NOTE/Summary: In YOUNG JUSTICE #7, Superboy made a comment to the fact that he was practically Peter Pan… (Superboy/Batman Crossover taking place before the SOY instance). "Peter" and "Wendy" have a few lessons to learn about life and love, and about friendship.
And yes, YES I know that things probably happen too fast, and some of the characters are probably written differently. I have NO idea what I was thinking, but hey!
Rating: PG
Legalities: All characters belong to DC Comics, not meeee. *sniffle*
Silhouette
By: Carmen Wayne
"Awwww, come ON! Get back here! …ARGH! This isn't cool! Get BACK here!!"
Superboy lunged into the air and dove for his shadow. However, it moved out of the way and he slammed face-first into the brick wall that it was clinging too. He fell to his knees and rubbed his face.
"I should get a divorce from you!" he bellowed.
The shadow waved a finger and ran off along the Gotham Bank. Superboy yelped and ran after. After some time, it flew up the side of a clock tower and inside. Superboy followed, entering a window into a bedroom. He noticed a redhead woman sleeping in there. He gazed at her a moment, not recognizing the face.
'She's pretty,' he thought. 'Wonder how old she is…'
Snapping out of his trance, he went to go for the shadow, which was against the wall across the way.
"Get over here!" he hissed.
The shadow shook its head.
"Don't argue with me! You belong against my feet!"
The young woman stirred slightly and Superboy drew back. He quickly got out of the room and glared as he flew away.
'I'll be back tomorrow night, Shadow,' he thought. 'Oh yes. I WILL be back!'
-----
Later on that day, Barbara Gordon came out of her room in a sweater and jeans. She had to organize some files with Dick Grayson via a satellite connection. He had claimed he just needed help with how to classify them, but she knew better. And yet, she appreciated his tiny try to spend time with her.
She was going for her systems, when a shadow across the room caught her eye. She turned towards it slowly. It drew back, realizing she saw it. Much to her surprise, it was JUST a shadow, nothing more.
"What the--? HEY!"
She started after the shadow as it tried to run. It had a large lead, until it tripped over a cord socket and hit it's head on a light switch. It fell to the ground, unconscious. Barbara slowly came towards it and stopped, her wheel chair just inches away. She bent down the best she could and ran a finger over it, finding it was palpable. Gently, she began to pick it up.
"I bet you belong to the visitor I had last night, hmm?" she asked gently. She went back for her systems with it slowly. "Well, I'm sure they'll be back, so in the meantime…" She opened a drawer and placed it in there. "You're staying in there."
'Yeah, like that'll hold it… But at least it's worth a try! This is SO Peter Pan… I better read up on it… Things like this barely phase me anymore…'
"Babs! You there?!" Dick Grayson called over the speakers.
"Yes! Yes, you don't have to yell!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "So, uh, ready to organize?"
"Yeah. But I'll be multitasking in the meantime, so bear with me."
'But I wanted to have this a you-me timmme!' said the silence that followed. An uneasy cough came soon and a sigh.
"Okay, cool. Lets get to work, then."
-----
Cassie Sandsmark watched her friend Kon-El from across the table. He was obviously not having a good day.
"You mean to tell me you lost your shadow. And it doesn't even end there… You lost it in a strange apartment in Gotham City?" she asked, trying to keep herself from laughing.
Kon leapt up onto the table and pointed at his feet.
"Do you see a shadow?! *I* don't!"
Cassie looked at all the different light sources. Slowly, she reached over and saw she had a shadow by his feet, but he didn't.
"Whoa."
Kon flew off the table next to her. Touching a chair, it spun to him and he sat next to her.
"I'm going back tonight and I'm going to get it back," he said.
"Isn't that dangerous? You want me to go with you?"
"No, no… I have to get my shadow back myself…"
"How did this happen? How will you attach it back to you?!"
"I-I don't know! It just slipped off!" Cassie blinked and stared at him. He sighed and shrugged. "And I'll probably have to sew it back on. Catching it will be the hard part."
"What if it's not in that lady's apartment tonight?"
"Oh, it will be. If it's anything like me, it will be. She was beautiful! Flame red hair and fair skin… Oh my God…" He grinned devilishly. "Tana would kill me for that."
Cassie sighed and rolled her eyes. Gently, she made him look at her.
"At least go as someone else… Please?" she asked.
"Yeah… Yeah, okay, Cass. If it'll make you happy…"
-----
Barbara pulled herself into her bed and laid down slowly, exhausted. She had planned to stay up to await the mysterious figure that escaped her room without that shadow the night before, but couldn't. Dick had run her ragged with non-stop conversation, besides her having to answer questions for Robin and his girlfriend, the Spoiler.
Letting out a long, tired sigh, she fell asleep almost immediately. About thirty minutes later, the window opened and Kon peered inside. Wearing a black pair of jeans, a green shirt and a backwards-black and green baseball cape, he was prepared for anything. He slowly crawled in and looked at her. A slow smile came to his face as he stared at her face. He crept over and bent closer to her, taking in her scent. He recognized a trace of rose and lavender and was immediately in love.
Slowly he bent down to kiss her lips, still breathing in her scent. But a soft banging in the next room caught his attention. He flew over the bed and out the room. Near a huge computer system, in a drawer, he saw it being beat on.
"Shadow?" he whispered. The banging stopped. "Marco?"
The drawer pounded twice for 'Polo'.
"I got you now!" he hissed fiercely.
He leapt over and ripped open the drawer. The shadow slapped him across the face and ran off. Kon managed to grab it by the foot and pulled hard. The shadow squirmed away and he fell back to the ground.
"Shadow!!" he whispered, getting really angry. "What are you doing?!" The shadow began to form and twist into a larger, manly shape before his very eyes on the wall. "No! No! Don't play like that! Don't leave me!"
He lunged forward and began to struggle with the bending and twisting shadow. It was a fierce battle, but finally he got the shadow twisted around his hands. The lights flashed on at that moment and Kon yelped, shielding his face with the shadow.
"So you're the owner of the shadow, hmm?" Barbara asked.
He slowly looked at her and blushed slightly. He seemed to pay no heed to the chair that held her.
"Uh… Hi!" he said.
"Who ARE you?" she asked.
"…Peter!" he grinned.
"As in Peter Pan…" she stated, humored.
"Yeah… Who else do you know that could lose their shadow? Hey, could you maybe help me get this back on me?"
"Do I just sew it on like Wendy did?" she asked, still grinning ear-to-ear.
"Yeah, actually, you do!" He looked at the struggle shadow and waved a finger at it. "And don't you run off again, either!"
Barbara got a needle and thread and directed him to a stool. Carefully, she leveled the foot of Kon/Peter, and his shadow, and began to sew it together. Kon sat there and watched her, smiling widely. After she finished with the second foot, she gazed up and looked at his grin.
"And what are you all grins about? The chair?" she asked defensively.
Kon's eyes widened at the attack and he shook his head, looking away.
"No! No, never…"
"Then what?"
She crossed her arms. He slowly met her eyes and smiled again.
"Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?" he asked.
Barbara had to pause a moment, and then she blushed slightly. Quickly, she began to put her sewing materials away.
"They did… A long time ago."
"Oh…" he said thoughtfully. "So, uh, what do I call you? Wendy?" he grinned.
"Barbara," she replied.
"Even more cool." He jumped up on the stool and stood in a Peter Pan pose. "So, what's with the computer?"
She grinned at the pose and shrugged at the question.
"I don't get out much, so I build computers."
"Are you some kind of hacker?" he asked.
He flew over her and to the computers. He reached for a keyboard, but she was all ready behind him, and stopped his hands.
"What I do for a living is none of your business, Peter," she responded. "You have your shadow, now go away."
She left his side to put away her materials. He watched her and leaned on the edge of the desk.
"I don't have everything I came for, though," he said.
"What else do you want?" she asked passively.
He just bit his lip and strode for her bedroom to exit.
"I'll get it some other time," he responded.
She turned to look at him. She could see clear through to her window, but he was all ready out it. With a frown, she sighed and shook her head.
'What a STRANGE boy!' she thought.
-----
Closing her locker, Cassie headed for her next class in her high school. She just wanted to get out of school as soon as possible. As she passed the long flight of stairs in the center of the school, she was tempted to throw herself down them. She'd easily be able to fake an injury, she figured, and her mother couldn't very well say she was just faking an injury after a fall down forty steps.
"CASS!" she heard. "Cassie!!"
She turned and looked down the stairs to see Kon running up for her, pushing through people. She smiled brightly, welcoming at least one face that appreciated her fully. That's when she spotted a few girls that didn't "appreciate" her. She knew they heard Kon, but hadn't seen him. And judging from the stares the two were all ready getting, she knew this would be interesting.
"Hey, uh… Peter!" she smiled.
Kon caught on to what she meant, and didn't care. He reached her and picked her up by the waist, swinging her around once. He sat her down and kissed her quickly. Then he pointed to his shadow.
"Look!" he laughed. "Look at… that!"
She grinned and hugged him.
"That's great, Kon-er-Peter!" she said. She pulled away and looked at him oddly. "Did you KISS her?"
"I almost did. But I was saving it for the wonderful Cassie Sandsmark who helped me out!" He kissed her again and ran down the stairs. "Gotta fly, Flygirl! Check ya later!"
And away he went. Cassie was stunned at the kisses, but managed to keep her stomach from completely hollowing, and she kept the right amount of color to her face. She glanced around at the people who were staring and winked.
"What? You act like you never seen a girl kiss someone before!"
She headed on for her class, passing the girls that she usually worried about. Their shocked expressions gave her enough courage to wave at them and scoffingly look away.
'You've got guts this time around, little girl! …But it's deserved!'
-----
That night, Kon returned to Barbara's window. This was in reality the third time because previously she hadn't been asleep. He thanked God she was this time and slid into her room. He floated over to her bed and gazed at her face. Doing a test-wave above her face, he made sure she was asleep. Then, he leaned down and gently covered her lips with his.
It was a simple kiss, nothing more than lips. He somehow couldn't manage to push himself to put more into it. As he pulled away, her eyes opened from the movement.
"Peter…?" she whispered.
"I've decided not to call you Barbara or Wendy," he whispered back. "I'm calling you Angel."
She sat up immediately and pulled out of bed, into her wheelchair.
"Peter, are you nuts?! You're so young!"
"So?" he asked, hurt. "Age doesn't matter!"
"Yes, it does!" she replied.
She turned and headed for the door. Kon crossed his arms and scowled.
"Something tells me it's not only the AGE that's making you run from me."
Barbara stopped dead. She slowly turned, eyes flashing green fire.
"Get out of my home!!" she yelled.
"I struck a nerve, hmm? Well here's something else for you… I don't care about age, and I don't care about that!" He pointed to her chair. "If I DID care about either of those, would I be here?"
"Get out!"
He looked at her with a saddened face that made her wince. It was the same "puppy" look as Dick often gave her after she yelled at him for something. Kon turned and walked to the window.
"I'm sorry," he whispered just enough for her to hear.
"No… I'm sorry. You're right. If you did care, you wouldn't be here. But… I *do* care about age. Peter--"
She turned as her computers flashed on and Dick called out in a whisper over the speakers:
"Babs!"
She sighed and looked back.
"Peter, come back another time so we can discuss this, okay?"
Kon said nothing. He just leapt out the window and flew off. Barbara sighed and went out to the computers. She slid on her headset and turned it on.
"Hello?"
"Good! I thought you weren't answering me tonight!"
"Technically, you mean today."
"What?"
"It's twelve-o-one, Boy Wonder. So, talk to me. What do you need?"
"I need you to run a check for me and Tall, Dark and Dangerous here. A Johnny Depeche?"
Barbara sighed and went into full-on Oracle mode.
"Spell it."
-----
Cassie stared at Kon-El. He stared down at his feet in her kitchen, sad. He had told her everything that went on the previous night. Cassie didn't know what to say, but he looked so sad, she felt she had to say something.
"Kon, you said she was at least twenty five. You're the physical and mental age of a sixteen-year old. You need to stop being so concerned with someone so much older than you… I mean, *Tana*--"
"Barbara is so-so cool though! I don't think I've even met half her personality alone! She's complex and beautiful and--"
"She doesn't want you, "Peter"!" Cassie exclaimed.
"That too…" He sighed and sat. "And thus Peter Pan sits and waits for another day…"
--------------------------
A Month Later
Barbara was at her computer station, working contently. She was slightly on the bored side, but more on the depressed. She had just gone through a battle of wits with Nightwing and she won, but not after he accidentally spurted out something about her handicap. After that, she realized it was fair-game and spouted off about his slavery to Batman. Finally, he packed up and left. Bored/Angry/Depressed. Those were her feelings at that time, and it showed at the slight tear stains on her cheeks (she splashed water on her face, that's all! Really!). But when a gentle hand slid onto her shoulder, she yelped and grabbed it. She spun around and gasped.
"Peter?!" she yelped.
'How'd he get in here without me detecting him?!'
"Hey, Barbara." He noticed the stains on her cheek and took her face in his hands. "Babs, what's wrong?"
"Nothing!" she barked.
She smacked his hands away and turned, maneuvering away.
"Who got you upset?" he asked, sort of demandingly. She didn't respond. "Okay. I'm betting it's a younger man… One you've known for a long time too, and also had, and possibly still does have, a crush on you." The look she shot at him told him he struck a nerve and he sighed. "And I'm betting he said something about your… problem."
"…I'm sure he didn't mean to, either."
"You're in love with him, though." Barbara spun to him, surprise all over her face. He waved a finger at her. "Don't look at me that way! It's SO obvious because only those who you love can get to you. Anyone can irritate the Hell out of you, but only loved ones can bring you to tears."
"They aren't tears!"
"Sure they aren't." Kon quickly observed she wore cargo jeans and a tank top. He mentally noted that she had STYLE, but sighed all the same. "This will not do! No it will not!"
He started to search her apartment. She followed after him, getting agitated.
"What won't do and what are you doing?!" she exclaimed.
"Where's a jacket?!" he yelled into a closet. He found a black denim jacket and nodded. "This, however, WILL do quite nicely!"
"For what?!" she yelled.
He tossed the jacket onto her lap.
"Put that on, will ya?"
"Why? Don't like me in a tank top?" she asked sarcastically.
Kon sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Don't MAKE me do it for you!"
She sighed and slowly put it on. She shrugged and looked at him, not thrilled.
"Now what?"
Kon had found some rope in the closet and wrapped it around his one arm.
"Now--" He picked her up and adjusted her just right so she could wrap her arms around his neck. "--we fly!"
"Peter!!" Before she knew it, they were completely above the city, and just floating there. Barbara looked all around, awed at what she saw. Smiling slightly she looked at Kon. "Why are you doing this?"
"You're too fiery about your chair, which tells me you were put there by some god-awful consequence… You feel like that limits you to do only things in cyber space… That's cool and everything, but for one night-THIS night-I'm going to give you something different. The chance to experience that which people only DREAM of… Total and complete freedom."
Using his tactile telekinesis to hold her close, she was turned to face away, but was pulled to him. After making sure he had a good grip around her waist, he got ready to fly, but she squeezed his hand.
"Wait…" she whispered.
"What? You want me to take you back?" he asked, gently.
"No… I just… Want to look at this view. I've never seen the city at this point before…"
"You think that's something? Wait until you see it in motion…"
He flew down and ahead quickly. Barbara couldn't manage to say anything. The feeling was new and unexpected. Sure, she'd flown with Supergirl holding her, but Kara never had whatever "Peter" appeared to have. It was as if she was part of his body, but had complete control. She tested to see what he would be willing to do. She leaned towards the right, and he turned them both that way. Pressing back with her shoulders, he would go upwards. After she realized he'd do whatever she wanted, she laughed breathlessly at the feeling.
"Complete and total control," he whispered. "Complete and total freedom. The least I can do for a friend."
He felt her shoulders in his chest, and he flew upwards, but she kept pushing until they were going straight up. After they rose above the skyscrapers once more, she pressed forward on his arms around her waist. He went forward until she stopped, making them fly parallel to the ground. She stuck her arms out and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of the air (considered fresh by her and anyone living in Gotham).
"This is so… great!" she yelled. Kon laughed out as she looked down at their unified shadow running across the rooftops. "At least neither of our shadows ran away," she joked.
"Don't remind me!" he grinned.
"How DOES one lose his shadow?" she asked.
"It takes a technical accident and a very feisty shadow, I'll say THAT much," he said.
She chuckled and drew into silence. She pushed backwards, making him slow down. Gently, they circle skyscrapers and buildings, keeping complete silence. Kon felt Barbara draw in a long breath and knew she was ready to speak. But first, her eyes shut and her arms went out again.
"I used to be in great shape," she said gently. "Won awards for ballet and other dances. I was in Judo and everything… Until…"
"If it helps… you can tell me, and I won't laugh…"
"…Ever hear of the Joker?"
Kon repressed a loud, "HELL yeah! My buddy said he KILLED a Boy Wonder!" and instead gave a slow nod, his cheek against hers.
"Yes, I have…"
"He did this to me…" Kon's heart leapt out of his chest, his eyes widening. "I was at my father's house… He's Commissioner Gordon, for your information, of the GCPD. I opened the door, and the Clown shot me…"
Eyes closing slowly, Kon kept his cheek against hers. He knew Barbara was guiding him to fly correctly. But just as a safety measure, he opened them again.
"Barbara… I'm so sorry."
"I didn't tell you for your pity, kiddo. I told you because I trust you."
"…Thanks…"
He was surprised at all the things she had just told him. Robin had told him a few tales about all three people in her story, and now he was holding one of those three with the largest crush in his life. Taking in a deep breath, he just let her continue to steer him around so she could have that freedom that he only seemed able to give.
As they glided along the city, Kon came to a decision. One that he felt certain needed to be made. But he would wait until Barbara was done with this night and ready to move on…
-----
Kon sat Barbara down gently in her wheelchair and took her jacket. He replaced it in the closet as she sat, reminiscing on that night.
"Babs, we gotta talk…"
"Uh oh…"
She crossed her arms and looked at him. He got down on his knees in front of her and took her hands from her folded arms. At this point, she had no idea what to do but listen…
"I'm kinda over this little school-boy crush, now, so you're safe about that. And this is the last night I'm going to come here… But I hope you don't forget me, and I hope that everything you remember will be good memories, like tonight. But, Barbara, I bet that man that hurt you tonight is regretting it, and I bet you…" He slowly touched her cheek, eyes shaking but his voice firm. "I bet you that considering how bad he hurt you… You're in love with him. You need to call him. You need to call him now and talk out what happened. Someone that can hurt you that bad unintentionally obviously is not someone you want to lose."
"I don't think I can face him…" she said.
She looked away. Kon shook his head and made her green eyes lock onto his blue eyes.
"You have to, angel. Because if you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You understand me? Things have to be put in the past in order to be able to move on to the future…" He stood up and kissed her on the forehead. Pressing his cheek to hers, he whispered gently, "Look second star to the right, straight on 'til morning and think of everything sweet that's happened in your life. Remember those, and it'll give you the strength to move on."
Without another word, he went away. Just like a gust of wind, he was gone. Barbara just sat there a moment, unable to move. Replaying his words, she decided he was right. And it couldn't wait; she had to talk to Dick right that instant. Going over to her computers, she slowly booted up. When everything was on, she dialed up his cell phone. Five rings later:
"Hello?" Dick asked above a stifled hiccup.
For a moment, she thought he was drunk, then mused over the fact that he only drank on special occasions. Otherwise, his strongest drink was Surge, hence the hiccup and the burp that followed. Sighing, she spoke gently:
"Dick… Is this a good time?"
"Babs!!" There was a loud crash and several bangs over the speaker. After Dick regained control of the situation, he groaned. "My PANTS!" he hissed.
"Dick?"
"Oh! Sorry Babs… And, uh… I'm sorry about what I said… It wasn't fair--"
"Say no more, Dick. At least not on the phone. But uh, you wanna talk about it over dinner sometime? Like… tomorrow? I don't think this relationship needs to go to waste over an argument of insults."
"Yeah, I agree. And tomorrow would be great…"
"Great, see you then."
She shut off the system and sat back smiling.
-----
Kon, who was listening through the still opened window, grinned.
'Good girl,' he thought.
He glided down to the front of her building and landed gently. He dusted his hands off and slowly began to tie the rope he had in a certain way. There was a rip, and he looked down at his feet. The shadow pulled off one foot, and was fighting the other.
"Shadow! SHADOW!" he screamed as the shadow ripped off and booked. "Not again!!!" He finished tying the rope and began to spin it out into its lasso form. "WEEHAW, little shadow!! Time to GO TO CADMUS!"
And yes, YES I know that things probably happen too fast, and some of the characters are probably written differently. I have NO idea what I was thinking, but hey!
Rating: PG
Legalities: All characters belong to DC Comics, not meeee. *sniffle*
Silhouette
By: Carmen Wayne
"Awwww, come ON! Get back here! …ARGH! This isn't cool! Get BACK here!!"
Superboy lunged into the air and dove for his shadow. However, it moved out of the way and he slammed face-first into the brick wall that it was clinging too. He fell to his knees and rubbed his face.
"I should get a divorce from you!" he bellowed.
The shadow waved a finger and ran off along the Gotham Bank. Superboy yelped and ran after. After some time, it flew up the side of a clock tower and inside. Superboy followed, entering a window into a bedroom. He noticed a redhead woman sleeping in there. He gazed at her a moment, not recognizing the face.
'She's pretty,' he thought. 'Wonder how old she is…'
Snapping out of his trance, he went to go for the shadow, which was against the wall across the way.
"Get over here!" he hissed.
The shadow shook its head.
"Don't argue with me! You belong against my feet!"
The young woman stirred slightly and Superboy drew back. He quickly got out of the room and glared as he flew away.
'I'll be back tomorrow night, Shadow,' he thought. 'Oh yes. I WILL be back!'
-----
Later on that day, Barbara Gordon came out of her room in a sweater and jeans. She had to organize some files with Dick Grayson via a satellite connection. He had claimed he just needed help with how to classify them, but she knew better. And yet, she appreciated his tiny try to spend time with her.
She was going for her systems, when a shadow across the room caught her eye. She turned towards it slowly. It drew back, realizing she saw it. Much to her surprise, it was JUST a shadow, nothing more.
"What the--? HEY!"
She started after the shadow as it tried to run. It had a large lead, until it tripped over a cord socket and hit it's head on a light switch. It fell to the ground, unconscious. Barbara slowly came towards it and stopped, her wheel chair just inches away. She bent down the best she could and ran a finger over it, finding it was palpable. Gently, she began to pick it up.
"I bet you belong to the visitor I had last night, hmm?" she asked gently. She went back for her systems with it slowly. "Well, I'm sure they'll be back, so in the meantime…" She opened a drawer and placed it in there. "You're staying in there."
'Yeah, like that'll hold it… But at least it's worth a try! This is SO Peter Pan… I better read up on it… Things like this barely phase me anymore…'
"Babs! You there?!" Dick Grayson called over the speakers.
"Yes! Yes, you don't have to yell!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "So, uh, ready to organize?"
"Yeah. But I'll be multitasking in the meantime, so bear with me."
'But I wanted to have this a you-me timmme!' said the silence that followed. An uneasy cough came soon and a sigh.
"Okay, cool. Lets get to work, then."
-----
Cassie Sandsmark watched her friend Kon-El from across the table. He was obviously not having a good day.
"You mean to tell me you lost your shadow. And it doesn't even end there… You lost it in a strange apartment in Gotham City?" she asked, trying to keep herself from laughing.
Kon leapt up onto the table and pointed at his feet.
"Do you see a shadow?! *I* don't!"
Cassie looked at all the different light sources. Slowly, she reached over and saw she had a shadow by his feet, but he didn't.
"Whoa."
Kon flew off the table next to her. Touching a chair, it spun to him and he sat next to her.
"I'm going back tonight and I'm going to get it back," he said.
"Isn't that dangerous? You want me to go with you?"
"No, no… I have to get my shadow back myself…"
"How did this happen? How will you attach it back to you?!"
"I-I don't know! It just slipped off!" Cassie blinked and stared at him. He sighed and shrugged. "And I'll probably have to sew it back on. Catching it will be the hard part."
"What if it's not in that lady's apartment tonight?"
"Oh, it will be. If it's anything like me, it will be. She was beautiful! Flame red hair and fair skin… Oh my God…" He grinned devilishly. "Tana would kill me for that."
Cassie sighed and rolled her eyes. Gently, she made him look at her.
"At least go as someone else… Please?" she asked.
"Yeah… Yeah, okay, Cass. If it'll make you happy…"
-----
Barbara pulled herself into her bed and laid down slowly, exhausted. She had planned to stay up to await the mysterious figure that escaped her room without that shadow the night before, but couldn't. Dick had run her ragged with non-stop conversation, besides her having to answer questions for Robin and his girlfriend, the Spoiler.
Letting out a long, tired sigh, she fell asleep almost immediately. About thirty minutes later, the window opened and Kon peered inside. Wearing a black pair of jeans, a green shirt and a backwards-black and green baseball cape, he was prepared for anything. He slowly crawled in and looked at her. A slow smile came to his face as he stared at her face. He crept over and bent closer to her, taking in her scent. He recognized a trace of rose and lavender and was immediately in love.
Slowly he bent down to kiss her lips, still breathing in her scent. But a soft banging in the next room caught his attention. He flew over the bed and out the room. Near a huge computer system, in a drawer, he saw it being beat on.
"Shadow?" he whispered. The banging stopped. "Marco?"
The drawer pounded twice for 'Polo'.
"I got you now!" he hissed fiercely.
He leapt over and ripped open the drawer. The shadow slapped him across the face and ran off. Kon managed to grab it by the foot and pulled hard. The shadow squirmed away and he fell back to the ground.
"Shadow!!" he whispered, getting really angry. "What are you doing?!" The shadow began to form and twist into a larger, manly shape before his very eyes on the wall. "No! No! Don't play like that! Don't leave me!"
He lunged forward and began to struggle with the bending and twisting shadow. It was a fierce battle, but finally he got the shadow twisted around his hands. The lights flashed on at that moment and Kon yelped, shielding his face with the shadow.
"So you're the owner of the shadow, hmm?" Barbara asked.
He slowly looked at her and blushed slightly. He seemed to pay no heed to the chair that held her.
"Uh… Hi!" he said.
"Who ARE you?" she asked.
"…Peter!" he grinned.
"As in Peter Pan…" she stated, humored.
"Yeah… Who else do you know that could lose their shadow? Hey, could you maybe help me get this back on me?"
"Do I just sew it on like Wendy did?" she asked, still grinning ear-to-ear.
"Yeah, actually, you do!" He looked at the struggle shadow and waved a finger at it. "And don't you run off again, either!"
Barbara got a needle and thread and directed him to a stool. Carefully, she leveled the foot of Kon/Peter, and his shadow, and began to sew it together. Kon sat there and watched her, smiling widely. After she finished with the second foot, she gazed up and looked at his grin.
"And what are you all grins about? The chair?" she asked defensively.
Kon's eyes widened at the attack and he shook his head, looking away.
"No! No, never…"
"Then what?"
She crossed her arms. He slowly met her eyes and smiled again.
"Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?" he asked.
Barbara had to pause a moment, and then she blushed slightly. Quickly, she began to put her sewing materials away.
"They did… A long time ago."
"Oh…" he said thoughtfully. "So, uh, what do I call you? Wendy?" he grinned.
"Barbara," she replied.
"Even more cool." He jumped up on the stool and stood in a Peter Pan pose. "So, what's with the computer?"
She grinned at the pose and shrugged at the question.
"I don't get out much, so I build computers."
"Are you some kind of hacker?" he asked.
He flew over her and to the computers. He reached for a keyboard, but she was all ready behind him, and stopped his hands.
"What I do for a living is none of your business, Peter," she responded. "You have your shadow, now go away."
She left his side to put away her materials. He watched her and leaned on the edge of the desk.
"I don't have everything I came for, though," he said.
"What else do you want?" she asked passively.
He just bit his lip and strode for her bedroom to exit.
"I'll get it some other time," he responded.
She turned to look at him. She could see clear through to her window, but he was all ready out it. With a frown, she sighed and shook her head.
'What a STRANGE boy!' she thought.
-----
Closing her locker, Cassie headed for her next class in her high school. She just wanted to get out of school as soon as possible. As she passed the long flight of stairs in the center of the school, she was tempted to throw herself down them. She'd easily be able to fake an injury, she figured, and her mother couldn't very well say she was just faking an injury after a fall down forty steps.
"CASS!" she heard. "Cassie!!"
She turned and looked down the stairs to see Kon running up for her, pushing through people. She smiled brightly, welcoming at least one face that appreciated her fully. That's when she spotted a few girls that didn't "appreciate" her. She knew they heard Kon, but hadn't seen him. And judging from the stares the two were all ready getting, she knew this would be interesting.
"Hey, uh… Peter!" she smiled.
Kon caught on to what she meant, and didn't care. He reached her and picked her up by the waist, swinging her around once. He sat her down and kissed her quickly. Then he pointed to his shadow.
"Look!" he laughed. "Look at… that!"
She grinned and hugged him.
"That's great, Kon-er-Peter!" she said. She pulled away and looked at him oddly. "Did you KISS her?"
"I almost did. But I was saving it for the wonderful Cassie Sandsmark who helped me out!" He kissed her again and ran down the stairs. "Gotta fly, Flygirl! Check ya later!"
And away he went. Cassie was stunned at the kisses, but managed to keep her stomach from completely hollowing, and she kept the right amount of color to her face. She glanced around at the people who were staring and winked.
"What? You act like you never seen a girl kiss someone before!"
She headed on for her class, passing the girls that she usually worried about. Their shocked expressions gave her enough courage to wave at them and scoffingly look away.
'You've got guts this time around, little girl! …But it's deserved!'
-----
That night, Kon returned to Barbara's window. This was in reality the third time because previously she hadn't been asleep. He thanked God she was this time and slid into her room. He floated over to her bed and gazed at her face. Doing a test-wave above her face, he made sure she was asleep. Then, he leaned down and gently covered her lips with his.
It was a simple kiss, nothing more than lips. He somehow couldn't manage to push himself to put more into it. As he pulled away, her eyes opened from the movement.
"Peter…?" she whispered.
"I've decided not to call you Barbara or Wendy," he whispered back. "I'm calling you Angel."
She sat up immediately and pulled out of bed, into her wheelchair.
"Peter, are you nuts?! You're so young!"
"So?" he asked, hurt. "Age doesn't matter!"
"Yes, it does!" she replied.
She turned and headed for the door. Kon crossed his arms and scowled.
"Something tells me it's not only the AGE that's making you run from me."
Barbara stopped dead. She slowly turned, eyes flashing green fire.
"Get out of my home!!" she yelled.
"I struck a nerve, hmm? Well here's something else for you… I don't care about age, and I don't care about that!" He pointed to her chair. "If I DID care about either of those, would I be here?"
"Get out!"
He looked at her with a saddened face that made her wince. It was the same "puppy" look as Dick often gave her after she yelled at him for something. Kon turned and walked to the window.
"I'm sorry," he whispered just enough for her to hear.
"No… I'm sorry. You're right. If you did care, you wouldn't be here. But… I *do* care about age. Peter--"
She turned as her computers flashed on and Dick called out in a whisper over the speakers:
"Babs!"
She sighed and looked back.
"Peter, come back another time so we can discuss this, okay?"
Kon said nothing. He just leapt out the window and flew off. Barbara sighed and went out to the computers. She slid on her headset and turned it on.
"Hello?"
"Good! I thought you weren't answering me tonight!"
"Technically, you mean today."
"What?"
"It's twelve-o-one, Boy Wonder. So, talk to me. What do you need?"
"I need you to run a check for me and Tall, Dark and Dangerous here. A Johnny Depeche?"
Barbara sighed and went into full-on Oracle mode.
"Spell it."
-----
Cassie stared at Kon-El. He stared down at his feet in her kitchen, sad. He had told her everything that went on the previous night. Cassie didn't know what to say, but he looked so sad, she felt she had to say something.
"Kon, you said she was at least twenty five. You're the physical and mental age of a sixteen-year old. You need to stop being so concerned with someone so much older than you… I mean, *Tana*--"
"Barbara is so-so cool though! I don't think I've even met half her personality alone! She's complex and beautiful and--"
"She doesn't want you, "Peter"!" Cassie exclaimed.
"That too…" He sighed and sat. "And thus Peter Pan sits and waits for another day…"
--------------------------
A Month Later
Barbara was at her computer station, working contently. She was slightly on the bored side, but more on the depressed. She had just gone through a battle of wits with Nightwing and she won, but not after he accidentally spurted out something about her handicap. After that, she realized it was fair-game and spouted off about his slavery to Batman. Finally, he packed up and left. Bored/Angry/Depressed. Those were her feelings at that time, and it showed at the slight tear stains on her cheeks (she splashed water on her face, that's all! Really!). But when a gentle hand slid onto her shoulder, she yelped and grabbed it. She spun around and gasped.
"Peter?!" she yelped.
'How'd he get in here without me detecting him?!'
"Hey, Barbara." He noticed the stains on her cheek and took her face in his hands. "Babs, what's wrong?"
"Nothing!" she barked.
She smacked his hands away and turned, maneuvering away.
"Who got you upset?" he asked, sort of demandingly. She didn't respond. "Okay. I'm betting it's a younger man… One you've known for a long time too, and also had, and possibly still does have, a crush on you." The look she shot at him told him he struck a nerve and he sighed. "And I'm betting he said something about your… problem."
"…I'm sure he didn't mean to, either."
"You're in love with him, though." Barbara spun to him, surprise all over her face. He waved a finger at her. "Don't look at me that way! It's SO obvious because only those who you love can get to you. Anyone can irritate the Hell out of you, but only loved ones can bring you to tears."
"They aren't tears!"
"Sure they aren't." Kon quickly observed she wore cargo jeans and a tank top. He mentally noted that she had STYLE, but sighed all the same. "This will not do! No it will not!"
He started to search her apartment. She followed after him, getting agitated.
"What won't do and what are you doing?!" she exclaimed.
"Where's a jacket?!" he yelled into a closet. He found a black denim jacket and nodded. "This, however, WILL do quite nicely!"
"For what?!" she yelled.
He tossed the jacket onto her lap.
"Put that on, will ya?"
"Why? Don't like me in a tank top?" she asked sarcastically.
Kon sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Don't MAKE me do it for you!"
She sighed and slowly put it on. She shrugged and looked at him, not thrilled.
"Now what?"
Kon had found some rope in the closet and wrapped it around his one arm.
"Now--" He picked her up and adjusted her just right so she could wrap her arms around his neck. "--we fly!"
"Peter!!" Before she knew it, they were completely above the city, and just floating there. Barbara looked all around, awed at what she saw. Smiling slightly she looked at Kon. "Why are you doing this?"
"You're too fiery about your chair, which tells me you were put there by some god-awful consequence… You feel like that limits you to do only things in cyber space… That's cool and everything, but for one night-THIS night-I'm going to give you something different. The chance to experience that which people only DREAM of… Total and complete freedom."
Using his tactile telekinesis to hold her close, she was turned to face away, but was pulled to him. After making sure he had a good grip around her waist, he got ready to fly, but she squeezed his hand.
"Wait…" she whispered.
"What? You want me to take you back?" he asked, gently.
"No… I just… Want to look at this view. I've never seen the city at this point before…"
"You think that's something? Wait until you see it in motion…"
He flew down and ahead quickly. Barbara couldn't manage to say anything. The feeling was new and unexpected. Sure, she'd flown with Supergirl holding her, but Kara never had whatever "Peter" appeared to have. It was as if she was part of his body, but had complete control. She tested to see what he would be willing to do. She leaned towards the right, and he turned them both that way. Pressing back with her shoulders, he would go upwards. After she realized he'd do whatever she wanted, she laughed breathlessly at the feeling.
"Complete and total control," he whispered. "Complete and total freedom. The least I can do for a friend."
He felt her shoulders in his chest, and he flew upwards, but she kept pushing until they were going straight up. After they rose above the skyscrapers once more, she pressed forward on his arms around her waist. He went forward until she stopped, making them fly parallel to the ground. She stuck her arms out and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of the air (considered fresh by her and anyone living in Gotham).
"This is so… great!" she yelled. Kon laughed out as she looked down at their unified shadow running across the rooftops. "At least neither of our shadows ran away," she joked.
"Don't remind me!" he grinned.
"How DOES one lose his shadow?" she asked.
"It takes a technical accident and a very feisty shadow, I'll say THAT much," he said.
She chuckled and drew into silence. She pushed backwards, making him slow down. Gently, they circle skyscrapers and buildings, keeping complete silence. Kon felt Barbara draw in a long breath and knew she was ready to speak. But first, her eyes shut and her arms went out again.
"I used to be in great shape," she said gently. "Won awards for ballet and other dances. I was in Judo and everything… Until…"
"If it helps… you can tell me, and I won't laugh…"
"…Ever hear of the Joker?"
Kon repressed a loud, "HELL yeah! My buddy said he KILLED a Boy Wonder!" and instead gave a slow nod, his cheek against hers.
"Yes, I have…"
"He did this to me…" Kon's heart leapt out of his chest, his eyes widening. "I was at my father's house… He's Commissioner Gordon, for your information, of the GCPD. I opened the door, and the Clown shot me…"
Eyes closing slowly, Kon kept his cheek against hers. He knew Barbara was guiding him to fly correctly. But just as a safety measure, he opened them again.
"Barbara… I'm so sorry."
"I didn't tell you for your pity, kiddo. I told you because I trust you."
"…Thanks…"
He was surprised at all the things she had just told him. Robin had told him a few tales about all three people in her story, and now he was holding one of those three with the largest crush in his life. Taking in a deep breath, he just let her continue to steer him around so she could have that freedom that he only seemed able to give.
As they glided along the city, Kon came to a decision. One that he felt certain needed to be made. But he would wait until Barbara was done with this night and ready to move on…
-----
Kon sat Barbara down gently in her wheelchair and took her jacket. He replaced it in the closet as she sat, reminiscing on that night.
"Babs, we gotta talk…"
"Uh oh…"
She crossed her arms and looked at him. He got down on his knees in front of her and took her hands from her folded arms. At this point, she had no idea what to do but listen…
"I'm kinda over this little school-boy crush, now, so you're safe about that. And this is the last night I'm going to come here… But I hope you don't forget me, and I hope that everything you remember will be good memories, like tonight. But, Barbara, I bet that man that hurt you tonight is regretting it, and I bet you…" He slowly touched her cheek, eyes shaking but his voice firm. "I bet you that considering how bad he hurt you… You're in love with him. You need to call him. You need to call him now and talk out what happened. Someone that can hurt you that bad unintentionally obviously is not someone you want to lose."
"I don't think I can face him…" she said.
She looked away. Kon shook his head and made her green eyes lock onto his blue eyes.
"You have to, angel. Because if you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You understand me? Things have to be put in the past in order to be able to move on to the future…" He stood up and kissed her on the forehead. Pressing his cheek to hers, he whispered gently, "Look second star to the right, straight on 'til morning and think of everything sweet that's happened in your life. Remember those, and it'll give you the strength to move on."
Without another word, he went away. Just like a gust of wind, he was gone. Barbara just sat there a moment, unable to move. Replaying his words, she decided he was right. And it couldn't wait; she had to talk to Dick right that instant. Going over to her computers, she slowly booted up. When everything was on, she dialed up his cell phone. Five rings later:
"Hello?" Dick asked above a stifled hiccup.
For a moment, she thought he was drunk, then mused over the fact that he only drank on special occasions. Otherwise, his strongest drink was Surge, hence the hiccup and the burp that followed. Sighing, she spoke gently:
"Dick… Is this a good time?"
"Babs!!" There was a loud crash and several bangs over the speaker. After Dick regained control of the situation, he groaned. "My PANTS!" he hissed.
"Dick?"
"Oh! Sorry Babs… And, uh… I'm sorry about what I said… It wasn't fair--"
"Say no more, Dick. At least not on the phone. But uh, you wanna talk about it over dinner sometime? Like… tomorrow? I don't think this relationship needs to go to waste over an argument of insults."
"Yeah, I agree. And tomorrow would be great…"
"Great, see you then."
She shut off the system and sat back smiling.
-----
Kon, who was listening through the still opened window, grinned.
'Good girl,' he thought.
He glided down to the front of her building and landed gently. He dusted his hands off and slowly began to tie the rope he had in a certain way. There was a rip, and he looked down at his feet. The shadow pulled off one foot, and was fighting the other.
"Shadow! SHADOW!" he screamed as the shadow ripped off and booked. "Not again!!!" He finished tying the rope and began to spin it out into its lasso form. "WEEHAW, little shadow!! Time to GO TO CADMUS!"