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!

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 28: Day 9/16, Tuesday

Cal quietly walked into the room where Bartholomew was waiting.

"So, you have a gift for me?" Cal asked. Bartholomew laughed and turned around to hug him. They hugged.

"So you live?" Bartholomew asked. "I have a feeling you have some sort of knowledge of what happened while you died… Would you like to share?" Cal chuckled, smiling sadly.

"Well, I just remember… being normal… Or at least closer to normal than I am now…" Cal said. "Normal life, normal school, but I remember still being… different…" he glanced at Bartholomew, who raised an eyebrow. "Like I didn't have any powers whatsoever. But I was unique, different, from everyone else still… I was more… kind… than anyone else… I was more… caring, generous, understanding… it set me apart so much… Like it was a shock to care… a shock to know someone who listened, who thought of someone other than themselves..." Cal finished and glanced at Bartholomew, who was frowning.

"Hm, it seems like you are destined to be different where ever you go," Bartholomew noted. "Well, sad moment over, I have something for you." Bartholomew reached into his back pocket and withdrew a small package. "I believe you had Mason make this for you while you were training with me… He left it with me for some reason and I figured I'd give it to you, with some advice…" He handed the package to Cal, who opened it, revealing a pure gold locket. The locket's gold chain gleamed in the light. The locket was shaped like a heart, and upon being opened, revealed an empty space. Cal smiled to himself.

"Yeah, I wanted to put some sort of kryptonite proof object inside… Something that would protect her from kryptonite and therefore a lot of harm…" Cal said. Bartholomew nodded.

"Well, what else would you like to put inside?" Bartholomew asked, leading Cal on.

"What do you mean?" Cal asked.

"If you can't find something, make something…" Bartholomew said, trying to get Cal to think.

"What?" Cal asked, more confused than ever.

"You are more powerful than you know," Bartholomew said. "I can't tell you how many times I've told you that…" Cal still frowned at him. "What I'm saying is, put what you want in there, because you can do anything you set your mind to…"

"So I could make something that makes Kara kryptonite proof?" Cal asked. Bartholomew nodded. "But… what about something else?" Bartholomew nodded again. "Anything?" Bartholomew shrugged.

"Who knows, probably, maybe?" Bartholomew answered. Cal thought for a moment.

"But how?" Cal asked. Bartholomew laughed.

"Do you remember the first time you materialized your swords?" Bartholomew asked. Without waiting for a response, he continued. "I told you they were sitting in a forest, on a flat rock. I described exactly what they looked like and told you to focus… To focus and grab them from where you were… And so you closed your eyes, focused, and voila! You had those 2 exact swords in your hands…" Cal stared at Bartholomew. "Those swords were never created. They never existed and that was a test I went through. Took me far too long to be able to do that myself. But you, you managed to do it on the first try. That's something promising for certain. Put your mind to it, make something meaningful for her…"

"So I just have to focus, imaging what I want, and I make it?" Cal asked. Bartholomew nodded.

"That's the principle of it," Bartholomew answered. Cal thought for a second.

"But what should I make?" Cal asked. Bartholomew shrugged.

"Whatever you'd like, whatever you think is best…" Bartholomew said. Cal nodded. He closed his eyes, imagining 2 pictures of himself and Kara, happy, smiling. He focused on them putting themselves into the locket. He sighed happily, imagining the pictures. Both were images of them truly happy, with one of Cal hugging Kara from the side and kissing her on the cheek, and Kara was blushing and smiling. The other was a picture of Kara, arms wrapped around Cal's neck, kissing him on the lips, the sun lighting up their outlines as well as their features. Cal opened his eyes and opened the locket. Inside, both pictures were there, small, but large enough to see, inspect, and admire. Cal smiled to himself and closed the locket, putting it into his pocket. Bartholomew grinned.

"You know how to make a gift, I'll tell you that," Bartholomew said. Cal nodded. "Well, I have to go get your birthday gift, I know it's a little late, but don't worry, you'll love it…" He turned to leave, but Cal grabbed his arm.

"Wait, Bartholomew, can I ask you something?" Cal asked. Bartholomew frowned, but nodded. "Why were we chosen? And how? By whom?" Cal asked. Bartholomew sighed.

"Callum, if I knew I'd swear I'd tell you, but I don't. All I know is that what we do is because it's the RIGHT thing to do… We got our powers, doesn't matter how or who from, and it's how we use it that matters, not the being or force behind it all…" Bartholomew answered, concern in his eyes.

"Ok, and one more thing, can I tell Kara? I mean, she trusts me and I trust her, so why not?" Cal asked. Bartholomew sighed.

"Cal… As much as I would like to tell you to go ahead, I don't know… The rules say never to tell anyone, but at the same time… Secrets tear people apart… and that's not something worth keeping our secret for sometimes…" Bartholomew looked away. "It's up to you Callum, but just a note, if Batman managed to get to you, he'd throw you and Mason in a hole…" Cal nodded and sighed.

"Thanks Bartholomew," Cal said. Bartholomew nodded and left. Cal stood there for a few minutes, debating whether or not to tell Kara. After a few minutes, Cal sighed, still undecided, and went back to the room. He slowly walked, still debating in his head. After arriving at the door to his room, he sighed before walking in. He quietly opened the door and walked into the dark room. Suddenly, the light flicked on and Kara crashed into Cal, mashing their lips together. Kara giggled mid-kiss.

"Where'd you go?" Kara asked, hugging him once their kiss was over. Cal hugged her back.

"Sorry, I went to the bathroom and then I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk…" Cal said. "I found something in the stuff that Mason brought me… Something I meant to give you the other day…" Kara looked at him, confused.

"What did you get me?" Kara asked. Cal smiled and made a turn-around motion with his finger. Kara sighed, smiling and turned around. "Do I need to cover my eyes too?" Cal laughed.

"That's okay, turning around will do," Cal said. He pulled the locket from his pocket and swiftly put it around her neck. After the clasp was in place, Kara gasped in shock at her gift.

"Cal!" Kara gasped. "It's beautiful!" She admired the chain and heart shaped locket. Cal wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her from behind.

"It opens too," Cal said. Kara giggled softly and opened it, gasping yet again at the images inside.

"Oh Cal!" Kara said, turning around. She hugged Cal, looking at the pictures. "Wait… I couldn't find pictures of you… Where did these come from?" Cal chuckled.

"I pulled a few favors and found some…" Cal said, twisting the truth. Even this small diversion of the truth made Cal feel guilty. Kara sighed and laid her head on his chest. "Do you like it?" Kara scoffed.

"Do I like it? I love it!" Kara answered, kissing Cal. "But I love you more… What's the occasion?" Cal smiled.

"I didn't think I needed one, but it carries a promise. It reminds you that I'll always come back to you, and I'll always find you when you need me… I promise…" Cal said. Kara sighed in happiness.

"I know you do…" Kara said, kissing him once again. Cal rested his forehead on hers.

"I love you…" Cal said, sighing in happiness.

"I know you do…" Kara reiterated. They both smiled. Suddenly, Cal swept Kara off her feet and carried her to the bed. He placed her gently on the bed and kissed her forehead. Before Cal could leave, Kara wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him on top of her. Cal went with her without struggling, trying not to land on top of her, and smiling. She kissed him again. Cal rolled next to her, lying beside her. He put one arm under her pillow, supporting her head. With the other arm, he wrapped it gently around her waist. Kara rolled over onto her side and stared into Cal's hazel eyes, toying with her new favorite locket. "If you ever die again, I swear I'll follow you to the grave and kick your ass!" She tried to keep a straight face, but the last part made her crack a smile. Cal grinned.

"I love you too," Cal said. Kara laughed lightly. Cal studied her beautiful, mesmerizing blue eyes, trying to memorize every detail, every small shift of color in her eyes. Kara did the same with his hazel eyes. Cal moved his hand from around Kara's waist and began brushing Kara's hair from out of her face and behind her ear. Gently, he rubbed her cheek with his thumb, cupping her face. Kara pulled herself closer to Cal, making them touch noses. Kara smiled. Silently, Cal moved his free arm back around Kara's waist, rubbing her lower back gently, and Kara kissed Cal on the lips. With that, they stared into each other's eyes, falling asleep…

-Break- 10/16, Wednesday

Cal's eyes opened slowly as he woke up. He happily gazed at the sleeping beauty beside him. The soft golden glow of the sun fell on Kara, illuminating her golden hair and face.

'Like an angel," Cal thought. He brushed her stray hair out of her face, causing her to stir slightly and roll over. Cal smiled and scooted closed to her, wrapping his single free arm around her waist again. He sighed. 'She's too perfect…' he thought to himself. 'I really don't deserve her…' He kissed her neck and smiled. He closed his eyes again, trying to fall back asleep. Suddenly, a bark awoke them both. Kara and Cal both shot up, eyes sleepy. They looked around, and their eyes fell on a young white dog sitting in the middle of the room. Kara and Cal looked at each other confused and, without a word, walked over to the dog. Kara began petting him.

"Awh, where'd he come from?" Kara asked. "Such a cute puppy!" Cal checked his collar, reading a brief note attached.

'Dear Cal, here's your late birthday present. At first, he ran away. But here you are… - Great Uncle Bartholomew,' the note read. Cal smiled to himself.

"Um… Kara… This isn't a dog…" Cal warned. "That's a WOLF!" Kara gasped, but didn't stop petting him.

"Awh, check his collar! What's his name, who's he for?" Kara demanded. Cal checked the name on the collar, 'Ace'.

"His name is Ace, and I think he's a late birthday present for me…" Cal said. "Some great-uncle Bartholomew? How'd he get him in here? How did HE get in here?"

"Awh! Who's a good boy Ace? Who's a good boy?" Kara said, petting the wolf. Ace barked. "Yes you are! You're a good boy!" She hugged Ace. Ace opened his mouth and began panting. Cal knelt beside him and began petting his head.

"Good boy!" Cal said. Ace looked at him and barked again. His brilliant green eyes shined. His white fur gleamed in the bright room. Ace couldn't have been more than a few months old. Cal smiled at his gift. Ace panted harder. In the corner of the room, 2 dog bowls and a bag of dog food. Kara looked at Cal.

"Do you think he's trained?" Kara asked. Cal shrugged.

"Let's find out," Cal said. Kara stopped petting Ace and stood next to Cal.

"Ace! Up!" Cal commanded. Ace jumped up, standing on his hind legs for a few seconds. Ace stood on 4 legs, panting, and waited for a treat.

"I think he wants a treat…" Kara pointed out.

"Oh!" Cal said, making his way over to the bag of dog food, pulling out a small bag of treats that was waiting inside the bigger bag. He took out a treat and tossed it to Ace, who caught it mid-air. Kara bent over Ace, petting him.

"Good boy Ace! Good boy!" Kara encouraged, earning a bark of happiness. Mason groaned, waking up.

"Could someone please turn off the dog alarm?" Mason asked. Cal and Kara laughed. Ace barked again, rushing over to Mason and licking his face. Mason groaned and opened his eyes. Frantically, Mason backed up. "Ah! Who let the dog in?" Kara raised her eyebrows.

"Uh, Ace is a WOLF!" Kara said. Mason raised his hands in defeat.

"Well, Ace, down!" Mason tried. Ace stopped, cocking his head and looking at Mason, but he didn't sit.

"Ace, here boy!" Cal said. Ace quickly turned and ran over to Cal. Ace sat at his feet. Cal pet his head. "I got a present from a great-uncle Bartholomew…" Cal said. "Apparently sweet 16 equals a wolf for a pet…" Mason nodded in understanding.

"I mean, 16 is pretty special. Why not a wolf?" Mason said sarcastically. He watched the wolf warily and went over to his backpack, picking it up. "I'm going to go change… Make sure he doesn't pee on anything…" Kara and Cal laughed as Mason walked a wide arc around the wolf and left through the door. Cal turned to Kara.

"Good morning!" Cal said. Kara grinned.

"Good morning!" Kara responded, throwing her arms around his neck and mashing their lips together. Ace shot up, ready to protect Cal. Cal wrapped his arms around Kara's lower back. He kissed Kara back. "So…" Kara said, breaking the kiss and biting her lower lip. "Are you going to keep him? Or can I have him?" Cal laughed lightly.

"I'm going to keep him," Cal decided. "Otherwise you'd have no reason to see me anymore…" Kara laughed and glanced at Ace.

"Well, I might see you in addition to the wolf…" Kara said jokingly. Cal laughed. She kissed him again and walked to her overnight bag. "I'm going to go shower and change… Don't go far!" Cal smiled at her as she left. Next, he turned to Ace.

"So, can you do anything special? If not that's all good, it'd be nice to have a normal…" He stopped, noticing Ace being a wolf wasn't quite normal. "…normal-ish piece of life." Ace looked at him, panting. Ace barked again. Cal chuckled. "Come on boy, let's go for a walk…" Ace barked and jumped to his feet. Cal looked around for a leash, but could find one. He shrugged. "Come on boy," Cal said, walking out the door. Ace followed happily behind.

-Break-

Cal walked into the training room, seeing the rest of the Justice League waiting. As he entered, everyone looked at him. Kara and Mason followed close behind. Batman spoke up.

"Mason, you will be with Superman and Flash. Callum," Batman tossed him a skin tight black suit. "Put that on, then put this on…" He kicked a large case towards Cal. Cal frowned in hesitation, but quickly nodded and went to change. Almost everyone looked at Batman confused, but no one said anything. Cal quickly changed as Mason began to learn the best way to defend himself, again. Cal, in the changing room, quickly put on the black skin tight suit. He opened the case and gasped. In the case, a rough copy of The Protector's armor laid waiting. Cal blinked twice, frowning, but he blinked and put the armor on, saving the helmet last. Instead of the shifting black and white, the armor was painted with a pure white and kept the gold trim. Cal made sure to take his time, making sure each piece was solidly in place. He took his time to make sure Batman wouldn't be any more suspicious of him. Finally, Cal looked at himself in the mirror, a sight he had seen many times. This time it was different, aside from the different coloring. This time Cal looked at himself and felt… in place, as if he was meant to be wearing Batman's copy of his armor, rather than his own. Cal sighed and rubbed his eyes. He left the changing room and entered back into the training room. As he entered, everyone stopped whatever they were doing to stare in awe at Cal in his armor. Kara quickly took a picture. Cal quickly put the case down and put on his helmet. The helmet slid around his head, creating a nice, smug fit. Cal smiled to himself as stretched his arms and joints, becoming used to the armor. Batman smiled to himself and nodded.

"You fit the armor well… If only the real Protector could see you…" Batman said. He motioned for Cal to come over to him. Kara continued snapping pictures, awestruck by how good Cal looked in the armor. Batman motioned to the dummy. "Attack it, slowly…" Wonder Woman and Batman watched as Cal nodded and began to slowly hit the dummy, circling around it and providing well placed blows. Batman and Wonder Woman nodded, impressed with Cal's knowledge of where to strike. Wonder Woman pressed a button on the wall and a drone appeared. The drone slowly attacked Cal, who swiftly avoided in and swept its feet. The drone went down and got back up quickly. It flew at Cal, who was ready for it. The drone threw a punch, which Cal caught and twisted its arm. The drone stopped, trying to guess what to do next. The drone struggled to escape, but Cal held it fast. Suddenly, the drone froze. Cal frowned and glanced around. Everyone else had frozen too, but they all faced the doorway, where Darren leaned against the wall. Cal turned and faced him, stepping forward slowly.

"Hey there ole buddy ol' pal!" Darren said, looking at Cal. "What do you go by here? Protector?" He spat the last word. He wore his completely bronze armor, with the evil glint in his eyes shining brightly. Slow rolls of bronze waves of energy rolled off him. "Remember me?" He toyed with a knife in his hands. Without waiting for a reply, he continued speaking. "I recall failing to kill YOU, but nevertheless my actions still caused such a strong strain on your sanity. So close… If you hadn't had your guardian whisper into your ear discreetly you would have broken. You would have become like ME!" Darren grinned. "Such power I have because I let go of my old self. I let go and escaped the chains which life placed upon me…" He toyed with the knife and slowly walked around the room. All the eyes of the frozen people followed him. Cal made his way between Kara and Darren, recalling the last time someone he cared about got between him and Darren.

"I think you are mistaken!" Cal said. Darren frowned and shook his head.

"No, no. That armor is unmistakably yours. See? It fits you well!" Darren pointed out. He noticed Cal staying between him and Kara. "Is that the girl you currently care about behind you? I know you remember what happened last time someone you cared about got in between us… She's buried at the top of Mount Caracus is she not? You visit her grave every anniversary correct? I suppose too much visiting and you relive the 'tragedy' too often. Too little and you offend her memory…" Darren smiled cruelly. He toyed with the knife some more. "Time to end this, TODAY!" With that, Darren threw the knife towards Kara, but Cal swiftly snatched in out of the air and rolled towards Darren. He rolled to his feet and roughly shoved Darren into the wall. Darren grunted, not expecting Cal's speed. He recovered, quickly materializing his 2 swords. His swords' steel blade gleamed in the light and the bronze hilts and bases in turn seemed to absorb the light. He grinned ear-to-ear at Callum.

"The Lightning Wolf bares his teeth!" Darren said, amused.

"Who?" Cal asked. Darren pointed a sword at Cal.

"Did you not hear? After you left they proclaimed you the Protector of the World, the Lightning Wolf. An understandable name, considering the way you fought… Baring your teeth as a wolf, striking as fast as lightning…" Darren explained. He grinned evilly again. "How rusty have you gotten with a sword?" He flew at Callum, who had nothing but Darren's knife. He bent over backwards, avoiding the first slash, and blocked the second with the knife. Cal backed quickly, but Darren gave no time for Cal to recover. He whirled around and slashed at Cal again, who managed to back away from the first slash. The second slash Cal barely blocked, the sword slipping off the knife's blade and scraping the armor, but not breaking through it. Cal swiftly head butted Darren in the face and rolled to the side, near the sword rack. He grabbed a sword and turned to Darren.

"Well played, even without swords…" Darren complimented. Cal nodded.

"You aren't too shabby yourself!" Cal admitted, flying forward, sliding on his knees and jabbing the knife into the back of the knee. Darren grunted, falling to one knee.

"You haven't lost your touch… or speed…" Darren said. His brown eyes flashed a shiny bronze and he stood up, the stab in his knee completely gone. He grinned.

"Did you forget?" Darren asked, his eyes a normal brown. "We have similar powers, and I just know how to use mine a bit better." He rushed forward, slashing and stabbing again. Cal blocked each wild attack, noticing a pattern that Darren repeated. Slash, slash, feint, stab and slash, repeat. Cal smiled under the helmet. At the next feint, Cal caught the stabbing arm, spun so he was back to back with Darren, and hooked his other arm and threw him to the ground. Darren groaned and whispered something. Cal crouched over to hear him.

"Too… predicable!" Darren said, stabbing Cal through the back. Cal yelled in pain and fell to one knee. Across the Watchtower, Ace sensed Cal's pain, barked, and sprinted to find Cal. Darren smiled and got up, grabbing his knife and walking over to Kara, whose eyes were wide in fear. "It's a shame really, another pretty face lost to our constant quarreling…" He held the knife to Kara's throat, savoring the moment. "Well, can't say I don't love a cold blooded murder every now and then." He began to apply pressure, but nothing happened. Frowning, Darren pushed harder, but her skin wouldn't break. Angry, he tried stabbing her, but the knife bent instead. Finally, Darren laughed.

"You sneaky little… You got yourself a Kryptonian girlfriend!" Darren said, figuring it out. He straightened the knife and his eyes flashed their shiny bronze again and the blade began glowing green. "It's a shame to kill off a survivor of such a respected race… but, oh well, anything to make him understand me and my reasoning. Good bye Kryptonian." He raised the knife to stab Kara, but Cal tackled him, sending them sprawling to the floor, but before they could land, Darren snapped his fingers and they both disappeared into thin air. With Darren gone, everyone returned to normal and they stood there, shocked. Kara, eyes teary and wide, fell to her knees in shock. Superman and Wonder Woman ran over to Kara, who was struggling to hold back tears. Mason slumped to the floor.

"N-not ag-gain!" Kara screamed. "I c-can't l-lose h-him a-again!" She turned to Batman. "T-this is Y-YOUR fault! If h-he wasn't wearing that d-damned replica or whatever ar-rmor he wouldn't have been mist-taken for W-Walter! He wouldn't have had to d-do what he did…" She looked at the floor, hopeless, toying with her locket, trying not to burst into tears. Finally, Ace arrived, barking, and looked around for Cal. He sniffed around a bit, following a scent around the room, but he got to the spot where Cal disappeared and whimpered. He sniffed the air one last time and went back to Kara, laying his head in her lap, whimpering loudly. No one wanted to say anything, but they all knew Kara was right. Batman's suspicions had led Cal to be mistaken for Walter and now he was who knows where, suffering from a bloody and deep stab in his back.