You realize that you weren't a "sidekick", you were a "side-chick". And you decide on... !

You really have no idea how to respond to this. Your knowledge of heroes has, once again, proven to be a lot less encyclopedic than you had thought, or else you might have realized that Mistress Wonderful isn't just married, she's been married long enough to have a kid that looks at least thirteen. Suddenly you wish you were wearing a more modest costume, when you realize the kid is staring at you.

"Uhh, this is important, sensitive business so..." you say, flicking your eyes.

"Oh! Yeah, I understand. Nice to meet you, Miss." And with that, the young lad disappears around the corner, going off to his room.

But the man with close-cropped blonde hair doesn't disappear. He smiles politely.

"I'm... they call me 'Eager Beaver'." you say. You never thought you'd have to introduce yourself to a man only after you'd made a habit out of taking unprotected rides on his wife's massive, throbbing cock.

"Ah, yes." his eyes light up with recognition. "Fast Hans's new sidekick! Molly's mentioned you a few times. She says you show a huge amount of promise. I hope you appreciate the privilege of having her take so much time mentoring you, like she has been. Our team, The Three Wonders - ah, that's me, Molly, and my sister - may not have as high of a profile as some, but that's because we work proactively to prevent disasters. I coined the term 'Prophylaxis Protocol'. My sentient supercomputer, 'Rob-N-G', is able to assess probabilities with such incredible accuracy that it's almost like predicting - "

The sound of Molly's husband rambling fades to a dull murmur in your ears as you desperately try to puzzle out how to get away from him, and try to put the feeling of guilt out of your mind.

You'd always looked down on homewreckers. Heroines being promiscuous is something you'd made your peace with. But the ones who semi-publicly bragged about barging into somebody else's relationship, taking what they want, and then leaving (such as a certain black-winged member of the Big 7) always made you bristle. Everyone would call a hero or heroine who used their powers to rob a bank a supervillian, so why overlook robbing someone else of their partner's loyalty?

And now, you are one. You have a tiny, ticking time-bomb in your womb set to blow this poor guy's happy family to smithereens. And yet... no. No! This isn't your fault! Mistress Wonderful had every opportunity to at least tell you that she was married, let alone a parent, and she never did! And while her husband was none the wiser, she went WAY out of her way to knock you up! There is no way she can explain this!

WHUMP! WHUMP! The man in front of you stops speaking as your bionic tail starts pounding the floor behind you, and stares in concern.

"Oh. Sorry." you apologize meekly. "This tail... it has a mind of its own, sometimes!"

"No, no, I was wasting time. I realize there's a crisis. I've gotten so used to crises, I suppose I don't treat them with the urgency I should." he extends his palm. Not seeing any way out, you grasp it, and shake his hand.

"I'm Mr. Forcefield. No need to explain my abilities, right? It's all there in the name." he chuckles. "Hmm, she usually doesn't take this long... Molly! It's Eager Beaver! She says there's a crisis! If you're feeling a bit stretched too thin right now..." he looks over at you and winks, worried that you wouldn't catch his corny joke, "...I can help her take care of whatever it is."

But you don't need to wait long. The beautiful, buxom, bronze-skinned bombshell who put a bun in your oven strolls out into the living room of her family quarters. She is smiling, but looks a little off her guard. "Rachel! So good to see you but I'm afraid I'd made a promise to Sean here..."

"It's no problem!" the man says, stepping out from between you and Molly. "Ben and I could go on our own. Or we can always reschedule."

"Yeah, uh," you pipe up, clearing your throat. "Mistress Wonderful, I'm sorry, but this really, really can't wait. It's potentially world-shattering." You put the palm of one of your hands on your flat, perfectly-toned-but-not-for-long stomach.

If Molly understands your gesture she doesn't show any sign of it. "I suppose I'll have to get it wrapped up quick, then. You go finish getting ready, darling. I'll see if maybe I can refer her to a more appropriate super-team to help. Oh, and Hans! I can see you lurking out there! Please, come on in. Rachel is your sidekick, after all!"

A sheepish Fast Hans shuffles in, hands in the pockets of his kung-fu uniform thing.

"Alright then!" Mr. Forcefield says. "I'll leave you to it. No worries if you need to run off to handle things. You're not the only one who can be flexible, you know." He leans in and gives Molly a short kiss on the lips, then leaves in the same direction as his son.

No sooner is he out of the picture than Molly's arms extend to twice their normal length and grab you around your waist, pulling you into her embrace and bending down to plant another, much longer kiss on your lips. "Oh, so glad to see you again." she says with a honeyed voice. "I just couldn't find the time, between work and you-know-who. I was actually planning to get together again tomorrow... remember all of our 'fans'? They've been clamoring for -"

"I'm pregnant." you awkwardly **** out the word.

What follows is the awkward silence to end all awkward silences. Right now, Mistress Wonderful doesn't have a penis, as her form-fitting outfit clearly shows. But her nipples visibly get stiffer, and she squeezes her legs together a bit tighter. "That's... oh my goodness. I never thought-"

"Oh no. No. Don't even try to play that card." you say, exhibiting a firmness you'd never managed before with Molly (back when it might've done you some good). "You thought so much about it! And said so much! Ever since our first time together when that condom 'acccidentally'," you form air quotes with your fingers, "broke. You organized a whole online stream so your pervy fans could watch you shooting buckets of cum into me!"

"Ach..." Fast Hans grits his teeth. "I hope those rooms are soundproofed, Mistress Wonderful."

"They are, shush now." she hisses at him. "Rachel... what I'm trying to say is that I had no idea it was possible. I mean... genetically. It shouldn't be. I thought it was just a thrilling game we were playing. I'd... played around with willing women before. Yes, I get a thrill thinking about it, I won't lie. But it never happened before. I thought we were just roleplaying. I mean, I'd already given birth to a son, I thought surely that meant we were safe-"

"I don't believe you." you say with a frown. "I looked this up on the internet. Even without superpowers involved there are men with only X chromosomes. And WITH superpowers... I mean, everyone's heard of that one supervillain who went around switching people's genders. I asked around the records department earlier, and half a dozen superheroines who were originally male before they met that girl... guy... whatever, have gotten pregnant and given birth to kids over the past several years. And that's almost half of all the formerly-male League members who got gender-swapped! You absolutely knew this could happen!"

Infuriatingly, Molly's response is a smug little giggle. "Maybe I did suspect. But Rachel, haven't you ever done something you knew was wrong? Sometimes doing the wrong thing can just feel so right. And is it really so wrong? Surely you wanted a child of your own, eventually? Trust me, sweetie - being a mother is very rewarding. You won't regret it."

Your jaw drops open in shock. You were expecting a bit more contrition than this, but after a weak attempt at denial, Molly seems nothing but proud of herself for knocking you up. She continues, stroking her hand over your exposed stomach. "The next generation of heroes has to come from somewhere, after all. My husband insisted on stopping after one, and, being 'Mister Forcefield', he is quite capable of ensuring that it stays that way, if you know what I mean. I'm one of the greatest heroines in the league. I and the rest of the Three Wonders may not get as much publicity as others but we've saved millions of lives around the world. Isn't it for the best that I leave more than one genetic legacy to the world? I think I deserve it. Don't you agree, Hans?"

"Ahhh... no comment." the martial artist chokes out awkwardly.

"So... so what?" you ask, your throat tightening. "you're just going to walk away from me? Unless I quit the League, I'm seriously going to have your baby! Are you just going to leave me to take care of it on my own?"

"No, of course not!" Molly coos, holding you tight and not letting you wriggle out of her grasp. "We'll be just like we are now. My husband Sean isn't one to go snooping. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Benny will be starting high school soon, and truthfully, he's always been closer to his father than to me. Maybe my fault. You see, I married him before I... knew what I really wanted."

"So leave him!" you say. "Do right by him, and me! It's pretty fucked up and I won't say this is what I wanted, but what's done is done, so we should... we should stay together! In a few years, it'll probably be legal for us to get married, even! If you don't want to stay with him, stop stringing him along and let him find somebody who does!"

Molly frowns. "...no. I can't do that to Benny, or to Sean. Just because 'it' isn't my favorite thing to do doesn't mean I'm being cold and never giving Sean any affection. He's perfectly happy right now. Being a heroine means prioritizing the needs of the many over the needs of the few, and doing the least harm possible. I'll still be with you, Rachel. I'll pay for everything and help however I can. We'll just have to be discreet about it, you see? Don't you worry... I'll be giving you plenty of loving. You'll be even sexier with a plump belly."

"Ahem..." Fast Hans clears his throat. "I know this is a private matter, but I must speak up. Frau Beaver, please consider this very carefully before you do anything rash." he glances meaningfully at the hallway Sean and Benny went down. "The Three Wonders are indispensible to the League of Propriety. They are only one step below the Big Seven themselves. I am sure Mistress Wonderful would never do such a thing, but - you should know that women have accused members of the highest level hero teams of leaving them holding a baby before. And not once has the League bureaucracy, or the civilian courts, ruled in their favor. I've been a hero for more than ten years, you know. I have seen it before. They give interviews, go on radio shows, make a big circus in the media... and then, a year later, it is all forgotten about. They have burned their bridges and find themselves quite alone, except for the souvenir their costumed lover left them with. And not only civilians. Have you ever heard of the former sidekicks Red Squire, or Fennc Fox, or Ladybug, or Bluebird?"

You have to admit that no, you've never heard of any of those sidekicks. Reading between the lines, it's becoming clearer why the League reacted so strongly to the mere implication that Fast Hans might've been responsible for impregnating his sidekick - you. It seems that irresponsible male heroes have given the League ample reason to be suspicious when a younger female sidekick of theirs gets a positive pregnancy test.

"So I'll just be your side-chick, and your baby mama, while you go on as if everything is normal?" you gasp, looking into Molly's eyes desperately.

Intentionally or not, Molly seems to misinterpret your emotions, because she smiles and kisses you again. "Yes, it will be exciting! Adventurous! And oh-so-very profitable. Do you know how much our first few streams pulled in? Imagine how much more it will be when my fans see you with a baby bump. All that money will be for you, darling. Our little beaver kit will want for nothing. And maybe, in a few years, after Benny is away at college, I'll feel Sean out and see if it's safe to gradually break the news to him. Maybe he won't mind. Maybe he will even want to watch me give our little bundle of joy a sibling."

By the way she rattles this off, it is abundantly clear that, contrary to her earlier denial, Mistress Wonderful has thought about all this quite extensively. She wants to have her cake and eat it too. No, not just wants - she thinks she's entitled to it.

You don't consider it for even half a second. Your decision is made so quickly that you don't tear up and cry. You don't even break eye contact with the voluptuous bronze-skinned shapeshifter holding you close to her. In a heroic display of willpower you never knew you had, you **** yourself to smile.

"I guess that's all I can ask for. I wouldn't want to blow up your happy family, Molly. Not when I could join it instead. Even if I can't tell the world just yet." you say, as sweetly as you can. "I was born to be a hero, and I can't give up now. And I did always want to have a baby someday. I just didn't think it would happen quite so soon. But things never go the way we plan, right?"

You gulp and look over your shoulder. "Hans, I know this will get in the way, but I still have a little while before I start showing. I want to keep up my training. And not just that. I want to help you, and Mistress Wonderful, however I can. I mean, even if I can't go getting in fights, there's always investigation and mission control that I can help with, right?"

Molly's lips split into a wide, toothy smile. She looks overjoyed. For his part, Fast Hans just looks relieved, and sighs as his tense shoulders relax. Molly begins smothering you with kisses.

"Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! Oh thank you Rachel, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me! I wish I could take you to bed and show you just how grateful I am. But I promised the boys that we would take a trip to Titan this weekend. You know, Titan... in orbit around Saturn? Did you know that several other planets in the solar system are inhabited? And they're such lovely people, too. Mostly. Except for... well, we don't talk about him. Anyway, I would offer to take you with us, but the people living on Titan are all telepathic, so I can't give them any reason to pry..."

"Mistress," Fast Hans says with a chuckle and a shake of his head, "I think Frau Beaver has had enough shocks for one day. Perhaps we should wait for another time before we tell her too much about humanity's extraterrestrial cousins?"

You just nod dumbly. In your mind, the decision has already been made.

Mistress Wonderful and Fast Hans won't get away with this. You're going to destroy both of them. Their career, their reputation, and yes, Molly's pernicious illusion of a happy family. You're going to make them come crawling to you on their hands and knees to help them out of the mess they've gotten themselves in. And you know they will get themselves in such a mess because you're going to make sure of it. Their selfishness, their arrogance, their condescension towards you, and their perverted lust - you're going to use it all against them.

And no one innocent will get hurt. Just like there are plenty of naive young heroines being taken advantage of, there are even more careless newbie villainesses cropping up every year. You remember Fast Hans's vow in front of Whole Glory quite clearly. And you won't need to burn your bridges with Molly if someone else does it for you.

Oh yes. You are going to be a busy little beaver over the next few weeks. Some day the consequences that Molly thought she was safe from are going to come flooding out, like a dam suddenly bursting. And as she's engulfed in those proverbial floodwaters, and looks to you, her little plaything, begging for rescue, you will look down on her and her mewling martial-arts lackey, and whisper...

"Maybe."