Formation of the Dominion: Chapter 3 – The Worried and Wanting

Chapter 3 – The Worried and Wanting

I sit and eat with Darcy Severe in one of Meridian's many upscale restaurants owned by the Affare family. Viewing the city from this height lets me see every side, its luxurious center with modern and historic buildings, as well as the poorer areas in the distance that are being rebuilt and modernized. Darcy brought me here because not much has happened since Timeo, her husband, handed her the reins over the Meridian office of the Dominion, his and John’s hero association, and she thought it would be good for us to have a girls' night out, just the two of us, to relax and gather our thoughts.

Suddenly, after so much small talk about current events, Darcy says, “How are you feeling, Deborah?”

“Fine, I guess. Why?” I ask.

“You seem different after coming to Meridian. Why’s that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m wondering how my son’s doing.”

“He’s probably having the time of his life, playing with my parents and kids. I’m sure if we don’t go back to spending more time with them, then they’ll love their grandparents more than us.”

“Could be.”

Darcy looks at me as if digging for information in my mind. “What’s really bothering you?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.”

“Deborah, please, I know when I see that someone is distressed and bothered by something. My husband can’t hide it from me, and you sure aren’t as slick as he is. What’s bothering you?”

I sigh and say, “I really don’t know. I feel useless here. Like I don’t belong.”

“Deborah, you’re the furthest thing from useless.”

“I know, and that’s why I say that nothing is wrong.”

“But you still feel like you don’t belong here? Why’s that? Didn’t that agency recently alter your acidic powers can heal and hurt now?”

“Yeah, it’s about time they fixed and made it do what they were originally meant to do, and I’m thankful for your husband allowing me to heal people at one of his hospitals, but I still feel like I’m not doing enough.”

“Why’s that? You’re doing so much as is.”

“In comparison to you, Timeo, and John, I’m just doing the bare necessities. Timeo does all the planning, John is a hero people look up to and never backs down from any challenge, and you can run this entire city without me.”

“Don’t compare yourself to us. It’s not good for you. Your role in helping people is invaluable. I’m sure if you talked to the people you helped, they’d say the same.”

“Yeah. John says the same. Ever since he started running the Dominion with Timeo, I feel like a distance has formed between us, as if there wasn’t already one to begin with. He’s saved me from myself, given me the life I’ve always wanted, and been a hero people aspire to be. Part of me feels like my story is complete and I’m just meandering around like a piece of the scenery, rather than an active participant.”

“Timeo and John trusted you to be with me as my protector. Doesn’t that say a lot about their trust in you and your abilities?”

“As if you don’t have dozens upon dozens of protectors from the Dominion and your family. I’m just another bodyguard and medic.”

“Don’t talk like that, Deborah. Come on, we have lots more stuff to do today. You’ll feel better and your mindset will improve after it.”

“Hopefully.”

Deborah brings me to one of her family-owned art museums and a shopping market that she likes. During our time at both locations, she talks about family, her job, and how she manages it all. She especially talks about leaving a legacy, her children, and then goes into uncomfortable detail about the things she wears and does to get Timeo to sleep with her and make more children, and asks me what I do to do the same.

“Uh,” I say with a red face, trying to choose my words carefully. “I don’t need to do anything. John initiates it without me, and I, uh, go along with it. He actually wants to try to have a second child when we’re together again.”

“Ah! I want Timeo to be that way, even though I don’t mind teasing and making him fulfill my desires. How does he make you feel?” she says.

“When I’m around him, I feel complete. Like I’m where I’m meant to be simply by being by his side.”

“That’s sweet, but I mean-”

“I’d rather not talk about that.”

Darcy disagrees and talks about how she feels with Timeo and other personal details I don’t need to know and try to ignore as best I can. When I look at Darcy’s eyes, I see a woman madly in love. Her appearance is that of an ideal fashion model, the epitome of what a mother and wife should look like and be, whereas I am pale and wear basic dark gold and black clothes and skirts. Darcy tries to make me look like her and touch up my face with colors other than the usual black makeup I wear. I feel like I’m a girl’s fashion toy with her as she tries her best to make me feel better, and she seems to know that it isn’t working.

“Ah! I have an idea,” Darcy says.

She drags me off to the church that her family frequents. There, they’re having adoration with people sitting and kneeling in silence. This is the thing that calms me the most, probably because it’s one of John’s favorite things to do, since it’s the source of his powers and joy. Being here almost feels like being with him, that living saint, a man I don’t feel worthy of having the affection of. Still, he chose me and God brought us together, so the very least I can do is try to be the best wife and mother I can be.

After some time in silence, we leave the church. Darcy examines my face, smiles, and says, “I knew that would help.”

“Yeah. Thank you for the wonderful day out, Darcy,” I say.

“Anytime. Now, let’s get home before my parents spoil our kids more.”

When Darcy and I head back to her house, we find it surprisingly quiet. Her parents say that the kids were just put in bed, and dinner is ready for us. Timeo’s apprentices, Kane, Raziel, and Polina, are close behind us and enter in, all tired from the fighting and investigating criminals they’ve been doing for the Dominion. They talk about what they’ve been doing over dinner, and I can’t help but wonder if I can’t do the same as they, while also being by Darcy’s side. It’s then that I also think about John’s sister, Idelle. She has a habit of overthinking things and feeling less than, kind of like I do, so maybe I should call her soon and ask her for advice, assuming she's busy on an assignment for the Dominion or agency.

I give her a call after helping with the cleanup from dinner and ask her, “What’s John been having you do?”

“Nothing besides hero work in Solis, and helping out the agency and keeping an eye on them. Why?” Idelle asks.

“It’s nothing. Eh, actually, call me needy, but I feel like I need to be around John to have purpose.”

“I feel the same. As his older sister, I feel like I should be watching over him more, but he’s more than fine by himself, especially with Timeo around him. He trusts me with the objectives he’s given me, so I can only do my best with that, and be there for him if he gets in trouble.”

“Knowing him, it’s likely that we won’t have to wait long for that.”

“Haha, yeah, you’re right.”

I say good night and goodbye to Idelle before hanging up the phone and calling it a night. Checking up on my son, I see that he’s fast asleep. Still, I kiss him on the forehead and see him smile. That smile of his fills my heart with joy and a feeling of completeness. As long as I see that smile, everything I’ve gone through and will go through feels worth it. The next day comes, and it looks to be another day at the office. That is, until Kane stops by us, tells us that’s all hands on deck, and we should get to safety. Even though Darcy goes with what he says, I want to help and be in the fight for once.

“They’re targeting members and supporters of the Dominion, meaning people like you,” Kane explains. “They’re villains trying to take the glory of bringing it down because of its status as the main protectors of the city.”

“I’m fine with my protectors in this office. Deborah, go do what you feel your calling is,” Darcy says.

“Thank you,” I say.

Kane reluctantly allows me to follow him into the action. When we head outside, we find our allies, heroes, and the police fighting villains who are all wearing face masks with a carving of an S on it, making it easy for me to tell who is friend and foe. With my left hand, I melt our attacker and their robots to mush and rush to the aid of the injured, and use my right hand to heal their wounds enough so they can run to safety. I use my attached claws to skewer and cut the heads off those who get too close and attack me more directly. During this fight, I defend and heal more than anything as Timeo’s apprentices try to take charge of this situation. I even find myself blocking attacks meant for others with my body to ensure that no one else gets hurt.

“Be careful, Deborah!” Polina says.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” I say in a half-truth as I heal myself. “It’s just my husband’s influence showing.”

Polina nods in acknowledgment and advances on our attackers to push them back. Before I know it, the fight is over and the day is saved; however, Raziel mentions the inside of the office being breached. I run off to make sure Darcy is okay and fight my way through the attackers to find her. To no one’s surprise, she’s fine with the dead and injured enemies at her feet and her protectors standing by her side.

“I told you I’d be fine,” Darcy says with a smile.

I smile back at her and then help the others clean up any remaining attackers. The heroes and vigilantes of the Dominion help the police lock up the attackers who still live and properly care for the bodies of those who died. A few hours pass, and it’s like nothing happened as we go back to business and continue with our day.

When I ask Darcy about how strange it is, she says, “We can’t allow attacks and setbacks to stop us from continuing with our work. You’ll get used to it after a while.”

More time passes during the day, and I begin to wonder about the people who attacked us, their motives, and if they have allies or more people who will come after us, and if there’s a way to stop them. Knowing that Timeo’s apprentices are investigating this, and they tell Darcy everything, I ask her about what they found after dinner.

“Whether they were a one-off, no-name group of criminals or part of a larger syndicate doesn’t matter to us. I trust that my sons and Polina will take care of it,” Darcy says.

I’m still not used to the fact that Darcy adopted Kane and Raziel, two young adult men, into her family since she’s crazy about having more sons. I have to regain my thoughts away from it before saying, “Is there anything we can do to help them?”

“Besides, praying and giving them our help when they ask for it, there’s nothing I can think of. Don’t worry about them. You did everything you could to help them today and more by helping the injured and pushing back our attackers.”

I reflect again on today’s events and have to agree.

“Thank you, Darcy, for everything. You helped me be more comfortable with my God-given role.”

“You’re welcome. As the wives of the world's greatest heroes and mothers of their children, we need to help lift one another up. It might not seem like it, but your help and presence here have been irreplaceable.”

I smile, look at Meridian in the distance, and then at my son, whom I hold in my arms. He smiles at me and giggles, bringing a smile to my face and a feeling of completeness and satisfaction. This must be what John feels every single day: an endearing hope that makes each day feel like it was worth living, despite any challenges along the way. In the silence of my thoughts and prayers, I renew my promise to be a faithful servant of God, the best possible wife to John, and the most loving mother to my son and future children.