#filled out of order to try and get a handle on Lena's voice

[musetotheworld]

Hi, there, Ashton. I love your fics. Are you still taking prompts? If you are, I'm really craving a domestic Supercat + anyone else, poly. Literally anyone else. From Adam to Lena, even a character from another show or an O.C.. Your pick. Just... I really need some poly that isn't just porn or smutty.

I’m not entirely happy with it (after putting so much into my poly PP fic this one seems lacking in comparison) but here it is! I hope it isn’t completely off base with what you want, and I’m willing to add short bits on if you or anyone else has specific prompts in the verse (they’ll be added to the end of the line with any others so don’t expect them right away), but it’s what I’ve got right now.

Just a note because I 100% don’t want to offend anyone, Kara’s version of polyamory in this is very specific due entirely to her cultural background, and while I try to stress that she’s aware and accepting of the fact humans have multiple forms, this is the one she’s comfortable with for herself based on what she grew up around.

“You know, when I left to find new adventures, it was withthe understanding that things between us weren’t going to change.”

The voice is pointed, nearly deadly in how sharp it is, butKara can clearly hear the hurt beneath the words, and looks up with a frown.

“And nothing has,” she says earnestly, standing from behindher desk when she sees Cat in the doorway of her office. She hadn’t expected tosee her girlfriend before their scheduled date in New York tomorrow evening. “Ididn’t know you were coming back, is everything okay? Is Carter okay?”

“Carter is fine; the trip with his father is going well thistime.” Cat doesn’t answer the rest of Kara’s question as she enters the room,closing the door behind her. That’s enough to tip Kara off that whatever ishappening here is serious, from the very beginning of their relationship Cathas preferred to avoid any personal conversations at work, reluctant to givethe other employees any reason to question Kara’s skill and dedication to herjob. Even now when Cat stops in on her frequent visits home, the time shespends at CatCo is limited.

“What’s wrong then,” Kara asks as she takes Cat’s hand andtugs her gently towards the couch she’d placed in the small side alcove of theroom. “Talk to me, please?”

“Did you check the front page of the Tribune this morning?”Cat asks, taking a seat almost reluctantly, a careful distance between themthat Kara longs to eliminate. She doesn’t yet though, easily sensing Cat’semotional turmoil and need for that very separation right now.

“No, I was almost late for work after an early morningsave,” Kara admits, wondering what that has to do with anything.

“So you didn’t see the massive picture on the front page,the one of you staring deeply into a certain Luthor’s eyes?” Cat says, hurt andanger dripping from every word as Kara just gapes at her. “Really Kara, I knowthe distance hasn’t been easy, but to move on without even telling me? Iexpected more from you.”

“I would never cheat on you, Cat,” Kara protests as soon asshe can find words, reaching for her phone to look at whatever picture iscausing this. “You know that. I love you. And yes you being gone so often hasbeen tough, but that doesn’t mean anything has changed.”

The picture that pulls up on Kara’s phone is more damningthan she would have thought, and without context Kara understands exactly whyCat would have flown across the country upon seeing it. She is staring deeplyinto Lena’s eyes, hands on her shoulders. It appears far more intimate than itwas, but there’s no way any reporter could have known Kara was using her x-rayvision to scan for injury from the various impacts sustained before the alienhad been defeated.

“You told me once that Kryptonians believed in and acceptedrelationships involving more than two people,” Cat says quietly, reaching out ahand to take Kara’s in a soft grasp. “And I’m afraid that with my being goneall the time, you’ll turn to her instead of me.”

“I’m not going to say I don’t find Lena attractive,” Karasays as she puts her phone down and turns to face Cat completely, knowing thatshe has to choose her words and explanations carefully. “But you are the womanI am with right now. And that means I will never do anything to hurt you.Whether I even could fall in love with Lena or not, what you want means more tome right now, because I want to be with you.”

“Well now you make me feel as if I’m holding you back fromsomething,” Cat says with a weak attempt at a laugh, and Kara knows she hasn’tsucceeded, not the way she wanted to.

“You’re not,” Kara says firmly, leaning in to close thedistance between them with a soft kiss, grateful when Cat doesn’t hesitate atall. “I’m happy with you being the only person in my life.”

“Would you be happier with both of us?” Cat asks quietly asshe leans into Kara’s side, allowing herself the closeness she’d deniedearlier. “Because if you are, I won’t stop you. It may take some getting usedto, but it’s a part of your life that I won’t try to fight.”

“Happier wouldn’t be the right word,” Kara tries to explain,wishing she had the right words for the situation. Kryptonian marriages andrelationships are difficult to explain to humans at the best of times, and withCat leaning against her, still clearly hurt, Kara doesn’t know how this issupposed to work. “Cat, I could never be with Lena if you weren’t involved. Iknow that’s how things work for some relationships here, but that isn’t howKryptonians are built. I love you, and in order for me to love Lena you wouldhave to as well. It would have to bethe three of us together. So you aren’t holding me back, or stopping me fromhaving anything. I already have you.”

Kara can tell Cat has understood when the tension leaves hersmall frame, letting her relax into Kara’s hold. It makes Kara tighten her gripjust slightly, careful to avoid too much pressure, but wanting Cat to know thatthis is what she wants. That this right here is enough.

“I think we’ll need to reschedule our dinner in New York,”Cat says when she pulls back, confident bearing once again in place. “I’ll takecare of it, but I think I’m going to stick around National City at least alittle while longer.”

“Can I come over tonight then?” Kara asks, not wanting toassume, even though she’s had a standing welcome for months now.

“Six sharp. Don’t be late.”

X

Cat does indeed take care of scheduling their dinner for thenext night, reserving a table at one of Kara’s favorite restaurants, where thefood is good and the portions are large enough that she doesn’t leave stillstarving. The staff is also very discreet, meaning even with the fact that themedia has been interested in their relationship since they’d gone public theirevening won’t be interrupted by camera flashes or end up in a gossip column thenext day.

Tonight Kara is surprised when the host leads them towardsone of the back rooms, knowing that Cat usually prefers one of the cornerbooths with a view over the bay. The private rooms are well appointed, but thelack of windows makes both Cat and Kara uncomfortable at times. Both, thoughthey usually deny it fiercely, are the slightest bit claustrophobic and tend toavoid rooms without windows if possible. It’s one reason Kara’s office door isso rarely closed.

When the door opens to reveal Lena sitting at the tablewaiting for them, Kara begins to understand. And while she wishes Cat hadwarned her before they’d arrived, Kara has to admit that if she’d known whatwas coming she probably wouldn’t have been able to enter the restaurant at all.

“Cat, Kara, how lovely of you to invite me,” Lena says asthey take their seats, a small but pleasant smile on her face. “I’ll admit, Iwouldn’t have expected you to spend your limited time together having dinnerwith me.”

“Yes, well, I know that you and Kara have become close overthe course of my travels,” Cat says as she picks up with wine menu, voicegiving nothing away.

“And you invited me to dinner to warn me off? I must say, Iwould have expected something more memorable,” Lena says, smile not fading inthe slightest as she looks at them.

Kara debates jumping in, but a quick glance between theother two women quickly has her deciding against that option. She isn’t sureexactly what Cat’s end game is here, and risking upsetting either her friend orher girlfriend sounds like a bad idea.

“If that was my goal, then I probably would have,” Cat sayswith a smile of her own, seeming completely relaxed despite the slowly growingtension in the room. “But I trust Kara, and what I know of you makes meinclined to trust you as well. You’re an interesting woman, Lena.”

“I do try to be, though I doubt I could measure up to yourlife,” Lena says, and Kara breathes a sigh of relief as things seem to relax.“So if not to warn me off, may I ask the point of dinner tonight? It’s notoften that someone seeks out my company, especially not someone so firmlyaligned with one of the Supers.”

A quick glance at Kara and a nod in return when sheunderstands what Cat is asking is all it takes for a message to be passedbetween the two, and Cat sits back in her chair as Kara carefully checks theroom around them for any sign that someone could be listening in. When she seesnothing, even when extending her senses to the rest of the restaurant and alittle beyond, she nods at Cat once more. She’d debated telling Lena the truthbefore this anyway, but had always held back out of habit if nothing else. ButCat apparently trusts her, and if the conversation is going where Kara thinksit is, then this is one secret that will need told sooner rather than later.

“Well, it’s that particular relationship I wanted to discusstonight,” Cat says, pausing for a moment when Kara reaches out a hand to stopher when their waiter enters to pour the wine and take their orders. “You knowthat CatCo has been linked to Supergirl from the very beginning, but the relationshipgoes back further than that.”

“Do tell,” Lena says as she sips her wine, looking betweenthe two of them with clear interest written on her face. “I wouldn’t haveguessed that from the way CatCo covered her first attempts at heroism.”

“The criticisms were fair and well deserved,” Kara jumps in,blushing a little as she remembers how badly she’d screwed up at the beginning.And really, this ought to be her reveal anyway. “If not for Cat’s critiques,who knows how things would have turned out. I know that having someone push meto be greater was something I sorely needed.”

“Wait, what are you saying?” Lena asks as Kara’s words sinkin, and with a deep breath Kara takes off her glasses, feeling Cat lay acomforting hand on her thigh beneath the table. “Oh my god.”

“Surprise,” Kara says with a weak laugh, almost afraid tolook up and meet Lena’s eyes.

“I may not have come here tonight to warn you off, Lena, butI trust that I don’t need to warn you that if you expose Kara’s secret I willtear you to shreds?” Cat asks, shaking both Kara and Lena out of the tensestandoff.

“Kara is a friend, of course I wouldn’t betray her trustthat way,” Lena says, clearly offended by the very thought.

“Then we won’t have a problem,” Cat says with a sweetlydangerous smile, and Kara is grateful when their appetizers appear before thetension starts to climb again. Between fumbling to put her glasses back on andthe welcome addition of food to the night, the danger seems to have passed fornow.

“I admit I’m still curious why I’m here,” Lena says as theyfinish their food, and Cat shakes her head warningly while Kara does anotherquick scan to ensure no one is near enough to overhear.

“I would have preferred to have this conversation somewheremore private, but I thought neutral ground was better,” Cat explains when Kara onceagain gives the all clear. “Given the limitations of the room, waiting for Kara’sokay is the only way to be sure we have what privacy is available.”

“My apologies,” Lena says smoothly, and Kara decides to takethe lead before the two powerful women start to clash. She’s more certain thanever now that she understands what Cat is doing tonight, and the last thing sheneeds is for a misunderstanding to make the whole thing backfire.

“It’s understandable, you didn’t know,” Kara cuts in beforeCat can say another word, shooting her girlfriend a look and receiving a nod inreturn. “But you’re right, there is a reason Cat invited you. She saw the pictureof us yesterday morning and flew back to confront me about it.”

“I thought you said this wasn’t about warning me off.” Theconfusion is back, and Kara wishes for a long moment that this was as easy asit had been on Krypton. Things were far more ritualized and there was far lessin the way of emotional reasoning behind the bonds, but at least there wasn’tthis awkward stumbling for words and explanations.

“It’s about asking if you’re actually interested,” Cat saysbluntly when Kara stumbles over her words, causing Lena and Kara to both lookat her in shock. “Oh, don’t give me those looks, there isn’t any good way toask and this way we have the main course to sit awkwardly before actuallydiscussing it over dessert.”

“Unless Lena is about to storm out in shock,” Kara pointsout, taking a large gulp of her water.

“Shock yes, storming out no,” Lena says, sitting back in herchair as she looks between the couple. “I’ll admit it wasn’t what I expectedfrom tonight.”

“And that still isn’t an answer to the question,” Cat pointsout.

“The point has always been moot in the past, I haven’t givenit much thought,” Lena says, her voice not giving much away as she scrutinizesthem carefully. “I wouldn’t go after someone in a relationship. But yes, Cat,as I’m sure you can agree, Kara is a very intriguing woman who has a tendencyto capture interest. So what exactly are you getting at here?”

Cat smirks as if happy to have found someone who understandsher, and suddenly Kara thinks that this could actually work. She hadn’t quitebeen able to picture the two having feelings for each other, they’re both sostrong willed that Kara would have pictured them clashing more than anythingelse, but now she can see at least the possibility of a connection betweenthem.

“Kara’s particular background means relationships involvingmore than two people are as normal to her as those involving only two,” Catbegins, and Lena’s eyes narrow as she begins to understand. “When I saw thepicture of you two, I admit to overreacting and assuming the worst, which wasunfair of me. But the point remains that the interest was there, and I’m notopposed to the possibility of exploring it.”

“What Cat is trying to ask, is whether you’d be interestingin dating us, both of us,” Kara cuts in to explain, wanting it out there inplain words. Now that she knows what Cat had planned for the night, rather thanjust guessing, she’s more than willing to step up and take a more active partin asking, knowing she isn’t overstepping what Cat is comfortable with.

“Both of you, huh?” Lena asks, smirking when they nod, Kara’shand keeping Cat quiet while Lena thinks. “Sounds like an offer only a foolwould turn down.”

X

“Can you believe it’s already been a year?” Kara asks as shecrawls into bed, unsurprised when Cat and Lena both curl into her side withouthesitation. “I mean, our anniversary is in three days, but it seems like onlyyesterday Cat was ambushing us at dinner.”

“I can’t believe she didn’t warn you beforehand,” Lenalaughs, still as amused by that fact as she’d been when she found out.

“If I had she’d have run for the hills. I knew that after I’dbrought it up the day before she’d understand once she saw you, and when we satdown I asked to make sure it was okay.”

“Except you didn’t actually say anything,” Kara points out,even knowing she’ll already lose this battle. It’s not the first time, afterall.

“And yet you still understood me just fine.” And there itis, the same argument Cat brings up every time, the one Kara can’t argue with.

“I’m just glad you asked at all,” Lena murmurs as she leansup over Kara to give Cat a soft kiss, placing one on Kara’s waiting lips as sheshifts back into her side. “You surprised me, but I’m glad you did.”

“And we’re glad you accepted,” Kara says with a smile,pulling both of her lovers a little closer into her side, thinking back overthe last year they’ve all been together, and forward to the many more to come.

[supercorpkid]

Aftermath.

Supercorp, Kara Danvers x Daughter!Reader, Lena Luthor x Daughter!Reader.

Word count: 2290.

It’s been an entire week since Lena’s been home. You want to pretend that you’re fine about it, but this is insane. It’s insane, right? You had a really crazy and terrible experience involving none other than Lex freaking Luthor (who’s currently still chilling in his prison cell, probably planning other insane things), and your moms are fighting over Rao knows what.

You’ve been sad all week. And guilty. There’s no amount of ‘this isn’t your fault’ that makes this feeling go away. You just wish you could remember what happened, or at least that you could do something about it. You feel like you’re stuck inside a storm. Waiting for things to just get better already, but everyday you wake up, the sky is grey and your family is broken apart.

You hate how Kara says ‘Lena’, with guilt and pain in her voice. You hate how her eyes are constantly filled with tears. You hate when she says stuff like ‘let’s do things we never got to do’, and eats ice-cream at midnight while watching sad movies, unable to pretend she is unaffected by the whole thing. She should at least fake it, shouldn’t she?

You hate how Lena simply refuses to ask about Kara, even though you can see it in her face that she’s dying to know. You hate that she’s throwing herself into work in a non-healthy way. You hate when she pretends she’s not at all hurt and she just tries to be nonchalant about the fact that she’s not home. She should at least show you that she cares, shouldn’t she?

But the thing that you hate the most is the fact the none of them tell you anything other than that it’s not your fault. You just don’t know what started it all, how bad is it, and how long this is going to last. One thing you know for sure is that this can’t last forever. You can’t handle it.

“Hey.” Maya shakes her hand in front of your face, trying to get you to focus on her. “You cool? You’ve been acting kinda weird all week…” She nuzzles her nose in the crook of your neck, breathing deep. “And I miss your pretty smile.”

“Sorry. Just, um, things are weird at home.” But you still bring her closer hooking one arm around her back.

“I knew this day was coming.” Jamie says, sitting in front of you, on your lunch table. “It was too many ‘almost’. I knew one day you would catch your moms having sex.”

“I wish.” You whisper and they both furrow their brows at you. “I mean, I don’t. Definitely don’t want to see that, but it’s better than where they are right now.”

“They’re fighting? Wanna make them a romantic dinner again?” Jamie asks with a smile and you roll your eyes thinking about the last time you got involved. Things did not end up well.

“They are not.” You sigh. “They had a fight I know nothing about.” You raise one eyebrow at Jamie, who quickly put things together. “Then, Lena never came back home, and she’s staying in a hotel, so-”

“Holy fuck, babe.” Maya straightens up right away to look at you. “That’s messed up. I’m so sorry.”

“They’ll be fine.” Jamie dismisses both of you with her hand. “Honestly, your moms are so in love with each other. And besides, haven’t they gone through, like, way worse stuff in their relationship and totally got over it?”

“I guess.” You shrug, still not convinced. She’s right, they have. But you were never in the middle. “But I can’t shake the feeling that it was my fault.”

“You can’t make two people fight and don’t remember.” Maya says trying to ease your mind, unaware that in your life that’s actually more common than she would think.

“It’ll be fine.” Jamie ends the subject, so none of you spill important information and you try to distract yourself.

You fail.

“Hey, do you want to work on your robotics project today?” Maya asks and you furrow your brows. Wow, you didn’t even remember you had that going on in your life. “It could help you take your mind off… You know.”

Moms fighting and maybe never getting back together? Yeah, you don’t think so.

“Um… Maybe next week.” You shrug. “There’s still time.”

“Well, then maybe we could go to my house and play video game.” Jamie suggests looking at Maya, who shakes her head agreeing. “You can show Maya that game you made.”

“Sounds fun, but I’m really not in the mood.” You sigh and look at them staring at each other, trying to come up with something else. You give them a little smile. “Really guys, I’m fine. I just want to go home and chill with Kara a little. I feel like she needs me.”

“Ok, babe.” Maya kisses your cheek lightly and whispers. “I’m here. You can talk to me if you want, or not talk. I’m still here, ok?”

“Thanks babe.” You smile at her, and then at Jamie on the other side.

“Whatever it’s best for you, little Danvers.” Jamie adds.

Nothing is best for you right now. Except Kara and Lena’s happiness.

And they are definitely not happy. There’s no amount of ‘let’s fly around the house’, ‘let’s build something together in your lab’, from any of them that can fake that. And so if they’re not happy, you are in the same situation.

“You have to clean your bedroom.” Kara says when she opens the door, at night, and you look up from your books. “An alien could be hiding under that absurd amount of clothes in the corner, and you would never know.”

“Let it have a home.” You shrug.

“No, no ‘let it’. Baby.” Kara comes close and holds your hands. “I know you miss your mom, but there’s no reason why we will just stop doing stuff we normally do because of that.”

Tell that to all the showers you’ve been skipping since she was gone. Tell that to the meals you have been skipping all week. Tell that to your sad face.

“So, your bedroom is tidy and clean?” You raise an eyebrow and she lets out a chuckle.

“I love you. Did you know that?” She kisses your hand and smiles. “I’m so glad you exist.”

“You’ve been saying that a lot lately. Maybe you miss saying that to someone else?” You raise one eyebrow at her, and she gives you an extremely sad smile.

“Same eyebrows move.” She winks at you and you know she’s talking about Lena and how this is literally her move. “Come on, let’s eat something. And you can clean your room before bed.”

“How do you feel having to tell me to clean my room?” You ask, following her to the kitchen and she laughs.

“Like a mother.” She smiles harder at that, and you roll your eyes. She’s such a dork.

Kara goes through the cabinets and fridge to find out that if you two were in an apocalyptic situation, you wouldn’t survive a day with the food in your house. She promises she’ll go grocery shopping the next day (which you only half believe), and you both decide to go with instant noodles.

“So, um, mom texted and she asked me if I wanted to go spend the night at the hotel with her.” You tell Kara while she looks at the boiling water with puzzling eyes. “I don’t want to leave you alone, but I kind of feel sad that she’s all alone there too, and like-”

“You should go.” Kara cuts you off, still interested in the pot in front of her. “Do we put it on now?”

“Are you seriously asking me how to make instant noodles?” You smile, rolling your eyes playfully. “Scootch.” You bump your hips on hers, and take control. “So, you’re going to be fine here alone?”

“Of course!” Kara smiles and you look at her to see how real she’s being. You look for any signs of her sadness being too much. You look for watery eyes, pouts, anything. “It’s one night. I’m not a toddler, I can go one night alone.”

“Well…” you think about making fun of her, but you bite your tongue. “I just want to make sure you won’t go ‘sad burrito’ on the couch.”

“I won’t go ‘sad burrito’.” She promises. “I might wrap myself and blankets to watch TV, but I promise not to be sad about it.”

“Maybe you should go to aunt Alex’s house.” You say, and Kara holds your face between her hands, squeezing it gently.

“I’ll be fine. Go see Lena. You know that if she asked for it, she really needs you.” Kara kisses your forehead. “Go give her some love.”

“You can come too…” You raise your eyebrows a few times, but stop when you see Kara’s sad expression. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, sunflower.”

“See you tomorrow, little one.” Kara smiles. You hesitate, looking behind you a few times, but Kara shoos you with her hands, so you fly off to Lena’s hotel.

Talk about weird! Lena living in a hotel room it’s the definition of ‘something is wrong with the world’.

“That’s, um, nice.” You say, when you go inside the room and Lena chuckles, wrapping her arms around you, and kissing the top of your head.

“It’s temporary. I didn’t have time to look for a real place.” She gives you a smile, and strokes your cheek gently while fully analyzing you. “Have you lost weight?”

“Unlikely.” It’s your answer, but it’s a lie. You probably did lose some weight, since Kara simply forgets to eat, and she’s surviving on ice-cream and whatever is left in the fridge for a week. And you just don’t want to bother her with the fact that you need to eat, because you’re a freaking alien and you eat like one.

It doesn’t matter what you say anyway, because Lena knows the truth, so she is definitely ignoring you and calling for room service. She orders so much food, you have to tell her to stop. You! Of all people!

“So-” She lets out, like a breath, while sitting on the couch next to you, and wrapping her arms around your shoulders. “How are you?”

“Scared.” You fall further into her comfort, and breathe in her familiar smell. Home and flowers. “I don’t want our lives to be like this from now on. I-I know it’s my fault-”

“Not your fault.” She interrupts you. But it doesn’t matter, because you don’t believe her.

“Tell me how I can make things better. Tell me how I can fix this.” You ask, and Lena tights the hug kissing your head a couple of times.

“My baby.” She sounds like she’s about to cry, and you’re already too far gone. Tears streaming down your face non-stop. “Stop taking everything upon your hands. This problem is not yours to fix. And you have done nothing wrong to have to make things better.”

“I think you’re forgetting that I burned my training center to the ground?” You look back at her, and she cleans your tears. And then hers.

“That wasn’t you. You know that damn well.” Lena says with a serious expression. “Lex was responsible for all of that. And now you’re back, and you have nothing to worry about, ok?”

“But mom, if Lex knows he can use me, won’t he try that again? And maybe be more successful this time?”

“Remember when I believed your thoughts blocker was a mind wiper?” She asks, making you agree with your head. “Turns out, it could be a mind wiper with a few changes. So, I did them, and now he doesn’t even remember you.” She smiles softly. “You’re safe now. He won’t do that again. And if he ever tries anything, your momma and I will stop him, ok?”

“How did he know about me in the first place?”

“Lillian. But she won’t talk about you with him ever again.”

“Did you make her forget about me too?” You ask, almost sad about it. You don’t want Lillian to forget about you. You like seeing her eventually, and she’s being so nice lately.

“No, baby. She wouldn’t do anything that could harm you.” Lena says with a smile, putting your hair behind your ears, and you furrow your eyebrows at her. “Lillian has done a lot of terrible things, but none of them it’s destroying the family name. And you, babygirl, might be a kryptonian, but you’re also a Luthor.”

“So, you trust her?”

“Well, she has proven herself in the last few days, so… With you? Yes.” That makes you smile a little, and when you hear a knock on the door and you see food on the other side of it, that makes you smile even more.

Staying with Lena one night is not enough. You can see it on her face that she needs more than that. But when you fly back home in the morning to get ready for school, and you find Kara sleeping on the couch, all wrapped up in blankets definitely looking like a ‘sad burrito’, you know she can’t be alone either.

You wish you could divide yourself in two and be with them all the time. You wish they would just talk. And you wish you could turn back time and undo whatever mess you made while you were mind controlled. But you can’t do either. So, you just hope that what you can do for now is enough. And you pray to Rao this storm ends sooner than later.

[kassies-take]

Angels to Devils

Summary: A possible assassination attempt success.

A/n: My headcanon Supercorp family. With the twins Lucas and Liam, and you the oc Lauren. Sorry in advance

Warning: Blood, Heavy Injuries, ANGST

Supercorp, Kara Danvers x Reader, Lena Luthor x Reader

Word Count: 2136

Lena usually loved waking up to mornings, Kara by her side and the world so still and quiet that nothing can ruin it. The past few days have been rough. It was another reminder that Lena had something someone else couldn’t have. Another day.

Lena’s eyes filled with tears, her stream of tears flowed into her ear and soaked the pillow. Kara wasn’t awake but Lena held onto her like she was a lifeline. Kara stirred and was immediately awoken to hug her wife.

The casts she wore restricted her movements. Kara was careful to not hurt Lena.

“It’s today isn’t it.” Lena nodded as Kara fought her tears.

You didn’t have a normal childhood, anyone with a Luthor and a Super as parents wasn’t normal. Although it wasn’t normal you knew you were loved.

You were every bit like Lena whereas Liam and Lucas were every bit like Kara. It never really bothered you that you didn’t have powers because without their powers you can easily defeat them in hand-to-hand combat.

To say Lena was proud is an understatement, she was on the sidelines raising her fists, and screaming “Go get Em’ baby!” While Lucas, Liam and Kara flushed red.

It was midsummer before your first quarter at M.I.T , you were partaking in Lena’s work days. Paperwork, meetings and your favorite lab times.

“Ren, I need you to raise the levels to 80%.” Lena watched with a tablet in her hands.

“It is actually on full power already.” You smiled.

Lena faced you before moving her head towards her tablet. “Normally I would lecture you on testing protocols but it works!” Lena placed her tablet down and squeezed you in a hug. “We have successfully made a new renewable and efficient energy source.”

“We also very much stole technology from Argo,” you laughed.

“Don’t ruin the moment.” Lena chuckled, moved back and held your head in between her hands. “My little scientist, you will do great things in the future.” Lena kissed your forehead.

“I think I’d have to start with preventing grey hair without dyes.” You joked.

Lena glared. “Okay smarty pants. You can write the report.”

You groaned as Lena smirked. “Do I have to?”

“This is only practice for the future sweetheart. Plus I have to make sure all the Pauls don’t pull out of any mergers.”

“Ugh those skeezebag lawyers, sometimes I wish I had heat vision.” Your hand shook as if you were preventing yourself from choking someone.

“Careful there,” Lena raised an eyebrow “you sound like a Luthor.”

You grabbed the tablet out of your mother’s hands and pulled the stool in front of the computers. “I hate to burst your bubble but I’m a Luthor and a Super, if you have a problem with that the door is behind you.” You replayed with a teasing tone.

“Okay I really have to go deal with Paul now, behave.” Lena sighed.

“C’mon mama I’m not Lucas.” You began to type several results into the computer.

“Good thing your brother didn’t hear that.” Lena hugged you before heading towards the door. “I’ll see you later. Love you.”

“Love you too mama, more than I love Jeju.” Lena’s heart melted. That was something she was going to brag to Kara about.

Lena sat in the conference room, calm and collected when she really wanted to rip her hair out. She could tell that the other females in the room were feeling the same. The CEO was glad that Sam spoke up about wasting time and had ended the meeting with the final merge successful. 

Sam and Lena walked out of the conference room towards the elevator. When the door dinged opened they were met with a smile and an armful of Lena’s things.

“Hi baby, did you finish the report?” Lena hugged you and grabbed her purse. 

“I got bored,” You shrugged “And Aunt Sam said you were close to ripping out hair that wasn’t grey.” 

“So you texted my daughter?” Lena raised her eyebrows at Sam. 

“For someone who is a genius you’re missing out on the fact that your daughter just said I contacted her.” 

“She texted the Spoiled group chat.” Lena gave a questioning glance at the group name. 

“The group chat with Aunt Sam and the rest of the Superfriend’s Legacies.” 

“I’m the cool Aunt,” Sam smirked. “But now go have fun with the rest of your day off, promise you’ll tell great stories?” Sam hugged you. “And keep your mom away from work, this was really meant to be her day off.” 

“Of course! Bye Aunt Sam!” You waved as she left the elevator. “Do I get to drive home?” 

“Absolutely not!”

“So I get to help in the lab, but I can’t drive home.” You reasoned as you both walked to the underground garage. “I get to pick the music then?” 

You raced towards the passenger seat. You closed the door behind you and locked it immediately. Lena pulled on the door handle and pressed on the keys to unlock the car. You once again locked the car which earned the famous Luthor eyebrow raise.

Lena entered the car as you laughed at her. You knew she wouldn’t be able to keep the silent treatment for much longer.

“I’m sorry, it’s fun to mess with you and Jeju. I’ll make it up to you by playing your old music.” You said as you placed your phone on a magnetic Bluetooth connector and played an *NSYNC song.

“*NSYNC is not old!” Lena drove out of the underground packing.

“Mama, you’re 51. NSYNC is 49 years old. Half a century! It’s old.”

“I’m gonna pretend like you didn’t say that!” Lena said as she raised the volume and belted out the lyrics.

It doesn't matter,

'bout the car I drive or the ice around my neck

All that matters,

Is that you recognize that it’s just about respect (oh)

“It’s all about respect mama,” you teased.

“It better be, I’m a Luthor.” You both laughed.

The car came to a stop at the intersection on Main Street and Cordova. Lena drummed on the steering wheel and sung the chorus. You grabbed a water bottle and held it as a mic.

“Do you ever wonder why, this music gets you high?” The two sang.

The car jolted forward with a loud crash. You groaned at the burn at your neck. A sharp hiss rendered quiet with screeching tires and a horn.

A huge blow hit the car. Suddenly the car tilted towards the ground. An immense weight thrown onto you, with glass sprinkling down. Yours and Lena’s heads whipped side to side as the car flipped several times.

Shallow breaths threatened the immense silence that floated through the street.

~Lena’s POV~

A warm liquid bounced off my cheek. The cold cement acted as my bed. I didn’t have to look to know my left leg and left arm broke. I looked around trying to register what had happened.

My heart threatened to jump out of my chest, as I witnessed my daughter’s soft hand stained red and dangled limply above me. She was suspended above me, a bone or two protruded out of her side. The only thing that stopped her from falling was the seatbelt.

“Lauren baby,” My own voice unrecognizable and unsteady.

I turned to the watch on my left arm, there it sat shattered. I reached towards Lauren’s bloody hand that had her super watch. I flipped open the watch, relieved when her pulse thumped faintly.

A soft thud landed in front of the windshield. I knew it was Kara and J’onn.

“Lena! Lauren!” I heard my wife call.

The car lifted and more of Lauren’s blood flowed onto the seat, compartment and my clothes.

“Wait no no no! The car is applying pressure to one of Lauren’s wounds.”

“I can phase in, apply pressure and get her out. Where are her injuries?”

There was a moment of silence before Kara answered. “Two of her ribs are broken, her right forearm fractured, lower back spinal injury, her other arm is dislocated, broken ankle, t-the seatbelt cut her stomach.”

“I’ll get her to the D.E.O.”

J’onn glowed red and flew through the car. The Martian lifted my daughter like a feather and vanished through the top.

The car flipped up right and I could only groan in response.

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Kara carried me delicately.

~3rd POV~

Supercorp landed on the D.E.O balcony. Kara guided Lena into the MedBay. However they were met with teary eyed Superfriends. Alex had tears pooled in her eyes, Nia sobbed, as J’onn stared into space. Brainy was left to share the bad news.

“You may want to sit down for this.” Brainy waited for Kara and Lena. “Lauren’s injures were very...severe, she also had internal injuries. She didn’t make it.”

Lena froze, she pushed off the bed. “No, no she can’t, she can’t be dead! Where is she?” She stepped with her broken leg and collapsed into Kara’s arm.

“Mrs. Luthor-Danvers we need to tend to your wound.” Dr. Hamilton said from the door.

“You will not! Not until I see my daughter!”

“Bring her a wheelchair,” Alex ordered.

In the D.E.O morgue, a few morticians cleaned Lauren’s body. Two stitched up her body as one cleaned the blood off the youngest Luthor-Danvers’ skin.

“Give Lena and Supergirl space.” The three morticians stepped out of the room.

Lena was wheeled onto one side and Kara stood on the other. Lauren was still warm. Kara held onto her daughter’s hand. She didn’t realize how deafening it was to not hear your heart.

The two parents sobbed. Lena caressed her daughter’s cheek. “I am, I am so sorry baby. You... you had so much more to look forward to. Jeju and I will always love you. Always.” Lena whispered and kissed your forehead. “Always.” Tears rolled down Lena’s cheeks.

Dr. Hamilton rolled Lena into the operating room.

“Little one,” Kara sobbed. She remained there until Lucas and Liam walked through the doors.

The twins were off on a college baseball retreat, and wore their red sun braclets. They received a call from Alex and had to realistically take a 2 hour plane ride back.

“Jeju,” The two boys whispered and hugged Kara. “Is mom okay?”

“She’s okay.”

“Kara, Lena is in recovery.” Alex said from the door. Kara nodded and headed back towards the MedBay.

“Lauren,” Liam whispered. “How I wish you were just sleeping.”

“I love you, Ren. Thank you for pushing me to the best I could be. Wouldn’t have been able to be Lucas Luthor-Danvers without you.” Lucas cried.

“Don’t worry about us okay, we will be okay.” Liam wiped his tears away.

Everyone of Kara’s friends and family sat on top of a hill that looked over National City. The Legends, Team Flash, Team Arrow, The Bat Family, Lucy Lane, Kal-El’s family, Sam and Ruby, Superfriends and your cousins were there.

Eliza flew in from Midvale a couple of days ago, Alura landed on Earth an hour ago and even Lillian was there in honor of her granddaughter.

Lillian was furious that your death was cause by an assassination attempt on Lena. She had pulled up security cameras and tracked the man who purposefully hit Lena’s car.

Lauren laid in a red pod and floated next to her designated tree. Everyone was given a chance to say something about you.

Kara talked about hearing your first heartbeat, Lena on helping her in the labs. Liam about how you were able to keep him and Lucas out of trouble. Lucas focused on the last midnight talk the two of you shared. Alex shared how you were a fighter.

J’onn shared your last thoughts, he shifted into your form. “I’m scared to leave this world not because I am afraid of death but because I’m scared of leaving everyone I love behind. I don’t regret anything because of everyone I had in my life.” Other cute moments were shared before Kara started The Prayer for the Dead.

She moved her hand over the pod. The House of El symbol glowed and the glass of the pod became transparent. Kara took a deep and shaky breath.

“You have been the sun of our lives. Our prayers will be the sun that lights your journey home.” Kara released another shaky breath and looked towards the horizon. “We will remember you in every dawn and await the night we join you in the sky.” Kara’s eye glistened. “Rao’s will be done.” She finished in Kryptonian.

Alura pushed the pod and it slowly flew higher and further into the horizon. Lena pinned a sign on a tree that read:

Lauren Luthor-Danvers

2027 - 2044

[sigcy]

We dabble in writing fics, as well! Here’s a slowburn sigcy fic (it’s still a WIP, first posted on AO3) that Mod Cricket and I worked on together. (CW for violence.) Part Four.

[ Part One ] | [ Next Part (coming soon!)]

Overwatch’s Recall had been in operation for nearly a year. Supported by the League of Nations-- the community of city states that had united post-crisis-- Gibraltar, Hong Kong, The Vatican, Singapore, and others, Overwatch managed to squeak by. They had supplies needed, personnel in roles filled, and the Watchpoints around the world began to fill with agents and recruits alike. Their numbers weren’t like they were in their golden days, but they got things done. They were striking blows against Talon everywhere they went-- Teams taking out supplies, intel runners doing their best keeping tabs on the organization. Talon was seeking to start another Crisis-- potentially ending the human race as they knew it.

And so they had to be stopped before they reached their goal.

But it was difficult--easier said than done-- Whatever they did, it seemed that Talon always seemed to be one step ahead of them. Where Overwatch stopped an incident in one location, Talon would succeed in another. Civilian casualties-- Human and Omnic alike. With each passing day, they teetered further and further toward the cliffs of war.

Angela Ziegler was one of them-- having joined back up as soon as she could. She immediately took her place as head of medical sciences-- spearheading the organization and along with Winston, and the newly rescued Mei-Ling Zhou, hoped to point this new Overwatch down a better path. They adamantly insisted they were not a Mercenary group, nor did they have any semblance of a Blackwatch organization in their ranks. Jesse McCree and Genji Shimada served just as much as the rest of them. Reinhardt, Brigitte and Torbjorn all returned of their own volition. Miss Fareeha volunteered her time, as well. With a daring rescue to Rio, they even had Lucio Correia dos Santos and Satya Vaswani-- a Vishkar defector. Even Hanzo-- Genji’s older brother-- had joined their ranks. Lena was present, her girlfriend in toe. The little family they had all been once before seemed to come together once again. More had joined them, over time.

Thursday, November 18th, 2077.

0319.

Angela didn’t know the specifics on how the mission went down. Nor, did she entirely care at the moment. She’d been bogged down with work at base-- requisition orders, several video conferences with UN officials, and her usual filing and medical paperwork-- and had been ultimately unable to tag along on the mission. and so when she’d been awoken by Athena requesting urgent assistance to the returning team, she didn’t waste a moment getting ready. A pair of flats, her usual black-on-black, her hair thrown up into a quick, messy bun. She looked tired, but still threw on her usual bit of makeup to hide that fact.

The prisoner—patient— asset-- had been 'captured', on her request. Athena believed the man to be rather important in Talon’s ranks— one of their scientists, judging by biometric scan and matching reports alone. Siebren de Kuiper, an astrophysicist that had been institutionalized following an accident that left many people dead. He’d gone missing following another incident involving Talon agents seemingly breaking him out— and now... here he was. Working with Talon? Or for them? Her colleagues wanted to know. They all needed to know. This could severely hurt Talon as they knew it. Baptiste had been sent; their only agent who had enough know how of Talon's Fulcrum to free Dr. de Kuiper.

“Angie, You gotta be careful with that guy. His file weirds me out. Story doesn't add up.” Jesse crossed his arms in front of his chest, the American furrowing his brow at the medic as she checked over the man’s file that Athena had prepared for her. He’d taken off his hat, a gesture of respect to Angela in her wing. “Guy took a couple’a bullets and still came comin’. He’s not to be messed with, darlin’.”

“Yes, Dr. Ziegler. McCree is right.” Genji insisted, the cyborg taking a similar stance as the two of them urged Angela to be careful. “He has a power unlike anything we have ever seen. It would be best if you didn’t go in alone--”

“I will be fine, gentlemen.” She responded, giving a warm, appreciative smile to them both. She appreciated their concern-- but she had handled all sorts of patients. “If he is as unstable as you insist, It would be best not to overcrowd him. Plus-- I wasn’t there, and so he likely won’t recognize me as easily. Perhaps from the old posters... But... he will hopefully not equate me with violence. It will be okay.” She reached out and patted at them both, to which Jesse simply sighed and shook his head.

“Ya really are a handful, doc. Yer gonna getch’yerself hurt, yannow that?”

“I am aware, Jesse. Thank you.” She reached up and tapped the man’s nose with a fingertip, scanning over the datapad with her eyes one last time before she turned to the door in question.

“The prisoner has been sedated to keep him still. He is also cuffed to the bed as per procedure.” Athena’s voice piped up from the nearby wall interface-- the insignia lighting up and catching her attention. They couldn't take any chances after what had happened with Amelie and Gerard all those years ago, she supposed.

Angela was to stabilize his condition, and hopefully get any information she could out of him. She was used to strange patient cases— just look at Genji, and Reinhardt, and even McCree. First, though… She had to stop the sedative and get him coherent.

The medic dismissed the armed guards outside the door to the room— who both insisted she leave the restraints on the man, and that he was incredibly dangerous. They insisted to stay nearby— but she retorted and demanded to have at least the room’s privacy. She was sure she could handle the man herself. There was no patient that she had been unable to deal with before-- and she had almost a lifetime of experience.

And so... she stepped into the room, spying the behemoth of a man where he lay. Sedated, injured, hooked to a caduceus IV that had been slowly fixing his injuries. Returning him to the peak of health. His file claimed that he was unpredictable and dangerous, yet she entered the room unarmed-- confident. Baptiste sat nearby, arms crossed over his chest as he slept in his chair. Angela couldn't help but smile at them both. A tap to his shoulder was enough to wake Baptiste, and the other medic only straightened in his chair before looking to Dr. de Kuiper.

"He knows you, Ma'am." Baptiste mused, leaning forward in his chair.

"A lot of people know me, Jean." Her shoes tapped on the tile as she approached, quietly pinching off the sedative stream into Dr. de Kuiper's IV, and ultimately removing the needle from the injection point. It would take several minutes for him to come to, and so she simply looked over his file on a datapad--committing things to memory-- until the man began to stir, his eyes opening and his mouth curling into a confused frown. He was tall-- akin to that of Reinhardt, she supposed. He’d been given basic pants after his gear had been stripped, and was tucked in to the bed with a hardlight cuff keeping his IV arm in place, secured to the bed. Another hardlight strip crossed his hips, holding him down. His face was scarred, and his mouth curled down in a frown line-- this man had certainly led a rough life-- just looking at his face alone. His frown turned into a grimace as he shifted slightly, obviously still sore.

“Can you hear me, Dr. Kuiper?” She asked, her voice soft and as comforting as she could manage as the man furrowed his brow and blinked away the bright lights of the hospital room. His eyes focused first on the ceiling, then drifted over to her as she repeated her question-- taking the little medic in and looking her up and down--sizing her up.

In all but a moment, he was awake and coherent, snapping to attention as he seemed to realize his situation-- his face twisting in anger as he yanked his arm up at the cuff, letting out a furious growl at the restraint. His breath hitched, anger and panic setting in as he pulled again, and again, and again. He looked to Baptiste, and to Angela, and he let out another furious grunt.

“Dr. Kuiper, I need you to calm down--” She started, her hands reaching out to try and steady him-- only to have a lashing hand grasp roughly at her chest with a tightened fist, drawing her up and in close by the shirt as he half-sat up.

“Release me!” He bellowed, and at that moment the woman was lifted from the ground ever so slightly-- not by force alone, however. The room almost felt lighter, the floor rumbling as though he caused it to shift and shake. “I will be a prisoner no longer! I was promised!” The medic kicked her legs, her mouth curling into a grimace and her brows furrowing in almost fear.

“Dr. Kuiper, I--!!” She started, before Baptiste intervened.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's alright." Dark hands touched at Dr. de Kuiper's shoulders, pulling the man's attention away from his commander. "Let's talk. It's alright. No one here aims to hurt you." A pause, and Baptiste tilted his head to the side, gesturing to the glowing gold caduceus IV above his head, its line trailing into his arm. "You were at that convention, right? When she told the world about her thesis? You told me you met her then. You know her, she sent me for you!"

Sigma paused, periwinkle eyes flicking to the caduceus IV as it hung above him. There was a moment of silence, a moment of shaking breath. After a few seconds, his eyes turned back to Angela-- the spectre of a woman who had haunted him all these years, and his fist was clenched in the fabric of her shirt. She weighed so little, and he could barely tell if it was his own strength or his mind that lifted her and several other objects in the room. Bright blue eyes looked at him, surprised far more than afraid.

"Put her down, big guy. Neither of us mean you any harm." Baptiste said, and it was as though he suddenly came to. He snapped to attention, gently returning the acting-commander to the floor as though she were made of glass. Movements slow, deliberate, delicate.

"I..." Dr. de Kuiper started, slowly pulling his hand he'd used in rage back to his side. "I am so sorry."

Angela dusted herself off, nodding in thanks to Baptiste as the medic's hands moved away from Sigma's shoulders. "You are forgiven, Dr. de Kuiper." She smiled, righting her clothing as though he hadn't touched her at all.

The smile made him hate the fact he even breathed the same air as her. It was warm, kind, and genuine. Like the first light after a terrible storm. An offer of grace. His gut twisted in anxiety as she turned to retrieve a datapad that had been dropped, looking to his vitals screen and scribbling on the datapad's surface for a few moments, and throwing a knowing look to Baptiste.

"I apologize for this whole situation, Dr. de Kuiper." Baptiste murmured, moving to sit back down. "For the record, they had to cuff me as well when I first arrived here."

"It isn't the first time we have... acquired operatives from Talon. Once, one of our informants ended up killed because of our carelessness." Angela's voice was blunt, still writing on her datapad.

"Amelie La'Croix." Siebren looked down at his lap, cupping at his forehead.

Blue eyes flicked down at Siebren where he sat, mouth pressed into a line. "You know her, I presume?"

Siebren sat quietly for many moments, before nodding. "She was... A shell. Emotionless, cold. I thought that that was just how she was... I--I'd never met her prior to... what happened, but--"

"Let's not talk about her." Baptiste offered a smile, standing up and undoing the man's hardlight restraints fully. "You're at Overwatch's base of Operations, in Gibraltar. You've been asleep for a few hours."

"I don't remember going to sleep."

"The water I gave you on the ship. It--" Baptiste started to explain, but Siebren only huffed.

"You could have told me."

"That was the point, my friend. I hope you'll forgive me."

"He was only following protocol, Dr. de Kuiper." Angela mused, a gentle hand placing itself on Siebren's shoulder as she sat on the edge of his bed. Her hand was warm, and it made his heart skip a beat, periwinkle eyes looking to her searchingly.

There was a knock at the door, and Angela's attention was pulled away as the door opened to an omnic nurse bringing in a tray of food, setting it on the side table next to Siebren's bed.

"Thank you, Sybil." Angela smiled at the nurse, until she caught two more peering faces from the door frame. Jesse and Genji. Jesse's face was twisted into a distrusting almost anger, while Genji's was always unreadable. Protective, furious. She only smiled reassuringly at them both, and Jesse crossed his arms in front of his chest before the door closed, the omnic nurse leaving the room once more.

"I am sure you're hungry, friend." Baptiste mused, and Angela stood, reaching to the side table to deliver the food to Siebren's lap. Toast, an unopened bottle of Orange Juice, an apple and some yogurt-- staples in hospital cuisine.

"If this isn't enough, feel free to ask for more." Angela added, looking to Baptiste with a nod. "I will let you rest, for now. Baptiste, why don't you go back to your quarters? You deserve rest, as well." Information that was needed would have to come later.

Siebren's heart panged as he realized he'd be left alone again, and he looked up to her, and then up to Baptiste. Frantic, almost. Don't leave him alone again, he was fit for work, he was--

"No, no, I'm fine, I--"

"Dr. Ziegler, why not leave him with at least something to keep him busy?" Baptiste's tone was gentle, knowing, as he gathered his jacket from the back of the chair he'd settled into. She had no idea what he'd been through-- but Baptiste had an inkling.

Angela paused for a moment, before nodding. "My apologies, of course. I will be right back." Angela took a step back, collecting herself and disappearing through the door within a few seconds. The room fell into silence, before Baptiste only turned on his heel and laughed lightly.

"Now it makes sense, doctor." He laughed, shaking his head.

"E-Excuse me?" Siebren furrowed his brow, collecting his orange juice and cracking the bottle open.

"You love her, don't you?" He turned to Siebren, nodding, a knowing smile across his face as though he were teasing an old friend. "You love Commander Ziegler!"

[uninspired--poet]

Kara almost always felt relieved after a successful detail. Almost always.

She wasn’t sure why this time felt different as she adjusted the lapels of her suit and followed Lena through the heavy maroon curtains towards the back exit of the venue.

Lena’s words still rang in her mind. Fierce, stalwart words regarding the protection of Alien privacy and rights in the workplace. The bill she’d proposed months ago was a big deal. It had echoed throughout the country and throughout the world. It was groundbreaking.

It was dangerous.

Maybe that’s why Kara was listening even harder than she usually did. Maybe that’s why the hairs on her arms were lifting and catching against her stiff dress shirt beneath her jacket as she moved closer to Lena when they finally hit the back door that led to the blocked-off street and to safety from the throng of people who had, effectively, made this side of town more of a celebration than a functioning city.

The shouting and commotion had Kara struggling to focus on any one sound. On any one possible threat. That, combined with the rest of her detail in the comm in one of her ears had her opening herself up so much that she feared she might lose her hearing, entirely.

“All clear for Halcyon. Transport ready.”

Kara let out a little sigh of relief as she rested a hand against Lena’s back and guided her out from under the awning they’d been waiting in and towards the convoy of blacked-out cars that were waiting. One to carry Lena - three to distract.

Kara knew just which one they were headed for.

“Let’s go, Lena,” She urged near Lena’s ear.

They’d made it halfway to the car when a sudden commotion near the guard rails drew Kara’s attention away.

Her brow furrowed when she saw one of her agents struggling with someone who had broken through and only made it a few feet into their perimeter before being stopped.

She gave Lena a gentle push to keep her heading for the car as she stood between the would-be approacher and the car Lena was headed for just in case. Another agent took her place at Lena’s side in an easy, practiced move - escorting Lena the rest of the way while Kara continued assuring the situation was being handled.

That’s when it hit her. A strange, quiet sound. Something soft and indiscernible beneath the raucous atmosphere that had followed the briefing. Continuous. Rhythmic.

Kara held her breath and lowered her eyes to the ground as she honed in on the noise coming from somewhere very nearby.

Very nearby.

A timer.

“Lena!”

In her sudden flood of fear, Kara had forgotten any and all code words. Any and all protocol regarding Lena’s name.

She turned just as the timer ticked one last time, and everything around her seemed to slow to a stop as Lena turned her head sharply in Kara’s direction, her eyes wide and full of fear.

“Down! Get her-” The other agent didn’t even have time to respond to Kara’s order, and Kara knew it.

So, when the blast hit, Lena found herself suddenly and inexplicably covered by the weight of Kara’s body pressing her own down into the pavement. Kara, who had been so far away just a moment ago.

Kara, whose body jerked hard down into her own when the first shockwave washed over them.

She made the most terrible noise against Lena’s still-ringing ears.

A strangled scream mixed with a grunt of pain as the air around them filled quickly and utterly with thick, green, acrid smoke.

Kara was dazed at first.

She wasn’t used to feeling pain. Oh, she’d trained for it, sure. She’d even been injured a time or two by some clever foes.

But this.

Breathing in thick gulps of the only thing that could really hurt her. Feeling it burn into her flesh through the shrapnel that had torn through her suit jacket.

Kryptonite.

What else? Kara didn’t know. She only knew that she had to move.

So she did. She dragged Lena forward underneath herself and used her vision to look through the smoke no one else could see through to find the body of the agent who’d been nearest to Lena.

She didn’t have time to consider him. She only had time to reach into his jacket pocket with a violently trembling hand to pull out a collapsible mask most agents kept inside their jacket. A mask that Kara didn’t need. Usually.

She pressed it over Lena’s face. “Hold this tight.”

Lena did exactly as she was told, and with every ounce of strength she still had in her - Kara lifted her from the ground and rushed for the waiting, open door of the car.

Lena suffered quite a few more bruises when Kara loaded her into the car and landed on top of her with much less purpose than she had before, and as soon as she’d shut the door, she managed to groan into the comm in her ear.

“Halcyon secure. Move.”

It had all happened so fast. Yet it seemed to Lena like it had taken an eternity for the car to start moving. For the filtration systems to kick in and the tears in her irritated eyes to begin to clear.

She was still a little out of it when she finally turned her head towards Kara to find her...utterly still.

“Kara?”

Lena’s voice was trembling. The fear that had already gripped her compounded tenfold, then.

She slid her arms around Kara’s back in an attempt to lift them and gasped sharply when she felt the warm, wet heat of blood seeping through the tattered back of Kara’s jacket.

“Kara!”

Lena rolled her off of herself and Kara let out a shuddering groan when her back met the floor of the car.

“I’m sorry. Oh God, I’m sorry, Kara. Fuck. Fuck.” Lena was almost sobbing as she looked down at her hands to find them covered in angry, bright crimson.

“What do I do?” Lena asked in an urgent whisper as she touched everywhere she could reach on Kara.

“What they tell you to do,” Kara managed to whisper, managing to open her eyes just enough to see Lena’s face. Her scuffed cheek. The tears streaking through the dust on her skin. “I’m so sorry.”

“Kara, don’t say that,” Lena gasped as she reached for Kara’s face and cradled it in her hands. Perhaps for the first time, she noticed faint green, sickly lines where the capillaries ran beneath her skin. “Kara, please.”

Kara’s eyes slipped shut then and Lena looked around frantically as she pulled Kara’s head into her lap.

“Help!” Lena’s voice was hoarse as the car just kept speeding along as it had been. No regard for Kara or for the agent probably still lying on the ground at the venue. “Please!”

Lena was screaming, now. Angrily. Bitterly, as she lifted a hand to bang on the bullet-proof partition between her in the driver.

No response.

They were just driving.

“Fuck you!” Lena shouted at the driver as she began rocking for lack of anything else to do. “Fuck you!”

Lena had shouted and cried herself into a trembling, half-aware mess by the time they were pulling into an underground garage at the White House she’d forgotten the existence of.

She only loosely recognized a few faces when the door was opened and Kara was pulled away from her. She struggled, then. She fought weakly against those that were trying to take her away.

“Lena, please,”

Her bleary eyes darted up to land on Alex, then. Alex, who looked about as pale as a sheet.

“Let me help her.”

Lena nodded weakly and finally released her grip on Kara’s jacket.

She watched her for as long as she could while other agents and medical staff led her away.

Kara looked so small being put on the stretcher they’d brought out. She looked small, at least, until Lena lost consciousness entirely. Until the combination of shock, grief, and what was probably a rather impressive concussion finally got the better of her.

When she woke, it would be in her own bed with a fresh bandage on the scrape on her face. Superficial, the nurse looking after her reassured her. Wouldn’t even scar.

Lena didn’t care. God, she didn’t give a fuck about scars right then.

All she cared about was getting to Kara.

Yet, when she tried to get up - the nurse placed a gentle hand on her shoulder just when her head began to spin and she urged her back down.

“You need to rest, Ma’am,”

“No,” Lena argued as she nudged the offending hand away and moved to the edge of the bed. “No, where is Agent Danvers? I need to see Agent Danvers.”

“I don’t know, Ma’am. My only concern right now is your well-being,” The nurse explained in a tone that was both gentle and grating all at once.

“Well then I need you to check for me or I’m going to get out of this bed and look until I pass out and there’s nothing you can do about it. Understand?” Lena had never been harsh with her staff. Ever. She treated them like gold, and she had a wonderful reputation around the White House. Maybe that’s why the nurse looked at her with such understanding and sympathy even after the way she’d just been spoken to.

“Will you rest if I do that?” She asked with a furrow between her brows as Lena looked at her sharply for a moment before laying back down.

“Yes,” She lied, rather convincingly.

The nurse sighed and fixed her pillows from where she’d messed them up in her graceless attempt at getting up, and made her way towards the door.

Lena was out of bed and finding her footing not even a minute after the nurse was out of sight.

It was night time. That much she knew. So it’d been at least a couple of hours since the attack. Or whatever it’d been. The nurse would’ve known, right? If Kara hadn’t…

No. Kara made it. She had to have made it.

Even the thought of the alternative had Lena throwing her robe over her shoulders and dashing down the halls quickly, much to the alarm of the various agents posted here and there. Heightened security.

Lena should’ve known.

Yet, she was a veritable force as she stalked towards the medical wing. Unrelenting. Unapologetic.

Unfortunately, Lena soon found out what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

That immovable object just happened to be Alex - catching her as she swayed on her feet after a rather rough impact that had Lena grunting and Alex sighing heavily.

“You should be in bed. The entire floor is in a panic trying to figure out how to control this situation, and you aren’t making it any better.”

Lena almost apologized when she saw the look of exhaustion on Alex’s face. The lines of worry etched by her eyes and in her forehead.

“Nobody will tell me how Kara is,” She said instead, her voice a whisper - her eyes pleading. “Nobody will tell me what’s going on.”

Alex looked at Lena closely for a moment as she gripped her upper arms firmly to keep her still and to keep her on her feet.

“I’m sure someone was going to brief you, Lena. Had you just stayed in bed like I advised the medical team to have you do. I wasn’t looking forward to having to fire someone today on top of everything else, but-”

“Don’t fire anyone, Alex,” Lena breathed as she slowly shrugged out of Alex’s grip. “I tricked her into leaving so I could find out what was going on, myself.”

“How presidential of you,” Alex spat out, clearly frustrated. Clearly hurting.

But Lena looked so wounded that Alex regretted what she’d said as soon as it left her lips.

“I’m sorry,” Alex sighed, and Lena nodded faintly. “I know you’re worried. I know you’re confused. I just...we don’t need to have this conversation in the hallway.”

Alex glanced over Lena’s shoulder at a swiftly approaching agent, and she held a hand up to stop him.

“I need to look her over. I’ll bring her back to her rooms when I’m done,” Alex said simply, and he stopped in his tracks. Being the Presidential Doctor had its perks, after all. “Let the rest of the detail know.”

“Sure, Doc. I, uh...I think she might’ve bumped her head a little harder than we thought. You might wanna take a look at it.”

“I’ll be sure to,” Alex offered with a little half-smile, and the agent meandered for a while longer.

Alex didn’t offer him any information, despite the fact that she knew everyone who worked under Kara was really having a time. It wasn’t her call. None of this was her call, really. But she couldn’t leave Lena out in the cold for much longer. She didn’t have it in her.

Lena followed Alex down the hall. Then, down a corridor. That’s when they reached passageways even Lena wasn’t familiar with. And then rooms beyond that that were as out of place in the White House as anything Lena could ever have imagined.

When yet another automated door slid shut behind them, Alex finally turned to face her, and she looked as lost as she was worried now.

“Alex...where are we?”

“That’s not important,” Alex responded quietly, finally letting her mask fall away. The circles under her eyes looked darker under the fluorescent lights that were casting their steady glow down over them. “What’s important is the fact that Kara is in the next room, and that she’s...fighting.”

“Fighting?” Lena asked as she took a step closer to Alex. She didn’t care about the fact that her voice broke on the word.

“Yes,” Alex responded with a sigh. “She’s fighting as hard as she can. We’ve managed to flush a great deal of Kryptonite from her system. She’s got every sun lamp we have on her. And she’s fighting.”

“That’s what was in the bomb?” Lena asked breathlessly, her mind still working a million miles a minute trying to keep up. “Kryptonite?”

Alex nodded faintly. It was more of a surrender than a nod, all things told.

“She’s not human,” Lena whispered as her face fell and her eyes widened. The shock washed over her so fast and so hard that it took her breath away for a moment. “She’s Kyryptonian.”

“Yeah,” Alex whispered as she looked away, too. “That’s why she does what she does. Why she is what she is. Why she’s so good at it.”

“That explains a lot,” Lena whispered, trying her best to speak coherently past the soreness in her throat. “Please let me see her. Please.”

“Okay,” Alex agreed more easily than Lena had expected, and Lena shuffled behind her into yet another secret room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Kara laying there, half-covered beneath a sheet - surrounded by so many lamps it was almost blinding at first.

But even if those lights had blinded her - even if they’d burned the very skin off her bones - Lena still would’ve jogged to side of her bed and reached quickly for her hand.

“I don’t know if she can hear you,” Alex explained quietly as she glanced at a few monitors quickly and then looked back down at Kara. “She’s been stable for the past hour or so. That’s a good sign.”

Lena nodded weakly, and cleared her throat as tears danced in her eyes without falling.

“She’s trying,” Alex continued, her voice a little softer as she reached across Kara’s bed to give Lena’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah,” Lena gasped with a weak smile, and Alex nodded.

“I’ll give you a few, yeah?”

Lena nodded again. Words were quickly becoming a thing she was no longer capable of.

The moment she heard the door slide shut behind her, the first sob broke past her throat. Followed by an uncontrollable bout of them as she leaned down against Kara’s chest and buried her face against it for a while. At least hearing her heartbeat was a bit of a comfort. As much of one as she was able to find, right then.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Lena finally asked in a broken whimper. “Why? I trusted you, Kara.”

Kara didn’t respond, of course. She couldn’t. No matter how hard Lena held her hand. No matter how bitterly she cried.

Until, finally, she cried herself out and slowly pushed herself away from Kara’s chest to find the wet spot her tears had left on her hospital gown.

After a while, she reached out and cradled Kara’s cheek. It was almost alarmingly warm.

“I need you,” Lena said - her voice raw and broken. “Please. Please, come back to me. I...I love you.”

Lena imagined it would be like the movies. That she would confess her love and Kara’s eyes would flutter open and the corners of her lips would turn up in that precious, warm smile of hers.

But this wasn’t a movie. And the only response she got was the steady beeping of the various monitors surrounding them.

The door slid open behind her, and she turned to find Alex approaching her slowly.

“You really should be resting,” Alex said quietly. “I’m not going anywhere until she wakes up, don’t worry. You’ll be the first to know. But you can’t stay down here with us. You know that. You kicked an anthill running from your room earlier.”

“Yeah. And you saved my ass,” Lena finished for her with a quiet sigh. “I’ll go. But Alex, please...I...please fix her.”

Alex nodded. “I’m trying. We’re trying. Trust me.”

“I do,” Lena glanced one more time at Kara, and then slowly let go of her hand so she could follow Alex out of the room. It felt like she was leaving everything she had left in her behind. Including what little strength she’d somehow found to make it here.

Thankfully, the presence of everyone walking past them had her feeling a little steadier. Mostly because she didn’t have a choice. She was still the president. Even if she would’ve thrown it all away without a second thought right now if it meant Kara would just be okay, again.

So, she returned to bed. She sucked it up and apologized to the nurse who’d been assigned to sit with her. A nurse who got a glare from Alex, but nothing more serious than that.

“I’m going to give you something to help you relax,” Alex said as she cut her eyes in the direction of the nurse. “Because you need to get some sleep.”

“Another nurse will be by shortly,” Alex continued as Lena removed her robe and climbed stiffly back into bed. She was really starting to feel all those bruises, now, and Alex noticed her wince despite how she tried to hide it. “She’ll have something for the pain, too.”

“I’ll make sure she stays put this time,” The attending nurse said as Alex notated a few things on Lena’s chart before slipping her little tablet back into the front pocket of her coat.

“I sure hope so,” Alex responded before turning her back on both of them and leaving rather quickly. No doubt in a hurry to get back to her sister.

Lena didn’t blame her.

She’d be right there with her if she could be.

There were just too many things in her way.

Not the least of which were the pounding in her head and the throbbing ache that had her curling into herself in bed and the nurse doing some very undesired worrying over her.

Lena didn’t want that. She didn’t want the pills that came soon thereafter. She didn’t want sleep to take her the way it did even sooner after that.

All she wanted was Kara.

[saiilorstars]

Falling in Temptation

Previous chapters  || Sequel to Stars Dance

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: 11th Doctor x Female OC

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Ch. 3: A Siren’s Call

Chapter summary: The Doctor promised Lena a fantastic adventure but instead they get traitorous pirates and a killer Siren who has their friends under a spell. 

Fairy Tale Memoirs (Companion story)

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I said the trip should be fantastic," Lena huffed as a pirate, yes, a pirate, held her against her will along with her twin, Amy and Rory while the Doctor was being forced along the plank of the pirate ship.

"Did you really think that would ever happen?" Avalon glanced at her with a less than surprised expression on her face.

"It was just a distress call and then the trip..."

As the Doctor had promised, he was going to take Lena on one trip with the others and just as he was about to pick a place, he got a distress call from a ship in the precise spot they were in. Only when they'd gotten on the ship, the Captain, Captain Avery, had told them they'd made no such call. Naturally, the entire group had gotten into trouble due to the Doctor's 'charming' behavior and were now about to watch the Doctor walk the plank first.

"I suppose that laughing like that is in the job description," the Doctor tried to lighten up the mood, "'Can you do the laugh?' Check. Grab yourself a parrot. Welcome aboard."

"Stocks are low. Only one barrel of water remains. We don't need three more empty bellies to fill," Captain Avery stood by the plank and kept the Doctor on the plank with the pistol he carried. He glanced back at the others, specifically the three women, "Take that doxy below to the galley," he had pointed to Lena, the smallest of the three women, "Set her to work. She won't need much feeding."

"What did you just call my sister!?" Avalon nearly lunged at Avery for that comment if the other pirates hadn't kept her back. "Say that again! I dare you!"

"Um, a little help, guys?" Lena struggled with the pirate now leading her for a way below the decks of the ship, "Eek!" she squealed as she was pushed into the new room below.

"Lena!" the Doctor called and almost tried heading down the plank when Avery reminded him he still held the gun on him.

"If you're lucky you'll drown before the sharks can take a bite," Avery smirked, nodding for him to start walking the plank.

"If this is just because I'm a captain too, you shouldn't feel threatened," the Doctor pointed, "Your ship is much bigger than mine. And I don't have the cool boots. Or a hat, even."

"Time to go," Avery cocked the gun at him, eyes narrowing.

"A bit more laughter, guys?" the Doctor glanced back at the other pirates and his friends, feeling rather nervous now.

"Sorry if I find this unfunny," Avalon mock-glared at him, Amy and Rory nodding with agreement.

"We are done for..." Amy mumbled.

~ 0 ~

Lena was frightened inside the room she'd been forced into. She looked around and could barely see anything through the darkness that covered the place. She did, however, see a chest with shimmery parts and walked for it, wondering if there were something in there she could use to help her sister and friends. She came to the surprise of finding the chest chuck-full of swords. She took one out and tested the feel of it and noticed a long coat and a tricorne hanging on a peg ahead of her. She looked at the sword again and turned it over, recalling the small lessons she'd received from Avalon. Although those lessons had been for fencing, with fencing swords...not an actual sword.

Well, if you don't do this everyone's going to die...

Yes, the options were very limited here.

~ 0 ~

As the Doctor took a step on the plank he looked around the nearly empty ship and had to ask, "Where are the rest of the crew? This is a big ship. Big for five of you. I s'pose the rest of them are hiding some place," he pinched his nose, "And they're going to jump out and shout "boo"."

"Boo!" came Lena's cry that made everyone turn to look at her dressed in the pirate coat and hat she'd found, her sword aimed at Avery's throat.

"Lena!" Avalon yelled in utter shock that her sister was dressed like that and much more that she was holding a sword that could kill her, "What are you doing!?"

"Saving your life, sis, apparently," Lena shrugged and looked at Avery, "We'll see how it works out. Anyways, throw the gun down," Avery dropped his gun to the floor where Lena was able to kick it away from them, "The rest of you, on your knees."

"Lena..." the Doctor felt his hearts race at the danger Lena was putting herself in. One wrong move and it was, well...game over. It was a well known fact that she was the weakest of them all so he always tried shielding her more. And now here she was...swording pirates...

That was not what a big brother was supposed to let happen.

"Put down the sword," Avery ordered Lena, although he didn't move from his spot as the sword was still puncturing his skin, "A sword could kill us all, girl."

"I don't want to, but you have my big brother walking the plank..." Lena swallowed, careful to show as much bravery as possible. She was scared out of her wits at the moment, her hands sweaty and her heart beating so fast it could possibly explode, "...don't suppose you want to forget this all happened and we can start over?" She dared to hope.

One of the pirates came after her with a wooden handle, "LENA!" Avalon shrieked and made her twin turn to see the pirate in time.

Lena turned around and was forced away from Avery. At the sight, the Doctor tried to intercede but was pushed away by Avery into the rigging.

"Stay away from her!" Avalon pleaded the pirates frantically.

"Don't hurt her!" Amy's voice overlapped with Avalon's and soon enough Rory began chiming in.

"She's sick!"

The group of pirates backed from Lena as she waved the sword to them. She remembered some of the tricks Avalon used to show her and she supposed Fencing could be similar to swordplay and decided to use the same tricks. Still, she was beginning to get cornered as there were simply more pirates than Lena's. She looked up for a way out and blinked as she the rigging.

Would she really...?

"Lena!" Avalon nearly had a heart attack as her sister swung through the air on a piece of rigging while swinging the sword.

Lena managed to cut one of the pirates on the hand before she landed on top of a barrel. The pirate dropped his weaponry and stared at his hand, "You have killed me," he declared and froze everyone in their places.

"I feel compelled to remind everyone that it is just a scratch," Lena looked at both parties nervously and rather guilty, "Still, I'm sorry..." Then she remembered why she just did a lot that crazy stuff and shook her head, "No, wait, I'm not. You tried killing us!" but she stared at the pirate she'd wounded until she broke from guilt, "Oh, sorry!"

"This is why she couldn't take fencing," Avalon reminded Amy and Rory, "She kept apologizing whenever the sword touched me."

"I thought I hurt you!" Lena exclaimed.

"It's just a scratch," Avalon called to the 'wounded' pirate, "But release me and I'll get all the blood out of you for nearly killing my sister!"

"It only takes one drop of blood for death to come," Abery informed her, "Your sister has killed one more of my men."

"With one scratch? Ooh, she should go to jail," Avalon rolled her eyes then realized what she said and called out to Lena before the girl was truly frightened, "You're not going to jail, Lena!"

Through the distraction, a pirate tried getting Lena so she swung out on the rope only to be caught and lose her sword in the air. In trying to reach it, Rory had his hand cut from the tip, a black spot appearing on his palm only seconds later.

"Doctor?" Rory tilted his head in confusion as he stared at his palm, "What's happening to me?"

"She can smell the blood on your skin. She's marked you for death," Avery said whilst he looked at the spot on the pirate Lena injured

"She?"

"A demon, out there in the ocean," Avery nodded to the ocean.

OK. Groovy. So not just pirates today," the Doctor made his way to Rory, "We've managed to bagsy a ship where there's a demon popping in. Very efficient. I mean if something's going to kill you, it's nice that it drops you a note to remind you."

"On what planet?" Avalon made a face but never received an answer as they heard a song slowly rising in volume.

"Quickly now. Block out the sound," a pirate ordered before covering their ears, everyone else following fast.

"What?" Lena looked at them utter confusion.

"The creature. She charms all her victims with that song," Avery explained then quickly covered his ears as well.

"Oh, great, so put my fingers in my ears," Rory rolled his eyes, "That's your plan? Doctor, come on let's go lets get back to the...back to the..." he stumbled around as he giggled shortly Herr and there.

"The music. It's working on him. Look," a pirate observed as Rory and the other bewitched pirate acted dopey.

"You are so beautiful," Rory had moved the Amy.

"What?" the ginger stared at him, thinking it was no time one for complements.

"You know, you should try dressing up as a pirate too. Cuddle me, shipmate!"

"Oh yeah there's something wrong with him," Avalon concluded with certainty, "Rory's never been that bright with flirting."

"Everything is totally brilliant isn't it? Look at these brilliant pirates," Rory walled to the group of pirates, studying like it was his first time seeing them, "Look at their brilliant beards. I'd like a beard. I'm going to grow a beard."

"You're not," Amy quickly said.

"The music turns them into fools," Avery watched the two loopy men with resignation.

"Oh, my God," Avalon was purely flabbergasted at the sight of her best friend, "Stop acting like a drunk! That's my job!"

"No, it's really not," Amy shot her a sharp look for that.

The 'demon' Avery spoke about rose from the ocean bathed in a green glow and singing song that affected Rory and the pirate. Once seeing her, Rory tried moving for her but was kept back by Amy and Avalon. The wounded pirate walked towards the woman, a Siren, no one able to keep him away. As soon as he touched the Siren's hand he...disintegrated?

"I have to touch her," Rory broke free from Avalon's and Amy's grips, "Let me touch her."

Angrily, Amy pushed past him and marched up to the Siren, "Sorry, but he is spoken for!"

The Siren turned red and hissed at Amy, sending her flying across the deck to land harshly on the ground.

"Amy!" the Doctor ran over to help the ginger up, "Amy! Everybody into the hold!"

"C'mon, Rory!" Lena was helping Avalon bring Rory to the hold, all the other pirates gone done.

"Rory Williams!" Avalon turned the man around and slapped him hard across the face.

It seemed like the strength of the slap was enough to snap Rory out of the trance for a moment, "OW! AVA!" he glared at her while rubbing his cheek.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go!" Avalon pulled him towards the hole along with the others.

Once inside the Hold, the group splashed through the low level water as they hurried

"What is that thing?" Amy stopped a moment and looked at Rory, relieved to see he seemed to be looking slightly better.

"The legend. The siren. Many a merchant ship, laden with treasure has fallen prey to her. She's been hunting us ever since we were becalmed," Avery looked at his remaining crew, "Picking off the injured."

"Like a shark," a pirate made the lousy comparison, "A shark can smell blood."

"Oh yeah, a shark wearing a dress that's green and can sing, exactly like a shark," Avalon rolled her eyes.

"The ship is cursed," Avery declared with slight irritation at the girl who didn't seem to take the situation seriously.

The Doctor, however, seemed to be on the same page with Avalon, "Yeah right. 'Cursed' is big with humans. Means bad things are happening but you can't be bothered to find an explanation."

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Rory started to slip back into the trance.

Amy raised an eyebrow at that and turned to him, "Actually I think you'll find she isn't," urgently, she looked at the Doctor, "We have to leave. Right now."

"That thing of yours really is a ship?" Avery asked the Doctor with hope. The thing was a box but if it could get them out of there them so be it!

"Well, it's not propelled by the wind," the Doctor shrugged.

"Show me. Weigh anchor. Make it sail!" Avery tool out his gun and aimed it at the Doctor again.

The Doctor groaned of exasperation, "And the gun's back. You're big on the gun thing aren't you? Freud would say you're compensating. Have you ever met Freud? No? Comfy sofa."

"Leave the cursed one, Captain," a pirate pointed at Rory, "The creature can have him."

"Yes, please," Rory nodded with a dazed smile, sounding almost like a child.

"We don't want the siren coming after us," Avery agreed with his crew.

"You're all a bunch of-" Avalon gave a short yelp when she felt something puncture her leg.

Another pirate, the same one that had proposed to leave Rory, cried out next. Both the ginger and the pirate lifted their legs with a leech on attached to their skin.

"Leeches! Ow!" Avalon cried and hopped onto a crate as did the others.

"Avalon..." with a shaky voice Lena called for her sister, guessing what was going to happen next.

"It's bitten me, I'm bleeding," the other pirate had pulled off the leech from his leg as did Avalon, and looked at his hand that bore the black spot.

"Same here," Avalon raised her hand and showed the black spot on her palm.

"She wants blood. Why does she want blood?" the Doctor looked between Avalon and the pirate.

"What were you saying about leaving the cursed ones behind?" Amy shot a look at the wounded pirate, "Sorry," she said to Avalon a moment later.

"It's alright," Avalon sighed and stared at her at her palm.

"It's OK. We're safe down here," the Doctor gestured to the room, "No 'curse' is getting through three solid inches of timber," But of course the Siren reappeared behind him, making him look back, "Ah. Hello again."

"Wow, that's a beautiful song..." Avalon blinked with a dazed smile similar to Rory's.

Lena hopped off the crate she was on and skipped her way to her sister, not about to let some Siren take her away. No one was able to stop the pirate from reaching towards the Siren. As soon as he touched her, he disintegrated.. The Doctor caught the hat the pirate left behind then hurriedly pushed Avalon and Rory out of the hold with Lena and Amy. As soon as everyone was out the Doctor locked the door with the sonic.

"So, safe?" Amy crossed her arms and nodded to Avalon and Rory who were still dazedly looking around.

"I have my good days and my bad days," the Doctor gave a small smile.

"How did she get in?" Lena looked at the locked door, "And more importantly, will she get out?"

He used the sonic on the hat to get some results, "The bilge water - she's using water like a portal, a door. She can materialize through a single drop. We need to go somewhere with no water."

"Well, thank God we're not in the middle of the ocean," Amy threw her hands in the air with exasperation while the Doctor simply put on the hat.

"Did you see her eyes?" Rory turned to Avalon, "Like crystal pools!"

"You are in enough trouble!" Amy pointed at Rory, deeply frowning, not that Rory seemed to notice.

"I liked her singing," Avalon raised her eyebrows and gasped, "I wanna sing like that!"

"The magazine!" Avery remembered, making everyone look at him.

"What?" Lena looked at the Doctor for some help.

"He means the armory where the powder's stored."

"It's dry as a bone," Avery promised.

"Good let's go, there," the Doctor motioned for them to start walking...only to have Avery pull out his gun on him.

"I give the orders!"

"Ah. Worried because I'm wearing a hat now?!" the Doctor raised an eyebrow, "Don't be! Nobody touch anything sharp!"

"Can I hear the singing again?" Avalon asked as Lena dragged her out behind the Doctor.

They came up to the armory room, a pirate taking out a ring of keys to open the door but he couldn't find the key, "The key, 'tis gone, Cap'n."

"How can it have gone?" Avery looked at the ring of keys with confusion.

The Doctor stepped up and pushed the door open, no lock on it, "Someone else had the same idea," he entered the room first and looked around for anything suspicious.

"Barricade the door," Avery ordered as soon as he entered the room, "Careful of that lantern! Every barrel is full of powder."

"Who's been sleeping in my gun room?" the Doctor questioned just as Avery heard a muffled cough coming from a barrel.

He walked over to the barrel and removed the lid, reaching a hand inside to pull out a young boy, "You fool. You fool, boy. What are you doing here?"

"Who is he?" one of the pirates asked as Avery set the boy down.

"What, he's not one of the crew?" the Doctor joked.

"No, he's my son," Avery stared down at the boy with a long sigh, "What in God's name possessed you, boy? Your mother will be searching for you," the boy looked down with silence, "When?"

"Last winter. Fever. She told me all about you. How you were a Captain in the Navy. An honorable man, she said. How I would be proud to know you. I've come to join your crew."

Avery shook his head, "I don't want you here."

"You can't send me back," his son countered, "It's too late. We're a hundred miles from home."

"It's dangerous here. There's a monster aboard. She leaves a mark on men's skin."

"The black spot?" the boy lifted his hand to show he wore the black spot on his palm, surprising the others.

~ 0 ~

A while later, the travelers had taken a seat on a bench, Avalon and Rory coming out of the Siren's trance and acting far more normal than earlier.

Avery walked over to them after having a talk with his son, Toby, "There's nothing wrong with the boy. He has no scars."

"Yep," the Doctor looked at them all with a sheepish smile, "Ignore my last theory."

"He has his good days and his bad days," Amy sighed and leaned back against the wall.

"It's not just blood. She's coming for all the sick and wounded. Like a hunter chooses the weakest animal."

"Then how come I've not been marked, hm?" Lena raised her clean palms for them to see.

"Don't even question it," Avalon pointed.

"Lena's not technically 'sick'," the Doctor went ahead and gave the explanation anyways, "She has a genetic mutation that makes her get sick more easily than anyone else, but she's not really 'ill'."

"Okay, so...he's got a fever," Lena looked at Toby, "And that's a proper illness."

"And the Siren knows it," the Doctor nodded, "Humans. second-rate. Damage too easily. It's only a matter of time before everyone gets bruised. My ship. it can sail us all away from here. You and me," he looked at Avery and stood up, "We fetch it. Let's go."

Avery pulled out his gun and aimed it at him again, "You're not the Captain here, remember?"

"If you keep doing that I'll be the one to shoot you down," Avalon warned Avery, rolling her eyes with irritation, "And don't think I can't do it."

"Thank you Ava, but it's alright," the Doctor smiled at her.

Toby went to one of the barrels while no one looked and took off the lid from it, the song of the Siren quickly starting again with the Siren herself reaching through the water with her arms. The Doctor dashed for the barrel and shut it before the Siren could get through completely.

"The water's dangerous. That's how she gets through," Avery explained to Toby, realizing no one had gone over the rules with him of the Siren, "One touch of her hand and you're a dead man!"

"We're all cursed if we stay aboard!" one of the pirates grumbled.

"It's not a curse. Curse means game over. Curse means we're helpless," the Doctor wagged a finger, "We are not helpless! Captain, what's our next move?"

Avery draped a pendant on a rope over Toby's neck, "Wait with the boy," he instructed his crew.

"Captain we're all in danger here!"

"I said wait, and barricade the door after we've gone."

"Sure you want to go, big brother?" Lena stood up, feeling uneasy of this plan as she knew trouble was just bound to happen.

"We have to get Avalon, Rory and Toby away," the Doctor reminded her, "She's out there now, licking her lips, boiling a saucepan, grating cheese."

"Can you not...please?" Avalon crinkled her face at that.

"Sorry," the Doctor winced.

"But Lena's right, be careful," she sighed.

"Don't you worry, your fairy-tale man is on the case!"

"My what?"

"N-nothing," the Doctor quickly turned away, realizing he didn't actually know why he'd done so. That was certainly knew, "Off we go!" he said to Avery and headed for the doors.

"What was that about?" Avalon looked at the others with an amused smile, never receiving an answer to the obvious question.

~ 0 ~

A couple minutes later, the twins had gone to Toby's side while Rory apologized to Amy for his Siren-controlled words. Also, the other pirates seemed to be staying away from the boy and mumbling a conversation. Of course they realized what they were talking about when they started removing the barrels from the door to get out.

"What are you doing?" Lena frowned, "We're not supposed to leave the room."

"We're not staying here to mollycoddle the boy," one of them answered, "The Captain's gone soft, it's time for us to leave."

"No one's asking you to protect anyone, first of all," Avalon stood up with a hand on her hip, "Second of all, where the hell do you plan to go? I doubt there's a lifeboat somewhere around here and you can't exactly move this entire ship on your own."

"You were given orders to wait," Toby also stood up, "He's your Captain, a Naval Officer. You're honor-bound to do as he tells you."

"Honor-bound'?" one of the pirates scoffed, "Do you know what kind of ship this is? Do you know what your father does?"

"Don't you dare," Avalon stepped in front of the boy. One of the most valued things as a child was their image and thoughts of important people in their lives, especially a parent's.

"We sail under the black flag," the pirate continued, as if eager to ruin Toby's faith, "The Jolly Roger."

"Liar!" Toby shouted and lunged for the pirate but Avalon kept him back, "He's no wicked pirate!"

"Oh, you think so? I've seen your father gun down a thousand innocent men," the pirate turned to the other, "Get what treasure you can I'll meet you in the row boat."

"Oh, so there is an extra boat," Avalon mumbled to the side, distracted enough for Toby to slip out of her grip.

He snatched a nearby sword and pointed it at the pirate, "You're going to remain at your post."

"I am not playing games with you boy, you put that down," the pirate ordered.

"One more step and I'll use this, you blaggard!"

"You don't know how to fight with a cutlass, boy."

"Don't need to, do I?" Toby smirked and lunged forwards again, cutting the pirate he'd been arguing with on the had.

"Ah! No!" he turned his palm over now bearing the black spot, "You little swabber!"

"Congratulations. You made it to the menu," Avalon waved with her fingers, "My advise is you should stay in here, what do you think guys?" she looked at the others with a smirk.

"You scurvy ape!" the wounded pirate pulled out a gun on Toby.

"Don't shoot!" Rory jumped out of his spot, "The powder will blow and kill us all!"

The other pirate snatched the key from his wounded friend, "Mulligan, what are you doing?" the wounded pirate blinked as Mulligan left like nothing.

"No honor among pirates," Amy shook her head as the remaining pirate now hurriedly barricaded the door again.

"Let's put that down before anyone else gets hurt," Avalon took the sword from Toby then looked back at Amy and Lena, the remaining non-cursed in the room, "Not that there's a lot more..." she mumbled.

"Why don't we get that pendant cleaned up, huh?" Lena held a rag for Toby to use so the boy came back to the bench and started polishing the pendant.

Avalon put the sword somewhere it couldn't hurt anyone and returned to her spot beside her sister. She leaned against the wall and turned her hand over to see the black spot on her palm, taking a small sigh as she rubbed it.

"We'll fix it," Lena looked at her sadly, and frightened as was usual, "My big brother, hell fix it, like always."

"I'm not scared Lena," Avalon promised her with a small smile, "I mean, I was terrified for what you did earlier, but this?" she held her palm, "It's nothing compared to that."

"I only did that to save you all," Lena guiltily looked away, "Otherwise, the Doctor walks the plank and then you go after."

"It was stupidly dangerous," Avalon pointed, "Don't ever do something like that again, Lena. I don't want to explain to dad how I messed up and couldn't protect you again." Even though the other aborted timeline never happened, she could still remember how Lena died saving her. It was all her fault. If she had been paying more attention, she could've pushed Lena away to take the bullet Restac had meant for her.

"It's not your job to protect me Avalon," Lena moved closer and spoke quieter so they wouldn't be overheard by the others.

"Yes it is, your my sister, my twin. I've always been in charge of you-"

But the pounding of the doors cut off their conversation, "Amy!" the Doctor called, "Open the door!"

"Toby open the door!" they heard Avery calling as well.

The group looked at each other before hurrying to do the doors and take the barricade down. Once they opened up, the Doctor nearly trampled over them as he ran straight for Toby and took the pendant from his hands, breathing heavily on it as if to fog up the reflection. After a moment, he looked at Avery with a thumbs-up, the Captain clearly relaxing afterwards. And just like that, the Doctor bolted out the door again, calling something about breaking windows and whatnot. After several shattering sounds of glass, the Doctor and Avery returned to the armory room to explain what had happened and what was going to happen. The Siren apparently, did not emerge from water but instead any clear reflection hence the reason behind all the windows being broken. But now that the group knew what they had to do for the moment...they weren't so on-board with it.

"Just wait?" Rory blinked, thinking he'd heard wrong but by the looks the Doctor gave he had, unfortunately, heard correctly.

"That's the master-plan?" Avalon raised an eyebrow, "We just...wait?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't come up with anything better, but-"

"What about the TARDIS?"

"It's been towed..."

"What?" Amy crossed her arms, "How so?"

"Sorry," the Doctor flashed a smile, "We might be stuck here for a while."

"How long are we supposed to wait?" Lena asked, not as irritated as the others.

"The sea is still calm, like a mirror. If you go out on deck she'll rise up and attack," Avery looked at the three affected to remind them this was ultimately the best chance they had.

"It's OK, though," the Doctor cut in as he saw Avalon about to remark again, "The calm won't last forever. When the wind picks up we'll all set sail."

"Until it does, you have to hide down here," Avery gestured to the place.

"Oh this is swell," Avalon huffed with her arms crossed, "You're not living up to your name," she looked at the Doctor.

"I have my good days and bad days," he raised his hands in surrender.

With that being said, the group organized themselves for some sleep on the floor. Although for Amy it didn't last very long as she woke up to several whispers. She looked around and saw the same woman with an eye patch over her eye, talking, before the same hatch shut again. Frightened, Amy left the place to get some air and stumbled across the Doctor in the Captain's cabin, where she found him staring at the windows in silence.

"Doctor?" she stepped forwards, confused what he was trying to do this time.

"Sssh!" he quickly waved her to be quiet while he kept his gaze on the windows.

"What can you see?"

"Feels like something's out there, staring straight at me," the Doctor focused for a moment more until they heard thunder crashing and the ship rocking, alerting a storm was coming for them, "Man the sails!"

~ 0 ~

Through the heavy thunderstorm, the entire group was out on the deck trying to keep the ship safe. Avery was holding the rigging while the Avalon, Lena, Amy and Rory went to the topside and the Doctor stood at the wheel.

"To the rigging, you dogs! Let go the sails. Avast ye!" Avery was crying out certain words like those that left the humans more than confused while they ran for the ropes holding the mainsail, "Put the bunt into the slack of the clews."

"What the hell is going on about!?" Avalon was making a face as she just listened.

"I swear he's making half this stuff up," Amy rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you know, we should make a phrase book to know the translation!" Lena exclaimed, genuinely wondering if it would be enough for them to understand.

"Toby!" Avery looked at the young boy, "Find my coat. My compass is inside it, boy! Heave ho you bilge rats."

"'Rats' was all I could hear," Rory informed and shook his head, knowing that would be pretty much all he would be getting.

As Toby ran back with Avery's coat, he nearly tripped and let a hidden crown Avery kept inside the joke, one that the Doctor told him was necessary to be thrown out or the Siren could come through it and take them. As soon as the crown was still on the floor, the Siren shot out from its clear reflection and immediately held her hand for Toby.

"Don't let her take you!" Avery yelled in horror, his stomach churning as Toby walked closer, "No!"

"Not again!" Lena severely struggled to keep Avalon from heading towards the Siren, Amy having the same problem with Rory now. Together, they stood in front of Avalon and Rory and blocked their way (as well as repeatedly pushed them away) from the Siren.

"No!" Avery shouted as Toby was disintegrated by the Siren. In haste, the Doctor snuck towards the crown and threw it out to sea, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Avery had broken down as he realized his son was gone due to his actions.

The Doctor turned around in anger, "You couldn't give up the gold could you? That's why you turned pirate! Your commission, your wife, your son. Just how much is that treasure worth to you man?"

Avalon looked up in her dazed condition and saw the main yardarm swinging for them, while Lena and Amy were still in front of her and Rory. She pushed the two women away in time to keep them in safety, unfortunately for her and Rory there was no time.

"No!" Lena saw her sister and Rory be knocked into the feisty ocean.

"Rory!" Amy cried as she and Lena ran to the side of the ship, the Doctor coming to join them a moment later.

"I can't see either of them!" Lena panicked as all the water folded over and over, no arms nor heads sticking out from it.

"I'm going in!" Amy declared as was able to swing over a leg before the Doctor yanked her away.

"They're drowning! You go in after them and you'll drown too!"

"But we have to do something!" Lena felt like throwing herself in as well, "Avalon doesn't know how to swim, remember? She's dying!"

"There's only one thing that can save them now," the Doctor looked back at a barrel, one he knew was full of water.

"What are you talking about!?" Amy frantically questioned, looking between him and the water hastily, there was no time for mysteries!"

"The siren, the siren wants them," he reminded her and Lena, "We have to release her!" he hurried for the barrel.

"Big brother, what are you going to do!?" Lena went after him but he got there earlier and snatched the lid of the barrel, releasing the Siren.

The Doctor looked up as the Siren floated in the air, "They're drowning! Go find them!" he pointed and breathed in relief as the Siren dove into the water.

"What did you do?" Lena blinked with wide eyes, terrified as the Siren disappeared through the water.

"If they stay in there, they'll die," the Doctor reminded.

"But she'll destroy them!"" Amy angrily ran up to them.

"That thing isn't just some ravenous hunter! It's intelligent. We can reason with it. And maybe, just maybe, they're still alive somewhere. We have to follow."

"Are you mad!?" Avery stood from his spot and stared at the Doctor with utter confusion.

"If we ever want to see them again, we have to let the siren take us," the Doctor irritably explained, tired of the looks he was receiving from all three, "We'll prick our fingers. All agreed?"

"Aye," Avery went first.

"Aye," Amy sighed, seeing no other alternative.

"Aye," Lena gave the Doctor a sharp look, "This better work!"

"Aye!" he cheered then went ahead and pricked everyone's fingers.

On cue, the Siren appeared with her song and reached for the three who were now happily going for her. A flash of light took them over and the next thing they knew they were waking up on a proper floor.

"Where are we?" Lena, confused, looked around at the solid, gray walls of what clearly looked like some sort of ship.

"We haven't moved. We're in exactly the same place as before," the Doctor could see Avery's ship through the windows in front of them.

"We're on a ghost ship," Avery couldn't find more to say than that.

"No, it's real. Space ship trapped in a temporal rift."

"How can two ships be in the same place?" Amy looked through the window as well and couldn't understand.

"Not the same. Two planes, two worlds, two cars parked in the same space. There are lots of different universes nested inside each other. Now and again they collide and you can step from one to the other."

"That did not make much sense," Lena felt sorry to say.

"Good, cos it's really not like that at all," the Doctor looked back at her with an amused smile, "Just thought it may help..."

"You want to try a different approach, then?"

The Doctor looked around and found a piece of metal that he decided to chuck at the window. It went right through the glass and landed on the deck of Avery's ship, "All the reflections have suddenly become gateways! Ever look in a mirror and think you're seeing a whole other world? Well, this time it's not an illusion."

A low beeping sound carried over to the spot the group was in, "The signal," Amy realized.

"Yes," the Doctor turned and started walking.

"That was the distress call?" Lena asked as they climbed up a staircase.

"Uh-huh," the Doctor nodded.

"There was a second ship here all the time..."

"And the Siren is on board," the Doctor judged by the low song of the Siren they could hear. He stopped in front of a door and unlocked it, surprised to see a desiccated body of an alien on the side. Avery pulled out his gun on the body, "Dead," the Doctor stopped him and walked towards the bridge of the ship. On the control chair there laid another dead alien.

"You were right, there was something staring at us the whole time," Amy walked up while looking out the windows of the bridge, Avery''s cabin being on the other side, "How long has this ship been marooned here?"

"Long enough for the Captain to have run out of grog," Avery pointed at the alien.

"So if that's the captain, what exactly is the siren?" Lena wondered if that was a good question and truthfully she was curious to know, especially since that thing had her sister now.

"Same as us. A stowaway," the Doctor was using his sonic on the corpse.

"She killed it?" Lena blinked rapidly with horror, "But she has our friends now! And my sister!"

"Human bacteria," the Doctor looked at his sonic as it gave the results.

"What?" Amy stepped towards him.

"A virus, from our planet. Airborne, travelling through the portal. That's what killed it," he nodded to the corpse and leaned on the panel, "Didn't get its jabs-" he suddenly lifted his hand with a crinkled face as he stared at his hand now covered in green slime, "Urghhh! Look."

"What is that?" Lena pointed at his hand with her nose crinkled at the sight.

"Sneeze! Alien bogies!" the Doctor fiercely shook his hand in an effort to get the slime off. And, when he found no results, he wiped it on Amy's coat then continued to walk out.

With a glare, Amy turned and went after him with Lena and Avery. They came across a new, white room with dozens of beds suspended from the ceiling, all carrying unconscious people. The Doctor walked ahead with the sonic out as he scanned the place.

"McGrath!" Avery stopped by a bed, "He's one of my men."

"And he's still breathing," Lena looked at the machine that strapped onto the man's neck. Meanwhile, the Doctor found rectangular discs that were full of information.

"My entire crew is here," Avery realized as he looked around, his eyes landing on his son across the room, "Toby!" he ran for the bed Toby laid on.

Amy turned to see Avery run and found Rory as well, "Rory!"

"Avalon!" Lena gasped at the sight of her ginger sister and dashed.

"The TARDIS!" the Doctor went across the room to the TARDIS and practically hugged the box with relief.

"We have to get them out of here," Avery looked at the others frantically, disliking the machines around his son.

"Wait!" the Doctor left the TARDIS and ran for Toby, using the sonic on him, "His fever's gone," he looked over at Rory and walked over.

"He looks so well," Amy breathed as she stared at Rory.

"So does Avalon," Lena agreed.

The Doctor sonicked both of them and blinked with surprise, "She's keeping them alive. Their brains are still active but all the cellular activity is suspended. It's not a curse. It's a tissue sample," he showed the others the discs, "Why get samples of people you are about to kill?"

"We need to get them out of here," Amy declared and started wrapping her arms around Rory to get him up, "Help me!"

The Doctor reached to undo the tube around Rory but an alarm stopped them along with the song of the Siren. Lena gasped as she saw the glowing green shade of the Siren coming from the doorway, "She's coming!"

The Doctor took them to a hiding place on the side of the room with Avery, all watching as the Siren approached Rory's bed and calmed the man down with her singing.

"Anesthetic," the Doctor whispered.

"What?" Avery frowned.

"The music. The song. So she anesthetizes people and then puts their bodies in stasis!"

When Avery saw the Siren going for Toby, he took out his gun and move out from their hiding place, ready to shoot her the moment she touched his son.

"Avery, no!" the Doctor called as Avery shot at the Siren.

Angry and red, the Siren turned for Avery menacingly. The Doctor ran for another part of the room to get the attention on him but ended up sneezing. At the sound, the Siren turned on him with fire between his hands.

"Whoa. Fire! That's new," the Doctor backed away, "What does fire do? Burn? Yes. Destroy? What else? Sterilise! I sneezed. I've brought germs in!" he pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose into it, chucking it to the floor afterwards. The Siren shot the cloth instantaneously on the floor and destroyed the handkerchief.

"Amy..." Lena tried stopping the ginger but Amy shook her arm off and ran for Rory's side.

"Amy, stop!" the Doctor warned as the Siren went after her, "Don't touch him. Anesthetic, tissue sample, screen, sterile working conditions. Ignore all my previous theories!"

"Yeah, well, we stopped paying attention a while back," Amy shot him a mock-glare.

"You sound just like Avalon," he promptly pointed out. "And the Siren is not a killer at all," he tried to say fast as he watched the Siren near her, "She's a doctor!" Amy backed away to where Lena was, both watching the Siren return to her normal green glow, "This is an automated sick bay. It's teleporting everyone on board. The crew are dead and so the sick bay has had nothing to do. It's been looking after humanity whilst it's been idle. Look at her. A virtual doctor! Able to sterilise a whole room."

"Able to burn your face off," Lena reminded with a frown, "That's not very helpful."

"She's just an interface. Seeped through the joint between the planes. Broadcast in our world. Protean circuitry means she can change her form and become a human doctor for humans. Oh, sister you are good!"

"But then that means those machines aren't going to work for Avalon for much longer," Lena hurried to her sister's side, already seeing Avalon begin to fuss quietly, "We have to get them out of here..." Amy tried to reach for Rory but the Siren hissed at her in her red glow and made Amy step away.

"She won't let us take them," Avery sighed sadly.

"She's keeping them alive but she doesn't know how to heal them," the Doctor observed the patients.

"I'm his wife for God's sake!" Amy nearly teared up, "Why can't I touch him?"

"Tell her Amy," the Doctor suddenly got the idea, "Show her your ring," he held Amy's hand with her ring up to the Siren, "She may be virtual but she's intelligent. You can't do anything without her consent. Come on! Sophisticated girl like you, that must be somewhere in your core program."

"Look, he's very ill," Amy gestured to Rory, "OK, I just want to look after him. Why won't you let me near my husband!?"

The Siren held her hand to Amy, a ring of light forming around it. Confused, Amy looked at the Doctor for some help, "Consent form. Sign it. Put your hand in the light," he motioned, "Rory's sick. You have to take full responsibility."

"What about Avalon?" Lena cautiously moved closer to her sister, "Can I...check her out of this...hospital, whatever it is?"

"Of course you can," the Doctor smiled, "Look, show her your bracelets," he pointed at the twins matching bracelets on their wrists.

Amy put her hand through the ring and retrieved control of her husband. Afterwards, the Siren turned for Lena who was holding up Avalon's wrist as well as her own, "We're sisters, you have to give me consent too!" and thankfully, she received the ring of light as well, "Oh thank goodness that worked," Lena gave a smile at the Doctor and Amy, "I'm not brave," she announced and put her hand through the ring. The Siren disappeared as the consent was given.

As soon as the Siren was gone, Amy turned the power off Rory's machine. Rory gasped awake and started jerking as he tried to to breathe. The Doctor turned for the two in haste, "He can't breathe, turn it back on!"

Amy quickly turned the power back on and sighed. Lena looked between Rory and Avalon, in a stump, "They both went into the water, so...if I try to do that with Avalon-"

"I wouldn't," the Doctor cut her off before she was able to finish.

Avalon slowly opened her eyes, feeling her throat was on fire, "Oh, my..." she gasped, "...breathe!"

"The machine's failing now!" Lena grew frantic as her twin struggled to breathe properly, "The TARDIS..." she stared at the big, blue box with hope, "Works for any kind..."

"Where am I?" Rory slowly came to a slow awakening.

"Lena, if...if we did that..." the Doctor came to Lena while Amy explained the situation to Rory.

"It could save her, right?" Lena needed to hear the 'yes' now followed by the plan to get her inside.

"She was drowning..." the Doctor tried to be delicate about it, "...I don't think she would make it that far."

"No, don't say that," Lena's eyes teared up, "Please don't say that..."

"She was drowning like me," Rory managed to get their attention, "Meaning she can be saved like me," he looked at Amy in the eyes, "I'm a nurse, I can teach you how to save me."

"Hold on..." Amy saw where Rory was headed with and shook her head.

"We just have to be resuscitated," Rory could've shrugged if the situation wasn't so dire.

"Just?" Lena choked at the word.

"You've seen them do it loads of times in films. CPR. The kiss of life," Rory said to Amy with a small smile.

"Rory, this isn't a film, ok," Amy sighed, "There are two people, one that includes you, who need attention now. What if we do it wrong?"

"You won't."

"OK, what if you don't come back to life? What if...?"

"I trust you, Amy," Rory assured.

"What about him?" Amy pointed to the Doctor, "I mean why do I have to be the one? Why do I have to save you?"

"Because I know you'll never give up," Rory smiled softly.

The Doctor pointed to Lena to be given a moment as he walked for Avery who looked after Toby, "We have to send this ship back into space. Imagine if the siren got ashore. She would have to process every injured human."

"What about Toby?"

"I'm sorry. Typhoid fever. Once he returns it's only a matter of time..."

"Wait a minute," Lena blinked, "Amy, look after Avalon," she ordered before she rushed to the Doctor and Avery, "Maybe there's another option for Toby," she started to smile, nearly smacking herself for not thinking about it earlier. This was really all on her since Avalon wasn't exactly in her right mind.

"Lena, it's Typhoid fever," the Doctor reminded, "Deadly illness..."

"Yeah, for the new humans," Lena glanced at Avery, "Sorry," she winced at her words, "I just meant, this illness, by the time it reaches New Earth it's mutated and cured...especially by those carrying the antibody in their genes..."

The Doctor's eyes widened as he looked at Avalon, "Oh..." he'd caught onto Lena's plan.

"Oh what?" Avery made the Doctor look back at them again, "What is it?"

"My sister and I, we're part of another type of human, in the future," Lena tried to explain with haste as she could hear some of Avalon's struggle for breath, "We carry antibodies for nearly all type of illnesses, including the one your son has," she pointed at Toby.

"Then do it, girl, help him!" Avery exclaimed.

"I can't..." Lena made a face then sighed, "...I'm sort of sick on that aspect, my genes are all messed up," Avery's face fell at those words, "But Avalon!" Lena quickly instigated the hope again, "She's not sick, she's in perfect condition! And I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help Toby after she's healed."

"Then heal her, fast," Avery nearly pushed the two back to the ginger now that he knew she was the only one who could possibly help Toby.

"C'mon," Lena pulled the Doctor back to Avalon and Rory.

"Someone do something..." Avalon was shaking her head, "...machines are useless, idiotic, stupid-"

"Temper, Ava," the Doctor hushed her.

"I'm dying!"

"CPR, that's all you need, yeah?"

"I'm dead," Avalon sighed, "No offence to Lena, but she's a bit of a nerve-wreck when it comes to that stuff...even when she was the one who needed CPR."

Lena smiled sheepishly at the look the Doctor gave her, "I told you," she tried to remind.

"Just...take care of her, okay?" Avalon shook the Doctor arms to get his attention again, "I don't care what happens to me, just bring her home and look after her, please."

"N-n-n-n-no, that's not gonna happen," he frowned, "I came with four friends and I am leaving with four friends," he looked between her and Rory, "So don't you get any ideas of dying!"

"We'll try our best," Rory assured with a roll of his eyes.

Avalon's breath hitched suddenly as it became harder to breathe, "Okay, dying now!" she exclaimed and put a hand on her chest.

"CPR is a two-person thing, Avalon," Lena frowned, "Remember that important detail?"

"Enough," the Doctor pulled down the ginger's hands, "Now here is the plan and I want all of you to listen," he pointed at the companions, "Rory, prepare yourself," he warned as he turned to Rory, "We're going to unhook you and Amy will begin CPR. And then you-" he pointed at Avalon, "-are not going to die because then that would make me look awfully bad as the person who'll do CPR on you."

"Really?" Avalon raised an eyebrow, "That's gonna be the awful part? How about me dyin-" but she received his hand over her mouth.

"Hush, not finished yet," he pointed to the machine Rory was hooked up to, "When Lena turns that off, Amy, you gotta start CPR immediately afterwards." Amy nodded fervently but the mere thought of doing CPR put her into panic. "Ow!" the Doctor jerked his hand away as soon as he felt teeth puncturing into his skin, "Piranha or human!?" he glared at Avalon, "You better not do that when I try CPR do you understand?" All he received was a very cheeky smile from Avalon that honestly made him reconsider the plan.

"Ready?" Lena stood by Rory's power machine. Amy and the Doctor stood with Rory, nodding for Lena to do it, "Go!" she switched the machine off.

Amy placed both of her hands over Rory's chest and started CPR. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" she repeated each time she waited for Rory to wake up.

"Someone better start with me or I might not let you disconnect this thing," Avalon gulped and glanced at the power machine beside her own bed.

"Okay, okay, you ready?" the Doctor moved for her bedside, preferring to leave Lena by Amy's side. He had full confidence Rory would wake up.

"No," Avalon eyed the coil of the tube around her neck, "What kind of stupid question is that?"

"I'm gonna let that pass because you're afraid," the Doctor pointed at her, "But you trust me, right?"

Avalon nodded, "Completely," she answered softly. The Doctor then reached for the machine when the woman grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him down, "But if I die, rest assure that I will come back and haunt you for the rest of eternity."

As she let go, the Doctor nodded, gulping with a bit of fear, "And there's the Ava I know," he reached and shut off the machine, the ginger immediately gasping a final time before she went unconscious like Rory had.

Lena didn't know where to look anymore. On her right was Amy frantically pushing against Rory's chest, and on her left was the Doctor doing the same with Avalon. With each attempt that failed, both the Doctor and Amy grew more and more frantic, but they wouldn't stop. The few minutes seemed to last an eternity for all of them...until Rory sat upright to throw water from his mouth. A few seconds later, Avalon did the same.

"Ha! I did it!" Amy was proud to say, though the tears in her eyes reflected the terrible fear she just went through.

Avalon threw her arms around the Doctor's neck for a tight hug. "Oh my God, thank you!"

"Oh, one more thing," the Doctor pulled away, "We need you to cure Toby."

"Oh..." Avalon looked past him to the young boy laid on the bed with Avery standing on the side, "...right," she nodded and smiled again, "Thank you, fairy-tale man."

"You're welcome," he smiled back and pushed a lock of her ginger hair from her face, "I will always come to your rescue, sort of my job, you know." Avalon shook her head at him and got up from her bed to go see Toby.

"Can you really heal him?" Avery asked while he stared at his son.

"Watch me," Avalon pressed her hand to Toby's forehead, a great smile spreading across her face as her hand began glowing while she cured Toby.

~ 0 ~

"Well, thanks for the trip," Lena politely said to the group, though it was clear that if she had the chance to go back she probably wouldn't do it. She was getting ready to leave the TARDIS, with only the goodbyes left to do. "But I got to get back home. I don't think Dad and Gavin can make it on their own."

"Take care, Lena," Amy gave the woman a hug.

"I will," Lena moved on to hug Rory then the Doctor. "And please try not to get hurt so much."

"We can say that we will try our best," Rory gave the Doctor a glance afterwards, "Right, Doctor?"

The Doctor was clueless and merely smiled. "Sure, sure!"

"I feel terrible for leaving you alone like this," Avalon shook her head, "I shouldn't be, and I'm sorry I'm-"

"I'm not sorry," Lena cut in, shrugging nonchalantly, "I'm genuinely happy that you're finally doing something you want to do instead of taking care of me."

"How can you say that, Lena? I'm your big sister, I'm supposed to be looking after you..."

"That's just it, Avalon, you're my sister," Lena stepped closer to Avalon and took a long breath, deciding this was as good as any other time to finally tell her sister what she needed to hear. "And yes, I get it, we're sisters and we're always going to be looking after each other, but there's a limit. You, you Avalon, you go over the top. You're my sister, not my mother," Lena felt awful by the face Avalon was making at the mention of their mother, Emmelina, the subject still too raw to be talked about, "Mum looked after us, like her job commanded it to be so, but now she's gone, and there's no one left to do that job anymore. You're my sister, it is not your job to act like my mum, because you're not and you will never be that."

"Why are you telling me this?" Avalon's eyes teared up, making an effort not to take offense to the words being spoken to her by the one person she cared above all.

"Frankly, because I'm tired of it," Lena sighed, knowing that sounded a lot worse than she meant it to.

"Oh..." Avalon's voice cracked. "...right."

Lena looked past Avalon to the others. While they were sympathetic towards Avalon, they all agreed long ago that this was something Avalon needed to understand. "I'm tired of you always putting me before yourself, like I'm the most important thing in the world."

"Because you are," Avalon nodded but Lena cut in again.

"I'm not, the truth is I'm just a regular person like anyone else, only with a mutation in my genes, nothing more," Lena shrugged, "For twenty two years you've taken the role of my mother and I want it to stop, I need it to stop. Because, one day I'm not going to be here-"

"Don't say that," Avalon frowned, "Don't every say th-"

"It's true, Avalon, one day I won't be here anymore," Lena smiled sadly, "And I don't want you to be so lost without me. I've heard what the months after my death were like for you."

"That Doctor has a mouth the size of a black hole," Avalon muttered, unaware of the mock-glare that was being thrown at her from behind by said man.

"I'm glad he told me, because it shows me how much of your life was dedicated to me. Avalon don't you see? I know you do, because you're smart. Your entire life was dedicated to me that when I was gone, you couldn't seem to find your place in this world. I don't want that for you, I never did."

"So what? You want me to stop caring for you? Stop trying to protect you?"

"I want you to have a life of your own," Lena said softly, "I don't want to keep living like this, I'm tired of it. Every waking moment you're always trying to take care of me, not caring how much you hurt yourself in the process. Stop focusing so much on me and discover who you are, apart from the caregiver," she gave Avalon a tight hug. "Please listen. I don't want to be protected anymore." Lena pulled away and offered her sister a kind smile before walking out of the TARDIS.

None of the group knew how to approach this type of situation. They didn't know whether the temperamental Avalon would make an appearance or perhaps the silent, snappy Avalon would strike an appearance...those two were quite the opposite sides and it was crucial to know which one they'd be dealing with in order to help.

"My own sister is tired of me," Avalon declared before making a hasty walk for the staircase.

"What - Ava!" Rory called and made a chase after her. "That's not what Lena said."

Avalon stopped by the staircase and threw everyone a look. "You heard everything. That's exactly what she said. Answer me honestly when I ask if I smother her."

"What?" Rory looked at the others, all agreeing that wouldn't be a good idea. No-"

"Answer me honestly," Avalon rose her voice which made them all wince again, "Do I smother her when she's around?"

"No, you don't," the Doctor answered quietly, "You're simply...overprotective, that's all. It's nothing bad but...it would be better for both of you if you tried fixing that."

"There shouldn't be anything wrong if I protect my twin with everything I've got," Avalon sniffled, "It's always been like that, ever since we were kids. I don't do it because it's a job, I do it because I love her, because she's my sister."

"It's just there's a boundary..." Amy trailed off when Avalon glared.

"Okay, c'mon," the Doctor took her by the hand and sat her down on the stairs with him sitting beside her, "Let me tell you a story, alright?"

"Do you really think this is the time, Fairy Tale Man? Sort of in the middle of something," she gestured to her face.

"You'll want to hear this, trust me," the Doctor assured. "Now this story, it takes place in the house of Amelia Pond." Amy playfully rolled her eyes at the mention of her name. "I met three little girls one night, and you know who I was most intrigued by?"

"Who?" Avalon went along with the story while she tried containing more of her tears inside.

"This little girl with big, red hair with the most responsible attitude I'd ever seen in a child. She called me stupid," the Doctor made a face that got Avalon to laugh, making him beam, "And she threatened me not to hurt her little sister...and for a long time, all I saw in that little girl was the protective sister who looked after the smaller girl with brown hair. You were a wonderful big sister, but you know when I saw you the happiest?"

"When?"

"When I started talking about those fairy tales and princesses with you," the Doctor smiled softly at her, "Your entire face just lit up," he laughed at the memory, "That was the split second I got a glimpse of Avalon, not 'Lena's big sister'. And that's what Lena wants for you now,

"What Lena was trying to tell me in a nice way was to...get a life, basically," Avalon sighed and ran her hands through her hair, "And, honestly, that's not an easy thing for me. I suppose that's part of the reason I focus so much of my life on her. People don't really like me, everyone knows that," she shrugged, missing Rory's and Amy's sympathetic stares. "I'm not a nice person, I've gone to jail several times, well, dozens of times. People never want to be around that. It's always been hard for me to make friends apart from you guys and Mels."

"But you're not in Leadworth anymore," the Doctor reminded and stood up, reaching down for her hands, "And you know what? I like you," she chuckled as he pulled her up, keeping hold of her hands.

"That was cheesy," Avalon couldn't help chuckle and since she did, it gave Amy the courage to agree.

"Oh yeah!"

The Doctor, on the other hand, frowned. "Hey!"

"I would just leave it," Rory told him.

The Doctor huffed, but inside he was happy to see Avalon's spirits lifted. Between the trio, they would make sure Avalon got a taste of a real life.

[mattzerella-sticks]

#ShipWars by mattzerella-sticks (ao3)

Zatanna Zatara expected date night with Kara would be uneventful. Chat about their days, enjoy some delicious treats at Sweet Justice, and soak up as much love as she could from her girlfriend like Kara does with the sun. However all these expectations explode into glitter when they run into Oliver Queen and his boyfriend, Carter. The boys chose Sweet Justice as their destination for date night, too.

Can Zatanna and Oliver work through a simple ceasefire, or will their competitive natures overtake their dates?

Zatanna hooked her arm comfortably in the crook of Kara’s elbow, leaning into her as the chill winds of early winter breezed past. She felt a shiver roll through her all while her girlfriend chuckled.

“Y’know,” Kara said, “you’d be less cold if you wore an actual jacket.”

Scoffing, Zatanna cuddled further into Kara’s warmth. “Please,” she said, “it might not be functional but it’s the height of fashion! I should know, I’m great friends with the designer.” Zatanna ran a hand down her jacket, the purple fabric shimmering under the street lamps. “Besides,” she continued, “you love it when I use you as my personal heater.��

“I like it when you’re close to me,” Kara rolled her eyes, “don’t confuse the two.”

“You’re the one who absorbs sunlight like a solar panel, not me.”

Zatanna carried on, then, filling Kara in on her day. They’ve been too busy to meet up until now for their date. Schedules packed despite the tempting laziness a Saturday offered. Kara stuck helping her cousin as his bodyguard. Not to aid him in crises, instead relegated to distracting Hal Jordan long enough for Clark to make his escape.

“Why doesn’t he just tell Hal he’s not interested?” Zatanna asked when Kara finished explaining how Hal tried convincing Kara to put in a good word for him with tickets to Homecoming.

Kara smirked. “Because he loves the attention, even though he won’t admit it. If Hal cooled it a bit with the hero worship I think Clark would take him seriously… if he can survive Star Sapphire, that is.” They laughed, imagining Carol and her violet ring chasing Clark around the city.

Zatanna’s day wasn’t as irritating as Kara’s, thankfully. Except with her dad not trapped in meetings or rehearsal meant double the stress. John Zatara used his free day to push Zatanna past her magical limits that nearly broke her wand in the process. “If I didn’t notice the clock I wouldn’t have had time to get ready for tonight,” she sighed, “I’d be with him practicing palindromes until morning!”

“Palindromes?”

“Sentences that mean the same thing forwards and backwards,” Zatanna said, “he thinks that the better I am with them the quicker I can think on my feet in case something unexpected happens in an act. Or… in our case, fighting evil. Thankfully he understands how important my social life is…” She grinned, pecking Kara’s cheek. “He says hi, by the way, and expects me home by ten.”

Kara pulled Zatanna closer. “Well, there goes my plans to take you to the Lazarus Pit for a special midnight concert.”

“I know for a fact they’re closed tonight for renovations after someone moshed too hard in their pits.” Sheepishly rubbing her neck, Kara fought against the blush climbing across her face. Zatanna pressed another kiss to Kara’s cheek, smiling against the skin there.

“Not my fault the Black Canaries are awesome ,” she said, glancing down at Zatanna with an arched brow, “Why were you even checking in the first place?”

“Because I’m not taking any chances like last time.”

It was one of their first dates. They were fighting against robots from a recently ungrounded Lena Luthor, and Kara bet she could beat more of them. Winner chose where they went out on Friday. Zatanna wanted to win and finally show Kara how fantastic a spa could be. Except Kara won by snatching the controller from Lena’s hands and pressing the self-destruct button. She was played , and forced to attend a deafening performance from a Scottish screamer. While watching Kara in her element was delightful, Zatanna’s hearing suffered and she missed a handful of cues for her and her father’s act the following day. Now she checked the club’s social pages on date nights to ensure Kara wouldn’t try dragging her to another show.

“Fine,” Kara sighed, “I guess we’ll have to stick with Sweet Justice, then. Is that okay with you?”

“Sounds perfect .” The pink and yellow neon beckoned them closer, Zatanna vibrating with excitement. “Hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies is exactly what I was craving.” She reached out for the handle and wrapped her hand around the cold brass. Before she can pull, however, another hand covered hers.

“Why, Zatanna Zatara ... fancy running into you here, isn’t it?”

Another tremor wracked her body, the cause this time being the boy across from her in the brown leather jacket and ridiculous green ascot. A burning anger erupted in her stomach that spread to her head, flames caught on the grey matter when their eyes met.

She glared, “ Oliver . What are you doing here?”

“For the same reason as everyone else, I suppose,” he said, an imitation of a smile plastered on his face, “to enjoy some delightful treats safe from the frigid weather with my gorgeous boyfriend.” Oliver gestured to the other boy with him, Carter standing behind with a friendly gleam in his hard gaze. His hands were tucked deep in the pockets of his golden jacket and dark hair hidden under a similarly colored hat.

“What a coincidence,” Zatanna mirrored Oliver’s expression, “I had the same idea. Me and my stupendously beautiful girlfriend, Kara , thought that Sweet Justice would be a great place to be alone together .”

“I think the cold might be getting to you, dear,” Oliver huffed, “there were a lot of contradictions in that statement...”

Her smile fell in the same instant his did. They stood with their hands on the handle, neither willing to budge an inch in a sign of defeat.

Kara perked up beside Zatanna. “Hey Carter, how’s it hangin’?”

Carter shrugged, smirking. “Doin’ okay. Shoulder hurts though, think I landed on it wrong during flight training.”

“That sucks. Think you’ll be fine in case of an emergency?”

“Probably feel better in the morning, nothing serious-”

“And what’s not helping his shoulder injury,” Oliver cut in, dragging Carter closer to him, “is standing outside in the cold! He needs the warm comforts of baked goods!”

Zatanna grimaced, squinting at him. “Really? I heard of icing an injury but I don’t think they meant with frosting,” she said through clenched teeth, “Better Carter go home and rest, you two can come by any other night.”

“But it’s so perfect tonight,” Oliver insisted, squeezing her hand tighter, “as long as he doesn’t overexert himself he’ll be fine. Which is why I was going to feed him bites of his favorite cake to aid in his recovery!” He stepped closer, voice rising. Zatanna matched his bluff, making sure there was barely an inch of space between them. Then she racked her brain for a quick spell she could fire off to send Oliver crying home to his mansion.

“Woah, there,” Kara squeezed between them, prying them apart, “let’s cool it you two, I’d rather not get into a fight - which, coming from me, is saying a lot.”

Zatanna turned to face her girlfriend’s soft, pleading stare and found the burn churning within her slowly doused. She deflated for a moment only to straighten and addressed Oliver. “It’s a large space,” she said, “we can share.”

Oliver mulled it over. A tug at his wrist and a stern frown from Carter broke his resolve. “Agreed. We’ll sit at opposite ends if we have to.”

“Good.” She opened the door finally, gesturing to them. “Please, I insist you enter first. Age before beauty, as they say.”

“You’re lucky I’m going to let that slide,” he hissed, following Carter into Sweet Justice. Zatanna attempted to gloat, only for the smug expression to fall when Kara ushered her inside. They didn’t get far, though, Zatanna slamming into Oliver’s back.

“Hey,” she said, “why’d you stop?”

“There seems to be a… problem,” Oliver said, jerking a thumb behind him. Zatanna peeked behind him and understood what he meant.

Sweet Justice overflowed with customers, teens like them hanging out and enjoying the treats the store offered. She jumped from table to table, searching for an empty one. Even the bar had a person on every stool. There was a booth near the back, unfortunately Zatanna found it the only unoccupied part of the shop.

“Or actually,” Oliver continued, smirking, “a problem for you . Since Carter and I were here first - really, thank you for letting us in ahead of you - that booth rightfully belongs to… us .”

Zatanna growled, rounding on Oliver. “Oh no! Technically Kara and I were here first! My hand touched the door handle!”

Oliver tutted and crossed his arms over his chest, reminding Zatanna of every tutor she had growing up on tour with her father. It only served to stoke the fires of her anger more, resurging after the initial snuff. “That argument wouldn’t hold up in court much less here.”

“Oh yeah?” she said, “I’m willing to take this to court if you are!”

“I wouldn’t bother - my family’s lawyers could easily settle this with your family’s lawyers without ever needing a judge to get involved. Only to save your legal team the public embarrassment...”

“As if! Our lawyers were able to litigate against the Luthors when they stiffed us after a birthday party. Compared to the team we faced then, your retainer is like your facial hair - small and pathetic.”

Oliver gasped, petting his chin. “How dare you insult my goatee! It’s not pathetic, it’s stylish .”

Zatanna flipped her hair, smirking. “Please… you clearly don’t know anything about style. Otherwise you’d lose the ascot.”

He shrieked again, one hand moving from his goatee to his beloved ascot. “I will not allow you to ruin our date night,” Oliver said, stomping his foot, “Carter and I are going to order our desserts, and then we are going to sit in that booth. You and your girlfriend can do whatever you want as long as it’s not within this establishment.”

“Is that so?” she asked, tapping her foot rhythmically on the linoleum. Zatanna glanced over at the counter, an idea coming to mind. Grinning, she took a step away from Oliver. “Well… not if we get there first!”

She dashed towards the counter while ignoring the undignified huff behind her. Zatanna leapt into an open space and startled an already distracted Barry, cell phone perched between his ear and shoulder. “Two hot cocoas - extra whipped cream, extra cinnamon - and a half-dozen double chocolate chip cookies please!”

Oliver barged in after her, shoulder pressed hard against hers. “Two slices of cake - one red velvet, the other devil’s food - with generous helpings of whipped cream please, and tea with lemon! Please!”

“I ordered first Barry,” Zatanna growled, shoving at Oliver’s face, “serve me!”

“The bond of brotherhood, Barry,” he reminded the other boy, “deliver my order before hers !”

Barry’s eyes spun darting back and forth between them. As their voices grew and their behavior became more raucous, Zatanna felt a sense of shame building in the back of her mind. The whole building seemed to stare at them making fools of each other. She ignored all of this, though, and shoved her boot in Oliver’s stomach. However Zatanna couldn’t do the same for the force tugging her by her jacket cowl.

Kara held her tightly, a bored expression painted across her face. Carter did the same with Oliver, the smaller boy still kicking in his arms.

“Barry!” Oliver carried on, “if you bring us ours first I’ll tip you as handsomely as my boyfriend!”

“No!” Zatanna said, “I’m a better tipper!”

Barry’s face fell, darkening. He slammed his hands on the counter, “ Enough !” She and Oliver lost their voices - too stunned by the irritation laced within their normally cheerful friend. In the silence a tinny voice warbled. Sighing, Barry directed his attention to his phone. “No, Hal, not you. I’m a little busy can we - can we just pause for a sec? ...Okay.” Glancing between the couples he asked, “Why are you two acting like this… this time ?”

Zatanna answered. “Oliver was trying to steal our booth -”

“Your booth?” he gasped, “That booth rightfully belonged to Carter and I !”

“You’re fighting over a booth ?” Barry scoffed, pouting, “It’s a booth . Booths can fit four people… share .”

“Share?” Both Zatanna and Oliver cried, and then glared for the unexpected echo.

“It’s either that or no one gets the booth,” Barry told them, “I’m already busy enough as it is so answer quickly.” Then, to his phone, “Hal… this is the fourth time you’ve called me about Big Blue. You’re as obsessed with him as much as Carol is with you. ...No, I won’t take that back!”

Kara let go of Zatanna, frowning. “I’m not in the mood to find another spot for our date,” she told her, “so are you and Oliver gonna play nice or what?”

Zatanna huffed, crossing her arms. Unfortunately her girlfriend didn’t let up, and the guilt burned like her heat vision. Sighing, Zatanna faced an equally chewed out Oliver. “I guess we can share for tonight…”

“I agree,” he said, puffing his chest forward “a double date it shall be!”

She groaned, dragging her hand down her face. While spending an evening with an insufferable jerk like Oliver wasn’t exactly how she pictured tonight, it was better than if they were thrown from the establishment and Kara flew home in a bad mood. Zatanna could swallow her pride for an hour or two, no matter how large it may be.

“Barry,” Zatanna said, calmer now, “do you remember our orders?” He nodded, serving ice cream to a small child with their parent. “Good, we’ll be at the booth, then.”

They walked over and each couple slid into one of the vinyl booth cushions. Kara spread her legs comfortably, laying one arm against the back of the booth in invitation. Zatanna curled against her happily.

Oliver yawned, drawing her attention away from Kara. He relaxed into Carter, nuzzling against his chest. Peeking one eye open, Oliver raised a brow at Zatanna as a non-verbal raise. She squinted, tamping down the urge to meet his challenge.

While she wanted to give Kara an enjoyable night the habit of overshadowing Oliver bubbled within like a horribly shaken can of soda.

It was awful when they were competing to prove who was the most talented performer and only became worse when they entered into relationships. Now it wasn’t satisfying in confirming their talent but also showing off their significant others so everyone knew who had snagged the best catch.

Thinking back Zatanna would say this contest began in the library during a free period. She and Kara were studying for an exam they would have later on in the day, Zatanna quizzing her girlfriend on different chemicals and their attributes. After spouting off all she knew about Krypton - along with some extra tidbits - Zatanna threw her notebook in the air and kissed her cheek. “You’re going to do so well on this quiz Kara!” she whispered, “and when you get an A I can parade you around school so everyone knows how much of a genius you are!”

If they were anywhere else Zatanna might not have heard the scoff. But due to the reigning quiet in the library it stood out easily. Her smile fell and she whipped around to see who made the offensive sound.

Oliver tipped his chair as far as it could go, resting his feet on the table next to them. Carter sat to his right focused on his book.

“You have something to say, Oliver?” she asked.

“Why yes I do,” Oliver said, “I find it funny is all... that you would try and celebrate  your girlfriend for that when everyone already knows how smart my boyfriend is.” Carter glanced up from his book with a blush. “On the Honor Roll, exemplary tutor, President of the Archaeology club and the Oliver Queen fan club-”

“I’d say that last one would count as a mark against his intelligence,” Zatanna smirked, “and his taste .”

He nearly upended from his seat. Righting himself, Oliver glared at Zatanna and she matched his fury.

“My boyfriend is the best!”

“No,” Zatanna huffed, “my girlfriend is! She’s like the sun, so radiant, brings joy wherever she shines, and hot - she makes everything better!”

“Well Carter’s better than the sun! He is like - like - like the moon ! Mysterious, magnificent, and beautiful !”

“Ha! We all know the moon’s just a sad reflection of the sun! ”

Oliver gasped, slamming his hands on the table. “You take that back! Carter is the best person in the entire world!”

“No!” Zatanna argued, voice rising to Oliver’s level, “Kara’s the best person in this galaxy !”

“Carter’s had past lives better than the one Kara lives now!”

“Sorry to trash his past lives, but she only needs to do well in the one !”

A heavy book slammed, disrupting them. The librarian scowled their way, tapping her sharp nails on the cover of the dropped book. Without speaking she pointed towards the door. All four of them shuffled out of the library, Zatanna and Oliver still simmering and their feud far from over.

They went above and beyond in further installments of their competition. Once when Oliver bought Carter a book, Zatanna gifted Kara a guitar and it ended with both of them getting their credit cards revoked for a month after an incredible shopping spree. And another memorable moment was during lunch one afternoon when Zatanna posted a cute picture of her and Kara that accrued over one hundred likes. Only Oliver posted one of him and Carter that garnered more than theirs. Unacceptable . This led to her and Oliver taking different pictures with their partners in a variety of places and, ultimately, being sent to detention for sneaking into the principal’s office because at one in the afternoon the light from the window was perfect.

Every time they fell into one of their stubborn, competitive streaks both she and Oliver rode a short high and suffered in the long run.

But then Barry dropped off their orders. He placed the plates and mugs on their table all the while chatting with Hal. “If you’re only going to cry if I tell you Superman doesn’t think you’re handsome than how can you trust my answer is really genuine? No, no - don’t!” Barry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Frowning, he looked at the group. “If you need anything else just wave, I’ll spot you.” Walking away they heard him mutter, “I was talking to customers… Because it’s my job and I’m at work , Hal!”

Oliver reached for his fork. Instead of spearing a bite from the devil’s food cake in front of him, he took from the red velvet and guided it towards Carter’s mouth. “You sit tight Carter,” he told him, “I’ll take care of this for you.”

Between bites, while Carter’s eyes were closed, Oliver glanced over at her and winked. Zatanna crushed one of the cookies in her hand. Letting the crumbs fall, she grabbed another and held it out to Kara. “Darling, you have to try these cookies. They are fantastic! ”

Kara, cheeks stuffed already with a cookie of her own, tried pushing Zatanna’s offering away. “It’s okay,” she said, crumbs spraying, “I’ve got my own -”

“There!” Zatanna stuffed it into her mouth, grinning at Oliver, “All the hard work you’ve done today, you deserve as many cookies as you can get!” She used her hand to help her chew, then, relishing the sound of it until Kara swallowed.

Oliver nearly bent the fork with his shaking grip. Setting it down, he used his free hand to wave. Barry sped over.

“I think we’ll be needing more desserts,” he said, not breaking eye contact with Zatanna, “can you prepare a sundae?”

“Kara and I could use a couple of milkshakes as well,” Zatanna added, lips curling maliciously from cheek to cheek.

“Three dozen macarons.”

“Cake with fresh strawberries on it.”

“We’ll take the whole of the red velvet off your hands, Barry.”

“I think I saw some brownies, can we get two trays of them?”

“And some rice pudding!” Oliver slammed his fist on the table, “Because my boyfriend deserves it!”

“Kara deserves chocolate-covered cherries!”

Barry gaped at the order, head bobbing between them. “Uh,” he started, “are you sure -”

“Give it to us!” both Zatanna and Oliver yelled, startling the other boy into action. He zipped over to the counter and into the kitchen, gathering what they asked. In the meantime they helped Carter and Kara finish the treats already given to them.

“Don’t you - gnnk - think that - brrsh,” Kara choked out, “we should slow down and savor - nggh - this ?”

Zatanna paused, staring at Kara with a golden fire burning in her purple eyes. “We can savor the fact that you’re about to be treated to a buffet of delectable delicacies by your loving and appreciative girlfriend!”

Kara groaned, “But all I wanted was - gah!” She shoved another cookie in Kara’s mouth and poured the hot chocolate down there to melt it.

Barry dropped more plates off, clearing the table when Zatanna and Oliver finished stuffing the contents into their partners’ mouths. They didn’t wait for Barry’s grip to loosen on the dessert before taking it and force-feeding their respective dates. Oliver dumped a tray of macarons down Carter’s mouth and Zatanna held Kara’s face to the straw of her milkshake and wouldn’t let up until it was gone.

When Barry dropped a single donut on the table, Zatanna and Oliver went for it at the same time. Their hands brushed and instantly recoiled.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Zatanna asked, “That’s Kara’s donut!”

“I think you mean Carter’s ,” he growled, “and if you know what’s good for you you’ll let us have it.”

“Know what’s good?” she scoffed, smirking, “Talking big for a man without his bow . And his weapon .”

Oliver squinted, his teeth bared. “You’d be surprised how resourceful I can be when something as important as my boyfriend’s happiness is on the line.”

“I would say the entire dictionary backwards if it meant Kara would never have to frown again!”

“Uh… guys?”

“ What ?” They turned manically towards their intruder, Barry yelping and hiding behind a chocolate-smeared plate. Shaking, he holds out a small, black leather booklet.

Zatanna arched a brow at him, “What’s this supposed to be?”

“Your-your check …”

“Check?” Oliver asked, “But we haven’t finished ordering!”

“Finished?” Barry gasped, emerging from his ineffective shield. He shifted from fear to irritation with lightning speed, gesturing towards his barren workstation. “You two ordered everything we had left ! There’s no more food to order!”

“There… isn’t?”

Zatanna’s vision zoomed out from the tunnel it was trapped and finally noticed her girlfriend. Kara collapsed against the window, raspberry filling at the corner of her lips. One hand was curled protectively around her protruding stomach while the other hovered by her mouth in case she needed to vomit. Carter didn’t fare any better. He laid face down on the table and moaned every few seconds.

She looked to Oliver, heat steadily creeping up her neck. His face burned with shared embarrassment as they realized the consequences of their actions.

Barry’s cell phone rang, interrupting the awkward tension. He checked it and rolled his eyes. “Come find me when you decide who’s paying,” he said, hitting the answer button, “Hal… if this is about Superman again I swear on every science textbook I own…” Barry dropped the check on the table and walked away.

Neither Zatanna nor Oliver wanted to speak first. However, knowing how bad it would look if their silence stretched any farther, Zatanna decided to go first. “This might have gotten… a little out of hand.”

“For once,” Oliver said, “I agree. Maybe we don’t have to compete over who has the better relationship.”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “Because, if we think about it, I have the best girlfriend -”

“And I have the best boyfriend,” he finished for her, smiling naturally for the first time tonight. Her cheeks ached with the natural stretch of her own grin. “Excellent thinking Zatanna! And to celebrate and cement this declaration, allow me to foot the bill.”

“Oh no, no, no,” Zatanna said, laying her hand over Oliver’s, “ I’ll cover this one.”

Oliver’s expression shrunk and became something more familiar to Zatanna. “But I was the one who started this whole feeding frenzy to begin with.”

Zatanna didn’t budge. “I think this began when I dashed to the counter, if memory serves me right.”

A beat of silence drifted between them like a dusty tumbleweed. “I’m paying for this Zatanna, it’d be barely a blip on my parent’s bills.”

“My father’s bought artwork that cost ten times what this check says.”

Peace shattered as quickly as they forged it, Oliver and Zatanna played tug-o-war with the check. They argued well into the night while their dates groaned from the sidelines, too worn from eating to intervene. Zatanna would apologize to Kara later, learn her lesson tomorrow - tonight she fought Oliver with all her might to slip her credit card into the booklet.

[gotboredwrote]

Hot Space Buns // BHM

Pairing: Brian May x Fem!Reader Word Count: 4.6K Style: One-Shot Warnings: Fluff, swearing Summary: The boys are gaining popularity and are hiring more and more crew in order to prepare them for each show, including a hair/makeup/clothing team. All crew members end up being close friends with the band, including Y/N, the primary hair stylist. One funky photoshoot and one stupid bet later, Y/N gets to have her way with the boys on stage, and the one serious member of the band can’t help but laugh about it, too. Permanent Author’s Note: To clarify, I write because I get bored. Nothing is meant to be professional in any way, nor is meant to offend, cause anxiety, cause anger, cause sadness, or promote disagreement among readers in any sort of (semi)permanent way. A/N: @bensrhapsody and I make a great team wherein she sends me ideas/requests and I write them how I see fit, and this is one of those instances. Lena, you are a dumbass treasure, so I hope you like this (and all future requests of yours to come)! Also, I debated making this a platonic!Queen x Reader fic, but then I was really drawn to Bri for this one and making this about him somehow, so yeah. Also, I know the title is a pun on the Hot Space album and this doesn’t take place then, but the title is cute and they needed to be in the early 70s so their hair was long so get over it lmao.

Masterlist

~

It goes without saying that anyone who starts a band, no matter how much they will deny it, wants to some degree to end up famous. They want people to hear their music and relate to it. Queen was no exception, and despite the fact that half of the band was not egotistic, all four boys were pleased with the success they had been getting. It was becoming too big for just the four of them and a manager to handle, though, so it was time to start hiring teams to help them out with whatever was needed so they could focus on their jobs – the music. Finance teams, roadies, electronics people, security guards. They had to hire everything and everyone. Including a hair, makeup, and costume team to appease Freddie and Roger’s wishes. This team was not a large one, in fact there was only one person for makeup, hair, and costume each. But the three of you made it work. The boys were writing their third studio album at the time, which eventually was titled ‘Sheer Heart Attack,’ and one of your bosses decided that it was time for the album cover shoot. She had a few ideas in mind for you and your companion teams that you were not so sure about, but you had to do what your bosses told you, despite your better judgement. So, the minute the boys walked into yours and the make-up artist’s trailer, you gave them a look of concern and bemusement.

~

“Did anyone actually tell you boys how we have to make you look?” Your coworker, whose name was Angelica, was trying extremely hard to not laugh throughout her sentence. She was the more bemused one in this situation, you were more concerned.

“Frankly, I think what they said is ridiculous, but maybe you lot won’t think so.” You unsuccessfully tried to hid the worry in your words, because Brian chimed in right away.

“What are you two going to do to us?”

You and Angelica gave each other looks, and just pointed at their respective chairs so you two could get started. Freddie and Roger sat down excitedly, seemingly ready for whatever wild idea you two had, while John just moved at his normal pace. Brian, on the other hand, stayed still right where he was, taking your tone of voice to heart more seriously than he probably should have. You decided to walk over to him, since Angelica already started working on Roger’s make-up and Freddie was enthusiastically talking to a very tired-looking John, and check up on him. You did not like the scowl he had plastered onto his face.

“What’s wrong, love? You’re not one to not listen to us.”

“What do we have to wear?”

“You’ve never been concerned before, Bri, what’s this ab—”

“Have I hid how insecure I am that well for you to not notice? Well, I guess I need to explain myself then, but yeah, I… I hate doing these photoshoots. I’ve read the tabloids, Y/N, and while it has nothing to do with yours or Angelica’s abilities, I know that I am the least attractive member of Queen.”

You had trouble comprehending that these words were coming out of Brian’s mouth instead of someone like John’s. Brian never presented himself as shy or insecure, and you were starting to feel dread creeping up on you, because you were being forced to add to this feeling. You took a moment to gaze into his eyes, ones that, at the moment, were filled with dread and insecurity, but held on to the smallest bit of hope that you would say something to him to make it all go away.

“Brian May, you are incredibly smart. You seriously cannot be daft enough to think that those tabloids have any semblance of truth to them, right?”

Brian just continued to look at the ground. Clearly, that was not enough to make him feel like himself again. You took it up a notch.

“Not only are you smart enough to know those idiots are just jealous, but I happen to think that you are very attractive no matter how we end up making you look. I get to see this face and this hair,” as you spoke you fluffed up his curls even closer to high heaven, “every single day, so I know for a fact that it isn’t ugly. Far from it, love. Now, do me a favor and sit in your damn chair so I can get to work on the first hairstyle of yours that might make me take back what I said just now.”

Finally, you had gotten Brian’s attention, and thankfully no one else in the room had seen the exchange, otherwise you know you would have heard some snarky comment from Freddie or Roger, or both. Brian did what you asked of him, and by the time you had started working on his hair, Angelica had finished with Roger’s make-up and began to work on John’s, leaving Freddie to talk to Roger. Except to look at Roger, he had to look past Brian and Freddie saw what it was you were attempting to do with Brian’s hair, and called you out for it.

“Darling, how exactly do you plan to get that mane into a hair tie?”

“I’m sorry, what—”

“A HAIR TIE ARE YOU BLOODY JOKING?!”

~

“This is astounding, Y/N! Look at our masterpieces!”

Angelica snorted so loud at the sight in the mirror in front of you two. She had finished their make-up, which was simply a dark eye-look with natural colored everything else, and you had managed to get all four of the boy’s hair into dual buns on the sides of their heads. It was clearly not the aesthetic of the album, since you had been hearing them play it for the last few months, but like always, you had to listen to your boss. Whatever they wanted was what they got. You did admit, in your head, though, that none of them looked really ugly. It was just completely out of character. Begrudgingly, the boys made their way over to the studio where the black backdrop was set up for the shoot. Your boss looked really happy when she saw what they ended up looking like, but she could also see the cogs turning in your head once the actual shoot started. She was not the biggest fan of you when you had an idea you thought was better than hers, or a fan of yours, period.

“Y/N? A word, please.”

If you had not turned your head right at the exact moment you heard your name, you would have seen Brian turn to look directly at you with a look of concern. He knew you and that one particular boss butted heads quite a bit over vision differences, so he made sure he was always around when she was so he could be there for you if you needed to get away. He told himself he did this because all the crew members became good friends with the band, but deep down he knew that there was more to it than that, just like how Roger had a thing for Angelica and John had a thing for Veronica, the costume designer (in this house we support the Deacon’s). He was called back to reality when he heard his name being called for the next photo, so he did not get to see what kind of interaction you had with your boss.

“Look, I’m extremely proud of the work you and Angelica did, so why is it that I feel like I need to be concerned about the look on your face?”

“Magda, look—”

“We have been through this, you do not call me Magda, you call me ma’am or madam. You lost the right to call me by my first name when you disobeyed instruction on the last album.”

The situation she was referring to actually had nothing to do with what you did, it had everything to do with what you did not do. Magda had wanted you to do something extremely drastic to all four of the boy’s hair for the ‘Queen II’ album cover shoot and she wanted you to do it without telling them you were going to. Queen is not what people think of when they think of a hair band, but their hair is extremely iconic nonetheless, so when your boss suggested that you chop all of it off without telling them, you made the choice to not do that because you knew it would kill them, especially Roger and Brian. You ended up telling them that that time around, nothing would be done to their hair, it needed to stay natural, and the boys did not mind. Despite the fact that the cover for the album ended up becoming one of the most beloved images Queen had ever put out, your boss was livid with you. She cared about success, obviously, but she cared about having dominance over her employees more. So, a clear and blatant disrespect to her authority was the last thing she wanted in her life.

“Sorry, ma’am.”

“So, because of that disrespect, I have to repeat myself. What is going on inside your head right now?”

“I’m… not sure if you’ve actually heard any of the album, but this hair that you wanted them to have? I actually think they look pretty good and pull it off, but it-it-it just doesn’t fit with the sound of the album.”

Your boss sighed rather loudly, earning the attention of the cameramen and the band, Brian looking at you wide-eyed out of concern, realizing you had been communicating with your personal she-devil for the last few minutes without him by your side.

“Well then, simple hairdresser; what the hell would you have them do?”

The jab at your profession stung, you could not lie to yourself. You had wanted to do hair ever since you got yours first professionally cut. Something about the atmosphere felt like a place you could be yourself in, and when you got into beauty school, you took that as a sign that this was what you were meant to be doing. It was even more solidified when you booked the job working with one of the biggest bands in the world. At hearing the words your boss said, Angelica and Veronica had sunk into themselves off to the side of the backdrop, Roger, Freddie, and John all stared with wide eyes, and Brian’s eyes narrowed into tight slits indicating that he was just as furious as you. Instead of responding to your boss, you just decided to walk over to the cameraman, asking him if you could make some changes before the next round of photos. He quietly nodded his head, and added a ‘help yourself.’ You nodded back before making your way over to the boys.

“I’m going to take your hair out of these buns, as well as you pull them off, and then add some ruffling to it. Okay? Just give me one minute…”

After your one minute, each of the boys had their hair cascading down their shoulders once again, and you had even added some small volume to it through the use of your hands pulling and fluffing. You did not want to instruct them on how to sit, so once you felt happy with the way their hair looked, you walked backwards so you could see all four of them together, solidifying your feelings towards the new looks. You smiled, trying to force away the tears that were still threatening to spill from your boss’s earlier words. The four boys could see you were struggling to keep yourself together, and the other three looked at Brian knowingly. They all knew about their schoolkid-like crushes on the crew members, so they were attempting to egg him on to make you feel better. You started to turn away to allow the cameraman to reposition them, but before you had turned around fully, you saw Brian jolt upward, almost hurting and locking his knees in the process. You looked back and up at him with doe-like eyes as he slowly walked toward you. When he was face-to-face with you, he placed both hands tightly on your shoulders, giving each of them a tight squeeze before speaking.

“For what it’s worth, love, I didn’t hate the buns.” Then he leaned in and captured you in a loving hug, complete with some back rubbing. Now speaking at a volume loud enough for only you to hear. “But I love that you know us well enough to stand up to that witch, and I admire you for it. Thank you.”

You latched your arms around him desperately, not allowing yourself to speak because you know the words would have just gotten stuck in your throat and you would have looked like an infant with how hard you were starting to sob. But now it wasn’t out of sadness, it was out of gratitude. Brian let you go, offering you a small smile before walking back to his bandmates, who were all staring at him knowingly. You went back behind the camera and made your way to Angelica and Veronica, who opened up the space between them so you could sit between them and you could all watch the boys you loved. In the way that they loved you. And imagine your pride when the photo taken from right after you fixed their hair ended up being the cover of the album. Your boss was fired the same day the image was selected.

~

“Absolutely not, I would never agree to that bloody bet.” Roger’s voice was booming in the back of the tour bus, arguing with you over an idea you had just suggested, riding off the adrenaline still of having your photo be chosen for the second time as the album cover.

“C’mon, Rog, it would be fun! Guys against girls!”

“I may be dumb sometimes, Y/N, but I am smart enough to know that women are smarter than men in general. You lot would win, and then we would just embarrass ourselves.”

Then it was Angelica’s turn to speak up, hoping she could convince Roger to change his mind.

“Rogie, love, I would love to do this, I think you should let us girls join in on your Scrabble competitions every now and then. We are just as much a part of Queen as you are. We want to feel included. What d’you say, lovie?”

You, Angelica, Veronica, and Mary were watching the cogs in Roger’s mind turn around and around before he finally settled on a decision.

“Oi! Lads! Get your arses in here! We got a game to play!”

~

“So. what exactly is the plan here?”

All eight of you crowded up in the back of the tour bus, waiting to hear your explanation of how the bet was going to go. You had explained the basic idea to Roger before anyone else, and then when the other girls heard him pouting, they joined in. And thus began the first ever girls versus guys Scrabble game Queen had ever taken a part of began.

“We’re going to play in teams. Myself and Veronica, Angelica and Mary, Brian and John, Roger and Freddie. Scoring will be by team, but then at the end of the game, the girls team scores will be added together, as will the boy’s teams scores. One game only, unless somehow there is a tie. If we win, on the next show, you lot have to let me do your hair up in the buns again. And you have to stay like that for the whole show. If you boys win, then we will all wear our hair in the buns, and you can choose what outfits we wear as well. No cheating, or the other team wins by default. This is for one show only, as well, none of us gals are that mean. Sound fair?”

With a cacophony of nodding heads, the game ensued. You had hoped what Roger said about women being smarter than men really was true, because you did not want to see what the boys would pick out for you to wear. With the exception of Angelica, all you girls were relatively modest people. You knew that they would want you to wear something scandalous if they won. Initially, everyone was getting small words and just slowly collecting points. No one seemed to pull ahead right away. Then John got a word that was worth over 20 points in one go, and all four of you started to sweat. That skyrocketed his and Brian’s score, you just knew it, and you had no idea how many points Roger and Freddie had racked up yet. You kept playing, worry nagging your mind throughout the game. Then it was time to add together team scores to see who would be wearing buns at the next show, and possibly no clothes.

“Between us lads, we have 145 points.” John spoke calmly and politely, not wanting to give away the fact that he had been planning what he wanted Veronica to wear this whole time.

The four of you girls all turned to look at each other with somewhat neutral expressions, but could not contain your excitement for long. Wide smile’s broke out across all of your faces as you turned back to look at the boys, who’s faces you all could see were breaking watching your smiles spread. As if you had planned it in advance, the four of you simultaneously yelled out your score, proud of the outcome.

“146 points!”

“You’re fucking joking.”

“Dammit, darlings! Who told you could be so good at this game?”

John simply sighed and looked down into his lap, while you and Brian made eye contact. You could see the insecurity flooding back into his brain through the look in his eyes, and without wanting to make it obvious that you felt bad, you offered him a melancholy smile, trying your best to subliminally tell him you were sorry it worked out this way but you would make it up to him somehow. It was your idea, after all, to do this bet. He did not have to agree to it, but something told you he did because it would make you happy. Once the game was put away, it was really late in the evening and everyone just wanted to sleep. When the tour bus with you eight on it pulled into the rest stop, following the other busses touring with you for equipment and other crew members, the three girls went back to their bunks on the other bus, and you told them you would meet them there in a moment, that there was something you had to do first. You gently pulled back the curtain to be met with Brian’s bare back.

“Bri? You awake?” You spoke so quietly you could hardly hear yourself.

“Hmm? Y/N? What… what’re you—”

“Just hush and come sit with me, love.”

After Brian managed to get his lanky form out his bunk to follow you to the table in the back of the bus, you started speaking before he could ask any questions.

“I’m really sorry. I completely forgot about how insecure that hairstyle made you feel, and frankly, I thought of the bet because I saw how annoyed Roger looked with himself with them in and I just thought his temper showing in the show would be funny—”

“Y/N.”

You looked at Brian, hoping that he did not look angry at you for what you had started. He looked tired, sure, but there was no anger hidden in his features. You breathed out a sigh of relief that you had not lost one of your best friends because of a stupid bet.

“I promise it’s okay. It’s not like I’m making the choice alone, the other lads are going to be there doing the same thing. Plus, I could tell you said you’re going to make it up to me later on. Yes, I understand you enough to know that look from earlier.”

You heart swelled twice as big knowing that he knew you as well as you knew him.

“Plus, on the bright side, I think we all know who looked best in those buns anyway. My curls just make it perfect, wouldn’t you agree, love?”

“I couldn’t agree more, Bri.” You smiled sweetly at him, and this time, he sleepily returned the look. “But hey listen. I’m actually really tired and the girls are waiting for me in the other bus, so I’ll just see you tomorrow for the show, okay?”

“I’d like to get back to bed myself, I’m pretty cold now.” He chuckled sweetly. “Goodnight, love.”

~

You and the girls had gotten the guys ready for the show, and once they were in their group dressing room, you scurried off to make a change to your appearance where they would not see you, namely Brian. You figured the least you could do would be to make the whole situation up to him at this show, and get your embarrassment out of the way. You quickly made a beeline for the costume department, Veronica lending you a helping hand, but stopping short at first when she noticed something about your hair.

“Y/N, you do realize we won the bet, right? Your hair doesn’t have to be in buns, too.”

“I know. I made a promise to Brian, don’t worry about it.”

“You starting to feel for him like how I feel about John?”

“I guess you could say something like that, Ronnie, but now is not the time, and I’m not sure I want my heart broken by a literal rock star. Help me find that damn shirt.”

“Okay! Okay! But you’re really playing into what it says, dearie.”

The shirt in question was one that had been tossed at Brian during a show toward the end of the Queen II tour. It was large, even too large for Brian to wear to some extent, and it was solid black. On the front was a rather handsome picture of Brian’s face, and on the back, it read ‘BRIAN MAY’S #1 FAN” with the Queen crest on the bottom. Sometimes as a joke, or on his birthday, one of the boys would prance around with the shirt on when on stage or something to that effect. You decided that you would wear it, with nothing but a small pair of shorts that would not be visible underneath since it came halfway down your thighs, along with your new hairdo during the show and hope to catch his eye. And catch his eye you did. Freddie had decided to start chattering with the audience, something he had gotten into the habit of doing at larger shows now because hearing one random concert-goer shout out a response was never a dull moment for the boys. As Freddie was talking about this and that, the other three boys caught their breaths, readjusted equipment and stuff like that. At one point, Brian had looked up from his guitar off to the side of the stage you were standing on, and locked eyes with you beaming back at him. You raised your arms up in the air to give him a better look at the shirt, then spun around so he could read the back, and turned back to face him. Then you let your arms flop to the side and tilted your head a little aggressively to the side. Your hand then came back up to point at the buns, and your smile turned into a full-blown laugh. Just as you did this, Freddie was telling the audience about the bet and why their hair looked this way, and he asked all the boys a question, Brian completely not hearing him because he was so wrapped up in you. Freddie managed to sneak a peek at just what Brian was looking at, so he decided to make a cheeky comment to all the people in the audience just to embarrass him.

“Brian isn’t listening to me, the boor. He’s too busy staring at the girl who on multiple occasions has called ‘the prettiest damn thing his eyes have ever seen.’”

The audience roared with screams and laughter, while Brian went as red as a tomato, earning more laughing from you. He smiled at you through the embarrassment, because you clearly were not rejecting what Freddie had told the audience. It gave him confidence. After the show, Brian came and found you seated on top of a stack of his guitar cases, yanking out his buns while walking over.

“Freddie made a whole ordeal about pointing you out tonight, why didn’t you come up on stage and embarrass yourself like we did?”

“I said I’d make the bet up to you, not all of your fans. This look is just for you, Bri.”

Brian shyly smiled at you, forcing his face to the ground. His insecurity taking over again. He hated how vulnerable to it he was.

“Was Fred lying on stage?”

“Hm? Lying?”

“About what you called me.”

You saw his Adam’s apple bob. Clearly, that was not the sentence he thought you were going to ask him. But somehow, his confidence came back, and he asked you a question in response.

“I’ll tell you the truth about that if you tell me if your shirt is telling the truth.”

“Deal. The shirt is almost the truth. Well, it is. I am your biggest fan. But I almost wished it said something else.”

“And what is that, love?”

“Brian May’s #1 groupie.”

He almost choked on air. Not what he expected you to say, and not as forward as he expected you to talk, either. You wanted to be his groupie.

“When-when you say… groupie…”

“I think you know what I mean, Bri. Except I wouldn’t want you to forget about me the next day. I would like all the benefits of being a groupie, but with mutual respect involved.”

“So… my girlfriend.”

“If you want to put a label on it, I mean…”

“I think I can arrange that, most ravenous girl I have ever seen.”

“What?”

“Freddie was almost correct on stage. I never said pretty. I always said ravenous.”

“O-oh…”

“And I still mean it, love.”

Brian then closed the space between you with a passionate kiss that was just so Brian. It was not driven by lust, despite the conversation that had just happened. It was soft, gentle, but somehow completely satisfying. Just so Brian. At one point, you felt his hand slide up your side, half expecting him to stop at your chest. He was a man, after all. Except that he did not. His hand kept going up your body till it was on your neck, then your cheek, and made its way all the way to the top of your head. Then you felt it. You felt his large hand take hold of one of the buns on your head and lightly pull it to the side, forcing you to move your head to side so he could deepen the kiss further, showing you his appreciation for how you looked in those buns. His kiss was relentless, so he completely swallowed the moan that left you, signaling that he had made you desperate. He pulled away just enough so he could speak through ragged breaths.

“I think…I could get used to seeing… you in these buns more often, sweetheart. Think you could arrange that?”

“I’ll wear them every damn day if it leads to this, Bri.”

Permanent Taglist: @bensrhapsody @chlobo6 @gardnerlangway @xtrashmammalstefx

Brian May Taglist: @ziggymay

// If you want to be added to either taglist mentioned above, or the one for another character I’ve written for, send me an ask here! //

[demaisepouco]

You stole my heart (I don't think I can take it back)

(A/N): some supercorp fluff.

Pairings: Kara Danvers x Lena Luthor

Summary: Kara sings a love song, Lena misunderstands everything and James wants an answer. The College AU where it's Valentine's Day and Kara is singing love songs in exchange for money to the new newspaper project.

Word count: 1341

AO3

“It’s her”, James said and sighed.

Kara looked at the many students without  kwoning what to look for. The first person with the deepest green eyes, according to her friend, that Kara could remember was Lucy Lane, her sister’s roommate also bartender of the best cafeteria frequented by National City University students. Does James have a crush on Lucy? That woudn’t be weird. Lucy was no doubt funny and very attractive - although Kara thinks she’s a pain in the ass sometimes. A true friend however. James and Lucy would be a nice couple that is to say if James was talking about her. It was already the fourth sigh Kara heard from her friend and all she could do was lean slightly to get the line out of her vision and see who was in that shift. Strange. It wasn’t Lucy. Wasn't the morning shift hers? Who else could James be talking about? Imra? No, James is her classmate. Unless he was talking about… No.

“Who?” Please don't say her, please don't say her.

“In the line, her”, he sighed again and Kara honestly couldn't stand it anymore. Who is he? A fifteen-year-old teenager?

But then she sighed too. The person who kept James's eyes stuck since they got in the place, was not a bartender, os but was waiting to order her coffee just like them but a bit further ahead in the line. She had her attention swallowed by a book held by one hand while the other takes care to pull the long black hair strands away from her face. Oh no. You got to be kidding me. Lena Luthor. The same girl Kara had a huge crush ever since. Or at least since she joined NCU. Also her bedroom door neighbor.

"Do you have a crush on her?" The blonde tried to be more discreet, but this was not one of the best places for such a revelation also not the best moment to control her feelings.

“Speak lower!”, James’s eyes widened in an expression Kara would find funny in another moment. “Do you have a problem with that?”

YES!

"No, I don't", disregarding all the time he judged her by her last name, of course. What's different now? "Why would I?

"For no reason", he scratched the back of his neck and raised his eyebrows, Kara knew what was coming. "So... You're still going to do me that, aren't you?"

"Do what?"

Holding a guitar on her back it was something hard to forget, but Kara could not stop trying to escape the situation even more after she knew who she would be singing a love song for in exchange for some money. If anyone asked, the new university newspaper project really was in need of money and even at risk of not happening. And who else would be hero but Kara? And why not take the Valentine’s Day to get some cash? Damn Valentine’s Day.

“You know, that thing you and Winn are doing today for the new project?”

“I, huh… Of course I’ll do it” she laughed almost like a maniac, James was a little scared.

“Are you sure?” he asked suspicious.

“Why not? Earlier today I played a valentine’s song to Alex. I doubt anything is stranger than that.”

“Alright then… One more thing”, he reached into his backpack pocket to give a red heart-shaped card in Kara's hands. “What are you waiting for?” James looked at her impatiently.

“Nothing, I’m on it. I’m on it”, she laugh again and turned to her new victim.

Golly! Why is she doing this again?

Kara held the card tight in her hands looking at James' calligraphy right in the center. There was just the question would you go on a date with me? a place and a number that represented the day of tomorrow by the night. James, at least, could have been less cheesy. Jesus, she would do it better than this. She took a deep breath more than once before  looking at the girl who had already received her order and was in the back of the cafeteria. How embarrassing would that be? Couldn’t she fake a faint? No. It was a promise. Kara never broke a promise. And James was paying her of course. Maybe she was so focused on the book that she would not even realize the music was for her. Come on, Kara. Lena would obviously notice. How unlucky Winn not be here this time. The blonde had been standing in the middle of the road so long that she could feel the look of her friend making a hole in her back. You should be doing this today, Kara. When Kara finally removed the guitar from the cover, James's relief seemed almost visible in the air. Did he think she would give up? Kara never gave up on anything. She really wanted this time though. But no. She moved on with the guitar already thinking to which university she could transfer. How could she look at Lena’s face again after this?

Already in front of the table of her neighbor's door she started the firsts music chords of Thinking Out Loud releasing the attention of the other girl in the book which seemed her only object of interest besides her coffee. Lena watched her with a surprised look and her face was filled with an intense blush. Kara hoped she would at least not get mad the aspiring reporter certainly thought her chances with Lena were now possibly none. She finished the song and threw the card on Lena’s table not even giving the engineering student time to react to the scene. Kara immediately ran away to outside the establishment without having the chance to hear some applause that came around and let alone witness the shy smile that was on the face of the girl for whom James unfortunately had a crush.

The blonde found the boy outside, holding two coffees and an expectation that Kara could not even look at.

“You did it so good, Kara, thank you very much. Do you think she will say yes?” He asked with a huge smile for Kara.

“You’re welcome”, Kara tried to answer by hiding the storm of emotions she felt with false enthusiasm and a laugh. Because of course she would be the help to get together her friend and the girl for whom she fell for. “I’m sure she will.”

No wonder Alex sometimes said she was a too good person.

*

Much later, walking briskly down the hallway of the dorm, Kara hoped to succeed in her plan to avoid Lena. She saw the door in front of her closed. The engineering student still had to be in the last few minutes of class giving Kara enough time to hide in her bedroom before she would come. Kara knew she couldn’t avoid her forever, but she would try for as long as possible. She grabbed the door handle of her bedroom, relieved that she could finally rest from the rush that had been her day torn between playing countless songs and running away from Lena, when a voice stopped all her thoughts.

“You never gave me a chance to let you know my answer."

The blonde turned instantly to face Lena propped on her own door, offering a smile amused by the mess that was Kara herself. Was Lena all this time in her bedroom?

“Oh, yes”, the journalism student laughed, losing control of her words that seemed to stuck in her throat.

“You know, I'd really love to go on a date with you, Kara," Lena smiled and winked at the blonde before opening her room and entering.

Kara could only smile as her stomach flipped and her heart stuttered in her chest. Lena want to go on a date with me. Lena want to go on a dat-

Oh golly. Was the card not signed?

How would she tell this to James?

[ladylilibet]

Tainted Love|Chapter 2.

I/II/III/IV/V

Tainted Love – How can you tell a lady no? The White Wolf claimed he needed no one, but his collection of misfits started with Lady Helena of Oxenfurt… and ended with her, too.

                                  Chapter II: 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖗'𝖘 𝕻𝖊𝖙

Geralt sat on his knees, lips pursed and eyes closed. The glow of the firelight illuminated the scars that etched his face. His white brow twitched with every crack and pop of the fire. He looked serene -- beautiful.

"Quit staring at me."

Aah, there he is.

Helena sat up with an exhalation, "I can't sleep."

Geralt's eyes fluttered half-open, "You're safe. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Rest."

She dismissed his comment with a wave and a chuckle, "I'm not comfortable. I don't think I've ever slept on the ground before. I regret these clothes, and unlike you, I didn't get a bath." He opened his mouth to speak, but sly interrupted him, "I know, I know. I signed up for this and can't bemoan."

"Actually, I was going to say that if you had wanted a bath, then you could have joined me." My eye-roll at his comment was received with a smirk, "At the next town, I promise you'll get a bed and a bath. Change of clothes, too."

"Geralt,"

"Lena?"

"I'm surprised you're not taunting me... For living pampered."

"We cannot help the lives in which we are born. You, a lady. I, a Witcher." He closed his eyes once more, "Daybreak is in a few hours. Try to sleep until then."

She awoke to the chill of the morning, the fire having been stomped out. Geralt was already awake and tending to Roach, the camp already packed up. She brushed her hair with her fingers before putting it in a braid. She stood and did some stretches before going to walk away from the camp.

"Where are you going?" Geralt called after her, making the girl stop and turn around.

"I'd like to freshen up in the lake."

"Wouldn't do that if I were you." Geralt tightened Roach's saddle before looking to me.

"And why's that?"

"Hate for you to be a kikimore's breakfast."

She scrunched up my nose and shuddered before walking back to Geralt, "Mm, no thank you."

The Witcher placed his hands on her hips. Before she was able to protest, he lifted me off the ground and placed her into the mare's saddle.

"Stay, take care of Roach." He reached into the saddle's bag and procured vials of potions, "Duties call."

"I'm not a little girl, Geralt." She protested, "I can handle myself."

Geralt hummed and walked off without answering.

Roach bucked and whinnied from underneath her, startled by something. Helena tried to calm her by stroking her mane but to no avail. After a few moments of nothing, a sharp whistle pierced the deafening silence. A summoning for Roach caused her to start trotting at full speed, launching her forward. Helena gripped the horse's neck for stability as she rushed to the source of the whistle.

They arrived at the bogs to find Geralt, soaked and panting, his trophy dead beside him. Geralt pressed his forehead to Roach's.

"Was she a good girl?"

Helena peered down at him, noticing how filthy he looked, "Yeah, she was fine. A little nervous, I guess."

He pulled away from the horse with a laugh, "I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Roach."

Geralt took a fresh cloak from his saddlebag and wore it. She looked to him inquisitively to find black pools staring back. Already inhuman eyes have morphed into that of a demon's. She gulped involuntarily and moved her gaze ahead.

Geralt grunted and climbed onto the horse's back behind her. He grabbed her reigns and rested his hands on her upper thighs. She trembled under his touch, but he didn't relent. He motioned for Roach to move forward, and her gait with him pressed up against her back caused her to blush. The stench of the kikimora behind him killed any unladylike thought she possessed.

"Do I frighten you, Helena?" He gently asked, breath hot against her ear.

"Don't tease me, Geralt."

They rode in silence during the ride to Blaviken before reaching an Inn. He dismounted and extended a hand to me, which she declined. She shifted and swung her right leg over and hopped off.

"Do you forget that I'm a Lady? The daughter of a Duke?" She asked with a grin.

"Your snores last night have me convinced otherwise." He replied as he pulled a piece of paper from his cloak. She swatted his arm as she followed him into the Inn.

The commotion of the bar came to a standstill as all eyes landed on Geralt. If the people muttering about his mutations bothered him, he didn't let it show as he stepped up to the bar maiden.

He placed the piece of paper on the counter, "Point me to the Alderman."

"It's down the alley, to the left--" She began to direct him, but was quickly interrupted by a bald man.

"Isadora!" He chastised her, making her runoff. He turned to Geralt with a glare, eyes briefly flickering over to Helena as well, "We don't want your kind around here, Witcher . Take your whore and be on your way."

She scoffed and stepped forward, an insult at the ready, but Geralt put a hand out, stopping her.

"The Alderman. Tell me where he is, and we'll be on our way."

"You don't give the orders 'round here, you mutant son of a bitch." A drunkard spat out behind them. She could feel her face heat up in anger, yet Geralt showed no emotion.

"Hear that?" The barkeep spoke once more, "Go. On your own, or on the end of a rope. Your choice."

Geralt pursed his lips and shrugged, "Not a hard choice." He replied as he sized the men that were beginning to gang up on him.

"Fuck that. Kill 'em with your bare hands if you have to."

"Men and their egos," Helena hissed, wishing she had a dagger hidden underneath my skirt. She took a step back and crossed her arms with a sigh

"Come on. Yer not scurred of us, are ya, Witcher?" The instigator's heavy accent questioned, "Show us what'cha made of."

"Can you not leave it alone for a moment?" A woman exasperatedly asked. Finally, some sense.

"Witchers cannot be trusted ."

"I'm not speaking to you," She replied, voice unfaltering. "I apologize for my man's interference in your day. Hopefully , he can improve his behavior by tomorrow's market."

The small man backed down, "Sorry, Renfri. Come on, lads."

Renfri turned back to the bar, "Beer for my friend here and his wife, and one for me."

Helena raised a brow and looked to Geralt, mouthing the word 'wife.' She received a half-smile in response as he took off his hood, white locks on display. She sat on a stool, but the barkeep didn't ease up. He remained stone-faced, arms crossed.

"I am speaking to you now, good sir." Renfri's voice was stern and commanding, and Helena could feel herself grow envious of her. Helena was raised to be submissive, to bite her tongue, yet this woman is fighting for the honor of a stranger.

The barkeep slammed two mugs of ale in front of them and stomped off.

"Want some breakfast?" The brunette asked as she ate a bite of potato.

"No thanks," Geralt answered, "We're full. Venison." Helena quirked a brow as he smirked at an inside joke she wasn't apart of.

She took a swig of her ally sputtering and choking on the ill taste. Suddenly , she missed the drinks they'd serve at the villa. Her theatrics were met with a golden-eyed glare. It was interrupted by Renfri chugging her drink and slamming the mug down.

She sheepishly looked at both of their amusement, "My mother, God rest her, would be mortified ."

"Our secret, then." Geralt's flirty tone sent pangs through her stomach. Pangs and delusions that sly tried to drown with beer.

"So what brings you to Blaviken, White Hair? You came for a monster?"

"We were traveling by the swamp."

"That would be your wife and your mistake, then."

"I'm not his wife," Helena spoke for Geralt and took another drink, "Consider him an escort -- a bodyguard." She could see the tension in the Witcher's shoulders practically evaporate, happy for the correction . Their tones switched to more playful and flirty, and she was suddenly feeling more like a third wheel.

"Aah, you two don't seem to be a match," Renfri replied, which felt more like a dig if anything. She turned her sights back to Geralt, "Why wouldn't you travel by main roads?"

"It's hard to make a living on main roads."

"And you desperately need money for new clothes." She noted her and Geralt's empty mugs as Helena still nursed mine before asking for two more beers. The foul taste coated the lady's mouth, but at least it was something to fill her stomach. The barkeep, sick of her patronizing, left her the whole pitcher.

"More and more," She began as she topped my drink off and poured Geralt a fresh mug, "I find monsters wherever I go." The sexual tension between the two was thick but was cut short by a child popping up between us.

"Where is your mother?" I questioned the young girl with a furrowed brow.

She huffed and ignored me, turning her focus to Geralt, "How much coin for your kikimora, then?" Geralt followed the child out of the inn, peering over her like a giant.

She turned to Renfri with a small curtsy and thanked her for the drinks.

"Word of the wise, Lady...?"

"Helena."

"Lady Helena, you might want to change out of those clothes if you're to be traveling with a Witcher. Your clothes scream wealth, your doe eyes say you're still a virgin. Not a pleasant combination with the men around here."

"Uhm, thanks. I guess." She waved goodbye and caught up with the pair, just in time to hear about the little girl killing a rat with her fork.

"My mother nearly fainted, but what was I supposed to do? It had been shitting in our pantry for days." She explained as Geralt led us to Roach.

"Your language is abhorrent." The elder girl scolded and the child stuck her tongue out in response. Frustrated, Helena stuck her tongue out too.

Ignoring their antics, Geralt advanced back to the subject on hand, "You mentioned coin."

The little girl ran ahead to be closer to him, "Yes. Isadora said you were looking for my father. She's a gossip, you see."

The kikimora claw was exposed as it sat slouched over the horse saddle, dripping blood. The girl went immediately to investigate the monster. Helena opted to greet Roach with a scratch behind the ear, zoning out the conversation.

"Fine, take me to him." Geralt grabbed Helena's arm to get her attention. He handed her a satchel of coins, "Get us clothes and necessities. Nothing lavish. Meet me back here in a few hours."

After they departed, Helena walked through the market. Despite it being full of people, and she felt a sense of loneliness.

'Have I ever been by myself? No maids by my side, no escorts in the shadows. Just me.' She thought. A smile formed on her lips -- she felt free.

She looked over the purchases that occupied her satchel. Garlic, flaxseed, valerian root, lavender, rosemary, and mint. With Geralt being mutant and able to take potions, her nursing and herbalism weren't bound to be super useful to Geralt . Despite this, she wanted to show her worth. Besides, it didn't hurt to have on hand.

'I should get some needle and thread too.' She thought, remembering the Witcher's scars and walked off to the tailor's shop.

"Afternoon, ma'am." An older woman greeted from her stool as she walked in, "How might I help ya?"

"I need a new dress."

She squinted and stood up to inspect the lady's current threads, "Why this dress itself looks brand new!"

"Aah, that's because it is," Helena confessed, embarrassed, " Just needs a wash. I need clothes for travel."

She still looked confused but shook it off and clucked her tongue, going around the girl in a circle. "I can give you a pretty coin for the dress." The tailor took her to the back and instructed her to undress. She did as she requested, standing now in only her shift. The seamstress reached out, rubbing the material.

"Satin," She told her, "But I'd like to keep this."

"Suit yourself," She shrugged, gathering the dress at Helena's feet and taking it to the side for washing.

She brought only a few garments back. Helena settled for the first outfit she tried on. A white tunic that exposed my shoulders and had beautiful bell-sleeves. The top tucked into a long, wine-colored skirt and paired with a leather under breast corset. She was showing more skin and at this moment, she knew her mother would be cross.

She felt lighter and did a slight twirl, making the skirt lift. She sighed content and thanked the tailor. She opted to buy a heavy cloak -- it felt itchy on her skin, but it was cheaper than fur-- and a pair of walking boots. The older woman gave change and they parted ways.

Helena still had time before she needed to meet Geralt. She still had some coins left, so she continued to walk around, breaking her shoes in.

And that's when it caught her eye: a wooden, Elven longbow. With no hesitation, she walked to the shopkeep, slammed the coins on the counter, and took the bow. A sword was too heavy, and she rather an enemy not get close enough to use a dagger. She wasn't great at archery, but she knew how to shoot, and that made her a step better than a damsel in distress.

Geralt was already outside the inn with Roach when she arrived. Helena's face hurt from smiling so much. She gave him what coins she had left. He briefly looked her up and down before picking her up and placing her in the saddle.

"Wait," She protested with a pout, "I thought we were staying in the inn tonight."

He hopped onto Roach behind her and said nothing as he led them out of town.

"You promised a bath and bed," She whined and looked behind her.

"Stop talking." He sharply commanded.

She bit her lip and focused on the path. They stayed quiet during the ride. A few minutes in, she felt Geralt pull the top of her sleeve up, covering the exposed skin.

She sighed and stayed quiet.

They continued to stay silent as they set up our camp in the woods. Geralt tended to Roach as Helena stoaked the fire, getting it ready to make dinner.

"Want to hear about my first monster?" The Witcher finally turned to her and spoke.

She exhaled deeply and threw her fire poker down. She had thought he was different than her mother and father. Yet here he was, mood swings and silent treatments. Though still curious. she gave him a meek nod, waiting to listen to his story.

"Wasn't fifty miles outside of Kaer Morhen. He was huge. Stinking. Baldhead. Rotten teeth. He pulled that girl from the cart, tore her dress off in front of her father and said, 'It's time you met a real man.' I told him it was time he met one too. It took two strikes to kill him. They weren't clean. But they were spectacular. I turned to that girl afterward. She was drenched in the man's blood. She took one look at me, screamed, vomited, and passed out."

He sat down on the log beside her and took over the dinner preparations, "I thought the world needed me."

"It does." Helena murmured, opting to look at the fire and not him, "You're a hero."

"Funny. They don't think I am."

"I do." She turned to look at him this time, "Do you believe in destiny?"

He chuckled as he continued to muddle his herbs, "No."

"Then what do you believe in?"

"You mean who do I believe in."

She shrugged and fixed her sleeves. "Oxenfurt is home to many intelligent minds. But none intelligent enough to slay The Oxenfurt Drunk. But not you. With payment, a meal at the Duke and Duchess's home. You could have refused. But you went."

Geralt looked to her with a small smile, "Lady Helena, I told you. I didn't do it for you, I did it for coin."

"I know," She laughed, "But yet we still met. Destiny or not, being with you has been freeing. I was meant to meet you."

He says nothing as his eyes scan her face. After a moment of agonizing anticipation waiting for him to take the lead. A rush of bravery flows through her and she leaned in and kiss him. The first kiss was sweet, gentle for her first. But as he deepened the kiss, it felt full of want and desire. He pulled her into his lap and began flowering kisses along my neck and collarbone. Sometimes leaving behind small bites. As he's kissed the peaks of her breast, he grabbed her hips and rubbed up against her.

She took a shaky breath as panic sets in and she bit her lip. Geralt can sense this and immediately stops.

He pulls back and looks at her with concern in his eyes, "Lena, what's wrong?"

"I'm just tired," She lied.

He nods and pulls her into a hug. The small, chaste intimacy causes a wave of relief to flood over me. He scoops her up and lays her on his sleeping mat before laying down beside her. He undoes her braid and plays with her hair.

As Helena fell asleep, she prayed that he one day believes in destiny too.

Chamomile and bergamot.

Such an intense scent that flooded Geralt's nostrils. A smell that was calming and intoxicating all at once. New yet familiar. Something he remembered long before his training at Kaer Morhen.

Geralt could feel the rise and fall of Helena's breathing as she slept soundly . It's been a while since he had the privilege to lay beside a woman. A decent brothel was few and far between. It's been even longer since he laid by a woman he didn't need to pay.

The Witcher hadn't slept well. Bad dreams haunted him all night. Nightmares he was sure would manifest soon. Yet Geralt knew if he continued to lie here, Helena would lull him to sleep.

He opened tired eyes to gaze at her sleeping form. She was young -- he was willing to wager that she was barely a day over eighteen. Freckles dotted milky white skin like constellations in the night sky. With her brown hair and matching eyes, she reminded him of a deer. Demure and naive, the fawn wandered into the White Wolf's den.

Helena had an air to her that put Geralt at a crossroads. She had an innocence he wanted to protect but also wanted to claim for himself. To take the innocence of a duke's daughter, an engaged one at that, made him feel dirty and excited all at once. To watch her clutch the sheets as he entered her for the first time, her walls feeling sinfully tight as he pushed past her barrier . Her rose petal lips crying out, moaning his name --

"Geralt,"

Geralt froze, worried she had felt him grow hard against her. He cursed the parts that still made him human. A whore's embrace couldn't come sooner.

"Geralt," Helena repeated, this time rolling over to face him. "What's for breakfast?"

The question made him laugh and grounded him. There were other matters to attend to. First and foremost , Renfri and his premonition.

Helena's quiver hung uncomfortably at her side, strapped to her hip by its leather belt, wooden bow in her left hand . Geralt had told her if she were to use a bow and arrow, she'd need to get used to holding it. When he asked if she ever used a bow before, she laughed it off and assured him she did.

What she failed to mention was that she always came last in her archery course, never quite able to make the mark. But what did it matter? It was only for a sense of security. She'd leave the monster hunting to the Witcher.

"She knew you'd come." The instigator from the inn spoke out from across the market.

"Where's Renfri?" Geralt asked, suddenly making it clear to Helena he had lied. They didn't come back for breakfast. They came for Renfri. She adjusted the bow in her hand, now afraid she'd need to use it.

"She's at the tower with your little friend, Marilka."

Helena scowled. Surely Renfri wouldn't subject a child to this, even one of the likes of Marilka.

"She gave us a message to pass on to you," Another henchman spoke, "You have to choose the lesser evil."

"It's an ultimatum," A third stated as he grabbed his sword, the steel gleaming, "Get it?"

Geralt stood in front of Helena, acting as a wall between her and the men.

"Fuck," He uttered as he retrieved his sword in time to deflect an arrow shot from a crossbow.

The following events happened in such a whirlwind that it made Helena feel light-headed . She had heard men swap war stories, most of which she had assumed were fabricated or at the very least embellished . But she had never witnessed death itself, let alone a massacre.

As Geralt began killing his opponents in such a fluid motion, one after the other, it made the girl retch. The distraction made her an easy target as one of the men came up behind her, a dagger passed firmly to her back.

"I ain't gonna hurt ya," He promised using his free hand to push back her hair, exposing her neck. "Could get me a pretty coin for the Witcher's whore."

Helena could feel the adrenaline rush through her, her heartbeat thudding loudly in her ear . She spun around and tried to gain the upper hand. A bow would do no good at this moment -- too close, too slow. She went to punch him in the face, but a large hand clamped over her delicate fist. In her peripheral, she could see him ready to stab her. She swiftly deflected him with her forearm, feeling the blade cut through her skin.

Helena let out a yell and kneed him as hard as she could in the groin, causing him to push her down. As she lay on her back, the man reared the dagger back, aiming to stab her. Using her leather boots, she began pedal-kicking her attacker until finally, she was able to kick the blade out of his hand .

With the weapon out of reach, the man swore and threw himself on top of her, and pressed his forearm against her neck. She tried to call for Geralt but no sound could escape as he crushed her windpipe. Panic began to consume her, but as she struggled for air, she was ready to give in. She had wanted adventure and this was the cost.

No, no, no.

She wasn't ready. She had more that needed to be done . With what fight she had left, she took an arrow from her a quiver and shoved the steel tip through his right eye, deep until the wooden shaft broke . He let go of his hold of her and doubled over while trembling and seizing.

Helena scrambled to her feet and grabbed her bow. She quickly ran to where Geralt was fighting, just in time to witness him decapitate a man with his sword. She wanted to scream, cry, anything, but the pain and fear prevented her.

She stood helpless, her body shaking and her knees weak. Marilka sobbed and called out of Geralt as Renfri held a sword to the little one's neck. Renfri's eyes scanned the area to see dead bodies of her men littered the marketplace.

"You chose."

"Let the girl go." Geralt told her, placing his sword to his side to negotiate with her as he took a step towards them.

Renfri pressed her blade closer to Marilka's neck, "I will kill her," She threatened, tears forming in her eyes," I will kill everyone here until Stregobor comes down ."

Geralt produced the Axii symbol, "Leave Blaviken."

"Magic doesn't work on me... Silver does, though."

"Silver is for monsters," Geralt spat back. Renfri tossed Marlika to the side and drew her sword to the opening position.

The little girl ran to Helena who checked her over for injuries. When she had seen that she had none, the older girl wrapped her in an embrace.

"If we cross swords..." Geralt began, but Renfri finished for him."

"I won't be able to stop."

As the pair began to duel, Helena tried to block the girl from witnessing it. She tried to get her to run home, but Marilka refused and stood firm as tears ran down her face.

Helena hugged her, but when the clashing of metal came to an end, the young girl fought out of her arms and ran once her master called .

Helena followed close behind her and saw Renfri dead on the ground, and Geralt holding up to Stregobor's neck .

"If you touch a single hair on her head, yours will be on the ground next." The white-haired man hissed.

"Have you gone mad?" The mage questioned, "Her mutation, it influences people. That's how she got these men to follow her. We need to take it." After seeing he couldn't reason with the other man, he asked, "She got to you too, didn't she?"

"Do. Not. Touch. Her." The white wolf demanded, fangs bared.

"Witcher," Stregobor began aloud rallying in the town, "You butchered bodies in the streets of Blaviken ."

"You're a beast!"

"You endangered these girls!" Another shouted.

The crowd became agitated and the mage continued to egg them on, "You took the law into your own hands."

The shouts of the townspeople grew more vehement as stones were cast at Geralt. He kneeled down as the rocks pelted him. Helena crouched beside him and put a tender hand on his shoulder. At that moment, she made her choice too.

"Get out of Blaviken, Geralt," Marilka commanded. "Don't ever come back."

Geralt and Helena sat back to back in the bathhouse's tub. She had finally gotten her hot bath he had promised. She was relieved to be able to wash off her travels and to soak her aching muscles in the warm water. Her marking on her arm was superficial. The dagger had barely grazed her, but she could still see the guilt the scratch brought Geralt.

The pair had been silent since leaving Blaviken. What was there to be said ? They had stopped at the bathhouse a few towns over where the news had not yet spread. She had followed silent instructions to undress and get in the water as the man had given her privacy before doing the same . Any other time, she might blush at the fact that she was sitting nude beside him, but she didn't care. She was too exhausted, too drained.

"What are you thinking about?" Helena finally broke the silence, voice still hoarse, still trembling.

Geralt tensed against her and sighed before speaking, "We're only two days from Oxenfurt . We'll leave the first thing at daybreak."

She didn't feel like begging or pleading, but she knew she wasn't going to go back. Not now, not after that.

"No." She replied curtly .

"I wasn't asking --"

"Neither was I." She stepped out of the tub and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around her. "You're not who they say you are, Geralt of Rivia."

Before Geralt could open his mouth to speak, she interrupted him once more, "I'm not going anywhere so you might as well get used to me ."

[cyclone-rachel]

Can you write something about brainy and nano-bot? Like he is talking or encouraging or appreciating them after the air is cleared? This is so cute when I imagine that. Thanks!!!

I MOST CERTAINLY CAN

He couldn’t seethe nanobots, once they were released, but he felt them. He sensed that theywere present, spreading themselves through the atmosphere, beginning to takethe Kryptonite out of the air.

It was going totake some time, he knew. But in the end, the world would be safe, becauseSupergirl would be safe.

Superman as well,of course, once he returned from Argo. But Kara was who he was focused on- and,as he reflected ironically, his own Kryptonite.

It was aninjustice to her, to call her that. But there was no escaping the fact that herincapacitation had affected him so strongly, caused him to feel such disruptiveemotions that he couldn’t function properly or find a solution to thissituation without Lena’s help.

He was going tohave to think about how to more properly refer to her.

But until then, hewas dividing his attention as well, among the nanites that were sent out. Theywere new, after all, and never used for a task that large, or that important.

Keep going, he urged. You are doing excellent work.

The air began toclear a little bit faster, the percentages rising on the device in front of himby the second.

Yet, after that,as he was beginning to get his hopes up, the estimated time for the air to befully clear extended, and the percentage slowed down.

It seemed, as hecame into focus with the collective nanite mind, that they were nervous. Whatif they could not fully complete what had to be done? What if there were notenough of them, or what if they were not doing enough? What if something cutthem off from their task, and their efforts backfired, only adding Kryptoniteinto the air?

You have nothing to be afraid of, he answered. Lena Luthor is helping me- keeping herself safe, in order to make sureyou complete what you are meant to do. You can trust her, and more importantly,trust yourselves. Each one of you is doing your part to help us- and once youare done, the entire world will thank you.

The percentagebegan to rise more quickly again, and Brainy sighed in relief.

However, that wasshort-lived, as Alex jarred his mind from the connection, and he had to splitthat in two to concentrate on talking to her as well as keep his link with thenanites.

“Lena and I havefound a way to clear the atmosphere of Kryptonite.” He said, turning towardsher. “We’ve reconfigured L-Corp nanites-“

“Okay, how long?”

There it wasagain. The pressure- not that he was unused to it. He had experience withworking on deadlines… but Alex expected more from him, just as, now, he wasrealizing that he and Lena expected more from the nanites. He, himself, hadfelt like one of those nanites just a few weeks before.

Sometimes, hestill experienced that sensation.

But he needed tobox that up, for the moment, and give Alex the necessary information sherequired.

“Uncertain.” He replied.“None of the nanites have ever eaten Kryptonite before, and they’reunderstandably very nervous.”

Alex started towalk away, then, as she just gave him a look that said she didn’t believe aword he was saying.

He still raisedhis voice, though, as if following her out of the room.

“I don’t want toask too much of them, they’re just nanites!”

But she asked alot of him, as did Lena- and the last thing he wanted was to disappoint two ofhis personal heroes.

With her gone,however, he could concentrate properly once more.

It reminded him ofbeing connected to the cyber-construct on his home planet, before he left.Within it, he could lose himself, forget that he was Querl Dox, of the infamousBrainiac clan. He could even forget his organic body, and solely exist as anAI, a stream of information, exchanging his with that of others, as wasexpected of him.

That experiencewas never the same once he got to Earth, but every time he did so, he felt athome again, as if he carried a piece of Colu with him. And he did, in his ownmind, he supposed.

Whenever he wasable to align with the rest of his kind, any memories of what he faced on Earthwere temporarily lifted. He wasn’t affected by any judgment from those on hisnew home world, any hatred for simply existing.

But that wasalways temporary, and those feelings always returned.

And at no timewere they more palpable than right then, when the events that occurred at thepizzeria were still fresh in his mind. When he could still remember, vividly,how the expression of the owner had changed when he saw Brainy’s true face, howthe baseball bat was swung at his head.

More comfortingly,how that reporter had stepped in, spoken up for him when he was in danger,promising that she would see justice done for what had happened to him.

He still hadn’tmanaged to find her, which was his own fault.

That, he wouldcertainly do, after all of this was over.

But he still had ajob to finish, and Lena arrived in that very room to remind him of that.

He couldn’t jumpahead, as much as he wanted to. He was going to see this through, no matter howmuch it hurt him to see Kara struggle while the Kryptonite in the air slowlydrained away.

You are doing very well, he said, a quick reminder to the nanitesthat he was still present to speak to them. Soon,this will be over, and you will have completed your work.

He hadn’t beensure how well the nanites would respond to him, an unfamiliar, larger-than-lifepresence in their collective consciousness. But so far, they had done as hewished, and he was more than grateful at what they had done.

Soon, as he’d toldthem, it would be over, and his own work would be done as well.

He wasn’t surewhat would happen afterwards.

He was, perhaps,afraid of the possibilities. But right then, that wasn’t relevant. Lena wasthere, beside him, coaching Kara through her battle, and she was relying on himas well. Both of them were.

Any possibilitiesregarding his own emotions would have to wait.

~

It was just likeold times- the world around him had seemed to disappear. There was only thepercentage he was looking at, and the nanites that he sensed were still hard atwork, and Lena beside him, reaching out to their people at the fairground.

~

“Air quality atseventy-five percent.”

~

“I can’t believehe went.” Lena remarked, watching the live footage.

Brainy movedbehind her, briefly holding her arm as he did so.

“Little boxes.” Heanswered.

He saw two kinds,at play before them- those for the Kryptonite, containing more even as hespoke, and those for Lena’s emotions, as though he could not see her face, heknew she was concerned for her friends.

Concern that heknew all too well, especially for these people as of late.

Lena nodded, asKara’s voice came in.

“Air check?”

“Ninety percent.”

“That’s stilllethal if the suit fails.” Lena added. “You need to back off. You need to tryand conserve.”

Kara’s voice wasfilled with a familiar determination, then.

“I’ve just gottahandle one more thing.”

~

Something waswrong.

“What’s happening?”

“The suit’s takingtoo much damage.” Lena answered, immediately. “So, power’s being diverted tolife support.”

No sense in Kara dying before she can trulylive freely again, Brainythought. But that was something Lena could not know yet, so he kept it forhimself.

Brainy and Lenacould hear a blast of energy, as Alex charged Kara’s suit.

But that wastemporary- and hopefully, it would be enough.

As soon as thathappened, however, and Kara dispatched the alien assailant she and Alex werefacing, she began to panic once more.

“What’s happeningnow?” Kara asked.

“I’m reading afull systems failure.” Lena said, eyes locked on the monitor displaying thesuit’s inner workings.

“The suit’slocking down.” Kara said, voice rising in fear. “I can’t move!”

Kara was forceddown, almost falling to her knees as the suit refused to work for her. Too busyon keeping her alive- that was all that mattered.

Please, please…Brainy pleaded, with the nanites. I need you. Lena needs you. Supergirl needsyou…we’re almost there.

~

“Air check.” Karawhispered.

“The atmosphere isninety-nine percent clear.”

~

“Hundred percent.”Lena finally said, as Brainy got to work.

“Rerouting poweraway from life support.” He said, to Kara. “Unlocking suit now.”

Once that wasdone, Brainy and Lena saw it- Mercy and Otis being dispatched by theHellgrammite, Kara taking off her helmet.

And only then didthey both feel a sense of finality.

You are free. Brainy said, to the nanites. Thank you for your service.

No, Querl Dox. Thankyou.

They dispersed, tobe collected again, and Brainy felt a rush of his own freedom.

Now he, as well,could start unpacking his boxes, and go through them without the weight of theworld bearing down on him.

Perhaps, now, hewould have company in that matter, and that brought a smile to his face as heturned to Lena- turned to his new friend, as he was certain he could call herthen.

“Thank you.” He saidto her.

“Anytime.”

[doctorkierans]

five times kissed 😇

@wcightofthcworld​ | five times kissed

I.

       rolling over in bed, lena’s met with a solid form. a smile finds her lips as she snuggles into her girlfriend. she manages to tuck herself into alex’s neck as her lips run over the warm skin she finds. she can feel the other woman start to stir and usually, she’d feel guilty and allow her a few more minutes of sleep. not this morning. lena has a long day of meeting with investors and she’ll take every extra second with alex that she can. ❝wake up. c’mon.❞ there’s protests in the form of groans, but lena continues. she adds a few bites that get alex’s attention. she grins and finally lifts her head. 

        ❝good morning, darling.❞ she hovers over alex until her eyes open reluctantly. she’s already grinning down at her. ❝there you are. i’d apologize if you didn’t look so cute right now.❞ she knows she’ll get an eye roll in return, but doesn’t wait to see it. instead, she leans down and kisses her girlfriend softly. she nuzzles into her, rubbing their noses together as she pulls away. ❝awake now?❞ before she can press their lips together again, their positions are flipped and lena lets out a happy squeal. it was definitely the right call to wake up alex. 

II.

      the call into the deo isn’t something new. lena’s practically demanded they allow her to work with them. she has the funds and resources any government institution would dream of. she doesn’t do it for them, of course. she wants to make sure alex and supergirl have what they need to protect that planet. people have gotten used to her presence so much so that they barely look up now when they hear the click clack of her heels on the marble. she swings her case up and gently places it on the counter near brainy’s workstation. ❝do you happen to know where director danvers is?❞

       ❝ah, lena! i was wonder if i could run a few spec by yo--❞ he’s cut off by alex’s voice behind them. 

       lena turns with a huge smile on her face. before alex can chastise brainy for trying to steal lena as soon as she arrived, she’s kissing her quickly. it’s enough to stop any train of thought. a smile blooms on both of their faces as lena kisses her again, just as quick. she’s unable to stop herself even if it’s deemed unprofessional. but there are a few perks of dating the director. 

       lacing their fingers together, she starts to walk them towards alex’s office when lena looks over her shoulder. ❝check the briefcase, brainy. i’ve been working on it for you.❞ she winks once before trailing after alex. 

III.

      her head aches something fierce as she blinks back into consciousness. lena hisses as soon as the light in the exam room hits her eyes. she squeezes them back shut. before she can even wonder what the hell happened, she hears alex’s voice and she tries to open her eyes again. she’s more cautious this time, just one eye. it’s less painful and she focuses on the direction she heard the voice. it only takes a second and a few blinks for her vision to correct enough that she sees her girlfriend. the pain in her head, the surroundings, and the worried expression on alex’s face tell lena that something happened. she moves to get closer and is yanked back by the rest of her body waking up -- sore and tight. she hisses and falls back on the pillows. 

      ❝what -- what the fuck happened?❞ the words come out slightly slurred; her tongue heavy and clumsy in her mouth. before she gets a response, alex is almost on top of her. she’s mindful as she kisses all over her face. she brushes their lips together and lena finally feels warm. it hurts; every part of her hurts, but she feels safe now. suddenly, she doesn’t care what happened. all that matters it that she’s awake and alex is there. she manages to lift a hand to wipe at the tears on her girlfriend’s face. they can discuss whatever horrible shit happened later. right now, she prefers to focus on the warm lips kissing her better. 

IV.

      ❝hey, no. nope. get your hands off that.❞ lena does her best to remain neutral faced as she watches alex look over at her with a guilty expression. she struts over, ignoring the way her girlfriend gives her the once over, and plucks the cookie from her fingers. ❝i thought i told you no sweets before dinner.❞ deliberately, she raises the cookie to her mouth and takes a bite before chewing mindfully. she never breaks eye contact. the thrill that races up her spine is enough to keep her serious. the way alex tracks the way her mouth moves is heaven alone. she takes another bite before playfully tsk’ing at the redhead. ❝i have such a nice evening planned for us and you couldn’t wait?❞

      with a smirk, lena finishes off the cookie before leaning over alex to pluck a napkin from the counter. she wipes off her hands and then straightens herself up, while still overtly in alex’s space. she thinks about teasing more. it would be so easy. she knows their plans would be cancelled and a pizza order made in an hour or two. but she finds herself intoxicated by being this close. ❝fuck, you’re too cute to tease.❞ she sighs half breathless before pulling alex into a kiss. it’s rougher than she anticipated, but lena doesn’t care. she knows her girlfriend can handle it. 

      pulling away when breathing becomes an issue, she blinks a few times. in her haze, she smirks at the lipstick smeared on alex’s mouth. ❝clean up. we have to leave in five minutes.❞

V.

      with a sigh, lena drops her tablet to the couch and falls back into the cushions. her head is beginning to ache as she pushes her fingers into her temples. it’s been a long day and an even longer night. she’s close to being done, but her brain doesn’t want to cooperate. her eyes drift close and she swears she’s a few seconds from sleep and someone crawls onto her lap. she tries not to smile, but finds it impossible. her arms automatically wind around alex’s waist as she doesn’t even open her eyes. she falls into the warmth sideways and can’t help but laugh when her girlfriend joins her. 

      before she can say anything, alex is kissing her gently. it’s filled with so much love that if lena wasn’t so tired, she might tear up at. instead, she gives into the kiss and allows alex to lead. each press of lips and tongue and teeth pulls her out of her of her funk. she feels herself being put back together, piece by piece. her hand dips underneath her girlfriend’s shirt, eager to feel more warmth. 

      when they finally pull apart, lena opens her eyes with a soft smile. ❝how do you do that? always know exactly what i need.❞ instead of words, lena finds herself being kissed again. 

[fernwehbookworm]

Knight of Kandor- Chapter 4

In my room, I throw the bolt to lock the door.

"Fuck!" I throw myself on the bed.

When the throbbing subsides some I manage to stand again and remove the heavy plates of armor. I finally sit and look at my ankle, I cringe. Black and blue splotches already bloom all over it. It has swollen so much that I cannot even see my ankle bones. From under my bed, I pull a small chest and open it. The chest is filled with various cloth scrapes that I gather for my moon blood. I usually burn them while men slept during that week.

I grab one of the longer scraps with a tight weave. I use it to tightly wrap my ankle and keep it stable. The pressure relieves some of the pain. Exhaustion overwhelms me. I only take off my under tunic, leaving my chest wrapped, my arms too tired to work at un-weaving it. I doze lightly, the throbbing in my ankle keeping me from a deep sleep.

A scream tears through my room. I bolt upright, grab the sweat-stained tunic from the floor and throw it over my head. I pull my sword from the scabbard on the floor. Quickly I unlock my door and dash across the hall. I throw my should against the door as I burst into the room. Inside I cast about, looking for the cause of the scream. Lena sits up on the bed, breathing heavily, Jessica holds her hand while rubbing her back in a comforting way. I scan the darkness for anything out of place.

"It was just a nightmare." Lady Jessica whispers to Lena. I glance at them again and quickly turn back around as my cheeks grow hot. Queen-in-waiting Lena Luthor was completely naked.

"Excuse me, my lady. I... I was not aware..." I hear a sharp intake of breath and the rustling of the sheets. I carefully move to the door, keeping my back turned the whole way.

"Kal, thank you for coming," Lena says in a small voice. I nod, still not looking than see myself out to return to my own room.

I try to sleep but after tossing and turning I give up and begin my daily exercises. This morning I also had to report to the Queen in her personal chambers. It was short seeing as I had only been here a couple of days. I also had to relay to Sir James the events of the day before. The Queen sat silently through it all except to dismiss me. Her dark cold eyes always made me uncomfortable. I take a deep breath when I leave to try and shake the feeling of judgment.

"Have you found anyone to be on your personal guard?" Sir James asks as he catches up with me.

"Donovan. I Like him. He has an eagerness to prove himself. Other than that, no."

"Excellent choice. That boy of yours, John, He is doing well. Surpassing all the guard trainees his age. You trained him well."

"Thank you, Sir James. He had a lot of natural talent, to begin with."

"Pleas Kal, Just call me James. We should be friends because we will be seeing a lot of each other.

"Okay, James. Is there anyone you suggest for me to check into?"

"Hmmmm..... I'll make a list for you. I have to go to the practice yard. Have a good day Kal."

Good was not the term I would have used for my day. After meeting Lena at her room, she leads us to a study with a large ornate desk. Books line the walls, two large armchairs sit in front of an even larger window that floods the study with daylight.

Jessica moves immediately to the chairs and picks up some needlework that she had apparently left from a previous time. A large stack of parchments rest on the desk Lena sits behind. Not knowing exactly what to do I just stand at attention by the door. After a few minutes, Lena sighs deeply.

"Please Kal, I do not believe that a dagger-wielding beggar will burst through the door. Sit down. Read a book if you would like. These reports will take most of the day." I linger at the door until Lena gives me a hard look.

I nod and walk to the books and scan the titles. Despite my ability to write short letters and read commands I still struggle with most words. I see a book on strategy and pull it down then sit next to Lady Jessica. The hours stretch on as I struggle through the book. Most of the words are familiar but it is still slow going. Lena's quill scratches on parchment and Jessica's needle silently weaves through the cloth.

"Reading is not easy for you, is it Kal?" Lena's voice breaks the silence.

"No, my lady. Your brother had one of his pages teach me enough to write and read orders. Now master Winslow is teaching me."

"I keep forgetting that you were not born with such privileges. You handle yourself so well. Almost as if you were born for court.

"Thank you, my lady."

"Kal please, call me Lena in private. We are going to be spending a lot of time together and titles are tiring. Besides, you saw me half-naked last night." I know Lena is teasing but I feel my face flush none the less.

"Yes, my... Lena." She chuckles at my stumble.

We lapse back into a comfortable silence. Eventually, Lady Jessica sends for food. Several servants bring plates of steaming meat and soups. Slowly cooked vegetables and fresh fruit. There is a wedge of hard cheese and fresh bread with a pitcher of a sweet red wine. To my delight, a platter of sweets is brought up also. Jessica takes a little of everything.

"Help yourself Kal. I know you must be hungry." I grin but Lena does not even look up from her work. I pile a plate with food and set the book aside to concentrate on eating and give my brain a rest. I always had to eat a lot of food, I do not know why. That is why I had to learn to hunt and trap because army rations were never enough. I could out eat most of the biggest men in my company.

The sun moves across the sky and I pick at the remaining food. Lena, on the other hand, had hardly touched her plate of fruit and cheese and bread. She had a look of intense concentration as she methodically poured over the reports. At one point I started pacing to avoid losing my mind in the stillness. I glanced over at what Lena was doing and saw she had reports from all over Krypton. Grain invoices, mining reports, troop movements, death tolls. The variety and importance of each one were astounding. I sat again to avoid distracting Lena although I am not sure if she even noticed my restlessness.

Dozing lightly in my chair, I hear Lena's chair scrap backward on the stone floor. Servants had come long before to clear away the plates and platters. they also came and lit the chandelier of candles over our head as the sunset. It was nearing time for supper.

Lena called for her page who seemed to miraculously appear as if knowing she would need him. Which I guess he probably did.

"Take these reports to Queen Lillian," she commands.

The boy awkwardly lifts the large stack and hurries out of the room. He nearly spills the whole pile as he almost runs into James on the way out. James smiles and tousles the boy's hair before stepping out of the way.

"My Lady." James bows to Lena.

"Sir James. What brings you here?" she asks.

"I have come to relieve Sir Kal for the night. Also here is the list of names for you." The last part was directed at me. James hands me a rolled up scroll.

"Thank you, Sir James." I bow my head slightly at him then turn to face the women in the room.

"Good night, Lady Jessica. Good night Your Highness."

"Good night, Sir Kal," they say almost in unison.

As I walk I unroll the scroll. The list is sadly short. How could there be so few trustworthy men in the castle? As I scan the list I realize that most of the names are Donovan's friends. I get to the bottom and stop mid-stride. Jonathan Jones. Apparently, James thought that the boy was ready. He had already hinted several times that he thought John was good. Better than most.

I tuck the scroll away and continue to the guard dining for food. I easily locate the group of men I need. Quickly I grab a slice of bread and wedge of cheese and scarf them down. A small swig of wine from a pitcher to wash it all away. When I approach the men, their conversation falls silent.

"Follow me." Is all I say.

They do. Good, they are willing to follow orders. I lead them to the practice yard. I pick up two blunted swords from the rack of training equipment. I toss one to Donovan, who nimbly catches it from the air.

"I am going to spare with each of you in turn. Ready?" I nod to the young man. He seems unsure but his face grows serious. He raises his sword.

I press hard, trying to see where each man stands in their training. They were good for men who had never seen real combat. But they were too rigid, everything was precise and basic. I could easily flow through their stiff guards. When we were done each man was in various states of weariness. Some still short of breath. To me, however, the battles energized me after a day of nothingness.

"You, sir, are a force of nature." Donavon is still panting slightly.

"But what was all this for?"

I study each man closely. I liked the determination each had fought with. All fought clean and fair, the product of honest men.

"To test you." They look at me questioningly.

"And you all pass. Sir James wanted me to find men to guard the Queen-in-waiting. I choose you."

Grins spread on the men's faces. There are eight of them in all. I send two of them to ready to take over guarding Lena's hall, then talk to the rest.

"We will personally be responsible for protecting the Queen-in-waiting. Only you men will rotate through the guard. For her rooms, for whatever room, she enters, or for her alone. We will guard her every step. I will also teach you to fight like me, like men who have everything to lose. Donovan, Anthony, you will take over guarding the Queen-in-waiting rooms at midnight. Andrew and Conner at dawn. I will send a page with further instructions. Tomorrow right after supper you are to report here. That is when we will train. Dismissed." The men quickly leave the yard but I soon hear laughter from the men who were excited about a new duty in life.

In my own rooms, I use my new soaps to wash the sweat from my body. Then I begin to clean my armor, determined to take good care of the wonderful gift. My eyes grow heavy after two sleepless nights. I re-wrap my chest and dawn a nightshirt and loose cotton pants. I just finished tying them around my waist when someone knocks softly at the door. I am surprised when Lady Jessica's face greets me. She is in her nightdress, sleep glassing her eyes.

"My lady cannot sleep. Every time she tries she sees the man with the knife. My Lady wishes for you to stay in her chambers tonight to help put her mind at ease." I nod.

"Let me put on something more suitable. I will be right over." Jessica turns back to the still open door of Lena's chambers. I put on a comfortable tunic and my boots. I grab my sword and pull the baldric over my head.

When I enter the room, Lena stands staring into the dying flames of the fire. She wears a red nightdress with a matching shawl draped around her shoulders. She does not turn at my entrance so I place a hand on her shoulder.

"My Lady, please go to sleep. That man can no longer hurt you I will stay here all night. Tomorrow I start training your own personal guard of men I and Sir James trust."

"Lena." she sighs.

"Pardon?"

"Please call me Lena. I never get to hear my own name. It makes me feel like less of a person." She looks at me sadly.

"Lena. Sleep. Lady Jessica and I are both here." Lena nods her assent to my plea and climbs into the large bed with Jessica.

I settle into the overstuffed armchair by the fire, sword across my lap. I had already resigned my self to getting very little sleep tonight.

"Will you be here when I wake?"

"I am sorry my... Lena. I have lessons with Lady Catherine before dawn." She nods and lays down. I settle in for a long uncomfortable night.

My days began to blur together. Lessons before dawn, court in the morning, watching Lena and her ladies in the afternoon. After dinner each night I began training with the men. I had to teach them to be able to adapt to battles, not everyone fought with honor and that took a lot of time to break them of that notion. Nearly a fortnight passed before any real change occurred.

Lena's Ladies began preparing for the End of Summer Festival. A week-long celebration that celebrated the start of harvest. Most of the noble families would return to court with their households, most common folk would travel to Kandor from all over Krypton. Tournaments would be held and celebrations would last all night, every night. It would also celebrate the return of Prince Alexander. The army had managed to set up strong defensive lines along our border and Cadmium had drawn back to resupply for winter months. The Prince was using the lull in the fighting to return home.

The bustle of the castle begins to put me on edge. So many new people in and out of the castle. New faces crowd the halls and the old are never where I expect them after I had memorized their routines.

"You know, when you are nervous you fidget with your sword."

"Huh?"

We were in Lena's private study as she checked reports. I was pacing back and forth when Lena spoke and I stopped and turned to her.

"Also you get this cress between your eyes when you are worried. Right here." She points to her own forehead. I roll my eyes.

Still, the comment makes my heart start thudding in my chest. We spent so much time together that I had come to notice all her little habits. How she gets so concentrated that nothing else matters to her. How it breaks her heart to disappoint those she has to deny. She was filled with compassion behind an icy royal exterior. It seemed she had been watching me also.

"I have a right to worry Lena. This castle is full of strangers. All potentially here to kill you."

"Kal, I trust you, and the men you trained. You need to trust them too. Now come here and read this to me."

Lena kept insisting on making me read despite Winn's teaching. Winn had grown on me during our time together. His positivity was endless. He loved the books he cared for and he was a genius at breaking and making the coded messages for the army. We went out nearly every night I was off. It was nice to be able to have a friend to talk to. Somehow Winn managed to introduce me to a new woman every night. I would laugh and talk with them before letting them down easy in the end.

Lena was sending the reports she had finished with the page. Lady Jessica was off overseeing feast preparations. We were alone except for the two guards outside the door.

"So are you competing in the tournaments?" Lena asks as she carefully puts her quill and ink away.

"No, I have no training in such things and wish not to attempt and make a fool of myself."

"Well, there is one you could do. The open brawl. It has almost no rules except not to kill." I consider the suggestion.

"That seems a difficult task, all those men surrounding you and not killing them. But I suppose it would be doable."

"Wonderful, I will have Jessica enter you. Your squire, John, I will make sure he gets everything you need." She says energetically.

"Lena, why is this so important to you? she sighs.

"Because whatever brute wins is rewarded with the place of honor next to me each night of the festival. Which means I am then obligated to speak with them or dance with them if they ask." I chuckle softly.

"So I am a brute now, am I?" We had long since lost the pretense of hiding our emotions and we actually teased each other in private. It was a banter that seems to flow easily between us.

"No! Of course not. You are the person I would much rather celebrate with because it would be a celebration instead of me dreading every minute."

"There is no guarantee I will win." I point out.

"I believe you will. That is enough." She says it so seriously that I almost cannot respond.

"Anything for my future Queen."

Lena rests her hand on mine. The contact surprises me when I realize we are both leaning forward on opposite sides of the desk. I clear my throat and take my hand back by adjusting the baldric again.

"Where to now, my Lady?" Intentionally not saying her name to break whatever spell had fallen over us. Her eyes darken slightly but she says nothing about me pulling away.

"Now we go to welcome my brother home."

After the very long formal Ceremony that was basically a big parade of mummers dancing, men marching, and women being put on display for the prince. The prince then takes his place on a throne next to his mother and sister. The ceremony dissolves into a feast that is more drink than food. When relieved of my post next to Lena I find Winn where we agreed to meet to head into the city. Our favorite tavern was The Kryptonite.

The food was great and the ale was sweet. Winn and I talked in a corner. Somehow Winn always knew the latest gossip. I had a feeling he read things he should not have but it kept me informed of the goings on in the castle so I did not complain. After several hours we begin the long walk up to the castle.

"I have something you may like in my room. Its a book on different herbal remedies I acquired from a healer. I have it memorized now so I do not need it anymore." At least I am pretty sure that is what I said. Winn was talking about how he wanted to learn about healing techniques. The ale was making my mouth feel like it was a little behind my thoughts.

"That would be a-maz-ing." He grins and stumbles slightly when he looks at me.

That puts us both in a fit of laughter before we resume the walk. It seems to take forever in the alcohol-induced haze but we finally make it all the way to my room. The guard's eye Winn but let him pass. When we are in my room I dig through the chest at the foot of my bed for the book.

"Here it is. Of course, it was at the bottom." I stand and turn back to Winn. He is standing closer than I thought and I give myself a shake. Maybe I drank more than I thought.

"Thanks, Kal." Winn's voice is kind of high like he was nervous.

He grasps the book but does not take it from me. I feel my head cock to the side in a question. Winn lurches forward and his lips clumsily meet mine. I jerk back and push him at the same time. Winn sprawls on the ground.

"Oh Rao, Winn I am sorry. I did not mean to push you so hard."

"So you aren't into me. Rao what have I done." Winn scrambles to his feet and tries to leave, but I step in front of him.

"Wait, Winn."

"It's fine Kal. Either you're gay or you're not. You obviously are not and I just ruined our friendship."

"No, it is not like that. I am but not in the way you think."

"What is that supposed to mean!" He is angry and hurt and it is plain on his face.

"I...I can't tell you."

"Whatever Kal. Move. I want to leave." I know if he leaves nothing will be the same and I will lose my only friend. I chew on my bottom lip as I contemplate what I am about to do.

"Winn, can I trust you?"

"What?" He nearly spits the question.

"If I tell you why I need to know that I can trust you. With my life. Because if you tell anyone it will mean I will lose my life." Winn's face slowly moves from anger to deep thought and then softens back into the gentleman I know.

"Yes, Kal. You can trust me." His slow response shows that he really did consider his answer and I know it is true.

"I...I am not who you think I am."

"Kal, just say whatever it is. I am way too drunk for obscure words." I sigh.

"Winn, my real name is Kara. I am a woman." I believe every emotion possible plays across Winn's face as he processes what I said. Then he laughs.

"Wow, oh Rao, you almost had me there. That was so out there I almost believed you. This has to be the strangest way someone has turned me down."

"Winn," I say seriously to get his attention. I take one of his hands and press it against my chest. I know my breast were never large but they were still there. I see Winn's eyes widen at the soft mound under his palm.

"Kal... Kara. Oh, this is fantastic. It explains so much too. No wonder you turned down nearly every woman I through at you. No wonder you were not attracted to me. Wait, no, why aren't you attracted to me?" I grin at his rambling and at the way he is waving his arms about.

"Really Winn? That is your first question?"

"Wait you said you were gay, just not the way I thought. Who then?" I blush and look down, Lena's face flashes across my vision.

"Kara no! The Queen-in-waiting?"

"Yes," I say in a small voice.

"Oh jeez, Kara."

"Well Winn, now you know my two biggest secrets."

"Oh Roa, this isn't like an 'I know too much and I have to die now' situation is it?" I laugh.

"No Winn. This is a 'you have to be my friend forever' situation."

"Oh, wonderful. Now you know my biggest secret too. Same sex relationships are very frowned upon."

"I know. Which is also why Lena should never know my feelings. Or my secrete. I have lied to the crown and that is treason."

"I understand Kara. But hey, you won't have to hide with me."

"That will be great Winn. I'll see you tomorrow." I finally step out of his way because somehow I know everything will be okay.

Winn pulls me into a tight hug and I stiffen at first. No one has hugged me since my mother died. Slowly I wrap my arms around him also.

"Goodnight, Kara."

"Kal. Just call me Kal. It is safer that way." Winn nods before leaving. I lock my door and fall into bed. I feel like a great burden is lessened a bit. Not that someone was taking it from me, but Winn was helping me hold it up.

[imagine-lcorp]

One Drink, One Song (One Shot)

Request

L x R where R is a really quiet DEO agent and is assigned as Lena's bodyguard and Lena tries to coax the reader out of her shell? Lots of fluff please?

A/N: Hi again everyone and happy holidays btw, i hope you get to have a great time! Here I give you this fic based on the request above, I don’t know what came over me to write a this one like i did, but here we areeeee! So I really hope you enjoy this. Kudos to the anon that sent it <3 and please, remember that my ask is open for you, anytime. Enjoy!

Lena Luthor x Shy Bodyguard R//Word Count: 1,938

"Uh, I'm not sure we should go, Miss Luthor." You followed Lena out of her office in a hurried pace.

"Come on, (Y/N), you and I deserve a break." There was a smile on her face when she stopped at the elevator doors and turned to look at you. "And, please, I told you to call me Lena."

"Um, yeah, M-Lena, but I don't think it's a good idea." You were looking between her and the elevator.  

"Why not?" She raised an eyebrow. You couldn't help the blush that appeared in your cheeks while you tried to come up with all the reasons this was a bad idea.

"Well, um, we will be exposed. I don't know the place, or the people that go there. Um, we would have to check the route and call-"

"(Y/N)" Lena said putting a hand on your arm and stopping your little rant. "You don't have to worry about all that."

"Actually", you looked up and rubbed the back of your neck, "I kind of have to."        

"It's just one night. We are going to be there a couple of hours and then," her smile turned into a smirk, "you can take me home." She pushed the elevator button.

"I-" You stammered, your cheeks turning bright red. "I still don't think it's a good idea."

"So we're going? Great!" The elevator doors opened with a ding and Lena stepped inside. You couldn't even protest as you had to rush inside before the doors closed.

It had been three weeks since you became Lena Luthor's escort. J'onn had specifically assigned you for this mission, at Kara's request, given you were one of their best undercover agents.  Both Kara and J'onn couldn't stress enough how important it was that you kept both eyes on her, so you had to become her second shadow.

It was in your personality after all, being a shy person made you look disinterested, nervous around people, and less outgoing than most. However, precisely because of that, nobody expected you to be a trained DEO operative with great expertise in the use of multiple weapons and hand to hand combat.

You could tell Lena was surprised when she met you. Like many others, she was expecting a ripped, eight feet tall goon, to follow her around. Not the timid soul that you were. You had hoped she would be too busy to actually notice your presence, which would have made the job so much easier for both of you. But even when you tried to keep your distance, she would notice you. After a couple of days, she took a liking on you and your sheepish manners.

When you didn't try to conceal that side of you, you were an open book. She would sometimes catch you looking distracted at the city, in front of her window. She would look you out of the corner of her eye, and try to hide her smile, when you looked at her board of investors with a frown, a scoff, or rolling your eyes, when they tried to comment on her rather than her business. Or she would silently laugh at the way you tried to awkwardly apologize, when you stumbled with someone at the office. She found it endearing.

You may have been an experienced DEO agent but, she believed, you needed to learn how to loosen up a bit more. That's why, at the end of the week, she decided you were going out.

"Okay, if we are doing this, we'll have to do a few things first." You insisted before she entered the bar. You weren't that reckless to go inside without a plan.

"So eager to start the night? I like that attitude." A smirk playing on her lips. She also never missed a chance to make you blush with a sassy comment.

You tried to ignore it as you focused on more critical matters. A lot of people went out after office hours but her business attire was too fancy for a night out. Everything in her say multimillionaire business, her heels, black pants, red silk blouse, fancy pea coat, and hair in a tight bun. Something difficult to overlook.

"We need to change." You said, taking your black jacket off and handling it to her. It was still a warn evening, so you didn't have to worry about the cold. "Take this and, uh, maybe you would want to loosen your hair." You made a gesture with your hand, pointing at your own head.

She tilted her head and looked at you closely, your jacket still hanging from your hand and your eyes attentive. You had the feeling she was thinking on another smart comment but she simply agreed.  

"Alright." Lena handed you her purse and coat and you observed as she put on your jacket. She took the barrettes out of her hair and shook her head to let it fall loose over her shoulder. "How do I look?"

The change hadn't been that great but you wondered if there was nothing she couldn't wear. Even when you tried to make her look ordinary, she looked beautiful, as usual. "Cool." You tried to hide the sudden blush in your cheeks.

"Then, let's get inside." She gave you a satisfied smile, took back her bag and coat, and turned to the bar doors.

Half of the bar was already filled with laughter and chattering from people enjoying some drinks. You took a moment to scan the place, checking for emergency exits, the people around. There was someone on the stage, microphone in hand and signing to the lyrics of a song you didn't recognize.

"Oh, would you look at that." Her tone a fake surprise as she pointed at a poster. "Tonight is karaoke night." She walked directly towards the bar and ordered a glass of wine.

You focused all your attention on her after hearing that. "Um, you're not thinking about..."

The bartender put her glass in front of her and took a sip of it. Then, she placed it gently on the table and hummed. "Maybe... if there was someone that wanted to go on stage with me."

Your eyes when wide open, getting the feeling that she had planned this all along. "That someone being...me?"

"Don't you tell me an expert DEO agent with deadly training cannot with this challenge?"

"Karaoke isn't exactly a top secret mission." You looked away, between the stage and the people around.

"One drink, one song." She said. You turned to her with a question clear in your face. "You take one drink with me, you sing a song with me, and that's it. We can go back to the routine after we finish."

She was offering you a deal. A few simple task to complete and you would be on your way to her penthouse, leaving her safe and sound with the next round of security J'onn had assigned to her. One drink, easy. A beer, not strong enough to get drunk but good enough to enjoy the night. One song, not so easy. You weren't a big fan of being in the spotlight but, if that what it took to speed up the night, you may as well do it.

You sighed and took the seat next to her. "Beer, please." You told the bartender. Lena leaned on her chair, her lips turning into a triumphant smile.

Once you took a sip from your beer, things weren't that bad. You discovered that Lena was an excellent conversationalist, driven by her curious instinct but always respectful of the boundaries between the both of you. As a DEO agent, and her bodyguard, you couldn't get into details about your job, so she would ask you instead about the things you enjoyed. Lena was finding that part of you fascinating. It wasn't only your sheepish behavior but your caring, attentive, and funny personality that shined through it.

An hour had passed when Lena finished her glass of wine and you were almost done with yours. "Ready for that song, (Y/N)?" She asked, rising from her chair.

"For the record, I'm doing this for your safety." You drank the last of your beer and the easy part was done. You followed her to the stage, resigned to the inevitable. You could hear her laugh at your remark.

There were a few things you knew about Lena Luthor. She had memorized most of her employee's names, her usual meals looked like recipes from Whole Foods, and she would have a glass of scotch after a pretty stressful day. However, when Lena requested Baby One More Time by Britney Spears, you had to slap your forehead, because Lena Luthor also loved 2000's music.

The people at the bar were already in high spirits and you stepped on stage with a round of applause. You turned to see Lena, taking the mic and trying to reassure you with a playful smile. She looked like she was about to deliver one of her famous TED Talks. You, on the contrary, looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Lena took the lead when the song started and you made your effort at singing with her. You were impressed at how she didn't even have to look at the screen for the lyrics. For the first time, since you became her bodyguard, you saw her truly loosen up. There was no poker face, no witty comments, and no sign of the CEO. She was smiling, making faces, and even coming up with some dance moves, making a show of it. You couldn't help but follow her enthusiasm, it was contagious.

"I must confess that my loneliness is killing me noooow." You sang, the bar filling with the sound of your voice. You were dancing, jumping up and down, on the stage. Soon, the song was over, the crowd was cheering, and you couldn't stop smiling.

After that, Lena kept her end of the bargain. Once you walked off the stage, she went to pay for the drinks and let you lead the way outside. You were a few blocks away from her building, so she convinced you to take a little walk.

"You were certainly out of your shell tonight, (Y/N)." She chuckled.

"Uh, thanks?" You smiled and shook your head. "But, what about you? I didn't know you could pull something like that."

"Well, there is so much you still don't know... and you have to admit that was fun."

"Yeah, It...It was." You gave her a shy smile.

It wasn't midnight yet when you arrived at her building. It had been a short walk indeed. "Here we are. Just like I promised." You walked her to the front doors when she turned suddenly. "Oh, I almost forgot. I still have your jacket."

"Oh, it's alright, you can keep it." After that, you wanted to slap yourself in the face. "I-I mean, um, it suits you." You sputtered and stopped before saying anything else.

Lena smiled at the hard blush that appeared in your cheeks but thought better not to comment on it, for your sake. What you had done tonight had been enough torture so she would save her sassy comments for another occasion. However, she appreciated the gesture.

She walked back to you and did something you didn't expect. "Thank you, (Y/N). Goodnight. "She leaned and left a small kiss on your cheek, leaving you dumbfounded as she went inside.

"Goodnight...Lena." You whispered, following her with your eyes until she disappeared in the elevator. Maybe karaoke night wasn't a bad idea after all.

[solarbird]

The Armourer and the Living Weapon, Chapter 19: The Wembley

This chapter is worksafe. [AO3 link]

"Really?" she said, leaning forward with her phone. "The Wembley, back in Gibraltar? That's nearly five hours away - bit far for a night out, innit?"

"That's true," Winston replied over the line, "unless you go suborbital."

"You serious, mate?" Lena blinked. "You've got a Sparrowhawk?"

"We had to get here before you did. How'd you think we managed that?"

"...didn't think of it, I guess. We were a bit distracted." Some pilot I am, she thought. Should've realised. "Seems a bit much for a night at the pub, though."

"Well, it is. But it is our usual hangout, and we've been in Oasis for weeks now, for the most part, and we were thinking it's about time for something a little more ... routine. See if we can get a little more back to normal."

Tracer considered that. "Doctor O'Deorain's signed off? She's supposed t'know if Em leaves Oasis - y'know, the agreement and all that rot - and really..."

"We... weren't thinking about including Widowmaker or Oilliphéist. Just the Overwatch gang, like usual. Like old times."

She frowned, but could see the point in it, so let it go for the moment. "Does this mean I'm cleared for Gibraltar? Me spending the night there, I think that's..."

"You are, but we'll come back here, as agreed. If we're... how do you put it? A little too much in our cups? Athena can fly us back as well as I could."

Lena smiled a little at that. "Who else is coming?"

"Almost everyone who's here. Jack isn't - he's going along to give the Watchpoint a look-over, make sure nothing's been disturbed, but won't be out with us. It'll be you, me, Mei, Hana, Fareeha, and Angela."

Tracer felt a little frisson of fear run up her spine at the last name in the list. No, that's not fair, this isn't another test, it's just a night out, she thought to herself. Just that. I think. "Even Angie? She doesn't usually come along, not unless it's a special occasion..."

"Well, it is - first night out since you got back."

Lena nodded, pointlessly, and frowned again, thinking. Won't leave Oilliphéist here alone. Can't take her with us without breaking the agreement, least not without Moira's approval. Means Widowmaker has to stay here. Really don't like leaving them behind, though...

She took a nervous breath. "Let me... let me think. When d'ya want to leave?"

"We were thinking we'd head out at 17:00 - the flight won't take too long, but we'll still have to deal with clearance and landing and everything else."

"Makes sense. Um..." she gave it a thought, "...pencil me in, I'll meet you up half an hour before. But I'm gonna check with Danielle and Em, make sure they're comfortable with it, and I'll call y'back."

The hesitation on the other end of the commlink was small, but definite. "Sure thing. Talk to you soon."

Tracer broke the connection, and looked unhappily at the phone, before looking back up to her counterparts. "I..."

"Go," said Oilliphéist, from her seat across the living room table, Widowmaker nodding her agreement. "They're worried about you, luv, and trying to make it up. So go."

Danielle sipped at the tea Lena had made a few minutes earlier, a pleasant tippy assam which had become the teleporter's favourite. "They want to make sure you're all right, and get you somewhere away for a little while from... everyone they consider dangerous."

"You," Lena said, dejectedly.

"Yes," said Widowmaker, raising one eyebrow amusedly. "And Oilliphéist. Correctly so, let us not pretend."

"Don't like the way they're dancing around it. Makes me nervous."

Emily grinned. "Ah, don't worry, Lena! We'll be fine. I can handle my aunt."

"It's not that, luv, it's... well..." She shrugged. "Well, it is that, partly. But also, Angela's gonna be there, and I don't like... bein'... alone? That isn't right, Winston'll be there, I know he won't let anything happen, but..."

"You do not like being the only person there who has been through what we have been through," Widowmaker said, voice quiet. "Particularly not a gathering with someone so capable, who fears us so very much."

Oilliphéist nodded to her lover, picked up her phone, and made a call. Her silver eyes flashed to Tracer, and she said, "Y'won't be alone."

She heard the other end of the signal connect. "Hullo, Aunt Moira! It's Em." She nodded her head back and forth, a yes, yes, I know you're busy motion. "Yes'm. But mind if we step out for the night? We're thinking of going to a pub in Gibraltar." She smiled, as a quiet voice on the other side of the line made noises unintelligible to Dani and Lena. "Yes, Gibraltar. Yes, it's far. We'll be quite late, but certainly back before tomorrow morning. And I'll keep a locator beacon turned on." Some more voice over the far side of the line. "You're so good to me. Thanks, auntie." A little more voice. "Love you too. Bye!"

She put the phone down and grinned as Widowmaker smirked. "Now," she said, "was that so difficult?"

"But you're not..."

"I know, luv. We'll just be..." She waved her fingers in the air. "...around. Go, relax, have some fun, let them feel better. We'll keep watch."

Tracer huffed out a little bit of a laugh, and felt herself calming down a bit. "Thanks, luv." She stretched, big, in her chair. "Might do me some good, I suppose. I could use a night out." She reached over and took Widowmaker's hand. "I'll make it clear, though. Next time - it's not just me."

"I do not mind." Widowmaker took Lena's hand, nuzzled, and kissed it. "We are not joined at the hips, ma chérie."

"Well," chirped Tracer, wickedly - "Not all the time" - and Widowmaker almost giggled a little in return.

"C'mon, Widow," Oilliphéist said, rising from her seat, picking up her Breath. "If we're gonna beat 'em to Gibraltar, we need to leave right now."

"Ah, yes," Widowmaker replied, picking up her Kiss. "We should." She kissed Tracer's hand again before rising. "See you soon, ma petite contrariété."

-----

Tracer's smile flashed as she teleported directly out of the Sparrowhawk at Watchpoint Gibraltar. "Hooo, I'd forgot how much fun those are!" She teleported around more a bit, apparently for no good reason other than she could. "We should use these for everything!"

She's certainly high-strung this evening, Angela thought, unstrapping herself from her flight seat, stretching out from the high-G transit. I hope that's a good sign.

Tracer teleported around the control tower and looked towards the north in the not-so-darkness, out of sight of the others for a moment. Where are you, I know you're here... ha! In the mid-distance, she spotted a familiar silhouette, and then a second, and she waved, and both waved back, and she grinned, broadly, relaxed. Then she rewound, appearing back at the ramp amidst the Overwatch crew, grin still intact. "C'mon, slowpokes! That lager won't drink itself!"

Winston punched in an access code, a large door opened, and the larger civilian transport floated out onto the tarmac. Morrison checked security systems, verifying no detected intrusions, and nodded as he ducked inside to do a manual sweep. "See you when you get back," he said, gruffly. "Apologise to Blair for me."

"Will do," Fareeha replied. "He's not going to be happy that you're working tonight."

"He'll live."

Fareeha smirked, a little.

"He's not my boyfriend."

Fareeha eyes narrowed, and she smirked a little more.

Morrison scowled, but with a hint of humour in it. "With all that's going on, I can't not run a full check. But... I'll join you later, if I can."

"Much better," Fareeha said, as Angela giggled and pulled her away to the transport. "Come on, dear, stop trying to fix the soldier's love life. It's impossible."

"I'm coming!"

-----

"Yeah, I was afraid of that," Lena said, as she walked in through the antique front door.

"What's wrong?" Winston asked, following in behind her, the large scientist a tight fit in the frame.

"Ah, not much - this place is pretty dark, yeah?"

"Sure! But it's comfortable."

"It's a lot less atmospheric when you can see all the dirt and th' holes in the plaster. That ceiling's a mess."

"Ah," said the Lunar scientist. "I'll have to take your word on that. Nothing's going to fall down, is it?"

"Nah, it's just old. Most of it's been painted at least once. I mean, why fix it if y'can't see it, right? I get that, but... c'mon." She snorted. "Well, beer's still beer."

"And darts are still darts."

"Won't be fair now, luv."

"It will be if we handicap it right."

Lena smiled as Hana ran over and grabbed their usual corner booth, the big one with the movable bench, and Mei-Ling followed closely behind. "We already had t'do that once, big guy. Can't compete with a Brit at darts, not on level ground."

"Sure - we'll just do it more." He grinned.

"Well..." She took a big sniff of the room. Smelled like old times, mostly, but with a little bit of an odd tang, like cleaning fluid in the w.c.. Ventilation system must be off, too, she thought, shrugging. "We can try. We'll figure it out, somehow."

"Get enough bitter in you and we'll be even!"

She chuckled, and hopped next to the table as Fareeha called over from the bar - "Everybody's usuals?" - having just relayed Jack's apologies. Blair waved at the chorus of yes-please and thank-you from behind the counter and filled a large tray with an assortment of beers and wines, and a separate, smaller tray with a brownie and glass of sahlab.

"Thanks," Fareeha smiled, with a small nod, as she took her own tray to the small individual table Angela had placed by the end of the booth. Blair followed, serving the large tray of drinks. "Good t’see you lot back in town! Chip order's in, I'll be right back with the munchies."

"Brilliant, luv," Tracer chirped, and the barkeep looked, then started, surprised. "Yeh," she said, a little tiredly. "I know. They're new. Long story." He nodded, and kept his smile as he retreated to the kitchen.

"Guess I'm gonna have t'get used to that all over again," she said, taking a pull from her pint. Mei-Ling poured half her Tsingtao pilsner into a glass, leaving half in the bottle, to go back with the tray.

"I don't know why you just didn't wear your contacts," Hana said, sampling her lager. Ah, yeah. Nice to be back, she thought, relaxing into the padded leather bench.

"Don't like 'em," Lena said, shifting a little on the bench seat. "They bug me."

"We can take some time tomorrow for a new fitting, if you'd like" Angela said, brightly.

"Nah," Lena replied, taking another drink. "Rather not, luv."

"Well, it's either that, or get used to his kind of reaction."

Lena glared, expression sharp. "I like my eyes, doc. You got a problem with that?"

"Of course not, it's just that..."

"I like them too," Winston interrupted, Lena turning to look at him with a quick smile.

"Y'do?" she said, surprised.

"They're pretty. And you like them, so, I like them, and that's all that needs to be said about that," he stated, firmly.

"Of course," Angela replied, just as quickly. "I'm sorry, Lena, I am sometimes too much a doctor."

"It's true," Fareeha said, having taken another bite of her brownie. "She really is."

Lena leaned a little against her best friend's arm. "Thanks, luv." She downed the rest of her pint, all at once. "Y'wanna have a go at those darts? Only double and triple scores count for me, and only for regular value."

"Sure!" The gorilla pulled himself out of the way, and Lena wobbled a little as the alcohol hit her bloodstream in a rush. "Woah! That's..." She laughed. "That's good. Let's do this!"

-----

Lena picked at the fish. They'd finally figured out how to make a competitive game at the dart board, but it involved spinning the target, and it hadn't taken too many rounds of that nonsense to bring Blair over full of all-right-all-right-none-of-that. But he'd agreed to let them install a second, spinnable board, later.

"You okay, Lena?" Winston asked.

"Yeh, I'm good." She popped a chip into her mouth, and finished off the third pint. "A little bored, tho', t'be honest."

She looked over at Fareeha and Hana playing at the snooker table, Angela watching from the opposite side, Lena not entirely able to convince herself that she was watching the game and not her. "And a little paranoid. Angie's not taken her eyes off me all night."

"I know what you mean," her friend said, quietly. "I think you're right."

"Not just me, then."

"No. We talked about it earlier, she's ... worried."

"Doesn't trust me anymore, y'mean."

"She trusts you. She just doesn't trust what might've been done to you."

"Yeh," Lena muttered. "Not much difference from this side, though."

"I just wish all this was over," he said, quietly. "Over, and we could go back to normal."

"I wish Wids was here," she said, quietly, staring into her empty glass. I know she's just outside, but it's not the same. "She could be stared at too, and at least it wouldn't be just me."

"I got stared at a lot, when I first landed," he said, sipping at his lager. "Still do, most places. It's not fun."

"No," she agreed, squeezing his hand. "It's not."

-----

"But what're y'gonna do when all this is over?" the MEKA pilot demanded tipsily. "This isn't a game you can play from both sides."

"I dunno - we'll figure it out!" Lena replied, frustration in her voice. "We're still gettin' t'know each other properly, yeah? It'll be fine."

"Lena, please - haven't you thought this out at all?" Angela asked, a little too crisply.

"Course we have, luv - we're gonna buy that condo, live on an island..."

"Lena, please, I am serious! Emily is... how can I put this?"

"She's a psycho killer," interrupted Hana Song, definitely one too many into her cups. "That's what I don't get. I get it with Widowmaker, kinda - she didn't ask to be what she is, you're a sucker for a nice ass, and that is one nice ass. But Oilliphéist did."

"I'm not certain Danielle is so very different, defection or not," Mei-Ling opined, on her third pilsner.

Tracer glared, copper eyes hard. "I thought this was supposed to be a nice night out at the pub, not a fucking intervention."

"It's not an intervention!" Hana huffed. "I just thought maybe you'd've thought his out a bit by now."

"Or at very least," Fareeha noted, "had a plan. You've got to have some kind of plan in place for when this is over. I'm good at plans, I'd be happy to help with..."

"Happy t' help with ganging up on me, apparently."

"That's not fair," Angela retorted. "Yes, we have all wanted to know how you're intending to handle the situation after this one, but I think we have a right to know that, given the people involved."

Lena looked around the table, eyes widening. "This whole thing was a setup, wasn't it?"

"I wouldn't go that far, no," Angela replied, warily. "We've always talked about problems on these nights out."

"Is this another one of your simulations?" Lena snapped, fear in her stomach. "Am I gonna remember this in the morning?"

"Woah, woah, Lena, no!" Winston insisted. "No. I swear to you, no. This is real."

"Is it?!" She spun in place, and her gaze softened, a little. "...Yeh. Okay. I guess I don't really mean that, but..." She rubbed her face with her hands, breathed out raggedly, and put her hands back down on the table.

"I need a mo'. I'm takin' a trip to th' loo. Don't follow me."

As she left, Winston looked back to his tablemates. "Well, that couldn't've gone worse. What were you thinking, ganging up on her like that?"

"She needs to face reality!" Hana insisted. "She needs to deal with it, or we're all in trouble!"

"We are already in trouble," Mei-Ling said, sadly. "But we don't have any choice in it."

"I just wanted to help her analyse the situation tactically," Fareeha said. "I honestly didn't mean any more than that..."

Angela rubbed her temples, frustration in her forehead and eyes. "I should... I should apologise. I should follow..."

"No," the Lunar scientist said, firmly, "you should not."

-----

Lena stepped into the washroom, and into a stall, and sat, shaking, on the commode. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. That was... oh god, that was bloody awful... She pulled some tissue off the roll, and blew her nose into it, hard. What's going on, why are they so... so...

She shuddered, eyes wet. It's all right, Lena. It's all right. Pull yourself together. You've got this. They'll, they'll, after this is over, they'll... understand. Eventually. They have to.

She was about to pull out her padd and bring up the private commlink she and Oilliphéist had set up with Widowmaker, when her phone vibrated. "Cherie," she heard Widowmaker's voice say, "I hate to break into your evening, but..."

"Oh love, you have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice right now."

"Perhaps not. We have had an urgent summons - Moira believes Reyes has discovered our operation, and we need to move quickly."

Tracer blinked her eyes clear, swallowed hard, and smiled broadly, already feeling better. "Some action, then?"

"Yes. The timetable must be advanced. We're to leave at once, and rendezvous with Moira en route to North America. Warn your friends."

"Right! Will do. Where do we meet up?"

"In front of the casino by the airport. You know it?"

"Absolutely. See you in a few minutes."

Tracer stood, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, before exiting the stall. She pulled a sheet of paper towel out of the dispenser, wetted it, patted down her eyes and face, and dried, with a second towel. There, she thought, looking at her copper eyes, famous half-grin spreading across her face. Much better.

-----

Morrison closed the last door behind him, sealing the auxiliary entrance. He nodded to himself, satisfied - no sign of intrusion anywhere, all safe and secure. I'm really looking forward to getting back here, he thought. Oasis is beautiful, but... I just can't trust it.

He brushed off his hands - even a locked-down facility gathered dust - and was about to signal Angela, see if there was still time to catch up, when he saw an all-too-familiar column of smoke coalesce at the foot of the launch pad, next to the Sparrowhawk. He pulled his rifle and aimed as the Reaper appeared, maskless, glare visible in the pad lights, even at range.

Gabriel Reyes dropped his shotguns, dramatically, to either side, and made no move towards the Soldier, who held his fire as his former compatriot raised one arm, slowly, a large, clear photograph of Lena Oxton serving drinks to the wealthy in São Paulo hovering in front of his hand.

"What the fuck," he said, "do you idiots think you have been doing?"

[thelordmontrose-blog]

and when the kingdoms burn \\ a short preview

Hey guys! As some of you know from my Marvel writing blog [@bookybuns​], I’ve written a book! It’s an idea that stemmed from high school, so therefore it is under heavy editing. I’m going to be posting this book on Patreon as I start to edit and rehash chapters and fix this mess, and I’m going to post the first chapter here to give you a little taste of what you would be getting if you did become a patron of mine! Without further ado, though, here is the very first chapter of And When the Kingdoms Burn, written by yours truly. I sincerely hope you enjoy it, and feedback is appreciated!

[this entire first chapter is supposed to be about how all four of them are picked, but i just gave you a glimpse, but not all, of orion’s]

BAVMORDA

glossary: mus - latin for mouse

ORION paces the length of the Great Hall restlessly, the air around him an anxious, buzzing cloud of electricity. His heart thrashes against his rib cage, hands sweaty with dread as he tugs relentlessly at his short, dark curls over and over again. 

“Mus,” Orion looks up at the uttered, furiously loathed nickname, narrowing his eyes at the eldest of his motley siblings. Jory lies tranquilly on one of the benches, brandy-colored eyes trained on his younger brother in contempt. His slow, heavy voice is laden with annoyance as he commands, “Get’a hold of y’self.”

He sounds so much like their mother, ignorant Castiliian accent and all, that Orion couldn’t help but cringe. Nonetheless, he starts traipsing aimlessly around the room again, trying to quell the fear threatening to suffocate him.

“This room is buzzin’ with yer magic, makin’ my hair stand up.” Jory raises an arm to emphasize.  “You’re gonna drive Lena up the wall, and she’s gonna light us all up.”

Orion peaks a glance at his twin sister, noting the white-knuckled grip she had on the bench. Her head is down, nearly between her knees, a shock of white, wild curls obscuring her face. Sitting there silently, she looks like a frail little girl rather than the tumultuous storm the Bavmorda boys knew she could be. 

“Sorry, brother.” Orion takes slow, deep breaths, letting his emotions simmer into something manageable. Her shoulders slacken as he settles, and Jory nods from his spot approvingly.

“Keep it tha’ way, mus.” Jory tells him softly, running a hand through his blonde locks. “Y’know what happens when she gets riled up.”

Things burn to ashes and dust, Orion thinks absentmindedly. Lena winces in response.

A quiet scoff sounds from above. Orion looks up to find the last member of their little unit idling in the air, the air around him shimmering slightly as he picks at the peeling edges of emerald paint on the banister. Westick peers down at his siblings with contempt shining in his eyes, one brilliant blue, one filled with broken constellations.

“If she can’t handle it,” Westick sneers out, “Then, she needs to leave. Her company is unwanted if all that’s going to happen in her presence is destruction.”

Lena raises her head slowly, crimson eyes holding nothing but rage. Westick smiles mockingly, baring his teeth in a sickly sweet manner that looks out of place on his stoic, haughty face. “I’m just telling the truth, Marlena. Pressure is certainly not your forte.”

Orion sees the ghost of a smirk curl at her lips right before the edge of Westick’s pants catches fire. He lets out a high-pitched squeak, batting at his clothes madly. Lena smothers a giggle, smiling bright as Westick glares. 

“You should know not to antagonize her.” Orion shrugs. “It’s what you deserve.”

“Shut your mouth, mus.” Westick snaps, voice a rumbling, angry growl. “No one asked for your input.”

“Settle down, boys.” All four Bavmorda children look up to find their father, the all-knowing Devyn Bavmorda, standing before them in all his aging glory, cane supporting his plump, heavy form. His councilmen, his knights of the round table, stand behind him, somberness painting their expressions. 

Fear starts to creep back up Orion’s spine as he straightens, fighting the urge to kneel submissively at his father’s feet. Jory and Lena slowly stand as Westick hits the ground with an inaudible thud, landing on his feet with feline grace.

“You have come to a consensus.” Westick notes. 

Devyn nods once, eyeing each child in turn before his gaze ultimately lands on Orion. His heart plummets to his feet, stomach churning. 

“No,” Orion whispers. “I can’t.”

A small, dainty hand grabs his. “The Gods have spoken, mus.”

Orion shakes his head almost violently, and only then does he fall at his father’s feet, trembling fingers clutching at his simple tunic. “I’ll die!” Orion cries out. “You know I won’t survive the Ring!

“Get up, Orion.” Devyn orders quietly. “Don’t embarrass yourself like this.”

“This is utterly pathetic.” Westick mutters. 

“Y’know he’s not a fighter.” Jory says. He sounds sad. 

“He’s not like the rest of us.” Lena adds.

Orion does nothing to stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks as he rises shakily, not daring to look at his father as the man places a heavy hand on his shoulder.

“Orion Teller Bavmorda, you are to fight in Calduron’s Ring.” Devyn’s voice is emotionless, too formal for a man sacrificing his youngest son to a blood bath. “You are to make this family proud.”