Zavier and Tess both blinked and found themselves back at their dining room table. The twins were there, staring at them quietly.
"Are you going to do it?" Luna asked.
Tess and Zavier looked at each other, then back at the kids. "What do you mean? How long were we gone?" Tess asked.
This time, Cass and Luna looked at each other. "You didn't go anywhere," Cass said. "You said you were doing it, you closed your eyes, and now you've opened them again. It's only been a second."
"Wow," Zavier said in amazement. "That felt like at least an hour. Maybe more. I feel exhausted!"
"Me too," Tess said. "Let's grab something to drink and go to the living room; we can tell you all about it."
Both Zavier and Tess poured a few fingers of bourbon, and the kids grabbed soda. They got comfortable, and Tess began. She explained the room, the trials, and the choices. She got a gasp from Luna, and Cass took her hand in comfort when she described the way The System had manipulated her into maximizing her fears. Zavier was gripping his glass with a white-knuckled fist but calmed himself by remembering that it had all been illusory. Still, though, the thought of someone putting Tess through that…
"What skill did you choose?" Cass asked excitedly after she had listed her options.
"Here!" Tess said with excitement and shared the screen for Weapons Mastery.
"Wow," Cass and Luna said in unison. "Mom is going to become a badass Amazon warrior!" Tess beamed at that, but her smile died when she looked at Zavier. The twins looked at him, and their excited smiles dropped as well when they saw the anger in his face.
He slowly set his glass down on the table next to the couch before leaning forward. "You picked that one over the healing option?" he said through gritted teeth.
Tess's face went from confusion to hurt to anger. Zavier interrupted whatever she was about to say.
"You had the chance to pick something that would heal us, the KIDS, from injuries, and you didn't choose it? You know that we're about to start leveling them up, and you didn't even think about what might happen to them? Tess, that was a selfish decision!" His face was getting red, and he'd balled his hands into fists.
Tess's voice was low and dangerous. "Kids, I need some time alone with your dad." Although they didn't fight often, when they did they never tried to shoo the kids out of the room. They believed that letting the kids see healthy disagreements and arguing was a good thing, and Zavier and Tess always came to an understanding by the end. They never called each other names, never levied insults at each other, and never tried to hurt the other. But this was one that was starting out in a place Tess didn't want the kids to be around for.
The twins got up nervously and shuffled out of the room, casting glances back at the adults who were staring each other down. There was silence until they heard Luna's door shut.
Tess glared at Zavier. "What was that?" she hissed through gritted teeth.
Zavier shot to his feet and started pacing the room, his hands gesticulating sharply. "What do you mean 'what was that?'" he rounded on her. "That was fucking irresponsible, Tess!"
"First off, don't swear at me when we're fighting." Zavier snapped his mouth shut, and she could see the muscles of his jaw working as he ground his teeth. "I am your WIFE; you treat me with the same respect I give you, even when we're angry." She never swore at him when they were fighting, but she sometimes had to remind him of that. He didn't get angry often, but when he did he could lash out with his words. Never violent, never hurtful, but sometimes disrespectful in a way she wouldn't tolerate.
"Secondly, this was my ability to choose, not yours."
"I just don't understand why you wouldn't pick the one that could have helped us! We are in danger, the kids are in danger, even our friends are going to be in danger. You had the option for something that could have been the difference between life and death, and you chose something to make yourself more badass? Some sort of 'Amazon warrior' who is out there killing things? What are you going to do when one of our kids is bleeding in the grass, Tess, go kill something and hope they gain a level?"
Tears had appeared in Tess's eyes, but her voice was steady. "So why don't you heal them?"
He froze, and she could see anger shaking his muscles. He'd never even once raised a hand at her, but she was always a little scared of him in moments like this. Logically she knew that he'd die before hurting any of them, but some deep part of her always feared the day it'd be too much and he'd snap.
"Did you pick a healing ability?" she asked.
He didn't move, just glared.
"Or did you pick something that lets you experiment with The System? Something fun and exciting that lets you break the rules and go be a hero? Something that everyone would see and think 'Oh wow, that is so cool!'?"
"That's not fair, Tess," he said in a low voice. "You know I don't care what anyone else thinks. I only care what you and the kids think."
She nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But am I wrong about what you chose?" He didn't have to answer; she saw the look in his eyes. "I thought so. Zavier, you look ahead. You get to be the one who makes the plans and figures out the cool things to do. You get to be the fun parent while I have to be the disciplinarian. I have to be the one that lives in the here and now and makes sure everything is running smoothly. I'm not saying you're not responsible, because you are, but you are always looking at the future. You don't have to consider the present day often because I handle all of that."
Her voice grew flinty. "And now you're angry because I didn't choose something that you thought would be helpful? Without even considering what I wanted? Do you just want to choose all of my powers going forward?"
"Tess, you know damned well that's not what I'm saying." He sat down, but his body language hadn't changed. "We are in a dangerous situation and we need to take every advantage we can to help our survival. I'm not saying that getting better at fighting is a bad thing, but don't you think we're going to need something to help us heal? And can you tell me that the choice you made was really what you think is best for the family?"
"Did YOU choose a healing ability?" she asked again.
"No!" he shouted, "But my conversation went in a completely different direction! If I'd been in your shoes, I absolutely would have chosen it!"
"So why weren't you in my shoes? Why was yours so different?"
"I don't feel like talking about mine right now, but you're right, I hacked the process and got a special deal made, and no - I didn't think about a healing skill. It didn't cross my mind. But if it HAD crossed my mind and I had only had limited options, I would have picked the healing one, Tess!"
Frustration laced Tess's voice. "I feel like you're putting yourself in a hypothetical situation and comparing what you think you MAYBE, MIGHT have done IF the situations had been identical. But they weren't, and all you're telling me right now is that you didn't trust my decision and you think I care about myself more than the kids, just because I chose something that I felt was right for me."
"That's not what I'm saying, Tess!" he shouted.
"Don't you yell," she hissed. "That's not the example we set for the kids."
He slowly unclenched his fists and jaw and took a deep breath.
Tess continued. "You've treated this whole thing like a game," she held up a hand to forestall his objections. "I'm not saying you shouldn't have or that you haven't been taking it seriously. And maybe you should treat it like a game - it certainly seems like one. But you're treating us like players in the game, and that you have to control and move and strategize what we do to make sure we all make it to the next level. You're becoming a control freak, and we don't need that."
"We need to make smart decisions, Tess," Zavier said. "We can't just wing this. If we don't know what we're getting into, and if we don't find ways to gain the biggest advantages, we're going to die. If I don't do every damned thing in my power to make sure we survive then it'll be on me when we eventually get ripped apart by some creature."
"You're taking on too much," Tess said. "And you're doing the alpha male bullshit of thinking that you're the only one capable enough to get us all through this." She saw his jaw clench up again.
"That's not fair. I'm their dad and your husband - of course I'm worried about you and want to do everything I can to keep you safe."
"I know - WE know. But when things get stressful, you suddenly jump in and try to take control. You're perfectly content letting me handle the day-to-day until something goes wrong, then suddenly you're the only one who can fix it."
"Well, if it needs to be fixed, why do I not get a say in how it's done? Am I supposed to sit back and say 'oh, look at that! Things are going to shit! Guess I'll head out to the cigar shop now and hope it's all fixed when I get back!'?"
"That's not what I'm saying, Z," Tess said.
"Then what are you saying? Because that's exactly what it sounds like you're saying. If I jump in with opinions, I'm trying to control you and I don't trust you, but if I don't offer any help, then I'm an asshole of a dad who isn't interested in his family's well-being. You know I'd never make you guys go through something difficult on your own. We're partners and we work through things together. Only, right now you're saying I shouldn't be angry because I don't like the choice you made."
"It was my choice to make and if I hadn't told you about the healing option you would have been perfectly happy with my choice," she retorted. "But I'll tell you what; let's hear your choice, and we can see what I should have done to choose something that was best for the whole family."