Welcome back, my dear readers.

This chapter takes place immediately after my last chapter. Should any questions or concerns come to mind, please let me know via review or personal message.

The next chapter should come out April 8th, if all goes well.

I do not own any of the characters.

Silently, Superman stood on the Watchtower deck, peering down at the planet he for so long has called home. Generally, the sight calmed his oft-heavy heart. But one of his enemies went further than Superman ever dared imagine; Livewire had killed Luminus. And so the sight of Earth did little to make his mood a serene one.

"Clark," a light voice spoke, and Superman turned toward Wonder Woman, who was lightly walking up behind him, "don't blame yourself for what happened."

"We don't really know what happened," Superman replied. "We just know that everyone down there was injured. Ray only regained the use of his legs 30 minutes ago. Stargirl is still unconscious. Obsidian's not his usual self, as far as I can tell. Captain Marvel asked to be put on the inactive roster. It was an utter mess."

"They were taken off-guard, Clark," Wonder Woman gently said. "Before they knew what was happening, Luminus had tricked the crowd into thinking that a boy killed himself and Livewire had blocked off the main entrance. In that situation, of course panic would ensue. I think given the circumstances, along with the fact that both Luminus and Livewire were doing all they could to kill them, it turned out positive."

Superman just shook his head. "I never knew Livewire to actually be murderous. Never. Most of the time, she was just having fun in her own twisted way. But murder? Never."

"Something changed," Batman spoke, walking to the pair of them. "We don't know what, but something changed. I spoke to the precinct captain down in Metropolis, where Livewire is currently in custody. Worth noting," Batman further explained, "despite them not knowing until ten minutes had passed that they should keep electronic devices away, she has made no attempts to escape. You want to talk to her? The captain will allow that."

Superman nodded, and turned back to Earth. "It was a charity event, damn it," he growled. "Is nothing sacred?"

Neither Batman nor Wonder Woman spoke. The three shared agreement on this topic.

Nothing was sacred.

Pat was silent, though when Doctor Light walked into Stargirl's infirmary room, she knew for sure that he was awake, as he was clasping Courtney's left hand in his.

At first, Pat made no indication that he heard the door slide open, and so when Doctor Light approached him, she was slightly surprised when, in a raw voice, he asked, "How can I help you, Light?"

"Pat, she'll be okay, you know," Doctor Light stated, placing a hand on his shoulder. "J'onn said there'd be no permanent damage. Courtney will be okay."

Stubbornly, Pat shook his head at Doctor Light's words. "I didn't even want her to be a hero," he admitted, running his right hand haphazardly through his red hair. "I sure as hell never wanted her to get hurt."

"Well, sometimes life just pulls us to be heroes," she vaguely replied with a shrug, pulling up a chair next to Pat. "Sometimes we don't get a choice. Sometimes it just, well, happens that way."

"I was a hero, or, I guess, tried to be a hero," Pat explained with a long-winded sigh, "when I was a kid. '79, '80, I paraded around in tights and called myself Stripesy. The Reagan revolution and all that sorta prompted me. God, I was a stupid kid." Pat chuckled at this and shook his head. "I was just a nobody running around Boulder in patriotic garb, beating up muggers and carjackers. God, I didn't know what I was doing. But it was liberating. I thought I was helping shore up some patriotism, to fight off the Commies."

Doctor Light said nothing at this, but looked at him with what he took as a sympathetic tone.

"Like I said," Pat went on, after a prolonged pause, "I was an idiot. Felt that way too, after a few years of Reagan. After the Kemp-Roth tax cut of '81, I took off my costume and never wore it again. For three years, the people of Boulder had what they though was a hero looking out for them, even though I was just a kid. But bam, like that, I disappeared off the scene. And they never saw me again."

"So you became a hero for the wrong reasons," Doctor Light replied, nodding her head. "But you're a hero now. What are your reasons at this moment?"

"To protect Courtney," Pat replied simply. "Oh, sure, I agree with what the League is trying to do. I believe in justice, and I believe in pitching in and doing my fair share. But if you're asking me the number one reason I'm here, it's because of Courtney. God, I sometimes wish she never found my costume..."

Pat trailed off, and Doctor Light looked curiously at him, waiting for an explanation. Whether Pat didn't notice or didn't care, she didn't know, but after almost a minute of silence, she asked for clarification. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, well," Pat replied, seeming surprised by the question, "a few years after her mother died, she was going through the garage. God knows what she was looking for," he offered with shrug. "But she found my old threads. I kept them, not because I thought what I did back then was smart, but I did feel a certain pride in knowing that I helped people, in whatever limited way I could. So I kept the uniform, kept a few newspaper clippings, and that was that. In my more nostalgic moments, I'd look back on those carefree days," Pat finished with a smile. "I sometimes wonder," he added, "what Courtney's mother would have thought about what I did. I never did tell her. I was going to, but, well, that type of thing didn't really come up."

Doctor Light politely smiled at this. "So she found your suit and what, went out to fight crime?"

"I think a lot of it was acting out," Pat admitted, turning his gaze back upon his step-daughter. "She was 16, and she was angry. And she took karate. It was a pretty dangerous mix," he said with a grin. "The first few weeks, I didn't know anything was wrong. God knows that there were other things on my mind, and to be completely honest, I wasn't winning any father of the year awards. When I saw the bruises, the first thing I thought was boys. And I got riled up. But she came clean, and told me. She was fighting crime, wearing something she designed off my old suit. And when she told me, I saw in her eyes that she wanted by back in the field. By her side."

"I remember that night so clearly," Pat continued, shaking his head. "I was such a shitty father, but she still wanted me to help her out. God, I never understood why she wanted that. Not then, anyways."

"I think she probably just wanted to share a hobby with her father," Doctor Light replied, putting her hand on Pat's. "You know, teen kids always want their parents to be interested in what they do. And you being a hero in the past? I can scarcely imagine the magic that she saw in a team-up between her and you."

At this, Pat chuckled. "I suppose you're right. Anyhow, I was long past the time where I'd run around in tights, but I'm an engineer and mechanic, so what do I do? Make a few suits."

"And hence, the legend of Stargirl and STRIPE begins," Doctor Light said with a smile.

"We took northeastern Nebraska by storm," Pat replied, nodding. "There were never many heroes out that way, so it definitely turned some peoples' heads."

"See, to me," Doctor Light began, "it sounds like almost destiny. You're a hero for a few years back in the late '70s, and your step-daughter, after finding your uniform, becomes a hero too? That means something."

"You really think so," Pat asked, his tone one of wonderment. "Like it was meant to be?"

"Well, I'll just say that I don't really believe in coincidences," Doctor Light replied. "And I do truly believe, with all my heart, that some people are called upon to be heroes, by the greater force of the universe."

"You ever have doubts about your path, Kimiyo?"

"Only every day," she replied with a smile. "But I do believe I'm doing what I'm supposed to be. And that I'm making a positive difference doing it."

It was Pat's turn to sit there, waiting for the story to continue, while Doctor Light appeared in deep thought.

"You know, Courtney and I were talking about this earlier tonight," she stated, nodding at Pat's surprised look. "I told her about the first time I took action, helped someone out, but not why I became a hero permanently. I didn't think that a young girl should hear that."

"Well, I think Courtney's growing up quickly," Pat replied, "but I thank you for your caution. That bad, huh?"

Doctor Light's lips pressed together tightly, she made a sound of disgust. "Serial rapist. After what he did to those women, I almost wish he would have killed them," she said, and convulsively shuddered. "Yeah, it was bad."

Grimly, Pat nodded. "And you were able to track this guy down?"

"Took some time," Doctor Light replied, her face showing some anger. "By the time I actively began looking for this guy, he already attacked four women. And by the time I caught up to him, he'd gotten ten. And those were only the ones that came forward."

"If I were in your position, I might have killed the bastard if I caught up to him. And I'm a generally peaceful guy."

"I really thought about it," Doctor Light confirmed. "When I have him in my sights, right in front of me, God, I was tempted. But I'm a lapsed Buddhist, and I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

"That sounds extraordinarily tough."

"Yes, it was. And after I got him sent away to prison, one of his victims thanked me. It was hard, listening to her story, but I did. What she went through - well, it's better left unsaid. But I realize that had I been out on the streets before this guy started, I could have maybe prevented some of these attacks. So since then, I've been doing all I could to make Fresno a safer place."

"Well, cheers to you for that," Pat replied, his tone supportive. "So, when you're not a hero, what do you do with your life? Or is this an all-day, every day thing?"

"I'm a scientist," Doctor Light stated. "That 'Doctor' in my name? Well, I have a PhD, so it's sort of accurate."

Pat gave her a look. "So, you're the type of person who refers to themselves as a 'doctor' when you have a PhD? Tsk tsk."

Doctor Light laughed. "Not so much. Just a tidbit, really. When people find out I'm a scientist, they're generally surprised."

"The woman thing?"

She shrugged. "I think it's more that when people see me, they don't see a scientist. It's not the gender, it's just they don't see it in me. I do need to try and get something to eat, though," she stated, standing up, her hand on his shoulder. "Hang tight, Pat. She'll be fine. Just keep that thought in mind."

Pat gave her a bracing smile. "Thanks for stopping by, friend."

"Of course," she replied, and with that, she left Pat alone with Courtney.

"Back to the Future, the Karate Kid, or Indiana Jones?"

Speedy raised his eyebrow. "Excuse me?" The archer understood the words that Atom-Smasher said, but as to the context, he was utterly clueless. Walking into the commissary, those were not the first words one would expect. Atom-Smasher, Sand, Cynthia, and Hourman sat around a table, their late dinners long-done with.

Sand shook his head. "Al, myself, and Rick have a bet. Best trilogy from the 1980's. We're asking as many members as we can. I've got my money on Indiana Jones."

Atom-Smasher laughed jovially, and Sand gave him a look, though what type of look, Speedy couldn't determine through Sand's gas mask. He ran his hand through his blond hair and made a noise of derision. "Could you stop laughing every time I say that?"

Cynthia cupped her mouth and giggled. "They've been bickering about this since 9:30."

"I think it's fair to say," Hourman began, ignoring Atom-Smasher's flipping off of Sand, "that these two are clearly out of their minds. Back to the Future is clearly the most popular trilogy. The actors, the story, the comedy, it's all solid."

If Speedy could have seen Sand's face, he'd expect him to be rolling his eyes. "Yeah, like Harrison Ford's a light-weight."

"Or Pat Morita," Atom-Smasher interjected, and Sand sent him another look.

"Guys, are you insane," Speedy asked, though he couldn't help but chuckle. "First off, which of you idiots got behind the Karate Kid? You, Al?"

"Yeah," Al replied defensively, "but I don't see why-"

"There's four Karate Kid movies, dude. It's not a trilogy."

"Oh," Hourman shouted, causing some personnel walking by to glance over at them, "he's got you there. I completely forgot about the fourth movie."

"The Hillary Swank television movie," Al replied, a disgusted look on his face. After Speedy and Rick nodded, he shook his head. "THAT DOESN'T COUNT!"

"Why the hell wouldn't it count," Sand incredulously asked. "Just because Macchio's not in it? Screw you."

"Hey, you know what," Rick spoke up, before Al could retort, "let's let Atom-Smasher keep Karate Kid. He'll still lose to both of us."

Sand titled his head, then nodded. "Okay, I'm good with that."

"How much money do you guys have on this bet," Speedy inquired, scrunching his face up in amusement.

"Yeah, listen to this," Cynthia said, rolling her eyes, "you'll love it."

"I have $80 on Indiana Jones coming out on top," Sand explained. "Rick has $75 on Back to the Future, and Al has $45 on the Karate Kid 'cause he's Jewish."

The drink that Cynthia was drinking spurted out of her mouth, and she broke out laughing.

"You anti-Semantic prick," Al replied, though with a grin.

"What's the tally, then," Speedy inquired, raising his eyebrows.

Cynthia snorted in laughter again, and Hourman gave her a look of annoyance.

"Well, if you count us, it's 1-1-1," Hourman said. "Cynthia here hasn't seen the Karate Kid movies, so we can't count her vote."

"You've seen all these trilogies, right," Sand asked. "You want to help us out?"

"As much as I love seeing you three bicker like kids," Speedy began, "yeah, I have. I'm going with Indiana Jones."

Sand grunted in joy at this, and Cynthia took down his vote in a small notebook she had in her hands.

"You know what," Speedy began, a new gleam in his eyes, "you want to do this properly? Let's do it. Cynthia, I, and another member can go around, ask League members which they prefer, and get some real results. We can probably get like, 20 results by the end of the night if we work quickly."

"Why couldn't we help collect vote," Atom-Smasher replied, confused.

"Because he doesn't trust any of us not to cheat," Sand replied, nodding in agreement, "as it's our money on the line."

A general murmur of agreement came upon the three of them, and they gave the affirmative.

"We'll be back in 30, guys," Speedy stated. "Don't go anywhere."

"Hey, I have $120 to collect," Sand remarked, the smile in his voice obvious. "I wouldn't dream of going anywhere."

As Speedy and Cynthia walked out of the commissary, just as the younger archer expected, an argument had broken out between the three. Speedy grinned.

Obsidian sat in his room alone, staring out of his window.

He sighed deeply.

Tonight simply had not gone as planned. It wasn't just the fact that the charity was attacked, but more the fact that despite being League members, they weren't able to effectively take them out. They only won, according to a like-wise bothered Ray, when Livewire turned on Luminus. And that bothered Obsidian too, the more he thought about it.

While he and Ray were throwing jokes back and forth to each other, Luminus was living the last 30 minutes of his life, putting all he had into trying to take them down. He was deadly serious. And Ray and himself just laughed him off.

This didn't bode well with Obsidian. Who knew what that man was going through. Instead of fighting each other, they could have prevented this whole thing and gotten him the necessary help years ago. But he was now dead, and Obsidian, despite knowing that technically he was mistaken, couldn't help but blame himself partially for his death.

It just, to Obsidian, felt wrong.

A knock on his door jolted him from his stupor. And he wasn't surprised when, standing on the other side, was Ray.

"Mind if I come in, man?"

Obsidian shrugged, and moved away from the door. "Suit yourself."

"So, I was trying to eat a late dinner at the commissary," Ray began, sitting in a chair in front of Obsidian's desk, "and Atom-Smasher, Cynthia, Hourman, you know, that bunch, were arguing over movies or something like that. I don't know, but I just couldn't get into it. They even tried inviting me over, but I just sorta shrugged them off."

"Tonight's felt different to me too," Obsidian admitted, sitting on his bed. "I've just been thinking about Luminus, how tonight was the last night of his life, and wondering what he was trying to accomplish."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I think that's something that Superman is really going to try and find out," Ray replied. "I heard he wasn't happy with what happened."

"He doesn't blame us," Obsidian inquired, not having heard this information.

"No, no," Ray quickly replied, "it's more how Livewire killed Luminus. Apparently, that's something that no one would have expected Livewire to do, so no one knows what to make of it."

It was this that both of them pondered, the silence disturbed only my the sound of Obsidian removing his mask to more properly scratch his ear. The two shared a quick glance before Obsidian looked away, his cheeks again turning red.

"Todd, mind if I ask you something," Ray inquired. "It's, well, personal, truth be told."

Obsidian shook his head, and sighed. "I think I know what you're going to ask, and yes, I am, though I'm not a fan of labels. And I'd prefer it not get around."

"No, it's cool, don't worry," Ray swiftly replied. "I just thought, you know, I've seen you and Vibe hanging out a lot, and-"

"We, uh, had a falling out, actually because of this very thing," Obsidian replied, exhaling. "I misread him. My fault. At first, I thought he was just playing hard-to-get, and then I thought he just didn't know yet, but no, as it turns out, he's very straight. And he wasn't happy when I, well," he flustered for a bit. "It doesn't matter."

"Listen," Ray gingerly said, "I'm not, you know-"

Obsidian laughed. "Listen, Ray, it's fine. I didn't know, so I was sorta testing the waters earlier tonight. I didn't mean to make you feel awkward or anything."

"Well, I'm glad that's cleared up," Ray cheerfully replied. "I wish you luck in finding someone, but I don't get the sense that even among the League, many of us would understand."

"To be honest," Obsidian began, running his hand through his hair, "I'm just glad you're not the judgmental type."

"I've never met anyone who was openly, well, gay," Ray finished rather lamely. "But I don't have anything against you."

"Well, that's something, anyways."

A comfortable silence came upon the two of them. After a while, Ray nodded to the door. "Want to grab a bite to eat?"

"For sure, man," Obsidian agreeably said. "Let's jet."

Blue Devil entered the commissary, and upon seeing a group of League members still up, approached them.

"How now," Blue Devil asked, doing his best Shining Knight impression.

Hourman yawned, not impressed. "Well, there's always next time. Take a seat, Danny."

"I have to admit," Blue Devil stated, pulling out a seat and taking it, "I'm surprised to see that you guys are still up.

"It's a long story," Sand admitted. "Basically, we're waiting for results for a bet."

"Oh, the movie thing," Blue Devil replied. "Cynthia asked me earlier."

Atom-Smasher piqued up. "Which did you pick?"

"To quote Leviticus," Blue Devil remarked, "that's for me to know and you to find out."

"I'm almost positive that's not in Leviticus," Hourman replied with a grin. "Anyways, that's why we're up. What's up with you?"

"Wanted to talk about what happened in Metropolis. Spread gossip. Talk about members behind their backs. That kind of stuff," Blue Devil said with a shrug. "Superman's so pissed about it."

Blank stares followed this proclamation, and Blue Devil sighed. "Aw, man, you're telling me that none of the three of you heard about this yet?"

"What happened in Metropolis," Sand asked. "Bizarro again?"

"No, that charity thing. Remember? The one I was almost picked to go to, but I got out of it due to my pure charm," Blue Devil replied.

"Ah, if I remember," Atom-Smasher remarked, "you got out of it by saying you'd punch the first reporter who asked you if the horns were real or not."

"Didn't you get a week of monitor duty with Terrific for that," Hourman further inquired.

Blue Devil waved them off. "I think what's truly important is that earlier tonight, two of Superman's baddies attacked the charity. Some of the League got pretty hurt, too. Ray was down for a bit, but I think he's fine now. STRIPE got knocked around. Stargirl almost died, from what I heard from Nem-"

"Wait," Atom-Smasher quickly cut in, "Courtney got hurt?"

Blue Devil eyed his fellow League member strangely. "Yeah, what's that to you? She a friend?"

Atom-Smasher nodded, and without any additional words, he stood up and left the table.

Hourman made sure he was gone before he replied. "Stargirl's like a little sister to him. He's sorta over-protective of her, really."

"Huh," Blue Devil replied, filing that away. "Well, anyways, it was a pretty wild night. I even heard Captain Marvel, our new boy, decided to take some time off."

"He went off the active roster," Sand replied, outraged. "I've been wanting to get some free time to myself for ages, but Green Lantern keeps declining my requests."

"Well, maybe-"

Blue Devil was cut off, though, when Commander Steel entered the commissary and marched up to the table in a huff. "Anyone here seen my American flag," he inquired, embarrassed. "I seem to have, well, misplaced it."

"Is that the one Hawk has hanging up over his bed," Sand asked, bored.

"No, no," Commander Steel replied, distracted. "That's his, mine's-"

"Dude, does it look like anyone here has your flag," Blue Devil asked. "Listen, if anyone sees it, we'll let you know, cool?"

Commander Steel sighed, but nodded his head just the same. "Thank you."

After he left, Blue Devil shrugged at the suspicious look Hourman was giving him.

"What," he asked Hourman defensively. "I had a bet with Creeper that I could get his flag before Creeper could get Hawk's."

"And pray tell," Hourman sweetly replied, a smile on his lips, "where'd you stash it?"

"Crimson Avenger's room. He's never up here, so I thought, what the heck?"

"You know," Sand said, "if you get kicked off the League, I don't think anyone would be surprised."

"I'm probably on the watch list," Blue Devil admitted. "Up there with Booster Gold, Aztek, and Question."

"Whoa, rewind a sec," Sand swiftly replied, "what did Aztek do?"

"He watches hockey," Blue Devil said with a shiver. "That's enough of a crime, believe me."

"Boy, are we lucky to have you," Hourman spoke under his breath.

When first Superman walked into the interrogation room, he was shocked to see that, behind Livewire's eyes, she looked nearly dead. He had no idea why, which was concernig, but tried to shake it off. Sitting down across from her, he was further thrown off track by the fact she hurled no insults at him. In fact, she said nothing - just blandly stared at him, as if in shock.

"Leslie," Superman began, his tone far more tender than he had expected to use, "are you okay?"

At this, she remained silent.

Undeterred, Superman pressed on. According to the officers, her system was clean, so why she was acting like this had nothing to do with narcotics, which Superman took only as a positive sign.

"Leslie, why did you kill Luminus tonight?"

Still, she simply stared at him. But her eyes were moving - she heard him fine.

"Leslie, you're facing a murder charge. That's not Stryker's. That's Belle Reve. I'd start talking."

She didn't. And no matter how hard he pressed, how hard he urged her to come clean, after ten minutes, he had gotten nowhere. Staring at the face of the woman he'd known for almost ten years, Superman shook his head.

"Leslie, if you ever want to talk, please tell the guards to contact me. I'm here for you," he gently stated. "Remember that. Please."

As Superman flew back up to the Watchtower, his interaction with Leslie stuck in his mind.

She wasn't a murderer, not naturally. Why she did what she did, he had no idea. Maybe the courts would find out, maybe the secret would go with her to her grave.

It was bittersweet, almost - while Livewire was a pain in the neck, she was never overly dangerous. And Superman thought that she herself knew that. But that changed. And so much had changed.

"J'onn," he spoke to his earpiece, "I'm coming back in now."

"Of course, friend," J'onn replied. "Did you have any luck with Livewire?"

"I didn't," Superman said, still aggravated. "I don't know what happened down there, but-"

The statement went unfinished.

Superman had disappeared.