STAR CITY

December 20, 18:12 PST

Now it was time for the finishing touch. Holding his breath, Conner gently placed the star at the top of the tree. He carefully took a few steps back to admire his handiwork.

Pride swelled in his chest. It wasn't nearly as splendid or majestic as the Christmas tree in the mall, but it was his.

He heard two distinct pairs of footsteps coming up the stairs, recognizing one of them as Dinah's. The other pair sounded unfamiliar.

"Have you two seen each other naked?" he heard a woman ask.

"No, you idiot!" Dinah fired back, albeit in a hushed voice.

"You could easily walk in on him changing or something," the other woman pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I'm not a perv like you are. Now be quiet. He has super hearing, you know."

A slight blush crept up Conner's cheeks when he realized it was him they had been talking about.

Several seconds later, he heard the key turn in the lock. Dinah walked through the door, followed by a pretty, raven-haired woman.

"Hey, Conner," Dinah greeted. She hung up her coat and went to set the food down on the dining table. "How's your day been?"

"Good. I set up the Christmas tree." He gestured towards the far corner of the apartment, where the five-foot-tall tree stood in all its glory.

The blond siren blinked in surprise. She hadn't even noticed it until now. "Impressive work, Kiddo," she said brightly.

Behind them, the brunette woman loudly cleared her throat.

"Oh, Conner, this is Helena Bertinelli. She's a friend of mine. Helena, Conner Kent."

He nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine," Helena replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Dinah shot her an annoyed look. "I, for one, am starving. Let's eat."

As the trio dined on Chinese food – Dinah insisted they use chopsticks, as that made it supposedly more "authentic" – Conner observed the way she interacted with Helena. They bickered, bantered, and made each other crack up. He realized he had never seen this side of Dinah before. She looked relaxed, like she was letting her hair down for once. He watched as she threw her head back and laughed raucously at one of Helena's stories.

A smile tugged at the corners of Conner's mouth. He found himself liking this side of Dinah.

After wrapping up yet another hilarious story, Helena was getting frustrated. She had been hoping to get a little glimpse of action between Dinah and Conner. (No, not that kind of action.) Maybe she was crazy, but there seemed to be something more than a friendship brewing between them. She could just tell from the way they looked at each other.

Helena didn't blame her. Conner was gorgeous. Granted, he was only 16, but maybe a younger man – er, boy – was exactly what Dinah needed to get her groove back.

Dear Lord – "get her groove back"? What are you, 50? Okay, let's try to stay on task here. Concentrate, Helena. Concentrate.

Dinah was in a rut; there was no denying that. And Helena resolved to help her friend out. All it would take was a little push.

"Conner, could you pass me one of those soy sauce packets?" Helena asked.

He was about to when she quickly interjected, "Never mind. I can get it myself.

Conner furrowed his brow, confused about her odd behavior. "Uh…okay."

Helena leaned across the table for the soy sauce, making sure to give him a breathtaking view of her cleavage. Good thing she'd worn a low-cut top today. When she sat back down, she noticed that his face was flushed. Helena smirked. Conner might have been a boy of steel, but he was still a red-blooded male at his core.

Dinah crossed her arms, glaring at Helena. What was her problem?

Helena pretended not to notice. "So, Conner, how's your combat training going?"

"I'm getting better, thanks to my teacher." He gave Dinah a grateful look.

You're welcome, she mouthed.

"What's your favorite position?" Helena pressed, giving him a suggestive smile. She could just picture the vein popping out on Dinah's forehead.

"I guess…offensive."

"Oh, yeah? I like that one, too."

Dinah couldn't take it anymore. Underneath the table, she angrily kicked Helena in the shin.

Except it wasn't Helena she had kicked.

"What was that for?" Conner demanded crossly.

"I-I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I was just, um…aiming for my, uh…my own leg."

Helena silently snickered. "Does it hurt, Conner?"

"I'm fine," he grumbled, going back to his orange chicken.

"Aw, baby, you're so tough." She reached over to pat his thigh.

Dinah felt as if her eyes were bulging out her head. "Helena," she commanded loudly, "can I talk to you alone?"

Without waiting for a reply, Dinah yanked her out of the seat and began dragging her away.

"Hey! Quit that!" Helena complained to no avail. The woman had a freakin' death grip.

"Just give us a minute, Conner," Dinah called over her shoulder.

He shook his head in disbelief. This evening was just getting weirder and weirder.

Dinah forcibly pushed Helena into her room and shut the door behind them.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Dinah spat.

"You're one to talk."

"Stop flirting with Conner!" she whisper-shouted.

Helena smirked defiantly. "You know he can still hear you, right?"

"I'm actually being serious."

"Why can't I flirt with him?"

"Because it's – it's completely…inappropriate!" Dinah struggled to say. "Conner's just a kid, in case you haven't noticed."

"Please, we both know that's not the real reason."

"Yeah?" she challenged, taking a step closer. "Care to elaborate?"

"You're jealous," Helena stated quietly yet firmly. "You like him, don't you?"

Dinah snorted. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm your friend, Di. You can tell me the truth."

"You're insane, Helena – that's the truth."

"Dinah."

"Okay, fine!" she relented, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "I guess I might…have a crush on him."

Helena smiled self-satisfyingly. "Finally. About time you admitted it."

"You did all this just to get me to confess?" Dinah demanded.

"Pretty much. Besides, it's funny when you're livid. Well, I guess my work here is done. Thanks for dinner. Oh, and Dinah?"

She scowled. "What?"

"Take a chance on Conner, all right? He seems like a good guy. But if you decide you don't want him, I'll gladly – OW!"

They ate in silence after Helena left. Dinah was having a hard time coming to terms with everything – namely, her revelation about Conner. Did they even have a future together?

She sighed. Who was she kidding? They were at different stages in their lives. They were worlds apart, really.

Conner cleared his throat uncomfortably. "What were you guys arguing about in there?"

Dinah looked up from her nearly finished plate. "Just, uh, girl stuff. You wouldn't be interested," she said dismissively.

That seemed to satisfy him. She let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness Conner hadn't used his super hearing to eavesdrop on their conversation earlier.

A thought struck her. Just because they couldn't be together didn't mean they couldn't be friends. Maybe being friends wouldn't be as fulfilling, but it was still the next best thing.

"Do you want to go jogging with me tomorrow morning?" Dinah suddenly asked.

Conner seemed to hesitate. "Why?"

"For exercise. Though I suppose you don't need it, being Kryptonian and all. Well, running can also be fun."

He shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

"All right, it's a date." The words just slipped out. When Dinah realized what she had said, she turned beet-red and promptly excused herself to the bathroom.