Clueless Parts 5 and 6

Reflections by Ronnie K.

After Power Girl departed, Diana looked at Kal for a moment, then around the room, remembering that the lab had surveillance equipment running at all times. That would not do. She needed privacy. This was no one else's business. "Video off. Audio off." Only senior members of the League had the authority to shut down the eyes and ears that were built into most public rooms of the satellite, but it was rarely ever done. Private conversations could be held in the living quarters, which were not "bugged", but this conversation had to be here and it had to be private. Diana's emotions were jumbled lately. There was something tugging at either her mind or her heart and she could not understand what it was. Things had bothered her before over the years, and she could always talk to Kal about them and always felt better afterwards. Sometimes he gave suggestions, sometimes he just listened. Either way, by the time she was done unburdening herself to him her problem seemed halfway solved. Diana tried to do the same for him when he had problems. She could never talk to anyone else as she could with him, and she was sure he felt the same. They had a bond that was always there, had always been there. Something rarely thought about and never talked about. In the back of her mind, she knew she needed to talk to him about this just as she knew that it was better that he was not awake to hear it. She just had no idea what to say just yet. She sat down in the chair next to the bed, took his hand in both of hers and gazed at his face for a while as she tried to decide what to say. It should have been easy while he was asleep, but it seemed hard to get the words out for some reason. "I've already said this, Kal, but I'm sorry for what happened down there." Her hands were gently massaging his as she spoke. "I even apologized to Wally for yelling at him." She smiled. "You should have seen the look on his face! I could have knocked him over with a feather. It was priceless." Her expression quickly sobered. "I know it shouldn't have been necessary. I shouldn't have yelled at him, but I was angry. I saw you just lying there and I-" Diana hastily put his hand back on the bed and rose to get a glass of water. To give herself time to think, but she couldn't think. Feelings were getting in the way of clear, reasoned thinking. Feelings that she didn't understand. She put the glass of water down after taking a brief sip and sat back in the chair. She took his hand again. Perhaps if she just kept talking it would help. "I felt helpless and you know how much I hate feeling helpless." Brows knit in concentration, she thought that one over. "No, it wasn't merely that. I truly believe that it was because you were down and I didn't know if you would live or die. The thought of you dying scared me, Kal." Suddenly restless, the amazon princess put Kal's hand down again, stood and began to pace around the bed. "I explain to myself that it's because we are such good friends, but that answer doesn't ring true." Now, there was no thought behind what she was saying. It felt as if it were someone else inside her trying, and now succeeding, to be heard. She stood over the bed, taking his hand once again, and leaned over him. She was close enough to feel his breath on her lips, her eyes never leaving his face. "Kal, I think?I think that I-" Diana jumped back as she heard the lab doors beginning to open...

Planting Season Comes Early

The cafeteria wasn't very crowded when Power Girl and Supergirl got their food and looked for a place to sit. Kara silently pointed towards a table in the corner where the Flash was sitting, apparently lost in thought. Perfect! PG nodded and led the way to a table not far from him, where his back would be to them. PG took the chair that allowed her to see Wally's back. They quietly set their food trays down and took their seats. Kara had to suppress the urge to giggle. PG kicked her under the table to quiet her down. PG began in a low voice, as if she didn't want to be overheard. "So, tell me the details, Kara. What happened with the interview between Lois Lane and Superman?" It was better to be explicit when you wanted to get through to Wally. He didn't do innuendo very well. He either didn't get it at all, or he got it all wrong, so they had to proceed carefully. Kara picked up on this immediately, but only had a vague idea on what to say. There hadn't been much time to discuss a plan of action, and Wally happened to be right where they wanted him to be, but too soon. They would have to wing it and make it up as they went. She guessed that this "interview" would have happened just before this mess with the robots and kryptonite. She could imagine the interview now as her brain was busy making it up. Kara did allow herself a giggle here, since she couldn't hold it in any longer and it fit in with the conversation anyway. "Well, you had to be there to appreciate it, but it looked like Lois wanted to do the interview from Superman's lap!" That got Wally's attention. He didn't turn around, but PG clearly saw him freeze for a moment, then casually lean back in his chair to hear them better. PG winked at Kara to let her know that they now had an audience. "What was she wearing? Something sexy?" Kara almost sighed in relief. PG knew she needed a little help and was nudging her along with the questions. "Dear Lord, you should have seen the outfit she had on. See-through blouse and a skirt barely long enough to be legal. I may have to get one myself!" Another giggle from Kara was cut short when she saw that PG was staring daggers at her. She got the point. Don't overdo it here. They needed to set a scene for Wally, not a fantasy. The man was so easily sidetracked. Kara continued. "Well, anyway, she almost did the interview from his pocket, she was so close." "And what did Superman do?" "Well, he looked a bit uncomfortable at first, but after awhile it looked like he was enjoying it, and you'd swear she was looking at a pastry she couldn't wait to eat." "What happened after the interview?" PG prodded. Kara took the hint. "She actually asked him to dinner! He said he'd consider it, and then he left." "Did you tell her what happened with Superman in the desert?" "Yeah, I told her. She was very upset. She begged me to let her know how he's doing. Speaking of which, how is the big guy doing? I haven't had the chance to get a peek at him." That was the signal for PG to change the subject, which PG was happy to do. As they began to chat about other things, PG watched from the corner of her eye as Wally slowly got up and left the cafeteria. Mission accomplished. It would be fun to see how long it would take Wally to start blabbing. The girls gave themselves a high-five before finishing their meals. A short time later, they too left to get some rest. From a table not far away, a thoughtful Batman took his leave too.