The Tomorrow Knight: Origins

by CDrake

On the cusp of Bruce and Diana's wedding, a visit from the future throws their plans into chaos. When their legacy reveals he is more than willing to kill to save them, they must work to temper his rage and discover the truth behind his arrival; lest his knowledge of the future lead to catastrophe in the present. But the Knight is young, and stubborn enough for the both of them.

10. Kara

Truthfully, Jason didn't mind being grounded so much.

For the first time since he'd arrived in the past, he didn't feel the need to rush. Perhaps that was due to the spectacular beatdown he'd received from Richard Dragon, or the fact that he could no longer afford to rush into things, relying on his powers to make up the difference when he made a mistake. He'd also fallen behind on his studies owing to the increase in sleepy time necessary to recover from being quite literally gutted. The flipside was plenty of Alfred's cooking and not having to listen to the constant droning of his teachers. And periodic visits from the few school friends he had made.

Lindsey Markan was one of them.

He'd kept tabs on her via the Batcomputer since the conclusion of his first case. She'd taken his advice, checked herself into rehab along with her parents, and though the records he accessed showed the parents had struggled, they were finally clean. With Bruce's help, he set up a package that helped them finally get out of Park Row in a combination of reeducation and references. Not to mention an invite to live in a personal project of Lucius Fox in the midtown region of Gotham until they could get on their feet. Lindsey still stayed with the Tellers, but a visit to her birth parents was as easy as asking.

And she did. Frequently. After everything she endured to spring them from their enslavement to addiction, she wasn't about to leave them to start their new life alone. But Lindsey could only be strong for them so long before she needed a little strength of her own, so naturally, Jason approached her with Stephanie providing introduction and made a point of getting close. It helped that he had previously studied her coursework and could help whenever she was stuck. Given that he was already at the college level, it hardly added any stress to his workload.

"So this derivative results in…" Lindsey struggled for a moment before looking to Jason with a helpless gaze.

He chuckled and pointed at something further up the page.

Realization flashed in her eyes. "Oh!" Her pencil scribbled, and she looked to him for confirmation.

He shrugged and smiled. "Not sure why you even need me for this."

Lindsey snorted and gave him a sideways look. "Because you're a genius and I need to keep my grades up."

Jason's eyes rolled as he reached sideways to open his fifth pudding cup of the day. For some reason, his appetite was the one thing that hadn't diminished with his physical strength. "Your grades are fine and you're plenty brilliant, Lin. I just had a head start." He grinned, his two front teeth coated in chocolate pudding. "And great genetics."

She groaned. "Please don't remind me. Your parents are so stupidly attractive and it's so not fair." A faint blush coated her cheeks. "It is weird that I have a crush on your dad?"

Far from being put off, Jason grinned and shook his head. "Pretty sure every teenage girl in Gotham has a crush on my dad."

Lindsey frowned crookedly.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," he laughed as he took down notes of his own. "Before Mom and Dad finally got together, most of Gotham's eligible women took a shot at him…and a few ineligible ones."

"Ugh, last thing I want to do is be lumped in with a pack of half-plastic socialites."

Jason snorted and muttered, "They weren't all socialites," his mind immediately flashing to a certain black-haired thief.

She heard, but said nothing, finishing up her assignment and stowing it. "Thanks for the help, Jace. See you at school? Or are you still on bed rest?"

Jason frowned. "Couple more days I'm supposed to take it easy, but I should be back on Monday."

"Gotcha." Lindsey smiled and slung her backpack over her shoulders. "See ya then."

He nodded and waved. "See you."

She waved back as Alfred ushered her out the door of the manor to the Tellers' car in the driveway. He heard them drive off as his eyes scanned across the page of his textbook, marking something down before leaning back and sighing. The cover story was that he'd been involved in an accident involving a semi hauling steel poles to a construction site and one had impaled him. In truth, it was only because his armor shunted the Dragon's knife to the side that he narrowly avoided losing a kidney.

Once he'd calmed down after surgery and been a little more coherent, Bruce asked him how he got into that mess in the first place. He explained as best he could, but was particularly tight-lipped about making his alliance with the Red Hood known. Jason suspected Bruce had already figured it out, or was only a small hop and skip away from guessing as much. Still, he wasn't about to give them another reason to mistrust his namesake. After all, Jace had gone to him.

Alfred entering the study pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Good afternoon, sir."

"Afternoon, Alfred."

The older man's lips bore the hint of a smirk, his tone giving little away as he set down a mug of coffee on Jason's side table. "Ms. Markan has been visiting quite frequently, hasn't she?"

He detected a hint of mischief in the question. "Yes." Jason arched an eyebrow at Alfred's bustling form. "Something to say, Alfred?"

"Not at all, sir. Happy to see you making friends."

Jason gave the butler a sideways look as he lifted coffee to his lips. "Don't see you telling Damian that."

Alfred smiled cheekily. "I might if he would make some."

He nearly spat his coffee across the room, coughing hard as Alfred swept a bit of dust with a smile.

"I heard that," came Damian's voice from the door as he strode in and beelined for one of the bookcases.

"Heard what?" Jason asked coyly.

He could hear Damian's eye-roll. "Father wants to see you in his office."

Jason sighed and set his coffee down. "You know what for?"

"No."

Glancing at Damian, Jason shook his head and cleared his throat as he rose to his feet, wincing at the dull pain in his gut. Alfred noticed.

"Are you taking your painkillers, sir?"

Jason sighed. "Yes, Alfred."

He made his way upstairs and knocked on Bruce's door, receiving a call to enter a second later.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked.

Bruce smiled a little and nodded. "Grab your suit. We have a flight to catch."

Jason blinked hard. "Huh?"

…

A little under two hours later, Jason was sitting in a rolling office chair with a central shaft that squeaked every time he turned. And he was turning a lot. Reason? Boring, boring owner's briefing at the Daily Planet. Jason had finished all his homework on the flight over and the online story he'd been reading for the last week. As much as he loved the Elder Scrolls, the author had left it at an uncomfortable cliffhanger at the end of chapter 17 and said the next chapter wouldn't be posted until tomorrow. Demoralized and bored out of his skull, Jason tried to listen to the drone of the editor currently conversing with his father.

He tuned it out a split-second later in favor of a frame on the wall.

"Superman v. President Luthor," read the headline of the paper in the frame, a black-and-white still of the two going toe-to-toe, man vs armored mech. The by-line twitched his lips with a smile as he glanced over to a nearby window to see the author chewing on a pencil out in the bullpen. In the cubicle just opposite her, a large man with glasses strode over with a smile, lowering a steaming mug to her desk. She smiled at him, briefly distracted from what she'd been reading, and leaned up to peck him on the lips. Jason looked away, clearing his throat softly as he twirled a pen between his fingers.

The endless drone of discourse between Bruce and editor Perry White drew Jason's attention briefly before he heard the words "financial correlation" and immediately tuned them out. The scratching of a pencil on the opposite side of the conference table drew his attention to a glasses-wearing blonde who was biting her lower lip mid-scribble. Jason's lips pursed as he tossed an idea around in his head for a second before crumpling a paper sitting on the table and tossing it at her head. Clara stopped what she was doing, slowly dragging her eyes to meet his cheeky grin across the table.

"'Sup?" he whispered.

"Taking notes," Clara mouthed, knowing he could read her lips. "I'm Kal's PA and he assigned me to shadow your dad for the day."

"Hm." He glanced at the two men currently discoursing at the far end of the table. "You bored too?"

Her lips pursed tightly. "Being a PA isn't the most exciting job, but it's a living." Her eyes rolled. "Or so I'm told."

Jason's eyebrows hiked upward. "They're not even paying you?"

"People don't get PAs unless they're already highly paid. Kal…isn't exactly making bank off his job, so…I get to be the unpaid intern." She smirked. "But at least I get to live with him rent-free." The smile faded quickly, replaced by an embarrassed frown. "Though, that certainly doesn't help when I have to sleep at night." Her cheeks colored even darker. "At least not when they don't sleep."

Jason blinked in confusion for a split-second before her meaning clicked and he coughed hard in an attempt to cover his own embarrassment. "Fair enough." He glanced at the animated discussion between Bruce and Perry when something occurred to him and he was forced to hide a devious grin. "That gives me an idea…"

Clara gave him a suspicious look. "What are you up to?"

He reached out to a pitcher of water in the center of the table and poured two equal glasses. "I have a plan to get us out of here for a bit. What do you say?"

Her eyes narrowed, more suspicious than ever. "Why do I feel like this has a catch?"

He grinned. "Whoever empties their glass last has to buy the other a milkshake."

She rolled her eyes. "And there it is."

"What's wrong, scared?"

The corners of her lips rose with her visible pride. "Oh, you're on."

Jason slowly slid one glass to her side of the table, smirking like he knew something she didn't. Which he did.

Many, many things.

He raised three fingers as a visible count, mirrored by her. They began the countdown with one hand, the other clutching their glass. The instant the last finger fell, Clara tipped her glass down her throat. Jason tipped his glass into an empty one, filling it at the speed of gravity and beating her to the punch by a half-second. She gaped at him in disbelief as he leaned back and grinned smugly. Jason took a deep breath and waited for a brief pause in the meeting's dialogue before clearing his throat pointedly. It got their attention, and Bruce gave him a quizzical look while Perry's eyebrows twitched with a hint of exasperation.

"'Scuse me," Jason said with a smile, "but I was wondering if I might be excused for a…short break." He put on his best "rich kid heir" voice. "I find myself in need of refreshment, and while acceptable, the coffee here is not quite what I'm craving."

Bruce blinked. "Of course."

He cleared his throat again, a devious smirk tugging at his lips. "And might I take this young lady with me?" He pointed straight at a wide-eyed Clara. "This is my first time visiting the Planet, so who better to show me around than someone who works here every day?"

Perry glanced between her wide eyes and Jason's insistent expression, his lips pursing tightly as he internally debated the pros and cons of ceding to the heir's demands. "Ask Clara's cousin out in the bullpen. He loaned her out to you."

"Sure," Jason replied, turning to Clara. "Come along then."

Clara's blue eyes narrowed at his demanding, aristocratic tone.

He grinned as they strode out of the editor's office to approach Lois and Clark's mirrored desks. "Excuse me, Mr. Kent?"

Clark looked up from his laptop, a curious expression on his face though he'd undoubtedly heard everything that had transpired. "Oh, Mr. Wayne." He rose and stretched out his hand. "Good to see you again. How've you been since the wedding?"

Jason blinked and suppressed a frown, forcing himself to smile. "Good days, bad days." He shrugged, a hint of sadness in his smile. "You know how it is."

Clark smiled understandingly. "I do." He glanced at Clara. "So, you two are going out for a bit?"

Jason could feel Lois' eyes on the side of his head. "She lost a bet and is taking me for milkshakes."

"Wait," Clara interrupted, "shakes, as in plural?"

He smirked. "We'll see."

She pouted.

Clark was trying his hardest to restrain a grin. "Well, have fun you two. And don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Lois snorted and rolled her eyes. "If they stuck to that boundary all the time, Smallville, they'd never have any fun at all."

He shot her an affronted look. "I beg your pardon?"

She smirked and returned her attention to her computer, typing away feverishly.

Clark cleared his throat and turned back to Clara and Jason. "Anyway, see you in a bit."

"See you," Clara muttered, crossing her arms as Jason led her to the elevator.

…

"This is my favorite spot in the city for milkshakes."

Jason looked around the quaint retro-style diner with a warm smile. He hoped she couldn't see the flashes of nostalgia in his eyes as he shrugged and smiled wider. "It's homey. Very welcoming."

Clara chuckled and waved him over to a booth next to a window. "Well, it helps when the city's architecture doesn't make it look like a gothic dystopia."

Jason waved a finger at her. "That's a good point."

They sat with a small sigh and waited for an exuberant hostess to hand them their menus with a thick Deep Southern accent.

"Y'all let me know when you're ready to order."

"We are, actually," Jason replied with barely a glance at the menu. "We'd like a strawberry banana milkshake, largest you got, with all the whipped cream and fudge."

The strawberry blonde hostess grinned as she took down his order. "You gotcha." She turned to Clara. "And you hon?"

She opened her mouth, glancing at Jason uncertainly before taking a breath.

He smirked. "She'll be sharing mine."

Clara stared at him blankly.

Jason flashed the hostess his best Wayne grin. "I did say we."

The lady giggled and winked at him. "So ya did." She folded the notebook up and patted her apron. "Be right back with that soon as I can. Y'all have fun."

"Thank you," he called, smiling into the distance.

"Okay, what is happening right now?"

Clara's question caught his attention, and he turned to her with a smile. "You're buying me a milkshake, which I am choosing to share with you." He frowned. "Or do you not enjoy strawberry banana?"

She opened her mouth for a second, apparently deciding against her first response before answering, "Actually, that's…my favorite. With the whipped cream and everything."

Jason's eyebrows hiked upward as he smiled. "Well how about that?" He shrugged. "Who knew?"

He leaned back in his seat, staring out the window at the "City of Tomorrow" gleaming in the fading sun. His smile slowly faded to a neutral line as he fell into deep thought. Dragging him all the way to Metropolis for an hour-long business meeting at the tail end of his grounding would've seemed odd were it not for the fact that he'd gradually been driving everyone (himself included) insane due to his inaction and hankering for some time out of the house. This wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind, but given his current company—who was staring at him suspiciously and biting her lower lip in a gesture that was unquestionably adorable—he wasn't about to complain.

"Kal, for one," Kara answered at length. "He introduced me to this place," she added, waving at their surroundings.

Jason nodded slowly, barely taking his eyes off the skyline. When he did, it was only when she was also distracted by the sunlight glinting off the buildings. His eyes drifted to her profile, glasses sitting gingerly on her nose and chin perched on her hand as she stared out the window, pink lips pouting a bit.

"Beautiful," he whispered unthinkingly. He quickly cleared his throat and shifted his gaze out the window when she turned to him, feeling his cheeks burn. He nodded toward the skyline. "Shame I don't get to see it more often."

She stared at his profile for a second before nodding. "Kinda reminds me of Krypton when I look at it in this lighting. The way it just…" she splayed her fingers out like a starburst, "glows."

"Hm." He was silent a while, only disrupting the silence when the waitress returned with a gigantic liter of sugary goodness. Jason slapped on a blinding Wayne smile. "Thank you very much."

"My pleasure," she returned with a grin and small courtsey.

Jason chuckled and saluted her with his straw-spoon—spoon-straw? Stroon? Yes, it was a stroon now.

"You gonna dig in or am I gonna have to eat this all by my lonesome?" Jason asked an absentminded Kara.

She blinked and huffed, grabbing the other stroon (he wasn't going to call them anything else now…at least in the confines of his own head) and taking her first scoop. Her ice-blue eyes slid shut as she groaned in hearty approval. It made him chuckle.

"Never gets old," she muttered around a mouthful.

He grinned around his stroon and stuck it deep in the shake, sucking in almost enough to get brain-freeze.

"How are you doing?"

Jason blinked at the question.

Kara frowned. "Without your powers, I mean."

His jovial mood quickly faded, but he didn't feel the need to shut down quite like he had before. Staring out the window, he considered his answer for a long minute. "I didn't take it well."

She snorted. "I remember. You practically bit Diana's mom's head off."

His head shook slowly. "It's worse than you know."

"Seriously? How much worse?"

Jason frowned and looked around the diner to make sure no one was watching before he scooted back in his seat and lifted his shirt just enough to show the gnarly scar from his misadventure with Red.

Kara held back a wince at the sight. "That wasn't…self-inflicted, was it?"

He gave her an incredulous look before looking up for a moment in thought. A sigh passed his lips. "You know, in retrospect…it might've been." He shrugged. "Indirectly."

"Okay?" she asked uncertainly.

His lips pursed as he stirred the shake. "I picked a fight with someone way out of my league."

"On purpose?"

"Well, no. Not at first." He frowned and shook his head. "But I still went looking for trouble against my parents' advice."

Kara hummed. "I know what that's like."

"Yeah?"

She blinked slowly, lips pressed into a thin line as she lowered her voice and gulped down more of their shake. "When I first became Supergirl, Kal put me in charge of Metropolis while he went on an away mission in deep space. I…overstepped a bit—a lot—while he was away. Started policing the whole world."

Jason frowned in confusion, leaning on his elbows. "But…isn't that what he does?"

"Yeah. And that's what inspired me to take the extra step, but…the reason he left, the mission…I was using all that conflict to distract myself from the fact that he left me out of what I felt was my fight. It took Lois sitting me down to finally get my head screwed on straight."

He huffed. "At least you established yourself in the process. Only thing I managed to do was blow up some guns and get shanked."

Kara frowned at him but said nothing, opting to drink more of the shake. He joined her a second later, both silently mulling over their conversation and realizing half a minute in how close their heads were when they glanced up to meet each other's eyes. Jason felt heat rise in his cheeks as he saw the same in hers, but felt himself grin around the stroon before his cheeks went hollow with how hard he was sucking. She caught on quick, and it soon became a race to the bottom, one she won despite his head start thanks to her never needing to breathe. No wonder she'd been so confident of her success with the water.

Jason pouted in good humor as she cackled at his defeat, silently cursing her Kryptonian physiology.

"Why have I never seen this side of you?" she asked mid-laugh.

He stared at her. "Maybe because we've met a total of three times. Today included."

She shrugged. "That's fair. Still," she dragged the end of her stroon through the dregs in the glass, "both times we met, you were tense as a high wire." A snort. "Though I could certainly understand the second time."

"Yeah."

"…have you heard anything from her?"

"Hippolyta?"

"Yeah."

"No, and I'd prefer to keep it that way." He sighed and leaned back on his hands. "Mom pretty much cut her off after she found out what happened to me. Though I have little doubt they'll reconnect eventually. It's not in her nature to hold a grudge, especially not against family."

"But still, the line she crossed…"

"Could've been worse." He smiled morbidly. "She could've let me die in that blood duel."

Kara's eyes darkened. "That I know for a fact she would never have forgiven."

"Yeah," he exhaled, redirecting his attention to the skyline.

There was a strange, tense feeling in his gut, despite the ease and flow of the conversation. He felt nothing but warmth from her side of the table, yet something prevented him from fully letting his own out as his eyes drifted shut.

…

The fading sun cast a warm red glow over the park, his eyes darting to and fro to take it all in. They stopped when they saw her, sitting on the grass and staring into the distance at nothing in particular, a blank look on her face. She turned when he tapped her shoulder, blinking twice as he lifted a small sunflower into her view, its short stem gripped gingerly between his fingers. She smiled at him, warm as the sun that illuminated half of her face, but behind those glasses, her eyes were cool and heavy with sadness. His lips pursed as he raised the flower with one hand and with the other tucked her blonde hair behind her left ear.

She blinked, a little startled at the sudden touch, and sighed with heartbreaking joy as he tucked the stem of the flower into the crook of her ear.

"Thank you, Jace. It's beautiful."

She pulled him into her arms, his smaller form easily fitting in her lap as she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. He blushed and hugged her as tightly as his little arms could, her body soft yet without even a bit of give. She held him back, fingers tousling his messy black hair as he listened to the strong beat of her heart. He didn't realize how heavy his eyelids were until they began to sag closed, the steady legato of her heart lulling him into an easy nap.

…

"Well, I held up my end."

Kara's voice brought his attention back to her as she laid down the cost and tip next to the receipt.

"Yeah, you did," he replied, taking mental note of the amount. "Shall we?" He motioned to the door.

She nodded and stood up, slinging her purse over her shoulder as she followed him out. Jason paused just outside the diner, lost in his thoughts. A distant part of his mind was aware they should be heading back to the Daily Planet, but his conscious thoughts kept drifting to his memories. So absentminded was he that he failed to notice the strange, pensive look she was giving him until she opened her mouth.

"Do we have to head back right away?"

Jason blinked and turned to her. "I guess not, no." He smirked. "Clark did assign you to us, after all."

Kara smiled and crossed her arms. "And you took full advantage of that."

"Naturally," he replied with a grin.

Her smile faded as she bit her lower lip. "I'd like to show you something, if you'd let me."

His eyebrows rose. "Oh? What's that?"

Her head shook as she took his hand. "Better if I show you."

Jason blinked at the unexpected contact, feeling heat creep up his cheeks before shrugging. "Why not? Lead the way."

Kara smiled and tugged him along, taking them to a deserted alley filled with smog and exhaust from a manhole cover halfway through. Glancing around to make sure they were unobserved, she held him by the hips and lifted him just enough to put his feet on her flats. Jason's eyes widened comically as the ground grew further and further away, the buildings shrinking in the distance. The further they rose, the faster his breathing became, despite the fact that this wasn't the first time she'd carried him mid-flight. To be fair, he'd been more than a little distracted last time.

This time around, he had nothing else occupying his mind except the stark grandeur of the shining city—and the gaping distance between him and the ground.

"You're okay, Jace."

He blinked hard and met her eyes, startled at the familiar nickname uttered in her voice.

Kara's earnest eyes were complimented by a faint, reassuring smile. "I won't let you fall, promise."

Jason stared at her for a few breaths before smiling back. "I know."

He turned his gaze on the rest of the city, taking it all in in an airborne panorama. The gold of the Planet's rotating globe drew closer as they slowly twirled around each other. He barely noticed when they touched down on the roof just below the globe, on the west side of the building. Kara nodded behind Jason when she noticed the blank look on his face. He turned his head and felt his jaw drop at the sight of the fading sun, already half-sunken behind the horizon. Jason huffed a small sigh, stepping off her toes to face the vista fully. He didn't notice the arm he still had around her shoulders, or she around his waist, until he looked down at her after his initial awe faded away.

"What was all this about?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Kara smiled cheekily, staring off into the distance. "You mean to tell me you've never done a flyby of Gotham for the hell of it?"

He chuckled. "Of course I have. There's something…almost hypnotic about seeing a city from the air. Especially at night," he nodded at the setting sun, "or like this."

She waved at the horizon. "Well, I wanted you to have something to let you feel…a little closer to what you lost. As…a pleasant reminder to keep close, at least until you get your powers back."

Jason blinked, lips pursed. "You think I will?"

"Oh please," she snorted. "You Waynes are way too stubborn to let something like this lie forever."

"Fair enough," he chuckled.

Her smile faded slowly, eyes fixed on the sun. "That story, about when Kal went off-world…" she looked down, "that was the most helpless I'd felt since fleeing Krypton." Her gaze drifted up to meet his. "I know what you're going through, and I'd have done anything to feel more in control." She smiled warmly. "You're not alone."

Jason stared at her, the image of sunlight on the side of her face bringing back powerful memories—especially when he saw that same sad look in her eyes. He blinked back unshed tears and nodded with a small smile. "I know."

He hugged her briefly before releasing her and turning back to the sunset. When she did the same, he glanced her way to verify that she was suitably distracted before reaching into his pocket and covertly slipping the exact amount she paid for the shake into her purse. He was so distracted maintaining his nonchalant appearance that he never noticed her smile widen ever so slightly.

…

"Are you sure?"

The question was met with a firm look from Bruce.

Clark threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, dumb question." He paused a moment in thought. "Do you think it broke him?"

Bruce frowned. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "Since that night, he hasn't expressed even the slightest urge to go back out in the field, and that both worries and relieves me."

Clark let out a long, hissing breath, glancing over at Lois, who was trying and failing not to look like she was eavesdropping on them. "Can't say we've ever had that problem with Jon. If anything, he's always raring to go out more. But from my own experience—and yours—I know he needs someone to help him reestablish his confidence."

"We've been trying," Bruce said, a hint of exasperation in his tone. "Damian's even stepped up to the task. For the most part, he just smiles politely and focuses on his studies. If it's his decision to stay out of the field, that's one thing, and I'll respect it. But aside from the fact that he's grounded, I think his hesitation doesn't come from choice, but fear."

"Question is, fear of what? Not danger. Even without his powers, he still went looking for trouble, and from what you've told me, handled himself pretty well all things considered."

Bruce frowned deeply, falling into his old brooding pose, hands in his pockets. "I don't know, and that worries me."

Lois smirked and pitched her two cents. "You could always have Di wrangle it out of him."

He shot her a scalding (yet ineffective) look. "She did that exactly once, and that was before we knew who he was. We have no intention of there being a repeat incident." His head shook slowly. "I'm not even sure he could tell us if we did; I don't think even he knows."

Clark smiled comfortingly, adjusting his glasses. "He'll come to you when he's ready."

"He didn't at the wedding, or when he went off the grid."

"Well, here's hoping he's slightly less stubborn than you," Clark teased with a grin. "And a faster learner."

Bruce glowered at him (again, ineffective) before looking around. "Where did they get off to?"

"Oh, they're close."

He looked at Clark, not liking his strange, contemplative tone—or the direction of his gaze. Specifically, straight at the ceiling above them. He knew that look from years of working with Superman—the x-ray face was unmistakable.

"What is your cousin doing on the roof with my son?"

Clark shrugged. "Just talking, by the looks of it." He looked back down to give his best farmboy grin. "Unlike some people, I don't need to eavesdrop on everyone to feel secure."

Bruce glared again, noting the side-eyes Lois gave her husband at the subtle poke.

A few minutes later, the elevator dinged, and Clara and Jason stepped off in step with each other. Jason's hands were stuffed in his suit pockets, a small smile on his lips as Clara explained something to him. He released a small chuckle when they neared Lois and Clark's desks, nodding to Bruce.

"'Sup, Dad? How was the meeting?"

"Enlightening," Bruce replied after a second.

"Hm, boring as usual then."

He barely restrained an eye-roll while Clara giggled softly. Bruce glanced between them, eyes narrowing suspiciously at their close proximity. From the side, he could feel the slightest bit of tension in Clark, and when he looked over, there was an inquisitive look on his face directed at the pair. Lois, on the other hand, had an all-too-familiar smirk that set Bruce's teeth on edge. His eyes narrowed.

What is that conniving little shrew planning?

As if he could read Bruce's thoughts, Clark sighed and shook his head slowly, mouthing, "I don't want to know."

Bruce's lips pursed tightly, glancing at the now-bickering Jason and Clara. He made a mental note to talk to Diana about this…new development as soon as they got home.

…

"Well, this is it, I guess." Jason turned to face Kara, who had an enigmatic smile on her face. "What?"

Her smile widened near-imperceptibly. "What was that bet all about?"

He blinked.

"Making me pay for a gigantic shake for two…was it just an excuse to get out of the meeting?" She smirked, reaching into her purse to conspicuously pull out a familiar stack of bills. "Because it wasn't for a free shake."

Jason blinked again, shrugging as he struggled to maintain his composure. "Pretty much." He grinned teasingly. "Besides, what kind of gentleman would I be if I made the lady pay?"

Kara stared at him, eyes narrowing behind her glasses as the Waynes' limo pulled up to the curb. "Wait…was this…was this a date?"

Jason took a long breath to steady himself, glancing at his nails with a disinterested air. After a moment to regain his composure, he grinned at Kara and dialed the old Wayne charm up to eleven. "Only if you want it to be," he replied with a wink.

She gaped at him, shaking her head slowly in disbelief that served to mask the smile she was fighting to hide. Jason turned to the open door, thanking Alfred before stepping into the car. He was so distracted by the incessant thumping of his heart and the giddy feeling of accomplishment he felt that he took his eyes off Kara and missed the way her form blurred for a split-second—and the sudden breeze that floated into the car. Alfred shut the door a second later, and they sped away, Jason giving the smiling girl a passing wave. It was ten minutes later, as they pulled onto their private runway, before he heard a rustle from his suit pocket.

His hand dipped in to find an unfamiliar piece of paper folded up so neatly it could've been machined that way. He knew better. His lips pursed as he unfolded it, eyes widening when he read what was scribbled.

"You're not the only one with fast hands – K"

Below the message were ten digits separated by dashes, which he blinked at twice.

Despite the look he got from Bruce—and Alfred through the rearview mirror—Jason couldn't possibly restrain the hysterically giddy laughter that exploded from his throat.

…

[Jaaaaaace]

[What?]

[Jon is being a twit]

[XD What'd he do this time?]

[I might have, just maaaaybe started a prank war…]

[*Jason is typing…*]

[By sticking hay in his bed]

[*Jason is typ—erasing—typing…*]

[And dunking his head in the cow trough]

[…I worry about you sometimes.]

[XDD]

[And you say HE'S being the twit?]

[Well his retaliation was…a bit disproportional]

[Meaning?]

[He rigged the stable muck on a spring trap when I went to clean them out and…well, let's just say it was explosive]

[Ohhhh…good for him.]

[Traitor!]

[;-P]

…

Kara felt a buzzing on her wrist and glanced around from her backup position on the perimeter of an annoyingly protracted fight with the Secret Society. After confirming she was clear for the moment, she pulled out her phone. A picture came up of a model volcano mid-explosion, showering an irate Damian, a laughing Lindsey, and a shocked Stephanie in chocolate fudge. Just at the edge of the frame, clearly the one holding the phone, was Jason, grinning from ear to ear like he knew something they didn't. The caption verified that.

[You're a bad influence on me, Kara. }:-P]

Kara laughed uproariously, the civilians around giving her a strange look, since her laughter had the unfortunate backdrop of distant explosions. Shaking her head, she typed a reply.

[What did Damian do when he found out you did it?]

[Who says he ever did?]

She chuckled, unable to reply when her earpiece clicked on with Kal's voice.

"Supergirl, you're up!"

Kara put her phone away and retreated to a nearby alley, thumbing a control on her watch before taking off her glasses. In seconds, the watch transformed from a wrist adornment into a slim red gauntlet that encased her hands and forearm up to her elbow, which was capped with a more rigid structure protecting the joint. The material feeding out of the device spread over her entire body as she sped out of her civilian clothes in a blur, replicating the gauntlet on the other arm while the rest of her body was rapidly encased. Her feet were enclosed by knee-high red boots with knee-guards similar to the gauntlets, the entire suit trim and tailored to her form while allowing maximum range of motion. The final pieces to expand were a blue high collar that went all the way up her neck and the classic red cloak that fed from dual ports in the shoulders.

Completing the picture was a stylized red "S" on her chest, startling against the blue background and set against gold accents. Supergirl stepped from the alley covered from the neck down in Kryptonian nanotech, a faint hexagonal pattern visible if you looked close enough at the form-fitting material. Smiling, she tapped her left gauntlet, pulling up a holographic interface linked to her phone and typing out a reply at superspeed before taking off.

[He's Damian Wayne, Jace. Of COURSE he found out]

…

Back at Wayne Manor, Jason laughed, red with embarrassment. He glanced at Damian, who was sitting in front of the Batcomputer with a tub of popcorn as he watched the battle in Metropolis unfold from the body cameras of the various League members in attendance. He crunched on another mouthful, glancing in Jason's direction as he wheeled his own chair closer to the screen. Jason dipped his hand into the tub, to Damian's chagrin, and crunched down right as Supergirl entered the fight.

"Whooo!" he shouted, accidentally spewing half-chewed popcorn all over the keyboard.

Damian glared at him. "I swear you do this on purpose."

Jason hummed and shrugged as he grabbed another handful. "It's almost like I'm finally getting you back for being such an annoying twit."

He frowned at the star-struck look on Jason's face, especially when he noticed exactly where Jason's eyes kept lingering.

Damian's arms crossed as he smirked smugly. "I thought you said you weren't looking for a girlfriend."

Jason blinked hard and stared at him, jaw frozen mid-bite as he swallowed slowly, visibly considering his response. "Who said anything about—"

Damian mimed a lovestruck idiot as his voice went falsetto. "Oh Supergirl, bathe me in your light! I can't live without your flowing blonde locks!"

"Now who's acting like the fanboy?" Jason growled through clenched teeth, face redder by the second.

He shrugged and tossed a couple corns down the hatch. "Just voicing what isn't being said."

"A relationship with Kara would be unusual, irresponsible, and…"

Damian's eyebrow arched in question.

Jason blushed down to his roots. "…wonderful." He leaned forward with a groan, head in his hands. "Oh God…I'm crushing so hard and it's awful."

Damian's face stretched in a Cheshire grin as he leaned toward Jason to put a "comforting" hand on his shoulder. "Now, how could you ever get even with me when you give me such a steady source of blackmail material?"

Jason snapped to him, red-faced and threatening. "Don't you dare—"

His grin widened.

Alfred arrived in the Batcave minutes later with a refill of popcorn per Damian's instructions only to find the teen in question furiously wrestling with his brother mid-laughter. Sighing, the old Brit laid the tub down on the Batcomputer desk and set about cleaning the spilled pile. An exasperated smile tugged at his lips when they crashed into something somewhere else into the cave.

…

"Babs, I need your advice."

Oracle's voice over the video com. was as incredulous as she looked. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Jason confirmed, pressing an ice pack to a particularly angry bruise on the side of his head.

Damian had been trying to collect "blackmail material" on his and Kara's interactions for over a week already, and in his attempts to prevent its acquisition—or barring that, confiscate it—Damian had made him pay for every inch.

"Um…a little busy?" Barbara motioned to her own screens, which were filled with an active Justice League operation in Markovia.

"It's nothing big, just a teeny…tiny…temporal crisis."

She shot him a look through the screen. "Okay?" she asked uncertainly.

"I have a huge crush on Supergirl and I don't know what to do about it."

Her eyes widened comically, staring at the screen. "What?"

"I know. It's problematic, on several levels."

"I bet."

"I mean…" he bit his lower lip, "this is the whole reason I avoided her at the wedding." He jammed his palms into his eyes, tone little more than an exasperated groan. "I knew this would happen. I mean, I've been crushing on her for years, but this time it's different because now she's actually close to my age and super attractive and…attainable. And I don't know what to do."

The silence that answered prompted him to turn back to the screen only to see a black sheet staring back at him.

"Oh, son of a—"

…

"Long day?"

Jason groaned as he leaned back in bed, phone to his ear. "Yeah. Two back-to-back presentations in front of a whole class."

"Yeesh. Public speaking, am I right?"

"Yup. So glad Damian is the firstborn. Can't imagine having to take over as the public face of Wayne Enterprises. Although…I actually think Tim was given the company in the will."

"You sure you should be spouting this over an open line?" Kara asked, a teasing grin in her voice. "Anyone could be listening in."

Jason smiled. "Pretty sure no one's going to be bugging your phone and mine is encrypted five ways from Sunday. Oh and Damian, if you're listening, I'm going to destroy the recording." He lowered his voice, mock-whispering into the phone. "He already knows about the will."

Kara giggled and sighed. "So what's your weekend looking like?"

"Oh…I don't know. First time in a while I don't have a ton of homework. Probably gonna lounge around at home and eat junk food all day."

"Ah, the benefits of the one percent."

Jason chuckled. "There is this one new Greek place in the city I've been wanting to try." He stopped mid-thought, heart lurching when an idea struck him out of nowhere. "Um…" he began nervously, "would…would you like to try it with me?"

The silence on the other end lasted almost five full seconds before Kara's voice answered with a teasing lilt. "Why Jason…are you asking me out?"

Jason's lips pursed tightly, feeling a bit lightheaded at how fast his heart was beating. Despite this, he managed to steady his voice. "Yes. Yes I am."

"So this is a date?"

"Absolutely."

Kara chuckled on the other end. "Just making sure. You weren't exactly clear last time."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'd pick you up, but…"

"Appreciate it, but I'm flying thank you very much."

He laughed. "I'll text you the address. Eight o'clock?"

"I'll be there."

"Then…good night for now?"

She giggled. "Yeah, good night, Jace."

"Night."

Jason laid back-first on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a stupid grin on his face for a good ten seconds before he heard the faintest hint of a snicker through the door. He was out of the bed in a second.

"Delete it, now!"

Damian's maniacal cackles echoed throughout the manor as Jason chased him down.

…

Weeks after their meeting in Metropolis, Lois knew something was up when she heard whirring coming from the guest room of the Kent house. Frowning, she ducked into Jon's room to see him lounging on the bed with his face buried in a book, headphones on and a wide grin spread over his face. Lois closed the door on her way to the guest room and softly clicked it open. Her eyes widened when she saw a pinkish-gray blur zipping back and forth, stopping every so often wearing something different.

"What on Earth are you doing, Kara?"

She came to an abrupt stop, glasses hanging halfway off her face when she whirled toward Lois, the slightly longer skirt of her current number tangling in her feet and sending her tumbling to the ground. Lois' eyebrows shot skyward as Kara slowly pushed herself upright, completely red in embarrassment.

Lois shrugged. "Care to explain?"

"Not really," she grumbled, smoothing down her pink floral skirt.

"Hm," Lois hummed absently in reply, taking in her cousin-in-law's flustered appearance. She sat down on Kara's bed and expectantly patted the space beside her.

With a flat look, the teenager complied and leaned her chin on her palms.

"Two years is a big age difference for high schoolers."

Kara blinked hard. "What?" Her face went even redder when Lois stared at her with a knowing smile. "H-How did you—"

"You are not as subtle about your giggles as you think. Also, woman's intuition."

She arched a suspicious eyebrow. "And Kal eavesdrops on me."

Lois shrugged nonchalantly. "Well that too."

Kara glared at her, pouting.

"I can't take you seriously when you do that," she chuckled. Lois grinned. "I've been on the receiving end of the Bat Glare, Kara."

A sigh. "Good point."

"So, your place or his?"

"Well considering he can't fly, his place." She shrugged. "Sort of. There's a local restaurant he wants to introduce me to," she added.

"Ooh, classy."

"He said to dress casual."

Lois frowned at her choice of attire. "Well, not that pink isn't your color, but I think you should go with something a little…shorter."

Kara gave her a scandalized look.

"Not like that!" she laughed. "I'm just saying, Gotham doesn't have the greatest reputation for the cleanliness of its streets, and if I'm not mistaken, it's been raining there for the last three days. So unless you want to be doing laundry for the same clothes for three consecutive loads…"

Kara nodded and tilted her head. "Fair enough."

She zipped over to the closet, finding another dress with a solid pink skirt that went down just below her knees, complimented by a white blouse with columns of tiny sunflowers sewn into the pattern. Her glasses and a seashell bracelet completed the picture of "adorable nerd," and Lois had to restrain a small squeal of delight. She gave Kara a grinning two thumbs up.

"Thanks," Kara sighed, adjusting the hem of her skirt.

"Do you have your suit just in case?"

Kara nodded and tapped the watch on her left wrist.

"Good." Lois stood and smoothed Kara's blouse. "You look great. Knock 'im dead."

She smiled blindingly, cheeks a little red in excitement. "Thanks, Lo."

Kara leaned up and kissed her cheek, Lois returning the affection. Kara sidled up to Jon's door and cracked it open, raising her voice to get his attention.

"Hey, how do I look?"

"Like a fruit puff!" Jon answered with a thumbs-up before returning his attention to his book.

Kara laughed and shut the door before traipsing down the stairs and barreling out the door. "Going out, Kal!"

"Going what?"

The door clattered behind her a moment later, and Clark poked his head into the landing at the bottom of the stairs, giving his wife a questioning look. Lois just grinned and shook her head, chuckling as she returned to her home office.

…

"Going out!"

Bruce's head snapped up and turned to the source of the voice. "You're clear on the procedure? You call Alfred if anything happens." He frowned. "Maybe we should go with you, so you won't be alone."

"Nope! I'll be fine," he insisted, scrambling to put on his jacket. Jason threw them a winning smile. "You guys enjoy your night in."

"Let us know how it is!" Diana called from her place snuggled up against Bruce.

"Will do, Ma!"

The door closed moments later, Bruce staring at it for a long minute before sighing hard. "This is a date, isn't it?"

"Oh undoubtedly."

He frowned.

"And I thought you learned better than to be a helicopter parent."

Bruce rolled his eyes.

Diana smiled. "Perk up, Bruce. What is there to worry about? We both know he's a perfect gentleman, and she's far too strong for him to come to any harm."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

She scooted up and mounted her chin on her palm. "Then what?"

Bruce snorted. "Aside from the fact that Kryptonians and Bats don't traditionally mix?"

"Kryptonians and Waynes, more like," she corrected, tapping his jaw.

"Tell that to Damian and Jon."

Diana stared at him.

He huffed. "Okay, point taken."

Her amused air slowly faded. "That's not all you're worried about."

Bruce's head shook. "Di, I saw them in the Planet, when they came back together. I saw the way he looked at her."

She smiled teasingly. "And?"

He met her eyes with a firm gaze. "And Brainiac-5 wasn't that long ago."

Diana's mirth immediately faded to a frown. "You're…you're worried she's using him as a rebound."

He nodded.

Her frown deepened as she looked away in thought. "No." Her head shook moments later. "No, Kara knows better." Her jaw tightened. "Or at least she damn well better. Even my forgiveness has its limits."

…

"Is your watch in operation, sir?"

Jason smiled and tapped it. "Yup, all good. See you in a few, Al!"

Alfred smiled at him through the rearview mirror of the town car as Jason stepped out, zipping up his leather jacket and taking a moment in front of the rear window to fix his hair. He gave Alfred a thumbs-up, then turned to the restaurant and stood by the door. The restaurant was situated in a middle-class neighborhood, sandwiched between two apartment buildings. A graphic of a Spartan guarding a gate was lit up in neon with the word "Acropolis" above him. The front glass door was flanked on either side by concrete fixtures sculpted like Greek columns, and though he couldn't see much of the inside from the outside, that was due to dim lighting that evoked feelings of firelight.

He rubbed his hands, breathing into them to keep warm as the car pulled away and checked his watch, a platinum-plated device with rich leather straps. Contained in the hollow of the watch's mechanisms was also a tracker that could be activated by pressing both the glass and knob of the watch.

Almost eight. Let's hope she's punctual.

A muffled crash came from a nearby alley, snapping his attention there and putting him on alert. A couple more rattles reached Jason's ears, his eyebrows slowly hiking upward until a frazzled Kara stumbled out of the alley in a light brown pea coat and her familiar glasses. He saw a hint of a solid pink skirt peeking out of her jacket, pulled down to cover her legs a bit more against the wind.

Jason fought vainly against a teasing smirk. "Is clumsiness universal to the Kents, or is it just the skirt?"

Kara blushed and pursed her lips. "Shut up," she scolded without heat.

He chuckled and held out his arm, nodding at the door. "Shall we?"

He cursed internally at how his voice was shaking, though he knew it wasn't due to nerves.

Apparently, she recognized this. "Geez, I wish you hadn't waited for me out here. You're freezing."

She rubbed his hand, which he felt way too sharply, as if to prove her point. All he could focus on was how warm and soft hers were, even in the frigid wind. Coughing hard, he shrugged and ushered her through the door, hoping she would take his red cheeks as a sign of the cold.

"I wasn't waiting long," he said. "Unlike the Wests and Allens, you're actually on time, which I can appreciate."

Kara giggled and rubbed his hand a few more times. Jason smiled and turned his attention to the place itself, which he hadn't realized was styled more like a bar than a restaurant. He approached the counter with a bit of trepidation. The place was practically empty, though it was a school night, so he hadn't exactly expected a crowd. The barkeep arched an eyebrow at the pair as he ran a rag along the inside of a glass.

He smirked. "Do your parents know you're here?"

Well…

Jason laughed it off, smoothly replying, "Table for two, please."

The barkeep sighed and laid the glass down. "This is an adult establishment. Unless one of you can prove you're over 18, you're gonna have to take date night somewhere else."

He snorted. "Trust me, the hard stuff is the last thing on our minds."

The other man shrugged. "Sorry, my hands are tied. It's policy."

"Seriously?" Jason chewed that over for a second before a devious smile slowly pulled at his lips. "Not even for a Wayne?"

His eyebrows hiked upward. "Wayne?"

Jason grinned. "That's right." He stuck out his hand. "Jason Wayne."

The man stared at his hand before crossing his arms. "Right. Because a Wayne would walk into my bar."

"Why not?"

"Of course."

At the sarcasm in his tone, Jason rolled his eyes and pulled out his wallet. "If you don't believe me—" he whipped out his black card and slapped it on the counter, "—run that."

The barkeep eyed him suspiciously, taking the card and swiping it through the register. His eyes went triple-wide a second later, slowly turning back to Jason's grinning face.

"We good?"

The man nodded slowly, smiling pleasantly and waving to a nearby waiter. "Absolutely, Mr. Wayne. George! Get these two the best table in the house."

Jason waved dismissively. "I think a booth will suit us just fine."

He shrugged. "Whatever you need, sir."

Jason smiled pleasantly, glancing to his side to see Kara holding back laughter. When they were seated with menus and glasses of water, she finally voiced her thoughts.

"Must be nice to have that kind of pull."

He shrugged and smiled ruefully. "One of the few perks of the name. You'd be amazed how many doors will open with a little extra coin to grease the hinges."

"No I wouldn't," Kara said with a frown.

Jason frowned and leaned forward on his elbows. "What do you mean?"

She sighed and stirred a straw through her water. "I've been working on college applications and portfolios all year."

"You're what now, 17?"

She nodded.

He chewed his lower lip. "And studying fashion design, right?"

Kara nodded, tugging on her blouse. "I made this myself. This whole outfit, actually."

"Well, it definitely suits you," Jason said with a smile. He tapped around the sides of his eyes. "And it works with the glasses."

She smiled back. "Thanks." She nodded to him. "What about you? What are your plans after high school?"

Jason shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it. I mean, I'm already studying at the college level, but apart from the immediacy of socialization and…my other mission…" another shrug, "I guess I'm just taking it one day at a time." He huffed. "Especially now that I've had to put that mission on hold."

Kara reached out and took his hand reassuringly. "You'll figure it out."

He smiled. "Thanks." His unoccupied hand idly traced patterns into the table while they sat in silence. "Why did you say yes?"

She blinked. "Hm? To what?"

"To me. Tonight, I mean."

She looked up in thought, pouting a bit (again, adorable). "I don't know. I guess I needed a change of pace. I love my cousin and his family, but sometimes I just need a little…me time, you know?"

Jason nodded emphatically. "It's difficult enough to grab some quiet time under normal circumstances, but ever since we started texting, Damian's been unbelievably nosy."

Kara snorted a laugh. "And that surprises you?"

"No, I guess not," he said with a flat look.

She kept giggling to herself until the waiter came back with a notepad.

"You two ready to order?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes," Jason replied, waving at Kara, "ladies first."

Kara grinned and tilted her head. "Thank you."

"And remember, tonight is on me, so money's no object."

She chuckled and focused on the menu. "I'll have the moussaka."

"Of course," said the waiter, marking it down. "And for you, sir?"

"Gyro platter, biggest you got."

"Right away."

Jason and Kara folded up their menus and handed them over, then leaned back in their seats and fell silent for a bit.

"Also," Kara said suddenly, getting his attention, "you kept me smiling on days that were…not so great." She shrugged with a small blush. "So there's that."

His lips twitched upward. "Good." He leaned back on his hands. "That's good."

"…why'd you ask?"

Jason blinked hard, freezing up. Now that was the question, wasn't it?

He shrugged and met her eyes. "Same reason, I guess. Change of pace, you make me smile…and twice now you've pulled me out of a dark place mentally." He smiled gratefully. "Not everyone knows when to do that. Most don't even know how…and even fewer are willing to try." His smile widened. "That's one of the things I always admired about you, Kara. That…unending compassion you have for other people. One of many things you share with your cousin, and easily the most powerful."

Kara laughed awkwardly and rubbed her neck, hiding half her face by a fallen sheet of hair. "You're just saying that."

"You do realize I've actually known you for years, right?"

She blinked.

"Not in this time, granted, and by then your identity was already well fleshed out, but…" he smiled nostalgically, "you're still the same bright sunflower."

Kara stared at him wide-eyed for a second before smiling. "Thanks."

He opened his mouth to reply when the ground rumbled and a loud boom was heard from somewhere down the block. Jason's instincts immediately forced him from the chair, and he was halfway to the window before they all blew out and he was thrown backward by a shockwave that peppered his body with a torrent of shattered glass. Someone shouted his name as he felt his back slam against the tiled floor, distantly aware of several shallow cuts on his face and hands. Absently, he thought it could've been much worse, given how much glass had been sent flying at him. Thankfully, his carbon-fiber armored jacket took the brunt of it, though that didn't help the bump he could feel growing on the back of his head.

Slowly, with a groan, he felt himself being lifted into a sitting position by familiar hands, then yanked upright by rough, unfamiliar ones. Men and women in black cargo pants and body armor shuffled into the restaurant, the ringing in Jason's ears preventing him from understanding what was being shouted. But their intent was hardly subtle, and the ballistic masks made it even clearer. This wasn't some random attack; it was a kidnapping. And suddenly, it all fell into place for Jason's slowly recovering mind.

No way was this wrong place wrong time. That damn barkeep tipped them off. Or maybe the waiter? No, I never told him my name.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a hard shove toward the door, glancing over his shoulder to see two of the kidnappers attempting to pull Kara along. As much as he knew they couldn't hurt her if they tried, he didn't want her involved in this. Tonight had already gone sideways enough, and by the look in her eye, she was having trouble not just decking them all and being done with it.

"She has nothing to do with this," Jason said as coherently as he could. "Leave her."

"Oh contraire," one of them drawled, his voice and confident stance indicating leadership of the bunch. "Anyone who rubs elbows with a Wayne must be a little interesting."

Jason's teeth ground together, both at the rejection and Kara's fierce look. He met her eyes and shook his head ever-so-slightly. There were too many people around, security cameras, and she wouldn't be able to move without someone seeing her and making the connection, even at superspeed. Kara's jaw visibly worked, but she gave him a stiff nod and rolled with it, her petite form undamaged but coated in a layer of dust and soot.

"Come along now," the leader said, grabbing Jason by the collar of his jacket.

The next thing he knew, he was being dumped in the back of a blacked-out van, arms zip-tied behind his back. Kara was laid down next to him, prompting him to cast a furious glare at the woman who'd dropped her off. Apparently, she didn't like that, because the next thing she did was crack the butt of an automatic rifle over the side of his skull.

…

When Jason woke, it was in a blacked-out haze that left his vision blurry and his head pounding like a Cherokee drum. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain, distantly aware of a voice moving in cadence similar to a speech. He didn't need to hear the words to know it was a recorded ransom demand. Unsurprisingly, this wasn't the first time he'd been kidnapped, at least as a civilian. That was at eight years old, and he'd been taken from school on the tail end of the day. It was resolved when Wonder Woman and Robin found him and brutally dismantled his kidnappers. To be honest, most of the brutality had been on Robin, though Wonder Woman had certainly not been pleased, to the point where she didn't even blink at Damian's methods.

Batman had been away at the time, on an outreach mission in deep space, but when he got back and found out, he'd been absolutely livid and used every bit of pull he had to throw the book at them. Needless to say, the culprits wouldn't have seen the light of day until most of their hair had turned gray. Of course, that was all moot now, hadn't even happened yet, but given the current situation, Jason suspected there was about to be a repeat incident.

The still-hazy voice of his lead captor snapped him back to the present. "Fifty million dollars by midnight, or the kid and his date get it."

Jason would snort a laugh at that and make a mental bet on how long it'd be before the bunch was getting their faces kicked in if it wasn't for one thing.

Apart from the one in front of the camera, none of them were wearing masks anymore.

And his watch, his one lifeline, was sitting on a nearby table next to his jacket, wallet, and belt. Seemed they'd taken anything of value or use to escape and—

When he pulled on his restraints, something more than the zip-ties resisted him.

"You're awake," whispered a relieved voice behind him.

He struggled to make his voice work through the headache and dizziness. "C-Clara?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Sorry this is still going on. They've been watching us like hawks this whole time; no opportunity to break free without blowing my cover. Yet."

Jason's jaw tightened, eyes squeezing shut against the hammer pounding the side of his skull. "We better think of something fast, for both our sakes."

"What?"

He nodded at the crowd of captors. "Notice anything different?"

Kara blinked slowly, eyes widening a second later. "No masks."

As soon as the camera turned off, the leader took his off as well, striding over to the captured pair, who were tied to metal chairs facing away from each other. The leader pulled up another one and set it down backwards in front of Jason, leaning over the backrest with a smirk on his lips.

"I read your interview with Vicki Vale," he said. "Interesting stuff."

Jason arched an eyebrow and pursed his lips. "Thank you," he replied evenly.

The man's smirk widened. "You told her you traveled around the world with that mom of yours. That true?"

"With both of them, actually, but for obvious reasons, Dad had to keep a lower profile. Why?"

His head shook with a shrug. "Just figured you'd have seen some pretty amazing things in your life, however short it's been."

Jason blinked slowly, a rueful smile tugging at his lips. "You have no intention of letting us go, do you? Even if my parents do pay."

He smiled apologetically. "Afraid not, kid. It's nothing personal. Frankly, from what I heard in that interview, I think we'd get along famously."

Jason's eyes narrowed. "This is a job for you, not just a crime of opportunity. You were hired to take me."

He laughed heartily. "Damn! Smarter than I expected, too. Must get it from your mom's side of the family."

Jason fought a smirk. "Must be. Well, since I'm apparently not walking out of here alive, mind telling me who paid you off?"

He tsked and wagged his finger side to side. "No-no-no, I'm not falling for that old trick. You're smart, kid, and for that you have my respect. And a few minutes to get your affairs in order." He smirked and nodded at Kara. "Let you and your lady say goodbye to each other."

"You know," said one of his men, "we should've asked the mom to deliver it personally." He smiled malevolently, flashing crooked teeth. "I certainly wouldn't mind getting five minutes alone with that broad."

Jason fought the urge to gag and laugh tauntingly at the same time. Instead, he smiled unpleasantly and directed a veiled glare at the speaker. "You know, one of the downsides to having such great genetics on both sides…is that I constantly have to deal with people from all ends of gender spectrum hitting on my parents. And then there are crass little assholes like you who I just despise." His smile widened, venom lacing his otherwise pleasant tone. "Which is why you'll be the first to die."

The room was dead silent for a full five seconds before the man he was threatening and most of the rest burst into laughter.

"You think you can take on the six of us…alone?" the "crass" thug asked mid-laugh.

Jason shrugged and nodded back at Kara. "I have her."

"As what," he snorted, "a meat shield?"

He threw him a peeved look. "You have a few women on your own team, and you'd underestimate mine?" He tsked and shook his head slowly. "For shame."

The leader directed a mild glare at the rest to shut them up before straightening in his chair and turning back to Jason. "Listen, kid, don't make this any harder than it has to be. I get that you're scared and angry, but this is just how it is." He stood and pulled the chair away with a faint grind of metal on concrete. "We'll give you two a minute of privacy."

He and the rest sidled out of the room, some still chuckling at Jason's threat as they pulled a reinforced metal door closed behind them. The ominous click of a lock engaging on the other side reached them a second before Jason let out a relieved sigh.

"Alone at last," Kara drawled. "Let's get out of here."

"Wait—" His lips pursed as he craned his head toward her and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Before you do anything, scan the room for cameras."

She gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

Jason frowned. "Last time I was in the field, my cover was blown because I overlooked a hidden camera. They could be watching us right now and if they see you use your powers, that would be bad. Especially since we're not actually going to kill them."

"Yeah," she replied with a frown, scanning the room, "I was wondering about that."

He shrugged, testing his restraints. "I needed to throw them off-balance psychologically. Maybe get them to give up something."

"And did they?"

"Well, he doesn't think very highly of you, so that's a plus. Means he'll underestimate how strong you are." Jason grunted as he verified the lack of reinforced joints on his zip-cuffs and filled the air with the crackle of the straps being pulled tighter, almost enough to cut off his circulation. "And there are only six of them."

"Damn."

"What? That a problem?"

"No." She glanced back at them. "You were right about the camera."

Jason snarled and grunted with effort. "Thought so."

"What are you doing?"

"Tightening my cuffs."

"Wha—why?"

"Because," he hissed, wrists working to get to the right angle, "it increases the stress on the joints…makes them—"

A pop of his arms later, and he felt the plastic give out, the pressure keeping his wrists together gone.

"—easier to break." Despite his lack of restraints, Jason kept his arms behind him, looking over his shoulder to catch Kara's eye. "Where's the camera? I need an angle."

Kara glanced behind her at a corner in the large, open room. "Knothole in the corner to the left of the one they used to record their message and proof of life."

Jason frowned. "The hell did they get that with me passed out?"

"You don't remember?" she asked worriedly, staring at the side of his head for a second. "Damn."

"What?"

"They must've hit you harder than I thought. You're definitely concussed."

He barked an incredulous laugh. "Great, so on top of everything else, I can expect headaches and memory gaps." He sighed hard, voice cracking just a bit as it lowered to the faintest whisper. "What a disaster."

"What do you mean?"

Jason's jaw tightened and head shook. "Doesn't matter now. We need to get out of here."

"Ideas? Preferably one that doesn't require me to blow my SI."

"Yeah, I got one. But you're gonna have to do something I know you hate."

"What's that?"

He smirked. "Play the damsel in distress."

…

Panicked shrieks for help sounded from the locked cell, drawing the guard to look in through the retractable window and see the blonde screaming her head off in a panic. It wasn't hard to see why: the Wayne kid's body was slumped over in his seat, head almost between his legs, and his shoulders weren't rising and falling.

Damn, did his heart give out or something?

The kid was going to die anyway, but the boss wanted to look him in the eye when he put a bullet through his skull. It was a point of professional pride with him.

It was with that thought that he opened the door and approached the pair, the girl's shrieks ceasing but her panicked breaths not even close to calm. He approached Wayne's limp body, tilting his head back to see his eyes open and dead, staring into infinity. Then he pulled off a glove to check his pulse, and those eyes snapped to his own. He froze for only a split-second, but it was enough.

Before he could even take a breath to shout in alarm, the kid's right hand popped up and nailed him in the windpipe with a rabbit punch, trapping his scream in his throat. Jason's left hand, meanwhile, stopped him from drawing his sidearm while his right leg kicked out the man's rear leg and forced him to a knee. Jason's knee rammed him in the nose and left him gasping for air on his back. A falling cross to the temple finished the job and all he knew was blackness.

…

Jason took his knife and cut Kara's restraints before he took an extra pair from the unconscious thug's ballistic vest and restrained him.

"How we doing?" he asked.

Kara frowned at the door, tuning her ears to motion from outside. "We have maybe thirty seconds before they come busting in."

Jason smirked as he appropriated the man's pistol and put his jacket back on, zipping it up fully. "Plenty of time." He got his watch and belt back on as well.

Kara directed a hard look at the gun in his hands. "What's that for?"

"This, for one." He shot at the faint glint of the camera in the corner, knocking it out. "And also, we need to make this look good."

"Good? Those are real bullets, Jace."

"Yup," he confirmed by checking the magazine, "but the body armor's real too." He directed a nod at the unconscious body.

"If your plan is to avoid having our cover blown, this isn't exactly the greatest idea."

"Based on what?"

She blinked hard and stared at him. "So two kids taking on five heavily armed kidnappers alone is more realistic than me punching through a wall?"

He arched an eyebrow and jabbed a thumb into his chest. "Kid of an enigmatic foreigner who spent his childhood traveling the world." He waved at Kara. "Person I choose to spend my time with." A smirk tugged at his lips as the sound of approaching steps reached him. "That guy was wrong about one thing." Jason pressed his side against the wall left of the door as she took the other side, both waiting in ambush.

"What's that?"

Jason looked over at her and smiled blindingly, open admiration in his eyes. "You are so much more than interesting."

…

Kara stared at him for a long moment, made even longer by her enhanced perception, before turning to the door and looking through it to see the five kidnappers aiming at it with automatic rifles, their formation staggered through a short hallway riddled with brick columns and side rooms. The leader, who she'd heard one of the others call Rance, was at the very back of their formation, with the two women between the quiet male and the one Jason had threatened. It was a zigzag of interlocking fire, and she didn't like Jason's chances if he stepped out there, but it was clear they weren't about to come in knowing he was armed.

They didn't expect Jason to pop out just his hand and fire three shots at the single industrial light in the center of the hallway, shattering it and leaving the room pitch dark.

"Remember," she heard him whisper, "no super strength."

Kara gave him a small nod before yanking the door open and letting Jason charge through. Gunfire broke out immediately, the silhouette of Jason's body cast by the lights in the cell drawing their ire. He lunged for one of the columns, brick dust flying everywhere as they pounded his cover with automatic fire. Kara came through a second after him, noting that not one directed a shot in her direction. Jason was right; they didn't think much of her at all.

Their mistake, she thought with a smirk.

The near-pitch darkness masked her movements, the muzzle flares of Jason's return fire the guiding light that drew their attention like moths to a flame. They never even saw her coming until she was standing to the side of the woman closest to the cell, a faint breeze the only hint of her superspeed. She grabbed the barrel of the kidnapper's rifle before she could turn the gun on Kara, "struggling" with her for a few seconds before falling back and planting her foot in the woman's gut. She hit a column further down the hallway a second later with a scream and a crack.

And then they started firing at her.

Kara ducked into another room, a gasp and cry from the other woman indicating she'd been shot by Jason. Quinn, the "crass little asshole," roared in fury as he pounded Jason's column with the remaining rounds in his gun. He switched to his pistol the moment he clicked empty. Kara could see them all clearly, an advantage Jason didn't have, so she waited for Quinn to reload, then charged for him. The other man got in her way and grabbed her by the throat, whirling her around and putting his gun to her head.

"Stop shooting or I'll—"

Kara drove her elbow into his gut, grabbing his pistol with her other hand just as it went off, sending a round into the ceiling. She used that hand to flip him over her shoulder, going to the ground and wrapping her legs around his gun arm. She pulled back hard, overextending his elbow and dislocating his shoulder in the process. He screamed in pain for a second before she drove the butt of his pistol into his temple and knocked him out. The still-conscious woman was pulled behind Rance's firing line by Quinn, who had abandoned his pistol for her weapon, which was bulkier around the barrel than the rest of the rifles.

Jason spent his last few shots suppressing and driving them back into the large room beyond the hallway. Kara looked through the walls to see a dilapidated brick room with a metal exit door at the far end and a broken-down floor on the left, filled with dirty water dripping from a sewer drainpipe. There was another industrial light casting faint light over the entirety of the room, along with more brick columns spaced throughout. Kara frowned and tossed her stolen weapon to Jason, who verified the chamber was loaded before nodding at the open doorway into the final room.

Kara waved at one of the side rooms, drawing him in as he covered the doorway. She whispered their arrangement and remaining weaponry in the next room, and he nodded with a smile before ambling up to the edge of the door and raising his voice.

"You're all still breathing so far!" Jason shouted. "Throw down your weapons now and you'll stay that way!"

Rance answered. "I took a job, kid, and I won't break it! Professional pride, you see!"

His jaw tightened. "You willing to die for that pride?!"

"Bring it on, rich boy!" Quinn roared.

And with that, Jason opened fire, sending his first two shots into Quinn's body armor with pinpoint accuracy thanks to Kara's directions. Automatic fire returned in their direction, sending a thick cloud of brick dust expanding over the doorway. Jason used that cover to lunge through and dive for the cover of a square brick column. Rance zeroed in on him immediately, putting three shots in him mid-roll, the sight briefly stopping Kara's heart. Jason gasped and grunted with the impact as he rolled into cover, but when Kara took a closer look at him, there was no blood coming from him, just little puffs of dust.

And then he pulled one of the crushed bullets from his jacket and she realized why he'd put it back on.

Speaking of which, he unzipped the jacket and grabbed the left flap with his left hand while his right held his gun aloft, taking a few sharp breaths to hype himself up. He charged their right flank a second later, most of them save Quinn down to semi-automatics that pounded his jacket but stopped there. Since it wasn't pressed up against his body, the rounds' force dissipated the moment they hit the fiber-armored flap and left him charging at them full-speed, returning fire that hit the woman's torso three more times before he moved onto Rance, who ducked behind cover.

Kara took the opportunity to close the distance at just above human speed, leaping into a knee that sent Rance's sidearm flying into a far wall. He didn't miss a beat and drew a knife on her, swinging at her repeatedly. She dodged it all, of course, catching sight of Quinn roaring to his feet and charging Jason barrel-first. If she didn't know Jason was outfitted in armored future-tech, she'd have been worried, but as it stood, Jason was able to avoid being hit except in his jacket until he closed the distance and angled the barrel away from his body.

Quinn grabbed Jason's gun and shunted it away before he could fire into his vest at point-blank. Several rounds were fired uselessly as they struggled for leverage superiority, Quinn managing to knee him just above the elbow. A cry escaped Jason's throat as he dropped the pistol, using his free hand to swing for Quinn's head. Quinn tucked his arm against his cheek, the incoming blow hitting his guard uselessly. He grabbed the back of Jason's head and slammed him with a headbutt, sending him staggering back a step.

Meanwhile, Kara easily dodged Rance's precise swings and stabs, catching sight of the woman attempting to retrieve Jason's pistol and get a bead on him. Kara ducked under a particularly far lunge and used Rance's brief lack of footing to throw him over her shoulder at her. He landed headfirst on her back, her fire hitting the wall instead of her intended target. Rance barrel-rolled off her when he saw Kara come in for a low kick, nailing the woman in the back of the head and knocking her out. She glanced to the side to see Jason and Quinn struggling over the rifle, Jason grabbing his firing hand's wrist and twisting it to make him grab the stock instead of the grip.

Jason grabbed the grip instead and pivoted his hips hard, angling the rifle's barrel in Rance's direction. He noticed and dove behind a pillar just as automatic fire broke out in a sustained burst that only ended when Quinn hit Jason with another headbutt. When he tried to kick Jason in the knee, Jason turned his hips again, the forward motion throwing Quinn off-balance and allowing the kid to slam him in the head with the hand he'd been using to shoot. Kara returned her attention to finishing Rance, intercepting his wrist mid-stab and twisting it 120 degrees in the wrong direction.

A hard snap preceded Rance's screech of pain, cut off by a ridge-hand strike between the eyes. He was out before he hit the deck. A strangled cry of pain came from Quinn as Jason hook-kicked him in the side of the head before cartwheeling over his back and throwing him face-first into the sewer water. The soiled liquid covered half of his flattened body before he slowly pushed himself onto his knees, aiming dead at Jason's chest. Kara panicked for the briefest of moments before she saw Jason's predatory smile and learned the reason for it a second later.

Click.

"Gun's empty, asshole," Jason taunted.

So that was why he was shooting at Rance, Kara filled in mentally.

Quinn's face paled in panic for a split-second before he glanced at the barrel and grinned malevolently. His cruel eyes met Jason's as his right hand left the trigger of the gun and reached further forward. "You forgot the underslung, bitch."

Under-what—

Kara's eyes widened with Jason's when she saw what he'd been talking about: an underslung grenade launcher mounted to the barrel, and the reason the weapon's front had been so bulky.

"No!" Kara screamed a split-second before she saw the spark of the launcher's muzzle.

An instant later, a deafening explosion shook the room, sending gouts of heat and concussive energy billowing through the air along with a blinding fog of dust and shrapnel. Kara let out a few heavy breaths as she looked through the smoke to see Quinn passed out in the sewage from the back-blast, his nose and mouth just above water level. One side of the room looked like a bomb had gone off (which it had), while the other was completely untouched, and the barrier separating the two?

Kara herself.

Faster than any human eyes could see, she sped between Jason and the grenade, her body catching it barely six feet away from its source. Frankly, the explosion had been so close to Quinn that she was surprised he wasn't in worse shape. Kara released a slow, relieved sigh when she heard Jason's heart beating fast and strong behind her, and turned to approach him with a reassuring smile.

"Hey," she lilted, "you okay?"

He was kneeling on the floor, his body perpendicular to her sight line. And his jacket was in his hands, which was confusing because an explosion had gone off so why wouldn't he want the protection? Then she saw the immense blush on his face and the way his eyes refused to look at her and was even more confused.

Until he stuttered out, "I-I'm fine, just uh…" and offered her the jacket, which was several sizes too big for her.

Kara stared at him in confusion for another second or two before looking down to find that, save her low-heeled shoes and a thick layer of dust and soot, she was buck naked. Not even her glasses had survived intact, missing a lens.

Then she understood and felt her whole body blush as she quickly donned the jacket with a muttered, "Thanks."

When Jason heard the zipper, he finally looked up at her, just decent enough with his oversized jacket covering her. He gave her a small nod and thumbs-up, visibly trying to keep himself from dying of embarrassment, same as her.

They stood in a long, awkward silence that was soon broken by another loud noise, this time the door being kicked in by a squad of GCPD SWAT officers with a familiar redhead with graying temples at their back.

Commissioner Gordon stared at them blankly as the officers ordered them on the ground, which they did immediately. He took in the half-destroyed room and unconscious bodies with a long, questioning look, his eyebrows steadily climbing upward. Then he looked at the kneeling pair currently being restrained by SWAT, as per procedure, and approached them as he holstered his weapon.

"You two all right?"

Jason grinned crookedly, his voice thick with exhaustion. "Couple bruises and cuts, but otherwise okay." He nodded at the thugs. "Better than them, anyway."

Gordon motioned for the officers to cut them loose, which they did as they restrained the others. He and another plainclothes officer escorted them to a set of overturned chairs, which were rearranged to seat the three of them.

"Want to tell me what happened here?" Gordon asked, eyes squarely on Jason but flickering to Kara's soot-covered features.

"Run-of-the-mill kidnapping. Member of an important family, ransom demands." Jason smiled and shrugged. "You know how it is."

The commissioner nodded slowly, waving at the kidnappers. "And them?"

"Well," Jason looked deep in thought for a moment, "I don't really know."

He arched a red eyebrow. "Is that a fact?"

Jason nodded. "One second I was in my chair, about to get my brains blown out, and the next all the lights went out and we heard screams and gunfire." A shrug. "When they came back on, our restraints were cut, and we found them like this."

Gordon's eyes slowly drifted to the oversized jacket on Kara's shoulders. "And what happened to her clothes?"

Jason frowned, a trace of outrage tinging his tone. "One of them was smoking and lit her dress on fire for kicks. We had to ditch it."

Kara stared at Jason wide-eyed. Perhaps it was because of how much of his "history" was false, perhaps it was part of being a Bat, but he lied so smoothly, Kara wouldn't have been able to tell were it not for the faint, almost indiscernible variations in his heart rate. Even so, Gordon didn't look like he bought it.

In the end, though, all he did was nod and purse his lips. "I see." Then, a reassuring smile graced his severe features and he stood up, holding a hand to help Kara up. "We have paramedics standing by outside to check you two out before we send you home. Your parents will be glad to know you're okay."

Kara frowned in confusion. "How did you find us, anyway?"

Jason smirked. "Billionaire parents plus potential kidnappers—" he held up his left hand, making his watch obvious, "equals paranoid countermeasures. They put a GPS tracker in my watch. All I had to do was turn it on, which I would've done earlier had they not knocked me out at the restaurant."

Kara and the commissioner nodded.

"Led us right to you," he said, giving the destroyed room another sweeping look. "Though it seems we weren't needed after all."

Jason grinned. "It's the thought that counts."

"Hm. Anyhow. Montoya," he called, getting the attention of the plainclothes officer. "Get these two to the paramedics."

"Right away, sir," she answered in a faint Hispanic accent.

Montoya gave them a reassuring smile, holding Kara by the shoulders as she led them out of the building and into the cold night air.

…

Kara knew from looking through the walls, but the location where they'd been held was the basement of an abandoned steel mill on the edge of town. No one but ne'er-do-wells around for miles, so the perfect place for an execution—or a gunfight, as the case had been. Not that the noise would've pierced the thick walls and ground.

At any rate, the paramedics had been astonished to find out she was unharmed, which she barely restrained a smirk at. Jason, on the other hand, was riddled with mostly minor injuries and, yes, a concussion. Overall not injured enough for a hospital, which, she knew from their conversations, he'd be very happy about. Between Deathstroke and Richard Dragon, he was so sick of hospitals.

Once they'd given Kara the all-clear, she strode over to his ambulance, clutching the blanket they'd given her even closer despite not needing it. Appearances had to be kept, after all. When she came within sight of him, finally catching him alone, Kara froze for a moment at the look on his face. She'd seen a number of his expressions tonight, from the confident, threatening mask he showed their kidnappers to the quirky, nonchalant air he'd put on in front of Commissioner Gordon. But this…this was…

"Hey," she said suddenly, making him jump a bit as his eyes snapped to her face. "You okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answered too quickly. "Just tired."

Kara frowned and pushed herself up to sit next to him. If she had still been wearing only his jacket, she might've hesitated, but the paramedics had been kind enough to offer her a spare set of sweatpants and a hoodie monogrammed, "GCFD."

"That's not it," she said softly. She nudged his arm with her elbow, his own blanket shifting with his uncomfortable shifting. "You're upset about something, I can tell." Kara frowned crookedly when he refused to answer, eyes narrowing with a thoughtful hum before she smirked deviously. "Is it because you saw me naked?"

That got his attention.

Jason immediately went beet-red and snapped his eyes to her face. "First off, I-I did not…see you naked." He lowered his voice. "When the boom went off and I was intact, I figured you jumped in the way, so I…" he blushed even more, "stared at the ground and took off my jacket." He apparently found the rear bumper of the ambulance very interesting. "I never looked once, promise."

Before she could speak, he continued with a faint mumble he knew she'd hear.

"Besides, I don't think 'upset' would be the right word if I had seen you…like that."

Kara's blonde eyebrows hiked upward, a teasing grin tugging at her lips. "Well…flattering as that is, that still doesn't tell me what's nagging at you." She nudged his arm again, trying to coat her voice in as much reassurance as she could. "Come on, you can trust me."

When Jason finally looked at her, she almost gasped at his eyes. There was that same intense, fragile look he'd given her back on Paradise Island, only this time, he hesitated to speak. When he did, it was as quiet and hesitant as the look on his face.

"I'm so sorry."

Kara shrugged. "For what?"

Jason blinked and stared at her incredulously. "For what? For—" he waved at the building surrounded by cops, "—dragging you into my nonsense. All for a lousy meal at a place with a miserable, backstabbing—" He cut off when they both remembered the barkeep, growling out his next words. "Oh, I completely forgot about him." His upper lip twitched with a snarl. "He is gonna get it when we're done here."

"Jason," Kara prompted, forcing him back on topic.

His face sagged and twitched with regret. "Look, I just…wanted to…I wanted to thank you for being a good friend these past weeks. It…hasn't been easy since losing my powers, and the longer I've been without them, the more I realize how unsustainable my life here has been so far. And it isn't because of my environment, it…it's like…" He looked up, trying to find the words.

"You've been living like a tool instead of a person."

Jason stared at her, sighing with a rueful smile. "Am I really that easy to read?"

Kara shrugged. "You say that like I've never seen it before."

"Have you?"

She smirked. "You've met your brother, right?"

Jason blinked and visibly fought his laughter.

A fight they both lost.

When he regained enough coherence to speak, Jason stared at the pavement, then out into the distance with a pained expression and tone. "Tonight…was a complete, unmitigated disaster."

Kara nodded with a pout. "Yup. Totally." She felt him sag at her side and smiled at the building. "But it was fun."

He stared at her aghast.

She leaned back on her hands, arching her back to stretch out. "I got to experience one of the lesser-known perks of being a Wayne tonight."

"Periodic kidnapping and ransom?"

"Exactly."

Jason stared at her for another second or two before shaking his head slowly. "I don't know if you're crazy or just trying to make me feel better."

Kara grinned. "Both."

He huffed and smiled briefly before turning his eyes back to the ground.

She felt her lips turn down for a second, then pushed a reassuring smile onto her face as she tilted her head. "Believe it or not—" Kara turned to meet his hesitant eyes, "—not the worst first date I've ever had."

Jason stared at her, blinking a few times before snorting. "You're right," he said, tone flat. "I don't believe you."

She smirked. "Then I guess I'll have to tell you all about it." She sighed. "But some other night." Her hand drifted up to cup the side of his face. "You look exhausted."

Jason huffed and nodded slowly, rubbing his eyes. "It's been a long night."

"Mhm."

"Clara!" came a voice from just beyond the police line.

They both looked over to see three familiar figures. The first, the one who'd called her name, was her cousin in full farmboy gear and glasses, waving at her excitedly. The two standing next to him were Jason's hand-in-hand parents, in casual wear and sports jackets.

Kara sighed. "Well, that's my cue, Jace." She glanced at him, noting that he didn't meet her eyes. "I'll see you later."

"Hm, yeah." He flashed her a brief, hesitant smile, immediately frowning and looking down after. "See you."

Kara couldn't help but match his frown as she got up and left the blanket in the ambulance, taking a few steps toward Clark. She stopped partway there, hearing Jason sigh again and seeing the worried look on his parents' faces. She was certain it wasn't about his physical safety. And with that and a slowly blossoming smirk, she turned back and strutted over to him.

"Hey, Jace."

Jason's head came up, tired eyes meeting hers for a split-second before they went triple-wide, a strangled noise of shock coming from his throat. But that was all that could escape, because her hands were on the back of his head, tangled in his thick black hair, and her lips were wrapped around his. Kara held him there, feeling his own lips move against hers hesitantly while she heard several simultaneous gasps in the distance. It was a couple more seconds before she pulled back and opened her eyes to see his own still wide as ever, his face red enough to match Krypton's sun.

Kara grinned at his dumbstruck expression, releasing his hair to cup his face briefly as she stepped back. "Call me," she said, lowering her voice to a sultry tone as she turned back to Clark and the Waynes, who were all staring at them with similar traces of surprise.

It was barely visible on Bruce, in the form of unusually wide eyes. On Diana, it took the form of much higher eyebrows than usual and a slow nod of respect. On Clark, it was complete, openmouthed shock complemented by red-faced embarrassment almost at Jason's level, probably amplified by the fact that he was standing next to the father of the boy she'd just kissed speechless.

"Shall we?" she asked once on the other side of the police tape.

Clark quickly composed himself and cleared his throat. "Thank you for calling me, Bruce," he muttered quickly before curling an arm around Kara's shoulders and escorting her to a nearby alley.

Kara could hear Bruce and Diana approach Jason's ambulance, and looked back through the buildings to see Diana take his hand while Bruce's arms crossed.

"So," Bruce began in a teasing tone, "how was date night?"

She couldn't help her cackles at the strangled, incoherent mess that made up Jason's answer.

…

It wasn't until he was halfway home that Jason realized she was still wearing his jacket. When the cold began to seep through the cracks in the limo door, he tried to pull it tighter around his shoulders, since he'd also left his blanket at the scene, only to find that he was short a very thick, very warm protective layer. He didn't mind. After the night they'd both endured, she deserved a souvenir. Honestly, he'd been too giddy to care since that kiss, and as he stepped through the front door of the manor, he still was. After the initial shock wore off, Jason had felt a grin split his face and it hadn't stopped once through all the teasing and cajoling from his parents to give him more details about the date.

Though honestly, that had been more Diana than Bruce.

His father had pretty much just sat in the corner with a smirk on his face and a hand entangled with hers. When Jason stepped into the warmth and light of Wayne Manor, he'd been pleasantly surprised to see Damian waiting for them with an impatient air that hinted of worry. He hadn't called him on it when the worry leached out of his features, just exchanged a nod with his brother that reassured him he was okay. Damian disappeared to his room pretty soon after that. And no wonder; it was almost midnight on a Sunday night. He had school in the morning. They both did.

"You're calling in sick tomorrow," Bruce said before he even voiced the thought.

He shot his father a look. "Dad, I've been through worse. Besides, I've already been out two weeks this semester."

"So one day shouldn't make a difference," Diana countered. "Especially not with how you've kept up with your studies."

"Besides," Bruce added, "by now all of Gotham will be privy to the fact that you were kidnapped. If we send you to school the day after, it'll raise suspicion."

Jason huffed in mild frustration but nodded in agreement. "Then I am going to shower and sleep forever."

Diana giggled and hugged him as Bruce stood by to do the same. "Then I guess I'll have all day to pester you about it tomorrow."

"Ugh, Mooom."

Bruce smiled at his groan, embracing him tightly. Jason felt him relax a moment later; apparently Damian hadn't been the only worried party.

When they separated, Jason frowned up at Bruce questioningly. "I was a little surprised to find GCPD kicking down the door instead of you two. What happened?"

Bruce frowned, exchanging a look with Diana before he answered. "The kidnapping was partnered with an explosion that left half a dozen people injured. Very high-profile. And when Gordon learned you'd been the one taken, he sent his people to sit on us during the ransom demands and beyond."

"We couldn't slip away without drawing suspicion," Diana added, "and since Kara was with you, we didn't see a reason to worry." She smiled. "Besides, we both know how capable you are."

Jason snorted a small laugh. "Well, I guess this time did turn out better than the last."

Bruce arched an eyebrow. "Does that mean you'll be coming back into the field?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe." He smiled at the memory of Gordon's dumbstruck look at the destroyed basement. "We'll see."

Bruce's lips pursed tightly. "Then we'll talk more tomorrow. For now, get some rest, son."

"Absolutely," he sighed, turning for the stairs. "Night, Mom. Night, Dad."

"Good night," they answered in chorus.

Alfred was waiting at the door to his room. "I took the liberty of preparing your bath, sir. Hope you don't mind."

Jason smiled brightly. "Not at all. Thanks, Al."

The kindly old man smiled and bowed. "At your service, sir."

Thirty minutes later, Jason strode through the door to his room with a sigh—and froze immediately upon turning the lights on. On the other side of the room, hanging on the door to his closet—was his jacket. Feeling a smile slowly crawl to his lips, he tossed his soiled clothes in the hamper and strode over to it. A sneaking suspicion spurred him to check the pockets, and in the same one he'd found Kara's number, he found another note scrawled in her handwriting.

"Next time, I pick the place."

Just below was an imprint of her adorably soft lips in pink lipstick.

Jason stared at the note for a solid minute before his giddy, tear-inducing laughter shook the whole floor.

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AN: Whoa—did not expect this chapter to turn out this long…oh well. I regret nothing. I've wanted to write this chapter since I began this story, mainly because Supergirl is my second favorite lady in all of DC (Wonder Woman of course being the first). And also because she's an adorable little cinnamon roll who takes crap from nobody and could chew steel if she wanted.

This relationship is most certainly one that'll be a focal point of this story, hence an entire chapter was dedicated to Kara. As for her predictions about his powers…well, you'll have to wait and see.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review this one. It took two weeks and a lot of blood sweat and tears to make it happen.

Drake out.

Musical Inspirations:

Josef Salvat - Every Night: Metropolis flight/watching the sunset/"You're not alone"

Earth to Echo - Just Kids: "Not the worst first date"/surprise kiss/discussion of future/end of chapter