Hello people, I'm not dead. Or sick, thank goodness. I hope every one of you are well. I know these are tough times, but we have to hang in there. Here is another chapter to help pass the time. I hope you enjoy it.
The title of the chapter is inspired by two of my favorite episodes of Docter Who "The day of the Doctor" and "The Time of the Doctor".
As always kisses, I wish the best to everyone and don't forget to comment your thoughts.
Chapter 63
Winn knocked on the door of Caitlin's apartment feeling both excited and nervous. It had been a while since he'd been on a date and he wasn't feeling particularly confident. Now, going on two dated with two women on the same night…that was a first. He had no idea what to expect. But thankfully, Caitlin had promised him that she and Frost would take care of planning the dates, so that was one burden less to worry about. He was wearing not too formal clothes and carried a bag with a more casual outfit, as he was instructed. Winn felt his head spinning -and the dates hadn't even started yet.
And then the door opened and Winn's breath got caught in his throat. Caitlin looked like a vision. Everything about her outfit was simple -individually. Simple curly hair, simple make-up, cute simple blue dress, but she managed to make all of it dreamy.
"Hi!" he breathed.
She blushed and smiled sweetly. "Hi, Winn. Are you ready?"
"Not sure," he said honestly. "Let's find out."
Caitlin giggled and linked her arm with his. "I know this is a first for everyone, but if you don't think it's going to be weird, then it won't be."
"Truer words have not been said." he jocked making Caitlin laughed again. "So, where are we going?"
"Let's take my car." she started leading him towards the elevator. "I know what plans Frost has for later and I wanted to do something quiet for a first date. So I asked Iris and she told me about this Italian place in Keystone that she and Barry had been and I decided to make a reservation."
"Sounds good- actually, it sounds amazing." Winn agreed. "Something simple and quiet and small seemed the perfect place to start."
"Glad you agreed." Caitlin smiled. "Get in." she winked and opened the door of her car.
Winn did as he was told. "Sorry I'm not the one picking you with a car. All I have is the DEO's and I don't think it'd be romantic to show up with a huge, black SUV."
"I don't mind driving. I think the expectation that a man has to pick up a woman for a date is outdated," she told him honestly. "I mean the whole feminism philosophy is about women being equal to men. So why should we expect men to accept us not giving him special treatment but expect them to give it to us?"
Winn stared at her as she drove, with the radio murmuring a song in the background. "I don't see it that way. For me, it's just an act of appreciation, a way for me to show that I care, that I'm putting an effort."
Caitlin stayed quiet for a few heartbeats. Then she briefly turned to look at him. Winn noticed her eyes had moisture in them and his heart sunk. He hadn't meant to upset her, that was the last thing he wanted to do. Mentally he cursed himself and his no-filter-mouth.
"That was really sweet, Winn," she said and her voice was filled with sweet emotion. "I guess I had forgotten who it feels like to be cared like that. Thank you for reminding me."
Winn felt his heart lighten again. And at that moment he wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss her senseless. But that was probably not a good idea since they were in a driving car.
"So, do you know what plans Frost has in store?" he asked playfully, trying to lighten the mood.
Caitlin chuckled. "Yes, but there's no way I'm telling you. She'll be giving me the cold shoulder for the rest of our lives." she burst out laughing. "Cold shoulder…I'm getting as bad as Cisco."
With the mood back at a better track, the last hour passed pleasantly. The restaurant had a family vibe and Winn actually preferred this setting instead of the fancy restaurant in Metropolis. But it was during ordering that they started to really loosen up.
"I can't believe you don't like pepperoni." Winn gasped bemused.
"But it burns so much." Caitlin giggled. "Barry ordered pepperoni once at movie night and my mouth was on fire after the first bite. I spent all night drinking water and peeing."
"Okay, that was terrible. Didn't he know?"
Caitlin shrugged. "I don't remember if I did. But then again Barry likes spicy food, so after that fiasco we never let him order again. And Cisco eats pretty much anything, so I don't let him order either."
"Well, I knew about Cisco's habits, but I never wondered about Barry. Did you know I once found Cisco eating marshmallows and cheddar at the same time?" he said feeling horrified as the memory resurfaced.
From the nonchalant look on Caitlin's face, he could tell that it was no news to her. "Like you're one to talk. Pineapple on a pizza, really?"
"Hey!" he exclaimed. "Don't knock it until you try it."
In return, Caitlin wrinkled her nose and shuddered at the thought. Winn chuckled and smiled feeling completely happy.
"So I guess Mexican is out of the question for our next date."
"Unless you want to do all the eating with me just staring at you. Although," she added thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if Frost can handle spicy food. You'll have to ask her."
"I will. Now please tell me what other things you don't like."
#
Lex Luthor was not the type of person to do house calls, but desperate times called for desperate measures -and however much Lex liked to disagree, it really was a desperate time. Remembering the numerous times he had failed to beat Superman -that was a low blow to his ego-, Lex found himself standing outside of Miss Spencer Young's apartment downtown Central City. Lex cringed at the smell of mold in the hallway of the building. He made a mental note to buy it whenever he had free time and order a renovation…or a straight-up demolition, he really had no preference. Lex tried to keep in the depressed sigh that climbed up his throat. It almost choked him, Superman would have a feast. How the mighty had fallen? He wondered. To be in this position, to have to meet in person with a pathetic human being -if he could characterize metahumans as humans) and associate with her. Ugggh! He was going to puke. But he had run out of options -and plans if he was being honest-, so here he was swallowing his pride.
The woman who answered the door was only half African-American. He could tell from the lighter dark tone of her skin and the mixed features of her face. Now that family gathering he wanted to see. His father, Lionel Luthor, was a firm pureblood believer, he didn't like mixes. And so did his mother -although he was sure that it was more to please Lionel than her actual opinion. He, himself, couldn't care less unless there was an alien involved. As for his dear sister, well…, Lena saw the world full of rainbows and butterflies.
Spencer young was humming a song she was listening through a pair of white earphones, no doubt one of the latest hits. Lex despised modern music. There was nothing graceful about it. Spencer paused her awful singing and roamed very indiscreetly her eyes over him. Then she popped one of the earpieces out of her ear and looked at him questionably.
"Who are you?"
To be fair, Lex had never been asked that question before. And she wanted to be a journalist. Lex plastered a business-like smile on his face before introducing himself.
"Miss Young, my name is Lex Luthor. May I come in? I have a proposition I won't let you refuse." he said charmingly.
To his astonishment, she actually started laughing. "Yeah right. Nice one pal. As if Lex Luthor would ever stand outside my door." she snorted.
Lex bit his lip in irritation and glared at her. "You have a phone. You're a journalist. Do some research." he ordered.
Spencer eyed him skeptically as if considering if she wanted to humor him or not. finally, she simply shrugged as if she had nothing to lose and started typing on her phone. She blinked when the first image of Lex Luthor popped up on her smartphone. Then she frowned and brought it up next to the man's face.
"Holy hell, you really are Lex Luthor." she gasped. "I can't believe it. Lex Luthor is in my apartment."
"To be precise, I'm not actually in your apartment, but I'd very much like to."
The giddy expression on Spencer's face was replaced with a horrified one. She slowly turned back and noticed her messy apartment. She was clearly not expecting company any time soon. Lex rolled his eyes. Just as slowly she turned again grinning sheepishly.
"Well, I can't say no, can I?" she attempted to joke.
"It'd be preferable not to."
Spencer spun around one of the earphones and with a shrug moved to the side to allow Lex to come inside. Lex nodded his head to show respect and stepped inside. The first thing he noticed was that the apartment was smelling only slightly better than the outside. Besides that, the lack of discipline was very obvious; a quality he generally hated. But alas, he reminded himself one more time that he was in need of Spencer Young and so he should not make any snarky remarks about the bomb that was her home.
"Aren't you supposed to be in prison or something?" he heard her ask from behind him.
Lex was ready for that question. "Due to good behavior, they let me handle my businesses' problems. If I had someone else handling them, I'd be poorer than you."
His remark was not well received. He could tell the moment her eyes narrowed and glared at him. Okay, so maybe mocking her was not the best suitable approach.
"So what are you doing here, I don't work for you," she said irritated. "Sorry, I'd offer you some tea, but I'm too poor." she snarled.
Okay, so it was a terrible approach. However, Lex didn't let that deter him. Instead, he smirked and put on his deal-making face. "How would you like to do?"
Spencer frowned confused. "Do what?"
"Work for me?" he explained.
He could tell she was surprised. Because truly, who believed that Lex Luthor could pop up in their apartment and offer them a job?
"What?!"
Seeing the stunned look on her face Lex decided to further market his offer. "I can make your wildest dreams come true."
A bright light shined immediately on her face. Spencer grinned wildly at Lex's offer.
"Get revenge on the bitch, Iris West?!" she gasped in exhilaration.
Lex blinked at the unfamiliar name. "I've no idea who that is."
Spencer's cheeks puffed and redden angrily. "She is the reason I got fired from my job." she spat. "Said I was not a real journalist. That I wasn't fact-checking my sources. But you can help me ruin her life, can't you?" her eyes pleaded him as much as her voice.
"That's not what I had in mind." he told her honestly.
"But you said you'd make my wildest dreams come true." she pouted. "That is my wildest dream."
Lex remained calm despite her temper tantrum and reminded himself for the hundredth time that she was the main chest piece to his plan.
"Well, for starters I wanted to offer you a job. Now, if you can extract your 'revenge' through it, then who am I to stand in your way?" he sung.
Spencer's face morphed into one of surprise and disbelief. "A job offer? What kind of job?"
Lex allowed an arrogant, proud expression to form on his face. "I own 'The Daily Planet' and an employee of mine, Clark Kent, has been AWOL for two years now. Supposedly he was working on a story in Israel but his lack of communication makes me believe that he is not in this world -despite Miss Lane's insistence on the opposite." he explained. "I don't like having empty spots in my company, Miss Young. I find them irritating, every single position must be filled. So, what do you say, want to work for the biggest newspaper in the world?"
#
Dante was protected by the layers and layers of fur wrapped around his body. The same could not be said for his followers...or his favorite assassin and right hand. North Pole was as cold as anyone could imagine with their little minds times a thousand. However, their subject of interest was in this forsaken place and so the 9th Circle along with their leader and his favorite pet followed the trail.
"Are we sure this is the right place?" he asked Red Arrow.
"Yes, this was the only Tannhauser warehouse that shut down after Thomas Snow supposedly died."
Dante remained expressionless. "Then we must see what caused it to shut down sho abruptly."
With a firm nod, he gave the order to open the closed building. His followers moved with difficulty to the closed entrance of the warehouse and each placed a bomb at each side.
"Are we sure that he is inside?" Red Arrow asked Dante sounding concerned. "I'd hate it to come all this way for nothing."
In response, Dante chuckled. "Don't worry, with any luck, we'll find Frost's father."
"Since when do you believe or rely on luck." Red Arrow scoffed, not satisfied with the answer.
"Ever since I've partnered with Lex Luthor.I have to be careful more than any other time. You can never know what to expect from Lex and don't think that he won't find a way to turn the situation in favor to him and against us if I take my eyes off of him for even a millisecond." Dante explained. "What's taking so long?!" he growled at him men.
The door gave away easily under the bomb explosion. Dante smiled pleased to himself and moved inside the abandoned warehouse followed closed by Red Arrow. There was a lot of equipment left behind as if the researchers left in a hurry. Dante wondered how Carla Tannhauser was able to keep her altered husband trapped inside the facility. He had to give her props for that. And for the fact that she just gave them the means to get into motion their biggest plan. After all, it's true what they say. One man's trash is another man's treasure.
They found him in stasis inside a cryosleep chamber. Oh, that was beyond smart. Using the metahuman's abilities against him. Dante looked at Icicle as if he just found the treasure at the end of the rainbow.
"Wake him up." he ordered.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Red Arrow asked hesitantly.
Dante gave his right hand an exasperated look. "Just wake him up and don't question me." he ordered. "And let me do the talking."
Red Arrow pursed her lips and nodded. She neared the panel that controlled the cryosleep chamber and deactivated it. Then she walked a few steps behind and waited for something to happen.
They didn't have to wait long. No one saw the icicle that formed in the ice meta's hand. However, they all felt the glass explode on them. The next thing they knew, he was jumping out of his bed, icicle in hand about to murder them all. It was only Red Arrow's fighting instincts that saved them. She pushed quickly on her feet and knocked the icicle out of his hand. Then she dove down and brought her leg around successfully knocking him out of his feet. Next, she proceeded to get up and move behind him holding one of her knives to his throat. Icicle hissed but didn't move.
"If you value your lives than you'll remove that thing from my throat." he threatened.
It was an empty threat and they all knew it. Dante looked amused if nothing else.
"I'm terribly sorry for the cold greeting." he chuckled at his own joke. "But Red Arrow is just making sure you won't take our heads before I can make you an offer I think you'll find very appealing."
Icicle only chuckled darkly. "And what makes you think I'm interested in your offer? You are nothing!" he spat. "You are dirt beneath my feet. Cockroaches."
"I'm sorry you feel that way. Especially since we were the ones who freed you from the prison your wife threw you in."
At the mention of Carla Icicle hissed again. "That woman is not my wife," he said as if insulted. "And I'm not Thomas Snow."
"Oh, we know." Dante assured him. "We don't want Thomas, we want you."
A creepy look passed on Icicle's face. "And why is that?" he asked sardonically.
Dante shrugged. "I'm a big fan of complete families," he said idly. "Did you know that your daughter, Frost, is wandering around free with a bunch of friends?" the look on the meta's face told him he did not -not that Dante expected him to know. "I just find it unfair how she can walk freely and have a life, while you are locked up in the middle of nowhere."
"So it worked." there was a gleam of happiness in Icicle's eyes. "The serum I injected Thomas' daughter with, the one that created me, it worked."
"It did." Dante all but purred. "And I can help you reconnect with her. And if you want, maybe your ice family could get a new mommy." he said innocently.
Dante knew he had him at that. Icicle was thinking about the prospect of having his family again. His eyes glowered and smirked.
"And what do you want from me in return?"
#
They decided to change in the bathroom before they left. Winn and Frost that is. He changed pretty quickly and waited outside the women's toilet for Frost to appear. However, that was not who greeted him. Instead, Caitlin walked out wearing a completely un-Caitlin like outfit. Pure leather, dark, she looked like a member of a motorcycle gang. Winn raised his eyebrows confused.
"Is Frost bailing on me?"
Caitlin huffed and sighed. "Don't get me started. We had an argument. Let's get out of here and I'll use the serum in the car."
Winn had no chance to say anything else because Caitlin started rushing out of the restaurant. He tried keeping up with her, and he had to admit that she was pretty fast for wearing heels.
Caitlin's car had grown cold all the time they were eating. Winn's hands flew immediately on the heater, but Caitlin had not powered the engine yet.
"What did you argue about?"
Caitlin sighed and shook her head. "Nothing. She was just being difficult." and then she smiled. "I had a really good time tonight."
"Me too." he agreed honestly. "Is this…ah," he hesitated. "The part where I kiss you good night?" he asked hopefully.
Caitlin gave him a knowing look. "You better."
Win chuckled. And then he got serious. Kissing was not always comfortable inside a car, but he was determined to make it work. So he leaned in and cupped her cheek with one hand. Caitlin closed her eyes and let herself feel the warmth of his palm, and the smell of his cologne and the tingling sensation of their attraction. Then their lips were touching. It was soft and warm and it felt as if they belonged together. Caitlin felt like melting in their kiss so that she could become a part of him. And Winn…Winn felt like passing out.
When they pulled apart, both of them felt like they were living inside a dream. Winn licked his lips needing to taste her again and Caitlin sighed at the memory.
"Was it as good for you as it was for me?" Winn asked.
"If I wasn't feeling how impatient Frost is inside my head, then I'd jump your bones right here right now." she replied honestly.
Winn's eyes bulged. "And I thought Frost was the kinky one." he jocked.
Caitlin smirked at him and winked. "There's a lot to know about me."
"Good to know."
They grinned at each other until Frost was practically screaming inside Caitlin's head.
"I guess it's time for me to go to sleep." she cupped his cheek and gave him another kiss. "Good night, Winn." she whispered.
"Good night," he whispered back.
And then Caitlin was gone, as her eyes shined the icily color of Frost's metahuman presence.
"Hello, Sweetie!" she smirked. "Time to test if this thing works."
Winn had no idea were Frost had hidden the syringe with the meta-dampener cocktail, but it was suddenly in his line of vision as Frost plunged it on her thigh. Her transformation was paused as if she had hit a button. And then it reversed, but not completely. Winn watched this new version of Frost. Cold, blue eyes but not glowing, hair grey -like silver- and her skin…her skin was pale but only slightly beyond normal.
"How do I look?" she demanded.
It was weird because that was clearly Caitlin's voice, but he could still tell that it was Frost talking because of the blunt, hard tone she always used. Frost seemed to think so too because she frowned.
"I sound like Caity."
"You sound like Caitlin." he agreed. "But you sound like you too."
"That's weird. Is that weird?"
Winn shrugged. "I could get used to it. So…does the serum work?" he nodded to her hands.
Frost eyed them carefully and then turned to him. "Can I?" she asked almost shyly.
Instead of replying, Winn made the first move and took hold of her hand. It was cold, he had to admit, but it was not freezing. Her skin was cool in a way it gets cold in the winter. And Winn could handle that. He could because it was not uncomfortable and it certainly wouldn't kill him. Unless the serum wore off -which he didn't want to think about.
"I suppose this is our answer."
A smile broke out on Frost's face. " I can touch you." she cheered and laughed.
She brought both her hands on his face and if the was possible she grinned even more. "I can touch you," she repeated. "I can kiss you right now."
"You can." he smiled at her.
An evil smirk formed on her lips. She tranced one sharp manicured finger on his bottom lip. "Maybe I will." she said suggestively. "Would you like me to?"
Winn gulped. His heart started racing like hell. There was something about Frost that made him incapable of speaking around her. Or making any kind of thought. And just like that, she let him go.
"Relax!" she laughed. "I'll be a good girl tonight. I want to deserve the good night kiss, just like Caitlin. Besides, I asked Dinah what dates are supposed to be like and she said that it's about showing the person I'm interested in my true self."
"You asked Dinah Drake for dating advice?" Winn asked not knowing if he wanted to sound bewildered or amused.
Frost made a face. "I asked Zatanna first. Her advice was to get you to my bed as fast as I can, but for some reason, I didn't think that was the right way to go."
Winn pursed his lips. "And I'm so glad you didn't listen to her." he chuckled awkwardly.
Frost shrugged again. "And I also think you'd prefer your first time to be with Caitlin."
Now Winn was confused. That was something he didn't expect Frost to say. "Why do you think that?"
"Well…" she sighed. "I've been told that I can be...wild. Caitlin is sweet; you should be with her first."
Not for the first time, Winn felt at loss of words. He felt his heart saddened for the woman in front of him. Gently, he took her face in his hands and looked deep into her fury eyes.
"You've really been unloved all your life, haven't you?" he asked rhetorically. "Listen to me, you deserve affection. You are amazing! The way your mind works, all your little quirks...it makes you so mysterious. You are like a puzzle I want to decipher." he admitted to her. "Frost, this is the whole reason behind dates. People want to solve the mysteries that are the people they are interested in. I am one of those people."
"And you want to know me?" she whispered almost in disbelief.
"Yes!" he said strongly. "Why did you think I came to this date?" he frowned.
Frost shrugged. "I thought that you agreed because you were afraid of me."
Winn resisted the urge to sigh. However, he did close his eyes for a brief second. "That's not true." he told her honestly. "You intimidate me, but so do most people. The difference is that I'm not interested in them."
"You are so sweet, Winn. Why do I like you? Usually, this kind of talk makes me want to vomit."
Winn couldn't hold it, he burst out laughing. "Lucky for me, I suppose. How do you feel about going to this date now?"
In return, Frost smirked. Seeing her classic signature Winn relaxed knowing that she was back to being her normal self. She winked at him and drove off before he could register her turning the key. After the drive, Winn promised to Jesus, Buda, Rao and all the Gods in the Universe that he was never getting in the car with Frost again. At least not while she's driving. It became clear to him that while Caitlin had her driving lessons Frost probably skipped class.
Out of all the places he had imagined his date with Frost taking place, them ending up in front of Saint and Sinners was not one of them. Winn felt a bit of dread as his stomach dropped at the neon sign hanging above the front doors.
"Are you sure this is the right place for two heroes to hang out?" he whispered to her.
It was a well-known fact that Saints and Sinners was an all-villains bar. Even the cops knew about it, but despite that fact, the place held a non-official immunity to the criminals.
"Relax!" Frost did not sweat at all at Winn's worry. "I'm buddies with most of these guys in there. Besides, I wanted to show you my true self."
If Frost's true self was hanging out with criminals then Winn was not sure if he wanted to go through with the date. But like in everything else, he didn't get much of a choice as Frost basically grabbed him and dragged him in the bar. It was needless to say that Winn felt pretty out of place. As they made their way deeper and deeper inside towards the bartender, Winn was sure that he saw Pied Piper -or rather, Hartley Rathaway- sitting all alone in a corner booth with a laptop. He also saw Mirror Master and Top flirting disgustingly on top of a table and from the corner of his eye he thought he saw a glimpse of Mick Rory having a beer. The Legend must have come back from the Waverider for a night off.
Frost nodded at the bartender, who returned the gesture easily. "Hey, Bill, get us two Deadshots."
"You got it Frost." Bill the bartender shot back.
Frost could read the question on Winn's face even with her back on him. "You know how Jitters serves Superhero beverages?" she turns to him. "Saints and Sinners serve Supervillain cocktails."
Winn shouldn't really be surprised, this was Central City after all, but he was. "So, how long have you been hanging out at Saints and Sinners?" he asked Frost as she took their drinks from Bill.
"Oh," she handed a cocktail over to him. "Ever since my early rebellious year of teaming up with Savitar." she explained. "I like the scenery and the music so I never stopped coming."
"It's just…" Winn fidgeted. "This place is full of criminals."
Frost smirked sensually and winked at him. "What can I say, I'm a bad girl." she purred.
And damn if Winn did not get aroused by that because her voice in combination with the way she looked at him -like candy- was hot-hot-hot. Winn gulped and it did not go unnoticed because a pleased expression appeared on Frost's face. He frantically looked around trying to get the blush off of his face.
"And the crowd here don't mind you? Since you are...you know?"
Frost shrugged airily. "They know not to mess with me. Most think that if they don't piss me off then the League won't hunt them down when they're just being people and not criminals. Besides, I've here for the drinks and the live music. Come here."
She caught him by the hand one more time and then they were walking again. It was then that Winn noticed the small stage that was in the bar. There was no band on it but the instruments were ready to be used. Frost brought them in the front row elbowing anyone who didn't move out of the way.
"What type of music are they performing here?"
"Anything from alternative rock to metal." she said back. "The bant that is playing tonight is one of my favorites. Local kids, lots of talent. They're called the Royal Rejects."
"I'm more of a Taylor Swift kind of guy." he shot back making Frost laugh.
As it turned out the Royal Rejects were not as bad as he had imagined. Perhaps it was the whole atmosphere around him urging him to join in the masses. Frost knew all the lyrics and made sure to shout them at the top of her lungs. She jumped up and down along with the crowd around them and moved her head to the sound of the music. Winn had never seen her happier before. It was a new look on Frost and it made her appear as if she was glowing. Winn found himself getting lured by the mood. He caught a few of the lyrics and joined in with Frost every time they came up. He was enjoying himself too. Frost turned to look at him and smiled. Winn's breath was caught in his throat. If this was a movie there would be a bright light on top of her head. And at that moment he got the urge to kiss her. And so he did. Without hesitation. Blame it on the Deadshot, but Winn Schott did not think, he just tangled his fingers in Frost's silver hair and tugged her into a passionate kiss.
