These are the Moments...

July 3rd, 2008 - Talos

The cool chill of the bay breeze teased over her skin as it wafted around her silent form. Her ebony locks danced in its gentle caress as her soft brown eyes skimmed the dark waters of the bay. The stars still fought to twinkle above the still sleeping city in the late hours of the night, shimmering their pale light across the rippling dark of the bay. In her ear the soft hiss of her mostly silent comm was the only sound aside from the soft howl of the breeze to break the silence. Reports of police locations, ambulances on standby and the like intermittently interrupted the soothing hiss. All around her Talos lay sleeping as she stood beneath the stone shadow of its namesake.

This was and had always been her haven, a place to think, reflect or merely to hide from the stress of her 'family'. Only a select few knew she came here over the years, even fewer knew why. For one reason or another she had always felt safe here in the mighty shadow of the stone giant. The platform she stood on, on its very edge resembled a diamond from the air. Upon reflection that had always amused her the first night she had found this place...yet that alone was not the reason. She had long ago decided exactly why this place was so important to her...

"Because I am an idiot" The Valiant Dazzling Diamond breathed her own answer aloud softly, all around her the gentle waves lapped at the stone foundation. She could hear the far off sounds of garbage trucks and the occasional truck horn. Part of the city never slept, it was some of the reason why she was still awake. She could even hear him approach, his cape flapping in the same early morning breeze off of the bay that teased through her long hair. His boots scuffing the sea worn cement as he landed trying not to disturb her.

"Kar?" he asked quietly approaching the raised step she was on but not quite stepping onto it.

She smiled a little, if there was one thing about Bill, he was overly respectful at times. "You found me"

He shook his head following her gaze out to the bay "Yeah you don't make it easy at times"

She smirked at that "Wanting to be alone negates making one being found like easier Bill"

He turned to look at her "So I'm disturbing..."

"You're fine" She offered a slight but warm smile.

The Hero known as Guardian Star quirked a brow "Are you?"

Her smirk continued "Why William, I am always fine"

"Fine? Just fine? " he shrugged a little "That never used to be your answer. You know, back when we were back in high school"

She let out a long breath "We so are not in high school anymore"

"Point" He countered evenly "but that is a 'Kara-dodge', you know what I meant"

"I'm like dealing with a lot right now William" She said "Kyle has been killed, some sick twisted ex fiance of Miya's is wiping out everyone in Luci's life, the girls were just moved out of the line of fire but because I am so close to Luci that may just keep them targets"

Bill nodded, his eyes returning to the bay as he listened to her go on.

"Red is bottling up an extremely powerful fire goddess inside of her own body that she may or may not have defeated, Ivers is still recovering from her attack, Kimi and Dani are so still trying to recover her son stolen by the Council. Tobias is fighting a major corporation to try and get his memories back of who he once was. Izzy and Mae are playing round robin with craziness, Arraz is a tortured mess, oh and lets so not forget Izzy's clone"

Bill winced at the clone, since it was he who discovered it "Yeah...I.." he stammered a bit "Well that was sorta new and unexpected for me..."

Interrupting she continued "We have a meta serial killer on the loose along with dealing with Miya's ex that may have killed Ms. Fury too, not to mention having almost killed Ivers....and MAGI now telling me Raven is trapped in another dimension and is in desperate need for help....all of this hitting at once"

Bill sighed as he tried to keep all of the names straight. "Yeah but Kar..." he tried softly "You need..."

"What? So I do what I've always done, I take care of what I can, help where I can and look after my 'fam' as much as I can" she interrupted again.

Bill shook his head "You know, I think Luci is right kiddo...you need a break. Go out and have a good time or something....maybe I dunno try dating, being social I mean jeesh Kar"

Her eyes returned out to the bay, a gentle flinch flickered over her features. "I'm fine William"

Noting her reaction he sighed "Sit, Kar tell me that you still aren't pining after this guy are you?"

She let a dry chuckle slip from her lips at his 'pining' comment and she shook her head "You so totally don't understand Bill...let /that/ go, please" it occurred to her however how just much she hadn't discussed with him now.

Bill shook his head "No! I mean it Kar, come on, what it's been what? Two years now?...you have to come to grips with this I think" he pressed more "I mean you haven't heard from him in two years"

She sighed a long breath, the chill of the breeze caused a slight shiver with her fields down. "Three months"

He blinked and looked directly at her now "What?"

"It's been two months and don't worry William, I was dumped I think" she said softly in a tight voice. Her eyes never leaving the water. "Maybe it's best described as 'let go' so I'm not hurt" She shrugged "I dunno"

"What...wait I thought you two were already broken up or something.." He asked, really confused now. "I mean that is the general gist of this topic I get from the others. I'm still basically clueless, for some reason its like a toxic discussion from them. It gets awkward whenever your personal life gets brought up"

"I so don't talk about it" she shrugged "I listen better I guess..."

"Okay so how does one go about getting dumped two years after being dumped?" Bill asked lightly in an attempt to at least get her to smile.

She smirked "One doesn't, if it didn't happened like that..." She sighed, her voice tight then she looked back at him over her shoulder "You so aren't gonna let this go are you??"

"Nope" He said with a slight grin "Even if you need to just be general, let's have it Kar. I need to understand this if I am to help any."

"All right..general eh? " Her eyes returned to the dark waters as she began "We met at a really bad time for me, when I first came to NPI and it was wonderful for the most part. I was in a lot of pain and this person always had a way of making me feel special without ever making a demand from me. I felt safe instantly around them, it was just a bond I guess....special for me. " she sighed once more "We were even engaged to be married...though more than a few doubted it would happen"

"Why?" He asked somewhat surprised at this revelation. He pulled his comm out of his ear so he could give his friend all of the attention she needed, he let it hand down along his neck as he listened to her.

She shrugged "Age, wisdom perhaps. " she sighed "We were young and stupid I guess...as I keep telling you William I am an /idiot/ when it comes to things like this, you just don't seem to want to see this"

"So what happened then" He asked his tone softening a bit, curiosity about his friend now taking over.

"We drifted apart, for various reasons, it was no one's fault really. " she sighed her voice tightening a little " we separated, we both agreed to it. I guess before we started to hate one another or even get mad..I dunno. " she closed her eyes "I guess I tried to do then, what you and Luci and a few others are suggesting I do now. To meet others and to 'date' .." She drew a breath "To be all social like, More than a few it seems were interested...some, It felt were just waiting to see us apart. Well for a few months I sorta just floated around. I saw some people here and there was asked out to dinners and such...but none of it ever felt the same...in most cases it felt like I was almost being won like a trophy. Not all mind you, save for one or two, well like one in particular... " She almost whispered the next "At least two or three have become closer to me then any...just..."

Bill frowned a little at that. "No names eh? Well I guess I did ask for this to be general"

Ignoring his comment she pressed on "Oh then my biggest screw up ever...my greatest regret.." She added darkly "You see within this time frame this person came back to us, and things started to feel right for me again...but right out of the blue I was asked a question during a game of truth or dare....a question I utterly froze on...not wanting to hurt this person by being selfish I froze and before I could answer the game ended..."

"What was the question?" he frowned a little more.

"Would I, if I was able...go back and start again" she swallowed tightly "I wanted to stand up and scream 'Yes' so loudly the pillars of Heaven would shake...but I remembered why we had separated and I wasn't really sure how serious of a question it was...you see the question had come from my ex...and I totally froze..." She closed her eyes "It was the most regrettable mistake I ever made. Especially in light of what happened next.."

"Kar...one moment..one screw up...isn't enough to...." Bill tried softly then blinked "What happened next?"

"You see, I wasn't aware of it at the time, but despite having told a few friends why I was stuck in a social rut...the reason why I was having trouble committing to dating anyone regularly was the basic fact I was still very much in love...However, the going rumors that my Ex kept hearing was I had been dating and was happy and had moved on, so that is exactly what my Ex thought I wanted. A few even told this person directly to get out of my life and let me be happy...." she clenched her fists tightly "All without my knowledge Bill....I didn't know"

"[censored]" he muttered "That had to be rough...so the guy began to date too?"

"Something like that" She sighed shivering in the breeze "One of those friends who I had confided in about I how I still felt was the one my Ex began to date...I wasn't prepared for it. They had become close friends but I thought I had been the only one really to stay in touch with my Ex during their hospital stay...upon returning to Paragon...my Ex and my friend began to date despite what my friend knew..." She sighed painfully "To make a long story short..I stayed away...I stayed a friend..no matter how hard it was. Somewhere in this mess we started to grow close again....or so I thought. I guess in time they stopped seeing each other..." she trailed off "I never asked...."

"And this friend of yours?" Bill asked gently

"No longer friends..." she closed her eyes once more tightly "I couldn't trust her again....she knew and I got hurt badly...in all fairness she wanted to heal the rift..all I could offer was a total clean slate...but nothing ever came of it"

"and your Ex?" Bill asked then.

"We stayed really close all the way up through the holidays, spending them togeth " she sighed "I guess I had hopes still...our last real time togeth before their next trip to the hospital was really very special to me...the Christmas before last."

Bill nodded

"After that it was a few trips down there to New York that I could manage, what with getting someone to watch Phil and well dealing with stuff for the Templars..." She paused then added "Later with the Rikti and like everything hitting here and...well the whole World Invasion thing" she sighed "After they left the hospital I got a message here or there...the last one telling me though, They miss me and wish to see my smile again....I was not to wait...I was to move on I guess" she shook her head again

"The hospital ....it is your ex you are doing all of that work for Jenny Firkins?"

She nodded "Yep"

Bill sighed and slowly shook his head "I didn't know....well I didn't know a lot it seems" He looked at her "So then..What are you going to do?"

"...Go home now" She almost whispered, it seemed.

"What?" a look of surprise washed over his face, "You are leaving Paragon? You can't be seri..."

She turned and walked over not really looking at him "Go home William, don't keep Patti waiting"

"Wait..I thought..What I meant was" he began as a call was repeated over their PPD frequency, He could barely hear it as it broadcast out of the little ear piece on his dangling comm.

A call he had missed just a moment ago it seemed. He quickly struggled to replace his comm and heard...

" ..at 30.........Repeat : All units in the vincinity of Peregrine East Docks...Malta unit hold up in Drucker's Warehouse, Pier 3...Meta support request...Malta strength estimated at 30"

"PPD This is Diamond, Meta Support enroute, Hero in charge upon arrival" She said to the comm before turning her eyes up to meet his gaze "I've got this" she added softly "Go home."

"Kar..."

"PPD acknowledges Diamond, ...All units, all Units Pier 3 vicinity, Meta Support enroute your position"

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek gently "Go home to her, you goof....I'm fine"

He smirked but nodded as she took flight and headed off, eventually disappearing into the night sky over the ferry heading towards the small island.

As he stood there he could hear the soft lapping of the gentle waves at the strong foundation of the statue of the fallen Hero. Before heading back home Bill listened intently to ensure PPD and Longbow had her covered as she went in to face the Malta and to see justice was served yet again. Satisfied, he took to the night sky and headed off home as the morning sun already threatened the dark of night with its orange hue on the horizon.

Below him a city began to awaken and he had someone waiting for him.

July 5th, 2008 - Steel Canyon

It's been far too long, she thought as she moved through the night sky above the vast city below.

Kara landed atop the roof of the old Gothic style building in Steel Canyon. Around her and below lay a sleeping city, soft lights burned a gentle yellow hue along the dark faces of of the tall skyscrapers that rose above her, here and there they remained lit, awaiting the city to reawaken. She gingerly moved around the old rattling air conditioning units and dirty encrusted skylights to the roof's 'locked' access door and stepped down into the dark stairway. She walked soundlessly down the quiet shadow filled hallway to the entrance of her friend Katherine's dance studio, using her keys she opened the door with a soft creak and stepped within.

She looked around, it had almost it seemed been forever since she had been here, alone at night. Since moving out of their Steel Canyon penthouse and into the new house in New Overbrook, she had in fact become a little spoiled. Luci's Poppa had a small dance studio built into the house to her specifications and she had been working out there now and again. She paused before the hardwood surface of the studio floor and looked around. She, Phil and Katerina had to move out of the house in Faultline for the girl's own safety. Luci's fiance's ex was on a vicious killing spree, Luci couldn't have the girls in the line of fire and Kara had readily agreed. Moving to an old apartment converted to a townhouse/condo back in Steel Canyon, Kara spent most of the week settling in the girls to their new home. Kara herself was just settling in as well, it was odd to have a place of her own now. Rent was not an issue, between her endorsement deal and the silly toy line from long ago adding to her quite adequate teacher's salary, Kara was sure the girls and she were more than fine.

Yet something had called her here to dance tonight. It had been so long since she had come here. She knew Katherine wouldn't mind, anything she knew that would get Kara to dance again.

She had missed the feel of a real studio, the wall of mirrors with the long worn wooden bar. The smooth brown hardwood surface of the old over polished floor lit up by the moon light that shown through the high french style windows that looked out across 9th avenue. She allowed a small smile to slip across her features as she took it all in. Her long mane of black hair was already tied up secure in a tight bun, she wore a long dark coat with her workout bag slung over a shoulder. She carried her portable disk player over to Katherine's desk and set it down. She sighed a little nervous, it had been so long it seemed, aside from dancing for Arraz to show him what style she danced, that she had the chance to be alone on a dance floor.

Pulling out the simple chalk from her coat pocket she then selected a disk that contained one of her usual mixed programs that she had long ago chosen and edited herself. She fed the disk into her portable player, then suddenly self conscious and shy about her dance for the first time in years, she dropped her jacket to the floor of the studio right beside her bag and took a deep breath. With a flick of her wrist she dropped the twin sticks of white chalk to the floor, smashing it with one sharp stomp of her slipper-ed foot before carefully toeing the fine powder with first one slipper then the other. Stretching her arms and rolling out her shoulders she moved to the mirrored wall to begin her bar exercises. She groaned at the difficulty of almost forgotten movements and stretches. Even though her body was often reset by her abilities, it had been so long since she had danced, mentally she now felt stiff and ill prepared. She bent and twisted her well muscled body as she left her right foot, toe pointed, hanging high on the bar. Her back arched with a quiet grace as she pushed her limits to once more find herself for the music, her arm poised high behind her head as she bent backwards at an almost impossible angle. Amazed and amused to see she still possessed her dancer's limberness. Her confidence once more began to grow with each labored stretch,

The exotic melodies of the lovely theme entitled the "Young Prince and Princess" from Scheherazade soon filled the room, pulling her from the bar to glide elegantly to the middle of the studio's floor. Her body flowed with a natural style and grace through her choreographed dance as if she had never stopped. With a natural ease her gentle pirouettes and grand jete's swept her across the smooth hardwood floor with the soft grace of a whisper on the wind. Yet she grew frustrated, she was never one for a set step when she soloed. Kara felt the desire she always felt to let go and 'soar' with her dance. The beauty of the music seemed to once more flow into her, dance and song became one as she discarded the set program and spun up on her toes to begin to lose herself in the music.

To once more allow it to carry her away.

The music changed as she twirled in the soft moonlight that illuminated that part of the darkened studio floor, with the symphony change from Rimsky-Korsako to Richard Rodgers. Her body twirled as she smoothly translated the sweeping tango of 'Beneath the Southern Cross' into a magnificent adagio performance of classical ballet. She twisted and twirled as she leaped across the floor, one jete a jete to another, landing delicately on her toes to spin happily about, her long obsidian mane held firm in the tight bun she had trapped it in. Her skin sparkled softly now in the cascading moonlight as she began to gently perspire. Her eyes closed as she heard and felt nothing but the music that surrounded her, embracing her form as she gave herself over to her dance completely now.

She smiled almost overjoyed at her next selection. The more challenging piece was a a much more difficult electronic jazz piece by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Her body launched into a wild, gay explosion of allegro as she shifted from her more classical dance style to an almost brilliant improvisational, she twirled and spun, long toned legs carrying her gracefully, almost flying high atop her pointed toes, across the studio floor. Sweeping her arms about her whirling body before spinning up into a fast series of very tight pirouettes. Spinning wildly she turned an almost impossible number of revolutions as she cried out happily as she became one with her challenge. Accepting, embracing the music she had become.

As Lissa once described she had become 'dance', and her spirit now released, soared.

Bounding and darting across the floor, she felt some of the stress begin to slip from her, the worry and the fear, the encompassing feeling of isolation and loneliness melted away as she was for now, no longer a heroine of the city, a mother nor a leader. A friend in need nor a confident, she was nothing more right now as she spun and twirled with such a lovely grace, than a pure expression of the music that filled the studio. It guided her spirit, her soul as she became one with it, her dance was one of near perfection now as she turned and undulated blending styles at will.

A never ending dance of joy... a spirit released.

The very last choice of her return performance tonight was yet again another stylistic shift. She laughed happily as the music of Belinda Carlisle's old rock pop hit 'Valentine' began. Her dance ramped up and she glided perfectly into a wild yet graceful expression as she accepted the challenge of the new driving, elemental edge of the music that so tightly embraced her. She spun wildly across the shiny hardwood surface of the floor as she danced, her arms curving around her gyrating body with the soft grace of the wings of a swan, rising up above her head as she rose to a perfect en point and held it there in the bathing soft light of the moon. Her body held there, silhouetted, arms arched high above her head as the piece reached its conclusion. With soft sigh she dropped to the floor as the music ended with the grace of fallen silk as she dropped into a perfect ballet reverence, as if she were gratefully acknowledging a vast audience of a grand hall rather than the quiet shadows of a darkened studio in the middle of the night.

She held her position for a few long moments as she fought to catch her breath, the sound of her breathing filling the now silent studio. She rose after a fashion and walked over to her bag, slipping down to her knees she fell back to rest upon her calves. She reached for her towel and lightly dabbed away her perspiration as she sipped from a small bottle of Sprite. A soft repeating hum continued from her bag and she smirked as she reached for its source. She opened her cell phone to see the text message awaiting her.

'Kat still hears creaks....Please come home?'

She read the message again and wondered how many creaks Phil was hearing too as she began to type in her response to her daughter. Both had been excited about moving into their new apartment and yet excitement also breeds nervousness in little girls. Kara giggled softly to herself as she also knew nervousness fueled imaginations like nothing else and the little pair had incredibly deep imaginations.

"On the way, love Mom' was soon sent, hurried response as she began to pack up. However she couldn't resist adding 'Why still up?' as the nagging pull of her maternal side forced her to look at the time on her phone.

She then stood and slipped her jacket back on, once more shouldering her bag as her phone chirped a response. She turned it over as she released her mane to allow it to once more fall down softly about her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it scratching and shaking it out as she read....

"Creaks"

She smiled warmly, already knowing her alone time was once more over as she typed "Coming home to investigate 'creaks' tell Kat no throwing furniture at it. '

"K, hurry"

She locked up and headed up to the roof. Stopping only long enough to secure the rickety roof access door, she lifted herself up and into the night sky. Heading off towards home she paused and descended on a lonely 7-11. Dealing with 'creaks' was often stressful, she knew. Chuckling she bought some ice cream and cookies before heading off to do battle with the nerves that being in a new place often wrought. Such things was dealt with meant some pigging out, cuddled in front of the TV under a blanket on the couch and a good Disney Movie.

"Mulan tonight" Kara smiled to herself and nodded, since the film was one of her favorites too.

There would be no patrolling tonight, for a while now she guessed. She was needed at home for now, pure Mommy stuff, which was as she knew was more important than battling any army of Malta creeps. Stepping up into the night she headed off for home...

To help the good fight against things that go 'creak' in the night.

August 1st, 2008 - Steel Canyon


...I'm cold.

She shivered as she felt the soft warmth flow over her hands as she clutched them to her stomach. The contrast to the warmth of her damaged belly as she held tightly clashed with the icy shivers that began to ripple through her collapsed form. Her skin grew pale as she lay across the unforgiving cold asphalt. Around her she was aware that the fight had continued, she tried so hard to stand, to return to the fight.

Yet her body simply would not respond.

She knew intellectually how badly she was hurt, how much muscle had been severed by the quick vicious slash of the katana. She had dropped to the street like a discarded marionette. She was so cold. She could feel her life ebb away into darkness. She had been hurt so many times, beaten, blasted, scorched and seared, but never so badly.

Kara knew she was going to die.

What better way to die than for the people you love? She tried to console herself with this thought.

Luci and Miya had been in the fight of their lives with the blood thirsty killer who once had been Miya's fiance. The woman was lethal and dangerous, perhaps the most dangerous person they had ever faced. She went into battle without question, fighting for them as she would for any Templar.

Kara always knew in the back of her mind one day fighting out here, taking a stand for justice that she might die. On some level she always knew, and at times welcomed , if not had begged for it. She never truly showed it, to love at times for her was often more difficult that dying.

Now, She's not sure if she cares, not anymore.

In her mind's eye she reflected back, she has done so many things wrong and wanted to do so much more. She hurt Rhu, Rhu hurt her. She hurt her dearest friends and at times they have hurt her. Yet she had come to Luci's call for help without question, she was needed and arrived as she always did. She had no choice, she would have done this for any of them. The Templars, The former students of NPI, they’re her family and the only people she loves in the universe, and they’re the only people who love her.

She values them,their trust and love. She would willing die for any one of them to be safe, it was all she had to offer them. She believed in them and what they all stood for, even knowing they all did not get along.

She loved everyone of them, the ones that took her in, kept her safe during her most dark and painful early days. The ones she had help find their way as well and those that had stood beside her over the years without question themselves.

What better way to die than doing something you believe in?

So cold now, She shivered.

Rhu...

Her fleeting thoughts are more worry and pain. What about Philomela, who will look after her? Who will have to be the one to tell her daughter what happened to her mother. How can little Phil deal with such loss again.

It wasn't fair, she tightened her fists in frustration and anger and shuddered as waves of numbing pained lanced through her wound. She clenched her jaw and trembles more as she feels the chill flow over her like a blanket of ice. Her world is dimming, fading. Voices and sirens around her sound like distant echoes. She hears the words emergency teleporter, Critical injuries and her name being called.

They have no meaning to her any longer. Numb and detached now.

Everything is so cold and far away.

She closed her eyes, desperate to find something to hold on to, the smile of a child learning to trust once more, the jingling of little clown bells. The boyish yet earnest smile of a former love, The impish laugh of a brother and the comfortable feel of a deeply needed empathic link to someone so close to her. The excited voice and boldness of her best friend and the soothing look of warmth and comfort from a pair of eyes beneath soft blond hair...

So cold...

I just need to catch my breath, she thought. I'll fight my way back in just a few moments, I need to catch my breath....

Then I'll fight...

So very cold, She thought as the never ending darkness rose up and slipped around her in it's final embrace...

August 3rd, 2008 - Steel Canyon


...Pain

Like little daggers of steel pressing deeply into her belly each time she tried to move. Each time she had shifted or tried to readjust on the couch in her living room, to reach for the remote or even her glass of now warm flat sprite.

It had seemed all as a blur to her now, the fight, the horrible slash across her midsection that had brought her down. She shivered as she still remembered the quick flash of the blade through her body, the chill of the cold blade as it ripped through her.

She had awaken under guard at the hospital, a very stern and very professional friend of Deliah and Carmen's, a serious woman who now stood guard over Miya as she still laying in quarantine. Her body still ravaged by the flesh eating bacteria.

She had cooperated at once with the police, the Corps and Longbow telling them just who it was who had fought them. How valiantly Luci and Miya had tried to hold off Miya's ex. How fast how lethal and more to the point she had stressed to them just how dangerous this ex demon hunter had become with her blood magic.

She then listened to the doctors explain to her just how 'lucky' she had been, her mutation had saved her life. Her body's ability to reset itself as she regenerated her energy had all but removed the extensive damage done to her. They said it was by pure luck, or her own will that she had held on just long enough for the 'reset' to kick in.

Lucky...

The doctors had even gone on to explain that within a few days there would be little trace of the injury at all. However she would be in a great deal of pain that should in time subside with each incremental reset of her body. The very mutation that kept her trapped physically in her physical state since the day it emerged had saved her life.

Relief had set in for her when she had heard Miya had not been killed, followed by frustration at her current state and the grim news Luci had been kidnapped by Tomi. Kara sighed and gritted her teeth only nodding when she was told Nyah had survived unscathed. She found herself wondering where had Nyah's healing abilities gone during the fight.

She had tried to remember all she could of her night stay in the ICU ward. She had blurry half remembered images of Izzy sitting vigil, of Mae? She thought she remembered hearing Bill's voice talking to RJ, and something about renewed attacks...

Her darkened thoughts were soon chased as Bill and Lexus ushered in two balls of worry and smiles. Little Katerina and Phil charged to the bed as she sat up to hug each in turn, letting them know she was still here and would be home soon....

Home soon...

Indeed she was, released and send home since her she had little injury to be treated by the hospital. The girls after seeing her home with Bill and Patti were returned to Luci's parents house to keep them safe for now.

She sighed as she rose from the couch and stiffly made her way to the window as a far off all clear siren sounded through out Steel Canyon. Her apartment lights flickered, a power surge as the War Walls snapped back to life.

"The Rikti..." She snarled quietly to herself.

Patti had left with Bill, once they were sure she would safe and getting her rest. She knew why Bill had left, it was the same pull that was calling her off of the couch. The city was once more under attack...

Her best friend was missing...

He was needed out there tonight...

She drew a sharp breath and winced at the pain the rippled across her belly. She placed her hands over the tender area and took smaller breaths. Trying to ride out the spasms of pain.

"Damn it.."

Kara turned and stumbled back to the couch, her eyes now glued to the news reports and updates of the most recent attacks across the city.

....as I said Susan the fire is not yet under control, fire units are only now being allowed to respond...

...That is right as you can see clustered behind me is the remnants of the stand Heroes made here in Talos...

...Paramedics are on site to help treat those the Defenders and the Emergency Teleport System were unable to reach....

Once more Vanguard and Air Force Representatives are verifying the skies are clear of Rikti dropships...for now that is Paula...reports of a dropship down over Peregrine have not yet been confirmed however....

Somehow she had to find a way to get out there, she was helping no one laying up in here. Luci was counting on her...her family was. She took a step towards her phone to call Vanguard and attempt to get herself placed on their active status roster, only to double over and land across the couch again. She shuddered as again she was forced to deal with the sharp pains that burned deeply into her belly.

She dragged herself up to a semi comfortable sitting position and drew her legs up beside of her. She brought a fist down onto the arm of the couch in frustration.

"Damn it"

Somehow...they were counting on her.

October 6th, 2008 - PPD 27th Precinct, Skyway


It had been a quiet night in the Precincts squad room tonight, Kara mused as she helped herself to a cup of coffee. She had accepted Bill's invitation to patrol tonight now that the Rikti's most recent offensive had been stopped.

Things in Skyway were simply routine tonight, the Trolls and the Lost, like most of the citizens of Paragon seemed to be just content to enjoy a peaceful night for a change. Diamond smiled as she stirred the dissolving sugar into her mug as she returned to the desk she often occupied in the old station house whenever she stopped by to help.

Well, she thought to herself, Quiet nights have their own way of turning out to be fun.

As she settled atop the old creaky desk, she crossed her long legs and allowed her gaze to sweep around the small office. The soft sounds of the rain thudded just beyond the window already adding a soft atmosphere of lazy gloom to lace her companions boredom.

To her left Bill, the Templar known as Guardian Star leaned back on his chair, white booted feet on his desk, eyes closed. He seemed unaware of her gazes and those gazes of Nancy and her boy friend Kevin. Psywarp, as Kevin was registered as was happy at the moment. As he was the newest of the four he was often teased and humiliated whenever the other three got bored. His friends knew he was a good sport and Kevin gave back as good as he got.

Tonight however, he seemed to be spared and used the welcome silence to get onto a website he’d never dared to go on at work before.
He only meant it to be brief.

Sapphire Rose, noticing her boyfriend’s preoccupation, tilted her head slightly, and narrowed her eyes. Nancy's intuition told her that he was doing something worth teasing about, but decided to leave him alone. She knew about the need for privacy, a concept Bill and occasionally Kara had never grasped. Not that her friends had ever forgotten such a thing out of malice, actually in most respects it was just the opposite, especially in her friendship with Kara. Her curiosity tonight, however, was growing.

The phone on Kevin’s desk rang, breaking the silence. After a few minutes of soft conversation, the young hero hung up and shut down his computer, before hurrying out without a word. Leaving just Kara, the semi snoring Bill and herself left. Carefully, and treading lightly, she walked over and settled at Kevin’s desk, turning the computer back on.

Kara quirked a brow as her eyes followed Nancy. She took a soft sip of her coffee, enjoying the warm sensation despite the quasi awful taste of the stale blend.

Nancy frowned as the screen came to life. It was password protected. She hissed in annoyance, and reached to turn the computer back off, but jumped up as a hand touched her shoulder. Spinning around, she gasped as she became only millimeters away from Bill.

He grinned at her response, before reaching down to the keyboard and swiftly typing in the password. “Now, why would you want to access Big K's computer?” he asked her as she sat back down on Kevin's old office chair, breathing deeper than before.

When she didn’t reply, he pouted teasing her, “Nancy, why don’t you want to tell me?” To Kara "Could it be she doesn't trust her little 'squirrel' "

Nancy gasped "How could you know that I call...." she snapped her jaw shut and looked over pleadingly to Kara "Kara....call him off before I kill him"

Kara took another sip and blinked innocently "William....behave now " she her grin spread softly across her lips "Before she kills you"

Bill held his hands up in a mild protest "Hey hey hey No kill ...I was just wondering why she was snooping"

Nancy frowned as she fiddled with the keyboard "I am not snooping "

Kara smirked and shook her head "Right it so isn't snooping" she chided Bill "Besides you yourself cant be trusted"

Bill blinked unsure how this was so quickly turning on him "Me? Why can't I be trusted?"

"Well ..." Kara found she couldn't resist " For one thing you are a guy.."

“Definitely and Two because you know his password, so can’t be trusted.” Nancy replied snippy, still on edge, as she opened up the Internet. Just as she pressed the button to open the ‘Site History’ panel, another voice rang out.

“What are you two doing at my computer?” Kevin yelped in alarm, panic clearly written across his features.

Nancy leapt up from his desk immediately, “Oh! Hey Squi..." she barely stopped herself steadfastly refusing to turn around to catch Bill's smirk at her term. " Um Kev...My Internet connection died, and I really needed to check something.” She openly lied as she walked towards him.

Bill, Kara noted, stayed where he was, eying the screen with smug surprise. She watched as he clicked the top link on the panel, and then watched with a growing amusement herself as he grin widened to the point of wickedness.

Kevin and Nancy realised instantly that the other man had found something embarrassing, and Nancy, deciding to do the right thing for her man, as well as to cover up for her own crimes, grabbed Bill’s arm and twisted it before pulling him away, deciding to not look at the screen.

As soon as she loosened her grip, Tony walked off, back to his desk. A swagger and a smirk to his step as he silent cackled to Kara, who could only meet such a attitude with a look of mild amused confusion and curiosity.

“I’m doomed,” muttered Kevin before he closed the window, “About that site-“ he tried desperately to explain to Bill.

“Tim,” Nancy tried to interject firmly, “ I honestly don’t care what was on it baby.”

“You might as well hear it from me guys," Keven began speaking to the three other heroes "but please, don’t tell anyone… Not that it makes a difference.”

Kara intrigued now nodded "Um..sure We so won't Kevin..." Raising a brow "Sooo what is the site?"

Bill chuckled "Oh its a doozy"

Nancy spun to glare at Bill "Hush now...I am sure it isn't that bad"

Her boyfriend sighed “I run… A beauty advice web page.” He bit his lip as he said that.

Kara instantly covered her rapidly growing grin with her free hand as Bill leaned back once more in his chair. He stretched his arms out to clasp his hands behind his head as he lifted his boots to lay them across his desk once more. His grin was broad and smug now.

Oh yes, he thought. The smell of blood is in the water now.

Nancy’s eyebrows shot up, and she gaped at her man, “That wasn’t what I…” she trailed off into a stunned silence, before awareness sparked in her eyes, and she shrieked in horrified realisation.

“You’re ‘Smooth-Skin Kaye'?!....Kaye as in /K/?!!....for KEVIN’?!!!”

Yep, Kara thought as she sipped from her mug once more. Quiet nights sure can be fun too.

October 14th, 2008 - Talos Island


She was alone...finally.

The sound of the pounding waterfall that cascaded before her drown out the far off sounds of the city that so often beckoned to her. Her emerald eyes opened like morning glories, taking in the falling stream of water, watching the dancing mists of water vapor be swept into an almost ethereal dance around the small cove. The chilling breeze of the on setting autumn would of chilled her exposed skin had been able to feel such things any more.

Regrets.

She closed her eyes as that word danced through her mind, taunting her in the darkness. They come at you when you least expect them, she thought nibbling at your subconscious, summoning memories you thought you’d buried long before. She sighed as she reflected, thus far, her list of regrets was far much longer than she would've preferred.

She drew a deep breath, letting her fields drop from her white clad form. The biting chill of the cool mist and night breeze from the surrounding bay was finally able to bite at her skin as goose pimples arose across her smooth flesh.

Things you wish you hadn’t done, things you wish you had done, she thought bitterly. There is always that /one/, She knew.

That one regret that makes all the others pale in comparison.

Sure, she accepted She had made her share of mistakes, everyone does. Just like she was deeply aware she would make more; there was still many years of living ahead of her.

So many years left of fighting, seeing that each night you may be able to prevent at least one person from suffering even a moment of what she herself had.

She reached up, her white gloved fingers lightly closed around the mall gold locket hanging between her breasts. Gingerly they caressed it as if it was a holy relic as she remembered. Her one true one regret, the one that haunts her. The very one that so often found her at night as she she lay alone in the dark.

She has so often thought to herself, remembering with dread at her reaction. The dread that gripes her heart still as she remembers how she froze. Unbelieving that such an opportunity had once more arisen. A chance to let her heart dance just once more, safe and embraced, protected and as one. She thinks bitterly remembering as before she had found her voice the others had spoken. Her moment had passed, the one who sought for her had misunderstood. Her eyes closed again, the memory of what had followed and the distance and pain that came with washed over her again.

Do such moments ever come again? Will there ever be hope?

She never dares to truly hope, yet here she remains. She reminds herself that so much time has come and gone, slipping past her as a musical piece that has moved beyond her performance. She finds herself alone on the darkened dance floor of her memories, wondering what happened to the time, what happened to her life.

Looking back, suddenly she feels very old.

This life has been hard. Nights of constant struggle for others, battle after battle against the selfish, the power mad, psychotics with dreams of conquest or just brutal bullies, countless injuries....most of it facing alone so the others do not have too.

Kara sighed as the breeze carried the watery mist over her form once more as she knelt there in the moonlight before the grand water fall. She knew and has known all along, it takes its toll on a person.

No matter how strong you are, a person will eventually break down.

It’s crazy, she knew this. Her mother had once told her that a person 'dances through thier life, existing', experiencing'. Granted it is no dull existence, this she knew with certainty. Many people have envied her, her life as a heroine of the city, the wonderful and amazing things she sees and faces on a daily basis.

She grimaced, for the fact is, she doesn’t envy herself. Sure, this place has made even her wildest dreams come true, She has even made it into space, walked on different worlds! Nothing on Earth or her whole life had prepared her for the rush of walking through the shimmering event horizon one of Portal's grand machines to discover new worlds and new people.

Fighting for them as well, and ultimately defending her world from the threats that had been discovered there.

Are you happy? She sighed, remembering her father's final question. She had allowed him to meet Phil, allowed him to meet his Granddaughter. Yet of all of the final rotten things he could've asked her as he left.

"Are you happy Kitten?"

She would've thought she would be—she should be. After this brief moment of shameless self reflection she was off to yet another Vanguard briefing, the another night of patrol's at Swan's suggestion. More missions, more exciting and dangerous adventures.

Yet....there was the void, an vast absence each time she stepped through the glistening event horizon or flew up into the night sky for a night of patrols, an absence that’s there as she fights or flees her attackers. An absence that no matter what good is done by the night's end., no matter how many she saves or cares for amongst her 'new family...is alway there.

She looked up to the falling loveliness of the never ending flow of water and sighed. Her comm buzzed insistingly as she could already feel the tug at her heart, a tug that she knew she could not refuse.

Someone, somewhere needed help. She would not refuse of course, it was not in her nature to do so. She allowed herself one last moment of reflection as she clutched her locket tightly.

No, she thought. She was not happy, not really.

She was fine though...

... as always

November 20th, 2008 - Skyway City


Guardian Star had taken the creaking metal stairs up to the roof of the old precinct by twos, his enthusiasm reflected clearly in his body language. He had a good day, he and his team had finally broken a case and had caught a serial killer from the Rogue Isles they had been targeting for weeks now. Now, Bill wanted to share the good news with Kara in person.

The cool new England breeze whipped across the crumbling rooftop as he stepped out of the door and into the cold late fall night. The city lights of Skyway shown through the large cement pillars that surrounded the old station house and held the interstate that ran through the city high above his head. The soft distant buzz of traffic added to the distant symphony of a city that didn't ever seem to rest.

His gaze fell on his friend's dark silhouette over on the far side of the building, her new dark costume blending in almost perfectly with the darkness and shadows that surrounded her.

Her stylized black and white cape fluttered idly behind her as she stood gazing out across the zone, arms folded tightly around her chest, her hair lightly wafting in the wind. It appeared that she hadn’t noticed him approach or that she was ignoring him; either was possible. Bill looked at her with faint amusement as he watched the raven haired heroine before him. She moved her neck in slow circles, from side to side to ease apparent tension in her muscles.

“William!” She announced in surprised when she sensed another presence in the room with her. Her form grew tense and he thought he saw her flinch as this obviously confirmed his earlier suspicion that she hadn’t noticed he was there. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not, it could mean she was that relaxed around him, that was if he allowed himself that much hope. Recently his childhood friend had seemed distant since the invasion.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” A grin spread its way across his lips making her scowl at him. "I don't know, you seem to be having these 'private times' of yours more and more these days.."

“Ye-AH, and I totally see you so barged in on one…yet again.” She knew that her authoritative tone of voice didn’t work with him but she opted for it anyway, trying not to show how much she enjoyed Bill's little interruptions.

Bill abandoned his position leaning on the old dented air conditioning unit and crossed over to where she was standing, completely ignoring her 'teacher voice'.

“Tough day then?” He asked, his voice softer now.

Kara nodded, wincing as she jarred the muscles in her neck again.

“Well here is some news then Kar, we solved the Star Burner case.” He told her in an attempt to cheer her up, He knew it would work as a temporary solution.

Diamond smiled. “Good work, Bill.” she sighed looking back out to the night cityscape. "Everyone like make it back to the barn then tonight?" she held her breath as she waited.

“Yep, all agents accounted four though four of them went through Mediport, they are all stable. Kevin and Nancy are both fine, I think they've both taken off for the night and gone back to her place..” Bill smiled too but Kara looked pained now. "Kar? Are you okay?” He asked, concern for her flooding his voice and his clear brown eyes.

She managed a weak smile as the wind carried her black silk like hair across her face. “Do you like know what I could use right now?”

“I dread to think.” He smirked as he noted she had all but ignored his question, he nodded instead. “Go ahead.”

“I /so/ really need one of your hugs.” She said, her cheeks deepening a little in color as the words slipped out of her mouth.

Bill smiled a little, moving so that he was standing directly in front of her. He wrapped his arms securely around her athletic frame, pulling her close to him. Kara let out a low sigh as she let Bill envelope her in the embrace. She fought the instant sense of revulsion of being this close physically to someone as she rested her head against the soft fabric of his costume. She closed her eyes and imagined the two of them anywhere but here atop the high roof, enjoying the safety of his embrace. She knew it was wrong to think about him like this, although her friend he was also seeing another of her friends, yet she did miss his hugs.

Slowly, with regret building up inside of her, Kara freed herself from her friend's strong arms. “Thanks William.” She smiled softly.

Bill smiled and pressed a gentle kiss across her cheek and stepped back. “Anytime, Kar.” He added, giving her one last smile before leaving her side without another word to give her back her 'Private Time'.

Kara returned her gaze to the far off lights and in her mind she rewound the last few minutes. She could smell his familiar scent as she wrapped her arms around herself. Somehow things always felt better when she was in his arms. He had as always been able to make things seem a little better for her with his hugs.

She truly wanted to go back down with him and celebrate with the team, share in their victory tonight but she knew she didn't belong there. It was their win, they deserved it not her.

After only a moment more she shifted her energy and took to the night sky, silhouetted briefly across the white face of the moon she pirouetted gently and soared off towards Talos.

Far below her, sirens blared and calls for help went out, she was going to be very busy until morning.

November 29th, 2008 - Skyway City


“Kar?”

“Yes, /William/?” Kara sighed.

Damn, Guardian Star thought a sigh. He knew this would be a tough sell this time of night but desperate times call for desperate measures! “What should I do?”

“About what?” Diamond replied, engrossed in writing up her arrests reports for that night’s raids.

“You know what! Patti!” Bill hissed back quietly, aware that the door to the old ramshackle office they usually occupied in the old precinct house was open and Nancy could be anywhere, listening in. The young sprite-like defender was good at that, it seemed, she found everything out somehow. Her and Kara seemed pretty close lately though, maybe she was getting inside information-‘Snap out of it!’ his mind screamed, ‘You know Kara would never say anything, she’s your best friend for God’s sake!’

Kara shook her head as she typed a few things into her lap top, she was aware of the night's mishaps that had led to Bill's girlfriend not speaking to him. “I really don’t know, William, she seemed pretty mad after our last briefing, I’d so leave it alone for a couple of hours, then talk to her…”

Bill winced, she called him William twice now, this was bad. It could only mean one of two things, either Kara was mad at him for not working on his reports or she had taken Patti's side on this issue. He groaned inwardly, or maybe both. “But it wasn’t my fault! How was I supposed to know that she was in there?” he tried in desperation now.

“Um like hello! It’s her office!" Kara grinned to herself as she now scribbled on her clipboard "You were the one that knocked the water over her in the first place! So like why didn’t you knock?”

“Well " Bill cleared his throat "First off...that was not entirely my fault...that stupid pail was not marked as full of rain water...Second.."

"The ladder it was perched on had a note that clearly said ..." Kara interrupted just a little too sweetly.

"Yes! Yes I know! 'Beware of Bucket'...I saw it after I leaned on the ladder while talking to her"
Kara giggled.

Bill sighed "I read it clearly /after/ the bucket fell"

Kara giggled more "Ye-AH I'll so bet that was a big help"

He shook his head as he remembered the image of his beloved standing there in the precinct stairway, her clothes drenched in stale rainwater and a red old bucket draped perfectly over her head. He winced again at the visage. "Anyways though NOT entirely my fault I went to apologize ...so..I..."

"Just walked right on in " Kara helped amused. "With Kevin in tow..."

"Yes" Bill nodded, gulping remembering that Psiwarp had been trying to tell him something and had been right behind him when they barged in. "I....um we... just walked right on it...um her I meant and...and…she was…you know…” he gestured helplessly as he began to pace.

“Naked, yes, I know.” Kara smirked.

“I mean, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before…” Bill offered.

Kara just clicked her tongue a few times “I soooo don’t think Patti sees it that way…” she looked up to him "I am so totally sure Kevin hadn't ever seen her naked before..so there goes that theory"

Bill winced again "Yeah that didn't help" he sighed and slumped his shoulders “…she looked great though…”

Kara shook her head and returned to her paperwork “Maybe you should apologize? At least then we might be able to get some work done without analysing everything about you two?”

“Hey! I didn’t complain when you went on.....well when you go...um..." Bill frowned as he tried to find a way to make his point " Look whenever you go on about...."

Kara quirked a brow and looked over at him "When I go on about who? and what? "

Bill looked over to her "My lord...you really don't go on and on about dating or having issues ..do you?"

Kara shook her head and with another /long/ sigh she returned to her paperwork "Not when there is work to do"

Bill scowled "That isn't fair..."

Kara half glanced back up "What isn't fair?"

"You not having any kind of social life that interferes with our work to help me prove my point that you need to listen to me like I am always listening to you"

Kara frowned as she tried to follow that "So I ruined your point thus proving mine?" She smirked "and this isnt fair?"

Bill frowned trying to follow that "No it isnt" he shook his head "You need a social life Kar" He said looking back over his shoulder at her. "It's very sad"

She narrowed her eyes but smiled beating him to his usual line about her life. "Yes I lead a sad sad life"

"Very sad " He added nodding.

"Look..I am so fine at the moment..thank you" she then grinned "I am so sorry I ruined your point though..../work/ now?" She glanced at his rather large stack of arrest reports.

"All right..but lets assume I am often there for you on stuff like this" Bill tried.

Kara sighed , it seemed he never got to work when he got like this, she lowered her pen to her clipboard and looked up "Bill you are like always there for me..okay?"

“Yeah, well that isn't always true but okay!" He grinned "I was there for you, well? It’s your turn now.”

“Okay, okay! I don’t wanna argue with you! Just wait ‘til the next briefing, then talk to her after and say you’re sorry, that you never meant to walk in on her with company and then slip in a compliment that’ll make her feel good and forget that she’s supposed to be mad at you." Kara shrugged with a slight glint in her eyes "Simple, so you should be able to manage it.” Kara then grinned innocently.

“Very funny. Thank you. I might go now, it’s only 15 minutes ‘til the next briefing, I should speak to her before it though.” Bill spoke, turned and headed towards the door.

“’MmmKay." Kara returned to her paperwork "Have you finished your reports or did ya want me to do them?" she sighed "I’ve like almost done mine, and you know how crazy they get when you give it ‘em late.” she smirked "Oh and be sure you bring Kevin with you to apologize as well"

Bill turned around and nodded gratefully. “Yeah Kar, thanks. I owe you.” And walked through the door calling for Kevin.

“Good luck!” Kara shouted at his retreating back. “You’re SO gonna need it…” she added under her breath as she turned to begin work on his.

February 1st, 2009 - New Overbrook

A nightmare...

It had been only a nightmare, She shivered in the chill of the cold winter night as her eyes opened. It had been different than the others she had once had, though. It had been colder, sharper, metal, leather, hot, cold... each distinct and painfully accurate.

The sudden, shocking pain. More realistic in her mind than it had ever been in reality. When it happened, she had able to detach herself.
Block it out.

Now, her in the darkness of the living room she couldn't escape it. The wind howled in protest against the big bay window as outside the snow fell.

Kara murred gently as she tried to move, but couldn't. Not without waking the small form curled up beside of her on the couch. The wind howled in protest against the big bay window as outside the snow fell.

She had once woken her daughter with one of her nightmare and despite the young girl soothing her, and trying to calm her, Kara knew it had scared her a little. She had always tried so hard not bring home her private horrors and fears with her. She had always in the past been able to vent out later, on another patrol, for there had always been another patrol.

However these last few weeks, she had been unable to do so. She had taken a leave of absence, no more hero work, no more patrols.

Her emerald eyes fell across the peaceful almost angelic features of the sleeping child, she resolved that she would not awaken her this time. Recently she'd learned to internalize her reaction to dreams like this. Only her eyes would betray what had awoken her so suddenly. She felt grateful this time that little Phil hadn't stirred. It was her eyes that had always betrayed her to Phil.

She stirred slightly, turning away from her mother, allowing Kara her chance to slip off of the big couch. She took the opportunity, tip-toeing to the bathroom. She felt hot and sick to her stomach, as if she had just been through the nightmare for real. She shuddered as she splashed a handful of water across her face, taking slow, deep breaths. The sick, panicky feeling she had was slowly replaced with exhaustion once more. With a soft shudder she turned off the water and looked at herself in the large mirror.

Her eyes showed only a tired resignation.

They showed something else, too. She was sharper, leaner than he had been the previous years. She had more scars. None physically, her powers would never allow such a mark on her, yet they did little to hide any emotional ones. She was older, too, if not wiser. She smirked as she observed that her age too may not show in her face, but it was definitely present in her eyes. She felt ancient now.

It had all been worth it, though somehow. She had made a difference hadn't she?

She stared at her reflection as if to ask, seeking out an answer or even a hint of one. She had chosen to resign after poor V had been killed, after all of those people had died. She was sure many thought this was merely a vacation, or that she had just left because of blaming herself for ....well for whatever she was to be blamed for with the incident with poor V.

She shook her head and splashed a bit more water onto her skin. She knew why she had done this, and it had become too long to explain to anyone.

She had tried once to Donnie and to V but really didn't do a very good job at it. She sighed to be fair she had even given a full answer, she had no idea how to put it into words. However she couldn't help but wonder if she was doing this to find her peace, or was she in fact just hiding.

Hiding from foundations as Mae had called them.

Softly she turned away from her reflections knowing gaze and switched off the bathroom light heading back to the couch. She settled next to her daughter and paused allowing herself to watch the girl sleep. She found herself doing this often. Watching her breath in, and then out. Occasionally her eyes flickered behind their lids as she dreamt.

Kara wondered idly about what world her daughter had dreamed up for herself this time to play in as she slept.

Kara stifled a soft yawn as it broke the moment. Climbing under the afghan that Phil had pulled around them, she snuggled back to where she had been, taking care not to disturb her child.

She was warmly amused when the small form snuggled into her. "Another nightmare Mom?" she asked softly, her chin resting on Kara's hand. Kara smirked gently , the little sneak been awake for some time.

"No," She reassured, "Just reflecting."

Phil sighed sleeppily "Yeah..right" she curled up tighter and hugged her mother's arm.

Kara lay down beside her daughter and slipped her arm over her "Shhhh, I'm fine sweetie"

In time the pair feel back into sleep as the storm carried on just outside of the house, blanketing the city in a blanket of soft white.

February 14th, 2009 - Talos Island


It was a memory that brought her here tonight, a memory that drove her away from her mission of pure retribution. Her current crusade to increase the pressure on those who walked within the very same world that the woman who had taken her student did. She lands in the clearing, her heels crunching the icy snow as she finds purchase. The wintry breeze blows through her hair as she stands in the moonlit clearing. The sounds of the far off city seemed muted by the deafening sound of the quiet night. Only the sound of the cold New England wind blowing through the treeline and the occasional far off wandering of a Devouring Earth minion stumbling in the woods danced back to her ears.

Tonight she carries a special memory with her.

She remembers the first time she kissed her. How soft her lips were, the quiet little ‘mmm’ she made when she pulled away tugging her bottom lip slightly, the look in her eyes as it ended, and that shy smile she gave her afterward. She knows it probably wasn’t, but she remembers how perfect it was then and how perfect it still seems now. It was not their first kiss, that had been the night before. A startling event, more of a surprise for Kara when it happened. No, the memory she has was of the time she was the one who had kissed her.

Upon reflection, the kiss kind of came out of the blue. She still not sure exactly why she did it. They had just been sitting in her dorm room together, not the most romantic of places, but for them it had become the norm. Kara had listened as she had been trying to explain about the kiss in Skyway, why she did it and how she had wanted to try to date her. Kara isn't exactly sure what exactly was being said to her, she does remember though, Rhu mentioned this funny little thing that had happened to her once and then she got the cutest smile on her face.

Kara smiled a little standing there was she looked up at the waterfall in the center of the clearing, the way the moon's light cascaded off of the water, turning it to almost a flowing crystal silver. Kara did remember she had been trying to decide at that moment if she could actually bring herself to try and date this other girl, she had been asking herself was this what she wanted, what were these new feelings she had whenever she was near her. How soon it had all happened and how right it had felt. She had no idea what to say nor how to respond. She was in a near panic herself, unsure even how to let someone get this close to her.

Until that smile.

It made her really want to kiss her, which was something new, but for some reason it didn’t seem strange, it just felt right. Kara smiled a soft little smile as she walked over to the rock wall at the edge of the waterfall's sparkling basin of churning water. Maybe it was something in her own eyes at that moment that made Rhu stop too and look at her weird, she was equally nervous that night, afraid that first kiss had damaged their friendship.

Kara sighed softly and closed her eyes as she stood there, the skin on her face kissed by the gentle chill of the spray of the falls. She must've lost friends before, Kara could see real fear in her eyes that night.

She just leaned in and I kissed her. Reflecting back Kara guessed Rhu had been surprised by it, she had been expecting a verbal answer. Kara smirked remembering being surprised she didn’t slap her or push her away or even tense up, fearing she was being teased by the girl who could not stand to be touched. Yet in a way it was almost like she expected it. She just kind of moved closer and then she kissed her back, much softer than Kara thought she would.

Kara remembered being much bolder than she normally was that night, especially after how soon it was after the horrible attack that had scarred her so. Left her unable to stand even the slightest touch without becoming ill, sick inside with fear and revulsion. Yet she felt none of that, not at all when their lips met that first night. It was that and not the fact that she had been kissed by another girl that had shocked her as they had hovered in the skies above Skyway that first time. Even now Kara had found that it seemed so natural for her to deepen the kiss, to flick her lips softly with her tongue. She remembered the sensation of her lips slowly parting against her own, the warmth inside her mouth, the feel of their tongues delicate dance together, and the faint sweet flavor from the cinnamon gum she must've had earlier.

Sometimes when a kiss gets to that point, you can feel the other person’s desire almost like a demand. There’s a kind of push or drive. It wasn’t like that with her though. The best way Kara could explain it was kissing for the sake of kissing alone. Maybe that’s what made it so wonderful, maybe not… She didn’t know. It was just surprisingly gentle, considering the passion there. She finally understand then what people meant when they talk about losing yourself in a kiss. It wasn’t like they had become the only two people in the world or anything like that. It was more like she just didn’t think about them… about anything at all really. She just felt and acted on those feelings.

She can still recall the slight chill of her cheek, when she touched it. She couldn’t even remember how long they actually kissed for, only that it was awhile. Then as she started to pull back, her bottom lip slipped slightly into her mouth and Kara had tugged it softly with her teeth and this soft purr of a moan came out. She remembered wanting to hear it again as soon as possible. When her eyes finally did open, they looked dazed. They just stared at each for awhile after, but it wasn’t awkward.

Kara mused warmly as she knelt on the flat rocky outcropping beside the churning pool, her knees sinking into the snow with a soft crunch. She remembered that it wasn’t until the kiss ended that she truly knew she had feelings for her, strong ones. Another thing that was new, but it never really concerned her, it just felt right somehow.

“K, you kissed me.” It wasn’t really a question, but it wasn’t a statement either. Kara's hand was still on her cheek. She remembered sliding her thumb across her lips before letting the hand hang drop to her own lap again.

She hears her own voice echo from the past “Yes I did.”

The girl had looked at her, more serious than before. “Why?” Her eyes had met Kara's searching for more of an answer than the question that had been asked.

Kara didn’t have an answer for that, except “I wanted to.”

She looked at her kind of skeptical her tone soft still yet nervously insistent. “Why?”

“I don’t know exactly.” All Kara could remember was that she was still wrapped up in the kiss and it hadn't even occurred to her to be anything other than completely honest, even at the risk of embarrassment “But I do know that was the best kiss of my entire life.” This had gotten a very shy little smile, that Kara had never seen before on her. It was beautiful… she was beautiful. She still can remember, as She studied her face, feeling so silly for never having noticed before.

“What?”

“You’re beautiful.” Kara remembered feeling that she should know it and could recall how surprised she looked and the slight blush that came when she had said that. The same blush that came every time she had said it after.

“K… I” There was something she wanted to ask Kara. “Did it…” A slightly agitated sigh escaped her lips, and Kara just waited quietly for her to continue. “Did it mean anything?” The shiver that ran through her then, shuddered through her even now as she knelt before the waterfall.

She remember that the whispered question had thrown her for a loop, because she thought that was obvious. Yet she knew she was being as confusing as she had confused the other girl. The one who was waiting to know what their kiss had truly meant. Was there a future? "Does this mean you want to try and..."

“It meant a lot Rhu… it meant everything.” Kara spoke the words as she gazed up to the falling water and the stars above them. She wasn't sure exactly where that came from, but it was true nonetheless. For the first time that night she had felt comfortable and deeply nervous, suddenly plagued by doubt. “Did it…”

“More than I could tell you Kara.” A soft tear fell across Kara's cheek as she remembered her words, she had never heard words spoken more honestly and after all they both had been through until this moment, Kara had never felt quite so happy. She knew now they weren’t actually talking about the kiss anymore, just the implications of it.

Kara closed her eyes again as she could see in her mind's eye, the pair of them sitting silently, the level of emotion between them was intense.

She remembered that it was kind of a release when she broke out with her familiar mischievous smirk. Kara had to smile, wondering what she was up to until she felt herself grabbed around her waist and pulled close. “Wanna do it again?”

“Oh Def!” They had laughed into the following kiss.

Kara stood and reflected quietly, maybe they didn’t say exactly the right things, or handle it as smoothly as they could have. She didn’t know, but she didn't care either. For her it had been meaningful and perfect. Just like now, as she stood there before a very special place, she could still feel lying in her bed with her head on her shoulder. The way her hair felt around her fingers, the feel of her gentle breath on her neck. She can still see the almost angelic look of peace on her face while she slept, and the slight pressure on her side when she exhaled. Those were the memories she still had, just those feelings.

Softly she reaches down and laid two perfect clipped long stemmed roses across the rock on the water's edge. Tonight she doesn't think about lost time or the pain of what followed. Mistakes made, conversations not held. The time apart and the silence that eventually followed.

Just that one moment and a memory of a perfect night that had eventually led to another Valentine's day that seemed to be from a different life.

She glanced back to the falling water and whispered "Happy Valentine's day My Rose"

She sighs softly and adds "Wherever you may be"

A sharp hiss from her comm, breaks through the moment and drags her back from the past.

"All Units, All Units, Malta Forces at East-side docks Peregrine, Freedom Corps Units Respond, SWAT Respond.....Repeat.."

Kara keyed her comm as her fields snapped to life, illuminating the clearing around her, bathing it in a soft blue light. "This is Diamond responding to the East Docks, Hero support en route!"

She lifted up and sailed off into the velvet dark of the night, leaving the clearing empty save for the soft rush of the falls and the caress of the night's wind.

April 19th, 2009 - a Walmart Store, Skyway City

"I have a problem," Bill Chamberlin murmured into his cell phone.

"Bill, it SO wouldn’t be a day unless you had a problem," Kara responded on her her end with a slight roll of her eyes. He would pick right before a briefing to call her.

"How, exactly, does one go about buying toothpaste?"

Kara pulled her phone away from her ear and frowned down at the receiver. She had to have heard wrong. No way Bill had made it through life thus far without ever having to buy toothpaste. "Uh, you go to the toothpaste aisle and pick up whatever box strikes your fancy, sweetie." She shrugged and then had to give a grin to the pair of Longbow agents that had looked up at her as she spoke into the phone. She shrugged away their confused stares. She covered her end of the phone and said simply "Guardian Star and Patti issues..."

"Ahh" they both answered, nodding their complete understanding now.

Bill heaved a sigh into the phone. "I know that."

Kara uncovered her cell and returned to Bill. "Then I totally think I misunderstood the question."

"Patti asked me to pick up some toothpaste for her."

"She like ran out?" Kara asked as she returned to the laptop she and the agents were going over back at the precinct.

"She like so ran out," Bill confirmed using Karaspeak.

Kara let out a soft sigh of frustration, still not understanding what the big deal was. "And the problem is …?" Bill didn’t respond, and the answer instantly dawned on her, she could not help but smile a gentle wicked smile of her own. "The problem is you SO don’t know what kind of toothpaste she uses...Do you?"

"I don’t know what kind she uses." The off duty hero known as Guardian Star had to admit.

Bill ran his hand over his head as he stared helplessly at the multitude of boxes on the shelves. Toothpaste, in every flavor and formulation imaginable. Gel, paste, whitening, tartar control, classic mint, cinnamon, baking soda, sensitive teeth … and he was drawing a complete blank. What the hell kind of toothpaste did Patti use? He should know, and he knew beyond a doubt that this was the point of the entire exercise. "I am going to fail this test," he muttered.

"Test?" asked the semi-distracted voice in his ear.

Bill jumped, somewhat startled. He’d almost forgotten he’d called Kara in a minor panic. "Yeah, test. This is some kind of relationship test." he nodded to no one in particular "I just know it is"

"Do you really think Patti would give you a relationship test?" As soon as the question slipped past her lips, Kara paused to think about whom they were discussing. This was Patti Goldman, after all. She of the six-month dating plan would most definitely not be above giving Bill a little relationship test, although she probably would make it more about what kind of flowers she liked rather than her favored brand of toothpaste. Kara sighed, she was beginning to believe both of her friends were nuts.

"This is Patti," Bill answered, echoing Kara’s thoughts. "Of course she’s giving me a test."

"Or...," Kara argued, deciding to play devil’s advocate, "maybe she’s just out of toothpaste. Were you heading out anyway?"

Bill cringed and wondered if he hadn’t jumped the gun a little. He had been on his way out anyway, to pick up the snacks for their lazy movie afternoon. Patti could have just asked him to pick up the toothpaste to save her a trip to the supermarket. Oh, the hell with it, he thought, grabbing a box of Aquafresh of the shelf.

"Okay Ive got it now" He said determined as he headed for the counter. "Thanks Kar, I'll let you get back to work"

Kara half grinned "Good Luck Bill" She shook her head as she hung up and returned to the Agents and the info they had for her.



-----

Skyway City

Patti Goldman’s gaze settled on the clock on her cable box and she frowned. What on earth was keeping Bill? She’d sent him to the grocery almost an hour ago for some snacks and a box of toothpaste. Nobody besides Bill could make a simple trip to buy a bag of chips and some toothpaste into an hour-long affair. She gave a quiet sigh as she set two bottles of water--one for her and one for Bill--down on the end table. The plan for the lazy Sunday afternoon ahead of them was to spend it on the couch, watching movies they’d seen before.

It was Patti’s hope that their attention wouldn’t be on the movies. She was gonna kill him if he had ended up going to patrol with her. Patti chastised herself, reminding herself Kara was a friend and there was still a missing child out there. That had to be what was taking him so long...wasn't it?

She was trying incredibly hard not to screw this up. Where Bill was concerned, she’d already screwed up plenty. The dating plan had been a complete disaster, one of her dumb little ideas that sounded good at the time but didn’t really stand up to experience or even careful thought. Her fight with Kara last year after his dumb comment about his friend and partner out there during the second Rikti invasion. Patti sighed to herself, luckily after the initial disappointment and heartache was over, Bill had been willing to give her a second chance and then she him.

The pair had been an official couple for just about two years now, but they had been the happiest two years of Patti’s life. She never really realized just how much she loved him--and had always loved him--until their first official date. That was when she realized that she was head over heels for him. She was trying not to listen for the sound of the other shoe dropping, though. That was the way her life worked; once she got to a certain level of happiness, everything usually came crashing down around her.

When the phone rang, she snatched the handset off its base on her end table. "Bill?"

"No," said a female voice on the other end of the line. Patti smiled; it was Nancy Taylor, the little defender named Sapphire Rose that worked with Bill and Kara at the precinct. She was also one of Patti's closest friends. "Why would … oh, it’s date night! I’m sorry! I’ll hang up now!!"

"No, Nancy, it’s okay," Patti laughed. "It is date night, but Bill’s out getting snacks."

"You sent Bill out for snacks?" Nancy asked, incredulous. "I hope you’re prepared for him to come home with like, salt and vinegar chips or barbecue pretzels or some other ridiculous guy thing that no one else would eat but him."

"I...I.. gave him a list," Patti protested.

"Was your list specific?" Nancy chuckled.

"Yes."

"What’d it say?"

"Chips, salsa--"

Nancy clucked her tongue in disapproval. "He’s bringing back red hot corn chips and mango/barbecue/cheddar cheese salsa. You weren’t specific."

Patti rolled her eyes, plopping down on the sofa. "He’s a big boy, Nancy. I think I can trust him to pick up the correct chips and salsa."

"You say that now," Nancy said, her voice almost a singsong. "Did you ask him to pick up anything else?"

"Toothpaste."

Nancy actually gasped out loud. "You asked him to pick up toothpaste?"

"Yeah," Patti answered, drawing the word out with an extra unsure syllable. "Should I not have?"

"No, you shouldn’t have. I thought we decided you weren’t going to give Bill stupid little relationship tests."

"I didn’t give him a test," Patti argued. "I just asked him to pick up toothpaste."

"No. You gave him a relationship test."

"I don’t understand."

Nancy gave a quiet groan, as if she couldn’t believe that Patti could be so clueless. "He’s going to be standing there, looking at box after box of toothpaste and wondering which brand you use."

Oh, crap! Patti thought, bringing her hand to her forehead. But wait a second. Bill and she lived together for the past year now. He surely knew what kind of toothpaste she used.

Didn’t he?

But even if he didn’t, it didn’t really matter. Unless whatever he brought back tasted horrible, she’d use it. "It’s just toothpaste," she said to Nancy, although even she could hear the uncertainty in her tone.

"It’s not, Patti. It’s a test. However inadvertently, you gave him a test."

"Do you think he thinks it’s a test?" Patti groaned

"It’s Bill and it’s you. Of course he thinks it’s a test." Nancy responded trying to hush Kevin in the background who had groaned picking up on the conversation now.

Patti ran her fingers through her hair and whimpered softly. "I have to call him. Tell him that it’s not a test and whatever toothpaste he chooses is--"

"No!" Nancy cried. "You cannot call him."

"But I don’t want him to think that..."

"But what if that thought hasn’t occurred to him yet?"

As Patti frowned, she idly wished Nancy were there in person and not just on the phone so she could /strangle/ her. "You’re the one who said he would think it was a test."

"Well, he would. But there is the off chance that he hasn’t yet."

Patti sighed heavily. "Nancy, you certainly have a way of making things needlessly complicated."

-----

Bill took a silent moment to settle his nerves and readjust the grocery bag in his arms before letting himself into their apartment. He could hardly believe he’d spent over an hour in the store buying all of six things. In the time he’d been gone, Patti had set the living room up for movie night. Well, movie afternoon, and hopefully they’d be paying little attention to the movies. A bottle of water sat on each end table and she’d taken the afghan off the back of the sofa and gathered it into a ball on the middle cushion, the better for snuggling.

"Hey, Patti," he called, dropping his keys on the small credenza to the side of the door.

"In here," she called back from the kitchen.

Bill followed the sound of her voice and set the grocery bag down on the counter. "I know you only asked for tortilla chips and salsa, but I got French onion dip and ruffled chips, too."

Patti raised a single eyebrow at him. "We’ll both have to eat the French onion dip. Like garlic bread, you know?"

"I didn’t even think of that," Bill said with a sheepish frown.

Patti smiled, gently running a finger down his cheek. "It’s fine. What else did you get?"

She stepped forward in an attempt to peek into the bag, but Bill stuck his hands inside before she could get much of a view. "Chips, salsa, and the six-pack you asked for," he said, pulling each item from the grocery sack. He took a deep breath and grasped the final item. "And your toothpaste."

As he held the box of Aquafresh out to her, he watched her face carefully for her reaction. Had he passed the test? He thought he saw a flicker of a smile curl onto her lips as she snatched the box from his hand. "Thank you," she said, her voice noncommittal.

She disappeared into the bathroom to put away the toothpaste. Without another word about it, she came back into the kitchen and began pulling out bowls for the snacks. That was it? She wasn’t going to tell him if he guessed right? God, the suspense was going to kill him!

"So, um," he said uncertainly, "did I get it right?"

"Get what right?" she asked without looking up from what she was doing.

"The toothpaste."

She shrugged, again noncommittal. "Sure."

"Sure?"

"What do you want me to say, Bill?" she asked, frowning. "You picked up toothpaste."

Uh oh. Maybe he had the situation wrong. Maybe she had just wanted to save herself a trip to the store. But now that he’d brought it up, he had to continue the line of questioning. "It was a test, right?" he said uncertainly.

Patti just shook her head, arranging the bowls of chips and dip on a serving tray before brushing past him to bring the snacks to the living room. "It was toothpaste."

Oh, crap, he’d just screwed up. The fact that he thought she would give him a covert relationship test had offended her, and he didn’t blame her. He’d be offended, too, if the situation were reversed.

He followed her into the living room, preparing to grovel. "Patti, I’m sorry."

"It’s fine," she said, giving him a small smile. "Given my history, I can see how you’d think I was giving you a test."

"But you weren’t."

"I wasn’t. I just didn’t want to have to go out later." She set the tray on the coffee table, sighed heavily, and sank down on the sofa, moving the blanket to the end cushion. "I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve been trying very hard not to do stupid little things like that. We deserve a real chance, Bill, and I don’t want to screw it up like that."

Damn it, he should have thought of that before automatically assuming the worst. "I have noticed," he assured her. "I’m sorry I didn’t give you enough credit."

"Like I said, it’s fine." She smiled as she held her hand out to him. He smiled back and grasped her hand, and she pulled him down on the sofa next to her. As soon as he was settled, he wrapped his arm around Patti’s shoulders and she snuggled into him. After sitting in that position for a long moment, Patti snatched the remote control from the coffee table and turned on the DVD player. Then she made herself comfortable again as the film began, snuggling against Bill and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Just curious," Bill quietly spoke up a moment later. Patti smiled; she could feel him playing with a lock of her hair. "If it had been a test …"

She looked up at him, stared into his eyes, and grinned. "You would have passed with flying colors."

He found himself chuckling "Thank Christ"

With that they settled in to watch the movie, as the city carried on around them.

June 9th, 2009 - Steel Canyon


Bill was tired.

Tired of thinking.

Tired of being responsible, of being the responsible one.

Tired of looking for these witches who had hurt those he had come to care about, tired of looking for little Katrina and now for Luci (even though he knew he would never stop until they were found). He was tired of seeing that look in Patti's eyes every time he would leave for patrol with Kara, promising it wouldn't be late when he returned.

He was so [censored] tired of everything.

He sighed as he swirled the last bit of whiskey around the bottom of the glass before tilting the glass to let the amber liquid slide down his throat. In all these years, he still had never been able to get used to the burning sensation of the alcohol.

Tonight though, it reassured him that he was still able to feel.

He got up to pour himself another shot. He always kept the bottle in the kitchen. He figured that if he had to get up and go get it, he'd never go that one drink too many. It was that same reasoning that had him making sure he changed out of his costume, made sure he left Guardian Star at the door for Patti each night he came home. Placing his suit and the lock box with his communicator into the closet.

He poured the drink and as he set the bottle aside, the flashing light on his answering machine caught his attention. He knew the call was from Lewis, a friend from high school who he had once played lacrosse and hockey with, who now worked in the city.

He'd been here, listening as Lewis left the message. He figured that was where Patti had gone while he had been out tonight fighting, no punishing the Malta with Kara. She would be with their clique of friends for comfort while he was out trying to save his fellow heroes.
He sighed and then with his finger he finally pushed the button to play it back.

"Hey Bro, it's been forever man. You never call me back anymore. Come on, dude, that's just wrong. Okay, that's the end of lecture. Look, a bunch of us are down at Kelly's, we'll be here all night, man. Patti really wants you to come by; she says she hasn't seen you in forever. You know, other than just the routine apartment hello and good bye stuff..."

There was a long pause in the message, in which Bill was able to hear the sounds of the busy bar. Lewis continued, his voice lower, quieter and serious, "Bill, it's time man. Think about it, before you don't come. We'll be here until last call, I... I... we really hope to see you down here. All right. Bye."

"Bill, it's time. Bill... Think about it. It's... Think about it. Time... THINK ABOUT IT. THINKATBOUTIT! THINKABOUTIT! " The phrase echoed in his head. [censored] it, Bill thought as he threw his glass across the kitchen, shattered glass and whiskey flying around the room.

"I'm [censored] tired of thinking about it!" Bobby yelled. It was then he heard his comm go off in the closet. A soft insistent buzzing, not the code the Templars use, but a city band.

The Corps were calling on him, even after that mess in Peregrine tonight.

He crossed the room in three long strides and yanked open the closet door. As he reached up, the lock box on the shelf was in his sight line. His hand landed on his leather jacket, he felt the supple leather caress his palm and he could smell the remnants of his cologne from the last time he'd worn it, but still his eyes focused on the lock box and its buzzing. So often, on reflex he would answer the call, don his costume and like Kara streak into the night sky and join whatever battle the police and the corps could not contain.

This was IT.

It hit him then, deep in the gut. He knew it, he finally knew it. He closed his eyes and drew deep even breaths. Raising his head to look up at the ceiling, up to the heavens, he knew this was it. This is what IT had always been on those nights when sleep wouldn't come and doubts would come creeping in.

But no more.

The thought of IT repelled him. There was no appeal to IT at all. Kara would take the call, she would go. Like she had so often in the past, often with him by her side. Even more so since these non stop attacks on the Templars had begun over four months ago now. He wasn't like her, he couldn't keep at it all of the time. He needed it to stop, if only for a little bit. The call had nothing to do with Luci or Katrina, and if it did he knew Kara would call his cell.

This was the it that terrified Patti, that like Kara he would be more Guardian Star than William Chamberlin, more hero than boyfriend. He drew a deep breath and made his decision for tonight.

He pulled the leather jacket from its hanger and slammed the closet door. He picked up his keys and wallet from the table by the front door. Opening the door, he slipped one arm into the jacket and as he slammed the door closed behind him, he slid his arm into the other sleeve and shrugged the jacket into place.

Kelly's sounded like a good idea.

Kara would find him if she really needed him, or if the girls were found. Tonight he just needed it to stop.

If only for a little while...

August 6th, 2009 - Atlas Park

There are some things you just shouldn’t know...

Images that get fried into your visual memory and just make you want to reach for a bottle of brain bleach and empty the bottle across the entirety of the damaged gray matter...

Watching as a trusted contact gets nabbed by an Arachanos death squad and knowing that there is nothing you can do or you might get killed the ones he sent you to save.

Seeing the remains of a brutal fire that though you tried your best you weren't able to save all of those inside.

Having to talk to the police and explain about the multiple child murderer you chased out onto the tram rail in King's Row just as the 8:15 from Steel Canyon arrives to end the chase.

Getting lost and turned around in Pocket D and then stumbling into the badly lit corners, seeing...no hearing what actually goes on in the shadows...

All of those as a hero in Paragon City are right up there at the top of the list...

But standing in your mother’s kitchen while she tries to justify why she just slept with the witness you were hiding out at her house as an image of her in bed with a man she just met the day before doing… well, you know.

The very thing she herself would constantly worry and warn you about all through high school and even threaten to ground you over and provide pamphlets about teen pregnancy should it even be hinted you considered it with Kara or Becky Sue Holiday.

There’s not enough bleach in the world to wipe out such image along with all of the accompanying sights and sounds. All you can do is file it away with all of the other unpleasant things that are stuck in your head and hope your experience kicks in to keeps it buried...

DEEP.

"William? " His mother's voice cut through his attempted mental escape through inner dialogue. "Are you listening to me?"

Bill could only weakly smile as Kara walked up and cleared her throat politely. "Yes Ma'am" He tried weakly before turning to face a rather red faced and bemused Heroine. Diamond's face brimmed with a failed attempt to conceal her amusement. "Yes?" He asked knowing she would be no help with all of this later.

"Um...excuse me Mrs. Chamberlin" Kara said to his Mother politely, the pair shared an unspoken look, one that was at once understanding and at the same time allowed his mother to find a moment to gather up a little more dignity. No small feat however as the apartment was now swarming with Deputies from the Marshal's witness protection program and a smattering of Longbow Agents here and outside of the small apartment block.

"They are about to take Mr. Jenner away now " Kara continued to Bill "It seems his information may be a solid lead..." she lowered her voice as she guided Bill a bit more into the hallway "It seems we have a target for tonight's raids"

Bill met her more serious gaze and asked "The Slavers base of Ops?" she only nodded and then her impish grin returned, a twinkle appeared in her weary eyes, he steeled himself for what was to come.

"Why don't you take a few moments with Mom and I'll um meet you outside " She was smiling now ever so sweetly "I will see Mr. Jenner gets to the transport safely...okies?"

Bill fidgeted and sighed it would be just easier to agree with her "Sure that sounds fine" he nodded though he didn't look forward to it "I'll meet you outside " he cast a look back to the kitchen as she spoke again softer.

"Bill....go easy on her. I like mean ever since your Dad's...." she left the rest unsaid. She knew too well what His Dad had meant to him. She had even been there two years ago at the funeral by his side as she had for the last three years as he learned to be a hero.

"Yeah...I know.."

"it's so not been easy on her either" Kara added gently.

"Kar..." He began and then stopped "I'll be fine..it's not what you think..I mean...she's my mom and ...well"

Kara just rolled her eyes..."Men" with one gentle squeeze on her friend's arm she went out to see to their witness.

"William?" He mom called out from the kitchen.

With a droop of his shoulders Guardian Star, brave hero and survivor of countless battles with evil villains and dastardly monsters strode forth to the kitchen. A series of battle and experiences he couldn't have possibly imaged when he first came to the city. He knew he had to be sensitive and understanding.

Strong and supportive of his mom, however the image...

...the image...

A single streak of light broke the darkness surrounding the grand ship. Looming out of the black like a dark mountain rising from the shifting surface of an equally black sea, the giant aircraft carrier sailed ahead in the middle of her escort vessels. Her massive decks lit only by the occasional twin sparks of light burning brightly from its fighters launching or arriving, dancing over the deck of their mother ship, much like protective children.

Kara banked and turned as she aimed for the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. She had been instructed to meet with the in theater U.S. Navy commander since her Longbow operations and efforts to find Katrina had crossed over with some of their operations here in the Atlantic. A courtesy call she reminded herself. This was hardly her first meeting with such a high ranked military officer, yet she knew such meetings did not always go well. It was hard to let someone with a great deal of responsibility and power know you were about to play in their sandbox...and not necessarily by their rules.

As she approached she keyed her comm to the Navy's frequency. “Air Boss Seven One Alpha, this is Lima Bravo Zero One, cross-decking from the Lima Bravo Special Service Vessel Liberty to Task Force Flag. Requesting approach and landing clearance.”

“Lima Bravo Zero One, we are involved in a fixed wing recovery at this time. Hold off on station off our starboard quarter and stay alert for descending traffic. You are next to land.”

Kara grinned at the casualness of the sailor's voice. Meta-humans had become so routine for the military since the second world war, that she was being treated as nothing more than yet another approaching aircraft to the controller. She only paused long enough to remind herself that starboard was the right side of the massive ship and port to its left. She illuminated her energy fields to a bright blueish hue as she brought herself to a stop, in an effort to let inbound planes know exactly where she was as she slowly followed the carrier as it cut its way through the night.

She turned to look behind her over her left shoulder as the noise of a single engine screamed out of the dark. A single F/A 18 Super Hornet was in the approach path, riding the invisible single beam of the Fresnell lamp down to the carrier's deck. The pilot had lowered the landing gear and tail hook, the graceful plane's flaps all fully extended now. The plane seemed to float hesitatingly out of the sky as if unwilling to give up the freedom of its flight. Then as the flattop came into full vision, the true perspective of the landing became visible to Kara. The last few seconds of the jet's descent became a flashing blur of speed and streaking lights, climaxing with the puff of smoke that marked the impact of its tires with the deck of the carrier on anti-skid.

“Lima Bravo Zero One, this is Air Boss Seven One Alpha. You are cleared to complete cross-decking. Be advised you will be positioned on Spot Three. Watch for your deck controller.”

“Roger Air Boss Seven One Alpha, Lima Bravo Zero One arriving.”

Kara floated down the last thousand yards with a effortless grace, remaining brightly illuminated as she scanned the starboard quarter for her controller. A twin pair of glowing flash bars guided her down to the bright dot of the helicopter landing pad to which she received an approving nod from her controller as she dropped down lightly to the deck of his carrier. He escorted her to a hatch at the base of the huge island that held the command tower for the carrier.

There she was met by a marine orderly.
“Diamond?” he yelled over the clamor of the flight deck. “Admiral Tallman sends his compliments and requests I escort you to his cabin Ma'am.”

Kara nodded and smiled “Very well” she yelled back “Lead on marine”

She followed him into the island structure. As she passed through the hatchway and down into the bowels of the ship, she nodded a greeting or offered a warm smile to any of the sailors or marines who passed them. She had been around the military up in the shard or standing beside them against the Rikti to know any visitor meant a break in their usual routine. Normally a welcome break as it appeared to be tonight. Her escort came up short before a hatch and turned to her “Admiral Tallman is inside Ma'am” with that her opened the hatch and let her in.

The Lincoln's Flag Quarter's were that curious mix of luxury and utility unique to such habitations. Golden oak wall panels and navy blue carpeting challenged an overhead cluttered with cable clusters and insulated duct-work. The large combined office and sitting room was furnished with a comfortable yet masculine looking couch and chair set done in dark brown leather. The two officers occupying the cabin came to their feet as she was ushered within.

“Diamond reporting on station, sir” Kara said smoothly as she congratulated herself at remembering the proper arriving comment. She had every intention at paying heed to the numerous traditions of her navy hosts. They had earned such respect long ago in her opinion, no matter how this meeting went, she told herself.

“You hold an honorary rank of lieutenant don't you Diamond? “ The man with stars on his collar said to her with a crisp formal tone to his voice. “According to your file, what we can see of it that is. You were awarded that for your work with the U.N. Peace-keepers in the Shadow Shard.”

She nodded “Yes sir, that is correct, the Expeditionary Force. It is an army rank sir, First Lieutenant” she tried to remember her navy rank conversions and failing that she took a guess “So...Lieutenant junior grade for the navy?”

He smiled a little at her attempt and nodded “Correct, well then Lieutenant Welcome aboard”. The Admiral was a solid man carrying only a little middle-aged weight. His dark hair was thinning and his rather narrow brown eyes shone with a mixture of humor and shrewd intelligence. When he shook gloved hand after their exchange of salutes, there was a slight bow and a touch of old Georgia courtesy to his manner. There was also a faint smile on his face. He seemed to recognize her attempts to pay heed to traditions that did not bound her.

“Lieutenant, this is my chief of staff, Command Nolan Walker” Kara herself noted he was trying to reign her in already with his repeated use of her honorary rank, yet she smiled sweetly as she noted his firm handshake and returned it, equally firm. She turned to nod to Commander Walker and noticed he was essentially a colorless man. He had gray eyes and pale skin providing no contrast for his graying blond hair. As Kara shook his hand she could feel adversarial sparks jump between them. She couldn't quite tell if it was because she was a woman or because she was somehow a threat to his Admiral's command or his own position. Regardless she smiled sweetly as they exchanged handshakes.

“Like, a Pleasure to meet you, Commander Walker.” She said with a level tone to her voice.

Tallman gestured Kara into one of the cabin's chairs, taking the couch for himself. Walker it seemed preferred to stand, leaning back across the edge of the desk.

“I'm glad we've finally gotten a chance to meet face to face Lieutenant” the Admiral said. “I've heard a lot about you and the work you have done for the military. Not to mention your recent work throughout the Etole Island theater.”

“I hope it has all been favorable, sir” Kara replied politely.

“It has from our intelligence people. They report the work you have done has given them a lot of pretty good stuff on the islands. Many of your reports and the follow up stuff Longbow allows the military to see has provided us with invaluable data.”

Kara nodded “Thank you, sir, though intelligence gathering is not exactly my purpose nor my current goal for my operations. However I guess you could say I've been lucky so far. The Longbow agents and those agents from our government that collate it do most of that kind of work”

The Admiral shrugged. “Its on your watch Lieutenant, and you do the legwork. I am very sorry however about the status of this young girl that you are looking for. Of course anything that the navy can do to aid you in those efforts, within our mission parameters, we will do.”

Kara smiled genuinely at that offer, appreciating it for its value. She could tell the Admiral meant that as a father. If he could help he would, parameters or not. Though she could feel the beginning of a power struggle coming she was beginning to like this Admiral.

“Thank you sir, and if I need such I help it is good to know it is there, I am quite intent in bringing her home alive and safe to her parents.”

The Admiral nodded and looked to Walker for just a moment before adding “Yes I am quite aware of who the Visitor girl's parents are and what they have done for National Security. However like you said for this op they are just parents and this is their daughter. The Navy is equally intent in helping in anyway we are able to”

The Admiral leaned back letting his left arm drape over the back edge of the couch “In fact that brings me to the point of our little meeting Lieutenant, just how many more times do you think that you will need to go into Etole island territorial waters?”

Kara's eyes narrowed a little, so that was the catch here. “Well with all respect Admiral, like its very hard for me to say. My operations are bent at providing pressure on anyone ...well on any organization that may be providing aid to Neurosculptor, the woman who took little Katrina. She is, as the latest intelligence reports hiding on the islands.” she shrugged politely “I am not going to stop meeting with contacts and those willing or unwilling to give up information on her, nor strike at possible leads that may hold the whereabouts of where this woman is in hiding...so I guess we'll just have to see how the situation develops”

“We've just received the post action report on this last so called insertion of yours, Diamond” Commander Walker interjected. “Frankly there are certain aspects of it that concern the hell out of us. Your battle with that shadow thing and it's robot nearly got one of our SIGINT ships caught in the middle of a firefight”

Kara smirked a little at the mention of their stealth ship, whose mission of gather signal intelligence on Lord Recluse's offshore operations drew too near her battle on the docks of Port Oaks. She was just as surprised as the villain's crew to find the ship there. She did all she could to allow the ship to depart and made certain her opponents were delivered to Longbow so they wouldn't divulge just how close a US Naval ship had been in Etole Island waters.

“I agree, it was a tight situation but I was able to coordinate with your ship's captain to allow it to disengage safely, you so have to keep in mind that ship was in no way listed as being in the area when Longbow and I so planned the mission Admiral..I mean..”

It was Tallmen 's turn to smirk a little “A drawback of course of the stealth doctrine Lieutenant. The mission was classified.”

Kara nodded “Like a classic case of the left hand and right hand keeping secrets. However your ship got away with all hands and no one knows it was there. So far I've not had any other conflicts with your deployments Admiral.”

Walker snapped at her from the desk “'So far' being the operative phrase here, Diamond” he shook his head clearly annoyed now. “What happens next time you have to insert yourself on those islands, I mean by this time they have to almost expect you”

Kara looked right at him, her eyes locking with his “They so haven't caught me yet Commander.”

“It is a point of concern though, Lieutenant” Admiral Tallman said. “We are operating right on the edge of the territorial waters of a rogue power. A highly volatile government, and it wouldn't take too much to tip them over the edge.”

Kara nodded and conceded that point “I so understand that Admiral” She had been through something like this before in her dealings with the military. She could sense the trap, so she deciding to bring up a few of her own big guns. “Just as I am so sure Admiral <Chief of Naval Operations> is aware as well, when he and I last met and discussed what I needed to do out here”

She watched as Tallman's eyes flickered over to his chief of staff momentarily. Kara grinned and thought to herself. These two were running 'good cop, bad cop' on her. The loop of the trap would be coming for her shortly; she needed to be ready to duck out from under it.

“The problem is that your operations and that Longbow ship you work off of are not the only American vessels out here, “ Walker said pushing the point “that and these villain organizations and Lord Recluse's military are not going to be worried about American chains of command. If you hit a tripwire over there, or piss off the wrong person, it could be one of our ships that gets tagged for retaliation.”

“As I said Commander” Kara's voice was polite with an edge of ice on it now. “Do you have any suggestions about how we should address it?”

Before Walker got a chance to answer that, the good cop took over.

“We think we do, Lieutenant,” The Admiral said smoothly picking up the line of their conversation. “Now, your operations are strictly Longbow's baby, but since we are both sharing the theater command out here, I would like to establish a set of liaison protocols. Our Intel people are already working together routinely and doing a good job of it. We ought to be doing the same thing /operationally/. It just makes good sense for said right hand to know what the left hand is doing.”

Ahh, there it is, Kara thought. It was very subtly and politely worded, but the literal translation was still: Hey lady this is my sandbox and you, by God, better start playing by my rules.

Kara smiled sweetly. “Like that does sound very reasonable, sir. However I do not think I have the authority to amend my agreed upon operational parameters to such an extent. I so think that the best call would be for you to contact the office of the CNO directly and work up a set of protocols though them.”

Literal translation: Bug off! You're not my boss and we both know it.

Kara awaited the follow-up. Commander Walker straightened angrily at the desk but before he could speak, Tallman caught him with a slight shake of his head.

“You are right Lieutenant.” he replied quietly. “That would be the best and most proper way to handle this. We will look into it” He rose to his feet and extended his hand to her. “I expect you will be wanting to get back to your ship here presently and continue with your search. It was a pleasure meeting you.”

Kara stood up as well and accepted his handshake. “It is so the same for me, sir. I appreciate the opportunity to meet the people I am working /with/ face-to-face.”

“It does promote understanding, Lieutenant.”






After Diamond had departed, Admiral Tallman and his chief of staff worked through a well-established ritual. Commander Walker drew two mugs of strong Navy coffee setting them on the Admiral's desk, while the Admiral unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk and removed a contraband bottle. Opening the fifth of bonded Kentucky bourbon, the senior officer poured a carefully metered ounce into each cup.

Resealing the bottle, Tallman restored it to its hiding place and returned his attention to his aide. “Well, what do you think?”

“I think she is a rogue and a glory hound, and I think in the end she is going to be a lot of trouble.”

Tallman chuckled briefly. “Now, don't you go and hold anything back on me Nolan. “ The Admiral shook his head “What's your real opinion son?”

“I was being serious, sir. Diamond is a loose cannon, and a loose cannon with an attitude.” He said darkly. “She is thinking only about this child and nothing else, This is something we definitely do not need out here right now.”

“Yeah I might buy in on the attitude. But then, that is not entirely a bad thing Nolan.” The Admiral took his first experimental sip of his laced drink. “I have worked with Metas who have worked with the Navy side by side for many years now. They are like fighter pilots. “ He chuckled to himself. “They are no damn good unless they are driven, professional and just a little bit cocky.”

“The girl is also a risk taker, sir”

“That is also in their job description Nolan, Just as long as her risks are calculated. Let's face it. Maybe she is nosing into our territory, but she is also coming across with some of the best tactical intel we have gotten in some time about Etole Island operations. Not to mention it never hurts to have a big gun like her in and around to protect our ships should such an eventuality arise.”

The Admiral tilted his chair back “Besides the CNO seems to trust her, and he does not impress easily. Maybe we should just let this ride and see what happens.”

“But...but sir, we do not hand a handle on this woman!” Walker said with no small degree of shock.

“That may not necessarily be a bad thing, either. If something blows up because of her, well she is Longbow's baby. If we don't have any operational linkage, we can just pass it off on them. If she keeps doing things right, hell, it's going to be happening in our own backyard, and we'll catch the glow off of it.”

Walker frowned and reached for his coffee mug. “Well I still don't like it, sir.”

“Maintain an even keel, son. We'll just give the lady all the rope she wants. She'll either hang herself with it, or she'll bring it back wrapped around something real pretty.”

((Horrible double post, That i never caught! Sorry! ))

((A horrible triple post that i never caught! ))

May 15th, 2010 - Skyway City


As he wrote his most recent arrest report, Bill Chamberlin decided he just had a natural affinity for words.

He loved how they sounded and how they could have multiple meanings. He enjoyed finding new ways to combine them cleverly so he could sound smart or witty. Bill was always amazed at how words could convey emotions and messages simply by being arranged in the right way. But the thing that Bill enjoyed the most about words was how they felt in his mouth as he spoke them. There was nothing better than a well chosen word rolling off of his tongue.

Very much to the chagrin of his partner Kara Reynolds-Dengo, the heroine also known as 'The Valiant Dazzling Diamond'.

Normally Bill's obsession with anything and everything verbal wasn't a problem. Sure he would agonize over the wording of things while writing his arrest reports for the PPD or Longbow, but that was normal. Kara, whether she would admit it or not did the same thing, and on a regular basis, they would consult one another on what sounded better in a sentence. But some days, Bill would let his love of language get out of hand. That it annoyed his partner was a source of no end to his amusement.

"Tem-pes-tu-ous." Slowly and carefully he enunciated every syllable of what was quickly turning into one of his favorite words, Bill savored every sound. "Temmm–pestuous."

Leaning back in his chair, Bill looked at the half-empty page on the computer screen of the laptop sitting atop the ancient police desk before him. Watching the little cursor blink patiently for his next word, the defender tried out the word once again. "Tempesss-tuous."

Not bothering to look up from the criminal file she was taking notes on, Kara shifted her eyes up to look at her partner. Watching Bill prepare himself for another round of 'Bill Chamberlin's Guide to Enjoying Language,' Kara finally lifted her head up, unable to fully concentrate anymore as she fixed her green eyes at her partner. Forgetting about her notes, the heroine pushed her chair away from the desk a few inches so that she could take in the full scope of the situation.

"Tem… PES… Tu… OUS."

"Bill?" Waiting for her partner to respond, Kara shook her head softly in mild amazement.

"Yes?"

"Like what's going on?"

"Nothing. Why?" Watching Kara shake her head, he knew he had gotten her once again, Bill silently mouthed yet another variation on his word of the day.

Rolling her eyes, Kara couldn't help but wonder if her partner was engaging in his round of word play subconsciously. It wouldn't be the first time his subconscious got the better of him after all. "Alright like what's with the 'Fifty Ways to Pronounce a Word' over there?"

"I am merely practicing and expressing my love for words and language." Starring at Kara, Bill spread out his arms as if to say, 'isn't it perfectly obvious?'

"Yeah… But why are you doing it?" She asked dryly.

"Because Kara my friend, As I am a writer....."

"These are so just arrest reports William....they are like hardly Tolstoy" She tried to interrupt quickly.

Bill, ignored her and continued on "...I'm supposed to enjoy and show my appreciation for words." Bill stared at his partner as if this should be the most obvious thing in the world. He pulled himself back towards his desk, the amused hero now sat with his fingers hovering over his keyboard. "You know, I'm really surprised that you don't stop to enjoy language more."

"Like whoa, I appreciate words." Kara sighed and fiddled with her pen a little, letting her gloved fingers twirl the ballpoint around lightly. "I just don't feel the need to…" She searched for the right analogy, the mildly annoyed heroine began to wave her pen around. "Marinate them."

"Oooh, marinating. I like that. Marinating words." Bill smiled smugly and nodded as if he'd just stumbled upon some great revelation, Bill began to rock his chair back and forth mirroring the movements of his head.

Very tempted to throw something at her friend, Kara began to ponder just how much damage a stapler bouncing off of his forehead would do if Bill failed to get his shields up in time. However, she decided to go with the tape dispenser instead since she was more likely to need the stapler in the near future. She opened her mouth to respond, Kara was cut off when Sapphire Rose poked her mousy brown head in the door.

"Hey guys, meeting in the squad bay is in five minutes." Tapping on the door frame, the young defender turned to leave when she was called back by Bill which caused Kara to sigh once more.

Bill moved from his desk to stand in front of the petite woman. Looking deeply into her eyes, he gently grabbed her shoulders in order to fully convey the seriousness of the question. His performance held all of the reverence of a deeply religious ritual. "Nancy, how do you feel about the word...tempestuous?"

Kara rolled her eyes skyward as she raised her gaze up to stare at the ceiling. "We are sooooo never going to get these reports done now are we?" She said to no one in particular.

"I think it's a fine word, Bill. I mean, it's not my favorite, but it's nice enough. Why?" Much to Kara's dismay, the look on her face was one of genuine interest.

"Oh Nancy…. Save yourself." Kara droned drawing out a warm chuckle from Nancy. " Don't ask." The heroine absentmindedly stuck her pen behind her ear and rose from her old squeaky chair to join her colleagues by the door.

"Kara has this idea about marinating words…" Bill quipped cheerfully.

Grabbing the back of her friends cape, Kara pulled Bill away from a confused Nancy and pushed him through the door. "If you don't want to hear about this for the next week, Nancy, you will SO walk away now."

Nancy began to back peddle as she smiled. "But but..."

Kara just shook her head as she added. "Trust me. SO just walk away."

"Come on, Kara, just say it with me. Just once. Tem…" Bill tried just before he stumbled down the hall with Kara's knuckles pressed into his back. Bill continued to beg and plead with his partner to try out his word of the day.

As a former school teacher, Kara had a natural respect for words herself. So much so that she thoroughly refused to marinate them.

Ever.

July 9th, 2010 - Skyway City


"No...no...no, don't put me on hold again, the last three times you did that you cut me off!" A long pause followed by a click on the other end of the phone. "Aaaargh!" Bill Chamberlin, the hero known as Guardian Star dropped his head to his desk in frustration as his call was cut off again.

"Something wrong, Bill?" Kara asked, rounding the partition separating the hero 'bullpen' from the precinct offices and taking a seat at her desk. The heroine also known as Diamond took special care to lay out her folders and arrest reports as she looked over with a small degree of amusement at her friend and fellow hero.

"If you must know, Kar I'm still trying to get the power company to put the power back on in my apartment." He sighed wearily. "It's been two weeks!"

"And all this happened because Freedom Corps screwed up your paperwork?"

"Yep, " Bill sighed. "They had me declared dead, withdrew my security clearance, my Hero ID and driver's licence and notified my bank that I was killed in that last major Rikti Raid," Bill recited with no small degree of annoyance in his voice.

"Like let me guess…" Kara mused "The bank froze all outgoing payments from your account, including your power bill, resulting in the power in your apartment being cut off."

"Nice work, Diamond, anyone ever tell you, you should consider a career as an investigator?" The frustrated defender quipped.

"Surely the corps can so do something to sort this out." Kara said.

"Not until I complete a pile of paperwork that I can't even fly over and then I have to take a full physical that they haven't scheduled yet." Bill groaned as he looked over to her. "I'm telling you Kar, this whole being dead thing is ruining my life!"

"Oh, like so stop whining," Kara giggled. "Besides, you should be thanking your lucky stars that Psywarp is letting you stay with him until you can move back home."

"Thank my lucky stars? Can you hear yourself, Kar?" Bill repeated incredulously. "It's not that I don't appreciate that he's letting me stay in his apartment but this is Kevin, I mean it is like living in nerd central....I don't think I have missed an episode of Star Trek yet..."

"Hey! I totally like Star Trek too" Kara smirked.

"So do I....but in small doses...Kevin has all of the Dvd's.... of each season...of all five shows, not to mention the movies. We are watching them in order...one of each show a night." Bill shook his head "To make matters worse Nancy seems to enjoy it and encourages him"

"Well she is his girlfriend..." Kara returned to her arrest report. "She is only taking an interest in his hobbies"

"Its not a hobby to him it seems....its a way of life...I mean I feel like I am living at Starfleet Academy...like some kind of twisted sci-fi boot camp," He moaned "its like I died and went to hell!"

"Consider it a dress rehearsal, for like when it actually happens," Kara grinned at him. "So you'll totally know what to expect."

Bill frowned in confusion. "At Sci-Fi Boot camp?"

"No,for when you get to hell!" Kara said in a sweet sing song voice.

"That hurts, Kara," He said feigning offence.

"Guardian Star!" Longbow Warden Benson barked as he appeared in the bullpen, with a cup of steaming coffee held in his right hand and a stack of folders held in the crook of his left arm. "Any idea when the people at Freedom Corps are going to resurrect you?"

"Working on it, sir." Bill gulped a little, startled by their officer's sudden appearance. "Is there a problem?"

"You mean, besides the fact that you're dead?" Kara quipped once more in that sweet taunting tone of hers.

"Ha…yeah, Kar, besides that," Bill replied.

"I wanna stop these damn phone calls." Benson said with a glare at Diamond. "As news of your tragic death spreads, I'm getting calls from heroes all over the city."

"Really?" Bill asked, his eyebrows quirked up with interest. "Wow...that's kinda nice...touching really but really not that unexpected." Bill smiled confidently now "I suppose it's only natural that after learning of my untimely demise, my grieving fellow heroes would reach out across the city to offer their condolences."

"Condolences be damned!" Benson shook his head. "Your fellow heroes are reaching out across the city to apply for your job!" The officer then jabbed a finger at Bill "Fix this...now!"

Bill silenced Kara's muffled giggles with a glare.

"Aw William, you know, I so almost feel totally sorry for you," She said before pausing to contemplate her statement for a moment. "Nah, so must've caught me at a weak moment…I don't feel sorry for you at all."

"Sir, I've been trying to get it fixed!" The hapless defender said. "This whole thing's snowballed into some massive bureaucratic nightmare!"

"You finished that paperwork the corps require?" Benson asked. Kara feigned curiosity as well at Bill's discomfort.

"Not quite. Before they'll schedule my physical, I need you, my doctor and a third party who was present at the incident to sign off on an FCS855 form stating that I'm actually alive."

"Oh come on…you're SO kidding, right? They actually have forms for that?" Kara asked.

"We work for the federal government, Kar, they have forms for everything!" Bill replied.

"Okies so, just what is an FCS855 form?" she asked tapping her pen against the surface of her desk.

"Request for Transfer of Hero's Status from Deceased to Living," Benson quoted by rote.

Kara's jaw dropped open. "That's like so crazy!" She shook her head. "I so don't know what is like more shocking....that there is a form for such a thing...or the fact that like such a thing happens so often there needed to be a form for it."

"That's your tax dollars, hard at work, Diamond." Benson muttered as he headed back to his office.

"Anyway, the lady from the corps said it could take another week or two before I'm officially returned to the land of the living," Bill grumbled. "That's not so bad…besides, what else can go wrong?"


================================================== ==============================


The information trail about the most current shipment of superdyne into Independence Port was getting colder by the minute, causing their squad's boss, Benson to vent his frustration loudly and frequently each night. Bill and Kara had worked solidly all evening following their long list of raids on a complex paper trail, only stopping to exchange a few knowing looks when the lead agent growled in their direction. They both breathed a sigh of relief when the grumbling officer was called up to his supervisor's office.

"Where are you going?" Kara asked, as she watched Bill reattach his cape and close his laptop.

"I need you to cover for me for the next briefing, Kar," He said.

"Oh no you don't. You've seen what Benson has been like this morning" The heroine shook her head "Besides, you and the others answer to him, like I don't. I am a volunteer here remember?"

"This is important, Kara, with my bank freezing all outgoing payments from my account, I've got to get some cash fast so I can pay my bills." Bill explained.

"Like before Patti comes back from her trip?"

Bill winced at the mention of his girlfriend "Well yeah there is that too"

Kara sighed "Omigawd William...Like you totally haven't told her yet, have you?"

"Look that isn't important right now" He grimaced as his friend rolled her eyes at him. "What is important that I get money and pay bills"

"Like what are you gonna do, William? Rob a bank?" Kara smirked.

"Whatever it takes, Kar, whatever it takes." With that he headed out to take care of this on going mess before it could get any worse.


================================================== ==============================


"What do you mean you've been arrested for bank robbery?" Benson yelled into his phone causing Kara to almost choke on the coffee she had been sipping.

Eyes wide with shock, the loud buzzing in Kara's ears cleared in time for her to hear the loud click as Benson disconnected the call and shot to his feet.

"Sir?" Kara said in a still startled voice.

"Your pal Chamberlin has been arrested for bank robbery. He's being held at the 33rd Precinct in Steel Canyon" the lead agent growled.

"Oh, my God, I so totally didn't think he was serious," Kara muttered before she could stop herself.

"What?"

"I…er…said, oh my God, you SO can't be serious!"

"You think I'd make this up, Diamond?" Benson said, rounding past her desk and heading for the elevator. "Keep checking the evidence trail, I'll go and see what the hell happened."

Twenty-five minutes later, the Longbow officer identified himself to the desk sergeant and demanded to see his 'hero'. The desk sergeant escorted him to the holding cells, then leaned against the far wall, giving the officer a degree of privacy but still interested to see how this would play out. Benson found the younger man pacing anxiously in the small confines of the cell. Though still in costume, Bill had laid his cape over the small cot in the rear of his tiny cell.

"Sir! Thank God," Bill said, approaching the door to the cell. "Tell them this has all been a mistake so I can get the hell out of here!"

"Bank robbery, Chamberlin? What the hell happened?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds, sir," The jailed defender laughed nervously. "It was actually a simple mistake."

Unamused, Benson glared in reply. "Let's have it…start at the beginning."

"Okay, well, you know that the corps advised my bank that I'd died last month in a Rikti Raid?"

Benson nodded. "The bank then froze all outgoing payments from your account."

"Right!" Bill brightened a bit at that and continued. "Well I needed to pay some of my bills. So I went to the ATM to withdraw some cash but the freakin' machine retained my card."

"Okay."

"I had my check book with me, so I went inside to the teller, who was really kinda hot. Who knew tellers could be like runway model good looking? If I'd have known that, I would never have signed up for electronic banking."

"Chamberlin!" Benson growled impatiently.

"Sorry, sir, where was I? Oh yeah, I was talking to Rebecca, that was the name of the teller, and I explained what had happened and wrote a check. Everything was fine, she was going to give me the cash and even seemed like she wanted to give me her phone number."

"You get it?"

"Her phone number?" Bill looked confused and a bit indignant "Sir...I'm seeing Patti. We have been dating for..."

"Your money!" Benson interupted with a huff of frustration.

"Oh…ah, no money and no phone number," Bill sighed. "One minute, she was keying the details of my check into her computer…the next minute, she told me she needed to get her manager to sign off."

"Then what?"

"Well, I wasn't really paying too much attention, sir. I mean I tend to get the 'look' anyways when I am doing something simple like this in my costume, but I saw the manager looking at me very oddly and then he nodded to someone behind me. Well....turns out it was a rather nervous security guard who put his gun in my back and told me to not to move because the police were on the way."

"The police."

"Well, apparently, when Rebecca…the hot teller…keyed my account details into the computer, it flagged some kind of deceased restriction. So they thought I was trying to steal from the account of a dead hero, even going so far to dress up as him and the manager had activated the silent alarm."

"Did you show 'em your ID?"

"Kinda." Bill said sheepishly.

"You kinda showed them?"

"Well the corps rescinded my Freedom Corps photo ID and I had to return it. They said they'd issue me new one with a new number once I've proved I'm not dead. They also cancelled my drivers licence, so they took that until they could get it reinstated."

"So you had no photo ID?"

"No, but I tried to explain that to the security guard…I calmly turned to face him and…that's when he totally wigged out."

"He wigged out?"

"He starts yelling, 'everybody down, this guy's gonna attack!'....you know because of the greenish aura around my forearms or something like that and the other alarm starts ringing and everyone starts screaming and yelling and diving to the ground. It was kinda like the bank heist scene in Heat…you know, with De Niro and Pacino, but without the shooting and killing and, of course, no one was actually robbing the place."

"Go on!" Benson growled through tightly clenched teeth.

"Oh…okay, well the security guard is swinging the weapon around in his hand…at the people cowering on the bank floor too, telling everyone a hero would be here soon with the police..." Bill shook his head "I tell ya, Boss, it's lucky nobody got killed."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, it was obvious that talking wasn't gonna do me any good and I was getting kinda sick of that guy's gun waving in my face, so…I… might have knocked him off his feet with a very, very small force bolt and taken his weapon," Bill said with a grimace.

"You might have?"

"Okay…I guess I did. But the way he was waving that gun around, I thought he was gonna kill someone."

"And?"

"Once I had his attention, I told him that I was a hero and had zero intention of robbing anyone and then I tried to show him my temporary PPD badge."

"What did he say?"

"He didn't see it. He um...well he kinda had his eyes screwed tightly shut and was yelling something like 'please don't kill me, please don't kill me'…and that's when the cops arrived with this very eager rookie hero. " Bill sighed "And well Mr. 'brand new in spandex, recently arrived, I'm so going to enforce justice wasn't really ready to listen."

"So, the cops and this rookie hero arrived to find you standing over the security guard, holding the weapon that you had forcibly removed from his grasp while he begged you not to kill him."

"Right! So you see, sir, the whole thing was a misunderstanding. I gotta tell ya though, being dead is sure not as easy as it looks."

The Longbow Officer continued to stare at his jailed hero for a few long seconds before finally turning his attention to the desk sergeant, still standing at the back of the room with a rather bemused smile on this face.

"Let him out," Benson said.

Bill grabbed his cape and walked through the holding cell door, stopping in front of the lead agent and flashing a confident grin.

"Hey,Sir? You think this is gonna be one of those stories that we look back on one night over a couple of beers and laugh?"

Benson gave him a look that could have started the ice age.

"Nope, neither do I," Bill said with a sheepish smirk before turning on his heel and heading for freedom.


================================================== ==============================


After what had been a rather long and frustrating day Benson had finally released the team to go home. As grateful as Bill was that his friend Psywarp had provided temporary accommodation, Bill cringed at the thought of another night spent in the far off reaches of the Alpha Quadrant, while Kevin began yet another rant about why the show Enterprise never followed true trek canon.

Knowing the power was off in his own apartment, Bill grabbed a flashlight and headed for home to collect his portable DVD player and selection of his favourite films. Tonight he would introduce Kevin to the wonderful world of the classics.

The classics every man ought to be introduced too.

Bill inserted his key into the lock and cursed softly when it didn't turn. He examined the key, confirmed it was the right one and tried unsuccessfully again. 'What the?'


================================================== ==============================


"What do you mean you've been arrested for breaking and entering?" Benson yelled, sitting up quickly and hitting his head painfully on the underside of the car he often spent time customizing. His loud cry caused his wife who had brought him his phone to jump and clutch at her heart.

"Where the hell are you?" He asked, cutting off what was likely to be a lengthy explanation by the person on the other end of the phone. "I'm on my way!"

Standing up he handed his wife the phone and headed out of the garage muttering to himself.

Thirty minutes later, Benson strode into the 14th Precinct on Talos Island and, after a brief discussion with the desk sergeant, was directed to the holding cells in the back. He rolled his eyes as he watched his civilian attired hero engaged in conversation with four scantily clad hookers in the adjoining cell. Bill's head swivelled in a comical double take as he saw the Longbow senior agent approach.

"Making new friends, Chamberlin?" Benson quipped sarcastically.

"It was either them or Barney Bodyodor over there, Boss," he replied, gesturing with his chin toward the sleeping, yet obviously, inebriated man. "That guy's been stinking up the whole joint since he staggered in here."

"What the hell happened?" Benson asked. "Psywarp said you were just going back to your apartment to get some of your DVD's?"

"I was…I did," Bill muttered.

"So whose apartment did you break into then?"

"Mine!" Bill spread his hands out helplessly.

"You broke into your own apartment?" Benson rubbed the bridge of his nose as he fought to understand.

"Yes…no…well kinda!"

"You forget your keys?"

"No, I had my keys."

"Then why didn't you use them?"

"I did use 'em!"

"Then how can you be accused of a B&E if you used your own keys?"
"Because well I used my keys but they didn't work."

"So…you reported it to the building supervisor who let you in," Benson hoped in vain.

"No, I…" Bill paused in thought. "Actually…I didn't think of that," Bill then winced slightly. "But as it turned out, the building supervisor was the one who changed the lock."

"Why?"

"Because when Freedom Corps told the employees of my bank that I was dead, they not only froze all utility payments from my account but they stopped paying my rent! Can you believe that? They didn't even tell me!"
"How could they tell you Chamberlin? You're dead!"

"Huh? …that's right…anyway, when Denny, the building supervisor, called the office to ask me why I was behind in my rent, he was put through to the corps who told him that…"

"...The Hero known as Guardian Star was killed in action," Benson finished for him.

"So Denny changed the lock on my door until Patti gets back from California and could sort out my estate...such as it is"

"So how did you get in?"

"I flew up to my window and um...slipped inside."

"Then what?"

"Well, I used my flashlight to find my DVD player and I picked a selection of DVD's. I made sure to pick some great movies that I thought Kevin might like, the classic Spencer Tracy, the raw power of De Niro and, of course, no collection is complete with Jack Nicholson in Chinatown. 'He passed away two weeks ago and he brought the land a week ago… that's unusual.' He quoted in a more than passable Nicholson impression that was halted by a quick slap to the back of his head from the annoyed Longbow agent.

"Sorry," Bill winced yet again. "That's kind of apt though, don't you think?"
"What happened next?" Benson sighed.

"I was getting ready to leave and had my DVD player and DVD's in my hands when the PPD's answer to Heckle and Jeckle burst into my apartment, brandishing their weapons and told me to freeze."

"Why didn't you tell them you're a legally deputized hero in your own apartment?" Benson asked.

"I did! They didn't believe me!"

"And you had no ID on you to prove you were a hero?"

"Well, not exactly. I had my temp badge but I wasn't in costume this time."

Benson asked impatiently. "Then why didn't you show them that?"

"I tried to but they were a little over zealous and threw me up against the wall to pat me down for weapons. Which sorta startled me and I barely stopped my fields from powering up...but the flash of green light..."

"And they figured you were about to attack them?"

"Well they thought I was an Outcast...and well then things got a little crazy," Bill explained.

"So, you're saying they never saw your badge?"

"Oh, no, they saw it. Once they had me pinned to the wall like a spider pins an insect and had their guns pointed at my head, they took my badge from my jacket."

"And?"

"They'd never heard of Guardian Star and thought my badge was something I'd either bought in a toy store or stole." Bill sighed exasperated. "You know, Sir, I really need to talk to someone about hiring a publicist or something, I mean Kara doesn't seem to have the problem of people not knowing her."

"She has been a heroine of the city for six years and has been classified as such three times now." Benson shook his head "and you aren't her...So, you're pinned to the wall, without any photo ID,not in costume, flashing your powers, a flashlight and what the cops believe is a fake badge?"

"Right!"

"What about the building supervisor? This clown Denny? Why didn't he tell them who you were?"

"Well, apparently Denny left on vacation a week ago and the guy standing for him doesn't know me." Bill sighed. "Which is starting to become a regular issue now"

"And the neighbour across the hall that you were dating before you met Patti?. Why didn't you tell the cops she'd vouch for you?"

"Ah…things didn't end so well with her," Bill replied, looking a little uncomfortable. "She was the one who called the cops when she heard noise from my apartment. Apparently, Denny, who's a nice guy but gossips like an old woman, told her that I was dead. When the cops knocked on her door and asked if she knew me, she looked like she'd seen a ghost."

"I'm sure."

"But then she looked me right in the eye and told the cops she didn't know who I was! Can you believe that?"

"A woman scorned, Chamberlin," Benson said, shaking his head sympathetically. "Let's get this straight, we've got breaking and entering, petty larceny, attempted assault on police officers and impersonating a deputized hero."

"Well, yeah, it sounds bad when you say it like that," Bill said sullenly.

Checking his watch, Benson saw it was two in the morning and gestured for the officer leaning on the far wall to open the cell door. As Bill was released, he looked at the Longbow agent, who was rubbing his hands over his tired face.

"Hey, you alright, Boss, you're looking a bit tired. You really ought to try to get more sleep."

Benson let his stare drift up to the ceiling and sighed.


================================================== ==============================


"What? No, wait, Kerry…don't hang up…I swear…it really is me! Hello…hello? Dammit!" Bill said snapping his cell closed.

"Evening, William," Kara said brightly as she stood in front of her partner's desk. "Trouble in paradise?"

"If you must know, Kar, a friend of mine who works in the state department was supposed to meet me for lunch this afternoon...well she stood me up," Bill grumbled. "I called her just now to find out if she was okay and she burst into tears and called me a demented lunatic who calls up pretending they're dead people."

"Ah…she heard of your sad passing." Kara grinned.

"I'm telling you, Kar, being dead is murder. I was going to see if Kerry would help me with this whole dead thing."

"Well, maybe you could…wait a minute…Kerry?…you don't mean MY contact in the State Department? Kerry Hollenfield? I have four missed calls on my cell from her!" Kara shook her head. "She was trying to reach me all last night"

"Out late again were we?"

Kara glared at him, her tone cooling a little "Yeah....leading about a dozen raids last night"

"Oh yeah..the whole Spooky Child thing still...sorry" He kicked himself for almost forgetting about the missing little heroine. Avoiding eye contact, Bill added. "We better get to work on those arrest reports though Kara, if Benson comes in here and we're not working, he's not gonna be a happy…come to think of it…I've never seen Benson happy."

"Never happy with you, you mean....and don't change the subject, William, how do you know Kerry? Wait!…how did you get her number?"

"I'm a trained investigator, Kar, it's what I do."

"You…you…cracked the password on my PDA and looked up Kerry's cell, didn't you!" Kara said, appalled at her friend's blatant breach of her privacy.

"No, I didn't!"

"I SO don't believe you!"

"Believe what you want but I never touched your PDA, Kara!" Bill protested in vain.

"Did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't."

Though he should have expected it, the stinging head slap took the besieged defender by surprise.

"Sorry, sir, but Kara started it this time."

"I just finished it," Benson replied calmly, rounding the edge of the bullpen, heading into his office and taking his seat. "Get to work on those reports, division needs them for the DA's office."

"Getting to work, sir," Bill answered, ignoring the blistering look from Diamond that guaranteed the conversation would continue later.

As the evening progressed, Benson grew increasingly tired of the sniping that continued between the two heroes in the bullpen beyond his office. Though he hadn't been present to see what had started their latest spat, he knew that, despite his protests of innocence, Guardian Star had done something to yank the senior heroine's chain.

"Who's getting the coffee?" he eventually called out to the other two.

"Kara!" Bill called out without hesitation and smiling wickedly at her as Kara thought to protest then simply huffed and grabbed her purse.

"We've got work to do tonight, so make it snappy…Chamberlin." Benson said.

The expressions on his heroes reversed immediately as Kara wore an ear-to-ear grin and Bill huffed in exasperation. Benson watched the younger man out of the corner of his eye as he sheepishly walked to the Longbow Officer's door and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Ah, sir…you know that little problem I'm having with my bank?"

Sighing in resignation, the warden pulled a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to Bill, who turned on his heels and headed for the elevator.

"Chamberlin! I want the change this time and no small talk about movies at the store, I want my coffee hot."

"On it, Sir!" Bill yelled back as the elevator doors closed.


================================================== ==============================


"What do you mean you've been arrested for purse snatching and impersonating a hero?" Benson's head fell into his hands and felt his blood pressure rise. "I'll be right there," he said.

The Longbow agent wearily got to his feet and looked across to where Kara and Sapphire Rose were discussing the night's upcoming raids.

"Diamond, when you're finished with Nancy there, check with your friend Izzy and see if her detectives have matched the evidence for our warrants for tonight. I'll be on my cell, Guardian Star's been arrested again."

"Again? What for this time?" Kara asked completely stunned.

"At least we know what happened to our coffee" Nancy added.

"Purse snatching and impersonating a deputized hero" Benson replied through a tightly clenched jaw.

"Impersonating a hero? They've been letting him to do that for three years!" Kara chuckled, earning an icy glare from the Longbow warden.

"Oh my, wow that is lousy!" Nancy threw in.

"There a problem, Nancy?"

"Knowing Bill's penchant for partying in his off duty hours, I had "public intoxication" in the office pool," the little defender confessed. "I should have thought about "impersonating a deputized hero" I mean, it's really quite obvious…"

"Someone's running an office pool on Chamberlin getting arrested?!!" Benson bellowed, causing every nearby hero and police officer to duck their heads and turn their attention back to their own work.

"Not anymore," Sapphire Rose lamented, wondering which of her fellow coworkers had won the pool. Her pondering was quickly answered as Kara whispered.

"Dinner's on me, sweetie." Kara eyed Benson, "Tell Kevin."

"Why thank you, Kara!" She whispered in reply.

"Don't thank me, thank Bill!" Kara quietly giggled. "If he keeps this up, I'll like so have my credit card paid off in no time."

Nancy chuckled softly as Benson headed to the local police station wearing a murderous expression.


================================================== ==============================


The Longbow Agent's mood hadn't improved as the two arresting officers led Benson into the holding area of the police station. He took in the occupants of the two cells – his hero sat on a low bunk in the far cell while a 350-pound, bald-headed Skulls gang member occupied the other.

"This is getting old, Chamberlin," Benson said. "Keep this up and Freedom Corps will declare you alive just in time for me to kill you."

Bill shot to his feet as the lead agent approached.

"Sir, this isn't what it looks like," he said hastily.

"Are you under arrest?"

"Yes."

"Are you in jail?"

"Well…yes."

"Then it's exactly what it looks like," Benson said. "What happened this time?"

"Do you want the good news or the bad news?"

"Start with the bad news?" Benson replied.

"The bad news is that little old lady had her whole life savings in her purse and that low life Skull scum pushed her over and took off with it," Bill said, pointing at the huge man in the next cell.

"O-kay, and the good news?"

"The good news is that I was able to easily run him down and get it back, well, that is until the cops arrived and thought I'd taken it and arrested me instead."

"That's the good news?"

"Well, not so much good news as the slightly better than bad news…news."

"Ya think?" Benson asked feeling the beginning of a very bad headache. "From the beginning, Chamberlin."

"Okay, so I was on my way to the coffee shop that you like, when I heard a scream. I looked up and saw Tiny over there push an old lady to the ground and steal her handbag... so, naturally, I gave chase," Bill explained.

"Naturally," Benson replied, as certain of his hero's inherent need to help as he was of his hero's ability to attract trouble. "Go on."

"I identified myself as a deputized hero and yelled at him to stop but this guy can run like crazy for such a huge guy!"

Benson did a double take, mentally comparing the 350-pound man to his tall, lean hero. "He tried to out run you?"

"He may be big as a freaking house,but he's deceptively quick. Like a rhino and a panther...the massive, powerful rhino set the pace for the first few city blocks but the sleek, agile panther had the speed and endurance to run him down."

"What about your powers, panther?"

"Come on sir...I shoot radiation blasts, There were too many people around, despite the sizable target I couldn't risk a stray shot hitting someone else. Plus that sorted limited my flight choices too"

"So you kept chasing."

"I kept chasing and I saw him enter an alleyway off 5th Street, so I powered up and flew in. There are two exits from that alleyway and I didn't see where he went. Next thing I know, he comes out of nowhere and slams me into the sidewalk."

Benson scanned his hero for injuries. "You hurt?"

"Few bruises, nothing serious, I got my field up almost in time. He was fine - I managed to break his fall with my body. Anyway, he tries to pin me with his weight and as I get ready to blast him, I go for the handbag and manage to rip it out of his grasp," Bill started to squirm and grimace at the memory. "That's when it happened."

"What happened?"

"He kneed me in the...um..well you know."

"He got through your fields?"

"Well no...I mean I hadn't had them up to full strength yet...but still...you feel such a shot sir, even a near miss, anyways he then took one of the two exits from the alleyway"

"Which one?"

"Well, I think the left one's a little swollen but, to be honest, they're both pretty tender."

"Thanks for the graphic image, but I meant which exit did he take?"

"Oh…ah…I didn't see," Bill replied. "By the time I stopped seeing stars and got to my feet, I took the 4th Street exit and was limping up the street looking for him when the cops arrived."

"You tell them who you were?"

"I tried to, but once they saw I had the handbag they weren't exactly open to conversation."

"They thought you were the purse snatcher. Even in costume?"

"Well apparently my costume matched the description of a recent 'bank robbery attempt'...and then it was déjà vu all over again, sir."

Benson sighed heavily. "You had no photo ID, they'd never heard of you, thought your badge was store bought and when they phoned to confirm you were a deputized hero, they were told you were dead."

"You're probably not gonna wanna hear this next bit."

"There's still time to stop yourself."

"The cops took me back to the old lady and she identified me as the guy who knocked her over and stole her purse."

"She confused you with a 350-pound, bald, Skull?"

" She was really old, sir, she couldn't see very well."

" Ya think?"

"Anyway, they started to charge me with purse snatching when other witnesses came forth and cleared me. They brought Tiny in about thirty minutes ago, so now they're only holding me for impersonating a deceased deputized hero."

"Open the door," Benson told the officer standing nearby.

As Bill walked from the cell, he turned back toward the large Skull, silently assessing the man.

"Ya know, Boss, he may be the size of a city building but I know I could have taken him if I had a clear shot at him."

Benson glanced at the other man and rolled his eyes.

"With a clear shot and Diamond backing you up, maybe," he said as they walked toward the door. "I mean come on he is a Skull and you fight Rikti Chamberlin of course you SHOULD have taken him."

Bill sighed nodding, chastising himself for not taking the Skull seriously enough in the first place.

"By the way Chamberlin?"

"Yeah?"

"You still owe me a coffee."


================================================== ==============================


As Bill left the Skyway Precinct following the team's night of raids and headed for Kevin's home, he reflected on the last couple of days. The back-to-back warrant raids and long hours were made all the more difficult by his ongoing battle to have himself "resurrected from the dead" and the occasional altercation with the local police.

He landed in front of Kevin's building and let himself into his friend's apartment, swiping a bottle of water from the fridge. Bill had to hand it to Benson, each time he'd found himself inadvertently on the wrong side of the law, Benson had been there to pull his tail out of the fire.

He looked around the sparsely furnished home he knew almost as well as his own now. He smiled to himself Patti would be home soon and help straighten all of this out. She always had a way of making things right in his life. Kevin was out with Nancy for a few drinks and dinner and wouldn't be back for a few hours. Bill was restless and his body ached with tension. He was in desperate need of a run.

He changed out of his costume and into his sweats and shoved the twenty he'd borrowed from Kara into his running shoe. He planned to stop at the liquor store down the road during his jog, as neither he nor the warden were big on flowery sentiment, he'd pick up a bottle of that bourbon the man drank as a thank you for all his help.

Bill made good time as he reached the small row of shops located about two miles from Kevin's apartment. He stopped at the bench on the corner, and spent a few moments doing some warm down stretches. His trained eyes zeroed in on a young man standing twenty yards away. He was smoking a cigarette, chain-smoking if the cigarette butts at his feet were any indication, and looking nervously toward the entrance of the liquor store.

Dressed for jogging, Bill had neither his costume nor his temp ID with him. However he started for the liquor store to alert the shopkeeper, when the man stubbed his cigarette, pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and placed his hand in his pocket the outline of the gun becoming obvious.

Making sure to avoid eye contact and ensuring his body language remained casual, Bill walked toward the liquor store, arriving at the entrance as the nervous young man pulled the handgun from his pocket. Bill lunged for the pistol, struggling with the shorter but stockier man until he'd finally wrestled the weapon from the would-be bandit's calloused fingers.

The store owner looked up in surprise as two men walked through the store's entrance and then began to fight for possession of a handgun, their intention to rob him was obvious. Having been victim to several robberies in the past few years, the man decided that, this time, he was not gonna wait for heroes and fight back. Taking a bottle of gin from the shelf he moved in from behind and, just as Bill had wrestled the gun away from the other man, the store owner smashed the bottle over the hero's head. The would-be robber dashed back out the door and raced away. Bill's vision greyed around the edges and grew to a foggy haze as he fell to the ground in a heap.

Sirens were heard in the distance and his final thought as unconsciousness beckoned was "Benson is gonna kill me."


================================================== ==============================


"What do you mean you've been arrested for attempting to rob a liquor store?" Benson barked, the frustration and weariness evident in his voice. "Where are you?.... I'm on my way."

Forty minutes later, Benson walked into the 27th Precinct in Atlas Park and, flashing his badge and identifying himself, he was shown to the holding cells where he found his hapless hero laying on the bunk. Bill's eyes snapped open and he climbed to his feet as the warden approached.

"Sir! Thank God! I know what you're thinking but I can explain. This really wasn't my fault. Tell these guys who I am so I can get the hell outta here!"

Benson walked to the front of the holding cell, silently appraising the younger man and relieved to see no visible signs of injury or discomfort.

"There's been a mistake," The older warden said to the uniformed officer. "I've never seen this man before in my life."

Bill's jaw dropped open in shock as he watched the Longbow Agent leave the room.

"Sir? Agent Benson? No,! You gotta get me outta here! I'm gonna go insane!!!...Sir???! Sir??!"

Bill's muffled shouts could still be heard from the charge desk as Benson addressed the desk sergeant.

"That's Guardian Star, he is a deputized hero working with the PPD and Longbow. He seen a doctor?"

"Yes, Sir. No concussion, but he's got a lump the size of an egg on the back of his head. Doc says he's fine."

With a sharp nod of his head, Benson started toward the exit.

"Wait, what do you want us to do with him?" the desk sergeant asked.

"Give him some Tylenol and make sure you feed him. I'll be back for him tomorrow."

"You want us to keep him locked up all night?"

"Believe me, he's safer here!" Benson replied.

By the time he'd reached his car his anger had grown. This mess clearly had to stop. The young hero had been lucky tonight but good luck and Guardian Star weren't synonymous. He steered his car toward his home precinct. He was through waiting for the pencil pushers to get their act together. Even if he had to go to Ms. Liberty himself, he vowed not to leave the office until this bureaucratic nightmare was resolved and his hero's credentials, security clearance and bank issues were reinstated and resolved.

In the meantime, he rested comfortably in the knowledge that finally Bill was safely locked away for the night.

August 1st, 2010 - Skyway City


She sat in the darkened office, staring intently at the screen before her. The face from the criminal file always grinned back at her, mocked her, laughed at her failure. She barely noticed the flickering of the other files and leads as they flashed rapidly over the screen. She ignored the many faces of the other issued warrants. For her there was only the one.

The face that haunted her.

She saw that face everywhere. Countless times during her numerous and relentless raids she had led over the last year or so, she had almost started running after some innocent bystander because she thought she had seen it. When she closed her eyes to erase the images, it floated before her, haughty, confident, mocking. The face was with her wherever she went. She could not escape it.

She didn't want to.

That face had almost become her obsession, her reason for existence since Katrina's disappearance. She must find this woman; she would find her. And then...then she would reclaim her dignity, her honor. She would not fail again. Failure was her deepest dread, her own personal nightmare.

She would never admit it, though she suspected a couple of people she worked with knew. It was such an intrinsic part of her now, such a core element of her being, that it was difficult not to notice. She wondered vaguely if it had anything to do with her lack of a true social life. Something so many seemed to be concerned about, not that it would help to suddenly involve herself in one these days.

She took a sip of her now cold coffee, grimaced, and continued her musing. She was not proud of having failed at being as social as she had once been. She wished she were able to love and commit to another person, and not just her 'job'. However fate and her choices had left her little choice. The core of all of them it would seem appeared to be a fear of failure.

She was so deathly afraid of, not rejection, exactly, but the idea of not being sufficient. So often since her powers emerged it had been the case. For one such reason, She simply would not allow herself to get too close to anyone any more. She had friends, sure, but no one who really knew her beyond the force of justice facade she put on. No one she could confide in with her deepest secrets. Her deepest reason beyond such a fear of failure had been known to only a few, a few no longer really around, nor were likely to remember.

She didn't know if she had really wanted to be social, or if she even remembered how to be anymore. It had been so long since she had done anything beyond taking care of her daughter, seeing that she had been cared for before once more donning her costume and continuing with her hunt for Spooky Child. How much time could she really devote to someone else?Let alone a collection of friends to go out...to drink...to share...to dance, when she had a lost child to find. Her little ward taken from school by the villainess Neurosculptor. A psychopathic ex neurosurgeon bend on getting revenge on her best friend Lucianna Addo.

Eventually her passion for the hunt had consumed her life, making her more Diamond these days than she had ever been Kara Reynolds-Dengo. She had regretted the loss of social contact with many of her friends, but she soon found she was not really sad. Though she had been close with many of them, she had her 'crusade' to save little Katrina to fill the void as they moved on to other things in their own lives. That was how it was with most of the people in her life.

There was only one person she truly missed.

She was, in her eyes, perfect. Smart, funny, sweet, tough, and beautiful, they had found each other not soon after Kara had joined the New Porter Institute. Kara smirked softly as she remembered the awkward attraction.. She had loved her intensity and confidence, something Kara had been lacking at the time. It was a difficult time back then for them both. She was the only one who had ever been able to safely touch her after one of the most traumatic experiences of her early career as a hero. Her time with her had been the best of her life, and she had never wanted it to end.

But it had.

Perhaps time had made the memories of their time together more pleasant, it hardly mattered to her. She had undergone many problems when they were together, the one that stuck the most with Kara had been her failure to solve any of them. Even when they were parted she had tried so hard to be supportive, to stand by her as she was assaulted by the Crey Experiment she had been subjected to. Battle after battle, Kara had fought to solve the disease spawned from Hammidon that was consuming the one true person in her life. To no avail however and eventually that failure lead to their complete separation.

Unable to end her pain, and now no longer to stand beside her, Kara had been left to imagine the depth of her failure. Beginning with the night she froze, confronted by the one thing she had dreamed off, she froze and missed an opportunity that eventually lead to more heartbreak. More pain caused by a failure of hers.

She had tried to save her and failed.

She vanished soon after her stay in a New York Hospital, a last ditch effort to stem the disease the Crey had infected her with. Much like little Katrina had vanished. How could she accept failure now? She thought as she continued to stare at the screen.

She heard the elevator doors hiss open and glanced up. Her breath caught and her eyes, which had been so tired lately, widened. An old fear resurfacing, feeling cornered and alone. Attempting to remain casual as she fought the fear that still gripped her heart, she turned back to the computer screen. Some scars never go away, she thought as she fought to remain calm.

"Thought you, Kevin and Bill were going for Chinese."

"Yeah. I, uh, forgot something." Her friend, Sapphire Rose, or Nancy said as she searched her desk. Kara nodded as she continued to stare at the screen.

"You sure you don't want to come?" Nancy said hopefully.

Kara looked up and over to Nancy. Her friend seemed genuinely concerned. For a moment, Kara considered it, Luci and Bill's advice fought a battle against her own will, but in the end her 'work' called to her, taunting her, daring her to fail once more. She returned her gaze once more to the monitor as she simply replied. "No, thanks."

"Okay hon." Nancy didn't appear to want to go. "Well, see you tomorrow night then?." She then turned and walked slowly back to the elevators.

"'Night, Katerina," Kara called absently.

Nancy paused and looked back, confused. "Nancy, Kara" she corrected.

Kara blinked and looked up again. "Sorry?"

"Nancy, not Katerina," she repeated.

"Oh, right. Sorry," She apologized and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I'm just tired sweetie."

"Are you sure?"

Kara nodded and then looked back at the computer screen "Yeah..I'm like fine, just need to finish up and get home to little Phil"

"All right" Nancy muttered unconvinced and more than a little concerned. "Tell her hi for me...and see you tomorrow." with that she entered the elevators and left Kara to her work in the darkened 'bullpen'.

Alone again, Kara chastised herself for calling Nancy that. She supposed it was just an honest mistake; he had been thinking about Katerina and.....well 'her'. Nancy, Bill and Kevin were still rookies in their own way. Younger heroes she had taken it upon herself to look after. In a very real sense she was terrified of letting them down too each night, wanting to protect them as much as work beside them.

She had a little one to find, to bring home to the parents that also searched for her every night. In a way Kara almost regretted never really letting Nancy, Kevin or even Bill inside, letting them know about her fears and one time hopes. Yet they had become almost tools in her hunt for the littlest Templar. Almost everyone in her life had become such a role, assets to be relied on, not expendable mind you, but assets none the less. Whether like RJ who looked after her daughter Philomela, or Luci who searched for Kat on the west coast, Bill and his team who aided her raids, Molly and Dani who had become much the same as the others. it wasn't that she hadn't appreciated their efforts, it was just what had to be done until Katrina could be brought home.

She had failed someone she loved once, she would not, could not fail again.

She was determined to sacrifice all she had to find her little ward, and yet in the dark when she was all alone it kept coming back to haunt her. Her fear of failure, her deepest nightmare. She would wish things were different, wishing she were different, yet knowing she could not change.

Not now.

She sat in the darkened office, staring intently at the screen before her. The villainess' face grinned back at her, mocked her, laughed at her failure. She barely noticed the flickering of the other reports and leads as they flashed rapidly over the screen. She ignored the many faces of the other issued warrants. For her there was only the one. The face that haunted her.

She would not fail Katerina, she would not fail this child.

Like she had failed someone else.