A/N: Okay, so I've been dropping increasingly less subtle hints since Chapter 1 on who I'm pairing Kara with, but this chapter is kinda where feelings officially come into play. So... yeah. Oh, and fair warning, this chapter is more of a filler than anything, so it will be a bit shorter than the others.

Disclaimer: [insert disclaimer here]

Downtime

Mount Justice

August 27, 07:58 EDT

In the days following Kent Nelson's funeral, I found both myself and Kaldur off our game. Neither of us were entirely focused, though it was probably for different reasons. My reason was Ted Grant. It had been almost four years since I had last seen him and the circumstances were not pleasant. But Kaldur... Kaldur had had something eating at him for a while now, at least since Artemis had joined the Team.

That was only proven by our botched mission to take down Clayface in Gotham, which was why we were all covered in slime and gunk. Had Batman not intervened, we probably wouldn't have made it out of there alive. The Dark Knight was clearly unhappy with Kaldur's performance because as soon as we returned to the Cave he said, "I need to talk to Aqualad. The rest of you, hit the showers and head home."

"Head home?" Superboy asked, incredulously, "I am home."

We all walked to the showers and cleaned up quickly before changing into civvies. As Wally and I walked back to the zeta tubes, we discussed our plans for the weekend.

"I'll be spending my free time up near Lake Tahoe. Oliver's family owns a ranch up there, so I'll be spending my last few days of freedom on horseback. It'll be nice to have some peace and quiet for a couple of days before my tutors return from vacation." I explained. Having a billionaire act as my legal guardian meant that I didn't have to attend public school. Instead, I had a series of private tutors who taught me at Queen Manor. Thanks to them, I was fluent in Russian, Spanish, French, Bialyan and Atlantean. This year, I would begin learning Latin. Did I also mention that I have an IQ of 180?

"Nice, Whiskers. Way to rub your richness in my face." Wally joked, lightly punching my arm.

"Not my money. Ollie's money." I pointed out. He laughed.

"Well, regardless of whose money it is, I'll still be spending Saturday in Central City with Barry and the Garricks. It's Jay's birthday tomorrow, so all of the speedsters are celebrating."

"Sounds like a good time. Send Jay my best and tell him happy birthday from me."

"Will do."

"Recognized: Kid Flash, B-zero five."

Once Wally was gone, I began to step into the zeta tube when I caught Kaldur out of the corner of my eye. He seemed even more upset than he was earlier.

"You okay, Kaldur?" I asked without really thinking. He looked over at me, surprised that I had seen him.

"Kara! My apologies, I didn't see you. Yes, I am fine, just... conflicted. I am hoping that a visit to my home will help."

I didn't say anything, I just nodded and made my way over to the zeta tubes.

"Well, whatever it is, I hope you figure it out." And then I was gone.

Lake Tahoe

August 27, 13:04 EDT

I arrived by car at Queen Ranch around 9 o'clock. As soon as I walked into my bedroom I collapsed and took a decent nap. By the time I woke up, Dinah and Oliver had already arrived and were getting settled. I decided to go to the kitchen to grab a snack before going out riding. Ollie's chef, Raymond, was nice enough to make me a turkey sandwich with fries, though I was fine with just an apple.

As I sat in the small dining room, I looked aimlessly out the nearby window, gazing at the pine forest and mountain range that surrounded the property.

"Earth to Kara Grant." The snapping of fingers in my ear brought me out of my trance. It was Dinah. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, sorry. I just... have a lot on my mind." I answered cautiously. I took another bite of my sandwich as my mentor sat down across from me.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

I shrugged, not sure of what to say in response, "I... think I might have feelings for someone. But I'm not sure if they're genuine. And I'm worried that going any further might ruin our friendship."

Dinah smiled at me and set a hand on top of mine, "You'll never know for sure unless you take that step. Start by talking about it and see where it goes."

I scoffed lightly at the idea of talking it out, "He's not really much of a talker. Not to mention he's had a lot going on for a while now."

"Be patient. You'll know when the time is right."

I smiled and finished the rest of my sandwich, leaving the fries for Oliver (at his passing request).

"I'm going for a ride to the lake. I won't be gone too long." I said, standing up from my seat. Dinah nodded and let me go. Once outside, I took a deep breath and relished in the warmth of the beautiful summer day. I followed a dirt walkway to the barn where the Queen family kept some 20+ horses. I strode down the aisle until I reached a stall containing a black warmblood with white socks and a star on his head. The nameplate on the door read: 'Orion, Owned and loved by Kara A. Grant'.

I slid the door open and led Orion into the aisle to tack him up. With his saddle and bridle on, I got on at took off at full gallop toward Lake Tahoe. I had been down the trail to the lake so many times that I had memorized the way there. When I arrived, I dismounted and tied Orion to a nearby tree.

I shoved my hands into my jean pockets and walked down to the lakeshore, thinking about my conversation with Dinah.

"Talk to him?" I asked myself, "How? I wouldn't know what to say. How could I talk to him without sounding like a total idiot?"

I set myself down on a large rock and looked out over the water, continuing to talk to myself, "What if he doesn't feel the same?"

'Then at least you'll know.' My mind told me, 'I mean, come on, the only way you'll really know how he feels is if you talk to him.'

"But I don't know if I can. When I talk to him, the situation is always so serious. He's always been kind of serious."

'So? Feelings can be serious. Especially if they're for someone else.'

"Ugh," I groaned audibly, "When did my life become a teenage drama?"

'The minute you thought that you might have feelings for him.'

I ended my one-person conversation and started to skip stones on the surface of the lake, while Orion stood grazing behind me. I finally returned back to the Queen's property when the sun began to set and after untacking my horse, I returned to the house for dinner, my mind made up.

Mount Justice

September 3, 19:00 EDT

I returned to the Cave dressed in uniform, fully refreshed from my time off. I greeted the others and we waited in the common room for Kaldur to arrive.

"So, Wally, how was Jay's birthday?" I asked.

"It was good. Jay says thanks for the birthday wishes, by the way. He's glad you still think of considering how long it's been since he's seen you." Wally said with a wide grin, "What about you? How was your weekend getaway to Lake Tahoe?"

"Relaxing. I was able to think through some things that have been on my mind lately. Coming back, I feel like I'm in a better mental state than when I left."

"Team, report for debriefing." Batman rang over our comms. Time to go to work. We walked to our briefing together, where we saw Aqualad conversing quietly with Batman.

"Just in time for your next mission." The Dark Knight finished, before turning to the rest of us, "The Watchtower detected an immense surge in the Bialyan desert. Spectral analysis revealed elements non-terrestrial in origin. Find out what happened at that site, what landed there. Bialya is a rogue state, ruled by Queen Bee and not a member of the League's UN charter. All communications are subject to interception. Maintain radio silence at all times. You'll arrive in Qurac on Bialya's border, two clicks from the hot-zone. It's a long trip, you should take the time to rest up before landing. Dismissed."