Amy needed a way to prove to her family that Mara could be a helpful ally, right after she confronted her girlfriend about possibly using her powders to force her to go on ill-planned crime sprees. Taking a deep breath, Amy reviewed the facts one last time to ensure she was correct and managed to make herself angry all over again. Amy lifted her boot and, snarling, kicked in the door to Mara's abandoned warehouse lair.

"Oh, hey Havoc! I knew you'd come around after your brother so rudely threw me out. I was thinking of doing something fun later. Do you want to vandalize-" but Amy cut her off, pointedly ignoring the jab at her brother.

"Were you controlling me?" Amy wasn't one for patience under normal circumstances, but even less so when mind control was involved.

"What?" Mara just looked blankly at her as though she had no idea what she was talking about. It only served to piss Amy off further.

"Earlier, for the jewelry heist. You were controlling me." It was no longer a question.

"Havoc no. I wouldn't do that to you. you know-" but Amy saw the subtle way her eyes glowed while she tried to convince her that she wasn't controlling her.

"Bull. Shit." Amy saw Mara flinch back at her powers being cut off and inwardly preened at the way the other villain looked around the room fearfully for an escape. "That plan was so poorly thought through that even Chaos wouldn't have gone through with it."

"Chaos told you that, didn't he?" Mara latched on to the mention of Amy's brother like it was a lifeline. "You know he just doesn't like me because of my powers. Your whole family is so paranoid." Amy could tell that Mara was gearing up for a rant, but she was just so sick of listening to her girlfriend insult her family. Every time she was kicked out of the lair or was told she couldn't go one a job it was always the same rant; 'your family hates my because of my powers, they don't trust me, it's so dumb, it's so stupid they make us stay in the common area' and on and on and on.

"They're not paranoid because you were actually doing it." Mara's smile faltered and she took a step back before regaining her composure.

"Okay fine, I did suggest it." Amy opened her mouth to yell some more but Mara cut her off. "But it was a good thing! You needed to go out and cut loose. I was just giving you a little push." Amy closed her mouth again. What Mara said did make sense. And She did have fun, even if they had to run from the cops.

Mara could clearly see she had convinced Havoc of her good intentions and stepped forward into her personal space, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. "Plus, I wanted to spend some time with my girlfriend. Is that so bad?" Amy was cracking under Mara's puppy dog eyes. She groaned.

"Just please don't do it again." Mara smiled happily, leaning up to kiss Amy. Amy broke the kiss after a couple of seconds. "We still need to convince my family you would be a good ally and competent addition to our ranks." Mara's smile fell again, and Amy had to resist the urge to take back her words. They'd had this conversation many times and it usually ended with Mara running off in anger.

"I told you, there is nothing I can do to convince them. They just hate me." Amy knew they didn't like Mara, but they might start if she could prove herself to be a decent Villain.

"Sure, you can. You just need to pull off a job that is well thought through," she shot a pointed look at Mara. "And actually do something villainous. Then they'll like you for sure." Or they would at least stop openly hating her, which to a villain was about the same thing.

"Alright, alright." Amy could see Mara was thinking about what she should do. "Okay, how about we-" Amy cut her girlfriend off with a wave of her hand.

"No. No we. This is about you proving yourself. You have to be able to pull it off without me." Amy saw a dark look cross Mara's face, but it was gone so quickly Amy was sure she had imagined it.

"Why should I have to?! I have you, and what kind of villain would I be if I didn't use all my resources?" Amy bristled at the way Mara was referring to her. as though she were some kind of tool of possession to use and show off.

"I am not-" Amy cut herself off. Yelling at Mara never helped, it always just made her angry. "You are a competent villain, right?" Mara nodded, looking smug. "Competent villains pull of jobs, right?" another nod. "So, you should be able to pull of something without me." Mara's face dropped into an angry scowl, clearly expecting Amy to cave, but she couldn't cave. Not on this. Not if they wanted to date openly.

"You could control anyone! Fid someone actually relevant to you plan and use them." Mara paused in the angry rant she was clearly gearing up for and pondered Amy's words for a moment before a wide, cruel smile found it's way onto her lips.

"Yes, I could. And I think I have the perfect person in mind." Amy smiled at her girlfriend. She knew she could do it, she just needed a little encouragement.

"Great! I can't wait to hear all about it." The cruel smile was still on Mara's face as she turned to Amy.

"Ya, sure. Meet me on our usual Highrise tomorrow night and I'll tell you all about it." Amy raised an eyebrow at the quick timeline but just shook her head. Mara always liked to jump into things.

"Sure, I'll be there."

No one dared to bring up Mara again until the next day. Vic had worked all night to isolate the reason Amy was able to fight Mara's commands, Amy and Hartley hung around the house, and Jake kept his eyes peeled for any sign of Mara.

It wasn't until Eva called a family meeting (which Hartley crashed) that the topic of Mara was brought up again much to Amy's embarrassment.

"Okay I get it we need to talk about Mara." Amy rolled her eyes, trying to hide her embarrassment about the subject with a condescending tone.

"I still think we should just chuck her into the nearest ocean." Jake interjected, causing Amy to roll her eyes. Jake wasn't secretive about his hatred for her ex-girlfriend.

"While that would be exciting, we do have another way to deal with her." Eva gestured to Vic, who quickly pulled out a remote and started fiddling with it. Amy was about to ask what it was for when lights started flashing and confetti filled the room.

"I figured it out." Vi stated proudly, only spitting out a little confetti from his mouth when he spoke.

"And you had to announce that with litter?" Amy gripped, cleaning the little pieces of paper out of her hair.

"Yes." Vi still sounded smug. "Okay so," and with that Amy knew she was in for a long explanation. "Mara's powers work by replicating the frequency her victim's brain operates on. When she gives an order, her powers make it seem like the idea came from the person's own brain by giving the order in the victim's brain's frequency. Only it's amplified, so that she can overpower her victim's own thoughts and desires." Everyone stared at him, only half understanding. "In centropolis, Amy built up a resistance to this, because Mara controlled her so much…" Amy glanced over to see Harley violently gesturing for Vic to stop talking, only to freeze when she noticed Amy looking.

"Oh, ah, carry on." The girl awkwardly waved Vic on to continue. Amy gave her an unimpressed look before turning back to her father for the rest of his explanation.

"Umm ok, Amy built up a resistance kind of like how a person develops antibodies against infections. My guess is this is what caused Amy to develop her Sonic hypnosis ability. To fight Mara." Amy felt her eyebrows shoot up. Mara caused her to develop sonic hypnosis? Usually, villain powers only amplify or mutate under extreme duress. Was Mara really that bad?

"That makes sense. Amy developed that ability just a couple weeks after that confrontation-" Jake pondered out loud but Amy cut him off. She really didn't want to think about that last confrontation with Mara ever again.

"How does that help me if Mara tries something again?" Amy could feel Hartley's eyes on her and it made her skin prickle, but she ignored it in hopes she would just stop.

"Well as far as I can tell, if Mara gives you an order, just use your sonic hypnosis to break out of it." Vic spoke like all their problems were solved.

"But if Mara knows Amy has a way to get out of her control, won't she just order her not to use her sonic hypnosis?" Hartly asked, making Amy happy she wasn't the one who had to say it.

"Oh yeah. I guess she would." Vic pondered and shrugged.

"Sooo…" Amy motioned for her dad to continue, but he just plopped down on the couch and grabbed some popcorn.

"So what?" he said, taking a bite of popcorn.

"What do I do?!" Amy knew she was visibly frustrated, but she wasn't in the mood to hide her emotions.

"Oh ah, I guess I can make a failsafe in case she takes control of you with a devise to mimic your sonic hypnosis. But It'll take at few days at least, so until then… don't get controlled." Vic laughed, shoving another piece of popcorn in his mouth before Eva swiped the bowl from him.

Amy pushed the heel of her hand into her forehead in a futile attempt to ward off her oncoming headache. "So, we have a one-time defense against Mara for the next week, but if she attacks twice, we're screwed." Amy summarized.

"Yeah, pretty much." Vic agreed. Amy finally gave in and buried her face in her hands. She heard a thump sound and her dad's exaggerated cry of pain and outrage.

"Darling, that means maybe you should get to work on that. Now." Eva scolded her husband.

"But I was about to watch- yes dear." Vic fearfully agreed when Eva's hands started to spark, and he ran off into the lair. Amy felt the couch beside her shift as someone sat down beside her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure everything will be okay Amy. I'll be there for you." Hartley seemed to realize what she said and quickly removed her hand and started to back pedal. "I mean we'll be there for you. Jake will be there for you. Jake and I. and Colby. We will all be there for you. We will all individually looking out for-"

"Thanks Hartley, I get it." Amy cut off Hartley's rambling before it could turn into a full-blown panic. In truth, Harley being around was what Amy was worried about. Mara had controlled Amy, a big bad villain, with little to no effort. She had almost ruined Amy's life. What would she do to someone like Harley? The girl was practically sunshine personified, if Mara got in her head… Amy shuttered at the thought. She couldn't let that happen. No matter what.

Hartley was borderline refusing to let Amy out of her sight. She had even gone so far as to fight her grandmother when the older woman didn't want her to spend the night at Amy's house. Hartley still had no idea how she won that fight, but she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Ever since Amy heard about what Mara tried to do to her, she seemed different. She was quieter, more contemplative, and she really didn't want anyone to touch her. Hartley wanted to cheer Amy up but wasn't sure how. So, she settled for keeping her best friend company until her father figured out what to do about Amy's ex-girlfriend. Amy didn't seem to mind all that much so Hartley took it as a win.

The Maddens didn't even pretend to protest her presence in their house or at their family meeting. Hartley figured they could also see that Harley's presence helped Amy, but they didn't say anything, and whether it was because they didn't want to hurt Amy or if it was just because they all had the emotional range of a teaspoon… well, Hartley couldn't tell.

She listened carefully as Vic explained how Mara's powers worked, maybe if she knew more about them, she could be of more help. But then she noticed Amy's face as he listened to her dad. Anyone else would think it was indifference, but Hartley knew her best friend better than anyone and she knew what that face was covering up. It was guilt and… fear.

Harley had never seen Amy afraid, not really. She had seen her angry, she had seen her annoyed, she had even seen her be protective. But never truly afraid. So, once Eva sent Vic away to work on his failsafe idea, Harley didn't hesitate to rush to her best friend's side and try her best to comfort her.

"Thanks Hartley, I get it." Harley's heart broke at Amy's words. And the heartbreak didn't stop as Amy got up and stomped out of the living area and up to her room. Harley thought about going after her for a moment, but then decided against it. Amy was the kind of person who needed to be able to think when she was upset and pushing her to talk when she wasn't ready would likely result in a sonic powered screaming match.

So instead, Harley turned to Jake. "What are we going to do?" Jake shrugged at her question.

"Keep Amy inside and wait for dad's device." Harley wanted to shake him. Couldn't he see Amy was hurting?!

"She's not going to let us keep her inside forever Jake! She's going to want to go outside eventually." Jake just shrugged again, popping some more popcorn in his mouth, but Harley started to see just how tense he was. He was scared too.

"I'm just glad she isn't going after Mara." He confessed, still chewing. Harley felt the fight drain out of her as she knew why Amy wasn't going after Mara. She sunk down onto the sofa.

"She's so scared Jake. And I don't know how to help." Jake finally stopped chewing and looked at her with rage in his eyes.

"Ya Hartley, she is. And if I thought Amy would ever forgive me for it, I would hunt down Mara and end this myself." Jake took a deep breath, clenching his jaw and looking away. "She hurt Amy badly, but it's nothing compared to what she could do. That's what Amy is really worried about."

Harley looked at Jake in horror and worry. She remembered how Amy reacted when she heard her and Jake talking. Harley had never seen her friend look so… small. It made Harley want to wrap Amy up and comfort her until she felt better, something that was made much more difficult by the fact Amy was refusing to let anyone near her. Jake seemed to read the look on her face and shook his head.

"No, Hartley it's not… well she is worried about that, but mostly she's worried about you. worried that Mara could do to you, what she did to her." Hartley's worry only grew at the information.

"And what did she do?" Harley was almost relieved when Jake shook his head, refusing to answer. She wasn't so sure she wanted to know.

"Amy has to be the one to tell you about that. I don't even know the whole story. I only know I never want to see Amy like that ever again." Harley thought about asking more questions, but Jake just looked so sad and so angry that she decided against it. Amy wasn't the only one in her family who could potentially snap when pressed on emotional issues.

Instead, Harley braced herself and turned to go up the stairs and finally talk to Amy. Hopefully the former villain didn't sonic scream her head off.

Amy knew Harley noticed her distance, especially since the sunshine girl stayed glued to her side (Amy had no idea how she convinced Celia to let her say. Maybe Hartley inherited some of her grandmother's intimidation factor? There was a terrifying thought). Amy had a feeling her distance hurt Hartley, but she couldn't bring herself to let her best friend dote on her like she clearly wanted to.

Every time Hartley complemented her or tried to touch her, Amy just felt slimy. Like it was Mara doing those things again and every nice thing Mara ever did came at such a steep cost. Amy also knew this feeling and the comparison wasn't fair to Hartley, but she had no idea how to fix it.

The former villain was ripped from her thoughts as a knock sounded on the outside of Amy's closed bedroom door. "Amy? Can I come in?" Hartley called out from behind the door, almost as though she was summoned by Amy's thoughts of her.

"Ya, sure." Amy called back. Hartley opened her door slowly and cautiously, as though Amy was a potentially dangerous animal. This was something that royally pissed off Amy. She wasn't some feral cat that needed to be trained or tiptoed around!

"How are you doing?" and there was that voice. Amy could hear the pity in it. If there was one thing every villain hated, it was pity.

"Just dandy, never been better." Amy bit back, realizing only after she had said it just how harsh it sounded. She could see Hartly pause out of the corner of her eye, as though she was debating on just leaving, but she approached Amy anyway.

"Hey, I know it sucks, but we just have to hold out until you dad finishes his device." Hartley went to sit down next to Amy on her bed, but the second her arm brushed Amy's, the former villain jumped away as though the touch had burned her. the exact same way she had every other time Hartley had accidentally touched her in the time since she heard about Mara.

Harley's face looked devastated when Amy moved away so suddenly, but Amy just couldn't find the words to explain herself.

"So, umm. Jake told me to come up here." Of course he did. Why couldn't Amy's brother just keep out of her business. "He said you were worried about Mara doing something to me, something she did to you?" Amy's eyes snapped to her friend in fear. What had Jake told her? "Do you want to talk about it?"

"What? talk about my feelings? When have I ever wanted to do something like that?" Amy tried to play it off with a chuckle, but by the look on Harley face, she could tell the other girl didn't buy it even for a second.

"Amy." Amy felt her resolve crumble under Hartley's firm tone and her caring gaze. It was a deadly combination and Amy fell victim to it every time. But the idea of giving into Hartley felt so different from anytime she gave into Mara, powers or no powers. When Harley pushed, it was almost always in Amy's best interests, when Mara pushed, it was just because she always wanted everything her way, regardless of who she hurt in the process.

The main difference between Harley and Mara was that while Hartley was just as strong willed and determined, she was always willing to compromise when Amy really needed it. Hartley was safe, whereas Mara was not.

The realization struck Amy like lightning (and she knew what that felt like). Harley was safe. Amy felt safe with Hartley. And she trusted the other girl, more than she trusted even her own family.

Amy never saw Harley move, nor did she know how she wound up sitting on the floor in front of her bed. All she knew was her own raged breath and the grounding sensation of Harley's hands on her face.

"Amy, Amy hey. You have to breathe. Please." Amy did as requested and, although it was shaky at first, her breath soon evened out into something less resembling of someone who had just run a marathon. "There you go." Amy felt Harley shift, ready to move her hand away. In a swift panic, Amy grabbed her friend's hands to keep her from moving away.

"Don't go." Amy knew the words were soft and that Hartley had no reason to listen to her request, but the other girl still settled down in front of Amy, only shifting her arms to move her friend closer. Amy couldn't tell how long they stayed like that, but it was several minutes before she felt better and serval more minutes before Harley spoke again.

"Doing okay?" Amy mumbled something resembling an affirmation from where she had tucked her head into her friend's neck. "Do you want to talk about it now?" Amy supposed the time was as good as any. Hartley probably deserved to know. That way, she could run for the hills before she got too wrapped up in this mess. In Amy's mess. In Amy.

"Back in Centropolis, Mara and I were together, and it was villain tradition that every new villain had to prove themselves to any family they wanted to join. It was like an initiation of sorts. Well, Mara didn't want to do it and we fought about it. A lot. She always just wanted me to come with her on every job. I think I was just some kind of… insurance policy to her. If I was there, I could take down most superheroes, and the one I couldn't take down wouldn't even spare a glance at Mara if they were busy fighting me." Amy sighed. She didn't like to think about that time in her life. She hadn't done so in quite a while.

"One day, we had another fight about her using her powers to convince me to do stuff for her, and I thought I had finally got though to her to just do the initiation job so my family would stop hating her and then we could finally date openly. I really thought she had listened. I was so stupid." Harley opened her mouth to protest, but Amy raised a hand to silence her. she needed to just get it all out.

"She told me she had a plan and that I would hear about it at our usual meetup spot. But I was her plan. She decided that she wouldn't need to prove herself to my villain family if they weren't my family anymore." Amy felt burning behind her eyes, but refused to let anymore tears fall. "She used her Powers, but it was… different." Amy hadn't told anyone this part. She never saw a reason. "Usually, you don't really notice if Mara is using her power, it just felt like it was your own idea. But I guess when it is something to fundamentally against what you want, she turns you into something like a puppet." Hartley gasped but didn't interrupt.

"It was like an out of body experience. I was watching myself say and do horrible things to my family, but I couldn't stop it. Chaos was the only one who knew something was wrong, believed I wouldn't do that. He had to subdue me. It was just luck that he managed to keep me away until Mara's commands wore off." Amy decided the story was best left there. Hartley didn't need to know about the months Amy spent afraid. About the dozens of times she was too scared to go to sleep, so worried that Mara would come back, that she would sneak into Jakes room and sleep there. She didn't need to know about the way Chaos hovered over her every time they left the lair. No, that was stuff only she and Jake needed to know.

"And Mara just… never came back?" Hartley questioned.

"She never was the confrontational type." Amy joked, but the joke fell flat as Hartley hugged her tighter.

"I'm so sorry that happened Amy. I wish I could make it better." Amy hugged her best friend back for the first time since everything began.

"You have no idea how much you already have."