Chapter 13
Kara was beginning to wonder if any of the residents of the Mansion were sleeping at all. Chase had been staying up late tinkering with his Fistigons for days before Kara had discovered him and he still did so, though he had been waiting for Kara to come home from her evening sweeps the last four nights before calling it a night for himself. He wasn’t the only one staying up late. Kara had found at least two Runaways awake and all three other adults in the Mansion up when she returned long after the sun had gone down. Soon after she touched down, those still awake would crawl into bed. Kara didn’t know if it was because they didn’t feel safe enough to sleep until she was home, or if they didn’t want Kara to come find them and see why they were awake like she had done with Chase. She was worried about the kids, how could she not be. They were just teenagers, none of them older than 17 and Molly only 14, and they had the weight of the world on their shoulders. No child should ever have to learn that their parents are evil. No child should have to consider what to do when they fight their parents for the safety of the world. No child should have to fight for the safety of the world period. But these six kids were willing to risk everything, their families, the lives they had lived, for a world of complete strangers.
They didn’t all have powers but there was no denying that they were heroes in their own rights.
On this particular evening, a little less than three weeks until the Runaways would return to LA to face Jonah and PRIDE, Kara returned home to find all of the inhabitants of the Mansion awake and active, as well as the extra heartbeats of Winn and James still on the premises. Kara frowned, it was later than normal for her to return anyway as there was an outbreak of fires in the eastern suburb that the firefighters couldn’t get under control and she had stayed for a little while after the fire was out to make sure everyone was okay. She had expected only Chase and Lena to still be awake when she arrived home. Instead Kara could hear eleven heartbeats, spread out all around the house. Karolina was in the backyard with Molly, shooting laser beams of her lights at different targets that Molly was throwing for her, Maggie keeping watch over both of them. Nico, Lena and Alex D. were in the kitchen, Kara could tell they were talking but made a point to not listen hard enough to hear exactly what they were saying. Chase was in the room he had made his laboratory with Winn, presumably working on creating another set of Fisitgons. James and Alex W. were in the library. The last heartbeat, belonging to Gert, lead Kara to one of the balconies off the unoccupied rooms at the end of the hall, even beyond the room Karolina and Nico shared. Kara focused in on Gert’s heartbeat, hearing that it was greatly elevated and a frown of concern creased her brow.
“Gert?” Kara asked as she touched down on the balcony Gert sat on. The young purple haired girl perched with her back against the far railing, Old Lace curled up at her side and resting her large head in Gert’s lap. She jumped slightly when Kara called her name again.
"Fine, I'm fine." Kara frowned slightly at Gert's rushed words, her eyes a little too wide to be completely calm. Kara took a seat across from her.
"You're heartbeat says otherwise." She notes with a slight inclination of her head.
"You can hear that?" Kara nodded. "But you're not doing that squinty head tilt thing!"
"What? I don't do that," Kara shook her head slightly. "Don't change the subject. What's on your mind, Arsenic?"
"I think a shorter answer would be what isn't on my mind." Gert sighed, smoothing her hand across Old Laces scaly neck. The dinosaur let out a soft pur like sound. “Why did we ever think we could do something like this? We’re not fighters, not like actual physical fighters. I’m not made for that. You want a peaceful protest? A march for our rights? I’m your girl. I’ll make the flyers and buttons and stand around with you all day but I can’t do this.” Gert was we aware that she was beginning to ramble but seemed unable to stop herself.
“Stopping an evil alien who just so happens to be related to one of my best friends in the world and who also helped mine and my friends parents secretly murder kids for the past two decades? I’m so not your girl for that. That’s not me. Maybe Chase could do something like that, and Nico since she’s got the Staff but not me. I’m not strong enough.”
“Gert, breathe. Slowly, in and out,” Kara interjected before Gert could begin another long winded spiral. She waited until Gert had taken several deep breaths and then spoke again. “You can do this, Gert.”
“You can’t know that.”
“Maybe not,” Kara shrugged, “the same way that I can’t know what’s going to happen when I put this cape and skirt on every day,” Kara gestured to her super suit which she still had on.
“Why the cape? Didn’t you ever watch the Incredibles?”
“But I do know what I can do,” Kara ignored Gert’s comment, “I know that I can do what I need to, to save the people I need to save.”
“It’s different for you,” Gert mumbled, though Kara could hear her loud and clear. “You’re a literal superhero. You can save everyone.”
“No, I can’t.” Kara’s eyes grew soft suddenly, a far off look in them that Gert had never seen before. “I don’t always save everyone. I couldn’t save my aunt.”
“Your aunt?” Gert leans forward slightly, resting more of her weight on Old Lace who shifts beneath her to support her weight. Kara nods softly and begins the story of finding out her Aunt had also survived the destruction of Krypton, because she had been in prison in the Phantom Zone at the time. Kara spoke about her aunt’s mission, noble but misguided. Astra had only wanted to help people, save Earth the way she’d failed to save Krypton. The saddest part, Astra had seen the error of her ways, had wanted to help Kara, work with her instead of against her. Astra had been killed by Kara’s own sister, wielding a kryptonite blade.
“Astra isn’t the only person I haven’t been able to save,” Kara says, thinking back to the CatCo employee who had jumped from the window under the effects of Myriad, of all the lives that had been lost in Daxamite Invasion. “It was a hard lesson to learn, it hurt. It still hurts. But I don’t stop trying, I can’t let the fear of losing keep me from doing what I can to help.”
“If we lose, we lose everything. Our parents, our homes,” each other, ourselves, “we’ve already lost so much. Darius is dead because of us.”
“You don’t have to save the world Gert, and what happened to Darius is not your fault.” Kara slowly reached forward, placing a comforting hand on Gert’s shoulder when she gave no indication that she was uncomfortable. “You don’t have to save everyone. You can’t. Sometimes, the only person you can save is yourself, and that’s okay.”
“They’re counting on me,” Gert says after a beat of silence. When she looks up at Kara again her eyes are watery. “I can’t be the weak link. I can’t be the reason we fail. Me and my stupid brain chemistry.”
“You are not the weak link.” Kara’s voice is soft but resolute. “Not unless you believe you are.”
“You’re just full of these rousing super hero speeches, aren’t you?”
“Comes with the cape,” Gert cracked a smile at Kara’s joke and considered that a win. “Do you want to come inside or are you gonna stay out here for a bit?”
“I’ll stay out here,” Gert rubs her hand over Old Lace’s snout, “easier to think.”
“Okay, I’ll leave you to it.” Kara climbed to her feet and dusted her hands off on her skirt before leaping over the railing. Gert heard a few voices greeting Kara loudly and smiled again. She didn’t know why they had come to National City or how it worked out that Alex and Maggie found them, but she was happy that they did. They were good people, Alex and Maggie both with protective streaks and calming auras, Kara’s sunny disposition and fierce support for them, Lena’s quiet acceptance. It all meant so much to Gert, and her friends, to have adults they could trust. Still, Gert couldn’t help but feel like they were disrupting the lives of the adults helping them. They all had jobs, Maggie and Alex had a wedding to plan, Lena had a company to run and Kara was a superhero and reporter. The longer they stayed, the more Gert felt like they had to leave.
It was wrong of them to depend on the adults at the Mansion so much. They needed to let them live their own lives, not have them worry about six teenagers with too many problems for their own good. A short peal of laughter from the backyard told Gert it wouldn’t be easy to let this place go, and she could only hope things would turn out alright.
“Is Gert okay? She’s been up there for a while.” Molly says after Kara touches down in the backyard. She tosses the last box up in the air for Karolina to shoot down and watches as the box shreds into pieces when Karolina’s laser beam hit it.
“You’ve gotten stronger,” Kara remarks to Karolina and then turns back to Molly. “She’s okay, Old Lace is with her.” Molly nodded slightly. “It’s late, why is everyone still up?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” Karolina shrugged, moving to sit on the bench near the workout equipment. “Nico either. I don’t think Chase or Alex even made it upstairs.”
“So you decided to train instead?” Kara questioned lightly. She heard footsteps and turned her head slightly as the group from the kitchen joined them. Nico moved to sit with Karolina and Molly, Alex and Maggie stood together on one side of Kara while Lena came to the other, wrapping her arm around Kara’s waist.
“I needed to do something, I thought maybe I could burn off some energy. Tire myself out.” Karolina shrugged again. Nico, sitting in Karolina’s nap, wrapped her arm around Karolina’s shoulders.
“You’re anxious.” Maggie says simply. Molly, Nico and Karolina share a look before nodding.
“It’s hard not to be,” Nico says, feeling Karolina’s arm around her waist squeeze gently. “With what happened to Darius and us going back to LA soon.”
“What happened to Darius isn’t your fault, none of you.” Alex reminds them softly. “You couldn’t have known they would do something like that, or if it was Jonah.”
“Doesn’t matter who did it,” Karolina shook her head. “It shouldn’t have happened. Maybe we could have stopped it.”
“You think you should go back to LA now?” Maggie asked, picking up on the words Karolina didn’t want to say. The idea that they could have changed things, stopped Jonah sooner if they could get the jump on him, was one she had been expecting to hear since they learned of Darius’s fate. Although, she had expected it to come from Alex or Chase rather than the typically more mild-mannered Karolina.
“I think Jonah and Pride needs to be stopped, before they hurt anyone else.” Karolina felt Nico shift in her lap but didn’t look up at her.
“I understand that, Rainbow, but what about the people on the ship? If we stop Jonah before he can get the ship to the surface, we’re condemning them to being buried alive.” It was Molly who had spoken up. “We won’t be any better than our parents if we do that.”
“Maybe we don’t need to Jonah to get the ship up,” Karolina could feel Nico’s hands slip into her hair, scratching at her scalp soothingly. Karolina took a deep breath and dropped her head to Nico’s shoulder. “I just want this to be over.”
Karolina was so tired of feeling this way, useless and scarred while they waited for the right time to face Jonah again. She was tired of waking up knowing she was one day closer to potentially losing all the people she loved. She wanted to live without that stress, without wondering if there was something more she could be doing because she was able to do something.
“It will be,” Kara distentagled herself from her half embrace with Lena and moved to crouch in front of Karolina and Nico. “Karolina, it won’t be like this forever. It will be better. I promise.”
Karolina, without lifting her head from Nico’s shoulder, looked at the crouching superhero. Hope and fear lit her eyes in equal measure and Kara nodded her head slightly to reaffirm her promise.
“Don’t forget that you aren’t alone. You have us,” Kara gestured at the three women still standing, “and your friends. Whatever happens, we’ll still be here.”
“She’s right,” Lena moves to put her hand on Kara’s shoulder. “We aren’t going anywhere. You’re stuck with us.” The teasing words bring a smile to Karolina’s face.
“We’re family,” Nico presses her lips to Karolina’s forehead. “We fight together. Always.” Karolina nodded and pressed closer to Nico, feeling a second kiss dropped against her hair. A moment later, a loud sigh prompted her to look at Molly who was covering her mouth with her hand as she yawned.
“Guess the extra training worked,” Molly said, stretching lightly as she stood from her seat beside Karolina and Nico. She shuffled away from the group, saying her goodnight’s over her shoulder as she entered the back door.
“I think she’s got the right idea,” Maggie said, leaning into her fiance slightly.
“Me too,” Alex agreed, wrapping one arm around Maggie’s waist. “We’ll see you ladies in the morning.” The couple walked off leaving only Kara, Lena, Nico and Karolina in the backyard.
“Try not to stay up too late, you two,” Kara said as she rose to her feet again. “No training tomorrow but we still need to work on the plan for LA.”
“We’re not far behind you,” Nico said and watched with a smile as Kara and Lena walked away together. Once they were out of sight, Nico turned her gaze back to her girlfriend only to find Karolina already looking up at her. Karolina offered her a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Nico smiled back, scratching lightly at Karolina’s skull again. “Sleepy?”
“A little bit,” Karolina felt her eyes drift closed for a moment and then opened them again. She stared into Nico’s eyes for a moment, before the blue orbs lit up with an idea. “Do you want to fly with me?”
“Now?” Nico asked, half shocked and half excited. Karolina smiled at her.
“Sure, not for long. You don’t have to.”
“I’d love to fly with you,” Nico said warmly. It was the truth. She had been wondering what it was like to fly with Karolina since the first time she saw it happen but hadn’t wanted to pressure Karolina into flying with her.
“Okay,” Karolina shifted her hold on Nico and, once she was secure, stood up with Nico cradled to her chest. “Hold on to me.” She whispered and waited for Nico to give her a nod to signal she was ready.
Karolina released the hold on her power and let the light fill her being, decorating her skin in a multitude of colors and then letting the light lift her from the ground. She loved this feeling, light and free and bathed in colors. She looked down at Nico, seeing the glow of her powers reflecting on her girlfriend’s skin as they drifted higher above the mansion. Karolina was careful to not go to high up, not wanting to be seen by a plane or anything else that may be flying above them. Instead she hovers just above the roof of the mansion, tilting her head up to see the stars above them.
Nico cast a glance up to the sky but she was much more interested in looking at the girl holding her. Karolina seemed so much more relaxed now, exuding a warmth that came from more than just her powers. Nico was sure she could spend her life living in that one moment, safe and warm in Karolina’s arms, drifting high above the world that seemed determined to make them fight for more nights like this.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Karolina spoke softly a moment later, her gaze still focused on the sky above them.
“Yeah, it is.” Nico agreed, sliding her hand to the back of Karolina’s neck. Karolina looked down at her, sighing against Nico’s lips when the smaller girl leaned up to press their lips together. They kissed gently for a moment, until Nico shift slightly, tilting her head and sweeping her tongue against Karolina’s bottom lip. Their tongues danced together in an increasingly familiar manner as Nico continued to move in Karolina’s arms until she had her legs wrapped around Karolina’s waist, both arms draped over her shoulders.
“Do you want to go inside?” Karolina asked when they pulled apart to breath. She had unconsciously carried them towards the roof while they had been kissing and her feet rested on the angled surface.
“Not yet,” Nico replied softly, swooping back in for a soft kiss. Karolina nodded slightly and carried them down to their balcony, where they settled together in the chair. Nico sat leaning back against Karolina’s chest, idly playing with their intertwined fingers that rested on her stomach. They were both content to stay that way until Nico finally fell asleep and Karolina carried her to bed.
Alex Wilder stood in the library with James, only looking up from the book in his hands when he noticed the glow of Karolina’s lights in the window. He saw her, Nico in her arms, lift into the sky and felt a small smile on his lips.
“Weird having a friend with superpowers, huh?” James asked, standing beside Alex. They’d been chatting a bit, mostly James asking about Alex’s interest in technology and hacking and how that had led him and his friends to the mansion. In the week that he had known James, Alex had decided that he liked the older man, he was strong and confident, unafraid to speak his mind or fight for what he believed in, though Alex didn’t trust him completely yet.
“Even weirder when both of them do.” Alex chuckled slightly. “I’m glad they have each other now.”
“But you weren’t always,” James notes. It was something he had picked up during his years of being a reporter, how to read people, hear what they wouldn’t say. During the short time he’d known the six kids, he’d learned a lot about their dynamics as a group just by watching them interact. Nico and Karolina were the leaders, though most of that role fell to Nico. Molly and Chase were the muscle and the jokesters, Gert was the one who kept them all on track, with occasional help from Karolina, and Alex was the brains.
“No,” Alex shook his head. “When this all started, I thought that Nico and I would be together. I’d had a crush on her since we were kids. But I screwed it up, kept secrets from her.” Alex closed the book in his hands and put it back on the shelf, pushing his glasses back into place with his other hand. “Guess it worked out for the better.”
James nodded slightly. Something about Alex set his nerves on edge, not in a bad way, but it was curious. James had learned about the stress the kids were under, but it somehow seemed worse for Alex. He was protective by nature, but too unsure of himself. The weight on his shoulders seemed heavier in a way that James feared would crush him.
“I get that. I once thought that Kara and I would - Why are you laughing?” James looked sharply at the chukling Alex.
“Sorry, sorry,” Alex attempted to stifle his laughter. “I just can’t see Kara with anyone except Lena. We had a bet going about them you know? A part of me thought it would be pointless, that they had been together the whole time and just didn’t say anything because it was so obvious.”
“Okay, yeah, laugh it up.” James rolled his eyes. He didn’t bother to mention that what happened between him and Kara was not only a long time ago, but also happened before Kara and Lena had even met. Instead he let Alex laugh about it, happy to see the kid smiling even if it was at James’ own expense.
“Sorry,” Alex apologized again, James waved the apology off. “I am happy Nico and Karolina have each other, they’re my family. Nico’s my best friend and after what she went through, she deserves to be happy.”
“What she went through?” James asked, brow slightly creased. “What do you mean?”
“There wasn’t always six of us.” Alex said cryptically. “Nico’s sister, Amy, she died two years ago.” Alex pushed on his glasses again, blinking the tears away. He turned away from James, who had the good grace not to push anymore. It was the first time he had heard of Amy, and he felt his heart break all over again at the suffering these kids had faced.
He had a feeling there was more to the story, that whatever happened to Amy was what weighed so heavily on Alex. Unsure of what else to do, James rested his hand on Alex’s shoulder and squeezed gently. He didn’t say anything else even as Alex turned back, wiped his tears away and then left the room. As he walked out he seemed lighter somehow, like he hadn’t allowed himself to cry in so long that doing so had freed a small part of him. James made a silent promise to Alex and the other Runaways that he would do whatever he could to help them.
As James made his way out of the library, he ran into Winn and the two men walked into the kitchen where they could hear soft voices. Kara and Lena were seated at the small table, chairs close together, Lena with a glass of wine in hand and Kara snacking on what looked to be a plate of sandwiches.
“I thought I heard the boys walking upstairs.” Kara said as the two men took their seats across from the couple. “Are they as nervous as the girls?”
“I had to talk Chase out of making a specialized set of fistigons for all six of them.” Winn stole a chip off Kara’s plate. “Then I had to talk him out of trying to figure out how to make another Staff.”
“They’re under so much pressure.” James shook his head sadly. “Why won’t they let you handle this? Fighting evil aliens is right up your alley.”
“It’s not my fight.” Kara pushed her half-empty plate away. “Believe me, if I thought those kids would stay away from the fight, I’d take over in a heartbeat. But I know they won’t. This is about their family, their whole lives changed because of these people. I won’t pretend that I want them to fight, but I know trying to stop them is pointless.”
“So you’d rather they go marching into danger?” James asked incredulous.
“I’d rather they know that they don’t have to fight alone. I’d rather them not rush into this without any kind of backup and end up not coming home. You’ve got to pick your battles, James. They chose to fight Pride so I’m choosing to fight with them instead of against them.” Kara sighed, Lena’s hand resting on her thigh beneath the table squeezing gently. “I won’t let them get hurt.”
“I know,” James deflated slightly in his seat. “I just hate this. They’re just kids. They shouldn’t have to go through this.”
“No they shouldn’t.” Lena squeezed Kara’s thigh again, “But since they are, we can at least make sure they don’t go through it alone.”
“Whatever help you need, I’m there.” James promised, Winn echoing a second later.
Kara smiled her thanks to her friends, happy for their assistance. Still, she couldn’t help the feeling that things for these kids would get so much worse before they would ever get better.