Wings

Chapter Eight

Three Years Later


The years passed by so quickly... With her superhero life, she and the Team fixed up bouts here and there. Graduating high school, Eleanor enrolled in a culinary arts school. Besides school and Team life, she went back and forth to Quinnleaf to train with her grandmother. Once it was her time, her father would then be king. That would put her directly on being queen.

She was still uncomfortable with the idea. She knew so much of her life in her mother's world. She was just a normal, average, ordinary girl, and now she was going to have to give all that up? She had so many friends here... She was going to miss them all so much.

The Team had changed a lot as well. The old Robin was now Nightwing and there was a new one. Conner and M'gann broke up and now she was dating La'gaan. Kaldur and Artemis got together, and Nightwing and Zatanna broke up a long time ago, but they still seemed like good friends. Some of the old Team members were now Leaguers, and new members came. Some had busy schedules, they hardly could come to Mount Justice, or Eleanor hardly saw them at all.

She ran into Wally during visiting Mount Justice for old time sake. To further catch up with each other and talk about the old days, they were now sitting in a restaurant, waiting for their food they ordered.

"It's so good to see an old friend from the Team..." she began. "Everything's going by so fast, I can't believe it's almost over three years."

Some members had to pick their alter ego life, or personal life, and Wally picked personal. Occasionally, he'd put on the Kid Flash costume in case if he was really needed.

"Yeah, I can't believe that, too... What have you been doing lately?"

"Well, culinary arts school has been keeping me busy... one more year, and I'm graduating, so yeah! I'm glad. You in school?"

"Physics at Stanford," he said. "Just finished first year. You always knew how to cook... You'll be amazing, I know it."

"Thank you..." she smiled, remembering the times he stole bits of food and baked goods from her. "And good luck with Stanford. I'm glad that you're going in that direction with your life."

If someone told a fifteen year old Eleanor that Wally was taking his studies seriously, she'd probably laugh until her insides burst. Though this Wally was more mature. More serious. He seemed different... In a good way.

"Thank you..."

"Thinking of joining back with the Team?" she asked.

"I've been so busy at school, I hardly have time to be Kid Flash," he chuckled. "Though if Uncle Barry needs me, I'll be there. How about you?"

"Same," she sipped her drink. "Plus, my grandmother's preparing me for court life and I've been going back and forth to Quinnleaf..."

"So you really are going to be Queen?"

She chuckled. "I don't know, really... I just want to live a normal life and just be Ella." She placed her hands on her head, elbows on the table. Her fingers touched her forehead. "Everything's just... so surreal."

After what seemed like forever, Wally broke the silence. "I think you'd make an awesome Queen."

She looked up. He had a smile on his face. The same sincere smile she saw long ago when they were teenagers...

"Really...?"

"Yeah, you're tough, gentle, responsible... I don't see why you can't rule. And I miss your food. It was always the best."

She felt her face grow warm, a small smile drew on her face as she lightly giggled. "Thank you..."

They began to eat once their meals came.

"I don't mean to pry," he began, chewing on a french fry. "Though... are you spoken for?"

Eleanor just about choked on her pasta. "Uh, not as of late...! There was Neil, then Paul, but nothing serious. ... How about you?"

He was a guy friend, and Eleanor would be more relaxed with a friend who was a girl, but why did she felt so uncomfortable when she talked about her ex's in front of Wally?

"Just a few nights out with a couple of girls, and yeah... nothing serious," he said. "You know me, too fast for commitment. Some things never change."

She giggled. Despite his new serious air, there was still a part of the old Wally left in him. Though, why did Eleanor felt mildly awkward about hearing his ex's? As he said, it was nothing serious and no commitment. The bigger mystery was, why did she care?

They paid for their meals and were walking in the moonlit night. The atmosphere was so relaxing... She wished this could last forever.

"I have been giving some thought of changing my superhero name into something else…" she began. "Change is always a good thing. At first I thought… Painted Lady. Though, that probably sounds too cheesy, wouldn't it?"

"No, no it isn't...!" said Wally. "Speedy changed his to Red Arrow, the first Robin changed his to Nightwing. Change is always good."

She smiled. Spirits, when they looked into each others eyes, why was it always so awkward?

"We spent a lot of time together while we were on the Team, didn't we?"

How could she forget? Those happy, endless days she always looked back on. Then once high school graduation came and college was next, it was harder and harder to hang out. Regardless, they still kept in touch. The crazy thing was, Eleanor missed Wally. She never thought she'd say that in a million years.

"Yeah... a lot of happy moments," she said. "Reminds me of a time when things were less complicated and we could hang out easily."

He reached for her hands. Her insides froze. She wanted to flee, but her feet anchored her. She could never run from Wally. He was her friend.

"Ella-, Eleanor..." he began. "We've been friends for so long. You were always there to keep me in line, and without you, I'd probably end up a roast duck."

They both chuckled. Wally could get so adorable at times.

"The-the thing is... I think I'm beginning to see you as more than-"

A loud ring then sounded from Eleanor's purse. She apologized, reaching for her cellphone.

Smiling, she answered the call. "Dad...! What, hey, slow down... Quinnleaf in trouble? Grandma... I'm coming there, I'll see you then."

"What is it?" Wally asked, concerned.

She turned. "Quinnleaf is under attack."