forgave her friend for keeping a huge secret. Sure, Robyn was extremely disappointed that she hadn't been included like Ray and Hunter. But she soon realized that the last thing her friend needed was more grief. That said, Alex apologized, and even let Robyn in on the secret that she still had her powers.

Alex had only been back in school for about a week, but already couldn't imagine sticking it out for more than that. At this point she'd even consider homeschooling. But her parents and Annie kept assuring her that once the media stopped taking an interest in the story, so would her classmates. Alex thought that was unlikely in such a small town. She would be a celebrity for years...which made the idea of an away college much more attractive.

To get through the day, Alex wound up concentrating on her studies. She'd tried other distractions - like music or television - but her thoughts still wandered. Finally she resorted to homework. Now she spent an hour on assignments that previously took her twenty minutes. The new study habits felt...right, even a little satisfying. She wouldn't overdo it though - her life was changing, but she wasn't a nerd.

Her friends went along with her new outlook and often agreed to study sessions. She really appreciated this. Between the work and the company, she could actually have a few hours of peace.

At the moment it was Ray's turn. The two were seated next to each other at the Mack's kitchen table, Alex's algebra notebook between them. "Okay," she began. "I finished the other examples, but what about this one? Are there supposed to be more letters than numbers?!"

"Yeah, I don't get that either," Ray agreed, laughing. "But see, here's what you do..."

They were interrupted when Barbara Mack entered the kitchen with a few bags of groceries. Alex hesitated slightly. They hadn't spoken much since the explosion - her mother felt hurt and angry that she'd been left in the dark for years. But Alex had to say something. "Hey, Mom."

"Hey, Mrs. Mack," Ray added.

She offered the teens a weak smile. "Hey, glad to see you two studying. I was worried Alex would fall behind in school with all the...excitement we've had lately. "

"Yeah, that's Alex these days," Ray said, eager to make his friend look good. "Always studying. She's not even that fun anymore really..."

Alex smiled at his teasing. "Well, you still hang out with me. I must not be too boring." She then noticed her mother start to unpack the groceries. "Need help with those?"

Barbara hesitated, probably thinking of her daughter's other recent attempts at chores. There'd been a vacuum moving on its own, the dinner table clearing itself, laundry flying into the dryer...the list went on now that Alex didn't have to hide her abilities anymore. At first Alex didn't want to give away that she hadn't taken the antidote, so she didn't use her powers at all. Then her father mentioned it would take a while to kick in. This meant she had a cover story until she was ready to tell them about the antidote. "Um...no thanks, honey," Barbara replied gently. "You stay where you are, your homework is more important..."

Upset Alex went over to the nearest grocery bag anyway. At her mother's apprehensive expression, she pointedly took out milk and orange juice by hand. "See? No powers."

Barbara sighed. "Thank you. I realize you've been...dependent on these side effects for a long time, and used them whenever you wanted. But you have to learn to live without them because your father said the antidote will start working soon..."

"Um, Alex?

They both glanced at Ray, who stood up from his chair and gathered his books...like was about to leave. "Something wrong, Ray?" Alex asked.

"I just remembered I have to go home. Walk me out?"

"Sure..."

"Bye Mrs. Mack."

"Bye, Raymond..." When the teens left the kitchen, there was suspicion in Barbara's eyes...as if she wondered what secrets they were hiding from her. While George took the GC-161 revelation in stride and focused more on the chemical's effects, she couldn't get past the betrayal. She was feeling useless and shut out...as if both her daughters were already gone, even though one still lived at home

Alex hated herself for causing that. By not asking for their help after the accident, Alex now understood it looked like she didn't respect them...which couldn't be further from the truth. About to glow from the guilt, she rushed into the living room and waited for Ray.

Expecting him to stop next to her, she was surprised when he continued to the entryway. She followed him out to the porch and closed the door behind her. "Ray, what's going on?" she asked, mystified by his abrupt change in attitude.

Her question seemed to annoy him. "You didn't tell your parents about not taking the antidote," he replied calmly. "You said you were going to, Al."

"Oh." The additional embarrassment finally made her glow. When the side effect went away, she explained, "I swear I'm telling them tonight. Honest. I just needed to clear my head because the last couple weeks have been so crazy..."

"But you told me your dad gave you the antidote the night of the explosion," Ray interrupted. "And that the day after, you knew you weren't going to take it. What gives?"

Alex sighed, wishing he would give her a little bit of a break on this. GC-161 had been a huge part of her life for years. Anyone in her situation would have trouble downing the antidote, especially when she had so much to lose. Although, she suspected he was only acting this way because of the secrecy. He didn't want her to fall back into the old habit of pushing her family away. She could also sense that, though she shouldn't lie to her parents, he was more concerned that she'd left Annie out too.

She still couldn't believe that she'd managed to keep a secret from Annie. But she'd wanted to make this decision completely on her own, and she knew that her well-meaning sister could be very persuasive. Alex wouldn't have been able to sort through her thoughts with Annie adding hers. The additional secrecy was a challenge though since her sister put off going back to MIT to be with her family.

Then she finally told Ray, Hunter and Robyn a few days ago. While the alone time had been necessary, she still wanted their opinion. By then she was mostly confident in her decision and hoped they would agree - which they did. After some prodding though, they also confessed to fears of possible long-term effects. She understood, but Alex thought that after more than three years, she would've already experienced any potential negative impact on her health. Plus her immune system had actually improved over time.

Ray frowned, noticing his best friend's anxiety. "Are you okay, Al?"

"Yeah...now I am, at least," she said. "There's been a lot for me to handle. Keeping it to myself was the only way I could work though it."

More sympathetic now, Ray nodded."Yeah, I get that." He then grinned. "Taking down a corrupt chemical plant can be pretty stressful."

"I know you're joking, but...I didn't really do anything," Alex replied. "The most I did was get captured. You busted me out and Hunter stopped Danielle. And the FDA wouldn't have stormed the place if Dave hadn't taken pictures of the plant kidnapping us." They''d discovered that last detail in the news, since her family kept a close eye on the paper for missing pieces of the story. "I'm so happy they stopped GC-161 sales in time. I mean, can you imagine? GC-161...for sale..."

They'd been shocked to learn that Danielle never developed GC-161 into a consumable product. Sure, they knew it wasn't a weight loss aid, but they'd hoped the CEO wouldn't have the nerve to sell a chemical with Alex's side effects. Then the Macks had been horrified to discover the truth in another newspaper article: "Ms. Atron confessed to the FDA that her company neglected to fix some unusual glitches found early on in the development process." FDA officials were further investigating GC-161 to build a case against the plant.

This was also why Alex was getting so much attention. Many plant employees were spilling their guts about the explosion to avoid jail time. Then they went on to talk to the media in an attempt to gain public sympathy, claiming that they only followed orders from evil-mastermind Danielle. Their testimonies included in-depth descriptions of how Ms. Atron had ordered them to detain the Mack family. As a result, newspapers were constantly calling her for confirmation, asking for her opinion on every new story development. Her media nickname was now officially "The Accident Kid."

"Crazy stuff," Ray agreed. "And Alex, you did save my life. Maybe it didn't lead to the plant's downfall, but it still counts in my book."

Alex smiled. "Thanks, but you only needed saving because you saved me." She paused, distracted by the idea of GC-161 sold as a diet aid. "Ray...if they had gotten to sell GC-161...would you have bought some? I wouldn't blame you if you did after watching me use my powers all these years."

Surprisingly, Ray didn't need long to answer. "No way, the powers are your thing. Half the fun was trying to figure them out with you."

"Same here. But...you'd really turn down telekinesis? Or morphing?!"

Ray shrugged. "They'd be great for a while, but...you got your powers because you were meant to have them. They're part of who you are. If I got the same ones...I don't know, it'd feel like I was just copying you." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Al. I swear, I do not envy you for stepping into the path of that truck. I'm just glad I was there for everything else."

"You're the best, Ray." Alex hugged him, grateful for his friendship and amazed by his loyalty. As they broke apart she added, "I don't think I say that enough either. I wouldn't have gotten through the last three years without you."

"You know it," Ray teased, though he was definitely flattered by the compliment. "Make sure you tell them tonight, okay?"

"I will. Promise."

Meanwhile, Barbara tried not to stare at the front door as she finished unpacking groceries, wondering if Alex and Ray were talking about another secret related to GC-161. Not being able to trust her daughters anymore...it literally made her sick to her stomach. They were both great kids, and she knew they never meant any harm. But...how could she ever believe a word they said? This wasn't a one-time offense like crashing the car or failing a test. It'd been an ongoing deception, one that must have required constant lying to maintain. If the girls' conscience never forced them to confess, then...what would stop them from doing it again?

She made herself to turn away from the front door when George walked in from the garage. "Hi," she said as he kissed her cheek. "How did the meeting go?" He'd been talking with Sedgewick Chemical about heading their research and development team.

George smiled wide, erasing any chance of keeping her in suspense. "It couldn't have gone better. I start working in their lab next Monday."

"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "About time! You've had interviews with them every day this week!"

"Well you have to remember, there are now dozens of equally-qualified candidates looking for work," he replied as they sat down at the kitchen table. "Sedgewick business is booming with less competition, so they're hiring as many former Paradise Valley Chemical employees as they can. That can be tough to coordinate. It's such a big project, they might even expand the building to make room for us."

Barbara sighed with relief, glad to hear that her husband's career troubles were over...not that he ever had to worry. He probably could have transferred to Sedgewick whenever he wanted but for some inexplicable reason chose to stay at PVCP. "Congratulations, honey. I am so relieved you're not working for Paradise Valley Chemical anymore."

"You mean that I'm not working for Danielle anymore," George replied.

"That too," Barbara confessed. "You know, I always thought she would eventually drive you to quit. And I wouldn't have minded if you did. We knew how awful she was even before she...before she almost..." Barbara paused, furious at just the thought of her daughter's enemy.

Seeing that his wife was near tears, George took her hand in his. "It is surreal, isn't it? Less than a month ago I was working for Danielle with no idea that she had plans to blow up her own company. I've always had suspicions of illegal practices, but it never seemed enough to leave. If anything it made me want to stay and fight. Given time, I probably would have started to build a case against her myself."

"Why didn't you take action sooner?" Barbara asked. "If you wanted to take Danielle to court, I would have supported you."

George shook his head. "You saw what she did to those who got in her way. Making any sort of move would have put you and the kids in danger. There would've needed to be a lot of evidence..."

"You mean like...Alex?"

Both parents looked up at their oldest daughter, startled by her abrupt entrance. "Oh...well...yes," George confessed. "GC-161 would never have been turned into a diet aid if I'd known about Alex. However..." His eyes widened suddenly. "...if Danielle realized the chemical's full potential...my God, that's a little frightening to think about."

Annie saw an opportunity to plead her case and sat down across from them. Over Alex's protests, she had taken responsibility for deciding to keep the powers a secret. Her parents had been desperate for an explanation ever since. "That's exactly what I was thinking the day of the accident," she said. "If you told Danielle about Alex...we probably would have never seen her again. Not because of anything you did, but because...she was pure evil! She would've had plant security kidnap Alex the next day."

The terrifying image caused her parents to be speechless for a long moment. Barbara ran a shaky hand through her hair, both insulted and concerned that her daughter held this fear for so long. How could she possibly believe they would allow something so horrible to happen to Alex? "That's the reason you hid this from us," she whispered. "You...you...didn't think we could handle it. You thought we wouldn't stand up for you and that we'd hand Alex over to the plant. Annie...you were fourteen! What did we ever do to make you doubt us so much?!"

Lowering her eyes in shame, Annie couldn't even look in her mother's direction. "No, it's wasn't that at all, really. Since Alex didn't need medical attention, it just seemed safer to wait and see how this played out before we went to the authorities... "

"The authorities I can understand. But what about us?!" There was hurt in George's voice. He wasn't angry, just...disappointed. "I realize that you've always had a lot of confidence in your ability to deal with any situation. Which isn't a bad thing. But Annie...you thought you two were better off without us. That we wouldn't be able to protect Alex no matter what we were up against." He looked at Annie with a dejected expression that broke her heart. "You had to, if you still feel that way now."

Tears in her eyes, distressed Annie couldn't even defend herself at this point. For the first time ever, she had really let her parents down. "Please...Dad, Mom...please forgive me. I was in way over my head, and too young to see it. Alex was depending on me...the plant was just so...unstoppable..." Annie put her head in her hands as she finally started to cry. "I'm so sorry. It's true, okay? I was scared that Dad would tell Danielle, because he'd want to cure Alex. But even at that age, I knew that if the plant ever found out..."

"They would do exactly what they did," George said, beginning to understand. "Oh, Annie. Everything that happened to us...it must have been exactly what you feared all along."

"Yes," she whispered. "Dad...hearing about the plant on the news...it was my worst nightmare come to life. I should never have gone away to school. Alex wouldn't have been caught if I had been there to watch out for her and remind her to be careful with her powers..."

Sighing, Barbara went over and hugged her sobbing daughter. She couldn't be too angry when her children had suffered so much over the years. "Don't you ever think that, Annie. You girls couldn't have kept this secret forever."

"Yeah, but we should've told you before you all ended up as...as Danielle's prisoners..." Annie had barely been able to finish that sentence, upset even more by just the thought of her family in life-threatening danger. "I'm so, so sorry. I know you'll never be able to trust me again, but..."

"I think we will," George said. "After you've proven yourself. Same with Alex. This was a very unusual set of circumstances that would have frightened anyone, including us. You...like your mother said, you were fourteen, and Alex was twelve. While I still feel that you should have asked us for help...it didn't happen that way, so your mother and I will have to make our peace with that. Right, Barbara?"

As she sat at the table with Annie in her arms, Barbara saw the truth in her husband's words. Maybe she had missed the chance to protect her daughters back then, but they would need her in the future. Annie and Alex probably even needed her now, at a time when everyone's emotions were still a jumbled mess. While she couldn't trust her daughters yet...she could forgive them. "Right. And we will." She then gave Annie a reassuring smile. "Just promise me you'll never lie to us like that ever again."

Annie nodded in agreement as she wiped away tears.

After overhearing most of her family's conversation, Alex continued up the stairs to her room. She shouldn't have let Annie take the fall for this. Okay, yes, Annie had intimidated her that fateful day and convinced her not to say anything. But Alex wasn't that scared kid anymore. At some point she should've had more questions about lying to their parents. Instead...she let it go on, acting like nothing was ever going to change. Like they were never going to be caught.

However...she was also thankful that she didn't have to defend herself to her parents just yet. While they were upset with her too, she had bigger issues to tackle before she followed up Annie's apology with another one of her own. In particular, she had one very big issue that would no doubt cause another round of anguish.

Actually, if she looked at it that way...she didn't feel too bad about leaving Annie to face their parents alone. It would be Alex's turn when she told them about refusing the antidote.

Annie's eyes still weren't dry yet as she left the kitchen. This was the first time she'd lost her composure since returning home. Before, she'd tried to be strong for her family so they could rely on her in their time of need. And why shouldn't she? They were the ones who'd been tossed in a cell at the plant while she'd been safe at college.

Well...she hadn't been completely safe...

Unaware that her sister was trapped in the chemical plant at that very moment, Annie sat in a car with four of her girlfriends. They were on their way to her friend's sister's apartment in Manhattan, anticipating a fun weekend filled with museums and intriguing science lectures. Normally taking off for an unplanned trip was totally outside her comfort zone, but the lure of New York City had been too much to resist. She didn't even care about the four hours it would take to get there since they could stay until Monday night. Her friends had been inspired to make the trip when their professor unexpectedly canceled class for that day.

Annie was a little nervous about going away with friends she had only known since the start of the school year. But to her, college was a different way of life, and the close friends she'd made felt like her new family. They all shared at least one class, and their rooms were on the same floor. She trusted them. They wouldn't leave her stranded.

The radio was tuned to science news since none of them could agree on music. Annie's deep concentration almost caused her to miss the news that would shatter her world. But once 'Paradise Valley, California' was mentioned, her head popped up immediately. They were talking about the FDA, the plant, and Danielle Atron. "No way..." she whispered in disbelief.

Her friends had been chatting excitedly about the weekend, but instantly quieted and looked to her for an explanation. "What's wrong?" Gwen asked. The genius redhead was driving, glancing at spooked Annie in the rearview mirror.

"Turn up the radio. Please," Annie demanded. She leaned forward, as if she would reach between the seats for the volume dial if her friend didn't comply. "Turn it up now."

"After approving the 'miracle' weight-loss aid Formula 161, the FDA is already having second thoughts. FDA Inspector Gino Lawless has launched a full investigation, halting all distribution of Formula 161 products and sending a security team to its manufacturer, Paradise Valley Chemical."

"Thank goodness!" Annie sighed, unable to help herself. In response to her friends' raised eyebrows, she said, "You remember that Paradise Valley is my hometown, right? Well, my dad worked at the plant until he was fired yesterday." Her mother had called right before Annie left for her trip earlier that day. Annie offered to go home, but her mother insisted that buying a plane ticket would be a waste of money. The semester would be over soon enough.

Part of the reason Annie went on this trip was to distract herself. Between that and the FDA approving GC-161, she was a nervous wreck. At least now she wouldn't have to worry about Danielle contaminating the public with a dangerous chemical.

"Rumors are circulating that Paradise Valley Chemical CEO Danielle Atron fabricated testing results and manipulated committee members in order to rig the vote..."

"'Rumors'?! Of course she did it!" Annie commented angrily. She leaned back on the seat, closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. At her friends' startled expressions, she explained, "Danielle was my father's boss. This...this is so crazy for me. I'm sorry but I feel like I'm missing everything..."

Gwen frowned sympathetically. "You want us to take you to the airport?"

"Thank you, but...I need to go back to campus first." She had to get her credit card for the plane ticket, which would cost her a fortune since she was buying it at the last minute. Though she'd considered bringing it with her and hesitated to leave it in her room, she purposely brought her debit card instead to avoid splurging while in the city. Staying within her budget had been a surprising challenge.

A couple hours later, she let herself into her room, moving quickly because her friends were waiting outside to drive her to the airport.

"Thank God you're here."

Annie looked up to see her roommate Paige in the doorway. Annie and Paige a confident, outgoing, extremely intelligent physics major became best friends soon after meeting. (She would've gone on the trip too but didn't take the same course as her friends, and so would need to be on campus for her class on Monday.) They were opposites socially, but they had multiple classes together and held almost identical scientific beliefs. Though her new roommate was another blonde, Paige was almost the polar opposite of Alex. Annie had to admit that she both loved the breath of fresh air...and found herself getting homesick more than she anticipated.

Sitting on her bed, Paige slowly took in her roommate's distraught appearance and was curious to find out what caused it. "Your sister called," she explained. "She sounded really stressed and wanted you to go home right away. She said it was an emergency."

Annie's eyes widened, her heart beating faster as she jumped to conclusions about what that emergency could be. Had the plant discovered Alex's secret? Did she have something to do with the FDA's sudden investigation? "What kind of emergency?"

"She didn't go into detail, but someone else was looking for you too. This guy knocked on the door a few hours ago and said he had some news about your family..."

Guessing that it connected to the plant, Annie nervously cleared her throat. "Who was he?"

"I don't know...honestly, it was really weird."

"How so?"

"He was...cold, serious. I told him I could give you a message, but he insisted he had to see you in person. He asked when you'd be back, and I said I didn't know. The whole thing freaked me out a little so I closed the door in his paused, trying to think of possible explanations. "Are you alright, Annie? What's going on?"

Annie shook her head, almost too panicked to speak. The strange visitor couldn't be a coincidence. "Paige, I'm sorry but...I really need to get to the airport. I'll call you from home."

Two weeks later, she still wasn't sure exactly who the man was. Instincts told her he was one of Danielle's security goons, but even the powerful CEO couldn't have sent him across the country in only a few hours. Annie reasoned that influential business woman Danielle had contacts on the east coast who would do her bidding.

Though it was never far from her thoughts, Annie didn't tell her parents or Alex what happened that day. How could she burden them, when they went through much more? Annie hadn't even been that scared for her own safety. She'd been more scared for her family.

"Annie? Are you okay?"

Lost in thought, Annie realized she'd gone upstairs, went into her room and sat on her bed...all without even acknowledging her sister's presence. "Oh, sorry Alex. I was just talking with Mom and Dad, so..."

"Yeah, I heard." From her bed, Alex closed the door with her telekinesis, then turned to her sister. "What's up with you, Ann? Ever since you got back from MIT you've been a little out of it. Don't get me wrong, all of us are still recovering from what happened, but you...were you having problems at school or something?"

Annie shook her head. "No, school's fine. It's...just, you have enough going on..."

"Please, Annie." Alex was giving Annie her full attention then, concern all over her face. "Maybe you weren't there the day of the explosion, but you're just as much a part of this as everyone else. Actually that's an understatement when you helped me more than anyone."

Relieved, Annie nodded, glad she could finally share her story. "Okay. Um, you see, there's something I didn't tell you or Mom and Dad about the day of the explosion..."

"I've been wondering about that," Alex interrupted. "I tried to call your room when everything started to fall apart, but your roommate said you were away for the weekend.. How did you get the message?"

"My friends and I were listening to the radio. When news broke about the plant, I figured you were involved." Annie grinned, while Alex shrugged in agreement. "So I went back to my room and got your message then. As it turned out...I was very lucky that I missed your call." She then went on to explain about asking her friends drive her back to campus, racing to her dorm, and learning from her roommate that a "mysterious stranger" had been looking for her.

Alex stared at her wide-eyed, amazed that Annie had kept this to herself. "You didn't think that was important enough to tell me?!" she exclaimed. "Annie, if Danielle was going to leave us in a building set to explode...I wouldn't put her above hiring someone to..."

"I know," Annie admitted with a shudder. "If I had been there, who knows if I would be alive today..."

"Exactly!" Alex sat next to her sister and put an arm around her shoulders. "Do you realize how huge this is? We have to tell the FDA so they can increase the charges against Danielle."

"But there's no proof he was connected to the plant...or that he even existed..."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "With everything that happened, I think the FDA would believe you. Especially since you have a witness. They're building evidence like crazy to make sure Danielle doesn't stand a chance in court." She paused, purposely avoiding eye contact. "Besides, you telling Mom and Dad will distract them from my news..."

"You didn't take the antidote."

Surprised Alex only stared at her in response.

"Come on, Alex," Annie said with a laugh. "Did you really think you could hide that from me? There's been absolutely no change in your powers since the explosion. If you took an antidote, they would've at least started to weaken by now."

Alex cringed, embarrassed that Annie had been able to catch on so easily. "Do you think Dad noticed?"

"He's probably suspicions, but he doesn't know how strong your powers were to begin with." Annie had been a little hurt to realize that Alex was keeping secrets. While at first she'd wanted to confront her sister about it, she reluctantly decided that Alex needed to work this out for herself. "Why are you doing this? You better have a very good reason..."

"Annie, please," Alex begged. "I was planning to tell you, Mom and Dad later. Can you wait until then? I've thought about this a lot, so you won't be able to change my mind."

Frustrated, Annie shrugged. "Fine. If you can convince Mom and Dad that keeping the powers is a good idea...I guess I'll have to accept it too. Good luck, Alex."

Alex waited until dinner was over, and the table cleared, before she requested a family meeting. Her parents were tightly wound after finding out about her powers, shaken to discover that their daughters had been lying to them for years. Springing another secret on them would have to be done quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid, so they didn't have time to think about how angry they still were about the whole situation.

"Now...you don't have anymore secrets, right Alex?" Barbara asked uneasily, sitting next to her husband on the living room couch. "I'm sorry but I'm just not up for another big shock. Next time I go to the doctor I'm sure my blood pressure will be through the roof."

Feeling guilty, Alex stared down at the carpet because she was unable to make eye contact with her mother...or her sister. Annie sat on the other side of her father, not saying a word, no emotion on her face whatsoever. But Alex knew that the casual attitude was just for show. There was no doubt in Alex's mind that Annie wouldn't help her one bit.

Clearing her throat, Alex forced herself to look up again. Even her father was worried about what she could be hiding from them. "Alex...what's going on? Is this about GC-161?" He seemed concerned for her physical well-being, as if she might pass out at any moment. "There's a problem with the antidote, isn't there? From what I've seen your side effects haven't even started to fade yet. Did it make you sick? It's possible if the two aren't reacting properly..."

"No, Dad, please, the antidote didn't make me sick." Alex had to avoid her sister's outright glare. She had to tell them now, or Annie would probably tell them for her. "Actually, it...it didn't do anything. Because I never took it."

At first, her parents didn't register what she'd said. "You...you didn't take the antidote?! But why..." Bewildered and slightly angered by her daughter's words, Barbara had to let out a deep breath before she could speak again. "Alex, you were covered from head to toe in a dangerous chemical..."

"But it wasn't dangerous for me!" Alex protested. "I haven't had more than a cold since the accident. Plus, that was one little cold, and it was three years ago!"

"Is that true, Annie?" George asked, amazed. "Has she been perfectly healthy all these years?!"

Even though Annie didn't want to help her sister's case, she still nodded. "Well, yes. And her immune system has shown drastic improvement." She then glared at Alex again. "But I still think there could be all sorts of long-term risks. Not to mention, her DNA has already been severely altered. We should do our best to counteract that as soon as possible."

Alex stubbornly shook her head. "But that doesn't make sense. If I've shown no signs of any illness, why would one suddenly develop in the future? I don't get why everyone keeps bringing that up when there's no reason to..."

"This is all about your powers, isn't?"

Everyone turned to Barbara, who was giving Alex an incredulous stare. "You don't want to lose them," she accused. "That's the only factor here. You want to keep your powers, never mind any future consequences or side effects. You're willing to risk everything...just so you can 'morph'?"

"No, you don't understand," Alex argued. She was annoyed by their quick judgment of a decision that had been very difficult to make. "None of you can. You don't know what I've been through...what it's like to actually have thepowers. It took me so long to finally accept that part of myself. I can't just throw them away now...I'm meant to do some good with them."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "So now you have a superhero complex? Where did this come from?!"

"I don't want to be a superhero, Annie." Alex gave her sister a teasing grin, showing that she knew Annie hadn't meant it literally. "I'd have to wear tights. Seriously, what superhero costume has ever looked comfortable to wear?"

George chuckled. "Well, Alex, if you don't want to suit up and fight crime, what would you want to do with your powers?" At his wife's annoyed glance, he added, "It's her decision to make, Barbara. We can't force the antidote on her. All we can do is make sure she's refusing it for the right reasons."

"We're her parents, George," Barbara retorted. "And she's still under eighteen. If she won't take her medicine, we have the right to step in."

"Mom, this isn't like when I was five and hated the taste of cough syrup," Alex protested, her voice rising a few notches. "I'm not sick! Trust me, if there were any really bad side effects, I'd take the antidote in a heartbeat. But it's been over three years since the accident. In all that time...Danielle, Vince and Lars were much bigger threats to my health."

Her parents tensed at the mention of Alex's enemies. "Hold on...Vince?" George asked in confusion. "What does he have to do with any of this?"

Annie answered for her sister. "Based on what we've seen, Vince was in charge of finding the 'accident kid.' The guy was totally obsessed. Alex would fall into one of his traps, and I had to help her escape..."

"Hey! I got out on my own plenty of times," Alex protested.

"Really? Name one."

"Wait, his traps?!" Barbara interrupted. "Do I want to know what that means?!"

"I'm curious myself," George added, taking his wife's hand in his. "You girls must have had a lot of adventures over the years. How much did we miss? When I think about everything you must have kept hidden from us... it makes me wonder if our family is as close as I thought."

The sisters traded apprehensive, guilt-ridden glances. "Of course we are, Dad," Annie assured him, though her tone wasn't very convincing. "Alex and I both had our moments where we almost told you...where we just couldn't take all the secrecy anymore..."

"And there were probably moments where you were almost caught. Your father and I might be oblivious, but there had to be some close calls over the years." She paused to search through recent memories. "Alex...when you saved that woman a few months ago...you started telling us about your first day of junior high..."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I morphed her to the hospital. Dave must have covered for me, though at the time I didn't know he knew who I was."

Recalling other strange occurrences, George's eyes widened. "Oh...so that explains it then..."

"I'm sorry that turned into such a mess," Alex said. "But I couldn't think of a story fast enough and..."

"No, not when you brought the woman to the hospital, although that bothered me too," her father replied. "I''m talking about when you turned into a juvenile delinquent. One day you were this completely different person...and then you were back to your old self just as quickly. Was that a side effect?"

Barbara's jaw dropped at the realization. "I have always wondered about that. Honestly, Alex...you scared me a little."

"Try a lot," Annie muttered, uneasy at just the thought of her sister's terrible personality change. "I was scared out of my mind...you have no idea what Evil Alex did..."

"Evil Alex?!" George exclaimed. "How did GC-161 do that?!"

Annie avoided his gaze, guilt all over her face. Instead of answering her father, she glanced at her sister. "Are you okay to talk about this, Alex?"

While grateful that her sister asked permission to tell such a personal story, Alex didn't mind sharing. She would finally be able to explain her outrageous behavior. It always bugged her that she was never able to defend herself, leaving her poor parents to think she'd gone off the deep end for no reason. "I'm fine. They deserve to know why I acted that way."

"Alex...you didn't do anything," Annie assured her. "That monster was a mutant version of you created by GC Divide. You can't keep blaming yourself when...when it was all my fault."

"GC-Divide?!" George nearly yelled, alarmed to hear that his youngest daughter had been exposed to a dangerous chemical reaction. "You gave Alex GC-Divide?! Annie, I...I can't believe you were that irresponsible! How could..."

"Dad, I swear, it was an accident!" Annie insisted. "Alex was in puddle form and I stepped on her while I was holding a beaker full. Next thing I know, the puddle splits in half, chases itself around the garage and goes down the drain. Probably the most scared and confused I've ever been in my entire life."

"But what did it do?!" Barbara demanded, totally lost at this point. "From what I understand, when Alex morphs, the 'puddle' is just her in a different state. So if it was split in two..."

"Wait...you said 'Evil Alex'...does that mean there was also a Good Alex?" Though George was the one suggesting the idea, he still sounded doubtful it could actually happen. "But there couldn't have been...two Alex's..." At the girls' telling silence, his eyes widened in shock. "No...that's impossible!"

"But it's true, Dad." Alex had to agree that the GC-Divide incident was the strangest situation caused by GC-161. If she hadn't gone through it herself, she would consider it a far-fetched story too. "My memories of the whole thing are still a jumbled mess, but I do know there were two of me. The Alex you saw was my bad side..."

"I'll say," Annie interrupted. "'Bad' doesn't begin to describe it. Evil Alex was all of her suppressed feelings brought to the surface. She wanted freedom, and she was willing to zap anyone who got in her way. She even tried to destroy Good Alex more than once."

Their father was speechless, amazed that GC-161 had been able to create a functioning clone. Meanwhile, Barbara could barely get over how unreal the story sounded. "If this is all true, then...what about 'Good Alex'? Why didn't we see her? I certainly would've noticed if Alex's attitude changed during the day."

Alex hesitated. Though she tried to tell herself that Evil Alex had all been a direct result of GC-Divide, she was still ashamed of her actions that day. Especially what she did to her other half. In fact, since she was that other half, part of her felt like the victim and was furious at Evil Alex. It was all very mind-boggling - she tried not to think about it often. "Well, um, like Annie said...at first I went down the drain. We...we ended up in the basement of a building that was about to be demolished. Evil Alex trapped me...I mean, Good Alex in there."

"But she got out safely," Annie quickly added. "Which I found out later when she called from a payphone...right before I almost told you the secret. I was a nervous wreck and knew I'd have to do it if we didn't find Good Alex."

Barbara gave her youngest daughter a puzzled glance. This was a ton of information to process at once, and she was having trouble putting it all together. "Alex, this is what I don't understand. If GC-161 has the potential to damage your personality like that, not to mention whatever else we missed over the years...why wouldn't you want to take the antidote? You can be normal again. You won't have to worry about all these side effects going out of control."

Honestly, Alex had considered that angle too. No matter how much she thought about it though, she couldn't convince herself that "normal" was better than having the powers. "I know, Mom," she began. "But...I never liked being 'average.' I've always wanted to stand out somehow. To me...that's more important, I think. Yeah, I should be more concerned about my overall well-being, but...right now, I'm fine. And I've got these powers no one else has. If anyone else was in my place...they would not take the antidote."

"That's what I've been telling you for years!" Annie exclaimed, confused by Alex's abrupt turnaround. "Weren't you the one who always said the powers were useless? That they made you 'lazier'? Where is all this coming from?!"

Embarrassed to have her words tossed back in her face, Alex shrugged. "When I morphed everyone out of the plant...and went back to save Ray...I guess it finally knocked some sense into me. Sure, it was easy to complain about them when I was stuck with them, but now that they could be gone forever if I took the antidote...I can see that they need a purpose. That I need a purpose."

Her confession managed to break through her mother's persistent cynicism. Barbara stared at Alex for a long moment. "I have to admit, Alex...it is nice to hear that," she began. "You've never talked about plans for the future at all. If these powers give you some direction, then...then maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if you kept them." At her family's stunned expressions, she added, "Of course, I am still worried about her health."

"So am I," George added. "But I've done a lot of testing on GC-161, and went over the real results Danielle hid from the FDA. There's never been any indication of long-term damage. Amazingly enough...GC-161 could almost be considered harmless if not for the very unusual side effects. As long as we consistently monitor Alex's health, I really do think she'll be okay." He paused, reconsidering what he said about the chemical. "Well, on second thought, I wouldn't say that GC-161 is harmless. What happened to Alex is a miracle, really. The fact that she managed to gain control of these 'powers' without damaging her health...it could probably only happen once in a life time, if that."

Intrigued, Annie thought about her father's conclusions. "So Dad...if another kid had been walking home from school that day and crossed paths with the plant truck..."

"I highly doubt the child would have been as fortunate as Alex," George finished. "We're very lucky that Alex's genetic makeup was compatible with GC-161. Extremely compatible." He then looked at Alex with something she rarely saw from either parent - pride. "Alex...I can only imagine what you endured over the years, how much strength you must have needed. While I wish you hadn't handled this alone...you managed to harness these side effects and turn them into an amazing amount of power. Which you used for good, I'm sure."

"Most of the time," Alex confessed, blushing at her father's praise. She'd probably start glowing soon. "There are a few things I'm not particularly proud of, but I only used them with good intentions."

"For the most part." Annie simply grinned when her sister feigned annoyance. "Seriously though, Alex did use her powers to help me - like when I was rock climbing with Bryce. I was literally dangling off a cliff, so she used her telekinesis to..."

Emotionally worn-out, their parents traded exhausted glances. "I'm sorry, Annie," Barbara interrupted weakly. "I must have misheard, because..." At Annie's nod of confirmation, she sighed with her eyes closed, as if trying to clear her head. "While I'm glad you girls are finally sharing, and I'd like to hear more of that rock climbing story later...this is all too much for me to take in right now. However, Alex, I do want to know if you have a plan. Since you're not going to be a superhero."

"Well..." Alex began, knowing her plan would definitely be unexpected. She wasn't even sure where she got the idea. But when she realized how perfectly it fit with her goal of helping people, and bringing criminals like Danielle to justice...it did make sense. "I'm thinking of becoming a cop. Or maybe a private investigator. Hunter told me how the Paradise Valley Police Department has this internship for upperclassmen. I'll be a junior next year, and there's still time to apply. But I won't say a word about my powers to anyone. I figure they could be my own personal back up."

Nervous about her family's reaction, she was pleasantly surprised when they all began to smile proudly. Even her sister was impressed. "Hm...'Officer Mack'," Annie said, adjusting to the concept of her little sister as a police officer. "You know what, Alex...I like it."

"So do I," Barbara confessed.

"Same here," George added. "There'd be less of a chance that she would be injured on the job too, since she would have her powers..."

Realizing she'd lost this battle, Barbara let out a resigned sigh. "Okay, Alex...I'll accept that you're keeping your powers. But you have to follow-through with your plan now. I'm taking you to the Paradise Valley police station tomorrow so you can apply..."

Annie cleared her throat. "Uh, Mom? Alex is a local celebrity right now. Bringing her down to the precinct might not be a good idea." Alex nodded in agreement. The last thing she wanted was for people to make assumptions that there was some kind of problem.

"Oh, right," Barbara said. "We'll have to wait until the press calms down. Until then, Alex...your father and I still think you're a little too dependent on these powers. Could you live without them if you had to? For a month or so?"

Indignant Alex felt her temper spike. They already grounded her for that long the day after the explosion because of all the lies, and their new-found mistrust of her. Now that she'd served half her sentence...It felt like they were going back on their word. "You can't add to my punishment! That's totally not fair!

George shook his head. "This isn't a punishment, Alex. Think of it as a personal challenge. Are you dependent on your abilities?"

"No, of course not! I have a lot of self-control."

"Then it should be easy," Barbara countered. At Alex's sullen expression, she tried to be slightly more sympathetic. "Do this for yourself, honey. I know we can't watch you all the time, and technically you could use your powers when we aren't looking. But...aren't you curious yourself to see if you can do it?"

Alex had to admit she was, if just a little. As much as she complained about the negatives that came with the powers, she managed to use them almost every single day. Secretly she still loved turning off her lamp at night by zapping it. "Okay," she relented. "I'll do my best." Pleased, her parents each gave her a hug before going into the kitchen to take care of the dinner dishes. Alex flopped down on the couch next to her sister, relieved that she'd somehow achieved her goal of keeping her powers. "I can't believe that just happened. I've imagined this conversation so many times, even before they found out about the powers...and it never went that well."

"I'm surprised too," Annie said with a laugh. "But...you stood up for yourself, and that won them over. You convinced me too. When I think about everything we've been through over the years...I know you'll make a great cop, Alex."

"Thanks, Annie."

Besides school, going to the Paradise Valley precinct was the first time she'd been allowed to leave the house in nearly a month. This helped calm her nerves a little since she was grateful for something different to do. Though she still had a few days of grounding left, her parents were starting to loosen up. They would probably let her slide on the "no powers" rule too eventually. At first the challenge had been tough, but Alex soon realized that she didn't miss the powers as much as expected. They weren't the crutch everyone thought they were.

This didn't mean she would stop morphing or floating stuff on a regular basis when this was over. While Alex now wanted to take on more responsibility, she would always use the powers for her own convenience or amusement. That was just her nature.

Before she got out of the car, Alex glanced around, checking for anyone with a camera. Maybe it was egotistical of her, but it seemed like her face was in the paper every single day. And sometimes they were candid pictures she didn't remember taking.

Noting her daughter's hesitation, Barbara gave her an encouraging smile. "Coast is clear, sweetie. I don't see anyone. Good luck."

Alex nodded acknowledgment, then sprinted from the passenger's seat to the precinct foyer. There was a front desk for visitors, set in a wall that blocked the bullpen from view. A female officer in her late thirties was going through paperwork, not even glancing up when Alex approached the desk. "Can I help you?"

"Are you still accepting applicants for the high school internship program?"

"Yes we are." Without looking at Alex, the officer took out a stapled packet. "Fill this out and bring it back to us by the end of the month. We'll be needing your transcript and two letters of recommendation..." Her clipped, professional tone faltered when she finally noticed who had asked for the application. "...although for you, I'm sure it would just be a formality. You're...you're Alexandra Mack, right?"

"Guilty. Though most people call me Alex." She grinned sheepishly, not used to being recognized.

The officer shook her head. "No, don't be guilty! We would love to have you here. What made you decide to join us?" She answered her own question before Alex could. "I bet it was Danielle Atron's arrest. That had to be huge for you."

"You have no idea," Alex agreed. "I was so glad she'd actually been stopped, and...I don't know, it got me thinking about other Danielle Atrons who could be out there. I want to make sure no one else can get away with what she did...that no one else can hurt people like she did. Becoming a police officer seems to be the best way to do that."

Admiration in her eyes, the officer handed Alex the packet. "I believe it is. You're perfect for this internship, so don't sweat over the application. Just fill it out and bring it back to us as soon as possible. We'll still want your transcript and recommendations for our records, of course, but you can turn those in later. Any questions?"

"Not right now..."

"Okay, Alex. Bring in the application soon."

"I will."

As she left the precinct with the application in hand, Alex smiled wide for the first time since the explosion. It had definitely been a Life Changing Event...but she'd been changed for the better. Annie was right - she'd developed a superhero complex. And Alex couldn't be happier.