#PG I hate you for naming Victor’s cards and dates in ways that don’t have a proper word in English that conveys the exact meaning LMAO -_-

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Victor’s S2 Company Project – Rejuvenation Of The Glimmer Of Dawn

[Note]: As much as I understand the urgency of wanting to read the date first, it’s VERY IMPORTANT to read the company project before the date since it’s a continuation~ 💘

This features S2 Victor, but doesn’t contain any spoiler from the main story~ :>

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

–

✧ [Stage 1] ✧

Today is the day of coming to LFG for my routine debriefing. Victor seems to be in a good mood, and my proposal is approved quite speedily.

During the lunch break, I sit on the chair opposite Victor’s office desk and turn on my phone. At this moment, the news app I’ve subscribed to pops a push notification––

“The memories of a generation of Loveland meet their end with the closing down of Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market.”

MC: What kind of gimmicky news... Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market is not closing down at all. It’s just going to be transformed and upgraded, that’s all.

Victor is working on his computer. Hearing what I’ve said, he raises his head and glances at me.

Victor: You’ve indeed grown way bolder now.

Victor: Already daring to openly slack off in front of me.

MC: CEO Victor, it’s now 12:35. Strictly speaking, it’s already the lunch break.

MC: It’s the legitimate right of the employees to rest during this time. And besides, I was still thinking about a proper business matter.

I raise my head and meet his calm and composed gaze, swaying my phone screen at him.

MC: Not long ago, the person in charge of Glimmer Of Dawn reached out to me, hoping that the media could help promote their transition this time around.

MC: As a very representative of the old food market in Loveland City, Glimmer Of Dawn can be said to be the memory of a generation.

MC: Therefore, I think it’s a good topic, and I’m planning to agree to cooperate with Glimmer Of Dawn.

After voicing all of my thoughts conclusively, I wink at Victor.

MC: I’m still thinking about work during the break. CEO Victor, I’m indeed very dedicated to my work.

Victor: As it happens, Goldman has requested a leave of absence today.

Victor’s words carry the hints of a light-hearted sense of teasing.

Victor: Since you’re so dedicated to your work, do you wanna fill in for him for a day?

I immediately raise my hands in surrender.

MC:��As compared to Goldman, I still have some shortcomings. He’s already been trained by you to become a decathlete.

I give a thumbs-up, indicating that I, a salted fish, have no desire to replace him.

–

[Note]: MC uses the term “咸鱼 (xiányú),” which literally translates to “salted fish.” It’s a slang that refers to a person who is too lazy or unmotivated to do something~ ʕ-᷅ᴥ-᷄ʔ

–

Victor smiles and reaches out to point at the stack of documents on the desk.

Victor: Back to the Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market. If you want to work on an issue related to it, I’ve got some materials here that should be of interest to you.

I poke my head up, and my gaze lands on a sentence written on the top– “The Support Program for The Traditional Industries in Old Town.”

The investor behind this renovation of Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market is actually LFG? I’m left a little stunned.

MC: Is LFG really investing in this?

MC: The renovation of the Old Town District is not a project that will be able to yield a fast return.

Victor: As an enterprise that originated in Loveland City, LFG supports a number of local industries every year.

Victor: Not only financially, but also with specialized technical support and guidance.

Victor: The Old Town District, represented by Glimmer Of Dawn, is just one of them.

Victor: In this regard, LFG does not value fast profit.

MC: Who would expect that CEO Victor, as a capitalist, would actually have a day when he doesn’t talk about profit~

After flipping through these materials, I’ve already obtained a general understanding of this project. Pondering over it some more, I speak to Victor.

MC: I’ve decided to officially launch a documentary project on Glimmer Of Dawn.

MC: Since LFG is involved in the investment as well, I’m going to disturb CEO Victor even more regarding the filming in the coming days.

Victor raises his eyebrows, the lights within his dark pupils circling on my face as he turns to me.

Victor: [pouting LOL]  Since you’re saying it’s a disturbance, why should I say yes?

Grinning, I lean over and blink at him with utmost earnestness.

MC: Because, of course, CEO Victor wouldn’t decline a very tiny request from his cooperative partner.

–

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–

✧ [Stage 2] ✧

When I come to Victor’s office again to report the progress, I hand him a complete filming planner.

MC: The Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market once used to be the most “favored” food market within the range of several kilometers, with a daily flow of thousands of customers.

MC: At this food market, you can get fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, meat and spices... everything you need for your everyday life can be found here.

MC: As a former “beloved” food market in Loveland City, it hasn’t been easy for Glimmer Of Dawn to persevere up until now.

MC: Therefore, its transformation will also have extraordinary representativeness.

I make a brief statement about the reasons for doing this show. Victor sets down the proposal document, nodding his head lightly.

Victor: The idea is pretty good, but it’s still lacking something more substantial as the content.

He’s about to say something else, but I’ve already opened my mouth first.

MC: I’ve already carried out an investigation and analysis in response to the specific transformation program.

MC: It will easily turn into a preachy film if it’s just about the dry and dull industrial upgrade.

MC: Therefore, I intend to cut through the ordinary people in the food market and show the lives of ordinary citizens caught in the crevices between the end of the industry and the regeneration.

As I finish my specific plans in one breath, I see Victor leaning back in his chair, the tip of his brows are slightly raised, and he seems to be in a good mood.

I press my fingertips on the proposal document on his desk, looking at him in glowing spirits.

MC: CEO Victor, is there anything else you would like to ask?

Victor smiles as he reaches out to pick up the pen and signs his name on the last page of the proposal document.

Victor: There’s nothing I can ask. It’s been laid out perfectly.

Victor: I’m looking forward to the day when I can see the result.

He hands me the proposal document. As I reach out to take it, my fingertips touch his warm finger pads, causing my heart to stir. I put away the proposal, then slowly walk up to his side.

Victor is drinking his coffee. When he sets his cup down, he catches a glimpse of me standing next to him with a radiant gaze, his hand holding the cup giving a start.

Victor: Why are you being sneaky? What are you up to again?

I immediately take the coffee cup from his hand and place it on the desk, displaying a solicitous manner.

MC: CEO Victor, as far as I know, LFG has already dispatched professional product managers to support this industrial upgrade.

MC: And, you will also be personally participating in some important meetings as an investor...

Victor: You want me to be in the frame again?

Before I can finish my sentence, Victor has already hit the nail on the head.

Under my gaze brimming with expectation, Victor sighs slightly.

Victor: After saying all that, you’re clearly determined to drag me on board.

MC: So–– you’re saying yes!

I look at Victor in high spirits. He nods.

Victor: Glimmer Of Dawn carries a generation of memories in Loveland City.

Victor: This, of course, includes me as well.

–

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–

✧ [Stage 3] ✧

It’s the first day of the official filming. When I’m about to conclude work for the day, I run into Victor.

He has probably just finished a meeting. I brisk walk to catch up and stop him. Victor arches his eyebrows slightly.

MC: CEO Victor, since we ran into each other, would you like to take a moment and stroll around this food market with me?

MC: I’m also about to call it a day. I just have to shoot one more last piece of material before returning home.

Victor is clad in a crisply pressed suit. His gaze lingers on my smiling face for a moment, the corners of his own lips perk up in a smile, and he raises his arm slightly.

Victor: I think, a certain someone wants to take the ride back home with me later.

Smiling mischievously, I naturally hook my arm around his and stroll through the food market with the camera in hand.

MC: Although the food market is not as bustling with noise and excitement as it used to be previously, it’s not as cold and cheerless as I imagined it’d be either. There are still many regular customers.

MC: I’ve observed that most of them are grandparents from the neighboring residential buildings.

MC: There’s also a small number of parents; who drop by to buy vegetables on the way back home after picking up their kids from school.

MC: So this place is quite lively towards the evening instead.

As I walk on the roads of the food market with Victor, I observe and make assessments the entire time.

MC: Hmm... the environment feels somewhat shabby and disordered. It seems that the management isn’t very good.

Victor pauses in his footsteps, seemingly grasping for some fragments in his memory.

Victor: In my memory, this place used to be very clean.

Victor: Judging from the surveys I received earlier, it appears that the recent decline in profit and revenue and the negligence of the management have led to the current situation.

I nod my head thoughtfully. All of a sudden, the sound of shouting comes from the vendor’s booth next to us.

??: Freshly arrived strawberries and bananas. Have–a–look–and–see––

??: We do business in good faith and sincerity. No sweetness, no money––

Attracted by the waves of shouting, I curiously pause in my footsteps and drag Victor over to the shouting vendor’s booth.

MC: Victor, since we’re already here, let’s buy some fruits to bring home!

Victor: ...a certain someone’s “since we’re already here” principle is really invincible.

Despite saying so, Victor still holds me by the hand and walks me over to the stall.

Victor: What do you want to eat? Strawberry or banana?

MC: Strawberry, hehe!

Victor nods and chooses them conscientiously, filling the entire bag in no time.

MC: Wow! CEO Victor’s technique is so proficient. I feel like he’s an expert fruit picker too!

He doesn’t answer. After putting a palm-sized strawberry into the bag, he opens his mouth.

Victor: Auntie Zhang’s fruits here are really good. My dad used to be very fond of bringing me here to buy them.

At this moment, the auntie, who has been stealthily studying Victor from the beginning, displays an expression of sudden realization.

Auntie Zhang: AH! You are the son of the Lao Li family, aren’t you?

–

[Note]: She uses the term “老李(Lǎo Lǐ)” to address the legacy of Victor’s family with the surname “Li.” It translates to “Old Li.” I just decided to keep it as it is hehe~  ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

–

Auntie Zhang: I didn’t think it was really you! It’s been many years since you’ve been here.

While Auntie Zhang speaks, she nimbly helps Victor to choose the fruits. She picks up a larger bag and loads it with all kinds and sorts of fruits on the stall.

Auntie Zhang: When you were a child, you always followed after your father to buy fruits, wearing your solemn and neat school uniform. You were so well-behaved and adorable...

Auntie Zhang: And helped your father to pick out fruits and vegetables!

As the words of the past are brought to the surface, Auntie Zhang seems to have opened the satchel of stories. The more she talks, the more Victor coughs slightly unnaturally.

I secretly can’t help but laugh. Who would expect that the CEO Victor, who’s always had a poker face, was so well-behaved and cute when he was a child~

Auntie Zhang: Since you’re back here, take some more fruits.

Auntie Zhang: Auntie doesn’t have anything else here, only the fruits, which are quite delicious. Bring some more of them home with you. No money is needed.

Auntie Zhang stuffs the full and bulging bag into his hands, with an enthusiasm that one is completely unable to decline.

Auntie Zhang: This is a new arrival of snow pears, and they are delicious.

Victor refuses. But in the end, he has no other choice but to accept them.

After saying goodbye to the cordial Auntie Zhang, we turn around from the fruit stand and move to the other ones. Looking at the stall owners chatting with the customers in the surroundings, I become wistful.

MC: In fact, for such an old-fashioned food market, a large part of what everyone recalls fondly is the human warmth within, right?

I turn my head to look at Victor. He is carrying a bulging bag; the setting sun sprinkles down on his shoulders, drawing the outlines of his broad, tall, and upright figure.

I think of what Auntie Zhang said just now. Perhaps Victor might have been the same as now in his childhood too, carrying the fruit bag with all his efforts, following behind his father step by step. 

I can’t help but smile slightly, holding Victor’s arm as we walk forward.

MC: In addition to this, many precious and exclusive memories are hidden here, waiting for people to unearth them slowly~

Having filmed a lot of materials that can be edited along the way, I put the video camera away in my camera bag. Victor automatically reaches out and takes it for me.

Victor: So that’s a wrap. Let’s go home. 

–

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

–

✧ [Stage 4] ✧

MC is continuing the filming process as usual, and the main thing in her today’s agenda is interviewing the manager of the food market.

After the interview, the manager expresses his concerns to MC – whether they will be able to attract more customers after the upgrade. MC says that while this upgrade will attract a lot of customers, but for the long-term reputation, the food market has to maintain the quality and costs concisely.

At this moment, MC sees couple of LFG employees walking in and recalls that they are here for the meeting to discuss the next steps with the manager.

However, she’s left stunned by what she sees next—

–

To my surprise, the last person who walks in actually turns out to be Victor.

Is he here to attend the meeting too? How could Victor come to such a small-scale meeting?

He notices the video camera next to me but doesn’t slow down in his footsteps, as though he doesn’t mind being in the frame.

Although I’m puzzled, a warm current surges through my heart regardless.

He still remembers what he promised me back in the office.

As for why he is here... giving it some thought, I walk over to Victor with the microphone.

MC: May I ask, why is CEO Victor personally following up on the Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market project?

MC: This is not worth mentioning at all compared to your usual hundreds of millions of dollars projects, am I correct?

In front of the camera lens though he is, Victor’s dark-colored eyes still linger on my face for a moment before he opens his mouth.

Victor: The Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market project is indeed just one of the numerous investment projects of LFG.

Victor: But what I value is not its rate of return to LFG, but rather its return to the Loveland City.

Victor: In this aspect, Glimmer Of Dawn’s project is important to me. And that’s the reason I’m here right now.

After Victor finishes speaking, he nods his head toward the manager.

Victor: The first half of the industrial upgrade has been completed. The personnel sent by LFG to support this project has already reported the degree of progress to me.

Victor: Would it be convenient for you to listen to the next step of the program right now?

Manager: Of course, of course! Please come with me, CEO Victor.

The manager leads Victor out of the food market. After they leave, a crab seller in the zone who was watching gives a thumbs up.

Uncle: This President Victor seems to be a reliable person. I’m sure that he can reinvigorate the vitality of our food market!

The granny, a stall owner selling white shrimp on the side, twitches her mouth.

Granny: What reinvigorating the vitality! It’s all tacky. They must be just re-establishing themselves and getting bigger and bigger!

I can’t help but laugh and open my mouth to speak.

MC: The projects that CEO Victor has settled on have always yielded good returns.

MC: Therefore, you all don’t need to worry. By the time the upgrade is completed, there will undoubtedly be many people coming here on account of its reputation.

The uncle selling the crabs is even happier at these words. But he hesitates immediately afterward and raises the question very carefully.

Uncle: So... our food market won’t be running out of business?

My heart skips a beat. Although the overall assessment of this project is very satisfactory, it is an investment after all.

As long as it’s an investment, there will be risks.

But when my mind recalls the words Victor has told me in LFG’s office, it seems as though I’m suddenly revitalized with confidence. 

MC: My answer is not required in this matter.

MC: What kind of future Glimmer Of Dawn holds is something that needs to be built with the extraordinary efforts of everyone who has lived here for so long.

MC: After all, what’s most precious about it is the memories that have been preserved here for a generation.

MC: I believe that we can pass this memory onto the next generation through our hard work, for them to call it their own.

Suddenly, a clip of that moment flashes in my mind – the helpless look on Victor’s face in front of the fruit stand when his childhood anecdotes were brought up.

I chuckle, turning my gaze towards the orange sky that spreads outside the Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market. 

MC: It’s the memories that we cherish the most.

–

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–

✧ [Stage 5] ✧

According to LFG’s plans for the next step, Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market has to close down for the renovation, and this stirs uncertainty among the stall owners – worried how the people who depend on their income from this food market will earn their living.

MC tries to assure everyone that it’s just a temporary shut down. At this moment, her phone rings.

–

The Caller ID reads “Victor.”

I gesture to my other colleagues to explain the matter in more detail, walk to a corner and answer the phone.

Victor: Still filming?

MC: Mm... I won’t need to come in every day and keep an eye on everything after today’s shoot.

Victor: What’s the trouble you’re facing?

MC: Eh? How did you hear that? I haven’t even said anything yet.

Victor: ...look up.

I raise my head in hindsight and see the person standing against the light in the doorway.

Victor walks over. He sweeps a quick glance over the machines we’ve set up and then on the distressed expression of the manager and seems to have understood what’s going on.

He pauses for a moment and then speaks unhurriedly.

Victor: I understand the concerns of everyone.

Victor: But, Glimmer Of Dawn’s current business condition is steadily deteriorating. If we don’t make a firm resolution to temporarily cease the trading and reorganize, it will soon disappear.

Victor: This is something that no one wishes to see.

Victor: If you all have confidence in yourselves and the customers around you, now is the opportunity to put your everything into the fight.

Victor’s words are powerful and resonating, and they are far more persuasive than my placations.

I nod my head along with the stall owners. He suddenly glances at me.

Victor: Is there anything the producer would like to add?

I mull it over for a moment, then continue with his words.

MC: In addition, you guys don’t need to worry about not being able to open for business during this time.

MC: A follow-up can be for the manager to discuss setting up temporary mobile stalls on the street outside the food market with the City Management department.

The hesitations on the faces of the stall owners slowly disappear. They all nod their heads in succession, expressing their support.

Uncle: Okay. I believe in the two of you!

I spot Auntie Zhang in the crowd, who’s also smiling reassuringly.

By the time evening descends, the stall owners have packed up their belongings and left one by one.

Looking at the empty and dilapidated Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market, I can’t help but feel a twinge of mixed emotions.

MC: After filming here for the past few days, I’ve also actually grown a bit attached to this place.

MC: I can’t stop imagining how extraordinarily bustling with noise and activity the place must have been back in the day when it opened for business.

MC: Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been named “Glimmer Of Dawn.”

MC: Reminiscent of the sun’s brilliant rays at its first rise.

Hearing my words, he remains unusually silent for a moment.

Victor: It still is.

Victor: After the renovation, this food market will be rejuvenated and will welcome a large number of customers again.

Victor: Once again, the name fits the bill.

Victor’s tone is exceptionally light. But every time I hear him speaking like this, my heart always fills to the brim with confidence.

I take Victor’s hand in mine and walk outside together with him.

MC: When it re-opens for business, how about we become the first batch of customers on that day?

A smile surfaces in Victor’s eyes, and he gives a “Hmm.”

Victor: I think a certain someone still wants to eat Auntie Zhang’s fruit.

–

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–

✧ [Stage 6] ✧

[Victor’s feedback e-mail on the samples]

I’ve received the samples you’ve sent me. The shots are good.

As for the impression after watching them for a longer stretch, I’ll tell you later when we are having dinner together.

After all, judging by when I received the e-mail, a certain someone probably has been busy until now and hasn’t had dinner yet.

I’ll pick you up in the evening. You’ve been turning the 24-hour clock upside down lately, so I’ll take you for something light to eat.

–

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

–

✧ [Stage 7] ✧

On the day of the re-opening, Victor and MC arrive at the food market ahead of time and it truly does welcome an explosive flow of customers on the first day. [T/N: The main events of the date takes place on the day of the re-opening.]

After a period of regular operations, the food market far exceeds the business targets that were initially set by LFG.

Today, after getting off work, MC comes to have a look around again.

Though she initially just wanted buy some ingredients for dinner, many stall owners naturally recognize MC and insists on giving her way more ingredients than she intended to buy.

Carrying the bulging bags, MC heads towards Souvenir and finds Mr. Mills catering to the guests. So she enters through the back door––

–

I place the big bag and small packets of groceries on the table.

MC: Chef Victor, I’m back from grocery shopping~

Victor shoots a quick look, appearing slightly stunned.

Victor: Why did you buy so much?

MC: I bought the vegetables in this little bag, and the rest were given to me by the stall owners at the Glimmer Of Dawn Food Market.

MC: When I went shopping, they also asked me why you didn’t come together with me.

MC: After hearing that we’re gonna have dinner together, they gave me a lot more seasonal vegetables. Said that you are an old customer and must be taken care of more.

He smiles slightly at my words, his hands continuing to move.

Victor: So, it turns out they still remember.

MC: On our first visit to the food market, I saw you exchanging greetings with several stall owners in a very adept manner.

MC: It does seem like you used to go there frequently for grocery shopping.

Victor never lifts his eyelids.

Victor: So, what have you gathered from this conclusion?

I smile gleefully and help him take out the plates for serving dishes.

MC: I think that CEO Victor is different from the CEO everyone imagines he is.

MC: Although I know that you’re the chef of Souvenir, this can be regarded as a personal hobby after all.

MC: But a CEO who goes to the food market to buy vegetables after getting off work and is well acquainted with the fruit picking techniques... these make one feel that he is even more immersed in the details of life.

MC: And I’ve heard a saying that if a person can navigate the food market with skill and ease, then his cooking must be delicious! 

I take the tomatoes out of the bag one by one, and Victor takes them from me, the corners of his lips curling slightly.

Victor: Even after knowing me for so long, you still somehow manage to find something different every now and then.

Victor: All that aside, what do you want to eat tonight?

I swallow a mouthful of saliva and point to the tomato in his hand.

MC: I was craving Spaghetti Bolognese with tomato tonight.

MC: But it was a little late when I got to the food market, and the fresh minced meat was already gone.

MC: So, Chef Victor, just make something out of the ready-made dishes. As long as it’s something made by you, I will definitely eat up everything~

Victor: It’s okay if we don’t have minced meat. I can use something else instead.

MC: What else can be used instead?

Victor: Ingredients like shiitake mushrooms can also be sautéed to achieve a taste and fragrance analogous to that of minced meat.

He lifts his eyes to look at me, his tone carrying a hint of teasing within it.

Victor: It’s not only the food market that has evolved with the times, but also the way people cook.

MC: It turns out that there’s so much more knowledge hidden in the kitchen! And to think I used to ignore it before.

MC: Can I learn more of this trivial kitchen knowledge with you in the future?

I ask Victor with a wink as I take the shiitake mushrooms out of the refrigerator.

Victor taps me on the head and takes the round, plump mushrooms from my hands.

The rising steam from the pot crawls up to his figure, wrapping him in an embrace of hazy white mist.

Victor: If you have the patience to keep helping me out all the time, I can consider it.

The words I’ve wanted to say find themselves caught up in the heat. After a moment’s pause, I smile and walk over to help.

When it comes to a commitment like this, it truly does become more real when one practices what they preach.

As for today, let’s enjoy this rare dinner time first.

—

[violetsmoak]

Appetence [7/?]

AO3 Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/20251420/chapters/47997634

Blanket Disclaimer

Summary: Red Robin is investigating the disappearance of a friend and stumbles into a spot of supernatural trouble. He doesn’t expect to be saved by Jason Todd, miraculously alive five years after his death and now with the inexplicable ability to commune with the dead. Meanwhile, when Jason returned to Gotham he meant to maintain a low profile and not get involved with Bat business. That was before he found out how hot his Replacement is.

Rating: PG-13 (rating may change later)

JayTimBingo Prompts This Chapter: N/A

First Chapter

Author’s Note(s): Apologies for the wait. As you may know I had an adventure with my dropbox wherein I backed up all my files because I had to restore my laptop, and all of the files ended up mixed up in the wrong folders and I've been tracking down files one by one for the past week. I hate technology. I mean, I guess I should be happy the files didn't get deleted, but it's still a pain in the ass to re-organize manually.

Beta Reader: I’ll get back to you on that.

________________________________________________________________

Tim stares at the business card in his hand long after Jason disappears, thumbing over the false name and phone number with a reverence once reserved for clandestinely captured photographs.

Victor Shelley, Paranormal Investigator.

He wonders if Jason was trying to be funny choosing that name. Given what Tim’s heard about him in the few instances where Dick or Alfred talk about him, and what he saw for himself in the past, he thinks it’s entirely likely.

God, Dick and Alfred.

He knows they’re going to be just as blindsided about this as Bruce when they find out.

If they find out.

Guilt flickers through him now at the promise he made to Jason.

Why the hell would he promise a man he doesn’t really know—a man he’s spent a grand total of an hour and twenty-three minutes in conversation with—that he won’t let his adopted father knows he’s not dead.

That he hasn’t been dead for years.

That he’s in Gotham right now.

Tim wishes he could say it was one hundred percent his shock at Jason being alive, but that would be lying to himself. His mind flashes back to Jason’s face, his slow smirk and the smooth, deep voice, and he swears, letting his head fall against the counter.

Apparently, I promised him because he’s pretty.

It’s a new feeling for Tim. He’s never been easily swayed by looks, but something about Jason is attractive enough to put him off-guard, or at least loosen his lips more than normal.

I thought I was over this…

“I know that face.”

Tim startles and glances up at the bartender—Trista—who he had forgotten was there. He’d forgotten he was sitting in a bar, to be honest.

“Judging by the ass on that man, I can guess what it’s about,” she continues in a wry tone. Then she’s sliding a shot of amber liquid toward him. “Here. To steady your nerves.”

Tim stares at the alcohol in numb confusion.

“That’s on the house, but only because he talked more with you tonight than I’ve seen him do with anyone since he got here,” she goes on. “We’ll both pretend I don’t know you’re underage.”

Tim is too flustered by everything she’s just said to do anything other than accept the shot under her knowing gaze. Then, he beats a hasty retreat from the bar as fast as humanly possible without it looking like he’s running away.

Distracted, he returns to his apartment in the Theater District, trying to parse the events of the night from an objective viewpoint. He’s not entirely sure he didn’t dream it all up, considering whatever that incubus did to him, and so he runs tox-screens on his blood and gives himself a full physical just to make sure.

Other than spikes in several hormone levels—adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin—his results are normal. Nothing that would really alter his perceptions of reality, the way Scarecrow or Poison Ivy’s concoctions tend to do.

That confirmed, he should be able to leave the matter alone for now. There are more pressing matters to deal with—Dante’s continued disappearance being one of them.

But thoughts of Jason continue to assault Tim’s thoughts.

Something has been bothering him since his conversation with Jason, something he wondered before but couldn’t ask because Jason got skittish and made a run for it

How the hell did Constantine cross paths with Jason anyway?

Aside from his inexplicable presence in Gotham at some point in the past five years without attracting the attention of Batman, what would interest him in a teenaged John Doe with no identity or memory?

Sliding into the chair in front of the computer in the Nest, Tim calls up the autopsy report, even though he doesn’t really need to see it. He memorized it years ago. Still, if he’s going to investigate this, he needs concrete facts, not just his memory.

It’s not difficult to create a timeline of events, between Jason’s official death and now. Or to search a list of John Does at various hospitals in Gotham within the last five to ten years, whose condition upon admittance matches the description of Jason’s injuries at death.

He finds the information he’s looking for within twenty minutes.

As it turns out, things didn’t happen quite as neatly or quickly as Jason’s story suggested. His stay at Gotham General was a lot longer than he let on, and Tim’s stomach twists as he reads the medical reports.

Various physicians left their comments on the patient, a young man of about fifteen or sixteen, severely beaten and malnourished, picked up several miles from the hospital.

The file includes a mugshot of a heavily bandaged youth, head shaved from what records indicate were several procedures to repair brain bleeds, skull, and facial fractures. Bruises and swelling make his features almost unrecognizable, except to someone who has memorized pictures of that face since he was ten years old. Someone who knows the cut of that jaw and the color of those eyes, however bleary and vacant they are as they stare into the camera.

“God, Jason…”

Tim reads over the doctors’ notes that span the course of a year, cataloging how well the boy is healing considering the heavy damage he sustained, and how he would be considered a miracle patient but for the fact whatever happened to him caused significant brain damage.

Clear psychological damage, hearing voices, incapable of speech, easily upset.

On several occasions, the boy became unaccountably terrified, screaming and yelling and trying to claw out his own eyes. Sometimes it even became violent, and in his struggles, he put three doctors, a nurse and two orderlies in the emergency room.

I’m surprised it was only that many people. Considering his training, he could have done a lot more damage.

Eventually, he always had to be drugged and restrained.

Demonic possession, maybe?

It’s not the first thing Tim would think of, but if Constantine’s involved in all this, it would make sense. And coming back from the dead like Jason says he did, it had to have side effects.

Except, there’s no mention of anything superhuman or beyond the realm of possibility regarding Jason’s strength. Surely the doctors would have made note of anything beyond the abilities of a normal, scared teenager—especially in Gotham, where strange behavior was a sad norm.

No mention of anything resembling supernatural or metahuman abilities anywhere here.

Jason was eventually placed permanently in the psych ward and likely would have stayed there for the rest of his days, except the hospital’s budget was cut in his eighth month there. Space issues required moving patients to other hospitals, and—

“Oh, no. No-no-no, tell me they didn’t,” Tim murmurs, heart sinking as he scrolls down the page of the report, knowing exactly what he’s going to find.

They sent him to Arkham.

If Tim was horrified before by the notion of Jason’s resurrection and his condition afterward, it’s nothing to how sick he feels to learn that his predecessor was sent to the cesspool that is Arkham Asylum.

He needs to turn away from his computer for a few seconds and breathe, close his eyes and concentrate on not hearing the lilting, singsong voice and tinny voice in his head.

Hush, little baby, don’t say a word, Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.

Ever since his kidnapping, it’s the one place in Gotham Tim won’t venture—he’s not sure what would happen if he did. Whether he’d suffer a crippling attack of flashbacks, or march into the high security ward and slit the Joker’s throat with one of his birdarangs.

If Bruce realized Tim honestly can’t decide which would be the worse outcome, he knows he’d be benched for the rest of his life. He might not be Robin anymore, but the Family would find a way.

It’s fear of that more than anything else that helps him get a handle on his panic, tethers him back to reality better than anything else. Tim takes another series of deep, grounding breaths, before he feels confident enough to be able to get back to his research into Jason.

At least they didn’t put him anywhere near the Joker, it seems, he notices as he goes through the room assignments and Arkham floorplans. That’s about the only good thing about it, though.

Jason’s ward was for the non-communitive patients, the ones the experts considered untreatable. The ones that get forgotten about in the mayhem of the monthly outbreaks and pandemonium.

Tim’s stomach clenches tight again as he remembers incidents and dates over the years where Batman visited inmates at Arkham to interrogate them on the latest escapes or crimes happening in the city, or just to test the security there. Based on the location of Jason’s cell and Batman’s usual route, there are times when the two were only a floor apart

Tim’s heart aches for them both.

They were so close to each other! If only they’d known—!

And just as suddenly as Jason was transferred to Arkham, all records of him vanish. There’s no information about patient transfers or deaths or releases; instead, like many a nameless patient to be lost to the asylum over the years, he just vanishes.

People don’t just vanish. And in this case, I know he didn’t.

Tim goes on to cross-reference the potential dates of Jason’s disappearance with any visitors to the asylum. It doesn’t take much to identify the only visitor to the asylum for a span of weeks as a certain Chandler Ravenscar—names which another quick search link to aliases used by John Constantine in the past.

That brings Tim to a whole other avenue of research, refocusing him investigation on Constantine himself and his movements over the past years. He tends to keep to the UK, but every now and again travels to various mystical hotspots around the world.

There’s a backlog of security footage to weed through, occultist forums discussing the man and his exploits. Half of what’s written about him online is clearly conspiracy theories, a quarter of it related to some punk rock band called Mucous Membrane and something to do with the Reagan assassination. Those who have actually worked with him either seem too terrified or pissed off to say much about him.

Even harder is finding a video of the man; cameras and other surveillance devices appear to stop working around him. It’s even more of a challenge to catch a glimpse of the teenaged assistant that starts being mentioned several months after Jason’s disappearance from Arkham.

A chance freeze-frame from an airport in Beijing, however, is all Tim needs to confirm it’s Jason.

It’s hours later when Tim sits back, exhausted but now having at least a general timeline of what happened.

One thing is for damn sure—I can’t take this to Bruce.

The story is too painful, too unbelievable. If it doesn’t break him all over, it will have him lashing out at Tim for making up stories about a touchy subject. There’s enough tension between them both right now that he’s likely to question anything suspect Tim brings to him.

Or he would insist it was a trick, that someone had faked all of this. He wouldn’t take Tim’s word for it, would investigate himself, prepare himself for an interrogation when what Jason needs is to have a face to face with his adopted father and mentor.

And Jason’s story still has too many holes in it for Tim to tell it, begging more questions than answers.

Like why Constantine took you from Arkham in the first place. And also…there’s one other thing that doesn’t make sense.

Well, a lot of things don’t make sense, but this stands out.

Tim goes back to the hospital records, scanning for the section where he remembers reading the information.

John Doe’s injuries in the medical files are all consistent with those in Jason’s autopsy, with every scar and broken bone accounted for and described.

Except for an autopsy scar.

That would have been the first thing medical professionals remarked upon when Jason was admitted, but it’s not mentioned anywhere. Which must mean that somehow, Jason no longer has it.

So why did that heal and nothing else did? Could it have something to do with what brought him back?

There’s a sudden dull, clunk in the background and the slide of elevator doors, and Tim glances up to watch Stephanie Brown stride into his base of operations.

“I was on the way out and Babs sent me to check on you,” she tells him. “Apparently someone missed work today without calling in and isn’t answering their phone.”

Tim startles at that, glances at the clock in the corner of his screen and swears when he realizes she’s right. He was supposed to be at Wayne Enterprises an hour ago. When he glances at his cellphone, he sees twelve text messages and three missed calls from Lucius, Dick and Bruce.

“I didn’t even notice,” he groans. He was so caught up in finding out more about Jason that he lost track of time. He quickly taps out a group message reassuring them he’s fine and will be in soon.

“At least being flaky is characteristic of billionaire teenagers,” Steph says as she wanders over.

Tim quickly minimizes his search and swivels around in his seat to face her. “Why are you even awake this early?”

Given the way she spends her nights, Steph made a point of having all of her classes in the afternoon. She’s possibly less of a morning person than Tim is, to the point where even coffee doesn’t make her a little more human.

“Blame my new roommate,” she grumbles, and that earns a surprised look because it’s the first time he’s heard of this. “Right, I didn’t tell you, did I? So, a couple of weeks ago this cat shows up on the fire-escape outside my window. And I didn’t mean to feed it, but it looked so sad and pathetic and I had to, so now it won’t leave me alone. What am I supposed to do? I don’t have time to be a pet owner.”

“Cat’s don’t actually take that much care.”

“That’s what they want you to think. And then one cat becomes two, and two becomes three and the next thing I know, I’m going to be the crazy cat lady on the block,” Steph complains. “And not to cool, sexy, Selina kind of cat lady but the sad, single shut-in.”

“You could never be a shut-in. No four walls can keep your raw joie de vivre inside,” Tim says in a flat tone.

“You’re just saying that because you’re my boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend.” She frowns in confusion. “Are we in an on-again or an off-again right now? I forget.”

Tim remembers Jason’s cocky grin and muscular thighs and his mouth goes dry. “Off. Definitely off.”

Steph’s eyebrows disappear into her hairline. “That was weirdly assertive. Am I sensing a pretty girl behind that sentiment? Do I need to give a shovel talk?” Something occurs to her and she scowls. “It’s not that Lynx chick, is it? Trust me when I say that would be a bad idea.”

“There’s no girl,” Tim mumbles. “Trust me.”

“Okay,” she allows, slow and still somewhat dubious. “But you’d tell me, right? If you were seeing someone? Only so I don’t go crossing lines or causing jealous rage or something.”

“There’s nothing going on, yes I would tell you, can we please move on?” Tim huffs. “Tell me about your cat.”

“He’s not my cat.”

“You fed him, he’s your cat.”

“Stop changing the subject. You’re being evasive—there so is a girl.”

“There’s no girl!” Tim groans, half tempted to tug at his hair. “Who could look at another woman after being with you?”

“I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or as an insinuation I was so horrible that I turned you off women for good,” Steph says, eyes narrowed in suspicion. A beat later, she tilts her head to one side as if something has occurred to her. “Wait. That’s it, isn’t it? It’s a guy. This someone’s a guy. You know you can tell me, right? That would totally be okay—would actually explain a lot, actually—you know, you liking guys—”

“One guy does not equate guys.”

“Oh my god! There is! There’s a guy!” Steph squeals. “Who is it? It’s that friend of yours, that went missing, isn’t it? Dante something? That’s why you’ve been so obsessed with finding him!”

“I’m determined to find him because he’s my friend,” Tim counters, a bit irritated. “The same way I’d be determined to find Ives or Bernard or anyone I cared about. And I’d be doing that right now if someone wasn’t distracting me.”

Two someones, but she doesn’t need to know about Jason’s role in it.

“And I’d believe that if you weren’t looking at me like you wanted to jump out of your skin. There’s something going on here, Ex-Boy Wonder.”

“There’s nothing going on.”

“Lies!”

“For something to be going on, you have to actually spend more than an hour with someone. You have to have known them for more than an hour.”

“Not if you have chemistry,” Steph points out. “Sometimes, it’s just like. Bang.” She grins. “And then you have to bang.”

Tim rolls his eyes.

“Do I need to give you the safe sex talk?” Steph asks with concern that’s only half teasing. “The gay-sex safe sex talk? Because to be honest, I don’t think I’d be able to do it with a straight face.”

“Steph, that was awful. As a former Robin, you should be ashamed.”

“And as a former Robin, you should be better at lying. So, spill. What’s going on?”

Tim studies her, chewing on his tongue; he knows she won’t let it go unless he gives her something. “Okay. Fine.”

“Hah! I knew it!”

“Not that. This is…something else,” he says. “Sort of.”

“Okay?”

“What would you do if…say you found out something really important to a person you care about. But you promised someone else you wouldn’t tell anyone about that something because of…reasons. Personal reasons.”

Steph crosses her arms. “Is this about me?”

“Not everything is about you.”

“Then it’s about Mystery Boy.”

“It’s not about—” Tim gives up, and then sighs, because it’s just easier to give her that one. “Fine. It’s Mystery Boy. He asked me not to say something that’s really important. I figure it’s because he wants to say himself in his own time. Except. Except it’s a huge thing.”

“Starbucks discontinuing pumpkin spice lattes’ huge, or ‘Hush trying to destroy B’ huge?”

“Closer to the second. Not dangerous like that,” he adds quickly when he sees her face. “It’s just…serious stuff that could hurt if it’s not handled the right way. Or if certain parties found out later and thought they were having stuff kept from them.”

“Well, now I’m curious…”

“I’m not telling you.”

“I know that. I’m just saying.” Steph sticks out her tongue at him, but then becomes contemplative. “I guess I’d keep my mouth shut. Or try to, at least. Stuff like that always tends to come out eventually. But if you’re worried it could hurt someone, maybe you can convince Mystery Boy it’s in his best interest to tell someone.”

“Yeah, that didn’t go over too well.”   

“Well, whatever you do, don’t get into your micromanaging, control-freak headspace,” she tells him. “That’s one of the things that torpedoed you and me, and if you want things to work out with this guy, you should respect his wishes.”

“I never said anything about wanting anything to work out with anyone,” Tim protests. “I just met the guy.”

“And somehow he got you to promise not to tell something that’s apparently really important. Which means you already value him somehow, and that only happens to you when you really like someone. Also, you might be able to straight-up bluff Batman or Ra’s al Ghul, but I know how you look when you like someone and don’t want anyone to know it.” There’s a beeping noise and Steph digs out her cellphone. “And with those pearls of wisdom, I have to get going. My mom found the cat and she’s having a conniption.”

She turns to leave, pauses once she enters the elevator and turns back around, jabbing a finger at him.

“Shower, eat, go to work, stop obsessing about stuff you can’t control—and don’t try to control stuff that’s not your business.”

Tim bristles. “Yes, Mother.”

“Oh, you did not just go there,” she growls as the elevator doors close and Tim grins until she’s gone.

He knows that Steph’s right, to a certain extent. This whole Jason thing isn’t his business—he was only ever an outside observer, a legacy after the fact. And even if it was his business, it’s not his predecessor’s sensibilities he should be protecting.

Ill-advised crush aside, he doesn’t have any connection loyalty to Jason Todd. He does owe Bruce—he should be going straight to him about this.

Except…

Except, Tim really doesn’t want to be added to the list of people who betrayed Jason’s trust. Especially given how fragile it is given their short acquaintance.

Tim groans and leans back against his chair, wishing for an easy solution. He’s usually able to figure out what to do, even when it comes down to the hard choices.

“Stop obsessing about stuff you can’t control—and don’t try to control stuff that’s not your business.”

Steph’s right.

He’ll do as Jason asked.

Or, at least he’ll give it a week.

If he hasn't figured out any other way to deal with the situation, he'll go to Bruce.

In the meantime—he has an investigation to get back to.

⁂⁂⁂

Next Chapter

[argyle-s]

The Shape of Things to Come Chapter 3/?

Rating:  Mature

Read at Ao3

Start at the Beginning

After a year in the past, Kara makes her public debut as Supergirl.

Chapter 3 - Rebirth

Notes:

In this story, Kara will occasionally lapse into Kryptonian. The first instance of this happens in this chapter. The Kryptonian in this story is taken from Doyle Kryptonian which is where most of the Kryptonian used on the show is taken from. Translation was done using the resources at Kryptonian.info, and I suspect the quality of the translation will vary widely.

In the earlier drafts of this story, I either didn’t use Kryptonian, or I wrote the sections in English and set it off using special formatting, but I was unhappy with that, so I went back and rewrote them in Kryptonian. The problem with that is, the Kryptonian sections were written out of order and my skill with the language (such as it is) has improved considerably over time.

I’ve tried to go back and fix any errors, but:

1). The dictionary is fragmentary and I’ve had to work around holes in the language, or when I couldn’t, construct new words with guesswork.

2). I am absolute shit at learning languages that are whole and functional, so one that only exists in fragmentary form is even worse.

Any errors are mine. Any weirdness with the language and phrasing is either me being an idiot, or an artifact of my take on how Kryptonian culture and religious beliefs would influence speech patterns. My Krypton sticks as close as possible to the show, but I have made huge changes from comic canon to make Krypton fit more closely with our current understanding of what the reality of life would be on a planet in order around a red sun.

Most translations are fairly literal translations, though the order of the words is different, because English uses a Subject Verb Object sentence structure, whole Kryptonian uses Verb Subject Object sentence structure (example: The sentence "Kara punched Maxwell Lord" would be "Punched Kara Maxwell Lord" in a Verb Subject Object language like Kryptonian). In some cases however, the meaning in English can vary from the literal translation. In those cases, I will give the literal translation first, followed by the Semantic Translation.

Two final notes.

1). I take it as a given that Alex speaks Kryptonian, because she grew up with Kara, and she spent two years fiddling with Kara's pod and the hologram, and anything in canon that says she doesn't will be cheerfully ignored because it's bullshit.

2). Kara *does* know how to swear, but she’s only good at it in Kryptonian.

Update: This story has now been betaed by @ifourmindbeso.  Any remaining mistakes are entirely my own.

Kara Danvers’ Apartment. National City. Earth 38, October 8th, 2015

(One Year Later)

Kara opened the door to find a very annoyed J’onn standing there, glaring at her.

“Good morning,” she said brightly, waving him in.  She walked over to the kitchen and pulled down a package of Chocos and a glass, which she filled with milk.

“You do realize the DEO is not eHarmony for aliens, right?”

“Compatible Partners,” Kara said as she took a bite out of her pre-breakfast bagel.

“What?” J’onn asked as he picked up a cookie and dunked it in the milk.

“eHarmony only does listings for straight people.  Compatible Partners is the one for Gays and Lesbians.  Besides, I use Chemistry.com.”

“I don’t care if you used gayalienbootycall.com.  This arrangement is not so you can vet your dates.”

Kara sighed.  “J’onn, I am not *dating* Maggie Sawyer.  We’re just friends.”

“Oh, so you aren’t meeting her tonight at some place called Girlbar?”

“Well, yes, I am.  But I don’t date women who are still heartbroken over their ex-girlfriends.  Think of it as recruitment.”

J’onn held up his finger and started to say something, then stopped.  He started to speak again, but stopped, before finally just shaking his head.  “First you wanted me to do a full security clearance on that little computer nerd.  Now this.  How does any of this help us with your friends from Fort Rozz?”

“Winn helps because Winn is one of only six or seven hackers on the planet that can go toe to toe with a Coluan and come out on top, and unless you’ve suddenly managed to convince Victor Stone, Felicity Smoak or Rabiah Zinoman to sign up, we don’t have a lot of other options, because Tim Drake and Barbara Gordon are serious no-fly zones and the other two people who could potentially pull this off are definitely not on our side.  Maggie Sawyer, on the other hand, will give us an in with NCPD, which is going to be incredibly useful when it comes time to lay the smack down on Maxwell Lord.”

“You know, you keep talking like you’re in this fight, but so far, all you’ve done is sit on the sidelines and feed us a few names.”

“You’re mad about the armored car last night,” Kara said.

“You’re damn right I am.  Two agents in the hospital.  One of them may never walk again.  You could have stopped it, but instead, you’re fetching coffee for some-”

“Don’t finish that sentence, J’onn,” Kara said.  “You know nothing about Cat Grant and much as I like you, if you insult her in front of me, I will put your green ass through a wall.”

J’onn sighed and held up his hands in surrender.  “Fine.”

“Besides, you’re every bit as capable as I am, and you didn’t do anything to stop it either.  We both have our reasons for keeping secrets.”

“Yeah, but your case is a little different.”

“It is,” Kara said.  “But it would expose me while the leader of the escapees was away.  If that happened, there would have been open war in the streets.”

J’onn sat down on one of her stools and picked up another Choco, dunking it in his milk.  “You keep talking about this leader like you know him.”

“Her,” Kara said.

J’onn froze, with the cookie half way to his mouth.  His eyes narrowed.  “You do know her.”

“I do.  General Astra In-Ze, War Leader of the House of Ze, Daughter of In-Ze and Myara Bar-Ul, and twin sister of Alura Zor-El.”

“She’s your aunt?” J’onn said.

“Yes,” Kara said.

J’onn popped the cookie in his mouth and started chewing, and Kara watched the emotions playing over his face.

“I didn’t tell you until now, because I thought you might decide I was a security risk.”

“Then why tell me now?”

“Because this is the last thing I need from you before I openly declare myself.  Once Alex is safely out of the way in Geneva, little Kara Danvers is going to take the first of Astra’s heavy hitters off the board.”

“You have a plan?” J’onn asked.

“I do.  You’re probably not going to like it, but I do.”

He reached up and started rubbing his temples.  “What else is new?”

***

She smiled at Winn as he approached her with his tablet, walking beside her on her way to her desk.

“Did you see this?  There was an armored car robbery last night.  Now, there were no witnesses except this homeless guy who swears the perp had horns.”

“Thanks,” Kara said as she excepted a shipping tube from Brad with the proof of the new bus stop poster Cat needed to approve.

“Like, on his head,” Winn said as she turned back to him.

“Well, that’s usually where horns go,” she said.  “But you’re sure it wasn’t just a prominent brow ridge?

“Come on Kara, it’s an alien.”

“I don’t know, Winn.  I mean, Superman’s an alien, right?  He seems to look pretty normal.”

“Well, how do we know?  He could be hiding anything under that suit.”

Kara shrugged.  “Isn’t James Olsen taking over the art department today?  Maybe we could ask him.  They seem close.”

“Now you’re just making fun me.”

Kara shook her head as she sat down.  “Never.  Well, except for when you lose at Small World.”

“Hey, your sister cheats.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Fine,” Winn said, as he went over to his desk and sat down, pointedly turning his back to her, which gave her just enough privacy to zap Cat’s Latte with her heat vision.  “I won’t invite you to go see ‘The Martian’ with me then.”

“Tonight?”

“Yeah,” he said, turning back to her.

“I can’t,” Kara said.  “Maggie and I are going to Girlbar.”

“Really?” Winn said, a grin on his face.  “When are you gonna introduce me to your hot cop girlfriend?”

“Winn,” Kara sighed.  “She’s not my girlfriend.”

Winn shook his head.  “I never should have started you on Rizzoli & Isles.  Now I’m destined to lose my gaming buddy to some tall, dark Italian Detective with a smoky voice.”

Kara laughed.  “I told you I’m into blondes, but the medical examiner thing is just icky.  Besides, Maggie is Latina and shorter than you are, which is saying something since I’m pretty sure you get carded going into PG-13 movies”

“That hurts,” Winn said, putting his hand over his heart.  “That really hurts, Kara.”

“You were asking for it, standing there, being so short.”  She paused for a moment, then looked up.  “She’s here,” she said as she stood up, picking up her tablet and Cat’s Latte.

The elevator door opened, and Kara’s heart gave the same small little flutter that it always did when she saw Cat.

“Good morning, Ms. Grant,” she said, letting every bit of the happiness she felt come through.  She’d been in the past for a year, and seeing Cat walk off that elevator never got old.

She saw the small tug of a smile that pulled at Cat’s lips before she started on her tirade.  “The only reason I bought this building is because it has a private elevator.  That way, I don’t have to get soaked in cheap cologne every morning getting to my office.  Find out who used it, and have them reprimanded, or bathed.  I don’t care which.”

Kara just nodded as she followed Cat into her office.  “Here’s your Latte, Ms. Grant.  Hot.”

Cat took it from her.  “As always,” she said.  “I have a meeting with the board today at lunch, so cancel sushi with my Mother.”

“Got it.  Should I also cancel your therapist, since you aren’t seeing your Mother?”

“Good idea, Keira,” she said, then took a sip of the Latte. “Hmmm…  This tastes different.”

“Noonan’s was out of hazelnut so I got you almond instead.  I hope that’s okay.”

“I don’t hate it, but do have a talk with the management down there.  If they’re going to take up space in CatCo plaza, they should at the very least be able to keep their supplies stocked.  Also, I’ve emailed you a list.  Prepare termination letters for the Tribune as noted.”

“Oh.  Ms. Grant, I’ve been thinking about that and I’d like to make a recommendation.”

“You’ve been thinking about a decision you knew nothing about until ten seconds ago?” Cat asked.

“I’ve been thinking about it since the financials came in back in January.  The Daily Planet’s the only print newspaper that isn’t taking a beating, and that’s pretty much entirely Superman’s doing.  They put him on the cover something like fifty-three percent of the time.”

“Are you going to tell me something I don’t know, Keira?”

Kara nodded her head.  “Well, we already do a lot of content sharing with digital, but I was thinking, why not merge the Tribune with digital entirely and try doing an interactive newspaper.”

“And how, exactly would that work?”

“A smartphone app.  We could put QR codes at the end of each story, which link up to a digital expansion of the story.  It’s sort of a hybrid monetization model.  Digital gets the basic story for free, but people who buy the tribune get free access to the expanded story content, but digital-only users have to subscribe to get the expanded content.”

“Hmmm…  That’s actually an interesting idea, but it doesn’t solve the immediate issues with circulation and it will increase the editorial load.”

“Not if we’re sharing the content across digital and print.  We can even tie in to broadcast by including video segments as part of the expanded articles behind the pay wall.  And the best part is, we can do a hybrid subscription model as well.  Customers can choose to watch an ad before the video segment and have inline ads embedded in the expanded article, or they can pay for the content to get it ad free.  We’d have to eat the losses on the Tribune while we restructured and built out the new workflow, but it would save a lot of jobs and we’d be ahead of the curve on digital and print integration.”

Cat stared at her for a minute, then nodded.  “Hold off on the letters for now.  Type this up as a proposal and go get me the layouts from the new art director.”

Kara grinned. “The proposal is already in your drop box.  I added it last night.  I’ll go get you the layouts now, Ms. Grant.”

***

She stepped into James’ office with no small amount of trepidation.  Her relationship with James was one of the biggest regrets of her previous life.  It wasn’t that she hadn’t been attracted to him.  She liked guys well enough, from a purely physical stand point.  She mainly told people she was a lesbian because homoromantic bisexual was confusing to a lot of them and that was before she even got into questions of species.  The problem with James was, she’d been more in love with the idea of him than she had been with him and James had been more in love with his idea of her than with her.  Things might have gone differently if they’d gotten together before Myriad and her death ride with Fort Rozz, but that day had changed something inside Kara.  It had burned away so much of what Eliza and Jeremiah and society in general had saddled her with in terms of expectations of who and what she wanted to be and left a truer, purer version of herself behind.  Her feelings for James had been part of that, but it had resulted in a lot of awkwardness and hurt feelings on James’s part.

It didn’t matter, because Kara was determined not to not make the same mistakes again.  No dating James and no Battle of CatCo plaza, either.

“Mr. Olsen, are you here?” Kara asked.

“I’ll be just a minute,” came a muffled voice.

Kara stepped a bit further into the office, and spotted James digging through a pile of boxes.

“I’m just here for the layouts,” she said.  “If you tell me where they are, I’ll get out of your way.”

“No trouble.  Just let me finish here and I’ll get them for you.”  He looked up from the box of trophies and plaques he was going through and stopped for a moment.  “Hey,” he said as he stood up.  “I’m the new guy.”

Kara nodded.  “James Olsen, I know.  Clark speaks very highly of you,” she said.

“You know Clark?” he asked.

“Of course.  Oh,” she stuck out her hand.  “Sorry, I’m Kara Danvers.  Clark’s my cousin.”  She saw a bit of surprise in his face, probably at the idea that Kara would be so open about their relationship.  “Don’t tell anybody though.  Cat would probably think I’m spying for the Planet if she knew.”

James laughed and took her hand, shaking it.  “Now that does sound like the Cat Grant I know.”

Kara looked over, and let herself smile as she caught sight of the print of James’ photo of Kal.  “And there’s the photo,” she said, letting go of James’s hand, and stepping around him.  “You do good work.  This almost looks like he posed for it.”

“He did,” James said.  “Don’t tell anyone though.  They might take away my Pulitzer.”

“Couldn’t have that,” Kara said as she lifted the print.  “I’ve got to ask.  What what’s he really like?”

This time James smiled, and Kara wanted to kick herself for not seeing the way he felt written on his face the first time they’d had this conversation.  “He’s everything you want him to be and more.  I mean…” He chuckled.  “I was scared to move out here, but, uh, he told me the biggest risk was never taking any, so…”

  Kara nodded and looked down at the print again, running her fingers over the image of her baby cousin in all his heroic glory.  It was easy to let the longing shine through.  She hadn’t seen Clark since she came back, and before that, he’d been dead for years in her personal timeline.

“Take it.”

“Hmmm?” she said, looking up at James.

“Take it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Kara smiled.  “Thank you.”  She looked down at the print for another moment, then back up at James.  “Layouts?”

“Oh,” he said.  “Yeah.”  He picked them up off the light table and handed them to her.  “Nice to meet you, Kara Danvers.”

“And you, James Olsen,” she replied, taking the layouts.  “I’d better get these back before Ms. Grant fires someone.”

***

In the year since Kara’s trip back from the future, she’d mostly avoided dating.  She hadn’t done it at all in the first month or so, but Eliza had kept hounding her.  Finally, during Thanksgiving Dinner, she’d just told Eliza she didn’t want to be set up on a blind date with her old college roommate’s son because she didn’t want to date men at all.  That had gotten Eliza to back off for exactly two weeks.

It wasn’t terrible, but Kara always felt a little guilty since the dates weren’t going anywhere.  She wasn’t really over Sara and the Supergirl thing was coming.  She knew what that would do to any potential relationship.  She dated mostly to humor Eliza, and to help Alex keep Eliza off her back.  She’d actually made a  handful of casual friends she hung out with now and then and she’d managed to talk Cat into adding an LGBT-focused section to the CatCo website and to the magazine, which had done so well Cat was considering launching three topic-focused print magazines, and five topic-focused websites.

Maggie, though, had been one of the few good things that had come out of the dating thing.  She knew the woman from the previous timeline of course and never would have agreed to a date with her, because dating your sister’s future wife was surely against some rule somewhere.  But she’d been sitting in a bar, nursing her third virgin strawberry daiquiri after one of her Eliza-arranged blind dates had failed to show, when Maggie had sat down next to her and ordered a whiskey.

Kara couldn’t believe her luck.  She’d struck up a conversation and for the last four months, she’d spent almost as much time with Maggie as she did with Winn.  There wasn’t anything romantic about it, mostly because of the future Kara had lived through, but also because Maggie had been going through a long and nasty break-up with a girl named Darla, so Kara had spent a lot of time being a shoulder to cry on.

It hadn’t even really been much of a decision to bring Maggie into the fold earlier than before, because Maggie was amazing.

Tonight though, was something Kara had arranged carefully.  She’d checked to make sure the bar had TVs that ran local stations so she’d get the news.  She’d also set up news alerts for flight 237 Geneva and National City Airlines and directed them to her burner phone.  The driver’s license in her purse was a duplicate, and the glasses she was wearing were a pair of cheap reading glasses she’d picked up at a Walgreens.  The purse had a few other odds and ends in it.  A spare lipstick, and a tube of lip gloss, a half empty tin of breath mints, a couple of tampons, an expired can of pepper spray left over from her college days.  A couple of Noonan’s receipts, a bit of loose change, 62 dollars in cash, and a prepaid debit card.  Nothing she couldn’t afford to lose, on the off-chance Maggie reacted poorly to finding out she was an alien without almost a year of history as Supergirl under her belt, but enough that it looked like it was Kara’s actual purse.

The whole thing would look careless to Maggie, like she was in a blind panic.  Maggie, being Maggie, would try to return the purse and that would give Kara a way to induct her into team Supergirl.

She spotted the woman sitting at a table, checking her watch.  When she looked up, her eyes fell on Kara, and Kara waved as she walked over.

“Hey, Maggie,” she said as she dropped into the seat across from her.

“Hey,” she said.  “You look great.”

“Thanks,” Kara replied.  “Not too bad yourself.”

“How’s Cat treating you?”

“Oh, you know.  Same old, same old.  It’s a good week though.  She’s only fired me twice.”

Maggie laughed.  “Only you would consider that a good week.”

Kara shrugged.  “It’s not like it ever sticks.”

“What’s the count up to?” Maggie asked.

“One hundred and ninety-eight.  Looks like Kelly from fashion is going to win the pool.”

“I bet Winn will be disappointed.”

“Probably,” Kara said.  “How’s the X-Files treating you?”

“Oh, you know, same old, same old.  Men in black apparently abducted a birdman in Chinatown last night, and a Klingon with a glowing axe jumped the fence at the airport.”

“Sounds like a fun week,” Kara said, but she felt a small moment of worry.  The Klingon with the glowing axe sounded a little too close to Vartox for comfort.

“Yeah.  One more day and it’s over,” she said.

“Any plans for the weekend?”

“Not really,” Maggie said.

Kara rolled her eyes.  “You are not going to sit at home and mope over she who will not be named.”

“I’m not moping,” Maggie said.

“No, you’re not.  We’ll do something.”

“Like what?”

“There’s a women’s volley ball tournament down at National City Beach this weekend.  We could go watch.”

“More like go so you can drool over the players.”

“I was thinking something more along the lines of me being your wing woman.”

“Kara, you would make the worst wing woman in history.”

“I would not!”

“Oh, do not give me those puppy dog eyes.  No one is going to take a second look at me if you’re there.”

“That wouldn’t be an issue if you’d let me introduce you to my sister.”

“Your sister is straight,” Maggie shot back.

Kara snorted.  “My sister is in denial,” she replied.  “Trust me, she’d take one look at you and there would be an Alex-shaped hole in the closet door.”

“I’ll pass on the sister and the volleyball.  Seriously, I-”

Kara held up her hand as she turned around.

“If you’re just joining us, shortly after take-off, National City Airlines, Flight 237 bound for Geneva is experiencing some loss of altitude.  The pilot seems to be circling the city after apparent engine failure.”

Kara turned back to Maggie as she pulled open her purse, and took out two twenties.  “I’m sorry, I’ve got to go,” she said as she threw the money on the table.

“What?  Why?”

“That’s my sister’s flight,” Kara said as she started towards the door.  She didn’t wait to see if Maggie followed her.  She didn’t need to.  She heard the scrape of the feet of the bar stool as Maggie stood up.  Heard the sound of the soles of her shoes hitting the ground.  Felt the disturbance in the air as Maggie chased after her.

Kara moved more slowly than she could have.  She knew she had time to spare.  She’d picked the bar because it was along the flight path, and this time, she was neither out of practice flying, nor was she unfamiliar with the aircraft in question.  She was already pulling her jacket off as she ducked into the alley, and she could sense Maggie coming around the corner as she tossed it aside.  She ripped off the cheap drug store glasses and threw them in the same direction as the jacket as she ran, then she bent her knees and kicked off.

She nearly laughed when she heard Maggie scream, “Holy shit.”

Then she put everything out of her head but the task at hand.

She approached faster this time, her flight skills fresh and practiced from her regular runs out to Sanctuary, which is what she’d named her own not so little Fortress of Solitude.  When the engine broke free, instead of plowing through it and showing the city with flaming debris, she caught it, and with a deft spin and shove, sent it splashing down gently into the bay.  She wasted no time trying to push against the wing.  Instead, she flew up under the plane and punched through the skin, grabbing the frame member tightly, and pushing up.  There was no desperate turn to keep the wings from getting clipped.  The plane cleared Otto Bender Bridge easily, and then Kara started a slow, gentle turn.  The plane cleared the bridge a second time, before Kara guided it down gently into the water.

Once it had settled into the water, she kept pushing, sliding it along the surface, using her x-ray vision to make sure she didn’t hit anything until she ran it aground near the I-210 off ramp for National City Bay Beach.  Once the nose of the plane was pushed up on dry land, Kara let go of the plane, and swam out, climbing up on the right wing.  She stood, watching through the skin of the plane as people took movies and snap shots, before she gave Alex a nod through the window, and shot into the sky.

***

Kara had gone back to the alley, not at all surprised to find her purse, jacket and glasses gone.  She’d known Maggie wouldn’t leave them.  She’d been a bit worried she’d find the detective at her door, but as luck would have it, she was alone.  She’d showered, eaten an order of fifty buffalo wings, and was most of the way through her large supreme pizza, while watching the news coverage.

“The passengers of Flight 237 appear to have a guardian angel.  When, what many report to be a female flying form rescued them from certain death.”

“Leyna Nguyen is live at the scene.”

“Thank you, Rick.  Guardian Angel would appear to be right.  Not only did she rescue the passengers from a tragic end, but reports also indicate that she caught one of the plane’s engines as it broke free and kept it from falling on the city, and prevented the plane from hitting Otto Bender Bridge not once, but twice.  Then, after setting the plane down in National City Bay, she pushed the plane up on shore, making rescue efforts and clean-up easier and much safer.”

“Oh, my god,” Alex said.

Kara hopped up from her spot on the couch and hugged her sister, careful not to bruise her this time.  She stepped back, holding Alex by her shoulders.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, thank you.”

She watched as Alex rubbed her forehead, and did her best not to sigh.  She knew what was coming, and she’d been dreading this part of the night.

“Let me get you a drink,” she said.  She walked over to her small kitchen and poured Alex a glass of the Johnny Walker Blue Label Alex kept at her apartment.  She put the glass in Alex’s hand, and waited for her to drink it.

“So, let’s hear it,” Kara said.

“Hear what?” Alex asked.

“The part where you yell at me for exposing myself to the world, and tell me I can never use my powers again.”

“It sounds like you already know what I’m going to say,” Alex said.

Kara nodded.  “You know, given how much you complain about Eliza, you sound just like her.” It was a low blow, and Kara knew it, but the flinch from Alex still made her wish it hadn’t been necessary.

“Because she’s right about this, Kara,” Alex said.  “It’s not safe.  What if people figure out who you are?  What you are?”

“Then they figure it out.  I didn’t travel two thousand light years to be an assistant my whole life.  I had a mission, and maybe, yeah, it was already over when I got here, but that doesn’t change who I am.  /.nahn khuhp w ,kahrah,zor,ehl  .nahn khuhp w tiv inah ewuhshehd im ,kryptahnium,  .nahn khuhp w aonah wukhaiiu zrhythrev ,ehl,/  My mother was Alura In-Ze, the chief Adjudicator of Argo, my Aunt was Astra In-Ze, a General and the War Leader of the House of Ze.  I am the granddaughter of In-Ze, Myara Bar-Ul, Seg-El and Nimda An-Dor and descended in direct line from Erok-El and from the War Queens of the House of Ze.”

“Do you know what that means?  My people, my culture, my entire world may be dead, but I am still a child of Rao.  /.nahn ,rao, i chahvehd shokhpahs w pahdh tiv aorghahs ni waila/  I have not forgotten, and I will not bring shame to my house by hiding who I am like some coward.  There are people out there who need me.  People who I can help.  If that means I have to take a few risks, then I will take those risks.”

“Kara-“

Kara held up her hand.  “No.  No, you should go.  Go home, get some rest.  Get used to the idea that this is happening.”

Alex huffed, in that special way all big sisters have when they want to let their little sister know they’re being annoying and unreasonable.  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Alex said.

Translated from the Kryptonian:

.nahn khuhp w ,kahrah,zor,ehl I am Kara Zor-El

.nahn khuhp w tiv inah ewuhshehd im ,kryptahnium, I am the last daughter of Krypton

.nahn khuhp w aonah wukhaiiu zrhythrev ,ehl, I am the eldest child of the house of EL

nahn ,rao, i chahvehd shokhpahs w pahdh tiv aorghahs ni waila Rao’s first law is to make the universe whole.