***LUCA***

Not long after Alex and his mom go home, most of the Second 'Verse denizens make their way back home. Park and Russell stay behind to drive the rest of us back home. The former takes me, Mattia, and Gideon back to the Bay Area, where the summer sun is finally starting to shine again after the storm passed on by (it's now whipping up the surf up on the southern coast of Oregon, according to a news update on my phone). Along the way, I get an idea, and when I propose it, Mattia vehemently expresses her rejection.

"Come on," I say, hating how whiny I sound. "You have to see the family, just once!"

"You remember what happened the last time I was in that house, right?" Mattia shakes her head. "I don't exactly want to repeat the experience."

"Everyone misses you," I say. "Sincerely."

"Don't get all Stand By Me on me," Mattia groans.

Gideon, who's sitting in the front seat, turns around and says, "Hey, if I were you, I'd at least consider going for it."

Mattia pushes her hair behind her ears. "I am considering it," she says. "And...well, Luca obviously wants it. Maybe Marco and Gio too. But Mom and Dad?"

"They've been wishing for you to come back for years," I say. "You really think they wouldn't welcome you back like the prodigal s-daughter?"

Mattia scoffs. "Nobody would. I mean, who fats a calf anymore? And besides...what the hell is a 'stotter?'"

"Stop fighting me on this," I say, pulling out my phone so I can text Mom and let her know I'm coming home. "You're coming home, and you're gonna surprise the rest of the family."

She slumps in her seat, her arms and legs draped everywhere. I'll take that as a yes. Or, more accurately, a surrender.

A couple of hours later, Park takes us through San Francisco. The traffic is heavy - we're not the only people coming back home. After we left Garza's office, he oversaw what ended up being the final phase of San Francisco's evacuation before Holly's army received their orders to give up the fight. The scrivs never made it to the outskirts of the Bay Area - the closest they got in the end was just west of Davis - but for a while, it looked as if they were going to wipe everything from there to the Pacific off the map. Right now, the mayor's giving a press conference at SF City Hall, in which he explains the situation and promises to bring in scrivs to substantiate his story.

"As soon as I get you guys home," Park says, "that's gonna be my next job. I'm gonna help reveal the existence of scriv-kind."

"How much are you gonna tell the world?" I ask.

"The basics," Park says. "Just that we're from another universe, and our president went bad and decided to get all exterminate-y, but in reality we mean you no harm."

"What about the Guardians?" Mattia asks.

"That's...gonna stay under wraps for a while," Park says, switching lanes to the right - ironically, the slow lane is the fastest one right now. "The Guardian program kinda depends on staying secret, so..."

"Whatever happened to full disclosure?" I ask.

Park smiles dangerously. "All in good time."

The traffic gets even heavier the deeper into the city we go, so eventually, Park mutters, "Screw it," and takes the next exit. "Sorry, guys, but I really need to meet Mr. Mayor at his press conference. Would you guys be okay with flying back home?"

We all glare at him for a second, but then I say, "Yeah, I guess. It's an easy distance. More for Gideon than for me and Mattia, but that's all right."

As soon as Park finds a place to stop the car, we all take off. He heads downtown, and I fly south with the girls. Over San Castiel, Gideon waves goodbye, then adds, "See you another day, I guess."

"If I'm not grounded for life," I laugh, waving back to him as Mattia and I continue on.

"Not to be rude," Mattia asks after a long period of silence - I think we're over Leland Hills by now, about halfway home from San Cas - "but...is Gideon...? I don't wanna guess he's...um..."

I get her drift right away. Then I have to stop, because I'm laughing too hard to concentrate on keeping myself airborne.

"I take it that's a yes?" Mattia chuckles.

"No," I say, shaking my head repeatedly. "No, no, no. Gideon's not gay."

"I didn't think so, not the way he kept sneaking peeks at my ass," Mattia says. So I didn't catch the right drift after all. "No, but...he's trans, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is," I say. "Got a problem with that? You'll have to go through me. And Marco, 'cause they were rooming together at Balthazar after he came out."

"I bet Mom and Dad threw a fit when they found out he was sharing a room with a trans guy."

"You'd be surprised," I laugh. "Marco and I helped educate them a bit, though."

"Good boys," Mattia says, forking a pair of heavy-metal horns at me. "We'll make normal, progressive young men out of you yet."

I roll my eyes. "I'm not progressive enough already? Have you seen my friends?"

"That's your friends," Mattia says. "What about you?"

When we land on the sidewalk in front of the house, I'm nervous. What if my idea to bring Mattia back home backfires? What if she gets into yet another fight with Mom and Dad and never comes back after that?

Before I can think on that too long, though, Mattia reaches around me and rings the doorbell. "They're home, right?" she asks. "I thought I heard you telling them to evacuate yesterday."

I show her the last text I got from Mom. "We're waiting for you," she'd said. "Please come home."

"I don't think they were talking about m-" She stops short when the door opens. To my surprise, it's Dad who answers, still wearing that funny plaid hat of his on top of the curly hair I inherited from him. He stands back to let me in. Then, when he sees Mattia, his jaw drops.

"Oh my God," he whispers. "Hey, guys, you're not gonna believe this!"

I step aside to let Mattia cross the threshold. Once she's inside, everyone - except me and Dad - swarms her with a massive group hug.

"I told her," I mutter as I close the door behind me. "I told her you guys would be happy to see her."

Dad lays his hand on my shoulder. "She was with you on that superhero mission of yours?"

"It's a long story."

"Do we wanna know?"

I laugh him off and lean against the wall, taking a look at the TV. For the umpteenth time in the last few days, the news is going. It's Garza's news conference, with Park showing the world his dark elemental powers and wings. Other pictures pop in as well, showing similar displays by scrivs in other cities across the world.

"Speaking of comic-book stuff," I say, gesturing to the screen, "I really hope we don't repay these good guys by trying to destroy their world."

Dad adjusts his hat. "This isn't a comic book," he laughs. "I wanna stay optimistic about this myself."

"Me too," I say.

I turn to see Mattia and Mom, who are now hugging by themselves in the center of the living room. "It's been s-such a long time," Mom sobs. "Jesus, I'm so sorry, Mattia."

Language, I think, along with my brothers. That Age of Ultron line's been pretty damn viral at Casa di Scagliotti lately, for some reason.

"I'm sorry too," Mattia says, kissing Mom's cheek.

Mom leads Mattia back to the couch, forcing us boys to scatter. "How...how've you been all this time?"

Mattia shrugs. "You know. Living. Learning. Saving the world. Whatever else normal people do at age 21."

"You say that like we're not normal," Mom says. I barely stop myself from bursting out laughing - that's something she always used to say to Mattia.

The response she gets is also something I haven't heard in a long time: "Oh, we're all the Normal family. You just forgot I was supposed to be named Abby."

Laughter all around. It's like she never left.

"I made a bunch of those chocolate pizzelle you like," Mom says. "It's like I knew you were coming...even though I really didn't."

Mattia laughs along with her. "Sweet," she says. "You know what else? I finally learned how to make bicerin."

Mom beams. "Oh my God, Nonna would be so proud of you!"

"It'll never be as good as hers, though," says my furiously blushing sister.

Mom laughs even harder, then leads us into the kitchen. "Mattia, you have to tell us everything," she says. "Where've you been? What have you been doing all this time?"

"Like I told Dad," I say, "it's a long story. And adding Mattia's backstory will make it even longer."

"That's okay," Dad says, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "We've got plenty of time."

I glance out the window and see the summer sun shining brightly outside. He's right - without hordes of deadly, pissed-off scrivs following orders from their deadly, pissed-off commander-in-chief, we've got plenty of time.