"You know the secrets I could never tell.
And when I'm quiet you break through my shell…
You pull me aside when something ain't right,
Talk with me now and into the night
Till it's alright again.
You're a true friend."
"How you doin?" Flash flirtingly smiled at the costumed female as he passed her in the hallway. Then he reached his arm out and placed it around her shoulders. "Want to get an iced mocha with me in the cafeteria, Maya?" He quickly ran in front of her and stopped, folding his arms across his chest, waiting for an answer. He winced when she opened her mouth, expecting to hear the response he was accustomed to, a firm rejection.
"That sounds nice." Maya replied cheerfully.
"Oh ok. Maybe another time then." Flash started to walk away, shoulders slumped, feeling rejected.
"Flash, I said yes, that sounds nice." She called after him.
He turned around on his heel. "What? Oh. No girl has ever said yes. Ok, Let's go!" He held his arm out for her to take and she gladly accepted it. They walked to the cafeteria together, Flash having a noticeable bounce in his step. As they walked into the cafeteria he caught Aero's eye, smiled brightly and flashed her a thumbs up. Then he and Maya walked over to the drink area and Flash made her his favorite drink, an iced mocha. When he finished he led her to the table Aero was sitting at, pulled the chair out for Maya and then immediately took a seat next to her.
"Aero, you know Maya, right?"
"Yeah, I believe we met a few days ago on your first day, right?" Aero shook her hand uncomfortably then quickly pulled her arm back. Flash raised his left eyebrow at her questioningly.
Maya just nodded happily, completely unaware of the sagacious looks Aero and Flash were exchanging.
"Maya has not only agreed to me giving her a tour of the Watchtower but also it seems we are both on duty tomorrow night. So, naturally we will be having dinner together."
Aero's stomach dropped when she heard that. Then she felt a dull pain in her head. She swallowed sharply. "Oh really?" She tried to sound happy, but it ended up sounding sarcastic. She coughed to try to cover up how mean she sounded. Flash looked like he was getting a little irritated with her. So, she quickly moved to excuse herself. "That sounds nice. Listen sorry to eat and run but I am not feeling very well. I will catch you guys later." She picked up her tray and headed out the door. Flash was in front of her in less than a second.
"What's up?"
"What do you mean?" She tried to look confused but ended up just looking bored.
He stepped forward an inch so that she was the only one who could hear him. "We have been best friends for almost two years now, I can tell when something is up. Why were you being so curt back there?"
"Wow, did you learn a new word today?" Aero snapped at him.
"Cute. Seriously what's going on?" Flash was noticeably irritated now.
Aero looked him in the eyes and she felt her stomach drop again. She felt horrible for upsetting him. "Nothing, honest. Sorry I just think I am coming down with something." She put her hand on her head, a gesture to show him she might have a fever. "I didn't mean to seem so short." His face softened. "I'm off duty in ten I think I'm just going to head home and get some rest."
Flash smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Alright, feel better. See you in a few days."
Aero popped her head into the cafeteria, scanned the room and sighed. Caught up in her own thoughts, she bumped into someone when she turned back around to exit the room. She looked up at who it was only to see a man wearing a blue shirt, a red bandana around his neck and a white cowboy hat. Her eyes widened in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry."
"That's alright. What's your hurry little lady?" the Vigilante tipped his hat to her.
"I was just looking for someone."
"The Flash, right?"
"How did you know?" Aero's eyebrows furrowed together.
"You two are inseparable. I think everyone 'round here knows you are best friends. But sorry little lady. I haven't seen him."
"I didn't know it was that obvious we were close." She blushed.
"No need to be embarrassed about it. It's nice to see you two are friends. Sometimes as heroes we focus too much on the job and not enough on anything else. I know more than a few of us who are too serious and don't let people get close to 'em. They could learn a thing or two from you. Well it was nice bumpin' into ya. I have to eat some grub before I head back to work." He tipped his hat again and walked into the cafeteria.
Aero's face brightened. Commendation from any member of the JLA always gave her chills. But especially from one who she had admired for so long.
Her thoughts strayed back to the task at hand, finding Flash. The last few weeks she hadn't been able to see or talk to him for more then a few minutes at a time. Lately it seemed like he always had somewhere else where he needed to be. She was hoping since he was on the schedule for today, so they would be able to catch up. After about twenty minutes of looking for him, she spotted his red costume coming out of the men's locker room. She walked toward him and called out his name. He looked her way and grinned.
"Hey stranger. Good timing. I just got back from fighting Mirror Master. I feel like we haven't seen each other in a while."
"I feel the same way." Aero sighed with relief. It was good to hear he missed her too.
"Then it sounds like we have some catching up to do. Meet you at our spot in about five?"
Aero nodded and headed away from Flash. She had a weird sensation from seeing him. Words couldn't quite describe it. Her face started to feel a little warm and that warmth went all the way down to her toes. She put her hand on her cheek and it felt a bit hot. She wondered if she was getting sick. She didn't feel like she was. That thought was quickly replaced with one of joy as she walked up to the spot where Flash said to meet. Finally she was getting some real time with her best friend. She couldn't wait to catch up, hear about who he had fought and won, what pranks he might have pulled and what he had been so busy with.
Their spot was high up in the Watchtower. It was a walkway on one of the upper decks. Very few people used the walkway because most of the operations on the Watchtower were in the lower levels. This deck was just covered in windows so when you walked up there it felt like you were walking in the stars. It was peaceful and quiet, quite a change from the rest of the station.
Over the two years they had known each other and become friends, Flash and Aero would run and hide up here after pulling a prank on someone or come here when they just wanted to talk. It became a bit of a sanctuary for both of them, especially after a hard fight with a villain. During those times they would just sit with their backs up against the glass, not saying a word, just enjoying the silence and each other's company.
Flash ran up to meet her as soon as he was done with his debriefing. He got up there in about 2 seconds. Aero was standing with her face towards the glass, looking out at the stars. Her face looked so peaceful. A mischievous smile appeared on his face. He walked up behind her very slowly and quietly, arms out, ready to grab her.
"Stop before I hurt you. I have laser beams for eyes you know." She turned to face him. He looked a little dejected but happy none the less.
"You are the only one who sees me coming. I missed that. And I miss playing tricks on people. I haven't done any since you and I convinced Cyborg that his language circuits were making him speak in only Hindi." He laughed to himself.
"That had to be one of the best ones yet."
"Why haven't you been doing much, Prankster?" she said smirking at him.
Flash moved to stand next to her and sighed dreamily as he leaned his back against the glass window. "Aero, I think I'm in love."
"You say that with every girl you meet."
"I really mean it this time."
Aero's heart dropped into her chest. Suddenly she found herself feeling sick to her stomach. She had to take short breaths because of the pain she was feeling. Did she hear him right? "Really?" she asked timidly.
"Maya is wonderful. I have really gotten to know her well. We have been hanging out for a few weeks now. We even met and had dinner at this restaurant in Central City. She is just awesome. I really want you to get to know her."
Aero didn't know what to say or let alone think about the situation. She felt hurt, confused and her stomach felt like it was doing back flips. Her head was reeling, but she heard herself say, "Um ok. That sounds good."
"Great. I want my best friend to like my girlfriend."
Girlfriend? A hundred different thoughts passed through Aero's mind. She started to feel a headache coming on. "Flash I gotta go." She quickly walked away from him, her face getting hot again. She needed to get home, needed to lay down.
Preston slammed her front door shut and leaned against it, breathing heavily. She put her hand on her chest to try to slow her breathing down. She still couldn't believe what she had heard. Flash met Maya in person? Out of costume? She had known him for over two years and they had never done that, met away from the Watchtower. She felt her breathing quicken again. Deciding she need to calm down, she headed to the kitchen for some water. As she poured herself a glass she heard footsteps coming her way.
Dinah walked into the kitchen. "Hey sweetie. You're home late." She went up and kissed Preston on the forehead. Then she looked into her eyes. Even though they were bright white, they showed a lot of expression and Dinah could tell something was wrong. "Sweetie what is it?"
"I really don't know. I feel frustrated, angry but also a little sad. I have never felt like this. My face keeps getting hot and my stomach and head are aching. Which is making me more frustrated. Does it sound like I'm coming down with something?"
Dinah felt Preston's forehead then moved her hand down to her cheek. "No. And you look fine. Why don't you tell me when you started feeling bad?"
Preston nodded and her and Dinah walked into the living room and sat on the couch, facing each other. "I don't know exactly but I know something that frustrated me. Flash has started seeing someone. And he told me today that they actually met outside the Watchtower. I don't know why but that made me angry. We have been best friends for two years and I don't even know his real name! Tell me I am not being irrational about this, please."
Dinah knew exactly what was going on, but knew Preston needed to figure it out on her own. There was no harm in guiding her thinking in the right direction though. "No you aren't being irrational. But what are you more upset about, the fact that you have never seen him outside of the Justice League or that he has started seeing someone?"
"I am happy that he is seeing someone, I mean I think I am. It's just weird. You know how he is, he flirts with everyone and no one takes him seriously. It's just weird that someone is now. I don't think I have ever thought about what would happen if he did start dating. He hasn't been around much for a few weeks, and I guess that will happen more now," Preston started to frown. "Our friendship is going to change now isn't it?"
"Maybe. How do you feel about that?" Dinah's words were laced with smugness.
"Just thinking about it hurts." She put her hand over her stomach and rubbed it. "There is that pain again."
"It sounds like you are stressed about what's going to happen with Flash. Why do you…"
Preston interrupted her, as she started to assess the situation on her own. "I can completely understand why Maya wants to date him. I mean he has a great personality. He is funny, maybe sometimes he takes things a bit too far, but he always realizes it and fixes the problem. He is so easy to talk to. I love when he gets serious about something, you can see his brow wrinkle through his mask and he concentrates so hard it looks like his face might break. And every time he gets nervous he starts laughing to himself or he runs and makes himself an iced mocha. I mean who does that? I just can't imagine not spending all my free time with him." She grumbled loudly. "What do I do? Now that I think about it I don't think I can be happy for him."
Dinah took Preston's hand in hers. "Honey I think you need to really think about your relationship with Flash. How do you really feel about him?"
"What do you mean?" Preston gave Dinah a quizzical look.
Dinah couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"I don't think the situation is funny, do you? I mean it's a bit trivial I know, but still." Preston said curtly.
"No honey it's not that. I had this same conversation with myself before I married Ollie. Only when I thought I would lose him as a friend did I realize my true feelings for him. I was falling in love with him and I wouldn't be happy until I could be with him."
"What?" Preston sat back in confusion.
"That's why I said you need to figure out how you really feel about him. If you can't imagine your life without him, you need to understand why you feel that way and what you want to do about it, if anything." Dinah leaned forward and kissed Preston's forehead then kissed her hand. "This is not something I can help you with. But you know if you want to talk more about it, I am here. I suggest for tonight though that you get to bed, it's late and I know you have an early shift tomorrow. We can talk more tomorrow."
Preston absentmindedly nodded as Dinah walked out of the room. Her head felt like it was spinning, and the nauseous feeling had returned. Laying down on the couch hoping to get some relief, she closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep, thoughts of Flash invading her dreams.
Flash was thrown hard against the light pole across the park from where Clayface stood. He hit it with a loud thump and groaned, feeling a sharp pain in his back. Rubbing the spot, attempting to ease the pain, he tried to stand but failed miserably. Clayface moved closer to him and laughed with a deep, guttural voice. Flash could see him forming a hammer with one of his arms. As soon as he lifted his arm up Flash saw a wire rope wrap around it and cut it off. He looked behind Clayface to see Batman and Aero running towards him. Aero's eyes got brighter as a thick white beam came from them and struck Clayface directly in the back. Then Aero headed towards Flash, took hold of his arm and put her other hand on his back to help him up. He nodded at her as if to say he was alright. She let go of him and ran back towards Clayface. This time she picked up the light pole that Flash had just crashed into, with her mind. She brought it closer to the creature and plunged it into his body, cutting him in half. Batman used the time that Clayface was starting to form himself again, to place a few bombs into his bottom half.
"Run, get out of the way!" Batman shouted at Aero and Flash.
Flash picked Aero up and quickly ran a few blocks away from the explosion. Batman found cover behind a semi-truck that was parked nearby. After he heard the bombs go off he came out from behind the truck and walked slowly over to the pile of mud that now lay on the ground. It was slowly coming together and forming a body. He could sense that Aero and Flash were only yards away, so he yelled over his shoulder at them. "Aero fly up and detach that electrical line from that building. We will use the electricity to keep Clayface from being able to keep a solid form."
Aero stopped in her tracks, surprised. She started to get nervous. "I will just remove it from here. I think I can see it."
Batman ran over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You will be too slow that way. Just get up there and do it, hurry before he gets solid." He gave her a stern look before running back over to the slowly forming Clayface.
Instead of flying up to the electrical line, Aero shot another beam into the unidentifiable shape. Batman quickly turned his head towards her and glared at her angrily. "What are you doing?" He growled at her. "Forget it, Flash run through him as many times as you can. I'm going to get an electrical charge ready. Aero stop your beam. It's not doing anything."
Flash quickly charged the almost formed Clayface as many times as he could while Batman worked quickly on the charge. Aero just stood back and watched, a wave of remorse coming over her.
Suddenly they all heard a gravelly voice, chuckle. Flash stopped running and stepped back to where Aero was. They hadn't been fast enough, Clayface was now fully formed. He snickered at them and quickly went down the sewer drain. All they could hear was his laugh as he got further and further away.
"Thankfully I put a tracker on him." Batman looked at Aero, a dark scowl on his face. She cowered and turned her head away from his glare. "Let's get back up to the Watchtower so we can see what he is up to."
"Aero, come inside now." Batman motioned for Aero to go inside the small room. He followed her in. She sat down at the table across from Flash and Batman. Batman looked at her, disappointment present on his face. Baffled he put his palm on his forehead, rubbing it firmly. "I honestly don't know what to think. What happened out there?"
Aero, put her head down in dismay. She was disappointed in herself. "I don't know what to say."
"I do. When we brought you here and trained you, we did so with the understanding that you would do whatever it takes to help people. We brought you in for all your assets, not just the ones you felt like using. Today, today I was truly disappointed in you."
Flash looked up at Batman, who was now out of his seat pacing the room. He cringed at Batman's words to Aero. He knew they hurt her. She and Batman were close. Flash knew they had known each other a long time and they were friends outside of the Justice League. He also knew Batman's opinion meant a lot to Aero, so he knew these words would sting. Deciding to break the tension in the room, he opened his mouth to say something but immediately shut it when he saw Aero walk over to the other side of the room and stop right in front of Batman. She stood on her tip toes, so she could look him in the eyes as she spoke.
"Don't you think I know that? I'm sorry ok? I have no excuse for my actions out there!" She barked.
"Someone could have gotten hurt! What were you thinking?" Batman got right back in her face.
"I wasn't." Aero crossed her arms over her chest in a huff, planted her feet back down on the floor and put her head down.
"I'm going to take you off duty for a few days. I don't have any other choice." Regret filled Batman's voice. Flash looked at him with wide eyes.
"Fine." Aero walked out of the room and slammed the door on the way out.
"What just happened?" Flash asked, to no one in particular.
"I will be in the control center." Batman said, deadpan.
Flash left the room and went in search of Aero. As he walked towards the direction he knew she would go in, he passed Maya in the hallway. As he passed her, she grabbed his arm. "Hey, where you off to? You didn't even see me. Is everything ok?"
"Oh hey. Look I can't talk now I have to go help Aero. I will see you later ok?" Flash gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then headed off in the direction of the gym. Maya stood there with a blank look on her face.
Anytime Aero had a hard day, or didn't win a fight, she had a certain way of getting her stress out. Flash, knowing this headed to the gym, expecting to see Aero there running laps. As he entered the room, Aero was standing near the back of the room, her head butted up against the wall. She didn't look like she had even started running yet. He slowly approached her, not wanting to upset her even more. "Hey, want me to run a few laps with you?"
She turned toward him when she heard his concerned voice. Her face was red, and he could tell her eyes were welling up with tears.
"Yeah. Let's go." She started running and he took his place by her side. They ran for over twenty minutes without saying a word to each other. Every few laps Flash would look over at Aero. Her face was still red but there were no longer tears in her eyes. He could tell she was building up a sweat, and he knew she was getting tired and a little dehydrated.
"I need some water, why don't we take a break?" He led her off the track and over to the water fountain. They both drank enough water to wet their mouths just a little. Then after a few minutes drank a little more. This is the most he ever saw Aero run and it was the fastest she had ever gone. He was worried about her. When they were fighting Clayface earlier he could tell that something was wrong. Then Batman talked to her and it was apparent something else was going on besides her disappointment from the fight. He had never seen her act that way with anyone, especially Batman. He knew though that he couldn't get her to talk by just asking her what was going on. His goal was to give her a little comfort and try to counteract the hurtful things that Batman had said.
Since Aero came into the Justice League she had worried about one thing, letting them down and being a disappointment. And that's the one thing that Batman accused her of. Batman had to know how much he hurt her, but he was stubborn and full of pride. One thing he was not known for was his apologies. So Flash wanted to try to at least smooth that over. He sat on the floor with his back against the wall and patted the floor next to him willing her to sit next to him. She sat down and took a deep breath. Flash put his hand on her knee.
"Did I ever tell you about the time that when I went into fighting Gorilla Grodd by myself and he ended up controlling my mind and making me hurt Green Lantern? Or the time I thought I didn't need the Justice League and I ended trying to find Shade myself. You know what happened? I let a guy drop off the roof and almost let him die." Flash's voice was thick with regret.
"Why are you telling me this?"
He rubbed his hand over her knee. "So you know we all make mistakes. Especially me. It took me the longest to acclimate to the group and to work as a team. You know me, I'm headstrong and a little naïve. I don't always think before I act. Trust me, it's gotten me into a lot of scraps."
Aero chuckled a little. "Yeah I think I have heard a few stories from Green Arrow."
"So you made a mistake. Trust me when I tell you that everything else that you have done has made the League proud to call you one of their own, even Batman. And especially me. I am proud of everything that you have done since you have been here." Aero blushed and looked away from Flash. She started feeling warm again. "Can I ask you something Aero?" She turned her head back towards him, and nodded. "Two years ago we worked on fighting while using your wings, but I noticed you rarely, if ever, use them. And I have never known you to disobey an order. Especially one from Batman. Is something wrong? We didn't get to finish talking yesterday. Have you been ok?"
Aero was touched by the amount of worry she heard in Flash's voice. It made her happy to hear he cared about her so much. She felt comfortable with him and trusted him with her life. That feeling compelled her to open up to him today. She had held back on telling anyone anything about her wings except for the fact that she was self-conscience about them. If she was going to open up to anyone it was going to be her best friend.
She let out a shaky breath. "I told you back then that I was self-conscience about my wings. That is one of the reasons I don't use them. My wings were the first power I got. Can you imagine a nine year old me walking around with wings sprouting out of her back? I didn't know how to control them back then. I didn't know I could make them go away. Everyone thought I was a freak and no one wanted to be around me. But, there's more. I never got used to the weight or length of my wings. I'm still not. But it was worse when I first got them. I stumbled a lot, and worse, I accidently hurt people." Her voice started to quiver. "About the second week that I had the wings, I was trying to lay low at the foster home. I mostly kept to myself and I slept out in the tree house. That's the only place my wings would fit. One day though I didn't notice one of the other kids coming up to me. I sharply turned around, still not seeing him there, and my wing stabbed him in the eye." Aero whimpered and let a tear fall from her eyes. "That's when I ran away from there."
Flash wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "I had no idea. I am so sorry."
"I have been scared ever since to leave them out around people. I have tried several times to get use to keeping them out, but when I do, I just chicken out. "
"Well I don't know what to say. We have been best friends for two years now and I find out you are keeping all kinds of secrets from me, when I myself have been nothing but an open book." He smiled lovingly at her and patted her on the back.
Aero gawked at him. "Yeah right."
"Because I just found out my best friend is keeping all kinds of secrets from me, I think she kind of owes me now. Let's see, what can she do for me?" He tapped his finger on his chin, then quickly snapped his fingers. "Got it! I still don't know where your wings come from. Can you show me?"
Aero nodded and took Flash's hand in hers. She placed his hand on the upper part of her back. "Feel around near my shoulder blades." Flash moved his index finger to her right shoulder blade and felt a slit in the material. He slowly moved the material aside and ran his finger on her back. As he did this Aero's breathing stopped and a chill ran down her whole body. She tried to take a deep breath but couldn't. Flash didn't seem to notice, he was too fascinated by what he found on her back.
"Whoa, there is a tattoo of a wing on your shoulder blade. Is that where your wing comes from?"
After gulping, she caught her breath and responded weakly. "Yeah."
"Take your wings out."
She cringed before she nodded in agreement. "Ok, stand back." Aero stood up and pushed out her shoulders. Slowly her wings start poking out the back of her costume. After a minute, the wings were fully emerged.
Flash gaped at her. "I'm still amazed at them. Ok I want you to do something for me." He walked over to the mirror and motioned for her to come over. "Look in the mirror at yourself and at your wings. They are a part of you. Each feather works together to give you a special ability that few people have. Now don't see them as being separate, but look at them as an extension of you. Aero, you are a strong, loyal, courageous and beautiful woman." Flash looked at her dreamily.
She looked so beautifully innocent standing there in front of the mirror. She had just trusted him with something that she had never shared with anyone else. Seeing her this like this, vulnerable and timid, made her exquisite in his eyes. He shook off this feeling and coughed to cover his anxiousness. "These wings add to your persona. When you start looking at them like that, it will help you get more comfortable with them. Look since you are off duty for a few days, why don't we use the down time to practice with them?"
Aero gazed at Flash with admiration. "Thank you," she moved closer to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
As her lips grazed his cheek, she felt her own cheeks warm up. She quickly moved away from him. "I think I need to go talk to Batman now and apologize. Should we meet here tomorrow?" Flash nodded and smiled as Aero left the room.
Before going to apologize to Bruce, Preston needed to talk to Dinah. She hoped that she was home when she walked into the house that afternoon. She walked into the kitchen to find a note on the fridge.
Preston,
Dinah and I went to go meet an old friend for some drinks. Dinner is in the fridge, it's
your favorite. We shouldn't be home too late.
Love,
Ollie
Preston sighed, a little frustrated. She would have to talk to Dinah later. Since the house was empty, she decided to bake some cookies to bring over to Wayne Manor, hoping these would be the ice breaker.
After the cookies were done, she packed up the whole batch and drove over to Wayne Manor. When she reached the gate, she pulled out a little button and pushed it. The gate opened wide, she entered and drove up to the Mansion door. She grabbed the cookies and got out of the car. As she walked up to the door she took a deep breath then knocked. After a minute or so the door opened to reveal an older gentlemen wearing a black suit, white shirt and black bowtie.
"Hey Alfred," Preston leaned in, put her hand on his chest and reached up to kiss him on the cheek.
"Hello Miss Preston. Come in. How are you? You haven't been here in some time."
"I know, I'm sorry," she said regretfully.
"I understand how busy fighting crime can be, there is no need for apologies. I am very happy to see you." He smiled at her as he led her into the study. "Shall I make you and Master Bruce some tea?"
"That sounds nice. Thank you Alfred." As he exited the room, Preston sat the cookies down on the desk and sat down in one of the chairs. She was nervous and couldn't keep herself from sighing and tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair.
"I don't think you could afford to replace the chair if you happened to get a scratch on it." A deep voice sounded from behind her. She turned around to see Bruce walk into the room. He was in a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. It looked like he was getting ready to turn in for the night. She stood up when he came in.
"Hi. I'm sorry to come by this late. I just couldn't leave things the way we did earlier." She pointed at the cookies sitting on the desk. "I made your favorite cookies. I was hoping they could be a peace offering." Her voice was bright and airy.
Bruce looked down at the desk. He sat down behind it, took the lid off the container, grabbed a cookie and took a few bites. Preston sat back down across from him, feeling a little more at ease.
Just then Alfred came in the room carrying a tray. "I made chamomile for both of you. It is a rather calming tea." He knew just the right things to do. They both thanked Alfred and took a sip of the tea. "Anything else I can get you Miss Preston?"
"No thank you Alfred, the tea is wonderful."
Alfred turned to exit the room. "What about me Alfred?" Bruce asked sarcastically.
Alfred raised his left eyebrow and glanced at Bruce. "Guests are my priority sir. Especially pretty ones." He winked at Preston as he exited the room. This comment made Preston giggle a little.
That softened Bruce's expression and he smiled. "I'm glad you came by."
"Me too. I don't know what got into me earlier. I should have never got up in your face like that. I am so sorry."
"No I am sorry. Everyone makes mistakes."
"Even you?" Preston gave him a questioning look.
"Yes. Especially me. I made a mistake in the way I talked to you. I realize I touched on a sensitive subject." Regret could be heard in his voice. "I want you to know that I am anything but disappointed in you. I am very proud of you and of the woman that you have become."
Preston glowed when she heard that, and a blush came up into her cheeks. "Thank you but you had every right to be disappointed. I let you down and someone could have gotten hurt. I am so sorry. I want you to know that I will take advantage of having a few days off duty and work on getting comfortable with my wings."
"I know you will. Can I do anything to help?"
"Accept my sincere apology."
Bruce got up from his chair and went over and sat on the desk in front of Preston. "Of course." She stood up and gave him a hug. He still was not quite use to hugging anyone, but this felt oddly comfortable. He had known Preston as long as she had been with Oliver and Dinah. In fact he felt while watching her grow and become the person she was today, was almost like watching his own child. He was happy to be in her life as a mentor and friend. She had filled a void he hadn't realized he had after losing his last ward. Jason was more like a son to Bruce then he had ever realized. It was only after Jason was gone Bruce discovered that he missed playing the role of a father. So, when Preston came into the lives of Oliver and Dinah, Bruce had initially resisted getting close to her, afraid it would cause feelings he had suppressed to resurface. But he found it impossible to keep his guard up around her. So much so that she became the only person he was comfortable enough with to allow any kind of physical contact. He tried to resist her hugs, but after a while he just gave in and let himself enjoy the closeness. She sat down again and he handed her a cookie. "Try dipping it in the tea, it tastes really good."
As Preston walked up to her room that night her brain went over the events of the day. She knew that it wasn't only her wings that caused problems for her. The night before she had gone to bed thinking about what Dinah had said to her. She spent most of her sleepless night trying to sort out her feelings for Flash. The next day she found that her brain refused to focus on anything else. She had been distracted.
After the incident today she was mad at herself for losing focus. That's why she blew up at Bruce. She couldn't believe she was talking to him like that. It was like she was outside of her body just watching the whole scene play out. She still felt embarrassed at what she said and did. Going to see Bruce tonight though made her feel a little better.
After storming off to the gym and spending time with Flash, her thoughts were more focused. The realization of her true feelings finally came to light. She loved him, she was in love with her best friend. When this had happened, she wasn't sure, but it excited her and scared her at the same time. She didn't know what to do now. How was she supposed to act around him? She had to figure it out quickly because she was going to be spending a lot more time with him than usual. Maybe she could get a better perspective after a good night's sleep.
