"I can take that, Jim," Aegis said, as Jim pulled his swing and just knocked Aegis across the room.

"What if I was the Siberian, or a parahuman who can disrupt your ability?" Jim shook his head. "You trust too much in the idea that you're able to come back from any kind of attack." He looked around. "Rule one!"

Aegis, Dennis and Missy all rolled their eyes. "Always be afraid."

"Right," Jim said. "Since it's my turn to handle the drills, we're going to play rabbit. Missy against all of us, and you have to play keep away for five minutes."

"Wait, Missy who can make space her bitch?" Dennis asked.

"Afraid of the little girl?" Missy asked with a grin.

"Afraid of the nightmares seeing what you do to the laws of space will conjure." Dennis said.

"Well, since you're the one who has to touch her in part two…" Jim grinned. "I hope you can deal. Let's go!"

Colin watched them from the observation deck.

"I'm surprised you're not in your lab." Dragon's voice sounded in his ear. He could see her on his hud, while she could see what he was looking at from his own cameras.

"Evaluating the Wards drills is an important part of my duties."

"And?"

"Trollhunter is an effective trainer. I've received compliments from the PRT staff, and the Wards appear more serious than they have been." Colin frowned. "Although I wonder if he is wasting some of his own time…"

"Short of you, Colin, I don't think there's anyone else here as skilled as he is in close combat," Dragon said.

Colin nodded. He's faster and stronger… He'd beaten Dauntless, and Colin couldn't resist feeling some pride that he was the one member of the local Protectorate that James Lake couldn't beat.

"And Vista?"

"Her attitude has improved. According to her social worker, so have some of her grades, although it is too soon to tell if the improvement is permanent. As for Trollhunter, he will be an excellent team leader, especially with Shadowdancer." Colin frowned. He couldn't help but feel a tiny coil of jealousy. James Lake got along with people in a way that Colin couldn't even begin to match. Colin's PR persona was carefully crafted, especially in order to make up for his social deficiencies…

Trollhunter just fell into it naturally. His awkward and stuttering news conference after Lung's capture, where he'd gone off script to remind people that it had been the Asians of the Bay who had felt Lung's boot upon their necks the most…

Had gone over well. Very well.

And yet for all of that, he listened. His comment to Aegis was one that few Parahumans, especially young ones, realized—that a power was only the start, not the end. When he'd been working to restore his body after his near-death at the hands of Lung, he'd never once complained, no matter how many times Colin had knocked him down, just got up and nodded, ready to go again.

It had been one of the few times that Colin had been the one telling someone that they needed to rest.

They hoped to return, but if they couldn't… Armsmaster was a well known figure in the Protectorate. He might be able to use that influence to ensure that Claire and Jim weren't shuffled off to some minor post because they needed "seasoning". They had all of that—in spades.

"Let's get back to my predictive software," he said. "We're about a month out from the window for the next Endbringer attack and since it's going to be Leviathan…"

"The Bay is at higher risk." Dragon paused. "Agreed. I have some ideas…"

With that, Colin turned and left the sounds of focused laughter in the gym below.

"Taylor…" Claire frowned. "She sent me an email, about Onna-Bugeisha."

Jim paused and looked up at his girlfriend. It was late, Blinky had gone to bed or likely gone back to PHO for his debate with Void Cowboy… Jim didn't know who he should pity more.

"She found her?"

"Maybe. But she wants to know if we can show up—out of uniform."

"Wait, out of uni—" Jim paused. "Why?"

"We're less threatening?" Claire shook her head. "I don't know. But…" She sighed. "Onna-Bugeisha's pulled her horns in. Only a few attacks, and they…"

"Almost killing those kids freaked her out," Jim nodded. "I was thinking of asking Dinah, but…"

"But it seems like everyone only talks to her so they can ask her questions," Claire nodded. "And since they decided not to move her…"

Jim glared for a moment. Everyone wants the little girl who can tell the future, but nobody wants the Butcher. Every other PRT district was worried that if she died, one of their capes would be Butchered. One plan, to actually set her up in a 'special care facility' ten miles outside of Flagstaff had seen the rare event of Piggot, Armsmaster, both Youth Guard reps and Dinah's family telling them where they could stick that proposal. So for now, Dinah was here, even allowed to meet with some of her childhood friends… Those whose parents wanted their kids to meet with the new Butcher…

"Don't worry, Jim," Dinah had said when Jim had caught her crying. "Ninety percent chance it gets better."

"But she didn't say how much or when," Jim muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm going to try to convince the PRT to see if we can get Dinah over here when Missy is here next…"

"That'd be great." Claire frowned. "So, I'll let Taylor know we can come out, for a casual meeting."

"No need to tell Director Piggot. We're just going to go out and see a friend."

"Yep." Claire paused. "Jim, um…" She stopped. "I mean, maybe we could talk about something…"

"What?" Jim stared.

"It's um…" Claire bit her lip. "I am doing this so badly. You know how you almost got killed by Gunmar, and I almost got killed by Morganna, and then we went to New Jersey?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I sort of had a talk with Mom, and um, ah, she… sortofgavemepermission…" Claire's voice trailed off and she handed Jim a folded, dirty piece of paper.

Permission? What? Jim unfolded it. All it was was a prescription for…

Oral contraceptives.

Jim put the paper back down.

That was a thing.

"I, um, your mom, I mean, maybe it was for health, she sort of, didn't you know, like me, I mean Ophelia—" Jim closed his mouth.

"Mom actually thought you were a bit of a dork, and half the time opened your mouth and inserted your foot, and got me in all kinds of trouble and…" Claire paused. "Was the kind of man who would march into hell for his loved ones, because that's what you did." She smiled. "Her words." She took a breath. "When we were getting ready to leave, she gave me this. Told me that if we were old enough to fight, old enough to die… maybe we were old enough to decide who we loved and how we'd love them…" She giggled, her eyes suspiciously bright. "But she also said that, take it from her, having your first at 18 could be a little challenging."

Jim didn't say anything. Ophelia was younger than Mom, and well, there was that big age gap between Claire and Enrique.

"That's um…" Jim hated the way his voice squeaked. "Nice, I mean, it's not like you can do that here, but it was nice that she trus—"

"I learned the spell this morning and Merlin watched me cast it. He said I got it right."

Jim's thoughts packed up and ran for the horizon with a trail of smoke and sounds of running feet.

Claire stared at him. "I—did…Oh, I screwed this up, didn't I—"

"No!" Jim said. "I…" What if we go and then it ends up with you hating me or realizing that I'm just a monster, whatever people say, I mean I have…

"You're not."

"What?"

"Not a monster, James Lake Jr." Claire said. "I know that look. If you were a monster would so many people trust you? They feared Lung, but they come out to see you… And you're not a monster to me. You're…" She turned red. "The person I'd want to spend my life with."

Jim stared at her. She was beautiful but more… She was Claire. She'd had his back… They'd fought together and almost died together.

"They'd say we're not old enough to make this decision…" Jim said slowly. "But we're old enough to make every other decision…"

"Yeah…"

"Are, um, you certain? I mean, what if…"

"Missy opens the door? Gunmar appears? Ms. Days finds out and has a heart attack?"

"You realize I'm… not… good, I mean, handsome, I mean when I'm—" Jim closed his mouth. Nope, not going to go there. He didn't want to see if he could spontaneously combust.

"Jim…" Claire said. "We spent a long time on the road, remember? I sort of…" She did a little head motion. "Peeked a couple of times. You're…"

Right, sorry Director Piggot, cause of death, unexpected spontaneous combustion.

"Um, yeah—"

"And you didn't?"

"Not on purpo—can I change that sentence?"

"Not… on purpose?" Claire giggled. "How do you peek accidentally?"

"I… was coming back with food and didn't realize the pond…" Jim started humming, looking anywhere but Claire "Okay, Hookwolf if you want to intervene in this conversation, you can break through the door any time…"

"Comparing me to Hookwolf?" Claire asked.

"No, I mean, not-ye—" Jim stared at Claire and Claire stared back at him before she started giggling. Jim joined in.

"You're almost as red as I am. Thinking of Hookwolf in a dress?" Claire said through her giggles.

Now Jim was laughing, alongside her. It really wasn't that funny, but it was funny and it…

But now they were lying side by side. "So…" Jim said. "What now?" He knew what he wanted, but not what they needed, and why wasn't there a book for this, because all the movies had the two people just pull their clothes off and either fade to black or get the slow music running, depending on the rating. They never turned red and had no idea what to say.

"Maybe…" Claire quietly said as she gestured and the door shut. "Maybe we just start and find out on the way." She kissed Jim, and Jim returned the kiss.

He smiled. "I can go for that."

And after that, not much else was said.