Chapter 40: New Housemates 

"Good, Almost there!"

"Ah! I can't! It's too much!"

"I know it's hard, but keep going!"

Harvey looked on as Wanda pushed her powers to their limits. Her face was covered in sweat as she grimaced at the exertion. They were currently dressed in light workout clothes as they trained in his backyard. Plenty of trees covered them, so he didn't worry too much about being spotted by his neighbors.

Smiling proudly as she hovered a foot above the ground, Harvey couldn't believe the rate at which she was improving. They've been trying to get her to use her magic on herself for the past half an hour. Sure, she could make things float, but what about herself? Wanda was so flabbergasted that she hadn't thought of that herself.

"Okay, I think that's enough for today." Harvey told her with a thumbs up.

Wanda nodded and released her magic. However, she was unprepared for the feeling of complete exhaustion to hit her; she closed her eyes as she collapsed onto the ground. 

"Easy, I gotcha." 

Harvey said as he caught Wanda in his arms. She rested on his chest as she took deep breaths to steady her beating heart. Harvey just held her as she rested; she deserved it. 

"Good work today. You made it a whole foot above the ground." Harvey said as he helped her stand. "A huge jump from yesterday's eight inches."

"Hah.. hah… I'm getting better." Wanda smiled weakly. "This is working."

"Of course, it's all thanks to your hard work." Harvey nodded at her. She was finally able to stand on her own two feet. "Here, have some water." 

Wanda nodded and accepted the bottle from his hand. Opening the cap, she took a few big gulps to satisfy her thirst. Harvey stared at the few stray drops of water slip down her jaw and into her cleavage. Harvey's eyes widened, and he turned around and rubbed the back of his head.

"I-I think we should head inside and get washed up." Harvey said. "Plus, whatever you were cooking smells amazing. I can't wait to try it."

"Really? It's one of my mother's best dishes, one of my favorites." Wanda said with a small, sad smile.

Harvey turned to her, his earlier embarrassment forgotten. Smiling at her, Harvey grabbed her shoulder and squeezed.

"I'm excited to try it then."

•••

"Wanda… no, you can't do this to me!" 

Pietro said as he stared at his sister in fear. Wanda looked at her brother with apathetic eyes as they glowed red.

"I'm sorry, brother. But I have to do this." Wanda said as she lifted her arm menacingly.

"Don't! It's not too late! Just leave Harvey; we can still work this out." Pietro yelled as he looked over to Harvey. 

"Sorry, Pietro, your sister and I are in this together." Harvey said from behind his joined hands.

"Please…" Pietro begged.

"…plus two." Wanda said as she laid down a red plus two card on a small pile of cards. Harvey then followed behind her and placed down his own card.

"Plus two, go on, Pietro. Eat up."

Harvey said with a laugh as the speedster growled. Pietro then drew four cards from the deck and brought them to his large stack of cards. Wanda giggled as she looked at her brother's reaction.

"Maybe this will teach you not to eat tomorrow's leftovers." Wanda smiled as she looked down at her cards; she had four left.

"Never, I'm incapable of not finishing your chicken paprikash!" Pietro declared stubbornly as he looked down at the twenty cards in his hands.

"I get where he's coming from. It was amazing, Wanda." Harvey said as he drank some of the hot chocolate he made for everyone. He smiled at the seven cards in his hand.

"I'll be sure to cook it every week then." Wanda smiled as she also took a sip of her chocolate beverage.

"This is cheating. I demand we start over. No alliances this time." Pietro grumbled as he finished his drink. "Harvey, is there any more left?"

"That's your fourth cup, Pietro…"

"I'll take that as a no, then."

The three played Uno for another hour, with the winner constantly being Wanda. Everyone agreed to go and watch a movie before they turned in for the night. Harvey was scrolling through the options as the twins gave their opinions on the available titles Netflix had to offer.

"What about that one?" Pietro asked as he threw a popcorn kernel up, catching it in his mouth.

"It looks interesting." Wanda said as she stared at the title. "The Notebook? What's that about?"

"How about we just watch it blind? I think it's more enjoyable to be surprised by what a movie has to offer." Harvey suggested.

The twins agreed, not having any real reason for disagreeing. After all, they didn't spend much time watching movies. So it didn't matter which one they watched. Harvey nodded and clicked play, and the three sat back and watched the movie. 

Pietro realized he made a mistake in choosing a romantic movie but stayed quiet as he noticed his sister deeply engrossed in the movie.

Harvey appreciated the film's writing and the feelings it brought up in its viewers. But as he watched the ending between the two leads, he couldn't help but wonder if he would find someone he couldn't live without. His other half, someone to love.

Harvey decided not to stress over that; after all, he was still young and would have plenty of opportunities to find a romantic partner. Harvey's mind flashed to Alex; he remembered her smiles and the way she laughed. Shaking his head, Harvey felt confused; what was that? Could he…

"That was an excellent movie." Wanda said happily as she watched the credits roll. "I couldn't help but tear up at the end."

"I think I was tearing up, too, when I yawned." Pietro said in an even tone. That was rewarded by having a pillow thrown at his face by his sister.

"It wasn't that bad, Pietro. I guess you're not that big of the romance genre." Harvey said as he turned off the television.

"I think it's time we turn in for the night." Wanda said, looking at the clock. "It's pretty late."

Harvey nodded, and the three stood up to head to their bedrooms. Considering his house had four rooms, Harvey gave each twin a bedroom of their own. That way, they would have their own privacy; Wanda assured him that she and her brother could share so they didn't take up much space. But Harvey wasn't having that. After a quick conversation, they all agreed they would have their own spaces. 

As Harvey finished dressing himself in his vigilante outfit sans the combat boots, he headed downstairs to his garage. On his way, Wanda stopped him; she was dressed in her sleeping clothes: an oversized shirt and shorts. She turned to him with a concerned look.

"Are you going out again?" Wanda asked. Harvey nodded but stayed silent. "Aren't you tired? Shouldn't you get some sleep?"

"I don't get tired so easily, and I only need two hours of sleep to be okay." Harvey explained. "Wanda, I'll be fine. I have to do this."

Wanda nodded and turned away from him. When he told the twins what he did at night back in New York, they looked at him like he was crazy. After all, Harvey was only a year younger than them, but he was already a famous vigilante in LA. Add to the fact that the Ghost Rider was now a well-known figure thanks to his appearances when he fought the fallen angel, Zadkiel. And his fight against the out-of-control Hammer Drones.

Although Ghost Rider's reputation isn't as positive as Iron Man's, much of the public agrees that he's trying to do what's right, at the same time, the other half continues to call him an out-of-control monster due to his hellish appearance.

"…you can rest for one night." Wanda whispers. "Right?"

Harvey smiled but shook his head. Even now, he feels the call of the city. Several people out there needed his help to avenge their deaths. It didn't help that he started to venture further out of LA to perform his duties. With his speed as the Ghost Rider, he could effectively travel to the other side of the country in ten minutes. Making it an easy task to travel the country to punish the corrupt and evil.

"I can't." Harvey said. "Thank you, Wanda. For looking out for me." 

Wanda nodded and started heading back to her room. After a few steps, she stopped and turned to him. "Call us if you need help. We're teammates. Remember?"

Harvey smiled and nodded. He told her he would if he ever got himself into a situation he couldn't handle. Satisfied with his answer, she smiled and wished him goodnight. Once Wanda was out of sight, Harvey walked to the garage, where his trusty black motorcycle waited. The engine was already running.

"Let's ride."

•••

"Alex."

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever get worried? About Harvey?"

Haley asked as she and Alex sat on her bed. Alex was working on some secret project she told her about, and Haley was studying for an upcoming test. They started doing this together some nights, just being together in her basement bedroom and working on their own things in each other's company.

"You mean when he goes out at night?" Alex said as she stopped drawing. "Sometimes… but I know just how strong he is. Do you remember how easily he took out all those drones back at the expo?"

Haley nodded and remembered watching those videos taken by a few of the remaining audience members of the presentation. Apparently, they decided it was a good idea to hang around and record the battle. Haley thought they were pretty stupid, but if they didn't, she wouldn't have been able to see how powerful Harvey was when he became that skull monster.

"Yeah, I do. What did he call that transformation of his? Ghost something?" Haley asked.

"The Ghost Rider." Alex confirmed. "When he becomes that, he's practically untouchable. I seriously doubt any normal person can hurt him when he's like that."

"What about that fallen angel back at the mall?"

Haley said as Alex's eyes widened. It was true; she remembered that Harvey was getting knocked around by that fallen angel during that fight. It seemed pretty strong, and if that one existed, then maybe there were more. What if they all teamed up and decided to attack Harvey together? Would he lose?

"You're right… but I believe in Harvey. I'm sure that he'll always win." Alex whispered. "He has to."

Haley nodded and closed her eyes. A deep sense of guilt weighed heavily in her. Looking over to Alex, Haley saw she returned to work on her project. Haley wanted to tell her sister that she, too, has developed feelings for Harvey. But she was scared that Alex would end up hating her. Haley wasn't sure if she could handle that. After all, Haley loved her family more than anything. So, could she really hurt Alex to pursue her own feelings?

'Every time I think I've made up my mind, it just changes again…' Haley thought.

Looking up at the ceiling, Haley couldn't help but wonder what the object of her affections was doing.

•••

CRASH

"That's far enough mortal! There's no need for you to travel any further to meet your destiny!"

The Ghost Rider looked up from the car he had just been thrown into. Standing up, he walked away from the totaled vehicle and stared at his opponent.

"Master Blackheart has sent me! An elite demon who stands on top of his ranks in hell!" The demon spoke arrogantly.

He was tall and was covered in muscles. His orange, scaly skin covered him from head to toe. On his face was one large red eye that rested on the middle of his head with two large pointed ears on the sides. A row of sharp teeth lined his mouth, and a pair of long orange whiskers hung off his cheeks. He was dressed lightly in dark armor that covered his waist and chest. Lastly, he wore a pair of dark green boots on his feet.

"For I am Inferno, the fear-monger!" Inferno declared as he held his arms up menacingly.

"You done?" Ghost Rider asked.

"You insolent lower life form!" Inferno raged. "I'll be sure to beat you down and drag you to my liege!"

"Go ahead and try."