Of course, he was in another pocket dimension. Why wouldn’t he be? Granted, it was better than being dead or stuck in Mephisto’s fiery realm. Still, Teddy wanted to go home. He wanted his parents and his sister and his quiet life. However, he knew he wasn’t getting that chance any time soon, so he’d settle on having his family. Unfortunately, he didn’t know where Gwen was or if she even knew he was alive. How did they keep getting separated?
Teddy wrote on the network because it seemed to be the thing to do when one arrived. He wasn’t expecting much to come from it, but he had to write to his sister. What if they were finally in the same realm again?
Someone claiming to be his sister answered. He was afraid to hope this odd Goodland place would reunite them. Yet they’d both been through stranger things, so a glimmer of anticipation filled him as he waited for his sister in his new apartment.
Gwen never thought she would want to settle in just one world. Why would she? She had the power to go into any other she desired, as long as it was printed in a comic or graphic novel. Yet, ever since arriving in Goodland, she was perfectly content to remain right where she was. Even before she met Ellie, she was resigned to stay. Supposing that had a lot to do with the fact that there were freaking superheroes everywhere she turned, it didn’t take long for her to build a life here.
The only caveat to her happily ever after, or whatever? The only thing missing? The one thing that would make her stamp a ‘perfect’ label on Goodland...was her brother. She missed him terribly, even if she wouldn’t talk about him much. So, she may have experienced an itty bitty freak out when she saw his name on the network.
Trying to calm way down, and mostly failing, she practically ran to the apartment assignment he’d been given to knock a million times on his door.
Those were a lot of knocks. It had to really be Gwen. Teddy broke into a grin and crossed the living room with a few massive steps. Perk of being tall. “Whoa, don’t break the door,” he teased as he threw it open.
The tiny bit of doubt that it wouldn’t be Teddy opening the door went right out the window as soon as he spoke. She would know his voice anywhere. Crossing her arms over her chest, she smiled brightly at him despite her chastising tone. “Took you long enough to find your way here.”
“Did it, little sister?” He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly before lifting her off her feet. “Where the hell have you been?” His tone was light, but part of him really did want to know. Was she in Goodland this whole time, or was she some other version? She definitely looked and spoke like his sister.
“Did I stutter? I don’t remember stuttering.” All of that chastising left her the moment he lifted her off the ground. Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him back just as tightly, laughing throughout the gesture. “I’ve been here. For over a year. Waiting on you. Well, sort of waiting. Sort of living.”
Pursing her lips together, Gwen recalled the last time she saw him. “When I left? In that Pocket Universe, we were in? This is where I ended up.” She had hoped Teddy would have made the jump with her, but unfortunately? They were separated…again. “Where have you been?”
A year. She’d been in Goodland a whole year without him. “Uh, Mephisto was taking me to his fun land, but somehow I ended up here instead. Do you know who Mephisto is?” She probably did. She knew everyone. “Stupid question, right?” He shook his head and released her from his hug. “You look happy,” he said. “I like it when you look happy. Are you happy?” The questions tumbled out without thought. Teddy always thought of Gwen first. She was his baby sister. It was his job to protect her, not keep leaving her in pocket dimensions. Still, part of him wondered what did happen with Mephisto. Could he read about it? Was that something that happened in Goodland?
Whew. She thought she was the master at word vomit, but he was giving her a run for her money. “I am. Happy or whatever. Like, really happy. Happier than I…” trailing off, she seemingly caught on to the first bit of his rambling. Better late than never right, Gwen?
“You were with Mephisto?!” Gwen was two seconds away from jerking her tablet out of her penguin backpack and finding an issue that featured him. She just wanted to talk and maybe slice him up in tiny pieces for daring to come near her brother, you know, like a civilized person. She could get to that later, though. For now, she needed to focus on Teddy, and she held her hand up as if to stop her own trains of thought. “Wait. Hold the freakin’ phone. Back way the flip up and slow your roll. Did you...Teddy...how did you end up with him?”
He probably shouldn’t have mentioned that bit. He knew how his sister got when it came to those she loved. “Don’t worry about that, sis,” he said hurriedly. “I’m here, and that’s what matters.” He flashed a megawatt smile. “See? One piece. Now tell me everything. What is this place? Dimension number…?”
Gwen’s eyebrows flew up so high she could have sworn they left her face completely. He obviously wanted to steer her away from the subject. She could always go really meta to try and find his source material regarding Mephisto, but she supposed she could worry about that later. He was- as he pointed out- in one piece. “Fine fine. We can play the avoidy game.”
Her grin returned at his own smile, and she grabbed him by the arm to drag him over to the apartment’s couch. Plopping down less than gracefully, Gwen dramatically cleared her throat. “Right. So. The sitch. This isn’t a dimension I’ve ever heard of. Crazy right? I know. And yet? Here we are. Supposedly the Entity is giving us a second chance at life crap? I don’t even know. It kind of feels like an alternate universe situation?”
“Some people think we’re just copies, and we are still back home too.”
Teddy let Gwen drag him toward the couch and plopped with her. “Copies? This stuff should blow my mind, but after everything…” He looked at her seriously. “But you are okay here? How long have you been here? Are Mom and Dad here?” He found he suddenly had a million questions.
“Kinda hard to blow our minds now, huh?” She asked in jest right before he took on a more serious demeanor. There was the protective big brother she knew and loved. “Slow your roll and breathe between question vomit, Teddy.” Reaching to grab his hand, she gave him her most reassuring smile. “I really am okay. It’s been over a year since I poofed into Goodland. The wanting to stick around and not make with the verse jumping fun times is still new, but I don’t think I could if I tried? We’re kind of stuck here. Which is totes fine. I’ve kind of...uh...got an actual life here? Complete with a cute explodey girlfriend?”
“And no. Mom and Dad aren’t here. It’s just been me...from our world anyway.”
He was glad she said she didn’t feel like flipping dimensions, even if she couldn’t. Maybe they could have a real life in Goodland? Wouldn’t that be something! Not that he could blame Gwen for her wanderlust. He just didn’t share it. He was a little disappointed about their parents, but he zeroed in on something important that took his mind off that. “Cute explodey girlfriend? Spill, sis.”
It wasn’t until that moment that Gwen really let it settle in that her brother was actually here. Maybe Goodland would actually be perfect now? Maybe having him here was the final piece she needed to let go of that last little bit of restlessness. Grinning like a damned fool, she pulled out her over the top penguin cased phone to show him the lock screen.
It was a picture of the girl in question and herself at the arcade. “This is Ellie. She kicks major butt and is also part of the X-Men in her world, so that’s a plus. I always did love them.”
Teddy smirked at the case, but then settled down to look at the picture. “X-Men, huh? You really do love superheroes. You live with her?”
“Uh duh. You’ve had a flipping forever chunk of time away from me, but the superhero thing? It isn’t going anywhere. I’m still the same Gwen. Maybe a little less merc-y...but still Gwen.” Grinning, she nudged his shoulder. “Yeah. I live with her, Supergirl, and Oliver Queen. We don’t hold the DC comics thing against them, though, or really mention it. Some of the people here don’t know that they are comic characters, or you know characters from other media.”
“So, we just pretend we don’t know them?” Teddy asked. He made a mental note not to blow anyone’s mind. “Supergirl, huh? Is she totally cool? She is totally cool, right?”
“Yeah. We just kind of pretend and freak the flip out amongst ourselves.” When she first arrived, Gwen had made the massive mistake of publicly fangirling over Peter Parker, not realizing that she was making a mistake at the time. She still felt bad about that one. “Ugh. Teddy. She’s the coolest and an actual angel? Like, I’ve never met anyone as sweet as she is? She’s going to love you.”
“Enough about me. I mean, I know I’m the best topic of conversation ever, but...are you okay? Really okay?”
“Can’t wait to meet her,” Teddy replied. He was glad Gwen hadn’t been alone in Goodland.
When she asked about him, he flexed his muscles. “Still handsome as ever, right? I’m good, Gwen, really good, now that I am here with you.”
“I can’t wait either. Ellie is going to flip. Well...I mostly do the flipping, but she’s going to love you too.” Gwen couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy- explodey girlfriend things aside.
Rolling her eyes, she laughed as he flexed. “Yeah. Yeah. The most handsome. Way better in person than in the photograph of you the Entity sent me. At least you aren’t wearing a dumb hat,” she said with a squeeze of his hand. “Good. Good is good. Now we’re both good.”
Teddy pouted. “My hats aren’t dumb! I look very stylish, I’ll have you know.” He easily wrapped an arm around her so she could snuggle in if she wanted. “Us against the alternate reality world as usual. This entity better not send any embarrassing baby pics to cute girls, though. Embarrassing pics to my sister are bad enough.”
“No one looks stylish in a fedora, Teddy.” Grinning again, she snuggled into him. She was glad that they could easily slip back into old habits and banter, despite everything they’d been through the last time she saw him. “I totes framed that picture and hung it up beside all the plush in my room too. I’ll be sure to show any cute girls who look your way.”
“I missed you,” she finally admitted out loud and made a mental note to thank the Entity later.
“Missed you too, sis,” he said although it had been a shorter period of time for him. At least he thought so. Time was all jumbled now. It wasn’t like the “jump”, but it still did his head in. He was facing doom one minute and then...well, in another world in the next. “You’ll see me so much you’ll get sick of me,” he promised.
“Can’t wait to get sick of you. For your information? I haven’t forgotten about the Mephisto stuff, and there will be a convo later about that, but for now,” she began with her head rested on his shoulder and her grin showing zero signs of fading. “Welcome home or whatever, Teddy.”