Family

8:14, Lake Mohawk, NJ

 

As the sun descended to the west, disappearing behind the majestic Appalachian mountains, it cast its warm rays over the waters of Lake Mohawk and the surrounding coastline, giving the lake a sparkling glow that was admired by many of the families that lived on its shores. It had attracted a younger Raven, where in a spark of romance he had taken his then-girlfriend on a date, as there was a local myth about this very scene being a ‘blessing of love’ for young couples. Whether that tall tale was true or not, the lake had soon become his home, as he had married that same girl, starting a family in a beautiful, two story lakeside villa that sat on its shores. It had a view of the mountain range in the west, which could be appreciated by the open air deck built behind the house, which led to a nice sized yard and beach. ‘A perfect place to raise a family,’ he had thought back then. ‘With a view that rivaled paradise itself.’

Still not an excuse to be late to dinner.

‘I’m going to hurt that man,’ Sharon Edge thought as she leaned on the kitchen countertop, staring at the panorama outside in an attempt to calm herself. ‘And he didn’t even have the decency to call.’ Raven was normally home at six, so she had already prepared dinner and made plans for the two to have a night out, something that they haven’t had in a while, partly due to his multiple jobs, and partly because of the two young boys that she had caught herself gazing at, horsing around by the lake’s edge. These were plans that he had known about, so it was easy to see why she was pissed.

Although, Raven definitely had a looker in the 32 year old Brazilian woman. She had and olive toned complexion that was complimented by her thick, waist length brown hair that she usually kept in a neat ponytail. Sharon was on the short side, only coming up to the bottom of Raven’s chest at 5’3, but she had a figure that girls ten years her junior envied. Combined with a demure smile that nearly always graced her face, she still drew the attention of many a man even after thirteen years of marriage.

Despite that kind of attention, Sharon had always stayed by Raven’s side. She was there since they had met as freshmen in high school, when Raven was nothing more than a kid with ambition, far from the man that was now Exemplar. She was devoted to him, heart and soul… even if her family didn’t quite accept the fact that he was more than human at first. They had no choice but to make peace with those issues, as Sharon had a fiery spirit that wouldn’t be denied; the love that the two had, it was unbreakable.

The sound of a powerful motor captured her attention, able to recognize the distinct sound of her husband’s supercharged Camaro as it pulled into their driveway. ‘Now the b*****d wants to come home,’ she thought as she grabbed a rubber spatula, wielding it as a mini club as she made her way to the front to ‘greet’ her husband at the door. She had gotten to within a foot of the door when it was pushed open, but what stood behind the threshold got her to stop in her tracks.

“Hey baby,” Raven said with a bigger than usual smile, holding his hands a bouquet of red and white roses, accompanied by a box of her favorite chocolates. “I’m sorry about tonight; duty literally called.” Raven knew how his wife could get, especially when the little time that they did have was cut into. She was just as beautiful in the soul as she was physically, but like any woman, could be a bit feisty when she got annoyed. That was the purpose of the small gesture of romance; an easy way for him to calm her down.

She took the flowers from his grasp to give them a sniff, a much more content look on her face than before as Raven looked on, hoping that his attempt at an apology had helped. “Pretty, she said, commenting on the flowers as she pointedly avoided looking her husband in the eyes. “And a damn good try.” With that, she set the flowers on the small stand next to the door, before forcibly pulling the man down to her level by the collar of his shirt. “You’d better have a more worthwhile excuse than that.”

Raven let out a nervous laugh, as the woman didn’t seem to have any illusions of forgiving him any time soon. “Please,” he said with a noticeable whine in his voice. “You know I was looking forward to this just as much as you.”

“You could have told them you were busy,” Sharon said, unrelenting in her verbal assault towards the Exemplar. “You just came back from a month long tour; what was so important that you had to make a physical appearance?”

Raven closed his eyes, inwardly preparing himself for the reaction that was sure to follow. “I have another assignment.” Before the woman even had the chance to turn around in anger, Raven caught her by the arm, pulling her flush against his body as he held her in a loving embrace. “I know you’re about ready to divorce me,” he said with an obvious joking tone. “But you know how important my duties are; I have to think of more than just my selfish desires here.”

“It doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Sharon said, her voice muffled as she deepened the embrace, leaning her face into his chest. “We don’t get much quality time as it is. What happens when the boy get older, when they start to reach those milestones in life where they’re going to be looking for their father to be there?”

“Then I’ll be there,” Raven said with a serious tone as he pulled his wife a bit away from her to look her dead in the eyes. “Exemplar or not, this household comes first, even if it might not seem like it at times.” Raven delicately wiped a stray tear off of Sharon’s cheek, as the anger the woman had held towards him a few minutes ago had given way to a slight sadness. He held her in his arms for a moment, for now just relishing the intimate contact as they stood alone in the house. “That reminds me,” he said suddenly as he looked around, looking like he was searching for something. “Where are the boys?”

“Outside,” Sharon answered as she pulled away from Raven. “They had been in the house all day on the game. I finally of tired of hearing ‘Through the Fire and Flames’ for the millionth time, so I pretty much banned them from the house until sundown. They’re out back wrestling around by the lake’s edge; you should go say hi.”

“You’re stil mad,” Raven said, noting the slight tinge of anger still in her voice. “Can I at least try to make it up to you?”

As soon as the words had left his mouth, Raven knew he had set himself up. “You wanna make up?” Sharon asked as a grin of equal parts scheming and lust made its way to her face. “Go spend time with the boys. When you’re done, you’re gonna go upstairs and run me a nice, hot bath.” She saw the tightening of Raven’s throat as she turned around, walking towards him with a purposefully slow pace as she put a little extra sway in her hips. “You’re going to bathe me from head to toe, then you’re going to give me a massage.”

“And I’m forgiven?” Raven said, reaching out to run his hands through her hair with a smile on his face.

Sharon’s response was to laugh in his face before giving him a peck on the lips. “I never said that, Ryu Senko,” she said with an amused look. “That’s just to start; you know I’m a hard negotiator.” She turned away from him with a victorious grin on her face; of course she was going to forgive him, but she loved to make him sweat. It made the ‘make up’ far more fulfilling. “See you in a bit honey!” With that, she made her way upstairs, leaving a gaping in her wake.

‘Oh, you’re gonna pay for that one you minx,’ Raven thought as he made his way to the backyard. He had to give it to her though; she knew exactly how to push his buttons, and she was just getting started. He knew that by the end of the night, he would need quite a few cold showers to ease the ‘pain’ of her revenge play. For all the strength and smarts he possessed, Sharon was the one person who could truly break him down. If she wasn’t happy, then by no stretch of the imagination would he be.

______________________________________

 

The good thing was, he didn’t have to worry about his two sons, Roman and Quinton, being as mad. They knew about what their father did, and as kids that still had a childlike outlook on the world, they thought it was cool. The mere fact that they were Sovrumano had marveled them since they had been told at a young age, and with time, a respect for his position had taken root. It showed in everything that they did; in their childlike attempt to emulate their father, they had excelled in their schools, seldom bringing home a report card with grades lower than a B. As far as athletics went, well, that was something else entirely.

It was hard to judge the athletic prowess of most Sovrumano against a regular human of relative size and age, as even those who chose to live life without ever drawing forth their ki oriented abilities were physically dominant in comparison. Raven’s sons, however, were being trained by an Exemplar ranked Draco from the time they had hit their sixth birthday in everything related to combat, from the practical aspects and theories, to several of the martial arts. Combined with their natural physical prowess, the two boys had set themselves apart from their peers in anything sports related.

"If it isn’t the dead man," Roman, the older of the two brothers said with a smirk, noticing the approach of their father to the beach. Looking at the thirteen year old was something of a flash to the past for Raven, as Roman was a near clone of what he looked like as a kid. Roman was tall for his age, standing a few inches higher than his mother, with shoulder length black hair that was tamed by the long, ropelike braids that he wore as a style. He had striking ocean blue eyes, inherited from his father due to his Draco heritage, complimented by a bright white smile that helped to expose his actual age. Also due to his Sovrumano background, Roman had a noticeable build that made it easy for others to think him older than he was, with definition in his muscular structure that few high school athletes possessed.  Due to that little fact, Roman was experiencing what Raven himself had as a teen; a staggering popularity from his peers in school, boys and girls alike. “I’m surprised that you’re not lumped up pops.”

“That’s because he’s Dad,” Quinton, Roman’s younger brother, said as he greeted their father with a fist bump. “Mom can’t stay mad at him if she wanted to.” Quinton was ten years old, but he still possessed a shape that most teenage boys would have killed for, although it wasn’t nearly as defined as Roman or Raven’s. Unlike Roman, Quinton didn’t look exactly like his father, being more of a blend of both parent’s features. He had shorter black hair, being styled in a mohawk, but he still had the trademark blue eyes of his race.

“You would think so,” Raven said with a sideways look, knowing what his wife had planned to get back at him. “But don’t worry about all that; how was you guys’ day?”

Roman shrugged as he wiped the fine sand from his face. “It was okay. Drove Mom crazy with the game, then came out here and worked on a few forms with Q. Same old, same old. What about you? Do anything cool?”

“Ha,” Raven laughed, albeit shakily as he sat in the sand, his gaze towards the nearly set sun. “Right to the point eh? Just like your mom.” The off-handed remark was followed by a soft chuckle as he motioned for his sons to take a seat next to him. “As a matter of fact, my whole day’s been interesting. My new class has a couple of cats just like us. Anguis, Felis, Canis, Avis Divino; even a Daeva Supremo in the mix.”

“Sweet,” Roman said with a challenging smirk. “Are any of them strong?”

“Might be, might not,” Raven said, noticing his son’s expression. “I don’t know yet. Depending on how everything goes in the next few weeks, you guys might get to meet them.” Raven cast a hard glare at Roman, which wiped the grin off his face. “That doesn’t mean to test them like you did with Saraya.”

Quinton burst out laughing, rolling on the sand in amusement to Roman’s chagrin. “He won’t do that again, will ya bro?”

“Buzz off Q!” Roman yelled before tackling his brother into the sand, a look of embarrassment obvious on his face. Roman, having both a competitive nature and a curiosity for the abilities of other Sovrumano, had made the mistake of asking Saraya to a spar a year back, shortly before the woman became Exemplar. At the time, he didn’t know this little fact, as Saraya nor Raven had felt it important to mention to the boys. Being the slightly immature person Saraya was, she decided to use the then 12 year old’s challenge as a way to mess with his mind. Quite simply, she pranked the living hell out of him, forcing the kid to act like a dog for two whole hours while being fully aware of his actions. The two had made up for the prank, but it was still a sore subject for him, besides the fact that both he and Saraya had felt the full wrath of Sharon for it.

"Lesson learned though, right?" Raven asked, although the amused look on his face made it clear that he too found humor in the situation. That was just the kind of person Saraya was; free spirited, at times a bit ditzy, but never malicious. He knew she meant no harm, as Roman had been near attached to the hip of the girl when she had once lived in the Edge household, training under Raven to fulfill one of the requirements necessary to become Exemplar herself.

“You could have given me a fair warning,” Roman said with a pouting glare. “That was wrong, so wrong.”

“Well, I can tell you this much,” Raven said with a sure look on his face. “Together, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Saraya in a fight. You two boys might just have them beat.” 

“So they’re the reason you’re this late coming home?” Quinton asked

“Not so much,” Raven answered truthfully. “I got a new assignment from the Pharos today as well. I get to go to the Med this time; Rhodes.”

An appreciative whistle came out of Roman’s mouth, having a bit of knowledge of the place from classes in school. “That’s where they built that tall colossus thing right? Or was it a lighthouse?”

“You were right the first time,” Quinton said, rolling his eyes at Roman’s unsureness. Quinton had taken more of Raven’s intellectual traits, developing a deep love for history, especially the mythos of lost civilizations. “The Pharos was at Alexandria, as well as the Great Library, and the Necropolis of Kom El-Shoqafa.”

“Nerd,” Roman said beneath his breath, although mistakenly, as Raven had exceptional hearing, and had heard his sons mumble. “Ow!” Roman cried out following a well-placed smack to the back of the head, courtesy of Raven, who wore a stern look.

“Be. Nice,” Raven said with authority. “Don’t get on your brother’s case just because he corrected you; when you correct him during practice, he doesn’t do that to you, does he?” Whatever the truth was, it wouldn’t be known at the time, as Quinton had already learned one of the best qualities about being a little brother: learning from the mistakes of the older brother to avoid the punishment that said brother suffered. With that, Quinton shook his head in the negative; he wasn’t beat for getting smacked like Roman had been.  “See what I mean.” Although Raven was content with his youngest son’s answer, Roman was not, shown by him shooting a murderous glare in Quinton’s direction.

In the Edge household, payback was a sonofabitch.

‘Just wait,’ Roman thought as he continued to gaze at Quinton, the latter already having an idea to what was probably going through his mind. ‘You have to sleep sometime.’  

“So Dad,” Quinton asked, trying to get the focus of the conversation back on track. “What’s this mission about this time, and why do you have to go to the other side of the world?”

Raven gave the two boys a blank stare before answering, although it wouldn’t be the answer they wanted to hear. “Classified,” Raven said with a smirk, finding a bit of amusement in the instantly downcast looks on the two boys’ faces. “You know I can’t talk about missions until after their completion; I didn’t even tell your mom the specifics.”

“No fair,” Quinton said with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. “It’s not like we’re gonna say anything.”

“I know you two wouldn’t,” Raven said, truthfully agreeing with Quinton. The two boys, if anything, had proven themselves worthy of his trust from the time they had been told of their Draco roots. Raven had thought at the time that he would have to play cover up from the imminent exposure of that secret, knowing how children could be, but the boys had proven themselves by not revealing themselves for what they truly were, which was a headache off of Raven’s mind. “But with the delicacy of this mission, only those who need to know can know. That reminds me,” he said suddenly, catching the boys off guard. “You’re going to have a few houseguests while I’m out.” 

"Who is it this time?" Roman asked, a tinge of anticipation in his voice.

A smirk made its way to Raven’s face as he stood up and dusted his pants off. “You know them,” he said, his knowing look having the effect of drawing the curiosity out of the two kids. “Although it’s been a while since you’ve seen them. Just promise me something, please.”

“Sure,” Quinton said. “Anything. Who’s coming over?”

“I don’t want to have to replace a house when I get back,” Raven said seriously, as the looks of realization crossed over the faces of the boys. “I know how you two can get normally; it’s that much worse with Taji in the mix.” Just as the Exemplar had expected, that announcement was followed by a whooping cheer from the boys. Taji was their twelve year old cousin, a Draco like they were, who had a penchant for pranks and a passion for photography. “You give your mother and aunt problems, and you’re gonna have to answer to me, and the God. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” Roman answered hurriedly with a furious nod, one that was mirrored by Quinton at his side. No way were they putting themselves in that kind of deathtrap; Raven was bad enough, but ‘the God’, well, that was another story entirely.

“Good,” Raven said, pointing towards the house with a tilt of his head. “Now get yourselves ready to take it down for the night. Its summertime still, so I’m not gonna say you have to go to bed, but I am saying that you have to hit your rooms by eleven, alright?”

“Sounds like Dad’s about to have himself a night, eh?” Roman said jokingly, before taking off in a faster than normal run to escape the wrath of his father from the comment, laughing all the way. “Just sayin!”

“Dad?” Quinton asked, watching the way his brother suddenly bolted, as well as seeing the irritation in the face of his father. “What did Rome mean by that?”

“None of your concern,” Raven said abruptly. Now was not the time to explain the ‘birds and the bees’ to his youngest, although he saw that he would have to have a conversation with his oldest, and soon. ‘Saraya,’ Raven thought mirthfully. ‘I swear you’re the one to blame for this; corrupting my son’s innocent mind.’

“Achoo!” Saraya sneezed, shaking violently as a fit of sneezes rocked her body. “Ugh,” she said, as she grabbed a nearby box of tissues. “Someone must be talking about me.”

“Need a minute?” Santana asked from his position behind, or shall I say, over her. Despite Raven’s words, Saraya was indeed using her new ‘guardian’ for everything he was worth. At the current moment, Santana was relegated to giving the Exemplar a back massage of her own, something that probably wouldn’t have bothered the Felis… except for the glaring fact that Saraya had insisted on being bare naked, with only a towel covering her backside from the teen’s view.

“Nah,” Saraya said, either oblivious to Santana’s nervousness or just not caring about it. “Keep going,” she said with a moan.

Yeah, knowing her, it was probably the latter.

“O-kay?” Quinton said, noting his father’s sudden unwillingness to talk. “Well I’ll be inside Dad.” The kid ran off, but not before giving his father a quick embrace. “Love you Dad.”

‘Love you too,’ Raven thought with a small, proud grin that was perfect on the face of the father as he watched his sons disappear into the house. ‘Always and forever.’ With that thought, he too made his way inside; Raven had a lot on his plate to take care of tonight. An agitated wife and two energetic preteens was only the start; he also had to put in motion the beginnings of his plan to liberate Soulbreaker from the developing warzone at Rhodes.

And that started with a call to a God.