Of Men and Spiders

Lucy was glad to know her husband was more or less alright. Admittedly, he was still hurt bad enough he couldn't walk, and while he'd recovered nearly one hundred percent use of his fingers, he'd never grow back nails on two of them. Still, physically, he seemed alright. However, something was still definitely off.

John didn't seem to want to talk to her most of the time and even seemed to avoid her gaze in a way he never had before. Had his time with Cooper and then her father broken him that bad? Or maybe he was angry about what had happened to him? Or maybe he was angry at her? Even now, back in their room, which she had to admit her father had set up pretty nicely, he seemed oddly determined to avoid talking with her, flittering about small talk subjects as if trying to avoid really speaking with her. Finally, having had enough of this, Lucy decided to confront the issue the only way she knew how; straight on.

Catching his eyes in one of the few moments he looked at her, Lucy focused on him in a way he wasn't used to, as she'd never used this particular glare in her private life while he'd known her, and it silenced him while she spoke. "John, it's me. We've been married for a bunch of years, you know me. I know I haven't always been the best me, and we agreed I'd leave this life behind me, but it's not like I went looking for it; it came back for me against my will. Now, will you please speak with me? And I'm not talking about the weather back home or what sports team you hope is going to the finals this year. Talk to me about what's going on and what you've been through."

John's gaze fell as he looked down at his hands, with which he fidgeted. Lucy noticed he avoided the two fingers that were missing nails, as if they still hurt him, though she knew at this point it was probably more psychological than physical. Given his reaction, it probably wasn't anger holding him back. Was it fear, then? Had her father threatened or told him he wasn't good enough for Lucy? If that was the case, she'd have more than words for him the next time they met.

It was kind of painful watching him be so withdrawn. Not that he'd ever been quite as daring as Lucy, but he'd always been excited or even enthralled by her wild side. Now, he seemed so small sitting in his wheelchair.

She was just starting to wonder if he'd speak to her at all when the faintest words escaped his mouth. "I'm...sorry."

That...confused Lucy. "Sorry? Sorry for what?"

When he looked up at her, tears formed at the corners of his eyes as he explained, "I...sold you and the kids out..."

Once those words were out, it was like a dam broke, and the words started tumbling out one after another. "I...I didn't mean to! It's just that...that man... I mean, he broke my legs and pulled out some of my teeth and nails... I didn't know what I was saying. I just wanted it to stop..."

Lucy felt a wave of relief. She couldn't help but chuckle. "Is that all? Of course, you broke! Anyone would!"

John looked up at her, his face warring with confusion and shame. After the initial rush of relief passed, Lucy realized that laughing at his torment probably wasn't the best idea, so she let her face relax into a more serious expression as she knelt down to look her husband in the eyes from the same level with her hands on his wheelchair arms so he couldn't escape while she explained. "Listen, John, this is on me, not you. If I'd done a better job hiding my tracks, if I hadn't been a pirate to begin with, or even if I'd been in my right mind at the time, this would have never happened to you or the kids. It's not your fault you broke under torture; everyone does. This isn't like some TV drama where the hero holds out until the bad guy gives up in frustration. Given enough time and patience, everyone breaks. I don't care if you're a central marine, a hardened pirate, or a manager at a bank. Everyone breaks. It's not your fault."

John blinked a little, then corrected her out of long habit. "I'm not a manager. I'm an investment analyst..."

Realizing the absurdity of the correction, John started to laugh, and Lucy laughed with him. There was a lot more to the laughter than just humor. There was pain, relief, sadness, loss, and even a little happiness at being back together, but eventually, it died down, and they just looked at each other as if realizing for the first time that they were back together.

It was as if John was really seeing her for the first time, and many things passed unspoken before he suddenly released a big sigh. Finally, he asked, "Sooo...What's next?"

Lucy nodded. Maybe he wasn't ready to really talk about what had happened, but that was fine. At least the haze he'd been in seemed to have broken, and he was seeing and speaking with her again. The rest could wait for now. Also, he'd raised a good question. What was next?

Standing up, Lucy started to pace a little while she spoke. "Honestly? I don't know. He's a bastard, but we could just take my father up on his offer. It's not like we can fight our way out of here. What with your legs and all..."

That was when JohN looked around like he was expecting someone to be in the room, listening to them speak. He then leaned in and whispered to her. "I can walk!"

Lucy blinked several times. "What?"

John smiled mischievously. "I've been faking it! I memorized everything the physical therapist taught me and have been practicing independently in the room! I've just been pretending not to make progress!"

Lucy couldn't help it. He looked so proud of himself that she laughed again, but this time out of simple humor.

John seemed confused by her reaction. "What's so funny about that?"

Wiping the laughter tears from her eyes, Lucy shook her head. "John, dear, I love you, but if that's what you've been doing, my father knows you can walk."

Now John looked really puzzled. "But how? I thought I'd hidden it really well."

Lucy walked over to a corner of the room, reached up under the light fixture, and pulled out a device she'd spotted. "Because he's got cameras in the room. He's probably got someone keeping an eye on you at all times."

John looked confused, then angry, then defeated. "But how..? When..? What if we'd..? ... ... Well, shit."

Lucy laughed again and shook her head. "It's not your fault. I just know the way that old bastard thinks and knew where to look. Hell, I'm pretty sure he put this one here so I'd know he was watching. I can probably find them all, though."

Dropping the camera on the ground, Lucy stomped on it with satisfaction, then went around the room looking for more. Meanwhile, John got out of his chair and walked over to the bed, where he lifted the mattress and dug about in a hole he'd apparently made. Finally, pulling something out, he added, "Then your father probably knows I have this..."

As John laid the hidden object on the bed, Lucy finally saw what it was. It was a pistol.

Walking over, Lucy picked it up and ejected the magazine, carefully inspecting it, the ammunition, and the gun. As best she could tell, it was all real. Even if John had somehow lifted this without being caught, he was right. Whoever her father had watching him probably knew about the gun, which meant her father knew about the gun.

Reinserting the magazine, Lucy gave it another quick once over before grinning. "Well, the old man always did like to live on the wild side..."

-

Upon receiving the news, Scott was more than a little relieved. "So they decided working with humans is a good idea?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yes. They are deciding what to do next."

Scott stopped a moment and considered. "Well, before speaking with anyone, we'll have to design new bodies for you all. You've got some good ideas on functionality, but every body you've designed so far has been... horrifying. Seriously, we need something a little less... nightmare-inducing." He stopped momentarily before realizing, "Oh, and we're gonna have to give you a name..."

Charlotte tilted her head. "But I have a name. I am Charlotte."

Scott shook his head. "Not you, your species. Listen, I know as a fluke you picked up on the word 'She' because it bears some loose connection to how you perceive yourself, but that is way too common a word to use as a name for an entire species. It'll just cause confusion, and people will give you a more unique and probably less flattering nickname." After another moment, he added, "Well, some people will probably do that anyway, but we can at least keep your official name a little more distinctive..."

Charlotte examined him closely. "Then what would you recommend?"

Alice, who was off in her own world until the prospect of names came up, shouted, "The buggies!"

Scott shook his head. "Absolutely not. This is more important than their individual names. We'll have to take this one seriously..."

Cleo spoke up from her corner. "How about the scary-ass-spider-people!"

Charlotte nodded. "That would be quite descriptive."

After a few minutes of shooting down ideas, Scott realized this wouldn't be a quick discussion.