Picking Sides

Aikaterine pounded on Barbara's apartment door. "Barbara? Barb? Open up." Nothing, no response. She didn't give another chance. "I'm coming in." With that, she kicked the door open, it flying right off its hinges. She made a mental note to help Barbara reattach the door when this was all over.

The apartment was dark and quiet when she entered, different. Still - too still and quiet.

She was snuck up on - the next thing she knew she was shoved forward harshly, landing face-first. Spinning around, she saw Barbara standing there, nestled in the shadows of the room. Even in her heeled boots her footsteps had been silent.

"I thought you were different," the blonde said.

"You're the one who's different, who has changed." Aikaterine got to her feet, her eyes not leaving Barbara, not even for a moment.

"That's not what I meant."

"I don't want to fight you!"

"Well too bad - because I can't let you stop him-" Barbara took another lunge at her, but this time Aikaterine was more prepared. Barbara grabbed her arm in an iron grip, wrenching it around, smirking. "Strong, huh? You said you liked strong. That it was sexy." She flung the redhead across the room - sending her smashing right through the sliding glass door and off the balcony, crashing to the ground below.

"Oh my God!" A woman who had been walking nearby promptly dropped her armful of groceries and rushed over to where Aikaterine had fallen, looking up at the balcony. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

From a fall like that, she should have been dead - had she been a mortal that is. Good thing she wasn't.

"Don't move, I live here, I'm going to call an ambulance-"

"Don't bother, I'm fine-" Aikaterine gathered herself, staggering to her feet and storming away back to her own apartment, the woman watching open-mouthed from behind her.


"Aikaterine! My Gods, what happened?!" Diana fussed when the beaten warrior entered the apartment.

"Barbara-"

"She did this to you?"

"Yes - she's upset. She doesn't want to give up her wish - doesn't want Lord Maxwell to be stopped-" Aiakerine groaned as Diana helped her sit down on the couch. Steve brought her a glass of water. "Thank you."

"You need medical attention." Diana disappeared into the kitchen, coming back with a wet washcloth, and began gently dabbing at Aikaterine's many bloody cuts.

"Did you find Lord Maxwell?" the redhead asked.

"Not yet," Steve updated.

"Who knows how many more wishes he's granted..." Speaking of wishes, she recalled what Lord Maxwell had said when he had granted her her own wish: "And from you I take your new friendship."

The price of her wish for the old Diana's love was losing her newfound friendship with Barbara. Her most valued possession...

After reassuring Diana that she was fine and would tend to her own wounds, Diana headed back into the TV closet to search for Lord Maxwell. Aikaterine watched her go.

She recalled her conversation with Steve earlier:

"Has she really seen no one else in seventy years?"

"No one."

And she could not break that cycle. And the longer she held onto her wish, the longer it kept Lord Maxwell afloat.

"Diana." She found herself suddenly standing in the doorway to the TV room, barely registering herself having gotten up off the couch and walking over.

Diana immediately turned her attention away from the screens and to her. "Yes? You alright?"

"I-I-"

"Oh Love-" Diana stood and came over to her.

Without another thought, Aikaterine pulled Diana close in a tight hug, a warm embrace, fighting tears. "I love you, you know."

"Yes, I know."

"But I think it's time we both move forward. We have to."

She pressed a kiss to Diana's cheek before pulling away. When she pulled back, she held Diana's cheeks, brushing her raven curls out of her eyes, before pressing her forehead to her own. "I renounce my wish."


They traced Lord Maxwell to the White House, but did not reach him in time before he granted the President's wish. Chaos ensued when they tried to apprehend Max. Diana and Steve were just approaching the man in question when both were thrown back with great force.

Barbara.

She had pushed them away, away from Max.

She had chosen her side.

"Barbara, what are you doing?"

"I'm handling it beautifully - and I'm not giving it back! I can't let you stop Max. You're not the only one with something to lose. Turns out, wishing to be like you came with some surprises." She turned to Max, who was still on the floor, shocked. "Go! Run!"

He scrambled to his feet. "Everyone stand down - no one hurt her."

"They couldn't if they tried," breathed Barbara. Then she turned back to Diana. "You've always had everything, while people like me have nothing. Well now it's my turn, and you are not taking it from me - ever!"

"But what is it costing you?"

"What is it costing me?"

"If it is the Monkey's Paw it takes as much as it gives. Yes you're strong, but what did you lose? Barbara, where's your warmth, your joy, your humanity. You're attacking innocent men, Barbara-" Diana was clearly in a lot of pain. "Look at yourself."

"Forget about me - what is it costing you? Yeah, yeah that's right. Get used to it." Barbara pointed at her. "If you go after Max Lord, or hurt him in any way, I will destroy you." With that she stalked out of the room after Max.

Aikaterine helped Steve help Diana to her feet, balancing her weight between them.

"Go after them," Diana urged Aikaterine.

"But you're hurt-"

"Go, you have to stop them before they reach their destination - we'll catch up, go!"

Oh, Diana. But she did as she was told.

She took off running down the hall. "Barbara - BARBARA!" The blonde stopped and turned to face her. "Barbara, Diana's right. You don't understand-"

"Oh Diana this, Diana that! Diana! Diana! Diana! She's always right about everything, isn't she?" Well not this time."

"No, you don't understand-"

"Oh, I don't understand? Oh poor me. Poor little dumb me!"

"No, no that's not-"

"Just stop!" Barbara lashed out at her again, with swift speed, grabbing Aikaterine by the neck. She stood taller than the redhead as well, now especially in her heeled boots, and lifted her off the ground before dropping her. "If you didn't want to hang out with me, you should have just said so. And if you didn't like me, then you shouldn't have led me on." With a swipe of her arm, she sent Aikaterine flying back down the length of the hall, striking the wall and knocking the air from her lungs, giving herself enough time to escape.

The helicopter was in motion when Aikaterine managed to catch up to it, and was just lifting off the ground when she reached it. She uncoiled her whip and lashed it at the metal bar of the landing skid, catching hold of it. With one yank, she wrenched the machine downward.

Inside the helicopter, the passengers were trying to grab hold of something to steady their balance as the vessel was pulled down.

"Don't you wish we could get out of here with no interruptions and nothing to stop us?" Max asked the pilot, placing his hand on the man's shoulder.

"I do, yes Sir."

"Very good. Granted. And I take your health." Max collapsed into a seat with a groan.

The pilot's wish granted, Aikaterine went crashing to the ground, watching helplessly as the helicopter lifted and flew away. She smacked the ground in frustration. She had no idea where they were going and now had no way to get there. She grabbed a handful of grass and pulled.

But wait...

She knelt down, pressing her palm to the grass beneath her. "Father, please hear me, I need to get somewhere - and fast."

Haha I love it so much when Diana's coming at Max and he's freaking out, while Steve's just in the background punching people - too good!

Looks like we'll be wrapping things up in the next chapter... I can't believe the end is here already! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)