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: Please review! Let me know in a private message if you'd like to suggest any ideas towards the story and I'd make sure you get a shout out for your credit.
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), but I try my absolute best to make it as close as I can with the story.)
Chapter 23: Day 8/16, Monday—Kara's mind
"You ready?" Cal asked. Kara nodded eagerly. He took her hand and they quickly walked to the ramp. They jumped off together…
Kara beamed as the wind rapidly flowed through her hair. She aerially rolled over Cal and 'whooped'. Cal grinned as he tackled Kara. He put his forehead on hers and they hugged; the freefall making Kara giddy. They broke and Kara rolled some more. Cal flipped around a bit.
"I'll race you down!" Kara said, flattening herself and diving down.
"You're on!" Cal responded, tightening into a thin ball and cometing down to the ground. He passed Kara and extended his arms, gliding slightly. Kara tackled him and held his arms down. They plummeted together, but Cal opened his legs and they slowed down slightly. Kara grunted and tried to wrestle Cal's legs together, but she lost focus on Cal's arms and Cal rolled and held Kara's arms and legs down. Kara whined and tried to break free, but with no avail.
"No fair!" Kara said. "You can't flip it on me!" Cal laughed. He let go completely and their suits changed to the gliding stage. They floated around, halfheartedly avoiding each other as well as half trying to knock into each other. She dived down, picking up speed, and quickly opened, circling around in a circle. Cal closed and rolled himself just above Kara. They glided together for a while and Kara closed her eyes to take in the moment. Suddenly, Kara's head began thumping so hard it was hurting. She cried out in pain and everything went fuzzy. She remembered Cal catching her and their skysuit landing protocol activating. When they landed on the specially designed landing zone, Cal set her down gently and hovered over her.
"Kara? Kara! Kara, can you hear me?" Cal asked, his voice distorted. She frowned, confused and in pain, but squeezed Cal's hand.
"I'm okay," Kara mumbled, the pain lessening. Cal continued to lean over her, frowning, and kissed her. She kissed back, wrapping her arms around him.
"Are you sure?" Cal asked, feeling her forehead for any sense of extra heat. Kara nodded and Cal lifted her into his arms again.
"Cal! I can walk just fine!" Kara protested. Cal smiled at her.
"I'm not risking it," Cal said, carrying her to the landing pad changing rooms. Kara forgot to continue protesting, wrapping her arms around Cal's neck and getting lost in his hazel eyes. She smiled at Cal, making a small list of reasons why she wanted to kiss him. They arrived at the changing rooms and Cal set her down gently.
"You are extremely kissable," Kara said, smiling. Cal smiled back.
"Then why aren't you kissing me?" Cal said, leaning in. "Or is it because you know you're more kissable?" Kara's eyes widened in a happy shock and Cal kissed her. She made sure to kiss back harder and more passionately. They broke for air and Cal helped her to her feet. She hugged her once more and they left to their changing rooms, finding their boxes and unlocking them with their bio-electrics. They changed quickly, putting their skysuits into a special recycling bin, where the skysuits went to be cleaned and the warbler technology readied to be reused. Cal emerged first, pressed a call button on his wrist watch, and began a list. When Kara came out, she looked at Cal.
"Whatchya writin'?" Kara asked. Cal glanced up and waved her over. She walked over and sat on his lap.
"Well, at the end of that dive, you kinda, very much so, freaked me out. So, I started thinking about this…" Cal said, showing her the list…
Top 10 Reasons I need Kara
The most good in my life I've had in a long time
She's smart
She's funny
She's beautiful
She's perfect
She keeps me going
She sees the best in me and everyone, even at our worsts
She was one of the few people who forgave me for what I did
She makes me smile without saying a word
I can't live without her
Kara read the list and teared up. After all, the person she loved the most just told her she was absolutely perfect and amazing. She sniffled and buried her face in Cal's neck, trying not to cry in happiness. She hugged Cal tight.
"Can I keep this?" Kara asked quietly.
"Of course," Cal answered. Kara laughed lightly and kissed Cal, putting the list in her pocket. When their ride arrived, Cal carefully placed her into the car and got in on the other side of her. When he got in, Kara climbed onto Cal's lap and laid her head on his shoulder. Cal gently rubbed her back. When they got back to her home, Cal carried her inside. After getting inside, Cal nicely set Kara down. Her parents smiled and greet them. Zor-El led Cal into the kitchen to help fix lunch.
"Welcome back Kara, did you have fun?" Alura asked. Kara nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Kara sniffled.
"Nothing's wrong Mother, I just…" She pulled out the list and showed it to her mother, who read it stunned. "Something happened near the end of the dive, my head really hurt and I blacked out." Her mother looked at her alarmed. "I'm fine Mother. Well, that scared Cal so much that he wrote that list… He let me keep it…" She hugged her mother.
"Kara, honey, it's beautiful!" Alura said. "If I were you I would NEVER let Cal go…" Kara nodded in understanding.
"I won't, I promise Mother!" Kara said. Her mother handed the list back to Kara.
"You better not, he's a real catch, Kara," Alura said. Kara smiled.
"I won't, Mother, I promise!" Kara repeated. Alura nodded.
"Good, now in the meantime, I'm going to go help with lunch. You should go get yourself cleaned up. I could smell the sky scent from a kilometer away," Alura said, leaving the living room. Kara nodded and went to her room. She opened the door and walked in, heading towards her bathroom. She stopped dead in her tracks. A teenaged girl was sitting on her bed, waiting for Kara. Kara opened her mouth to call for help, but the girl leapt off the bed and landed behind Kara, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Sh, Kara, it's me, Barbara Gordon," the girl said. "I'll let you go, but I don't want you to scream or call for help. I'm NOT going to hurt you, I promise." Kara nodded in understanding. "Ok, I'll let you go, but I want you to go sit on your bed and stay quiet." Barbara let go of Kara's mouth and Kara sat on her bed. Kara opened her mouth to talk, but decided against it.
"Ok," Barbara said. "I'm going to start explaining, but stay quiet please. You are Kara Zor-El. When you were 13 you left Krypton to go to Earth with Kal-El, but along the way you alone were sucked into a black hole. Many years later, you escaped the black hole and made it to Earth, where Kal-El was and he had grown into an adult. He had a multi-billion corporation made and he adopted you. He taught you Earth's ways and, as a Kryptonian on Earth, trained and honed your powers. You could fly, had super strength, x-ray vision, heat vision, cold, frigid breath, and Kal-El, known as Clark, taught you everything. You helped the Justice League along with me occasionally. We were best friends! We went to school together! Callum, Cal, was your boyfriend until he…" Barbara paused. "Until he died…" She looked away. "You were found on the floor with something on you that was making you comatose…" She looked at Kara, who was frowning in confusion.
"But… that was just a vivid dream!" Kara protested. "This is real!" She sighed and ran her hands through her hair.
"But I'm here, and I'm real…" Barbara said. Kara covered her eyes.
"But that would mean Cal is dead! I don't want to go back if that's what's facing me!" Kara said. Barbara sighed.
"Kara, look, I know it hurts, I know you miss him. I do too! Our real life may be bad, sad, or depressing, but it's worth it for those special moments of happiness that you never forget!" Barbara said. "You have to reject this illusion!" Kara swallowed hard and closed her eyes.
"I don't want to!" Kara said through tears. "I don't want to leave Callum!" Barbara sat down next to her and rubbed her back gently.
"I know, but I don't think I can live without your constant cheery voice every day," Barbara reasoned.
"But Callum… Cal and I are engaged here… We are about to start our LIVES here!" Kara protested. Barbara sighed.
"I know it would be a hell of a lot easier to stay, and we don't even know if any part of this illusion is harmful… I think I understand…" Barbara said, standing up. She walked over to the door. "If that's your final answer…" Kara sighed.
"Wait here!" Kara said. "I need to think about this…" Barbara nodded and sat back down on the bed. Kara left and went to find Cal, her eyes sad and tired.
"Are you okay, Kara?" Cal asked, concerned. Kara shook her head.
"No, Cal," Kara said. She quietly explained everything that Barbara had said. Cal sighed in frustration.
"Well, what do you think of all that?" Cal asked, fingers crossed over his lips.
"I don't know… I don't want it to be real… But if it is I don't want to go back… But I don't want to live here in happiness but knowing it's completely fake… If it IS an illusion…" She kissed Cal. "It's a pretty darn good one…" Cal smiled.
"Maybe," Cal said. "But remember what that man said? 'You know, sometimes reality can be confusing, but in the end… Reality is the most realistic offer… and probably most convincing…'" Kara nodded silently. "And I think," he took Kara's hands in his. "I think the real Callum would want you to continue helping people… Continue being a superhero for his memory…" He kissed Kara. "As painful as it must be, Cal would want you to continue on… Never forget the memory of him, but keep it in the back of your mind so it doesn't hurt you constantly…" Kara laid in Cal's chest.
"As much as I don't like it," Kara said, her vision blurring from tears. "That reasoning and those words are exactly the reason I fell in love with you in the first place…" Kara smiled and kissed Cal. "But I don't want to leave you!"
"Kara…" Cal sighed and hugged her. "The best things in life come at a cost… And the worst with a blessing… If you stay with this illusion, you lose your real life. If you don't… Who knows what good will come from that decision?" Cal kissed her and whispered into her ear. "Reject the illusion… Accept life for what it is… Eventually you can't keep running from the truth… I may never be able to see you again, or you see me, so these would be my final words to you… 'I'll love you forever, no matter what…'" With that, Cal kissed Kara on the lips, softly and sensually. Kara gasped for air between sobs.
"I can't lose you again!" Kara said. Cal smiled in understanding and pity, wiping her tears from her face.
"You won't… Not while I'm here," Cal said, pointing to her heart. Kara sobbed harder.
"I love you Cal! I can't just…" She buried her face into his chest. "I can't just… leave you… Leave YOU! The only person I'll ever love enough to want to spend my life with…" Cal sighed, rubbing her back gently.
"You don't know that for a fact…" Cal said. "Eventually someone will come around… Someone who you find you love even more than me… One day…" Cal sighed. "One day…" Kara shook her head, which was still in Cal's chest.
"I swear on my life you'll be the person I love the most. The person I love the most for all eternity," Kara said. Cal chuckled lightly.
"Don't be too sure about that…" Cal said, gently sliding to them both onto floor. He cradled her cheeks and kissed her again. "Just remember I'm the first one you loved…" He put their foreheads together. Kara sobbed uncontrollably.
"I-I need y-you!" Kara screamed. "I c-can't l-lose y-you again-n…" Cal wiped her tears some more and kissed her.
"Just reject the illusion," Cal said. "I'll come back to you always… I promise…" Kara sniffled and looked Cal in the eyes.
"I'll reject the illusion…" Kara said. "But do you promise to come back in real life?"
"I promise," Cal said. Kara searched his eyes for any sign of deception.
"You're lying," Kara guessed, refusing to believe that Cal could come back. Cal shook his head and his irises began glowing gold.
"With hope, there is chance. With chance, there is possibility. With possibility, anything can happen," Cal said, his voice distant, but soothing. Kara sniffled and nodded, but confused at Cal's eyes and voice. "Reject the illusion, Kara… Reject… the… illusion…" With one last kiss, Kara's world turned upside down.
-Break- Day 9/16 Tuesday
Kara quickly sat up, gasping. Barbara, on the bed next to her, also sat up, gasping. Kara began shaking in shock, and Flash quickly grabbed a thick, comfortable blanket and wrapped it around her. Barbara sat on Kara's bed and hugged her. For a few minutes, no one said a single word. The guys all left quickly and silently, with Wonder Woman waiting a minute as a solace comfort. She patted Kara's shoulder gently and left. Kara recounted to Barbara of her Cal's final words and moments. Barbara sadly sighed.
"Cal was… everything I could have hoped for… And now he's gone… forever…" Kara said. Barbara brushed the dot from Kara's forehead and put it on a nearby desk.
"Kara… I hate to make things worse… But Cal's funeral is in about an hour…" Barbara said. Kara sniffled.
"I'll be there," Kara promised. "But his words are still echoing in my head…" Barbara nodded.
"He was smart… kind… funny… romantic when he tried…" Barbara listed.
"I am going to miss him…" Kara said. Barbara nodded.
"Let's get ready for his funeral, okay?" Barbara said. Kara nodded, and Barbara led her to the teleporting room. "Let's see what black you have to wear…" Kara sniffled again and smiled weakly.
-Break-
Cal's funeral was quiet, the cloudy, gray sky fitting the somber mood. A solid white coffin stood at the front and center of the area. A picture of Cal smiling was placed over the casket, his eyes twinkling as they always did. A podium was placed to the side. Mason was the first to arrive, and the one to set everything up. He quickly and swiftly placed everything in place, including the chairs. He awaited at the podium, checking the time every 30 seconds. Slowly, people shuffled in. Miss Charlemagne arrived first, sitting in the front and to the side. Kara and Barbara arrived next, sitting front and center, along with their families. Clark, Lois, Karen, and Josie sat a few rows back, giving room for Kara and Barbara. Bartholomew sat in the back, trying to make himself as unnoticed as possible. A few other people arrived, sitting few and far between: Barry Allen, Diana, Hal Jordan, John Jones, etc. Last, Bruce Wayne arrived, glancing confused at the sunglass wearing old man in the back. He also sat in the back, but avoided Bartholomew. Bartholomew looked at Bruce, slightly amused. Mason cleared his throat.
"Hi everyone, thank you all for coming. Callum Charles Orson… My brother from another mother, and father," Mason started, getting a few light chuckles over the sniffles and teary eyes. "I'm still not convinced his middle name is Charles." A few more grins appeared in the audience. "Well, we all know why we're here. We know what happened." He glanced around. "Callum had the misfortune to get hit by a truck… Again… But this time he didn't quite make it…" Miss Charlemagne set a confused look Mason's way at 'again', but shrugged. "Callum was one tough SOB… He was tough mentally and physically. He kept going even when there was nothing left for him… Callum was that one guy in the room that made everyone smile, not matter how liked he was. Cal always did what was right, even when it hurt himself. Now, he definitely wasn't perfect, but as close and one can get I suppose. He didn't complain. He didn't whine. He worried for others rather than himself. I remember the day we first met like it was yesterday. He was sitting a bench. He was smiling to himself, even though he had nothing to smile about. He was an orphan. My parents had died by a failed robbery. They gave themselves up for others. Anyway, I was entering the orphanage and there was Cal. The marshal that escorted me was talking to Miss Charlemagne so I sat down. I asked him why he was smiling, telling him he was in an orphanage with nothing left and he was clearly in trouble. With that average twinkle in his eyes, he looked at me. He said, and I will never forget these words, 'I was just imagining a life where there was no reason to be sad.' Callum said that, at the age of 8… From that alone I knew we were going to be tight. I asked him why he was in trouble and all he did was shrug. He said, 'Wrong place, right time…' I managed to squeeze out what happened later that week. Cal had stumbled into a room were kids were bullying our other friend, Martin, who was adopted a few years later. He somehow managed to get them to stop doing what they were doing to Martin and tell Miss Charlemagne themselves, BY ONLY USING WORDS!" Mason paused, shaking his head in disbelief. "He didn't specifically say what he said. Only that he convinced them…" Mason wiped his eyes and nose. "Anyway, Cal was the conscience of the world, and without him, I kinda fear this world without him. I suppose Cal would ask us, if he was here, to take that mantle ourselves for his memory. I suppose with how often Cal gave time, energy, effort for us it is the least we could do…" Mason sighed. "Cal may have died because of a mistake, but he lives in our hearts. He made enough of an impression on all of us to show that he was too good for this world. I don't know where he's gone or what happened to him, but man, oh man, he was FAR too good for this world or the next. Cal would never admit to this, but we all know it's true. Cal was humble, gentle, happy, but always seemed to be suffering unfairly…" He stopped, choking back his sadness. "Callum lived in pain, yet I could tell by the way he smiled at Kara… I could tell that Kara made his pain all worth it." Mason glanced at Kara, who was silently sobbing into Barbara's shoulder, and Barbara herself was struggling to keep her tears at bay. "Cal died too young, and yet lived too long, that's the easiest way to put it…" He quieted down, putting a picture of the two of them on the coffin. He sat down quietly. One by one, people began placing things onto the coffin, mostly flowers. When it was Kara's turn, she walked up to the coffin. She pulled a piece of paper from her purse. She unfolded it and briefly read it… The paper was a laminated photocopy of Cal's top 10 reasons he needed her. Somehow, someway, that paper had travel into reality and found its way into her possession. She had copied it and on the back had written the words to one of her favorite songs: 'A Thousand Years'… Tears dripped from her eyes as she read the refrain.
I have died every day, waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid,
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
As Kara placed the paper on the coffin, the skies opened and rain began pouring down. She sat back down and Bartholomew made his way to the front. He quickly placed a folded note on the coffin. With that, Bartholomew patted the coffin gently and went back to his seat. Mason went back to the podium, but before he could continue, lightning flashed.
*BOOM*
Thunder thundered across the cemetery. Lightning struck again, hitting the podium and blasting it into splinters. Mason ducked and scrambled to the chairs, miraculously unharmed. Lightning flashed again, and thunder boomed. Everyone paused in fear, an unnatural fear that gripped everyone. Lightning flashed again and hit the ground, leaving an unmistakable glowing, white mass. The glowing being floated over Cal's coffin. Everyone held their breath in shock. The being's voice boomed.
"YOU MOURN THE PASSING OF A DEAR FRIEND!" the being boomed. "BUT HIS PASSING WAS AN UNTIMELY DEATH! HE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE, NOT YET!" The being paused. "I RETURN HIM TO YOU AND DEEPLY APOLOGIZE FOR THE PAIN YOU HAVE SUFFERED." Kara knew the being was directing that apology towards her, but she was frozen in terror of the powerful being before her. "CALLUM CHARLES ORSON WILL LIVE AGAIN! THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY TO REPAY THE PAIN YOU HAVE FELT… I AM TRULY SORRY!" Kara's eyes widened in hope.
'Could this being really bring Callum back?' Kara thought to herself. 'This must be too good to be true! I must still be in an illusion!' She mentally shook her head. 'Cal DID promise to always come back… 'Always' he told me…' Kara's chest shook in shock. She felt the being look at her.
"KARA DANVERS, CALLUM'S PROMISE TO YOU WAS TRUE, THOUGH HE DID NOT KNOW IT. HE PROMISED TO ALWAYS COME BACK, WHICH WAS MEANT PRIMARILY AS A REASSURING MOTION, BUT AS I HAVE SEEN, CALLUM HAS PROVEN HIMSELF TO DEATH TO BE NEARLY UNTOUCHABLE. NORMALLY I WOULD NEVER ALLOW ANY BEING OF ANY KIND TO RETURN FROM DEATH; HOWEVER, CALLUM'S DEATH WAS NOT MEANT TO HAPPEN FOR A WHILE, AND HIS UNWAVERING AND UNEARTHLY MORALITY AND COURAGE HAVE CONVINCED ME TO ALLOW HIM TO RETURN! TAKE THIS MIRACLE WITH JOY, AND DWELL NOT ON WHERE IT HAS COME FROM!" the being said. With what sounded like a snap, the being was gone, the skies clear and sunny, and Cal's body was laid out on the soft grass in front of the coffin. Everyone stood up and ran to Cal's body, except Bartholomew, who stroked his beard thoughtfully, smiling and contemplating the being, its origin, and its reasoning. Kara, Mason, and Barbara knelt over Cal's body while everyone else stood behind, watching. The 3 kneeling around Cal studied desperately for any sign of life…