chapter thirty-five

ONE YEAR FOLLOWING THE EVENTS OF THE BLADERUNNER.

The fact that Jessica-Diana Purnell had been waiting for an hour at the Brighton Pier when she was supposed to be at the movies was really getting on her nerves. Her bright blue sneakers were tapping anxiously against the ground as she watched her guardian chatting up a pretty girl outside the balloon dart stand. She sighed and looked over at her twin brother, Mason, who seemed to be enjoying his chocolate fudge sundae.

"The movie starts in five minutes," she sighed, leaning back against the wooden bench and tucking a piece of dark hair behind her ear. It had grown back over summer, and she was happy that it had. It seemed like the change of environment and the general self-care she'd been indulging in had been worth something, as the charred ends of her locks were now healthy and soft. "I'll just have to tell Marcy that we'll go later."

"Did you really expect him to be on time?" Mason muttered through his mouthful of ice cream. He looked out towards the sea, where children were splashing around in the cold water, relishing in the last bit of warm weather they would have before winter hit the country. "When has he ever been early to anything? He picked us up from the airport an hour after we left customs. Even his sister was earlier."

"Artie's different, though. She's not an idiot," J.D joked, and Mason chuckled softly. They then fell into a comfortable silence, nothing needing to be said between them.

That was how it had been for the last eleven months. Since leaving New York, they had been introduced into a quiet, simple life that they both needed. J.D hadn't used her powers of invisibility and force fields since the first week they arrived, and Mason had figured out what he wanted to do rather than sitting around and complaining about everything.

The one thing they both missed about Queens was their friends. Michelle, Gwen, Harry, and Peter. The latter the most of all. J.D tried not to think of him, but everyday he crept in from the back of her mind. She hadn't spoken to him since they had broken up a few months ago, and it was beginning to hurt a little less as the days passed.

"I don't see why I can't just get an Uber or something," J.D huffed, and Mason's eyes flickered over to her. She was staring ahead, a blank expression on her face. It wasn't the same as it had been the previous year, where she had been incredibly depressed and had no interest in her own valuable life. Instead, there was an element of peace that seeped through her bones. The regret of leaving home had washed away a while back, once she came to terms that this was what was best for her.

Mason preferred it in England too. He felt closer to his parents. J.D had mentioned the things that their father had done, and that had set him back significantly. Yet, he still found himself missing them. "You know why you can't get an Uber."

J.D lowered her head and began playing with her fingers. She sighed. "Maybe I should spend my pay check on one of those electric scooters. That'd be pretty sick, huh?"

Mason snorted. "As long as I could borrow it."

"You'd just visit Marcy and go to the supermarket," J.D retorted, and he scoffed, shaking his head. She was right, though. "I can't believe you quit the costume job."

"Come back and say that again when you've cleaned piss from every single Teletubbies outfit in the store," he quirked an eyebrow, and she finally cracked a smile. "Do you want me to walk you to the cinema?"

J.D shook her head. "It's all good. It's on the other side of town. It's my fault for forgetting the busses weren't running today. Maybe I can convince Gus to take us next week. He's not working on Saturday, and I finish my shift at four."

Mason made a grunt in acknowledgement, before licking the light blue spoon to get any remnants of chocolate sauce. J.D took the cup from him and dropped it in the bin beside her. "You enjoy that? I'm sure it tasted even better seeing as you didn't buy it."

"Not my fault that you couldn't keep your cool for a week," Mason grinned, and J.D smacked his side. "Hey! Johnny Mansfield is a little shit, but you didn't have to punch him so early on in the term."

"He kept trying to put his hands on me at Courtney's birthday party," J.D responded sharply. "He got what he deserved, the entitled prick."

"Fair enough," Mason agreed, not sure how to feel about the whole situation that had gone down the previous week. He still had the hopes in being able to protect his sister, but still, she outshone him in the strength and capability department. "It still fell under our bet though; no hitting Johnny for a month."

J.D rolled her eyes, though she didn't argue. She'd been getting her violent tendencies sorted out, as being in New York meant she was constantly on edge and used physical actions to stand up for herself rather than acting assertively. She'd been doing great for a long time, until Johnny Mansfield starting working at the bakery with her. His dad was the principal at the high school she and Mason attended, and there was a stick so far up his ass his breath smelt like wood. To put it lightly, she wasn't fond of his arrogant ways.

"You alright, Jessie?" Gus asked as he finally approached them, his hands fiddling with the Yankees cap on his head. It was his favourite piece of memorabilia that he had bought goodness knows when, and it never left his side. He was a handsome man in his late twenties, who had settled down after leaving S.H.I.E.L.D with his own bakery and no enemies on his tail. He was one of the lucky ones. He met her irritated eyes and he swore to himself. "Shit, I forgot about the movie. Sorry, darling."

"It's fine," she let him take her hand and pull her to her feet. He then hugged her tightly and she released a chuckle. "Did you get her number at least?"

"Yes, I did," Gus grinned, and J.D scoffed, patting him on the back as they parted. "Listen, I'll take you next week. The ticket's on me. Is that alright?"

"I can live with it," J.D chuckled softly, before looking back at Mason, who was texting someone on his phone. Probably Marcy, seeing as they'd been dating for a few weeks now. J.D was happy he'd found someone, she just wished it wasn't her closest friend in Brighton. Then again, she did date his best friend for a while. Now they were even, in a weird sort of way. "C'mon, Mase."

Mason jumped up with his eyes still glued to his screen, his lips moving as he wrote whatever words he was typing. His long legs stumbled a little as he caught up with the two who had already started to walk, so J.D grabbed him by his lanky arm and made sure that he didn't walk into anyone.

The pier was filled with laughter and chatter as the sun shone down on the town. Music was playing in the distance, something old and easy to dance to. J.D's eyes flickered up to the sky and she felt a smile grow on her lips.

It appeared she had found where she had belonged.

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J.D bobbed her head along to David Bowie while she dried up the dishes from dinner. Gus and Mason were dancing around the living room, using television remotes as microphones while Artie, Gus' younger sister was doubled over in laughter. The oversized record player sat in the corner on top of an old wooden chest, blasting out the classic tunes.

"Let's dance!" Gus sang, his voice melodic and loud. He could sing pretty well, which was why no one really told him to shut up. His dark hair was messy, as his hat had been discarded on the couch as he pranced around in a white t-shirt and long navy pyjama pants. "Put on your red shoes and dance the blues!"

"C'mon, Jessie!" Artie called breathlessly, running over and taking her by the hand, spinning her around on the tile floor. J.D released a harmonious laugh and threw the tea towel onto the dinner table as she jumped around with her family. "If you run, I'll run with you, and if you say hide, we'll hide."

J.D caught a glance at Artie as she giggled the lyrics. She and Gus weren't blood related, they were step-siblings, but they were so close hardly anyone noticed. She was the same age as the twins, so she had been spending plenty of time with them, particularly J.D. She was such a kind individual, always picking up after her brother and never expecting anything in return. She was also very pretty.

It was three months after she and Peter had broken up did J.D notice just how brilliant Artie really was. Her hair was raven and reached her elbows, but she often pulled it up into a French braid. She liked to ride her bicycle wherever she went and spent her weekends cleaning up the beaches around town. She sometimes talked a bit too much and didn't do her homework, but J.D didn't mind.

Departing from the girl and leaping onto Gus' back, J.D laughed as her guardian jumped from foot to foot while carrying her weight. He was still singing, despite his face being a little pink with exhaustion. He wasn't the most fit anymore seeing as he wasn't working as an agent. That was perfectly fine, though. There was nothing wrong with having a little squish. "Because my love for you, would break my heart in two, if you should fall into my arms and tremble like a flower-"

J.D's ears perked when she heard the doorbell ring. She slid off Gus' back and dropped onto her sock-clad feet. She jogged over to the door, a breathless smile on her face as the music began to fade out behind her. She slid across the hallway tiles as the bell chimed again. Whoever it was clearly didn't have any patience or common decency. "I'm coming, jeez."

Once she reached the main hall, she tucked her hair behind her ears and composed herself, before reaching for the doorknob and twisting it, practically yanking the door open.

The first thing she saw was a silhouette. It was a man, dressed in black, so she instinctively took a step back. Her head snapped up and she met the bright blue eyes of someone she never thought she'd see again.

Her eyes furrowed and her jaw slacked. She suddenly felt queasy as her stomach began doing somersaults. Her heart dropped to her toes, and her breath was suddenly taken away once it clicked in her head who was standing before her.

"Steve?"

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