On the 16th day of the hero's 16th year

For one single precious held most dear

By the shade of evil with time in his hands

Choices will be made to determine who stands

The hidden hero will be proclaimed

After a fall leaves him heavily maimed

The day's weather will be fought

By winter, summer, and storms a lot

The land of choice is the original spot

Where she died and now lives reborn

In the world of the original's form

The Road to Happiness, The Long One

A/N: Sorry this is a bit longer, but I'm trying to make the chapters a bit longer. Please review!

Characters: Cal (Your "average" mysterious male), Mason (Cal's best and most trustworthy buddy), Kara Danvers (Kara Zor-El, AKA Supergirl), Jason (Kara's Ex), Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Clark Kent (Superman), Lois Lane (Superman's wife), Batman, Bartholomew, Karen (Power-Girl) and more that aren't quite ready to be presented yet. (Lots of characters are Out of Character (OOC).)

Chapter 18: Day 6/16

*Ring Ring Ring*

Cal answered Kara's call. Kara's frantic voice made Cal worry.

"Cal! You need to run and hide NOW!" Kara said. "Cal, look, you don't have time for me to explain. You need to run and get away from your home now! My older sister, Karen, came back from, uh, college, and she's kinda… overprotective. She coming at you because she thinks—" Kara's phone cut out. Mason's face showed a look of worry. Cal looked his phone, noticing the call ended. He tried calling Kara back, but there wasn't even a ring. He sighed and put his phone away.

"What was that?" Mason asked. Cal shot him a look.

"Kara just told me that her sister, Karen, AKA Power-Girl, is after me…" Cal explained. "Her phone cut out and now I'm starting to worry…" Mason looked at him.

"So… Where are we running to?" Mason asked. Cal shot him a look.

"We?" Cal asked. Mason nodded. Cal shook his head. "I'm going to 'run' alone. By 'run' I mean make my way to a park and hide out there till I get an 'okay' from Kara or you. Your job is to keep tabs on Power-Girl and Supergirl, NOT Kara and Karen!" Mason nodded in understanding.

"Why 'run'? Why not run for real?" Mason asked. Cal sighed.

"If I run for real and professionally, it'll be one step closer to being able to ID me as Walter…" Cal explained.

"You're WAY too paranoid!" Mason protested. Cal shrugged.

"Maybe, but better safe than sorry," Cal said. He packed a few clothes in his backpack. He took off down the stairs, running into Miss Charlemagne.

"Hey Miss Charlemagne, Can I go to a friend's house tonight?" Cal asked. Miss Charlemagne sighed.

"Yes, Callum, you can go to a friend's house tonight, but first, is she a girl?" Miss Charlemagne asked. Cal chuckled and shook his head. "You wouldn't lie to me would you?" Cal shook his head again.

"Never," Cal said. Miss Charlemagne smiled. She patted him on the back.

"Okay then, have fun and be back by tomorrow night!" she called out. Cal nodded and left.

-Break-

Cal made his way through the park. He felt an odd sense of danger while he walked, but for Cal, it was a familiar feeling. Cal noticed the pattering of rain and 3 sets of footsteps behind him. He smiled to himself as he turned down an alley, both a short cut and a quiet place to subdue 3 attackers. Cal ignored the feeling to check the people behind him, an urge that most people feel. He knew that glancing behind him would either tip off the pursuers and they leave him alone, or they move in quicker before he could run or call 911. 'I'd rather take them out for the time being, maybe they learn not to mug people, have a change of heart.' Cal thought to himself. He got about halfway down the alley when he heard the leader call out.

"Hey, kid!" the leader called out. Cal stopped and turned around quickly. They quickly surrounded him and each pulled out guns.

'Great,' Cal thought to himself. 'All of them have guns…' The leader motioned with his gun to toss him the bag. Instead, Cal dropped the bag.

"Give me the bag! And empty your pockets!" the leader barked. Cal picked the bag up and tossed it at the leader. Cal grabbed each of the men next to him by their gun hand and threw them together. They dropped their guns and Cal kicked one in the leg, breaking it. Cal felt bad, but he understood it was for others' safety. He slammed the other thug in the head with his fist and both thugs were out. The leader trained his gun on Cal. "Nice moves, but I have the gun. Give me your stuff nice and easy." Cal smiled, and the leader's gun became slightly unsteady. "No tricks! Give me your stuff!" Cal pulled his wallet from his pocket, slowly, with his index and middle fingers. The leader grinned and motioned for Cal to give him the wallet. Cal tilted his head, grinned, and tossed the wallet at the leader. The leader fired off a shot, but it was wild and missed by about a foot. Cal swiftly and instantly moved to the side, avoiding the gunfire, and kicking off the alley wall. Cal momentarily flew through the air and landed a single, solid punch on the leader's face. The leader dropped the gun and stumbled back, but didn't go down. The man quickly pulled out a switchblade. Cal shook his head slightly and the man lunged at him. Cal quickly moved to the side, catching the man's knife arm and swinging around. The man slammed into the wall, and Cal quickly wrenched the knife from him. The man swung his left arm widely at Cal, but Cal caught it and broke his arm. The man yelled and pushed Cal off of him. Cal stumbled back and the man quickly picked up the gun and pointed it at Cal. Cal raised his arms, feinting defeat. The man smiled and fired.

*Bang*

Cal swiftly dodged the bullet and pushed off the alley wall, landing behind the leader. Cal swept the leg and the man went down next to his comrades. Cal got on top of him and pummeled him repeatedly. Once the man was unconscious, Cal quickly dialed 911 and gave brief details. Cal packed up, noticing the men had a bag that was clearly not theirs taking it with him, and ran away. Once he reached the park, Cal noticed a stinging pain in his arm. He glanced down and saw a bullet was lodged in his arm. Cal winced and dug through his backpack. He pulled out his emergency stitching and bullet-removal equipment. He took off his shirt and braced himself, digging the tweezers into his arm, pulling out the bullet. He winced and pulled out the bullet, throwing it to the ground. He then used the stitching equipment to stitch the wound, wincing with each and every stitch. Finally, he tied it off and sighed. He put his shirt back on and looked around for a place to sleep. He checked his phone for another call from Kara, but nothing. He glanced around and called Kara. The phone rang a few times, but Kara answered.

"Kara! Are you okay? Your phone cut out!" Cal said, worried.

"Hey! Yeah, I'm good. Sorry about that, my phone died. I was just about to call you," Kara explained. Cal sighed.

"Okay, you're okay, good… good," Cal said. He noticed a strange look from a hooded bystander. He picked up his stuff and started moving.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but you need to leave and hide out somewhere, a friend's house won't cut it. You need to hide!" Kara said. "I'll explain everything after this all blows over!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm already gone," Cal said. "Am I allowed to tell you where or…?" Kara breathed a sigh of relief.

"I suppose it's best if you don't tell me, but Cal…" Kara paused. "I love you and I promise to explain everything when this all blows over."

"I love you too Kara, and I'm sure you will. Goodnight," Cal responded. Kara smiled to herself.

"Goodnight Cal, sweet dreams," Kara said. She ended the call and Cal stood silently for a moment, cherishing Kara's voice.

Cal made his way to the center of the park, finding a secluded tree. Cal glanced around and climbed up, making himself comfortable in the tree's branches. Cal sighed and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, Cal heard a voice below him muttering some sort of prayer.

"Holy Father, forgive the men who mugged me. They did not know what they were doing. Father forgive them," the man muttered. Cal raised his eyebrows and glanced down.

"Did you lose a bag by any chance?" Cal asked the man below him. The man jumped up, startled. He touched his head, chest, and each shoulder, the sign of the cross. Cal grabbed the bag he had recovered and jumped down from the tree. Cal held up the bag in question and the man nodded. Cal tossed him the bag, and the man quickly dug through it, looking for something. Cal began climbing the tree again, but the man stopped him.

"Wait! I must thank you!" the man said. He handed Cal a small roll of bills. "It's all I have, take it, please!" Cal shook his head and pushed the money back into the man's hands, clasping them around the man's hands.

"No, you probably need it more than me. Keep it," Cal said. The man shook his head.

"No, you take it. The Lord will provide," the man said. Cal shook his head again.

"Well, the Lord is providing you this money back from me," Cal said. The man sighed.

"Look, you're what, 16? And you're out here? You need it more than me," the man said.

"I'm only out here because someone told me I needed to hide, and they didn't explain any further," Cal explained. "And if God DIDN'T want you to have it, I wouldn't have… recovered it and come across you…" The man sighed.

"You have a point," the man said. "I guess I'll keep this, but I cannot thank you enough. I never thought I'd see this picture again." He produced a clearly worn photo of a small girl, probably his daughter. "She's 7 now, her name's Christy. I haven't seen her in almost 6 years now." Cal sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"She likes the beach doesn't she?" Cal deduced. He recalled the single mother and her daughters, 7-year-old Christy and 5-year-old Veronica. He noticed he only had a picture of Christy, and not Veronica. He figured almost 6 years ago Veronica must have just been conceived. It seemed like weeks ago after his training that Cal had seen those two during his date day with Kara. The man looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" the man asked. Cal sighed.

"First, what's your name and why aren't you with your family?" Cal asked. The man sighed and slumped to the ground.

"My name is Peter, and my family… Well, I was placed in prison for 5 years for attempted murder. Inside I found Christ, but my wife also filed for divorce. I had no choice but to sign the papers. I just got out, but there was no one waiting for me… So here I pretty much am, the Lord providing for me," the man explained. "My wife said she didn't want her daughter growing up with an attempted murderer for a father. That was before I found Christ…" Cal sighed and sat next to him.

"You know, I think maybe, just maybe, your family will give you another chance. It will take a lot of work and dedication, but if God wants you to see and be with your family, I'm sure you will be," Cal comforted. "I'm pretty sure I met your family the other day, but I think you may be surprised when you see them." Peter looked at him, confused. Cal shook his head. "I won't spoil it for you. Go now, see your family, do your best to make amends." Peter looked at him happily.

"You really think I should?" Peter asked. Cal nodded. Peter smiled and got up. Cal followed and Peter shook his hands eagerly. Peter grabbed his bag and rushed off. Cal sighed and got back up into the tree, snuggling up into the branches. He wished Peter good luck and closed his eyes again.

'At least that guy's got something to hope for when he dies. All that Jesus and God crap gives you that false hope. No way one all-powerful being would let his creation be this terrible…' Cal thought. He sighed and readjusted himself. 'At least not without a good, not a GREAT reason…'

-Break-

Cal opened his eyes to the morning sun finding its way through the leaves and onto his eyes. Cal yawned and stretched. He squinted at the bright morning sun and made his way down the tree, ignoring the odd looks nearby bystanders sent his way. He started walking, looking for breakfast from a nearby vendor or coffee shop. Cal wasn't one to drink coffee, but he knew there was always at least a decent muffin in the shops. His phone buzzed and he glanced at it. A message from Kara. Cal smiled to himself and unlocked his phone, eager to talk to Kara.

Kara: Good morning Cal! :)

Cal: Good morning sunshine! :)

Kara: You have a good night's sleep?

C: As best as can be expected. You?

K: I couldn't sleep, worried about you ;)

C: Aww, you don't need to worry. I'm fine.

K: I don't think you're in the clear yet, so I'm still worried.

C: Well, I already miss you. I hope this blows over quickly.

K: I miss you too. I can't wait to see you again, already feels like it's been weeks. :'(

C: Wow, you're right. It does feel like it's been weeks. You sure we can't meet somewhere, even discreetly?

K: No Cal, I don't think it would be safe.

C: Come on, aren't you at least a little tempted? ;)

K: Yes, but I know it's not safe for you

C: You never did explain why I'm in so much danger…

K: And I will, but not yet

C: Please?! :(

K: Not yet, be patient

C: Okay,

C: I still love you though!

K: I would hope so; I still love you too!

C: Wow, this is cheesier than in the movies lol.

K: lol, I like cheesy with us

C: I can't say I mind it either…

C: In addition to the cheesiness, I'm going to kiss you so hard

K: Not if I kiss your first

K: *you

C: lol, I think we both know who will kiss who first

K: As much as I would like to continue debating how I am going to kiss you first, I have to go, Clark wants us to have family time playing board games.

C: Alright, sounds better than what I'm stuck with doing. Have fun! Goodbye

K: Goodbye

Cal sighed happily as he put his phone away. He glanced at the coffee shop nearby and stood up to go get a muffin. As he was crossing the street, a white blur swooped him up and carried him into the sky. Cal realized that Power-Girl was carrying him and a bit too high into the sky. Cal panicked and tried to escape her arms, but she threw him instead. As Cal spiraled towards the ground, he decided against using his powers.

'This must have been the reason Kara had me run…' Cal thought. He tried to think of the possible solutions to his problems. Unfortunately, Cal hit the ground first.

"AHHH!" Cal yelled. Power-Girl appeared next to him and picked him up. Cal had managed to land in a clearing, with no bystanders anywhere near them. Power-Girl growled at Cal.

"You think you can take advantage of innocent girls?!" Power-Girl yelled. She threw Cal across the clearing, and Cal slammed into a tree with the wind knocked out of him. Power-Girl zipped next to him and grabbed him again, throwing him into the sky. She flew up, punching and kicking Cal. Cal decided to roll with the punches and hope for the best. Power-Girl slammed Cal into the ground and Cal felt one of his ribs give way.

"Nothing to say?" Power-Girl spat. She kicked Cal, who was still on the ground. "I guess taking advantage of people tires you out!" She kicked Cal again, sending him into a nearby tree again. "I'll kill you!" She made her way to Cal, who was struggling to get to his feet. She kicked him one last time and picked him up by the throat. She began choking Cal, who struggled to breathe. "I'll make sure you never hurt my sister again!" Cal realized that Power-Girl was Karen, who was now officially Kara's sister. He also realized that Karen thought he was taking advantage of Kara because he saved her. Cal would have sighed in frustration if he could breathe. By now, his face was turning purple and his vision was starting to fade.

"I... would never… take… advantage… of… anyone…" Cal choked out. He thought that might give him a little breathing room, literally, but Power-Girl just squeezed his throat harder. Cal was not a deep, vibrant purple and his vision was nearly black, but his lungs managed to gasp for air when another, blue and red blur crashed into Power-Girl, knocking Cal to safety. Cal gasped for air as he witnessed Supergirl and Power-Girl fight in front of him. 'Crap, now I have to feint innocence for Kara… Or tell her the truth… No, the truth could set her in danger… But I hate lying to her, pretending for her sake… It hurts me… I'm going to hell for lying to her about this… But she can't know… Not yet…' Cal thought, wincing in pain. "K-Kara?" Cal asked aloud. Kara, AKA Supergirl, glanced back at Cal, pausing her fighting with her sister, Power-Girl.

"Hold on Cal, I told you I'd explain everything, but not yet," Supergirl called back. Power-Girl swung a punch, but Supergirl caught it and spun her arm, ending with Power-Girl's arm ready to be dislocated. "Power-Girl, just listen. Cal is a good person and I won't let you hurt him!" Power-Girl growled, but didn't fight back.

"You don't know what you're thinking, saving him and revealing your identity to him! He is just using you!" Power-Girl protested. Supergirl sighed.

"He's not using me!" Supergirl yelled. "He would never do anything to hurt me!" She let go of Power-Girl's arm and went over to Cal, who was bleeding profusely, bruises were starting to form all over Cal. Supergirl helped him up, leaning him against a tree. "Cal, look, I'm sorry I lied to you. I wish it could have been different, but yeah, I'm Supergirl. I guess you never really needed to save me…" Cal laughed lightly at the last part, but his laugh turned into coughing blood, and Kara looked him over, x-raying his wounds, concerned.

"I guess I never did need to save you…" Cal said. "But don't feel bad about lying to me, it was for the best…" Cal coughed a bit more again, wiping the blood from his mouth. "I still love you though…" Kara smiled.

"I still love you too," Kara said, leaning in and kissing him passionately. "And I told you I was going to kiss you first…" Cal chuckled lightly, a twinkling glint in his hazel eyes.

"I guess you're right," Cal said. He glanced at Karen. "Why was she trying to kill me? I don't really remember…" Karen glared at Cal.

"Don't think I still won't!" Karen threatened. Kara glared at her.

"Karen, look, he's not taking advantage me, and I won't let you kill him!" Kara said. "I don't care what you think!" Karen glared at Kara for a second and raised her hands in defeat.

"Fine, I'll back off, but the minute he hurts you don't come running to me for comfort, and don't say I didn't warn you!" Karen said. She flew off. Kara turned back towards Cal.

"Cal, I'm sorry, but I hope you understand that I couldn't tell you about me being Supergirl…" Kara said. Cal nodded.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, I would be just as secretive about this if I were you…" Cal said. He hugged Kara weakly, wincing. "If anything, I should be sorry about making you go through all this, telling me about your secret…" Kara frowned at him.

"No Cal, no. It's because of me that you're now broken and bleeding. Man, she really did a number on you… and you have so many improperly healed fractures… Let's get you help," Kara said.

"Normally I'd say 'no', but I am not really in any position to move or argue," Cal said. "And Kara, I think maybe Karen is just a bit over protective, don't hold it against her." Kara picked him up gently and sighed.

"Cal, just because she was trying to protect me is no excuse to beat the living hell out of you and almost kill you," Kara said. Cal opened his mouth to protest, but Kara cut him off. "And don't even try to defend her, I won't be forgiving her for this anytime soon if at all." Cal coughed again.

"Kara, I'm just saying that you can't choose your family. Karen is just a little… dedicated to protecting you… Don't hold that against her…" Cal pointed out. Kara sighed and pressed a button on her belt. It continuously flashed.

"I don't hold her protectiveness against her; I just hold what she did to you against her. That's not going to be easy to forgive," Kara said. She noticed Cal open his mouth to protest again, but she spoke. "I'll try, I promise!" Cal smiled and nodded. The button on Kara's belt stopped flashing and suddenly they were in the Watchtower. Kara ignored the odd looks the other Leaguer's sent her and Cal's way. She made her way to the hospital section of the Watchtower. She put him on the bed. "I'll go find a doctor for you, stay put!" Kara left the room, almost running into Batman.

"Why… is… he… here?!" Batman whispered menacingly. "You can't just bring civilians here and let them use the hospital! I don't care if he's your boyfriend!" Kara cowered slightly, scared.

"Karen beat up Cal, he's near death if what I saw internally is right… No normal hospital is going to be able to save him and I don't want anyone to have to explain why Supergirl is bringing him in," Kara quickly said. "He needs help, but I didn't say anything because I don't want him to worry, but… yeah, he's nearly dead…" Kara gave Batman puppy eyes. Batman sighed.

"Fine, but this never happens again, you understand?!" Batman asked. Kara nodded. "Alright, go find Zatanna, I'll see how much I can help when she gets here." Kara nodded and sped off, looking for Zatanna. Batman entered Cal's room. Cal gasped lightly and coughed blood. He wiped his mouth and chin.

"I'm going to die, aren't I…?" Cal asked, ignoring the odd sense of fear at the sight of Batman during the day. Batman nodded lightly. "It wouldn't be the first time…" Cal muttered. Batman raised an eyebrow, which was barely noticeable with his mask, but Cal noticed. "I almost got blown up in a car accident, I apparently died several times, for a minute or so each. All I remember is some sort of vision. I was in prison, and I could stay forever or escape. I don't remember escaping, but… I DO remember a sense of dread when I did…" Batman looked at him.

"That's it? No white light? No mysterious voice or figure?" Batman asked. Cal chuckled, which turned into a blood filled cough. Cal wiped the blood away and stared him straight in the eyes.

"Some people aren't lucky enough to see something life changing I guess…" Cal said. Batman chuckled.

"You live through 2 life threatening things and you complain about having no luck?" Batman asked. Cal shook his head.

"I just think that I've I'm going to have the luck to live, I might as well get the luck of having a cool death vision…" Cal said. Batman shook his head, smirking. "I thought you were the Batman, you're never supposed to smile…" Batman chuckled again.

"Something about you makes me a bit more giddy than usual, let's not over step here," Batman said. Cal laughed, but his voice gave out and he was sent into a coughing fit. Blood soaked his clothes, and Batman made his way next to him. Cal finished coughing and spoke.

"Look," Cal said, grabbing Batman's arm, "if I don't make it, tell Kara I love her and I'm sorry for breaking my promise… for not coming back…" Cal's eye's glazed over and he slumped, Batman barely catching him. The electronic monitoring system detected a flat-lining heart and began sending alarms throughout the Watchtower. Batman checked Cal's pulse and began chest compressions, but a few moments later, Zatanna and a few specially designated civilian doctors rushed in. Batman held Kara back as she began crying, trying to get to Cal…