#also i have jury duty i want to rip my hair out

[hongslice]

Even tho im on break finally i feel like i have no energy...and if i do one task the day is just over.. cry

[ask-de-writer]

KURIN’S FOLLY : World of Sea : Part 1 of 15

KURIN’S FOLLY

Part 1

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

23,699 words

© 2020 by Glen Ten-Eyck

writing begun  2006

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

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Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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Kurin looked bleakly out over the yellow gray rail of the Longin.  The water was as gray as the iron of legend.  The wind caught her white hair and blew it into fluttering wisps.  She wished that there really was something so tough and hard that it would cut anything known to man.  It would be so nice to be able to hack through all of her problems and let the pieces sink to the Dragons in the depths.

It was not to be.  Iron and all the other ‘metals’ (whatever they might have actually been) were only found in stories of ancient times, told for children.   Shell, bone, tooth, Strong Skin, glue and mussel fiber were the things of reality.  A Wide Wing soared overhead and, folding its wings, plunged down toward her.

Kurin did not even need to look up to know that High Cloud was coming.  She had felt the young Sea Hawk in the back of her mind from the day of his hatching. Unconsciously she braced herself.  Needlessly.  High Cloud flared his wings wide open, catching the air and settled to her shoulder gently, razor sharp claws adding a few more small rips to the padding that she always wore, strapped securely in place.

It was almost comic, the way that he balanced on Kurin’s shoulder and preened gently in the hair about her ear with a beak sharp enough to have sheared it off.  They were both upset by the change of ship, but the bird was trying to comfort her.  Kurin, with an effort, put aside the tears of her thirteen Gatherings old self and reached up to scratch High Cloud under a wing.  As she did, she felt the comfort flow between them along the invisible bond that joined girl and Hawk.

The bird had followed her from the Grandalor, the only home and rookery that it had ever known. That despised ship had been full of surprises for Kurin.

The Grandalor’s reputation had been a well earned.  It was an unsavory one of meanness, slovenly ship keeping and worse.  That ship had been the place of last resort for the scupper sweepings of the Naral Fleet.  What Kurin had found was entirely at odds with the vile repute.

Kurin had found a ship bound together by a unity and loyalty beyond anything else that she had ever known in the Naral Fleet.

True, they had needed Kurin’s help when they had taken her in.  There was, after all, a warrant for the death of the Grandalor’s officers and for the seizure of the ship itself.  

The warrant was illegal but nobody had paid attention to that detail until Kurin had heeded the Grandalor’s request for help.  Helping them had not been an easy decision.  The actual legal case been a difficult one.  In the end, defending the Grandalor had cost Kurin more than she had ever dreamed that it could.  She had been forced to give up her home ship, the Longin.

Now, as a result of the trial, she was the sole owner of the ship and a welcome member of the Grandalor’s crew.  Kurin was legally an adult, physically and, in many ways emotionally, still a child.  Captain Tanlin and her notorious husband Barad (once the Captain, himself) had allowed Kurin something precious.  They had given Kurin the space and support to do whatever she wanted with her brilliant and inventive mind.  They were also there to hug and care when that was her need.  Kurin had been included in the Grandalor’s unique loyalty, honest affection and surprising honor.  The Grandalor, against all expectation, had become the home that she had not really known since she was seven and her father died.

The Grandalor was barely hull down on the horizon and Kurin already missed them terribly.  The big three hundred foot square rigger’s sails could still be easily seen.  Going away.  Like so much else in her life.

The Great Sea Dragon, Blind Mecat, had taught Kurin an important truth.  Some things that went away, never stopped caring and would come back when they could.  The Grandalor would return for her.  But it still hurt to see them go. They were not like her father, who had died when she was seven, or her mother who had gone mad when he had died so young.  Her mother still never spoke to anyone and avoided Kurin absolutely.

The familiar, lateen rigged sails of the Longin caught the wind and filled with a rattle of tackle pulling taught and the gentle, solid thump of canvas being blown to shape but no other sound.  The tocsin drums relaying the Captain’s orders went almost unnoticed, so familiar were they.  They formed a background to Kurin’s unhappy brooding.

Coming aboard the Longin should have felt like coming home, after all, Kurin had spent almost all of her young life on this ship.  Instead, she was lost and utterly alone.

Kurin felt like just oozing out a scupper.  Regardless of her feelings, Kurin knew that she had not been abandoned.  She simply had a duty to fulfill to her very good best.  Captain Tanlin, Barad and most of the rest of the Grandalor’s crew cared.  High Cloud had followed her from the Grandalor without being asked.  She had not been abandoned.  She knew that the big bird cared. She could feel him in the back of her mind.

Kurin felt a dark sky overhead, even though the sun was shining.  It was a bird’s way of saying, “I worry.”  She could also feel a small fish flopping down her throat. That was High Cloud’s way of saying, “Will a fish help?”  Food was his favorite way of trying to help.  At least he had learned how to ask first.

Kurin, used to speaking her own thoughts aloud, said, “No, High Cloud, a fish won’t help.  Not this time.”  She scratched the big bird under its wing again.  She could feel his acceptance.  If he could not help her, he would take the scratching that she offered. He raised six feet of a complicated, folded wing to help her reach his favorite “itchy spot.”  If he had looked comic preening her ear, he now looked completely ridiculous.  Kurin laughed at his antics.  High Cloud had found a way to help, after all.

Sighing, Kurin looked about the deck to see if anybody was going to greet her.  Bron, the cabin boy, who had been one of her best pupils in the days before she was cast from the Longin, was approaching.  So too was Master Juris.  Kurin did not want to have another confrontation with her old Master of Boat Building.  It looked inevitable, though.  She reached for the waterproof leather document wallet in her shirt and got out two notes.

Big and solid, Master Juris stomped across the deck, a sneer on his face.  “Well, you finally deign to show your face.  It’s a wonder that you’re here at all, promises or no.”  Scorn wrinkled his brow right up onto his bald pate.

TO BE CONTINUED

NEXT==>

[doomednarrative]

Odd numbered questions

Since you didn’t give me a character, I answered them all for Rhys. (This is really really long so every question after the first is under a read more.)

1. What does their bedroom look like?

Post Helios crashing, all of the Handsome Jack posters have been removed and torn up. I like to think that Rhys has his own room in the Helios remains camp so that he can visit Vaughn and the others whenever he wants to, and I think this room would actually be kinda bare, if only because of the lack of resources available to decorate with. If they’re able to find any paint maybe he’d paint it the Altas colors since he’s now the Atlas CEO, but other than that there’s not much there besides a bed and nightstand and a closet for his clothes. (Later down the line in my vision for post game story, he basically just moves into Vaughn’s room and that’s a bit more decorated.)

3. Do they exercise, and if so, what do they do? How often?

Rhys is definitely Not the exercise type (despite Vaughn’s best effort to get his twig of a best friend/boyfriend to put on some muscle), but he’s at least taken to going on daily walks when he can either around the camp or outside of it for a bit. Keeps the fresh ideas flowing and at least keeps him on guard.

5. Cleanliness habits (personal, workspace, etc.)

It depends on his mental health most days honestly. For appearances alone if he’s got a day full of important CEO duties, he’ll always make the effort to get dressed up and look very presentable for the time that he’s at work. When he gets home tho, if it’s a bad mental health day, that all goes out the door when he steps foot in his room and can decompress. If he’s Really bad mentally, sometimes Vaughn has to step in and remind Rhys to do some things so he doesn’t fall into bad habits permanently.

7. Favorite way to waste time and feelings surrounding wasting time

I feel like Rhys is the type who would probably enjoy drawing in his spare time. He doesn’t get to do  it often since he’s a CEO with a lot of duties there and he likes hanging out with his friends a lot, but when he does get to, its more loose doodling and more often than not used as a stress relief. He might have some negative thoughts about wasting time when there’s more important things to do, but he also knows that sometimes he Has to separate himself from his work, both for his own mental health and because Vaughn or Fiona will Make Him take some time off if he won’t do it himself.

9. Makeup?

Considering I headcanon Rhys as trans, I’m gonna say that makeup isn’t really his thing. Though he has been known to wear just a bit of eyeliner from time to time when the mood strikes. (He sucks at applying it tho and asks Fiona to help him whenever he does wear it.)

11. Intellectual pursuits?

After pulling out all his cybernetics on his own and fucking up some stuff internally by doing so, Rhys started collecting as much reading material in any and all forms about cybernetics and how to build and maintain and install them as he could. He’s become a lot more knowledgeable about the topic since having to do so to save his own arm and eye, and he plans to use that knowledge to help out the people of Pandora later on in the future through the use of Atlas tech. (His own cybernetics still aren’t the best because he jury-rigged them in the beginning when he was kinda desperate and not at full mental capacity, and his fine motor control suffers because of this, but he’s constantly working on the tech to improve it. He’s no expert in the field, at least when it comes to self application, but he’s trying his best.)

13. Sexual Orientation? And, regardless of own orientation, thoughts on sexual orientation in general?

If he had to put a label on it, Rhys would probably say that he’s pansexual, leaning more towards men. In terms of what he thinks in general about orientations though? He really couldn’t give two shits. People are who they are and like who they like and he’s not one to judge for any of that. It’s honestly one of the furthest things from his mind a lot of the time.

15. Biggest and smallest short term goal?

(This one I actually don’t have an answer for, but when I think of one, I will post it.)

17. Preferred mode of dress and rituals surrounding dress

Rhys has two modes of dress: Fully suited kickass CEO, or oversized shirts with the sleeve possibly ripped off for his cybernetic arm with baggy sweatpants. He’s either at the top of his fashion game or he gives no two shits either way.

19. What do they think about before falling asleep at night?

Depends when you’re asking. Pre him and Vaughn getting together, probably about all the shit he regrets with Jack and Helios crashing and all the people he’s killed and horrible things he did in the name of his job on Hyperion. Post him and Vaughn getting together when they start sharing a room and sleeping in the same bed? He tries to focus more on the now, on being lucky that he’s still alive after Jack tried to kill him and that he still has his friends and that they’re here together.

21. Turn-ons? Turn-offs?

Honestly, people being nice to him and not calling him a dumbass is his major turn on. Turn offs is a longer list but the top of that list is people degrading him and only seeing him as a klutz and not someone they can take seriously.

23. How organized are they? How does this organization/disorganization manifest in their everyday life?

Rhys is chaotically organized, much to his friends and potential future employee’s dismay. I headcanon him as having ADHD, so some of it definitely comes from that. The other part though comes from the fact that he just has his own ways of doing things that don’t make sense to anyone except him (and sometimes Vaughn.) He’s never lost any important documents or the like, but he’s more prone to losing certain articles of clothing (except for his socks, he’s careful with those) and other more personal items. He can’t count the number of times he’s misplaced his stun baton when he really needed it.

25. How do they see themselves 5 years from today?

Married to Vaughn while being a successful CEO for Atlas and actually making decent strides at improving life on Pandora for All it’s inhabitants and basically doing the Opposite of what he would have been doing on Helios if he were still there.

27. What is their biggest regret?

He has a Lot of regrets that plague his conscious constantly for a long time, but plugging that goddamn ID Drive of Nakayama’s into his data port is one of the Biggest ones. So much shit wouldn’t have happened if he had never done that and hadn’t let Jack get deep into his systems.

29. Reaction to sudden extrapersonal disaster (eg The house is on fire! What do they do?)

Rhys is the one who runs around screaming (most times) until someone gives him instructions on what to do. He does have times though if he’s able to be level headed enough that he can make a solid plan to solve the problem as well.

31. Most prized possession?

The ECHOeye implant where Jack’s AI is held captive. (if you had him keep it and not destroy it that is, which I did.) It’s not prized for the fact that it’s important to him or that he misses Jack or anything like that. It’s prized because he knows if He has the implant, no one else can get ahold of Jack but him. And keeping Jack in the implant means that he’s suffering alone in there by himself which Rhys feels is what he deserves. (He keeps the implant in a bio-encrypted lock deep down in his office’s vaults at Atlas. No one except him knows that it’s even stored there.)

33. Concept of home and family?

His friends are his family. Vaughn, Fiona, Sasha, LB, Gortys, heck even Athena and Janey and August, he considers them all his family to some degree, with Vaughn being the closest out of all of them. And as far as a home goes, that’s just wherever they all happen to be together in his mind.

35. What activities do they enjoy, but consider to be a waste of time?

As mentioned earlier, Rhys enjoys doodling at times but sometimes considers it a waste when he knows he has more important things he could be doing with his time.

37. Are they more analytical or more emotional in their decision-making?

Absolutely more emotional. He goes with whatever his heart tells him is right every single time, which doesn’t always have the best results.

39. What recharges them when they’re feeling drained?

Rhys used to play guitar a bit in college, but once he got to Hyperion that hobby died very quickly. Somehow, Fiona found out this fact (most likely through Vaughn since Rhys never talks about it) and gave Rhys a slightly used guitar she was able to pawn off of someone one day as a gift. She claims it was just to get him out of everyones hair but really, it was just her being nice. Rhys has since then been slowly learning how to play again and likes to pull it out and play by himself when he’s too low on energy to be social. (If he’s too drained for even that, then a nap will normally suffice for a recharge as well. Preferably one with Vaughn, but those are few and far between since he’s got people to look after.)

41. How misanthropic are they?

Rhys is normally a pretty social person and generally enjoys society, but at times, he does tend to withdraw from people and isolate himself after the Helios incident. It’s not for the fact of hating people or society in general, it’s more the fact that he spent so much time alone after defeating Jack and while rebuilding Atlas that sometimes, being around people is just too much and he needs some time alone. He gets better with this as the years go by, but in the beginning he’ll sometimes go two or three days alone before interacting with people again. (His friends worry the first few times this happens, especially Vaughn, but they come to understand his reasoning after he actually takes the time to explain his absences to them. Vaughn is sometimes allowed to see him during those times though because he’s Vaughn and he knows how to just be around Rhys naturally and do his own work without making Rhys talk or interact much.)

43.How far did they get in formal education? What are their views on formal education vs self-education?

It’s canon that Rhys went to college, but as far as actually finishing and what degrees he got, I’d say he got his bachelors and no further than that, unless he was doing his own independent studying on his own, which he might have done to push himself forward at Hyperion. Rhys is all for self education, he’s constantly doing that himself when it comes to running Atlas and learning what he needs to do to be a successful CEO there.

45. Superstitions or views on the occult?

Don’t think Rhys is much for superstitions or the occult. He doesn’t really Need to be when things like Vault Monsters exist in real life for him.

47. If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?

Vaughn is definitely his ideal person. He compliments Rhys in a lot of different ways, they have a lot of history from being best friends for so long, and they get each other on a deeper level. Vaughn has always been important to Rhys throughout their whole journey from college to Hyperion to the now. And after seeing how Vaughn grew as a person during the time they were separated, he really came to appreciate him as he was and is. Vaughns is his best bro after all, and bros gotta stick together.

49. If this person were to get into a fist fight, what is their fighting style like?

If he remembers to use his robotic arm to fight, then Rhys might actually stand a chance at least to not be knocked out during a fist fight. But if not, he’s extremely weak and will be beat to shit. He really has no style for physical fights other than “Throw my fist and see if it hurts them.”

[britishchick09]

danger force double livewatch!

today we’re doing a special livewatch... a double feature! i’ve been looking everywhere for ‘test friends’ and ‘lil dynomite’, which were taken down by dailymotion for a while. now that i’ve finally found them, it’s time to see what i’ve been missing!

first up is ‘test friends’!

oh no why is ray angry

WHY CAN’T BOSE FEEL HIS ARMS

is this an intricate training thing?

bose: ‘orphan sock!!!’ OMG NOOO!!

OMG the socks exploded!!!!!

wowza what awesome laundry! :D

hey this is the clip i watched on the henry danger force youtube!!! :D

YAS!!! :D

chapa: “harmony check!” all: “in tuuuune!!!!!” :D

what cute poses! :D

oh no they have 7 POSES???

miles thought captain man would ‘just be there’ lol :D

think is the forbidden ‘t’ word *LOUD GASP!*

captain man: “ts” the kids: ??? captain man: “the same” the kids are me when my friends say internet slang

miles said ‘chicken tendies’ ^_^

schwoz: “great group of kids!” captain man: “too bad i can’t trust them...” schwoz: *le GASP*

oh no captain man’s gonna prove that the kids are untrustworthy DID YOU SEE RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON

speaking of that awesome movie captain man’s acting a lot like raya...

captain man’s spying on them! :o

even swellview academy has surprise tests!

ray’s putting the answers on his podium... ;)

he’s talking like a fancy guy and chapa’s like ‘why are you talking like a book” lol :D

NO MIKA!!!!

mika: “no!!!” ray: “yesssss.....” ray WHY YOU SO SNEAKY

bose: “this answer key is tearing us apart!” you’re tearing me apart, answer key!

aaand he literally tears it apart! nice bose! :D

schwoz wants ray to let go but all ray does is want to make the tests harder... WHY ART THOU A MAN OF SILLY PROPORTIONS RAY MANCHESTER???

wait did silly man just say ‘man ladder’

the intro is at 7:30! how long that is! :o

i love how ray tells them to shut up lol :D

a cute bird house! :D

ray said ‘talketh’ coolio :D

oh no... TRUST FALL!!!!!!

bose saved him with levitation and the other kids grabbed pillows! how sweet :)

mika: “obvi” how ts of you mika!

ray wants to test them... WHEN THEY”RE ALONE >:)

bose is being prank called by ray aka ‘bose of the future’ AND OF COURSE HE’S GONNA FALL FOR IT HE’S BOSE!!!!

oh bose just said ‘wrong number’! how very mature of him!

YAAAAS RAYAAAAA!!!!!!!!! :D

ray’s prank for miles was luring him to ice cream while mika gets a speech review? ok...

CHAPA HAS TO USE AOL BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T HAVE A PHONE OMG

no miles found the ice cream.... AND HE’S TEMPTED!!

ray: ‘in the future, ray turns evil!” monsty reference? :o

ray: “destroy ray... no matter how good looking he is!” lol :D

miles went for carrots! :o

aww bose ‘loves ray too much’ :)

ray: “e before i except in july! amen!” ha ha :D

MIKA SCREAMED INTO THE ESSAY LOL!!!

the swellview version of instagram is swellgram :D

schwoz says ‘way’ like ‘vay’ and i love it :D

awww!!!! :D

oh bose believed ray!

schwoz spilled the beans! :o

OH NO THE LAUNDRY LEVEL IS AT 1000!!!

the baby goat bleating is so cute! ^_^

the vid went to an ad just as schwoz said ‘manche-’ and i thought he was about to say ‘manchild’ lol :D

mika: “i passed!” miles: “we all passed!” goat: “MEHHHH!!!!!!!!!” :D

oh no are the kids gonna do something bad :o

OMG miles just called ray ‘rayman esther manchester’ OHHH!!!!!!! :o

ray wanted them to eat a scorpion WHY RAY

miles teleported to ray and instantly went back lol :D

goat: “buhh jerry!” OMG IT TALKED!!!

ice cream party! :D

schwoz: “it’s a real milestone” eyyy ;D

schwoz says it all the time lol :D

ray’s been gone FOR A WEEK????

they all think it’s a prank but what if it’s real?

IT’S BEEN ANOTHER WEEK WHY

bose: ‘he’s taken this fake desert test really far” i don’t think it’s fake bose...

OMG RAY NO

why does he look like al from quantum leap but crazy af

THE KIDS TURNED HIM OFF

and they got to do the supes illustrated shoot all on their own!

WAIT DID CHAPA SAY THEY WERE IN PHOENIX???? :o

ray BUSTED!!!!

oh no is chapa sending the prank pic she deleted

dan schneider who lol :D

last but not least is ‘lil dynomite’!

omg there’s smoke everywhere!

and a treasurechest monster? :o

awww mika’s locker is her only personal space :/

she wants ray to put the monster in miles locker lol :D

the monster wants to eat swans ew :/

bose said the ‘mangenda’

ooh they said the title of the ep!

awww lil dynomite is cute!

he says ‘hello sir!’ :D

he’s ‘4 feet 10 inches of-’ neverending joy and smiles?

a country duo is signing a song called ‘almond milk’

66 DOLLARS A TICKET WTF

‘life size board game night? gayle from bob’s burgers wants your number ray...

ray during game night: “did i ever tell you the last time i saw my father?” ...ok :/

country lady: “there’s some flashbacks at table 5″ lol :D

they’re called court and courtney! :D

chapa: “almond milk feeds my soul!” YAS!

mika: “who would miss almond milk?” lady: “it’s funny you’re missing almond milk right now!” OHHHHH

OMG THE OTHER LADY SAID ‘BEAUTIFUL WIFE’!!!! :D

lady: “we have another song for you. it’s called..” her and other lady: ‘SHUT YOUR MOUTH’!!” lol :D

ray: “anybody hungy?” lol :D

ray: “you love my manflaps!” THAT PANCAKE NAME SOUNDS DISGUSTING OUT OF CONTEXT

OMG LIL DYNOMITE IS THE 5TH MEMBER

AND THEY KEEP SAYING ‘MANFLAPS’!!!!

he looks like a smol henry... :o

chapa said ‘booty hurt’ lol :D

why is the chest monster still there?

OMG CAPTAIN MAN ASKED THAT MUST AS I TYPED IT! :o

lil d stole bose’s mangenda job! :o

CAPTAIN MAN CALLED BRAINSTORM ‘BRAINBENDER’ NOOO :o

lil d reminds me of speedy alka seltzer with his ‘gee whiz!’ attitude

NO LIL D HAS MIKA’S LOCKER!!!!

miles *screaming*: “YOU MONSTER!!!!!!” you tell him miles!

the news people are back!

captain man and lil d played a non-copyrighted cover of ‘blinding light’ lol :D

lil d is making hair gel WITH CONDORS NO >:(

bose: “oh where is my brain?” it’s in a storm EYYY :D

lil d emphasizes ‘captain MAN’ and it’s so weird

the chest monster is singing lol :D

OMG HOMER SIMPSON BROKE THE NUCLEAR REACTOR

mika: ‘how did you get hired here?” nuclear lady: “i slammed the interview!!!”

it’s MELTY NOOO!!!!!

lil d: “wish me luck mans and sirs!” gee whiz what a quote!

HOLY FRICK WAS HE MELTED????

geez that’s rough!!! :o

chapa: “poor little guy... he just wanted to help” aww they care about him :(

captain man: “that better be awol!” awol: “i’m sorry what” captain man: “NOOOOO!!!!!!” AND HE BROKE THE LAST CONDOR EGG EVER NOOOOO!!!!!

chest monster: “never would’ve happened if you brought the chest monster along!” chapa: “SHUT UP CHEST MONSTER!’ yeah!

RAY WAS GONNA ADOPT LIL D :o

chapa’s trying to hit ray but she keeps hitting lil d HE GONNA DIE

why did the chest monster say “get wrecked” :(

ooh schwoz hologram

awww schwoz built the healing suit to give him powers!

OH CRAP LIL D DED!!!

captain man was gonna feed lil d to the chest monster :o

OH CRAP U DED C MAN!!!!!

HOLY FRICK

awww the kids are defending captain man!

AND LIL D JUST CALLED HIM A MANCHILD! :o

wait captain man has daddy issues

THEY’RE ALL SCREAMING

NO LIL D NO!!!!

GO DANGER FORCE!!! :D

ray right after lil d and awol teleport away: “...we still doing movie night?” lol :D

those were the new(ish) danger force eps! i-

*record scratch*

wait...

THERE’S MORE!!! you thought this was just a double livewatch? i’ve sneakily turned it into a TRIPLE livewatch! this has been a lot of fun so we’re watching the other ep i missed out on!

the final ep of this forcetastic livewatch is ...‘monsty’!

double bubble toil trouble... :)

mika walks in screaming “WHERE’S MY MEAT???” just go to wendy’s!

mika is wearing captain man’s clothes because she did a bad thing! :o

ooh thunder!

spongebob who?

chapa: “you go to your dentist once a month?” lol :D

bose: “33 months? that’s like a hundred years!” miles *softly*: “buddy...”

mika: *breaks a glass* MIKA’S BROKEN A GLASS MIKA’S BROKEN A GLASS! (paul would be proud!)

is this what she’s freaked out about?

lol :D

bose: “WE LUV YOU DANNY CHEEEESST!!!!” double lol :D

there’s a ‘struggle for candy equality’

bose: “what’s a jury duty?” captain man: “when you turn 18- like i did a couple years ago” more like a billion couple years ago! :D

did mika go to jury duty to make up for the glass?

ray thinks left handed people cheat on taxes why

HE MEMED THE MEME!!!!!

and he thinks all people have 2 first names lol

WOAH mika was gonna CLONE ray???? :o

a tongue is god’s napkin

THUNDER STRIKE!!!

omg TINY RAY!!!!!

chapa: “is there a tiny ray shooting a blaster?” ray: “there’s an old ray doing that but that’s another story for another week” great fourth wall reference! ...and possible ‘gnight everybody?’

oh no she cloned ray THE SCARY WAY???

mika: “this is where the story starts to get weird” chapa: “starts to?” lol :D

OMG IT RAYENSTEIN!!!! :O

so that’s monsty!

monsty peed everywhere ew :(

twins! :D

also that’s monsty’s pee bucket double ew :(

chest monster was teleported away! rip chestie

bose keeps calling ray ‘sir’ is that like lil d?

i wonder if that’s a real phone number...

danny chest: “now we have... 100 dollars in pledges” ...oh :/

chapa called him ‘danny boi’ lol :D

DANNY’S THREATENING TO LAUNCH THE GANG AWAY

captain man: “surprise villain! classic!”

they were locked up and captain man said it was a classic!

jennifer lawrence donated 10 thousand! :D

launching off of mountains only ‘hurts for a second’ according to ray

WHO JUST GOT A PEE BUCKET HEAD :o

mika: “captain man wants us to say cool stuff before we use our powers!” how very sailor moon of you ray!

mika called bose ‘honey’ lol :D

CHAPA WANTS HIM TO LIFT THE ANVIL

miles wants monsty to help!!! :D

why is there dramatic music playing in the monsty teleport flashback

awww :D

awwww!!!!!! :D

HE’S IN THE DUNGEON WITH CHEST MONSTER

YAS CHEST MONSTER!!!

bose dropped the anvil on captain man WHY

chapa to mika: “SCREAM GIRL!!!!” YAS! :D

omg DUST :o

mika: “monsty’s coming through that door right now!” monsty: *doesn’t come through that door* awk-ward....

HE BROKE THROUGH THE DOOR YAS!!!! :D

danny hit monsty NOOOO :o

mika: “can you zap monsty?” chapa: “i can, but that’s mean” mika: “i know, but-” chapa: “i’ll still do it tho” lol

YAS MONSTY HIT DANNY WITH THE ANVIL!!!! :D

oh no is monsty gonna accidentally launch them

captain man go YEET!

monsty: “rut roh!” *wah wah wah wahhhh...*

how fancy!

captain: “time to distribute the employee of the month award to someone who has had great courage and sacrifice... mika can you get out of the way please” lol :D

aww monsty is the employee of the month!

AND MIKA IS PROUD!!!! :D

and schwoz did jury duty :) *wah wah wah wahhhh!!!!*

that was a great trio of eps! it was fun getting back to danger force and i can’t wait to see what will happen in the next eps! :D

[soap-brain]

Ooohh. Your "leaving spirk hug" broke my heart -.-" It's sad because it's pretty obvious that Spock had no idea that Jim would lie on report and that he wrote his own report to make sure the mission's failure was on him alone. How about "hug from behind" spirk that is a continuation of your "leaving hug" ?

:DDD and it wasn’t even the worst thing i’ve ever written :p but thank you for reading it and liking it and sending me a new prompt!

yeah i think spock was totally flummoxed that someone would *gasp* lie on an official report. 

so let’s see what we can do about it! this took a while longer than i thought, mainly because i have no self control and kept checking tumblr lmao. sorry about that! but here you go:

They feel the next hit reverberating in their bones even after the ship stopped shaking. The Bradbury had not been made for this kind of heavy firefight.

Spock picks himself back up, and immediately crosses over to their communications officer, who is holding their head.

    “Nurse!” he snaps at the attending nurse, and she makes her way over to them, carefully sidestepping the debris from the half caved in ceiling.

    “Lieutenant Peterson! Return fire at will!” Spock orders next and punches in the channel to Engineering. “Mitchell, what can you do for the shields?”

    “Barso here, commander. Mitchell is dead!”

    “Then you have just inherited his position as Chief Engineer,” Spock retorts, oddly calm. It’s reminiscent of a different battle, years and lightyears away, but this time he does not get a sarcastic reply. Instead, it’s “Yes sir!” and “Shields are in a bad shape, but I might be able to jury-rig something.”

    “Then get to it, lieutenant.”

The Romulan battle cruiser sweeps back into the focus of the viewscreen.

    “Salar! Evasive action, now!”

The navigator complies, but she’s too slow. The next salve hits the Bradbury like … ‘like a wall across the highway at 150 miles per hour’. A comparison Jim had enjoyed to employ. Jim, whose tactical genius far surpassed Spock’s. Jim, who should be the one in charge during situations like this.

    “What did I say about returning fire?!” Spock barks, maybe a bit too harshly. Peterson flinches.

    “I’m doing my best, sir, but they surprised me!”

    “Make sure that doesn’t happen again, or it will be the last time any of us will be surprised!”

Where is Captain Amott? Spock wonders. From the corner of his eye he sees Lieutenant Beverley slip into the communication officer’s chair, replacing the injured one.

    “Beverley. Priority One distress call to Starfleet and all available ships, now! Salar, begin Tewe maneuver, it might buy us some time.”

Engineering is contacting.

    “Barso.”

    “Sir, I think I managed to put the shields up again, but after the next hit they’ll be forced to draw power directly from the Core.”

    “Shields are up,” Peterson confirms.

    “Barso, retaining power to the shields and phaser banks. That is your top priority now. We cannot outrun them. Acknowledge.”

Barso’s response is drowned out by the crackling static of another hit to their shields.

    “Beverley, do you have a reply yet?”

    “None, sir - wait! There’s - Come in, Enterprise! This is the USS Bradbury, requesting urgent assistance in a heavy firefight with the Romulan Empire.”

The Enterprise. If Spock were prone to emotional responses or metaphors, he would say that his heart jumped into his throat.

    “On screen, lieutenant. Salar, continue evasive maneuvers. Peterson, continue firing.”

The cracked viewscreen produces a grossly distorted picture of Captain Pike.

    “Commandrrk Spock! How crzzht is it?”

    “We have almost completely lost functionality in both nacelles, hull integrity is down to thirty-three percent. We are rapidly losing power to the shields.”

Pike swears colorfully. “We’re maybe ten minutes out. Can you hold position?”

Another blast shakes the ship and eight different alerts flare up.

Hull integrity at less than thirty percent.

Primary communications array compromised.

Phaser bank three offline.

Bridge viewscreen damaged.

Hull breaches detected. Beginning defensive maneuvers.

Pike’s image fizzles out and fades.

    “We won’t make ten minutes,” Peterson says, voice trembling.

    “That is your assumption,” Spock replies. He hadn’t feared death in the volcano on his last mission with the Enterprise, but now …

    “Sound the alert to abandon ship. Lieutenant Beverley, begin a deep space transmission containing all data recorded by the Bradbury, including information on the battle.”

Spock sits down in the chair and opens the shipwide channel.

    “Attention all hands. Abandon ship. I repeat, abandon ship. The USS Enterprise is closing in and will receive you. Spock out.”

Addressing the bridge crew, he says: “We will attempt to draw their attention away from the fleeing shuttles so they can have a chance at survival.”

There are nods all around, shoulders straighten and people taking deep breaths.

The next salve loosens a beam from the ceiling, crashing right next to the captain’s chair. Spock suppresses a flinch. Sparks from ripped out wires bounce off his unflammable uniform. He feels cold.

    “Computer, stop all alerts. Voice authorization Spock-beta-eight-eight-three.”

Acknowledged.

The bridge is eerily silent.

The Romulan ship rounds into the viewscreen again, phaser ports visibly glowing because of how close they are. The next round of hits will be the last; the Bradbury will not be able to withstand them. If they are lucky, the hull around the bridge will crack, giving them the merciful quick death of vacuum and subfreezing temperatures.

    “It has been an honor serving with you,” Spock says, loud enough for everyone on the bridge to hear. It has been. Even though it took him time and effort, in the five months he spent on the Bradbury, her main bridge crew and several other officers have come to … respect him, and he is thankful for that. Of course they could not replace the Enterprise and her crew, but it had been Spock’s mistake that took him off the ship.

Then, two things happen in such quick succession that they almost seem simultaneous. Their viewscreen is filled with a bright grey expanse, and then the impact thunders through the Bradbury, knocking the bridge crew off their seats, tritanium walls screeching like demons from Hell.

Miraculously, the bridge doesn’t breach. The viewscreen has gone entirely black however, and they have no idea what’s going on outside.

    “Commander Spock!” Lieutenant Beverley exclaims. “The Enterprise is hailing us!”

    “Speakers,” Spock orders.

    “Bradbury? Come in, Bradbury. This is the Enterprise.”

    “Bradbury here, come in, Enterprise.”

    “Bradbury,” Pike’s voice crackles over the comm line. “The Romulan vessel has fled. We are preparing to receive your shuttles. Bridge crew, stay put. We’ll tow you back to the nearest station and try to free you in an artificial atmosphere there, our transporters have been … unreliable at best.”

    “Captain Pike. It is a relief to hear your voice,” Spock admits.

    “Yours too, commander. How’s the remaining crew? Any major injuries?”

    “None, sir.”

    “Good. Stand by for further communications. Enterprise out.”

None of the bridge crew have been injured worse than a few scratches, burns and bruises, so the medical bay at the station lets them go pretty quickly.

    “Well, you seem all patched up, Commander Spock,” his attending doctor says. “Captain Pike wants to talk to you, he’s in briefing room 45.”

Spock nods. “Thank you.”

Pike looks far worse for wear, hair in disarray and dark bags under his eyes, seeming years older than when Spock saw him for the last time.

    “Sit down,” he says, gesturing at a chair.

Spock complies.

    “I’m going to make this quick because it’s been a long couple weeks. The Bradbury can be rebuilt, yes, but she’ll be in limbo for a while. Captain Amott has been found, relatively unhurt in the wreckage, and he’ll be on trial for gross neglectment of duties and so forth, I think you’ll have to testify. Now, normally that’d mean you’d wait on your assigned ship while she’s rebuilt, but that would be one hell of a setback for your career. She doesn’t deserve you and never has. I’ve convinced Command to give Kirk his captaincy back though - because he deserves it and because my health doesn’t allow me to be the captain the Enterprise needs. Means: she’ll need a first officer. The post is yours, if you want it.”

Spock can only stare. He can go back to the Enterprise? To Jim?

    “Don’t give me that look, say yes already so I can mark it down. Jim has been sad for the entire mission, even more so because because of its top secret nature he couldn’t contact you. He doesn’t blame you for losing command, by the way, but he missed you like crazy. Now are you going to sign up or do I have to force you?”

A smile forces its way onto Spock’s lips. He’s going back to the Enterprise! And he’ll be with Jim again!

    “I will sign. Thank you, sir.”

    “Yeah, don’t mention it. I’m gonna be happy with my boyfriend on Earth and you’ll be happy with your boyfriend in space. Jim should be on level E, corridor 6, room C30, I think. Go and hug it out.”

    “I will. Thank you again.”

Pike motions towards the door with his chin. “Out with you before I fall asleep.”

Giddiness is bubbling in Spock’s gut. Jim! He will see Jim again! Jim is not angry! Jim and his beautiful, lovely blue eyes, bright smile and golden hair and-

A pair of strong arms wrap around Spock’s middle and there’s an excited giggle in his ear, a pitch too loud to be really comfortable.

    “Spock! You’re here! You’ll be back on the Enterprise! You’re coming home!”

Spock disentangles himself to turn around and hug Jim properly, so hard he almost fears crushing him. Jim smells of burned plasteel, singed uniform and whiff of standard Starfleet shampoo, and he’s warm and solid against Spock.

    “Yes. Yes, Jim, I am.”

Home. Yes, he is coming home.

again, in this house we disrespect rereading, so if you find any major errors, you can point them out and i might correct them ... or not.

also please note that the enterprise couldn’t have collided with the bradbury, because physics (yes, that’s what that post was about), but in this house we also conveniently ignore the laws of physics :p/also/ please note that since everything is a bit different (ie pike didn’t die), they took care of the khan-and-admiral-marcus problem differently and consequently, into darkness kinda didn’t happen 

(props to tumblr for eating half the italics. good job dude!)

hey @vulcankirkspock, i fixed your prompt!

[lost-your-memory]

Here is part two of Funeral Blue Many thanks to @cat-danvers for being my beta (it’s 16k+ words ...) I will put this on AO3 soon, since it’s so long. Be aware that I am purposely playing with the DC timelines and universes here, so there is very little canon events (especially regarding Wonder Woman). For reasons that will become evident through the read, I am not putty Barry in this universes. Also, you should imagine Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel and Christian Bale as Batman, because that’s how I imagined it. 

FIVE YEARS LATER 

 “Mom, I’m home!”

 Cat smiled and looked up to see Carter enter the living room and drop his bags next to one of the couches.

Casually dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a large gray sweater completed by some fancy black and gray sneakers, he was the walking cliché of a college student. The unruly dark blond curls of his hair were almost falling in front of his baby blue eyes and he had a clear stubble framing his lower face, making him look a little older than he actually was. He was tanned like a sailor, a golden hale darkening his usually pale features and giving him a more than healthy glow, a happy one.

 “Hello sweetheart!” Cat greeted him warmly, getting up from behind her desk to walk up to him. He was much taller than her now, especially since she was barefoot but it didn’t stop her from engulfing her son in a tight hug, an embrace he happily returned. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

 He laughed a little as they finally let go of each other. “Mom, I was here barely three weeks ago.” He pointed out, already making his way towards the kitchen. She followed him there and watched as he studied the content of the fridge, no doubt planning dinner already.

 “I saw Supergirl speed away above the cab, I’m guessing she’s out on duty?” Carter inquired, pulling out some vegetables from the fridge and gathering everything on the counter island.

 “Yes, something about a bank robbery, criminals never learn. You know you don’t have to cook, there are some perfectly fine leftovers in the freezer.” She arched an amused brow at the way he dismissed her suggestion, with a flourish of the hand she was more than familiar with.

 “Nonsense. I’ve been trying to master the risotto recipe since last time and I think I finally did it. You guys are going to be my jury tonight.” He replied with a smirk while picking up a box of special rice in a cupboard.

 Cat simply nodded and sat down on one of the stools in front of the counter island.

 “How was the south of France?” She asked curiously. She smiled when his face lit up with joy and excitement and she waited for him to gather his thoughts. He was all grown up now but here and then, he still found himself struggling with words and social interactions.

 “Amazing. I totally get why you went over there for your honeymoon, it’s so beautiful and rich, the smells, the food, the landscapes and the sea ... I think I’ll go back next year. I’ve taken so many pictures, I practically filled two memory cards and they were big ones. I’ll show you guys after dinner, if you want to. Oh, I bought you a few bottles of that wine you liked so much, the one you had at your wedding.” Carter said with a smile, moving around the kitchen with the ease of someone who had grown up in it.

 “Oh, thank you, that’s very thoughtful of you! Those fancy French people are so very protective with their wine, I never succeeded in having them send me a few bottles.” Cat stated with a discontempt edge in her voice. It made Carter smile but he didn’t add anything.

 When it was evident they wouldn’t talk more for a while, Carter grabbed his phone and connected it to the sound system, filling the kitchen with French songs as he cooked the italian dish.

 About an hour later, Kara flew into the living room and Carter’s eyes sparkled with a hint of relief at the sight of Supergirl, safe and sound in the middle of the penthouse. A blur later, he was wrapped into the too tight embrace of Kara’s arms.

 “Uh. Kara. Too. Tight. Too tight!” He squeaked, almost choking under the strength of the hug.

 “Oh, sorry! I just, missed you!” She released him and offered a sheepish smile, her arms  already falling back to her side. He returned her smile and moved to hug her gently, before scrunching up his nose. She smelled like wind, earth and salt and something acrid he recognized as gunpowder.

 “Alright, you need a shower. You smell like … bullets.” He stated and Kara heard the uneasy edge in his voice. She nodded and moved around the counter island to kiss Cat, softly and briefly, before disappearing towards the master bedroom.

 He watched his mom relax a little after the kiss, knowing it was Kara’s way to let Cat know she was alright. It had been years since the day they buried an empty coffin but the traumatism was still lingering in her mother’s eyes sometimes, he could see it.

 “Are you guys okay?” Carter softly asked as he poured more broth over the rice in the pan. He looked over his shoulder to meet his mother’s eyes and she smiled.

 “We are. Sometimes, it’s hard and we fight but she’s doing her best, she’s trying.” Cat whispered, sounding a little tired but there was no hint of sadness or disappointment in her tone.

 “That’s something, I guess.” Carter acknowledged. He was still having nightmares sometimes, dreaming of Kara’s body in the casket they had put into the ground or seeing Supergirl’s lifeless body fall from a green sky and crash into the sea, sinking into the darkness of the abyss. It’s been a long time but the scars were somehow still a little raw.

 “Alright, I’m scrubbed clean!” Kara’s voice echoed through the room before she made her entrance, barefoot but wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a bright red t-shirt that exposed her left shoulder. Her hair was still a bit damp and cascading around her face and Carter noticed she wasn’t wearing her glasses.

 “What’s for dinner, Chef?” Kara asked while settling down behind Cat, gently putting her arms around the other woman’s waist and resting her chin atop Cat’s right shoulder.  

 “Champagne and mushrooms risotto, with green peas because mom loves seeing green in her plate.” Carter replied with a smirk. Kara chuckled and Cat narrowed her eyes at him but he simply smiled sweetly, before focusing back on the cooking.

 A phone rang in the living room and Kara arched a surprised brow. She moved away from Cat to go pick it up and the first words made Carter and Cat whirl around to look at her, anxiety clear on both their faces.

 “Clark? What’s wrong?” Kara asked, her voice calm and sure, steeled.

She was Supergirl now, with her posture straight, her shoulders squared and her features hard as marble. Her baby blues eyes were dark and sparkling, loss and duty swirling together to form a complex and intricate galaxy in itself.

 She listened to her cousin and with each passing second, her eyes became darker and darker.

 “Alright, I’ll alert the DEO and we’ll wait for you to come in, so you can brief us.” She finally hung up and in a blur of superspeed, she changed into her suit.

 “Duty calls, I’m sorry for dinner.” She was trying to sound soft but the somber expression on her face was a stark and nonreassuring contrast.

 Carter swallowed thickly, hating the feeling of impending doom that cloaked the scene.

He knew Superman never called unless it was something he couldn’t handle and there were very few things the last son of Krypton couldn’t deal with. Over the years, he had learned to like the man of steel for his heroism and for his nice personality but he had also heard a lot about the circumstances surrounding Kara’s arrival on Earth. The fact Superman had all but abandoned a little girl behind him to live with a human family instead of staying with her as the last vestige of a world that had been swallowed by the universe had made Clark Kent entirely less sympathetic to his eyes.

 “Come back to us, okay?” Carter managed to ask, groaning inwardly at the panicked edge in his voice. He knew it was audible, for the superhero and for his mother as well.

 Cat had gone still and her pale features betrayed her terror but she finally nodded and simply asked the same thing. “We’ll wait for you, for as long as you need us to, but please come back to us.”

 Kara took three steps and captured Cat in a tight, tight embrace, so strong Carter almost heard his mother’s bones crack but she didn’t say anything. She instead reveled in the hug, needing the strength of Kara’s entire body pressing against her, surrounding her, swallowing her whole. She needed to smell the wind and the earth, that strange but grounding and familiar scent that clung to the superhero’s suit and wafted through the air with every movement of her hair.

 When Kara kissed her, soundly, furiously and passionately, Cat all but moaned into the kiss, a mixture of relief and panic that quickly mutated into a strangled sob as she clenched her fingers into Kara’s cape, not yet ready to let go of her wife. The urgency of the situation was raw and blunt and unhealed scars were forced open again, because everyone in the room remembered all too well the last time it had been that serious.

 Kara broke the kiss and gently nuzzled Cat’s nose, softly and tenderly, so sweetly it made Carter’s heart ache for them, for that incredible love he was witnessing.

 “I’ll be back.” Kara whispered, before pressing a last lingering kiss on Cat’s lips. Then, without any warning or last goodbye, she was gone through the window and the flutter of her cape slapping in the wind echoed in the living room.

 ---

 “Alright Superman, what are we dealing with this time?”

 Director Henshaw was camped in the middle of the DEO’s headquarters, surrounded by Alex Danvers on his right and Lucy Lane on his left. Bouncing between the desks and typing away at differents keyboards at a time, Winn Schott was sending the information in live to the wall of screens. Lena Luthor was helping him, standing next to the main desk with a tablet in her hands and a bluetooth device hooked in her ear. Next to Lucy, James Olsen and Susan Vasquez were standing with their arms crossed over their chests, seriousness etched on their faces.

 The hour was grave and all eyes, aside from Lena’s and Winn’s, were braked on the two kryptonians standing in front of the director.

 “The Dominators are back but this time, they had help. As you all know by now, the Dominators are able to travel through time and space and they somehow got back to when Lex Luthor was still … reasonable.” Clark tried, throwing a sorry look towards Lena. She only shrugged and then returned back to her work, letting Superman continue.

 ”Now, I don’t know exactly how it went nor I know what exactly occurred between the aliens and Lex but I do know that today, they are all equipped with kryptonite devices that prevent me and Kara from getting to them. What’s worst is that the devices they have, they are far more evolved than anything I’ve seen before, making the suits we got from Astra & Non useless, and even Kalex doesn’t know about it, the Fortress of Solitude doesn’t have any shred of useful information regarding that new treat.” He finished, his frustration clear in his voice.

 Kara sighed softly, causing Alex to arch a brow. The sisters exchanged a look but they didn’t say anything. J’onn took over, turning towards the wall of screens to look at the images Clark had managed to snap.  

 “So, we have an army of alien invaders ready to take over the planet and they are all wearing some kind of … Kryptonite harness, that prevent the two most powerful superheroes to take action.” The director bowed his head slightly, observing the blurry photograph of a Dominator, wrapped in some kind of vest made of a bright green fabric. It was a static picture but they could all imagine the glow of the radioactive substance.

 “I know they are the enemy but I have to give that to them, they are smart. They found your only weakness and they are now exploiting it. Where does that leave us now? Agent Danvers.” J’onn turned to look at Alex, who bit her lower lip in concentration.

 It took a few seconds, barely a minute, before she sprung into action.

“Alright so, as far as we know, they are heading towards National City as we speak because for some reasons, Metropolis doesn’t seem as interesting to them. Which leads us to think there is something here they want, or need even. We can’t know for sure but my bet is that it has something to do with the technology they are wearing, it’s been made by a Luthor and the other ones are here.” Alex gestured towards Lena with an apologetic look.

 “Right, there’s me and my mother, still in prison to answer her crimes and to pay for the Cadmus debacle.” Lena added without missing a beat, her eyes glued to the tablet in her hands.

 “Exactly so, maybe the kryptonite device needs some work and they can’t get it done themselves or maybe my theory is wrong but in any case, they are on their way and we need to come up with a solution to, at the very least, contain them while we are working to create a neutralizer for the the kryptonite.” Alex took a breath and studied the images again, hands on her hips as she stood in front of the screens. “There are too many of them, we can’t just go with an electromagnetic gun or any kind of individual device. Winn, Lena, you’re in charge of the research, Doctor Danvers should get here within a few hours to help.”

 They both nodded and finished their tasks in the main room before heading towards the lab.

 “In the meantime, we need all the help we can get to fight the Dominators. Kara, can you reach out to your superhero teams on the other earths?” Alex asked and Kara nodded.

 “I can try yes. Last time I talked to Barry, things were pretty calm over there. I can’t speak for Oliver though, the man seems to always find himself in the middle of some crisis.” Kara explained before pulling out Cisco’s device from her left boot.

 “I may have some people I can reach after, too.” Clark interrupted and Kara arched a brow at him, imitated by Lucy, Alex and James.

 “You mean, your league? I thought you liked to work alone?” Kara asked, a little confused and with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

 “Yes well. Sometimes, I don’t exactly have a choice …” Clark simply answered and Lucy stepped in before Kara could press for more.

 “We are not bringing any people we don’t know into the DEO and into this fight. Who are the ones you speak of?” The general asked, suspicious but trying to sound neutral.

 “Batman, Aquaman, Cyborg and there’s a woman as well but I don’t know if she will join us. She’s … special.” Clark trailed off and Kara snickered. She shrugged and walked away.

 “You can invite Bruce, Arthur and Victor, I know them.” She dropped before disappearing on the balcony, leaving a dumbfounded Clark behind her and a smirking team of DEO agents.

 ---

 “Bruce, a pleasure as always.” Kara greeted the billionaire as he exited the DEO elevator. He was flanked with Arthur Curry on his left and Victor Stone on his right, all three of them showing serious faces.

 “Supergirl, I knew we’d be working together someday.” Bruce answered with a small smirk, nodding at the other agents lined up behind the girl of steel. Acknowledging Superman, he simply gave him a short nod. “Clark, long time no see. Will our mutual friend join us for the fight?”

 Clark sighed and then shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t answer my calls and you know how much she despises wars … aliens or not.”

 Kara was about to ask who was the woman they were all speaking about when Susan came in running. “Supergirl, the Dominators landed on the outskirt of National City and are making their way towards the downtown!”

 Kara instantly went into hero mode. “How many?”

 “At least five hundred but we think it’s only the first squadron, more are probably on the way.” Susan dutifully answered.

 Kara nodded and took a second to think before speaking again. “Alright it’s show time. Tell Agent Danvers to send every DEO force available to form a barrage between the outskirts and downtown, they are to protect the civilians at any cost. More superheros are on the way as well and as soon as they arrive, send them in my direction.”

 Susan nodded and then took off towards the main operation room while Kara turned to face the others heroes.

 “Long story short, the Dominators are wearing Kryptonite devices that makes it impossible for Clark and I to get close to them. You are it. The Green Arrow and some friends of him are on the way but in the meantime … Clark and I will help the DEO to protect the civilians, while you will be trying to contain the progression of the Dominators. Our research team is trying to come up with a weapon to neutralize the Kryptonite but until they do, we are forced to help from afar. Any question?” Kara finished, hands on her hips, looking into the eyes of each of the men standing in front of them. They all shook their heads no.

 “Alright then. Suit up, it’s show time. Make sure you have a communication device to be connected to our team all the time, they will send you the coordinates of the fight. Clark and I are going now, meet us there.”

 After one last look, Kara sped through the windows and took off to the sky, closely followed by Clark.

 ---

 They were losing.

 The suburbs was almost entirely destroyed, there were thrown cars shattered on the side of cracked open road, crumbled buildings of which the ruins were used as projectiles in the fight and a heavy, lasting cloud of hot dust was making it harder to see clearly.

 The Dominators weren’t that hard to defeat but for one killed, three more were coming down from the numerous spaceships hovering above the desert, just underneath the few clouds that were starting to darken the perfectly blue summer sky.

The air smelled like blood, sweat, sand and salt, like dust and the characteristic metallic scent that announced a storm.

 They had been at it for hours now but the outcome was getting more and more compromised, with each passing minute.

Batman was fighting on the left flank of the raging war, Aquaman using the sea on the right end and Cyborg, helped by J’onn J’onzz, the Green Arrow, the white Canary, the black Canary and a bunch of what seemed to be street fighters, were taking care of the middle. When a few Dominators managed to get past the line of defense, Clark and Kara used their heat vision or freezing breath to kill them from afar but the Dominators were relentless.

“Susan, are Felicity, Winn and Lena getting any closer to a solution for the Kryptonite? We’re losing here, the Dominators are outnumbering us and it’s starting to show …” Kara asked in her communicating device, while surveying a building to see if it was entirely evacuated before flying to another, making sure the suburb was now deserted, just in case the army of invaders managed to get through.

 She waved to Lucy, down on the streets with all her regiments in stand by, ready to intervene should it be needed. The general waved her back.

 “None, Supergirl. Agent Danvers just came back with Doctor Danvers, hopefully they will be able to come up with something.” Susan’s voice sounded as neutral as ever but Kara heard the tiny shard of skepticism in it.

 “Supergirl, I have Cat Grant online, she wants to speak to you.” Susan suddenly said and Kara felt her heart squeeze in her chest. She knew Cat was probably worried sick as she watched the news unfold on her TV. She could hear CatCo choppers from where she was hovering, they were flying at a reasonably safe distance from the fight.

 “Alright, cut the other channels and transfer her to me please, thank you Susan.” Kara asked before slowly flying back to Clark, who was surveying the fight from afar with a frustrated look on his face. She understood what he was feeling, she was boiling with anger and helplessness as well.

 “Cat.” She greeted when she heard the ragged breathing of her lover.

 “Kara. How … How are you?” Cat asked, barely calming down at the sound of the girl of steel’s voice.

 “I’m fine. I’m … I can’t exactly get close, so I am safe.” Kara managed to say without sounding too bitter. She assumed Cat was extremely relieved with the situation, since she couldn’t get to the heart of the fight.

 “I know. I’m sorry, Kara.” Cat whispered and Kara sighed. It was a recurring theme since the traumatism that had occurred almost six years ago now. Kara knew and understood why Cat was so scared every time she donned the Supergirl suit but she was also tired of having to argue with Cat that it was who she was.

 “How’s Carter?” Kara changed of subject to avoid getting into a new argument, not when everyone around her was fighting for the survival of the whole world.

 “He’s watching.” Kara heard the young man talk on the other side of the line and she chuckled at his words.

 “Tell him I’ll do my best to get him Arthur’s autograph.” She answered, knowing it was Carter’s way to de-dramatize the situation. Cat let out a skeptical sound but she relayed the information.

 “I have to go, Cat. I need to make sure this part of the city is deserted, just in case the Dominators get past us.” Kara gently explained and she winced when she heard Cat’s breath hitch, knowing exactly what image had flooded the woman’s mind.

 “I’ll be alright, I promise. Alex, Eliza, Felicity and Winn, helped by Lena, are working on a way to neutralize the Kryptonite device and I asked them to also come up with something to blow the spaceships up. Once the research team comes through, we will win this war.” She elaborated with as much details as she could, in the hope it would calm Cat’s fears a little.

“I know. Alex called, to let me know. She … does that, now, since … since last time.” Cat said and Kara felt grateful for Alex’s thoughtfulness.

 “I love you, Cat. I’ll come back to you. I always do.” Kara blurted and she practically heard the smile that graced Cat’s lips at those words.

 “You better. I love you too. Please, be careful.” Cat said and she ended the call. Kara smiled and reached to her ear to find Susan’s channel again.

 “Alright, any idea to cause a breakthrough into this war? The team need some rest, they’re going to fall if we don’t do anything.” Kara asked while looking at Batman, who just took a blow from two Dominators and was now flying backward through the air. He crashed down into the ground a few miles away, sliding into the burning asphalt before managing to get back to his feet. He stumbled a little but he valiantly got back to the fight.  

 “Actually, Lena Luthor is here and she wants to talk to you, I’m transferring her.” Susan explained and the next voice Kara heard was Lena’s.

 “Kara, I have an idea but it’s only temporary. It should buys us a few hours top …” The CEO trailed off and Supergirl groaned slightly. She was used to the way Lena’s mind was working but now wasn’t the time for this.

 “Lena, we don’t have time for this. What’s the idea?” Kara urged her friend and the Luthor instantly got back to her explanation.

 “I noticed that each time one of your team killed a Dominators, more were coming down from the spaceships. I managed to have Winn hack, sort of, into one of the ships to understand how it works and from what I’ve gathered, we can stop the influx of Dominators for a time.” Lena stated and Kara heard the sound of fingers typing away at a keyboard. “I had Lucy deliver me a military EMP and I modified it to enhance its abilities so, if you or one of your team manage to make it explode under the spaceships, it should break their systems for five hours. Now, it won’t kill the spaceships because they are way too advanced for me to understand the basics just yet but …”

 “Lena, Lena. No ramblings, get to the point. This EMP, it has to detonate under the spaceships and then they can’t … generate, more Dominators, for a span of five hours, right?” Kara cut in, gesturing for Clark to come closer. Superman gently flew to her while keeping an eye on the fight.

 “Exactly. Alex is on her way with the EMP, I programmed it with a remote so, once it’s in place, you just have to press a button to detonate it. It’s incredibly powerful so, it will definitely blow up the power in National City but every major building has a backup generator so it should be safe.” Lena finished.

 Kara observed Clark without seeing him for a few seconds before speaking again. “Alright Lena, before I detonate the device, have Cat order the anchors in her channels to let the people know what will happen. She doesn’t need to provide them with details, she simply needs to let the people of National City know they will be without power for a while, that way they can organize a minimum. I’m going to break it to the team, have Susan let me know when Alex is around.” Kara said and she hung up, instantly connecting with the rest of the team to explain the plan.

 ---

 Alex arrived half an hour later with the EMP securely fastened in the back of her truck. It was a huge cylindrical machine with a lots of colorful wires and a few buttons and switches.

 “Here’s the remote. The trick is to bring it under the spaceships. Throwing a car full speed won’t work because the Dominators will have plenty of time to stop it beforehand. Flying here is impossible, the ships are individually protected by an electromagnetic field lined with Kryptonite, it would weaken Clark and you and you wouldn’t be able to make it back.” Alex explained, exiting her car next to Lucy as Kara and Clark landed nearby.

 Kara reached to her ear and reached out to Batman.

 “Bruce, any chance you have a batplane or something ready that could bring the EMP right where we need it?” She asked. She sighed at the answer and then thanked Bruce before cutting the line.

 “Nothing that will work, the EMP needs to be handled properly and dropping it from above will only damage it.” Kara sighed again in frustration. She was tired of watching everyone else fight but her and the feeling of helplessness surrounding her was driving her crazy.

 “None of the heroes can manage to get it there, they are barely holding the lines. Clark and I can’t get any closer than here and you guys won’t stand a chance in the middle of their army.” Kara added and she gritted her teeth, trying to come up with a plan.

 “How about a distraction?” Lucy suddenly chimed in and the smug smile on her face was almost comical, given the situation.

 “Go on?” Kara invited her to state her plan, knowing she could trust the General to come up with something good.

 “So far, we didn’t use the army but I have a bunch of choppers and military planes in stand by, I can launch them onto the spaceships to try to bug them. Enough to create a distraction that should give you an opportunity to go there …” Kara was about to remind her she couldn’t go near Kryptonite but Lucy waved her off. “I know, I know but look, last time you …” Everyone threw Lucy a dark look at what she was evoking.

 “Last time, you managed to throw yourself at a being full of radioactive Kryptonite to launch the both of you into the sky. I’m guessing this time is closer, in circumstances. Clark can propulse you towards the location while you hold the EMP and then you just, put it there and detonate it. It won’t harm you, it will just cut any communication. You will have to find a way to extract yourself from under the spaceships but since the EMP will shut down any magnetic field, you won’t be bothered by the Kryptonite. Not from the ships anyway … Only with the devices they are wearing. You can get to the back of the battlefield and escape.”

 Kara thought about the plan for a few seconds, letting Clark and Alex protest that it was too dangerous and that it should be another way.

 “There isn’t another way. I’ll do it. Did Cat broadcast the news already?” Kara asked and Lucy nodded, checking on her phone before looking back up. Alex was glaring at her girlfriend but Lucy stood her ground.

 “Clark, you’re going to throw me as soon as the choppers are distracting the ships. I’ll get the EMP in place and detonate it. Then the team will have to get rid of the remaining Dominators before we retreat to the DEO to figure something more … definitive. We’ll leave the army to keep an eye on the ships, if that’s okay with you Luce?” Lucy nodded and Kara turned to Clark to see if he was going to get along.

 “Why can’t it be me, who places the EMP?” Superman protested, arms crossed over his chest in his usual posture. Kara didn’t miss a beat. “You’re not fast enough.”

 He was about to protest again but Kara threw him a warning look and he kept his mouth shut.

 “Alright, Lucy call your teams and I’ll put mine up to date. Alex, I need you to go back to the DEO to help find a way to neutralize the Kryptonite devices they are wearing. We need all the help we can get …” Kara implored, knowing Alex was about to refuse to leave her side. It took a little more pushing but the older Danvers finally relented and borrowed one of Lucy’s army cars to return to the headquarters.  

 Lucy went away to give orders and Kara sighed once more, before opening the multi-channels line to inform the heroes of the plan.

 ---

 “You can’t possibly agree to that plan!” Cat hissed in the phone as she paced the space in between her two couches, closely followed by Carter’s gaze. The line stayed silent for a few seconds before Alex’s voice came through again, echoing in the living room. Cat had put her phone on speaker the moment Alex had called, not wanting to keep her son in the dark.

 “I don’t exactly have a choice. It’s the only one we have and she is hell-bent on executing it. You, better than anyone else including me, know how hard it is to make her bulge when she has an idea in mind.” Alex grumbled and the sound of an engine racing drowned her voice for a few seconds.

 “Oh, we know Alex, don’t worry, we know. You say it’s a relatively safe plan, can you detail it one more time for us, please? Also, do you need help to neutralize the Kryptonite device? I can totally swing by the DEO and lean a hand …” Carter jumped in before his mother could yell some more. She was so tense he could see the muscle of her jaw work every time she gritted her teeth a little harder.

 “Alright so, Clark is going to throw Kara, who will be holding the EMP, right under the spaceships where she will detonate it. It will shut down any electromagnetic activity so she won’t be bothered by the shields around the spaceships. Once she has detonated the EMP, she only has to escape by the back of the battlefield to avoid any kind of contact with Kryptonite and she’ll join us at the DEO right after.” Alex explained and Carter scrunched his face when he heard the stretching of tires on the road.

 “Don’t get into any accident, it wouldn’t do any good to the team.” Carter warned and Alex must have sensed he was serious because she mumbled something like a curse before slowing down.

 “Actually Carter, if your mother’s up for it, we could indeed use your help to come up with something, to neutralize the Kryptonite harnesses.” Alex finally said, hesitancy clear in her voice. Carter looked up to meet his mother’s eyes and she sighed before nodding.

 “I want to be there too. I know I can’t help but I want to stay with Carter,” Cat said and Alex chuckled lightly.

 “Of course you would. I already cleared it with Director Henshaw, you’re both awaited at the DEO. I’ll meet you there.” The older Danvers hung up and Carter simply went to retrieve his phone and a tablet from one of the bags before stating he was ready.

 The ride to the DEO was silent and tense, Cat trying her best to stay composed and Carter already checking his DEO tablet for the properties of the Kryptonite, to see if there was something exploitable in it.

 He’d been working with the DEO on several occasions ever since he entered MIT, at the tender age of seventeen. Like Alex, he had taken an interest on bioengineering but he was also tempted by a career as a photographer and he was already doing some side work for some big travel magazines and National Geographic as well, during his holidays and his free time.  

 It took barely a full second for them to realize something was wrong, when they exited the elevator in the main room of the DEO.

 ---

 The blast of the detonation shook the whole world and it made the spaceships above her head sway, dangerously so. Still weak from all the Kryptonite she’d been thrown through, Kara managed to stand up and to take a few steps towards the back of the battlefield, longing for the desert and it safety.

 Suddenly, thunder echoed across the sky and rolled on for a few noticeable seconds before the heavy clouds that had gathered around during the fight broke free, causing a heavy and diluvian rain to drench the world.

 That’s when Kara realized she wasn’t going to make it out alive.

 She was a sun powered alien and to her, the dark thick sky meant death. Especially when she was still reeling from all the Kryptonite radiations her body just went through.

 “Crap.” Kara cursed, feeling her bones crack and tremble, the weight of her own body catching up with her wary muscles and making it harder to even walk. She had counted on her superspeed to be able to get away from the battlefield, at last, but it was now out of question.

 “Shit,” She cussed again, noticing a squadron of Dominators heading her way.

 The Kryptonite halo was glowing green in the apocalyptical scene, not even diminished by the curtain of rain. Kara tried her best to walk away but the Dominators were faster and she was weakening with every passing second. She knew she only needed to buy herself some time until one of the heroes could find her but by the look of it all, she wasn’t going to stay alive long enough for that to happen.

 She started feeling dizzy and when she swallowed a mouthful of rain, she almost choked on it. Coughing and then wheezing, she fell to her knees into the wet sand and thought about the words she had last said to Cat.

 They now sounded terribly empty as they echoed in mind.

 ---

 “It’s raining. There’s no sun over there, she’s not going to make it!” Winn was frantically repeating those words, panicking over the loss of communication.

 Alex elbowed him hard in the ribs when she noticed Cat approaching the circle of desks, flanked by Carter. “Shut up, they’re here.” She mumbled through gritted teeth, trying to school her features into a neutral expression.

 From Cat’s arched brow and Carter’s pointed look, she must have failed.

 “Hum, we’re encountering some … unexpected issues with the plan.” Alex stammered, trying to find a way to broach the news without causing the Grants to panic like Winn.

 “Do not, sugarcoat it.” Cat warned, her voice colder than ice itself. Her green eyes were sparkling with a mixture of fear and anger and Alex couldn’t help the feeling of déjà-vu that snuck into the back of her head.

 It started to rain, right after she detonated the EMP. She has no power and the field of Kryptonite she’s been thrown across probably left her feeling very weak. We don’t know how she’s going to make it out alive.” Alex finally said, her voice becoming a whisper towards the end.

 “God damnit.” Carter cursed and when his mother didn’t even scold him for his language, he knew it was even worst than expected. Cat’s face had gone white and she was pursing her lips into a thin, very thin line.

 “I can’t believe she’s doing it again.” She finally whispered, her tone devoid of all emotion but lined with a bitter edge. Carter winced, knowing that calm was ten times worse than an angry fit but he stayed silent.

 “We are hoping she can buy herself enough time for the team to reach her, since we know the EMP served its purpose. They can’t send more Dominators down on Earth but the ones that are already here need to be defeated …” Alex explained before turning to Winn to give him some orders to follow.

 “She better come back to us.” Cat whispered and Carter let out a subtle relieved sigh when he saw the sparkle of hope shine in his mother’s eyes.

 ---

 The world around her was blurred and swaying under her unsteady feet.

 The rain falling hard on her trembling limbs was rolling down her face and some drops were relentlessly getting into her eyes, scrambling her vision in addition to the Kryptonite radiations she could feel approaching her heavy body.

 The wet sand under her hands was fleeing in between her fingers and the weight of her exhausted silhouette, drenched in sweat and rain, was causing the ground to dip and fall, threatening to swallow her whole. She knew the Dominators were too close now, she knew everything was lost but all she could feel was a crushing guilt. She had already gone beyond the angry phase, now she was just sad and guilty of putting Cat and Carter through this again. The unpleasant feeling was making her stomach churn and squeeze inside of her chest, even more so than the green radioactive substance getting closer with every new step of the Dominators.

 They were barely ten feet away now, at least two dozen if the strength of the Kryptonite glow was anything to go by.

 She was too weak to even protect herself. She closed her eyes and tried to gather the remains of what was left of her strength but she only managed to stand on her knees, her soiled fingers closing into trembling fists by her sides.

She could feel her veins burn with the radiations, coursing through her whole face, chasing the blood away and she knew that, more than ever, she looked like an alien, emerald cracks breaking the marble of her features.

 She saw the silhouettes of the Dominators getting more defined, under the curtain of rain, blurred and sickeningly green but determinate. They were marching towards her, not even running, they knew they had her. The thunder above her head rolled again, strong and loud, making the world shake a little and she smiled, despite her oncoming death. She always loved the rain.

 She closed her eyes and waited for the first blow but it never came.

 ---

 She heard the sounds of a fight, blunt and brutal, fists breaking bones and punching through alien flesh, alien goo splashing over the sand despite the noise of the heavy rain and then, the voice of a woman echoed in her ears, familiar but distant like the soft echo of a long forgotten dream.

 The Kryptonite was still cloaking the air, heavy and paralyzing, preventing her to really move but she managed to raise her head to look up.

She barely discerned the silhouette of a woman wearing a sparkling armor made of metal and steel, bright and fierce. She noticed drenched brown curls that somehow still flew with every kick and punch and a golden band was slightly glowing on her forehead. She was too weak to make out any kind of features but something in the back of her head told her she knew her, whoever the woman was.

 Minutes passed, one by one but slowly, the glowing radiations of the Kryptonite diminished and she felt the sickness leave her limbs. She wasn’t healing because it was still raining and the lack of sun was getting in the way of her powers but at least, she was regaining mobility.

 It took another handful of minutes that seemed like a small eternity to her, to finally be able to stand up. She swayed dangerously, still unsteady and the wet sand giving up a little under her weight but she stood her ground, fighting for it.

 Eventually, the Dominators were all dead and the Kryptonite harnesses out of service.

 “You always end up in the most critical situations, Kara … Is that your brand or something? It’s not very wise if it is.” The voice echoed behind her.

 She turned, not too fast because she still felt a bit nauseous but then she was met with a pair of brown eyes that sparkled with something like amusement and joy, the kind of joy that could be found in the eyes of a kid on Christmas Eve, pure and simple.

 “Diana!” Kara all but squealed, happiness flooding her body as she threw herself at the woman’s neck, hugging her as tightly as her weak state allowed her.

 “Diana? I thought …” Bruce’s voice chimed in and Kara released her friend to watch the team approach.

 They looked exhausted, all of them. The green arrow and his friends were all showing various kind of wounds and J’onn was holding his right arm in a way that suggested it was seriously injured, broken maybe. Bruce and Arthur were covered in rain, blood and sand and they were both holding an unconscious Cyborg, whose arms and legs were in dire need of some repairs, from the sparkles that buzzed in the air near the limbs. Only Superman looked in shape as he landed near Batman but his expression told her how much he despised having to stay back.

 “Diana. Glad you could join us.” Clark greeted, a coldness in his tone Kara wasn’t familiar with. She threw him a weird look but he purposely didn’t meet her eyes.

“I despise wars but I couldn’t let the people I’ve come to consider as a part of my family fight without me so … I came.” Diana turned to answer the billionaire, ignoring Superman and causing a thin smirk to grace Bruce’s lips.

“I’m glad you came. I take it you already know Supergirl …” He noticed, arching a brow at the younger Danvers and Kara sighed.

“Long story, I’ll explain later. For now, let’s go back to the DEO, we need some rest and a medical team is ready to treat any kind of injury that might need care. I need to regain my powers as well, so … let’s go. Lucy’s army is going to watch over the spaceships for us.” Kara explained, feeling the exhaustion settle in her bones for good, making her sway again. Diana gently reached to hold her by the elbow and Kara threw her a grateful look.

“Alright. Let’s meet there. Diana, are you coming too?” Bruce asked with a hint of hope in his voice, causing the rest of the team to look at him with surprise. It wasn’t often the Batman sounded anything else than grim or moody.

“I am, yes. I’ll take Kara there, she can’t fly.” Diana simply answered, already moving to carry her friend.

Before Kara could protest, Diana jumped into the rainy sky and towards National City.

---

Cat was used to be informed of everything in real time and sometimes, even before everyone else. Knowledge was power and she lived by those words, since she literally made a living of being informed and informing others.

The absence of information was driving her mad and crazy Cat Grant was even more snappish and sarcastic than normal Cat. Carter knew that better than anyone and when he saw Alex pinch the bridge of her nose and take a deep breath after Cat asked for the thousandth time if they had any news, making a pointed comment about incompetence and laziness, he jumped in.

“Mom. Come on. Be nice, they are doing their best. Winn is literally soaked through with sweat and he’s still trying to find a way to communicate with Supergirl and the team, even though the EMP that detonated makes it literally impossible. Don’t be mean, they don’t need it right now.” He said with a gentle smile but a firm tone, not wanting his mother to think she was entitled to her impossible behavior. It might be the case in CatCo’s offices but here at the DEO, she was a guest and by the flames burning in Alex’s eyes, she was about to be thrown off the building.

Everyone’s limits were stretching thin.

Cat glared at him but stayed silent, realizing he was right. She didn’t apologize but she gave Alex an apologetic look. They all knew it was all they would get, Cat being both too tense and too proud to offer more.

“We really are doing our best, Cat.” Alex simply added before walking away to talk to Winn.

“Where is Guardian?” Cat asked, causing the older Danvers to stop and to whirl around to face Cat.

“He’s helping evacuating more civilians, working hand in hand with Lucy’s regiments. Why?” Alex asked with a warning edge in her tone.

“Business.” Cat simply answered and Carter inwardly groaned. There it was, Cat’s defiant attitude that was about to push Alex beyond what was tolerable.

The older Danvers was clearly about to snap back at the CEO when the sound of a hard landing made them turn around.

All eyes widened at the sight of Kara being protectively held by a tall woman in armor, a sword attached on one side and a folded lasso on the other, with large metallic handcuffs protecting her wrists and wearing a pair of heavy boots that had caused the concrete to crack under their strength.

There was no doubt the woman was not human, despite her look.

She was beauty itself, with her perfectly chiseled features, her proud and royal posture, with her raised chin and the thousand worlds showing in her deep brown eyes as drenched curls were freely framing her face.

“Hello.” She said as if she was simply greeting a gathering of people that was expecting her.

“You can let go of me, now, you know?” Kara mumbled, a slight pout on her face as she tried to walk towards her sister. The woman gently curled her fingers around Supergirl’s forearms and helped her down the few steps that separated the superhero and her people.

“You’re too weak, let me help you.” The woman insisted with a softness in her voice that reminded Alex of Alura’s voice, the one she had heard so many time while working on the hologram.

“Hm, excuse me but, who the hell are you?” Alex all but growled, a nasty sting of jealousy lining her voice as she glared at the woman. She didn’t like the way the intruder was so close with her sister and she felt oddly threatened.

A single glance towards Cat told her she wasn’t alone.

“Everyone, meet Diana of Themyscira.” Kara simply said with a bright smile as she leant on her friend’s touch.

Carter arched a surprised brow before taking a few cautious steps towards the stranger, who looked curiously at him.

“Diana, this is Carter Grant.” Kara introduced them as Carter hesitantly snuck out a hand to be polite. He was dying to ask questions but he could also feel the burning heat of her mother’s look bore a hole in the back of his neck and he knew it wasn’t reasonable, that he had to tread lightly here.

“Nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you. Thank you, for saving Kara’s life, all those years ago.” Carter simply said with a smile. The smile Diana returned to him was blinding and she engulfed him into a tight hug that reminded him of Kara’s ones.

“Ooof, I see you have super strength too … too tight, too tight!” He squeaked, silently wondering how much pressure his bones could take before they finally broke.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I haven’t been in the real world for that long, I’m still struggling a little with calculating the right amount of force … And to understand the customs and the social rules. I hope I didn’t offend you, I am sorry if I did, I have to remember not everyone likes to be touched …” She startled rambling a little and it made him laugh. He could totally see the resemblance between her and Kara, their behaviors weren’t that different after all.

“It’s perfectly alright, Miss …” He stopped, unsure of how to call the woman standing in front of him.

“Oh please, call me Diana! Anything for Kara’s friends!” She supplied with another bright smile. He marveled for a second at how beautiful she was before coughing a little and shaking his head to get back in track.

“I’m used to Kara’s hugs now, she’s a hugger too. Are you an alien, also?” He wondered out loud, admiring the armor and the way the gold and silver of the metals were glowing slightly.

“Not exactly. I am a demi-goddess, born out of the love between an Amazon and a God.” Diana explained without getting into the details but Carter gaped at her, totally in awe now.

“Ahem. Not to break this lovely little scene but there’s a war raging outside and the team has just gotten here, they are riding the elevator as we speak …” Alex chimed, her tone barely a little warmer than when she had asked Diana to introduce herself.

“Alex, don’t be rude.” Kara warned her before escaping Diana’s grasp to stumble towards Cat, who had stayed silent for the whole exchange.

She hesitantly reached to put her arms around the CEO and Cat, for all the jealousy boiling in her veins and the mixed feelings she was experiencing for the intruder, closed the distance and sagged against her wife’s body..

They stayed silent for a moment, the whole world fading away around them as they breathed into each other’s scent. Kara was reeking of blood, sand and that characteristic scent that followed the summer rain everywhere but she was alive and relatively safe. Cat chose to focus on the feeling of her wife’s arms around her and the solid chest in which she buried her face.

When they came back to the real world, after a short but desperate kiss, the team was already heading towards the medical bay, lead by Alex. Carter was hanging back near his mother, protective despite his obvious curiosity. Diana was still there as well, studying the main operation room with great interest.

“What is this place?” She asked to no one in particular but it made Carter jump a little, as if she had troubled the course of his thoughts. 

“Hm, it’s called the DEO, it stands for Department of Extranormal Operations and it’s a branch of the government that deal with every kind of aliens matters … Director Henshaw is in charge, he’s … it’s the human form of the Green Martian you saw, the one with the broken arm.” Carter studied Diana’s features to see if she was following. When she nodded, he nodded too and continued.

“It was first created when Superman landed on Earth, years ago but now Supergirl is working with them, she’s more peaceful and she actually stands for the alien rights.” Carter proudly stated, a soft smile on his lips.

Cat heard him and she smiled too, followed by Kara.

“Why thank you, Carter. Would you like to follow us to the medical bay? I need to rest under the sun powered bed to regain my powers but you can stay around.” Kara explained with a smile, looking at Diana.

The woman nodded and fell in step with the little group, still looking everywhere with the eagerness of a child written all over her face.

---

“How comes you’re not in Themyscira anymore?” Kara asked from under the sun lamps overlooking her whole body.

“After you left, I realized the world wasn’t exactly as my mother let me think it was. I had lived a protected life, on the island and I wanted to … do something. So I left.” Diana answered and the heavy edge in her tone let Kara know there was more to the story.

“I never heard of you until now, but Superman and Batman seem to know you …” Kara turned her head to watch as a look of anger flashed through Diana’s eyes.

“I’ve run into them before. I more or less joined their secret team, they call themselve the Justice League …” Diana slowly explained and Kara nodded, Clark having mentioned it once or twice in passing, without elaborating. They didn’t talk as much anymore.

“Wait, yes, you’re the one they call Wonder Woman, right?” Carter chimed in from his seat next to Kara’s bed. Kara arched a brow and Diana sighed.

“Yes, they gave me that name but I usually go by Diana Prince. It’s easier than to explain my lineage and the fact Zeus is my father. From what I’ve gathered, humans are not kind to people they don’t understand.”Diana replied with a grim look on her face.

Two audible gasps made Kara and Diana turn their faces towards the Grants, who were both gasping at Diana.

“Zeus … Zeus is your … father?” Carter stammered, struggling to make sense of the words he had just heard and Diana rolled her eyes slightly. A soft but amused smile graced her lips as she replied “Yes, Zeus is my father. See, Supergirl is an alien from outer space but somehow, believing I’m the daughter of a God sounds even crazier to you.”

“I … Yes.” Carter gave up on trying to argue about it, still figuring how to wrap his mind around the fact he was standing next to Zeus’s daughter.

“I’m sorry, it’s a lot to take in … What does that make you, though? I mean, surely, you have some kind of title, with such a … divine, lineage?” Cat asked, curiosity taking over the surprise as her journalistic instincts kicked in. It made Kara smile broadly.

“I am technically a princess, yes, hence the choice of last name in this human world … There are some pieces of me I still can’t let go of.” Diana softly answered, the nostalgia clear in her voice.

“How long have you been in the … human world?” Cat asked next, leaning forward in the chair she had placed next to Carter, closer to Kara’s bed.

“About two years now. I do try to keep a low profile, for I am still getting used to how to navigate … people.” Diana replied, amused by Cat’s interest. “I believe we haven’t been properly introduced, however. I know you are Carter’s mother and Kara’s sweetheart but none of that explains your interest for my person …” Diana tilted her head to the side in a gesture that was so similar to Kara, Cat felt a little dizzy at all the ressemblances piling up between the two extraordinary women.

“Cat Grant, CEO of CatCo worldwide Media, journalist at heart.” Cat simply offered, still a little weary of the woman in front of her.

“Grant … I think Lois, Superman’s sweetheart, said something about you once …” Diana frowned and Cat smirked while Carter and Kara groaned out loud.

“I would certainly hope so, yes. Lois and I have some kind of … old feud, going on. We started at the same place, years ago, but our paths eventually diverged and now, you could say we are the best rivals ever.” Cat explained, the smug smile never leaving her face.

“Yet it sounds like you care about her, deeply.” Diana softly stated and Carter’s eyes widened comically. Kara coughed loudly enough to try to divert the women’s attention but neither of them budged.

“Oh really. How could you possibly know about that?” Cat asked with narrowed eyes, not smiling anymore.

“Call it empathy … Or simply the fact Lois said you were one of her closest friends.” Diana smirked and it left Cat speechless, which was something to witness in itself.

Kara was about to talk to try to make a diversion when Alex barged into the room, holding a medical chart in one hand and a coffee in the other, a pen tucked between her ear and half a cereal bar in her mouth.

She put the chart on a table beside the sun powered bed and ate the rest of her bar before narrowing her eyes at Diana, still not entirely warmed up at the idea of a demi-goddess walking around her baby sister.

“Alright. The team is patched up as much as possible, they are resting a little. I gave them a full hour and then we have a meeting in the main operation room, to elaborate a plan. You rest too.” Alex ordered her sister before turning to Carter.

“Carter, we are going to focus back on a device to neutralize the Kryptonite, I need your help. Felicity, Winn, Lena and my mother are still working on it as we speak but we need all hands on the deck.” She explained with a glance towards Cat to make sure it was okay. Cat nodded and Carter instantly stood up to follow Alex out of the medical bay.

“I think she doesn’t like me very much.” Diana said, her voice sounding a little small but without her features betraying any of her feelings.

“She’s very protective of Kara. It took her years to get used to me as … Kara’s sweetheart, as you so eloquently put it.” Cat snorted. Diana threw her a curious look but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned towards Kara.

“I can understand the wariness and the protectiveness but jealousy?” Diana gently shook her head, reprobating so.

“Look Diana, the human world isn’t always pretty.” Kara started, not letting Cat the time to answer. ”There are what I call ugly emotions and behaviors, like pettiness, jealousy, cruelty … People aren’t always nice and kind, they don’t alway show goodness of heart. It’s what makes them beautiful, you know? Flaws. Humanity is flawed but most of the people ... They try to do good, they fail, they try again. You have some rotten souls going around, irredeemable ones but for the most part, they are good people.” Kara gently explained, seriousness echoing in her voice with a heavy edge that came from having witnessed the destruction of her whole world.

“My people, Kryptonians I mean, were also flawed, pride being the most dangerous flaw of them all and it lead to the destruction of my whole world. Here, humans are sometimes trying to get in the way, to gain more power, to hurt others but those are a minority. I have faith in them, you know. As long as they keep trying, I will always believe in them.” Kara finished with a soft, so very soft, smile, despite the sadness sparkling in her deep blue eyes.

For a moment, no one talked and then Diana smiled, softly.

“Thank you. Now you rest, we’ll be here when you wake up.” She gently ordered, stroking Kara’s face with the tip of her fingers. There was something so gentle and tender in the way she touched Supergirl, Cat didn’t even think to protest. She could see it wasn’t threatening, edging more towards a maternal kind of love than a romantic one.

Kara smiled lazily and then turned her eyes to look at Cat, on the other side of the bed. Exhaustion was clearly taking over but she still managed to reach a hand to cup her wife’s chin to bring her closer, claiming a soft but fierce kiss.

Minutes later, Kara was sound asleep and Cat was still smiling from the kiss.

---

“Thank you, for saving Kara again today.” Cat broke the silence half an hour later, muffling a yawn behind her free hand. The other one was closed around Kara’s fingers and she wasn’t letting go of them, needing the contact to ground her, to remind her her wife was alright and here.

“I should have gotten here sooner.” Diana replied with a hard edge in her words.

“Why weren’t you? Here sooner, I mean.” Cat bluntly asked, curious but not aggressive. 

“I … It is a little ironic actually. I come from an island of warriors, the Amazons. My whole life, I’ve been training for war but the place was actually the most peaceful one you could think of. The women live in harmony there, training to be warriors because it’s our legacy, our lineage and our purpose but we never had to actually fight a war, not in a long time. The last one was when the Gods were fighting their siblings and it was centuries ago ...” Diana explained, her voice echoing with the mythical inflexion her emotions gave to the story. 

“Centuries? How old are you, exactly?” Cat frowned, wondering not for the first time where the similarities between Kara and the strange goddess would stop. 

“It’s impossible to count, in human quantity at least. I’m older than time itself and yet, in this world, I might as well be a newborn. I even had to learn babies weren’t made out of clay, like I had been ...” Diana couldn’t help the little amused smile at the way Cat gasped at her last words. 

“Yes it made for an awkward conversation but I am getting used to them, with everything I have to learn and discover …” She enchained with something like melancholy lining her voice. 

“I would imagine so, yes.” Cat nodded, regaining her composure but openly staring at the other woman. 

“Kara explained her arrival to me and in some way … I am a little like her now, learning every day about how the human world is … The difference is, my world isn’t as flawed as her was, as this one is.” Diana gestured around in an attempt to seize the meaning of her world. 

“Humanity is a never ending mystery, yes.” Cat simply stated, understanding it could be overwhelming for someone who had been living forever in a place where the raw ugliness of the world was a foreign concept. 

“I think you found the less flawed person on Earth and she’s an alien. It says a lot …” Diana whispered, looking at Kara with something close to adoration. 

“Is that why she is so precious to you?” Cat asked, curious to understand the strange bond between the extraordinary women. 

“She reminds me of home.” Diana simply responded, her voice barely above a breath but Cat heard the words loud and clear. The tone, lined with love, admiration and a profound sadness, was of someone who had lost something.

She knew it for having noticed the same inflexion in Kara’s voice whenever she talked about her planet. 

They didn’t talk after that, both waiting in silence for Kara to wake up. 

--- 

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.” Supergirl sighed as Winn brought another glass board, covered in formulas and scientific writings she was too tired to focus on, into the main operation room. 

“So, Felicity came up with an idea to shut down the ships for good. Since the EMP worked so well for the magnetic impulses, we figured out we could use something similar to efficiently kill their engine and everything inside, including the ability to generate more Dominators.” Winn started, literally jumping from one board to another and scribbling down new formulas and specific numbers everywhere. 

Standing near one of the glass boards, Lena was holding her tablet and typing away at it frantically, barely looking up to follow the explanation. Eliza was here as well, helping Winn by handing him more markers as he was using them too fast. Felicity and Carter were working on a computer to send schematics and blueprints on the wall of screens for everyone to see. Alex, for her part, was clutching a cup of coffee in both her hands while trying to translate Winn’s scribblings into proper English for the rest of the team. 

“It’s basically a bomb. We are using a few devices we had in stock in the armory and enhancing them to transform them into bombs. It will be powerful enough to blow up ships but the thing is, as long as the mother ship is still functioning, it’s useless to try to take down the fleet hovering on the outskirts of National City.” Alex explained while struggling to keep up with the files showing up on the screens. 

“Lucy managed to have another EMP sent here and it’s coming up as we speak. Felicity and Lena will work on it to make a bomb out of it, a big one, that will have to be put inside of the mothership” Alex kept going but as she pronounced the last word, she turned to face Kara. Her face was twisted in hesitation and reluctance but she finally sighed. 

“It’s stationed right above the fleet but, in space. You will have to go there to put the bomb in the engine room. When Winn managed to hack into one of the ship, he downloaded an approximate plan of it and we are assuming every ship is built on the same model. Knowing that, we are now certain that all the bombs need to be close to the engine of the ships to effectively destroy them and there’s more to it, the bombs need to be detonated at the same time as the mothership’s.” Alex turned again towards the wall of screens and took a few steps to the biggest one on the left. 

She moved a hand away from her coffee to designate something. “Here is the outline Winn retrieved of a ship. The engine room is, oddly enough, located on the upper part of it. You can’t throw the bombs on them, it won’t work. Here is the area where you can put the device, we’ll manage to have a button you can press to have it stick or whatever.” 

Everyone was listening with rapt attention but when Alex had explained Kara was going to have to fly up into space, Cat had moved closer to her wife to seek contact. Instinctively, the younger Danvers had placed her wife in front of her and thrown her arms around her waist, keeping her close but still listening to Alex. 

“It’s going to be a messy business. Oliver, you and your team will have to work hand in hand with Bruce’s team to hold the line and prevent the Dominators to reach National City. Lucy already said that this time, she’ll send the military air force to help.” Alex stopped talking and turned to Winn, who instantly took over. 

“Right, right. We realized we couldn’t find anything to neutralize Kryptonite, especially not with how they modified Lex’s technology. I mean, the DEO has been working with the Kryptonians for years now and they have never managed to find anything, it’s not in a handful of hours we’ll manage it. Instead, we chose to focus our energy to the actual matter at hand. We need to kill the Dominators for good, it will eradicate our kryptonite problem. For now, at least.” He explained while throwing an empty marker behind his shoulder, grabbing the one Eliza was handing him to continue his formula. 

“It means Kara and I still can’t get any closer …” Superman interjected, a deep frown etched in between his eyes. Winn nodded but didn’t reply to him. Instead, he turned toward Carter. 

“Buddy, wanna continue this?” 

Carter left the computer he had been working on for the past few minutes to come stand next to Winn. He was so serious, despite the college outfit and the youngness of his features. 

“Actually, Kara, I worked on something for you. It won’t neutralize the effect of the Kryptonite, alas, but it should allow you to be able to fly up to the mothership and to come back once you’ve put the bomb in place.” Carter moved towards one of the glass board and searched into the mess of writings before grabbing a marker and modifying something. 

“The Dominators gave me an idea. The harness they use, I asked Arthur, I mean sorry, Aquaman …” Carter blushed furiously and the sea king smirked. 

“You can call me Arthur, young man. Keep going.” 

Carter almost melted on the spot, making heart eyes at the man he was such a huge admirator of. 

“Hm, buddy, we’re waiting for you here.” Kara gently reminded him, smirking too. Even Cat was amused by her son’s behavior. 

“Right! Sorry. So, Arthur brought me back a harness and I studied it, in the room entirely lined with lead you know. It’s great tech, really, too good to be neutralized but I basically used the model to make you a sun powered vest.” Carter explained, moving towards the back of the room to retrieve a vest that looked a lot like a bulletproof vest but glowing yellow. 

“For the design, you’ll have to check with Winn, I only focused on the practical aspect. It will allow you to maintain your powers long enough to go up and to come back and should you use your abilities too much, it will regenerate them but not fully. The amount of sun power needed is too important so, the vest won’t last forever. Eliza helped and then I checked all the calculations, Winn and Lena did too and you have, in best case scenario, three hours. Worst case scenario … Barely one.” Carter explained, handing the vest to Kara who moved away from Cat to try to pull it on. 

“Hm, yes, no, Winn will have to work on this because it doesn’t fit with my cape and I need my cape to fly ....” Supergirl said, handing the vest over to her friend. 

“Don’t worry, it will be ready in half an hour.” Winn said and he scurried away, followed by Eliza. 

“It still doesn’t solve the problem.” Superman chimed in again, crossing his arms over his chest. Kara groaned, loudly enough for Cat to arch a brow at her. 

“You’re going to work with the teams to protect the civilians, Clark.” Carter stated, his tone cold and firm as he glared at the man of steel, annoyance written all over his face. 

“I will place the bombs on the ships.” Diana suddenly joined the conversation, stepping in from where she had been standing, next to Kara. “I am not affected by Kryptonite and I am faster than any of the men gathered around.” 

Oliver grumbled something but Felicity elbowed him hard enough to make him shut up. Arthur snickered and Bruce only smirked, while Superman frowned. 

“Perfect. We’ll explain to you how it works once we have finished building the bombs. You don’t have to put one on every ship but if you can, try to draw a circle in the disposition, for the blast to reach them all.” Alex elaborated by showing the layout of the fleet on the screens and Diana watched with attention. 

While Alex and Diana studied the plan of action together, Lena walked closer to Kara, finally looking up from her tablet. 

“I have to say Kara, you have the strangest friends.” The Luthor casually said, glancing towards the demi-goddess and then towards the teams of men discussing battle strategy together. 

“Tell me about it.” Cat answered with a smirk. Lena returned the amused gesture before walking away, heading to the lab. 

Kara silently moved to hold Cat again, pressing a kiss on her wife’s forehead. 

“I suppose there is no point in saying I don’t like this plan?” Cat whispered, returning the embrace and tangling her fingers into Supergirl’s cape. 

“There isn’t, no. You know we will execute it anyway.” Kara smiled and then sighed. “I think the only missing person in this little scene is Lois. She would be over the moon to see so many heroes gathered together …” 

“Ah yes but you see, lesser Lane is too busy carrying a child. We can’t have it all.” Cat replied with a smirk despite the soft gleam in her eyes. 

“I remember someone saying we actually can have it all. Just, not at first and not at the same time.” Kara teased and Cat made an appreciative sound. 

“Hm, I did say that, didn’t I?” She nodded, looking up to meet Kara’s eyes. Something sparkled between them and then, Kara bent over to kiss her wife, soundly. It didn’t last long but Cat felt a little better afterward. She pressed her cheek against Kara’s chest and sighed. 

Clinging to the superhero in a way that clearly betrayed her inner terror, she finally whispered “Don’t die.” 

--- 

“I like your sister.” Diana said as she entered the room where Kara was trying on the vest Winn had modified for her. 

“I take it she’s not giving you the protective slash jealous undertones anymore.” Kara replied with a smile as she stood still, arms reached out to allow her friend to make all the adjustments. 

“She put me through something your Cat called a … shovel talk?” Diana said, tilting her head and throwing Kara a questioning look, sounding unsure about the last two words. 

Kara bursted into a fit of laugher and Winn giggled. 

“It’s, why are you calling her my Cat, it makes it sound like the actual animal.” Kara managed to say before chuckling again. 

“Do not say that in front of her, ever, she’s never going to forgive you.” Winn warned Diana and the woman frowned, confusion clear on her mythical features. 

“As for Alex, yes probably she told you that if you hurt me, she’ll make you pay for it or something along those lines. She does that with all the people close to me.” Kara nodded, a fond smile gracing her lips at the thought of her big sister. 

“I like her.” Diana said again, before leaning against the wall to watch Winn work his magic. 

--- 

When Lucy called to say there was movement around the alien fleet, they were all ready to go. 

“Alright everyone. You have your orders. Coms will be restored as soon as the EMP stop working and you need to stay connected because as soon as all the bombs are in place, Winn here will activate them. Diana, here’s your device.” Alex handed a bluetooth device to the warrior and helped her with it. 

“Show time.” She finally said and everyone moved. Superman took off from the DEO balcony while the rest of the teams headed towards the lift to reach the parking lot. 

Supergirl stayed back for a while, looking into Cat’s eyes with something like hesitancy. She wanted to say so many things but somehow, the words all sounded empty in the face of the fate of the world. Carter hugged her tightly and she returned the hug as strong as she could without hurting him but then, he wandered off to go help Felicity and Lena to keep an eye on the bombs activity. 

“Don’t die.” Cat whispered again and Kara only nodded, before moving closer to kiss her wife. 

The kiss tasted like the end of the world and Kara felt salt on her tongue. She realized Cat was silently crying and she wrapped her into a soft but fierce embrace, unable to speak but desperate to reassure her wife. 

“I’ll be back.” She finally murmured, not wanting to make any promise but knowing she couldn’t leave without at least saying something. 

“I love you.” She added with a last, lingering kiss, before speeding towards the balcony to take off into the sky. 

Up, up, up and away, no time to lose. 

--- 

“Alex, who’s the lady with a sword, a shield and a … lasso?” 

Winn chuckled and Alex rolled her eyes before punching the speaker button off on her phone, putting the device to her ear to answer her girlfriend. 

“It’s … It’s Diana, of Themyscira.” Alex sighed, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to start with a name. 

“The woman who saved Kara, when we thought …” Alex instantly winced and cut Lucy off. “Yes, that one. Turns out she’s a demi-goddess, the daughter of an Amazon and … a god.” 

“A god. Really.” The skepticism that dripped from Lucy’s tone made Alex smirks. 

“Yes, Zeus is her father.” She casually dropped, amused by the conversation despite the war that was about to start again, pretty soon. 

There was silence on the line but then Lucy spoke again. “I can’t even tell if you’re messing with me or if you’re actually serious, Danvers.” 

This time, Alex all but laughed before answering. “A bit of both, I guess. I mean I had trouble believing it too but you know, she did point out that Kara was an alien from outer space and that we were not even blinking at that, why would Diana being the daughter of Zeus be any less believable?” 

It took the general a whole minute to reply. “She has a point but … She’s the daughter of Zeus how is no one reacting to this?” 

“Oh, believe me. There were plenty of reactions, I think Carter has a new crush now.” Alex explained and she smiled sweetly when her nephew threw her a glare. Cat, standing near her son, only smiled with amusement. 

“I totally get why, she’s gorgeous.” Lucy replied and Alex couldn’t even feel jealous because she had seen Diana and anyone with eyes would find her beautiful. It was hard, to not like her. 

“I know. How are things going on, over there? Kara’s halfway up to the mothership, is Diana getting close to the fleet?” 

“Close? I don’t think she can get any closer, she’s putting the bombs atop the ships already, jumping from one to another and from what I see, the pattern is a circle …” Lucy explained and Alex heard the faint echo of admirative whispers around her lover’s voice. 

“Are your soldiers drooling over the woman?” Alex asked with a smirk. 

“We all are, yes. She’s incredible. The teams are holding the lines since the Dominators are at it again but so far, nothing to declare. Superman doesn’t look so happy though, hovering above us in his grumpy posture …” Lucy pointed out and Alex had no trouble imagine Clark Kent, brooding like a Oliver Queen as he was forced to stay away from the war. 

“He’s acting like a stubborn kid, don’t mind him. Alright I have to go babe, Kara will get to the mothership soon and I need to be connected with everyone. Be safe and see you soon.” Alex said before hanging up, after Lucy had the time to tell her the same thing. 

“Alright everyone, it’s show time.” Alex said, joining Carter and Winn next to Felicity and Lena, to keep an eye on the bomb in order to be ready for the detonation. 

---

She realized her sun powered vest wasn’t powerful enough when she noticed the weight of the bomb in her arms. She had safely arrived near the mother ship, oddly noticing its ressemblance with a fictional ship she’d seen in the TV show Battlestar Galactica, the one Winn and Alex forced her to watch for months and she was now wandering around a floor she knew was located right under the engineering room. 

The fact the ship wasn’t crawling with Dominators was unsettling but she wasn’t one to complain, especially not know that she was aware her vest probably didn’t have enough energy to go back to Earth. 

It was getting old, the near death situation in which she constantly found herself. 

She finally found what seemed to be a lift and her knowledge of intergalactical languages helped her figure out how to use it. She punched a screen and entered a few symbols and she assumed  the whooshing sound meant she was now moving. It took a handful of seconds before she could exit the small alien elevator. 

The engineering room was disproportionate, even for a ship of that size. It was taking the whole upper part of the ship and the roaring of the machine was deafening. So much for the perks of alien technology, she thought as she made her way towards some suspended stairs that led downward. 

“Well, that’s unfortunate.” She muttered before putting down the bomb on the floor as she contemplated the full row of what seemed to be motors. Ranks and ranks of motors coursing down the floor in organized aisles. 

“Winn,” she said as she reached for her ear. “There are like, four dozens of motors, where am I supposed to place the bomb? They are disposed like … like servers, you know what I mean?” 

She heard the parasites announcing Winn was having trouble to find her frequency. 

“I heard … you should … in the middle …” Winn’s voice came through, partially. She grumbled something in Kryptonian before bending over to holst the bomb in her arms. 

“Alright, I’m going to try to find the middle of the motors room, let’s hope the blast will be enough.” Kara said before slipping through the second row of machines. She stopped around the middle of the alley and put down the explosive. 

“All good, I’ll contact you when I’m out of here so you can detonate the whole circuit. Did Diana do her part?” Kara tried, quickly walking away to climb up the stairs and reach the strange elevator. 

“She … in place … Fine … waiting … signal … hurry …” The communication biped loudly and Kara ripped it away from her ear, wincing in pain.

When she put it back, she noticed the signal was gone. 

“Shit.” 

--- 

“We lost contact with Kara!” Winn yelled across the main operation room, frantically trying to fix the connection. 

“What do you mean we lost contact? Winn, she’s supposed to tell us when to detonate the bombs!” 

“Yes yes yes I know don’t yell at me! We lost her frequency and the signal of her device is off!” Winn replied before rolling his chair towards another computer, typing away at the keyboard while studying the information scrolling on the screen. 

“Communication between Earth and Space would do that.” Felicity sarcastically chimed in. When Alex all but glared daggers at her, she retreated and moved back to her desk to try to help Winn. 

“Lena, can you figure out a way to hack into the mothership? Maybe we can get a signal over there, telling Kara to get out of there within five minutes? Diana placed all the bombs and she’s helping the teams but the Dominators must have sensed something because they are regenerating faster and they are more violent, more ruthless.” Alex turned to face the Luthor, who was already trying to break the protections around the mothership using the most powerful computer available. 

“I think I can do that but we will have no way to find out if it worked, Alex …” Lena replied, progressing as fast as she could on the firewall surrounding the alien technology. “Here, you talk, hopefully it will blast your voice across the whole ship but like I said …” 

“I know. We have to try. Thank you.” Alex said before bending over the microphone. 

“Kara, this is Alex, we are detonating the bombs in five minutes. Get out of the ship!” The computer crashed down the moment she finished her message and panic surged in her stomach. 

“This is good!” Lena said with a relieved smile. Alex blinked at her, not understanding what she meant. 

“The computer crashed because the Dominators tried to shut us out, which means it worked, the message went up to Kara. Now, she just needs to escape …” Lena whispered with a frown, her smile gone. 

“Let’s hope she has enough power in her vest …” Alex whispered too, glancing towards Cat who had alarmingly blanched the moment Winn had announced they lost Supergirl. Carter was with his mother, trying to sooth her, to reassure her. 

When the older Danvers met Cat’s eyes, they shared a look that conveyed all their fears and the raw, terrifying sense of déjà-vu. 

--- 

“Shit.” Kara cursed again as her fist collided with a Dominator’s stomach. Or at least, where a stomach would be if her opponent had been humanoide. The alien backed off a few steps and she took the opportunity to jump in and run, as fast as she could, towards the nearest exit. 

Her general sense of the ship was helping but the lack of power and the tiredness that started to cloak her muscles prevented her of using super speed and, in addition to this already critical state, the Dominators had finally showed up and it was slowing her down. She refused to use her powers, figuring it was best to keep them for the journey back but it meant she needed to run and escape the squadrons of aliens bursting out at every corner. 

Her mental clock ticked three minutes and she swore again, in Kryptonian this time. She needed to get out within one minute otherwise, the blast of the explosion would kill her. 

Thinking of Cat, Carter, Alex and every one of her loved ones, she sighed and punched again, determined to make it out of alive. 

--- 

The explosion shook the entire planet and everyone looked up to the sky to see the orange nuclear mushroom grow and then fade, slowly. 

--- 

The fleet was gone in ashes and smoke but the heroes were all looking up at the sky, waiting for their friend, the last daughter of Krypton, to show up. 

--- 

At the DEO, everyone was gathered on the balcony, eyes full of hope but hearts squeezed in fear as they all searched for the familiar blue and red blur. 

--- 

Minutes ticked, one by one, until Carter shouted “HERE!” as he pointed up towards something. 

Falling from the clouds, along the heavy rain, a silhouette headed towards the ground at an alarming speed. It quickly became evident Kara wasn’t flying as much as she was crashing and it seemed like the whole city had come to the same realization. A collective gasp distinctly echoed through National City as they all witnessed the ineluctable fate of their most beloved girl of steel. 

--- 

“Oh good, you’re awake!” 

Kara blinked once but the bright light above her eyes forced her to close them again. She let out a loud groan and slowly moved a hand to reach out to her head in a futile attempt to ease the pounding that echoed inside. 

“Oh God. Did I hit Superman or something?” She mumbled and her own voice sounded weird to her ears, heavy and thick, slow. 

“Easy, Supergirl. You’re not fully regenerated yet.” Kara recognized the voice as belonging to Alex. Instantly, she felt more at ease and allowed her body to relax. 

“I can tell, yeah. What happened?” Kara asked before trying to open her eyes again. It took four more attempts but she finally managed it. The world around her was blurry and unsteady at first but then, Cat’s face came into focus and she lazily smiled. 

“Hi, babe.” She greeted and she felt fingers slip under hers. Instinctively, she gave them a gentle squeeze and she was rewarded by a thumb caressing the back of her hand. 

“Hello Darling.” Cat’s voice sounded thick but with emotions, a mixture of relief, fatigue and anger. 

“Uh oh. What happened?” Kara asked again, realizing something must have gone wrong. Cat’s tone was the same one she had heard for weeks after the whole kryptonite alien bomb debacle and she figured this time, it has something to do with the fact she was in the medical bay at the DEO when her last memory was of flying off the Dominator mothership as fast as she could. 

“Your vest stopped working somewhere along your journey back and you lost consciousness … which led to you falling through the sky to a certain death.” Alex casually replied. 

“Alex.” Lucy warned and Kara turned her head to see the General put a hand on the older Danvers’s forehead, gently, tenderly. 

“Sorry. I’m just … I’m tired of having to deal with your near-death experiences.” Alex bluntly stated and Lucy rolled her eyes. 

“She’s been worried sick, like pretty much everyone around here, and she doesn’t really handle it well.” Lucy explained with another roll of her eyes. “Don’t worry about it just now, how are you feeling?” 

“Like I’ve actually hit the ground?” Kara half-replied, half-asked, feeling like a whole fanfare was playing in her head. 

“That would be Diana’s doing. She jumped to catch you mid-fall and she … miscalculated her strength. Since you didn’t have any powers … You felt the whole shook of being rescued by a demi-goddess. She broke your ribs and gave you an actual, honest to God, concussion.” Alex smirked and Kara could tell her sister thought it was a small price to pay for the fright she gave her. 

“Tell me about it, I have an army of drums playing in a never ending loop in my head …” Kara groaned. 

“Oh hi Kara, you’re awake!” Carter happily greeted, entering the room with a tablet in his hands and a huge smile on his face. 

“Hi buddy, please don’t yell.” Kara mumbled before smiling widely at him, holding her free hand out for him to get closer. She managed to hug him with one arm, not removing her other hand from under Cat’s. 

“Well done, by the way! The Dominators are nothing but a bad memory now.” Carter explained once Kara released him, launching himself into the full explanation of what had occurred after she had taken off to space. 

Kara didn’t even stop him, all too happy to listen to his contagious enthusiasm. 

--- 

“Kara! You’re up!” Winn cheered before running towards his friend, sliding the last few feet on the marble before hugging Kara. 

“Hi Winn. Thank you, for your help, you know …” Kara hugged him back and then released him. 

“Easy peasy!” Winn waved off before going back to his desk to talk with Felicity about creating a whole new kind of communicating device that would allow multi-earths discussions. 

“Kara, glad to see you’re up and about. You have to stop making a habit out of falling from the sky, you know.” Diana came next, reaching out to hug the Kryptonian as gently as she could. 

“I know, it’s becoming a theme with me, apparently. Thank you, for saving my life. Again.” Kara chuckled before hugging Diana back, tightly. She liked the fact she didn’t have to hold back while squeezing the demi-goddess, it was refreshing. 

“Yes well. Your Cat isn’t happy about it and she’s right. Stop getting yourself into those situations.” Diana arched a brow to drive her point home but Kara only smiled. 

“I’m Supergirl. I don’t fly away from danger. However, I can safely say that next time I encounter such a desperate situation, I will reach out to you first.” Kara offered and it seemed good enough for Diana, who nodded. 

“Good enough for me.” The daughter of Zeus sealed with a smile, a gesture that showed a single dimple on the side of her mouth. 

“What are you going to do now?” Kara asked, starting to walk towards the balcony and waiting for Diana to join her. 

“I don’t know. I think I’m going to travel the world, discover its history, its cultures, its landscapes … I’ve seen and heard a lot of nice things about Asia and your friend Lena offered to drop me off in Tokyo next week, since she’s going on a business trip …” Diana replied, leaning over the railing of the balcony and looking up to the stars. 

Night had fallen over National City and Kara smiled as she heard bits and bouts of excited conversations about the woman that saved the girl of steel. 

“You’re becoming popular already, here.” Kara noticed and Diana gave her a fond smile. 

“I quite like this city as well. Maybe in a few months, I’ll come back to learn more about it.” The daughter of Zeus teased, causing Kara to smile enthusiastically. 

“I would love that! Oh, it reminds me. Cat wants to know if you would like to join us for dinner tomorrow night, at our house? We are hosting some sort of celebrating party, with everyone. Lois is on her way as well, she mentioned she was looking forward to see you again. Carter would be over the moon and I would also love to see you one more time before you leave …” Kara asked and she couldn’t help the hope that slipped through her voice. 

Diana stayed silent for a few minutes, simply watching the night sky above them and Kara didn’t break the moment. She welcomed it, relishing how comfortable she felt around Diana, how at peace with herself she was. 

“I would love to, Kara.” Diana finally replied, a soft but melancholic smile gracing her lips. 

Kara hesitated a moment before putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder. 

“I know what it feels, to not be able to go back home. Sometimes, it’s crushing me so hard I can barely breathe but … Here on Earth, I made myself a new home.” Kara whispered without meeting Diana’s eyes. “You are part of my home now, Diana.” 

She squeezed her friend’s shoulder and then walked away, knowing her words were not meant to be answered.

--- 

“I can’t believe this. Why did you all wait for me to be pregnant to have all the fun happen?” Lois Lane was green with jealousy despite the mocking smile etched across her lips.

“Well, lesser Lane, you can’t have it all.” Cat smugly replied before patting the knee of her very pregnant and very annoyed rival.

The two journalists were settled down on one of the couches of the living room, with Clark hovering on the arm of the sofa by Lois’s side. 

Kara and Diana were facing the little group, sat in two matching armchairs and they were talking about myths and religions, sometimes joined by Alex and Lucy, who shared another armchair nearby. James, Winn and J’onn were standing in a little group a few feet away and the two humans were quizzing the martian on pop culture.

Carter, for his part, was scribbling notes on a notepad while listening to Bruce and Arthur talk about the importance of bioengineering to protect the oceans. The young man was suggesting ideas and improvement and Bruce had already made a joke about recruiting the heir of the Grant empire. 

“No offense, Mister Wayne, but I’d rather go work for L-Corp before founding my own company.” Carter had very seriously replied, making his mother soar with pride and Kara chuckle with amusement at Bruce’s face.

Since that moment, Lena had joined the bioengineering conversation, her smug smile still firmly in place. 

“I’m sorry your other friends couldn’t make it.” Diana tilted her head to the side, watching as Carter valiantly tried to stop a verbal joust between Bruce and Lena. Alex and Lucy had wandered off towards the kitchen a few minutes ago. 

“They needed to go back to their earths, it’s better that way. Felicity said she was sorry to miss the party, she was looking forward to talking to you about your armor and your weapons … I think your lasso intrigued her greatly.” Kara chuckled. 

“Ah, yes. Well, maybe another time.” Diana replied with a smirk before listening to Cat and Lois’s banter. 

“It is hard to believe they are actually friend.” She said after having tried to keep up with the semi-subtles insults. 

“I know, I know. They are, though. I don’t exactly know how it works but they are, friends. Maybe even best friends but I wouldn’t say that to them, they would direct their sass and wits at us.” Kara whispered while smiling at Cat, who was narrowing her eyes at her wife. 

“Will you be alright, with your Cat?” Diana then asked, sounding a little worried. 

“We will be, yes. She … last time was very hard on her, on everyone. I think I will have to work on rebuilding our relationship again but it’s worth it. I will do it every single time, you know. They are everything to me.” Kara smiled softly, a fond look in her eyes as she watched her family. 

Diana stayed silent but the sparkles on her eyes were as bright as the stars shattered all across the sky. 

--- 

Later that night, when everyone had gone home, Cat came to sit on Kara’s lap, on the balcony of their bedroom. 

“Where does that leave us?” Cat softly asked, nuzzling the side of her wife’s neck before applying a soft kiss above the pulse point. 

“Wherever you want us to start again.” Kara whispered back, closing her arms around Cat’s waist. She knew it was going to take time but she meant every word she had said to Diana earlier in the evening. It was worth it. 

“How about we start where we left? Tomorrow morning, Carter is going to cook us breakfast and then, he’s finally going to show us the pictures he took in Southern France. It won’t be like nothing ever happened, you and I both know we will need to talk but we did it once … We can do it again.” Cat offered, with another kiss under her wife’s chin. 

“I can’t believe you agreed to marry me.” Kara blurted, blushing a little when Cat laughed. 

“It was the easiest decision I ever had to make, Kara.” Cat countered before moving to capture her wife’s lips into a fiery kiss, a passionate one where anxiety melted away in favor of a building, burning desire. 

“If we weren’t already married, I would propose again.” Kara whispered against Cat’s lips when they parted, panting but already wanting more. 

“I would say yes again,” Cat murmured before seeking another kiss. “And again.” She kissed Kara once more. “And again …” This time, Kara was the one to claim her wife’s lips, whimpering from impatience. 

She stood up, catching Cat in her arms bridal style and took them inside, leaving National City to peacefully fall asleep. 

THE END

[nicholasbock]

A Journal of Juror Number 2 in the case of The State vs. Francis Thomas

Preface

    I want you to know, before reading the following that I was not permitted to take notes during the entirety of the trial. In truth, I only meant this to be read by my girlfriend once the trial was over. She was asking me what was happening and I had to tell her repeatedly that I couldn’t talk about it. I hoped this would make up for it and realized that others may want to read it.

    I did however, keep in the spirit of not taking notes. Once I wrote the day’s log, I DID NOT go back to re-read it. I never went back to refer to a previous entry because I felt that it was not in line with the judge’s decision to not take notes. I only just now realized that I think only the court clerk ever officially told us we couldn’t take notes as per the judge. But whatever. Because I wanted to keep the fact that I didn’t reread what I wrote in spirit, I didn’t edit the following. Forgive me for any spelling errors or name inconsistancies.

My time in jury selection began on Tuesday and lasted until Thursday. The first day of actual court was on the following Monday. I should note that I tried to listen to all the reasons people tried to get out of duty. The biggest one to win was having a vacation the following week. I think it’s important to note that while I didn’t actively try to be picked, I certainly wasn’t going to try and get out of it.

Day 1

Last week was dedicated to jury selection to which I was chosen as juror number 2. Today, Monday the 17th of April, was opening statements and initial testimonies of officers and forensics - including one expert on fingerprints who explained in great detail the methods used to find fingerprints and ultimately find the knife used in the stabbing to be undecipherable.

The state side consists of a well dressed woman who is very direct and seemingly very focused but definitely exaggerates the attack and a large man who has -to date- dropped his pen twice, a thumb drive, and a post-it (the last of which he ignored (I saw him see it but didn’t pick it up)). This man also can’t seem to grasp the fact that after he has an article tagged in by the clerk, she is obligated to show it to Judge Ahto. This man has repeatedly held his hand out to take it from the clerk only to realize that the judge now has it. I have a low opinion of him.

The state’s opening statement offered no motive, just the stance that the defendant repeatedly stabbed the victim with the intent to kill. They made no mention of how the other victim, the mother of the defendant, got her wounds; one on her leg and one elsewhere (I believe it was the hand).

On the defendant side, there is the defendant, Francis Thomas(?) and the attorney whose name I missed. I have no solid opinion of them as it is the state’s purpose to find the guilt in the defendant and therefore will talk more than the defence. The defendant seems remorseful in the few times I’ve made eye contact with him, but that’s not a fact to base an opinion on.

Their opening statement consisted of the protective son who attacked the victim, Edward Mindi, because EM was constantly harming his mother. Her last name is Jai(sp?)

The facts are that there are blood droplets leading from the main bedroom -where the attack took place- to the laundry room by way of the front hall. However, at some point, someone who was bleeding -either EM or Jai- went up to the family room, placed the knife on the counter, dropped off a bloody shirt and moved to the couch.

When the cops came, FT was outside, without a shirt which was later revealed and had some blood, but was mostly ripped. I imagine it will be proven that the shirt was ripped while FT was wrestling EM away from FT’s mother, Jai.

As for timeline, it was stated by the defense, and therefore should be taken as the basis for fact (since it’s innocent until proven guilty) that one of the kids in the house was being punished by staying in his room by EM. Jai had made dinner and fetched the boy. EM became enraged due to her undermining him and dragged her into the room. At this point FT got up, peaked into the Master Bedroom and saw his mother held against the wall by her throat by EM who had a knife in his hand. The altercation took place in which FT gained control and stabbed EM repeatedly. The photos don’t seem at all that deep, but I’m hoping to find out exactly how deep in the days to come. It should be noted that at some point I developed the theory that it was in fact Jai that did the stabbing. Knowing how fights go, it is very unlikely that an altercation with a knife would result in only one of them actually being injured. FT has no wounds and no signs of struggle, except his ripped shirt. FT wouldn’t want to have his mother arrested so he kept quiet and EM would gain twofold by declaring FT as the attacker; he wouldn’t admit that the damage was caused by a woman (if he is a wife-beater that would be too embarrassing) and it would get Jai and FT away from each other which would give EM more control over Jai. I should note, I have yet to meet Jai or EM so this is completely speculation at this point. I should note that EM is also innocent until proven guilty in my book, and therefore the belief that he has been attacking Jai is only there to establish a basis for these initial theories. Once EM is on the stand or his character is more established, I can make further judgement.

Continuing the timeline, Jai separated the two and told FT to wait outside. Conflicting accounts say that EM called 911 (from state) or that one of the kids called (from defense).

The first responder had dashcam footage of his arrival. Both FT and Jai were outside. The victim, EM emerged from the house, the cops checked up on him, turned their weapons on FT and arrested him with no difficulty. The defense has pointed out on numerous occasions that the area is wooded and dark at that time. I suspect he will make the case that the defendant could have ran and easily escaped. From the inside footage, FT was calm but shaking. I assume he was shaking due to the cold but it could be from shock. He didn’t look afraid and he was calm.

There are a number of puzzles. For one, both sides spoke of the door to the master bedroom being broken. No one has made a claim on who broke it. What’s more odd is that there were two ways into the master bedroom. Was the other way obstructed? Based on what I saw and how far the lock plate flew, I have to assume that it was EM who busted it in since FT is lanky - it is possible, but more likely EM. Where does that fit in the timeline?

The defense has shown on multiple occasions that the door to the master bedroom has had a number of locks prior to the previous deadbolt. I believe he will make the case that EM has broken in before.

In addition, when the cops came, one kid was asleep. Who could sleep through a stabbing?

There was a picture of the bedroom and much farther than the door could possibly hit there looked to be a dent in the wall. This was from the pic that included the diamond shaped window, but just the frame of it. I want to look more closely at it to correctly identify it.

    And finally, while EM had photographs of the injuries taken while in the hospital, Jai refused. I can think of three possible reasons for this; either she just didn’t want to be photographed for personal reasons, she didn’t want to implicate FT as the stabber due to their mother/son relationship and the fact that it was most likely an accident, or she was afraid that EM would take any assistance to the police as an attack against him.

Day 2

    Today was mostly a wasted day. The jurors were ready by 8:30 but the first witness didn’t show until 9. We were brought out and a supposition of facts was read. In it it was revealed that the blue shirt, the one that was ripped and was FT’s, contained traces of blood that belonged to EM and one that belonged to a female. Jai must have refused DNA tests. Obviously it is believed that the female blood was hers.

    A nurse was called in but offered no new insight. Her role, I imagine, was just to prove that EM was definitely in the hospital. She counted the wounds to be 17 but when she gave locations, I must have missed one. I counted 16. She said two wound by one ear, one by the other. One on the head, five on the left shoulder, five on the left back, one on the arm and one on the hand.

    The only other thing to take away fro today is that once again, the male lawyer on the state side spoke and as he approached the nurse, he slammed into the partition right in front of me that made it vibrate. I’m not sure I mentioned it before, but this is the second time he has done this. It’s not that I’m looking for reasons to not like the guy, quite the opposite in fact. It’s just that he does so unapologetically. Maybe it’s a social awkwardness, I’m not sure.

    Completely unrelated, while the judge was reading from a page, I noticed a considerable amount of shaking. At first I thought it was a mild case of Parkinson’s but when I brought it up with the other jurors it was revealed that the judge was over 80. This was surprising. His skin seems so smooth; no wrinkles. As for his facial hair, I just assumed that he was a civil war reenactor in his down time, not that he actually lived through it. Naturally, that was an old man joke. In truth, I like the judge. So far he is my favorite player.

Day 3

    Today was all about the victim, Edward Mindy. His testimony revealed that he was married when he first met FT’s mother, Jai (whose first name is apparently Mignon). She knew of the relationship. At the start of their relationship, they lived alone. FT and his brother was in Africa and EM was helping Jai bring them to America.

    Once FT was here, it was revealed that there had been a growing number of problems with FT. He was sent to live with his uncle at one point and completely abandoned the next. As EM tells it, the defendant was smoking in the house, watching pornography, drinking, and being a general disruption to the other boys in the house. He compared FT to a nephew who was also very welcome in the household, JS.

    It was then revealed that Jai was having an affair and would stay out late. EM would argue about it with her. Oddly, FT had sent him a text that was directed to his mother in which FT called his mother a prostitute and generally attacked her character. It was EM’s testimony that he told FT not to talk to his mother like that. I presume, if this did happen, that FT’s goal was to elicit an emotional response from EM. In truth, it’s looking more and more likely that FT did in fact commit the stabbing. We have yet to hear from either Jai or FT himself so I’ll reserve any judgement until after.

    In regard to character, EM seems respectable and only trying to keep a calm house. The lines for both property and parenting is a bit hazy. They both seem to own the house, but it was stated that before that the house belonged to Jai. The attorney representing the defendant, a bully of a man when pitted against EM, had said before that Jai was angered with EM because he wasn’t contributing to the family. Based on the testimony, I didn’t see that to be true. No one argued the statement that EM was taking the one kid to soccer practice. For that reason, I can only assume he was doing his best to be a good parent.

    When FT was homeless - and I genuinely believe that EM thought FT was bouncing from house to house between other family members - he texted EM to ask to sit and discuss his return. When the text messages were read aloud, EM seemed genuinely eager to help under the condition that they first discuss it as a family and certain rules are established. EM tried to stress the fact that he was part of the family.

    During the defendant’s attorney’s time with the victim, he attacked, and yes, it was an attack, the victim trying to get him to admit that the reason he had a problem with FT was because he hadn’t gained control over all aspects of the issue. The attorney would try and force a selfish facade onto EM. The texts revealed too much of EM’s personality for me to believe that.

    On the night of the attack, EM said gave the following sequence of events; he was home all day until it was time to take one kid to soccer practice. The practice was called short on account of an approaching storm. He went home. At some point he stopped an argument between the two youngest over an issue about Pokemon cards. He sent them to their room as punishment for the argument. Jai got home around 8:30 even though she said she would be home by 4. They began to have an argument about Jai letting the kids out of their rooms. This argument escalated to include EM’s belief that the reason she was late was because she was with another man. When Jai wanted to push the argument, he backed off and went to the room saying that he didn’t want to argue that point with the kids around. Jai followed and locked the door to the master bedroom behind her. The argument escalated and Jai was in the attacking position. EM grabbed her hands and moved to get around her to leave the room. At this point, FT broke the door, rushed in, and began stabbing EM. He wrestled the knife away and FT fled outside. According to him, the knife was dropped in the bedroom. EM then walked down the hall, took his bloody shirt off by the island in the kitchen area, called 911 (confirmed by audio of the 911 call) and laid down on the couch. At some point someone had gotten him a towel, presumably Jai.

    It should be noted that there was some blood leading into the laundry room. EM says he did not go that way and I can only assume that the blood belonged to Jai. As of yet, Jai’s injuries have not been explained.

    Probably not worth mentioning, the defendant’s collar and lapel was not set this morning. His attorney must have noticed but did not address it. This leads me to believe that he, the attorney, sees the defendant as a job and not a person who should look well dressed in a formal setting.

    Possibly relevant is the fact that EM seems well educated and articulate. He knows what he should say and how he should say it. This isn’t proof of guilt, of course, but it is of note.

    As for wild speculation, it may be that Jai wanted EM’s money and conspired with FT who was the one to do the actual killing. I was hoping to see EM’s will to know if Jai was on it. Though now that I think of it, even if she wasn’t, their son would get everything and because he’s underage, it would go to her.

    And finally, there’s the puzzle of how the knife ended up on the island. The last place it was remembered to be was in the bedroom.

Day 4

    There are far too many redundancies in this case. Today several people were called in to accurately discuss the wounds sustained by EM and Jai. Aside from that, no new evidence was presented. What questions I had remain.

    I was surprised when the state rested. Essentially they declared their side of the case as done. As it is, I am leaning more to the state’s side. There appears to be a history of FT being a problem to the household; something the judge has stressed shouldn’t necessarily act as proof of guilt for this instance. The defence’s one move so far has been to show EM as a controlling man who will do what he has to to keep everyone in his life in line to the point of taking ownership for things that aren’t his. Based on what I’ve seen, this is far from the truth.

    Before I forget again, yesterday the defense read something out of a binder that the judge said would have to be marked. I’m not sure if it was. As of now, I have even forgotten what the document was. It could have been the email exchange between EM and Jai. I simply don’t remember. The court clerk said I should ask the judge about it during deliberation. I don’t think I’ll remember in the moment.

    At this time, I don’t think Jai wants to or will testify. I assume that because she cares for both parties she doesn’t want to condemn either of them. However, it has been revealed that she was sleeping around and while that doesn’t directly point to a lack of love for EM, it may. This is telling in that she won’t testify in favor of her son because she knows he committed the crime - and because she doesn’t outright hate EM, she won’t lie under oath against him.

    There are far too many possibilities. Yes, all signs point to FT having committed the crime and that he has held an animosity towards EM for a long while and that he has simply been hiding it; fangs behind a smile, if you will. But without FT or Jai up there talking, there’s no way of really knowing.

    I will say that yesterday, during EM’s testimony, I made sure to watch FT and noticed him staring, something he hasn’t done with the other witnesses. It wasn’t a simple listening to the recount, it was a stare. Not necessarily a death stare, but it’s clear FT wanted to hear what EM had to say. At one point FT shook his head in disagreement with what EM was saying.

    I really want to hear from Jai, know how she got her wounds, and whether it was her who moved the knife or if it was FT or if it was EM, absentmindedly.

    Ultimately, I wish they would stop with the redundancies. I guess the one piece of information of note that was received today was the fact that one wound had broken a rib. This is significant, as the trauma doctor and expert explained, because it was one of the first ribs located just under the neck. These are thicker bones and, more importantly, harder to break.

    It means that it is most likely that FT did the stabbing, which was never denied since the beginning but it takes away the possibility of Jai being the true attacker and everyone simply covering that up.

    With that, the only pertinent question was whether EM was abusive or not. I don’t think he was, but it can’t be ruled out yet. I’m waiting to hear what defense has to say next week.

Day 5

    Today was the long awaited testimony of Ms. Jai, corrected to Njie. Njie is the mother of the defendant. She made mention throughout her testimony to how controlling EM was. I have to say that hers is more believable than EM’s. Where EM had made a point to explain in detail the events, Njie’s was more chaotic. EM’s was straight forward; Njie was in a stance to attack and he held her hands when FT burst through the door and began stabbing his back. Njie’s was chaotic and more in line with an actual struggle for life. She fell a couple of times, couldn’t tell if what EM had was a knife or not, there was wrestling, she jumped on EM’s back, doesn’t quite remember how she got cut, etc.

    The point is, in a struggle, or rather, in the fights that I have been in, it’s easy to lose track of what happened. It would be easy for her to not remember what EM easily did. Now, it could be that EM was more aware because he was the one being aggressively attacked but I don’t believe so. I’ll list the HARD facts that helped develop my belief on the sequence of events.

    First, when Njie met EM, he had started a law firm, I believe it was his, but he could have simply joined one. By the end, he was out of work, meaning that he failed. This meant that he was being supported by the very woman he referred to as a prostitute (in their native tongue, “chuggar”). She was getting tired of his rule, first complying with his wishes then acting against him; he had lost control over the relationship. EM once removed FT’s door, a show of dominance - fitting that Karma had FT have to remove EM’s door to stop the attack. The knife was found on the kitchen island right next to EM’s bloodied shirt. This is a large indicator that it was EM who brought the knife into the kitchen.

    Soft facts; technically, EM’s initial law firm is a soft fact. There was no proof that he was actually going to work. Still, he wasn’t working at the end so even if he was pretending to go to work, my analysis stands. Njie had mentioned a lot on her culture. She explained that family comes first and youths were to do what the elders asked. To my belief this also means that a man’s voice has more weight than a woman’s. To the point, EM may have felt it was his right to command the family.

    When the cops came, EM had told Njie in their native language not to say anything. Are we to believe that the reason she didn’t (which we know she didn’t) was because he had told her not to? We would have to be convinced on how controlling he is. Unless more proof is given to his character, this will be difficult to determine. It was implied by Ms. Njie that EM’s threats continued until today. This cannot be developed and therefore must be assumed as hearsay and therefore irrelevant.

    There are several issues with her testimony. The first being on how she admitted to her raising FT - that she “spoiled him rotten.” One has to ask “how rotten? Rotten enough to commit murder for not getting what he wanted?”

    Second, she admitted to re-entering the residence after the life-threatening event to “change her clothes”. Who the hell would do that? I mean, she denied the forensic photographer pictures of the wound on her leg - something I feel is terribly important - because they were too close to her genitalia so she must be overly concerned with her appearances and embarrassment. Embarrassment, being the key; as she let EM stay as long as he did because she didn’t want to be embarrassed for being without a man; as she has testified.

    Third, nearly two and a half years later, at the initial court hearing, she ended up in a car with EM in a hotel parking lot where Njie’s new roommate, Rachel, was called in to mediate their interaction. Who, in their right mind would ever get into a car with the very same person she will testify tried to murder her and then commit suicide after (which is what she testified he was yelling at her)?

    The importance to her wound, which she indicated was on the inner thigh - the most important piece of evidence in my opinion - is this; INNER THIGH not outer. That is NOT a defensive wound. That wound could not have happened in a struggle. She would have been cut on the outer thigh, on her outer arms, on her hands, if she raised her hands at all, she could have been cut on her inner arms, or the sides of her chest, but the inner thigh? That’s insanely unlikely. That must have been a deliberate cut. As she stated, she doesn’t remember much about the fight. I believe that EM, with knife in his hand, held her throat and made the inner thigh his first cut; an area close to her genitalia, a symbol of sexual control. She was panicked and didn’t register it as she was gasping for air and trying to call out for help. No, this is the strongest indicator that she was attacked by EM and proof that I would make a great lawyer/detective; just sayin’.

    The next testimony was that of Rachel, Njie’s new roommate who mediated the meeting between Njie and EM. It was entirely pointless. For reals.

    And finally, the funniest moment for today was when State prosecutor was grilling Njie, and I mean she (the prosecutor) had her fangs out similar to how the defence attorney attacked EM. At one point, the defence objected and asked to approach the judge. I overheard him (the defence attorney) begin his objection when the lady state prosecutor said “hold on” to interject. The defence said “this is my objection, don’t tell me to hold on.” I laughed a bit and unfortunately Ms. Njie saw me. I felt guilty, considering her son is on trial for attempted murder and her testimony was full of tears. Still, though, it was funny.

    Also, on the subject of Njie, she is a truly beautiful black woman with a sense of class. Unfortunately, she decided to wear a wig that made her look Romulan.

Day 6

    Today the defence rested. It was after FT’s testimony. He was clearly nervous which is in line to his mother’s testimony that her son was timid at best. The defense lawyer made it known that FT stutters from time to time, which he did.

    One of the most surprising things FT said was that he did not break the door to get into the room. According to him, it was already broken. With evidence across the bedroom that it was, definitely broken in, this would mean that the mess was just left there for however long it has been. During Njie’s testimony she admitted to closing the door, but she kept saying that the door was broken before hand. It was believed that she was referring to the holes where previous locks had been; two above the current one, that is now broken. Now I feel she actually meant that the door had been broken into before. I’m nearly convinced that EM is a controlling man and probably a rapist as well, breaking in doors. She had testified in passing that he watched her sleep, standing over her. She said this in between questions and I didn’t mention it until now because it was not part of the questions asked. I will keep it only as a possibility but she may have been attacking EM’s character.

    I want to see that one image of the room near the diamond window. I believe that there was a dent in the wall. If there is one, this could have happened during the incident or beforehand and is proof of his temper.

    I will say that FT’s testimony does sit in line with what I initially believed; that FT couldn’t have broken that door open. I definitely believe it was EM.

    One of the thing the defence did was point out the plates of food. The one identified to be FT’s was chicken legs and rice. The defence lawyer then asked how the defendant eats his chicken legs; to which the defendant replies “Well, I’m Vegan now, but when I ate chicken legs, I ate it by hand” -indicating that no knife was needed.

    Tomorrow is summations, changes, and deliberations. If I am one of the 12 to deliberate I have to try and remember to look at all of the interior pictures. I’d be looking for plates of food in the bedroom - sans knife, the wall and possible dent (keeping in mind that it may have happened in the struggle), and anything else that may have been missed.

    I also want to see the medical records for Njie’s wounds. Hopefully they will give a more precise location of where the wound was.

    Either way, I’ve already decided my beliefs on the facts. Again, it all comes down to Njie’s wounds. I’m sure we will all agree that FT would never intentionally hurt his mother and vice versa. The must mean that it was a deliberate cut made by EM or, if it WAS an accidental cut, it would have had to happen when Njie was jumping on EM’s back. Either way, it is proof that EM had the knife in his hand at some point. In his testimony, he didn’t have the knife; FT was the sole attacker.

Day 7

    The dumbbell you stupid, stupid man! But first…

It is unfortunate to think that in the span of several weeks we were vetted, we listened to several versions of the same story, decided our beliefs on the facts; and now two of us will be chosen to step down as jurors. Their opinions used for nothing. I doubt they would let them stay in the audience if chosen to leave. How will the trial turn out? How would they know?

    Today was summations and the lists of charges - as read by the judge in a grudgingly slow pace. It’s funny that during the prosecutor’s summation she both broke my armchair thesis and gave me a whole new one.    

    I’m not sure I mentioned this, but I enjoy the old armchair detective radio programs from the ‘30s and ‘40s. Basically, the group of suspects take their case to the detective who is often in a parlor or a library, sipping some sort of cognac and smoking a cigar or pipe (though I don’t remember any with a cigarette). Detective Nero Wolfe was always my favorite.

    In these programs, a ton of evidence would be explained to Wolfe and at the end, he would sherlock himself and answer. It’s always a single piece of evidence that was the definitive proof. “Men empty your pockets, women overturn your purses” to quote Tim Curry from Clue.

    The point is the set-up is just like jury duty. We’re presented all this evidence and all we need is an anchor. Mine was the cut on Njie’s leg. It was so perfectly evident. Unfortunately, during the state’s summation, the lady lawyer explained that Miss Njie pointed to her inner leg when in fact it was the outer. During deliberations I found that the medical record was not admitted into evidence. I lost my case based on doubt.   

    However, a new piece popped up just as quickly as the last one left. The state prosecutor was flashing all the evidence and all the photos and she had brought out the one of the busted door. If you remember, this was always puzzling, even until the end when FT denied breaking in. In fact, one of the first thing I noted was that FT was too small to break down a door; having broken into abandoned buildings in my youth, I can attest that it took two of us kicking in roughly the same spot.   

    Then, there it was… That damned dumbbell. Mocking me. Here is a 10 pound weight just sitting in the middle of a hall. The family had a clutter, no doubt about that. But it was organized. It was in piles in corners and on tv stands. This weight was sitting right by the broken door.    

    The only one who testified that the door was broken into that day was EM. He heard Njie lock the door. He heard FT break it open and, as the defence pointed out in his summation, didn’t turn to see what the noise was.

    But why would it be there? Why a dumbbell? BECAUSE IT WAS USED AS A DOOR STOP!!!!!! The door had been broken for a while and they kept it shut with the weight. If it was a stop to keep the door open for air circulation, it would have been on the other side and farther up than it actually was. It is in the perfect place to prove that it was pushed aside when FT opened the door.

    I was smiling. Actively, in the middle of her summation. I had to jolt myself out of looking like I just cracked the case. But the feeling was empowering.Too bad it didn’t last.

    After the judge trudged through all of the charges and what each of them meant and what factors were required to be fulfilled, and the repetition of several definitions, we deliberated.

    I was ready. I voted Not Guilty to all charges on account of EM being a lying bastard who was hungry for control and possibly sexually abused Njie. My mind was made up and everyone agreed. Except one… And with their statement, another joined. The two couldn’t see how a knife just appeared in EM’s hand. They believe that FT MUST have brought it in from the kitchen and therefore, it was premeditated.    

    My jaw dropped. They had a point, they did. But there was no proof. By law, the defendant is innocent unless proven without a reasonable doubt to be guilty. But the one defendant has “a feeling” that it must have happened a certain way.

    In truth, there is no way of knowing. Maybe FT did bring that knife in. Maybe EM brought his plate into the room, but brought it back out before the cops came, or most likely, the knife was always in that clutter of a room. The fact that we don’t know proves that there is, in fact a reasonable doubt. Whether they want to define it as such or not.

    I then challenged EM’s credibility by explaining that his testimony as farce from the moment FT “broke down the door.” I used the dumbbell. i was met with a bunch of un-enthusiastic “yeahs” and the one who wanted to plead guilty came back with a “that wasn’t presented by the lawyers.” Like that matters!!! It’s proof! So what if they didn’t say it! I did!

    I’ve watched as the fat prosecutor dropped two pens, a thumb drive, and a post-it, the last of which he acknowledged and decided not to pick up. I can tell you that the defendant has three dress socks; striped blue, blue, and black! I flat out told you that there were fifteen seats in a fourteen person jury room! I HAVE been paying attention. You’re going to deny me a crucial observation because I didn’t list it in front of the judge while wearing a tie?

    At this time, we decided to call it a day; leaving me without the armchair reveal. I am so terribly frustrated and I don’t believe I’m allowed to bring in any notes on what to say to this person. This is torture. Luckily, there’s those in the room who are more even tempered than I am and can articulate their positions better than I can.

    I’m hoping this ends tomorrow. I’ve run out of good clothes to wear.

    It’s 1:20. I can’t sleep. I have to remember to look at the bedroom pics again. I want proof that EM was in fact sleeping there. I think Njie testified that she was in one room and he was on the other side of the house. This would explain why there were those locks removed and why he had to break down the door. She never gave him a key. I really believe he is a sexual predator.

“ He would come in and watch me sleep” Ms Njie said this in passing. Come in from where? Was he not sleeping in that bed? Also, I have to remind them that James Saho had a room not located on the floor plan. Were there other areas of the house not shown on the floor plan?

Day 8

    Today was a travesty. Our foreman/woman was sick yesterday and today she was out entirely. Her position was forfeit and one of the alternatives was selected to join. This woman voted for a guilty verdict. Those of us who voted Not Guilty; our hearts collectively dropped. Not only did we now have to start all over, but the ratio shifted from 10 of 12 to 9 of 12. We were further from agreement because of it.

    In addition to this level of suckage, because our foreperson had left, it fell to me, juror number 2; fitting for my account, I suppose. But to be honest, I have a tendency to raise my voice. To say it bluntly, I am short-tempered. I’ve been working on my anger for a long while now and have made a lot of headway. But here, in this terribly inescapable situation, I was forced to keep everyone level headed. How am I supposed to do that? I was shouting. I yelled. I tried not to raise my voice unless it was to gain control of the conversation, but I did yell at them. I’ll have to remember to apologize tomorrow.

    Things heated up, people were in tears and many of us wanted to just write the note saying that we cannot agree. Which we ultimately did. The judge read my note. He explained that he needed a confirmation note. We were ushered back into the small, now claustrophobic, and terribly hot room of the deliberation room.

    Maybe it was guilt, but we agreed to give it one more day. I doubt it will do any good.

Day 9

    I have on the warmest dress clothes I own. It is over 70 degrees outside. I have nothing else to wear for my final day (part 3). The road I would take is closed so I had to go the long way. I checked with my GPS and it said I should get there with 10 minutes to spare. I decided that was enough time to grab breakfast and some munchkins for the group. I was wrong. I called the court clerk and told her I was on my way, rushed up the stairs, and into the small room. I apologized extensively before realizing that I was not the last one there. At least there’s that, right?   

    Deliberation began as expected. I forced myself not to say anything right away and instead focused on being the foreman, rather than someone with an opinion. When things became heated, we all agreed to take a five minute break. At this time, I apologized to the disagreers for my raised yelling at them yesterday.

    I explained to them, at some point, that I think they were wrong to have come into the deliberation room with their minds made up. We as a group were supposed to decide the facts, not individually. One of them seemed receptive, the other had shut down.

    One of the jurors, a very well spoken man who could contain his temper better than I could, asked that we slowly go over every event of the incident in the effort to gain traction and move from there. Although I truly believed that these two - oh, I should mention that we managed to persuade one of them, he agreed that self defense had become a possibility, and in fact a probability which added to our side of the ratio - but I believed that these other two were not about to change their mind, it was pretty clear. And I say that because they were unwilling to offer proof to their claim. In reality, I believe it boiled down to them not wanting to be wrong.

    However, this well spoken juror had a plan and I believed that if anything could work, a breakdown of everything we listened to for the past several weeks would be it. I pushed for it. It seems it was too late. People were talking over each other and it was clear that these two “didn’t want to be treated like a child” with our slow breakdown.

    One person lashed out at them and I was quick to try and quell it. I failed. Arguments broke out and everything became personal attacks. My voice was not loud enough to quiet the anger and frustration in that room.

    We had to write the note saying that we could not agree. Luckily, that same well spoken man and a few others asked me to include the fact that we couldn’t agree on five of the seven charges. Here, in hindsight, that was a brilliant move.

    Had we left it as a general disagreement, no progress towards the ruling would have been made, but since we did, the judge agreed to rule those two charges out.

    The first charge was the largest; attempted murder. We all agreed that Francis Thomas did not go into the bedroom with the intent to kill Edward Mendy.

This was where the largest part of our disagreement came from. One side argued that FT did go in to cause bodily harm but not to kill. The rest of us agreed that it either was or could possibly have been self defense or the defense of his mother. And how they couldn’t see that is beyond me, again, one of them clearly shut down whether they wanted to admit it or not.

The second was to Terroristic Threats. This was a no brainer. There was no proof of any threats.

Still, as the new foreman, it was to me to read our verdict (do you see why I was so concerned with my appearance?). I had to walk into that courtroom, look the defendant in the eyes, look at his mother in the eyes, and try to hide my personal sense of failure for not ruling on the other five.

I looked to the judge. He asked me what charges we did agree upon. “Your honor, we have come to an agreement on count one; Attempted Murder” Now I was focused on the page, but after walking out at the end of the day I came across our remaining alternative who said that when I said that, the defence lawyer pumped his fist in victory. Continuing, I then told the judge “and on the sixth count of Terroristic Threats.”

“On the first count, how did the jury decide?”   

“Our verdict is Not Guilty.” We all heard the defendant’s mother break into tears. I looked over and almost lost my own composure. I went back to focus on the pages in my hand. The judge them polled all of us to confirm our ruling. When we all agreed, not guilty, he moved onto the sixth count. I noticed that after I read “Not Guilty,” he didn’t poll us. I imagine the court was satisfied regardless.

We were then dismissed and I had drinks with two of the jurors. One of them, he may have been the youngest of us, I knew was a very passionate man towards this case. he had that younger sense of righteousness that I admittedly have lost. At times his overly sense of justice irked me. When I, as foreman, was trying to gain control of circular arguments or disputes, he would attack me to let them finish. His reasoning was sound, I agree. I imagine he felt as I did; that a ratio of 10 to 2 would make our pushing the disagreers to change their mind would make it seem like an attack and by my trying to quiet them I was, in essence, invalidating them and taking away their right to voice their opinion. He was right, and I was not trying to do that. My only goal was to keep people from the point of name-calling and yelling, that we reached yesterday. I feel I was largely successful today, mostly because it only took us half the day to decide that nothing else was going to change.

The other juror only had coffee. I had a fondness for her as we had walked with each other to the parking lot down down the road and would vent some frustrations between each other. It was fitting to sit there with her and vent one last time before agreeing that since the largest charge of attempted murder was solved, if the case wasn’t entirely dismissed and would go to retrial, the leg work was done to find the defendant not guilty on the remaining charges.

I had not expected all of this to happen. I did not expect to walk away with a new cluster of friends. I certainly wasn’t expecting to be surrounded by so many strong emotions from my fellow jurors. This truly was an experience - and one I hope everyone has at least once in their life.

[saundrahuff-blog]

Today's thoughts

As I am sure everyone knows by now, trial was delayed until last week of April. While we are disappointed in another delay, knowing how this county does trials, I'm not surprised. This was just a pretrial. The only thing we were hoping to hear was the evidence they had. But I'm not looking at this as a bad thing. While it would have been nice to get this finally going, I'm not surprised. I'm taking this as learning how trials are done. I've only read or watched the tv court. The times I had jury duty, we got to skip all the minutiae that is involved in court cases. Now I'm learning what actually happens. It's surprisingly a lot like military. It's hurry up and wait. Only thing was that the military was a little more forgiving stupid people. If you miss a trial, you get a bench warrant in court. You can get arrested if you show up to court for something not related to why you are in court. Some people are twice as scary looking with orange clothes and chains all over, being followed by three officers. I got to hear a very confusing conversation about probation and what is allowed and how you can have two probations going and how no alcohol or drugs means even if it's cold medicine, you are not allowed it. I got to hear one officer use his court voice, which was very surprisingly different than the voice he used to arrest someone in court. I also found out that they use a special kind of pew that only makes you more and more uncomfortable, and also reminds you that you didn't eat that morning. I'm not sure if that's true for everyone, but it sure as hell was for us. McDonald's never tasted so good. I refuse to think that are not moving forward. I believe we still are. I think that outlook is how I'm keeping sane. But I also know that I know what we are aiming for. It's not just the slander, lost car, lost wages, and some pretty awful nightmares. It's about justice. And not just for us. But I remember the one thing that keeps me going. This is about me almost losing my child. She was as close to death as you can get to and not die. And just as important, if not more important, this is about a little boy who would be nine right now if this didn't happen. Kendra's oldest daughter and him would be going to the same school. But that's not possible. He lost his life. He didn't have to. His life was taken by someone who was supposed to care and love and protect him. Something went horribly wrong. Do I think they did this on purpose? I don't know. If they did, I'm positive they had no idea that anyone could lose their life from it. But, none of that matters now. Someone did die. Another came too damn close. The prize I'm after is justice for my two and especially for Dom. I cannot accept that his death means nothing. Something has to come from it. Something positive. He was eight years old. And he didn't need to die. And the one responsible needs to accept that his decisions that day cost that little boy his life. I'm aware that they hate me talking about Dom. He was their son, not even my family. But, he has become a part of my family. I refuse to just let him go without anything. So when I say I'm fighting for my family, it's him included. I can't bring him back. I can't even imagine how his last moments were. But I can fight for him, to show others that this is always possible when driving drunk or high. Too many innocent lives are taken by those who selfishly think of only their wants. If I could ask for anything, I would like to ask everyone to share our story. Tell everyone. Let people know what our lives have turned into. Let them know if they drink and drive or get high and drive, especially with their kids, their lives has a very good chance of ending just like Jacobs. In a courtroom, trying to defend himself from taking the life of another human. Jacob wasn't drunk. His drug was heroin. The epidemic that everyone talks about, it doesn't end when you turn the news off. This is the reality. People are ripped into, people are seriously hurt. And healing from this takes years. You break a bone, or tear a muscle, it hurts but it gets better. In crashes, with multiple life sustaining injuries that will hurt for the rest of their lives, this is their reality. It has already cost us over $200,000. And it will cost us more before we even get close to the end of this journey. Go back to that time. Look at the pictures. That was my daughter in that bed. Do you know why I took it then? They honestly thought she was going to die. The statistics of people surviving those injuries are in the lower single digits. Do you have any idea what it was like to hear that? To look at your child and try to come to terms with the fact that that picture may be the last one of her alive. To say that week was hell is not enough. And this could happen to any of you. Your friends. Your coworkers. Anyone. No one has made any effort to fight back on this epidemic. I choose to take on that fight. You don't have to join me. I'm not forcing anyone. But this is how I choose to keep moving forward. And I want everyone to know. If everyone just hears the news and does nothing, this problem will happen again and again. And the chances it could happen to any of you is getting larger and larger. So share my story. Share my pictures. Share my nightmares. Because if it stops anyone from having to live thru this hell, it's worth it. After a year and a half, my nightmares still occurs every night. Every single night, when I have exhausted myself that I just can't stay awake, I relive that week, that moment. Over and over and over. And this is normal for anyone experiencing this. This is what you can expect. This will happen every time I sleep for years. I will get used to them. I don't wake up anymore, from them. They are normal to me. Kendra's are still an issue. Kendra can't sleep without crying. Sometimes our nightmares are more intense. They scare us awake. Just imagine what we see, if our normal nightmares don't do that to us. And Shawn is not excluded. Do you guys honestly believe they would choose to live with me for the rest of their lives? They couldn't wait to start living on their own. Shawn was working two jobs. He isn't released from dr yet, so he's still not working. Both of them have changed very noticeably. Caused by TBI sustained in crash. And then we have the girls. Rena can't sleep well unless she's close to me. She's afraid. She understood what she saw the first time she saw mommy after crash. It was two weeks after it. She also cries in her sleep. Nom is also affected. This experience is totally equal opportunity for everyone. Imagine my husband, heading to Texas when he gets that call from me. He worked miracles and managed to get back here in record time by Tuesday. It started on Friday. We still didn't know if kendra was going to live when he saw her. This is our new normal. This is how our lives are lived now. Because of one persons totally ass headed and selfish thinking, this is how we live now. Please help me trying to stop anymore families from being destroyed. Don't just accept the numbers being quoted on how many die from this. It's gotten so commonplace that news of people overdosing doesn't surprise anyone. This is AIDS for the new generation. So share me, use me to make people uncomfortable about just accepting what the news says. This has nothing to do with religion, sex, color, political parties, gun control, or any of the other things people argue about. This is about stopping someone from going thru what we are. I realize this is probably the most serious I've been in a long time. Don't worry, the crazy weird side of me will be back by tomorrow. Kendra and I have a bet going. We washed their ugly incredibly warm blanket, and we are betting on how many times thru drier before it's died. I say three, she says four. Winner gets two cups of coffee without using our quota. That's right, we ration coffee here. We only allow each other two cups. We had to. We were getting up to five or six cups a day. Coffee and cream can get expensive after awhile. So this bet is being taken very serious here. Our lives get more and more weird. But we have only came close to killing each other a couple of times so it's progress. Oh, and Kendra and Shawn need to shut the hell up about my small cornflake obsession. Theirs is ramen noodles. Just as bad. Guys, I hate admitting this, but I will actually panic if I come close to running out. I have to keep one box open and one box closed. If I open the second one, I will get upset if we don't get another soon. And I buy the huge boxes. I share with the girls, but i will chew the kids out if they grab a bowl. You know, I seriously can't remember a time before this that didn't involve cornflakes. So cornflakes, ramen, coffee, and sleep are our masters here. I'm not allowed to say anything bad about them, they might get even, and if it involves coffee or cornflakes, that can start a pissy day faster than anything. Try explaining that when describing me. Please let me know their reactions. It's usually pretty funny. Oh, one more thing. Victims advocate was the one that got with us to tell us the news. You know what they said? It's easier to find us because I have purple hair. Once again my hair saves the day. And with that, I'm actually going to call it a night. Please keep us in your prayers. We use everyone we get. And we will keep you in ours. And if you could stay out of the hospital, I would appreciate it. You know who I'm talking to.