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 24: Day 9/16, Tuesday
It was Kara who first noticed the eyes fluttering, and Barbara who noticed the breathing. Mason found a weakened pulse. They all gasped.
"His chest is rising!" Barbara cried in astonishment.
"Look! His eyes are fluttering!" Kara shouted in joy.
"I've got a pulse!" Mason exclaimed in surprise. Kara gasped with joy.
"Cal!" Kara shrieked. "Cal!" She took Cal's face in her hands. His face was cold, but a small sense of warmth was spreading through it, blood flow being restored. Cal's eyes fluttered open.
"Kara?" Cal asked, confused. "Where am I?" Kara gasped with overwhelming joy and kissed him.
"Well, you're at your own funeral…" Mason said. Cal frowned and struggled to sit up. They all helped him. Kara kept her arms wrapped around his neck, continuously kissing him. Cal kissed her back, still slightly confused.
"Wait… I died?" Cal asked, concerned. Kara stopped and nodded somberly. "I'm so sorry Kara!" Cal apologized honestly. Kara shook her head.
"Don't apologize for something you didn't have control of," Kara said, kissing him again. "I love you SO much…" Cal smiled.
"I love you more," Cal said. Mason laughed.
"Cal… What did you see on the other side?" Barbara asked. Cal frowned, confused.
"I remember that everything was… normal…" he looked at Kara. "There wasn't any super heroes or super villains, just… people…" Kara looked at him concerned. Cal tried to force himself to meet Kara's eyes, but he couldn't.
"Cal… What aren't you telling me?" Kara asked. Cal sighed.
"I remember being happy, but I don't remember you Kara…" Cal admitted, guilty. "I don't know how I could have been happy without you, leaving you here… Leaving you unfairly…" Kara sighed sadly.
"Cal, don't apologize for that!" Kara demanded. "You couldn't have known any better! Or stopped yourself from dying!" Cal got to his feet. He noticed everyone around them.
"Um… Do I know you?" Cal asked, looking at a few of them. He recognized them: The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, etc. but feinted confusion. They looked at each other.
"We're friends of Clark," Barry said carefully. "About a week ago, he couldn't stop talking about Kara's first boyfriend… He told quite the tales and we thought it best to come and support Kara…" Cal nodded in understanding, respecting the well-crafted answer. He turned to Kara. "So how am I back from the dead?" Barbara stepped in and answered.
"Not entirely sure, but some REALLY powerful being appeared and apologized profusely to Kara about how you weren't supposed to die yet," Barbara explained. "And then he brought you back…" Cal frowned.
"'Really powerful being'?" Cal asked. Mason nodded.
"He didn't exactly give his name, but his voice was masculine…" Mason said. Cal frowned deeper, but shrugged.
"Welp, all I can say is that I'm glad to be back," Cal said. He kissed Kara softly.
"And you won't be leaving my sight for a long time!" Kara said. "I don't care how, but you'll be in constant visual contact with me for the next month!" Cal whimpered lightly. Clark stepped in.
"I don't think that'll happen," Clark warned. "He won't be sleeping over!" Kara blew hot air.
"Fine, then I'll Skype him when I am not physically with him!" Kara said.
"Kara…" Clark said, ushering her aside for a private conversation. Mason and Cal hugged and then Cal examined the things on the coffin. He pocketed Bartholomew's note and began reading Kara's paper.
"Kara…" Clark said. Kara glared at him.
"You don't get to control every little detail about my life!" Kara said. Clark nodded.
"I was just going to say that I will allow Cal to stay over ONE night, but Josie will have to be in the same bedroom at all times!" Clark negociated. Kara thought it over.
"TWO nights, but Cal and I will most definitely have separate beds and Josie will be in the room as well!" Kara said, testing the waters. Clark studied her for a moment.
"If I say no will you end up having all 3 of you share the same bed?" Clark asked. Kara smiled and shook her head.
"Just 2 of us will be in the same bed… but all 3 will be in the room…" Kara threatened. Clark sighed.
"I'll tell you what, THREE nights, but you promise Josie will be in the room all night, you and him will have separate beds, AND ALL CLOTHES STAY ON THE ENTIRE TIME!" Clark said. Kara beamed and nodded.
"You gave up too easy Clark," Kara said, walking back to Cal, who finished reading the list he made. Cal turned to her, holding up the paper.
"I wrote this?" Cal asked. "I remember thinking it… but I don't remember writing it…" Kara hugged him.
"You wrote it, believe me…" Kara whispered. Cal frowned, confused. "It's a long story, but I'll make sure to tell you it tonight when you sleep over." Cal's frown deepened. He glanced at Clark, who nodded slightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kara answered him. "There are some ground rules…" She briefly explained them to Cal and Cal nodded in acceptance. She kissed him again.
"I'm not sure what happened, but I'm glad you're back," Miss Charlemagne said through teared eyes. Cal smiled and nodded.
"I'm glad to be back," Cal said. He went to hug her. Kara quickly x-rayed Cal. All his injuries were healed. Only signs of healing showed Kara that there had been any wounds at all. Kara shrugged at first, but certain healed injuries caught her eyes, something that she missed all the other times she looked. She noticed small entry and exit wounds, healed now, but they were clearly bullet wounds at one point. Kara frowned, confused, but quickly covered it up when Cal turned back to her. Kara took his arm and kissed him again.
"Also, I am going to be taking a LOT more pictures of us," Kara said. Cal looked at her.
"Why would that be?" Cal asked. Kara shot him a look.
"You know how many pictures I could find of you after you were gone?" Kara asked. "I couldn't find ANY! Barbara managed to find only ONE!" Cal glanced at Barbara, who nodded. He sighed.
"More pictures it is then," Cal said. "But I'm not doing any photoshoots…" Kara rolled her eyes and laughed.
"You go ahead and think that," Kara said. Cal smiled at her.
"I think I still have Cal's money," Mason said. "Who's hungry?" Cal's hand shot up. Everyone laughed.
-Break-
Kara sat on Cal's lap as she munched on her fries. "You know, I need more, a LOT more, pictures of you," Kara said. Cal looked at her.
"May I ask why?" Cal asked. Kara laughed.
"No you can't 'ask why', and it's because when you died, there were next to no pictures of you!" Kara said. "I found some school photos, but those looked like you were in pain. Barbara managed to find ONE that she snapped in secret." Cal frowned.
"I don't get a choice do I?" Cal asked. Kara and Barbara and Mason all shook their heads. "Fine, but no photoshoots…" They laughed and Kara kissed him.
"After those school photos I saw, that wouldn't be worth it," Kara said. Barbara nodded in agreement.
"School photos!" Mason whispered to Cal. He pointed at him, shaking his head. They laughed again. Cal smiled, staring at Kara. Kara noticed his staring.
"If you don't eat your food, I will!" Kara said jokingly. Cal smiled. He ate some more fries. He kissed her on the cheek. Mason glanced at him.
"Hey Cal, what are we going to tell, well, school and everything?" Mason asked. Cal sighed.
"He ran away?" Barbara offered. Mason shook his head.
"I kinda was told he died by truck…" Mason said. Cal rolled his eyes, glancing at Kara, who glared at him warningly.
"Uh Cal? Can I talk to you in private for a second?" Kara asked. Cal nodded. She took him to the back of the restaurant. "I didn't know if Mason could be trusted with the truth…" Cal took her hands.
"If there's anyone in the world who can be trusted, it's Mason…" Cal said. "I promise." Kara thought for a second and sighed.
"Okay, we'll tell him the truth later—"
"Now," Cal interrupted. "He deserves to know the truth…" Kara sighed.
"Fine, but if he yells this to the whole restaurant…" Kara warned. Cal nodded.
"He won't," Cal promised. Kara nodded and they went back to the table.
"Okay, Mason, keep your voice down, but uh…" Cal tried to find the words for Mason. "I wasn't killed by a truck…" Mason frowned. "Well, Kara is…" He glanced at Kara and lowered his voice. Mason got the message. "Kara is Supergirl…" Mason's eyes widened and he gasped.
"What?!" Mason faked his surprise, but lowering his voice. "Kara you're Supergirl? That's awesome!" He noticed Cal's somber face. "Wait… That's not all to this story is it? You didn't die by truck…" Mason guessed. Kara nodded.
"Well… I, uh…" Cal started. Kara took his hand.
"Let me," Kara said. "Karen, my big sister, is… Power-Girl. And she well, she ran away for a bit and when she got back she…" She looked away. "She misunderstood Cal's relationship with me and, uh, over-reacted... She kinda beat the living hell out of Cal and, uh, that's how he really died…" Kara explained in a quiet voice. Mason looked at Cal and Kara.
"Do I need to open a can of 'Whoop-Ass' on Karen?" Mason asked. "I'll do it, I swear!" They laughed.
"I think she probably learned her lesson…" Cal said. He looked at Kara. "Right?" Kara nodded sadly.
"Yeah," Kara said. "Close enough." Mason chuckled. They finished up eating and sat in content.
"Who wants dessert?" Mason asked. Kara jumped in Cal's lap and clapped.
"Oo! Me!" Kara said. Cal smiled and kissed her.
"What would you like?" Cal asked, getting up. Kara's eyes lit up.
"Ice cream cone! Vanilla!" Kara demanded. Cal laughed and glanced around.
"Anyone else?" Cal asked.
"I'll have the same," Barbara said. Mason got up.
"I'd like the same too, and I'll help you get it," Mason said. They went to the register to get ice cream for everyone. Kara turned to Barbara.
"It seems too good to be true," Kara said. "Him getting back?" Barbara laughed.
"It really does…" Barbara said. "But you already saw what an illusion is…" Kara smiled weakly and nodded.
"That list…" Kara said. "That list was too good to be true too, yet somehow it found itself into reality…" Barbara nodded.
"Hell, if a guy gave me that list and it looked like he truly meant it," Barbara said. "I'd fall in love with him too…" Kara sighed happily.
"Too good to be true…" she whispered as Cal and Mason walked back.
"Here you are Kara, and Barbara," Cal said, handing them each a cone. Mason handed him one in his hand. Cal took it and sat down next to Kara. Kara jumped into his lap and kissed him.
"You know, I really, REALLY love you," Kara said. Cal smiled.
"And you know, I really, REALLY love you more," Cal said. Kara giggled and blushed.
"I doubt that," Kara said. "Because it's not possible…" She kissed him again. Cal laughed.
"Impossibility seems to be out of grasp as of late," Cal said. "With that in mind-" Cal noticed a flicker of light from out the window. Sensing something was wrong, he looked. He noticed a small circle and a man's head. Realizing it was a sniper, he took quick action.
"Get down!" Cal said, pushing Kara onto the floor and flipping the table up. A glowing green bullet zipped through the window and embedded itself into the upturned table. Barbara and Mason swiftly jumped behind the counter. Cal dived onto Kara, shielding her. A few more shots were fired, all well above Cal and Kara, missing them easily and quickly. After a few minutes of tense silence, Cal peeked out the window. The man was gone, and the glowing green bullets were scattered all around the restaurant. He got off Kara, and she rolled over.
"Are you okay?" Cal asked concerned. Kara nodded, unable to speak. He sighed in relief and hugged her. "All clear!" Cal called out to Mason and Barbara. Mason and Barbara poked their head out from behind the counter, slowly revealing themselves. Cal helped Kara up.
"Nice spot," Mason said, shaking his head in disbelief. Barbara sighed quickly.
"Nice reflexes!" Barbara said. She went and examined the bullets. "Kara… These are Kryptonite bullets…" Kara's eyes widened.
"But who? Why? How?" Kara muttered. Barbara shrugged. Cal hugged her tight.
"Half a second later and you'd have been dead…" Barbara noted. Cal continued to hold her.
"I love you Kara!" Cal said, his voice shaky. "I can't lose you…" He slid to the floor, Kara in his arms. 'Such a quick attempt at her life… And those few moments could have decided the future of my sanity…' Cal thought to himself. Kara's head was buried in Cal's chest. Cal held her close. Mason patted Cal's shoulder.
"I love you too, Cal!" Kara said. She kissed Cal, hard. "I can't lose you either…" She noticed her ice cream, which she had dropped on the ground. "Aw… My ice cream!" She pouted. Cal laughed weakly, as did everyone else.
"I'll get you another one," Cal said. Kara laughed weakly, still shaking in shock.
"Uh… Cal?" Barbara asked.
"Yeah?" Cal answered. Barbara frowned.
"This table was bolted to the floor…" Barbara said. Cal and Kara looked in confusion. True enough, the base of the table was bent, the dusty bolts sticking out of the bottom. Kara looked at Cal alarmed.
"Cal? How did you…?" Kara started. Cal looked at Kara.
"I honestly don't know how I did that!" Cal said honestly. Kara looked at him.
"We should probably figure this out later," Barbara said. "For now, let's find the workers and make sure they're okay." They all nodded in agreement and went to find them. They went through the back, but no one was there. They looked at each other in confusion.
"Um… Don't tell me they all ran away…" Mason said in worry.
"Looks that way…" Cal said. He slowly opened the back door. On the ground, the 4 workers on duty laid there, spread out, dead. Cal sighed painfully. "They're dead…" he said, holding everyone back. Kara gasped and covered her mouth. Mason looked down and away. Barbara looked down sadly.
"Let's get to the Watchtower," Barbara suggested. "Yes, present company included," she said, looking at Mason's slightly raised hand. Mason lit up for a second.
-Break-
Kara explained everything to the Justice League, the 7 of them. They nodded.
"Clearly Deadshot was involved," Wonder Woman said. "For no one else would take on such a contract." They all nodded in agreement.
"Perhaps there is one other who might be persuaded to do such a contract…" J'onn said. Batman shook his head.
"He would not do this," Batman said. "He has… changed… He would never take on something this high profile since that…" They all nodded. "But if Deadshot would do such a contract; he would demand an extremely high price… A price only one person could provide…"
"And who would have that much money?" Flash asked.
"Lex Luthor," Superman said, his eyes dark. "Normally he wouldn't stoop this low though…" Batman nodded.
"Either way, what are our next moves?" Green Lantern asked. "Also, what's with the 2 civilians?"
"Well, I suppose someone who comes back from the dead is understandable to be here, but his best friend? Eh, why not?" Flash said. "I mean, Batman's got a new kid here every week. No different right?" Green Lantern laughed lightly and even Superman cracked a smile.
"Not funny Flash," Batman said. "Although I do believe that Cal, Barbara, Kara and Mason should be protected while Deadshot is still out there…" They all nodded in agreement.
"I will help train them," Wonder Woman said.
"I believe we all should train them as best we can," Batman said. They all nodded in agreement. "Who would like to train them first?" Flash and Green Lantern both raised their hands.
"We can teach together," they both said in unison. Batman nodded.
"Barbara and Kara should both be protected by at least one of us at all times," Batman said. Cal spoke up.
"Wait… shouldn't Barbara be trained with us?" Cal asked. They all glanced at each other. Batman rubbed his forehead.
"I suppose being retrained couldn't hurt…" Batman said. Mason poked Cal.
"Ha! Even I would have guessed that she'd already been trained," Mason whispered. Cal shot him a look.
"You all start immediately," Batman said. "But first we'll make some tests so we can figure out how to best train you…" Everyone nodded. Kara took Cal by the hand and pulled him out of the room. Barbara and Mason quickly followed. Batman turned to the others.
"If you read the brief report Barbara typed up for us and Kara failed to mention, you'll notice that Cal came back from the dead with some new tricks…" Batman said. They all briefly reread or skimmed the report.
"So he has some extra strength, big deal. We just need to teach him how to deal with it," Flash pointed out. Cyborg nodded. Batman shook his head.
"We don't know what other tricks he may have received…" Batman said.
"Then let us have these tests determine what new attributes he has gained," Wonder Woman said. Cyborg shook his head.
"It may not be that simple…" Cyborg said. "He may not show his abilities unless under extreme circumstances…"
"Either way, let's get to work determining these tests," Superman said. They all nodded. "We can each have a test specifically for Cal and then for the others…" They all nodded again.
-Break-
Kara kissed Cal one last time.
"For luck," she said. "Because with them, you're going to need it…" Cal smiled and took held her hand one last time.
"See you in a bit," Cal said. He walked into the room. He was greeted by Superman, who sat at a table.
"Your first test," Superman said. He motioned to the seat across from him. Cal frowned, but sat down across from him. "Strength…" He placed his arm on the table. Cal looked at him, confused. Superman nodded towards his hand. "Arm wrestling…" Superman explained. Cal 'oh'-ed and took his hand. "On the count of 3… 1… 2… 3!" With that, Superman kept his arm steady as Cal tried to pin it. After about a minute, Superman started to use some of his strength. Cal grunted and focused, trying to pin his arm, but to no avail. For a split second, just a small moment, Cal's eye's flashed gold, his irises lighting up. This did not go unnoticed by the quick Man of Steel. With the sudden flash of gold, Cal was filled with strength. Cal began to move Superman's arm, slowly but surely. Superman frowned, trying his hardest, but Cal was still slowly overpowering him. Just as Cal was about to pin him, Cal realized what was happening; he was using his powers. He relaxed his mind and let go. With the sudden loss of strength, Cal's arm flew into the table, breaking both the table and the arm. Cal cried out in pain. He cradled his arm in pain. Superman jumped to his feet.
"Are you okay?" he asked. Cal grunted and nodded. Superman frowned. "In the next room Zatanna should be waiting. She'll… fix that for you… I'm sorry about that…" Cal nodded.
"It's alright," Cal said. "No harm done…" With that, he left to the next room where Zatanna was waiting. She frowned at his broken arm, sighed, and cast a quick spell that instantly healed it. Cal thanked her and went on to the next room, were Green Lantern was waiting.
"Hey there Callum. I'm Green Lantern, but you can just call me GL. Anyway, enough with the introductions, this is a test of willpower… I'll use my power ring to entrap you, and the only way to escape is by your willpower alone… Good luck," Green Lantern said. Without hesitation, GL made a small wall and rapidly pushed it towards Cal. Cal quickly jumped and rolled to the side. GL sighed. "I suppose that wasn't exactly a trap… Let me try again here." With that, he instantly formed a box around Cal, which slowly tightened. Cal frowned and pushed against the glass, willing the box to bend to HIS will. With a decent amount of effort, Cal pushed against the box and the box shattered. GL grinned. "Well done," he said. He constructed a ball around Cal and began rolling the ball around. The ball began to shrink, slowly. Disoriented, Cal tried to break the ball, but he couldn't focus. He tried to focus, but the ball squished against him. With a shout, Cal forced the ball to break open. The ball broke, and Cal gasped for air. GL smiled. "Well done, that was one of my more difficult challenges. I was about to let you go too…" Cal smiled back.
"Bring it on," Cal said between breaths. GL beamed and nodded. He put Cal in another ball, but this time he was fully enveloped. Around the ball was another, and another, until 12 layers were there. GL focused his hardest this time. Inside the ball, Cal closed his eyes and focused. He focused and forced the ball and all its layers to break, all at once. GL flew back into the wall, gasping for breath.
"Well done Cal…" GL said, gasping for breath. "Well… freaking done…" Cal nodded and helped him to his feet. GL chuckled. "Thanks, you better move on though, Wonder Woman's waiting…" Cal nodded and went to the next room, where Wonder Woman stood holding 2 swords.