21 Spell Cake

Hilary and Derek were silently eating dinner at home when the doorbell rang.

"I don't remember us expecting any company." Derek went to answer the door and saw it was Jack. "Sheriff Swan. What are you doing here?"

"Hilary invited me."

"Do you really think I'd allow you into my house for dinner after all the threats you made to my family?"

"I didn't come for dinner."

"Then what did you come for?"

"You." Confused, Derek looked behind him into the kitchen, but Hilary wasn't there. "We all did." He turned back to Jack, where Felix, Laura Reed, Michelle, Clark, Ellen, and Bart had gathered behind him.

Derek backed away and turned around to retreat into the house, when he saw Hilary standing at the top of the stairs, holding a noose at the top of the stairs. "Hilary." He said, scared.

The next thing Derek knew, he was imprisoned in his island base's containment unit. His arms and legs were restrained by suspension beams. "No. No. Let me go. I command it!"

A vigilante mob watched, comprised of the crowd at the door, plus others.

"After everything you've done to us?!" Michelle shouted.

"Who's the weaker species now?!" Felix hollered.

"You ain't a super anymore, Mister!" Bart pressed a button on the control panel, which sent a jolt of electricity through Derek's body.

"More! He needs to feel our pain!" Ellen shouted.

"You took our love and ripped it apart!" Laura Reed cried.

"And now you're gonna pay!" added Clark.

Bart turned up the intensity and pressed the button again.

Derek screamed as a stronger jolt of electricity went through him. "I just... wanted to win... for once."

Jack grabbed Derek by the throat. "You took away our happiness, and it's our turn to take away yours." He let go and approached the crowd. Michelle pulled out a sword and gave it to him.

"Hilary. Hilary, please don't let them do this to me." Derek pleaded.

"You did this to yourself." She said, coldly.

Wielding the sword, Jack aimed for Derek and swung. Before the sword hit him, Derek jolted awake, gasping. He quickly got out of bed and went to check on Hilary. Inside her room, he saw her underneath the blanket. Satisfied, he headed back to bed, not realizing it was really propped-up pillows and a flashlight.

---------

Jack was still driving with Hilary along the road that led out of town.

She looked in the backseat. "Is that all your stuff?"

"All I need."

"Wait. You wanna go now? We're leaving now?"

"Uh-huh. I'm getting you out of here, away from all this, away from him."

"No. No. stop the car. You can't leave Pixfare. You have to break the curse."

"No, I don't. I have to help you."

"But you're a hero. You can't run. You have to help everybody."

"Hilary, I know it's hard for you to see it, but I'm just doing what's best for you. That's what you wanted when you brought me to Pixfare."

"But the curse-- You're the only chance to bring back the happy endings."

"Hilary." She spotted a 'Leaving Pixfare' sign. Suddenly, she reached over and grabbed the wheel, making the car spin out of control. "Hilary!" It stopped on the side of the road. "Hilary! What were you doing?! You could've gotten us killed!"

"Please! Please don't make me go! We can't go!" She pleaded. "Everything's here-- me, your parents, your family. Please, Jack. They need you. Your family needs you."

---------

The next morning, Derek went into his lab, but he couldn't get any of his tech to work.

--

Ms. Wood was behind the counter in her shop when Derek entered. "Syndrome. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"My tech doesn't work. Why?"

"Perhaps it's the batteries."

"You think this is funny? Well, I'll tell you what I think. I think it's a sign of the curse weakening because of Jack. But do you care? No. You're content to just sit back and do... whatever it is you're doing while all my hard work burns."

"That's not all, is it. Come on. You might as well get everything off your chest."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Derek scoffed.

"Hilary. Jack wants her."

"He'll have that girl over my dead body."

"The curse was meant to take away Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl's happiness. Perhaps you giving up Hilary is just the price to keep the curse unbroken."

"I think I'd rather just get rid of him."

"Well, well. You're going to have to be quite creative. We both know the repercussions of killing Jack."

"The curse will be broken." They said at the same time.

"That's because you designed it that way. Undo it."

"You know... even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Magic, well, is in short supply right here and dwindling by the minute."

Derek let out a small gasp. "You want the curse broken. Why?"

"That's not something I care to discuss."

"Don't bother. You can keep your reasons. I want to strike a new deal. One where I can get rid of Jack without shattering the curse."

"Unfortunately for you, a negotiation requires two interested parties, and I'm already planning a trip."

"I'll give you anything."

"Oh. You no longer have anything I want, dearie. But I will give you a piece of advice, free of charge-- I'd plan a trip of your own, because once people wake up and remember who you are and what you did to them?" She chuckled. "They're going to be looking for blood."

---------

A bell rang and several kids chased each other through the schoolyard, dashing inside. Derek stepped up to a row of bikes and placed a "Monster" card on one with a license plate labeled "Mary."

---------

In the kitchen, Laura Reed poured a glass of juice when Jack entered. "Oh. Thought you'd left."

"Laura Reed--"

"But I couldn't tell for sure because you didn't bother to say goodbye. You remember when Clark left? When he ran? What did you say to him? You said, we have to stick together. That we're like... family."

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left."

"You're right. You shouldn't have. So why, after everything, did you just go?"

"I don't wanna be Sheriff. I don't want people relying on me. I don't want this, any of it."

"What about Hilary?"

"I took her with me."

"You abducted her." Laura Reed looked at him, shocked and crossed her arms.

"Maybe."

"So you don't want people to rely on you, but you took your daughter? Now that sounds like a stable home for her. What is wrong with you?"

"I want what's best for her."

"And running is what's best for her? Or is that what's best for you? You're reverting, Jack, into the person you were before you got here, and I thought you'd changed."

"You thought wrong."

"Well, regardless, you have to do what's right for Hilary now."

"What's that?"

"Oh, I don't know. You're her father. That's your job. So you figure it out."

---------

Derek stared out a window of his office when Randy entered, holding the monster card. He turned around. "Randy. So you got my message."

"How could I miss it? You know I watch her."

Derek crossed the room to pour some drinks. "It must be painful, that kid being oh, so near?"

"What do you want?"

"Your help."

"And what makes you think I won't kill you after everything you've done?"

"Because you don't have it in you. If you did, you would have done it 28 years ago, when I brought you here. Because you know if I'm dead, you'll never get the kid." He offered Randy a drink. "And I have a way for us to both get what we want." Randy placed the card inside the cup instead of taking it. Derek crossed the room, set down the cup, took out a door, and then set it against the wall with a triumphant look at Randy.

"That's one of our doors."

"I want you to use it again."

"I can't make it work. No one can. Not here, not without power."

"Well, then you're in luck, because I happen to have some. Not a lot... but hopefully, enough... for one last journey."

"Where?"

"Back to our world, where there's a solution to a very delicate problem I have-- how to get rid of the one person who could break my curse."

"Jack." Randy smiled. "And why shouldn't I let him do just that? End this monstrosity and go home."

Derek scoffed. "To your old scaring job? Living under Sullivan's shadow? Why? You can just stay here in the mansion I gave you." Derek sighed and walked past him. "My problem, Randy, is the same as yours. We both want a kid for ourselves, and we both can get them if we work together."

"Why should I trust you now?"

"You shouldn't. But it's the only offer you've got. After we're through, I'll wake up the kid so she remembers who you are."

"No. Remembering is the worst curse-- two lives in your head. I want to forget. I want you to write us a new story, a fresh start, here."

"Well, then, that's exactly what you'll have." Derek crossed the room again. "Oh. After we take care of Jack."

---------

Hilary supersped through a hallway of the inn to door number two. She knocked on the door.

"Hang on." Kelly's voice came from behind the door. She opened the door and Hilary stepped into the room.

"Kelly, please, I need your help. Jack wants to leave."

"What? Slow down."

"You were gonna make him believe. You have to."

"I know, Hilary. I'm sorry. I... I failed."

"Failed?"

"I tried to show him. First, it was my arms, and now... Now take a look... At the fowl truth." Kelly rolled up her jacket sleeve, revealing a feathered arm.

"Those are feathers."

"Yes."

"Uh... all this... I was right. The curse-- it's real!" Hilary cried.

"You're a smart kid."

"And you're Kevin."

"What gave it away?" Kelly rolled her sleeve back down.

"But why are you turning back into a bird?"

"I'm changing because... I hadn't exactly been good. And... well... if the curse doesn't break, this doesn't stop."

"So we show Jack that you're turning back into the bird you were, and then he has to believe, and when he does, he could break the curse."

"I tried that. He doesn't want to see, so he doesn't. There's nothing more that I can do. I-I'm getting tired. It's hard to ride and it's hard to walk. Soon it's gonna be hard to breathe."

"So we have to do something fast."

"But there's nothing to do. And with what little time I have left, I want to spend it with my friends."

"Carl and Russell."

"Told you you're a smart kid." She showed Hilary out the door.

"So, everyone's giving up."

"I'm afraid that I don't have a choice. I'm sorry, kid, but I'm out of Operation Cobra. Now, it's up to you." Hilary stepped out and Kelly shut the door.

---------

At the Diner, Jack sat across from Felix.

"Jack, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you don't have any case for custody."

"Even after everything he's done?"

"Which you can't prove. Let me ask you a question. With this war raging on, who really is getting hurt here?"

"I know. Hilary! But isn't it a good thing she's spending time with me? I'm her father."

"Yes, you are, and so is Derek. And look, the court is gonna come in and look at her and see how she's been since you've come into her life."

"And she's been happier, right?"

"Maybe. I mean, objectively? She's skipped school, she's stolen a credit card, she's run off, she--she's endangered herself, repeatedly. And so in the eyes of the law, it's not so--"

"What about in your eyes? What do you think?"

"I mean, a while ago, I told you to engage her in her fantasy life, and perhaps I was wrong because she's only retreated further into it."

"You think she's better off with him?"

"I've never said that."

"Do you think that he would ever hurt her?"

"No. Never. I mean, everyone else, but not her. Look, right or wrong, his actions have all been defensive. I'm not judging, but..." Felix sighed. "In many ways, your arrival has woke a sleeping bear."

"Tell me honestly. Has she been better off since I got here?"

"Oh. It's not a matter of better off. It's--it's a matter of this war has to end. If you two are going to be in her life, you have to figure out the best way to do that."

---------

Derek led Randy, who carried the door, down into his lab. "Watch your step".

"What is this place?"

"Where I've kept the last bit of power." Derek took a large canister from the shelf. "The only power in this world is in the things I brought with me."

Randy leaned the door against the wall. "You have a scream can! Why didn't you say so?"

Derek uncorked the can, and the sound of screams leaked out. The lights surged, and monitors crackled. He corked the can. They used Derek's tech to hook up the canister to the door. The light on top of the door came on. They both smiled.

"Yes. It worked. Now, what is it we're after?"

"A cake." Derek stepped through the door and into the Witch's cottage. He wandered around, looking. He then turned his head and saw a cake sitting on the table. He walked over to it, with a sinister grin, and picked it up.

Randy impatiently waited on the other side of the door. When Derek came back out, he noticed the cake in his hands. "Finally. Is that it?"

"Yes, it is." Derek smiled smugly.

"And the kid?"

"First things first. The deal's not done, not until I solve the next problem-- How to get the savior to taste my treat."

---------

Jack walked up the front steps of Derek's house and rang the doorbell. Derek answered the door.

"We need to talk."

"Yes, I'm sure we do. I was just about to call you, too. Come in." Jack crossed the threshold and into the house. "Do what you're so skilled at and make yourself at home. I believe you came to see me."

"Right. Look, this isn't easy. I think that this... whatever is between us needs to end."

"Finally, something we can agree on."

"I want to make a deal with you about Hilary."

"I'm not making any deals with you."

"I'm leaving town."

"What?"

"This... what we're doing is a problem, and I'm gonna go, but I have conditions. I still get to see Hilary. I get to visit and spend time, whatever."

"And you get to see her. You're still in her life."

"Look, in any deal, both parties are a little unhappy. But let's be honest. We both know the world where I'm not in her life no longer exists, and there's no one who can do anything about that."

"You're right. Would you mind following me for a moment?" They headed into the kitchen. "So what are you proposing?"

"I don't know. Just figure it out as we go."

"But she's my daughter."

"Yeah." Jack began to leave, but Derek stopped him.

"Oh, Jack? Maybe a little something for the road?" Derek took out a Tupperware container and gestured to the cake.

"Thanks."

"If we're going to be in each other's lives, it's time we start being cordial." Derek put the cake in a container. "My famous cakes. Old recipe. But delicious." He handed it to Jack.

"Thank you."

"I do hope you like blueberries."

Jack turned and left.

---------

Ms. Wood stood at the counter in her shop, writing in a ledger.

Derek soon entered. "I hope you bought travel insurance because no one's going anywhere."

"Oh, really? And why's that?"

"Because I found the solution to my Jack Swan problem."

"Oh, yes?"

"An old, reliable solution."

"A sleeping curse. Might I ask how you managed to obtain one here in Pixfare?"

"By sacrificing the last bit of power I had left."

"So you made magic from power. Well, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that, uh, magic has a price."

Derek leaned forward over the counter. "Then you can pay it. Because now the curse is gonna be stronger than ever, and you'll be right here, where you belong." Ms. Wood left the counter behind and stood by another counter. "Don't you understand? I won. So whatever plan you had... whatever reason you wanted the curse broken? too bad. Because it's never going to happen." Derek turned and walked out.

---------

Jack came down the stairs of the apartment and heard a knock at the door. He opened it to see Hilary.

"Hey, Jack. Is everything okay? You sounded strange over the walkie."

"Oh, um... no, I'm okay. Just, um... Yesterday when I tried to take you away, you were right. I can't take you out of Pixfare. But I can't stay either."

"What?"

"I have to go."

"Go? You mean leave Pixfare?"

"Yes. I talked to Derek, and we made a deal, I'm still gonna be able to see you, just not... every day."

"No! No, you can't trust him!"

"I have to. It's my only choice. It's best for you, Hilary. Every time I fight him, someone else gets hurt."

"No, no, no! You're just scared. This happens to all heroes. It's just the low moment before you fight back."

Jack got down to his knees. "Hilary! This isn't a story. This is reality. And things have to change. You can't skip school. You can't run away, and... you can't believe in curses."

"You really don't believe?"

"I... This is how it has to be right now. I made a deal, and I used my superpower. He's telling the truth. He's going to take really good care of you."

"Yes, but he wants you dead."

"Come on, Hilary!"

"You're the only one that can stop him."

Jack stood up. "Stop him from what? All he's ever done is fight for you. It just... got out of hand. I'm sorry." They hugged.

Hilary noticed the cake on the counter. "Where did you get that?"

"Derek gave it to me. So?"

"I've seen that cake before. You can't eat that. It's poison."

"What?"

"Don't you see? The deal-- It was all a trick, to get you to eat that, to get rid of the savior."

"Hilary, come on. Why would he do that when I just told him I was gonna go?"

"Because as long as you're alive, you're a threat to the curse."

"Hilary, you've got to stop thinking like this."

"But it's the truth! And you leaving isn't gonna change that." They both reached for the cake.

"I'll prove it to you."

"No!" She snatched the cake away and stepped back.

"Hilary... what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry it had to come to this. You may not believe in the curse... or in me. But I believe in you." She took a bite of the cake.

"See? You wanna have some ice cream with that? Then we can go back to talking about..." Hilary suddenly collapsed to the floor. "Hilary? Hilary? Hilary!"