By the way, it's not that I'm rushing this story consciously, it's just that I intend it to be shorter than Sunshine, so I have to be a little more…cautious with the time.

Chapter Three – L'Château

Kim didn't even know why she'd bothered worrying. She had felt her heart skip a few beats in the car, simply because she had been used to getting no attention whatsoever from her husband, so him taking her out to dinner was a very big deal. But them eating out wasn't any more special than them eating at home. They didn't speak at all, and whenever he wasn't looking, Kim was staring at him, trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. That single, inutterable question lingered in her mind: Are you being faithful to me? Even that was strange to her, because it wasn't like there was any love in their relationship. Jacques probably felt no need to be loyal to her at all.

Of course, this made it all the more urgent that she become a hero quickly, just to find out what he'd been doing behind her back. This is just out of curiosity, of course, she told herself.

The week wore on, and Kim became very familiar with L'Château, as they dined there every night. She kept thinking that she had heard the word L'Château before, and that it was very important somehow, but couldn't place where she remembered it from. Jacques kept putting off the rebuilding of the kitchen, and Kim spent her days with the NSA trainer, learning basic combat skills. Two people, both leading double lives, and one marriage, being torn in half because of it.

--

"It's…it's beautiful!" Kim was surprised at the supersuit Edna had cranked out. It was completely white, except for the red collar and boots. The white was more of a pearly color, though, and shined with an otherworldly sheen. "Probably costs a fortune, too."

"Yes, well, I'll let you pay the $100 in installments, since there's a problem with…your husband. Why aren't you telling him?" Edna looked very mischievous.

"I…well…" Kim didn't exactly want to explain her reasons.

"Are you trying to spy on him, perhaps?" Edna asked, doodling circles onto a notepad. Kim flushed, embarrassed that she had been found out. Becoming a hero to spy on one's husband wasn't exactly a pure reason. "You know…" Kim looked up. "No matter what the others say, you should believe in your husband."

Clearly, Edna didn't know the state of their relationship. "But—"

"Shut up and listen to me, darling!" Edna yelled at her. Kim meekly closed her mouth. She wasn't used to dealing with such powerful people. "They know nothing about him. He has reasons for what he does!"

"What…does he do?" Kim asked hesitantly.

Edna smiled a knowing, world-weary smile. "Why don't you find that out for yourself, darling?"

--

It had been almost two months since the first time Jacques had taken her to L'Château. Kim had finished off her combat training within five weeks of starting the course, but for the week she had started officially accepting "hero work", the villains had been strangely tame. Either that, or the other supers had been snatching them up before she had a chance. Kim didn't mind too much, as she wasn't exactly looking to be a hero. Things like being super-confident in her powers, or really wanting to help others—Kim didn't really have those.

It was mid-April, and Kim was enjoying the cool spring weather while it lasted. Up ahead, she saw where a downed tree had knocked over a power line, and ran over to see if anyone had been hurt. There was a tricycle next to the tree, and Kim sped up, fearing the worst. As she approached, she saw that the kid's leg was underneath the tree trunk.

"It's all right now," she told the girl, who was crying. "I'll get you out of this mess."

The girl looked up at Kim, confused. She had never seen this super before, and was unfamiliar with her. "Who are you? Can you get Mr. Incredible? He's strong!" she babbled.

Kim smiled knowingly, not offended in the least. "I'm Stormicide. Don't worry, I'll help you out." She took out a super-knife and carefully sliced the tree trunk in two places around the leg. Grateful that she had had some weight training, Kim took a deep breath, and pulled the piece of the tree trunk off of the girl's leg. There was a deep gash from the tree bark, and Kim winced. It would probably leave a rather large scar.

"Hey, is everything OK over there?" she turned and saw a super in a purple and red outfit race towards her. Kim quickly searched her mental inventories for a name. She had spent time studying all the Metroville supers' names, faces, and powers just days before.

"Ah…Downburst! Yeah, a tree crushed her, but I got her out all right. She's rather injured, though. If I understand right, that's your area of expertise, isn't it?" she grinned, talking smoothly to gain the other super's favor.

Downburst smiled sheepishly. "Yeah…that and making bicycles." He muttered the latter. Kim moved aside to let Downburst examine the girl's leg. "You're going to be all right now." He reassured her. Downburst moved his hands over the wound, and Kim watched in rapture as the skin started re-arranging itself. Within moments, the leg looked fine and there was no wound to speak of. After looking at it a big more, Downburst stood up. "It doesn't look like she has any broken bones. You might want to walk her to her house, just to tell her parents what happened."

"Shouldn't you come along?" Kim asked, helping the girl to her feet. Downburst had helped a lot, and if she went by herself, it seemed a bit like taking credit from him.

"Nah, that's all right. You helped her, I just…finished things off for you," He smiled broadly. "Do tell me your name, though. I don't think I've ever seen you before."

Kim shook his hand warmly. "I'm Stormicide."

"Stormicide," he repeated her name a few times. "Well, it's very nice to meet you."

As he walked away, Kim had to smile and wonder why all men couldn't be so polite and gracious. She helped the little girl to her feet, and picked up the tricycle, putting it under an arm. "Can I hold your hand?" the little girl asked meekly, looking at Kim in awe. Beaming, Kim nodded, and the two walked the short distance to the girl's house. Kim quickly explained to the girl's parents what had happened, and remembered to mention that Downburst had healed her wound. The girl's mother couldn't thank her enough, and forced Kim into the house for some cookies and punch before letting her leave.

Even though she had only entered the hero business for her husband, she felt happy inside at having done a good deed. On her way home, she called the police to tell them about the downed power line, and they thanked her, too. Nothing could have made the day better.

"You new around these parts?"

Kim froze. It was nearly seven o'clock and the sun had partially set, giving everything in its jurisdiction an orange tint. She turned slightly, and the sun behind her caught her hair, and the wind blew it, mussing it up. Breathing in deeply, Kim remembered that this was what she had started hero work to do. She had to look confident, or he'd recognize her as his meek, obedient wife in a heartbeat. Kim put one hand on her hip, and whirled around, looking at Gamma Jack face to face for the first time. She smiled, trying to look as seductive as possible. "You could say that." She answered.

"Been a hero long?" Jack asked, walking up to her. He seemed so much taller in uniform…nearly half a foot taller than her.

"I'm from New York," she said slowly. This, at least, wasn't a lie. She had lived there until she married him and moved to Metroville three years ago.

"Ooh, are all the girls up there as pretty as you?" he smirked, now just a foot away from her. Kim kept up her smile, but in her mind she was screaming. Does he know? Does he flirt this obviously with ALL the girls?

Kim forced herself further, to just take it for a little longer. She took a baby step towards him and ran her hand along his collarbone. "I don't know. Are all the guys in Metroville going to hit on me like you do?" She begged him mentally to not see her hand quivering.

To her surprise, he took a step back. "What…what's your favorite restaurant?" he suddenly burst out. Dumbfounded, Kim wondered if she had made him uncomfortable, or if he simply had wanted to change the subject. Neither prospect was too comforting, but at least she knew Jack hadn't recognized her yet. If he had, he would've said so, carted her home over one shoulder, and given her an angry lecture on a woman's place.

"Why does it matter?" she furrowed her brow in frustration. Then " …I don't know. I haven't been here long enough, I guess. What's yours?" she replied, her words coming out a bit more quickly than she would have liked.

"L'Château." He replied earnestly, turning away from her and looking up at the sky.

Kim suddenly remembered something about that word. There was a French song that Jacques had sung her often before their marriage. He had been sweet then, almost indulgent. She had been forced to learn the song, and some French, on account of his parents being very strict about Jacques's wife. ("Damned Americans! French is the language of the gods—English, of heathens!" they had told her many a time.) He was actually a pretty good singer, too, and she remembered hating having to sing the song for him, because she thought her singing was terrible. "No no, Kim." He'd said reassuringly. "I like your singing. Adore it, actually. You sound like the wind."

By impulse, she opened her mouth and the song flowed out, unwavering and yet mixed with confidence and insecurity both. "Le château est dans le ciel. Le bateau est sur l'eau. Les oiseaux volent. Les poissons nagent. Et vous êtes ici avec moi." The castle is in the sky. The boat is on the water. The birds are flying. The fish are swimming. And you are here with me. Kim was surprised at how different she sounded. Jack was giving her a look of pure curiosity.

"Who are you?" he asked incredulously, having turned back towards her during her song. His head was tilted slightly, and he was gazing at her with…some feeling she couldn't possibly recognize.

Kim took a step backwards, away from him. "I'm Stormicide." She told him shortly, as she had told Downburst, and then she turned on her heel and ran home. He didn't come after her, she assumed he had more hero work because he usually didn't come home for another hour or two, and when she reached the house, she changed into one of her housewife dresses, hid the supersuit, and cried into her pillow for nearly an hour.